The solution, however, might be to stop fighting the curse, embracing it instead. So, what can a simple human do against the will of a dead God? Gwyn cursed humanity and created an inescapable cycle fueled by pain and self-sacrifice. Thus, the ruins of the Souls universe are caused by Gwyn, whose First Sin tainted the existence of all humanity. The First Flame needs fuel to keep burning, and by creating a curse, Gwyn gave enough desperate souls the motivation to cast themselves in the fire. Gwyn’s fears, however, condemned humanity forever, as the Lord of Lightning is also responsible for the undead curse that transforms humans into Hollows. In Dark Souls, we learn Gwyn sacrificed himself to the First Flame to extend the Age of Fire and prevents humankind from ruling in the Age of Dark. Instead, the curse is the result of the First Sin, in which Gwyn tried to change the world’s natural order. As Aldia reveals, the curse is not a natural phenomenon caused by the fading of the First Flame, as the old Gods of Lordran wanted the undead to believe. Instead of meddling with the kingdom’s affairs, Aldia secluded himself in his Keep to conduct bizarre experiments and uncover the truth behind the undead curse. For starters, Aldia, the elder brother of Drangleic’s ruler King Vendrick, has more voice in the DLCs, revealing secrets hidden since the beginning of History. With the addition of three DLCs, all included in the Scholar of the First Sin release, Dark Souls II gives a new meaning for Dark Souls’ lore. There’s just no way to escape the cycle, as the First Flame will always fade and will always be reignited by lost souls looking for a cure.īut what if there was a third choice, beyond the Age of Fire, but also beyond the reach of the undead curse? That’s the question the DLCs of Dark Souls II try to answer by adding a second ending that traces a path towards a better future. While most RPGs give the player the power to change the fate of the world, the Souls franchise underlines how inconsequential the personal struggle of the player is. The cycle of reigniting the First Flame until it fades away again will repeat forever, and you are just too insignificant to change the fate of the world. While Dark Souls allows the player to embrace faith or turn their backs to the Gods, Dark Souls II shows that the choice is nothing but an illusion. Once Hollow, the player won’t be able to do anything to stop other Bearers of the Curse from fueling the Flame themselves.ĭark Souls II is cruel because there’s no way to win the game.
Should the players just abandon the First Flame, the undead curse will wipe their memory, and they will revert to an animalistic Hollow state. Should the player choose to extend the Age of Fire, another kingdom will rise to replace the current one until it inevitably falls into ruins once again. Once Nashandra is defeated, the player can climb the stairs to the Throne of Want, where an anticlimactic ending reveals that the choice of feeding the Flame or leaving it to fade won’t change the world. Traveling to the past and through armies of Giants, the player recovers the key to the Throne, only to be attacked by Nashandra herself. Finally, with these powerful souls in their hands, the player can visit Drangleic castle, where Queen Regent Nashandra reveals the key for opening the Throne of Want, the resting place of the First Flame.
#DARK SOULS 2 ALL DLC CROWNS FREE#
To be free of their undead condition, the Bearer of the Curse must traverse the fallen kingdom of Drangleic while collecting powerful Souls guarded by mighty foes. That’s why the Bearer of the Curse travels to Drangleic, a ruined kingdom shattered into pieces after the vicious attack from Giants coming from beyond the sea.Īt first glance, Dark Souls II looks like a repetition of Dark Souls’ journey. Also, like in Dark Souls, Dark Souls II tells the player right from the start that there might be a way to break the curse and become human again. Just as in the first Dark Souls, the player plays an undead human in Dark Souls II, the Bearer of the Curse, fated to lose their humanity until there’s nothing left behind but a Hollow shell.
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