How Not to Suck at Demon’s Souls (By Someone Who Definitely Did)

The internet is full of Demon’s Soul experts. This is a game that, for 11 years, has built a dedicated and industrious following of people who want to know everything there is to know about this game.

I am not one of them. I’m not running the game in 40 minutes, carefully researching what sticky white stuff to pick up and which to leave behind. I’m not counting frames so I can roll over that bloody annoying boulder in the first level.

Demon’s Souls inspires that kind of dedication, and you do find yourself forever looking for new techniques upon which to rely. It’s just one of those sorts of games. But at the beginning, you’re very much left to your own devices. It’s part of the challenge, to discover how everything in this dark world works. It can make a new game feel very daunting, even without the added difficulty.

A review for the PS5 remake of this game is coming in the next few days, but I’m not quite where I want to be with it yet. In the meantime, here are some things I wish I’d have known before starting out.

Your starting class doesn’t really matter

The first thing Demon’s Souls does is throw a bunch of numbers at you, accompanied by a vague class description and little else. I, ever the intellectual, pretty much shrugged my shoulders and picked the top one. I can imagine others really struggling over this decision, if only because it seems so huge. There’s no context. What is good? What is bad? How important is magic? What do any of these items do?

On a first playthrough, none of this stuff matters. Not even in the slightest. You can build your character into whatever you want it to be, and although starting guides will give you hints at “pick this for melee, this for magic”, even that is overthinking it at this point. Just pick the one you like the best and see what happens. Develop your character however you want.

Now that you’ve built your avatar, my second piece of advice is of a similar theme.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

This is the most important advice you can have when starting out in the world of Demon’s Souls. It’s the difference between enjoying it and ragequitting.

I finished the first level and, my hands full with the souls of departed monsters, proceeded to get my ass kicked. Four thousand souls down the toilet, unless I can fight my way back to the place that I died and reclaim them.

So naturally the first thing I did was pick a fight with a dragon. Roasted in my armour, I mourned my bounty of souls and swore I’d never play Demon’s Souls again.

Here’s the thing: 4,000 souls is not a lot of souls. It feels like a lot, but it’s not. Soon you’ll be earning that many with your eyes closed.

Because of how difficult it is and how pricey every death can feel in terms of progress, every death is devastating. Except it’s not. Not even close.

You have an infinite amount of lives. You have the ability to basically farm healing items, not to mention souls themselves. Dictating how you fight and where you fight is usually as simple as running away. There are zero stakes here. The game does a pretty good job of disguising that, but it’s true.

So with that in mind, take a deep breath and keep on keeping on. Practice makes perfect.

Level Up – Double Back

The first level is a bit of a testing ground. You get to figure out how everything works against slow enemies who really only pack a punch in groups. Use this time to get to grips with everything (and avoid that red-eyed knight across the bridge – that’s not the way you’re supposed to go just yet). Also use this first area to really practice your parrying, and to learn the limits of your block and dodge moves. They’re vitally important.

Get a feel for just how close to a wall you have to be to hit it. Watch out for exploding barrels. Take it slow – watch your corners.

The second you beat the first boss, you should head back to the Nexus. A strange lady who delights too much in saying there’s a demon inside her will guide you to a monumental – or a story brat in real terms – who will give you some exposition. The reward for listening to him is that you get to upgrade your character. Do this as soon as possible.

Losing souls is no big deal and you will earn them back. But don’t feel too bad about doubling back before taking on that terrifying boss or when your health is looking low. The levels are fairly linear, but how you approach them is not. Take as much time as you need to level up your stats, to improve your equipment and to take a breather when necessary.

Talking of equipment…

At this stage of the game, do what works. You’ll learn more about your playstyle as you continue, and no doubt you’ll be looking up guides by the time you’re ready to know more.

But there’s one piece of vital equipment that you’d be daft not to hunt out straight away. The cling ring not only gives you 50 per cent more health while in soul form, but it’s also located in an incredibly useful shortcut space.

Play as normal until you reach the top of the battlements. You’ll come across the blue-eyed night stood outside the fog. You want to defeat him and carry on straight, to another staircase. Follow it all the way down, defeating wave after wave of enemies, and you’ll find the cling ring, and the shortcut from the start of the level to the top of the battlements. Now, when you die, you can cut your journey back to the top in half.

Naturally, this isn’t really signposted and even if you pick it up, it’d be easy to overlook it. But if you fight towards one item at the start of your journey, set out for this one.

Enjoy Your Progress

Remember that this is an RPG and you will progress. You can grind for experience like in any other RPG. In 20 hours, you’ll be stronger than you are right now, even if you still suck (I know this from experience).

But going back to that first level and running it with no damage, slicing off heads and taking names, is a wonderful feeling. It’s that journey that keeps Demon’s Souls feeling fresh.

And it’s that journey that will keep you continually coming back for more, no matter how many times you die. So if you ever feel browbeaten, remind yourself how far you’ve come. Things can always get harder, but a vacation back to the start of the Boletarian Palace is a welcome retreat.