Aldia, Scholar of the First Sin



Aldia, Scholar of the First Sin is an optional boss as well as a character in Dark Souls II. He's one of the main antagonists of Dark Souls II. He was added in patch 1.10 and is only accessible to players who have installed Compatibility Pack 4.

Overview
The Scholar of the First Sin appears to be a giant, charred human head covered in flames and large branches. The ground around the Scholar will be on fire. There is a single red orb near the center of his body, which is possibly an eye. Several of his attacks deal fire damage, so some form of fire defense is recommended. His head and shoulders are all the Bearer of the Curse views as they rise from the ground, but this could imply that there is a body below it, invisible to the player character.

Lore
Aldia is the elder brother of King Vendrick, and aided his brother in founding the kingdom of Drangleic. He secluded himself to his manor, searching for secrets of life, viewing the Undead as the key to finding it. For his reverence of the Undead, Aldia was shunned by Vendrick, banished to his Keep forever. People who were invited to his manor commonly disappeared and were replaced with malformed beasts. The Southern and Northern Ritual Bands were created by Aldia after cruel, horrible experiments were performed on these people. Many valuable objects came out of Aldia's Keep, including the Sunset Staff, the Spitfire Spear, Soul Geyser, Unleash Magic, and Forbidden Sun.

Through his experiments, Aldia sought to learn the nature of the undead curse, and to shed the yoke of fate. He failed however, and turned into a monstrosity, inhabiting the bonfires. When the Bearer of the Curse has defeated the Four Great Ones and lit the Primal Bonfires he will emerge and guide the Bearer of the Curse towards his brother Vendrick, now a mindless hollow. He continues to appear to the Bearer of the Curse, seeking to learn their intentions and telling them of the nature of the curse and the fabric of their world.

He will finally attack the Bearer of the Curse before they can take the Throne of Want, seeking to test them. When he is defeated, he will ask the Bearer of the Curse what they want; light, dark or something else entirely. If the Bearer of the Curse chooses to reject the throne and leave, he will narrate their departure, saying that beyond the scope of light and the reach of dark, there is nothing. And yet we seek it, insatiably.

Plot
Aldia serves as a lore-centric NPC, alluding to a great deal of things in relation to the lore of Dark Souls II. Upon guiding the player to the final boss, Nashandra, Aldia will appear and turn into a boss.

Location

 * 1) He is first encountered in the final primal bonfire room that remains unlit. If all bonfires have been lit prior to downloading the patch, he will automatically appear in the Black Gulch primal bonfire room, after The Rotten.
 * 2) Upon speaking to the player at the primal bonfire, Aldia will proceed to the first bonfire in the Undead Crypt.
 * 3) After exhausting his dialogue in Undead Crypt, Aldia can be found in Dragon Shrine bonfire room, at a significantly reduced size compared to the first bonfire.
 * 4) Finally, after completing the dialogue in Dragon Shrine, Aldia will appear as a boss in the Throne of Want in Drangleic Castle after killing Nashandra. It is required to kill Vendrick before he appears.

Summoning

 * Vengarl of Forossa and Benhart of Jugo can both be found for summoning directly outside the fog gate.

Attacks
Fire Orbs:

Aldia will fire out four orbs of fire, placing them above his head. After a short time, the orbs will begin homing in on his target. He can cast this multiple times in a row

Forbidden Sun:

Aldia charges a large fireball above his head. While he does this the fire around him will disperses leaving him vulnerable. 

Tree Root Dance:

Aldia slams a root into the ground, causing numerous tree roots to protrude from the ground, moving towards the player rapidly.

Circular Tree Root Dance:

Aldia slams a root into the ground, causing numerous tree roots to come out of the ground around him, not moving towards the player.

Teleport:

Aldia can teleport at any time. Upon finishing a teleport, he emits an area of effect attack immediately.

Combat
The Scholar of the First Sin has many attacks, some of which are his own creations, most notably his Forbidden Sun pyromancy, which he hurls at the player. His attacks revolve around either pure physical trauma or fiery projectiles that have splash damage, so a shield that is highly resistant to physical and Fire damage, such as the Gyrm Greatshield, will help to lessen the trouble of his attacks. Other forms of Fire defense, such as rings, spells or consumables are recommended.

The Fire Orbs have moderate tracking, so rolling may be needed to fully evade. Forbidden Sun can be cast in any direction, even directly behind him. The Fire Orb and Forbidden Sun attacks can be avoided by rolling, strafing around Aldia or running perpendicular to their trajectory.

The withered tree branches he utilizes inflict physical damage only, making them especially prone to blocking with a shield or a seemingly-stable weapon. At a distance, the branches extend out of the ground in a path in front of him, with moderate tracking, making it harder to roll out of the path of the attack if the timing is too early or too late. This is easily noted when one rolls away from the attack, but gets grazed by one of the branches, yet doesn't flinch or stagger upon getting hit.

Throughout the fight, Aldia will surround himself in a fiery aura that makes close contact with him impossible without the risk of death from the flames. This aura also bolsters his own defenses, reducing the damage he receives from any attacks by a significant amount. The fiery aura fades temporarily during the fight, and gives the player a small window to attack up close. Firstly just after he teleports to a new location, and secondly while he is charging up his Forbidden Sun attack.

When Aldia reaches half of his health, he will perform an animation and buff himself up, covering himself with higher and more powerful flames, and keep this form through the rest of the battle. At this point, he'll start combining various of his previous attacks and cast them in succession.

Weaknesses and Resistances
Aldia is moderately weak to Magic damage, and resistant to Fire damage.

Dialogue
With the introduction of Scholar of the First Sin, a great deal of lore-centric dialogue was added to the game, changing much of the preconceived lore. The deformed Aldia is encountered several times by the Bearer of the Curse. His dialogue ranges from benign to going as far as to express outward rage at Gwyn, Lord of Cinder. He is referred to by Aldia as the "Lord of Light". The scholar describes how the old Lord of Sunlight expelled the darkness, and began the cycle of light and dark. This cycle, this curse, forced men to assume a fleeting form, reverting them back to their hollow form. They became less than what they were, and to Aldia, this is the first sin he has taken his name from. He claims that men are mere props, and that no matter how exquisite, a lie will remain a lie. The anger is audible in his voice at this point, an expression of his fury at the commitment of the first sin, the first linking of the flame.

The scholar alludes to the fates of the three kings, whether or not the player has played through The Lost Crowns DLCs. He speaks also of Vengarl of Forossa. When questioning what drives the player, he mentions that "One man lost his own body, but lingers on, as a head.".

Meeting Aldia near one of the Primal Bonfires:


 * No one has come this far, not for a very long while.
 * Young Hollow do you wish to shed this curse?
 * Then accept the fate of your ilk, and face the trials that await you.
 * Unless, you have already joined the crestfallen.


 * Young Hollow, there are but two paths. Inherit the order of this world, or destroy it.
 * But only a true monarch can make such a choice.
 * Very few, indeed, have come even this far.
 * And yet, your journey is far from over.
 * Half-grown Hollow, have you what it takes, truly?


 * Young Hollow, seek after Vendrick.
 * He who almost became a true monarch.
 * Vendrick is certain to guide your way.
 * Fledgeling Hollow, may we meet again.

Meeting Aldia in the Undead Crypt:


 * Heheh, I believe we've been acquainted.
 * Young Hollow, conqueror of fear.
 * What drives you so, to overcome this supposed curse?


 * Life is brilliant. Beautiful. It enchants us, to the point of obsession.
 * Some are true to their purpose, though they are but shells, flesh and mind.
 * One man lost his own body, but lingered on, as a head.
 * Others chase the charms of love, however elusive.
 * What is it that drives you?


 * Once, the Lord of Light banished Dark, and all that stemmed from humanity.
 * And men assumed a fleeting form.
 * These are the roots of our world.
 * Men are props on the stage of life, and no matter how tender, how exquisite...
 * A lie will remain a lie.
 * Young Hollow, knowing this, do you still desire peace?

Answering Yes or No:


 * Vendrick, the near-true monarch, is here, and not far off.
 * But what is a king?
 * You, neither born with greatness, nor granted it by the fates.
 * What is it that you seek?
 * You cannot even say yourself.
 * We shall meet again, young Hollow.

Meeting Aldia in Dragon Shrine:


 * Young Hollow.
 * How you grapple, without falter, with this dreadfully twisted world.


 * Peace grants men the illusion of life.
 * Shackled by falsehoods, they yearn for love, unaware of its grand illusion.
 * Until, the curse touches their flesh.
 * We are bound by this yoke.
 * As true as the Dark that churns within men.


 * All men trust fully the illusion of life.
 * But is this so wrong?
 * A construction, a facade, and yet...
 * A world full of warmth and resplendence.
 * Young Hollow, are you intent on shattering the yoke, spoiling this wonderful falsehood?

Answering Yes or No:


 * I am Aldia.
 * I sought to shed the yoke of fate, but failed.
 * Now, I only await an answer.
 * Seek the throne.
 * Seek light, Dark and what lies beyond...

Meeting Aldia beside The Throne of Want:


 * Many monarchs have come and gone.
 * One drowned in poison, another succumbed to flame.
 * Still another slumbers in a realm of ice.
 * Not one of them stood here, as you do now.
 * You, conqueror of adversities.
 * Give us your answer.

After defeating Aldia:


 * I lost everything, but remained here, patiently.
 * The throne will certainly receive you.
 * But the question remains...
 * What do you want, truly?
 * Light? Dark? Or something else entirely...  ''

Game Ending Narration:


 * There is no path.
 * Beyond the scope of light, beyond the reach of Dark...
 * ...what could possibly await us?
 * And yet, we seek it, insatiably...
 * Such is our fate.

Trivia

 * Aldia shares many traits with King Allant from Demon's Souls. Their voices are very similar, and their appearances are both that of deformed creatures which were once human.
 * If Aldia manifests to the player at the Shrine Entrance bonfire in Dragon Shrine, due to the small area where it's located at, a very tiny version of Aldia will emerge.
 * If a weapon is swung within close vicinity to any of the bonfires he has manifested at, its durability will degrade unusually fast. This goes for all Primal Bonfires as well as the entrance to the Undead Crypt, and Shrine Entrance bonfire in Dragon Shrine.