• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Dark Souls beaten at level 1, hitless, and without using dodge roll or ranged weapons

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman

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:

  • 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)
So basically: you're at a severe-verging-insurmountable disadvantage.

"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."
 
But did he beat the game while doing dick push-ups, blindfolded, with a steering wheel, while eating cake and giving a lecture about rocket science, while the game is muted, while he's wearing a shock collar with random shock function, while learning to speak 20 languages and being half asleep and being constantly tickled ? I don't think it counts as a proper challenge run if he didn't do that.
 
Oh the game where difficulty levels would destroy its intended way of playing? Inconceivable.
Congrats on that dude torturing themself and not adhering to that ignorant stance of the average Souls purity defender.
 
Every time I feel like I'm wasting my life away completely, here comes someone who does these things.
People are not having sex and society is cooked, but hey… deathless, hitless, roll-less, level up-less Dark Souls, 15 years after release. Living the dream.
 
Why Would You Do That Ross Geller GIF
 
This has to be even lower state of being than being a speedrunner using glitches. Something between ameba and fruit fly.
It reminds me of that 9 hour final fantasy review where some guy begged to watch it because this was his life's work.
 
He has barely any views on his videos. I'll take this one as 3 hours of background noise while doing chores around the house.
 
Pfft he didn't even use a rhythm game controller to do it, how casual. You need to at least use the DK Bongo Controller or the Samba De Amigo Maracas to make a Dark Souls run news worthy.
 
Who in his right mind would do this to himself. So what's the reward here? Does he get an endless bj coupon or what?
People who play nothing else besides dark souls. Imagine if you only played a single game for 10 years, you'd be doing weird stuff at some point too.
 
Difference in skill lvl between even ur avg core gamey and trully top skilled players is like between ur avg joe and circus acrobat :)
 
Top Bottom