How do you prefer to play the Souls game series?

[Honor_Hand]

Hello.

 

Ever since the Souls series started in 2009 with the release of Demon Souls there is one aspect of it that has always been of interest to me and I'm not talking about the sheer difficulty of the series but rather about its integrated online play. If you have played the games you know what I'm talking: bloodstains showing how other players have died, limited communication by leaving cryptic or suggestive messages, cooperative play via summoning other players and invasion of other players just looking for blood.

 

 

At any time you are starting your game you have the option to play with this online integrated system either on or off. It is turned on by default but you can easily start the game offline by not logging into your PSN account when you load your profile. With that being said: how do you prefer to play the Souls game series?

 

You played mostly online and enjoyed all of its features to the fullest or rather opted to play offline and sank fully into the environment? Maybe you played some parts online and some others offline in order to progress the story further or you haven't had yet the chance to play any of the games? Either way, I'm looking forward to hearing your opinions on the matter. ?

 

I will be casting my vote on the thread later on.

 

As a side note, I don't know if the recent Souls-like games that have been released have a similar feature or not. If you have played any of those games and they do offer a similar experience, please share it and comment.

[starcrunch061]

I like offline. I like to play LLC, but it can be annoying when you're being invaded. This was particularly annoying for DS2, since apparently you could be invaded by someone whose level was well beyond your own. 

[Arcainess]

Offline for sure, not the biggest fan of multiplayer in general, and when it comes to invasions I'm horrible at PvP, so I always end up getting my butt kicked.

[Toogie53]

I havent actually played Dark Souls. But Bloodborne and Nioh both have really similar mechanics. I like the little notes and things you get in online mode. Nioh also has a feature where you can fight the ghost of someone who died and get some special currency, Honor. I'm still working on Nioh. I'll probably try out Dark Souls with the remastered version. 

[Happy]

Online for sure. Invasions disrupting regular gameplay lead to some of the most memorable scenarios.

[FilmFanatic]

When I was going for the Demon’s Souls plat I played offline because of world tendencies. Of course the one time I forget to disconnect from the internet when going for white world tendency I got invaded literally within seconds of entering a world and killed. Luckily I was doing going for the plat legit (no duping) so I needed multiple playthroughs anyway.

 

Every other Souls game I’ve always played online to get the full experience of summoning and being summoning, leaving helpful messages and reading helpful or funny messages. Invasions however are incredibly annoying which is why I almost always suicided when being invaded as I wasn’t going to waste my time fighting someone who is more than likely set up for PvE. Dark Souls 3 was by far the worst because invaders could use estus flasks meaning even if you could do decent damage on them they can just run away to where enemies are to health up and then wait for you to come to an unfair adavantage or come back to where you are to try again. If you ask me they should’ve included an option to play online without invasions as the game can be enough of a challenge without the risk of being invaded. Thankfully Souls type games (Nioh, Salt & Sanctuary, Lords Of The Fallen, The Surge) don’t have multiplayer although in the case of hard bosses this does meaning having to git gud.

[LuciaRosethorn]

I always play online due to the fact I've always played with my Boyfriend, thankfully the PS4 version will have a password system so that makes it easier for us. The only downfall is invaders which I can't stand so I usually just get myself killed near a bonfire. 

 

The Forrest area was filled with people still late last year so I hate to think how filled it'll be with the new one, it's not great being able to get invaded at any level at any time. 

[BG_painter]

Online with my sunbros ?

 

*Praise the sun!* \[T]/

[Aexuz]

Online all the time but I only summon people to my game when  I have explored the level entirely. I like discovering the level at my own pace without rushing. 

[sephiroth4424]

Offline for me.Although i played DS2 SotfS, DS3 and Bloodborne without ps plus so i couldn't play ''online'' anyway.

In DS1 i was online but there online part was dead (i played late 2016)

In Demons Souls i think i played offline in order to manipulate world tendency

[N7Spartansw0rd]

Online for sure. Getting invaded and invading others is a great experience, as well as seeing the ghosts of other players and the messages

[BigHatPaul]

Online. It's how it was meant to be played, so that's how I'll take it. Messages are a huge plus.

[Bloodytears1666]

Online for unlimited lulz from messages and bloodstains. That's one of the key factor to love the game more, than it's gameplay mechanics.

 

Plus I found PvP there very interesting, especially for random encounters from trespassing, committed crimes and invasions in general. Because on arenas people tend to use OP builds, but if summoned eventually there could be tension and edgy stylish fight. Never liked co-op though, makes game pretty boring and easy and potentially short and void game's biggest charm of desperate fate in hopeless land - to me - the best part of Souls.

[KaKrackle]

Drunk

[Undead Wolf]

I usually played offline in Demon's Souls because of the whole world tendency thing so I could manipulate it however I wanted. I was a latecomer to that game, though, so even when I was playing online, it was rare that I'd ever interact with another player.

 

In every other Soulsborne game, though, I always play online. It's such a unique experience, from the messages left in the world that can be helpful or an attempt at tricking you, to the invasions. Oh man, the invasions in Dark Souls were something else. Whenever I saw that message pop up that I had been invaded, my heart rate increased tenfold. It's such a terrifying feeling knowing that there's a human player in your world hunting you down. I absolutely adore it, though, and there's an immense feeling of satisfaction if you actually manage to beat them - sometimes even more than the bosses themselves. It's all the better when the other player adheres to "PvP etiquette" or whatever you want to call it where you both bow to each other before and after the fight, you don't bring in any co-op partners to help (so it's 1v1), and neither of you heal. If I die to someone who does all that so it's a fair and respectful fight, then I'm not even mad. I just hope that the influx of new people who will be playing thanks to the PS4 version of Dark Souls doesn't mean this etiquette is lost.

 

As for the co-op, I always fight the bosses in my world solo because that's where much of the fun of this series comes from for me - overcoming a challenge. After beating a boss in that area, though, I'll usually spend a few hours helping others defeat the boss because it makes me feel all warm and tingly inside. 

 

So yes, online is definitely the way to go with these games. It's a core part of the experience and you're really missing out if you play offline.

[Evil_Joker88]

I played Demon's Souls offline mostly to avoid being invaded and the trophy guide recommended it also... i played Dark Souls and Bloodborne online because i had a friend who joined me to guide me through... i was rarely invaded in Dark Souls and could avoid a fight by running away and wasn't invaded in Bloodborne yet luckily  

 

Seeing the shadows of other players dying in Demon's Souls online sure was an astonishing view... some messages were helpful, some weren't (sometimes leading me straight into an abyss ?)

[Major_Kiba]

Online all the time.  Getting invaded and being trolled by messages are important parts of the game.

Edited April 16, 2018 by MrKittyEmperor

[Kaiten_the_Hero]

I play Online most of the time, only recently got into the Games myself (since January) - always figured they'd be too hardcore for a scrub like me!

Playing online helped me get to grips at first, which was really helpful.

 

The Online is definitely the best way to play for me, you form bonds with people that way. Met some awesome people playing DS2: SotFS/DS3

[Redgrave]

I've only played Bloodborne but I enjoy playing it online mainly for the co-op factor. It's fun showing newer players where certain items are and the paths to shortcuts that you struggled finding at first. That and it's nice when they thank you for helping them with bosses and whatnot too.

 

I'm not really big on PvP though, and I never really was but I can see where people would find fun in it. It's just most of the time I've been invaded I can tell whoever I was fighting were way stronger than me and have likely been playing the game for over a year. But it hasn't been an issue, so it's not a big deal.

[yiazmat50112254]

i like playing with others as well, but ill stick to offline because i like to complete everything myself (especcialy with difficult games) 

[Trellgoth]

14 hours ago, MrKittyEmperor said:

[...] and being trolled by messages are important parts of the game.

This right here ^

 

I also play online all the way.

Playing offline because "it's easier" is a no go. Period.

Git gud or git rekt! That's the Souls series.

[Honor_Hand]

Thanks to all of you who have voted and/or commented so far! Really enjoyed all of the comments.

 

In my case, I have done full offline playthroughs of the 3 games I've played so far: Demon Souls, Dark Souls and Dark Souls 2 on PS3. Although I appreciate the effort and care that went into creating such an interesting concept for this integrated online play, I personally found myself enjoying the game more when playing alone. Don't get me wrong. When I first started Demon Souls, I played online and had a lot of fun reading and leaving messages for other people as well. Tackling bosses together was also entertaining and getting invaded by someone of your same level (both in equipment and skill) was usually a pretty heart rate raising affair. Especially if these people adhered to the etiquette as mentioned by someone else in a previous post.

 

However, I found out that by playing offline I could get submerged more into the environment and the game itself. It really becomes a thing of survival and not having any idea of what comes next made challenging the environment a much more pleasurable affair for me. Of course, overcoming said challenge alone would mean a huge gratification at the end of it. No guides and no assistance whatsoever for a first playthrough really amplifies the sense of discovery. In the end, I preferred offline for the immersion factor alone.

 

Will be reading further comments on this thread as it goes on... My poll prediction goes to online having the most votes in the long run! ?

 

EDIT; Forgot to say that one of the best things these games offer is the ability to choose to play offline or online to suit whichever mood your feel more comfortable with. It's nice that is not forced on you but rather you have the option to play one way or another.

Edited April 17, 2018 by Honor_Hand

[DrBloodmoney]

Online.

 

I am not the greatest at PvP - i’d recon I probably survive about 30-40% of the times I get invaded, but that’s not the point.

 

The sense of dread that these games are designed to instil only works if you play as intended - online.

 

Don’t get me wrong - It drives me absolutely up the frigging wall when I have a bunch of souls saved then get invaded and killed, but the mix of adrenaline, excitement, fear and panic that comes from seeing a fog wall appear across the path, turning, seeing some red glowing figure heading my way and knowing that shit is on whether or not I’m ready?

That’s a feeling very few games are ever able to capture.

 

The rush that comes from managing to survive that, is so much better than any feeling of having meticulously moved my way through an area of pre-set, predetermined enemies will ever be.

 

The Souls games are great offline, but online, they are sublime  

Edited April 17, 2018 by DrBloodmoney

[Phlegeth]

Online, I like seeing all the ghosts of other players running around doing stuff.  I remember the bonfire above the first blacksmith was crowded with other players.

[dakk55]

I've almost always played offline, I've had too many bad memories of Demon Souls phantoms popping up and killing me just when I was getting to the boss. That and stories of griefers kept me from playing online unless I needed backup or item trade with a friend.