When it comes to hard games, the Dark Souls series is probably the most infamous of them all. Because of that, it gets a lot of backlash from people saying things about it that are not necessarily true. A lot of people dislike the game, but it has a massive following of loyal fans.
All the time I see different people saying that the game is impossible to beat, and sometimes I see people saying that it’s so easy. In reality, the game is in the middle. It is not too hard or too easy. Dark Souls is one of those games that, with a lot of patience and learning, you will be able to get through it.
The first Dark Souls game that I played was Dark Souls 3, which is supposedly the easiest in the series. My first playthrough I was not able to complete, which was completely my fault. The only way that you are unable to complete any Dark Souls game is if you give up.
Later on, after a few months, I booted up the game again and finally played through the whole thing. When I went into NG+, the game just felt like home to me, and I knew exactly how to beat it.
Here are some frequently asked questions about the difficulty of Dark Souls:
- Is Dark Souls supposed to be hard?
- Is Dark Souls the hardest game ever?
- Why do bosses seem impossible?
- Why does my weapon barely do any damage?
- Why do people compare hard games to Dark Souls?
- Why doesn’t the game tell me where to go?
- Why am I always dying?
- Why do people exaggerate about the difficulty?
Related: Is the DLC Worth your time in DSR?
Is Dark Souls supposed to be hard?
Yes, Dark Souls was made to be a challenging game that takes practice to actually complete. The whole fun of the game is failing over and over to finally achieve victory over whatever it may be. FromSoftware wanted to make a game that was hard, but not impossible, so that is what they did.
There are two things that make the game challenging. One is making every enemy extremely difficult to beat. The second is the developers giving you brutal consequences for when you make a wrong move.
The first time I played Dark Souls, I thought the game was impossible, but as I kept playing, I saw that overcoming certain things made the game more satisfying and fun to me personally. Don’t let that Dark Souls stereotype stop you from playing a fantastic game like this.
Is Dark Souls the hardest game ever?
Compared to certain games it is very hard, but I would not say it is the hardest game ever. There are millions of games that have been made and many of them are hard. Dark Souls can be unforgiving sometimes, but that is only because of the way you are playing and the mistakes that you’re making.
Maybe on your first playthrough, you can say that Dark Souls is the hardest game ever; but once you replay it, you realize that it really is not that hard. If you don’t have the patience or the ability to get over the learning curve of this game, however, maybe it isn’t for you.
Why do bosses seem impossible?
When I fought my first boss in the entire series, I thought to myself that this was going to be impossible with the number of bosses put into this game. I was not ready to fight anything harder than the tutorial boss. As I played the game over time however, I beat boss after boss, slowly getting better at the game.
Bosses in Dark Souls are not impossible, they all have a weakness that you have to find and take advantage of. Certain bosses are weak to lightning damage, while others are weak to poison damage. You also have to know the boss’s specific attacks and dodges.
You are going to die a lot, but every death brings you closer to understanding how the boss works. Don’t think about the bosses as being impossible to beat, think of them as a challenge you need to overcome to get better at the game.
Why does my weapon barely do any damage?
When you first find a weapon, it only has its base damage on it at that moment. If you are confused about how the weapons work in the game and your weapon is not doing any damage to anything, then your best bet is to upgrade them. You can upgrade any weapon by going to any blacksmith in the game.
In Dark Souls, you can buy a special item that allows you to upgrade any piece of gear at a bonfire, which is super helpful since there is no warping early in the game. You upgrade your weapons by getting the specific material needed for that specific weapon.
One weapon type might need twinkling titanite, while another might just need simple titanite. The higher the level of your weapon, the easier beating an enemy will be.
Why do people compare hard games to Dark Souls?
One phrase I see all the time is “Dark-Souls-like” when referring to other games that are hard. I am not a huge fan of that because Dark Souls is its own game and can’t really be compared to other games. The only way that wording works is if it is a game that was a Dark Souls clone like The Surge and Lords of the Fallen.
I have seen people compare Skyrim and Witcher 3 to Dark Souls, but in reality, those games are nothing like each other. Yes, they are all fantasy games involving monsters and magic, but there really isn’t much comparison beyond that. They are all different games that appeal to different audiences.
Why doesn’t the game tell me where to go?
Dark Souls is notorious for just throwing a new player directly into the game without telling them where to go and what to do. A lot of people are not a huge fan of this because they like a game that they can just sit down, relax, and play without having the trouble and adrenaline rush of certain games.
I really like the way FromSoftware created the game just because it leaves everything up to you to figure out. Although the game does give you tutorials at the beginning of the game, it does not specifically tell you where you should go next. Making a game this way trains your brain to look at things closer. Don’t be afraid of the game. If you finally master it, you will be very satisfied with your hard work.
Why am I always dying?
There are many things that can make you die, and a lot of them can be avoided if you are prepared for everything. An important thing you can do to be prepared is to make sure your gear is always upgraded as high as you can get it.
Don’t be greedy with your attacks because if you are caught by an enemy combo it will be your downfall. Some enemies have very delayed attacks, so if you attack too soon, you will lose a lot of health depending on what the enemy is.
Another main reason you could be dying a lot is if you are under-leveled for a specific area. Some areas have enemies that you have to come back later to in the game because of the difficulty. Keep in mind that dying helps you understand your enemy better so don’t get mad when you do.
Why do people exaggerate about the difficulty?
Some people say that the game is way too hard, and some say it is too easy. These are both just people’s opinions. It is better to go into this game with the mindset that, although it is more challenging in the beginning, hard work will get you through it.
This game teaches you to learn your enemy and to overcome the hard parts. Don’t listen to the players who tell you one thing or the other, just play the game and see if you like it yourself.
Conclusion
Dark Souls is not necessarily a hard game. Yes, it is difficult in its own ways, but you can learn and get better at it like any other game. Every time I play a Dark Souls game, it makes me so happy because I have beat them multiple times, and it gives me that nostalgia that everyone wants from a game. Here is a link to a great Dark Souls guide on Amazon that you should look into getting.
Don’t let other people sway you from playing any of the Dark Souls games because, in the end, you will be happy you actually made it through the whole thing.