If you‘re new to the Souls games and wondering where to start, I highly recommend beginning your journey with Demon‘s Souls on PlayStation 5. As an avid Souls fan who has played through all the games multiple times, I believe Demon‘s Souls is the ideal entry point for several reasons.
Why Demon‘s Souls is the Best for Beginners
It Established the Winning Souls Formula
As the first Souls game, Demon‘s Souls pioneered the formula of challenging combat, ominous worlds, enigmatic lore, and rewarding progression that made the series so popular. It introduced concepts like bonfires, Estus Flasks, stamina-focused combat, shortcut-filled levels, and fog gates leading to epic boss encounters. These core ideas were refined in later games, but Demon‘s Souls provides the purest distillation of the Souls DNA. Starting here lets you appreciate how the series evolved from its roots.
Its Difficulty is More Manageable
Make no mistake, Demon‘s Souls is still a tough game. However, its difficulty curve is a bit more gradual than later Souls titles. The levels slowly ramp up in complexity rather than throwing players into the deep end too quickly. Many early bosses like Phalanx and Tower Knight ease you into learning boss patterns and tells. And the ability to replay levels after defeating the bosses helps you grind and improve at a comfortable pace. If you can conquer Demon‘s Souls, you‘ll be ready to take on the increased challenges of future games.
The PS5 Remake Looks and Plays Great
FromSoftware‘s DNA runs strong in the PS5 remake by Bluepoint Games. Visually, it‘s a stunning showpiece for the console that makes the atmospheric worlds like Boletaria and Latria even more immersive. The gameplay remains faithful to the original while smoothing out dated quirks. Quality of life improvements like omni-directional rolling and less finicky item burden mechanics reduce frustration. For new players in 2022, this remake is simply the definitive way to experience a Souls classic.
The Nexus Hub Design is Beginner Friendly
The central Nexus hub provides a clear overview of your progress as you unlock shortcuts between different worlds. In contrast, later Souls games have more convoluted world designs that can be disorienting for rookies. The Nexus lets you easily warp between areas and tackle them at your own pace. This flexibility reduces aimless wandering and gives you more control over the difficulty curve as you take on different world Stone guardians.
Other Strong Souls Games for Beginners
Dark Souls Remastered
If Demon‘s Souls isn‘t available to you, Dark Souls Remastered is the next best starting point. It retains the focused world design of Demon‘s Souls but with some quality of life upgrades. Bonfire fast travel from the start prevents tedious backtracking. The Estus Flask eliminates item burden for healing items. These improvements make your journey through Lordran smoother while retaining the essence of a Souls experience.
Elden Ring
As an open world game, Elden Ring empowers new players to explore and progress through its challenges at their own pace. The addition of spirit summons also eases some of the brutal boss fights the series is known for. Elden Ring represents a more accessible vision of the Souls formula, though I‘d still recommend starting with Demon‘s or Dark Souls to understand the basics.
Key Differences Between Souls Games
| Game | Difficulty | Setting | Combat Style | New Player Friendly? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demon‘s Souls | Moderate | Dark fantasy | Slow, methodical | Yes |
| Dark Souls | Hard | Dark medieval | Slow, methodical | Yes |
| Dark Souls 2 | Moderate | Dark medieval | Slow, methodical | Yes |
| Bloodborne | Very Hard | Gothic horror | Fast, aggressive | No |
| Dark Souls 3 | Very Hard | Apocalyptic | Fast, aggressive | No |
| Sekiro | Very Hard | Sengoku Japan | Fast, precision | No |
| Elden Ring | Hard | Dark medieval | Str/Dex focused | Yes |
This table summarizes how the different Souls games compare for a newcomer. The earlier games tend to be better suited for players trying out the genre for the first time.
Played in Order, They Form an Epic Journey
While each Souls game stands alone narratively, played in series they trace an epic journey through the evolution of the gameplay and world design. I personally think playing them in order of release, from Demon‘s Souls through Elden Ring, is the most rewarding way for a new player to experience them.
Like learning a musical instrument, going through the games sequentially gives you a chance to master the fundamentals before moving onto more advanced techniques. The incentives and shortcuts for returning fans also just feel more meaningful if you‘ve made the complete journey yourself.
So for the patient, committed player up for an epic challenge, beginning with Demon‘s Souls and playing through each game in order is ultimately the most satisfying path through this incredible series.
Here are My Tips for Getting Started
I hope this overview helps explain why Demon‘s Souls is the ideal starting point for new Souls players. Here are some quick tips for getting started:
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Take it slow – be patient, pay attention to enemy patterns, and don‘t get greedy!
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Try out different weapons – find one that fits your playstyle. Big and slow vs. small and fast.
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Level vitality early – more health will keep you alive as you learn.
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Read messages – online tips from other players can be handy.
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Summon help – no shame in calling on assistance from other players or AI phantoms.
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Have fun! – don‘t worry about dying or "gitting gud" too fast. Enjoy the journey!
The Souls games offer an immensely rewarding challenge. I hope new players use this guide to start their journey off on the right foot with Demon‘s Souls! Let me know if you have any other questions.
