While From Software might be criticized from time to time for releasing very similar games over the past few years, it's hard to argue with the results. The Dark Souls community is one of the most passionate fan bases going today, and it's partly their responsibility for the prevalence of Dark Souls memes and achievement hunting. Despite the series' dark nature, fans have become good at producing Dark Souls content that's cheerful, perhaps in response to the series' incredible difficulty level often causing broken controllers, television screens, or consoles after bouts of frustration.

That experience might be common for many, but there are some who are constantly pushing the boundaries of what it means to be "good" at a Souls game. To that end, years after its original release, Dark Souls 2 has become home to one of gaming's great achievements, and it has been entirely caught on video thanks to the ubiquity of streaming services online. Twitch streamer The_Happy_Hob has been approaching Dark Souls 2 with a singular mindset, wishing to beat the game without ever taking a hit, and he has finally done it while being cheered on by his supporters online. Here's a clip featuring the world first's final moments:

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The entire stream of the run can be found here, for those interested. Perhaps the most fascinating thing about The_Happy_Hob's world record is that it will go down as the first undisputed no-hit run in Dark Souls 2 history - there was, in fact, another no-hit world first claimed earlier, but the player involved in it apparently used a summon and were hit by a trap during that run. Both of those missteps are frowned upon by the greater Dark Souls community, so it appears by all counts that The_Happy_Hob's run will be a well-deserved world first.

Watching the best Dark Souls players in the world is a demonstration of calm under pressure and methodical, plodding approaches to boss fights that gradually become more and more intense. That might be why it has been so difficult for many fans to accept that the Dark Souls series is done for the foreseeable future - games that difficult don't come around every day, and the competitive spirit present in a number of gamers will need another masochistic outlet eventually.

Dark Souls 2 was most recently released as Dark Souls 2: Scholars of the First Sin, a remastered compilation that is available now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Source: Twitch