10 Years Ago Today, FromSoftware Ended the Dark Souls Series

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The original Dark Souls was a groundbreaking action RPG, famous for its challenging gameplay, unique story, and innovative level design – features that continue to influence games today. With the series now celebrating its 10th anniversary since its conclusion, it’s worth remembering how the final Dark Souls game shaped the future of FromSoftware, ultimately paving the way for the huge success of Elden Ring. Many of the core elements and systems in that final Dark Souls game laid the foundation for the experiences players enjoy now.

There’s been discussion about FromSoftware potentially remaking the original Dark Souls, but the series has remained popular thanks to several remasters. Each Dark Souls game still offers a great experience, even without updated graphics or modern features. Titles like Bloodborne and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice have also innovated on the core Dark Souls formula as spin-off games. Many fans consider the third Dark Souls game to be the strongest conclusion to the trilogy.

Dark Souls 3’s 2016 Release Changed How FromSoftware Approached Their Action RPG Titles

After the unique direction of Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3 brought the series back to its roots. Bloodborne had a distinct Victorian horror style with guns and creatures inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, while Dark Souls 3 fully embraced the dark fantasy setting of the original Dark Souls more than any other game in the series. It even included familiar locations from the first game, making it a true continuation of the original experience.

As a huge fan, I always felt Dark Souls 3 really built on everything FromSoftware had learned with the previous games. They took the core difficulty we all loved, but made the combat way faster and more fluid, which made it surprisingly accessible for newcomers. You could tell they listened to what worked in Dark Souls 2 and Bloodborne, and used those lessons to create something really special – a new standard for the series that felt both familiar and fresh. It was like they took the best of both worlds!

The ability to move during actions like drinking potions, healing, or casting spells made battles more fluid and adaptable. Improved invulnerability during dodge rolls also gave players more options for dealing with tough enemies and bosses. Plus, a wider range of weapons meant players had more ways to build unique characters and playstyles in Dark Souls 3. While the game’s levels were more straightforward than in previous titles, these significant combat improvements would become a hallmark of future games from FromSoftware.

Elden Ring & Other Souls-like Games Took Inspiration From Dark Souls 3 The Most

Games like Elden Ring, Elden Ring: Nightreign, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice built upon the combat improvements first seen in Dark Souls 3. That 2016 game made the fighting faster and more approachable. While Dark Souls 3 still used the character-building systems from earlier Dark Souls games, it gave players many more ways to customize and strengthen their characters. It essentially established the standard for how FromSoftware’s later games would play and feel in terms of combat.

The changes weren’t limited to how the game felt to play; they also impacted enemy design and combat. For instance, the ability to stagger and critically hit enemies after breaking their defenses was much more frequent in Dark Souls 3, and this carried over into Elden Ring. Similarly, applying status effects like Frostbite was simplified in Dark Souls 3 and became a key element in Elden Ring, eventually leading to popular strategies centered around the Bleed effect.

Elden Ring felt more approachable thanks to improvements similar to those in Dark Souls 3. It was easier to improve your healing, and the game had frequent checkpoints, much like the plentiful bonfires in Dark Souls 3. These changes, which reduced frustrating elements like scarce healing and long treks back to bosses – features present in earlier Dark Souls games – were well-received by players. As a result, FromSoftware has incorporated these improvements into almost all of their games since.

Previous FromSoft Projects Set Up The Refined Foundation Of Dark Souls 3’s Blueprint

Dark Souls 3 improved its accessibility by learning from problems in earlier games, including popular titles like Bloodborne. While Bloodborne’s atmosphere is fantastic, many players still find it frustrating to collect items and run long distances to reach bosses. However, Dark Souls 3 wouldn’t have the same strong story and clear endings without the more straightforward storytelling approach that Bloodborne pioneered.

While the challenging combat in Dark Souls 2 could be difficult, it ultimately helped improve the next game, Dark Souls 3, which fans enjoyed much more. Dark Souls 3 streamlined the experience by removing things like the Adaptability stat – which controlled dodge invulnerability – and other complex systems that had made the previous game controversial. This meant Dark Souls 3 offered more ways to succeed, with simpler combat, a more straightforward story path, and a flexible character-building system that allowed for diverse playstyles.

Man, even after all these years, I still think Dark Souls 3 is the best in the series. It really felt like a perfect ending, and it totally honored what made the original Dark Souls so special. Honestly, I don’t think we’d have the huge, awesome open world of Elden Ring if Dark Souls 3 hadn’t nailed it first. It gave Elden Ring a solid base to build on, and without that, things could have been way more broken.

Ten years after its release, how do you see Dark Souls 3 impacting FromSoftware’s more recent games? Share your thoughts in the comments or discuss it on the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-04-12 22:12