Note To Moderators: I know there is a Dark Souls thread, but this is separate from that. They discuss the game in there, there's spoilers and all sorts of stuff in there. This is more my guide to people interested in the game and who might purchase it, and a little newbie guide for them to enjoy it. That's all. Please don't lock this thread.


The PC version of Dark Souls is coming out this Friday (Thursday woops!) and it's looking FANTASTIC!

Here's the purchase link: http://store.steampowered.com/app/211420/ (Lol I linked to Alan Wake originally. Link Fixed.)


But, don't watch the video at that link, it has unnecessary spoilers. If you want to see what the game is about watch this trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8h0E8SSjJE This one is minimal (first trailer they revealed)

If you want a peek at the combat (but with a bit more spoilers). Watch this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-7xPqXXByk&hd=1

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If you guys are fans of Elder Scrolls I'm sure you'll love it. Incredibly deep story, variant extremely deep explorable world, great combat, play who you want, quests with real consequences, it's really good! Plus tons of new PC exclusive content in this release (until it releases again in October for consoles), and a PVP option to fight against others to prove which of you is the better swordsman/magician/thief/etc.

As a side note, Namco Bandai always advertises Dark Souls as "It's a hard game." But that doesnt do the game justice. It's challenging but it is extremely fair! The game is setup so that strategy is more effective than gear or leveling (though both help a lot in your playthrough).

If you haven't played the game before, and you're looking to get it, I wanted to put some guidelines out there to help you enjoy the game to the fullest!

ShinGouki's Guide For Enjoying Dark Souls A Whole Bunch!

1) For your first playthough,don't watch any guides for the game on YouTube. Don't read any guides about the game. No Wikis, no gamefaqs, nothing. Try to beat the game with your first character with no help. Like I said in the intro explanation, the game is extremely fair, so if you're having a hard time you just need to look at the situation a little differently. The game is setup so that you have to discover a lot of things and that's a good thing! When the game first came out, no one knew how half the systems worked; and the beauty was in the mystery of the game. You can still gain that feeling of discovery by NOT READING ANYTHING.

This is number one because I'm REALLY serious about this. Look up NOTHING.

Trust me, you'll thank me for it later!

2) ROLEPLAY. When you start your character, create a story for them. A name, a background, a purpose, driving goal maybe, a previous occupation. Try to make a role for your character and plant their existance in the world. Then when you play the game, try to use weapons, armor, accessories, magic, etc that fits within that role, and try not to stray out of it. Too often I see people picking the "optimal" equipment, and they miss the point in the game's extensive diversity of weapons, armor, and magic along with its extremely balanced fighting system.

Here's a roleplay example:


It was fun as hell! The game let me roleplay in a way that worked for me. I wasn't limited by gear being "not good enough". Everything is balanced in a way that works well for your choices. It's also setup so that each weapon is different so the variety and depth of the combat is incredible.

So roleplay! Even if you roleplay yourself, pick weapons you feel work best for the playstyle you want. Optimal path equipment is so dull and lifeless, and you're not roleplaying anymore like that (in my opinion), not much different from playing with a guide, honestly.

3) Read item descriptions! A lot of goodies are stored in the item descriptions. When you get new items be sure to read them.

4) Let yourself be immersed. Look around, check out things, make conscious decisions, explore, test out different strategies, take risks, be careful, do all these things. Be a part of the world! It's a really fun one and it'll amaze you as long as you let yourself be a part of it.


If I think up anything else I'll write it here.

The main advice though is not to look down on this game; it's REALLY good, and From Software made this version just for the fans (they weren't going to make any additional content nor a pc version originally), so it'd be cool for everyone to give them a chance. Hopefully you guys get it, and I'll look forward to seeing you all in the game .