Demon Souls / Dark Souls / Bloodborne / Sekiro - Where do I start?

[Subomie]

Dark Souls 1 and Demon's are a little clunky in movement and combat compared to later From games, but still super worth it for the experience they offer. I'd go with Dark Souls to start with, it hooked me on the series even as a latecomer.

Can't go wrong with any of those four though.

 

[Luap]

So weird to see people glossing over Dark Souls 3. It's far and away the best Souls game. It took everything that was great about Dark Souls 1 and improved on it.

That being said, you should play DS1 first, so you can play DS3 afterward and appreciate the gameplay/QoL improvements. After that you can play Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin if you really want more Souls (DS2 is the worst of the trilogy).

 

[yogurt]

Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3 are the most user-friendly.

Dark Souls 1 is a great game but has some quirks and frustrating elements that really have not aged well. Up to you whether you think you can roll with that. Haven't played Demon Souls, but from what I've read it's even more janky.

Dark Souls 2 is completely skippable, in my opinion. Dark Souls 1 & 3 outclass it in every way.

Sekiro is a completely different type of game.

 

[KillerDark]

I would say play Bloodborne first and then if you are interested go into Dark Souls (I'd recommend 1 or 3) or Sekiro. I wouldn't start with Demon if you have no experience, it definitely shows its age the most out of any game in the series.

 

[Mr. Poolman]

Demon's is dated as hell, skip that one.
Begin with Dark Souls 1.

 

[Etrian Darkness]

Don't skip Demon's Souls. It is still amazing today. Though it isn't really on PS4 so maybe you'll have to miss it if you don't have a spare PS3.

 

[DerpHause]

Thanks Era! Some great help.

So in my very scientific, "I've read the whole thread and here's my summary" kind of way - I'm getting a mixed bag of 'release / thread title order' and 'Bloodborne, then go back if you want'.

I have to admit I missed some crucial info:




I don't (and I'll be frank, I'm not going to buy one just to play this game).

I kind of assumed a remaster was already available if I'm honest, sorry for my ignorance.








What's the confirmation on this?

And either way, is it worth waiting, or should I just start with Dark Souls, and go back if the mood takes me?

[Edit: Meant 'start with Dark Souls' not 'start with 'Demon Souls']

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If you're committed to playing though them all Dark Souls Remastered should probably be first. So many who have played Bloodborne first have complained about combat pacing in DS when playing it afterwards that playing BB first might sour the experience. If only playing just one and waiting to see then if you want to continue Bloodborne becomes a better option.

 

[Rafroel]

I started with Bloodborne, which got me hooked on the series, but also spoiled me, as it's got the fastest combat mechanics (which I loved) and most captivating lore... In hindsight, I wish I'd started with DS1, as when I finally played the remastered it felt slow and clunky in comparison to BB.
It's a brilliant, yet challenging series of games, no matter how you start, though. Sekiro is kind of its own thing, and plays pretty differently to the others IMO.

 

[yogurt]

So weird to see people glossing over Dark Souls 3. It's far and away the best Souls game. It took everything that was great about Dark Souls 1 and improved on it.

That being said, you should play DS1 first, so you can play DS3 afterward and appreciate the gameplay/QoL improvements. After that you can play Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin if you really want more Souls (DS2 is the worst of the trilogy).

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I agree with this whole-heartedly. I'm playing through Dark Souls 3 now after putting hundreds of hours into Dark Souls 1&2 and it is the most consistently solid game in the series. Its biggest fault, really, is that it's "more of the same." Perhaps for some people that meant it didn't have the "magic" of DS1 but since I took a few years off between games it's not a problem.

DS1 only real advantage over DS3 is the way the levels interconnect for the first half of the game. While that design is super neat, the back half of the game is a lot weaker. DS3 has better, more consistent level design overall, and a lot of the levels have neat interconnectedness within them that goes a long way.

Game mechanics, UI, QoL stuff and consistency are where DS3 really shine.

 

[Thrill_house]

Demon souls, dark souls, then either sekiro or nioh. I can't recommend any of the dark souls games after the first or bloodborne honestly.

 

[Deleted member 41520]

Don't start with Demon's Souls

I would say to start with Dark Souls

After that Dark Souls II and Bloodborne and them you go to Demon's Souls

With you want the bother, there's Dark Souls 3 and Sekiro there, but they are bad

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Sekiro is the best game in the series so no

 

[Oreiller]

Dark Souls 1 and Bloodborne are the best ones. I guess Bloodborne might be slightly easier to get into? I like Dark Souls 1 much more but you can't go wrong with either of them.

 

[jaymzi]

Start from the beginning, Demon's Souls.

 

[bbq of doom]

Sekiro is the best game in the series so no

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I dunno about that. It's a different genre being straight action. Scratches a different itch, but it does so with some familiarity.

 

[VN1X]

Skip Demon's Souls.

 

[Foffy]

The problem with Demon's Souls is that much like its "predecessor" series, King's Field, the first game is a foundation of formula and design, but it's immediately usurped by its first sequel due to the changes it introduces. For example, Demon's Souls is more of a linear affair with interconnected paths in a "stage" whereas the whole map to Dark Souls is interconnected, giving it a deeper "real" feeling. Bloodborne takes this further by making Yharnam the best take on this concept. In this sense, Demon's starts looking "weaker" to the way Dark Souls did things, and Dark Souls starts looking "weaker" to the way Bloodborne does things.

Personally, I don't even consider Sekiro to be in that space. I've always seen it as Tenchu Souls and for that reason, not a purely dark fantasy title.

I'd say Demon's>Dark>Bloodborne, and do Sekiro whenever. Playing Dark Souls before Demon's Souls or Bloodborne before Dark Souls hampers what they did.

 

[ericsp17]

Thread title order is probably best, just to see the evolution of their design.

 

[Mizeris Lutz Ether Lanai]

The order in your title.

From easiest to Hardest.

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Uh oh. I just got Sekiro on sale. My total meaningful Souls experience is playing DS III and giving up after the first boss (didn't understand the series, was playing in Japanese and had no idea what I was doing) and getting past Moonlight Butterfly in DS Remastered, which I like but I'm still in the middle of.

Am I about to get stomped?

 

[night814]

You've pretty much nailed the order in your title.

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Yup. Play Demons first in case it's too difficult. You can use the item dupe glitch and private servers for help. It will also be the hardest one to play if you play another game from the series first, unless you play the last gen versions of DS1 or 2.

 

[Foffy]

Uh oh. I just got Sekiro on sale. My total meaningful Souls experience is playing DS III and giving up after the first boss (didn't understand the series, was playing in Japanese and had no idea what I was doing) and getting past Moonlight Butterfly in DS Remastered, which I like but I'm still in the middle of.

Am I about to get stomped?

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Sekiro is only "harder" in the sense that the game is designed around the focus of Wolf, the protagonist. Other Soulsborne games are "easier" because all of the games are designed as primarily melee-centric games, yet you have ranged capabilities.

I had a harder time in Dark Souls II's DLC than anything I encountered in Sekiro.

 

[exodus]

Dark Souls
Bloodborne
Sekiro

Dark Souls is generally the most well loved and the easiest to get into due to the usability of shields and estus flasks.

 

[silva1991]

Start in the order of releases, however it will be a shame if you get fatigued before Bloodborne.

If you one of those to get fatigued easily then also start in order, but skip Dark souls 2 and 3.

 

[Navid]

Just play Bloodborne!

 

[XrossExam]

Playing Demon's Souls recently for the first time made me appreciate the tighter level design and smaller levels that it offers. All of World 1 is some of the best level design ever in a video game IMO. It teaches you the game in such a way that it is brilliant and natural.

Dark Souls evolved this concept with tight level design created on top of one seamless world, which helped the world feel more complete. I have to say, in a lot of ways Demon's Souls was easier to understand and get a grasp of quicker because the areas were true "levels" and I think coming into the series as a whole Demon's is a great place to start, as long as you curb your expectations with graphics and QOL improvements (something you won't know about unless you play the later games first).

Another thing to note is that I still feel that the atmosphere in Demon's Souls is unparalleled, only followed by Bloodborne. Dark Souls had some atmosphere but it kind of lacked little details that made it feel truly alive. In Demon's Souls, you have the nice looking mist/fog that permeates the Valley of Storms, or the cries of prisoners and Mindflayers bell's in the Tower of Latria. It just kind of all adds to the overall eerieness of that game. I also like the enemy design in Demon's Souls over Dark Souls, the skeleton samurais, crazy knights and other enemies with glowing demon eyes just did it for me a lot more than some of the other Dark Souls games.

Also, I don't know why people think Demon's Souls is among the hardest of the Souls games. Maybe it's because I've played and beaten DS1, Bloodborne and DS3 in the past, but starting as the Royalty class and using magic makes the game relatively smooth sailing. The game is certainly still a challenge, but the bosses were more gimmicky and enemies can easily be figured out after some trial and error. The Valley of Defilement is the only true "hard" area in the game.

There's no doubt in my mind that Sekiro is the hardest of all From's Souls type output, it forces you to play in the way the game was intended, and there are not many ways around it. I kept trying to get into it but I just couldn't and I think it had to do with the game's lack of choice, difficulty and the world. It's funny too because I used to love the Japanese samurai aesthetic when I was younger but after playing through the Souls games they've really made me appreciate dark fantasy way more.

 

[OGM_Madness]

Demon's Souls is great, and anyone who loves Souls games need to play it. If you are able to play it (it's PS3 exclusive), do it. I think it's great as the first game, because DeS is like an overture, a summary or introduction of ideas that will be later re-used in later games and expanded upon. This is great, but others might feel like it's lazy or that From is copying themselves. I simply think that Miyazaki went crazy on this first game (which he did) and threw a bunch of ideas together to see what worked and what sticked (a lot of it did IMO; it also was critically acclaimed, which means a lot of people did too).

That said, I think my favorite is Bloodborne. Such an excellent game. I think the only drawback is that it favors aggressive gameplay (instead of the turtle style that other Souls game allow) and it lacks deep builds (some stats like magic take a step back). But the game is rich in lore and the gameplay is pretty gratifying.

Also, I think Dark Souls is a perfect introduction too to these games. So I think it's hard to recommend a starting point, other than accessibility (Bloodborne being on Sale helps).

Lastly, no matter what game you want to play first, make sure to include the DLC in your session. I think FromSoftware makes excellent DLC that adds so much to the game in multiple aspects: they are sort of standalone, but they are so well-crafted and so properly implemented that they never feel tacked on or that it was supposed to be part of the main game. Hard to explain without diving deeper into spoiler territory, but let's say some of my favorite moments of Bloodborne were from the DLC.

If I have to Rank the games:

DeS: 9.5
DaS: 9
BB: 10
DaS2: 8

I still need to platinum Dark Souls 2 and I bought Dark Souls 3 and Sekiro, but haven't play them yet. Waiting for a proper time to start them, as I like to devote all my time to them once I start and do and see everything in each, including Geeking about each game's secrets and lore theories and everything that makes these games rock.

 

[Boclfon479]

Start with Demon's Souls and ignore any internet guides and stuff.

Just turn on online mode if it's still active, and enjoy the game that inspired a genre blind like it was made to be played

 

[luffie]

Sorry to hijack with a personal request, but I need advice on where to start.

I came late to the PS4 party and have been making my way through various exclusives I couldn't get elsewhere. Bloodborne recently cropped up for $10 and y'know, for that price, exploring a whole genre I've missed seems like it might be worth a go.

I never played a Souls-like. But should I start at Bloodborne, Era, or go back? If so, how far?

As I understand it, Demon Souls and Bloodborne are the only exclusives. For what it's worth, I have both a PS4 Pro and an Xbox One X, so I can (PC aside) play the best versions I need to.

Do I need to go all the way back to appreciate this gap in my gaming knowledge? If not, where should I start? And which versions give me the best experience?

Thanks in advance!

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No OP, skip Demon Souls, it was great at the time, but severely outdated now.

You should really start with Dark Souls 1 first. It is a great game, but it also less polished than the rest of the sequel. If you play DS3 first and jump to 1, you will feel 1 to be very very sluggish.

Then play Bloodborne after DS1, and come to ERA to report how great it is. Remember the DLC!

And return to Play DS3, which has some of the best QoL features in all of Dark Souls. Remember the DLC!

And then play Sekiro, thinking you've mastered Dark Souls, this should be easy peasy. Get rekt, cry in ERA, and return to beat it and experience the best 1 on 1 shinobi boss battle ever in made yet.

Hesitation is defeat.

 

[Morrigan]

Since you don't have a PS3, I would start with Dark Souls Remastered, then Dark Souls 2, Bloodborne, and then Dark Souls 3 (i.e. release order). Then Sekiro after, regardless of whether you hate the previous games or not, as it's very different.

 

[Shan]

Uh oh. I just got Sekiro on sale. My total meaningful Souls experience is playing DS III and giving up after the first boss (didn't understand the series, was playing in Japanese and had no idea what I was doing) and getting past Moonlight Butterfly in DS Remastered, which I like but I'm still in the middle of.

Am I about to get stomped?

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S'all about personal skill in the end. You'll probably get stomped a bit because the game expect you adapt to its playstyle relatively fast but once you got that out of the way you should be fine.

 

[Chettlar]

Demon's souls can be hard to get into. It's by far the most unforgiving and harshest with it's punishments. Although you can cheese a bunch of it.

Bloodborne gets more people into it because of how fast it is. Dark Souls let's you take it more at your own pace. So either Bloodborne or Dark Souls depending on you as a person.

 

[thebigword]

Do it in release order and by the time you complete Sekiro you will become a true master of the Souls craft.

 

[llLeonhart]

Uh oh. I just got Sekiro on sale. My total meaningful Souls experience is playing DS III and giving up after the first boss (didn't understand the series, was playing in Japanese and had no idea what I was doing) and getting past Moonlight Butterfly in DS Remastered, which I like but I'm still in the middle of.

Am I about to get stomped?

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I did. But you have to keep in mind I've been conditioned by previous entries.
Conditioned to use magic and block in souls, to be ripped in bloodborne because dodges were a way bigger deal. Then conditioned by bloodborne to dodge only to learn is pretty useless in Sekiro. (learn the mikiri counter, that thing is godsend)

 

[Zombegoast]

Play Bloodborne.

As much as I want to recommend you Demon's, Play Bloodborne due to the emphasis on dodge and parrying than using a shield.

 

[Sanctuary]

I actually think the immersiveness and quality of the atmosphere and setting of Demon's Souls hasn't been equalled in a From game since, with the possible exception of Bloodborne.

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That's because it hasn't. There are areas of Dark Souls that occasionally come quite close, but overall Demon's is just oppressive like no game after.

Also, I don't understand at all the recommendation to play Bloodborne first. Did those that said this simply play that first? I also highly disagree with it being much easier. There's a ton of restrictions in Bloodborne that do not exist in Demon's or any Dark Souls. If you only want to play as a shieldless, melee only Dante wannabe, then go for it I suppose. If you want multiple options, pick a different game first and play Bloodborne second to last, with Sekiro last.

What Bloodborne does with melee combat it does the best out of the standard Souls formula, but it's very strict on actual modes of combat. No shields, and no real magic builds to speak of, and magic is what makes most of these games easy mode. Using a Hunter's Tool that doesn't really become viable until near the end of the game isn't a solution either.

In order. I found it hard to go back to DeS after DkS.

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I didn't. Both games do things well that aren't seen in the other.

 

[MadMod]

BB, DS3, Sekiro, Demons, DS, DS2

Feel like the older ones have clunk, so they may put you off. The quality of life features are there in the newer ones. Once you fall in love with the genre, you can go back.

Until then stick to newer ones.​

Now​

​

 

[Karlinel]

Bloodborne, dark souls 2, ds 3, ds renastered, sekiro, would be my choice. I'm not a big fan of Sekiro tho.

 

[Rosur]

Is Sekiro a good choice as a first one to play more than the beginning o? Just completed fallen order and liked the souls lite stuff in that so thinking Sekiro might be a good choice of what next to play.

 

[Mizeris Lutz Ether Lanai]

S'all about personal skill in the end. You'll probably get stomped a bit because the game expect you adapt to its playstyle relatively fast but once you got that out of the way you should be fine.

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I did. But you have to keep in mind I've been conditioned by previous entries.
Conditioned to use magic and block in souls, to be ripped in bloodborne because dodges were a way bigger deal. Then conditioned by bloodborne to dodge only to learn is pretty useless in Sekiro. (learn the mikiri counter, that thing is godsend)

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I played for about an hour last night. Fortunately I'd started with thief in DS, so I wasn't caught flat footed by the gameplay, it felt pretty familiar. And really good.

I just got the kid to the secret passage and had to stop for the night. No idea how the difficulty ramps up from here, but so far it's fine, just kind of feels like an old school 8/16-bit game in difficulty.

 

[Senator Rains]

If you want to fall in love with the Soulsborne format, then play them in their release order while skipping Dark Souls 2 (it's very long and poorly designed)

If you want to play an accessible game, then Start with Bloodborne. It's the easiest one and has all the wonderful elements that make Soulsborne games shine.

Just make sure you play the masterpieces of the subgenre; Dark Souls 1 and Bloodborne.

Advice: Use wikis and guides as a last resort. One of the most critical and enjoyable things about the games is punishment and reward. If you got stuck on a boss, don't be afraid to take a break and clear your mind. If you read a guide then you won't feel the joy of overcoming the challenge, trust me on this one.

Is Sekiro a good choice as a first one to play more than the beginning o? Just completed fallen order and liked the souls lite stuff in that so thinking Sekiro might be a good choice of what next to play.

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Sekiro differs (a little) from Soulsborne because it has little to no RPG elements, meaning you're forced to learn the way the game wants you to play. So I wouldn't recommend as a start.

 

[Mizeris Lutz Ether Lanai]

Is Sekiro a good choice as a first one to play more than the beginning o? Just completed fallen order and liked the souls lite stuff in that so thinking Sekiro might be a good choice of what next to play.

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Based on my limited experience, go with OG Dark Souls first. It has the built in aids of letting you choose a class & playstyle that you're comfortable with, and you can grind to level up if you're finding a section too difficult on skill alone.

Sekiro gives you one set character and doesn't have rpg mechanics per se, it seems to be a lot more along the lines of Ninja Gaiden Black filtered through Bushido Blade.

 

[Jegriva]

Dark Souls 1.

If you haven't a PS3 lying around.

 

[llLeonhart]

I played for about an hour last night. Fortunately I'd started with thief in DS, so I wasn't caught flat footed by the gameplay, it felt pretty familiar. And really good.

I just got the kid to the secret passage and had to stop for the night. No idea how the difficulty ramps up from here, but so far it's fine, just kind of feels like an old school 8/16-bit game in difficulty.

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I started to have issue in the first non human mini boss I fought. learned the trick. smooth sailing. There is absolutely parts that'll kick your ass though.

 

[Sanctuary]

I played for about an hour last night. Fortunately I'd started with thief in DS, so I wasn't caught flat footed by the gameplay, it felt pretty familiar. And really good.

I just got the kid to the secret passage and had to stop for the night. No idea how the difficulty ramps up from here, but so far it's fine, just kind of feels like an old school 8/16-bit game in difficulty.

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It ramps way up, and actually gets somewhat tedious on certain bosses if you actually want any real practice on them. Won't really spoil why, but you'll figure it out soon enough on your own. The intro area doesn't really give you any idea of what to expect. It never reminded me of any 8-bit or 16-bit game aside from being challenging. The gameplay itself was much closer to Tenchu infused with many Souls staples and a bit of Ninja Gaiden Black difficulty (even that's not really a great comparison though).

 

[Nere]

I love the people saying that OP nailed the order on his post, suggesting him he should start with Demon's souls first. Way to burn this guy of the series.

 

[SayemAhmd]

While Demon's Souls my personal favourite, I'd start with Dark Souls > Bloodborne > Sekiro.

Playing in release order will burn you the hell out. That said, I think those three really encapsulate the design evolution of the series. If you want to delve deeper, then look at Demon's, Dark Souls 2 and Dark Souls 3.

 

[ghostcrew]

Personally I would play in the following order:

Dark Souls
Dark Souls 3
Bloodborne
Sekiro

This will give you the best of all the different gameplay elements each game offers.

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I'm gonna agree with this list.

 

[trioptimum24601]

For what it's worth, I started with Sekiro, and found that a good entry. I'm far from the biggest fan of RPG-like min-maxing, stat watching, or build optimising though, so it was the relative straightforwardness of the base mechanics that sealed the deal for me as a start point.

 

[Red Liquorice]

Whichever one you come to first is fine, bearing in mind like any series going backwards you will usually lose some QoL improvements. It's unfair to judge game #1 by the standards you have come to expect from game #5, you know.

Bloodborne is a fine place to start, a stand alone game that has some of the best the series has to offer in terms of design, bosses and just general fun gameplay and a fantastic world and story to boot.

 

[Mizeris Lutz Ether Lanai]

It ramps way up, and actually gets somewhat tedious on certain bosses if you actually want any real practice on them. Won't really spoil why, but you'll figure it out soon enough on your own. The intro area doesn't really give you any idea of what to expect. It never reminded me of any 8-bit or 16-bit game aside from being challenging. The gameplay itself was much closer to Tenchu infused with many Souls staples and a bit of Ninja Gaiden Black difficulty (even that's not really a great comparison though).

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I was just thinking in terms of pace/difficulty. A lot of games from that era just demanded that you died until you'd mastered the layout & enemy patterns of an area. I was having flashbacks to the NES Ninja Gaiden trilogy while thinking how far the genre's come. Never played Tenchu.

 

[Arkhanor]

I started with Dark Souls and couldn't get into it. A year after that I got into Bloodborne and it clicked with me. I find it to be more friendly for new players compared to the Souls series. I went back to DS after that and saw everything in slow motion.

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MY EXACT SAME REACTION!