prepare to die
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we
will be counting down our picks for the
top ten tips on how to get started in
Dark Souls
considering the series’s notorious
difficulty many potential players are a
little nervous about diving into the
franchise never fear though we’ve
compiled a list of helpful advice to
encourage any player having trouble to
stick things out because underneath all
that difficulty is a truly rewarding and
unique gameplay experience the man toes
number ten get good that’s all it takes
noobs list over just kidding seriously
now number ten
turn to the Internet and the souls
community for help anyway if you’re new
to this game here with your basic tips
and tricks people who don’t know about
this game the souls games are structured
in such a way that everything in the
game four moves to stats and even the
fundamental rules of the game are vague
and nebulous not only is it easy to get
stuck but figuring out the game’s deeper
mechanics and secrets is designed to be
a group effort
most obviously is the in-game mechanic
of reading notes left by other players
or being able to see how other players
died still don’t be afraid to turn to
the internet for assistance YouTube
guides and fan wiki’s like fixed real
life can really help lighten the burden
tyga’s have a quick step that functions
with no focus at all this is
particularly handy when you’re rolling
through the swamp the soul series has a
large community of passionate gamers who
can teach you everything from basic tips
to high-level strategies some weapons
are worth using simply for their weapon
art for example the sunlight straight
sword has a buff that you can apply even
with a tiny bit of focus number 9
unlearn what you know about typical RPGs
so right off the bat it really doesn’t
matter how many other RPGs you’ve played
Dark Souls games are a unique beast and
you can’t just rely on using stats or
high-level weapons to power through
tough response in Dark Souls it’s much
more important to find a weapon that
suits your playstyle even if the stats
aren’t technically as good as the other
gear you’ve come across leveling up is
important for sure but the soul series
is more interested in encouraging you to
try new things and practice your actual
skills at playing the game
number eight beware the fat roll the
Soul series lets you carry as much crap
around as you want but this is a little
deceptive because what you equip on your
character can really slow you down
taking a more realistic approach to item
management the franchise has inserted
another layer of challenge by having the
player be aware of their equip load stat
the heavier your armor or the more
weapons you are using brings up your
equipped load and the slower you will
run and regenerate stamina most notably
if you go past a certain percentage of
equip load which varies from game to
game you will end up with the dreaded
fat roll and good luck surviving some of
the tougher enemies when you’re rolling
around like the fat kid in gym class
number seven learn went to target and
circle strafe
this may seem like a no-brainer but
targeting especially before you get good
is a very important mechanic to learn in
a game where a single missed swing can
easily mean the difference between life
and death
keeping the line of sight on your
opponent is essential circle strafing
especially if you’re using a shield is
also a great tip for success as many
enemies will have a tougher time hitting
you if you’re constantly circling around
them this is also important if you want
to backstab your opponents which is
really good for dealing huge amounts of
damage for larger opponents you might
prefer to manually track them and
control the camera but smaller more
aggressive enemies are going to dodge
your attacks and get around behind you
so targeting essentially becomes
essential this is especially true in PvP
number six there are classes but there
are also no classes when starting a new
game the player is greeted with the
opportunity to fully customize the
physical appearance and attributes of
their character the most difficult part
of any RPG besides picking your
character name is deciding what class
you are going to spend the entire game
as
while the soul games technically present
you with the same decision the class you
pick only affects your starting level
your starting stats and what equipment
you get but as soon as you begin every
spell weapon and armor you can find can
be used by any type of character as long
as you meet the stat requirement
furthermore there are no limits to
combining elements from different
classes so throughout the game you can
build your character into anything you
want number 5 don’t feel bad about using
cheese
no not actual cheese although we won’t
stop you from enjoying a bite to eat
while you’re playing cheesing in a video
game is another way of describing a
cheap move or tactic to overcome an
obstacle however in a game that
frequently fights dirty and throws you
curveballs we only feel it’s fair to
fight fire with fire if a boss is giving
you too much trouble don’t feel bad
about summoning a spirit to help you
beat it into the ground too many enemies
in an area just find a safer path to go
around them and always always keep some
form of ranged attack on you it will be
very useful you might not be showing off
mad skills but hey the game is doing its
absolute best to kill you as often as
possible
it gets no sympathy from us number 4
watch your stamina
your stamina is tied to not only how far
you can sprint but almost every other
combat-related action you take every
time you swing block roll or cast a
spell you lose a bit of stamina lose it
all and you won’t be able to take an
action leaving you completely vulnerable
mashing the attack or dodge button is a
recipe for instant death and taking a
more conservative pace to combat is
usually the wiser course of action never
get overconfident either as sometimes
landing that final blow to an enemy is a
lot harder than it sounds and a lot of
players end up dead after they
overextend themselves
number three explore explore explore the
areas on display in Dark Souls are huge
and have tons of little nooks and
crannies everywhere it’s not just minor
things you could be missing either as
unique equipment spells and even vendors
and trainers are often very well hidden
patience is a virtue and sometimes
backtracking before lighting the next
bonfire is the best way to not miss out
on key items you will need every
advantage you can get and exploration
pays off with everything from hidden
checkpoints to shortcuts the Soul series
sports some of the best level design in
the gaming industry today and as
challenging as the enemies are finding
everything within the games is by far
the series’s most daunting task number
to learn the stats and what they do
there of the curse
seek souls larger more powerful Souls
we’ve said that Dark Souls isn’t a
heavily stat focused RPG when it comes
to gear but that’s not to say that you
can ignore these numbers either knowing
what all those different stats and
numbers do can really help improve your
experience and give you that extra edge
you need for more difficult encounters
there is also more to this than it
sounds as it’s often really really
unclear what specific stats actually do
for example strength increases your
damage with most weapons but not all of
them and it has no impact on how much
you can carry the more you understand
about what exactly each stack does the
more fine-tuned your character will
become and the better equipped you will
be to deal with all that pain waiting
around every corner before we reveal our
top pick here are a few more helpful
hints
number one dying is normal
get used to seeing this screen over and
over again death and Dark Souls has
consequences but it doesn’t mean it’s
something you need to fear ironically
the sooner you accept the fact that
you’re going to die a lot the more fun
the overall experience becomes
embrace death laughing off and do your
best to keep a cool head because the
more you fear death the more likely you
are to panic remember that this game may
hate you but in the long run the player
will come out on top treat each
punishing and often humiliating death as
a learning experience and figure out
what you can do better next time
as frustrating and demoralizing as
inevitable death maybe it makes victory
all the more satisfying do you agree
with our list what tips would you offer
to someone starting to play Dark Souls
for more insightful top 10s published
every day be sure to subscribe to
watchmojo.com
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we
will be counting down our picks for the
top ten tips on how to get started in
Dark Souls
considering the series’s notorious
difficulty many potential players are a
little nervous about diving into the
franchise never fear though we’ve
compiled a list of helpful advice to
encourage any player having trouble to
stick things out because underneath all
that difficulty is a truly rewarding and
unique gameplay experience the man toes
number ten get good that’s all it takes
noobs list over just kidding seriously
now number ten
turn to the Internet and the souls
community for help anyway if you’re new
to this game here with your basic tips
and tricks people who don’t know about
this game the souls games are structured
in such a way that everything in the
game four moves to stats and even the
fundamental rules of the game are vague
and nebulous not only is it easy to get
stuck but figuring out the game’s deeper
mechanics and secrets is designed to be
a group effort
most obviously is the in-game mechanic
of reading notes left by other players
or being able to see how other players
died still don’t be afraid to turn to
the internet for assistance YouTube
guides and fan wiki’s like fixed real
life can really help lighten the burden
tyga’s have a quick step that functions
with no focus at all this is
particularly handy when you’re rolling
through the swamp the soul series has a
large community of passionate gamers who
can teach you everything from basic tips
to high-level strategies some weapons
are worth using simply for their weapon
art for example the sunlight straight
sword has a buff that you can apply even
with a tiny bit of focus number 9
unlearn what you know about typical RPGs
so right off the bat it really doesn’t
matter how many other RPGs you’ve played
Dark Souls games are a unique beast and
you can’t just rely on using stats or
high-level weapons to power through
tough response in Dark Souls it’s much
more important to find a weapon that
suits your playstyle even if the stats
aren’t technically as good as the other
gear you’ve come across leveling up is
important for sure but the soul series
is more interested in encouraging you to
try new things and practice your actual
skills at playing the game
number eight beware the fat roll the
Soul series lets you carry as much crap
around as you want but this is a little
deceptive because what you equip on your
character can really slow you down
taking a more realistic approach to item
management the franchise has inserted
another layer of challenge by having the
player be aware of their equip load stat
the heavier your armor or the more
weapons you are using brings up your
equipped load and the slower you will
run and regenerate stamina most notably
if you go past a certain percentage of
equip load which varies from game to
game you will end up with the dreaded
fat roll and good luck surviving some of
the tougher enemies when you’re rolling
around like the fat kid in gym class
number seven learn went to target and
circle strafe
this may seem like a no-brainer but
targeting especially before you get good
is a very important mechanic to learn in
a game where a single missed swing can
easily mean the difference between life
and death
keeping the line of sight on your
opponent is essential circle strafing
especially if you’re using a shield is
also a great tip for success as many
enemies will have a tougher time hitting
you if you’re constantly circling around
them this is also important if you want
to backstab your opponents which is
really good for dealing huge amounts of
damage for larger opponents you might
prefer to manually track them and
control the camera but smaller more
aggressive enemies are going to dodge
your attacks and get around behind you
so targeting essentially becomes
essential this is especially true in PvP
number six there are classes but there
are also no classes when starting a new
game the player is greeted with the
opportunity to fully customize the
physical appearance and attributes of
their character the most difficult part
of any RPG besides picking your
character name is deciding what class
you are going to spend the entire game
as
while the soul games technically present
you with the same decision the class you
pick only affects your starting level
your starting stats and what equipment
you get but as soon as you begin every
spell weapon and armor you can find can
be used by any type of character as long
as you meet the stat requirement
furthermore there are no limits to
combining elements from different
classes so throughout the game you can
build your character into anything you
want number 5 don’t feel bad about using
cheese
no not actual cheese although we won’t
stop you from enjoying a bite to eat
while you’re playing cheesing in a video
game is another way of describing a
cheap move or tactic to overcome an
obstacle however in a game that
frequently fights dirty and throws you
curveballs we only feel it’s fair to
fight fire with fire if a boss is giving
you too much trouble don’t feel bad
about summoning a spirit to help you
beat it into the ground too many enemies
in an area just find a safer path to go
around them and always always keep some
form of ranged attack on you it will be
very useful you might not be showing off
mad skills but hey the game is doing its
absolute best to kill you as often as
possible
it gets no sympathy from us number 4
watch your stamina
your stamina is tied to not only how far
you can sprint but almost every other
combat-related action you take every
time you swing block roll or cast a
spell you lose a bit of stamina lose it
all and you won’t be able to take an
action leaving you completely vulnerable
mashing the attack or dodge button is a
recipe for instant death and taking a
more conservative pace to combat is
usually the wiser course of action never
get overconfident either as sometimes
landing that final blow to an enemy is a
lot harder than it sounds and a lot of
players end up dead after they
overextend themselves
number three explore explore explore the
areas on display in Dark Souls are huge
and have tons of little nooks and
crannies everywhere it’s not just minor
things you could be missing either as
unique equipment spells and even vendors
and trainers are often very well hidden
patience is a virtue and sometimes
backtracking before lighting the next
bonfire is the best way to not miss out
on key items you will need every
advantage you can get and exploration
pays off with everything from hidden
checkpoints to shortcuts the Soul series
sports some of the best level design in
the gaming industry today and as
challenging as the enemies are finding
everything within the games is by far
the series’s most daunting task number
to learn the stats and what they do
there of the curse
seek souls larger more powerful Souls
we’ve said that Dark Souls isn’t a
heavily stat focused RPG when it comes
to gear but that’s not to say that you
can ignore these numbers either knowing
what all those different stats and
numbers do can really help improve your
experience and give you that extra edge
you need for more difficult encounters
there is also more to this than it
sounds as it’s often really really
unclear what specific stats actually do
for example strength increases your
damage with most weapons but not all of
them and it has no impact on how much
you can carry the more you understand
about what exactly each stack does the
more fine-tuned your character will
become and the better equipped you will
be to deal with all that pain waiting
around every corner before we reveal our
top pick here are a few more helpful
hints
number one dying is normal
get used to seeing this screen over and
over again death and Dark Souls has
consequences but it doesn’t mean it’s
something you need to fear ironically
the sooner you accept the fact that
you’re going to die a lot the more fun
the overall experience becomes
embrace death laughing off and do your
best to keep a cool head because the
more you fear death the more likely you
are to panic remember that this game may
hate you but in the long run the player
will come out on top treat each
punishing and often humiliating death as
a learning experience and figure out
what you can do better next time
as frustrating and demoralizing as
inevitable death maybe it makes victory
all the more satisfying do you agree
with our list what tips would you offer
to someone starting to play Dark Souls
for more insightful top 10s published
every day be sure to subscribe to
watchmojo.com
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