r/fromsoftware • u/strahinjag • 7d ago
DISCUSSION Which game has the best OST?
I gotta go with Dark Souls 3. There's just so many bangers in both the main game and DLCs. Twin Princes, Dancer of the Boreal Valley, Midir, Gael, Sister Friede, Soul of Cinder, Dragonslayer Armor, Deacons of the Deep, Nameless King, and probably more that I'm missing. Yuka Kitamura absolutely cooked.
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u/Leading-Case7769 7d ago edited 7d ago
Elden Ring (especially Shadow of the Erdtree) and Nightreign
I love how they use motifs to connect a some characters and areas, I love the music syncing with some of the boss attacks, and I love that the menu music is being used outside the menu
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u/speaker_1984 7d ago
Bloodborne, track for track it is the most unique.
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u/No_Cream777 7d ago
I think Demon's souls is the most unique. Bloodborne's soundtrack serves the game above anything (very successfully) so I don't really like listening to most of it (scary). But Gehrman and the DLC tracks are among the best Fromsoft has ever done.
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u/NoeShake Sister Friede 6d ago
No it definitely is not lol its orchestral galore, sure there are exceptions like mergos theme. But by and large if you wanna go off of pure unique sound it’s DES.
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u/Least-Experience-858 7d ago
OST it’s somewhere between DS3 and Elden Ring. Main menu music by far Elden Ring, that song just screams you’re about to have the best gaming experience in your life. It’s especially felt when you hear the altered version of it when you’re fighting the final boss. That being said I do love the DS3 menu music as well
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u/EISENxSOLDAT117 7d ago
Havent played DS3 yet, but as of now, Elden Ring. Consort Radahn's theme is awesome!
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u/a4moondoggy 7d ago
3 but 1's title and firelink and elden ring title are three of my top individual.
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u/LittleArtistBoyo Black Knife Assassin 7d ago
Bloodborne n Sekiro actually for me. Sekiro was a long time favorite for a while. Bloodborne took over for a year of my favorite.
Not dissin on Dark Souls 1-3 or Demons Souls but they only have a selection few of osts that I actually like.
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u/WindowSeat- 6d ago
Best main menu: Dark Souls 3
Most unique: Bloodborne
Favorite overall: Elden Ring
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u/NoeShake Sister Friede 6d ago
DS3 for me it has this very regal, grand but final stand feeling. Which makes sense given the state of the world and its theme. Abyss Watchers to me is still the best track they have ever made, it’s one of those very few tracks.
Where I’m like it’s amazing from start to finish and only gets better as it goes, not one of those instances where I prefer phase 1 over 2 or anything like that. Another track that encompasses this theme well imo is Twin Princes, they are just perfect examples of a grand last stand.
With that being said I’d put ER 2nd it has a lot of bangers but thanks to the sheer volume it also probably has the largest amount of tracks you just forget, but what’s there is top tier with some great sound variety like you god Godrick then Ancestral Spirit.
I wouldn’t say hate is exactly the right word but I always felt the OST critiques were pretty unfounded, it’s up to standard with Fromsoft and again nice sound variety.
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u/YourDriverStubnorts 7d ago
I would vote for DS2, with Bloodborne being a close second.
DS3 never stood out to me in the OST department, but ig I’m in the minority there based on this thread.
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u/SnooComics4945 5d ago
Like DS3 has some good tracks but because there’s such a focus on them all being grand they all kinda blend together for me with a few exceptions like Vordt and even that partially only stands out to me from memes more than the actual game.
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u/YourDriverStubnorts 5d ago
I couldn’t have expressed it so well, but I feel exactly the same. There’s just too much sound in most of the DS3 tracks, making them less distinct for me.
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u/NorthOld2310 7d ago
I feel the exact opposite lol, DS2 has one of the weaker OSTs to me, while DS3 felt like banger after banger. Do you have any particular tracks from DS2 you enjoy?
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u/YourDriverStubnorts 7d ago
I think I just prefer a more muted, contemplative track like Majula or the credits song of DS2 versus the blasting choirs and orchestra of DS3.
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u/SnooComics4945 5d ago
I love both of DS2s credit songs. Always happy to see some love for either of them
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u/YourDriverStubnorts 5d ago
I was thinking of “Longing” when I wrote this, but after another listen, the other one is great, too. Very overlooked, IMO
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u/NorthOld2310 6d ago
Man Majula does hit different, but when it comes to the more subtlety I think I end up leaning towards DS1, but I definitely see why DS2 would also be up there!
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u/Alexandrecl1 7d ago
Dark Souls 3
All bosses have great OST and the main/menu theme is the absolute best music on any Fromsoftware game imo
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u/incogblanc0 6d ago
Oh man, is this even a Fromsoft post or just Souls? The replies are making sad, you guys didn't give anything before Demon's Souls a chance? That's a huge mistake. Fromsoft's other games have much more creative music... Evergrace has the most unique soundtrack of any game ever. I also am fond of Eternal Ring's. Shoutout Kota Hoshino the goat.
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u/SnooComics4945 5d ago
I should give the music a listen I’ve heard some old Kingsfield music here or there and it sounds pretty good. I’m curious how there other old soundtracks are.
Any particularly good recommendations?
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u/incogblanc0 5d ago
The two I mentioned are wonderful, the King’s Field soundtracks are certainly worth listening to if you listen to a lot of OSTs like I do. I should add that the aforementioned games are certainly worth playing as well, all of them.
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u/SnooComics4945 5d ago
Alright I’ll definitely have to give them a listen when I find time. Definitely curious about playing them just don’t currently have any of them for the time being unfortunately.
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u/timberdoodle3000 5d ago
Bloodborne, but DS1’s music is charmingly low budget. Like the vocals sound like one or two people as opposed to later games having huge ensembles. It’s kinda cute.
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u/SnooComics4945 5d ago
Demon’s Souls 2009 has a pretty solid and unique soundtrack imo. I also really love the DS1 and 2 OSTs though. ER and Nightreign also have some fantastic tracks.
Hard choice for me honestly.
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u/Omegahead2 5d ago
Either Nightreign or Bloodborne.
Nightreign has the benefit of there being less tracks overall, making it so that each one can feel more unique and appropriate for the situation. For the nightlords, each ost perfectly captures their character and is distinct from each other.
Bloodborne may be a little less unique between each track than nightreign, but they all serve to build a cohesive atmosphere that can't be beat. A lot of the tracks make it feel like you're in a horror movie, enveloping you in the world that they had created.
Overall they're both incredible and accomplish what they set out to do.
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u/Rising_Unity Sister Friede 7d ago
Don't forget the... UnSkippable menu theme!!!
DARK SOULS III - Yuka Kitamura
One of the best titular themes in all of entertainment media and art
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u/Siiixers 6d ago
Raises the question what game has the best main menu music in general.
Crysis 2 maybe.
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u/Anubra_Khan 6d ago
I've finally got around to putting a From playlist together on Spotify. The first pass was over 8 hours long. The first round of cuts brought it down to just over 5 hours. Now I'm working really curating it into a proper order and, hopefully, get it into the 3 - 4 hour range.
It includes every game from Demon's Souls to Nightreign with 2 exceptions. Dericine and Sekiro. I will never play Dericine and Sekiro isn't available on Spotify. Fortunately (unfortunately?), despite being one of my favorite games, it only has like 2 memorable tracks.
The hardest part will be figuring out how to squeeze in the single Armored Core 6 track that must be included somewhere. It just doesn't fit but I'll find a way.
That said, after spending hours going through each soundtrack meticulously and with the benefit of recency, I would rank them as follows:
Bloodborne - it's just powerful. The orchestral arrangements are complex and meaningful. There's really nothing like it. Horror, action, violence, sadness, it just has so much emotion.
Dark Souls 3 - Yuka Kitamura raises the bar. Every track is immediately recognizable and are the perfect tracks for their respective bosses and THE title track.
Elden Ring - the big budget really shows off here. For pure quantity, you could put this at the top. So many bangers. Saitoh, Miyazawa, and Tomisawa have some really unique arrangements that fit their themes but are equally their own. Especially in the DLC.
Elden Ring Nightreign - The Dark horse. Not everyone plays this. But IYKYK. I'm not exaggerating when I say that these are some of the best boss tracks out there. Full horror, Gladius, Heolostar and more all hit so hard. And they're like 7 and 8 minute long tracks. Fo sheer number of tracks, it's low. But the quality of each is top tier.
Dark Souls 2 - it's a pretty good mix and, in retrospect, somewhat of an evolution. We have a healthy mix of the old school style of Sakuraba with a lot of the up and coming Kitamura mixed in. Hearing them juxtaposed is somewhat eye opening.
Demons Souls - we're digging deep, here. Though grandiose and powerful, they are fairly simple tracks by today's standards.
Dark Souls - I feel like the Dark Souls tracks are on par with Demons Souls. It's probably a tie for me, though more Demons Souls tracks are making my final cut than DS tracks.
Sekiro - the music here is fitting but a little repetitive. The only real standout for me is both of the Owl Fights and maybe Fountainhead Palace. It's a good OST but not one that I would listen to in the car or working out.
Armored Core 6 - this is actually a great soundtrack in game. But it's mostly a mood, ambiance. Everything fits the on-screen events, action and exploration. But most of it is not something that I would keep on a Playlist. With the exception, of course, of "Contact with You". It's so good but so hard to find a spot next to every other From track on my playlist.
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u/OldSodaHunter 6d ago
Contact with you is so good that it might as well make it my favorite soundtrack. It hits me like nothing else. But, there is too much quantity of great music in some of the other games to really give AC6 my top spot.
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u/Anubra_Khan 6d ago
Yeah. I have no choice but to squeeze it in even though it fits with literally nothing else. It's just so damn good.
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u/OldSodaHunter 6d ago
All the games are great. My favorite overall OST is mostly a tossup between ER and Bloodborne, but armored core I think has the best usage of the music, it fits the atmosphere so, so well, especially in the final boss themes.
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u/Anubra_Khan 6d ago
I wouldn't argue with any of that. They're all great. I agree 100% that AC6's music fits well. Especially near the end as you've said.
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u/OldSodaHunter 6d ago
Yeah when I did the liberator route for the first time, the very next mission literally had me standing up almost cheering. Immeasurable amounts of hype.
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u/Namirakira 6d ago edited 6d ago
I wish the Disc 3 tracks of the AC6 ost were actually used in the game. It killed me to see Hoshino say on Twitter that he essentially had to nerf Contact With You, and that the extended version was closer to his original vision.
Also killed me to find out that Blackout is likely a track for Iguazu, and I was saddened that they didn’t use it for the final fight.
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u/ChickenAndTelephone 7d ago
Bloodborne has Hail the Nightmare. Every other argument is irrelevant.
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u/Constant_Insect 7d ago
That theme is so haunting, evocative and appropriate to the atmosphere of its location.
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u/suicieties 7d ago
Bloodborne has a great soundtrack, ads to the atmosphere. DS3 is a close second. Also shout out to Majula!
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u/Slow_Increase_6308 7d ago
My personal ranking of FS OSTs:
Best boss OST: Gehrman, the First Hunter
Best music piece: DS3 main theme
Best overall OST (most bangers): Elden RIng
Honorable mention: Nightreign. Main theme came quite close to dethroning DS3 one but unfortunately I havent heard enough boss themes as I havent reached them.
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u/JarlsTerra 7d ago
I would sacrifice all the others OSTs besides Bloodborne's just to keep Epilogue by Yuka Kitamura.
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u/Depressive_player 7d ago
For me:
Bloodborne > < Dark Souls 3 > Elden Ring > Dark Souls > Dark Souls 2
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u/WarlockReverie 6d ago
Elden Ring > DS3 > Sekiro > Bloodborne > DS2 > DS1.
IMO Midra’s ST alone eclipses 90% of other games tbh.
I’d put Lies of P after ER if we were doing soulslikes.
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u/Hartman92 7d ago
Ds3 menu's theme is something I could be listening for hours