Which Dark Souls The Board Game core set is best?

The three different Dark Souls The Board Game core sets provide the same rule book, but different everything else. Being so expensive, deciding which is for you is a tricky choice. But don’t worry, I’m here to break them down for you.

It is a shame that Steamforged Games thought to release three core sets instead of making two of these box sets v2 expansions, but for now at least, we’ve got to pick one before we can enjoy ourselves. Note that the available expansions were made with the old core set in mind, meaning their compatibility isn’t as smooth.

The Sunless City core set — best bosses

The Sunless City core set for Dark Souls The Board Game is the spiritual reincarnation of the original core set, with almost all of the included enemies and bosses being the same.

Set in Anor Londo, this box includes tiles that reflect the gorgeous floors of the once glorious city, and it houses the following enemies, bosses, and starter classes:

• Ornstein and Smough main bosses
• Titanite Demon mini boss
• Mimic enemy
• Sentinel enemy
• Silver Knight Swordsman enemies
• Silver Knight Greatbowman enemies
• Hollow Soldier enemies
• Crossbow Hollow enemies
• Herald starter class
• Pyromancer starter class
• Warrior starter class

The Sunless City core set has some of the most iconic enemies from the original Dark Souls, and is the only core set to feature Mimics and the random Mimic mechanic. Although the Explorers Expansion gives Mimics more justice as they have a behaviour deck and not just a behaviour card, this feature is painfully reminiscent of Anor Londo and is the only core set to have them.

Although the Titanite Demon is not the most outstanding boss, the Sunless City core set shines thanks to Dragonslayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough — two bosses that you’ll be fighting at the same time. One of the most exciting fights in Dark Souls, the board game does a fantastic job of recreating the challenge they present.

Honestly, the boss fight is the selling point of this core set, for it’s both iconic and well-executed (pardon the pun). The journey is still enjoyable, however, although the smattering of enemies does leave something to be desired.

Only one enemy type deals magic damage, which is consistent with all the core sets, but it’s especially disappointing here. Anor Londo featured a variety of enemies that unleashed magic attacks, which could have made this core set much more interesting.

Additionally, although the mix of hollow and silver knight enemies looks cool, I feel like they only provide a slightly dynamic mix of combat strategies. The silver knights feel only like beefed up versions of their hollow counterparts, which is disappointing given how powerful and varied they are in the game. A magic damage Silver Knight Spearman would have gone a long way instead of the swordsman, for example.

Speaking of, hollows were nowhere to be found in Anor Londo in both of the Dark Souls games it appears in, but there were other enemies that would have proved infinitely more interesting and varied.

One final issue that will be persistent with all three box sets is the use of starter classes. The Pyromancer is already available through the Characters Expansion, and is present in the Tomb of Giants core set, which is quite an insult. This means someone could own the Pyromancer up to three times, which I find ridiculous.

Sunless City pros	Sunless City cons
Iconic, fun, and dynamic boss fights (including the mimic)	Regular enemy variety could be easily and greatly improved
Benefits from the unique mimic system	Only one enemy deals magic damage

With this in mind, let’s go over the other two to see which you prefer.

The Painted World of Ariamis core set — best enemy variety

The Painted World of Ariamis core set for Dark Souls The Board Game is my personal favorite as the enemy variety is so exciting, and for it reminds me of my own adventures that’s chilling in more ways than one.

Set in the haunting painted world, the tiles for the Painted World of Ariamis core set are covered in snow and stone, where you will encounter the following creatures, bosses, and starting classes:

• Crossbreed Priscilla main boss
• Heavy Knight mini boss
• Phalanx enemies
• Engorged Zombie enemies
• Bonewheel Skeleton enemies
• Crow Demon enemies
• Snow Rat enemies
• Deprived starter class
• Mercenary starter class
• Sorcerer starter class

The enemies here are very varied in their attacks, and although only one enemy deals magic damage which was a gripe I have with the Sunless City core set, it’s offset here by the variety of status effects and attack behaviours on display.

Each encounter is more exciting thanks to the different enemy mechanics you must look out for. And even the boss fights have their own unique status effects and abilities that set them apart from other bosses. Here, both the journey and destinations are writhe with dynamic combat.

The locations and enemies may be less iconic than Anor Londo and Gravelord Nito, but the quality of the many encounters I believe to be the best.

There aren’t too many problems with the Painted World of Ariamis core set, aside from personal taste differences. Considering the show stoppers (the bosses) are less iconic than in other sets, Dark Souls fans may rather spend their money on a core set that will provide a more nostalgic time. Many remember the painted world fondly, but maybe just not as fondly as the others.

Yet again, I do have a problem with the starter classes. All three are also present in Characters Expansion! Instead of using different classes, all three starter classes will be repeat content for many, which is a great shame. It was definitely the biggest let down of this core set, although for those who never got this expansion, it may be a bonus.

Painted World of Ariamis pros	Painted World of Ariamis cons
Very dynamic enemy behaviors	Repeating content from the Characters Expansion
Exciting encounters and boss fights	Less iconic characters

The Tomb of Giants core set — best overall

The Tomb of Giants core set for Dark Souls The Board Game may be one of the most hated locations in the video game, in the board game, it’s one of the more favored core sets.

Set in the awful Tomb of Giants, this core set features the deep and dark tunnels and passages on its tiles where you’ll be using the following starter classes and fighting the following enemies and bosses:

• Gravelord Nito main boss
• Black Knight mini boss
• Skeleton Beast enemy
• Necromancer enemies
• Giant Skeleton Archer enemies
• Giant Skeleton Soldier enemies
• Skeleton Archer enemies
• Skeleton Soldier enemies
• Thief starter class
• Pyromancer starter class
• Cleric starter class

Personally, I find the Tomb of Giants core set to be the middle ground between both of the previous core sets. The iconicness and enemy behaviour variety is good, but not too good, to deliver a game that’s overall pretty solid.

Although the enemy variety doesn’t look pleasing, with every enemy being skeletons, their behaviours are stark enough to be mechanically enjoyable. They may not be as varied and interesting as the Painted World of Ariamis core set enemies, but they have unique attacks and can inflict status effects, leading to enjoyable enocunters.

What’s more, is that the Necromancer enemy will be raising Skeletons for you to fight, leading to an utterly unique challenge that the other sets don’t provide.

The boss, although not as thematically exciting as Ornstein and Smough, is still Gravelord Nito, and is incredibly powerful and is one of the powerful beings you need to defeat in Dark Souls for the Lordvessel. This does elevate the excitement, but the awesome looking model definitely helps as well.

Overall, the Tomb of Giants core set is a solid set that is challenging and thematically interesting. The challenges posed here are unique, even if they’re not amped up to ten like with the Painted World of Ariamis core set.

As no one department is sorely lacking for this core set, there isn’t too much to complain about. Sure, only one enemy does have a magic attack again, but this is negated by the variety. Although it would have been nice.

Finally, the starter classes yet again provide disappointment. The starter classes are all from the character expansion and the Pyromancer is present, both of which I’ve touched on previously.

This does make the Tomb of Giants core set a fantastic pick that can be described as the “best overall,” although that ultimately comes down to personal taste.

Tomb of Giants pros	Tomb of Giants cons
Decent enemy behaviour variety	Enemies don’t look diverse or as interesting as other ensembles
Awesome boss figurine	The Pyromancer… really?

Now that you know all you need to know about the Dark Souls The Board Game core sets, you can purchase the one that best suits you — or all three!

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