My (Very Late) First Time in Dark Souls | PostMesmeric 

The saddest reality is that you only get to experience your first playthrough of Dark Souls once, hearing your thoughts brought great joy and remembrance to my first experience with the game shortly after Dark Souls 2 had come out. An outstanding video.

The message of Dark Souls is everywhere, and the message is "you can do this." Had a weird moment where I was really enjoying your perspective and the structure of the video, but that line at the end actually squeezed a few tears out of me, you really get it! The reputation of being super hard and exclusionary is something I've never appreciated about how people talk about Dark Souls. This is a great video!

Most dark souls videos I watch are from people who have been fans for years and it was really nice hearing your perspective as someone playing it for the first time. It took me back to my first dark souls play through years ago.

Your assessment of the game is fairly on-point It's too bad you didn't find the DLC area, considering the general consensus in the community is that the DLC is the best part of the post-Lordvessel half of the game Other hidden areas too, the game really isn't afraid of placing huge chunks of quality content where players aren't in any way guaranteed to come across it

I love how of all the early bosses he just casually glosses over the Capra Demon...

Really enjoyed this format telling the story of your playthrough

I think Dark Souls holds up surprisingly well for a game about 10 years old too

It's always a treat to see someone play through Dark Souls for the first time. Watching you play through it with your thoughts and analysis took me back to when I first played through it. The beauty and triumph of persevering against all odds is a feeling that the Souls games do very well, and I'm happy to see another person get to experience that for the first time. Great video and congrats!

Yell heah, what a wonderful take on the series. Absolutely loved this overview of your journey! Keep up the great work!!!!

Wow. I love the way you talk about the journey. Really nice to listen to!

I hope you do a follow up video with the other areas. Ash Lake and the dlc are all beautiful and have definitely lingered in my memory. Great video

i love how even in-depth play throughs like this leave out entire areas. i still haven’t seen ash lake, the hollow, or blighttown proper, and i’ve beaten this game twice. great video, great game. one that, imo, has only improved with all its successors to date. great video 🤘

I put down Elden Ring for a minute after Rykard and got DS on Switch cause it was in sale. I recently beat it, including all DLC bosses. It's my own personal achievement. Now time to finish ER.

Incredibly underrated video, I hope this absolutely blows up soon. It really captures the essence of the game in a beautiful way, flaws and all.

Wauw This is just an amazing video/tribute to dark souls. Great stuff love it. We want more !

You definitely had something to say that was worth hearing. Good job. Welcome to the community.

Epic Name Bro's "From the Dark" series is a must watch .

This an experience i'll never savour ever again...first time playing DS1 was special.

Great video, would love a part 2 with painted world and the DLC.

I love this video. 2nd time I watched it in 2 weeks.. This video is such a good way of describing a first time experience of Dark Souls. It's also a weird video in a sense that I want to show my friends this video as to why they should play Dark Souls and experience what you and pretty much everyone who finishes the game gets to experience but obviously that isn't possible since it would spoil too much of the game.. Kudos to you for this video. Very well said.

I can't get over DS1. My first playthrough was with the Prepare to die edition. It was such a unique experience for me. Mostly because I have been playing video games every day since I was 10 on consoles and later on my PC but I got to experience this when I was 30ish and it absolutely blew me away. I can't get past this game. It truly is a masterpiece and I must say that now that you have done the first blind playthrough maybe going into with a walkthrough just so you can see 100% of the game and the map and the secrets is not a bad idea. I recommend bald and bearded walkthrough on the paper planes channel. It was so nice seeing you play this masterpiece for the first time.

Very very good video. Thank you for making it. I enjoyed it alot

It never gets old watching souls game content, its always refreshing to hear someone experience with the franchise because of the relatedness that souls game provide for us on a visceral level.

Pah! As someone who started with DS2 your Gargoyle section amused me no end. I breezed past them without a care in the world.

Another big moment in my first playthrough that highlights the rewarding nature of the design is getting the Lordvessel. I remember thinking to myself all game how punishing it was to have to trek back across the whole world to go back to places I'd visited before. Then after beating such a major boss that pushes your skill to the limit and finally seeing that "You may now warp between bonfires" was such an incredible reward and a feeling of achievement. The game eventually removes some of it's crippling nature after you can prove how well you've handled it.

For what it's worth, you had a fresh take on this game. And i dig it.

You listed off perfectly why I love this game. Im so happy that people are still discovering this game so many years later. There arent many games that can stand the test of time and impact players as well or better than new releases. 💪

I too have not really tried Dark Souls yet so this was really interesting to see your journey. I'm sure I'll give it a real chance at some point!

i really enjoy the mechanical depth and experience you got out of playing this game. But I think you've missed what to me is a super key element that ties the rest of the mechanical experience together. The lore and stories of Dark Souls is incredible and mirrors not only your journey but the world state of the place. It exemplifies the Greek myth at the core of it. I think it would be cool if you made another video talking about that.

This is late, but as someone who also only got into Dark Souls last year, having this recommended to me is the best kind of serendipity. I was convinced for years that I would never finish this game, but now that I have I'm finding it hard to put down for long. Dark Souls really has a way of fostering organic and compelling experiential narratives, and that first playthrough--painful as it can be--is something special. Thanks for sharing yours.

It's a superb reflection of my first journey in Dark Souls 2018. The way was in many cases the same. Now after hundreds of hours in the sequels and 400 hours spent in Elden Ring, I returned to Lordran again with more skill that I could use to explore A all the dangerous places I ignored before. I was surprised how much secrets I missed (the well hidden Ash Lake or the return to the Asylum) and how the atmosphere caught me again. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Dude this video was great I love the comforting almost let's play feel to it mixed with your analysis of the games world design. It's always interesting to hear how someone went through the original Dark Souls because of how non-linear it is and this was no exception; keep up the great work!

I loved seeing your first-hand impressions of the game for a first time. It was somehow nostalgic, haha. Great vid!

"You can do this"... yeah, I agree entirely with that assessment of Dark Soul's message to the player and the experience the devs wanted to create. I do hope you get a chance to try out the DLC, but I'm always grateful when someone decides to tackle this game in particular for the first time. It's an experience I think most people would benefit from.

You didn't hollow like the rest. You kept on. I loved this. Respect.

I had to pause the video and laugh for like 2 minutes when you got to your Sens Fortress take and I love it. I remember quitting the game for a week after being in there for about 12 hours my first time playing through. I didn’t find that balcony bonfire until my third play through though

This feels like perfect content to consume while taking a well earned break from Elden Ring. If you want my first impressions Imagine playing dark souls again, but in a world that feels as expansive as BotW, welcome to Elden Ring.

What I found really interesting is how much different my experience was to yours. I have just watched the first part of the video and it surprised me how different your character was. You often talk about farming to level up, which is something that I actually never did in any of the souls games, but still I see that you do such little damage. One part is that it took you so long to go to the dark root garden, the other one is that it seems like you really didn't focus much on leveling up your weapon. It's just really interesting to see how people have such a different experience.

Wow! A fellow Halberd fan! That's also my first playthrough's weapon and I love it to death!

Brilliantly written, buddy. Thoroughly enjoyed your take. Thanks. ^_^

That message, the "you can do this" is such a profoundly simple one, but it's a point that Dark Souls makes with surprising elegance despite the jankiness built into parts of the game. I played it at a point in my life where I was struggling...my Gran had just passed and my life felt like I was going nowhere. I wasn't suicidal, but I was definitely depressed or something along those lines. Internalizing that sort of can-do attitude has helped a lot. This was back in 2019, so uhh...y'all know the next year was kinda a stressful one for all of us, but despite that, I'm in a much better place mentally now than I was then, and while Dark Souls is far from the only reason for that, it is definitely an early contributor to that recovery.

Subscribed because 2022 was also my first time playing dark souls 1 (I rented dark souls 3 in 2017 and sent it back after like 4 hours) aI love these games now cant believe I missed out on them all these years

I played it last year for the first time and it was really the only game I played (or had time to play) and got 100 hours in. Such a wonderful experience. Every inch of the map is imprinted in my mind in a way almost no other game is.

By the end of the video I was actually sad you didn't play the DLC area 😂you should play the rest of the series. This was pretty fun to watch!

Really good video. I got into Dark Souls when the remastered came out, having been curious about it for many years, and I experienced something similar to what you did. I especially appreciate your "you can do this" notion in the end, and the way you acknowledged how the game encourages people to help each other out. You can almost feel those people, having gone through the same struggles, rooting for you. And that's also what I experienced from the community elsewhere, people were really eager to help out while trying not to spoil too much either. In fact it was the players who encouraged me to try the game in the first place. They let me know that I can do it, no matter how dark it would get. The misguided "every other souls gamer is an elitist troll" sentiment, in my experience, most of the time seems to come from people who really didn't play the game, or who went about looking for arguments. My experience was the opposite, and I give the community a lot of credit. I'm thankful to them, because Dark Souls changed gaming for me. These kind of videos don't get old, because there's something magical about this game. There's a reason why a lot of Dark Souls players go looking for these new player experiences from the internet. They remember their own first playthrough and cherish those memories. Seeing someone else experiencing something similar, even if just a fraction of what they did, is actually exciting. Lately I've been fascinated by FromSoft's ability to induce stress and/or terror, to make you feel like you're a small meaningless rat with no hope. It keeps getting darker and darker, and the obstacles might seem insurmountable. The silence of most enemies and bosses adds to this strange sensation of you being just a speck of dust in a world where nothing really matters anymore. It's remarkable how they do it. It's everywhere; in art direction, music, even some animations, lighting changes, soundscape, everything. When I play their games, half of the time I'm not only fighting the game, I'm also fighting against my own defeatism that just keeps creeping in. Even after I "got gud", I still kind of feel that, like some mental residue that just won't go away. The atmosphere is so unbelieavably thick, and it creates this strange immersion that I just can't find in other games. I feel like I'm in this world, and there's nothing to remind me of real world events, boardroom meetings, gaming trends, none of that crap. It's just the game with all its creative integrity, in an almost pure state, and I'm right there with it. All of this also allows some moments of beauty shine so much brighter. Like the Kiln, which I'm glad you mentioned. It is stunning on its own, but it's so much more stunning after struggling and finally getting there. I could go on and on, but enough rambling. I liked your video, that's what I really wanted to say.

You did a great job with this!!

i watched this thinking 'really, another dark souls video?' but then i enjoyed it.

Man I wish i could just transport all what i know and all the secrets into your brain. There is just so much to this game

Awesome review. I also agree that the Klin of the First Flame and Gwyn's track are unparalleled. The only thing I could ask for to make it better would be to make Gwyn harder, and then it would be flawless, but his music is in my opinion the best in the history of games by a mile.

Awesome video, brought me back to my own first playthrough ! You should try the DLC now, it has the hardest bosses in the game 😁

I really enjoyed this longer take on dark souls- very introspective. I also played this game more recently. And I’ve gone through in a different order than you. But I have yet to finish it. I got stuck on Smogh and Hammerstein so I went on to explore the catacombs. I’ve been chipping away at it over the course of probably a year. And I gotta say, I agree- it’s deserving of its accolades. I never would’ve thought I’d have the patience or determination to keep going in such a game. It’s taken a lot of time, probably 70ish hours over the course of a year, but I keep coming back.

Loved this video!

Such a perfect video to explain a first playthrough of this game to a newish From fan. I had played DS3 only a little and bounced off it hard then I lost my life to Elden Ring (the best game I will ever play in my lifetime I am sure), came back and totally became a DS3 addict. Two months ago decided to finally play OG Dark Souls... What a wonderful game and although DS3 is my fav in the series, the original is such a monumental experience. I finally understand git gud, but I understand that it's still kinda toxic when taken out of context. "you can do this" is absolutely the perfect mantra.

Great video!!! Your voice is perfect for this

Despite being the second oldest souls game, the first dark souls is still particularly special for me. I like them all in different ways, but this one was all about its world, the experience upon finding something new, with a way more methodical combat to fit the tone and an interconnected world like no other. That's why it is my favorite to hear people talking about their first time experiences, and it's probably the one I would choose to erase my memory just so that I could experience it again.

I played and platinumed the game for the first time last year after getting hooked on Elden ring, couldn’t be happier to have finally found the series

Well made content, a first time experience - there is a lot you have to offer.

I also played Dark Souls for the first time in 2022. I had never played a souls game before, but after loving Elden Ring I decided to play Dark Souls. I always felt bad if I beat a boss the first or second try, like I was missing out on something. I never wanted to over-level or over-upgrade a weapon for the area I was in. Summons were off the table and as I neared toward the end I felt like I cheated my way through the game using a shield for a good portion... It's a weird feeling, like I was wasting my first playthrough. I have never felt that way playing a game before.

My dude, this was fascinating to hear your experience and comments on the different aspects. Great job putting this together! I love it! I was going to ask if you didn't have a torch for the Tomb area then to my surprise found out there are no torches. I was thinking it'd probably be better if the dark areas of that cave encouraged players to come back with a light source (plus in addition to the regenerating skeletons, would make it clear from multiple angles that you're supposed to come back later). Ideally something like you have to use a torch until you find a skull lantern deeper inside that you can attach to yourself to free up your left hand from having to hold a light source. So the challenge comes more from preparation, constantly managing what you're holding, and still carefully treading, followed by an awesome reward of the skull lantern at some point, which I'd probably find more engaging than simply not being able to see until something hits me until I find any light source, but honestly I'd need to replay the section to remember. There is an item that frees up your left hand but it's in a different area entirely. If you haven't played the DLC yet (sounds like you haven't), I highly suggest at least fighting Artorias. He's a super fun fight!

I still remember playing DS1 for the first time, it definitely was the best experience with this game, same goes for all the other. The first time you played them. Now that I've played them all countless of hours I have to say that first experience going in blind, no clue what or where to go was the best experience and I just wish I could erase my memories of this game and experience that feeling all over again.

the further in time I get away from my first dark souls' playthrough, the more prone to hollowing I am.

8:26 oh man it feels so good to hear this from someone playing dark souls for the first time after all the mad discourse about the difficulty couldn't have said it better.

Dark Souls is the game that saved my life. While being my darkest point in my life it both enraged and encouraged me and it was thanks to Solaire I stuck around. So when I failed to save him in my first playthrough I sobbed. I felt like I failed to save myself. Now every time I play, regardless of my run, I always save Solaire and help him find his Sun

I won't lie. I definitely felt emotion when you got to Gwynn. Indeed there is something to this game, and it will forever be remembered. I think it is because Dark Souls respected me as a person. In a world where everything is becoming more easy and convenient, it said "No. You're better than this."

Dark Souls is a game that takes time to appreciate. I put the game down 2 or 3 times before having it click. After that replaying it after beating it I realized "friends" in the game were actually enemies and that is when the game truly blew me away.

Great video, sir! Welcome to the club and praise the Sun 🌞

Dark Souls has so much lore, mechanics and secrets that it hides for the player to seek. It truly is a unique experience worth playing for every gamer. In the end of my first playthrough during the end credits, I was left wondering what actually was my role in the story and did I even get a "good" ending. One of the best games ever.

This really brought me back to my play through

Nicely done, man. I agree that "You can do this" is the real message. Even when fanbois say "git gud," they tend to do it with whiners who trash talk the game. So even saying "git gud" is another way of saying "You can do this." Another thing that's brilliant about Dark Souls is that there's so much more to do after that first game is over. There are so many ways to play, there's an enormous amount of lore in item descriptions, there are several obscure NPC questlines to complete, there's an amazing DLC that wraps up much of the story in a nice bow, there's the jolly cooperation of co-op, a massive world of PvP opportunities along with several covenants that put various spins on invasions, and so on. The replayability is very high, which is hard to do with games. I ultimately put several thousand hours into Dark Souls on the PS3 over a span of years. It got to a point that at the end of a hard day at work, Dark Souls was my happy place, a place, ironically, where I felt safe. I learned everything I possibly could about the game, and would still find interesting new details thousands of hours into it. I met so many interesting people while co-op-ing and invading, and although I saw a nasty type of player there, the kind that hates to lose and will hack the game to win, mostly I experienced friendly people who just wanted others to succeed, or to at least have a good time and a good duel. "Flawed masterpiece" is the only way to describe the game, in my opinion, and the flaws are what give it its charm. I don't think I'd love it so much if it were simply perfect. I don't think it will ever be possible to make a better game than Dark Souls, at least for me in my lifetime.

As a note: The Bell Gargoyles are a gear and level check as much as they are a boss guarding the upper bell. Andre is right there so you can upgrade, the Balder Knights are facing away from Andre's bonfire so you can backstab them over and over, all the enemies in the area drop titanite shards. This is the game telling you to upgrade. It's TEACHING YOU to level up and upgrade your gear so that you can make progress. The game is tough, but it's spurring you on in every way it can.

Fantastic analysis. Your description of Blighttown as "a maze turned on its side" is maybe the most perfect description of that area I've ever heard. Your final point, that the design constantly tells the player "you can do this", is extremely astute. Looking forward to the NG+ followup discussing your first encounters with the Painted World and Oolacile... and I hope you play DS2 soon!

you might not want to hear this but the nito fight you can avoid the skeletons by either wearing a fog ring so they dont see you or using aluring skulls to distract them

Do not get rid of "Channellers Trident" if you get one; they have a ridiculously low drop rate, and is required for a trophy.

Great video. I hope you do return to firelink. There is still more to discover. There are 3 specific areas you skipped over that really add another layer to the game. One of them being one of my favorite areas, the painted world. Again great video Cheers

One of the best things about DS is how many things it purposely hides from the player, like you beat the game but never found the painted world of ariamis or even the DLC, the developers arent afraid of hiding huge chunks of content for the player, only when you do find them they are that much special.

Yes, we can do this (only if we persevere). From Software’s games are the epitome of epic power fantasy, with unforgettable sense of wonder. It’s a bliss to experience their masterpieces.

Started playing it for the first time about a month ago =) First FromSoft game was Sekiro which I LOVE, and had been playing for a few months prior to this... sometimes it's nice being late to the party. There's something nice about enjoying a game without all the noise and buzz in the air around its release date

This video definitely resonated with me as I continue to play Dark Souls for the first time on my Switch. I’ve been having a blast between getting killed by means of my own stupidity, and the absolute high of beating some of these bosses. (For context, I just beat Ornstein and Smough and got the Lordvessel) I’ve gotten to see how this game became a classic and seeing how much the community comes together to help each other out, instead of being defined by the elitist pricks just makes it so much better. I’m excited to keep pushing.

First time I played this game was after months of begging my parents to let me have it for my 13th birthday. I couldn’t beat that Taurus demon and was on the verge of tears, thinking to myself “did I really only ask for this game I absolutely hate?” My dad suggested I try that gold pine resin I picked up (weird because he never plays videogames) and I then smoked the Taurus demon and it became my favorite game ever.

I find it very funny that at the end of most boss fights you are actually sitting at redtearstone ring (rtsr) hp. It looks completely coincidental, as most new players don't even find the rtsr, but that is what speedrunners use since it has the highest damage amplifier in the game at 50% increased damage when you are below 15% hp. There are specific things people do too, like letting the large mace knight smash them before going up to gargoyles is an rtsr setup that leaves you at 12% with 11 vitality. And wearing one piece of armour and allowing the Boulder from sens to hit you at 11 vitality leaves you at 8% for the golem fight. I've never actually seen anyone go into a fight, naturally run out of estus, and finish it off below 15% in rtsr. This is why I love this game, I'm still seeing new things

In elden ring the messages i came across were genuinely helpful, sure there was the occasional "try finger, but hole" and the "Dog" messages but for the most part the gave some good advice.

I'm about to dive into Dark Souls for the first time myself after it being recommended. The monsters and demons look insane too. I know I'll fall countless times but I'll be sure to find those messages of motivation and keep pushing.

You managed to run through the thiefs in lower Burg without getting backstabbed as a first time player? respect man.

i love the idea that leveling up in dark souls is the same as a wall glitch in other levels.

Its cool that almost all areas that are accessible early game have an easy boss and a hard one. So if you have an anxiety driven early game treasure run you get to find a boss you can beat with some trouble. While later travels will still reward you with a big boss. Also ive seen people SUFFER at queelaag with its lava and one shots and movesets. Some bosses will be easy for some and hard for others. Especially with builds and play order being different

The Souls community nowadays really isn’t a “get good” fest anymore. My experience especially recently has been that this community is helpful and happy whenever someone just tries out this series. It’s one of the many reasons I started playing this series more recently and was the driving force behind me completing 5 of the 7 soulslikes(including the 3 souls games).

not so long ago i beated DS1 and oh boy does the ending credit song gets you, i was like "wtf did i just played?" its the only game thats left me with that feeling

As someone who beat ER first, then the DS series, I completely agree. You can do this!

This was my first souls game on 360 it was gifted to me by a friend. I got wrecked but I was determined to beat this "super hard" game. I did beat it, got hooked, now I'm always looking for more souls like. And trust me, I've played all of them from barely souls like to actual great ones like Nioh. It's a genre that hooks onto you and it just sucks having the void!!!

I always interpreted Sens Fortress and the first part of Anor Londo as the develepors telling me: "We are not holding back and you shouldn either." Going slow and steady is good but sometimes you need to rush somewhere, or cheese an enemy and its totally fine

When my friends ask me about Dark Souls, knowing im a big fan of the series and have played them since Demon's Souls first dropped, I always tell them the same thing. Dark Souls isnt truely a difficult game, its easy to play and easy to understand, but the game will not let you off the hook for mistakes. It simply will not coddle you in any way. You are expected to play by its rules and adapt to the challenges it presents. If you spend the time to learn it you will be rewarded with absolute freedom over your character. It eventually becomes a playground for you to play with. Even 10+ years on, i replay DS1 because its the most fun souls game for me. I still feel excited to play it and challenge myself in new ways. SL1 challenges, pure strength builds, magic/pyro/miracle only builds, bow or fist only runs and any other challenge I can imagine. This game is art.

Nice one! It'd be nice to hear your thoughts on other soulsborne games sometime!

Ended my first game 2022 with a great scythe full havel armor fast rolling.

It wouldn’t be a true blind play through of Dark Souls without completely missing the Great Hollow lol. Among some other areas. Also the DLC has by far the best bosses.

For me dark souls was the first game I got I lost in the mystery and overall experience of never knowing what is right around the corner. Have not experienced that again until elden ring

Funny, at 2:29 I heard "I'm not Vaati, Zullie or Mark Brown" ^^

Lore Wise, the poison at that level of Blighttown was absorbed by Quelaag sister which petrified her.

You missed a lot of places though and also the DLC. And Anor Londo rooftop is easier with a shield. You can even parry the black knights easily. That's how I've learned to parry. But it was my first Souls game. Fun fact, you can make the Giant Golem boss fall from the tower and hop you won. There's so many stuff in this game to discover

Just beat DSR and DS2 for the first time in the last month! About to start DS3! Elden ring was my introduction!

People could still be making dark souls 1 videos another 10 years from now I’ll still be watching them