In-Game Description
- Lord Wolnir of Carthus sentenced countless souls to gruesome deaths, keen to outlive them all.[1]
High Lord Wolnir (Japanese: 覇王ウォルニール, Hepburn: Haō U~orunīru, lit. 'Conqueror King Wolnir') is a character and a boss in Dark Souls III.
Location[]
At the end of the Catacombs of Carthus, the player will come upon a grim chalice. Interacting with it will send the player to the Abyss to face Wolnir.
Description[]
High Lord Wolnir is a colossal skeleton adorned with jewelry and a few shreds of clothing. Only his upper body remains, so he will be crawling throughout the fight.
Lore[]
The Crown of Wolnir, the Conqueror.
Wolnir is a giant humanoid who once ruled the realm of Carthus of the Sands. Carthus was a desert kingdom[2] where pyromancers developed their knowledge in isolation from other forms, thus evolving differently,[3] and their warriors developed incredible sword techniques, said to move as weightlessly as a grain of sand.[2] They greatly prized victory, and didn't shun the use of twisted pyromancies for degrading their enemies' weapons and improving their own.[4]
The warriors of Carthus swore their lives to Wolnir, growing ever ruthless and bloody in his name.[2][5] Under Wolnir's rule, the kingdom of Carthus grew aggressive and expansionist, to the point where it was likened to uncontrollable fire, its beacons being used as war signals.[6] His conquests were spearheaded by his warriors with superior combat skills and combat pyromancies.[2][7] Wolnir soon subjugated the kingdoms around Carthus, melding the various "crowns" that ruled different lands into a single one, thus ascending to "High Lord".[8] At some point Wolnir stripped three armlets and a holy sword from the corpses of some clerics, demonstrating how religion and gods counted for nothing in his kingdom.[9][10]
Consumed by power, Wolnir wished to outlive every other being in the world and sentenced his entire empire to death, slaughtering civilians and soldiers alike.[11][12] The Catacombs of Carthus, an immense underground necropolis, were built to inter the bones of countless people and soldiers.[12] High Lord Wolnir would then use necromancy to reanimate himself and control a skeleton army and empire, wishing to remain the last being.[11][12][13] Following this, the Abyss would break out in the Catacombs of Carthus and Wolnir would fall into it. Experiencing the terror of true darkness, Wolnir would plead to the gods for the first time, and his holy sword along with his stolen sacred bracelets would come to comfort him.[9] They prevented him from being wholly swallowed by the Abyss, which was barely contained in a magical artifact.[9][13]
After falling into the Abyss, Wolnir discovered a form of pyromancy that used the darkness of humanity; these pyromancies seemed to seek a will of their own, a result of interacting with humanity.[14] The pyromancers that had become the guardians of the catacombs[15] would discover Wolnir's dark flame, born from the Abyss and shadowless, and employed it for their own usage.[16]
Strategy[]
The key to beating Wolnir is to destroy his bracelets, one on his right hand and two on his left. By breaking all three bracelets, Wolnir will descend into the Abyss and die. The boss is surrounded by a black fog which rapidly drains the player's health, making it hazardous to move past Wolnir's arms or body. Occasionally, Wolnir exhales a blast of this fog which covers a large area in front of him, which will likely kill any player who does not quickly get out of range. The fog deals high amounts of dark damage and no real amount of resistance will be particularly effective. Extremely high amounts of resistance against this effect can only buy about 3 seconds (confirmed) of life in the fog. But most attempts left the character with around 10% of their health remaining.
Destroying the bracelet on his right arm may prove more difficult for melee attacks, as it is more often in the fog. Using bows is a good alternative to destroy Wolnir's bracelets, especially the one on his right hand, as the player can remain at a considerably safe distance. The damage done to his health bar will be minimal. However, destroying the bracelets will only take a handful of successful hits.
Wolnir attacks mainly with fist swipes. These attacks are well-telegraphed and can even be blocked with a strong enough shield. After destroying one of the bracelets, he may summon his sword which greatly increases his attack range. It's possible to prevent this by destroying a bracelet whilst he is mid-summon. Occasionally, he will call forth Skeletons, Skeleton Wheels, and even Skeleton Swordsmen to aid him; although, they will often be destroyed by his attacks. The variety of this summoning appears to correspond to how many bracelets he has left.
Upon entering the Abyss, the Grave Warden Pyromancy Tome will be lying ahead to be picked up. If it is picked up, the boss fight will begin immediately. Instead of picking it up, the player can take this opportunity to attack and possibly destroy one of Wolnir's bracelets on his left arm. The tome can be retrieved at any time during or after the fight, or once the player has returned to the chalice room and has reloaded the area.
Although it is not immediately apparent, there is essentially a time limit to this battle. Wolnir constantly climbs up the incline and, even though he will be blocked by a wall, the area left to the player will be minimal, making dodging attacks much more difficult. Destroying a bracelet will cause him to slip back down the incline, giving the player more room.
Drops[]
| Item |  Soul of High Lord Wolnir |
| Drop Rate | Guaranteed |
Notes[]
- Weak against Blessed weaponry.
- Casting Pestilent Mist does not alert Wolnir and thus the boss can be defeated even if his health bar has not yet appeared onscreen, granted the player has enough FP to cast it enough times, and targets the right hand (his left, your right; approaching his right hand - your left - will wake him up). If you don't have the Intelligence required for pestilent mist, the Poison Spores weapon art of the Storyteller's Staff can also work, as Wolnir is resistant to poison, not immune to it. "Attacking" Wolnir in these ways will result in a normal health bar (not a boss one) appearing onscreen, over the hand.
- Wolnir has less health when asleep than when he is awakened.
- Though the Black Serpent pyromancy is derived from his soul, he actually doesn't use it, even though he uses his sword (which can also be obtained from his soul).
Trivia[]
- Wolnir's title uses the kanji "覇王" that can also be translated as "Supreme King" or "Overlord".
- If the player defeats Wolnir without destroying all three bracelets, he will display a different death animation in which he simply disintegrates like most other bosses.
- Unlike that appearing in the first game, Wolnir's Abyss is actually an enormous enclosed stone cave and there is even a back wall.
- A promotional screenshot shows this boss in the Profaned Capital rather than in the Abyss.
Gallery[]
.jpg "Wolnir (2).jpg (117 KB)")
Videos[]
Music[]
References[]
- ↑ Item description of Soul of High Lord Wolnir.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Carthus Bloodring description.
- ↑ Carthus Pyromancy Tome description.
- ↑ Carthus Flame Arc and Acid Surge (Dark Souls III) description.
- ↑ Carthus Rouge description.
- ↑ Carthus Beacon description.
- ↑ Carthus Curved Sword description.
- ↑ Wolnir's Crown description.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Wolnir's Holy Sword description.
- ↑ High Lord Wolnir appearance.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Soul of High Lord Wolnir description.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Skeleton Swordsman (Dark Souls III) appearance and Catacombs of Carthus appearance.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 High Lord Wolnir boss fight and appearance.
- ↑ Black Serpent description.
- ↑ Grave Warden Pyromancy Tome description.
- ↑ Black Flame (Dark Souls III) description.