In the lore of the Dark Souls universe, The Abyss is referred to as a place, though it is sometimes given characteristics of foul and sinister creatures. It hungers and it corrupts all those it touches. It fells common mortals, great champions, and even some of the gods.
Though, The Abyss did not always exist. Prior to the war between the Lords and the everlasting dragons, there was little other than a grey expanse accompanied by massive trees and stoned-scaled titans. Much like how death arose from Nito and chaos from the Witch of Izalith, The Abyss has a powerful and primordial origin.
10 Manus Fathered The Abyss
Manus, once the furtive pygmy, is immensely important to many of the events of Dark Souls. Although Gwyn struck all records of his contribution in the war with the dragons, Manus was there alongside the Lord of Light, the Witch of Izalith, and Gravelord Nito. After the war, the pygmy sequestered themselves deep underground and allowed their Lord Soul to ferment, which caused them to not only transform into the mighty Manus that the Chosen Undead eventually fights, but create Humanity as well.
9 Humanity Is Darkness
Spawned by the dark sorceries of Manus, the essence of primordial humanity proliferated. Humans spread and grew as the gods slowly, but surely, began to go extinct. The Dark Soul, which was the Lord Soul possessed by Manus, is the origin of all human souls, making them children of The Abyss. Humanity is described as shards of this ancient and powerful source. Although The Abyss can eventually warp and mutate some people, as it can do with gods and dragons, humans are more resistant to its effects and can in fact use its power to strengthen themselves.
8 Darkwraiths Serve The Abyss
Long ago, the primordial serpent Darkstalker Kaathe temped the Four Kings of New Londo with the power of The Abyss. They fell to the ancient snake’s seduction and began reveling in the secret of Lifedrain, which they spread to their minions. Soon all of New Londo sunk to be closer to The Abyss, though this did not stop the Darkwraiths, staunch followers of Kaathe’s covenant, from using their hungry powers. They weaponized this fell gift in the form of the Dark Hand that allows them to steal darkness-rich Humanity from others.
7 The Abyss Is The Mightiest Force
Nothing lasts forever and The Abyss acts as a constant reminder of this notion. Every single being that comes into contact with this hungry darkness eventually falls to it.
Be it days, years, or centuries, The Abyss swallows or corrupts all it touches, like a sentient disease. There are many bosses, enemies, and items that are proof of this undeniable truth.
6 Artorias Fell But Was Not Forgotten
Artorias’ legacy did not fade with him. Due to the Chosen Undead’s actions, Artorias was attributed to stopping the encroachment of The Abyss. Though, it did not cease its expansion and continued to spread after the events of the first Dark Souls. In Dark Souls 3, the Undead Legion arose in memory of these deeds and fought against the waves of shadows rising from Carthus. The Abyss Watchers modeled their fighting style and way of life after the knight from long ago.
5 High Lord Wolnir Was Consumed By His Curiosity
The portion of The Abyss that the Undead Legion fought against rose out of Carthus, which was once ruled by High Lord Wolnir. This king of kings had subjugated many people, yet was still hungry for more knowledge and power. This led to him researching and pioneering pyromancies born from The Abyss, such as the Black Flame, though this came at a grave cost. Something unknown occurred that dragged him into The Abyss, where he desperately clung to life. When the Ashen One shatters his only defense against the darkness, Wolnir immediately gets pulled down into The Abyss for good.
4 Gundyr Was Punished For Being Late
The first time the Ashen One encounters Gundyr, he is naught but a host for some sort of malignant monster, though he was not always this way. Later in the game, the player travels into the past and encounters him in his original state: a powerful warrior. Through various item descriptions, gamers have put together that Gundyr was too late to link the fire and so instead waited for one to show up who could, and test their might.
As he waited in the darkness of a fireless world, something crawled into his armor and corrupted him from within. This infestation is what the player finds near the start of Dark Souls 3 and was likely birthed from The Abyss.
3 Darkeater Midir Grew Ill
When the player encounters Darkeater Midir in The Ringed City, it is revealed that they are a descendent of the ancient dragons. Midir was raised and tasked by the gods to eternally fight The Abyss in an attempt to stem the flow of night threatening to quench all light and fire from the world. However, not even an immortal being can withstand such a force forever. Midir would consume parts of The Abyss to erase it from the world but this lead to the dragon becoming warped and blinded, albeit empowered. Since this boss can use dark attacks, it is implied that they have merged with The Abyss in some way and would have likely gone on a dark rampage if not slain by the Ashen One.
2 The Abyss Is Not Evil
In fear of the First Flame going out, Gwyn threw himself into the Kiln of the First Flame to prolong the Age of Fire, as did many after him. Though, the First Flame was not meant to burn forever. The Dark Sign, which is an integral symbol in all games of the series, is a combination of light and dark. It is a ring-shaped curse given to the undead which saps them of both Humanity and souls when used. It represents a cycle, like that of the world. Fire is meant to fade into the dark so that it may be ignited again one day. A persistent flame ruins the cycle, which causes the dark to grow rampant and wild due to nature, trying to right the wronged cycle.
1 Darkness Is The Canon Ending
The closer one looks at the Dark Souls trilogy, the more it becomes apparent that the most logical ending is to choose is darkness. The importance of circles and rings is a dominant theme, as is the cyclicity of the gameplay. Live, fight, die, and repeat eternally. The extension caused by Gwyn, and those who followed after him, caused the fabric of the world to grow strained and begin to tear at the seams, causing a whole host of disasters throughout space and time. The only way to fix this is to reset the world by plunging it into darkness and then kindling a new flame afterward. If one still doubts this, they should consider the name of the series.
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