Home Gaming Dark Souls 3 stress test reveals more about game mechanics and lore

Dark Souls 3 stress test reveals more about game mechanics and lore

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Dark Souls 3

Apparently the Dark Souls 3 stress test was a bit, um, stressful. The actual thing being tested needed the test period obviously, because some players struggled to get multiplayer elements to work. However, the build of the game revealed a whole bunch of new features that may or may not make it in to the final game (but probably will) and shed some new light on just how much of the game borrows from Bloodborne as compared to the legacy of Dark Souls traditional gameplay.

We weren’t invited to the Dark Souls 3 stress test, but that doesn’t mean we can’t glean anything from the range of observations made by people who were. First up, I’m intrigued by the new lore references as discussed over on Reddit. In the original Souls games, the player was something of a hapless victim, seeking to overcome the curse of becoming hollow and fights were necessary challenges to overcome to survive. Meanwhile, in Bloodborne, players took on the more active role of Hunter, with more flourish-filled animations that implied the characters were trained fighters. Dark Souls 3 seems to be taking on that approach, with players taking on the role of hero/anti-hero seeking to become the Lord of Cinder. In fact, there are hints that the character in Dark Souls 3 might actually be the main character of Dark Souls.

there’s also the fact that some of those praying hollows always kneel on their hands and knees in a cowering fashion when you pass close to them like they fear you, suggesting that our character might be a Lord or maybe even the king of Lothric since it’s our starting area, and we apparently make our way out of it.

Interesting stuff to consider. As for the actual gameplay mechanics, there has been a ton of discussion about the Weapon Arts system. Each ability has a cool down, but it isn’t visible to the player. However, this makes it so that chaining doesn’t work, regardless of how much mana the player has. This means that you can use them as openers or finishers, but not so much in the middle of combat.

The game is looking massive and gorgeous, but I’m still waiting to see the final release as compared to the builds that they show off for press events and stress tests. We know that they can still change a lot (lighting, mechanics, enemy placements, etc) before the game launches next year, and I will reserve judgement until we see it in its final form.

Last Updated: October 19, 2015

6 Comments

  1. Ghost In The Rift

    October 19, 2015 at 12:57

    Can i professionally play this game and earn millions by dying?

    This is may type of game, cause i suck at gaming but will always still love it. Will keep my hopes up though.

    Reply

  2. oVg

    October 19, 2015 at 12:57

    I finished Bloodborn in 35hours at level 120. I still have no scooby doo what the hell the game was about. Lost interest.

    Reply

    • Greylingad[CNFRMD]

      October 19, 2015 at 14:00

      *BOWING*

      You finished Bloodborne!? I’m at level fourty-somethingish-and-a-half, and the game is daunting…

      Reply

      • oVg

        October 19, 2015 at 14:10

        The game just requires patience. Find a nice area and farm, move on, farm, move on farm…
        I played it before the patch. So I had to sit through those looooong loading screens to go back to the hunter lodge and then back to my current farming area to make the enemies respawn.

        I have no Idea why they changed that mechanic from Dark Souls where you reset the area just by sitting at the campfire.

        Reply

        • Greylingad[CNFRMD]

          October 19, 2015 at 14:13

          Lots of patience…. I’ve realised that too, I’ll probably end up farming so much that I’ll finish the game at a ridiculously high level, after that I probably won’t touch it again….

          Reply

    • AkiraShima15

      October 19, 2015 at 20:14

      Try it again when the Old Hunters DLC comes out. Apparently they’re adding a ton of content, and streamlining some of the more tedious aspects. It might be more appealing then, though it probably won’t be any easier to understand.

      Reply

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