BLACK SOULS Beginner Guide
Everything to know before and during your first hours in BLACK SOULS — what kind of game this really is, early priorities, and the mistakes that cost new players their first routes.
BLACK SOULS looks like a retro RPG and plays like a dark fairy tale that has read a lot of FromSoftware. Here’s what actually matters in your first hours.
What kind of game is this?
You awaken as a nameless undead in the Lost Empire, a kingdom drowned in a mist that twists people into beasts. The structure is Souls by way of classic JRPG: interconnected areas, recurring bosses, death as a mechanic rather than a failure state — but combat is turn-based RPG combat, and levels always work. If a fight feels unfair, you are allowed to go get stronger. Over half of all players clear the entire opening boss run; the game wants you to get through it.
The real design center is elsewhere: 14 endings, ten of them tied to individual characters. BLACK SOULS is a game about who you talk to and what you choose, wearing the armor of a game about fighting dragons.
Your first-session priorities
- Fight Drake Helkaiser without fear. He’s the most-defeated boss in the game (56.4%) and exists to teach you the loop. Dying is fine. Dying repeatedly is fine.
- Talk to everyone. Then talk to them again. Heroine routes — Leaf, Red Hood, and others you’ll meet later — advance through repeated conversations. A route you never opened is a route you can’t finish.
- Explore before you push. Side rooms hold gear and levels, and in this game both are route insurance.
- Read the fairy tales you recognize differently. Hansel and Gretel, the Bremen Town Musicians, the Ugly Duckling — every familiar name arrives bent. The game is telling you its themes through the bending.
Mistakes that actually cost you
- Rushing the main bosses. The story will let you sprint, and the price is heroine routes silently closing behind you. The ten character endings are most of the game’s content; don’t lock yourself to the four lettered ones.
- Hoarding consumables like it’s a survival game. It’s a multi-cycle RPG. Use your items; New Game+ is coming either way.
- Chasing rare bosses on cycle one. If a fight’s achievement sits below ~20% (Torture Queen Elisabeth Bathory, Holy Beast Jeanne d’Arc, Saint Catherine), the game expects you back later, stronger.
- Stopping after one ending. The B End is a beginning. The game’s actual shape only appears across cycles.
Which route first?
Take your first cycle to the B End — the most common conclusion (32.6% of players) and the intended first pass. Alongside it, run one heroine route seriously; Leaf (28% completion) and Red Hood (27.9%) are the classic first picks and the two most-finished character endings.
Then start New Game+ and open the complete walkthrough and endings guide — from cycle two onward, routing knowledge pays for itself.
Where to go from here
- Full route: Complete Walkthrough
- The 14 conclusions: All Endings
- Every fight in order: Boss Order
- Track it all: Achievement Tracker
Frequently Asked Questions
Is BLACK SOULS hard?
The opening is approachable — over half of Steam players clear the first several bosses. Difficulty ramps in the mid-game, and the rarest fights are tuned for New Game+ characters. Since it's an RPG, grinding levels is always a valid answer.
Do I need to play anything before BLACK SOULS?
No. BLACK SOULS is the start of the series. Knowing classic Grimm fairy tales enriches it enormously, but nothing else is required.
Should I look up a guide on my first playthrough?
Play the first cycle mostly blind and take the B End — the game is built for it. Use guides for the second cycle onward, when routes and rare endings start to matter.