After their first death at the hands of the Vanguard Demon in Demon's Souls, players will find themselves at the Nexus. To start off, this place is rather empty, featuring only a handful of NPCs that offer limited services, but things won't stay that way for long. As players progress through the various Archstones, they'll often come across NPCs in dire situations. Usually, rescuing them inspires them to return to the Nexus where they then offer some kind of service or play a role in a questline. It can be hard to keep track of everyone, though, as there is a grand total of 17 potential NPCs.
For the most part, each of these NPCs paly a vital role either by providing some type of service or giving more background on the story of Demon's Souls. Players should note that they may not have all of these NPCs depending on the choices they make in the game, as World Tendency can sometimes affect whether or not they appear. For those players looking for a specific NPC, it's best to look up how to get them before getting too far into the game so players can make sure they meet the requirements.
The Nexus Starting NPCs
When players are just starting out, The Nexus is home to nine of the 17 potential NPCs by the time players defeat the Phalanx boss in the Gates of Boletaria. Straight away, players will notice the Crestfallen Warrior, a blue phantom that directs players to the first Archstone and gradually loses his mind. To his right, two other NPCs can be found, named Blacksmith Boldwin and Stockpile Thomas. These two will be instrumental for all players, as Boldwin allows them to upgrade their gear while Stockpile Thomas makes item burden much easier to deal with.
Aside from them, there are also two merchants that teach Magic Spells and Miracles, called Freke's Apprentice and Disciple of God respectively. They can be found on opposite ends of the Nexus behind the Archstones, and will be very important to those that wish to pursue either type of magic in Demon's Souls. The Disciple of God is also accompanied by the Worshipper and Acolyte of God, neither of whom are important. Finally, the Maiden in Black allows players to level up, making her crucial to any playthrough, and the Monumental rests at the top of Nexus keeping the Old One at bay.
The Nexus Magic Teachers
Though the first nine start in the Nexus, three of the NPCs available to players that teach magic must first be rescued before they return. For Miracle users, players will find Saint Urbain in The Ritual Trap after he fell prey to Patches' trap. After rescuing him, he will join the Worshipper and Acolyte of God on that side of the Nexus. He then is able to sell all of the spells that the Disciple of God could, and additionally is able to trade powerful Demon's Souls obtained from bosses for unique spells as well.
For Magic users, there are two NPCs that must be rescued. Sage Freke can be found in the Prison of Hope, one of Demon's Souls most terrifying levels, while Yuria the Witch is located in the Boletarian Palace being held hostage by a Fat Official. Rescuing them will also see them return to the Nexus, and each is capable of trading Boss Souls for unique spells. Players should look ahead of time at which souls can be traded for which spells, as there is some overlap in the two's offers. For example, the Hard Demon Soul will earn Fire Spray from Freke and Ignite from Yuria.
Ostrava, Biorr, and Yurt
These three characters can be rescued during the player's run of the game, and each has a questline associated with them. Players will first meet Ostrava of Boletaria in the Gates of Boletaria, where they must rescue him from a group of Dreglings. After each rescue, he will briefly appear in the Nexus but doesn't remain for long. Biorr of the Twin Fangs is also a special case, Biorr can be rescued in world 1-3, and doing so will cause him to appear in the Nexus and offer help as a Blue Phantom from time to time.
Yurt the Silent Chief is found locked up in Upper Latria, and rescuing him is a bad idea. If players bring Yurt back to the Nexus, he will start to kill off other NPCs in the area. Every time the player kills a boss, Yurt will assassinate one of the aforementioned NPCs. If this goes on long enough, Yurt will eventually turn hostile on the player as well. With that in mind, it's best to kill him immediately after freeing him in Upper Latria, as this doesn't affect world or character tendency at all.
Patches and Mephistopheles
Patches the Hyena has become a recurring character in the Souls franchise, so most fans are probably familiar with him. When players find him in either the Tunnel City or the Ritual Path level, where he will trick the player in an attempt to loot their corpse. Despite this aggressive behavior, he eventually returns to the Nexus and becomes a merchant, selling various stolen goods. Uniquely, Patches' inventory grows as players slay Archdemons like the Dragon God, but most of the items he sells can be found elsewhere without paying exorbitant prices for them.
The final NPC that players can bring back to the Nexus is Mephistopheles, but she will only be available to players with Pure Black Character Tendency. To achieve this, players must commit bad acts throughout their playthrough, and then kill Yurt the Silent Chief to get her to come to the Nexus. She asks the player to assassinate everyone in the Nexus one at a time, providing powerful rewards to players that complete her request. At the end of the questline, she attacks the player as well, but drops good items if defeated.
Demon's Souls is available now on PS5.
