Why Dark Souls 3 should have an easy mode and the problem with 'playing to win'

IBTimes UK argues that the 'git gud' meme exemplifies why the hostility shown towards a potential Souls easy mode is so problematic.

[PixelGateUk]

My problem with these arguments is if you take away the challenge from Dark Souls you're left with a fairly decent game, but not a great one.

It's like saying 'oh well take away the challenge from the Street Fighter 3, make everything easy to pull off' What you're left with is a husk of a game

[Concertoine]

What you're left with is SF4 ;)

[PixelGateUk]

Bahahaha you get what i mean man!

[PurpHerbison]

That actually doesn't make any sense. Both games have extreme depth. Would of been more accurate to say SFV as that is the most barebone entry we have seen in quite some time with the easiest combos.

[naruga]

@article ..NO ..just NO end of story

[asad197]

People who agreed don't know how complex the fighting system is in SF4. Pros plays on another level.

[Bahamut]

This article has to be satire right? Right?

[Kingthrash360]

I think the problem is all the hand holding we get already.
Nes games were far more challenging than the games we have now. Brutal even, and it made gamers better. Now we have alot of whiny "gamers" who want to never die and feel some some sort of accomplishment for not doing anything that was a challenge. Bloodborne/souls and games like it are for gamers who want a challenge and KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO ACCOMPLISH A DIFFICULT TASK. putting a easy mode in a game that's SUPPOSED to be hard is just backwards.
I guess and easy mode in flappybird will come next too.
I swear imma raise my daughter up with a NES and Mike Tysons punch out....when she beats that I'll get her a ps5 or whatever.

[bennissimo]

@Kingthrash

Yes. 1M times, yes.

My 2.5 year old son is watching me replay DS1 currently. Not sure if that's good for his brain development... lol. Bad parenting 101. At least he's gonna appreciate difficult games.

And his first game will be Kid Icarus.

[Why o why]

Great parenting, not bad parenting.....ok maybe gruesome parenting.

Old school mario is a good starter.

[UltraNova]

If Dark Souls should have an Easy Mode then Ferrari, Buggati, Lambo, Pagani etc should discount their top of the line cars to 10,000 bucks each so everyone can afford one!

Dark Souls is the exotic 'one of' of today's gaming world that only a few can master. Maybe the only game series that provides a REAL feeling of achievement in gaming today.

Easy mode in Dark Souls? NO JUST NO!

[ravinash]

I will always remember when I beat Demon souls.
I had to fight that final big fight so many times that I was really going to lose it and think I will never do it.
I really had to think about my strategy and either keep trying different things or improve how I was doing something.

When I finally beat it...OH MY GOD.
It will be a fight I will always remember,

All the fights you get stuck on are the fights you remember.

[Kal-V3]

There are hundreds of games people can play that are "easy" why do they need Dark Souls\bloodborne too? If they cant handle it, it's not for them. After i tried and tried and finally "got good" (well...better) the games are no longer that hard..at all. You just have to learn the game and go through the paces with patience.

People say it's exclusion and that's Bul***it. What it actually is? "Everyone is talking about these Dark Souls games and they are getting very good reviews but i tried it and it's too hard. I should get everything i want so i want this game to be easier so it's as boring as most of the AAA games on the market and so i don't have to really work at learning to play the game and get some sense of achievement." THATS how it is.

The fact that people are "demanding" and easy mode is so far gone i can't even see straight. I honestly think that people that want an easy mode would just play it for 2 hours and stop..probably just watch the whole thing on YouTube..

It's not excluding anyone. People are platinum Souls games and doing sub 1 hour speed runs. It's not impossible.

[thekhurg]

The problem with that argument is what does one person's enjoyment of possibly playing on this easy mode have to do with your enjoyment of playing it on the proper difficulty??

[Kal-V3]

@thekhurg
because they wouldn't be playing it the way it was intended. The reason the games are great is that they don't babysit the player. It's about overcoming the challenge and learning from your mistakes. Easy mode would negate all that. Why can't people just learn how to play it like everyone else that made the series popular?

[Ravenheartzero]

@Thekhurg

Maybe there isn't an easy mode because miyazaki didn't one. It's his game, maybe he wanted people to be challenged and not add it in just to get a bit more money appealing to casual players.

[wsoutlaw87]

I agree. Why does everyone want to change every game that isnt for them. If you dont have the patients to learn to play ds (it isnt hard once you learn how to play) then it isn't the game for you. Why even want to play it? Play a game that is for you. We dont need to accomodate every person on every single thing.

[thekhurg]

None of you disagree bandits understand that developers make games for money. If an easy mode is that requested then perhaps they'd have higher sales since it would open it up to people that can't play the game currently.

This selfish nature that you people have that you think everyone needs to be on your level is incredibly immature. I love the souls series and wish more people could play the games. Their stories are so well crafted and magical. Having another million or so gamers opened up to it would never be a bad thing.

[kurochi]

@thekhurg:

As do I want more people to join the Soul's community. I'd argue against your statement " Having another million or so gamers opened up to it would never be a bad thing." And here's why. By adding an easy mode doesn't actually add to the community. In fact, it dilutes the community level. There is a standard for those who's played in these games and you have to have a certain amount of patience and due diligence to get that "badge of honor" feeling when you finish the game or get to NG++++ or something. When you dilute that sense of accomplishment is when the Souls community starts to die.

[Kal-V3]

"open it up to people that can't play the game currently."

Excuse me? Who can't play it currently? Tell me. no one is being excluded. They are excluding them selves.

There are a ton of videos and guides everywhere where you can learn how to play the game. Tutorials and such. There is ZERO reason some one that found the games very hard can't learn how to play it.

I had literally 40+ attempts at Gascoigne. Bloodborne's FIRST(mandatory)BOSS. Over and over and over again dying left and right. Until i started realizing little by little what i was doing wrong. Dash quicker, watch out for his parry attempts, attack from behind, when he transforms don't run away he'll only catch you and kill you, stand your ground and wait for an opening to heal. THEN i got him, and the feeling i had when i did it was insane. You wont get that with an easy mode!

After everything i learned from that and from continuing to play through the game i became better at it. I put forth the effort and felt accomplishment. There is NO reason at all why, if i can do it never really playing any other Souls games before (when i did play i would get annihilated because i didn't try) anyone can do it. Literally just try. Again Plenty of help out there for anyone to enjoys the games as they are.

[wsoutlaw87]

@thekhurg you are the one being selfish. You want a game tailor made too you. This might be the dumbest discussion ive seen. If theres a game you dont enjoy playing, dont f'in play it. You dont need to ask for it to be changed. There is no shortage of easy games. THAT is being selfish. People just want to play it so bad because it is popular. DS isnt hard just takes patients. Any gamer could beat it if they gave it a shot and tried to learn the weapon/leveling systems. If the developers have to take time making something that isnt in their vision, it hurts games. They cant just slap an easy mode in a game with out tuning everything so that it doesnt suck. If they did, that would lower the games quality and hurt their brand. They have been succrssful making a great product some people want, not an average product that doesn't make the casual fan mad. From is doing a great job, so let them do it. Just having the easy mode would hurt the game and that would hurt sales not help them.

[Ravenheartzero]

@thekhurg.

"Developers make games for money"

You are really saying everyone involved in Video game development is just in it for the money? Ridiculous.

People enjoy telling stories, creating ideas and want to bring these to life.

Funny how you call others selfish yet completely ignore miyazaki's vision for his creation. If he wanted an easy mode he would of implemented it. He didn't.

[garrettbobbyferguson]

Because that is the entitlement of these people. They NEED to have every game pander to them, rather than accepting that certain games will not.

[freshslicepizza]

we all know the difficulty and frustration has and will put people off this game, that is factual. we also know there is a hardcore crowd out there that does not want them to tinker with the game. so what we have here is two separate groups who really don't have to be conversing with one another. if they did create an easy mode and it didn't impact your game then who cares? however we also have to consider the creators of the game and their intentions. it is up to THEM, not you or I to decide.

so we can whine there isn't a easy mode and we can complain about leaving it the way it is. what is also factual is they have built up a large enough fanbase that they don't have to offer an easy mode.

but get this through your heads, it doesn't matter if it's an option. just like it doesn't matter if they offer braking assists to driving games. you don't have to play it that way so get over yourselves.

[InTheLab]

Can you imagine a horde of easy mode players showing up with their easily acquired gear in pvp?

Also, money should never compromise one's vision. Chasing casuals has caused a lot of struggles for companies like Capcom and MS...

[Pongwater]

@thekhurg - "I love the souls series and wish more people could play the games"

You love it so much you want it to give up it's identity. Other people playing the resulting shadow of a Souls game wouldn't be playing the real game anyway.

[Why o why]

If you want easy mode go play devil may cry or something. Don't go into a Chinese restaurant and demand Cuban food. Let the makers make their game and if its as 'haf' then so be it.....if thats not for the casuals, so be it. Don't water down your vision for casual players. Implementing an easy mode isn't just a flick switch either. A lot of changes would have to be coded.

[joab777]

Ya know what's crazy too. 90% of people who want this "baby mode" havnt even tried it. They just hear about it and now that it's actually popular, they want to be with the "in" crowd, but are too afraid.

Just try it, die a lot like all of us did, and then prevail. Then come back here and write an article about your conversion.

[DragonKnight]

There is only one reason I'd want an easy mode in the game, and that's PVP. I'd want the easy mode babies to have to face the real fans in PVP and "git rekt" over and over and over for their lack of skills. The trolling potential alone is limitless. Easy mode babies should be griefed to the nines and made to learn that there is no such thing as easy in a Soulsborne game.

[Prubar]

That'd be like taking an established franchise like Resident evil and turning it into an action game instead of survival horror. It just wouldn't work.

[PixelGateUk]

To be fair, Resident Evil has went all over the shop in terms of style. 4 just happened to pop up such strong sales Capcom (doing as they always do) just dived in and refused to come out lol

[donwel]

Oh you.

[wsoutlaw87]

Thats a good example here for people that one ds to cater to a more casual audience, saying the would get more sales. Resident evil tried that and now the series is in the toilet. Make your game for the people that actally want it. Casual players woulnd want ds3 anyway. The only reason they think they do is because they buy reviews, not games.

[Forn]

The writer this article needs to 'git gud'

[Perjoss]

I don't think they are talking about taking away the challenge at all, its an extra mode so that more people can experience the game. Personally I love the difficulty of games like Bloodborne and Dark Souls but I totally understand that not everyone has the time or patience to play through a hard game.

Ninja Gaiden is similar to Souls games in difficulty but it had a 'dog' mode which was easier, and this did not change the main game in any way.

[wsoutlaw87]

"not everyone has the time or patience to play through a hard game" then they should get dark souls. Thats just crazy. If they cant play a hard game, why are they interested in dark souls. The designers created the game they wanted and thats the best thing for the game. Having them alter their vision is just bad for the game, even if it is just an easy mode.

[Utalkin2me]

The game is catered to Hardcore gamers that enjoy a challenge. If you don't have the time and patience for DS, then go play something else and move on.

Society as a whole always caters to the lowest denominator. Im actually glad they dont put a easy mode in the game just the sake for more sales. And honestly i wish there was a ton of games that are challenging like DS is.

[Perjoss]

The level of immaturity in these comments is nuts, an extra mode does not affect your main mode in any way. I love these games and I want more people to experience them, why are people so determined to exclude others from this franchise?

[Utalkin2me]

If more people want to experience it then they need to learn how to play it. Why are you so determined to wanting them cater to the casuals? Obviously if they wanted to do that they would have already done it. The game is designed for a sole purpose.

The media medium as whole always caters to certain people. Such as movies, music etc. Would i watch the notebook? No, but my wife loves it. Should i be telling them they need to put explosions and and cgi and stuff in it to make it enjoyable for me? I enjoy Heavy Metal music and my daughter likes pop. Should i tell them to put some heavy rifts into pop so i can enjoy it too?

[wsoutlaw87]

When a game has to create a whole new mode and caters to a new audience, it absolutely hurts the game. If you have played games for a few years then you should know that has been true over and over.

[Rachel_Alucard]

@Perjoss

You misunderstand. If you take away the difficulty of a series known for its difficulty, even if its just an extra mode, what are you left with? People act like making an easy mode to attract new players in would work, but also forget that everyone was new at some point and had to struggle through the games the same as everyone else. The difference is they didnt quit as soon as they kept dying, they kept going and when you take the feeling of accomplishment you get from the experiences like that you're just turning off more players then you are attracting. Therefore, less people are playing overall because of it. Sadly, even with an easy mode it wont attract more than a handful of people at best, it has nothing to do with the difficulty either. Alot of people are just flat out turned off by the game for things like controls, combat, enemy attacks, you name it. Thats something that difficulty cant fix, thats just play something else instead.

[WelkinCole]

It's not about exclusion for me. Rather is about keeping the experience intact as the game designers intended for any gamer that tries it.

Basically what will happen is that many people will play it on easy mode and will not fully experience the game as designed which will cheapen the experience and sort of waste the effort the designers made

[PhucSeeker]

Dark souls aside. Bloodborne had a great idea for "easy mode": Insight.

When you have a lot of insights, the game become harder with enemies/bosses doing new attack but you can now see more things than before. It fits the game's lore perfectly. With less insight enemies attacks is slightly weaker. Some enemies appear with more insight. It doesn't make the game that much easier tho.

If they do another Souls game. This can be a great foundation to build a dynamic difficulty changer.

Also, NG doesn't have coop/pvp.

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

@Perjoss, an extra mode does affect the game though. It's not a simple slider. There are balancing issues the like that need multiple manhours to complete.

[nitus10]

@PhucSeeker

Well that was interesting. I wondered why certain enemies started to get more aggressive and came up with different attacks. I originally thought it was my level.

My insight is 15 and the skulls are 24 so for the time being I think I may hold off on the madman's insight.

[Gardenia]

True, the challenge is part of the game. But making it more accessible for all gamers is good for the sales of the series

My solution; a different mode were the difficulty stays the same, but you can save at any time. This way gamers with less time still can enjoy the game while not taking away the core of the Souls games

[TWB]

I also understand that some might not have the time and patience, but that should directly tell you that they probably should not play the games.

These games are very much game mechanics based challenges. Even if these "easy moders" got their mode with, for example increased health and defense stats, they would still need to learn the game mechanics from which point on they would be capable of finishing the game in the "normal" difficulty. Either that or they would need to be absurdly overleveled to tank all the hits and overdamage the enemy/boss, which would then be a completely different game. If the difficulty comes from the game mechanics, something in the game design would have to change to implement an easy mode.

I saw a video about Bloodborne about a year ago, where the player had dupped items for himself to become incredibly overleveled and the video was about showing the Upper Cathedral Ward.

The poor bastars had never even learned to dodge and he just juggled between the 3 brainsuckers grabbing him because he had no idea what to do. It was just 5 minutes of him being grabbed, going behind a pilar to heal and get grabbed again...

TL;DR If you have the capacity of learning the basic mechanics of these games, you are also able to finish the game. If you want to have it easy, just summon people. If you cant learn, you probably shouldnt even be playing these games.

[Testfire]

Agreed completely, I love Dark Souls even though I've never beaten one lol. It's a dedication of time, patience and skill. I sometimes lack in the time and dedication front.

But I view these games also as gamer badges of honor. To best these games is truly an accomplishment, something that shouldn't be scaled down for everyone else.

Crap, I gotta get back into the series now lol.

[nitus10]

Totally agree, especially about the badge of honour.

I am playing Bloodborne at the moment (well taking a break) and while it's not that difficult levelling up some of the creatures are tough and some do change their tactics depending on your level.

Basically I am having a great time and with every boss I defeat I really feel I have accomplished something.

Since none of the Souls games or Bloodborne for that matter has any form of mapping, working out where to go can be difficult so you really have to try all paths and with Bloodborne some paths can be very convoluted. Sure I can look up a walk-through but half the fun is doing it yourself.

[Majister-Ludi]

It doesn't really matter if you have a problem with it. All that means is you can play on a harder difficulty. By now having easy mode they limit there game. I know several people who gave up very early on. Them not having an easy mode as an option is a foolish decision and as a result the game will never reach the audience it potentially could reach. At the end of the day it's just bad business.

Reading back over the comments, you people are all idiots. Having an entirely separate mode would take nothing from your experience so all you children yelling git gud are once again idiots. Games are supposed to be enjoyed by all so adding an easier mode allows more to play and doesn't take away from someone playing on a harder difficulty. Once again it's just bad business.

[equal_youth]

And there is a simple reason for that. Miyazaki does not want that. He is a special Kind of game developer a very rare relict. His Vision for a challenging Game is clear so why would we Demand from him that he Alters that so it would loose it's identity?

[Utalkin2me]

Well sorry the several people you know have short attention spans and those so called "gamers" is what is wrong with gaming as a whole today. Im so tickled that Miyazaki doesn't add easy mode for the sake of sales.

And you say games should be enjoyed by all? Sounds like more self entitlement to me, just as everything else you said. Miyazaki created the game he wanted, he didn't base it around casuals or for more sales. Games are not going to appeal to everyone and if it doesn't move on and find something you enjoy.

We need to move forward away from all this easy/casual games. And start making more challenging games such as DS for the real gamers. And i commend them for sticking to their guns and making such a awesome game that is challenging.

[Testfire]

Games are supposed to be enjoyed by all, but not all games should be tailored for everyone. Would you let a child play Hatred, Postal or a rape simulator? I hope not.

This game is tailored for a specific audience, it's not tailored for the mass market.

[Ashmedae]

@Khalina

That was actually a mistranslation. If you check the source of the quote you'll see as much.

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

We're idiots because we understand that adding a new mode requires work and therefore will stifle the game because time they could have put into making a new area they have to use to balance the entire game for a different mode?

[jambola]

You know someone has a good argument when they have to resort to calling people names

i didn't know creating the experience they want to make was bad business, but they seem to be doing fine, i'd imagine they have people much better than you to help them with business decisions

No it wouldn't hurt individual experiences but it would take away the games reputation as being a hard game, instead it would be a gem that's hard on higher difficulties, just like most games.

And no, not all games are meant to be enjoyed by all, just like any other media

[NapalmSanctuary]

While I am not a fan of easy modes (great for developing bad habits), They are talking about an optional mode. The biggest problem a lot of players face when trying to play these games is that the mechanics don't have a chance to grow on them before they get sick of playing. More players means more buyers, which is better for all the players, the game, and the developer. There is no good argument against letting a player, who would otherwise not buy the game, choose to buy and play on easy.

[nitus10]

Catering to a set of gamers that have a short attention span before they want to move to the next shiny is pointless for the Souls series and Bloodborne since these are fairly long games anyway (40 to 60+ hours).

Because the games also have an on-line component you would have to have separate servers for easy mode users and normal users since I don't think a normal PvP player would give any sympathy to a player who is on easy mode.

In addition these games have crafting and RPG components and I don't think people who have shorter attention spans could cope with this as well.

[NapalmSanctuary]

I don't think attention span has anything to do with it, its more about player enjoymet. If someone isn't enjoying themselves then there is no reason to press continue and getting a player stuck before they have a real reason to keep playing is bad for business. But that is all beside the point. An easy mode wouldn't affect us so I fail to see where this is of any concern to us, besides the fact that it increases the player base for a game that we like, which is really good for sequels.

[jambola]

many good arguments you just chose to ignore them

[cimerians]

Oh my lord here we go again.

[showtimefolks]

There should be difficulty options for every game. Yeah sone of you like constantly dying in games and have the time to replay over and over

But some others may want to experience story and the universe

Good thing is most games moving forward will have different difficulty options and for that we need to Thabo casuals

For some who is Bern gaming for over 25 years I don't understand the logic behind some core gamers who have a problem with easy difficulty option

No one is forcing us to play on easy or hard.

The last of us did it the best. On easy there are more supplies abd as you raise the difficulty you will have to use ammo and health packs more carefully

Gamers who play dark souls want to say I did

[Phunkydiabetic1]

Here is an idea, dont play it on easy?

[TacoTaru]

but but but if someone can play it on easy then I'm not special and that's just not right.

[nitus10]

Somehow I don't think the crowd that wants an easy mode could handle a 40+ hour game (speed runs aside).

Here is an idea, play on easy, however don't get upset when you get invaded by a seasoned gamer who is the same level as you or lower and won't show any mercy. What you want your own servers now?

[jambola]

An idea for people who don't like the difficutly,
play something else

[shadowraiserx]

SFV story mode...

[garos82]

now that was a joke. They made it so accessible that babies can beat it. They catered to the baby market and its not selling.

Dark Souls is unique and there is a certain distinctive nature to the game that would be foolish to remove to appease the "masses"

[mEATgrinder]

Exactly, a husk of a game. Omg it's so hard it must be good, tell all my mates in the playground . Game for sad case basement dwellers

[frostypants]

Exactly. The difficulty is the entire point. Otherwise it would be no different from the boring dreck churned out by the Activisions of the world.

[ITPython]

It's pretty funny people would actually be against a game having an easier mode. I mean it would not impact them whatsoever, yet strangely they fight tooth and nail to keep that from happening.

I think it all boils down to their ego and epeen. Being able to say "Oh yeah, I beat Dark souls, I am a king, worship me". They couldn't do that if there was an easier mode that everybody could beat the game with.

[garos82]

give it a rest you moron. millions of people have finished dark souls games. nobody says "i am a king, worship me".

dont forget what made dark souls a cult hit in the first place. never pander to your lowest common denominator FromSoftware.

[Night99]

And why is this your problem? It is really not up to you or others to define how an entirely different person wants to play a game or how he can enjoy it or not.

An easy mode is just an option which doesn't effect the ordinary difficulty at all, so what is your problem with a mode you will not use and don't have to use, it really isn't your business.

I personaly played all Souls Games and Bloodborne and I really like the challenge of this games but this challenges definetly exclude some people who can't enjoy this games only because of this, so From Software definitely should give this people who can't play this games only because ot this an easier option.

There are a lot of games with several difficulty settings and not only since yesterday, several options just work prfectly fine anyone can choose what he wants and what fits for him, why should this bulletproof system work for 100000s of other games but no with this one?

[nitus10]

People are saying that they don't have the time to play a hard game. Well if they don't have the time then they won't be able to play an easy game if that game normally takes over 40 plus hours since the Souls and Bloodborne games are RPG's which includes crafting as well as weapon and protection management.

These games also have an on-line component so you would need separate servers to separate the normal players from the easy players. Then there is the business of achievements. Do you think that these should be the same.

[Night99]

@nitus10, I don't think it is up to you to decide what reasons people might have to want the game not to be that hard, some gamers even might be disabled physically or mentally to some degree and not be able to play too hard games, some others maybe just want relaxe while gaming and don't like the stress, rage and pressure this hard difficulty can put on you. There are a lot reasons why people might want to play the game a little easier and it is entirely up to them, why you ore some other people think it is their business to decide how someone has to play a game?

And I think your other points are up to From Software, they would find solutions 100% sure without a doubt. Especially because there are already a lot of games out with several singleplay difficultys and a multiplayer and the games have no problems, like call of duty games and a lot of others.

[jambola]

" some gamers even might be disabled physically or mentally to some degree and not be able to play too hard games, some others maybe just want relaxe while gaming and don't like the stress, rage and pressure this hard difficulty can put on you"

Well it's a good thing 99% of games give this option so they can play any of those

[MYSTERIO360]

I for one think there should be two difficulty modes of play. One for new players to the franchise who want to enjoy the game and experience a complete runthrough but on a easier mode (with less enemies) and another for regular player of the franchise.

The only complication i see here would be for From software to create separate acheivements listing for each game mode. Regular players would be able to gain higher achievement points for completing the game gaining gold/50G and lower difficulty players could only achieve a silver/30G points for completion.

Seasoned players could also have access to certain things that lower level players dont. I mean it would be up to From software to plan how they would do things but i do think that this approach to the situation would work.I also think it would mean more player buying the game who have a keen interest but dont like the toughness of it and in turn account for more sells. I feel if more players get a handle on the easier mode of play they could then get more accustomed to the traditional mode of play through practice.

I think there is more pros to this then cons to be honest.

[joab777]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

NO EASY MODE!

[jambola]

just in relation to your comment above

"Ya know what's crazy too. 90% of people who want this "baby mode" havnt even tried it. They just hear about it and now that it's actually popular, they want to be with the "in" crowd, but are too afraid"

Do you have anything to prove than? or even back it up slightly? or are you just pulling numbers out of your ass?

[USMC_POLICE]

I disagree I'd love to play dark souls, I tried bloodborne and couldn't beat the priest boss so I sold it. I'd rather spend time on fallout or witcher where I can challenge myself but actually be able to progress. I am honestly upset especially on bloodborne as I wanted so much to play and beat it but can't.

[Ashmedae]

See, that's the wrong mentality to have, giving up on a (great) game and selling it because you can't beat a boss. I've played Demon Souls (still working on beating it) and I have beaten Dark Souls, Dark Souls II, and Bloodborne. I HAVE struggled mightily countless times at a boss or in an area. WE ALL HAVE. Yet, after much perseverance, we've gotten past that boss or that area that we were stuck at. If you need help, you can always summon someone else into your game, assuming you have an internet connection that is.

The point I'm trying to make is that WE ALL HAVE been there at some point. The game is about learning your opponent, from your mistakes, and adapting. Being able to finally get past an area because you've figured things out is half the fun. The other half is exploring, learning the story, leveling up, finding items...you know...role playing (game).

[nitus10]

There you go Bloodborne is not for you since you weren't willing to persevere. Getting killed by Father Gascoigne is really just an introduction of how difficult this game is going to be.

Actually other bosses are normally not as difficult as Father Gascoigne was, relative to your level.

I must have died about 30 plus times before I beat him (took three minutes) and when I did and not by cheesing or any how-too's I was so elated.

I have hit some other bosses that are quite difficult even with NPC help although I have only fought them once and died of course once my NPC died and all three turned on me. Well back to the drawing board.

@Ashmedae

Could not agree more.

Actually most Bloodborne players would know exactly where I am at the moment (the hint is Sssssss! and "It Burns!"). 😉

[notachance]

The game isn't hard, it just takes getting used to, you just need to play with their rules. That's what all those game over for, to understand the rules.

For me it's relatable because it's like how the real world works, you are equipped with the skill needed to win, but so is the world and everyone blocking you from the goal, you need to understand the rules and maneuver your way to the goal. You are a human with skills, a soldier, not a god in human skins like in GTA, CoD, AC what have you. And that's what good about games like this.

[garos82]

@purpherbison

Street Fighter V may have a ton of problems but gameplay is certainly not one of them

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

Yeah, but it's also a good way to get people to want to re-play it at a harder difficulty.
Use the easy as an introduction, then tell them "try Harder modes for these benefits" at the end screen.

Lots of games take it that route, and it works out just fine.
Beating hard mode for that secret item or ending is a classic carrot-and-stick method that wouldn't allow hard mode to be invalidated by the presence of an easy mode.
And it earns the game more sales from people that maybe want to experience it, but are scared away by the insanity of the regular difficulty.

[Bathyj]

I completely agree that Dark Souls should have an easy mode.

I also want the requirements for the PGA Tour lowered so anyone that can score an 80 or has a 9 handicap can join so I can be a professional golfer. /S

[joab777]

It's like we think alike. Actually, I was hoping that the NBA would just lower their skill threshold and sign me for $40 million. I know I could score 2-4 a game. It's just (stomping my feet) fair.

[Bathyj]

Btw, I just birdied the par 5 for the first time in over 10 years.

I know it's completely irrelevant, but I'm telling everyone I know. ;)

[Limegreen]

I don't think these games are too hard at all (some fights are). yes, you will die a lot in the beginning, but after the first 100 deaths or so you will start enjoying the crap out of it more and more.

[Orionsangel]

The idea of DS is that it challenges the player. If you had the choice of playing an easy mode. The player always has that easy mode looming over their head. It's there as a sort of lifeline. It would defeat the purpose of the series. Heck, what makes the series so special. It's not like it needs an easy mode either since it's a huge seller regardless.

[insomnium2]

Bloodborne is one of the best games I have ever played. I finished DS1 but never got into DS2 for some reason. I have it but stopped playing and after Bloodborne released I never went back. I'm something like lvl 240-250 in Bloodborne on my NG++++ iirc. The best hack and slash game there is bar none.

I love the adrenaline rush these game give me. Every boss fight gets my heart pumping and this doesn't happen in any other game. Only DS and BB and that is SOLELY BECAUSE OF THE CHALLENGE!

The DLC Old hunters has the games toughest boss fight right at the beginning. Ludwig the accursed is he? He was tough on NG+ but on NG++++ he is EXTREMELY tough. I died more than 100 times in the 2 times I've killed him. On NG++++ the ai partner is no use and dies instantly. Luckily I found some real life player to kill him with. I love these games! The challenge is insane at times but the reward for that is priceless!!!! Never change DS&BB!!

The socond hardest boss fight has to be amygdala in the defiled and accursed chalice dungeon as you only have 50% of your health. I effing saved the gameplay when I killed that thing. LOL!

[joab777]

It's actually better for gamers if we dont. Instead of the entitled absurdity that most games have become and cater to, maybe some gamers will actually push through, challenge themselves, and experience the real satisfaction that comes from overcoming a difficult obstacle

DS had alot going for it, but the reason it's so popular among many is because it offers a real sense of accomplishment, an almost euphoric feeling that others games cant. Why? Because in order to feel real joy, ya must feel real pain. And DS definitely brings the pain.

So, there are plenty of theme park rpgs out there for people to play. And if ya want to experience DS, then ya have to buck up and play it b/c you CANNOT reallu experience DS on any other difficulty.

[nowitzki2004]

Some games that most people play on easy or normal are still made to be played on the hardest difficulty. TLOU was a whole different experience on the hardest difficulty level.

[ChronoJoe]

I know a lot of people obviously agree with you and want to preserve the difficulty of Dark Souls games but I disagree.

Adding difficulty modes or options would not reduce the difficulty if applied in the right way. It shouldn't be about making it easier, it should be about adapting the difficulty so that everyone gets a similarly challenging experience.

For instance, my sister is terrible at these types of games, but I am not. So with the fixed difficulty that Dark Souls currently poses, the game is much more difficult for her, than it is for me. So she's having to go though a lot more to achieve the same, playing an game that's near impossible to beat relative to her abilities skillset.

In neither case, does the game offer appropriate difficulty relative to the experience that From say they want to convey. For me, Dark Souls games are pretty trivial in their difficulty - most of the time - as much of what you encounter is similar to the previous games, I can usually clear segments of the game very very quickly based on prior knowledge and a good grasp of the controls.

Of course that doesn't mean I feel it should have an easy mode, but a carefully designed adaptive difficulty system that allows the game to present the same moderate-high level of difficulty, from one player to the next.

[BigBosss]

Dark Souls 3 is all about the hardcore challenge. If you are finding the game very challenging, take your casual gamer elsewhere.

[Back-to-Back]

Yup if you need an easy mode, then Dark Souls is not for you. If you prefer braindead mindless games, games like Hearthstone and League of Legend exist for that reason.

[ceromaster]

Finding a game challenging doesn't make you a casual gamer. That's like saying that a person who can't write a novel isn't able to write at all.

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

That sounds sickeningly elitist.

Adding a lower mode for less skilled players wouldn't take away from the accomplishment of finishing harder difficulties, because that's an accomplishment in and of itself in a game like this.

[DragonDDark]

Git gud.

[himdeel]

#GitRillGud

[Eiyuuou]

#TheLegendNeverDies

[SweatyFlorida]

Exactly, its difficulty/learning curve is part of its charm, take that away and your left with a lesser game. There's plenty of other easier rpg's out there for people to play if they can't handle holding a shield and dodging.

Besides, the games do extremely well perception and sales wise. Why should they change things just so people who are bad at video games get what they want when the game is meant to reward players who can overcome the original difficulty? I'm glad they haven't succumbed to their demands.

[MyDietEqualsGames]

Thats the only difficulty I want to see in these games. Getting the platinum in BB wouldnt have even felt like a standout accomplishment compared to most games if the game was any less than what we already have. I am on the side that goes against adding a difficulty setting for these games.

The fact the game gets harder with each completion is even better, with no reverse.

I get exclusion is not a good thing, but were not talking human rights or no child left behind here.

[Hoffmann]

Get games like Starfox Zero where you have your extra ship/mode for...Zeros /Noobs that are not able to become good enough in a game to beat it.

[Kalebninja]

I'd have no problem with that, for those that just don't have the time to invest in dying over and over and mastering the game like normal they could still enjoy the good combat and boss battles. But I'm sure there will be those people that'll be 100% against extra options even if it doesn't affect them.

[OoglyBoogly]

"But I'm sure there will be those people that'll be 100% against extra options even if it doesn't affect them."

Of course, as always *cough* PS4K *cough*

God forbid people have a choice!

But yes, I agree with you. People here are saying "get better" as if it would be sooooo wrong for more casual players or people that just don't care enough/have the time to master a already overly difficult game.

I don't mind a little challenge, sure, but I play games to relax and unwind, not to break controllers (I'm past that point in my life!). So to have an easy mode for those that just want to see the story and the epic boss fights is perfectly fine.

Like you said, it won't affect the other difficulty levels or the ones that like the challenge, so what the hell is the problem and how can any of the rest of you be against it?

[Takwin]

I have made a similar comment multiple times, but people just won't buy it.

Make easy mode people unable to help those at higher difficulties.

Make different trophies for different difficulty levels, you know, like every game.

[areisul]

In Dark Souls the difficulty is part of the design space. The whole point of the game is your character is persevering against impossible odds as the world falls apart around them. Without the difficulty, the game loses it's oppressive atmosphere and sense of danger. This diminishes the world and takes away any gravity from those "epic boss fights" you enjoy so much. This is even a major part of the narrative, Undead who give up "go hollow" and are never seen from again, just like the players who refuse to work around the entry barriers.

Including an "Easy Mode" would go against the entire spirit of Dark Souls. It's an artistic design choice. People who refuse to "git gud" and whine that the game should be easier are like people who want to read Shakespeare but refuse to get into it because the language is "too old."

[Utalkin2me]

Then dont play DS, simple as that. Go back to playing "Kardashians goes to the mall". You want to see epic boss fights and some of the story, cause you struggle with the game. Watch Twitch.

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

Totally agreed.
It's that sort of narrow-minded elitism that makes me gag.
And it's especially ironic coming from players that don't realize just how casual-infested their consoles have become.

[jambola]

If people don't care enough then it shouldn't matter if the game gets easier really.

It's not "overly difficult" and you don't exactly have to master it to beat it

[kurochi]

NO. The whole point of the game is to be diligent and learn patience. In turn be rewarded with that patience and hard work. You take that essence away, you've got a shell of a game that might be good, but not great. This series is built on the player being meticulous and practice, practice, practice. It's a standard that all the players who enjoy this series share. Wanna join that group? Put in the hard work or get out. Stop whining. Why should the established Souls community give up the standard just because you can't play the game as it was meant to be played? Money? From Software obviously isn't worried about that or else they wouldn't be pumping these out yearly. That's why I admire some of these Japanese developers such as Miyazaki & Kojima, they don't compromise and try to make a quick buck (cough COD cough cough). You make a good game, we'll play it at your standard.
Think it's too hard? Don't play it. We won't miss you.

[OoglyBoogly]

"you've got a shell of a game that might be good"

And there's nothing wrong with that. Again, if it doesn't affect you then WHY DO YOU CARE???

You are TOTALLY free to play on whatever insane level you want too so why are you being such a selfish ass and telling people they shouldn't be allowed to make their own choices on how they want to play a game?

Why does it bother you so much? What's the problem?

"Think it's too hard? Don't play it. We won't miss you."

It's shit like this as to why the gaming community is such shit. Grow up.

[kurochi]

See what OrangePowerz & reaperofsouls said below and what areisul said above.
Too lazy to spell it out for you.

Grow up? Seriously? That's your comeback as to why the Souls series should add an easy mode for those who doesn't want to spend the time to play a game at a standard that the developers set? oh.... the irony.....

[Rachel_Alucard]

@Ooglyboogly

If you want an easy mode as an extra then it's clear you're not interested in the game but just everything within it like characters and the cryptic story. Watch a playthrough in that case you don't need to compromise the entire selling point just because people want something to read. It's not even refusing to let people make a choice, its a simple design choice because it's supposed to give you the experience and that's how From intended it. They are out to give people a feeling they get after killing a boss they struggled with for so long, they want people to feel great after that win, not feel unsatisfied because it was too easy. That's why everyone is on equal footing when going through a single playthrough of the games.

Miyazaki asks, "How can we make this fight more interesting?" Rather then, "How can we make this fight more difficult?" That's what keeps the series good. Yet so many people misunderstand the point of the series.

[OrangePowerz]

I wouldn't say it doesn't affect people. It would require more resources on the dev side. Dark Souls isn't a game where the easy mode would be just weaker enemies that make less damage. The whole game is designed around it being difficult and the player having to figure out what he needs to do without handholding.

Most of the games already cater to the less skilled people so no need to also change the few challenging games that are left.

It's like those people that asked for a PG13 version of the Deadpool movie.

[Kalebninja]

Actually it can be them just making enemies weaker which couldnt have been that much of a hassle on development tome and once again it doesnt affect any other players who want to play it normally.

As for the Deadpool movie, Deadpool in comics was actually pg-13 for a very long time he only became R rated in the late 2000s and even after that he's appeared in several Disney cartoons in the past couple of years so it wasn't a far fetched request.

[Ravenheartzero]

@kale

Maybe miyazaki didn't want his souls games to have an easy mode. His choice.

[Kalebninja]

@Ravenheartzero Never said it wasn't but i wouldn't have a problem if they had one.

[OrangePowerz]

Kalebninja given that "easy" enemies can still kill you quite quickly once you are close to the end how much do you imagine those need to be made weaker? The game has been made around all the difficulties and that's not just for the enemies but also the general mechanics and the secrets on what to do to get further into the game. How the levels are setup, online, etc. etc.

At the end one thing will have to give if you make an easy mode. We have seen plenty of games over the years that got more mainstream at the expenses of the more core audience that got the game the sales in the first place. Just look at AC as one example, it went from challenging to a state where you just have to press random buttons. There are plenty of other examples. Easy mode will be only the first step and before you know it it will be just another game that is for the mainstream audience.

Comics have been more lenient with ratings than movies and even movies in the 80s had a PG13 rating for movies that inlcuded swearing, sex references (Ghostbusters ghost blowjob as example) that wouldn't get a PG13 now. Deadpool always used a lot of swearing that was bleeped out, that would never get at a movie PG13 rating since you can't bleep swearing out in a movie. They also got away with blood when the comics had been PG13 that shouldn't have been in there.

[Aloy-Boyfriend]

No!

Git gud!

[wakeNbake]

Go play another game then you filthy casual.

[Nineball2112]

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[bloodybutcher]

casul*

[darren_poolies]

But the games aren't even that hard. My flatmate, who has never owned a console and has only played FIFA and COD, finished Bloodborne twice. People are just lazy.

[NapalmSanctuary]

I disagree that they are being lazy. They don't get a chance to like the game before having to press continue. If you are not enjoying yourself, there is no point in pressing continue, why would they waste their time and money. You have to love a games mechanics before the challenge becomes enthralling.

[darren_poolies]

But the games aren't massively challenging initally, they teach you the mechanics rather than just showing you. And its just a bit more challenging than normal games. And they get easier towards the end to encourage you to actualy finish the game.

[slappy508]

No.There's plenty of other games out there that will hold your hand. Souls need to keep its identity

[nitus10]

Totally agree.

One game I am still playing is The Witcher 3 and initially I started playing on normal which I found to be too easy. I then restarted on "Blood and Borken bones" and while that was harder I felt it was still too easy.

I restarted on "Death March" and it was only then I really started to appreciate the mechanics of the game.

While I don't mind having a game where you can select your hardness level and you get appropriate trophies, however having the ability to change the difficulty on the fly feels like a cheat although I would not object to making it harder only not easier. Still at least these games are single player only and the only person you are cheating is yourself.

[24twelve]

Souls games cater to a specific type of gamer. It isn't for everyone - and that's just fine.

New players looking for a solid RPG with serious challenges will find themselves in front of the wall that is Soul games. You can overcome the wall (and become better for it) or just back away and do something else.

Sounds obvious? It is that simple. There's no need to compromise on a middle ground to suit everyone. If that was the case, the market would be full of boring, unfulfilling games - like your typical, yearly, generic shooter games.

[WelkinCole]

Honestly. They are still relatively easy games. The fact you can buy literally unlimited tree/blood vials makes it a game anyone can play.

My god we used to play games with only 3 lives, no saves and no regenerative health.

I think casuals are being just lazy that just want one button push for games with instant gratification.

So its not that its impossible for them. They are just being lazy.

[asadachi]

This lame argument again. It's not an elitist attitude, it's people not wanting the game changed because the challenge is intentionally set by the developer to make the game great. Alter that, and you're giving in to the whiners and people who are too afraid to even try and succeed. You only hurt yourself if you cater to the minority of babies; to me, this is akin to giving into terrorist demands.

[SkolarVisari]

Oh please. Terrorist demands? Over a game that gets alot easier after you grind your way above most of the enemies? All people are asking for is a mode, a mode does not by definition impact other distinct modes.

[asadachi]

Just because you whine doesn't mean people have to listen. Don't try and ruin it for the rest of us just because it's not for you.

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

That's just it: HE'S NOT RUINING IT FOR YOU.
If anything, you're the one attempting to ruin it for OTHERS.

What you seem to be missing is that the modes YOU PLAY ON wouldn't be affected by a mode made for newcomers to the series.

You LITERALLY LOSE NOTHING by keeping to your mode, and leaving the easier one to the less experienced.

[JOHN_DOH]

All of the dark souls games have the multiplayer mixed with the singleplayer game. even if there was an easy mode, they will be getting invaded by players which usually are more difficult than the ai enemies. So should they put extra easy servers for these people? Make a separate set of easy trophies too? What about loot in the game? Should the easy mode player get the same loot from a nerfed enemy? The souls series of games have been successful and a big part of that is because it does not hold your hand. The game is supposed to be difficult. Easy mode would probably need compromises that would affect the game design

[equal_youth]

I wonder what you think of when you talk about said easy mode.
Simply make the enemy's weaker?
Add a quest log?
Add a map?
Add a level indicator over enemies?
Change the world to be less harsh?
Remove traps or make them easy to spot?
Remove leveling system with souls?
Don't loose souls when you die?
Add a story that can be understood by all?
Add invisible walls so you don't fall off a cliff or whatever while fighting?
Remove different phases of Boss fights?
Remove Bonfires and add checkpoints or even save when you want to?

All of the above makes the games so special and made them what they are today.
If you simply want a game set in western european area just play the witcher3 which by the way is also pretty awesome because it keeps it's own identity.
I wonder if some kids demanded to remove the sex/nudity scenes so they would be allowed to play it.

I would love to hear your thoughts on that.

[asadachi]

OK mr. capital letters. You don't seem to get it. It's altering an art form, or like asking for an easy mode after you join the military because it's too tough for you. Let's see how much sympathy you would get for that. You would either get kicked out, or you would adapt and make it. An easy mode would cheapen it for those of us who adapted and persevered and eventually conquered dark souls. Why do you want things to be easy on you anyway, are you just so incompetent you can't handle a challenge? It's also like listening to something you don't like on the radio. Instead of complaining and raising a stink like some over opinionated and misinformed SJW, just turn off the radio! Same with dark souls, if you can't or won't try to overcome, then don't bother playing it.

[Scrivlar]

Git gud bro!

[reaperofsouls]

I shake my head in disgust, should super mario have a mode with blood soaked violence and sexual content for a more adult ordinance? No!Then dark soul should never have a easy mode,it is what it is leave it be

[Ristul]

True. Games don't need to cater to everyone, that is the problem with some of todays games, they try to do too much.

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

Super Luigi U.
Harder difficulty.
Takes nothing away from the joy of the original.

Your argument holds no merit.

Having extra difficulty modes literally does nothing to impact the players that want to continue playing on the traditionally hard modes that they're used to.

[voodoochild346]

Much of the appeal of souls games is that they aren't scrub friendly like most games. Take away that aspect and they aren't nearly as popular. If you like the game you'll work to get good at it. Every franchise doesn't need to be ruined to accommodate people with short attention spans.

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

@ Voodoo

"Much of the appeal of souls games is that they aren't scrub friendly like most games. Take away that aspect and they aren't nearly as popular."

Here's where your argument falls apart: Adding optional difficulty levels doesn't take away existing ones.

Therefore, it doesn't ruin it, because YOU still get to play on hard mode.

How other people play these games doesn't dictate your enjoyment of it.

And if it does, then you've got issues that have nothing to do with indignation over a mere video game that you need to work out.

The people whining about the idea of an easy mode in Dark Souls are the same people that were incapable of understanding why The Contra Code was so awesome back on the NES game of the same name.

Sometimes having an option makes a game more enjoyable for a wider variety of people.

It also WIDENS THE SALES BASE, a fact that the core fans of this series keep skipping over in their haste to defend "the spirit of the series", which wouldn't be hurt in the slightest by this since they wouldn't play on an easier difficulty anyways.

[DanteVFenris666]

Widens the sales base? These games sell millions now. Not much wider you can get.

Also just the presence that their is an easy mode changes the entire game. You can play some games on the highest difficulty that are harder then souls games. But most people wouldn't do that, most would play on easy and it would ruin the atmosphere. Having one difficulty means they perfectly crafted it to be fun and rewarding. It was the difficulty they designed the game around.

It also isn't that hard. Bloodborne was easy haven't played a soul game sense demon souls and I beat every boss in 1-3 tries.

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

@ Dante

Dude, MOST of the players that like the Dark Souls series, like it for its difficulty.

That should be evidence enough that most players would NOT choose that easier difficulty, and therefore it does no harm being present.

Nor would it "ruin the atmosphere" for anyone not using it, precisely BECAUSE they aren't using it.

You're all concerning yourself way too much over a mode you wouldn't even pay attention to.
You're all acting as if this would ruin your game when it would not do a damn thing to affect the difficulty mode that you guys enjoy playing on.

[jambola]

It would take away from the overall reputation, most games can be hard on higher difficulties, they made the game to be hard, Super luigi U was not made to be a game of a certain difficulty, souls games were.

[GrimDragon]

Man this really fries my chicken! So sick of what could only be casuals complaining about this game being too hard for them to enjoy. It's true if you want to experience so bad than dammit GIT GUD!
It's as simple as that. So sick of people wanting everything changed so they can be included.

There's tons of easy mode games literally tons! But that's not good enough dark souls exist but I can't play it cause I suck I demand you add an easy mode right now.
The nerve of this generation of so called gamers that have many excuses for not getting GUD!
That's not FROM SOFTWARES problem that's your problem.

For the love of God stop begging for an easy mode these games are not many they exist for the few of us left who can appreciate a challenge this ain't candy crush this is something you either learn to play or leave it alone and consider a different hobby that you can have exactly the way you want all to yourself.

[Stuppe]

Dark Souls already has an "easy mode". Its called summoning people/friends into your game to help beat bosses. If you cant even get to the bosses, well then Dark Souls is not for you! Simple really.

[uth11]

The problem isn't that Souls/Bloodborne games are too hard, it's that other games are too easy. It's more old school in its difficulty. Don't water down what makes it special.

[THRASHMOUTH]

Do not bring that "every little league team deserves a trophy" mindset to video games... Please!

[WeAreLegion]

Dark Souls is MLB, but it would be nice to have a AAA league, too. Ya know?

[ceromaster]

It's already in video games, RPG's are the epitome of that mindset.

[Cy]

I honestly don't see a problem with an easy mode. It's just an option. No one is forcing anyone to use it. The people who want the difficult experience get it and people who want to play it but don't want to constantly die all the time get that too. How someone else plays a game literally doesn't affect anyone but that person, so people getting all hostile when this come up doesn't make any sense to me.

[nitus10]

The main problem with so called easy mode is that the games have an on-line component and you would need a separate server to cater for the people playing on easy mode.

One very important part of the games is crafting by finding the appropriate items to enhance your weapons and armour. In addition there is spell-craft as well which can also be enhance. Players that want an easy mode will then want to be able to get crafting items and spells easily as well or just give up because it does involve some work.

Basically these game take quite allot of time to play and even if a so called easy mode did exist you would not expect to finish the game under 30 hours which would be way too long for those people who want an easy mode anyway.

Of course these games can be completed fairly quickly by a speed runner and if you are a speed runner why would you want an easy mode.

Personally speaking if these games are too hard for some then they should just give up and find an easier game since there are plenty of those.

[NickAwesome]

No,why every game must be watered down this days? leave game developers alone,don't ruin their vision

[Psychotica]

Doing that would ruin the allure of the game. It's like anything else in life that presents a challenge, knowing that so many give up while you succeeded increases the satisfaction. Who would care about climbing Mt. Everest if it was only 10 feet high and even a child could do it?

[hobbes2099]

Are you really going to compare beating a Dark Souls game to climbing Mt. Everest? That's hilarious. And asinine.

[Psychotica]

Are you really that stupid? Where did I even come close to saying that? The only comparison is the level of interest either one would be if they were easy to do. Duh!

[hobbes2099]

The comparison is implicit in the question about Mt. Everest being 10 feet tall. It's called reading comprehension. You might not have intended for it to be there but it is. But by all means, call people stupid on the Internet.

[jambola]

Yes it is called reading comprehension, maybe instead of using the words you should actually show that you an actually do it.

[Oschino1907]

You realize climbing MT. Everest has only gotten easier with time as technology makes it more accessible. Doesn't take away from the challenge because it's still incredibly challenging but if you want to do it old school you can. Why shouldn't others be able to enjoy it if they want a higher level of safety with less risk?

[Liqu1d]

No.

[OpenGL]

It doesn't need an easy mode, if you lack the patience and ability to learn simple patterns, Dark Souls is not for you.

[bixxel]

You are completely, exactly right.

[WelkinCole]

They should call it the lazy mode.

[Ipunchbabiesforfun]

I really want someone to explain this game to me...I've never played, I've seen snippets of game play and it reminds me a little bit of like DMC, but I could be wrong...I personally am not a fan of RPG's, RPG elements don't bother me. I enjoyed the witcher 2 and mass effect but I don't like games like oblivion or final fantasy, turn based etc, I get bored too fast. I like games like devil may cry, is this anything like that? Also, is it overly Japanese influenced? I know people get angry but I really dislike DBZ, Pokemon, final fantasy etc so if it's anything super Japanese I know I won't like it. I also am not a fan of anything super super hard. Ninja garden black? had me ready to pull my hair out and will most likely end in a broken controller. Any thoughts?

[WellyUK]

It's not massively influenced by Japanese games, if anything it's much more westernized. I'm with you on the not liking Heavy Japanese games like FF etc but the From software games I give exception too as the themes are much more western focused. I wouldn't say it's like DMC (Hack n slash) but it's not quite hack n slash as it's a bit more refined and slower than something like DMC. I wouldn't say these games are "Super" hard as they are more trial and error, once you learn the boss move set the fight becomes easy, they are however a challenge.

You could always wait and pick up one of the older souls games for a discount some where and try it out see if you like it, DS2 scholar first sin is on sale every so often or DS1 on PC if you play PC.

Maybe try Bloodborne which I would consider being a bit easier and faster paced than the souls series (You might prefer if you like the faster hack n slash games).

[Ipunchbabiesforfun]

Perfect! Thanks! Blood borne is another one I've been curious about and they get rave reviews! Trial and error is fine and so is difficulty. I don't mind having to learn how to beat a boss. I just don't like games that are so insanely hard that it isn't any fun. RAAM, lucifer in GOW3 are a few that I needed a few tries on I can remember.

[equal_youth]

I played through all the souls Titels and even managed to Platinum bloodborne. The game Let's you really grow and get better whilr you learn it's mechanics. That said I still haven't beaten Hades in gow3 hard mode oO

[Ipunchbabiesforfun]

I beat Hades on hard in GOWIII!! That was a bitch lol! He's my favorite boss bottle of all time possibly. So much fun.

[WellyUK]

but isn't the reason people like these games because of the difficulty and the risk reward? remove that and your left with an empty shell.

[sk8ofmnd]

Agreed. So far demons souls is my fav in the series... Im hoping ds3 takes the cake!

[WellyUK]

Who disagreed? these games would not be any where near as popular without the difficulty or as good and satisfying...

[warriors_13]

a filthy casual disagreed. he needs to simply git gud.

[Ipunchbabiesforfun]

I swear to god if you say "git gud" one more time on this thread...

[sk8ofmnd]

Wanna play dark souls 3 on easy? Watch a playthrough on youtube. That will no doubtedly make the game easier.

The first playthrough in my opinion is the easy mode. Only with every ng+ does it get harder.

I really enjoyed the difficulty stone in ds2 that made the game much harder. Im hoping that returns in ds3 😼

[stavrami]

BLASPHEMY

[SpinalRemains138]

Can we plz just have our 1 hard game, plz. Just this one. Why do you need to alter everything for everyone?

Not everyone gets a trophy. We're not all the same.

Play Mario Carts.

[BLKxSEPTEMBER]

If you want a easy version of DS then play Bloodborne. That's easy mode for ya.

[nitus10]

It is a bit difficult comparing Bloodborne to the Souls series. There are quite allot of similarities however Bloodborne is a faster paced game where the key to winning is to dodge and slash.

Some of the Bosses and even the mini bosses are extremely fast and considering you don't normally have a shield it is very easy to be killed with one or two hits since a hit from a large enemy can stagger you and some enemy do follow up with four or five punches which in many cases is an instant kill.

Just because you are fighting a dangerous creature it's not just you and it there may be other creatures as well and of course there are always those bloody birds. 😉

[VJGenova]

Bloodborne was the easiest and shortest of the "souls" style games. The opening aside, it is very manageable for most people. If the player can't get through to the point where you can start leveling, i can see why they would think it's very hard.

[Back-to-Back]

Well seeing as you dont have a PS4, you definitely would be expert tell us all how difficult the game. #ArmChairGamer

[Germany7]

You never played Bloodborne and Demon's Souls, you don't know what you are talking about.

[BLKxSEPTEMBER]

And you know this how? Just cause you struggle with BB don't mean I did.

[ziggurcat]

good god, no. don't like that it's difficult? then don't play it or just get better at it - it's not that hard when you have a really good grasp on the mechanics of the game.

edit: or, as someone suggested above - summon help. that's the game's "easy mode" right there.

[nitus10]

The problem with summoning help is you may also get invaded and I am quite sure an invader is not going to take it easy on you just because you are a player on easy mode. Of course they could always have a Kinder-garden server for the players who want easy mode. 😉

[ziggurcat]

you can get invaded regardless of whether you summon someone to help. at least if you have someone summoned, it's two of you against of of them.

[ziggurcat]

*against one of them. i think i was half drunk when I replied...

[FullmetalRoyale]

Back in high school I was first string on the B team in football, but what they really should have done is made making A team easier so everyone could handle it. /s

You want to hang, you have to want it enough. If you don't want it enough, why are we even having this discussion? It doesn't make sense to me. 😒

[Oschino1907]

Except your analogy and most others would imply you wouldn't have even had a B team to play on.

It would be make the A team or don't bother playing at all.

[FullmetalRoyale]

B team would be playing an easier game, just so you understand. Pretty obvious, I thought. Guess it was too subtle. 😘

[Oschino1907]

You talk about 2 teams at different levels of play in the same game for the same overall team.

Yet you think somehow it was supposed to be understood that the 2 teams were 2 different video games in which 1 is easier to play? Except they are somehow playing the same game for the same overall team?

Sounds like you tried to bring sports into it and didn't think it all the way through much like 99% of the analogies against the idea.

Sports:Video Games
Football:Dark Souls
Teams A/B:Difficulty level

[Guyfamily999]

I consider myself a hardcore gamer. I game a lot and buy a lot of games, and I DEFINITELY appreciate a challenge. The payoff from accomplishing something difficult in a video game is massively rewarding for me.
However...
I'm not exceptionally skilled. To me, normal mode in games can feel like hard mode, and hard mode can seem crushing. Dark Souls is supposed to be a game with crushing difficulty... But to me, the difficulty goes beyond that to not fun or even possible. Please understand that I like a challenge, and have no issue with a boss taking dozens of tries to defeat. i just think their should be an "easy mode" so that people like me, and others, can enjoy he difficulty. I know that doesn't make much sense. What I'm saying is that for me, the souls games are too difficult to play through. If they were a little easier, they would still be extremely difficult to me, but enough that I could still progress through and enjoy them.

Also, how would how someone else plays a single player game affect your enjoyment of it? How would a mode that makes the well designed soul series accessible to less skilled players affect the game at all for others?

[akiraburn]

I think you had a very fair and level headed reply, more than many others on here, though I'd like to offer a few counter points to explain why I think that there would be some problems with having an easier mode.

Consider these games as their own "genre". Not everyone likes every genre of game. While the "Souls" series may share traits of other games, and it's easy to mistake them as another "ARPG", they are intended to be difficult and different by design, with many gameplay elements revolving around that. Changing that inherent design trait, would essentially move them away from that genre.

To give you an idea on the effects that an "Easy Mode" would have, it would require them to do a lot more than just reducing the damage that enemies do. They would have to create walls to protect you from all the falls that would instantly kill you (and bosses/enemies designed to knock you off their platforms). Falling damage in general would have to be reduced, as that can be the cause of many deaths, and therefore you'd also be able to access areas that you shouldn't be able to access before certain points in the game. Traps would have less value and purpose, as they wouldn't be able to really be "threatening" anymore. All the status effects would also need to be adjusted and changed around to be less threatening, as would boss designs, the online modes (invading, co-op, etc.) would need to be removed/changed which also factors into several of the levels' designs, and still many other facets of the games would be need to be different.

And though you might suggest that just editing the enemy damage would be enough, you have to consider that for you that's what an "Easy Mode" could entail, though others would complain that it still is far too hard and therefore all those other aspects would need changing as well.

So you'd essentially be playing an entirely different game. And regardless of that, all of what I mentioned goes against what the intended purpose (or genre) of these games. These games are made to have a learning curve. A lot of people really struggle to figure it out, but the satisfaction you get from succeeding after dozens of failures is tremendous. There are a lot of means of overcoming each obstacle and generally surmounting that learning curve, from inviting other players to help in co-op, through YouTube tutorials, or even spending time grinding some easier enemies until you can level up more.

Though some people will be disappointed, again it's important to consider this kind of game in its own genre. If someone doesn't have the time or patience to be able to really overcome the learning curve, then it might not be the genre for them. Just as a JRPG fan may not enjoy a traditional sports title, it's essentially the same concept. And though within my example the actual "content" in the games differs drastically, that's still essentially how you have to view the difference of the Souls series to other ARPG titles.

So I hope that I accurately depicted the concerns and issues of why there would be problems offering an easier mode. And though I might not agree, I appreciate you offering a very level-headed comment as well as accurately describing your thought process.

[Realms]

They just can't give you an easy mode and call it a day, they would have to change the level design because the whole game is based on the premise that danger is just around the corner and every single enemy including the lowest one can kill you. So an easy mode would help unless you know the game mechanics need to be successful because even the easiest of foes needs strategy and timing to be defeated. Sure they can turn it into a hack and slash but that wouldn't be a Soul's game anymore.

[donwel]

You know what?
I agree, they should make an easy mode. They should release it as DLC and charge you a further £20 for it, you whinging cry baby.
With gaming you get as much out of it as you put in, or at least that's the way it should be.
Those of us who started gaming in the 80s put the effort in to complete some of the most difficult games ever made and the Souls series is the probably the only series where we can get that kind of challenge any more. Just because the games are popular doesn't mean that you NEED to play them, if you keep getting your shit handed to you so much that you need to baby out and cry for an easy mode then they are not for you. Simple as that.
There are literally mountains of games that are casual friendly out there because devs are essentially hen pecked into making their games "for everyone". The Souls games are ours, don't like it? Then get out.

[SkolarVisari]

The game doesn't belong to you per say. Furthermore assuming that difficulty levels made sense in Souls games (They don't but that is a slightly different discussion.) an easy mode has no impact on you at all. The same way an easy mode has no impact on DMC (The real ones, not that bull from NT who broke the game mechanically.) or Ninja Gaiden.

What do you think, that the dev team couldn't simply save the data from balancing the game and work that into a different difficulty mode? Adding in a menu screen would take an inordinate amount of time given the fact that they have to calibrate enemy difficulty as a normal part of the development process?

[Zarock]

My only problem with souls games Is not the difficulty but the punishing aspect of the game like losing souls when you die. Now remove that from the game and It's a 100 times a better experience.

[GrubsterBeater]

That's one of the reasons why these games are so satisfying.

That feeling of surviving with a bunch of souls you earned, then reaching that bonfire, having that moment of satisfaction and the feeling of being finally safe for a moment before continuing your journey.

If they got rid of that, then it wouldn't be the same...

[Tsunade]

Without that, you won't get the tension and the pressure to be a BETTER player. Instead, you will be having a walk on Disney world without any consequences of your actions.

[SpinalRemains138]

Or

Go back and get them like a gamer, or return to base when u have a lot.

It's the choice that makes the game. You want your hand held. We don't.

[MasterCornholio]

Having multiple difficulty's would screw up the multiplayer.

[hobbes2099]

What's wrong with the idea that someone could enjoy the game on a lower difficulty? Variable difficulty is something that's been one of the great equalizing elements of gaming. There's no easy mode to help a player in a real sport. You either have the physical skill to play or you don't. But with gaming, anyone can jump in and have fun. All of you jagoffs that say it's the equivalent of participation trophies clearly don't know what it's like to have diminished visual acuity or inadequate manual dexterity. But there are many gamers out there that do and adding an easier difficulty level would allow them to enjoy it. And those are just a couple of examples of market segments that get opened up with a variable difficulty. Or would you rather them not be able to play the game? I say a variable difficulty level would be a boon to Dark Souls and bring in even more revenue to allow From Software the financial means to continue the series.

[GrubsterBeater]

Let's let FromSoftware make the game the way THEY want to.

Should we also make updated versions of art from prior time periods because some people didn't really understand it that well?

[SinkingSage]

No, why not add a hardcore, blood soaker, gore soup, sexually fuelled Super Mario Bros. mode for the God of War croud? As it has been said, it's like someone who wants to get to know the classics but doesn't read them because of the "old" English, or doesn't watch old movies because they are in black and white.

[SkolarVisari]

Should they not translate Shakespeare into various languages then? The examples you bring up are not like the situation here. People want to experience the game, what would like an easier difficulty level. What would actually be analogous would be someone who wanted to experience Shakespeare but does not because they cannot understand the original English.

[SinkingSage]

And then what will beating Dark Souls mean? It's a badge of honour as of now, but if button mashing is all it takes to beat it, there goes the game's merit down the drain.

My point is, if you are incapable of enjoying something in it's original state, what gives you the right to demand a special version catering just for you? Like kids who only want the toy that the other kid is holding, only they can't handle the toy because it wasn't made for them and demand a special one just for them.

[SkolarVisari]

There is nothing wrong with difficulty levels, it's just that these people can't differentiate between an option, and lowering the difficulty across the board. Only one of these actually impacts them.

[assdan]

You're constantly online when you play this game, should all network functions be disabled in hand holding mode?

[Realms]

New gamers don't need cuddling jeez I wonder what they would think of playing Contra, Ghouls and Goblins or ninja gaiden. Games used to be way more challenging and FromSoft games remind of the days when games needed some kind of skill to play. Anyway with a little patience and practice DS3 is definately beatable.

[SkolarVisari]

Except the souls games really only require grinding to remove the difficulty of almost every enemy. Which is why a difficulty mode doesn't really make sense for them. They aren't tests of skill like DMC or Ninja Gaiden. Stats are far more important.

[SilverClock]

I think what the author is trying to say is that it should be an OPTION to have an easier mode. To allow for gamers who wouldn't otherwise play it -- to play it and enjoy it.
I still disagree with that though. The game is already clearly popular as is. If it isn't broken, why try to fix it?
Adding a lower difficulty would just dilute the experience imo.

[cimerians]

For godsake its optional. There's nothing WRONG with putting an easy difficulty in the game if its OPTIONAL. Play your game the way YOU want. Give others the option for it. Not everyone has the skill to play these games.

Tired of the whiny priveledged "its my game" bullcrap.

[SkolarVisari]

Exactly. I love how these clowns who get validation from a videogame have the gall to say that others don't have the right to ask for something just so that they can feel special over something so trivial.

[sk8ofmnd]

It goes both ways... But honestly you cant please everyone. The main thing is not to change the formula thats been intact since demons souls... This is a game where you are expected to die a lot. Demons souls handed me my ass at first... Then i just got better. This game is meant to be brutal and non casual oriented. So many of my friends didnt like these games because they were too hard... Well, go play something else with guns, time freeze mechanics, or a fps. Odds are if this game is too hard... ITS NOT FOR YOU! And you are going to have a VERY bad experience with looking at a loading screen more than actually playing it

[assdan]

It's because I believe you're diluting the game severely by lowering the difficulty. It's not the same game if you lower the difficulty

[Back-to-Back]

Ever single person who has played these game was garbage at one point. The people who still play are the ones who want to get better an use their brain. I know this is asking alot for people in 2016.

[Galanai]

In a game with non optional multiplayer how is your move to easy mode optional and non affecting? Doesn't that just mean easy mode player gets invaded by someone who is twinking a low level high skill build? When that "easy mode"'player gets wrecked and throws their controller is that still an issue of game difficulty?

When "easy mode" player gets invaded with a collaborator and they both get wrecked, you gonna ask for an automatic offline mode next?

[esmittystud101]

That is what makes Souls in a league of there own. You put an easy mode on it, it sours the series.

Its not that we want to ruin the game for anyone else, but......we just rather you not be apart of the Souls group. Go back to playing The Witcher 3 where you can pause the game, save your game two seconds before a boss fight and when you lose you can reload right back up again, go look at your map to show you everything and don't forget to keep checking your objective list so the GPS can point everything out for you.

As a Souls player, this article/man affends me. LOL

Not really, but I get kicks out of hearing people complain about the series. Its always the same story too. No difficulty level and losing there Souls/blood vials when they die.

If it was up to me........you wouldn't even get that one chance to get your Souls/blood vials back. You die, you lose. LOL. Just kidding again. I need that one chance to get my Souls back.

Right now I'm stuck on Dark Souls, New Londo Ruins is the area, the ghost house is kicking my butt for two days now.......and I love every second of it. Its challenging. I even went to The Deaphts first, got cursed on purpose so I could visit the NPC in New Londo Ruins to cure me. I could go get that certain stone to cure me, then I would get full health back and probably beat the ghost house on the first try, but whats the challenge in that. The NPC is on top of the ghost house, I just have to clear it out first and get two or three drops while I'm in there.

I'm getting better at the area each day, LOL. I love that the game is kicking my a*s. It makes me more hungry and right now I'm starving.

[Tsunade]

Back in the day when I had a NES there was no such thing as easy mode or even be able to save the game to continue later on.

Games like Castlevania, Ninja Gaiden, Bionic Commando if you were out of lives and continues, you needed to start from the beginning. You had no other option but to be a man and grow some serious gaming skills oh but the satisfaction when you finished one of those game was priceless.

[hiawa23]

I say the more options the game devs gives gamers the better, as not all gamers play games for the same reasons, and this superiority complex many gamers have about completing games, well, being nice, many gamers don't play games for that reason, and you really don't get to dictate to others how they should play or enjoy games, so to me if they did have an easier difficulty mode, how would that affect your gameplay? Answer: it would not, and would be welcomed by many. I will gamefly this one.

[Tsunade]

Souls series, from the beginning, was aimed at a specific segment of gamers. They were not trying to be the popular guy with everyone.

Take that out from the Souls series and is not anymore a Souls series. I get some people would like to play the game at an easy difficulty but this game is not for you then. This game has become so popular because of the segment of players it is aimed at and because it brings that satisfaction of really working out your skills and where your bad actions have real consequences.

Is the same as saying: oh, the preparation to be a doctor is so difficult and have so many years of study. Give me an easy difficulty so I can be a doctor without having to sacrifice myself like the others.

No way. Play another game.

[SkolarVisari]

The difficulty of becoming a doctor, and the difficulty setting of a videogame, a piece of entertainment software are in no way comparable.

[JamesBroski]

Seriously, those games aren't even that hard. The "easy" mode would be to summon players to help you or play coop with a friend, or to just grind a bit.

[buttcheeks]

I don't get it why would they put in a easy mode difficulty is a part of dark souls identity. They shouldn't compromise their vision to accommodate more people. I suck at grantorismo but I don't think they should turn it into an arcade racer to please me every game shouldn't be for everyone

[SlightlyRetarted]

Souls game desing revolves around challenges and overcoming them. Remove those and you brake the desing. And i don't want to hear complaints that Souls games are boring or mediocre because you hack threw them on easy mode.

[SouljAx360]

I wouldn't care if DS got an easy mode. The option being there wouldn't effect me because I wouldn't choose to play that way.

But according to the comments I've read so far, apparently I'm the only one here with the strength to resist picking easy mode. Because you know, if it's there you must play that way. Most of you have no control over which difficulty option you pick and so including an easy mode would be unfair to you, right?

I know a few people who like to play games but aren't the greatest gamers. Games with easy modes are great for them. Souls games are great horror games that could reach a new audience with an easy mode.

[SkolarVisari]

Shhhhhh. How dare you suggest not picking an option not relevant to you.

[Caedus511]

Wait what? Easy mode?

Did the Spartans get an "easy mode" at the Battle of Thermopylae?

THIS IS DARK SOULS! HU WAH

[Mr Marvel]

Toughen up princess!
If it's too hard then spend some time levelling up to strengthen your character and polish up your Dark Souls skills.

I've finished Demon's Souls, DS, DSII & Bloodborne (Platinuming the latter two) and I'm just an average skilled gamer. Ok, maybe slightly above average now, but my point is that it's difficulty is always drastically over-rated imo.

[SkolarVisari]

I think that is part of the problem here; people don't seem to understand that Souls games are about grinding. While I see no harm in an "easy" mode I would argue that difficulty modes don't make sense since this game isn't about leveling up through quests like The Witcher, it is about stat grinding until you can overwhelm anything that manages to stop you cold. People try to play these games like a typical action RPG which is basically all about rushdown type tactics; the problem being that these games require a play style closer to Ninja Gaiden at least until you level yourself far enough above the enemies. They forget about grinding their way to victory and don't understand how to fight intelligently when first starting out.

TLDR: Play Ninja Gaiden or some other Hack and Slash that has a high skill ceiling (By skill I don't mean having to have super fast reflexes.), then play a grind-heavy RPG and you will know how to actually play Souls games and they will not be particularly hard.

[Chaos_Order]

One of the things that many From fans like is that there's no safety net with their games. There's no option to lower the difficulty for a tough boss, no option to view the game map, no option to view a list of objectives, no option to get hold of powerful weapons quickly and easily etc.

Merely having such options, even if the player didn't plan on using them, would just provide endless temptation to players as they explore the world. If you failed at a boss 5 times and just the MERE OPTION to skip it showed up, a lot of people would skip because it's the path of least resistance. From's games don't do that. They limit options that could potentially lessen enjoyment of the game, even if the player doesn't realise it at the time. I dropped the difficulty level on the last few missions of Grimgrimoire and ended up completely regretting it because it became stupidly easy. Sometimes limiting options is a good thing.

Sure, some gamers might appreciate this, but saying that mere options (just options you guys, just options!) can't have a detrimental effect on some players' experience just isn't true. After Project Cars and its utterly terrible campaign with its "tweak every aspect of the game for your own experience and skip to whatever races you want" which bugged the hell out of me, I for one do not welcome this idea. Some like it, some don't. Including options does not solve every problem.

I'll just leave this here:

https://youtu.be/9wYGO7svse...

[assdan]

If it's"too Hard" for you, git gud or watch a let's play. Git gud means exactly what it sounds like, if you have a question abiit a hard area, and you need help figuring it out, souls players will help you. If you're just going to say the games are too hard, we're going to tell you to git gud.

[IIFloodyII]

The Souls games do have an easy mode, it's called summoning, makes pretty much every area and boss easy, as the A.I struggle tracking multiple people.
If you can't get far enough for easy mode to be viable, maybe the games just aren't for you.

[DarXyde]

I disagree with this article.

The difficulty is a series staple. You may alienate people, but these titles are often about perseverance, bragging rights, and finding out what you're made of. If you want to talk about "reductionist", it actually takes away the significance of victory from people who did it the way the game was meant to be played. "Oh I beat the ancient Dragon!" "Hey, me too!" Except only one of them did it the way it was meant to be done.

That also somewhat defeats the purpose of new game plus where it gets harder. Let's say you have a difficulty below normal and new game plus brings you up to normal. That means that person can bring all of their items, greater currency, and possibly over level characters in, giving them a great advantage. They could start over with a new character, but you might be surprised to learn how many people don't like that idea. Most of my Souls playing friends only have one character. Go figure. Not saying they're representative, but they're also the only people I know who play the games.

It may alienate, but it really is about getting good. If you could drop in an easy mode, sure, you don't have to use it, but it would, in my opinion, really take away the significance of what you've done. I want to say that the difficulty is what first drew me to these games. If there was an easy way out of my misery early on, it may have been too tempting. You have an easy way out, and you take it, it's a bad feeling, especially for these games. If you don't take, it becomes a matter of "I didn't put it on easy". So even when you beat it, you are likely only thinking to yourself, "I didn't change the difficulty". It's a shared experience where if you beat it, you best believe you really beat it.

And let's not forget that people suck and might try to spoil the game by beating it asap. The challenge is at least something of a hurdle to stop that.

It just isn't one of those games. You're given the ultimatum: take the time to learn this game and prepare to die. A lot. Or quit. I'd take it as a life lesson lol.

If you want an easy mode, just summon NPCs or other players to help. And since there's generally a limit to how often you can summon, it obviously means they don't want these games being too easy. Summons would be broken as well since you generally must be on the same playthrough at least the first time as your companion, but if it's done the same way as Bloodborne after the patch, you can basically summon a God of a player to help you best the usually tough first boss that kills you canonically.

No thanks. I like the idea of everyone suffering and having the same experiences.

[KnobSlobSnob]

Dumb.

[HWG]

The Soulsborne series are a ... journey, so to speak. The game is as hard as it will ever be from the beginning. Just like anything, as you play more - you learn. Games are entertainment, but they can also be more than that. There has been real, quantifiable studies done on how games like Dark Souls can actually help with depression and anxiety, as accomplishing something actually releases similar levels of dopamine as accomplishing a rewarding task. Dark Souls is as much an experience as it is a video game, maybe more so. This game is not about instant gratification, it's a epoch about accomplishing tasks that feel overwhelming, it's about willpower.

You have to remember, we all started on the same playing field. Feeling frustrated, and for some even going as far as rage induced controller snapping, over the video game. But then you come back to it, problem solve, and learn. Becoming proficient at a Souls game is less about difficulty, and more about understanding.

We can talk about how games like this should include the OPTION, and how it wouldn't effect anyone else's experiences, but it does. Part of Dark Souls' charm is that, when things get tough there isn't a "quick and easy way" to overcome. It requires tenacity, the will proceed, and a problem solving mentality that has beneficial effects in the real world as well. We Souls gamers do have a fanaticism about the series, but it's well earned. The games, for many people, have helped them in some aspect. They build a certain level of character, that in many ways, transfers to other skills, other games, real world applications, and especially - relationships. There are times when in "the real world" we wish there was an "easy" button, but there isn't. If we want to conquer and succeed, we have to sometimes, hack away at it. Some are better off than others sure, in many ways the allegory applies to those who are playing a Souls game for the first time, versus those are seasoned veterans, or even just starting classes. We all remember how Pyromancer really kind of was, the "easy mode" for Dark Souls, well to a point. There are few mediums of entertainment that require real dedication to progress, and even fewer that actually feel rewarding when progression is made.

For those who agree with the author, I challenge you to seek out experiences that you enjoy and weigh them as if they were able to be "modified" or even diminished, if the obstacles that you had to overcome weren't there. Skydivers, you might know this as first jump jitters, or my fellow competitive shooters - we all remember the first shot trembles, as adrenaline and nerves overcame us as we heard that "first gunshot" ring even through our ear protection. My first IDPA match, I was shaking for half of it - but when I finished, I felt accomplished. We are defined experiences, and those experiences are defined by how much we have to grow in order to meet them.

I know it's a video game, but sometimes it is important, and can have real meaning. Just like there are whole dedicated sections of YouTube to deciphering the story behind the game, there are whole sections of life that dedicated to figuring things out... Dark Souls, and it's sequels and gaming-siblings and offshoots, represent in many ways, life - and the rewards, challenges, and failures, that we all experience, collectively as a whole.

TL;DR Git Gud. Praise the Sun.

[Chaos_Order]

I completely agree with this post. Saying "just an option, everyone wins" negates the fact that dropping the difficulty would be all too tempting throughout the entire experience. What about a map as 'just an option' or the ability to keep all your souls upon death as 'just an option?' People would just take the easy way out.

Demon's Souls was unlike anything I'd ever played, and I really struggled through some sections. If I'd had the options to make it easier I would have, and I'd have ruined the experience. Now, I know better. It wasn't the game I wanted, it was the game I never knew I needed, and it changed how I viewed gaming as a whole ever since. All because it limited my options and forced me to git gud. :)

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

Not everything needs to cater to everyone.

[yomfweeee]

I really don't understand those against an easier mode. You know you could still play it on hard mode and get the exact same game. So, why do you care? If it is easy for another player, why do you care? You should all be completely against summoning as well, since that makes it easier.

I'm an adult with kids, I don't have time to bang my head against games like this constantly. I won't buy the game because of that. Yes, that is the developers choice and so be it I guess.

[NightKing]

Summoning can actually make it harder to get through a level. Most of the people who help others may be good at pve, but are terrible at pvp and can get wrecked by a single invader.

[NightKing]

Dark souls games aren't difficult they are unforgiving. Once you get a grasp of the mechanics, learn the move set of your weapon/weapons of choice, and learn how to properly min/max your build the game is a breeze. The learning curve may be steep for some, but its there for a reason.

The difficulty is in place so that you learn the mechanics of the game. This isn't kingdom hearts(My Fave of all time) where you can mash a single button to win. The developers want you to play the game as intended so they punish you when you play badly. This way you don't pick up any bad habits (like only pressing a single button to win every fight).

[EDKICK]

Games don't need to cater to everyone, they all don't have to have "something for everyone" it's a niche game that got popular. I don't ask JRPG'S to not be turned based because I want to play one. You have to make the decision if you don't like the difficulty to not play it or play it anyway. Also to people bashing the author there's no need, I disagree but that doesn't mean it wasn't an intelligently written article, you can disagree but insulting the author is not needed.

[Pledius]

not every game should be made accessible by everyone

Dark Souls is a niche game and should be left as niche game

[Morgue]

I own all the Souls games, Bloodborne and will pick up DS3 but I've yet too beat a single one and will say NO THANKS to an easy mode. It takes away the challenge and the feeling of accomplishment one would have it that were too happen.

[WelkinCole]

How come you have not beat one?.

The easy way to beat these games if you want the easy mode is to farm for souls/blood and upgrade your player stats.

There are many levels with many enemies that you can run through and collect souls/blood. Focus on the big ones with more souls/blood. Upgrade then run through again which you will find easier every time you run through a level as you are constantly upgrading your stats. Focus on upgrading your stamina, strength and then your health first.

For the boss battles they are fairly easy if you have lots of health. You just run away and replenish your health if you are low. Use fire, lighting etc for weapons which normally does almost twice as much damage. Stay calm and watch his/her attack patterns then strike.

For bloodborn in particular I found getting close to the bosses is better as I can regain my heath fast if I get hit by striking back fast. Also being near them allows you to get behind then and attack from there which is normally their vulnerable spot.

[Morgue]

Because I used to just run in and want too smash everything and would just die and give up. Almost a year passed before I really sat down and played Bloodborne. Told myself that the game is only as hard as I want it too be, beat the first 2 bosses in about a weeks time. Now I'm at Blood Starved Beast which I almost beat on my first try but haven't passed him yet.

The farming aspect I am well aware and often do but in the end I just like the games.

[47]

Simply put, the Souls games aren't for every gamer, nor should they be. If you find them too difficult, too bad, go play something else. This logic is absolutely destroying the industry, along with the BS SJW crap that's being shoved into games. Not every game will be for every gamer and it's dangerous to think they should.

[FastRedPonyCar]

FROM don't do difficulty in the traditional methods. You can set the difficulty yourself through stat point allocation, weapon choice/upgrades, etc.

If you want easy mode, dump lots of stat points into health and strength and carry capacity so you can use a big weapon that hits hard and strong armor.

Beating a souls game is a privilege you earn by getting good. Casuals that whine about it being too hard simply do not understand the mechanics of how the game world and difficulty works.

[WelkinCole]

But seriously guys. How hard are these games really?.

Honestly they really are not that hard for me at least.

I hope future blood/souls games will limit health packs down to say 3-5 carry.

[ufo8mycat]

There is already an easy mode in Dark Souls, it's called choosing the Mage or Cleric classes.

[wheresmymonkey]

There is an easy mode, but its clever than simply a slider. Play as a Pyromancer, or a knight and wear the sacrifice ring.

The knight can take a ton of damage, the pyro can use ranged spells and is half decent in melee, most enemies are melee focused.

[Tankbusta40]

It doesn't need an easy mode. I am far from a hardcore souls player but I have beaten them all and bloodborne, it'd about learning through trial and error and when you beat that boss that has smoked you 20 times in a row it's a rewarding feeling. The game would not feel like an accomplishment if it was easy.

[The7Reaper]

I like how calling someone a "casual" is an insult lol "he has a life so he sucks" is essentially what you're saying lol pathetic

[MrZweistein]

What a bullshit. The game don't need a easy mode at all. The player needs just patience to learn the attacks of the enemies and bosses. I admit for newcomers it is a steep learning curve but after you got it you have your easy mode!

[Chaos_Order]

I'm fine with people wanting an easy mode because they feel intimidated by the game, but if your argument is "they should do it because more sales/more money" then just f*** off. If all developers blindsided their artistic visions in the hopes of making the most money possible we'd never have gotten some of the greatest masterpieces in gaming history. Ico, Deus Ex, Okami, Demon's Souls, Gregory Horror Show, Killer 7, Danganronpa, Persona 3/4, Dark Chronicle... The list goes on.

I personally think any developer who puts their artistic integrity before their bottom dollar is worthy of praise, regardless of whether I end up liking the game or not.

[holtzy]

it should not have a easy mood because of all the cry babies that dont like games that actually challenge you, they are use to being hand feed how to play a game or games being built for them. cry me a river a game that is a challenge suck it up there is still a few gamers out there that like a challenge. enough games have already been ruined because of cry babies and the feminist/social warriors.

[dota2champion]

If you give the game an easy mode, then it isn't Dark SOuls

[opinionated]

Yeah no. I'm not a fan of the souls games but that's just the type of games they are. I wouldn't like them if they were easy either. I am the minority in that equation and there is no point to appealing to my preference. It's just not worth the extra work.

[VJGenova]

Sure, i will play. The following games should have hard modes:

1. Shadow of Mordor
2. Mad Max
3. Sleeping Dogs
4. MGSVTPP
5. ROTTR (wait ... it did ...)
6. Most JRPGs
7. Borderlands

Get my point yet?

[DarkEnergy]

People dont want to work for things, they want it handed to them on a silver platter.

[Vanfernal]

Typical. People don't know how to tackle a challenge so they want the bar lowered for them. The fans of the series got our asses kicked countless times. The difference is we PERSEVERED. And that made the challenge all the more satisfying. If it's too much for you, play something else. Or watch a stream of someone playing the game or something. There are alternatives. You can even call two other people to help with the bosses. There's really no excuse.

[benji101]

Souls games are not hard at all. There is this big myth that surrounds the games and it is not really true. Most Nintendo games are as hard as Darksouls.

[Wyld-Woo]

As a Souls fan, I would welcome anything that helps more people play games that I love. A larger community, yes please. Makes no difference to me and why should it,

Options of difficulty on other games have helped me learn to get better at a time while still progressing and having fun. Fallout 4 is a game I really struggled with as I don't play many FPS games. Not having the option to turn the difficulty down, I would have given up at that from the start.

Everyone has the right to praise the sun!

[BassMan125]

Dark Souls is easy. I don't know what the fuss is all about.

[Segata]

You want an easy mode in DS? Soooo you just want a darker Dynasty Warriors. GTFO

[HawaiianDreads]

Man Dynasty Warriors 4 on Extreme Mode vs Lu Bu in the cage was no cake walk, well not for me anyways.

[warriorcase]

Get good

[Galanai]

I believe an easy mode compromises the gravity of the lore. After having died numerous times, and having mightily struggled against these powerful hollows, a player can more readily accept the tragedy or suffering of the core lore.

Knight Artorius wouldn't feel like a badass if the Four Kings fight were simple or easy. Gwynn and his lighting of the first fire wouldn't feel important at all if you'd just beasted the shit out of the game.

Bloodborne and the Lovecraft connection wouldn't be of interest if Orphan of Kos was easy. Or if Lawrence, the first vicar was an easy one minute fight.

The challenge deeply enriches the overall lore and because the games are challenging finding shreds of lore via new items generates a huge incentive that I absolutely never feel in other games.

After having collected billions of drops across the hundreds of modernish RPGs since Diablo, souls games make loot feel valuable beyond just rarity color and stats.

FashionSouls, FashionBorne are exactly fun because normal looking enemies can often become your most grueling fights.

I'm grateful to Miyazaki and his team for keeping their vision in tact for how sad and uncaring their world design is. The challenge absolutely is a character in the game and this article basically wants to cut this character from the game. I for one would stop buying Souls games if they were easy and I've bought at least 2 copies of each of the series now since demons souls.

[Chexs1990]

The souls games are a mentality check, a heads up to us gamers above the age of 23-ish, who remember the good old days ^^
So i say no to an easy mode, people just have to Git Gud :P

[Helios86]

Actually, yes GIT GUD SCRUB.

[warriors_13]

The problem is it will ruin the experience and essence of the souls series. Not because it will allow "casuals" to play it but because I will be tempted to select easy mode when I get stuck somewhere.

All games come with difficulty options but I never select the hardest one. The challenge of these souls games are what make them what they are. Leave it be.

[equal_youth]

I think most people forget that it is not only about scalling down the enemy's or damage that you take. It's the hole world and Level Design that needs to be changed in order to make it more easy and guided. It's really sad that so many people Demand something like that and don't even know what they are talking about without having played through a hole souls Game. After demom souls handed me my ass constently i had the same feelings towards the first dark souls. Never played it because I found it to hard for me. Then a long time later dark souls 2 came out and a friend of mine talked me back in to it. What can I say it all started over again but this time I was older and I had gathered a lot more patience. I simply learnt to love it, to be challengend. After beating it, i got back to dark souls one and it was also an awesome experience. And of course after that I took down with my old Japanese Demon Souls copy which by the way I only bought at the time because I wanted a simple role playing game. Man i was so wrong about these games. Then bloodborne came and it became my 5th Platinum Game simply because I got better.
And that's one thing that makes the games so special they let you grow and get better. Now I don't get frustrated so easily and mostly play my games on hard just because DS tought me to take it easy.

[krazeecain]

"...the problem with 'playing to win'"

Holy crap what a terrible sentiment...

Also, can't there just be ONE mainstream hard game out there? Just one?!

[GeeEmm]

Who cares, you cant polish a turd.

[nutcrackr]

Nothing wrong with Dark Souls 3 being tough, as long as the people that want it tough only don't complain that other games are too easy.

[ShockUltraslash]

Comment section does not disappoint wit it's typical 'git gud' trash.

[Donnywho]

I like to struggle alone and then help others down the line. Easy mode equals summons me, or any of the other people who like to help. Also, get Good.

[Maxor]

I played Witcher 3 on max difficulty and the game simply plays better that way as it forces you to learn the mechanics. But that doesn't mean that everyone should play it that way.

This is why I never could get into Demon Souls and Dark Souls. The difficulty was so great that I never bothered to invest my time to see what the pay off is. The game was such a death grind in the beginning that it completely turned me away.

Thank god for Bloodborne or else I never would be interested in the Souls series.

[sadsatan]

i'd rather play bubble bobble

[PowerNerd101]

I just about defeated the Cleric Beast and lost all interest. Granted I hadn't paid for it, so I fully accepted it wasn't for me and moved on.

That said, there are literally hundreds of other games to play that are easier and/or do have an easy mode. Know what I did? Played The Witcher 3 instead and loved every minute.

[lazyboyblue]

Well I finished all 3 endings of Bloodborne, thoroughly enjoyed but still I wish it had been a tad easier.

[jznrpg]

Every game (souls/bloodborne) there is one of these articles, these games are not for you if you want easy mode.

[esmittystud101]

I just find it funny, even though players claim to hate the series they still read these articles, still make comments. Its good for the Souls series in a way from a PR standpoint. All the complainers are just helping the series weather they like it or not. From Software isn't changing anything. Which is good.

No publicity is bad, positive/hater publicity is great for business. Keep on hating.

[blawren4]

An easier mode, in my opinion, would make this game sell in much higher numbers. Just enough to make the game less intimidating to gamers that may have passed due to the statements of difficulty from other gamers. It's not a fraternity, folks, but a video game that deserves to be experienced(and enjoyed) by many more gamers.

It's just about widening the audience.

[DivineAssault]

Theres more than one way to do everything in these games.. If its too hard for you, go back and play something easy.. DS isnt for everyone but the people it is for, hate easy..

[Moe-Gunz]

Every time I see one of these articles I already know the person just doesn't get it. I feel people would cry if they went back to old snes era games because of the difficulty they had.

Here's the thing, these games get easier as you keep playing because of the way they are designed. It's designed for you to understand if you make a mistake you'll pay. However, it's pattern based. So as you keep playing a section or boss over and over you begin to understand the pattern and eventually you conquer it. This makes the reward that more fulfilling. Once you get the pattern it becomes easier.

These games are designed masterfully. You get punished but you learn. This is why these games is immensely rewarding.

Easy mode will just make people go through the motions. The way they are designed now is to make you think about what you're doing.

Understand the design of the games please.

[MilkMan]

My problem with the soul series is that its never left its niche status.
Its not that the game is difficult to beat. There are a lot more intricacies which play a major role in your enjoyment of the game.

Besides the lore being very obscure and hidden withing the game, you have things like obscure medals, rings and items that you are left scathing your head as to what there use is for.

Stats that mean almost nothing unless you delve very deeply into the game to know what they are and what they mean.

Chances are you will spend souls in stats thinking "typical rpg" only to find out that it is completely useless in the scheme of things.

Weapon scaling...

the list goes on and on.

If this series is to really be taken seriously as an alternative to other establish, and difficult rpgs (as they need to be).

Then easy mode, or better yet a redesign taking in consideration gamers that for generations have been playing typical rpgs.

A feel a true testament to game design is if you can marry Souls uniqueness with a contemporary trappings. Then you I would say the Souls series had arrived.

[DimensionalSound]

No way. I struggle with Dark Souls/Bloodborne, but that's what the game is about, and I understand and respect that. I'm also someone who loves to play a game without worrying about difficulty so that I can soak in the experience, but with the Souls games, I know that I have to earn that right through practicing and mastering the game mechanics--it wouldn't be as special without it. The game becomes formidable, daunting and terrifying because of that, while other people see it as a true challenge. Taking the difficulty out, or giving an option to remove it ruins the game.

This reminds me of a guy I knew who always loved the instrumental aspects of metal, but hated the screaming--always said he could listen to Lamb of God or someone if they just sang instead. Sorry, the screaming is a part of that genre and that art--just as the difficulty is a part of the Dark Souls experience.

[Boog_89]

Remove the Goalkeeper from fifa games so its easier to score.
Make enemies in shooters use foam bullets so its easier to stay alive.
Make opponents in racing games have square wheels so you can easily overlap them.
All games should be extremely easy.

[Vanfernal]

In the article he also says :

"Surprisingly, I do believe that lowering the difficulty level in the Souls series would dilute the experience somewhat."

Yet, you don't understand why people don't want an easy mode? I'm convinced this is just a click bait article at a moment where the hype for DS3 is at an all time high. This guy is an idiot.

[harbie]

Most retarded article i've ever read. The WHOLE & EXCLUSIVE point of games it have a challenge. Why even play games, if they aren't challenging? Sounds like some loser who doesn't care to work hard to accomplish anything.

[cyber_daemonx]

DS3 will be the last in the series so its pointless asking for an easy mode now anyhow. Hopefully when From and Myazaki create their next franchise they will adopt the same philosophy of difficulty/reward and take no notice of the ones asking for an easy mode. The difficulty is the whole point of these games after all and implementing a beginner mode would deter the core fans, so it probably wouldn't happen anyway.

Cry harder.

@blauren, 'its just about widening the audience'. Generally when developers try to widen the audience it murders the games a'la Resident Evil. Fromsoft know exactly who their audience is, trying to appeal to more people would be counter productive and they know it. Sometimes its more than just selling more copies.

[Herbalistic]

The Souls franchise is created for an audience which enjoys the challenge and lore.I'm happy From isn't willing to add easy modes and other stuff just for casual appeal/more copies sold.

[Exvalos]

The hook of dark souls is its difficulty, putting in a easy mode would be like going to a strip club and all the girls wear sweaters, jeans and don't get naked.

[formanbradley]

I think Metal Gear Solid V does difficulty right. You have the option to make it easier, but you have to wear a chicken hat (even in cutscenes) so you know you're a biatch.