IbizaPocholo
NeoGAFs Kent Brockman
What the heck: A superhuman has beaten Dark Souls at level 1, hitless, and without using dodge roll or ranged weapons
You probably can't do this.
YouTuber Zeldasouls has beaten Dark Souls at soul level 1 without using dodge rolls or ranged weapons. In the run embedded above, every boss is beaten under these limitations.
When I say "simplicity" I mean it's a pretty straightforward challenge as far as Dark Souls challenge runs go in 2026. There's no headline-grabbing twist, it's not completed on a set of bongos, but it's nevertheless bullshit hard. I don't think I could beat the Asylum Demon without dodge rolling, for example. I don't think I'd get far without ranged weapons either, which under Zeldasouls' conditions includes not only bows and magic projectiles, but also throwable items.
Just to be perfectly clear, here's the full list of conditions as per Zeldasouls:
So basically: you're at a severe-verging-insurmountable disadvantage.
- No levelling up
- No bows, crossbows, ranged consumables
- No ranged pyromancies, sorceries or miracles
- No rolls
- No jump rolls
- No back steps
- No quit outs to de-aggro enemies or reset player position
- No hits from enemies
- No staggers from enemies
- No deaths incurred by enemies (except for the first Seath encounter, which is a scripted death)
"I genuinely do not have the words to describe how I feel now that this is over," Zeldasouls writes on YouTube. "I spent countless hours grinding, coming up with strats, failing, suffering, raging, all over the course of the last two years. This is undoubtedly the hardest hitless run ever done in dark souls 1, and possibly in the entire souls series.
"Thank you to everyone who watched me attempt this run over the years. Most people will only see the end result of my blood, sweat, and tears."