From Software Dark Souls 3

[Jokzore]

If memory serves, DS2 was the first to have omnidirectional rolling.

Don't get me started on DS2. It too got undeserved flack because autismo brigade is incapable of coping with change.

I'm not saying DS3 and DS2 don't have valid criticisms leveled against them, but so does DS1, there's plenty to complain about in all 3. However all 3 are great games, some of the best in the last decade. Especially when you compare them to the sea of mediocrity that is their competition. Mediocrity that's the result (hilariously enough) of developers and publisher shying away from change.

 

[cvv]

With its weapon and build variety, fleshed out NPC quests, semi-functioning PvP and small quality of life improvements in form of inventory, boss weapon crafting and omni directional rolling DS3 is the best of the three.

Weapon and build variety is fucking sad compared to DS2, same for PvP and rolling. It was also DS2 that brought all the major QoL and other improvements to the table, DS3 not only didn't add much to that it took away some of it, like the improved NG+.

Also fleshed out NPC quests? I don't even.

 

[Adon]

I don’t know how “fleshed out” these NPCs are since I haven’t finished the game but the ones I’ve met have easily been the least interesting in the series and they’ve had very limited dialogue. Like surprisingly limited. There’s practically been no new dialogue from the Firekeeper since the beginning of the game.

 

[Silva]

I find the NPCs are actually good in DS3. Ludleth, Greyrat, Yuria of Londor, Anri of Astora, Sirris of Sunless Realms, Cornix, that ex-Abysswatcher guy, Elfrireda, etc. all have fairly interesting dialogue that reinforce the theme of pointlessness of this eternal world-resetting struggle, reasonably well. The problem is that their questlines are either flimsy (one may inadvertidely cancel out them altogether and just see their initial dialogues and then they vanish forever, I know because this hapenned in my first playthrough) or pretty confusing (having to go back in the crocosaurus bridge with Sirris WUT?) or indeed nonsensic (Sirris and her father WUT? Ex-Abyswatcher becoming a dragon-dude WUT?).

DS1 have much less NPCs and dialogues overall. Though I find this minimalism fits DS1 better. BB is like this too.

DS2 is more verbose and almost it's own thing in this regard. I don't find it bad, but it certainly strays from the rest of the series.

 

[Adon]

So I've made it to the point where I defeated Yhorm, and Aldrich followed by an immediate fight against Dancer. Of all the bosses only Aldrich and Pontiff Sulyvahn gave me serious trouble. Well really, the only thing that kept giving me any trouble with Aldrich was that annoying volley of arrows that he shoots in his second phase that takes forever to stop; otherwise he was kind of shitty. Pontiff Sulyvahn was really, really good. I would say I was surprised that DaS3 has gimmicky boss fights, but I see that this game borrows some stuff from Demon's Souls (which makes sense when you consider Bloodborne is supposed to be a spiritual sequel to that game over DaS) like the Yhorm fight. Yhorm is basically a mixture of Old Hero and Storm King from DeS. Personally I think a gimmicky boss fight is fine as long as it's not too gimmicky, and frankly Yhorm is a better fight than Dragon God by a mile.

I've actually been pleasantly surprised by some of the locations. Highwall of Lothric, Cathedral of the Deep, and Irithyll have all been pretty good. I actually liked Irithyll Dungeon too, but mostly because that prison is so clearly influenced by Tower of Latria that it sticks out compared to the rest of the game. Everything else has either been alright (Undead Settlement) or pretty shit (Anor Londo, Smouldering Lake).

And yeah, I can see how flimsy the questlines for NPCs can be. Completely canceled out the story with Sirris since I joined Rosaria's Fingers.

But overall I'm still enjoying my time with the game; just not nearly as much as DaS1 and DaS2. I'm probably going to take a break here and come back to it later. Feels like a good stopping point.

 

[Parabalus]

Is DS3 regarded as harder than DS1?

I started this after getting up to Gwyn and died more to Iudex Gundyr than any DS1 boss, surprised me a lot. The next boss was easy, but the 3rd (Dancer) gave me a lot of trouble before I got her.

Like the more fluid movement a lot though, feels much nicer.

 

[Lazing Dirk]

but the 3rd (Dancer)

Oh you poor thing

 

[Kitchen Utensil]

I think it's harder, but it's bullshit difficulty (endless stamina combos etc...).
Once you get used to it, it's not really harder, just worse design-wise.

 

[Hyperion]

I stick to the notion that the hardest Souls game in the series is whichever one you play first. Each iteration has some tricky / tough bosses.

The next boss was easy, but the 3rd (Dancer) gave me a lot of trouble before I got her.

Yeah, this isn't intended at all. Dancer is supposed to be like the 9th boss or something like that.

 

[Ivan]

getting

giving?

 

[Adon]

Is DS3 regarded as harder than DS1?

Generally it seems to be, and I can see how people feel that way with certain bosses, and if you're just coming off DaS1 then getting used to the speed and to how much more aggressive the game wants you to play it takes some getting used to.

Some bosses definitely feel more bullshit-y tho, but I'd still maintain that this has been the easiest Souls game for me. I'm sure, however, that having played Bloodborne and this being the last Souls game I have yet to finish factors into it.

 

[Somberlain]

I stick to the notion that the hardest Souls game in the series is whichever one you play first.

I would agree with this, though on later playthroughs I found that every game is harder than the previous one. When I replayed DS1 after DS3 I found it to be ridiculously easy. DS1 is the first souls game for most people so they probably remember it being much more difficult than it actually is because they didn't yet understand how to play these kind of games.

 

[Wunderbar]

but the 3rd (Dancer) gave me a lot of trouble before I got her. Like the more fluid movement a lot though, feels much nicer.

the hell dude? Why are you murdering peaceful NPCs in a game with no manual saving?

 

[Parabalus]

but the 3rd (Dancer) gave me a lot of trouble before I got her. Like the more fluid movement a lot though, feels much nicer.

the hell dude? Why are you murdering peaceful NPCs in a game with no manual saving?

In DS1 Catacombs there is a "peaceful NPC" (named Patch? or sth) who, after you talk to him, uses a lever and kills you by rotating a bridge . After that experience I started culling any NPC I didn't like. Found loots of cool stuff that way too.

I don't agree with you though, Dark Souls seems pretty good for killing everyone, since you can't get a game over screen no matter what you do (unlike a "proper" RPG). At best you'd miss out on a NPC subplot, but the lore is all vague anyway and there are no "uber" items by design.

Who could I kill to truly fuck up the game so that I'd have to restart?

getting

giving?

I think I missed a lot of stuff, but I doubt I'll replay the game again. If I kill him I'd have to restart, this way I can try e.g. using magic or exploring more.

Is DS3 regarded as harder than DS1?

Generally it seems to be, and I can see how people feel that way with certain bosses, and if you're just coming off DaS1 then getting used to the speed and to how much more aggressive the game wants you to play it takes some getting used to.

That's probably it, feels much faster. The 2nd phase of Gundyr (that black serpent thing) was extremely hard to read for me, compared to what I was used to in DS1.

 

[Silva]

Yeah, the games get harder the newer they are. Going back to DS1 after playing all the series, the only realistic chance of dying is Sen Fortress.

That's probably it, feels much faster. The 2nd phase of Gundyr (that black serpent thing) was extremely hard to read for me, compared to what I was used to in DS1.

Why do you think the game gives you those molotovs? :D

 

[Falksi]

This is fucking brilliant.

As a massive fan of Dark Souls 2, I also enjoyed DS1, but found the re-spawning just too much of a slog to play through to the end. It was fair, it was at a good level of challenge, it was atmospheric as hell, but it was just too much hard work to keep killing the same baddies over & over & over. DS2 chaged a lot of that for me, so I was highly skeptical about playing DS3 with infinite respawns re-appearing.

But it's mint. It's just done so well and somehow managers to keep it constantly fun. I never feel like I'm bashing my head against a brick wall, there always feels like a way out, an alternate option, or that my goal is within my grasp.

And, whsilt I didn't really enjoy Bloodborne, DS3 does retain that arcadey quality which keeps it so accessible.

Been AGES since I've lost 10-15 hours in a game and wondered how, but this has done the trick.

 

[Multidirectional]

As a massive fan of Dark Souls 2, I also enjoyed DS1, but found the re-spawning just too much of a slog to play through to the end. It was fair, it was at a good level of challenge, it was atmospheric as hell, but it was just too much hard work to keep killing the same baddies over & over & over. DS2 chaged a lot of that for me, so I was highly skeptical about playing DS3 with infinite respawns re-appearing.

What? You're actually killing enemies in DS II enough times to despawn them? How do you not get sick of it?

 

[Falksi]

As a massive fan of Dark Souls 2, I also enjoyed DS1, but found the re-spawning just too much of a slog to play through to the end. It was fair, it was at a good level of challenge, it was atmospheric as hell, but it was just too much hard work to keep killing the same baddies over & over & over. DS2 chaged a lot of that for me, so I was highly skeptical about playing DS3 with infinite respawns re-appearing.

What? You're actually killing enemies in DS II enough times to despawn them? How do you not get sick of it?

Many a time I'd reach a section in both DS1 & 2 where I'd kill the enemies well over 15 times for one reason or another. Didn't go to purposely wipe them out, I'd just cross paths with some enemies time after time & eventually they'd do one.

DS1 had plenty of sections where I'd wish they'd disappear because it just got tiresome. DS2 sorted that, and with DS3 it's structured so it doesn't really matter.

 

[Multidirectional]

Well... I guess I can commend you on your patience at least. If I was so terrible at the game that I'd need to go through areas more than 15 times I would just quit the fucking game most likely.

 

[Falksi]

Well... I guess I can commend you for your patience at least. If I was so terrible at the game that I'd need to go through areas more than 15 times I would just quit the fucking game most likely.

Perseverance reaps it's own rewards i guess. Plus I had tons of fun doing it.

 

[Falksi]

Just finished it. Really enjoyed it up until areound 3/4's of the way in, but then it did start to drag & I found some of the later areas fairly dull tbh.

Still a solid 7/10, but doesn't quite capture the brilliance of Dark Souls 2.

 

[cvv]

Just finished it. Really enjoyed it up until areound 3/4's of the way in, but then it did start to drag & I found some of the later areas fairly dull tbh.

Still a solid 7/10, but doesn't quite capture the brilliance of Dark Souls 2.

This. When I played DS1 and DS2 I didn't want the base game to ever finish and when I did get to the end I was so happy I can play a bit more with the DLCs. And when I squeezed the last drop of content I restarted on NG+ and enjoyed the game even more.

In DS3 I was reasonably entertained for about 1/2 of the game, then got progressively bored. Towards the end I couldn't wait for the game to finish and I had to take a break before I even thought about playing the DLCs (which turned out to be fine). Tried NG+ but quit after a few hours.

Btw just to prevent the argument about the natural fatigue with the series: I played the games in the order DS1 - DS3 - DS2 SotfS. Yeah.

 

[Falksi]

Just finished it. Really enjoyed it up until areound 3/4's of the way in, but then it did start to drag & I found some of the later areas fairly dull tbh.

Still a solid 7/10, but doesn't quite capture the brilliance of Dark Souls 2.

This. When I played DS1 and DS2 I didn't want the base game to ever finish and when I did get to the end I was so happy I can play a bit more with the DLCs. And when I squeezed the last drop of content I restarted on NG+ and enjoyed the game even more.

In DS3 I was reasonably entertained for about 1/2 of the game, then got progressively bored. Towards the end I couldn't wait for the game to finish and I had to take a break before I even thought about playing the DLCs (which turned out to be fine). Tried NG+ but quit after a few hours.

Btw just to prevent the argument about the natural fatigue with the series: I played the games in the order DS1 - DS3 - DS2 SotfS. Yeah.

Yup. I've no intention of playing NG+ tbh, will return to DS2's NG+ one day soon, but DS3 is a one-time playthrough only for me. Glad I played it, but I've had my fussy with it now.

 

[Matador]

DS2 is a very uneven game. It has brilliant stuff like the Gutter or the DLCs, but there are some very ugly areas (Brighstone cove Seldora) and boring levels very with bad level design by the standards of the series. The movement and combat was also very slow.

People use to hate DS1 second half, but I only find Demon Ruins and specially Lost Izalith to be bad:

- Duke Archives. Great level design and visually appealling, prestigious incline. Instant classic copied in other games in the series.

- New Londo. Very good atmosphere, level design and I like the dangerous enviroment combined with the gimmick enemies. I remember the first time playing the game I went down the elevator in Firelink Shrine thinking that was a plausible path to take, seeing the ghosts approaching me, attacking once with no effect, and running like a bitch in opposite direction. Quite an effective way to tell players that is no the way to go.

- Catacombs + Tomb of the giants. Only Soy boys can dislike these. Actually, thinking now about playing DS1 again those are the two levels I'm more excited to play.

I think is about time to debunk this extended myth. It's true, first half is legendary, but if you think about it there is a lot to love in late game.

 

[YldriE]

...

Having Dark Souls 1 and 2 behind me, I would say this is the series' biggest weakness so far. There are way too many ugly and boring areas (and enemies!), and I don't mean in-universe ugly (sewers aren't supposed to be good-looking) but just the kind of bland and drab ugliness that extinguishes your interest.

The fact that so many people don't mind tells you how good the gameplay and world design is otherwise, because I think that's one of the worst things that can happen to a game: everything is masterful on a technical level but at some point you sit back and say "wait a second... I really don't care about this part". You mention Lost Izalith, damn, that just gave me boredom PTSD.

Dark Souls 2 was a gigantic leap in the right direction. It had so much content, random Googling reminds me of areas I had totally forgotten about, with tons of very interesting and varied areas, but naturally it just had to be littered with garbage as well. Sometimes I want to reinstall them just so I can experience Anor Londo or Frozen Eleum Loyce again, but then I remember all the turd you have to wade through before you get there. Hell no, I'm not going through Harvest Valley again.