Though the levels in Demon's Souls only get harder as players progress through the game, the first level puts players at a distinct disadvantage in a number of ways. For starters, they can't level up and spend souls, meaning losing thousands of souls is a very real possibility. They are also locked in soul form, capped out at 50% health.
Like other games in the franchise, souls are a vital part of a character's growth in Demon's Souls. Typically, most players prefer to spend them as often as possible so as to avoid losing them forever. There are not many things in Souls games worse than dying twice and losing a big stockpile of souls.
In order to gain the ability to level up, players must first beat the Phalanx in Demon's Souls, the game's first real boss. After accomplishing this, they should head back to the Nexus and talk to the NPCs there. The Maiden in Black will direct the player to find and speak to the Monumental and then a cutscene will play showing players where to go.
The problem is that this cutscene isn't quite specific enough. It shows players that they need to head up quite a few flights of stairs and the room they need to go to, but says nothing else about what the Monumental is or where to find it. By the name alone, players might be expecting a statue or some kind of giant, but it's actually a child in white monk robes.
To find the Monumental, players will need to head up two large flights of stairs behind the Maiden in Black. Head through the door at the top of these stairs and then turn left. There's a linear path for two more flights of stairs before players will find themselves in a room with a large statue. Lining the walls of this chamber are what appear to be dead monks, each with a snuffed-out candle in front of them. If players head left, they'll find a single candle still burning and one of these monks alive. This is the Monumental, and players should speak with him to get a cutscene about the game's lore.
After talking to the Monumental, players can head back down to the Maiden in Black and speak to her in order to level up. Additionally, the other four sealed Archstones will have been unlocked, allowing players to take on Demon's Souls non-linear story however they like.
Demon's Souls is available now on PS5.