Support NeoGAF

[2AdEPT]

All I have to say is fuck those Skeleton Spinners.

falling on them from above is my new favourite pastime. In painted world, do a quick jaunt through the first few steps of the area, then break for the ladder making sure to take an angle other than what the enemies come at you on. Break up the ladder, then lock on ...you canhurl fire, magic or lightning down on them or simply drop on their head with a good weapon like lightning spear. If you didn't get them all the first time rinse and repeat. The ones in teh halllways are easy to peg one at a time as long as you know where they spawn and are ready to get them before they get you. Entering from the well in the courtyard is easier IMO. Just keep te illusory walls up as long as possible so that they don't gank you....one on one they are not as tough, especially if you hit them BEFORE they start rolling at you!!! Eagle shield helps but is not foolproof!

In catacombs, one option is to drop down where you can summon Leroy....he will get them goin sometimes, but not always.....the best spot is where the black night spawns as it is esier to get the skellies excited by shooting arrows at them....then when they come over and spaz underneath you you can get the whole whack of them in one drop...i fgured this out on my own one time and killed every last one in one drop ....fuck that felt good....died too many times to those fuckers!

 

[ixix]

Hmmm, I went and read the key descriptions. Seems that only the two special ones are

Spoiler

maidens that were experimented on, and the rest are "others".

Still, seems like that was fairly obvious even without reading item descriptions then.

It does suggest some sort of antagonism between

Spoiler

Seath and everyone connected to the "good" factions. Speaking of which, I'm not sure where Solaire and his group figures in all this, considering that Way of White and Sunbros are sort of allies with Princess Guard, at least in terms of gameplay.

Upon review, it's

Spoiler

the Archive Tower Cell Key that states that the inhabitants of the cell are Seath's failed experiments and the Archive Tower Giant Cell Key that says that he specifically targets maidens for his experiments

. Apparently I was conflating two similar item descriptions.

Spoiler

Seath is stated repeatedly to have gone completely bonkers in the time since Gwyn left. The Darkmoon Knightess says as much, the Robe of the Channelers item description says as much, and even Logan -- who's a bit of a naked dragon fanboy -- concedes he ain't quite right in the head. I don't think Seath's got any real friends left by the time the game starts. Poor fella. Maybe it was the social isolation what made him go batty in the first place.

On the subject of

Spoiler

Solaire

, I think he's kind of got two intertwined roles within the game's backstory. The first is

Spoiler

that as a knight of Astora he figures into the succession of failed expeditions to Lordran that the game portrays. The now-hollow remnants of Rendal and Berenike's expeditions are recurring enemies throughout the game, and the game points to an ongoing effort on the part of the knights of Astora to tackle Lordran. Oscar and Ricard are knights of Astora you meet directly who go hollow, and there's also the remains of Astoran knights in the Valley of Drakes from which you receive the Dragon Crest Shield and Astora's Straight Sword. Solaire's the only representative of Astora's ongoing knightly excursions who isn't necessarily doomed in the same way that Rendal and Berenike's attempts at similar excursions were.

The other is

Spoiler

that he functions as the in-game representative of the Warriors of Sunlight. The Warriors of Sunlight are loyal to Gwyn's Firstborn in the same way that the Blades of the Darkmoon are adherents of Gwyndolin, the Princess Guard are adherents of Gwynevere (and, by extension, Gwyndolin again), and the members of the Way of White are adherents of Allfather Lloyd.

Beyond that I don't personally read much into his character. I quite like the rather terse exposition that he receives and don't think that any of the various hypotheses about his possible backstory really improve the character any.

And on a tangent about the various knightly orders, there's something quite subtle that I like a lot and don't think I've ever mentioned before. If you kill

Spoiler

Gwynevere and make Anor Londo go dark, there are two enemies -- presumably Blades of the Darkmoon -- who appear in the main hall of the cathedral. Neither is hollow, and one of them is attired in full Balder equipment and the other in full Steel equipment. The equipment of the knights of Rendal and Berenike, respectively.

In other words, they're the last surviving, non-hollow members of Rendal and Berenike's expeditions to Lordran.

And you probably farmed them for souls, you cad.

 

[Akainu]

Does the dragon torso stone aggro npcs?

 

[ixix]

As I recall the shockwave effect of the torso stone is a non-damaging attack, so they should react to being hit by it the same as they react to being kicked or fallen upon: affronted, but not hostile.

I've never actually tried it, mind, so don't take this as gospel truth.

 

[Jake Tower]

I just got Dark Souls from the GameFly blow out sale... should I play it blind or do I need a guide?

 

[B-Genius]

There's no need to speculate on the origins of the creatures in the cell in the Archives. They're

Spoiler

the maidens that Seath experiments on that are kidnapped for him by the Channelers.

They're explicitly stated to be such by one item or another. The cell key, maybe. By my dozenth time reading all of the item descriptions they started to bleed together a bit, admittedly. If you play your cards right you can even

Spoiler

have Rhea get captured by the Channelers and taken there.

I swear, there's something new and disturbing to this game every time I play/read about it. Can you elaborate a bit on

Spoiler

the Channelers capturing Rhea

?

 

[ixix]

I just got Dark Souls from the GameFly blow out sale... should I play it blind or do I need a guide?

I'm very much in the camp that you should avoid using a guide on your first playthrough. You only get one chance at going in blind, after all. If you end up stymied somewhere there's nothing wrong with seeking help, but I'd personally recommend avoiding reading ahead of where you are. Dark Souls is very much a game that rewards exploration and experimentation; it's a shame to undermine those aspects of the game by using outside resources before you've experienced things once without any foreknowledge.

Getting everything in a single playthrough is literally impossible anyhow, even with a guide. It's best, I think, to just accept that you're not going to see and do anything on your first go-round and just enjoy the ride.

I swear, there's something new and disturbing to this game every time I play/read about it. Can you elaborate a bit on

Spoiler

the Channelers capturing Rhea

?

After

Spoiler

rescuing Rhea from the Tomb of Giants don't let Petrus kill her. Bump him off, then buy out her entire supply of Miracles. After a while she'll be gone from the Parish. When she disappears, head to the Archives. You'll find her in a cell in the area where you woke up after losing the first fight with Seath. She's hollow and will attack you on sight. Kill her for her talisman and a bunch of Humanity.

Poor girl's got it rough, all told. If you want to ensure her safety the only way is to kill Petrus and refrain from buying out her Miracle supply. Then you can rest secure in the knowledge that you have secured for her a long and fruitful life of post-traumatic stress disorder and night terrors. Huzzah.

 

[Jake Tower]

I'm very much in the camp that you should avoid using a guide on your first playthrough. You only get one chance at going in blind, after all. If you end up stymied somewhere there's nothing wrong with seeking help, but I'd personally recommend avoiding reading ahead of where you are. Dark Souls is very much a game that rewards exploration and experimentation; it's a shame to undermine those aspects of the game by using outside resources before you've experienced things once without any foreknowledge.

Getting everything in a single playthrough is literally impossible anyhow, even with a guide. It's best, I think, to just accept that you're not going to see and do anything on your first go-round and just enjoy the ride.

I'm cool with that.

 

[2AdEPT]

I'm cool with that.

I aggree with xixi, but if you have an idea that you want to go with, like for example you hear from an NPC that you are supposed to

Spoiler

ring two bells

....and yet you can't for the life of you find where the

Spoiler

2nd bell

is at ....wouldn't you want to get a hint or two? The trick is to limit yourself to key hints and not just expose every spoiler on this page...its hard, but I will be doing this for the DLC and for the next souls game for sure.

The problem is that souls games are punishing and unbalanced at times...I mean there is really only one good gift choice at the start of the game even...most people should at least get off on the right note with the gift?.....some may disagree.

Edit: good pick up BTW.....by far the best game I have ever played.

 

[PetriP-TNT]

After

Spoiler

rescuing Rhea from the Tomb of Giants don't let Petrus kill her. Bump him off, then buy out her entire supply of Miracles. After a while she'll be gone from the Parish. When she disappears, head to the Archives. You'll find her in a cell in the area where you woke up after losing the first fight with Seath. She's hollow and will attack you on sight. Kill her for her talisman and a bunch of Humanity.

Wow, cool. I certainly did not know that.

 

[Soulhouf]

After

Spoiler

rescuing Rhea from the Tomb of Giants don't let Petrus kill her. Bump him off, then buy out her entire supply of Miracles. After a while she'll be gone from the Parish. When she disappears, head to the Archives. You'll find her in a cell in the area where you woke up after losing the first fight with Seath. She's hollow and will attack you on sight. Kill her for her talisman and a bunch of Humanity.

Poor girl's got it rough, all told. If you want to ensure her safety the only way is to kill Petrus and refrain from buying out her Miracle supply. Then you can rest secure in the knowledge that you have secured for her a long and fruitful life of post-traumatic stress disorder and night terrors. Huzzah.

Spoiler

I believe if you kill her that way you don't get the talisman.

 

[Jake Tower]

I aggree with xixi, but if you have an idea that you want to go with, like for example you hear from an NPC that you are supposed to

Spoiler

ring two bells

....and yet you can't for the life of you find where the

Spoiler

2nd bell

is at ....wouldn't you want to get a hint or two? The trick is to limit yourself to key hints and not just expose every spoiler on this page...its hard, but I will be doing this for the DLC and for the next souls game for sure.

The problem is that souls games are punishing and unbalanced at times...I mean there is really only one good gift choice at the start of the game even...most people should at least get off on the right note with the gift?.....some may disagree.

Edit: good pick up BTW.....by far the best game I have ever played.

I'll treat it like an old school Nintendo game and ask 'the kids at school' if they've figured out what I'm having trouble with.

One thing I do need to know before going in: is there a penalty for dying?

 

[SiegfriedFM]

There is a penalty for dying twice in a row, but it's not permanent. At worst, you don't improve, but aside from possibly wasting some (rebuyable) consumables, you don't stand a worse chance next time you try.

In general, Dark Souls is much kinder than Demon's Souls, what with keeping the same HP and not having to farm for more healing stuff. On the other hand, you might run out of Humanity items if you die too much and then it gets a little harder to find help until you get more.

And the only thing that beginners really need to know to not be turned off from the start: there are three paths away from the starting area and two of them lead to stuff you shouldn't (but can) tackle at first.

 

[joelseph]

Back into DS heavy and have made it to Anor Londo. So far I have just started exploring and made it to the Painted World. How do I exit the Painted World and should I save it for later or finish it now before continuing to explore Anor Londo? This is my first playthrough.

 

[Jake Tower]

There is a penalty for dying twice in a row, but it's not permanent. At worst, you don't improve, but aside from possibly wasting some (rebuyable) consumables, you don't stand a worse chance next time you try.

In general, Dark Souls is much kinder than Demon's Souls, what with keeping the same HP and not having to farm for more healing stuff. On the other hand, you might run out of Humanity items if you die too much and then it gets a little harder to find help until you get more.

And the only thing that beginners really need to know to not be turned off from the start: there are three paths away from the starting area and two of them lead to stuff you shouldn't (but can) tackle at first.

I just really need to know how conservative I have to be. Usually I am willing to explore and take my lumps but didn't want to bork my character and be forced to start over or something.

 

[Yo Gotti]

EpicNameBro's lore video's just blew my mind. I'd already came to some similar conclusions but they were still so entertaining to watch.

Are there any other good series like that to watch on YT?

 

[boredofcanada]

How do I exit the Painted World and should I save it for later or finish it now before continuing to explore Anor Londo? This is my first playthrough.

I did painted world first, and I go back there from time to time to farm humanity from the rats. To get out you have to beat a certain character and cross the bridge, where a cut scene will play out.

 

[MoonsaultSlayer]

I've been in the Blighttown swamp for months. Lack of playing mostly but these last couple of weeks I've popped it in 2-3 times a week for a few minutes. Getting cursed and killed in the Great Hollow, surprise boulders thrown at me, getting poisoned, buying a demon spear from whatshisface etc. Sometimes I make my way to an area just before the giant wheel, save, and the next time I start up I die and repeat the process.

What I'm getting at is I love this game. Still. I've sunk 44 hours into it and I feel I've barely scratched the surface. I do hope to see sunlight again soon. But I'm certainly in mo rush. The game is a joy.

 

[MoonsaultSlayer]

Ok so I made my way up the giant wheel and got killed by those giant poison guys up top. Darn that third one coming out of nowhere.

There was a path that was "blocked" by poison darts flying from all directions. What's the best way to tackle that and where does it lead?

And should I be heading up or should I go through the spider hole first?

 

[TheSeks]

THIS MOTHERFUCKER

"Oh, this area isn't so bad. I'm sure the mid-boss won't be bad ei--"

(BAH-WHOO!)

WHACK!

*stand back up, roll in a panic* WHACK!

YOU DIED!

Me: WTF just happened here and why am I remembering those trolls in 5-2 of Demon's Souls which were the bane of my existence?

 

[SiegfriedFM]

The wheel is the way out of there. Go for the spider area first, that's what you're there for. As for the poison dart area, it's a dead end but has a very valuable item on the bottom left side. If you don't have Spider Shield and a bunch if blooming purple moss it's not really worth the pain though.

 

[B-Genius]

I'll treat it like an old school Nintendo game and ask 'the kids at school' if they've figured out what I'm having trouble with.

Haha, that is the best way to play the Souls games. Have fun, mate

 

[Vasilisk 2038]

THIS MOTHERFUCKER

"Oh, this area isn't so bad. I'm sure the mid-boss won't be bad ei--"

(BAH-WHOO!)

WHACK!

*stand back up, roll in a panic* WHACK!

YOU DIED!

Me: WTF just happened here and why am I remembering those trolls in 5-2 of Demon's Souls which were the bane of my existence?

This bastard was my first "hard" boss in Dark Souls, pretty much wiped me a lot of times. At the end there's a strategy, but the important bit

Spoiler

is the dogs.

 

[enzo_gt]

THIS MOTHERFUCKER

"Oh, this area isn't so bad. I'm sure the mid-boss won't be bad ei--"

(BAH-WHOO!)

WHACK!

*stand back up, roll in a panic* WHACK!

YOU DIED!

Me: WTF just happened here and why am I remembering those trolls in 5-2 of Demon's Souls which were the bane of my existence?

Out of all the bosses I've fought thus far, this was the hardest. Looking up strategies really help. You have to roll past him to get some breathing room and potentially take out the dogs in one go, but finding/seeing that opening can be difficult.

 

[SiegfriedFM]

He's basically a normal enemy, just rather fast. If you can trick him into attacking and then back off a bit, he's busy for quite some time.

 

[2AdEPT]

I did painted world first, and I go back there from time to time to farm humanity from the rats. To get out you have to beat a certain character and cross the bridge, where a cut scene will play out.

You don'thave to kill pricilla...talk to her first then decide whether you wan tto fight her now or later....she lets you pass and you can go back any time.

The wheel is the way out of there. Go for the spider area first, that's what you're there for. As for the poison dart area, it's a dead end but has a very valuable item on the bottom left side. If you don't have Spider Shield and a bunch if blooming purple moss it's not really worth the pain though.

as long as you have decent vitlity and lot of estus just go in and kill them all....there are only 3-4 snipers each that die in 1-2 hits max then you can homeward bone out...they will stay dead and not resawpn upon your return.....spider shield doesn't protect your back...go in assuming you will be toxic the whole time ...i.e. use a single purple blooming moss clump once the snipers are dead or homeward like I siad before...hurry up and kill all along the top....do not go down until you are ready, then take your time with the dogs...get all items after they are all dead.

 

[Cranzor]

I can't tell if this game is actually supposed to be this hard or if I am terrible at this game. My spawn has been Undead Burg (I think it's called) for six hours. I've replayed the same part over and over and I can't get past it. I think I'm just bad at the game.

 

[TheSeks]

Just got down to the depths. Holy crap those butchers hit hard on a level 20 character relying on the Drake Sword.

I didn't get that motherfuckers sword, either. So I'm going to have to grind them in that one area later to get it, I wager. *sigh*

 

[CountAntonius]

Just got down to the depths. Holy crap those butchers hit hard on a level 20 character relying on the Drake Sword.

I didn't get that motherfuckers sword, either. So I'm going to have to grind them in that one area later to get it, I wager. *sigh*

It's dropped later in blighttown swamp by the black phantom mildred. The butchers don't drop em.

 

[TheSeks]

Well, killed the Giant Rat and lit the bonfire. I'm thinking of going back and using these 9,000 souls for spells and Pyromancies before continuing to the boss. Sure, I'm not leveling up (still at level 20) like I'm supposed to, I guess but I want to get these spells to make sure if they leave I don't need to worry about them.

 

[TheSeks]

Defeated the Vagina Dragon. Now to go to Blighttown. Blew my 30K reward on Pyromancy+8. Worth it? :/

I was hoping to avoid invasions but I got summoned and some asshat Japanese invaded us and backstabbed me. *sigh*

 

[TheExplodingHead]

Defeated the Vagina Dragon. Now to go to Blighttown. Blew my 30K reward on Pyromancy+8. Worth it? :/

I was hoping to avoid invasions but I got summoned and some asshat Japanese invaded us and backstabbed me. *sigh*

Upgrade it all the way to +5, asap, it'll come in handy quite a lot. It'll also cook

Spoiler

Gywndolin and Ornstein

alive on any NG+...

 

[Jake Tower]

Defeated the Vagina Dragon. Now to go to Blighttown. Blew my 30K reward on Pyromancy+8. Worth it? :/

I was hoping to avoid invasions but I got summoned and some asshat Japanese invaded us and backstabbed me. *sigh*

I had heard that Japanese players would invade and attempt to duel. Have they learned how to gank from the West?

 

[2AdEPT]

I can't tell if this game is actually supposed to be this hard or if I am terrible at this game. My spawn has been Undead Burg (I think it's called) for six hours. I've replayed the same part over and over and I can't get past it. I think I'm just bad at the game.

everyone feels this way at first...heck I still go in forgetting what I know and get handed a re-do. You'll get it...if you feel like giving up just ask specifics on here and we can spoiler you the strategy...there is a foolproff one for each enemy and you will feel like a pro sooner than you think.

Just got down to the depths. Holy crap those butchers hit hard on a level 20 character relying on the Drake Sword.

I didn't get that motherfuckers sword, either. So I'm going to have to grind them in that one area later to get it, I wager. *sigh*

Never used the butcher sword on any character...ever.....don't use Drake ever anymore either. early game, spears are great as they enable you to stab from behind your shield...this asppect is indespensible for new or poor players like me. Other early game strength options are the zweihnader available steps from firelink, the claymore from the dragon bridge, or any ofthe dex weapons.....several from blightown, although my favourite washing pole is only available through joiningthe cat covenant in the forest, then the vendor appears in blightown near the wheel.

 

[Dresden]

I had heard that Japanese players would invade and attempt to duel. Have they learned how to gank from the West?

You heard wrong. JP players are assholes.

 

[SiegfriedFM]

everyone feels this way at first...heck I still go in forgetting what I know and get handed a re-do. You'll get it...if you feel like giving up just ask specifics on here and we can spoiler you the strategy...there is a foolproff one for each enemy and you will feel like a pro sooner than you think.



Never used the butcher sword on any character...ever.....don't use Drake ever anymore either. early game, spears are great as they enable you to stab from behind your shield...this asppect is indespensible for new or poor players like me. Other early game strength options are the zweihnader available steps from firelink, the claymore from the dragon bridge, or any ofthe dex weapons.....several from blightown, although my favourite washing pole is only available through joiningthe cat covenant in the forest, then the vendor appears in blightown near the wheel.

Speaking of which, I have two washing poles on my lvl 15 character. If anyone wants one early on (they have rather high level requirements though) without having to bend over backwards to get to Blighttown and the forest early, let me know and we can arrange something.

 

[2AdEPT]

You heard wrong. JP players are assholes.

Even though I assume you are being sarcastic.....surely we can not sum up an entire race of Dark souls enthusiasts in one foul swoop now can we? I am sure there are all kinds of japanese and north american gankers and all kinds of japanese and north american true white knights. To be honest I have had great help from japanese players over the several years of souls games, and they were the first that I experienced doing stuff like changing their gear to match you the host. I was a helper on a summoning recently where the guy I was summoned with quickly changed into the maiden outfit the host was wearing...sure enough I had an extra set as well so three maidens took down an invader and ORN and SMU ....fuck that was funny. Thefirst time this happened I could not follow hoil as the Xanthous set was not acquired yet, but yes it was a Japanese player doing this.

fianlly getting better at invading.....felt great to have a havels host and two phantoms all go down despite me having to run by all of them to try to get to the Titanite demon in Anor londo. As a helper I was alwasy annoyed at invaders using that method, but I took it to what I am sure was an ultra annoying level for the host when he tried to shoot arrows at the demon to no avail as I stepped in and blocked them with my shield from the only angle he could shoot at from outside the room adn still hitthe demon (why no one goes up stairs ot kill the demon that way I'll nverknow...I kill it each time I am helper form up there every time I help whethter there is an invader or not.) I suppose I caught a legit group tryng to do O&S and was being a silly bugger for them....but seriously the invader should NEVER win inthat situation, even with help from the demon, and it felt great to one or two shot each of them with their shield down with crystal soul spears intermittently by randomly popping out of the doorway into the hall. The demon killed one helper for me, but the other was still alive with a sliver of health when I killd the host in the room withthe two chests accross the hall...luckily he was just standing there and I was able to lock on as the host dying messages appeared and toasted him off therby getting my take from all three players.....beleive me, this has never happened for me before I usually suck and never win more than i lose at invading...this truly was a first for me to kill all three as well.

Another one on one battle occurred again and again with the same gravelorder and out of about eight battles, he got me a SL 75 mage, with his dragon tooth repeat smash only once...the rest I owned him although admittedly a couple times other invaders also joined me in spanking him...even with his brilliant strategy to use some kind of buff (?magic barrier?) Anyway with full havels plus hvels shield and a buff that made him glow like warding in demon's I was doing like damage 40 instead of 800 with my soul spears, and crystal homing etc. Even backstabs resulted in like only 80 damage. Was able to get 2-300 damage from the moonlight greatsword in between his buffs and then saved the ranged R2 for the kill as he didn't expect a range attack with my grass shield on my back two handing...did this a couple times then swithed to Washin pole two handed only (not enough strength to one hnad) and crystal magic weapon....took longer, but same result. I can see a lot of noobs dying to this guy, but holy man, I didn't get bored of teaching him lesson after lesson BLINDLY swinging that dragon tooth at me and expecting me to not dodge or time my attacks.....whatever. He finally gave up and didn't gravelord after the 8th loss.

 

[2AdEPT]

Speaking of which, I have two washing poles on my lvl 15 character. If anyone wants one early on (they have rather high level requirements though) without having to bend over backwards to get to Blighttown and the forest early, let me know and we can arrange something.

a very magnamanous offer I suggest @ Cranzor you take....I think you only need 16 dex adn then you can two hand the washing pole with ?14 strength I think. The uchi or the Iato are similar styles and better damage, but nothing outreaches the washing pole for katanas and quite simply the move sets rule. Teh 16 dex gets you into most bows as well. Come to think of it, I have several botched BB glithc SL 9 or 10 characters that didn't port the darkmoon nor solaire passage stuff so I dropped them....should be able to kick up a fully upgraded Chaos great scythe or even a full Kirks suit with brbed sword and shield maxed +5 lightning. A lightning avelyn is also available I think, but you gotta buy your own lightning bolts!!!!;p

PSN: adepterik2

Willing to give or trade all of this with only divine blessings as trade for my higher level characters...well I'll take a slab ...but not necessary!

 

[Robot Pants]

Bought this game for my friend for his birthday.
I'm soooo jealous of him getting to experience it for the first time. I wish I could erase that part of my brain and experience it for the first time also....again.

 

[Cranzor]

everyone feels this way at first...heck I still go in forgetting what I know and get handed a re-do. You'll get it...if you feel like giving up just ask specifics on here and we can spoiler you the strategy...there is a foolproff one for each enemy and you will feel like a pro sooner than you think.

I'm at a part with a giant boar and a gate behind it. I just avoid the boar because I can't kill it. I am assuming you have to shoot the barrel that's on fire next to it, but I have a crossbow and I can't even aim the thing. The actual part that I get to is a hallway with a knight. Beyond the hallway is the outdoor part with the other side of the gate that I was talking about previously. I can usually kill the one knight with no problem, but another knight always comes behind me from nowhere and kills me. I've probably played this part about 20 times.

 

[Sullichin]

I'm at a part with a giant boar and a gate behind it. I just avoid the boar because I can't kill it. I am assuming you have to shoot the barrel that's on fire next to it, but I have a crossbow and I can't even aim the thing. The actual part that I get to is a hallway with a knight. Beyond the hallway is the outdoor part with the other side of the gate that I was talking about previously. I can usually kill the one knight with no problem, but another knight always comes behind me from nowhere and kills me. I've probably played this part about 20 times.

The enemy placement is pretty devious in this area.

For that boar, you can lure him toward the staircase that near where you probably entered the room (by the rats). He won't follow you all the way down the stairs, and he will turn around. When he's turned around you can whack his ass a few times, rinse and repeat. Taking out the shield guys in the room is probably a good idea. Alternatively, you can avoid him from the start of the room, head up the stairs to the right and make your way to the walkway with the archers on it (above the stuff thats on fire). At the end of this walkway are alluring skulls (3 iirc), which are items you can use to distract enemies. So you're not too far off in thinking that you have to shoot the barrel that's on fire - you can lure him into walking into the fire with an alluring skull. or if you don't have alluring skulls, you can lure him into charging into the fire if you are clever.

Getting better at the game involves memorizing enemy placement and their attacks. For the soldiers that hold up the grey shields and walk slowly, for example, you can break their guard with a kick (press forward and r1 at the same time), and then attack. Or you can attack right after they are recovering from their own attack, or you can circle around and backstab them when they are doing this too. It's all easier said than done, of course. But it's not a crap shoot, if you do it right it will work. You will get it.

If you are at the part I'm thinking of - you're walking down a hallway and at the end you get attacked by a balder knight on the left (bigger guys with the cape) and one of those turtling shield guys on the right. Oh boy I remember being stuck there. I usually walk to the end of the hallway to get their attention, and then run back up so they follow me. You don't want to keep your back to one of these guys, so they should both be in front of you. If you have pyromancy, chuck fireballs at them. Alternatively, it's possible to quickly kill the shield guy on the right side before the guy on the left can run to you. The good news is that you're pretty close to another bonfire, blacksmith, and shortcut back to firelink.

 

[Soulhouf]

You can actually backstab that boar when he turn his back.

 

[SiegfriedFM]

For that area, you can actually go kill another balder knight (who you can backstab if you're careful). From there you can shoot the shield guy in the back, which makes the next passage easier. But yeah, I usually just go into their view and then pull back to get their attention.

 

[2AdEPT]

Bought this game for my friend for his birthday.
I'm soooo jealous of him getting to experience it for the first time. I wish I could erase that part of my brain and experience it for the first time also....again.

Yes ....3-4 years is too much to wait....my copy of skyrim stands at 50% complete ...may never get finished...too boring after killing the same dragon 20 times the novelty wears off....same cave with sligthly different random enemies and item? Terrible combat? Still?Snoring.

You can actually backstab that boar when he turn his back.

Did this by accident once but couldn't repeat it...any tips?

I'm at a part with a giant boar and a gate behind it. I just avoid the boar because I can't kill it. I am assuming you have to shoot the barrel that's on fire next to it, but I have a crossbow and I can't even aim the thing. The actual part that I get to is a hallway with a knight. Beyond the hallway is the outdoor part with the other side of the gate that I was talking about previously. I can usually kill the one knight with no problem, but another knight always comes behind me from nowhere and kills me. I've probably played this part about 20 times.

I knew you were having trouble here so I didn't recommend this earlier, but this game is WIDE OPEN and always interconnected more than one way. There is a way for example to go a different route from firelink and actually go backward through the area in question, open a shortcut so that you can go there from firelink directly (actually two or three shortcuts around the area) and its even possible to find a ring that makes you silent so that you can walk up behind 90% of the enemies you are having difficulty with, either snipe with poison arrows or even backstab them for tripple damage and totally dominate even at low level actually. Unfortunately, you will have ot die a few times to get through the path less travelled as well though, so no easy street...but always options, and always something differnt to try.

Many say not to bother with this stuff your first playthrough but for me the fun is in finding these things myself if possible, right from the first run through. You are so early on that you could easily start over if you wish and take the master key....or not...even with out it you can run by enemies that are tough and get to the next item or bonfire or secret passage...once you have an item you have it...dying is moot once it goes to your inventory.

I'll give you one teaser....

Spoiler

one in five times the dragon forgets to breath fire as quickly as normal...if you dress up in your best fire resistant garb (check the stats of your equippment) and hold a fire resistant shield up....you can survive one or even two blasts i they are not diret and make it accross the bridge.

You can get a good weapon by doing that, a covenant, anda tonne of self satisfaction and confidence that even the toughest enemies have their kryptonite.

This game is purposely difficulty but it purposely rewards creativity.

 

[TheSeks]

So, Blighttown or that garden near the church place? Blighttown seems to be kicking my level 20 ass, but if it's the next place to go, I guess I'll go.

 

[TheExplodingHead]

So, Blighttown or that garden near the church place? Blighttown seems to be kicking my level 20 ass, but if it's the next place to go, I guess I'll go.

Go to the garden, lots of good stuff there, an ember too (if you haven't found it yet). Hydra is fun, just bring some arrows for his final head/s.

 

[The Henery]

So, I completed the game for the first time a few weeks ago and thought I'd share my thoughts...

To begin with, this game came out of nowhere for me. My interest was originally piqued by Demon Souls but alas it was a PS3 exclusive. Forgot about it. Then I learned of Dark Souls about a week prior to release and its Xbox 360 edition. I bought the game the following week when it released; this is rare for me but the word of mouth on GAF and boasts of its draconion difficulty had me sold. I wanted a challenge. And that's exactly what I got.

Before I started the game I vowed not to use guides or solicit forum help for fear of spoilers (sadly missing the discussions held here because of this). Let me tell you, going into this game without a shred of knowledge is barbaric. I'm embarrassed to admit now that it took me ten hours of playtime to get to Solaire on the dragon bridge just after the Taurus Demon. Ten hours. But in retrospect these hours learning the basics were a precious learning experience; I still didn't necessarily know what to do by that point but I definitely knew what not to do. All the little things you take for granted as a now experienced player of this game - patience when waiting for the enemy to hit your shield before you strike; memorising enemy positions and movements; luring single enemies to avoid a scrum; prudence with the roll command lest you inadvertently fall off a cliff - are essential foundations that I learnt through many, many death screens.

That vow to not use guides was hastily broken once the bosses rolled into town. I Youtubed a lot of the bosses in this game, oftentimes just to check they were possible. I didn't feel particularly spoiled however because whilst they might have shed light on patterns and methods, they'd usually have armour, equipment or spells that I didn't and knowing how to do the bosses and doing it are two separate things.

Anyway, my very first playthrough ended abortively and I made it no further than Sens Fortress. I realised I'd made the error of levelling my stats evenly and decided to start a new character focused on end, str and vit. For a variety of reasons I didn't start this new playthrough until later this year, hence me just finishing the game now.

I may be wrong but a huge point about this game which I don't feel is praised or even mentioned that often is the fact that it is, quite frankly, downright terrifying to the point where I'd place it in a horror genre. There's a strong affinity between DS and the original Resident Evil in its ethos of survival horror; managing inventory, eking out herbs/estus flasks from one saferoom/bonfire to the next, outlandishly huge and immensely intimidating bosses.

A few standout moments of terror (I play with Turtlebeach headphones, loud volume):

- Upon discovering the Catacombs for the first time I turned to my girlfriend and said oh 'The Catacomszzzarggghhh'!!! in a silly voice only for the last syllable to turn into loud yelp as a skeleton emerged from the shadows unexpectedly. Still laugh about it now.

- The cliff dragon in The Valley of the Drakes. Picked up Astoras Sword and the rock came alive. Shit many bricks.

- A blob falling on my head for the first time in the Depths

- The sheer adrenaline surge impact when the Capra Demon first charges you and you inevitably die

- An unscripted, random Serpent warrior in Sens Fortress dropping on my head when I was in a tense battle with a Titanite Demon in the basement

I'll write a second part to this post later, got to go to sleep!

 

[Cranzor]

The enemy placement is pretty devious in this area.

For that boar, you can lure him toward the staircase that near where you probably entered the room (by the rats). He won't follow you all the way down the stairs, and he will turn around. When he's turned around you can whack his ass a few times, rinse and repeat. Taking out the shield guys in the room is probably a good idea. Alternatively, you can avoid him from the start of the room, head up the stairs to the right and make your way to the walkway with the archers on it (above the stuff thats on fire). At the end of this walkway are alluring skulls (3 iirc), which are items you can use to distract enemies. So you're not too far off in thinking that you have to shoot the barrel that's on fire - you can lure him into walking into the fire with an alluring skull. or if you don't have alluring skulls, you can lure him into charging into the fire if you are clever.

Getting better at the game involves memorizing enemy placement and their attacks. For the soldiers that hold up the grey shields and walk slowly, for example, you can break their guard with a kick (press forward and r1 at the same time), and then attack. Or you can attack right after they are recovering from their own attack, or you can circle around and backstab them when they are doing this too. It's all easier said than done, of course. But it's not a crap shoot, if you do it right it will work. You will get it.

If you are at the part I'm thinking of - you're walking down a hallway and at the end you get attacked by a balder knight on the left (bigger guys with the cape) and one of those turtling shield guys on the right. Oh boy I remember being stuck there. I usually walk to the end of the hallway to get their attention, and then run back up so they follow me. You don't want to keep your back to one of these guys, so they should both be in front of you. If you have pyromancy, chuck fireballs at them. Alternatively, it's possible to quickly kill the shield guy on the right side before the guy on the left can run to you. The good news is that you're pretty close to another bonfire, blacksmith, and shortcut back to firelink.

I knew you were having trouble here so I didn't recommend this earlier, but this game is WIDE OPEN and always interconnected more than one way. There is a way for example to go a different route from firelink and actually go backward through the area in question, open a shortcut so that you can go there from firelink directly (actually two or three shortcuts around the area) and its even possible to find a ring that makes you silent so that you can walk up behind 90% of the enemies you are having difficulty with, either snipe with poison arrows or even backstab them for tripple damage and totally dominate even at low level actually. Unfortunately, you will have ot die a few times to get through the path less travelled as well though, so no easy street...but always options, and always something differnt to try.

Many say not to bother with this stuff your first playthrough but for me the fun is in finding these things myself if possible, right from the first run through. You are so early on that you could easily start over if you wish and take the master key....or not...even with out it you can run by enemies that are tough and get to the next item or bonfire or secret passage...once you have an item you have it...dying is moot once it goes to your inventory.

I'll give you one teaser....

Spoiler

one in five times the dragon forgets to breath fire as quickly as normal...if you dress up in your best fire resistant garb (check the stats of your equippment) and hold a fire resistant shield up....you can survive one or even two blasts i they are not diret and make it accross the bridge.

You can get a good weapon by doing that, a covenant, anda tonne of self satisfaction and confidence that even the toughest enemies have their kryptonite.

This game is purposely difficulty but it purposely rewards creativity.

Thanks a lot guys! I finally got past the part I was stuck at and made it to the next fire. I have a few questions that I am not sure about though.

Is the giant enemy after the blacksmith supposed to be fought later on? My attacks barely do anything. If it is, then why are the enemies in the area after relatively easy?

Do weapons eventually break? How do I know when they need to be repaired?

I know humanity turns you back into a human, but what are the benefits of doing that?

How can I tell what stats I need to increase in order to wield weapons to their full benefit?

I keep seeing messages about illusory walls. What are those?

A lot of questions, I know. But I've been wondering about most of them for a while. Thanks to anyone who knows the answers!

 

[TheSeks]

Go to the garden, lots of good stuff there, an ember too (if you haven't found it yet). Hydra is fun, just bring some arrows for his final head/s.

Well, door is locked there. And a monster that throws soul arrows at me will close the gap and kick my ass while I can deal barely any damage to him with the Drake Sword. :/

 

[Kard8p3]

GAF, you're making me want to pick this game back up... I have a few characters kind of far into the game, but I want a fresh start..

gimme a class(anything but deprived..not ready for that yet) and a build to go along with it. I want to get back into this game.

I remember I stopped playing the first time because

Spoiler

Nito destroyed me