You can also spot mimics because they breathe, their model gets bigger and smaller on a cycle.
I remember finding my first mimic. I learned basically immediately that there was zero downside to attacking every single chest I saw
They were cruel to deter this strategy in dark souls 2...
I did it on my first run, only to realize after a few chests that I was destroying the contents.
Only hit them once. You can hit any chest with any weapon once without breaking the contents. If it doesn't wake up, it's safe to open.
Just don't hit 'em twice by accident.
It took me longer than I should to question it: "Wait, why are there so many chests with 'rubbish' inside?"
I haven’t finished DS1, and I wasn’t planning on getting DS2 but I’ll definitely keep this in mind if I ever do lol
The whole series is great, with an active community helping people out and making memes to this day. Even though the earlier games can feel a little clunky, they're still a fun challenge.