Its 2011 and Im making my way through Lordran for the first time.
Im in the woods with my longsword and Grass Crest Shield.
There is a glimmer through the trees and another player appears, wearing exotic equipment.
I raise my guard, anticipating a swift defeat, but the other player only stands and waves.
They beckon me deeper into the wood.
Its rarely smart to follow a stranger into the woods.
The second player does not react to my arrival.
The first player gesticulates urgently.
There follows a long, silent exchange of emotes.
The first player points at the second, kneeling player.
I spread my arms in bewilderment.
The first player bows, points at the kneeling player and makes chopping motions with their greatsword.
A willing human sacrifice?
I feel like if I follow the directions there will be a horrible, Basilisk-grade surprise.
But Im also worried that the first player will attack me if I refuse to play along.
They die without protest.
The first player is ecstatic, hopping up and down and punching the air.
I kill them with two-thirds left in my health bar and a full bag of Estus.
I am totally confused.
The fey Covenants you must forge to become a certainkindof online transgressor.
There are forms of multiplayer hidden away in Souls that I never would have guessed, as a newcomer.
And then there is the enchantment of the asynchronous online, which makes every location a little disquieting.
To play Dark Souls is to be haunted by everybody else playing it.
By extension, Im a little worried about the direction of FromSoftwares most recent projects.
Much as you shouldnt follow strangers into the trees, so you shouldnt bet against a FromSoftware game.
I dont doubt that Duskbloods and Nightreign will be good.
They will probably be great.
Yep, this is fantastic.
I will be hoping for buried complications, quirky rites of interaction that take initiative and deduction to expose.
I will be hoping for more randos in the woods.
