5 Tips To Break Soulslikes, Cause Elden Ring
It’s probably safe to say that Dark Souls is as popular as it is mainly due to its most memeable quality: the high difficulty. You generally won't meet as many people who appreciate the other aspects of the game as those that just heard it is a hard game that will challenge their ability to learn and master game mechanics. Actually though, it is not particularly challenging in that regard, with mechanics being rather simple and the main challenge being getting through a series of environments and encounters, similar to solving puzzles.
Approaching Dark Souls like this, I never had difficulties beating it, and because of the general lack of innovation within the genre it worked for the rest of the FromSoftware series as well as the games imitating it. So even if you can’t git gud at God Hand or Devil May Cry you can get through a lot of soulslikes with some wits, and to get you started I will reveal some of my top wittings.
#1 Run.
No, I don’t mean you should sprint all the time. What I mean is you should always have an escape route that you are sure is safe, and you should use it whenever you are even slightly worried you might die. If you don’t die, you won’t lose your currency which you can then use to get more powerful. Even if you get low on healing items and have to go all the way back to rest, you will just have to beat a section and enemies you are already familiar with and you will get even more currency in the process. In the end you only gain progress by retreating.
#2 Scooby Doo.
Don’t run around when exploring a new area. Move slowly and look around for potential dangers. Corners, walls, roofs, and high ceilings are the enemy favourites. When something does surprise you just remember your escape routes and run/roll in that direction.
#3 Pick an Arena For Your Melee.
Take note of reasonably big open areas along your escape route. If you stumble upon an enemy in a section you are unfamiliar with, don’t just start fighting there as more might be nearby. Draw them back a bit to a section that you are already comfortable with. Enemies will typically chase you long enough to move to an arena of your choice and you can use ranged weapons to get their attention easier.
#4 DOOOOOOOOOODGE After a Second, Hector.
When an enemy swings at you your instinct is likely to dodge the moment they finish raising their weapon. This can be effective but sometimes you will find that enemy attacks were made to counter that in cheap ways. Some enemies will track your location and keep facing you until very late in their attack animation, hitting you even if you move. It has also become very common for enemies to hold/charge their swings a split second longer than you would expect them to, tricking you into dodging too early. The most universal solution to this is to not dodge before an attack actually starts. For those who don’t have the reflexes, though, it is always a good idea to use quick and long range weapons that will let you keep your distance, like light spears and longswords; there is a reason why spear and shield remained the core of military for thousands of years. Combine this with #3 and you should be fine.
#5 Level Up and Stay Light.
It might seem like a given but this is effectively the way to adjust the game’s difficulty. Always spend your currency on this first and whenever you have the chance. Increasing your health, stamina, and damage equally is usually your best bet. Combine that with light- or medium-weight weapons and armour to keep the ability to run away and upgrade them when you have leftover currency.
Here are the secrets. Now go break Dark Souls and remember: If you fail then it is your fault, not mine.
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