For those who might have just gotten into FromSoftware games due to the release of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, or for the types of people who only played Bloodborne and decided that they didn’t ever want to experience FromSoft’s specific brand of hell, Demon’s Souls isn’t easy.
Even if you’ve played all of their Souls series types of games, you probably still have a tough time with Demon’s Souls. That being said, there are a few little tricks that come into play if someone wants to prepare before the release of the upcoming PS5 exclusive remake of the classic game.
10 You Can Still Play On Private Servers
While the official servers for Demon’s Souls got completely shut off in 2018, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t summon a buddy to help you past whichever particularly tough boss you’re having problems defeating.
In fact, there are private servers that you can connect to which allows for online play, whether you can’t quite get through by yourself or you want to test your meddle in the notoriously difficult PvP community. It might take a little bit of digging to find one that works for you, but the option is still 100% there.
9 You Can Optimize Yourself For Magic From The Start
There are a number of “classes,” for lack of a better term, that you can decide to adopt as particularly suited whichever playstyle at the beginning of Souls games, but that doesn’t mean the game requires one need to stick to the one that’s picked.
One also doesn’t need to start as a deprived class in any Souls game so that they can assign points to whatever they like. If it’s a magic build one is seeking, start as a Royalty class and pick up some Old Spice.
8 Resupply Even When You Think You Shouldn’t
It’s easy to get lost in the vast world that one is thrust into in pretty much any Souls game, but that isn’t exactly the best idea when it comes to Demon’s Souls.
Especially because it features a giant hub world at the beginning of the game which allows one to travel wherever they want to go, rather than the bonfire system that pretty much anyone who’s played a Souls game is familiar with. As a result, if you know you’re going to be away from the hub for a long time, stock up on anything you might need first.
7 Be Smart About Your Equipment
One of the big issues that a lot of people end up having with this game is the immense amount of currency that it costs to repair weapons. When adventuring, there’s absolutely nothing worse than breaking every weapon in one’s arsenal only to realize that means a bunch of grinding for souls, completely putting a hard stop on any more progress through the game for a while.
6 Don’t Assume Enemies Are Your Only Danger
Demon’s Souls is commonly held among fans of the franchise to be the easiest in the “Soulsborne” pseudo-series, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’ll be easy for newcomers. Principally, while enemies can be dangerous, the environment in Demon’s Souls is often equally as hazardous, and unaware players would do well to carefully take in their surroundings before engaging in combat.
5 A Spear Still Might Be Easiest If You’re New
When a lot of people pick up games in this franchise, or even the general in genre, they assume that whatever medieval weapon they like best is probably going to be the best one for them.
That’s until the first time someone smacks a warhammer or a sword into a wall while trying to hit an enemy, which then gets the hit instead, stunlocking them into a spiral towards death. For long hallways and really any kind of quick, light combat, a spear can’t be beaten.
4 Don’t Spend All Your Souls On Leveling
It’s pretty easy to get stuck in the loop of upgrading one’s strength or dexterity to use a weapon that they find particularly cool. This is problematic for several reasons; health gets neglected, and then stamina gets underestimated, and, as a result of this, one ends up with a completely underdeveloped character. Rather than leveling at every opportunity, make sure weapons are repaired and upgraded and that all the needed supplies have been procured.
3 There Are A Few Great Grinding Spots
Thankfully, whether as an example of their good graces to the people who dared pick up the beast they’d just unleashed upon this earth or completely on accident, there are a good few grind points that will come in handy while playing the game and working on getting that weapon one’s been working towards. There’s one early on in the Shrine Of Storms, which can be traveled to after the first 2 bosses.
2 A Good Shield Is Important
While people who might have mainly played Bloodborne or Sekiro before touching either any of the Dark Souls games or Demon’s Souls might want to completely ignore the fact that there are many more shields in those games than the ones they’re used to, they shouldn’t. A shield is extremely important, not only because blocking with your weapon isn’t particularly effective, but also because parries are your best friend.
1 Go In As Blind As Possible If You Want A Challenge
It’s pretty easy to read up on any game in this genre for hours and hours so that one can verify that their build is going to be perfect for either PvP or PvE, according to their preference.
All of this is to say that there’s really no reason to worry about this, and, if someone’s really wanting to get into the game, they will, and it’s better to play it like everyone else did when it first came out, knowing nothing about it.
NEXT: 5 Dark Souls Bosses We’d Gladly Fight Again (& 5 We’d Rather Avoid)
