DS1 is the easiest souls game.

[WindBlownLeaf]

Now, I'm sure everybody won't agree with me, but I really do feel that way. This is partly because of my specific playstyle (shield and poke) being much stronger in DS1, but there are also a couple of general things that make it easier.

1.) Better shields.

Shields in DS1 have much higher stability than in other games, at least at the start. Take DS3, for example. The first shield you get access to in that that has more than 60 stability is the twin dragon greatshield (3rd area) and its really not a very good shield due to low damage block values. In DS1, the knight starts out with a 100% phys 58 stability shield.

To be fair here, I'll mention that you can easily buy a 65 stability greatshield in DS2 at the start for 2000 souls.

2.) Simpler enemies

Even bosses in DS1 tend to do little more than just hit you with blockable attacks, making a shield almost always useful against them. In DS3, bosses and enemies have a lot of attacks that seem specifically designed to shieldbreak you. These are usually stomp, slam or jump attacks that do incredible amounts of stamina damage even against a high stability shields. There are also magic attacks and the infamous, glitchy grab attacks which were almost completely absent from DS1. Youll have a bad time if you try blocking any of those.

3.) Better items.

I'm specifically thinking of rings here. Imagine having something like DS1 FaP ring (which you can get super early on) in later games. There just isnt anything that provides such an enormous amount of stat boosts as that.

4.) Plentiful healing

You can easily kindle every bonfire just by using the humanities you find along the way to always have at least 10 flasks from the start of the game. In DS3, you are half way through the main game before having that much healing. Kindling gets you 20 flasks later on which is just ridiculous.

5.) Consolidation of stats.

In DS1, attunement, vitality and endurance are all packadged into a single stat. Amazing value for souls when leveling up.
Needless to say that isnt the case in DS3.

There are other things, but you guys get my point. I dont say this as a criticism of the game, its just a bit easier in my opinion which is neither here nor there.

I prefer some of the things DS1 did differently, in particular the stronger rings. Early in DS2 and DS3 the rings barely do anything and i could probably finish DS3 without equipping a single ring and not feeling the difference.

Elden Ring made this even worse by limiting ring slots (now talismans) and requiring you to progress the main quest to unlock more slots. A very questionable change and a little ironic that there are no longer rings in the game despite it literally being in the name. Some items were even nerfed from previous games (radagon soreseal is prisoner chain equivalent but with a worse drawback) despite those items already not being nearly overpowered.

[Mr. Oibyr]

引用自 BFGesus：

As a melee build, this game isn't all that easy, especially when you can't fast-travel to bonfires until halfway through the game and when you do get that ability you can't go to every single one like you can in the other games. You don't know how much of a pain in the ass it is to die from some RNG bullsht from the four kings, especially when you haven't played the game in years, and then have to run all the way back there from firelink shrine or the bonfire in the tunnel before valley of drakes.

Oh yeah, and being forced to die at Seathe the first time and going to the jail cell made me lose all my humanity which reduced the damage on my chaos weapons. That was another good one. Also the amount of damage the crystal midgets do at the duke's archives per hit and the amount of them almost made me lose my ♥♥♥♥ a couple times. The controls are really bad in this game compared to DS3.

In fact, almost all difficult aspects in this game stem from technical issues whether it be that you can only roll in four directions when you lock onto a target or the comically bad hit boxes on enemies like titanite demons and the bed of chaos. I find DS2 to be the hardest because of crap like health reduction for every death, bad controls, and bad animations

What about all those people that say it's too easy with shields? I did not see what you are talking about in DS3, that game is broken. The controls of DS1 are slow and walking while aiming and rolling is inferior to DS3, but there are more glitches and exploits in DS3 that I stumbled upon fortunately and unfortunately. DSR has a lot of polish, where DS:PtDE needed DSFix just for it to play. DS3 devs keep having to fix the game so glitches are at a minimum, like the Tear Drop glitch for example(can now only be done through co-op, unless they fixed that too).

"I find DS2 to be the hardest" that's a first, I never heard that before. DS3 was my last and it was much harder for me than DS2, but like I already said; even difficulty is subjective. DS2 was the easiest after I found out that enemy spawns are limited, then I emptied levels before fighting bosses, which was some good xp.

[Jet]

Those people are full of sht because I don't believe that shields turn this game into easy mode on NG; maybe in NG+ and onwards when you have higher stats to use the better ones. Shields don't block bullsht like the bed of chaos swiping you off the arena and having to run 15 miles back to it after you die or prevent you from being ganked at the four kings boss. DS3 was the easiest for me and it was my first DS game. I could speedrun it without using glitches in about an hour and 20 minutes. DS2 was hard because I used bonfire ascetics in NG and that screwed me over in some areas.

[WindBlownLeaf]

引用自 BFGesus：

Those people are full of sht because I don't believe that shields turn this game into easy mode on NG; maybe in NG+ and onwards when you have higher stats to use the better ones. Shields don't block bullsht like the bed of chaos swiping you off the arena and having to run 15 miles back to it after you die or prevent you from being ganked at the four kings boss. DS3 was the easiest for me and it was my first DS game. I could speedrun it without using glitches in about an hour and 20 minutes. DS2 was hard because I used bonfire ascetics in NG and that screwed me over in some areas.

Shields are incredibly helpful, but where you'll notice that the most is vs. normal enemies in levels. I almost never die in a level if im using a shield. Even something like a 2hander is a lot harder due to slow speed, getting chain-stunned, not being able to fight in tight hallways etc.

Shields lose a lot of their power in bossfights due to their grab/guard breaking attacks, magic & elemental attacks etc.

But for going through a level they are undeniably useful. When playing 2hander strength builds, going through a level is way harder than the eventual bossfight. When using a shield, its easy peasy.

[Rapax/希狐]

You can actually do quite a few things by twohanding shields.
I like to twohand a greatshield when I'm on the thing in the Painted World room and just push the guys off

[Hex: Rauschepauli]

you forgot the most broken mechanic in any souls game. DS 1 Back stabs. this makes the first half of the game a cakewalk.

[Rapax/希狐]

But you look stupid circling around random enemies fishing for backstabs with your shield up, just parry.

[puppymoder44]

ds2 is easiest

[Omertoso]

I am the easiest souls game

[Mr. Oibyr]

引用自 Foreigner：

I am the easiest souls game

^ this