Dark Souls III: The Perfect Ending
Out of all the Dark Souls games, I had the highest expectations for Dark Souls 3. Everyone I asked told me it was the best of the series, and I was not disappointed. From beginning to end, it delivered on every point. Every second of this game was amazing. The world-building is great, the characters and bosses are interesting and unique, and the story is perfectly executed. But after I beat the game, something became apparent: Dark Souls 3 ended the series in the best way possible. What I mean by that is DS3 was able to end the famous series without it feeling rushed or leaving any loose ends. So, let me explain why I think that.
First of all, let's do a slight lore dump so everything I say going forward makes sense. Your main goal in DS3 is to defeat four Lords of Cinder to keep the First Flame from fading. The First Flame is the flame that keeps the world from falling into an age of darkness and needs powerful souls to keep burning. You play as an Unkindled One or Ashen One, a being born of the Ash of the First Flame. Your character is awakened after a few Lords of Cinder, resurrected to become kindling for the First Flame again, and decided not to do so. So you must slay them and give their souls to the flame. Now that you know what's going on let's talk more about the four Lords of Cinder you will be fighting.
There are four lords you must defeat to rekindle the flame: the Abyss watchers, Yhorm the Giant, Aldrich Devourer of Gods, and Prince Lothric. The opening cutscene shows that all of these lords are great beings with immense power. However, as you seek out these lords, you slowly release something. These once all-powerful lords are nothing more than a former shell of themselves. For example, the Abyss Watchers. When you enter their boss-room, you see that they are fighting amongst themselves. The Abyss Watcher are meant to keep the Abyss at bay, but now they are killing each other. Another example of this with Yhorm.
Yhorm is the Lord of the Profaned Capital, but when you arrive at that capital, it has fallen. Literally, it’s fallen through the ground and into ruins. There is almost nothing left. So Yhorm, who was once seen as a great leader, is now just sitting on his throne. Waiting for the First Flame to fade. Thirdly, there's Aldrich, Devourer of Gods. And by his name, that’s his goal. Aldrich plans to eat the very gods in order to bring an age of Deep. Basically, Aldrich has seen the horrors of this new world and wants that all go away. So, he wants to flood the world with a deep and dark ocean. Lastly, there’s Prince Lothic and his brother Lorian. These two brothers are the reason that the Lords of Cinder have rebelled against the cycle. Lothic is the youngest and last of his bloodline, making him a perfect candidate for Lord of Cinder. However, when Lothic became a lord and, after being resurrected, chose to break the cycle of relinking the flame by simply not choosing to be kindling. So, Yhorm, Lothic, and Lorian wait for the flame to fade.
Each story of the Lords being great and all-powerful is nothing more than a distant memory. The world that they once knew is gone. So, they choose to rebel against the cycle of them being kindled as they have seen that it has done nothing but make things worse. When a Lord of Cinder is chosen, they believe what they're doing will fix the problems and save the world. Yet, you still rise to slay the Lords. To relink the flame and keep the cycle going.
The Dark Souls series is about cycles and how they are never going to end. That no matter how many souls are given to flame, it won’t change things. And when the lords try to break that cycle, the Unkindled are awakened to stop them. In the end, it’s your duty as an Unkindled to keep the cycle going; however, that’s not fully true. As you venture throughout the game, you might come across a pair of Firekeeper Eyes. These eyes are a secret item that is found in an optional area, but I would highly recommend finding them as they give you a choice to break the cycle. If you give them to your Firekeeper in Firelink Shrine (The hub area), she says that the eyes will allow you to see a world without fire. Which is terrifying to her but asks you want to do. And if you choose to allow her to see, you will be given the secret ending or the “End of Fire” ending. As a result, after you defeat the Lords and the final boss, you can summon the Firekeeper to the First Flame. You see the First Flame fade into tiny cinders in a slow yet sentimental cutscene. At last, you were able to break the cycle and accept that this world is dying. Yet this isn’t the end. As the Firekeeper says, “But one day, tiny flames will dance across the darkness.” What the Firekeeper means is that even though the world will be engulfed by darkness, the world will return to an age of light one day. Just not one we will see.
Dark Souls 3 is a story about the cycle of a fading flame and the choice of prolonging it or accepting reality. And in the end, it’s your choice. That’s the beauty of this game and how it ended in the utmost perfect way.
