Dark Souls 3 Beginner’s Guide to Combat

If there’s one thing you need to know to play Dark Souls (and there isn’t; there’s actually loads of things you need to know but this is a biggie) it’s how to fight. We’ve poured through everything anyone has seen of Dark Souls 3 so far to advise you of the skills you should work on to improve your Dark Souls combat as a beginner, as well as why you’ll need them up to scratch in time for Dark Souls 3.

Timing is important

Inasmuch as fighting generally can be described as a dance, combat in any Souls game is a waltz where everyone involved will turn around and viciously spear the audience if they notice them watching, so it’s easier to get through it if you can learn the steps. Each of the enemies you come across, from the trash mobs to the big bosses, will have their own moves, largely depending on what they’re armed with. Some will telegraph their strong attacks, some will use their shield to bash, some will stab forwards with a mid range weapon.

In Dark Souls 3 the enemy AI is smarter and they move quicker, so it’s going to be even more helpful if you can recognise their moves before they dust them off. That way you can not only move out of the way quickly, but also parry at the right time if you have a shield with that ability.

Get to know your weapons

Related to enemy timing is your own timing. Each weapon is slightly different, so get to know the speed for the regular and heavy swings for each. You need to know when to smash that attack button, so that your attack animation ends before theirs does and you land the hit first, especially for slower, heavier weapons like maces, which can leave you open and vulnerable.

This may be even more important in Dark Souls 3, as it’s introducing something currently known as Sword Art, which so far appears to use your mana to deal a strong attack unique to the weapon you’re using. Your character can take a few seconds bracing to perform these, and if you’re interrupted with an attack you’ll lose both a) health and b) the mana, without doing any of the damage.

Consider long range capability

Skills with a bow or spells is a perfectly good build for a character in Dark Souls, and Bloodborne gives your character the option of an offhand gun which can slightly damage and stagger enemies. From the Dark Souls test footage we’ve seen evidence of some very strong spells, plus a bow that’s quicker on the draw, so you might want to think about brushing up on your aim or trying the mage classes in previous Souls games to see how you get on with them.

Backstabbing

Knowing how to get in a good backstab can be invaluable. If an enemy in a Souls game is of an acceptable size relative to yourself (i.e. not so large that you can’t actually reach their back) then you can get behind them and, at the right angle, deliver a backstab for some huge damage, which can get you through some tough fights. Backstabbing is still a thing in Dark Souls 3, so practise getting behind enemies by dodging, circling, and sidestepping (a useful thing to be able to do anyway).

Unfortunately the devs seem to have gotten wise to the tactic being overused, so some enemies are now able to fox your efforts a bit. Knights, in particular, will now bash you a good ‘un if you try to get behind them and pass too close to their tower shield, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still go the other way around to skewer them.

Stop, drop, and roll

Rolling is another technique that’s a useful part of Souls combat, because it’s a really versatile dodge manoeuvre. You can use it to quickly roll away from an enemy attack, or get under it and come up for your own. It’s also a great way to get through enemies and hit them from behind, in a very dishonourable way.

With larger enemies you can often tumble your way right under their legs to avoid their weapons, and if an enemy is using long range weapons or projectiles you can roll towards them to skip under the attack, a technique that works well in the previous Dark Souls games and seems to have carried over to Dark Souls 3. Evades are easier to time than a block or parry, and because the combat has increased in speed rolling will let you move faster with it.

Get aggressive

Where you can get away with it it’s good to think of that old adage: “The best offense is a good offense; screw defense altogether.” Bloodborne trains players towards a more offensive attack style, giving you the chance to claw back health if you quickly deal some damage to your enemy, and while Dark Souls 3 is unlikely to use that mechanic, footage that came out of E3 and the network stress tests shows Dark Souls 3 combat is a might quicker than in the previous Dark Souls games.

A lot of people who played it have commented that it does, in fact, feel a bit more like Bloodborne’s combat than classic Dark Souls, and the most successful players in the stress tests were those that kept moving and attacking rather than turtling under a shield. This doesn’t mean, of course, that one should employ this tactic recklessly: Souls games have always rewarded the tactical player over the foolhardy, but controlled aggression is itself a very viable tactic, after all.

Buy the official Dark Souls 3 Guide now.