Demon's Souls doesn't pull any punches in its tutorial, making it clear why its successor the Dark Souls series was so tough. As players are just getting the hang of the controls and what their character can do, they're put face to face with a Vanguard Demon. This ugly beast is several times bigger than the player with a weapon that boasts the same largeness, and the fight is unbeatable.
After the Vanguard Demon kills the player, they are warped to the Nexus and given told what they'll be doing for the rest of their time with Demon's Souls. They are to use the Archstones to hunt down demons, claiming thier souls so that they might eventually regain their human form.
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Of course, with all unbeatable boss battles, the one thing players want to know is whether the fight actually can't be beat. The Vanguard Demon has a health bar that goes down when he's hit, but even this doesn't guarantee anything. For example, Players can reduce all of Khotun Khan's health in Ghost of Tsushima during the tutorial, but he'll never die.
The short of it is that yes, the Vanguard Demon can be defeated, but don't expect it to change the story much. Those skilled players that manage to deplete all of his health before succumbing to his devastating swings and disgusting visage (Demon's Souls is one of the most beautiful games of 2020, but this guy sure isn't pretty) will claim the Gray Demon Soul and see a new Archstone appear. Touching this will warp the player yet again to an area called the Unknown Egress, this is the player's true reward for beating the Vanguard Demon in the tutorial, as players can get a Gray Demon Soul later on from an optional Vanguard Demon boss fight.
Follow the mostly linear path and loot the items along the way. All total, players should be able to find four Full Moon Grass healing items, three Hardstone Shards, three Sharpstone Shards, and three Renowned Warrior Souls, worth 800 souls each. Continue on the path and players will see the mascot of Demon's Souls, the Dragon God. Needless to say, he will make quick work of the player in a particularly brutal cutscene, so this is the truly unbeatable fight in Demon's Souls' tutorial. After dying, players will spawn in the Nexus as normal.
The Gray Demon Soul has two uses. Players can either crush it to gain a hefty 1500 Souls all at once, or they can hang onto it and use it to upgrade a weapon later on. If players take a +6 Axe type weapon to Blacksmith Ed after giving him the Searing Demon Soul, they can ascend it into the Dozer Axe. This is a powerful weapon that requires 30 Strength to wield but deals impressive damage.
Demon's Soul is available now on PS5.
