What's up guys, I'm Dave Klein.
So, I was fortunate enough to play the first 50 minutes of Dark Souls 2, and there's actually
a lot of new lore to dig into.
A warning: This will spoil some of those initial lore findings in Dark Souls 2, so if you don't
want that spoiled, click away now.
You can also watch my Beta Lore video, based off of the lore we could find from the Beta.
So, all that said, let's get started.
" The Past, the future, even the light...
When the shadow carves its seal in man.
They say it steals everything form him.
In the end, it takes even memores of what he has lost.
It leaves him a beast.
Hungry for spirits.
Called "Hollow" by the living.
There they say lies the power to restore the minds of the lost: The Souls.
One touched by the shadow will find himself at the rusted, ruined gates of that land...
As were a gnat drawn helplessly into the flames.
"
These two pieces, together are actually what comprises the prologue to the game.
There's a little more to it, from the visuals, and it seems like your character is following
the advice of the narrator, who is seen as an old lady, and it leads them to this lake
flowing with ghastly creatures reminiscent of New Londo... and you drop in.
Upon dropping in, your character arrives at the location, "Things Betwixt".
An interesting name for an area, really, that could indicate it's more than just dropping
into Drangleic.
I've talked before in my lore speculations that there may be a time travel element, and
I think Things Betwixt is more than what it seems, for a number of reasons...
The first being a line from the prologue...
"The Past, The Future, Even the Light"...
Indicating multiple eras being affected by this Undead curse.
The second element that makes "Things Betwixt" more than what it seems, is something we discover
immediately upon playing the game.
You enter a hut containing three elderly ladies and a fourth woman named Millabeth.
Upon talking to Millabeth, you'll learn that the elderly ladies are the last remaining
fire keepers.
And, furthermore, "long ago, Fire Keepers were common place."
She indicates the three elderly women are sisters... but she'd been told there was a
fourth.
Now, interestingly, from things Betwixt, we wrap into the first town area, Majula.
One of the first NPCs you happen across is Saulden, a crestfallen warrior.
Saulden tells the player...
"Long ago, a woman called a Fire Keeper Watched over each bonfire.
She kept the flame lit, And guarded it from those who would extinguish
it.
I wonder where the Fire Keepers went..."
They would seem to be at the Things Betwixt... but why doesn't Saulden know this?
The first thing these Fire Keepers do is present you with a human effigy, and explain how many
Undead have traveled to Drangleic for a cure, all failing.
Everyone in Majula knows that's why you're there, and all seem to think of the tale as
a lie.
So -- like Dark Souls, we have a tale driving Undead to a far off land for possibly a hidden
purpose.
These three Fire Keepers may be keeping the flames lit throughout all of Drangleic.
And, it seems to have the gameplay effect that, at least at the start of the game, you
cannot level up through bonfires.
There's a new character, reminiscent of the Maiden in Black, who will now level you up...
the "Emerald Hearld."
Take a good close look at this Emerald Herald... does it remind you of anybody?
How about now?
(Show clips from the initial Dark Souls 2 trailer).
The Emerald Herald seems to be the same character shown from the very first Dark Souls 2 trailer.
On top of that, she's chock full of interesting dialogue:
"Are you... the next Monarch?
Or...
Merely a pawn of fate?
Bearer of the curse...
I will remain by your side.
Till this frail hope shatters..."
She will then hand you your Estus Flask.
And then, delves into more incredibly interesting dialogue, which, before I go into,
In my Dark Souls 2 Beta Lore video, I explained several of the lands and characters surrounding
Drangleic, and I recommend watching that video for a better understand of some of what I'll
be referencing just now.
"Go on, and see the King.
He who made Drangleic what it once was; He who peered at the essence of the soul.
King Vendrick."
"Bearer of the curse, seek misery.
For misery will lead you to greater, stronger souls.
You will never meet the King with a soul so frail and pallid.
Seek those whose names are unutterable, The four endowed with immense souls.
Their souls will serve as beacons.
Once you have found them,, Return here to me."
It would seem the Emerald Herald is the gatekeeper.
And, I believe the scenes we saw in the first Dark Souls 2 trailer are what you are rewarded
with after finding all of the souls she requires.
Her sending you off on your next task, which would seem to be to find King Vendrick...
and it could just be he's at the Castle of Dragons we've been seeing in the trailer.
To add to these lands, I decided to start my game as the Explorer class, who I unfortunately
cannot share a picture of.
But, a lot of things struck me about the Explorer class, and the reason I chose it.
The first being, they resemble Domhnall of Zena, as on their headpiece there is a monocle,
which looks similar to Domhnall's glasses on his helmet.
The headpiece in Dark Souls 2 is the Traveling Merchant hat, which is described as:
"Hat worn by merchants from Lanafir, where blue represents knowledge.
Wearing this increases item discovery.
Lanafir is the farthest land to the south and follows a strict edict of isolationism.
The rare visitor from Lanafir is always a little odd."
This hat also boosts item discovery.
The Explorer class' gear is all described as "Traveling Merchant" gear, and in Dark
Souls 1, Domhnall wears "Boots of the Explorer" and IS a traveling merchant, which makes me
wonder if perhaps Lanafir and Zena are different names for the same land.
We've heard the covenants may play a bigger role in Dark Souls 2, and I got a small dose
of this as well.
Saulden tells us: "When you face danger, the Blue Sentinels
will come to your aid.
People are weak...But the Blue Sentinels Watch over us in their benevolence.
"
One of the merchants in the game, Maughlin, is from the area of Volgen, and has left to
come to Drangleic.
Maughlin described Volgen as: "A lively place, vibrant with trade.
Very competitive, of course.
You have to grease the wheels to get anywhere "
He then goes on to describe the Blue Sentinels of being somewhat of bullies.
They control the trade in Volgen, and if you're on their side, all is well... but not so much
if you don't agree with them or aren't one of them.
Speaking on Volgen, though, one of the details I was able to get was in the Falconer's Helm,
which tells us: "Domestic Volgen soldiers are infamously timid,
so it is no wonder that this fierce band of mercenary falconers was hired to compensate.
In practice they serve as bodyguards for the affluent elite, and they serve well, such
that nobody dares scrutinize their backgrounds."
"
A few final lore notes for you guys I think you'll enjoy:
There is an item which I didn't have the chance to take an exact note of its name and description...
Sublime Bone Dust -- which upgrades Estus Flasks.
The description talks about a hero in the past who sacrificed himself to the flame...
could it be referring to the Link the Fire ending?
And, if so, we've heard talk that eras will be important in Dark Souls 2, so it's even
possible they'll toy with the idea of both endings being possible in different versions
of the time.
Another cool item we found, and props to both "DreadedCone" and "Oroboro The Ninja" for
help on finding the item description.
There was an NPC wielding what looked to be the Moonlight Greatsword, yet... a blue version
of it.
DreadedCone decided to kill this NPC and take the item, to help us discover it was called
the "Blue Moon Greatsword" and the item description lead us to believe that it could possibly
be a fake version of the Moonlight Greatsword.
"The blade of this greatsword shines like the brilliant rays of the moon.
In the oldest legends, rarely spoken of today, it is said that the sword was born of a great
white being.
Then, what explains the lifeless weapon?
Perhaps there has been some mistake..."
Furthermore, "Oroboro The Ninja" pointed out and realized there was no scaling of any sort
on the "Blue Moon Greatsword", not even in Intelligence, further pointing to the possibility
of it being a fake or a replica.
An item for sale by Maughlin was the Ring of Whispers.
"Ring worn by Rhoy the Explorer.
Hear the inner voices of surrounding foes.
Useful for locating hidden enemies, and perhaps a few other things, as well."
I didn't have a chance to test it out, but I wonder if it will be a visual indicator
for these things, or if it's you'll actually have an audio indicator.
This relates more to gameplay, but people have been wondering.
There seem to be various Monelisks that we have seen in screenshots.
At the moment, they don't seem to be lore related, but using the one in the first town,
Majula, will say ... I believe how many deaths you have.
I can't remember the exact stat it shows, but I'm fairly certain that's what it was.
And, finally, to end it off, I believe I found the new version of the pendant when choosing
your starting class and equipment: Petrified Something.
It's described as: "An unidentified petrified object.
Pleasant to the touch, despite its looks.
A rare and peculiar thing, to be certain, but one without a known purpose."
Alright guys that wraps up this my Dark Souls 2: Go Beyond Lore edition.
Make sure to check out my "Dark Souls 2 Lore" from the Beta if you haven't, as it contains
a lot of great details about the lands and characters surrounding Dark Souls 2.
Let me know your thougths on all of my findings from the first 50 minutes of gameplay...
I really tried to gather as much as I could, sacrificing playing the game itself, so I
hope you guys enjoyed, and I can't wait to see what you think of the new info.
I'll see ya guys next time!
Peace!