Different games have different rules for how summoning works. If memory serves, Dark 2 was the “worst” because it was fully based on soul memory and you may have even incremented that by wiping without spending? Whereas I think Dark 3 was a mix of highest upgrade level for gear on you combined with Soul Level?

In general? When the game is new or having a community wide resurgence, no. There will always be someone who is SL200 in newbie village. When the game is older and not played regularly, yes. There are various sites (never trust fandom or fextralife) that list recommended level ranges but as long as you aren’t actively grinding more than a level or two extra per region, you are fine.

All that said? Be VERY careful about playing any of the PC Dark Souls games online because they are mostly abandoned by From. I believe the outright RCE was fixed but you can still have your game ruined. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-XFIfmJ2T8 is a great video on the topic.

They improved it over time, if you’re using a password you can play without level limits in DS3 and Elden Ring. You’ll still be nerfed if your level is higher though.

If I recall correctly it sorta changes over the course of the games. I think DS1 was primarily focused on character level, or souls spent on levels, while DS2 had a separate tracking system based on how many souls you have collected in total. Can’t speak too much on DS3 though.

For DS1 and DS2 at least, you definitely can climb those ranks to the point it’s difficult to find someone else that’s online and in your bracket, yeah.