The Dark Souls board game is a cooperative tactical adventure. It’s designed to be played solo or with up to 4 players, and it will take you on a journey through the world of Lordran. There are items that can only be found in certain parts of the map, so exploration is essential! All of your favorite bosses await you at the end of each area, but these encounters are not easy. Make sure you’re well prepared before taking them on!
| Release | February 1, 2018 |
| Players | 1-4 |
| Playing Time | 90-120 min |
| Age | 8+ |
| Category | Card Game |
| Genre | Cooperative |
| Manufacturer | Steamforged Games |
| Material | Cardboard, Plastic |
Overview and Theme
The Dark Souls board game is divided into several episodes, each of which contains its own map. The first episode takes about 30 minutes to complete if you’re well prepared, but the others will take much longer!
You can also invite helpful NPCs along on your journey (such as Solaire). There are over 50 different enemies that you might come across during your play-throughs…so make sure you bring enough Estus flasks!
Dark Souls’ gameplay requires a bit more strategy than most other games; you won’t find yourself rolling dice throughout this adventure like Monopoly or Snakes & Ladders. Instead, you’ll have to rely on the luck of the dice during combat.
If you’re a fan of Dark Souls, then this board game is certainly for you! It might be challenging at times, but it’s extremely rewarding when you finally vanquish your enemies. The high-quality miniatures are also very detailed and do an excellent job of bringing this adventure to life.
Mechanics and Rules
The Dark Souls board game uses a clever dice-based combat system, and it’s very easy to learn. You’ll have to roll for your attack strength or defense against the enemy that you’re fighting.
As previously stated, this adventure is not based on luck alone; every player has access to a “hero ability,” which can help them during certain situations in the game. These abilities reflect each character’s unique skillset: e.g., Solaire gains more souls from combat.
You’ll have to distribute your life points across different attributes (e.g., endurance, strength) in order to use these abilities effectively. However, you need to consider their point values carefully! Characters with high stats are also more difficult to kill…so it’s best not to rely on them too heavily during battle unless they’re well-protected by other allies.
Gameplay: Complexity and Replayability
The Dark Souls board game is very complex, so it might be overwhelming for new players. For instance, you’ll need to manage your hunger level during the course of each episode- this value will increase every time that you consume an item or attack a foe.
Since there are five different characters available (with six episodes), The Dark Souls board game has high replayability and lots of content. There are over 70 items and 50 enemies included in its base set alone; with expansions, you can expect to see even more!
If you’re a Dark Souls fan looking for a challenging board game that stays true to the series’ lore and mechanics, then this is certainly worth checking out. Just be prepared for some frustration during your first playthroughs- it’s all part of the experience!
Dark Souls Review: Components and Setup
Dark Souls board game components are very high-quality, and it looks great on the table. The artwork is excellent too; each character has their own unique portrait with multiple poses (depending upon whether they’re an ally or foe).
However, there aren’t as many different items available as we would’ve liked: e.g., there are only ten weapons and four types of armor in total. This isn’t necessarily bad though- since every item card includes several “power” values, you can choose which ones work well with your character’s stats.
There are also only two types of dice included in this game- six-sided and eight-sided. If you’re planning to play as Solaire (since he requires a ten or twelve on his roll), then we recommend buying an extra set of dice for all players at the very least; otherwise, it’ll be impossible for him to use some items!
Artwork And Component Quality
The board game’s artwork and component quality are excellent, as you can see from the pictures. It looks great on the table too! The miniatures have a lot of detail, and each one has its name printed at the bottom for easy reference.
The board game is very complex- much like the video games. If you’re a Dark Souls fan looking for a challenging and thematic board game then this will certainly appeal to you, but if that’s not your thing then stay away as it can be frustrating at times (all part of the experience though).
Packaging and Contents
The Dark Souls board game comes packaged in a large box with excellent artwork of Solaire on the front. Inside, you’ll find several well-secured bags containing all of the miniatures and cards; everything is easy to store away when not in use (plus it will make setup even easier).
Additionally, some items require that you match up symbols with your character’s abilities; e.g., one item allows Gwyn (the main character) to reroll any die once per turn, but this won’t be possible if you use that card with the fire-themed Pyromancer.
Luckily, there are no rules or components missing from the Dark Souls board game; just make sure to read through everything first before starting a game! It’s also worth noting that this isn’t ideal for new players since it can be very complex and difficult at times (much like video games).
Overall though, we liked how well made all of the components were – especially considering its affordable price tag. The artwork is excellent too! If you’re looking for an engaging tabletop experience then definitely give this one a shot. However, keep in mind that it can be frustrating during your first playthroughs so set aside some time before beginning your adventure into Lothric and make sure you bring lots of dice!
Tips for Playing Dark Souls Board Game
The best way to win battles in Dark Souls board game is by using your abilities wisely; e.g., if Gwyn has fewer than three cards left in his deck when fighting a boss then he should use the “summon” ability to bring in an ally due to its high chance of success.
For example: If Gwyn has four weapons and one armor card left over after his attack phase (which ends on five or more successes) – instead of discarding everything straight away- keep them for later rounds by placing them face down under his character board where they won’t be lost. That way, if any enemies come too close but fail to hit you, then you can use the remaining cards during your next turn to deal more damage!
Bottom Line
The Dark Souls board game is a complex, challenging and thematic dungeon crawler for one to four players. It’s visually stunning with lots of high-quality components but it can also be extremely frustrating at times since there are so many different mechanics that you have to manage simultaneously.
