Dark Souls 2 might be skippable to understand the core story of the other games. However, it does not mean that the second game of the franchise lacks its own deep lore. As a true sequel, the game shows that the world went on. Drangleic is the proof that shows us there was a world beyond Lordran and Anor Londo.
The events in Dark Souls 2 could not have happened without all that happened in the first game. And even though there is not much impact on Dark Souls 3, there are many connections to it and the original Dark Souls. The second game did influence the outcome of the general plot and gave its fans a lot to speculate about.
10 The True Monarch Resets The Cycle
Linking the fire to restart The Age of Fire became started a cycle that was repeated countless times. As we all know, the world of Dark Souls is fantastic and illogical in many ways. Lands shift, time turns and crumbles on itself, past and future meet, and entire countries are forgotten while others are resurrected or born.
Dark Soul’s lore can be hard to unveil, but it is very rich. Throughout all this time, the fire was linked many times. The first time it happened, Gwyn did it at the Kiln of the First Flame. Then, the chosen undead repeats it in the first game. In Dark Souls 2, The True Monarch links The Fire at a kiln named The Throne Of Want.
9 The Lothric Bloodline Is Obsessed With The Linking Of The Fire
Dark Souls 3 presents us with a new kingdom called Lothric. This is a Kingdom that has been always dedicated to keeping the Age of Fire alive. This acknowledges that there’s indeed a constantly repeated cycle as established in Dark Souls 2.
When you consider that Gwyn hollowed by feeding himself to The Fire, and the Chosen Undead repeated it, you already understand the precedent left for Dark Souls 2. We see some Kingdoms that faded in Dark Souls 2 DLCs. The third game confirms that this kept going for so long that it is impossible to really know how many kingdoms have risen and fallen between the first and third games.
8 The Four Pieces Of Manus
Manus, The Father of the Abyss was defeated in the first Dark Souls. This caused his essence to be shattered. Those many pieces slowly gathered themselves again, and from it, four human-like creatures emerged. The Children of Dark.
Nashandra was the smallest and most powerless piece of Manus and therefore, desired what she did not have. Nadalia went after the Old Iron King and ended up going mad upon learning of his demise. Elana married the one who is now called The Sunken King. The last one, Alsanna, became the Ivory King’s oracle.
7 Trees Of Giants In Lothric
Much like Dark Souls’ main kingdom is Lordran, we have Drangleic in Dark Souls 2, and Lothric in Dark Souls 3. Many faceless giants died in the war against Drangleic. It is said that once giants are dead, trees sprout from their carcasses. Many Giant Trees are seen around Drangleic, but they can also be found somewhere else, many centuries later.
The Seed of the Trees of Giants is a consumable item in Dark Souls 3. In fact, one of those trees is outside the Firelink Shrine. Considering that time is convoluted and lands shift in the world of Dark Souls, it’s hard to know if the trees came from another land or if Lothric stands over what was once Drangleic. Either way, it is very clear that Dark Souls 3 acknowledges the events of the previous games.
6 Heide’s Tower Of Flame Is Reminiscent Of Anor Londo
To anyone familiar with Anor Londo, it was extremely easy to notice the similarities between the architecture of both places. Heide’s Tower of Flame is filled with many interesting details. Not only do they both have a very familiar-looking cathedral, and Gothic Style, but they both have giant guardians and knights in heavy armor. The giants in Heide’s Tower of Flame are there since the city surrounding the tower was not submerged.
Many gods abandoned the Kingdom when the first Age of Fire was ending. When exploring the regions surrounding the Tower of Flames, you also face an Old Dragon Slayer. It’s either Ornstein or someone wearing his armor. There’s an untold story behind Ornstein’s armor, giants, and a very similar architecture to where the gods resided. It is not clearly said, but everything points out to connections between this place and Anor Londo. Most likely, refugees from Anor Londo built the submerged city.
5 There Is A Portrait Of Nashandra In Irithyll
When in Irithyll Manor, one can see an area that has very intriguing paintings. One is obviously an image of Gwynevere. That is not that weird, unlike many things in this area, but things get interesting when it becomes obvious that Nashandra is there as well.
Queen of Drangleic, daughter of Dark, a piece of Manus, and reverenced by someone in Irithyll, Nashandra is a very compelling addition to this wall. Upon paying attention to the other paintings, we can also see one that shows the Throne in Brume Tower. There is also a painting of Frozen Eleum Loyce. Although this might be a small detail, it somehow links Irithyll to the Dark Souls 2 lore.
4 The Undying Legend Of The Forossa Lion Knights
Faraam’s Set is a full set of armor that can be found in Dark Souls 3. This set was once worn by Forossa Lion Knights and is named after a god of war. Faraam’s Set can be found in the second and third games of the franchise, but each game has a different description to it.
In Dark Souls 2, this armor tells us about the Lion Knights from Forossa, worshipers of the God of War called Faraam. However, in Dark Souls 3, the item description says that the armor survived the destruction of its homeland. It also says that numerous legends mention the Lion Knights, whose names outlast their deaths.
3 Tsorig, The Knight Slayer
Many seem to think that Tsorig is Iron Knight Tarkus, but the truth might be a bit more sinister than that. The Knight Slayer has a peculiar title, the armor set of one specific knight, and a ring that is similar to one of the previous game. By analyzing his ring carefully, it becomes noticeable that it is an Ivory Warrior Ring. The items have the same icon and the same special effect.
The ring that we get from Tsorig says he took it from the knights of an ancient city. The Knight Slayer removed the rings from the Eleum Loyce knights. He took them along with the knights’ frozen fingers. That only shows that some undead were alive for long enough to have seen the Frozen Eleum Loyce and also Lothric. The Knight Slayer also carries the Fume Sword, a weapon that belonged to Raime, The Fume Knight from Dark Souls 2.
2 The Drake Blood Knight In The Archdragon Peak
These were the knights who believed that the blood of Ancient Dragons, such as Midir and others, would help them achieve a superior state of existence. In Dark Souls 2, you meet them for the first time when venturing through the Crown of The Sunken King DLC.
In Dark Souls 3, they’re a very powerful enemy that is constantly summoned by the first Man-Serpent Summoner in Archdragon Peak. It makes sense that we find one of the Drakeblood knights in such a place, though. After all, it was where many attempted to transcend life and become Dragons.
1 The Drang Knights Are Still Around
It is very unclear why Irithyll has a Portrait of Nashandra. For some reason, a painting of the Queen was not the only thing from Dranglaic that ended up in Irithill, since there we find knights that carry an Armor Set called the Drang Armor.
This armor is the same that Chancellor Wellager had in Dark Souls 2, connecting the Drang Armor to Drangleic. Hollowed, those knights do not have much to tell you. Drang Knights were not the warriors from Drangleic, it seems. Chances are, Drang Knights were descendants who carried the armor of their families. They come from a place known for the Legend of Linking the Fire. That’s all the world knows about them.
NEXT: Dark Souls 3: 10 Crazy Pieces Of Cut Content
