Board Thread:Dark Souls III/@comment-4511886-20160824155514

Hello wikians!

A trailer for Dark Souls III: Ashes of Ariandel was released mere hours ago. This is the first DLC for Dark Souls III, and I'm sure quite a few of you are excited, or at the very least interested, about this first look into what the game will have to offer in the future.

So, on to my thoughts; I'll be doing this based on timestamps in the trailer. Of course, it's all speculation, and I'm not going to make any absolute conclusions. Just spitballing some of my thoughts.

0:30 - I do not recognise the voice that starts speaking at this point. However, from the his dialogue, it appears that he may be something akin to the Firekeeper or maybe a lesser character with a similar role, such as Darkdiver Grandahl from Dark Souls II. It's also fully possible that he's a companion in some form, much like how Oscar was originally intended to be in the original Dark Souls.

0:48 - This cut shows a character that appears to be in the "Curl Up" pose. They are also wearing what appears to be a new armor set, that is quite nice-looking. Judging by a later scene, it appears as if they are not the Ashen One, but rather an NPC that provides some kind of assistance to the Ashen One.

1:13 - This seems to be where the gameplay aspect starts poking its head out. Wolves and something very similar to the Painted World. Notably, a similar scene was set up within the Dragon Aerie in some Dark Souls II trailers. The architecture also matches Anor Londo quite well, so it's likely connected to the Lords in some way.

1:21 - A sewer filled with giant fly creatures. Notably, the references to the Painted World continues, as a similar sewer-like area was also present in that area. If I'm not mistaken, there were also plenty of dead bodies present in said sewer, much like the one showed in the trailer. A bit far-fetched, perhaps, but keep it in mind nonetheless.

1:25 - There's a moose-man with a giant axe. Honestly, this feels like one of the weaker points of the trailer. Just feels like a case of yet another generic humanoid with a giant weapon, but who knows? From what I can gather, this looks like a mini-boss or strong respawning enemy, as the initial reveal shows a relatively large change in area, with no fog gates being present in any of the clips.

1:31 - Spells, and lots of them. Seems like a dark weapon buff, cast on what appears to be a new Greatsword, a boomerang-style miracle, a new Curved Greatsword, Fire Whip that somehow makes use of the torch and finally some form of low-power crystal (ice?) stream. Personally, I'm quite hyped about the miracle, as well as the torch getting some new uses.

1:42 - This is my source for saying that the person at the 0:48 mark is not the Ashen One, for the obvious reason that someone wearing the Knight Set, which has already been used extensively by the Ashen One in trailers, including this one, takes a small cloth or parchment from the curled up person. As for the cloth itself, perhaps we'll be getting a new covenant? Could also be some generic key item, or even a new talisman. Additionally, the "ashes have come" likely refers to the Ashen One, so I think there's some kind of sacrifical ritual or something similar going on here, especially considering the next two points.

1:55 - I'm calling it right now, that's the Lordvessel. Also, this scene makes me think the DLC will be a end/post-game DLC, as the Lordvessel seems to be filled with some red-hot liquid. Perhaps the power of the Lords of Cinder? Also, the blood flowing towards the Lordvessel would go hand-in-hand with a sacrificial ritual.

2:00 - The trailer takes an odd turn here, as it just shows late/end-game bosses being fought. Notably, each fight shows the Ashen One being injured, which likely has a connection with the whole sacrifice business.

2:09 - It appears as if Cornyx, or perhaps a new pyromancer, will play some kind of role in the DLC, as that is almost certainly a cutscene being shown. There's also a close-up of the creature, which is almost guaranteed to be one of the bosses of the DLC, that we've seen two times already in this trailer. Black feathers, likely from crows, and a skull-like face. A reference to Velka, perhaps? This would be yet another, loose, connection to the Painted World, as many references to Velka was found there.

That about wraps it up. So what are your thoughts from watching the trailer? Do you agree or disagree with my thoughts, or perhaps you think I missed something? As always, feel free to share whatever's on your mind! -Matsczon 