Why is Dark Souls 3 a Gaming MASTERPIECE? | A Tribute to Dark Souls 3 

Hello! Apologies for any issues with audio or the video, there were a lot of problems while exporting and I will be fixing them later on! Anyways I still hope you enjoy the video! Happy New Years!!

Played DS3 after DS1, Elden Ring, DS2 and thought "Woah, it's just like Elden Ring!" But a more focused version of it. It's the most refined of the DS trilogy.

DS3s levels and bosses just make the game so amazing. Its not too long either perfect for speed running.

absoluterly love this video!! dark souls 3 was my intro to fromsoft games and im so glad because it ended up being one of my all time favorite games. if i had started with any of the other titles i may not have ended up discovering this groundbreaking series. thank you for giving DS3 the love and praise it deserves

Even though I have 90 hours in ds3 compared to Eden ring 300 hours, I agree ds3 is a masterpiece

Elden Ring and the rest were really cool but nothing tops the feeling of the journey to the ringed city after playing through the game. Like fr the ringed city and ariendel just hits different.

After 7 years, I think this is a game whose greatest strength is music and boss fights. Seriously, FromSoft Dark Souls 3 and Sekiro are the kings of all games in terms of boss fights. Fride, Midir, Gael, SoC, DA, AW, Twin Demons, Dancer, Ponitff, Champion Gudir, Twin Princes, Nameless King. All of them for me personally are A high rank A or S.

So besides the issues that you have stated in your pinned comment, this video is actually excellent. You are clearly very talented and I think your perspective on the game is well thought out and pretty spot on. You got my sub, looking forward to seeing what you put out next!

Automatic weapon repair at bonfires was introduced in DS2, not 3. Also, I'm not really sure what you mean by "Poise makes a return", DS3 is famous for the exact opposite - the lack of poise in contrast to DS1 and 2. And the slower paced combat in the previous games made it more tactical in my opinion, in DS3 you can just see lots of R1 spamming attacks. I agree with you about the rest, though my personal all time favourite will always be DS1. ^ ^

Dark Souls 1 is the best. The claustrophobic feeling of desperation you get when, for example, you are trapped in Blighttown and your weapon breaks, or when you get back to Firelink just to find a Shrine with no flame, is unparalleled among Souls games. Bloodborne and Elden Ring tried to imitate that, involuntarily sending you to areas where you get "trapped", but it's not the same (although the BB one is fantastic). It's just one area in those games, whereas the whole first half of Dark Souls 1 is like that. Something so simple as not being able to warp between bonfires really made that game special. Lorewise, and level design wise, no need to explain why DS1 is also the superior game. Don't get me wrong, I love all From Soft games, and I consider them all masterpieces. DS3 is a solid 10/10 for me, and I think it easily has the best boss design from the saga. But Dark Souls 1 was something else, it is a game that happens once in a lifetime, one that not only defined an entire genre, but is the standard to which all games are compared to now. If you go on steam, "souls-like" is an actual tag they have.

I love that soul of cinder isn't the hardest boss just because he's the final main boss, he's not the hardest because It represents a dying flame grasping for it's last gasping breaths of life to try and stop you from ending it. It syphons all of its power from the people that have failed to stop it before you and when you finally get too close for comfort *plin plin plon* it takes Gwyn's power, taking his attacks, music, fighting style and everything else. A final attempt to stop you from putting an end to this journey and then, you do

I think instead of saying level design you really just meant environment or atmosphere, because no other soulsborne game has gotten close to surprising me and many others with how areas connect as much as ds1, other than ds2 in a smaller way with how its hub area. Also, omnidirectional rolling wasn’t new to ds3. It was in the previous game.

I wish we got a fully realized version of the original dark souls

Omnidirectional rolling and the soft lockon were introduced in DS2. It is indeed great but nothing new here.

I’m at 7:32 in the video and your talking about rolling instead of blocking for ds3 compared to the others with the omnidirectional roll, but I would also like to add that unless u maxed adaptability in ds2 ds3 has the most i frames for rolling. I would also like to just say rolling is definitely a viable strategy for all the dark souls games and that’s actually how I learned to play all the way in ds1. Using a shield only when I was trying to parry and normally just 2 handing for bosses with rolls

The Dragonslayer armour bonfire is good for the Twin princes fight, less running required after each death

I feel like complaining about stuff being reused from ds1 is just from people who don’t really understand the story and dislike references in general as this is the final game in the series and it’s showing how things either haven’t changed or just got worse as the linking of the fire continues and the main bosses are literally beings that have linked the fire before but when they were brought back and saw what the world looks like because of their sacrifice they just realize it’s not even worth linking the fire. That’s the beauty of the game for me at least because the game is showing u both in the atmosphere of the areas and through the boss stories that linking the fire is probably not the best option and pushes you to make a choice that will break the cycle that has been happening for a very long unknown amount of time

Great video! I will always defend DS3. So many great things to love in that game. Probably the best bosses overall in any souls game, in my opinion. Some of the most memorable locations in recent memory. I have some minor issues but I have those for all souls games.

Great video! DS3 was my first fromsoft game and still my favorite today. Some of the best pvp too, I spent so much time invading in gank city.

I spent 30 lvl on vitality and still manage to 1 try most of the boss because of leveling up in bonus area. Although it wasn't the best stats to invest in, I never suffered during my playtime from it since you get way more protection with better armor. If you manage to build around strenght vitality stamina and life you pretty much set

Great video bro, I was amazed when I saw your sub count wasn’t at least 10k. You’re deserving of more, so here’s one. Keep it up.

Bro I got this game last week, I started elden ring in feb 2022 and loved it so got ds3. It is so good and I’m currently on the pontiff boss and I’m struggling so bad 😂but I’m used to it by now. I found the abyss watchers a great challenge so early in the game it was really well balanced

DS 3 was too my first game and now I completed it about 16 times and I dont even have both of the dlcs yes so I can't play mods but I can still find some small things in the level design I missed. an absolute master piece

when I hear the main ds 3 theme I start crying

Me seeing the 3 fire towers to progress. "Well, someone has to extinguish thy flame "

I leveled up vitality to 34 in my first playthrough lol. I would do everything for the fast roll

Bloodborne was the first souls game I ever played, but when I played ds3, it felt like a better introduction to how these games worked, I recommend that everyone trying to get into the souls series played this first

I've just started my first souls game a week or so ago 19 hours in (DS3) at pontiff currenlty and already I love this franchise so much and always excited to come home and play im so excited to see what fromsoft follows up with after the praise elden ring got.

Elden Ring armor does have weight btw

I like the covenants, and vitality helps with defense and resistants

Love DS3, the number of different areas to explore along with the expansions and the amount of builds you can get creative with it, i also think this game is more accessible to new player's then previous ones. Going to start playing Elden Ring today, just waiting for the delivery man, curious about it since i avoided watching to much videos about it, winning GOTY made me more curious to try it out.

Great video, man. Couldn’t agree more :)

Hey I noticed during the gameplay when you needed to drink 2 Estus you would pause between the two, but you can press the heal button again during the drinking animation to drink again without the pause and save some time if ya didn’t know :)

I saw the title on the thumbnail and was like "YES"

My first playthrough I ignored pontiff thinking he was optional. I forget when I was forced to fight him and by extension Aldrich, but they were a cake walk. Also when I saw a fog wall in firelink shrine, I thought that the endgame boss was going to be someone helping me out but that didn't happen. Instead I found the REAL firelink shrine hidden. The slow realization of where I was is the my best gaming experience EVER. Finding that only the Handmaiden managed to survive and didn't even know of you was heartbreaking. And then you go back to the place you level in a new light (I think the music their changed but it might be the new found context that made the music more somber than before) and knowing a majority of them are ghosts. I knew about the real hunter dream in BB from videos and whatnot but it caught me off guard in DS3.

It was a good chill video, thank you and dont you dare go hallow.

The city actually looks like what London looked like before the great fire of 1666. It’s one of the greatest architectural tragedies that the world lost that gothic jewel all those beautiful spires and towers

This was my 1st souls game. I've played it with no spoilers, no guides and no shields (I didn't realize it was op before Ng+). It became my all time favorite

this was so very well done

All I am going to say is that I had way more fun playing DS3 than I did Elden Ring. It’s that simple

dark souls 3 to me is the best 'game' out of them all from a design standpoint. In terms of visual identity and linearity that's where most get caught up and i just dont have an issue with that

I played Elden ring first before dark souls 3 ... and I loved DS3 I still love it im on new game plus after beating everything the game and DLC had to offer having so much fun doing it over again!

I disagree with a lot of points in this video but it made me appreciate parts of Dark Souls 3 that I overlooked and it was really enjoyable to watch. I'm looking forward to anymore souls related videos.

I played Elden Ring and fell in love with the series Then I played Bloodborne and felt disappointed Then I played Dark Souls 1 and felt renewed hope Then I played Dark Souls 3…and I felt like I’d just found the meaning of life itself

i still need to play sekiro and bloodborne to see wich souls game is my favorite but for now Dark Souls 3 is the king !!!

I played DeS, DS1, and poured 1000 hours into DS2, and when I started DS3, it felt off. The combat is too fast. I had to learn to spam R1’s, instead of the more measured, tactical approach I was familiar with. The return to the 3 tier roll of DS1, from the multidimensional rolls of 2, felt basic and elementary. I was intending on not using a shield at first, like the way I started the other games. In DS2, I had stopped using a shield in short order, so I thought I’d learn roll timings from the get go. But because there’s no passive poise, and too fast enemies, i was so miserable, i begrudgingly used a shield. I’m still waiting to be inspired to finish the rest of it. Even after many hours of it, I go back to DS2, and feel like home. It’s so comfy and responsive. Maybe I just wish DS3 was more like 2, and get over myself. It’s its own thing. But it’s not the masterpiece I’ve heard it was. It’s good, just not as good as the rest. With the exception of the bosses, which are cool.

Great video

No question, DS 3 is a great game, but I really enjoyed the open world of Elden Ring the most, not forcing you into a boss fight to continue, learning mechanics, getting better and leveling up, before you really have to start the main path.

5:40 Serotonin? No... I'm still depressed and anxious --- Dopamine? Yes... I'm high burying my head in another souls game to escape the demands of uni life

For me its an issue that there are no statistics shown at all. I think in DS 2 at least a deathcounter.. but in souls games those are never shown. Death/kill ratio, souls earned, souls lost, trys per Boss, etc etc

I won't say it has too many Bonefires but too many Bonefires in unnecessary places..

Gael, Friede, Midir, Twin Princes, Nameless King, Abbys Watchers, Sullyvan….. not other game has such an amazing and epic quality/quantity of bosses in a single game. Not even remotely

I love dark souls 3 it’s so hard to rank soulsborne games because they’re all fantastic but this one is very special to me man.

We need Dark Souls IV

Great vid

Whenever I go through the catacombs, I always take it slow, mind the traps, respawning skeles, the bridges... UNTIL I GET TO THAT ZONE. FUCK THAT ZONE, I RUN THROUGH TO THAT BONEFIRE Edit: The only times where there are recycled enemies in DS3 that doesn't make sense to me are the Ghrus in the Smoldering Lake Edit 2: Of the gimmick bosses, I feel as though Yhorm gets a bit of a pass, because while he can be easy, it is still a fun spectacle of a fight. The only joy I get with Wyvern and Wolnir is when they end, and with deacons I can say I enjoy being a lawnmower with the Farron Greatsword spin attacks.

Bro, automatic like and sub. I LOVE DS3. Is it the best........eh, debatable. I don't think it gets nearly enough credit though. Imo, BEST boss lineup from the studio. Keep it up my man

Pontiff can be made trivial with parries unfortunately. In my sl1 run i was dreading pontiff and then he was dead in seconds even at sl1

So I just completed my first ds3 playthrough. My first fromsoft game was elden ring and I loved it so I went back and tried ds3 and also loved it. After completing ds3 though, I just felt like elden ring did everything a little bit better (other than allowing overlevelling due to open world). Dont get me wrong I think both are worthy of the masterpiece title. Also, as I've gotten used to the souls formula/combat perhaps I found ds3 a lot easier than if it was my first fromsoft game. Maybe it's more to do with elden ring being my first fromsoft experience and ds3 being yours. Either way good video dude

This game is indeed a masterpiece. I love it so much I got the Platinum for it. Which made me hate it, due to multiple reasons. I hate it that Siegward has to die, I hate it when Greirat dies in the sewers (in my NG run) and then Lothric castle (NG+ Run), I hate it when I had to kill Anri for the 3rd ending, I hate it when I to kill Hawkwood, who finally regained his courage to be a knight in the Farron Legion, hate it when I killed Gael. These almost made me cry (Siegward's one did, every time I did it). (In case you didn't get it, the story is great) On a positive note, the boss fights, chef's kiss perfection for quite a lot of them. The Abyss Watchers fight is just perfect, they are what the all the Lords of Cinder fights should have been like, the thrill and chill experience, adrenaline rush, perfection. Not a big fan of Nameless King cuz Storm Dragon fight just ruins it for me, like its an ez fight and all but the camera controls just annoy me so much, but if Nameless King is considered solo, he's pretty close to a perfect boss. Just his hit boxes sometimes annoy me. Another perfect boss would be Dancer, she's perfect. All throughout the game, u r conditioned to fight in a rhythm of 2 for small enemies, 4 or 5 or 6 actions for bosses but Dancer throws a wrench in that her actions always amount to 3. She will do 3 actions and then wait. This taught me that Dark Souls is basically a rhythm game. Soul of Cinder, a perfect end. Edit: the only part I do genuinely hate is the fact that covenant items have such low drop rates. I played offline (not that online is any better from what I have heard) so farming from enemies for the covenant items took me over 30-40 hrs I think. My first run was 97 hrs and I am pretty sure I started my convenant items farming around 60 hrs (I killed everything and explored every nook and cranny). Especially Proof of Concords Kept, oh my god, it's brutal farming them. It took me like 18 hrs just for them.

Having been a Dark Souls fan since the first game came out, I'm personally really happy that Elden Ring was massively successful enough to send waves of new people to rediscover these gems that is Dark Souls 1-3, Bloodborne and Sekiro. Every gamer should try at least one of these imo.

I do think DS3 is the best in aggregate, meaning that if you were to score all the Souls games in every aspect, that DS3 would have the highest overall score. But I do think some of the other games did some things better. I still think DS1 is peak level design with the way the levels fold back on each other with interconnecting shortcuts, often surprising you by putting you back somewhere you had no idea was nearby. DS1 didn't allow bonfire warping until halfway through the game, so they had to design the levels around that. Also, a lot of the things you mentioned, such as infusions and omni-directional rolling, originated in DS2; while I'm glad those things are in DS3, it feels disingenuous to give credit solely to DS3 when it didn't invent these things. Also, I'm actually not a fan of how fast paced the combat has become. I have not been enjoying my time in ER as much as I'd like in a large part because of it; I'm running a UGS build like I have in every Souls game so far, and it's clear that the combat design of ER does not favor those kinds slow, heavy builds. DS3 isn't as bad, but I am noticing on a second playthrough how much of the things I hate about ER combat are in DS3. In DS1, it felt like half the challenge was knowledge-based and half was skill-based, so any time you entered a fog wall you assumed that if there was a boss fight on the other side that you would probably die while learning their attack patterns. Once you have the knowledge, though, the fight becomes easier. It actually makes you feel pretty badass when you can beat a boss first try since you're having to deal with the lack of knowledge as an additional handicap. Souls games didn't used to demand perfection. It was expected that you would make mistakes. That's pretty much the entire philosophy around estus: you're allowed to make a limited number of mistakes, but you can't make too big of a mistake and you can't make too many. But DS3 and especially ER seem to really amp up the skill challenge to a level where nothing short of perfection will suffice. Bosses are so massive that you have trouble seeing the entire boss at once and therefore seeing what it's doing, they have massive reach, they're super fast, have long attack chains, hit like a truck, and tank damage like a champ. It doesn't feel like a challenge, it feels like fighting a cheater who maxed all his stats. It's not fun. I'm especially sick bosses and enemies that are both very large and very fast. Being big already changes the way they interact with distances; it acts as a multiplier on everything from sprinting to shifting their weight, exaggerating even the smallest movements. Making them super speedy on top of that just adds insult to injury. There's a reason giant creatures are often animated super slowly, and because of their size they're often still moving faster than a normal sized creature moving at normal speed. It's just really frustrating to be taking a swing with an ultra greatsword only for the enemy to dodge just by shifting their weight, or to try and get some distance so I can drink some estus only for the boss to jump 50 feet and smash into me. It feels like chasing someone in a go kart trying to stab them with a toothpick while they're driving a formula 1 at top speed swinging around 20 foot pike. That's more of an ER thing, though. It's like the DS3 development team looked at Fume Knight and said, "Yes, more of that," and then the ER design team looked at Darkeater Midir and said, "Yes, more of that." To this day, I have not beaten Midir because his fight feels like BS. It's no wonder I'm not having as much fun with ER. Also, DS3 is the only Souls game that *doesn't* have poise. Super weird that you mentioned it "bringing back" poise when DS1, DS2, and ER all have poise and DS3 does not. Specifically, it doesn't have passive poise. I believe all Souls games have something called hyper armor where you become more difficult to interrupt in the middle of an attack. DS3 only applies poise to hyper armor, so you only get it while you're mid-attack and not all the time. No matter how much poise you have in DS3, getting hit while you're not attacking, or while attacking but outside the hyper armor frames, and you get staggered. Makes it really easy to get stunlocked.

I would run through this game again and again, either on new game plus or new profiles. Great game, definitely easier to come back to and more digestible, compared to Elden Ring.

I agree

I only own ds 1 and ds3. I’ve been meaning to buy Elden ring but I’m going to wait until I can get it cheap

You could always set the jump on the PS stick. DS3 just defaulted to that set up. Just wanted to let y'all know.

I mean your right, fromsoft poured so much live into this game, but dont forget that elden ring still is not finished and is still being updated

Elden ring was my first souls game, then I played DS3. Elden ring is the craziest game I’ve played in years but I actually enjoyed DS3 more lol

You did a great video, that's really sad that ds3 suffer to have been released after ds1, because it is so great all the bosses seems fair (even if with the Nameless King the fight is more against the camera than the boss) and the musics are just absolutes masterpieces and there so much to say about the rest but I don't think we could say more than what you said, this was a really great video !

Played Dark Souls 3, loved it. Tried Dark Souls 1 right after and couldn't get into it xOx

Dark souls 3 is probably my favorite video game ever, I love all 3 of the dark souls games, yes even 2 lol, but dark souls 3 is just really a special game that we don’t see very often. I have tried multiple times to get into Elden ring and I don’t know what it is but I just can’t get into it and I have literally put thousands of hours into the souls series. In my opinion dark souls 3 is hands down the best from soft game they have ever made and one of the beat games made period even to this day still!

I would like to see a video about Elden ring as well. Good stuff

City of Leyndell in ER feels smaller than city of Lothric or Irithyll

I was an OP Pyro in DS3, and max level in both DS3 and Elden Ring. I did at least 9 ng+ in DS3 and have only done 4 ng+ in Elden Ring. With that being said, I just have never really felt at home with Elden Ring. Too big, a lot of garbage items, not really any good fire incantations, not balanced enough in difficulty, etc., etc., etc., I could go on and on about what I didn't like about Elden Ring. Great video, and yes in my opinion DS3 was a masterpiece, and is by far my favorite From Software game to date. Hope they make DS4 someday!!!

Agreed, Elden Ring's praise was very deserved but compared to the playing experience of Bloodbourne and DS3 is just not in the same league. DS3 is just an exceptional game.

In my opinion, as of right now, base games excluding DLC (to be fair to Elden Ring) games rank like this: 7. Dark Souls 2 6. Demon's Souls 5. Sekiro 4. Dark Souls 3 3. Elden Ring 2. Dark Souls 1 1. Bloodborne But if we incluse DLC (may change after Elden Rings DLC) the list is like this for me: 7. Demon's Souls 6. Dark Souls 2 5. Sekiro 4. Elden Ring 3. Dark Souls 3 2. Dark Souls 1 1. Bloodborne

DS3 is the last From Soft game I got to play and I don’t understand how it doesn’t get any more praise. To me it’s clearly the best “Souls” game even including Bloodborne. My #1 favorite is still Sekiro but I don’t count that one as “souls.l DS3 has the best bosses, enemy variety and gorgeous areas in my opinion (except for Elden Ring obviously). I prefer the more focused and refined experience in DS3 vs an open world though. Overall the highlight to me are the bosses, how cool they are and how fun they’re to fight! Sister Freide kicked my ass a few times but what a spectacle was that fight!

God damn ive been playing the game for 80 hours with all dlcs and still havent completed it

Cool and fun video, and I do agree: 3 is easily the best Souls game! You got my upvote! You should take better care of your audio editing though. Sometimes there's a syllable or two missing. Sometimes a sentence is played twice. And generally you should use crossfades between your audio clips to reduce the clicking noise resulting from unfaded waveforms crashing into each other. edit: Fuck me, you already apologized for the audio issues in a pinned comment. Who's looking dumb now, haha? ;)

I hard agree with this video. I will always fight for ds3 to be recognised as the best 'souls' game. However, I will never argue against someone who states Sekiro or Bloodborne as their favourite as all 3 of them are borderline perfect games. Ds3 is the absolute pinnacle of the dark souls trilogy. Sekiro is almost a perfectly unique game on its own that is unbelievably good. Bloodborne itself is absolutely a fantastic spin in the souls game formula and offers different enough game play to deserve being touted as good as ds3. Tldr: game good

I put in hundreds of hours in ds3 invasions from high level to low level to mid level it’s the best pvp in all these games

Why is everyone questioning the existance of the dragonslayer armor's bonfire its actually there for u to take the shortcut to the twin princes

I have now watched your entire video and - respectfully - disagree with almost every statement you made (apart from Bumper Jumping and maybe the smithing system). It comes down to taste and I am one of the people that put DS1, Elden Ring and to an extent maybe even DS2 above DS3 (the last one is a close one though) but everyone has their own opinion and a lot of times with this series it seems that the game you started out with also has a high chance of being your favourite at least for 1 and 3 that is. The video itself was well made with some little hiccups here and there but overall good quality so it gets my like even if i disagree with it xD.

Dark Souls 3 is the best souls. But Dark Souls 1, is Dark Souls. Great video man !

Yes, absolutely agree! I have beaten 1x ds1, 4x ds3, and er ng+7, and I can tell that all these 3 games are fckn bussin! AND YES DS3 HAVE THE BEST OSTs. Like only the mainmenu theme is getting you the legendary feeling! But elden ring is so much easier! ER stans getting mad after not getting bonfire every minute :(

Combat in this game is so fast pace and challenging that just running past the enemy is the true answer to it all, which everyone eventually learns to do. Just like in Elden Rings this game becomes a find the loot you need and kill bosses, type of a game. Armor? Just run and roll! It's so easy! Now you just need to learn the bosses. But instead of figuring out what all their moves are, just find out the one more that allows you to deal free dmg and then find a way to avoid the others. :D Done! EZ!! DS3 IS EASYYY!"!!

Of all the criticisms the only one that had me standing up in objection was the “dark souls 3 sucks for fashion souls” bit. Guess that got really close to home. Great video all around though 👍

im quiet in a pickle. i have trouble picking up new games, cause Dark Souls 3 made such an impression on me. played and finished Elden Ring, than just went back to ds3. no idea what to play else ^^

Agreed. I came to DS3 after Elden Ring and as much as I love ER, DS is just such a focused experience. Up there with Bloodborne as the best FromSoft game IMO

I personally didn't care for much of DS3, it's lower-mid tier of the Soulsborne series for me. Also note, a lot of changes for QoL you attributed to DS3 happened in DS2 and Bloodborne first. As a player who primarily plays as a Caster build, I absolutely DESPISE what DS3 did to casters and the same that carried over to Elden Ring.

I watched this and thought it was really good so I clicked on the channel only to realize this is the only gaming video Im just saying I subscribed but Id like to see more gaming content

Tl;dr DS3 is a curated experience with a good endgame and that’s why it’s better. Elden Ring is a regression in quality, atmosphere, gameplay, mechanics and story/characters (with a few exceptions, such as Blaidd and Melina - I’m on the fence on Ranni, she’s a bit too anime/incongruent with the rest of the themes, even if it’s very ‘Berserk’). DS3 is an epic while ER is a generic adventure that turns into a slog.

I do not feel it is as refined or as perfectly interconnected as the first game. What it certainly has going for it is the bosses: it arguably has some of the best FromSoftware ever created, especially mid to late game and of course, DLC. But I found the some of the areas in between to be rather humdrum and superfluous. It’s still a great game, but for me the first Dark Souls is the best in the series. My personal FromSoftware order is: Bloodborne Elden Ring Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Dark Souls Demon’s Souls Dark Souls III Dark Souls II

Although ds3 is a fantastic game with a lot of enjoyment to be had in. A lot of the time it feels like an uninspired retread of ds1 to me, but without the moody atmosphere and interesting level design. Imo ds3 is carried hard by its bosses, I find most of the areas either boring or just a chore to get through with a few exceptions such as lothric castle. Idk ds3 just feels way too safe and by the numbers for me, I wish they had taken more risks.

Some people said that dark souls 3 is a lazy tired copout of dark souls 1 same can be said about the other entity's in the souls franchise or could make a argument that really dark souls 1 is a lazy tired copout of demons souls

best lvl design is definetely first dark souls not 3d. the interconnection beetween areas there is beautiful

My feelings is that while Dark Souls 3 is a 95/100, and Elden Ring and Bloodborne are only 90/100… I still think Elden Ring is an objectivity better game. There is just so much, it looks so good, and is so much more approachable. Quality over Quantity breaks down when the quality is so good, that quantity BECOMES a quality in and of itself. Anyway; love all Fromsoft games. If I had to choose a ranking, it would have to be a tie between Elden Ring and Dark Souls 3 for first, then Bloodborne, then DS1, then DS2 and Sekiro(I have only gotten a few hours into either of these two, and I wasn’t able to get too much into Sekiro’s combat, so until I beat it or atleast get better at it this is where it stands.

I would argue that covenants are not useless. The farron covenant grants you a rather swanky weapon with a true combo so you can demolish scrubs in PVP with it. Not only that the farron curved greatsword is not exactly a bad weapon. It can kick ass in PVE as well. Rosarias is obviously important for respecs as you mentioned. Other covenants provide spells and and buffs or items WHICH ARE INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT FOR HIGHER NG+ CYCLES AND PVP. Soft ignoring the PVP element of the game, which kept it alive for 7+ years, isn't exactly fair.

I’m pretty sure all of those quality of life improvements (except moving while healing) were added in DS2, unless you mentioned that and I just missed it.

about the game being shorter, after being a souls player for the past 3 years, i have beaten ds3 so many times that i can defeat gael in the ringed city after about 3 and half to 4 hours. and i wouldnt have it any other way. I havent beaten elden ring for a second time because of just how long it is. its like, an 80 hour journey regardless.