World Tendency is a gameplay mechanic in Demon's Souls.
General Information
World Tendency is a mechanic that affects the difficulty and triggers special events. Each area of the game has its own World Tendency stat, though instead of being represented in discreet numbers, it is shown to the player as a brightening or darkening of the five archstones seen in the World Tendency menu.
World Tendency can fluctuate unpredictably online, as tendency will shift to an unknown average that is aggregated from the playerbase. In offline play, the tendency will only depend on the player's own actions.
World Tendency at completely neutral for all areas.
Effects on Gameplay
The closer an area is to pure white tendency, the weaker enemies become. However, non-boss enemies will also give fewer souls on death and have a lower rate of dropping items. The opposite is true for shifting towards pure black tendency; Enemies become tougher and deal more damage, while offering more souls and having an improved drop rate.
In addition to affecting the overall difficulty, various special events can occur:
- The opening of optional areas
- The appearance of friendly or hostile NPCs
- The appearance of Black Phantom enemies
- The appearance of Primeval Demons
Changing World Tendency
The following actions will increase or decrease the World Tendency value in the archstone that they occur:
| Change | Action |
|---|---|
| +180 | Defeat the special event NPCs in Black Phantom form: Executioner Miralda, Scirver the Wanderer, Lord Rydell, Satsuki, and Selen Vinland |
| +150 | Defeat a Primeval Demon |
| +90 | Defeat any boss from Stonefang Tunnel, Tower of Latria, Shrine of Storms, or Valley of Defilement |
| +60 | Defeat any boss from the Boletarian Palace, including the Red and Blue Dragons |
| +60 | Defeat a Black Phantom in PvP |
| -60 | Dying while in body form |
| -120 | Kill Old King Doran |
| -180 | Defeat the special event NPCs in human form: Executioner Miralda, Scirver the Wanderer, Lord Rydell, Satsuki, and Selen Vinland |
Note that each area's World Tendency begins at a neutral value of 0, and caps at maximum of +200 or a minimum of -200.
Effect on Enemy Strength
Enemy HP has three opportunities to decrease as World Tendency values increase:
- +50 to +99.9 = HP at 95%
- +100 to +149.9 = HP at 90%
- +150 to +200 = HP at 80%
Enemy HP remains at 100% when below 50 World Tendency, it does not increase further when shifting into black tendency. This effect applies to both regular enemy mobs as well as NPCs.
World Tendency Events
Boletarian Palace
| World Tendency | Event |
|---|---|
| ≥ +180 | Gate leading to the execution grounds opens up (1-1) |
| ≥ +150 | Dragons disappear (from 1-1 only) |
| ≤ -100 | Black Phantom mobs appear (2x Blue Eye Knights in 1-1, 2x Blue Eye Knights in 1-2, 2x Fat Officials in 1-3) |
| ≤ -150 | Primeval Demon appears (1-3) |
| ≤ -180 | Gate leading to the execution grounds opens up (1-1) |
| ≤ -180 | Black Phantom Executioner Miralda appears in (1-1) |
Stonefang Tunnel
| World Tendency | Event |
|---|---|
| ≥ +180 | Scirvir the Wanderer appears (2-2) |
| ≥ +180 | Rubble blocking access to the Dragon Bone Smasher clears (2-3) |
| ≤ -150 | Primeval Demon appears (2-1) |
| ≤ -180 | Black Phantom Scirvir the Wanderer appears (2-2) |
Tower of Latria
| World Tendency | Event |
|---|---|
| ≥ +180 (needs conf) | Rubble blocking half of western Prison of Hope 2nd floor cell block clears (3-1) |
| ≥ +180 (needs conf) | Door to eastern Prison of Hope 2nd floor cell block is unlocked (3-1) |
| ≥ +180 (needs conf) | Bridge on the staircase leading to the top of the first chain tower lowers (3-2) |
| ≤ -100 (needs conf) | Black Phantom mobs appear (3x Mind Flayer in 3-1, 3x Giant Man Centipede in 3-2) |
| ≤ -150 | Primeval Demon appears (3-2) |
| ≤ -180 (needs conf) | Black Phantom Lord Rydell appears (3-1) |
Shrine of Storms
| World Tendency | Event |
|---|---|
| ≥ +180 (needs conf) | Satsuki climbs down from the top of the gate (4-1) |
| ≥ +180 (needs conf) | Magic Sword "Makoto" falls off the rock in the pit, becoming accessible (4-2) |
| ≤ -100 (needs conf) | Black Phantom mobs appear (3x Silver Skeleton and 2x Gold Skeleton in 4-1, 2x Gold Skeleton and 1x Black Skeleton in 4-2) |
| ≤ -150 | Primeval Demon appears (4-2) |
| ≥ -180 (needs conf) | Black Phantom Satsuki appears (4-1) |
Valley of Defilement
| World Tendency | Event |
|---|---|
| ≥ +180 (needs conf) | Ladder just past the Plague Rat nest lowers, granting access to Istarelle (5-1) |
| ≥ +180 (needs conf) | Selen Vinland appears on one of the tiny islands in (5-2) |
| ≥ +180 (needs conf) | Black Phantom Garl Vinland appears (5-3) |
| ≤ -100 (needs conf) | Black Phantom mobs appear (2x Depraved One in 5-1, 5x Giant Depraved One in 5-2) |
| ≤ -150 | Primeval Demon appears (5-2) |
| ≤ -180 (needs conf) | Black Phantom Selen Vinland appears (5-2) |