| 1 | This page details noteworthy enemies and bosses fought in ''Videogame/DarkSouls''. Head back through [[Characters/DarkSouls here]] for other character pages. '''Contains unmarked spoilers.''' |
| 2 | |
| 3 | ---- |
| 4 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 5 | |
| 6 | !!General |
| 7 | |
| 8 | [[folder:Hollows]] |
| 9 | !!Hollows |
| 10 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hollow.jpg]] |
| 11 | |
| 12 | The basic enemy of the game's first half. People afflicted with the Darksign who have succumbed to their curse, turning into nearly-mindless zombies. |
| 13 | ---- |
| 14 | * DespairEventHorizon: Undead become Hollows when they lose their will to keep going, usually because they were trapped in a hopeless situation or decisively failed at the goal that was helping them push forward. |
| 15 | * EliteMooks: They have several stronger variations, mostly Undead Warriors and Soldiers who have armor and heavier weapons. The most dangerous among them [[KillItWithFire wield torches]] that can kill even a strong player in a single brutal combo, though thankfully they are otherwise only as strong as a standard Hollow. |
| 16 | * FragileSpeedster: Some of them attack with surprisingly quick flurries of slashes, which can easily kill low-leveled players or those not paying attention, but they still go down in one hit to any mid-game weapons. |
| 17 | * GlassCannon: The torch-wielding Hollows are no stronger than the standard variants, but fire damage is devastating to the player if not blocked. |
| 18 | * TheGoomba: The weakest and most common enemy, found throughout many areas and growing increasingly less effective as the game goes on. However, a large swarm of them can still be dangerous to unprepared players. |
| 19 | * OurZombiesAreDifferent: While they are [[AxCrazy completely insane]] and almost mindless, they are less animalistic than usual zombies, with most using weapons and some even utilizing ambush tactics. |
| 20 | [[/folder]] |
| 21 | |
| 22 | [[folder:Vagrants]] |
| 23 | !!Vagrants |
| 24 | [[quoteright:594:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/redvagrant29.png]] |
| 25 | |
| 26 | Bizarre, [[LuckBasedMission incredibly rare]] creatures resembling dark blobs with claws and white tendrils. They only spawn when a player in another game loses a great amount of humanity and dies before being able to reclaim it (spawning an "evil" Vagrant), or drops a valuable item and leaves it behind for some time (a "good" Vagrant). |
| 27 | ---- |
| 28 | * GlassCannon: The "evil" varieties are as fragile as the others, and their main strike is weak, but their other attack is often a OneHitKill. |
| 29 | * JumpScare: Hostile Vagrants have a tendency to do this to players unaware of their spawn locations, as their creation is unpredictable and they can often be run right into without warning. |
| 30 | * MetalSlime: They’re very elusive, can quickly disappear if not swiftly engaged, and the hostile varieties can OneHitKill you. However, managing to kill them in time usually yields great rewards. |
| 31 | * RandomEncounters: Since having one appear in your game is a LuckBasedMission dependent on another player's actions, it's very easy to go through multiple playthroughs without ever seeing a single one. |
| 32 | [[/folder]] |
| 33 | |
| 34 | [[folder:The Black Knights]] |
| 35 | !!The Black Knights |
| 36 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blackknight.jpeg]] |
| 37 | |
| 38 | Former knights of Gwyn, their equipment charred black in their wars against the demons. These solitary knights are found as [[{{Miniboss}} Minibosses]] scattered throughout Lordran, while large groups of them only respawn [[spoiler: in the Kiln of the First Flame]]. |
| 39 | ---- |
| 40 | * AcquiredPoisonImmunity: Of a sort -- getting burned so badly and constantly has made them nearly impervious to flame, a quality which helps you if you can get [[RareDrop their shield]]. |
| 41 | * AnimatedArmor: [[spoiler: This is what the Black Knights in the final area actually are - scorched armor left behind by the knights who burned with Gwyn, still moving around to defend him while their actual spirits roam the stairway between the Kiln and the Firelink Altar.]] |
| 42 | * BlackKnight: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Obviously.]] Unlike most examples, however, their armor isn't black by design; they were Silver Knights from Anor Londo who were scorched black during Gwyn's campaigns against the demons. |
| 43 | * BossInMooksClothing: In the early game, they vastly outmatch your damage and their swings can nearly OneHitKill most builds, making it extremely hard to kill them if you're not good at dodging/parrying. They get easier as you progress, but not by much. |
| 44 | * EliteMooks: They're essentially this to the Silver Knights, even though you encounter them long before the latter. By the time you finally encounter the respawning versions [[spoiler: blocking the path to Gwyn's chamber]], the two are about on par with each other. |
| 45 | * UndyingLoyalty: They were some of Gwyn's most powerful and loyal knights, always at his side in battle while the other Silver Knights stayed behind to guard Anor Londo; many even accompanied him [[spoiler: on his suicide mission to link the Flame, and were burned alive in the process -- and even then, their empty armors still guard their fallen lord by the time you arrive]]. |
| 46 | [[/folder]] |
| 47 | |
| 48 | [[folder:Crystal Lizards]] |
| 49 | !!Crystal Lizards |
| 50 | [[quoteright:284:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/crystallizard.jpeg]] |
| 51 | |
| 52 | Tiny, solitary lizards either made of or covered in sparkling crystal. They are one of the few creatures in Lordran not out for your blood, instead fleeing when discovered and vanishing if not struck down. |
| 53 | ---- |
| 54 | * DefensiveFeintTrap: They run away immediately upon seeing the Chosen Undead and vanish shortly afterwards. However, more often than not they run right into enemies or other hazardous areas. |
| 55 | * DisappearsIntoLight: A non-lethal variety, they run in place and vanish into thin air if not killed quickly enough. |
| 56 | * MetalSlime: They’re rare, pretty fast, and disappear quickly if not killed, remaining gone until the zone is reloaded. They’re also the most reliable source of twinkling titanite and similar rare drops, especially in the early game. |
| 57 | [[/folder]] |
| 58 | |
| 59 | [[folder:Titanite Demons]] |
| 60 | !!Titanite Demons |
| 61 | [[quoteright:550:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/titanite_demon.png]] |
| 62 | |
| 63 | Ferocious demons that spawned from the Titanite Slabs when the nameless deity of blacksmiths passed away. Despite looking like partially broken statues, their immense durability and powerful attacks make them forces to be reckoned with. |
| 64 | ---- |
| 65 | * BeefGate: The first one most players will encounter guards the entrance to Darkroot Garden from Andre's basement, and it's almost impossible to kill with the gear and stats available at that point. That said, [[CuttingTheKnot it's fairly easy to just run past]]. |
| 66 | * TheFaceless: Their heads are missing, if they ever had them at all. This doesn't seem to interfere with their sight. |
| 67 | * HellIsThatNoise: Their deep, heavy breathing (if that's truly what they're doing) can often indicate their presence well before you see them, especially when you encounter one in the palace of Anor Londo. |
| 68 | * MightyGlacier: They are very slow outside of their rare jumping attacks, but their defense is incredibly tough, and their attacks can easily take half your health or more with one strike. |
| 69 | * {{Miniboss}}: Classified as such due to their rarity, difficulty, and lack of respawning. However... |
| 70 | * PinataEnemy: The sole respawning one in Lost Izalith is the only respawning enemy in the game that drops Demon Titanite. It's going to make you work for it, but it does drop two. |
| 71 | * RockMonster: They emerged from Titanite Slabs, they seem to be made of the stuff, and they drop Demon Titanite when killed. |
| 72 | * ScratchDamage: Since their bodies appear to be made of solid titanite, most attacks merely graze them and put small dents in their health bar. Even a lot of powerful mid-game weapons take time to chip them down. |
| 73 | * ShockAndAwe: At range, they cast powerful lightning spells that deal significant damage. Strangely, they themselves take extra damage from lightning, making Sunlight Spears and Gold-Pine Resin-infused weapons pretty handy. |
| 74 | [[/folder]] |
| 75 | |
| 76 | !!Northern Undead Asylum |
| 77 | |
| 78 | [[folder:Asylum Demon]] |
| 79 | |
| 80 | !!Asylum Demon |
| 81 | [[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/270px-asylum_demon_8162.png]] |
| 82 | |
| 83 | A large, goblin-like demon that guards the Undead Asylum. The go-to tutorial boss. |
| 84 | ---- |
| 85 | * AssKicksYou: Sticking close to it isn't a good idea since it will do a groundpound in this manner. |
| 86 | * BossAlteringConsequence: You can go out the cell door to the left and head to the top of the Asylum and use a plunging attack against it. However, you can only win its weapon if you beat it the normal way. |
| 87 | * CarryABigStick: Its massive Demon Great Hammer, which it uses to [[NoKillLikeOverkill clobber you to death]] (and which is presumably what mortally wounded Oscar). [[spoiler:If you kill the demon on your first try, you can nab it for yourself, although it's extremely heavy and unwieldy.]] |
| 88 | * EarlyBirdBoss: It is met mere moments after you start the game, and you begin as a weaponless undead, forcing you to either flee to acquire your starting equipment, or kill it with your bare fists. However, [[SequenceBreaking you can defeat it easily]] if [[spoiler:you chose the Black Firebombs as your starting gift]]. |
| 89 | * {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6Xv9Dbk3e4 "Taurus Demon"]], shared with the Taurus Demon and the Demon Firesage. |
| 90 | * RecurringElement: Its role as a tutorial boss is identical to the Vanguard in ''Videogame/DemonsSouls'', and it features similar moves as well, [[AssKicksYou namely stomping its butt on you]]. |
| 91 | * SmallRoleBigImpact: It's just the boss of the tutorial area, but it's heavily implied to be what killed Oscar of Astora by smashing him through the roof, making it essentially the only reason you get your quest and Estus Flask. |
| 92 | * WarmUpBoss: It's the very first enemy you encounter in the game, and the first one to give you a taste of the [[NintendoHard game's difficulty]]. |
| 93 | |
| 94 | [[/folder]] |
| 95 | |
| 96 | [[folder:Stray Demon]] |
| 97 | |
| 98 | !!Stray Demon |
| 99 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/250px-sd_7123.jpg]] |
| 100 | |
| 101 | An optional boss similar to the Asylum Demon. It resides in the floor below the latter's, and is only available once you return to the Undead Asylum. The primary difference between this boss and the Asylum Demon is its weapon choice and an added ability to create magic blasts. |
| 102 | ---- |
| 103 | * AssKicksYou: Same as the Asylum Demon. Ironically, this is actually preferable to letting it fire off its magic bombs, as it's a predictable and fairly easily to avoid attack. |
| 104 | * CarryABigStick: Unlike its weaker brethren, it uses a massive staff that allows it to fire magic bombs that explode over a large radius. |
| 105 | * DamageSpongeBoss: For a boss you can fight almost at the start of the game, this guy can take a serious beating -- in your first playthrough, his health-pool even exceeds the Gaping Dragon's, and whilst he doesn't scale as much as other bosses in the NewGamePlus, he's still amongst the most durable foes you'll face. |
| 106 | * EarlyBirdCameo: When first exiting the prison cell at the beginning of the game, the Stray Demon can be seen wandering around its boss arena through the bars to the right, although it can't be reached at this point in the game. Most players will end up mistaking it for the Asylum Demon, leading to surprise and confusion when they initially kill the Asylum Demon only for the Stray Demon's trudging footsteps to still echo around the boss arena. |
| 107 | * HavingABlast: Launches a few magic bombs that have a very wide radius of impact, and once [[SwordPlant it plants its staff into the ground]], this is your cue to run. |
| 108 | * {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC1N-1SMAXQ "Iron Golem"]], which is shared with the boss of the same name. |
| 109 | * MightyGlacier: Oddly enough, its moveset is slower than the Asylum Demon, and it's susceptible to bleed damage. However, the bombs it launches bring on the pain and are hard to dodge. |
| 110 | * DubNameChange: It's originally named "Voracious Doragon" in Japan. |
| 111 | * OptionalBoss: It's not encountered as part of the main game, and it takes some time to figure out ''how'' to get back to the Asylum. Fittingly, it is also much tougher than the tutorial boss, having stats that match late-game bosses. It also drops the incredibly rare Titanite Slab needed to bring a weapon to its maximum power in the standard and lightning upgrade paths. |
| 112 | * UndergroundMonkey: It's basically an Asylum Demon with a magic catalyst instead of a hammer, with stats befitting a boss met outside of the main plot. |
| 113 | * WeaksauceWeakness: Bleeding. It only takes two or three hits with a bleed-inflicting weapon to cause it to bleed, and bleeding takes away about 10% of its health. Combined with the fact that such a weapon is available in the Firelink Shrine, this makes confronting him at the start of the game surprisingly doable... [[DifficultButAwesome IF you know what you're doing.]] |
| 114 | |
| 115 | [[/folder]] |
| 116 | |
| 117 | !!Upper Undead Burg |
| 118 | |
| 119 | [[folder:Sewer Rats]] |
| 120 | !!Sewer Rats |
| 121 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sewerrat.jpeg]] |
| 122 | |
| 123 | [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Large rats that primarily occupy sewers]]. They mostly make their home in the Depths, but they can also be found under the bridge in Undead Burg. |
| 124 | ---- |
| 125 | * CowardlyMooks: Due to bugged AI priorities, basic rats aren't always hostile, and some in fact will flee from the player rather than engage in a fight, only to then attack after running themselves into a corner. This behavior isn't always consistent depending on where the rats are. |
| 126 | * EliteMooks: Snow rat varieties can be found in the Painted World. They're identical but for their white color, higher aggression, and ability to inflict Toxic damage instead of standard Poison. |
| 127 | * RodentsOfUnusualSize: They come in several sizes, with the largest (outside of a unique {{Miniboss}}) around twice the player's size. |
| 128 | * SwarmOfRats: They're usually found in groups of 3-5, and attacking one will aggro all of the others. |
| 129 | * YouDirtyRat: Even by the standards of video game rodents, the rats of ''Dark Souls'' are particularly filthy and disease-ridden, with milky white eyes and pustulent bald patches in the fur. |
| 130 | [[/folder]] |
| 131 | |
| 132 | [[folder:Taurus Demon]] |
| 133 | |
| 134 | !!Taurus Demon |
| 135 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/350px-taurus_demon_519.png]] |
| 136 | |
| 137 | A large, minotaur-like demon that blocks your way to the Undead Parish. It is the second boss fought in the game (barring SequenceBreaking). Several Taurus Demons appear in the Demon Ruins, although most of them can only be fought after the Ceaseless Discharge dies, draining the lava lake. |
| 138 | ---- |
| 139 | * BadWithTheBone: Its Demon's Greataxe is carved from the bones of other demons. |
| 140 | * DegradedBoss: |
| 141 | ** There's a group of seven Taurus Demons as non-respawning enemies on your way to the Demon Ruins, guarding [[spoiler:the Ember needed to forge weapons upgraded down the Chaos path]]. |
| 142 | ** There's also three respawning ones after the Capra Demons. One guards the front of the Demon Firesage's arena, while the other two are guarding the basic Fire Ember. |
| 143 | * EasyLevelTrick: It's possible for the first one to [[https://youtu.be/4S5JZF9rBK8 accidentally fall off the bridge it's on]]. |
| 144 | * FlunkyBoss: There are two archers on the tower you enter the arena from. You can easily kill them before you trigger the Taurus Demon to jump down, though, and should ''always'' do so unless you're glutton for punishment. |
| 145 | * {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6Xv9Dbk3e4 "Taurus Demon"]], shared with the Asylum Demon and the Demon Firesage. |
| 146 | * MightyGlacier: Uses slow and easily telegraphed axe swings. However, each swing can launch you off your feet even when blocked by a greatshield and a direct hit is usually enough to kill beginning players in one hit. |
| 147 | * OurMinotaursAreDifferent: It's based on a minotaur and vaguely resembles a wingless [[Manga/{{Berserk}} Zodd]] in that regard, although its horns are curled, resembling a ram's, and it has a [[SkullForAHead skull-like face]]. |
| 148 | * SkippableBoss: The Taurus Demon can be skipped entirely through various means, all of which are so arduous and require so much foreknowledge you're definitely not making things easier for yourself. |
| 149 | ** If one chose the master key as their item in the character creation menu, you can take a detour through the Valley of Drakes and go all the way up from the Darkroot Basin, to reach the Undead Parish without ever having to tackle the Undead Burg. |
| 150 | ** Alternatively, you can just make your way down Havel's tower and try to make your way up the Darkroot Basin to Andre's. Still not exactly easy, but easier than the Valley of Drakes at an early level (and Havel, while extremely tough for new players, is not exactly a fast runner). |
| 151 | ** The third ''doesn't'' require the Master Key, but it's easily the most difficult of the three. Breaking certain pots in New Londo Ruins grants the player Transient Curses, which can be used to fight through New Londo Ruins, kill Ingward, and open the seal, which drains directly into the Valley of the Drakes. However, those pots only drop two or three Curses each, which is about how many are needed to make the run in the first place (so if you die in your first attempt at it, you aren't likely to get a second one until much later in the game). |
| 152 | * WakeupCallBoss: It's fought in a narrow arena with archers firing at you in the background, which makes the fight much more difficult (and teaches you to fully explore an area before proceeding). It can also knock you off the wall to your doom if you don't watch your footing. However, the spot with the archers can be exploited for drop attacks, as with the Asylum Demon. |
| 153 | |
| 154 | [[/folder]] |
| 155 | |
| 156 | [[folder:Havel the Rock]] |
| 157 | |
| 158 | !!Havel the Rock |
| 159 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/havel-the-rock_8992.jpg]] |
| 160 | |
| 161 | One of Lord Gwyn's followers, Havel is actually a Bishop, though if he belongs to the Way of White is not known. He is also the sworn enemy of Seath the Scaleless. He is found in the locked watchtower leading from the Undead Burg to the Darkroot Basin. |
| 162 | ---- |
| 163 | * AntiMagic: Invented the Great Magic Barrier miracle to combat the sorcery he hated. Although he doesn't use it in combat. |
| 164 | * AttackAttackRetreatRetreat: He's either smart enough to realize he's being lured into a trap or scared to fight outside the confined space of the tower when he runs back into the tower after going through the entrance. |
| 165 | * AxCrazy: After going Hollow. Locked up for his own and everyone else's safety by Gwyn. Although the item description when it says "For his own good, of course" can be taken as sarcastically toned, since it was more likely done not to protect him from others, but to protect ''others'' from ''him''. |
| 166 | * BadassPreacher: As one of Gwyn's followers, there's no doubt he faced several dangers and came out on top. |
| 167 | * BeefGate: Acts as this for one entrance into Darkroot Basin should the player use the Master Key to unlock the door in the Undead Burg's watchtower. Though with some skillful dodging and backstabbing, it's possible to beat him even at a low level, and there's always the option of just [[SkippableBoss running past him]]. |
| 168 | * CarryABigStick: His Dragon's Tooth, which is speculated to be made from one of Seath's teeth. |
| 169 | * ChurchMilitant: [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking Bishop, even]]. |
| 170 | * DoesNotLikeMagic: Was known to hate sorcery. This was also one of the reasons he hated Seath. |
| 171 | * ImprobableWeaponUser: He wields a huge ''tooth''. As a ''club''. |
| 172 | * LaResistance: [[WildMassGuessing Speculated]] to be the reason his loot stash in Anor Londo notably includes an Occult Club, a weapon designed to attack gods. What strengthens this connection is a possible MeaningfulName; [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaclav_Havel Vaclav Havel]] was an instrumental figure in the Czechoslovakian Velvet Revolution. |
| 173 | * LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: His signature greatshield, on top of being the heaviest in the game as well as the one with the highest resistances overall, has a special ability which adds a layer of rock on its user, greatly increasing their poise for a few seconds at the cost of the shield's durability. |
| 174 | * MageKiller: He has high Magic resist armor, a weapon that increases Magic and Pyromancy resistance, and a shield with very high Magic defense. He also is the creator of the Magic Barrier spells, which very heavily reduce Magic damage. His flavour text states that he hated magic almost as much as he hated Seath, who just so happened to be the father of sorcery. |
| 175 | * MeaningfulName: His equipment is made either from solid rock, or in the case of the Dragon Tooth, a ''huge'' Dragon's tooth. |
| 176 | * MightyGlacier: Wields one of the heaviest weapons in the game. Is he slow? Definitely. Can he one-shot a bitch? Oh yeah. |
| 177 | * NoSell: His armour set has the highest poise in the game, which means there is next to nothing that can stagger him in one hit. |
| 178 | * OneHitKill: Unless you have a large amount of health or defense, getting hit by his smash attack could result in instant death. |
| 179 | * SuperStrength: Again, ''Solid Rock Armor''. |
| 180 | * TinTyrant: Although not really metal. His armor is actually ''carved out of solid rock''. |
| 181 | * UniqueEnemy: Barring invading players who try to {{cosplay}} him, he is only fought once and does not respawn. |
| 182 | |
| 183 | [[/folder]] |
| 184 | |
| 185 | [[folder:Hellkite Dragon]] |
| 186 | |
| 187 | !!Hellkite Dragon [=/=] Red Drake [=/=] Bridge Wyvern |
| 188 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/300px-hellkite_wyvern_render_4511.png]] |
| 189 | |
| 190 | A massive red drake which soars around the Undead Burg. Appears when you first arrive in the Undead Burg, and then harasses you when you try to cross the bridge from the Burg to the Parish. [[PlayingWithFire With lots of fire.]] Can be skipped, and [[LuckBasedMission with good reason]]. |
| 191 | ---- |
| 192 | * BeefGate: More like a Beef ''Wall''; a low-level player will have trouble just ''surviving'' this thing, let alone trying to kill it. |
| 193 | * HealingFactor: It can regenerate health after it's taken a certain amount of damage, which makes it harder to [[DeathOfAThousandCuts needle it to death with arrows]] from a safe distance unless you can do more damage than it can heal. |
| 194 | * InformedFlaw: By the lore, it's much weaker than any true dragon, but it's [[LuckBasedMission sometimes]] even more difficult to kill than ''[[OptionalBoss Kalameet]]''; its tail is very easy to destroy, in contrast. (Although to be fair, you can only properly fight Kalameet [[WorfHadTheFlu after one of his wings is crippled.]]) |
| 195 | * LawOfChromaticSuperiority: Unlike the purple, lightning-breathing drake whelps you find in the Valley of Drakes, this one is a big red wyvern that breathes fire, and is correspondingly more deadly. |
| 196 | * LuckBasedMission: The way it attacks with its flames can make killing it extremely difficult when you first encounter it, because more often than not, it will simply one-shot you with its flames. On successive NewGamePlus runs, fighting it is basically suicide. |
| 197 | * MarathonBoss: Most of the strategies used to bring it down are time consuming, given trying to get it in melee range is not a safe option; not only does it try to crush you when it lands on the bridge, it can also fly off again with a trail of fire in its wake. |
| 198 | * {{Miniboss}}: It's an unique, non-respawning enemy that prevents you from accessing a strategic bonfire. |
| 199 | * NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: The official guide names it as the '''Hell'''kite Dragon/Wyvern, and it certainly delivers on its intimidating presence. |
| 200 | * NonindicativeName: It isn't actually a dragon, it's a drake: a much weaker, unintelligent, and mortal creature only distantly related to dragons. It says something about the power the ancient dragons possessed that this thing is considered ''weak'' by comparison. |
| 201 | * OneHitKill: For all intents and purposes, its flame attack is this. You ''might'' get away with only a good chunk of damage the first time, though; consider that a warning shot. |
| 202 | * OurDragonsAreDifferent: Not one of the immortal dragons, but rather being one of their weaker cousins, the drakes. |
| 203 | * PlayingWithFire: Mostly its modus operandi. And it takes care to roast the entire bridge, making it extremely difficult to evade or defend against -- most of the time, it's a OneHitKill. |
| 204 | * SkippableBoss: It's more of an environmental hazard than a boss by itself, and can be circumvented simply by traveling underneath the bridge it's guarding. You don't even need to beat it to reach the bonfire behind it; you can force it to land by shooting it once then sprinting past it before it can prepare another flame blast, which will cause it to fly away for a few minutes. That said, these options exist because it is a very tough boss and fond of using insta-kill, unavoidable flame attacks that make beating it a LuckBasedMission. |
| 205 | |
| 206 | [[/folder]] |
| 207 | |
| 208 | !!Undead Parish |
| 209 | |
| 210 | [[folder:Fang Boars]] |
| 211 | !!Fang Boars |
| 212 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/armoredboar.png]] |
| 213 | |
| 214 | Huge boars clad in nigh-impenetrable armor. One blocks the entrance to the Undead Parish along with a horde of Hollows, while two more wait in the entrance hallway to the Duke's Archives. |
| 215 | ---- |
| 216 | * AssShove: Assuming you can manage to backstab the first one, you'll be giving it a colonoscopy with whatever weapon you have equipped. |
| 217 | * AttackItsWeakPoint: The one in the Undead Parish has a missing section of armor on its rear, leaving it vulnerable to a backstab. The two on the path to the Duke's Archives have no such weakness. |
| 218 | * BeefGate: Both instances are found right at the entrances of their areas, and they are respectively as difficult as the areas they protect. |
| 219 | * BullfightBoss: The first one especially; its weak point is its unarmored backside, it mainly attacks by charging forward, and you have ample space to dodge around it and strike from behind. The two in Duke's Archives fight the same way, but lack the weak point and fight in tight hallways, making them much harder. |
| 220 | * FullBoarAction: They're just boars in armor, but they're some of the toughest enemies at the points you encounter them. |
| 221 | * MadeOfIron: Their armor is ''incredibly'' sturdy, deflecting most forms of damage with little effect. The two in the Duke's Archives don't even have a gap in their armor like the Parish boar does, making the fight even more difficult. |
| 222 | * RedEyesTakeWarning: All three of them have glowing red eyes, and you definitely shouldn't underestimate them. |
| 223 | * UniqueEnemy: Only three of them appear in Lordran; one guarding a gate in Undead Parish and two guarding the Duke's Archives. |
| 224 | [[/folder]] |
| 225 | |
| 226 | [[folder:Undead Balder Knights]] |
| 227 | !!Undead Balder Knights |
| 228 | [[quoteright:302:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/balderknight.jpeg]] |
| 229 | |
| 230 | Knights of the kingdom of Balder, hollowed out and wandering Lordran after their kingdom's fall. Most of those encountered have congregated to guard the Undead Parish, though some can be found atop Sen's Fortress. |
| 231 | ---- |
| 232 | * LightningBruiser: Very quick and agile, but able to hit hard with their own attacks and parry yours if you're not careful. |
| 233 | * MasterSwordsman: The rapier wielders prioritize graceful swordsmanship and counters over pure offense and defense, and the side sword wielders are no slouches either. |
| 234 | * RoyalRapier: Several of the knights wield rapiers to great effect, and all were in direct service of the Knight King Rendal. |
| 235 | * ZombieApocalypse: Their kingdom was destroyed by the Undead curse overtaking too many people, causing it to collapse. |
| 236 | [[/folder]] |
| 237 | |
| 238 | [[folder:Berenike Knights]] |
| 239 | !!Berenike Knights |
| 240 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/heavy_knight.jpg]] |
| 241 | |
| 242 | Huge knights in heavy armor, wielding great maces and shields. They were renowned for their immense power, but as many in Berenike succumbed to the curse, the knights ventured to Lordran in desperation to reach Anor Londo. With the exception of the mighty [[Characters/DarkSoulsNeutralNPCsAndLore Tarkus]], they all failed and went Hollow, becoming imposing obstacles for the Chosen Undead. |
| 243 | ---- |
| 244 | * LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: Their colossal Tower Shields will halt any attacks from the front. |
| 245 | * {{Miniboss}}: The sole non respawning one in the Undead Parish, who guards the Fire Keeper Soul, can be a difficult fight for a low-level player. The respawning ones in the Painted World of Ariamis and Sen's Fortress are more manageable due to being encountered much later in the game. |
| 246 | * MightyGlacier: Some of the mightiest and [[BuffySpeak glacieriest]] in the game, only matched by certain bosses and people like Havel the Rock. |
| 247 | * MythologyGag: They bear many visual and behavioral similarities to ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls''' Tower Knight, just dramatically shrunk down. |
| 248 | [[/folder]] |
| 249 | |
| 250 | [[folder:Channelers]] |
| 251 | !!Channelers |
| 252 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/channeler.jpeg]] |
| 253 | |
| 254 | Dark sorcerers who serve as Seath's assistants, sent out to various areas of Lordran to gather human specimens for the mad dragon's research. They prefer to stay out of range and pelt their opponents with Soul Arrows, while buffing any other enemies within radius. |
| 255 | ---- |
| 256 | * CoDragons: The Channelers collectively seem to be Seath's most trusted minions. |
| 257 | * EvilSorceror: They're accomplished sorcerors, and as servants of Seath, they're evil to the bone. |
| 258 | * ProjectileSpell: They almost exclusively use Soul Arrow, which shoots a solid projectile across a long distance. This usually isn't too dangerous even at a low level, but if the Channeler overlooking the Gaping Dragon's arena isn't killed beforehand, it will [[DeathFromAbove rain them down constantly]] throughout the fight. |
| 259 | * SquishyWizard: Their LongRangeFighter capabilities and tendency to [[TeleportSpam teleport on a dime]] obfuscate the fact that they'll go down in a few hits to most weapons. |
| 260 | * StatusBuff: The first thing they will do after being aggroed will almost always be to do a funny-looking dance that buffs the damage of every enemy in the vicinity, including themselves. Should you acquire their (very rarely dropped) Channeler's Trident for youself, you can do the same to yourself and you allies. And yes, the one overlooking the Gaping Dragon's arena can and will buff the boss if not killed. |
| 261 | * TeleportSpam: Whenever the player gets into melee range with them, they will almost always teleport across the room after a few seconds. This can draw out any fight with them well beyond [[SquishyWizard their small health pool]]. |
| 262 | * UnusableEnemyEquipment: Of a sort; while you can get their trident and use their dancing buff, you cannot use it as a sorcery catalyst like they can or ever use their teleporting spell. |
| 263 | [[/folder]] |
| 264 | |
| 265 | [[folder:Bell Gargoyles]] |
| 266 | |
| 267 | !!Bell Gargoyles [=/=] Belfry Gargoyles |
| 268 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/300px-gargoyle_621.png]] |
| 269 | |
| 270 | A pair of demonic gargoyles hiding under the guise of statues atop the Undead Parish's church, and guardians of the first Bell of Awakening. Another pair are seen guarding the outskirts of Anor Londo. |
| 271 | ---- |
| 272 | * BewareMyStingerTail: Their tail is basically a large double-ended axe. You can sever it to acquire it as a weapon. |
| 273 | * BreathWeapon: If you're keeping your distance too much, they'll start spewing flames over a large area. The ones encountered in Anor Londo breathe [[ShockAndAwe lightning instead]]. |
| 274 | * DegradedBoss: In Anor Londo, where they are met individually, have around the same health as their boss counterpart, and don't respawn, effectively making them a {{Miniboss}} for the bridge section. |
| 275 | * DualBoss: In a bit of a subversion, the second gargoyle doesn't actually enter the fight until you reduce the first's health down to half. |
| 276 | * {{Expy}}: Their fighting style and general appearance is reminiscent of [[VideoGame/DemonsSouls the Maneaters]]. Heck, the second Bell Gargoyle[=/=]Maneater appears in the same manner after you've dealt enough damage to the first one. |
| 277 | * {{Flight}}: They're quite capable of it, though it's mostly used to do [[DeathFromAbove jump attacks on you]]. |
| 278 | * {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9hNS7JTbMQ "Bell Gargoyle"]]. |
| 279 | * MightyRoar: The first one you fight does this during its introductory cutscene. |
| 280 | * OurGargoylesRock: They're made of patinated bronze instead of stone -- appropriate since they're fought in a Gothic church. |
| 281 | * ShieldBash: Often if you're too close to them. |
| 282 | * ShockAndAwe: The miniboss versions in Anor Londo trade fire breath for lightning, even though the boss versions are weak to it. |
| 283 | * SwordAndSorcerer: To a degree. The first gargoyle is more heavily armored, wields a shield in addition to a halberd, and prefers to use physical attacks. Meanwhile the second gargoyle has less health and tends to stand back and breathe fire. |
| 284 | * TailSlap: They will fly into the air and roll to chop at you with their tail. |
| 285 | * WakeupCallBoss: The fact that there are two of them makes it a big challenge. They also are smaller and move a lot faster than previous bosses, making them a lot harder to both hit and dodge, and have a larger variety of attacks. |
| 286 | |
| 287 | [[/folder]] |
| 288 | |
| 289 | !!Lower Undead Burg |
| 290 | |
| 291 | [[folder:Undead Attack Dogs]] |
| 292 | !!Undead Attack Dogs |
| 293 | [[quoteright:189:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/attackdog.jpeg]] |
| 294 | |
| 295 | Zombified hounds that patrol the lowest parts of the Undead Burg and the surface of the Depths. |
| 296 | ---- |
| 297 | * AngryGuardDog: As soon as you get in their aggro range, they'll attack relentlessly, growling all the while. |
| 298 | * EliteMooks: A tougher version of them is found in Blighttown, and can attack with [[KillItWithFire fire breath]]. |
| 299 | * FragileSpeedster: They're not that tough, but they're among the fastest enemies in the game, with barely telegraphed lunges and a fondness for leaping out of the way of your attacks. |
| 300 | [[/folder]] |
| 301 | |
| 302 | [[folder:Hollow Thief]] |
| 303 | !!Hollow Thief / Undead Assassin |
| 304 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hollowthief.jpeg]] |
| 305 | |
| 306 | Vicious Hollows found only in the Lower Undead Burg. While their savage brethren attack mindlessly on sight, they prefer to wait in ambush and overpower their prey. |
| 307 | ---- |
| 308 | * DeviousDaggers: They use throwing knives at range and attack with a dagger when they close in. |
| 309 | * FragileSpeedster: Like the dogs that fill the same area, they evade nimbly and dish out high-damage attacks at high speed, but make up for it with comparatively little health and defense. |
| 310 | * ItCanThink: Hollow Thieves seem to be the smartest of the standard Hollows, as they are able to parry attacks and most of them attack by kicking down doors in coordinated ambushes. |
| 311 | * SlashedThroat: If you let them parry your attack, they'll usually retaliate by jumping onto your shoulders and slicing your throat open. |
| 312 | [[/folder]] |
| 313 | |
| 314 | [[folder:Capra Demon]] |
| 315 | |
| 316 | !!Capra Demon |
| 317 | [[quoteright:170:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/170px-capra_demon_render_3961.png]] |
| 318 | |
| 319 | A humanoid, goat-headed demon that lurks in the lower section of the Undead Burg, [[FlunkyBoss alongside two Undead Attack Dogs]]. It holds the key needed to access the Depths. Several Capra Demons are also encountered in the Demon Ruins. |
| 320 | ---- |
| 321 | * {{BFS}}: Wields [[DualWielding a pair]] of aptly-named Demon Great Machetes, some of the most powerful weapons that scale with the Strength stat. |
| 322 | * DegradedBoss: You meet several Capra Demons in the Demon Ruins, although their health and damage aren't anything spectacular by the time you venture there. Their aggro range is also reduced, making them skippable if you jump down a ledge directly leading to a bonfire. |
| 323 | * EasyLevelTrick: The Capra Demon boss fight is renowned as a newbie killer, since the attack dogs combined with the extremely small combat space makes him a terrible menace that requires players to learn how to dodge his attacks while kiting him and the dogs ''and'' waiting for an opening to take the dogs out. But with some readily available and extremely cheap consumables, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VyzySNoXgA he can be killed from outside the boss arena]]. |
| 324 | * ExtraEyes: Has four eyes, and they're [[RedEyesTakeWarning red.]] As if it wasn't ObviouslyEvil enough. |
| 325 | * FakeUltimateMook: Once you get rid of the attack dogs flanking it, you find out that the Capra Demon has fairly telegraphed sword swings, allowing you to counter it without much hassle. |
| 326 | * FlunkyBoss: It is accompanied by a few attack dogs that can inflict bleed damage, providing enough distraction to swing its swords at the player. |
| 327 | * {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R61VWtpP1c "Centipede Demon"]], which is shared with the boss of the same name. |
| 328 | * LightningBruiser: Has a plethora of stamina-draining sword attacks, and it rarely pauses while trying to break your guard. Only a shield with heavy deflection can ward off its attacks, but the only one available is via a single drop from a miniboss that doesn't respawn. |
| 329 | * MacheteMayhem: They [[DualWielding dual-wield]] Demon Great Machetes. |
| 330 | * MeaningfulName: In biology, "Capra" is a genus of goats and goat-like mammals. What does its face look like again? |
| 331 | * MonsterKnight: Fits the trope since, despite being one of the demons roaming Lordran, it's still a dual-wielding warrior. |
| 332 | * MonsterModesty: Inexplicably wears pants in contrast to the other demons. |
| 333 | * SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset: Wears a goat-like skull for a helmet, although it's unclear whether it's the demon's actual head. |
| 334 | * SkippableBoss: Surprisingly enough, you can skip it along with the entirety of the Depths if you chose to reach Blighttown through the Valley of Drakes. While doing that is much more tedious than fighting the Capra Demon, it potentially spares you from many brutal deaths if you're not prepared for this boss. |
| 335 | * WakeupCallBoss: The last boss to truly count as this, it's a LightningBruiser that is fought in a small area and is accompanied by two fast enemies. |
| 336 | [[/folder]] |
| 337 | |
| 338 | !!The Depths |
| 339 | |
| 340 | [[folder:Butchers]] |
| 341 | !!Butchers |
| 342 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/butcher_8.png]] |
| 343 | |
| 344 | Two hulking cannibals who operate a large kitchen at the start of the Depths. One is hacking up huge slabs of meat, while the other guards several corpses in barrels (and a very alive Laurentius) in the back. |
| 345 | ---- |
| 346 | * {{BFS}}: Their enormous meat cleavers rival several of the game's larger swords in scale. |
| 347 | * TheFaceless: Like Maneater Mildred, who is speculated to be one of them, they cover their faces with sacks. |
| 348 | * FemaleMonsterSurprise: Despite looking extremely masculine, the Butchers are actually ''female''. |
| 349 | * ImAHumanitarian: They seem to hack up and eat whoever they can get their hands on, alive or Undead. If Maneater Mildred is one of them and is searching Blighttown of all places for more sources of meat, they may very well eat [[HumanoidAbomination worse]] [[BigCreepyCrawlies things]] too. |
| 350 | * UniqueEnemy: There are only two of them in the game, they don't respawn, and they both occupy the same area of the Depths. |
| 351 | [[/folder]] |
| 352 | |
| 353 | [[folder:Slimes]] |
| 354 | !!Slimes |
| 355 | [[quoteright:305:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/slime.jpeg]] |
| 356 | |
| 357 | Living blobs of slime that infest the ceilings of the Depths' sewer canals. |
| 358 | ---- |
| 359 | * BlobMonster: They're big blobs of an indeterminate substance, with no other features beyond that. |
| 360 | * CeilingCling: They start off clinging to the ceiling, and will only drop down if hit with a ranged attack or if the player steps underneath them. Which can then lead to... |
| 361 | * DeathFromAbove: While they have little attack power once grounded, having one drop on you from above deals plenty of damage, sometimes even a OneHitKill for more fragile characters. |
| 362 | * KillItWithFire: They are extremely weak to fire. |
| 363 | * PinataEnemy: As the most reliable sources of many varieties of titanite, they're an incredibly popular enemy for farming, despite only being found in a few rooms. |
| 364 | * StoneWall: They have considerable health and barely flinch when damaged, but they're absolutely pitiful at attacking once they drop down. |
| 365 | [[/folder]] |
| 366 | |
| 367 | [[folder:Giant Rat]] |
| 368 | !!Giant Rat |
| 369 | [[quoteright:600:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/giant_undead_rat_large.jpg]] |
| 370 | |
| 371 | [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin A gargantuan version of a normal Sewer Rat]], serving as an optional {{Miniboss}} in the Depths. It waits within an early room that it nearly fills up, guarding some loot and a shortcut with potent poison attacks. |
| 372 | ---- |
| 373 | * EyeScream: Evidently someone tried and failed to kill it before you, as there's an axe lodged in its left eye. |
| 374 | * RodentsOfUnusualSize: It's a Sewer Rat that can barely fit in the enormous antechamber you find it in. |
| 375 | * SkippableBoss: It's located in one of the first rooms of the Depths, but it's behind bars and doesn't attack you, and the most critical piece of loot in its room (the key to the area's sole bonfire) is still accessible from these bars; both of the paths to the rat proper are out of the way and completely optional. You can also just kill it through the bars with a bow or spear, negating the fight entirely. |
| 376 | [[/folder]] |
| 377 | |
| 378 | [[folder:Basilisks]] |
| 379 | !!Basilisks |
| 380 | [[quoteright:711:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ds_basilisk.jpg]] |
| 381 | |
| 382 | Bizarre creatures mainly found in the deepest subsection of the Depths, as well as the Great Hollow. While they look ridiculous and attack very slowly, they are some of the most dangerous enemies in the game, as their breath inflicts [[OneHitKill Curse]]. |
| 383 | ---- |
| 384 | * BasiliskAndCockatrice: The former, though they don't resemble conventional depictions of the monster. |
| 385 | * BewareTheSillyOnes: Their squat bodies and cartoonish bulging eyes (which are actually sacs; their real eyes are much tinier) make them look like something from a much sillier game than ''Dark Souls''. And if you treat them like that, you'll find yourself very quickly killed, and respawn with your maximum health cut in half. |
| 386 | * BreathWeapon: Their breath releases [[DeadlyGas a large cloud of toxins]] that rapidly inflicts the Curse status effect for as long as you're immersed in it. |
| 387 | * HellIsThatNoise: Their distinct croaking is usually the first sign that they're around, especially in the relative quiet of the Great Hollow. |
| 388 | * HelpfulMook: Downplayed example. Getting Cursed is one of the few ways to effectively handle the ghosts in New Londo Ruins, and combined with some early SequenceBreaking, can lead to the player getting some late-game equipment [[DiscOneNuke before even facing the first boss]]. As Basilisks provide an easy source of Curse, this makes them a decent step toward the goal of breaking the game. [[TheDreaded In pretty much any other context, however...]] |
| 389 | * OneHitKill: Curse, if the meter stacks to full (which it can, ''very'' quickly). |
| 390 | [[/folder]] |
| 391 | |
| 392 | [[folder:Kirk, Knight of Thorns]] |
| 393 | |
| 394 | !!Kirk, Knight of Thorns |
| 395 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kirk-knight-of-thorns_7712.jpg]] |
| 396 | |
| 397 | A notorious Darkwraith who attacks the protagonist several times over the course of the journey. |
| 398 | ---- |
| 399 | * AntiVillain: Possibly. Not only are the Darkwraiths more morally ambiguous than outright evil, [[spoiler:but WordOfGod confirms that he's actually a Chaos Servant. Indeed, you even find his armor near the Daughter of Chaos after defeating him during all three encounters. If that's the case, he was never attacking you ForTheEvulz, he was gathering humanity to ''help'' soothe the girl's pain!]] |
| 400 | * BlackKnight: A more traditional version, since he's a notorious figure who blocks your way several times throughout your adventures. |
| 401 | * DidYouJustScamCthulhu: WordOfGod confirms that [[spoiler:he's a Chaos Servant posing as a Darkwraith]]. |
| 402 | * {{Expy}}: [[spoiler: The reveal that he's actually a Chaos Servant makes him a darker version of [[VideoGame/DemonsSouls Garl Vinland]]; a knight willing to commit violence against strangers in order to aid a good-natured ill girl.]] |
| 403 | * RecurringBoss: He’s notable for being the only invading NPC who attacks you more than once. [[spoiler:He invades you a total of three times, once in the Depths should you head towards the [[KillerRabbit Basilisks]], next in the Demon Ruins before the [[DegradedBoss Capra Demons]], and finally at the very end of Lost Izalith, with added assistance of the Bed of Chaos Guardian if you haven't killed her already.]] |
| 404 | ** In ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'', he returns as [[LegacyCharacter Longfinger Kirk]], only as a servant of Rosaria. |
| 405 | * RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: He's uniquely encountered as a red phantom invader, and will always try to kill you. Subverted once [[AntiVillain you learn about his true motives]]. |
| 406 | * RightHandVersusLeftHand: He will attack you even if you're a fellow Darkwraith. [[spoiler: Or a fellow Chaos Servant, for that matter, though with the way invasions work between [[AlternateUniverse alternate worlds]], he may just be favoring his world's Fair Lady over yours.]] |
| 407 | * SpikesOfVillainy: He's called the [[RedBaron Knight of Thorns]], and his sword, shield, and armor are all appropriately covered with spikes. Rolling into or kicking an opponent with the armor equipped [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration actually deals some damage]], [[ScratchDamage however small]], and both the sword and shield have bleeding effect. |
| 408 | * StalkerWithoutACrush: Invades you three times for your Humanity. |
| 409 | |
| 410 | [[/folder]] |
| 411 | |
| 412 | [[folder:The Gaping Dragon]] |
| 413 | |
| 414 | !!Gaping Dragon |
| 415 | [[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/330px-gaping_dragon_2770.png]] |
| 416 | |
| 417 | A dragon who grew obsessed with its own hunger, devoting so much of itself to eating that its entire body transformed into a mouth. Killing it gives you the key to Blighttown. |
| 418 | ---- |
| 419 | * AttackItsWeakPoint: Its head, which is only reachable when it slams down its entire body and prepares to charge at you, takes slightly more damage than the rest of its body. |
| 420 | * BellyMouth: Its ''entire torso'' is one. The "teeth" used to be its ribcage. |
| 421 | * BigEater: According to WordOfGod, it was originally a normal dragon that became so obsessed with eating, its body mutated into a giant maw. Now it can only think about eating. |
| 422 | * BodyHorror: It was originally a normal stone dragon. Then its obsession with hunger [[BellyMouth turned its ribcage into a massive maw]]... |
| 423 | * BreathWeapon: Sort of. Unlike nearly every other dragon in the game, the Gaping Dragon does not possess any sort of elemental/magic breath attack, but instead unleashes a massive amount of corrosive vomit that can eat away at your equipment's durability. |
| 424 | * BullfightBoss: One of its most common attacks is to drop to all six feet and charge at the player, then stopping and leaving itself vulnerable to attack long enough for the player to land a good few hits. |
| 425 | * DamageSpongeBoss: Has a ludicrous amount of health (4,401 in your first run, ''8,800'' in your second) for how early in the game you fight it -- ignoring the Stray Demon OptionalBoss, no other enemy you fight can take more punishment until you've obtained the Lordvessel and unlocked the end-game Lord Soul bearers. |
| 426 | * DraconicAbomination: It was originally a normal dragon, but the onset of life filled it with an all-consuming hunger that mutated it into a grotesque beast with a massive BellyMouth reaching from the base of its throat to its pelvis -- with even its ribs serving as teeth. |
| 427 | * EatenAlive: Once it has you in its sights, it will proceed to slam down its maw to the ground, and, if it catches you, will proceed to devour you alive, although it's possible to break free from its grip. |
| 428 | * EyelessFace: On two levels -- its atrophied, vestigial head has no facial features whatsoever, while the torso now serving as its "face" only has a mouth and no eyes or nose. |
| 429 | * ExtremeOmnivore: Can eat naked Undeads and heavily armoured champions all the same. |
| 430 | * {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZyo2gcHOVc "Gaping Dragon"]]. |
| 431 | * MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily: [[http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o312/oracrest/Dark%20Souls/05-noscale.jpg Its most obvious physical feature.]] |
| 432 | * ObsessedWithFood: So obsessed with eating that it became corrupted by this desire. |
| 433 | * SkippableBoss: In the same vein as the Capra Demon, the Depths are entirely skippable if you reach Blighttown through the Valley of Drakes. |
| 434 | * TailSlap: Get too far behind it and you'll be on the receiving end of one. Fortunately, you can also cut it off, which not only reduces the range of the tail slap but also rewards you with the [[InfinityMinusOneSword Dragon King Greataxe]]. |
| 435 | * TinyHeadedBehemoth: Its head has atrophied and is now an absolutely tiny, featureless vestigial organ that only serves as a weak point. |
| 436 | * VaginaDentata: Its enormous BellyMouth is split vertically rather than horizintally, making it look less like a mouth and more like one of these. |
| 437 | * VillainousGlutton: It only wants to eat and keep on eating. It has no higher motivation. |
| 438 | [[/folder]] |
| 439 | |
| 440 | !!Blighttown |
| 441 | |
| 442 | [[folder:Infested Ghouls]] |
| 443 | !!Infested Ghouls |
| 444 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/infested_ghoul_corpse2_3.jpg]] |
| 445 | |
| 446 | Hollowed residents of Blighttown, who have been mutated into dangerous creatures by the area's numerous toxins. They patrol the area's upper platforms and will pounce upon intruders from every angle. |
| 447 | ---- |
| 448 | * AxCrazy: Even more so than the standard Hollows, if the fact that they often ''hit you with mutilated corpses'' is any indication. |
| 449 | * BodyHorror: Their bodies are grotesquely warped and distended, making them look more like lizard people on first glance than other Hollows. |
| 450 | * HelpImStuck: One Ghoul can be found stuck inside a pot. If freed, [[UngratefulBastard it will still attack you]]. |
| 451 | * ImAHumanitarian: Getting killed by their grab attack will result in them [[EatenAlive devouring you alive]]. Some of them also carry around chewed-up human corpses in place of conventional weapons. It may also be the reason they are one of the only enemies that drop soul items. |
| 452 | [[/folder]] |
| 453 | |
| 454 | [[folder:Infested Barbarians]] |
| 455 | !!Infested Barbarians |
| 456 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/infested_barbarian.jpg]] |
| 457 | |
| 458 | Hulking mutants that wield huge clubs, usually found in Blighttown's cave passages and poisonous swamp. |
| 459 | ---- |
| 460 | * CarryABigStick: The standard variety carry large clubs. |
| 461 | * EliteMooks: A second type, only found guarding the entrance to Quelaag's Domain, have exchanged their clubs for massive boulders that they can throw or strike with. Since this does much more damage and there are a group of them tightly packed together, they're extremely difficult to take on, and many players will take the long way around the nest just to avoid them. |
| 462 | * MightyGlacier: |
| 463 | ** They're very slow, but their attacks are incredibly powerful -- and will almost certainly knock you straight off one of Blighttown's many precarious ledges. |
| 464 | ** The rock-carrying version are even slower than the club-bearing ones, and have a horrible turning radius during their rolling attack. |
| 465 | * MightyRoar: Will occasionally roar while fighting the Chosen Undead, which will draw in other enemies towards them but also leave them vulnerable to attacks. |
| 466 | * OurTrollsAreDifferent: They more resemble trolls and ogres than the game's giants. |
| 467 | * PoisonousPerson: Their large clubs can inflict Poison. |
| 468 | * ToiletHumor: When killed, they have a 50% chance of dropping Dung Pies. |
| 469 | [[/folder]] |
| 470 | |
| 471 | [[folder:Blowdart Snipers]] |
| 472 | !!Blowdart Snipers |
| 473 | [[quoteright:256:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blowdartsniper.png]] |
| 474 | |
| 475 | Slender humanoids that inhabit precarious ledges all over Blighttown, from which they fire darts that inflict Toxic damage. [[TheDreaded You will learn to hate them.]] |
| 476 | ---- |
| 477 | * ArtificialStupidity: They have a tendency to just walk off whatever ledge they're standing on and die, sometimes only after you've triggered their movement and [[EpicFail sometimes before you even know they're there]]. |
| 478 | * BlowGun: As stated in the name, they blow their poison darts through a tube. |
| 479 | * CarryingTheAntidote: They drop Purple Moss Clumps on death, which cure poison. [[SubvertedTrope Too bad their darts inflict Toxic instead, which requires Blooming Purple Moss Clumps to cure.]] |
| 480 | * GlassCannon: They're pretty fragile and have almost no way to retaliate effectively once you get to them, other than trying to run away. It's actually ''getting'' to them that's the problem. |
| 481 | * LongRangeFighter: Ridiculously so. Their darts are slow, but they can cross a huge distance, making it hard to tell where they're actually coming from or when one is about to hit you. |
| 482 | * PoisonedWeapons: Their darts inflict Toxic, a much more lethal version of Poison that more rapidly depletes your health. |
| 483 | * UniqueEnemy: In a sense; while there's quite a few of them scattered throughout Blighttown, they do not respawn once you've killed them. Praise the sun. |
| 484 | [[/folder]] |
| 485 | |
| 486 | [[folder:Parasitic Wall Hugger]] |
| 487 | !!Parasitic Wall Hugger |
| 488 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/parasitic_wall_hugger.jpg]] |
| 489 | |
| 490 | A huge... ''thing'' that clings to a cavern wall near the bottom of the Blighttown platforms. It guards a unique pyromancy spell, but very little is known about it. |
| 491 | ---- |
| 492 | * AttackItsWeakPoint: Navigating to its underside and attacking its soft, completely defenseless underbelly is much easier than just fighting it head-on. |
| 493 | * BizarreAlienBiology: It has several clawed tendrils that hook it to the side of the cavern, multiple other tentacles that appear to be useless other than for feeling the air around it, and it's constantly and wildly pulsating for little apparent reason. |
| 494 | * CombatTentacles: It has clawed ones that it can swipe out at you if you let it attack. |
| 495 | * ProportionatelyPonderousParasites: Its name indicates that it's a parasite of some kind, yet it's significantly larger than anything you find in Blighttown. |
| 496 | * UniqueEnemy: It's the only enemy like it in the whole game, which only serves to make it more inexplicable. |
| 497 | [[/folder]] |
| 498 | |
| 499 | [[folder:Cragspiders]] |
| 500 | !!Cragspiders |
| 501 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cragspider.jpeg]] |
| 502 | |
| 503 | Large fire-breathing spider creatures found in Blighttown's lower platforms and swamp. |
| 504 | ---- |
| 505 | * AmbiguouslyRelated: Their appearance and harnessing of pyromancy indicate that they might be spawns of Quelaag. |
| 506 | * GiantSpider: A miniaturized version of the spider Quelaag is fused with, making a relation between the two likely. |
| 507 | * KillItWithFire: They have [[BreathWeapon fire breath]], and can also spawn a flaming tendril attack. |
| 508 | [[/folder]] |
| 509 | |
| 510 | [[folder:Giant Mosquitoes]] |
| 511 | !!Giant Mosquitoes |
| 512 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/giant_mosquito_5.jpg]] |
| 513 | |
| 514 | Huge mosquitoes infesting the swamp. Notably, they are one of the only enemies in the game to respawn onscreen without the area being reloaded (although they do have a respawn limit). |
| 515 | ---- |
| 516 | * BigCreepyCrawlies: Mosquitoes blown up to be the size of your character's head. You can start screaming now. |
| 517 | * BloodyMurder: Their ranged attack involves spraying blood at their target. |
| 518 | * FragileSpeedster: It should only take one or two hits to kill them by the time you encounter them, but they have a bad habit of hovering quickly around in directions your weapons can't target. Their actual movement speed when closing is very low, though. |
| 519 | * PoisonousPerson: Both their blood and string attacks can inflict Poison. |
| 520 | * SuperPersistentPredator: The mosquitoes have some of the highest aggro range in the game, and once they're locked onto you, they won't stop flying at you until you either deplete their respawns or escape Blighttown altogether. |
| 521 | * UnflinchingWalk: The flying equivalent of it. Mosquitos will almost never give up chasing you, but they are ''slow,'' drifting towards at a very leisurely rate that suggests they have all day to catch up with you. Unfortunately, unless you have the Rusted Iron Ring, they're probably right. |
| 522 | [[/folder]] |
| 523 | |
| 524 | [[folder:Giant Leeches]] |
| 525 | !!Giant Leeches |
| 526 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/giantleech.png]] |
| 527 | |
| 528 | Overgrown leeches that populate the Blighttown swamp, particularly the area around the Great Hollow entrance. While their numbers can be intimidating, they're slow and have a small aggro range. |
| 529 | ---- |
| 530 | * BlobMonster: They're functionally identical, and visually fairly similar, to the Slimes in the Depths. The only real differences are a slight speed boost and lack of a [[DeathFromAbove drop attack]]. |
| 531 | * DeadlyLunge: Their main attack involves lunging at their enemy. |
| 532 | * PinataEnemy: Similar to the Slimes, they're great for farming titanite and not much else. |
| 533 | * PoisonousPerson: Another attack has them spit a large poisonous projectile. |
| 534 | [[/folder]] |
| 535 | |
| 536 | [[folder:Maneater Mildred]] |
| 537 | |
| 538 | !!Maneater Mildred |
| 539 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/300px-maneater_mildred_5952.jpg]] |
| 540 | |
| 541 | A mysterious woman wearing a sack on her head who invades you in the swamps of Blighttown. Defeating her allows you to summon her for help against Quelaag. |
| 542 | ---- |
| 543 | * AssistCharacter: If you kill her when she invades you, you can summon her for assistance in the battle against Quelaag. |
| 544 | * {{BFS}}: She wields a giant butcher's knife of sorts. |
| 545 | * BrawnHilda: Her character model is bottom-heavy according to the character creation options, and she's a rare, melee-oriented female NPC. |
| 546 | * DarkActionGirl: She invades you in an attempt to kill you, wielding a giant butcher's knife. |
| 547 | * DefeatEqualsFriendship: Defeating her causes her summon sign to appear just outside Quelaag's boss arena. |
| 548 | * {{Expy}}: To the nameless Black Phantom from ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'' who attacks in the second Valley of Defilement area. Fortunately much easier because she uses a much smaller weapon and there's more dry land that's easily accessible. Also a CompositeCharacter with Executioner Miralda. |
| 549 | * TheFaceless: Wears a sack on her head. |
| 550 | * FullFrontalAssault: Save for the Sack on her head, she's as naked as a PlayerCharacter can get in the game, clothed only in the scraps of underwear you get when you have no armor equipped. |
| 551 | * GirlWithPsychoWeapon: A heavyset woman in loincloths who attacks you with a giant meat cleaver! |
| 552 | * ImAHumanitarian: Laurentius claims that if you hadn't rescued him from the Depths, someone he only refers to as "her" would have eaten him. Given Mildred's moniker (her Japanese name, "Mildred the human-eater", is even more explicit), and the fact that she wears a sack on her head and wields a Butcher Knife just like the similar enemies found in the Depths, there's little doubt that she is who he was referring to. |
| 553 | * KarmaHoudini: Has apparently cannibalized several people, yet unlike every other NPC summon or invader, her fate following her final appearance is unknown. In ''Dark Souls'', this pretty much means you get away scot-free. |
| 554 | * StoneWall: Her white phantom summon for Quelaag's fight has a gigantic amount of health, but does little else, even with her butcher knife. She's also easily stunned due to her lack of armor. |
| 555 | |
| 556 | [[/folder]] |
| 557 | |
| 558 | [[folder:Chaos Witch Quelaag]] |
| 559 | |
| 560 | !!Chaos Witch Quelaag |
| 561 | [[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chaos_witch_quelaag.png]] |
| 562 | |
| 563 | One of the seven Daughters of Chaos, this woman has been fused into the body of a gigantic, bloated spider creature. As the guardian of the second Bell of Awakening, she attacks any who intrude on her domain with Chaos-based pyromancies. |
| 564 | ---- |
| 565 | * AntiVillain: It turns out she was [[spoiler:trying to alleviate her sister's illness, using the Bell of Awakening as an excuse to kill any Undead who journeyed into her domain as a source for harvesting the humanity needed to ease said illness]]. |
| 566 | * AttackItsWeakPoint: You can shoot her human half with a bow to stunlock her over and over again. |
| 567 | * BarbieDollAnatomy: Neither Quelaag nor her sister actually have nipples on their character models under their GodivaHair. Of course, [[VideoGamePerversityPotential dedicated fans]] have [[GameMod modded them back in.]] |
| 568 | * BodyHorror: A naked woman's upper body on top of a demonic fire spider. [[spoiler:That said, she's still better off than her sister, who fell deathly ill from the blight pus she sucked when saving one of her followers.]] |
| 569 | * CuteMonsterGirl: She's quite fetching once you get past the horrible spider she's fused into. |
| 570 | * DarkActionGirl: A woman fused to a giant spider and can be a potential challenge to the Chosen Undead. |
| 571 | * FemmeFatalons: Noticeable in a close-up shot of her pre-battle cutscene. |
| 572 | * FlamingSword: Has her own personal sword, [[SwordLines with the unique effect of producing fire with each swing]]. Like so many other boss weapons, you can forge one by infusing a +10 curved sword with her soul. |
| 573 | * GodivaHair: Her human torso is naked, so she has long hair to cover her breasts. |
| 574 | * HalfHumanHybrid: See BodyHorror above. [[spoiler:She and her sister were fused with Chaos Spiders when the Bed of Chaos came into existence.]] |
| 575 | * HavingABlast: Stay too close to her and the spider body will start roaring, creating a wide explosion that can potentially take you out in one hit. |
| 576 | * InfinityMinusOneSword: Quelaag's Furysword, with sufficient dexterity scaling and a reasonable amount of liquid humanity, is known to wreck enemies with low fire resistance (namely the undeads in the starter areas and a few enemies in the Darkroot Garden), and while it's weaker than a fully upgraded Falchion or Scimitar, it's still more affordable than its brethren, and has a longer reach to compensate for [[CripplingOverspecialization its dependence on fire damage]]. |
| 577 | * {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpZgFykJ8oY "Chaos Witch Quelaag"]]. |
| 578 | * MagmaMan: She'll blech out pools of lava periodically as a floor hazard, forcing the player to detour around those areas and making dodging somewhat more difficult. Best not to let her spread too much in the same place. |
| 579 | * MsFanservice: A beautiful naked woman whose nakedness is only hidden with her hair... [[FanDisservice just don't focus on anything below her waist]]. |
| 580 | * MultipleHeadCase: The spider she's fused to has its head intact and can spit lava. It's unclear whether this trope is in play, though, as we don't get any insight as to whether the spider has a mind of its own and her cut lines don't indicate anything of the sort. |
| 581 | * NoobBridge: If you're using lock-on to cheese enemies with spells, ''stop''. Free-aiming them against Quelaag's human body is much more reliable as it not only does more damage, it stun-locks her (which is a good thing for sorcery builds). |
| 582 | * NoSell: Fire-type attacks will not work on her. |
| 583 | * OneHitKill: While it's not an ''actual'' guaranteed kill, her area blast attack does such an unbelievable amount of damage that it's effectively guaranteed to one-hit anyone who's only at roughly the natural level for reaching her (SL 30-40 or so, depending on how much trouble they had getting through Blighttown), unless they've sunk an ''insane'' amount of levels into Vitality. This goes double if it's a counter hit, which it usually will be, because players who get hit by it generally can't see her winding it up due to wailing away at her side. Pretty much everyone falls for it at least once before they learn to recognise the tell (Quelaag leaning forward and embracing the spider's head) |
| 584 | * ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: As with her sisters, she fought alongside the Witch of Izalith against the Everlasting Dragons. |
| 585 | * SlasherSmile: Flashes one right at the end of her boss intro. |
| 586 | * SuperSpit: The spider to which her body is fused has a moveset that mostly consists of puking various quantities of lava. |
| 587 | |
| 588 | [[/folder]] |
| 589 | |
| 590 | !!Valley of Drakes |
| 591 | |
| 592 | [[folder:Drakes]] |
| 593 | !!Drakes |
| 594 | [[quoteright:849:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blue_drake.png]] |
| 595 | |
| 596 | Smaller descendants of the dragons for whom the Valley is named. They reside only near the end of the Valley, by the floodgate of New Londo Ruins. |
| 597 | ---- |
| 598 | * BreathWeapon: Their main attack, other than swooping and lunging, is a stream of [[ShockAndAwe lightning breath]]. |
| 599 | * ForgotAboutHisPowers: Hilariously, if they do a flying attack in the wrong area, they will accidentally miss the ground and plummet into the pit, despite being perfectly able to fly. |
| 600 | * GameplayAndStorySegregation: Despite their draconian lineage, they actually don't have any vulnerabilities to Lightning or Magic damage ([[RequiredSecondaryPowers it wouldn't make sense for a lightining-spitting creature to be damaged to electricity]]), although fire, bleeding, and toxic damage is much more effective. |
| 601 | * MightyGlacier: They're pretty tough even on their own, but often they will slowly trudge towards you... [[SubvertedTrope until they get into the air]]. |
| 602 | * OurDragonsAreDifferent: They're some of the smallest creatures in the ''Dark Souls'' dragon family, though they're still larger than your character by a fair margin. It's left ambiguous whether this is their natural size or whether they're still whelps, although their [[PaletteSwap close resemblance]] to the Hellkite Wyvern suggests that they're just younger members of the same species. |
| 603 | * PinataEnemy: The only respawning source of Dragon Scales, with a 5% drop rate. |
| 604 | [[/folder]] |
| 605 | |
| 606 | [[folder:Undead Dragon]] |
| 607 | !!Undead Dragon |
| 608 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/undeaddragon.jpeg]] |
| 609 | |
| 610 | A massive, long-decayed dragon corpse that, when approached, springs to life as a {{Dracolich}}. |
| 611 | ---- |
| 612 | * BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame: Formidable though they are, the Undead Dragons have three weaknesses; [[StationaryBoss being unable to move]], a limited range, and an [[KillItWithFire common undead weakness to fire.]] All of these combined makes the fire breath from the Dragon Head Stone a good choice for fighting them. |
| 613 | * BreathWeapon: Instead of fire or lightning like their brethren, they breathe clouds of poison. |
| 614 | * {{Dracolich}}: Gigantic dragons who stuck around long after death for reasons unknown. |
| 615 | * HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: The dragon in the Painted World is actually split in half, which only becomes apparent when you kill it and see its legs blocking the other end of the bridge. The legs themselves are still alive, and can be made to stand up with a properly aimed jumping attack, opening up a handy shortcut to the area’s end. |
| 616 | * StationaryBoss: They've lost their ability to fly, so they remain immobile and defend themselves with their attacks. |
| 617 | * UniqueEnemy: Only two are even encountered; one in Valley of the Drakes and one in the Painted World of Ariamas. |
| 618 | [[/folder]] |
| 619 | |
| 620 | !!Sen's Fortress |
| 621 | |
| 622 | [[folder:Man-Serpents]] |
| 623 | !!Man-Serpents |
| 624 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/serpent_soldier.jpg]] |
| 625 | |
| 626 | Large, bipedal SnakePeople who guard Sen's Fortress and the prison in Duke's Archives. Context points to them being [[MixAndMatchCritters some of Seath's experiments]], but an item description in ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' implies that they (or at least the similar creatures in that game) are descendants of the dragons. |
| 627 | ---- |
| 628 | * {{BFS}}: The main weapon of the soldiers is the Man-serpent Greatsword. |
| 629 | * BizarreSexualDimorphism: Unconfirmed, but presuming that the [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/darksouls/images/7/76/Serpent_mage.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130130040705 mage variant]] is female then they're distinguished from the male warrior version by having four arms and the heads of cobras. |
| 630 | * HalfHumanHybrid: If Seath created them, this is most likely what they are. |
| 631 | * LightningBruiser: The first common enemies along the mandatory game path that are simultaneously incredibly strong, resistant to most forms of physical damage, and dish out quick attacks that can rapidly drain your stamina and health. |
| 632 | * MultiArmedAndDangerous: The sorceress version has four arms, and dishes out [[ShockAndAwe deadly lightning spells]]. |
| 633 | * ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Despite being very dangerous enemies in and of themselves, the ones in the Duke's Archives prison are ''terrified'' of [[TragicMonster the Pisacas]], and will high-tail it out once they've been released, completely ignoring you in the rush even if you start attacking them. |
| 634 | * SnakePeople: Unlike most examples, they have fully humanoid bodies and snake heads. These heads are unfortunately prehensile, and can attack you from above. |
| 635 | [[/folder]] |
| 636 | |
| 637 | [[folder:Mimics]] |
| 638 | !!Mimics |
| 639 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mimic.jpeg]] |
| 640 | |
| 641 | A particularly nasty type of monster that imitates chests, devouring those foolish enough to open them and viciously attacking those who don't fall for the ruse. |
| 642 | ---- |
| 643 | * ChestMonster: A classic example that recurs throughout the series. |
| 644 | * GlamourFailure: They are nigh-indistinguishable from normal chests when inactive, but observant players will spot a few subtle differences: their coloration is slightly paler, their chains are straightened rather than curved, and zooming in on them with binoculars or a bow will let you see them taking an occasional breath. |
| 645 | * NoodlePeople: Their full bodies are disturbingly thin, with elongated limbs and stilt-like legs. |
| 646 | * OneHitKill: Opening them up normally is almost always this, while their grabbing bite attack in bipedal form can be this if you don't mash the right buttons. |
| 647 | * WeaksauceWeakness: Intimidating as they can be in either form, throwing a Lloyd's Talisman at one instantly stuns it and allows you to take whatever is inside, negating the need to fight it. |
| 648 | [[/folder]] |
| 649 | |
| 650 | [[folder:Undead Prince Ricard]] |
| 651 | |
| 652 | !!Undead Prince Ricard |
| 653 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/undead-prince-ricard_5106.jpg]] |
| 654 | |
| 655 | An undead knight whom you meet atop Sen's Fortress and who is implied to be a noble from Astora. He attacks you when you approach him, suggesting he is hollow. |
| 656 | ---- |
| 657 | * BlueBlood: Implied to be from Astora royalty, judging from his [[RoyalRapier weapon]] and armor set. |
| 658 | * BowAndSwordInAccord: On top of wielding a rapier, he will occasionally switch to shooting you at a distance with arrows. |
| 659 | * TheFaceless: Due to wearing a full set of armour. |
| 660 | * HeroOfAnotherStory: According to item descriptions, his adventures before he went hollow were narrated in a well-known {{monomyth}}. |
| 661 | * IconicOutfit: Wears the Elite Knight Set, which is also worn by [[Characters/DarkSoulsNeutralNPCsAndLore Oscar of Astora]]. |
| 662 | * JackOfAllStats: Has rather mediocre stats for a hostile [=NPC=], having a few decent weapons, decent health pool, and medium mobility. |
| 663 | * RoyalRapier: His signature weapon, which can quickly rack up {{combo}}s with its strong attacks. |
| 664 | * ShieldsAreUseless: Subverted. While it's true that his shield is poorly suited for blocking, he will instead use it as a setup for parrying ''you'', which spells disaster given his rapier's powerful [[CriticalHit riposte modifier]]. |
| 665 | * UniqueEnemy: He's a non-respawning [=NPC=] who wields a rapier that is found nowhere else in the game. |
| 666 | * WeHardlyKnewYe: Yet another in a long line of [=NPC=]s that you kill without as much as an introduction. |
| 667 | |
| 668 | [[/folder]] |
| 669 | |
| 670 | [[folder:Giant Trio]] |
| 671 | !!Gate Giant, Boulder Giant, and Fire Giant |
| 672 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/giant_09.png]] |
| 673 | |
| 674 | A trio of [[OurGiantsAreBigger Giants]] conscripted by the gods to run most of the fortress's defenses from the roof: one opens the gate when the Bells of Awakening are rung, the second rolls boulders down into the fortress, and the last tosses [[PlayingWithFire massive firebombs]] across the roof to kill any who make it that far. |
| 675 | ---- |
| 676 | * MadBomber: The Fire Giant's bombs are the biggest threat on the fortress's roof, splashing large radiuses with fire that sticks around for several seconds. If you fail to kill it before entering the fog door, it will continue to toss these bombs into the Iron Golem's arena, making the fight infinitely harder. |
| 677 | * MightyGlacier: They are Giants, after all. |
| 678 | * {{Miniboss}}: They're unique and quite powerful, but not enough to warrant a health bar. |
| 679 | * RapidFireFisticuffs: One of their attacks involves flailing around violently, which temporarily exhausts them and allows for some free hits. |
| 680 | * SkippableBoss: None of them are mandatory to fight, and in fact, the game only indicates that you can fight the Fire Giant to make things easier; the Boulder Giant is out of the way and the Gate Giant is hidden, and neither pose any threat to you normally. |
| 681 | * UniqueEnemy: Out of the three, only the Boulder Giant respawns. |
| 682 | [[/folder]] |
| 683 | |
| 684 | [[folder:The Iron Golem]] |
| 685 | |
| 686 | !!The Iron Golem |
| 687 | [[quoteright:290:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/290px-iron_golem_8007.png]] |
| 688 | |
| 689 | A massive, humanoid suit of armor standing atop Sen's Fortress. Defeating it is the final trial before the Chosen Undead can gain access to Anor Londo and obtain the Lordvessel. |
| 690 | ---- |
| 691 | * AchillesHeel: A somewhat literal example. If hit with a sufficiently strong melee attack in its leg, it falls on its rear end for a little while, allowing the play some free hits on him. Particularly notable in that doing this at the edge of the arena still causes him to fall backward... [[DisneyVillainDeath off the building, ending the fight.]] |
| 692 | * AnimatedArmor: Its core, which you obtain after defeating it, is actually the power source of that humongous giant, and without it, it's nothing more than a useless suit of armor, as evidenced by the core and the armor set's descriptions. |
| 693 | * ClimaxBoss: It is the final obstacle you'll meet before reaching Anor Londo. This is right after braving the many traps and enemies in Sen's Fortress, and it provides you with an epic finish to the dungeon. |
| 694 | * EasyLevelTrick: |
| 695 | ** If you summon Black Iron Tarkus before the battle he can literally solo it for you. After all, he's better at this game than you. |
| 696 | ** The Golem will fall over if you attack his legs enough. Get him near an edge at the right angle, and he'll fall right off, netting an instant win. |
| 697 | * FlunkyBoss: If you don't kill the firebomb-throwing giant directly above the fog gate before fighting the Golem, it will attack you from outside the boss arena. |
| 698 | * HeroKiller: Said to have ended the quests of [[TheChosenMany thousands of would-be Chosen Undead]] since its creation, and ''those'' are the ones who had survived Sen's Fortress to reach it. |
| 699 | * HobblingTheGiant: Whack at its legs enough and it will fall to one knee. From there, more attacks will cause it to fall backwards. During all of this, you can attack freely until it gets back up. |
| 700 | * {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC1N-1SMAXQ "Iron Golem"]], which is shared with the [[OptionalBoss Stray Demon]]. |
| 701 | * LivingStatue: It doesn't move at all when you peek from outside its boss arena. |
| 702 | * MightyGlacier: Slow and cumbersome, but each of its swings and punches are likely to knock off most of your health. |
| 703 | * OurDragonsAreDifferent: The Iron Golem's core is said to be the bone of an Everlasting Dragon, which is proven when you use it to forge the Dragon Bone Fist. |
| 704 | * OurGiantsAreBigger: Definitely the largest humanoid opponent you will face in Sen's Fortress, [[AnimatedArmor although it turns out to be just a suit of armor]]. It also falls short of the Ceaseless Discharge. |
| 705 | * RazorWind: It can send out damaging wind slashes with its axe if you're too far away to hit. |
| 706 | * RecurringElement: The nearest equivalent of ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'' Tower Knight, mainly because you need to eliminate an enemy that distracts you with ranged projectiles before trying to properly engage the boss; both bosses also fire ranged attacks if you are too far away, and you can temporarily make them stumble off their feet if you hack away at their legs. |
| 707 | * RingOut: |
| 708 | ** The battle against the Iron Golem takes place at the top of Sen's Fortress, and there are no guardrails to prevent you from falling off. The same applies to the Iron Golem, if you can manage to knock it over in the right spot. |
| 709 | ** The Golem also ruthlessly exploits this fact; one of its attacks involves grabbing the player and spiking them into the ground. If this happens near the edge of the arena, [[OneHitKill weeell...]] |
| 710 | * TinTyrant: A massive suit of armour which serves as the final trial within Sen's Fortress. |
| 711 | * TinyHeadedBehemoth: Its head is well out of proportion to the rest of its massive body. |
| 712 | * TheWorfEffect: On your own it's a fairly difficult fight, and one that requires being careful so he doesn't chuck you off the ledge. If you bring Tarkus with you, however, he easily overpowers it and kills it in only a few hits, and thanks to his high poise, he can walk. |
| 713 | |
| 714 | [[/folder]] |
| 715 | |
| 716 | !!Anor Londo |
| 717 | |
| 718 | [[folder:Sentinels]] |
| 719 | !!Sentinels / Royal Sentinels |
| 720 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sentinel_7.jpg]] |
| 721 | |
| 722 | Giant knights who stand guard all over Anor Londo, guarding the path to the palace and the Duke's Archives. |
| 723 | ---- |
| 724 | * AmbiguousSituation: At 14 feet tall, they're ''much'' larger than the Silver or Black Knights, or the Anor Londo royal family (Gwynevere possibly excepted, since [[spoiler:she was an illusion]]), but it's not clear whether they're Giants or just particularly big Gods/Lords (like Smough and Lorian, who are actually taller). Their item descriptions suggest that they're giants but come just short of outright confirming it; calling them "giant" in a way that leaves it ambiguous if that's their species or just a physical descriptor (it's not capitalized). |
| 725 | * BlownAcrossTheRoom: The Royal Sentinels can use the Wrath of the Gods miracle, which knocks back all attackers in a violent blast. |
| 726 | * EliteMooks: Two elite varieties, the Royal Sentinels, block the way to Ornstein and Smough's room. They're larger compared to regular Sentinels and don a blue tabard. |
| 727 | * HealThyself: The Royal Sentinels will use Great Heal if they sustain too much damage, regenerating almost all of their health if the player doesn't intervene. |
| 728 | * MightyGlacier: The SquareCubeLaw really hits them hard. Despite their high damage and reach, most players can dance circles around them easily. |
| 729 | * NoSell: Those massive shields aren't for show. Most attacks from the front will get blocked by the shield, forcing the player to attack from the sides or rear. |
| 730 | * ShieldBash: Both varieties of Sentinels can slam their enormous shields to the ground, dishing out suitably enormous damage. |
| 731 | [[/folder]] |
| 732 | |
| 733 | [[folder:Painting Guardians]] |
| 734 | !!Painting Guardians |
| 735 | [[quoteright:166:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/painting_guardian_large.jpg]] |
| 736 | |
| 737 | A clan of robed, graceful warriors found only in Anor Londo's church, devoted to guarding the painting within which leads to the Painted World of Ariamis. |
| 738 | ---- |
| 739 | * AncientOrderOfProtectors: They've defended the Painted World for many generations, though their reasons for doing so have long since faded into history. |
| 740 | * DeviousDaggers: They share a moveset with the Hollow Thieves, and thus will throw knives and try to backstab you with their swords. |
| 741 | * DualWield: Their main weapon is two Painting Guardian Swords. |
| 742 | * FragileSpeedster: While they're very nimble, they're also very easy to kill by the time you encounter them. |
| 743 | [[/folder]] |
| 744 | |
| 745 | [[folder:Batwing Demons]] |
| 746 | !!Batwing Demons |
| 747 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/batwingdemon.png]] |
| 748 | |
| 749 | Large, batlike humanoids who defend the exterior of Anor Londo's castle. Despite their demonic natures, they only serve the gods, and show up to both escort worthy Undead to the city and defend it tooth-and-nail. |
| 750 | ---- |
| 751 | * BatOutOfHell: They resemble giant humanoid bats with smooth skin and warped heads. |
| 752 | * ForgotAboutHisPowers: Despite being capable of flight, they will plummet to their deaths if they fall off the area. |
| 753 | * GlassCannon: Despite having relatively powerful attacks, they have some of the lowest enemy poise in the game, and are thus very easy to stagger and knock off the various ledges. |
| 754 | * NonMaliciousMonster: The trio that show up to escort you from Sen's Fortress to Anor Londo are completely non-hostile. One stays behind afterward, and will transport you back and forth at will no matter how many of its brethren you slaughter. |
| 755 | * OurDemonsAreDifferent: They don't look or act much like any other demons in the game. |
| 756 | * ShockAndAwe: They use their spears to cast ranged lightning spells, and their normal melee strikes are imbued with lightning. |
| 757 | [[/folder]] |
| 758 | |
| 759 | [[folder:Silver Knights]] |
| 760 | !!Silver Knights |
| 761 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/silver_knight_sword.jpg]] |
| 762 | |
| 763 | Former knights of Gwyn, but unlike those who became the Black Knights, they were left behind to guard Anor Londo during Gwyn's departures, and their equipment is still pristine. Though weaker than their charred counterparts, they still put up a good fight as the standard enemies within the castle. |
| 764 | ---- |
| 765 | * AmbiguouslyHuman: They're probably not human, but what they are is ambiguous. In the ''Age of Fire'' comic, one character refers to Arkon as "that man", at which point his companion laughs and accuses him of knowing nothing about the Silver Knights. They may be the same race as Gwyn, only weaker. |
| 766 | * BowAndSwordInAccord: Several of them use gigantic Dragonslayer Greatbows, but will still pull out a sword and defend themselves with melee if approached. This includes the infamous [[TheDreaded Anor Londo Archers]], a pair of bow-wielding knights guarding the very thin precipice into the castle proper, notorious for slaughtering many players who try to kill them at close range. |
| 767 | * ADayInTheLimelight: One Sliver Knight, Arkon, serves as the protagonist to the comic series ''ComicBook/DarkSoulsAgeOfFire''. |
| 768 | * EliteMooks: The standard soldiers of Anor Londo, they're this compared to just about all the other enemies in the game up to this point. |
| 769 | * KnightInShiningArmor: Since their armor was never burned by the flames of Chaos, they maintain their silver sheen and will shine prominently when exposed to light. |
| 770 | * SemiDivine: They're lesser gods than Gwyn's family, but clearly see themselves as distinct from mere humans. Physically indicated by them being just an inch or two shy of eight feet tall. |
| 771 | * UndyingLoyalty: Even though [[spoiler: Anor Londo is mostly empty and Gwynevere is an illusion]], they are still devoted to guarding the city with their lives. |
| 772 | [[/folder]] |
| 773 | |
| 774 | [[folder:Dragonslayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough]] |
| 775 | [[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/250px-ornstein_smough_4323.jpg]] |
| 776 | [[caption-width-right:270:Left: Executioner Smough. Right: Dragonslayer Ornstein.]] |
| 777 | |
| 778 | A pair of high-ranking knights that guard Princess Gwynevere's chamber. The bosses of Anor Londo. |
| 779 | ---- |
| 780 | !!Both In General: |
| 781 | |
| 782 | * BeefGate: Among ''Dark Souls'' fandom, these two are known as the "skill check" bosses, meaning if you can't beat them, you're not ready for what the rest of game is gonna throw at you. Notably, the mandatory bosses start throwing a ''lot'' more curveballs at you after these guys, so there is some merit to that thought. |
| 783 | * BigGuyLittleGuy: For a relative sense of ''little'', since said "little guy" is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6Fko4IkQwQ&55s just about ten feet tall]]. |
| 784 | * BreakoutCharacter: Despite being just a single boss fight in the middle of the game, Ornstein and Smough became hugely popular with fans, owing to their incredibly challenging but memorable fight and interesting characterization. Because of this, both men's armor were made items in subsequent games, complete with expanded lore. |
| 785 | * CurbStompBattle: |
| 786 | ** Even as far as ''Dark Souls'' difficulty goes these two are notorious for delivering these to players facing them for the first time. |
| 787 | ** Can get turned on them very easily if you summon Solaire. Because the encounter is balanced around you fighting both of them at the same time, individually they're actually surprisingly weak for bosses. If Solaire can just distract one of them for a minute or two, that's more than enough time for any decent player at this point to obliterate the one they're fighting. |
| 788 | * DevourTheDragon: Defeating one of them will cause the other to regain all their health and absorb the power of their fallen comrade. Smough gains lightning power while Ornstein becomes huge. |
| 789 | * DualBoss: They're the second pair of bosses fought together, but unlike the Gargoyles, they do so right from the start. |
| 790 | * FatAndSkinny: Although Smough turns out to be well-built underneath that fat-looking armor, if the official artbook is any indication. |
| 791 | * {{Foil}}: One of the reasons their boss fight works so well is that they complement each other perfectly. |
| 792 | ** Smough is lumbering and massive, and thus relatively easy to avoid by getting behind the pillars in the room; while Ornstein is extremely quick and nimble, and can zip around the pillars to get to you. Smough relies mostly on brute force, but Ornstein often couples his attacks with lightning magic. |
| 793 | ** Even in lore, the two are vastly different--Ornstein is an honored knight, and one of Gwyn's most trusted men, while Smough is widely reviled as a sadistic executioner whose own desire for knighthood was denied thanks to his cannibalistic tendencies. |
| 794 | * ForceAndFinesse: Smough is the Force to Ornstein's Finesse. |
| 795 | * HumongousHeadedHammer: Smough wields a massive hammer as his weapon of choice. The player can use Smough's hammer as well by forging a plus ten hammer or great hammer and then ascending it with Smough's soul. Smough's hammer reappears in ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'', found in Irithyll of the Boreal Valley inside a chest on the second floor of a room with two Silver Knights in it. |
| 796 | * InfinityMinusOneSword: Ornstein wields the Dragonslayer Spear, while Smough has his own trademark hammer. Either one can be forged from the soul obtained from whoever you defeated last, and are decent endgame weapons with the right stats. |
| 797 | * KungShui: During their fight, they'll often destroy the pillars in the room while trying to get you with their stronger attacks. |
| 798 | * {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX51T-EipOo "Ornstein and Smough"]], which features [[OrchestralBombing an entire orchestra]] and makes [[RegionalRiff an early cameo]] once you are transported from Sen's Fortress to Anor Londo. |
| 799 | * ScaryImpracticalArmor: Both wear intimidating armor sets, but one can wonder how they're able to see with the weird disposition of their helmets. |
| 800 | * ScyllaAndCharybdis: If the player dies after killing either Ornstein or Smough then the fight becomes this. Do you kill Smough first so that Ornstein gets a speed reduction at the cost of becoming larger? Or do you kill Ornstein first because of Smough's low agility but at the cost of Smough using electric attacks? |
| 801 | * SemiDivine: They're lesser demigods, in the same vein as [[Characters/DarkSoulsArtoriasOfTheAbyss Artorias and Ciaran]]. |
| 802 | * SequentialBoss: Once you defeat either one of them, the remaining one will take his fallen comrade's powers and fight at full health. |
| 803 | * TeethClenchedTeamwork: Neither of them like each other, but they put their differences aside so that they can protect Gwynevere. |
| 804 | * VillainTeamUp: They're not too fond of each other (given Smough's ImAHumanitarian tendencies), but they'll still fight together to kick your ass. |
| 805 | * VillainousValour: Both of them are defending Gwynevere from the Chosen Undead. |
| 806 | ** Ornstein respects bravery and loyalty, as he shows a brief moment of respect towards [[TokenEvilTeammate Smough]] if he dies first. |
| 807 | ** [[spoiler: According to Dark Souls 3, Ornstein may have been a fake and Smough was the only one to stay in Anor Londo to protect it. Earning esteem from the others and finally achieving his dream of being knighted.]] |
| 808 | |
| 809 | !! Dragonslayer Ornstein |
| 810 | |
| 811 | One of Gwyn's Four Knights, associated with the Lion. He guards the Cathedral of Anor Londo along with Executioner Smough. |
| 812 | ---- |
| 813 | * AmbiguousSituation: Whether or not Ornstein is an illusion like Gwynevere and Anor Londo's sun. Evidence has come up in for both sides of the argument as the series went on. |
| 814 | * AnimalMotifs: Lions, as shown by his ring and armour set. |
| 815 | * AssKicksYou: If you defeated Smough first, Ornstein will absorb him, and his new moveset includes a groundpound that sends [[ShockAndAwe lightning shockwaves]]. |
| 816 | * AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Has an impressive trophy room full of dragon heads, adding to his credibility as [[MeaningfulName Dragonslayer]], and is implied to be the current captain of Gwyn's Four Knights. |
| 817 | * BoomStick: Ornstein will sometimes fire small lightning bolts from his spear if he's not launching larger ones from his hand. |
| 818 | * CuttingOffTheBranches: Part of ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII''[='=]s lore implies that [[spoiler:Ornstein actually survived the encounter against the Chosen Undead, but eventually left Anor Londo in search of his old teacher, the Nameless King. However, considering that Gwynevere and Anor Londo's sunset was an illusion, Ornstein could've been too]]. |
| 819 | * TheDragon: Although he'd object to the trope name, he is believed to be the Captain of the Four Knights and is thus one of Gwyn's top lieutenants. Also a minor subversion, in that you kill him about halfway though the game. |
| 820 | * DragonTheirFeet: He's the last of The Four Knights and he left Anor Londo to find his friend and mentor, Gwyn's first son. |
| 821 | * DueToTheDead: If you kill Smough first, Ornstein will pause a bit during the cutscene before absorbing his comrade's powers. [[DesecratingTheDead Not that the Executioner would return him the favor…]] |
| 822 | * EarlyBirdCameo: A statue of him is found in one hall of Anor Londo's beginning area. |
| 823 | * EveryoneHasStandards: Like all the other knights, he was disgusted by Smough's cannibalistic tendencies and barred him from being a knight. However, if Smough dies first, Ornstein still shows respect when absorbing Smough's soul and power, acknowledging him as a comrade-in-arms. |
| 824 | * FlashStep: Ornstein's hyper-fast attack in which he glides across the ground. If you're helping fight him as a phantom, even a little bit of latency tends to make it look like a FlashStep. |
| 825 | * ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: His most dangerous attack in the second phase, and it will most likely kill you in one hit. |
| 826 | * {{Irony}}: His signature ring, the Leo Ring, is poorly suited for his signature weapon, the Dragonslayer Spear since the ring only boosts the [[{{Technobabble}} physical damage of counter-hits from a thrusting attack]], and the spear's damage is split between physical and lightning, so the ring's better off paired with a purely physical thrusting weapon. |
| 827 | * IWillFindYou: ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' states that the real Ornstein left Anor Londo after watching over it for a long period of time following the war with the dragons. All for the sake of finding his friend and teacher, [[spoiler:the Nameless King, who is all but stated to be Gwyn's firstborn.]] This would retroactively mean that the Ornsteins faced in 1 and 2 could be fakes. |
| 828 | * LightningBruiser: Most of the time, his first move is to charge the player ''very'' fast with his spear. |
| 829 | * NotQuiteDead: As soon as you defeat Ornstein first, he falls to the ground, but in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, one of his fingers is still twitching. Of course, Smough, [[FatBastard being the asshole he is]], promptly crushes him with his hammer to gain his lightning powers. [[spoiler: Though, if the implications from Dark Souls 3 are correct, he might have smashed Ornstein so nonchalantly or recklessly because that Ornstein was a fake]] |
| 830 | * OneWingedAngel: If you kill Smough first, Ornstein absorbs his power and turns into a giant, gaining several new abilities in the process. |
| 831 | * PetTheDog: If Smough dies first then Ornstein will show a brief moment of respect towards Smough before absorbing his body suggesting that Ornstein admired Smough's loyalty to the kingdom. |
| 832 | * ScaryImpracticalArmor: Some of the coolest armor in the game, making him look like a blinged-out Dragon. He presumably sees through his lion-head helm's open mouth, though his field of vision would be ridiculously limited. |
| 833 | * ShockAndAwe: Not only his spear, but he can also send bolts of lightning from his off hand, just like Solaire does. |
| 834 | * TheSlowWalk: When he's not jumping around or attacking, he tends to swagger slowly towards the player. |
| 835 | * SoleSurvivor: He is the only one of Gwyn's Four Knights to be still alive in the present day. |
| 836 | |
| 837 | !! Executioner Smough |
| 838 | |
| 839 | The Executioner of Anor Londo, seeking the approval of Gwyn. Guards the Cathedral of Anor Londo alongside Dragon Slayer Ornstein. |
| 840 | ---- |
| 841 | * {{Acrofatic}}: He's very agile for someone his size. Justified as he's a minor God, and he's actually not that bulky under his armour, as confirmed by the [[http://marioshinobi.tumblr.com/image/31955808089 official artbook]]. |
| 842 | * AssKicksYou: One of his attacks involves jumping the air and slamming down rear-end first. This attack becomes imbued with lightning in the second phase if you defeated Ornstein first. |
| 843 | * BloodKnight: Smough is often heard laughing during the battle and his tactics forgo any strategy or concern for collateral damage as he swings his hammer haphazardly to crush the protagonist. If Ornstein dies first, Smough quickly finishes him off and laughs when he sees that he absorbed Ornstein's power over lightning, clearly excited with the rush of his newfound power. |
| 844 | * TheBrute: Especially compared to [[TheDragon Ornstein]]: he's less respected by the rest of Anor Londo, and his fighting style is comparatively slow and clumsy, relying on brute strength. |
| 845 | * BrutishCharacterBrutishWeapon: Smough is an all-around reprehensible guy hated by all his cohorts. Accordingly, he wields a massive hammer covered in spikes whose uneven proportions reflect how little Smough gives a damn about subtlety and decorum. If Ornstein dies first, Smough crushes him with his hammer without hesitation and is visibly excited to use Ornstein's lightning powers. |
| 846 | * DueToTheDead: Averted, both in his day job and boss battle. Ornstein is respectful of Smough if he's killed first, but the latter just smashes Ornstein flat if the Dragonslayer falls first, [[EvilLaugh letting out a chuckle as he does so]]. Also, the guy uses a ''Giant hammer'' to execute people, presumably by smashing them into paste. |
| 847 | * DyingMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler:''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' indicates that he actually [[UndyingLoyalty stayed behind in Anor Londo]] long after everyone else was departed or dead. It seems that Smough, in a brave but ultimately futile [[RedemptionEqualsDeath effort to protect Gwyndolin]], went down fighting against either the forces of the Cathedral of the Deep or (given the fact that you find his armor after killing Aldrich) in single combat with ''[[TranshumanAbomination Aldrich himself.]]'']] |
| 848 | * EarlyBirdCameo: Not him, but his armor. The max-stat Black Phantoms released into the games of players who broke the street date wore his armor. Also, a statue of him is displayed in the hall opposite of Ornstein's statue in the beginning area of Anor Londo. |
| 849 | * EvilLaugh: Chuckles a lot during the fight. He lets out one as well when smashing down Ornstein to get his powers. |
| 850 | * EvilVirtues: As repugnant as he is, Smough's loyalty to Gwyn and Anor Londo is admirable, to say the least. Even Ornstein, who despises Smough's cannibalism, shows his respect if Smough dies first. |
| 851 | * EyesDoNotBelongThere: Thanks to the exaggerated anatomy of his armour, the tiny 'head' is just a decoration and its real eye-holes are in its ''neck''. |
| 852 | * FatBastard: His armour gives this impression, though the artbook shows that he's just big and well-muscled underneath it, not fat. |
| 853 | * HeroWorshipper: He desired to be one of the four knights but he repulsed them with his cannibalism. |
| 854 | * HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:''Dark Souls 3'' reveals that Smough was the sole god in Anor Londo other than Gwyndolin to stay behind after the first game. Even after the other Four Knights had long since fled, Smough [[UndyingLoyalty remained at his post]] and, when the Cathedral of the Deep invaded, [[LastStand fought to the bitter end]] to protect Gwyndolin. In fact, given that you receive his armor for killing Aldrich (in the same chamber where you fought Smough in the first game, ntoably), it's quite likely that he died in single combat with ''[[TranshumanAbomination Aldrich himself]]''. Considering how tough a boss Smough is, that must have been one hell of a fight.]] |
| 855 | * IChooseToStay: [[spoiler: Smough chose to stay in Anor Londo despite all the knights leaving, even Ornstein chose to abandon it in order to find the Nameless King. If Smough is killed first, Ornstein respectfully absorbs his soul, showing that Smough had finally gained the respect he saught for from the Knights of Gwyn.]] |
| 856 | * ImAHumanitarian: Used the bones of criminals he executed as ''food seasoning.'' This naturally ''horrified'' those around him. This is implied to be something of an act. Note that out of all the possible things he could actually do, he chose to grind bones into seasoning, as opposed to say, ''actually eating any of their flesh'', something that still ended up backfiring on him. |
| 857 | * {{Irony}}: |
| 858 | ** ''The entire ruling body of Anor Londo'' can't stand him, Four Knights included, so he hates them back, spitefully dispatching Ornstein while he's down if you take out the Dragonslayer first. If Smough goes down first instead, we see Ornstein briefly offer his respect to the body before absorbing it... meaning that Ornstein, who Smough would kill in envy, was the one person who ''didn't'' completely hate his guts after Smough chose to stay. |
| 859 | ** [[spoiler:By Dark Souls 3, he dies defending Gwyndolin from Aldrich, a cannibal viler than he is. This would qualify for KarmicDeath, if he hadn't redeemed himself by remaining defending Gwyndolin until the bitter end, the only knight to do so.]] |
| 860 | * {{Jerkass}}: A sadistic cannibal who is despised by pretty much everyone in Anor Londo and treats Ornstein like crap, should Ornstein be defeated first. |
| 861 | * JigglePhysics: Definitely present. Just watch his chest. Which is kind of weird what with that chestpiece being metal plate... |
| 862 | * {{Kevlard}}: [[AvertedTrope Surprisingly averted]]. Yes, Smough appears very fat, and yes, he can take a high amount of punishment. However, both of these aspects come exclusively from his armor. It hides the fact that he's actually just as well built as Ornstein, and protects him even more. |
| 863 | * KickTheDog: Look closely at Ornstein's fingers, should he fall first. He was ''still alive'' when Smough decided to smash him and take his soul. |
| 864 | * LastDisrespects: [[spoiler: He doesn't hesitate to crush Ornstein's body, Dark Souls 3 suggests that the Ornstein he fought alongside with was just an illusion or a fake. As Smough was said to be the only knight who stayed in Anor Londo but it's never said if Smough knew of this.]] |
| 865 | * LastStand: [[spoiler: By the time of ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'', Smough was the last knight at his post when the Cathedral of the Deep invaded Anor Londo. He died fighting against them.]] |
| 866 | * MightyGlacier: Of the two, Smough is the slower one, but his hammer strikes also put the hurt on even high-poise players. |
| 867 | * PeopleInRubberSuits: Smough's armor is basically a metal {{kaiju}} costume, given that it doesn't correspond to his actual facial position and body type; he looks out of the "neck" of the helm (similar to the actual Franchise/{{Godzilla}} suit), and has a very muscular body underneath the obese-looking chest armor. |
| 868 | * PunnyName: It's quite subtle in English, but in Japanese his name is pronounced "sumou" - exactly like [[Main/SumoWrestling the well-known sport played by very large men]]. |
| 869 | * PyrrhicVictory: [[spoiler: Dark Souls 3 indicates that Smough finally achieved his dream of becoming a knight, only to be killed in a valiant defence against the Cathedral of the Deep. Not only that, but he was also the only knight to stay in Anor Londo when they attacked.]] |
| 870 | * RedemptionEqualsDeath: |
| 871 | ** [[spoiler: Some items in ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' imply that not only did he become a respected knight of Anor Londo, but that he was the only one who stayed there, even Ornstein left. When the Cathedral of the Deep invaded, Smough sacrificed himself in a failed but valiant defense.]] |
| 872 | ** If he is killed before Ornstein then Ornstein will give a moment of respect before absorbing his soul. |
| 873 | * ScaryImpracticalArmor: Not really scary, but pretty intimidating and definitely impractical -- there are no visible eye holes (his "face" is actually part of his helm and judging by the player version, sits above where his actual head is) and he can't even walk normally in it. Not that it really slows him down. [[note]]The above link shows that the eye holes of the helmet sit just below the chin of his "face".[[/note]] |
| 874 | * ShockAndAwe: If Ornstein is defeated first, [[KickTheDog Smough will crush him with his hammer]], powering his attacks with lightning for the second phase. |
| 875 | * StoutStrength: Despite not actually being overweight under that armor of his, he's still quite broad. |
| 876 | * SuperStrength: Even by ''Dark Souls'' standards. That hammer is ridiculously heavy, easily [[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/souls-dragons-vs-elder-dragons.728203/page-3#post-55293070 dozens of tons]], yet he can easily swing it around and puts it through three-foot thick marble pillars as if they were tissue paper. |
| 877 | * TheTeamWannabe: To the Four Knights. [[spoiler: Interestingly, in ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'', it was revealed that, according to his Great Hammer, he eventually did become a knight.]] |
| 878 | * UndyingLoyalty: His horrible aspects aside, Smough's loyalty to Gwyn and his family is sincere. [[spoiler: Sincere enough that he dies at his post, trying to protect Anor Londo from Aldrich's followers.]] |
| 879 | * UnexplainedRecovery: Despite them not being in ''any'' way an optional boss, neither Ornstein nor Smough actually died in ''Dark Souls,'' as both were mentioned in ''Dark Souls III.'' But while Ornstein simply wasn't there in the first place (you're only fighting [[spoiler:an illusion or copy of him, as he has presumably already left Anor Londo to search for his former master, the Nameless King]]), there's no explanation for how Smough survived the encounter to [[spoiler:die fighting the worshippers of the Cathedral of the Deep]]. |
| 880 | * UnskilledButStrong: Smough isn't a trained knight like Ornstein, he's the sadistic yet loyal executioner of Anor Londo. Smough's strategy is to swing his hammer haphazardly and crush anything within his radius, clearly showing his reliance on his strength and weight. He has some of the most telegraphed and easily-dodged attacks in the entire game, and his big horizontal swing can even miss you altogether without you even needing to dodge if you simply stand too close to him; it's Ornstein constantly harrying you with his superior speed (and in the second phase, the addition of lightning AOE damage to Smough's attacks) that makes his clumsy blows threatening. He also underutilises his lightning abilities in the second phase, as he never uses them for ranged attacks. His weapon and armour descriptions confirm this, his hammer requires no dexterity and only strength to wield it. His armour is said to be able to be worn by anyone who's strong enough to wear it. |
| 881 | * WellDoneSonGuy: Desperately seeks the approval of Gwyn and the Four Knights leading him to full-heartedly embracing his role as an Executioner, up to and including using the ground-up bones of his victims ''as seasoning'', presumably to show how ruthless he is. This backfires spectacularly: Kingseeker Frampt, a personal friend of Gwyn, thinks so little of him that he'll only pay ''one soul'' for Smough's, and it's implied the Four Knights, including Ornstein, don't like him much more than that. |
| 882 | * WhatYouAreInTheDark: Surprisingly. Smough is a sadistic executioner who ''grinds people's bones to put on his bread'' and is despised by [[HatedByAll every living being left in Anor Londo]], and probably quite a few who've left, including the Four Knights. Gwyn [[WellDoneSonGuy denied his request to become a knight]], Kingseeker Frampt will only pay you a measly ''single'' soul for Smough's, and, given [[KickTheDog how Smough responds]] if Ornstein dies first, then the antipathy is probably mutual. [[spoiler:Yet by the time of ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'', every being who knew Smough is either dead (like Artorias and Ciaran) or long gone (like Gough and Ornstein). Anor Londo is practically deserted and every other being has long since fled the city even before [[ChurchOfEvil Aldrich and his followers]] invaded. [[UndyingLoyalty Not Smough.]] The bloodthirsty executioner, alone in a city of people who always hated him and gods who never respected him, stays behind to protect Gwyndolin, and - if the fact that you find his armor after killing Aldrich is any indication - almost certainly [[HeroicSacrifice died defending him.]]]] |
| 883 | |
| 884 | [[/folder]] |
| 885 | |
| 886 | [[folder:Gwyndolin]] |
| 887 | |
| 888 | !!Dark Sun Gwyndolin |
| 889 | |
| 890 | The lastborn son of Gwyn and leader of the Blades of the Darkmoon. Is fought as a OptionalBoss through special circumstances. For more information on this character, see Characters/DarkSoulsCovenants. |
| 891 | |
| 892 | [[/folder]] |
| 893 | |
| 894 | !!The Catacombs |
| 895 | |
| 896 | [[folder:Skeletons]] |
| 897 | !!Skeletons |
| 898 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zajpj_0.jpg]] |
| 899 | |
| 900 | ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, skeletons reanimated by [[{{Necromancer}} Necromancers]] to serve Gravelord Nito. They are found in the Catacombs and the Tomb of the Giants, and respawn when killed unless their corresponding {{Necromancer}} is killed or they are struck down with divine weapons. There also exist [[EliteMooks giant varieties]], which commonly populate the Tomb. |
| 901 | ---- |
| 902 | * DemBones: Hordes of skeletons brought to life through necromancy. |
| 903 | * FauxDeath: Skeletons often appear as a pile of bones, only to reform themselves when approached. |
| 904 | * GiantMook: There are giant skeletons that wield a [[BFS giant Falchion]], and are much tougher than the regular versions. There are also giant skeleton archers, which don't have as wide a range of attacks but can still stomp at you if you close in. |
| 905 | * ImpossibleItemDrop: Shield-wearing Skeletons use the Warrior's Round Shield, but will drop the Red and White Round Shield. Likewise, the Giant Skeletons wield large Falchions, but drop Murakumos. |
| 906 | * PullingThemselvesTogether: |
| 907 | ** Smaller skeletons can have their upper torso obliterated by a strong blow, assuming it isn't fatal, and will simply reform their upper body and keep attacking after a few moments. It's essentially their version of a stun state, and is a great opportunity to finish the job. |
| 908 | ** After being "killed" without the use of divine weapons, they will constantly form again until their necromancers are killed. |
| 909 | * SinisterScimitar: Most of them wield scimitars. |
| 910 | * ZergRush: The primary danger of the standard skeletons. While they have little health and can be cut down fairly easily, they will constantly regenerate under normal circumstances, and unprepared players will swiftly find themselves trapped in a dozens-strong mob. |
| 911 | [[/folder]] |
| 912 | |
| 913 | [[folder:Necromancers]] |
| 914 | !!Necromancers |
| 915 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/necromancer01.jpg]] |
| 916 | |
| 917 | Withered old men bearing lanterns made from human skulls, they lurk in the Catacombs commanding hordes of skeletons in the service of Gravelord Nito. While they don't respawn once killed, until you dispatch them all the skeletons in the area will constantly revive unless killed with a divine weapon. |
| 918 | ---- |
| 919 | * TheMinionMaster: It's their ability to constantly revive the skeletons in the surrounding area that makes them such a high priority target, because if you don't you'll be buried in a never-ending horde of angry bones. |
| 920 | * {{Necromancer}}: Obviously. Each one is responsible for maintaining a group of skeletons in the Catacombs. |
| 921 | * SquishyWizard: Necromancers are almost no threat in combat, only capable of throwing some weak fireballs at you and dying in a few swipes of your weapon. |
| 922 | * UniqueEnemy: Like the Blowdart Snipers in Blighttown the Necromancers aren't hard to kill, but are such a nuisance that once you kill them they stay dead for good. |
| 923 | [[/folder]] |
| 924 | |
| 925 | [[folder:Wisps]] |
| 926 | !!Wisps |
| 927 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wisp.jpg]] |
| 928 | |
| 929 | Strange spirits manifesting as floating skulls. Their only attack is to float at you and [[SuicideAttack blow themselves up]]. While they are mainly found throughout the Catacombs, the Masses of Souls that lurk in the depths of New Londo also spawn them. More of an environmental hazard than an enemy, they cannot be locked onto or damaged and give no souls or item drops. |
| 930 | ---- |
| 931 | * ActionBomb: All they do is detonate when they get close. |
| 932 | * {{Expy}}: They're very similar to the Lost Souls from ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}''. |
| 933 | * OurGhostsAreDifferent: They don't behave much like the ghosts New Londo is rife with, as they lack bodies and are only capable of screaming and exploding. |
| 934 | [[/folder]] |
| 935 | |
| 936 | [[folder:Bonewheel Skeletons]] |
| 937 | !!Bonewheel Skeletons |
| 938 | [[quoteright:195:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/skeleton_wheel_large.jpg]] |
| 939 | |
| 940 | Skeletons strapped to spiked wheels, found only in the deepest cavern of the Catacombs and the basement of the Painted World. Despite their rarity, they are some of the most [[TheDreaded feared and hated]] enemies in the game. |
| 941 | ---- |
| 942 | |
| 943 | * CollisionDamage: They do damage just by running into you, and their constant spinning will swiftly drain your stamina if blocked. Getting caught by one isn't much of a hassle, but a mob of them can take out even the most hardened of players. |
| 944 | * TheDreaded: Out of all the normal enemies, few are more reviled than the Bonewheels, and for good reason. |
| 945 | * FragileSpeedster: Emphasis on speed. They're not that hardy, but they more than make up for it in how quickly they'll close the distance and do lethal damage. |
| 946 | * {{Irony}}: Occasionally, upon death, they'll drop their wheels as items, which the player can then use as a shield. Specifically, this shield works wonderfully well as a way of blocking their RollingAttack; it's large and takes very little stamina to use, allowing the player to take the [[PunchPunchPunchUhOh full duration of the attack head-on with minimal damage.]] |
| 947 | * ShoutOut: Like many other references to ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', these take inspiration from [[https://i.redd.it/lkmf6wowjt711.jpg the undead strapped to]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaking_wheel breaking wheels]], who use similar forms of locomotion to run over Guts and Isidro. |
| 948 | [[/folder]] |
| 949 | |
| 950 | [[folder:Pinwheel]] |
| 951 | |
| 952 | !! Pinwheel |
| 953 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pinwheel_766.jpg]] |
| 954 | |
| 955 | A necromancer residing in the Catacombs below Lordran. |
| 956 | ---- |
| 957 | * AndIMustScream: Whatever it[[spoiler:/they]] used to be, we know that it's sentient. And self-aware. And conscious. It's quite possible that it's even doing more and more horrific experiments of its own volition. |
| 958 | * BodyOfBodies: If you believe the common fan theory that [[spoiler:Pinwheel is a family of three fused together after one of them tried to reanimate the other two. No matter who you think did it, the end result is not pretty. A father or mother trying to revive her loving family, or a child doing everything in their power to bring back their parents...]] |
| 959 | * DoppelgangerAttack: Creates some doubles during his boss fight. And you can see disposed clones on the way in. The fan theory outlined below suggests he may have developed the ability as part of his scheme to disentangle his components from each other. |
| 960 | * CameBackWrong: Whatever Pinwheel was before becoming... it, it now is an abomination. |
| 961 | * CoolMask: He has three of them, almost depicting a family due to their name (Mask of the Father[=/=]Mother[=/=]Child). |
| 962 | * DegradedBoss: You find several weaker Pinwheels just outside of [[spoiler:Nito's chamber.]] |
| 963 | * EarlyBirdBoss: Inverted; his health and damage values are about on par with early-game bosses like the Taurus Demon... But by the time you ''have'' to fight him, [[DegradedBoss his statline is more on par with a standard]] {{Mook}}. |
| 964 | * GlassCannon: He has one of the lowest HitPoints reserves of all the bosses, but his attacks do great damage when they connect. Fortunately for players, [[CripplingOverspecialization he telegraphs very early, attacks very slowly, and is committed to an attack when he makes it]]. |
| 965 | * HumanoidAbomination: Whatever he looks like under those robes, he's got three heads and six arms. Three heads, it should be noted, that have separate minds, if looking at each other when you show up before he goes into battle stance is any indication. |
| 966 | * {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_35zPoY38g "Pinwheel"]], which includes creepy whispers along the lines of "I'm sorry", "Help me", and "Make the pain stop". |
| 967 | * MaskOfPower: Once you defeat him, he drops one of his three masks, each one giving a decent boost in one stat (equip burden, health, and stamina regeneration). |
| 968 | * MeaningfulName: His name in the Japanese version is "sannin haori", meaning either "three person coat" or "three person weave". Helps with the theory that there's three people under that cloak. |
| 969 | * MultiArmedAndDangerous: Has six arms, with each holding a lantern. |
| 970 | * {{Necromancer}}: His introductory cutscene consists of him performing some sort of experiment with a corpse laid bare on a table. As if that wasn't enough, there are dozens of bodies left hanging all over the boss area... |
| 971 | * PowerParasite: [[spoiler:He siphons off Gravelord Nito's abilities while Nito lies dormant]], which helps explaining the latter's DramaPreservingHandicap. |
| 972 | * RecurringElement: He's [[VideoGame/DemonsSouls the Fool's Idol]] in all but name; similar attacks, same teleportation, same doppelgangers. The only difference being that you can't usually stomp the Fool's Idol in ten seconds flat. |
| 973 | * SquishyWizard: His health is remarkably low for a midgame boss (assuming you're meeting him after having acquired the Lordvessel), and he gets staggered rather easily. His magic blasts are quite powerful, though, and they're hard to dodge. |
| 974 | * TeleportSpam: He will often teleport away to a safe distance after creating a double of himself. |
| 975 | * TotemPoleTrench: A very disturbing variation. It's strongly implied that there's actually three people under that coat...[[spoiler:[[BodyHorror fused into one.]]]] |
| 976 | * WellIntentionedExtremist: Implied. The current [[{{Fanon}} fan theory]] is that Pinwheel was a necromancer who tried to resurrect his family. [[FateWorseThanDeath The result...]] |
| 977 | |
| 978 | [[/folder]] |
| 979 | |
| 980 | !!Tomb of the Giants |
| 981 | |
| 982 | [[folder:Skeletal Beasts]] |
| 983 | !!Skeletal Beasts |
| 984 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/skeleton_beast_enemy_dark_soul.jpg]] |
| 985 | |
| 986 | Hulking, quadrupedal skeleton monsters that lurk in the darkness of the Tomb. |
| 987 | ---- |
| 988 | * NonHumanUndead: It's unclear what these things actually are, since they're clearly not human skeletons. They look like animals, but ''what'' animals? |
| 989 | * LightningBruiser: Among the deadliest examples in the game. They [[DamageSpongeBoss soak up hits from most weapons]] and retaliate with incredibly fast, punishing, hard-to-read attacks. One of their flurrying combos can even be a OneHitKill to players without significant health and stamina. Their one weakness is a slow turning speed, like most large enemies. |
| 990 | [[/folder]] |
| 991 | |
| 992 | [[folder:Bone Towers]] |
| 993 | !!Bone Towers |
| 994 | [[quoteright:253:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bone_tower.jpg]] |
| 995 | |
| 996 | Tall pillars of crudely reassembled bones that spring up from the ground in the deeper parts of the Tomb. Despite their unwieldy appearances, they can attack lethally with spiraling arms or by slamming the entire structure down. |
| 997 | ---- |
| 998 | * ItCanThink: The last two encountered seem to knowingly set up a KaizoTrap for the player: one springs up to draw the player in, only to retract to reveal a Giant Skeleton archer immediately behind it. Running forward to attack will get the player knocked off the ledge by another Giant Skeleton hidden around the corner, while trying to retreat will make them run smack into another Bone Tower that now blocks the way while the first Tower reemerges to pin them in. |
| 999 | * SchmuckBait: Nearly all of them spring up in response to conspicuously placed treasure in the middle of a room (usually White Titanite). |
| 1000 | * WalkingOssuary: They form out of clusters of random bones. |
| 1001 | [[/folder]] |
| 1002 | |
| 1003 | [[folder:Skeleton Babies]] |
| 1004 | !!Skeleton Babies |
| 1005 | [[quoteright:126:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/baby_skeleton_enemy_dark_soul.jpg]] |
| 1006 | |
| 1007 | Hordes of what appear to be infant skeletons, only found in the chamber before Nito along with several [[DegradedBoss Pinwheel clones]]. |
| 1008 | ---- |
| 1009 | * DeathByAThousandCuts: They're very easy to kill ([[BlackComedy they are just babies, after all]]) and don't do much damage individually, but their bites inflict Toxic damage and it's pretty easy for them to pop up just out of sight and nip at your heels, which can rapidly build up if you're not careful. |
| 1010 | * PinataEnemy: Their fragility and the huge masses that spawn make them ideal for farming Humanity (outside of the DLC), which they have a not-insignificant chance to drop. |
| 1011 | * ZergRush: While they're nearly useless on their own thanks to their low damage and slow speed, a great many of them rise up all around the chamber, and all will rush you at once if not cut down quickly. |
| 1012 | [[/folder]] |
| 1013 | |
| 1014 | [[folder:Gravelord Nito]] |
| 1015 | |
| 1016 | !!Gravelord Nito |
| 1017 | |
| 1018 | One of the four original holders of the Lord Souls, the first of the Dead and leader of his own covenant. For more information on this character, see Characters/DarkSoulsMainCharactersAndLords. |
| 1019 | |
| 1020 | [[/folder]] |
| 1021 | |
| 1022 | !!Duke's Archives / Crystal Cave |
| 1023 | |
| 1024 | [[folder:Undead Crystal Soldier]] |
| 1025 | !!Undead Crystal Soldier |
| 1026 | [[quoteright:254:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/images_288.jpeg]] |
| 1027 | |
| 1028 | Hollows that have been experimented on by Seath, and fused with powerful crystals. |
| 1029 | ---- |
| 1030 | * EliteMooks: For all intents and purposes, they're just substantially tougher versions of the standard Hollow enemies. |
| 1031 | * PaletteSwap: Of the normal Hollows. |
| 1032 | [[/folder]] |
| 1033 | |
| 1034 | [[folder:Crystal General]] |
| 1035 | |
| 1036 | !!Crystal General |
| 1037 | [[quoteright:230:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/230px-crystal_general_2840.jpg]] |
| 1038 | |
| 1039 | An unknown Hollow knight who attacks you on your way to Seath's boss room [[spoiler: (at least, his first boss room)]]. His armour set can be found lying in the garden leading to the Crystal Cave. |
| 1040 | ---- |
| 1041 | * BlingOfWar: On top of being covered with crystals, his armour set is remarkably ornate, implying he was a knight of sorts before turning Hollow. |
| 1042 | * BodyHorror: Parts of his body and armour are partially crystallized on top of being Hollow. |
| 1043 | * TheComputerIsACheatingBastard: He's able to parry with his Crystal Shield, when normally the shield only allows a bash attack. |
| 1044 | * LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: Wields a Crystal Shield which is decent for blocking elemental attacks, but is otherwise unrepairable and cannot be upgraded. |
| 1045 | * NoNameGiven: As with many hostile [=NPC=]s who aren't red phantom invaders, but this is made more jarring due to having no signature item. |
| 1046 | * UniqueEnemy: One of the more standout examples. He wears an armour set of unknown origin, and does not respawn once defeated. |
| 1047 | * WeHardlyKnewYe: You simply kill him and move on to Seath's boss room. |
| 1048 | [[/folder]] |
| 1049 | |
| 1050 | [[folder:Pisacas]] |
| 1051 | !!Pisacas |
| 1052 | [[quoteright:315:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pisaca.jpg]] |
| 1053 | |
| 1054 | Twisted results of Seath's immortality experiments, these slithering masses of tentacles are kept in the Archives prison and released to deal with escapees. |
| 1055 | ---- |
| 1056 | * BodyHorror: They used to be people, but you wouldn't be able to tell by looking. |
| 1057 | * CombatTentacles: Used to grab people and kill them with a hidden prehensile spike. |
| 1058 | * HarmlessEnemy: Two crying Pisacas will not attack at all and will attempt to hide if attacked. |
| 1059 | * NonMaliciousMonster: It's strongly implied that they don't really want to attack you, and are only doing so out of the fear and confusion the prison alarm brings them. When you visit their cage with the alarm turned off, none of them will attack, [[TragicMonster and you can hear some of them whimpering]]. |
| 1060 | * PinataEnemy: They're the first enemies you're likely to encounter that drop Humanity at a decent rate, they're not particularly dangerous, and there's a big group of them not far from a bonfire. |
| 1061 | * TragicMonster: Some of the most tragic enemies in a game full of [[FallenHero Fallen Heroes]] and cursed civilians; they're innocent women experimented on by Seath and turned into tentacled monstrosities. Inside their cell, you can hear them crying. |
| 1062 | * WasOnceAMan: This is what happens to the women kidnapped by the Channelers and brought to Seath. |
| 1063 | [[/folder]] |
| 1064 | |
| 1065 | [[folder:Crystal Golems]] |
| 1066 | !!Crystal Golems |
| 1067 | [[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/crystal_golem_large.jpg]] |
| 1068 | |
| 1069 | Hulking crystal constructs developed by Seath to guard the Crystal Cave. Weaker varieties can also be found all over the Darkroot Basin. |
| 1070 | ---- |
| 1071 | * CrystallineCreature: Apparently mindless bruisers made entirely of quartz-like crystal. |
| 1072 | * CrystalPrison: Bizarrely, the Golden Crystal Golems seem to function as this. The one at the end of Darkroot Basin has trapped Dusk of Oolacile inside of it, while the one outside Crystal Cave contains [[spoiler: Siegmeyer's daughter Sieglinde]]. They are the only standard enemies to function this way, and it's unknown why or how they do this, although it may have something to do with Seath's proclivity for abducting human women for his experiments. |
| 1073 | * EliteMooks: Several [[PaletteSwap golden varieties]] exist, only differentiated by being much tougher than the blue varieties and not respawning when killed. |
| 1074 | * {{Golem}}: They are artificial constructs with no minds of their own, and exist purely to do Seath's bidding. |
| 1075 | * MightyGlacier: They'll do a lot of damage if their attacks connect, but their attacks are slow and highly telegraphed. |
| 1076 | [[/folder]] |
| 1077 | |
| 1078 | [[folder:Maneater Shells]] |
| 1079 | !!Maneater Shells |
| 1080 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/man_eater_shell_large.jpg]] |
| 1081 | |
| 1082 | Giant ambulatory clams that reside only in two places: a cavern near the end of Crystal Cave, and the shores of Ash Lake. |
| 1083 | ---- |
| 1084 | * BewareTheSillyOnes: They're ''clams'', and seeing them walk around on disproportionately small crab legs is inherently silly. However, they're surprisingly deadly opponents even at a high level, with multiple attacks that drain the better part of a stamina or health bar. |
| 1085 | * KillerRabbit: Dopey-looking clamshells that will absolutely wreck your day if you're not prepared to fight them. |
| 1086 | * PinataEnemy: [[GuideDangIt If you know where to find them,]] the main reason they even exist is to be an early source of Twinkling Titanite. |
| 1087 | |
| 1088 | [[/folder]] |
| 1089 | |
| 1090 | [[folder:Seath the Scaleless]] |
| 1091 | |
| 1092 | !!Seath the Scaleless |
| 1093 | |
| 1094 | A primordial dragon who betrayed his kin during the war preceding the First Age of Fire. Has been granted a shard of Gwyn's Lord Soul and is currently residing in the Duke's Archives. For more information on this character, see Characters/DarkSoulsMainCharactersAndLords. |
| 1095 | |
| 1096 | [[/folder]] |
| 1097 | |
| 1098 | !!Darkroot Garden / Basin |
| 1099 | |
| 1100 | [[folder:Demonic Foliage]] |
| 1101 | !!Demonic Foliage |
| 1102 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/demonicfoliage.jpg]] |
| 1103 | |
| 1104 | Bipedal plant creatures that roam Darkroot Garden, ambushing travelers on the narrow paths. |
| 1105 | ---- |
| 1106 | * AmbushingEnemy: Many of them disguise themselves as normal shrubs and plant life, only to burst out of the ground just in time to strike unsuspecting players. |
| 1107 | * BotanicalAbomination: Their names imply that they're normal plants possessed by a demonic force, but any more about this is unknown. |
| 1108 | * VineTentacles: They mainly attack with their arms, which can be used as whips or in dangerous grab attacks. |
| 1109 | * WhenTreesAttack: Humanoid plant monsters. |
| 1110 | [[/folder]] |
| 1111 | |
| 1112 | [[folder:Frog-Rays]] |
| 1113 | !!Frog-Rays |
| 1114 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/frog_ray_header_full.jpg]] |
| 1115 | |
| 1116 | Bizarre creatures that seem to be native wildlife, resembling (as their name indicates) hybrids between frogs and stingrays. |
| 1117 | ---- |
| 1118 | * MixAndMatchCritters: It's all in the name, really. |
| 1119 | * MultipurposeTongue: They attack with their long, prehensile tongues. |
| 1120 | [[/folder]] |
| 1121 | |
| 1122 | [[folder:Tree Lizards]] |
| 1123 | !!Tree Lizards |
| 1124 | [[quoteright:684:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tree_lizard.png]] |
| 1125 | |
| 1126 | Twin-headed lizards that hide on the trees of the forest, biting at passerbys with venomous fangs. |
| 1127 | ---- |
| 1128 | * MultipleHeadCase: The lizards have two heads on long, snake-like necks. |
| 1129 | * PoisonousPerson: Their bites are venomous, and the Poison they inflict is one of the deadliest at 10 damage per second. |
| 1130 | * StationaryEnemy: They're content to stay on trees and bite at the player, but they will become mobile if they're knocked off their trees with a hit. |
| 1131 | * UniqueEnemy: Only two exist in the game, both in the area before the Moonlight Butterfly, and they're pretty avoidable. |
| 1132 | [[/folder]] |
| 1133 | |
| 1134 | [[folder:Possessed Trees]] |
| 1135 | !!Possessed Trees |
| 1136 | [[quoteright:684:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/possessed_tree.png]] |
| 1137 | |
| 1138 | Giant living trees that block secret paths in Darkroot Forest. |
| 1139 | ---- |
| 1140 | * HarmlessEnemy: The trees can move slightly, but can't attack at all and are felled by any decent weapon. |
| 1141 | * NPCRoadblock: Their main purpose is to block the portion of the forest that leads to Artorias' Wolf Ring, pretending to be normal trees. |
| 1142 | ** Interestingly, approaching the fog gate to the Moonlight Butterfly will cause the first Possessed Tree to move and block the path to the bonfire. |
| 1143 | * UniqueEnemy: More of a weird obstacle than an enemy, there are only two Possessed Trees in the forest and neither of them respawn. |
| 1144 | * WhenTreesAttack: Unlike the Demonic Foliage, they are non-anthropomorphic trees that can't fight back, but they are enemy trees nonetheless. |
| 1145 | [[/folder]] |
| 1146 | |
| 1147 | [[folder:Great Stone Knights]] |
| 1148 | !!Great Stone Knights |
| 1149 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stone_knight.jpg]] |
| 1150 | |
| 1151 | Animate stone warriors that guard the deeper parts of the forest. The main thing that differentiates them from similar enemies is that they can cast the Tranquil Walk of Peace spell, which binds you and dramatically slows your movement. |
| 1152 | ---- |
| 1153 | * {{Golem}}: Completely artificial stone constructs. |
| 1154 | * FauxDeath: When encountered, they're initially laying on the ground motionless and seemingly lifeless, but then rise up once you get close to them. |
| 1155 | * MagicKnight: They certainly do fit the mold, being large armored warriors who can use a spell to slow down trespassers. |
| 1156 | * MightyGlacier: As is the case with most giant enemies, they are very slow. However, their attacks do a lot of damage if they connect, and having Tranquil Walk of Peace cast on you sets you on an more even playing field with them and makes it even ''HARDER'' to avoid their swings. |
| 1157 | [[/folder]] |
| 1158 | |
| 1159 | [[folder:Hydra]] |
| 1160 | |
| 1161 | !!Hydra |
| 1162 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/300px-hydra_001_9240.jpg]] |
| 1163 | |
| 1164 | A monstrous, multi-headed creature that haunts the basin found at the bottom of the Darkroot Garden. A stronger Hydra is found in the Ash Lake. |
| 1165 | ---- |
| 1166 | * MakingASplash: It fires multiple streams of water at very long distances, way before the player can even get near them. The amount of streams is proportional to the amount of heads remaining. |
| 1167 | * {{Miniboss}}: Just like the Hellkite Dragon, they're one-of-a-kind monsters that only appear once per playthrough. |
| 1168 | * MultipleHeadCase: The Hydra possesses seven heads which it uses to either fire massive streams of water at you or simply try to bash you. Each of them can be cut, and it's possible to kill the Hydra by severing all heads before its health bar is depleted. |
| 1169 | * OptionalBoss: Both Hydras are easily missed due to having no relevance to the plot and being a pain to access. |
| 1170 | ** The one in Darkroot Basin is fought on water, which requires the Rusted Iron Ring to even move normally, and even then, the long pathway down from the Darkroot Garden is often ignored in favour of the Moonlight Butterfly, ''another'' OptionalBoss. [[spoiler:Killing it is required to access the DownloadableContent, though.]] |
| 1171 | ** The one in Ash Lake is self-explanatory, as getting access to this location in the first place is tricky and never mentioned at all in the game. |
| 1172 | * OurHydrasAreDifferent: Early concept art reveals that the Hydra's heads were actually meant to be the tails of an even bigger crocodile-like beast. This was ultimately scrapped in favour of a shell-like body connecting the heads. |
| 1173 | |
| 1174 | [[/folder]] |
| 1175 | |
| 1176 | [[folder:Moonlight Butterfly]] |
| 1177 | |
| 1178 | !!Moonlight Butterfly |
| 1179 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/moonlightbutterfly_4674.png]] |
| 1180 | |
| 1181 | A magic-wielding creation of Seath the Scaleless. Though its purpose is unknown, it's found guarding a bridge in the Darkroot Garden, and readily attacks all that try to pass with an impressive flurry of spells. |
| 1182 | ---- |
| 1183 | * DegradedBoss: Later on, a great deal of Moonlight Butterflies can be found in the Crystal Caves, sleeping. They're all about as strong as the original,[[note]]they actually have the same HP but ''massively'' buffed defense[[/note]] though none of them actually need to be fought. |
| 1184 | * EarlyBirdCameo: If you look up at the Undead Burg while traversing the path down from the Parish to Garden near the first bonfire, you can see the Butterfly clinging to the side of one of the towers, slowly beating its wings. |
| 1185 | * EasyLevelTrick: Step 1) Revert to human. Step 2) Find Witch Beatrice's summon sign [[spoiler:hidden in the bushes at the foot of the stairs leading up to its fog door]]. Step 3) Idly dodge its attacks for about half a minute while Beatrice's devastating magic disintegrates it with casual ease. |
| 1186 | * {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5dTeRroCZI Dark Sun Gwyndolin]], shared with the boss of the same name. |
| 1187 | * LightIsNotGood: Don't be fooled. Yes, it is a giant beautiful butterfly, but it's also a giant beautiful butterfly that will kill you. Unexpectant players will find themselves dying very quickly to this one. |
| 1188 | * MothMenace: Beautiful as this mysterious butterfly might be, it is still out for your blood. |
| 1189 | * OptionalBoss: It’s very out of the way and all killing it gives you is the items you’d make from its soul, the ability to make divine weapons, and the key to Havel’s tower--the latter of which you can use the Master Key as a substitute. |
| 1190 | * PrettyButterflies: Definitely one of the more genuinely beautiful enemies. Almost makes up for it trying to kill you. |
| 1191 | * SquishyWizard: While its spells are devastating and fairly difficult to dodge, even the smallest amount of damage can take off huge chunks of its health. The trouble is finding an opportunity to hit it, because it fights you almost exclusively at long range. |
| 1192 | * TacticalSuicideBoss: If it never landed on the bridge, it would be nearly impossible for melee characters to kill it. |
| 1193 | [[/folder]] |
| 1194 | |
| 1195 | [[folder:Forest Protectors]] |
| 1196 | !!Forest Protectors |
| 1197 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/forest_bandit_large.jpg]] |
| 1198 | |
| 1199 | Members of the Forest Hunters covenant, who have dedicated their lives to protecting the forest and Artorias' grave. They are found throughout the interior forest, and will remain hostile unless you join the covenant. |
| 1200 | ---- |
| 1201 | * AnAdventurerIsYou: Though there are a lot of them, they are not exactly unique. Each one has the starting equipment and spells of a generic player class[[note]]One Bandit, one Sorcerer, one Cleric, one Thief, one Archer and two identical Knights.[[/note]] except for the archer, who has a unique bow and hat. |
| 1202 | * AncientOrderOfProtectors: They've apparently been around since Artorias's burial, and have remained stalwart against all trespassers since. |
| 1203 | * ArtificialStupidity: An infamous exploit lets you aggro many of them and lure them back to the entrance stairway, only for them to run up and jump to their deaths trying to hit you as you stand beside the stairs. |
| 1204 | * CombatPragmatist: They have ''no'' problem fighting dirty. Besides having the homefield advantage and superior numbers, they can and will gang up on you if you aren't careful. They have three (four if you count the cleric's hefty mace) heavy hitters for melee, there are an archer and mage pelting you from a distance and an invisible thief lurking in the shadows. These are not proud red phantoms seeking a duel. |
| 1205 | * FighterMageThief: The seven warriors are a versatile bunch. |
| 1206 | ** There are a matching pair of sword-and-shield armored knights and an hard-hitting bandit with an axe. |
| 1207 | ** There is a Stealthy back-stabbing thief and an archer loosing arrows from afar. |
| 1208 | ** There is one sorcerer flinging soul arrows and one cleric who heals herself and her friends. |
| 1209 | * ForestRanger: Warriors of the forest who fight to protect what's inside. |
| 1210 | [[/folder]] |
| 1211 | |
| 1212 | [[folder:Mushroom People]] |
| 1213 | !!Mushroom People |
| 1214 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mushroom_parent_1.jpg]] |
| 1215 | |
| 1216 | Walking mushrooms found in Darkroot Garden and the deepest parts of the Great Hollow. They come in two varieties: the nearly harmless Mushroom Children, and the rarer Mushroom Parents, which are ''far'' from harmless. |
| 1217 | ---- |
| 1218 | * BewareTheSillyOnes: You might expect stubby, cartoony-looking mushroom people that toddle around the area to be pushovers. You'd expect this right up until the larger ones hit you with a nearly OneHitKill MegatonPunch. |
| 1219 | * MamaBear / PapaWolf: Implied. The Mushroom Parents are always around Mushroom Children, and will react ruthlessly if you approach. |
| 1220 | * MegatonPunch: A Mushroom Parent's punch attack is one of the most damaging non-boss attacks in the game, and will dish out a great deal of knockback if it doesn't kill you outright. |
| 1221 | * MightyGlacier: Mushroom Parents are absurdly slow and clumsy, and can be outrun without much trouble. That said, their colossal health pools and [[MegatonPunch punishing attacks]] mean you should still be afraid when you see them. |
| 1222 | [[/folder]] |
| 1223 | |
| 1224 | [[folder:Great Felines]] |
| 1225 | !!Great Felines |
| 1226 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/giant_feline02.jpg]] |
| 1227 | |
| 1228 | A trio of giant cat beasts resembling much larger versions of Alvina, which guard one of the paths to Artorias's grave. |
| 1229 | ---- |
| 1230 | * ArtificialStupidity: Thanks to their wonky pathfinding, it's very easy to get them stuck on trees and inclines provided you know what you're doing. |
| 1231 | * CatsAreMean: Zig-zagged. Their goals are noble, but they're still vicious toward you. |
| 1232 | * LightningBruiser: Extremely fast and powerful in equal parts, making them some of the most dangerous enemies in the game. |
| 1233 | * {{Miniboss}}: The three of them form a unique encounter slightly off the beaten path to the real boss, do not respawn, and are found nowhere else in the game. |
| 1234 | * OptionalBoss: They're fought in a clearing just to the right of the entrance to the Garden from Darkroot Basin, but players who head left on the faster path or enter the forest through the sealed gate won't run into them at all. Since they don't drop anything other than souls and don't guard any loot, there's not much reason to fight them. |
| 1235 | * RollingAttack: They will sporadically curl up in a ball and ram into you, which, similarly to the attacks of Bonewheel Skeletons, will rapidly drain your stamina if blocked and take off most of your health if it hits. |
| 1236 | [[/folder]] |
| 1237 | |
| 1238 | [[folder:Great Grey Wolf Sif]] |
| 1239 | |
| 1240 | !!Great Grey Wolf Sif |
| 1241 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/300px-sif_4976.png]] |
| 1242 | |
| 1243 | Great Grey Wolf Sif is the wolf companion of Sir Artorias, the Abysswalker. After Artorias passed away, Sif became the guardian of Artorias' grave in the Darkroot Garden. Sif wields Artorias' Greatsword and uses some of his moves in combat. |
| 1244 | ---- |
| 1245 | * AmbiguousGender: It is unknown if Sif the Great Grey Wolf is male or female. Sif is a female Norse name, but the wolf is referred to as a "he" in the English translated strategy guide. Japanese versions don't mention gender in the game, guide, or any of the original material. |
| 1246 | * BadassInDistress: In ''[[DownloadableContent Artorias of the Abyss]]'', the player [[spoiler:can encounter a younger Sif, separated from its dead master, weak and surrounded by Humanity phantoms, with only Artorias' shield keeping them away. Should the player attempt a rescue, Sif can be summoned for Manus' boss fight.]] |
| 1247 | * BigDamnHeroes: If you took the time to [[spoiler:rescue Sif in the Chasm of the Abyss, and its summon sign will appear during the fight against Manus, [[DownplayedTrope although the wolf is not going to do much beside distract the boss.]] Then again, Manus is so viciously ''[[AttackAttackAttack relentless]]'' in his attacks that even the smallest reprieve can make a world of a difference.]] |
| 1248 | * CanisMajor: Sif is effectively [[UndyingLoyalty Hachiko]] on steroids, being ''huge'' for a wolf, and you're mouse-sized compared to it. [[spoiler:In ''[[DownloadableContent Artorias of the Abyss]]'', Sif is around your size, given this takes place in the past.]] |
| 1249 | * CutlassBetweenTheTeeth: Uses the Greatsword of Artorias in this way during the boss fight [[spoiler:and as a summon against Manus]]. |
| 1250 | * FightingYourFriend: It's very clear given Sif's reaction to the player if he rescued Sif during the DLC that Sif was grateful to the player for the rescue and the player even tries to pet Sif before Sif howls mournfully and takes up its master's sword to fight the player. Both the player and Sif had formed a bond that tragically must be severed in order for the player to continue. |
| 1251 | * FragileSpeedster: Sif is extremely fast and agile, but comparatively low in defense and armor. |
| 1252 | * FriendlyEnemy: If the player completed the DLC before fighting Sif. |
| 1253 | * GenderBlenderName: Sif is a [[Myth/NorseMythology Norse goddess]]'s name. [[WordOfGod Only Miyazaki can tell Sif's gender as it stands now]]. |
| 1254 | * HandyMouth: Sif is a giant wolf boss that carries a sword in his jaws. He is able to swing the sword and shift it around his mouth quite adeptly. |
| 1255 | * HeartbrokenBadass: If guarding the tomb of its own late friend is any indication. [[spoiler:Should you manage to save Sif prior to the mandatory boss fight against it, a different cutscene will trigger, where Sif will recognize the player and whimper softly at their approach. The player reaches out to pet it, but Sif pulls away and howls mournfully, before reluctantly grabbing Artorias' greatsword.]] |
| 1256 | * HonorBeforeReason: If the player saved Sif during the DLC, it should be clear to Sif that the player is the good guy and doesn't have any bad intentions when he visits the grave of Sif's master. Sif still fights them anyway, although it's clear that Sif ''really'' doesn't want to. |
| 1257 | * HowlOfSorrow: If you [[spoiler:saved Sif's younger self in the DownloadableContent]] beforehand, once you go into its boss fight, a different cutscene will trigger where Sif [[spoiler:recognizes you, but still has to defend Artorias' grave]], letting out a slower, lower-key howl than the normal cutscene. |
| 1258 | * {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJuO6RYCcpw "Great Grey Wolf Sif"]]. |
| 1259 | * NobleWolf: Sif is a sort of cross between this and SavageWolf. In the past, it was a longtime companion of the late knight Artorias, and even now guards its master's grave, [[UndyingLoyalty almost to a fault]]. True to the original trope, Sif is both large and formidable, and is relatively relentless during the boss fight. In the area where you fight it, there are many swords stuck into the ground and corpses littered around, implying that Sif fought a lot of potential grave robbers before you came. This is emphasized heavily if the player completes the DLC and saves Sif. When Sif recognizes the player he whimpers and howls mournfully because he truly doesn't want to kill the one who saved his life but at the same time is honor bound to defend the grave of his master. |
| 1260 | * ReluctantWarrior: If the player saved Sif during the DLC, Sif's actions and behavior during the alternate cutscene shows that he really doesn't want to fight the player. |
| 1261 | * PunchClockVillain: Sif is one of the few bosses in the game to be utterly non-antagonistic. The wolf is only defending its master's grave, which the player needs access to in order to traverse the Abyss. |
| 1262 | * TurnsRed: Inverted. With most of his HP gone, Sif starts to limp and his attacks become much slower. His slash combo even causes him to fall over and struggle to get back up. |
| 1263 | * UndyingLoyalty: Defends the tomb of Artorias to the death, even when it is [[PlayerPunch too weak to stand.]] [[spoiler:The PlayerPunch is even greater if the player saves Sif in the new content before entering Artorias' grave. Sif actually ''recognizes'' the player, before reluctantly drawing Artorias' greatsword for the boss fight.]] |
| 1264 | * WellIntentionedExtremist: One interpretation for why he fights you if you've rescued him is because, if he doesn't, you will enter into the Abyss where it fears you will succumb to TheCorruption, and besides, [[ResurrectiveImmortality it's not like you will die no matter how many times he defeats you]] anyways. |
| 1265 | * YourSizeMayVary: Sif is absolutely huge in the Darkroot Garden fight. When you save Sif in the DLC and then summon him for the Manus fight, Sif is still a very large wolf, but is much smaller than his older version |
| 1266 | |
| 1267 | [[/folder]] |
| 1268 | |
| 1269 | !!New Londo Ruins [=/=] The Abyss |
| 1270 | |
| 1271 | [[folder:Ghosts]] |
| 1272 | !!Ghosts |
| 1273 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ghost_9.jpg]] |
| 1274 | |
| 1275 | The spirits of the residents of New Londo, who were killed when the city was flooded to seal the Darkwraiths. Being ghosts, they are [[{{Intangibility}} completely intangible]], and can phase through anything to attack while being impervious to all retaliation. Another variety, [[OurBansheesAreLouder Banshees]], have an additional scream and magic attacks. |
| 1276 | ---- |
| 1277 | * BedsheetGhost: Their forms are mostly hidden by ragged cloaks, giving them this appearance at a distance. |
| 1278 | * DeviousDaggers: Dual wield two Ghost Blades. |
| 1279 | * TheGrimReaper: Modeled after such; they have flowing cloaks, visible skulls, and attack by manifesting scythes. |
| 1280 | * {{Intangibility}}: They can phase through walls and floors, and cannot be attacked unless the player is Cursed (either genuinely or through the use of a Transient Curse). |
| 1281 | * OurBansheesAreLouder: Banshees will scream to alert other Ghosts to their presence. |
| 1282 | * OurGhostsAreDifferent: These ghosts are different from most of the spirits found elsewhere in the series; they've lost their physical appearances, can't talk, and are uniformly hostile. |
| 1283 | * TragicMonster: They were once just citizens of New Londo, but the city's collapse rendered them enraged phantoms. |
| 1284 | * UndeadChild: Banshees cradle a ghost baby, which they can use to [[ShockAndAwe fire lightning at their target]]. |
| 1285 | [[/folder]] |
| 1286 | |
| 1287 | [[folder:Darkwraith Knights]] |
| 1288 | !!Darkwraith Knights |
| 1289 | [[quoteright:338:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/darkwraith_large.jpg]] |
| 1290 | |
| 1291 | Sinister knights who have joined the Darkwraith covenant, dedicated to the spread of Dark and the Abyss. Along with the Four Kings, they were the cause of New Londo's fall, as they were considered too evil to let loose and the entire city was flooded [[SealedEvilInACan just to contain them below]]. Draining the city unleashes them once again, and they set upon the Chosen Undead with deadly blades and dark spells. |
| 1292 | ---- |
| 1293 | * AmbiguouslyEvil: As is the case with much of ''Dark Souls'', how evil they actually are is up to the player's interpretation [[spoiler: once they hear Kaathe's ExpositionDump and learn the truth about the Dark]]. Are they really the dread beings New Londo had to be sacrificed to stop, are they [[spoiler: warriors of justice fighting to bring humanity to their true potential]], or are they [[TakeAThirdOption something in between]]? |
| 1294 | * BlackKnight: Clad in dark suits of armor with intimidating designs and skull-shaped helms. |
| 1295 | * BlackMagic: They use Dark Hand, which creates a shield of dark magic, and can steal your stored Humanity with a grab attack. |
| 1296 | * TheComputerIsACheatingBastard: Minor example. Darkwraith Knights carry (and sometimes drop) the Dark Hand weapon, which they use to block attacks and steal liquid humanity. What makes this an example is that they can do both ''with the same hand''; for the player, the grab attack can only be done if the Dark Hand is on the right hand, and the shield can only be done with the Hand on the left, so a player using both these abilities can only do so if they're dual-wielding Dark Hands (instead of carrying a BFS like the Darkwraith Knights do). |
| 1297 | * DealWithTheDevil: They and the Four Kings made a pact with [[spoiler: Darkstalker Kaathe]], gaining power over the Abyss in the process. |
| 1298 | * TheDreaded: The gods and the sages were so terrified of the Darkwraiths that they destroyed the city and all of its residents just to keep them contained. |
| 1299 | * MightyGlacier: Slow to react, but once they attack, they can deal huge amounts of damage. |
| 1300 | * PinataEnemy: They drop the rare Titanite Chunks and even rarer Titanite Slabs, so you'll be slaughtering them on the regular if you have multiple weapons you want to max out. |
| 1301 | * SealedEvilInACan: They were trapped in the flooded depths of New Londo until the Chosen Undead let them out. |
| 1302 | * YourSoulIsMine: Their grab attack can steal all of your liquid Humanity if it lands. |
| 1303 | [[/folder]] |
| 1304 | |
| 1305 | [[folder:Masses of Souls]] |
| 1306 | !!Masses of Souls |
| 1307 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mass_of_souls_large.jpg]] |
| 1308 | |
| 1309 | Towering monsters found in lower New Londo, formed from the collected masses of agonized souls trapped by the city's flooding. |
| 1310 | ---- |
| 1311 | * MookMaker: They generate Wisps while they attack, implicitly lone souls breaking off from the mass to attack by themselves. |
| 1312 | * OurGhostsAreDifferent: Unlike the regular ghosts of New Londo, the Masses of Souls are physical entities resembling warped [[BlobMonster blobs]] of screaming faces. |
| 1313 | * TragicMonster: Like the regular ghosts, with the added factor that they've been [[AndIMustScream trapped in the flooded city with only the Darkwraiths for company]] for an untold period of time. |
| 1314 | * UniqueEnemy: Only two of these monsters are found in New Londo, and both don't respawn. Even more uniquely, even for this trope, their spit attack also inflicts a unique debuff that not only combines the effects of being poisoned and walking through deep water, but also reduces the health restored by the Estus Flask. |
| 1315 | [[/folder]] |
| 1316 | |
| 1317 | [[folder:The Four Kings]] |
| 1318 | |
| 1319 | !!The Four Kings |
| 1320 | |
| 1321 | The former rulers of New Londo, sealed away in the Abyss deep below the present-day New Londo Ruins. For more information on this enemy, see Characters/DarkSoulsMainCharactersAndLords. |
| 1322 | |
| 1323 | [[/folder]] |
| 1324 | |
| 1325 | !!Demon Ruins |
| 1326 | |
| 1327 | [[folder: Egg Burdened]] |
| 1328 | !!Egg Burdened / Egg Carriers |
| 1329 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/egg_burdened.jpg]] |
| 1330 | |
| 1331 | Undead servants of the Fair Lady who congregate in the Demon Ruins, just outside her chambers (though two are found outside Quelaag's room earlier). They have taken on parasites that cause their bodies to fill up with eggs, and as such are hunched over in constant pain. Attacking and killing them will release the hostile maggots within, while getting attacked by one will cause you to start taking on their condition. |
| 1332 | ---- |
| 1333 | * BodyHorror: Their backs are disgustingly swollen with clusters of eggs, and their skin is much more decayed and diseased-looking than other Hollows. And if you get attacked by one that successfully implants the parasite, your own head will swell up with the same after some time (though Eingyi will thankfully give you the cure when you visit him). |
| 1334 | * NonMaliciousMonster: The majority of them will pay you no mind as long as you don't harm them, and the few that will attack you without provocation seem to do so more out of [[SanitySlippage an insane desperation to spread the eggs]] rather than active malice. |
| 1335 | * PrayerPose: Their hands are clasped in front of them, and they seem to be constantly muttering an unheard prayer or chant. |
| 1336 | [[/folder]] |
| 1337 | |
| 1338 | [[folder:The Ceaseless Discharge]] |
| 1339 | |
| 1340 | !!Ceaseless Discharge |
| 1341 | [[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/200px-ceaseless_discharge_7688.png]] |
| 1342 | |
| 1343 | This massive fire creature is the source of all the lava that fills the Demon Ruins and restricts access to Lost Izalith. This creature watches over an altar, on which is placed the body of one of the Daughters of Chaos. Picking the Gold Hemmed Black armor set up will anger the beast, leading to a boss battle. |
| 1344 | ---- |
| 1345 | * BeefGate: As the source of the lava covering the Demon Ruins, you'll have to defeat him before setting foot in there yourself, although going there immediately after defeating Quelaag isn't recommended since you have yet to acquire [[SwordOfPlotAdvancement the Lordvessel]]. |
| 1346 | * BerserkButton: He seems content to ignore you (or otherwise doesn't even notice you) up until you desecrate the tomb of [[spoiler:his Chaos sister]] and take her Gold-Hemmed Black robes. Then he shows no mercy. Notably, if you just attack him normally he won't be enraged enough to rip his fused arm out of its socket to use it against you, or to [[spoiler:make a suicidal leap to try and reach you if you run back to the fog gate]]. |
| 1347 | * BigRedDevil: Aesthetically, at least, he's a very sick, very mutated one, in the middle of a FireAndBrimstoneHell that he created. |
| 1348 | * BodyHorror: He was originally born with inflamed sores that oozed lava. That is horrifying enough, but after he lost the ring [[spoiler:his sisters]] made to ease his pain, his sores eventually turned him into the abomination you see now, representing Chaos's endless potential for growth, but also its inability to control that growth. His arms are also fused together as part of this mutation. Making matters worse, if you press his BerserkButton he tears his right arm ''right out of its socket'' so he can use his left arm to smash you to death, leaving a huge gaping wound through which you can see the inside of his body. |
| 1349 | * FateWorseThanDeath: Perpetually being burned by lava certainly counts. |
| 1350 | * GrievousHarmWithABody: If you steal his sister's clothes rather than just attack him, he prepares for the fight by ripping one of his fused-together arms clean out of the shoulder to beat you to death with it. |
| 1351 | * {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Lqk8QIdRF4 "Ceaseless Discharge"]]. The OneWomanWail in the middle part is strikingly similar to "Chaos Witch Quelaag", if a bit toned down, [[MusicalSpoiler foreshadowing]] [[spoiler:his identity as the Daughters of Chaos' brother]]. |
| 1352 | * BigLittleBrother: The youngest of the Witch of Izalith's children, yet he is a titan compared to his older sisters. |
| 1353 | * MagmaMan: Is practically made of molten lava and closely resembles a wingless [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Balrog]]. |
| 1354 | * MightyGlacier: Moves and attacks incredibly slow, but will put an end to even the toughest character if he hits them. |
| 1355 | * NonMaliciousMonster: He certainly appears monstrous and demonic, but he won't actually attack you unless you do something to provoke him. Even after entering his boss arena, you can stand directly in front of his face and he won't do anything. He only attacks if attacked first (understandable), or if you pillage the nearby corpse (which is also understandable, seeing as [[spoiler:that's his sister's corpse you're desecrating]]). Unfortunately, you have to kill him to progress deeper into the Demon Ruins. |
| 1356 | * TheOneGuy: He is [[spoiler: the only known male relative of the Witch of Izalith]]. |
| 1357 | * OurMonstersAreWeird: He's vaguely humanoid due to his legs, but otherwise he's huge, [[MagmaMan covered in lava]], and has several tentacle-like appendages on his back, not to mention a grotesquely demonic face. |
| 1358 | * OutsideTheBoxTactic: The way you're supposed to beat him is to wait for him to attack, dodge, and then strike the arm/tentacle he used to attack you, killing him via a DeathOfAThousandCuts... or, if you've been paying attention to the level architecture, make him chase you along the cliff and trick him into falling off a cliff of his own, instantly killing him. If you just run past him and go back to the fog gate, he throws himself at you (missing entirely if you hug the fog) and then is stuck hanging off a cliff, [[HangingByTheFingers where you can attack his arm until he falls off and dies immediately]]. However, if you shoot him with a bow to aggro him instead of looting the corpse of [[spoiler:his sister]], he doesn't pull out his arm, but instead, [[CombatPragmatist he casts a fire attack with his tentacle from a far distance]]. |
| 1359 | * PlayingWithFire: Has the ability to fire a powerful stream of fire as a side effect of his primary tentacle thrust. Only shields with high stability and fire resistance are able to counter this otherwise lethal attack. If you shoot him with a bow to aggro him instead of looting the corpse of [[spoiler:his sister]], this would be the ''only'' attack that he would use. |
| 1360 | * SkippableBoss: With the pyromancy Flash Sweat (increased resistance to fire and lava), the Dark Wood Grain Ring (flipping animations which give you more invincibility frames) and a healthy dose of Estus Flasks, you can bypass the lava lake and head straight to the Demon Ruins, although the bonfire there will not appear if you do so. |
| 1361 | * TragicMonster: [[WordOfGod According to the Japanese official artbook]], the Ceaseless Discharge [[spoiler:is the brother of the Daughters of Chaos mentioned in the Orange Charred Ring's description]]. Due to his [[BodyHorror unusual condition]] and the fact he guards over the tomb of [[spoiler:one of his sisters]], he certainly qualifies. |
| 1362 | [[/folder]] |
| 1363 | |
| 1364 | [[folder:Demonic Statues]] |
| 1365 | !!Demonic Statues |
| 1366 | [[quoteright:176:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/demonic_statue.png]] |
| 1367 | |
| 1368 | Squat stone beings dotted all over the Demon Ruins and Lost Izalith, pretending to be the identical statues lining both areas. Functionally the demonic equivalent of TheGoomba, all they do is slither forward and breathe fire. |
| 1369 | ---- |
| 1370 | * BreathWeapon: Their sole attack is breathing a stream of fire. |
| 1371 | * TheGoomba: The weakest and most common enemy in the Demon Ruins and Lost Izalith. |
| 1372 | * RockMonster: They seem to be made completely of stone, though they react exactly the same way to being attacked as fleshier creatures. |
| 1373 | [[/folder]] |
| 1374 | |
| 1375 | [[folder:Burrowing Rockworms]] |
| 1376 | !!Burrowing Rockworms |
| 1377 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/burrowing_rockworm.jpg]] |
| 1378 | |
| 1379 | Gargantuan worms that burrow through the burning rock of the Demon Ruins. |
| 1380 | ---- |
| 1381 | * BigCreepyCrawlies: The biggest in the game, towering well over the player and even slightly outsizing the nearby Taurus Demons. |
| 1382 | * SandWorm: In essence, though they look more like gargantuan millipedes or pillbugs than proper worms. |
| 1383 | [[/folder]] |
| 1384 | |
| 1385 | [[folder:Demon Firesage]] |
| 1386 | |
| 1387 | !!Demon Firesage |
| 1388 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/350px-demon_firesage_5111.png]] |
| 1389 | |
| 1390 | A powerful demon found at the very end of the [[ShapedLikeItself Demon Ruins]]. Yet another obstacle between you and Lost Izalith. |
| 1391 | ---- |
| 1392 | * AssKicksYou: Come too close to it and it will slam its posterior on you. |
| 1393 | * DamageSpongeBoss: To a slightly lesser extent than the Stray Demon -- it has slightly more health, but you'll typically face it much later in the game, meaning that you'll have much better offensive options. It makes up for it with raw killing power instead. |
| 1394 | * HavingABlast: Just like the Stray Demon, it can launch bombs in front of it or [[SwordPlant plant its staff into the ground]]. Dodging them is slightly more difficult with all the roots and branches scattered all over the boss room. |
| 1395 | * LastOfHisKind: According to the Demon's Catalyst, the Demon Firesage is the last living master of the ancient fire arts after the creation of pyromancy. The trope is also [[InvertedTrope inverted]] because according to the same catalyst, the Demon Firesage was also the very first demon to be created following the birth of the Bed of Chaos. |
| 1396 | * {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6Xv9Dbk3e4 "Taurus Demon"]], shared with the Asylum Demon and the Taurus Demon. |
| 1397 | * MightyGlacier: Just like the Stray and Asylum Demons, though with an even greater emphasis on the 'mighty'. Its attacks are slow but enormously powerful, and their huge area-of-effect makes them hard to dodge. |
| 1398 | * NonIndicativeName: Despite being named Demon Firesage and being on fire, it's still susceptible to fire attacks and its explosion attacks are magical, not fire. |
| 1399 | * SkippableBoss: Provided you ranked up a bit in the Chaos Servant covenant, it's possible to skip this boss fight by opening a shortcut to Lost Izalith. |
| 1400 | * UndergroundMonkey: It has the exact same moves as the Stray Demon, as well as similar stats and appearance, but is WreathedInFlames and more likely to be met without SequenceBreaking. |
| 1401 | * WreathedInFlames: Ironically enough, it's not immune to pyromancies. |
| 1402 | |
| 1403 | [[/folder]] |
| 1404 | |
| 1405 | [[folder:Centipede Demon]] |
| 1406 | |
| 1407 | !!Centipede Demon |
| 1408 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/350px-centipede_demon_render_9952.png]] |
| 1409 | |
| 1410 | A monstrous demon born from the spot where the Ceaseless Discharge carelessly dropped the ring that soothed his pain. It attacks the Chosen Undead on their way to Lost Izalith. |
| 1411 | ---- |
| 1412 | * BigCreepyCrawlies: It's based after several gargantuan centipedes joined together. And it looks certainly intimidating. |
| 1413 | * EasyLevelTrick: There are two ways to make the fight so much easier: |
| 1414 | ** The first is to lure it into the alcove to the right of the entrance; the floor there is solid, so the player can run around without fear of burning up. The boss's AI also causes it to use a lot of punishable attacks there, making it the ideal place to fight. |
| 1415 | ** The second is to cut off its arm or tail as soon as the opportunity presents itself. This makes it drop the Orange Charred Ring, letting the player walk around on lava (thereby opening up its arena for traversal). |
| 1416 | * EatenAlive: Just like the Gaping Dragon, it will attempt to grab you and force you ''into its ribcage'', although it's actually less damaging than it looks if you struggle hard enough. |
| 1417 | * HavingABlast: Occasionally jumps in the air to release dozens of bombs all over the lava field. |
| 1418 | * HeWasRightThereAllAlong: The Demon Centipede can be seen clinging to the side of the building with the bonfire and Capra Demons directly preceding the Demon Firesage, but can only be fought once you reach the lava lake below said building. |
| 1419 | * {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R61VWtpP1c "Centipede Demon"]], shared with the Capra Demon. |
| 1420 | * MightyGlacier: Makes slow, dramatic lunges and jumps that can take a large chunk off your health each time. |
| 1421 | * NoSell: As with Quelaag, this monster takes no fire damage at all, becoming a very potent threat for dedicated pyromancers. |
| 1422 | * OrganAutonomy: You can cut the Centipede Demon's tail and arm, turning those severed limbs into independent centipedes that you can kill (and make them drop the Charred Ring). The Centipede Demon can also regenerate its lost limbs after half a minute or so, up to five times for each appendage. |
| 1423 | * OurMonstersAreWeird: A very twisted creature that looks nothing like its name indicates. Bonus points for being born from a ring that was supposed to cure ''another'' weird monster. |
| 1424 | * RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: Its skin is charred black, and due to the lighting of the boss room (a large field of lava), it also has shades of red and orange. It's also extremely aggressive, ruthlessly attacking the player with heavy strikes from its massive arm. |
| 1425 | * SkippableBoss: Same as the Firesage Demon, since its boss fight is immediately after the latter's. |
| 1426 | |
| 1427 | [[/folder]] |
| 1428 | |
| 1429 | !!Lost Izalith |
| 1430 | |
| 1431 | [[folder:Bounding Demons of Izalith]] |
| 1432 | !!Bounding Demons of Izalith |
| 1433 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bounding_demon.png]] |
| 1434 | |
| 1435 | Bizarre-looking giant demons that fill Lost Izalith's lava fields. Due to the majority of them standing on lava and their aggro ranges being rather small, they are mainly dangerous to those getting lost or exploring the full area for items. |
| 1436 | ---- |
| 1437 | * DamageSpongeBoss: They're ''really'' tough to kill normally, even soaking up damage from endgame weapons. Luckily, [[ArtificialStupidity they're prone to killing each other by accident]], as their attacks damage each other and they come in large clusters. |
| 1438 | * GiantFootOfStomping: They have two stomp attacks if you get too close. One has them just stomp in place with both feet, the other has them stomp at you with their right foot three times. The latter is much more damaging, but fortunately they aren't ambidextrous. |
| 1439 | * HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: They are just a pair of legs and a tail, somehow ambulatory all by themselves. |
| 1440 | * HoistByHisOwnPetard: Since they are capable of damaging each other, it's easy to get them to take each other out by aggroing several at once and letting their attacks harm each other. Assuming you have a reasonably safe place to avoid damage, the survivor should be easy pickings. |
| 1441 | * TailSlap: They can swing their tail at you, sometimes twice, for massive damage if you don't dodge or block. |
| 1442 | * UndergroundMonkey: Infamously, these so-called demons are just reskinned versions of the Undead Dragon's severed legs, given a very basic moveset and scattered through Lost Izalith. This is one of the elements attributed to the game's development cycle, which left much of Izalith unfinished and rushed for time. |
| 1443 | [[/folder]] |
| 1444 | |
| 1445 | [[folder:Chaos Bugs]] |
| 1446 | !!Chaos Bugs |
| 1447 | [[quoteright:276:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ddjxd.jpg]] |
| 1448 | |
| 1449 | A number of small, scurrying insects found exclusively inside and just outside of the shortcut between Demon Ruins and Lost Izalith, accessible only via ranking up in the Chaos Servant covenant. They are completely harmless, [[BewareTheSillyOnes at least to you]]. |
| 1450 | ---- |
| 1451 | * BewareTheSillyOnes: They're tiny, harmless bugs that reside exclusively in an out-of-the-way shortcut. [[spoiler: They're also essentially what kills [[TheLancer Solaire]] if the Sunlight Maggot hasn't been retrieved.]] |
| 1452 | * PuppeteerParasite: One of the bugs hosts the Sunlight Maggot, a glowing parasite that doubles as a valuable helm to use in dark areas. [[spoiler: But if Solaire finds it first, it completely overtakes him, turning him AxCrazy and causing him to turn on you.]] |
| 1453 | * RedEyesTakeWarning: The bug hosting the Sunlight Maggot has glowing red eyes. |
| 1454 | * SmallRoleBigImpact: They couldn't be less important to the game overall, except that [[spoiler: they have to be killed to save Solaire]]. |
| 1455 | [[/folder]] |
| 1456 | |
| 1457 | [[folder:Chaos Eaters]] |
| 1458 | !!Chaos Eaters |
| 1459 | [[quoteright:325:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chaos_eater_large.jpg]] |
| 1460 | |
| 1461 | Easily Lost Izalith's strangest creations, these alien-looking beings mostly inhabit a sewer canal deep inside the central temple, though two cling to the outside. |
| 1462 | ---- |
| 1463 | * CombatTentacles: They mostly attack with these. |
| 1464 | * EatenAlive: As implied by the name. Getting caught by their grab and failing to escape will result in them eating you, which is almost always a OneHitKill. |
| 1465 | * HeroKiller: [[spoiler: If Siegmeyer's quest is followed to this point, these creatures can inflict a mortal wound on him, causing him to die on the spot when the battle concludes. Not that saving him from this fate results in [[SanitySlippage something]] [[DespairEventHorizon better]].]] |
| 1466 | * HollywoodAcid: Their main attack is a spray of acid from their front appendages, and getting caught in it will rapidly corrode all of your equipped gear to the breaking point. |
| 1467 | * LampreyMouth: Their most distinguishing feature is their round leech-like mouths, which occupy the entire top of their heads. |
| 1468 | * OurMonstersAreWeird: Nothing else in the game looks like them, and they're more comparable to aliens than to any demons or monsters encountered in the depths of Lordran. |
| 1469 | [[/folder]] |
| 1470 | |
| 1471 | [[folder:Bed of Chaos Guardian]] |
| 1472 | |
| 1473 | !!Bed of Chaos Guardian |
| 1474 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/250px-daughter_8425.jpg]] |
| 1475 | |
| 1476 | The eldest of the seven Daughters of Chaos, she protects the Bed of Chaos from any invaders that wish to harm it. While she shares the same model as Quelana, they are not the same character. Creator of the Chaos Fire Whip pyromancy spell, which was her signature spell. |
| 1477 | ---- |
| 1478 | * BlackCloak: The same robe that Quelana wears. |
| 1479 | * IChooseToStay: This is the only explanation as to why she would do something as crazy as [[spoiler:guarding the entrance to the lair of her mother's murderer]] instead of fleeing the god-forsaken place that is Lost Izalith. |
| 1480 | * InTheHood: Her face is obscured by the Gold-hemmed robes she wears. |
| 1481 | * NoNameGiven: Much like her sister, the Fair Lady, no name is given for her in-game. The Official Guide gives "her" name as Quelaana, but it also erroneously describes her as male. |
| 1482 | * PlayingWithFire: Fittingly, given she created the Chaos Fire Whip pyromancy, although she's more likely to cast Chaos Fireballs and Chaos Firestorms if you drag out the fight for too long. |
| 1483 | * SquishyWizard: She fights with ''nothing'' but her powerful pyromancy spells, which boast [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard unlimited castings]]. |
| 1484 | * YouShallNotPass: Not counting [[spoiler:Kirk who invades you at the exact same spot]], she's the last opponent on your way to fight the Bed of Chaos. |
| 1485 | * WeHardlyKnewYe: Often killed swiftly by the time you make it to the boss gate. Her backstory's not expanded much beyond being the elder Chaos sister, either. |
| 1486 | |
| 1487 | [[/folder]] |
| 1488 | |
| 1489 | [[folder:Bed of Chaos]] |
| 1490 | |
| 1491 | !!Bed of Chaos |
| 1492 | [[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bed-of-chaos_1942.jpg]] |
| 1493 | |
| 1494 | A massive, tree-like abomination that takes its roots at the deepest ends of Lost Izalith. The source of all the demons roaming across Lordran. |
| 1495 | ---- |
| 1496 | * BossCorridor: There is a long corridor with a slope between the fog gate at the end of Lost Izalith and her arena. |
| 1497 | * BotanicalAbomination: A tree-like monstrosity whose roots -- provided they're not the roots of the Great Hollow -- can be seen throughout the Demon Ruins and Lost Izalith, and is the source of all the Chaos Demons. [[spoiler:It turns out it had been created by the Witch of Izalith's failed attempt at re-creating the First Fire.]] Additionally, it seems the two orbs flanking the main body are [[spoiler:two of the Witch's daughters, who also got caught in the Bed of Chaos's catastrophic birth]]. |
| 1498 | * BottomlessPit: 90% of this boss's challenge comes from the fact that it starts destroying the floor under your feet and any stray hit can send you falling in. |
| 1499 | * {{Expy}}: As a BotanicalAbomination made of tree roots that birthed legions of demons and who hides a tiny, pathetic slug thing that used to be a great ruler in its core, it's pretty clearly an updated version of the Old One and True King Allant from ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls''. |
| 1500 | * {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70g3exQxR28 "Bed of Chaos"]]. |
| 1501 | * TheManBehindTheCurtain: Reach the core, and you'll find [[spoiler:a tiny, twisted creature; the remains of the Witch of Izalith]]. So much for the dramatic BotanicalAbomination… |
| 1502 | * MotherOfAThousandYoung: Its creation also gave way to all the demons you find across Lordran, as well as [[spoiler:fusing two of the Witch of Izalith's daughters with demonic spiders down their waists]]. |
| 1503 | * OneHitKill: Its core dies in one hit from anything, even your bare fists. |
| 1504 | * PlantPerson: The Bed of Chaos is a tree-like abomination with powerful arms and what resembles a head. [[spoiler:It's likely what was left of the Witch of Izalith.]] |
| 1505 | * PlayingWithFire: Its true form is that of a chaotic flame floating atop the tree-like body, and only appears when [[spoiler:cutting down one of the orbs flanking it]]. Additionally, during the last stretch of the fight, it will start [[spoiler:unleashing firestorms and gigantic scythes made of Chaos flames]], which makes sense given the boss is [[spoiler:the chaotic manifestation of the Witch of Izalith's power over fire]]. |
| 1506 | * PuzzleBoss: Similar to the [[Videogame/DemonsSouls Dragon God]], you do not fight it directly. Instead, you have to destroy two orbs at each extremities of the room in order to pave the way to [[spoiler:the monster's core, which you can kill in one hit]]. It's more complicated than it seems, because you will need to dodge increasingly difficult threats such as the monster's extremely powerful arms and crumbling floor. That said, the orbs do not respawn upon being destroyed, so no progress is lost in the fight if the player dies. |
| 1507 | * SequentialBoss: As soon as you cut down one of the orbs, [[spoiler:the Bed of Chaos' true form will appear and produce additional scythe-like arms made of fire that will try to dig its way to you]], and some parts of the floor will start crumbling down to a BottomlessPit. Destroying the second orb will cause the boss to start [[spoiler:unleashing fire storms as well]], making the struggle to [[spoiler:reach its core]] even harder. |
| 1508 | * UnexpectedGameplayChange: Introduces puzzle elements and rudimentary platforming into a boss fight, to... mixed results. |
| 1509 | * WalkingSpoiler: It gets hard to talk about its lore at all without mentioning [[spoiler:the Witch of Izalith's failed experiment, which resulted in its birth and devoured her]]. |
| 1510 | * WasOnceAMan: The monstrosity known by present day as the Bed of Chaos is what is left of [[spoiler:the Witch of Izalith and some of her daughters after her attempt to recreate the First Flame went haywire]]. |
| 1511 | |
| 1512 | [[/folder]] |
| 1513 | |
| 1514 | !!Painted World of Ariamis |
| 1515 | |
| 1516 | [[folder:Bloated Undead]] |
| 1517 | !!Bloated Undead |
| 1518 | [[quoteright:249:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/engorged_zombie_torch_large.jpg]] |
| 1519 | |
| 1520 | Hollows with grotesquely bloated heads and bodies, which burst upon death and leave behind [[DeadlyGas an extremely toxic cloud]]. They also unleash magical fireballs at range, and can spit out their toxins if necessary. |
| 1521 | ---- |
| 1522 | * ActionBomb: They explode upon death, releasing a poisonous cloud of gas. |
| 1523 | * BodyHorror: Their upper half is covered with a giant, grotesque tumor. |
| 1524 | * DeadlyGas: The main thing that makes them so dangerous is that, without a good ranged weapon or melee weapon with decent reach, killing them in melee will immediately envelope you in toxic gas that instantly inflicts Toxic unless your resistance is higher than standard. |
| 1525 | * KillItWithFire: Killing them with a fire-based attack prevents them from releasing their toxins. |
| 1526 | * PlayingWithFire: There are two versions of them, both of which attack using fire. The melee versions wield torches like normal Hollows, while the Pyromancers attack with fireballs (which actually deal magic damage rather than fire). |
| 1527 | * PoisonousPerson: They are Hollows who have swollen up with deadly toxins. |
| 1528 | [[/folder]] |
| 1529 | |
| 1530 | [[folder:Crow Demons]] |
| 1531 | !!Crow Demons |
| 1532 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/crow_demon01.jpg]] |
| 1533 | |
| 1534 | HalfHumanHybrid residents of the Painted World, resembling [[BirdPeople tall people with crow heads and wings]]. |
| 1535 | ---- |
| 1536 | * BarbieDollAnatomy: Have no visible anatomy despite being naked. |
| 1537 | * BirdPeople: Though just like the [[SnakePeople Man-Serpents]], they have bird heads and humanoid bodies. |
| 1538 | * HarpingOnAboutHarpies: Many of them function like harpies, swooping down from their high nests to attack you with vicious pecks and wing strikes. |
| 1539 | * LightningBruiser: They have a good deal of health, are fond of rushing into the vicinity quickly, and their wing and peck attacks do a surprising amount of damage that will quickly stack up. |
| 1540 | [[/folder]] |
| 1541 | |
| 1542 | [[folder:Phalanx]] |
| 1543 | !!Phalanx |
| 1544 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/phalanx_large.jpg]] |
| 1545 | |
| 1546 | A [[MythologyGag faintly familiar]] {{Miniboss}} comprising a cluster of deformed spear-wielding blobs gathered around in a giant phalanx formation. |
| 1547 | ---- |
| 1548 | * LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: The intact Phalanx is completely shielded from all angles, and the individual creatures all carry shields that necessitate attacking them from behind. |
| 1549 | * MythologyGag: Its name, design, and function are a clear CallBack to the Phalanx boss of ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'', though its incarnation here has slightly different tactics. |
| 1550 | * UniqueEnemy: Only one is encountered in the game, guarding the final courtyard before the bridge to Crossbreed Priscilla. It does respawn, however, making it a popular farming target thanks to its proximity to a bonfire. |
| 1551 | [[/folder]] |
| 1552 | |
| 1553 | [[folder:Xanthous King Jeremiah]] |
| 1554 | |
| 1555 | !!Xanthous King Jeremiah |
| 1556 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/300px-xanthous_king_jeremiah_5800.jpg]] |
| 1557 | |
| 1558 | A legendary exile from unknown parts. Invades you in the Painted World of Ariamis. A corpse wearing his armor is found sitting near the exit of the Painted World. |
| 1559 | ---- |
| 1560 | * FashionVictimVillain: His clothing set is one of the most bizarre in the game, with the bulbous yellow cloth crown and exposed midsection. In their item description, it is stated that the bright yellow color stings the eyes. |
| 1561 | * MeaningfulName: Xanthous means yellow. And what color is his armor again...? |
| 1562 | * MythologyGag: His entire character is an obvious reference to the Old Monk from ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls''. Both were legendary exiles who wore golden robes, and the Xanthous crown is extremely similar to the one worn by the Black Phantom summoned by the Old Monk for his boss fight (although shaped like a bulb rather than a tornado). |
| 1563 | * PlayingWithFire: He uses Chaos pyromancies when he invades you, and he seems to resist fire damage far more than the average [=NPC=]. |
| 1564 | * {{Retcon}}: Originally just an enigmatic weirdo, {{VideoGame/Dark Souls III}} changed the definition of "Xanthous" to refer to the school of mages that study the lost spells of Oolacile, saying that some people try to ape the scholars by mimicing their signature yellow headdress. |
| 1565 | [[/folder]] |
| 1566 | |
| 1567 | [[folder:Crossbreed Priscilla]] |
| 1568 | |
| 1569 | !!Crossbreed Priscilla |
| 1570 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/250px-priscilla_9036.png]] |
| 1571 | --> '''Voiced by:''' Clare Corbett |
| 1572 | ->''"Who art thou? One of us, thou art not."'' |
| 1573 | |
| 1574 | A half-dragon being residing within the Painted World of Ariamis. She was apparently condemned there by the Gods for her power of the "Lifehunt", which they feared could defeat them. Her old doll, found on a new corpse dropped into your former cell in the Undead Asylum, is required to enter the painting. Defeating her is completely optional, as she is docile when you enter the boss arena. She even points you towards the exit, wishing to be left alone. |
| 1575 | ---- |
| 1576 | * AbortedArc: According to [[WordOfGod Miyazaki]] she was originally going to be much more important to the plot, but her role was ultimately replaced with the fire-keepers. |
| 1577 | * BadPowersGoodPeople: Harmless, anyway. If you cut off her tail (or craft her signature scythe) the resulting weapon bears her Lifehunter ability and demonstrates that the Gods had every reason to be afraid. |
| 1578 | * BlatantLies: "This land is peaceful, its inhabitants kind." [[EverythingTryingToKillYou Sure, those kind Hollows, crow demons, wheel skeletons and giant rats, not to mention that peaceful undead dragon!]] [[spoiler:Things were probably a good deal less hellish before Gwyn went down to the Kiln and Anor Londo's infrastructure fell to bits, thus leaving Priscilla's painting neglected, and she still hasn't quite caught up to the fact that the place going to pot is the new normal.]] |
| 1579 | * BossArenaIdiocy: She turns invisible at the beginning at the fight, and the player would have no way of determining her location... except for all the snow revealing her footprints. Less obvious is the fact that the level exit is in the same location and is a narrow walkway, so the player can just park there and wait for her to approach, which makes staggering her and breaking her cloak much easier. |
| 1580 | * CuteGiant: Being 17-18 feet tall doesn't stop her from being adorable. |
| 1581 | * CuteMonsterGirl: She's basically a [[StatuesqueStunner giant human]] with a [[PrettyInMink furry white robe]] and [[LittleBitBeastly a tail]], making it hard to group her with the other dragons in the game. |
| 1582 | * DemotedToExtra: She was originally supposed to be a ''major'' character, equivalent to [[VideoGame/DemonsSouls the Maiden in Black]] or [[VideoGame/DarkSoulsII the Emerald Herald]]. She was reduced to a mere OptionalBoss. |
| 1583 | * DragonAncestry: Priscilla is a half-dragon and, as such, is of giant size and has a dragon tail. |
| 1584 | * EtherealWhiteDress: Which adds to her mystifying nature. |
| 1585 | * {{Expy}}: One of Maiden Astraea from ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls''. She even has the same voice actress. She even calls you out on [[YouBastard your offensive dickery.]] |
| 1586 | * FurIsClothing: Perhaps more literal than some examples. It's pretty hard to tell if that "dress" of hers [[ClothingAppendage is just fur of some sort that's gotten rather long]], is an actual furry dress, or if different parts are one or the other. If nothing else, the fur of the dress sure matches the color of the fur on her tail, and ''that'' presumably isn't just part of the outfit... |
| 1587 | * GiantWoman: 17-18 feet tall and gorgeous. |
| 1588 | * GlacierWaif: While [[PlayingWithATrope she isn't exactly small herself]], the Lifehunt Scythe is a pretty big weapon for her to wield, and since [[spoiler: her version of]] it is scaled to her proportions, it's absolutely huge compared to your character. |
| 1589 | * GlassCannon: Should you decide to fight her, she has one of the lower health pools, but compensates by way of her powerful, bleed-inflicting scythe as well as turning herself invisible until you're able to stagger her. This can make cutting her tail problematic, as her low health pool and small tail means you might accidentally kill her first. |
| 1590 | * InvisibilityCloak: She's able to render herself completely invisible as her opening move, and can only be tracked by her footprints in the snow. The only way to render her visible is to stagger her through various means (a greatbow, throwing knives, etc.). |
| 1591 | * {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2-1hhIgZUw "Crossbreed Priscilla"]]. |
| 1592 | * LittleBitBeastly: While the exact extent of her dragon heritage is unknown (we don't even know whether her white robe is clothing or a natural body covering), she's at least visibly just a (very big) pretty girl with a tail, white hair, slit-pupilled eyes and tiny horns on her brow. Averted in the Japanese version where she is called Half-Dragon |
| 1593 | * MysticalWhiteHair: Which helps emphasize the otherwordly vibes that come from her and the Painted World in general. |
| 1594 | * NonHumanHumanoidHybrid: Though her non-dragon half isn't explicitly stated, there are a multitude of hints throughout the series that she's the daughter of a dragon and one of Anor Londo's gods. |
| 1595 | * NonMaliciousMonster: Even as you enter the boss room, she does not move at all, and even tells you to exit the world. Only by hitting her will you provoke her into fighting you. |
| 1596 | * OptionalBoss: She's actually the boss of a world that has [[BonusDungeon literally no relevance to the plot]], and even then, [[NonMaliciousMonster she doesn't attack you unless provoked]]. |
| 1597 | * PrettyInMink: Living in a winter land, she wears a fancy floor-length dress of white fur (if it even ''is'' clothing, considering her tail is also covered with the same fur). |
| 1598 | * SinisterScythe: Wields one which is (sort of) appropriate for her size. [[spoiler:Her soul can be used in Weapon Ascension to remake it for the player to use.]] |
| 1599 | * StatuesqueStunner: She towers over the player, who comes up to about her knees. |
| 1600 | * WhateverHappenedToTheMouse: Priscilla's official fate isn't stated throughout the series. Clues as to what may have happened are sprinkled throughout ''Dark Souls III'' and ''Ashes of Ariandel'', but they point in several directions and there are many theories as to what happened to her. |
| 1601 | ** Thanks to ''III'', ironically for a Souls game, the most likely explanation is that she either never actually encountered a Chosen Undead, or if she did, they took her advice and left, with her leaving the Painted World of her own volition and occasionally teaching others how to use her Lifehunt ability before passing away peacefully and fading into obscurity, with [[spoiler: Aldrich only being able to gain her ability by consuming Gwyndolin.]] It's oddly one of the few "wholesome" endings for a character in a Souls game. |
| 1602 | ** Another theory is that, assuming Priscilla doesn't age, is that [[spoiler: she was destroyed along with Ariamas' Painted World when it began to rot away.]] While it's never outright stated, it's heavily implied that Ariamas' painting no longer exists and that would be her fate if she stayed. |
| 1603 | ** The other possibility is that [[spoiler: Priscilla eventually left the Painted World and encountered Gwyndolin. What their relationship could have been is pure speculation, but it's known that Gwyndolin does indeed know of her existence. The description of the Lifehunt Scythe miracle mentions a "young, pale girl in hiding." This could refer to Priscilla or Yorshka, the other Crossbreed, but the latter doesn't have the Lifehunt ability.]] |
| 1604 | * YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe: How she speaks. |
| 1605 | [[/folder]] |
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