Dark Souls 1: 10 Essential Tips for your First Playthrough

Dark Souls is not an easy game by any standards, and it can feel overwhelming to complete on your own during your first playthrough. With that in mind, here are 10 essential tips you can use to make this difficult game just that little bit easier.

1. Don't panic

It’s quite difficult not to panic roll, but dodging at the right time can be the difference between phasing right through a boss attack and having to make yet another attempt. In Dark Souls, rolling gives you invincibility frames, temporarily disabling the character’s hurtbox - which, in layman’s terms, means you become invincible for a certain amount of time while rolling. Practice on a weaker enemy to avoid panic rolling and learn to use this to its full potential. Don’t hoard Souls

2. Don't hoard Souls

You’ll find Souls of the Undead while journeying through Lordran, which can be used at any time to give you some amount of Souls. In the early game, you’ll die a lot - so use Souls for leveling up as soon as you can, and don’t wait unless you have a specific item you want to buy.

3. Don't be afraid to upgrade weapons

You’ll always be able to get more upgrade materials (except for Titanite Slabs), so don’t be afraid to upgrade a weapon a few times, either to test it out or because you like it, even if you think you’ll find a better one later.

4. Don't be afraid to use items

Similarly to the previous point, you’ll find lots of consumables that you may be scared to use. Don’t be! Like upgrade materials, you can always find more.

5. Use the Crow

Near the end of the first area (Northern Undead Asylum), a little bit off to the right on a ledge, you’ll find a bird’s nest. Try dropping one item at a time, saving and quitting, and loading back in, it might give you something in exchange…

6. Lock on to every enemy

If you attack an NPC, they’re hostile to you unless you speak to a certain NPC that absolves you of your sins. And if you kill them, they’re gone forever. You can only lock on to enemies, so be sure to use that every time you see someone who might be an NPC. It also makes it easier to attack enemies.

7. Keep your guard up

Both figuratively and literally. Dark Souls has lots of traps, so be aware of those, and it can be good to hold your shield up in front of you when entering new areas (though your stamina regenerates slower, so keep that in mind).

8. Pick three stats

In Dark Souls (at least in my opinion), there are two stats that you will always benefit from leveling up: Vitality (health) and Endurance (stamina). From there, you should pick either Dexterity (quick weapons), Strength (heavy weapons), Intelligence (spellcasting), or Faith (miracle casting) to increase your attack damage.

9. It's okay to come back later

Dark Souls is pretty linear, but when there’s a branching path, sometimes you’ll encounter stronger enemies than you’re ready for. That’s okay, and it’s fine to leave and come back later. Getting stronger lets you more effectively defeat enemies and progress through the game.

10. Prepare to die

This is perhaps the most important message of the entire list. Death is not the end. It’ll happen a lot, and while you may be upset about the lost Souls for a moment, your story will always continue. You can overcome every death, no matter how devastating. Power through, skeleton. Thank you for reading these essential tips, and I hope they'll help you on your journey through Lordran!