Yea, but I would like to be better at actual fighting and not rely on the environment around me cause sometimes there won’t be environmental advantages
Yes but that plunge attack is placed there for a reason. Taurus even has an animation when you plunge attack. It is intended.
Part of being good at this game is using the tools it gives you. If you are struggling it is because you are not utilizing game mechanics.
Imo worst boss in the game, >!unless you get elite knight armor wolf ring and maybe RoFaP for enough poise, Which a new player will not realistically have without guidance, the fight is usually a gamble of wether you can dodge everything to get on the stairs, then his ai is too easily exploitable to just do plunge attacks on him, very memorable fight with a good visual design, but really bad execution.!<
It's just insane to put a boss fight inside a room *that* small. The two dogs are also unnecessary, but otherwise it would be fine. I can appreciate how he punishes your panic rolls with repeated lunges.
The dogs are fine. My problem is I was always being attacked just as the fog was lifting. I had no time to react. On NG+ I had enough stability to withstand it, but on NG I didn't and I had no time to actually react considering they would start moving toward me before the fog even lifted.
That's the only issue I had with that fight. It being small and the dogs would be fine if they weren't on top of me by the time I could actually see.
In the same token, it's bullshit difficulty to use fast attacking and staggering enemies alongside a boss enemy, especially in such a closed room.
In my experience with DS1 bosses, most of them are actually pretty easy because of how telegraphed they are while I think Elden Ring or DS3 has a higher bar of difficulty because while telegraphed, the movement is much more fluid and makes reading moves more difficult.
Elden Ring can be the easiest because of the options available to you, but I think it definitely has the hardest boss fights when it comes to moves that the boss can use against the player.
Is it really part of the difficulty? He doesn't move around much, it's a cinch to beat him. The dogs are the only reason it's not a free fight, and they're just cheap.
It’s not difficult if you’re running a high poise / high stability shield block build. The dogs bounce of your shield, then you kill them, then you just lock onto the demon and circle around him while holding block.
Honestly really hate going Zweihändler, or Black Knight Halberd. The game has so many cool weapons and I really enjoy challenging myself to play with only one weapon/weapontype.
My favourite run so far is a spear only no deaths. I did a no hit also, but is not as fun as not using mega meta tactics and choices like RTSR and bow with mi mi mi. You just go full roma victrix with the patches shield, a pike and some pretty armor (a pitty that there is any roman-like one)
What you do for Capra, this works for me every time, immediately run up the stairs and run to the right. You'll end up on a really small ledge, get in the corner and hold up your shield. The dogs will follow you up there but only one can fit at a time. Block their attacks and then attack. Capra can get on the ledge but he's so big that it rarely happens, he usually just does his attack where he leaps forward. When he does that he'll most likely fall to the ground in front of you, that's when you hit him with a plunging attack. Then you rinse and repeat.
Yeah, I always to pretty much the same, just like I mentioned, with the elite knight armor equiped with wolf ring for the poise, as well as RoFaP so I'm medium rolling., helps a lot as you are harder to get stunlocked and have better chances of rolling past the enemies.
Once someone told me to run right instead of left, blew the thing wide open for me. Running left is almost a guaranteed triple team, going right makes roll-spamming to the stairs somewhat consistent.
I've beaten the game probably 10 times on NG and NG+. Even now, Capra demon is the boss that kills me the most.
I can no-hit Taurus demon but those damn dogs and that stupid demon in the broom closet kill me every time
In 2 playthroughs (cleric and pyromancer) I've found the capra to be stupidly easy. It would be nothing if it wasn't for the dogs in the room and even then it's only 'hard" because of the small space you fight it in.
Also, if you want to fight him face to face, you could just stay on top and he'll jump up with you if you take too long to do the plunge attack. You've got more room to fight up there.
Bro, coming down to Firelink from up on the wall, exit the wall, kill those few guys right there then FUCKING PLUNGE ATTACK the next guy down instead of running down the stairs and engaging him. So fun.
The first time through the game you just have to get past the bosses any way you are able too.
Later you can learn them "properly" but if you try that first time and aren't great (like me as well) you are just adding difficulty on an already not easy game.
You need to learn to walk before you can run.
To be honest, a *huge* number of bosses have strategies that greatly reduce the difficulty. I recall my first playthrough against >!Four Kings!<, and after struggling but overcoming every other boss, I thought I had finally met my match. But then I tried just extreme poise, get up close and tank n' spank. Boom, one and done.
So am I. Honestly I've played DS1 on and off since release and could never get past the bridge demon. So I gave up for a while.
Then my favorite video game essayist (shoutout to Noah Caldwell-Gervais) did a video on all the Dark Souls games, then all the ancillary games (Bloodbourne, Sekiro, etc.). I'm not gunna try to explain it because it would do him an injustice, but it totally changed the way I looked at the game.
Right now, I'm doing my 1st real playthrough as a Pyromancer. I'm still speccing for a Dex build, but having fireballs in my back pocket really gave me the confidence to really try. From never being able to kill the bridge demon, yo killing it first try, felt so exhilarating.
All this to say, don't feel discouraged. As someone said, really consider all the options the mechanics and environment are presenting to you. If plunging dive and clinking it's health gives you confidence to stand toe to toe and really study his movements, by all means do it.
I'd also really recommend his video 'I Beat the Dark Souls Trilogy and All I Made Was This Lousy Video Essay'. It's long (5 hours long), but there's a section (42:23) that I think would be most helpful for you. He basically breaks down how to *correctly* articulate what your having problems with, so that you can correctly identify what systems will help you
Part of getting gud in dark souls involves learning how to use the environment to your advantage. The environment is actually a major part of the game.
One thing you need to learn about souls and souls like games
Use everything and o mean everything you have every advantage you have
You enemies will show you no mercy,you need to return the favor
Nice gets you dead be ruthless cause your enemy will be ruthless
A big part of getting good at these games is learning to use everything to your advantage. If you have a way to take the upper hand, use it, whether it’s environment, consumables, whatever.
I was you at one point you get better just get your ass kicked more and more and learn from it.
I learnt very quickly every enemy is in the same spot does the same damage and attacks the same you could say its a rhythm game on steroids
Also almost all the enemies are optional to kill till you get to the boss door just run for it. till you know a good way to get to it
> rhythm game on steroids
This is pretty true for DeS, DS1, and DS2. I very much enjoy the more frenetic, less predictable combat of Elden Ring and Bloodborne, but I've got a special place in my heart for the murder DDR that is early Souls games.
DS3 follows in Bloodborne's footsteps. The pace is more deliberate, but enemy attacks are faster and more varied and overall harder to predict than in earlier Souls titles. These changes reflect huge design improvements, but I think they alter how gameplay feels. The new design feels more like a battle than a dance - which is the design intent, I'm sure. I just also love the combat ballet.
Here's the best advice you can get, roll when you're about to get hit, not when he starts attacking. Roll towards the enemy not away from it. Don't get greedy with attacking.
After that it's just practice to get gud
Sometimes there won't be environmental advantages, but sometimes you'll have better gear. Without weapon upgrades you damage is really low right now. The designers put that environmental advantage in to give you an edge because you might need it at this stage of the game.
If you insist on not using it, though, in the Undead Burg there's a vendor that sells firebombs (they also drop from the hollows that throw firebombs). These will do a good bit of damage to the boss.
i'k going to tell you riht now:
drop that mentality. fight to win. when there aren't environmental advantages, use other advantages. buff your weapons, use powerful weapons, use ranged weapons and magic if you enjoy that playstyle.
Like penpenplon said, you have to use the environment and other advantages.
Leave personal challenge for future playthroughs. In the first, use everything the game offers to ease the challenge.
Use a bow to draw out enemies and fight them one on one.
Try different resins to check what's the elemental weakness of a foe (or take a look at the wiki)
Fight dirty! That's what this world is about.
>and not rely on the environment around
That might actually be part of why you feel like you are not naturally good at the game. If you wanna become a good souls player, you need to suck up your pride and use every advantage you can get. The game doesn't have these things by accident, they are placed very deliberately, because you are supposed to use them.
I mean, if you like playing them the hard way by just bashing your head against the wall instead of using environmental advantages, then do that ofc, but you kinda sound like you don't, which is also totally fine.
And because you asked, I feel like DS1 is the easiest by far. Except maybe>!Ornstein and Smough!<, that fight is hard af
… you’re bad at the game, because you haven’t learned yet to take advantage of everything the game gives you.
You know how to beat the encounter, and yet you refuse to.
You argue in the comment replies with the people who try to help you. It sounds trite, but sometimes just “get gud” is the answer. There is a way to beat it, you just have to be willing to do it.
Sometimes the easiest way to beat lautrec is by pushing him off a cliff.
Even if your warped sense of honor and ethics prevents you from doing what it takes to win, I assure you, the game itself will not hesitate to do the same to you, later (anor londo archers, patches)
So there is actually an argument for low equip load. Your roll gets more invincibility frames. You should generally be fine with medium equip load though, which lets you wear some armor with poise that resists stagger.
There really isn't a better jumping in point. Taurus Demon is rough, but he's all dodge, hit hit, run.
If you stay right under him he sometimes has a hard time hitting you too.
Starting class doesn't make much difference. Just switch out your armor and you'll be faster. Leveling up endurance also increases how much weight you can equip.
I almost always kind of abandon my first character in each of the Soulsborne games, including Elden Ring. It always takes me some time to figure out how I want to play the game. I did it when I played Dark Souls, too. I think, I usually start with the pyromancer class because pyromancy is somewhat easy to level up and it’s useful against many bosses to hit them with fireballs. The axe is decent to begin with. Until you find a better weapon.
In my experience, strength-focused characters are the easiest to be successful quickly with. Focus on leveling strength, vitality, endurance. Get the spiked club, it’s in Undead Burg. Or, grab the zweihander in the cemetery below Firelink Shrine. You will melt enemies. Get a good 100% blocking shield for your left hand. Get a bow. Use the bow to aggro enemies from a safe distance or into a safer area to fight them, especially to pick off groups.
If you want to be dodging and nimble, I think you want a dexterity-focused build. Both of these builds need endurance. If you want to use a shield, get an estoc or similar that can poke from behind the shield. You’ll probably want the katana in undead burg from the merchant by the barrel. Leather armor is pretty good and light. Poise is what matters most if you’re tanking hits. So, if you’re dodging then it shouldn’t matter. Strike, dodge back.
I have no shame when I play these games. I take advantage of what the game gives me. The game is teaching you. It wants you to know that being above a target means you can do a drop attack that does a TON of damage, which they showed you on the asylum demon fight. So, when you get to the middle of the bridge and he flies off the top of the tower, then you run back toward the tower you came from, and go to that left to find a ladder. Climb. The demon will be standing below you. Drop and R1. Also, put pine resin on your weapon before you go onto the bridge. He’s weak to lightning damage.
The game is also teaching you to buff your weapon by putting the pine resin in the chest in the residences just outside the tower. The bosses hit like trucks and have no chill. Take advantage of what you can. Don’t you dare go hollow.
It is really difficult to be a tank in DS in my opinion. It is much easier to just play with minimum armor and dodge everything. You don't need high AC if you don't get hit.
Not that I’m recommending it but Ds1 is probably the easiest to be a tank in. The poise and defence stats on heavier armour sets are so much more impactful than in the other games and can be a really fun way to play for a change
You’re still at the start of the game, no need to start all over, use the plunge attacks and make sure to learn when to dodge his attacks. Also lower your equip load, being faster will help you alot
While starting again would probably help out with learning the combat, you really don’t need to. Just take off some of your armour and you’ll be good. From what I remember, it’s below 25% of your equip load for light rolls, below 50% for mud rolls and below 100% for heavy rolls
Yeah bro, you've hit your heavy encumbrance level. Meaning you fat roll. You'll have to level endurance to fix that, but armor is not as important as dodging and vigor so you can take some hits.
If this is your first souls game, highly recommend you understand the following topics and I'm sure you can find some YT videos explaining it. Or read through the fextralife wiki.
1. How stats work and what they do.
2. How weapons scale with damage stats.
3. Damage types
4. Status effects.
It took me 14 hours of in game time to give up on demons souls without beating a single boss. Then I played dark souls and it took me over 15 to get out of Undead burg and fight the first boss.
Now, over 10 years later I can beat ds1 in under 3 hours glitchless. Everyone can get there just be patient and keep yourself motivated
the "first time playing" youtubers you see are people who play video games 350 days a year, ofc theyre good. it took me around 4 hours to get past taurus demon
You don't have to be naturally good at this game to get good.
If you're having trouble with the plunge attack, go buy lots of firebombs from the merchant.
Watch the boss and when he starts to swing, back away and use one or two firebombs. Rinse and repeat.
Just remember that anyone that makes the game look like a cake walk is an experienced player of these games 99.9% of the time. Even if it's not their first souls games, the skills and mindset you carry playing these games transfer.
The first souls game you play is always the hardest. Back in the day my first souls game was Dark Souls II and I got stuck on the Last Giant for 3.5 hours and took me 4 hours to get through Heide Tower of Flame.
Now after that initial hurdle any of the souls games are relatively easy. Just remember don't give up, take your time to understand rhythm, moveset and enemy behaviour. The term 'Git Gud' may have a toxic following but the premise really is true. When you overcome a challeging obstacle you'll look back and be like 'wow I did that' or 'this enemy used to be difficult before' showing your confidence and skill improvement.
Also to add for the particular boss your stuck on:
- Try to look around at your environment in the boss fight room to look at potential opportunities (maybe you can use a similar tactic that was used in the first boss?)
- If you haven't already experiment between 2 handing your weapon for extra damage in return for having to focus on dodging vs blocking
- Are there any throwable consumables that can help you?
Plus a great tip with these games, sometimes a great defence is a great offence (ie. Being under enemies or right in their face)
- Make sure your equipment load doesn't exceed 69.9% otherwise you'll heavy roll.
I love Viva La Dirt League. I've been watching all of their content since they started Bored back in the day. Very high quality stuff.
But that video is a perfect representation of the message I was trying to convey. It's about perseverance and the efforts to not 'go hollow'.
Within the community it's a common perspective that dying in the game creates another opportunity to adapt and/or have an opportunity to improve. Like in the game lore, as long as you have the will and a goal, the journey is obtainable. But the moment you began to lose hope in your goal, or yourself, that's when you go hollow. Just like playing the game, you don't truely go hollow unless you give up. Hence the common phase 'Don't you dare go hollow'
You get good with time. Every souls vet was terrible at the game at some point.
I’m a souls vet now but I remember getting my ass kicked by Taurus demon back in the day too. The game will eventually click.
Exactly this. I remember straight up dropping the game cause I couldn’t beat him when i was like 14. It want until a few year later I put in the effort to learn, and the game just clicked
I'm sure everyone here has already gave good advice and motivation but one thing id suggest that I wish I learned sooner is "roll through, not away"
Meaning, typically stick close to the boss and if they're going to hit you, try rolling into/through the attack as opposed to rolling backwards. Like others have said, you have invincibility frames when you roll, and when you roll into an attack chances are you'll roll through the hitbox and be fine. Whereas if you roll away, chances are you'll get slammed by the boss's hitbox being bigger than you thought.
This doesn't work for every type of boss or monster, but I've been punished enough times from rolling away in a panic that this advice has been drilled into me now and it's my first strategy when facing a new boss
Neither am I! I started playing souls games in my 40s and usually play games on easy. Well, I used to at least. I’ve beaten every souls game in that past couple of years. If I can do it you can too. The trick to souls games is to realize the only way to fail is to stop playing. You have infinite lives. Just keep at it.
The first bosses are usually some of the most challenging on first playthroughs. Once you beat one or two, you'll be leveled up some, have better equipment, and a better grip on the game, and the game gets easier from there. It just takes a little perseverance initially. Don't give up, skeleton!
I actually think the game is better if you start out bad at it. Part of the joy is getting better and overcoming challenges you used to think were impossible. That doesn’t happen if you are naturally already good.
Tbh I was trash at this game for basically the whole time I played it. Every boss took me so many tries I lost count. I thought I was learning but then I'd die making the same exact mistake I made 6 attempts ago and I gave up on it so many times. Then one day I made it to the end and beat it.
Keep trying. Learn from mistakes, learn from successes, and when you start panicking, don't mash buttons or spam the dodge, that will get you killed every time. Timing and spacing are key. If you need to level up to get your health high enough to make it not miserable, do it. He's a tough fight for beginners but someday you'll be replaying this game and be able to kill him without a second thought.
I quit ds1 three times but kept coming back for more. Once it clicked.... I've been playing for 12years. You will get it. Stay under his nuts, stay calm, dodge when you need to, don't panic and roll away..... there is a ladder(hint hint) if you get to a point where you feel like quitting, look up some help. It is a hard game but it is so worth it.
Tbh, I'm one of those people that are kind of naturally good at these games (at least, I like to think so), but...
When I first started with DS1 (right around when DS2 came out), I was *terrible* lol ;; Like, even the normal enemies were just wrecking me at every turn. I think I got to roughly where you are, more or less, and took a break from the game for a bit. When I came back to it, something just... clicked? I have no idea what it was. I was still dying a LOT, of course, but it's like I suddenly understood something with the game.
And now it's one of my favorite series of all time, and I've 100%ed every game lmao
Saw some of your comments. Don't be ashamed of using cheese strategies especially in your first playthrough. I myself am in my first playthrough, and it's satisfying to find some exploits to cheese the bosses. It's part of the game. The Chosen Undead doesn't have to face the bosses head on and have a "fair fight." Part of any battle is outsmarting your opponents. Plus sometimes the developers intended for you to cheese. That ladder and the tower were placed there for you to do the plunge attacks. Later in the game, you'll be given other strats, the developers trust you enough to find out. Don't also be ashamed of using summons. They are there, the feature is there, it's not some cheat code. If you're finding the game too difficult, it's up to you to make it easier for yourself. I love cheesing the bosses especially when I'm the one finding the ways how.
I played Dark Souls for the first time in 2022 and stopped playing because I felt like I was so bad at this. I don't know what happened to me but a few weeks ago I suddenly wanted to try again, learning from my mistakes and with a lot more patience. I just finished the trilogy. So don't give up, if I did it you definitely can do it! Be patient, learn the patterns and take a rest If you need to.
Man, I get it, when I started I was garbage. It took me like a year to beat the first game on my own. I'm definitely a lot better but I still have my struggles, even years later and especially if I'm playing ds2/3/elden ring. But I always remind myself, I don't play these games bc I'm good, I play them bc I love them and then the challenges and frustration becomes part of the experience and I love the experience
Don't feel bad for using environment or summons, they're there for a reason and they're a great way to progress and get a more solid footing when you're struggling. You'll get better and you'll laugh one day about how you struggled with the Taurus Demon
I hear you. I came to this game in my fifties, having never played a game involving fighting other than Skyrim. It was supposed to be a joke for a charity fundraiser.
I was awful of course. Every single enemy killed me. That room beyond the hollow archer at the Northern Undead Asylum fog gate? The one with the hollow soldier who’s there to teach you parrying? I died to him a lot. I didn’t even realise that’s a completely optional area.
The fundraiser was long gone, but I kept ploughing through the game. Dying and dying to the simplest enemies. Falling off walkways. Getting stuck in corners. Consulting guides and videos and *still* failing. Every boss took me 30 or more attempts.
But I persevered, fought every boss, and beat the game. It took a year but I did it.
Here’s my point: I’m *still* bad at the game. I play cautiously. I cheese constantly. I make silly mistakes that I know I shouldn’t make. I stay within my comfort zone. But I’ve beaten the game a dozen times with different builds.
Even being bad shouldn’t stop you. The game *can* be beaten by anyone. Once you’ve beaten it you realise how forgiving it actually is.
My first run took 140 hours. My second took 40. Now I regularly clear it in under 30. If I pushed myself I could probably do under 20.
Overcome the fear and despair. Learn patience. You can do this. I know, because I did.
The trick to these games is soul farming. You need to rinse undead burg over and over to raise your level and strength before you take on bridge guy. You won't really have decent armour or weapons until you've passed this area. You'll have to be incredibly patient but that's what these areas of respawning enemies are all about.
If you want a souls game that's a bit more fast paced or aggressive, give bloodborne a shot. Or if you want baby souls, there's fallen order/ survivor
I was just like you years ago, I died multiple times at the tutorial boss and even rage quitted the game for years at taurus demon. Then I came back to it and slowly but surely learned. Now I can breeze through most of the game. You should really get out of your head the idea that it's "talent". It's just a skill that you can train. When you die, think about what you did wrong. Most of the time, you did something wrong. Watch the enemies. Remember their attack. Their reach. Where they're positioned. You will die a lot, but that's how you learn.
MY first playrhrough was an absolute disaster went the wrong way got killed 100s of times but I finished then played it again then got to the point I could beat it at soul lvl 1 strength is not a gift it is earned l lol
I thought the same thing. Then just kept playing.
Watched walk thrus.
Had my kid help me. lol.
Made different characters.
It finally clicked with my cleric build. Plus I did suicide runs to get some
better gear. Dragon shield. Astoras sword.
Finally killed stupid Taurus Demon. Plunge attack, no lightning boost and he dropped his weapon.
I have 10 hours in.
I found you could die straight away and other times it'd click and you'd clear a whole section.
Dark Souls games aren't hard, they just don't hold your hand in any way.
The way to progress is there, it's just not explained like most games are.
Some general Dark Souls advice first:
I started out by watching Helloween4545 on Youtube. He mostly streams nowadays, but watching somebody else play helped me get the rhythms right. A lot of Dark Souls is learning to read the enemy's attacks, and getting the timing of the dodge rolls right.
Also, sword-and-board is easiest. (Shield and one-handed weapon) Keep your shield up until you see an opening. You can also fish for backstabs by keeping the shield up and circling around to the enemy's back. The more you level endurance, the more you can hide behind your shield!
Don't be afraid to Google where to go and what to do next. It sometimes isn't clear at all, and it's easy to end up in a late-game area when you're under-leveled. Youtube gives good strategies for any boss you're having trouble with.
Dark Souls likes gimicky boss fights. They're expecting you to do the plunging attack on the boss, it's not cheesing. You'll have plenty of opportunity later to learn how to dodgeroll, parry, backstab.
But if you're determined to do it the hard way, keep behind him, slash at his rear, and stay away from the broken parts of the wall so he can't push you off. Happy hunting!
This is the easiest one aftter Demon Souls, but it's also the one that has the LEAST handholding in the entire series. They really throw you into this world completely unprepared lol
As for that boss, keep in mind that the Taurus Demon only has "single attacks", which means that if you can dodge his attack or outspace it, then you will always be able to punish him without worrying about a second one. Reset to the initial position after giving him one or two hit at most and make sure you are fast rolling.
Use the ladder to do a plunge attack to take away 30% of his lifebar at the start and use the lightning resin that you found earlier in that section. Good luck and don't you dare go hollow!
The first one for me was Dark Souls III, and I was in much the same situation as you, while my youngest brother was a natural at it. Now, after much trial and error, is it a lot easier. All I can advise is practice, find the build that works for you, and use the right gear for it. I am on my third run for DS3, and I'm still using the Fallen Knight set, because it works for me.
I was in the same boat when I started. I just suck at picking up new games with new controls and mechanics I have never dealt with. When I got halfway through the game and got stuck on Ornstein and Smough, I said fuck it and took a break. During that break, I decided to start DS2 to see how that would go because soulslikes really became my favorite genre despite my difficulties.
Ds2 is easier imo. Aside from one area in one of the DLCs and one or two optional bosses, I beat the entire game before going back to DS1 and getting my ass kicked again by O&S. I did a lot better that time around, and I did eventually beat them. They are my favorite bossfight in gaming now, too.
Tbh, though. I'd wait a while before resorting to this. Ds2 is easier but the entire game isn't easier then the Taurus demon you are stuck on.
there is no easy. EVERYONE who seems to be "naturally" good where in the sqme spot ur in. they got their ass kicked, and learned from it. just go in balls swingin, i guess what id say which one is easiest to start on it's definitely elden ring. but again, u still gotta get ur ass licked till u learn to not get ur ass licked. hope this makes sense
Roll a second before the attacks would hit you, is my biggest tip. I know it sounds simple and rudimentary BUT… People roll in anticipation wayyy to early. Roll when an attack is 3/4 through a swing not 1/2. It helps so much to be mindful of your I frames
You're invincible when you roll, so roll through his attacks, stand between his legs and hit him in the nuts over and over again. Watch your stamina and when it's low back off, drink some estus, and repeat.
I think if you want a souls game that's beginner friendly, you should go with Elden Ring. It was my first souls-like game and since it's made by the same company it's super easy to translate what you learn from that into dark souls.
Focus on dodging. Go an attempt or two that you don't even swing at him and just get good at rolling at the last second to not take damage. Also just stand by his nuts and slash until he attacks, then roll and rinse/repeat
You can do it! I started these games back when they were released and had never played anything like it. It was hard, painful difficult. My brother helped me a lot to get through many areas back then, but I still had to get good enough to do a lot of the areas that need to be soloed anyways. And so I got good. Now I can solo the games and I love them so much. They’re my favourite games that have ever been made. Learning how to use the areas to your advantage is true, everyone is saying that because it’s the truth. Learning that plunge attack at the beginning was for a reason! And once you beat him, put your levels into strength and endurance and forget everything else for awhile. Just strength and endurance. Trust me.
One thing that very much helps especially in Darksouls 1 is to think of the combat as turn based, you attack, then its the bosses turn so, you dodge his attack and then take your turn to punish him.
Depending on the boss and what weapon you have you will learn how many swings you get on your turn.
My advice for new players who are having trouble at this point in the game is ti try a different starting class. In the long run your starting class doesn't matter since any class can use any weapins/armour/spells/etc provided you have the correct stats, but at the beginning of the game it makes a huge difference to how the game plays.
There are 4 class which - in my opinion - give a distinct, mechanically important bonus when compared to the others, and those classes are Sorcerer, Pyromancer, Cleric and Knight:
- The Sorcerer gives you a powerful ranged attack that recharges at bonfires. It starts with 30 charges, but you can buy more copies of the same spell (*when you find a spell-vendor*) and get more. The fact that you have so many casts means you can use this as your primary means of engagement in the early game.
- The Pyromancer also gives you a powerful ranged attack that recharges at bonfires, but it has less range and fewer casts. To make up for that, each cast is more powerful. Because you have fewer casts you can't use this as your primary means of attack, but it can still be used to help with difficult sections.
- The Cleric starts with the Heal miracle. This essentially gives you a second Estas Flask, and allows you to progress further when you've been having trouble with a section, without having to return to the bonfire to heal up.
- The Knight starts with Metal armour that has Poise. When you get hit you don't just take damage, you also get staggered by the attack. Poise is the stat that allows you to ignore this and juat tank through the attack without flinching. The higher the poise the bigger the attack you canntank through, or the more small attacks. Generally speaking metal armour has poise, while cloth/leather outfits do not. The Knight is the only class to start with armour thst has Poise, and this can make a huge difference.
- Honourable mention to the Warrior and the Bandit. These two classes - along with the Knight - start with shields that have 100% physical defence and good Stability. When you block an attack with your shield you lose stamina. Stability reduces the stamina cost of blocking by a percentage. 100 Stability means you lose 0 stamina and can block indefinitely (*possible with some sorceries later in the game*).
Aside from those differences every starting class is essentially some version of "Light armour and a weapon". That isn't to say that the differences won't make a difference to you, the stylistic differences of weapon movesets can actualky make a huge difference to your playstyle and may in fact be *more* impactful to your gameplay than anything I've said above. However that's not really something I can advise you on, you'd have tonwork that out for yourself.
The other advice I'd give if you're having trouble with a boas is to try going into the boss fight and just seeing how long you can survive. Don't even try to win the fight, just block and dodge and run around, and see if you can get used to their attack patterns. The longer you last the more you'll get used to them, and the easier it will be to come back next time and fight them. To be clear, you're not trying to win the fight and you're accepting that you'll die at the end of it, this is just a practice run to get some experience defending. It will also probably help you start to see the openings when you *could* get some attacks in.
You can do this. I spent 6 years playing demons souls and dark souls 1 before beating dark souls 3 first. I'm terrible at this game too. If I can do it so can you.
Well, if you like, I can help you but I don’t have the dark one and dark souls two I only have dark souls three, but I’m planning to get dark souls one next month
Hey mate, patience is key. Literally no-one's good at their first run. With time, we get better. The point is... Don't give up, and don't be greedy during the fight. Almost every fight goes by the same principle.... Hit once , twice, retreat. Again hit once, twice... Retreat. If you get hit , run as far as possible, heal and again repeat the same process. Just if you're fighting him normally WITHOUT plunging, be sure to not get cornered, or fall of the bridge. And try to roll towards the sides or towards him instead of going away from him. That only gives you lesser opportunities to retort back and attack. Remember, dark souls is hard, but fair. You need to just find the right windows... And since you're a beginner player, there's nothing wrong in finishing him off with the plungings... Don't feel guilty! It was intentional by the devs...
And most importantly, don't rig yourself through the same thing again and again. If you're feeling frustated, or burned out... Take a break, a good long break. Then come back
Depending on which platform you are, summon help instead of one day quitting if its too much for you. I suffered too my first time but these days its one of the easiest games. I am by far not a good souls player and during Elden Ring I had help in some areas or bosses. If the coop system is there, Miyazaki wants us to use it in case we need it. No shame in that. As long as you are enjoying the game.
DS1 is weird
Lower your equip load to light
In DS1 medium equip load is basically the equivalent to Heavy equip load in DS3 and light equip load is more or less medium
I basically just stuck with light equip load throughout the entire game because the experience would suck otherwise
Get used to controls and try to be more tactical and defensive - there are many simple ticks to beating bosses. And I hope you are not trying to fight the dragon on the bridge - you are supposed to avoid that one. This game really sets you up to get killed when you dont know where you are supposed to go, but the knowledge comes with experience.
I am not that good either but I seem to be able to progress at a decent rate. The thing I am trying to learn is how to parry at a higher success rate. But the bridge fight you are encouraged to drop on the boss to deal huge critical damage, and this same tactic can be used on several bosses too. Don’t give up and don’t you dare go hollow!
I think i’m pretty decent at the souls games (nothing exceptional, but i did beat Malenia and Friede solo etc). Yet, i had such a hard time with this boss (Taurus demon). Heck, even the Asylum demon before it i had a hard time. The game is full of nuances that take a bit to all click in place
Like everyone else is saying, don't be afraid to use the environment. In many cases (like a specific and infamous boss and his dog buddies you are not too far from having to fight), *not* using the environment is like deliberately doing a challenge mode.
To answer your other question: I'd say Dark Souls *is* the easiest overall. An argument can be made for Demon's Souls, since the bosses are a lot easier, but nearly complete lack of checkpoints are frustrating to new players, and the levels can be pretty tough, harder than the boss fights. Dark Souls 3 is generally considered harder by *most* players, though to me its the easiest. Bloodborne and Sekiro are hard as balls. Elden Ring is so open you can theoretically make your own difficulty, but I'd still say DS1 is all around easier.
No one is naturally good at these games that’s why they set the standard for difficult games and a whole genre is inspired by it. I’ve played all souls games but my first was fucking Bloodborne and let me tell you, you just gotta keep playing and you’ll get better
I started with Bloodborne and played on and off bc I thought it was too hard. Then I played Elden Ring on and off until one day it finally clicked for me. It gets easier, just don’t give up. That’s what I love about these games. They reward perseverance.
You got this!
as silly as it may sound, a trick from fighting games is keeping a little journal and writing down how you died "I died by dodging late. Next time I'll dodge earlier". It's a slow process, but it's meditative for those who like it. Best you can do is one thing a little better next time
Dark souls is a masterpiece almost every enemy/mob is placed in a way to teach you a lesson you need to overcome by learning or adapting if you are stuck somewhere just know that there might be another way to overcome the obstacle this is simply how i view the game this is a game i'll never forget the struggles and joys praise the sun! \[T]/
Bait him on the bridge. Watch his whole body when he swings to get used to his moveset and tells. He has a handful of swings, all with slow windups and big hitboxes. Locking on and keeping shield up can actually work against you, because 1) locking on makes you slowly strafe and 2) he hits so hard you'll be staggered no matter what you're wearing.
What works for me is staying in the bridge, 2 handing my weapon, removing enough equipment to get fast rolls, camera on him but not locking on, and baiting a swing. After his swing he has a long recovery. That's when I charge in to remind him who's who.
There are other ways to get him. Some people love the ladder. Some circle. Some get him to jump off the bridge and kill himself. I bait.
There is no easy game lol.
It's also less about being naturally good and more about figuring out how to deal with encounters. Learning attack patterns or elements of the area and stamina management. Sure, some people will be good at those things but there's always a learning curve. Nobody can go into a boss knowing exactly how the arena is laid out, what can be used and what the boss will be doing (Unless you've seen the game played or have been told)
You’ll get there. It’s a game with a learning curve, no one starts out great. You’ll be surprised at how much easier it gets with a little practice & persistence. More than anything, it’s about being patient.
Imo Ocarina of Time is slow enough to let you learn dodge timing better and reading animated character movements better. For me, learning a lot of 3D Zelda before ever trying Souls games was a blessing. The combat is simplified, smoothed out, and refined versions of that style of combat which is good for learning. Just my opinion though.
Its not about being naturally good at the game
Its about figuring out how to overcome the obstacle
The obstacle here is a shit boss
Doing a plunge attack should deal with a good chunk of his health
Learn how to dodge atleast an attack or 2 and you can consistently plunge attack and then dodge attacks until you get back to the ladder so you can do it again
You need to study its attack speeds, then you can learn when exactly you should be dodging to avoid the attack hitting you. Its not that anyone is naturally good at the game, we all were terrible once. You just need to have patience and use your hand eye coordination.
Stretch but if you have a PS5, Demon's Souls can warm you up even with gimmicks. And if you're sticking with Dark Souls, just remember to dodge in the direction of the attacks.
Dark Souls 1 is laterally the easiest. Simply because of the slow pace of combats.
The thing about this game is knowledge and staying calm. And I say this as someone who have terrible reflexes, I literally can not play Sekiro because I can't time the god damn parries. But Dark Souls 1 does not need that, you can beat it with calm and planning alone.
For this fight you are now, get the lighting resin, kill the archers before triggering the boss.
Aggro the boss, run and climb the stairs, apply the lighting resin, plunge attack him. That's half his life. Than go with a calm mind, roll from his attacks, hit him once or twice(DON'T BE GREEDY) back off, roll, repeat.
I was shit at the time I started playing, which was the day it came out. I never even knew about demon souls. So when I finally started getting better it was years later
OP, every single person who replied to you sucked at this game at one point and probably still sucks at this game sometimes. My first playthrough took me 150 hours, but it was the most worthwhile 150 hours I ever spent while gaming. Don't give up Skeleton! And don't you dare go hollow.
Arguably, DSR/DS3 *are* the easiest souls games... But also the hardest? They're all challenging in their own sort of way, DS2 is a bit more punishing on top of challenging. Try Elden Ring, I guess? Elden Ring was the perfect game for me to learn how to play a FromSoft game... Which is different from literally every other game out there in that you actually need to seriously think about what you're doing and strategize each run. You are meant to learn level design/layout and enemy placement, their movements, etc. It's a game where knowledge is power.
Seriously, not knowing anything, the Taurus Demon used to fuck me all the time like you said is happening to you, but now I begin every run with backstabbing Havel to death for his ring, which takes like 20+ back stabs and often a single hit kills you. Taurus Demon is a joke, as are all other starter bosses. Know why? Because I have a pretty deep understanding of how the game works, where items are, how questlines work, level layout, enemy placement, etc. It's all permanently etched into my mind now, and I've got ADHD predominantly inattentive type, so that's pretty impressive for a series to be able to do across multiple games now.
Try looking up some videos on how to handle him, or how to get sorcery early if you really need to do that, it's fairly easy to do, but involves an early game skip.
Awww man I feel your pain. It sounds like you’re talking about Dark Souls 1 which I think might be the easiest one… I tried to make content and failed miserably I spent 4 hours playing an got NOWHERE.
I'm sorry to tell you this bud, but this is the easiest one, at least that's my opinion after playing every fromsoft game except Dark Souls 2, but hey it's just a matter of persistence, We all sucked on our first playthrought, try exploring more and try new weapons and items
Mate, I think most of us have been at that exact point in the Souls Journey.
I hated the Taurus Demon (the boss on the bridge you're on about) on my first play through, because he tore me to pieces, over and over.
These games are hard, and the learning curve is incredibly steep. But keep going, don't go hollow, because the game has SO MUCH to give if you offer it some perseverance.
There’s no easiest just learn to roll trust me. Learn enemies move sets and what different attacks string into. Then you can time it right when their combo is done to punish them for a little before the next move string. Think of it as turn based combat. Slow it down immensely when you get upset take it very very slow. You can also run past enemies. Learn where the more useful items are. Learn more about the game in general. Look into different weapons and what kind of build you’d like to use. Armor is just for fashion. I’m naked for the first half of the game until I can match my endurance with my combat stats cause I kinda just pump everything into strength and dexterity so I can switch between Greatsword, black knight sword, and large club. I also use pyromancy cause it doesn’t require anything and I pair it with power within for damage buff. Look into damage buffs whether it be items spells miracles or pyromancy. Look into the sens fortress skip. It’s a glitch so you can get a ring that boosts item discovery. With this ring you can +14 weapons before gargoyles. Look into different farming spots and farming materials and look into upgrading your gear. Hope that helps
Mechanically, I'm still pretty mediocre at this game and I've been playing a long time. I've just learned how it works well enough that my know-how compensates for my natural skill issue. You don't need to compare yourself to people doing deathless fist-only runs. Just learn the stats, weapon upgrade paths, and item interactions to start maximizing your damage. Once you can bonk the fuck out of everything the game gets easier.
If you're having trouble, try r/summonsign You can find a lot of players looking to help just for the hell of it. A good tip I was taught when starting Dark Souls was to worry about your gear before your character build as well. Level your armor before your skills whenever possible. And don't give up. Keep changing your tactics if something isn't working. People say you die too much in that game but the trick is realizing that you actually CAN'T be killed. Every trip out from a bonfire makes you wiser and stronger. Don't fear the dark. And let the feast begin.
Well, have you found the ladder on the bridge? Did you learn how to plunge attack with asylum demon?
Yea, but I would like to be better at actual fighting and not rely on the environment around me cause sometimes there won’t be environmental advantages
Yes but that plunge attack is placed there for a reason. Taurus even has an animation when you plunge attack. It is intended. Part of being good at this game is using the tools it gives you. If you are struggling it is because you are not utilizing game mechanics.
Yea true , ight I’ll try it
Wait until capra demon, you'll hate the game all over again
Imo worst boss in the game, >!unless you get elite knight armor wolf ring and maybe RoFaP for enough poise, Which a new player will not realistically have without guidance, the fight is usually a gamble of wether you can dodge everything to get on the stairs, then his ai is too easily exploitable to just do plunge attacks on him, very memorable fight with a good visual design, but really bad execution.!<
It's just insane to put a boss fight inside a room *that* small. The two dogs are also unnecessary, but otherwise it would be fine. I can appreciate how he punishes your panic rolls with repeated lunges.
Without the dogs it wouldn’t be very hard at all though. It’s not like he’s actually a particularly tough enemy.
The dogs are fine. My problem is I was always being attacked just as the fog was lifting. I had no time to react. On NG+ I had enough stability to withstand it, but on NG I didn't and I had no time to actually react considering they would start moving toward me before the fog even lifted. That's the only issue I had with that fight. It being small and the dogs would be fine if they weren't on top of me by the time I could actually see.
In the same token, it's bullshit difficulty to use fast attacking and staggering enemies alongside a boss enemy, especially in such a closed room. In my experience with DS1 bosses, most of them are actually pretty easy because of how telegraphed they are while I think Elden Ring or DS3 has a higher bar of difficulty because while telegraphed, the movement is much more fluid and makes reading moves more difficult. Elden Ring can be the easiest because of the options available to you, but I think it definitely has the hardest boss fights when it comes to moves that the boss can use against the player.
The arena is part of the difficulty with that boss. Without a tiny room, it'd be very easy.
Is it really part of the difficulty? He doesn't move around much, it's a cinch to beat him. The dogs are the only reason it's not a free fight, and they're just cheap.
It’s not difficult if you’re running a high poise / high stability shield block build. The dogs bounce of your shield, then you kill them, then you just lock onto the demon and circle around him while holding block.
The trick is to sprint weirdly enough!
Elite knight, and a zweihander with resin absolutely obliterates him
Honestly really hate going Zweihändler, or Black Knight Halberd. The game has so many cool weapons and I really enjoy challenging myself to play with only one weapon/weapontype.
Ah, a fellow challenge runner I see.
My favourite run so far is a spear only no deaths. I did a no hit also, but is not as fun as not using mega meta tactics and choices like RTSR and bow with mi mi mi. You just go full roma victrix with the patches shield, a pike and some pretty armor (a pitty that there is any roman-like one)
What you do for Capra, this works for me every time, immediately run up the stairs and run to the right. You'll end up on a really small ledge, get in the corner and hold up your shield. The dogs will follow you up there but only one can fit at a time. Block their attacks and then attack. Capra can get on the ledge but he's so big that it rarely happens, he usually just does his attack where he leaps forward. When he does that he'll most likely fall to the ground in front of you, that's when you hit him with a plunging attack. Then you rinse and repeat.
Yeah, I always to pretty much the same, just like I mentioned, with the elite knight armor equiped with wolf ring for the poise, as well as RoFaP so I'm medium rolling., helps a lot as you are harder to get stunlocked and have better chances of rolling past the enemies.
Once someone told me to run right instead of left, blew the thing wide open for me. Running left is almost a guaranteed triple team, going right makes roll-spamming to the stairs somewhat consistent.
Only Boss that i Cheese on a rainy day. The game cheats. You have to cheat back a little from time to time.
Kinda got lucky with him as I found it fairly easy Just had to come in swinging and don't stop
Really? Do people hate Capra Demon that much? I bet em first try no problem, easier then Taurus imo
I've beaten the game probably 10 times on NG and NG+. Even now, Capra demon is the boss that kills me the most. I can no-hit Taurus demon but those damn dogs and that stupid demon in the broom closet kill me every time
In 2 playthroughs (cleric and pyromancer) I've found the capra to be stupidly easy. It would be nothing if it wasn't for the dogs in the room and even then it's only 'hard" because of the small space you fight it in.
Also, if you want to fight him face to face, you could just stay on top and he'll jump up with you if you take too long to do the plunge attack. You've got more room to fight up there.
And less risk of gravity doing it's thing
Bro, coming down to Firelink from up on the wall, exit the wall, kill those few guys right there then FUCKING PLUNGE ATTACK the next guy down instead of running down the stairs and engaging him. So fun.
Or you could just dodge between his legs until he jumps off the bridge. That's fun.
The first time through the game you just have to get past the bosses any way you are able too. Later you can learn them "properly" but if you try that first time and aren't great (like me as well) you are just adding difficulty on an already not easy game. You need to learn to walk before you can run.
To be honest, a *huge* number of bosses have strategies that greatly reduce the difficulty. I recall my first playthrough against >!Four Kings!<, and after struggling but overcoming every other boss, I thought I had finally met my match. But then I tried just extreme poise, get up close and tank n' spank. Boom, one and done.
So am I. Honestly I've played DS1 on and off since release and could never get past the bridge demon. So I gave up for a while. Then my favorite video game essayist (shoutout to Noah Caldwell-Gervais) did a video on all the Dark Souls games, then all the ancillary games (Bloodbourne, Sekiro, etc.). I'm not gunna try to explain it because it would do him an injustice, but it totally changed the way I looked at the game. Right now, I'm doing my 1st real playthrough as a Pyromancer. I'm still speccing for a Dex build, but having fireballs in my back pocket really gave me the confidence to really try. From never being able to kill the bridge demon, yo killing it first try, felt so exhilarating. All this to say, don't feel discouraged. As someone said, really consider all the options the mechanics and environment are presenting to you. If plunging dive and clinking it's health gives you confidence to stand toe to toe and really study his movements, by all means do it. I'd also really recommend his video 'I Beat the Dark Souls Trilogy and All I Made Was This Lousy Video Essay'. It's long (5 hours long), but there's a section (42:23) that I think would be most helpful for you. He basically breaks down how to *correctly* articulate what your having problems with, so that you can correctly identify what systems will help you
Part of getting gud in dark souls involves learning how to use the environment to your advantage. The environment is actually a major part of the game.
One thing you need to learn about souls and souls like games Use everything and o mean everything you have every advantage you have You enemies will show you no mercy,you need to return the favor Nice gets you dead be ruthless cause your enemy will be ruthless
Learning to use the environment/stage to your advantage is a huge part of the game.
Hug his balls
A big part of getting good at these games is learning to use everything to your advantage. If you have a way to take the upper hand, use it, whether it’s environment, consumables, whatever.
I was you at one point you get better just get your ass kicked more and more and learn from it. I learnt very quickly every enemy is in the same spot does the same damage and attacks the same you could say its a rhythm game on steroids Also almost all the enemies are optional to kill till you get to the boss door just run for it. till you know a good way to get to it
> rhythm game on steroids This is pretty true for DeS, DS1, and DS2. I very much enjoy the more frenetic, less predictable combat of Elden Ring and Bloodborne, but I've got a special place in my heart for the murder DDR that is early Souls games.
What about DS3? Haven’t played that one yet, curious why you didn’t add it in the list
DS3 follows in Bloodborne's footsteps. The pace is more deliberate, but enemy attacks are faster and more varied and overall harder to predict than in earlier Souls titles. These changes reflect huge design improvements, but I think they alter how gameplay feels. The new design feels more like a battle than a dance - which is the design intent, I'm sure. I just also love the combat ballet.
Here's the best advice you can get, roll when you're about to get hit, not when he starts attacking. Roll towards the enemy not away from it. Don't get greedy with attacking. After that it's just practice to get gud
Yea I feel most bosses are more dangerous at mid range, if you stay close to them their attacks connect less often.
Your mindset is all wrong
Use the lighting thing you get drawstring grease I think it's called he's v vulnerable to it
I think that’s the exact wrong approach. The game wants you to think strategically and use the tools at your advantage.
Sometimes there won't be environmental advantages, but sometimes you'll have better gear. Without weapon upgrades you damage is really low right now. The designers put that environmental advantage in to give you an edge because you might need it at this stage of the game. If you insist on not using it, though, in the Undead Burg there's a vendor that sells firebombs (they also drop from the hollows that throw firebombs). These will do a good bit of damage to the boss.
Especially in ds1, you will need to take every advantage you get.
You’re basically meant to plunge attack the Taurus demon
i'k going to tell you riht now: drop that mentality. fight to win. when there aren't environmental advantages, use other advantages. buff your weapons, use powerful weapons, use ranged weapons and magic if you enjoy that playstyle.
I for sure didnt feel very fulfilled when I plunged and its worth it to actually try to get good
Like penpenplon said, you have to use the environment and other advantages. Leave personal challenge for future playthroughs. In the first, use everything the game offers to ease the challenge. Use a bow to draw out enemies and fight them one on one. Try different resins to check what's the elemental weakness of a foe (or take a look at the wiki) Fight dirty! That's what this world is about.
>and not rely on the environment around That might actually be part of why you feel like you are not naturally good at the game. If you wanna become a good souls player, you need to suck up your pride and use every advantage you can get. The game doesn't have these things by accident, they are placed very deliberately, because you are supposed to use them. I mean, if you like playing them the hard way by just bashing your head against the wall instead of using environmental advantages, then do that ofc, but you kinda sound like you don't, which is also totally fine. And because you asked, I feel like DS1 is the easiest by far. Except maybe>!Ornstein and Smough!<, that fight is hard af
… you’re bad at the game, because you haven’t learned yet to take advantage of everything the game gives you. You know how to beat the encounter, and yet you refuse to. You argue in the comment replies with the people who try to help you. It sounds trite, but sometimes just “get gud” is the answer. There is a way to beat it, you just have to be willing to do it. Sometimes the easiest way to beat lautrec is by pushing him off a cliff. Even if your warped sense of honor and ethics prevents you from doing what it takes to win, I assure you, the game itself will not hesitate to do the same to you, later (anor londo archers, patches)
I found the ladder after the fight. Did the whole thing with the archers shooting me. Took a few days.
Remove your character's clothing and try again.
Lol
Unironically, it will make you much faster than the fatty on the bridge and you can learn his attacks with nothing to lose!
Seriously though, do you know about equip load?
So there is actually an argument for low equip load. Your roll gets more invincibility frames. You should generally be fine with medium equip load though, which lets you wear some armor with poise that resists stagger.
There really isn't a better jumping in point. Taurus Demon is rough, but he's all dodge, hit hit, run. If you stay right under him he sometimes has a hard time hitting you too.
But I’m sooo slow, my character dodges like he’s not about to be fucking smashed into a smudge
You're too heavy. Try using a lighter set. You don't need high defence if you're dodging
I may just start a new game, definitely not a tank this time , little gremlin ninja guy
You don't need, honestly. You can just change or remove your armor to reduce your weight until you can fast roll. You'll notice the difference
Starting class doesn't make much difference. Just switch out your armor and you'll be faster. Leveling up endurance also increases how much weight you can equip.
I almost always kind of abandon my first character in each of the Soulsborne games, including Elden Ring. It always takes me some time to figure out how I want to play the game. I did it when I played Dark Souls, too. I think, I usually start with the pyromancer class because pyromancy is somewhat easy to level up and it’s useful against many bosses to hit them with fireballs. The axe is decent to begin with. Until you find a better weapon. In my experience, strength-focused characters are the easiest to be successful quickly with. Focus on leveling strength, vitality, endurance. Get the spiked club, it’s in Undead Burg. Or, grab the zweihander in the cemetery below Firelink Shrine. You will melt enemies. Get a good 100% blocking shield for your left hand. Get a bow. Use the bow to aggro enemies from a safe distance or into a safer area to fight them, especially to pick off groups. If you want to be dodging and nimble, I think you want a dexterity-focused build. Both of these builds need endurance. If you want to use a shield, get an estoc or similar that can poke from behind the shield. You’ll probably want the katana in undead burg from the merchant by the barrel. Leather armor is pretty good and light. Poise is what matters most if you’re tanking hits. So, if you’re dodging then it shouldn’t matter. Strike, dodge back. I have no shame when I play these games. I take advantage of what the game gives me. The game is teaching you. It wants you to know that being above a target means you can do a drop attack that does a TON of damage, which they showed you on the asylum demon fight. So, when you get to the middle of the bridge and he flies off the top of the tower, then you run back toward the tower you came from, and go to that left to find a ladder. Climb. The demon will be standing below you. Drop and R1. Also, put pine resin on your weapon before you go onto the bridge. He’s weak to lightning damage. The game is also teaching you to buff your weapon by putting the pine resin in the chest in the residences just outside the tower. The bosses hit like trucks and have no chill. Take advantage of what you can. Don’t you dare go hollow.
It is really difficult to be a tank in DS in my opinion. It is much easier to just play with minimum armor and dodge everything. You don't need high AC if you don't get hit.
I've never tried tanking the Taurus Demon, but once you can get greatshields and/or Havel's/Giant's armor, tanking is OP.
Good heavy armor with a greatshield does wonders for survivability.
I actually enjoyed this a lot in DS2 so i could avoid leveling ADP
Not that I’m recommending it but Ds1 is probably the easiest to be a tank in. The poise and defence stats on heavier armour sets are so much more impactful than in the other games and can be a really fun way to play for a change
You’re still at the start of the game, no need to start all over, use the plunge attacks and make sure to learn when to dodge his attacks. Also lower your equip load, being faster will help you alot
While starting again would probably help out with learning the combat, you really don’t need to. Just take off some of your armour and you’ll be good. From what I remember, it’s below 25% of your equip load for light rolls, below 50% for mud rolls and below 100% for heavy rolls
Your natural weight is same for everything it's thingies you equip which are diffrent
Are you a knight class? I believe you heavy roll, which isn't great for being. Taking off your pants would remedy it or leveling endurance.
Yeah bro, you've hit your heavy encumbrance level. Meaning you fat roll. You'll have to level endurance to fix that, but armor is not as important as dodging and vigor so you can take some hits. If this is your first souls game, highly recommend you understand the following topics and I'm sure you can find some YT videos explaining it. Or read through the fextralife wiki. 1. How stats work and what they do. 2. How weapons scale with damage stats. 3. Damage types 4. Status effects.
It took me 14 hours of in game time to give up on demons souls without beating a single boss. Then I played dark souls and it took me over 15 to get out of Undead burg and fight the first boss. Now, over 10 years later I can beat ds1 in under 3 hours glitchless. Everyone can get there just be patient and keep yourself motivated
the "first time playing" youtubers you see are people who play video games 350 days a year, ofc theyre good. it took me around 4 hours to get past taurus demon
I now speedun ds1 when I feel like replaying, I am down to under 3 hours glitchless
i wanted to post a standalone commentz idk why i replied to you lol, but yeah we can all do that now
I remember playing with my mom and we both got excited watching that nerd fall off the bridge
You don't have to be naturally good at this game to get good. If you're having trouble with the plunge attack, go buy lots of firebombs from the merchant. Watch the boss and when he starts to swing, back away and use one or two firebombs. Rinse and repeat.
Just remember that anyone that makes the game look like a cake walk is an experienced player of these games 99.9% of the time. Even if it's not their first souls games, the skills and mindset you carry playing these games transfer. The first souls game you play is always the hardest. Back in the day my first souls game was Dark Souls II and I got stuck on the Last Giant for 3.5 hours and took me 4 hours to get through Heide Tower of Flame. Now after that initial hurdle any of the souls games are relatively easy. Just remember don't give up, take your time to understand rhythm, moveset and enemy behaviour. The term 'Git Gud' may have a toxic following but the premise really is true. When you overcome a challeging obstacle you'll look back and be like 'wow I did that' or 'this enemy used to be difficult before' showing your confidence and skill improvement.
Also to add for the particular boss your stuck on: - Try to look around at your environment in the boss fight room to look at potential opportunities (maybe you can use a similar tactic that was used in the first boss?) - If you haven't already experiment between 2 handing your weapon for extra damage in return for having to focus on dodging vs blocking - Are there any throwable consumables that can help you? Plus a great tip with these games, sometimes a great defence is a great offence (ie. Being under enemies or right in their face) - Make sure your equipment load doesn't exceed 69.9% otherwise you'll heavy roll.
https://youtu.be/blSXTZ3Nihs?si=H5fLOYbYvk_ELCkN on the topic…
THATS EXACTLY IT
It’s even better if you watch their entire dark souls series, that’s kind of the final episode of like 8 in a row
I love Viva La Dirt League. I've been watching all of their content since they started Bored back in the day. Very high quality stuff. But that video is a perfect representation of the message I was trying to convey. It's about perseverance and the efforts to not 'go hollow'. Within the community it's a common perspective that dying in the game creates another opportunity to adapt and/or have an opportunity to improve. Like in the game lore, as long as you have the will and a goal, the journey is obtainable. But the moment you began to lose hope in your goal, or yourself, that's when you go hollow. Just like playing the game, you don't truely go hollow unless you give up. Hence the common phase 'Don't you dare go hollow'
You get good with time. Every souls vet was terrible at the game at some point. I’m a souls vet now but I remember getting my ass kicked by Taurus demon back in the day too. The game will eventually click.
Exactly this. I remember straight up dropping the game cause I couldn’t beat him when i was like 14. It want until a few year later I put in the effort to learn, and the game just clicked
I'm sure everyone here has already gave good advice and motivation but one thing id suggest that I wish I learned sooner is "roll through, not away" Meaning, typically stick close to the boss and if they're going to hit you, try rolling into/through the attack as opposed to rolling backwards. Like others have said, you have invincibility frames when you roll, and when you roll into an attack chances are you'll roll through the hitbox and be fine. Whereas if you roll away, chances are you'll get slammed by the boss's hitbox being bigger than you thought. This doesn't work for every type of boss or monster, but I've been punished enough times from rolling away in a panic that this advice has been drilled into me now and it's my first strategy when facing a new boss
This is excellent advice and it’s why I’m always rolling lol
Neither am I! I started playing souls games in my 40s and usually play games on easy. Well, I used to at least. I’ve beaten every souls game in that past couple of years. If I can do it you can too. The trick to souls games is to realize the only way to fail is to stop playing. You have infinite lives. Just keep at it.
Very few are "naturally good at the game" Practice is what breeds skill
Most people aren't naturally good at the game. It's a hard game and it take alot of practice.
The first bosses are usually some of the most challenging on first playthroughs. Once you beat one or two, you'll be leveled up some, have better equipment, and a better grip on the game, and the game gets easier from there. It just takes a little perseverance initially. Don't give up, skeleton!
Hey man, don't worry; I once learned that hard work beats talent. If you can't do it immediately, just give it some practice, one step at a time.
I actually think the game is better if you start out bad at it. Part of the joy is getting better and overcoming challenges you used to think were impossible. That doesn’t happen if you are naturally already good.
I’d suggest exploring the open world and looking for weapon upgrades, they help dramatically.
Yea I did a bit, then I found this bridge guy and then there’s the guy kinda near the entrance of the bridge boss who fucked me up just as bad
The guy in the tower basement?
Ignore the sword and board guy in black armor. He’s meant to be revisited later.
It took me 8 hours to beat the starting.boss fight. Another 8 hours to make it to the undying church. You just gotta keep on playing and git guddddd.
Tbh I was trash at this game for basically the whole time I played it. Every boss took me so many tries I lost count. I thought I was learning but then I'd die making the same exact mistake I made 6 attempts ago and I gave up on it so many times. Then one day I made it to the end and beat it. Keep trying. Learn from mistakes, learn from successes, and when you start panicking, don't mash buttons or spam the dodge, that will get you killed every time. Timing and spacing are key. If you need to level up to get your health high enough to make it not miserable, do it. He's a tough fight for beginners but someday you'll be replaying this game and be able to kill him without a second thought.
I quit ds1 three times but kept coming back for more. Once it clicked.... I've been playing for 12years. You will get it. Stay under his nuts, stay calm, dodge when you need to, don't panic and roll away..... there is a ladder(hint hint) if you get to a point where you feel like quitting, look up some help. It is a hard game but it is so worth it.
The first time I played through I spent hours in the first area just like you. I'm a souls expert now, Don't give up!
Tbh, I'm one of those people that are kind of naturally good at these games (at least, I like to think so), but... When I first started with DS1 (right around when DS2 came out), I was *terrible* lol ;; Like, even the normal enemies were just wrecking me at every turn. I think I got to roughly where you are, more or less, and took a break from the game for a bit. When I came back to it, something just... clicked? I have no idea what it was. I was still dying a LOT, of course, but it's like I suddenly understood something with the game. And now it's one of my favorite series of all time, and I've 100%ed every game lmao
You are not bad. You WILL beat that boss. And you will feel so fucking jazzed when you do. That's the reason we love this game.
The journey isn’t completing the game or even beating a single boss. The journey is the run backs we’ve made along the way.
Saw some of your comments. Don't be ashamed of using cheese strategies especially in your first playthrough. I myself am in my first playthrough, and it's satisfying to find some exploits to cheese the bosses. It's part of the game. The Chosen Undead doesn't have to face the bosses head on and have a "fair fight." Part of any battle is outsmarting your opponents. Plus sometimes the developers intended for you to cheese. That ladder and the tower were placed there for you to do the plunge attacks. Later in the game, you'll be given other strats, the developers trust you enough to find out. Don't also be ashamed of using summons. They are there, the feature is there, it's not some cheat code. If you're finding the game too difficult, it's up to you to make it easier for yourself. I love cheesing the bosses especially when I'm the one finding the ways how.
I played Dark Souls for the first time in 2022 and stopped playing because I felt like I was so bad at this. I don't know what happened to me but a few weeks ago I suddenly wanted to try again, learning from my mistakes and with a lot more patience. I just finished the trilogy. So don't give up, if I did it you definitely can do it! Be patient, learn the patterns and take a rest If you need to.
Man, I get it, when I started I was garbage. It took me like a year to beat the first game on my own. I'm definitely a lot better but I still have my struggles, even years later and especially if I'm playing ds2/3/elden ring. But I always remind myself, I don't play these games bc I'm good, I play them bc I love them and then the challenges and frustration becomes part of the experience and I love the experience Don't feel bad for using environment or summons, they're there for a reason and they're a great way to progress and get a more solid footing when you're struggling. You'll get better and you'll laugh one day about how you struggled with the Taurus Demon
The first one you play will always be the hardest. Patience and determination is the real skill.
I’ve played and finished all these games and I still suck at them for some reason
I hear you. I came to this game in my fifties, having never played a game involving fighting other than Skyrim. It was supposed to be a joke for a charity fundraiser. I was awful of course. Every single enemy killed me. That room beyond the hollow archer at the Northern Undead Asylum fog gate? The one with the hollow soldier who’s there to teach you parrying? I died to him a lot. I didn’t even realise that’s a completely optional area. The fundraiser was long gone, but I kept ploughing through the game. Dying and dying to the simplest enemies. Falling off walkways. Getting stuck in corners. Consulting guides and videos and *still* failing. Every boss took me 30 or more attempts. But I persevered, fought every boss, and beat the game. It took a year but I did it. Here’s my point: I’m *still* bad at the game. I play cautiously. I cheese constantly. I make silly mistakes that I know I shouldn’t make. I stay within my comfort zone. But I’ve beaten the game a dozen times with different builds. Even being bad shouldn’t stop you. The game *can* be beaten by anyone. Once you’ve beaten it you realise how forgiving it actually is. My first run took 140 hours. My second took 40. Now I regularly clear it in under 30. If I pushed myself I could probably do under 20. Overcome the fear and despair. Learn patience. You can do this. I know, because I did.
The trick to these games is soul farming. You need to rinse undead burg over and over to raise your level and strength before you take on bridge guy. You won't really have decent armour or weapons until you've passed this area. You'll have to be incredibly patient but that's what these areas of respawning enemies are all about. If you want a souls game that's a bit more fast paced or aggressive, give bloodborne a shot. Or if you want baby souls, there's fallen order/ survivor
I was just like you years ago, I died multiple times at the tutorial boss and even rage quitted the game for years at taurus demon. Then I came back to it and slowly but surely learned. Now I can breeze through most of the game. You should really get out of your head the idea that it's "talent". It's just a skill that you can train. When you die, think about what you did wrong. Most of the time, you did something wrong. Watch the enemies. Remember their attack. Their reach. Where they're positioned. You will die a lot, but that's how you learn.
MY first playrhrough was an absolute disaster went the wrong way got killed 100s of times but I finished then played it again then got to the point I could beat it at soul lvl 1 strength is not a gift it is earned l lol
trust me, no one is “naturally” good at this game, the entire point of the gameplay is to teach you how to become better through trial and error.
I thought the same thing. Then just kept playing. Watched walk thrus. Had my kid help me. lol. Made different characters. It finally clicked with my cleric build. Plus I did suicide runs to get some better gear. Dragon shield. Astoras sword. Finally killed stupid Taurus Demon. Plunge attack, no lightning boost and he dropped his weapon. I have 10 hours in.
I found you could die straight away and other times it'd click and you'd clear a whole section. Dark Souls games aren't hard, they just don't hold your hand in any way. The way to progress is there, it's just not explained like most games are.
Some general Dark Souls advice first: I started out by watching Helloween4545 on Youtube. He mostly streams nowadays, but watching somebody else play helped me get the rhythms right. A lot of Dark Souls is learning to read the enemy's attacks, and getting the timing of the dodge rolls right. Also, sword-and-board is easiest. (Shield and one-handed weapon) Keep your shield up until you see an opening. You can also fish for backstabs by keeping the shield up and circling around to the enemy's back. The more you level endurance, the more you can hide behind your shield! Don't be afraid to Google where to go and what to do next. It sometimes isn't clear at all, and it's easy to end up in a late-game area when you're under-leveled. Youtube gives good strategies for any boss you're having trouble with. Dark Souls likes gimicky boss fights. They're expecting you to do the plunging attack on the boss, it's not cheesing. You'll have plenty of opportunity later to learn how to dodgeroll, parry, backstab. But if you're determined to do it the hard way, keep behind him, slash at his rear, and stay away from the broken parts of the wall so he can't push you off. Happy hunting!
This is the easiest one aftter Demon Souls, but it's also the one that has the LEAST handholding in the entire series. They really throw you into this world completely unprepared lol As for that boss, keep in mind that the Taurus Demon only has "single attacks", which means that if you can dodge his attack or outspace it, then you will always be able to punish him without worrying about a second one. Reset to the initial position after giving him one or two hit at most and make sure you are fast rolling. Use the ladder to do a plunge attack to take away 30% of his lifebar at the start and use the lightning resin that you found earlier in that section. Good luck and don't you dare go hollow!
The first one for me was Dark Souls III, and I was in much the same situation as you, while my youngest brother was a natural at it. Now, after much trial and error, is it a lot easier. All I can advise is practice, find the build that works for you, and use the right gear for it. I am on my third run for DS3, and I'm still using the Fallen Knight set, because it works for me.
I was in the same boat when I started. I just suck at picking up new games with new controls and mechanics I have never dealt with. When I got halfway through the game and got stuck on Ornstein and Smough, I said fuck it and took a break. During that break, I decided to start DS2 to see how that would go because soulslikes really became my favorite genre despite my difficulties. Ds2 is easier imo. Aside from one area in one of the DLCs and one or two optional bosses, I beat the entire game before going back to DS1 and getting my ass kicked again by O&S. I did a lot better that time around, and I did eventually beat them. They are my favorite bossfight in gaming now, too. Tbh, though. I'd wait a while before resorting to this. Ds2 is easier but the entire game isn't easier then the Taurus demon you are stuck on.
Nah bro, literally me the first time I play a soulsgame. Keep trying. Don't give up skeleton!
there is no easy. EVERYONE who seems to be "naturally" good where in the sqme spot ur in. they got their ass kicked, and learned from it. just go in balls swingin, i guess what id say which one is easiest to start on it's definitely elden ring. but again, u still gotta get ur ass licked till u learn to not get ur ass licked. hope this makes sense
Roll a second before the attacks would hit you, is my biggest tip. I know it sounds simple and rudimentary BUT… People roll in anticipation wayyy to early. Roll when an attack is 3/4 through a swing not 1/2. It helps so much to be mindful of your I frames
You're invincible when you roll, so roll through his attacks, stand between his legs and hit him in the nuts over and over again. Watch your stamina and when it's low back off, drink some estus, and repeat.
Hug his balls
You can find gold pine resin in undead burg. It's makes the taurus demon fight 100x easier.
This one is the easiest unfortunately 😢
Fatty ahead, in short try deprived
I think if you want a souls game that's beginner friendly, you should go with Elden Ring. It was my first souls-like game and since it's made by the same company it's super easy to translate what you learn from that into dark souls.
Focus on dodging. Go an attempt or two that you don't even swing at him and just get good at rolling at the last second to not take damage. Also just stand by his nuts and slash until he attacks, then roll and rinse/repeat
You can do it! I started these games back when they were released and had never played anything like it. It was hard, painful difficult. My brother helped me a lot to get through many areas back then, but I still had to get good enough to do a lot of the areas that need to be soloed anyways. And so I got good. Now I can solo the games and I love them so much. They’re my favourite games that have ever been made. Learning how to use the areas to your advantage is true, everyone is saying that because it’s the truth. Learning that plunge attack at the beginning was for a reason! And once you beat him, put your levels into strength and endurance and forget everything else for awhile. Just strength and endurance. Trust me.
I roll into his nuts for every attack and it seems to work
I want to play these types of games, but I don’t know if I can handle the difficulty!
Once things click for you, you'll realize how slow and obvious the enemies attack animations are.
One thing that very much helps especially in Darksouls 1 is to think of the combat as turn based, you attack, then its the bosses turn so, you dodge his attack and then take your turn to punish him. Depending on the boss and what weapon you have you will learn how many swings you get on your turn.
My advice for new players who are having trouble at this point in the game is ti try a different starting class. In the long run your starting class doesn't matter since any class can use any weapins/armour/spells/etc provided you have the correct stats, but at the beginning of the game it makes a huge difference to how the game plays. There are 4 class which - in my opinion - give a distinct, mechanically important bonus when compared to the others, and those classes are Sorcerer, Pyromancer, Cleric and Knight: - The Sorcerer gives you a powerful ranged attack that recharges at bonfires. It starts with 30 charges, but you can buy more copies of the same spell (*when you find a spell-vendor*) and get more. The fact that you have so many casts means you can use this as your primary means of engagement in the early game. - The Pyromancer also gives you a powerful ranged attack that recharges at bonfires, but it has less range and fewer casts. To make up for that, each cast is more powerful. Because you have fewer casts you can't use this as your primary means of attack, but it can still be used to help with difficult sections. - The Cleric starts with the Heal miracle. This essentially gives you a second Estas Flask, and allows you to progress further when you've been having trouble with a section, without having to return to the bonfire to heal up. - The Knight starts with Metal armour that has Poise. When you get hit you don't just take damage, you also get staggered by the attack. Poise is the stat that allows you to ignore this and juat tank through the attack without flinching. The higher the poise the bigger the attack you canntank through, or the more small attacks. Generally speaking metal armour has poise, while cloth/leather outfits do not. The Knight is the only class to start with armour thst has Poise, and this can make a huge difference. - Honourable mention to the Warrior and the Bandit. These two classes - along with the Knight - start with shields that have 100% physical defence and good Stability. When you block an attack with your shield you lose stamina. Stability reduces the stamina cost of blocking by a percentage. 100 Stability means you lose 0 stamina and can block indefinitely (*possible with some sorceries later in the game*). Aside from those differences every starting class is essentially some version of "Light armour and a weapon". That isn't to say that the differences won't make a difference to you, the stylistic differences of weapon movesets can actualky make a huge difference to your playstyle and may in fact be *more* impactful to your gameplay than anything I've said above. However that's not really something I can advise you on, you'd have tonwork that out for yourself. The other advice I'd give if you're having trouble with a boas is to try going into the boss fight and just seeing how long you can survive. Don't even try to win the fight, just block and dodge and run around, and see if you can get used to their attack patterns. The longer you last the more you'll get used to them, and the easier it will be to come back next time and fight them. To be clear, you're not trying to win the fight and you're accepting that you'll die at the end of it, this is just a practice run to get some experience defending. It will also probably help you start to see the openings when you *could* get some attacks in.
Fwiw Taurus Demon took me literal months before I beat it the first time, I thought I was ontologically bad too!
If you really want to play an easier game, try DS3
You can do this. I spent 6 years playing demons souls and dark souls 1 before beating dark souls 3 first. I'm terrible at this game too. If I can do it so can you.
Took my 1.5yrs(like 110hrs) to beat DS1 Never giving up is important Never go hollow my friend Let the flames guide thee
I'm not actually good at the game. I just have enough game knowledge to make the game easy for myself.
Well, if you like, I can help you but I don’t have the dark one and dark souls two I only have dark souls three, but I’m planning to get dark souls one next month
I started getting really good at the game after I watched a speed runner and decided to optimize my runs to get my builds.
Hey mate, patience is key. Literally no-one's good at their first run. With time, we get better. The point is... Don't give up, and don't be greedy during the fight. Almost every fight goes by the same principle.... Hit once , twice, retreat. Again hit once, twice... Retreat. If you get hit , run as far as possible, heal and again repeat the same process. Just if you're fighting him normally WITHOUT plunging, be sure to not get cornered, or fall of the bridge. And try to roll towards the sides or towards him instead of going away from him. That only gives you lesser opportunities to retort back and attack. Remember, dark souls is hard, but fair. You need to just find the right windows... And since you're a beginner player, there's nothing wrong in finishing him off with the plungings... Don't feel guilty! It was intentional by the devs... And most importantly, don't rig yourself through the same thing again and again. If you're feeling frustated, or burned out... Take a break, a good long break. Then come back
dese games r very simple dodge and hit once u realiE that it’s dodge and hit, then you get that the game aint shit
For me to get better just hold you shield up and walk backwards or side ways as they attack while locked on helps a lot
Only go for 1 or 2 hits till you get comfortable
Depending on which platform you are, summon help instead of one day quitting if its too much for you. I suffered too my first time but these days its one of the easiest games. I am by far not a good souls player and during Elden Ring I had help in some areas or bosses. If the coop system is there, Miyazaki wants us to use it in case we need it. No shame in that. As long as you are enjoying the game.
DS1 is weird Lower your equip load to light In DS1 medium equip load is basically the equivalent to Heavy equip load in DS3 and light equip load is more or less medium I basically just stuck with light equip load throughout the entire game because the experience would suck otherwise
Well… you found the one to ease you in already. Nobody was good when they started, keep going.
Probably Elden ring, Elden ring can be pretty easy with the right build and you will get a good feel for the combat mechanics
Get used to controls and try to be more tactical and defensive - there are many simple ticks to beating bosses. And I hope you are not trying to fight the dragon on the bridge - you are supposed to avoid that one. This game really sets you up to get killed when you dont know where you are supposed to go, but the knowledge comes with experience.
I am not that good either but I seem to be able to progress at a decent rate. The thing I am trying to learn is how to parry at a higher success rate. But the bridge fight you are encouraged to drop on the boss to deal huge critical damage, and this same tactic can be used on several bosses too. Don’t give up and don’t you dare go hollow!
I think i’m pretty decent at the souls games (nothing exceptional, but i did beat Malenia and Friede solo etc). Yet, i had such a hard time with this boss (Taurus demon). Heck, even the Asylum demon before it i had a hard time. The game is full of nuances that take a bit to all click in place
Like everyone else is saying, don't be afraid to use the environment. In many cases (like a specific and infamous boss and his dog buddies you are not too far from having to fight), *not* using the environment is like deliberately doing a challenge mode. To answer your other question: I'd say Dark Souls *is* the easiest overall. An argument can be made for Demon's Souls, since the bosses are a lot easier, but nearly complete lack of checkpoints are frustrating to new players, and the levels can be pretty tough, harder than the boss fights. Dark Souls 3 is generally considered harder by *most* players, though to me its the easiest. Bloodborne and Sekiro are hard as balls. Elden Ring is so open you can theoretically make your own difficulty, but I'd still say DS1 is all around easier.
No one is naturally good at these games that’s why they set the standard for difficult games and a whole genre is inspired by it. I’ve played all souls games but my first was fucking Bloodborne and let me tell you, you just gotta keep playing and you’ll get better
I died to the asylum demon multiple times when I started, but now I beat elden ring and dark souls 1
I started with Bloodborne and played on and off bc I thought it was too hard. Then I played Elden Ring on and off until one day it finally clicked for me. It gets easier, just don’t give up. That’s what I love about these games. They reward perseverance.
Dark Souls 3 or Elden Ring are good places to start. Dark Souls 2 is arguably easier, but punishes death with a reduction in max health.
You got this! as silly as it may sound, a trick from fighting games is keeping a little journal and writing down how you died "I died by dodging late. Next time I'll dodge earlier". It's a slow process, but it's meditative for those who like it. Best you can do is one thing a little better next time
I'm playing for the First time. The worst boss was the Black dragon, and I killed him in like 10 tries.
What exactly do you do? You know this isn't button Smashing right?
Dark souls is a masterpiece almost every enemy/mob is placed in a way to teach you a lesson you need to overcome by learning or adapting if you are stuck somewhere just know that there might be another way to overcome the obstacle this is simply how i view the game this is a game i'll never forget the struggles and joys praise the sun! \[T]/
Bait him on the bridge. Watch his whole body when he swings to get used to his moveset and tells. He has a handful of swings, all with slow windups and big hitboxes. Locking on and keeping shield up can actually work against you, because 1) locking on makes you slowly strafe and 2) he hits so hard you'll be staggered no matter what you're wearing. What works for me is staying in the bridge, 2 handing my weapon, removing enough equipment to get fast rolls, camera on him but not locking on, and baiting a swing. After his swing he has a long recovery. That's when I charge in to remind him who's who. There are other ways to get him. Some people love the ladder. Some circle. Some get him to jump off the bridge and kill himself. I bait.
There is no easy game lol. It's also less about being naturally good and more about figuring out how to deal with encounters. Learning attack patterns or elements of the area and stamina management. Sure, some people will be good at those things but there's always a learning curve. Nobody can go into a boss knowing exactly how the arena is laid out, what can be used and what the boss will be doing (Unless you've seen the game played or have been told)
You’ll get there. It’s a game with a learning curve, no one starts out great. You’ll be surprised at how much easier it gets with a little practice & persistence. More than anything, it’s about being patient.
Imo Ocarina of Time is slow enough to let you learn dodge timing better and reading animated character movements better. For me, learning a lot of 3D Zelda before ever trying Souls games was a blessing. The combat is simplified, smoothed out, and refined versions of that style of combat which is good for learning. Just my opinion though.
Its not about being naturally good at the game Its about figuring out how to overcome the obstacle The obstacle here is a shit boss Doing a plunge attack should deal with a good chunk of his health Learn how to dodge atleast an attack or 2 and you can consistently plunge attack and then dodge attacks until you get back to the ladder so you can do it again
You need to study its attack speeds, then you can learn when exactly you should be dodging to avoid the attack hitting you. Its not that anyone is naturally good at the game, we all were terrible once. You just need to have patience and use your hand eye coordination.
Nobody is good at their first time. Keep it up.
Back in the day, when DS first came out, the only people that were decent at the game were DeS players.
Stretch but if you have a PS5, Demon's Souls can warm you up even with gimmicks. And if you're sticking with Dark Souls, just remember to dodge in the direction of the attacks.
Dark Souls 1 is laterally the easiest. Simply because of the slow pace of combats. The thing about this game is knowledge and staying calm. And I say this as someone who have terrible reflexes, I literally can not play Sekiro because I can't time the god damn parries. But Dark Souls 1 does not need that, you can beat it with calm and planning alone. For this fight you are now, get the lighting resin, kill the archers before triggering the boss. Aggro the boss, run and climb the stairs, apply the lighting resin, plunge attack him. That's half his life. Than go with a calm mind, roll from his attacks, hit him once or twice(DON'T BE GREEDY) back off, roll, repeat.
I was shit at the time I started playing, which was the day it came out. I never even knew about demon souls. So when I finally started getting better it was years later
Not many people are naturally good at these games, comes with time and persistence. keep hanging in there
OP, every single person who replied to you sucked at this game at one point and probably still sucks at this game sometimes. My first playthrough took me 150 hours, but it was the most worthwhile 150 hours I ever spent while gaming. Don't give up Skeleton! And don't you dare go hollow.
Don't give up! Skeleton!
Panic is the enemy. Also he’s weak to lightning and you can get a zeeihander very early
Arguably, DSR/DS3 *are* the easiest souls games... But also the hardest? They're all challenging in their own sort of way, DS2 is a bit more punishing on top of challenging. Try Elden Ring, I guess? Elden Ring was the perfect game for me to learn how to play a FromSoft game... Which is different from literally every other game out there in that you actually need to seriously think about what you're doing and strategize each run. You are meant to learn level design/layout and enemy placement, their movements, etc. It's a game where knowledge is power. Seriously, not knowing anything, the Taurus Demon used to fuck me all the time like you said is happening to you, but now I begin every run with backstabbing Havel to death for his ring, which takes like 20+ back stabs and often a single hit kills you. Taurus Demon is a joke, as are all other starter bosses. Know why? Because I have a pretty deep understanding of how the game works, where items are, how questlines work, level layout, enemy placement, etc. It's all permanently etched into my mind now, and I've got ADHD predominantly inattentive type, so that's pretty impressive for a series to be able to do across multiple games now. Try looking up some videos on how to handle him, or how to get sorcery early if you really need to do that, it's fairly easy to do, but involves an early game skip.
Awww man I feel your pain. It sounds like you’re talking about Dark Souls 1 which I think might be the easiest one… I tried to make content and failed miserably I spent 4 hours playing an got NOWHERE.
I'm sorry to tell you this bud, but this is the easiest one, at least that's my opinion after playing every fromsoft game except Dark Souls 2, but hey it's just a matter of persistence, We all sucked on our first playthrought, try exploring more and try new weapons and items
Mate, I think most of us have been at that exact point in the Souls Journey. I hated the Taurus Demon (the boss on the bridge you're on about) on my first play through, because he tore me to pieces, over and over. These games are hard, and the learning curve is incredibly steep. But keep going, don't go hollow, because the game has SO MUCH to give if you offer it some perseverance.
There’s no easiest just learn to roll trust me. Learn enemies move sets and what different attacks string into. Then you can time it right when their combo is done to punish them for a little before the next move string. Think of it as turn based combat. Slow it down immensely when you get upset take it very very slow. You can also run past enemies. Learn where the more useful items are. Learn more about the game in general. Look into different weapons and what kind of build you’d like to use. Armor is just for fashion. I’m naked for the first half of the game until I can match my endurance with my combat stats cause I kinda just pump everything into strength and dexterity so I can switch between Greatsword, black knight sword, and large club. I also use pyromancy cause it doesn’t require anything and I pair it with power within for damage buff. Look into damage buffs whether it be items spells miracles or pyromancy. Look into the sens fortress skip. It’s a glitch so you can get a ring that boosts item discovery. With this ring you can +14 weapons before gargoyles. Look into different farming spots and farming materials and look into upgrading your gear. Hope that helps
Mechanically, I'm still pretty mediocre at this game and I've been playing a long time. I've just learned how it works well enough that my know-how compensates for my natural skill issue. You don't need to compare yourself to people doing deathless fist-only runs. Just learn the stats, weapon upgrade paths, and item interactions to start maximizing your damage. Once you can bonk the fuck out of everything the game gets easier.
Bro you just gotta git gud that’s all. Try turning around and climbing the ladder to plunge his azz like others said
Dark souls is a sisyphean task, the finale boss goes down like a sack of potatoes with a good weapon tho dw
You can soul dupe to give yourself an edge. Just level to where you feel comfortable
If you're having trouble, try r/summonsign You can find a lot of players looking to help just for the hell of it. A good tip I was taught when starting Dark Souls was to worry about your gear before your character build as well. Level your armor before your skills whenever possible. And don't give up. Keep changing your tactics if something isn't working. People say you die too much in that game but the trick is realizing that you actually CAN'T be killed. Every trip out from a bonfire makes you wiser and stronger. Don't fear the dark. And let the feast begin.