Which of the following would be 'easiest' to start off with

[Farhad_S]

I'll be honest, the toughest battle I've ever won was beating the Valkyrie Queen in God of War (easy). I mostly play games to relax and release stress, and avoid games where you die repeatedly until you 'git gud.' Mostly into RPGs, and my favourite combat system is VATS from Fallout, as it literally allows me to pause and choose where I want to hit the enemy.

 

Having said all that, I really want to try one of the 'Soulbourne' games. What would be my best option on the PS4 - Any of the Dark Souls series, Bloodborne, Nioh, or Sekiro? Not going for the platinum, but really want to finish the game. Which of these is relatively friendly for beginners of this type of combat?

[Arcesius]

It really depends what your criterium is. Bloodborne and Nioh are in my opinion two of the best games on the PS4, but if you say that you had problems with the Valkyrie Queen then I doub't you'll finish either of them. 

 

From the games you mentioned, I'd say that Dark Souls (Remastered) is the easiest one, so that might be your best bet. Sekiro, especially if you don't have previous experience with any soulslike game, might also be possible for you (no need to "relearn" how to play a FromSoft game).  

 

But you won't be able to mash attacks in any of those games, unlike GoW, DmC, etc... Just be aware of that ? 

 

 

(I'm sure that others will disagree with my choices ?) 

Edited October 16, 2019 by Arcesius

[Copanele]

I will agree with @Arcesius here. Definetly if you wish to get into Soulsborne combat, lore and difficulty (and not have a ps3 for Demons souls) , go for Dark Souls Remastered. It is not "user friendly" for sure, but it will teach you how the Soulsborne games work and how to think " outside the box" (aka we ain't in Skyrim anymore lads, this is the real deal).

Of course, you could very well start with Bloodborne, most people start with that one and for good reason, it's one of the best Playstation games ever made. But I'd personally start with the first "available" one  it's up to you really, here. After that you could jump to Dark Souls 3 if you haven't fallen instantly in love with the games. Dark Souls 2 is good but most people find it really bullshitty as a souls game so... it all depends on your previous experience. Apart from what Aldia talks, the lore in DS2 is at times nonsensical.

 

About Nioh and Sekiro...they are not really souls-like. You can't really approach them as a Soulsborne game : Nioh is more akin to Ninja Gaiden with a stamina bar while Sekiro has some unique combat altogether. You might want to start off separately with those. I don't know about others but from past experience they do NOT work like Souls games do. Dying and reviving at a bonfire doesn't mean it's a Souls game  

 

Honestly all these games aren't really difficult, you just need to learn from your mistakes and not repeat them! Also no pause button, sorry for you!

[Farhad_S]

Hey thanks so much both of you, that was really helpful. I seem drawn towards Bloodborne just based on recommendations from people telling me how there's also a Lovecraftian element to it. Will probably give it a shot. Also since Nioh and Sekiro are not strictly similar, which of those two would be a) a better game; and b ) somewhat easier?

[MandA60VISE]

Bloodborne was good and base game most base ease you into the genre. It's a type of game that's only frustrating until you learn the combat and the the enemy's patterns. As previously stated you can't just mash buttons. Haven't played Dark Souls yet but Bloodborne stores your input essentially. Say you're in the middle of attacking and you hit attack before you're able to actually do anything else. It'll store that attack command for when you're next able to input it. However, say inbetween your first attack and waiting for the second you see you need to dodge or parry instead of attack so you got that button. It won't dodge or parry because your attack command is stored for your next action. So you'll want to learn to pause between actions and how long each pause should be. It's especially helpful to learn it for after getting hit, doing a charge attack, or using an item.

 

Another thing, don't over level and don't become a Jack of all trades. Enemies scale with your level and the higher you raise a stat the more diminishing returns it gives. Focus on one or two damage dealing stats plus whatever helps increase HP and stamina. The wikis have a recommended level for each area if you need a guide.

[Helyx]

Final Fantasy XII and Valkyria Chronicles 4 would be up your alley.

[Lonemankane]

 I think Dark souls 2 is more fair of a game then any of the other games you said, mostly due to the fact that it kind of is a good start for most people. once your done with ds2 play 1 then 3 then move to demons souls and if your not done with souls itch play bloodborne then nioh then sekiro

 

[Copanele]

33 minutes ago, Farhad_S said:

Hey thanks so much both of you, that was really helpful. I seem drawn towards Bloodborne just based on recommendations from people telling me how there's also a Lovecraftian element to it. Will probably give it a shot. Also since Nioh and Sekiro are not strictly similar, which of those two would be a) a better game; and b ) somewhat easier?

For both a) and b ) I would go with Sekiro. Nioh is good but... the story is kinda lackluster, the whole smithing system is overly complicated and the difficulty itself balances from pretty easy in main game to utter bullshit in DLCs. Whoever fought that stupid 9tails knows what I mean. 

Sekiro instead is really well balanced, brilliant combat, stealth mechanics, few to no bugs and a decent story. Also it's not overly long like Nioh is ( assuming you wish to platinum them). The only downside is that there is no replayability value at Sekiro. After doing 2 NG runs you are pretty much done with the game : No builds to experiment with, really.

 

@KANERKB as long as you don't count DLC... yep DS2 is the easiest technically. Every weapon there does decent damage, and as long as you understand how vital the ADP stat is , game is a walk in the park. Go for DLC though and all that changes...Besides the story ain't that great sadly. I mean that's kinda the experience of most players me included, of course it may vary from person to person  

Edited October 16, 2019 by Copanele

[Squirlruler]

I would recommend playing Bloodborne first. The game is difficult, but it "teaches" you how to play soulborne games. There are *many* accounts of people hating Souls games, playing Bloodborne, then going back and loving the Souls games. (I personally have not played a Souls game, but I have played BB and Sekiro. Souls games I want to play soon)

 

Sekiro is great, but a different beast than Soulsborne. I found the timing to be different and more precise.

 

Though, if playing a game on easy was your hardest fight, these games may not be for you, because they are difficult. But once you learn how to play them, they are incredibly rewarding.

[Sagaan]

Soul games arent hard, just try em out. They r fun asf, if u have issues in certain areas just power lvl a spot or get help by bosses via online hustlers. Nioh is better then all soul games combined imo. All of em r cheap as well. I would pick nioh first then dark souls 1,3,2 and last bloodborne. Bloodborne is the worst souls game imo. Hope i could help ya out homezZz

[starcrunch061]

A lot of people find Bloodborne the easiest, but I'm not one of them. Also, Bloodborne is more fast-paced than any of the Souls games, which is why I don't really like including everything in a "souls-borne" category. The biggest difference is how easy it is to find health restorers in Bloodborne. You have easy access to blood throughout the game. It allows for more mistakes in combat.

 

I would recommend Dark Souls 2 first for a souls game. A lot of people don't like it as much as the others, and there are plenty of good reasons for that, but the combat felt more solid there than elsewhere. Obviously, Dark Souls is a fine place to start, too. I would wait on DS3 until after you've played DS, though, as there are some callouts to the original game there (though, sadly, very few to the second game). DS and DS2 have very little to do with one another, lorewise (other than some loose affiliations between bosses and the like).

Edited October 16, 2019 by starcrunch061

[Arcesius]

57 minutes ago, KANERKB said:

 I think Dark souls 2 is more fair of a game then any of the other games you said, mostly due to the fact that it kind of is a good start for most people. once your done with ds2 play 1 then 3 then move to demons souls and if your not done with souls itch play bloodborne then nioh then sekiro

 

 

Since he was asking for a game on the PS4 and the only DS2 version there is SotFS I would not really recommend that ? Wouldn't necessarily call that version "fair". 

[Akrioz]

I would say that Sekiro and Bloodborne are the best games out all of them. Nioh is the hardest one(also the worst level-design of anything souls-like I've played), unless you spam talismans that weaken and slow enemies. But it also has the most interesting and advanced combat. Soulsborne is mostly about "R1 to win" with a parry emphasis in Sekiro.  

8 hours ago, Arcesius said:

Since he was asking for a game on the PS4 and the only DS2 version there is SotFS I would not really recommend that ? Wouldn't necessarily call that version "fair"

They butchered the starting locations really hard, yeah. I am kinda a souls veteran and still was really frustrated while starting SotFS. It's fine otherwise though. 

 

9 hours ago, Copanele said:

Whoever fought that stupid 9tails knows what I mean

I actually don't. First tried it, I had MUCH MORE problems with the sentipede guy in the first DLC.

 

P.S. Why did the posts didn't merge >_>

 

 

[Copanele]

2 minutes ago, Akrioz said:

I actually don't. First tried it, I had MUCH MORE problems with the serpent guy in the first DLC.

Well color me impressed ! In my fights, that stupid fox hunted me like there was no tomorrow, I could barely get near her, she definetly wasn't as generous with her attacks. Maybe I just had really bad luck OR really suck ass at the game  

On the flipside , Date Shigezane, or Centipede Guy I guess you refer to him wasn't much of a trouble. Date Masamune was way worse but his fight was too damn fun.

Of course, this is just straight up my experience! I believe that's one fun part of these type of games, each player has a different approach and experience with them.

[Akrioz]

12 minutes ago, Copanele said:

I believe that's one fun part of these type of games, each player has a different approach and experience with them.

Well, there is a lot a of stuff that can make your life much easier in Nioh. Someone can be a purist fighter and the game will be much more difficult, than if you use a lot of talismans. Just like haws's magic attack just rips the stamina bar of most humanoid-like bosses in shreds, Masamune included. Also if you have a lot of amrita crystals you can just constantly charge your living weapon and win that way. A lots of ways to make things easier and convenient. They tried to nerf some in DLCs, slow and weakness lat less, but its still good.

 

Looking at it from this point of view, it may be easier to get through then Bloodborne, for example. There is no much room for something other your pure skill there.

Edited October 16, 2019 by Akrioz

[scemopagliaccioh]

If you like a more calm and stats centric approach I'd suggest starting with Dark Souls 2, it has an adaptability stat to level up in order to make your dodges and estus easier, so it's technically the most "loyal" to the RPG brand. Demon's Souls is probably my second favorite but it's quite unforgiving for a newcomer, so I'd suggest you play that later, Dark Souls 1 has the best worldbuilding in the series but it hasn't aged that well, I can only think of the area with the Bell Gargoyles as good, with the rest having some serious problems, Bloodborne is too fast paced, Dark Souls 3 too to a lesser extent and I still have Nioh on my backlog after two years, but from what I've seen it's more fast paced than Bloodborne, same thing with Sekiro. So I think I'd go with this order:

Dark Souls 2 (you don't get spoiled much about DS1)

Dark Souls 1

Demon's Souls

Dark Souls 3

Bloodborne

Nioh

This way you gradually increase the pace slowly.

[Lonemankane]

2 hours ago, Copanele said:

 

 

1 hour ago, Arcesius said:

 

Since he was asking for a game on the PS4 and the only DS2 version there is SotFS I would not really recommend that  Wouldn't necessarily call that version "fair". 

True but it is more easy in terms of the start of the game then the first and 3rd game and even demons souls. as the forest of fallen giants and hades tower of flame are good starting points and are fairly easy just aiming more for the forest first before the tower. and once the game is finished go for the dlc just know the way they came out first, as it gets harder/ much worse later on you go in.

 

Mostly looking to the iron king dlc being the worse as using the slabs on too many hidden places can f you over as the main final boss there is needing 3 of them to stop him from healing up.

Edited October 16, 2019 by KANERKB

[Pato_friki]

Sure I say nonsense and of course it is the worst of all, but being home and if it is to test how it works and if you like

How about LORD OF THE FALLEN?

I do not compare them by any means, and as I say it is the worst of all, but perhaps to try it is the least dense

[RevengeancePrime]

I would say Nioh is the easiest so long as you're just focused on completing the main game once. If you focus on a ninjutsu/omnyo build, you shouldn't have much trouble breezing through the game. Difficulty comes from the DLCs as well as playing on higher difficulties. 

 

Sekiro might also be a good choice because it seems to make more of a conscious effort in teaching you to use the tools and skills made available to you. I feel like the final Valkyrie fight in GoW also does something similar. There are some challenging bosses in Sekiro, but those are optional and you can also trivialize most encounters with prosthetic tools. The parrying system in Sekiro is also much more beginner friendly compared to Dark Souls and Bloodborne. 

[awf9495]

I will make a bit of an out-of-the-box suggestion and recommend Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen. It has some combat systems in common with Dark Souls but is faster paced and more forgiving.

 

It also has things in common with some of the WRPG's you enjoy, like an open world and more of a sense of character progression through leveling and equipment.

 

Don't get me wrong as I love the Souls games, but DD might be a more relaxing transition for you...as long as you stay away from Bitterblack Isle.

[VigilantCrow]

4 hours ago, Squirlruler said:

I would recommend playing Bloodborne first. The game is difficult, but it "teaches" you how to play soulborne games. There are *many* accounts of people hating Souls games, playing Bloodborne, then going back and loving the Souls games. (I personally have not played a Souls game, but I have played BB and Sekiro. Souls games I want to play soon)

 

Sekiro is great, but a different beast than Soulsborne. I found the timing to be different and more precise.

 

Though, if playing a game on easy was your hardest fight, these games may not be for you, because they are difficult. But once you learn how to play them, they are incredibly rewarding.

Definitely the better souls-like game to start with. Darksouls relies a lot on having perfect timing for parries and ripostes. I see plenty of amateur streamers who get frustrated with it.

 

With Bloodborne you can go through the majority of the game, simply by power leveling. Cheap, but it's a good starting point for someone coming to the genre fresh.

 

 

Edited October 16, 2019 by VigilantCrow

[dannyswfc9]

6 hours ago, Farhad_S said:

I'll be honest, the toughest battle I've ever won was beating the Valkyrie Queen in God of War (easy). I mostly play games to relax and release stress, and avoid games where you die repeatedly until you 'git gud.' Mostly into RPGs, and my favourite combat system is VATS from Fallout, as it literally allows me to pause and choose where I want to hit the enemy.

 

Having said all that, I really want to try one of the 'Soulbourne' games. What would be my best option on the PS4 - Any of the Dark Souls series, Bloodborne, Nioh, or Sekiro? Not going for the platinum, but really want to finish the game. Which of these is relatively friendly for beginners of this type of combat?

My regret was giving up too easy on the valkayrie queen (which i dont normally do). And now ive left it too long that i would probs need to start the game again to get decent at it

[iGGTheEnd]

I honestly don't agree with a lot of these posts.  I was like OP never tried a Soulsborne game ever because they were too "hard" from what I heard.   This is not the case they are more a learning experience, you are going to die hundreds of times learning.  Each boss will be a test but slowly you will learn their animations and attacks and eventually beat them.  My first playthrough of Bloodborne I must have died 500+ times learning but finally beating a boss I was stuck on was such a rush.

 

I reccomend Bloodborne over the others, the atmosphere will keep you wanting to make it further even if it is difficult.  

[Guardian_owl]

I have my favorites from the genre (Demon's Souls and Dark Souls 2), but if you have PS+, I would recommend going with one of the three you probably already own due to the service so that if you don't like it, it has cost you nothing. That would be The Surge (which I also enjoyed), Bloodborne, and Lords of the Fallen. The Surge has a near future setting, Bloodborne is like a gothic Victorian setting, and Lords of the Fallen is a medieval fantasy setting. 

 

Another option would be to dip your toe in with a 2D Souls-like first to help you get the basics of the mechanics without having to worry about the 3rd dimension, something like Salt & Sanctuary.

[Amonares]

9 hours ago, Farhad_S said:

I'll be honest, the toughest battle I've ever won was beating the Valkyrie Queen in God of War (easy). I mostly play games to relax and release stress, and avoid games where you die repeatedly until you 'git gud.' Mostly into RPGs, and my favourite combat system is VATS from Fallout, as it literally allows me to pause and choose where I want to hit the enemy.

 

Having said all that, I really want to try one of the 'Soulbourne' games. What would be my best option on the PS4 - Any of the Dark Souls series, Bloodborne, Nioh, or Sekiro? Not going for the platinum, but really want to finish the game. Which of these is relatively friendly for beginners of this type of combat?

Bloodborne, best one by far.