New Londo Ruins

New Londo Ruins (小ロンド遺跡, Ruins of Small Londo), is a location in Dark Souls.

Description[]

Waterfilled ruins located deep underground, accessed by taking the elevator directly beneath Firelink Shrine. Populated by passive Hollows and dangerous Ghosts. Once the water has been drained, the lower levels will be populated by numerous Darkwraiths. Piles of corpses fill the ground near the floodgates, a grim reminder of New Londo's tragic past.

The area is highly dangerous. Ghosts will constantly ambush the player from walls, floors, and ceilings. Falling into deep water is a major hazard and will result in death. The numerous Darkwraiths can also prove to be challenging enemies to new players.

There are no bonfires in the New Londo Ruins.

Lore[]

Dark Souls[]

New Londo was a small country of humans close to the Anor Londo, the city of the gods. When the Four Kings, the great leaders of the land ^[1] were recognized for their abilities and foresight, Gwyn, Lord of Sunlight rewarded them with a fragment of his powerful Lord Soul and the title of kings^[1], using his power to bind and hold close to him the powerful humans, as the god also allowed them to build their civiliazion near his city. Over time their city of humans grew to host countless lives and becoming a robust and flourishing culture^[2]. The advanced civilization even managed to develop healing sorceries that reduced bleeding and poisoning, like Remedy, an art unique to New Londo^[3] that was practiced by sorcerers called Healer^[4]. Although at some point the First Flame began to fade out, leading to the emergence of the Curse of Undeath^[5], the city continued to exist and function as an Undead city^[6], implying a good governance of the four kings who managed to adapt to the change.

After Gwyn sacrificed himself to link the fading First Flame, the Primordial Serpent Kaathe began searching for a human strong enough to become the Dark Lord capable of leading humans and usher in an Age of Dark^[7]. At some point Kaathe arrived in New Londo and managed to seduce the Four Kings to follow his ideals, teaching them the art of Lifedrain so that they could preserve their humanity even while Undead and so cast off the shackles placed upon them by the gods^[8][9]. But his dark influence did not stop with the kings and in fact their entire army followed them. The knights of New Londo became Darkwraiths^[10], servants of the Dark who learned the art of Lifedrain and used it to absorb humanity^[11]. As the Four Kings' were able to open an Abyss in the center of their city, their very bodies were mutated by their freed Dark Soul and the Darkwraiths' armor transformed too^[12] as they began to employ the Red Eye Orbs granted by Kaathe^[13] to seek humanity and plunge further into the powers of the Dark^[14],

A nation of humans freed from the shackles of the Darksign and who not only began to understand the powers of their Dark Soul but had an entire army at their disposal that shared this power represented an unparalleled threat to the gods of Anor Londo who branded the Darkwraiths as diabolical enemies of man and of every living thing^[15][16]. For this reason Artorias, one of the Four Knights of Gwyn, was sent to fight the soldiers of New Londo and was given a Silver Pendant to deflect the Dark of the Abyss in its magical forms^[17]. However this did not prove sufficient to cross the Abyss of the Four Kings and Artorias was forced to forge a covenant with the "beasts of the Abyss"^[18], obtaining a ring that would allow him to cross the Abyss but also cursing his Greatsword^[19]. Artorias thus became known as the "Abysswalker" and hunted the Darkwraiths^[20] but failed to eliminate the Four Kings and thus eliminate the Abyss of New Londo.

Having failed to eliminate the dark threat, an agonizing and terrible decision was made: flooding the entire land of New Londo despite the realization that countless lives and the entire culture of the country would be lost^[21]. For this task, sorcerers were called^[22] and the feat was accomplished without even evacuating the city's civilians, sealing away the Four Kings, their Darkwraiths and the entire population with them, the victims were thus cursed^[23] and became Ghosts roaming the ruins of their country, making mincemeat of any being within blade’s reach^[24]. The sorcerers who carried out the deed remained on site with the task of becoming guardians of the magic seal and the floodgates built around the city, wearing crimson robes that symbolize their resolve to keep the seal shut forever and their atonement for all who were sacrificed^[25]. Over time, however, two of the three sorcerers abandoned New Londo upon tiring of their duties and leaving Ingward alone^[26], to wait for a Chosen Undead strong enough to obtain the Lordvessel and challenge the Four Kings^[27].

Although decades have passed since New Londo was reduced to rubble and submerged, the Four Kings remained alive in their Abyss, while the Darkwraight continued to wait and patrol the area. When a Chosen Undead was able to ring the Bells of Awakening, overcome the challenges of Sen's Fortress and reach Anor Londo thus being rewarded with the Lordvessel, they would be guided by Kingseeker Frampt to find immense souls to fill the receptacle and link the fading First Flame to succeed Gwyn in his sacrifice^[28]. The Undead would thus have proved their strenght to Ingward to open the floodgates of the city^[29] and find a way to traverse the Abyss until they reached the Four Kings, challenging and killed them to obtain the fragment of a Lord Soul they still possessed^[30].

Theories[]

• It is possible to theorize that the numerous female statues accompanying a child present in New Londo represent the advent of the Dark Lord awaited by humanity^[31], in an opposite way to the statues present at the Undead Burg, Undead Parish and Firelink Shrine^[32][33][34] which awaited a Chosen Undead who would have brought him back to splendor the Age of Fire^[35]. Unlike the statues outside the city, those in New Londo represent the child standing on their legs instead of being held in the lap of the female figure, who only accompanies them.
• Additionally the female figure may represent Velka, Goddess of Sin as New Londo was a city of humans whose sins and salvation were her responsibility to administer^[36], and the same statue can be found in the Painted World of Ariamis^[37], where multiple artifacts affiliated with Velka or considered heretical, like the potential message about the coming of the Dark Lord, can be found^[38]

Dark Souls II[]

Although the Four Kings had been defeated, the seal that contained the ruins of New Londo and the water that had submerged it had been removed and as a result the remaining Darkwraiths were free to spread across the rest of the world, continuing to wreak havoc^[39]. Although these knights subsumed by dark never reached Drangleic in strength^[40], knowledge of their existence has come to the region through foreign legends as poor souls who chased the art of Lifedrain and were able to freely manipulate the Dark, implying that they attacked the countries around Drangleic^[41].

Despite this, the residuals sins of the knights who had succumbed to the temptations of dark, reached Drangleic in the form of Cracked Red Eye Orbs^[42]. These artifacts were actively employed by the covenant of the Brotherhood of Blood ^[43] to invade other locations and times and collect the blood of other Undead^[44]. Although this cult followed the same combat and invasion philosophy as the original covenant of the Darkwraiths, it was also centered around the mysterious figure of the god Nahr Alma, God of Blood and encouraged its followers to reject the world and follow a path of constant struggle and bloodshed^[45], indulging in their hedonistic desires for violence to collect blood and offer it as a sacrifice for their god instead of seeking to understand the Dark powers of the humans^[46].

The knowledge of the ancient healing sorceries of New Londo somehow survived and reached Drangleic where they were employed this time through miracles like Caressing Prayer, a text developed only around the kingdom of Vendrick and whose authenticity as a sacred text was even questioned, that was able to purify the body and remove all poison of the caster and those close to them^[47].

Dark Souls III[]

Although countless centuries had passed since the fall of New Londo to the dark, remnants of the Darkwraiths continued to exist as dark inavders^[48], wearing armor now worn to the point of looking like they may crumble to dust at any moment^[49], and they reached the region of Farron which was converging toward that of Lothric^[50].

By this point the name of New Londo itself had been lost^[51] but the Red Eye Orbs rooted in the small country continued to be used^[52]. In fact, the followers of Rosaria, Mother of Rebirth, as members of the covenant of Rosaria's Fingers, would employ them^[53]to invade other locations and times and collect the Pale Tongues from other Undead and offer them to their speechless goddess^[54].

The ancient miracle of Drangleic times which conveyed the knowledge of the healing sorceries of New Londo, in the times of Lothric is associated with Caitha, Goddess of Tears in the form of the miracle Caressing Tears, the tale of the many deaths surrounding the goddess that was able to cure from bleeding, frostbite and poisoning^[55].

Characters[]

• Crestfallen Warrior - Appears as a Hollow in the area should he be spoken to after Kingseeker Frampt arrives. He is found near where the first two Transient Curses are located.
• Rickert of Vinheim - He can be found early on in the New Londo Ruins. He is behind some bars down a flight of stairs near the beginning. Rickert is a magical blacksmith who can perform Magic and Enchanted ascension. He sells two basic spells and a catalyst, albeit at a more expensive price than Griggs of Vinheim.
• Ingward - Up a ladder, to the roof of the church infested with ghosts. Ingward provides the Key to the Seal after the player acquires the Lordvessel. He sells Transient Curses and the spell Resist Curse. He can also break Curse for one Humanity. He will move to Firelink Shrine if spoken to after defeating the Four Kings.
• Witch Beatrice - White Phantom.

Enemies[]

Characters[]

• Crestfallen Warrior (hollowed)

Respawning[]

• Banshee
• Ghost
• Darkwraith

Non-respawning[]

• Mass of Souls
• Wisp

Bosses[]

• Four Kings (located in the Abyss)

Notable items[]

Embers[]

• Very Large Ember (chest)

Keys[]

• Key to the Seal (Ingward - gift upon obtaining the Lordvessel or drop)

Miscellaneous[]

• Cracked Red Eye Orb ×6 (corpse)
• Humanity ×2 (corpses)
• Transient Curse ×6 (corpses)

Rings[]

• Cursebite Ring (corpse)
• Rare Ring of Sacrifice (corpse)

Souls[]

• Fire Keeper Soul (corpse)

Upgrade materials[]

• Green Titanite Shard (corpse)
• Titanite Chunk ×2 (chests)

Weapons[]

• Composite Bow and Large Arrow ×16 (corpse)
• Estoc (corpse)
• Parrying Dagger (corpse)

Notes[]

• It is possible to obtain the Fire Keeper Soul immediately after arriving in Lordran.
• If the Key to the Seal is desired before receiving the Lordvessel, Ingward will drop it if killed.
• Players can hear the scream of the Four Kings, similar to that of a Wisp's, when they perform their explosive magic attack during a boss fight from another player's world.
• There are two shortcuts in New Londo Ruins that can be used after reaching a certain point in the area and unlocking them.
  • One is up the first set of stairs, to the right of the narrow walkway, behind the ghost that spawns. Players can roll onto the level below the small archways where the ghosts that attack through the floors and ceilings can be seen. A ladder must be kicked prior to dropping down in order to use this shortcut properly.
  • The second is only accessible after the floodgates are opened and is directly beside the entrance to the first shortcut. It is on the same edge, by the corpse that held two Transient Curses. Here, players will be able to see the area below. 
• Summoning only becomes possible once water has been drained from the area.  

Gallery[]

Promotional screenshot

Breaking the seal

Map of New Londo Ruins

Videos[]

References[]