So I just got Dark Souls

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

Demon's Souls is very different from Dark Souls.

What to you is a straight forward sword or katana? A +5 Enchanted Iaito will look and function exactly the same as a +15 Iaito. The only difference between them is which stat they calculate their damage from. The Enchanted Iaito allows you to push your INT stat pretty high without sacrificing swordplay. You get hard hitting spells AND melee just by leveling INT.

Let's look at the breakdown.

+15 Iaito raw damage (calculated with 50 DEX): 416

+5 Enchanted Iaito raw damage (calculated with 50 INT): 471

+15 Claymore raw damage (calculated with 50 STR): 419

+5 Enchanted Claymore raw damage (calculated with 50 INT): 579

Guess which one lets him save souls by only leveling one stat?

For giggles, lets look at an elemental weapon. These don't require high stats at all, and hit pretty hard. This allows for a more free form character build. You can put all of your damage stat into VIT instead and increase your survivability drastically.

+5 Lightning Claymore raw damage (no stat scaling, requires 16 STR and 10 DEX to use): 514

I'm not trying to prove my advice is how to make the best character ever, just a good character with many options. The TC is a 1st time player, they are not asking for the best build ever, they are asking for general advice. You still need 20 Dex to use the Iaito anyways so I still think it's wise to pick to use Str or Dex weapons at the start.

 

[Church185]

I'm not trying to prove my advice is how to make the best character ever, just a good character with many options. The TC is a 1st time player, they are not asking for the best build ever, they are asking for general advice. You still need 20 Dex to use the Iaito anyways so I still think it's wise to pick to use Str or Dex weapons at the start.

I'm not saying I make the best characters ever (I'm playing with a crossbow build right now for Jim's sake >.>), but if you are going to bother leveling a stat for magic, and your weapon can only effectively scale with one stat at a time, why would you waste souls leveling more than one? You can have many options and still only level one stat, just make sure you meet the base stats for whatever you want to wield and you are good to go. The cost for each stat grows dramatically as you level up, meaning later in the game and subsequent playthroughs require careful stat allocation.

 

[Lawnmooer]

My advice for a newbie:

Think about what weapons you might like to use (If possible, play around with some on a "Test character" using early game versions of the different types (Straight Sword, Curved Sword, Spear, Greatsword etc))

For the best time, I recommend going for enough strength and dexterity to be able to hold your weapon in one hand and to get a decent shield on (One with 100% Physical block and good stability ideally) - I highly suggest a medium shield from a weight vs effectiveness standpoint.

After you have a suitable weapon + shield setup, I suggest going heavy into Vitality and Endurance.

Vitality increases your health, and has self explanatory benefits.

Endurance increases your Stamina (Meaning more attacks/blocks/rolls can be used) and increases the maximum weight you can have equipped, this is valuable for keeping speed at a decent amount (<50% burden is the goal, with the ideal being <25% for the fastest roll and movement) whilst also allowing heavier armour and weapons to be utilized.

If you do this, then the recommended thing to do with your weapon is to upgrade it to +10 as soon as possible then wait until Anor Londo when you can start turning it into a Lightning weapon. Lightning weapons are great since they do really high damage with the downside of not scaling (Not an issue if you've not used levels upping Str/Dex/Int/Faith past what you need to wield equipment and instead become tankier)

The reason I suggest this, is because it does make you pretty tanky so you can suffer some mistakes without dying as much as most people make out (Though you're likely to die a fair amount still while you learn the enemies) and also because of the exponential growth of the cost of leveling up, it means that going for more Str and Dex (Which don't provide massive damage increases unless you're good at the game and can go for more dangerous weapons and upgrades along with 2 handing weapons for extra strength bonus) will drastically reduce the amount of Vitality and Endurance you're reasonably going to be able to pick up without resorting to large amounts of very tedious farming.

As far as equipment goes, upgrading it is nice, especially something like the Elite Knight set which can be picked up early in the game. Something to note though, try to always carry around some robes and such since cloth armours usually have high magical/fire/poison protection which can be invaluable for certain areas in the game.

Another thing to point out: Poise is amazing. Like really, really good.

Poise is a stat that increases the amount of damage you can sustain without stumbling, this is incredibly useful to avoid frustrating situations where you get stun-locked because an enemy with fast attacks/multiple weak enemies keep attacking you and causing you to stumble (This also will interrupt any attack animations you where in the middle of, so if running with a Greatsword, having low poise will make it nigh impossible to get an attack off mid-fight)

Side note: The Drake Sword can be good and can be bad. On the one hand, it's pretty strong early game and the lack of scaling is irrelevant if going for my suggested stat build, on the other hand it really does blow nearly everything out of the water until upgraded a fair amount (I think the last character I got it on, only swapped out after farming a Halberd +10 which did on par damage) which prevents you from learning the attack/parry styles of the weapons that you're likely to use once the game starts to ramp up the difficulty (I.E. Enemies start getting high armour and higher health)

 

[Naqel]

It allows you to get a great medium shield right next to Firelink Shrine and grab the lightning resin before the Tauros Demon. How is it only good for sequence breaking? It allows you access to good gear, and is the only worthwhile starting gift.

You can get the resin with the residence key, which you're supposed to get anyway.
The shield isn't a necessity, as there are just as good ones(for that stage of the game) available without the master key.

-Drake sword is quickly outclassed by easily accessible weapons like the Claymore and Zweihander that can be obtained sooner in the game, so what is the point in picking it up other than collecting?

Claymore requires the much more dangerous(for a beginer) run across the bridge, rather than sneaking below it, and even then, you won't be upgrading the Claymore to outdo the drake sword for a while.
Not to mention that if you go for the Claymore, you might as well get the Drake sword, even if it's just for the short stretch from there to the smith. It's still worth it.

Zweihander requires dashing between skeletons, whom you will not beat at that stage without the Drake sword, and avoiding them isn't exactly something that'll happen on the first go.
All the damage concerns also apply.

-Elemental weapons damage is calculated against two forms of resistance instead of just one, but the trade off is that these weapons usually don't require high stats to wield. This allows players to do lots of damage while pouring stats into VIT or END.

You know what else has amazing damage and low requirements? Drake sword.
That little jab aside, elemental weapons are rather tedious to get, unless they come pre enchanted, which in most cases means they still require stats to scale with.

Then there's the resins and charcoals you mentioned. You get a lot more mileage from using a resin/charcoal on a fully physical weapon, then you do from having an elemental one. Not to mention the versatility of such an approach.

On top of all that, if you really want to skip leveling damage stats, there's a wide selection of weapons with great base values and poor scaling, which are a staple of level ~60 PVP, but that's once again something you use once you get a hold of the game and play it with a goal in mind, rather than experience it for the first time.

 

[irok]

1. Don't be human at any time, you will get invaded and its mostly by people who know what they are doing, mostly, some will fall off cliffs before you even see them.

And that's pretty much all there is for a new player, although I will say its pretty fun to be a sunbro and stalk common invasion places, whats that? you wanted to kill low level players with your twink , hows about some 2v1 with some lightning and a random ass grave lord sword dance.

 

[Church185]

You can get the resin with the residence key, which you're supposed to get anyway.

Why buy the residence key when you get the Master Key for free?

The shield isn't a necessity, as there are just as good ones(for that stage of the game) available without the master key.

Where else can you find a 100% physical shield with that high of a fire resistance early in the game?

Claymore requires the much more dangerous(for a beginer) run across the bridge, rather than sneaking below it, and even then, you won't be upgrading the Claymore to outdo the drake sword for a while.
Not to mention that if you go for the Claymore, you might as well get the Drake sword, even if it's just for the short stretch from there to the smith. It's still worth it.

Zweihander requires dashing between skeletons, whom you will not beat at that stage without the Drake sword.

Neither of those runs are hard if you know how to do it, just like acquiring the Drake Sword. The Claymore has way higher damage potential than the Drake Sword and you can upgrade the Zweihander enough to beat it out before you even acquire it.

You know what else has amazing damage and low requirements? Drake sword.
That little jab aside, elemental weapons are rather tedious to get, unless they come pre enchanted, which in most cases means they still require stats to scale with.

Elemental weapons still have a higher damage potential than the Drake Sword. While they may not be the end all be all that they used to be when Dark Souls launched, they are still useful weapons far into the game.

Then there's the resins and charcoals you mentioned. You get a lot more mileage from using a resin/charcoal on a fully physical weapon, then you do from having an elemental one. Not to mention the versatility of such an approach.

The amount of damage added by pine resin is laughable by the end of the game. It's great to add that 150 extra damage to your weapon when you are fighting the Tauros Demon, but it doesn't make much of an impact later. Not to mention, the buffs are temporary, meaning you are going to need to keep buying them if you plan on working them into your playstyle. Would be better off using CMW or DMB.

On top of all that, if you really want to skip leveling damage stats, there's a wide selection of weapons with great base values and poor scaling, which are a staple of level ~60 PVP, but that's once again something you use once you get a hold of the game and play it with a goal in mind, rather than experience it for the first time.

I can't really argue with this. I like to use the Gravelord sword myself, but everyone has their favorite.

 

[Souplex]

The game is about discovering and learning. I recommend against seeking advice.

...

Still there?

Dodging is for chumps. Get a good shield, get some heavy armor, get a spear.

 

[Zero of Arcadia]

You can get the resin with the residence key, which you're supposed to get anyway.

Why buy the residence key when you get the Master Key for free?

Why buy the residence key? Because it and ONLY IT can open the door to the Magic Tutor in the Lower Burg. My cousin found that out when he killed the merchant for his katana. As for the Master Key in general, I'd agree that it isn't a good idea to get it on the first playthrough. It greatly derails a new player from the 'main' flow of the game and can confuse them greatly. It'll also lead him to not knowing what keys open which locks and why most keys are important. Even then, he can pick one up somewhere in Anor Lando if memory serves, so it isn't a total loss if you don't pick it. Also, with the better gear argument, it will cause the player to rely on their gear and not hone their skills. It's best to let a newbie flounder around with starter gear than deprive them of the learning experience.

 

[The Almighty Aardvark]

Tip #1: Go straight past the giant skeletons and find your way to a cave down off the ridge. All the REAL men start there

 

[scotth266]

Snip

I second the advice to NOT get the Master Key as a starting gift, because you'll probably just wind up running into areas you shouldn't go to immediately and getting yourself killed. It's good for veterans who know what they're doing, but for your first few goes at it, try getting firebombs or the twin humanities.

Humanity by the way is important. When you use it, you can turn human at a bonfire, which will unlock the online features of the game - both co-op and PVP. You'll be able to summon players from white/yellow marks to help you out, but red and grey marks will summon guys to fight you - and players are able to invade your world randomly while you're human, so you are not safe unless you're in a menu at a bonfire. Co-op is useful for dealing with difficult bosses, so the risk is worth it - just don't keep those boss souls on you for too long or you'll likely lose them.

Upgrading weapons and items (you'll find a smith later) is critical. Heavy armor will make you bulky but your dodge roll will get worse. Having some sort of ranged attack is a good idea (Pyromancy is the best for new players, as its power can be upgraded through your glove rather than through stats.)

As far as stats go, find a weapon you think you'd enjoy using, raise your stats to the amount you'd need to wield it, and then focus on HP and Endurance for a while (and focus on HP/END if you don't know what you want to use.) Don't put points into resistances (it's pointless.) Attunement gives you more spell slots (I believe the cap is reached at 12 Attunement though I could be completely wrong, look it up.)

Learning how to counter and how to get behind enemies for backstabs will make your life SIGNIFICANTLY EASIER, so put some time into it. There's non-spoiler videos on Youtube that you'd find helpful if you're having trouble with it.

Be careful around NPCs - you can kill them by accident which will ruin your day.

EDIT: Oh, and make sure to go UP the first thing you do - there's a staircase near the well. Do not, for the love of god, go ANYWHERE near the skeletons until you have rung the first bell.

 

[Naqel]

Why buy the residence key when you get the Master Key for free?

Because you need the key to later open the door to the magic vendor. Master key won't do that.

Where else can you find a 100% physical shield with that high of a fire resistance early in the game?

You don't need that fire resistance anyway, unless you come up with some really convoluted excuse like trying to block fire bombs, or Quelaag whom dosen't exactly care for your shield with most of her attacks.

For 100% physical resistance, starting as a knight/bandit/warrior aside, hollows within the parish drop great ones, and there's one available from the undead merchant.

The Claymore has way higher damage potential than the Drake Sword and you can upgrade the Zweihander enough to beat it out before you even acquire it.
[...]
Elemental weapons still have a higher damage potential than the Drake Sword. While they may not be the end all be all that they used to be when Dark Souls launched, they are still useful weapons far into the game.

Higher potential is worthless, if you can't get to the part of the game where it's accessible.
You can't argue against getting the Drake sword with things you need the Drake sword to get.

Neither of those runs are hard if you know how to do it, just like acquiring the Drake Sword.

Drake Sword is the strongest weapon you can get until you have access to +10 weapons and requires no upgrades whatsoever to take full advantage of.
Not getting it on a new character serves only to handicap oneself.

The amount of damage added by pine resin is laughable by the end of the game.

All fire/lighning damage is laughable endgame, save for spells which deal just that.

I'd take a weapon dealing 500 +150 from resin over just 500 split between two elements every day.

 

[Icehearted]

I've been sitting on this game for a while now, meaning to play, kind of eager, worried I will be disappoint. Comparisons to King's Field have only raised my expectations, but then i wonder if the praise this game gets are from fans and are not objective, a lot like people that enjoy Neptunia; niche fans that claim it's gold and ignore it's flaws unduly.

Reading this thread is only getting me more excited though, but still feel like I need to check my hype.

 

[PrimitiveJudge]

Simple strategy. Ignore everyone's post except mine.

Just play the game and learn. Simple enough, this game teaches you how to live at every corner, but everyone else here is tell you how THEY did it. Play the game and learn, that will make every boss fight a grand reward.

 

[SlaveNumber23]

I recommend making a test character or two where you play up to the first couple of bosses or so just to get a feel of the game and how all of the stats etc work.

Starting as the Pyromancer class can make things considerably easier especially early on because of the powerful fire spell you will start with, this will make the game a bit softer to sink your teeth into.

Give yourself all the information you can by reading some of the wiki articles, the game isn't very good at explaining things to you so don't be too proud to look for help, knowledge is extremely powerful in Dark Souls. In particular you should definitely read about the different stats so you can make some decent character builds, I'm not saying to go as far as copying and pasting other peoples builds, but some stats are absolutely core on just about any character build, such as Vitality and Endurance, while others can be completely useless, like Resistance. Also most of the stats give diminishing returns, so its good to learn the general stopping points for them.

Also I would recommend not becoming human on your first playthrough, as getting invaded by some min-maxed low level hunting douchebag probably isn't your cup of tea.

Approach the game with a careful, analytical mindset, most enemies are just puzzles waiting to be solved. Many will have pretty simplistic attack patterns and behaviour.

If you are having a lot of trouble and all else fails, a crossbow will counter most bosses, you might have to kite them for a while but it makes the game very easy.

Don't bother with the Drake Sword, it becomes useless very quickly.