Yhorm the Giant is a boss in Dark Souls III and one of the five Lords of Cinder encountered by the Ashen One in Dark Souls III.
In-Game Description
- Yhorm is the descendant of an ancient conqueror, but was asked by the very people once subjugated to lead them, serving as both a weighty blade and a stone-hard shield.
Description[]
Yhorm is a hulking giant, comparable in size to the Iron Golem from Dark Souls or the Giant Lord from Dark Souls II.
He is armed with an enormous machete, his eyes glow red and his face appears skeletal. Similar to other Lords of Cinder, his body and armor is covered in several burning scars and cuts.
Location[]
Found at the end of the Profaned Capital, in a large throne room located between two treasury rooms guarded by Jailer Handmaids, Mimics, and Gargoyles.
Lore[]
Long ago the grand giant Yhorm, the descendant of an ancient conqueror, was asked to lead the people once subjugated, serving as both their blade and shield.[1] When there were those who doubted him, he gave them a giant-slaying sword, to show his trustworthiness. He risked everything for his people in the frontlines, fighting valiantly as a one-man vanguard.[2] It is stated that he lost someone dear to him and, as a result, he forsook his greatshield.[3] Afterwards, he notched his machete to allow for two hand use, giving him an even more ferocious fighting style.[2] At some point, "lonely" Yhorm befriended Siegward of Catarina, who became a dear friend of his[4].
Due to a curse triggered by the four female relatives of an unknown oracle, which also turned them into careless greedy creatures, the Profaned Flame, a flame that never goes out, formed.[5] Yhorm became a Lord of Cinder to put the Profaned Flame to rest, even as they spoke insincerely of his role[6][7] However, after he became a Lord of Cinder, this hellish flame fell out of the sky and destroyed the city, yet consuming naught but human flesh, incinerating the human inhabitants.[7] The flame, despite deriving from Dark and the Abyss,[8] actively sought to harm humanity.
Before burning in the First Flame, he gave his other Storm Ruler to Siegward, who promised to end Yhorm's suffering if he ever returned to life.[4][9].
Theories[]
- It is possible to theorize that the "great conqueror" from whom Yhorm descends is High Lord Wolnir, as the only character in the lore of Dark Souls III addressed as a great conqueror[10]. In addition, Yhorm's immense size could be explained by his descent from Wolnir, also a gigantic humanoid[11]. Again, the Catacombs of Carthus and the Profaned Capital, despite the convergence of the lands towards Lothric, are both underground and close together, implying that Wolnir had also conquered the Profaned Capital and that when Wolnir was overwhelmed by the Abyss[12], only his son remained as potential heir who could reign over the conquered city.
- It is possible to theorize that Yhorm refused to serve as fuel for the First Flame a second time due to the fact that, once awakened from his grave, he realized that his sacrifice had been futile. The sorcerers of the Profaned Capital had continued to experiment on the Profaned Flame he had tried to quell with his sacrifice and as a result the entire city was destroyed, making his life of service meaningless even after the end. The moment he rises from the grave, he can be seen already howling in despair[13]. In addition, he may also have simply understood the state of the world, now corrupted beyond any possibility of traditional salvation through the linking of the Fire, and simply decided to await death in the ruins of his city.
- It is possible to theorize that the event in which the Profaned Flame went out of control, destroying the Profaned Capital, was the result of a Court Sorcerer's ritual gone awry. In fact, these sorcerers did not care about their creations even when they were as dangerous as the dark flame and continued to live as if nothing had happened and they were driven by an unethical and unruly pursuit of knowledge[14]. In addition the only survivors of the complete destruction of the city are a noble court sorcerer and the handmaids, probably in the noble's service[15], thus implying someone had somehow managed to avoid being devoured by the flame. Furthermore, the detail of the Profaned Flame "falling" from the sky and devouring only human beings implies the fact of an unnatural event in which the flame was not in its previous controlled conditions but was activated toward human targets[16].
Strategy[]
Yhorm's attacks are, for the most part, not difficult to evade; however, most weapons, even if heavily reinforced, will not deal a significant amount of damage to him. The key to defeat him lies beside his throne, a greatsword known as the Storm Ruler. The sword weighs eight units, so that should be taken into consideration by the player before entering the boss arena.
By activating the Storm Ruler's skill, "Storm King", the player will slam the sword into the ground, unleashing a furious storm which will deal a huge amount of ranged damage to Yhorm. In order to use the skill, the player must first hold the stance for a few seconds, at which point the wind around the blade intensifies.
If the player has ended Siegward's questline, he will enter the battle with his very own Storm Ruler, which was given to him by Yhorm himself, making the fight much easier.
The player may opt to enter the battle arena and go directly for the Storm Ruler. Once acquired, they may exit the game and continue. The player will appear outside the fog door once more. There, they may charge the sword and make proper preparations before the fight.
An alternative strategy is to use a long reach weapon, such as the Greatsword, and target Yhorm's arms and head as they take about double and triple the damage of his legs, respectively. Eventually Yhorm will be staggered and can be riposted for massive damage that is on par with the Storm Ruler's skill.
Drops[]
| Item |  Soul of Yhorm the Giant |
 Cinders of a Lord |
| Drop Rate | Guaranteed | Guaranteed |
Achievements/Trophies[]
Notes[]
- Just charging the Storm Ruler's blade is not sufficient to deal damage to Yhorm. The player needs to actually unleash the weapon's skill on him (see this page for details).
- Trying to use the Storm Ruler's skill without fully charging it, which takes about five seconds, will result in a standard greatsword's stance attack.
- These attacks deal no extra damage and do not bring Yhorm to his knees. Thus, one needs to be careful not to attack prematurely, as it may result in an untimely death.
- Has multiple targeting points:
- Legs take heavily reduced damage;
- Torso and arms takes normal damage;
- Head takes extra damage;
- With enough hits to the head, he can be staggered for several seconds. That allows to deal massive damage to Yhorm and perform a riposte dealing significant damage.
Trivia[]
- Yhorm, normally spelled Jorm, is an Old Norse word meaning "huge". It appears in the name of the Norse world-serpent Jormungandr, literally "huge monster". The spelling Yhorm may help with pronunciation, as the letter J is usually pronounced in Old Norse as a Y.
- His appearance seems unique to giants. For one he is the only living giant with facial features, consisting of two bright red eyes and an angular jawline. His proportions are very similar to human proportions, unlike most giants in the games, and he appears to be taller than the giants of Anor Londo.
- A player version of Yhorm's armor set exists in the game files, but it is not available to the player under normal circumstances.[17]
- Despite being one of the easiest bosses to beat, Yhorm has the highest HP of any boss in Dark Souls III (including Darkeater Midir, Sister Friede, and The Demon Prince).
Gallery[]
Videos[]
Music[]
References[]
- ↑ Soul of Yhorm the Giant description.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Yhorm's Great Machete description.
- ↑ Yhorm's Greatshield description.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Storm Ruler description.
- ↑ Eleonora description
- ↑ Cinders of a Lord description.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Profaned Flame behavior and description
- ↑ Based on the statement of Blacksmith Andre when viewing The Profaned Coal, and the coal's lore and function itself.
- ↑ Siegward of Catarina dialogue.
- ↑ Carthus Milkring description.
- ↑ https://darksouls.fandom.com/wiki/File:Wolnir_(2).jpg
- ↑ Wolnir's Holy Sword description.
- ↑ Opening (Dark Souls III).
- ↑ Eleonora and Logan's Scroll description
- ↑ Jailer Set description.
- ↑ Profaned Flame description.
- ↑ Yhorm's armor set