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[Grief.exe]

Don't do this. The lightning spear is one of the worst lightning weapons in the game and the materials to upgrade weapons to lightning +5 are limited each playthrough and very very rare if you try farming. If you want a spear-like weapon then upgrade a halberd to lightning+5. A lightning claymore +5 is more versatile though and outdamages a lightning spear +5 by a large margin as well.

Ya I really like the Heavy attack of the Claymore, suits my current playstyle more since I keep it safe.

Lightning claymore good for pvp and pve? I play to only get up to SL 60 or 70, then Darkwraith and sunbro.

 

[LeCapitan]

So was the pre-release bashfest of crying and shame worthwhile? Or does it actually run pretty well on your PCs?

 

[TheExodu5]

Don't do this. The lightning spear is one of the worst lightning weapons in the game and the materials to upgrade weapons to lightning +5 are limited each playthrough and very very rare if you try farming. If you want a spear-like weapon then upgrade a halberd to lightning+5. A lightning claymore +5 is more versatile though and outdamages a lightning spear +5 by a large margin as well.

What if you want to stick to spears?

So was the pre-release bashfest of crying and shame worthwhile? Or does it actually run pretty well on your PCs?

It was entirely warranted, and if not for Durante, it would still be going on.

 

[antitrop]

So was the pre-release bashfest of crying and shame worthwhile? Or does it actually run pretty well on your PCs?

With the high-res patch and a controller it looks absolutely amazing and runs perfectly on high-end hardware. The unquestionable superior version.

Without the patch and only a Mouse/Keyboard it's a complete disaster and probably the worst hack job of a port ever put out on the PC.

 

[Sullichin]

The new stuff isn't even accessible until quite late in the game. By the time you have access to it you should pretty much be ready for it, and if you're not ready it won't take long at all for the game to make you painfully aware of that fact.



+15 with CMW will do more damage. You could just make one of each, you know. Use the Enchanted for walking around fightin' grunts, switch to the +15 for invaders and bosses. You'd need to farm a bit more for a second Balder Side Sword, but they use different chunks and slabs so making a pair shouldn't be too onerous a burden.

Yeah I'm just gonna do both. I like the CMW buff too much but I don't want to put points in DEX and have to rely on it. using it for bosses and such is a great idea.

I just spent a bunch of souls and wasted titanite thinking I have to bring the BSS to +10 before I can turn it to magic. Forgot magic upgrade path starts at +5, should have just bought green titanite >_<

 

[perorist]

What if you want to stick to spears?

Like I said, you could go for the halberd or one of the many other spears if you want to use a spear-type weapon. The lighting spear is basically a lightning version of the regular dinky spear, the weakest weapon out of the spear class and not worth wasting the limited materials on.

 

[whalleywhat]

Don't do this. The lightning spear is one of the worst lightning weapons in the game and the materials to upgrade weapons to lightning +5 are limited each playthrough and very very rare if you try farming. If you want a spear-like weapon then upgrade a halberd to lightning+5. A lightning claymore +5 is more versatile though and outdamages a lightning spear +5 by a large margin as well.

No, it's rad.

 

[goodfella]

360 controller issue:

When I move the left stick fully up, my character only walks. Moving the stick a small number of degrees to the left or right will cause the charter to run.
This may be down to ware and tear on the controller, however, this issue has happened on s few other games, namely Tomb Raider Anniversary, Bully, and the Sleeping Dogs Karaoke mini game (lol).
Seems to be software depended, similar to factoring in values for deadzone. Most games compensate enough for my controller, but not Dark Souls.

Anyone else experiencing the same issue?

 

[2AdEPT]

Are there any good reasons to avoid killing Crossbreed Priscilla?

keep it open for co-op..ots of stuff to get there including reprisals for Darkmoon...keeep it open until you know what yo are doing..help is useful in the bottom area where allthe keys are ot unlock the whole area....although you prolly got the key that way already it sounds like.

my pyro glove is already maxxed out :3

ill just buy few humanities.

Funny how everything turned out. I decide to change weapons because getting the big one I wanted was taking too long. So, I went and grinded those stupid blightown barbarians for an hour or two and never got the drop. I did end up with about 35k in souls so I spent it on the

Spoiler

Forest Crest

so I could end up doing everything required to buy the weapon I wanted in the first place. Pretty weird how that turned out :/

Edit: Oh crap, I bought two of the same weapon and I really don't feel like grinding up another 10k souls to buy the other. I KNEW I should have checked my inventory first.

buy all the weapons ..that shop is closed once you

Spoiler

kill him fo rothe stuff

Well, if you've got 16/14 Str/Dex you could always make a

Spoiler

Lightning Avelyn and load it with lightning bolts

. It's incredibly powerful but every single time you pull the trigger 2100 souls go flying off into the ether. It's pretty much the single most effective soul sink in the game, and oh so very much fun.

BEATEN^^^^^^^^^^totally was goig to say the exact same thing.

Thanks for the info.

Ut don't forget physical weapons can be buffed and therefore get much strionger than elementals...elementals suck

I just don't have the damage to take on four kings, I can't do enough to kill one before the next one comes out.

I have an unupgraded Lightning and Quelagg's, I've tried with both but neither puts out enough damage.

Thinking about going to get a claymore and upgrading it full Lightning since I'm doing a 16/14 str/dex build.

Thoughts on this? Or suggestions? Should I just upgrade Quelagg's?

EDIT: Quelagg's is pretty pathetic even upgraded.

I did it with lighning spear +4 I think ....use the grass sheild and buff your stamina bar other ways....you get more hits in that way.

 

[perorist]

Ya I really like the Heavy attack of the Claymore, suits my current playstyle more since I keep it safe.

Lightning claymore good for pvp and pve? I play to only get up to SL 60 or 70, then Darkwraith and sunbro.

Yes, the claymore is still a great pvp weapon even with its reduced speed because of its horizontal range for dead angling. The 1H R2 isn't very good for pvp but great for pve if you're in a corridor or want to play it safe. It uses a lot of stamina though so you need to be careful with it.

 

[TheExodu5]

Like I said, you could go for the halberd or one of the many other spears if you want to use a spear-type weapon. The lighting spear is basically a lightning version of the regular dinky spear, the weakest weapon out of the spear class and not worth wasting the limited materials on.

Halberd has a completely different attacking style though, does it not?

edit: what about a Lightning Winged Spear?

 

[Sarcasm]

360 controller issue:

When I move the left stick fully up, my character only walks. Moving the stick a small number of degrees to the left or right will cause the charter to run.
This may be down to ware and tear on the controller, however, this issue has happened on s few other games, namely Tomb Raider Anniversary, Bully, and the Sleeping Dogs Karaoke mini game (lol).
Seems to be software depended, similar to factoring in values for deadzone. Most games compensate enough for my controller, but not Dark Souls.

Anyone else experiencing the same issue?

Try clicking the left stick.

 

[goodfella]

Try clicking the left stick.

Yeah, that seems to work, but not as a permanent solution.

I guess no one else has this issue, I think I'm going to have to resort to mashing the stick around violently to fix it :/

It's a known issue, I experience the same thing. The solution I've been using that someone else on GAF suggested was clicking in the left stick to "reset" the dead zone.

It's a huge pain in the ass, especially knowing that they'll never patch it.

I know for a fact it's not due to wear and tear because my Wired Xbox 360 Controller for Windows is less than 1 month old. I just bought it for Darksiders II and Dark Souls, specifically.

That is a huge pain in the ass.

Ut don't forget physical weapons can be buffed and therefore get much strionger than elementals...elementals suck

So I should put my points into strength /dex?

I need someone to tell me how to play.

 

[antitrop]

360 controller issue:

When I move the left stick fully up, my character only walks. Moving the stick a small number of degrees to the left or right will cause the charter to run.
This may be down to ware and tear on the controller, however, this issue has happened on s few other games, namely Tomb Raider Anniversary, Bully, and the Sleeping Dogs Karaoke mini game (lol).
Seems to be software depended, similar to factoring in values for deadzone. Most games compensate enough for my controller, but not Dark Souls.

Anyone else experiencing the same issue?

It's a known issue, I experience the same thing. The solution I've been using that someone else on GAF suggested was clicking in the left stick to "reset" the dead zone.

It's a huge pain in the ass, especially knowing that they'll never patch it.

I know for a fact it's not due to wear and tear because my Wired Xbox 360 Controller for Windows is less than 1 month old. I just bought it for Darksiders II and Dark Souls, specifically.

 

[perorist]

Halberd has a completely different attacking style though, does it not?

edit: what about a Lightning Winged Spear?

It has the essentially the same thrusting stab type of moves with more range and a few added wide swings. The point is that using those limited slabs to upgrade a spear to lightning +5 is like if you enjoy using straight swords and upgrade a regular shortsword to lightning +5. There's much better choices within the same / similar class of weapon since the base weapon here is the weakest, most basic weapon of its class.

I mean if you really are seriously in love with its basic moveset and are willing to sacrifice range and damage then no one's going to stop you, but it's not something I would recommend for anyone.

Edit - and yes, even the winged spear upgraded to lightning +5 does more damage than the regular spear.

 

[Revoh]

Can't beat the wolf, been stuck at this boss for hours! I refuse to check a video on YouTube. I'm playing a pure melee warrior. Any tips?

 

[perorist]

Can't beat the wolf, been stuck at this boss for hours! I refuse to check a video on YouTube. I'm playing a pure melee warrior. Any tips?

Just stay under his belly and he can't hit you with most attacks. Either roll through his swings or if you have a high stability shield and enough stamina you can tank through them.

 

[ijed]

Yes - It keeps the painted world open for invasions. It's a popular hotspot on consoles. Online seems broken/dead to me in the PC version though.

Helped a bunch of people through Painted World last night while farming souveniers but had no invasions while being alive pretty much the whole time (had a couple in other people's worlds though) and had no luck using the blue stone.

Lots of miracle resonance signs though! There was one in the middle of the Phalanxs - Saw one phantom rush in a WoG'd them all in 1 shot

Edit - and yes, even the winged spear upgraded to lightning +5 does more damage than the regular spear.

Also winged spear does the exact same damage as the Pike but not needing the huge str req. Only good thing about the Pike is it's nice long reach

 

[Revoh]

Just stay under his belly and he can't hit you with most attacks. Either roll through his swings or if you have a high stability shield and enough stamina you can tank through them.

Yeap, that's what I did. Got summoned for the first time today, played with 2 other dudes, one died right after entering the fog lol.
Feels good man

Edit: Wait a minute, I have to kill him again? LOL.

 

[Grief.exe]

Yes, the claymore is still a great pvp weapon even with its reduced speed because of its horizontal range for dead angling. The 1H R2 isn't very good for pvp but great for pve if you're in a corridor or want to play it safe. It uses a lot of stamina though so you need to be careful with it.

Would you mind going into some detail here on dead angling? And some early pvp strategies.

Can't beat the wolf, been stuck at this boss for hours! I refuse to check a video on YouTube. I'm playing a pure melee warrior. Any tips?

Learn his 360 swing, roll under that before he starts and start wrecking his belly. Everything else you can shield block and then get a swing on.

He's weak to fire so hit up pyromancy if you have it.

 

[RiccochetJ]

Crap, I think I'm stuck in a map and it's not letting me warp out and apparently I can't leave. This is problematic!

 

[zkylon]

Summoned both

Spoiler

Solaire

and

Spoiler

Lautrec

to fight the Depths boss, expecting them to do some super awesome collaboration effort. Instead, they both backed into a corner and got pounded to the point they were near dead and I had to bail their asses lol.

Blighttown, here I go.

 

[Zzoram]

Crap, I think I'm stuck in a map and it's not letting me warp out and apparently I can't leave. This is problematic!

Did you try to suicide with the Darksign to get respawned?

 

[Zzoram]

Yeap, that's what I did. Got summoned for the first time today, played with 2 other dudes, one died right after entering the fog lol.
Feels good man

Edit: Wait a minute, I have to kill him again? LOL.

When you co-op a boss, only the host gets credit. The allies just get a soul reward and get knowledge of how the fight could be done.

 

[NBtoaster]

Crap, I think I'm stuck in a map and it's not letting me warp out and apparently I can't leave. This is problematic!

Duke's Archives? See if anyone is close to the bars.

 

[ShipTheCheese]

So, I'm level 98 right now (playing the original version on PS3), and been rocking the Lightning Claymore+5 for a good while now, but I'm thinking of switching main weapons, since its starting to feel a little underpowered on NG+. As a massive Claymore fan, what would be a nice switch for me? STR is 29 and DEX = 20 at the moment.

What do you guys recommend?

Anyone?

 

[Quikies83]

has anyone actually made into a PVP match?? I have yet to be able to drop into a team or duel match...

 

[RiccochetJ]

Did you try to suicide with the Darksign to get respawned?

Duke's Archives? See if anyone is close to the bars.

I went into a

Spoiler

painting.

Is there any way out of here? I'll come back here, but I think I'd rather be somewhere else right now

 

[NBtoaster]

I went into a

Spoiler

painting.

Is there any way out of here? I'll come back here, but I think I'd rather be somewhere else right now

You have to play through that level to escape.

 

[RoboGeorgeForeman]

I went into a

Spoiler

painting.

Is there any way out of here? I'll come back here, but I think I'd rather be somewhere else right now

You have to go all the way through in order to leave (

Spoiler

but the boss is optional

).

 

[perorist]

Would you mind going into some detail here on dead angling? And some early pvp strategies.

Dead angling is basically an unblockable hit. What happens in DkS is that it only registers them as blocking if you're facing them while attacking. So if you were to face away from the opponent and somehow your swing still managed to hit them, it would damage them even if they had their shield up. You can do this with most weapons that have wide horizontal swings, with scythes being one of the easier weapons to do this with. You'll probably need some practice to pull it off but it's never too early to start. The claymore's running R1 also has this property.

For basic pvp tips:

Learn the range of your weapon, it's best to hit at near max range if you can when playing footsies. In the same vein though, don't be predictable and just attack every time you're within that range.

Never mash attacks because the game queues up actions and you're commited to them once you've pressed the button.

Watch your opponent and estimate how much stamina they have. If they just rolled a bunch of times or swung wildly like an idiot, their stamina will be low and you can decide if you want to 2H your weapon and go in for a guard break.

If your opponent pulls out a pyro glove or catalyst, get in as close as possible and get ready for a backstab opening. Aside from combustion, there's very few safe spells that can be cast from close range without being backstabbed.

Know your opponent's armor and how much poise it gives them. If they're wearing lighter armor (cloth type) or naked then you want to pressure them rather than play defensively. Heavy armor on the other hand is dangerous because with poise they can tank through your first swing and potentially backstab you or counter with the super armor properties that heavy weapons now have.

I'd say about 70% of my kills in DkS PC pvp so far have been backstabs though, and there's a lot of ways to fish for them but you should just try messing around in some duels to get a feel for your weapon before you learn that lol.

 

[Dubbedinenglish]

I went into a

Spoiler

painting.

Is there any way out of here? I'll come back here, but I think I'd rather be somewhere else right now

Nope. You have to get to the boss fog for an exit. Just enter carefully when you go in the boss fog.

 

[RiccochetJ]

You have to play through that level to escape.

You have to go all the way through in order to leave (

Spoiler

but the boss is optional

).

Dammit. This is going to take a little while and a lot of learning.

Spoiler

Bird

enemies are kicking my butt right now. They have this evil grab that kills me immediately. Oh and there's the

Spoiler

Undead dragon

blocking my path

 

[Revoh]

When you co-op a boss, only the host gets credit. The allies just get a soul reward and get knowledge of how the fight could be done.

Thanks, that's cool

 

[Viewtify]

Finally beat the DLC.

Spoiler

Mangus

was pretty easy once I started playing defensively instead of being aggressive. Going for the

Spoiler

tail

got me killed countless times.

Spoiler

Summoning Sif

made the fight harder for some reason so I beat him solo instead. Also the

Spoiler

Black Dragon

boss was fucking awesome. One of the best bosses in the game.

 

[Finalow]

got a problem with game save manager, probably I'm missing something. after the first backup I can't find Dark Souls in the list of games anymore, and yes, I scanned again and again but nothing.

how sad. they nerfed the crystal ring shield. that thing was awesome. now it's shit.

that shield was broken as fuck man.

 

[ijed]

Dammit. This is going to take a little while and a lot of learning.

Spoiler

Bird

enemies are kicking my butt right now. They have this evil grab that kills me immediately. Oh and there's the

Spoiler

Undead dragon

blocking my path

There's a short way through if you want to skip most of the level for now:

Spoiler

kill undead dragon with arrows or w/e then do a leaping attack on the legs that are left behind. Drop down under the legs to the boss door

 

[Grief.exe]

So I'm thinking of doing a faith or intelligence based build for my next character.

For a melee weapon, are divine or magical upgraded weapons viable?

Dead angling is basically an unblockable hit. What happens in DkS is that it only registers them as blocking if you're facing them while attacking. So if you were to face away from the opponent and somehow your swing still managed to hit them, it would damage them even if they had their shield up. You can do this with most weapons that have wide horizontal swings, with scythes being one of the easier weapons to do this with. You'll probably need some practice to pull it off but it's never too early to start. The claymore's running R1 also has this property.

For basic pvp tips:

Learn the range of your weapon, it's best to hit at near max range if you can when playing footsies. In the same vein though, don't be predictable and just attack every time you're within that range.

Never mash attacks because the game queues up actions and you're commited to them once you've pressed the button.

Watch your opponent and estimate how much stamina they have. If they just rolled a bunch of times or swung wildly like an idiot, their stamina will be low and you can decide if you want to 2H your weapon and go in for a guard break.

If your opponent pulls out a pyro glove or catalyst, get in as close as possible and get ready for a backstab opening. Aside from combustion, there's very few safe spells that can be cast from close range without being backstabbed.

Know your opponent's armor and how much poise it gives them. If they're wearing lighter armor (cloth type) or naked then you want to pressure them rather than play defensively. Heavy armor on the other hand is dangerous because with poise they can tank through your first swing and potentially backstab you or counter with the super armor properties that heavy weapons now have.

I'd say about 70% of my kills in DkS PC pvp so far have been backstabs though, and there's a lot of ways to fish for them but you should just try messing around in some duels to get a feel for your weapon before you learn that lol.

Thanks for the awesome tips. I'll probably be dark wraithing around tomorrow.

 

[cj_iwakura]

Any input on the added content yet?

 

[Technosteve]

i am in anor londo and the part where you run up the ramps to the two bow silver knights. Did they make that part harder? Now when i get to the top both those fuckers try to hit me at once. I am taking a break because i just lost a shit ton of souls to that one part and i'm out of arrows.

I'm thinking my strat is run up there and pray to god that my R2 hits with my black knight sword and knocks the fucker off the ledge

 

[Technosteve]

Anyone? =D

all the new DLC is after anor londo because you need the item from there

 

[ixix]

Yeah I'm just gonna do both. I like the CMW buff too much but I don't want to put points in DEX and have to rely on it. using it for bosses and such is a great idea.

I just spent a bunch of souls and wasted titanite thinking I have to bring the BSS to +10 before I can turn it to magic. Forgot magic upgrade path starts at +5, should have just bought green titanite >_<

Actually, thinking about it a bit more, if you're planning on stopping at 30 Int you might be better off with Magic+10 rather than Enchanted+5. The Magic upgrade path has higher base damage but worse scaling, while the Enchanted path has lower base damage but better scaling. Depending on the weapon I think Enchanted only out-damages an equivalently-upgraded Magic weapon somewhere around 40-50 Int.

 

[RiccochetJ]

There's a short way through if you want to skip most of the level for now:

Spoiler

kill undead dragon with arrows or w/e then do a leaping attack on the legs that are left behind. Drop down under the legs to the boss door

I might try that. I just was in the cellar... that was evil btw, and I

Spoiler

Made the statue turn around and open a door

Should I still go up top? Can I come back or does it get locked until NG+?

 

[ijed]

I might try that. I just was in the cellar... that was evil btw, and I

Spoiler

Made the statue turn around and open a door

Should I still go up top? Can I come back or does it get locked until NG+?

If you've done that and opened the door back to the bonfire then you're home free. It's just a straight line from bonfire to boss door now.

And you can return there anytime - if you've got the abitlity to warp between bonfires you can get back there from anywhere

 

[Zeliard]

Actually, thinking about it a bit more, if you're planning on stopping at 30 Int you might be better off with Magic+10 rather than Enchanted+5. The Magic upgrade path has higher base damage but worse scaling, while the Enchanted path has lower base damage but better scaling. Depending on the weapon I think Enchanted only out-damages an equivalently-upgraded Magic weapon somewhere around 40-50 Int.

If I start taking a Balder Side Sword to +15 where should my DEX be at for it to see true benefit? I don't plan on levelling much in NG so I'm considering taking it down an elemental path.

Drop rates for those seem pretty reasonable. With the Serpent Ring and 3 or so Humanity (I had ~350 item discovery), I snagged two BSS within only 4 or 5 encounters at Sen's.

 

[RiccochetJ]

If you've done that and opened the door back to the bonfire then you're home free. It's just a straight line from bonfire to boss door now.

And you can return there anytime - if you've got the abitlity to warp between bonfires you can get back there from anywhere

Thank you! I was getting worried that I was somewhere I really shouldn't have been and I was in for a long painful process. Well more than normal anyways

Hmmm, now I want to explore around here some more!

Edit update:

Spoiler

Got an ember, a rapier, killed the dragon, and got a red stone thing like for leaving messages etc. Not sure what it does yet

Spoiler:
Pic of my escape!

 

[Sarcasm]

Well I figured out why I wasn't backstab..I forgot that Light attack is bumper and not the RT..RT is heavy.

Also I got to the bonfire near church. Is it better if I buy the boxs for upgrading armor and weapons or have him do it? Are the mats to upgrade limited supply? I don't know if I want to enforce my starter gear.

I also need a farming spot.....

Anything important near by?

**Also I didn't talk to that one guy (in human form) twice before the bridge with dragon on it, is it worth the trek back?

 

[Taruranto]

Cleared

Spoiler

New Londo

(what's up with the bonfires in there? there are like 4 of them and they are all pretty close), and i was able to kill

Spoiler

Gwyndolin

.

I explored a bit of the Catacombs with my newfound magic powers, but i got stuck at the part

Spoiler

after the blacksmith, fucking skeletons on wheels!!!

Next step: The Archives, i heard they have great things for mages in there.

And i really need to get shoes.

 

[Raxus]

I am having a hell of a time invading anyone at SL 56 I don't think I over leveled but man is it frustrating.

 

[loganclaws]

Is it normal that I don't get a unique soul from the Taurus Demon? Or do you have to kill him over and over until I get a unique soul?