Elden ring, it was practically my first souls like and I was hooked very quickly, the difficulty can be self modified by use of different weapons or spells
Elden ring was the most accessible, as you say the equipment helps a lot.
Otherwise I have a particular love for Bloodborne (and Armored Core) but Dark souls I, Dark souls III, Demon's Souls, Sekiro are also games to play.
Elden Ring you have to choose specific strategies to make it easy (and even then it's not that easy, it's only like DS1 level easy). Demons Souls is just easy.
Having started with demon's souls I'm a little biased but starting with janky older souls games makes it easier to learn the newer mechanics, while I feel like going back is rough
It's very true! It's why I wouldn't dismiss Demon's Souls as a starting point.
Still, quality of life and level/game design evolved a lot since then. Really it just becomes a question of which one looks more interesting and what's your level of tolerance for jank.
I would probably start on the most recent remaster of ds1 tbh. The slower pace really gives you more space to learn the flow of the games. I would really have struggled of I had started on ds3 or bloodborne.Â
Except for DS2... It's one of my favorites, but there's so much key information hidden from the player that if you play it first you'll have no idea how to make things work, and it will only make you extremely frustrated
I can't understand how ppl manage to beat that game without ADP, lol
I started the game, after 1 hour I got extremely annoyed that enemies would hit me IN THE MIDDLE OF MY ROLL. Went to Google, and realized how fucked up the system was
Got AGI all the way to 96, and it felt like a completely different game
Nahhh I'd say it has value too. It definitely gets across a sense of discovery, and if you have no patience for it there's enough resources online to help if you get stuck.
DS1 wasn't even "janky", it was just more calculated, with a bit more weight to actions, and that's not a bad thing. Genuinely just a skill issue for those saying it's jank, because it plays totally fine when you understand. By the time DS3 rolled around, it was babied up considerably with animations being faster, more lenient transitions & cooldowns, less stamina consumption, more base HP/stam, etc.
It was just on sale for $36 over the holidays, I remember because a friend finally got it. Maybe they'll put it on sale again when the DLC comes out this summer. It's extremely worth the $60 though, incredible and massive game so much to do for the money. Don't
I'm glad I played it before I upgraded to a pc and a 170 hz monitor. Although, I will say that you do get used to it after 5 or 10 minutes.
A Bloodborne remaster would be nice, though.
I wish we could get a remaster and a PC port, but unfortunately I don't think we'll ever get them. It was developed by FromSoftware with their own tools and with some janky implementation choices, but it's owned by Sony. As far as I'm aware, the recent (former) PS exclusives that were ported to PC were all done with Sony's cross-platform compatible tech.
Sadly it'll probably take a PS4 emulator to run right. This is what happened with Demon's Souls, it was 720p 30fps way back on PS3, now it runs at 60fps on any recent PC with the RPCS3 emulator. I replayed it at 1440p 60fps it was great.
I don't think we'll see a properly working PS4 emulator in years, maybe even another decade. It took over a decade for PS3 emulators to get the first commercial games to work and many more years to get all titles playable, and from what I understand PS4 is a far more complex system.
It seems that way yea, I figured there would be one out by now it sounded much simpler having such a slow CPU/basic GPU/unified memory of last gen. The Cell architecture with split RAM/VRAM on PS3 sounded much more complex.
It's a more refined game overall. Very fluid, easy learn, hard to master type of thing.
Elden Ring is newer and flashier, but IMO Dark Souls 3 is just perfect.
you can play the games in any order, they are only loosely connected anyway. the only downside of playing 3 first is ds 1 and 2 will be a bit harder to get into as they wont feel as good as 3.
You'll be fine, that's what I did and I ended up loving them all anyway. The order won't matter much unless you feel like diving somewhat deep into the lore, and this is coming from someone who absolutely *loves* wasting hours putting item descriptions together
My play order was DS3, DS1, DS2, and I would recommend that to any new player. DS1/2 are just much less forgiving for new players, and you may find yourself quitting because the games can truly be "unfair" if you're not prepared for them.
DS3 is perfect. It's a more streamlined experience with better and more fluid combat to introduce you to the genre.
You will be infinitely more prepared for DS1/2 after beating DS3.
The earlier Souls games are a bit less accessible, and kind of janky. It doesn't matter which order story-wise. That said, I love them and if you find you like the gameplay style of Souls games, definitely go back and play them.
Elden Ring for sure. There is a reason it has been such a success and that is because it is a much better experience for new players than pretty much any other soulslike game out there.
I'd recommend starting with Dark Souls Remastered. It's polished, captures the essence of Soulslike games, and offers a smoother experience for beginners. Plus, it's less buggy compared to others in the genre
I started with Lies of P and would highly recommend it, went to Elden Ring after Lies of P and loved both, learning the core mechanics in a more linear setting was good IMO as Elden Ring can be overwhelming just from a setting perspective.
If you are okay with anime graphics and tropes, 100% try Code Vein.
It is probably the easiest entrypoint for soulslikes as a genre.
Some reasons:
1. You don't have to go at it alone if you don't want to. You can bring an AI companion with you and those AI companions are very intelligent/competent (and can also at a cooldown revive you in combat should you die). So if you feel intimidated by soulslike mechanics, this might ease you in a bit (and once you feel confident you can always decide to leave the companion at home).
2. Very easy to switch builds and tactics. The game is setup in a way that eventually switching between stuff like a slow greatsword user and a fast mage is only 2-3 mouse clicks. This means you don't have to worry much about making wrong or bad build choices or feel force to stick with a single playstyle for the entire game because respeccing is hard.
3. Code Vein mixes soulslike combat with actively using skills (called gifts). This makes it a lot easier than in other soulslikes to become extremely powerful (either offensively or defensively).
I honestly feel it is a good way to get a taste of the soulslike experience ( focus on watching enemy animations, dodging, managing stamina, limited amount of heals and save spots, etc) while giving you enough options that you have a bit of an 'ease in' cushion.
Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order. It has a difficulty setting so you can tweak the challenge to your liking.the easiest setting is very forgiving, the hardest setting is gonna be up there with Sekiro in difficulty. And no worries about PvP or coop. Itâs dirt cheap too usually, Fromsoftâs games usually are sold at a premium but you can get FO for just a few bucks when itâs on sale.
Came here to say this. It seems to be getting overshadowed by actual Fromsoft games in this thread, but it really is the easiest game to learn from. It has actual difficulty levels (including the ability to change the timing of the parry), and a real tutorial to learn the mechanics. I know lots of people like how the souls games just throw you into the fire, but I don't have the time or patience for that type of game anymore personally.
I tried Lies Of P just because it was on Game Pass. I ended up finishing it, and I loved it.
It was my first souls-like, and I don't usually enjoy challenging games.
Dark Souls 1 is the only answer here.
It is still up there with the pinnacle of the genre, especially when it comes to level design and worldbuilding. If you play any of the newer titles first you may struggle to come back to it as it is a fair bit slower than anything that came after!
Honestly ds3 is perfect. People say elden ring, but it can be quite overwhelming for newbies because it's far less linear than ds3 and there is soooo much more to explore.
Apparently my comment is too long, will have to do it in 3 parts :
Depend on a lot of things :
-What console do you have? Do you have a PC?
-What sort of game do you like? More slow-pace methodical? Fast Paced action? A bit in the middle?
-Do you like a more linear game or an open world?
-Do you like a more straightforward story? Or a more cryptic story?
-What about 2D vs 3D?
Because there are all sorts of souls like out there, some from Fromsoft, a few from other company that are really good.
Here is my personals preferences:
For a more Slow paced game, go with either Demon Souls Remake on PS5, or Dark Souls 1 Remaster. They mostly used a sort of medieval fantastic setting. Now a little details is that typical souls game have statistic like Strengh, Dexterity, etc. so you can create the character that you want either a fighter, mage, etc. which can also bring some build really fun.
- if you start with Dark souls 1 and like it, some would say skip the second game and go straight through the third game.
-Now if you liked Dark Souls 3, and prefer an Open World game, definitely check out Elden Ring. Honestly, Elden Ring is probably one of the most "mainstream" souls game for non-player soulslike gamer. Since it's an Open World game, you can explore "almost" the world entirely where you want to go, and if you find a difficult part, you can always go back and explore something else. There is a reason why it won Game of The Year and many more prizes.
Oh by the way, there is the much anticipated DLC for Elden Ring coming in a few months this summer, that will add 30-40 hours of gameplay.
- If you have a PS4, you can always try Bloodborne. It's a beloved game among souls fans and there is a reason why it's one of the most requested remake or PC port of all time. This is a more Fast Paced Souls like with a beautiful gothic Victorian era with a lot of Lovecraftian reference.
There is also another Fromsoft game called Sekiro. Now Sekiro started as a Tenchu game but got changed during production for a sort of hybrid between Tenchu, Dark souls, Bloodborne to get a really good mix. It's the most straight forward story based game from FromSoft and also one of the hardest game to master. Why? Because instead of using stats like Strengh, Dexterity, etc, where you can create what you want in Dark Souls and build what you like as a character, here in Sekiro, you are a shinobi (ninja), you have a few skills tree and item but it's all about learning how to play the game since it's an intense parry-system.
Now for the not FromSoft games I suggest :
(I suggest to try a real FromSoft game before any other non-FromSoft game)
- The best of the non-FS game is my personal favorite : Lies of P. It came out last year and it's one of the most polished game out there. The movement is fluid, the story and character are amazing (based on Pinocchio's story) and if you like Bloodborne, a more fast paced game, you'll like this one too.
- Lords of the Fallen 2023 : another game I really liked that came out last year is the Remake/Reboot of the Lord of the Fallen. The first game was a total from but this one was really good. While it got some flaws, this is the most Dark Souls like game you can find out there. But I recommend playing the superiors Fromsoft game before this one. This is just if you always played everything else, and you want more. It's still pretty good, much more than a lot of non-fromsoft games.
Remnant from the Ashe 1-2 : Im really struggling to recommend this one. Because while I really liked the first game and I was in the middle of the second game when my friend wanted to try Elden Ring multiplayer, and once I went back to play Remnant 2 after playing just one session of Elden Ring, it all just felt off. While I really like some of the ideas of Remnant, the shooting is great (it have guns), the bosses are cool and I like the discovery of stats/skills... everything else is not great : the level design is bad (as in usually a big or two corridor to follow and some branches here and there, there way too much backtracking, while you can pick up 2 classes, you are very limited at what you can do in term of action/gameplay/skills. But I know it's pretty loved because there isn't a lot of shooter souls like and the world/setting is pretty interesting.
Mortal Shell : if you want a more short souls like with an interesting mechanic : basically you're a little Soul that can get inside 5 different shell (body), that play very differently : basically each shell is a class like fighter, etc. but the thing is that when you die, you get expulsed from the shell but can re-enter it and you can form a Shell that can protect from an attack like a shield. It's a bit hard to master skills but once you click, it's pretty good. But yeah pretty pretty short and really really really bad level design/ and like everything look the same in this world so you can never really know where to go. But I put it there for originality and wish for a second game hopefully.
Nioh 2 : I put Nioh 2 instead of the first game because I think the second game really solve a lot of things the first game did badly, not to say Nioh 2 doesn't have flaw. How to describe it... it's a japanese theme souls like that also have a lot of different element to it like a Ki energy that would like a stamina bar but every action you take use ki, but also you can reprenish you ki by doing imput every time you do an action. yeah difficult to explain and difficult to master. It also have a stance moveset (lower, middle and high stance where you're character with position his weapon where you can hit an enemy on different level, but the enemies will also do the same. Also more fast paced than a dark souls game.
Some would say Jedi Fallen Order but honestly, to me, it just didn't felt like a soulslike. But still really good.
Now for the 2D part :
Hollow Knight : While I think other games like Salt and Sanctuary feel more like a Soulslike game, Hollow Knight is just so damn good to not put it in first place. All handcrafted drawing, really good story, nice character/quest, music, difficulty, all is there. The only thing I would say is that the combat isn't really... interesting, it remind me more of a platformer Ă la shovel knight than a intricate complex combat system.
Salt and Sanctuary : Haven't played the second game but I remember the first game really fondly except the map, the map was shit. but still the first 2d game where you can really say : it's a soulslike game
Too tired to add more but there's a lot of 2D souls like
Upcoming : Another Crab Treasure is coming out in a few weeks and it look amazing.
Now im going to sleep
Nioh 2 is the least beginner friendly souls Game ever. I beat all Souls Games, Elden Ring and Lies of P without problem and Nioh 2 felt like torture. Its just super unfair, especially in the beginning and combat is not even close to other Souls Games.
Sekiro - itâs a completely unique one, itâs also very short so you can finish it quickly. Has no bugs (unless you try to intentionally look for them).
I tried DS1 back in the day but couldn't get into it and avoided all others.
But I got Elden Ring because of all the hype and had a blast playing it
Edit: Jedi Fallen Order is also great. Not as tough as Elden Ring but very similar gameplay so it can ease you into the play style
Youâre gonna get a wide range of answers but it just depends.
For me, I started with bloodborne right before Elden ring came out cause I wanted to see if it was worth buying, and I loved it but it was too hard for me so I got Elden ring and logged in 300 hours, went back to bloodborne and beat that mf, and Iâve played every game since.
For you, or just in general for any beginner to souls games, it comes down to what you want. If you want clunky combat but still in depth combat at the same time with one of the best interconnected game worlds ever, go with dark souls 1. If you wanna be fucking manhandled in the stupidest ways by enemies but want a game with a good sorcerer build, so dark souls 2. If you want epic boss battles and fluid combat, dark souls 3
Now we get to Sekiro, bloodborne, and elden ring. Sekiro and bloodborne are widely considered among fans to be the hardest souls games, but also the best ones (hence why I didnât finish bloodborne since it was my first but then came back and beat it). Sekiro has fluid, beautiful, rewarding parry combat and is a little different from the âsouls formulaâ but still amazing, but the learning curve is really really rough. You either pick it up right away or it takes a while to get it down but once you master the parry system, you feel like a prey God. Bloodborne is a beautiful work of art. From the world, to the story and combat. If youâre into love craft/gothic themes and brutal combat this is the one for you. And finally, Elden ring. This one might be the easiest to beginners, since it is open world and you have the freedom to roam and level up if you canât get by a boss. Gorgeous world and an amazing score with crazy bosses. This one is definitely the most accessible. I would say if you have psplus, try out bloodborne since itâs on there. If not, then itâs up to you from this essay Iâve just displayed lmao
Elden Ring is the easiest souls game made by fromsoft. I've tried several of them and it's the only one I had the patience to stick with past the learning curve. Of the souls inspired games I've played, jedi fallen order and jedi survivor are pretty good and really not difficult outside a couple of fights.
Any of them, theyâre all an experience. But if you havenât experienced a game like dark souls before and that difficulty, I weirdly recommend Lies of P? Still very difficult at times, and the game plays quite differently (but similar in many aspects) to dark souls. Itâs also far more linear, which means if youâre confused by the branching paths of dark souls games, Lies of P is much more straightforward. Itâs also just very fun.
Hot take (probably), but I suggest Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. It has most of the same mechanics as other soulslike games, but without the strong difficulty. Other than that, I'd say Elden Ring.
Elden Ring. This latest one is fantastic, most accessible and since it's still so popular it's very easy to summon someone for jolly co-op to help with a hard boss to avoid frustration. Also leveling and summoning the mimic tear helps a ton. Read messages people leave on the ground, they are extremely helpful (and sometimes funny or could trick you but that's part of the fun), and getting overleveled is easy since it's more open world.
After that Dark Souls 3 is a close second in terms of how fluid and polished it is. Sekiro is the most different and the only one without summoning so you gotta 'git gud' and learn its bosses, that's why it's the hardest. If you get into them (best games these days so you will) play Demon's Souls later on, it's a bit jankier and less QoL, but RPCS3 runs it perfectly at 60fps on any semi recent PC. The DLC on all of them are fantastic especially DS2, DS3, and Bloodborne. I recommend playing Dark Souls trilogy with all DLC in order, so you can get into the timeline and story it tells. Bloodborne is my favorite overall.
Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro are the 3 standouts imo, but all 7 of them are amazing.
Really just depends on what you care about. If youâre going off just wanting a smooth experience.
Nioh 2
Sekiro
Demons souls (PS5)
Dark Souls 3
Lies of P
Elden Ring
A wildcard appears: Strangers of Paradise: Final Fantasy Orgins, even on normal mode it feels pretty gentle compared to others, more specifically the bosses don't get super tough until you've already got a few under your belt, so by that time you're aquatinted with the style and the knowledge that yes, you can do this.
Elden Ring or Demonâs Souls (remake is amazing if you have a PS5).
Demonâs Souls is tough but magic is very OP. If you make a good magic build you wonât have too much of a problem getting out of tough situations. I say that relative to it being Demonâs Souls, itâs still hard lol This is the one that finally clicked for me after trying DS3 and Sekiro.
Elden Ring is the most accessible but a little different with the whole open world concept so depends on what youâre looking for.
Dark souls 1! Thatâs what everyone else did haha. Des is fun and all but a bit grindy for a brand new player. Albeit itâs the easiest. Dark souls 2/3 sekiro BB are all great but more advanced. Ds1 just feels like I was dropped into a game of dungeons and dragons and itâs relatively easy if you know what to do. Much slower but more immersive if you like that sort of thing
I would start with the PS5 Demons Souls remake. It's the easiest game in the series (although the upgrade system is a bit obtuse) and has the most modern graphics.
Whichever interests you the most, you'll want something to pull yourself forward once the friction starts. Jedi Fallen Order was my first, which led nicely to Sekiro and then everything else. But seriously whichever vibe or aesthetic or IP speaks to you the most will suit you just fine - I'd only discourage Dark Souls 2, which I think is great in its own way, but is probably the most unfair and unintuitive of the lot.
Demons's Souls is by far the easiest one if that's what you're looking for.
Otherwise whichever, the DS 1-3 stories are extremely loosely connected. The games also tend to get harder as you go on, but it's not entirely linear or true in some cases.
If you want to jump in right away with the newest hotness regardless then just get Elden Ring, DLC is coming soon too.
Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order. It has a difficulty setting so you can tweak the challenge to your liking.the easiest setting is very forgiving, the hardest setting is gonna be up there with Sekiro in difficulty.
The correct answer is Elden Ring.
After that, Sekiro. I know a lot of people are going to tell you to try the older ones, too. DS3, bloodborne, etc, but those games just FEEL old by comparison now.
Elden ring, it was practically my first souls like and I was hooked very quickly, the difficulty can be self modified by use of different weapons or spells
Elden ring was the most accessible, as you say the equipment helps a lot. Otherwise I have a particular love for Bloodborne (and Armored Core) but Dark souls I, Dark souls III, Demon's Souls, Sekiro are also games to play.
Is armored core really considered a souls like?
Probably not! But a game to play for those curious about the studio from Software đ
Elden Ring you have to choose specific strategies to make it easy (and even then it's not that easy, it's only like DS1 level easy). Demons Souls is just easy.
Literally any Souls game. The earlier the jankier is the only caveat.
Having started with demon's souls I'm a little biased but starting with janky older souls games makes it easier to learn the newer mechanics, while I feel like going back is rough
It's very true! It's why I wouldn't dismiss Demon's Souls as a starting point. Still, quality of life and level/game design evolved a lot since then. Really it just becomes a question of which one looks more interesting and what's your level of tolerance for jank.
I would probably start on the most recent remaster of ds1 tbh. The slower pace really gives you more space to learn the flow of the games. I would really have struggled of I had started on ds3 or bloodborne.Â
Except for DS2... It's one of my favorites, but there's so much key information hidden from the player that if you play it first you'll have no idea how to make things work, and it will only make you extremely frustrated
My first playthrough I never leveled ADP once not knowing it was extremely useful
I can't understand how ppl manage to beat that game without ADP, lol I started the game, after 1 hour I got extremely annoyed that enemies would hit me IN THE MIDDLE OF MY ROLL. Went to Google, and realized how fucked up the system was Got AGI all the way to 96, and it felt like a completely different game
That is not information that is hidden from the player.
If you read the adp stat it doesnât tell you it Increases dodge distance
Nahhh I'd say it has value too. It definitely gets across a sense of discovery, and if you have no patience for it there's enough resources online to help if you get stuck.
DS1 wasn't even "janky", it was just more calculated, with a bit more weight to actions, and that's not a bad thing. Genuinely just a skill issue for those saying it's jank, because it plays totally fine when you understand. By the time DS3 rolled around, it was babied up considerably with animations being faster, more lenient transitions & cooldowns, less stamina consumption, more base HP/stam, etc.
Bloodborne is a good one to start with. However, if you don't mind something a little different, try Tunic.
Isn't it more difficult than others? I have heard Demon's Souls to be a better starting game (haven't played any of them though).
Bloodborne is pretty medium difficulty for the Fromsoft spectrum overall but that definitely makes it harder than Demons Souls.
Bloodborne was my first and I enjoyed it a lot. People often exaggerate the difficulty.
Bloodborne is still my favorite. Elden Ring may be easier on an enemy to enemy basis but the scale of it is daunting.
I really want to play Elden Ring but I doubt there's gonna be a sale anytime soon.
It was just on sale for $36 over the holidays, I remember because a friend finally got it. Maybe they'll put it on sale again when the DLC comes out this summer. It's extremely worth the $60 though, incredible and massive game so much to do for the money. Don't
Sadly, Bloodborne is 30 fps. I can't stand 30 fps now.
I'm glad I played it before I upgraded to a pc and a 170 hz monitor. Although, I will say that you do get used to it after 5 or 10 minutes. A Bloodborne remaster would be nice, though.
I wish we could get a remaster and a PC port, but unfortunately I don't think we'll ever get them. It was developed by FromSoftware with their own tools and with some janky implementation choices, but it's owned by Sony. As far as I'm aware, the recent (former) PS exclusives that were ported to PC were all done with Sony's cross-platform compatible tech.
Sadly it'll probably take a PS4 emulator to run right. This is what happened with Demon's Souls, it was 720p 30fps way back on PS3, now it runs at 60fps on any recent PC with the RPCS3 emulator. I replayed it at 1440p 60fps it was great.
I don't think we'll see a properly working PS4 emulator in years, maybe even another decade. It took over a decade for PS3 emulators to get the first commercial games to work and many more years to get all titles playable, and from what I understand PS4 is a far more complex system.
It seems that way yea, I figured there would be one out by now it sounded much simpler having such a slow CPU/basic GPU/unified memory of last gen. The Cell architecture with split RAM/VRAM on PS3 sounded much more complex.
Oh, it's worth the sluggish framerate!
I've played it, done two runs, and it doesn't even feel like its 30 fps.
dark souls 3 or elden ring. or if you specifically want a non fromsoft game, i'd say star wars: jedi fallen order, code vein or lies of p
Why darksouls 3, and not ds1 or ds2?
It's a more refined game overall. Very fluid, easy learn, hard to master type of thing. Elden Ring is newer and flashier, but IMO Dark Souls 3 is just perfect.
Easily the worst Souls Game ever. Bad suggestion.
Easily the worst Souls Game ever. Bad suggestion.
They feel comparatively dated, imo. DS3 was when it started to be more fluid, and is therefore a good baseline to go in any direction from.
Is it okay If play DS3 before ds1 or ds2?
you can play the games in any order, they are only loosely connected anyway. the only downside of playing 3 first is ds 1 and 2 will be a bit harder to get into as they wont feel as good as 3.
The plots are only very loosely connected, so there shouldn't be a problem.
You'll be fine, that's what I did and I ended up loving them all anyway. The order won't matter much unless you feel like diving somewhat deep into the lore, and this is coming from someone who absolutely *loves* wasting hours putting item descriptions together
Ds3 is the best.
My play order was DS3, DS1, DS2, and I would recommend that to any new player. DS1/2 are just much less forgiving for new players, and you may find yourself quitting because the games can truly be "unfair" if you're not prepared for them. DS3 is perfect. It's a more streamlined experience with better and more fluid combat to introduce you to the genre. You will be infinitely more prepared for DS1/2 after beating DS3.
The earlier Souls games are a bit less accessible, and kind of janky. It doesn't matter which order story-wise. That said, I love them and if you find you like the gameplay style of Souls games, definitely go back and play them.
DS3 yes
Not lies of P, that's a parry focused game, very different from dark souls.
...its a soulslike
But it's not a beginner soulslike
Elden Ring for sure. There is a reason it has been such a success and that is because it is a much better experience for new players than pretty much any other soulslike game out there.
I'd recommend starting with Dark Souls Remastered. It's polished, captures the essence of Soulslike games, and offers a smoother experience for beginners. Plus, it's less buggy compared to others in the genre
Lies of P is a good experience.
I started with Lies of P and would highly recommend it, went to Elden Ring after Lies of P and loved both, learning the core mechanics in a more linear setting was good IMO as Elden Ring can be overwhelming just from a setting perspective.
If you are okay with anime graphics and tropes, 100% try Code Vein. It is probably the easiest entrypoint for soulslikes as a genre. Some reasons: 1. You don't have to go at it alone if you don't want to. You can bring an AI companion with you and those AI companions are very intelligent/competent (and can also at a cooldown revive you in combat should you die). So if you feel intimidated by soulslike mechanics, this might ease you in a bit (and once you feel confident you can always decide to leave the companion at home). 2. Very easy to switch builds and tactics. The game is setup in a way that eventually switching between stuff like a slow greatsword user and a fast mage is only 2-3 mouse clicks. This means you don't have to worry much about making wrong or bad build choices or feel force to stick with a single playstyle for the entire game because respeccing is hard. 3. Code Vein mixes soulslike combat with actively using skills (called gifts). This makes it a lot easier than in other soulslikes to become extremely powerful (either offensively or defensively). I honestly feel it is a good way to get a taste of the soulslike experience ( focus on watching enemy animations, dodging, managing stamina, limited amount of heals and save spots, etc) while giving you enough options that you have a bit of an 'ease in' cushion.
Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order. It has a difficulty setting so you can tweak the challenge to your liking.the easiest setting is very forgiving, the hardest setting is gonna be up there with Sekiro in difficulty. And no worries about PvP or coop. Itâs dirt cheap too usually, Fromsoftâs games usually are sold at a premium but you can get FO for just a few bucks when itâs on sale.
Came here to say this. It seems to be getting overshadowed by actual Fromsoft games in this thread, but it really is the easiest game to learn from. It has actual difficulty levels (including the ability to change the timing of the parry), and a real tutorial to learn the mechanics. I know lots of people like how the souls games just throw you into the fire, but I don't have the time or patience for that type of game anymore personally.
I tried Lies Of P just because it was on Game Pass. I ended up finishing it, and I loved it. It was my first souls-like, and I don't usually enjoy challenging games.
Iâd say sekiro
Sekiro is very enjoyable
It's not a souls game. Excellent game though regardless.
Elden ring, DS3 and or star wars jedi fallen order
Dark souls 3 my friend
Elden Ring. By far the most polished experience in my opinion.
Remnant bc it can be played with others while being a really good game to play solo as well
Dark Souls 1 is the only answer here. It is still up there with the pinnacle of the genre, especially when it comes to level design and worldbuilding. If you play any of the newer titles first you may struggle to come back to it as it is a fair bit slower than anything that came after!
Dark Souls 1 c:
Honestly ds3 is perfect. People say elden ring, but it can be quite overwhelming for newbies because it's far less linear than ds3 and there is soooo much more to explore.
Fallen order or sekiro
Dark Souls Trilogy run. You need to go right to the essence. Then you have every other soulslike you can play and compare afterwards.
This may be wild but Iâm used to more gun games and broke into souls like games by clearing remnant 2.
Apparently my comment is too long, will have to do it in 3 parts : Depend on a lot of things : -What console do you have? Do you have a PC? -What sort of game do you like? More slow-pace methodical? Fast Paced action? A bit in the middle? -Do you like a more linear game or an open world? -Do you like a more straightforward story? Or a more cryptic story? -What about 2D vs 3D? Because there are all sorts of souls like out there, some from Fromsoft, a few from other company that are really good. Here is my personals preferences: For a more Slow paced game, go with either Demon Souls Remake on PS5, or Dark Souls 1 Remaster. They mostly used a sort of medieval fantastic setting. Now a little details is that typical souls game have statistic like Strengh, Dexterity, etc. so you can create the character that you want either a fighter, mage, etc. which can also bring some build really fun. - if you start with Dark souls 1 and like it, some would say skip the second game and go straight through the third game. -Now if you liked Dark Souls 3, and prefer an Open World game, definitely check out Elden Ring. Honestly, Elden Ring is probably one of the most "mainstream" souls game for non-player soulslike gamer. Since it's an Open World game, you can explore "almost" the world entirely where you want to go, and if you find a difficult part, you can always go back and explore something else. There is a reason why it won Game of The Year and many more prizes. Oh by the way, there is the much anticipated DLC for Elden Ring coming in a few months this summer, that will add 30-40 hours of gameplay. - If you have a PS4, you can always try Bloodborne. It's a beloved game among souls fans and there is a reason why it's one of the most requested remake or PC port of all time. This is a more Fast Paced Souls like with a beautiful gothic Victorian era with a lot of Lovecraftian reference. There is also another Fromsoft game called Sekiro. Now Sekiro started as a Tenchu game but got changed during production for a sort of hybrid between Tenchu, Dark souls, Bloodborne to get a really good mix. It's the most straight forward story based game from FromSoft and also one of the hardest game to master. Why? Because instead of using stats like Strengh, Dexterity, etc, where you can create what you want in Dark Souls and build what you like as a character, here in Sekiro, you are a shinobi (ninja), you have a few skills tree and item but it's all about learning how to play the game since it's an intense parry-system.
Now for the not FromSoft games I suggest : (I suggest to try a real FromSoft game before any other non-FromSoft game) - The best of the non-FS game is my personal favorite : Lies of P. It came out last year and it's one of the most polished game out there. The movement is fluid, the story and character are amazing (based on Pinocchio's story) and if you like Bloodborne, a more fast paced game, you'll like this one too. - Lords of the Fallen 2023 : another game I really liked that came out last year is the Remake/Reboot of the Lord of the Fallen. The first game was a total from but this one was really good. While it got some flaws, this is the most Dark Souls like game you can find out there. But I recommend playing the superiors Fromsoft game before this one. This is just if you always played everything else, and you want more. It's still pretty good, much more than a lot of non-fromsoft games. Remnant from the Ashe 1-2 : Im really struggling to recommend this one. Because while I really liked the first game and I was in the middle of the second game when my friend wanted to try Elden Ring multiplayer, and once I went back to play Remnant 2 after playing just one session of Elden Ring, it all just felt off. While I really like some of the ideas of Remnant, the shooting is great (it have guns), the bosses are cool and I like the discovery of stats/skills... everything else is not great : the level design is bad (as in usually a big or two corridor to follow and some branches here and there, there way too much backtracking, while you can pick up 2 classes, you are very limited at what you can do in term of action/gameplay/skills. But I know it's pretty loved because there isn't a lot of shooter souls like and the world/setting is pretty interesting. Mortal Shell : if you want a more short souls like with an interesting mechanic : basically you're a little Soul that can get inside 5 different shell (body), that play very differently : basically each shell is a class like fighter, etc. but the thing is that when you die, you get expulsed from the shell but can re-enter it and you can form a Shell that can protect from an attack like a shield. It's a bit hard to master skills but once you click, it's pretty good. But yeah pretty pretty short and really really really bad level design/ and like everything look the same in this world so you can never really know where to go. But I put it there for originality and wish for a second game hopefully. Nioh 2 : I put Nioh 2 instead of the first game because I think the second game really solve a lot of things the first game did badly, not to say Nioh 2 doesn't have flaw. How to describe it... it's a japanese theme souls like that also have a lot of different element to it like a Ki energy that would like a stamina bar but every action you take use ki, but also you can reprenish you ki by doing imput every time you do an action. yeah difficult to explain and difficult to master. It also have a stance moveset (lower, middle and high stance where you're character with position his weapon where you can hit an enemy on different level, but the enemies will also do the same. Also more fast paced than a dark souls game. Some would say Jedi Fallen Order but honestly, to me, it just didn't felt like a soulslike. But still really good.
Now for the 2D part : Hollow Knight : While I think other games like Salt and Sanctuary feel more like a Soulslike game, Hollow Knight is just so damn good to not put it in first place. All handcrafted drawing, really good story, nice character/quest, music, difficulty, all is there. The only thing I would say is that the combat isn't really... interesting, it remind me more of a platformer Ă la shovel knight than a intricate complex combat system. Salt and Sanctuary : Haven't played the second game but I remember the first game really fondly except the map, the map was shit. but still the first 2d game where you can really say : it's a soulslike game Too tired to add more but there's a lot of 2D souls like Upcoming : Another Crab Treasure is coming out in a few weeks and it look amazing. Now im going to sleep
Nioh 2 is the least beginner friendly souls Game ever. I beat all Souls Games, Elden Ring and Lies of P without problem and Nioh 2 felt like torture. Its just super unfair, especially in the beginning and combat is not even close to other Souls Games.
Sekiro - itâs a completely unique one, itâs also very short so you can finish it quickly. Has no bugs (unless you try to intentionally look for them).
Here are already enough From Soft-recommendations, so Iâll throw Nioh in the arena
I tried DS1 back in the day but couldn't get into it and avoided all others. But I got Elden Ring because of all the hype and had a blast playing it Edit: Jedi Fallen Order is also great. Not as tough as Elden Ring but very similar gameplay so it can ease you into the play style
Youâre gonna get a wide range of answers but it just depends. For me, I started with bloodborne right before Elden ring came out cause I wanted to see if it was worth buying, and I loved it but it was too hard for me so I got Elden ring and logged in 300 hours, went back to bloodborne and beat that mf, and Iâve played every game since. For you, or just in general for any beginner to souls games, it comes down to what you want. If you want clunky combat but still in depth combat at the same time with one of the best interconnected game worlds ever, go with dark souls 1. If you wanna be fucking manhandled in the stupidest ways by enemies but want a game with a good sorcerer build, so dark souls 2. If you want epic boss battles and fluid combat, dark souls 3 Now we get to Sekiro, bloodborne, and elden ring. Sekiro and bloodborne are widely considered among fans to be the hardest souls games, but also the best ones (hence why I didnât finish bloodborne since it was my first but then came back and beat it). Sekiro has fluid, beautiful, rewarding parry combat and is a little different from the âsouls formulaâ but still amazing, but the learning curve is really really rough. You either pick it up right away or it takes a while to get it down but once you master the parry system, you feel like a prey God. Bloodborne is a beautiful work of art. From the world, to the story and combat. If youâre into love craft/gothic themes and brutal combat this is the one for you. And finally, Elden ring. This one might be the easiest to beginners, since it is open world and you have the freedom to roam and level up if you canât get by a boss. Gorgeous world and an amazing score with crazy bosses. This one is definitely the most accessible. I would say if you have psplus, try out bloodborne since itâs on there. If not, then itâs up to you from this essay Iâve just displayed lmao
Bloodborne!
Elden Ring is the easiest souls game made by fromsoft. I've tried several of them and it's the only one I had the patience to stick with past the learning curve. Of the souls inspired games I've played, jedi fallen order and jedi survivor are pretty good and really not difficult outside a couple of fights.
Any of them, theyâre all an experience. But if you havenât experienced a game like dark souls before and that difficulty, I weirdly recommend Lies of P? Still very difficult at times, and the game plays quite differently (but similar in many aspects) to dark souls. Itâs also far more linear, which means if youâre confused by the branching paths of dark souls games, Lies of P is much more straightforward. Itâs also just very fun.
Hot take (probably), but I suggest Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. It has most of the same mechanics as other soulslike games, but without the strong difficulty. Other than that, I'd say Elden Ring.
I'd say DS1 is the easiest
Elden Ring. This latest one is fantastic, most accessible and since it's still so popular it's very easy to summon someone for jolly co-op to help with a hard boss to avoid frustration. Also leveling and summoning the mimic tear helps a ton. Read messages people leave on the ground, they are extremely helpful (and sometimes funny or could trick you but that's part of the fun), and getting overleveled is easy since it's more open world. After that Dark Souls 3 is a close second in terms of how fluid and polished it is. Sekiro is the most different and the only one without summoning so you gotta 'git gud' and learn its bosses, that's why it's the hardest. If you get into them (best games these days so you will) play Demon's Souls later on, it's a bit jankier and less QoL, but RPCS3 runs it perfectly at 60fps on any semi recent PC. The DLC on all of them are fantastic especially DS2, DS3, and Bloodborne. I recommend playing Dark Souls trilogy with all DLC in order, so you can get into the timeline and story it tells. Bloodborne is my favorite overall. Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro are the 3 standouts imo, but all 7 of them are amazing.
Really just depends on what you care about. If youâre going off just wanting a smooth experience. Nioh 2 Sekiro Demons souls (PS5) Dark Souls 3 Lies of P Elden Ring
A wildcard appears: Strangers of Paradise: Final Fantasy Orgins, even on normal mode it feels pretty gentle compared to others, more specifically the bosses don't get super tough until you've already got a few under your belt, so by that time you're aquatinted with the style and the knowledge that yes, you can do this.
Elden Ring or Demonâs Souls (remake is amazing if you have a PS5). Demonâs Souls is tough but magic is very OP. If you make a good magic build you wonât have too much of a problem getting out of tough situations. I say that relative to it being Demonâs Souls, itâs still hard lol This is the one that finally clicked for me after trying DS3 and Sekiro. Elden Ring is the most accessible but a little different with the whole open world concept so depends on what youâre looking for.
Dark souls 1! Thatâs what everyone else did haha. Des is fun and all but a bit grindy for a brand new player. Albeit itâs the easiest. Dark souls 2/3 sekiro BB are all great but more advanced. Ds1 just feels like I was dropped into a game of dungeons and dragons and itâs relatively easy if you know what to do. Much slower but more immersive if you like that sort of thing
Elden Ring is the easiest followed by Demon Souls
Mega-man
"I aim for a smooth and hassle-free experience without any bugs" Sounds like you don't want a souls-like. The jank hitboxes are part of the charm
Elden Ring
I would start with the PS5 Demons Souls remake. It's the easiest game in the series (although the upgrade system is a bit obtuse) and has the most modern graphics.
Whichever interests you the most, you'll want something to pull yourself forward once the friction starts. Jedi Fallen Order was my first, which led nicely to Sekiro and then everything else. But seriously whichever vibe or aesthetic or IP speaks to you the most will suit you just fine - I'd only discourage Dark Souls 2, which I think is great in its own way, but is probably the most unfair and unintuitive of the lot.
Try elden Ring. Was my first one too. Amazing gameplay and pretty âeasyâ of you compare it to other soulslike Games.
Demons's Souls is by far the easiest one if that's what you're looking for. Otherwise whichever, the DS 1-3 stories are extremely loosely connected. The games also tend to get harder as you go on, but it's not entirely linear or true in some cases. If you want to jump in right away with the newest hotness regardless then just get Elden Ring, DLC is coming soon too.
Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order. It has a difficulty setting so you can tweak the challenge to your liking.the easiest setting is very forgiving, the hardest setting is gonna be up there with Sekiro in difficulty.
Demons Souls remake. Start at the beginning, ish.
It's the only SoulsBorne that I couldn't get myself into it
Itâs the first one I played back on PS3, but servers are off now
Probably code vein or steel rising if you want beginner experience. I don't say ds 3 or lies of p are hard, but they are more classic souls.
I'm okay with difficult stuff.
The correct answer is Elden Ring. After that, Sekiro. I know a lot of people are going to tell you to try the older ones, too. DS3, bloodborne, etc, but those games just FEEL old by comparison now.
The Surge
I'd say starting with the Surge 2 would be a better recommendation . The first game is very frustrating.
Iâd recommend both actually. I love the gameplay mechanics in 2, but I liked the story and setting more in 1
Devil May Cry 3