What is Humanity in Dark Souls? A Comprehensive Guide
Humanity in Dark Souls is a multifaceted resource that serves as both a tangible item and a core mechanic, deeply intertwined with the game’s lore and gameplay. At its most basic, it’s represented by a small, dark, swirling sprite that players collect. This seemingly simple item holds the key to many crucial actions and strategies within the game, offering benefits like restoring your human form and increasing your item discovery rate, while also carrying risks. It is a fragment of the Dark Soul, said to be carried by all humans, stemming from the Pygmy who possessed the original Dark Soul. In essence, humanity is the essence of what it means to be human in the decaying world of Lordran. It’s a precious resource that you both consume and hold onto, managing its use to navigate the harsh landscape and deadly encounters.
The Dual Nature of Humanity
Humanity exists in two forms: hard humanity (the consumable item) and soft humanity (the counter displayed in the upper-left corner of the screen). Consuming a hard humanity item adds one point to your soft humanity counter. These soft humanity points are lost upon death, requiring you to retrieve them at your bloodstain, similar to souls. This system creates a constant risk-reward dynamic; you accrue power and benefits, but a single death can erase your investment.
Uses and Benefits of Humanity
Humanity offers a variety of crucial benefits that significantly impact your gameplay experience:
Reversing Hollowing
Perhaps the most prominent use of humanity is the ability to reverse hollowing at a bonfire. Upon death, your character becomes hollow, characterized by a decrepit appearance and the inability to perform certain actions. Using one soft humanity, you can revert to your human form.
Kindling Bonfires
When human, you can kindle bonfires using a hard humanity item. This permanently increases the number of Estus Flask charges you receive when resting at that bonfire, turning a standard five flasks into ten. Further kindling, achieved later in the game, can raise this maximum even higher. This is essential for longer expeditions and particularly difficult areas.
Summoning Allies
Being human also enables you to summon other players or NPCs for cooperative play. This is a major advantage when tackling challenging areas or boss fights. Summoning adds another layer of complexity, offering you the chance to coordinate attacks and share the burden of combat, but also increasing the boss’s health pool.
Increasing Item Discovery
The amount of soft humanity you possess increases your item discovery rate. This improves the odds of enemies dropping valuable items, including more humanity itself. This effect caps out at 10 soft humanity, making it an efficient way to farm necessary resources.
Defensive Stat Boosts
Having a high amount of humanity can also provide a small boost to defensive stats. Having 99 humanity grants about 40 extra points in each defense stat, though the item discovery benefits max at 10.
Managing Humanity
Humanity is not just about gathering it; it’s about using it wisely. The risk of losing humanity upon death means players must make informed decisions about when to use it for its various benefits. Farming rats in The Depths or obtaining it from vendors are viable strategies to build a stockpile of hard humanity. Knowing when to stay hollow, and when to risk being human, forms a strategic aspect of the game.
Humanity and the Lore
Humanity is deeply rooted in the lore of Dark Souls. The item’s description hints at its connection to the Dark Soul, a powerful relic possessed by the Pygmy, one of the primordial lords. This connection explains why humans are so uniquely tied to it, and why the concept of hollowing is an integral part of the human condition within the game’s universe. The use of humanity in reversing hollowing is a temporary fix, as the curse will always persist, driving the main story.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How do I get humanity in Dark Souls?
Humanity is acquired in various ways: by consuming hard humanity items, defeating enemies (especially rats), purchasing it from specific NPCs, or using the Dark Hand. The Covetous Gold Serpent Ring boosts the chances of enemies dropping it.
2. What does it mean to be “hollow”?
When your character dies, they become hollow, losing their human form and being unable to summon help or kindle bonfires. This is the default state for the player upon respawning.
3. Does being human affect drop rates?
No, whether you are human or hollow has no impact on the drop rates. The amount of soft humanity you have on your counter is what affects drop rates, up to a maximum of 10.
4. Is it worth it to become human?
Becoming human allows you to summon allies and kindle bonfires, making it worthwhile for tackling tough areas and bosses. However, it also carries the risk of losing humanity upon death.
5. What is the maximum amount of humanity needed for item discovery?
The item discovery rate maxes out at 10 soft humanity. Having more than 10 won’t improve your item drop chances.
6. Can you lose humanity?
Yes, you lose your soft humanity upon death. However, similar to souls, you can retrieve it by returning to your bloodstain, provided you do not die again in the process.
7. How do I reverse hollowing?
You can reverse hollowing by using one soft humanity at a bonfire. This will return you to your human form.
8. Is kindling a bonfire permanent?
Yes, kindling a bonfire is permanent for that bonfire on that playthrough, increasing the number of Estus Flasks you receive upon resting there. This effect persists even in future playthroughs with the same character.
9. Do I have to be human to get item drop bonuses?
No, you do not have to be human to get item drop bonuses from soft humanity. This bonus is active whether you are human or hollow.
10. What is the best way to farm humanity?
Farming rats in areas like The Depths is an effective way to gather humanity. Wearing the Covetous Gold Serpent Ring and having soft humanity boosts the drop rate.
11. Does having 99 humanity improve drop rates?
No, having more than 10 soft humanity does not improve item drop rates. The effect maxes out at 10. However, having 99 soft humanity does grant a small boost in defensive stats.
12. What is the Dark Hand used for in relation to humanity?
The Dark Hand is a unique item that allows you to drain humanity from other players or NPCs in the world, or even rats, providing a way to acquire humanity in those areas.
13. Why do rats drop humanity?
According to lore, rats consume dead bodies, and humanity is often found on corpses. Therefore, the rats possess the humanity they’ve eaten.
14. Can NPCs sell humanity?
Yes, several NPCs sell humanity, including Patches, Marvelous Chester, and the Female Undead Merchant.
15. Is there a downside to being hollow?
Being hollow itself has no direct gameplay downsides. However, being hollow prevents you from kindling bonfires and summoning other players or NPCs for assistance.