Dark Souls 3: Ranged or Melee – Which Is Better?

   

Dark Souls 3: Ranged or Melee – Which Is Better?

Due to the spike in popularity of From Software's latest open-world outing, "Elden Ring," more and more people have become interested in From Software's past titles. In particular, "Dark Souls III", the final entry in the Souls franchise,

Dark Souls III was the critically acclaimed finale to the beloved Souls franchise. The series, which started with Demon's Souls in 2009, continued with Dark Souls. The success of Elden Ring has once again sparked interest in the Ashen One's journey through the Lothric realm. So if you're one of those who are about to jump into one of the best Action JRPGS of the last decade, this guide is for you.

Should I go for Pure Melee or Pure Ranged?

One of the most common questions I hear as a Souls veteran is whether players should build a ranged build or a pure melee build. That's a pretty interesting question, more so in Dark Souls 3 than in other games.

Since the level design is to kill you as well as the enemies, in previous games where you had to be doubly careful with everything, having a ranged alternative to shoot the enemies was always the most important option, no matter what build you chose. Especially in Demon's Souls it's *cough* Pollution Valley *Cough* due to some of its levels, but in Dark Souls 3 this question is much more vague.

While Dark Souls 3 tries to preserve the level design found in past games where the pace should have been more systematic,

But to mitigate that, the enemies in Dark Souls 3 are downright brutal. Enemies like Lothric Knights, Outrider Knights, black goo hollows (not their real names) are all scattered throughout each level of Dark Souls 3. melee players always have to be in the center of things. So we will review the advantages of both options.

close fight:

Let's start with the melee first. There are tons of melee focused options across the entire souls series, the player can wield the mighty bleed with twin swords, giant hammers or a huge piece of iron that is almost too big to be called a sword.

In Dark Souls 3, each weapon type offers varying speed and damage variations. A weapon range is very important in Souls games, as long-range weapons like spears and Ultra-Magnificent Swords tend to have a significant advantage in range over the starting Longsword of the Uchigatana or Knight class.

Melee characters always have to face both enemies and bosses directly, dodge attacks, and punish any opening with your own flurry of attacks (or a single hit of the STR-based Ultra-Magnificent Sword if you're like me). Melee builds have a huge advantage at close range, as they can often do a lot of damage due to their high point in the health-boosting Vigor.

By the end of the game, most melee-focused builds in these games can take some of the strongest boss attacks in the game from both powerful enemies and toughest bosses. You can also YouTube your non-hit, SL 1 naked Katana or "Giant Club" runs and show "casual" mage users how to play a real character.

Ranged:

As with melee, Dark Souls 3 offers a wide variety of options. If you're a melee character who wants to tinker with ranged damage a bit, the game offers players options like the Bow, Crossbow, and Big Bow. Other ranged options include magic such as Sorcery, Fire Magic, or Miracles.

The irony is that pure magic/range builds are actually as difficult as melee options, if not more, although some players in the community will make you believe. This is because while spellcasters have the freedom to fight at their comfortable distance, meaning they have the freedom to loot bosses with powerful spells at medium range, it's also just as easy to die with magic builds instead as they rely on pure magic damage. any defensive ability.

Upgrading their main source of damage is always a priority over health, as magic users often have to rely on their FP gauge. Another hurdle for magic users is that they must sacrifice Estus Vials that restore their health in exchange for FP restoring Ashen Estus vials. This allows both sides to balance around its advantages and disadvantages, and some may wonder, "Hey magic actually sounds a lot harder".

Magic users also gain access to some of the most powerful sources of damage in all of Dark Souls 3 with their spells. So the next time a random in the community humiliates you for using magic, the next time they run into a boss and one hit by a man with a sword, point and laugh at them.

Yes It's Beautiful But Which Should I Choose?

As someone who's been playing this series since 2016 and has beaten all Souls games including Bloodborne and Sekiro, my most serious advice is to try getting into both options, built like a magic knight or like a fire-mercenary.

Dark Souls 3 offers many fun options and systems for players to tinker with, and the first playthrough of a Souls game is always one of the best experiences you can have while playing a video game. Good luck on your journey, don't forget to Praise Ashen and the Sun.