You can start it wherever you like. But 3 is heavily related to 1, more so than 2. So I'd really suggest starting at 1. It really makes 3 that much better. Theres a few bosses you won't really get without playing 1. And going directly from 1 to 3 is a pretty great experience. 2 is the best for pvp in my experience nowadays (dont let that make you think its any good its ass a lot of the time). They're all amazing games tho.

The great thing about the Souls series is that frankly you can start at any game, and play in any order.

You will probably wind up with a bias towards a particular order after playing all of them. But it's not like, Mass Effect or something.

If you are lore oriented, I'd play 1 through 3 in order blind, then read the shit out of wiki's, the play them again with guides that help you go on a 'lore tour'. But like, you could also just do whatever in any order and still have a great time.

1 and 3 are very lore-related, 2 has more like an "easter egg* feeling in respect to 1. I would play the three in order (in fact, that's what I did), but if you want to skip, skip 2 (or play it after 3). It's kind of the same situation as Silent Hill, where 1 and 3 are heavily related but 2 can be played apart.

And don't let them convince you that 2 is bad. It's not as mechanically good as the other two, but it's awesome in other ways (good lore, the best hub, power stancing, the best cat, the best fashion, etc.). Even as the worst Soulsborne is better than 80% of the games out there.

Since you say you're pretty lore oriented then i would start with DS1. It holds up. If you were just meh on lore then id say dive in with DS3 since that's my favorite fromsoft game

I'd say start with DS1for the lore and world building. It's obviously not as mechanically refined as DS3 but it's great!! It's a richer experience that way in my opinion.

A majority of DS players started with 3! If you like it you can play the older, jankier entries

I dug into a fair bit of lore when I had the time, they can each stand on their own though you will find fun things if you look across all of DS 1-3

3 is a great starting point. Absolute new players have trouble with the first boss, but you'll figure it out eventually. Everything after that has variable difficulty, you can always use a cheesier build or farm to overlevel or summon some friends.

You should have no problem jumping right into 3, I did the same after playing Elden Ring. It's a complete story on its own. The only thing that might be confusing is when there is just a room that deadends without any loot or enemies, and it's usually because in DS1 someone important was in that room and it is there as a reference for the DS1 players and to show how much things have changed in the time between the games. If you really want to you can always watch the intro cutscene for DS1 and look up some lore on the main characters/bosses either on the wiki or in YouTube videos. I've never played DS2, but from what I have seen it is mostly disconnected from 1 and 3 lore wise

I'd recommend starting with DS1 if you want to play it. I started with DS3 after bouncing off of DS2 SotFS like 3 times, and DS1 just feels way too slow and clunky. After beating O&S on my third try I just never picked it up again, so don't make my mistake.

I started 3 as my first soulslike ever. Had a great time.

I actually enjoyed 3 more than 1.

I think you should skip ahead to DS9.

Personally I think you will hate 1 if you don't play it first. But you probably will already, given that you played Elden Ring :D

I played in 2, 3, 1 order and especially controls, hitboxes and animation felt really off to me. Once you get used to everything, you will notice that many bosses are extremely easy, because you already fought harder versions of them in the later titles. Also the riddles are nightmares. And you don't need to solve them for some optional area, the hardest one is how to get into the DLC. Without a guide, it is pretty unlikely you will ever find it

Start by reading all of Berserk. Then play every King's Field game. Then play Demon's Souls. Then you'll be ready for Dark Souls 1. Skip 2.