How to Make a Monster

In this guide (which is quintessential to any newcomers to the series), I will attempt to showcase the most vital gameplay feature within the entirety of Dark Souls III: Its character creation screen. The raw potential within this simple-seeming menu is ignored by most, and tapped only by the brave few - So prepare. What good is first-try parry-killing Pontiff anyways if you can't look decent while you're doing it?

A Simple Beginning

This is our canvas, our blank slate - an important thing to any artist. The game provides us with some room for choice, too. This singular rowdy, dirty commoner isn't the only option for a discerning individual:



For those austere few with a penchant for strong brows, look no further than the Carim Novice.



In a similar vein, those that wish to expand upon a slightly spookier base need search for none other than the London Shadow of Death. This facial base presents the essential features of a true, modern-day Londoner: Sunken and depressed, with cheeks like a crumpled capri-sun, ready to usher in an age of Dark at a moment's notice. The art designers here have so accurately portrayed Miyazaki's vision for the fictional city of London that it can't help but inspire.

For our purposes, however, I shall be remaining with the 'Commoner', as I seek to demonstrate that greatness can be achieved even from the blandest of bases.

Before we truly embark, there is another thing within this menu that warrants mentioning: The body preset menu.



Though the wandering novice may be tempted to select an option from within it, only to think no further on their character's body, this is entirely unfitting for the lofty goals to which we aspire. For now, think of this menu as a sample platter - A teasing glimpse of greater potential to come - And then tarry no longer.

We have business to attend to.

The Winds of Fate

Navigating over to the 'Face Details' tab, one may be tempted by the slew of options immediately thrown onto their screen. "I have so much control!" One may think, like a doddering idiot. However, do not be distracted by the foul, glittering illusions of self-determination, as we take a different path. Only by relinquishing a sense of control over or responsibility for our art do we truly begin to take risks within the medium.



Enter from upstage: The 'Similar Face' menu.

The importance of this tool cannot be understated. It introduces an element of dice-rolling - of inherent risk - into this work. Every time you click that button, you are breathing life into your very own Frankenstein's monster, generating an entirely new face for your creation based off of its previous iteration. It takes on an existence of its own, outside of your control, mutating and evolving with but one simple input from the artiste.



Here we see the evolution taking its natural course. In only a handful of button presses, the commonest Commoner has been transmuted as if by alchemy into something truly unique. No two creations will ever be the same. Already, this tool has provided us with something not only thought-provoking, but emotionally poignant at the same time. A distinct feeling emerges when looking at this new being. What once was mundane is made wholly alien, abstracted and stretched by mechanical computing into something entirely of its own. Therein lies the art.

Regretfully, though I could write a novella about this feature, I have been restrained by conventions such as 'time' to cut this down to a reasonable length. Therefore, I will continue. Let us embark elsewhere. Though please, I implore you, spend some time getting intimately familiar with the 'Similar Face' button. It will make future endeavors better than you ever could have imagined.

Imposing Order Over Chaos

At the outset of this, my doctoral thesis regarding Dark Souls the Third's character creation mechanics, I was cautious of including this step in the guide. It seemed to conflict with my 'Similar Face' philosophy in an unpleasant manner. As I grew to understand the beauty of this fundamental feature, however, I could not help but come to a simple realization: To leave it out would be a disservice not only to the reader, but to my country, my family, and myself. It is simply so vital a step in this artistic process that to leave without touching upon it once would be akin to the murder of one whom I love.

Here it is.



This one slider: Form Emphasis.



It is fundamentally transformative to the work as a whole, and should only be employed by the boldest of avant-garde artists. Here, it takes what was previously simple and smooth, bringing it in on itself, presenting crumpled, jagged edges where once there were curves. It adds so much depth to the image that I can't help but get emotional. If you cannot recognize the raw potential of this one slider, then this guide is most certainly not for you.

There is more in this screen, too. Always more to discover. More to transform.





Gender has often been a controversial subject within art as a whole, and here it is addressed within this simple set of tools. When made feminine, this creation grows wide, green, and angry, like all women. When made masculine, its features shrink and become shriveled, all while becoming a sickly yellow shade: A trait common amongst every man who has ever walked beneath the sun.

Notice, however, that it is a spectrum - A slider. Wholly-inclusive in a way that has not been seen in any artistic medium to date - until now. The simple, understated genius of this choice is not lost on one such as I, and neither should it be on you, gentle reader. This screen is a masterpiece.

For this specific creation, I chose a strong sense of clear femininity, offsetting this monster's previously yellowish, masculine complexion, subverting the viewer's expectations.

The Final Touches

As we go on, it is imperative to remember: This is for the creation of a monster, wholly unique in its aspects. This is not a guide for those who wish to copy the decisions of others. So, that being said, do not - gentle reader - mimic the creation choices you are about to witness. I encourage you to explore the medium with an open mind, without the pollution that may come with trying to recreate the work of another.

So begins the final stretches of our work.



After the foundations have been laid, one may feel free to tweak the details as best they see fit. Here I seek to draw out the prominent and further diminish the recessed, resulting in a degree of contrast that hitherto could not be reached. What results from this is a clearer identity for the endeavor as a whole, giving it a recognizable, hand-crafted shape.

You must approach these choices with bravery. Be unabashedly bold in your choices. Do not settle for a middle slider, push everything to the fullest of its potential. It is in this mindset that we find the quintessence of an artist: One who is unafraid to express their innermost being.

Now, the hair.



Choices range from debonair...



To downright bold and brash.



It is important to consider here what you want to evoke within your audience. Each hairstyle has its merits and flaws, far too many to get into within the broad scope of this guide, but I shall leave you with this to guide you: Pick something unexpected, something which defies expectations and puts your viewer on the back foot, something which provokes fits of rage or outright sobbing - Pick something meaningful to you.

For the purposes of this guide, I shall go with what I consider to be the boldest haircut of the bunch.



Next, it is time to consider what we have left to us: To further define our creation's identity within the work.



Here, I find myself scrolling through the facial hair options. Some, like the one pictured above, are tried-and-true methods of expression, but I opt for something different.



With this one simple detail, another layer is brought into the monster. Again, I encourage bold experimentation, without trepidation or shame. There is no wrong answer to the questions posed by Dark Souls the Third's creation mechanics, except for meekness or blandness.

Now, here at the end of our Herculean effort, I imagine the artist's fatigue will have set in. I am here to say: Do not give in just yet.

The body. The frame for our painting. Ever-important, and ever-present in the work. Here, we see the difference it makes:



Simply by making his head large and his physique small and frail, I have injected another layer of visual flair into the image. Play around with the body scaling options. I will not prescribe anything to you, other than the usual: Be bold, make mistakes, then create masterpieces.

A Title, An Ending, A New Beginning

This journey we have been on, through small details and large, through the belly of this beautiful, wholly unique beast known as the Dark Souls III Character Creation Engine, is a truly remarkable process. It inspired growth in me as a person, and I hope this guide does something similar with its readers.

Regardless of sentiment, there is one last task that remains to the artist.

Put a name to your unholy spawn.



At this point, I feel an explanation of this name would be barbaric, so I will simply leave the image as it lies, burned into my retinas, living out its own existence in my memory, and now enshrined into yours.

My god.

What have we wrought?

[turbojuusto]

Perfection

[RocPack]

Nice

[Maero]

My eyes are satisfied

[Pulsar]

I am disappointed to see no mention of several topics that are substantial to the creation of the most deviant of gremlins. One such subject is the gender of the creature, each of its two options casting an entirely new perspective on it. The other is colour. It is dismaying to witness the ignorance of the ability to manipulate the wide spectrum of light waves; as Goobo here bears a bland black hair and a disgustingly realistic body skin tone. The only use of such blandness would be the subversion of wild expectations, however it is unacceptable to disregard the possibillities of the options I mentioned.

[KingGaben315]

Beautiful indeed

[Thiccalus]

Bravo.

[Cthulhu]

Such a beautiful creation

[Pillow Man]

This is hilarious, thanks for the laugh!

[Ser Junkan]

good guide (i live in your walls)

[Nom Nom Nom]

inspirational, motivational and life-changing.
10/10