Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough, or simply Ornstein and Smough, are a duo of interconnected characters from the 2011 action role-playing game Dark Souls. Independently known as Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough, they are mentioned in the lore of every game in the series, but are predominantly known for their appearance as an asymmetrical boss fight considered one of the game's most difficult. Ornstein being one of the Four Knights of Gwyn who formerly hunted dragons, and Smough an executioner of superhuman size, they were assigned to protect the Lordvessel from intruders and function as the final bosses of the Anor Londo level. The boss battle has been called one of the most memorable fights in gaming by critics.
Characteristics
Ornstein and Smough possess vastly different physical traits. Ornstein is slightly larger than human-sized, extremely fast and wields a spear, while Smough is several times taller than a human, wields a tremendous hammer, and walks slowly unless he is charging. Both of them wear golden armor which emphasizes their height - Ornstein's helmet is leonine with a hole in the mouth, while Smough's armor distorts his muscular body into an obese figure with a cherub-like face, although he sees out of the neck.
Both of the characters are fought in a long, rectangular and empty cathedral, with parallel sets of pillars on either side. The player can either attempt to block Smough with the pillars while attacking Ornstein, or attack Smough while dodging Ornstein, a more difficult task when alone. If Ornstein is defeated first, Smough crushes him with his hammer, and gains the power of lightning. If Smough is defeated first, Ornstein suddenly grows to immense size while retaining his former speed. When the second boss is defeated, the player can purchase the armor of that boss, and in Ornstein's case, obtains the Leo Ring.
A boss identical to Ornstein appears in Dark Souls II, called the "Old Dragonslayer", although this fight has been criticized as a "carbon copy" that lacked creativity. Ornstein's spear can be created from the soul of the Old Dragonslayer, and the boss drops the Old Leo Ring, though no other items related to the duo appear in Dark Souls II. The armor and weapons of both Ornstein and Smough, as well as the Leo Ring, return as usable equipment in Dark Souls III.
Fictional biography
Dragon Slayer Ornstein is a member of the Four Knights of Gwyn, an elite personal guard to Lord Gwyn, the primary god of the Dark Souls universe. Loyal to Gwyn since the dawn of the Age of Fire, he has an elemental affinity with lightning, which he used to slay dragons using his cross spear weapon. He shows respect for Smough, calmly absorbing his soul if Smough is defeated.
Executioner Smough is an indiscriminate executioner with immense physical strength, though his psychological instability and cannibalistic tendencies prevented him from ever being truly inducted into the Knights of Gwyn. Smough is also disliked by Kingseeker Frampt, a primordial serpent and close friend of Lord Gwyn, who only offers a single soul in exchange for feeding him the Soul of Smough.
When the gods fled Anor Londo, both warriors saw it as an immense honor to guard Gwynevere, daughter of Lord Gwyn and Queen of Sunlight, unaware of the fact that she was an illusion.
Development
The name of Dragon Slayer Ornstein was likely based on the composer Leo Ornstein. Smough's armor was designed to appear as though it was created by a demented person, reflecting his personality, and he was designed first, with Ornstein being introduced much later in development. Creator Hidetaka Miyazaki forced the game's designers and programmers to make Smough's armor a player-equippable reward, making them "really angry".
Alex Wiltshire of Kotaku noted that Smough suffers from a bug to his weapon's hitbox, in which his weapon can still deal damage after the mid-boss cutscene starts and Smough moves to a different location, which has resulted in the deaths of the characters of speedrunners. The bug went unfixed in Dark Souls Remastered.