So I recently installed Dark Souls Prepare to die edition on steam and was wondering if you guys have any tips on this game. Oh and is DS fix still necessary. Thanks!

Yes, DSfix is still necessary. For tons of advice and discussion on Dark Souls, check out the other topics on this very forum. Lots of helpful tips have been shared here before.

Definitely get DSfix.

As for gameplay tips, just go in and have fun!

Dsfix is great but i advise against unlocking framerate, its built for 30fps and anything else is glitchy.

DSfix is still a necessity, it works great. Played through the whole game at 144 fps, zero glitches.

@oursin_360: 60fps isn't bad. You just need to toggle it off with BACKSPACE when you need to make a jump or slide down a ladder.

Take your time, don't get discouraged, and back down whenever you feel overwhelmed. Don't be afraid of cheesing the AI if you need to, the odds are almost always stacked in their favor.

But really take your time. Nobody is kidding when they say every death in the game is avoidable if you slow your pace and keep a calm attitude. Notice details that stick out, like if there's a lot of corpses, if there's a treasure that looks just out of reach, if there's something that feels too easy to obtain. You're gonna notice a lot of messages if you're playing online. The weird advice with that is both listen to them and also doubt them. A lot of messages are placed to joke with you, but a lot are also very helpful when you feel lost. I tend to always listen to a message first but constantly tell myself it could be wrong. Never be afraid to back down, there is nothing on the line and nobody will make fun of you for not rushing in to try to fight 3 monsters. If it feels like you aren't at a good level to fight something, listen to that feeling and come back at a later time. And don't be afraid to forget about your souls when facing a boss. However many levels you may lose is nothing compared to just studying a boss and triumphing over it.

The community can get a little toxic when it comes to "You shouldn't be at this level when you fight this boss because otherwise you're not playing the game right" type of shit. If a boss is too easy, you're over-leveled, if it's too hard you need to "git gud", etc. Don't listen to that exclusionary mentality. Odds are if you're having trouble with something there are LOADS of people who had trouble also.

The Dark Souls series has a lot to offer and it's very fun once you can surpass and overcome the frustrations with the games. I think the biggest problem with the games is this notion that "Oh they're too hard for normal gamers," and it only serves to boost current players' elitism and gatekeep the community from new fans.

Don't give up, Skeleton!

Alright thanks guys for the advice. Liking the game so far.

@therookie727: Accept the fact that you're going to die (a lot) and lose a shit ton of souls. Once you get over that, you're golden. Have fun and good luck.

Ohh...You might want to look at installing Wulf's Coop Mod. Makes it much easier to connect with people, especially if you're trying to connect to friends.

I would advise against having more than 50% equip load. You're roll gets annoying after that. That along with Stamina is why in DS1 Endurance is never a waste.

I would also advise to not to lay too much stake in very unique weapons. The moveset matters more and you can't buy upgrade items for them, you have to find them.

An 100% or close block shield really helps your first time through until you learn the enemies and the bosses.

I advise against DSFix framerate unlocking as it can cause you to glitch through the world.

Mashing can result in animations being queued up and you feeling like you lost control for the split second where you needed it.

Other than that enjoy the surprises that are in store for you and the buttload of fan content after you've finished.

@milijango: that is annoying especially playing with a gamepad. I played 30fps lock but that made it easy to play at 4k res with hi res textures. I also remember fps beong tied to the game speed, and have no idea how anybody played ds1 at 144hz without glitches?

Don't be afraid of making a crappy build, your first build will always be a crapfest of stats.

Oh, and always spend your souls, even with homeward bones or firebombs (but don't be afraid of losing a lot of souls, shit happens and you can get more souls easily)

Every weapon can do decent damage if you upgrade it high enough and have the right stats. Get conformable with the ideas of stat scaling (certain weapons increase their damage output based on certain stats, for example a great club gets a huge damage boost with a high strength stat since it has an "A" scaling in strength) and i-framing through attacks (invincibility frames mean frames of animations where you can't take damage, you get i-frames when you roll, use that to your advantage by timing your rolls just as an enemy is about to hit you. This means if you're good enough with your timings, you can still avoid taking damage even if you're physically in the enemy's hitbox) .

-Buy a purging stone asap. Also, if you see gekos, run like hell

-Pick the master key

-Always assume that there will be an enemy hidden around every corner, and that enemies will spawn behind you as soon as you enter a narrow corridor.

-Infuse your weapon as soon as possible

-Learn the different damage types and pay attention to them through the game. If you are having difficulty with a boss, figure out what kind of damage they are doing and wear the armor with the highest resistance against that type of damage that will still allow you to stay under 50% equip load.

-Level up more than one weapon and infuse it with a different damage type from your primary. Some enemies will have hidden resistances to certain types of damage so you'll want to have options.

@iburningstar: How does that list not include "Don't fret over lost souls".

Pump points into Strength stat. Get the biggest sword you can find. Wreck fools.

I would qualify advice like this. While it opens a lot of doors you might get lost more than average using it. I think it is more useful to second playthroughs and speedruns. Later games also do not have this type of item so I wouldn't get used to it.

i have played through DS multiple times with 60 fps, and there are only 2 ladders and 1 jump where i had to toggle it off. It's not a high price to pay to be able to play in 60 fps.