Advice on Dark Souls!
Added 2023-05-10 13:29:04 +0000 UTCI hope everyone enjoys the new video on A Short Hike, thank you for the suggestion to play it! I loved it.
I am looking into Dark Souls soon, I was wondering if anyone has any non-spoilery tips and advice, or things to look out for? For anyone that has seen my Bloodborne playthrough and remembers my play style, which class would you recommend starting with? I always get really overwhelmed with having to pick, because, well, I have no idea what my play style is! I haven't played Dark Souls before 😅
I focused on Skill and really enjoyed parrying in Bloodborne, but I was told it's much more aggressive than Dark Souls and that this game could be a slower combat experience? Like the shield actually works and stuff haha. Let me know! 😊
Comments
All opinions I guess. I first played in 2012 so it's a while since I've approached it as a newbie, but I remember first time through appreciating the additional route into blighttown especially
Andy
2023-05-11 20:30:06 +0000 UTCThe best thing about these games in my opinion, is that you can actually go everywhere. So if you see something interesting, try to get there, though it might take a bit of a walk or strange jump to actually reach it. There are cool rewards hidden in these games.
Jurjen Stellingwerff
2023-05-11 10:27:14 +0000 UTCThis video does a good job of breaking down, in a pretty simple manner, all the classes and the stats. There are no spoilers, it's just the class selection screen. The link will get you past character creation and straight into class selection. https://youtu.be/z9h-6YixNyU?list=PLiSdC6Lp8c7PlNzgoyfy4ahG5rRqJskJ0&t=1218 Something they don't mention is you don't have to increase any stats to increase your pyromancy spell's damage. In DS1, you actually upgrade the flame itself, which is like a weapon you hold in your hand, to increase the damage. Just an FYI.
The Mighty Pipe
2023-05-11 00:18:13 +0000 UTCNothing much you dont already know to be honest. Dark souls is very very similar to bloodborne in a lot of ways. Look out for all the things you remember different items, upgrade materials etc and how they work, theyll be mostly the same between all the souls games just different names. Speak to npcs and exhaust their dialogue, read item descriptions, pay attention to level design and shortcuts, dont be afraid to be agressive. But most of all be gloriously incandescent and praise the sun. Btw you can watch the vatividya lore videos to understand what is going on and it doesnt really matter when you watch them since the story is obscured anyway.
Eamon
2023-05-10 19:14:22 +0000 UTCI think she can handle it. She's better than me and I managed to finish Sekiro.
Cassidy McCurdy
2023-05-10 16:54:46 +0000 UTCDark souls will be slower compare to bloodborne and there will be more stuff you have to pay attention too. Gear weight is huge and can slow down your rolls, parrying is more punishable now with a shield to the point you most likely won’t do it at all. You’ll get use to the changes pretty fast buts it’s a slower paced game overall! Also a bigger variety of builds!
Bo
2023-05-10 14:18:32 +0000 UTCI am by no means a Dark Souls expert, but I've played most Fromsofts soulsborne games, so I have a decent grasp on things. You could try and copy your play style from Bloodborne into Dark Souls, but the closest you'll get is a dex build using a parry shield and dagger. Thief would be the class to start with, but it is considered one of the harder classes and builds to use. High risk but high reward. But I think you should embrace the game's differences and go with something else. A thief build on a first blind playthrough would be brutal. I know it's not the same, but I did a parry dagger build in my third run through on Elden Ring, and it was considerably harder. I would go with some sort of composite build just for the variety. So either dex/int, dex/faith, strength/int or strength/faith. So you can dip your toes into some spells but still hit things with a sword. I find pure int or faith builds incredibly dull, as you spend all your time either shooting things from a distance or running away in circles trying to shoot things from a distance. I'd actually recommend a pyromancy build/starting class. I think it's considered by most to be the best starting class. It's well-rounded enough that you can go in any direction you feel like, as opposed to some starter classes that push you hard in one build direction. I'd embrace a good shield. You are often going to be waiting for someone's attack to bounce off your shield, then you attack, and you are so much slower in Dark Souls and often your roll is going to get you killed, so a good shield is very helpful. But only a very, very good shield is going to help at all against very large enemies, so don't be too dependent on it. Hope that was helpful.
The Mighty Pipe
2023-05-10 14:10:50 +0000 UTCStarting class isn't that important in Dark Souls, as you can adapt to any playstyle at almost any point in the early game. Upgrade materials and level up costs are the limiting factor (which you can run out of later in the game), so you can try and morph into any class up until that point. At some point, you will have to make a choice and invest your upgrade materials into specific weapons and equipment, which technically locks you out of other options. Although even then you can still use other items, they may be underpowered in comparison. Dark Souls hides a lot of secrets compared to BB, so you will probably miss a few things, but that's normal, and revisiting areas is expected. Unlike Bloodborne, you won't have access to fast travel in the same way, so you may feel more locked into an area than in previous FromSoftware games. There is no wrong way to play the game, and it is very freeform, but there is choices and directions you can go from he outset that make it feel harder Shields in Dark Souls can be peculiar and have various stats. Some shields won't have a 100% physical damage block, but they may block magic elements. Others may even be worse at blocking, but they offer a boost to other stats. You'll benefit from these bosted stats (like +10% HP) as long as you have it equipped, and you don't have to use it directly. In the same vein, you can two-hand many weapons, so you may end up enjoying that playstyle and feel like you don't need to block. Instead, you can choose to dodge and roll aggressively to avoid attacks - which is possible too There is different kinds of magic too, so it is possible to put stats in the wrong place (this might be just a problem I had), but the UI and UX is a is probably a bit more confusing that all the other later Souls/Bourne games The game is kinda its own weird thing, and works in some ways you don't expect. It is probably impossible to explain all the little strange things in a post like this. But it is also not as weird and strange as most people think. It might take a little while to adapt to (especially since you played BB first) but ultimately should be a lot of fun.
Thomas Mc
2023-05-10 14:08:20 +0000 UTCI personally have a soft spot for the pyromancer class or knight (pyromancy is fun, and you start with an axe), but honestly once you have your starting class you can pretty much pump stats into whatever you like I would only say its very common for new players (Hello, I'm new players) to accidentally miss out on the DLC because unless you have a back up save, you can't pick up from before the credits after you reach the end (DLC is included in the base game in Dark Souls: Remastered, so I guess it's not really DLC anymore), so some time before the end make sure you remember to check it out!
Johno3998
2023-05-10 14:03:22 +0000 UTCYay, Dark Souls. I began playing Elden Ring a week ago. Loving it! The beginning class doesn't matter too much. When I played DS I chose the thief/bandit class (don't know the name right now) and relied heavily on rolling. Coming from Bloodborne you could choose that.
Marc Werner
2023-05-10 13:59:59 +0000 UTCYou've no idea how quickly I clicked the like button on this post! I'm thrilled that you are thinking about diving in to Dark Souls!!! I do not have any advice about a starting build, as I simply don't have the patience for these games myself, but I love to watch other people play them, and your Bloodborne playthrough was legendary! I can't wait for this series! Thanks Amber!
Nick Herrick
2023-05-10 13:57:43 +0000 UTC- Start as the Knight, the shield you start with reduces 100% of physical damage which is a massive help for a beginner. - As starting item take Master Key, this opens up a few extra routes for you in the game which again can be handy first time through if you get stuck. - stamina management is an important thing to understand early on. Don't just hold the shield button in as your stamina won't refill, learn to let go of it in between attacks so your stamina refills. This is something a lot of new players struggle with.
Andy
2023-05-10 13:57:41 +0000 UTCI just finished the video minutes ago, loved it. At the beginning when you waded out into the water, I thought; "Here we go again".😅 Bloodborne combat is less punishing, faster, and more aggressive mostly because of the heal back mechanic stretching your effective health but also because the parry mechanism is about shooting an opening in their attack, and it can be done at range. Dark Souls is more punishing, slower, and less aggressive. The parry mechanic can only be used with specific weapons and specific shields in melee range, and it is about timing a not very well telegraphed attack to connect with a few frames during the weapon/shield animation (Not all of them are the same). Furthermore, not every enemy in Dark Souls can be parried, most of the humanoids can but there are plenty of things that cannot be parried. For anyone starting out, I think the Knight class is the best because you get a 100% physical reduction shield (Not all shields will block all damage), decent starting armour that should allow you to soak slightly more damage, and a decent spread of statistics that should help you wield most of the weapons you find early in the game with less investment. The shield will help you get accustomed to combat, before you start trying to figure out parry timings and dodge windows, nearly everything can be blocked. The only downside to the Knight is the character burden, which affects your movement speed and dodge animation. A lot of souls like games adopt this, where there's different types of dodge animation depending on what your equipment load is. When you're above 50% in Dark Souls 1 you will "fat roll", which is a really clunky flop to the ground, when you dodge. But can do a speedy ninja roll when you're below 25%. Also, I don't consider this a spoiler but when choosing the gifts; don't choose the master key. It basically gives you the ability to bypass a lot of natural progression even if accidentally. I personally believe it sours the experience.
Adam
2023-05-10 13:56:55 +0000 UTCHonestly I would suggest starting with Sekiro before trying Dark Souls. It's easier to transition from Bloodborne to Sekiro then from Dark Souls to Sekiro. But failing that you should watch H.Bomberguy's Bloodborne video. It's all about how the play style of Bloodborne affects how people play earlier Dark Souls games. It also doesn't try to spoil anything at all, although you may see a few Dark Souls bosses.
Cassidy McCurdy
2023-05-10 13:44:13 +0000 UTCooo dark souls hype! it's definitely slower than bloodborne and focuses more on defence, but that doesn't mean that you have to play super slow i usually make sure that i'm light rolling. you have an equip load that judges which roll you get, light roll offers the most invincibility frames and distance, medium roll is alright but you never wanna be fat rolling. to light roll you wanna be using lighter gear which offers less protection but it makes it way easier to dodge attacks. if you like skill weapons in bloodborne, then i'd recommend using dexterity weapons, they're the same vibe with faster attacks and stuff parrying is harder and you have to use a shield, but if you get the timing right it can be really strong, might be worth trying to learn but i usually forgo a shield in dark souls and focus on mobility, but it's totally up to you! dark souls offers a wider variety of builds than bloodborne so experimentation is good! hope that some of this was helpful and i hope you enjoy dark souls, keep up the good work!
ChilledGricken
2023-05-10 13:42:05 +0000 UTCParrying is a lot riskier in Dark Souls than it is in Bloodborne and I find it a lot harder to pull off. You could pick a starting class that has high HP and Stamina, and then figure out the rest of the build while you’re playing, see what you like. HP and Stamina are always useful!
Huib Gelling
2023-05-10 13:36:39 +0000 UTC
