| Manual of Style |
|---|
| Armor • Characters • Enemies • Locations • Items |
The Manual of Style is the guideline by which Dark Souls articles should be written. Please consult the Manual of Style before making significant edits.
Article Titles
Article titles, or page titles, should use correct capitalization of proper nouns, and should not contain abbreviations. Character page titles should include where the character hails from. For example, Solaire is from Astora, so the page is titled Solaire of Astora. For monsters, a primary source (interview, strategy guide, etc.) should be used to name pages. If primary sources are unavailable, secondary sources are acceptable.
An example of an article title using improper capitalization:
- eingyi
An example of an article title using proper capitalization:
Images
Images must be official From Software artwork. Fan art is not preferred. Images must pertain to the pages that they are added to.
Linking
There should be only one link to the same article per paragraph. If the term appears constantly in a lengthy article it may be feasible to have a link every few paragraphs
Sourcing
Lore-related content must be sourced correctly using <ref></ref> tags. References are to be added after punctuation. To produce the reference list add the following to the bottom of the article:
==References== <references/>
Adding Trivia
The following guidelines should be observed when adding real life trivia to an article:
- Citation should be added to show legitimate factual backup to the theory.
- The information should be relevant to the content of the article.
- The article and the real life "thing" must share more than a common name; however, having a name in common is a major part of connecting the two things. Similar qualities, such as design, voice actor, or weapons/armor in common will also qualify as legitimate trivia points. Literal translations from English to Japanese, or vice versa, will also qualify as trivia allowed on pages.
Perspective
Article content should be written from third-person perspective using words such as he, she, and they. First-person ("I") and second-person ("You") perspectives should be avoided.
An example of incorrect perspective:
- You will fight Lautrec in Anor Londo.
This sentence would be better written as:
- The player fights Lautrec in Anor Londo.
Verb Tense
Historical accounts should be written in the past tense.
An example of incorrect verb tense:
- The Witches of Izalith weave great firestorms.
The event that this sentence refers to has already occurred, and would be better written as:
- The Witches of Izalith wove great firestorms.
Plural vs. Singular
An entity (a person, monster, or god) in Dark Souls that is unique is referred to as a single object. Whenever more of one such entity exists, the page should be written with plurality in mind.
Common Mistakes
"Recommended", "Advised", and other authoritative statements
These words should only be used when the editor is prepared to cite who recommends or advises the reader to take certain actions. The cited source must be credible. If no such source exists, avoid using these words and rephrase the sentence.
"Note that", "Note the", and other similar phrases
These phrases are used to draw the reader's attention to certain information, but as this wikia is strictly an information source that does not tell people what to do, such phrases are considered superfluous. On the other hand, conveying relevant information in as few words as possible is a desirable trait.
Example:
- Note that the Uchigatana causes bleed.
This sentence offers the same information:
- The Uchigatana causes bleed.