I love how in ds1 and ds3, they tell you who are the major bosses while in ds2, the only thing you know is that you gotta find the cure. To me ds2 will always be special.

This actually gets close to what a genuine nightmare feels like

As a recovering heroin addict, this game seems like a journey into depression, self doubt, and addiction. "You will lose everything..." this game is amazing. "Your wings will burn in agony. Time after time... That is your fate. The fate of the curse." I will beat this.

Basically describes my job.

This game opening is so detailed that it looks real which got me even more excited to play

Would be cool if the atmosphere of the game referred more to this intro

I love this opening, it makes the game seem so much more personal rather than just giving a lore dump. Dark Souls 2 is one of the most cryptic in the series, and this opening reflects the themes and tone of the game excellently.

They took his Girl. Now he'll take their SOULS.

at 2:20 she says "but one day, you will stand before its decrepit gate, without really knowing why" she then smiles maliciously.. that smile is meant for us.. its an insult added to injury suffered in Dark Souls 1 and soon to be suffered in Dark Souls 2.

4:00 Message: Jump, Horse Ahead 4:20 YOU DIED

Something cool that I only picked up on recently is that it appears that the big portal thing to Drangleic is actually a portal backwards in time. It appears similar to portal Manus used to snatch the chosen undead, but this portal also has those fire fly things which seem to be present when ever the undead travels through the memories of giants and such. This for me already makes the story more interesting as it appears Shanalotte is taking undead to the past undead to ensure there will be a future.

After finishing Dark Souls 2 and re-watching all cinematic, I can't help but notice something. Time was not the same in the opening cinematic and in the main game. It is evident when seeing the reflection of the surface, there's a gate, and torches lit. There are also ghosts, relevance? It probably means that the land of Drangleic and it's long dead inhabitants are nothing but a ghost of their former self. I believe Drangleic is long gone, there is no Drangleic Castle, no Forest of the Fallen Giants, no Lost Bastille or even the different castles of the DLCs. They are now ashes or ruins. Tempted to under your curse, you fall down willingly, time shifts and you are transported back in time, a time where you fulfill a destiny, not your own, but to the cycle of it's world, to keep the wheels of fate turning. (hence the loom). The whole story is a continuous loop, a circle spinning until the end of times (Age of Dark). The story of Dark Souls 2 could be considered a side-story for the main event (The linking of the fire), but it has it's similarities with the flame being the throne of the kingdom of Drangleic. As you arrive in Things Betwixt, the first of many areas, you slowly/gradually start to lose your memories of your past life. You also your goal that sent you in Drangleic in the first place. As you talk with various NPCs throughout the land, some who are not natives in Drangleic such as yourself, you realize that they too lose their memories, as if they are trapped in this world, the world of Drangleic. In the story you are the bearer of the curse. the curse could be the effects of the flame extinguishing (DS1 and DS3). It could also be viewed differently. The curse could be the fate that had befallen you, the fate to become the next monarch of Drangleic, to succeed in King Vendrick (and possible link the first flame). Notice the backstory of King Vendrick. Before establishing his kingdom upon a land which was said to be ruins upon ruins of multiple fallen kingdoms, he defeated four great powerful souls (foreshadowing?) and obtained them, he built his kingdom and fell head over heels for a fragment of Manus. One thing to notice is that King Vendrick was not considered to be a "Great Soul", when you defeat him and acquire his soul in the Shrine of Amana, you only get a soul of a normal boss, not the huge orange glowing soul (Hence why King Vendrick is optional), this could mean a lot of things. Like you, Vendrick was just a human, or maybe an undead, an undead with a curse. Killing him ensures that you become the next king, fulfilling his role, possibly forgetting the initial task that had set you on the long arduous journey. The game finally ends when you acquire all the crowns of different kings and present them to King Vendrick in his memory. He gives you his blessing to be his successor, and once you settle in on the throne of want after defeating Nashandra. The door of the throne room closes sealing your fate to be the new monarch. (In a way it resembles DS1 and DS3 kindling of the flame).

Don't talk shit. All 3 games are legendary. This feels just like Dark Souls and an updated Demon Souls this one deserves the same amount of respect. See you in game. Welcome to Dark Souls.

For all who drove mad looking for the music theme of this cinematic, it's named Departure, by Motoi Sakuraba

I think it’s cool that the Bearer of the Curse’s motivation is both clear and personal. Both DS1 and DS3 expect you as an undead/ashen one to save the world and sacrifice yourself for the greater good, but in this game you travel to Drangleic to seek a cure for yourself. It’s similar to Bloodborne’s MC seeking Paleblood but way less ambiguous.

After playing bloodborne for so long the red moon just makes me see the blood moon

The graphics of this trailer are actually of demon's souls remake

The beginning of this cinematic is something else.... the symbol of losing your future, being your wife and child, and then being told you won't even care because it's implied you're something 'else' that now thirsts for souls is terrifying.

2:29 That creepy babushka's smile...

The music in this one is absolutely brilliant

skip to 0:21

dark souls you will play this game walk through it kill its bosses get souls kill the final boss set on a throne and you wont ever know why u did it

"For that Is your fate, the fate of the Cursed" THIS IS SO FUCKING NICE

This never fails to give me goosebumps

So this game is basically a simulator of life after you hit 30

I like the opening and ending of Dark Souls 2 more than all the other currently existing cinematics of the soulseborne series because they develop around the main character himself, and not around the world around him, as for me it brings the player much closer to the character and involves him more in the history of the game because we know that our character is not just some jerk from the grave who does what some random muddy personalities tell him, he is the character with his story, with his own goals that he was able to achieve in the endings (partly in the main ending, and completely in the Aldia's ending)

She look like emperor palpatine😂😂😂

It's not as bad as many claim I like it, for me the part with the best PVP.

this whole vibe and atmosphere of the cinematic somehow reminds me of "Berserk" a series of manga and anime

2:08 reminded me of Sif's theme and suddenly I was sad again :'(

I played DS1...and DS3... but my favourite it DS2 and I love fighting the Ivory King... my favourite boss

I wish they added a 🌧 raining effect to the game. That would be so cool.

I am in love with Ds1 and Ds2 cinematics

My engineering college's story. YOU FAILED

At the end the forgot to place "YOU DIED"

This was the best intro amongst the trilogy

I gotta say this is the best intro to any dark souls game. Absolutely drenched in atmospheric eeriness.

This is the best looking graphics from fromsoftware yet and it's a cutscene

This game was my absolute favorite. Its not the one I enjoyed looking at the most, or enjoy fighting in the most, but its the one I got the most connected with. Up until elden ring, ds2 was the only fromsoft game I refused to look up guides on until I beat everything.

1:54 something that feeds on souls. A hollow. I think bleach is gonna sue somebody.

my first dark souls game and to be honest one that made biggest impression on me. after epic intro you enter into land that you know nothing about and learn hidden story between characters dialogue, it was epic journey indeed

I know we got scholar of the first sin, but we need a next gen remake.

This opening still gives me chills no matter how many times i watched it

Is that lady supposed to be the mysterious fourth firekeeper

Poesia.

This is the best opening cut scene in a FROM game besides Bloodborne. Amazing

Imagine playing DS 2 with the graphics from this cinematic.💀🖤

The best game of whole trillogy. Most dark and sad one. Of CURSE all 3 games are good,but this one is my favourite.

It's curious how this game became other perspective of Dark Souls. It's clear that other people were stepping into the project and their task was to replicate kind of the success of Dark Souls 1 within the boundaries of making something similar but different enough to not offer exactly the same game. The whole concept of the bearer of the course, the lost memories, the suffering, is kind of the result of taking the most superficial concept of Dark Souls, which is a hardcore game to beat and a stressful experience. It's sort of meta to think that Dark Souls II is about to find the Dark Souls experience, almost if it was a little bit insecure of itself. The writers and designers must have had a hard time in this development.

2:30 Lord... Sideous??!?!

There needs to be a dark souls movie

3:11 name of the music pleaseeeee

OMG i cant wait until April!!

7 years later and still hearting comments what a lad

Would you maybe consider not putting an ad for a random video over the screen and ruining the epicness? I would really appreciate that : ) .

3:41 I love this scene. I don't think you do this in the game. I also like the character. I remember I thought he was gonna go through hell to save his family.

And yet elden ring gets the powerpoint slideshow presentation treatment

As much as i dislike this game i really love the opening cinematic it’s probably my favourite in the series

I feel that there is a connection between the Emerald Herald & the old woman in the opening cinematic. They both say that you'll be somewhere without knowing why. Either this is just a common saying in the souls series, because you really do have no idea why you are in some places. OR, they are one of the same person. Drangleic is a suspected alternate plain in the world where things are slightly different (evidence given from the reflection of the old fortress in the lake). What if in fact when the player falls into the water, they slip into a different time period. The old woman sends you to Drangleic on your quest for a cure for the curse. However, many people in the game have never heard or remember Drangleic. So if my theory is correct, the old woman is an old Emerald Herald who kick starts your journey so that she may be free and be human. I very well could be wrong, but its just a thought.

You will loose everything...such is the fate of the cursed...nameless,acursed undead,unfit to even be cinder...and so it is,that ash seeketh embers...

The reflection of Drang in the lake is one of my favorite pieces of imagery in the series

the only thing that make me sad that why the cutscenes in the every souls game is not like this

lyrics: perhaps you have seen it. maybe on a dream. A murky, forgotten land. A place where souls may mend your ailing mind. you will lose everything. once branded. the symbol of the curse. An augur of darkness. your past. your future. Your very ligth none will have meaning, and you won't even care. by then, you'll be something other than human. A thing that feeds of souls. A hollow. Long ago, in a walled off land, far to the north, a great king built a great kingdom. i believe they called it Drangleic. Perhaps you're familiar. No, how could you be. but one day, youwill stand before its decrepit gate, without reallly knowing why... like a moth drawn to a flame. your wings will burn in anguish. time after time. for that is your fate. the fate of the cursed.

"And the King, and the Lord of Fate, awakening the jet"....

Why so many dislikes? This intro is fantastic and a total mindfuck.

2:07 that’s a remix of Sif’s theme 👀

Does it make sense that there some things in Dark Souls 2 that I like while others not so much.

Man. This is my least favorite game in the series. But it has my favorite opening cutscene, and it has my favorite npc in Aldia.

Was Darth Sideous on the thumb nail?

darth sidious...

Drangleic aka. Not Anor Londo

so... drangleic it is underwater?

i cant understand the meaning of this cinematic opening?the guy that falls in the hole is us?and after falling in that hole he starts the game?where is he before,wtf is going on?

My favourite game of all the three

There is no such castle in the game as opposed to the one in this opening.

who else is here after the game didn't show any video or have any sound in the intro and only showed subtitles lol

🔥🔥 🔥

can someone please tell me who is narrating the opening? like the voice actors name.

the old woman who speaks in this intro is she the old woman from the sand village in Naruto, the puppet lady?

Her smile is so hot...

Out on the night of a hunt?

Just here to see the hag version of emerald herald

one of the best darksouls game imo

Hi, In my first run of this game it runs very fluid and perfect, but the first cinematics tend to stop every second. Did somebody experience the same?

2:08 epicness kick in

what music is the one that played when dranglaic castle was shown because i know it’s sif but it’s different

622 people drowned while trying to kill flexile sentry.

So is that the mc's wife?!

the second the cutscene finished for the first time my game crashed 💀

i will play for the first time a souls game and i dont now if i buy darksouls1 or 2

1:53 A woman who seems to be a firekeeper. You can talk to their caretaker and she will tell you that there used to be a fouth sister. Were is this? Isn't this the real world? How did the curse get into the real world? How did she escape were she was?

Drang Lake

I wish the game was as good as the intro cutscene

Does 2:09 have an OST PLEASE HELP!

anyone knows the ost at 2:05?

incredible

Fml I skipped the cutscene by accident

Valley of shadow and death

It's distracting how the old woman doesn't actually sound old at all. They should've had a better voice actress, or at least an old woman, to narrate.

This feels like a dark trailer to a harry potter movie