Tutorial areas are some of the most iconic places in gaming history, cementing themselves as the introduction to some of the most exciting adventures we’ve ever experienced.
Some tutorials will hold your hand, others will slap that hand away and tell you to “Git Gud”, and some will immerse you so deeply in the world that you won’t be able to let go.
Every Soulsborne Final Boss, Ranked
Seven games, seven memorable encounters.
Soulsborne titles will give you a little bit of each of these, and quickly you’ll become so addicted to the experience that you’ll come back again and again, looking for more.
This list will go over theoverall atmosphere of the Soulsborne tutorial zones, taking into account the storytelling and the oppressive visuals that you encounter while beginning your journey, rather than the area’s effectiveness as a tutorial. I mean,we all know Souls games by now, they all play pretty similarly.
7Things Betwixt
Dark Souls 2
Ever one of the most controversial FromSoftware titles,Dark Souls 2finds itself at the bottom of this list due to its rather bizarre tutorial.
The usual sense of dread and despair that you may experience waking up in a cell, or just generally in the middle of nowhere, is replaced by you being laughed at by a bunch of old women in their house.
What’s more, you’re able to totally just skip the actual tutorial aspect of the area by avoiding the fogwalls, making the area itself tiny and very linear.
While Majula may be a treat for the eyes, the starting experience of Dark Souls 2 is really nothing to get too excited about.
6Ashina Reservoir
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Sekirohas always felt like the odd one out in terms of Soulsborne games; that’s not to say it’s not a brilliant experience, because it is, but it certainly has its own identity.
The tutorial area, however, is pretty subdued and definitely doesn’t do anything to blow you away. In reality, it’s cold and bleak, and rather more handholdy than other titles, which feels weird for a Soulsborne game.
In addition, the types of enemies here are a little bland, being regular warriors, who don’t put up much of a fight. In this case, Dark Souls 2 actually has Sekiro beat, but the Ancient Temple Aesthetic here puts Sekiro in the lead. But not by much.
5Cave of Knowledge
Elden Ring
It feels weird puttingElden Ringso low down on a list due to how incredible the main game is. But it just goes to show, just because a game is brilliant, doesn’t mean it can’t have its flaws.
While the first initial area is thematically pretty great, with the little walkways and buffeting winds as you head out of the chapel, there isn’t much to do before you get your face slammed into the stoneby the Grafted Scion.
What really kills the actual tutorial zone is the fact that it pretty much all takes place inside a cave. Famously, caves inside From Soft titles aren’t that interesting.
Elden Ring: 10 Ways To Make A Second Playthrough Different
Want to spice things up the next time you play Elden Ring? Here are 10 fun ways to make your next playthrough different.
We want stunning vistas and vast Kingdoms, not rock walls and plants. Similarly to Dark Souls 2, you can actually skip the tutorial here, but I’m not sure if that’s such a great thing.
In some of the games higher up in the list, I have fond memories of the tutorial and actively want to complete them even though I know all the controls and how to equip items. With Elden Ring, I’m just rushing to Limgrave ASAP.
4Forlorn Outpost
Demon’s Souls
Demon’s Souls
Now here’s where we get into the seriously great territory.Demon’s Soulswas the first to really kick off the Soulsborne format, and as such, the tutorial can be a bit funky. But the nostalgia here is seriously real, and it looks even better now with the Bluepoint remake.
As long as you don’t die (which oddly enough sends you straight to the nexus, even if you don’t reach the Vanguard), this tutorial will see you venturing through a beautiful, destroyed ruin, testing out your new equipment while marveling at the luscious greens and vaulting over broken walls.
There’s a decent bit of enemy variety, and it certainly doesn’t hold your hand too much, allowing you to become immersed in this lost world.
Additionally, you’re gifted with quite a few different kinds of grasses here, allowing you to experiment with the various healing items and get a bit of a head start before you face your first major challenge.
3Cemetery Of Ash
Dark Souls 3
WhileDark Souls 3’s tutorial may be a little linear for some, for me, it actually hits a lot of points that make the starting zone great.
There’s a great enemy variety here, normal mobs to start you off, and then a huge Crystal Lizard that’ll really test you. There’s a miniboss near Firelink Shrineas well as Iudex himself, of course, who is certainly no pushover. It may be one of the more challenging tutorials, and it really doesn’t hold back, which I love.
In addition, when you reach your first bonfire, you get a stunning view of the mountains in the distance as well as Firelink Shrine, which looms on the horizon.
It is dramatic, and it’s still visually pretty pleasing. Everything is crumbling, and you’re standing on the precipice of the end of the world.
2Central Yharnam
Bloodborne
Blood, hospitals, madness, fire and pitchforks, what more could you possibly want? Bloodborne is the first title that really just shoves you into a horror show and locks the door behind you.
It’s grizzly, it’s confusing, and the screeches of the damned will send shivers down your spine. Yharnam is gothic and beautiful even in its ghastly glory, and you feel tiny roaming its twisting streets, fighting against its inhabitants.
Whether it’s well-dressed men, rabid hounds or hulking executioners, this world wants you dead, and it’ll send you back to the Hunter’s Dream over and over until you overcome the insanity.
10 Worst Status Effects in Soulsborne Games
Stuck in another Poison Swamp again? Don’t worry, eat up your purple moss. This list will show you how it could be so much worse.
Bloodborne’s theming is great, and the first zone really immerses you in the aesthetic, while punishing Dark Souls players who don’t want to play aggressively. It’s certainly tough, but fair too. You’re given the tools to win, you just need to learn how to use them.
Dark Souls 1
Dark Souls
What more do I need to say here?Dark Souls 1may be the perfect FromSoft tutorial, and not just because it’s my favorite Soulsborne game. It really nails everything.
Whether it’s the dismal, dreary opening, escaping your dank, locked cell, putting the soulless husks of humans out of their misery in the cold, foreboding prison, or the terrifying demon, who you must learn to avoid facing later on when you’re better prepared, thematically this tutorial is on point.
One may be saddened by Oscar’s tale, or drawn to wonder by the huge crow who embraces you and takes you on. And what’s more, is that you get to come here again later on, to encounter more secrets.
A crow you may trade with, a special ring, a peculiar doll and deadly Black Knights. This area is great at the start, and even more fascinating when you come back (If you can find out how to return, of course.)
Even now, the Undead Asylum looks great, and it’s a tutorial I’ll happily go through again and again, as I play through Dark Souls 1 for the 100th time.
