Dark Souls 2 is seeing a resurgence as fans fondly recall the super pig, moaning trees, and a rat boss that's actually a dog
It's Royal Rat Authority time, baby
![Dark Souls 2](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oCqHPCHskBvErA5tHTG2de-320-80.jpg)
Dark Souls 2 fans are fondly recalling their favorite moments in the black sheep of the series, and it's led to a mini-resurgence of sorts for the game on social media.
Dark Souls 2 is either secretly the best Dark Souls game, or the worst modern FromSoftware game, depending on who you ask. It's often regarded as the black sheep of the Dark Souls series, and is chiefly distinguished as the one Dark Souls game that FromSoftware studio president Hidetaka Miyazaki didn't direct. In short, there are a lot of conflicting opinions.
This week has weirdly turned into a celebration of Dark Souls 2. It all began with the tweet just below, which fondly recalls how Dark Souls 2's 'Royal Rat Authority' boss is in fact a dog, and not, in fact, a rat. Yes, there are rats very much present in the fight, but the head honcho of the entire battle is undoubtedly an actual dog.
i love dark souls 2. where else would we find a boss titled “Royal Rat Authority” and when you walk in it’s a dog.August 10, 2024
From that jumping-off point, Dark Souls 2 fans have been pouring one out for the game by reflecting on their favorite moments. It turns out there's some frankly wild stuff in the FromSoftware game, in particular the pigs in the Majula hub area. If you kill all the pigs repeatedly, they'll all turn into one massive super pig that'll hunt you down and make the safe area very much not safe.
Majula in Dark Souls 2 has a bunch of little piglets behind one of the houses and if you kill them enough times, they spawn as one massive super hog that'll chase you around the hub area. https://t.co/r8Ae55Klsi pic.twitter.com/xKolM3Lq8DAugust 13, 2024
There are also, I'm thrilled to report, trees that moan if you strike them in Dark Souls 2. The Invisible Woods has trees with faces, and if you hit them they'll moan (or scream, depending on who you ask). The Twitter user below, though, points out that the Crown of the Sunken King DLC has a tree that'll repair your equipment, but only if you strike it at a particular angle with a whip. Just Dark Souls 2 things.
In Dark Souls 2 Crown of the Sunken King, there's a mutant tree that can repair your equipment *if* you attack it specifically with the notched whip. https://t.co/mcei3gcGKR pic.twitter.com/ch4bHLfxyQAugust 12, 2024
One of my personal favorite revelations from this whole trend has to be Sellsword Luet. Dark Souls 2 posits that what if one wasn't a sellsword because they sold their services to someone, but were instead a sellsword because they literally sold their sword? That's Sellsword Luet in a nutshell - an NPC summon who fights with two massive shields because they sold their sword.
Dark Souls 2 has an NPC summon called Sellsword Luet, which is my favourite summon in all of FromSoft. He fights with 2 greatshields. Presumably because he sold his sword. DS2's humour is unrivaled. https://t.co/q4FoaLDdFg pic.twitter.com/hiAXWh4fzRAugust 11, 2024
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Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.