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Demon's Souls |OT2| Soulsuckingly brilliant RPG full of Demon's Crack

Foliorum Viridum said:
Yeah, I tried to get past him 4 times before I went the other way.

I just beat the first boss, so I feel a bit better now. I did, however, use his soul and after reading the above posts I wish I didn't.

I'm 50/50 on the game at the moment. I like it, but a difficulty option would be nice.
No, a difficulty option would be bad. Don't worry, on your next playthrough you'll wonder how you ever even thought 1-1 was hard.
 
You're assuming I'm going to make it through the next level, let alone the whole game. ;)

A difficulty level is very seldom bad for a game. So far, I think my enjoyment of the game would have been increased if I could notch it down to easy. It doesn't mean you would have to play it on a lower difficulty, afterall.

It did feel very satisfying to finish the first level after so long, so I do understand the nature of the game and how it can be rewarding, but I do fear that if I have to spend the same duration of time backtracking through a level every time I die and whatnot I will burn out on the game and not finish it. I also lost 8000 souls at one point, which was absolutely maddening, and I had to force myself to just not stop there as it felt like my entire time playing until that point had just been for nothing. As oracrest said, though, now that I've pumped up my abilities and I have a better feel for the combat, I'm hoping it won't be such a slug.
 
Foliorum Viridum said:
You're assuming I'm going to make it through the next level, let alone the whole game. ;)

A difficulty level is very seldom bad for a game. So far, I think my enjoyment of the game would have been increased if I could notch it down to easy. It doesn't mean you would have to play it on a lower difficulty, afterall.

It did feel very satisfying to finish the first level after so long, so I do understand the nature of the game and how it can be rewarding, but I do fear that if I have to spend the same duration of time backtracking through a level every time I die and whatnot I will burn out on the game and not finish it. I also lost 8000 souls at one point, which was absolutely maddening, and I had to force myself to just not stop there as it felt like my entire time playing until that point had just been for nothing. As oracrest said, though, now that I've pumped up my abilities and I have a better feel for the combat, I'm hoping it won't be such a slug.

I got discouraged and didn't play for a few months... tonight is the night i'm going to start back and see if I can finish.

I just got to remember how to even play :(
 

Nakiro

Member
schennmu said:
Thank you!

And already another question. Why does the Wiki list persons as receiver of the souls, even though there is no benefit? Example: http://demonssouls.wikidot.com/ds-doll - Why would I give it to Blacksmith Ed?
That's the way it was formatted in the strategy book, in a chart. I am guessing that's why it's there like that.. You can't give it to him though, so no worries.
 

peull

Member
Any official word from atlus/sony on why the DS NA servers are offline? And maybe a timeframe on when it is gonna be up?
 

Dunlop

Member
thanks for bumping this, actually forgot I purchased this game a couple of weeks ago (Portal 2 made me forget all else...) while PSN was down. Now to see what the real lure is about with the online portion
 

RPGCrazied

Member
When the server is back up, anyone want to help me with the 1-2 boss? :p

I mean, if I throw down a blue message, anyone that comes to this level will see it? Sorry, I'm still very new to the game and getting my ass handed to me.
 
schennmu said:
Thank you!

And already another question. Why does the Wiki list persons as receiver of the souls, even though there is no benefit? Example: http://demonssouls.wikidot.com/ds-doll - Why would I give it to Blacksmith Ed?

Blacksmith Ed's is an option because you must give him the spoiler
Red Hot Demons Soul from Flamelurker to be able to upgrade your weapons with other boss souls
 

Havok

Member
RPGCrazied said:
When the server is back up, anyone want to help me with the 1-2 boss? :p

I mean, if I throw down a blue message, anyone that comes to this level will see it? Sorry, I'm still very new to the game and getting my ass handed to me.
If you have some magic, then just chill up on the ramparts (run past the boss up the stairs and kill the archers), poke up from behind the little archer platforms, and fire your spell. His ranged attack won't hit you if you run back a little bit after each time. If you don't already have it, get Soul Arrow from the dude in the Nexus (1000 Souls to buy) and some spice items. Its a really easy method.
 

one85x

Member
RPGCrazied said:
When the server is back up, anyone want to help me with the 1-2 boss? :p

I mean, if I throw down a blue message, anyone that comes to this level will see it? Sorry, I'm still very new to the game and getting my ass handed to me.
Other way around. You'll want to keep an eye out for blue messages on the ground while you're in body form. Most of the time they're either right next to the archstone or right outside the fog gate.
 
Foliorum Viridum said:
You're assuming I'm going to make it through the next level, let alone the whole game. ;)

A difficulty level is very seldom bad for a game. So far, I think my enjoyment of the game would have been increased if I could notch it down to easy. It doesn't mean you would have to play it on a lower difficulty, afterall.

It did feel very satisfying to finish the first level after so long, so I do understand the nature of the game and how it can be rewarding, but I do fear that if I have to spend the same duration of time backtracking through a level every time I die and whatnot I will burn out on the game and not finish it. I also lost 8000 souls at one point, which was absolutely maddening, and I had to force myself to just not stop there as it felt like my entire time playing until that point had just been for nothing. As oracrest said, though, now that I've pumped up my abilities and I have a better feel for the combat, I'm hoping it won't be such a slug.

use ranged magic, summon blues to help you = easy mode. dead and out of soul stones? help others for easy souls, free resurrection if you beat the boss, and no risk of losing what you've got. Now that PSN is back up, that is ;)

regarding backtracking through levels, most if not all, have shortcuts that can drastically reduce the time taken to get through. as a side benefit though, you'll usually amass a quantity of souls on the trek back to a bloodstain so you'll end up with more than you had. at which point if you like return to the nexus (either on foot or with the escape miracle) and spend them. if you keep spending them you won't have anything to lose.

a third point to note is that your skill as a player is always improving (one would hope!) and this will actually have more benefit than stat increases ever will. my first trip through 1-1 took a good couple of hours - my second around 20 minutes.
 

Soma

Member
man the more i replay this game on a new game+, the more i realize that i really don't want to go through Tower of Latria again. It's not too hard (aside from those damn mindflayers ;_;) but it's such a bitch to traverse through lol.
 

KAOz

Short bus special
Foliorum Viridum said:
I'm 50/50 on the game at the moment. I like it, but a difficulty option would be nice.

What class are you playing? You should go Royal, since that is basically Easy Mode for the first run-through.
 

Duffyside

Banned
There's a guy on my Friends List that has this platinum... twice. What does this mean? A Japanese and American version of the game?
 
duffyside said:
There's a guy on my Friends List that has this platinum... twice. What does this mean? A Japanese and American version of the game?

yes different regions have their own trophy lists. there at least four - US, Japan, Asian & Pal. I think there is a Korean edition as well. Many sad people in this thread own multiple versions.
i have three.
 

Duffyside

Banned
Mr_Appleby said:
yes different regions have their own trophy lists. there at least four - US, Japan, Asian & Pal. I think there is a Korean edition as well. Many sad people in this thread own multiple versions.
i have three.
Why are they sad?
 
moonspeak said:
man the more i replay this game on a new game+, the more i realize that i really don't want to go through Tower of Latria again. It's not too hard (aside from those damn mindflayers ;_;) but it's such a bitch to traverse through lol.

Yeah, it's one of the few places where you can actually get lost, too. I liked it for a while, but I spent so much fucking time in there now I dread going back again.
 
JackSmithy said:
Blacksmith Ed's is an option because you must give him the spoiler
Red Hot Demons Soul from Flamelurker to be able to upgrade your weapons with other boss souls

Yep, already did that, thanks.

And fuck 4-3, constant poisoning + stupid giant goblin + red riding hood :(
 

shffldrllshn

Neo Member
Man I'm scared of those swamps :( I've only heard things about it like ''poisonous'' and ''dark'', I don't think life will be the same after visiting there..
 

B-Genius

Unconfirmed Member
shffldrllshn said:
Man I'm scared of those swamps :( I've only heard things about it like ''poisonous'' and ''dark'', I don't think life will be the same after visiting there..
Same. I'm finishing off Tower of Latria in PBWT, then moving on to tackly the 5th archstone properly for the first time.

So dreading it, but can't wait until I can actually beat this game and see what all the NG+ fuss is about!
 
B-Genius said:
Same. I'm finishing off Tower of Latria in PBWT, then moving on to tackly the 5th archstone properly for the first time.

So dreading it, but can't wait until I can actually beat this game and see what all the NG+ fuss is about!

I just started new game+ and it is considerably harder than the first playthrough, even with my soul level and gear.
Phalanx actually just manged to kill me.
 
Mr_Appleby said:
use ranged magic, summon blues to help you = easy mode. dead and out of soul stones? help others for easy souls, free resurrection if you beat the boss, and no risk of losing what you've got. Now that PSN is back up, that is ;)

a third point to note is that your skill as a player is always improving (one would hope!) and this will actually have more benefit than stat increases ever will. my first trip through 1-1 took a good couple of hours - my second around 20 minutes.
Probably a stupid question, but how do I "help others"? You mean the messages people leave, right? Other than ones than hint stuff, I keep reading a lot which is just asking to be "reccomended"...

But yeah, I do feel like I am getting better at the game, slowly :) Outside of the tutorial and after beating the first boss I've only been outside of soul mode for like a total of 15 minutes, haha.

KAOz said:
What class are you playing? You should go Royal, since that is basically Easy Mode for the first run-through.
I'm a Knight :)
 

Hawkian

The Cryptarch's Bane
When you're in soul mode and you use your blue stone, it drops a thing that lets other players pull you into their world to help. Do it at the beginning of levels or just before bosses and you're sure to get pulled in.

I just happened across this video I made in my heyday... my absolutely favorite run to grind some souls. I sort of got good at this because someone told me that parry and riposte were basically useless. Ended up playing more than half of my first playthrough with the EQ seen here, just a parrying dagger and claw, no shield. Made it almost a pure action game. :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_VTW_CUV5w&lc sorry about the horrible quality, I had no good way to record this at the time :(

edit: take it back, that was before I got the parrying dagger, I think I'm using a falchion. So it actually got easier to do this run then it appears here, hehe

spoilers if you haven't been to 4-1 yet, btw
 

Vitten

Member
Foliorum Viridum said:
I'm a Knight :)

Not the best class for a beginner; going melee is hard mode in this game. If you want an easier time you might want to pick a class which starts with ranged attacks, preferably a royal which allows you to pick of enemies from a distance with offensive spells like soul arrow.
Melee is the most fun though but I would suggest waiting with a melee build until you've become more familiar with the game, otherwise frustration will just get the better of you.

I always have to think about the wise words of Léon, the Professional when I play this game: " the closer you get to being a pro, the closer you can get to the client. The knife, for example, is the last thing you learn" :)
 

Hawkian

The Cryptarch's Bane
Vitten said:
Not the best class for a beginner; going melee is hard mode in this game. If you want an easier time you might want to pick a class which starts with ranged attacks, preferably a royal which allows you to pick of enemies from a distance with offensive spells like soul arrow.
Melee is the most fun though but I would suggest waiting with a melee build until you've become more familiar with the game, otherwise frustration will just get the better of you.

I always have to think about the wise words of Léon, the Professional when I play this game: " the closer you get to being a pro, the closer you can get to the client. The knife, for example, is the last thing you learn" :)

Hehe I love hearing this stuff because knowing that I only used a bow for one task the entire game my first playthrough makes me feel like a badass.
 

Kandrick

GAF's Ed McMahon
So i started the game, and just killed the first boss. It has been fun so far, i even managed to kill that red eye knight, ( after he actually rushed and one shot me ) and got a shield from him that i cant even equip yet hah.

Now that there are multiple places to go available at once, is there a preferred route ?
 

ZeroRay

Member
It's what your heart tells you.

But I usually do 2-1, 1-2, 3-1, 4-1, 2-2, 2-3, 5-1, 3-2, 3-3, 4-2, 4-3, 1-3, 5-2, 5-3, and 1-4.

Not the most optimal way, and depending on your character, you can switch a few of these around. But I feel it's good for a players advancing skill level as they go along the game.
 
So I've done quite a bit of progress into 1-2 and 2-1 today. Not finished either, yet, but I'm doing well enough that I feel I've got over that initial bump. I'm still dying a lot, but I recognise when a route will lead me to a shortcut and my fighting skills are increasingly getting better.

Right now I would say the atmosphere and level design is superb, but I feel a bit let down by it being so fragmented. The Nexus is pretty dull and it definitely feels "gamey" to warp to your destination. I went in to the game expecting it to be somewhat open world-ish with towns etc. I think that would be a lot cooler.

Definitely feel the hooks of the game sinking in, regardless.
 

oracrest

Member
shffldrllshn said:
Man I'm scared of those swamps :( I've only heard things about it like ''poisonous'' and ''dark'', I don't think life will be the same after visiting there..

A trick I employ in the swamp is to go through tower of Latria a lot first. You accrue a lot of poison curing items. Then, work on finishing the swamp level first, then go back and collect the items later. They offer some visual reference points when your lost and haven't picked them up.

Also,
once past the makeshift village, venture right, along the cliffside wooden path, to drop down the shortcut bridge, for easier boss access later on.
 
shffldrllshn said:
Man I'm scared of those swamps :( I've only heard things about it like ''poisonous'' and ''dark'', I don't think life will be the same after visiting there..
Black leather, man. Deck yourself out in black leather. Best poison resistance there is.
 

Mana Sin

Member
hey guys, I don't suppose anyone would be willing to help me out in 1-2, would they? I keep getting destroyed a fog gate or two before the boss. I'm a magician and in spirit form, so my hp isn't exactly stellar and arrows pack quite the punch. The blue-eyed knight backing them up doesn't help things.
 

B-Genius

Unconfirmed Member
Mana Sin said:
hey guys, I don't suppose anyone would be willing to help me out in 1-2, would they? I keep getting destroyed a fog gate or two before the boss. I'm a magician and in spirit form, so my hp isn't exactly stellar and arrows pack quite the punch. The blue-eyed knight backing them up doesn't help things.
What region are you? I would love to get in some online DS and help out a fellow GAFfer :)
 

Mana Sin

Member
B-Genius said:
What region are you? I would love to get in some online DS and help out a fellow GAFfer :)

US, East Coast if that affects anything. I just started playing last night :p I also see you are from the UK. Ah well :p I think I may skip Tower Knight for now.
 

Havok

Member
Just beat the Old Monk with a Black Phantom player controlling him. That was rad. Spearing dudes from safety ftw. That might have been the best moment I've had with the game so far, not being able to exploit the game somehow to beat a boss, and knowing it was a player that I struck down.
 

daffy

Banned
How anyone can beat this game without a guide is beyond me. I feel like such a puss when I find out many people didn't use a guide (or so they say). I'll be starting up another playthrough soon, and since its been awhile I've completely forgot everything I learned in that paperback beauty. Gonna just wing it and see how long it takes me. Threw away the guide as a sign of my resolve :D

Seriously how did these metahumans beat this game on sheer skill? Not one internet tip? Sounds like a fairy tale to me.
 
Havok said:
Just beat the Old Monk with a Black Phantom player controlling him. That was rad. Spearing dudes from safety ftw. That might have been the best moment I've had with the game so far, not being able to exploit the game somehow to beat a boss, and knowing it was a player that I struck down.
Yeah, I did the same thing for the first time today. It was magician vs. magician, a hard fought battle, but I eventually won. Felt really rewarding.
 

Laughing Banana

Weeping Pickle
One thing I hate about the 'fully customizable' characters in a game like this is that once you put your points in the wrong stat, you're pretty much fucked, and thus creating the obligation to check out various guides/builds in order to avoid such circumstances... and thus saying it 'total freedom to create any characters the way you want' is sort of misleading since the game is quite harsh and unaccommodating to mistakes :\

So melee is less effective than ranged/magic? Too bad since I really like the looks for the Thief class :(
 

bone_and_sinew

breaking down barriers in gratuitous nudity
Well if worse comes to worse you can get someone to delevel you through soulsucker or delevel yourself through invading then using white eyes stone. You can delevel everything except hp. But yeah, I'd have loved a formal delevel option through the Maiden in Black.
 
After not playing this for a year or so, I'm completely in love again. Good to have PSN back! :)

Laughing Banana said:
One thing I hate about the 'fully customizable' characters in a game like this is that once you put your points in the wrong stat, you're pretty much fucked, and thus creating the obligation to check out various guides/builds in order to avoid such circumstances... and thus saying it 'total freedom to create any characters the way you want' is sort of misleading since the game is quite harsh and unaccommodating to mistakes :\

So melee is less effective than ranged/magic? Too bad since I really like the looks for the Thief class :(

Melee is fine for the most part. Just play what you enjoy!
 
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