Dark Souls III

The player takes on the third-person persona of the Ashen One, who is tasked with ‘linking’ the First Flame to keep it burning. The flame is fuelled by the sacrifices of heroes and champions, who willingly sacrifice their souls to the flame, thereby becoming Lords of Cinder. This has happened in an unbroken line from times gone by until now. The Ashen One failed to link the flame and has not become a Lord of Cinder, instead being known as an Unkindled.

The Ashen One arises as the player enters the game, and is given the mission of returning the Prince Lothric and the rebellious Lords of Cinder to their rightful places, their thrones in Firelink Shrine. The flame is dying because Prince Lothric has defied his destiny: he must be persuaded otherwise.

Successfully returning the Lords of Cinder and the Prince, they travel on to the ruins of the Kiln of the First Flame: at this point, after the defeat of the Soul of Cinder, there are four potential endings, more about which see below.

Battles and Treasures and Weapons, Oh My

In the course of his mission, the Ashen One must battle using a variety of weapons, that range from bows to swords to throwable projectiles, with shields and evasive manoeuvres an important skill to learn. Each weapon has a standard use and a boost: a powered-up version which must be used sparingly as it does not last long and takes a bit of time to reset once depleted.

He will also battle a wide range of creatures, many of them grisly and in keeping with the spectral, supernatural theme of the game. Watch out for skeletal hounds, various hostile lizard-men, the undead in forms that range from skeleton to blood-thirsty knight to the revolting Pus of Man, an enemy who transforms from vaguely normal man-shape into a hideous abyss-tainted corruption. Enemies drop resources though, so be sure to grab them all.

The Ashen One can use magic by acquiring FP (focus points) which are used up whenever a spell is cast. Hit Points (HP) is used when taking damage from enemies, and both of these are refilled through estus flasks, magical healing vessels that can be upgraded up to seven times for maximum benefit.

Ending It All

There are four potential endings after the Soul of Cinder has been defeated. They are as follows:

Link the Flame: The player can attempt to link to the First Flame, ensuring that the Age of Fire will continue

Summon the Fire Keeper: The Fire Keeper will extinguish the flame and the Age of Dark will begin in earnest

Kill the Fire Keeper: This is much like the ending above, except after summoning the Fire Keeper, you kill her. Note: you will not receive any end game achievements for playing out this ending. The Fire Keeper will respawn as soon as you leave the area, so you can come back and try again

Keep the Flame: The Ashen One can choose to keep the flame for themselves, an option which results in his becoming the Dark Lord of Londor