From the replies I think I’ll start with the first.

Thanks for all the input, I’ll start playing it when I’m bored with Diablo 4 haha.

Story in all these games is convoluted (and awesome) to the point that it doesn't really matter which one you start with.

Ds1 is worth it and id recommend starting there if you can. Snappy controls, and the experience you gain playing it will transfer over to later games just fine.

DS2 is a bit of a mixed bag. It diverged from ds1 in some game mechanics and if you play DS1 or 3 and then go to 2, you might find the combat frustrating. However I've beaten all dark souls games and after you get used to it, 2 is actually very good. Many people claim it was better then 3, but it's not clear if they're serious or "DS2 good" is a meme at this point. I liked it, but it's hard to go back to after getting used to the flow of combat in 1 or 3. However again, some people truly love it.

Ds 3 is great. Also a good place to start if you want. It's as close to a sequel to ds1 as you can get, but even if you didn't play ds1, it's still worth playing. The combat got a lot more refined from 1 to 3 and it feels a lot more responsive than 2.

Opinions vary on the combat, but I think the consensus is that the first game has the best level design. Some people even say it has the best level design of any game, period. Not sure I’d go that far but it is a work of art.

You will wonder why I say that until you get maybe 30-40% through the game. To say more would be to spoil one of the coolest revelations I’ve experienced in a game.

I've played through 1 and half of 2. I've also played Demons Souls and Bloodborne back in the day (they're essentially made of the same formula).

I'm not the biggest die hard fan of the series but I'd say that if you can afford the time, play all three of them! It'll be a blast.

I don’t feel like it matters too much what order you play them in, they all good and distinct enough that you can enjoy their unique qualities and quirks. Two is arguably the hardest to get into, however I don’t share that opinion. They’re all standalone enough that it’s no imperative that you play them in any particular order.

I know you’ve already been given some opinions but I thought I’d just share one myself too.

If you plan on playing all three anyway, just do it in order. It’s what makes the most sense I think. They’re all kind of standalone (for the most part) so it doesn’t really matter the order but I always like to play a series chronologically if I plan on playing the whole thing anyway, plus most diehard fans I know would say the first is the best one.

If you’re not sure if you’ll actually go through the whole series or not, DS3 is probably the easiest to get into. The game becomes one of the hardest FromSoft games they’ve made, but it starts pretty tame by SoulsBorne standards. It takes quite a while before it really gets “souls hard” too, though the difficulty spike is quite extreme.

At the end of the day, they’re all excellent and you’ll be treated to an incredible and unique experience unlike anything you’ve tried before, no matter what you do, and I hope that one day we’ll get to read a post or comment from you about how incredible of an experience it was for you to go through the series. Afterwards you can play through Demon’s Souls through a PS3 emulator (or on an actual PS3, or the remake on PS5, if you have either console). Elden Ring is also an incredible SoulsBorne game. And Sekiro, while completely different, is tremendous. I’m thinking of writing up a post about it tonight or tomorrow actually

This... This is true...

Sekiro is my favorite FromSoftware game. I had tried DS1 way back with the Prepare to Die Edition but it didn't take... Wasn't until Sekiro that it clicked. That game got under my skin and into my bones. Beating the final boss is still the best feeling I've ever had playing a video game.

The only real argument I’ve heard against DS2 that I can agree with is the levels sometimes didn’t make sense. You’d be in a mountaintops area, take an elevator up and suddenly you’re in an underground lair (probably not exactly that example but you get the idea, it did have weird stuff like that I just can’t remember them now because it’s been a while). That being said, the game itself is still really good. Some people simply don’t like it because Miyazaki didn’t work on it, which I feel is an unfair argument. FromSoft did a great job with the game even without him directing it

The only real argument I’ve heard against DS2 that I can agree with is the levels sometimes didn’t make sense. You’d be in a mountaintops area, take an elevator up and suddenly you’re in an underground lair (probably not exactly that example but you get the idea, it did have weird stuff like that I just can’t remember them now because it’s been a while). That being said, the game itself is still really good. Some people simply don’t like it because Miyazaki didn’t work on it, which I feel is an unfair argument. FromSoft did a great job with the game even without him directing it