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[Dresden]

Can we take a moment to appreciate how awesome the Elite Knight is?

Why'd they nerf it. My favorite armor in the game. No helm + EK Chest + Silver Knight gloves and legs just looked perfect.

I remember the xbox version (patched) having 20 poise while the ps3 version has 15 poise! Shit sucks!

 

[Sullichin]

How does parrying work? Not the actual mechanic, but the numbers for what can be parried. Someone just parried my 777 lighting great axe with some sort of curved blade on his offhand (not the parrying dagger). It lead to a 3 hit animation axe riposte that did 1400+ on fully upgraded heavy black iron armor.

I don't know how riposte damage is calculated. I'm sure it has to do with the 'critical' stat for the weapon. That offhand weapon sounds like a shotel.

Im using a Knight...can someone tell me where i can find a bow near the beginning of the game? I have the crossbow from jumping to that one ledge, but i want an actual bow so i can get some arrows and try to kill that dragon

Undead merchant in the burg sells a short bow and arrows.

Something I never see mentioned - up to Sen's Fortress everyone suggests the Drake Sword and then the Lightning Spear as great starter weapons. Just before I got to Sen's I created a Divine Halberd +5 with some green shards I had from the depths and the help of Andre. With only 8 faith it massively outpaced the Drake Sword and I was disappointed when I eventually got the much hyped Lightning Spear and it wasn't as strong as my Halberd. Just thought it would be a good tip for anyone struggling with the early stages of the game

This is pretty much what happened to me my first play through, I used the Drake Sword for half a second and then made a divine gargoyle's halberd. Better damage, range, and move set. And screw the lightning spear. Poke poke poke. Hate that move set.
I think that's a good tip - halberds are awesome at taking out mobs of enemies, especially the attack that sweeps all around you. I'd recommend a divine halberd to new players as well.

And yeah Elite knight is one of the classiest armors. I like paladin too. I'm also a big fan of Ornstein's set.

 

[Dresden]

Also I think I'll make a 99 vitality / chaos rapier wielding forest hunter for lulz once I gets my internet back. Nothing but vitality and maybe a few points here and there for endurance.

 

[Booshka]

Also I think I'll make a 99 vitality / chaos rapier wielding forest hunter for lulz once I gets my internet back. Nothing but vitality and maybe a few points here and there for endurance.

Mask of Mother, FaP ring, Tiny Being's Ring also, you'll get like 2750 HP.

Also, last I checked Elite Knight Armor got a buff, the poise of the whole set is still 46 and the Elite Knight Gauntlets have much better stats now, while the rest of the gear is the same. Maybe it's only like this on 360?

 

[one85x]

This is a good idea, I really like how spears work in this game. But I want to know why I still stagger when using a Halberd. My current stats are Endurance - 24, Strength - 20, Dexterity - 23.

I just don't see how I am still not able to use this weapon effectively.


quick edit: I also have this problem with axes

That's normal for those weapons. The stagger animation only happens when you miss an attack though.

 

[sleepykyo]

I don't know how riposte damage is calculated. I'm sure it has to do with the 'critical' stat for the weapon. That offhand weapon sounds like a shotel.

Not a shotel. It looked like a falchion, but I didn't think falchions are good for parrying. And it wasn't so much the damage (though 1400+ is pretty impressive), I'm more interested in what parries what under which conditions. eg. In Demon's Souls, 2 handed swings couldn't be parried.

 

[Dresden]

Not a shotel. It looked like a falchion, but I didn't think falchions are good for parrying. And it wasn't so much the damage (though 1400+ is pretty impressive), I'm more interested in what parries what under which conditions. eg. In Demon's Souls, 2 handed swings couldn't be parried.

A scimitar? Although in this case I doubt it'd matter much. 1,400 sounds routine for a jumbo weapon and a hornet ring, which the duder probably had.

Afaik any weapon that a player can wield can be parried in turn.

 

[B-Genius]

Is Laurentius the pyromancy guy? He's the only legitimately cool dude I came across in this game. Everyone else is kind of weird and crazy.

Yeah, maybe that's why I dig his voice. He just quietly sits there, wistfully chatting to you about pyromancy. I mean, he's pretty obsessed with it, but you're right, he seems to be one of the most 'normal' and least eccentric.

Btw, I have a question concerning the pyromancer story line, for all you Dark Souls lore pros out there:

So you find Quelaana at the bottom of Blighttown, and I think she mentions Laurentius, saying how you seem just as curious and interesting, etc.
Laurentius also heads off to find "her" once you show him some nice pryo you've gained from Quelana - so those two are obviously linked.

However, Quelaana also mentions another student who was consumed and corrupted by pyromancy. One line is particularly chilling: "I would hate to see that happen again..."

My question is, did this student end up as Ceaseless Discharge? The reason I'm trying to make this connection is CD is sort of 'guarding' the Gold-Hemmed set (doesn't agro until you pick it up), which belonged to the Witch of Izalith (who apparently tried to recreate the first flame, leading to all sorts of trouble with her daughters and the Bed of Chaos and so on.

It's just a random bit of speculation, but does it make sense to anyone else? Or can this theory immediately be proven wrong?

 

[Dresden]

Yeah, maybe that's why I dig his voice. He just quietly sits there, wistfully chatting to you about pyromancy. I mean, he's pretty obsessed with it, but you're right, he seems to be one of the most 'normal' and least eccentric.

Btw, I have a question concerning the pyromancer story line, for all you Dark Souls lore pros out there:

So you find Quelaana at the bottom of Blighttown, and I think she mentions Laurentius, saying how you seem just as curious and interesting, etc.
Laurentius also heads off to find "her" once you show him some nice pryo you've gained from Quelana - so those two are obviously linked.

However, Quelaana also mentions another student who was consumed and corrupted by pyromancy. One line is particularly chilling: "I would hate to see that happen again..."

My question is, did this student end up as Ceaseless Discharge? The reason I'm trying to make this connection is CD is sort of 'guarding' the Gold-Hemmed set (doesn't agro until you pick it up), which belonged to the Witch of Izalith (who apparently tried to recreate the first flame, leading to all sorts of trouble with her daughters and the Bed of Chaos and so on.

It's just a random bit of speculation, but does it make sense to anyone else? Or can this theory immediately be proven wrong?

I think the popular interpretation is that the CD is the brother of the witches.

Quelaana's former student was that famous pyromancer . . . Salaman, I think? That's always what I got out of it. I doubt Laurentius ever met her; he just wasn't at the level she required from anyone who could even see her.

 

[Zaptruder]

Can we take a moment to appreciate how awesome the Elite Knight is?

Goddamn. This is the hot hotness. The picture made me think it was a figure initially... and damn would that be a fuck awesome figure.

 

[Frank]

For me it's funny how in every damn playthrough after the first I never tell Laurentius about Quelaana when he asks me about the upgraded Pyro Flame.

I always go -- no, no. There's nothing for you in the swamps. Better if you stay here, and I'll be passing by often. We'll talk.

Also, I never went through Lautrec's events because I always kill him as soon as he gets to Firelink Shrine. Push him over the edge right in front of the Firekeeper. First time I did it because I really didn't like his tone and the undercurrent of what he was saying. He was just vile. Then, feeling guilty, I did check a wiki to see what was his importance. Fuck his armor and his invasion event, I'll never allow him to kill the Firekeeper.

I guess in the end feeling this kind of emotions is a testament to how much one of these characters can end up meaning, even a barely sketched one. Might be because the game allows the players to fill a lot of 'biography holes' using their own imaginations and the small clues littered around, instead of getting them all prepackaged.

 

[B-Genius]

I think the popular interpretation is that the CD is the brother of the witches.

Quelaana's former student was that famous pyromancer . . . Salaman, I think? That's always what I got out of it. I doubt Laurentius ever met her; he just wasn't at the level she required from anyone who could even see her.

Oh yeah, I remember her mentioning the name Salaman. Any leads on what became of him?

And that's interesting about CD. Why do people commonly think that?

As for Laurentius, yeah I figured he went to find her, and fell victim to Blighttown. Poor chap I might be tempted to cosplay him on a brand new account one day... Concentrate almost solely on END and ATT, upgrading pyro and buying out all the spells.

Also, I'm sure it's been asked dozens of times before, but is there confirmation that the pyro hand scales with INT? Pretty sure it has a grade in the menu, but I've always heard pyro is exclusive from all stats, etc. What's the general take on this?

Edit:

For me it's funny how in every damn playthrough after the first I never tell Laurentius about Quelaana when he asks me about the upgraded Pyro Flame.

I always go -- no, no. There's nothing for you in the swamps. Better if you stay here, and I'll be passing by often. We'll talk.

Also, I never went through Lautrec's events because I always kill him as soon as he gets to Firelink Shrine. Push him over the edge right in front of the Firekeeper. First time I did it because I really didn't like his tone and the undercurrent of what he was saying. He was just vile. Then, feeling guilty, I did check a wiki to see what was his importance. Fuck his armor and his invasion event, I won't allow him to kill the Firekeeper.

I guess in the end feeling this kind of emotions is a testament to how much one of these characters can end up meaning, even a barely sketched one. Might be because the game allows the players to fill a lot of 'biography holes' using their own imaginations and the small clues littered around, instead of getting them all prepackaged.

Haha, that's awfully sweet of you. Best old Lauro just sticks around

In my next NG+ I think I will follow your role and just push Lautrec off the edge. Regardless of the stuff you get from eventually hunting him down, the dialogue with the Firekeeper you get as 'reward' is some of the most heartbreaking in the game.

Your last paragraph is very true. That's what's so appealing about a lot of the story and character backgrounds - your're left to run wild a little bit, like after looking at a decent painting or reading a good book. Doesn't have to be 'artistic' or 'deep' on a philosophical/social level, but instead just rich enough to keep your imagination well-fed long after the end.

 

[Booshka]

For me it's funny how in every damn playthrough after the first I never tell Laurentius about Quelaana when he asks me about the upgraded Pyro Flame.

I always go -- no, no. There's nothing for you in the swamps. Better if you stay here, and I'll be passing by often. We'll talk.

Also, I never went through Lautrec's events because I always kill him as soon as he gets to Firelink Shrine. Push him over the edge right in front of the Firekeeper. First time I did it because I really didn't like his tone and the undercurrent of what he was saying. He was just vile. Then, feeling guilty, I did check a wiki to see what was his importance. Fuck his armor and his invasion event, I won't allow him to kill the Firekeeper.

I guess in the end feeling this kind of emotions is a testament to how much one of these characters can end up meaning, even a barely sketched one. Might be because the game allows the players to fill a lot of 'biography holes' using their own imaginations and the small clues littered around, instead of getting them all prepackaged.

It's worth it to let Lautrec kill your firekeeper, just so you can make a Dingy Robe +10.

 

[B-Genius]

It's worth it to let Lautrec kill your firekeeper, just so you can make a Dingy Robe +10.

Sure, but on subsequent playthroughs the quicker he's dead, the better for everyone!

 

[Augemitbutter]

Can we take a moment to appreciate how awesome the Elite Knight is?

please, somebody make a figure already. the armor sets in these games are sick.

 

[Frank]

It's worth it to let Lautrec kill your firekeeper, just so you can make a Dingy Robe +10.

All my characters are various melee builds, + pyro. And after the first one, the rest have very basic/little armor. Never did a int/fai oriented character, and most likely never will do.

Adding all those hour counts from all the character save slots I got makes for an almost scary number, and still I'll never hit Platinum because I cannot be arsed to go after the things I don't care about, just to have them for... having them.

I really do hope that Archery & Magic gets an upgrade next time. It's pretty cool fighting with only a bow and rolling around, baiting & evading attacks, but the lenght of the animation (especially up close and personal) vs the damage dealt makes it not so practical in the end. There's also no heavy attack, or modifiers based on the movement like for the melee weapons.

And Magic... For a game that thrives on being engrossing, Magic seems like fighting during the tea break. Lazy, and distant. Whatever I use, I wanna breathe in the face of my enemies, I want to figure out ways to go through their attacks, not keep my distance.

 

[Rapstah]

I bought this game yesterday, and it is absolutely amazing so far. I tried invading with the four red eye orbs you get from a chest at the start of the game, and ended up in someone's world with a guy who was very ready to get invaded in Undead Burg. I fled a little and ended up hiding behind his undead merchant. He tried getting me from there with a fie bomb, which was a terrible mistake on his part. He disconnected immediately upon the undead merchant getting up and running towards him. Funny.

I didn't get any things for that disconnect though, and as far as I can tell I did not keep that red eye orb. Do you lose one forever if you encounter a disconnecter?

 

[Frank]

You lose them anyway.

You gotta become a Darkwraith (one of the 'hidden' convenants) if you want the item which will allow you to invade without consuming the item itself.

For a first playthrough, is a bit more difficult -- you have to sequence-break a bit, or at least, do things in a slightly different order than the one the game naturally lays out for you. And, keep in mind you're always invading 'up' -- people of the same, or higher, soul level than you. So, you'd want to do the whole 'becoming a Darkwraith' thing as low level as possible to maximize your chances of invading throughout the whole game, in all locations.

 

[Frank]

Also, I'm sure it's been asked dozens of times before, but is there confirmation that the pyro hand scales with INT? Pretty sure it has a grade in the menu, but I've always heard pyro is exclusive from all stats, etc. What's the general take on this?

Nope, pyro doesn't scale with any of your stats.

What happens though is that Dexterity modifies the speed of casting -- check this.

Other than that, nothing. Damage is solely connected with how upgraded the flame is.

 

[B-Genius]

Sweet, cheers Frank.

Rapstah, that's a pretty funny first-timer story. I wonder what became of that guy and his merchant... I guess your 'invasion' was successful in a sense

 

[Rapstah]

Sweet, cheers Frank.

Rapstah, that's a pretty funny first-timer story. I wonder what became of that guy and his merchant... I guess your 'invasion' was successful in a sense

I suspect he turned off his console, but the game auto saves a ton so who knows.

On a side note, I am getting what I think is great luck with drops. Within the two first black knights and the armoured boar in Undead Burg and Parish, I've gotten both the knight shield, the knight sword and the boar helmet. Pretty nice.

 

[sixteen-bit]

please, somebody make a figure already. the armor sets in these games are sick.

I would buy a figure of the Adventurer set so fast. Get on that shit, SQEX Play Arts, Figma, or whoever!

 

[Adamm]

I'm reasonably new to dark souls, so wondering if anyone could give me some advice on defeating a boss.

Im at the Capra demon & have died about 15-20 times trying to kill the stupid thing. I go in & block with my sheild straight away, but that takes away all my endurance knocks me to the ground.
Ive tried getting onto the stairs, but the demon is always so close behind that I never get a chance to hit it without taking about 50% damage from one of its swings.

Im level 30 at the moment & using mostly heavy armour (but still below 50% weight)

 

[elohel]

I would buy a figure of the Adventurer set so fast. Get on that shit, SQEX Play Arts, Figma, or whoever!

how do u get him to show up at firelink?

 

[truly101]

I'm at the Duke's Archives now, just got the past the dnakey things with that wierd ....music? is that what they call that? Anyway, I've come to the realization that even at this late in the game. I have no idea how to cast magic, especially pyromancy, and I have all these boss souls and I don't know how to get a smith to turn it into a weapon.

 

[truly101]

I'm reasonably new to dark souls, so wondering if anyone could give me some advice on defeating a boss.

Im at the Capra demon & have died about 15-20 times trying to kill the stupid thing. I go in & block with my sheild straight away, but that takes away all my endurance knocks me to the ground.
Ive tried getting onto the stairs, but the demon is always so close behind that I never get a chance to hit it without taking about 50% damage from one of its swings.

Im level 30 at the moment & using mostly heavy armour (but still below 50% weight)

Thats a tricky battle. You have to have your shield up and make a run for the stairs. follow them up and across the little ledge, you need to take out the dogs. jump off the ledge if the Capra is too close and go back up the stairs (making sure the Capra follows). You want to attack the dogs whenever you can take swipes at them with no Capra demon close by. Once they are dead, continue going up the steps and jumping off the ledge. Make sure Capra follows. When he lands he pauses for a a couple of seconds. Hit him 2-3 times (no more than) and run back up the stairs. I don't know if he swings down his swords when he jumps so keep that in mind. Just keep repeating the cycle and he dies.

 

[H_Prestige]

I'm at the Duke's Archives now, just got the past the dnakey things with that wierd ....music? is that what they call that? Anyway, I've come to the realization that even at this late in the game. I have no idea how to cast magic, especially pyromancy, and I have all these boss souls and I don't know how to get a smith to turn it into a weapon.

You don't need magic for anything in this game. Learn to use it only if you want to. Same goes for pyromancy, although that's much easier to use and requires no stat investment on your part.

I'm on NG++ and I don't really know anything about magic or enchanting weapons. I'm pure melee because that's the way I like it.

 

[Santiako]

I'm at the Duke's Archives now, just got the past the dnakey things with that wierd ....music? is that what they call that? Anyway, I've come to the realization that even at this late in the game. I have no idea how to cast magic, especially pyromancy, and I have all these boss souls and I don't know how to get a smith to turn it into a weapon.

You use a catalyst for magic spells, a talisman for miracles and a pyromancy flame for pyromancies.

You can improve a +10 weapon with a boss' souls to forge a unique weapon with the Giant Blacksmith in Anor Londo.

 

[maomaoIYP]

how do u get him to show up at firelink?

Talk to him when u first meet him just outside of the Gaping Dragon's room. After you beat the dragon he'll be at the aqueduct.

 

[mxgt]

I'm reasonably new to dark souls, so wondering if anyone could give me some advice on defeating a boss.

Im at the Capra demon & have died about 15-20 times trying to kill the stupid thing. I go in & block with my sheild straight away, but that takes away all my endurance knocks me to the ground.
Ive tried getting onto the stairs, but the demon is always so close behind that I never get a chance to hit it without taking about 50% damage from one of its swings.

Im level 30 at the moment & using mostly heavy armour (but still below 50% weight)

The dogs are basically the fight. If you can get to the stairs and kill off the dogs without dying or taking too much damage you've basically won.

 

[Thagomizer]

I think the popular interpretation is that the CD is the brother of the witches.

Wha? I've never heard this, nor is their any indication of the Witch having a son at all in game. I think the most common interpretation is that she's one of the sisters. There are 7 sisters in the prologue, and assuming that is all of them, here's the breakdown of where they occur in the game:

CANON:

Quelana: Gets away.

Quelaag and the White Lady: their lower bodies are turned into chaos spiders. Gain some spider-like traits (building a home out of silk, laying eggs), but otherwise basically make it through the transfomation with their minds intact.

Eldest sister: Perhaps the most powerful of the Witch's daughters. Is not physically transformed, at least not that we can see (she shares Quelana's model in game) but has had her mind warped into a mindless guardian of the Bed.

NON-CANON/FAN THEORY:

Ceaseless Discharge: One daughter is turned into this enormous demon. Most of her mind is gone, but part of her still remembers her mother and sisters. This is why she is guarding the gold-hemmed set and will only aggro (or do anything at all besides watch you) once you touch it or attack her.

The Last Two: The last two daughters, after with Witch herself, suffer the worst fate. They are turned into the spheres that protect and feed the Bed. Essentially living capacitors and resistors, they do nothing but regulate the Bed's power and keep it from destroying its amphitheater and itself. Were perhaps the closest to their mother before the transformation, or had the finest control over their magic, which is why they were turned into this.

 

[qizah]

I just bought this game yesterday (found the CE at my local best buy). The combat takes a while to get used to but so far I like it. I picked Pyromancer as my class, I hope it's a good class to start off with!

 

[Rapstah]

I just bought this game yesterday (found the CE at my local best buy). The combat takes a while to get used to but so far I like it. I picked Pyromancer as my class, I hope it's a good class to start off with!

Did every single place overstock the CE or something? My local Game literally had six of them - new - lying around and not a single regular version. Absurd, but the nicer for us.

 

[Dresden]

Wha? I've never heard this, nor is their any indication of the Witch having a son at all in game. I think the most common interpretation is that she's one of the sisters. There are 7 sisters in the prologue, and assuming that is all of them, here's the breakdown of where they occur in the game:

CANON:

Quelana: Gets away.

Quelaag and the White Lady: their lower bodies are turned into chaos spiders. Gain some spider-like traits (building a home out of silk, laying eggs), but otherwise basically make it through the transfomation with their minds intact.

Eldest sister: Perhaps the most powerful of the Witch's daughters. Is not physically transformed, at least not that we can see (she shares Quelana's model in game) but has had her mind warped into a mindless guardian of the Bed.

NON-CANON/FAN THEORY:

Ceaseless Discharge: One daughter is turned into this enormous demon. Most of her mind is gone, but part of her still remembers her mother and sisters. This is why she is guarding the gold-hemmed set and will only aggro once you touch it or attack her.

The Last Two: The last two daughters, after with Witch herself, suffer the worst fate. They are turned into the spheres that protect and feed the Bed. Essentially living capacitors and resistors, they do nothing but regulate the Bed's power and keep it from destroying its amphitheater and itself. Were perhaps the closest to their mother before the transformation, or had the finest control over their magic, which is why they were turned into this.

. . .

"An orange ring enchanted by a witch. Reduces lava damage. Since his sores were
inflamed by lava from birth, his witch sisters gave him this special ring. But fool that
he is, he readily dropped it, and from that spot, a terrible centipede demon was born."

 

[Thagomizer]

. . .

"An orange ring enchanted by a witch. Reduces lava damage. Since his sores were
inflamed by lava from birth, his witch sisters gave him this special ring. But fool that
he is, he readily dropped it, and from that spot, a terrible centipede demon was born."

Ah. I always skip LI, so I never got that ring. However, that's also a really vague description, and that description sort of implies that sequence of events happened after the Bed of Chaos, as it's explicitly stated the Bed is the source of all demons, which implies their were no demons before the Witch was transformed.

 

[Zeth]

This is a good idea, I really like how spears work in this game. But I want to know why I still stagger when using a Halberd. My current stats are Endurance - 24, Strength - 20, Dexterity - 23.

I just don't see how I am still not able to use this weapon effectively.


quick edit: I also have this problem with axes

Halberd requirements are 16 strength and 12 dex so you should be fine. What do you mean by stagger? You should definitely focus on either STR or DEX or your points will be spread thin.

 

[ixix]

Oh yeah, I remember her mentioning the name Salaman. Any leads on what became of him?

The only things that are known about Salaman is that he was Quelana's pupil, he was a big fan of the Great Fireball Pyromancy, and he trained Carmina. Carmina is the inventor of the Iron Flesh, Power Within, and Flash Sweat Pyromancies, which is all we know about her.

There's nothing explicitly stated about what happened to him, but based on Quelana's dialogue it seems like a pretty safe assumption that he didn't come to a good end.

Wha? I've never heard this, nor is their any indication of the Witch having a son at all in game. I think the most common interpretation is that she's one of the sisters.

According to the Orange Charred Ring item description it was originally owned by a guy who received it from his witch sisters, but he dropped it and it became the

Spoiler

Centipede Demon

. What exactly the whole relationship between him, the Daughters of Chaos, and the Witch of Izalith was is left ambiguous. Ceaseless Discharge being the former owner of the ring is as valid a guess as any other, I think.

 

[Sullichin]

I'm reasonably new to dark souls, so wondering if anyone could give me some advice on defeating a boss.

Im at the Capra demon & have died about 15-20 times trying to kill the stupid thing. I go in & block with my sheild straight away, but that takes away all my endurance knocks me to the ground.
Ive tried getting onto the stairs, but the demon is always so close behind that I never get a chance to hit it without taking about 50% damage from one of its swings.

Im level 30 at the moment & using mostly heavy armour (but still below 50% weight)

What shield are you using? You want one with 100% physical resistance and one that has good stability. Upgrading the shield will increase the stability. The higher stability, the less stamina a block will take. He's still going to hit hard though. The camera can also make this fight tough. I think this is one of the hardest fights in the game and really only because of the equipment available to you at the time of this fight. You can roll to dodge most of his attacks (not his big overhead slam iirc) as well.

All my characters are various melee builds, + pyro. And after the first one, the rest have very basic/little armor. Never did a int/fai oriented character, and most likely never will do.

Adding all those hour counts from all the character save slots I got makes for an almost scary number, and still I'll never hit Platinum because I cannot be arsed to go after the things I don't care about, just to have them for... having them.

I really do hope that Archery & Magic gets an upgrade next time. It's pretty cool fighting with only a bow and rolling around, baiting & evading attacks, but the lenght of the animation (especially up close and personal) vs the damage dealt makes it not so practical in the end. There's also no heavy attack, or modifiers based on the movement like for the melee weapons.

And Magic... For a game that thrives on being engrossing, Magic seems like fighting during the tea break. Lazy, and distant. Whatever I use, I wanna breathe in the face of my enemies, I
want to figure out ways to go through their attacks, not keep my distance.

Agreed: countless hours spent and at 91% trophies, don't see myself getting platinum. Melee+pyro or just melee is my favorite way to play as well. I enjoyed my sorcery playthrough but prefer melee, and aborted my bow wielding character. The combat controls shine best with melee. So many weapons to try out.

I bought this game yesterday, and it is absolutely amazing so far. I tried invading with the four red eye orbs you get from a chest at the start of the game, and ended up in someone's world with a guy who was very ready to get invaded in Undead Burg. I fled a little and ended up hiding behind his undead merchant. He tried getting me from there with a fie bomb, which was a terrible mistake on his part. He disconnected immediately upon the undead merchant getting up and running towards him. Funny.

I didn't get any things for that disconnect though, and as far as I can tell I did not keep that red eye orb. Do you lose one forever if you encounter a disconnecter?

Funny story.

You lose one if you successfully invade someone's world. You can buy more and get an item that allows you to do it permanently much later in the game, if you join the darkwraiths covenant which has pretty specific conditions for joining.

 

[krakov]

Talk to him when u first meet him just outside of the Gaping Dragon's room. After you beat the dragon he'll be at the aqueduct.

At some point he will show up in Firelink even if you've never talked to him or beaten Gaping. Not sure exactly when but probably after beating Quelaag.

 

[Pollux]

Hopefully someone can help me out with this question:

I played Demon's Souls and got my ass kicked the entire time. I liked it but never really made it past the first castle, is Dark Souls the same way in the sense that I have to go to Castle A first, and then B...I've heard it's "open world", is it open world like Skyrim or open world like Two Worlds II...basically what is meant by open world?

 

[Dresden]

Hopefully someone can help me out with this question:

I played Demon's Souls and got my ass kicked the entire time. I liked it but never really made it past the first castle, is Dark Souls the same way in the sense that I have to go to Castle A first, and then B...I've heard it's "open world", is it open world like Skyrim or open world like Two Worlds II...basically what is meant by open world?

Well, Demon's Souls was more like a Bioware game where after the first "world" you can choose where to go on a map (on in this case, the Nexus and the archstones). Dark Souls is more like a giant, intricate, interconnected world where if you have the skills you can bypass or switch around big swathes of the game however you want. There's a set progression and path, though, that most new players will follow.

e: I do think that Dark Souls is the more forgiving game.

 

[Rapstah]

Hopefully someone can help me out with this question:

I played Demon's Souls and got my ass kicked the entire time. I liked it but never really made it past the first castle, is Dark Souls the same way in the sense that I have to go to Castle A first, and then B...I've heard it's "open world", is it open world like Skyrim or open world like Two Worlds II...basically what is meant by open world?

If you imagine Demon's' 'Soul's' without the Nexus and with all maps leading to each other instead then you've sort of got it. This leads to more interconnectivity, of course.

 

[Pollux]

Well, Demon's Souls was more like a Bioware game where after the first "world" you can choose where to go on a map (on in this case, the Nexus and the archstones). Dark Souls is more like a giant, intricate, interconnected world where if you have the skills you can bypass or switch around big swathes of the game however you want. There's a set progression and path, though, that most new players will follow.

e: I do think that Dark Souls is the more forgiving game.

If you imagine Demon's' 'Soul's' without the Nexus and with all maps leading to each other instead then you've sort of got it. This leads to more interconnectivity, of course.

So, PS3 or 360?

 

[Dresden]

So, PS3 or 360?

Performance-wise they're almost identical. Digital Foundry comparisons and such came up clear as well.

PS3 has a much more active online community.

 

[Thagomizer]

Hopefully someone can help me out with this question:

I played Demon's Souls and got my ass kicked the entire time. I liked it but never really made it past the first castle, is Dark Souls the same way in the sense that I have to go to Castle A first, and then B...I've heard it's "open world", is it open world like Skyrim or open world like Two Worlds II...basically what is meant by open world?

It's less linear than Demon's, and there are no real set levels. With a few exceptions- the "middle" level and its connected levels and the final boss level are both separated by cutscenes- the entire world is interconnected seamlessly. You can literally go from the deepest point on the map up to the top of Sen's Fortress (the highest point you can go before the cutscene break) with no load screens, barring death. Depending on what path you take to get up there, this can pass through what in most games would be 3-4 entirely separate levels, all of them distinct, and all of them without a loadscreen or pause whatsoever, unless you die. If you select the Master Key at the start or buy it a little later on in the game, you have even more freedom. I wouldn't recommend this to new players, though, as you will end up in areas that will chew you up and spit you out if you don't already know what you are doing. It's great on NG+ or no future characters, though, as it basically allows you to skip the Burg and Blighttown entirely.

That said, it's not 100% free. There are certain things you have to do before you can do certain other things- for example, there's a Macguffin you have to get before you can fight the last 5 bosses. There also really aren't any side quests. There are some NPC's with questlines, and there are a few items you have to go out of your way to get, but these are more incidental than anything- you'll see them on the way, do whatever needs to be done with them at this stage, return to whatever you were doing.

Also, good fucking luck getting all the way though Siegmeyer's quest without a guide.

 

[qizah]

Did every single place overstock the CE or something? My local Game literally had six of them - new - lying around and not a single regular version. Absurd, but the nicer for us.

They had two at my local best buy, so I grabbed one.

I have OCD when it comes to game cases and the sticky residue from the plastic stickers -- so I spent about 10 minutes removing it from the steelbook and the sleeve. Then after I realized my download code for the digitized content doesn't work, so I had to email NamcoBandai. I hope it's worth the effort.

I started playing the game last night/today and it's really different than what I've usually played. I like the challenge the game provides, it makes it harder but in smart ways -- like if I want more HP, I can rest at a bonfire but the enemies respawn. I think those things are great and I've really been spoiled by games being too easy lately.

It was hard deciding between Dark Souls and Skyrim when I was at best buy, but I decided to get Dark Souls instead mainly due to the challenge and hearing about how the combat is better (I'm coming off fresh from Zelda: SS too where the combat was pretty great) -- and I'm noticing things in Dark Souls that I like about the combat as well.

 

[Sullichin]

Hopefully someone can help me out with this question:

I played Demon's Souls and got my ass kicked the entire time. I liked it but never really made it past the first castle, is Dark Souls the same way in the sense that I have to go to Castle A first, and then B...I've heard it's "open world", is it open world like Skyrim or open world like Two Worlds II...basically what is meant by open world?

For what its worth, I came into Dark Souls with a similar experience from Demons - hit a wall really early in that game. DkS clicked with me though and I've since went back and beaten Demons and found Demon's to be the easier of the two games.

It's open world, but not all of it is available at the start. You will often have a few choices of which areas you want to conquer next. As you progress you begin to see how the world is interconnected. It's a thing of beauty! It's interconnected kind of like a Metroid game would be.

When I was really stuck in Demons Souls at the beginning of that game, I hated that when I spawned again I wouldn't have the same amount of health items to work with as the last time I tried the level. If you progress in that game it becomes apparent that there are easy ways to get tons of health items. That doesn't help with the initial learning curve though. But in this game, you spawn with a set number of health items per checkpoint (you can increase the number and improve effectiveness of the items). I prefer it to the many herbs of Demons Souls.

 

[Rapstah]

For what its worth, I came into Dark Souls with a similar experience from Demons - hit a wall really early in that game. DkS clicked with me though and I've since went back and beaten Demons and found Demon's to be the easier of the two games.

It's open world, but not all of it is available at the start. You will often have a few choices of which areas you want to conquer next. As you progress you begin to see how the world is interconnected. It's a thing of beauty! It's interconnected kind of like a Metroid game would be.

When I was really stuck in Demons Souls at the beginning of that game, I hated that when I spawned again I wouldn't have the same amount of health items to work with as the last time I tried the level. If you progress in that game it becomes apparent that there are easy ways to get tons of health items. That doesn't help with the initial learning curve though. But in this game, you spawn with a set number of health items per checkpoint (you can increase the number and improve effectiveness of the items). I prefer it to the many herbs of Demons Souls.

Oh man yes, this is the single biggest positive thing for me between the two. Flasks > herbs by so much.

 

[Sullichin]

Oh man yes, this is the single biggest positive thing for me between the two. Flasks > herbs by so much.

Also the item burden. Screw that! I picked up this awesome, but very heavy armor, that I couldn't really use yet but obviously wanted to keep for later. If I left the level and came back it would be gone forever. But I have to drop almost everything i have to fit it all (I believe this was before I got that one ring that increased this stat). The open world nature of Dark Souls would have made this even more annoying.

Demon's Great Machete is awesome. I have it at +10 and I'm having some fun in the forest. I'm currently working on getting my DEX up to use the black knight greataxe. Should I bother taking my strength to 50?

 

[Dresden]

Also the item burden. Screw that! I picked up this awesome, but very heavy armor, that I couldn't really use yet but obviously wanted to keep for later. If I left the level and came back it would be gone forever. But I have to drop almost everything i have to fit it all (I believe this was before I got that one ring that increased this stat). The open world nature of Dark Souls would have made this even more annoying.

Yeah, item burden was quite annoying, although having the Ring of Herculean Strength helped considerably for those occasions.