Dark Souls

• Your starting class only determines your initial spells, items and level, meaning your choice doesn't permanently lock you into or out of anything as everything can eventually be found elsewhere. Pyromancer is one good beginner choice since it otherwise takes a while to find the pyromancy trainer and pyromancy itself is useful for all characters.

• You can also pick a starting gift at character creation. Of these, the Master Key (which Thieves start with by default) is arguably the most impactful but it can make for a poor beginner choice since it simply allows earlier access to some later areas. The Pendant and Old Witch's Ring have no real gameplay impact, although the wearing the latter at a specific time nets you some extra dialogue. Tiny Being's Ring's effect is almost non-existent, the Binoculars can be found quite easily, and Humanity is a rather common find, so that leaves the 3 Divine Blessings or 10 Black Firebombs as arguably the best beginner gifts.

• You must equip a specific item to cast spells. Pyromancy, Miracles, and Sorceries each require a different item (Pyromancy Flame, Talisman, Catalyst respectively). You can refill your casts of a spell by resting at a bonfire.

• Blocking and rolling are the two primary methods of avoiding damage. The effectiveness of a shield depends on its Damage Reduction stats and Stability (how much stamina gets drained when blocking) and the effectiveness of rolling depends on the total weight of your worn items compared to your maximum equipment load. 0-25% equipment load gives you a nimble roll, 25-50% a normal roll and 50%+ a clumsy, nigh-useless roll.

• You lose all of your souls (currency/experience) and humanity on death and while you can retrieve them by absorbing the green orb left at your corpse, they're gone for good if you die on the way back. For that reason it's better to spend them on items and levels instead of hoarding them. Consumable soul items such as "Soul of a Lost Undead" are not dropped on death and are thus best saved until you're about to level up or purchase something.

• There's an easily missable merchant very early on in the game in the Undead Burg, accessible right before the first bonfire of the area. He sells a variety of very useful items such as a repair box, a storage box and the Orange Guidance Soapstone which allows for writing and rating messages for other players.

• By offering Humanity to kindle a bonfire (must not be Hollowed to do so), you can increase how many Estus Flask charges you'll get when resting there. An unkindled bonfire yields 5 charges and a kindled one 10 charges, going past this (up to 20 charges) requires finding an item called the Rite of Kindling somewhere in the game.

• The potency of your Estus Flasks can be increased as well. This is done by offering items called "Fire Keeper Souls" to Fire Keepers, such as the one caged in the lower part of Firelink Shrine. Make sure not to consume them as items by accident!

• Oh, and general tip - you will die, you will lose souls and humanity because you couldn't get back to where you died. This is not a big deal. Try not to stress because you've just lost 10,000 souls and 7 humanity and died a second time. You'll make that all up again before too long.