>>314803895I've recently been replaying the whole series, and in all honesty DaS isn't as good as I remembered.
The game feels really heavy, clunky and slow compared to the others, even the fast roll feels heavier than DeS normal roll. Compared to DeS you feel like you're constantly trudging through Blighttown's swamp even on medium weight.
The game is also the least challenging IMO due to armour being so utterly broken in it, and most importantly Poise is the dumbest mechanic this series has ever seen other than Soul Memory. That alone makes the game 10x easier as even with only 40 Poise you can tank the majority of hits and not be stunned/not worry about dodging nearly as much as you would in DeS. Not to mention how broken even medium shields are in DaS.
Going back and playing DeS after replaying DaS1, DeS felt like it aged better in terms of controls (other than not being able to jump/dive attack).
There are other areas in which DaS1 beats the shit out of DeS though so I'd probably still say overall DaS is 'better', but I think DeS is more enjoyable to control.
Personally
BB > DaS > DeS > DaS2.
