Hey dudes! Just bought the PC edition the other day, loving the Durante-improved visuals.
Just wondering if anyone can help me with Seath? Running a sorcerer build and looking to pick up the Moonlight Greatsword. I'm about SL 62, so wouldn't mind someone tanky to distract him while I whack at the tail.
Hey dudes! Just bought the PC edition the other day, loving the Durante-improved visuals.
Just wondering if anyone can help me with Seath? Running a sorcerer build and looking to pick up the Moonlight Greatsword. I'm about SL 62, so wouldn't mind someone tanky to distract him while I whack at the tail.
I have a SL 65 that can help, but not right now. Have to place Lordvessel and get to Duke's. Send me a PM with your gamertag or steam id and I'll help you out.
I have a SL 65 that can help, but not right now. Have to place Lordvessel and get to Duke's. Send me a PM with your gamertag or steam id and I'll help you out.
Bought the game on steam while it was on sale yesterday and I can't even get it to run . A black screen window opens up, I hear a few beeps, then get a Not Responding error
I decided to purchase this game yesterday after having a debate in my head for weeks whether I should get this or not because I could not stand Demon Souls its difficulty from the get go.
But something is different in this one. I do not know if this is partially due to the fact that I am saying to myself ''Okay, so I will die often. Learn from your mistakes'', or that the game just feels a little more newbie friendly.
I decided to purchase this game yesterday after having a debate in my head for weeks whether I should get this or not because I could not stand Demon Souls its difficulty from the get go.
But something is different in this one. I do not know if this is partially due to the fact that I am saying to myself ''Okay, so I will die often. Learn from your mistakes'', or that the game just feels a little more newbie friendly.
Just remember that death isn't failure. The game wants to intimidate you by killing you at every chance it gets. But it seems like you've overcome the first obstacle, though
I decided to purchase this game yesterday after having a debate in my head for weeks whether I should get this or not because I could not stand Demon Souls its difficulty from the get go.
But something is different in this one. I do not know if this is partially due to the fact that I am saying to myself ''Okay, so I will die often. Learn from your mistakes'', or that the game just feels a little more newbie friendly.
Yes, Dark Souls is much more newbie friendly than Demon's Souls.
But you'll see, the learning curve is amazing in these games. After beating Dark Souls, try to come back to Demon's and you'll see how much easier it will feel.
I think Dark Souls does a much better job easing new players into the game before beating them into the ground. While neither have long tutorials, Dark Souls made starting off much easier with flasks, the bonfire system and it was fairly linear overall as well. If you venture off in the wrong area in Dark Souls, you are quickly squashed. It doesnt take long to realize you should pick a different path.
Demons Souls threw players into a hub world with many options to pick from with very little direction. All the stones were difficult the first time playing through the game, but if you play them in a certain order and gather weapons, armor, items, as you go along, it makes the game more manageable. On your first play through you have no idea what the best order is. You have to learn the combat mechanics at the same time as figuring out which order of stones to pick.
A lot of my friends gave up in Demons Souls because they picked the toughest archstones and kept dying on the same level rather than try other stones. They heard the game was brutal in difficulty and they were going to die a lot, so they just figured all the stones were the same difficulty level. They thought the only difference between the stones was the locations. I didnt want to spoil the game for them, because experiencing the game without spoilers is the way to go, but I also hated to see them quit because they chose the toughest paths.
Hey, trolling new players is part of the fun built into the game. I'm not concerned whether that aspect turns off new players. I got bent over sideways as a new player by invaders constantly, didn't dissuade me.
But yeah, a SL1 Darkwraith in Black Iron Armor, with a Lightning Reinforced Club and Great Combustion (on a maxed +5 glove), is a little unfair.
A lot of my friends gave up in Demons Souls because they picked the toughest archstones and kept dying on the same level rather than try other stones. They heard the game was brutal in difficulty and they were going to die a lot, so they just figured all the stones were the same difficulty level. They thought the only difference between the stones was the locations. I didnt want to spoil the game for them, because experiencing the game without spoilers is the way to go, but I also hated to see them quit because they chose the toughest paths.
Hi guys, I'm having some trouble fighting the butterfly boss and the stone Knights right before her, anyone have any weapon recommendations? I'm still using a +4 long sword lol
Hi guys, I'm having some trouble fighting the butterfly boss and the stone Knights right before her, anyone have any weapon recommendations? I'm still using a +4 long sword lol
Appreciate the advice guys. So how long should I go about using the longsword then? I've got like 10 hours in the game now, still using the initial weapon :\
Appreciate the advice guys. So how long should I go about using the longsword then? I've got like 10 hours in the game now, still using the initial weapon :\
It's fine as long as you keep upgrading it. Next step should be to go +6 onward to +10.
Dark Souls has a gear and loot system that's not based around finding your next awesome weapon from a lucky drop. It's more about finding weapons that you like, either through buying them, crafting them or picking them up off bodies and in the world then investing in upgrading them so they complement your stats and playstlyle.
So a properly upgraded Longsword with right stats can last you the entire game and do very well overall, it's also an excellent PvP weapon.
So keep that in mind, don't constantly chase the next rare weapon that probably isn't better than the one you are holding.
I gave them hints on what to do, but I didnt want to give them exact step by step instructions. There is plenty of great walk throughs on the game if they wanted to go that route. I think both games are better the first time with as little spoilers as possible, at the same time it doesnt matter if they give up playing the game altogether. I gave them hints on the first few worlds to do and items to pick up to make the game much easier, but they grew frustrated in the swamps and the Armor spider boss. In the end they didnt enjoy dying so much and are happy playing games that are much easier.
Dark Souls GAF, please help me. I'm trying to go through the game without a guide or a wiki, but I think I need a time out for some help.
I'm level 20something and I have leveled Strength and Dex enough to wield the super badass Black Knight Sword, which I have gotten to +2
I started as a pyro with the master key
I have leveled up my estus twice
I have the elite knight armor. Also the red mage stuff.
I have taken down these bosses:
Capra Demon
Butterfly Thing
Gargoyles
Places where I'm stuck:
The place under the graveyard - The skeletons don't die. I can't figure out how to make them stay dead.
Blighttown - I go through the tunnel with the guys with the clubs. I have gotten the estus upgrade and other stuff, but seem to be stuck. I can't access the rest of the area.
Drakes - They own me
I've only rung the bell by the gargoyles, I don't know where the other one is.
Please try and guide me, or let me know if I need to give you more info.
(I also killed the guy at the top of the undead parish, I'm not sure if I was supposed to)
The Catacombs. You need a divine weapon (you got the Divine ember after defeating the Moonlight Butterfly) or to kill the Necromancers in there - each group of skellies is controlled by a non-respawning Necromancer. You can come back to this area later, the boss is easy and gives a great reward though, so if you're feeling brave!
Blighttown - I go through the tunnel with the guys with the clubs. I have gotten the estus upgrade and other stuff, but seem to be stuck. I can't access the rest of the area.
Go further in. This is actually the back entrance. Since you've killed Capra, look for a place not far from where he was to use the key he dropped for the next area that connects to the front entrance.
Eek! Don't kill any more NPCs merchants, ESPECIALLY Blacksmiths. Now you've killed the only guy who can absolve you of sins and de-aggro attacked NPCs, you should be VERY careful not to attack any more.
At the top of the Bell Tower? Hah, yeah, I did this on my first playthrough too. He was just asking for it sneaking up behind me like that with that nonchalant pose.
He sells a few useful-but-not-essential items, but his main perk is that he can reset a covenant's opinion of you if you, like me, wanted to switch between covenants freely and often to get a feel for each. This is actually what caused me to restart my first playthrough when I ran into covenant troubles.
At the top of the Bell Tower? Hah, yeah, I did this on my first playthrough too. He was just asking for it sneaking up behind me like that with that nonchalant pose.
He sells a few useful-but-not-essential items, but his main perk is that he can reset a covenant's opinion of you if you, like me, wanted to switch between covenants freely and often to get a feel for each. This is actually what caused me to restart my first playthrough when I ran into covenant troubles.
Not the bell tower. The place BEFORE you go fight the gargoyles. Hidden behind a wood door in a cell? Someone wrote "LIAR AHEAD" on the floor, so i just iced him.
Go further in. This is actually the back entrance. Since you've killed Capra, look for a place not far from where he was to use the key he dropped for the next area that connects to the front entrance.
Not the bell tower. The place BEFORE you go fight the gargoyles. Hidden behind a wood door in a cell? Someone wrote "LIAR AHEAD" on the floor, so i just iced him.
I keep trying all the solutions I can find via google to fix this GWFL online issue. I had no problem playing the game online for 6-8 hours and now it refuses to connect. Has anyone here run into this before? Anyone have a working solution?
So I'm now 2-3 hours into the game. Got a dragon sword in one hand and some shield I just got in the other. Wrecking fools in one hit for the most part right now.
HOLD OFF THE FUCKING HATE TRAIN BECAUSE YOU'LL ONLY DRIVE ME OFF
I am really trying to find the fun here since it was gifted to me. I don't want to prematurely rule it off. I have played 7 hours and it's really not doing it for me. I even killed myself a black knight and I was just like "eh, okay I did that" because it's not particularly interesting.
My main problem is the camera. I'm constantly fighting with it's shittiness. I'm guessing there is no fix for that. I have learned how to deal with it mostly and fight things well, but overall my god it sucks so much ass I have never seen a camera so bad.
My second problem is that I find the combat ridiculously boring. You have to be careful so you don't end up with too enemies on you at once, and the luring gets very old. Then the way you fight, so far, also gets supremely old. Circle, roll, block, slash... boring. There are more advanced moves but they are pointless and it's really hard to use them without leaving yourself vulnerable anyway. Roll is good to dodge but it's super hard to actually use it for positioning since the recovery is so slow.
My third problem, and this may be bigger than I realize, is I picked thief. Apparently the thief is difficult to work with, but I'm not convinced it's all a skill thing. Backstabs only work like 1/3 of the time, even when I am blatantly directly behind them and they aren't even turning. What's with that? Parry stab is much more reliable, but still risky since it seems there are several moves that parry doesn't work against. Overall the combat seems really wonky, nothing like the precision of God Hand or other games with technical combat.
So are there solutions to this? Seriously the overly careful battle style is just soooo boring, and while dying basically just acts like the campfire to help you respawn enemies and level up and collect souls to buy shit, to me it is mostly just taking all this padding of extremely boring combat and making it last a lot longer. Apparently you can upgrade your stuff? How do you do that? The manual tells you absolutely nothing and the in game menus are extremely shit.
I'm level 21 but since I beat the black knight and found out it'sfuckingnothing.gif behind him I might be up for playing a new character since thief apparently sucks and I probably leveled up wrong somehow. Also are there other directions to go? I found this way through the skeletons leading to the bridge troll, then the only other way is through a graveyard with skeletons that are really strong and take a super annoyingly long time to kill.
I have so many games I like that I could be enjoying instead but I'm playing this. I'm doing this for you GAF. Help me.
HOLD OFF THE FUCKING HATE TRAIN BECAUSE YOU'LL ONLY DRIVE ME OFF
I am really trying to find the fun here since it was gifted to me. I don't want to prematurely rule it off. I have played 7 hours and it's really not doing it for me. I even killed myself a black knight and I was just like "eh, okay I did that" because it's not particularly interesting.
My main problem is the camera. I'm constantly fighting with it's shittiness. I'm guessing there is no fix for that. I have learned how to deal with it mostly and fight things well, but overall my god it sucks so much ass I have never seen a camera so bad.
My second problem is that I find the combat ridiculously boring. You have to be careful so you don't end up with too enemies on you at once, and the luring gets very old. Then the way you fight, so far, also gets supremely old. Circle, roll, block, slash... boring. There are more advanced moves but they are pointless and it's really hard to use them without leaving yourself vulnerable anyway. Roll is good to dodge but it's super hard to actually use it for positioning since the recovery is so slow.
My third problem, and this may be bigger than I realize, is I picked thief. Apparently the thief is difficult to work with, but I'm not convinced it's all a skill thing. Backstabs only work like 1/3 of the time, even when I am blatantly directly behind them and they aren't even turning. What's with that? Parry stab is much more reliable, but still risky since it seems there are several moves that parry doesn't work against. Overall the combat seems really wonky, nothing like the precision of God Hand or other games with technical combat.
So are there solutions to this? Seriously the overly careful battle style is just soooo boring, and while dying basically just acts like the campfire to help you respawn enemies and level up and collect souls to buy shit, to me it is mostly just taking all this padding of extremely boring combat and making it last a lot longer. Apparently you can upgrade your stuff? How do you do that? The manual tells you absolutely nothing and the in game menus are extremely shit.
I'm level 21 but since I beat the black knight and found out it'sfuckingnothing.gif behind him I might be up for playing a new character since thief apparently sucks and I probably leveled up wrong somehow. Also are there other directions to go? I found this way through the skeletons leading to the bridge troll, then the only other way is through a graveyard with skeletons that are really strong and take a super annoyingly long time to kill.
I have so many games I like that I could be enjoying instead but I'm playing this. I'm doing this for you GAF. Help me.
If you can't find joy in the game, it may not be something we can convince of you. The game takes patience and time to "master", but there has to be that motivation to even do so, ya know? Just know that it gets easier as you get more familiar with the systems, and there's a plethora of fantastic lore and environments to experience. Thief is not a bad class to start with. They're quick and have decent armor for a nimble class. Maybe think more about where you're putting your souls? You upgrade your stuff through blacksmiths, there is one a bit into the Undead Burg.
Again, if you can't stand the combat, it may be tough to talk you down...because the combat is necessary to climb the ranks, obviously.
HOLD OFF THE FUCKING HATE TRAIN BECAUSE YOU'LL ONLY DRIVE ME OFF
I am really trying to find the fun here since it was gifted to me. I don't want to prematurely rule it off. I have played 7 hours and it's really not doing it for me. I even killed myself a black knight and I was just like "eh, okay I did that" because it's not particularly interesting.
My main problem is the camera. I'm constantly fighting with it's shittiness. I'm guessing there is no fix for that. I have learned how to deal with it mostly and fight things well, but overall my god it sucks so much ass I have never seen a camera so bad.
My second problem is that I find the combat ridiculously boring. You have to be careful so you don't end up with too enemies on you at once, and the luring gets very old. Then the way you fight, so far, also gets supremely old. Circle, roll, block, slash... boring. There are more advanced moves but they are pointless and it's really hard to use them without leaving yourself vulnerable anyway. Roll is good to dodge but it's super hard to actually use it for positioning since the recovery is so slow.
My third problem, and this may be bigger than I realize, is I picked thief. Apparently the thief is difficult to work with, but I'm not convinced it's all a skill thing. Backstabs only work like 1/3 of the time, even when I am blatantly directly behind them and they aren't even turning. What's with that? Parry stab is much more reliable, but still risky since it seems there are several moves that parry doesn't work against. Overall the combat seems really wonky, nothing like the precision of God Hand or other games with technical combat.
So are there solutions to this? Seriously the overly careful battle style is just soooo boring, and while dying basically just acts like the campfire to help you respawn enemies and level up and collect souls to buy shit, to me it is mostly just taking all this padding of extremely boring combat and making it last a lot longer. Apparently you can upgrade your stuff? How do you do that? The manual tells you absolutely nothing and the in game menus are extremely shit.
I'm level 21 but since I beat the black knight and found out it'sfuckingnothing.gif behind him I might be up for playing a new character since thief apparently sucks and I probably leveled up wrong somehow. Also are there other directions to go? I found this way through the skeletons leading to the bridge troll, then the only other way is through a graveyard with skeletons that are really strong and take a super annoyingly long time to kill.
I have so many games I like that I could be enjoying instead but I'm playing this. I'm doing this for you GAF. Help me.
1) I thing the main problem is that you're looking at the combat system with the same eyes you would look a full action game like Bayonetta. Combat is not really that deep (at least in terms of moves) but is exciting in the way that every moves you do matters and incredible rewarding when you roll out with precision out of an attack and you prepare your counter attack.
2) Picking a role or a class in Dark Souls it just decides what stats you start woth. You aren't locked to a type of armor, weapon or shield. You don't liek using knives? try swords or scimitars or spears. Wanna try some heavy armor and bigger shields? you can, just by building the character in the way you want. Also every weapon works differently and have their own advantages and dissadvantages. Spears for example can let you attack while using a shield to guard yourself. Try different weapons, experiment with spells or piromancy if you want.
3) You can upgrade at blacksmiths, you would recognize those NPC when you meet them.
4) The game let you explore quite freely your path. That said, once you reach Lordran, you are told there are two bells, one "up there" and one below. "up there" is a most easier path and probably the way you should go, if I have to guess I'd say you are already "up there", but seems you aren't that far... , the graveyard is a more harder zone part of the way that leads "below".I could tell you more but it's part of the fun. Plenty of guides of there if you feel really lost.
5) I don't know how you leveled your character, but I really doubt you fucked up that badly, I can tell you that focusing on certain stats is a better way, but I doubt is that bad. Pressing select you can see what every stat do (on the character screen) so do that.
If all this is still confusing, I'd look a guide if I were you at least so you understand better how stats works and all that. Maybe even looking for how keep advancing, then once you have a better grasp of the mechanics and how the world is setup you can go back on your own.
If there is really nothing that I'm missing here, I find the combat to be entirely mediocre. I don't have a problem with challenge. I like God Hand, Ys, DMC on high difficulties, Shinobi, whatever. This is just so... lacking and clumsy. You can put in the time to master something that is clumsy, but that doesn't make it not-clumsy. Plenty of other games are more refined, focused, precision, offer more variety and interactivity in battle. This is so straightforward and overly cautious since high risk doesn't really have high reward or consistency because the game design values dying. Are people just too used to sloppy win-button games like Assassin's Creed and God of War?
If there is really nothing that I'm missing here, I find the combat to be entirely mediocre. I don't have a problem with challenge. I like God Hand, Ys, DMC on high difficulties, Shinobi, whatever. This is just so... lacking and clumsy. You can put in the time to master something that is clumsy, but that doesn't make it not-clumsy. Plenty of other games are more refined, focused, precision, offer more variety and interactivity in battle. This is so straightforward and overly cautious since high risk doesn't really have high reward or consistency because the game design values dying. Are people just too used to sloppy win-button games like Assassin's Creed and God of War?
1) I thing the main problem is that you're looking at the combat system with the same eyes you would look a full action game like Bayonetta. Combat is not really that deep (at least in terms of moves) but is exciting in the way that every moves you do matters and incredible rewarding when you roll out with precision out of an attack and you prepare your counter attack.
I don't see how my expectations change what is actually more fun and what is actually more boring. I'm just supposed to give this game a pass because being basic is its style? This is a full action game. You are never doing anything except fighting things. It isn't even mixed combat like a sandbox game where you could excuse crappy melee because it's mostly about guns and whatever else. I expect it to do the one thing that it does that at a high level.
If you don't like the combat then I'm not sure what to say. Maybe try a different weapon, maybe it'll click for you later?
There's a blacksmith in Undead Parish (not Burg) that you can find.
As for which way to go, save the graveyard for later. You can do some suicide runs through it to pick up the items there. Not very hard to do and you can get some good stuff. There's an called the Catacombs which you can enter from the graveyard which you should do a ways later.
I'm not sure where you are right now but if you haven't gone through the rest of the Burg yet, do so and do the Parish and ring the bell. Afterwards you can try the Darkroot Garden past the blacksmith or you can go back to where Solaire was in the Burg (near the drake) and there'll be a door you can open near him which takes you to the lower area of Undead Burg.
I don't see how my expectations change what is actually more fun and what is actually more boring. I'm just supposed to give this game a pass because being basic is its style?
Again, the game wasn't made to compete with action games, It's is not one. Is like someone expects a full RTS game that competes with Starcraft out of Pikmin. Just focuses on different things you look for on a combat system in a game. You can't pass over that? Well is okay, it just not your type of game...
Okay I'll go kill that troll and look for some other shit to do. I do like this rapier I bought but I'm not sure what weapons work off dexterity (again, the menus could be way better)
Oh, and can you sell things? I have a ton of junk.
If there is really nothing that I'm missing here, I find the combat to be entirely mediocre. I don't have a problem with challenge. I like God Hand, Ys, DMC on high difficulties, Shinobi, whatever. This is just so... lacking and clumsy. You can put in the time to master something that is clumsy, but that doesn't make it not-clumsy. Plenty of other games are more refined, focused, precision, offer more variety and interactivity in battle. This is so straightforward and overly cautious since high risk doesn't really have high reward or consistency because the game design values dying. Are people just too used to sloppy win-button games like Assassin's Creed and God of War?
High risk in the game has plenty of high reward. Going two-handed (no shield), parrying/riposting, going with low or no armor for fast speed rolls, etc. These are all risky tactics and strategies but they pay off if you can manage them.
I'm really not sure what you think is so "basic" about the combat. There are various different types of weapons that all control differently and have different rhythms to them. Armor weight matters a great deal. You were complaining earlier that rolling doesn't have good recovery; maybe try going lighter? There are various forms of magic if you're keen on that - defensive-based with the Miracles, and more offensive-based with Pyromancy, and a solid mix of the two with Sorcery.
There's a ton to the combat and it seems like you're just not willing to give it a chance, brushing it off as clumsy and shallow despite being ignorant about much of it.
Okay I'll go kill that troll and look for some other shit to do. I do like this rapier I bought but I'm not sure what weapons work off dexterity (again, the menus could be way better)
Oh, and can you sell things? I have a ton of junk.
If you go to a weapon's status you'll see a letter next to certain stats (they're symbolized with symbols though. The stat that has a hand for a symbol is Dex). The higher the rating the better it scales (ie. gets stronger) when you increase those stats on your character.
Good weapons that work off Dex are the Zweihander and Claymore. Zwei you can pick up from a corpse in the graveyard, Claymore you can get from a corpse in the Burg past where you are.
There's a ton to the combat and it seems like you're just not willing to give it a chance, brushing it off as clumsy and shallow despite being ignorant about much of it.
Educate me. Yes I am ignorant, because the game has no information in it, thus my asking people who know. I don't see how directly asking for insights is brushing it off.
High risk in the game has plenty of high reward. Going two-handed (no shield), parrying/riposting, going with low or no armor for fast speed rolls, etc. These are all risky tactics and strategies but they pay off if you can manage them.
Yeah, the different ways you can play is what rejuvenated my interest in the game again over this past couple of months. I went from relying on my shield way too much to two-handing all the time so I get the damage boost. Now my rolling is massively improved and I was able to take out Smough & Ornstein without using my shield at all! I also only needed to use 3 flasks instead of 15 or so like on my previous characters.
Combat is my favourite part of Dark Souls, followed by its atmosphere. I cannot fathom anyone thinking it's bad, but eh. Go play button mashing 3534646-hit combo action games if that's more your cup of tea. At this point I doubt there's anything that can convince you.
High risk in the game has plenty of high reward. Going two-handed (no shield), parrying/riposting, going with low or no armor for fast speed rolls, etc. These are all risky tactics and strategies but they pay off if you can manage them.
I'm really not sure what you think is so "basic" about the combat. There are various different types of weapons that all control differently and have different rhythms to them.
Educate me. Yes I am ignorant, because the game has no information in it, thus my asking people who know. I don't see how directly asking for insights is brushing it off.
Look at the comments you've been making and your general harsh tone, about something you admit to being ignorant on. You aren't giving the impression that you truly want to learn the game and get better at it. On the contrary, you seem to have more than made up your mind about it.
People are more than willing to help a new player out in this game if you act reasonable and open to suggestion. "Hey guys I'm not having fun with this game at all, because of this that and the other. Any tips?" will go a bit further than "this combat is so clumsy and boring lol are you guys just too used to God of War and Assassin's Creed?"
Lighten up a bit. The community surrounding Souls games is exceptionally helpful and welcoming to new players, so just be cool, and people will respond in kind. If the game just isn't your cup of tea, then that's that. Not every game is for everyone.
I am really trying to find the fun here since it was gifted to me. I don't want to prematurely rule it off. I have played 7 hours and it's really not doing it for me. I even killed myself a black knight and I was just like "eh, okay I did that" because it's not particularly interesting.
Straight off the bat here, but if I play a game for 7 hours and don't find it fun, I usually find I've made a mistake. It's good of you to give it a chance as a gift, but if killing a black knight does nothing for you then... maybe you're beyond help.
My main problem is the camera. I'm constantly fighting with it's shittiness. I'm guessing there is no fix for that. I have learned how to deal with it mostly and fight things well, but overall my god it sucks so much ass I have never seen a camera so bad.
I assume you're using lock-on (right-stick button)? There's an option to toggle the camera colliding with objects, or something similar. Narrow spaces still might pose an issue for you.
My second problem is that I find the combat ridiculously boring. You have to be careful so you don't end up with too enemies on you at once, and the luring gets very old. Then the way you fight, so far, also gets supremely old. Circle, roll, block, slash... boring. There are more advanced moves but they are pointless and it's really hard to use them without leaving yourself vulnerable anyway. Roll is good to dodge but it's super hard to actually use it for positioning since the recovery is so slow.
If you picked the Thief and are still using his gear then I guess you have the fast roll. Not sure what you mean by its slow recovery, but it's not really useful for positioning anyway. Just evasion, like you say. The advanced moves are not pointless, and are really varied depending on what weapon type you're using. Try experimenting with different weapons/set-ups and see if anything makes the combat more interesting for you.
My third problem, and this may be bigger than I realize, is I picked thief. Apparently the thief is difficult to work with, but I'm not convinced it's all a skill thing. Backstabs only work like 1/3 of the time, even when I am blatantly directly behind them and they aren't even turning. What's with that? Parry stab is much more reliable, but still risky since it seems there are several moves that parry doesn't work against. Overall the combat seems really wonky, nothing like the precision of God Hand or other games with
technical combat.
Starting class doesn't have much to do with it. By "skill" I'm guessing you mean "stats", in which case you're right. It's very much 'player skill' based, and you can play well regardless of your stats (particularly the starting ones).
Backstabs may not be working either because you have your shield up, your timing/positioning is off, or its not a humanoid/reasonably-sized enemy. Parry works against practically every (humanoid) melee move in the game, however there are some enemies that can't be riposted.
It's great you're a God Hand fan, but that is seriously the worst comparison I've ever seen. "Technical combat"? The systems couldn't be more different. If you come into Souls games expecting fast-paced action game style combat, you're guaranteed to leave disappointed.
So are there solutions to this? Seriously the overly careful battle style is just soooo boring, and while dying basically just acts like the campfire to help you respawn enemies and level up and collect souls to buy shit, to me it is mostly just taking all this padding of extremely boring combat and making it last a lot longer. Apparently you can upgrade your stuff? How do you do that? The manual tells you absolutely nothing and the in game menus are extremely shit.
If you find it so boring then again this may be a lost cause, but try exploring/progressing a little more, until you meet a blacksmith who'll upgrade your stuff. A lot of the systems are not explained to you directly (and can be downright obtuse), so take the time to read item descriptions and listen to NPC dialogue. If you find that stuff boring as well, then there's not much hope.
I'm level 21 but since I beat the black knight and found out it'sfuckingnothing.gif behind him I might be up for playing a new character since thief apparently sucks and I probably leveled up wrong somehow. Also are there other directions to go? I found this way through the skeletons leading to the bridge troll, then the only other way is through a graveyard with skeletons that are really strong and take a super annoyingly long time to kill.
There's no "wrong" way to level up. Just try to learn what each stat does and concentrate on what works for you. Seeing as you picked Thief, you get a Master Key automatically, which means there are more paths open to you early on. That graveyard is not the best place to start. If you've only killed the one black knight so far then I suppose you haven't even reached the first main boss. Press on, and see where it takes you.
After the first boss you'll also meet a chap who gives you the item essential to co-oping in a host's world without any threat to your own (or your acquired souls). Online play certainly has its moments, so check where you can use that item and try helping others who may be struggling alongside you!
I have so many games I like that I could be enjoying instead but I'm playing this. I'm doing this for you GAF. Help me.
We'll do all we can to help, as it's great when it finally clicks for people and you finally rope them in. But honestly if it's that bad, you should probably go back to your other games. Souls isn't for everyone, but seeing it from your eyes currently, it's only going to get worse before it gets better.
Look at the comments you've been making and your general harsh tone, about something you admit to being ignorant on. You aren't giving the impression that you truly want to learn the game and get better at it. On the contrary, you seem to have more than made up your mind about it.
I'm just giving a clear statement as to how it seems to me to give people an idea of my perspective to know what may be corrected/lacking or if it is a matter of tastes. If I explain it in a detailed manner and people say "well, that's about it, so maybe it's not for you" then yes that certainly does push me to making up my mind about it.
People are more than willing to help a new player out in this game if you act reasonable and open to suggestion. "Hey guys I'm not having fun with this game at all, because of this that and the other. Any tips?" will go a bit further than "this combat is so clumsy and boring lol are you guys just too used to God of War and Assassin's Creed?"
It's honestly how it seems to me. No matter what I compare it to the response is "it's not the same, it's not the same" so what on earth is it supposed to be? No, I do not accept that it is a unique snowflake in the world of games. 3rd person melee combat has been done in hundreds of games so I will compare it to them and assume that is what other people are comparing them to.
You have some that are based on skill, like this one. Comparing it to those, it seems extremely basic to me. People reference "setting up an attack" but they seem to have little else to say. I know positioning is important, that is obvious and true of any game. So again, what apparently makes this more interesting? I'm looking and not finding. Some, such as you, say there are many things to try and many ways to do things, but I'm searching and not seeing it and no one can describe it.
So then, if it is greatly lacking compared to skill based combat games, what else could people be comparing it to that they end up thinking it's so impressive? I figure it's probably the more button-mashy games like Assassin's Creed or God of War. That's really the only context in which I see this doing something special. The closest direct comparison is probably Warband, and I'd say that is also a much more interesting way to handle medieval melee combat.
I assume you're using lock-on (right-stick button)? There's an option to toggle the camera colliding with objects, or something similar. Narrow spaces still might pose an issue for you.
Yes I am, but it really doesn't help much, and there are many situations where lock-on greatly inhibits you.
It's great you're a God Hand fan, but that is seriously the worst comparison I've ever seen. "Technical combat"? The systems couldn't be more different. If you come into Souls games expecting fast-paced action game style combat, you're guaranteed to leave disappointed.
That's exactly what I'm saying. See, they both require a very careful eye on what the enemy is doing, quick evasion, counters, good timing, positioning, choice of the right attacks, etc. I think they are quite similar in systems but one is way more focused, responsive, varied, interesting, and rewarding. You guys are right that other games aren't like Dark Souls, but to me it's not that it's doing something very different, it's that it just doesn't seem to be doing it well.
If you find it so boring then again this may be a lost cause, but try exploring/progressing a little more, until you meet a blacksmith who'll upgrade your stuff. A lot of the systems are not explained to you directly (and can be downright obtuse), so take the time to read item descriptions and listen to NPC dialogue. If you find that stuff boring as well, then there's not much hope.
There's no "wrong" way to level up. Just try to learn what each stat does and concentrate on what works for you. Seeing as you picked Thief, you get a Master Key automatically, which means there are more paths open to you early on. That graveyard is not the best place to start. If you've only killed the one black knight so far then I suppose you haven't even reached the first main boss. Press on, and see where it takes you.
easily beat the bridge troll then went through an extremely convoluted area, kicked down a ladder back to my campfire, headed back, came across a dragon, whooped a dozen knights or so, ran through a bunch of nasties and fought a couple gargoyles which ended up killing me
and none of it was very fun to me. Apparently the area just before the end there was where a blacksmith was but I killed everyone and looked around everywhere and couldn't find him.
After the first boss you'll also meet a chap who gives you the item essential to co-oping in a host's world without any threat to your own (or your acquired souls). Online play certainly has its moments, so check where you can use that item and try helping others who may be struggling alongside you!
Yeah, I met him, but I have no idea what he means by looking for his symbol. I haven't seen one anywhere.
We'll do all we can to help, as it's great when it finally clicks for people and you finally rope them in. But honestly if it's that bad, you should probably go back to your other games. Souls isn't for everyone, but seeing it from your eyes currently, it's only going to get worse before it gets better.
I'm feeling more and more like this isn't something I'm going to be into. I mean unless weapons really, really upgrade, things are going to keep going so slowly. From screenshots I've seen, there are all kinds of environments after this convoluted town, but I don't know if I can trudge through this to see them.
Sounds like the game isn't for you then. Try to make it to the Blacksmith, buy some of the weapons there and experiment with them. Try using 2 handed more often and just rolling to get out of the way. Play around with different movesets of weapons, jump attacks, roll attacks, backstep and sprint attacks, etc. The first areas have pretty basic enemies that are pretty predictable and simple, so they are good fodder for figuring out the game systems and finding a weapon class you like.
You actually remind me of a couple friends of mine that PvP in Dark Souls hardcore; they couldn't care less about the PvE and general single player progression. They just wanted to fight against other players, where the combat is much more fast paced and dynamic.
It's less about the typical pacing and tone of combat that PvE is, where you wait out some attacks and then strike back, or just abuse their immobility and backstab them all day. In PvP against good players or a group of players, you have to be quick on your feet, improvise and very skilled mechanically and strategically. It's more like a fighting game in that sense. Planning out your player build, with gear and your stats that suit your playstyle is also a huge part of it, which is where experiencing PvE can help you figure out how you like to play. So, if you'd like I could help you get into the PvP aspect of the game and see if that suits you, because that is a very different way of playing Dark Souls, but one you may thoroughly enjoy.
easily beat the bridge troll then went through an extremely convoluted area, kicked down a ladder back to my campfire, headed back, came across a dragon, whooped a dozen knights or so, ran through a bunch of nasties and fought a couple gargoyles which ended up killing me
and none of it was very fun to me. Apparently the area just before the end there was where a blacksmith was but I killed everyone and looked around everywhere and couldn't find him.
You could have met two blacksmiths by now. One is down the elevator underneath Firelink Shrine, and the other is in the Undead Parish (leave the church where you fought the big black knight near the altar, and head down those stairs).
Yeah, I met him, but I have no idea what he means by looking for his symbol. I haven't seen one anywhere.
To be fair, this is one of the most confusing aspects about the game. You need to fulfill a number of conditions in order to see summon signs, including being human (using a Humanity item and then "revive" at a bonfire) and not having beaten that area's boss. If you're still interested, there are detailed Wiki entries out there that explain it, but all this stuff takes is a keen mind and some experimentation.
You don't have to meet those conditions in order to use the item he gives you, though (the White Soapstone). You can offer your services to other players at any time. Placing the soapstone near bonfires usually gets you called up pretty quick, depending on your level and the area.
Like Booshka says, you might find playing with others more rewarding than playing alone, so I encourage you to give those things a try (you need to speak with that sunlight knight a few times before he gives you anything helpful - this goes for most NPCs).
I'm feeling more and more like this isn't something I'm going to be into. I mean unless weapons really, really upgrade, things are going to keep going so slowly. From screenshots I've seen, there are all kinds of environments after this convoluted town, but I don't know if I can trudge through this to see them.
Yes, things keep going slowly. If you feel it's convoluted and boring then there's not much we can do to change that. Even if one with a gilded tongue came in here waxing lyrical about how grand and unique Souls is, I doubt it would sway you. Even if the combat doesn't grab you, there are indeed all kinds of environments still ahead. If the idea of edging on and discovering them for yourself while soaking up the intricate lore isn't appealing, then move on.
I'm also in the focus-on-the-weapons-and-experiment-more school. Don't only try to use a variety of weapons, but try to use them in different ways. Compare the stamina-management game of poking with a spear or rapier from behind a shield to the spacing/mobility game of two-handing a spear or halberd outside of your enemies' attack range. Then compare that style to charging in with a claymore or bastard sword and stunning enemies with their sweeping heavy and running attacks to stun-locking enemies with series of attacks from weapons with quicker R1 swings. Use the rolling attacks, running/backstep attacks, and plunging attacks (tap a direction + R2) if they don't look like complete garbage for the weapon you're using.
The other thing to look into is how big a difference it makes being able to take a hit without your attack being interrupted. Normally this is achieved by wearing certain types of armor that boost your "poise" rating, but that can comes at the expense of your mobility and roll. In the
forest
-section that comes after the blacksmith, you can find a very useful item called the Wolf Ring that will give you enough free poise to ensure your attacks don't get interrupted so often. This will make a wider variety of weapons practical.
Got this on steam sale, also sorely disappointed. The camera is so bad. Even aiming a fireball at near point blank range is fucking poor. The low fps feels real bad. And retreat to chokepoint -> block -> kill repeat isn't exactly thrilling me. If the performance and camera felt better I'd have more patience for taking risks and trying stuff but uuuugh. GAF hype why do i fall for it.
Got this on steam sale, also sorely disappointed. The camera is so bad. Even aiming a fireball at near point blank range is fucking poor. The low fps feels real bad. And retreat to chokepoint -> block -> kill repeat isn't exactly thrilling me. If the performance and camera felt better I'd have more patience for taking risks and trying stuff but uuuugh. GAF hype why do i fall for it.
I want to be able to throw stuff where I want, like a fireball in between two enemies to hit them both. If locking on to an enemy is the only way to reliably aim at something, then that is poor.
Okay I got to a blacksmith and got level 5 rapier, knight shield, and bow, then level 3 chainmail stuff and balder gauntlets. I actually seem to be hurting things as bad as they hurt me, so combat is considerably faster, which helps. I went down some place and killed a dude with a giant club and found the back entry to a pretty area. Now I found the capra demon but he's so annoyingly far away from the nearest bonfire. I have to take that waterway to him. Pretty sure rapier is a shitty weapon on him. I might level up to use a halberd and use that stuff to light it on fire.
. A black screen window opens up, I hear a few beeps, then get a Not Responding error
