Dark Souls 3

Now that Dark Souls III is launched everywhere and not just in Japan and reviewers’ offices, it’s time to start talking about the game in earnest.

I thought I’d start out by giving a few words of wisdom to players, and especially new players. I will try to come up with a separate list for veterans, though to be quite honest I feel like if you’ve made it this far through Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, Dark Souls II and Bloodborne, you probably don’t need any advice from me.

So without further adieu, ten tips for Dark Souls IIIplayers. Hopefully they help. More than anything, I just want to encourage people who may be intimidated by the game to just keep fighting. Si se puede!

Dark Souls III (Credit: From Software)

Number one. Don’t worry, be happy.

Dark Souls 3, like its predecessors, is a challenging game. You will die a lot, especially if you’re new and still learning the systems. That’s okay. Dying is part of the game experience. Dying isn’t a bad thing.

When you die, you’ll drop all your souls, and you get one chance to go back to your point of death to recover them. If you don’t make it, those souls are gone forever. And you know what?

It doesn’t matter. There will be more souls. You can get mad, but let it go. This is part of the game’s rhythm, and we all have that moment where we think we’ll be okay and then screw up and lose a pile of souls. It just doesn’t matter.

Number Two. Learn from your mistakes.

When you do die, don’t think of it as the game’s fault for being too punishing. The game is your teacher, your tutor, your master. It’s simply explaining how its systems work by providing you with obstacles and challenges. You have to learn from your mistakes to proceed.

And you know what? You will learn from your mistakes. Dark Souls III isn’t random. There are no Quick Time Events. Every single mechanic is stable and solid throughout the entire game. When you screw up, you’ll know why. When a boss is super tough, keep at it and eventually you’ll discover its Achilles heel.

Number Three. There are multiple ways to go around an obstacle.

This is a two-part tip. Boss fights can be grueling. Some areas can be super hard. Sometimes your best bet is to go explore somewhere else and come back to a tough fight later when you’ve leveled up some, gotten better gear, and learned your way around the game’s combat mechanics.

Alternatively, never feel ashamed to summon help. Sometimes there will be NPC’s who can help you. Other times, you’ll simply summon other players. Either way is fine, and may be just the thing you need to beat a really hard boss. Of course, the thrill of toppling a mighty foe all on your own is without parallel. (This and number four are basically how to play with “easy mode” in Dark Souls III.)

Dark Souls III (Credit: From Software)

Number Four. There’s a covenant that can make the game easier.

If you don’t want to suffer too much at the hands of invading players, join the Way of Blue covenant. Covenants are factions that affect online play in various ways, helping with co-op or facilitating PvP.

The Way of Blue provides beginners with some shelter from invading players. Just go to talk to the woman in the church above the second boss fight (Vordt of the Boreal Valley) and you can join.

This can make the threat of invasion a little less painful.

Number Five. Classes don’t matter…much.

When you start the game, you’re tasked with picking a class. Don’t sweat which one you pick. The only thing classes affect is starting stats and starting gear. Once you’re in the game, you’ll be leveling up and gearing up however you like.

Classes do matter some, however. If you want a spell early on in the game, you should probably pick a magic user class like Sorcerer or Assassin. If you want access to healing spells, maybe go with a Cleric or Herald. Pyromancers will have fire spells right off the bat.

If you want heavy armor, the Knight is a good choice. But again, all of these spells and gear will become available to you as you play.

Number Six. Start with a balanced “build.”

This ties right into the last point. If you’re a newcomer to the Souls games, you’ll likely become very overwhelmed by the leveling system. There are a bunch of stats to level up as you gain souls, and each has an impact on a bunch of other stats across your character.

Raising stats like Strength or Dexterity will impact the damage you do with weapons, and those weapons will “scale” with various stats (including Intelligence and Faith) depending on the weapon and whether you end up infusing it at the Blacksmith. It’s complicated, and takes time to get used to, and some research.

So I recommend building a character that’s “balanced” to start with, both in terms of stats and gear. Don’t go full-on “tank” or super nimble and light-weight. Wear good armor but keep your equip load down so that you don’t have the slowest movement and dodge. Level up stats like Vitality and Endurance to increase your health and stamina bars. Attunement increases your magic bar and the number of spells you can equip if you’re a magic user. Figure out if you want to use heavier or lighter weapons and then level STR or DEX (or both so that you can have a wider variety of weapons to choose from.) The point is, don’t focus all your souls on one or two stats, but make sure you’re not leveling stats you don’t need either. Don’t level Faith if you want to cast Intelligence-based spells.

Number Seven. Try out all the weapons and armor you find, but still pick a handful to level up.

Leveling up weapons makes a huge difference in the amount of damage you can dish out, and having a couple good, leveled up pieces of gear in your bag will make a huge difference as the game gets more challenging. (Weapons will increase the damage they do alongside the relevant stats, and as they’re leveled up sometimes they will increase at even higher rates.)

But you shouldn’t feel bound to just a couple weapons either. Try out everything you find. Play around with spears, which are handy to use from behind a shield. Try out lumbering,  but powerful, great-axes and great-swords. There’s a lot of dual-wielding options this time around also, including swords, daggers, maces, and spears that can be wielded in both hands in concert.

Try out everything. Try on every helm and piece of armor you find, partly just because it’s fun to see how they look. And remember that armor defends against a wide range of attacks. Sometimes a high magic defense will serve you better than a high physical defense.

Number Eight. Don’t fear the wikis.

I do think all players should start out as blind as possible, but if you really can’t figure something out just go to the wikis. They’re a great resource, and in some ways can make the experience even richer. You simply will miss things on your first (and even subsequent) playthroughs. The wikis are where the community comes together and shares secrets.

Play blind first, but go to seek out help if you need it. In a very real sense, a good deal of the game actually plays out in wikis and YouTube videos and online forums. And that’s fun in its own way.

Dark Souls III (Credit: From Software)

Number Nine. Find a play style that works for you.

There is no “right” way to play Dark Souls III. For some, rolling in really heavy armor with a greathsield and a massive club will be the only way to go. For others, a nimble back-stabbing thief is cherry. I always prefer to play somewhat balanced builds, with a touch of magic (or faith or pyromancy) a bow to cheese with, and sword-and-board. You’ll find your own way to play.

Just remember to lock-on to enemies and always watch your stamina bar. Once you run out of stamina, you won’t be able to attack, dodge, or block with a shield. Lowering a shield will cause your stamina bar to refill very slowly also. Get good at dodging and blocking, at wielding weapons one-handed and two-handed, and at switching between tactics. Practice and don’t be afraid of failure and death, and eventually you’ll find your own rhythm.

Number Ten. Stop and smell the corpses.

This is the most important tip I can give you. Don’t rush the game. Read item descriptions. Don’t simply put on a piece of armor, read about it first. Don’t race through levels (until you’ve cleared them; then you can run past enemies to get to the boss fight or whatever.) Take your time to soak in the world, because it’s not just a deadly and dangerous world, it’s also stunningly beautiful and filled with all the little details that make a place feel real—even a fictional place in a video game.

Enjoy yourself. Beyond every tough fight is a “You did it!” sign. Beyond each terror is a “Gorgeous view!” Eventually you, too, will be praising the sun and hollering at others to just ‘Git Gud.’

Which, to be fair, is also a very good tip.

If any Souls fans out there have other tips, shout ‘em out in the comments. If you’re just diving in (or returning) and have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask!