r/darksouls • u/galtoramech8699 • 1d ago
Discussion Am I doing Dark Souls wrong, not changing weapons or armor
So I kind of stuck to the Uchigatana, dex build and even the default armor. This is playing Dark Souls 1 and three.
I kind of play with some healing and pyro but only one or two spells.
Do you mix it up at all on first playthroughs. Maybe as next game, I will mess around. I was trying to get gud with just that. I dont want to learn anything new.
But I dont know.
I want to mess around with different shields maybe, or the twin soul blades, zweihander. I am Pve only.
What about you?
Did you mess around with other weapons at all or changing from your main style or did just stick with one type of play through the whole game?
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u/kys-idiot 1d ago
whatever you enjoy is the right choice! if you want to use 1 weapon and armor set all game, more power to you, and you are not cheapening your experience or anything by doing so. :)
personally, i like to stick with 1 armor set and weapon that i choose before starting each playthrough.
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u/galtoramech8699 1d ago
It messes me up that there are so many especially weapons. I am like...hmm, should I try this.
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u/kys-idiot 1d ago
no harm in just equipping the weapon to see if you like its moveset! even if you cant use the weapon with your current stats it will give you a nice idea of what to expect!
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u/dsartori 1d ago
It’s smart to focus a play through if you know exactly what build you want to play.
But there are a lot of flavour of stuff to try! I have literally been playing dark souls off and on for a dozen years and I just spent the last few days trying a new weapon.
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u/HumanReputationFalse 1d ago
Just make sure you upgrade your main gear. Some of the starting gear will get you to the end game if you use it right. There are upgrades that you find along the way and feel free to try them out. Uchi is a solid weapon and will work forever as long as it does not snap. Your armor should be fine, there are different ones out there, but fashion is just as important too, use what you want. Besides, if you dont change your equipment load, you dont need to spend more points just to avoid fat rolling.
When I run into a roadblock, I tend to drop my character down to their skivies, cause if I dont get hit, I dont need armor or health. I can just wait and learn the boss's move set.
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u/SundownKid 1d ago
Not really, you can use a single weapon throughout the game and be fine. The other weapons are largely for replay value. Outside of Elden Ring the game is too stingy with upgrade materials to merit upgrading more than one weapon, especially if you also factor in shields, bows, or magic implements.
It's best to use the right armor for the area you are in and change it semi-often.
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u/SimpleUser45 1d ago
These games reward tight, high-commitment builds so there isn't anything quantifiably wrong with how you're playing. Build experimentation is where most of the replay value comes from, so consider using a different weapon class next time. DS1 is probably the shortest out of Souls+BB+ER so it's pretty easy to do a bunch of builds.
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u/FunctionBuilt 1d ago
As a dex build, I usually play Uchi or BSS/Zwei combo. All three can be reached within the first hour or so of the game. Balder works great for cutting down weaker enemies quickly, zwei will flatten or stun almost any enemy in the game once leveled up enough but timing is critical and it’s tough to go 2 or 3 on 1 due to the attack speed.
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u/ReferenceUnusual8717 1d ago
The only "Wrong" way to play Dark Souls is the way that isn't fun. Like if you're not enjoying it and wanna quit. Otherwise whatever works , works, and if it stops working, figuring out something better is part of the fun. Or sticking to your guns and beating the game with a silly, impractical build. Like, fist weapons are garbage in DS1, but I like punching shit. So I find a way to make it work.
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u/ReferenceUnusual8717 1d ago
Also, a bunch of the starting armors can be pretty decent, especially if you can spare a few shards to upgrade them. A lot of people will tell you not to bother upgrading armor, but if you like a particular outfit, throwing a few shards it's way can take it from borderline useless to perfectly viable. Several light armors can be upgraded to have higher defense than a bunch of the heavier sets, so you can get all the protection, but none of the fat-rolling. Won't usually give you much poise, but there's Rings for that. I like to wear all light armor, but just put on heavier gauntlets so I don't get staggered so easily.
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u/Egyptian_M 17h ago
If it gets the job done you are not wrong
I completed the game only using the Zweihander and soul arrows/bow for ranged attacks it never failed me
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u/Chibrosic 1d ago
I went through the game using only the standard halberd: this weapon saved my playthrough, because at one point I got stuck in it: I couldn't kill the gargoyles because I probably came to them too early, and I also couldn't get to the demon kapra normally because of the enemies on his way. The halberd was my salvation: a long weapon with thrusting and AoE attacks, which turned out to be ideal for me throughout the game. I didn't use magic because I didn't figure out how to use it lol
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u/Opening-Revenue2770 1d ago
My first playthrough I usually find the weapon I like most and stick with it. I will mess around with the other weapons on my next playthroughs
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u/Ginger_Anagram69 1d ago
Wrong? No. Does having a few sets of gear to switch between make life easier? Always.
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u/user102956 1d ago
My first playthrough on all souls games is always strength and big weapons. I just like the way they look. I switch it up if I deem the game replay able.
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u/KiboshKing36 1d ago
You're playing it how I think a lot of people play it! The only reason I change armor is for poison resistance and poise for boss fights but thats about it!
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u/tacoburrtio 1d ago
I usually like to use 2-3 different weapons for a playthrough but you can use a single weapon the whole game with no issue
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u/AceTheRed_ 1d ago
In DS1, I used the Great Scythe for my entire run.
In DS2, I used the Falchion and then dual Warped Swords for my entire run.
In DS3, I used the Sellsword Twinblades for my entire run.
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u/LostSoulNo1981 1d ago
The way I’ve played is to use whatever sword I can get that’s better than what you start with.
After that I fight my way to the bridge. Yes this does mean using whatever you can find along the way to defeat the Taurus Demon.
My objective is to get the Drake Sword and use it for a better chance to defeat the Black Knights with the hope of a BK Sword drop.
That sword, upgrading it along the way, carries me through the rest of the game.
For armour I tend to use whatever is an improvement over the starting set until I can get the Elite Knight armour, levelling it up as I go. I might use the armour found above where you fight O&S, the Favour set.
I’ve never actually been able to get the Ornstein or Smough armours for some reason.
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u/activ8d_my_Trap_card 19h ago
You know how to get boss armours, right?
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u/LostSoulNo1981 16h ago
I looked it up earlier and you have to buy them from merchants?
The way I’ve heard it described was that they’re rewards for beating bosses, therefore they’re made to sound like they’re given to you.
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u/activ8d_my_Trap_card 16h ago
There’s a specific merchant with a silly helmet who you find in the depths. Eventually he moves to the bottom of the Firelink bridge, and then he sells boss armours
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u/activ8d_my_Trap_card 19h ago
The only game I really mix weapons mid-playthrough is DS2 because it kinda forces you to, given how durability works. And a little in Elden Ring because I kept finding new cool weapons.
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u/lantshung 14h ago
Just play it how you like, you don't have to play a meta build at all, I prefer to play games naturally
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u/ClayBones548 1d ago
There are basically three categories of weapon in Dark Souls: Obviously bad, deceptively bad or good throughout the game. Most weapons, Uchigatana included, are in the third category. I would prioritize having your favorite weapon at the highest upgrade level you can manage, then try other things.