Arjen
Member
Thanks for that, watched a couple and they are really good.
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Watching the siegmeyer video, and just realised, that's a german name, and he wields a german sword (zweihander)
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Dark Souls |OT4| Victory achieved for Scamco, text defeated
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Thanks for that, watched a couple and they are really good.
/edit
Watching the siegmeyer video, and just realised, that's a german name, and he wields a german sword (zweihander)
Black Knight Sword will do more damage if your stats are low, and if the Zweihander isn't upgraded that high, but once you level your STR and DEX a good amount, and upgrade the Zwei to +15, it will do much more damage. If you like the Black Knight Sword, try out the Man Serpent Greatsword (for STR only builds) or Claymore if you are leveling both Dex and Str.
Oh my holy god damn, Ornstein and Smough. That might be my new favorite boss fight in any game ever. So damn intense, frantically running away and hiding behind a pillar to pop a flask, then panning the camera around and OH GOD OH GOD OH FUCK, just barely rolling away before fatso's hammer comes smashing down where I was standing...
I was almost kind of sad when I got a handle on the encounter and beat them.
I was almost kind of sad when I got a handle on the encounter and beat them.
Deified Data
Banned
Rolled a new character tonight - made a mad dash for the Ash Lake, joined Path of the Dragon, got the Dragon Greatsword. Bumped my Strength up to 34 so I could use it two-handed. Now I'm SL25 and I can't wait for some twink to invade me in the Parish. This is going to be amusing.
How long does the Dragon Greatsword remain viable? Long into NG+?
How long does the Dragon Greatsword remain viable? Long into NG+?
If you upgrade it to +5 it will do you fine through NG+ most likely. Problem with Dragon weapons is that they don't scale with stats. The huge ones make the least sense because they weigh so much, and require high Strength to wield. Strength that could be used on STR Scaling weapons like Demon Greataxe, Large or Great Club, Demon Great Machete, Demon Great Hammer and even the Black Knight Greataxe or Greatsword. The Dragon weapon AoE R2's are extremely fun to use though.
If you like the Dragon Greatsword, upgrade a Demon Great Machete to +15 and try that out too, it will do 640+ damage 2H at 40 STR.
Sanic
Member
Some of you may or may not remember, but i've posted in this thread I believe twice about hating Blighttown and struggling to get through it.
I've just finished that area, and in hindsight...it wasn't that bad. This is probably the first game in a long time i'll want to replay because i'll know how to get past the frustrating parts while still enjoying everything else.
I do have a question as well. I'm at Sen's Fortress and the Drake Sword doesn't seem to be keeping up anymore. What should I get now? Or how can I upgrade the drake sword?
I've just finished that area, and in hindsight...it wasn't that bad. This is probably the first game in a long time i'll want to replay because i'll know how to get past the frustrating parts while still enjoying everything else.
I do have a question as well. I'm at Sen's Fortress and the Drake Sword doesn't seem to be keeping up anymore. What should I get now? Or how can I upgrade the drake sword?
Red Liquorice
Member
The Drake Sword isn't upgradable - that's why it's often called a 'trap' weapon - it can seem powerful very early on, but once you can upgrade weapons it's quickly outclassed.
If you're at Sen's you should at least be able to upgrade weapons to +10, if not +15 and fire weapons are also open to you if you've been to the Catacombs - so pick a weapon with the moveset you like and upgrade it to the max you can.
There's a lightning spear in Sen's that you can upgrade with titanite chunks and should outclass the Drake sword, and the lizards in Sen's are weak to lightning and fire, so maybe hop down to Vamos in the Catacombs - a +5 fire weapon should see off the lizards in one ripost depending on the weapon.
Sanic
Member
Thanks. I've not been to the catacombs yet. As far as upgrading is concerned, you're saying I can take any old weapon I like (even from the start of the game) and upgrade it to be superior to the drake sword?
Also, where's the best place to farm souls for where i'm at in the game right now?
Still on my quest to legit level up to 712. Call me insane, but I am on NG+7 and have reached 225... though I'm stalled having fun PvPing in the burg. Honestly, I really prefer PvP at 225 as you see so much variety that keeps you on your toes as opposed to Lightning Katanas lol at the 100-125 range. Then again, the last time I played in the early 100 range was on launch.
Rocking that Elite Knight Armor +10 with a +15 Balder and +15 Ricard's. +15 Balder Side Shield for most efficient weight/stability. I discovered recently you can actually buff Crystal weapons so I'm thinking of getting +4 crystal weps and then breaking them down and re-upgrading when needing repairs as they have a higher base. I'm running some tests to see how much the scaling and diminishing returns differ.
Used to have a P. Scythe/Dagger build. Was (is?) amazing vs turtles when I was first using it, but due to the nerf of the DWG ring, achieving fast mobility now comes at the cost of less defense. Add that with the fact that you may want to use a ringslot for Bloodbite ring since you can't effectively don bleed resistant armor and still flip anymore. Bloodshield helps, but sometimes in PvP and PvE, the bleed builds up pretty fast for multiple enemies and still gathers when you hit a supposed dead enemy for some reason.
Rocking that Elite Knight Armor +10 with a +15 Balder and +15 Ricard's. +15 Balder Side Shield for most efficient weight/stability. I discovered recently you can actually buff Crystal weapons so I'm thinking of getting +4 crystal weps and then breaking them down and re-upgrading when needing repairs as they have a higher base. I'm running some tests to see how much the scaling and diminishing returns differ.
Used to have a P. Scythe/Dagger build. Was (is?) amazing vs turtles when I was first using it, but due to the nerf of the DWG ring, achieving fast mobility now comes at the cost of less defense. Add that with the fact that you may want to use a ringslot for Bloodbite ring since you can't effectively don bleed resistant armor and still flip anymore. Bloodshield helps, but sometimes in PvP and PvE, the bleed builds up pretty fast for multiple enemies and still gathers when you hit a supposed dead enemy for some reason.
Laurentius
Member
Yeah, pretty much any weapon will be better than the Drake Sword when you upgrade it. So I would recommend just using a weapon that you like and scales well with the stats you are choosing and upgrade it. For example, one of my favorite weapons is the plain old Longsword, which is pretty awesome when upgraded.
As for farming souls, have you bought the Covenant of Artorias from Andre? If not, it might be worth saving up 20,000 souls to buy that. I like using the forest for farming -- the humans inside give you a lot of souls when you kill them. (Something like 4,000 to 6,000 each, IIRC. Or maybe that's just on New Game+? Can't remember the exact amount, but whatever it is, it's pretty high.) There's also a trick for killing them without even really having to fight them, if you want to be cheap. =D
Sanic
Member
I must be missing something then. I only have enough titanite to get to +5, but that gets me nowhere near the power of the drake sword. Do I need to find something that scales better with STR, my main attribute? Longsword, for example, doesn't even get to 75% of the drake sword.
Red Liquorice
Member
Take a look at this chart for weapon upgrade info: http://darksouls.wikidot.com/upgrade
You need 9 titanite shards to take a weapon to +5.
The large ember is in the Depths, and you give it to Andre the blacksmith in the Parish who can then take weapons to +10, using a further 9 large titanite shards. He sells titanite shards, large shards are sold by the merchant in Sen's.
The very large ember is in New Londo, again give it to Andre to take weapons to +15 using titanite chunks and a slab.
You should've picked up a load of weapons by now - test a few out and see what you like - fast and multi-hit, or slow and heavy-hitting, or somewhere in between.
You need 9 titanite shards to take a weapon to +5.
The large ember is in the Depths, and you give it to Andre the blacksmith in the Parish who can then take weapons to +10, using a further 9 large titanite shards. He sells titanite shards, large shards are sold by the merchant in Sen's.
The very large ember is in New Londo, again give it to Andre to take weapons to +15 using titanite chunks and a slab.
You should've picked up a load of weapons by now - test a few out and see what you like - fast and multi-hit, or slow and heavy-hitting, or somewhere in between.
Red Liquorice
Member
You're not upgrading it further. At the blacksmith there is a modify weapon option that takes +5 weapons to +6 with 1 large titanite shard and then they can be taken to +10 with further large titanite shards.
Once you upgrade past +5 you will start seeing benefits.
Once you upgrade past +5 you will start seeing benefits.
Sanic
Member
Ah ok, I didn't know that part. Thanks!
edit: +6 still only takes me to 128. How much will I need to outclass the drake sword?
Laurentius
Member
Ah ok, I didn't know that part. Thanks!
edit: +6 still only takes me to 128. How much will I need to outclass the drake sword?
Depends on your str and dex. Whatever weapon you do choose to use, at least take it up to +10 as soon as you can. Once you get the Ember from New Londo, then get it up to at least +14. (And +15, if you want to use a Slab.)
Depending on your str and dex, it might not be extremely better than the Drake Sword for a bit, but as you level things will get better. The Longsword isn't an extremely powerful weapon, but it's fast and has a good moveset. If you're going for just straight out damage, though, you'll want to go with a heavier weapon of some sort.
Sanic
Member
I'm not, im trying to find something a bit quicker, and the longsword is very similar to the DS from speed/moveset standpoint.
The catalyst for all of this is Sen's fortress itself. Earlier in the game, the enemies were either weak enough to die in close to one hit, or there were only one or two at a time so I would manage alright in combat. Sen's is just wrecking me with the constant ranged attacks, and the lizard guys not only have a lot of health, but also great poise. I just can't seem to handle it
.People here tend to dismiss the Drake Sword too quickly. I don't think people should use it, personally, unless they are really struggling with the game since it instills lots of bad habits early on. But it's an awesome weapon for certain situations. It does huge damage with zero scaling, allowing you to put more points into VIT/END or the magic stats. It does similar damage to much heavier and slower weapons while also having a very fast moveset. That said, the drake sword falls off in a hurry once you get to lower blighttown and Sen's Fortress. If you've gotten used to 1 or 2 shotting every enemy in the game, Quelaag and the Serpent Men in Sen's will fuck you up.
It's the same with the Lightning Spear. It's a great weapon that uses no scaling at the time you get it, but if you are relying on that thing vs S&O, they will destroy you.
Red Liquorice
Member
If the Drake sword is still working for you then stick with it till you have upgraded a weapon a little further.
Learn the man-serpents attack patterns, their sword attacks are quite easy to get down and parry - with a decent weapon, this will one-shot them, and every enemy is Sen's you are able to take them on one at a time if you are not running through. The traps are also designed to help as well as hinder, a lot of the enemies can be taken out using just the traps.
You might want to try a Balder Side Sword - dropped from the Balder Knights in Sen's and the Parish that use them (the others have rapiers) - they have a similar R1 swinging moveset to the longsword IIRC.
Learn the man-serpents attack patterns, their sword attacks are quite easy to get down and parry - with a decent weapon, this will one-shot them, and every enemy is Sen's you are able to take them on one at a time if you are not running through. The traps are also designed to help as well as hinder, a lot of the enemies can be taken out using just the traps.
You might want to try a Balder Side Sword - dropped from the Balder Knights in Sen's and the Parish that use them (the others have rapiers) - they have a similar R1 swinging moveset to the longsword IIRC.
Cheesed the Undead Parish Black Knight with the fires and got the Black Knight Greatsword.
What STR do I need to use it?
22 STR with 2 hands. It has a pretty bad moveset though. The 2H R2 is the uppercut attack the Black Knight does, but it has much worse range when you do it. I prefer the Claymore once upgraded for Ultra greatswords, and the Black Knight Halberd(if you're lucky enough to get both) if you want to use a Black Knight weapon.
I'll try them all out.
Another question: I have the Knight Armor set, but I have two pieces of the Balder Armor. Which one is generally better?
The_Hitcher89
Member
Beat New Londo
Battered the Four Kings
Upgraded my Halberd to +13 (beastly)
Beat the Sanctuary Guardian
Delayed moving on from Oolacile Sanctuary
Farmed Large Titanite Shards
Got a Lifehunt Scythe, a Moonlight Spear and a Dragon Fist
Tested my new weapons out even though I have no intention of using any of them
Lifehunt Scythe: Too slow primary attack, range is a little short. Bleed buildup seems managable
Moonlight Spear: Meh
Dragon Fist: Range is too short for a non-tank. Uppercut is amazingly brutal on weak enemies
SL102 now, just gonna do the DLC then make my way to the end-game
Still wearing the same armour I've been using for about 20 hours. It looks rubbish but its the best I have
Battered the Four Kings
Upgraded my Halberd to +13 (beastly)
Beat the Sanctuary Guardian
Delayed moving on from Oolacile Sanctuary
Farmed Large Titanite Shards
Got a Lifehunt Scythe, a Moonlight Spear and a Dragon Fist
Tested my new weapons out even though I have no intention of using any of them
Lifehunt Scythe: Too slow primary attack, range is a little short. Bleed buildup seems managable
Moonlight Spear: Meh
Dragon Fist: Range is too short for a non-tank. Uppercut is amazingly brutal on weak enemies
SL102 now, just gonna do the DLC then make my way to the end-game
Still wearing the same armour I've been using for about 20 hours. It looks rubbish but its the best I have
I believe a fully upgraded Balder vs a fully upgraded Knight (assuming non-elite) gives a better mobility-defense compromise.
Morrigan Stark
Arrogant Smirk
Technically it is upgradable, with dragon scales. But dragon scales are fairly rare (especially in early game) and it costs 10k souls for each upgrade. And it only upgrades the base damage, of course, since the weapon has zero scaling.
But yeah, that sword should be ditched at Sen's. Elemental will serve better there, or a good +10 weapon.
Yeah, you need 10 int I think.
You are wrong sir. Long sword+5 base AR = 120 but it has scaling unlike the Drake Sword
C,C modifiers should give you 40 additional damage with low str/dex
Sanic
Member
How do I see what it actually would be with my current stats then? because in the inventory it just says 120? Also, I'm not sure what C,C is....
edit: Alright, C refers to level scaling. My str is pretty high, like 29.
I regret going with the drake sword, I think. I really don't know anything about weapons and the upgrade system, and I would have been forced to learn about them with a weaker starting weapon.
Red Liquorice
Member
Never knew this actually. I've never used the sword myself, just parroting what everyone else says about it!
Maybe a Drake Sword run is in order?!
When you equip the weapon you'll see a +something in addition to the 120.
The total AR is visible when you display the status menu. Try pushing square button to switch between displays and you'll see what I'm talking about.
Drake sword is really a trap because like you said, you didn't bother to learn how to evaluate weapons efficiency.
With that said, the best way is to try and compare the weapons you have and upgrade the one you like the most.
It's not worth wasting your dragon scales on though. Unless you have extras.
When you look at the weapon detail screen, you'll see Physical Damage 120 + some other number. The second number is how much is added by your str and dex stats.
this image shows the screen i'm talking about. The longsword is +15 here and I have 28str/40dex. It has a 375AR for one hand. By comparison a maxed out Drake Sword has 300AR, swings slower, and requires a lot of dragon scales.
If you want a harder hitting but slower sword, try out the claymore too
Deified Data
Banned
lol, Black Knights are so slow and predictable. It doesn't bode well that their sword gives you their questionable moveset.
Thread's popping today. Glad to see.
Sanic
Member
Thanks so much guys. I've gotten my longsword to +8 now and it is, in fact, better.
Deified Data
Banned
Who has extra drake scales? I sure as hell don't.
Anyone who doesn't care about dragon weapons, I guess.
Deified Data
Banned
Never even knew Lautrec could be summoned for that fight. Where's his sign?
On a ledge right before the fight, below Solaire's sign. You have to turn around after the first ladder.
Should I really try and get the Gargoyle Tail Axe? I have the Battle Axe +4 right now, and I want to stick with axes.
The_Hitcher89
Member
The regular Halberd is an absolute beast.
High range, versatile moves, fast moves, attacks don't leave you too open, crowd control move.
Awesome weapon. Like a combo of a good spear, a good axe and a good sword
Deified Data
Banned
There are better axes later on, though the Gargoyle axe isn't terribly hard to get. Just keep chopping at the first gargoyle's tail. It should come off in a few hits.
If there are better axes, I won't sweat it too much.
Deified Data
Banned
I've found that if you summon another player they go straight for the tail automatically as a courtesy to you. You could try turning human, summoning, and then making a mad dash for the boss fog if you don't want to get invaded.
AnonymousTipster
Neo Member
Barry, are Dragon Scales the most annoying things to farm in the whole damn game?
Yes they are, other Barry, yes they are.
Yes they are, other Barry, yes they are.
Best way to get them is to simply use the dragon eye stone.
Poimandres
Member
Just popping in here to say that anyone who has a decent PC should definitley double-dip with this game.
The difference in clarity and peformance is astonishing!
The difference in clarity and peformance is astonishing!
Deified Data
Banned
I've heard stories of people getting 1 scale per 120 drakes killed. I've also heard of people getting 30 in 2 hours. The drop rate is allegedly 20% at 410 ID, though that's probably impossible to prove and sounds way too high.
I've heard that the drop rate is more or less the same as the drop rate of slabs while farming Darkwraiths. I for one have never received a slab from a Darkwraith in 50+ runs, though I know people who regularly get 2-3 per run, which sounds ridiculous.
I know the game gives you just enough to raise any dragon weapon to +5, though I get the impression that PotD duels are just something that don't happen anymore. I'm perfectly happy with my dragon head stone for now...I might even save the torso stone for NG+ or beyond. Depends on how many scales I find after a few runs on those drakes.
I've heard that the drop rate is more or less the same as the drop rate of slabs while farming Darkwraiths. I for one have never received a slab from a Darkwraith in 50+ runs, though I know people who regularly get 2-3 per run, which sounds ridiculous.
I know the game gives you just enough to raise any dragon weapon to +5, though I get the impression that PotD duels are just something that don't happen anymore. I'm perfectly happy with my dragon head stone for now...I might even save the torso stone for NG+ or beyond. Depends on how many scales I find after a few runs on those drakes.
Very scarce these days. And I say that as a fellow covenant member myself, I rarely ever get summoned, but always invaded. You don't see too many DragonBros at SL 225.
Red Liquorice
Member
No way. I haven't farmed dragon scales in a long time, but remember trying to get 99 when the BB glitch worked and with 410 item discovery I would usually get between 1-4 per run on Valley of Drakes. The only thing is it's kind of time consuming/dangerous because of the dragons high HP.
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