Was he a fitting final boss for the Souls series?

>>382150449
Yes, but the lore and buildup were mediocre as hell.

>Literally Guts
yes

The only attack of his I even remember was him shooting discs from his crossbow and calling them back a few seconds later.

He was

The "buildup" went over many people's heads as it wasn't really obvious, but otherwise it's a good "final boss"

>final boss of the series was a piece of undead cannon fodder who just kept surviving battles he shouldn't and/not giving up until he became one of the most powerful entities in the series

I thought it was pretty perfect. Gael's circumstances echoed the player characters throughout the series.

i thoroughly enjoyed him.

he was set up as a final boss from the moment we saw him on the fire fades edition cover. realistically, it went something like, "What? What's the dude from the first DLC doing on the main cover of the rerelease? What could he possibly do that's important enough to warrant the front page?"

from that point on, he was built up all throughout the final DLC, and his introductory cutscene is hype af

>>382150449
Fucking patches would have been a more fitting final boss

>>382152490
I don't think it really went over anyone's head, it's just underwhelming. AoA sets up him and the painter with her wanting to paint a new world and him searching for "the Dark Soul" as pigment, TRC has the Dark Souls. Thus you find him there getting the Dark Soul, you kill him, give her the blood, happy ending.

It's actually ridiculously straightforward for Souls lore

>>382152960
t h i s
I would prefer more interesting fights (what happened to unique bosses from Demons Souls) but he was ok
His lore was 10/10

Yes since essentially it's a fight against a nearly full power Dark Soul used by a veteran fighter

>>382152960
Add to this his selfless goal of trying to give birth to a new world

>>382155226
>what happened to the unique bosses from Demon's Souls

they got straight up copied into DS3. Ancient Wyvern is Dragon God, Halflight Spear of the Church is Old Monk, Yhorm is Storm King, etc. Plus you've got fights like Twin Princes and Deacons of the Deep with their own unique twists

>>382150449
Yes.

>>382150449
Needed moar loar. But it was a great fight.

Midir seemed like the more accurate end to the series.

>uses a shitty greatsword so much it breaks and gets soaked in blood of dark soul
>it makes his greatsword one of the best in its weapon type

>>382156650
It's actually the Executioner's Greatsword model but broken.

>>382156608
Midir was a rather sad battle on many levels. A direct descendant of Archdragons, yet serves the Gods to a point of continuing his duty even when you invade TRC. Still conscious, yet needs to be put down because soon he can go mad from abyssal taint. On top of that you can summon his friend to kill him.

As far as lore goes, probably the coolest dragon.

>>382156838
Ah, I mean, come on now. He's no Kalameet. A solid second place, though.

>>382157047
Kalameet had next to no lore and Shin Godzilla's Atomic Breath > Evil Eye.

>>382157047

Was there a lot of lore for Kalameet? It's been a while since I played DS1 but I can't remember a whole lot concerning him other than "even Anor Londo won't fuck with him"

File: tumblr_oqv9hwqOL41s2xj7oo3_1280.png (873KB, 1280x1312px) Image search: [Google]

873KB, 1280x1312px

tis good

I just started playing Dark Souls 1. What the fuck does "lore" mean?

>>382150449
Yes he was. People got to speculative of what they wanted in the DLC and once again Fromsoft BTFOed lorefags

>>382157195
KALAMEET WAS THE BADDEST OF BADASSES AND EVEN ANOR LONDOR WOULDN'T FUCK WITH HIM

Then he was tainted by the abyss and he was even more of a danger. He was built up as something nigh on unkillable, so it was quite the thing to encounter. Midir was just a case of putting down a poor brainwashed, corrupted dragon that you knocked into a pit.

>>382150449
Yes, but it requires a bit of intellectual depth to understand his motivations, the build-up to his fight, and his role in the greater Dark Souls meta-story.

Gaels story is pretty good and he's sort of like an alternative Soulsborne protagonist who's just as resilient and determined, yet knowingly does so despite it being the guaranteed end of him. You and him outlast literally everyone and basically the age of fire itself so the final battle of it all is just between two accursed literally whos rather than the cliche Primordial Serpent or god route, and both of you basically have the same goal since he led you there in hopes of you killing him and taking his blood to the painter girl.

>>382157732
I do like the whole series ending on a fight between two wandering undead warriors, especially as a contrast to the final battle in DS1 against a burnt out Gwyn. But it could have benefited from either expanding his role in TRC post-dreg heap, or making the ashen wasteland an actual area. Even if it's sparsely populated, a few bits of lore there given context to the time jump would have done something to up the stakes. As it is you're still too confused by everything to take any of it in and all of a sudden boom final boss time.

>>382157682
>that you knocked into a pit
To be fair Ashen One at that point is way stronger than CU given that he handles a nearly complete Dark Soul wielder later while CU's crown achievement is pygmy lord at best.

>>382157568
>What the fuck does "lore" mean?

shit man, if only there was some way you could use the power of the internet to learn the definition of words that you learn in high school. Also, get the fuck out of these threads.

File: SoulOfCinder.jpg (1014KB, 1200x1575px) Image search: [Google]

1014KB, 1200x1575px

>>382150449
That's not the final boss

>>382157568
In the context of a videogame or other works of fiction it generally means background of the setting, worldbuilding, etc. Since the Souls games don't really have much of a plot to speak of most of the story comes in the form of bits and pieces of history told through item descriptions or cryptic NPC dialogue, which is generally referred to as the "lore".

>>382158713
SoC is important but Gael gives a chance for a completely different world to be born and thrive.

>>382158713
>can't access TRC until just before the final fight of DS3
>dreg heap establishes that the lords have already been placed on their thrones and everything has gone into fucked up mode
>Friedge and Vinhelm has extra bits of dialogue if the player completed the Usurp the Flame ending

For all intents and purposes TRC is pretty strongly implied to take place after the main game

>>382159015
Friede and Vilhelm have special dialogue if you've """married""" Anri, which is required for that ending
post-game isn't canon

>3 phases

Yes, he was incredibly mediocre and boring, from his moveset to his design and lore. A perfect ending to the Dark Souls subseries.

>>382161045
Why is this seen as bad?
It's not like he gets 3 health bars.

It shows progression and it feels like you're actually involved in the fight.

No, the whole gaol/dragon cunt shit was fucking stupid no one cares about them

File: 9c79cb_2281709.jpg (89KB, 1021x1027px) Image search: [Google]

89KB, 1021x1027px

>>382150449
Yes this boss has to be the greatest of all time.
his constant bouncing around in the dirt for 20 minutes has outwitted all bossfights in the entire franchise.

File: sister_friede.jpg (65KB, 640x360px) Image search: [Google]

65KB, 640x360px

>>382161337
>3 health bars

>>382150449

>literally a Guts clone from a game that ripped of Berserk

Seems about right

File: 1497602108447.png (59KB, 252x221px) Image search: [Google]

59KB, 252x221px

>>382161586
Not even gonna beat the game for a 3rd time because of that.

>>382161586
>Frostbite

Annoying cunt

>>382161586
not even the same DLC, Asses of Ariandel was not worth $15
Ringed City however was great

File: 1493703725665.png (2MB, 1837x1189px) Image search: [Google]

2MB, 1837x1189px

>>382150449
Yes, both mechanically and thematically. I also enjoyed how casuals were like LOL WHO IS THIS GUY AGAIN when he was all over the DLC guiding you to that point.

It would have been better had they integrated Gael into the main game better but eh, pretty fantastic DLC narrative imo. It just lacked a satisfying conclusion by giving painter loli the blood.

>>382152214
nobody cares about your shitty sunday cartoons

>>382161337
But he literally has three bars worth of health pools you moronic fuck. just because the line doesn't go back to full doesn't mean you're not fighting three different bosses with three different bosses worth of health.

How retarded can you get? Are you one of those morons that sees a price like 7.99 and goes "Wow! Its less than 8!!!"

>>382159015
What are you talking about? You can get into TRC after beating Friede. You can literally fight Gael before any of the Lords of Cinder. And thank God for that because the early game needed more variety.

>>382162203
>a new phase is a new health bar
ok champ
next you'll tell me that when the sun is covered by a cloud and the cloud goes away it's the start of a new day

>>382162203
>three different bosses
Slave Knight Gael, Slave Knight Gael, and Slave Knight Gael?

>>382155960
If they're copied then they're not unique mate

>>382162203
How much health is "one bar" worth?

>>382154669
I think there's an underlying parallel that has gone unnoticed to an extent. The keepers of the dark soul are tantamount to firekeepers of the entire world. In DaS, you can kill a firekeeper to feed it to another, or even steal a firekeepers soul (a la Lautrec) only to return it to the same body later. The Dark Soul is the firekeeper's soul of the world, so to speak, and Gael plays the new lautrec by killing and stealing the Dark Soul for his own purposes. Instead of returning the Dark Soul to the pilgrims, you finish the job for Gael by returning the dark soul to the painting lady, who will use it to paint a new world. You show her flame (bonfire) and give her a soul, allowing her to be the creator/firekeeper of a new world.

Lautrec was right all along

File: DARK SOULS™ III_20170424225858.webm (3MB, 1280x720px) Image search: [Google]

3MB, 1280x720px

>>382155960
I was so fucking happy with the variety of bosses in TRC. We got a fantastic demon boss (for fucking once, an actual rarity in the series) that could have been a fucking disaster since its a gank boss, but it actually is a blast both for single and coop play. We've got a great new Old Monk expy with its own covenant. We've got one of the best dragon fights in the series. And we've got an excellent one on one with a knight.

Its the second best DLC behind TOH, imo. The only thing that could compare would be AotA.

>>382150449
Yes he was a literal who nobody, just like you.

>>382156762
Which is fine since the description is basically "broken Executioner's Greatsword."

>>382162869
Boss wise I agree, but I felt that the actual areas in TRC were a tad weak. Dreg Heap is fun but relies on the gimmick of pushing you forward with constant threats, and after you take out the angels the Earthen Peak area is kinda dull. TRC itself is just kind of a random mishmash of corridors and a flat swamp

>>382162869
That covenant is pretty bad. The person usually just gets summoned into gank squads and the rewards are useless outside that fight.

>>382161586
I would rather fight Midir with a whip than this bitch again. What an awful boss.

>>382150449
Well he is an overhyped generic fight with people praising the lore as astounding so yes, the perfect embodiment of dark souls

>>382163161
Eh, I thought the areas for AotA were kinda weak too. Royal Wood is garbage, and the Abyss, while stressful, isn't really that cool for actual exploration. Township is 10/10 but a bit small.

Frankly I liked the level design in TRC aside from that stupid staircase with all the Harald Knights.

The DLC with the best level design was AoA, in that it had a great amount of variety (the wide snowfield coupled with the winding Corvian Settlement, for example), with lots of memorable moments. Short but sweet.

File: painter.jpg (979KB, 1500x2122px) Image search: [Google]

979KB, 1500x2122px

>>382150449
Gael himself was fantastic and he was actually foreshadowed in both TRC and previous DLC, but the actual ending to the DLC plot was so damn lackluster and I think that's the main issue people have with it.
>"Here mysterious unkillable Painter loli who is very important plot NPC, I've brought you the most sought after item in the entire world, the titular Dark Soul™."
>"Thanks!"
>the end?
It's not even a case of previous lore question left unsolved, it's the DLCs not having the decency of even finishing their own fucking plot. Even if it wasn't a new area or additional boss fight, since they foreshadowed the painting as a "cold, dark and gentle place that will make a goodly home for someone" I was expecting you to actually enter it at some point. Maybe small additional alternate ending with the player character saying "fuck Dark Souls, fuck the Age of Fire, fuck everything, I'm going to live in this motherfucking painting". Something small that wraps up the series, not another unsolved plot thread.

>>382163474
Personally I think TOH excels in pretty much all aspects (Lore, area design, bosses, equipment, etc.), but I do agree that AoA was great. I only played it recently but I was really confused why people seemed so down on it at launch, the areas are varied yet coherent in design and Friede is a top tier Souls boss fight.

>>382150449
He didn't feel like the final boss of the DLC.

After I beat him I combed the desert looking for the next area because I was convinced there would be one and then I looked up the wiki to be sure there was really nothing else.

Why the fuck would they put that tower off in the distance beyond the Gael Bonfire? It intuitively looks like the next place you should go to.

File: 62249773_p45_master1200.jpg (134KB, 845x1200px) Image search: [Google]

134KB, 845x1200px

>>382163898

https://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=62249773

>tfw some porn artist does a better job of giving a satisfying ending than the actual DLC

>>382150449
Yeah the Soul of Cinder was cool op

>>382152490
>dark souls
>lore
pick one

>>382150552
This. Great boss fight and an interesting character but there was zero hype.

>>382150552
>but the lore and buildup were mediocre as hell.
I don't know what you mean by the lore, but yeah. There was no build up to the fight at all.
What they should have done was make Gael a character you encountered throughout the base game like Solarie, Anri, etc.

>>382164039
Its kind of a ripoff for $15. I love the content but I can understand the gripes people have.

For $25 packaged with TRC? Its a fucking steal.

File: shira_npc.jpg (12KB, 300x169px) Image search: [Google]

12KB, 300x169px

>>382150449
>Gael
>Final boss of Dark Souls
>implying

Never would I ever...forgive thy lowly kind.

>>382164039
Hell, I liked AoA because it had some rather interesting lore.
I didn't know what the Deep was exactly until AoA and then it kind of suddenly dawned on me.

>>382159015
Putting an access point to the Ringed City after the Soul of Cinder was just a mostly failsafe for people who didn't buy Ashes of Ariandel, maybe to a lesser extent people who couldn't take the three phases of Friede rape. Beating Ariandel first then moving on from there is the main way it was intended.

>>382164429
That was cute. Thanks anon.

>>382165384
You're very welcome. Personally I was sad that there was no way to name the painting after Gael. Dude gave his life and dedicated his existence towards finding a way to help create a new world.

File: 1492297781503.jpg (551KB, 1920x1080px) Image search: [Google]

551KB, 1920x1080px

>>382157343
>tumblr

>>382159015
Maybe after the new world is painted, this one just goes on dying even if there is happiness somewhere else.

File: 1491582165642.png (430KB, 650x665px) Image search: [Google]

430KB, 650x665px

>>382165968
Tumblr has some good art, anon, its not all SJW nonsense.

>>382163474
Ariandel reminded me of a Demon's Souls world, the expansive field like the swamp at the start mostly.

>>382161337
His hp about 15k to the combined almost 19k of all three phases of Friede. Given that phase 1 and 2 of Friede are much easier than any of Gael's phases it's not that big a difference in the long run. For comparison Big Wolfie and his buddy are about 7k together, the Demon twins are 7k each PLUS the Demon Prince who i can't find a source on his health(some say he's also 7k but i don't know if i trust that), Halflight is 3.3k, Midir is about 16k, Soul of Cinder about 10.k and Nameless plus his bird are a little less than 11k combined. Now, each of them have differing defense stats so the comparisons aren't perfect, but the point is that she's not absurdly lengthy compared to other bosses, and the Demon Prince fight almost certainly has you having to cut through more health than Friede.

>>382165016
I didn't pick up on anything AoA explored about the nature of the deep, can you elaborate?

>>382164834
very smol shira

File: giphy.gif (1MB, 250x292px) Image search: [Google]

1MB, 250x292px

>>382152490
>The "buildup" went over many people's heads
>putting final boss in quotes as if it's too pedestrian for you to say normally
my sides

>>382150449
Should have been Oscar

>>382166779
Well to be fair he isn't really a final boss. He's a boss in the last DLC.

>>382166903
>it should have been MORE Dark Souls 1 references
Fuck off, instead we got a fresh character who was unique and memorable. Anri already played the Oscar role.

>>382153074
>hype af

You type like a nigger, back to plebbit

>>382166617
Addendum: Yhorm has over 28k hp making him by a huge margin the bulkiest the boss if you don't use the Storm Ruler.

>>382162869
>expy

Fuck off back to TVTropes

>>382166679
Everytime an undead 'dies', they leave behind their humanity, which sinks to the lowest depths possible. Over a countless number of centuries, this humanity has accumulated and form a swirling mass of darkness, a Sea of Humanity if you will.

In AoA, the Painting is starting to rot and decay. Those flies you encounter are evidence of this.
Now, what do the Deep and the Rot of AoA have in common?

File: Butcher-Knife[1].png (74KB, 512x512px) Image search: [Google]

74KB, 512x512px

>>382167180
>Yhorm has over 28k hp making him by a huge margin the bulkiest the boss if you don't use the Storm Ruler.
I had played DeS so I instantly recognized Storm Ruler, but didn't realize you could fully charge its weapon art so I just dismissed it as shit unless you spent precious upgrade materials on it, so I beat him the old-fashioned way with pic related. I felt mighty stupid afterwards when my friend told me the proper way to beat Yhorm.

You can actually deal enough knockback to Yhorm in order to make him stumble and then perform grab riposte for rather respectable amount of damage. He also has second fire based form around 50%ish HP IIRC like other Lords of Cinder and his melee attacks create small fire based AoE with lower damage around the area he hits.