The Dark Souls series is one steeped in secrets of all kinds. Much of the lore and mechanics can only be discovered from reading the descriptions of items such as weapons, spells, and boss souls. In Dark Souls 3, despite being played heavily since its release, still somehow has been hiding bits and pieces of the world from us. Only letting the truly curious and adventurous have a look.
It's doubtful all of FromSoftware's secrets will ever be discovered, but that won't stop gamers from looking. Especially with Demon's Souls on minds everywhere. There very well may be a secret for every soul.
10 High Lord Wolnir Was A Pyromancer
In the boss fight with this colossal skeleton, he doesn't use many spells. The lord usually slams at the player with his massive arms, slashes with his abyss-rotted sword, or summons skeletal minions to assist him. The closest thing he does to pyromancy is belching forth a dark fog upon the player. Though, there are two indications of Wolnir's preference for flames. Firstly, his soul can be transposed into the pyromancy Black Flame. Secondly, the tome found in his boss room confirms that he was once a wielder of flames who then became a grave warden.
9 Demons Are Going Extinct
In addition to Chosen Undead slaying them for their precious souls, demons of the old chaos flame were already having a hard time. Since the flame of their creation faded long ago, only a few remain. When the player gets to the Demon Ruins area, many demonic corpses can be found. Especially within the Old Demon King's boss room. At least their legacy will live on with the mighty weapons forged from their burning souls. Some of which mention their decline as a race.
8 The Invisible Crow Atop Firelink Shrine Has A Name
Even though all they do is speak the same few words over and over, they apparently have been given an identity, despite not having a visible form. Snuggly the crow is the name of the NPC which the play can trade items with atop Firelink Shrine. There are merchant crows in all other Dark Souls games as well, and each one is named. The only place where this information is given is during the credits, which states that the crow is called "The Nestling", but in the official strategy guide, it is mentioned that The Nestling is named Snuggly the Crow. It does not explain why.
7 See You Ladder, Gilligan
Dark Souls 3 has many cameos and Easter eggs. Some are even useful beyond lore or story-related reasons, though others are just there for dark comedy. Gilligan, an NPC from Dark Souls 2, can be found near a bonfire in the Profaned Capital. This merchant from the previous game in the series would sell the player ladders to help them access different areas in the game.
Though, he is not doing so well since the last time the player has seen him. Upon his corpse lying near the restful flames, one can find the Stretch Out gesture. Which, when performed, imitates Gilligan's dying pose: spread eagle upon the ground. Interestingly, the area where the Chosen Undead finds his corpse happens to be abundant in ladders.
6 Buffet Of The Gods
It is well known that Aldritch, the Devourer of Gods, is true to his name. But gods are not the only thing he has consumed. In the boss fight with him, he will sometimes use a slashing attack with a white scythe that he calls forth with his staff. This is the Lifehunt Scythe miracle, which can be created when transposing his soul after defeating him. This scythe was once used by Crossbreed Priscilla from Dark Souls, therefore it can be theorized that Aldritch devoured her before hunting down Gwyndolin and using her power to fell the Dark Sun.
5 Dung Can Be Deadly To Bosses
The bosses in Dark Souls are all meant to be challenging. Though, over the years players have discovered certain exploitable weaknesses for many of them that can make these epic battles trivial. The most insulting is probably poisoning them with throwable items. Usually considered a harmful item in the game, Dung Pies can apply the toxic status effect to targets they are thrown at, though also applies toxic status to the player. Thankfully, there are items that can remove this status effect from the Chosen Undead. Unfortunately for a few bosses though, this is not an option. This strategy can especially be effective on Father Ariandel, the Crystal Sage, and Slave Knight Gael.
4 Disarming A Mimic
Usually, dealing with mimics to acquire their often valuable loot can be a literal pain. With their speed, reach, and unpredictability, they can be tricky to deal with even for the more seasoned veteran. Though, there is a way to harvest their goods without having to fight or even kill them.
Hitting one with an Undead Hunter Charm while it is disguised will cause it to fall asleep and open up. Simply reach in and grab the item before it awakens for a stress-free way to snag the treasure.
3 Gundyr Was Meant To Link The Flame
Iudex Gundry is the first boss the player encounters in the game and is relatively easy to defeat compared to the form one fights him in later on. According to item descriptions, Gundyr was meant to link the flame and restore light to the world, but was late and instead was doomed to wait for one who could. There among the graves, he waited, slowly being corrupted by The Abyss until found by the player. Maybe in an alternate world, it would be he that travels Lothric to slay the Lords of Cinder.
2 The Crystal Sages Are Twins
Both the boss found in the Crucifixion Woods and the one in the Grand Archives cast a variety of spells and wear similar garb, but they are closer than that. They are the students of Big Hat Logan from Dark Souls and possibly siblings as well from how similar they physically are. This can be verified by the descriptions on the big hat of Logan himself as well as the Crystal Sage's staff. How students of the kindly sorcerer from the past have become enemies is uncertain, but it is likely due to having gone mad from overuse of their crystal spheres.
1 Unlock Hard Mode
If this already challenging game isn't difficult enough for one's liking, players can equip the Calamity Ring, which reduces damage absorption by 100%. Meaning that they will take twice as much damage from all sources. This effect also stacks with other items and equipment effects. If one were to combine these damage absorption reduction effects, it is possible to make oneself weak enough to be killed by nearly anything. It's likely that this ring was never meant to be used intentionally and only exists as a reference to the mighty dragon from Dark Souls.