Thursday, September 14, 2017
Being a sort-of-undead
adventurer on a quest to beat up the Lords of Cinder, Dark Souls III’s biggest
and baddest bosses, until they accept their fate and kickstart a new world
isn’t easy. In fact, it’s downright difficult. A difficult Dark Souls game? What’s
the world coming to.
The original Dark Souls
made it into our list of the best RPGs on PC.
With Dark Souls III
launching imminently, now is the perfect time to devour some tips so your first
hours in Lothric won’t be spent mostly staring at the blood-red text informing
you of your demise. We’re here to help.
Classes
There is no best class in
Dark Souls III, but there are ones that will make things a lot easier for you
to begin with. For instance, a Thief is going to have a really hard time of things
initially, and is not recommended for new players. Thankfully, character
progression is extremely flexible and you can reassign points once you meet a
certain helpful lady in the Cathedral of the Deep.
Knights and Pyromancers
start off in a very good position. Knights get fantastic armour and a solid
shield from the get go, neither of which are too heavy, so dodging is just as
viable as blocking. Pyromancers have the best chance of taking out the first
boss quickly, thanks to their fire magic, and are competent melee warriors as
well as spellcasters.
What you really want,
however, are options. So, for instance, if you fancy playing as a Knight and
developing them into a stalwart tank, you still might want to carry a ranged
weapon, like a crossbow. It’s helpful when you want to draw enemies to you, and
ranged weapons always allow for some cheesy tactics.
Remember, your class
merely defines your starting stats and gear, and as you level up, it’s up to
you how you develop your character. Level up your Knight’s attunement and
intelligence, for example, and you’ll be able to use sorcery or healing spells,
transforming you into a paladin-type character.
Combat
Fights in Dark Souls III
remain similar to its predecessors, but there’s a hint of Bloodborne in there
too. The game encourages you to be more aggressive and spend less time hiding
behind your shield, though won’t force you to stop doing that. Dodging,
blocking, parrying, backstabbing – it’s much like it was in Dark Souls II, but
fights are just a little faster, and you’re likely going to be facing multiple
enemies from different sides.
The main change comes via
weapon skills, evocative of Bloodborne’s weapon transformations. These new
attacks come in many forms, from crazy spinning onslaughts to handy guard
breaks. This means more options when it comes to a fight, but also an extra
layer of complexity to get to grips with.
A whole new resource
exists now, you see. FP, which for the sake of familiarity I’m going to call
mana, since it’s blue and integral to casting spells. Mana is important to
every class, even if you never plan on casting spells, because the
aforementioned special attacks use this resource. It means that, even if you’re
a warrior, you might want to invest some points in intelligence, just to
increase that bar. And since spells now
use mana rather than being limited to a specific number, as long as there’s mana
in the tank, you can keep casting.
Firelink Shrine
This is Dark Souls III’s
hub, and if you’ve played Demon’s Souls, you’ll probably be reminded of the
Nexus. The Firelink Shrine was also the original Dark Souls’ central bonfire.
It’s where you spend souls to level up, shop, repair and upgrade weapons and
chat away to NPCs. At the start, it’s a quiet place, but as you explore the
world, you’ll encounter NPCs that will join you at the Shrine, offering their
services to you.
What services you ask? Loads!
For instance, rescue the caged Pyromancer found in the Undead Settlement, and
he’ll come to the Shrine and sell you new spells, let you unlock more if you’ve
found tomes, and upgrade your firey magic. Another NPC, a creepy Thief rescued
from the High Wall of Lothric, can be sent off to find loot for you, as well as
selling dexterity gear. There’s even a unusual pilgrim that you might encounter
right at the beginning of the Undead Settlement that offers you free levels,
before dying and being replaced by a Sorcerer.
There’s simply a huge
amount to do at the Shrine. Even the seemingly pointless NPCs will, at certain
points and once specific conditions have been met, offer you gems and emotes
and special items, so whenever you’ve killed a boss, why not have a wee chat
with them? By discovering certain objects and fulfilling NPC quests, you’ll
also increase their wares, giving you more things to throw souls at. And don’t
forget to spend bone shards at the central bonfire, as they’ll upgrade your
Estus flasks.
Estus shard locations
Your Estus flask is one of
your most important possessions, as taking a gulp from it refills your health
meter. But since there’s now mana to worry about as well, you’ll get a second
flask, the ashen Estus flask. Take a drink of that one, and you’ll refill your
mana bar.
Initially, you’ll only
have a few charges, and if you visit the blacksmith, he’ll let you allocate
them. So if you prize mana over health, you can put all of your charges in the
ashen flask. You’ll definitely want at least some charges in the regular Estus
flask, though. Thankfully, Estus shards are scattered all over the world, and
it won’t take long at all before you’re able to take swig after swig.
To get you started, grab
your first Estus shard in the High Wall of Lothric. It’s in the building you
climb down after leaving the tower, on an anvil in the room where you’ll also
find the jail cell key. In the next area, the Undead Settlement, you’ll find
another below a burning tree surrounded by worshipers, which you’ll reach by
following the main path. Get rid of the enemies standing near explosive barrels
before you take on the enemy standing in front of it.
As well as increasing the
charge capacity, you can upgrade your flasks to give you more health or mana
with each drink. You’ll need undead bone shards for that, which are much harder
to come by than Estus shards, and you can burn them in the bonfire to increase
the flasks’ potency. Find your first in the Undead Settlement, just past the
Dilapidated Bridge bonfire, on a corpse in the area where the Giant is throwing
spears at you and enemies.
Ember locations
Embers are Dark Souls
III’s version of humanity and human effigies. After consuming an Ember, your
health will increase by 1.3 times, but more importantly, you’ll be able to
summon other players to help you when you’re in a tricky spot.
By using the power of the
Lords of Cinder, you’ll be able to bring other players into your world by
interacting with soul signs, but if you die, they’ll be flung back into their
own realm, so do try to stay alive.
Embers can be found all
over the place, hidden in nooks and crannies or found on corpses. Your first
can be found early on, in the Cemetery of Ash, to the right and the left of the
entrance to the Firelink Shrine. There are lots in the High Wall of Lothric, as
well. Search the corpses of dead Knights, which sometimes contain multiple
Embers.
Boss guide
Lothric and the
surrounding region is lousy with bosses – they’re everywhere, and they want to
kill you. They probably will, too. But if you’d like to die less, then read on
for some tips on how to deal with the first bosses up to and including the
first Lord of Cinder, the Abyss Watchers.
It’s worth remembering
that each boss battle is split up into two phases, the second of which normally
– but not always – begins after the boss has lost 50 percent of their health.
This is the catalyst for an often dramatic transformation, where the boss will
use new attacks, use new weapons and in some instances even change physically.
Iudex Gundyr
Don’t know how to
pronounce his name? Don’t worry. It won’t help you win the fight, anyway.
You’ll meet Iudex before you even hit the Firelink Shrine, within the first ten
minutes of the game. He wields an imposing halberd and though he’s slow, with
clearly telegraphed attacks, they have a significant range.
During his first phase,
you’re going to want to dodge. A lot. Even if you plan on tanking your way
through the game, you simply won’t have a big enough stamina bar to block his
attacks consistently. After you’ve dodged, go in for a few attacks, and don’t
stray too far from him or he’ll leap at you. He occasionally tries to grab, as
well, which does a lot of damage, so try to stay behind him.
Once Iudex is down to half
health, he’ll transform into a hideous mass of black gooey corruption, gnashing
teeth and ferocious claws. His attacks are mostly the same, though not as
clearly telegraphed. He’s also faster and has more range. Keep doing what you
were doing before, but if you’re a Pyromancer, then good news: he’s weak
against fire. Lob those fireballs!
Vordt of the Boreal Valley
The second boss is a
doddle. Vordt is sort of like a cross between a giant frosty knight and an
angry dog. And he’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Sure, he’s vicious,
and his frost debuff can slow your stamina regeneration down, but all you need
to do is stay underneath him. Get under that belly and keep attacking.
Eventually he’ll get sick
of you pummelling his gut and start charging at you – and you don’t want to be
on the receiving end of that – but you can dodge out of the way and get back
underneath him. Vordt’s one of the simplest bosses, so enjoy feeling like a
badass. It probably won’t last.
And that’s your lot! If
you’re not sure if the game’s worth all this effort, why not check out our Dark
Souls III PC review. Spoilers: it’s definitely worth the effort.
