Welcome to a series of articles focusing on action figure wants of one of the hottest and hardest gaming properties on a system today. Originally launched as Demon’s Souls for the PS3, From Software’s grinding dungeon game will be on its third iteration this year with Dark Souls 2, the follow up to the insanely successful Dark Souls. While we don’t know all the character types, NPCs, enemies, and bosses, we are still going to start demanding characters from Dark Souls. And I might throw in a nugget or two from Demon’s Souls.
D-Arts is Bandai’s brand for their video game licenses. Using the same engineering found in S.H. Figuarts, these figures are extremely poseable, with at least 32 points of articulation. For more information, refer to Fwoosh’s latest review of Luffy. And Bandai has shown off that they can sculpt, just take a look at Sagittarius Zodiarts and Walz Gills:
We know Bandai can make the figures! And we know know they can engineer the figures in ways that allow mix and match armors, just like in the game — Havel’s legs on Elite Knight’s Armor, Stone Guardian Gauntlets, and Chester’s Hat. The possibilities would be endless.
Finally, with the Hobbit sequel coming up and zombies and monsters on a popularity kick, and, of course, the upcoming Dark Souls 2 game on the horizon, it is time for a manufacturer out there to make some really awesome fantasy figures. The choices below represent some good classic stereotypes of figure types that would work in any 6-inch fantasy line.
Without further ado here are the top 5 Dark Souls NPCs that we want to see in D-Arts!
Solaire of Astora
I went with Solaire as a first choice. Like Siegmeyer, he is one of the few NPCs that help you throughout the game. His armor is simple, if not goofy, but he’s got the Sunlight Straight Sword, Sunlight Shield, Sunlight Talisman, and the Lightning Spear miracle. Solaire is also key as he gives you the White Sign Soapstone which drops your summon sign. This would be a great idea for a base, in fact any summon-able NPC should come with a summon sign base. The lightning spear miracle opens up another possible pack in for the Lighting Spear and Sunlight Spear (unless of course Lord Gywnn makes it to the top 5 boss list).
Oscar, Knight of Astora
I’m going with Oscar. Oscar and Tarkus are shown in the trailers for Dark Souls and have limited roles after that. We meet Oscar in the beginning of the game in Undead Asylum, and then he’s done. He comes back to give us a hard time as black phantom, and, of course, later on Ricard is wearing the same armor. The elite knight set, which is heavily guarded in Dark Root Forest, is arguably the best armor in the game. Why is this armor so bad-ass? It has high poise, meaning you don’t get knocked over easily and you recover quickly. Oscar has some goodies too: He carries Astora’s Straight Sword, Crest Shield, Elite Knight Set, and he is who you get your Estus Flasks (health) from for the first time. All these items are killer to use in the game. And since the Crest Shield is the same shape as the Dragon Crest Shield, this would be an awesome pack-in. AND! Since Ricard wears the same armor, you can easily pack in his longbow, buckler, and Ricard’s Rapier. Two for the price of one.
Black Iron Tarkus
This is one of my favorite armors of the game. As an NPC there isn’t much value to him; you can summon him and that’s about it. His armor pickup is the real win. It’s a heavy juggernaut armor that has great resistances and is a fun upgrade. In addition, you get a greatshield and greatsword that are also a hoot once upgraded. Other than that, there isn’t much to add. He’s got no miracles, magi,c or pyromancy. Although… his armor found outside the Painted World of Aramis, that being a heavily pyroed area, might make including some high level pyromancy items like Great Chaos Fireball interesting.
Siegmeyer of Catarina
Siggy was an easy choice. The onion armor is hilarious. He comes with the Zweihander, pierce shield, and he has the lovely miracle emit force which would be a great add-on. Additionally, you could include an extra head pack-in of his daughter Sieglinde.
Big Hat Logan
I struggled with this last one. It was a really tough choice as I was down to Paladin Leroy, Lady of the Darkling, Hawkeye Gough, and Witch Beatrice. Each one of these characters could come with some really kick-ass weapons and shields, magics, items, etc., etc. But I went with Logan. Why? For the simple reason that you get some awesome spell possibilities with him. Homing Crystal Soul Mass, Crystal Soul Spear, and White Dragon Breath. In addition to his catalyst, you can also pick up the Tin Crystallization Catalyst from him. And his armor, specifically the hat, is a hoot!
Keep your eyes peeled as we continue to explore the possible action figure world of Dark Souls!
Check out thecoinslot for more of Dark Souls loving: http://thecoinslot.com/2013/04/21/top-5-ways-to-die-in-dark-souls/
As always you can discuss this more on the Fwoosh forums: https://thefwoosh.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=91&t=73061