Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss
A downloadable content pack set centuries before Dark Souls.
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Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss is downloadable content for the 2011 action role-playing game Dark Souls. FromSoftware developed it, and Namco Bandai Games published it. It first appeared as part of the Prepare to Die Edition for Windows in August 2012, then became available separately for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 two months later. The content sends players centuries before the main game, tasking them with rescuing the land of Oolacile from Manus, Father of the Abyss. Critics gave it positive reviews, highlighting the boss fights and the extra story and gameplay.
In terms of gameplay, Dark Souls lets players control a custom character whose look and abilities they choose. Players explore areas and fight bosses to advance. Artorias of the Abyss adds the Oolacile area, which opens after finding the "Broken Pendant" item. This area contains four bosses and optional miniboss fights. It also brings new weapons, armor, shopkeepers, and upgrade materials usable in the main game. A multiplayer arena with online leaderboards offers more structured player-versus-player combat.
The story takes place centuries before Dark Souls. A primeval human named Manus, resurrected and tortured by Oolacile's sorcerers who wanted his dark power, unleashed the Abyss—a void threatening to consume Oolacile. Anor Londo sent Knight Artorias to stop him, but lacking Humanity, Artorias fell to the darkness and became possessed, managing only to save his wolf companion, Sif. The player, possessing Humanity, can resist the dark. They must defeat the corrupted Artorias, then travel through Oolacile Township into the Chasm of the Abyss to fight Manus and rescue Princess Dusk, the land's ruler. An optional battle involves slaying the black dragon Kalameet with help from Hawkeye Gough, a giant archer and one of Gwyn's Four Knights.
Director Hidetaka Miyazaki noted that early in Dark Souls' development, the team considered a quest where the player would be summoned to rescue Dusk of Oolacile in her kingdom. They abandoned it, thinking it impossible, and left Dusk as a merchant in the original game. After Artorias of the Abyss released, they revisited the idea, making Dusk's rescue a requirement to access the content.
Reception was generally positive, per Metacritic.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- FromSoftware
- Publisher
- Namco Bandai Games
- Director
- Hidetaka Miyazaki
- Programmer
- Jun Ito
- Composer
- Motoi Sakuraba
- Series
- Dark Souls
- Platforms
- PlayStation 3 · Xbox 360 · Windows · PlayStation 4 · Xbox One · Nintendo Switch
- Released
- August 24, 2012
- Genre
- Action role-playing game
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The plot of Artorias of the Abyss is set centuries before the events of Dark Souls. The player is taken back into the past by a primeval human known as Manus, Father of the Abyss, who was resurrected and tortured by the sorcerers of Oolacile centuries prior, hoping to unlock his dark power. Manus' power went wild and created the Abyss, a dark void that threatens to swallow the entirety of Oolacile. Anor Londo sent Knight Artorias to slay Manus, but he was unable to withstand the dark onslaught due to his lack of Humanity and became possessed himself, only able to save his wolf companion, Sif. The player, due to their Humanity, is better able to fight off the darkness, and must defeat the possessed Artorias. They must then descend through Oolacile Township and into the Chasm of the Abyss, where they take on Manus and rescue the land's ruler, Princess Dusk. An additional, optional fight involves defeating the black dragon Kalameet that is menacing Oolacile, with the assistance of Hawkeye Gough, a giant archer who was one of the Four Knights of Gwyn.
Reader's Guide
Artorias of the Abyss received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the boss battles and additional story and gameplay content. According to review aggregator Metacritic, the pack received generally positive reviews. Eurogamer rated it 9/10, calling it a 'tightly-wound adventure' in which boss fights were the high point, and saying the arena makes it easier to negotiate PvP, but criticizing the team and deathmatch multiplayer modes as hard to find enough players for. Official Xbox Magazine rated it the same, saying that it is for 'hardcore players only' and a 'fantastic addition to an already great game', calling buying it a 'no-brainer' for fans. Tom McShea of GameSpot stated that the DLC 'respected the relationship between developers and players' by presenting a 'bonus' that added to the game's depth rather than an 'insidious strategy to pad the company's coffers'. The pack adds a new area, Oolacile, accessible after obtaining the 'Broken Pendant' item, and includes four bosses, optional miniboss fights, new weapons, armor, shopkeepers, upgrade materials, and a multiplayer arena with online leaderboards.
Did You Know?
- The pack was originally part of the Prepare to Die Edition for Windows before being sold separately for consoles.
- The concept of rescuing Dusk of Oolacile was revisited from an early scrapped event in Dark Souls development.
- The pack includes a multiplayer arena with online leaderboards for structured PvP.
- Knight Artorias became possessed by the Abyss due to his lack of Humanity, unlike the player character.
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Elsewhere in Dark Souls
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