The Dark Souls Discussion Thread [Archive] - Page 6

megladon8

03-30-2015, 07:29 PM

D you mentioned the lore bomb that got dropped on you. Was it...

running into the NPC on your way to the Forbidden Woods, who tells you of how the first beasts came to be when the blood of old ones was mixed with human blood?

I said it last night when we were chatting while playing but I gotta say it again - I honestly feel like someone made this game just for me. Cosmic horror, fast paced action, rewarding progression, awesome loot/weapons. This is like an "all time best" game.

I also really like that there are less weapons than the DKS games. Not that there are few weapons - there are plenty. But by the time I reached NG+++ in DS2, I must have had 500 weapons in my inventory, of which maybe a dozen or so we're actually any good.

They've gone for quality over quantity, which I very much appreciate.

Winston*

03-30-2015, 07:55 PM

D_Davis

03-30-2015, 09:09 PM

D you mentioned the lore bomb that got dropped on you. Was it...

running into the NPC on your way to the Forbidden Woods, who tells you of how the first beasts came to be when the blood of old ones was mixed with human blood?

That was part of it, but it's much more.

It's also so simple. No exposition what so ever. There is something you see at a point in the woods, and then a ladder that is a crazy good shortcut, and what that shortcut means. Only From Software could do something so major with something so subtle.

D_Davis

03-30-2015, 09:10 PM

In Blighttown now. Hated this level in Demons Souls and I hate it here.

Have caved and checked a guide a few times, mostly so I know I'm not completely fucking up my stats. Dexterity and Endurance +++

/updates from a 4 year old game.

I love The Valley of Defilement (best boss in all of video games, so sad), and Blighttown. Some of the most oppressive atmosphere I've ever experienced.

megladon8

03-30-2015, 09:59 PM

That was part of it, but it's much more.

It's also so simple. No exposition what so ever. There is something you see at a point in the woods, and then a ladder that is a crazy good shortcut, and what that shortcut means. Only From Software could do something so major with something so subtle.

Hmmm...is this before or after the area of all the snakes?

D_Davis

03-30-2015, 10:43 PM

Before and after, or maybe during - that place is crazy big and complex. The ladder is before, part of the reveal is after.

Crazy hidden.

Lucky I even stumbled upon it, and in the order that I did.

megladon8

03-30-2015, 10:50 PM

I'm guessing the ladder is the one right next to the Forbidden Woods bonfire right?

D_Davis

03-30-2015, 11:50 PM

Does it lead to a place that blew your mind? Don't want to give anything away.

megladon8

03-31-2015, 12:37 AM

Not really no. The bonfire right in front of the bridge, theres a little shack. The door leads to an elevator which takes you to the snake area of the Forbidden Woods.

D_Davis

03-31-2015, 02:59 AM

Nope. That's not it. When you find it you'll know.

Idioteque Stalker

03-31-2015, 04:46 AM

I dunno if I've gotten to the mind-blowing portions yet, but there's definitely something... going on. The lore in this game is starting to get under my skin in ways the other games didn't.

D_Davis

03-31-2015, 05:50 AM

Blue guys. Magic. Poison lake. Super long ladder. Autopsy. Summons letter.

megladon8

03-31-2015, 05:55 AM

Is this area in the Forbidden Woods or in Byrgenwerth?

I've been all through the Forbidden Woods and defeated the boss, now in Byrgenwerth. I did encounter some blue mushrooms guys in the Woods but no ladder or anything.

The ENORMOUS grave stones everywhere are certainly eerie as hell.

D_Davis

03-31-2015, 06:00 AM

Forbidden woods.

Also. Where have you guys been sending your NPCs when they ask for a safe place. I think i totally screwed up this part of the game because I'm pretty sure I also sent a killer to them. Crazy.

megladon8

03-31-2015, 06:06 AM

To the Cathedral. I didn't think there was a choice - Cathedral or tell them you don't know of a safe place.

So back to this mystery please you keep talking about...

I got to the "bottom" of the Forbidden Woods where there was a little body of shallow water covered in little green orbs of light like fireflies. I had to fight two giant pigs to get there.

I went in one direction and I came to those little blue mushroom guys. There was some Madman's Knowledge pick ups but that was all, it was a dead end. In another direction was an elevator back to the beginning of the Forbidden Forest. No ladder I could see though. So where is this place?

I tried to explore Byrgenwerth a bit but came to an enemy who latched onto my head and leeched 8 freaking Insight out of me!! I went from 35 to 27 in like 10 seconds!! Gah!!

D_Davis

03-31-2015, 03:25 PM

Spoilers about the rad shortcut, and some lore.

This is going to be somewhat rambling - I'll just stuff in bullet point order.

1. When you return to the first lamp in the game, and go up the stairs to the room you made the contract in, you find that the door is closed. There is a woman behind the door named Ioesfka (sp?). When you talk to her, she will eventually give you an item, and tell you to send any people you find to the clinic as a safe place. At one point it sounds as if the inflection of her voice changes, or at least the way she addresses you changes.

2. When you exit the clinic, there are two gates. 1 leads to the main central area, the other is locked.

3. Now onto the forbidden woods. This is where you first encounter the blue alien creatures. First point of interest - they use homing soul mass and homing soul spear to attack. Same animations and sounds as in the Souls games. This could mean that the Soul arts are actually alien/cosmic technology/abilities, and not magic at all. But that's just speculation. Remember the blue guys for now.

4. From the lamp in the forbidden woods, if you cross the bridge and continue down the main road, you will come across the games to a small village. Don't go through the game. Walk along to the left, and you'll come across a couple of houses with some dog kennels around. In these houses you will find what is probably the first of the magic items.

5. Near one of the houses is a hidden path that leads deep down into a cave. In the cave is a poisonous pond, with these giants who will one-shot kill you, and these damn poisonous eels that are freaking had as hell to dodge and kill. This are is tough as nails. There is some statue in this are that has to be something, but I'm not sure yet.

6. However, the main point of interest in this cave is found at the end of a small pathway in the back. It's a ladder. The ladder is long as hell. Like really long. You climb up, up, up, up, and finally out.....

7. All the back at the beginning of the game, behind the locked gate right outside of the clinic where you started! HOLY FUCK. The ladder exits through a dug out grave. Someone at the clinic was using this as a way to move between the forest and the clinic. But what could be so special about the forest? (in light of this, it makes the long loading times make more sense - the entire world is loading each time. Had there been a load time between these areas, it would not have been as epic a discovery).

8. Those aliens. If you explore around the back of the clinic, you will discover a mind flayer enemy, and another ladder that leads up to the backside of Ioesfka's clinic - the room you started the game in. In here, you will have to fight her - she's super tough. But why is she attacking you now? In the room you started in, you will find one of the aliens on an operating table. Alien autopsy? The connection between the Celestial beings and the beasts - the clinic was doing experiments on aliens and tainted the blood of man with their blood.

9. There is also a letter, addressed to you. The letter is a summons to Cainhurst Castle, telling you to meet in Hemlock (sp?) lane. There is also the NPC named Alfred who I think is trying to get to the castle, but I can't find him now. If you go to a certain pillar in Hemlock lane, a carriage comes, picks you up, and takes you to Cainhurst Castle. This is implying that your goal at beginning of the game wasn't even to join the hunt! You were just trying to get to Cainhurst Castle for some reason, and were probably abducted by the clinic and then experimented on.

10. Side note - if you have 40+ Insight, you will notice all kinds of weird things in the city, and more of the Celestial/cosmic nature of what is really going will reveal itself.

11. The story in this game is on another level - it's amazing.

Idioteque Stalker

03-31-2015, 03:55 PM

Yeah, I'm right there with you. Just finished Cainhurst Castle and joined a covenant. Also, shit got really weird during/after Byrgenwerth as well.

D_Davis

03-31-2015, 03:57 PM

Cainhurst was kicking my ass. Haven't been back in awhile.

D_Davis

03-31-2015, 03:59 PM

Yeah, I'm right there with you. Just finished Cainhurst Castle and joined a covenant. Also, shit got really weird during/after Byrgenwerth as well.

Those bell maidens after Byrgenwerth. Jesus. That Unseen Village area is so hard.

I love how relentlessly weird this game is.

megladon8

03-31-2015, 06:50 PM

Cool I'll try to get to that place later.

Anyone done Chalice Dungeon stuff yet? Fought a really freaky boss down there.

D_Davis

03-31-2015, 07:22 PM

Cool I'll try to get to that place later.

Anyone done Chalice Dungeon stuff yet? Fought a really freaky boss down there.

I'm on the last level of the first dungeon. Definitely want to explore these more.

Did you fight the fat, naked, white dude?

megladon8

03-31-2015, 07:35 PM

No I don't have a mirror above my TV.

Zing!!

D_Davis

03-31-2015, 08:08 PM

LOL.

Bloodborne - naked strats.

megladon8

03-31-2015, 08:39 PM

I seriously find the bullet counter much more satisfying than the parry system ever was.

Even after a combined 350+ hours between the first three games, I still felt like an effective parry was about 75% luck, 20% the game deciding randomly where the hit box was, and 5% skill.

In BB if I don't pull off a bullet counter it's always because I missed it.

D_Davis

03-31-2015, 09:14 PM

I hated the way they changed the parry timing in Das2. I never got it down. I got pretty good in Demon's and Dark, though.

However, I agree that I like the gun-counter better.

megladon8

04-01-2015, 03:50 AM

Anyone here been attacked by one of those mindflayers that steals insight from you?

These things are real pains. I've been trying to work up to 40 insight for a couple of days but these guys keep setting me back.

megladon8

04-01-2015, 06:00 AM

A few thoughts on Byrgenwerth...

Hey finally beat that mindflayer! Cool!

Damn these big guys are annoying. Pro-tip - don't let them jump on your head! They induce Frenzy. Still not really sure what Frenzy is but it's bad and makes your health go down.

Just trotting along here enjoying the cool moonlit scenery.

Oh hey, looks like something is moving over there. Let's go take a l- HOLY SHIT A GIANT SPACE CENTIPEDE WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK RUN AWAY!!!

That was seriously freaky. And that thing hits HARD.

D did you notice that it was INCREDIBLY reminiscent of the Gaping Dragon?

Love all the connections between the games. And this one is just constantly blowing my mind with the way it's expanding on the whole Souls universe and lore.

I did finally get to the cave/pit you were talking about. I had actually been to that area in the Forbidden Woods with the dog cages and the houses, but I totally missed the path down to that cave.

Man, in that big main area in the cave, where the Giants are roaming, I LOVED the view of that enormous gravestone with a beam of moonlight shining down on it. So cool.

Oh back to Byrgenwerth - got an item called Great One's Wisdom which appears to be an upgraded version of the Madman's Knowledge. I'm afraid to use it because I don't want it to turn out to be something I need further down the line.

And one more thought before I hit the hay for the night - now I am entering that mansion in Byrgenwerth and this hunter is just destroying me. My attacks seem to do very little to her, but her whip dessimates me plus she has crazy powerful magic attacks.

D_Davis

04-01-2015, 11:25 PM

Cool interview w/ Miyazaki

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/mar/31/bloodborne-dark-souls-creator-hidetaka-miyazaki-interview?CMP=fb_gu

D_Davis

04-02-2015, 05:02 AM

Me vs. Father Gas Coin - didn't go as smoothly as I wanted, but I still took him down really fast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_ybUq3GugE

megladon8

04-02-2015, 05:14 AM

So he shows up again later in the game?

megladon8

04-02-2015, 05:22 AM

So putting together some of the story myself. I may be way off but...

I think Byrgenwerth college is where first contact was made. First evidence of celestial beings and discovery of the Great Old Ones.
The doctor who opened the clinic you begin the game in was a student at Byrgenwerth. He used the knowledge he gained there to perform his experiments.
I also got an item called Beast Roar, and its description states "The indescribable sound is broadcast with the caster's own vocal cords, which begs the question, what terrible things lurk deep within the frames of men?"
So...we come from the Great Old Ones.

Idioteque Stalker

04-02-2015, 02:40 PM

Impressive, D. Positive points for your tactics. You're way better at visceral attacks than I am. Negative points for forgetting the obligatory post-victory gesture.

D_Davis

04-02-2015, 07:05 PM

Negative points for forgetting the obligatory post-victory gesture.
Dammit. Knew I forgot something.

Man, I CANNOT beat the boss at Cainhurst. I've watched strat videos on YT, and in everyone the boss doesn't do any of the attacks he does in my game. Most of the main strat videos have the PC just walking up to the boss, and all the boss does is the super slow melee, so the PC just parries and visceral attacks - over in like 2 minutes.

My boss jumps all around, creates giant skulls, AOE attacks, and totally wrecks my shit in about 2.5 seconds. Tried him like 20 times today. So far, hardest boss in the game for me.

megladon8

04-02-2015, 08:02 PM

Rom is very difficult.

Morris Schæffer

04-02-2015, 08:34 PM

Me vs. Father Gas Coin - didn't go as smoothly as I wanted, but I still took him down really fast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_ybUq3GugE

That actually looks...not difficult. :D

Scar

04-02-2015, 09:32 PM

Beating Blood-Starved Beast with a Visceral Attack gives me the warm fuzzies.

Scar

04-02-2015, 09:49 PM

That actually looks...not difficult. :D

Not the attitude you want going into this game.

Idioteque Stalker

04-02-2015, 11:41 PM

That actually looks...not difficult. :D

I promise he is making it look easier than it really is. Damn hard fight, or at least it was for me.

Idioteque Stalker

04-02-2015, 11:46 PM

I think my threaded cane helped a lot with the castle boss. He has a lot of hp, so I used several fire papers and just baited his two horizontal swings followed by his vertical and then hit once until he was dead. If you stay close enough then he won't aoe or shoot skulls.

He gets a major buff like halfway through, and apparently there's a way to keep him from doing this, but I never figured it out. Beat him my fourth try.

Now I'm stuck at the three hunters in the unseen village.

Scar

04-02-2015, 11:48 PM

I promise he is making it look easier than it really is. Damn hard fight, or at least it was for me.

Took me a couple tries.

Lost about 40k souls on my way back to the Blood-Starved beast by rushing and dying really, really, stupidly.

Idioteque Stalker

04-03-2015, 12:04 AM

Took me a couple tries.

Lost about 40k souls on my way back to the Blood-Starved beast by rushing and dying really, really, stupidly.

Shoot, took me like six or seven.

D_Davis

04-03-2015, 12:37 AM

Now I'm stuck at the three hunters in the unseen village.

Finally got those A-holes down today.

Now I'm up another brick wall - Paarl.

So I've started doing some echo farming and leveling up a bit in the meantime.

D_Davis

04-03-2015, 12:38 AM

Beating Blood-Starved Beast with a Visceral Attack gives me the warm fuzzies.

Such a cool looking boss.

D_Davis

04-03-2015, 12:39 AM

I promise he is making it look easier than it really is. Damn hard fight, or at least it was for me.

I've read accounts of a lot of people giving up on the game there. :)

First mandatory boss. He was hard, for sure.

However, I still think that Cleric Beast is harder. I just can't get that fight down.

Idioteque Stalker

04-03-2015, 12:53 AM

However, I still think that Cleric Beast is harder. I just can't get that fight down.

Dude seriously makes Taurus demon look like pushover.

megladon8

04-03-2015, 01:02 AM

I asked earlier - does the Father come back later in the game?

That doesn't look like the area I fought him in.

D_Davis

04-03-2015, 01:25 AM

I asked earlier - does the Father come back later in the game?

That doesn't look like the area I fought him in.

Nope - that was on a new character. I always fight Father Gas Coin up on the upper level, to avoid getting hung up on the graves.

I made a new character to rush in an get the Rifle Spear - going to be a Skill/Bloodtinge build, and I'm going to play that character with the guide when it comes out.

D_Davis

04-03-2015, 01:26 AM

D_Davis

04-03-2015, 01:27 AM

Dude seriously makes Taurus demon look like pushover.

For reals. The opening area of BB is a lot harder than any of the opening areas in the Souls games.

Winston*

04-03-2015, 02:57 AM

So, I can't use the bonfire in the Firelink Shrine anymore. Goddamn this game.

Also, it kind of seemed like Blightown was a waste of time? Ended up at the Valley of the Drakes, about two minutes from the Firelink Shrine. Must've missed something

megladon8

04-03-2015, 03:50 AM

I got the Cleric Beast down in my first go.

Same with Blood Starved Beast.

Amelia and Rom are the major SOB's for me.

D_Davis

04-03-2015, 05:24 AM

Winston*

04-03-2015, 09:47 AM

did you ring the bell in blight town?

Yup. Went back to look around after I posted that and found and beat the spider-lady.

Didn't find the boss you were talking about though.

Scar

04-03-2015, 11:40 AM

Took out the giant axe wielding reaper thing, a giant with the wrecking ball on a chain with no problems. Back tracked to the cathedral and found one of those bag guys in a corner. Took a swing at him and got DESTROYED. Woke up in prison, killed a couple of those witches, walked into a room with a couple bag guys, shit myself, and hung it up for the night.

Scar

04-03-2015, 11:44 AM

However, I still think that Cleric Beast is harder. I just can't get that fight down.

I think I was able to take him out by being underneath him and swinging like a madman with the cleaver. Not sure, cause he's the only one I beat on the first try.

megladon8

04-03-2015, 06:49 PM

Anyone else having trouble with bell ringing?

I thought the online community would be fairly populated on this game but I rarely get an answer when I ring a bell of any type.

I just cannot defeat Rom myself. So I've been trying to summon help and have only been answered once (of about 10 attempts).

Scar

04-03-2015, 07:10 PM

Blood Starved Beast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZF5SoDZLGQ

Ezee E

04-03-2015, 07:27 PM

Blood Starved Beast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZF5SoDZLGQ

PRIVATE!

Scar

04-03-2015, 07:30 PM

Changed it to unlisted. Does it work now?

megladon8

04-03-2015, 09:11 PM

Beat Rom (alone!) and am now in the Unseen Village.

This place is nuts.

Had my first PvP experience and won, then got swarmed by a bunch of enemies that looked like Nito coming out of a suitcase and died.

Lost 46K echoes.

megladon8

04-03-2015, 09:31 PM

So I just kind of stumbled upon Darkbeast Paarl, and defeated him on my first try without being hit once.

Is...that supposed to happen?

megladon8

04-03-2015, 11:02 PM

Very nice work against the Blood Starved Beast, Scar.

D_Davis

04-04-2015, 12:15 AM

Nice fight, Scar. Do you normally play unlocked?

Good job, Meg. I had some trouble with Rom, but then I just went all gung-ho, ignored the minions, and wailed on Rom. Worked like a charm. I had some trouble with Paarl, so I summoned and then it was far too easy. The next boss I ran into on accident on a recon run, and then proceeded to wipe the floor with him without using a single blood vile. LOL.

Now I've just found the shortcut - finally! - in the Nightmare Frontier. This level makes my brain hurt. So disorientating.

Also - anyone find it darkly humorous that the best place to farm for bullets is off of the students in the lecture hall?

megladon8

04-04-2015, 12:21 AM

While I am late in the game (Nightmare realm) I hope that I am not nearing the end. Honestly I never want this to end.

A tad disappointed that the second chalice dungeon is all the same areas and bosses.

D_Davis

04-04-2015, 01:19 AM

A tad disappointed that the second chalice dungeon is all the same areas and bosses.

The change as you go. Try to get the Root Chalices. Lot's of information about this - Reddit has a huge spreadsheet of all the different combinations of items and stuff. Haven't checked in on it yet, going to wait for the guide on these. I think people have discovered about 12 different bosses in the CDs.

Just beat the boss of the Nightmare Realm - 2nd attempt, didn't even use a single blood vile. The area itself though was a living hell. Fuck those frenzy-inducing eyeball heads. Good lord. Have no idea how to not die to them every single time.

megladon8

04-04-2015, 01:24 AM

What exactly is Frenzy anyways? It seems to result in your head exploding, so is it like such intense madness that your brain blows up?

And which boss did you kill? I am at Amagdalya (sp?).

Idioteque Stalker

04-04-2015, 03:01 AM

After learning my lesson the first time, I totally spammed the "suspicious fellow" near the cannon in the Forbidden Woods.

I felt about as bad as I did kicking Lautrec off the side of Firelink Shrine, which is to say I didn't feel bad at all.

D_Davis

04-04-2015, 03:33 AM

What exactly is Frenzy anyways? It seems to result in your head exploding, so is it like such intense madness that your brain blows up?

And which boss did you kill? I am at Amagdalya (sp?).

I don't know what Frenzy is, really.

Today I took down the Martyr dude at Cainhurst, The One Reborn, and Amygdala or whatever.

Idioteque Stalker

04-04-2015, 04:17 AM

I don't know how to explain Frenzy in terms of lore, but it sure as hell seems to work a lot like bleeding from past games.

Scar

04-04-2015, 12:49 PM

Nice fight, Scar. Do you normally play unlocked?

?

Yeah, that's from the old Demons Souls days. I like to roll. I'm getting better with locked and not swearing when he doesn't roll.

megladon8

04-04-2015, 09:48 PM

So reading some guides it looks like there are at least 2 full areas that I completely missed.

I'm hoping my first playthrough will break 40 hours. I'm at about 33 right now.

With all 3 of the other Souls games my first plays were in the 60-80 hour range. I'm thinking it's just because I am kind of used to the Souls formula and strategies, that I have gone through BB relatively quickly.

But needless to say I will be replaying it several times. I still haven't even touched magic abilities.

Has anyone here found any decent armor? I am approaching end game and still wearing the Yarnham Hunter set, and have yet to find anything that even come close to rivalling it, especially in its resistances.

D_Davis

04-04-2015, 11:30 PM

I use the Tomb Prospector's set, the Executioner's set, and now the Cainhurst set. Unless I'm dealing with poison, in which case I'll use the Black Church set. Armor in this seems more like Demon's Souls in that it doesn't really matter, but it's also the best looking armor/clothing I've ever seen in a game.

I have two keys that I have no idea what to do with: the Iron Door key - which opens the door to some bridge - and an upper Cathedral Key or something. I'm pretty sure I can go and fight the main boss right now, but there still seems like there is some stuff to do, so I'm not quite sure what to do. I'm at about 42 hours. My first time through Dark Souls was 120 hours, Demon's Souls was 35 hours, and Dark Souls 2 was 60 hours.

Oh yeah - I've only touched 1 Chalice Dungeon, so I'll do working on those for awhile.

megladon8

04-05-2015, 12:33 AM

Idioteque Stalker

04-05-2015, 12:39 AM

I wore the noble dress all through Castle Cainhurst. It was fun.

D_Davis

04-05-2015, 02:01 AM

Could the Iron Door key be the key for the wooden door next to the chest near the Cathedral? There was a chest down a flight of stairs after a huge enemy with a ball and chain, and there is a door right next to it that is locked. I go back to it every once in a while to check if anything has changed.

I wear the Yarnham set because it had massive Frenzy resistance. Those eyeball guys in the Nightmare Frontier only took about half my health rather than killing me.

So in your opinion the armor is more "fashion souls" than "function souls"?

I need to check that door. I did find the Upper Cathedral door - and it leads to a place so damn dark and scary that I had to put the game down for the day. I swear - this game gets under my skin like no other has. It's just about the creepiest thing I've ever experienced.

I think the armor is more for certain situations when you need a certain defense, but over all, since you really shouldn't be getting hit much at all, it's far less about physical defense. I pretty much wear what I think is cool.

Also, speaking of status defenses, I found a rune in the Nightmare Frontier that gives a +100 to all status effect defenses. Pretty great.

D_Davis

04-05-2015, 02:02 AM

At one point today I killed a woman's half aborted, deformed fetus.

So yeah....this game is seriously fucked up.

megladon8

04-05-2015, 03:58 AM

Apparently there are at least 3 different endings.

megladon8

04-05-2015, 09:50 PM

The Choir has been the most infuriating area of the game for me.

All those fucking Mindflayers. Jesus Christ.

Went from 68 Insight to 35 in less than an hour of play.

D_Davis

04-05-2015, 09:52 PM

Just killed the Celestial Emissary. What a MAJOR disappointment. I don't think I was even hit once.

megladon8

04-05-2015, 09:58 PM

Yeah it was super easy.

Getting to it was the boss fight :lol:

D_Davis

04-06-2015, 02:19 AM

Well I was about to beat the game when I answered a question wrong, and now I have to fight the most bullshit boss in video game history. The last 6 or so bosses have been total pushovers, but this MFer is a real POS. 12 times, and didn't even come close. Now I have no bullets, and no vials, and I'm not sure I even want to keep fighting him.

Might just start a new game when the guide comes out and to a guided run, and then answer the damn question correctly so I can see the credits.

megladon8

04-06-2015, 02:24 AM

"What...is your favourite colour?"

"Blue. Wait, no-YYYYAAARRGGGGHHHH"

D_Davis

04-06-2015, 02:51 AM

Basically.

"Yes or no?"

"No."

HAHAHA! Too bad. Now die...over and over and over and over.....

megladon8

04-06-2015, 02:56 AM

I'm stuck with two routes to go through, and each have a boss I cannot pass.

The Martyr in Cainhurst, and the Daughter of the Cosmos in the Orphanage.

And I've wasted so much Insight trying to get help. I think I've only ever had my bell answered maybe 3 times in the 40 hours I've been playing.

D_Davis

04-06-2015, 03:21 AM

The Martyr was the hardest boss in the game, up until the dude I'm at now. I spent the better part of 8 hours on him. Not a single time did he ever behave like all the youtube strats showed. Not once. No matter where I stood in relation to him, he was flying all around and spamming magic left and right.

Of course there are some rumors going around that the more Insight you have, the tougher the bosses are, and I had about 65 Insight at that point. I've mainly been playing Offline to avoid summoning. I summoned for 2 fights in the game - Paarl and The Ghosts of Yarhnam, and wish I wouldn't have.

Daughter of the Cosmos, hate to be that guy, but I beat on the second attempt without even taking a hit.

megladon8

04-06-2015, 03:32 AM

That's one of my favorite parts of these games - the wild variation in experiences from player to player.

There are bosses that are widely considered nigh impossible that I've beaten without a hitch, and bosses that are considered easy that I went crazy on.

In the first DKS, there was that duo boss - I forget their names. Gold armor, one had a huge hammer and was fat, the other was skinny and had a sword. They were considered so difficulty they became a meme. I beat them first try without even using an Estus.

Any tips for Daughter of the Cosmos?

And I hope this experience at the end of the game hasn't soured your whole love of the game. It's still an all time best for me.

D_Davis

04-06-2015, 03:46 AM

DoC - I mainly hung out on her rear, in between her two tails. She couldn't touch me for the most part. I'd back off when I thought she was going to go crazy or something, and then dodge my way back in.

megladon8

04-06-2015, 09:03 PM

Got the Bone Ash set. Super cool.

And I have a mental illness wherein every time I look in my inventory and see Sedatives, in my head I yell "SEDAGIVE????"

D_Davis

04-06-2015, 09:09 PM

Did you get that in a Chalice Dungeon?

megladon8

04-06-2015, 09:17 PM

Yes I believe I got it from defeating the final Pthumeru Lord.

I just cannot seem to get anyone to answer my bell to help me with the Martyr so I have been giving the main game a break and working on dungeons a bit.

D_Davis

04-06-2015, 10:28 PM

That's what I'm going to be doing while I level up about 100 times to defeat the "optional" boss I now have to fight to beat the game.

megladon8

04-06-2015, 11:13 PM

Apparently there are some pretty widespread issues with bell ringing. Hopefully that will be patched soon.

Winston*

04-06-2015, 11:28 PM

Played Dark Souls for like half of Easter Monday. At Anor Londo now. The boss just before was weirdly easy.

Haven't had as much trouble with bosses this game as I remember having with Demons Souls.

Roll - roll - secondary attack - secondary attack - Roll - Roll - estus flask

D_Davis

04-07-2015, 01:16 AM

You have to use estus flasks?

Git gud casewl.

megladon8

04-07-2015, 02:12 AM

So has your opinion on the game changed a bit D?

Last few posts have seemed a little more negative. Just typical Souls difficulty frustration? Or has it lost you a bit?

D_Davis

04-07-2015, 03:37 AM

Two days on the penultimate boss, and I can't even get him down to 1/2 health.

I really just want to be done with it, but I'm afraid that this character's game ends here. His story is that, well, he can't do it! My reflexes simply aren't fast enough anymore to do it.

Love the game to death, but I feel like that final choice is absolutely bull shit. One of the best gaming experiences I've ever had, but I will probably never achieve that particular ending.

I'll just start with a new character when the guide comes out, play through it, and choose "OK" at the end so I can at least see the credits roll once.

megladon8

04-07-2015, 04:08 AM

Any word yet on when the guide will be out?

I preordered it and still haven't seen any update on the order.

D_Davis

04-07-2015, 05:18 AM

April 14th, I think.

megladon8

04-07-2015, 05:36 AM

Maybe the trouble tou are having has to do with the pieces of umbilical cord?

Apparently whether you have all three pieces has a huge bearing on the end of the game.

Idioteque Stalker

04-08-2015, 01:53 AM

I saw the credits. Wouldn't really say I "beat it" because there are other, much harder endings (to which D can attest), and mine was a little anticlimactic to be honest. Almost exactly 60 hours.

This is most certainly one of my all-time favorite games. Time will tell if it has the legs of Dark Souls (my gut says it won't, even though I know I missed a lot this first play through), but there's no doubt in my mind that it deserves to be mentioned in the same breath. Game of the year is selling it short. I would have no qualms with someone calling it the greatest game of all time. I love how popular it seems to be.

Pros:
Sound, graphics, gameplay, and lore come together in a way that creates an atmospheric tone unlike and unmatched by any other game.

Holds onto the deliberate, precise combat of the souls games while speeding it up and therefore making it that much more fun to play.

I was a fan of how the souls games told their story, but shitfire does Bloodborne's story do that narrative style justice. It's haunting, enigmatic, and totally fractured in a way that has me scrounging for every bit of lore--items, NPCs, even the architecture has a story to tell.

Cons:
Blood Vial farming. Maybe I suck at the game, but especially as it crept nearer the end did I find myself having to grind Central Yarnham more than I'd like in order survive the late game. It's a great starting area, but it seems a shame that I'll likely never have the same sense of nostalgic excitement when starting a new character as I always did in Undead Burg. I've probably played through Central Yarnham as many times as Undead Burg at this point, and that's really saying something.

Late game seems to really be a challenge for this publisher, and I can see why. When your first three bosses are harder than most game's last three, it becomes increasingly hard to keep up a sense of difficulty without tipping over into frustration. I thought the bosses/areas of Dark Soul's late game were a tad too hard, and I think the bosses/areas of Bloodborne's late game are a tad too easy. It's kind of splitting hairs, but I (relatively) blew through the last 4-5 bosses. One, two, maybe three attempts at most for all of them. Looking forward to more play throughs, it's the hunters in the Cathedral Ward, Byrgenwerth, and especially the lost village that make me nervous.

Sorry, but the snakes in the Forbidden Woods just about ruined that otherwise awesome area. They were just... kinda stupid.

megladon8

04-08-2015, 02:23 AM

Did no one else's mind explode when Cthulhu showed up?

Sure they called it Amygdala, but man...seriously came close to pooping.

megladon8

04-08-2015, 05:49 AM

I cannot fucking beat these two bosses.

It is driving me up the fucking wall.

With Daughter of the Cosmos I feel like every time I fight her, it's a completely different fight. Her speed, maneuvers and sequence of attacks change with every try.

It's infuriating.

And still not a single answer to any of my bells, for either of these bosses. Just for shits and giggles I tried using my small bell to be summoned, just in case it was my internet connection. But nope, I was being summoned just fine.

God damnit.

D_Davis

04-08-2015, 03:14 PM

Maybe the trouble tou are having has to do with the pieces of umbilical cord?

Apparently whether you have all three pieces has a huge bearing on the end of the game.

I looked those up. Used all 3 - supposed to open up the ultimate boss, which I hear is about a billion times easier than the penultimate boss that I'm stuck on.

D_Davis

04-08-2015, 03:18 PM

This is most certainly one of my all-time favorite games. Time will tell if it has the legs of Dark Souls (my gut says it won't, even though I know I missed a lot this first play through), but there's no doubt in my mind that it deserves to be mentioned in the same breath. Game of the year is selling it short. I would have no qualms with someone calling it the greatest game of all time. I love how popular it seems to be.

Same here. Pretty much agree with your thoughts.

Still can't beat that one guy. Got him down to 1/4 health last night, though. But now, after ~50 attempts, I have no vials or bullets, so I need to go farming.

Have you gone back to Dark Souls at all after BB? I have a feeling that it's going to be really hard to. I know that I no longer want to play with a shield. I'll try a shieldless run when I get around to the PS4 version DaS2.

megladon8

04-08-2015, 06:13 PM

Could being too high level affect my chances of summoning help, but not of being summoned?

D_Davis

04-08-2015, 06:43 PM

What level are you?

megladon8

04-08-2015, 07:36 PM

I think 74.

D_Davis

04-08-2015, 09:23 PM

That doesn't seem to high, or to low to me.

I don't think summoning is working at all. I can't summon, or be summoned anywhere.

megladon8

04-08-2015, 10:30 PM

I'm getting seriously frustrated with these two bosses.

Considering just starting a new character from scratch.

Which, honestly, I have done with every Souls game. I've never beaten the game with my original build character.

D_Davis

04-08-2015, 11:04 PM

Which two bosses again?

Maybe we could try to co-op tonight.

megladon8

04-09-2015, 02:28 AM

Daughter of the Cosmos and Martyr.

D_Davis

04-09-2015, 04:41 AM

The is pretty cool. Hand drawn map of the entire game.

http://i.imgur.com/Qg7HgP7.jpg

Idioteque Stalker

04-09-2015, 06:39 PM

ENB is posting his video walkthrough (up through Forbidden Woods at the moment). It's pretty fantastic, obviously. Lots of insight.

Anyway, a recent video included some pretty well-thought-out ruminations on fear in both Bloodborne and life in general, which turned into a fairly lengthy discussion of fear and compassion in the youtube comments. Pretty cool.

D_Davis

04-09-2015, 06:45 PM

Lots of insight. Nice.

Yeah - he's still the best.

I've been watching each one as I get past the area first.

He's a funny guy - super fowl mouthed at times, and super thoughtful at other times.

And he's the reason I got into Dark Souls in the first place. Stumbled upon his first Let's Play, and, well, the rest is history.

D_Davis

04-09-2015, 06:46 PM

Good map of the Forbidden Woods.

http://img.niadd.com/funnypictures/bloodborne/5/detailedmapofforbiddenwood.jpg

megladon8

04-10-2015, 06:17 AM

D_Davis

04-10-2015, 03:23 PM

Finally took that bastard down. 7 days, probably 75+ attempts.

And the super, secret, ultimate boss after him? 5 minutes, first attempt. It didn't even hit me except for his super dumb AOE that takes you down to 1 HP.

D_Davis

04-10-2015, 03:25 PM

I think the most annoying thing about the Ebrietas fight (which I am still stuck on) is what D mentioned about eh Martyr fight - I'm watching strategy videos and she behaves entirely differently when I fight her.

In the videos they are able to predict what she does and when. There is no such predictability when I fight her.

This is getting really aggravating.

I'm beginning to wonder if a lot of the strat vids on YT have inadvertently been made taking advantage of the memory leak issue which causes bosses to lose most of their AI routine. It would make sense, since I'd bet that a lot of YTers play the game for long periods of time without ever shutting down the app. This memory leak makes bosses super easy, as it all but eliminates any of their advance moves.

Maybe that's why the last few bosses were so easy for me, because I beat them all after a long session?\

Anyhow, Meg, the next time you go to work keep your game on, and just hang out in the Hunter's Dream. Keep it on for 8 or more hours, and then try the bosses that you're stuck on.

D_Davis

04-10-2015, 04:52 PM

An amazing article on the lore and narrative of BB.

Really great.

http://www.kotaku.co.uk/2015/04/09/whats-really-going-on-in-bloodborne

megladon8

04-10-2015, 07:17 PM

Nah that seems like a cheat to me. I refuse to win by cheating.

megladon8

04-11-2015, 09:04 PM

Yuuussssssss! Finally beat Ebrietas.

Now to try to finally beat the Martyr.

Winston*

04-12-2015, 09:03 AM

Phew. Completed Dark Souls. Well that was 50 hours of my life.

Think I'll take break from video games forever now.

Winston*

04-12-2015, 09:14 AM

Was on level 76 with Balder Side Sword +14 (only weapon I really used in the game )

megladon8

04-12-2015, 07:55 PM

The way that later in the game you can constantly hear a crying baby in the background is freaky shit.

Still stuck on the Martyr.

Morris Schæffer

04-12-2015, 08:16 PM

The Martyr was the hardest boss in the game, up until the dude I'm at now. I spent the better part of 8 hours on him.

How do you muster up the enthusiasm? The willpower? 8 hours on a single boss!? And tactics-wise you learned something new everytime you bit the bullet?

D_Davis

04-12-2015, 08:26 PM

Was on level 76 with Balder Side Sword +14 (only weapon I really used in the game )
Balder swag sword is the shit.

megladon8

04-12-2015, 10:15 PM

Nightmare of Mensis is such a weird place.

megladon8

04-13-2015, 01:11 AM

Got the final boss down to like 10% health then he pulled this crazy AOE attack that destroyed me.

megladon8

04-13-2015, 01:18 AM

And I am at what I am guessing is the final boss now.

Freaking crazy, scary design.

megladon8

04-13-2015, 01:27 AM

And beat the game.

Fucking incredible stuff.

megladon8

04-13-2015, 02:08 AM

D which boss did you have so much trouble with?

D_Davis

04-13-2015, 03:28 PM

D which boss did you have so much trouble with?

Gehrman

megladon8

04-13-2015, 04:12 PM

See I had no trouble with him at all. Second attempt. Just used the gun parry repeatedly.

He was for you what Ebrietas was for me, and vice versa.

Idioteque Stalker

04-14-2015, 03:38 AM

D_Davis

04-14-2015, 03:14 PM

I started a pure strength build just now. ENB may have beaten three bosses in 15 minutes but I feel pretty good about getting better armor and leveling up my new character a few times without dying in 20 minutes. This took me probably 2-3 hours on my first play through.

I did the same thing. My last character ended up being an Arcane build with Ludwigs great sword.

Now I'm doing pure strength - only leveling up STR, VIT and END, and whatever else I might need to use the cannon. My main weapon is the Spin to Win. Holy crap is that Hunter's Axe OP. totally wrecks everything. I had a flawless victory against the BSB, but stupid me....I pressed the share button twice rather than holding it once to save and share the video. So lame.

I still think that the Cleric Beast is harder than Father Gas Coin and BSB. I cannot get a clean kill on that SOB.

Right now I'm trying to fight the Vicor, but I'm only lvl 24 and it's proving to be a bit challenging. I basically can't get hit at all.

megladon8

04-14-2015, 05:03 PM

So I guess the guide still didn't release.

D_Davis

04-14-2015, 05:51 PM

Yeah. Heard it was delayed again.

Very weird. I'm kind of thinking, what's the point now?

D_Davis

04-14-2015, 06:06 PM

Future Press is sending them out today.

Just got an email.

megladon8

04-14-2015, 06:17 PM

I pre-ordered mine through Amazon. So I guess maybe next week or the week after?

I'm on NG+ with my strength build right now.

Not going to start a new character until I get the guide.

Oh and man I forgot to mention how much I loved that design of Murgo's Wet Nurse.

D_Davis

04-14-2015, 06:53 PM

Amazon orders should ship out by the end of this week.

megladon8

04-14-2015, 08:30 PM

I live in Canada.

D_Davis

04-14-2015, 09:10 PM

On my way to jail.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_enQJqbzAs

megladon8

04-15-2015, 12:32 AM

After the rich, detailed and full environments of Bloodborne, everything in DS2 looks kind of...flat.

Idioteque Stalker

04-15-2015, 01:13 AM

On my way to jail.

I didn't expect them to have faces. Pretty creepy.

Idioteque Stalker

04-15-2015, 01:14 AM

Today I joined the covenant of the floating elderly.

https://scontent-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/t31.0-8/11059919_853200025298_10621845 73151390703_o.jpg

megladon8

04-15-2015, 06:25 AM

I couldn't believe the hit points on the Cleric Beast in NG+.

Must have been like 100,000.

D_Davis

04-15-2015, 03:17 PM

I couldn't believe the hit points on the Cleric Beast in NG+.

Must have been like 100,000.

Yeah, I don't like NG+. Just not fun for me. Everything simply takes longer to kill. There's not more or better AI routines, it's just that the enemies have more health and do more damage. I have more fun starting a new character and a new game.

And you're right about DaS2's world being barren compared to BB's. I even commented on that a long time ago - a lot of the world feels empty and unfinished. It's a symptom of everything being so sprawling. BB's world is smaller and more compact, and so it feels more complete and less like too little butter spread over too much bread.

I ended up purchasing the SotfS on PS4, and tried it out for a few minutes last night. It does look a lot better. I am NOT a fan of 60FPS gaming. To me it looks like watching movies at 240hz with the smoothing turned on. But I'm interested in seeing how things have changed.

D_Davis

04-15-2015, 03:17 PM

Today I joined the covenant of the floating elderly.

https://scontent-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/t31.0-8/11059919_853200025298_10621845 73151390703_o.jpg

"THE SOUTH WILL RISE AGAIN!"

Idioteque Stalker

04-15-2015, 04:03 PM

Haha, you can propose to Annalise, Queen of the Vilebloods, but she'll never accept. (http://killscreendaily.com/articles/bloodbornes-chalice-dungeons-hide-games-greatest-challenges-and-weirdest-joke/)

megladon8

04-15-2015, 07:04 PM

I never met Eileen the Crow on my first play, so this time I am doing all of her stuff. Pretty much just because I want that cool as hell Plague Doctor mask.

Have done 2 of her 3 quests so far.

D_Davis

04-15-2015, 07:32 PM

I never met Eileen the Crow on my first play, so this time I am doing all of her stuff. Pretty much just because I want that cool as hell Plague Doctor mask.

Have done 2 of her 3 quests so far.

The final hunter you have to face is an AWESOME fight.

Winston*

04-15-2015, 09:19 PM

Getting pretty tempted to buy Dark Souls II...

D_Davis

04-15-2015, 10:13 PM

It's OK if you go in knowing it's nowhere as good as Demon's Souls and Dark Souls.

megladon8

04-16-2015, 02:55 AM

It actually seems like the crazy HP boost was just on Cleric Beast. The Father was levelled proportionally to me. A really great fight, too.

Man this game rocks.

megladon8

04-16-2015, 04:26 AM

Very cool finding: the hand lantern more than double the time it takes to regenerate stamina!

I always had it on. Will use it significantly less now.

D_Davis

04-16-2015, 03:30 PM

I tried to go back to Dark Souls 2 last night. Wow. So damn clunky and slow. They also didn't even attempt to fix the broke-ass hitboxes; the first hippo-troll you face grabbed me while I was behind him! Bloodborne has officially ruined me.

Playing through the game as my STR build, and I'm also killing all the NPCs. I felt so bad killing the dude at the church. He might be one of the nicest NPCs in any game ever. Sorry church bro.

While the fight didn't go as smoothly as possible, I'm still pretty happy with how quickly I took down the Vicar. I wish there was a boss-rush mode, because I'd love to practice more on them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZ8ZlIcFclk

D_Davis

04-16-2015, 03:31 PM

My first time through the game I had some trouble with Paarl. But this time it took me two attempts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSll0bTjQyQ

megladon8

04-16-2015, 06:28 PM

So D is it your favorite? Or does the first DKS still take that cake?

D_Davis

04-16-2015, 06:50 PM

Gameplay and lore-wise, Bloodborne is my favorite.

However, BB never gave me that feeling I originally had when first playing through Dark Souls. I will NEVER forget that cold, rainy Saturday I spent going through Blighttown, or the first time I saw that Titanite Demon past the Blacksmith, or hearing the bell being rung after another player beat the Gargoyles, or finally getting past those damn Anor Londo archers. Dark Souls 1 pretty much got me back into being really into video games. That game was a revelation for me.

That's another thing - they need to stop releasing Souls-type games in spring. These are Fall/Winter games. Release then in October, so it's cold and rainy when we play them.

megladon8

04-18-2015, 03:47 AM

Still no sign of the guide.

D_Davis

04-18-2015, 05:26 AM

Mine shipped.

Scar

04-18-2015, 08:29 PM

The Canadian ones are being sent by yak.

D_Davis

04-22-2015, 03:27 PM

Holy crap the guide book is huge and detailed. Marcus, ENB, was in charge of the combat information, and it is incredible. It shows pictures of the animations of all the attacks for each weapon, and highlights which frames the weapons actually hit on. There is a ton of detailed stuff like that in the book. It really is a definitive guide and much more than just a walkthrough.

megladon8

04-23-2015, 05:26 AM

Amazon.ca still has no ETA on stock. :(

megladon8

04-23-2015, 05:05 PM

Independent sellers are selling the guide for $60-$100 on Amazon.ca

Starting to think it's not coming to Canada at all.

D_Davis

04-23-2015, 05:08 PM

New patch is live that drastically cuts down the loading times, and adds item descriptions to the loading screen, while also fixing a few bugs.

Awesome.

D_Davis

04-23-2015, 05:16 PM

Independent sellers are selling the guide for $60-$100 on Amazon.ca

Starting to think it's not coming to Canada at all.

Contact future press directly. They're a small operation, and are very responsive to email.

Idioteque Stalker

04-23-2015, 07:03 PM

Load time patch makes a world of difference. Now I almost wish I had more time to read the item descriptions.

D_Davis

04-24-2015, 05:30 PM

Wow! The new patch pretty much fixes everything. Played in the Nightmare Frontier last night, and got invaded all the time, and was able to summon and be summoned almost instantly. And the load times are much shorter now.

megladon8

04-27-2015, 07:13 PM

Just had an intense chalice dungeon boss fight against two hunters - one armed with Ludwig's Holy Blade, the other with the Kirkhammer.

D_Davis

04-27-2015, 07:26 PM

The NPC hunters in BB are some of the best AI fights I've ever had.

megladon8

04-27-2015, 08:27 PM

Yeah for they most part I actually like them better than the bosses. And that's not a slight against the bosses, which are fantastic. It's just that the hunters are such brutal, cunning adversaries...every fight leaves me gasping and feeling like I JUST made it.

megladon8

05-01-2015, 09:28 PM

Argh Amazon.ca still has no ETA on the guide.

Contacted FuturePress and they said they should have arrived weeks ago.

D_Davis

05-04-2015, 02:49 PM

I made the best Bloodborne video of all time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u-nrIOk56A

megladon8

05-04-2015, 09:24 PM

What does the little circle under your ammo mean? Sometimes it's empty, sometimes it's filled in yellow.

Never figured that out.

D_Davis

05-04-2015, 10:02 PM

If you are two handing or not two handing your weapon.

Or, more precisely, if you can or can't use your gun.

megladon8

05-09-2015, 08:00 PM

Guide finally arrived!

megladon8

05-15-2015, 05:55 AM

Feel so dumb for not having clued in to it earlier.

Solaire is King Arthur!

D_Davis

05-15-2015, 01:30 PM

Who is that?

megladon8

05-15-2015, 03:54 PM

Sorry, autocorrect.

Solaire

megladon8

05-21-2015, 02:34 PM

Announced officially that there will be add on content.

D_Davis

05-21-2015, 03:22 PM

I've never heard that connection before.

megladon8

05-21-2015, 08:27 PM

What connection?

D_Davis

05-22-2015, 03:11 PM

What connection?

That...

Solaire is King Arthur!

megladon8

05-22-2015, 05:20 PM

His armour is nearly identical to how Arthur's is frequently depicted - even in Monty Python.

And Arthur is often associated with the sun.

megladon8

05-27-2015, 07:45 PM

Question about a BB trophy:

Does anyone know if the trophy for getting all the weapons must be done with a single character/build?

megladon8

06-02-2015, 04:28 PM

Rumor has it Dark Souls 3 will be announced at E3.

megladon8

06-03-2015, 10:37 PM

And apparently it's by Miyazaki.

D_Davis

06-04-2015, 04:43 AM

I can't help but think that it's too soon. Maybe it's a super early announcement, and it won't be ready until fall 2016 or Spring 2017.

D_Davis

06-05-2015, 10:59 PM

DS3 leaks - please ignore ultra annoying announcers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyRJ5u-L8qw&feature=youtu.be

megladon8

06-05-2015, 11:30 PM

The sacrifice system sounds like it could be neat.

D_Davis

06-09-2015, 07:09 PM

Not sure if I'm excited or not.

http://oyster.ignimgs.com/wordpress/stg.ign.com/2015/06/DS3-IGN-FINAL.jpg

Seems way too early.

megladon8

06-10-2015, 02:15 AM

Same as the time between DS2 and Bloodborne.

megladon8

08-04-2015, 06:34 PM

Haven't gotten to watch it yet, but apparently there is a gameplay video from DS3 out now, from today's XBox conference.

megladon8

08-05-2015, 02:18 AM

Looks neat.

Much quicker pace. Closer to BB.

Also looks to have some of the largest bosses of any of the games.

D_Davis

08-14-2015, 05:26 PM

Oh yes.

Twitch is playing Dark Souls.

http://www.twitch.tv/twitchplaysdark

D_Davis

08-14-2015, 08:15 PM

This is so fucking painful.

20 hours in and they haven't even gotten up the stairs in the Undead Asylum.

It took them 17 hours to get through the first hallway.

Idioteque Stalker

08-14-2015, 09:49 PM

No way they beat it. I bet miracles happen until it stalls out at Capra demon.

D_Davis

08-14-2015, 10:38 PM

They won't ever even get out of the Undead Asylum.

Idioteque Stalker

08-15-2015, 12:04 AM

I mean that's my gut too, but twitch already beat Pokemon so I felt like giving it the benefit of the doubt.

D_Davis

08-17-2015, 07:27 PM

They're still in the Asylum.

Although it looks like they've made some changes to the control inputs.

The thing with Pokemon is that the game is based entirely on single-input commands. You never have to (nor can you, IIRC) press more than one button at a time.

D_Davis

08-20-2015, 03:11 PM

So they've modified the system/game to make it more turn-based, and are now at Firelink Shrine.

Pretty cool, but it's hardly Dark Souls at this point.

D_Davis

09-14-2015, 07:59 PM

Dark Souls III: March 24th, 2016

D_Davis

09-15-2015, 01:39 PM

Bloodborne the Old Hunters, 11/24/15.

D_Davis

10-23-2015, 09:55 PM

I watched Lobos play the Dark Souls III stress test for about 2 hours this past weekend. Looked great. Looks like a mix between DSI and Bloodborne. It's fast like BB, but has the more careful strats of DS. Also, the new sword arts look great, and the way magic has been changed looks awesome - you can now poise through castings, which means that you'll be able to get up close and personal as a magic user.

And with that, I'm officially going....dark.

I want to experience DSIII the same way I did DSI, knowing next to nothing. I'm not going to overload on information, no strategy guide or wiki my first time through, and no more trailers, demos, etc.

D_Davis

11-23-2015, 07:05 PM

Started BB again in anticipation for tonight's DLC.

They added some stuff in a free patch, including a new NPC and a new co-op focused covenant called The League. I've taken my current character up to the Wet Nurse boss fight, so she's all ready to go back and tackle the new DLC when it hits.

I had forgotten how much fun this game is. I still lament the lack of weapons and overall build diversity - it did severely limit the amount of time I put into the game - but the game play is, quite simply, some of the most responsive and most perfect I've ever experienced in a game. Playing BB feels like nothing else.

Really looking forward to all the new weapons (10 in total) and new spells (although this current character is not an Arcane build at all), but also a little scared because I heard that the new bosses (5 in total) are incredibly hard. A couple of the bosses in BB pushed my aging reflexes to the absolute limit. I will probably be giving the new shield a try, and I hope I can sword and board it like I do in the Souls games.

megladon8

11-24-2015, 01:37 PM

So what exactly are the hoops you have to jump through to get to the DLC?

I am looking forward to getting back into the game to take in the DLC. Just want to get a new PS4 controller first.

D_Davis

11-24-2015, 03:11 PM

Remember that mysterious force that grabs you outside Odeon chapel? Return there after you defeat the Vicar.

Dark Soul's DLC made the greatest game ever even better.

Dark Souls II DLC made a lackluster game better.

Bloodborne's DLC makes a great game even better.

This shit it out of this world awesome. Played for two solid hours last night. Found one new lantern, and no boss. Fighting a Gatling-gun wielding hunter and a Bloodstarved Beast in a pitch dark cave was one of the most intense things ever. The new weapons are totally bad ass (Amygdala's Arm....oh yes). Even though this first new area is re-using parts of Yharnam, they've changed and added enough stuff to make it feel totally new, and when you do stumble upon that piece of old architecture, it feels someone comforting and disorientating at the same time.

megladon8

11-24-2015, 03:51 PM

Did you play the PS4 release of DS2?

D_Davis

11-24-2015, 04:24 PM

Yes - didn't like it at all. Worse than old DS2. They made it harder by just adding more enemies, without any thought to their placement, didn't change any of the issues I had to the game, and arbitrarily moved item locations around thus negating any amount of built-up knowledge. I also think it looks really goofy running at 60 fps.

sevenarts

11-24-2015, 05:11 PM

This shit it out of this world awesome. Played for two solid hours last night. Found one new lantern, and no boss. Fighting a Gatling-gun wielding hunter and a Bloodstarved Beast in a pitch dark cave was one of the most intense things ever. The new weapons are totally bad ass (Amygdala's Arm....oh yes). Even though this first new area is re-using parts of Yharnam, they've changed and added enough stuff to make it feel totally new, and when you do stumble upon that piece of old architecture, it feels someone comforting and disorientating at the same time.

So happy to hear this. I've started a new character but only got through Amelia before the DLC dropped last night - a tentative first visit to the DLC area suggested it might be too hard going that early in the game, but it looked really cool at first glance. I've heard varying things about the length of the DLC, so hearing that you could explore for a couple of hours without even finding a boss is very encouraging.

D_Davis

11-24-2015, 05:34 PM

I don't understand how people are totally completing the DLC in 4 hours.

Sometimes I'm glad that I kind of suck at games, because it means that I get a lot more time out of the ones I buy. :)

I also tend to look around a lot, and really take in the views and explore every single nook and cranny.

I'm lvl 92, STR build with a maxed out Hunter Axe.

sevenarts

11-24-2015, 06:25 PM

I definitely like to explore places fully and not just rush through; that defeats the point for me. I like feeling like I've peeked in everywhere and found every little secret or extra bit of loot, especially in a game as purposeful and densely packed as Bloodborne, where there's very little fat, very few nooks that are unrewarding to explore.

I tried to play the DLC at around lvl 35 last night and felt underpowered immediately, which I guess makes sense since you're heading there with an endgame build. I played with strength/Hunter's Axe my first time through, this time I've been focusing more on the cane and Ludwig's sword, neither of which seem as potent as the axe but have been a lot of fun.

D_Davis

11-24-2015, 06:45 PM

A lot of the new weapons favor a STR/ARC build. That Amy Arm is awesome.

I need to get my ARC character to the DLC in NG++. So hard though.

D_Davis

11-25-2015, 03:18 PM

Made it to the first DLC boss, and I was able to hit him twice before I got completely rekt.

D_Davis

11-27-2015, 07:03 PM

Bloodborne Official just tweated this:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CU0QPFCU8AEHX1g.jpg

D_Davis

11-28-2015, 05:38 AM

2nd DLC boss down. 2nd area reminds me of Tower of Latria from Demons Souls a bit. Some really creepy bits for sure.

D_Davis

11-29-2015, 03:22 AM

Hello Innsmouth.

And hello normal enemy harder than any boss I've ever fought in a video game.

This new area is all about blind speed run strats. Just running as fast as I can doing suicide runs to find items, lanterns and shortcuts. Absolutely brutal. The hardest single area in any Souls game.

megladon8

11-29-2015, 10:52 AM

So it's awesome???

megladon8

11-29-2015, 10:53 AM

Bloodborne Official just tweated this:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CU0QPFCU8AEHX1g.jpg

Not sure what I'm looking at here. Just a listing for a combo pack containing the game and DLC?

D_Davis

11-29-2015, 02:12 PM

So it's awesome???

It's beyond awesome. Even better than the Dark Souls DLC. The last area is so effing hard, though. It even more solidifies the narratives place in the weird fiction cannon.

D_Davis

11-29-2015, 02:13 PM

Not sure what I'm looking at here. Just a listing for a combo pack containing the game and DLC?

Maybe a Demons Souls release for PS4

Morris Schæffer

12-01-2015, 10:59 AM

I started playing Bloodborne, it went a little like this:

- Ah so I simply wake up on an operating table, no background no nothing, okay
- Hey, a werewolf!! Looks impressive, I'm pretty sure I'll die about 20 times trying to kill it with my fists.
- Fuck, it's actually true, oh lord this game is totally not for me.
- Goddamn, I can't be such a sucky player so why can't I kill the first fucking monster I encounter??!!
- Fuck D_Davis en Meg and those guys. They're wrong, this is no fun and they're just trying to be different!!
- Ok, where is this? The Hunter's Dream? So weird.
- Hey did I just receive a blunderbuss and a big ole axe/cleaver?! Yeah!
- Wait a minute, I can't equip these things?! The Hell??!!
- Ok, fuck the werewolf, just outrun it and focus on those torch wielding dudes beyond the first gate.
- Ok, that's easier, still takes way too long though, but combat is immensely satisfying and thrilling
- Why can't I equip my weapons? Why is this game fucking me up? Am I doing it wrong in the menus?
- Suddenly, wham! I've got weapons!!!!
- And the killing takes on a completely different dimension! I feel suddenly empowered, invincible!
- I'm still dying a lot, but I'm improving each time.
- Fuck, dead again, but I can't wait to start over!!
- I'm at work now and urging for another go!

D_Davis

12-01-2015, 01:25 PM

Hahah. Sounds about right.

Finished the DLC. So freaking good.

megladon8

12-04-2015, 08:04 PM

Dukefrukem

12-04-2015, 08:21 PM

For DD and Meg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhxngUz6C3U

megladon8

12-04-2015, 08:34 PM

Looks phenomenal. Like halfway between DS and BB.

D_Davis

12-04-2015, 09:02 PM

Was the DLC already downloaded to my system in a patch or something and I just paid to unlock it?

I purchased the DLC today and it didn't begin any kind of download. It also doesn't list a file size.

I think the patch that released a couple of weeks ago contained most of the DLC, to keep online play current with all players. But there should at least be a small download. Just check your notifications tab on the PS4.

D_Davis

12-04-2015, 09:07 PM

The BB engine sure does have a definitive look.

Looks good.

Bittersweet, seeing as how Miyazaki said that DSIII will be the last Souls/Borne game that From makes.

Glad they'll be moving on to new things, and glad that the series won't be run into the ground, but sad that it will be the last. I guess Sony could still make Borne games, but it won't be the same without From.

Morris Schæffer

12-04-2015, 09:56 PM

Kinda suffering in Bloodborne after my earlier posted moment of epiphany as I'm stuck in that area. The enemies are all just so merciless and one misstep is enough to throw me back to the beginning.

D_Davis

12-04-2015, 11:02 PM

What area?

Have you learned to reliably parry yet?

megladon8

12-04-2015, 11:08 PM

No downloads at all.

D_Davis

12-04-2015, 11:10 PM

If the DLC/Patch installed, you should have a new item or two on the steps in the Hunter's Dream. One of them appears after you've killed Amy and touched the skull.

D_Davis

12-04-2015, 11:17 PM

If the patch installed, and you have the first shortcut gate in the Forbidden Woods open, there should be a new NPC there.

megladon8

12-05-2015, 08:11 PM

Cool I'll take a look on my day off.

sevenarts

12-05-2015, 10:32 PM

Kinda suffering in Bloodborne after my earlier posted moment of epiphany as I'm stuck in that area. The enemies are all just so merciless and one misstep is enough to throw me back to the beginning.

Are you still in Central Yarnham? Have you seen a boss yet? Have you learned how to level up yet? It took me a long time to figure this out but if you at least get to a boss area, even if you have to just run past a bunch of enemies and even if you die instantly (which you probably will), after that you can level up. Speaking as a fellow new-to-Souls player, it's probably a good idea to stay in this area for a while and do a bunch of runs through, leveling up as you get a hang of the combat.

Morris Schæffer

12-05-2015, 10:52 PM

What area?

Have you learned to reliably parry yet?

In the very beginning, when there is this funeral pire and a bunch of villains are looking at this burning carcass. Just today I've actually read a thing or two about parrying and backstabbing and do find it makes a big difference when there's a few enemies around. This does not seem to be the sort of game where one should engage more than two enemies at one time so there's an element of patience needed. Unless one could backstab a group of enemies which does seem possible, doling out damage to more than 1 baddie simultaneously.

That said, parrying requires great timing and so I haven't yet gotten to the point where I feel comfortable doing it constantly.

I have to say, levels begin to open up, interconnectedness reveals itself and gates previously closed are now opened and some relief is washing over me. I found a secret area and encountered a friendly NPC who - shocking!!! - gave me some free items. The game's way of saying "hey see I'm not so bad! I can be generous and supportive in the subtlest of ways! Hang in there buddy!"

I'm still wondering what the purpose of the blood echoes is. If I lose all of them - a painful enough experience, albeit one gloriously redeemed by reclaiming the same echoes - what's my loss? Is it just currency? XP points?