Dark Souls sits as one of the best video game trilogies, though most people consider the first and third entries to be the series' high points. Despite all three not being directly connected, there are enough environmental storytelling and narrative threads that tie the three of them together.
Boss fights, fluid combat, and expert-level design are the showpiece components of FromSoftware titles, but they also manage to deliver unforgettable NPC characters as well. Dark Souls may be known for the frustration-inducing fights, but often it's the character interactions that help to build an immersive and memorable world.
8 Gwynevere, Princess Of Sunlight
Sure, it could be argued that the dozens of player-written messages saying "large chest ahead" leading into the room in which Gwynevere, Princess of Sunlight rests played a big role in how memorable she was. It's also a moment in which players truly understand the scale of beings in Anor Londo and how the individuals perceived as deities had the stature to match their grand reputations.
When players come to understand that Gwynevere, Princess of Sunlight was an illusion and not the real daughter of Lord Gwyn, it manages to repaint the entire encounter in a different way. Everything isn't always as it seems, and if it looks or feels too good to be true, it likely is.
7 Alvina
Almost all of the NPCs that players come across in Dark Souls are human, to some extent. They tend to either be living, undead, cursed, or some other form of tortured soul. That's what makes the encounter with Alvina in Darkroot Garden so memorable. It's a giant grey cat sitting on a window sill who serves as the head of the covenant known as the Forest Hunters.
Many gaming properties have tried their hand at introducing a Cheshire Cat-type character like the one featured in Alice In Wonderland. No one, however, would expect it to come from FromSoftware in their dark fantasy game focused on demons, souls, and the undead.
6 Knight Lautrec
Patches is a character often associated with teaching Dark Souls players not to trust NPCs or take them at their word. Knight Lautrec might be the actual true point of initiation into this line of thinking. When players release him from his cell in Undead Parish, nothing much comes of the encounter.
Little do they know that he eventually kills the Fire Keeper named Anastacia who persists right below the Firelink Shrine hub area. Players are able to fight him and seek revenge for his grizzly murder, but the sting of betrayal never really goes away. It's a good lesson about how small decisions in the world of Dark Souls can have major repercussions.
5 Anri Of Astora
Anri of Astora is one of the few Dark Souls NPCs whose gender changes based on that of the character, as they will always serve as the opposite. This is interesting from a lore perspective because Anri is meant to serve as an analog to the player as they are also an Unkindled in search of the Lords of Cinder.
Their questline has multiple outcomes, but it's clear Anri's main goal is taking out Aldrich, Devourer of Gods. Tragedy and despair often serve as the guiding core themes of Dark Souls games, and Anri is another example of a person with a purpose and goal who must fight against the world at every turn and may fail regardless of their effort.
4 Blacksmith Andre
As with many aspects of Dark Souls 3, it's never explicitly said that the blacksmith named Andre is the same blacksmith from the original Dark Souls. Either way, veterans of the series feel a bond with this guy. Andre isn't overtly kind, but he is welcoming and simply wants his work to be showcased by confident and skilled warriors.
Few sounds in the trilogy are as Pavlovian as hearing Andre's hammer striking an anvil and remembering that weapons need to be upgraded. Dark Souls featured a giant blacksmith in Andor Londo who was also quite charismatic, but unlike Andre, he can be found dead in Dark Souls 3's depiction of Anor Londo.
3 Patches
Most people will associate the idea of something or someone being unforgettable in a positive context. Patches is a perfect example of this train of thought not being entirely true. He's an off-putting weirdo that appears in every modern game FromSoftware has released and happens to be a jerk every time. Patches is an opportunist who will screw over anyone he needs to if it means he benefits in some way.
Whether he will truly benefit or simply enjoys screwing people over, he's the living embodiment of the troll-like qualities FromSoftware implements into their games in an attempt to always keep the player on their toes. The moment Patches shows up in a Dark Souls game, it's understood that something unfortunate is about to happen.
2 Siegward Of Catarina
Some people would say Siegmeyer of Catarina from the original Dark Souls is the most unforgettable onion knight in the trilogy, whereas others may sway toward Siegward of Catarina instead. Either way, this entry is meant to represent the several characters in the series wearing the onion knight armor that each brings a laidback but respectable attitude.
Siegward is on a quest in Dark Souls 3 to fulfill a promise he made to a lifelong best friend. He vowed to Yhorm the Giant that he'd put him out of his misery if the cascading warrior ever succumbed to the darkness. Rushing into battle alongside the stout champion as he roars in excitement is a top moment in the Dark Souls trilogy.
1 Solaire Of Astora
When speaking of unforgettable NPCs in the Dark Souls trilogy, the conversation will always revolve around Solaire of Astora. His quotes have invaded the internet landscape in a way where they exist even outside of the Dark Souls fandom. Players who engage in his quest and see it through to the end will be heartbroken, but that's par for the course in the series Hidetaka Miyazaki and FromSoftware brought into this world.
If the series were to ever have an official mascot it would probably be Solaire, as he currently serves in that role in an unofficial capacity. Every Dark Souls fan remembers meeting Solaire for the first time and welcoming unbridled optimism in a world that was otherwise completely devoid of it.