A complete beginners guide to Dark Souls 1 

I was told that resistance was the first thing I should max. I am no longer friends with the person who told me this.

As a veteran who just bought this on the switch to have portable dark souls, was probably one of the best starting videos I have seen in the series. One of the best tutorials

This has helped me SO much, literally all my questions (and ones I didn't even know I had)) were answered, and now I can enjoy the game to the fullest! Many blessings onto you kind sir, doing God's work here))

As someone who creates Beginner's Guide videos myself: I gotta say. Your video is so rich in information. it makes me wanna replay the game all over again. It's a great video, and I'm sure it took a long time to compile all this data into one video. hats off to you sir; and a job well done!

As this is the single best video on game mechanics in Dark Souls I have found so far, it's astounding how few people have watched and liked it. I am a returning player, trying to 'git gud' at the DS games before tackling the Demon's Souls remake on PS5 and I must say your video has made me understand the 'noobishness' of my previous attempts. I have actually made it beyond Undead Parish this time :-). Great vid!

You sir, are a scholar and a gentleman. This is *exactly* what I (and likely many others) needed as a new player. Thanks for not giving away the farm. I'm very happy to find this!

Huge help. Started tepidly cautious cowering behind my shield, spent a week not doing much but getting comfortable with my surroundings. Watched this a couple times (or listened and absorbed audibly while grinding echos in Bloodborne), got a grip on the basics, abilities, etc and in the past five days have grown more confident, less concerned about losing souls and now find myself in the opening stages of Blight Town. Didn't think I'd like it nearly as much as Bloodborne due to the shift from controlled burst fury duck out to cower cower cower wait wait cower CHOP approach, yet here I am, happily biding my time from behind my Spider Shield for that opening to remove whatever pesky ne'er-do-well is preventing me from checking out that new alley or tunnel. And FWIW, I normally play most my games on easier difficulties, wanting to enjoy experiences and exploration without facing total loss should things go poorly. And yet, here i am girding myself up for Blight Town. So thanks!

BEST GUIDE EVER! I love this, I‘m completely new to the souls series and this has helped me so insanely much… And I really appreciate you not spoiling the fun out of the game and giving specific examples about boss fights etc.

I very much enjoyed your video, and also your narration. You're a good clear speaker and you go quite in depth; this is the best DS guide I was able to find on here.

Such an under appreciated video. Completed ds1 and 3 and still found things here I was oblivious to. Thanks for the efficient way of running through the info such a pleasure to listen to you.

Nothing short of an astounding guide, thankyou so much for making this guide I am new to dark souls having just got it on switch as I was waiting for my Christmas present of demon souls :) I appreciate the work that's gone in here

This is motivating and thorough! This will be my first Souls game and my first time using a controller on my PC so it's all new to me. I saw other guides but they didn't go into the detail that I wanted, especially about the intricacies of combat. You nailed it! Thank you and subscribed.

Thank you for the excellent tutorial, was very clear and concise

this answered all the questions I had coming in, as well as the other ones I'd been googling sporadically. just the right amount of info. thanks king

Wow thank you for this! Bought the game recently (September 2021) and I have to say I can't stop thinking about it. Every time I boot up the game, I get this sense of terror and wonder. I love exploring the game, and I am scared to death to turn each corner, or to go back to try to fight that boss that I've been working on for days now: but with that being said, I love it at the same time! I'm grabbing the popcorn, cannot wait to watch this video

Absolutely outstanding guide. Thank you.

Thank you for such an in depth guide! I feel like I could give this another go :)

This video is amazing!! Thank you a lot!

Thank you very much for this, I think this clarifies what I need to focus on because it did seem daunting at first dying a lot and not knowing what to level up, what the stats were, etc. This is the first step to discovery

Amazing video, this helped me so much! As a new Dark Souls player I have looked up several beginner's guides, and this is by far the absolute best. It might be one of the very best beginner's guides I've ever seen in any game. Superb work Josh, thank you for making this comprehensive video and going so in-depth! Now it's time for me to put in my hours and finally git gud.

I just picked up this game. Watched a few terrible guides.... but oh my God. This is litterally one of the best "basic mechanics" guides I've ever seen. Amazing job. And thank you so much. Liked. Subscribed n bell'd bro.

Very thorough! thank you! 🙏🏽

Nice work!!! This was the best game explanation i've watched so far. I actually visualised you standing in a class room full of students with a sword in your hand explaining the swings :P I'm looking forward to retry the game since it left me before crying in my bed hating everything!

Watched a few guides, some of them equally long, none of them as helpful and in depth as this one. Thank you, you have my sub

I just thought I’d mention that you sound just like a narrator of some audio books that I’ve listened to. You have a very pleasant voice.

Amazing guide. Finally got me into this game and doesn’t feel as daunting now. Thank you so much 👍

thank you so much. you have helped me in ways beyond comprehention.

Mr. Hayes, this is by far and away, the best beginners guide to Dark Souls that I've seen so far. As a former teacher, I know what I'm talking about: your video construct and explanations are thorough and easy to follow. I just started the Remastered version on PS4...I need all the help I can get. Thank you so much for this guide. You've earned my sub!

I’ve just started playing Dark Souls on the Xbox One and your tutorial has been invaluable! Thanks.

Well done! This is a tremendous help!

I got the Dark Souls Trilogy for my birthday in November, having never played it before. After about six hours of gameplay, I thought I would do some research to make the most of it. This is the most helpful guide I have found; thank you!

finally a real guide thank you

OH MY GOD this... This is exactly what I'm looking for!! And josh voicing the guide! This should be helpful!

After playing Elden Ring (first Souls game) i came back to play this game after years of avoiding (thought it would be too hard) this video was super helpful for getting acquainted! Thank you!

Great detailed guide.

You can tell the amount of work that went into this, thanks for the guide!

Bows are extremely useful, get the lightest bow (manual aiming) and the cheapest arrows and you can now pull enemies away from groups.

Being new to DS1 and preparing to dive there, I highly appreciate this! Thanks!

i really like this guide, i found it really impressive how you explained everything in a way that is very indepth and easily digestible to a new player. one small criticism i have is that at the end of the humanity section you mention that when you reverse hollowing you have increased health, this mechanic isnt present in any version of dark souls 1, you must have a mod installed that you forgot about that adds that as a feature.

This is gotta be the best guide on this game, well done!

Thanks man, this solved alot of questions for me. Back to the battlefield!

Awesome video, amazing and quality work!! Got a new subscriber here

Thank you a lot :) It was worth watching this.

Awesome instructions!!

Great guide, thanks!

Best guide out there thank you so much. The best.

Thanks, Josh, this was excellent. I’m on my first playthrough (on mouse & keyboard too!) and although this guide didn’t tell me much I hadn’t already worked out, there were several essential pieces of information I’d overlooked or just not realised. I’ve just made it past O&S (you know who I mean), but this guide will really help me in working out my approach to the rest of the game. Thanks again!

Incredible guide. If only this had been around earlier, I wouldn't have avoided Dark Souls for so long due to its reputation. Well done, Strife. Well done. And for new players, what helped me with learning the parry/riposte was to wait until their weapon begins its move toward you. There's always a wind-up, but when they start to "pitch the ball", that's when you hit parry.

With the release of Elden Ring, really wanted to get into these games, this guide was amazing, very thorough. The game not giving any of this info was very frustration, tyvm for this great guide

Veteran here. Bravo, thank you for this compregensive video, I actually did learn a few tips.

Very good guide, thank you!

V well presented, slowly paced (which I appreciate 👍) informative guide. Truly a quality production. I don't believe however that explaining buttons twice is necessary? That's my only bugbear 😋 Ty

Starting the Souls games now in preparation for the Elden Ring DLC as I never played the others. A lot of similarities as ER, but the clarification on certain game mechanics has helped a lot. Keep gaming and I'll check out the rest of your videos on this series when I either get stuck or start the next.

Thank you very much, this clarifies a lot for me 🙂

Overall, a comprehensive, clear and helpful guide. A few small additions and corrections though. First off, a little tip for all who don't know! In settings>options>controls turn "Camera auto wall recovery" off, if can cause the camera to shoot off, which can be fatal on narrow ledges. The platforming sections are much more manageable with it turned off. 21:11 Gold Coins in DkS1 is only something you sell for souls, I'm pretty sure you're thinking of the Rusted Coins from DkS3. Reverse hollowing does not increase your max hp in DkS1. I'm guessing you're thinking of how hollowing reduces max hp in DkS2, removed upon reversing, or Embers from DkS3. DkS1 does not give different heavy attacks after roll or backstep, nor whilst sprinting. You just get the first heavy attack. I would recommend to try different comboes and see how different moves does or does not change any followups. Just remember that some weapons use durability on their heavy attacks, which is accompanied by some sort of extra effect. Very common for dragon weapons. Not all weapons get a kick, some instead get a flourishing attack combined with a backstep. The slow/fast medium roll is just a difference in speed, which goes up the lower your equip load. One key quality is unchanged though and that is the invincibility frames of the roll, which only change on 25% and 50%, the lower the better. Movement is king in DkS1, lower load means faster stamina recovery and easier to completely avoid attacks, which is extremely impactful in play. For most players, bows and crossbows are generally not a good choice, but everyone can get value from bows by using them to pull enemies in certain spots.

This is great. I quit my first playthrough halfway through the Undead Burg, and this will definitely help next time

I just downloaded the remastered version for PC. This was very helpful. Thanks

I am about to start Dark Souls 1 and have never played any fromsoft game, this guide made me feel quite comfortable now so let's see how it goes :P thank you for the video

This is hands down the best Dark Souls beginners guide.

thanks for this, just bought the game and this video will be a big help

It is very very useful. There is no guide in-game about any item. I played the first 2 hrs. of the game with the broken sword!! I finally search to find how to equip item :D I like this game and your guide.

Best starter DS1 video I’ve ever seen. All you need, nothing you don’t. Subbed. (2yrs late on this post but anyway…👍🏻)

I just finished elden ring and am a complete beginner to dark souls. This tutorial is fantastic!!! Thank you!

hey thanks for this it helped a lot

I just boguht this game, and did not know what to expect, I tried it out with the mindset of the hack and slash playstyle. it was something else. I am about 2 and a half hours in, and like u said, you learn and get further everytime. typically i would be upset, but I love how the enemies are respawned after going to a bonfire. i have been tired of games being too easy and this game seems to respect the very thing I have been denied for so long. I heard about this game over the years but never tried it. now im trying it and heck, even watching josh talk about it seriously...that just solidifies how scary and scary good the game is and will be.

Thorough. Thanks

28:23 is the reason I love these games so much. That simple concept of committing to every decision makes it so much more rewarding

Best guide on RU-vid by far shame it’s not first result on search . Thanks

Awesome guide.

I've watched so many of your videos Josh, but this one was hidden from my view. 41k views is not enough. not enough at all. Great guide as always.

Excellent, I can't thank you enough

Awesome guide, thanks! Did you ever get around to doing one dedicated to combat like you mentioned?

Thank you 🙏

Best beginners guide ever

I wish I knew about this video on my first playthrough, it'd have saved me from tons of frustration I went through. Very informative and well made guide. I never came close to giving up on Dark Souls because I'm a stubborn bastard, but even then, I died a few dozen times to every boss except the easy ones. Also, I actually found K+M super comfortable to use in the Remastered version. Maybe the previous versions were bad for Keyboard and Mouse, but they work perfectly in the remaster.

Great video, deserves more views. Thanks for sharing, Godbless.

Josh!!! I need a Elden Ring beginners guide now, so i can put it on my second monitor :D

Great guide. works with all souls games.

The part with the bow / crossbow section was quite funny xD But you can use bows to snipe enemies from far distance. Crossbows can also be used to finish an enemy off after a successfull dodge roll. It depends heavily on the situation if using a ranged weapon is a good idea or not. However In most boss fights, it's not. Really good guide though! Enjoyed every second

2 years later and still no combat guide 😭😭😭 P.s. this is not a hate comment. I enjoyed the hell out of that almost hour long guide by a pro, and simply thirst for more darksouls guides from josh 🙆🏻‍♂️🙆🏻‍♂️

Thank you so much!

The other day I was watching a beginners guide. The first step was; skip the asylum by glitching the demon! Thanks for doing a real guide.

Holy shit I didn't know you had a dark souls guide, I just started playing these.

This video is like a set of training wheels for an old man who has never ridden a bike before. I’m way late to this game, but very thankful. I want to enjoy this game, and being eased in and not barked at is refreshing. Good still exists in the world. 🐕

Thank you for making an indepth guide without just telling me to find 20 different items sequence breaking the game in like 4 different ways

Wow! I am new to this game. I just started playing the "Prepare to Die" edition. Thank you very much for this incredibly helpful guide. One suggestion would be to specify why ranged combat is a bad idea.

Thank You

Your presentation of all of this is fantastic. The pace and tone which you speak along with your clear annunciation make for a very easy to listen to guide. This has got to be the best "Dark Souls 1 for beginners" video there is. Thanks for making this masterpiece of a guide. I think more people looking for this should see it. If you update your thumbnail for the vid and make it even more professional yet eye catching, I think you'd hit 100k views within 6 months.

Best Spoiler free Dark Souls guide

I just bought Dark Souls Remastered on Switch, this guide reallllly helps alot. I started my first game two days ago, but a lot of things are really vague. Thanks alot for clearing a lot of things up. Question to anyone who knows, is the Expansion also included in Dark Souls Remastered?

Fabulous work, and a great video to watch not only for beginners, but everyone else as well, thank you \[T]/

Thanks for this awesome video, I learned some important things. I thought "Poise" would be introduced later in the game, and would have something to do with poison or smth... I'm curious to see if you have any Pyro-videos.

this is gold. i wish i could give more than 1 like to a video. thank you very much.

Thanks.

Even though I'm a Dark Souls veteran by now, I still watched and enjoyed this video. However, there's one thing I personally disagree about - not using the bow. The bow can actually be quite helpful and powerful in certain situations. You can reinforce a Longbow and equip poison, fire, or magic arrows and deal damage to enemies who are far away from you. It's a great way to defeat some of the snake people in Sen's Fortress and Silver Knights in Anor Londo. With a bow you can also cheese the drake in Undead Burg by shooting at its tail - you'll get a very nice sword from it. ;)

I got Remastered for Switch last sunday. My first character i kinda fucked up the build on because i might’ve goofed and upped Resistance a bit. Second character i got insanely lucky and got a Black Knight Sword from the first Black Knight, and now, they’re the character i play as primarily. Already made it to Anor Londo, and today i will say Blighttown is officially where the majority of my deaths in the game have been caused.

This is exactly what I need since the game itself isn't up to modern industry standards of explaining itself and leaves me confused. In fact it's not even at 90s industry standards of explaining itself. But overall the game is amazing.

Watching this before my stream tonight, about to be playing Dark Souls I for the first time in 2023

Best guide I have seen for DS1 (10/10) However gold coins are not consumable in DS1 they are in later releases(DS2&DS3). edit: I also agree with the ranged section for I have attempted and completed a full run of the game with bows only it was tedious at best bows and crossbows were an after thought or supplementary piece of equipment for very niche moments (ie. cheese a trapped enemy, lure a tough enemy, knock down a hanging item...)

Instruction unclear, I made a ranger. Nah in all seriousness I'm looking to buy this game at some point and I'm so glad I found this video. It's nice you took the time to explain things in depth for a total beginner like myself. While I'm still nervous at the prospect of playing the game I'm also excited to see how far I can get