Maybe you thought the original Dark Souls was too hard. Maybe you thought it was too dreary. Maybe it looked boring. For whatever reason, plenty of people missed playing it the first time around. Dark Souls Remastered is out today, and itâs a great excuse to check out the series for the first time or to give it a second chance. Here are some things you should know before you play.
If youâre a series veteran, you know the drill. Dark Souls Remastered is a near one to one experience to the original game. But if youâre new, thereâs some important things you should know:
Stay Calm
Defeat is a fact of life in Dark Souls. Youâll have some pretty tragic and sudden failures while playing. Embrace the messiness and keep pressing forward. Try not to get angry. Youâll improve with each new attempt and eventually kick a lot of ass.
Donât Worry About Your Starting Class Too Much
There are 10 different classes to choose from when rolling a character, each with different stats and equipment. Choose what you think looks fun. Youâll eventually start upgrading the stats you like for your playstyle. However, be aware that picking the Thief automatically grants you the Master Key, which can be used to unlock many different doors throughout the game.
Pick A Good Gift
Youâre also given the choice of a few items at the start. You can pick up the aforementioned Master Key, which can be useful, but I donât necessarily recommend it for your first playthrough. Thereâs some good alternative though. If you want to make early boss fights easier, take the Black Firebombs. Both the rings are useful. The Old Witchâs Ring will allow you to talk to an NPC later in the game. The Tiny Beingâs Ring boosts your health, which can be helpful at the start of the game.
What Do These Stats Mean?
When you level up, you get to choose which stats to increase. Hereâs what they all do:
Vitality â Increases your max HP
Attunement â Increases how many magic spells you can carry
Endurance â Increases stamina and the maximum weight you can carry
Strength â Allows you to wield strength-based weapons and increases damage of STR weapons
Dexterity â Allows you to wield dexterity-based weapons and increases DEX weapon damage and casting speed for magic spells.
Intelligence â Allows you to use sorcery spells and increases damage of INT weapons and spells
Faith â Allows you to use Miracle spells and increases damage of FAI weapons and spells.
Use The Right Stat For The Right Weapon
All equipment has minimum stat requirements to use effectively. They also âscaleâ with certain statistics. For instance, a katana will usually scale with Dexterity. That means if you want to do more damage, you need to upgrade that stat. Take a close look at your favorite weapon to check what stat it uses.
Pick Up Your Souls
As you fight enemies, you collect souls that can be used to level up. If you die, you lose them all but can pick them up again if you run back to where you died. Make sure to grab them; if you die a second time without picking them up, youâll lose all your souls.
Rest At Bonfires
Dark Soulsâ bonfires are iconic at this point, and for good reason. They act as checkpoints where you can level up and restore health. When you die, youâll return to the last bonfire you rested at. Keep a lookout and rest at a bonfire whenever you can.
Restore Your Humanity
As you play, youâll gain âhumanity.â You can then use it to restore your human from at a bonfire. You need to be human if you want to summon other players, so keep that in mind.
Keep A Shield Handy
While I donât personally recommend relying on your shield too often, itâs still good to have one around. Equip it in your off-hand and use it if you feel overwhelmed. Once you learn attack patterns, ditch it and dodge instead. (If you want to turtle up, you can do that to. I just think dodging make things more fun.)
Watch Your Stamina
It might be tempting to dodge roll all over the place or spam attacks, but youâll run out of stamina quickly if you do. Do your best to leave enough for an emergency dodge. Otherwise, you might hack and slash only to get smacked when the enemy retaliates.
Two-Hand Your Weapon
If you change your stance, you can hold your weapon with both hands. It will increase your damage and help you use weapons even if your Strength stat is below requirement. Combine this with well-timed dodges and youâll beat up bosses nice quickly.
Learn To Parry
If youâre not two-handing a weapon, you can use your off-hand to parry attacks. The timing changes a bit with each enemy, but itâs still pretty generous. Donât be afraid to parry attacks. If you succeed, you can counter with a critical attack.
Backstab
If you circle around an enemy, you can do a powerful stabbing attack. The window for backstabs in Dark Souls is really generous compared to the rest of the series. Donât be afraid to exploit it if you need to.
If Youâre Interested In Magic, Try Pyromancy First
Magic builds require stat allotment that can be tricky to grasp on a first playthrough. Luckily, thereâs always Pyromancy. Unlike Miracles or Sorcery, Pyromancy spells have no minimum stat requirements. All you need is Pyromancy Flame, which you can get either by selecting the Pyromancer class at character creation or finding an NPC named Laurentius in the Depths.
Be Sure To Attune Your Spells
If you do use magic spells, remember to equip them when youâre at a bonfire. Using the Attune option in the menu will let you slot spells into your action bar. The amount of slots is tied to your Attunement stat. If you want to hold more spells, youâll have to dump points into that stat.
Equipping Too Much Slows You Down
Your Endurance stat determines your âcarry load,â which determines how much armor and weapons you can equip before moving slower. For instance, if you only have 8% of your total load, youâll dodge roll nice and fast. 50% or higher, youâll basically belly flop. Try to keep your equipment load low if you can.
Upgrade Your Gear
Throughout your journey, youâll find Titanite shards and chunks that you can give to blacksmiths to upgrade gear. Youâll find Andre the Blacksmith near Senâs Fortress, and thereâs another blacksmith hiding below Firelink Shrine. Visit them to buff your weapons as often as possible.
Talk To Everyone
Dark Souls has some really neat characters and side quests. When you meet someone, talk to them until they start repeating their dialog. Thatâs usually enough to have them move to their next location and continue their storylines.
Explore Every Nook and Cranny
Dark Souls levels have a lot of hidden items, merchants, and special enemies. Check everywhere and really take time to search your surroundings. Youâll find gear, shortcuts, and useful bonfires to rest at.
If A Chest Looks Strange, Hit It
Chances are that oddly placed chest is a Mimic, a monster that will chomp your face off if you open the chest normally. You can either fight it or use an item called a Lloydâs Talisman to calm it and earn the loot inside.
Avoid The Graveyard At First
A lot of new players leave Firelink Shrine and head towards the graveyard. Itâs full of skeletons that canât be killed unless you have a divine weapon. Beyond that, you canât even fight the final boss down there until later in the game. Head towards the Undead Burg instead.
Itâs Okay To Ask For Help
When youâre in your human form, youâll be able to summon friendly players and NPCs using magical signs on the ground. Itâs fun to beat the game by yourself, but if youâre stuck, donât be afraid to summon someone. Eventually youâll meet a cool dude named Solaire, who will give you an item to leave your own summoning signs so you can help folks too.
Donât Give Up, Skeleton!
Part of the joy of Dark Souls is being surprised and learning new things. These tips should help you get your bearings, but itâs up to you find your own path through the game. Donât stress the small stuff. Embrace chances to learn and grow. Make mistakes, get up, and keep going. Youâre going to do great.
