Dark Souls was first released in 2011, following in Demon's Souls footsteps to become a staple in challenging gameplay, questionable fashion, and a swathe of "souls-likes" in its wake. One of the features of the Dark Souls series is its unique style of storytelling, mostly expositing through item descriptions and the occasional bout of dialogue.
Some characters are certainly smarter than others, and there are some important figures the player never meets at all, but their impact on the world is still felt throughout. As such, it's hard to dispute the intelligence of the following characters who make an appearance in the first Dark Souls.
10 Darkstalker Kaathe
Throughout the average Dark Souls playthrough, the player will meet one of two Primordial Serpents, immortal and intelligent in their own rights. Kaathe, however, takes the position of most cunning. Found in the deepest reaches of The Abyss, he is both the leader of the Darkwraiths and a guide to the player, offering to "illuminate the truth" of the Undead.
He explains to the player that the world has stagnated in its Age of Fire and that as the descendant of the Furtive Pygmy, the player must end the cycle. Kaathe guides the player to usher in the Age of Dark, with the knowledge that can only be found through him. It can only be speculated how much more Kaathe could know with the ages he's lived.
9 Dark Sun Gwyndolin
The last-born son of Gwyn and the only true god remaining in Anor Londo, which he protects through a series of vast illusions. From Gwynevere to a literal sun, Gwyndolin's illusions are convincing enough to fool most players, leaving them to praise the sun, respawn a hundred times, and leave with the Lordvessel none the wiser.
Gwyndolin can be interacted with on certain conditions, either to join the Blades of the Darkmoon or to confront him in a very annoying boss fight. Maintaining such grand illusions is one thing, and leading a covenant is another, but making killing him such a chore may be Gwyndolin's most brilliant act.
8 Trusty Patches
While there are other reasons explained later in the series, Patches is still nothing to scoff at. Some players may recognize him from Demon's Souls, and his penchant for kicking people down holes hasn't changed. The player can meet him in the Tomb of Giants where he'll do just that, and if the player has made progress with Rhea of Thorolund, it's certainly more dangerous than the one in 4-2.
Even when the player makes their way back to Firelink Shrine, Patches is there again, this time as a merchant selling pieces scavenged from the Catacombs. While not to the level of some of the other entries on this list, Patches is still sly enough to make the cut.
7 Big Hat Logan
One of Vinheim's most accomplished sorcerers, equal parts intelligent and asocial. He can be found in Sen's Fortress, where he can be freed to teach the player high-level sorceries back in Firelink Shrine. He has access to the best sorceries in the game, giving access to crystal sorceries like Crystal Soul Spear and White Dragon Breath on reaching the Duke's Archives.
One of the most powerful spells in the game, Soul Spear, is described as "on par with Lord Gwyn's Lightning" in power, showing his incredible skill as a sorcerer. But, he's only human, and he falls insane after consuming too much of the Archives' knowledge. He still shares what knowledge he can with the player, but it's never said why he's called "Big Hat Logan."
6 Seath The Scaleless
Duke of Lord Gwyn, betrayer of the Everlasting Dragons, and the grandfather of sorcery. Seath the Scaleless is considered the creator of modern sorceries and the owner of a vast collection of knowledge in The Duke's Archives. In the Dark Souls: The Age of Fire comics, Seath was shown to be greatly dedicated to his research, even to his own detriment in the dismissal of threats like the Abyss.
Players can also find the Moonlight Greatsword, a mainstay of the series, by severing his tail. This is a great choice for Intelligence builds with the Strength to use it, for as much as that matters for Seath's intellect. If he's made of Intelligence-scaling weapons, then surely that counts for something.
5 Quelana Of Izalith
First, let it be said that the Witch of Izalith could well take this spot. After all, she's the figurative mother of pyromancy, the actual mother of Quelana, and one of the Four Lords. The sole reason she doesn't take this spot is that in her hubris to create a new Flame, she made the Bed of Chaos. This was widely considered a bad move.
As for Quelana herself, she's the pyromancy equivalent to Big Hat Logan, offering top-shelf pyromancies and a way to fully upgrade the player's Pyromancy Flame. Lore-wise, it was confirmed in a development interview that the Daughters of Chaos are not human, meaning that Quelana may well have been around when the Witches of Izalith first weaved their great firestorms. If that doesn't give her enough time to perfect her craft, nothing will.
4 Hawkeye Gough
Once one of the Four Knights of Gwyn, Gough is a gentleman with incredible marksmanship. Despite being blind, he can shoot Black Dragon Kalameet out of the air on his first shot, either requiring luck, great hearing, or serious brainpower to surmise where Kalameet was flying. He's also very eloquent, which helps on the intellect front.
Gough also enjoys carving faces out of wood that make noise when broken. How he manages to do this is unknown, but it's cool enough not to question it.
3 Knight Lautrec Of Carim
Similar to Patches in his ability to fool the player, but different in that his fooling is consequential. After rescuing him from the Undead Parish, Lautrec can tip the player off to the location of the freshly absent clerics, urging the player to enter the catacombs below. Sometime after, he kills the Firekeeper and escapes, relying on backup to kill the player when they invade him in retaliation.
Lautrec is wry in what he does, and it's in service to the goddess Fina, it makes him no less of a threat to the player. He's a competent fighter both when summoned and invaded, and few players haven't been tricked by him at least once. But however intelligent he may be, he made the mistake of wearing the best ring in the game. Have a nice fall, Lautrec.
2 Pinwheel
He's a necromancer that rules over the Catacombs, having stolen the Rite of Kindling from Gravelord Nito to do so. While that's about it in strict canon, there are several prevailing theories adding more to Pinwheel's identity. For example, Pinwheel may have staged an uprising with Velka, Goddess of Sin, to hunt down the gods, stealing the Rite of Kindling to do so. While this never succeeded, probably due to how much of a pushover he is, the fact he could have lived through that is noteworthy.
Necromancy is not a common sight in Dark Souls, even in later installments. While it's uncertain what Pinwheel is, to emulate the power of one of the Four Lords is impressive and surely needs no small feat of knowledge. If nothing else, there are plenty of books in Pinwheel's boss arena. People who read books are generally smart, right?
1 Velka, Goddess Of Sin
While not present past her statues and followers in the games, Velka is one of the most influential characters in many aspects of Dark Souls' lore. She defined and judged sin, as well as offered forgiveness. She was known to have a great spread of influence, working against the gods on occasion such as the occult uprising with Pinwheel. In fact, Velka had close ties with the occult in general.
Velka's Talisman is also the only Intelligence-scaling talisman in Dark Souls, which may be a reflection of the goddess' own wiles. Not much about her is known, so much of her lore is left up to interpretation.
Dark Souls is available on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.