Dark Souls 3 Critique

[@RurouniZel]

I dunno if Patches will fix these issues... he's a rather shady bloke...

[@kinjitoji3472]

made me giggle a bite

[@tomiathisflex7706]

Gotim

[@sylokthedefiled3047]

Late to this party, but I was thinking the same thing xD And I wonder if these Patches will be... Unbreakable? ;D

[@toaderdaniel6790]

:)))))))))

[@Real.steppa]

King Metal Zel LMAO

[@bloomingteratoma]

Regarding your comment about DS1 world design being an accident, the devs mentioned in an interview that creating an interwoven world was their intention from the start. However, designing distinct locales to interconnect in ways that made thematic and gameplay sense without using loading screens ate into a lot of resources and dev time, resulting in the lacklustre second half. I think the team is unwilling to create another interconnected world like Dark Souls after seeing how much work that singular feature took to implement.

[@1God1Fury]

Yes they could vary up environments. Interconnection does not prevent creativity as long as they have smooth and logical transition between them.

[@jbark678]

@@1God1Fury Not if they don't have the resources (time, money, personnel) to invest in proper integration.

[@1God1Fury]

It's a level design. It doesn't cost more than interconnected or separated level. Only requires brains and coordination

[@hisholiness4537]

@@1God1Fury That's a pretty ignorant comment. There's a reason games take YEARS to make.

[@1God1Fury]

@His Dudeness , like any other soul game with or with out interconnected world design - regardless it would take years to make

[@griffin1095]

"Getting to Nameless king is most convoluted thing in the series" Have you ever tried to access the Artorias of the Abyss DLC?

[@learf6613]

That boss is my favourite

[@paulmoitoso9658]

Lol

[@seraphimxo3123]

Is is easy

[@Andrew-ig2uv]

@@seraphimxo3123 yeah but If you didnt have a guide it will probably take you ages to find it

[@noahstanley9666]

The fucking. Pit. In. The. Waterfall. Why. Just why

[@josueh5831]

In the catacombs of carthus I got parried by one of the skeletons which didn’t even have a left arm lol

[@tezkyflex7304]

Same

[@diegoisweak6538]

They can prey with the scimitar

[@johnch994]

lol they can parry with scimitar

[@tezkyflex7304]

@@johnch994 we realized but how doe

[@WAyuso34]

@@tezkyflex7304 parrying

[@SanguineThor]

Thematically, i thought the shards and bones fit the estus flask system. You're finding powerful but failed undeads from cycles past and adding them to your power.

[@masterjedi8072]

I see many people complain about the frequent bonfires. The issue is loading areas. There are separate "world" maps for each general chunk of game, such as lothric castle and lothric library. These maps need to be loaded when traveling between areas. If your computer isn't strong enough you'll notice a stuttering when walking between bonfires. To avoid needing to load the different maps frequently they add bonfires after each of these loading areas. Unfortunately, many people don't realize this is a hardware limitation, not a design choice.

[@asiamatron]

That's a good point I hadn't considered before.

[@TheManWithTheFryingPan]

@@asiamatron Looks like most of us didn't

[@asiamatron]

@@TheManWithTheFryingPan True.

[@mr.madhatter5538]

that being said. this bonfire complaint seems so nitpicky as well. its not like the game is littered with bonfires or anything. not sure why poeple even mention this

[@asiamatron]

@@mr.madhatter5538 Good point.

[@mastracu66207]

It's weird that people who are soulsborne veterans complain about difficulty, we're familiar with the mechanics ofc it'll feel easier

[@jcgonzalez84]

I know.

[@Pontificate]

It’s kinda a stereotype, I’ve talked to a lot of veterans and might be called one by some and they have all said the game wasn’t that hard.

[@MrRifleguy1]

I think the games difficult but knowing mechanics makes it alot easier but that’ll take time I’ve seen speed runners born because of learning how builds work mechanics net coding Ai etc. I personally think it gets hard some times on ng+7 running like normal trying to get to pontiff for pvp but killing all enemy’s exploring every level. But I don’t complain About the difficultly it’s apart of it and of it. If it was easy I Wouldn’t even play from soft games lol. That’s why I played kings field to demons souls to dark souls blood borne and Sekiro and I love it for it because it’s not about being hard in my opinion it’s about overcoming the paths ahead and persevering through it like a bad Ass that can be a deprived, glass cannon some type of twink or a soul lvl 1 noob

[@shiloh1422]

@@Pontificate ds3 was my introduction to the series and I didnt find it particularly difficult. I beat nameless king first try, I found ds2 more troubling and I'm on my 1st playthrough of ds remastered right now and ds1 is the hardest souls game in my opinion. However bloodborne is more difficult than every souls game

[@Pontificate]

@@shiloh1422 If you beat Nameless first try congrats. He is one of the only bosses I and most people have consistent trouble with. Although I'm definitely not qualified to discuss DS2's difficult I struggled alot more on DS1 then 3. I do think alot of that perceived difficulty came from broken and dumb shit, but even without it DS3 and DS1 are close.

[@PaddyRoon7]

Had to laugh at Joe apologizing for a video being three months late. Those were the days.

[@woola7895]

Suffering

[@roccotopliff4843]

Im a witcher

[@technoboop1890]

I'm a witcher

[@lorryfn4439]

"I'm not a KZbinr, I'm a witcher"

[@functionalaviation144]

I’m a witcher

[@GameCyborgCh]

as a time traveller i just want to add that the dogs are still broken and the grab attack is now a problem for sekiro

[@GameCyborgCh]

@bigevilworldwide1 nothing i said was about difficulty

[@cantrip7]

I'm hoping he goes over Sekiro just so we can get another extremely gratifying FromSoft's Funniest Framedata Videos

[@TheRizzidentEvil]

Grabs in Sekiro aren't really a problem unless you're fighting Snake Eyes because that shit reaches you across the map and deletes your health bar

[@HieronymousLex]

Taki2H there are other people with the broken grab range. It’s not even a complaint about difficulty, it’s objectively all over in the game. I don’t really have a problem with it but it’s obviously there. You will be grabbed from the side at least a few times in every playthrough. That being said, sekiro is way better than ds3

[@Agenta-df3gb]

@@HieronymousLex This is because of how From Soft seems to code their grab attacks. Rather then coding it as a grab with the enemy's weapon/hand/whatever they instead make the enemy's entire body part of the grab attack's hitxbox, or at least that's how it works for Mimic's, Slime-Puddles, and the Chained Ogres.

[@carsonmichael6926]

I found Nameless King because there was a note on the bridge that said "time for gesture" and I sat there to admire the view and the cutscene activated.

[@TheSlammurai]

I usual leave a message that says "Try gesture but King required ahead" with the Path of the Dragon gesture.

[@jgkitarel]

Still haven't beaten that guy, much like with Friede, but I find those fights to be the most fun as well. Going to get my copy back out and play from the beginning again, along with regular sights of the You Died.

[@jakers141]

@@TheSlammurai unfortunately because of Those Messages I'm instantly going to read this as "Try Gesture. Butt King Required Ahead"

[@amadeodante]

jakers141 try finger, but hole

[@kylehart8829]

I can't stand the tacked-on multiplayer in souls games so I play in offline mode. I also normally hate having messages tell me about secrets. Overall, offline is the definitive way to experience a soulsborne game, but it does lead to me having to look things up occasionally. Regardless, I don't think the game should be designed with secrets that are as convoluted as getting to Nameless or DS1's DLC; they feel out of place in a series where secrets are often hidden in brilliant ways with little details nudging you towards them. Notes don't make up for convoluted design.

[@MrAndersonLP]

The parry thing is called a partial parry, it means you didn't get the perfect timing down for the parry so you were punished with *some* damage but still get the parry off.

[@approveddust8367]

Jacob Craz I think it’s fair

[@jacobcraz8487]

@@approveddust8367 either you get it or you don't how the hell is that fair in anyway? Punished for landing the parry what kind of idiotic nonsense.

[@arfanchowdhury3639]

@@jacobcraz8487 I've replayed ds1 and ds3 and ds1 is wayyyyy too generous with parrys and it's kind of ridiculous I liked it in ds3 best I don't remember the parrying in ds2 but I assume it's somewhere in between

[@approveddust8367]

Jacob Craz you got punished because didn’t parry on the prefect time

[@Spenfen]

@WinnieTheGrizzly he... literally has footage of him landing perfect parries? I think you just have a hate boner for the dude. Why the hell are you watching his videos?

[@FreshMedlar]

"I can heal, while tha boss can't" Don't say things you may regret in the future. :-)

[@sw1ftr]

Don’t suggest things that may happen in the future :-)

[@revthescatman137]

this is ominous

[@ponglenis3128]

there was a boss fight in dark souls 2 where its 3 dudes who can use estus, somewhere in Shulva

[@FreshMedlar]

@@ponglenis3128 you're right, the tomb raiders. Hateful bosses

[@Meese12]

He says this during the twin princes fight of all things

[@MnemonicHack]

I think the main reason why there are so many estus flasks, is simply because Miyazaki thought the players would be using weapon skills a LOT more than we actually are. It's something he obviously wanted us to use to deal with obstacles in new and interesting ways; guard breaks on turtle enemies, inherent heals on miracle charms, self buffs for poise or damage, quickstepping ala Bloodborne, ect. The problem is, we've been trained by X number of games to think somewhat linearly. We see an enemy, we either roll to get hits in, roll to get a backstab, parry or just hack. We don't think "I'll break his guard when he puts his shield up, then get a critical in". We don't think "There's a load of enemies in a group in front of me; I'll charge them all down with my bum rush spear attack". We sometimes think about using greatswords to fling enemies surrounding us into the air, but not too often. They were meant to be a shared pool between those using weapon skills, and those who just hammered their head against a wall till the wall broke. Unfortunately, the majority of us treat our heads like sledgehammers. I especially learned this when I was farming for the knight armor in the Cathedral. I kept dying and kept dying, only killing a couple here and there, before I finally started using the shield break weapon skill. After that, it was simple, and I considered moving some estus over to Ashen because I was running out of SP. While I would hesitate to suggest there be problems that outright require weapon skills to solve, since playstyles vary so much and railroading the player into a single answer isn't something Darksouls is about, I can't really think of any other major way to have increased players using weapon skills without it. When it comes to the speed of attacks, I honestly don't mind the much. BUT, my BIGGEST problem with DS3 is that there's an approximately .5-.8 milisecond delay in my imput. I know that's probably just a personal problem, but you can't imagine how frustrating it is when I, a Dark Souls pro, am getting killed in situations where I really really shouldn't just because my character stands there looking like a dumb shit instead of dodging, even though I've hammered the dodge button 20 times already. To be fair, when it comes to backstabs, I do like how they can whiff sometimes. It tells of a commitment, just like doing a large downwards slam; you're going to be vulnerable if you don't land it. Sometimes, backstabs just don't land. And that's something you need to deal with.

[@mrthingus]

I wasn't much for weapon skills but I found Warcry to have a good utility in PvE, especially against ruthless combo enemies and the Irithyll Jailers since it also buffed you up a bit to deal with nearby enemies, not to mention gave you hyper armor allowing you to attack straigh away even if an enemy was flailing you. Other than that, I hardly if ever used weapon skills, even in the rare cases of PvP I'd do.

[@patricktheawesomeTV]

They could have maybe implemented a max ratio for one estus compared to the other, something like 2:1 so you would have mix it up maybe that's too limiting but having like 12-15 healing estus made a lot of the lategame(after Pontiff) way too easy

[@joacimtorneus]

This is a good point, but I'd argue that the problem then lies in the balancing of the weapon arts. If they're going to cost a limited and valuable resource I think players expect them to have major effects, and they often don't. It's just too attractive to simply go all regular estus instead. On the contrary, imagine they weren't tied to FP - I actually wonder if they'd see more use simply because you end up thinking of the whole thing differently. It's rather drastic, but I wonder if not letting the player reassign their Estus could have been a better overall design choice. Imagine the ratio sits naturally at a 2:1 health/fp throughout the game as you find upgrades for each. This would result in the sort of "natural" reference point for how much healing you should have that Joseph mentions. Then you could find an item that lets you assign flasks later in the game. This might have goaded players more naturally into utilizing both resources, since the game is pretty explicitly suggesting it with finding specific ashen flask upgrades, while not removing the option to adjust playstyles for later cycles. Maybe also tuck the item away behind Dancer so that experienced players could get it really early if they want to. This would probably screw up magic balancing but I admit I'm not in a position to comment on that since I so rarely use it.

[@jeffreymaxson6216]

I was a Pyromancer and there was some strategy to how many of each Estus I needed. I think an easy solution would be to have magic and health have totally separate refills instead of tying them both to Estus. All it did was make magic harder to use while making melee a lot stronger.

[@shelby-pit9778]

the problem is because it's too easy to spam r1 which renders weapon arts less useful (and also makes the game too easy for most of the encounters).

[@artyomavich8794]

"proper difficulty curve" yeah going from the Vape God to Pontiff "2 hit champ" Sulyvahn

[@Canceriantigershark]

Sulyvahn is the hardest boss after Nameless King for me. I suck at parrying, still haven't pulled one off, only partials.

[@Vesterpester]

Good Green Goy He is so easy to parry that it practically feels like abuse

[@jerubaal101]

Vape God being Old Demon King?

[@jerubaal101]

@@Vesterpester Yeah, but at a certain point it feels like the same problem Force Unleashed bosses had.

[@emanuelc.8579]

@@jerubaal101 no high Lord wolnir

[@Feroste]

11:07 I feel like literally everyone stood in this spot for a solid few seconds to admire the view.

[@jgkitarel]

Admire the view, take a leak off the edge, drink a few bottles, and generally chillax? Yup.

[@davidhong1934]

@@jgkitarel BloodBorne Wolf Monster: *VIBE CHECK*

[@marcedoreste]

I screenshotted right when I saw that

[@tahaelhour690]

Super late but I just wanted to say that Yhorm willingly and knowingly kept the stormruler next to him so that when the profaned flame consumed him he'll still be able to fulfill his role as a lord of cinder. That's why his best friend Seigward has the other storm ruler and will assist you in the fight if you follow his questline.

[@samuelmartin390]

Thats not a great argument, Yhorm could have easily stored the sword in another convenient place if the level was larger. In fact It would make more sense to store the sword away from his future hostile version.

[@tahaelhour690]

@@samuelmartin390 imagine having to fight Yohrm, going in there no storm ruler in sight. You deal 50 damage a hit. You need to scour the entire level to get the item that lets you actually fight the boss. Yeah, no.

[@samuelmartin390]

@@tahaelhour690 There already bosses greatly altered by factors outside the fog gate in the souls series. Fools Idol comes first to mind but there are others. Anyways I wasn't talking about mechanics/gameplay. I was saying that the lore justification you gave remains true with the stormruler outside the boss arena

[@swishyb]

@@tahaelhour690 if were putting lore and meta design to the side, imagine if they made his hp normal and actually expected you to fight him like a real boss and Lord of Cinder :v

[@tahaelhour690]

@@swishyb at best he's gonna be a fire giant, at worst a DS2 boss.

[@giraffe357]

He’s absolutely right about how unfair some of Sulyvan’s moves are, but I do think it’s funny that he’s basically describing how annoying it is that Sulyvan is a good sword fighter.

[@Favourites669]

I don't think it's Pontiff's moveset that is unfair, it's the infinite stamina, which is fucking bullshit of course.

[@sandrelwilliams461]

I think it's just me but when I fail one parry on this I have a hard time getting back into his rhythm. With his frantic movements

[@wiedzmakBober]

Maybe that's an unpopular opinion, but I find Pontiff harder that Nameless King. I died like 50-60 times to Sulyvahn, while Nameless King took me about 10 tries. It might sound like trolling, but I don't understand why people find Nameless so difficult.

[@sandrelwilliams461]

@@wiedzmakBober I agree with my terrible rythm It can be a real issue

[@longshanksgunner5478]

I think the main issue is boiled down to 2 patterns The first you have to mash rolls through to not get hit. The second is 2 mashes and a slight delay. Both have the same parry time for the first swing. When I learned to parry him, getting into that pattern was basically a loss condition. You know they sat there, thought the boss wasn’t hard enough, and made that slight animation delay There are dozens of similar animations that do that in the game too. Sometimes they punish spam rollling. Sometimes they punish taking your time. Only Sullivan you can’t stagger you death.

[@metalslimehunt]

The two jailers aren't glitched, they're invisible. If you strike that spot the illusion will be broken. It's an ambush to funnel you into the dead end hallway you go down if you don't catch them.

[@metalslimehunt]

Souls games have demanded many tests of situational awareness. There are the equally-invisible walls, the famous double invisible wall to enter Ash Lake in DS1, the use of unmarked gestures like Make Contact in Bloodborne and Meditate in this game to get special things, enemies hidden in spots you can barely see or can't see at all, horrible traps and fakeout traps, everything about Mimics, and etc. The spot where these enemies are hidden is incredibly suspicious. There's a bunch of alcoves for no reason, a long hallway that should set off extreme alarms to any player who's gotten this far, and most threateningly you can *hear* the invisible enemies. It's a change from the normal thing, but that's a good thing, different kinds of danger is what keeps the player engaged. It is entirely within the established gameplay of Souls that "if you ignore this suspicious feeling, you're gonna get fucked and you deserve it". I myself discovered the jailers my first time through. I should also point out that Hidden Body is an available spell (as is Chameleon), and so expecting such things is not out of nowhere.

[@Healermain15]

On the other hand, no enemy in that area was able to turn invisible, so the player has no reason to expect it. And the enemies who were invisible in the previous area had big glowy eyes, which you couldn't see with the jailors. And most people would not extensively double-think every bit of architecture or level design. And even if they did, they'd probably just get closer to have a better look, making them easy targets regardless.

[@MrZalgo-ml2iw]

Would a lone item in a long hallway give cause for alarm for an ambush? I certainly would, and I found the jailers on my first playthrough because I was given enough clues, hints, and souls-playing experience to find out about the jailors. It's not cheap, it's situational awareness and logical thinking.

[@DestroyedArkana]

Also, you could actually see those Jailers from outside in the rat pit if you looked at the windows. I found them on my first time through the game when I went to try looking out that window and bumped into them.

[@Caboose2711]

I agree with you, but almost feel like it's almost fair because the level before the Dungeon (Boreal Valley) has invisible enemies, so it's teaching you that there may be some invisible enemies after that as well. That said, they have no major tells and the idea is never really used again, so I think I side towards calling it a weird gotcha moment.

[@nathanaelwaters2509]

Those two jailers that seem to appear out of thin air are actually invisible. They dont just spawn there, if you attack the area were they are you can hit them before they appear

[@kabershshkabersh4272]

It’s still bad, then; nothing changes for your first encounter being stupid. Unless there is some way to detect them, it’s still bullshit; they don’t attack, and are LITERALLY invisible. Theres no reason for just these two to be like this, it’s still stupid

[@keeganwullaert4996]

@@kabershshkabersh4272 Dark souls has always had stuff that can't reasonably be learned without dying. Dying is barely punished at all and once you know about them you should never be die to them ever again.

[@kabershshkabersh4272]

@@keeganwullaert4996 this doesn’t excuse them or make them good. Everything you said is true, but those jailers are still bullshit.

[@SpinTheWords]

Dying is learning.

[@Enaccul]

If other enemies of this type could go invisible, or if you could still slightly see them, I'd maybe think its more okay. They didn't kill me the first time, and now it's just an extra thing to remember when going through the area, and it's a little bs. I don't hate it, but it's not good. I'd hate it more if they ever actually killed me. If they kill you, It's a cheap death.

[@ether49]

only related to your small point of "not knowing why" audio reaction time is faster than visual, but there is actually a very important reason. For survival, our hearing is our most important sense. You will hear predators far before you see them, and sight is only in a cone in front of you while hearing is 360 degrees around you. In the modern world we tend to think of sight as the most important sense, but audio serves a much more important function when it comes to primal survival instincts.

[@Kirokill1]

qewr rg I don’t enjoy anything more than finding tidbits of info in the least expected places.

[@ether49]

@@Kirokill1 glad i could help you learn a fun fact! I work in audio so ive got a whole bunch of audio and hearing related facts of varying usefulness

[@lake_boi]

@@ether49 Gimme all of 'em, I work a little bit in audio too, but I seem to lack these fun facts and I find them highly enjoyable!

[@jgkitarel]

Oh yeah, and the game may not have BGM, but the ambient sounds give you a lot of information. You learn to pay attention to them, I've avoided a number of ambushes because I heard them coming. It's when things go completely silent, even the background noise is gone, save for your footfalls that you start worrying. And suddenly, Boss Music and you suddenly see You Died on your screen the first time you get there.

[@oldcowbb]

i work with robotics and the fact that processing image take longer than audio isn't that surprising

[@jbark678]

34:37 "Kills me through my shield, which is raised." *lowers shield to attack and dies the millisecond it happens* Kinda dishonest, but I'd be salty too.

[@planescaped]

Yeah, he'd clearly lowered his shield the moment it made contact. But that is some very unfortunate timing. :P

[@mistersyrup8422]

Holy shit I didn't even catch that the first three times I saw it, it does look like his shield is up but you can see that veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery slight lower animation beginning

[@redcandy4778]

Yes, let's dismiss one hour of well put together criticism because he may have misunderstood one of his clips.

[@polski8bit]

@WinnieTheGrizzly Where did you get the impression that he thinks DS2 is gold? If anything, there was close to nothing about DS2, maybe like two clips I remember, and overall I got a feeling that he loves DS3. He compared DS3 much more to DS1 and Bloodborne.

[@Spenfen]

@WinnieTheGrizzly My dude, he literally says that he likes DS3 the best when it comes to the base games

[@xyonblade]

I think those two 'teleporting" jailers are just invisible? you can attack them before they show up.

[@TheEternalPie]

Yes they are, yes you can.

[@sarahp5094]

Yep, that's correct, they're invisible. The first time that I was in that area, I could even see their eyes, which is how I knew that they were there before they could attack me. (I'm pretty sure that you can't see their eyes all the time; maybe only from certain angles?)

[@mike42192]

You can also see them from outside the cell, if you're in the area with the giant, I think. That's supposed to be the clue that they are there, but when you get there and you don't see an enemy it's easy to see how it might seem unfair.

[@jimmyd1337]

LOL i can thankyou in person then. Thanks!

[@WralthChardiceVideo]

MonsterHunter Banjo I remember attacking them because hint signs told me to

[@Xhaleon]

The Pontiff's attack patterns really come into perspective with Elden Ring, huh.

[@theaggressivesalesman2424]

They took all that and were like "let's crank it up to 100" and thought this was a good idea.

[@internetprofessorguy2138]

Elden Ring is the worst to play, which sucks to say, but it’s true IMO.

[@HakcerCD]

Really, the only thing that stands out to me is how most of the boss fights that he showed have the boss dealing like 1/7 or 1/10 of his health depending on the weight of the attack. In Elden Ring, almost every single boss attack deals 1/3 or 1/2 or 90% of your health regardless of vigor. At 60 vigor + crimson + erdtree (+2 both) talismans, you still get like 3 shot from all the end game bosses and 4 shot from the optional freeroam bosses. Elden ring bosses should not deal that much damage. They should also have twice the health that they have. The devs know how broken these attacks are and that's why the bosses can be pretty much dead by spamming easy to spam weapon arts (corpse piler, hoarfrost stomp (nerfed), moon light greatsword, etc.)

[@Dracosian4802]

@@HakcerCD Fully agree with this and the previous person. whichever way we want to summarise it something is off with the balance that takes it from a 10/10 to something like a 3/10 (for me) just because IT ISN'T HARD IN A FUN WAY

[@bodbyss]

Perspective of.... poor design choices? Because I'd agree

[@zacharywoodford8530]

I've always said the same. The hardest souls game is always gonna be your first. Then they get easier

[@Moebamba22]

Idk man, I found ds3 to be much more difficult than ds1 and I played ds1 first

[@miriam7192]

idk i think your first couple of hours are the hardest, until you get used to the mechanics and then it depends on your playstyle/actual difficulty. i played BB first and central yharnam and the first two bosses kicked my ass so much, but after that the game was fairly easy for me. Then i played ds3 and while it was never as difficult as my first few hours in BB in general it was much harder imo

[@RedstonePyroMan]

I played 3 first and hated both 1 and 2. 2 was definitely harder

[@mike48931]

I played DS2 first, then 3, and then 1. DS1 gave me the hardest time back then but with how much knowledge of the games I have now I would rank them in descending difficulty now as DS3, DS1, DS2. I think this is because I have found pve in 1 and 2 to be very easily exploitable and DS3 is more balanced in this regard, which is just my opinion. NPC summons are also dog water in DS3 so I think it is much less forgiving to more casual players, especially with how many bosses in the game are endurance rounds with multiple boss phases.

[@Lance_Lionroar]

@@Moebamba22 That's the truth since DS3 balances things out and fixes certain cheeses like poise that could carry you through DS1.

[@1000Aircraft]

About the difficulty: You probably found the game easy because you are "trained". Dark Souls 3 was my first soul game and gave up right before the abyss watchers because i got fucked xD. 2 years later I played Dark Souls 2, which was easier (but for a souls-beginner challenging) and then return to DS3 and found that the game was way easier. Last year I played Ds Remastered and I had no idea why people said this game was *so hard*. Beat Ornstein and Smough in the 2nd try, Anor Londo "archer Spot" was no problem etc. (Dont get me wrong, it wasnt a breeze but in comparison to ds2/3, i thought it wasnt that hard)

[@cosmonautkimchi3228]

Revolzio I never played a Dark Souls game before, but i played Dark souls 3 and beat the game easily. I just played Dark Souls 1 and it’s way more difficult than 3.

[@ducky8075]

Cosmonaut Kimchi funny, I had the exact opposite experience. I managed to slog my way through 3, but kicked 1’s ass easily and in much less time. I also found 1’s combat much too slow and easy to exploit, and much preferred 3’s quick and theatrical combat.

[@aizazizzat6060]

@@ducky8075 My experience consisted of starting with one and quitting at the capra demon. Years later i played and finished 3. Went back to one and couldn't believe how much easier it was.

[@olimphus26]

i started with demons souls and felt it was way easier than DS3, DS3 kicked my ass badly. Havent played the rest though only those 2

[@uyeah1234]

I don't think thats a fair reason. Why wouldnt you start off with the dark souls 1? He cant forget about his expierence. But that doesnt matter because his points would still stand, you get way too much healing and acsses to op equipment in dark souls 3. On my first playthrough of ds1 I cycled through 12 weapons, trying to figure which one worked. On my first playthrough of ds3 I cycled through 4 weapons. The fact is so many op weapons that trivalize game mechanics are provided its hard to call ds3 hard. When I can kill bosses first try solely because I have so much healing I cant call ds3 hard. Beginners and vetetans are given so many chances compared to the first game it doesnt even feel fair. And its not like its diffucult to know how these things work, all you need to do is explore. You dont need to be expierenced in the game at all, if you can dodge 50% of attacks you'd still survive because you can heal off the other 50%. I had a harder time killing the 2 bell gargoyales then most fights in ds3. Because in ds1 I had to actually manage my estus and didnt have 10 different ways to heal. I found dark souls 3 to be the easiest of course previous expierence or lack of expierence can produce variables but objectivily speaking dark souls 3 is much easier because it gives you too much help.

[@combatrobot1443]

I do want to say that I think Champion Gundyr warrants a lot more credit than Stray Demon and Demon Firesage from DS1 do. Stray Demon and Firesage are just "Asylum Demon with cheapass shockwave" and "Asylum Demon with teh phyre" respectively. They're filler bosses who artificially raise the difficulty of the fight compared to their "original version" by making the attacks have this idiotic AOE shockwave thing that covers nearly the entire arena. Like, the attacks aren't even different from Asylum's moves at all, it's just now they do this horrible AOE. Gundyr on the other hand gets faster, more aggressive, and has lots of extra moves that are far more difficult to handle but are still totally fair and manageable with caution and skilled timing. It's what DS1 wanted to do but flopped in. It takes the original fight and makes it harder in a fair and REAL way, and in doing so it makes the fight even more thrilling and fun than the first time around. In short Champion Gundyr is awesome, Stray/Firesage are not, and trying to say that Champ is a rehash of them is a serious misnomer if you ask me.

[@yusukeelric]

Asylum demon shockwave is easy to block with a shield with high makig or fire defense. But i understand your point if you were a non shield player.

[@toolshedvideo]

+Somecooltoad One of My biggest problems with DS1, is that it almost forces you to use shields in some areas. I never used a shield in the other souls games at all.

[@TheMikenanners]

toolshedvideo s

[@toolshedvideo]

+MikeD Iframes? What about them? Dark Souls 1 is loaded with enemies and areas where s don't help you. It's the only game where I used a shield. Not sure what your point is

[@sebastianosorio5584]

If you stay behind the demons then the wave doesn't hit you...

[@FootprintsForTwoTravel]

52:39 the Storm Ruler being in the boss room is part of the story, as to the reason it is kept close. Yorm gave humans the means to kill him as he felt like he had nothing to live for, after loosing someone close to him. Hence why he has no great shield also. He also gave one other Storm Ruler to another familiar NPC which I will not spoil, suffice it to say they are friends and he has the mean to kill Yorm if he does not serve his purpose...The more you know.

[@ДушманКакдела]

Seems like sloppy writing.

[@katacombie135]

Yorm is a great boss, people just don't want to understand the lore behind the bosses and their game mechanics

[@judgedread33]

The boss is meant to be killed with the help of the aforementioned NPC who wields Stormruler, it is the culmination of his questline. Unfortunately Yorm is also a main boss which needs to be killed for the sake of the main story. As such the corpse of the NPC with Stormruler on it is in the boss room after he failed to kill Yorm. This comes off as very random if you have missed the NPC's quest line and I think Yorm would have made a better optional side boss which had to be challenged with the NPC rather than them shoehorning a way to kill him for those who missed/skipped the quest line.

[@cata984]

the body in the room is not the npc is just that he had 2 storm rulers, he keep one and give the other to his friend

[@thebeatleswin1]

LeadFaun except it is, Just because they wrote it that way doesn't mean it's smart, Like someone else said it would have been better if it was just an optional boss to do with siegmeyer using the strom ruler, or just you dealing little damage, Instead of just leaving the item on the floor in the main bosses room and writing a story about how he kept it there, just cause. It's shit boss design and world design

[@jakers141]

I love how wolnir either has NO children or an elite squad of 12 carthus assasins

[@Horotoma]

"I can heal! The Boss Can't!" - Enter Sister Frieda

[@Nonzerotonin]

Enter halflight

[@A_Real_Rascal]

"DS1 perfected the healing with kindling" Me walking through Gwyn's fog gate with 20 estus and has perfect parries- U W0t M8?

[@yab3146]

@@A_Real_Rascal honestly hated the kindling in dark souls 1,very janky mechanic and isn't very progressive

[@A_Real_Rascal]

@@yab3146 same, I just finished another run through DSR and I though it was pretty janky.

[@gu3z185]

@@yab3146 I agree, it wasn't very well done. Kindling to 20 makes any boss a joke, and that's why I suspect bosses like Gwyn and Artorias and the Sanctuary Guardian are faster than usual, because if they were the speed of bosses like Taurus Demon they would be too easy w/ max kindling.

[@cadeypie]

So I've been playing this game since release, and still do occasionally every now and then. I never knew that the spot on the floor at 10:40 could be broken by the ballista.

[@TheSlammurai]

I only discovered accidentally by running for my life over that exact spot from a crab and the ballista. At least I survived. XD

[@dashman8499]

its so interesting, I played this game with a friend who loves the series and its hard to imagine going through it blind hahah

[@amadeodante]

TheSlammurai same

[@bluecloud4652]

It's amazing that the reaction time point actually carried over to elden ring

[@endub6551]

I don't like those kinds of attacks but not to the point where they ruin any bosses for me. I'm more disappointed that the camera adjusting for huge bosses that they had in Sekiro just isn't in Elden Ring. I think it would've made certain fights like Fire Giant and some of the dragons feel way better as a melee build.

[@bluecloud4652]

@@endub6551 true true I don't think i even saw the entirety of lichdragon fortisaxx because i was trying to hack at his feet for so long

[@dylanschmeichel2008]

@@bluecloud4652 Youre supposed to hit his head but due to input reading if you try and punish him after dodging a combo he simply continues the combo with an extension meaning trying to hit his head becomes a guessing game of hmm will I get or not? Who knows.

[@bluecloud4652]

@@dylanschmeichel2008 yeah it was a problem with most dragons

[@jadedtrekkie]

Not really. Elden Ring’s problem is that the wind-up for the start of an attack string is too short while Dark Souls 3 has a short wind up for attacks that are already in the combo. His whole point about Pontiff’s stab’s windup being too short is stupid and makes no sense because it’s always part of the same combo and you should be able to predict it. Elden Ring’s Windup issues come from combo *starts*, which have to have a reactable windup. If it’s starting up, it has to be reactable. If it’s in a combo, it has to be consistent. Elden Ring fucks up both of these and DS3 does both of these things perfectly with the exception of Oceiros’s charge.

[@Smaul002]

It's actually crazy how a lot of the technical issues with this game carried over into Elden Ring

[@807D14M0ND5]

Design issues like the atrocious spell selection carrying over is an even bigger surprise to me. Especially when ER focusses more on magic than all games before it.

[@Smaul002]

@@807D14M0ND5 Dude, facts. I really want From to start from scratch with everything (lore, combat, engine, etc.) in the next game

[@etrusco2898]

​@@Smaul002Shadow of the Erdtree feels like FromSoft last souls content and finally moving on from the souls formula.

[@xeroeddie]

Maybe it's because I stayed hollowed most of the time in DS1, but I always had more than enough humanity to kindle all the bonfires to maximum. Even after being able to kindle to 20 estus. After Ornstein & Smough you only need to kindle one bonfire to 20 anyway because you can always warp to that bonfire for 20 estus and then warp back to wherever you want to go. In my mind DS3 is more conservative with healing than any other Souls game. DeS, DS2 and Bloodborne all had plenty of healing items with grass, life gems and vials. DS1 had 20 estus compared to 15 in DS3. Reducing the number of bonfires would've been a better way of raising the difficulty in my opinion.

[@anthraxcrab2222]

Eddie I know this comment is probably too late but also it seems like you’re expected to at least take some of those estus vials and turn them into your FP vials considering no mater if you play a caster, a two weapon fighter, a two handed weapon fighter, a sword and board fighter , anything, you always have a use for FP vials.

[@eltorito4897]

not really I played dex build and never used an fp flask I put all the shards in estus

[@Dravianpn02]

piklelion666 eh, I’m pure melee and have never had any use for FP, I don’t use the weapon abilities really and have done just fine in PVP, and I’m level 300+, usually win 3 out of 4 matches. Granted though, I’m an experienced player and know my weapon very thoroughly. Idk. You’re still right though, I’m just a special case.

[@boutanutrn]

really amazes me that 2 dlcs and a new fromsoft game released and ds3 still has teleporting dogs.

[@09csr]

Makes for really good pets though, so can't blame them.

[@AridLegion]

You wear that profile pic and you expect me to believe you don't want a hellhound teleporting to you?

[@Kostadin_Arolski]

So in a world where threes with genitalia are being worshiped and undead fat ladies with giant machetes also read books, a teleporting dog is what worries you 🤔

[@SergioSergio12345]

@@Kostadin_Arolski You could literally say something like that with every fantasy game.

[@michael-ks4oh]

It's a feature, not a bug -todd miyazaki

[@chaplin006]

43:02 those jailers are invisible(?) you can hit them before they appear.

[@Frog_Wizard801]

And the dog appearing is also intentional

[@Bikmans5]

@@Frog_Wizard801 Dog?

[@Frog_Wizard801]

When you first cross irithil bridge the giant dog thing appears behind you, I know it’s intentional because it has an animation to it

[@Frog_Wizard801]

Go a few seconds before the time stamp, though after rewatching it I realized that he knew that so disregard the comment

[@Bikmans5]

@@Frog_Wizard801 That thing, right. Sorry. Scared the crap out of me the first time through.

[@christopherwilliams6848]

On the backstab issue: I believe that this was a change made specifically for PvP. Because of the way DS1 did backstabs, it was extremely profitable to just fish for them rather than fight properly, and due to the fact that you would get instantly locked in when the backstab was registered, it was generally a fairly maligned feature. In DS3, the extra couple of moments that it takes for the backstab to register make it more of a punishing move for opponents who are out of position, rather than something you can just spam on players nonstop. Of course, this is diminished considerably by the increase in power that rolling has in DS3, but I believe that was the intent behind it.

[@nasarato2]

"Deacons of the Deep is another one and should be a first phase of a more involved fight." We know these days it was, Aldrich was originally intended here out of his Coffin above you; one of those scenarios where things got shifted around so some things feel odd when you experience them because you can feel there was something missing or different intended.

[@jgkitarel]

OTOH, the change actually worked in this case. The buildup to getting to that fight, the fact that Aldritch is worshiped by them, , and then you fight them and nothing. He's already left. Cue going through Farron Keep to Catacombs and then Irithyl. Climb to Anor Londo, and then you fight him there. And he's eaten and absorbed Gwyndolin. So yes, it's obvious that the Deacons fight was intended to be more than it was, but the entire get there to fight Aldritch, which was subtly built up on your way there, only to find that he's already left. Well played, From, well played. And then your fight him in Anor Londo, and it is decently difficult, a good mid-late game boss. And one that can really screw you over if you're careless or RNJesus hates you.

[@therealviejo2516]

@@joelbiden442 I really liked Aldrich as a boss fight

[@ivanlagayacrus1891]

@@jgkitarel I love this layout for aldritch in theory and I wish that's how it felt your first time through. Unfortunately Fromsofts super niche storytelling means theres no way to understand this context your first time through, you dont know who or what aldritch is or why that big box is there or why the deacons matter until you've gotten to anor londo and killed aldritch, and by that point the deacons are far FAR out of your mind

[@drunknmonk12]

Man you hit the nail on the head with the unfair animations. That insta-charge that Oceiros does is a killer for speedruns.

[@drunknmonk12]

Also have you heard about the teledogs? During speedruns when you run past a dog it will constantly teleport directly behind you and appear in the animation where it jumps at you, very broken.

[@sephyrias883]

41:25

[@somethingsomewhat8860]

Ik this is an old comment but here's one experience from me. Me and my friend were attempting nameless king and he went to charge his lunge/lightning stab attack. He was looking in my direction so my friend didn't roll and got hit by the attack, he was behind the boss...

[@rhyswhittington8759]

honestly thought i was alone in thinking that oceiros is difficult. i always have a tough time with him because of that charge (doesnt help that my build is heavy)

[@glctcthnkr8059]

DS3 is insanely inconsistent when it comes to hitboxes. Sometimes they work almost perfectly (search up good DS3 hitboxes on youtube) but sometimes they literally ruin the game

[@danfelder8062]

I replayed Dark Souls 1 right before playing Dark Souls 3 for the first time. The combat is absurdly different and I don't think Dark Souls 3's model fits the series' overall design goals. In Dark Souls, the slower windups and reward for playing defensive slowed things down - but also gave you a lot of time to observe attack patterns without trial and error. Furthermore, you were warned before attacks in almost all cases. The windup "there's going to be an attack" the hold "here it comes" and then dodge on the thrust. It's a much more satisfying climactic experience and makes you feel in control. In Dark Souls, particularly as you go through areas multiple times, you feel like you master the zone - that the enemies can't touch you. It becomes very strange to take damage. You feel *comfortable* now, when at first you felt terrified and afraid and overwhelmed. This emotional transition is the heart of the satisfying dark souls experience. Dark Souls 3 you can't usually play it safe for all the reasons mentioned in the video and more. Slow, cautious play is also usually not rewarded. Ripping into enemies frantically and chugging estus when damaged is a far better way of progressing. You have to fight like a sith, not a jedi. Dodge the moment you see something twitch, attack like madly if you think you see an opening. Hope it dies. Dark Souls 3 also has far more enemies in early zones you can bypass without engaging directly. The biggest enemies can often be avoided, progressing to the next bonfire. You feel like you survived an area, not that you mastered it. They're also usually on a critical path, you can just get around them (not tucked away in a clear optional objective like the black knight). These decisions completely support the Bloodborn experience. You survive the hunt. But it doesn't support the core satisfaction that made me love Dark Souls. In Dark Souls you move from a negative state to a positive state via a mastery loop. In Dark Souls 3 - at least at the beginning - you move from a negative state to another negative state, because it's easier to survive the enemies than to sit down and master the encounter through trial and error.

[@Mordalon]

I didn't find DS3 rewarded aggresion over defense at all. Go too hard in and enemies will swarm you. Quite a few bosses also are aggressive enough that they require that you be reactive instead of being aggressive, the biggest example being Pontiff.

[@danfelder8062]

+Mordalon I could give endless examples, such as enemies that chain attacks into your shield and rip out all your stamina, the raven enemies that turn into raven monsters so you have to rush them and kill them while transforming, the enemies with such crazy-hard-to-read attacks (like the first boss' second form) that it's easier to just spam attacks rather than figure out the pattern (and if it's easier, why bother with any other way?) the plentiful healing that makes it more effective to trade hits with bosses, spawning mob enemies or slightly delayed ambushes that overwhelm you if you're too cautious, the insanely-short reaction times of many attacks and how the telegraph animation maps to multiple attacks (better to kill them quick and hope to get lucky on the boss not using many of the too-fast ones or you guessing wrong on how you're supposed to dodge the exact same telegraph) and etc. and etc. Note that charging in blindly isn't what I'm talking about. It's, once you know your enemy, new players are encouraged to attack as madly and furiously as possible - alternating between this and rolling. It's the easiest way to win. In Dark Souls 1 you were encouraged to keep your shield up and watch the enemy as a new player - alternating with picking your shots and the occasional roll early game.

[@Mordalon]

Dan Felder Dark Souls has always had sequences where you need to alternate between defensiveness and aggressively capitalizing on openings. When confronted with an enemy that assaults your shield, back away and/or dodge. Just because you can't be defensive in one way doesn't mean you can't and aren't encouraged to be defensive in other ways. It was the same with Manus' berserk attack, you most likely couldn't block all of it so you had to back away until an opening appeared. You can also read the 1st bosses 2nd form if you know what to look for. The trick is to stay close to him and don't get too greedy with attacks. Healing is no more plentiful than in prior games. In DS1 you got 20 Estus eventually along normal progression, where as in 3 you only get 15 after managing to locate every shard, some of which you might miss, and then you might use some of those for Ashen Estus. Just because attacks are harder to react to doesn't mean going aggressive is the only solution, it just means you have to get better at reacting.

[@danfelder8062]

They are big games. There will be some variation in all of them. But the opening of DS3 is hugely different. You can feel the contrast when playing DS1 and DS3. Also, I didn't say going that aggressive is the only option. I said it is the incentivized option. The easiest way to progress in most of DS3 is to play extremely aggressively once engaged with an enemy. This isn't the case in DS1. It's not impossible to play defensively and win, and you'll take less damage if you perfect this technique, but it's not the most effective way to progess for most players - particularly since early enemies before bosses can mostly be avoided entirely. You pay little price for getting through an area wounded to the next bonfire. You can either die in trial and error a lot against many enemies to learn their patterns (unlike DS1 where you can hold up your shield and watch several times without taking damage) or you can spam attacks to win. Take some damage? Not a big deal. Many, many encounters are set up this way (such as with archers all around you, so killing enemies fast is important because you can't block or dodge all of them) and the other situations I mentioned. The fact that you have to *guess* which attack an enemy is going to use because multiple attacks use the same telegraph animation means killing them faster minimizes the number of times you need to guess correctly to win. It also reduces your sense of mastery, because you don't feel like you understand the enemy as well as in DS1. You are at the mercy of RNG and it isn't your fault. While possible to overcome all of this, just like it's possible to play through many games, it isn't as satisfying an experience. You may enjoy DS3 more than DS1, but the game is unquestionably designed to punish standing around with your shield up far more than DS1. This makes the game much, much faster paced (good) but at the expense of other aspects of the experience (bad, and game-breaking for the series in my opinion). I loved DS1 and had a phenomenal first impression of DS3. I eventually just put it down despite making rapid progress, because I didn't feel like I was mastering each area.I didn't feel triumphant. I felt like I was madly spamming attacks and hoping to hit first/harder. It worked. It definitely worked. But it wasn't the experience I valued.

[@Mordalon]

Dan Felder You can use all of those defensive tactics just as easily in 3 as in 1. You don't need to die to enemies to learn their patterns. Just play defensively just like you did in 1 and you can learn the enemy patterns. The archers scenario forces you to make a decision between playing defensively and carefully observing the locations of each archer, or rush in, and different builds are better for each tactic. I have no idea why you think enemies in 3 have the same attack windups for multiple attacks. They are quicker, but the differences in the tells are still there.

[@UseZapCannon]

I like how Joe uses the phrase "new, ominous entity glowing up there" to describe the sun

[@kabershshkabersh4272]

To be fair, it’s not like any sun I’ve ever seen… lol

[@gusonian8637]

Yeah it’s an eclipse

[@thejallenator5722]

Normies: oh look and eclipse Souls players: The first flame is fading again.

[@jelly-beetle]

52:40 I honestly would have loved Yhorm a lot more if you acquired the Storm Ruler through Siegward's questline. Rather than the titanite slab, you'd receive the Storm Ruler, and only after defeating Yhorm with Siegward surviving, you'd receive a titanite slab as a thanks.

[@jetthejudge]

Jiba The Clown but that would make Yhorm close to impossible for a lot of players. I feel like Yhorm is a spectacle/lore fight as a whole.

[@Se7enRemain]

"Oh, my friend! Thank you for killing my favorite person! Have this slab!"

[@the3diamonds472]

Slab is tasty tho

[@codyrisling1718]

peaCeCeful no no no the annoying thing is if you grab storm ruler more then once, multiple playthroughs.. you will be carrying 1000

[@DeyvsonMoutinhoCaliman]

This quest can be failed, no reason to double punish the players that failed it.

[@HarlesBently]

oceris is holding the baby.... it's not in the distance. it's right there

[@greenhatzelda8273]

You could add the baby is invisible for the ones that still don't get it...

[@Snpaulie]

we don’t have enough insight to see it

[@Deadshot901]

@Snpaul Nice one

[@HarlesBently]

People took long time to reply lol

[@mohandasjung]

It got cencured because of the gore image of a dead baby

[@realmush6794]

52:34 In response to the Storm Ruler being kept in the same room as Yhorm. It was %100 intentional. Yhorm was the ruler of the profaned capital, and also a lord of cinder. And he was also a giant. That's the big part. Giant's like him are notoriously difficult to kill unless you have the Giantslayer sword itself, the Storm Ruler. Yhorm had possession of two of these swords, and gave one to his old friend, Siegward of Catarina, and the other to the very people that questioned his rule, claiming that they now had the power to eliminate him if he became a threat or if he lost his way. A way to build trust among those he ruled. Skip forward a bit to when he tried to link the fire. The candles are lit ceremoniously, the people are gathered around, Storm Ruler in hand waiting for their ruler to link the flame. Unfortunately it fails catastrophically. The entire area is set ablaze and the people he ruled are turned to ash, and the Storm Ruler they had lay where you found it, at the steps leading to his throne. So yes, it was intentional.

[@abaxmanjr]

This. alot of his complaints on some of the bosses or level layouts is due to him not really investing in the lore or story

[@avish878]

@@abaxmanjr not really lol ...most of his criticisms are valid.

[@aolson1111]

@@avish878 nah

[@johndunn2015]

Lol my friend criticizes me for spam rolling but you have to “spam” roll with some of these boss fights because you literally can’t see what the next move is going to be.

[@Chance57]

Taking you comment at face value we'd have to assume that since you have to do it, your friend also spam rolls?

[@danielknutson3200]

"Lothric has the knights which i assume someone new to the series will have a lot of trouble with". Correct. Can confirm. Am new. Definitely struggled.

[@bigbastard7582]

But damn does it ever feel good going back at higher level and spanking them.

[@bruski4120]

Two words: Git Gud

[@skrotosd]

RogerRogerDaze you’re sooooooo original. GIT GUD, NO ONE HAS EVER SAID IT!

[@bruski4120]

skrotosd and yet it’s still an effective teaching tool to this day

[@OneEyedCloud01]

@@bruski4120 "Teaching tool" is a stretch. It's just a meme phrase. People 'git gud' intrinsically whether the phrase is uttered or not.

[@mikehuber9705]

+Joseph Anderson The two jailers at 43:03 that only appear after you leave the room. They are actually invisible. I noticed them when I tried to look through the window, it seemed like something was in the way. I attacked and the two jailers appeared. Still don't know it is was intended or a bug.

[@Rhino1004]

Since the invisible jailers fade in smoothly when you hit them, it's intentional. Plus, that preview of them from the window ought to be a good hint that it was an intentional design.

[@balasuar]

Around 40mims in, that’s why Fromsoft starts each player in every game with an item of unlimited use ability to teleport back to the last bonfire/hunters dream. In case player gets stuck somewhere unrecoverable.

[@jackveith2416]

i honestly dont know why his first reaction wasnt just to bone out.

[@hinamiravenroot7162]

He even had Estus left to tank the poison

[@Feanor1988bis]

The 2 jailers that appear out of nowhere, around minute 43, are actually just invisible and you can hit them if you attack. It is inconsistent and kinda cheap, considering they are the only jailers being invisible and not instantly aggressive, but they don't spawn behind you like the beast on the bridge.

[@hydrasent563]

on the subject of area unoriginality, thats one of the things in ds3 that i was never too fond of, like 75% of areas are just gray drab landscapes. ds1 has great visual variety and color palettes, just compare anor londo to darkroot garden to blighttown and new londo. but irithyll and archdragon peak look awesome though

[@joshs.5384]

This was my major complaint. DS3 doesn't have close to the same level variety as any other game. DS2 actually did this the best. It really took chances and made some wild areas that are still incredibly impressive today. Iron Keep, Lost Bastille, Doors of Pharos (my favorite), Huntsman's Copse, Heide's Tower of Flame, etc... Every area felt completely distinct from every other, and included some incredibly creative design decisions. Even the multiple castles (Aldia's Keep, Dragon Shrine, Drangleic Castle, and the DLCs) felt totally different. You'd never confuse them. I just wish DS3 had taken more chances in design. Where's the giant crystal cavern? The enormous, maze-like windmill? The underground port city? Or the Gutter, a web of rickety scaffolding suspended in the center of a black gulf? Instead, DS3 feels like they took the Undead Burg, the Duke's Archives, and Anor Londo, and just made the whole game that. It's just sepia-toned rubble, followed by blue-toned castles. I hate it.

[@MrTrollaid]

Nice video. Three points I'd like to bring up though : 1) I can't understand this complaint about "too many bonfires". I remember in your DS1 video when you noticed how painful it was to have to start from Firelink Shrine whenever you wanted to go to New Londo and I can agree with that, having to retrace so much ground is a waste of time. I can also understand if the bonfires were placed so frequently that there was no challenge having to go through a level, but that's not the case, there are just bonfire that are useless and inconsequential, which is true. But I don't see how they make the game worse. 2) Regarding estus, I prefer DS3's system. The way you describe kindling in DS1 makes it seem like a tough choice, but it isn't if you consider there was plenty enough of humanity to kindle all bonfires in the game at least once without the need for farming or buying it. So there was no reason not to kindle a new bonfire whenever you found one. After all, unless you were really into coop/PvP there wasn't anything more important to do with them. There was only one time I felt I needed more humanity : during my first playthrough in Anor Londo when I died repeatedly against O&S and used all the ones I had to summon Solaire. Plus, you could get up to 20 flasks which is quite ridiculous. DS3 limits you to 15 flasks spread between HP and FP, admiting you go 10/5, you only get 10 healing items, which seems reasonable. Plus, you need to find all these 15 flasks, I only got to 12 on my first playthrough. And finally, even if you had infinite healing items, it wouldn't prevent you from dying. Most of my death in these games are due to deadly falls or being caught in a combo, very rarely did I die after having exhausted all of my flasks. 3) It's nothing new, but I still can't understand your refusal to address DS's story. One of the things I like in this game is that the degree of engagement you have with their plot depends on you and you can, as the player, decide to ignore them completely. But when, as a critic, you pretend said plot doesn't exist it becomes quite problematic. I don't know if there is something "deep" about DS's universe, for me, this word doesn't mean anything, but you can't deny that things aren't put at random. There is a reason each enemy you fight is where he is and there is a reason why you have to fight them. This story and lore are part of the Dark Souls experience and I don't get how you can dissociate them from the rest. They reinforce the general atmosphere and the whole game is made to reinforce them. You can not be interested, but pretending it isn't here is absurd. Sure, a lot of the lore is extrapolation from the fans, but it all has a concrete base. If people tell you the weird crow thing the Nameless King is mounting is a drake, it's because the game specifically tells you that in an item description, it's not pure speculation. For me, your analysis was lacking something, because the greatest strength of DS is how all its elements interact and reinforce each other, and trying to completely ignore one reduces the global experience and understanding of it all.

[@joacimtorneus]

re: bonfires, while it's true that some of them are simply useless, others do have the issue where there's just too many of them. Particularly the Road of Sacrifices and Farron Keep area, the place has 7 bonfires! That's excluding the boss ones. There's no way it's large enough to warrant that many even though it is a big stretch of game. In these areas it feels like they made sure to have a bonfire ready every time players might start to feel mildly inconvenienced, and that's not really ideal for DS imo. That feeling of really starting to wish for a fire or shortcut, and then finally finding one after heavy ordeals, is what they should be shooting for just like the best parts of both this game and DS1. I feel like the more open level design of these areas might be to blame, harder to place shortcuts when it's just big open spaces. But the first Road bonfire could have been made to connect down to the woods somehow if the level was designed slightly differently, for example. And in Farron Keep a bonfire could have been right in the middle, letting you explore to all sides easily, instead of one at the start, one 2/3rds through and then one near the boss. So now you'd have to trek into the swamp and find yourself that bonfire instead of being neatly given one to start off with, and then another as soon as you might start feeling a little nervous. Right there you might be able to cut three or four fires completely and make the balancing better to boot.

[@MrTrollaid]

Joacim Torneus Regarding Farron Keep and Crucifiction Wood the thing is they are quite expansive areas where it's easy to get lost on your first playthrough. So even with the many bonfires, exploring them isn't such an easy task. Of course, once you know the most efficient path to go through the level, it becomes easy to go from one to another, get the items you want and avoid the fucking crabs/elder gruus, but that's the point of the game, once you know it, it's not that hard to beat. That's why it's impossible to recreate the same degree of challenge for series' veterans : they already know what to expect. Anyway, on my first playthrough, I felt genuinely lost and vulnerable in this area. And once I got toknow it and went on to try the bosses, I was glad to have a bonfire relatively close. I don't think it would have made the game better if they suppressed the bonfire in the middle of the swamp and I had to go through it each time I tried the Abyss watchers. But if you think some bonfire hinder your experience, do the test. Make a list of those you find are superfluous, go through the game without lighting them and see if it makes the experience better for you. My guess is it won't change much. It probably won't make your experience worse since, true enough, some are completly pointless, but I doubt it will make it that much more thrilling.

[@joacimtorneus]

MrTrollaid None of the changes I mentioned would make the game any harsher than some stuff in DS1, or even some things in DS3 itself. So I don't think difficulty can justify the placements. With the changes I described the boss runs could be pretty much the same length, actually. The boss runs aren't the issue, they're fine. The game handing out so many bonfires it reduces the feeling of tension is an issue however. The areas just aren't large enough to warrant so many so close to each other. Yes, I know it's easy to say when you've played it before but I've replayed DS1 levels since then and the difference is still markedly clear. If it was good enough for DS1 it's good enough for DS3, in my opinion. That doesn't really work either since it might end up making stretches too long. Say they're a length of 1.0 now. I'd say the fires should ideally be placed to make them 1.5 but if I just cut out bonfires they'd be 2.0, y'know? While some could perhaps be outright cut that won't be the same either when you already know the game, so this can't really move much beyond a discussion of hypotheticals.

[@JosephAndersonChannel]

> 1) I can't understand this complaint about "too many bonfires". I remember in your DS1 video when you noticed how painful it was to have to start from Firelink Shrine whenever you wanted to go to New Londo and I can agree with that, having to retrace so much ground is a waste of time. Depends on if the bonfire is cutting out time that you're walking/waiting doing nothing, like I criticized in Dark Souls 1. Or if it's another shortcut that skips over enemies and learning the layout of an area. I think the connecting corridors in Dark Souls 3 are pretty boring for learning their layout, but they DO have a gauntlet of enemies that these extra bonfires skip. Some of them being so close without any enemies between them at all also comes across as unrefined. On the other hand, I also think it's cool that Dancer uses the bonfire you get from killing Vordt as an unexpected checkpoint. I wish I had put that in the video. > 2) Regarding estus, I prefer DS3's system. The way you describe kindling in DS1 makes it seem like a tough choice, but it isn't if you consider there was plenty enough of humanity to kindle all bonfires in the game at least once without the need for farming or buying it. So there was no reason not to kindle a new bonfire whenever you found one. That's going to depend on a lot. I remember humanity being rare enough that I never wanted to waste it. So I always tried each area a few times first before thinking about kindling. Especially since you need to restore your humanity first so it's 2 humanity to get from 5 to 10. The fact that it's a choice alone means a lot. > Plus, you could get up to 20 flasks which is quite ridiculous. I agree, but that's also another choice. That's going from Very Hard -> Hard -> Normal -> Easy, with kindling. I like that! > It's nothing new, but I still can't understand your refusal to address DS's story. One of the things I like in this game is that the degree of engagement you have with their plot depends on you and you can, as the player, decide to ignore them completely. But when, as a critic, you pretend said plot doesn't exist it becomes quite problematic. I don't know if there is something "deep" about DS's universe, for me, this word doesn't mean anything, but you can't deny that things aren't put at random. There is a reason each enemy you fight is where he is and there is a reason why you have to fight them... This has been asked a lot. And every time it is I say the same thing: prove it. Prove it to me, through explanation or a link to a video somewhere, the shows the story that people say is in the series. The things you're describing here are lore and the setting. Enemies being placed in appropriate places isn't a story. That's part of the setting. The background history of the world you're moving through, and the events and people that came before, while potentially interesting, do not make a story. Just like journal entries you can find in other games, while also possibly interesting, are complementary to the story you're meant to be experiencing while you play. > If people tell you the weird crow thing the Nameless King is mounting is a drake, it's because the game specifically tells you that in an item description, it's not pure speculation. For me, your analysis was lacking something, because the greatest strength of DS is how all its elements interact and reinforce each other, and trying to completely ignore one reduces the global experience and understanding of it all. Well it gets particularly messy here since that "drake" is clearly a bird. You can't argue that it's a bird. Feathers. Talons. Beak. Wings. It flies. Call it a storm drake--it's still a bird. If an item description said it was a cat would you say "oh well, I guess it must be a cat then..." No you would say it's a bird. In the video I showed how much the attention to detail was lacking in the game for really simple things like textures, glitches, and animations. The same thing can be extended to the lore. I love these games. I would love them even more if there was an engrossing story that ties everything together. I want to be wrong about dismissing it. But even really simple questions about the player character's motivations can't be answered in a satisfactory way.

[@MrTrollaid]

Joseph Anderson Thanks for your answer. Now, regarding the story, you are right about one point : most of it is lore and the "plot" is very vague, but there is a reason why : your character is NOT DS's story protagonist. the Dark Souls game tell the story of a world, the chosen undead/ashen one/DS2 fuckwad is nothing but a pawn for greater powers. He is not unique, he is replaceable and thus doesn't deserve any specific trait. He is pretty much the definition of a blank slate. There is only one thing that defines the DS protag : he is an undead, and thus can only go forward with his own goal, or renounce and go hollow. I remember Miyazaki saying in an interview that the protag of a DS game goes hollow whenever the player ragequits and give up on his character. So, yeah, I can't tell you much about my character because he is basically me, same as yours is you. But the hero of the story is the one we hear about : the world. The cycle of the flame, the lord souls and the abyss, the primodial serpents and the dark sign... All of these elements are the core of the story and you are only a witness to it all. That's why "lore" is so important, the lore IS the plot, or, more precisely, the plot is in the lore. I don't see how that doesn't count as a story. And you already know that. You knew the Soul of Cinder was a combination of all the previous lord of cinders (players) and Gwyn from your fight with it. You knoew it from the moveset, the enthronement, the music... everything was told to you without a word. I bet you didn't need to watch a video explaining who this boss was, or even to read his soul's description to know all that, because, the game knew what it wanted to tell you and did so in an effective way. There certainly are different interpretations and unclear elements in the community, but there is also a common base that most people agree upon. This wouldn't be the case if the game didn't care about its universe.

[@VidyaAntics]

34:35 I'm sure it's been said already, but that skeleton seems to be using a shotel type weapon and in the souls series they can attack through guards. Though yeah new players would die to that because how were they to know? Just checked the fextralife wiki and they do indeed have shotels that are intended to damage you through shields.

[@volcanolord100]

His thing was he felt he died from something that wasnt his weapon due to him losing so much health so quickly. But he's just trying to lie to everyone. Look at his weapon and shield while its slowed down. He obviously had pressed the light attack button when he was hit, which causes his shield to lower opening him up for higher damage. He wants to make you believe it's the game glitching when he made a mistake and got punished for it.

[@gramblor1]

@@volcanolord100 He didn't "obviously" press that. To me it looks like the start of a stagger animation as he absorbs damage. And why would he attack at that time? He's being lunged at and there's no opening.

[@jasonhymes3382]

He was dodging though and the shotel didn't hit him at all.

[@quintonhoffert6526]

@@jasonhymes3382 Actually I'm pretty sure that the enemy dead-angled him. Shields only block attacks that hit their hitboxes: attacks that go over them, or hit you from behind, don't get blocked even if your shield is raised. Dead-angling is more usually used in PVP since you can manually dead-angle your opponent with certain weapons to get around turtling enemies, but AI enemies can occasionally do it too. In this case, like Joseph said, the entire enemy's body became a damage zone, and the skeleton's skull hit Joseph in the head, completely bypassing his shield.

[@jgkitarel]

That, and those guys clearly got on the wrong train. They meant to go to Bloodboenw and ended up in Dark Souls III.

[@BastosFC2]

Noticed something while watching this video for the 250th time, at no point ever do we see him die in game or being lost and not knowing where to go. Not a single word about build diversity or lack thereof, no word on weapon moveset, spells, stats, balance. It's like it's strictly a review of the level design with a few words here and there on the bosses movesets. After playing the game for myself I can say that the experience is vastly different from anything this video led me to believe the game would be.

[@chantzgaming]

Many “veteran” souls players consider melee + rolling as the only true way to play the games. I’m personally glad From has added random combo changes and delayed attacks to mess with these players

[@BastosFC2]

@@chantzgaming Even then, you can roll and hit with many different weapons that all have different movesets, ranges, stat requirements etc. So it doesn't really change my point

[@arcashark389]

He also always seems to use the same weapon, kinda weird idk

[@shawnmarcum8078]

​@@chantzgaming They upped the difficulty for that in Elden Ring. But the weapons by in large are much stronger in Elden Ring now especially with the buffs. There isn't just rolling as well, as you can use your crouch to move under Loretta's attacks and there are moves you can dodge with a jump (such as AOEs). It's refusing to change which is causing problems. It's ironic because those very same people who call it just big Dark Souls, Dark Souls but open world, or Dark Souls 4...5...and 6, expected them to not change boss design from Ds3. Except certain directions, jumping, and even gimmicks were used in these boss fights. Especially with the new stance mechanic incentivising aggression. They also complain about how spirit summons are the easy mode and that the game becomes too easy or too hard, but you don't have to upgrade the summon to +10. It's also a difficulty option. Which is great. But after fighting these bosses after 3 playthroughs I can say that the main rememberances are actually great outside of Godskin Duo.

[@chiefofthesky]

@@shawnmarcum8078ppreciate you mentioning how summons are an option to change difficulty. people say “easy mode” with such derision but it’s like, some people want or need an easy mode to be able to progress. or a medium mode, or kinda-hard mode, or whatever. the ability to adjust the difficulty of an encounter is FS showing trust to its players. they trust each individual will only modify their experience if it’s just blatantly *too hard*, and will only bring it down to a good “challenge” level of difficulty. maybe some people don’t need summons, but some people do if they want to have fun. that’s also not to say some of the balancing is kinda bad but that’s a separate issue.

[@jbark678]

16:11 I read somewhere that they were planning to have placeable bonfires before scrapping the idea. The bosses may have originally given bonfires as an item, but after the idea was dropped, they just made the bosses drop bonfires where they are upon death.

[@joeysands8893]

At about 43 minutes in he shows a maggot monster-filled hollow as a problem thinking they were separate enemies, but it's intentional. You can find those enemies in other places prior to that so you should know that you need to watch about that enemy releasing his parasite on you. All of your other criticisms are pretty valid though.

[@justaguy5923]

I appreciate the segment about reaction time and attack patterns. I completed all the achievements for dark souls 1 and 2 recently, and now that I've gone back to dark souls 3 to 100% that game, I'm noticing a whole lot more of these issues then I did the first time I played it. I'm assuming this is because I played so much of the first two games that the contrast is very noticeable. Some attacks are so fast that even when I know they are coming I still get hit. There are also several times when I was grabbed from the side or even from behind enemies that are performing a standard forward grab attack. All in all I still like the game alot, but it was nice to see these issues explained with examples shown.

[@arbiter-]

I know this reply is late but I just want to wish you luck on any covenant farming. That shit is such a chore, even when the game was new and had massive amounts of players. I gave up on that pretty quick.

[@rhyswhittington8759]

@@arbiter- yeah that sucked. i have all achievements for 1,2 and 3 and the covenant farming was so fucking irritating.

[@jgkitarel]

Hitbox dissonance has been a consistent problem throughout the series.

[@vanilla.icescream]

n-no! can't you see?!! the game's hitboxes are so perfect!! you're wrong if you think otherwise because dark souls 3 is the best game have ever made in the history of humanity!!!11

[@jarenbayon9286]

“Best controversy” for DS2 got me

[@alanbatch5532]

I love how you connected the similarities of each new area to there respective previous games. Though you mention this in a negative light and it seems as though you feel it's unintentional I'd like to pause to point out that I believe that it's quiet the opposite. Dark souls 3 was an homage to all of FROM's previous games. The fact that you were able to link each design aspect of the new zones to their predecessors means they've successfully obtained their goal. Dark souls 3 would be the last installment of the franchise so FROM wanted to give all the nostalgia feels to the people who have stayed through the journey from start to finish. By combining everything they've given us in the past while adding fresh touches to make these familiar environments feel new you're meant to feel a sense of accomplishment each time you recognize what old area inspired the new one your traveling through.

[@rocknrolla867]

Wasn't the whole point that this is the end of the time of fire and all of the previous kindled versions are coming to and end and meshing together? That is why a lot of the areas are being reused or merged together and showing us how all of the games are actually linked.

[@jgkitarel]

The similarities are entirely intentional, as DS3 represents a world that is on its last legs and has been going to shit since before DS1, with the implication that it has been so many thousands of years before DS3 that everything is built on the ruins of older periods and that the linking of the Fire's actual purpose has long since been forgotten. Also, it was a send up to the entire franchise, with the final DLC ending the most epic boss fight against someone who has been an Undead for so long that he's been around _since_ the age of Gwyn. the DeModcracy summed it up best when he said it up front when you face him. He is You. The single minded determination to see it through, to collect every scrap of Humanity and the Dark Soul out there. It's You. If the Soul of Cinder is the ultimate send up to the players, with them fighting all the Chosen Undead, all previous Lords of Cinder and finally, Gwyn, then Slave Knight Gael is the send up to the player themself, the swan song of the Souls Franchise.

[@wiked_5177]

The beginning cutscene says, and I quote: "Where the transitory lands of the lords of cinders converge." The whole point of this game is to have all those lands scarred by time united into one big land we now call Lothric.

[@jamesthorne7789]

Demon souls had the land of defilement, ds1 blighttown, ds2 black gulch, and..... ds3: farron keep. When the game first released; I felt like this was the laziest design choice I'd ever seen. However, as has been said, it is the last hurrah to a world and the whole thing is winding down and all previous cycles are colliding into the current.... This allows me to have some appreciation. That said. I'm glad that Dark Souls is done. I'm super excited for Mortal Shell, I love Nioh, and the Surge. I like creativity... I don't want anymore levels where I have to stockpile purple moss. NO MORE!!!!

[@saintnick8864]

Doesn't matter how you word it. Its still unoriginal and blatant fan service

[@darqfalls849]

It's strange that you mention being unable to roll away while on the ground during Champion Gundyr at around 36:00 or so, as you totally can roll while on the ground. It's one of my favorite things about Dark Souls 3, actually. Maybe it was added later in a patch or DLC? I did play later than you did. But you totally can roll while on your back after getting hit and it definitely helps you avoid those attacks you mentioned.

[@johnhummel99]

You have to time it thats the issue that he encountered

[@trashman9948]

Just did the boss today, the problem most certainly no longer exists. You can dodge roll out of this now, so it was likely fixed in a patch or something

[@72823m]

This is false. There is a very specific move Gundyr does that knocks you down. This is the only, and I really mean the *only* instance where you cannot roll to get up. I’m not sure why it’s here either.

[@volcanolord100]

It's an issue with how the game detects you falling. If the game thinks you fell, then fell again before you recover, it forces you to be stuck through the entire animation. Patches have severely decreased the occurrences of this, but they do still exist. Not just with Gundyr but any enemy that can knock you down.

[@bankasai3120]

The untended graves is actually just a really big Easter egg/lore dump. That big coffin at the start you mentioned is actually one of the lords graves. You can find artorias's sword on a grave nearby. You get trapped by patches at the top. You have firelink shrine literally being a call back to the 1st game. There is even more there that I ain't even thinking of.

[@kirramcdowell]

“The combat is too fast” - the biggest problem imho is that it keeps bloodborne speed with ds stamina which ends up messing you up.

[@mike48931]

Well it’s clear that the developers tried to balance this because there is an obvious difference in stamina consumption between DS1/DS2 and DS3, at least as far as the amount of stamina consumed for rolling.

[@falloutghoul1]

I like how you feature the Deacons of the Deep boss theme. Such an underrated piece of music.

[@lordloaf7631]

prob cause the boss was easier than most grunts

[@HeadRedShot]

the music is the only thing i respect about ds3

[@jakers141]

*downloads the deacons theme song* *pretends it is played during literally any other boss* ahhh. perfect

[@bronzy9826]

@@HeadRedShot gay

[@correctcritic9749]

@@HeadRedShot Best Souls 3

[@River_StGrey]

So, nearly two years later and Patches didn't fix it. Prick still kicks me down a hole every time.

[@CringeMaster6420]

rewiew summary: the game is broken with a lot of recycled content, but i enjoyed it alot

[@CringeMaster6420]

sry for bad english

[@CringeMaster6420]

hello from russia

[@iopohable]

this guys reviews are so shit its amazing.

[@blindhouse1300]

k

[@Ash-Hole2000lmao]

You need to learn the difference between a reveiw and a critique lol

[@roscora614]

not that it matters six years later, but at around 31:30 and for the next few minutes, when he is talking about pontiff sulyvahn: 1. the small stab that comes out is actually guaranteed to come out at the end of that little combo, and has a really precise and small hitbox, which allows you to get extra hits in by dodging the previous attack into safety from the stab, allowing you to get a couple extra hits. 2. the insanely fast sword swipe is actually a part of the stab that it follows. You can determine whether or not it is going to happen if (a) it is part of a series of quick attacks and (b) he doesn't say anything as he charges it up. the grab stab is similar, but he will make a little HUUUUR sound as he is charging it up. also, none of his stabs have very much tracking at all so you can dodge early to get an opening

[@tommyvercetti9434]

"I think I've watched too much of this guy's videos in just three days..." *Sees Ashes of Ariandel Review (Dark Souls 3 DLC) on the top right corner*

[@catz6019]

I feel like you miss the estus system of replenishing FP, since you've based this specific vid on a knight build. The 15 charges becomes tricky to manage if you're sorc or pyro. Faith can at least attune a heal spell to make up for it

[@aNsWeRkEy02]

yup..running a pyro build & those estus heals gets sacrificed..its plenty on a pure melee build..

[@sernoddicusthegallant6986]

Sure but its still a poor balancing decision if they made a system where they had to give melee builds stupid ammounts of sunny d just for mage builds to get enough energy

[@ForgedHorizons]

@@sernoddicusthegallant6986 no its good for balancing. Mages and magic have always been OP in souls games. By limiting their heals or ability to use magic it adds a good source of balance and prioritization.

[@sernoddicusthegallant6986]

@@ForgedHorizons Im not denying that but it dosent change my point that its a poor balancing decision if they had to make melee builds op in pve just to balance mages more

[@sounghungi]

@@ForgedHorizons It would have been good if Magic was actually good in DS 3 lol. I get the idea and honestly the balancing of flasks is pretty subjective. With weapon arts tied into FP, it becomes a trick of whether or not the player will use WA, which I never did in DS 3. So some players might find themselves low on flasks while others have too many.

[@samanthar.s.2383]

I'm absolutely ecstatic for Elden Ring, halfway genuinely because seeing all of the fans that want interconnected worlds get one is going to be glorious. You guys won!!!

[@controlschemekeaton]

Yes!!! I really feel like it is the natural evolution for From Software

[@randalthevandal4170]

Nice bernkastel pic

[@DivineXPotato]

ah shit, what is the witch of miracles doing on a dark souls video?

[@fatufatu]

Ds3 runs at 30fps on consoles so it’s even harder to react to quick attacks most of the time.

[@RivYT_]

30 fps on ps4. 45 fps on ps4 pro. 60 fps on the playstation 5.

[@Future_Doggo]

I personally didnt have a problem with this

[@commanderleo]

Bloodborne is entirely in 30fps and most people manage

[@rogue_0314]

Actually, with the way i-frames work, higher frame rates give you a smaller window to dodge, but also show more of the tells, so you can predict the timing more easily. Meanwhile, lower frames make the tells more choppy and therefore makes it harder to predict the timing, but you also have more time of invincibility when dodging, so it balances out

[@commanderleo]

@@rogue_0314 is that really how it works? For example, if the number of i-frames at 60fps is 20, then shouldn't it be 10 in 30fps, so effectively the invincibility period is the same?

[@rjs9228]

It’s kind of absurd to me that when addressing the abundance of healing in the game, you all but entirely ignore mage builds which have to actually manage healing vs. mana restoration.

[@Kenzirs]

Exactly this.

[@veronicatazri9092]

Also late to the party but DS1 gave you up to 20 at one time simply for killing the easiest boss in that game

[@veronicatazri9092]

@Filip Gasic Wrong. You don't need the Lordvessel to get 20 Just the rite. I got the anor londo bonfire to 20 on my first playthrough to fight O&S Wanna know what they guard? The Lordvessel. Again you can get to 20 for beating arguably the easiest boss in game

[@veronicatazri9092]

@Filip Gasic Literally word for word from the wiki With the Rite of Kindling, all bonfires may be kindled up to three times for a total of 20 Estus Flask charges. Each act of kindling requires one Humanity. Please don't say someone is wrong when you don't know what you're talking about

[@fenrirhere]

@Filip Gasic you are a dunce cap

[@paperbackwriter1111]

Ah, Snake Eater references. What a thrill.

[@21awesome]

Wildpie would like to know your location

[@TitanHammer1776]

With darkness and silence through the night...

[@kestalos1050]

I feel like the extreme amount of estrus flask charges and high level of healing is a problem due to the ashen estus flask mechanic. If magic recovery was done in a different way or ashen estus was tied to the number of regular estus charges and no alloting was done, than they could have gotten away with having a smaller number of flask shards without severely limiting pure sorcery or faith builds. Just my thoughts I could be completely wrong.

[@infinitedeath1384]

Excellent critique. Your points on the boss attacks coming out too fast, are the whole reason why i use greatshields. You can easily beat pontiff with a greatshield and a sword/axe. I use the millwood axe on a strength build (pretty sure it's the best one handed axe on a strength build). Dodge the attacks you know are guaranteed to be at whatever speed you predicted them at, and block the ones you aren't sure, like the delayed attack on pontiff. It's easy to mistake that attack for the quick swipe, so blocking is the best option here. Or if you have a cloranthy ring and a shield with really high stability, you can block through entire attack patterns, then punish them at the end, and still have more stamina left over. That being said, the slower bosses hit harder, and so blocking is less useful, whereas dodging them is easier. Different methods for different bosses :P.

[@termitreter6545]

Honestly, if you think DkS3 isn't that much faster, I can only recommed to go back. I found it almost shocking just how much slower DkS1 is. Your roll at >50 is about half the range and takes at least 50% more time to recover, all attacks are a bit slower, enemies are much more clunky and predictable as well. The Taurus Demon at the beginning felt absurdly slow, he made one attack in the time a DkS3 boss would have made a three hit combo, which isn't even hyperbole. Whole combat feels more slower, rather about making decisions than reflex tests - and that is probably why people say DkS3 feels more like Bloodborne. Which I don't think dwells that well, because the game still carries around a lot of soul's systems. Your zipping around like a rocket in DkS3, that's just not something you could ever really do in the older game. Honestly feels a bit absurd that difference isn't striking to you. First game is much more about correctly using your stamina, third game is mostly about reflexes. DkS3 can still be a lot of fun, but I'm not sure how much of a strong Souls game it is. Just lacks in atmosphere to me; Immersion is what made Demons and DkS great, and it's sorely lacking in the last game.

[@George_Rakkas]

Dark souls 3 seems faster thanks to its stupid rolling mechanics first and foremost, you can roll 8 times straight in dark souls 3 covering a huge distance and getting supreme amounts of i frames and combined with the fact equip load is almost non existant as a mechanic and poise and defence stats not doing anything realy alltogether is what makes it seem so much faster.

[@AdamSmasherReal]

"Muh immersion"

[@cynicalgold9992]

@@George_Rakkas the reason you can roll so much is because the entire game is faster. Imagine fighting champion gundyr with ds1 rolls, it would be literally impossible. The rolling isnt stupid, its designed that way to give you a fair chance against the faster enemies and bosses. And before you say anything about roll spam in pvp, its easily punishable. Just learn the timing

[@tellyheadlol4258]

I personally feel like ds3 is the best souls game. The faster pace feels more natural. Try playing through the game without a shield, it increases the enjoyment tenfold. Dont expect to go in and play like Dks, because you will get smacked hard.

[@sergeantrainstorm1269]

I say the clunkiness of dark souls 1’s movement kinda ruined my immersion.

[@Owl9174]

GIANT ENEMY CRAB attack its weak point for MASSIVE damage

[@illusive0003]

0/10 No ridge racer references

[@madbox204]

about that skeleton that killed you, im probably late on this but you lowered your shield and were hit by his jumping slash, you can even see your stamina recharge between hits that wont happen if your shield raised the whole time

[@WJV542]

I understand that Dark Souls 3 isn’t without criticism, however I feel a few of your points are nitpicks. You say that a lot of the areas are recycled from previous Dark Souls games but I personally felt this served the story better; time itself and the cycle of fire repeats over and over and new lands form and fall and rise again. I feel that the tombstones are important outside Firelink because it shows just how much time has passed; ages have come and gone, and the fire has faded so many times that the tombstones are now steeped in ash. I also don’t personally agree with the criticism against the swamp. I like the fact that there are deeper areas as it provides a better environmental challenge that is needed in that area when taking on the crabs, and gives you more to plan around (although I think the deep area in Farron didn’t need to be there, as you already need to battle poison and curse). I don’t feel it is honest to say that areas are ripped off from other FromSoft games, as their games often have a massive variety of areas, even in Bloodborne which is quite restricted to Gothic towns most of the way through. The areas feel diverse enough that even a FromSoft fan could get lost on an initial playthrough. I do agree, however, that some of the shortcuts are useless. The bonfire for Dragonslayer is also wholly unnecessary, although I believe it is there so that you may backtrack for other bosses more easily. A lot of the rings are pointless, that I agree with. However, just like having more weapons, I can’t say that having more options for rings (however pointless) is a bad thing, and may be more helpful to another player. Again, tied to the story, it may make sense that different kingdoms would have different ring-types, of varying strength. However, the game rewards you with +1 and +2 versions of rings in NG, and I felt like it was overlooked in your video on this point. There are definitely bugs with the game, and some of the hit boxes are ridiculous. I felt this mostly with the Twin Princes and Soul of Cinder. However, after learning the size of these hit-boxes, I felt maybe I was being too overzealous during certain animations, and looked to change what I was doing. This worked just as well as it does in any other FromSoft game, but Bloodborne mastered the boss hit-boxes IMHO.

[@AMVmushroom]

The bonfires that are close together after bosses are to break up pvp/co-op zones

[@Alex_Barbosa]

The fact that veteran players tend to run past all the enemies to reach the boss fog, tells me that the long run back after a death to the boss is an inherent flaw in the first place.

[@IbbyMelbourne]

Thank you

[@eagle_5480]

No

[@Dzombic_]

Yes!

[@Alex_Barbosa]

@BulletTraj I don't have a problem with losing your souls on death considering it's not too hard to rebuild the amount you lost, or better yet do a corpse run to get it back. My problem is with the pure tedium of having to do a long run back through a pre-defined area over and over everytime you die to a boss that most people need a few attempts to learn how to deal with. An issue that only gets worse considering how quickly you die in these games often means learning the boss slowly over multiple deaths with long backtracking in-between attempts. It may not be an issue for people who have mastered this game, but it is a huge deterrent to new players and a waste of time to veterans. It's essentially needless padding that doesn't add anything but frustration to the experience. I'd like to see some kind of compromise Maybe a system where there is a unique kind of bonfire outside of a boss room that only lets you respawn a certain number of times, before it sends you back to the beginning of the area. That way you get a few attempts uninterrupted to learn the boss, while still having that sense of dread that comes with a punishing death.

[@CrashJC123]

That’s your evidence? I think people just like fighting bosses too much. It could also be evidence of a combat system that’s not very compelling. Killing enemies on your way back to a boss should be inherently enjoyable if the game’s combat system is well put together. What’s your take on that?

[@romilrh]

Joe: "Deacons of the Deep feels like it should be the first phase of a more involved boss fight" Sekiro: **laughs in Divine Dragon**

[@RimshotKiller]

Not sure I'd call it more involved. Visually pleasing, sure, but easy/boring from a gameplay perspective. While we're talking about Sekiro, did he ever talk about revieving it? Seeing as he loves soulsbornes so much it's weird that there's no video of his about it.

[@runningcommentary2125]

@@RimshotKiller He mostly finished a script for it, but then his life was sucked into the enormous abyss that was his Witcher project. He's finished the Witcher One video and the Witcher Two one should be out this Sunday, but there's still the Wicther Three one, which will definitely be the longest by a wide margin, and the break after that where he recovers the will to live, before he will get back to the Sekiro video.

[@RimshotKiller]

@@runningcommentary2125 Oh, I see. Thank you for the info!

[@willtowers1532]

Its sort of meant to be a first phase, the boss is still bad but you were expecting aldrich, which you do fight as an extension of the deacons (thats how i see it anyway)

[@christianbrehm5398]

@@RimshotKiller I guess I'm the only one who died to the divine dragon, huh? I actually died to it three times and yet beat the headless ape and both of the corrupted monk fights first try.

[@slambotv1334]

Joseph: Patches will fix it Patches: Now, now, hold your horses a moment

[@vnable]

i though the same thing lmao

[@Jilluminum]

It's nice seeing a mechanically focused critique like this from a skilled player because it actually validates a lot of the issues that were causing me to struggle more with this game than any of the previous ones. I'm not as good at parsing gameplay so I was blaming myself for every single one of those deceptive hitboxes and untelegraphed attacks. (OH MY GOD, THAT TREE BOSS.) I see your point about there being extra estus thrown in to offset the unavoidable damage, however, they removed a lot of estus recovering techniques present in previous games, like the small white soapstone from ds2. (It was nice to be able to get halfway through an area, then suddenly have a full set of estus to play with again! Cheesy, maybe, but effective!) The result is that the game felt far stingier with healing. Subbed :)

[@finn1708]

Dying to the Greatwood loool

[@TeethSkylark]

Joseph, did you know that if you fight Pontiff Sulyvahn with a summon, you can aggro his shadow and it will fight you and he will fight your summon(s). When that happens, they use different moves.

[@PointlesslyNecessaryConvos]

I just played Dark Souls Remastered for the first time a few months back. After beating the game 7 times I figured I could breeze through 3. The speed difference created a whole new challenge and I felt in a way that I was learning how to play souls all over again. I think dark souls 3 is the harder of the two simply because the speed of the enemies requires a much faster reaction time.

[@danfish88]

I’m a DeS and DS1 fanatic. I never thought a lot about DS3 but your critique actually made me appreciate it a whole lot more haha

[@Pan_Z]

There is one major thing Demon's Souls did right, and that was the hub world. After the first level, the player could go through each of the 5 worlds in any order. There was also incentives to do one world before the other, and the game was balanced so different builds would have certain strengths and struggles in each world

[@conorprendergast5035]

34:37 That enemy wields a car this shoreline, which goes around shields, so maybe that’s why

[@conorprendergast5035]

Lol I meant carthus shotel

[@conorprendergast5035]

Ranga Jesus lmao yeah

[@doomguy19931]

Did ...did you have a stroke?

[@TheAshenTarnishedHunter]

No, it even shows a second after in slow motion that he lowered the shield and tried to kick

[@cdurkinz]

I would almost agree that maybe DS1's level design was an accident, except that it's the only one that didn't have warping from the start. So it was intentional. And I believe if they wanted to they could have done it in any game since. But warping from the start just must make it easier for them. Sad for us though.

[@hatchmaster_5745]

This was my first soulsborne game, I own all of them, but I've only finished 1 twice, and I have never finished any of the others even once. I have finished 3 at least thirty times, I think it is by far and away the best game in the series

[@BirdMoose]

My favorite moment in my first run of DS3 was discovering Archdragon peak, I tried emoting when I got there and nothing happened but the second I went past Ocierous and found the meditate I rushed back and was happy. I got to DS1 and 2 late so most every secret was spoiled, but I found Archdragon before any footage of the area was out (well at least before any got spread much). Well, it might not have been my favorite moment but damn it felt good to find a secret like that where in my head I thought, probably nothing here, and then got rewarded with 2 bosses. :D

[@mitchl6896]

Will you ever investigate the storylines of these games? The lore would clear up some of the confusion I hear from you in your videos, and the lore itself is quite entertaining to boot.

[@JosephAndersonChannel]

Eventually, yep. It'll be a big project though. I'll have to replay all the games. Read every item. Think about every area. Watch most of the big lore videos on youtube.

[@mitchl6896]

Joseph Anderson Sounds good. Though, don't be afraid to look at some of the smaller lore creators on KZbin as well. The ones at the top don't have the best credibility, to say the least.

[@JosephAndersonChannel]

Can you suggest some of the smaller lore guys? My guess is they would be harder to find through searches. Suggestions help.

[@mitchl6896]

Joseph Anderson Since DS3 came out there's been a bit of a resurgence when it comes to the lore-hunting on KZbin. I'm pretty sure of this because I'm part of the new handful of lore channels making videos. As for suggestions: Myself (Mitch L) TheAshenHollow Hawkshaw Redgrave ParagonDS Aegon of Astora Smoughtown That's a pretty good start.

[@fullofmoochabeans6538]

yeah vaatividya is good as well

[@nomad9584]

This was the first Dark Souls game I ever played a few years ago. It has to be one of the most well crafted masterpieces ever developed. From the level design, the music, the boss fights, to the way the world connects together. The combat is addicting and satisfying, requiring genuine skill, precision and timing. Make no mistake, the game requires real commitment to 'git gud,' but the rewards are more than worth it. The problem is that there are few other games out there that deliver the pure thrill and challenge that Dark Souls does.

[@JoNarDLoLz]

I still remember Pontiff breaking my space bar from rolling too much (can you blame me?) and having to rebind my dodge roll to my 'G' key lmao

[@807D14M0ND5]

Lol that's great

[@fentanyl625]

ds3 was my first souls game and pontiff on the first run was so difficult for me that i went out of my way to learn parrying in the first area of the game. then i just flawlessed him

[@Riv3rJordan333]

Dark souls 3 is my first darks souls game I’m glad I’m seeing all this for the first time and it’s such a visually spectacular experience I had a lot of fun my first play through. I found it was challenging but not to hard and the linear gameplay made it easy to explore with out loosing focus on the endgame.

[@smujb5544]

When I first watched this video I agreed with the part about backstabs, but now my opinion has changed. I think the new backstab mechanics were designed for PvP, and I can say for sure that DS3 is the game where I have least often been backstabbed unfairly, as the client checks both sides. The reason for the inconsistency is that the engine first checks if you are in the right position for a backstab, then checks if the enemy being backstabbed is still in the right position, then if they are checks one final time if you are in the right position, then the enemy is locked into place. While maybe some different code could've been used for PvE backstabs, the idea is very understandable.

[@austinwagner536]

I wish Bloodborne was on PC...

[@uptonothin]

Austin Wagner a hunter is a hunter, even in a dream

[@austinwagner536]

Not sure I know the reference...now I feel clueless haha

[@naughtyNuGetzz23]

Austin Wagner you would know if bloodborne was on pc

[@ahs2011]

But if you do that then you're supporting the practice of console exclusives which serves as the reason WHY Bloodborne isn't on PC (and more importantly at 60FPS).

[@PonzooonTheGreat]

Few people have enough disposable income to spend $400 to play a single game.... Plus console exclusivity is a blatantly anti-consumer practice actively making games worse so I don't want to support that.

[@oscartw]

"Pontiff has some fast attack too quick to react" Oh boy you bout to find out in elden ring's dlc

[@gg2fan]

Also, the reason it feels short to me is the way the narrative and story is set up. It's incredibly straightforward- Kill the Lords of Cinders and become the lord. That's it. That's the goal you start with, and the goal you end the game with. There's nothing more to it than that, no twists, no intrigue, no satisfaction. The game is set up to have some big mid-story climax for Yhorm, but there's really nothing, as you said, Profaned Capital is a nothing area and Yhorm is a joke. It's like it was designed to be a huge let down. They spent the whole game building up to *something* but not actually delivering a single narrative climax.

[@Xavanux]

The point is that simple is always best. The best songs people remember? Simple ones.

[@zura8879]

Profaned Capital definitely felt like it was rushed or had content cut out tbh, but atleast there is some interesting speculations about the Profaned flame and Yhorm's lore is great aswell. I felt like the mid story climax was more by the time you encounter Pontiff though - you had seen his lackeys, noticed he had an influence in some of the prior bosses and when you finally encounter and defeat him, you learn an even bigger secret of his.

[@Sadsharks]

I feel like if you think there's no twists, you never paid much attention to Untended Graves and the eyes of the fire keeper. That part was like if Kaathe was a whole area of his own. It shows an alternate perspective on the world and the consequences of your actions. You also must have missed out on Yuria entirely, which is basically a secondary plot running alongside the main stories and gives you many more options in terms of lore. Also, the climax was probably supposed to be with Aldrich, it's just that most people happen to go to Profaned Capital after him rather than the other way around.

[@Mordalon]

+Sadsharks The only issue as far as I'm aware of is that by doing Aldritch first you are able to complete both Seigward's and Greirat's questlines. If you go to Yhorm first after freeing Seigward, Greirat will die in Irithyll. The only other way Greirat can survive Irithyll is if you didn't save Seigward and allowed Patches to keep his armor.

[@zura8879]

Mordalon wait I'm quite certain you can send of Greirat, speak to Siegward at the kitchen in Irithyll WITHOUT lighting the first bonfire in Irithyll Dungeon, beat Pontiff and Greirat will be back all fine and dandy? Atleast that worked for me.

[@JoeySells.]

it’s crazy how young Joe sounds in this video compared to his more recent ones

[@theguythingy]

The two jailors who appeared out of thin air were already there, but they're just invisible.

[@JosephAndersonChannel]

Does that really matter though? There's no point before that to teach you to watch out for invisible enemies in the dungeon.

[@theguythingy]

Joseph Anderson if you ask me, it's a wonderful "gotcha" moment. Literally scared the shit out of me when I rolled on that wall hoping for some treasure only to bump into something invisible. Took me a few seconds to realize that I should probably dodge.

[@Wanettepoems]

I personally like the Pus of Men; they look kinda cool. Their texture, their flexibility and darkness and the way they slither about. Great vid ^_^