Why Should I Become Human in Dark Souls? A Deep Dive into Humanity
The question of whether to embrace humanity in Dark Souls is a central dilemma for many players. It’s a choice that dramatically alters your experience, introducing both tantalizing opportunities and significant risks. The simple answer is that becoming human in Dark Souls unlocks the game’s online cooperative and competitive multiplayer elements, as well as access to certain NPC interactions, crucial for obtaining unique items and progressing specific storylines. However, there’s much more to it than that. Let’s delve into the reasons why, when, and if you should risk the dangers of restoring your humanity.
The Allure of Humanity: Unlocking Dark Souls’ Full Potential
At its core, reverting from hollow to human status in Dark Souls is about more than just aesthetics. It’s about engagement with the world and other players. Here’s a breakdown of the primary advantages:
Cooperative Play: Summoning Allies
One of the biggest draws to being human is the ability to summon phantoms into your world. These phantoms are other players who can assist you in navigating treacherous areas and battling formidable bosses. Facing the gargantuan challenges of Dark Souls alone can be incredibly daunting, and having another player by your side can significantly increase your chances of survival. This cooperative aspect is a major component of the Dark Souls experience, allowing for camaraderie and the sharing of strategies.
NPC Interactions and Invasions
Being human isn’t just about interacting with other players; it’s also about your interactions with the game’s NPCs. Certain quests and storylines are locked behind the human state. For instance, specific NPCs will only invade your world when you’re human, and defeating them rewards you with unique items and may progress their narratives. This adds another layer to the game’s story, incentivizing players to take the risk of reversing hollowing.
Item Discovery: The Benefits of Soft Humanity
While the base item drop rate in Dark Souls remains constant regardless of your form, soft humanity, the numerical representation of your humanity at the top left of the screen, plays a significant role. When you’re in human form, that soft humanity counter contributes to your item discovery rate. The more humanity you possess, the better your chances of finding rare and valuable loot from enemies. This can greatly assist you in acquiring the equipment necessary to overcome future challenges.
Access to Covenants
Joining covenants is an integral part of Dark Souls, and certain covenants only become accessible or offer full benefits when you are human. These covenants provide unique items, spells, and gameplay experiences, adding significant replayability. For example, some covenants allow you to engage in player vs. player (PvP) combat, adding another dimension to the game.
The Risks of Humanity: The Double-Edged Sword
The benefits of humanity are balanced by significant risks. While being human opens up new opportunities, it also makes you vulnerable to invasion by other players and certain NPC invaders.
Player Invasions: A Threat from the Shadows
When human, you’re susceptible to being invaded by other players intent on killing you. These invasions can occur at any point, without warning, and can be a significant source of frustration, especially for new players. These invaders, often referred to as Darkwraiths or Darkmoons, can be formidable opponents, disrupting your progress and potentially costing you valuable souls and progress.
NPC Invasions: Predefined Challenges
In addition to player invasions, specific NPC invaders will also target you while you’re in human form. While these fights are often choreographed, they can still present a significant challenge, especially early in the game when you’re still finding your footing. However, overcoming these NPCs often yields worthwhile rewards and progresses side stories.
A Calculated Choice: When to Embrace Humanity
So, when should you reverse your hollowing and embrace humanity? There’s no single right answer, as it depends on your playstyle and goals. However, here are a few scenarios where it can be particularly beneficial:
- Before Boss Fights: If you’re struggling with a boss, restoring humanity to summon player phantoms can greatly increase your odds of success.
- Exploring New Areas: Navigating dangerous new areas with cooperative partners can make the experience significantly less challenging.
- Farming for Items: When you need specific items, the increased item discovery rate offered by soft humanity in human form can make farming more efficient.
- Progressing NPC Questlines: If you need to trigger specific NPC invasions or interactions, reversing your hollowing is a necessity.
Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to become human should be a calculated one, weighing the risks against the potential rewards.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What does it mean to be “hollow” in Dark Souls?
Being hollow in Dark Souls is your default state. It means you have a shriveled, zombie-like appearance and cannot participate in online multiplayer, either summoning help or being invaded. You also have no benefit from soft humanity. This state is the game’s base for single-player mode, providing a safer, albeit less cooperative experience.
2. How do I reverse hollowing and become human?
To reverse hollowing, you need at least one humanity in your inventory. You then interact with a bonfire and select the “Reverse Hollowing” option. It will consume one of your humanity items, making your character human.
3. How much humanity is needed to become human?
It takes only one humanity item from your inventory to reverse hollowing at a bonfire. The amount of soft humanity you have in your counter doesn’t matter when it comes to restoring your human form.
4. What is the difference between “hard” and “soft” humanity?
Hard humanity refers to the consumable humanity items in your inventory, these are not lost upon death. Soft humanity is the numerical counter beside your health bar that you accumulate by killing enemies and using consumable humanity items. Soft humanity can be lost upon death, just like souls.
5. Can I be invaded if the area boss is dead?
No, once you have defeated the area boss, you can no longer be invaded in that specific area, even if you are in human form. Likewise, you cannot summon phantoms in an area where the boss is already dead.
6. Does being human affect item drop rates?
Your form doesn’t inherently change the base item drop rate, but soft humanity does. As a human, you can accumulate soft humanity, and higher soft humanity levels increase your item discovery rate.
7. What are the benefits of being hollow?
The primary benefit of being hollow is safety. You cannot be invaded by other players, and you can not summon other players into your game. This can be good if you’re learning the game or navigating difficult sections and don’t want player interference.
8. Is being hollow bad in Dark Souls?
Being hollow is not inherently bad. There are no stat penalties and your only setback is aesthetic and online restrictions. The only reason to avoid being hollow is if you wish to interact with the online multiplayer, or have certain NPC interactions.
9. What happens if I die while human?
If you die while human, you will revert to being hollow, losing one point of soft humanity, and potentially all souls. You will need to use another humanity item to become human again.
10. Can I summon NPC phantoms in Dark Souls 1?
Yes, there are NPC phantoms in Dark Souls 1 you can summon for certain boss fights. This requires you to be in human form, and meet the specific requirements for each NPC summons.
11. Do I get better loot as a human?
Not directly. Being human itself doesn’t change loot drops. However, having soft humanity while in human form significantly boosts your item discovery rate, leading to more drops.
12. Why would I purposely become human to get invaded by an NPC?
Certain NPC invaders only appear when you are in human form. Defeating them can provide unique and useful items or progress their quests.
13. What is the maximum amount of hollowing?
The maximum amount of hollowing a character can have is 99. This level of hollowing makes you appear shriveled, but has no negative effects.
14. How does online play work in Dark Souls?
Online play is based on item usage and player level. Players in human form can summon phantoms to help them, and be invaded by other players of similar level range.
15. Is it always best to be human in Dark Souls?
No, it’s not always best to be human. It’s a risk-reward decision based on your current goals. If you’re confident and need help with bosses, being human makes sense. If you’re just trying to explore or learn the ropes, it might be best to remain hollow.
In conclusion, embracing humanity in Dark Souls is a powerful tool that opens up cooperative gameplay, unlocks unique items, and reveals hidden storylines. However, it also makes you vulnerable to invasions by other players and certain NPCs. It’s a strategic choice that each player must make based on their own needs, capabilities, and goals. Knowing when to take the risk of reverting to human form is part of what makes Dark Souls such an enduringly challenging and rewarding experience.