GAME · 2011 · JAPAN
Dark Souls
- Developer
- FromSoftware
- Publisher
- Namco Bandai Games America Inc., FromSoftware
- Platforms
- PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows
30 archived facts 5 topics 2 sources Last reviewed Nov 2026
30 Interesting Facts About Dark Souls
Interesting Facts (14)
- #001
While online, players can hear the bells of other players in the in-game worlds.
- #002
Dark Souls was initially planned to be called 'Dark Race', but the name was rejected to avoid controversy. 'Dark Ring' was proposed because of the player's connection to the dark mark on their character, but it was also rejected after it was determined that the name is deep English slang. 'Dark Souls' was FROM SOFTWARE's last resort for naming the title, even though, given that the game is the spiritual successor to Demon's Souls, it seemed the most obvious choice from the players' perspective.
- #003
Contains a major spoiler — show
When you reach the Catacombs, or later in the Tomb of Giants, you can meet a certain character known as 'Trusty' Patches. You can find him trying to make you fall from a rotating bridge in the Catacombs or trying to kick you into a chasm in the Tomb of Giants. This character has actually appeared in all the 'Souls' games as well as Bloodborne. His bald head and distrustful attitude have made him one of the most memorable characters of 'Soulsborne'. He was 'Hyena' Patches in Demon's Souls, 'Spider' Patches in Bloodborne and 'Unbreakable' Patches in Dark Souls 3. He did not appear in Dark Souls 2, but there are fan theories that a certain 'Mild-Mannered' Pate is another version of Patches, mainly because of their shared habit of trapping players in deadly situations in order to loot their bodies after death.
- #004
Dark Souls is the spiritual successor to the PlayStation 3-exclusive Demon's Souls, but Dark Souls is multiplatform, released on Xbox 360 and PC as well as PlayStation 3.
- #005
The Cragspider enemy (found in Blighttown) has a truly obscure attack that can be seen by standing behind them for a few seconds.
- #006
The Vagrant enemy is a rare occurrence and can only appear during online play. When another player loses a collection of humanity, it appears randomly in a player's world. Killing a Vagrant rewards the player from a random rare loot pool. Many Vagrant appearances are also hidden, meaning the player may have missed most of them.
- #007
Contains a major spoiler — show
On your first encounter with Scaleless Seath, you can actually leave through the fog gate before he kills you. You still have to die to him as usual to progress, but this means you can later collect your souls.
- #008
There is a Dark Souls(TM): The Board Game (2017) - a combat-focused miniature game for 1-4 players. From tabletop game publisher Steamforged Games, Dark Souls(TM): The Board Game mimics the video game's punishing difficulty level and has sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide. Now (2022) two new core sets for Dark Souls(TM): The Board Game have been released, each visiting iconic locations from the video game: Tomb of Giants and The Painted World of Ariamis.
- #009
The Artorias of the Abyss DLC is free on PC.
- #010
In the boss arenas of the Four Lords, if you do not wear Artorias's Covenant ring, you witness a special death animation in which the abyss swallows you. When you are reborn, the message 'You were taken by the Abyss' appears.
- #011
Dark Souls is the spiritual successor to Demon's Souls, which was exclusive to PlayStation 3; however, it was released on Xbox 360, PC and PlayStation 3, opening it up to multiple platforms.
- #012
The Vagrant enemy is a rare being that appears only in online play. When another player loses humanity, it appears at random in a world. When killed, it drops rare loot, and because most are hidden, players can miss them without noticing.
- #013
In your first encounter with Scaleless Seath, you can leave through the fog gate without being killed. You still have to die as usual in order to progress, but this way you can recover your souls.
- #014
Dark Souls: The Board Game (2017) is a combat-focused miniature game for 1-4 players. Published by Steamforged Games, the game mimics the video game with its difficulty and has sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide. In 2022, two new core sets were released that visit iconic locations from the video game: Tomb of the Giants and The Painted World of Ariamis.
Production Story (10)
- #015
Dark Souls came after FromSoftware's 2009 action role-playing game Demon's Souls.
- #016
Namco Bandai producers Daisuke Uchiyama and Kei Hirono described Dark Souls as a spiritual successor rather than a direct sequel, noting it shared much of the same development team and gameplay concept.
- #017
Miyazaki said the Dark Souls team aimed to keep and increase the challenge associated with Demon's Souls, but not merely by making the game harder.
- #018
According to Miyazaki, Dark Souls was designed to give players the freedom to experiment with strategies and to feel rewarded for overcoming obstacles.
- #019
Several characters from Demon's Souls return in Dark Souls, albeit slightly altered; this may be a nod to Demon's Souls or suggest that the worlds of Demon's Souls and Dark Souls are intertwined with time and reality, which is the main theme of Dark Souls.
- #020
If you do not wear the required Covenant of Artorias ring in the Four Lords boss arena, you will get a unique death animation from the abyss that consumes you. When you respawn, a message reading "You were taken by the abyss" will also be displayed.
- #021
It is the spiritual successor to the PlayStation 3-exclusive Demon's Souls, but Dark Souls is multiplatform on PlayStation 3 as well as Xbox 360 and PC.
- #022
The Vagrant enemy is a rare occurrence and can only appear during online play. When another player loses a collection of humanity, it appears randomly in a player's world. Killing a Vagrant will reward the player from a random pool of rare loot. Many Vagrant appearances are also hidden, meaning the player may have missed most of them.
- #023
On your first encounter with Scaleless Seath, you can actually leave through the fog gate before he kills you. You still have to die to him as usual in order to progress, but this means you can later collect your souls.
- #024
There is a Dark Souls(TM): The Board Game (2017) - a combat-focused miniature game for 1-4 players. Dark Souls(TM): The Board Game, from tabletop game publisher Steamforged Games, mimics the video game's punishing difficulty level and has sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide. Now (2022) two new core sets for Dark Souls(TM): The Board Game have been released, each visiting iconic locations from the video game: Tomb of Giants and The Painted World of Ariamis.
Behind the Scenes (4)
- #025
Miyazaki described bonfires, called "Beacon Fires" before release, as recovery and respawn points in Dark Souls.
- #026
Miyazaki stated that when a design served a more specific gameplay or worldbuilding purpose, he issued more detailed instructions on how it should be used and placed in Dark Souls.
- #027
Some Dark Souls locations were informed by real-world architecture; a designer named Milan Cathedral as a reference for Anor Londo's buttresses.
- #028
Miyazaki said New Londo Ruins in Dark Souls was based partly on Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, France.
Easter Eggs & References (1)
- #029
Several characters from Demon's Souls return in Dark Souls, albeit slightly altered; this may be a nod to Demon's Souls or suggest that the worlds of Demon's Souls and Dark Souls are intertwined with time and reality, the main theme of Dark Souls.
Deeper Meaning (1)
- #030
The Black Knight Greatsword has a completely different name in the German version, where it is instead called "Sword of the Dragonslayer". This may be a reference to the popular manga and anime Berserk (1997). The main character uses a Dragonslayer sword to kill demons, which is represented in the game as a damage bonus against demon bosses.
Related pages
- Bloodborne — Dark Souls comes up in the facts on that page
- Mr. Robot — Dark Souls comes up in the facts on that page
Sources & editorial notes
Sources for the entries on this page
- Wikipedia Dark Souls (video game) — Wikipedia
Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work