Dark Souls 3

The Dark Souls series is back with perhaps its best entry!

By Alexis Kirsch April 05, 2016

Nameless accursed undead, unfit even to be cinder... 

Thus starts the latest entry in the ultra-hard Dark Souls series. Even the intro cinematic calls you worthless! If you haven't played a "Souls" game, you've probably heard they are super difficult and frustrating. If you have played one, you know that the difficulty is a little overstated and that anyone can survive with a little patience and attention to detail. As a veteran of the series, I was looking forward to seeing what new tricks the latest entry would bring.

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Before fighting diabolical creatures, the game begins with the character creation. You get to choose your appearance and starting class and there's a lot of choices here. A knight in metal-plated armor, a thief with a dagger, a cleric with a mace and more. I picked a Pyromancer who starts with a fireball spell. The starting classes are pretty varied but you are not tied to any of them for long. You can always level up your character and become anything you want. The Dark Souls series is all about freedom and this entry is jampacked with options early on. A few hours into the game will fill your inventory with dozens of new weapons. I quickly ditched my starting Hand Ax for a straight sword and never looked back. 

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The tutorial area will ease you into the combat with some simple mobs. You will also pick up an Ashen Estus flask which refills your Focus gauge. Unlike previous Dark Souls games, your spell usage is determined by this new blue bar. You also use it to do Weapon Skills, a brand-new addition to the series. These skills vary by what you are wielding and are usually done by two-handing your weapon. For my sword, using the Weapon Skill put me in a special stance that would knock away an enemy's shield when I unleashed an attack. This was useful against the stronger knight foes who would hide behind big shields. 

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If you don't rage quit at the tutorial level boss, you will find Firelink Shrine. Here you meet all kinds of characters who will assist you on your quest. There's a Firekeeper lady who levels you up, an old hag who sells you items and a blacksmith who strengthens your weapons. One secret of the Dark Souls game and in RPGs in general is to keep talking to the NPCs until you're sure they've said everything they have to say. You will be rewarded for doing this. There are many peculiar NPCs you will meet in the word of Dark Souls 3 who will hang out at Firelink once you talk to them. So the hub world really feels like a home after a while. The rest of the world is really varied and features truly beautiful scenery as you unravel its mysteries. 

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Dark Souls 3 is hard, but with so many options for dealing with its many threats, new players shouldn't have a problem as long as they put some thought into their strategies. Returning players will need to get deep into the game for the challenge to really ramp up. I came across a really tough boss near the end of the game that required me to summon help. And that's the great thing about the series, if you can't handle things by yourself, call in a friend! And helping other people will give you rewards as well. You can summon up to three online friends and make the entire game a cakewalk if you so desire. The choice is yours!

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Hint: Remember to upgrade your weapon. It can be more valuable than leveling up your character.

by Alexis Kirsch