Heropedia: Artorias The Abysswalker 

Thanks for watching lads. What other video game heroes do you want to see? Gordon Freeman? Solid Snake? Master Chief? Dante? Throw your recommendations on this comment.

His cut dialogue before the boss fight is some of the most gut wrenching voice work in the franchise. A true knight to the bitter end.

Yup, hearing Guts’ theme in the background near the end was not unnoticed

To make sifs cutscene even sadder is that Shes trying to save you. Shes trying to keep you from being able to traverse the abyss and in the long run, suffering the same fate as artorias, consumed by the abyss

22:05 Okay, that bit using Artorias with Gael's animation is brilliant.

"Whoever thou art, stay away." "Soon, I will be consumed." "By the... by the dark." "You are strong, human." "Surely, mankind are more than pure dark." "I beg of you, the spread of the abyss..... must be stopped." "Ah, Sif. Then you are.... *cough* all of you... forgive me."

King vendrick from DS2 please... He's so overlooked in the souls community and is genuinely sad

What I find incredible is that artorias fights you with one arm. Because his other is broken. And that was his actual sword arm. He is able to do all of this and fight you....like that....with that much skill and prowess. With one hand tied behind his back and losing his mind and becoming less mentally stable than a former psch ward patient.

Oh hell yeah, one of the best Soulsborne characters.

You missed a part of the Abyss Watchers armor. It outright shows their eventual end, if you look closely it writhes with tentacles of the abyss. It shows that all of the watchers looked into the abyss, and the abyss looked back.

No joke, I'm building a D&D campaign using this story as the main quest after watching your video. Thank you so much, your research combo-ed with your great storytelling has sparked a ton of ideas for me!

I think it’s important to note that the darkness and the abyss isn’t inherently evil, it was the natural progression of the world and it was supposed to be a time for humanity and gwyn robbed it from them.

I love soulsborne series fallen knights. Artorias is definetely high point of the DS 1. After that in DS 2 Raime and Sir Alonne came with really good stories. In Bloodborne Ludwig is a legend and of course last one Slave Knight Gael in DS 3 concludes this fallen knight motive in peak point. I wonder what's waiting we in the Elden Ring.

As a kid growing up in the 70's I feel in love with books and then I eventually discovered the Greek and Roman myths. I think that is one of the reasons why I feel in love with Dark Souls and Bloodborne is because of it's mythology , thank you for making the video!

The music touches in this really pull forward the stories of triumph and heartbreak of Artorias. If there ever was a character in Dark Souls I wish we got a novel about, it would be him. Thank you for the amazing content.

I don't know if it's headcanon or not but my favourite bit about artorias is that he's left handed so when you fight him he's not only handicapped because of the abyss. He also has his good arm broken and still goes ham on you

I choose to believe that Sif in the normal cutscenes defends the grave an ring for Artorias. In the alternate cutscene Sif fights to defend you. She has seen the corruption and pain of her first and truest friend and she will not allow the same to happen to you... Even if she has to kill you herself.

Great video, I've been loving these Dark Souls character spotlights. I have some interesting Artorias points for you. Artorias is cognate (I believe that is the term) to Arthur and like the Arthur of legend, wields a divine sword with unmatched skill. It gets interesting when you consider that one of the most famous points of Arthur's legend is the love story. The famous love story of Arthur and Guinivere... As Gwyn had already left to link the fire by the time of the DLC, it is likely that the Queen of Sunlight bestowed the pendant to him before he departed. We also know that Ciaran (translates to little dark one) had strong feelings for Artorias. My conspiracy theory as to how Arty lost this precious pendant, is a story about a love triangle, love unrequited and a bitter jealousy. I think maybe Ciaran stole his gift from Gwynevere out of jealousy and hid it. Unwittingly dooming the Knight to the abyss. And the only thing the poor girl can do to make things right is bestow his Soul to his companion Sif (Who is female I believe, as Sif is a female name in both Norse myth and anime), then after the grave is constructed and Sif takes her post, Ciaran lets her guilt consume her and she curls up behind his grave and hollows, clutching her hornet ring, remembering times long past. Before the dark. It's just a headcanon but the hidden pendant has always bugged me and it explains Ciaran just being around.

Remembering the story of Artorias and Sif is bringing me to tears again, I absolutly fell in love with Dark souls and then fell in love with it for a second time going through the DLC.

This greatly renewed my love and respect for the story of Artorias, even though I find myself drawn to the Dark a lot in the Souls games. It is futile to resist change and the flow of nature, yet the fear of that change is something everyone can relate to. When Artorias realized that the Dark was unstoppable and inevitable, he may have felt that same fear himself and perhaps resignation to the fading of the flame: yet he still faced the Abyss head on, knowingly facing an enemy he could not defeat. Even though he fell, his bravery lasted multiple ages: even if it was slightly warped by the Abyss Watchers who tore down whole kingdoms to contain the Dark. Artorias was definitely a true knight, a valiant hero who stood tall even knowing what he faced could not be beaten.

I always saw the Artorias of the Abyss DLC as a prototype for blood-borne cuz DLC was a way for fromsoftware to actually experiment with new techniques there is a character in The Abyss DLC that looks like a character from blood-borne

This has made me think alot, and it's definitely going towards the end product of a project I'm working on. Don't know how I didn't see you before... Actually I probably have and just don't remember, but oh well. There are many stories of heroes, but like you said, this one is different. This type of thing shows up alot more than you would think (not saying like I know anything about it tho lol) the stories of heroes are just that. Regardless of what really takes place. In this way there are so many stories are lost to time. what actually happened isn't remember, and it's not the fault of anyone. The people will believe what is the most comforting in situations that are bad, because they don't have anything else to hold onto. Like you said, that was probably what artorias went to do in the first place. Not to accomplish his goal, and not to return victorious, but to give everyone a hope. A legend. Something to hold onto. It's these legends that sometimes accomplish the most, as there are times when there is no way to win. So all that's left is to just live on, in any way that you can. Those heroes are the ones that give themselves for the lasting of morale. I was going to continue writing because my thought feels unfinished, but I don't have anything else to write about so I'm ending here.

This was brilliant, thank you for continuing the lore legacy of this series! I have a thought to pick people’s brains about artorias. He truly is heroic, and he is noble as a character. He is also though, perpetuating an age that oppresses humanity. The gods will is to keep their age continuing, which has brought about many creatures suffering. The dark sign comes from this unnatural extension, and causes humans to repeatedly revive after each death. This harrowing process of death leads many undead to insanity. Correct me if I’m mistaken, and I believe that manus wasn’t just awoken, he was tortured as well. Leading to his eventual transformation into a mad creature of the abyss. He wasn’t an evil creature, he was a damaged soul. Artorias in his zeal, sought only to destroy manus. While in truth, manus really needed to be soothed. That’s why dusk was alive, she was company to a creature decimated by its torment. Overall this all just goes to show how damn good this lore is. Many interpretations, complexities, and astounding characters. You’re awesome homie, keep the lore alive!

Even though you finished what Artorias started I find it to be alright that it turned into Artorias’s legend because the credit ultimately doesn’t matter but between you and Artorias the best way to honor him was to do so.

You're so good at storytelling it's insane

I like to think that somewhere in his broken mind, Artorias was fighting back against the Dark the whole battle, trying to stop himself. And when we finally put him to rest, he is thanking us.

It brings no end of Joy to see Artorias in the Hero category: biggest CHAD in DarkSoul universe - he even saw humans as more than just Dark unlike Gwyn.

thanks to the recommendation of youtube I found your channel, and now I'm in a marathon watching all the videos. great narration and very interesting how you approach the subject of each one, thanks for all these videos and keep up the good work man. you really deserve more recognition. Cheers!

The Artorias tale allways will put tears in my eyes.

Just found your channel and been binging past videos, keep up the great content. Your humour ties perfectly with your script and your voice is soothing, love the way you go over lore and form your own thoughts on the subject matter. 💙

You need more subs. You have the voice for storytelling. You also have just enough comments on the side, 4th wall breaking style quips that help pull people deeper into what they're being told.

I'm actually really glad they cut the voice lines during the boss fight. They are to on the nose. Not only is part of the enjoyment of Souls games figuring out what's the hell is going on. It seems pretty contrived after all this time Artorias having just enough sanity left to speak for a few seconds like that, then go fully mad. without the voice lines his already long gone mad, such a sad state for the once heroic knight

i feel like a Villianpedia on The Ancestor from Darkest Dungeon, you could also do a heropedia on all of the DD characters as there probably isn't enough substance for them to get individual episode

How do these videos don't have millions of views mean they are so well done. You deserve a lot more my friend but for now just know that we all love you and would support you until you get what you deserve.

"Its hard living in these dying kingdoms" *Looks at 2023 nervously*

And what I love about Artorias is that while yes, he did fail his mission to stop Manus. That still doesn't discredit how great of a hero he was. He is like the subversion of that trope of where that the Hero is not what everyone thought they are to be. In that trope. The hero is usually revealed to be a coward or loser. But not Artorias. He may not live up to the true legend of the Abysswalker, he is still a true knight

It's worth mentioning that during the days of dark souls 1, there was no confirmation that Artorias was left handed. This myth began from the American box art for the game, where unidentified knight faces enemies and he is carrying a sword in left hand and a shield in right. This knight was assumed to be Artorias, while the knight probably was intended to be the player character. The myth was made fact in dark souls 2, where the player could find the very sword which Artorias himself carried (allegedly) and its description told how the sword had always been passed down between left handed swordsmen. Essentially, the idea that Artorias was beating your ass while crippled with his off-hand was so awesome, that From retrospectively made the fan canon true. From realized the soft spot fans had for their Abysswalker and I like to think that mr. Miazaki did too. (:

Oh my god Ghost, you're work is just improving and improving. Keep going and please don't stop!

fun fact Gwyns theme is played with solely white piano keys. he was so afraid of the dark it affected things outside of his plane of existence. also i just want to take a moment to appreciate how he is introduced. he is hyped up a LOT. i mean he is the final boss and started this whole spiral. when you finally get to him, theres no dramatic intro. no kick ass boss theme that makes you feel so powerful. no monologue. not even a cutscene. you walk in, he gets his sword, and you start fighting. a piano starts playing, but instead of cool action music its just really really sad. im being serious if you HAVENT heard Gwyns theme you are MISSING OUT. anyways back to the story. you fight someone that is basically a god over this realm. he killed the dragons and started the entire Age of Fire. but in reality, he is nothing but a shriveled husk of what he once used to be sitting with the First Flame, trying so hard and being so afraid of it fading. he just wants to preserve what he fought so hard for. when i saw him die eventually after a fight, it didnt make me go "YEAH BABY suck it final boss im in charge and i just beat the game AND yo ass" it made me sad to be honest. tldr: gwyn is cool i guess idk why did i make a whole dumbass rant about a game

Cut dialogue changes the meaning from "A valiant knight who is losing to the corruption of the abyss" to "A valiant knight who despite corruption still continues his mission of fighting the abyss"

it's likely that Oolacile fell to the Abyss before New Londo. Marvelous Chester tells the player that Oolacile unleashed the Abyss by awakening the "Primeval Human." This turns out to be Manus, Father of the Abyss, who we can assume is the originator of the Abyss. The Four Kings were corrupted after the abyss was awakened, so the fall of Oolacile would have to have occurred after that of New Londo. Just as an extra bit of speculation: Marvelous Chester also tells the player that Oolacile awoke the Primeval Human at the urgings of a Primordial Serpent. In my opinion, this is Kaathe's first attempt to spread the Age of Dark, by awakening Manus and beginning the spread of the Abyss. However, after the player character has killed Manus (because Manus himself pulled the player back into the past), Kaathe instead had to corrupt the Four Kings in order to continue spreading the Abyss and the Age of Dark.

These games are so poetic, what the characters represent and how interpretive the lore gets. Love this series.

I got legit goosebumps from Artorias' cut dialogue. Damn that's some powerful shit.

BIG FAN of the subtle Guts theme near the end hits so hard!

I have not played any of the Dark Soul or Soul's games. And I just recently watched the 1997 Beserk anime for the first time like two weeks ago! So hearing that Artirious and Gut's are connected in a homage and hearing Gut's theme...Fuck Yeah Man! May both find peace one day!

Just found your channel, awesome stuffs! Have you considered talking about another knight of Gwyn, Ornstein the Dragon Slayer? He is not as legendary as Artorias, but the story about his depart from Anor Londo, and his travel across the land of Lordran inserach of the nameless king is really interesting. He is my favorite chracter from the franchise.

Found your channel very recently and I really enjoy how you speak and dissects these characters, I had the genuine impression you were a way bigger youtuber and I have no doubt you'll soon grow exponentially based on the quality of the videos alone, great work mate, also, consider taking a look on Vergil from Devil May Cry

My favorite touch in Dark Souls 2 was how the Artorias greatsword was tied into Fume knight. Another character who much like Artorias, in the base game is only referred to on an item description or two as an exiled knight, who bears a certain tragic parallel to Artorias' story. One of the two top men of Vendrick, he was the only one who saw through Nashandra as a being of darkness, and ended up defeated and exiled for trying to protect his king and kingdom from the abyss. Only to end up seduced by it for the chance at the power to surpass the former fellow knight who vanquished him. And wouldn't you know it, Fume Knight is most definitely left handed.

You outdid yourself on this one. You did our boi right. And you hit me with the meanest one-two punch having Sif pick up the sword and then the Guts theme kicks in. Masterful.

19:00 My best guess is that From Software felt that giving Artorias dialogue might distract the player too much while fighting. That, and considering how often you may end up having to repeat the fight, even the best lines can get old after the hundredth time you hear them. Ever wondered why some of the other non-hollowed bosses like Smough and Ornstein don't talk in this game?

It's amazing watching these lore videos (even if it's about games I don't play, or even watch get played too much), and being like 🤯🤯 it all clicks so well. I always wondered these kinda things

This videos are insanely well written and narrated. Definitely looking forward to more of these narratives especially since artorios is one of if not my favorite and most iconic dark souls characters

My fav character in the series. Artorias next to Oscars "elite" set is the dopest armor set in the game if not the series. IDK why but I relate to him at a level I can't even explain.

They should have kept that dialogue, it gave me chills, and honestly when I fought this guy the first time, I was just like "cool, Artorias is a boss", but if I heard that dialogue, I'd likely be thinking "oh god, is there anything I can do to calm him instead of killing him? I don't wanna hurt this guy!" just like when you fight Sif after saving him in the DLC.

I think cutting that dialogue is really nice, it makes the narrative less "in your face" that Artorias failed, and honestly makes it less cliche. I mean the trope of a corrupted hero begging for a new warrior to finish him off is pretty widespread, maybe after the lines were recorded Miyazaki changed his mind and didn't wanna do it again.

I absolutely love your content man. It's really scratching my lore itch while we wait for elden ring. Thanks for the hard work!

Yeah man! As a representative of a different sect of your viewers (the ones who have never played Darksouls or any of those games) I gotta say the production value and the writing of these videos draw me in and gets me into the story/lore even though I have no experience with it. A+ content as always

Ghost the host with the most from coast to coast. I’ll see myself out.

think after dusk was saved by artorias gwyn took him to the duke archive to help seath but you know seath is crazy about magic and immortality for some reason he kept princess dusk in the golden golem for years until we saved her.

I think they might have cut it because even without the dialogue you get the exat same feeling and dous it might have been overexposure

Hopefully this vid blows up like your Dagoth Ur one did. That being said, I’m surprised your Bioshock vid didn’t blow up more. Video is great! Helps keep my Elden Ring hype battened down.

Berserk OST is some mix of Progressive Rock meets Old school RPG with an 80s dance flair, it was an anime made in the 90s and the music made it painstakingly obvious to its era.. . Even if it was the directors choice, it broke my immersion in the series being an actual dark medieval fantasy. Dark Souls just generally made a cohesive soundtrack that suited their genre better. Neither metal nor rock are what I look for in a dark medieval themed fantasy.

That's one of the things Elden Ring does that the other souls games seemed to struggle at or straight up avoided like in Artorias's case. In Elden Ring, admittedly I really don't like a majority of the bosses, but many of the bosses feel like they're not pulling the "This enemy has a broken dick, so imagine what they were like before" thing. Even Radahn who is very much passed his prime, doesn't feel like I'm fighting God after a lobotomy. That's something that always bothered me in the souls series, it felt like I was eating leftovers, so Elden Ring doesn't just change this for the most part, it feels like it too.

I wanna point something out. Sif is a young pup when we find him in the chasm of the abyss. The spot where we find him is presumably where Artorias fell, his spirit- crushed and his arm- broken. My theory is that Sif wasn't a pet or friend to Arty, but a personification of his steel will. When the bulwark of his mind broke, and the waters of the abyss rushed in, he left behind his shield. The shield, a symbol of his steadfast tenacity and determination, bore the child of Sif. I believe that Sif "IS" Arty's steel will incarnate. That's all

Bro is this the best channel explaining hero’s and villains. U explain these people in a way that it is informative and interesting at the same time. Keep grinding man.

Great video I'm still waiting for the dueling Heropedia and Villianpedia that is the Sons of Sparda Dante and Virgil Also a Villianpedia of gaunter o'dimm

Does this imply that In Artorias being a Usurper of sorts, that this whole thing is a time loop? We always cameback in time to defeat the fading flame of Artoria's will and by finishing off Manus...Some would go onto to still believe that Artorias completed the deed and only those close to the events (Urbina and so on) would be the only ones to harbor the truth would just keep it to themselves? That's noble of us as the main characters, but also raising the essence of Artorias's never die attitude.

You really got me all in my feels about Artorias!! Thank you so much!! 🙏🏽🙏🏽

We actually do have one small piece of his personal life, apparently of the 3 other knights him and Ciaran had the deepest relationship, being that she is the only one to seek him out on his quest as well as creating a grave for him and requesting to be given his soul from the player

The Pirates of Dark Water (1991) Jumped to the forefront of my mind first, upon hearing the ending requeste of other video game or characters of interests. I recall looking forward to new episodes growing up, enjoying the characters and story but it has been such a long time since last I seen Pirates of Dark Water, that I remember so few specific details of the show. Also being only like 5 when the show was airing, a in-depth summery of characters stories and motivations would be appreciated for the better comprehension and nostalgia such a video would provide. Greatly enjoy the from software content, and I look forward to learning more about our modern digital incarnations of mythical hero and villain archetypes.

Holy s*** just found yr channel today by chance looking for Elder Scrolls lore and i havent stopped watching.. hahah well effin done bro!!! subscribed for sure... keep it up.. from the wee island of Malta, Europe...

A hero I really want to see covered is Kazuma Kiryu from the Yakuza series, or maybe Goro Majima (Who could fit both hero and villain)

Someone shared this video a few moments ago and I'm glad they did, watching this well having Sunday dinner and it's the perfect ambience

An Artorias focused souls game based on the leadup to his downfall would sell so damn fast im surprised Form Software hasnt done it yet. And Sekiro has showed us that FS is capable of creating a more narrative focus souls title

I HAVE HUNDREDS OF HOURS IF NOT A THOUSAND into Dark Souls... I have trouble grasping the lore behind Souls Games but knowing this now has my mouth dropped. The story even years later still amazes me.

Ah yes. I needed my daily dose of sadness. Love Artorias, dudes a badass and his legend is amazing. You covered it beautifully.

18:30 That _scream_ , goddamn. I always respect VAs who can shout like that without it sounding weird and forced, and this dude nailed it, jesus lol.

I've played Dark Souls 2 a bit and Dark Souls 3 extensively, but haven't touched DS1 yet... not sure why. Listening to this story and taking it more generally was really beautiful. In DS3, I've done a lot of PvP and always seen people cosplaying as Artorias. That'll always be a meme, of course, but finally hearing about the actual character was awesome.

The formatting and organization of this video is honestly master class. I cannot stress enough please continue creating these types of videos they truly are beautiful.

I've never played Dark Souls, but this makes me want to. Damn, that story hits hard. There's something about the age-old motif of carrying on the fallen knight's legacy that just gets to me.

Cut out his wolf and he is still one of the best characters in souls. And that sits heavy

An ode can be written for the fearlessness that Artorias imbued upon himself. I can Imagine that other knights of the era, were tanks and yet their was a juggernaut or Berserker who lifted his Greatsword and didn't give two shits about what the Abyss's Darkness could do to him and anyothers, but he rested there waiting in front of Oolacile, waiting and waiting to continue warding off the creatures as best he can and as undying and unwavering as his will and soul goes on!!!!!

"Take my shield puppy Sif, it will protect you from URBAN VIOLENCE" -Artorias

Linking the flame is more damaging then we first think, not only dose it turn the flame into a undead thing, feeding on its own smoke (souls) but it poisoned the abyss, making it a putrid thing full of insects. Gwyn, in gear and arrogance, decreed that his age of power and god's would never end, and in doing so cursed everything to eventually collapse.

I love the story of the Abyss watchers. Artorios lost to the Abyss and had to be killed by us the player. So his legacy of defeating the darkness was a lie. A lie that caused hundreds of soldiers who thought of Artorios as a Hero to fall to the same fate. And just like Artorios they are still fighting the Abyss when we find them It's so poetic

Hi I hate to ask in this manner but would be able to do or think about a villianpedia entry about handsome jack in the borderlands series I think that he is a criminally underrated character that he is a very well written character in a game that sometimes is just silly for no reason. He thinks he’s the hero and I always liked that in a villain if you do see this thanks for reading and have a great day

What should also be said is that Manus' humanity didn't just run wild on its own. The people of Oolacile tortured him to the point that they transformed his humanity until he couldn't contain it any longer.

It says something about how great these videos are when the first thing I want to watch after having a life changing LSD trip is a Ghostcharm video. Excellent video. Glad to be apart of the first 20000

At 16:45 I never noticed till you pointed it out that Solare is foreshadowing that you are one of the heroes that is centuries old phasing in and out. Thanks for that!

I’m actually glad they cut the voice, it was a bit too cartoony and it makes him sound too young. Removing it also makes his human-like scream right as he dies more impactful

That is a great video. I’m really intrigued by Dark Souls lore, but sadly I’m just not good enough to master the game itself (believe me, I tried). So well narrated in depth lore videos like this, focusing on just one aspect, are fantastic. Just one little question: As From Software obviously did their research, and built their story very carefully, Sif must be considered female - Sif is a female name originating from Norse tradition. From never officially states anything about the subject, but unless we assume that they just took a random name for the Great Wolf that sounded fine (which is unlikely), we must consider her female.

Sif's original fight is him protecting Artorias, Sif in the alternate cutscene is protecting you. i just think that's so cool

Awesome video. I never knew about Artorias cut dialogue. It added so much to his character.

Can i ask you to make an video about Gael from ds3? I think he is an perfect hero/villain. Especially if you compare him to the main character from ds3.

That cut content for the artorias fight makes me mad, him actually speaking to us before he finally succumbs brings so much emotion to the fight, personification to the fight, and makes it even more show that even the great can fall.

As a lefty, I always love seeing lefty swordsman. Link was my favorite videogame character because of this.

I might have subconsciously internalized Artorias's story. I've developed a deep, unyielding respect for all people who sacrificed their lives, health, and comfort for the attainment of something greater. Whether or not they achieved it, or even if they were fundamentally good people, is irrelevant. From dictators to artists, I always find them and their tenacity inspiring. Wouldn't it be interesting if that respect was born out of my respect for Artorias.

Where did the left handed thing come from. He broke his arm defending with his greatshield which is why he left it with sif.

I love how he doesn’t care if we’re undead or not, he doesn’t want us to be overcome by the abyss. That is a knight

I hope you do Gael, many people don't get his story, at the very end he was what the Gods feared, nothing but a man with an unbreakable will and the very essence of humanity, the last human, the hero of a new world, Knight Gael.