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

Which has the better combat, Dragon's Dogma or Dark Souls?

Very different. I like elements of Dragon's Dogma, like the climbing, but overally felt the the combat didn't carry enough weight and was kind of mashy. Dark Souls is intensely deliberate but also feels very one-note and robotic.

I'd like a wider variety of combat options in Dark Souls, but the deliberate meaningful nature of that system is my preference.


That looks crazy. I mean, it seems super impractical for a player character, but it certainly looks cool.
 
Dragons Dogma combat system would be a complete mess in PvP, which only shows how inferior it is.

It's faster and flashier though.
 
Dragons Dogma combat system would be a complete mess in PvP, which only shows how inferior it is.

It's faster and flashier though.

...except there is no PvP so..............?

That's sort of like saying Halo would be a complete mess if it were a fighting game.
 
err, nope

Of course it does. The combat mechanics of Dark Souls are, on the whole, pretty simplistic and shallow. It's similar to, and only marginally better than, the combat mechanics in a Zelda game.

The combat is good because of design elements that are external to the actual mechanics of combat. Limited spells and healing items that turn each excursion into an endurance run, unforgiving enemy stats that make you pay for every mistake you do happen to make, and force you to learn the ins and outs of the mechanics (simple as they may be), the more fine-tuned, customizable elements of leveling and progression that give you more of a sense of ownership over your character and your victories, etc.
Like I said, the overall experience of combat is better in Dark Souls. But the actual nuts and bolts mechanics of that combat, looked at in a vacuum? No, they're not particularly great.
 
The combat in the Souls games is one of the reasons they're so amazingly good. It actually feels realistic, especially in tight spaces where your weapon can clang off the wall and such. I've only played the demo of DD, but couldn't stand the combat at all, totally turned me off from the game.
 
I like them both. They focus on completely different aspects of combat.

I was about to say this. Just because Dark Souls combat is of a slower pace or Dragon's Dogma is flashier doesn't make one rank better over the other for me, they fullfill two different roles. I will say poise is one of the greatest additions in a game for me coming from someone who dislikes getting stunlocked/knocked on their ass 24/7 so Dark Souls has the edge in that department.
 
Dragon dogma plays fast and loose. Souls series plays a lot tighter. Dragon dogma probably has more diversity w/ skills though.
 
Okay this is a question that needed asking. Obviously we are ignoring the fact that they are completely different types of combat.

Dark Souls - really I feel like this is the best one-man, hand-to-hand, weapon combat there is around. The magic use in Dark Souls is pretty bland and uninteresting compared to Dragon's Dogma.

Dragon's Dogma - I have only played pure sorc class in Dragon's Dogma so I cannot assess the hand-to-hand combat of DD directly against DS. But I can say that magic use combat in DD is best-in-class. Seriously, there is no contest to be had there. They really just nailed it and I've played magic user class in loads of RPGs. Nothing comes close to Dragon's Dogma.

Soooo my vote overall goes to... Dragon's Dogma. The Souls games are really, really good in that one area of hand-to-hand melee but Dragon's Dogma just had the whole shebang going on. The creature traversals, the party dynamics, the magic use etc.

I lose interest in games very quickly as I get older but I am on my second playthrough of Bitterblack Isle and still ready to play the sh*t out of it because the combat is so awesome. Capcom just nailed it.
 
They are too different but dogma is a take on western RPGs systems and I really like that.

ds is more of pattern based stimulus response system.
 
Of course it does. The combat mechanics of Dark Souls are, on the whole, pretty simplistic and shallow. It's similar to, and only marginally better than, the combat mechanics in a Zelda game.

The combat is good because of design elements that are external to the actual mechanics of combat. Limited spells and healing items that turn each excursion into an endurance run, unforgiving enemy stats that make you pay for every mistake you do happen to make, and force you to learn the ins and outs of the mechanics (simple as they may be), the more fine-tuned, customizable elements of leveling and progression that give you more of a sense of ownership over your character and your victories, etc.
Like I said, the overall experience of combat is better in Dark Souls. But the actual nuts and bolts mechanics of that combat, looked at in a vacuum? No, they're not particularly great.
I disagree. While DD is more varied in combat the mechanics of it are not as good. In DS so many weapons have different move sets that vary in effectiveness against your enemy. In DD, there really is no depth to this. DS hit detection shits all over DD as well. DS physics also crush DD's. In DS weight plays a huge role in combat and adds a strategical dynamic that DD simply lacks. On paper DS looks more simple but in reality it's combat has far more depth. When you get into armor and weapon combinations and how they affect combat, DS just blows DD away.
 
I haven't played Dark Souls, but the combat always looks milquetoast as hell in all the videos I've seen. It's hard to see what all the buzz is about. Are there even combos?
PsotBXE.gif
 
Haven't played Dogma, but Souls is basically dodge-backstab-repeat for every enemy so I can't imagine it being too hard to top.
 
Dogma's is more fun, Souls is, ultimately, more satisfying. Both are great combat systems in their own right.
 
...except there is no PvP so..............?

That's sort of like saying Halo would be a complete mess if it were a fighting game.

No, it would be like saying it was going to be a complete mess online if only offline bot battles were available. Which it wouldn't be.
 
I like Dark Souls more and its not even close.. But I give Dragons Dogma that it has more fun and flashy ability’s like raining down meteors that can kill bosses almost instantly or setting yourself on fire and its the best “Berserk” game out there :D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6rH_5X9m6o&hd=1
but AbilityÂ’s, enemies and classes are all completely unbalanced (range classes OP as fuck)if you have a class that relies on climbing for certain enemies like fighter vs urdragon you are fucked while any range class has no problems whatsoever. And donÂ’t even get me started on the frame rate /tearing /letterbox, no visible hit reaction on enemies, idiotic inventory or the stupid stamina consumption on the highest difficult. Dragons Dogma still has some of the best real-time rpg combat and shits over the majority of rpgs and especially over EVERY single open world rpg from the west, but at the end Dark Souls is still a bit better.... but not nearly as flashy :D
 
Dragon's Dogma has the superior combat system, not that I don't love Dark Souls, but Dragon's Dogma reminded me more of Devil May Cy than DmC did
 
Its a tough one

Prefer the physical attack animations and hit reactions of Dark Souls, and the focus on blocking and dodging

But Dogma has better/more varied ranged attacks, and less of a focus on circle strafing.


I'd just about give the edge to Dark Souls, but I only really played 2 of the classes in DD
 
Very perplexing responses. Is Dragon's Dogma like Bayonetta and DMC where some people write it off as mindless button mashing but others love it or is it actually bad like some are saying here?
 
Dragon's Dogma has better combat versus large creatures/bosses.

Dark Souls has better combat versus standard enemies.

Overall, tough call but I have to go with Dark Souls.

Edit: Half the bosses in Demons/Dark Souls are easily exploitable, which is part of why DD wins in that area (the climbing system being the other part)
 
Dragon's Dogma, hands down. It's fast, fluid although sort of like DMC-lite (no where near as many combos). More importantly, it's actually fun, enjoyable and satisfying. And then you bring in the bosses and climbing and... yeah, Dragon's Dogma, hands down.
 
Which looks better Dragons Dogma by far. What plays better, Souls. Demons souls is better than Dark Souls for the simple lack of poise (broken pos) but it has its own problems. Nevertheless they both DD.
 
I enjoyed both. It was difficult going from Dogma to Souls, as it felt very sluggish. It eventually grew on me.

Personally I will go with Dogma, for more fantasy combat, and scaling enemies, and all the variety of attacks.
 
oh technically dark souls, but I think dragons dogma is a better total game

both are really good and way better than say DA2
 
I haven't played Dark Souls, but the combat always looks milquetoast as hell in all the videos I've seen. It's hard to see what all the buzz is about. Are there even combos?
PsotBXE.gif

There were never "sword combos" in real life. They were blunt and heavy objects that took enormous strength to wield. The average sword fight in real life lasted less than 10 secs. Hardly the romanticized sword fighting in hollywood.

The Souls games play up to this. If you aren't leveled... Any slice, stab, swipe, lunge, sweep, etc will send your ass to the grave.

The only "combos" persay are when 2 enemies team up on your ass. lol
 
Dark Souls is refined to max around slow one on one fights while DD is about looking cool as fuck.

DD does have the bonus of DMC4 Nero animations and moves for Fighter Class only thing missing was Devil Bringer arm.

DD has potential in sequels to create a crazy combat system that is similar to DMC3 but with the whole grappple and climbing.
 
They are pretty different you guys.

I am no fan of dragon dogma but the combat is the part they got right.
 
How can you compare the two? One is slow and methodical, the other is fast action. The two styles have different goals.

But if you want a black or white answer, then I'll say that I have more fun playing Dragon's Dogma than I do playing Dark/Demon's Souls. Personal preference but when it comes to combat, Capcom are one of the best in the industry.
 
Dark Soul's combat is what makes the game consistently fun, thus wanting the player to put up with the difficulty. Dogma's combat feels too much like a hack and slash game. Dark Souls by a mile.
 
Magik Archer vs Homing-Mage-Build?!

If Dark Souls wasn't my game of the Generation, Dragon's Dogma would be next in line. I just love the way the Arrow's "sizzle"
 
Honestly, having played through 90% of Dark Souls, fighting the enemy giant monsters, isn't as great as it should be. The combat system in general is really rewarding and fighting man sized or slightly larger enemies is fun, but fighting and killing Seath by slashing its sides while it doesn't react at all isn't super awesome. Playing the classic boss tell reading game is perfected in the game but to say that part is good is weird to me.

The DD fights however feel much note dynamic and free flowing, and being able to grab onto a dragon as it flails about in an attempt to shake you while you hack at it is pretty amazing. The magic is also way more interesting in DD compared to the cumbersome and OP magic of Dark Souls.

They both have their own strengths and I'll play one or the other based on what I want out of it. I think Dark Souls is probably better overall but there are areas where it could take a cue from dogma.
 
Top Bottom