The world of Dark Souls II is riddled with metaphors and subtle lessons, waiting to be discovered by keen players. There are countless valuable lessons to be learned from playing Dark Souls II.

This is the format I've used to present them to you:

Lesson: [Title/Name of the lesson goes here]

Quote:

[A relevant quote from the game goes here]

Metaphor(s):
[Symbol(s) in used in the game are pointed out here, along with a short explanation if necessary]
In-Game Description:
[A description of relevant gameplay/lore information goes here]
Lesson Description:
[A description of relevant information that applies to real life goes here]

Reference Link[darksouls2.wikidot.com]: Link to the relevant page (of the item/NPC/etc.) on darksouls2. wikidot.com

NOTE: Lessons are sorted in no particular order.

I truly hope that players might one day play games for a better reason than just having fun and/or passing time, that reason could be learning something valuable...

Please read the first part of this guide before you proceed if you haven't done so already:

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=374920437

Lesson: Just because you can't see something, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Quote:

If it cannot be observed, it does not exist. Certainly a common conception, but one
with far too many exceptions in this world.
-Numbness

Metaphor(s):

• Effect of this spell being invisible is a metaphor of someone's motivation and/or emotions.

In-Game Description:
Numbness is a Hex that reduces all incoming damage by 35% for a variable duration (depends on INT). However, after being cast, there is no visual indication (like a colored aura, or altered appearance) so one cannot tell if his opponent might take 35% less damage from all attacks or not by simply looking at him.

Lesson Description:
This lesson is crystal clear and vivid. Don't take things at face value, just because you can't see something, don't automatically assume nothing is there. You can't see people's emotions (State of Mind) with your eyes, but that invisible motivation is what guides people and what gives them strength.
However, the sentence itself (If it cannot be observed, it does not exist) is usually true but that doesn't necessarily mean it always has to be. That is why there are far too many exceptions in this world.

Reference Link[darksouls2.wikidot.com]

Lesson: Anger can make you stronger, but it also blinds your sense of judgement.

Quote:

A hex that transforms its caster's flesh. Temporarily reduces received damage, but darkens one's sight.
-Numbness

Metaphor(s):

• Effect of this spell is a metaphor of anger.

In-Game Description:
Casting Numbness has a serious downside: As soon as it's cast, the peripheries of the screen will darken and you'll essentially have tunnel vision for the duration of the spell. This effect reduces your FOV (Field of View) greatly.

Lesson Description:
A very subtle lesson, we should always control our anger instead of letting it control us. Anger can temporarily make us think we're stronger (although biologically, it does boost our physical strength just a little bit) but it takes more than it gives. Anger blinds us and makes us do terrible things that we later regret.
Ultimately, if someone's really angry, we can't see it until he does something terrible and makes it obvious. You can never know when someone hides their anger and suffers on the inside, trust me.

Reference Link[darksouls2.wikidot.com]

Lesson: Emotion is what shapes our thoughts and guides our actions.

Quote:

Creates a dark mass that seems to pursue its target with a will of its own. It appears to be a manifestation of an emotion. Perhaps of hate, perhaps of love.
-Affinity

Metaphor(s):

• Affinity is a metaphor of hate and grudge.
  
• Affinity's massive tracking is a metaphor of how far hatred can make people go.

In-Game Description:
Affinity creates several dark orbs above the caster, that slowly track the closest enemy the caster was facing when launched. It's known for it's extensive tracking and being hard to evade.

Lesson Description:
Holding a grudge against someone in real life, is like casting Affinity in Dark Souls 2. Nothing good will come out of hatred, as hate can only hurt people. Love and hate are two of the most powerful human emotions. You will follow the person you love to the end of the world. Similarly, grudge and hatred make you stalk your enemy relentlessly until the damage is done.
It doesn't judge whether grudge (or hate, or love, or any other emotion) is a good thing or a bad thing, it's merely trying to depict how it affects us as a human.

Reference Link[darksouls2.wikidot.com]

Lesson: Revenge makes you lose everything you have.

Quote:

Emits a mass of dark, but at the cost of all souls.
-Climax

Metaphor(s):

• Casting Climax is a metaphor for killing someone as revenge.
  
• Spending all Souls upon casting is a metaphor for losing everything you have and all that you are.

In-Game Description:
Climax emits a dark mass of energy that gets fired directly towards the targeted area. It's one of the most destructive spells, capable of killing some players in a single shot. However, if you cast it, you will lose all the souls that you have, even though you only need 5000 for maximum damage.

Lesson Description:
Murdering someone is the worst thing you can do in life, but such tragedies happen a lot these days. If you murder someone, you will lose everything that you have, most likely your life too if you get executed.
Perhaps the fact that you can do maximum damage by spending only 5000 souls is trying to tell us the fact that people murder when they have nothing to lose (except their lives)?

Reference Link[darksouls2.wikidot.com]

Lesson: Wicked people can be hired to do bad things.

Quote:

Hex that casts a dark flame upon corpses, causing them to combust violently.
-Dead Again

Metaphor(s):

• Corpse is a metaphor of wicked (evil) people, sometimes we call them dead inside.
  
• Combustion of a corpse is a metaphor of evil people's misdeeds.

In-Game Description:
Sends out a pulse of darkness, and any corpses within the pulse combust in an explosion of purple flames.

Lesson Description:
Another subtle lesson, wicked people don't often act on their own. Someone always agitates them, someone always tempts them, someone always persuades them and then they do their wrongdoings. This lesson tries to teach us that evil people are easily manipulated by others into doing terrible things.
The name of this spell, Dead Again, is quite ironic. If people with hearts of stone are dead inside, what happens if they die again?

Reference Link[darksouls2.wikidot.com]

Lesson: Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.

Quote:

To stand and glare at one another, steaming with ire and wrath, but without making a move. Such is the nature of peace.
-Promised Walk of Peace

Metaphor(s):

N/A

In-Game Description:
Slows down caster and enemy movement for a brief period. It basically makes is harder to move, therefore engage in fast melee combat.

Lesson Description:
Once again, the lesson is pretty obvious. What is a peace treaty? To stand and glare at one another, steaming with ire and wrath, but without making a move. This profound quote doesn't leave much room open for explanation.

Reference Link[darksouls2.wikidot.com]

Lesson: Some scientific discoveries or inventions have an unknown and/or disputable origin.

Quote:

Hexer Gilleah never took a apprentice, making it unclear how his spells were passed down. It is even possible that hexes came from another source entirely.
-Twisted Barricade

Metaphor(s):

• Twisted Barricade is a metaphor of a science discovery with an unknown origin.

In-Game Description:
Hexer Gilleah, whoever he has, apparently had no apprentice, therefore no one could've known the spells he invented.

Lesson Description:
Nothing fancy here, it's merely trying to say that some scientific stuff have unknown origins. We don't know who invented some stuff or it's disputable.


Reference Link[darksouls2.wikidot.com]

Lesson: The lust for power consumes one's humanity.

Quote:

Those who sought great power were consumed by their own desires. Where are these lost souls now?
-Chaos Storm

Metaphor(s):

N/A

In-Game Description:
N/A, irrelevant.

Lesson Description:
Fame and fortune can blind people, it can make them forget what they are and what it means to be a human. They will become inhumane monsters and think only about themselves, destroying other people only for personal gain. Eventually, they will be lost in their own misdeeds and create a hell for themselves (i.e. depression, suicide, etc.). Where are they now and who will remember them? They are all forgotten.

Reference Link[darksouls2.wikidot.com]

Lesson: What threat could possibly justify the creation and usage of WMDs (Weapons of Mass Destruction)?

Quote:

What could possibly justify such excessive destructive power?
-Forbidden Sun
The fire tempest incinerates all life. What menace was so great as to make such a fearsome spell necessary?
-Fire Tempest

Metaphor(s):

• Incineration of all life is a metaphor of a nuclear detonation.
  
• Forbidden Sun is a metaphor of a Nuclear Weapon

In-Game Description:
Forbidden Sun: Casts an enormous fireball with long range and massive destructive power. Causes damage on impact, and then explodes.
Fire Tempest: Pillars of flame erupt in a circle around the the caster doing massive damage to all those in range.


Lesson Description:
This is such a beautifully crafted sentence, very meaningful and profound. The moment I read this sentence, I could see right through it. I truly believe it's questioning the reason behind the existence of Nuclear Arsenals in real world. What threat was is grave that makes it necessary to produce and arm Nuclear Weapons when they (WMDs) have the power to literally destroy everything?!
The name of the spell, Forbidden Sun, is quite ironic since the usage of nuclear weapons is forbidden in today's world. We also tend to call spells like this nukes in MMORPG games and those who use them are called nukers.

Reference Link[darksouls2.wikidot.com]
Reference Link #2[darksouls2.wikidot.com]

Lesson: Although science is divided into many branches today, all of them are essentially the same.

Quote:

Pyromancy and sorcery are said to be like oil and water, but in fact their origins can be traced to a common source.
-Flame Weapon

Metaphor(s):

• Pyromancy and sorcery is a metaphor of different branches of modern science.

In-Game Description:
N/A, irrelevant.

Lesson Description:
Again, nothing fancy here, it's just trying to say that science, at the very core, is essentially one unified knowledge.

Reference Link[darksouls2.wikidot.com]

Lesson: Desire is a very strong motivation and can make people hurt themselves in order to achieve what they want.

Quote:

If a person is truly desirous of something, perhaps being set on fire does not seem so bad.
-Immolation

Metaphor(s):

• Casting Immolation is a metaphor for a burning desire to have or do something.

In-Game Description:
Covers the caster's body with fire, damaging both enemies and the caster.

Lesson Description:
Once again, the lesson is very clear. It's what the item description says: If a person is truly desirous of something, being set on fire doesn't make them give up.

Reference Link[darksouls2.wikidot.com]

Lesson: Truth can hurt, do we still want to know it?

Quote:

Light banishes dark, and reveals all. Whether this is desired, is another matter.
-Cast Light

Metaphor(s):

• Light is a metaphor of truth
  
• Dark is a metaphor of lie
  
• Banishing the dark is a metaphor for revealing the truth

In-Game Description:
Cast Light is a sorcery that produces a orb of light above the user's head which is invisible to other players.

Lesson Description:
A very touching subject, why do people lie? What reason is there to lie? The answer is simple, because truth can often hurt ourselves or the people we love. It's not defending liars, it's not glorifying lies, it just tries to say, some skeletons are better left in the closet where they belong. Just some food for thought!

Reference Link[darksouls2.wikidot.com]

Lesson: Cowards fear the unknown, fools take things at face value.

Quote:

Those who fear the unseen are cowards. Those who never doubt their eyes are fools.
-Chameleon (a.k.a. Imitation)

Metaphor(s):

N/A

In-Game Description:
Chameleon is a sorcery that turns you into an inanimate object that blends into your surroundings. Attacking, being attacked, taking damage, rolling or performing an action breaks the spell.

Lesson Description:
Lesson is crystal clear and obvious, it's literally what the item description says: Those who fear the unseen are cowards. Those who never doubt their eyes are fools.

Reference Link[darksouls2.wikidot.com]

Lesson: Stupid people can be deceived easily.

Quote:

Effective use of this, like any tool, perhaps, is reliant upon the ingenuity of its caster.
-Hidden Weapon

Metaphor(s):

N/A

In-Game Description:
Hidden Weapon is a sorcery that makes the weapon held in the other hand invisible to other players.

Lesson Description:
Another clear lesson, those who aren't clever can be deceived easily.

Reference Link[darksouls2.wikidot.com]

Lesson: Failure is the stairway to success.

Quote:

Straid started with an unwieldy spell that back-fired on its caster, and in time, perfected it.
-Soul Bolt

Metaphor(s):

• First state of the spell that back-fired on its caster is a metaphor of failure.
  
• Perfect (final) state of the spell is a metaphor of success.

In-Game Description:
Soul Bolt is a sorcery that fires a beam of energy that hits the ground then travels forward.

Lesson Description:
No pain, no gain. To elaborate, you can't achieve a great victory without being defeated countless times. Defeat is an obstacle in the road to success, you must never give up and keep trying until you achieve your goal.
Do you know how many times Thomas Edison failed in his inventions? A lot, some people believe more than a thousand times. But he eventually invented the light bulb, didn't he?

Reference Link[darksouls2.wikidot.com]

Lesson: The best defense is a good offense.

Quote:

Intended to protect its caster more than damage enemies.
-Soul Flash

Metaphor(s):

N/A

In-Game Description:
Soul Flash is a sorcery that fires short range AoE around the caster that damage and knock down enemies. Soul Flash tries to protect the caster by creating a damaging field around him, thus discouraging enemies from closing in.

Lesson Description:
Once again, the lesson is pretty clear: The best defense is a good offense[en.wikipedia.org].

Reference Link[darksouls2.wikidot.com]

Lesson: Hardest problems often have the easiest solutions.

Quote:

A simple idea, but potentially highly effective. When used properly, of course.
-Soul Spear Barrage

Metaphor(s):

N/A

In-Game Description:
N/A (Irrelevant)

Lesson Description:
When you face a complicated problem in your life, don't panic. The solution might be quite simple. Sometimes, the answer could be staring you at the face the whole time, you just need to see it.

Reference Link[darksouls2.wikidot.com]

Lesson: Fight fire with fire![idioms.thefreedictionary.com]

Quote:

The Knights of Mirrah are expected to fight honorably, with reliance only upon swordsmanship. They only resort to magic the only time they truly need it: to face the magic of an enemy.
-Great Magic Barrier

Metaphor(s):

• Casting Great Magic Barrier against a Mage is a metaphor for answering evil with kindness.

In-Game Description:
Great Magic Barrier is a Miracle that increases Magic, Lightning, Fire, and Dark Defense by 250 points. The duration is dependent on the user's Faith.

Lesson Description:
Use against your opponent the same methods he or she is using against you. A very important lesson in life, but it could also mean fighting an evil or negative circumstances by reacting in kind. The second meaning is intended in the game.

Reference Link[darksouls2.wikidot.com]

It wouldn't be exaggeration if I say that Dark Souls II is truly the best game I have ever played in my entire life. I am truly thankful for this experience and wish the developers best of luck in their lives. This is the only game that could teach me so many great things about life, I truly believe Dark Souls deserves to be a book.

Again, I truly hope that players might one day play games for a better reason than just having fun and/or passing time, that reason could be learning something valuable...

And at last, I want to thank you for reading my guide and hope my work could have been of help.