“You are the undead. Forever without hope.”

Dark Souls, even mentioning these two words together sends sheers down the spines of the vast fanbase all over the world. It is a game that offers a multitude of different reasons to play. Be it the sheer pleasure of overcoming the difficulties, numerous playstyles, or one that drags the most people in – the atmosphere. It is obvious that there is no single reason to play.

For me and a lot of people, Dark Souls is not just a game but an experience. For some, It is a way to embrace the shattered world on the brink of collapse. For others, It is a way to look deep inside yourself and understand what really drives you.

How can a video game resonate with so many people with different backgrounds? How can everyone in one way or another identify with the characters that barely have any dialogues? What about the world that barely has any context? There is no narrative and there is no one clear way to go through the challenges. It is up to you as a player to figure out what, where, and why events happen.

Ever since its first release back in 22nd of September, 2011 the game has captivated minds and hearts of different communities. Some revere Dark Souls for its notorious difficulty. Others just indulge themselves in the world-building and overall atmosphere. One way or another, it is obvious that Hidetaka Miyazaki and FromSoftware have created something for everyone. Here I will discuss one perspective on Dark Souls and what type of lessons can be learned from it.

Disclaimer: This article may include indirect and direct spoilers to the plot and questlines of all three games.

Don’t Give Up, Skeleton

It is no secret that the world of Dark Souls is bleak. There are no good reasons to be happy for almost anyone in-game. Almost every character ends up a shadow of him or herself. Whether it is an overflow of sad emotions due to hollowing of Solaire of Astora, death of Sigmund of Catarina, the strike of the heartbreak of seeing the corpse of blacksmith giant in Anor Londo, or seeing the notorious “You Died” text for the millionth time one thing that Dark Souls teaches its players is very apparent: We gain nothing from giving up and lose nothing from trying again.

The nonstop push forward against all odds and failures brings salvation and peace to everyone’s hearts and souls. The game carefully forges the mindset that we are not okay with the idea of failure and nor should we be. Keep in mind that failure is a part of life. It’s okay to fail as long as you get back up and try again and just because something seems incredibly challenging, it does not mean it’s not worth the effort. This is coming from someone who died to Ornstein and Smough 53 times before finally beating them on my first Dark Souls playthrough.

Trust Yourself

A lot of people all around the globe have a problem with trusting themselves. The lack of confidence is one of the biggest reasons people give up on their dreams, which is a surefire way to unhappiness. Your favorite speedrunner didn’t pick up the joystick one day and made a world record in Dark Souls 1.

Everything is trial and error, a lot of failures, and even more learning. The same goes for life. Whether it is drawing, singing, programming, or anything else most of the people are not born with the knowledge and skills but have trained themselves to be who and what they are now.

Give yourself time. Trust yourself and you will get better at everything.

Patience is a Virtue

Dark Souls is the game where patience is rewarded the most. It is a nerve-wracking experience. Keeping a level head and understanding the situation will give you the ability to draw correct conclusions.

I remember the time when I was finishing the Ringed City DLC of Dark Souls 3. Uncle Gael gave me the beating of the century. It was one of the best fights of the franchise however I was very underprepared for it. After bashing my head over the same fight for what seemed like an eternity and constantly choking on the last 10-15% of his HP either due to carelessness and running out of Estus flasks or overexcitement after doing well in the first part of the battle and subsequently failing I understood that a little break would go a long way.

The more I played the more overflowing with emotions I became. Determination turned into anger and anger turned into carelessness.

When to give up and when to continue is a huge part of Dark Souls. In fact, the game proved to be as nerve-wracking as popular gambling games. There was a research done on players who play online blackjack in Canada and found out that the same amount of focus is being used on the eeriness and frustration of Dark Souls as in competitive or RNG based games in gambling.

Mindlessly pushing forward will not reap the rewards of victory. Learning how to control our emotions and when to take a break is a crucial part of the Dark Souls experience and one of the biggest lessons to learn from the game.

If you can learn to keep a cool head when the push of pressure comes to shove, the performance will increase thereby improving your odds substantially.