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[sleepykyo]

The biggest problem with this game is the complete lack of explanation of many mechanics.
I'm trying to get my friend into this game. He loves games, he loves a challenge, but I still have to sell him on stuff.

"No, don't go that way to the skeletons, you cant even kill them without a divine weapon."
"How do you know that?"
"The internet."

(maybe this was explained in the game, but I don't think so). For how deep the leveling system and weapon upgrading system are, there could be a fucking tutorial. At the very least, explain the scaling. And explain humanity.

Domhall tells it to you as one of his tips. But I agree, most of the stuff isn't explained or incorrectly explained (Tiny Ring).

 

[Sykotik]

I ran through the Tomb of Giants to find out I needed to have the Lord's Vessel to continue on, then I had to make my way back up. I was about to start over.

 

[Mattdaddy]

Alright I give up

I said I won't check any of the Dark Souls threads until I finish my 1st playthrough but fuck it

Did I miss a giant red button in the game that turns the Tomb of Giants to it's "fuck you" mode instead of "fuck you and your family, ancestry and everyone and everything you ever loved" ?

Seriously how in the fuck I'm supposed to know where should I go, how to tactically maneuver around those giant assholes when I can't see shit past my nose.

I loved Demon's Souls and I'm loving Dark souls but this level/area is straight up retarded "yeah let's take away everything you learned in the past two games and throw it outside the window, oh and as an added bonus let's give these giant fucks fast powerful attacks that drain your stamina but also give them fast recovery so there is no way to punish them BRILLIANT !!"

Oh and I'm at the bonfire beneath Patches cousin, so as far as I can tell (which isn't much) there's no way for me to get out of this shithole

Hahaha yeah that place sucks hard. My least favorite spot along with Demons Ruins/Dark Izalith. Anyway

Spoiler

if you take the ladder back up to Patches, then walk to the ledge behind him and a cutscene will happen where he pushes you off. You will find a lantern where you fall, and that will give you some light and make it easier. Luckily it's not a large zone in all.

 

[rogerroger22]

Alright I give up

I said I won't check any of the Dark Souls threads until I finish my 1st playthrough but fuck it

Did I miss a giant red button in the game that turns the Tomb of Giants to it's "fuck you" mode instead of "fuck you and your family, ancestry and everyone and everything you ever loved" ?

Seriously how in the fuck I'm supposed to know where should I go, how to tactically maneuver around those giant assholes when I can't see shit past my nose.

I loved Demon's Souls and I'm loving Dark souls but this level/area is straight up retarded "yeah let's take away everything you learned in the past two games and throw it outside the window, oh and as an added bonus let's give these giant fucks fast powerful attacks that drain your stamina but also give them fast recovery so there is no way to punish them BRILLIANT !!"

Oh and I'm at the bonfire beneath Patches cousin, so as far as I can tell (which isn't much) there's no way for me to get out of this shithole

Question: Do you have the Lord Vessel yet? If no - don't bother going there yet, probably not worth it.

If yes.

Spoiler

- Eventually, you will find a Skull Latern near the beginning, equipping it in your left hand and holding L1 will make it light up the area, and also cause blue things to glow showing you a path.

- Or, figure out how to rescue the girl that will teach you the Cast Light spell, get your int up to 15, and use that as a light source.

- Or, Head to Lost Izalith, and find the Sunlight Maggot Helm that will also act as a light source

I stumbled into Tomb of the Giants fairly early into the game, got creamed twice and sort of figured 'Screw this, I guess I should come back later' - came back better leveled / appropriately equipped (go go cast-light), and the level is actually pretty neat. I liked it.

 

[knitoe]

Finally, got the Knight's Honor achievement. Fuck you official guide for making me spend hours trying to get the Ghost Blade. I was only missing the Channeler's Trident.

 

[Booshka]

Something unbelievable just happened. I am in

Spoiler

Dark

Anor Londo waiting around for invasions and summoning strangers to fight with me, I summon a Warrior of Sunlight and he is confused about what I am doing. I tell him I am waiting for invasions, then he leaves and says "sorry, I need Sunlight medals" I have 20 Sunlight medals that I don't need, so I tell him I will give him 3.

I re-summon him into my game, and drop them down for him. He bows, takes the 3 Sunlight medals then I banish him from my game. I go back to waiting for invasions and while waiting I get 3 Estus Flasks gifted to me in quick succession, coincidence or design intention? Either way, this game is amazing .

 

[TheThunder]

I actually did pick up the Lantern and even equipped it, too bad I did it in my right hand so I thought it was useless, Thanks guys I was going near insane.

I can't use magic (mainly a melee char) and like I said I'm at the bonfire near patches so I can't go back.

I still think those giants (mainly the dog/skeleton) are pure bullshit light or no light.

 

[Dresden]

I actually did pick up the Lantern and even equipped it, too bad I did it in my right hand so I thought it was useless, Thanks guys I was going near insane.

I can't use magic (mainly a melee char) and like I said I'm at the bonfire near patches so I can't go back.

I still think those giants (mainly the dog/skeleton) are pure bullshit light or no light.

Just run by them - if you sprint and roll they won't be able to hit you. It's also ridiculously tense when you have a lantern in your hand and you're sprinting through the Tomb with a bunch of skeletal dogs panting and chasing after you.

 

[Parallax Scroll]

I actually did pick up the Lantern and even equipped it, too bad I did it in my right hand so I thought it was useless, Thanks guys I was going near insane.

I can't use magic (mainly a melee char) and like I said I'm at the bonfire near patches so I can't go back.

I still think those giants (mainly the dog/skeleton) are pure bullshit light or no light.

I grabbed the lantern and got the hell back out of there. It shouldn't be that hard, just follow the lights and head up.

 

[scosher]

I'm confused by the comments that upgraded armor is better than the special non-upgradeable armors. I want to use heavy armor with super high physical defense for this area. I've got Havel's Armor, Stone Armor, and Black Iron Armor already, so I figured I'd try to upgrade something else to be even better. The heaviest armor I've got that can be upgraded with Titanite Shards is Elite Knight Armor, but after bringing it up to +4 it's still nowhere near as good as those special armors. Am I missing something?

But that's like comparing light armor to medium armor. They're in different classes. Elite Knight Armor is (or rather, was) the best medium armor in 1.03, since it had the best poise and defenses with no stamina regen penalty. Its poise got nerfed in 1.04, though.

Havel's, Stone's, Black Iron, Smough's, Giant's, etc. are all heavy armor with major stamina regen penalties, but as a tradeoff, have much better poise and marginally better physical defenses. And since poise is one of the few stats that doesn't get improved when upgrading, heavy armor like Havel's or Golem's are still useful despite not having any upgrade path.

 

[Parallax Scroll]

But that's like comparing light armor to medium armor. They're in different classes. Elite Knight Armor is (or rather, was) the best medium armor in 1.03, since it had the best poise and defenses with no stamina regen penalty. Its poise got nerfed in 1.04, though.

Havel's, Stone's, Black Iron, Smough's, Giant's, etc. are all heavy armor with major stamina regen penalties, but as a tradeoff, have much better poise and marginally better physical defenses. And since poise is one of the few stats that doesn't get improved when upgrading, heavy armor like Havel's or Golem's are still useful despite not having any upgrade path.

Stamina regen penalty? Wha?

There's so much stuff I don't know about this game. I didn't play Demon's Souls.

 

[Minamu]

What's the best outfit for a bandit to upgrade before going NG+? dex 31, str 50, end 25 (yeah my build is screwed up). Can't farm in the forest anymore due to covenant (or will they turn hostile again if I attack them?). I've maxed out all weapon upgrades for trophies, just need more slabs. Should I just wait for the Gwyn armor instead and upgrade that one?

 

[KoreanBarbecue]

Stamina regen penalty? Wha?

There's so much stuff I don't know about this game. I didn't play Demon's Souls.

Yeah, heavy, heavy armor causes you to regen stamina much more slowly. Although, you can counteract it with the Cloranthy Ring.

 

[scy]

Stamina regen penalty? Wha?

There's so much stuff I don't know about this game. I didn't play Demon's Souls.

All the Heavy Armor (though, Black Iron doesn't have it ... well, the legs do but the others pieces do not) slow down your Stamina Regeneration. I think only one set actually mentions it though (Havel's?), but it's a property of the heavier armors.

I still think those giants (mainly the dog/skeleton) are pure bullshit light or no light.

Eh, they're not so bad. The Skeletons only have one stupid attack (the double overhand with the Murakumo) and the Dogs have a long cooldown period after their berserk rush. They both do suck for pure melee though.

As for the Tomb itself, there's a path from the pit you were kicked into that leads back up; should be an invisible wall to hit to get you back up top. Once you're there, merely go to the pit again but hug the wall around it instead of dropping down.

 

[NEOPARADIGM]

Okay, I have 33 Tinanite Chunks and 23 White Titanite Chunks in my inventory. That should give you an idea of how long I've been trying to beat NG+ Gwyn.

I've tried the Havel armor way; I've tried the parrying way; I've tried the legit way. Had him down to his last sliver of health more than once.

Judging my by chunks up there I'd say I've tried a good 20-25 times. Is there a way to cheese him or what?

I ran through the Tomb of Giants to find out I needed to have the Lord's Vessel to continue on, then I had to make my way back up. I was about to start over.

lolol .... always remember though, going backwards through an area is generally much easier. And as for Tomb of the Giants in general, don't worry newcomers, it's just like every other level: once you know it - really know it - it's easy. It's just because you haven't put in the time that it's giving you trouble. You know this.

 

[Parallax Scroll]

Yeah, heavy, heavy armor causes you to regen stamina much more slowly. Although, you can counteract it with the Cloranthy Ring.

Does that apply to all armors (scaling with the weight), or is it a special property that only certain heavier armors have?

Edit: Ah, scy answered my question, thanks.

TheThunder: That lantern kicks ass. I use it in a lot of other areas too just so I can see better.

 

[MedIC86]

How do i get the key to the carpa demon again ? that door on the bridge?

 

[TheThunder]

wow using the Lantern is HUGE

Can't believe how I was actually playing this area (walking as slow as the game will allow pointing the camera at my feet so I wouldn't fall and die) before, it's still hard area overall but it's much more manageable now

 

[Zzoram]

How do i get the key to the carpa demon again ? that door on the bridge?

on the other side of the big gate that the boar used to guard, its on the ground

 

[Parallax Scroll]

All the Heavy Armor (though, Black Iron doesn't have it ... well, the legs do but the others pieces do not) slow down your Stamina Regeneration. I think only one set actually mentions it though (Havel's?), but it's a property of the heavier armors.

Huh, so I can't just look at the item description to tell? What about the Stone armor set?

Edit: reading comprehension. sounds like stone has that property too.

 

[x3r0123]

Okay, I have 33 Tinanite Chunks and 23 White Titanite Chunks in my inventory. That should give you an idea of how long I've been trying to beat NG+ Gwyn.

I've tried the Havel armor way; I've tried the parrying way; I've tried the legit way. Had him down to his last sliver of health more than once.

Judging my by chunks up there I'd say I've tried a good 20-25 times. Is there a way to cheese him or what?

parry is the way to cheese him.. If you need help then go summon other people

 

[Booshka]

Okay, I have 33 Tinanite Chunks and 23 White Titanite Chunks in my inventory. That should give you an idea of how long I've been trying to beat NG+ Gwyn.

I've tried the Havel armor way; I've tried the parrying way; I've tried the legit way. Had him down to his last sliver of health more than once.

Judging my by chunks up there I'd say I've tried a good 20-25 times. Is there a way to cheese him or what?

Iron Flesh, Stamina Regen, 2H your best weapon and go to town.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Where exactly is the Japanese steel in Blighttown? It looks so badass, but I could never find it.

 

[BigAT]

Is there any sort of convenient "To-Do" list on everything you should collect/complete before moving onto NG+? I'm nearing that point and I want to make sure I've hit anything before progressing with the main completion path more.

 

[Zzoram]

Is there any sort of convenient "To-Do" list on everything you should collect/complete before moving onto NG+? I'm nearing that point and I want to make sure I've hit anything before progressing with the main completion path more.

upgrade your stuff
kindle all bonfires to 20 estus
buy boss armor/spells you want

 

[Parallax Scroll]

Where exactly is the Japanese steel in Blighttown? It looks so badass, but I could never find it.

It's up in the "town" part of blighttown with all the ladders and platforms. Good luck.

 

[scosher]

All the Heavy Armor (though, Black Iron doesn't have it ... well, the legs do but the others pieces do not) slow down your Stamina Regeneration. I think only one set actually mentions it though (Havel's?), but it's a property of the heavier armors.

I used to think the same of Black Iron armor, but I think that may be a material misprint in the official strategy guide. At least according to this site, which has been updated with all 1.04 figures, Black Iron does have the heavy armor stamina regen penalty:

http://darksouls.lljk.net/1.04/armor/black_iron_armor

The strategy guide states that only the Black Iron leggings have the major stamina regen penalty, but that's a pretty strange and arbitrary design. Why only the leggings?

What's more likely is that the guide simply forgot to put the * next to the other pieces as well, and since so many people swore behind the guide's information like the bible, rumors that the Black Iron set has no penalty were wrongfully spread.

 

[Yo Gotti]

What's the best outfit for a bandit to upgrade before going NG+? dex 31, str 50, end 25 (yeah my build is screwed up). Can't farm in the forest anymore due to covenant (or will they turn hostile again if I attack them?). I've maxed out all weapon upgrades for trophies, just need more slabs. Should I just wait for the Gwyn armor instead and upgrade that one?

Gwyn's armor is pretty much for show as far as I can tell. I haven't messed with it much so I'm not sure if it can be upgraded.

Go for Ornsteins armor. Medium weight, high Phys protection, decent resistances.

 

[x3r0123]

Is there any sort of convenient "To-Do" list on everything you should collect/complete before moving onto NG+? I'm nearing that point and I want to make sure I've hit anything before progressing with the main completion path more.

kill the npcs and upgrade your flasks
explore the whole world for missing treasures/items
everything else, look at Zzoram's post

Go for Ornsteins armor. Medium weight, high Phys protection, decent resistances.

and the looks

 

[prodystopian]

Where exactly is the Japanese steel in Blighttown? It looks so badass, but I could never find it.

When you get into Blighttown from the Depths, you have to pass those giant Ogres. If you run by them and look to the left at the end of the walkway they are on, you should see loot on a scaffold that you must jump to. That is it.

 

[Sullichin]

That's actually not true. You can kill them with anything if you kill the necromancer first and the skellies in the graveyard don't have a necro.

I know you can kill them if you kill the necromancer.

But if the skeletons in the graveyard (which is where he was), dont have a necromancer, you'd need a divine weapon to keep them down right?

Anyway, I realize that might not be the best example of the game not explaining stuff well, it's just what came to mind at first because my friend was like "this game is stupid hard these skeletons are destroying me."

The next way he tried to go was New Londo ruins. :lol

But i also had to warn him to not pick the Tiny Ring because of the translation error.
Told him not to focus on leveling resistance because it's pretty useless.
Told him about the weapon detail screen and how scaling works (would it really have been so hard, the first time you pick up a weapon, for the game to go into the menu and explain the different screens / what matters - it's really not obvious at all).
turns out stability is the most important thing about a shield, but the numbers it gives you by default are for the attack power? dumb.
How do you know there's a stamina regen penalty for some armor? is it in the item description?


The only thing I remember the game explaining was when I got cursed. And I thought it was out of place because I don't remember any other explanatory text like that

 

[Parallax Scroll]

The skeletons in the graveyard stay dead until you rest.

 

[Mortrialus]

We're still getting tossed into community? Was nice while it lasted guys..

 

[BigAT]

upgrade your stuff
kindle all bonfires to 20 estus
buy boss armor/spells you want

Kindling bonfires persists through NG+? I assumed that was something that would be reset.

 

[54-46!]

Do covenants alignments stay in NG+?

Which bonfires are the most important to kindle?

I haven't joined a covenant or revived to human once during my entire playthrough.

 

[Dr. Acid Avatar]

Finally, got the Knight's Honor achievement. Fuck you official guide for making me spend hours trying to get the Ghost Blade. I was only missing the Channeler's Trident.

Can the channeler's in duke's archive drop it?

 

[KoreanBarbecue]

Finally, got the Knight's Honor achievement. Fuck you official guide for making me spend hours trying to get the Ghost Blade. I was only missing the Channeler's Trident.

Congrats, I got this one yesterday, too (including finally 1K'd this sucker).

 

[Parallax Scroll]

Can the channeler's in duke's archive drop it?

Yep, just got one.

 

[Mortrialus]

Do covenants alignments stay in NG+?

Which bonfires are the most important to kindle?

I haven't joined a covenant or revived to human once during my entire playthrough.

Covenants last into NG+

I just kindled all of them.

 

[scy]

I used to think the same of Black Iron armor, but I think that may be a material misprint in the official strategy guide. At least according to this site, which has been updated with all 1.04 figures, Black Iron does have the heavy armor stamina regen penalty:

If it had it in 1.03, it was pretty minor. I don't have the Guide so I didn't even know if that was where it came from. I haven't noticed any in small testing samples and I've used the full Black Iron set (sans Legs) for most my characters. The Legs have a pretty noticeable difference by themselves, though.

I think it's more likely that 1.04 just fixed the set rather than it's always had it and nobody noticed it.

 

[Backfoggen]

How the fuck do you cut Seath's tail off? It's impossible.

 

[Mortrialus]

How the fuck do you cut Seath's tail off? It's impossible.

You have to hit the tip of the middle tail. It's a pain in the ass.

 

[BackdoorBeauty]

The biggest problem with this game is the complete lack of explanation of many mechanics.
I'm trying to get my friend into this game. He loves games, he loves a challenge, but I still have to sell him on stuff.

"No, don't go that way to the skeletons, you cant even kill them without a divine weapon."
"How do you know that?"
"The internet."

(maybe this was explained in the game, but I don't think so). For how deep the leveling system and weapon upgrading system are, there could be a fucking tutorial. At the very least, explain the scaling. And explain humanity.

There is an NPC that specifically tells you that you need a Divine weapon for the Catacombs. If you didn't have the net, and just talked to every NPC, you would figure it out.

 

[Xanathus]

How the fuck do you cut Seath's tail off? It's impossible.

It's the very tip of his middle tail. The trick I used was to *not* keep chasing after it's tail. Instead, stay somewhere close to it's front while still being near it's side. This causes him to do the crystal attack at the front, which also stops him from spinning to face you. Take the opportunity to get it's tail then.

 

[NEOPARADIGM]

Iron Flesh

Holy shit, done. Worked like a charm.

Danke.

 

[Fullmetal-GTO]

Okay, I have 33 Tinanite Chunks and 23 White Titanite Chunks in my inventory. That should give you an idea of how long I've been trying to beat NG+ Gwyn.

I've tried the Havel armor way; I've tried the parrying way; I've tried the legit way. Had him down to his last sliver of health more than once.

Judging my by chunks up there I'd say I've tried a good 20-25 times. Is there a way to cheese him or what?



lolol .... always remember though, going backwards through an area is generally much easier. And as for Tomb of the Giants in general, don't worry newcomers, it's just like every other level: once you know it - really know it - it's easy. It's just because you haven't put in the time that it's giving you trouble. You know this.

The way I fight him... There are some rock pillars in the room. Try to keep one of those between you and Gwyn. Stay as close to it as possible. You'll hardly receive any damage because he hits the rocks, and only attack him when his guard is down... Like when he does the grab attack.

Good luck!

 

[tokkun]

There is an NPC that specifically tells you that you need a Divine weapon for the Catacombs. If you didn't have the net, and just talked to every NPC, you would figure it out.

Domnhall will tell you after you spend like 50K souls at his shop. Is this what you were talking about? Not exactly easy to find.

 

[Grinchy]

You have to hit the tip of the middle tail. It's a pain in the ass.

I gave up and just beat him. After trying so many times for the tail, fighting him was easy as hell.

 

[Backfoggen]

I gave up and just beat him. After trying so many times for the tail, fighting him was easy as hell.

That's the thing that's so annoying. I could beat his ass pretty much instantly if I wanted to, yet I'm stuck trying to get his tail off.

Thanks for the tips, will try again.

Edit: Do tails take more hits on NG+?

 

[corrosivefrost]

You have to hit the tip of the middle tail. It's a pain in the ass.

It's by far the worst, with Priscilla's being next in line.

When I finally got it, I was locked on to seath using slumbering dragoncrest ring and just circling him until I saw a chance to sprint in and take 1-2 swipes at the tip. Took forever. Trying to get him to the center of the room is good advice too. His is by far the best weapon in my opinion too.