Dracula — The Dark Lord
| The Dark Lord | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Dracula |
| Game Alias(es) | "Vlad"
"Vlad the Impaler" |
| Gender | Man |
| Origin | Wallachian (Romania) |
| Power | Vampiric Shift |
| Power Attack Type | Special Attack
(Hellfire Spell, Pounce) |
| Weapon | Pale Claws |
Movement Speed   |
115 % | 4.6 m/s |
Terror Radius  |
32 metres |
| Lullaby Radius | 48 metres (Bat Form) |
Height   |
Tall |
| DLC | CHAPTER 33: Castlevania |
| Voice Actor | Crispin Freeman (Blindlight) |
| Cost | 500 Auric Cells  
|
| Menu Music | |
| Terror Radius Music | |
| Lullaby | |
| CharID | K37 |
Dracula or "The Dark Lord" is one of 39 Killers
currently featured in Dead by Daylight
.
He was introduced as the Killer of CHAPTER 33: Castlevania, a Chapter DLC released on 27 August 2024.
He originates from the Video Game Franchise Castlevania by Konami, specifically Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997).
Overview
The Dark Lord, Dracula, is the embodiment of darkness and tragedy.
His personal Perks, Hex: Wretched Fate
, Human Greed
, and Dominance
, allow him to slow the Repair speed of the Obsession, reveal the Auras of unopened Chests and nearby Survivors, and temporarily block Chests and Totems.
Difficulty Rating: Moderate
(These Killers require the Player to be comfortable with the basics of the role, though they share common mechanics with easier ones)
Lore
Inconsolable grief metamorphosed into madness after the death of Dracula's beloved. He sought out the fabled Crimson Stone as a way to cheat death, but death trapped his soul inside the stone, granting him eternal life as a vampire. Vlad Tepes Dracula was now the Dark Lord. He slept by day and hunted in the eventide, seeking out the living and stealing their lifeblood. He built a castle in Romania shielded with sinister magic and turned many of the local villagers into the living dead. Dracula's Castle became a symbol I of terror and despair. His power seemed unassailable and many perished trying to defeat him as he sowed endless chaos, suffering, and death.
In 1476 Trevor Belmont of the Belmont Clan ended Dracula's reign with the Vampire Killer. But the undead never stay dead for long and Dracula was resurrected more than once over the centuries to continue his quest for revenge.
Last resurrected in 1999, Dracula raised an army of the undead. It took another descendant of the Belmont Clan to defeat him: Julius Belmont. In the savage clash - known as the Battle of 1999, Julius Belmont took the fight to Dracula's Castle and battled the Dark Lord with the same enchanted whip his distant ancestors wielded. Most believe Dracula suffered a true death. A final death. But Dracula didn't die that night. As the Vampire Killer tore the flesh from his bones, a strange fog rolled across the ancient stone floor. Dracula felt the icy fingers of something or someone beckoning him. The Fog engulfed him and transported him to a place where he could continue his dark vengeance against humanity.
The Archives
The table below lists additional Lore about The Dark Lord from The Archives, either from Tomes that featured him or from individual Lore entries that mentioned him:
| Tome | Entry | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Tome 21 - Dominus | Memory Fragments | Featured Character |
Load-out
Unique Perks
The Dark Lord comes with 3 Perks
that are unique to him:
 |
Dominance | The power you wield over the land strikes terror in the hearts of all who cross your path.
The first time each Chest
|
|---|---|---|
 |
Hex: Wretched Fate | You see your victim from afar and resolve to prolong their suffering.
After a Generator
|
 |
Human Greed | One can always rely on the avarice of the living and use it to one's advantage.
Grants the ability to kick opened Chests
"Come running, one and all, and see what fortune awaits you." — Dracula |
Prestige
Prestiging The Dark Lord will automatically add Tier I of his Unique Perks to the inventories of all other Killers and unlock the ability for their higher-tiered versions to spawn in their Bloodweb
.
Prestige The Dark Lord twice more to automatically add Tier II and Tier III respectively into the other Killers' inventories.
Weapon: Pale Claws
Pale Claws are the Primary Weapon of The Dark Lord.
All he needed to make quick work of his prey were his bare hands.
Power: Vampiric Shift
"His dark power allows him to exact revenge on humans, taking many forms to terrorise and slaughter them."
SPECIAL ABILITY: SHAPESHIFT
The Dark Lord has access to 3 Forms and can freely change between them.
Each Form has unique abilities and strengths.
Press and hold the Secondary Action button in any Form to initialise a Shapeshift:
- Confirm a Shapeshift by pressing either the Attack button or the Power button.
- Cancel a Shapeshift by releasing the Secondary Power button.
- Has a cool-down of 3.5 seconds.
Regardless of his current Form, The Dark Lord is always able to interact with Props, temporarily shifting into a ghostly husk of his Vampire Form during the interaction, if necessary.
SPECIAL SHAPE: VAMPIRE FORM
The default Form of The Dark Lord.
- Provides the default Movement speed of 4.6 m/s.
- Grants the ability to cast the Hellfire Spell.
SPECIAL SHAPE: WOLF FORM
This Form provides The Dark Lord with access to several abilities that allow for more effective tracking:
- Provides the default Movement speed of 4.6 m/s.
- Increases the visibility of Pools of Blood
and Scratch Marks
. - Grants the ability to see and collect Scent Orbs left by Survivors:
- Scent Orbs spawn at a rate of 1 every 5 seconds.
- The Auras of Scent Orbs are revealed to you within 12 metres.
- Collecting them grants a +4.35 % Haste
Status Effect for 2.5 seconds, temporarily increasing the Movement speed to 4.8 m/s, and reduces the Cool-down duration of the Pounce Attack by -20 % each.
- Triggers Killer Instinct for 2 seconds on Survivors that perform a Rushed Action.
- Grants access to the Pounce Attack.
- Has a cool-down of 20 seconds.
SPECIAL SHAPE: BAT FORM
This Form provides The Dark Lord with access to several abilities that allow for greater stealth and mobility:
- Increases his Movement speed to 6.5 m/s.
- Removes the ability to attack or interact with Survivors.
- Grants the Undetectable
Status Effect:
- Survivors hear a Lullaby within 48 metres.
- Grants the ability to fly over any dropped Pallet
or any Window
and also to teleport to them within a certain range. - Survivors are invisible while in this Form, but still leave Scratch Marks:
- Increases the volume of their Footsteps by +50 %.
SPECIAL ATTACK: HELLFIRE SPELL
While in Vampire Form, press and hold the Power button to charge the Hellfire Spell.
Releasing the Power button will cancel it.
Press the Attack button when fully charged to release 7 Pillars of Flame that travel in a straight line from the The Dark Lord with a range of 8 metres.
The Pillars of Flame can pass over low obstacles.
The Hellfire Spell has a cool-down of 10 seconds.
SPECIAL ATTACK: POUNCE
While in Wolf Form, press and hold the Power button for 0.85 seconds to charge a Pounce that is automatically executed once fully charged.
- The Dark Lord always pounces twice, unless the first collides with a Survivor.
Pouncing against a Breakable Wall
or a dropped Pallet destroys them.
SPECIAL LOCOMOTION: TELEPORT
While in Bat Form, press and hold the Power button to ready a Teleport.
Press the Attack button while aiming at any dropped Pallet or any Window within 32 metres to teleport to it, travelling at 12 m/s.
Power Trivia
Movement Speeds:
- Walking after casting Hellfire: 2 m/s
- Walking while shapeshifting out of Bat Form: 2.3 m/s (x0.5)
- Walking while charging Hellfire: 3.8 m/s (x0.826)
- Walking in Wolf Form while charging Pounce: 3.91 m/s (x0.85)
- Walking in Vampire/Wolf Form: 4.6 m/s
- Walking in Wolf Form with Scent Orb bonus: 4.8 m/s (x1.04348)
- Flying in Bat Form: 6.5 m/s
- Teleporting in Bat Form: 12 m/s
- Pouncing (during the Open Phase): 13.34 m/s (x2.9)
Shapeshifting:
- Shapeshifting out of Wolf Form and Vampire Form: 1 second
- Shapeshifting out of Bat Form: 1.5 seconds
- Cool-down time: 3.5 seconds
Vampire Form:
- Terror Radius: 32 metres
- Lullaby Radius: n/a
- Footstep Volume bonus: n/a
- Killer Instinct duration: n/a
Wolf Form:
- Terror Radius: 32 metres
- Lullaby Radius: n/a
- Footstep Volume bonus: n/a
- Killer Instinct duration: 2 seconds
Bat Form:
While Survivors are invisible in this Form, Static Illusions created by Perks such as Mirrored Illusion
remain visible immediately betraying their trickery nature.
- Terror Radius: n/a (Undetectable Status Effect)
- Lullaby Radius: 48 metres
- Footstep Volume bonus: +50 %
- This refers to the volume of Footsteps from nearby Survivors.
- Killer Instinct duration: n/a
Hellfire:
- Charge time: 0.9 seconds
- Recharge time: 10 seconds
- The Spell starts immediately recharging as soon as the Player presses the Attack button to unleash the Spell.
It does not wait until after the Spell is cast.
- The Spell starts immediately recharging as soon as the Player presses the Attack button to unleash the Spell.
- Range: 8 metres
Scent Orbs:
- Spawn rate: 1 every 5 seconds
- Lifetime: 10 seconds
- Cool-down reduction on the Pounce Attack: -20 % per Orb
- Haste strength: +4.35 %
- This increases his Movement speed to 4.8 m/s.
- Haste duration: 2.5 seconds
- Aura range: 12 metres
Pounce:
- Charge time: 0.85 second
- Recharge time: 20 seconds
- Range: 6 metres
- Attack Open Phase duration: 0.5 seconds
- Hitting Phase duration: 2.25 seconds
- Cool-down durations:
- Missed or obstructed hit: 2.25 seconds
- Successful hit: 2.7 seconds
Teleport:
- Range: 32 metres
- Movement speed: 12 m/s
Add-ons for Vampiric Shift
| Icon | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
 |
Cerberus Talon | A sharp memento from one of Dracula's most terrifying guards.
|
 |
Clock Tower Gear | A piece of the great clock tower, a reminder of the inevitability of time itself.
|
 |
Ruby Circlet | An enchanted headpiece that brings even the mightiest of flames to heel.
|
 |
Traveller's Hat | A wide-brimmed hat that once belonged to a well-travelled man.
|
 |
Blood-Filled Goblet | The blood of his victims sustains him and makes him an even greater hunter.
|
 |
Magical Ticket | A strange artifact once used to transport across Dracula's castle.
|
 |
Moonstone Necklace | A simple necklace by day, but its power comes to life in the dark.
|
 |
White Wolf Medallion | A trinket once used to call a great spirit guide.
|
 |
Winged Boots | Long used by their wearers to move quickly.
|
 |
Force of Echo | An artifact that grants bats even greater senses in the dark.
|
 |
Killer Doll | One of Dracula's minions, and a reminder that all are his playthings.
|
 |
Pocket Watch | A tool that bends the rules of time itself.
|
 |
Sunglasses | They protect against bright lights, in addition to looking cool.
|
 |
Sylph Feather | An enchanted feather that grants its holder great agility.
Breaking Pallets
|
 |
Cube of Zoe | A strange box whose presence creates something from nothing.
|
 |
Lapis Lazuli | A stone said to bring luck to its holders, or take it from their enemies.
Calls upon The Entity
|
 |
Medusa's Hair | A snakelike memento from one of Dracula's most ancient and fearsome minions.
|
 |
Warg's Fang | A mighty tool of destruction taken from one of Dracula's most dangerous allies.
|
 |
Alucard's Shield | A family heirloom that blocks its bearer's enemies at every turn. Once an Exit Gate    is opened, Alucard's Shield activates:
"Oh, but this world invited me. Your own kind called me forth with praise and tribute." — Dracula |
 |
Iridescent Ring of Vlad | A unique relic belonging to Dracula. It is said none can approach the Dark Lord without it.
"Enough talk... have at you!" — Dracula |
Cosmetic Options
Players can choose from a variety of Cosmetic options to customise The Dark Lord:
Default
| Icon | Name | Body | Rarity | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
The Dark Lord | 
|
Common | A cruel and arrogant vampire who renounced his humanity centuries ago. |
|
Crimson Cape | 
|
Common | He draped himself in only the finest of materials, fit for undying nobility. |
|
|
Pale Claws | 
|
Common | All he needed to make quick work of his prey were his bare hands. |
Prestige
| Icon | Name | Body | Rarity | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bloody Dark Lord |
|
Rare | A ruthless and foul vampire who spent centuries feasting on the blood of his victims. |
|
Blood-streaked Cape |
|
Rare | He killed in cold blood while wearing only the finest on materials. |
|
Grisly Claws |
|
Rare | All he needed to eviscerate his prey was his cold, dead hands. |
Perk Charms
| Prestige Level 7 Reward | Prestige Level 8 Reward | Prestige Level 9 Reward |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
| A keepsake gained upon mastery of a particular skill. | ||
Rift
In-Game Store
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His resurrection shattered the peace that had returned to Transylvania in his absence.
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One hundred years after his last defeat at the hands of the Belmont clan, he sought to even the score.
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His Castle emerged from the depths, and he returned to his rightful home to await the young Simon Belmont.
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His hatred for humanity burned bright as darkness and despair returned to the land.
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Revived by a devoted servant, he thirsted for blood like never before. He would need many victims to satisfy his craving.
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Two young women stood out among the prisoners. He understood their connection to the bloodline he sought to end.
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He kept the young women in his Castle, an invitation for Richter Belmont to face him in combat.
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Defeat no longer concerned him, for he knew he would always return to plunge the world in darkness.
|
DLC
The Dark Lord is part of 1 DLC:
Change Log
Patch 8.2.2
- Buff: increased the Flying speed in Bat Form from 6.0 m/s to 6.5 m/s.
- Buff: increased the Teleportation speed in Bat Form from 10.0 m/s to 12.0 m/s.
- Buff: reduced the Cooldown time of the Shapeshift ability from 5 seconds to 2.5 seconds.
Patch 8.4.0
- Buff: increased the Spawn rate of Scent Orbs from 1 every 6 seconds to 1 every 5 seconds.
- Buff: reduced the Charge time of the Pounce attack from 1 second to 0.85 seconds.
- Nerf: increased the Cool-down time of the Shapeshift ability from 2.5 seconds to 3.5 seconds.
- Nerf: increased the Cool-down time of the Hellfire attack from 7 seconds to 10 seconds.
Achievements
There are 2 Achievements related to The Dark Lord:
| Icon | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Adept Dark Lord | Playing as The Dark Lord, achieve a Merciless Victory using only his 3 Unique Perks: Hex: Wretched Fate, Human Greed, and Dominance |
|
Symphony of Fire | Playing as The Dark Lord   , damage Survivors using the Hellfire Spell a total of 20 times.
|
Trivia
- The file name of the icon that pops up as a tooltip during the loading screen for the first few times a Player encounters The Dark Lord suggests that he could have been named The Shapeshift at an earlier point in development.
- The Dark Lord is only the third Killer since The Nurse
who floats and glides across the floor instead of walking, given that he is in his Vampire Form.
- In a similar manner to her using telekinesis to interact with Props, The Dark Lord uses pyrokinesis instead of his own hands.
- The Developers did not want The Dark Lord to use his legs to vault through Windows as that would be "beneath him" and for "lowly humans" only, prompting them to create the misty husk form with which he phases through them.
- The Design of Dead by Daylight's Dracula originates from the 1997 Action RPG Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, though his origin game is the original 1986 Action-Platform game Castlevania.
- The Dark Lord is the first Killer to have miniature power icons next to his power icon which are used for "ability readying" and "ability casting" as well as Vampire, Wolf, and Bat icons when readying Transform.
- In addition, The Dark Lord has even smaller icons for ability cooldown when not transformed into the form that uses that ability.
- The Dark Lord is the second killer to have a fixed third person camera, but only during his Wolf and Bat forms.
Dracula's Castle Easter Egg
- Trials with The Dark Lord can feature Dracula's Castle as a visual Easter Egg.
- The Castle looms over the Trial Grounds, situated on an inaccessible floating island beyond the border walls of the Map.
- The Castle is present in all Trials that take place on an original Map that is not associated with another license.
Trials occurring on the latter do not feature the Castle.
Power References
- A good part of Vampiric Shift references moves Dracula performs during boss fights in various other media that he is a part of:
- The Hellfire Spell is used in the boss fight between Dracula and Trevor Belmont in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (1989) and a move in his first phase in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018).
- The Wolf Form references a move in Dracula's third phase in the video game Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (2007).
- The Bat Form references Dracula's many uses of it as a teleportation ability, though it is most reminiscent of the one featured in the 1987 arcade game Haunted Castle, the second installment of Castlevania arcade games.
Mori Reference
- The Memento Mori references a scene from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night in which Dracula, sitting on his throne, throws and destroys his glass while saying the infamous line: "What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets."
Chase Theme Reference
- The Chase Theme of The Dark Lord references his boss fight theme "Nothing to Lose" from the original NES version of Castlevania (1987).
Voice Actor
- The Dark Lord is voiced by Crispin Freeman, a Californian voice actor who has voiced several Characters in the Castlevania franchise, including Dracula/Mathias Cronqvist, and Hector.
Voice-Lines
- The Dark Lord is the eighth Killer to actively speak during Trials.
- As his archnemesis, The Dark Lord has several voice-lines specific to encounters with Trevor Belmont, both in the Lobby and during the Trial.
Voice-Line References
- The Dark Lord has several unique voice-lines for when his nemesis, Trevor Belmont, his son, Alucard, and his reincarnation, Soma Cruz, join the lobby, as well as when he kills them with Memento Mori or when he finds them hiding inside a Locker, the most of any Killer that has special voice-lines for specific Survivors.
- Towards Trevor, it is clear that The Dark Lord harbours but ill feelings and disdain, whereas towards Alucard, he expresses regret and loss, but also disappointment. With Soma, he expresses bewilderment, curiosity, and disdain.
- Several of his lines directed to Soma directly reference his nature as Dracula's reincarnation, with the line "You thought you could eclipse me... now die!" referencing the eclipse that begins the events of Aria of Sorrow (2003)
- Several of The Dark Lord's voice-lines reference voice-lines from other Castlevania games, specifically Symphony of the Night (1997), Rondo of Blood (1993) and Curse of Darkness (2005).
Skins
- All of The Dark Lord 's skins are taken from his appearences through Castlevania.
- Chronicle of Terror is taken from the remake of the first Castlevania game Castlevania Chronicles
- This outfit references Simon Belmont
- Darkness Reigns is taken from his appearence from Castlevania: Dracula X the reimagining of Rondo of Blood.
- This skin mentions the events of Dracula X and Richter Belmont.
- True Form is taken from his final boss form from Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
- This was the first visceral legendary skin to get a recolor and feature in a rift.
Regular Voice-Lines
| Voice Line | Audio |
|---|---|
| Hooking a Survivor. | |
| "What an emotional display." | |
| "Destiny can be quite fun at times." | |
| "I have waited for this moment." | |
| "Don’t be overdramatic." | |
| "Fascinating..." | |
| "Stop with the theatrics." | |
| "Try not to bleed out too quickly." | |
| "Escape is impossible." | |
| "Die, already." | |
| "Don’t even try to escape." | |
| Selecting him as the active Killer. | |
| "The powerful always judge the weak." | |
| "I am the Lord of Darkness!" | |
| "The humans made their judgment of me. Thus I sentenced them to extinction." | |
| "Destiny can be quite fun at times." | |
| "What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets." | |
| "I am a creature of the night." | |
| "Humanity is a plague that must be irradicated." | |
| "My immortal soul is bound to the dark embrace of eternity." | |
| "What a dark and wonderous place." | |
| "This is… vampire heaven." | |
| Loading into the Trial. | |
| "I am the fury, your hate, your vengeance!" | |
| "I will have my vengeance!" | |
| "I will feast on blood this night!" | |
| "The true Lord of Darkness is upon you!" | |
| "My prey awaits." | |
| "I smell blood!" | |
| "The end is nigh!" | |
| "Destiny, be done." | |
| Killing a Survivor by his own hand. | |
| "Insufferable little wretch!" | |
| "Puny worm!" | |
| "Amusing." | |
| "Impeccable timing." | |
| "Endless darkness awaits!" | |
| "Your existence is but a fleeting flame." | |
| "Die, human!" | |
| "Die, monster!" | |
| "Destiny calls!" | |
| "Farewell, pathetic human." | |
| Getting stunned. | |
| "Better run, you fool!" | |
| "You’re just making me angry!" | |
| "You can't stop me!" | |
| "Futile attempt!" | |
Specific to Trevor
| Voice Line | Audio |
|---|---|
| Finding Trevor hiding in a Locker. | |
| "Trevor!" | |
| "Ahh! I did smell a Belmont!" | |
| "Trevor! You pathetic worm!" | |
| Hooking Trevor. | |
| No one’s coming for you, Trevor." | |
| "You should have stayed retired." | |
| Seeing Trevor in his Lobby. | |
| "We shall meet again, blood of Belmont!" | |
| "I've been waiting for you." | |
| "I will enjoy destroying you." | |
| "You... I remember..." | |
| "Belmont." | |
| "I will give you a proper welcome." | |
| "I smell the blood of a Belmont." | |
| "We meet again, blood of Belmont." | |
| "You will suffer, blood of Belmont." | |
| "A Belmont… of course." | |
| "Once again… a Belmont!" | |
| "Prepare to suffer, blood of Belmont." | |
| "Trevor!" | |
| "Trevor... I’ll crush him like a maggot." | |
| "Trevor Belmont… you’ll never see your family again." | |
| "You’ll scream for death, Trevor Belmont." | |
| "Trevor Belmont… I’ll have your head on a hook!" | |
| "Trevor Belmont… too good to be true." | |
| "Trevor Belmont… This I will enjoy." | |
| Killing Trevor by his own hand. | |
| "Die, Belmont!" | |
| "Die, Trevor!" | |
| "Now you suffer, Trevor Belmont!" | |
Specific to Alucard
| Voice Line | Audio |
|---|---|
| Finding Alucard hiding in a Locker. | |
| "Alucard!" | |
| "I thought I smelled my own blood!" | |
| "What a disappointment you are!" | |
| Hooking Alucard. | |
| "Alucard, you fool" | |
| "Don’t scream, son, it’s embarrassing" | |
| "It didn’t have to be this way." | |
| Seeing Alucard in his Lobby. | |
| "My son. It's been a long time." | |
| "Lisa, forgive me." | |
| "You side against me…" | |
| "My son. Choose your friends wisely." | |
| "Alucard… my son. You will not be spared." | |
| "My son… you will pay for going against me." | |
| "Alucard." | |
| "Alucard… my son…" | |
| Killing Alucard by his own hand. | |
| "You were always weak" | |
| "Your compassion for humans is what killed you" | |
| "Farewell, my son." | |
Specific to Soma
| Voice Line | Audio |
|---|---|
| Finding Soma hiding in a Locker. | |
| "Soma!" | |
| "Ahaha, the student!" | |
| "Mr. Cruz! Come with me." | |
| Hooking Soma. | |
| "No one's coming for you, Soma." | |
| "Soma, you pathetic human!" | |
| "Wrong place, wrong time." | |
| Seeing Soma in his Lobby. | |
| "Soma..." | |
| "Soma... Destiny has a sense of humor." | |
| "Soma? Ohohoho..." | |
| "Soma... I will crush you first." | |
| Killing Soma by his own hand. | |
| "Farewell, Soma!" | |
| "You thought you could eclipse me... now die!" | |
| "Soma... you pathetic human!" | |
Gallery
In-game assets
The Dark Lord
The Dark Lord (Portrait render)
The Dark Lord (Background image)
Official art
Promo Artwork for The Dark Lord
