FromSoftware multiplayer is best when it's a secret

Let me start this with the memory that always surfaces when I write about Dark Souls multiplayer - the anecdote I’ve told in several articles, hoping that somebody (you?) will explain. It’s 2011 and I’m making my way through Lordran for the first time. I’m in the woods with my longsword and Grass Crest Shield. There is a glimmer through the trees and another player appears, wearing exotic equipment. I raise my guard, anticipating a swift defeat, but the other player only stands and waves. They beckon me deeper into the wood.