The Dark Souls Discussion Thread [Archive]

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megladon8

10-18-2011, 10:16 PM

:D

So yeah, I'm mighty stuck at the Bell Gargoyles.

Is it pretty much impossible to defeat them without summoning Sun Bro?

I read that they are both susceptible to lightning based attacks...but I don't have a weapon that does enough damage in the first place to warrant throwing some gold pine resin on it. I might as well just use the Drake Sword.

But man oh man...I just cannot beat these mofos.

How's about this - any tips for getting some humanity back? Any particular areas or enemies where humanity is fairly commonly found?

Spun Lepton

10-18-2011, 10:19 PM

BAAHHH-HAHAHAHA!!

Sycophant

10-18-2011, 10:25 PM

Humanity: kill rats. It's a rare drop, but a drop nonetheless. After a couple hours and several runs in the Depths, I picked up probably eight or ten humanities. I've gone farming for them a few times since then. I usually pick up about one per run.

Of course, when you're in the Depths, you gotta be wary of the curse frogs's fog. They're easy to beat, but the curse effect is instant death and a semi-permanent hindrance (half health) that can be costly to cure. Being human ups your curse resistance.

The Depths is a fairly easy area otherwise. Its boss isn't exactly a pushover, of course.

D_Davis

10-18-2011, 10:41 PM

So this is where people talk about REAL video games, eh?

No babies aloud, amiright?

D_Davis

10-18-2011, 10:43 PM

Meg, check this out:

fAQhHpUC1K8

D_Davis

10-18-2011, 10:52 PM

I don't think you can go to the depths before ringing the first bell.

Sycophant

10-18-2011, 10:54 PM

I don't think you can go to the depths before ringing the first bell.

Oh, that's a good point.

Leaving messages might be a good strategy. Except nobody every rates messages in this game.

You could try getting yourself summoned to others' games for help on a boss, maybe even to help with the Gargoyles. I believe if it's successful, you're rewarded with Humanity.

D_Davis

10-18-2011, 11:09 PM

You could try getting yourself summoned to others' games for help on a boss, maybe even to help with the Gargoyles. I believe if it's successful, you're rewarded with Humanity.

Yep - that's a good way to learn a boss, and get rewarded with a ton of souls and humanity.

Also, Meg, what shield are you using? Does it have 100% against physical? If not, buy the heat shield from the merchant - that should help a lot.

megladon8

10-18-2011, 11:44 PM

Beat the Gargoyles on my own. Ended up just being very patient, strafing around them, waiting for them to attack so I could hit them in the back.

However, I didn't get the pick-up, even though I cut the first one's tail off. Apparently you're supposed to get something. Is this another case where I didn't get it because I didn't have humanity?

Oh well. Rang the first bell. Super cool. It's amazing that ringing a bell felt like such an achievement :)

So whereabouts are the Depths located?

I just tried to take on the Capra Demon but had my butt handed to me by his two pooches :sad:

Sycophant

10-18-2011, 11:46 PM

Oh, yeah, the Depths are down a staircase near the Capra Demon. But you need to beat the Capra Demon to get access to it. Good luck!

megladon8

10-18-2011, 11:47 PM

Oh, yeah, the Depths are down a staircase near the Capra Demon. But you need to beat the Capra Demon to get access to it. Good luck!

:lol:

It seems to me that the strategy for that is definitely to kill the two dogs before even attempting to take on the Capra Demon itself.

Sycophant

10-18-2011, 11:50 PM

Indeed. And a major part of that strategy is lasting more than 3 seconds once you step into the fog.

I always found it useful to try to get up the stairs.

bac0n

10-19-2011, 12:37 AM

Okay, so I'm in act two of Dead Island. I hope there's more interesting missions coming up than the current slew of scrounge for food type stuff.

Skitch

10-19-2011, 12:47 AM

Okay, so I'm in act two of Dead Island. I hope there's more interesting missions coming up than the current slew of scrounge for food type stuff.

:lol:

D_Davis

10-19-2011, 01:01 AM

Okay, so I'm in act two of Dead Island. I hope there's more interesting missions coming up than the current slew of scrounge for food type stuff.

Wrong thread, jerk face!

***

Meg - good luck with Capra! Heh....

If you can survive the first 5-10 seconds, you can do it. You definitely have to kill those dogs. Don't forget about the Drake Sword's two-handed strong attack...

D_Davis

10-19-2011, 01:02 AM

Is this the first time in Match Cut history that a video game has had its own spin-off thread?

megladon8

10-19-2011, 01:08 AM

D_Davis

10-19-2011, 01:17 AM

I've given up trying to kill the Capra Demon for now.

I'm in the Darkroot Basin now, trying to defeat the Golum type creature inside the Watchtower Basement.

He's big and slow, but he takes a LOT of hits even with the Drake Sword, and if he hits you even once you're dead.

My strategy for him:

Fight him naked. He one hit kills, so no need to block. Just dodge, get behind, and back stab. Also, you have to dodge his big attack a bit later than you think, because he can re-direct it at the last moment.

His drop is awesome, though, and it is a 100% drop.

D_Davis

10-19-2011, 02:49 AM

So Sen's Fortress ended up being rather easy. I think it's because I'm always reading about how hard things are, and I end up building it up in my mind. The boss here was ten times easier than the Capra Demon and the Gaping Dragon. Killed him solo, on my 3rd try. And two of the times I died because I fell off a ledge!

And wow...the reveal after this part is breathtaking. Absolutely one of the coolest moments I've experienced in a game.

D_Davis

10-19-2011, 05:50 AM

Ano Londo might just be the most beautiful video game level of all time. My god...I want to live there.

Thirdmango

10-19-2011, 06:44 AM

Is this the first time in Match Cut history that a video game has had its own spin-off thread?

It's the first time in history when about 3-4 members of match cut were all playing the same game at the same time. I probably would be playing it too but 60 bucks is way too much for a game at this point in my life. I'll see you guys in 2-3 years for this one.

Dukefrukem

10-19-2011, 12:26 PM

This thread exists??

D_Davis

10-19-2011, 02:07 PM

....too but 60 bucks is way too much for a game at this point in my life. I'll see you guys in 2-3 years for this one.

Usually is for me as well. Luckily, I had a stack of old stuff to trade in.

I still haven't gotten used to that $59.99 price point. Publishers should know that even at $49.99, I'd buy many more games. It's all psychological.

D_Davis

10-19-2011, 03:12 PM

I don't think I've ever played a game before that has made me feel actual emotion. It's very weird. That whole time in The Depths, and Blighttown, and in Darkroot Forest, you go for hours without seeing the sun, and it gets very depressing in a way. And now, this new area is completely different, and it actually feels somewhat hopeful.

It's pretty amazing how the game accomplishes these shifts through subtle use of dark and light.

D_Davis

10-19-2011, 04:10 PM

Looks like the second printing of the strategy guide is hitting the shelves soon.

D_Davis

10-19-2011, 10:23 PM

I went to Gamestop on my lunch break to pick up the strategy guide, and ended up talking with the clerks there for like 30 minutes about how awesome the game is.

The book is amazing, with tons of useful information about items, upgrades, and enemies. Really well made.

D_Davis

10-20-2011, 03:26 PM

Anor Londo is a very, very cool, fun, and challenging area. The bosses totally destroyed me, but I think they are completely doable. Also, I got invaded right before the boss fight, by some player in the ninja armor and a katana. He completely destroyed me. My hits weren't even scratching him. Ugh.

Also, the strategy guide is amazing. Tons of useful information, and it does a good job of not spoiling too much. The item list and stat lists are totally worth it. Highly recommended.

Sycophant

10-20-2011, 04:06 PM

Bosses, Davis? Good lord.

Started a second character, a sorcerer. Playing the game a bit differently. Moving a shit of a lot faster.

D_Davis

10-20-2011, 04:34 PM

Bosses, Davis? Good lord.

Yeah. Plural, at the same time.

I want to play a magic user at some point. It is amazing how much faster you move once you know about things, isn't it? I started a Pyromancer and wanted to see how far I could get without dying once. I made it all the way to the Undead Parish, and it took about 30 minutes. My first time it took me about 8 hours! Heh...

megladon8

10-20-2011, 08:17 PM

Last night I transferred the data from my 20 gig harddrive to the 250 gig in Jen's new 360 S.

I swear if I lost my progress in this game I may never play it again.

Spun Lepton

10-20-2011, 09:37 PM

Batman.

Sycophant

10-20-2011, 09:43 PM

Yeah, sorry to everyone for shitting up the video game discussion thread with discussion of the video game Dark Souls for like two weeks before the invention of this thread. That was pretty rude.

D_Davis

10-20-2011, 09:45 PM

I'm just glad to have a thread here in which Batman isn't mentioned.

Edit: dammit!

D_Davis

10-20-2011, 10:08 PM

This game has possessed me.

I think about it all the damn time. It's kind of sick, really. I don't think it's healthy...at all.

Thirdmango

10-20-2011, 10:47 PM

This game has possessed me.

I think about it all the damn time. It's kind of sick, really. I don't think it's healthy...at all.

I'm going through the exact same thing with Just Cause 2. I dreamed about it last night and wanted to play it the moment I woke up. I'm sick.

D_Davis

10-20-2011, 10:50 PM

I'm going through the exact same thing with Just Cause 2. I dreamed about it last night and wanted to play it the moment I woke up. I'm sick.

I so wish that game controlled better (especially in combat), because it was super fun to just ride around. I just got really frustrated with the gun-play.

D_Davis

10-21-2011, 01:26 AM

Whenever I run into Sun Bro, I feel a little more hopeful about the situation. It's crazy how much impact such a small amount of interaction with an NPC can have. Just another example of how expertly the game uses subtle story-telling to make big points.

D_Davis

10-21-2011, 02:51 AM

Oh man, Quellag's Fury Sword is awe-some.

megladon8

10-21-2011, 03:13 AM

Luckily I did not lose my saved progress in the harddrive transfer.

I will continue my painful progression :lol:

D_Davis

10-21-2011, 04:37 AM

Haha! The Lordvessel is mine!

Thanks mysterious stranger, for helping me out. Man, that was one tough battle.

D_Davis

10-21-2011, 01:11 PM

OH...that's great.

Capra Demons and Taurus Demons are now regular enemies. Nice.

D_Davis

10-22-2011, 02:05 AM

Only in Dark Souls would a merchant set up shop in a tower that requires a massive jump to reach, a jump that, if missed, leads to death.

This game always find new and interesting ways to be cruel.

D_Davis

10-22-2011, 04:53 AM

Let me tell you who can get F'ed in the A - the wheeled skeletons can get F'ed in the A.

D_Davis

10-22-2011, 07:21 AM

So they weren't kidding around when they said that the real Dark Souls starts after you get the Lordvessel. Holy crap does it ever get hard. Damn.

D_Davis

10-22-2011, 09:10 PM

Today I beat The Great Wolf Sif, and the Hydra in Darkroot Basin, and I've been helping people beat the Anor Londo bosses. It's been fun.

D_Davis

10-26-2011, 11:21 PM

I've detoxed for a couple of days....

My obsession was becoming entirely unhealthy.

I've got about 1/4 of the game left. 3 more souls for the Lordvessel, and then the final boss.

I've got about 4-6 more areas to go to, and from what I hear they get even harder.

The Duke's Archives and The Crystal Caverns were both pretty hard areas, bu the boss in the caverns was super easy.

Not looking forward to The Tomb of the Giants, or fighting Capra Demons and Taurus Demons as regular enemies in the Demon Ruins.

megladon8

10-29-2011, 12:38 AM

I still cannot defeat this damn knight with the massive club.

It's pretty much a one-hit kill. And he takes like a million hits to kill, and I'm using the freaking Drake Sword.

This is driving me nuts.

Thirdmango

10-29-2011, 12:44 AM

oh man, the Jargesbeast was giving me such trouble but I just kept parrying for like twenty minutes and luckily I had vorpal sword +5 so I was finally able to vanquish the beast. :lol:

D_Davis

10-29-2011, 05:27 PM

The key to beating Havel is to do it naked. He one hit kills, so take off all your armor. Also he can redirect his swings so dodge later than you think you should. Just keep getting around him and backstabbing.

Kurosawa Fan

10-30-2011, 02:25 AM

The key to beating Havel is to do it naked.

This is how I beat everything.

megladon8

10-30-2011, 03:53 AM

Finally beat Havel. Took about 30 tries. Yes, being naked worked.

Now I'm having a heck of a time with the Capra Demon in the Undead Burg.

I really cannot figure out any pattern at all to the dogs' attacks. Often my health is down to next to nothing before I even get to the room with the Capra Demon (and the two dogs :frustrated:) because the total of 5 I encounter just before then drain my health so much.

Every other enemy has a pattern to their attacks, but the dogs seem to just attack and dodge purely at random. If I beat them without taking damage, it's just luck.

Anyways, the Capra Demon is hard as hell. I am, similarly, trying to figure out what pattern there is to his attacks, as well as how in the hell I dodge them. My guy cannot seem to jump far enough in any direction to get out of the way of his two enormous blades.

megladon8

10-30-2011, 05:19 PM

Woo-hoo! Beat the Capra Demon and his two demon bitches!

But then I got cursed in The Depths. Freaking half HP? WHAT?? That sucks!!

Oh and that guy in The Depths who is stuck in a barrel and wants your help? I kicked the barrel to try to get him out, but of course the kick went right through to him and he killed me.

Something tells me The Depths is where I'll be for the next 15 hours or so :lol:

megladon8

10-30-2011, 06:16 PM

Paid 3000 souls to get rid of the curse, but now I'm terrified to re-enter The Depths. And it's not even the poisonous, curse-inducing frog things that have me scared - I don't want to run into Mr. Pyro again and have my ass handed to me, because he got so pissed off at me for accidentally kicking him in the nuts while trying to rescue him from his barrel of doom.

Sycophant

10-30-2011, 06:56 PM

Bummer about your barrel dude. Maybe you can obtain absolution to get him to forgive you (I think that works)? But that costs 2,000 souls x your soul level. Unless you want to play around with pyromancies later in the game, you may need to just kill him, which should be quite doable.

Curse frogs can be dealt with pretty easily. They're easy enemies with low HP but a powerful attack. Just stay out of their clouds. Not being human also increases your curse resistance significantly. Not a terrible idea to keep a handful of purging stones on your person when you go, though.

megladon8

10-30-2011, 08:22 PM

Was the barrel dude someone who would help / hinder me significantly in the game?

I'm just wondering if I should avoid that area until I get absolution, or if I should just go kill him?

And man, purging stones are pricey. Gonna have to do some grinding to get a handful of them :lol:

Sycophant

10-30-2011, 08:35 PM

He gives you a pyromancy casting item and sells you pyromancies when he's saved.

megladon8

10-31-2011, 12:11 AM

Ah, well then yes I will definitely get atonement.

Man, is the Great Axe I got from the tail of the Gaping Dragon useful to anybody? When a weapon alone has a weight of 24 I can't imagine it being very practical.

D_Davis

10-31-2011, 10:26 PM

This is how I beat everything.

Hey-oh!

D_Davis

10-31-2011, 10:27 PM

I think The Depths were my least favorite part of the game so far. Luckily, it's pretty short.

D_Davis

11-01-2011, 04:09 AM

Beat Pinwheel in the Catacombs tonight, then got about 30 steps into the Tomb of Giants before getting destroyed in the darkness. Holy crap - F that area. Went back to Sen's Fortress and killed the four Titanite Demons at the bottom in the tar pit, and then started exploring the New Londo Ruins. Getting there - I can see the end in sight.

Morris Schæffer

11-01-2011, 03:40 PM

Sycophant

11-01-2011, 03:52 PM

The game auto-saves everywhere you go, with everything you do. You don't ever manually save. Bonfires just set your respawn point and refill your health recovery items and spells.

Of course, this means you can't just fail a boss, and then load your game right outside the boss's door (unless there's a bonfire right outside the boss's door (there isn't)).

D_Davis

11-01-2011, 04:05 PM

I remember asking some time back whether this has a save anywhere feature and the answer was "yes.". But i get the distinct impression one can only save at bonfires.

Edit: yikes! That was a big dragon!!

The hell, I lit a bonfire atop the undead burg, but for some reason, after dying, restart at a previous bonfire at the foot of the burg.

You have to rest at the bonfire, not just light it.

Also, the game is constantly saving - like every 5 seconds. If you select "Quit" from the options menu, when you load your game you will start exactly where you are.

Morris Schæffer

11-01-2011, 04:18 PM

You have to rest at the bonfire, not just light it.

Also, the game is constantly saving - like every 5 seconds. If you select "Quit" from the options menu, when you load your game you will start exactly where you are.

Meaning at the last bonfire or wherever I am at any given point?

The vistas are breathtaking!

Morris Schæffer

11-01-2011, 04:39 PM

This is tense! Does every item have meaning? Usefullness? I just found something called "rubbish." :D

D_Davis

11-01-2011, 04:40 PM

Meaning at the last bonfire or wherever I am at any given point?

The vistas are breathtaking!

Exactly where you are.

The vistas are amazing. The best I've seen in a game. There have been at least a dozen moments thus far where I've just stopped and looked. DS has enough atmosphere for a dozen other games.

D_Davis

11-01-2011, 04:41 PM

This is tense! Does every item have meaning? Usefullness? I just found something called "rubbish." :D

I do not know the use for the rubbish. You might be able to trade it with the crow egg back at the Undead Asylum. Not sure. Or you might be able to "sell" it later....

megladon8

11-01-2011, 05:26 PM

I'm having a heck of a time trying to find the one bonfire in The Depths.

It's a pain in the ass to work my way all the way back to the Gaping Dragon every time I die. I'm using the Dark Souls Wiki page, but its description of where the bonfire is is not helpful at all.

I mean, I've followed their directions to a T and it doesn't lead me anywhere.

This is frustrating. I want to find the bonfire before I attempt to take on the dragon again.

EDIT: Found it! Man, the Dark Souls Wiki map is a mess.

On to the Gaping Dragon once again...

D_Davis

11-01-2011, 05:40 PM

There is also a shortcut from the beginning of The Depths to the boss. Go to where the first butcher was. Behind his meat table is a hole - drop down. Then you are above where you fought the giant rat. Drop down. Go to the waterfall, and slid down the left hand side. You will then by the boss area, and the place where you will eventually enter Blighttown.

Good times to come!

;)

megladon8

11-01-2011, 08:04 PM

Yes! Beat the Gaping Dragon! Once I figured out how you can actually "control" the pattern in which it attacks, it was fairly easy. I just needed to be patient and not try to get an extra strike in when there wasn't time enough to do it successfully.

Saving these 25,000 souls to put towards my atonement. I think I'll just grind for the next bit back in Undead Burg / Undead Parish until I get the 44,000 souls required.

D_Davis

11-01-2011, 09:07 PM

Make sure you grab the spider shield in the Depths before heading to Blighttown.

megladon8

11-01-2011, 09:26 PM

Yep I got it.

The only shield I really use is my +1 Heater Shield, but I understand that the Spider Shield is pretty necessary for that section of the game.

I'm almost at the required 44,000 souls. I think I have like 8,000 to go.

Man, it would REALLY suck to lose all these.

Morris Schæffer

11-01-2011, 09:55 PM

I'm almost at the required 44,000 souls. I think I have like 8,000 to go.

Man, it would REALLY suck to lose all these.

Required for what?

D_Davis

11-01-2011, 10:00 PM

Required for what?

He has to have his sins absolved so that an NPC he attacked will stop hating him.

Pro-tip: if you find someone in a barrel or other such obstacle needing rescued, break the barrel or other such obstacle by rolling.

Morris Schæffer

11-02-2011, 01:42 PM

"Oh you little fucker."

My reaction when I saw one of the undead take a swig from a life-extending potion, prompting me to skewer him all over again. Very, very amusing and not at all what I've learned from the past twenty years of gaming.

Another topic then. The issue of exploiting. I was let down that the very first real opportunity to exploit ended in dissapointment. Right before reaching the Undead Burg (yes, I haven't gotten far yet) there's an undead throwing fire bombs down the mountain and there's another foe on the same level as me. So I lured him towards me in the hope that his idiot companion would firebomb his even stupider buddy into oblivion. Alas, the fire didn't even make a dent.

Unfortunate.

D_Davis

11-02-2011, 03:42 PM

A big patch is hitting the PS3 today. Hopefully the 360 will be patched soon.

http://www.examiner.com/video-game-news-in-national/more-patch-1-04-details-revealed-for-dark-souls

megladon8

11-02-2011, 05:04 PM

Reduced cost for absolution!!!

D_Davis

11-02-2011, 05:11 PM

Reduced cost for absolution!!!

Yeah - thought of you on that one.

Are you on PS3 or 360?

megladon8

11-02-2011, 09:52 PM

Yeah - thought of you on that one.

Are you on PS3 or 360?

360.

And too bad I already paid the 44,000 for it :lol:

Morris Schæffer

11-03-2011, 11:44 AM

So Meg, how does one get to 44000 souls? Seems to me the obvious answer is "by not dying a lot and making progress," but that seems to contradict the nature of this game which is about dying a lot.

Have you just gotten really good at it? Are you grinding a lot? have you killed some really huge villains?

Just curious. Seems really hard to build up a huge amount of souls and it seems really easy to fall into a devious trap and then not reclaiming the lost souls on the 2nd attempt.

D_Davis

11-06-2011, 04:16 AM

Put in like 6 hours today. Went through the Great Hollow and Ash Lake, those areas were very cool. Then I went into Lost Izlath and killed the Bed of Chaos for another one of the Lord souls. Also got the sunlight maggot so I can have some light in the Catacombs. Almost to the bottom of the Catacombs now...only two more bosses, then end game.

Morris Schæffer

11-06-2011, 01:00 PM

Black knight seems pretty hard. And I don't even wanna go back to the Taurus demon! So what's left? Grinding a bit and leveling up?:)

D_Davis

11-06-2011, 02:49 PM

Just wait until later when you have to fight 8 Taurus Demons...in a bed of lava.

megladon8

11-06-2011, 03:58 PM

Morris Schæffer

11-06-2011, 04:55 PM

Just wait until later when you have to fight 8 Taurus Demons...in a bed of lava.

Don't do that man. :D

But is there a point when everything becomes clear, a strategy that reveals itself out of the blue and you wonder later what all the fuss was about?

Morris Schæffer

11-06-2011, 06:07 PM

Ok, this is actually encouraging. Quitting without dying means you continue exactly where you left of. But quitting after dying means you get dropped at the last bonfire. Useful to get a few quick stabs at a boss.:cool:

Lucky

11-06-2011, 06:56 PM

Ok, I'm in. Started yesterday.

Just got the Drake Sword and made it to the Undead Parish. That sword is so good it almost feels like I'm cheating. Not that I mind, I'm enjoying the game more now that the difficultly got chopped a couple notches. I do think it's important to make it that difficult at first so you get a feel of how to play. It's amazing how much you improve in your first couple hours. An area I couldn't even make it through at first I can now whip through with barely any damage. Figuring out the targeting system made all the difference for me. That, and learning how to actually use the pyromancy fireballs appropriately (makes the Taurus demon a breeze).

What's the most difficult section of the game? I want to know what I have to look forward to. One thing about this game that I fall for everytime is taking the wrong hallway or stairwell and meeting up with an enemy that utterly obliterates me in seconds. Is there a lot of retracking in the future? Or is there a new game+ feature? What is the purpose of planting these elite enemies in the beginning areas? Running from those skeletons in the graveyard got my adrenaline pumping, though, I will admit.

You can tell how meticulously crafted this game is, and I give it major props for that. Nothing is random; every aspect is a product of careful deliberation. Every enemy seems strategically planted, every item has a specific usefulness, bosses seem naturally monstrous yet follow a pattern of attack, etc. This strategy of development calls back on the most basic gaming nostalgia - memorizing level layouts and knowing EXACTLY where to jump in Mario, exactly which gravestone to push in Zelda to reveal the secret, cheap boss tactics in the Final Fantasy series (phoenix down on the undead bosses = death). That's the strongest aspect of this game which I love. This is a game you can master, it beckons you to acquire skill and knowledge.

I haven't had a chance to look much into the co-op aspect yet, nor do I know how to begin with that, but I think the comments are a brilliant addition to any modern game. It's a lot of fun and it's such a simple idea with that blends the gaming experience with social networking in a way. Adding a point to someone's comment instantly takes me to liking a post on someone's Facebook wall.

Anyway, really enjoying it so far. Hopefully I'll get a chance to play again later today.

D_Davis

11-06-2011, 06:56 PM

But is there a point when everything becomes clear, a strategy that reveals itself out of the blue and you wonder later what all the fuss was about?

As far as what? As far as a general progression goes, the the game is broken up into two halves: ring two bells, and then kill four lords. However, after the second bell is rung, no direction is given. There are things that, had I not had the strategy guide or read wikis, I would have no idea about. For instance, one of the lords lives in an area that kills instantly unless you have a certain ring equipped. To get the ring you have to kill a different boss. There are a lot of things like this, and I'm finding that I am enjoying the game with the guide and with the wikis. The game is so much fun that knowing what you are supposed to do doesn't take anything away, because even if you know it is still fun and challenging to do.

Morris Schæffer

11-06-2011, 07:19 PM

Why is it that doing a critical hit on the black knight seems impossible? I'm circling him, getting behind him, but hitting rb (on xbox) does nothing. Youtube videos clearly reveal otherwise.

Oh and should i just use all the souls of the undead i've collected? My guess is yes so that i'll have more upgrade points.

Morris Schæffer

11-06-2011, 08:29 PM

Exploiting maniac!!! Though I got a little help from a scribble. It told me to jump down from a ledge. So I did thinking there was a valuable item there. But no. Then I realized. What if I could lure that black knight up there? He followed me, fell to his doom and I didn't even break a sweat. :D

Except I see some items blinking way the heck down there where he fell, but these look beyond the boundaries of the game's levels. That sucks a little.

megladon8

11-06-2011, 10:03 PM

D_Davis

11-07-2011, 12:14 AM

Made it through the Catacombs and the Tomb of the Giants today, and defeated Grave Lord Nito.

Only one more boss to go - The Four Kings. I made it to them and I almost, I mean ALMOST, beat them on my first attempt. If I had had 2 more flasks I would have done it.

Ugh. So close.

And my play time is up to 84 hours... :|

Lucky

11-07-2011, 12:21 AM

How does the poor man in the locked jail cell turn into a badass knight decked out with a scythe and full-plate gold armor when you try to kill him? Man, he is angry. Toughest battle I've fought yet.

D_Davis

11-07-2011, 12:31 AM

How does the poor man in the locked jail cell turn into a badass knight decked out with a scythe and full-plate gold armor when you try to kill him? Man, he is angry. Toughest battle I've fought yet.

The guy from the undead parish? Really interesting NPC. You can free him and then kill him and get a badass ring, but if you let him go he does some really interesting things to the rest of the game.

Lucky

11-07-2011, 12:37 AM

I chose to kill him. Ring is sweet but it breaks if you ever remove it. Two gargoyles VS one is difficult. I'm fine when it's one on one then I get engulfed in a sea of undodgeable flames.

Lucky

11-07-2011, 12:42 AM

First bell, check.

D_Davis

11-07-2011, 12:52 AM

[quote=Lucky;382544]I chose to kill him. Ring is sweet but it breaks if you ever remove it. /quote]

Yeah - Ive had it on for almost 80 hours. :)

Man, that guy totally reeks havoc on the other NPCs if you don't kill him right away. I think I'm going to let him live in NG+ to follow his story.

So in this first game I've seen two NPC stories to completion - Sun Bro, and Onion Knight. And man, both of them were tragic. Although I hear there is a way to give Sun Bro a good ending, but it costs 30 humanity. And if you do this, he helps in the final battle. Might try that in NG+ as well. I always loved having Sun Bro with me. Every time I saw his summon sign, it filled me with hope.

Morris Schæffer

11-07-2011, 06:08 AM

There are no boundaries. There are pits, but they are bottomless.

If you can see an area, you can explore it.

The Black Knights are notoriously hard. Despite having beaten several bossea, so far I have only beaten one Black Knight, and it was unintentional.

Well, looking down, it doesn't look like a part of a level - as it has that fuzzy look that tells you it's a generic texture - even if the loot relinquished by the black knight is clearly seen blinking.

So perhaps that is an indication that one can reach it. I'll look again. Exciting!:D

D_Davis

11-07-2011, 01:34 PM

There are boundaries, but most of those are at least a part of a place you will explore at some point.

Lucky

11-07-2011, 03:52 PM

Gaping dragon had the best art design yet for a boss battle, but it was a complete joke. Entirely too sluggish and predictable. Didn't even get hit on my first try. Granted I'm not that far into the game yet, but I'd be curious to see what the people who call this game insanely difficult think of Monster Hunter Tri on the Wii. That game's bosses are more complex and frustratingly difficult than what I've seen of Dark Souls so far.

D_Davis

11-07-2011, 03:53 PM

Man, I'm doing some massive damage two-handing my +5 fire claymore. It's awesome.

D_Davis

11-07-2011, 03:56 PM

Gaping Dragon is known to be one of the easier bosses in the game. He and the spider witch are both very easy.

I've heard the bosses in Monster Hunter Tri are far more frustrating.

I don't think Dark Souls is insanely difficult. It is more of a great challenge, with a good amount of discovery left to the player. It's hard, yes, but it's always doable. In 80+ hours, I've really only been frustrated a couple of times, mainly in the Duke's Archives, The Painted World, and The Tomb of the Giants.

Lucky

11-07-2011, 04:07 PM

I hope you don't think I was directing that at you (or anyone else here for that matter). That was mostly for what I've been reading on the negative reviews of this game online. The difficulty level is not a negative in this game by any means, like you mentioned above it is entirely doable with some patience and devotion. Monster Hunter, on the other hand, became so difficult that I couldn't even play it by myself anymore. Boss fights take over a half hour, usually ending in your death and a waste of time. The other thing is that there is no experience factor in the game, only your equipment changes. So if you have the best weapon you can possibly have and still can't beat the boss, you're just plain stuck until you get better and/or lucky.

D_Davis

11-07-2011, 04:15 PM

Oh no, not at all! :)

I think the difficulty of this game is blown out of proportion a bit, and is probably keeping some people away for no good reason.

I'd say it's about as difficult as the first three Castlevania games.

It's difficulty is different than other "hard" games like Ninja Gaidan.

What makes DS hard is that there are a lot of things left up to the player to discover, and it doesn't hold your hand like so many modern games do.

I've never played the MH games, but I hear they simply get frustrating - and that doesn't sound like a lot of fun to me.

Morris Schæffer

11-07-2011, 06:38 PM

megladon8

11-07-2011, 07:17 PM

Holy crap. You guys weren't shitting around when you said that killing a big baddie is an overwhelming sensation. I just killed a taurus demon!! :)

Edit: but my euphoria is short tempered. That hellkyte dragon looks impossible to beat. Suddenly that black knight on the other end doesn't look so bad of a deal. :)

Are you talking about the big red dragon on the end of the bridge that fries you every time you try to cross?

I haven't even tried, I've just ignored it.

However, once you get underneath the bridge, you'll see its tail hanging down, wagging back and forth.

Get a bow and equip the large arrows. You'll need to buy about 50 or 60 arrows (to account for any misses).

This takes a while, but shoot the tail about 25-30 times. Every time you hit the tail with an arrow, the dragon flies away and then comes back.

I think it took me about 15-20 minutes total.

Anyways, shooting it many times will actually cause the tail to fall off, and you get the Drake Sword - a sword made from the dragon's tail. It's pretty much the strongest weapon you can get at this point in the game.

D_Davis

11-07-2011, 07:18 PM

In retrospect:

Favorite Areas:

1. Anor Londo - so pretty looking, and deceptive when you learn the secret
2. Demon Ruins - so massive it makes you feel very, very tiny
3. Ash Lake - just beautiful
4. Firelink Shrine - feels like home, I love going back to FLS after a harrowing experience elsewhere
5. Blighttown/Swamps - scary and intense. Gave me nightmares

Least Favorite Areas:

1. The Depths - just bland
2. The Tomb of the Giants (except for two vista points, which are amazing, and the baby skeletons which are just creepy-cool) - dark and dull, and very hard
3. The Painted World - hard and no escape until completion
4. The Duke's Archives - difficult to get around in, and not interesting enough
5. Lower Undead Burg - assassins and zombie dogs and major Capra Demon. No fun.

Favorite standard enemies:

1. Silver knights
2. Dark Wraiths - both are fun to fight

Least favorite standard enemies

1. Skeleton Wheels
2. Skeleton Beasts
3. Bounding Demons - F these guys

Favorite Bosses:

1. Moonlight Butterfly - beautiful fight with great music and atmosphere
2. Spider Witch - fun to fight
3. Pinwheel - easy, but cool looking
4. Gravelord Nito - really fun fight

Least favorite bosses:

1. Centipede Demon - fighting a boss, in lava, is not fun
2. Skinny and Fatty (Anor Londo) - probably the most difficult boss fight in the game
3. First Hyrda in Darkroot Basin - pain in the butt to get up to

D_Davis

11-07-2011, 07:19 PM

It'll be interesting to see if the patch makes any of the standard weapons as good or better than the Drake Sword early on in the game.

I used that weapon exclusively for about 10 hours. Even now, upgraded a few times, it's still pretty good.

megladon8

11-07-2011, 07:23 PM

Sycophant

11-07-2011, 07:34 PM

Hydra's pretty easy if you don't fall off the ledge that's almost invisible under the water. The place where you're most likely to initially attempt it is not necessarily the best.

Beat Penn & Teller in Anor Londo last night with a couple of bros. They took out the wrong guy first, as far as I'm concerned. But whatever. I did that level with like 10 people, but all of them failed to heal me at the boss fight, probably because they ran out their damn flasks doing the level. It's nice to be out of Anor Londo. I think I'll be attempting Demon Ruins next.

I'd use the Drake Sword if it had any scaling at all. My Raw Halberd +5 is doing pretty great damage (I've been pouring my levels into strength mostly), and I just love the way it handles too much.

I don't wield any secondary weapons at present because I really like keeping myself light and fast. Probs gonna start putting more into endurance after I get my strength over 40, which isn't too far off. Considering I only use a quarter of my endurance, each level only gets me about .35 additional burden, so it's gonna take a while to really be able to carry an alt.

Silver Knight Shield is choice.

Sycophant

11-07-2011, 07:35 PM

Oh, and the crystal/ice golembeasts are imminently killable. You can even get a little tricky with it.

D_Davis

11-07-2011, 07:36 PM

There are two kind of, lumbering golems before the hydra in Darkroot Basin. When I was trying to beat Havel the Rock, I saw them (they seem to glow white?) starting to run towards me as I made my way up to the tower basement.

What are these things? Are they killable at this point?

And should I even attempt the hydra? :lol:

The Crystal Golems hit hard, but are easy to kill. Just be careful because they have a HUGE agro area. Make sure you pull only one a time, preferably far away from the Hydra's water blasts.

D_Davis

11-07-2011, 07:41 PM

Beat Penn & Teller in Anor Londo last night with a couple of bros. They took out the wrong guy first, as far as I'm concerned. But whatever. I did that level with like 10 people, but all of them failed to heal me at the boss fight, probably because they ran out their damn flasks doing the level. It's nice to be out of Anor Londo. I think I'll be attempting Demon Ruins next.

Probably the hardest part of the game. It's easier to take out skinny first, because his final form is damn hard. However, the reward for killing skinny last is way better. I killed skinny first, and thus I got fatty's reward which is lame.

My post-Lordvessel play went like this:

Duke's Archives > Crystal Caverns
Darkroot Forest - Boss Sif
Demon Ruins > Lost Izalith
The Catacombs > Tomb of the Giants
New Londo Ruins > The Abyss (need to kill the Four Kings still)

D_Davis

11-07-2011, 07:43 PM

Or is there a new game+ feature?

It goes up to NG+++++++

The maximum soul level is something like 740.

I'm level 78 right now. :D

Lucky

11-07-2011, 08:05 PM

It goes up to NG+++++++

The maximum soul level is something like 740.

I'm level 78 right now. :D

Does anything aside from the bosses/mini-bosses/treasure resetting change? Does the difficultly increase?

D_Davis

11-07-2011, 08:09 PM

Does anything aside from the bosses/mini-bosses/treasure resetting change? Does the difficultly increase?

Difficulty increases.

I hear of people getting one-shot-killed by basic enemies in NG+. The basic enemies hit a lot harder and have a lot more HP, the bosses and mini-bosses hit a bit harder and have a bit more HP.

You start with all items except for any special keys (except everyone now starts with the master key) and upgrade embers. So it is best to get everything that you have upgraded before killing the final boss. Once he is dead, you will start NG+.

Everything else resets. All NPCs, etc.

Morris Schæffer

11-07-2011, 08:46 PM

Are you talking about the big red dragon on the end of the bridge that fries you every time you try to cross?

I haven't even tried, I've just ignored it.

However, once you get underneath the bridge, you'll see its tail hanging down, wagging back and forth.

Get a bow and equip the large arrows. You'll need to buy about 50 or 60 arrows (to account for any misses).

This takes a while, but shoot the tail about 25-30 times. Every time you hit the tail with an arrow, the dragon flies away and then comes back.

I think it took me about 15-20 minutes total.

Anyways, shooting it many times will actually cause the tail to fall off, and you get the Drake Sword - a sword made from the dragon's tail. It's pretty much the strongest weapon you can get at this point in the game.

Yeah, that's precisely the one Meg. Glad to find out there are alternatives. I did notice a pathway underneath the bridge, but at this point have no idea how to get there. But I will. Anyway, in that same area I also killed, uhm, the solar dude. His death netted some big rewards like the solar shield which I would assume is precisely what I would have needed to cross the bridge and at least make it to the relative safety of the bridge alcoves.

Backstabbing is still a bitch to pull of correctly.

megladon8

11-07-2011, 08:55 PM

Damn I really wouldn't have killed him if I were you! :(

Morris Schæffer

11-07-2011, 09:10 PM

Damn I really wouldn't have killed him if I were you! :(

Now that you mention it, but he was looking pretty damn useless, just staring at the sun. :D What are the consequences?

[/braces himself]

D_Davis

11-07-2011, 09:15 PM

D_Davis

11-07-2011, 09:16 PM

Don't worry about killing the red dragon. Just shoot his tail. If you're lucky, he'll just kill himself later and you won't even have to worry about him.

Morris Schæffer

11-07-2011, 09:24 PM

You killed Sun Bro? He's my favorite guy in the game.

Man - he is a major help throughout the game.

Have fun going through the Tomb of the Giants without the Sunlight Maggot.

(you may actually want to start over, especially if you aren't playing online. Sun Bro's story is cool, and he helps on a few boss fights. Also, I don't think you can get the Sunlight Maggot if he is dead. Maybe you can....)

It's the dragon's fault. Sun Bro seemed like an easy prey although he was tougher than I had expected. I mean, there was only the dragon on the bridge and there was sun bro. There didn't seem to be a different pathway. Sure, there was a door in the tower right before emerging on the bridge, but it was locked.

Now, I gotta be honest, but starting over, from the very start, is pretty much impossible to fathom. Even with a new character. I've made my decision, feels like I've already invested eons in this character.

Sorry, but this shit's goin' down without Sun Bro. :D

D_Davis

11-07-2011, 09:43 PM

You have to go under the bridge into the undead parish.

Morris Schæffer

11-07-2011, 09:50 PM

6_BknNY_iS4

it's weird that this dude is able to climb that ladder whereas in my game the ladder is broken. What gives?

D_Davis

11-07-2011, 09:52 PM

it's weird that this dude is able to climb that ladder whereas in my game the ladder is broken. What gives?

Are you sure it's the same ladder? It shouldn't be broken. There is a ladder that you have to kick down to make a short cut back to the bonfire.

Also, for reference (in case you want to start over), I can now make it from the beginning of the game to the first bell in less than an hour. Just in case you want to start again with Sun Bro. He helps, a lot!

D_Davis

11-07-2011, 10:04 PM

Just to be clear - you're talking about the ladder from the bonfire, going up?

That ladder starts off broken. After you kill the Taurus Demon, you come to a part where you can kick that ladder down and make a short-cut. Basically, it's under the bridge where the red dragon is. When you first come to that bridge, run like hell to the right. The dragon will breath fire on you, but you should be able to make it to a set of stairs where you can go down. Then kick the ladder down, and now you have a short-cut. From there you can make it under the bridge into the undead parish.

Morris Schæffer

11-07-2011, 10:06 PM

Yeah, that ladder right at the bonfire. Thanks for the tips!

I'm not yet realizing how cleverly designed the levels are.

D_Davis

11-07-2011, 10:13 PM

Yeah, that ladder right at the bonfire. Thanks for the tips!

I'm not yet realizing how cleverly designed the levels are.

Just wait.

I would LOVE to see a 3D map of all the levels and how they are connected. It would be amazing. There are parts throughout the entire game where I'm just like, "Woah! I'm here now."

Lucky

11-07-2011, 10:24 PM

D_Davis

11-07-2011, 10:27 PM

Grrr. Blighttown sucks. If there's one thing I dislike about the controls, it's how easily you can fall off ledges. I can accept the ones where I get shoved off by enemies, but the self-induced ones really annoy me. This place is creepy as all hell, too.

I actually had a lot of fun in Blighttown. Scared the hell out of me, though. I went through it so slowly.....basically inched my way to each of the bonfires. I actually had nightmares of the place. And, one of the coolest vistas is in this part. It's at the first bonfire, when you realize exactly where you are. Pretty amazing.

megladon8

11-07-2011, 11:36 PM

I can't manage to kill even the very first enemy in Blighttown :lol:

Lucky

11-08-2011, 01:31 AM

I can't manage to kill even the very first enemy in Blighttown :lol:

The path to the first bonfire in blighttown is definitely difficult with the trio of ogres to start things off. I can't tell you how many times I fell off the ledge fighting that first guy, he's definitely the hardest. Don't mean to discourage, but the path to the second bonfire is the hardest stretch of game I've encountered so far. I've never been happier to see a bonfire. That spider queen was the first time I had to try out the summon feature as well. I couldn't come close to beating her by myself. Second bell rung, got the great set of armor from the lava boss, and I'm getting the hell outta this place. Great level design here, great boss, but fuck that was hard. And hopefully no more purple monsters that ravage your health bar while humping the shit out of you. Creepy.

D_Davis

11-08-2011, 03:00 AM

Tonight the Four Kings will be mine.

D_Davis

11-08-2011, 05:29 AM

The Four Kings have been destroyed. The final area of the game looks awesome. But now I'm off farming humanity, Demon Titanite and Twinkling Titanite to get all of my weapons and armor upgraded before NG+.

Morris Schæffer

11-08-2011, 10:32 AM

Also, for reference (in case you want to start over), I can now make it from the beginning of the game to the first bell in less than an hour. Just in case you want to start again with Sun Bro. He helps, a lot!

By the way, I'm sure I could retrace my steps within the hour, but I've levelled up quite a bit so I suppose I would forsake that.

D_Davis

11-08-2011, 01:09 PM

By the way, I'm sure I could retrace my steps within the hour, but I've levelled up quite a bit so I suppose I would forsake that.

You'll find that leveling up is not nearly as important as skill - also, you'll get to harder areas more quickly, so you will be able to farm for souls faster.

D_Davis

11-08-2011, 03:23 PM

Man, I'm actually kind of bummed out that I'm almost done with the game.

This has truly been a monumental experience. It blows my mind to think about how much better Dark Souls is than any other game I've ever played.

A few months ago I would have sworn that I was long past these kinds of video game experiences.

Lucky

11-08-2011, 04:51 PM

Is there a better weapon than the drake sword I should have by now? I'm at Sen's fortress with 16 STR / 12 DEX.

D_Davis

11-08-2011, 05:00 PM

Is there a better weapon than the drake sword I should have by now? I'm at Sen's fortress with 16 STR / 12 DEX.

You will get a great weapon in Sen's Fortress that'll keep you in good shape through most of Anor Londo.

You may want to beef up one of those stats though, because soon you should be better off with weapon scaling, although you'll also be able to craft boss soul/elemental weapons soon.

Lucky

11-08-2011, 06:57 PM

D_Davis

11-08-2011, 07:02 PM

Lightning spear?

Sen's Fortress was my favorite place so far. Manipulating traps in your favor to kill your enemies never gets old. The giant that throws the fire boulders scared the shit out of me the first time I got beamed by a huge exploding rock.

Yes, the LS.

I also really enjoyed Sen's Fortress. And yeah, those fire boulders scared the crap out of me, too.

Man, you're just rippin' through the game!

Lucky

11-08-2011, 07:05 PM

Man, you're just rippin' through the game!

I'm on vacation this week and most of my classmates went home for break. I knew buying this game would help me pass the time with a week of solitude.

D_Davis

11-09-2011, 02:24 PM

Last night I farmed humanity for two hours while killing babies.

:|

Even though the game doesn't tell you so, the lore in The Tomb of the Giants is dark and very creepy.

Lucky

11-09-2011, 06:27 PM

Those two knight archers in Anor Londo are disgusting. Hardest part of the game so far by an unchallenged amount, but not in the good way. This is the first aspect of the game I would actually label as "cheap." Apparently the arrows are made of the densest material on Earth because even if you successfully block the arrow you still recoil so much that you fall off the narrow ledge. I think it's fair to label this area as cheap when the best strategy I can find online is to engage the enemy then run away HOPING that he falls off the ledge.

Fair enough, it worked. I probably did this section over twenty times. I was getting to the point where I mastered running through all enemies from the bonfire to the archers without getting scratched.

That part was so awful it would make me hesitate hitting New Game+ knowing I have to do that again.

If Anor Londo didn't have those stupid skeleton archers, it would have been my favorite area so far.

D_Davis

11-09-2011, 06:35 PM

Lucky

11-09-2011, 06:39 PM

I used the Emit Force miracle to repel the arrows.

What about those of us who still have 8 faith? Haha. I would have less of an issue with it if he weren't blocking the way you HAVE to go to proceed. If he were guarding an optional treasure that would be acceptable to require the use of a miracle. I needed the real life kind to get past that part.

D_Davis

11-09-2011, 06:42 PM

What about those of us who still have 8 faith? Haha. I would have less of an issue with it if he weren't blocking the way you HAVE to go to proceed. If he were guarding an optional treasure that would be acceptable to require the use of a miracle. I needed the real life kind to get past that part.

Yeah - that part does suck. :)

There is only one other part in the game that I found as frustrating.

What's your poise stat up to? You will run into similar archers later, and it's a good idea to have a powerful shield and a high poise, from heavy armor, when doing so.

I find myself switching load-outs all the time in this game, depending on the situation.

Lucky

11-09-2011, 06:46 PM

D_Davis

11-09-2011, 06:49 PM

Ahh, that may be the trick there, sir. Load yourself up in heavy armor before that part. I was definitely in the gold-trimmed cloth armor I swiped from the lava boss. Makes sense why those arrows kept knocking me sideways.

Oh yeah - that's the problem right there. Those arrows are the size of missiles. The gold hemmed cloth armor has no poise.

I have a full set of armor in every weight division, from super light to super heavy, and I am constantly mixing and matching.

I also have various weapons - some that thrust, others that swipe - depending on the environment.

Morris Schæffer

11-09-2011, 07:49 PM

Ok, got the Drake sword. Progress is being made however slowly. Dragon's still alive though, but I guess Meg didn't say that killing its tail kills the dragon. Ok, let's venture deeper.:)

D_Davis

11-09-2011, 07:54 PM

Ok, got the Drake sword. Progress is being made however slowly. Dragon's still alive though, but I guess Meg didn't say that killing its tail kills the dragon. Ok, let's venture deeper.:)

Yeah - don't worry about killing the dragon right now.

Morris Schæffer

11-09-2011, 08:28 PM

Gah, another black knight, standing watch on a rather smallish tower. I've yet to kill one, but I feel this must be my next milestone. We'll see.

D_Davis

11-09-2011, 10:01 PM

Oh wow....so this is another reason why this game is so amazing.

It's recently been determined that followers of the Gravelord covenant can somehow make the worlds of other players more difficult. By invading worlds the Gravelord servant can turn normal enemies into black phantom enemies that persist even when the invasion is over so long as there are other Gravelord servants in your area.

Sycophant

11-09-2011, 10:29 PM

D_Davis

11-09-2011, 10:38 PM

I became a friend of the cat in Darkroot last night in forming my first covenant. I'll just be minding my business somewhere else when I'm summoned to the garden as a phantom to protect the area. It's pretty awesome. I think I'm gonna stay in the covenant for the duration of this playthrough.

I've been trying to get attacked in the forest all week. I'll go there, kill all the NPCs, and then just wait around from someone from your so-called "gang" to take revenge!

:)

(and last night I attacked the cat. I'm killing all of the NPCs to get their crap before I move on the NG+)

Sycophant

11-09-2011, 10:45 PM

You go there as human, right?

There's a ton of people who have two summons, all weilding super-duper weapons that can one shot my character, and probably just hang out there for forever.

Did successfully kill one player last night. Got 75,000 souls and a green titanite shard off her. It was pretty good.

D_Davis

11-09-2011, 10:52 PM

Yeah, as human.

I don't have a very good PVP build right now. Might start a new character just to focus on that.

I've been having lots of trouble with my XBL lately. Going to completely reset everything tonight and work on my router settings to see if I can make things better.

I was PVPing in the final area and the lag made it entirely unplayable.

I need to kindle a few more bonfires and make a couple more weapons before finishing up the game.

D_Davis

11-09-2011, 11:04 PM

Gah, another black knight, standing watch on a rather smallish tower. I've yet to kill one, but I feel this must be my next milestone. We'll see.

Spoiler about the dragon:

If you kill that black knight, and then go up the tower, you might be able to make the dragon kill himself by shooting him once in the head.

D_Davis

11-09-2011, 11:05 PM

Hey, you guys should take pictures of your characters in your cool gear and post them here.

D_Davis

11-10-2011, 05:51 AM

Well...93 hours and it's done. Probably the quickest ending ever in a video game. On to NG+.

D_Davis

11-10-2011, 07:03 AM

And after beating the game, I immediately started NG+ and went and rang the first bell and defeated two invaders.

D_Davis

11-10-2011, 07:05 AM

Here I am after ringing the first bell in NG+

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/380271_257242700993048_1000012 19601760_768716_305839884_n.jp g

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/379613_257242620993056_1000012 19601760_768715_835426602_n.jp g

D_Davis

11-10-2011, 03:12 PM

So while cruising along to ring the first bell in NG+, I was thinking that it wasn't that hard. I was still one-hit killing everything with my +10 Fire Claymore (except for the two black knights, which took two backstabs), and I even on-hit killed the iron boar. Then I got to the first Balder Knight with the rapier. He parried and reposted and killed me in one shot.

Sun Bro (really glad to see him back! I'm gong to try to save him this play-through) and I made really quick work of the tower gargoyles.

What's nice about this play-through is that I can skip most of Blighttown since I don't really need anything there. I can just take the back way through the Valley of the Drakes straight to the second bell.

D_Davis

11-10-2011, 03:16 PM

Sun Bro, IRL

http://fastcache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/9/2011/11/dddca6e5b70a381bdb504819efd95a cd.jpg

D_Davis

11-10-2011, 04:30 PM

I only have one complaint about Dark Souls - and that's the ending. Even as a guy that doesn't really care much at all about endings, the ending is practically nonexistent, and that might be an understatement.

It's weird. I'm left wondering if there is more to it. It's very Dark Tower-esque in a way.

D_Davis

11-11-2011, 03:36 AM

I became a friend of the cat in Darkroot last night in forming my first covenant. I'll just be minding my business somewhere else when I'm summoned to the garden as a phantom to protect the area. It's pretty awesome. I think I'm gonna stay in the covenant for the duration of this playthrough.

Your forest boys were stepping it up tonight. Got invaded about 10 times in a row in the forest. At one point it was two phantoms and an NPC vs. me, and I wiped them all out. :)

Fun.

Morris Schæffer

11-11-2011, 08:22 AM

Sun Bro!!!!!!!!!! He's alive, but how? Oh well, still useless, hanging out at train stations and shit.:D

Lucky

11-11-2011, 05:53 PM

Having a crystal dragon curse me, then throw me in jail by a bonfire I cannot warp away from? Dick move, game. Dick move.

I never would have figured out the purging stone bird trick to lift curses to save my life. How much does it cost to do it the legit way?

Sycophant

11-11-2011, 06:19 PM

3,000 for a purging stone from the dude the gargoyle cathedral. 6,000 I think from the undead merchant. Free if you can get to the one in New Londo Ruins (I think).

D_Davis

11-11-2011, 06:42 PM

D_Davis

11-12-2011, 05:23 AM

Alright. Time for some more forest PVP.

D_Davis

11-12-2011, 06:02 AM

Just rang the second bell, again.

This game is probably the most addictive thing I've ever experienced.

Morris Schæffer

11-12-2011, 07:53 AM

You rang it consecutive times? I thought it was just one of the missions early on in the game. :D. Anyway, I haven't rung no bell yet.

D_Davis

11-12-2011, 08:10 AM

You rang it consecutive times? I thought it was just one of the missions early on in the game. :D. Anyway, I haven't rung no bell yet.

New Game + :D

Trying to get the Lordvessel as quickly as possible on NG+ so then I can warp around and take care of stuff.

D_Davis

11-12-2011, 08:15 AM

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/381418_258304090886909_1000012 19601760_771321_1418580055_n.j pg

Morris Schæffer

11-12-2011, 10:01 AM

New Game + :D

Trying to get the Lordvessel as quickly as possible on NG+ so then I can warp around and take care of stuff.

Ah, starting all over again. Do you gain much from that? New insights? New areas perhaps? That's a good question. You completed the game, but did you see every single area the game has to offer? I would reckon "no".

It's such an exhausting, albeit hugely gripping, game (I ain't even far yet) that I know for a fact I'll never play it again. That is, assuming I'll ever complete it. :)

megladon8

11-12-2011, 12:14 PM

The idea of ever being able to amass 97 humanity seems impossible to me.

I've just entered Blighttown, and I can't even hold on to 1 humanity.

D_Davis

11-12-2011, 02:41 PM

The idea of ever being able to amass 97 humanity seems impossible to me.

I've just entered Blighttown, and I can't even hold on to 1 humanity.

There is a part in the Tomb of the Giants that you can farm humanity, and it's really easy. I farmed it for hours before beating the game.

Also, once the patch finally hits, the rate of humanity drops is going to greatly improve.

D_Davis

11-12-2011, 02:43 PM

Ah, starting all over again. Do you gain much from that? New insights? New areas perhaps? That's a good question. You completed the game, but did you see every single area the game has to offer? I would reckon "no".

It's such an exhausting, albeit hugely gripping, game (I ain't even far yet) that I know for a fact I'll never play it again. That is, assuming I'll ever complete it. :)

I went to every area in the game. But I haven't joined every covenant, or upgraded everything. Also, I'd like to play through Sun Bro's story again to get a different outcome. And PVP continues. It goes up to NG+++++++.

Lucky

11-12-2011, 03:18 PM

Solaire is zero help against the centipede. He apparently has the misconception that he's immune to lava.

Lucky

11-12-2011, 03:22 PM

Oh, I finally did the forest area, too. Beautiful. Should have went for the moth waaay earlier as that part was insanely easy, but the wolf's section was an appropriate challenge. Both of those bosses would make my favorites list. The idea of a giant wolf wielding a greatsword in its mouth is just plain awesome.

D_Davis

11-12-2011, 03:42 PM

Solaire is zero help against the centipede. He apparently has the misconception that he's immune to lava.

That boss is hard. I had to summon a couple of people to help.

D_Davis

11-12-2011, 03:43 PM

Lucky

11-12-2011, 03:50 PM

That boss is hard. I had to summon a couple of people to help.

I have the hardest time finding summon signs of actual players. I know there's a level cutoff and I'm wondering if because I'm a pyromancer my level is significantly lower than others at this point in the game. I spend a lot of souls upgrading my glove instead of pouring into stats.

D_Davis

11-12-2011, 05:30 PM

Low level pyro builds are pretty popular, especially with PVP.

The new-new patch (1.05, just released in Japan last week) makes summoning much better. Check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9NTHDFmjkk

Should be out here soon.

D_Davis

11-14-2011, 03:05 PM

So even though I knew what was coming, was prepared, and had on amazing gear with great weapons, the Capra Demon in the undead berg still killed me on my first attempt during NG+.

However, on my second try he didn't get in a single hit.

:)

KK2.0

11-14-2011, 03:39 PM

I'm about to take the final bosses now, what an awesome game! I was a huge fan of Demon Souls and i'm pleasantly surprised how From Software lived up my expectations on this spiritual sequel.

Hey, you guys should take pictures of your characters in your cool gear and post them here.

My character is looking rather un-cool because he's wearing a mix of sets that don't match very well but the stats are great: In my head is the hood from the Gold Hemmed robe, uper torso from the Channelers (those magicians that do a funky dance), and in my lower parts is the Antiquated Skirt, it's a very girly dress you get after saving the lake woman, with flowers in it and whatnot but unlike most unique armor you can upgrade it and the stats are awesome.

the developers did it on purpose, i'm sure :lol:

D_Davis

11-14-2011, 03:42 PM

The Antiquated Skirt is getting MAJORLY nerfed in the 1.05 patch. It's going to become practically useless.

I was sporting it until I raised my Iron Leggings to +5 - these things are now as strong as Havel's Leggings, and they don't weigh as much.

KK2.0

11-14-2011, 05:36 PM

Yeah, i've read about that nerfing, it sucks because I already invested a bit upgrading it. I like to wear light armor to move faster.

Not sure in which order i'll fight the lordvessel bosses, sounds like the Four Kings are the hardest of the bunch, right? The other ones are Bed of chaos, Gravelord Nito and the Scaleless Dragon.

Speaking about Scaleless, that Crystal Cave area is by far my least favorite, i hate it more than the Archer knights from Anor Londo or Blightown. I'm scared of heights. >.<

D_Davis

11-14-2011, 05:47 PM

Not sure in which order i'll fight the lordvessel bosses, sounds like the Four Kings are the hardest of the bunch, right? The other ones are Bed of chaos, Gravelord Nito and the Scaleless Dragon.

You should definitely go to Bed of Chaos before Gravelord Nito, and make sure you explore around in Lost Izalith to get a certain item that helps in the Tombs of the Giants.

I did it in this order:

Dragon
Bed of Chaos
Nito
Four Kings

KK2.0

11-14-2011, 06:28 PM

D_Davis

11-14-2011, 06:32 PM

yeah, I'm from the Chaos covenant, opened the easy way into Izalith and got the item, I even helped some people to defeat Nito as a ghost but didn't fought him myself yet.

And fuck, Patches attacked me at Tomb of Giant and i lost the chance to buy his stuff, i'm not sure why because i've answered him correctly afaik.

Patches attacked me, too. Jerk.

Nito was surprisingly easy. Beat him on my first try, and I helped out quite a bit there while farming the baby skeletons. Man, those things are so creepy.

D_Davis

11-14-2011, 06:33 PM

yeah, I'm from the Chaos covenant, opened the easy way into Izalith and got the item, I even helped some people to defeat Nito as a ghost but didn't fought him myself yet.

You don't even need to fight the centipede dude then. That's what I'm doing in NG+. I already paid the 30 humanity, and will just have to make my way through the Demon Ruins to open the door.

KK2.0

11-14-2011, 06:35 PM

http://i.imgur.com/5QRAO.jpg

D_Davis

11-14-2011, 06:35 PM

But I guess you do if you want to save Sun Bro. Dammit. I didn't save him last game, and I want to now.

D_Davis

11-14-2011, 06:36 PM

Awesome!

I love Sun Bro. It's amazing how much a feel for his character, and he only speaks like 5 lines of dialog. His ending was so tragic, totally unfair for someone as grossly incandescent as he is. :)

KK2.0

11-14-2011, 07:25 PM

he's definitely my favorite, Frampt the giant serpent from firelink also has it's moments.

despite being light on story compared to other rpgs, Demons and Dark can be very involving, and i love the fact all your actions have consequences, all NPCs can be killed and have their own agendas that you can or cannot take part.

If i would compare both games, the lore in Demons is better explained than the one in Dark, but aside from this Demons almost feel like a beta for Dark Souls, they took many concepts and ideas and expanded them, the world is bigger and the interconnected maps are great to explore (in Demon's they were separated and a bit more linear), multiplayer is more fun with the covenants and the adventure is a lot more epic overall.

Lucky

11-14-2011, 08:51 PM

Speaking about Scaleless, that Crystal Cave area is by far my least favorite, i hate it more than the Archer knights from Anor Londo or Blightown. I'm scared of heights. >.<

Heh, the Crystal Cave was one of my favorite areas. Absolutely with you on the other two, though.

I don't know if I unconvered some kind of brilliant battle tactic or just got supremely lucky, but I managed to kill the scaleless dragon without getting hit. As soon as the fight started I ran for the crystal and whacked that, then I ran to the nearest tail-like appendage and followed it as Seath turned in circles. I didn't run to save stamina, just walked with it and whacked it when I had a chance. The crystal attack always happened behind me this way, and I was never even scratched. Only bad thing is I didn't get the sword from cutting off the proper tail. Tis ok, I'm not an intelligence build.

Four Kings and Nito left...and I apparently missed the sunlight maggot so it looks like I need to take a trip back to the City of Izalith. Ugh. Any tips on where that's located? Or is there another way I can get it?

Also, what's the consequence of killing the princess at Anor Londo? And the other boss Gwyndolin? And how do you get in the painting world? Trying to square away all the side quest stuff before I continue on. I've tried the ghost part in New Londo but it's long and wraiths kill me. Catacombs don't sound too inviting either, especially without this maggot (I do have a divine weapon, though).

Out of curiosity, what level are you guys at? I just hit 50.

Lucky

11-14-2011, 08:53 PM

I keep forgetting to post this, I thought parts of it were spot-on and hilarious.

UnUGxY_b00Y

D_Davis

11-14-2011, 09:16 PM

Four Kings and Nito left...and I apparently missed the sunlight maggot so it looks like I need to take a trip back to the City of Izalith. Ugh. Any tips on where that's located? Or is there another way I can get it?

Also, what's the consequence of killing the princess at Anor Londo? And the other boss Gwyndolin? And how do you get in the painting world? Trying to square away all the side quest stuff before I continue on. I've tried the ghost part in New Londo but it's long and wraiths kill me. Catacombs don't sound too inviting either, especially without this maggot (I do have a divine weapon, though).

Sun Light Maggot will be at the end of the hall with the Titanite Demon. You can run past him. I hope you can still get it...don't know. If not, you'll need to get the light spell for the Tombs.

I killed the princess in Anor Londo and did the boss fight. Once you hit the princess, it opens up a nice area for some PVP. No other consequence unless you care about her covenant.

Before beating the game, I wend to ton of bonfires and used the right of kindling, because kindled bonfires carry over into NG+. I also killed every NPC I could find for their stuff.

I'm sl90 now.

D_Davis

11-14-2011, 09:18 PM

I don't know if I unconvered some kind of brilliant battle tactic or just got supremely lucky, but I managed to kill the scaleless dragon without getting hit. As soon as the fight started I ran for the crystal and whacked that, then I ran to the nearest tail-like appendage and followed it as Seath turned in circles. I didn't run to save stamina, just walked with it and whacked it when I had a chance. The crystal attack always happened behind me this way, and I was never even scratched. Only bad thing is I didn't get the sword from cutting off the proper tail. Tis ok, I'm not an intelligence build.

I did the same thing. Didn't even get hit. Most of the 4 lords were actually quite easy. Although I did cheat and look up the gimmick for Bed of Chaos. I beat the Four Kings on my 3rd attempt, Nito on my first.

Lucky

11-15-2011, 03:05 AM

Before beating the game, I wend to ton of bonfires and used the right of kindling, because kindled bonfires carry over into NG+.

It took me until just now to realize that's how kindling worked. I thought it only worked until you died next, so I never bothered wasting humanity. I also read that the kindling rite is not present in NG+, so if you want it do it the first time through.

*Pulls out orange soapstone*

"Need humanity"

megladon8

11-15-2011, 03:29 AM

Working my way to the bottom of Blighttown. Killed that creepy squid pod thingy (mini boss?) by just unloading about 60 arrows into it. Wasn't even a fight :lol:

I actually made it right to the bottom, but was killed when I became overwhelmed by those flying, fire-spewing bug things.

Lucky

11-15-2011, 03:34 AM

I actually made it right to the bottom, but was killed when I became overwhelmed by those flying, fire-spewing bug things.

Ah, you were so close! Reaching that second bonfire in Blighttown was one of my biggest relief moments while playing this game.

D_Davis

11-15-2011, 04:27 AM

It took me until just now to realize that's how kindling worked. I thought it only worked until you died next, so I never bothered wasting humanity. I also read that the kindling rite is not present in NG+, so if you want it do it the first time through.

*Pulls out orange soapstone*

"Need humanity"

I'm pretty sire rite of kindling is available in all NG+s.

So tonight I've been wasting fools in the forest. Man, the forest cov. is sending some weak-ass defenders.

D_Davis

11-15-2011, 04:29 AM

Ah, you were so close! Reaching that second bonfire in Blighttown was one of my biggest relief moments while playing this game.

What bout when you reach that first bonfire in Blighttown, and then you look up and seen the light in the sky, and realize that you're not really in hell. Man, talk about an amazing moment. No other game I've ever played has made me feel like that. Just the sight of the sky gave me the courage and hope to move on.

Such an amazing game. Nothing else even comes close.

D_Davis

11-15-2011, 05:24 AM

Oh man...the forest covenant just couldn't pull it together tonight. At one point it was me vs. 3 NPCs and two invaders....and I wiped them all, even with their Rings of Fog.

D_Davis

11-15-2011, 05:24 AM

Morris Schæffer

11-15-2011, 10:41 AM

In rough terms, what is kindling and how does it gain me an advantage? I know I can google this guys, but you are my hombres.:D

D_Davis

11-15-2011, 02:38 PM

In rough terms, what is kindling and how does it gain me an advantage? I know I can google this guys, but you are my hombres.:D

When you kindle a bonfire it raises the amount of flasks you get when you rest. A normal bonfire gives you 5, and you can kindle for 1 humanity to give you an additional 5. Once you get a certain item, you can kindle two more times to get 20 total flasks. So now, when I rest at most bonfires I get 20 flasks full of +6 estus.

Lucky

11-15-2011, 04:01 PM

The only thing I would add is that you must be in human form to kindle. So you might need to spend one humanity to reverse hollow, then another to kindle. The bonfire will forever grant you 10 flasks from then on, though. That's the part I misunderstood. It's a pretty sweet deal and would have helped me had I known that from day 1.

Lucky

11-15-2011, 04:08 PM

Found the sunlight maggot. Killed crazy Sun Bro. Went back to Undead Asylum to grab that peculiar doll and slayed the Stray Demon. Painting next, then Catacombs.

KK2.0

11-16-2011, 02:27 AM

Crystal Ring Shield is kinda overpowered, using it before the inevitable nerf :p Nito went down pretty fast because of it.

Lucky, If you are going to face Nito try ranged battle, if you get close he summons some of those giant skeletons that will make things much more difficult, he also has a nasty area attack so, when he glows run away.

Painted World is kinda cool, but be aware: once you enter it, there's no way back until the end.

What bout when you reach that first bonfire in Blighttown, and then you look up and seen the light in the sky, and realize that you're not really in hell. Man, talk about an amazing moment. No other game I've ever played has made me feel like that. Just the sight of the sky gave me the courage and hope to move on.

Such an amazing game. Nothing else even comes close.

that was me emerging from the Catacombs, i went to this stage relatively early in the game, it's also an extremely dark and hard stage for a low level character, i've had to fight very carefully and died tons of times, after beating the boss and realizing that i was too weak and unprepared for Tomb of Giants I've made my way back, died a few more times, when i've seen the light and heard the soothing music from Firelink Shrine I nearly came :lol:

Lucky

11-16-2011, 02:48 AM

Painting World was pretty neat. Really liked the concept of the phalanx guys. That pyromancer spirit was a damn easy 30k souls. Priscilla was a breeze as well. Didn't realize The Catacombs were meant for lower level characters, I whipped right through that and Mr. Pinwheel.

Tomb of Giants and Nito tomorrow. Thanks for the tip, KK.

I need to work on forging a Crystal Ring Shield. Only boss weapon I've made so far is Quelaag's Furysword which I dig.

KK2.0

11-16-2011, 03:18 AM

I didn't kill Priscilla in my game but helped other players to do it. I wasn't sure if i could go back to the painted world if i killed her, and it is a pretty good soul farming spot, if someone invades it even better.

Fighting her with a group is funny, once she goes invisible some people get completely lost since no other boss does that in the game, casting poison mist helps (if she gets poisoned the mist shows her location) but it doesn't work all the time.

megladon8

11-17-2011, 06:21 PM

Any strategies for the big infested barbarians in Blighttown?

The first three are easy because you can just lure them to their deaths.

But there's one hidden in kind of a tunnel/cave that always knocks me off the ledge to my doom. He's about halfway down Blighttown. His attacks are blockable, but they still knock me back so far I fly off.

I'm having a heck of a time getting to the second bonfire.

D_Davis

11-17-2011, 06:25 PM

I just blocked or dodged and then positioned myself for a backstab or two. They telegraph their attacks a mile away, and their useless howl leaves them wide open for a backstab.

I usually used a bow to lure them to a safer place to fight.

You can also run right past them. In Blighttown, always head towards the torches.

Lucky

11-17-2011, 11:50 PM

I know exactly which guy you're talking about. He's a bitch. Killed me many times. I have no advice, but I'll give you this as consolation. I've done everything in this game minus kill Gwyn, and the stretch to the second bonfire in Blighttown was the second hardest part of the game for me.

D_Davis

11-18-2011, 01:29 AM

I've done everything in this game minus kill Gwyn, and the stretch to the second bonfire in Blighttown was the second hardest part of the game for me.

I walked so slow in that area - so tense!

Lucky

11-19-2011, 01:22 AM

Done and done. 41 hrs, lvl 60, and maxed out pyro glove. I wish I had discovered how awesome Iron Flesh is before the Four Kings. Couple it with Great Combustion and Gwyn fell in seconds. Rang the first bell in NG+ already, too. That goes a lot more quickly the second time around hah. I'm focusing on raising Dex the second run through. Katanas look badass and I want.

Lucky

11-19-2011, 02:32 AM

I'll play this game now, too...

Favorite Areas:

1. Darkroot Garden - beautiful scenary and contains some of my favorite bosses
2. Sen's Fortress - fun to learn the traps and exactly how to manipulate them in your favor and the serpantmen were a cool set of enemies
3. Crystal Cave - reminded me of a fantastical Final Fantasy like area complete with crystal dragon at the end
4. Anor Londo - has the most epic vista and enemy set along with its own little mythology. The section here felt like a self-contained mini-game.
5. Demon Ruins - vast, lava-filled, twisted roots, great atmosphere

Least Favorite Areas:

1. Blighttown - most frustrating area in the game with the multi-platforming and the long treks between bonfires, poison swamps, fire-breathing spiders, annoying mosquitoes, and arguably the hardest boss in the game for me.
2. Duke's Archives - enemies hit HARD here and it was a bitch to get out of prison while being cursed the entire time. Not a fan of being stuck with no way out in games, especially when my status is screwed without available cure.
3. New Londo Ruins - Wraiths and Sludge Monsters made me want to just whip through this place. Long trek to a difficult boss made this about the only area I didn't thoroughly explore. I also didn't care for the fact that you had to use an item to attack ghosts.
4. Depths - I agree with Davis here. Bland, doesn't stand out.
5. Anor Londo - how can it be on both of my lists, you ask? Two knight archers. Just that stretch. That small stretch is annoying enough to take my #5 slot of most hated areas.

Favorite standard enemies:

1. Black Knights - always gives me great joy to see their death animation and they drop useful stuff all the time
2. Large statues in Anor Londo - a lot of fun to take down huge colossal monsters, first time I felt like I was getting far in this game
3. Imps - they're hard little devils but I love their design and attacks
4. The herd of zombies in Undead Parish right before the Gargoyles - so much fun to just torch all of them with pyromancy
5. Bounding demons - awesome enemy design and creepy as hell. Drops demon titanite.

Least favorite standard enemies

1. Archers - anytime you see them throughout the whole game. Douchebags. Guys in Anor Londo being the kings of these douchebags.
2. Dinosaurs in Demon Ruins - I give up. I don't think I ever successfully killed one of these things. I only managed to trick them into killing each other while I safely hid.
3. Skeleton Wheels - especially in those tight quarters in the painted world
4. Ogres - caused me many a death in Blighttown
5. Firebreathing stone demons - took forever for me to kill and there were swarms of them in the City of Izalith

Favorite Bosses:

1. Great Grey Wolf Sif - huge wolf that wields a greatsword? Awesome!
2. Moonlight Butterfly - "beautiful fight with great music and atmosphere" - D_Davis
3. Gaping Dragon - he would have made my #1 if he weren't so damn easy. Spectacular design for this guy. Seemed truly threatening and had my blood pumping at first.
4. Hydra - always fun to see interpretations of classic mythological monsters. One of the more unique boss fights and some of the best graphics in the game during this fight. Love that you could get blasted by its water attack from FAR away.
5. Spider Witch Quelaag - hardest boss for me, but epic fight. Love her sword, too. One of the few boss weapons I actually crafted.

Least favorite bosses:

1. Centipede Demon - beyond frustrating. I got lucky here.
2. Skinny and Fatty (Anor Londo) - I liked the concept of having twin bosses like this, but these guys seemed a little too comical and out of place in this ultra serious dark game. Reminded me of the Magus Sisters in the FF series. Those kind of things fit better in that world.
3. Seath the Scaleless - a forced kill AND cursing me? Cheeeeeeeap.
4. Priscilla - after a pretty difficult level, this boss was a joke. The invisible gimmick is pretty lame. Also, I didn't understand why we were pushed to fight such a pretty ghost lady. This game could have used a bit more story and history to each of its levels. That's why I liked Anor Londo so much, it needed more of this.
5. Four Kings - the whole setup felt kinda rushed and slapped together. Very difficult to boot.

And now, my stream-of-conscious thoughts...
Very good game overall. I'm sure I'll make it through NG+, but then it will probably lose its luster. The online system wasn't nearly as cool or fluid as it originally appeared. Definitely could have used more of a backdrop for each of its areas. It would have made the boss fights that much more epic. I miss the townsfolk dropping hints or warning me of the great gray wolf spirit that protects the forest. More NPC interaction would have been welcome. I like the guy in the Parish jail, the trickster in the Tomb of the Giants, Sun Bro, etc. The game needed a larger cast of those types of characters. More direction into making your character good/evil. Covenants seemed like a great idea but weren't as vital to the game as I hoped. The battle system, the game's ultimate triumph, never got old and the enemies and bosses were varied enough to always keep me engaged. Definitely challenging, but entirely manageable and rarely cheap. Finishing this game actually feels like an accomplishment.

D_Davis

11-19-2011, 02:44 AM

Congrats, Lucky!

Finishing this game is a great video game accomplishment. :)

You did it more quickly than I did, and at a lower level. I just hit sl97, in Anor Londo in NG+. About to try the path of the archers. Ugh.

Sin's fortress was a bitch in NG+. I lost 65 humanity and 300,000 souls there. Also, the Iron Golem has been the hardest boss fight yet in NG+. And that's just crazy, because he was a total push-over in NG.

I will NOT be going go the painted world in NG+ because I don't want to fight those wheeled skeletons - ever again.

I probably won't play through NG+. I just want to get the Lordvessel so I can warp around and get items and then get to sl120 with tricked out gear for PVP.

Lucky

11-19-2011, 03:00 AM

You did it more quickly than I did, and at a lower level. I just hit sl97, in Anor Londo in NG+. About to try the path of the archers. Ugh.

Well, keep in mind I maxed out my pyromancy glove which according to the wiki page..."It takes 340500 souls to fully upgrade all 20 levels of the Pyromancy Flame." That's about 15 levels right there. I must say I'm glad I picked to play a pyromancer, never got tired of throwing fire around. Also seems like one of the easier routes to go in the game. I also used a guide the entire time. Nothing was really a surprise to me, I never tried to figure out where to go next on my own. That helps cut down on not only the game time but my frustration level. :)

D_Davis

11-19-2011, 06:02 AM

I used the official guide and wikis a lot, too.

I find that I enjoy games more with them.

D_Davis

11-21-2011, 02:59 PM

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2011/11/12/afterwords-dark-souls.aspx

In interviews leading up to Dark Souls’ release, you suggested that players should go with the pendant starting gift. There’s still a lot of confusion and mystery in the community surrounding what this item affects. Now that the game has been out for a while, care to give any further clues?

Hm.... I am very happy to get this question because this is exactly what I expected. I am very sorry, I cannot tell you here how you use the item. I still want people to try investigating the meaning of the item. Please find it out on your own! [laughs]

D_Davis

11-22-2011, 05:29 PM

Patch is live.

Think I'll start a new character tonight.

Morris Schæffer

11-22-2011, 08:08 PM

Patch is live.

Think I'll start a new character tonight.

Isn't there anything else you're interested in playing? :D

Sycophant

11-22-2011, 09:05 PM

>Each titanite demon in the lower area has been replaced by 30 wheel skeletons, for a total of 150.
>Wheel skeletons have been added to the ramps in Anor Londo
>fixed the capra demon fight to replace the capra demon with 50 wheel skeletons.
>Added 5 Wheel Skeletons to the fight against pinwheel
>Added 5 Wheel Skeletons to every boss fight in the game
>All regular enemies have a Wheel Skeleton as backup
>>if you defeat ornstein and smough at the same time, you fight a giant wheel skeleton
>>When beating Ornstein or Smough first, they will power up into a giant wheel skeleton and their weapon with turn into a giant wheel skeleton
>Wheel Skeletons can now perform the WELL WHAT IS IT gesture>>Fixed issue with wheel skeleton racing mini game where players could equip shields
>Issue fixed with wheel skeletons not being able to equip their zweihanders

//

D_Davis

11-22-2011, 09:23 PM

LOL!!!!

D_Davis

11-22-2011, 09:24 PM

Isn't there anything else you're interested in playing? :D

Skyrim?

But seriously...what's the point?

:)

D_Davis

11-22-2011, 09:27 PM

//

> When you beat the game you're killed by a Wheel Skeleton
> Using an Estus Flask initiates the Wheel Skeleton mini-game

D_Davis

11-23-2011, 04:00 PM

Humanity definitely drops more with the patch. Also, co-op seems better.

Lucky

11-23-2011, 04:28 PM

Humanity definitely drops more with the patch. Also, co-op seems better.

Is there a listing or article about what the patch changed?

D_Davis

11-23-2011, 05:29 PM

Is there a listing or article about what the patch changed?

Patch 1.04/1.05 Changes
Translated by Brett (twitch.tv/thebrett)
Taken from in-game testing / jp wiki notes (http://w.livedoor.jp/project_dark)
Via Pastebin (http://pastebin.com/HxMjdaBx).
Magic Changes:

Pyro Glove nerfed from 270 to 230.
You can see resonance signs now.
Vow of Silence range increased.
Sorcery spell damage as a whole was slightly buffed, but Homing Soul Mass and other pursuit style spells were nerfed.
Magic Shield duration lowered to ~11 seconds.
Strong Magic Shield duration lowered to ~11 seconds. Invincibility removed. Effect on Stamina drastically reduced.
Tranquil Walk of Peace and other Slow duration reduced to ~10 secs. Effect supposedly changed from 100% encumberance to 50%. Rolling possible if your equip burden is lowered. Slowness is similar to swamp effect.
Iron Flesh effectiveness nerfed.
Invisible Body duration remains unchanged.Status Changes:

Base Equipment Burden increased (~6-10 points)
Humanity Item drop rate increased from 10 to 210
Medium roll recovery faster? (unclear and unconfirmed)
Defensive bonuses gained via Humanity reduced. Other defensive bonuses remain unchanged.
Item discovery gained via Humanity improved. Capped at 20.Equipment General Changes:

Reported some weapon scaling gets improved at higher normal upgrades (+15 uchi dex scaling goes to A)
Some scaling reported as changing from A to S with higher upgradesUpgrade Changes:

Normal scaling buffed by 5-20% (20% at +14).
Crystal scaling buffed by 5-20% (20% at +4).
Lightning +4 nerfed by 2% (+5 remains unchanged).
Raw scaling buffed by 10% (all levels).
Magic stat scaling buffed by 10-20% (20% at +9).
Enchanted stat scaling buffed by 15-20% (20% at +4).
Divine stat scaling buffed by 10-20% (20% at +9).
Occult stat scaling buffed by 15-20% (20% at +4).
Fire +9 nerfed by 2%. (+5 remains unchanged)
Dragon stat scaling buffed by 5-20% (20% at +5).Specific Gear Changes:

Grant scaling changed to Strength:B and Faith:A
Gold-hemmed nerfed, still can't be upgraded.
Dust skirt nerfed hard (streamlined to match the other pieces).
Silver Knights, Sun, Hollow Soldier's Shield and other medium shield stability nerfed to ~70 at max upgrades to improve Great Shield viability.
Crystal Ring Shield scaling drastically nerfed. Does around ~200 +-50
Dragon Greatsword buffed from 360 to 390.
Silver Knight's Sword lightning effect removed. Now enchantable.
Elite Knight gear nerfed, then buffed slightly in 1.05Combat Changes:

Lock-on acquisition range increased.
Lock-on changing/switching got easier (more responsive).Ring of Fog users can now be locked on.

PVE Changes:

Overall increase in souls gained (~2-2.5 times more)
Damage reduced on some mobs?
HP lowered on some mobs?
Reduced acquisition range on normal enemies.
Supposedly reduced poise on some enemies.
Bosses drop Humanity and Homeward Bones
Ghosts and Skeletons give souls now.
Twinkling Titanite drop rate improved.
Pyromancers in Catacombs drop Skull Lanterns.
Darkwraiths in New Londo drop Dark Hand.Online Changes:

You can see resonance signs.
Some invasion restrictions possibly changed? Darkwraith upperlimit confirmed as unchanged.
1.05: Summon restrictions improved slightly again.
Amount of souls the Master of the game gains changed.
Cracked Eye Orbs no longer get consumed on failure. Confirmed
You can hit Select to rate messages.
1.05: Fixed 1.04 bug where summon signs were invisible.Covenant Changes:

Covenant Material drop rate improved.
Lowered requirements for Sunbro covenenant (requirements moved from 50 to 25. 3/4 assists should do the trick)Other Changes:

Official Guide nerfed.
Forest Hunter NPC farming remains unchanged.
Dark Anor Londo NPC farming remains unchanged.
Kiln Skip Glitch still works in 1.05Merchant stock updates:

Male Undead Merchant: Also sells bottomless box
Female Undead Merchant: Sells Arrows / Crossbolts
Andrei: Sells Arrows / Crossbolts
Domnhal of Xena: Sells Arrows / Crossbolts, Master Key (5000)
Giant Blacksmith (Fapsmith): Sells Arrows / Crossbolts, Small Titanite Shards, Large Tit Shards, Twinkling (8000 per, inf amount), Green Shards, Repair box, upgrade boxes
Vamos: Arrows / Crossbolts, Small Tit, Large tit, Repair box / upgrade boxes
Inglwood: Sells Transient CursesFixes:

Fixed some freeze issues
Lvl up screen displays souls needed properly now
Dragon-head glitch, snuggly, and magic shield glitches fixed.
Fixed a bug where your inputs come out 1 second later.
Fixed a bug where the second solaire event wont progress.
Fixed a bug where feeding frampt a titanite stone then going over 99 resulted in having zero.
Fixed some specific map areas where you'd get stuck or be unable to progress.
Changed some english subtitles on the overseas port.

My least favorite change - now, instead of YOU DEFEATED, it says VICTORY ACHIEVED

:(

KK2.0

11-23-2011, 06:20 PM

Despite the major nerfing of many special itens, all drops seem easier after the update, farming will be a lot less boring.

Can you believe i haven't finished it already? clocking 140 hours now, level 90!! I stopped it to play some Skyrim, but hopped back after a couple of days. This game can't get out of my head, it's like a drug.

I'm at the final boss' door, but those black knights having 100% titanite chunks drop put me on a rush to upgrade my equipment, I've got some boss weapons now, my favorite is a lightning Bastard Sword that can make 800+ damage if the entire combo hits!! ^^ Afterwards I remembered that i've never went to the Ash Lakes, so I decided to trek a little bit and i'm glad i did, loved this area, it reminds me of the end of Demon's Souls. You can see it from afar heading to Nito's cave deep in the Tomb of Giants, it's like an underground black ocean with huge trees coming out of it.

Now i've decided to kill everyone in the world before going to NG+ :D a npc massacre is coming, and it will not be pretty.

Official Guide nerfed.

lol, after so many changes the official guide is full of errors.

D_Davis

11-23-2011, 06:32 PM

Afterwards I remembered that i've never went to the Ash Lakes, so I decided to trek a little bit and i'm glad i did, loved this area, it reminds me of the end of Demon's Souls. You can see it from afar heading to Nito's cave deep in the Tomb of Giants, it's like an underground black ocean with huge trees coming out of it.
.

Yes! One of the most beautiful areas in the game. I loved that vista in the Tomb of the Giants. I wish that the Ash Lake level was larger, because I'd love to spend more time there.

I just love how everything is connected in this game.

D_Davis

11-23-2011, 06:36 PM

I started a new character last night, and did a bunch of co-op and invading in the Undead Berg. I was actually helping people beat the Taurus Demon, Haval, and the first black knight. :D It was fun.

I can't think of another RPG/Action-RPG that is as fun to play any stage of the game. I don't mind starting over in Dark Souls because it's all so much fun.

I couldn't imagine starting over in Skyrim. The beginning scripted sequence is so boring and the first few hours of the game are boring as well.

megladon8

11-23-2011, 07:57 PM

I can't think of another RPG/Action-RPG that is as fun to play any stage of the game. I don't mind starting over in Dark Souls because it's all so much fun.

I couldn't imagine starting over in [insert game that isn't "Darl Souls"]. The beginning scripted sequence is so boring and the first few hours of the game are boring as well.

Fixed :lol:

D_Davis

11-23-2011, 08:02 PM

Fixed :lol:

...

But that's not true!

:)

Some games I love from beginning to end:

Symphony of the Night
Tomb Raider 1
Half Life 2

Lucky

11-23-2011, 08:07 PM

Pyromancy glove, iron flesh, crystal ring shield, and gold hemmed armor all take a hit? Glad I already beat the game, my character lost some effectiveness.

megladon8

11-23-2011, 08:12 PM

...

But that's not true!

:)

Some games I love from beginning to end:

Symphony of the Night
Tomb Raider 1
Half Life 2

I know, I'm just joshin' ya cause you seem to love "Dark Souls" more than most people love their spouses.

D_Davis

11-23-2011, 08:15 PM

Pyromancy glove, iron flesh, crystal ring shield, and gold hemmed armor all take a hit? Glad I already beat the game, my character lost some effectiveness.

I know right? I didn't use any of those on my main, except for the gold hemmed hood because it looked cool. I also ditched the antiquated skirt awhile ago.

D_Davis

11-23-2011, 08:15 PM

I know, I'm just joshin' ya cause you seem to love "Dark Souls" more than most people love their spouses.

It's easy to do when it's the best game ever made. ;)

D_Davis

11-23-2011, 08:17 PM

They basically nerfed the powerful light armor because it made wearing the heavy armor obsolete. So now if you wear light armor, you have to play like you're wearing light armor and focus more on dodging rather than tanking.

KK2.0

11-23-2011, 08:57 PM

...

But that's not true!

:)

Some games I love from beginning to end:

Symphony of the Night
Tomb Raider 1
Half Life 2

I think this game has more in common with Castlevania SOTN than with Skyrim.

D_Davis

11-23-2011, 09:01 PM

I think this game has more in common with Castlevania SOTN than with Skyrim.

Oh - BIG time.

I've been comparing DS with SOTN night since day one. It's actually the prefect 3D Castlevania.

megladon8

11-23-2011, 10:15 PM

Yeah, "Dark Souls" is more "Castlevania" than "Lords of Shadow".

Which is also a great game, it just feels less like a "Castlevania" game than this does.

Man, how awesome would it be if From Software took over the "Castelvania" series?

KK2.0

11-24-2011, 01:54 AM

I enjoyed Lords of Shadow as well, but the Souls games are closer to that style of design imo.

Dark Souls beaten, what a journey.

Davis, did you...

...Lit the bonfire at the end? this seems to be the shorter ending, probably the 'martyr ending' in which the player sacrifices itself.

After beating the boss I accidentally triggered the alternate ending, I started to look
around the room and left the building, that starts the 'Dark ending', your character returns to the Firelink Altar and is welcomed by a dozen primordial serpents, they bow and proclaim you the new Dark Lord. They mention both Frampt and the serpent from the darkwraith covenant together, for a moment I thought they were enemies but it doesn't seem so.

But both endings seem rather quick and obtuse, Demon's Souls was more straight foward but the lore was explained a little better.

but what disappointed me was that, SunBro...

...fought the final battle alongside me and survived, but there wasn't any conversation or anything after we won.

D_Davis

11-24-2011, 04:05 PM

This game...it still has its claws in me.

Started a new character again last night - a pure DEX build. Rang the first bell. Since all of the merchants and blacksmiths sell arrows now, I bought everything I needed from the merchant in the Undead Berg, and then killed him for his katana. I'm trying to keep my level low for co-op/PVP (I'm level 10 now), and so I put a ton of souls into upgrading the katana to +5 and all of my starting armor is now fully upgraded. The katana does almost as much damage right now as the Drake Sword, and it also causes bleed damage.

D_Davis

11-24-2011, 04:07 PM

Davis, did you...

...Lit the bonfire at the end? this seems to be the shorter ending, probably the 'martyr ending' in which the player sacrifices itself.

After beating the boss I accidentally triggered the alternate ending, I started to look
around the room and left the building, that starts the 'Dark ending', your character returns to the Firelink Altar and is welcomed by a dozen primordial serpents, they bow and proclaim you the new Dark Lord. They mention both Frampt and the serpent from the darkwraith covenant together, for a moment I thought they were enemies but it doesn't seem so.

But both endings seem rather quick and obtuse, Demon's Souls was more straight foward but the lore was explained a little better.

but what disappointed me was that, SunBro...

...fought the final battle alongside me and survived, but there wasn't any conversation or anything after we won.

Wow - the other ending is ever more abrupt. As in, nothing at all happens. :) I'm wondering, though, if there is any kind of overall effect on the world depending on how many players choose which ending...might be kind of cool.

Unfortunately, I didn't save Sun Bro at the end. He turned hollow and I had to fight him. Bummer. I'm going to try to save him on my next play-through.