Gwyn, Lord of Cinder



Gwyn, Lord of Cinder is the final boss in Dark Souls and one of the original lords who vanquished the Dragons.

Location
Lord Gwyn can be found in the Kiln of the First Flame.

Summoning
It is possible to summon Solaire of Astora to help in the fight if he survived in Lost Izalith. His summon sign can be found at the top of the staircase from Gwyn. Since the Kiln of the First Flame is a PvP hotspot, it can also be quite easy to find player summon signs if online.

Strategies
Health and Stamina management are a must in this fight, as Gwyn will rarely give the player any chances to heal. It is heavily advisable to use a fast weapon to attack with, preferably that drains little stamina. Heavy weapons are not recommended for this fight. It may be hard for the player to find a proper opening to fight back or heal as a result of Gwyn actively seeking the player. His attacks deal a great amount of damage if they connect. If blocked, his attacks will still deal considerable damage to the player as a result of the flame damage his sword deals. A good way to reduce the damage to a slight margin is by using shields with high fire defense, such as the Black Iron Greatshield or the Black Knight Shield, which can be dropped by the nearby Black Knights; however, care should still be taken as blocking a full attack chain will cost a lot of stamina and may eventually result in losing health or dying. The Gold-Hemmed Black Set can further negate the fire damage at the cost of less physical defense against his attacks.

The pillars in the arena can be used to block his attacks, however, Gwyn will easily move around them and continue attacking. It is possible for him to keep attacking a pillar that is blocking his path, giving the player a chance to heal, however, he may simply go around it.

While possible, it may be dangerous to try and attempt a parry on Gwyn since failure can result in death or low health.

Summoning Solaire or other players can help ease the battle, giving a chance to heal or apply buffs. For Solaire, he may be able to land several hits before dying. By using the Black Knight Halberd or a spear type weapon you can hit Gwyn through the pillars and take little damage from his attacks.

History
At the dawn of the Age of Fire, Gwyn discovered a Lord Soul along with Gravelord Nito and the Witch of Izalith, and thus became Lord of Sunlight. They allied with Seath the Scaleless and amassed an army, and with their power, challenged the Everlasting Dragons for dominion of the World. His mighty bolts peeled apart their ancient scales and they were ultimately vanquished.

When the flames began to fade, Gwyn left Anor Londo and traveled to the Kiln of the First Flame, to link the First Flame, thus prolonging the Age of Fire. When he left, he divided his power among his children, and granted parts of his Lord Soul to both the Four Kings and Seath.

Gwyn succeeded in linking the fire but was burned in the process, being reduced from the Lord of Sunlight to the Lord of Cinder, although his soul still remained powerful. Gwyn's faithful Silver Knights followed him when he departed to link the Flame, "but they were burned to ashes in newly kindled fire", becoming the Black Knights that now wander Lordran.

It is implied that at least one thousand years have passed when the events of Dark Souls begin. Gwynevere, Princess of Sunlight, Kingseeker Frampt and Darkstalker Kaathe give the Chosen Undead alternating viewpoints of Gwyn. Gwynevere claims that it is the Chosen Undead's duty to succeed Gwyn, stating that their success would "avert further Undead sacrifices" and that without Fire, "all shall be a frigid and frightful Dark" – a perspective that Frampt shares. As Gwynevere is actually an illusion, whether or not they are being entirely truthful is left unresolved.

On the other hand, Kaathe asserts that the Age of Dark – the apparent "age of men" – would naturally follow the Age of Fire, but Gwyn, in dire fear of both the Dark and humans, resisted the course of nature by sacrificing himself to link the Fire. Unlike Frampt, Kaathe believes it is the Chosen Undead's fate to "destroy the fading Lord Gwyn, [...] become the Fourth Lord, [and] usher in an Age of Dark".

When the Chosen Undead fights Gwyn in the Kiln of the First Flame, Gwyn appears to be Hollow (evident by his haggard appearance, charred skin, and missing eyes).

Army
Much of Gwyn's army of Silver Knights accompanied him to Link the Fire. When the flame was kindled it transformed those present into Black Knights, the disembodied spirits that roam Lordran. The remaining Silver Knights guard Anor Londo.

He formed the Four Knights of Gwyn: Dragonslayer Ornstein, the believed captain of the guard; Hawkeye Gough, commander of the Dragonslayers; Lord's Blade Ciaran, the assassin; and the legendary Knight, Artorias the Abysswalker.

Gwyn's friend, Havel the Rock, was a general over his own warriors, which were presumably part of Gwyn's army. Friend-wise, Kaathe states that Frampt "lost his sense" and befriended Gwyn.

Family
Gwyn is the nephew of Allfather Lloyd and father of Dark Sun Gwyndolin (whom he raised as a daughter due to Gwyndolin's affinity to the moon) and Gwynevere, Princess of Sunlight. He also had another, unknown son, who was a god of war and inherited the sunlight as his firstborn, but acted foolishly and was promptly stripped of his deific status.

Dark Souls II
Although not explicitly stated, it is implied that the events of Dark Souls II take place centuries or millennia later – more than enough time for several kingdoms to rise and fall in the time between. It is also implied the Chosen Undead linked the Fire following Gwyn's death, as the cycle of Undeath still exists. At this point, Gwyn has long been forgotten – only recalled as the God of Sun – and his only legacies are four of his surviving miracles: Lightning Spear, Great Lightning Spear, Sunlight Spear, and Blinding Bolt. The Sunlight Spear is stated to be "one of the ancient original miracles, said to have existed from the infancy of the very world", but its relation to Gwyn is not mentioned, further reinforcing him being past recollection. Furthermore, the Blinding Bolt miracle was said to be created and then later forbidden by him.

Sweet Shalquoir, when speaking about the Old Iron King, compares him to "a vainglorious liar who ended up hurling himself into the flames" and that he later became Ichorous Earth; "Ichorous Earth" is another name for the Old Iron King. She is likely referring to Gwyn. Moreover, in New Game Plus (or by using a Bonfire Ascetic), defeating the Old Iron King also yields the Old King Soul, described as a "once magnificent soul" that can be given to Straid of Olaphis for the Blinding Bolt miracle that Gwyn once wielded, thereby emphasizing the connection between the Old Iron King / Ichorous Earth and the remnants of Gwyn's mighty soul.

Dashing Thrust
Used by Gwyn while he's dashing. Although it is one of his linear attacks, it is possible he may switch to a slashing combo midway. It is also one of his best attacks in terms of tracking the player.

Quad-Slash Combo
Gwyn performs this attack in quick succession and solid tracking. It begins with an angled slash, then a horziontal one, another angled and finally a horizontal slash once more. The angled attacks can be sidestepped if the player moves early enough.

Kick
Rarely used, however, it causes a large drain of stamina if it connects while blocking.

Slash and Thrust
Occasionally Gwyn will interrupt his normal slash combo with a quick thrust afterwards. If it hits, the player will be stunned, leaving them open for further combos.

Slashing Upper Combo
Starts with a powerful horizontal slash, which takes a large portion of stamina, followed by two more hits. The first two slashes can be difficult to evade.

Charging Slash
A powerful slash used by Gwyn to break the player's guard.

Instant Dash/Double Slash
A very fast attack, which comes out of Gwyn's instant dash when he glides towards the player before slashing twice.

Explosive Hand
An unblockable grab attack that deals massive fire damage. It has a high horizontal hitbox, so it is possible to roll under it to avoid it. After knocking the player away, Gwyn will follow up with a jumping slash or dashing slash. It also leaves Gwyn open to attacks for a short time.

Drops
Gwyn's armor, the Great Lord Set, can be purchased from Domhnall of Zena during the next playthrough.