The story begins with the Bearer of the Curse, an undead human drawn to Drangleic while searching for a cure to a curse that gradually erodes memory and identity. In the settlement of Majula, the Emerald Herald directs the Bearer to seek powerful souls and eventually King Vendrick, ruler of Drangleic. After obtaining four Great Souls, the Bearer reaches Drangleic Castle and meets Queen Nashandra, who says that Vendrick abandoned his duty and fled his kingdom.
The Bearer later finds Vendrick hollowed and wandering in the Undead Crypt. Through memories of the past, they learn that Nashandra manipulated Vendrick into invading the land of the giants across the sea. Vendrick stole a great power from the giants, who retaliated by invading Drangleic and devastating the kingdom. Realizing that Nashandra intended to claim the Throne of Want for herself, Vendrick withdrew to the Undead Crypt and left the throne sealed away.
After defeating the Giant Lord in a memory and obtaining the Giant's Kinship, the Bearer opens the path to the Throne of Want. Nashandra, revealed through the game's lore to be a fragment of Manus, Father of the Abyss, appears to claim the throne's power but is defeated. The Bearer then enters the throne, leaving ambiguous whether they will link the fire or allow it to fade.
In versions that include the Scholar of the First Sin update, Aldia, Vendrick's brother, appears throughout the game and questions the cycle of light and dark. If the player has defeated Vendrick and encountered Aldia throughout the game, Aldia appears after Nashandra as an additional final boss. After defeating him, the player may either take the Throne of Want or leave it, rejecting the choice between light and dark.
