Ranking the Areas of Dark Souls! [Part 1]

[@BillySYT]

So this week, we're talking about areas: The video got a bit long, so we're doing areas 26 through 11 this week & my Top 10 next week!

[@OneMoneyCat]

"Nobody's using the bonfire at the other side of the bridge in the Valley of Drakes" It's me, I'm Nobody.

[@dim3487]

Wow! I really thought you were a very popular youtuber, you are criminally underrated. Keep it up!

[@danidonaldson2584]

Nuh uh, there’s no way this small of a KZbinr. The quality is immaculate. Anyhoo, the most memorable area to me is the Abyss, with the Four Kings. Standing in complete darkness, fighting old kings, and then seeing Kaathe illuminated by the bonfire. I love it.

[@BillySYT]

I've actually been on KZbin for over a decade, but I wanted to start from scratch a few years back ^^ Hope you enjoyed the video, be sure to check out the 2nd part ^^

[@catriri07]

i really enjoy the way you articulate your thoughts and the genuine passionate way you argue them, your dark souls videos have been a treat keep it up 👍

[@advancedgarbage]

although i've been poisoned by a multitude of souls ranking videos, this one in particular feels very fresh. good video!

[@BillySYT]

Nice~! I know there are just SO many Souls ranking videos out there, but that's what I love about them. So many different opinions ^^

[@Aszendor]

True about climbing up the catacombs is the worst especially if you played into tomb of giants already. But for me getting out of the hollow was way more tedious with all the basilisks

[@chonkory6771]

oh my god im so sorry

[@Laezar1]

I actually really like the valley of drakes. But I don't really view it as it's own area for me it's more like a transition zone and the way it links multiple zones together is great. It's a pivotal area for the world to feel as alive and interconnected as it does. The ennemies aren't all that great so it's definitely not flawless though; But I also really like how it can reward early exploration or be a very useful place for advanced players to completely change the route they take through the game. Also I absolutely did not know about the bonefire near patches damn

[@Charagodslayer666]

I always use the dark root bonfire when I'm exploring new londo. The drakes aren't that hard to get pass

[@dogninja0180]

Unless they’re hitboxes decide to rip you a new hole

[@19Szabolcs91]

Great content, fun, easy to listen to and just the right length. You deserve more views for sure.

[@jamesmangiameli8337]

You've inspired me to list my own ranking! Caveats: I don't own the DLC, so those won't be on the list: Also, I'm splitting a couple areas: Upper/lower undead burg, and the Northern Undead Asylum / revisited From best to worst: The Depths New Londo Ruins, especially before draining it. It's gorgeous Firelink Shrine Undead Burg (Upper): Such a great introduction to the game! Undead Parish: Gorgeous, IMO. Darkroot Garden Anor Londo Northern Undead Asylum--tutorial area Painted World of Ariamis Undead Burg (Lower): Tough and tense, but it's at least engaging. It's scary in the good way for me. Darkroot Basin Blighttown: I've flip-flopped on this many times. I used to hate it, but now I at least acknowledge it's an engaging area. When I think Blighttown, I don't think of the swamp. I think of the terrifying descent. My heart is in my throat the whole time, in a semi-good way. Ash Lake Kiln of the First Flame Northern Undead Asylum--revisited: It doesn't do much for me, though I'm always glad to get that ring that was unobtainable. Tomb of the Giants: Very scary. It may not be my favorite, but I'll never forget the scream of fear when that first skeleton giant smacked me. Catacombs: I'd like this more if I didn't get lost so easily. Valley of the Drakes The Great Hollow: I was going to rank this area lower at first. But then I realized, I still explore it most playthroughs despite it being an optional area. Whereas a few below this list, I'd skip entirely if I could, but they're mandatory. So I suppose, I have to rank an optional area that I do explore, above a mandatory area that I wish I didn't have to. The Duke's Archives: I'll phrase this as the best level I hate. It's an objectively better level than I give it credit for, but I get myself so hopelessly turned around. Even though it's just a few areas horizontally and vertically, I have trouble remembering where I've been, where I need to get to next, where I can't get to until I change something, and what's actually inaccessible. Sen's Fortress: I hate this area. I might, might be able to tolerate it if it upheld the 'tough but fair' that Dark Souls goes for. But it doesn't. Enemies can launch lightning bolts at me despite not being rendered on the screen. The Titanite demons can kill you through a wall. The blades will knock you off your feet despite being several pixels away from them. And that bonfire starvation is absolutely brutal. Demon Ruins Lost Izalith The Crystal Caves: I loathe this area. Invisible platforming? Nope, nope, and nope.

[@wolfox7776]

"I have a soft spot for the Skelly Dogs" If your randomizer did only 1 thing, it's challenge that specific statement

[@itsmealex3425]

in my first playthrough i went straight to the catacombs because in my head. skeleton enemies are the weak guys in video games duh! i also did not see the other path for some reason... i was playing the remaster and i did not rest at the first bonfire but at Vamos's and let me tell you, climbing out was the most frustrating thing i have ever experienced in any from software game, it was so bad, so hard, i kept getting lost, i realized waaay later that i should have just created a new character, but i do have this experience now and i love the catacombs for that even tho i did NOT feel this way at the time lol

[@BillySYT]

Those are the best types of stories to come from these games. Experiences you won't soon forget.

[@Pasku_Epimeteo]

Loving your souls videos!

[@freesoup9673]

You know, I was in ng+ and I encountered a vagrant in Anor Londo, I have never seen it in any video or from any other playthrough I did, so I killed it without thinking what it was and just assumed that I forgot that this enemy existed in this part of Anor Londo. After I saw your video I learned what a vagrant was so thanks.

[@kaladinthepaladin7929]

7:40 That actually happened to me... with the Great Hollow

[@arindambora3665]

Same

[@LINKchris87]

Love your videos. You're gonna get far ma dude 👌

[@BillySYT]

Thanks for the kind words ^^

[@carjis]

Your true love: DARK SOULS!

[@Whyiseveryhandletaken6942]

You can definitely tell which areas were made last.

[@theegreenone]

I think Tomb of the Giants is a great area. The one thing I disliked about the gameplay balance is that it’s so easy to just sit behind shields and poke at enemies. On a first playthrough, unless you went to Lost Izalith first and found Solaire, it forces you to use the skull lantern. Having one of your hands taken up by an item that’s worthless in combat forces players to learn how to play aggressively, and I think Fromsoft should explore this concept more.

[@Aszendor]

I actually like blight town as it's the first area that teaches you what Dark Souls is. That the world is against you. What to pay attention first before going ahead

[@BigSlick98]

Hey I caught that Spyro 1 enemy sound at the beginning!

[@lucaspepper7614]

I LOVE the great hollow, just for its concept. Would be the better area if properly designed.

[@medmind2778]

damn that was a RED vagrant! those are extremely rare! (it means it passed through 20 players without getting killed)

[@BillySYT]

Oh wow, that's pretty cool. I still have no clue how vagrants work, but it was nice finally encountering them

[@Elynescence]

came here to say i started dark souls today and yup, got stuck in the tomb after the first bell went through everything to find out i wasnt supposed to be here and the runback is so bad i was recommended to quit my character lovely

[@kma4835]

Was a fan up until I heard you have a BOYFRIEND that plays souls...then I became a subscriber because we support and praise the Rainbros 🌈 may your relationship and love for the game be grossly incandescent ❤ keep up the great content

[@BillySYT]

Not only that, my boyfriend is extra legendary because he beat Malenia in Elden Ring with a heavy shield build.

[@jasonweeks3028]

@@BillySYT I can not imagine even attempting this

[@BrandonBRich]

Billy, Rank all the Rings of DS1 mate!

[@BillySYT]

I'll pop it on the idea spreadsheet. I "think" I have all the rings on one of my save files, but I'm warning you I'd be ranking them mainly on how cool they look because I don't have a ton of build variety knowledge lol

[@BrandonBRich]

@@BillySYT fair enough. You’re underrated as hell man you deserve major props these videos and lists are entertaining and very well made

[@draculactica]

oh goodness, it's been a bit since i've replayed this game, and i somehow forgot about the butt dragons. (..or the dragon butts?) if i had to rank all ds1 non-boss enemies, they would certainly be at the... bottom (ba-dum-tss)

[@BillySYT]

You could say they were... half-assed (ba-dum-tss), thanks for checking the video out!

[@Aszendor]

You can shoot manus to death from that spot if you got gouges ring😅

[@vanjomtv]

bros trying to be different for not purring brighttown or tomb of the giant at last 😂

[@BillySYT]

I like Blighttown - It's an actual challenging area in a game where it's very simple to just run past most enemies & obstacles. Tomb of the Giants is definitely in contention for last place nowadays since I've had some more experiences with the zone since Feb 2023 when this video came out.

[@zacharyhuhn8366]

Worst area is Sen’s Fortress because it’s the second worst runback ever if you don’t find the stupidly well hidden bonfire. For a boss that can easily kill you with gravity or clip you into a wall, that’s bullshit. It’s like what people think bed of chaos is like ( I actually like it, and the jank is taken way out of proportion) but way worse.

[@Darkgrass571]

Yeah j in f you don’t know where the hidden one is then good luck

[@theultimatep1e40]

I had the exact same experience as your BF, i was too stubborn, didnt know the game and just died to the skeletons over and over again til i got their moves down perfectly and killed all em respawn guys, well most, and then i got down to TOTG and i didnt have any lanterns or maggots, so i was so fkng scared of these fatass fkng skeletons with my level 13 Zweihander build that i died to these guys like 50 times till i got to the halfway bonfire, then i was absolutely crushed by the dog skeletons and deleted my character... then i found out the right path and felt like an idiot

[@bihn]

Tomb of the Giants is underrated, just make sure you have light source

[@BillySYT]

To an extent, I agree. I actually like Tomb. But I also kept in mind that first-time players who are going in blind won't even know what light sources are an option.

[@snipo233]

I won't lie I almost disliked this video for that Undead Parish ranking lol Great vid

[@BillySYT]

I knew it'd be controversial, but I just feel like the areas around it all have more personality. Like, the Burg, Firelink, Sens & Darkroot are all like... top tier areas for me, so it gets lost in the shuffle when I play.

[@NevinWarrior-es6ds]

I legitimately love your voice, and sometimes I forget your gay(cuz most of the people I follow are straight) but anyways with all that aside, your bf having to go back up from the tomb of the giants is heart breaking, I almost stopped playing the game cuz it happened to me

[@BillySYT]

Not me being able to pass as straight, let's go! Thanks for the kind words though, and I'm so sorry you experienced the dreaded Catacomb climb. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

[@NevinWarrior-es6ds]

@@BillySYT yeah, I recently did a ng+ of it and I forgot to get the lord vessel, so I was stuck there, I was also getting grave lorded and of course the guy doing it was op asf 😭

[@stefanhavlik-f4f]

Gay