The Dark Souls Survival Guide

Die with dignity.

By: Ryan Scott October 4, 2011

Perhaps From Software's devilishly dark fantasy role-playing game Demon's Souls caught your eye back in 2009. It received nothing short of unanimous critical acclaim, after all. But one crucial caveat kept you at bay: its fiendish and unforgiving difficulty level. Here was a game that dared to brazenly buck modern-day accessibility trends, testing its audience's patience and self-control in ways that made even the good ol' 8-bit era look downright tame. Demon's Souls never held your hand; it lopped your hand right off, beat you to death with it, took all your stuff, and forced you to get right back to work (sans said hand).

Two years later, spiritual successor Dark Souls remixes its forebear's merciless mechanics, enticing you to eat that same saucer of crow once again. This time, you give in; you've steeled yourself for the inevitable torment, determined to prove your mettle against this game that dares to flaunt its unforgiving reputation front-and-center, with a foreboding "Prepare to die" tagline. Conquer this, and you can conquer anything, right? Well, welcome to the most hellish fun you could possibly have with a video game. You're going to earn those bragging rights.

Consider this your Dark Souls survival manual. These five handy tips -- from a seasoned veteran who's seen it all once before -- will give you the knowledge you need to beat back the darkness. Just make peace with the fact that you're still going to die. A lot.

Pick the Sorcerer class and the Master Key starting item

In Dark Souls, classes act as little more than templates -- collections of starting stats and gear, malleable to any end. Your magic-user can (and probably will) become a beefy warrior, and vice versa. That said, out-of-the-gate survival capabilities should dictate your initial class choice. In Demon's Souls, the Royal and his powerful Soul Arrow spell gave inexperienced players one of the game's best ranged attack options (something that's very helpful throughout); in Dark Souls, the Sorcerer does the same (the Pyromancer is a viable alternative, but beware its considerably slimmer spell inventory). You also get to choose from a slew of starting trinkets, and the Master Key (a non-consumable skeleton key that, surprise, opens lots of locked doors!) is allegedly the only one that doesn't otherwise exist in the game world.

Exercise extreme caution... and extreme patience

Dark Souls is a game that severely punishes impatience. You should regard every single enemy you run across as a potentially lethal threat: Button-mashing your way to victory is seldom an option (and never a good one). When you meet a new foe, take a few steps back, raise your shield, and study the aggressor's attack patterns. Exploit openings only when you're 100% sure you can capitalize, and don't press your luck -- if you die, all of your accumulated souls (that's currency and experience) disappear, everything respawns, and you get shunted back to a (likely faraway) checkpoint. On a similar note, always walk forward slowly, keep your shield up, and assume something's about to jump out and kill you (probably from behind). And remember: If something looks like it can kill you in one hit, it probably can.

Maintain a good defense

You have two primary tools for keeping yourself alive: your shield and your roll. A good shield is the single most important piece of equipment you can carry; always stay on the lookout for a better shield with higher resistance to various damage types (particularly fire and magic), and never traverse an unfamiliar area without raising your shield. Your shield is one of two reasons why the Endurance stat is so important, as deflecting repeated blows saps stamina very quickly. More Endurance equals more combat sustainability, so prioritize this stat as you level up (I advise raising it every other level, to start).

Watch your weight

That brings me to the aforementioned roll -- the other reason Endurance is so critical. Your rolling maneuver acts as a quick and handy dodge, and you need to learn how to use it effectively if you want to live... especially when you run into Dark Souls' relentless bosses. One of Dark Souls' shortcomings is that it's pretty esoteric in how it conveys important information (or doesn't). Case in point: If your equipment load tips over half your weight limit, it imposes a sluggish gait on your movement (and particularly your rolls). Most players learn this the hard way, but that's what I'm here for! Keep that Endurance growth rolling, and the weight half-cap becomes a non-issue.

Tackle the Undead Burg first

Once you arrive at the Firelink Shrine -- Dark Souls' central hub area -- the world is your decrepit, murderous zombie-oyster. From here, you can hit any of three major paths, two of which will immediately stop you dead with nigh-unkillable skeletons and literally unkillable ghosts. The Undead Burg is the place to go: Face away from the bonfire and toward the Shrine's various stone archways, and head to the far right, down a grassy path and straight into a throng of sword-swinging skeletons. Welcome... to die.

Hew to these helpful hints, and your death-obliging journey will be ever-so-slightly easier. Always treat failure like a learning tool; in Dark Souls, death always shadows you, constantly threatening to take you without hesitation if you let it. Learn to fear and respect death, and you will tame it.