Should I Accept Arianna’s Blood?
In Dark Souls, the choices we make shape our journey and determine the fate of various characters, including Arianna. Arianna, a mysterious and intriguing character in Dark Souls, is a key individual to several storylines. Her encounter occurs in the Oedon Chapel in the Cathedral Ward region, where players can choose to gift or kill her. The question remains; what happens if you accept Arianna’s blood? In this article, we will break down the consequences of accepting Arianna’s blood and provide insights to make the informed decision.
Consequences of Accepting Arianna’s Blood
Accepting Arianna’s blood will have significant and irreparable consequences. Three important things will happen:
Arianna will die next time you visit Oedon Chapel: Should you accept Arianna’s blood, next time you visit Oedon Chapel, Adella will, by default, murder Arianna.
Umbilical Cord will be locked: Accepting the blood will also lock the Umbilical Cord, making it inaccessible for the remainder of your playthrough.
No gestures: Accepting Arianna’s blood means you will not gain gestures from her.
Why it might be worth considering giving to Adella
Instead, there are valid reasons to never accept Arianna’s blood: Adella will unlock exclusive rewards: Sending Arianna’s blood to Adella will reward players with two Umbilical Cords.
Table: Consequences of accepting Arianna’s blood versus Sending to Adella
| Accepting Arianna’s blood | Sending to Adella (Adella’s interest) | |
|---|---|---|
| Arianna | Arianna becomes killable by Adella | Nothing; Arianna remains immortal, and her gestures locked forever |
| Umbilical Cords | Locked | Two Umbilical Cords remain usable |
| Gestures | Unavailable | Unreachable gestured locked forever by Blood of Arianna decision |
Why the choice affects later gameplay
The ripple effects of accepting Arianna’s blood (or not) can cause disruptions in the narrative and impact progression significantly. For instance,
- Blood of Arianna impacts the final bossfight:
The Blood Starved Beast will be extremely stronger if you have the umbilical cord. - **Champion Gundyr’s interaction:
If you have the cord with you, Gundyr refuses any interaction. - Omen-Infused weapons (exclusive rewards):
If your sword is Omen-Infused from the start, the rewards that accompany the cord will be gone by the time you face Laugier.
Conclusion: Carefully consider the consequences, balancing short-term gains against permanent changes to the environment. You can only hold three vials of blood at the first spot, so the choice is crucially strategic. Never accept Arianna’s blood if you want long-lasting benefits and gestures. While exploring the Oedon Chapel might be enticing, it requires immense caution to make the right selection.
Additional Insights:
Blood-starved Beast is extremely overpowered if you have the umbilical cord.
Gundyr: Interactions will be lost should we have the cord.
Omen Infused weapons will not be feasible; rewards are lost!
There are other choices I choose to make for the game if blood of Arianna given (or not).