As expected, there are a bunch of responses saying “something something, it’s really not that hard, something something.”
The games are hard, that’s an intrinsic part of the appeal. They literally have “prepare to die” as the tagline. Even when you learn how to play properly, they’re still difficult. That said, most of the advice in here is sound:
- Stamina management is definitely key, attack only as much as your stamina bar will allow; which is to say, leave at least a third of your available bar left to roll or block if needed. You should only be using your entire bar to attack if you’re confident against your foe
- Upgrading equipment is probably more important than upgrading stats to a certain extent, especially once you’ve found a weapon with a move set you feel comfortable with
- As an extension of the previous point, decide wether you want to be able to attack often and quickly, or sparingly and heavy. Focus on DEX stats and weapons for the former, STR stats and weapons for the latter. I personally recommend DEX for a newbie, as it’s more flexible and allows for some fluffed hits and less that ideal timing
- When you do upgrade your stats, focus on two or three key ones. Endurance is usually one of the most important in my experience, as it builds that all important stamina bar. Then either DEX or STR depending on your chosen play style. Health isn’t as important as you might think, better armour is usually the best answer if you’re dying too quickly, pumping too much XP into health is almost like admitting defeat
- Don’t underestimate the importance of double handing your weapon, you’ll hit harder and open up more moves, but you obviously need to be able to fight without a shield. You can also wield weapons you may not have the stat requirements for this way
- Learn how to leash and kite enemies (draw them from a crowd to fight them individually), getting ganged up on will almost always end in death
- If you’re still really struggling, experiment with magic/archery builds as they allow you to attack from a distance, and can help facilitate the previous point
- Finally, ASK FOR HELP! Much like your doing now, the community is usually very helpful, and you can actually summon others for actual in game help provided you aren’t hollow
Stick with it if you feel like you’ll enjoy it. They’re difficult games, but not insurmountable if you approach them in the right way. I often summon for help with bosses, and I’m entirely OK with that.
Enjoy them if you feel like you’ve got the patience to persevere!
