Video games have always posed a challenge. Part of the fun of games is to overcome those challenges to success. However, up until the Souls games, it was considered a bad thing to have a game so horrifically difficult it could take thousands of lives to complete a runthrough. But when you combine an epic grimdark fantasy world with a thousand unique enemies and demanding-but-rewarding gameplay, you get the addictive From Software masterpieces. Whether you can’t get enough of the Souls grind, or just like your knight skins to be extra dark, this list of Dark Souls skins should have something for every type of Minecraft player.
1. Oscar of Astora
Check Out This Skin Why wouldn’t the first skin on a Dark Souls list be from the first person you speak to in a Dark Souls game? Oscar, Knight of Astora, is the one who drops you a corpse at the beginning of the original Dark Souls – and grants you an Estus Flask on his passing. As the iconic medieval look made by creator Leostereo here shows, the Souls games catch the eye from the get go and never look back. I’m hard-pressed to think of any games that have knights with armor this cool as just prologue characters.
2. Kirk, Knight of Thorns
Check Out This Skin I’m sure you’ve had your fair share of frustration when, while rushing back to a location or campfire in Dark Souls, an invader like Kirk has shown up. They’re always such thorns (ha!) in your side. But you have to admit, invaders like this Knight of Thorns look cool as heck. Beyond being a Souls fan, anyone can recognize that this all-black edgy knight skin looks good enough to write home about.
3. Soul of Cinder
Check Out This Skin The magma-powered Soul of Cinder fight captures exactly why the Souls games are so captivating. The difficulty of the fight is immense. But so is the scale, and the scope. Every tumble and dodge feels epic. Every hit feels well-earned. Just gazing at this skin by creator Neoferi nails that point. If this skin looks this scary and epic, just imagine it at 5 times the player’s size and wielding a giant flaming sword.
4. Demon’s Souls Knight
Check Out This Skin With the incredible remake of the original Souls game from 2009, Demon’s Souls has picked up plenty of hype as From Software continues to release games. This skin by creator mooyels is where all the Souls hype started. Players in Demon’s Souls begin the game with this fluted knight armor, an epic taste of the grand variety of medieval armory to come. And now we can bring that hype right into Minecraft.
5. Deprived
Check Out This Skin Like many RPGs of the stat-heavy variety, Dark Souls games make you choose a preset at the beginning to give you a base array which you can then build from. For those who like practical jokes or just flat-out pain, the Deprived skin will look familiar to you. Why would you wear cool armor or specialize in weaponry or magics when you could be essentially just a half-naked guy? Because it looks hilarious, that’s why. In both Dark Souls and in Minecraft.
6. Looking Glass Knight
Check Out This Skin While this boss from Dark Souls 2 has always been one of my favorites, they didn’t make the list because I thought the mirror mechanic was cool. This skin made the list because I love its design. Skin creator Norman You Know agrees that the pale silver, multi-faced Looking Glass Knight looks more engaging than most of the other bosses or NPCS, and this skin is no different. At a glance, it’s a pale knight. But its triple-faced head and shining silver armor make it a must-try in my books.
7. Dark Sun Gwyndolin
Check Out This Skin I didn’t even know that Dark Sun Gwyndolin was a boss from the first Dark Souls, because it’s an optional fight. Imagine my surprise when I saw this stunning robed and masked skin by creator canday. I don’t have the gaming chops to go back and face what is sure to be an impossible fight in the first game. But I do have the ability to download this skin and look like the coolest robed boss I’ve ever seen.
8. Fire Keeper
Check Out This Skin Bearing some aesthetic similarities to Dark Sun, this Fire Keeper skin should be a familiar and welcome sight to any Souls player. The only place for respite, the campfire is tended to by this Fire Keeper who give you the name “Ashen One.” While all the twists and turns of the lore are lost on me, I can see clear as day that the Fire Keeper skin looks as rad as any of its armored counterparts.
9. Channeler
Check Out This Skin While not a boss or companion NPC, the Channeler has a soft spot in my heart for… well, pretty much one reason. It looks amazing. This skin by creator 7iqdoq captures the crazy trident-wielding visage of the Channeler perfectly, with its royal blue armor and many-eyed appearance. Honestly, I don’t even know where to begin figuring out how this suit of armor works. But it’s over-the-top grandiosity represents what makes the Dark Souls franchise so darn cool.
10. Solaire of Astora
Check Out This Skin And here we have the original knight of praising the sun, Solaire of Astora. This NPC’s existence spawned almost the whole culture around the Dark Souls games. And it’s not hard to see why. His speeches are confusing and muddled, but his design is classic. And who doesn’t want to reach upwards to praise the sun. The best part is that while this skin looks close enough to be a default Medieval knight, only those in the know will understand the reference.
11. Patches
Check Out This Skin Patches might be the goofiest looking character of all the Souls games. Whereas most NPCs and bosses have crazy, dramatized figures to make them imposing or threatening, Patches is a rotund bald man dressed as an onion. He’s a hilarious character, and this is a hilarious skin of him. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
12. Gwyn, Lord of Cinder
Check Out This Skin As one of the iconic bosses from the first game, Gwyn, Lord of Cinder is a great final fight for Dark Souls. His look set the standard for all other final bosses to come. And this skin manages to uphold that high standard. Believe it or not, this was creator thepuppet555’s first Minecraft skin they ever made. That’s some pretty impressive debut work considering the skin’s scope, detail, and coloring.
13. Leonhard (DS3)
Check Out This Skin Somewhat of a bumbling companion, Leonhard has a soft spot in my heart. While I preferred going it alone in most playthroughs, there’s something about the rotund nature of Leonhard that makes him just likeable. This skin is no different. I can’t tell if it’s the feathered cap or the popped collar. And I don’t know what makes me come back to Leonhard again and again, but by golly I’m here. And I’m taking you with me.
14. Maiden in Black
Check Out This Skin The Maiden in Black is one of the original Demon’s Souls bosses that, I believe, spawned a generation of boss designs. The Souls games have extremely detailed and over-the-top bosses. But the Maiden in Black has a much more laid back and subtle character design. Creator makipom really nailed that aspect of the character, and made a Minecraft skin that’s equal parts subtle and witchy.
15. Sekiro
Check Out This Skin I know, I know, it’s not a skin directly from a Dark Souls or Demon’s Souls game. But I can’t talk about the Souls franchise without some Sekiro. The 2019 game broke the boundaries and genres that From Software was used to working with, and received well-won acclaim. Who says that the awesome aesthetics of medieval combat have to be relegated to just knights? If samurai or ninjas are more your speed, this Sekiro skin was made for you.
