Ranking the Areas of Dark Souls III [Part 1]

[@BillySYT]

Thanks all for tuning in. I'm doing the Areas before the Bosses for Dark Souls III because I wanted to get the areas out of the way so I could move on to the amazing boss line-up! What do you think of Dark Souls III's areas? What's good about them, and what's bad about them?

[@centerleft6813]

Jailers having a personal roller rink at the bottom of the dungeon is so spot on 😂

[@potulnykubus4967]

I like the concept of getting back to the place from previous game and seeing it in ruins and usually I like those ruins more than how they were in their glory so I enjoy DS3 locations a lot

[@BillySYT]

I love that concept as well, don't get me wrong. It's fascinating to see references to the past, but it's exciting the first few times I play. Not after like the 10th/12th playthrough ^^

[@DeltaJim]

Wait. There's a breakable floor in Smoldering Lake!?! I literally ALWAYS just run past the worm (and then hide behind a rock behind it that blocks its attacks and causes the ballista to shoot it to death). I thought THAT was how you got into the Demon Ruins. For years now I've thought that Demon Ruins is basically just an optional side area in an optional side area!

[@nitrondersaftige3807]

That there is a breakable walk was mind blowing to me after my third run...but that breakable floor is literally so unknown, there's nearly no YT video about it

[@wilbert3842]

Irythll Dungeon being so terrible makes Smouldering Lake get way too little hate. The optional area that isn’t really optional because there’s two bone shards and an estus shard, multiple pyromancer books and spells, and is vital for Anri’s quest/an achievement ending. Not to mention the heat seeking ballista guarded by black knights, basilisks, and gru that do toxic and poison while having buffed damage, then the little demons have heat seeking fireballs and the crabs above make half the area not worth exploring. For being such a cool area with great DS1 lore implications they make it terrible to run through every time I go back to DS3

[@bihn]

That final bottom floor of Irithyll Dungeon always awakens suppressed, traumatic memories in me😶

[@keaganlecomte8443]

Getting to these ranking videos a little late but loving the content. I also share your sentiment about the swamps, Farron Keep is one of my favorite areas in the game and I’m unashamed to say it

[@BillySYT]

There's no such thing as late with ranking videos, don't worry! People can tune in when they want cuz the content is so standalone. And I'm glad to see another Farron Keep defender. Even if I have it ranked near the bottom, people are a lil overdramatic about how "bad" it is.

[@alkapwnz1]

I understand why you ranked them so low, but I adored Anor Londo and the Dreg Heap in this game. It made Dark Souls feel like a world with a consistent history, and they both used previously existing areas to set up something new. Fan service maybe, but Aldrich wouldn't be the same boss if you fought him literally anywhere else, and the Dreg Heap being the first area you go through in the last bit of released content for the Dark Souls trilogy made the rest of the Ringed City feel so somber while setting up the DLC's finale. I love these areas so much

[@BillySYT]

I really enjoy that they brought Anor Londo back, and I wouldn't want it removed. I just wish we had the full level - Give us the right wing and the archers in their original position, let us explore a bit more before the Aldrich fight so it's not over in an instant.

[@evantiesman4165]

Never knew about the breakable floor in smouldering lake. I just kept slamming my head against the sand worm until I killed him and got the bonfire right by the fog gate. Always thought it was weird, like the whole actual level was an optional challenge that you could start right next to the boss. That area being designed to start in the Old King’s chamber makes wayyyy more sense.

[@captainmorgs4672]

Months late but a trick with the Milkwood Knight archers is a great bow cause there is a place in those ruins before the tower where you can snipe them but they miss you. You can knock them out of the tower to their deaths this way and if you push them back far enough they can no longer snipe you at all cause their AI doesn't have them move back forward. I tend to bait each ground knight one by one into the ruins to avoid the arrows though beforehand. The one closest to the cliff edge can be avoided altogether cause he only aggros if you get too close.

[@rivertonrock]

I’m glad you called out DS3’s desaturated color pallet. When I think of this game, I think “gray and yellow”. 🤮

[@BillySYT]

It's the main reason the areas don't stand out to me aside from those with very striking colours. I get that it fits the game's themes, but it's just not my cup of tea.

[@randorandom9494]

Not like Bloodborne and Dark Souls 1 looked ugly too

[@aayushdasgupta9754]

​@@randorandom9494there is a pretty big difference between an ugly area and a bland area. DS3 areas are bland and not memorable. Ugly areas can gross u out but they are still memorable. Ofc there are bad areas in DS1 and Bloodborne, say Tomb of Giants. However note that the entire landscape of Tomb of Giants or Lost Izalith are so so bland and samey.

[@randorandom9494]

@@aayushdasgupta9754 irithyll, all of lothric castle, kiln of the first flame, grand archives, undead settlement are bland?

[@scarpalms22]

@@randorandom9494yes

[@MarcelHeldt1983]

You know that a game has great level design if Irithyll Dungeon is the "worst" area. I like it a lot, definitely more than most areas in DeS or DS2.

[@BillySYT]

I disagree, but each to their own, much respect ^^

[@blakewarrens3925]

I dont know what people wanted from this game. From a level design perspective most levels in this game are in the upper echelon of the series. Also, the color pallet argument never held water imo. DS1 is just as drab and grey/brown if not even more so. The only color in DS1 comes from dark root, anor londo, the archives, and the dlc. These aren't happy games. They aren't gonna put you the middle of a sunny meadow lol

[@BillySYT]

A washed out colour palette can work, but I personally feel a lot of Dark Souls III's areas suffered from a generally stifling art direction. Sure, it all makes thematic sense with the story, but I feel they boxed themselves in with that end of the world, ruinous concept, so there was only so much they could do with each area. Nobody's asking for sunny meadows, colour doesn't always = happiness, just look at Archdragon Peak for an area that has a vibrant colour scheme alongside the bright blue sky, while still feeling like it belongs in DS3. If more areas were like that, I think it'd fit better. As it stands, because areas and concepts blend together, it feels more like a slog to get through DS3, especially the early game. Still a solid 9/10 game IMO, but visually it misses more than it hits, but hits hard when it works.

[@Jbswe]

Most of the level design in ds3 is alright at best

[@fulanoteateado6509]

Completely agree with this, it’s always funny seeing the bias against ds3 in this case: Bloodborne is all black and grey and it has less color than ds3 however no one complains about it, ds1 is all very grey and brown and yet no one complains about it, not to mention that obviously ds1 areas visually look worse.

[@noraslob5461]

Wait, Irithyll dungeon is your least favorite area in the series? This proves that Frigid Outskirts is decent, actually!

[@BillySYT]

I mean, I hate Frigid Outskirts, but at least I can get there end-game with a big bonk build and rush to the exit. Irithyll Dungeon's health drain mechanic from the jailors is just... So much more annoying to me.

[@randychristensen1028]

Hahaha, the bottom floor of Irithyll Dungeon with the group of Jailers “having a roller disco” I don’t think I’ve ever heard a better description for that room haha

[@melvo8496]

You can brake the Floor in Smouldering Lake?

[@BillySYT]

In a very specific spot, yes ^^

[@melvo8496]

@@BillySYT I have like 800+ hours in this Game and didnt knew that ^^

[@mrsauce2451]

There's a floor you can break in the smoldering lake!?

[@BillySYT]

Yep - You're not the first person to say that either, so it kinda re-emphasizes my point that the level design there is unclear.

[@Robbie_H]

The section of ariandel with the Millwood knights is one of my favourite parts of the game. The ruins give you loads of cover to fight the knights, which are some of the games coolest and most fun to fight enemies, and climbing up the tower is extremely atmospheric. Also the whole area is aesthetically fantastic (a DS3 rarity)

[@BillySYT]

If I had a bit more patience and more skill with the Millwood Knights, I'd definitely enjoy it more. Feels like a love it or hate it segment based on personal experience.

[@sedivh0]

Funny thing: Snake eater is getting a remaster!

[@dimentiorules]

What are you going to do once you’ve ranked every souls game? Are you going to do unofficial soulslikes, like Blasphemous and Salt and Sanctuary?

[@BillySYT]

I have a few other games I'd like to cover, but my main goal was just to record footage playthroughs of all the Soulsborne games so I could do full Soulsborne Series rankings talking about more in-depth topics. Alternatively, I'll just keep making videos for as long as I enjoy it ^^

[@4eyewiseguy]

18:00 I'm sorry breakable floor!!!ive done at least 10 playthroughs and there's a breakable floor!

[@BillySYT]

In the middle of the lake, before the crabs. There's a stone floor that stands out, and can be broken by the ballista, yeah ^^

[@RecRoomPlays]

My least favorite area of DS3 has gotta be the opening half of Ariandel, the frozen snowfield and the tower with the Millwood archers and knights. Most areas in DS3 I'm pretty indifferent about, there are parts of them I both like and dislike, but the opening of Ariandel is just...absolute misery, imo. I also don't like the Road of Sacrifices potentially forcing pvp on the player, though that actually didn't happen to me on my latest playthrough.

[@tropifreeze3935]

lol the open field is my favorite Area in DS3 :) It has such a harmonious atmosphere for me. Lots of new enemies and when you hear and see the big wolf howling from a distance it's just awesome.

[@mayasuxs]

It is so weird that the swansong of the souls games has less area variety and is far linear than the games that came before.

[@julianthingvoll]

Shouldering lake has to be my least favorite, even above irithyll dungeon.

[@Etnad-f7r]

Please tell me this guy did not say the undead asylum is less linear than the cemetery of ash.

[@btarczy5067]

As a drab person myself I enjoy the drabness of Dark Souls 3 so in my memory I at least liked all the areas but that stupid little area with stupid pus-in-mans… Yeah, that one’s definitely my number 23. Other than that, the big shooty moth area might have my favorite boss(es) but I took way too long to figure out how to fight the shooty pest infestation so I kinda hate it. On the other hand, there is an armour set with high heels so scratch that, 10/10.

[@tomasstargamer6308]

DS3 has without doubt the most average areas as a whole in the trilogy, like... where's the color? I had this same issue with Bloodborne where it's all just grey but at least the level design like with Central Yharnam is quite well done for the most part. And I just keep getting more and more tired of the referencefest that is DS3, we got like about 9 bosses that either are a big DS1 reference or ARE DS1 guys, and then we got Izalith, Darkroot, freakin Anor Londo, another Painting (which has Priscilla's arena...), the Kiln... DS2 got Earthen Peak at least, because everyone always loved that area right? /s.

[@BillySYT]

Bloodborne, I can forgive the colour palette because that's just Victorian/Gothic horror in a nutshell. The skybox worked wonders in that game to convey different moods based on the sky. In DS3, while it totally fits the game's theme, I just don't vibe with the lack of colour. Makes areas stand out so little to me. And DS2 was robbed. The Profaned Capital could have been a way to flesh out the giants by showing us the land of the giants from DS2. But nah x_x

[@tomasstargamer6308]

@@BillySYT As a big DS2 fan, 3 was such a disappointment, no real DS2 NPCs or bosses, and a single random location, from NPCs we have Gilligian who's... dead, and Creighton who we kill because, reasons? I remember an amazing idea from a Reddit post, to have something like the Mist Heart in 3, to allow us to interact with each Cinder on a throne to either refight and/or talk to them, getting dialogue with Yhorm would have been excellent, could tell us more about the giants, DS2, and his friend Siegward.

[@akechijubeimitsuhide]

I love DS3 Firelink, it feels warm and cosy. DS1 Firelink and Majula both suffer from No Protection From The Weather. But the comfiest looking hub is the Nexus to me, I imagine the floor has heating :D

[@BillySYT]

This is the hub ranking we all truly need. Which has the best heating.

[@MrGuy..]

Ds3 is my favorite out if the three, but the early game areas are so bland…

[@BillySYT]

Aesthetically, I'm with you, but from a level design perspective, some of them are incredibly strong. It's just a shame that they're not as replayable on the short term.

[@MrGuy..]

@@BillySYT yeah, I think you’re right. But they could of made the enemies and bosses just a little bit more interesting. That would of definitely increased the replay ability, for me at least.

[@lluccanela3212]

30:19 "Milkwood Knights"

[@Mikhael.R]

Of all the fromsoft games dark souls 3 has no areas I dread going through even irythill dungeon has it's charm. The only thing I really don't like is that at the start you have to warp to the high wall of lothric, it just really took me out of the game.

[@BillySYT]

Fair and valid - I don't really "dread" areas in Dark Souls III anymore, as much as I just find them a bit bland.

[@Jbswe]

I don’t dread going through them I am afraid of falling asleep during half of them though

[@Xrĥst]

you are a good gaymer

[@spice_goat6649]

Every time i play ds3 i slowly start to hate it cause of how bad the areas are. And by the time the areas get good after the dancer the game is almost over. If it wasnt for dlc this would be my least fav in the series

[@CharlieKellyEsq]

Wtf where is episode 2, lame

[@BillySYT]

Part 2 is out next Wednesday. Weekly uploads, my man.