Dark Souls introduced players to many unique and interesting locations, from the depths of Blighttown to the labyrinths of Sen’s Fortress. Among these areas is Anor Londo, the city of sunlight, which at one point acted as Gwyn’s personal palace. However, as the player progresses through Anor Londo, they come to find that the city is just as hostile and unforgiving as any other location in Dark Souls.
That being said, the most interesting aspect of Anor Londo is the story implications a player can derive. The Dark Souls series is known for providing little-to-no story details directly, instead making the player rely on indirect storytelling shown by the world and its inhabitants. Anor Londo shows itself as a city in eternal sunlight, however, upon investigating further into Anor Londo, the player learns that the city - like its ruler - holds many dark secrets.
Anor Londo’s History
The story of Anor Londo begins with Gwyn and his desire to rule over Lordran. After discovering a Lord Soul and recruiting other beings who possessed Lord Souls, Gwyn challenged the Everlasting Dragons who ruled over the land, and was able to defeat them due to his ability to manipulate lightning. Once the dragons were defeated, Gwyn began the Age of Fire and took his place as ruler of Lordran, establishing Anor Londo as a capital city and the residence for his family.
As rulers of the land, Gwyn and his offspring became known as Gods and were worshipped as such in Anor Londo. To prevent any human interference, Gwyn recruited his knights to patrol the halls of the city and protect the treasures there. Among these halls is a room full of mounted dragon heads, which Gwyn likely hunted and kept as souvenirs of his triumph over the Ancient Dragons.
The most guarded room in the entire city is Gwynevere’s throne room, as it holds the Lordvessel and is the player's final destination. Standing guard just outside Gwynevere is Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough, the former being one of the Four Knights of Gwyn. This duo acts as the area boss and is considered one of the hardest boss fights in Dark Souls. However, it is unclear why the two high-standing warriors remained in Anor Londo during the events of the game. It is theorized that they were left behind by Gwyn to guard his daughter.
When the player first enters Anor Londo, it is seen as a city basked in sunlight and heavily fortified against intrusions. Players must enter the throne room to confront Gwynevere and obtain the Lordvessel, which grants access to the Kiln of the First Flame. After obtaining the Lordvessel, players are free to exit Anor Londo and attempt to confront Gwyn at the Kiln of the First Flame; however, if the player chooses to investigate Anor Londo further, they will discover truths that the gods wanted to be hidden away.
The Secrets of the Occult Hidden in Anor Londo
One of the first secret areas in Anor Londo is the Painted World of Ariamis, which is hidden on the bottom floor of one of the larger buildings in the city. Once inside the painting, players find a plethora of abominable creatures and learn that the gods have banished unwanted beings to this world to keep them from Lordran. Inside Ariamis, players discover many occult weapons and items that can be used to slay the gods, as well as Crossbreed Priscilla, who was banished to this world because Gwyn feared her power. The entrance to the Painted World of Ariamis is likely kept in Anor Londo to ensure no one discovers the gods’ weaknesses.
Another interesting secret surrounding the occult is located within a hidden room inside Anor Londo’s main building. Havel is a knight of Lordran who prides himself on his dragon-slaying armor and weaponry, and he is a known associate of Gwyn. However, inside a secret room lies chests that contain Havel’s armor and weapon but also a mimic chest, designed to keep out intruders, that contains an occult weapon. It is theorized that even an ally to the gods such as Havel knew their power was not in check, and was possibly plotting against them.
Dark Sun Gwyndolin
Perhaps the biggest secret of Anor Londo lies in the godly inhabitants that remained after Gwyn left. Gwynevere is located at the end of the area, seen as a giant, friendly woman who gifts the Lordvessel to the player. However, if the player attacks Gwynevere, she dies after a single strike and her death unveils the true state of Anor Londo. Once Gwynevere is killed, Anor Londo becomes a desolate land and the permanent sunlight disappears. If the player confronts the Fire Keeper at the beginning of the city, they will find she is now hostile and curses the player for attacking the gods, but the player must investigate further to uncover who is behind the false representation of Anor Londo.
In order to discover the truth of Anor Londo, players must first find the secret passage to Gwyn's youngest child: Dark Sun Gwyndolin. The passage is found by taking the rotating staircase down to the Dark Moon Tomb, which is usually an empty room with a statue of Gwyn. If players have acquired the Darkmoon Seance Ring from the Catacombs, the statue of Gwyn disappears and reveals a new staircase. Players can then choose to enter Gwyndolin’s covenant or go through the fog door, the latter of which makes Gwyndolin hostile and triggers an optional boss fight. Alternatively, if players have killed Gwynevere, the passage will be open and Gwyndolin becomes hostile by default.
Through studying the items from Anor Londo and interactions between characters and bosses, it is explained that Gwyndolin is the youngest child of Gwyn who was born a boy but raised as a girl because of his association with magic and the moon. After Gwyn departed Anor Londo and the rest of the gods presumably abandoned the city, Gwyndolin created an illusionary version of his sister, Gwynevere, to watch over Anor Londo. In reality, Anor Londo has fallen, and Gwyndolin is the only remaining god who stays hidden so that they can entice the player to relight the First Flame and succeed Gwyn.
On the surface, Anor Londo looks to be similar to any other location in Dark Souls, full of interesting characters and lore. However, the secrets hidden within the city reveal many important details about Gwyn and his followers that the gods wanted to remain hidden. Gwyn and Gwyndolin have gone to great lengths to protect the city, but in truth the gods are suffering due to the fading of the First Flame. Anor Londo, the city that used to be bathed in sunlight, is just as decrepit as the rest of Lordan.
Dark Souls Remastered is available for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
