I personally can't get enough of the Dark Souls series. They are some of my favorite games to play, and it makes me sad that others don't get to experience them because they are too challenging. So i thought i would try to make a list of tips and tricks for people to try and attempt the games for their first time. If anyone else has more input or different ideas to add to the list then please let me know! [u]YOU ARE GOING TO DIE[/u] --Even with all the knowledge of how to play the game you will still need to get a feel for the movements and how to time attacks and rolls. YOU WILL DIE A LOT on your first play through. We all did. But that is part of what makes these games feel so rewarding. When you finally land the final blow in that boss that killed you 27 1/2 times, the feeling you get is glorious and makes you want to play more. These games don't hold your hand. It takes actual skill and determination to win, and when you do win you will feel like a total badass! So keep on fighting and don't give up! In these games, practice really does make perfect. [u]Agility vs Armor[/u] --One main thing to keep in mind is that Dark Souls is NOT a type of game that you can "tank" your way through. Armor in these games can slow down your movements significantly and it won't hold up against most boss attacks anyway. So typically in these games evading is better than tanking. --Base your "armor" around its perks and weight and not its defense. Wear things that give you bonuses in whatever fields you prefer and try to keep your overall weight as low as possible to increase rolling distance and speed. --I'm not saying that you will never use heavy armor for a fight, because frankly there will be some times that having heavy armor and high Poise is the right choice. But 99% of the time it just isn't. [u]Speed of Play[/u] --If you are new to these games or a certain area then [b]TAKE IT SLOW[/b]! These games are full of hidden enemies and traps to prey on the careless. Take your time clearing an area and make sure to listen for anyone coming up behind. --If you see a glowing item on the ground don't run straight for it without assessing the area first. These are usually bait for traps. (That doesn't mean you shouldn't get the item, just proceed cautiously as you do) [u]Learn Strategy[/u] --Every enemy fights differently and especially the bosses. You WILL DIE in these games, but use trial and error to learn your enemies moves and know how to evade them! --Bosses tend to use certain attacks depending on your distance from them. Not always, but most of the time they do. So you can use this to bait the boss into using a certain attack that is easier for you to get through and attack them. If you don't want that boss shooting sorcery in your face then fight closer to them and they will try using melee attacks instead. [u]The Infamous Rolling[/u] --Rolling in these games is how you avoid death. Rolling is your best friend. --The trick to evading attacks is to roll at the proper time. And timing can be challenging if you are new to it, but you will start to get the hang of it the more you play. --Learn WHERE to roll. Sometimes its obvious that you should roll away from an attack, but that is not always the right way to go. If you are close to an enemy and rolling away from them won't put you out of the radius of their attack, then rolling PAST them and behind them would be a better approach. Staying behind an enemy is always a good strategy. --Sometimes you may need to roll THROUGH their attacks. If you get the timing wrong you will be hit, but get the timing right and you will be temporarily invincible when the attack "hits" you. Thus, you feel like a God. Lol [u]Beware of the Greed[/u] --Sometime you might think you have enough time to get in 1 more attack on that boss before he attacks you. But this will get you killed. This is considered The Greed. That feeling like you aren't sure if you should swing again or just roll away, but you swing again and then you don't have enough time to evade and you get hit. This is especially bad when the boss is like "1 more hit from death!" --Rule of thumb is if you aren't sure if you have enough time, just roll away and live to fight again. Don't stick around to be pummeled! [u]Leveling Up[/u] --Spending your souls wisely will keep you from wasting any and help you to progress at a good speed. If you keep losing your souls before you have a chance to spend them. Then the game will continue to feel difficult. But if you manage to spend most if not all your acquired souls in the right categories then you should be able to continuously push forward without making things harder on yourself. --You can Google "Builds" to tell you how to spend your points depending on what type of play through you plan on doing. But once you play the game a bit you'll understand what skills are worth leveling up first. [u]Choosing a Build[/u] --For DS1 the primary builds are: 1. Strength 2. Dexterity 3. Quality (Mix of 1 and 2) 4. Sorcery 5. Pyromancy --DS2 has all the above with the addition of: 1. Hexes --If you truly want to get the easiest playthrough possible for your first time playing, then i recommend a Sorcery Build for either game. This let's you keep a good distance between your enemies making you less likely to die. But i think that the Strength/Dexterity builds are more fun to play as. But obviously for your first play through you may prefer the easier path. [u]Mimic Chests[/u] --Plain and simple. There are chests in the game that are not actual chests. These chests are enemies that will eat you if you open them. It is almost always an instant death unless you have a whole lot of health. --To check for these chests you either: 1. Watch the chest to see if it is "breathing". The chest will appear to slowly open and close just slightly. 2. Hit the chest just ONCE. If you see a health bar appear over the chest then prepare to fight it. If no health bar appears but you continue hitting the chest then you will break it and only get Rubbish as your reward instead of whatever was actually in the chest. 3. Look at the chain to the right side of the chest. If it is curled up you're safe, if it's straight prepare to fight! [u]Starting Item[/u] --If you're playing Dark Souls 1 i recommend you start with the master key --Dark Souls 2 i recommend a bonfire ascetic [u]Take Breaks and Come Back[/u] --If you keep dying repeatedly from the same area or boss fight, then take a break and relax. Then when you come back to it you should be more attentive and less flustered by overwhelming anger, thus you do better!