So, you've decided to pick up a copy of Dark Souls III
Unlike conventional games, this Japanese R.P.G doesn't come with a manual on how game mechanics work, instead, a player is expected to learn as they progress through the environment. From the very beginning you are thrown into a hostile environment filled with enemies that want nothing more than to see you dead, so to help prevent this from happening, here's a quick lesson on how to pick a starting classes for those who are interested in experiencing a great adventure, hidden under a difficult game. But before we begin, understand that the learning curve is sharp. The majority of sane people don't enjoy dying over, and over, and over, and over again until they get it right, so it's okay if this game isn't your cup of tea.
Know Your Play Style.
First things first, a game is entertaining only if a person enjoys the game play, otherwise it's just tedious work that bores. Before even putting the disk in, consider how you like playing; do you prefer raw brute strength or are you one who enjoys the safety of long range battles, because different classes offer different attributes. So, there's a total of ten starting classes to choose from, don't worry it only seems overwhelming at first, so take into consideration what you'll find fun. The classes are as followed: knight, mercenary, warrior, herald, thief, assassin, sorcerer, pyromancer, cleric, and deprived. To help simplify the picks, the ten classes can fall under thee categories; a tank, caster, or a hybrid of the two. If you like getting up close and personal, consider being a tank that relies on strength and life, because they can go toe to toe will the larger enemies in the game, dealing a substantial amount of damage before needing to heal.
On the other hand if you like to play it safe, then a caster would be a great fit for you, because they keep their distance from enemies, but have powerful magic to fight off any threat. And finally if you become acquainted with the game mechanics, you can create an overpowered character who can use special abilities to increase their damage output, while sill being quick on their feet and not having to rely on heavy armor.
The class will fall under these three categorizes based on their starting stats, so classes that have higher life and strength will be better suited for tanks. Classes who have higher intelligence or faith will do better at meeting the requirements needed to use certain spells.
Understand The Stats
As far as strategy goes in most games, sometimes they're as simple as just pressing buttons, but to get though this game without dying, you have to have an idea of what the stats represent. The table above shows each of the classes level and their starting attributes. As you progress through the game, you'll be able to level up certain attributes, to ease the difficulty. This is where strategy is needed, because if you ignore certain categories you will be under leveled further into the game. Vgr represents your life and End represents endurance, without leveling up these aspects at least a few times you will make the game harder on yourself. So, I'd recommend that new players look closely at the starting amount of vgr on each of the classes, to optimize their chances of not dying. The other stats are atonement, helpful in casting a wider verity of spells, vitality, strength, dexterity, intelligence, faith, and luck. Everything in the game has a requirement that need to be meet before you can use the item. Armor requires vitality, otherwise your move ability is reduced, leaving you open to group attacks. Spells have two sub categories, magic and miracles. Magic uses intelligence while miracles deepens on faith, both used by caster. Also heavy weapons need strength and fast weapons need dexterity, go figure. For starters, the knight class is by far the best class to go, especially if it's your first time around. This class has balance stats that are rather high in early game, making enemies and bosses seem less of a threat and more like a pebbles in the road. Besides starting stats, the knight comes with gear that stays effective up until the middle of the game. So someone new to the game should have an easy time controlling this character while keeping the enemies at bay.
Final Thoughts
This game takes time, so don't be discouraged if you find yourself frustrated. Dark souls is notorious for being difficult, but fair. This might seem silly but that moment when all that work pays off and you finally beat the boss; there's a sense of accomplishment for progression, because you know how much you struggle to get there, you know how many times you've died, and you know how many times you came close to quitting, but in the end you came out on top. This game is hard to get into but if you pick the right class, you can find yourself becoming immersed into the world that dark souls provides to you as a player.
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Dark Souls is a game that I have yet to play. I personally have not experience it nor seen any gameplay of it however, I do have a friend that would not stop talking about this game and not only him but my high school teacher as well. The blog is very useful, even though it is not explained in step by step process it is still explains to the player or to the audience who is trying or thinking of playing this game of what to expect. Not only what to expect but as well as to adapt to how to play the game. I personally have not played the game so I am basically learning from the blog and can not criticize this blog since I have no experience in the game. I personally love playing RPG games like, Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, Fire Emblem, and Monster Hunter however, I never have the time to finish the games and I basically just start them and never finish it.
ReplyDeleteGood blog that gives an impression of what it's like to play an open-world RPG, even if they never have before. Relatively few errors and clear writing make this blog a good read.
ReplyDeleteI will say that even though I was able to follow most of what you were saying, I don't know what I should do with stats, starting out. You give us some tools to help us understand what stats are important, but not enough to make a decision that will maximize our strength in the game (I guess that's where multiple playthroughs will help).
Good job.