Dark Souls 3: 12 Essential Tips New Players Need To Know

2. Always Keep Your Shield Up (Or Your Finger On The Dodge Button)

No matter how well you're prepared, something, somewhere, will still leap out and give you the willies (a trait I fully applauded in my full review), so it's imperative you're always prepared.

Granted, with the sheer amount of builds out there, many will eventually move away from the basic sword n' shield setup I favour, but regardless of how you've specced yourself, just be ready to react at a moment's notice when out exploring. Get into a state of perpetual readiness, where any surprise encounter is swiftly met with a dodge, an attack, or both.

Dark Souls is hard, cruel and unforgiving, but like the strongest alcohol known to man; once you've got the taste for it, there's nothing else out there with quite so much bite.