Demon’s Souls may look beautiful on your PS5 but admire the amazing level design for too long, and you’ll get your butt handed to you! Yup, the original game that started the ‘Souls’ challenge is a grinder, as well as hitting the player with its (now renowned) steep combat learning curve.
D4G have some grinding tips for when you’ve beaten the games first boss:
The first two areas of Demon’s Souls will also offer all the valuable healing items and upgrade materials you’ll need to stock-up on
During the first two stages, you’ll be able to use Boletarian Palace’s ‘The Lord’s Path’ to not only stock-up on souls, but precious moon grass and Hard/Sharpstone! Once you enter the level (from where you killed the first boss) turn back on yourself, and fight your way out that main gate, up the stairs to the right and through the door immediately above it. Fight your way through until you emerge from the door on the opposite side of the main gate.
During this grind, you’ll encounter:
Dregling’s – Drop crescent Moon Grass – 8+ souls
Boletarian Soldiers – Drop crescent Moon Grass, Late Moon Grass, Full Moon Grass – 20+ souls
Blue Eye Knights – Drop half Moon Grass – 300+ souls
Red Eye Knight – Drop full Moon Grass, New Moon Grass – 2000+ souls
Hoplite – Drop hardstone, Sharpstone, Large Sharpstone, Large Hardstone (very useful for upgrading your equipment! More on these in another post) – 42 souls
Dogs (if you continue past the first boss room) they never drop anything – 29 souls
D4G Combat Tips
Red Eye Knight – At the beginning of the game, just leave this guy be as he’s only guarding a locked door (that you won’t get access to until the end of the game). However, once you’ve at least beaten the 1st boss of this stage, you’ll have better access to grind and level up for him.
Demon’s Souls is all about studying enemy weakness. Utilise the Red Eye Knights vulnerability after missing an attack, and use this to counter and/or flank
Vitality, Strength, Endurance and Dexterity, are the main attributes you’ll want to focus on if you’re a heavy weapon and shield fighter (prioritise Magic and Intelligence for damage and MP boosts, if this is not the case). While the first two increase your health and weapon damage, Endurance will increase your stamina bar and equipped item burden, while boosting defence stats (especially fire). Dexterity will boost your defence, stats and allow you to fully utilise more advanced weapons, so never neglect those final two!
Once you feel you’re up to the task, just remember to NEVER take on the Red Eye Knight on the bridge that he’s guarding! The space is too narrow and designed to tip the odds in his favour (with his devastating spear charge). Due to this, it’s always better to lure harder enemies to more larger, quieter/easier areas, so you can more safely recollect your souls if you die. Once you alert the Red Eye Knight, run back out of the room you entered just before it, and back out across the long stretch that hold the stone catapults. The Red Eye Knight WILL follow you and now you’ll have many obstacles that will slow him down, giving you precious time to heal. Avoid his charging spear and remember to drop your shield whenever there is enough space between you (to fully recharge that precious stamina!). Always look to move behind him whenever he misses/gets stuck to take advantage of devastating back attacks.
At the beginning of the game, making tactical use of the environment can help give you the advantage over the Red Eye Knight
Blue Eye Knight – The circle button also offers a great backwards-lunging evasive move. This is great with the Blue Eyed Knights as you can more easily lunge back from his shorter-ranged sword attacks, and counter for an immediate advantage. Once you’ve leveled-up enough, you’ll even be able to take him straight down after that first lunge.
Dogs – The runner-up to the Knights in this area (as far as difficulty is concerned). Alone, they are easy to block and counter, but in packs, they’re an absolute nightmare while at lower levels.
While the spear can be good to take out more than one at a time (especially if you lure them back to a more narrow area), it’s really all about three things:
- Get as few to attack you at one time as possible. Once near their area, move forward slowly and once you spot them, move back. Never continue forward unless your level can easily overpower them).
- Using a weapon that has a wide area swing (inflicting damage to, and also stunning, as many dogs as possible with just one swing).
- Fire! Either with magic or Pine Resin. The latter is great to use on your weapon and make sure you’re weapon is long enough to really make use of the Pine Resin. Broadswords are too small and you really want something with further reach than the Long Sword (just don’t get trapped in a confined space!).
Keep up those grinds and rack-up those souls, items and levels!
