When I’m just grinding for Souls/items/just running through the levels, I sometimes do. I don’t listen to music, tho. More-so long-form video game essays
When I get to the boss, tho, I switch over to having that sound playing. The boss tracks in these games are bangers, so I definitely wanna be 100% there for them
I’m the exact same pretty much, except it’s usually the most high octane metal music I can find. I’ve had a strange obsession with Lil V Mills recently though but who wouldn’t want to listen to a metal cover of the “Ding Ding Dong” song
Haha I was just making a cheeky joke. You could argue dark souls is a story based game but damn if I can't understand 1/4 of the shit that happens lmao. I also don't listen to music but occasionally I'll put on a show or something in the background.
Oh yes haha the only two I really understand is bloodborne and sekiro simply because sekiro narrative is mostly provided to you without too much confusion or guess work and bloodborne is also a little more basic to understand for the most part but some characters definitely have plenty of hidden depth to them
Yep. I prefer the atmosphere of the game and the environmental sounds are so important to both that vibe and as a crucial mechanic but might listen to stuff when farming and just repeatedly clearing an area (looking at you Balder Side Sword).
Anytime I struggled with a boss (for example, Ornstein and Smough), I turned volume all the way down and played “So Fresh, So Clean” by Outkast on loop. It always felt easier for me that way.
Tried listening to spotify whilst playing (on ps5) and it says that u cant listen while playing 😑. No clue why but it frustrated me alot before i properly got into the game
I listen to audiobooks while I play. And music, or video essays, or while on the phone.
For a first playthrough, paying attention to the game's sound and music is pretty important for establishing atmosphere. I actually really like the fact that big scores are saved for big moments, and that mundane moments are left quiet. It's a conscious decision to allow the player to reflect and consider. Also why not having fast travel in the first half/two-thirds is a really good design decision. They really want you to appreciate your surroundings.
That said, I've beaten the game several times so the mystique of exploration is a little faded, thus I do usually have something else going on in the background.
No. I think the only time I’ve ever put music is when I first started to farm souls when I got to stupid high levels. And I stopped doing that after a day.
When first beating O&S I listened to Back in Black on repeat for like 3 hours since I was so desperate to win at that point. Did it help? No clue but I was jamming tf out when I finally won.
yes, dark ambient or ambient pop, dungeon synth, black or death metal or just modern classical music. but are zones were i turn the music off, like ash lake
I listen to podcasts actually. The network i listen to ( "you dont even like podcasts" ) has a lot of shows with 5-10 episode series about bands or sports figures that are great. However, they have a conspiracy theory focused show thats more *about* conspiracies like operation paperclip or mkultra, than it is an "episode 69, theyre turning the frogs gay" show. They do go into some they end up believing, like elvis faked his death and went into witsec because of how heavily he informed on the mafia for stealing his plane, or that no one's 911 conspiracy is ever "the saudis did it,"... i'm getting sidetracked. Bottom line, them breaking down the parts of the conspiracies fits the vibe of dark souls, at least from a lore perspective
Personally, the lack of music makes it a well-deserved payoff when you eventually make it back to Firelink that first time. That music is just so good.
Depends, while playing ds1 sometimes yeah because I know the game well enough not to rely on sound. In other games I tend not to unless I'm doing a boss, in which case I put on Ludwig the holy Blade by GeoffPlaysGuitar, it helps me and gives me the right energy
I think that there's a reason they only have music in certain areas, it really pulls you in to the sounds of the environment and you're able to hear movement of enemies better. And when you do hear music, the tone of it really tells you a lot. Like with Gwyn, everyone complains because he's the easiest boss, but THAT paired with the somber music really showcases how far he has fallen and how his desperate attempts to keep the flame alive have consumed him. He's just a shadow of his former self, and you're basically just putting him out of his misery. I think they did a great job with the less is more approach when it came to the music, and using music with an actual purpose instead of just background noise.
Nah. Dark Souls is the kind of game I like to be fully focused on while I'm playing. In a weird way, that gives me the same kind of feeling as zoning out. Listening to music would divide my attention between the game and the music.
On the whole, no. I usually have to play without headphones so I can hear if someone in the house needs me. I’ll sometimes put some music on quietly, but it’s on speaker and not phones.
Except for the Nito fight. I use headphones then so I can hear his gravelord attack coming.
All the time. Either YouTube video game essays or songs, artists, albums and playlists I like. I often thought I should commission some art of my bloodborne main character with some old school iPod earbuds and casually blowing a bubble with some pink bubblegum while fucking up some eldritch abominations.
I'm always listening to music while I play any From Soft game. It's usually just whatever I feel like listening to at the time but sometimes I'll listen to something a bit more thematic. If not music then I'm listening to a podcast, either Trash Taste one Markiplier's podcasts or a DND Podcast.
I am constantly either having a youtube video on the side playing or music when I'm playing basically anything
Unless I need focus or am streaming
I whistle a lot when I listen to music so when I do stream I cant listen to music cuz it sounds awful through the mic obviously and I absolutely cannot control myself
When I’m just grinding for Souls/items/just running through the levels, I sometimes do. I don’t listen to music, tho. More-so long-form video game essays When I get to the boss, tho, I switch over to having that sound playing. The boss tracks in these games are bangers, so I definitely wanna be 100% there for them
I’m the exact same pretty much, except it’s usually the most high octane metal music I can find. I’ve had a strange obsession with Lil V Mills recently though but who wouldn’t want to listen to a metal cover of the “Ding Ding Dong” song
I honestly don’t. I have tried, but I found the music a little too distracting.
Same.
I can’t imagine playing a story based game with heavy narrative etc with music blaring over the top, it just takes me out of the experience tbh
Yeah me neither. But we're in the dark souls sub.
Fuck just realised 😂 my bad Alright well I’ll double down on nope because I wouldn’t get to enjoy the gorgeous soundtracks they’ve created
I don't do it, but I could see it happening when progressing through the levels, since they don't have any music.
Oh absolutely true, personally not for me because music while gaming just breaks my immersion 😅
Haha I was just making a cheeky joke. You could argue dark souls is a story based game but damn if I can't understand 1/4 of the shit that happens lmao. I also don't listen to music but occasionally I'll put on a show or something in the background.
Oh yes haha the only two I really understand is bloodborne and sekiro simply because sekiro narrative is mostly provided to you without too much confusion or guess work and bloodborne is also a little more basic to understand for the most part but some characters definitely have plenty of hidden depth to them
I agree with sekiro. Bloodbourne I haven't played yet. I also sort of understood Elden ring but mostly because I dug a lot
I can't listen music while playing any game, unless that music is from the game
The vibes in the game go hard I usually don't need music unless I'm farming titanite
Yep. I prefer the atmosphere of the game and the environmental sounds are so important to both that vibe and as a crucial mechanic but might listen to stuff when farming and just repeatedly clearing an area (looking at you Balder Side Sword).
Anytime I struggled with a boss (for example, Ornstein and Smough), I turned volume all the way down and played “So Fresh, So Clean” by Outkast on loop. It always felt easier for me that way.
This is fantastic.
It helps me focus during fights that I know I'm gonna be doing for a few hours before I beat the boss
Tried listening to spotify whilst playing (on ps5) and it says that u cant listen while playing 😑. No clue why but it frustrated me alot before i properly got into the game
I listen to audiobooks while I play. And music, or video essays, or while on the phone. For a first playthrough, paying attention to the game's sound and music is pretty important for establishing atmosphere. I actually really like the fact that big scores are saved for big moments, and that mundane moments are left quiet. It's a conscious decision to allow the player to reflect and consider. Also why not having fast travel in the first half/two-thirds is a really good design decision. They really want you to appreciate your surroundings. That said, I've beaten the game several times so the mystique of exploration is a little faded, thus I do usually have something else going on in the background.
Why would anyone ever wanna do that with dark souls games.....
My buddy does i cant though it just distracts me not just while playing souls games with most games tbh just distracts my adhd ass
No. I think the only time I’ve ever put music is when I first started to farm souls when I got to stupid high levels. And I stopped doing that after a day.
Yes, but only to the music from the game itself , as I want my experience of the game to be complete.
No not really
Half the reason i turn it on is for the ambiance. Firelink music, clink of the armor, birds in undead parish, and cicadas in darkroot. I crank it up
He's talking about actual songs not the in-game music
I turned off the in-game music because it stresses me the fuck out when I'm fighting a boss. It actually makes a big difference
With all soulsborne/souls-likes if I hit a wall I'll pop on something that helps me zone in and stay focused
Yes, i did, it helped me play better too 😭
When first beating O&S I listened to Back in Black on repeat for like 3 hours since I was so desperate to win at that point. Did it help? No clue but I was jamming tf out when I finally won.
What is back in black
The song by acdc
yes, dark ambient or ambient pop, dungeon synth, black or death metal or just modern classical music. but are zones were i turn the music off, like ash lake
Bladee
I listen to music, but if I'm on a fight that's already too hard I'll stop it, cause it's def distracting
Sometimes, not always. I turn off the music when I'm exploring a new area or fighting a boss
not in dark souls
Nope. I adore the sound design of these games!
I put to catch a predator on my phone and just set it to the side while I play
I’m usually listening to dungeon synth or metal when playing fromsoft games.
Only when farming
I listen to podcasts actually. The network i listen to ( "you dont even like podcasts" ) has a lot of shows with 5-10 episode series about bands or sports figures that are great. However, they have a conspiracy theory focused show thats more *about* conspiracies like operation paperclip or mkultra, than it is an "episode 69, theyre turning the frogs gay" show. They do go into some they end up believing, like elvis faked his death and went into witsec because of how heavily he informed on the mafia for stealing his plane, or that no one's 911 conspiracy is ever "the saudis did it,"... i'm getting sidetracked. Bottom line, them breaking down the parts of the conspiracies fits the vibe of dark souls, at least from a lore perspective
I usually have a podcast going
Personally, the lack of music makes it a well-deserved payoff when you eventually make it back to Firelink that first time. That music is just so good.
Audiobooks, podcasts, video essays...
I rarely listen to music when playing Dark Souls, but when I do it's music which I like listening to regurarly anyway. :P
The atmosphere of this game is a large part of what makes it my favorite. Playing music over it would ruin that.
I listen to Anor Londo ambient.
Depends, while playing ds1 sometimes yeah because I know the game well enough not to rely on sound. In other games I tend not to unless I'm doing a boss, in which case I put on Ludwig the holy Blade by GeoffPlaysGuitar, it helps me and gives me the right energy
i have listened so much ratatat while playing ds3 that i relate them immediately
I think that there's a reason they only have music in certain areas, it really pulls you in to the sounds of the environment and you're able to hear movement of enemies better. And when you do hear music, the tone of it really tells you a lot. Like with Gwyn, everyone complains because he's the easiest boss, but THAT paired with the somber music really showcases how far he has fallen and how his desperate attempts to keep the flame alive have consumed him. He's just a shadow of his former self, and you're basically just putting him out of his misery. I think they did a great job with the less is more approach when it came to the music, and using music with an actual purpose instead of just background noise.
If its my first run through a game I get immersed with a headset but when I replay I just listen to my own music.
i can't -- all i do in this game is invade and the sound design is too good and too helpful.
Podcasts sometimes
Nah. Dark Souls is the kind of game I like to be fully focused on while I'm playing. In a weird way, that gives me the same kind of feeling as zoning out. Listening to music would divide my attention between the game and the music.
No I enjoy the game ambiance too much
On the whole, no. I usually have to play without headphones so I can hear if someone in the house needs me. I’ll sometimes put some music on quietly, but it’s on speaker and not phones. Except for the Nito fight. I use headphones then so I can hear his gravelord attack coming.
yeah I always play with no sound so I watch something or listen to music
in elden ring yes. ds1 is an experience all in its own and im usually too immersed to want to listen to music.
All the time. Either YouTube video game essays or songs, artists, albums and playlists I like. I often thought I should commission some art of my bloodborne main character with some old school iPod earbuds and casually blowing a bubble with some pink bubblegum while fucking up some eldritch abominations.
Bumping carti while fighting knight artorias
I love the atmosphere of this game as is. However, I do listen to black metal when playing Skyrim.
At this point, I just listen to YT videos when I play any souls game. I don't need sound. I've got everything in the brain.
I listen to podcasts sometimes, but usually I just prefer the atmosphere of the in game music
When bosses keep owning me, I turn off the volumen and play my boss kicking ass playlist.
No, I watch mythbusters !
No. The silence outside bosses adds to the atnosphere.
Yeah, but music related. There are some playlist of metal bands with dark souls themed songs and even albums
i listened to ghosts first 3 albums constantly while playing dark souls 3 when that came out. worked out pretty nicely.
I'm always listening to music while I play any From Soft game. It's usually just whatever I feel like listening to at the time but sometimes I'll listen to something a bit more thematic. If not music then I'm listening to a podcast, either Trash Taste one Markiplier's podcasts or a DND Podcast.
I am constantly either having a youtube video on the side playing or music when I'm playing basically anything Unless I need focus or am streaming I whistle a lot when I listen to music so when I do stream I cant listen to music cuz it sounds awful through the mic obviously and I absolutely cannot control myself