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| Tip: Watch the teeth... |
1) Mix it up: There are an awful lot of ways to play Dark Souls, it's not just your usual case of ranged, melee, or magic. Everything has sub-categories, there are the different magic specialities like pyromancy and miracles, tons of melee weapons with different styles, heavy weapons, light weapons, dual-wielding. You can choose to hold a wand in one hand and an axe in the other if you like, I certainly wouldn't recommend it, but the option is there, along with a lot of other options, so what I would recommend, especially if you're just getting started, is to really take the time to try out all the different systems in the game. Your inventory will quickly fill up with a wide variety of weapons, they behave very differently, and its worth giving them all a try, you might be pleasantly surprised.
2) Consider your options: There is no one set path through Dark Souls. Once you finish the tutorial area, you are free, make no mistake, this is an open world game, it's simply that some areas of that world are a lot more dangerous than others. If you're finding one area too tough, there'll always be at least one other place nearby you could try. It's definitely in your best interests to get in the habit of fully exploring your options instead of tiring yourself out hacking away at an area you might not quite be suited to.
3) Combat is more than just light and heavy: At first, I expect most players will focus mainly on a mixture of blocking, and light and heavy attacks, but don't be afraid to experiment, because the combat system really is a lot deeper than that. Backstabs, parries, lunging strikes, ripostes, there's a lot to master, and it can be overwhelming to learn it all at once, but if you gradually try and work some of these moves into your arsenal, you'll become a much more effective fighter. Try tapping B to quickly dodge a strike and then immediately attack to deliver a devastating reply, or when an enemy is blocking with a shield, try flicking the stick forward and hitting RB/R1 to kick the shield away. There are plenty more useful techniques like this for you to discover.
4) Upgrading your weapons is key: This won't matter too much until you're further into the game, but when you start encountering tough enemies, the game becomes a lot harder if you're still relying on the same old sword you picked up near the start. Try to learn the upgrade system, it's not too difficult to understand, and use it well. Pick a weapon you like the feel of, and focus on building it up, at first the attack difference will be negligible, but once you really start getting into the upgrade trees you will notice a big shift in your weapon's power, and suddenly battles become a lot easier. Further on down the line you can invest in multiple upgraded weapons, giving yourself various elemental damage effects to suit any encounter will make the whole game much more manageable.
5) Never rush into new areas: This one might seem a little obvious, but it's worth reinforcing. If you're exploring somewhere new, you have no idea what could be around the next corner. The areas in this game are all vastly different, and nearly every one of them is full of traps just waiting for headstrong heroes to come charging in. Don't do it. I'll tell you a story to put you off. After beating the early parts of the game quite easily, I got a little cocky. I started moving a little faster. "Nothing can stop my awesome power!" I would cry, defiantly taunting the game with my foolhardy naivety. I wound up almost trying to sprint through the sewer section, which, as you may or may not know, has a lot of trap doors in the floor, perfectly designed for idiots like me to fall straight through. Which I did. Into a room of bug-eyed freaks that turned me to stone. Lesson: Don't rush, ever.
6) Pay attention in boss fights: I'll let you in on a little secret; you're going to die on these bosses. It's an inevitability. So, what should you do? How can you make these deaths work for you? Learn from them! There's a pretty high chance that the first time you try and take on a boss in this game, it'll kill you. So what I always do, on my first attempt, or even first few attempts, is try and learn as much as I possibly can about the fight. Just keep your shield up, stay alive as long as you can and figure out as much as possible so you are armed with the most valuable weapon of all when you return; knowledge. Pay attention to the boss, what attacks it uses, how fast it moves, if there is any pattern to the way it fights, what sort of signs it gives before unleashing each attack. Memorise as much as you can, write it down if you have to. Try and have a look at the arena you're fighting in too, as this can often help shift the fight in your favour. If it's a big open area, remember to use that space to run away and heal whenever you need to. See if you can spot any chokepoints, corners, changes in elevation, or possible barriers to help you out. Learn as much as you can to make the fight a lot easier for yourself next time.
7) Don't stress about starting classes: The class you choose at the beginning of the game has no real impact on how the rest of the game goes. This isn't like your traditional RPG where you have to pick a certain class to use certain armour or weapons, all of them can use everything, so don't worry, there are no long-lasting effects. The only differences in classes are what gear and stats you start with, but these differences aren't big enough to fret about, and you'll change armour and stats to suit your own play-style as you go. If you pick a warrior class and decide after a little while you'd rather specialise in magic, you can go ahead and do that very easily. I began the game as a pyromancer in robes, and am now a knight decked out in heavy armour wielding a giant sword. The game grants you the freedom to play it however you like, regardless of class.
8) Look around!: Searching areas fully is a big part of the Dark Souls experience. You'll get a lot out of it if you take the time to stop and look around, check out side paths, go out of your way to pick up any items you see. There's a lot to find in this game, and most of it is hidden in some way, there are items, weapons, and more importantly bonfires, shortcuts, and even helpful NPCs that you might not notice unless you explore thoroughly. It's always worth taking a little extra time to fully observe your surroundings, you never know what you might find.
9) Learn from other people's mistakes: The bloodstains and messages on the ground, left by your fellow adventurers will (mostly) be pretty useful, so it's always worth checking them out, especially in new areas as they will often point out hidden traps or enemies that you might not have noticed, they'll save your life quite a few times if you give them a chance. They'll also help you find hidden items and areas, I've discovered quite a lot of useful gear thanks to the messages left by others. However, it is worth noting that not all of these messages will be useful, in fact, some people, dickheads I believe they are called, will purposefully try and get you killed, that's where the game's rating system comes in, along with your own common sense. Say if you stumble on a message atop a cliff saying "Try jumping off", with a rating of 0, you might want to ignore its advice, but if that message were rated highly, you should probably listen to it, believe it or not there are moments in this game where seemingly leaping to your death is the best course of action and can help you find secret areas and items.
10) Treat every death as a learning experience: Fact is, you're going to die an awful lot throughout this game, and it'll most likely frustrate you to no end. Minimising that frustration is key to making it through the game with your sanity intact, and the best way to do so is to treat each death as a learning experience. Think about what you did wrong, the deaths are almost always entirely the player's fault so don't get mad at the game, or yourself, just focus on realising why you died and think about how you won't let it happen again. This will not only help you stay calm, but genuinely make you a better player. If you're dying over and over from being too hasty in battle, say to yourself "Ok, I need to slow it down a little.", if you seem to be falling to your death far too often, start focusing on moving more carefully. These little adjustments in the way you play will go on to drastically improve your chances of survival, and, in turn, make the game much more enjoyable, so it's always worth trying to learn from your mistakes.
So there you have it. These are the guidelines by which I am living my Dark Souls adventure, and, for the most part, I think they're helping. I hope they can come in handy for you too!
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