White-faced Locust

Location

Drops

(large variant only)
Pale Pine Resin
Soul of an Unknown Traveler
Soul of a Nameless Soldier
Soul of an Intrepid Hero (NG+)

Health
NG	NG+
438 (small) 2,020 (large)	???

Souls
NG	NG+
400 (small) 2,200 (large)	???

Weaknesses, resistances, immunities

-	-	W	-	R	R	R	W

"Fear not, the dark, my friend.
And let the feast begin."

— White-faced Locust

White-faced Locusts (白面の虫 Shirafu no Mushi, White-Faced Insect), also known as White Preachers,^[1] are enemies in Dark Souls III: The Ringed City.

In-Game Description

The white-faced locusts were meant to beckon men to the dark with sermons, but most of them are unable to think past their own stomachs.^[1]

Description[]

Twisted abominations of human and insect, White-faced Locusts are spawns of the Abyss. Their intention was to use sermons and preaching to draw men into the dark; however, their voracious gluttony led to many abandoning their charge. They now infest the lower streets of the Ringed City, feeding off whatever flesh they can find.

They are capable of summoning branches infused with magic as primitive melee weapons.

Locations[]

Found in The Ringed City, throughout the swamp of the Ringed City Streets.

Strategy[]

The White Faced Locust can be found in two forms throughout the swamp that dominates the Ringed City Streets, one being the large initially hostile versions that dot the swamp, and the other being the infantile lesser locust that scatter when the player draws near.

Larger Locusts will attempt to attack the player in several ways, all of which in some form of melee, although there is a ranged exception to this list of attacks. The most basic being a three strike combo with their claws that starts with two horizontal swipes, ending with a double handed overhead slam possessing some limited area effect. The Locust can sometimes opt out to just attack with one of the three swings along, foregoing the entire combo.

Each of the large locusts is capable of manifesting a branch of pure magic to attack the player.

These other attacks involve some form of magic damage increasing their power, with the first being a single downward strike that has a long start as the Locust hovers in the air for several moments before manifesting his branch and attacking. The second is a rapid set of downward stabbing strikes that the Locust will fire off rather quickly after the attack's initial startup, possessing a slight ability to stun-lock the player if they are caught squarely in font of the Locust's hitbox. The last strike is the most damaging, although it is the most telegraphed, as the Locust will form two branches before leaping toward the player, giving an audio cue ("I shall partake"), and on contact will grab the player to deal damage with several bites.

The last of the large Locust attacks is a short ranged action by firing mucus at the player from its abdomen. The Locust will turn around and fire off several burst of the attack, fanning its effecting on a small cone behind. The attack can do some severe damage, especially if multiple projectiles make contact with the player per volley. The attack also causes the player to become encumbered as the mucus builds up on their body, slowing them and giving them a heavy roll. This can be the most deadly attack as it makes the player prone to follow up attacks, especially from other Locust.

Drops[]

Note: Only the large variant has drops.

Item	Pale Pine Resin	Soul of an Unknown Traveler	Soul of a Nameless Soldier	Soul of an Intrepid Hero (NG+)
Drop Rate	???	???	???	???

Dialogue[]

Click to see dialogue

First Locust	"Many of us are by the fire forsaken. I speak of thine kind, and mine. Behold this city! We are kindred, belike two eyes which gaze upon the other. Fear not, the dark, my friend. And let the feast begin."
	"One was a wayfaring knight, on an endless, forbidden search. Only the Abyss granted closure, if not reunion with his beloved. Fear not, the dark, my friend. And let the feast begin."
Second Locust	"One met the dark with learning. But in the end, learned his knowledge wanting. The world began without knowledge, and without knowledge will it end. Does not this ring clear and true? Fear not, the dark, my friend. And let the feast begin."
	"One poor girl slew her own kin, but even so, was embraced, enveloped by the Abyss. Twas a comfort that neither moon nor sunless sky afforded her before. Fear not, the dark, my friend. And let the feast begin."
Third Locust	"And so, she lived in fear. Of the dark, of the things that gnawed at her flesh. And yet! The Abyss hath yet to produce any such creature! Fear not, the dark, my friend. And let the feast begin."
	"And so, despite his weighty armor, he lived in fear. Of a delicate thing, little more than a girl. Where fire resideth, shadows twist and shrivel. But in the Abyss, there are shadows none. Fear not, the dark, my friend. And let the feast begin."

Notes[]

Cannot be parried.
Cannot be backstabbed.
Three non-hostile Locusts can be encountered around the city.
White-faced Locusts are one of the few enemies capable of speech. They will often declare their intent to "partake" in feeding on the player.

Trivia[]

The Locusts that speak make reference to several Dark-related phenomena:
- First, they link the kinship of Locust and Human, as they rose from the Abyss.
- The first seems to refer to Alva.
- The second one seems to refer to Sirris and Orbeck.
- The third appears to make mention of Eygon and Irina, describing a woman who mistakenly associated a "gnawing" feeling with the Dark, while hinting of a heavily armed knight who feared a harmless girl.
- There is a cut line for the Locusts that likely refers to Ringfinger Leonhard:
  - "Of all the Fingers, he alone was embraced by the Abyss. For he was human, and ne'er a grub. Fear not, the dark, my friend. And let the feast begin."
In the game files the Locusts are referred to by the internal name "Abaddon", which is a reference to the Book of Revelations in the New Testament of the Bible. Abaddon often refers to a bottomless pit, or to an angel of the abyss.
The Angel Abaddon is the king of an army of locusts who are said to resemble horses with crowned human faces, women's hair, lions' teeth, wings, iron breast-plates, and a tail with a scorpion's stinger that "torments for five months anyone who does not have the seal of God on their foreheads."

Gallery[]

References[]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 White Preacher Head description.

[WPH-1] 1.0 ^1.1 White Preacher Head description.

[1]