Despite being one of Demon’s Souls’ standout NPCs, most players will never actually meet Mephistopheles. Most who played the PS3 original likely only ever saw her on the loading screen. That’s not unreasonable, however, as simply triggering her appearance in the Nexus requires both an understanding of Character Tendency (different from World Tendency) and killing an NPC unprompted, making her sidequest one of the most obscure across FromSoft’s Soulsborne franchise.
Mephistopheles herself has been sent to the Nexus to purge the world of Soul Arts on behalf of the Order of the Soul. Although her motivations don’t initially align with that of the player character, it’s possible to become Mephistopheles’ personal assassin – killing the residents of the Nexus on her behalf. Completing Mephistopheles’ questline means permanently offing several of Demon’s Souls’ NPCs, but it’s worth it for the copious rewards.
Edited on July 30 2021 by Renan Fontes: One of the best things about Demon's Souls is the fact that there's real consequence for your actions. You can genuinely screw up a playthrough by killing the wrong NPCs, getting rid of your gear, or just defying common sense because the game simply allows you to. Demon's Souls takes avantage of the medium better than most action RPGs and this extends to its side quests. Mephistopheles' side quest offers a unique perspective on Demon's Souls' worlds, but it's at the expense of several questlines. It's important to understand what you're getting rid of before committing to Mephistopheles.
Murder Yurt
Mephistopheles will not appear in the Nexus so long as Yurt, the Silent Chief is alive. Mephistopheles’ original assassin, Yurt intends to go to the Nexus and murder anyone with knowledge of the Soul Arts. Naturally, this conflicts with the questline (albeit is part of its own quest which ends in a fight between the player and Yurt.) The easiest way to kill Yurt is on sight in 3-2.
- Scale the first prayer tower and kill the worshipers at the top.
- After cutting the heart’s chain, continue to follow the tower’s path until reaching a dead end.
- Drop down the broken bridge to the platform below to reach an area with several Augites of Guidance.
- Talk to Yurt, free them from their cage, and immediately backstab them.
If Yurt doesn’t die from the backstab, be careful not to roll off the arena. With Yurt dead, there’s no one left to assassinate the Nexus’ denizens for the Order of the Soul, but Mephistopheles won’t appear quite yet. For good measure, don’t forget to loot Yurt’s armor. If you leave Yurt alive, he'll do Mephistopheles' side quest himself. Every time you kill a boss, Yurt kills another NPC. Once everyone in the Nexus is dead, he'll turn his sights on you and you'll be forced to kill him anyways.
Get Pure Black Character Tendency
World Tendency and Character Tendency are not the same, nor do they abide by the same rules. World Tendency is contingent on the Archstone players are currently in, whereas Character Tendency follows players wherever they go. Triggering Mephistopheles in the Nexus requires Pure Black Character Tendency. There are two main ways to raise PBCT.
- Invade hosts as a Black Phantom and kill them.
- Kill NPCs in Soul Form.
Since Mephistopheles’ questline requires killing NPCs in the Nexus, it’s best to simply focus on the shopkeepers scattered throughout the Archstones. Anyone who can teach magic should be left untouched, but the likes of the Dregling and Filthy Man can be comfortably murdered. Once PBCT has been obtained, Mephistopheles will appear in the Nexus and start ordering hits.
Kill Saint Urbain And His Acolytes
The first hit Mephistopheles puts out is on Saint Urbain and his acolytes. Saint Urbain must be rescued from 4-2 before he appears in the Nexus, but saving him is as simple as speaking with him in the hole Patches knocks players down and fighting a way out. Saint Urbain, the Worshipper of God, and Acolyte of God all teach Miracles, which fall under the Soul Art umbrella. Saint Urbain will be the hardest of the bunch to kill, but attacking him first will aggro his Acolytes, whereas he’ll sit idly by if the players choose to kill his pupils first.
Make sure to kill Saint Urbain as quickly as possible, as he not only uses God’s Wrath as his main attack, but casts Recovery whenever he’s low on health. Killing the trio rewards players with a Stone of Ephemeral Eyes. Saint Urbain's questline is done once he's in the Nexus, but he's one of the better merchants in the games for mages. Make sure you buy all the Miracles you want or need for this playthrough before you kill Urbain, since you won't be getting another chance until New Game Plus.
Kill Sage Freke And His Apprentice
Freke’s Apprentice appears in the Nexus relatively early into the game, but the sage himself must be rescued from a 3rd floor cell in the Tower of Latria. After finding the Special Key near the tower by 3-1’s boss door, head back to 3F West, speak with Sage Freke, and he’ll make his way over to the Nexu where Mephistopheles will call out her next hit. Sage Freke isn’t as dangerous as Saint Urbain comparatively, but his repertoire of spells can make him something of a challenge.
Between Warding, Soul Ray, and Homing Soul Arrow, Sage Freke has the potential to kill players in one hit. His apprentice will attack once Freke has been murdered, but he’s noticeably easier, only using Soul Ray before switching to his fists. Killing both rewards another Stone of Ephemeral Eyes. Like Urbain, Sage Freke teaches advanced magic spells in exchange for your boss builds. If you're playing a magic build, make 100% sure you've gotten everything you want out ot Freke first. Consider prioritizing the Homing Soul Arrow and Acid Cloud.
Kill Patches
After meeting Patches at least once, he’ll start to appear in the Nexus periodically, offering players his services before inevitably betraying them yet again. Either hunt down Patches in 2-2 or 4-2 to trigger his appearance in the Nexus (he’ll be less than midway through both stages), so Mephistopheles can order her next assassination.
Unlike Saint Urbain and Sage Freke, Patches is genuinely quite difficult. Not only does the Adjudicator's Shield gradually restore his health – demanding that he be killed fast – but he can comfortably attack with his spear while blocking, making it potentially difficult to force an opening without parrying. Once Patches is killed, Mephistopheles will reward a very rare Colorless Demon’s Soul.
While Patches may be a nuisance, he opens one of the best shops in the Nexus if he's alive. Patches sells all different types of Grass, Fresh Spice, Heavy Arrows, and Shard of Archstones that teleport you back to the Nexus. Having Patches around saves on grinding thanks to all the practical items he keeps in stock.
Kill Biorr
Biorr of the Twin Fangs can be found locked in a cell in the 1-2, but actually saving him requires the Iron Ring of Keys from 1-3. Simply kill the Fat Official found after the first fog gate, loot him, and then loop back to the very end of 1-2. Biorr will be found at the bottom of the final watchtower, trapped behind a cell while guarded by a Fat Official. Once the Fat Official is killed, Biorr can be rescued and brought back to the Nexus.
Keep in mind that Biorr will lock himself in 1-4 if players confront the Blue Dragon, so it’s important to do this assassination before delving too deep into the Archstone of the Small King. While powerful and sturdy, Biorr isn’t too difficult to maneuver around. Once killed, players will be rewarded with another Colorless Demon’s Soul. Unfortunatley, killing Biorr means you lose a valuable ally against both The Penetrator and the Blug Dragon. There's no way to get around killing Biorr for the questline, but try to kill him after the Penetrator fight at the very least.
Kill Ostrava
Ostrava is one of Demon’s Souls’ most important NPCs, and his questline has the potential of spanning an entire playthrough. He more or less fills the same role Solaire did in Dark Souls, offering players a friendly face in a side quest that ultimately ends in tragedy. As Ostrava’s questline ends with him committing suicide, it goes without saying that assassinating him will interrupt his arc.
That said, Ostrava is the penultimate target and a fairly easy one. Rescue Ostrava in 1-1, 1-2, or 1-3 and he’ll be waiting in the Nexus in-between stages. Ostrava won’t put up too much of a fight, dropping the Mausoleum Key upon death. When killed, Mephistopheles will reward players with the Beast Talisman and order her final assassination.
Kill Yuria
Rescuing Yuria is an involved process which requires finding the complete Fat Official set and the Iron Ring of Keys used to free Biorr. The Fat Official in the dungeon ends up dropping a Bloody Key which can be used to unlock the gate at the start of 1-3. Follow the path past the gate to scale a tower with the final Fat Official guarding Yuria. Once he’s been killed and the set has been equipped, players will be welcome into Yuria’s cell.
Yuria is by far the most difficult NPC in Mephistopheles’ questline and she can slaughter just about any build with one cast of Firestorm. Taking Yuria head-on can be extremely difficult if she isn’t killed quickly (especially since she aggros faster than most). After she’s been killed, players can report back to Mephistopheles to collect their final reward: the Foe’s Ring.
Yuria is another magic vendor who stings to lose, especially since she teaches Firestorm – arguably the best magic spell in the game. Like with Urbain and Freke, get everything you need out of Yuria before killing her.
Murder Mephistopheles
In spite of all the hard work done on behalf of the Order of the Soul, Mephistopheles will turn her sights on the player once they’ve blindly assassinated all of her targets. With no one left in the Nexus other than potentially the Maiden in Black, Stockpile Thomas, and Blacksmith Boldwin, the final battle with Mephistopheles is a lonely affair. Notably, Mephistopheles can cast Soulsucker, a spell which delevels a player’s highest stat.
While that may sound intimidating, anyone looking to respect should take advantage of this fact. If players can kill Yuria, they can kill Mephistopheles. Although a threat, she’s nowhere near as dangerous as the witch. Upon being killed, Mephistopheles will drop her Parrying Dagger, Epee Rapier, Gold Mask, and Ring of the Accursed.