Dark Souls III: The Ringed City

Alright, Ashen One, let's get you moving and fighting effectively in The Ringed City. The controls here are pretty similar to past Souls games, with a few nods to Bloodborne's mechanics. Understanding these buttons is key to survival, so let's break down exactly what each one does on your chosen platform.

We've got the full rundown for PS4, Xbox One, and PC below. Don't worry if it looks like a lot at first; you'll get the hang of it quickly once you're in the thick of it.

Dark Souls 3 offers little in the way of a tutorial, so this guide covers the general information you'll need to make it through the beginning of the game. You'll learn about health, death, souls, leveling up, saving, weapons, armor, and rings.

Health & Death

Your character's health is indicated by the red gauge at the top left of the screen. When your health reaches 0, you will die and return to the last activated bonfire, dropping your Souls on the ground. You can regain health by resting at a bonfire, using an Estus Flask (which refills at bonfires), casting a healing spell, or using an Ember to increase your max HP and heal you to full. Dying while Embered will make you unkindled, reducing your max HP until you become human again. Embrace dying and playing unkindled to become a better fighter and avoid invasions; save Embers for difficult fights or when you need the extra HP.

Souls & Leveling Up

Souls are the currency used for purchasing items and leveling up. They are obtained by killing enemies or using items and are lost upon death. If you die, your Souls will drop at your bloodstain; retrieve them before dying again to avoid permanent loss. To level up, visit the Fire Keeper at Firelink Shrine and exchange Souls for stat points. The cost increases with each level gained.

Saving & Loading

Dark Souls 3 uses an auto-save feature, meaning you cannot reload to retry after death. The game saves periodically, including after death. The only way to retry boss fights or endings without replaying the entire game is by backing up your save file to an external device.

Weapons & Equipment

Weapons and equipment are crucial for combat and defense. Use the item details page to understand how new gear affects your stats and playstyle. Equip Load, determined by Vitality, affects your mobility based on the combined weight of your gear.

Weapons

Weapons include swords for melee, shields for blocking, ranged weapons like bows, and catalysts for magic. They are equipped to either the right or left hand and can be switched quickly. Weapons can be reinforced with upgrade materials or infused with gems at Andre the Blacksmith in Firelink Shrine to enhance their stats, though not all weapons can be infused.

Armor

Armor is equipped to four slots: Head, Chest, Gloves, and Legs. Each piece affects defense and resistances. Light armor offers less defense but allows for greater mobility, while heavy armor provides more defense at the cost of mobility.

Rings

Rings offer various supportive abilities with minimal weight cost. You can equip up to four rings, and experimenting with different combinations is encouraged.

This section refers to the different elements that make up a character, including their original creation at the beginning of the game and the Stats that make up how they ultimately play.

Classes

The class of your character determines their starting Stats, but you'll quickly customize these stats to your liking as you level up throughout the game. In the end the class you begin with is fairly meaningless, but you might want to read the back story of each for some a thematic selection.

Stats

The stats of a character make up everything from how much Health and Stamina they have to how much damage their attacks do. These stats can be increased 1 point by collecting Souls from enemies, using items, or selling things to Merchants and then speaking with the Firekeeper in Firelink Shrine.