head to head
vs
Dark SoulsvsNier: Automata
Dark Souls leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Nier: Automata leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Dark SoulsNier: Automata
Axis by axis
Execution8 vs 8
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads1 vs 1
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance1 vs 2
Nier: Automata leans harder on variance: Loot drops and chip rolls add minor randomness to builds
Optimization7 vs 6
Dark Souls leans harder on optimization: Builds, routes, and boss patterns are fully learnable.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.