Seriously. How to get someone to hate FromSoft games 101 right there.
-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
Let's say I wanted to brave the FromSoftware games. Where do I begin?
- Thread starter Quinton
- Start date
Honestly I think you should start with Dark Souls 3. It's the best of the Souls games and also the most modern, whereas the original DS is pretty outdated and clunky. It's also closer to "classic Dark Souls" than Bloodborne or Sekiro.
Bloodborne is the easiest to get into, its rather short and the self healing mechanic is quite forgiving for begginers (its also amazing). Then go to DS3, it will feel natural after BB and will put up slightly more of a challange. After that the order matters less, but I suggest DS1->DS2->Sekiro.
There is no harm Im playing some of them at the same time, you can jump between them if you get stuck somewhere and need a break.
There is no harm Im playing some of them at the same time, you can jump between them if you get stuck somewhere and need a break.
Bloodborne
It's way more streamlined, and while I played Demons and Dark first, I only truly learned to appreciate From games with Bloodborne.
The beginning of the game can be rough though.
It's way more streamlined, and while I played Demons and Dark first, I only truly learned to appreciate From games with Bloodborne.
The beginning of the game can be rough though.
Good luck. Even I haven't gone back that far. The oldest one I've played is AC3 on the PSP and even that felt kinda bad to me. They really hit thier stride with 4A and VD in my opinion.
Lol. Sekiro is way to tough for a beginner. Especially since you can't make the game easier by leveling up. Also it's pretty discouraging finding a boss every 10 meters. No sense of exploration at all.
@OP: Start with the best game of all time: Bloodborne. It's the most fun, has the best level and art design, the coolest enemies and works l weapons, and the best atmosphere.
Disagree here. I tried DS2 after Bloodborne and even at 60fps it felt and looked very dated.
Last edited:
I recommend playing Dark Souls 3 first(if you aren't afraid to spoil some cool revelations about Dark Souls 1) beause it is the most simple to understand imo.
After that you can play Dark Souls 1 or Bloodborne.
Sekiro is a completely different experience than their other games imo so you can tackle that whenever you want.
After that you can play Dark Souls 1 or Bloodborne.
Sekiro is a completely different experience than their other games imo so you can tackle that whenever you want.
Start with Dark Souls.
If you like it, try the other games.
If you hate it, try Bloodborne.
If you hate Bloodborne too, then the games are probably not for you.
If you like it, try the other games.
If you hate it, try Bloodborne.
If you hate Bloodborne too, then the games are probably not for you.
It's rough I won't lie, but I played a bit of it when I was younger and its kind of foreboding atmosphere has stuck with me and is still cool. Plus I like trying to start at the beginning of things. I don't know if I'll finish it, but I'm definitely going to putz around with it at least a little longer before moving on.
who in god's name is responsible for this awful copy pasta
i want their head
But... it's how they started becoming successful and found their following...
I'd probably not recommend it to a newbie to the series, mind, but the game is still awesome.
Dark Souls 3.
Why?
- It is their only game with a real progressive difficulty curve. The first bosses are easier, the last ones are harder.
- It has the best boss roster in the series.
- It is the best looking of the Souls games, and the most modern.
- Its online community is still somewhat active.
- It can be easily played almost entirely in co-op to make it easier or is a friend is also interested.
- It strikes a good balance between the slowness of the earlier games and the speed of Bloodborne and sekiro
- I have introduced others to the series with it and they loved it.
- the DLC is great
Why?
- It is their only game with a real progressive difficulty curve. The first bosses are easier, the last ones are harder.
- It has the best boss roster in the series.
- It is the best looking of the Souls games, and the most modern.
- Its online community is still somewhat active.
- It can be easily played almost entirely in co-op to make it easier or is a friend is also interested.
- It strikes a good balance between the slowness of the earlier games and the speed of Bloodborne and sekiro
- I have introduced others to the series with it and they loved it.
- the DLC is great
Last edited:
Not really. It requires a slightly different approach than the other Soulsbornes but overall, I would say it's easier. Parrying is far more forgiving than in DS and defined deathblow counters make judging where you are in boss fights more intuitive. It has a much better designed onboarding process where the early levels guide you through gameplay concepts (essentially a tutorial) instead of throwing you in the deep end. Not sure where the no sense of exploration comes in; it felt pretty much like DS to me in terms of the world design. I'm not a huge fan of the FromSoftware games, but I own DS1 and 2 and tried Bloodborne for a decent bit. Noped out of all three around mid-game; beat Sekiro three times. I recommend Sekiro to people who don't like or haven't tried Soulsbornes, and the OP says they're not into difficulty as a concept. So. Sekiro rec.
This.
Souls 3 does (by far) the best job of easing you into the game.
3 is also my favorite.
Dark Souls remastered is the best starting point. I know other are saying that or bloodborne, but I think you'll get more out of BB if you've played DS first.
While I'm sure there are some cases, I've never heard much of someone playing BB first or not liking DD but preferring BB. Unless they absolutely hated the medieval fantasy of DS.
While I'm sure there are some cases, I've never heard much of someone playing BB first or not liking DD but preferring BB. Unless they absolutely hated the medieval fantasy of DS.
I disagree with everything in your post. Parrying is forgiving, but that's not really relevant when perilous attacks make a lot of shit actually harder. There's no weapon variety to add to that.
Yes, the totally killed exploration with putting bosses and idols every 10 meters. Totally killed the sense of discovery for me. The leveldesign and shortcuts felt way more satisfying to me (well, Sekiro was not satisfying at all, tbh).
Sekiro imo is totally unfit for someone new to the "genre".
if you can, at least give Demon's Souls an honest attempt. It's where the series started and a perfect introduction to the "tone" that the rest of the series is built off of. That said, it's also really really unforgiving so ... if it's too much for you jump to Dark Souls instead.
You're free to disagree. *shrug* But I stand by what I said. Like how do perilous attacks make it harder? They just put a cue on the screen instead of the boss just doing it anyway in any other Soulsborne. They also have in-built hard counters -- at later stages, they're just cues for you to press a button to win. I already noted that there is no character building, but I fail to see how that meaningfully affects "difficulty" when you're locked into a build at the midpoint of any Souls game anyway (like, you already put your points into a particular stat so it's not like you're going to swap out your katana for pyromancy to counter a specific boss). In fact, I found the prosthetics offered more boss-specific strategy flexibility than available in Souls. If you just don't like parry/attack swordplay as the main combat mechanic and would prefer to play a ranged magic user or something, then yeah, you probably shouldn't be playing Sekiro.
I'm not going to argue with whether the level design was satisfying or not for you. I quite liked it.
Sekiro is not exactly the same genre as Soulsbornes. I said that in my first post. I also said I mainly rec it to people who aren't Souls fans because it's different enough. But my subjective experience is that it's overall easier and more approachable because the other games go the fuck out of their way to be inscrutable, and Sekiro doesn't.
ETA: And I mean, to reiterate for the sake of emphasis, it's fine if you disagree. Difficulty isn't an absolute concept; I find Sekiro easier, you can find DS easier. *shrug* But I still think like, to someone who isn't familiar with the genre, Sekiro would be a far more welcoming experience than "So this stat is in the game but apparently doesn't do anything" Dark Souls. Of course, strictly speaking, neither would be a welcoming experience, but relatively, you know.
Last edited:
OP, when in doubt roll towards/just past the bosses right arm (your left). It does not work for everyone but more often than not most attacks are from that side so once you get the timing down you roll under the attacks.
These games can be hard but they are almost always fair. Being patient and learning the bosses/enemies moves is the key. Rolling away for the first few attacks or blocking to see when and how fast it hits will give you more info than tons of deaths. Also if you ever feel frustrated watch a YT video to watch attacks. It gives you a stress free environment to learn and constant familiarity does wonders in these games.
You got it!
Edit : I would say start with Dark Souls 3 or Bloodborne.
Sekiro I think is one of the easiest ones once you figure out moves . I think you need to play some of the other games though to familiarize yourself with patterns as it's also the most unforgiving game since you can't really over level (which I definitely did in Bloodborne).. It's a tough game at first but by NG++ ...etc you will feel like a walking god
Last edited:
I started with Bloodborne and absolutely loved it, even platinum'd it and completed the DLC.
I'm now working through Dark Souls Remastered and so far I'm about half way done I think. I think it's another brilliant game, with some of the best level design I've seen in a video game.
These games are absolutely worth a try. I had no idea I would enjoy them so much, and I was a bit intimidated by the difficulty at first, but the games never feel unfair. You always feel motivated to keep working and exploring ways to overcome your challenges.
Having said all of that, I do think Dark Souls Remastered is a better starting point for a new player.
I'm now working through Dark Souls Remastered and so far I'm about half way done I think. I think it's another brilliant game, with some of the best level design I've seen in a video game.
These games are absolutely worth a try. I had no idea I would enjoy them so much, and I was a bit intimidated by the difficulty at first, but the games never feel unfair. You always feel motivated to keep working and exploring ways to overcome your challenges.
Having said all of that, I do think Dark Souls Remastered is a better starting point for a new player.
If you can, play them in order - so Demon's Souls first. Why? Because it's where the modern From Soft games (which I assume is all we're counting) begins. Demon's Souls is still eminently playable, but it's a decade old now. Playing Bloodborne or Sekiro first and expecting it not to impact your view of Demon's Souls would be unfair. Clunky menus and floaty physics aside, Demon's Souls is where it all began and is an absiolute classic. You miss out on the online play aspect now, but the game is essentially a single player experience (they all can be played as such). The level design and atmosphere is still some of the best in the whole 'series' and the nods to (or re-using of ideas from!) Demon's Souls throughout the whole series is fun to see and satisfying.
Failing that, I would start with Dark Souls Remastered - the best way to play the next game in the series, and still regarded by many as at least one of the best, if not the best along with Bloodborne. The connected world and replayability factor are unmatched imo, it is an iconic game.
I will say don't let the marketing around the series scare anyone off - Yes the games are challenging, but they are challenges that are designed to be overcome your way - and the exhileration of doing that is like nothing else I've experienced in gaming since the 16 bit days. They're not masochistic, all the games give you so many ways in which to approach a boss or level, they're not designed to just bash your head against them out of frustration. There's "easy mode" of co-op, different character builds, weapons, tools, magic, etc - you can always get creative and approach the games how you like to play them. :)
Failing that, I would start with Dark Souls Remastered - the best way to play the next game in the series, and still regarded by many as at least one of the best, if not the best along with Bloodborne. The connected world and replayability factor are unmatched imo, it is an iconic game.
I will say don't let the marketing around the series scare anyone off - Yes the games are challenging, but they are challenges that are designed to be overcome your way - and the exhileration of doing that is like nothing else I've experienced in gaming since the 16 bit days. They're not masochistic, all the games give you so many ways in which to approach a boss or level, they're not designed to just bash your head against them out of frustration. There's "easy mode" of co-op, different character builds, weapons, tools, magic, etc - you can always get creative and approach the games how you like to play them. :)
I know it's controversial, but I'd recommend starting with Scholar of the First Sin (Dark Souls 2), then play 1 and finish up with 3.
You can hit up bloodborne afterwards as it's pretty stand alone.
I felt this was a pretty good way to play through it as 2 is still a very solid game, but it's not quite as good as the rest. Not to mention 3 connects very well with DS1.
You can hit up bloodborne afterwards as it's pretty stand alone.
I felt this was a pretty good way to play through it as 2 is still a very solid game, but it's not quite as good as the rest. Not to mention 3 connects very well with DS1.
Alright so i really think the first Dark Souls or Dark Souls 3 are the most "newbie" friendly and would push you to one of those. Demon's Souls, Dark Souls 2, Bloodborne, and Sekiro all have mechanics that can be off-putting or otherwise frustrating to deal with particularly for a newbie.
Demon's Souls cons: diminished health pool following death with little recourse, only on PS3 with poor frame rate to boot. Have to farm for healing items exclusively. Arguably the least interesting bosses and general encounters as it is the first game in this style and very much feels like a prototype.
pros: still fun as heck, great level designs broken up into discrete zones. Some cool mechanics and ideas (world tendency)
Dark Souls cons: original version on ps3/360/pc is rough as hell technically. Easily cheesed with magics, little incentive to be human. Weak second half that has enemies and areas that feel rushed (Lost Izalith)
pros: the one that made the formula popular, recent remasters at 60fps on consoles and an actual PC version. Solid build and item variety. Overall great bosses besides a few weak links. Interconnected world is a masterpiece.
Dark Souls 2 cons: lose % max HP on death (punishes failure, disincentives experimentation and taking risks) often have to grind for healing stones (although rechargable estus flask exists), too big for it's own good -- boring areas, underwhelming bosses, rather linear paths and level design. Slow, plodding combat compared to rest of series / generally weird rhythm to everything.
Pros: great DLC, build variety, dual wielding, music. Easiest(?) (besides a few cheap or gimmicky bosses) lots of content. PS4/X1 / current PC version are an updated version of the game with 60fps console frame rate and a solid outing on PC. Maybe you'll like the rhythm of it.
Dark Souls 3 cons: "derivative" particularly of the first Dark Souls, only 30fps on consoles, maybe the shortest Souls game (not necessarily a bad thing) latter bits kinda lose steam IIRC. So-so first DLC
pros: rechargable Estus for magic and health, great aesthetic and music. Bosses, enemies, and overall level design take a step up from DS2. DLC #2 is fantastic. Tight combat is closer to Bloodborne in speed and feel. Animations have energy and the malaise of Dark Souls 2's foray into more .. realistic and weighty animations is gone.
Bloodborne cons: PS4 exclusive, 30fps cap. Grinding for health items is never fun especially when you keep dying to a boss. Lighter on build and enemy variety compared to Souls games. Co-op requires a specific resource, again not usually a problem but could be. Some areas/encounters feel like big "FUCK YOU"s from Miyazaki. Only on PS4
Pros: trick weapons, combat mechanics (gun parry, visceral attacks, gimme-back-my-blood aggression), awesome level and world design. Cool bosses and really well put together DLC.
Sekiro cons: 30FPS cap on base consoles or an uncapped frame rate on X/Pro (X also can make use of 120hz mode yaddayadda Digital Foundry). Parry system is kinda built with 60hz in mind, imo. Bosses are too chunky for their own good & game can be punishing. Grinding for spirit emblems (ammo for prosthetics) + low carry quantity of emblems distinctives experimentation and taking risks. Only one build and it is sword.
pros: feels real good when you get in a rhythm. Only one build and it is sword. great world & level design as expected. Grappling hook. More straightforward storytelling. Skill points are fun to distribute and grant cool moves (as do prosthetic upgrades) but you'll end up with most everything anyways, just a matter of when. Monkeys with swords, guns. ~Stealthy~
Largely i point to game speed, grind and mechanics of failure for why Dark Souls & 3 are the best starting points. Demon's, DS2, Bloodborne, Sekiro all have aspects of grinding for items that get in the way of playing the game / moving further in the game. Whether that be for health items or utility, it can bring these games to a halt if you've hit a particularly tough challenge and depleted your item stores. Demon's is a bit fast while Bloodborne & Sekiro are faster than the prior game in the list. DS2 is slower than the others and is an acquired taste, but it might also be a good starting point because of its speed. DS2 & Demon's both reduce max health upon death, which can lead to a frustrating cycle of dying more cause you have less health to work with. Sekiro is all like "ahh Dragonrot" but that ends up not really mattering so it's a moot point. Bloodborne doesn't do anything like that, but the grind for blood vials and bullets is enough of a punishment to fill the same role upon hitting a tough challenge that continues to best you.
Demon's Souls cons: diminished health pool following death with little recourse, only on PS3 with poor frame rate to boot. Have to farm for healing items exclusively. Arguably the least interesting bosses and general encounters as it is the first game in this style and very much feels like a prototype.
pros: still fun as heck, great level designs broken up into discrete zones. Some cool mechanics and ideas (world tendency)
Dark Souls cons: original version on ps3/360/pc is rough as hell technically. Easily cheesed with magics, little incentive to be human. Weak second half that has enemies and areas that feel rushed (Lost Izalith)
pros: the one that made the formula popular, recent remasters at 60fps on consoles and an actual PC version. Solid build and item variety. Overall great bosses besides a few weak links. Interconnected world is a masterpiece.
Dark Souls 2 cons: lose % max HP on death (punishes failure, disincentives experimentation and taking risks) often have to grind for healing stones (although rechargable estus flask exists), too big for it's own good -- boring areas, underwhelming bosses, rather linear paths and level design. Slow, plodding combat compared to rest of series / generally weird rhythm to everything.
Pros: great DLC, build variety, dual wielding, music. Easiest(?) (besides a few cheap or gimmicky bosses) lots of content. PS4/X1 / current PC version are an updated version of the game with 60fps console frame rate and a solid outing on PC. Maybe you'll like the rhythm of it.
Dark Souls 3 cons: "derivative" particularly of the first Dark Souls, only 30fps on consoles, maybe the shortest Souls game (not necessarily a bad thing) latter bits kinda lose steam IIRC. So-so first DLC
pros: rechargable Estus for magic and health, great aesthetic and music. Bosses, enemies, and overall level design take a step up from DS2. DLC #2 is fantastic. Tight combat is closer to Bloodborne in speed and feel. Animations have energy and the malaise of Dark Souls 2's foray into more .. realistic and weighty animations is gone.
Bloodborne cons: PS4 exclusive, 30fps cap. Grinding for health items is never fun especially when you keep dying to a boss. Lighter on build and enemy variety compared to Souls games. Co-op requires a specific resource, again not usually a problem but could be. Some areas/encounters feel like big "FUCK YOU"s from Miyazaki. Only on PS4
Pros: trick weapons, combat mechanics (gun parry, visceral attacks, gimme-back-my-blood aggression), awesome level and world design. Cool bosses and really well put together DLC.
Sekiro cons: 30FPS cap on base consoles or an uncapped frame rate on X/Pro (X also can make use of 120hz mode yaddayadda Digital Foundry). Parry system is kinda built with 60hz in mind, imo. Bosses are too chunky for their own good & game can be punishing. Grinding for spirit emblems (ammo for prosthetics) + low carry quantity of emblems distinctives experimentation and taking risks. Only one build and it is sword.
pros: feels real good when you get in a rhythm. Only one build and it is sword. great world & level design as expected. Grappling hook. More straightforward storytelling. Skill points are fun to distribute and grant cool moves (as do prosthetic upgrades) but you'll end up with most everything anyways, just a matter of when. Monkeys with swords, guns. ~Stealthy~
Largely i point to game speed, grind and mechanics of failure for why Dark Souls & 3 are the best starting points. Demon's, DS2, Bloodborne, Sekiro all have aspects of grinding for items that get in the way of playing the game / moving further in the game. Whether that be for health items or utility, it can bring these games to a halt if you've hit a particularly tough challenge and depleted your item stores. Demon's is a bit fast while Bloodborne & Sekiro are faster than the prior game in the list. DS2 is slower than the others and is an acquired taste, but it might also be a good starting point because of its speed. DS2 & Demon's both reduce max health upon death, which can lead to a frustrating cycle of dying more cause you have less health to work with. Sekiro is all like "ahh Dragonrot" but that ends up not really mattering so it's a moot point. Bloodborne doesn't do anything like that, but the grind for blood vials and bullets is enough of a punishment to fill the same role upon hitting a tough challenge that continues to best you.
Demon souls.
I bought this game not knowing what it was back on ps3.
loved it and been a fan of them ever since.
I bought this game not knowing what it was back on ps3.
loved it and been a fan of them ever since.
Except they've never recaptured the feeling of it. It's vibe is unique in the catalogue and remains my favourite easily. Mechanically needs an update to D3 level badly though.
How do perilous attacks make it harder? Well they expect you to have some damn good reflexes and timing. First you see the prompt, then you have to recognize the pre-animation in order to determine what kind of perilous attack is coming, and on top of that you have to perform the right move with your own character.
And it's pretty obvious grinding levels can help you overcome a difficult part. You raise your damage or HP. Not sure what's not to understand about this.
I also liked the level design, only the exploration part got destoyed by litterling the world with checkpoints and bosses. It get's tiring and dreadful really fast. Try a boss for 20 times, feel the joy of defeating him, find the next boss around the corner, rinse and repeat. I'm truly baffled by this design decision. They totally overdid it and threw everything that made Bloodborne so special overboard. Sekiro will never be that classic game we still talk about 20 years from now.
And of course it's the same genre. It's a Souls game pur sang. It only exchanged the leveling/build mechanic for a skill-based approach. Everything else breathes Soulsborne. The whole gameplay loop is identical. You lose shit when you die, you reset shit when you rest, you open shortcuts, you encounter difficult enemies and bosses.
I agree with you that the skill mechanic makes the game more approachable on that particular part, but after a few hours every newbie hits a wall and will think by himself: what the fuck have I gotten myself into? I had this and I finished Bloodborne 5 or 6 times, let alone someone that's new to the genre.
I found that starting with Dark Souls 1 and going back to Demon's Souls as a curiosity worked well for me. I still really enjoyed Demon's Souls and can understand the perspective of going for it first (I typically am a release order proponent kinda guy), but I honestly don't know if I would have kept going if Demon's Souls had been my first one. It's probably the most punishing, but it also has some of the best, most imaginative atmosphere of all the games, and you can tell that this was Miyazaki's first game. The ideas are weird and a bit more unfocused than Dark Souls but that's really cool to me.
Dark Souls also just has fewer weird mechanics. Like the way world tendency works and affects character quests in Demon's Souls would have been impossible without a guide.
Dark Souls also just has fewer weird mechanics. Like the way world tendency works and affects character quests in Demon's Souls would have been impossible without a guide.
Sekiro first to test if you like that style without having to deal with a lot of the extra meat the others have.
Then go back and play them in release order if you dig it.
Then go back and play them in release order if you dig it.
Damnit. I guess I've ruined the rest by starting with Bloodborne then. I'm in love with the game and want to get the Dark Souls games, but I wonder if it lives up to the hype levels I have for Bloodborne right now. I don't want to be disappointed :(
The beginning in Bloodborne is very tough, in hindsight. I recommend Dark Souls remastered in your case.
Bring along patience and perseverance.
Bring along patience and perseverance.