Dark Souls 3 for a Bloodborne Player

Most people assume the Dark Souls series consists of Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, Dark Souls 2 and the upcoming Dark Souls 3. While it doesn’t continue or add to the story and lore of Dark Souls, Bloodborne, the PlayStation 4-exclusive, is essentially a game in the Dark Souls series. It was made by the same people with a little help from Sony, and when series creator Hidetaka Miyazaki talks about ending the series with Dark Souls 3, he is referring to both the Dark Souls and Bloodborne series of games. We don’t expect that to happen, but the topic has been discussed.

With Dark Souls and Bloodborne being close cousins, a lot of people first experienced the series with Bloodborne last year. Now that Dark Souls 3 is almost upon us, a lot of people who first got into the series via Bloodborne will be playing a Dark Souls main line entry for the first time. We thought it was only fair to educate some Bloodborne players on how the experience in Dark Souls 3 will differ, and how things will be similar.

Combat

The combat in Bloodborne was a much more action-oriented version of the combat seen in Dark Souls. While the Dark Souls games generally offer multiple character builds depending on how you want to play, even the most action-heavy builds didn’t see action in the same light as Bloodborne. While Bloodborne players won’t have to completely alter their playing style, there will be a difference when they make the jump to Dark Souls 3.

From what we’ve played of Dark Souls 3, the combat is more action-based than previous titles in the series. It’s not quite as action-packed as Bloodborne combat, but it’s a happy middle ground that should make it easy for players of either game to get into things without much of a learning curve. Like previous Dark Souls titles, there will be multiple character builds and a multitude of weaponry so you can play in a number of different ways, but the base combat system is faster and more action-oriented than previous Dark Souls games.

Enemies

It’s common to find groups of enemies in Dark Souls and Bloodborne. What’s different is that in Bloodborne it wasn’t a big deal to take on all of the enemies at once, or at least a good chunk of the group. While this same tactic can be applied to Dark Souls, the outcome usually isn’t in your favor. If you attack a large group of enemies in Dark Souls, you’re probably going to die.

Dark Souls 3 moves a bit closer to the Bloodborne formula in that you can and will be fighting larger groups of enemies. To help compensate for this there are several weapons that have better area attacks than most weapons in previous Dark Souls games. You still have to be very careful who you attack and how many enemies you attack at once, but the more open style of attacking large groups from Bloodborne can be applied to Dark Souls 3.

Exploration

Bloodborne and Dark Souls both have numerous areas where enemies will be hiding around corners or behind doors, only to attack when you least expect. However, this isn’t a common aspect of either title. It happens here and there, but you don’t have to be overly cautious as you move through an area. When it comes to Dark Souls 3 that completely changes.

One of the biggest surprises in Dark Souls 3 is the fact that enemies will be waiting for you around corners and behind doors. While we don’t yet know if this represents the entire game or jus the limited areas we’ve seen, but it’s common for enemies to attack from behind, so much so that you need to be careful every time you walk through a new doorway or around another corner. This will impact Bloodborne players the most as they’re mostly accustomed to moving through areas without being surprised too much.

For more on Dark Souls 3 be sure to check out our first look at the title and how to stay alive in the new game. We’ll have more on the upcoming title as we approach the April 12, 2016 North American release date!