Why Can't I Play Dark Souls 3?

[Kingjackl]

It's easily the most polished Souls game released, but Dark Souls 3's problem is it feels torn between DS1 and Bloodborne and doesn't quite succeed at being either of them. My experience with bosses has been very mixed. Half of them have been trivial compared to past games, the other have been brutal. The hardest ones for me so far (and for the record I have not yet fought Nameless King) have all been bosses that feel like they're better suited to a Bloodborne game: Abyss Watchers, Dancer, FUCKING Pontiff Sulyvahn. They're all much faster than you and power through most types of shields, necessitating you to be better at rolling than in past games.

The difference between Souls and Bloodborne for me has been the emphasis on strategy and skill respectively. Souls is about watching for tells, luring out attacks and reacting accordingly. Whereas Bloodborne is about timing your dodges and attacking vigorously when there's an opening. Dark Souls 3 is somewhere in the middle and it hurts the game in my opinion. Enemies are faster, more numerous and can stagger you in one hit, necessitating skilled dodging over blocking. But you don't have the Bloodborne PCs naturally high stamina and invincibility, so attacking with heavier weapons or spells is a recipe for failure.

Despite all this, I still think it's a fantastic game. Presentation counts for a lot, and I think the polish and creativity fripping from DS3 can make up for a lot. Right now I'm stuck on the Dancer of the Boreal Valley due to a combination of all the problems mentioned above and me thinking it's a good idea to go for a faith/spear build on the first go (but Cleric Bident looks so cool, why is it made of shit?) And honestly, I'm loving it. I don't mind losing just because I want to keep fighting this thing! But I think in the long run, we're going to look back at DS1 and Bloodborne as the best of the series, while DS3 will be just "yeah, it was okay".

 

[Dalisclock]

I always found that Dark Souls 3 was my replacement for Bloodborn since BB is a ps4 exclusive and can't justify buying a console just for one game

On this note, I haven't played BB(I'm actually still on my first playthrough of DS1), so without having Bloodborne(damn exclusives) to compare to, would that affect my enjoyment of DS3? Hell, without having played DS2, would that affect it?

I honestly haven't decided what FS game is next on my list once I finish DS1(other then not demons souls) but I wanted to wait until I finished DS1 before making a thread about it.

 

[Fox12]

So I just want to start by saying I love the "Souls" games. Ever since I first tired Dark Souls 2 Scholar of the First Sin. I had a blast with Dark Souls. Though I could never beat DS2, because of Shrine of Amara, mostly. But then I picked up a PS4 and Bloodborne. I loved Bloodborne, I fucking destroyed that game. Actually I found BB a bit on the easy side, at least after the initial learning curve. It became the first and only souls game I beat. Even some of the DLC, though I never got to the end of it, I stopped after beating the chick in the clocktower room. She was the only boss that ever gave me a hard time. 20 or so attempts.

Anyway on to Dark Souls 3.

I hate it. I don't know why, but the combat is really really off. It's not quite Dark Souls and not quite Bloodborne. Instead it is a hybrid that doesn't gel well for me. I feel like my character is slow to respond to my inputs, especially when rolling. I find myself hitting dodge, getting hit by the enemy attack, then my character rolls away after the fact. I'd understand if I had bad timing, but this happens a lot.

Now I have given DS3 a chance. I'm currently at 11 hours played, and I can't get into the combat. My knight feels just, sluggish. And the item designs feel shitty to me. I have gotten all this gear, and yet nothing has felt or worked better for me than the Knight's starting equipment.

And the difficulty of the overall game is fucking random as hell. Basic enemy placements feel cheap and simply there to screw you over or make the difficulty feel higher than it actually is. Yet I haven't had a single problem with any boss i have faced so far. The tree? Dead in 2 attempts. The Caster mage thing that randomly ports around the room with clones? 1 attempt, don't even know his name I beat him so fast. Deacons? Psh, 1 attempt as well.

Yet there are areas of normal mobs that have fucked me so hard, like traveling across the rooftops? Fuck that shit. I would rather be stuck in the Shrine of Amara.

One of the things I loved about Darks Souls 2 and Bloodborne is that I always felt I had control over the game's difficulty. If I was having trouble, I could always farm souls and level up to give myself an edge. Yet in DS3 there comes another problem. The soul reward per mob, versus the soul requirement to level seems way out of wack. Normal mobs yield 15-35 souls, making farming pointless when you end up needing 10k+ souls per level very quickly. This is another reason why the difficulty in DS3 feels broken to me, because it seems to have removed the option of grinding, (unless you sink stupid amounts of time into it).

I can't figure out why I hate it. But I do and I have given up on DS3 altogether. With janky combat, poor control responsiveness, difficulty that feels unfair (something the series has never felt before), and a haphazard looting system, I have lost all will to try and progress. So I have retired the game, uninstalled it from my computer and will never see beyond Faron Keep. Maybe the next edition will be better for me.

I wouldn't worry about it. That's how I felt about Bloodborne, and I thought all of the soul's games were easy. That said, there's no doubt that DS1 has the tightest combat.

I seriously couldn't wrap my head around Bloodborne. I only finished it with multiplayer help, and I couldn't finish the DLC at all.

 

[LostCrusader]

I always found that Dark Souls 3 was my replacement for Bloodborn since BB is a ps4 exclusive and can't justify buying a console just for one game

On this note, I haven't played BB(I'm actually still on my first playthrough of DS1), so without having Bloodborne(damn exclusives) to compare to, would that affect my enjoyment of DS3? Hell, without having played DS2, would that affect it?

I honestly haven't decided what FS game is next on my list once I finish DS1(other then not demons souls) but I wanted to wait until I finished DS1 before making a thread about it.

If you have only played DS1, 3 will be a jump in difficulty. DS2 and Bloodborne both got more comfortable with throwing groups of enemies at you and enemies being much more aggressive with their attacks.

As for which to try next, I'll be a weirdo and say DS2. It was my favorite in the series because of the PVP.

 

[Dalisclock]

I always found that Dark Souls 3 was my replacement for Bloodborn since BB is a ps4 exclusive and can't justify buying a console just for one game

On this note, I haven't played BB(I'm actually still on my first playthrough of DS1), so without having Bloodborne(damn exclusives) to compare to, would that affect my enjoyment of DS3? Hell, without having played DS2, would that affect it?

I honestly haven't decided what FS game is next on my list once I finish DS1(other then not demons souls) but I wanted to wait until I finished DS1 before making a thread about it.

If you have only played DS1, 3 will be a jump in difficulty. DS2 and Bloodborne both got more comfortable with throwing groups of enemies at you and enemies being much more aggressive with their attacks.

As for which to try next, I'll be a weirdo and say DS2. It was my favorite in the series because of the PVP.

The PVP isn't really what I'm interested in the series for. I'm fine with the co-op stuff(when I can find someone to fight bosses with) but seeing " Some Griefer Asswipe Invaded" is high on my list of NOPE. I stay hollow 98% of the time just to avoid that shit.

Thank god for sunbro being available for some of the harder battles.

 

[LostCrusader]

I always found that Dark Souls 3 was my replacement for Bloodborn since BB is a ps4 exclusive and can't justify buying a console just for one game

On this note, I haven't played BB(I'm actually still on my first playthrough of DS1), so without having Bloodborne(damn exclusives) to compare to, would that affect my enjoyment of DS3? Hell, without having played DS2, would that affect it?

I honestly haven't decided what FS game is next on my list once I finish DS1(other then not demons souls) but I wanted to wait until I finished DS1 before making a thread about it.

If you have only played DS1, 3 will be a jump in difficulty. DS2 and Bloodborne both got more comfortable with throwing groups of enemies at you and enemies being much more aggressive with their attacks.

As for which to try next, I'll be a weirdo and say DS2. It was my favorite in the series because of the PVP.

The PVP isn't really what I'm interested in the series for. I'm fine with the co-op stuff(when I can find someone to fight bosses with) but seeing " Some Griefer Asswipe Invaded" is high on my list of NOPE. I stay hollow 98% of the time just to avoid that shit.

Thank god for sunbro being available for some of the harder battles.

In that case, Bloodborne sounds like the game for you (assuming you have a PS4). Honestly the PVP sucked in Bloodborne, as you can only invade in a few regions or run into coop groups and nearly every fight was decided by parry spamming with pistols. But the PVE was great and had a lot of variety.

 

[barbzilla]

I'm somewhat with the OP, but not all the way. First, to me, it doesn't feel sluggish, but that is because I watch how the armor system actually works. The only important thing about armor is to keep an item in every slot, it doesn't matter if it only has 1 armor in every type, as long as you have all slots filled you take 50% less damage (or the enemies do 150% damage if you don't wear armor is more accurate). Second, keep your weight under 40% as that seems to be the spot where rolling starts to decay in useful frames, initiation time, and distance. The bosses all feel like cheap rehashes of things done before, but I really wasn't expecting much else as there is only so much creativity one can do in a certain genre without needing outside input. The average enemies do not play by the same set of rules that you do as in previous titles (or they have stamina at 99 from the word go), and this is very frustrating, however poise is broken for them as well so you can stagger lock most troublesome enemies with a long fast weapon.

The level design may be beautiful, but it is destroyed by the utter lack of pacing in the game, the poise system being broken is completely senseless, armor is nothing more than decoration, they have completely destroyed magic in the world, and weapons are all about equal to each other (at least in the same archetype). Now individually these are minor issues, but combined it has really destroyed the souls experience for me. PvP is a joke as most of the time when you invade you are facing off 3v1 (though there are options to level the field), weapons should feel a sense of progression as you advance in the game, and I honestly feel hard pressed to give a damn about any weapon past my starting weapons as it would require a significant investment in souls and materials just to get it to what is essentially equal power to the weapon I started the game with. The enemies are no longer difficult because you need to learn their movements, they are difficult because they attack at light speed and in groups of up to 8 (though more often in groups of 3-5).

These things could all be fixed, but I am pretty sure that the lead dev could care less about the series at this point. I wish it wasn't so, as this is (in my opinion) a poor showing for the final game in the series, but I do at least feel it held my interest a bit better than 2 did (for a solo play through, not for PvP). I still enjoyed the game enough to play through a couple times, but I won't be spending hundreds of hours on it as I did in the previous titles.

 

[Dalisclock]

In that case, Bloodborne sounds like the game for you (assuming you have a PS4). Honestly the PVP sucked in Bloodborne, as you can only invade in a few regions or run into coop groups and nearly every fight was decided by parry spamming with pistols. But the PVE was great and had a lot of variety.

Oh, BB is definitely at the top of my "want to play" list. Unfortunatly, I don't have a PS4 and Sony hasn't really given me much of a reason to buy one yet. I broke down and bought a PS3 because I had access to 3 console generations on the same machine, but with the PS4 I have Uncharted 4, Bloodborne and Maybe the Last Guardian(I'm going to be charitable and assume it'll be somewhere close to the level of quality of SotC and ICO).

Sadly, 3 games does not yet warrant an investment in the PS4 for me, and at this point, BB might be getting a PC port before I see enough PS4 exclusives(or the PS4 drops low enough in price) to make it worth it.

So right now it's pretty much a toss up between DS2 and DS3 for my next Souls game(from what I've seen, opinion is extremely divided which game is a better sequel).

 

[CritialGaming]

In that case, Bloodborne sounds like the game for you (assuming you have a PS4). Honestly the PVP sucked in Bloodborne, as you can only invade in a few regions or run into coop groups and nearly every fight was decided by parry spamming with pistols. But the PVE was great and had a lot of variety.

Oh, BB is definitely at the top of my "want to play" list. Unfortunatly, I don't have a PS4 and Sony hasn't really given me much of a reason to buy one yet. I broke down and bought a PS3 because I had access to 3 console generations on the same machine, but with the PS4 I have Uncharted 4, Bloodborne and Maybe the Last Guardian(I'm going to be charitable and assume it'll be somewhere close to the level of quality of SotC and ICO).

Sadly, 3 games does not yet warrant an investment in the PS4 for me, and at this point, BB might be getting a PC port before I see enough PS4 exclusives(or the PS4 drops low enough in price) to make it worth it.

So right now it's pretty much a toss up between DS2 and DS3 for my next Souls game(from what I've seen, opinion is extremely divided which game is a better sequel).

IMO PS4 has a lot of reasons to pick one up. Easily the best console on the market for me right now. There are a lot of games for it from big releases as well as a bunch of fun indie titles as well.

Dragon Quest Heroes.
Final Fantasy 15 and 12 remake, and 7 eventually.
Odin Sphere
Bloodborne
Uncharted
The Last of Us
Crash Bandicoot remake

Depending on what kind of stuff you're into. However if you look at the PS4 library and can only see a few games, or more upcoming games that appeal to you. I'd hold off on picking one up until they release the PS4.5, or Neo or whatever the fuck they are gonna call it.

 

[Dalisclock]

Dragon Quest Heroes.
Final Fantasy 15 and 12 remake, and 7 eventually.
Odin Sphere
Bloodborne
Uncharted
The Last of Us
Crash Bandicoot remake

Depending on what kind of stuff you're into. However if you look at the PS4 library and can only see a few games, or more upcoming games that appeal to you. I'd hold off on picking one up until they release the PS4.5, or Neo or whatever the fuck they are gonna call it.

I have The Last of Us for the PS3(though I haven't gotten around to playing it yet, because backlog). Already mentioned Uncharted 4 and Bloodborne. Dragon Quest and Odin Sphere don't mean much to me(Okay, I know they exist but that's about it) and FF XV is very much a "Has the series stopped being shit yet?" for me(Without going into a rant, my hopes for the series are pretty close to completely dead and ready to be buried). Never played Crash Bandicoot, so again, means little to me.

Right now, most of the games I like are on PC or have decent PC ports and the PS3 so far has covered everything else I am/was interested in. My backlog between both of those is enormous.

 

[EbonBehelit]

Now I have given DS3 a chance. I'm currently at 11 hours played, and I can't get into the combat. My knight feels just, sluggish. And the item designs feel shitty to me. I have gotten all this gear, and yet nothing has felt or worked better for me than the Knight's starting equipment.

Really? The combat in DS3 is significantly faster than its predecessors, bar apparently BB (which I haven't played on account of not wanting to buy a PS4 for one game).

Not finding better armour for a while is par the course for the knight. In every Souls game.

And the difficulty of the overall game is fucking random as hell. Basic enemy placements feel cheap and simply there to screw you over or make the difficulty feel higher than it actually is.

Funny that you should say this, since this was far, far worse problem in Dark Souls 2. While DS3 didn't quite get it right either, it's far a serious issue.

Yet I haven't had a single problem with any boss i have faced so far. The tree? Dead in 2 attempts. The Caster mage thing that randomly ports around the room with clones? 1 attempt, don't even know his name I beat him so fast. Deacons? Psh, 1 attempt as well.

Lemme guess, medium armour with a Straight Sword?

It took me a half dozen attempts on those 3 bosses, but that'd be because I didn't invest in hp until near the end of the game, and stubbornly stuck to heavy armour/weapons and a shield.

Shields are a liability against bosses in Souls games and it always takes me most of a playthrough to remember this. Hell, Pontiff is a boss seemingly designed to punish you for relying too much on a shield (unless you've mastered parrying).

Yet there are areas of normal mobs that have fucked me so hard, like traveling across the rooftops? Fuck that shit. I would rather be stuck in the Shrine of Amara.

Souls games rarely throw difficult terrain and difficult enemies at you at the same time. Learning to deal with your surroundings is a huge part of the game, and is a far fairer way of adding difficulty than simply adding more enemies to deal with.

difficulty that feels unfair (something the series has never felt before)

I actually don't understand how anyone who's experienced Dark Souls 2 can say this. Hell, every Souls game has unfair moments.

So right now it's pretty much a toss up between DS2 and DS3 for my next Souls game(from what I've seen, opinion is extremely divided which game is a better sequel).

Dark Souls 3 is a better game in almost every single way, especially when it comes to enemy design, world/level design, and art direction.

Dark Souls 2 is one of the most disappointing games I've ever played.