I'm new to Dark Souls, what should I expect?

Now that I have completed Lords of the Fallen, I think it's time to move on to Dark Souls. LotF has taught me the gist of the genre, so I have the basics covered, but I'm wondering about any of the Dark Souls mechanics that weren't present in LotF.

First of all, Dark Souls is a lot longer. There's more to see and do, making it even more of an epic adventure. What should I expect when it comes to the side quests? Are they the generic fetch quests or do they offer more diversity?

How do the weapons handle? I've heard people say that LotF isn't similar to Dark Souls, maybe they aren't so sluggish?

And finally, is it more complex? It only took me a few minutes to get the hang of LotF, but I've seen footage of Dark Souls and it looks like it's harder to understand.

Any advice is appreciated, feel free to mention things about DS that I didn't.

You can expect to die over and over again.

@yukushi: -5 Points, tell me something I don't know next time.

Expect this:

But seriously, Dark Souls doesn't really have "quests". It's just a giant open world that wants to kills you in a hundred different ways. There are NPCs that you can interact with, but they don't give you quests although in certain circumstances you might be able to get something from them if you have a specific item but mostly it's just chatty NPCs and merchants. You venture forth, kill stuff, fight bosses, unlock new areas and shortcuts for moving between old ones, etc. There are things that you can do for NPCs but it's not really structured where they give you a task and then a reward if you complete it.

The game's focus is all about exploring the world and combat.

-Byshop

@Ezioprez9709: Dark Souls doesn't really have "quests" in the traditional sense, instead it would just be better to just play the game and see for yourself.

@lordivan: Great, can't wait.

The closest thing it has to a normal quest progression system is the ranks within each of the factions, but those are all pertaining to multiplayer. The game has a much greater emphasis on the "action" part of the "ARPG".

-Byshop

As everyone has stated, there are no real side quests. There are people you can help, but the focus is on exploring, searching for equipment, and pushing past each area.

Weapon speed depends on what you're using, essentially. I wouldn't call them sluggish at all, but they do all have a predictable enough swing. It all depends on your play style whether you value speed over armor/power.

Dark Souls is actually simple to learn overall, no matter your play style. The depth and complexity comes from the large variety of builds you can create. Even some of the more complex moves aren't necessary to beat the game. People have beat it using only the starting equipment. You just have to learn how each weapon handles.

Practice parrying. Don't bother practicing on the weak enemies at the start of the game, they die too quickly and their attacks aren't as predictable. Practice on the "hard" optional enemies like the Black Knights (I put hard in quotes because if you have parrying down then they are laughably easy). You'll die a few times so just make sure you aren't carrying many souls and you'll be fine.

there's no floating exclamation points or quest logs but there are NPCs that all have their own stories. Sometimes you just have to find them and talk to them, other times you might have to do something, but it's rarely specific. Like most aspects of DS/Bloodborne it's exploration based. I actually find taking these NPC encounters to their individual conclusions very rewarding...sometimes it's a unique item you can't get anywhere, sometimes more, but it's always kinda neat storywise.

So, expect top-notch, rewarding exploration with secret areas like nothing you've encountered before when it comes to secret areas...DS literally hides worlds behind its secrets... but also expect terrible AI, collision issues, and the occasional cheap shot (and yes, when a dog changes direction in mid-air or an enemy attacks at you through another shielded enemy without hurting said enemy, that's pretty cheap).

judging from what you expect after play LotF.....Dark Souls might just be slap in the face....

No questing whatsoever....at least not in the conventional manner..

And the game has a learning curve that is anything but gradual...

@LuminousAether: I think I beat the game without parrying at all.

It's not essential if you simply dodge, block, and be patient.

Anyway, my tip is to persevere through the first segments of the game. It starts off very difficult, but once you unlock the ability to upgrade equipment and grind levels, the second half of the game is mostly easy.

Good to see everyone giving out some helpful advice, I'll take everything on board when I play.

You are in for an unbelievable experience. I am so jealous that you are playing it for the first time. Dark Souls is immensely immersive in all aspects, from the combat, armor/weapon customization, bosses, quests...

There are no "quests" in a traditional sense. There is no quest "log"- you simply go, and experience it. There are side stories and other things happening but the game doesn't hold your hand at all or tell you anything about them- you can completely miss every single side story and optional thing. Dark Souls is amazing

Expect to get your ass kicked :)

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No any type of map, no handholding.

Listen carefully to the NPCs. They will give you some important hints... sorta.

@Shmiity: Thank you for the heads up. I have a strong feeling that this is a series that I'm going to enjoy. I know that it will take some time in order to get past certain elements, but I'm willing to go ahead with it all.

A shitty casual game. Play something hardcore like Pajama Sam.

as long as we're posting images to explain the darksouls experience, I always liked this one to summarize the boss mechanics.

@Ezioprez9709

Like people have mentioned, there are no real sidequests in that game at all. It's more like finding secret locations for better equipment to overcome your enemies, wich is what that game is all about.

The gameplay is not really complex once you get a hold of it, but you do have to familiarize yourself with it first. Mainly it means that you have to really learn how your enemies behave, and you can't just go button-mashing against them. Once you learn them, you can kill lesser enemies really fast. That's the sweetest thing about Dark Souls; all enemies actually pose a threat, if you are careless. The combat mechanics are the best i've ever seen in a third person action RPG.

Weapons handle really great; heavy weapons are more sluggish etc., but even with lighter weaponry, you need to complete the attack animation before you can move/roll again, wich means you have to time them right.

Last but not least, you must prepare to die often, so don't get frustrated about it. You will lose your souls (ingame currency) if you can't retrieve them from where you died last, but don't worry about that eirther. There are good places to farm souls relatively safely, where you can safely go spend them before you die. So if you get stuck on hard enemy, just farm for levels and equipment upgrades, and it becomes easier. Or then it means you have ventured into an area which needs you to have higher level to begin with.

Which brings me to the last thing; you never really know where you are supposed to go. It's like trial and error on that department too. Always go the route that feels less challenging, and it likely means you are in the right place.

Boss fights

The boss fights in LotF were essentially simple and easy. There were some challenges like the two brothers and that guy in the graveyard, but otherwise you should prepare for MUCH harder boss fights and more bosses. Some of the bosses are very easy but some may feel unfair. Just know that there is a way to beat them - you need to figure out how.

Getting lost

Try remember everthing you do and see. LotF used the labyrinthian map design to get you very lost in a building or in an small area. Dark souls can get you lost in the sense that you don't know where to go, which area to go to, which door in what area this random key will open etc sometimes you can fight bosses you were supposed to fight much later. No direction. Took me an hour to find the first area after dying 10 times in dark souls 1

Status effects

Poison, toxic and frenzy (bloodborne - worst thing ever) play a much bigger role and will kill you or break your weapons.

Everything can kill you.

A rat can kill you in a couple bites.

You can fall off ledges.

At least 25% of my deaths came from falling off cliffs, missing jumps and fighting on bridges that you can fall off. This feature wasn't part of Lotf

@putaspongeon: Haha, good one.