Tips for New Players to Enjoy the Game

[Wungus]

I spent some time helping new players recently and I realized most of them did not know about basic things that were Dark Souls 1-3 knowledge so as a veteran let me share with you guys some of the most powerful tricks to match blades with the other not so amicable veterans.

TL;DR version scroll down.

1. Keep your healing flask on your first slot; this is because you can hold the item swap button to swap back to the first item in slot i.e. you can train yourself to panic button heal.
- Alternative: keep something else on that slot you use a lot and put potion immediately after but this may slow you down enough to affect your emergency healing speed.

2. Utilize pouches! This one is a newer addition considering we had pouches in the past but not a quick button assigned to it as well. This REALLY expands your gameplay as it now allows 4 ADDITIONAL tools for quick access in battle/exploration. That's like, having 4 more spells on demand than someone else (imagine the ADVANTAGE).
- To use quick pouches, simply open menu and scroll cursor to the right.
- In game, you use the Y/Triangle/INTERACT button and then the corresponding slot swap buttons to use an item assigned to those slots.

I personally keep Torrent on LEFT, Mana flask UP, flask RIGHT, and combat tools (throwing knives, bombs, etc) DOWN but for PVP in Colosseum I might run rope bombs and grease buffs instead.
- This leads to letting you have an organized buff bar based on need as well as keeping healing well accessible.

3. Read. You can use X or Y / Square or Triangle / Use or Interact buttons to change equipment display information. I know so many players that didn't know about their Ash of War follow up strikes because of this.
- Not only does it allow you to check your items ash/lore, it gives valuable information like your current resistances which is a game changer with the wikidot since now you can prepare according to absorb an extra hit you couldn't before.

4. Get yourself the Smithing bell bearings as soon as possible so you can experiment with weapons early on.
- Smithing Bell 1 is found in Raya Lucaria Crystal Tunnel (bring a strike weapon) and lets you buy unlimited Smithing Stone tier 1 and tier 2 from the Bell Bearing Maiden to upgrade your weapon to +6 (uses 12 stones per tier)
- Smithing Bell 2 is found in Sealed Tunnel just south of Leyndell's walls and lets you buy unlimited Smithing Stone tier 3 and 4 so now you can go up to +12
- Somber Smithing Bell 1 is found in Selia Crystal Mines ( bring a strike weapon) and lets you buy unlimited Somber Smithing Stones tier 1 and 2 (legendary weapons only use 1 stone of ascending tier)
- Somber Smithing Bell 2 is found in the Atlas Tunnels, easily accessible by going down the broken bridge and hugging the south eastern walls and gives you Somber Smithing Stones T3 and T4 so now you can have a legendary weapon at +4.

By utilizing just the first few dungeons and 1 late one, you can easily have a +10 weapon after killing Godrick.

Hope this helps newbies.

TL;DR
1. HP on first slot in inventory; hold item swap button to switch to first slot from any order in items.
2. Use pouch hotkey/button properly
3. Read your ash/weapon properties
4. Go clear Raya Lucaria Tunnel, Sealed Tunnel, Selia Crystal Mines, and the Atlas Tunnels asap.

[C1REX]

Originally posted by whispery:

1. Keep your healing flask on your first slot; this is because you can hold the item swap button to swap back to the first item in slot i.e. you can train yourself to panic button heal.
- Alternative: keep something else on that slot you use a lot and put potion immediately after but this may slow you down enough to affect your emergency healing speed.

2. Utilize pouches! This one is a newer addition considering we had pouches in the past but not a quick button assigned to it as well. This REALLY expands your gameplay as it now allows 4 ADDITIONAL tools for quick access in battle/exploration. That's like, having 4 more spells on demand than someone else (imagine the ADVANTAGE).
- To use quick pouches, simply open menu and scroll cursor to the right.
- In game, you use the Y/Triangle/INTERACT button and then the corresponding slot swap buttons to use an item assigned to those slots.

I do the other way around.
Horse in my inventory. So X button always summon a horse
Flasks in my pouch. So Y+left is always healing. Y+up is FP regen, Y+down is special flask, Y+ right is my mimic.

With such setup you can't do a mistake and panic use wrong item.

[Wungus]

But you added a level of difficulty by adding an extra step to heal which can be detrimental.

Not only that, by putting horse on your free use, you run into the risk of accidentally using it somewhere unusable so you waste time on a long animation and chance a hit.

You also put mimic on a button that is otherwise not used very often meaning that is a wasted slot for potential. I keep mimic summon and mimic veil on the bottom of my pouch but not hotkey'd for that specific reason.

Still I guess it is a good organization structure as long as you don't panic and don't mind having one of your buttons basically never touched.

[Laughing With Salad]

6. If your not gud, git gud and then you will be.

[ericknirvana]

shift + scroll up

[C1REX]

Originally posted by whispery:

Still I guess it is a good organization structure as long as you don't panic and don't mind having one of your buttons basically never touched.

I use horse a lot so square works for me. The whole setup works perfect for me.
I finished the game like 10 times already with this. I just speedrun from one boss to another so I use mimic and special flask very often. I also have golden chicken leg under square to use it just after boss kill but before I get exp for the kill for extra 30%. Boiled crab is also under square. One of the best consumables in the game.

[Wungus]

Originally posted by C1REX-PL:

I also have golden chicken leg under square to use it just after boss kill but before I get exp for the kill for extra 30%. Boiled crab is also under square. One of the best consumables in the game.

I keep those on my inventory bar hahah spam down every time to reach chickie but crab is my 2nd.

Originally posted by Mung™:

6. If your not gud, git gud and then you will be.

You're*

And whats 5?

[Wungus]

Originally posted by ericknirvana:

shift + scroll up

mine is Q + scroll down hahahah

[Wungus]

Originally posted by whispery:

Originally posted by ericknirvana:

shift + scroll up

mine is Q + scroll down hahahah

only really gamers will understand this

[Yal]

Originally posted by whispery:

1. Keep your healing flask on your first slot; this is because you can hold the item swap button to swap back to the first item in slot i.e. you can train yourself to panic button heal.
- Alternative: keep something else on that slot you use a lot and put potion immediately after but this may slow you down enough to affect your emergency healing speed.

BTW, you can do this with all the item swap inputs! It's especially useful if you're a spellcaster, put your reliable projectile / emergency healing / most powerful spell in the first slot so you can swap to it easily by holding down "up" on the D-pad.

Also speaking of buffs, don't underestimate them! They're very powerful. Investing in the stats needed to use the Tree Sentinel's halberd (which comes with a buff spell you normally can't use until much later) is worth it for that +20% damage/defense alone.

[C1REX]

Damage reduction buffs are waaaay underrated.
People often forget that less healing = more attacking = better DPS.

[Laughing With Salad]

Originally posted by whispery:

Originally posted by C1REX-PL:

I also have golden chicken leg under square to use it just after boss kill but before I get exp for the kill for extra 30%. Boiled crab is also under square. One of the best consumables in the game.

I keep those on my inventory bar hahah spam down every time to reach chickie but crab is my 2nd.

Originally posted by Mung™:

6. If your not gud, git gud and then you will be.

You're*

And whats 5?

what's*

And your not allowed to know 5, only gudbros can know