For as influential as the original Dark Souls is, the game runs into some serious hiccups during its back half. After completing Anor Londo and obtaining the Lord Vessel, Dark Souls’ level design takes a serious dive. The quest for the Lord Souls lacks the same focus the first half of the Dark Souls, resulting in a lackluster conclusion to what’s arguably FromSoftware’s seminal work.
In spite of a weak last act, Dark Souls is remedied by its main piece of DLC: Artorias of the Abyss. A base part of the game in the Remastered re-release, Artorias of the Abyss expands Dark Souls with new weapons, areas, and boss fights. The Chasm of the Abyss is arguably the hardest area in Dark Souls, ending with a tense encounter against Manus, Father of the Abyss. Dark Souls’ base game may not stick the landing, but Artorias of the Abyss more than makes up for it.
Into The Abyss
The Chasm of the Abyss is attached to the Oolacile Township and the final major area in Artorias of the Abyss. While obviously significant to the DLC itself, the Abyss is a location mentioned more than once throughout Dark Souls (with the fight against the Four Kings even set in part of the Abyss).
The Chasm of the Abyss allows players an opportunity to see the area in its full scope. While not pitch black, the Chasm of the Abyss is a dimly lit setting cluttered with dangerous enemies and jagged pathways that inattentive players are bound to fall off of. The area isn’t too dark where you can’t walk through, but it does help to have a Skull Lantern for extra lighting.
In terms of enemies, the Chasm of the Abyss is filled with some of the DLC’s most dangerous. Oolacile Residents will rush players on sight, the Oolacile Sorceress deals deadly damage from afar, and Giant Humanities run the risk of eating through health bars if players aren’t careful enough. It’s best to keep a distance from mobs and only engage when it’s safe.
Finding Sif
Great Grey Wolf Sif appears as a boss during Dark Souls’ main story. Lore reveals that Sif was actually a companion of Artorias himself, guarding the Knight’s grave in the present. The events of Artorias of the Abyss are set in the past and Sif is actually trapped in the Chasm of the Abyss, waiting for players to rescue them. Should players do so, Sif can actually be summoned for the boss fight against Manus.
From the Bonfire, follow the cavern path while hugging the wall to the left until you get to the Crystal Lizard. Look for a nearby slope and – without turning right – follow the pathway down to see a room full of Giant Humanities to the right. Walk to the left to trigger an illusory floor. After dropping down, turn right to see Alvina in the cat.
Follow Alvina into the tunnel until she leads you to a seemingly dead end. Hit the wall she was in front of to reveal its illusion. Sift will be trapped inside of the room and surrounded by Giant Humanities. Once all the Humanities have been killed, Sif will be free, disappear, and drop the Cleansing Greatshield. Sif’s Summon Sign is unique in that it’s found inside of the boss arena and not out.
To The Boss Gate
There’s a fairly quick way to get to Manus from the initial Bonfire reliably. On the same slope that has the fork between Sif and the Giant Humanities, there’s also a small cliff halfway to the right of the path. Players can drop down onto this cliff and then straight into the Humanities pit from it without taking damage.
The Giant Humanities will immediately rush you, but a weapon with a long reach can keep them at bay. There’s also an Oolacile Sorceress up ahead, but the path down here directly leads to a broken pillar. Follow the pillar down to a winding path that’ll bring you right in front of Manus’ Boss Gate.
Manus, Father Of The Abyss
The final boss of the DLC, it goes without saying that Manus is also one of the hardest bosses in Dark Souls. The Father of the Abyss has high health, an erratic move pool, and can kill a player in seconds if they’re not prepared. Manus’ physical attacks can be blocked, but they’ll drain stamina fast and his combos are long enough where you’re almost guaranteed to take some damage.
Manus’ Chaos Magic also hits hard and can come at a surprise from long range. That said, Manus’ magic isn’t too difficult to dodge. The key to defeating Manus is keeping a close eye on him while dodging through his attacks. Manus periodically leaves himself open during combos and it’s just a matter of knowing when exactly to strike.
Sif is also useful in distracting Manus’ attention, allowing you to get some easy strikes in while he’s distracted. The fight against Manus will be long and stressful, but so long as you don’t play fast and loose with stamina, it’s entirely manageable.