All Dark Souls Archthrones Locations

The recently launched Dark Souls Archthrones mod completely transforms the Dark Souls 3 world while incorporating elements from nearly all previous FromSoftware titles. Of particular note is the inclusion of Archthrones, akin to those in Demon's Souls, which transport players to new realms to conquer and advance through the updated storyline.

Presently, there are five Archthrones in the game, each intricately themed after specific realms from the lore of the Souls series. Therefore, in this guide, we'll delve into each one, offering insights into what players can anticipate when immersing themselves in these new Archthrones areas.

1. Archthrone of the Xanthous Scholars

The Cathedral once held something sacred, but primordial bedrock has soured into a cesspit of pollution and sin. Few clergy here still maintain a righteous faith, but most have such beliefs twisted into something more repulsive. Now the Deep is rising, and nothing is safe.

The Archthrone of the Xanthous Scholars sees us explore The Cathedral of the Deep, an area explored in Dark Souls 3 and was once the initial resting place of Aldritch, Devourer of Gods and his disciples who were devoted to sealing away the Deep, which is now running amok in Archthrones. The area appears to be fairly similar to its stature when we first saw it back in DS3, being overrun by the undead, reanimated corpses, dogs (yay, dogs), and even more powerful creatures pulled from the other Souls games.

2. Archthrone of the Old Gods

The ruins of a civilization that had sunk into the ocean a millennia ago, now part of the fabled city of the Gods. The sea churns below like an endless abyss, stretching as far as the eye can see.

The Archthrone of the Old Gods has us explore a new location called Phoenix Tower that's nested in a familiar location from DS3, Irithyll. The area mirrors Heides Tower of Flame in DS2 and even sports the same large armored enemies from that game, but the lore notes that it was once part of the city of the Gods (Anor Londo from DS1) which means you may face more varied enemies from the older games in this area.

3. Archthrone of the Buried Giants

An ancient human territory resting at the edge of the kingdom of the gods, and the site of a terrible war against chaos demons. The kingdom's priestesses are the only survivors of the gods' conquest of Eleum Loyce.

The Archthrone of the Buried Giants transports us to Eleum Loyce, one of the three DLC areas from Dark Souls 2, but this time it's asserted that it is located in the Boreal Valley, a DS3 area. Enemies here are frost/ice-based and the starting area enemies harken back to the Pontiff Knights we saw back in DS3, so expect to be challenged in this area.

4. Archthrone of the Bountiful Queen

The perpetual civil war of Lothric has had many casualties. The Holy War is waged by the mighty angels. It is said that a mighty wall guardian halted an entire legion of Lothric's knights alone, ensuring Gertrude's safety.

The Archthrone of the Bountiful Queen sees us going back to the main city of Dark Souls 3, Lothric, but now it's been overrun by angels, knights, and other powerful armored enemies. The lore notes of a mighty wall guardian (that you might need to face yourself) as well as a mention of Gertrude, a character introduced in DS3 who was the holy maiden of Gwynevere, Queen of Lothric (a side character in DS1). So there are quite a few mysteries to solve in this Archthrone and powerful enemies to defeat on your way there.

5. Archthrone of the High Lord

A ruined kingdom of pyromancers and warlords. A fierce abyss was wrought by a petty tyrant, and a mighty legion fought back the dark tide. The sands seem to have buried the rest of the story.

The Archthrone of the High Lord transports us to Carthus of the Sands and harkens back to the Catacombs of Carthus we saw back in DS3 as well. Now, the area is a large desert ruin that has bandits, pyromancers, and skilled sword wielders roaming the sands, as well as the Carthus Sandworm, which was an enemy in DS3 and now roams the sands as well ready to stop the Emissary of Embers from discovering the secrets that lie within Carthus.

So there you have it, a brief overview of all the Archthrones as well as the areas they take you to in Dark Souls Archthrones. We've left some of the details vague to avoid major spoilers, but rest assured these areas can still surprise you with their content and will make for a challenging but rewarding journey in Dark Souls Archthrones.