This game is hard in the beginning, any general useful tips?

[Rocket]

I pretty much die over and over in one of the first areas with multiple enemies. Do I just stink at the game, or am I doing something wrong?

Is there a first hour guide to progress in this game anywhere?

Thanks in advance!

[NADIE]

Besides getting some salt to level up a couple of times, a good tip would be to avoid conflict with mobs, you can easily roll through them and keep moving forward, that way you can make progress AND save more health potions.

Everytime you can, remember to open shortcuts, like the ladder in the first castle and so on.

Even the worst shield in the game is good enough to block arrows at the start if they are bothering you too much.

[No One]

Too many general useful tips. Not quite sure where to start.

Don't use armour. Non-upgraded armour is basically trash. Use dodge rolling instead. The early shields are terrible too. (The best shields are very overpowered.)

Are you using swords (100% slash) against heavily armoured enemies?

Are you using spells? They're a lot more work than regular weapons.

Are you using a dagger with both hands?

[Onoda]

Keep dying.
Keep learning.

The best way to be good at this game is not to rely on the strongest weapons and levelling up.

Get good at it by dying over and over and learning the combat mechanics.

You'll learn the spacing and timing of the weapon you are using and won't get hit anymore.

Even the lowest tier weapons are good enough un-upgraded.

Don't be conservative with consumables. Buff your weapon and throw bombs.

Learn to space and time your attacks, especially your opening attack which has to connect before your enemy can initiate his own attack. Small mobs can be stunlocked even with a one-handed weapon.

With bosses, learn to dodge and never let your stamina drain all the way down. If you go into negative stamina, you won't be able to dodge and the next action, such as an attack, will be slower than normal. Hit one or twice, observe the boss and time your dodge to get behind it. Attack one or twice, watch for its attack telegraph, dodge again etc.

[FirelanderX]

A greatsword is basically easy mode, start with knight and get the first greatsword in the Village of Smiles just right of the sanctuary and level Strength. Try to get your armor to at least 50% for a decent roll.

[Darkness]

Originally posted by RocketJump:

Is there a first hour guide to progress in this game anywhere?

I've actually recorded my first hour within the game back in 2018. Not a stellar gameplay, though, as I was still figuring some stuff out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ59b3JX1mk

The game is pretty much the closest thing to a 2D dark souls we can get, so it punishes mistakes really hard. If you're not used to such things, you probably need to update your mindset and start learning from your mistakes to avoid repeating them.

[Onoda]

You'll only be sad when you finally beat everything and want to play it all over again in a different way. Enjoy being stuck in the game and wander about looking for secrets, killing things and getting better at it.

[Pachyo]

Originally posted by RocketJump:

I pretty much die over and over in one of the first areas with multiple enemies. Do I just stink at the game, or am I doing something wrong?

Is there a first hour guide to progress in this game anywhere?

Thanks in advance!

Play Dark Souls first to get used to Soulslike games.

[Mataza]

A bit more information?

I found I sucked with the knight's starting sword and tried out different weapons. I landed on hammers and axes which are better at stunning enemies. Also don't try combo moves mixing fast attacks with strong attacks. They're slow, barely stronger and every single one leads to me taking more damage. When in doubt, attack once and either block(with shield) or roll away.