There is a certain class of gamer that gets their excitement from a series that is entirely designed to torture them. can be frustrating enough. Throw human invaders into the mix, and one’s dealing with a whole new monster. Players can give Hollow Knights the go-around all day long, but there is no fooling a conscious player on the other side of the world, armed with a crossbow and infinite running katana R1’s.
The PvP meta of Dark Souls 3 is a completely new game in and of itself. While there are a few combat mechanics players can revert to from their PvE experience, challenging an actual human player will require more specific strategies. This guide will walk players through a handful of introductory tips and strategies to help ease them into their Dark Souls 3 PvP career.
Darks Souls 3: PvP Tips, Tricks and Strategies
Managing Stamina.
Keeping track of one’s stamina will often mean the difference between life and death. When competing at lower levels, most consecutive attacks will deplete a player’s Stamina rapidly. Unfortunately for heavy builds, those two-handed ultra attacks are going to be few and far between with poor stamina management.
Once players have chosen a weapon they enjoy using, they’d be wise to figure out how much stamina it requires to get two, maybe three good swings off while still being able to roll out of harm's way. Invest any remaining stat points into Vigor and Min/Maxing one's weapons (more on that to come). Survivability is more important than damage output.
Never waste Stamina while in combat. Roll spamming is a great way to drain the Stamina meter and leave oneself open to attack. Instead, get out of range and walk backward/strafe to recharge on Stamina. On the flip side, do NOT relentlessly spam R1. Consecutive R1s (Excluding two-handed ultras) can be easily parried. Furthermore, an opponent with a large pool of HP will absorb those attacks and then punish the player now that their Stamina is depleted.
Using a Shield: the Smart Way
Having one’s guard broken is the worst thing that can happen during a PvP engagement. An experienced player loves seeing their victims holding up a shield to protect themselves. Shields stand no chance against a well-planned build and ultimately waste Stamina. There is value in learning how to time the shield in order to deflect one attack and still roll away from danger. However, holding the shield up in hopes of blocking everything being thrown the player’s way will end in tragedy. That mixed in with proper spacing, rolling, and countering will see more value in using a shield in the off-hand.
But what about Parries? Hide it. An experienced PvP player knows the parrying shields and will adjust their game accordingly. This means a-rhythmic attack patterns and ultra greatswords. , ultras can NOT be parried when two-handed. Keep that buckler hidden as a secondary off-handed weapon, and bring it out once the opportunity arises. Sure this takes a little practice, but nothing worth getting good at comes easy.
There are other practical uses for shields outside of parries. Simple infusions will recharge the player’s FP, while Blessed Infusions will recharge their HP (albeit rather slow). They can prove useful, especially Simple Infusions when running low on Ashen Estus.
So what should players use in their off-hand? Get creative. They should find a weapon pairing that works for them and their combat comfort zone. Crossbows can be their best friends, so can Estoc or the Red Hilted Halberd. There’s certainly something to be said for the L1 poke followed by R1 swing.
D.G.G: Don’t Get Greedy.
This is probably the most important tip that applies to ALL aspects of gaming. In most circumstances, patience will always trump aggression. In the world of Dark Souls 3 PvP, it means back off after getting someone with a few good shots. This may not make the most sense at first, but let’s examine the finer mechanics of the game.
Two consecutive R1s are nearly impossible to get out of. So if players land the first strike, go ahead and land a second. However, that third R1 can be parried or rolled out of. An experienced player knows this and will bait the R1 spam in order to get an easy parry. So players shouldn’t get greedy and throw up R1s until they run out of Stamina. Instead, learn how to flip the table and parry those spam R1s.
Now that we’ve gone over why players shouldn’t swing a third time, let’s talk about not swinging twice. It’s hard. One’s finger almost instinctively presses R1 a second time. Break that habit. If players miss the first swing, whiffing on a second spells absolute disaster. There goes a good chunk of stamina, and here comes the punishment from their opponent.
Get Comfortable Playing Un-locked.
We all know FromSoft’s targeting system can be a little wonky at times, but it makes player’s lives easy when locking onto Black Knights and Hollow Slaves. However, in PvP, the enemy is going to move far more erratically and unpredictably. Unlocking and using that full, 3rd person 360-degree view, can make a real difference.
The most important move in a player’s arsenal while playing unlocked is the ‘turn-and-burn’. This is when one appears to be running from their opponent, but really, their camera is aimed back at the enemy. Unleash a powerful R2 and quickly flip the stick towards the enemy once they're in range. This will spin the player’s character around and punish their aggressor mid-sprint. This move is a beautiful combo starter and is also useful for escaping a greedy opponent.
Playing unlocked also allows one to keep better track of an opponent who is rolling all around them. Gently spinning the camera is much easier than trying to lock onto an enemy again and again. This playstyle also helps after missing that initial swing. Upon a whiff, players can pull back on the stick mid-attack, and their character will swing away from the enemy. This keeps them out of range and helps prevent that habitual second swing. Players should get used to locking and unlocking on a whim.
Min/Max Weapons & Invest in Vigor.
As stated, survivability is far more important than damage output in Dark Souls PvP. This is especially true when playing between Soul Levels 50-60 (the current low-level PvP meta). The ideal amount of Vigor a player will want is 27. This will grant them 1,000 un-embered HP which is how they will enter their invasions. While playing at this level, players will also want to upgrade their weapons to a MAX of +6. Any higher will place them in a higher tier of invasion ranges. Even having a +7 weapon in the inventory will hurt them. All they'll need is large titanite to achieve +6. Get rid of those Chunks to avoid an irreversible mistake.
Min/Maxing means only investing the necessary stats needed to wield the weapon players plan on using the most. Most weapons in Dark Souls 3 have a stat requirement whether it be for X amount of Dexterity & Strength, or Faith & Intelligence. While playing at lower levels, a few extra stats invested into strength is not going to make a world of difference. Those stat points are better allocated into Vigor (until reaching 27) and Endurance. , players can always visit Rosaria to re-allocate their stats. However, they are only allowed 5 ‘Re-births’ per journey. That means players will have to venture into the next New Game cycle in order to use Rosaria again.
PvP in Dark Souls 3 is its own monster. Thankfully, there is a community of committed players that are open to 1v1 fights either just outside the Pontiff Sullivan boss room or in the Crucifixion Woods swamp. Of course, players will run into ‘Gank Squads' (a host and their phantom friends ganging up on invaders) from time to time. Either black crystal out, or test one’s prowess in a 2v1 or 3v1 situation. The ole’ turn in burn will be especially helpful.
Dark Souls 3 is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
