Part 36: - Nameless King

Here we have the last bit of Main Game content and with it one of the bosses that many people view as the hardest in the game. The next few videos will cover the first DLC. There might be a break between the first and second DLCs in terms of updates, depending on how long it takes us to get through the DLC (it's at least five videos)




King of Storms and Nameless King

For many years the identity of Gwyn's first born son has been a mystery. People wanted answers so bad that they looked far and wide. The disowned first born of the god king of Anor Londo has to be a pretty important character after all. Many bought into the theory that Solaire was Gwyn's son, personally I just always thought he was just crazy. Others thought he was Andre, because that was actually the original plan in the first game. He was supposed to take a more active role helping the player by moving a statue that blocked the path of progress out of the way.

Gwyn's two other children (that we know of) have been somewhat accounted for. We met Gwyndolin in Dark Souls (and his fate is clarified in III)and Gwynevere has married some flame god called Flan but we've never actually seen her. For all we know she might look nothing like the illusion we've seen in Dark Souls. There was a room in Anor Londo, in wich we also fought Ornstein and Smough, that had satues of Gwyn, Gwynevere and, to Gwyn's right, an empty pedestal. For a long time we didn't know what prompted Gwyn to exile his own son.

Now we know that he's allied himself with the dragons. Why exactly he did that is something that we still don't know. Maybe he just thought dragons were rad. In any case, dragons have been basically extinct for a long time. Dark Souls' definition of dragon is an odd one, when it talks about dragons it mostly means ancient dragons, of which we only ever encounter two: Seath as well as the infant ancient dragon in Ash Lake. There's many dragon-like things, like drakes and wyverns and occasionally some Kalameet or Sinh which the game itself calls a Dragon. At this point it's basically better to not care what's a dragon and what not. In any case, Gwyn's son, let's just call him Gwyn Goku, found himself a trusty steed.

Which he's riding in the first phase of the fight. This phase is by far the easier one and once you got a handle of things it can be beaten rather quickly. Gwyn Goku can perform various swings from the back of the King of Storms, he can follow one swing up with another but there's a lenghty break between two hits. He can also charge his weapon with lighting and create a small AoE. It is brief enough to dodge through but when in doubt just get away a bit. It's nowhere near the best attack to get hits in. Sometimes the King of Storms will fly up and brathe fire downwards. This is not the only flying attack, though. Sometimes he will circle around you while the Nameless King throws a lightning spear. The King of Storms will usually follow this with a dive attack. The best attack to get hits in, though, is definitely the ground based fire breath. The drake will breathe fire from its left to its right. Once you know the tell for this attack you can just run in, stand near its neck and wail on it. If you land enough hits on its head there's a chance for it to get stunned and can be visceral attacked for a really great deal of damage. This'll usually finish it off.

Phase 2 is where the real fun begins. Mechanically it's completely seperate fight from phase 1, in fact it has its own health bar. The fact that the first phase doesn't prepare you for the second due to how different they are is a pretty common complaint about this fight. I personally really like it. However, you have to beat the first phase every time you want to challenge the Nameless King. It's not a big deal to me but a lot of people also complain about that and I'd have no issue with the game just skipping phase 1 once you've defeated it once.

With the King of Storms dead the Nameless King absorbs the power of his fallen friend. Outside of his attacks the Nameless King is relatively slow moving. A pretty good idea is to just circle around him (Ideally counter-clockwise, away from his dominant hand). He'll still attack but you should be able to get a few easy hits in that way. His melee swings should be simple enough to dodge if you managed to make it this far. If you are at a long or medium range from him he can perform a Stinger type move where he just rushes towards you to impale you. He can also jump into the air and dash at you from there.

Ocassionaly, usually at around half health, he will be ripostable, after a successful visceral attack he tends to smash his spear onto the ground, which causes waves of lightning to move away in eight directions. He can also do this attack whenever he pleases but this is the situation he'll do it in most. Another great moment to get hits in is when he raises his spear upwards. This will be followed by lightning coming from above, this is tough to dodge, but the buildup to this attack lasts for a long time and you can easily get two or three hits in.

Since most of his attacks are lightning based it might be worth a try to use a shield with high lightning resistance if this boss gives you trouble, which seems to be the case for a lot of people. I've heard people go as far as saying that the fight requires specific builds to beat, however, I beat this fight using both light and heavy weapons, with and without a shield and using magic. But maybe that's because I got gud somewhere along the road. Overall I quite enjoy this fight. I like the way it's presented.




Soul of the Nameless King
Soul of the Nameless King. One of the twisted souls, steeped in strength.
Use to acquire many souls, or transpose to extract its true strength.
The Nameless King was once a dragon-slaying god of war, before he sacrificed everything to ally himself with the ancient dragons.

Dragonslayer Swordspear
A dragon hunting weapon from the age of the gods. The earliest form of the cross spear, serving as both a sword and a spear.
Its owner was the Nameless King, a deific hunter of dragons. The swordspear is imbued with lightning, of which he was the heir.
Skill: Falling Bolt - Hold swordspear high in the air to summon fierce lightning that descends upon distant foes.

Storm Curved Sword
Curved sword imbued with the strength of the Stormdrake.
The Nameless King, ally of the ancient dragons, fought beside the Stormdrake in countless battles. When the great beast fell, the king claimed his soul, as was the custom in the age of gods
Skill: Tornado - Imbue blade with the wrath of storm in a spinning motion, and follow with a strong attack to bear that wrath upon foes.

Lightning Storm
Miracle of the Nameless King, ally to the ancient dragons.
Calls forth furious bolts of lightning.
Once a slayer of dragons, the former king and wargod tamed a Stormdrake, on which he led a lifetime of battle. This miracle is likely a tale of their bond.

Dragonslayer Spear
Dark Souls III:
Cross spear associated with Ornstein the Dragonslayer. A weapon of the gods imbued with the strength of lightning.
Two-handed thrust utilizes the support of the cross and requires great might, but can pierce deep into the flesh of dragons, and send mere men flying.
Skill: Lightning Charge - Charge with spear at waist to enwreathe with lightning, then release bolts with final thrust.

Dark Souls II:
A ranseur forged from the soul of the Old Dragonslayer.
The spear of the knight known as the Dragonslayer was imbued with the power of lightning, and shattered the stone scales of dragons.
Strong attack unleashes its latent power.

Dark Souls:
Cross spear born from the Soul of Ornstein, a Dragonslayer guarding Anor Londo cathedral.
Inflicts lightning damage; effective against dragons. Two-handed thrust relies on cross and buries spear deep within a dragon's hide, and sends human foes flying.

Dragonslayer Set
Dark Souls III:
Golden armor associated with Dragonslayer Ornstein, from the age of gods, and imbued with the strength of lightning.
In the dragonless age, this knight, who long guarded the ruined cathedral, left the land in search of the nameless king.

Dark Souls:
Armor of the dragonslayer Ornstein, who guards the cathedral in the forsaken city of Anor Londo.
Ornstein is believed to be the captain of the Four Knights. His golden lion armor is imbued with the power of lightning and should provide good protection against it.


Dragon Tooth
Created from an everlasting dragon tooth that will never break.
Left by Havel himself, along with his boulder-like great shield. Grants its wielder resistance to magic and fire.
Skill: Perserverance - Anchor weapon in earth to temporarily boost poise. Damage reduced while activated.

Havel's Greatshield
A tremendously solid and heavy greatshield, cut straight from a great slab of stone.
Said to be a relic of the legendary Havel the Rock, along with the Dragon Tooth. The shield is imbued with a special power reminiscent of Havel himself.

Great Magic Barrier
Dark Souls III:
The tale which was later interpreted as Magic Barrier.
Greatly increases magic damage absorption by covering the body in a strong white protective coating.
Said to be a tale of Havel the Rock, arch enemy of Seath the Scaleless. Havel despised magic, and was never complacent in preparing means to counter it.

Dark Souls II:
Superior miracle to Magic Barrier. Increases resistance to magic, lightning, fire, and dark.
The knights of Mirrah are expected to fight honorably, with reliance only upon swordsmanship. They only resort to magic the only time they truly need it: to face the magic of an enemy.

Dark Souls:
Miracle of Bishop Havel the Rock. Cover body in powerful def. magic coating.
Havel the Rock, an old battlefield compatriot of Lord Gwyn, was the sworn enemy of Seath the Scaleless. He despised magic, and made certain to devise means of counteraction.

Ancient Dragon Great Shield
A wooden shield bearing the image of an ancient dragon. Very slowly regenerates HP.
The painting is the result of an exquisite but painstaking technique. Lingering, undying traces of the ancient dragons can still be seen in their descendants, the man-serpents, though they have fallen far from grace.

Dragon Head Stone
Dark Souls III:
Stone imbued with the power of the everlasting dragons, used in a secret rite by dragon worshippers.
Gain the head of a dragon and , a transformation that is irreversible until death.
From ancient times, the path of dragon worship was walked by warriors. It is said they envision Archdragon Peak in the depths of their meditation, and at times, they even hear the distant sound of the great bell at the peak.

Dark Souls II:
A stone containing the strength of dragons. Transforms the head into that of a fire-breathing dragon, an effect that will remain until death.
The zealots who sought everlasting life are said to have conducted rites to imbue stones with the strength of dragons, but there are no records confirming their success.

Dark Souls:
Stone imbued with the power of the dragons. Rite of apostles of the ancient dragons. Gain head of dragon. Emit dragon breath.
The dragon apostles seek transcendence of life itself, attainable by transformation into an ancient dragon. This rite is only one step, but it cannot be reversed until death.

Twinkling Dragon Head Stone
Stone imbued with the power of the everlasting dragons, the second of its kind, offered to a towering dragon.
Gain the head of a dragon and emit breath alongside an archdragon mirage. The transformation is irreversible until death.
The illusion achieved was the first case of a human imitating the form of an ancient dragon, and it revealed the smallness of human existence. The road to the old dragons is long and arduous, and only one can complete the journey.

Twinkling Dragon Torso Stone
Stone imbued with the power of the everlasting dragons, offered to a towering dragon. This stone shows signs of a nascent light.
Gain the torso of a dragon and roar alongside an archdragon mirage. The transformation is irreversible until death.
Yet true imitation will require a dragon head, as well.

Dragon Chaser's Ashes
Umbral ash of the fallen warrior who chose the path of the ancient dragons. With this, the shrine handmaid will prepare new items.
Whatever it is, it is sure to grant strength to the most unrelenting warriors.

Ring of Steel Protection
Dark Souls III:
Ring of the Knight King of ancient legend. Increases physical damage absorption.
The Knight King was said to be lined with steel on the inside, such that even the talons of mighty dragons did him little harm.

Dark Souls II:
Wearer gains the protection of steel. Increases physical defense.
Said to be the ring of the once legendary Knight King, though his tales are long forgotten, and even the greatly wizened have no recollection of his exploits.

Dark Souls:
This ring belonged to the Knight King Rendal. It grants its wearer protection by boosting defense against physical attacks. Of the many legends surrounding the Knight King Rendal, one of the more well-known speaks of his standing down a giant drake and slashing it to pieces.

Calamity Ring
Dark Souls III:
A ring made from the orange eye of a calamitous dragon. Receive double damage.
This ring has no useful powers, and is merely a symbol of dragon worship, a thing quietly passed down amongst its most fervent adherents, some of whom become convinced the task has been bestowed upon them as a sacred duty.

Dark Souls:
A ring enchanted by the orange eye of Kalameet, the bringer of calamity. Doubles damage received by its wearer.
A useless ring befitting of no finger. Best left unknown, or at least well hidden.

Thunder Stoneplate Ring
Dark Souls III:
Stoneplates are symbols of true knights, and yellow stoneplates are granted to those who would become dragons.
Increases lightning damage absorption.

Dark Souls:
Stoneplates, the symbol of a true knight, grant the strength to face various hardships
The yellow stoneplate symbolizes souls, and boost defense against lightning.