As I've played more Dark Souls, I've also been watching more Dark Souls. I'll watch commentaries and guides but mostly what I find myself watching is first time players. I was once a first time player but I was not new to the games as I had seen other YouTubers play the games. I've been a long time gamer of RPGs and Action Adventure games so I felt that it was natural that I gave the series a proper go. Unlike most new players, I did not want to go in blind. There are a few reasons for this but the biggest reason was for the sake of the viewers. I did not want to get lost for hours every day I streamed myself playing the games. I also don't care as much about the story of a series that I've seen when watching other people play, so I did my research and followed a guide. Even though I watched a guide, a day ahead of what I would be doing, I still got lost a few times and missed quite a few things.
New players to the game seem to all have the same complaint concerning their live chat, as well as commenters. They don't want any "Backseat Gaming" going on. While I'm not entirely sure where the line is between telling someone how they should be playing and helping someone not beat their head against the wall attempting something the game doesn't allow, I have become familiar with the aspects of the Dark Souls games that new players want to discover for themselves.
With all of that said, I still think there is a way to help a new player through the games in the way the games themselves want you to progress through them without spoiling anything or telling them how to play. In the Spoiler Free Guide that is to follow, I will be giving the player a choice in the natural paths the games have set up. You can still explore the dungeons, read the lore of items, talk to characters you encounter, and watch all the cut-scenes yourself as you play.
This does mean that this guide is not going to help you complete all the quests, collect all the items, or earn all of the achievements/trophies. This is simply going to guide you to each new area so that you know if you're in the right place or doing the right thing to continue. Experienced players can skip areas and fight enemies that are outside of their "level" range but the games will never force you to fight something that for which you're not equipped.
If you have found this setup to be appealing then I welcome you to the Dark Souls community. Sit tight, there are a few things yet to explain before you pick your path to the First Flame.
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