History YMMV / DarkSouls

** In [[VideoGame/DarkSoulsI]], the Calamity Ring, obtained from slaying [[BonusBoss Black Dragon Kalameet]], doubles the damage its wearer takes. [[NintendoHard Given the nature of this series]], only the most skilled players would be brave enough to try playing with the Calamity Ring equipped. And on top of all this, while wearing it, the Calamity Ring takes up a ring slot.

* MemeticBadass: Plenty within the actual games, but the series itself has become a bizarre meta example. Just about any game that's even moderately challenging will be compared to ''Dark Souls'' or be called "the ''Dark Souls'' of its genre", even games with absolutely no similarities to the series, such as ''VideoGame/{{Cuphead}}''.

* DifficultySpike: Even given that the games are tough as nails, there are usually bits where it goes from "very hard" to "much harder than that": Blighttown in the first game, for example, is like having all your teeth pulled out by a dentist with very dirty hands, while the Cathedral of the Deep in the third starts off a sequence of 4-6 {{That One Level}}s ''in a row''.

** It's not a very good idea to start an argument over which game in the series is the best, and that includes the series' spiritual siblings ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'', ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'' and ''VideoGame/SekiroShadowsDieTwice''. All the games have their supporters, and [[FandomRivalry arguments between them can get quite heated]].

* FirstInstallmentWins: While there are vocal contingents who prefer the two sequels, the first ''Dark Souls'' tends to be more well-loved and less controversial than either of its sequels, which endlessly get compared to the original because of this. Some of the more extreme fans consider the "real" ''Souls'' series to be ''Demon's Souls'', ''Dark Souls'', and ''[=Bloodborne=]'' (with ''Sekiro'' sometimes thrown in), feeling that From is at its best trying to build new franchises with somewhat similar, yet ultimately distinct design philosophies and gameplay over attempting to build on what was already good.

** The Invasion [[PlayerVersusPlayer PvP]] mechanic is also a common source of contention. It takes a few different forms, but many of them involve other players forcing their way into others' worlds without their consent for the purpose of killing them and hindering their progress. Several game mechanics actively reward this behavior, from offering useful items to advancing in various covenants. There are existing ways to play around it, mostly involving not invoking a powered-up state without which you cannot be invaded or playing offline, but such players cannot then summon either [=NPC=] allies or other players to help them either, and in the latter case don't enjoy messages and encouragement from other players. This is commonly regarded as [[{{Griefer}} actively rewarding griefing]], especially since some forms of it actively encourage high-level players to attack lower-level players. There are even a few people who are aware of this mechanic in Dark Souls and refuse to play the series because of it. Those who do it tend to be very, very defensive, though.

** It's not a very good idea to start an argument over which game in the series is the best, and that includes ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' and ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'' (and maybe ''VideoGame/SekiroShadowsDieTwice''). All 3 games (5-6 counting the "unofficial" entries) have their supporters, and arguments between them can get quite heated.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Creator/HannahJohnKamen of ''Series/{{Killjoys}}'' and ''Film/AntManAndTheWasp'' fame voiced two characters in the ''Dark Souls'' series: Lord's Blade Ciaran in [[VideoGame/DarkSouls the first game]] and Sweet Shalquoir.

* UnconventionalLearningExperience: ''Dark Souls'' teaches you different types of medieval weapons and armors (standard weapons, not boss weapons) as well as bringing attention to historical European martial arts (HEMA). That said, [[RealityEnsues the overswings may get you killed in a real fight]].

* FirstInstallmentWins: Downplayed, as there are vocal contingents who prefer the two sequels, but the first ''Dark Souls'' tends to be more well-loved and less controversial than either of its sequels, which endlessly get compared to the original because of this. Some of the more extreme fans consider the "real" ''Souls'' series to be ''Demon's Souls'', ''Dark Souls'', and ''[=Bloodborne=]'' (with ''Sekiro'' sometimes thrown in), feeling that From is at its best trying to build new franchises with somewhat similar, yet ultimately distinct design philosophies and gameplay over attempting to build on what was already good.

* FirstInstallmentWins: Downplayed, as there are vocal contingents who prefer the two sequels, but the first ''Dark Souls'' tends to be more well-loved and less controversial than either of its sequels, which endlessly get compared to the original because of this. Some of the more extreme fans consider the "real" ''Souls'' series to be ''Demon's Souls'', ''Dark Souls'', and ''[=Bloodborne=]'' (with ''Sekiro'' sometimes thrown in), feeling that From is at its best trying to build new franchises with almost entirely different design philosophies and gameplay over attempting to build on what was already good.

* BigNameFan: The ''Dark Souls'' community has several: [=VaatiVidya=] and LetsPlay/EpicNameBro are both known for their in-depth, comprehensive analysis of the game series' lore (which is famously vague and complex). [=OnlyAfro=], on the other hand, is a FountainOfMemes who usually posts videos of himself trolling people in [=PvP=] in numerous inventive (and usually hilarious) ways.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: The games truly live up to the ''Dark'' part of their title, being set in a dying world where most of the gods have either died or gone insane and most of the human race have become mindless undead. In order to save the world, your character has to submit to [[spoiler: burning alive for thousands of years]], and even then it's outright stated to just be delaying the inevitable. Each of the games seems to make the lore even bleaker, and the vast majority of the people you meet in each game die or go insane at some point, so some people can be forgiven for not wanting to get emotionally invested in the story of the games

* ComplacentGamingSyndrome: Players dedicated to [=PvP=] in the level 120 "meta" range will usually rely on the so-called [[FightsLikeANormal "quality build"]] (40 to 50 Vitality, 30-40 Endurance, 40 Strength and 40 Dexterity) and rely on the top few weapons (of the ''many'' viable weapons) that best match those builds. As a result, [=PvP=] has little variance. [[note]]''Dark Souls II'' ups the [=PvP=] meta level range a little at 150, but has the same gist.[[/note]]

* FriendlyFandoms: With ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', due to the huge influence the manga has had on ''Dark Souls'', whose developers are fans of the series. Some fans go so far as to consider ''Dark Souls'' a better adaptation of ''Berserk'' than the [[VideoGame/SwordOfTheBerserkGutsRage actual]] [[VideoGame/BerserkAndTheBandOfTheHawk video games]] based on the series. The fans are also quite friendly to ''LightNovel/ReZero'', because the anime adaptation of the latter was found as a fairly interesting SpiritualAdaptation of the series with its idea of returning back after death.