Anyone who dares to try out the Soulslike genre can quickly become intimidated and overwhelmed. MeinMMO author Christoph Waldboth has been playing Dark Souls, Elden Ring & Co. for over ten years and reveals six tips for new players below.
All beginnings are difficult. When I started Dark Souls 1 over ten years ago, completely inexperienced, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. But the rude awakening quickly followed: the game was incredibly difficult and explained almost nothing.
It was only on the second attempt that I fell in love with the game and an entire genre that was still on the verge of its big breakthrough. But since Elden Ring, Soulslikes have been on everyone’s lips and have become part of the gaming mainstream.
Over the years I’ve learned a lot from these games and now I want to give new players six tips that will make the first steps in a Soulslike easier.
FromSoftware recently released the major DLC Shadow of the Erdtree for Elden Ring. Here you can see the story trailer:
Elden Ring shows the DLC “Shadow of the Erdtree” in the story trailer
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1. Learn the combat system and mechanics
The first tip may sound banal, but it is essential if you want to survive a Soulslike. As is typical for the genre, the fights are demanding and the bosses are often very difficult. So familiarize yourself with the combat system right from the start.
There are usually light and heavy attacks, the option to block with a shield or to dodge attacks by rolling. The latter requires some practice, so I recommend the variant with the shield at first.
Critical hits such as backstabs shorten the fights. This also applies to shield parries followed by critical counterattacks – but good timing is required here. Practice on simple standard opponents.
The goal here is for you to internalize the combat system, which basically consists of just a few options. You have to master it like the back of your hand in order to be able to react to your opponent’s different attack patterns at any time. So take your time and practice at the beginning. Which brings us to the next tip.
2. Try different weapons and builds
You will choose a starting class at the beginning. In most Souls games, however, this is not really relevant. You can freely skill your character and every class can use every weapon if properly skilled. And you should do that.
The Souls experience can be very different depending on which weapon and build you play. Don’t stick with the first sword you get your hands on, but keep changing your weapon. This is the only way to find your personal playstyle. This is important to make progress easier.
Don’t like the slow move set of a greatsword? Why not try a fast rapier, or switch to magic?
3. It’s okay to die
If Soulslikes is known for one thing, it’s the difficulty and the amount of death that comes with it. Don’t be discouraged if you get stuck a few times at the beginning. Don’t worry, that’s completely normal. It takes a while until you understand the systems in these games.
Playing Soulslikes also means learning something new with every death. The next time you try, you know the nasty attack of that one boss. You know that in one place you’d rather run away than roll. You’ve become a little wiser again.
If you push through, you’ll start to understand how these games work. You’ll suddenly kill bosses much faster, get through the areas more easily. It’s incredibly satisfying, believe me. You just have to be a little bit resistant to frustration and grit your teeth.
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