In celebration of Dark Souls 3’s upcoming April 12 release, the team of blacksmiths over at Man at Arms: Reforged brought one of the series’ most iconic weapons to life: the Greatsword of Artorias.
Artorias’ Greatsword first appeared in the original Dark Souls. It is made using the soul of the Great Grey Wolf, Sif, who once served as Artorias’ companion and later guarded his grave. The sword played a more prominent role in Dark Souls’ Artorias of the Abyss DLC, which chronicled Artorias’ life as a knight of Gwyn and his defeat at the hands of Manus, Father of the Abyss.
Artorias was largely absent from Dark Souls 2, but as recent Dark Souls 3 gameplay shows, the sword returns in the series’ final mainline installment. There are subtle differences in the sword’s design between games, which the Reforged team worked to reflect via a custom-made pommel and set of engravings.
The mammoth build is remarkably faithful to the in-game models. To achieve the desired look, the Man at Arms blacksmiths incorporated hand-embossed plates, multiple grinding techniques, a wealth of individual components, and oxidization to get that all-important blacked-out spine. The result speaks for itself.
Source: YouTube
