It’s a little frightening just how much a talented modder can do. From making a game a good deal harder to changing the way that central mechanics work or replacing them completely, there’s no end to what can be achieved. Some mods are practical and intended to change already beloved titles for the better. Others are just hilariously weird for the sake of it—remember when someone replaced Resident Evil 3’s Nemesis with Thomas the Tank Engine?.
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Many of Dark Souls III’s mods, however, fall into the former category. Among the most notable is the Cinders mod, which, as the website states, “aims to provide a fresh experience through Dark Souls III, expanding upon areas that were lacking in vanilla and adding fresh content.” Here are some of the best changes that Cinders brings to the table.
10 New Weapons And Armor
When it comes to new content, one of the first things that a lot of Dark Souls fans desire is brand-new equipment, especially where it allows for new and unique build types. This title already had a great mix of solid—and not so solid—weapons, but Cinders adds quite a lot more.
Weapons that existed in the game’s files and were cut return, and there are some great additions here. The ornate Engraved Dagger, for instance, is a simple and familiar weapon but boasts a super pleasing sparkling effect on its thrust.
9 Poise, Please
Throughout the series, Poise has always been a contentious issue. Staggering an opponent repeatedly with hefty blows from a Strength weapon is always a good time, but who wants to be on the receiving end of that treatment? Nobody, that’s who. As such, a lot of fans will be glad to hear that the Cinders mod reverts to a Poise system more akin to that of Dark Souls 2.
What this means, as the Cinders Wikidot explains in great detail, is that a player’s armor and weapon both count against the incoming attack when calculating "Poise damage." If these factors overcome the attack, the player isn’t staggered, and, if they don’t, they are. While it sounds like a simple change, it makes a tremendous difference to gameplay.
8 It’s Dangerous To Go Alone, Take This… Companion
There’s no getting away from the fact that the Dark Souls series’ reputation for dastardly difficulty precedes it. Not only do the games feature some of the most challenging boss battles in recent gaming memory, but the levels themselves can be nightmares to traverse.
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As such, a little extra help is welcome wherever it can be found. Companions have long been a feature in the series, allowing players to have another player or AI-controlled NPC aid them in tricky battles. In Cinders, companions aren’t so quick to despawn or be thrown back into their own worlds once the deed is done.
7 Magic Is A More Viable Primary Combat Style
Whether referred to as Miracles, Bloodborne’s Hunter Tools, or by another name still, magic spells have long been a staple of the Soulsborne games. They’re tricky to balance, though, and haven’t really been the most practical options to rely on in battle.
From slow speed to cheesy power and voracious guzzling of a player’s resources, Dark Souls’ magic has a number of issues. What the Cinders mod has done, then, is try to make a mage-like build more viable, tweaking things so that FP replenishes automatically. It’s a very different way to play that will take some getting used to, but it’s a lot of fun and potentially incredibly strong indeed. Some of Dark Souls III’s Miracles are very potent as they are, after all.
6 New Classes Are Available
One of the primary factors that keeps Dark Souls fans returning to the games is the drive to try a new build. This can allow players to wield new weapons, which they perhaps couldn’t even equip before, sometimes completely changing the way they approach familiar areas and bosses.
The new classes introduced by the Cinders mod have proven a huge draw as a result. In total, Cinders players will have access to 26 classes: Acolyte, Skeptic, Outcast, Heretic, Priest, Cleric, Pyromancer, Sorcerer, Hunter, Brawler, Explorer, Peasant, Captain, Herald, Paladin, Deprived, Bandit, Warrior, Samurai, Assassin, Wayfarer, Mercenary, Sentinel, Thief, Soldier and Knight. Some of these will be very familiar to existing fans, of course, while the new additions offer interesting starting stat spreads and gear that are worth checking out.
5 Heavy Armor Has Been Given A Buff And Is More Valuable
Historically, Heavy Armor has tended to be a little bit of a liability. As the name suggests, it’s very weighty gear indeed, and weight is a factor that fans always have to bear in mind. With its lack of maneuverability, many players felt they were punished too harshly for using Heavy Armor, and so didn’t make use of many of the game's armor sets.
As was the case with spells, Cinders has made some brilliant tweaks in order to balance Heavy Armor and make it more valuable. With added effects given to certain pieces and this sort of gear made more efficient at its intended purpose of absorbing blows, tanky builds are solid options.
4 Some Rings (And Other Weaker Equipment) Received Buffs
Clearly, then, the general goal of the mod was to give players a wider range of options to make certain playstyles and pieces of equipment stronger.
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When it comes to gear, certain obscure rings that tended to be disregarded in the base game have been made better. Even experienced players who think they know exactly which pieces of equipment are the best should take a quick look at everything they find in Cinders.
3 Enemies Can Be More Difficult Too
For a lot of players, the simple fact that certain parts of the game have been made even harder is an impressive feat in itself. The reality, however, is that The Ashen One’s foes must become more of a threat alongside the buffs to various pieces of equipment, lest the game become too easy—relatively speaking, of course.
The general solution to this was to ensure that enemies both take and deal more punishment than they did before. Depending on how super strong your build is, you may still have a very tough time with Cinders.
2 Covenants Have Also Been Tweaked
For players who want to dive deeper into the world of the Dark Souls series and its mysterious inhabitants, it’s quite important to engage with various Covenants. In so doing, new interacts with various characters become possible, relationships can be fostered with them and co-op/competitive elements are opened up with other players.
This has always been true of the series, but the Cinders mod has made significant changes to the Covenant system of Dark Souls III. Covenant items can now be acquired more quickly, the Company of Champions Covenant from the previous game has been returned—for those looking for a further challenge from their AI enemies—and the buffs earned from joining Covenants have been tinkered with too. It adds a huge amount to an already intriguing system.
1 The Early Game Has Been Made More Interesting
One rather common complaint leveled at Dark Souls III is the linearity of the early game. Cinders rectifies this issue by opening up more of the game sooner and changing the locations of certain pick-ups, and it’s a fresher experience for it.
Defeating the Curse-Rotted Greatwood, for instance, now unlocks the Catacombs of Carthus. Alongside this, the Undead Settlement isn’t locked away at all, allowing players more freedom when it comes to paths of progression. This is a huge deal, especially for players who have had their fill of the standard Dark Souls III experience.
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