The Unwritten Rules of Dark Souls Explained
The Dark Souls community may not be one of the oldest in gaming, but it certainly is one of the most passionate. With its signature style and trademark difficulty, developer FromSoftware has cultivated a passionate group of gamers that guide each other through every tough boss battle. Much like games like Skyrim, the Dark Souls franchise holds a special distinction among other properties in that it's able to maintain relevance long after its latest installment has released. Thanks to the replayability of the series, many gamers dedicate themselves to playing the entire Dark Souls trilogy until they've experienced everything.
Dark Souls has been around for over ten years, and in that time, its fanbase has demonstrated a passion that some rarely ever see. Whether it's fan art, cosplay, or mods, the Dark Souls community has kept the series in the public eye despite the fact that Dark Souls 3 came out over five years ago. A large part of that camaraderie has come from the franchise's various unwritten rules, agreed upon stipulations that serve as both advice and forms of etiquette. It's through these unwritten rules that fans are able to connect through a mostly single-player experience, and take some of the darkness out of Dark Souls.
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Dark Souls' PvP Etiquette
While it's a primarily single-player experience, Dark Souls' PvP mechanics are a frequent highlight for some fans. With the right items, a player can invade another player's game and halt their progress. This invasion mechanic has bred its fair share of mischief over the years, but many Dark Souls fans abide by an unwritten rule of etiquette when engaging in PvP. Several things go into this PvP etiquette, but one of the most widely accepted is to not fight in front of any NPCs. This is because many NPCs react rather strongly to being attacked, and baiting a player to attack an NPC could lead to an unfair advantage.
Talk Every NPC's Ear Off In Dark Souls
On the topic of NPCs, Dark Souls has a lot of them, with some offering more than others. Many of the franchise's NPCs are about as unremarkable as an NPC in any other game, but some offer specific quests or simply deliver entertaining dialogue if a player talks to them long enough. Many fans specifically delight in the disturbing laughs that some Dark Souls NPCs have, especially since it takes a fair amount of patience to get through all of their dialogue before they share said laugh. So if a player is looking to truly experience all that a Dark Souls game has to offer, speaking to every NPC until they've run out of new dialogue is essential.
Send The Elevator Back In Dark Souls
Dark Souls brings players to the depths of dank sewers and to the peaks of magnificent towers, and to accomplish these trips, it primarily uses elevators. Using these elevators can take a considerable amount of time, and there isn't always a bonfire nearby to prevent repeat rides upon death. As a result, many Dark Souls fans believe it's imperative to send any elevator back from where it came after it's been ridden, in the event that a player dies and inevitably has to ride it again. This shaves off a little bit of time spent waiting for the elevator to come back, and helps keep players from stewing in their previous shortcomings too much.
The Dark Souls series is one that many gamers always seem to make their way back to, even with the many other Soulsborne titles that have released since its last installment. With its complex boss battles, medieval style, and deep lore, FromSoftware managed to create something timeless. This is most clear in the series' unwritten rules that guide everyone from the most seasoned gamers, to those just picking up their first Dark Souls game for the first time. Not only do they ensure a smooth experience for those taking on the franchise's most difficult challenges, but they serve to create a deep sense of community.
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Source: GameRant
