From Software's collection of notoriously-difficult action, RPGs are steeped in intricate and elaborate narrative arrangements, but connections between the games can be pretty tough to parse out. The games in the Dark Souls trilogy follow a definite timeline—convoluted though it may be—Demon's Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice seem to occupy entirely separate universes.

RELATED: 10 Best Dark Souls Weapons, Ranked

The Soulsborne community is relatively divided on the concept of connecting From Software's games, and, while some are adamant in the assertion that the links between titles are purely coincidental or intended as simple Easter eggs, others believe that each of the six—soon to be seven—Soulsborne games represent a single, incredibly complex timeline.

Demon's Souls' Evil Ending Leads To Dark Souls

The Old One from the video game Demon's Souls.

Should the player choose to slay the Maiden in Black during the conclusion of the 2009 epic RPG Demon's Souls, they'll embrace the power of the Old Ones, and the world will be consumed by a deep, colorless fog.

This state of nothingness seems to set the stage for the events of Dark Souls. Eons later, Gwyn and his compatriots discover the Lord's Souls and return disparity to the world, thus driving away from the fog. This could be written off as one of many instances of From Software recycling narrative elements, but, given the similarities already present between Demon's Souls and Dark Soulsone Reddit user believes that it doesn't seem like an implausible connection.

Marvelous Chester Is From Yharnam

A screenshot of the Dark Souls NPC Marvelous Chester.

During the introductory cutscene to Dark Souls' Artorias of the Abyss DLC, Manus reaches through time and space and grabs the player, pulling them back through time. After conquering the Sanctuary Guardian, players can encounter an NPC named Marvelous Chester, a man dressed in Victorian garb who looks decidedly out-of-place.

Marvelous Chester reveals that, like the player, he was pulled through space and time by Manus and is now stranded in Oolacile. This Reddit theory—which has now become an oft-debated bit of lore—posits that Marvelous Chester was once a Hunter who was pulled from the future city of Yharnam.

Bloodborne's Vermin Are Sekiro's Centipedes

The NPC Yanamura from From Software's Bloodborne.

The League is a band of Hunters in Bloodborne dedicated to the eradication of vermin, centipede-like creatures said to be the source of man's impurity. Centipedes also appear in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, this time as immortal creatures closely tied to the rejuvenating waters.

RELATED: 10 Most Dangerous Minor Enemies In Bloodborne, Ranked

It may seem like a stretch to some, but one Redditor theorizes that Bloodborne's vermin are larval forms of the adult centipedes seen in Sekrio, and they share a lore connection through the Bloodborne NPC Yanamura, who harbors a hatred for the vermin and is said to come from a distant land to the east.

Firelink Shrine as seen in Dark Souls 3.

After defeating Iudex Gundyr in Dark Souls 3, players discover a dilapidated altar known as Firelink Shrine. However, it's nothing like the original Firelink seen in Dark Souls 1, a location that appears in the Dreg Heap in the game's final DLC installment.

Instead, one Redditor mentions that Dark Souls 3's version of Firelink Shrine looks more akin to The Nexus from Demon's Souls. It's not a perfect comparison, as The Nexus seems to be much larger. However, given that Firelink is essentially a ruin of a once-great structure, it's not an inconceivable notion.

Demon's Souls' Good Ending Leads To Bloodborne

The Maiden in Black and the Old One from Demon's Souls.

Should the player opt for the evil ending during the conclusion of Demon's Souls, the world is enveloped in a colorless fog which presumably gives rise to the age of eternal dragons mentioned in Dark Souls' opening cutscene. However, what follows the good ending?

RELATED: 10 Best Armor Sets In The Demon's Souls Remake

Should the player aid the Maiden in Black in lulling the Old One back to slumber, the colorless fog recedes, but the soul arts are forgotten. As one Redditor puts it, this could lead to a new age of technological advancement and the worship of other outer deities seen in Bloodborne.

Dark Souls 2's Giant Lord Is The Ancestor Of Yhorm The Giant

Yhorm the GIant from Dark Souls 3.

Thought to be the leader of the race of giants who once invaded Drangleic in Dark Souls 2, the Giant Lord is a tall and strangely gaunt enemy who serves as a boss encounter in the Memory of Jeigh. Seemingly innocuous in terms of lore, the Giant Lord underwent extra scrutiny from the Dark Souls community following the release of the third game in the trilogy.

Yhorm the Giant, one of the Lords of Cinder, is said to be the descendant of an ancient conqueror, and, according to Redditor u/7-SE7EN-7, that ancient conqueror may well have been the Giant Lord from the previous game.

Seath The Scaleless Is Sekiro's Divine Dragon

The Divine Dragon boss encounter in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

While Bloodborne is generally thought to share at least a few loose connections to the Souls games, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice seems to be completely divorced from the rest of Form Softwares works. Set in Japan during an established historical era, Sekiro borrows equally from Japanese history and mythology.

That said, as suggested in a thread on r/Sekiro, From Software borrowing the name of their native country doesn't mean the game is meant to take place in the real world. Consequently, it has also been suggested that Seath the Scaleless, a dragon obsessed with immortality, somehow either spawned or became Sekiro's Divine Dragon, as they are relatively similar in terms of appearance.

The Old One Is Odeon

A screenshot of the interior of Odeon Chapel in Bloodborne.

Much like Bloodborne, From Software's Demon's Souls seems to take some inspiration from Lovecraftian horror. The Old One is a sort of uncomprehensible being likely spawned in another sphere of reality, and many similar beings are mentioned or encountered directly in Bloodborne.

RELATED: 9 Best Side Quests In Dark Souls

One entity that remains undiscoverable, however, is Odeon. Said to be a formless presence, it is thought that Odeon managed to ascend beyond even the Great Ones. Odeon is known to hail from an ancient land, and, as one Redditor posits, this could be about the Old One from the now-ancient land of Boletaria.

Patches Connect The Games (And He's Miyazaki's Self-Insert)

The NPC Patches from the From Software video game Demon's Souls.

Patches is a recurring character found throughout From Software's Soulsborne titles. From a malicious trader in Dark Souls to a disturbing spider-like being in Bloodborne—and perhaps a mischievous bandit in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice—he's always looking to cause trouble, but there may be more to him than meets the eye.

While he serves as a loose connection between games, one Redditor believes Patches to be a self-insert for series director Hidetaka Miyazaki. The best evidence for this stems from the fact that Patches is not present in Dark Souls II, the only game in the Dark Souls series produced without the help of Miyazaki.

Yharnam Is A Painted World

The Painting Woman in Dark Souls 3's Ashes of Ariandel DLC.

In Dark Souls, the player can enter the terrifyingly immersive Painted World of Ariamis by way of a massive mural in Anor Londo, and the idea of teleporting to new worlds through paintings returns in Dark Souls 3 in the Ashes of Ariendel DLC.

Found in the Painted World of Ariendel, an unknown woman paints a portrait that requires the Blood of the Dark Soul, an item acquired after defeating Slave Knight Gael. One Redditor theorizes that this newly painted world is Yharnam, the city explored in 2015's Bloodborne.

NEXT: 10 Hardest Bosses In Sekiro Shadows Die Twice