Talk:Undead/@comment-4032497-20190925005414/@comment-4511886-20190925084005

"And amongst the living are seen, carriers of the accursed Darksign." -Dark Souls intro cinematic

You don't have to die to become undead. However, my (purely speculative) theory is that there's no reason to brand someone as an undead until they actually die, as I doubt anyone would become hollow before even dying normally.