• Take your time. No one is rushing you. Head rushing into a new area or into a combat situation will only land you a trip to your nearest Nexus Stone. 
• Every time you get a new item find a place you know is safe and open your inventory menu and see what this item is and what it does. Who knows, maybe this item will save your life.
• Timing is everything in this game. If you time your combat wrong then you'll die. If you time your healing wrong then you'll die. study the moves of your enemies and learn to anticipate them. 
• There is NO SHAME in running away from a fight. If you see a fight is not going your way then retreating is your best option. Just be careful that the enemy won't decide to hit you in the back or send an arrow flying your way.
• Survey the combat area. Some weapons are better suited for certain situations. If you are in a tight space then swinging your sword will be useless. Instead use a rapier or a spear. If in a open space then swords and axes can become a very useful crowd control tool. 
• Upgrade your weapons. While they are ok for the first level, base weapons are almost useless in later stages. Upgrading them will only benefit you. 
• Maintain your equipment. From time to time go to the blacksmiths and make sure your weapons and armor are fine and dandy. 
• When in the Nexus know where you swing your sword. People in this game have loooooooooong memory. 
• Never underestimate your enemy even if they have low health. 
• Be ready to be invaded at any point. Unless you play offline.
• If you see a Blue Souls Sign then use it. Who knows, you might find a new friend. 
• World and character tendency is a bit too much for newcomers so don't get frustrated if you can't understand how to control it. believe me, there are many other things that will frustrate you. 
• This web site will help you a lot but be warned that it will ruin a lot of the magic of your first play-through. 

Be Royal as a class.  It's the most customizable and gives you the best starting stuff.

"

• If you see a Blue Souls Sign then use it. Who knows, you might find a new friend. 

"

" Be Royal as a class.  It's the most customizable and gives you the best starting stuff. "

I'm receiving the game this weekend, so these tips are surely coming in handy. Thanks for that and don't be afraid of posting more. I'm sure going to need them, seeing how hard people say this game is.

Don't waste your time with armor, it will only slow you down.

" Don't waste your time with armor, it will only slow you down. "

Run absolutely everywhere with your shield up. Saved my ass numerous times.

Yeap golden rule of Demon's Souls is that it is better to not get hit, then get hit but take no damage.  Go with that light gear, stay back and study enemy patterns, learn how to properly dodge each attack.  It will help you in the normal game and PVP if you practice this.  It is also a good idea to experiment with all kinds of weapons for awhile until you find what you like using the most.  Once you find something you like practice with it until you know it like the back of your hand.  Lastly don't be mad or upset if your first character comes out being all over the place and just feels sort of bad after you start getting into the NG's, making a new character and focusing on the stats you need and weapons you want once you have already beaten the game once is not hard at all and you will understand alot more about what it takes to succeed in the game.

thanks for the tips, they were stupendous

Slow and easy wins the race.

I have a useful tip too: Dump early points into boosting your hp. Having 1000 hp instead of 600 makes all the difference in the world. The key is to not get one-shotted or locked down before you can eat your grass.

" Don't waste your time with armor, it will only slow you down. "

" @Mordukai said:

"

• If you see a Blue Souls Sign then use it. Who knows, you might find a new friend. 

"

This is the biggest one. I met more good people in Demon's Souls than in any other game. Just about everyone I ran into was willing to run me through a level and show me every secret there. It's also the best way to learn a lot of stuff. The player will need to talk to you via XMB messages, but the certain level of restricted communication allows for more focused gameplay. "

Hey, guys, what's up... I have been keen on buying this game for a long time, but I keep pushing it back because I don't have online capabilities for my PS3, so my question is, is it worth buying this game purely for an offline campaign? Like I said, I am not online, so does that impact on the gameplay in a large way? Or is it still worth it to play solo and offline? Feedback will be appreciated.

" Hey, guys, what's up... I have been keen on buying this game for a long time, but I keep pushing it back because I don't have online capabilities for my PS3, so my question is, is it worth buying this game purely for an offline campaign? Like I said, I am not online, so does that impact on the gameplay in a large way? Or is it still worth it to play solo and offline? Feedback will be appreciated. "

" Hey, guys, what's up... I have been keen on buying this game for a long time, but I keep pushing it back because I don't have online capabilities for my PS3, so my question is, is it worth buying this game purely for an offline campaign? Like I said, I am not online, so does that impact on the gameplay in a large way? Or is it still worth it to play solo and offline? Feedback will be appreciated. "

I just started recently. I'm playing as a hunter, level 25. I'm kinda playing it with a friend, we webcam communicate and  look for each other to summon as blue phantoms. Anyone have any advice for lvling up a hunter? so far I've been putting everything into dex, and some into vitality and endurance. I currently have a sharp broadsword + 1and a sticky long bow +1

" @Tsoglani said:

" Hey, guys, what's up... I have been keen on buying this game for a long time, but I keep pushing it back because I don't have online capabilities for my PS3, so my question is, is it worth buying this game purely for an offline campaign? Like I said, I am not online, so does that impact on the gameplay in a large way? Or is it still worth it to play solo and offline? Feedback will be appreciated. "

Umm...of course it's worth it? The game is 99% a single player experience. I played through the whole thing never doing any co-op or PvP, and only checking a few of the little messages people left around and still had an absolutely amazing time with it and it was my 2009 GotY. Please, seriously, go for it, you really will not be missing out at all by not having any online access. There is certainly fun to be had with co-op and PvP play in the game, but this is not a game you should debate buying based on online content. "

I just recently started playing this game and I have a question about the actual Demon's Souls you get. Is it better to just use them, get those souls and level up, or are they worth saving for some purpose?

" I just recently started playing this game and I have a question about the actual Demon's Souls you get. Is it better to just use them, get those souls and level up, or are they worth saving for some purpose? "

" @animateria: Say that my character isn't heavily invested in magic, and some boss' soul can be given to Sage Freke for some spell that I'm not interested in. Should I consume this soul? "

" @animateria: Say that my character isn't heavily invested in magic, and some boss' soul can be given to Sage Freke for some spell that I'm not interested in. Should I consume this soul? "

" @CL60:  Gamefaqs doesn't allow you to link directly to their text files, so I'm not sure what guide or FAQ you are trying to link. "

Also, even if you're a fighter it's extremely useful to invest heavily in magic.

I would also recommend being in Soul Form as often as possible, even if it means killing yourself in the Nexus.  You're more difficult to detect and kill by NPC enemies, nor do you have to worry about player characters invading your game and murdering you (and thereby often messing up your World Tendency).

Just traded Mafia 2 in for Demon's Souls, and I must say I am enjoying the experience so far. Granted, I am only still one 1-1, but the game has hooked me in... i am looking for the Cling Ring right now. Started as a Royal, but was torn whether I should have gone for the Soldier class, but am finding the Soul Arrow really useful.