How to kick

Dark Souls 3 has a lot of intricate mechanics when it comes to combat, applying to both PvE and the PvP modes. Your controller needs to do a hell of alot with only a few movesets and one particularly frustrating mechanic for new players is how to kick. This should be a fairly simple question with an equally simple response but it's never quite that simple in DS3.

This might seem like a pretty basic topic but you'd be surprised how many new players actually struggle to get the kick move to work correctly. I don't usually cover small details like this but I see alot of you having problems so I want to help you out.

Let's get straight to point with this one. Kicking uses the standard light attack button which for Xbox One is the right bumper and for PS4 it's the L1 button (both on the top of the controller). To make the Kick actually work you need to combine this button with the analog stick, gently tilting it towards the enemy. However, this is where most people get it wrong - you CAN'T just hold forward on the analog stick and push the button thereafter. Instead you need to time them perfectly to get the kick to work. So ease into the analog stick and simultaneous press the button on the top of the controller at the EXACT same time.

Timing is the most important point here and only practice will really help you pull off the kick action without mistakes. Alot of players actually perform the kick by mistake the first time whilst others accidentally use kick instead of a light attack during a critical boss fight.

Take some time to practice the kick move to stun lesser opponents and foes and then over time you'll find yourself building up your moveset to perfection. Above all else don't get frustrated by the mechanics and enjoy the journey!

TLDR: Synchronize pressing the analog stick and the right bumper at exactly the same time to perform a kick move.