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[Bigrx1]

I've never played one of these and was looking at Sekiro, I like that type of world setting. But, was curious if people think I should start with a different title first? What should I expect just to die a lot and to expect frustration?

 

[DynamiteCop!]

That would be a wise decision because the game is a standalone title, not sure what platform you're using but that seems fine.

 

[Hendrick's]

Start and end with Bloodborne.

 

[Punished Miku]

All of them are pretty much standalone games. You can start on anything you want.

Sekiro is easily the hardest of them all, followed by Bloodborne.

All the Souls games are tied below that. Personally, I'd say Dark Souls 3 since it's pretty new and looks nice. You would probably enjoy that more than Sekiro if you're not used to anything they've ever done.

 

[Danjin44]

You can start with Dark Soul 1 - 3 first but I personally much bigger fan of Bloodborne and Sekiro but let me warn you Sekiro is action game and not RPG like Souls/Bloodborne.

As for difficulty, to me they tough games but to me they are not crushing hard, they just punish you mistake very harshly. Now if its frustrating or not solely depends on you and what kind gamer you are. I die in these games a lot to but I'm very stubborn, will try and try again until I beat it.

 

[Potato Chip PRO]

I highly recommend playing Bloodborne first. That's where I started playing Soulsborne games

 

[Strife In a Teacup]

King's Field.

 

[Punished Miku]

What should I expect just to die a lot and to expect frustration?

1) Frequent bosses that are difficult, and genuinely intimidating to even be around.
2) Surprise attacks from enemies that can kill you quickly, often hidden within intricate level design.
3) Complex level layouts with no maps or guidance.
4) Losing money, and having to earn it again.
5) Hopelessness.
6) Fear.

 

[SpiceRacz]

Start with Dark Souls.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Play whichever one looks coolest. Your curiosity will drive you to overcome the difficult parts.

 

[Punished Miku]

Play whichever one looks coolest. Your curiosity will drive you to overcome the difficult parts.

That's my older brother and Sekiro. He returned it after dying to the first mini-boss 30x.

 

[V4skunk]

For a new comer you have 4 choices to start with.
Dark Souls remastered or DS3.
Bloodborne.
Sekiro.
I personally suggest starting with Dark Souls 1. If you like it then you are set up for the other games.
Also expect to die a lot.

 

[Hinedorf]

I never knew very long ago that Armored Core was a From game, completely different from the Souls games. IMO start with Bloodborne and work up from there. I tried Dark Souls 1/2 but it just feels too outdated for my taste.

 

[kretos]

Dark Souls 3 or Bloodborne, both are the top From games (with dlc's for both)

 

[KàIRóS]

Enchanted Arms is the only answer.

Or maybe Armored Core.

Otogi was cool too.

Nah actually Ninja Blade.

It's Demon's Souls.

 

[Codes 208]

bloodborne, if not that then DS3. Both of these are easy to get into but hard to master without being as relentless as the clunkier mechanics and bullshit bosses of DS1-2

demon souls is technically the first ive tried, ds1 was the first i bought but ds3 was the first one i beat.

 

[Hinedorf]

All of them are pretty much standalone games. You can start on anything you want.

Sekiro is easily the hardest of them all, followed by Bloodborne.

All the Souls games are tied below that. Personally, I'd say Dark Souls 3 since it's pretty new and looks nice. You would probably enjoy that more than Sekiro if you're not used to anything they've ever done.

Shocked to hear you say that, though the initial understanding of collecting souls/xp was a learning curve I've personally felt like Sekiro is significantly easier than BloodBorne. I'm only at Lady Butterfly (haven't focused a lot yet) but the progression to get there only took as long as I wanted to try to complete everything before proceeding. Am I just too early on before it ramps up?

 

[Punished Miku]

Shocked to hear you say that, though the initial understanding of collecting souls/xp was a learning curve I've personally felt like Sekiro is significantly easier than BloodBorne. I'm only at Lady Butterfly (haven't focused a lot yet) but the progression to get there only took as long as I wanted to try to complete everything before proceeding. Am I just too early on before it ramps up?

I felt it was much more difficult right away, and just got more difficult. But everyone's different. Clearly it's clicking for you, so I wouldn't be worried.

I think objectively though, the game has no co-op, no ability to level up stats, no ability to change and upgrade gear to help you, no varied weapon choices to find a playstyle that can exploit certain situations, no ranged weapons, no magic. That all makes Sekiro more difficult.

Sekiro has no fatigue meter though, so that makes it easier.

 

[LazyParrot]

Am I just too early on before it ramps up?

Yes.

 

[Lionel Richie]

Start with Bloodborne, it's the best one and it's also the most approachable. When you make your way through the Souls series, keep in mind you don't NEED to play the second one, it's a good game that gets a bit shafted for being way too long and not as pristine as the others. It's nice, but if fatigue hits you then you can skip to the third one after the first. Demon's Souls is unbelievably awesome as well, it's the closest in terms of design they got to Bloodborne. I absolutely would NOT play Sekiro first, that game is brutal and could turn you off.

You can't go wrong anyway. Believe the hype when it comes to From, their games are the real deal.

 

[V4skunk]

Shocked to hear you say that, though the initial understanding of collecting souls/xp was a learning curve I've personally felt like Sekiro is significantly easier than BloodBorne. I'm only at Lady Butterfly (haven't focused a lot yet) but the progression to get there only took as long as I wanted to try to complete everything before proceeding. Am I just too early on before it ramps up?

Butterfly is easy. You've seen nothing yet.

I felt it was much more difficult right away, and just got more difficult. But everyone's different. Clearly it's clicking for you, so I wouldn't be worried.

I think objectively though, the game has no co-op, no ability to level up stats, no ability to change and upgrade gear to help you, no varied weapon choices to find a playstyle that can exploit certain situations, no ranged weapons, no magic. That all makes Sekiro more difficult.

Sekiro has no fatigue meter though, so that makes it easier.

Sekiro has the posture meter instead though. You can't block or parry for ever.

 

[Yoda]

Demon Souls: There is where most of the "Souls-like" genre was born, it has its blemishes, but also some aspects which have been lost to widening the appeal of "Souls-like". This explains it much better than I ever could (but has spoilers): .

Dark Souls: This put FROM SOFTWARE on the map, improved on Demon Souls in I'd say 80% of all areas, and stands up to this day from a game play and graphics perspective (due to incredible art-design).

Dark Souls II: Easily the weakest of the games spawned from Demon Souls. This put went a little too far to appeal to a wider audience and was released in a unpolished state. The DLC makes up for the weak main-game and is worth at least one play-through

Bloodborne: A small detour from the steady, tactical combat souls is generally played with for a more visceral, fast passed game-play. This was the first to use the new engine, and also has the best world design maybe other than Sekiro. While the combat is different, it's not so much that you'll be relearning how to play, if you played any souls game without a shield you'll be 90% ready for this game. DLC for this game is a must play btw.

Dark Souls III: The first souls on the newest engine, ideally what Dark Souls II should have been. Improves in almost every area, I'd have to nitpick to levy criticisms are the game. It has less DLC to DS:II, but the DLC here is easily the best in the series or tied with Bloodborne's DLC.

Sekiro: It almost doesn't belong on this list. When you play it, it's very obvious it's a FROM SOFTWARE game. But unlike Bloodborne and Souls, it insists on being played in a very particular way. But there is a lot of variation in the new play-style. In addition to the new play-style, the game is much harder. You cannot get help from a friend, you also cannot meaningfully out-level or out-gear a boss. If you can't out-skill a boss, save for cheats, you're simply not going to progress. Sekiro's world is easily the best FROM has ever created, it's giant, has verticality live you've never seen before, and incredible variation + art design.

If I could, I'd play them in order (starting at Demon Souls). Get rpsc3 and play it on PC, you can blow it up to 4K and smooth out the stuttering present on the PS3 version of the game. From there you'll get to appreciate the changes from game to game and have a more predictable difficulty curve.

 

[Kagoshima_Luke]

You could start with Dark Souls - a shining beacon of cryptic brilliance, a masterpiece of open word design and one of the best games of all time.

Or you could start with any of From's other stuff, which are all pretty alright.

 

[j0hnnix]

Everyone has given such great responses. Id honestly start with Bloodborne before Sekiro. Once you enjoyed those two moving into Dark Souls will have a nice change of pace, slower and use of shield. Now if you enjoy a slower pace with shield style play go with Dark Souls but remember switching over to BB will be a change but a good change and challenge.

 

[ethomaz]

The best one.

Demon’s Souls.

Armored Core is a good choice to start too.
Tenchu a must to play (yeap it is better than Sekiro).

 

[#Phonepunk#]

Sekiro is the most new player friendly one. it has the most linear story. it has a pause button. it has fast healing and all kinds of QOL updates that are missing from every prior From game. plus the coming back to life after you die. that is a huge help. lol. you don't know how big a deal that is until you go back and play the other ones. if you were thinking of getting into it, it's a good place.

past that, you really can't go wrong. except for DS2. save that for when you are addicted.

 

[Animagic]

I've never played one of these and was looking at Sekiro, I like that type of world setting. But, was curious if people think I should start with a different title first? What should I expect just to die a lot and to expect frustration?

King’s Field

 

[DelireMan7]

I'll speak only of the recent FromSoft the "SoulsBorne" and Sekiro (note that I did not include Sekiro in the "Soulsborne"). I exclude Déraciné because I didn't play it and don't it what you were speaking about when mentionning "FromSoft game".

So first I would ask you "What are you looking for in the FromSoft game ?". The atmosphere ? The lore ? The gameplay ? The challenge ?
And also what type of game to you look for ? Action or (action) RPG ?

As you mentioned you like the setting of Sekiro so could be a good starting point for you, as going for something that please us is always a good choice.
It's a quite challenging pure action game. A bit repetitive for me. You'll die a lot and experience some frustration, sounds like it can be said to any FromSoft games but it's particularly true for Sekiro.
Also I found the atmosphere and overall experience quite below the SoulsBorne, but this is personal.

If you're more into RPG, I would recommend Dark Souls (for a more fantasy setting) or Bloodborne (for a lovecraftian setting). This 2 games are true masterpiece for me and no others game equal them for me.

Dark Souls is quite old and can be too slow or clunky on the gameplay side, but I like this feeling of taking your time.
The world design is unbelievable (but really !) and there is a lot of freedom in how to customize your character/playstyle.
The lore/storytelling is special to get into but extremely deep.

Bloodborne will feel more "fresh" and the combat is much more quick and visceral than Dark Souls. The art design/music/lore/atmosphere are stunning. A must play !

Dark Souls 3 could be an option. It's a "bit like" "Dark Souls 1 but prettier and faster".

I would not recommend to start with Dark Souls 2 because the first and third are overall superior to it.

The same goes for Demon's Souls. It's a great game but it will feel extremely clunky. I would rather wait for the so long rumoured Remake.
Or take it if really you want to experience "how everything has started".

I feel like I went too long on this post xD But I love so much the Soulsborne

To summarize :

• If you like Sekiro settings and like action game : Sekiro
• If you are more into RPG : Dark Souls or Bloodborne

 

[Jtibh]

Anything but sekiro.
I dont care what everyone says its a crappy game with zero replayability or any reason to continue after the final boss.


Bloodborne is by far the best to start out.

But word of advice all games except maybe ds3 will be much harder as there are very little to none players left online so pvp is a no go and coop is none existent at this point.
Means if you are stuck and need help there wont be anyone to summon.

 

[DelireMan7]

Anything but sekiro.
I dont care what everyone says its a crappy game with zero replayability or any reason to continue after the final boss.

Didn't want to put it that way, but it's almost exactly my opinion on Sekiro ^^

 

[Danjin44]

Anything but sekiro.
I dont care what everyone says its a crappy game with zero replayability or any reason to continue after the final boss.

I replayed Sekiro same reason I replayed Bloodborne, explore and get the all the endings. For both never needed online.

 

[Neff]

Go for Bloodborne or Dark Souls to see what all the fuss is about. Bloodborne is the most approachable and captivating game in this genre by far. Dark Souls is a classic for good reason. If you dig them, move on to Dark Souls III, which is safe and essentially more of the same. Dark Souls II is very divisive, but it's actually my favourite of the Souls games due to its labyrinthine size/structure and more classic fantasy/adventure-based feel. Demon's Souls was amazing for its time but is too old, simplistic, and awkward to recommend to a newcomer, and has been upstaged by its successors in almost every way. It's worth a look if you get on well with the others and want more though. Sekiro is superb, but it's punishing as hell even for Souls vets, and lacks Souls' RPG DNA.

 

[Graciaus]

Play Dark Souls 1 first. If you like it continue the series. If you don't try Sekiro. It takes a little while to really get the souls series.

 

[Jtibh]

I replayed Sekiro same reason I replayed Bloodborne, explore and get the all the endings. For both never needed online.

No new weapons no armor no level up statts etc.
No reason to put in more time for me in after 57 hours.
Now bloodborne you have chalet dungeons with new bosses past main game etc.
Ds you have diff classes etc

But my god that input lag in sekiro is a bad joke.

Anyway i logged in 300 hours in nioh and still enjoy it.
Will get nioh 2 , will never buy sekiro 2.

 

[Danjin44]

No new weapons no armor no level up statts etc.
No reason to put in more time for me in after 57 hours.
Now bloodborne you have chalet dungeons with new bosses past main game etc.
Ds you have diff classes etc

But my god that input lag in sekiro is a bad joke.

Anyway i logged in 300 hours in nioh and still enjoy it.
Will get nioh 2 , will never buy sekiro 2.

Sekiro is action game, not every game needs to be RPG and enjoyed the combat system and boss fights, that alone great reason to replay it. Also played on PS4 Pro and I didn’t get any input lag.

 

[Bartski]

The often overlooked aspect of Miazaki's genius is in the fact that his later games actually teach you how to play earlier titles in a more fun and exciting way. Sekiro will make you come back to Bloodborde as a pistol parry god, while Bloodborne will make you play Dark Souls series more aggressively, instead of relying on defence and constantly hiding behind a shield.

That being said, I also recommend to start with Bloodborne, and move to DS3 right after. Leave Sekiro for later when you're already familiar with the taste of overcoming a seemingly impossible challenge the former two will provide, time and time again.

Be warned these games can re-wire your brain and redefine the meaning of fun in gameplay.

 

[Ar¢tos]

DS3 is the easiest one (ignoring Midir that is optional, and the 1st DLC stupid 4 phases boss).
Ds1 and Des are too clunky to try nowadays, but you can try Ds1 remastered if you really want to.
Ds2... nevermind... a clusterfuck of bad gameplay choices and bad game design.
Bloodborne is different, forces you to unlearn how to play souls and re-learn bloodborne, but that won't take too long and when it clicks with you, you have the best gaming experience of this gen and its not too hard, except for the DLC, that is brutal!
Sekiro is a totally different game, you need to relearn the gameplay again. For some people, it is easier than souls/BB, for others it is harder.

 

[DelireMan7]

Be warned these games can re-wire your brain and redefine the meaning of fun in gameplay.

This is so true !

 

[Joho79]

I just recently finished DS3 with both dlc. Started again with dex build. It’s fantastic I must say. I got to late game in sekiro but rage quit, its brutal.
Those are the two From games I’ve played.
So DS3 might be hard sometimes but you can level up or change weapons to ease the difficulty some. In sekiro you’re fucked if you don’t get gud.

 

[Little Chicken]

I think it might be easier to go from Sekiro to Dark Souls than from Dark Souls to Sekiro.

A lot of Dark Souls fans, myself included, had trouble adjusting to the difference in play style, despite being similar in a lot of ways.

 

[Danjin44]

I just recently finished DS3 with both dlc. Started again with dex build. It’s fantastic I must say. I got to late game in sekiro but rage quit, its brutal.
Those are the two From games I’ve played.
So DS3 might be hard sometimes but you can level up or change weapons to ease the difficulty some. In sekiro you’re fucked if you don’t get gud.

And learn how to use the both Shinobi tools and Arts.

Spoiler: Combat in Sekiro can look absolutely majestic.

 

[Bartski]

In sekiro you’re fucked if you don’t get gud.

True but thats what the journey is about. In comparison to BB and DS series Sekiro is a bit of a one trick pony, but it's a trick so damn good it makes all the GOTYs and millions of sold copies more than justified. I'd suggest anyone doubting it's replay value give it a try and see how it feels to mop the floor with a boss that it took you 20+ tries to beat in NG, by nothing but pure skill gained in using core available mechanics.
I really feel my reflex has evolved playing this game and I'm doing so much better in action games overall.

 

[Belmonte]

Don't mind people saying X game is a lot better than the others. They are different but all of them are masterpieces, bar DS2, which is one of the best action RPGs ever still.

I would recommend Dark Souls 3, which is the one I'm playing right now and I find it near perfect and perhaps the best game this generation for me. But I think you should, at least, play Dark Souls 1 first, which is outstanding.

If you don't have issues with old games I recommend Demon Souls. If you have, I recommend Demon Souls also because it is a great game and you should not have issues with old graphics.

 

[AV]

I played them all in a row in 2018 and I liked the order I did it in:

Dark Souls -> Dark Souls 2 -> Bloodborne -> Demon's Souls -> Dark Souls 3

And then Sekiro when it came out last year. I'd strongly recommend starting with Dark Souls. The game (and series) "clicked" for me after the Bell Gargoyles; they really teach you what the series is about, namely rolling out of the way a lot and then getting hit with "fuck you" surprises.

In terms of quality and enjoyment?

DS = BB > Sekiro > DS3 > DeS > DS2

 

[Mista]

Whatever you decided to start with, don’t start with Sekiro. Because you’ll find everything before it not good because of how Sekiro just nailed every damn thing

I’d say start with Bloodborne then go to Souls and after all that play Sekiro

That’s if we assumed you’re going to finish any of them

 

[Gavin Stevens]

Where to start with FROM Software games?

FAILURE.

And get used to it, kids, because these games are damn good, but you will want to destroy you controller, the tv, the wall the tv is on, and the small town you were raised as a child.

 

[-Troid-]

I would start with Demon's or Dark Souls 1. Then 2, 3, and BB.

Honestly Sekiro is a completely different game in terms of speed and mechanics. It might be my favorite From game since Dark Souls 1 actually but it's much different from the other "Souls" games. If you're looking to marathon them I'd play it after Blood Borne since they're both faster paced and emphasise parrying.

 

[TTOOLL]

I've Played DS1, Bloodborne and now DS3. You can start with any of them, imo.

I replayed Sekiro same reason I replayed Bloodborne, explore and get the all the endings. For both never needed online.

Is the story in Sekiro any good? Is it told in a way people can understand? Because I didn't like the story in the games I've played.

 

[Scotty W]

Starting with the latest game would make it difficult to go back to the first.

 

[Alexios]

Start with the first few in the King's Field series, then early Armored Core titles, sprinkle some Echo Night inbetween, then go for the Otogi games and later additions to the previously mentioned series.