Oolacile is Darkroot in the past [Dark Souls DLC time-travel shown side-by-side] 

If you've already seen my Lordran's Layout video, I'm revisiting some familiar territory here. But I realized that googling about this specific topic gets a bunch of scattered resources, one of which is an old imgur album of GIFs I made years back. I figured I'd try my hand at doing a more definitive-examination, and one that's hopefully easier to find & link whenever this comes up in discussion. I'm chipping away at the next Demon's Souls Compare-Through but I also might have another off-series, shorter video like this on the way as well. If you'd like to support this channel please consider supporting me on Patreon! www.patreon.com/illusorywall Thanks for watching! :)

I've always loved how the tree people at some point decided "Yeah we don't really need clothes."

Never realized that the reason the hornet ring is behind Artorias' grave is because Ciaran never left his side, that makes her story a little sadder.

Chester: >Barges in a different timeline >Sells overpriced items >Stole a high ranking Knight's ring >Dies

The 'Where are they now? Lordran Edition' absolutely killed me.

The trees in the past actually being thinner... FromSoft's dedication to minor details continues to impress.

4:19 in case you were wondering how a Laddersmith could be famous, this ladder has survived, unchanged, for thousands of years!

Here's a weird theory: Hydras drop dragon scales... One hydra is found in Ash Lake, near the last Everlasting Dragon... One hydra is found in Darkroot Garden, where the second-to-last Everlasting Dragon (Kalameet) was killed... What if hydras grow from severed parts of Everlasting Dragons? The Everlasting Dragon grows that part back, and the severed part tries to grow back a whole dragon. But dragon anatomy is way more complicated than that of, say, starfish, so it ends up creating this weird mutant thing that repeats complex extremities like heads and tails too many times. That's why you use dragon scales to upgrade dragon tail weapons - they're still alive, and if left unattended for long enough (perhaps centuries, given how long it may have taken one to grow in Darkroot) they would eventually grow into new hydras. Scales themselves are too small, and not actually made of living tissue, so they're preserved in later games even though Everlasting Dragons and even hydras have gone extinct.

I already was well aware that Oolicile and Darkroot were indeed the same, but with how a lot of the assets and the map in general has just enough subtle changes to disorient you, it was hard to visualize. This video feels like one of those unanswered questions finally getting an answer and relieving you.

Sif is a such hardworking puppy.

Sif helping clear The Sanctuary is probably the cutest thing I've ever seen.

2:25 here you have the proof that Gwyn didn't banish the firstborn: _The events in the AOTA dlc take place 200 years before the main story (it was said in an interview) _Gwyn sacrified himself to the first flame 1.000 years ago (dialogue with Frampt), so Gwyn was already death in the events of the dlc _There is a broken statue of the firstborn in the undead burg, and thank to this video we learned that the burg was build after Gwyn's death and the AOTA dlc, and you don't build a statue of a person who has been exiled and his name has been erased from history just to destroy it a few seconds later, the firstborn wasn't yet exiled _You have sunlight blade description too ("when the eldest son was stripped of his deific status, he left this on his father's coffin, perhaps as a final farewell") which implies that Gwyn was already dead _Also in the japanese text when Kaathe says "Lord Gwyn resisted the course of nature by sacrificing himself to link the Fire and commanding his children to shepherd the humans" the word used for children is 息子たち (musukotachi): 息子 (musuko) means "son/male child" while たち (tachi) points at the plurality of the noun, so before linking the fire he left the power specifically to his sons aka the firstborn and Gwyndolin So, if Gwyn didn't banished the firstborn, who did it? I think that the only candidate is Lloyd, Gwyn's uncle, and there is why: _He was the only person with enough power to do such a thing (he was the head of the Way of White, the main religion of dark souls world, he was like the pope) _After Gwyn's death the firstborn became king of the gods: since Gwyn left the power to his sons is safe to assume that the firstborn succeded him and became the new king of Anor Londo (Gwyndolin on the other hand remained in the shadows and became the head of the Blades of the Darkmoon), and the fact that he succeded his father is further supported by the description of the ring of the sun's firstborn, in japanese in the "inherited the sunlight" part the world used for inherit is 継いだ and it means "to succeed to a position or to a person in a business or inheritance, to take on, to take over, to inherit", so it could be read as "he succeded his dead father and inherited the sunlight, becoming the new Lord of Sunlight", also the description of the lightning storm miracle in ds3 reads "the FORMER KING and wargod tamed a stormdrake", and that's why he's known as the nameless king _In japanese Lloyd's title is not Allfather but King of the Gods (主神/shushin, literally "main god (of a phanteon)" or "chief god"), so he banished the firstborn and then he took the throne for himself, that's why the description of Lloyd's sword ring says "Lloyd was a derivative fraud, and the Allfather (King of the gods) title was self-proclaimed" Also "derivative fraud" should be more correcly translated as "collateral relative": the clerics of Carim are not criticizing Lloyd existence or the fact that he was a random dude that declared himself Gwyn's uncle, they are saying that Lloyd, being Gwyn's uncle and thus a collateral relative, was not in the position to assume the role of king of the gods since Gwyndolin, being the other son of Gwyn, shoul have inherited the throne. In DS3 however we see that Gwyndolin has finally taken his rightful title since Lloyd is nowhere to be found and the soul of Sulyvahn in japanese specifically says that he imprisoned the chief god of the old royalty in the abandoned cathedral, and also you can see Gwyndolin with a crown on the silver coin thar appears near the messages with a lots of upvotes. And fun fact: in japanese Lloyd is called 叔父 (oji) which means uncle, specifically younger than one’s parent, so he's the little brother of Gwyn's father/mother :)

Marvelous Chester found his way back to his own timeline in Yharnam.

I find it fascinating to look up to the anor londo wall from the dlc. At that point in time, oolacile was dealing with its own problem, but the rest of the world was theoretically functioning in the age of fire. Before the undead curse. Before the flame started to fade. When you look at that wall, there is a normal world with normal people and lives going about their day just behind it. A point in time or history that we never really get to witness.

"Nashandra, a talented daughter with a strong entrepreneurial spirit" LMAO so true. Thanks for the video, the final bits were too funny.

The Kalameet area being the same as the Hydra fight blew my mind. I always knew Oolacile was just Darkroot in the past but for some reason I didn't connect that specific area. In my defence I was too busy fighting a stupid dragon.

Oh dang, I never noticed the walls of Anor Londo were visible in Oolacile as well! That's so cool, so it existed back then before the whole Undead Burg was built.

"Marvelous Chester is now a US Senator"

Love it when devs think of a smart way for re-using levels & textures, therefore reducing cost and time that could be used for something else (a.k.a. the amazing bossfights in this DLC)

I've always wondered if the grass crest shield was linked to Oolacile. It's found in Darkroot and is said to be magical with an unknown origin. I like to use it in Dusk cosplay builds for that reason

Shame we never find out what happened to Gough, as far as I'm aware. I like to think he's still out there somewhere, carving beautiful woodwork for phantoms to throw at each other for janky communication.

The fact they took the time to fucking replace the trees with smaller trees, but keep them in the same spot is such good attention to detail holy shit. I always thought they just 1-1 copied Darkroot garden and brightened it up.

I remember reading a theory somewhere that a dragon dying near a body of water causes a hydra to spawn. That's why we see the blue hydra where Kalameet died and the black hydra in ash lake where the last everlasting dragon is and where you can also find some dragon scales.

Huh. Marvelous Chester is the corpse with the Wolf Ring then. Makes sense, he has too much poise relative to the armor he's wearing.

Marvelous Chester has always been one of the more enigmatic characters in the Souls series. I always found it really hard to believe that he was some sort of Bloodborne reference, but I guess it could have been in early conceptual stages by the time this dlc was first released.

This really puts a new perspective on Alvina and the forest hunters. We technically only see her a little in the chasm of the abyss, but it‘s safe to say she lived in Oolacile. She wants to protect what little remains of her home and preserve the dignity of all the poor souls who fell with Oolacile

I would love to see that happen more in from software games. The map design of dark souls is one of my favorite things from that game, it sticks in your memory. Travelling through the same areas in different eras is wonderful addition to an already great map. I think this has been the topic of many videos along the years but yours is great for it's clarity, thanks and well done!

I always knew, on some level, that Darkroot and Oolacile were the same place, even if I wasn't consciously aware of it. The place is just vaguely familiar enough to give off that feeling. But this honestly puts a whole nother perspective into exactly how long the Age of Fire lasted. For the ground to heal, for water to fill that basin, for a whole undead burg to be constructed, all of that probably would've taken hundreds of years. I always assumed that it was all 20-30 years ago but no, this event was probably near the tail end of the "Lordran Golden Age", which was centuries before us.

I had a big mindblow moment when staring at the drake bridge, always wondering whats on the other side of the caved in road... After playing the dlc it hit me, Oolacile was on the other end. The path from Old Londo Ruins used to lead to Oolacile before it completely fell to ruins. Little details like this make Dark Souls 1 still have my favourite map design of all time. Edit- I commented this at the start of the video, so glad you picked up on it too! Haven't seen anyone else mention it, seems like a big detail. The fact that the abyssal boss arenas literally overlap is amazing! I'm so happy about this haha

Considering how Fromsoft originally planned for the dlc to be in the base game, I wonder if they would have implemented that Valley of the Drakes entrance to be the dlc entrance, maybe exit. Also never heard that Ciaran audio before, which gives more insight on the weird placement of the Wolf Ring corpse and why it's there.

In my head the subtitles read out in your voice

Years later, the weight of his constant thievery was too much for Chester to handle, and he sought out Sif, who after serveral bites, was satisfied by the return of Artorias' ring. Hence why she was able to "give" us the ring

I was prepared to write a snarky comment about how everyone already knows oolacile is darkroot garden, but this video is really well done and draws attention to details that I’d never have noticed otherwise

it's so crazy how i didn't notice how accurate it is

At first I was wondering why you made this video, since I thought this topic was more or less common knowledge among fans. But it totally makes sense to create an easy to find and understand video explaining the whole thing. Also, that ending section was hilarious

Humanity restored every time I see one of these videos.

Another great video. Loved that "Where are they now?" segment!

Stuff like this is why Dark Souls has stayed one of my favorite games for years, and it makes me so happy to learn things I never realized about a game I thought I knew so well. It really goes to show you Miyazaki's excruciating detail on world building, lore, and how he wanted everything to fit perfectly like little puzzle pieces. The fact that you could take both maps side by side and show exactly what happened to each other is so fucking cool. Big props for all the work you put in man.

the trees in oolacile being in the exact same spot but slimmer and brighter is such an incredible attention to detail

The first half feels like a Prepare to Cry video without the voiceover.

While I had always known they were the same place in different time periods, it's nice to see them compared side by side. Not much has changed as far as the forest goes, but I never considered looking for undead burg or any other landmarks in the distance. Thanks for this!

Hey! The research i did years ago does show up when people wonder about this topic. But I don’t like the way it is presented so I’ll do a fully fledged video to give them an easy answer. That is commitment.

illusory wall I love you thank you for caring about this game like you do

hol' up. you mean to tell me that we strip the Wolf Ring off Chester's corpse? Huh. Well then.

Finally, some side-by-side action, this is all I’ve been tryna see. The idea of revisiting familiar locations that have changed over time is such a cool concept, but it’s so hard to appreciate all the overlaps and differences just by memory alone. Thanks for this bro.

2:49 dude i never noticed the scarecrows trim trees and grounds keep basically. It puts a new context on the world there and makes it seem like they were appointed to be grounds keepers for nobles or gods i guess, almost like a well maintained garden forest. I usually spend so much time either pissed or speed running past them to notice, or they trigger and start attacking me before i could ever see the trimming animation.

There is something very peaceful and calming about being able to see a player-character walk past the scarecrow gardeners in peace. 🙂 (edit: the music definitely helps.)

i knew already that it was the same place as i put the pieces together while playing like probably most people. but the detail all the way up to the age of the trees and the identical spots on the map? dark souls 1 is a genuine masterpiece. they didnt have any reason to be so detailed as im sure very few/no regular players would have noticed without an actual comparison like this. beautiful, genuinely.

Damn I didn't even know Ciaran had cut dialogue, so now I think that the corpse with the wolf ring is Chester. Also I never realized that the tree guys were the scarecrows, even after all this time, we discover new things

I have to say, you ended up doing a very nice synchronized choreography job on this video. As a Dark Souls video maker as well, I can appreciate the efforts you put in. Your work has always been a delight for me, and I am still, after all this years, enjoying the Dark Souls community at it finest thanks of you! Thank you!

that ending though!

Thanks for going out there and getting the footage we all needed. I know I always caught onto that bridge and a few other spots, but as others have said, it's nice actually seeing it line-up in a video.

wow i knew the two areas had significant overlap but this tour showed it so perfectly. for some reason i just never recognized MOST OF IT. like wow they start you out in sifs arena!

This was awesome to see. I knew that they were one in the same, but I've never seen them directly compared like this and didn't realize you could see things like the future path outside the gardens. Thank you for this.

Always wanted a video showing both areas side by side, great work!

That was super fascinating. I have trouble visualizing in general, so seeing the two side-by-side was really helpful for connecting the dots

Can't wait to watch and thank you for the new content, you do fantastic work.

I gasped when I saw the bridge turned around.

I'm really enjoying this new video format, especially the fun bit at the end!

Beautiful video. It's amazing what a change in lighting and a little delapidation does, also the change in what story takes place in each time.

The Undead Burg not being there brings up some big lore questions. 1. Was Sen's Fortress there yet? 2. Was Firelink Shrine there yet since it connects to the parish 3. Where is Oolacile and the construction of Undead Burg in the timeline exactly? (was it before or after Gwyn linking the flame)

This was hilarious!! And so amazing informative at the same time, bravo sir and thank you

What a cool video! I especially liked the humorous bits in the last half. Compelling stuff man, as always.

A really well put together video, would love to see more like this, keep up the great work

I genuinely had never heard about this or thought about it, but when you showed what the bridge to Sif's arena looks like when you turn around, I made the connection instantly. Really impressive how many of the details match up, and how much sense it made. Thought I knew everything about thsi game already, but never knew about this. Good work.

You're one of my favourite content creators for Dark Souls, I knew about you from the DS community beforehand (albeit on the fringe as my interactions there are best described as a fringe lurker) so I was properly stoaked when you started creating videos, due to a combination of my being lazy and honestly finding I absorb information via video best these days (time restrictions and the wonderful world or responsibility that comes with being an adult) being the reason. But honestly thank you so much, Dark Souls is one of my favourite game franchises of the last 30 years (being a big fan of all it's primary inspirations helps, been reading the Berserk manga since 1997 lol) and your diligence and approach in peeling back this onion of inspirations, aspirations and limitations puts you so far ahead of your standard DS lore/mechanics channel (with some notable exceptions, Zulie for one) that they pale in comparison. So once again, from the abyss that's become my heart, thanks so much. You've given me many respites from my life and allowed me to vicariously escape from a world that's seemingly more grim than the fantasy one we enjoy. I can't support you financially yet (let's just say that being a full time carer for a parent doesn't exactly pay well), but once I am able to I most certainly shall be. I wish you nothing but success and happiness in all your endeavours.

This was absolutely brilliant. Wonderful editing and creativity throughout the whole video. Much love and respect illusory!

knew this for a long time, but seeing side by side comparison shots still sends a chill down my spine

That bit at the end about Nashandra gave me pause: I always assumed, Nashandra and her sisters were born of fragments of the abyss, after its manifestation as Manus was gone. But what if that only held true for 3 of them, and Nashandra is not only created in the likeness of, but instead indeed IS Dusk, after being consumed by the abyss herself - That would mean in an effort to save Lordran in the past, the Chosen Undead would have doomed Drangleic in the future.

Brilliant stuff, fascinating how it all ties together 👍👍.

this was amazing, especially the where are they now in the end please do more

This is probably the most important dark souls videos I've ever watched. Very good work 👌

Back when dark souls first came out I remember part of the reason I liked it to much was that you could look off into the distance and see all the other locations you'd be going to. I felt like that always made the world seem so much more real.

6:29 looking at that painting and suddenly getting cursed legit scared me

Best video I've ever seen about comparations between past and present, I really enjoy it, new sub!

Thank you for this bro. You are one of my favorite channels, and I was thinking about this topic just yesterday. Have a great day.

So Chester is the corpse with the Wolf Ring? Amazing find there.

Nice to see you again :3

Nice to see such a recent video on this I'm sure everybody already knew but seeing it all again is a nice nostalgia trip

This was a really nice video (love the music) but I missed your narration so much! You have a nice way of delivering information

Perhaps Chester, the good hunter, was welcomed home…

This goes to show the love and attention to detail that went into the original Dark Souls. Or most of it anyway...were these areas designed before Demon Ruins and Izaleth?

The end was amazing, great job dude!

This is so interesting. I've played through both areas countless times and had never made this connection. Great stuff man, thanks for the vid :)

Oolacile - the best asset flip in history? YES OR YES?

Noticed pretty much most of this when playing the game, took a few times to actually recognise what it was. I never would have guessed that corpse is Chester's, makes sense.

Thanks so much for this video! It is really well done!

This was really well done, informative and entertaining. Good show.

Love world comparison videos on dark souls like this. Lmao "Alvina took a bath" 😂 🐈

Whoever built those wooden ladders should have built the rest of the world, it would never fall apart.

This was SO well done!!

Amazing edit man. Thank you for this

Chester went back to the hunters dream

Goddamn that was so insightful. I would of never have seen that myself

This video was beautifully done. I knew the DLC was in the same area as Darkroot garden, but I had no idea it matched this closely. 10/10

Really well made video. Good work!

I have been trying to visualise this for years since the first time I walked back from Sif’s area and noticed how similar it is to the dlc. Thank you so much for making these side by side comparisons. Also, I know what happened to Chester, but he called me ‘thick’ so he does not deserve to have his story shared, cheeky beggar!

I like to think that the body we found near the entrance of the Valley of Drakes that contains the leather armor and the conposite bow is Chester. He is quite skilled with a crossbow( maybe bows as well) and he also has an unused model of him wearing what loosely reminds leather armor. Kinda dumb idea but It is one after all.

Wow. Thanks for this. Really great exploration.

Thanks a lot for this video, always wanted a close comparison between the two!