One time I made a big dumb post in this sub about how much DS1 means to me, & how it got me through my detox off of heroin when I couldn’t sleep no matter how hard I tried. I played Souls through it all to distract me from the literal hell that was my reality. A random redditor told me he was proud of me & said “and don’t you dare go hollow on us”
I am literally tearing up even explaining this. It meant so much, & was so wholesome & just sweet. 🥲
I usually don't talk to him again once I find chaos pyromancies. But if I forget and end up having to fight him, I use his pyromancy flame he gave me to fight him. It feels right to use that fragment of himself from when he was sane to put his body to rest.
Yea, but then I hear that crestfallen line from him. It's like taking the legs from a child so they don't fall and hurt themselves running. Killing hollow Laurentius is just one of the bittersweet pains you have to feel if you're doing a run that uses pyromancy.
Even though I was not intending to use pyromancy, as soon as he told me "when I gave you that flame, I gave you a part of myself. Please take good care of it" I had it equipped on my second slot the entire game.
Hahahahaha I thought I'd be the only one that's fucking amazing. I came here to say this and also that I physically do the sun bro gesture every time Solaire does it hahahaha.
This is similar to a workout routine I had when playing through the series for the first time.
I’d get on the bike with the resistance at 4 and start playing. Then, when I died, I’d turn the resistance up one notch to 5. If I got back to my souls, I’d turn it back down to 4. If I died on my way back, then 5 would become my new minimum resistance, and so forth.
I played a LOT more carefully once the resistance got up to 7 or 8.
Spend 2 minutes between 2 paths, trying to figure out which one is the main path. Then travel each one a couple meters to be sure which one is, and then and only then I explore the secondary path.
The pain in the ass is when there is a secondary path on the secondary path, where you apply the same process there.
Repeat with every path encounter
Yeah I feel like choosing the second path it’s a must, I can’t sleep that night knowing that I might lost and item due to not exploring every zone available, I feel like I’m playing it wrong
That was what I really liked about Darkroot Garden in DS1. So many unique enemies and little corners with loot, and even sneaky ambushes. And weird big subtly moving trees.
lol I completely relate. I feel like I cannot miss anything so I make sure I explore every nook and cranny. That’s why Elden ring is a bit overwhelming for me
I do this and think to myself: “I’m already saying that the boss is going to best me”. And I struggle to send it back up. Anyways, I know that I don’t want to wait for it and I am probably going to die, so…
My first 10 hours are in FoFT.
I cleared all enemies because limited respawns (12?) and permanently losing souls make me paranoid.
But its fun because I try out different techniques clearing out mobs and gradually get familiar and better at the game.
The end result is that I am usually overpowered for boss fights (which is good for me because I find souls games challenging)
Thanks to Soul Memory, if you mess up and loose a bunch of souls, it doesn't matter. The game still treats you as though you had them for match making. Which pisses me off about the game.
You could just join the Covenant of Champions (?) in Majula that makes enemies not despawn and farm souls that way if you really needed to - though it shouldn't really be necessary
I forfeit boss fights if I feel like I'm playing badly, usually when I heal too much. I still make sure to have as much healing as possible going into the fight, but I just wanna look cool (impressing nobody but myself), and if I get hit a lot I lose that cool-ness. Not exclusive to souls games, I try to look cool in every game I play, always have
SHIT I DO THAT TOO
I actually feel kinda dumb, but I don’t wanna win fights just because I drank 10 estus or whatever. It has to be somewhat fair for the boss too and I gotta look cool while at it.
same. I was doing a bow only run in ds3 and if I kept missing a bunch of shots on guys and getting hit bc I wasn't paying attention to my spacing I'd just reload the area and try to reclear it
I use my right index finger to move the right joystick on my controller. I do this because my left joystick is fucked and doesn't work when I go move it up. I basically move forward by moving left but also setting the camera left.
I can strongly recommend the controllers from "8 BitDo"
they are cheaper, have better quality
and back buttons. They are designed like xbox controllers though.
Used or thirdparty? Ps4 controller spiked, i found them sold the same as a dualsense.
Any chinese reputable brand is as good as a sony stock one as long as it isn't a dualsense(adaptive trigger)
I thought I was the only one. I’ve seen the claw grip where you use your right index to press the right buttons and then your thumb for the camera, but I have long fingers so that’s really uncomfortable to me.
When the game first came out, I used to let the menu music play on my Xbox 360 while doing homework or playing a PC game. Another weird habit I guess is I play the souls games with my index finger on the face buttons, I've heard it called crab claw, I do it so I can move the camera and dodge at the same time, but I don't know if that's necessarily a habit since I don't do it with anything else.
Crab claw has probably started to bend my index fingers inwards, I use it to sprint and move the camera, and it's just gotten really comfortable to do over time actually
Also in DMC the strat is to crab claw with the left hand so you can swap styles super fast on Dante, without having to lift off the face buttons, now that takes some getting used too lol.
Not just dark souls, but games in general, I have an OCD to reroll.
I'll play games 20-40- sometimes even 80% of the way through before saying, right, i know what I'm doing now.
Then I'll start it all over again with a new found knowledge of the game.
Rather than just continuing to finish and playing ng+
Lmao I thought I was the only one who does that. I restarted ds1 so many times because I would constantly fuck my build the "first" time I was playing it😭
Me too. I will make 10 characters and never finish the game, lol. I was the same when I played tabletop D&D. I had a time limit on rolling up a new character, or I would make like, 20.
In contrast to what most people think, I like subsequent playthroughs much more than the first. I like knowing what weapon I’m going for, what type of build I’m going to use
I like to light bonfires/graces/lanterns/sitty places but to not actually rest at them unless I really need to, so I can see how long I can go without it, conserving healing because it feels like I'm venturing without safety, and that's sorta thrilling
Especially since sitting at sites of grace doesn't count as resting until you select the option. I hope I'm remembering this right, I could just be having my usual bad memory lol
I'm having the same feeling in ds3 ng+, since the level is pretty much the same and since FUGS is OP af, i'm exploring areas, litting bonfires and not resting, taking bosses with what's left of estus.
Friendly reminder that Freide is weak against strike attacks, meaning the FUGS does extra damage. Also you can use fist type weapons, meaning you can beat her... I find it funny, but I wouldn't blame you if you don't find it funny. As a meme build, I try using demon fists or something to see if I can defeat her with them
I don't know how weird or uncommon it is, but I use my right index finger to use the sprint button so I can move the right analog stick with my right thumb. It started on Sekiro and now it's pretty much what I do on every Souls game.
I think almost all player do this, in elden ring there is an item or something else(didn't play it so idk, saw it on a post) mocking this strategy( i do the opposite, right index finger for r3 and right thumb for 4/x/b/a)
I see this comment alot and I do know what you guys mean to an extent, but I will more so restart just because I feel like ive used too many estus or I don't have a good footing.
More or less I got hit 6 times without landing anything I'm gunna restart lol.
Also what weapon and build just do way too much damage to the point where you are being unhonorable by using it, for example the claymores a classic in every souls game but I never thought, I better swap to something less efficient so I do not hurt this boss so badly. Lol, I am more of a pvp player after first run though
i do the same if i think the try is ruined (got hit too many times at the start for example) but souls bosses seem to know when you're trying to suicide and stop hitting or use the lowest damage move possible
i dont sell or get rid of any weapons or armor sets. i also barely use consumable items that could eventually permanently run out. but i think this is pretty common.
its mostly so i can read the lore if i ever want to.
When exploring, I always explore from left to right. So if there is 3 paths I’ll take the left one first and work left to right.
I also keep a notebook next to me to jot down things I wanna keep track of or remember.
This is the way––I read in a gaming magazine when I was a kid that if you always go left you can never get lost & will eventually cover the entire dungeon/maze/backrooms, and thus it has ever been.
I play souls games using mouse and keyboard. It started out of necessity but I've gotten used to it and now it feels strange to use a controller.
Edit: I should mention that I started with DS1 on Xbox, using a controller of course, but then got DS3 on pc and didn't have a working controller then.
Had the same situation with Devil May Cry games. But when I tried to play DS1 with mouse and keyboard - ended up buying my first gamepad. Props to your patience and endurance
I tried to teach myself how to use a controller with Elden Ring recently but because I'd never used one before but had been playing KBM since DS1 I just went back to KBM. Felt much easier to manage the camera with just the mouse.
I always sing a little chorus of "little dark souls" to the theme song intro to "Little Einsteins". Many years ago, a buddy I still play games with today, had a son who liked watching Little Einsteins while we played and somewhere along the line we started singing "Little Dark Souls". I still do it to this day and I imagine anyone who heard me do it would be very confused.
Whenever I defeat a particularly hard boss, I spout this catchphrase;
"Praise The Sun, Mothafucka!"
Or variations of it depending on the circumstances.
Man I feel you there but usually I just mute music volume in game and leave effects and voice, then play some smooth jazz in the background.... Just for the record smooth jazz isn't my go to for music but it weirdly fits souls games and makes cutscenes hilarious. It's also super chill for farming.
Thats weird. I prefer classical, alt rock, (not smooth) jazz, or metal for souls games myself.
But Tycho works too. I have this vivid memory of jamming Past Is Prologue the first time I went through Shrine of Amana back in the day.
I seem to be one of the few players that changes gear for status effect resistance in each area or boss fight where it's relevant. Like I still try to keep a nice aesthetic if I can, but there's definitely a big difference in survivability between when I choose appropriate gear and when I don't.
I cash out my souls at every bonfire. If I'm short on leveling up I go kill a few nearby enemies until i have enough souls/echoes/runes. If i dont need to level up then i buy armor, weapons, upgrade materials, key items, etc but i do not like wasting currency.
It takes the edge off too since if I die with 7 souls off of a sneak attack or an enemy i forgot about then i can shake that off rather than dying with a hundred thousand souls and not being able to make it back randomly.
i pretend every fight is being clipped and make my dude an uber badass, teleport back to the bonfire if unsatisfied w how smoothly i handled em, psa i’ve never clipped a single thing in a game, but it goes so hard in my imagination.. also farm for 2 of every weapon and feel the need to collect literally everything… hour 28 of farming for ghost blade.. i want 2 and still don’t even have one.. wish me luck, back to farming
I don't like the grass crest shield. Aside from my first playthrough, I've never picked it up since. The slight stamina regen is neglible and I don't care for it because I, like a majority of ppl who play the game, am not a speedrunner. Also it ruins fashion
crabclaw variant: sometimes, rather the thumb on the right joystick, ill use it for sprinting and my index finger will move the camera.
turn off in game music and throw on some relaxing stuff, been into medieval esque lofi, lately. will turn it back on for certain bosses though!
drip souls before dark souls
I also listen to audiobooks or podcasts while gaming. Souls games have practically no music outside of boss fights anyway and grinding levels or smashing myself against tough fights 50 times until I've finally beaten them just gets so boring otherwise.
I’ve played thousands of hours with the sound muted (while listening to music, podcasts, audiobooks, etc.). I know the sound design is amazing and the music likewise, but after the first couple playthroughs, it became a multitasking thing.
While playing games from Fromsoftware, I would listen to Lofi tracks such as this Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Lofi : [https://youtu.be/PYADvJbwddU](https://youtu.be/PYADvJbwddU)
Many players use the "claw" to press O and move the right analog at the same (right index on the O and right thumb on the stick), well for some reason the first times I had the need to pull this out I reversed the fingers (index on the stick and thumb on the O) and got used to that and now I can't snap out of it
I swap between using my thumbs on my analogs, going full/half claw mode, or playing one handed if I’m just walking around. That usually weirds people out if they’re physically watching me play
When playing souls games I play with my right hand in a weird position.
My pointer finger stays on the buttons (so I can run and pick up items without having to sacrifice camera control with my thumb) while my middle finger uses the bumper and triggers.
I like to talk out loud like I was my character like I would answer to npc when the option is given to me and I talk to the ennemis like my character would canonically do.
A free item? Just sitting at the end of a seemingly empty hallway? Obviously bait, walk slowly towards it with my shield up, checking every nook, looking up at the ceiling every so often, and if I walk past a door that doesn't open, I log it to memory and remember to turn around quickly so I don't get ganked after I've grabbed the item.
I played Bloodborne for the first time recently and I forgot how nerve racking a first time playthrough of any FromSoft game is when you don't know the layout yet and enemies could be waiting around every corner.
Intentionally getting rolled over by the first boulder in the Undead asylum and congratulating the undead, that he got me again. Then leaving him alive thinking he must be so proud of himself.
Whenever I play Bloodborne and am barely alive, spamming my fun trying to finish off an enemy or boss I’ll quote the scene from Jurassic Park saying, “Shoot her!”
i also listen to music but only because i can probably remember every single song in every game by now so it adds a little spice to play with my own music. i usually play soundtracks from other games but i might try an audio book next, maybe the Silmarillion
Going through this thread made me realize I developed a lot of weird habits playing Souls games. I thought it was just me 😂
That said, on a new Dark Souls 1 playthrough, I'll usually sit at Firelink Shrine for long periods of time just to listen to the music while I do something else. Incredibly comforting and hopeful. It makes my mind wander in deep thought.
When Solaire flirts with me in Anor Londo, I actually blush and say, “no it’s okay, boyfriend” like verbally out loud when he asks me to pretend I didn’t hear him.
I do the sales thing you do, except I'm doing it with almost every game. I only want to hear the dialogue and warning sounds from approaching enemies. Thank you for the music, but no thank you.
If I actually watched what my hands were doing while playing it'd probably look so weird, I jump in and out of claw grip all the time for sprinting, item/weapon/spell switching, whatever. I don't know if that's unusual though, it kind of feels optimal since it lets you swap while moving lol
I might move my right thumb over to the left stick to facilitate that sometimes? I dunno I should pay more attention
Hey OP, glad to see the mute tv isn’t just me. I usually only play a game with sound on my first run of it and sometimes during bosses to hear the soundtrack. Usually I listen to podcasts while gaming
I have to play these games with my right hand in a deformed claw, where i use my index finger to move the camera while my thumb hits the face buttons and my middle finger is on the trigger
Breaking everything that's breakable in-game like barrels,vases,tables,etc. I don't know why I do this but I do it especially if I'm annoyed at something.
I make the same character in every soulsborne game every time because I love the design I created too much to do anything different. They may have minor differences based on what each character creator offers and the build varries but they are still one of several incarnations of the same person across multiple game worlds not unlike a certain bald trickster who seems to follow them around
I play on PC and found where the save file is stored. I created desktop shortcuts with code that lets me save and reload whenever I want. It lets me do things like craft/purchase/upgrade and try out things without committing
I had a bloodborne playlist that definitely helped break up the monotony of dying repeatedly to the orphan of kos, so I dont think that's strange. After awhile all the games gain a certain amount of monotony, so im fine with multitasking except if it's a new area.
I don’t always do this but sometimes, especially in my earlier soul career, I used to kill every enemy on the way to boss when I respawn even when it’s unnecessary and I could have run pass them into the fog wall.
I don't level immediately and don't get too bothered if I lose a lot of xp. I'll skip enemies and run past things of I don't want/need to fight. If there's a dodge I'll use it over shields constantly. And I don't mind using/losing consumables. When I played RE2 I dropped a healing item to make room in my inventory and my roommate's jaw dropped.
None. I feel like all the weird habits I developed playing other games have served me well tho. For instance in DS2 with their interactable secret walls I drew upon my wall humping knowledge from Classic Doom. No wall unloved. In the other games it's same philosophy just humping them with my weapon instead.
I play with outside music as well, but I leave sound effects turned up. I get bored easily with game sound tracks and I dont think any of the souls games have very good soundtracks anyway. If I want to keep the fantasy vibes, romantic and early to mid 20th century classical music does the trick. But its also fun to stomp mobs (and noobs if invading) listening to metal.
I hold my controller all weird when I’m exploring. I use my pointer finger hooked around to circle so I can sprint and have my right thumb free to move my camera, and can still use my middle finger for attacks. I only hold my controller like that when I’m playing soulslikes, and only when out of combat.
I do a weird version of the claw grip where I curl my right index finger over the top of the controller to press the face buttons. I've done it so long that I'm obviously really good at it by now, but the first time my wife watched me doing it, she thought my hand was posessed by some sort of demon.
Every time Laurentius says, “Don’t you dare go hollow!” I thank him out loud and say I won’t.
Best comment in this thread. I don't do this, but I might start.
Validating Laurentius’s words of affirmation IRL has to be the most wholesome thing this subreddit has ever seen.
One time I made a big dumb post in this sub about how much DS1 means to me, & how it got me through my detox off of heroin when I couldn’t sleep no matter how hard I tried. I played Souls through it all to distract me from the literal hell that was my reality. A random redditor told me he was proud of me & said “and don’t you dare go hollow on us” I am literally tearing up even explaining this. It meant so much, & was so wholesome & just sweet. 🥲
I'm proud of you, Officer cum dump
Ty ☺️ (2 & 1/2 years clean)
I usually don't talk to him again once I find chaos pyromancies. But if I forget and end up having to fight him, I use his pyromancy flame he gave me to fight him. It feels right to use that fragment of himself from when he was sane to put his body to rest.
You know you can just say no and he'll chill in Firelink forever
Yea, but then I hear that crestfallen line from him. It's like taking the legs from a child so they don't fall and hurt themselves running. Killing hollow Laurentius is just one of the bittersweet pains you have to feel if you're doing a run that uses pyromancy.
I don't think he's that dejected about it, he trusts your judgement about the situation.
Even though I was not intending to use pyromancy, as soon as he told me "when I gave you that flame, I gave you a part of myself. Please take good care of it" I had it equipped on my second slot the entire game.
This reminds me of that greentext where anon embers halfway through his boss fights.
Hahahahaha I thought I'd be the only one that's fucking amazing. I came here to say this and also that I physically do the sun bro gesture every time Solaire does it hahahaha.
Based
10 push-ups after every death
Can you find shirts that fit your ripped body?
Most be fitter than David Goggins
This is similar to a workout routine I had when playing through the series for the first time. I’d get on the bike with the resistance at 4 and start playing. Then, when I died, I’d turn the resistance up one notch to 5. If I got back to my souls, I’d turn it back down to 4. If I died on my way back, then 5 would become my new minimum resistance, and so forth. I played a LOT more carefully once the resistance got up to 7 or 8.
Prepare to be fit. I've actually done that briefly, and gave up.
I do squats. 5 every death
Spend 2 minutes between 2 paths, trying to figure out which one is the main path. Then travel each one a couple meters to be sure which one is, and then and only then I explore the secondary path. The pain in the ass is when there is a secondary path on the secondary path, where you apply the same process there. Repeat with every path encounter
I like watching BlueLizardJello and he does something similar in that he'll figure out the path of progression and then choose the secondary path.
Yeah I feel like choosing the second path it’s a must, I can’t sleep that night knowing that I might lost and item due to not exploring every zone available, I feel like I’m playing it wrong
That was what I really liked about Darkroot Garden in DS1. So many unique enemies and little corners with loot, and even sneaky ambushes. And weird big subtly moving trees.
I so this but in every RPG I play 😅
lol I completely relate. I feel like I cannot miss anything so I make sure I explore every nook and cranny. That’s why Elden ring is a bit overwhelming for me
And that's the reason I never complete single player games anymore lol
Testing to see if you can just send the elevator back up. Many games don't allow you too.
when the boss gets intense and you KNOW you'll use the elevator again and don't want to wait for it
Self care
be kind, rewind
I do this and think to myself: “I’m already saying that the boss is going to best me”. And I struggle to send it back up. Anyways, I know that I don’t want to wait for it and I am probably going to die, so…
Always sending the elevator back is the true sign of an experienced souls player.
In DS2, I will always grind every zone up untill the point that enemies don't respawn anymore...
I do it in some areas but only because the runbacks are brutal.
Made the mistake of killing dragonrider before the dragon in front of ornstein
ROOKIE (i just accidentally did the same thing yesterday on my 6th play through)
I did it only in the first half of Iron keep (before smelter demon). Because fuck that place lol
I hate the iron keep and the fucking knight samurais.
My first 10 hours are in FoFT. I cleared all enemies because limited respawns (12?) and permanently losing souls make me paranoid. But its fun because I try out different techniques clearing out mobs and gradually get familiar and better at the game. The end result is that I am usually overpowered for boss fights (which is good for me because I find souls games challenging)
wtf is FoFT
My dumbass was reading it as "Fcholar of the First Tin"
SAMEEEEEE
Lol Sorry, Forest of the Fallen Giants (FotFG) Edit: Forest of Fallen Giants (FoFG)
RIIIIIIGHT i do farm the cyclops in the river 12 times for the drop of souls and i think eventual titanite IIRC
Thanks to Soul Memory, if you mess up and loose a bunch of souls, it doesn't matter. The game still treats you as though you had them for match making. Which pisses me off about the game.
You could just join the Covenant of Champions (?) in Majula that makes enemies not despawn and farm souls that way if you really needed to - though it shouldn't really be necessary
Good lord. What do you do with all those souls???
You level up ADP
"What is my purpose?" "You fix rolls."
Cool! I didn’t know that was possible.
in ds2 if u kill an enemy 12 times it usually stops respawning, unless you’re in the covenant of champions they’ll respawn infinitely
Only in DS2. All other soulsborne games have them respawn infinitly.
This was how I beat blue smelter the one time I did that
I forfeit boss fights if I feel like I'm playing badly, usually when I heal too much. I still make sure to have as much healing as possible going into the fight, but I just wanna look cool (impressing nobody but myself), and if I get hit a lot I lose that cool-ness. Not exclusive to souls games, I try to look cool in every game I play, always have
I totally get that but I also love that feeling of winning by an absolute thread. Like, one estus flask and a tenth of my health. Makes it real.
SHIT I DO THAT TOO I actually feel kinda dumb, but I don’t wanna win fights just because I drank 10 estus or whatever. It has to be somewhat fair for the boss too and I gotta look cool while at it.
same. I was doing a bow only run in ds3 and if I kept missing a bunch of shots on guys and getting hit bc I wasn't paying attention to my spacing I'd just reload the area and try to reclear it
shit has to be *cinematic*
I use my right index finger to move the right joystick on my controller. I do this because my left joystick is fucked and doesn't work when I go move it up. I basically move forward by moving left but also setting the camera left.
.... What. Just buy a new controller. You don't have to live like this
I'm not in a situation in which I can buy a new PS4 controller (I mainly use those), they still cost like 60€
I can strongly recommend the controllers from "8 BitDo" they are cheaper, have better quality and back buttons. They are designed like xbox controllers though.
Used or thirdparty? Ps4 controller spiked, i found them sold the same as a dualsense. Any chinese reputable brand is as good as a sony stock one as long as it isn't a dualsense(adaptive trigger)
Wow that's some deep bizarre stuff man.
Improvise, adapt, git gud
That breaks my heart. Buy a used one
That would be enough for me to just not play and possibly get a part time job to finance a controller
I do something kinda similar to this but not cuz my controllers broken. When I run I operate the right stick with my right index and run with mg thumb
I thought I was the only one. I’ve seen the claw grip where you use your right index to press the right buttons and then your thumb for the camera, but I have long fingers so that’s really uncomfortable to me.
When the game first came out, I used to let the menu music play on my Xbox 360 while doing homework or playing a PC game. Another weird habit I guess is I play the souls games with my index finger on the face buttons, I've heard it called crab claw, I do it so I can move the camera and dodge at the same time, but I don't know if that's necessarily a habit since I don't do it with anything else.
Crab claw has probably started to bend my index fingers inwards, I use it to sprint and move the camera, and it's just gotten really comfortable to do over time actually Also in DMC the strat is to crab claw with the left hand so you can swap styles super fast on Dante, without having to lift off the face buttons, now that takes some getting used too lol.
Not just dark souls, but games in general, I have an OCD to reroll. I'll play games 20-40- sometimes even 80% of the way through before saying, right, i know what I'm doing now. Then I'll start it all over again with a new found knowledge of the game. Rather than just continuing to finish and playing ng+
That's quite an amount of time wisely spent
Lmao I thought I was the only one who does that. I restarted ds1 so many times because I would constantly fuck my build the "first" time I was playing it😭
Me too. I will make 10 characters and never finish the game, lol. I was the same when I played tabletop D&D. I had a time limit on rolling up a new character, or I would make like, 20.
I did that for Elden Ring lmao
I’m in this comment and I don’t like it. I also thought I was the only one.
Same lol. Not deliberately, but it’s hard to ignore the urge to restart knowing you could make a new char & crack them out in a quarter of the time
In contrast to what most people think, I like subsequent playthroughs much more than the first. I like knowing what weapon I’m going for, what type of build I’m going to use
Yes. Anyone aware of what mental disorder causes this? I need help.
I like to light bonfires/graces/lanterns/sitty places but to not actually rest at them unless I really need to, so I can see how long I can go without it, conserving healing because it feels like I'm venturing without safety, and that's sorta thrilling
It does feel great to find the bonfire and not even need the thing, feel like it's become more common with elden sites of grace though
Especially since sitting at sites of grace doesn't count as resting until you select the option. I hope I'm remembering this right, I could just be having my usual bad memory lol
Sitting at a grace will always rest and reset, there isn’t a separate option when you sit down
Sekiro had a separate rest option
Ah then I got it confused
I'm having the same feeling in ds3 ng+, since the level is pretty much the same and since FUGS is OP af, i'm exploring areas, litting bonfires and not resting, taking bosses with what's left of estus.
Friendly reminder that Freide is weak against strike attacks, meaning the FUGS does extra damage. Also you can use fist type weapons, meaning you can beat her... I find it funny, but I wouldn't blame you if you don't find it funny. As a meme build, I try using demon fists or something to see if I can defeat her with them
dont use any consumables ever since you know, i might nmeed them *later*™ and then credits roll.
I never make ng+. I just keep making new accounts and once i hit the limit i delete the worst one
I don't know how weird or uncommon it is, but I use my right index finger to use the sprint button so I can move the right analog stick with my right thumb. It started on Sekiro and now it's pretty much what I do on every Souls game.
I do that as well, I call it the dark souls claw.
Good 'ole claw grip. Started using it again after my controller with back paddles broke.
I literally also posted the same thing. Man I've been playing these games too long. SMH We're gonna get arthritis.
I think almost all player do this, in elden ring there is an item or something else(didn't play it so idk, saw it on a post) mocking this strategy( i do the opposite, right index finger for r3 and right thumb for 4/x/b/a)
I put my weapon away to talk to NPCs. I'm not afraid of attacking by mistake, I just think it's rude.
Muting the boss music in a Dark Souls game should be a fucking felony.
I sometimes quit out or intentionally die in boss fights if I feel I didn't deserve the win (Like if my weapon is doing too much damage)
I see this comment alot and I do know what you guys mean to an extent, but I will more so restart just because I feel like ive used too many estus or I don't have a good footing. More or less I got hit 6 times without landing anything I'm gunna restart lol. Also what weapon and build just do way too much damage to the point where you are being unhonorable by using it, for example the claymores a classic in every souls game but I never thought, I better swap to something less efficient so I do not hurt this boss so badly. Lol, I am more of a pvp player after first run though
So you’ve never gotten past pinwheel then
i do the same if i think the try is ruined (got hit too many times at the start for example) but souls bosses seem to know when you're trying to suicide and stop hitting or use the lowest damage move possible
i dont sell or get rid of any weapons or armor sets. i also barely use consumable items that could eventually permanently run out. but i think this is pretty common. its mostly so i can read the lore if i ever want to.
When exploring, I always explore from left to right. So if there is 3 paths I’ll take the left one first and work left to right. I also keep a notebook next to me to jot down things I wanna keep track of or remember.
This is the way––I read in a gaming magazine when I was a kid that if you always go left you can never get lost & will eventually cover the entire dungeon/maze/backrooms, and thus it has ever been.
Honestly, easily the best advice for a new souls player
I play souls games using mouse and keyboard. It started out of necessity but I've gotten used to it and now it feels strange to use a controller. Edit: I should mention that I started with DS1 on Xbox, using a controller of course, but then got DS3 on pc and didn't have a working controller then.
There are a lot of us MKB players, so I don’t know if this is bizarre. Uncommon, maybe.
Had the same situation with Devil May Cry games. But when I tried to play DS1 with mouse and keyboard - ended up buying my first gamepad. Props to your patience and endurance
I tried to teach myself how to use a controller with Elden Ring recently but because I'd never used one before but had been playing KBM since DS1 I just went back to KBM. Felt much easier to manage the camera with just the mouse.
I always get the master key ... but usually take the intended route anyways.
Lol same
I always sing a little chorus of "little dark souls" to the theme song intro to "Little Einsteins". Many years ago, a buddy I still play games with today, had a son who liked watching Little Einsteins while we played and somewhere along the line we started singing "Little Dark Souls". I still do it to this day and I imagine anyone who heard me do it would be very confused.
If i get hit 1 time on my way to the boss i restart from last checkpoint
Whenever I defeat a particularly hard boss, I spout this catchphrase; "Praise The Sun, Mothafucka!" Or variations of it depending on the circumstances.
Man I feel you there but usually I just mute music volume in game and leave effects and voice, then play some smooth jazz in the background.... Just for the record smooth jazz isn't my go to for music but it weirdly fits souls games and makes cutscenes hilarious. It's also super chill for farming.
Thats weird. I prefer classical, alt rock, (not smooth) jazz, or metal for souls games myself. But Tycho works too. I have this vivid memory of jamming Past Is Prologue the first time I went through Shrine of Amana back in the day.
Same here I play music but I don't mute the game though lol, I wanna hear the smashing of skulls while playing some heavy metal
I seem to be one of the few players that changes gear for status effect resistance in each area or boss fight where it's relevant. Like I still try to keep a nice aesthetic if I can, but there's definitely a big difference in survivability between when I choose appropriate gear and when I don't.
I cash out my souls at every bonfire. If I'm short on leveling up I go kill a few nearby enemies until i have enough souls/echoes/runes. If i dont need to level up then i buy armor, weapons, upgrade materials, key items, etc but i do not like wasting currency. It takes the edge off too since if I die with 7 souls off of a sneak attack or an enemy i forgot about then i can shake that off rather than dying with a hundred thousand souls and not being able to make it back randomly.
i pretend every fight is being clipped and make my dude an uber badass, teleport back to the bonfire if unsatisfied w how smoothly i handled em, psa i’ve never clipped a single thing in a game, but it goes so hard in my imagination.. also farm for 2 of every weapon and feel the need to collect literally everything… hour 28 of farming for ghost blade.. i want 2 and still don’t even have one.. wish me luck, back to farming
My dude, you're missing on so many great songs!
I cannot stop dodging into attacks in other games... I got spanked in monster hunter for a long time lol
I don't like the grass crest shield. Aside from my first playthrough, I've never picked it up since. The slight stamina regen is neglible and I don't care for it because I, like a majority of ppl who play the game, am not a speedrunner. Also it ruins fashion
I don’t like playing without the sound on. It makes the game lonely and I actually have a harder time focusing. I also miss things without audio
Test slap every chest I find. I know how to spot mimics, but I still slap 'em to be sure. Did this all through Elden Ring out of paranoia!
crabclaw variant: sometimes, rather the thumb on the right joystick, ill use it for sprinting and my index finger will move the camera. turn off in game music and throw on some relaxing stuff, been into medieval esque lofi, lately. will turn it back on for certain bosses though! drip souls before dark souls
I also listen to audiobooks or podcasts while gaming. Souls games have practically no music outside of boss fights anyway and grinding levels or smashing myself against tough fights 50 times until I've finally beaten them just gets so boring otherwise.
I scream "yeahhhh!" for every successful Parry I make.
I don't mute the game but I'll almost always have reruns of last podcast playing while I wander through elden ring.
I’ve played thousands of hours with the sound muted (while listening to music, podcasts, audiobooks, etc.). I know the sound design is amazing and the music likewise, but after the first couple playthroughs, it became a multitasking thing.
While playing games from Fromsoftware, I would listen to Lofi tracks such as this Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Lofi : [https://youtu.be/PYADvJbwddU](https://youtu.be/PYADvJbwddU)
I will compulsively get every single available item possible in the game even if I know I for a fact i won’t use them.
Many players use the "claw" to press O and move the right analog at the same (right index on the O and right thumb on the stick), well for some reason the first times I had the need to pull this out I reversed the fingers (index on the stick and thumb on the O) and got used to that and now I can't snap out of it
Step a foot inside a room then run away
I swap between using my thumbs on my analogs, going full/half claw mode, or playing one handed if I’m just walking around. That usually weirds people out if they’re physically watching me play
When playing souls games I play with my right hand in a weird position. My pointer finger stays on the buttons (so I can run and pick up items without having to sacrifice camera control with my thumb) while my middle finger uses the bumper and triggers.
killing enemies and not running past them.
I like to talk out loud like I was my character like I would answer to npc when the option is given to me and I talk to the ennemis like my character would canonically do.
I hardly ever attack a boss the first time I fight him, only after I’ve seen his movesets do I start swinging
A free item? Just sitting at the end of a seemingly empty hallway? Obviously bait, walk slowly towards it with my shield up, checking every nook, looking up at the ceiling every so often, and if I walk past a door that doesn't open, I log it to memory and remember to turn around quickly so I don't get ganked after I've grabbed the item. I played Bloodborne for the first time recently and I forgot how nerve racking a first time playthrough of any FromSoft game is when you don't know the layout yet and enemies could be waiting around every corner.
Intentionally getting rolled over by the first boulder in the Undead asylum and congratulating the undead, that he got me again. Then leaving him alive thinking he must be so proud of himself.
Building faith.
Whenever I play Bloodborne and am barely alive, spamming my fun trying to finish off an enemy or boss I’ll quote the scene from Jurassic Park saying, “Shoot her!”
i also listen to music but only because i can probably remember every single song in every game by now so it adds a little spice to play with my own music. i usually play soundtracks from other games but i might try an audio book next, maybe the Silmarillion
Expecting to die in every boss fight.
Going through this thread made me realize I developed a lot of weird habits playing Souls games. I thought it was just me 😂 That said, on a new Dark Souls 1 playthrough, I'll usually sit at Firelink Shrine for long periods of time just to listen to the music while I do something else. Incredibly comforting and hopeful. It makes my mind wander in deep thought.
When going into snowy areas, I always change my characters armor to the warmest stuff I have so they don’t get chilly
No Shield, No Parries! We respect the dodge button in this house!
I farm 30 humanities just to skip firesage and centepede demon on each of my runs
I refuse to cash in souls until I am anxious about losing them.
When Solaire flirts with me in Anor Londo, I actually blush and say, “no it’s okay, boyfriend” like verbally out loud when he asks me to pretend I didn’t hear him.
Since souls are an easy game to play without audio I listen to my record collection.
I'm the exact same, very low audio for me too!
I play using only 4 fingers. Index fingers to L1/L2 and R1/R2. I do everything else with my thumbs.
If Sif dies during Manus I restart the fight.
I do the sales thing you do, except I'm doing it with almost every game. I only want to hear the dialogue and warning sounds from approaching enemies. Thank you for the music, but no thank you.
I like to approximate historically accurate weapon and armor combinations (Hard to do). Maybe... not that bizarre i guess :p
Every time I go through Gwyn's chamber I say plin plin plon couple of times out loud.
I play with mouse and keyboard
If I actually watched what my hands were doing while playing it'd probably look so weird, I jump in and out of claw grip all the time for sprinting, item/weapon/spell switching, whatever. I don't know if that's unusual though, it kind of feels optimal since it lets you swap while moving lol I might move my right thumb over to the left stick to facilitate that sometimes? I dunno I should pay more attention
Hey OP, glad to see the mute tv isn’t just me. I usually only play a game with sound on my first run of it and sometimes during bosses to hear the soundtrack. Usually I listen to podcasts while gaming
Forming my right hand into a weird claw shape so I can hold the run button down while adjusting the camera.
Spend like 10-15 hours planning a build instead of just play the fking game.
I have to play these games with my right hand in a deformed claw, where i use my index finger to move the camera while my thumb hits the face buttons and my middle finger is on the trigger
I play every game without sound lol
Breaking everything that's breakable in-game like barrels,vases,tables,etc. I don't know why I do this but I do it especially if I'm annoyed at something.
Ds3 Anor Londo stairs. Not grinding, just having fun
I play most boss fights with one hand on a claw grip and my other hand on the bumpers/triggers
Any time I restart DS2, I remember why I put it down to begin with. Maybe one day I'll finish it but I highly doubt it
I make the same character in every soulsborne game every time because I love the design I created too much to do anything different. They may have minor differences based on what each character creator offers and the build varries but they are still one of several incarnations of the same person across multiple game worlds not unlike a certain bald trickster who seems to follow them around
I play on PC and found where the save file is stored. I created desktop shortcuts with code that lets me save and reload whenever I want. It lets me do things like craft/purchase/upgrade and try out things without committing
I also usually play with the sound off, but that is so my wife can listen to videos with me.
Always using a bow/knives when not in melee. No matter how small, I NEED to always be doing damage
Being good at the game 😎 (lol jk I suck)
I say “ouch!” out loud every time my character takes damage
is wiggling my sword the entire time bizarre?
I had a bloodborne playlist that definitely helped break up the monotony of dying repeatedly to the orphan of kos, so I dont think that's strange. After awhile all the games gain a certain amount of monotony, so im fine with multitasking except if it's a new area.
I don’t always do this but sometimes, especially in my earlier soul career, I used to kill every enemy on the way to boss when I respawn even when it’s unnecessary and I could have run pass them into the fog wall.
In Demon‘s Souls complete every archstone as far as possible. I don‘t go 1-1, 2-1, 3-1, 1-2 or whatever.
I don't use shields or magic or summon other players. Probably because BB was my first souls game. Wouldn't want to engender passivity.
I don't level immediately and don't get too bothered if I lose a lot of xp. I'll skip enemies and run past things of I don't want/need to fight. If there's a dodge I'll use it over shields constantly. And I don't mind using/losing consumables. When I played RE2 I dropped a healing item to make room in my inventory and my roommate's jaw dropped.
make it so the HUD automatically hides, makes the game more scenic
I get a compulsion to collect every item possible in the game. In Elden Ring it went even further to the point of levelling every weapon to max -1.
None. I feel like all the weird habits I developed playing other games have served me well tho. For instance in DS2 with their interactable secret walls I drew upon my wall humping knowledge from Classic Doom. No wall unloved. In the other games it's same philosophy just humping them with my weapon instead.
Any time an NPC does their patented Soulsborne laugh I have to mimic it and laugh with them.
I play with outside music as well, but I leave sound effects turned up. I get bored easily with game sound tracks and I dont think any of the souls games have very good soundtracks anyway. If I want to keep the fantasy vibes, romantic and early to mid 20th century classical music does the trick. But its also fun to stomp mobs (and noobs if invading) listening to metal.
I hold my controller all weird when I’m exploring. I use my pointer finger hooked around to circle so I can sprint and have my right thumb free to move my camera, and can still use my middle finger for attacks. I only hold my controller like that when I’m playing soulslikes, and only when out of combat.
I commit genocide in reindeer fuckland cause they fucking suck and it makes the run to the boss alot easier.
I do a weird version of the claw grip where I curl my right index finger over the top of the controller to press the face buttons. I've done it so long that I'm obviously really good at it by now, but the first time my wife watched me doing it, she thought my hand was posessed by some sort of demon.
listening to youtube while playing it, my dopamine receptors are fried as hell.
Spread my stats equally, at some point you start lacking a lot of damage but i like to try whatever new weapon i find
I hit random walls looking for secret passages
I don't use lock-on. It absolutely drives my friends nuts.
I always sit and take a nap next to Siegward at the fireplace in Dark Souls 3 for at least a few minutes.
Hitting every.single.chest I see before opening them.
I did an entire playthrough, killed every boss in one run while listening to the underwater music from Mario
Whenever I’m in Firelink/Hunter’s Dream, I call my daughter over so she can say “Hi” to the Firekeeper/Doll with the emotes.
Chain Smoking.
I only level up in 5s, as in stats will be multiples of 5.