Author: Leri Koen

If you’re not familiar with role-playing games set in dark dystopian kingdoms during tumultuous times, what better place to start than Dark Souls III? Between bosses that seem to morph into tar-covered tentacle monsters and NPCs just hanging around looking depressed, you’re sure to wonder what’s going on and how exactly Dark Souls III works. 

On our first blind playthrough, we felt the same. Luckily, we adapted to the ashen surrounding and quickly learned how to play Dark Souls III. Get your scimitars and claymores ready because we’re about to show you the best way to start like a pro, and level up your weapons to defeat bosses the smart way. 

How to Play Dark Souls III Like a Pro

Once you get to grips with your open-world surroundings and adversaries around every corner, you’ll find it’s a pretty straightforward and enjoyable game. The trick is getting started the right way, and yes, there is one. 

Welcome to Lothric

Your first step toward victory is to press start on the initial screen. Once you do this, you’ll immediately be thrust into an exciting cinematic introducing you to the lore and backstory. So that you don’t feel lost, here are the basics: Lothric is in decline. A has tolled signaling all that the First Flame, the custodian of the Age of Fire, is dying. What approaches now is the Age of Dark, which brings with it the undead, and when has the word ‘undead’ ever meant anything good? 

Your Quest

You play as the Ashen One, part of the undead crew who failed to become a Lord of Cinder and is therefore called an Unkindled. You have risen, and now your quest is simple; Restore Prince Lothric and all the defiant Lords of Cinder to their thrones and link the fire. Prince Lothric was supposed to do this but backed out of his destiny, as Royals do, and now it’s up to you. Fair warning, these Lords are the epitome of defiance. 

Among the ranks of the Lord of Cinder are the Abyss Watchers, warriors sworn by the Old Wolf’s blood, an oath that linked all their souls together to protect the land from the horrors of the Abyss but who were locked in fearsome battle with one another; Yhorm, a giant who once conquered the people he ended up sacrificing his life for; and Aldrich.

A clever nod to Cthulhu, an Eldritch terror from the mind of H.P Lovecraft, Aldrich resembles an octopus and became a Lord of Cinder even though he had a ravenous appetite for men and gods. 

The Best Way to Start Dark Souls III

Dark Souls III gives you a choice between 10 classes to start from. The classes are knight, warrior, mercenary, herald, assassin, thief, sorcerer, cleric, pyromancer, and the fun sounding one called deprived. Most players believe that there is serious thought involved in which class to start with; There isn’t really.

Each class definitely has its perks, but they are all fairly equally matched to start with. However, if you’re into magic, start with one of the classes that give you instant access to magical abilities, like pyromancer, sorcerer, or cleric. 

The knight and warrior classes are the best for taking damage, so if you think you’re likely to be hit more than you hit other entities, take one of these as your starter. The knight class also lets you carry heavier armor and comes with a longsword that deals brutal blows. Therefore, if we were to pick a class for starting Dark Souls III from the beginning, we’d definitely go the knight route.

It’s a much more forgiving class on newcomer players. You will be able to build your character up exactly how you desire as you go, and when you get far enough, you can even reclass your character and try the others on for size. 

Here are some brilliant starter aspects to a few of the classes:

Thief: The thief has a high luck score. This is important early on in the game as you don’t have many other skills. Your primary weapon is a dagger, which beginners often find difficult to use effectively, so luck will definitely come in handy.

Cleric: As it can in most games, the cleric can heal itself. It’s a decent fighting class, but definitely not the best. As a cleric, you’ll also have a strong starting point when it comes to sorcery. 

Warrior: If all you want out of a starter character is brute force, strength, and a double-handed battleax, this is the way to go. You’ll blow through enemies like a tornado and even deal a good amount of damage to bosses. 

Dark Souls III: Tips and Tricks

Here are a few tricks we worked out when we learned how to play Dark Souls III. We hope they’ll help you too.

Exploration Holds the Key to Success

The Kingdom of Lothric hardly looks like a place anyone in their right mind would willingly explore. But we gamers are different; we run at sharp pointy objects and use chasms and cliffs as parkour; At least in-game. Exploring Lothric to its limits will certainly reveal many helpful tools and accessories, not to mention upgrade pieces.

Do things you’d never do in reality, like hitting solid walls repeatedly; Sometimes, they aren’t all that solid, and they lead down new and exciting pathways. Check around every corner, break every chest wide open, give yourself every opportunity to get the best gear. 

Sometimes Running is the Best Option

Dark Souls III isn’t like other games where areas are locked behind obvious barriers, taunting you until you reach a high enough level; It’s far more terrifying. Dark Souls III basically gives you the run of whatever part of the world you find yourself in. You will no doubt come across entities that are far above your class.

You likely won’t be able to kill creatures like the oversized crystal lizard on your first try, so it’s good to remember that it’s okay to run. More than okay, it’s practically mandatory. IF you’re facing a particularly stubborn boss that just will not die, the same logic applies; Run to safety. Once you’ve recharged and your character isn’t wetting itself anymore, you can take another crack at it a fight. 

Reading is What? Fundamental

From character class descriptions to glowing messages on the floor; Read everything you see. You’ll probably come across some cool loot and weapons by not just looking at the pictures. Item descriptions are particularly important as these can lead to a deeper understanding of Dark Souls III’s lore and gameplay and even reveal new quests. 

Talk to all the NPCs You Meet

We understand the hesitance to talk to people, and we sympathize. But in the context of Dark Souls III, it’s imperative that you exhaust every NPCs dialog. This means talking to them until they start repeating themselves. NPCs can guide you to special items, give you quests and lead you down pathways you wouldn’t have known about in the game. Some NPCs in Dark Souls III are even known to open up alternative endings if you talk to them. 

Upgrade Your Gear

There’s a blacksmith in the Fire Link Shrine who can perform wonders on your weapons. For reasons unbeknown to us, many people avoid him. Whether it’s because of the way he swings his hammer or that he looks like Santa Claus saw the darkness in the world and left the toy business for hardcore weapons, we don’t know. However, it’s a massive mistake to ignore not-so-jolly St. Nick because he can have you swinging above your weight class and attacking bosses more effectively, with the right upgrade pieces, of course. 

Don’t Overload Yourself

You’ll no doubt discover the benefits of rolling around Lothric instead of walking, especially now that we’ve mentioned that it’s an option in your controls. However, an interesting game mechanic means that if you load yourself up with too much loot, weaponry, and special objects, you won’t roll away as quickly as you’ll likely need to.

This isn’t Minecraft; Your character does not have suspiciously deep pockets and endless strength. Extra weight will slow you down considerably and make it far more difficult and dangerous to escape from anything you’re not kitted out to fight. 

All in all, A Brilliant RPG

From the beautiful graphics to the stunning gameplay and deep lore, Dark Souls III is a brilliant RPG title. It is the perfect culmination of a gripping series and expertly weaves the entire trilogy together with an intricate yet powerful story. The world’s most brilliant minds couldn’t imagine a more fitting swan song to the Dark Souls Trilogy. Simply put, Dark Souls III is a masterpiece.