Yeah I ran into a camp thinking there was only one soldier. Killed him then all of a sudden like 8 of them were after me. I tried to fight but it was pointless. I will learn.
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Souls games are not as difficult as they are sometimes made out to be, tip-sharing for first time players (please read OP)
- Thread starter Incommensurability
- Start date
This thread is filled with people expressing appreciation for it existing, and many others giving helpful advice and encouragement.
You're offering nothing to the thread.
I want to use greatswords and a little magic. Thanks to some awesome folk in the OT I have a good grasp of what stats to build toward.
Is there a specific starting class that would.be best? I was thinking Hero or Vagabond, but I'm not entirely sure.
I assume Hero would get me to greatswords faster, Vagabind to magic. Do you think it really matters?
Is there a specific starting class that would.be best? I was thinking Hero or Vagabond, but I'm not entirely sure.
I assume Hero would get me to greatswords faster, Vagabind to magic. Do you think it really matters?
I also have a hoarding problem in games haha.
But with your weapons in souls, you absolutely want to upgrade the weapon that you want to roll with for a while. When upgrading weapons, usually the upgrade requirements are pretty commonly found for the first few upgrades. As you continue to upgrade your weapon you will need rarer materials and items. I'm not sure how it will be in Elden Ring just yet, but that's how it's been in each of the past games.
It's kind of their schtick. A bit charming at times if you are able to take it as a joke I guess.
I don't think it matters. I'm planning to do the same and I'm going to go Vagabond. I think it's also worth mentioning that Ashes of War are also magic of a sort and are far less restricitve, if that's something you're interested in. There's a lot of really cool ones that pretty much turn you into an anime character.
OP
OP
No it is not an issue. For two reasons first of all there are not really better or worse weapons all weapons are viable in principle. So just upgrade a weapons whose moveset you like. Secondly the limited resource will soon be abundant in later areas. So yes my advice would be to always have a weapon at the highest possible weapon. Perhaps only hold of on upgrading a +9 to a +10 late in the game since the final uprade item will be pretty scarce.
Yeh I saw those lol, deifnitley interested. I've been collecting Berserk Deluxe so this will be my guts simulator, but with a bit of magic just because.
Thanks, I think I'll go Vagabond too and build toward it.
As a newcomer to the series, or perhaps even 3D action games as was the case for me with Dark Souls 2, you'll probably struggle with controls, UI, and so forth in addition to the higher than average difficulty of these games. In that case, I'd recommend taking it real slow at the beginning and just practice some basic mechanics on weaker enemies until you've gotten a decent feel for it. Obviously, just move on if that were to bore you, but if you don't have the basics down while going against increasingly stronger enemies, you'll have even less fun learning the game.
And this is a tip that can't get overstated enough, IMO. If you know you aren't nearly as good enough to realistically beat a boss yet, unless you miraculously evade most attacks by pure luck, it's best just to go into a pure learning modus, where legitimately not hitting the boss at all is just fine if it helps you focus on reading his animations etc. better. Likewise, if there's gear that makes you tankier at the cost of damage, go with that for the time being.
And this is a tip that can't get overstated enough, IMO. If you know you aren't nearly as good enough to realistically beat a boss yet, unless you miraculously evade most attacks by pure luck, it's best just to go into a pure learning modus, where legitimately not hitting the boss at all is just fine if it helps you focus on reading his animations etc. better. Likewise, if there's gear that makes you tankier at the cost of damage, go with that for the time being.
Just linked it in the to, but now here as well for other people's use;
ELDEN RING Class Guide I BUILD Suggestions I Beginner's Guide
Well met, ladies and gentlemen!Now that all the starting classes are revealed, here's my personal recommendation in choosing your starting class and how to d...
www.youtube.com
Compares different starting classes at level 120 to show how different builds would work out. Everything is basic since most details arn't known but it gives a nice look at what the real differences stat wise end up being.
This is me right here.
I got about half way through Dark Souls before I gave up and haven't touched another Souls game since. Not necessarily because of the difficulty, but because of the grindy, repetitive nature of what dying entailed. I've got other crap to do. FWIW, I don't like rogue-likes either. They wear thin fast.
I agree that the setting and aesthetics are great though. I'm going to hold off on this until I see what the non-hardcore players are saying and see if they will address the PC issues.
User Banned (1 Week) - Thread Whining, Thread Derailement, & Trolling across multiple posts
I dont have a schtick, I just find the premise of the thread to be pretty pointless. Every DS tip is something that has been suggested many times over the years and the OP in general comes across as condescending to a degree.
Like I said, this convo about whther these tips are helpful or if FromSoft games are hard likely wouldn't be happening if there were difficulty options.
You're right, there wouldn't.
Can we please just stick to questions and answers to help players now, though?
OP
OP
Lol, a new souls game just came out so there is reason to repeat tips even if they have been suggested earlier; secondly I do not see how I am coming across as condescending at all. Even if you think the OP is not a genuine attempt at offering help... see my many responses throughout this thread. Speaking of condescension by the way: it is pretty condescending to tell someone their thread is irrelevant, because there is a possible world in which things would be different from the way things are in the actual word.
There have been many posts by people in this thread expressing gratitude that this thread exists, and it is actively helping people.
Your point is irrelevant. There are no difficulty modes, so people are offering help how they can.
Ah man where to begin
1st, not only have these tips been repeatedly stated over the years, they're vague and unhelpful because they essentially boil down to, "Become good at the game".
2nd, the OP is condescending not only because of the tips but also because it insists that FromSoft games aren't actually hard even though, yes, they absolutely are unless you're an experienced, skilled FromSoft player.
3rd, I wasn't even insulting or criticizing the OP with the difficulty options comment so I don't understand why you're catching feelings over that.
One thing I struggled with initially with the Soulsborne series is the sheer amount of build varieties. Didn't really know where to start and was always afraid to do a mistake in that regard.
Usually there's an "easy" build in most games, for me, it was a pure strength build in Dark Souls 1 with a Zweihänder, in Demon Souls Magic made everything easier and so on.
Maybe once Elden Ring's out on all platforms and peole have played a bit more, people can post some suggestions for "easy" builds for newcomers. That could alleviate some difficulty.
Usually there's an "easy" build in most games, for me, it was a pure strength build in Dark Souls 1 with a Zweihänder, in Demon Souls Magic made everything easier and so on.
Maybe once Elden Ring's out on all platforms and peole have played a bit more, people can post some suggestions for "easy" builds for newcomers. That could alleviate some difficulty.
OP
OP
Ok my final reply to you.
1. is false: tips like this have helped me and others in this thread. They do not just say be good, the explain things you can to to get better.
2. I do nowhere claim that these games aren't actually hard. Read the disclaimer in the OP. I only say that they are not as insurmountably difficult as they are sometimes made out to be.
3. I wasn't responding to you starting about the difficulty options; I responded to you calling this thread irrelevant.
Genuinely curious, now. Are so many people really not understanding what the OP is saying, or are people trolling? I don't know where people are getting this interpretation from (in the exact same, but incorrect, way).
Question from someone who has only played Bloodborne and still was often confused.
Can you "screw up" by using up or selling an item that you weren't supposed to? From games can be obtuse and cryptic and seem to allow the player to mess up and use items incorrectly. I'm worried I'll have no idea what an item does and try to use it and then regret it.
What's the best way to try out items, figure out what they do, etc?
Can you "screw up" by using up or selling an item that you weren't supposed to? From games can be obtuse and cryptic and seem to allow the player to mess up and use items incorrectly. I'm worried I'll have no idea what an item does and try to use it and then regret it.
What's the best way to try out items, figure out what they do, etc?
You can't really "screw up" in a sense of like blocking progression or causing you to no longer beat the game, no. You can certainly use or sell items that you need later on down the line for certain things like NPC storylines and what not, and yeah they can be purposely vague.
Bloodborne got a liiiiittle more tricky with this with the item called One Third of an Umbilical Cord. Those items you want to have three of, and then consume them, for the "true" ending to the game. I don't know if there will be anything like that in Elden Ring or not, though.
My recommendation is that you don't use or sell items if you don't explicitly know what their use is based on their item description. Otherwise just hang on to everything. You never really need to sell items in these games anyway.
Thank you for the responses! So, if what I'm following is right, weapons are more moveset based vs stat based, and that even a beginner weapon would be viable? That's really cool! I thought it was way more a manner of "This axe is good, but there will be a direct axe upgrade later", like a traditional RPG.
OP
OP
The item descriptions are usually helpful. There also is no shame in checking wikis when the description is vague. But when it comes to consumable items though you can hardly mess up by incorrect use. You might bodge some npc questlines by giving them the wrong items ... But usually you cannot get all quests in one play through anyway. So there really is no reason to worry.
Yeah, so you can actually play through the entire game with your starting weapon (on some classes). For example, in DS3 I recently replayed through 3/4 of the entire game with my starting sword on the Knight class. Same with the armor, I kept it the whole game. All I did was throw stat points in my HP, my Strength and Dex stats, Stamina, and upgraded my starting sword. It was perfectly viable.
That is not to say that other weapons you find won't be better, or won't deal more damage, but you can absolutely find a weapon that you like the feel of and upgrade it to produce more damage. Weapons also scale based on certain stats, like Strength or Dexterity, so increasing your character stats in those stats will also increase your damage output!
OP
OP
No beginning weapons are totally viable. It is in this regard not like traditional RPGs indeed. The only thing to look at statswise is that different weapons scale with different stats (how much they scale is mainly determined by the weapon lvl). So pick a weapon that fits your stats: or change your stats to fit a moveset you like.
It's probably been said before in here, but my advice is to stop worrying about "playing wrong" or stressing over minmaxing "builds" and stats. These games can be beaten at level 1 without leveling or upgrading anything. They're 100% skill based games, so focus your efforts on learning the behavior of enemies/bosses and learning your openings for attacks.
A good thing to do with bosses is to just spend a few minutes not even trying to attack. Just dodge, block, keep your distance, and take note of the different combos and abilities the bosses use. Look for tells like "he stops and crouches down before launching into this 5 hit combo, and there's a safe moment to attack after the 5th swing". They always have a certain amount of present combos/moves they do, so if you take time to learn them, you'll be golden.
A good thing to do with bosses is to just spend a few minutes not even trying to attack. Just dodge, block, keep your distance, and take note of the different combos and abilities the bosses use. Look for tells like "he stops and crouches down before launching into this 5 hit combo, and there's a safe moment to attack after the 5th swing". They always have a certain amount of present combos/moves they do, so if you take time to learn them, you'll be golden.
Go sword and shield if you're new. Know that 95% of the time, distance is key to beating mobs. DS finally "clicked" for me when I realized I could walk up hyper close with a shield and circle the enemy for a chance to strike. Also, most enemies will die in a few hits, so it's all about finding that stagger chance early game.
Keep your shield up, pump stats into vitality and endurance, and have fun! The games are hard, but not impossible. If you have a friend who likes the games, it helps to just hang out and pass the controller back and forth - that's how I got one of my friends into it.
Keep your shield up, pump stats into vitality and endurance, and have fun! The games are hard, but not impossible. If you have a friend who likes the games, it helps to just hang out and pass the controller back and forth - that's how I got one of my friends into it.
I think you need to approach it differently. It needs a lot of trial and error even if you want to get overpowered. Also bosses have different weaknesses so there won't be one solution to beat all of them. I'd give you specific advice but I really don't remember much from DS1. All I can say is that every boss has some weakness and I remember the Poise stat being very important for defensive play.
Guess why I play with M&K 😎
Was actually just looking at the classes but... dunno, feels a little like cheating for my first playthrough. Especially because I know, I'll certainly get dunked as melee. But I finally wanna get good at it 😭
Yep, dex is a good thing to level.
Also, in DS1 anyway, I gave in and bought soul arrows because I couldn't get past bell gargoyles without them. They're worth picking up imo.
More game-specific tips:
Demon's Souls: Magic is extremely powerful, and fighting at range makes it easier to react to what an enemy is doing.
Dark Souls: Pyromancy requires no stat commitment so you can focus all your level ups into things that will help you live such as HP and stamina. Lightning weapons are similar.
Dark Souls 2: Adding ADP (adaptability) is a key stat as it affects your Agility (which gives you i-frames on the roll). 105 Agility is DS1/DS3 level rolls which are much more lenient than the default DS2 roll.
Dark Souls 3: Rolls in this are extremely powerful, they take far less stamina then in the other games and have a lot of i-frames. If blocking isn't helping, seriously try rolling as it's extremely safe in this. For weapons, there's a weapon in the first area (High Wall of Lothric) called the Astora Straight Sword which becomes very strong with no stat commitment if you make it a Raw weapon at the blacksmith. The starting weapon on Mercenary (Sellsword Twinblades) are one of the best weapons in the game, arguably THE best for damage.
Demon's Souls: Magic is extremely powerful, and fighting at range makes it easier to react to what an enemy is doing.
Dark Souls: Pyromancy requires no stat commitment so you can focus all your level ups into things that will help you live such as HP and stamina. Lightning weapons are similar.
Dark Souls 2: Adding ADP (adaptability) is a key stat as it affects your Agility (which gives you i-frames on the roll). 105 Agility is DS1/DS3 level rolls which are much more lenient than the default DS2 roll.
Dark Souls 3: Rolls in this are extremely powerful, they take far less stamina then in the other games and have a lot of i-frames. If blocking isn't helping, seriously try rolling as it's extremely safe in this. For weapons, there's a weapon in the first area (High Wall of Lothric) called the Astora Straight Sword which becomes very strong with no stat commitment if you make it a Raw weapon at the blacksmith. The starting weapon on Mercenary (Sellsword Twinblades) are one of the best weapons in the game, arguably THE best for damage.
I think in people who don't like these games or haven't played them, there's a bit of a misunderstanding in that, like OP said, you're supposed to die. It's like Celeste or Super Meat Boy where you're supposed to die and get better. It's not "get good", which I hate hearing, but it's the core of the game.
The games should have more accessibility options. I think being able to slow down combat would be good, or maybe just have an option where the enemies do less damage or more health.
Difficulty is a part of accessibility, but the core game design being kind of trial and error is not necessarily a difficulty thing as much as it's part of the game's design.
I have no idea if any of what I've said makes sense lol
The games should have more accessibility options. I think being able to slow down combat would be good, or maybe just have an option where the enemies do less damage or more health.
Difficulty is a part of accessibility, but the core game design being kind of trial and error is not necessarily a difficulty thing as much as it's part of the game's design.
I have no idea if any of what I've said makes sense lol
They're all very polarising games for me. The main levels themselves, the normal enemies you meet - they're all mostly straightforward. You can get mobbed and fucked over rapidly but you learn and adapt. The game often does very well in punishing greed, and laying levels out in a way to tease that out of you.
The worlds also have beautiful, melancholic art direction. They're just so nice to be in and surround yourself with.
Its just the fucking bosses nearly alway piss me off. I get what I'm supposed to do, but they move too fast, the camera control fucks with me when everything is up close, and I panic and button mash. I know its an important part of the game, but I would appreciate a difficulty option just for the bosses - keep all other difficulty the same
They're not mechanically difficult, like, say, a Ninja Gaiden or Bayonetta, or due to speed like a fighting game might be. They're relatively simple, mechanically. But that doesn't mean they're not difficult. Their difficulty is in the design, which demands patience, and often trial-and-error. But, that is a difficulty that can be overcome without altering the game mechanically - simply because the difficulty does not (primarily) stem from the mechanics.
OP, and many others, who have said the games are not as difficult as their reputation, are correct in that patience and trial-and-error are not a physical ability barrier to entry. A person who doesn't have the physical ability to enter the necessary inputs, at the requisite speed, to succeed at a more mechanically difficult game, do still have the ability to be patient enough to succeed at a Souls game.
Detractors who tag the OP's friendly intentions with the Souls community's "git gud" nonsense are deliberately missing the point, just as badly as the idiots who came up with "git gud" in the first place.
Sekiro is arguably not a Souls game. You either adapt or die. Every other game in the series is a lot more flexible.
Sekiro is not the same thing as a Dark Souls/Bloodborne game. Sekiro is a game that's all about being really good at one specific playstyle and if you aren't good at that one thing you can't play the game.
It's a very good thing Elden Ring is not like Sekiro.
Yeah, Sekiro is the case of "Yes this game is as difficult as it is made out to be". It requires the mechanically and reaction speed mastery that you don't really need for souls games. Yes you can play them that way, but it's one of many options there. Elden Ring seems more Soulslike than Sekiro.
This said what I was trying to say much more elegantly.
I guess my point is you can certainly make the game more accessible by slowing down the fights, giving the player more health, or giving the enemies less health, but the constant dying would still be part of the game. That is not due to a lack of accessibility, that's due to the design of the game. To make it a game where you just plow through enemies is not the same game.