I want to give Dark Souls one last shot. Help me.
- Thread starter mickcenary
- Start date
Mr_Appleby
Member
Every time I get summoned in AL and the host is using the lightning spear I cry a little. Then I man up and kill things with fire.
i <3 chaos weapons
hey more stability is always a good thing. but it varies from shield to shield how much of a boost it gets from upgrading. Some really benefit, others not so much.
Robot Pants
Member
after the elite knight armor nerf, its pretty shitty now
KO Traveling Hobo
Member
When you're a nooblet who's strapped for shards and souls, you'll get the most bang for your buck from upgrading weapons and armor. Shield reinforcement isn't really worth worrying about at that point, imo.
Wait - I actually just stated that I don't like the design. If you are fine with it then I'm too with your opinion.
But to expand my argumentation, the game itself seems to do a lot of things right when you handle it as a game in an old school sense. For me modern RPGs need to provide a breathing world and that is not because I'm 12 (I'm actually 26) but I want to get sucked into a game and that is where DS fails with it's respawning enemies and it's trial and error approach. That being said, I can understand why people love it but I don't do.
Mr_Appleby
Member
oh i'm not saying prioritize it over that stuff, especially not weapons. but it really can make a difference to the effectiveness of some of the lighter shields. i'm slightly biased since i tend to play lighter armoured/low vit characters and rely on the shield far more than the armour.
runlikehell
Banned
I just recently killed everything except for
after giving up on the game in October last year, and now I'm waiting for the DLC before I kill him. 
Gwyn
While you are right in the mechanical sense, the game also offers you something of a reason & justification for these choices.
The (back)story, and feeling of limbo, of an 'endless struggle' - I felt they were helped and enforced by the respawning enemies. The game rarely felt trial and error actually -- more like requiring to keep myself in check. Be careful, be aware of your surroundings, don't rush, don't blink too often and most importantly keep yourself calm and measured when fighting anyone. And also, learn from the people you bring into your games and learn from the people that call you in their games.
And step by step, you'll get to the end of the game without being annoyed.
Jawmuncher
Member
So for me is there really any noticeable changes since im playing the game offline?
(It's not possible to play it online where im at)
I know you can still be invaded and what not, it's just I recall in both DS' where summoning people REALLY saved my ass. Hell I wouldn't have beaten the last boss in DS without some help (But that's what made it so special) so many random people helping me beat the game.
(It's not possible to play it online where im at)
I know you can still be invaded and what not, it's just I recall in both DS' where summoning people REALLY saved my ass. Hell I wouldn't have beaten the last boss in DS without some help (But that's what made it so special) so many random people helping me beat the game.
The Anti-Monitor
Banned
Playing the game for the first time, the atmosphere with all the ghosts and blood and stuff is really one of the best parts, but the game's main appeal is unchanged offline.
The boss designs are really awesome. One of the most enjoyable games in a long time.
H_Prestige
Banned
Claymore is completely free. It's just lying on the bridge in front of the dragon.
It never made sense to me to waste time shooting arrows to get a crap weapon when a badass sword is right above just waiting for you to pick it up.
SiegfriedFM
Member
Also, Drake Sword costs 10000 souls per upgrade plus the Dragon Scales that aren't too plentiful. Claymore upgrades with 200 souls and farmable or buyable shards.
Claymore also has an arguably better moveset and the far better Two Hand option. It also allows you to actually explore build options (e.g., Faith or INT builds). Drake Sword is just kind of a strong "dumb" weapon.
Also, I hate you all for making me want to replay Dark Souls so badly.
Also, I hate you all for making me want to replay Dark Souls so badly.
mickcenary
Member
I'M DONE. FUCK THIS GAME. IT'S FUCKING TERRIB-
Just kidding, you guysssss. Chill out.
I've played for practically the entire day and have more or less neglected life and stuff, so I'll plop down a keynote summary/help list.
> first and foremost: the Elite Knight armor is worth the price of admission alone. It is amazing looking. From Software certainly know their medieval design. I also adore how it changes aesthetically (if only in subtle ways) upon each reinforcing. That kind of stuff is crack for me in gaming.
> I am rocking a Divine Claymore now. It is BAWS and pairs nicely with the Black Knight shield.
> it's funny how I just now calmly turned my Xbox off with a smile on my face, as opposed to earlier in the day when I turned it off mid-gameplay, in a huff to end all huffs and had to pace up and down my living room after shouting obscenities at my TV. Self-control; I has it.
> New Lando can go fuck itself.
> ibid.
> I was 10 hours in before I realized that this humanity that I was picking up could be used - as in, transferable to your person. Idiot. What is and isn't passively operating in this game can be a confusing consideration.
(Now onto some help... Please?)
> This is the most important question, I guess. Where the funk do I even go now? I'll lay down a rudimentary log of what I've done: Taurus Demong -> Moonlight Slutterfly -> Bell Douchegoyle. The rest of my time has been spent running around, fucking up, going on journeys that have led nowhere (fuck you, New Lando!). Who do I go for next? And how do I get to them?
> Humanity and reversing hollowing: are these mechanics only there to help you throughout the game? Do they have to be utilized?
> I miss the super agility I possessed as a vanilla Pyromancer. Is it possible to be this agile with a full suit of armor, or no?
Anyway! Many thanks for all the help and advice, DSGaf.
Just kidding, you guysssss. Chill out.
I've played for practically the entire day and have more or less neglected life and stuff, so I'll plop down a keynote summary/help list.
> first and foremost: the Elite Knight armor is worth the price of admission alone. It is amazing looking. From Software certainly know their medieval design. I also adore how it changes aesthetically (if only in subtle ways) upon each reinforcing. That kind of stuff is crack for me in gaming.
> I am rocking a Divine Claymore now. It is BAWS and pairs nicely with the Black Knight shield.
> it's funny how I just now calmly turned my Xbox off with a smile on my face, as opposed to earlier in the day when I turned it off mid-gameplay, in a huff to end all huffs and had to pace up and down my living room after shouting obscenities at my TV. Self-control; I has it.
> New Lando can go fuck itself.
> ibid.
> I was 10 hours in before I realized that this humanity that I was picking up could be used - as in, transferable to your person. Idiot. What is and isn't passively operating in this game can be a confusing consideration.
(Now onto some help... Please?)
> This is the most important question, I guess. Where the funk do I even go now? I'll lay down a rudimentary log of what I've done: Taurus Demong -> Moonlight Slutterfly -> Bell Douchegoyle. The rest of my time has been spent running around, fucking up, going on journeys that have led nowhere (fuck you, New Lando!). Who do I go for next? And how do I get to them?
> Humanity and reversing hollowing: are these mechanics only there to help you throughout the game? Do they have to be utilized?
> I miss the super agility I possessed as a vanilla Pyromancer. Is it possible to be this agile with a full suit of armor, or no?
Anyway! Many thanks for all the help and advice, DSGaf.
QisTopTier
XisBannedTier
Remember that door you ran past before the dragon on the bridge that was locked
head thereJake Tower
Banned
You rang the bell on top of the Undead Parish, right? During your exploration of Undead Parish you should have found a key that will unlock the door to the lower Undead Burg. This door is on the other end of the 'dragon bridge' near the knight gazing at the sun. Go to lower Undead Burg, there is a boss there that gives you a key to the next area, the Depths.
sloppyjoe_gamer
Member
Congrats for even coming back!!! But let me just say (as you probably have heard a ton of times by now) but that feeling of being completely overwhelmed, and fear of death at every footstep is totally normal with this game, and you will most certainly die a ton of times...you will get pissed, youll stop playing for a day or two, then youll go back and repeat the cycle all over again. Its all about the magic that this game posesses and why its so highly acclaimed.
You will get to a point where suddenly things just start clicking, and its one of the best feelings you'll ever feel as a gamer. GAF is a huge help with this game, and you'll for the most part, just want to experience things yourself for your first playthrough. I would only recommend a guide if youre going to go through it multiple times, or really want to dig into everything this game offers (and you should).
mickcenary
Member
ALRIGHTYTHEN. Thanks, guys. I shall proceed with caution.
Shitdicks
. I have not even touched my Faith and I'm at about 8k souls per level. Would undoing the divinity be worth it?
Shitdicks
. I have not even touched my Faith and I'm at about 8k souls per level. Would undoing the divinity be worth it?doesn't really matter, outside of poise the only thing that truly matters is how it looks
Felix Lighter
Member
Have they balanced the stat bonus based upgrades with a patch yet? If not lightning or fire upgrades are your best bet.
Faith/Intelligence-scaling weapons' total damages look good and they do really well against normal enemies, but in combat against other players they aren't all that great since they have two resistances to deal with. You can't use any buffs either.
The +15 weapons by themselves do moderate amount of damage with decent stats (a little less than maxed elementals). They're excellent with Power Within or a magic buff with good FAI/INT (700-900 damage per hit), but they really shine with both (1000-1500 on heavily-armored enemies).
Finally picked up this game, largely due to this thread.
Only about 1 hour into the game and totally not feeling it so far. Clumsy controls, bad camera, slowdown, totally confusing how humanity/souls/hollowing/bonfires/leveling/etc work and going in and out of the inventory/stat screens really requires two steps? And is there a map?
Still, I like the athmosphere and will keep going. But so far the difficulty have come mostly from me struggling with the controls and such.
Only about 1 hour into the game and totally not feeling it so far. Clumsy controls, bad camera, slowdown, totally confusing how humanity/souls/hollowing/bonfires/leveling/etc work and going in and out of the inventory/stat screens really requires two steps? And is there a map?
Still, I like the athmosphere and will keep going. But so far the difficulty have come mostly from me struggling with the controls and such.
Shitdicks
Honestly, it might be a better idea to stop adding points to STR/DEX and just upgrade to +10 so you can make it a Lightning weapon later on. Those do a ludicrous amount of damage and they don't scale with stats at all, meaning you're free to increase END and VIT more.
double jump
you haven't lived until a random little kid ask you "how do you make love".
Out of all the crazy things I hear about the souls games from new players/haters I will never understand people who say this " Clumsy controls, bad camera."
While I feel even the best of cameras can always use fine tuning, the controls feel so damn natural.
right trigger right arm
left trigger left arm
o is the....
wait how many of the people saying the controls are bad are playing on xbox ?
are you on xbox ?
This is what makes this game so damn unique and superior to everything else.
SiegfriedFM
Member
Shitdicks
Yeah, if you're not doing Faith you shouldn't really make your weapons Divine. But you can undo it back to +5 at Andre. After the next boss you'll soon find Large Ember which lets you move on to +10, provided you've found enough large shards.
Humanity is essential for farming specific items and you will need co-op help at times, and then you need to be human. But theoretically you could go solo all the way.
It's possible to be that agile by raising your endurance so high that what you have equipped weighs less than 25% of your maximum equip. Also, you can get the Ring of Favor and Protection to increase equip capacity a bit more, or a few others. There's also the Dark Wood Grain Ring but that thing is broken and with any luck it will be nerfed in the patch in a month or so.
Unless you have really high END, prepare to run around topless or with a skirt instead of leggings, or maybe without a helmet. The extra stats you get from a single piece of gear aren't worth being super slow and unable to roll.
You should get humanity to level up your bonfire.And special souls can upgrade your flask, it'll tell you if it's a fire keeper souls or not.It looks completely different, upgrading your healing flask heals more.Look it up on a wiki if you're lost kinda confusing the first time.
Moral Panic
Member
Yea, when I first 2-handed a weapon I was like, wow, this makes so much sense. Most games make 2 handed weapons and 1 handed weapons, this game is like nope, if you press one button you can multiply your strength stat by 1.5 and 2hand ANY weapon for more power. And if your stats are good enough, you can 1 hand that Claymore.
Beerman462
Member
There is so much to this game its easy to forget on new play throughs. I beat it before the nerf to iron skin. I got to the final boss on my second play through and gave him about 5 attempts and decided to put the game down till the PC version is released. I can't wait go experience it all again and the new content.
Yeah I'm on 360. Are the controls much better on PS3?
I guess my main issue so far is that each button seems to do 3 different things. Haven't learned to do jumping attacks, kicks, parrys, backstabs, ripostes or any of that stuff with any consistency. And it all feels slightly unresponsive.
Also not gotten the hang of the targeting system. How do you switch between enemies? And it's making the camera act weird and aim straight down on the ground at times when I'm fighting on a flat surface.
Was the game made in an alternate universe where Ocarina Of Time never happened?
kick: Rb+ forward at the same time
Parry/Riposte: LT at the right moment - right when the enemy's weapon hits your shield -, RB. The time window for this is slim, and takes a long time to nail down, but it is consistent. To do it consistently, you have to be familiar with your enemies' attack animations, which you aren't yet.
Backstab. Rb behind the enemy, shield must be down. You have to get used to the right positioning, but like parry/riposte, it's consistent. Don't expect to be a backstab/riposte master right off the bat, and don't get frustrated with the controls just yet.. they just require some dedication. The controls are quite responsive.
Switch between lock on targets by flicking the right analog stick when you are locked on. However, you don't want to be using lock on all the time.
Also, turn off 'camera auto wall recovery' (or whatever it's called) in the options. With it on, the camera will swing around when you're too close to a wall. I never found this preferable myself.
Praise the sun
I remember my first time running up the hill and fighting the first few skeletons. Man, what a game. This is my only platinum trophy. Loved every moment I spent in this game. So many close calls and amazing co op battles.
Whoah, whoah, whoah. Hold the phone. Does this actually happen??
If you want to remain agile while wearing bits of heavy armour, you either need to increase your max equip burden (Endurance, Havel's ring) or find the aforementioned Dark Wood Grain Ring (tip: it's somewhere in the forest).
In fact, as for where to go, I recommend you head back to the forest, maybe do a bit of co-op (place your White Soapstone for people to summon you) against Moonlight Slutterfly, and buy the Crest of Artorias from Andre the blacksmith with your souls. With this you can get into the main forest area and take it from there...
mickcenary
Member
Ha. I think it does? I swear my shoulder plates got larger and my helmet, more ornate, but I dunno, man. You've put doubt into my head now. Maybe I'm projecting the sexiness onto it through overwhelming pride
.I do have Havel's ring, actually. The other one that I've equipped is the one that gives/boosts 'poise'; the name escapes me.
Thanks for the tips. 12 hours and I'm still comfortably in the 'daunted as fuck' camp.
EDIT: The Dark Wood Grain Ring sounds awesome. I'm sure I'll be asking many a question on how to obtain it. The process seems convoluted.
double jump
you haven't lived until a random little kid ask you "how do you make love".
Ha. I think it does? I swear my shoulder plates got larger and my helmet, more ornate, but I dunno, man. You've put doubt into my head now. Maybe I'm projecting the sexiness onto it through overwhelming pride
I do have Havel's ring, actually. The other one that I've equipped is the one that gives/boosts 'poise'; the name escapes me.
Thanks for the tips. 12 hours and I'm still comfortably in the 'daunted as fuck' camp.
EDIT: The Dark Wood Grain Ring sounds awesome. I'm sure I'll be asking many a question on how to obtain it. The process seems convoluted.
It's not you just have to kill a semi invisible ninja to get it.
HOLY DIVER. Go fuck up them skeletons now.
blainethemono
Member
is Quelaag's Furysword still worth crafting? i think i was planning on making one, was collecting the mats for it. then i kind of stopped playing and haven't gotten back on it since. thinking about starting up again, i was in the middle of Sen's Fortress at the time
mickcenary
Member
Ha. I think you may have yada yada'd quite a bit there. Don't I have to find some area and then find some cat in that area and then enter some covenant and then kill aforementioned ninja and then deal with his sullied buddies?
Done and done. Boned them sacks of bones good, yo. That sword that you get in the graveyard - with the German name - is fucking enormous.
So, my Divine Claymore... What say you, Gaf? Shouls I pump some souls into Faith (souls that I don't currently have) or should I just undo the divinity and pump my souls into END/STR/DEX as I have been doing?
Quoting myself to answer you. The Large Ember is something you'll find in the Depths pretty soon, which will give you access to upgrading up to +10.
Poimandres
Member
You'll get the hang of it. When I first started playing, I was coming from action games like NG and Bayonetta and thought Dark Souls was kind of clunky. Actually I didn't really get into the swing of things until I'd played about 10 hours!
But now? Everything feels so damn right.
mickcenary
Member
Thanks, Orayn. Sounds like a solid plan of attack.
I followed that strategy on my last character and found myself a little starved for damage before finally upgrading to lightning ~60% of the way through the game, but my stats were the bare minimum required to wield a claymore because I was trying to do a highly optimized PvP build. You've actually been leveling them a fair amount, so you should have no trouble at all.
yeah the controls are the best of any game I have played for making you feel your character is an extention of your own body...but obviously they won't be the same as any other game you have got used to previously...give it time and you will change your mind ...I guarantee. Just like playing a new instrument...eventhe kmost talented poeple have to put in the practice at first.
you mean you can turn off that annoying jerk that almost throws me off the rails while climbing to the windows of entry to painted world rafters???? Arrghhhh where were you sooner ?!?!?! just goes to show that although I think my post count is top for on this thread I STILL MISS STUFF ALL THE TIME.
Ha. I think it does? I swear my shoulder plates got larger and my helmet, more ornate, but I dunno, man. You've put doubt into my head now. Maybe I'm projecting the sexiness onto it through overwhelming pride
I do have Havel's ring, actually. The other one that I've equipped is the one that gives/boosts 'poise'; the name escapes me.
Thanks for the tips. 12 hours and I'm still comfortably in the 'daunted as fuck' camp.
EDIT: The Dark Wood Grain Ring sounds awesome. I'm sure I'll be asking many a question on how to obtain it. The process seems convoluted.
Doing great mate.....claymore is great and all but you need a diven weapon for teh catacombs to maek that area easier as the skeelies as you know will respawn otherwise there as well....there are literally 50 weapons in the game so while sticking withteh claymore and down grading it is a viable option.....there are many many mamy other choices. You will find a couple in blighttown..and speaking of which, you are right aboutthe DWGR being a convoluted mess. With patches and nerfings and such I am not even sure you can get the right ring if you kill the ninja inthe garden.....this is becuase I NEVER aggro shiva or his ninja firend until AFTER they are my firends and I meet them in blighttown......I strongly strongly strongly recommend you to dothe same as althoughShica's little shop sells weapons you can get ohter opaces htereis only one Washing pole...and since you started pumping both dex and str youwill be a perfect candidate for its masterful use. It is a katana of the gods withteh longest reach of any sword, yet still beahves like a fast cutting katana..its damage is somehwat less than other katanas....butunderstandably they could not make it the be all and end all weapon by leting you have your cake and eat it also.
I realizethat mess might soundlike babble to you so do use a wiki for that one quest if you do not understand........... but here is the bottom line for weapons:
I suggest you reserve your claymore for +15...you will need a totl of 3 embers and the last one will be in New londo (you knew you would have to face thatarea sometime right?!?!!?
you can always buff it with fire or lightnign, or even ultra powerful magic or faith based buffs later on. Youwill proabaly want to get a lightnign weapon and a fire or chaos weapon as well...many noobs just go with one weapon and forget to even try all the glorious weapons each with their own unique movesets.....the permutaitons andcombinations of all the optins you have makes sticking with only one weapon the whole game sort of myopic. Sonce differetn enemies have different weaknesses and resistnace to certian weapons and buffs, you will need a good trunk fo weapons to switch in and out for different bosses etc.