A Look At The Official, Comprehensive 385-Page Dark Souls Strategy Guide

26 responses to “A Look At The Official, Comprehensive 385-Page Dark Souls Strategy Guide”

1. 

   Ruffleberg

   October 15, 2011 at 3:10 pm

   I’ll get it just for that awesome cover.

   Reply
2. 

   Neo-Kaiser

   October 15, 2011 at 3:32 pm

   Dark Souls is the kind of game you shouldn’t get a strategy guide for.

   Reply
   1. 

      silentwolf

      October 15, 2011 at 3:43 pm

      But its probably (from what ive heard) the only game out there that needs it, unlike BF3 lol

      Reply
   2. 

      Chimpanzie That!

      October 15, 2011 at 3:55 pm

      I think it requires a strategy guide to work at all. Lots of the largely essential items are only found illogical places, and many bosses etc. can only be beaten by bizarre methods that feel more like glitches. Or at least this has been my experience so far.

      Reply
      1. 

         Neo-Kaiser

         October 15, 2011 at 5:27 pm

         That’s the whole point of player messages and red stains. To learn what possibly happened to them and how to avoid it.

         Reply
         1. 

            Kizaru

            October 16, 2011 at 10:04 am

            There are lots of things that Dark Souls does not explain that, quite frankly, beside the aforementioned bloodstains and messages, only serve to frustrate the player in an unnecessary and unfair ways.

            Chief among them IMO is covenants. What do you get? How do you join? Can you leave? What are the consequences? You can’t find or convey that kind of info in the game (though I’d like to see someone try!)

            So there is a place for people who want to use this guide.

            Reply
         2. 

            BrainDrain

            February 20, 2012 at 9:38 am

            messages are fine if you play multiplayer. You may be shocked by this but not everyone in the world plays multiplayer.

            Reply
   3. 

      buzz

      October 15, 2011 at 5:10 pm

      I completely agree with you. Most of the game’s magic is exploring and finding things out for yourself. Of course, I understand collectors who would want to buy it, but for anyone else I don’t see the point of it when they could just do a quick google search or go to the wiki page.

      Figuring out how to beat bosses and overcome obstacles in this game by yourself (no matter how hard) is what gives Dark Souls its rewarding charm.

      Reply
3. 

   Chazz

   October 15, 2011 at 6:16 pm

   Here’s an idea…play the game on your own and figured it out on your own. We did it for years without issue (save for word of mouth at the arcade) and with games that didn’t even have save states.

   Sure, I’ve looked up the odd thing here or there for a game but actually buying a guide for it? Seems like the game is a bit beyond you if you need to purchase a full on guide for it.

   Reply
   1. 

      Braaains

      October 15, 2011 at 9:39 pm

      I do think it’s a bit redundant given the amount of online resources that are available. But if the book itself is nicely done then there’s probably a place for it as a piece of merchandise / memorabilia for fans of the game.

      Reply
4. 

   Snacuum

   October 15, 2011 at 6:29 pm

   Seriously people what’s with all the hate on strategy guides?

   They have been around since the beginning of video games and have not been a problem, if somebody wanted to use one then that’s their own thing.

   Also this game out of any is more asking for the use of a guide, hell the game mechanics in the game itself revolve around finding out what others have done and learning from it. An official guide is simply the most distilled version of this concept.

   Reply
   1. 

      Digtrio

      October 15, 2011 at 7:08 pm

      My thoughts exactly. Not everybody is great at video games and sometimes need a bit of help to finish a game. I used to use a walkthrough here and there on games – particularly for puzzles – but these days I tend not to but I certainly don’t look down on those who do.

      I’d rather everybody gets to fully experience the game rather than give up because they’re stuck or something.

      Reply
   2. 

      Scott

      October 16, 2011 at 8:17 pm

      They’ve been around since the beginning of video games?

      I’m guessing your first console was a PS1 right?

      Reply
      1. 

         Snacuum

         October 16, 2011 at 10:46 pm

         You seriously trying to tell me you couldn’t buy guides for many old PC games as well as NES, and SNES games? I will admit however that my statement is an exaggeration if you thought I was referring to guides for the Magnavox Odyssey.

         Reply
5. 

   Mase

   October 15, 2011 at 6:58 pm

   Wait, so it’s not 385 pages of “You’re screwed” printed over and over again?

   Reply
   1. 

      DeeK

      October 15, 2011 at 11:00 pm

      Nope. They also throw in the phrase “Die. Die. Die.” on some pages. According to the index, that’s where the boss fights are described.

      Reply
6. 

   drewskeOne

   October 15, 2011 at 7:32 pm

   So when can I purchase this ? and where

   Reply
   1. 

      Phill // Bset

      October 16, 2011 at 12:34 pm

      You can get the Guidebook from here for a decent price.

      http://www.zavvi.com/books/dark-souls-official-guide/10537849.html

      Reply
7. 

   hungryb4dinner

   October 16, 2011 at 3:03 am

   Its like $80 on ebay including postage!! WAT!

   Reply
8. 

   Scott

   October 16, 2011 at 8:13 pm

   It’s funny because not only have games gotten SO much easier these days, we also have the internet that will show you the solution to every puzzle and location of every collectible.

   And along comes a game that tries to re-introduce players to the long forgotten feeling of accomplishment that’s been buried under a tidal wave of regenerating health, unlimited re-spawns and invasive tutorials and of course … people need a strategy guide.

   I bet that 15 years from now, strategy guides will plug directly into your TV and finish the game before you.

   Reply
   1. 

      Wade

      October 17, 2011 at 9:19 am

      In Soviet Russia, Games Play You.

      Reply
9. 

   Animality41

   October 16, 2011 at 9:09 pm

   I would like to point out that not everything in the strategy guide is designed to make the game easier. Having read bits of the online one, it’s useful for things that aren’t covered in the manual such as ratio’s for equip rate and other things related to stats etc instead of just simply for this is beat this boss.

   Reply
10. 

    MrBS

    October 17, 2011 at 8:45 am

    Future Press make amazing guides. The Bayonetta guide is perhaps the best I’ve ever seen and made me a huge fan of thier work. I’ll be picking this one up at some point for the collection.

    Reply
11. 

    HotDamn!

    October 17, 2011 at 10:06 am

    Wow, so Dark Souls hey. I haven’t been this in love with a video game for quite some time. So glad I took the plunge. Anyway, this guide looks not only useful, but would be a great collectors piece if you’re a fan. It appears to be sold out everywhere, however.

    Reply
12. 

    Blaze_Fury

    October 17, 2011 at 9:13 pm

    I know I’m stating the obvious but this game is really hard. I die so much but I keep going back. I’m not even past the first bonfire after the tutorial yet. Stupid skeletons keep killing me. Then I kill them and the big one kills me… fun medieval game though. Never played anything like it.

    Reply
    1. 

       HotDamn!

       October 18, 2011 at 10:50 am

       This is the area I’m dicking around in as well. At this stage I know I’m not strong enough to kill the over-sized skeleton warrior. I moved up to the Undead Burg section to get some more experience. THEN I plan to go back down and whip his bony ass. Hehe.

       Reply