The first Dark Souls is a carefully crafted masterpiece. Having little flaws, it would be hard to top it off as it’s essentially FromSoftware’s magnum opus. But not everything can always be perfect. Inevitably, elements from Soulsborne games later make their way onto the cutting room floor. If something no longer works out, the team will tragically decide to cut it. There’s no doubt that FromSoftware carefully picks out what content to take away.
With such a long list of cut elements across their games, fans wonder why the developers decided to take it away. Surprisingly, the first Dark Souls title has the least cut content. These snippets of lost changes in Dark Souls 1 range from a potential new boss to wildly cutting out deeper lore for NPCs.
5/5 Undead King Ja-Yearl (Unused Boss)
Ja-Yearl is a boss fight that never made it into Dark Souls’ final release. Attached to the Four Kings tag in the games’ files, he is only referred to as the “Ja-Yearl Demon.” It’s unclear what his boss fight would’ve fully entailed. However, by modifying the game’s files through third-party programs, you can get an idea of this fight by encountering Ja-Yearl instead of a normal boss.
Appearance-wise, this boss comes dressed in the same golden attire seen on the Four Kings. There isn’t a definite spot where he would’ve spawned. Although, upon defeating him in a certain area, the Undead King Set becomes available for the player. In-game files reveal that he’s wielding a curved greatsword, an unavailable item to the player. Sharing the voice of Old King Allant, this cut boss from the final release, has us wondering what his definite potential could’ve been.
4/5 Alternate Bed Of Chaos Version
The Bed of Chaos is an infamous boss among all the Soulsborne games. Her mechanics feel clunky and unpredictable, and it’s hard to tell whether you’re about to be completely swiped off the map. In a game that doesn’t have a reliable means of jumping, navigating her boss fight feels impossible. However, the team made a prototype of her that would’ve helped with this current problem.
The game’s files have a different version of the Bed of Chaos. She’s wearing insect-like wings on her back, accompanied by animations that hint towards her being a more mobile boss than she already is. Her color scheme is also muddier and darker in this version, which makes us wonder what her boss fight could’ve been. It’s a shame that this initial version was cut, as it could have made the hated boss fight thrilling.
3/5 Shiva And The Black Eye Orb
Players are already familiar with the Black Eye Orb, as it’s a crucial item for Knight Lautrec’s questline. However, cut content hints that this mythical orb wasn’t initially for only Lautrec. Because of an unforgettable member of the Forest Hunters, you’d use it to invade again. However, this time you would have a different kind of revenge.
Shiva of the East is an NPC that other characters find evil. But Shiva is only a mere merchant to us. On the other hand, in-game inventory says otherwise. It features a Black Eye Orb with a description informing you about invading Shiva and his guards. It’s theorized that Shiva is deathly obsessed with the Chaos Blade. If you have the weapon, Shiva will murder you and steal it. After coming back, you’d use the orb to invade Shiva’s world and kill him to get your rightful revenge.
2/5 Oscar Was Originally Our Rival
Oscar of Astora is a lovable and iconic NPC that many Dark Souls fans remember fondly. With how little time we spent with him at the start of the game, fans wished we could’ve experienced more of the story with him. Oddly enough, FromSoftware did that before letting it remain as cut content. The thought alone can pain many players, as no matter how big or small his lore is, Oscar is an admirable character. Or, so we’d think.
Oscar originally came to us as a way to assist us, and in the cut-content, he helps us out in Darkroot Garden and Anor Londo. However, they later make him our antithesis towards the end of the game. When siding with either serpent, Oscar will choose to side with the exact opposite. If you side with Frampt, he’ll side with Kaathe and vice versa.
1/5 Andre Was Meant For More
Andre, better known as Blacksmith Andre, was supposed to have more than just an iron and weapon-centric life. It’s hard to find out anything about Andre, barely letting you into his life and what led him there. Fans have a lot of speculation about his lore and backstory. Overall, though, we can look more toward FromSoftware’s initial ideas for whom this memorable Blacksmith was before we met him.
It’s unclear why the developers decided to scrap Andre’s story. Before it was cut, Andre’s backstory involved a tale of strength, making him a part of something seemingly much bigger. Originally planned to be a descendant of Gwyn, fans can get more of an idea of his story as he’s featured in older concept art. The artwork revealed plans to make him a guardian of the Firelink Shrine. He also would’ve opened up a shortcut directly to the Kiln of the First Flame.
