A bunch of reviews here refer to the extensive delays this book had before it was ultimately released and shipped. While this info is good to know, the book is out now, so this review will focus on the product and only the product (no 1-star “this isn’t even real” and 5-star “this is to combat the negative reviews” shenanigans).
The Good:
- Beautiful, well-made book
- Pictures of enemies, weapons, and items are great
- Elegantly combines lore and art
- Very extensive lore-wise
- Maps are great and showcase the beauty of the games’ environments
The Not-So-Good:
- Occasional spelling errors
- Maps don’t list minor details such as consumable items or invader locations
- Does not include info including vendor inventories, covenant requirements, equipment data, or NPC quests
This book is wonderful as long as you know what you’re getting; I expected it to be more of an encyclopedia cataloguing every minute detail of the games (equipment upgrade paths, NPC questlines and rewards, covenant requirements, etc.). The book was, to my surprise and initial disapproval, more of an art/lore book hybrid.
The Compendium starts with a summary of the lore of the three games, backed by pertinent item descriptions and lots of pics, and includes the stories of the three games and some “universal concepts” such as the Darksign and the Abyss. This section was excellent; it gets new players up to snuff, is fairly thorough, and looks beautiful.
The next three sections are maps of all areas from the three games. These maps are all gorgeous to look at and feature pictures of the areas interwoven with the actual maps (plus small descriptions of each area). Unfortunately, especially for the Dark Souls 2 and 3 maps, some designs are a bit TOO detailed; their outlines distract from the more important information (item locations, map connections, bonfires, etc.). Furthermore, the maps don’t contain invader locations or “minor” item placements (including upgrade materials). Other than this and a few other tiny issues (e.g. Consumed King’s Garden is listed after Untended Graves despite the player needing to pass through the Garden to reach the Graves), the maps are excellent. The Dark Souls 2 maps even list requirements to get certain hard-to-reach items.
At the end of each map section (one per game) is the complete dialogue of every single NPC. Extremely extensive and crucial to lore-crafting, this add-on is much appreciated (especially given how much work it had to take to figure out every possible line an NPC could say)
The next section covers all equipment and items. The book gives the picture, description, and means of attaining of every item, weapon, spell, and armor set in all three games. While I was hoping to see stats and map locations for these, because this info is all on the wikis (and would take many more pages to catalogue), I understand Future Press’s choice not to include it. The pictures all look lovely, and the inclusion of every single item in all three games is extremely impressive.
The enemies and bosses section closes the book. This part is truly a work of art. Every enemy has its own picture, in alphabetical order, and is accompanied by the names of any items whose descriptions reference them. Leafing through these pages makes one admire both how much work From Software has put into their games and how much love and care it must have taken to find and arrange these entries so expertly.
Psych! There’s also an index that includes which game each entry is from, which is very thoughtful and handy.
While I would have loved more hard data including how to progress NPC quests, where to find all minor items, and the inventories of all vendors, I cannot deny that this book is beautiful, informative, and a nearly-perfect tribute to the Dark Souls games. All of the pictures are exquisite and every item description and NPC line sheds light on the lore and stories of the games. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in or has played even one of From Software’s more recent games. Future Press, thank you for your dedication. Your latest creation is magnificent.
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Reviews with images
This is what dreams are made of!
Future Press has a well-known reputation for producing exceptional strategy guides, and this particular guide for the Dark Souls series is no different. It provides extensive coverage of all three Dark Souls games, offering detailed information on:-world- Maps with item locations- NPC dialogues- Weapons- Game stories- DLC content- NPCs- and moreThe book's quality is remarkable, featuring a slipcase, vibrant colors for all artwork and maps. A highly detailed index and a bookmark ribbon, so you never get lost. It is a collector's item. Initially released in 2020 during the pandemic, with Future Press only producing a single print run as they always do, it became highly sought after, with copies selling for up to $1000. This is them re-releasing it for their 25th-year anniversary and is a limited run.These are the changes made to this future press 25th year anniversary edition:+ The slipcase has sharper edges for a sleeker look+ The title is printed on the spine of the slipcase for better shelf display+ Colors have been adjusted on some artworks to maximize print quality+ A special 25th Anniversary sticker has been added to the inside cover of the book.Other than these small changes, the content of the book remains perfectly true to the original.I ,highly recommend this strategy guide for any aficionado of the Dark Souls series.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2019
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2024
Future Press has a well-known reputation for producing exceptional strategy guides, and this particular guide for the Dark Souls series is no different. It provides extensive coverage of all three Dark Souls games, offering detailed information on:
-world
- Maps with item locations
- NPC dialogues
- Weapons
- Game stories
- DLC content
- NPCs
- and more
The book's quality is remarkable, featuring a slipcase, vibrant colors for all artwork and maps. A highly detailed index and a bookmark ribbon, so you never get lost. It is a collector's item. Initially released in 2020 during the pandemic, with Future Press only producing a single print run as they always do, it became highly sought after, with copies selling for up to $1000. This is them re-releasing it for their 25th-year anniversary and is a limited run.
These are the changes made to this future press 25th year anniversary edition:
+ The slipcase has sharper edges for a sleeker look
+ The title is printed on the spine of the slipcase for better shelf display
+ Colors have been adjusted on some artworks to maximize print quality
+ A special 25th Anniversary sticker has been added to the inside cover of the book.
Other than these small changes, the content of the book remains perfectly true to the original.
I ,highly recommend this strategy guide for any aficionado of the Dark Souls series.
-world
- Maps with item locations
- NPC dialogues
- Weapons
- Game stories
- DLC content
- NPCs
- and more
The book's quality is remarkable, featuring a slipcase, vibrant colors for all artwork and maps. A highly detailed index and a bookmark ribbon, so you never get lost. It is a collector's item. Initially released in 2020 during the pandemic, with Future Press only producing a single print run as they always do, it became highly sought after, with copies selling for up to $1000. This is them re-releasing it for their 25th-year anniversary and is a limited run.
These are the changes made to this future press 25th year anniversary edition:
+ The slipcase has sharper edges for a sleeker look
+ The title is printed on the spine of the slipcase for better shelf display
+ Colors have been adjusted on some artworks to maximize print quality
+ A special 25th Anniversary sticker has been added to the inside cover of the book.
Other than these small changes, the content of the book remains perfectly true to the original.
I ,highly recommend this strategy guide for any aficionado of the Dark Souls series.
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
Konrad Materek
Very poorly protected for shipment, otherwise beautiful item
Reviewed in Poland on April 11, 2024