Ah, "Dark Souls 3." The game even the people playing it love to hate.
I could talk about the bonfire crashes, white AND black screens of death, frame rate issues, weird boss glitches, more weird boss glitches and a plethora of other player versus environment (PVE) and game-related mechanics.
But I'm not here to talk about that. I'm talking to you, "Dark Souls 3" player versus player (PVP). Yes, you.
As someone who has played through all of the "Souls" games (talking about only "Dark Souls," "Dark Souls 2" and "Dark Souls 3"), I have seen the evolution of the PVP first hand.
At first, there was "Dark Souls." This game is credited with creating an entire genre, and it is a masterpiece of ingenuity and sadistic difficulty. However, it wasn't an instant success, or even that big of a success at all. It was a game that did well, and had a niche group of players.
You didn't get invaded by more than one person (usually), thus creating a constant one-on-one experience that players came to see as what "Dark Souls" PVP was. For them, the people who are the "Dark Souls" purists, PVP was no estus, just dueling.
And then everything changed when "Dark Souls 2" attacked.
Honestly, I loved "Dark Souls 2." To me, it didn't feel like a "Souls" game, but it was still a good game. What it did, however, was create an experience that was easier and more linear than the first. This brought in a ton of new players.
But even then, one-on-one honor duels still existed. Everyone knew the spot, and dueling happened. There were also dueling arenas that offered three different stages for one-on-one duels. What could go wrong?
"Dark Souls 3," the game that every "Souls" player was having wet dreams about. Hidetaka Miyazaki was back at the helm, and everyone that was pissed about "Dark Souls 2" could finally have their dream game back.
But be careful what you wish for.
With Miyazaki coming from spearheading arguably the best title on the PS4, "Bloodborne," there was an influx of players the "Souls" series (now even referred to as the "Soulsborne" games) had never seen before.
These newcomers never saw the days we veterans think should be the archetypal PVP experience, and cannot be blamed for it. How could they have known what "honor" was when they were constantly getting invaded to the point they played in offline mode?
How can you honestly think honor exists when three Aldrich Faithful gank you and all do the Patches squat emote on your dead body, when all you wanted to do was run through the area? We never had to deal with three invaders at once, let alone having insane battles where up to six people can be killing each other at the same time.
The world has changed, and we must change with it.
"Dark Souls 3" represents a PVP style in line with its apocalyptic theme: anything goes.
But it's OK. It'll all be OK.
There are still fight clubs for those that want the good ol' days back, the Pontiff Sulyvahn bonfire being a great example.
So here's a message to all PVP players: don't let the salt get to you. I know, "Dark Souls 3" PVP isn't the same style as "Dark Souls," and that shouldn't be a surprise. It can get infuriating, but that's what "Dark Souls" has always been at its core: infuriating.
Don't let the invaders get you down; remember to parry R1 spammers, and make chuggers pay with a riposte to the face. It's your world, kill how you want.
Oh, and praise that grossly incandescent sun, baby.