What Dark Souls is like for a casual gamer

This game was an interesting experience to say the least.
This video's pretty different from what's on the rest of the channel right now, so I doubt it will do well, and my next couple of videos may suffer under the algorithm for it. However, I wanted to try other kinds of content, and talk about games other than just Zelda. Hope y'all enjoy.
Have a nice day, y'all! See you in the next one.

[@bfranciscop]

"The dragon killed me on the bridge, and there was no way to see it coming" When you've seen enough of FromSoft's environmental storytelling, you start spotting these things before they happen. For instance, the dragon bridge is covered in corpses and scorch marks. An observant player may realize something is up, before the dragon shows flies in. Of course, I wasn't that player, I ate all of the surprise death traps the first time I played it. But when I played Elden Ring I was a bit wider, I paid attention to the environment, the traps became visible to me, the trolling attempts always have clues pointing to them. It's a different kind of learning.

[@mikemaldanado6015]

This is why dark souls is truly a masterpiece. If yoiu sit and analyze how you died, nearly all of the deaths are your fault and were preventable had you been paying attention to all the detail that goes into a fromSofware game. There are no cheap deaths in fromSofware games. That is what makes the difficulty acceptable.

[@adziup]

besides, we saw a dragon when we enter undead burg. also, correct me if im wrong, but someone, some npc was mentioning this drake, undead merchant i think... so we were warned by the game about that happening. sometimes people need to play with understanding, or listen at least...

[@mikemaldanado6015]

@@adziup yes. as for the bosses, when a souls veteran dies you will usually here this phrase right after "damn, i got greedy". the biggest killer in DS, getting greedy and boy does misayaki punish u for that. In sekiro u get punished for hesitating for just a split second and again have nobody but yourself to blame.

[@Rawkit_Surgeon]

It's OK. Souls 1 was not my first souls game and the dragon also got me. I saw it coming but I tried to anyway.

[@mcpudd1540]

@@mikemaldanado6015the Tomb of Giants would like a word….. Fr tho, fuck those giant skeleton spider things that hide in the dark and jump out

[@carlucioleite]

Did you fat roll the entire game? Sir, you are the final boss.

[@barbecuesos6242]

a lot of it was mid-rolling, but basically yes. I liked the aesthetic of the armor

[@carpetworms_]

@@barbecuesos6242 fat rolling for fashion souls is acceptable

[@stephensauer1771]

😂

[@O_Tucano]

​@@barbecuesos6242chad

[@TraaaaaasshBooooaaaatttt]

​@barbecuesos6242 lmao bro there's 2 rings that help you with equip load. You could have just used those the other rings are pretty useless tbh

[@golgol4903]

That's the thing, only people who failed at Dark Souls cry it's too hard. Every fan will tell you it's not as hard as people say.

[@tiredasf107]

Those are the hollows you see around

[@nayyarrashid4661]

Usually there is an easy way around everything except the bosses and even bosses take only a few tries to get through. The run backs in DS1 are nowhere near as obnoxious as in DS2

[@skeletonemoji]

Yeah, it's not really that hard once you get past the learning curve. People who failed or quitted playing souls game/s either just didn't have the patience for the game or soulslike genre isn't simply for them.

[@witha1]

​@@nayyarrashid4661bed of chaos tho

[@giannixx]

@@witha1 Bow and arrow tho. And the runback isn't as bad if you start from the secret bonfire, it takes about half the time of the regular runback that passes through the Titanite Demon. But don't get me wrong, the BoC boss fight is the worst one of DS1 in terms of fight design.

[@nathan-kellyjohnson7437]

Persistence and willingness to learn is not something a lot of folks have.

[@HomelessShoe]

It's hardship people lack in general these days. This also reflects what game the majority of people like; Comfort, holding hands etc.

[@_wildehopps]

Which is honestly pathetic if you ask me

[@AccainGaming]

Spot on Nathan!

[@themasquerader101]

Not true. That's just you teying to act like an elitist. No everybody seems out challenges

[@AccainGaming]

@@themasquerader101 the statement is true. A Lot of people want to be good at things without trying. It's why you have people who cheat in video games bc it gives them the satisfaction of being good without actually being good. For an example I have had people tell me in climbing they would love to climb V10 which is relatively hard, but they do not put the time and effort in to get to that level. Dark souls is a challenging game but there are ways to make it less. Like summoning or grinding levels, there is nothing wrong with summoning or over leveling for a fight that you are struggling with if that helps with making the game more fun for yourself, but to say it is elitist to point out the fact that most people in life say they want to be good at something but don't actually won't to put the time in is just objectively wrong. To get good at something you have to be able to keep working at it for long periods of time. Which takes persistence and willingness to do so. The harsh truth is most people are lazy and don't want to work towards that goal. A lot of people want to be good at things but don't actually want to work at it. Especially as someone who was a coach for competitive gymnastics you can see this clearly with some kids. Some have more drive while others don't. Just is what it is, but it's not elitist to point out the truth. As someone who does hard runs I will support anyone trying to beat the game no matter how they are going about it, but if you want to get good at the game you will need to have persistence and willingness to do so

[@morgana_vr7802]

i love these games because it pushes the casual gamer to leave their comfort zone of the constant hand holding and objective base stuff to a more challenging and rewarding system of the souls games

[@BellXllebMusic]

I guess Quelaag is supposed to be distasteful. She's a chaos witch so it would be out of character if she was very modest. Even the Bible doesn't shy away from giving rather graphic descriptions when applicable.

[@youcantbeatk7006]

She doesn't even have nipples. IDK what he's yapping about. He should be more upset over the Asylum Demon's dummy thicc clappers. The "The Bible has X in it so X should be in our entertainment," argument is really stupid. Modesty is still a virtue. Some things must be documented for the sake of history, but some things shouldn't be used liberally in entertainment for the sake of edginess.

[@sterlingmuse5808]

Fun fact, Gwynivere's design was made by one of the younger members at FromSoft. Someone asked him to design her and then when he presented it to Miyazaki, the young guy was so proud of the design that Miyazaki didn't have the heart to remove it from the game. It happens from time to time, but Miyazaki usually isn't the kind of guy to throw in sex appeal for no reason. Comparatively, in Elden Ring, I can only remember one character who gets near that line (though to be fair, she gets pretty close, definitely moreso than anyone in this game). Also for the record, based on the footage, you had less difficulty with bosses because you were naturally patient and cautious. Compare that to me, someone who's beat several souls games multiple times, and yet dies over and over to simple mistakes because I rush through things even now. Still, I agree with your assessment completely - the real difficulty in Dark Souls 1 is in the regular enemies and the level design. One final thing. Part of the reason everyone emphasizes the bosses is because of later games. Dark Souls 3, Bloodborne, Sekiro, and Elden Ring all have bosses that move far faster than the majority of the bosses in Dark Souls 1, and often have more refined movesets that take more effort to get used to.

[@thomasstump5076]

Who in Elden Ring? Cannot for the life of me think of who you mean.

[@sterlingmuse5808]

@@thomasstump5076 I'm trying to avoid spoilers for OP, so I'll just say the Goddess of Rot and leave it at that.

[@thomasstump5076]

@@sterlingmuse5808 I knew I was going to feel stupid when I found out.

[@iandungeon273]

Amazing chest ahead

[@CyberpunkF]

​@@thomasstump5076 there is Fia but there is a selfish reason for it.

[@NAWWMANNN]

I hate the "souls player vs casual" thing lol Dark souls is a series that can be played casually to relax. Literally my comfort food of games

[@ernestobesto9990]

You have to at least beat one Souls game to feel that way. If you’ve never beaten a souls game you would not consider it a casual game. I didn’t like souls games for years until Elden Ring. Now I’ve gone back and beaten them all except Demon Souls.

[@NAWWMANNN]

@ernestobesto9990 uh, no man lol I felt like this when I first got into souls with DS3. It took me bouncing off of it for like a year and going back to try again, but once it finally clicked with me I was hooked forever and it immediately became a great comfort game for me. And I was nowhere near beating it

[@ernestobesto9990]

@@NAWWMANNN but did you beat ds3?

[@rainynight02]

Biggest issue with dark souls is the learning curve. I just finished a play thought after years and I just did a pure strength build. I sucked at the game in the past, and by just keeping it simple, I almost got disappointed with how, well, simple it got. I even defeated Ornstein and Smough first try! Though, admittedly I did summon Solaire, but I mean, he's never been useful to me in that fight before.

[@michaelmai6514]

@@ernestobesto9990please play demons souls man its amazing and its on par with all the other souls games

[@high.level.noob.]

Dark Souls has a really good difficulty that makes you always feel like you are improving. The first boss teaches you to go around and do something else before you charge blindly at the next challenge.

[@navatheramenguy3127]

I have only one thing to say about this video Based halberd user

[@gilgamesh310]

Beating those gargoyles on a first try seems like a remarkable feat. They were a big roadblock for me.

[@nathanielholzgrafe5274]

Yes this is wild. Close to not believeable.

[@xotmatrix]

@@nathanielholzgrafe5274 Yeah, I was surprised too but look at his load-out. Fireball, halberd, dragon crest shield, and elite knight armor. Hard to be better prepared at this point in the game.

[@justinkearl2212]

The one person I've ever seen who didn't appreciate the fire spider lady. 😅

[@sayo9812]

In dark souls you either skip every enemy or you pick solo fights. Most people are used to rushing 10 enemies at once and they are humbled by Dark Souls timings. Bosses on the other hand are just a timing minigame, you roll, attack, roll again. You could call dark souls combat chess-like: you move, your opppnent moves, you react to what he did and react accordingly

[@witha1]

or just tank through and trade hits

[@sayo9812]

It really depends on the game, 1 and 2 that's a viable way. In 3 not so much, as everything hits like a train and armor doesn't do much.

[@witha1]

@@sayo9812 tru ds3 is where you actually have to play the game lol

[@Ricard1807o]

I pick option 3, kill crowds of enemies by manipulating their AI

[@TraaaaaasshBooooaaaatttt]

10 enemies at once? Laughs in greatsword wide arc attacks

[@s.e.n3264]

Never heard someone call the Basilisks a "curse frog". 😂 that's awesome!

[@adziup]

curse frog!!! xD aaaaaand frog splash!!! :D

[@Zenjie862]

I honestly love that description because they ARE like frogs

[@alexadelaide]

“Hard” is literally how people describe not having invisible walls on every cliff

[@HomelessShoe]

I honestly find it annoying to get treated like a kind of baby. It's not meant to insult people that loves those safety bars though.

[@cj7011]

It is actually, that's the point

[@barliechrown9994]

The same folks who ask for bumpers when they go bowling.

[@youcantbeatk7006]

It annoys me how there's invisible walls on some edges, but not all of them. I think it's the way they don't want you to jump over very slight inclines.

[@user-mo6fx1jg1l]

You're 100% right about Dark Souls not being as hard as people say it is, or at least it isn't hard in the WAY that people who haven't played it imagine it being. It doesn't require complex inputs or twitch reflexes, it's really about being patient & discipline & managing your own emotions so that you make the right decisions in the moment. It heavily rewards a "work smart, not hard" mindset.

[@ayzix-polytopia3854]

I find that Sekiro is more in line with the difficulty you described. Unlike dark souls, where you sit back and wait for the enemy to hit, then come in and hit twice just to do start dodging and doing it again, you need to run towards the enemy and perfectly parry the 7 hit combo that he’s about to do and if your stance is broken because you mess up the timings, you die.

[@phongtranquoc7557]

Im a complete beginner and i started dark souls 1 one week ago and i gotta say it is certainly difficult for me. I dont even know how to run until 2 days ago playing the game. But i am a kind of a stubborn one so despite dying for like almost 100 times im still grinding and loving the experience

[@cj7011]

That a boy, don't give up you won't regret it.

[@JackXombi]

Keep going! Don't go hollow.

[@nayyarrashid4661]

For me the biggest appeal of dark soul was for being the archetype knight character having a sword and shield that actually matters in the gameplay. Long have I desired for a game that used the shield and sword in a meaningful way having played a bunch of party based rpgs like Dungeon Siege where sword and shield merely means a boost in attack ans defense stats. Other than that gameplay involved just clicking this target and see what's happening coupled with using a few abilities. But once I started playing it brought back the memories and feeling of those old NES games where you have to learn the game and pay attention carefully and where owing to the contraints of tech at that time no cutscenea existed. The story existed only if you paid attention but other than that you are just a good guy on a mission; to kill as many enemies as you can. All this got me into dark souls although I had a pretty hard time with it in the beginning but eventually learnt there is always an easy workaround. You just have to find it on your own and that's half the fun. Gameplay is the king here. It is brutal engaging and rewarding and satisfying all at the same time.

[@dontthrow6064]

I like that you mentioned the game does really well with a single difficulty, and then players are free to choose whatever strategy they see fit without feeling that you lose any fun.

[@HomelessShoe]

No matter how old Dark Souls is, it will always have a special place in my heart.

[@PurzelPadauZ]

"There was virtually no way to see it (fire breathing dragon) coming" while walking over a totally scorched bridge lmfao.

[@Ruchunteur]

to be fair, everything happen very quickly. you have an audio cue and then you are toast. Even if there was clues on the bridge design, the dragon wasn't in sight

[@dontthrow6064]

@@Ruchunteur to add to this, it's not like you have any other route, even if you know about it and run to the stairs there is a chance you get hit

[@jealousagain783]

I haven’t thought about this until you mentioned it, but I think the purpose of losing the Firelink bonfire is to nudge you toward the natural path of progression that is Sen’s fortress. Most players will experience that event after ringing both bells and seeing the gate opening cutscene. Cutting off that bonfire encourages you to go that direction rather than further explore areas that will ultimately lead to dead ends at that time, and you get the fire keeper’s soul back at the end of Anor Londo when you’d naturally be returning to Firelink anyway.

[@The_Horse-leafs_Cabbage]

This brings back memories of my first attempts at Dark Souls 1. I'll be honest, I struggled for months to actually commit time to learning the game, instead of getting stuck at where I was. But once I actually committed to a playthrough (this is more my fault than anything), I really started to appreciate the tools the game provides the player--the weapons and techniques needed to survive, explore, and also piece together the hidden stories. Going back to my earliest days of playing the game, tho--I honestly love how the Undead Burg and Darkroot Garden are perfect sandboxes for figuring out the game's mechanics, before braving the Depths and Blighttown, and being graded on your performance by Sen's Fortress.

[@nebulaswirl]

I'm gonna guess that the characters that were "distasteful" with your Christian beliefs were; Gwynevere and Quelaag?

[@barbecuesos6242]

ya. Those and Pale Lady

[@familylusc5593]

Pale lady?

[@nebulaswirl]

@@familylusc5593 Quelaag's sister

[@familylusc5593]

@@nebulaswirl thank you

[@joe_souls]

Wait.... Can someone explain this to me? Why does a Christian have problems with Gwynevere and Quelaag?

[@JKKoneofakind]

Pro-Tip for when Firelink goes dark. Embrace it. Set the killer free. Let him kill the firekeeper. Collect the firekeeper soul in Anor Londo. Don't use it, instead store it in your box. Once you beat the game, and are pushed into NG+, you can use it to instantly restore Firelink the moment it goes dark again, and then collect the next playthrough's firekeeper soul in Anor Londo. I know Firelink being dark sucks, but you know why? cause you rely on it too much. Embrace the dark Firelink.

[@dragonmancer9514]

Nice video man! I’m really glad that a video like this exists. There are too many videos either saying the game is perfect or too hard, when neither of those are entirely true. It makes it hard to actually talk about the game (both good and bad) without feeling like your wrong since you haven’t picked a side

[@seymourbands1258]

Fat rolling into the archers arrow was pretty funny 😂 No hate bc when I was new to souls I had also chosen to be armored up into a fat roll on occasion

[@brutusmagnuson315]

I think a big part of the reason people get stuck on the difficulty is just the time it was released. Games were made too much for wide audiences and didn’t respect the players enough to expect anything out of them at the time.

[@xthejetx]

I think the big reason souls games have this reputation, is that players who beat them believe they've overcome a nearly impossible challenge, and in their ego they oversell that difficulty to players who aren't aware. It's a testament to the design that it does feel that way, but the challenge is just a side effect of this type of design, it's not the goal to make it the hardest game possible. These are immersive dungeon crawlers more than they're arpg's.

[@chase6579]

Nah I thinks because game journos who can't even beat a tutorial said it was.

[@zourou319]

My brother has been playing this game for years and loves it. One of his favourites. I got a bit more curious about it. Good video 👍

[@Thundra93]

That is actually so interesting. I was in disbelief as you told your list of bosses you got on your first try. Like wth xDD

[@Mayhap34]

I'm so glad you mentioned the two silver knights on the ledge in Anor Londo. My first time there I couldn't get past it. Rage quit and don't go back for a couple weeks.

[@liteflunky]

My first experience was with Dark Souls 2 ten years ago. I went with my gf to Best Buy and saw it on sale so I bought it. It made me rage so hard and cry so much that I even thought it was broken. I watched a video that explained that it was supposed to be that hard, and from that moment on, I just enjoyed it and I've been in love with souls-like games since

[@vapehat2679]

At the time of me commenting, you have 666 subscribers. Lol

[@tylerreitz7985]

Fat rolling in anor londo is crazy😭

[@rohuffgamingakaLea1576]

Glad someone else understands it's not as hard but punishing and a casual could do it

[@revslp]

The thing with the firelink shrine, you just need to kill the guy before you ring the second bell, you still get the drop from him

[@Ennello]

Halberd is absolutely cracked in DS1, not really an easy mode, but a pretty easy mode at least ;p I think I used it too my first time playing.

[@Altigue]

“Maybe I’m just cracked at this game from the start”… not as unlikely as you might think.

[@manvendrasinghrawat2492]

dark souls is life, you have to overcome challenges and by adapting to achieving the end goal

[@rektitralf9089]

Did you play through the whole game fat rolling? (Heavy dodging) That must have been tough. I can’t play any of the souls games without either a medium or light roll. Having the extra invincibility frames makes a huge difference.

[@barbecuesos6242]

Most of it I was mid-rolling for, I think I only fat-rolled when I was still figuring out the numbers. I didn't feel the need to go all the way to light-rolls though, I'd rather have the extra armor points and the style :D

[@rektitralf9089]

@@barbecuesos6242 oh ok. I only saw fat rolls from the footage. I was wondering if you completed the game like that. I’m impressed you beat the gargoyles in one try. They gave most people problems including myself. It took me maybe 10-12 tries to beat them.

[@barbecuesos6242]

@@rektitralf9089 I didn't notice them on the first comb through that area, so I beat them a little later than most people probably do.

[@user-lg7wt5zd9g]

I remember playing Dark Souls Remastered on my Switch last year, and I absolutely adored it. I had tried to play through it at different times after it came to Nintendo Switch, and while I enjoyed what I had played, I just couldn't make it very far. Once I truly understood the mechanics, I loved it. It is one of my favorite games of all time. Yes, I'm a Christian too, and I agree on the characters you mentioned, but I also think that comparatively speaking, this game has less sex appeal than many T games despite its M rating. I think it's a genuinely fascinating game, and I really wish they had brought 2, 3, and Sekiro to Switch, but I think that ship has sailed. Anyway have a good day.

[@SkeletorCa]

Played and completed the game like 5 times; this is a good review 👍

[@budoolove5887]

I remember the first times dragon fire stopped me getting somewhere. Maybe demon souls trained me but i remember thinking there has to be a way. Wether timing or hiding you gotta get by it

[@griegomamey4624]

From what you have told, you definitely did incredibly good considering it was your first souls, and playing without a guide or someone guiding you. I got a friend guiding me through most of the game + summoning his phantom, and I sucked soooooo much, sometimes we both were stuck at a run up to a boss (mostly my fault) until 3am while streaming the game on discord, enjoying and suffering together even tho we both had to work at 7, or even 6am the next day. I remember that i got infected by a parasite and i didn't realize the fucking thing debuffed me for a good portion of the game and that was like after ornstein and smough, my friend never got infected and he assumed I joined the covenant of servant of chaos below queelag's boss arena. And fun fact, i never got cursed, ever, the concept was so odd to me that i needed to personally go out of my way to find out what that looks like.

[@PigPen803]

As someone who has spent literally thousands of hours on the Souls games, this was one of the truest descriptions of playing the games I've ever heard. Well done!

[@Sarahstratford]

My brother got me into these games back when demon souls was out and then we ordered Dark Souls 1 together on release date and played it and now these are my favourite games of all time! I’ve even platinumed Dark Souls 3, but I’m definitely one who loves this type of game and I fully accept dying constantly lol 😂

[@GoofyPoptart]

Hey I'm a new soul's player just started DS1 2 week's ago I work a full time so I can only play after 4 if I choose. I just beat Ornstien and Smough 2 night's ago, Yes the game's are difficult but once you're used to everything you can adapt like you said be willing to learn.

[@CaffyPvP]

The thing people never understand about Dark Souls is that it does have difficulty settings, they're just less obvious. If the game is too hard, you can summon NPC and player allies to help you, and you can outlevel and overgear for what is expected for the area to make it easier. If you don't want to face NPC and player invasions, you can choose to do a hollow run without restoring your humanity. You can kindle your bonfires to give you more Estus. There are tons of consumables available from weapon enchants to grenades to help you. If you use every tool available you can one hit every boss and breeze through the game. On the other hand, if you want hard, that's an option too. My first playthrough I didn't want to use "cheap" tactics, so I just went sword and board with no magic or items. It was pretty difficult, and I enjoyed it more as a result, because that's what I wanted. My next playthrough I used every trick in the book to be a god of vengeance against the enemies who had vexed me, and it was great, because that's the experience I was looking for.

[@briancaro196]

While the constant fat rolling got to my nerves a lot it was a solid run, congrats. Hope you play again sometime and start experimenting, I found that for me at least experimentation is the best part of dark souls. My 3rd playthrough I planned a route and got a +15 Iaito killing only Capra Demon, then proceeded to melt all the bosses up to and including Artorias.

[@Nyarly-san]

The fact he killed Capra demon in 2 tries while holding a pole arm with one hand and fat rolling

[@JezterTV]

As a veteran in all souls games I agree 100%. All points are valid.

[@AccainGaming]

Ah yes the Lautrec trap. You have to kill him before bell gargoyles to avoid the fire keeper from being killed. That aside I completely agree that the game isn't just for the elite. Great video BarbecueSos!

[@martinmakovsky7839]

I am casual myself and I love the fight in game, that was what carried me through the whole game. :D

[@gimonkey98]

What makes me loves dark souls and mainly the formula is that it's going back to classic difficulty where exploring or doing things makes you stronger and things get easier, and what makes these fun is as you get stronger it still amps up the next challenge till you figure it out and learn from it, and soon you go with the flow, dont get me wrong there is bs but usually the bs is user error and ya learn from it but there can be some bs still lol

[@burn1none]

great video, glad you gave the game a shot. I think you'd really really like Elden Ring since the "go somewhere else when you're stuck" is like the best part about that game. don't you dare go hollow.

[@masacarre]

I very much enjoy the Dark Souls series. Starting on the second, game I probably had a much different experience from most people who started on ds1 or elden ring as ds2 is arguably clunky and very different overall. The world of intrigue and mystery really cought me though. The difficulty was never something I considered. Understandjng that the game is going to be difficult and having the mindset to "try and learn" is really all you need. As an aside: I don't know what your hardware is but dark souls 3 is pretry well optomized. I played it for years on a gtx 970 and a laptop with a 1050, easily able to keep a stable 60fps at 1080p or 1440p if I hooked it up to TV. I don't know if you want to play DS3 but if you do, I don't think the hardware is as far away as you might think.

[@ObtuseDookie]

I do recommend playing ds3 if you ever get a machine that can run it. It’s harder but if you beat ds1 you can handle it. I think the third game adds a lot of nuance to the ending of the first game.

[@dton0743]

As a fellow Christian, it brings me comfort to see another souls enjoyer. Just finished the game today, it was pretty fun. Stay safe brother.

[@Des40595]

I have never seen a more honest review for dark souls it will punish you for carelessness reward you for thinking things through

[@darrenklein6090]

I picked up Dark Souls Remastered after having completed Elden Ring, Sekiro, Bloodborne, and AC6… this game is dang hard.

[@chrissalcido7410]

I remember my first time playing dark souls 1. Was my first souls game, so i didnt know what to expect other than what people said about it (keep in mind this was before elden ring). I remember dying to the asylum demon like 15 times with my broken sword before i realized there was a side gate you were supposed to go through. I literally thought the asylum demon was supposed to be that hard based on the reputation it had lmao. I think i even got him to around 60% hp once. Honestly tho the reputation dark souls gets with its difficulty is super overblown. As this dude said, all it takes is some patience and willingness to learn

[@Luekirt2]

Have u beaten the dlc? That's the hardest and best part of the game

[@LordKenntax]

The biggest issue with dark souls is the scaling of weapons and the system behind it. At no point in game there's an explanation for what D and C means on your weapon. While you can easily figure out that you can't really use a big sword when your strength is not high enough there's no chance to figure out what that D means. It's nowhere to find it. Or if so I couldn't find it to that day and needed help from a friend.

[@rhythmhawk29]

I think you might have an even higher opinion of the game if you do another playthru, fresh character or not. I always come to regret some choices on a blind run of these games, but going through them a second time with game and world knowledge can really demonstrate how intricate and intentional the design of these titles are (DS1 is still the best at this imo.) It’s actually kind of amazing how much you can miss. Also, if you’re playing on switch, I’m pretty sure it comes with the Artorias of the Abyss DLC. That’s where the most challenging fights in DS1 are. Arguably the best too.

[@dracophoenixttv]

Let me guess the 3 characters are Quelaag, Gwynevere (An illusion by the way) and Priscilla (Those are the only ones I can think of that might be considered although Priscilla a stretch i say if so.. I say most things are correct said game is great though. Finding out more of its story is awesome. Priscilla for instance has a unique story completely harmless to the character unless attacked. She's the daughter of Seath.

[@barbecuesos6242]

Priscilla didn't bother me, the third that I was referring to was the Pale Lady. Thanks for the thought & support :D

[@dracophoenixttv]

@@barbecuesos6242 oh the sister got it never thought she was maybe cause the game didn't really emphasize on her and is hidden to.

[@barbecuesos6242]

@@dracophoenixttv ya, that's fair enough lol. Kinda forgot that area was supposed to be hidden because I just kinda stumbled upon it

[@dracophoenixttv]

@@barbecuesos6242 Average dark souls run stumble upon something. lol

[@youcantbeatk7006]

@@barbecuesos6242 What about Priscilla's stinky feet?

[@CatNolara]

Btw. if you kill Lautrec after you freed him/he escaped, he won't kill the Firekeeper at the Firelink Shrine. Just shows that you can trust no one but yourself in this game.

[@theloniousparekh101]

bro beat o and s heavy rolling 😬

[@WOOKMEISTA]

Excellent video, friend 👌❤️

[@silverdragon7385]

Nice review. Like you said, Dark Souls isn't hard, however it doesn't hold your hand, and requires you to actually engage with it to get a hang of it. Patience and a willingness to learn is key to winning. As for the story, it's largely up to interpretation. I found it interesting that you concluded it had very nihilistic themes, as I never got that. But I guess it depends on how one interprets the different Ages.

[@v.d.2090]

3:25 - Well, technically, there was visual clues about burning fire everywhere on this bridge. They were there for one specific reason: alerting us of incoming fire. And Dark Souls give us these small clues each time.

[@konsty_2]

O&S are strong but the fire demon is the true endboss

[@jeremyjmusic]

“Curse frogs” are called Basilisks

[@cirnobyl9158]

Would be cool to hear your experience with Sekiro!

[@90ZAZ09]

Pretty good take on DS and i know when i was a newbie back on the ps3 the game caused me alot of trouble, one thing i will say is blighttown isnt an issue now but back in the day on the old hardware the issue came from the ledges mixed with the frame rate tanking, could easily drop to single didget frames and accidently walk of a ledge 😂. Casually learning this game with friends and comparing builds and how far we had gotten after months of play is deffinatly what made this game for me though more then anything else.

[@paladin181]

That bridge was covered in scorchmarks, my friend. It's environmental story telling. Sure, you may not have realized that someone was coming, but there were clues. But the entire premise of the series is brutally fair. Early on , in the first Dark Souls, the enemies stick to a set of rules similar to yours (not the same for balance reasons). Some can heal a limited number of times, they can't generally spam attacks without resting, and their attacks hurt you a lot, as yours do them.

[@nicoldengenyakeye6905]

I remember playing this back in the day. but man Capra demon !! I cant tell you how i beat that guy after a 3 hour grind it was a true battle i literally lucked out with 1 hp. Even now when my nephew was playing it I just told him to fight and pray.

[@alanviniciuswanderleytavar4399]

4:30 well, lautrec says on your face that he gonna get rid of the fire keeper...

[@josephcarlson896]

Good video dude.

[@fabiourbano6404]

You can pick bombs and take out the asylum demon first try he drops the demon hammer. Under firelink you have spells. In firelink you have a bleed weapon a talisman spear and Zweihander. The game does reward determination and exploration.

[@rafael357]

Got lucky and got a Black Knight Greatsword at Undead Burg on my first rin, so I just Leroy Jenkins the entire game.

[@donteddy1858]

The toughest enemy in soulsgames is you yourself.

[@TVP90]

That Switch port is special, different. I adore this game, and have played it on every console and PC, but my favorite version is the Switch port, and I always go back to that OP build in NG+. Even though it's 30 FPS, it has characteristics of the original release and the remaster, which make it unique, and because it's the only Nintendo souls game, I think the online community is more active than other DS communities from other versions. In my opinion, you're playing the best version of the game!!

[@Iso20227]

Precisely. As a Dark Souls veteran, I agree that it’s a difficult game, but far from unreasonably so. As a Christian man myself, it was a little tough to get really into some parts of the game. The demons and the gods, the dark souls of humanity. I still have my reservations about speaking openly about the lore. As a story writer though, I can easily dismiss the lore as part of the story. The story, in fact, being my favorite part of the game. The story and the lore are the deepest, most fun, and most meaningful parts of the game for me, and that feeling carried all the way into Dark Souls 2, and carried on past Dark Souls 3. I highly recommend them both. DS2 may be glitchy and clunky, but the atmosphere is my favorite in the trilogy. But DS3? THAT is where the impact is. The impact of Dark Souls is only fully realized in the end of the series. It’s not really something I can explain very well, so let me just say this. If you get the chance to play Dark Souls 3, take it. I highly doubt that you will regret that decision.

[@doxdorian5363]

You just have to wear a shield, and block. Then you don't have to be very precise with your dodges and stuff. Becomes much easier.

[@vit-t680]

You were pretty overlevelled for the twin gargoyles, thats probably why you found em easy

[@ro8480]

Bro fat rolling throughout the whole video had me tight😂

[@mangodango1733]

I cant lie i actually like going through blighttown at this point both it and sense fortress can be a lot of fun

[@gergelymagyarosi9285]

"There was this dragon on a bridge. And there was virtually no way to see it coming." - says the content creator, while literally ignoring charred cobblestones and burned corpses.

[@OtherDude]

Satisfactory fun is where I feel like many Elden Ring bosses were lacking. It didn't feel satisfying; I was moreso relieved that the bullcrap was over now.

[@stonecold998]

DSR on Switch, everytime i get out of the game i have to get used to the buttons again lol

[@briancaro196]

That's the real struggle right there

[@SophistiFaebl]

I have had other people ask me about Dark Souls. My response has always been, "It is tough, but fair." I love the Soulsbourne games (despite not playing them to completion) I have never felt that something was impossible in one. Tough. Difficult to beat at my current level. But never impossible. Dark Souls 3 to be specific always had me growing as a player rather than mashing the same buttons and hoping rng takes care of the rest. If I fail it is because I did something wrong (usually. That camera will get you every now and again) If you are scared to try a Souls game. Don't be. They are tough, but be patient and think about what you do and I promise you will go far.

[@Digital_Her0]

Someone who actually gets the game. Awesome

[@Rawkit_Surgeon]

Some people are just afraid of failing. The secret sauce of git gud is simply the process of learning.

[@miroslavduran7826]

Only one gripe: "Theres no way to see it coming" when the bridge is the only piece of architecture in the area wih huge burn marks.

[@barbecuesos6242]

Wow I’m blind lol

[@dylang.devine7459]

Quality video good man

[@tristan4959]

guarantee this vid will blow up stg

[@barbecuesos6242]

I hope so! It's doing better than the channel average for now

[@YOUR_NARRATOR975]

It's only hard until you get that fromsoft epiphany and then it's one of the easiest games you'll play (until you slip up in a boss fight and can't beat it for the next week)

[@philosophyofiron9686]

You've got some of the best understanding of Dark Souls 1, and the most well-grounded takes on it that I've ever heard on the internet, and that's interesting to say to a first time souls player who is very christian, as I am on the other end of those spectra as a 8 years Souls vet who is very not christian lol. I fully agree with you on Blighttown, and can't understand why it has the reputation it does. The dart shooters are weak enemies who perma-die on one kill, and there are only a few of them, and the rest of the area is good design on par with other areas, and not very long, either. I really wonder what you would have to say about the approach to "difficulty" in some of the other games, because in my view, what you've said is for sure exactly right about Dark Souls 1 and Demon's Souls, but in my view, the emphases in the way challenge is created, and the difficulty level reached operates by a very different ethos in multiple of the other games. I won't give more detail about which games and why unless you ask, as perhaps you'd like to avoid being influenced by someone else's take on them. I highly recommend playing as many of them as you can get hold of and make time for, and possibly in order, so you can see how things evolve. The way From iteratively evolves the conventions of their genre is an interesting subject in its own right that seems to be quite different any other studio I've played multiple games from.

[@LoneSilverW0lf]

Now that you’ve played DS1, I’m sure you’ll better appreciate the DS1 songs by people like JT Music, Dan Bull, Miracle Of Sound, and them. These gaming songs hit different when you’ve actually experienced them.

[@The_Walking_Dude]

I recommend trying out Nioh now. It'll cement your joy for playing these types of games.