The HIDDEN DIFFICULTIES in DARK SOULS Games?
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- čas přidán 14. 06. 2024
- Get an in depth look into ranking the "Difficulties" or Challenges that the community behind FromSoftware's SoulsLike Games have come up with. You could say these challenges are the "Hidden Difficulties" in Dark Souls Games.
Credit to the creators featured in the video - you can find their Tags in the bottom left corner of the screen as they appear
Check the PINNED COMMENT BELOW for links to my Instagram, Twitch Channel, my second channel featuring all of my runs and the CZcams Channel of my Editor.
0:00 - Beginner Difficulty
1:30 - Easy Difficulty
4:30 - Normal Difficulty
6:30 - Hard Difficulty
10:00 - Master Difficulty
12:10 - Soulless Difficulty
#hitless #damageless #fromsoftware - Hry
"medium difficulty is a level one run"
me: 💀
I was wondering how far down the list I would make it. Didn’t even really make the easy technically…
you can do it. I believe in you!
@@sartrecamus386 Compared to how far it _can_ be brought, it's not that hard. Compared to the average player? Still very difficult. I think at least a good 50% of players who've already beaten the game once could do a SL1 run though, it's not like a no-hit run where you have to reset after one mistake. All that's required is a little bit of patience, unlike reset runs where it's a *LOT* of patience.
@@jacobesterson SL1 is doable, but certainly not medium difficulty. All i’m gonna say is that this guy’s definition of “normal difficulty” is a fucking permadeath run. This is a circle jerk video made for the git gud crowd
@@jacobestersonive only done ds3 so far and while it was pretty damn hard for me, a good guide/route helps a lot. There are so many good items that help you out. And having specific weapons for specific bosses too
i went from a normal run straight into an sl1 run. I loved it
DS3 was my first souls game and my first playthrough after completing it was sl1. I remembered thinking “I probably won’t get that far but it’ll be fun to see how far I get before it becomes impossible.” And before I knew it, I was striking down endgame and dlc bosses that not too long ago had seemed too hard to beat even on my leveled character. Very rewarding experience.
Lies of P also has no stat requirements and I love that. Haven’t tried a no leveling run yet. I have a feeling Lax will be rough as hell.
Lies of P has a cool beginner (I guess) challenge run where you play with no heals (just use them all up every time you revive). It's definitely a challenge run because you're going into boss battles with no heals but it is also a legitimate build because there are skill perks that increase your stats when your pulse cell is empty.
Wrench head, baton stick, perfect block grinder. I beat her faster on my no lvl run than I did originally.
I completed it and I suggest you have a high level character you play along side your sl1 so you can practice for the boss you’re struggling with. You’ll need it to especially for laxasia, namesless and simon manus. Its rly difficult to learn the timing of all the fury attacks since it’ll definitely one shot you. With a high level build you can try again and rly get used to the attack timings. Trust me laxasia will make you leave bite marks on your controller especially her phase2.
Ps. I also did it without perfect grindstones so maybe thats why laxasia was so hard for me.
Speaking as an old souls veteran, is lies of p worth checking out? I've seen conflicting stories. Thanks guys
@@Jedbullet29 If you like the souls games you should like Lies of p.
My fascination with souls challenge runs started with the no hit no roll DS2 run from Otz. To this day I feel like it was one of the craziest challenge I've seen!
Love the video ❤
Press Continue was my first to get me into it. His no Hunters dream bloodborne run from like 5 years ago blew my mind. So of course i had to start trying out his strats...but never got close to a full run
@@S_raB Same, I'm already passed my prime as a gamer so I just sit back and enjoy other people being good lol
Been practicing DS2 No-hit for three days now, my pb is 14 and I’m definitely gonna grind till I get it.And I definitely recommend it to people who have experience but want a great challenge.
The intensity is also fucking insane btw
How do you track hits? Is there a mod that tracks it for you, or are you just counting?
@@No-uy2sm I think no-hit runners usually use Hit Count Manager, it's not a mod or anything but it let's you count hits during splits and displays it as an overlay for OBS.
@@No-uy2smI just count it as I go along
If youre focused it’s not difficult or annoying at all btw
So many challenges have come out over the years, it's been impressive to watch the growth and evolution of the concepts and communities revolving around them.
Doing a video on Speedrun's would be awesome and i would love to hear more about the ALL Bosses Speedrun's since they are my favourite type of Speedrun in any Souls Game
this video has definitely inspired me to start doing challenge runs. Ive beaten all soulsborne games, and they are my favorite series. The only types of runs I've done are no shield, sorcery only, and no summoning runs. Excited to play again.
Watching your streams and videos for years has always given me confidence to try new things in the soulsborne series. Thanks for the inspiration and the hours upon hours of entertainment squilla.
Just helped my 2 brothers run elden ring. it was their first time really diving into this kind of game and watching your runs and tactics helped me carry so much. Thanks man for the vids and advice
_long time lurker
That thumbnail to vid start transition was seamless, very nice
Thanks to the videos of Squilla, Gino, Hob, I decided to immerse myself in this world of challenges and not getting hit, and I feel proud of having achieved it! My eternal gratitude Squilla, you have been motivation and example for me. Many blessings to what for me is the most consistent of all the no hit runners.
Yep mate, no hit? Oh my god that's tough on these tough games, but what next when you've done no death, no bonfire lol. Heh heh hee her
I think Level 1 +0 weapons runs should be alongsode the marathon runs, when it comes to "peak" challenge run mastery. While marathon runs test endurance and require a huge quantity of knowledge of so many things in several games, lvl.1+0 runs require much more in depth knowledge of and skill in a singualr game. When it comes to the individual game with marathon runs you can get away with not knowing that much since damage is very high and script are often possible. At lvl.1+0 or challenges with similar dmg there is no way around really knowing the bosses.
Shield build is more difficult in DS3 than "no shield", also many magic builds are harder than melee in many games
Im really happy you're still uploading.
Im in the midst of watching all your previous videos and just fell in love with your wordflow; both seamlessly smooth and eloquenly spoken.
Thank you for being a quality content creator and I look forward to your future posts ny friend!
With love, from Ottawa :)
As someone who's been trying to get into challenge runs, this has one of the most useful videos you could've put out! I would also add that the challenge can vary depending on player playstyle. For example, I've done NG Deathless runs when I'm replayign games, but that's cus I hate dying so I play it as safe as if it was the first time eveyr time lmao. So I end up trivializing some things.
Also, I'd love to see some ideas on speedruns!
Co-Op > Implying I have friends.
My personal challenge mode is to speedrun rage mail by invading people. I especially loved this in DS1 as Giantdad because what's more rage inducing than being invaded by a giantdad
Somehow this is nostalgic. Great video!
I tried challenges in DS3 and I began with deprived and no stats in life before trying to challenge the game with lvl 1. It was fun
A lot of these just seem like things streamers do to keep content flowing. I'm not going to spend weeks or months working on a hitless run unless I'm being paid for it.
Love your streams, it is very insightful to see how you break down progression from beginner to marathon challenge player. As a super casual player who only ever played Souls games with the concept of "if I die, I need to level up a bit more" coming from JRPGs in general, it is fascinating to see that the first step in getting better at the game is to toss out leveling whatsoever. I don't think I could ever do that...but keep up the good work and I'm looking forward to your crazy challenge runs!
a more relaxed version is just no deliberate grinding.
Is it "very casual" if you still end up spending tens of hundreds of hours on a video game playthrough?
I feel like in the larger scheme of things, that's missing the forest for the trees. Anybody who even plays Souls games in any capacity I would not say is a "casual gamer" or whatever term you wish to use.
The minority in a minority. A niché of a niché.
@@thosebloodybadgers8499 Yes, I think you can be casual at something and do it for a long time, if you never start doing crazy challenges and just stick to playing it...well...casually. I am pretty sure that I played more niché games than Dark Souls, and I also played far more difficult games than Dark Souls. You could, if you wish, call me a 'hardcore gamer' since I enjoy gaming as a hobby and I think about it a lot, but I would never call myself a 'hardcore Souls gamer', since I do not invest as much time or energy into this specific series/genre as these fine people. I hope that clarifies it? Although your definition of casual is as much valid as mine I think, and I'm okay with agreeing to disagree with you.
@@thosebloodybadgers8499 casual is just being not so strict about self defined rules for speed and challenge runs.
I love consuming challenge run content. It's one of my most watched things on twitch. However as for myself the appreciation of hidden lore, areas, etc. that aren't seen in challenge runs (Ash Lake and the Great Hollow for instance aren't in any challenge runs since there's no bosses down there) makes me more of a relentless completionist and explorer in these games.
Best thing I did so far is SL1 all bosses in DS3 and I honestly don't see myself attempting anything more than a deathless run in the future, but it's always entertaining to watch these absolutely insane runs! Your all bosses damageless run is how I found your twitch back in the day
I appreciate this, I started with Elden Ring, and absolutely fell in love. I’ve now begun Sekiro and DS3 too, and am looking to improve a little.
In DS3 and ER my and friend and I did a No Estus run which feels like a stage right before no death and no hit. We aren't good enough for those two categories yet, but have done the Lvl 1 Weapons and Lvl 1 characters. Thanks for the list!
My very first on-stream Dark Souls series, that I made for the benefit of a friend of mine, was on how to unlock 'easy mode' in Dark Souls Remastered. I taught him about greatshields, high defense, summons, all that good stuff. I am a more advanced player myself, but I quite enjoyed trying out an 'easy mode'.
Another type of challenge I like watching is killing bosses on base level without dodging or even sprinting an avoiding all the bosses attacks using just good positioning. I think it really says something about how well the games are designed that you can add so many additional restrictions and still be able to complete them.
Great video as always brother, thanks
One kind of challenge I love is limiting yourself to weapon you aren't familiar with or is seen as bad by the community like the crystal ring shield in ds1 as it gives you some freedom in routing and allows you to explore different strats. Broken sword runs as well for just learning patience
after watching this video I decided to try ds1 sl1, almost 2 weeks later I've finished it. Thanks Squilla for the motivation
Before I get too far into the video, so if this is brought up later, I don't know yet:
I did my own challenges in DS3 where I limited myself to using only the starting equipment for each class, one at a time. It was interesting to find out how certain starting equipment was way better than I thought, like the Depraved and their club, while Herald's Pike was easily the hardest to play with for me!
I went from doing each of those and followed by doing all bosses SL1, which was such a fun feeling to pull off.
Great vid as always
Elden Ring has so many sources of stat boosts, there are very few weapons you cannot comfortably use on RL1. And often times, those stat boosts will be best in slot or close to it anyway. Technically, if you stack all the buffs you can, there's no weapon you cannot use (yes, even Giant Crusher and Hand of Malenia can be wielded effectively). The only requirements you cannot meet are related to spellcasting. Certain staves, like Carian Regal Scepter, and spells with high int requirements. I think From Software nailed it on this front.
I do love that they have shield blocking, heavy armour and healing miracles for those who want an easier time and the game doesn't punish you for doing such things if you want to, to the point you can trade blows with most enemies you fight and still make it to the next bonfire / beat the boss. It's still good fun and may one day lead to trying something new for variety / challenge.
Dude really cool how the thumbnail was part of the intro never seen that before
ds3 sl1 was one of the most satisfying runs i’ve ever done honestly, very good test of skill
personally i think the best beginner challenge run is a no healing/estus run, it forces you to adapt in a way that gives you a better mindset of what you'll be going into on the later harder stuff like hitless and deathless
I'm currently on my first SL1 Dark Souls, the first time I played Dark Souls and cleared it I decided to actually do it without a shield and without summoning because my friend that got me into it forced me to lol, and this pretty much how I've actually been doing my current SL1 run, I have to say it's definitely hell but I'm having fun, haven't struggled with the game in ages so this has been a really good experience!
anyways, would love to see a video on speedrunning goals
bow/crossbow/shield/consumable only runs could also be a lot of fun, not necessarily for the challenge, but more for the variety.
Woah, it has been 12 years since I did the no leveling run in Dark Souls 1, that was a lot of fun.
Lvl 1 elden ring run was best gaming experience I've had
i think a good starting point is also stipulation run, they help u get used to being put under pressue and can pull u out of your comfort zone
I honestly like challenges like doing Four Kings as my third boss, Bed of Chaos without jumping, or fighting Pinwheel blindfolded, better than things like a level 1 run.
I do like the tiers and it kind of makes me want to try hitless runs (after doing all kinds of challenge runs on DS1-3, from SL1, no healing, throwables only, shield only/low damage, no death any%)
I would also like to suggest adding restrictions like low damage (either using a shield as a weapon or refusing weapon upgrades) as a means to prolong boss fights and really have to learn every nook and cranny of their movesets. This can also be combined with no hit runs which would take them to a whole new level.
I'm gonna be honest. I'm still in the middle of a BL4 run, but I decided to start another playthrough just because I like making character builds and concepts. Well without even having to level very much, I beat Gascoigne first time and in under 3 minutes without the music box or cheesing him on the stairs. Not being able to level up is such a huge drawback in any Souls game or Bloodborne, that the game literally requires you to 'git gud.' It's just as humbling as it is empowering and future playthroughs now feel so much easier than they ever did before.
I did a SEGMENTED no hit run as my first ER challenge run and it was really fun I think I'll try some more when the dlc comes out tho
Great video. I would love to see a video dedicated only to speedrunning too, that would be awesome.
thanks Squilla, cool vid!
Interesting video, very well presented. Cheers from Germany
A deathless dried finger/taunters tongue run would theoretically be quite fun but in reality it would probably be too easy to cheese by not levelling to active ranges.
Do you consider using save states to practice bosses a viable approach to achieving these runs?
i would look for practice mods first.
In DS2 specifically, you CAN still wield weapons even without meeting the stat requirements, and they swing normally too. You just have much less damage. IMO, this system is great, because you can test out the moveset before committing to all the leveling for the stat requirements needed.
It's like a dressing room in a clothing store basically.
I've done deathless DS1 once, and failed a "within 10 tries" version. I don't think I'll ever go much further than that. I have played these games tons, but I tend to stick on the first half of difficulty.
Some other favorite challenges of mine:
- All levels in one stat (effectively sl1 except you get to have either plenty of HP or good damage). Allows you to choose different stats and create entirely different builds, thinking about the game differently.
- Bosses out of order. Try to kill bosses in a different order than seems like the main intention. DS1 is great for this.
- No heals. Feels like it could be a stepping stone toward hitless, but depending on the game it actually isn't that hard.
- Specific weapon only. Routing to get the weapon as early as possible can help you learn the game in ways that you never would otherwise.
Hey Squilla, hope you're well. Watching you and others over the years has definitely helped me improve my gameplay, and I've done some basic challenges, though I'm certainly no master. I mostly just play a ton solo and try to dodge/parry as best I can, been slowly getting better along the way. I tried to do deathless in DS1 years ago, got a PB of 10, but pretty quickly realized I don't wanna do any run that has a hard reset condition. I'll bash my head against bosses for hours if I have to, but I just don't like the feeling of starting all over. I don't like making really strict and 'safe' strategies either, prefer to just go for it and try stuff, but like you said, that's not always a great idea when you're risking a reset.
Base level runs are more my speed, and I do recommend them to anyone who wants to up their Soulser game just a bit. Did SL1 a bunch of times in DS1 years ago, almost beat DS2 any% at lvl 1 but stopped cause I just wasn't enjoying it (no stamina and 6 ADP is pain). Beat Sekiro charmless w/o prayer beads, recently finished DS3 SL1 all bosses and started BL4 in Bloodborne. Will eventually do RL1 in Elden Ring once I'm more experienced, and hopefully DLC will be out by then too. :^)
While never attempted myself, *Item Only* runs are entertaining as an audience member.
They've also led me to the point where I've considered trying to take my own mastery of these games in a similarly creative direction. I could see myself trying to beat a game with say, only shield damage *before* I'd go for a no death/hit run. Whether this is more difficult than that in people's opinions, I have no idea, but it just seems more approachable to me.
Though, I think that @TheBacklogs has proven numerous times that item only runs can be quite hellish in their own right.
Some day, someone will complete an sl1, +0, damage-less, glitchless full fromsoft marathon.
Awesome video, proud to say I have a Hitless run on Bloodborne.
Definitely gonna do these now
I did not even realize there was a one shot method. This was even after researching the game and playing for many hours. I never played with another player, because that was not an option. I would use Havels Armor for certain types of enemies. I eventually leveled a different armor optimal for every possible situation. I even managed to make one of every type of Zheinhander. I think around level 250-300 was the highest I ever leveled a single character. Which was done over many runs through New Game+. I stopped playing the game. I remember a friend started playing Dark Souls live on CZcams. At that time I remembered some of what I had learned, not all of it. My tips helped, my shaky memory also got in the way. The last time I tried to play Dark Souls 1 I found I had reverted to almost step one. I could not justify relearning the game after all the time I put in previously. So, I set the game down and have not touched the series since.
Didn't really "get" Dark Souls until doing challenge runs. Lv1 Pyromancer build taught me more about the game than any other run and that knowledge helped with future runs.
SL1 NG+7 on DS3 has been my proudest and most satisfying gaming achievement thus far and I would wholeheartedly encourage others to try a SL1 run of any soulsborne game if they want a bit more challenge.
Im not huge into challange runs but my DS3 lvl 1 run was one of my favorite gaming experiences ever
I'm actually gonna try a deathless run now on ds3, thank you mr squil. also Nemz is a great guy
13:56 Okay can we just take a second to admire that DS2 ahh hitbox cause god DAMN
Sl1 challenge really highlights how fair and balance the souls games truely are.
wild and amazing ya boys be on it 🔥
Sorry if this has been asked already but where would you place runs where you can level everything but HP, or a no weapon upgrade run?
Homeward miracle is a must, thus I always do NG as a cleric but start as a pyro to make the Sens Fortress a breeze.
I like to have 'weapon restricted' runs before doing L1 runs. Stuff like base Caestus only, Fists only, starting class gear only. etc.
A good way to dip your toes into challenge running might even be never going over light equip load.
I find my sweet spot is medium, and I really don't understand the hype for light rolling, so I would personaly find it challenging. Especially at level 1.
Dont know if this matters to say, but I started playing video games at all because I saw your sl1 trilogy hitless run. Very grateful for that inspiration,
I did the first challenge in my very first dark souls play through. I technically used a shield, but I never actually landed a parry or blocked.
Ive never thought of it this way...
I honestly feel that beating Sekiro before playing any other souls game, will make you a better player in those other souls games.
It also helps to be smart and methodical, which you absolutely are. Your approach to these runs is really enjoyable to watch.
My first time playing was a challenge run because I had no idea what I was doing and had a fire infused GREATSWORD. Ah good times.
thought this was gonna be about how you can adjust your playthroughs difficulty by using tools and strategies to make things easier
i didnt finish my ds3 sl1 run with the deep battle axe, got to twin prince's i could never beat so i gave up, i should really try to beat it again one day
I do think it's fair to consider no-shield and no-summon to be challenge runs, because those mechanics are in the game for a reason. I agree with the community as a whole that none of the games are particularly difficult with those features in mind, but that doesn't mean that modular difficulty wasn't an intended aspect of play.
I'm a relative casual (beaten most Soulsborne games, but only SL1'ed DS1 and DS2). So one other baby step I'd add to the beginner bracket is no armor. Of course you may get more s that way, which especially helps dex builds, but there are other aspects around armor to consider, like poison / frost reduction, etc.
I'll also mention one way to get comfortable with SL1 or no-hit runs: practicing with RTSR. I remember years ago after beating DS2 for the first time, then watching Lobos Jr. do an entire run built around RTSR and I thought "that's crazy. One hit and you're done, for every boss!" Amazing how high the bar has been raised since then.
Am I inspired to try some of these challenges myself?
Dude, your videos are like cave diving stuff to me! It's fascinating but I'd never ever go myself lol
Kudos to people like you though.
Great Video. Man, your voice is perfect for videos
few years back I started work on a deathless ds1 run (as my first-ever challenge run). I was able to get as far as O&S and then kinda ran out of steam
I feel like a difficulty between the normal playthrough and sl1 would be like consjmabke only or specific magic type only. These obviously have varying amounts of difficulty depending on the game but are generally easier than SL1 as you still can get health and damage stats to cushion them.
u should probably link your second channel in the comments if u want more ppl to see :)
cool video btw :3
Just wanna shout out for Genso (he's shown near the end) & new to running Bloodborne but holds most of WR speedruns. My niece thinks I'm him, guess we look alike...lol
Would love a summoning salt esk speedrun video
good stuff squil
There’s a special category for the ymfah runs: they don’t (always) require raw skill, but immense ingenuity and understanding of the game
I don't like being forced into a single build when playing without leveling. I like trying certain viable builds while keeping the lowest level possible. In Elden Ring, currently playing a lvl 50 mage that uses blood magic. Having a lot of fun because, by focusing on a specific, uncommon build, I realize how op some simple spells are.
Guys, swarm of flies is insanely strong against certain bosses. Combining it together with seppuku procs so many bleed stacks. Bosses that I had a hard time, like the godskins, magma wyrms, Radahn, Draconic Tree Sentinels, even regular dragons, became so much easier with this spell.
I feel like the "not meeting requirements" to wield a weapon could be more flushed out with variety. What i mean is something like (and we're talking about weapons that are not some magic catalysts only used to cast spells etc.):
No STR to wield it? Can only make one swing and recover stance before another (no combo/series of swings) / OR / Swings take much more stamina.
No DEX to wield it? Swings are much slower / OR / swings make much less dmg
No INT to wield it? Can't perform it's special ability.
No FTH to wield it? It only does physical dmg.
And so on. It would make sense to limit the weapons in such a way where they're still viable to use while making it clearly worse than if you'd meet the requirements while also not being just >make less dmg
A SL1 run in Ds3 with a boss weapon for example would motivate me to put another 500 hours in the game.
They did exactly what they did in Nioh with the weapons in Elden Ring, I use the Twinblade on my brand new Char and she doesn't have the Dex for it, but swings it, does damage with it, just less effectively.
I've never done challenge runs in these games except for the basics of solo no summoning/spirit ashes but I have to ask. Doesn't a level 1 run basically become a no hit by end game in these titles? Especially Elden Ring where even at 60 vigor you get 2-3 shotted by the last few bosses
My favorite runs are either meme runs(spoon from ds2 as an example), or pugilist only(only fist style weapons)
As a casual to these games within this context, they're the funnest bump in difficulty without changing anything about how I play through them.
Harder than a normal play through, easier than a SL1 play through.
I've been trying ds3 sl1 no upgrades for a few days now, and it's been mostly fine. But Aldrich and anything past Dancer is just becoming brutal. I can't imagine how Halflight is going to go.
I've done sl1 and deathless runs on DS1 and DS3. Also did a rings only run on DS3. They were lots of fun, and I learned a lot more about each boss and their mechanics. Deacons can actually be difficult, who knew?
DS2 was boring to me after two playthroughs, never had the desire to play it any more after that.
Never had a console, so I've never played Demon Souls or Bloodborne.
And really no disposable income after COVID, so no Sekiro or Elden Ring either. Someday.
Hot take but I always appreciated the stat requirements, as it brings a level of realismo into the game (ex. it makes sense that to wield a big sword one needs a lot of strength)
Has any randomizer hitless ever been done for the souls games? I feel like that could easily be put in the souless tier in general, or maybe a marathon randomizer hitless as the next tier down/Cthulhu tier? Maybe more realistically a randomizer deathless marathon could probably be equivalent in difficulty to a non-randomized hitless marathon?
Gino did a Item randomizer no hit in DS3 is the only thing close I can think of. He has been doing Elden Ring randomizer no hit streams occasionally too.
@@solosnek I just saw that he posted that same run for Elden Ring just today, too! Thought it was the fully random one for a second. Dude's a beast. I saw his video on his (I guess first?) enemies random no hit attempt, it'd be cool if he were the one to get it, though he's mentioned he's not in love with the idea of fully grinding it, I think.
What other challenges?
How about just playing the game 😭
Like OMG this is a whole other level, but damn that's some dedication.
In all fairness, Nioh 1 & 2 have a lot of build variety with the weapons because the gear (weapons and armor) are all based around RNG at the end of the day.
Grind 2 hours to get the perfect ethereal-set items, then spend 1/2 of your resources to temper what you could fit on your weapons and armor to "try" to make the perfect build for yourself.
Honestly, it's cool... but at the end of the day it just makes you feel like the first 100-200 hours you spent getting to this point were meaningless (at the resource standpoint).