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You are talking to the right guy. We started a second podcast all about this game. I don't quite have a masters in it, but I do have a bachelors.

Ten tips for Dark Souls.

1) If Dark Souls had an alignment, it'd be Lawful Evil. This means that yes, it wants to kill you but it's going to follow the rules in doing so. Use this to your advantage.

2) Keep your shield up, it will save your life, especially when you're entering unknown territory.

3) Co-op is there for a reason. Don't be afraid to use it on a boss that is giving you trouble.

4) Be aware of your surroundings. Go slowly into new situations, be patient.

5) Try to only fight one thing at a time. Using bows and spells to pull enemies is not shameful.

6) Choose your battlefield wisely. There are good places (and BAD places) to fight any given enemy.

7) Killing NPCs is a bad idea unless you know that you won't need them anymore. It's really easy to start fights that you can't finish this way, and they will stay pissed off until they die.

8) Don't cry over lost souls... But also don't carry a huge balance.

9) It's never a waste of souls to upgrade vitality or endurance. Keep your equipment in mind when upgrading. It's more important than levels. Also, never upgrade resistance.

10) Find what works for you. If something doesn't work, try something else.

Further: there is no best weapon, just the weapon that's right for you. Find a weapon that you like the moveset of, and unless it's the whip, it's a viable option for completing the game. Before too long you'll run into a blacksmith that can upgrade things. Don't upgrade past +2 until you're sure something will work in the long run. When you are sure, upgrade the fuck out of it.

I seriously LOVE helping people with this game. Ask me anything.

Yeah, it's possibly approaching my favorite game of all time status. There really isn't anything else like it. Nothing is random, everything is fair and considered and orderly. It's really an amazing feat.

One thing to remember: this isn't God of War. You are NEVER powerful enough to rush into situations and joyfully watch numbers go up as you mash buttons. Every single situation must be considered and approached deliberately, the same way the developers did.

Co-op is mostly for bosses but you can do it before then. Keep in mind that in order to summon someone for co op, you must be human and can thus be invaded for PvP. It's a double edged sword, for sure.

Cleric has a good AoE that you don't get til way late in the game. Pyromancer has lots of small AoEs they can throw.

Classes barely matter. If you start as a bandit, you can up your faith to do cleric spells if you want. I'd say it's probably not worth it. If you have a bunch of souls, spend them! No need to save them up because you can always get more.

For a first character, I'd level strength, vit and endurance and stop whenever any of them gets to 40. Find a strength weapon you like that you can wield, then put points into your pyromancy glove. Knight/fire magic is a really powerful combo.

Where are you?

Man, I have no idea how to do it with keyboard and mouse. It's widely accepted that it's a bad way to play it. If you can manage, good luck!

Go ahead and start over. You'll be amazed at how quick the areas you've already been go. I can get to where you're at in about 10 minutes now.

The cleric spell is both fairly late in the game and you have to follow an NPCs quest line correctly to get it. I'd say not to count on it during your first play through. You don't really need to farm and if you feel you do, there are places a little later that are good for it without AoE effects. The area right after the dragon has a church that is decent for making farming runs through until you've upgraded enough.

Zwiehander is a great weapon and totally viable all game. If you use it, I wouldn't add an elemental affinity to it and instead pump your strength. You'll be doing amazing damage when you get it to +15.