Again in 2011, FromSoftware launched a religious successor to its 2009 cult traditional, Demon’s Souls. This new recreation, titled Dark Souls, was a troublesome promote: a punishing, hardcore RPG the place gamers try to survive a haunting fantasy hellscape teeming with ugly monsters that would eviscerate them in seconds. On the time, it was arduous to think about the group’s crushing new creation would grow to be one in every of gaming’s most revered trendy franchises.
Nevertheless, Dark Souls’ ruthlessly satisfying fight, brutal but compelling boss encounters, and story-rich world reworked it into a world phenomenon, inspiring a whole style of difficult RPGs that’s nonetheless thriving over a decade later. With FromSoftware’s work on the Dark Souls franchise now wrapped up, we’ve determined to break down each recreation and enlargement in the trilogy, in addition to provide new gamers a advisable start line.
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How Many Dark Souls Video games and Expansions Are There?
Not together with remasters or ports, there are three Dark Souls video games and six expansions, with each launch arriving on house consoles and PC.
The place’s the Finest Place to Begin?
For newcomers, selecting a spot to dive into the franchise is hard. Some will recommend beginning with the unique Dark Souls, because it marked the start of the franchise and provides you a broad overview of what the collection provides.
Whereas Dark Souls 1 is a superb place to begin, from a gameplay standpoint, we might advocate diving into Dark Souls 3 first. Though you possibly can count on a steep studying curve at factors, Dark Souls 3 is the best of the trilogy to decide up and play, with a extra linear world to traverse and a collection of early-game encounters that enable you study the ropes. It’s additionally the most recent of the three Dark Souls video games and, by extension, the smoothest to play.
That being stated, if the lore of Dark Souls appeals to you, you are in all probability greatest leaping into the unique recreation first. Dark Souls has a wealthy world and a deep story that you simply’ll uncover over time, and whereas every recreation largely stands by itself, some elements of the lore are greatest skilled chronologically.
Every Dark Souls Game in Launch Order
These blurbs comprise gentle spoilers for every recreation, together with characters, settings, and story beats.
1. Dark Souls (2011)
Hitting cabinets in 2011, FromSoftware adopted up its work on Demon’s Souls by releasing a religious successor titled Dark Souls. The sport passed off in the dour realm of Lordran, with gamers assuming the position of a hollowed warrior often known as the Chosen Undead. Awakening in the desolate halls of the Undead Asylum, they’re given a quest: hyperlink the First Flame and proceed the Age of Fireplace, stopping Lordran from plunging into darkness.
Escaping the Asylum, the Chosen Undead undertakes an journey throughout the realm, battling by the onslaught of monstrosities and corrupted gods that decision the haunting locale house. Gamers had to research their environment and create exact character builds in order to navigate its hopeless, punishing world. It demanded lots from its viewers, providing them difficult battles that felt genuinely rewarding to study and grasp.
Whether or not it is enduring the perilous descent to the poisoned depths of Blighttown or overcoming the towering Ornstein and agile Smough, Dark Souls’ seminal moments and method to troublesome however satisfying gameplay made it an instantaneous traditional.
2. Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss (2011)
Shortly after the discharge of the bottom recreation, FromSoftware launched the primary and solely main enlargement for the unique Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss. Going down through the occasions of the primary marketing campaign, it sees the Chosen Undead enterprise by a portal that sends them again in time. Arriving in the land of Oolacile, they need to face an historic and highly effective new risk.
Alongside a number of bosses, together with arguably the sport’s hardest problem, Manus, Father of the Abyss, Dark Souls: Artortias of the Abyss added a brand new space to discover and some highly effective end-game gear, whereas additionally constructing considerably on the collection’ lore.
3. Dark Souls 2 (2014)
Three years later, FromSoftware launched the second entry in the Dark Souls trilogy, with Dark Souls 2 selecting up the story hundreds of years later. This time round, a brand new hollowed warrior often known as the Bearer of the Curse takes middle stage, journeying to the dominion of Drangleic to dispel the undead curse afflicting them.
Their quest places them on the path of the long-missing King Vendrick, kick beginning an journey to monitor down Drangleic’s former liege. Dark Souls 2 constructed off the unique Dark Souls’ basis in a lot of methods, implementing adjustments to the respawn mechanic so enemies not return for those who’ve killed them a number of occasions, totally overhauling the humanity system, and making quick journey obtainable from the very starting of the sport.
4. Dark Souls 2: Crown of the Sunken King (2014)
The primary of a three-part DLC slate for Dark Souls 2 often known as The Misplaced Crowns, Crown of the Sunken King follows the Bearer of the Curse as they descend deep beneath Drangleic. There, they seek for the titular Crown of the Sunken King.
The enlargement supplies an all-new labyrinthine underground space to discover, delivering a gauntlet of poison-inflicting enemies, hidden traps, environmental puzzles, and a handful of robust new bosses.
5. Dark Souls 2: Crown of the Outdated Iron King (2014)
The second entry in the Misplaced Crowns enlargement trilogy, Crown of the Outdated Iron King sees the Bearer of the Curse discover a brand new space often known as Brume Tower. Very like the final enlargement, the protagonist’s purpose is to monitor down an historic crown, this time belonging to the titular Outdated Iron King.
To seek out the artifact, they’ll have to make their well past the tower’s defenses, battling a spread of highly effective fire-wielding foes whereas navigating precarious pathways and going toe-to-toe with one other wave of hyper-challenging bosses.
6. Dark Souls 2: Crown of the Ivory King (2014)
The third and closing entry in The Misplaced Crowns enlargement trilogy, Crown of the Ivory King sends gamers to the icy kingdom of Eleum Loyce. There, they’re tasked with monitoring down the ultimate lacking crown: the Crown of the Ivory King.
Exploring the ruins amidst a blizzard, gamers should fend off a spread of frozen threats, contending with rival phantoms, hazardous environments, and, in fact, a handful of difficult new bosses.
7. Dark Souls 3 (2016)
After the discharge of Bloodborne, FromSoftware returned to the Dark Souls franchise for its closing entry: Dark Souls 3. Our story begins as, as soon as once more, the First Flame begins to fade, inflicting a hollowed undead by the title of Ashen One to rise and start a quest to relink the flame.
To perform their mission, they need to return the highly effective Lords of Cinder to their thrones, launching the Ashen One on a deadly journey throughout the dominion of Lothric. Performing as a finale to the collection, Dark Souls 3 was the largest Dark Souls recreation but, with grander, extra intense boss battles; a few of the franchise’s most visually and technically bold ranges; and quicker, extra aggressive fight.
8. Dark Souls 3: Ashes of Ariandel (2016)
The primary of two main expansions for Dark Souls 3, Ashes of Ariandel sees the participant journey to the Painted World of Ariandel on a quest to fulfill a prophecy. There, they discover a frost-covered world crammed with hazard.
Ashes of Ariandel unleashes a spread of latest threats on the participant, as they discover fallen ruins whereas discovering new gear, battling fierce endgame enemies, and tackling one in every of Dark Souls 3’s hardest boss fights but with Sister Friede and Father Ariandel.
9. Dark Souls 3: The Ringed Metropolis (2017)
The second and closing enlargement for Dark Souls 3, The Ringed Metropolis brings the Dark Souls collection to a detailed. Exploring a distorted world of fallen kingdoms often known as the Dreg Heap, gamers embark on an journey by this haunting graveyard, organising a climactic showdown in opposition to a corrupted foe.
The Ringed Metropolis delivered one closing space for Dark Souls veterans to check their mettle, pitting them in opposition to brutal, high-level enemies who provided highly effective endgame gear and delivered a few of the trilogy’s most difficult boss encounters.
What’s Subsequent for Dark Souls?
Because it at present stands, Dark Souls as a franchise is formally full. Collection creator Hidetaka Miyazaki has reiterated that FromSoftware is completed with the collection a number of occasions, though informed us in an interview again in 2016 that its conclusion “does not essentially imply [we’re] not going to work on a Dark Souls-like recreation.”
We noticed Miyazaki’s phrases come to fruition six years later, with FromSoftware releasing a religious successor to the collection, Elden Ring, in 2022. Final yr, we realized that Elden Ring might be receiving a serious enlargement in the close to future, with FromSoftware asserting that an add-on titled The Shadow of the Erdtree is in improvement.
Callum Williams is a freelance media author with years of expertise as a recreation critic, information reporter, guides author and options author.