I got Dark Souls II at launch and really liked it, but I suffered the same fate as what Jeff Bakalar has - it was just too hard for me to finish. I got as far as that big spider boss, but could barely take anything off his health bar despite hours of trying. I'd like to actually finish Dark Souls III, so I'm curious what's generally the easiest character build/play-style to get through this game.

It's usually heavy armor and two handed weapons (the Vinny Method) but I've heard that's harder to do in III. Hard to say until I play it!

If you're struggling just start summoning people to help you.

Start a warrior, level endurance and strength more or less exclusively (maybe a bit of vigor after a while), keeping them somewhat equal but focus on having a bit more endurance. Use the biggest shield and axe/mace you can find, and don't forget to upgrade both shield and weapon. Armor is not that big of a factor in this game (the starting armor for warrior is actually some of the best in the game), so it's better to strip a bit of armor if your shield and weapon gets too heavy than to spend a lot of points levelling vitality.

When it comes to playing this kinda build it's all about positioning and making sure you let you guard down when it's safe to regen stamina. You don't need to be good at dodging or anything like that, you just need to figure out where it's safe to stand and when it's safe to attack/drink/regen stamina. You can beat most bosses by circle-strafing and hitting them when they miss an attack, and then backing away if you block too many consecutive hits.

Also, there's no shame in looking up boss tutorials if you're really struggling. Sometimes failure in these games has less to do with playing an underpowered build and more to do with a boss being an absolute ass whooper. Someone would say that cheapens the experience, but I say if beating the boss AT ALL is still an achievement for you, then go for it.

If it's like any of the other dark souls games, magic is very very strong. The reason being is you can do a shit ton of damage, and keep alot of distance. I have found the easiest way of beating Dark Souls 2 was going with a guy with a ton of health, who could hold a great shield, and then a ton of Intelligence for using spells as my main way of dealing damage.

That takes a little setup though, and can be slow going. So I would say take the route that Vinny took, go heavy armor, lotta health, lotta stamina, and enough strength for a good great shield, and then you are a turtle. Take a swing when you can, keep your shield up. Might be slow going but it's safe.

The ULTIMATE easy mode though is really just summoning in people for the boss fights! Ain't no shame in doing it and it makes boss fights much much easier when you don't always have it focusing on you.

I was all about the difficulty of Demon Souls. But, yes, just summon. Since then I just summon for bosses if I die 10+ times. Makes the game far more enjoyable if u are in it just to see the game through. That's how I beat Bloodborne, anyway.

Get a big old shield, a weapon that hits nice and hard and summon people whenever you feel you're struggling on a boss. Just take your time, try and learn from deaths and don't get too attached to your souls. They're just, like, y'know, material possessions maaaaan, you think too much about them and they ruin like, the vibe and your qi energy duuuuude. Sorry, couldn't resist getting all hippy on that.

Patience is key for these games.

If you are just spamming attack and dodge you are already doing it wrong.

#gitgud

I played through the game my first play through as a quality build and I have to say that quality build is very strong in this game, especially if you use the quality infusion (I ended up with 40/40 in strength and dexterity). I started with the claymore and ended up finishing the game with the black knight greatsword. Strength builds are as always one of the better builds but I found that quality gave you more options in terms of weapons you can use (since you're leveling dexterity and strength) and some pretty great damage on many of the weapons in the game. For a first time playthrough I would definitely recommend melee vs spellcaster. I did my second playthrough as spellcaster and I have to say that the earlier areas are much easier with a melee character. Sorcery and miracles IMO aren't very viable until later parts of the game. Also going pure intelligence/faith builds are not the best way to go and you definitely still want to level a melee weapon even if you are going for sorceries and miracles. Pyromancy is better in terms of viability in the early game. Bottom line if you want the easiest route, definitely either stick with melee build or a hybrid melee/spellcaster.

Well i just started 2 and i'm going agile/dex BUT sword and sheild strength(or dex) and Endurance made DS1 a cake walk (as far as combat). Not sure how the systems have really changed but these games seem built around heavy armor with great poise, big swords with high damage, and huge shields. Not sure about 2 and 3 yet but upgrade your favorite weapons and armor as soon as the game allows, if you need to grind materials google that shit IMO.

This is the answer. Dark Souls comes down so much to determining your most comfortable playstyle, so delineating a de facto "best" build may not be all that helpful for you. Just play in a way that fits your style and summon when you hit walls. There's no shame in it, despite what people might say.

Typically, the best first playthrough build of any DS game is the aforementioned "quality build." So what happens in your first playthrough is you really aren't going to know what weapons are going to work for you, thus you want to spec so you can try different weapons out.

Staying away from magic means you don't have to worry about attunement, intelligence, and faith which is a big help.I know people like to say magic builds make the game easier, but magic builds tend to make parts of the game easier while simultaneously making particular parts extremely difficult. Also, you don't tend to learn the lessons the game is trying to teach you along the way. Plus, you need to spread your stats out a lot more with magic builds as you also need to anticipate needing particular weapons. If DS 3 follows the rest of the series at all, you tend to get a lot of levels real quick early on and then hit a wall. Without knowing those points and where particular weapons and spells are going to be available, it's a lot harder to plan for that. Whereas, if you concentrate on strength dexterity, and vitality as needed and pop points into vigor and endurance as those stats always help you, you're a lot more adaptable.

I used to be a complete tank but now value mobility, as well as power. Strength up, son. Magic is for people who want credit for something an unknown force did for them.

Currently playing Demon's Souls. All I can say is put stuff into your strength, health, and endurance (though not sure if it's the same in the later games). So far, it's what I've been doing, and then also find enemies that you can kill that give you a good amount of Souls so you can upgrade fast. I'm going to have to start upgrading my magic or something though, 'cause I know there's a boss coming up that I can't kill as of current as I've been solely close quarters so far.

Haven't seen or touched any of the game yet. But as far as souls legacy goes. Increase your health stat a lot quickly, get a high base damage weapon and upgrade the shit out of it, and then just make sure to get more health and stamina. Damaging stats are for later. Unless you need them to use the weapon you want in the first place.

That, or just overlevel. Health, endurance, whatever stat is good for your weapon of choice. For as infamously "difficult" as these games are, they're quite versatile in how you approach that difficulty.

There's no wrong way. Just have fun with it.

1. summon people.

2. summon again.

3. summon some mo'

4. go help a friend.

Agreed with the others here. I'd avoid a high dexterity/thief build though. The need for parries is essential and can be quite frustrating for newcomers.

sometimes focusing on health early on helps, don't necessarily have to a be a tank but getting that HP up helps all builds. Then use a weapon you feel comfortable with and focus upgrading that.

I'll be an outlier and say don't summon. A lot of the bosses aren't really meant to be taken on as a group. There's always a way to play these games if you plan well. Skill helps, but planning will always get the results. I'll also say to experiment with builds and play to your class. If you do get to the point where you find the boss to be impossible, you can either grind a bit, change your weapons/strategy, or explore more. If you do find yourself more on the depressed and frustrated end, then I would go for summoning, but not right away.

Also in DS2 there is an item that will allow you to respec, i just got it and i'm not sure if it's a one time deal or not but I'll def put it to use if i end up not liking my build.