Outside of an hour or so with DS1 near launch I started with DS2 Scholars then DS1 and played Demons and Bloodborne around the same time. I hold DS1 and 2 in roughly equal regard (DS2 got a lot of things right DS1 failed on, DS1 for a lot of things right DS2 failed on). So the "first one you played is best" theory is kind of a 50/50 for me since I can tell that I appreciate DS2 a lot more than some people since I played it before DS1 but I honestly do like a lot of its changes a lot.

Demon's Souls, after DS1/2, was honestly pretty awful. Most of its bosses looked pretty basic and dumb and were about the complexity level of a normal enemy from mid-way through DS1 and were weak to such basic things. I wish I had played it at the time, I would probably have really liked it.

Bloodborne is a game I appreciate more than I like, I prefer the slower pace and atmosphere of the Souls games but thats just a preference.

My play order was Dark Souls, Demon Souls, Dark Souls 2, and I will play Dark Souls 3 (no idea if I'll ever play Bloodborne but, along with Uncharted 4 and Last of Us 2, it stands as the only thing I'd want to buy a PS4 for thus far).

Dark Souls has been my favorite, but I've put at least 100 hours into each title.

Nope for me. Played DS first, but Bloodborne is my favourite.

Nope, played in chronological order when each game was new, Dark Souls 2 is my favorite. Demon's Souls is my least favorite though still an excellent game. Bloodborne and Dark Souls are tied but I've played Bloodborne a lot more so I have more affection for it and more nostalgia for Dark Souls (I played Dark Souls through NG+7, in Bloodborne I'm on NG+16).

I suspect I'd like Ds1 best no matter what order I played them in, but I did play it first

I suspect this answer varies more if f a Souls game is your favorite or if Bloodborne is your favorite. I would posit that given Bloodborne is the most different game of the series, there is a higher likelihood in it not being someone's first Souls game, but also being their favorite. Bloodborne is my personal favorite, but it wasn't my first for example.

I played them all in order, but Bloodborne is the one for me, so far. Happy to have my mind changed by Dark Souls 3, for that matter.

Started and finished Demon's. Started all the others but never cared to finish any of them.

My first was Dark Souls 2 but I like Bloodborne the best.

I played Demon's Souls in Japanese during the nine or so months between the JP and NA releases. It was very, very good.

Then I played Dark Souls when it came out and was still more or less blown away. So no, the first one I played isn't my favorite.

This. *applauds in agreement*

I liked Demon's Souls, but I think I liked the Bloodborne themes and combat better.

Played Dark souls first, went back to Demon's, then played the rest in order finishing all of them. Dark souls 1 is still my favorite, so much so I got all the achievements twice (ps3 and pc)

Demon's Souls was my first and my favourite until I went back to it recently. I still like it better than Dark Souls and Dark Souls 2 because I like how weird and out there Demon's Souls boss designs are and the music is the best in the series. I think in the end Bloodborne is my favorite. It's lore, art, aesthetic, and atmosphere just did it for me perfectly. I totally understand people's complaints about environment variety and build variety not being what they were, but I still love it.

I only played demons souls and didnt like it.

maybe if they reskinned it to look like a mech game id be interested. Until then the souls games are just a big FU to me by from software after being a fan of armored core and other hot mech titles by from for so many years.

I've only played Dark Souls 2 and would like to play the others. Does Dark Souls 1s graphics hold up?

I played Demon's Souls first way back when it released and I couldn't get past the first area. Hated that game with a passion, tried going back to it and it's still confusing as all hell and can't make sense of it.

Dark Souls is a great game though, easily a lot better. Actually managed to finish that one. Haven't played 2 or Bloodborne so can't comment on those

Before Bloodborne I would have struggled with this question, Demons Souls holds a spacial place in my heart and I really love the Nexus and Archstones idea, the whole hub world where it is nice and peaceful with these things that you need to interact with that leads you to evil really connected with me, it reminded me of Act Raiser a lot which is a-okay by me.
But Dark Souls came along and was just such a pristine action adventure game to me. I would go back and forth and which one I loved more.

Buuuuuuuuut then Bloodborne came along and the combat was so fast and the world was so cool looking it holds my heart. But they are all fantastic games, so far, haven't finished 2 yet.

I answered no but I feel like they're each different enough for me to want to play them for different reasons rather than having them be better or wose than one another. Dark souls for the sense of discovery and exploration and demon souls for bosses and dark souls 2 for covenant/pvp (I was such an asshole of a bell bro)

I played DS 1 for over 40 hours. I like it fine. Dark Souls 2 I beat 6 times. I love that game for a lot of the reasons people dislike it.

I played them all as they were released and (like most people) Dark Souls 1 is my favorite. Demon's Souls was...weirder though, I dunno. There's an aesthetic to that game that I can't put my finger on that will always make me love it. It was more madcap? Hmmm...

My answer to this question was yes, but not necessarily in the way that you meant. My current favourite Souls game is Dark Souls III, which I beat the night before last (I live in Japan) and enjoyed immensely. It was not, however, my first Souls game. I've played Demon's Souls, Dark Souls and Bloodborne, in that chronological order, but never got close to completing any single one of them. I got about halfway through Demon's Souls, before realising I hated the Valley of Defilement and the levels after it. I also didn't like the look of the world; Demon's Souls just looks extremely bland to me. In Dark Souls, I ran into the pinwheel-looking things, hated them, and got sidetracked by life and never ended up beating them. I was enjoying Dark Souls quite a bit, but it still felt like an uphill battle at times. As for Bloodborne, I just didn't take the time to learn how to gun-parry properly, kept getting owned by Father Gascoigne and just stopped.

With Dark Souls III, however, things have finally clicked. The game is challenging, like its predecessors, but when I started playing DSIII, I suddenly felt like I had a handle on the mechanics, and it kept me from being truly frustrated. I felt in control, and that made the game really enjoyable all the way through. It also helps that the environments look fantastic, and while the levels are still interconnected, I never felt as though I was lost. I always knew where to go, and that helped make the game more fun for me. I think the fact that there is hardly any information to find on forums, simply because the game isn't out anywhere but Japan, also helps. It somehow freed me to make my own way, rather than always be on the lookout for the stuff that I had heard about on the internet (in that sense, I realise now that the way I was mechanically spoiled on the previous games genuinely does make it less fun, which I hadn't thought possible up until now.) The fact that the mechanics have now clicked has made me go back to Dark Souls I, and now I enjoy that game more than I did back then as well. There's likely an element of hype in there as well though.

So yeah, in summary; I love Dark Souls III above the others, mostly because it's the first game that has given me the feeling that I understand what it wants from me. I answered yes, because DSIII feels like my first Souls game, in the sense that it has finally (fully) clicked with me. Now to go back and complete Dark Souls I, before I grow weary of the formula and need a break.

Nope. My first Souls game was Demons Souls but my favorite, so far, has been Dark Souls II

Played Demon's Souls first and it's easily my favorite. Nothing in any of the other games left a bigger impression in me than the Tower of Latria, plus I like that each boss in DeS has its own unique "gimmick".

It's a very janky game compared to its successors and some enemies like the giant bearbug are a bore to fight but man, I never enjoyed a Souls game more than when I was fearfully creeping through the prison trying to stealth my way around the mindflayers, bumrushing a reaper trying to kill it before it could spawn too many shadows, aiming an arrow at a depraved one from a distance and hoping he wouldn't be a giant or beating the final boss of each main area (The Yellow Monk? Brilliant. The Storm King? Exhilarating.).

For me the order is DeS - Bloodborne - DS - DS 2.

I prefered 2 over 1. I've been given my brothers PS3, so I might attack Demon Souls, once I find some time.

Played them all in order and while I kind of like the level select of the hub in Demon's Souls (I get lost easily) Dark Souls just had much better loot, bosses and an interesting interconnected world to explore. I also liked the Estus Flask system and being able to level up at bonfires. The sequels for whatever reason decided to devalue the importance of Estus Flasks and forced you to back track and button through dialog to level up, wasting a whole lot of time in the process. I prefer the combat in Bloodborne but it lacks the scope of the other games unfortunately.

I haven't played Bloodborne, but have played at least a pretty good amount of Demon's, DS I, and DS II and I think they all have their strengths and weaknesses. I think mechanically II is the best in the series so far though. Out of all three, I would say I probably like Dark Souls 1 the least actually (thought it's really good, not saying otherwise). To me the series is interesting in how it chooses to change from entry to entry and so I see why people could have a lot of different opinions. Even if I don't love every change I think the changes themsevles keep things interesting in a way I appreciate.

Me too, Tower of Latria is my favorite part in any of the games. I feel like that may be part of my "your first Souls is your favorite" thing if it exists may be with stuff like locations and enemies because I am particularly found of Demon's Souls in that aspect.

@masterswanny: I think Dark Souls looks about the same as Dark Souls 2 (if you're playing them on the same hardware), but without the cool fire/shadow effects that the torch brought in. I don't think either game is really great looking technically, but the art direction works really well for the style and atmosphere that From is going for and that stuff holds up.

@tafae: DkS is a marvel on PC

Dead End Thrills

I played Demon's Souls first, but I think I'm enjoying Dark Souls 2 more. It's just better built, I feel, and the systems are more intuitive (crafting in particular). The bosses aren't as good though, and the environments aren't as iconic, I feel.

Loved Demon Souls (my first) played it several times. However, Dark Souls 1 was simply the best game I have played.

I played Dark Souls first, then Dark Souls 2, and finally played around one third of Demon's Souls. Out of those, yes, I like Dark Souls the most.

If you have a good graphics card and play the PC port with DSfix and a high res texture pack installed, it'll look better than DS2.

Bloodborrne is my favorite, despite the fact that I played Demons Souls, Dark Souls, and Dark Souls 2 before it.

Dark Souls was my first. Not knowing what it was at the time really didn't help give this game any staying power for me. I got into Dark Souls 2 pretty heavily though and it was quite good. Never got around to beating it as the end just got kind a convoluted with what you needed to do to access the last boss room. Bloodborne though is definitely my favorite. Loved the atmosphere and the weapon mechanics and move sets. To me it is the most well rounded souls game. And it does give you some extra things to do with the chalice dungeons, even though they are quite shallow once you do a couple of them.

I'd have to say no, at this point. For a long while Dark Souls 1 was my favorite game ever, and that continued to be the case after I initially beat Dark Souls 2, and even through the couple replays I did of that game. Then Scholar of the First Sin came out, and it was incredible. The DLC areas in it are fantastic, the changes they made to enemy placement worked well to make the game flow better, and the entire thing revolving around Vendrick's Blessing changed up the setting so much that it blew my mind.

Dark Souls 1 has a lot of bad areas in it. After you finish Anor Londo most of what you have left to do is not that great. It's a testament to how absolutely incredible the first half of that game is that it overshadows the weaker second half. By contrast, Dark Souls 2 is a lot more steady throughout. Yes it doesn't have the interconnectedness that the first game had with its areas, but the hub structure it has works well in its own regard. You go down one path and get frustrated, just go back to Majula and try another direction to change things up. I even like Majula more than Firelink Shrine at this point.

I'd say the final complete versions of each game are essentially equal in my mind now. I can also replay Dark Souls 2 more easily than Dark Souls 1 because of the mechanics improvements the sequel made.

Fascinating to read other people's responses!

My first Souls game was my favorite. The first couple times I played Dark Souls 1, I bounced right off it. I eventually sat down and really dove in and ended up loving it. I played Demon's Souls after DS1 and while I really liked it, the visuals (I blame DSFix) and the hub-world design wasn't was interesting as the large interconnected world. I currently making my way through Bloodborne...slowly. DS1 is till my favorite.

I'm too poor for DS2 and DS3.

I played Dark Souls 1 first and it's my favorite. Bloodborne was also quite good, and is just behind DS1 in my book, for gameplay reasons. The world in Bloodborne was nearly as cool as DS1. Dark Souls 2 is marred by bad design decisions (soul memory, mostly boring level design - though the DLC is fantastic, and way too many similar and easy bosses.) In terms of PvP, DS2 was my favorite, but the basic game is pretty lame.

My first souls game was Dark Souls. But I think I like 2 better than 1.

While I played Dark Souls 1 first Bloodborne is my favorite souls game.

So I'm not sure what my first Dark Souls was, and I don't know which my favorite is.

I was first exposed to Dark Souls 2, hanging out with a friend as he got wrecked in PvP over and over. He showed me the map he was drawing to figure out the world. The whole thing seemed nebulous and really neat.

Next we played Bloodborne together for a solid eight days of hangouts, drew the map together, and everything. But I never actually played it. I just cheered him on. My syndrome was bad and my hands didn't feel up to any twitchy or quick motions.

So then I got Dark Souls 1 on PC this year and steamrolled through it. An absolutely pleasure. I can't really say whether I liked Dark Souls 1, the game I played and deeply enjoyed figuring out the mechanics and psychology of, or Bloodborne, which has this deep social aspect with my buddy, and an atmosphere and aesthetic I find more appealing, but that I didn't actually play.

I hated Demon's Souls, but loved Bloodborne.

No for me, played Demon's Souls first and liked DS1 better. Currently playing DS2, haven't played Bloodborne or DS3. They're all great so far.

I played DkS -> DkSII -> DeS (never finished) -> Bloodborne (never finished). While DeS may be a great game, I had a hard time dealing with the crazy framerate issues I encountered in my first few hours with the game, expecially after hundreds of hours of 60FPS DkS and DkSII on PC.

My favorites are, in order, DkSII -> Bloodborne -> DkS -> DeS. I really liked the expansive areas in DkS II and really enjoyed its combat. Bloodborne would top my list due to its gameplay improvements and fantastic eldritch theme, but ultimately I found the game world too oppressive to want to spend any more time in. The Dark Souls mainline games tend to balance very dark and claustrophobic areas with light, open areas.

Yes, but I'm not done with Dark Souls 3 yet. So far I don't see it topping Dark Souls but it may top Dark Souls 2.

I started with my friend having me play Demon's Souls on his PS3 and I thought it was cool so I picked up Dark Souls for my 360 after seeing it on sale. When I got a PS3 I picked up Demon's Souls for myself and spent more time with it and it definitely became my favourite.

It's a weird answer though because even though Demon's Souls is my favourite and was my first, I didn't spend much time with it. It was Dark Souls that I first put a bunch of time in and all that. Demon's Souls didn't get much focus when I first played it.

No. They're all about the same for me.

Yup. Dark Souls is by far the best game in the series. Actually it's the only good game in the series. Souls games are not that good.