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[zkylon]

Thanks all. Very good info. I'm starting up 3-1 next. I'm going in the order of 1-1, 2-1, 3-1, 4-1 etc because it seems to be working for me right now. I ventured into 4-1 just to see if I could find the bow there (read a wiki that one was there and I needed one for 2-1 spider boss) but that big giant dude right after the first fog wall in the beginning scared the shit out of me so I retreated and instead got the bow from 1-2 on top of the second tower. lol

NOT looking forward to 4-1 after that. I do see now how that is the grinding spot of choice due to those skeletons giving a lot of souls and usually fairly easy to kill if approached properly.

This game is addicting!!

That guy himself isn't too hard, but the flying manta rays are what always end up killing me. There's a trick to do there but I'd rather not say

I've beaten I think 4 demons now and the game is really starting to grow on me. At first the difficulty was a little much for me. It wasn't anything I couldn't handle, but it just seemed more hassle than what it was worth.

But now after a bit of leveling up and getting to know the game better, it's definitely eased up a bit (while still being very difficult).

I'm still playing as a mage and I'm really liking it. Especially my first time through, being able to kill stuff from far away is very nice and relaxes me a bit. I walked into the boss of 1-2 on accident (didn't know it was the boss gate) and freaked out and luckily found there were places I could hide. Ended up just picking him off 20 hp at a time from up top :lol

3-1 was crazy complex though, too much for me. I ended up using a guide to get through that level because it was just too much for me to handle, especially being so dark and in the earlier parts all of it looking the same. Glad out of all the areas I've played I used a guide on that one cause of the trick with the boss. I would have been pissed off had I now known that.

Yeah, the game does really ease up the difficulty, in the sense that you can make a few more mistakes, specially if you have magic or grass to heal yourself. Not many mistakes, but enough that you can stop with the shaking.

3-1 was crazy complex but it's one of my favorite levels in the game. Almost all levels are my favorites lol. The level design in Demon's Souls is probably the best of the generation. The archdemons are a little disappointing but all the X-1 are glorious and most of the X-2 are so too.

 

[Croc]

That guy himself isn't too hard, but the flying manta rays are what always end up killing me. There's a trick to do there but I'd rather not say


Yeah, the game does really ease up the difficulty, in the sense that you can make a few more mistakes, specially if you have magic or grass to heal yourself. Not many mistakes, but enough that you can stop with the shaking.

3-1 was crazy complex but it's one of my favorite levels in the game. Almost all levels are my favorites lol. The level design in Demon's Souls is probably the best of the generation. The archdemons are a little disappointing but all the X-1 are glorious and most of the X-2 are so too.

Yeah the only X-2 I've completed so far is 1-2, which I really really liked. I seem to enjoy the castle areas the most so far (1-1, 1-2, and 4-1). I'm trying 2-2 now and I'm having a bit of difficulty just because none of my weapons or magic do much damage to those giant fire bug things. Plus I am nearly out of spices so I am trying to conserve my magic (and spices) for whatever boss is next. I might just have to grind some souls, stock up on spices, and come back later.

 

[zkylon]

Yeah the only X-2 I've completed so far is 1-2, which I really really liked. I seem to enjoy the castle areas the most so far (1-1, 1-2, and 4-1). I'm trying 2-2 now and I'm having a bit of difficulty just because none of my weapons or magic do much damage to those giant fire bug things. Plus I am nearly out of spices so I am trying to conserve my magic (and spices) for whatever boss is next. I might just have to grind some souls, stock up on spices, and come back later.

Remember you don't really have to kill everything you see. You can Thief Ring your way past them if killing them is just a waste of time/grass/etc.

 

[criesofthepast]

Thief ring doesn't seem to work for me as some suggest it should. I can still almost never sneak up on enemies undetected. I read that you could bait the red-eyed knight in 1-1 to start chasing you and then when he loses sight and turns around to go back to his standing spot, you can sneak up behind him and stab him in the back. It never works for me. He always turns back around when I get close. I'm not running or anything, just slowly walking.

And tried 3-1 last night and got just before the boss and died. Not looking forward to going through all that again. Fuuuu.

I only now just finally realized why I can't hear footsteps or sound from my character and why my health was being cut off a bit (I was in soul mode duh). Game doesn't explain this stuff very well to you!

I just found the spell guy hiding on the other corner of the nexus. Didn't even know he was there! Guess I didn't explore the whole nexus as I thought or he appeared recently. Bought soul arrow for my knight lol.

 

[atomic moth]

There's some very interesting people that pop in and out of the Nexus. It's worth exploring completely, usually only on the first floor. Usually.

 

[zkylon]

And tried 3-1 last night and got just before the boss and died. Not looking forward to going through all that again. Fuuuu.

There's a shortcut and you can skip most of the level since you've already gotten the keys. It's still one of the longest and toughest ones, but so good

I only now just finally realized why I can't hear footsteps or sound from my character and why my health was being cut off a bit (I was in soul mode duh). Game doesn't explain this stuff very well to you!

Yeah, "game doesn't explain stuff" I think applies to pretty much everything in the game. Try to search around 1-1 for the Cling Ring. What it does it set you to 75% of your health instead of 50% in Soul Form. You'll be using that ring for the rest of the game, so you might as well try to get it now.

I just found the spell guy hiding on the other corner of the nexus. Didn't even know he was there! Guess I didn't explore the whole nexus as I thought or he appeared recently. Bought soul arrow for my knight lol.

You need a wand or a talisman to cast spells or miracles, so don't call yourself a magician yet

 

[Croc]

Remember you don't really have to kill everything you see. You can Thief Ring your way past them if killing them is just a waste of time/grass/etc.

Well at least in this case, the thing was as big as the passageway so I couldn't get through without killing it.

Anyways, I found another way around (I think a shortcut?) by falling down that big pit. There were some messages there that kept saying take a step forward so I just followed them down. Flamelurker was definitely the most aggressive demon yet but I still managed to take him down my first try by loading up on Full Moon Grass. I had the Ring of Magical Sharpness equipped along with the Kris Blade (Which I think also raises magic attack?). I also had on the Ring of Fire Resistance or whatever it's called. I just kept rolling backwards and firing Soul Rays at him and he went down pretty quickly.

Also I have a question regarding shields. Pretty much every shield I come across I don't have the stats to properly equip. Are shields worth it for Mages, or is it worth it to raise my strength level to equip a certain shield? I was thinking about using the Adjudicator's Shield cause it regens health so it'd save me a lot of grass. But it needs I think strength to be 14 and mine is only 9.

 

[criesofthepast]

There's a shortcut and you can skip most of the level since you've already gotten the keys. It's still one of the longest and toughest ones, but so good

Yeah, "game doesn't explain stuff" I think applies to pretty much everything in the game. Try to search around 1-1 for the Cling Ring. What it does it set you to 75% of your health instead of 50% in Soul Form. You'll be using that ring for the rest of the game, so you might as well try to get it now.


You need a wand or a talisman to cast spells or miracles, so don't call yourself a magician yet

Yeah I found that shortcut. Not too difficult getting back to the boss. But oh wait, I HAVENT ACTUALLY REACHED THE BOSS YET BECAUSE THAT INVISIBLE ARCHER DOUCHE KILLED ME ON THE STAIRS LEADING UP TO THE BOSS!!! Omg I want to punch something. So damn cheap. Come on, man. haha. Can't help but laugh though. He/she shot me with an arrow then got up close and stabbed me which then inflicted plague on me and I was too panicked to even be able to heal myself properly so I died. Lost 4000 souls because I couldn't get back to my bloodstain after dying from one of those octopus guards. Sigh.

I found the cling ring early on. I've been wearing it all game so far. Def helps. I also currently have the silver catalyst for spells and the god talisman for miracles. Although I don't find myself using magic very much at all. I probably won't be spending too much into upgrading or buying magic skills. Just wanted to have a few basic long range attacks that could get me out of a jam if need be.

I hate those octopus guards in 3-1 so damn much.

Think I'll take a break before going back for the boss in 3-1. Maybe go find the purple flame shield and grind a bit before going back and trying again. I'm only soul level 22 which may be kind of shit? Someone earlier mentioned I may want to grind to level 20 before even moving on past 1-1 and I'm already almost done 3-1 and only at 22. So I don't know if I'm underpowered or what. It takes about 4-5 hacks at an octopus with my long sword +3 to kill them.

Edit: beat 1-2 tower knight boss just now. Super easy. Wish they were all like that. :/

 

[neoemonk]

I hit a point where both my Vitality and confidence were high enough to ditch the Cling Ring. I use the Thief Ring/Ring of Magical Sharpness now.

What I should do is finish my NG+ run and dupe the Demon's Souls I need to finish my gold trophies to get my platinum, but after clearing the game once I'm itching to switch it up and go pure melee.

 

[Croc]

Holy shit this poison swamp sucks.

Edit: I just got through the first part of traversing the poison onto a big elevated ramp. I was taking out some of those goons and went to lock on to one a bit further ahead, but instead I locked on to 2 more that were about to ambush me from behind. Accidentally saved my own ass. My heart was pounding when it happened hahahahah

Edit 2: Is there anything that can stack on top of the MP regen ring? I had 13 of the MP recovery items you get from the guy in the nexus when I entered the swamp, and now I have used all of them up and am out of MP. I'm just sitting here in this big camp of those plague guys waiting for the ring to (incredibly slowly) regenerate my MP.

 

[Sullichin]

Holy shit this poison swamp sucks.

Edit: I just got through the first part of traversing the poison onto a big elevated ramp. I was taking out some of those goons and went to lock on to one a bit further ahead, but instead I locked on to 2 more that were about to ambush me from behind. Accidentally saved my own ass. My heart was pounding when it happened hahahahah

Edit 2: Is there anything that can stack on top of the MP regen ring? I had 13 of the MP recovery items you get from the guy in the nexus when I entered the swamp, and now I have used all of them up and am out of MP. I'm just sitting here in this big camp of those plague guys waiting for the ring to (incredibly slowly) regenerate my MP.

Holding a Crescent weapon will stack MP regen, but it will still be slow (a bit better when you upgrade). The phosphorescent pole weapon regenerates it a bit faster. But really you'll just need to farm some souls to buy spices.

 

[Croc]

Holding a Crescent weapon will stack MP regen, but it will still be slow (a bit better when you upgrade). The phosphorescent pole weapon regenerates it a bit faster. But really you'll just need to farm some souls to buy spices.

Oh I wasn't aware that's what Crescent weapons did. I actually have a Crescent Falchion with me right now so that will speed things up even just a bit.

Also what the fuck I just tried to fight the Dirty Colossus and I didn't even hit him once before he killed me. He covered me in something black and I didn't know what was happening and then was just running around. He hit me with that attack about 2 or 3 more times and I was done for.

 

[zkylon]

Well at least in this case, the thing was as big as the passageway so I couldn't get through without killing it.

Anyways, I found another way around (I think a shortcut?) by falling down that big pit. There were some messages there that kept saying take a step forward so I just followed them down. Flamelurker was definitely the most aggressive demon yet but I still managed to take him down my first try by loading up on Full Moon Grass. I had the Ring of Magical Sharpness equipped along with the Kris Blade (Which I think also raises magic attack?). I also had on the Ring of Fire Resistance or whatever it's called. I just kept rolling backwards and firing Soul Rays at him and he went down pretty quickly.

Also I have a question regarding shields. Pretty much every shield I come across I don't have the stats to properly equip. Are shields worth it for Mages, or is it worth it to raise my strength level to equip a certain shield? I was thinking about using the Adjudicator's Shield cause it regens health so it'd save me a lot of grass. But it needs I think strength to be 14 and mine is only 9.

I think I died more times trying to get that shortcut right than with the actual boss. He still killed me a lot too lol.

Unless you're cool with getting hit, or you never get hit, you're gonna want to have a shield, so yeah, a few points towards equipping the PFS or some other sort wouldn't be so bad, unless you're really hurting for souls. I played a hybrid so I put in a bit of everything for my build, but I think a shield is useful unless you're really comfortable with playing with using a Kris Blade in your off hand.

Yeah I found that shortcut. Not too difficult getting back to the boss. But oh wait, I HAVENT ACTUALLY REACHED THE BOSS YET BECAUSE THAT INVISIBLE ARCHER DOUCHE KILLED ME ON THE STAIRS LEADING UP TO THE BOSS!!! Omg I want to punch something. So damn cheap. Come on, man. haha. Can't help but laugh though. He/she shot me with an arrow then got up close and stabbed me which then inflicted plague on me and I was too panicked to even be able to heal myself properly so I died. Lost 4000 souls because I couldn't get back to my bloodstain after dying from one of those octopus guards. Sigh.

I found the cling ring early on. I've been wearing it all game so far. Def helps. I also currently have the silver catalyst for spells and the god talisman for miracles. Although I don't find myself using magic very much at all. I probably won't be spending too much into upgrading or buying magic skills. Just wanted to have a few basic long range attacks that could get me out of a jam if need be.

I hate those octopus guards in 3-1 so damn much.

Think I'll take a break before going back for the boss in 3-1. Maybe go find the purple flame shield and grind a bit before going back and trying again. I'm only soul level 22 which may be kind of shit? Someone earlier mentioned I may want to grind to level 20 before even moving on past 1-1 and I'm already almost done 3-1 and only at 22. So I don't know if I'm underpowered or what. It takes about 4-5 hacks at an octopus with my long sword +3 to kill them.

Edit: beat 1-2 tower knight boss just now. Super easy. Wish they were all like that. :/

Most enemies will kill you in very few hits. Don't grind or farm unless you feel like you've hit a wall; it's boring. Or do a little bit at a time. It helps, but getting killed in three hits instead of two doesn't really help if you don't know who you're facing. Learning enemy attack patterns, traps, etc. (like that weird archer dude that killed you) will do you more favors than 5 extra points into strength.

Holy shit this poison swamp sucks.

Edit: I just got through the first part of traversing the poison onto a big elevated ramp. I was taking out some of those goons and went to lock on to one a bit further ahead, but instead I locked on to 2 more that were about to ambush me from behind. Accidentally saved my own ass. My heart was pounding when it happened hahahahah

Edit 2: Is there anything that can stack on top of the MP regen ring? I had 13 of the MP recovery items you get from the guy in the nexus when I entered the swamp, and now I have used all of them up and am out of MP. I'm just sitting here in this big camp of those plague guys waiting for the ring to (incredibly slowly) regenerate my MP.

There's a Silver Coronet in 3-1 you can use to get more MP (not regen, just 20% more). Crescent Falchion is another good idea like Sullchin said.

And yeah, heart pounding is something I've felt a lot in my first playthrough of the game. I remember I lay down for a while after beating the end boss because I thought I was gonna get a a heart attack lol.

 

[Croc]

I think I died more times trying to get that shortcut right than with the actual boss. He still killed me a lot too lol.

There's a Silver Coronet in 3-1 you can use to get more MP (not regen, just 20% more). Crescent Falchion is another good idea like Sullchin said.

And yeah, heart pounding is something I've felt a lot in my first playthrough of the game. I remember I lay down for a while after beating the end boss because I thought I was gonna get a a heart attack lol.

Oh yeah I died a ton trying to get that shortcut right, I just really didn't feel like playing through the whole level.

Also, I started out as a Royal so I already have the Silver Coronet as well as the Silver Catalyst. They've both been super helpful for sure. I didn't even realize what they did at first though so for awhile I was rocking the Fluted Helmet. I swear this game takes "not telling the player anything" to a whole new level.

Edit: Okay...I don't get the Archdemon of the Valley of Defilement. Not only are you instantly plagued by entering the water, but those babies block your path? I have managed to get past them a couple of times and got onto the ramp where the hammer guy won't follow me, but from there I'm stuck. My Fire Spray does 3 damage to him, and 6 in the period right after he swings his hammer. One time I sat there for like 10 minutes just wearing him down doing 3 and 6 damage but when he had about 1/6th of his health left he fully healed himself.

After that I tried just running past him to the Maiden and killing her, but there's no way I can kill her fast enough, even using Fireball. He just gets a couple of hits on me and I'm dead and there's no room to maneuver around back there.

Am I missing something?

Edit 2: Okay yeah I've been trying for like an hour and I have no idea what to do. I think I might just have to mega-grind until my Fire Spray does maybe 10-15 instead so I don't waste a ridiculous amount of spices.

 

[TheExplodingHead]

Oh yeah I died a ton trying to get that shortcut right, I just really didn't feel like playing through the whole level.

Also, I started out as a Royal so I already have the Silver Coronet as well as the Silver Catalyst. They've both been super helpful for sure. I didn't even realize what they did at first though so for awhile I was rocking the Fluted Helmet. I swear this game takes "not telling the player anything" to a whole new level.

Edit: Okay...I don't get the Archdemon of the Valley of Defilement. Not only are you instantly plagued by entering the water, but those babies block your path? I have managed to get past them a couple of times and got onto the ramp where the hammer guy won't follow me, but from there I'm stuck. My Fire Spray does 3 damage to him, and 6 in the period right after he swings his hammer. One time I sat there for like 10 minutes just wearing him down doing 3 and 6 damage but when he had about 1/6th of his health left he fully healed himself.

After that I tried just running past him to the Maiden and killing her, but there's no way I can kill her fast enough, even using Fireball. He just gets a couple of hits on me and I'm dead and there's no room to maneuver around back there.

Am I missing something?

Just kill her knight, then go and talk to her. If you really want to fight her, stock up on lots of plague grass.

You should be able to completely avoid the water by taking the ramp to the left directly to Garl, kill him, and then go talk to the maiden. Super easy boss, if you want to kill her, just equip Garl's Dark Silver Shield (and armor if you want), and just tank her while constantly healing from the plague. My recommendation for Garl for magic is just tank him/bait him and tag him with your best magic weapon after he swings.

 

[Croc]

Just kill her knight, then go and talk to her. If you really want to fight her, stock up on lots of plague grass.

You should be able to completely avoid the water by taking the ramp to the left directly to Garl, kill him, and then go talk to the maiden. Super easy boss, if you want to kill her, just equip Garl's Dark Silver Shield (and armor if you want), and just tank her while constantly healing from the plague. My recommendation for Garl for magic is just tank him/bait him and tag him with your best magic weapon after he swings.

Yeah that's the tactic I used the first time, but once I finally whittled his health down, he healed back up. I think it's just going to come down to me grinding my magic attack up some so I don't have to use ridiculous amounts of spices.

I'm trying one more tactic though before I start grinding. I'm gunna see if Acid Cloud does anything to him. I've never used it before so I don't know exactly how it works but from the description it sounds like it might.

 

[zkylon]

Take the ramp down the left, and go at it with Garl. You might be able to kite him but he's tough and is specially good against magic (you'll see what I mean when you get his shield), so it's melee time. He's not actually all that hard to read, but he packs a punch and can take a beating without a scratch. Exercise patience and precision, like always

 

[criesofthepast]

Damn 4-1 boss. Was going good with a few easy bosses up until now but that stupid tongue keeps killing me. Was also afraid to go at that black skeleton perched on the hill in the beginning of 4-1 but after having to fight two of them during the course of the level, I'm now not too worried about him anymore (unless hes not the same type of black skeleton) Will see what he's guarding tomorrow when I try this level again.

I purchased every miracle and spell available to me. Only because I'm OCD, not really because I need them. Only took 20 mins of grinding in 4-1 to buy everything. Warding has saved my ass a few times already. I know more will unlock as I get demons souls. I stupidly consumed the armored spider and phalanx souls early on because I didn't really know you could use them for crafting.

This game is ruining my productivity with life. Put in 20 hours already and it seems like there is so much more. When is the end game exactly? And how many levels does each world have? 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, etc?

 

[neoemonk]

First arch stone has 4 levels, the rest have three each.

If you go in your inventory you can read descriptions of everything you have. For instance the Silver Coronet tells you it boosts your MP.

One of my favorite things in that game was unlocking the poison swamp shortcut and realizing I didn't have to go back in.

Another was when I found out that in order to kill the named Black Phantom of that world I had to go back in. Demon's Souls had gotten me again.

 

[Soulhouf]

Holding a Crescent weapon will stack MP regen, but it will still be slow (a bit better when you upgrade). The phosphorescent pole weapon regenerates it a bit faster. But really you'll just need to farm some souls to buy spices.

I believe there are also a piece of armor only for female characters that regenerates MP as well.

 

[Croc]

I am having a lot of trouble with 1-3 and 4-2. I have completed worlds 2, 3, and 5 now though. Those two levels I can't seem to get all the way through on. In 1-3 I always get killed in this area where there's an archer and 2 of those assassins behind him, along with some other people.

In 4-2 I always end up dying in some super confined area towards the end where there's two shadows and a reaper all in close proximity. This is going to take awhile...

 

[TheExplodingHead]

I am having a lot of trouble with 1-3 and 4-2. I have completed worlds 2, 3, and 5 now though. Those two levels I can't seem to get all the way through on. In 1-3 I always get killed in this area where there's an archer and 2 of those assassins behind him, along with some other people.

In 4-2 I always end up dying in some super confined area towards the end where there's two shadows and a reaper all in close proximity. This is going to take awhile...

For 1-3, rule of thumb is be very careful to not aggro too many enemies at once, learn each enemy's aggro range, and lure them out 1 by 1, or at most two at a time. Other than that pure tank strategies work fine, just throw your best offense at the Red-Eyed Knights without shields, they can't defend, so just attack them on recovery and their done. You mentioned being a magic user, so for the three spear knights toward the end. Clear out all the other enemies and aggro each knight individually with Soul Arrow/Ray. Also the Thief Ring will help with everything I've said.

Spoiler

You might also want to save Biorr in 1-2 by grabbing the key from the fat dude, he will help a lot on 1-3's boss, and if he survives he'll help with 1-4's Dragon. But 1-3's boss is easy if Biorr helps you.

For 4-2, just take it slow and use the Dark Silver Shield (upgrade it early if you can) you got from 5-3, the magic attacks will be nullified. Also remember to just keep moving and strafing in any area with those fucking Manta Rays, and always focus on killing the Reapers immediately once you know where they are.

 

[neoemonk]

I am having a lot of trouble with 1-3 and 4-2. I have completed worlds 2, 3, and 5 now though. Those two levels I can't seem to get all the way through on. In 1-3 I always get killed in this area where there's an archer and 2 of those assassins behind him, along with some other people.

In 4-2 I always end up dying in some super confined area towards the end where there's two shadows and a reaper all in close proximity. This is going to take awhile...

Those two areas gave me a lot of trouble as well. For 4-2 you can use a bow and take out the reapers if you need. You should have the Dark Silver Shield as well, which should help against those beam guys if you want to melee the reapers.

Lure the assassins out one by one if you can. Once you know where they are it gets easier.

 

[criesofthepast]

Dragon long sword is the greatest. I'm slicing through enemies no problem. Can you guys believe I was using the default long sword still 25 hours into playing and having finished pretty much 50% of the levels? I made my life way more difficult than it had to be. The dragon long sword just adds fire damage to the long sword but oh is it so much better for how I play this game. I was also using the basic kite shield too. Replaced it with purple flame shield now and haven't looked back.

It's amazing how I finally figure out how to play the game when I'm almost finished it lol. NG+ seems like a must and I never in a million years would have imagined myself saying that.

Flame lurker was so easy. I hear a lot of people saying he's one of the hardest but he barely touched me. I kept running around and would chase me and keep getting stuck behind pillars or rubble and I'd fire arrows at him. The absolute easiest though is that 5-1 swamp boss. Didn't even take 1 hp off me. Was over in 20 seconds. Also the meat cleaver guy in 4-1 was easy once I figured out what to do. Intact, all these bosses seem super easy. I haven't died on a boss more than once.

One thing I still have no idea about is world tendencies. Have to read the wiki for that because I'm completely clueless what that is and how it works.

 

[Sir Ilpalazzo]

Here's a short explanation on world tendency.

Whenever you beat a boss, the world you're in will turn "whiter" (you can see this on the world tendency menu). The whiter a world is, the easier it gets. When a world is pure white, some normally inaccessible areas will open up and you'll get access to new items. Every world also has one NPC who you can only interact with when their world is pure white; most of them give you sidequests.

Every time you die in body form, the world you're in will turn "blacker". The blacker a world is, the harder it gets, but at the same time, drop rates will increase. Once a world gets black enough, black phantom enemies, who are much stronger than their normal counterparts, will start appearing. A primeval demon will also appear somewhere in each world (there's only one per world, though), and they usually drop colorless demon's souls when killed. You can use them to upgrade certain unique weapons and shields. If a world turns pure black, a black phantom version of that world's white world NPC will appear somewhere in the world. They attack on sight, and they're harder than most bosses, but some of them drop unique items.

Killing white world NPCs (as well as one specific NPC in the palace world) will make their world blacker, and killing the special black phantom NPCs or primeval demons will make that world whiter.

To make a world pure white, you should either kill every boss in the world without letting your body die once (it might be a good idea to commit suicide in the Nexus so you don't get killed in the world you're trying to whiten up by accident) or get the world to pure black and then kill both the primeval demon and special black phantom. To make a world pure black, just get a bunch of stones of ephemeral eyes and kill yourself a bunch of times while you're in there.

You don't need to worry about any of this until your second playthrough, but I think that should be everything you need to know about world tendency stuff.

Also, the reason you thought Flamelurker was so easy was because pretty much nothing in this game is balanced around the player fighting with strong projectiles. People that have trouble with Flamelurker probably fought him with melee weapons.

 

[Croc]

Dammit. I finally beat 1-3 after a TON of work. I'm on 1-4 right now and made it to the final fog gate, but decided to evacuate out cause I had 50K souls and no spices for the battle and wanted to be prepared.

So I get all that taken care of and am pumped and ready for this final boss of this world, and then for the first time yet, a Black Phantom invades my world and ends up killing me :|

I guess at least that didn't happen while I had those 50K souls. Would have been much worse...

 

[criesofthepast]

Here's a short explanation on world tendency.

Whenever you beat a boss, the world you're in will turn "whiter" (you can see this on the world tendency menu). The whiter a world is, the easier it gets. When a world is pure white, some normally inaccessible areas will open up and you'll get access to new items. Every world also has one NPC who you can only interact with when their world is pure white; most of them give you sidequests.

Every time you die in body form, the world you're in will turn "blacker". The blacker a world is, the harder it gets, but at the same time, drop rates will increase. Once a world gets black enough, black phantom enemies, who are much stronger than their normal counterparts, will start appearing. A primeval demon will also appear somewhere in each world (there's only one per world, though), and they usually drop colorless demon's souls when killed. You can use them to upgrade certain unique weapons and shields. If a world turns pure black, a black phantom version of that world's white world NPC will appear somewhere in the world. They attack on sight, and they're harder than most bosses, but some of them drop unique items.

Killing white world NPCs (as well as one specific NPC in the palace world) will make their world blacker, and killing the special black phantom NPCs or primeval demons will make that world whiter.

To make a world pure white, you should either kill every boss in the world without letting your body die once (it might be a good idea to commit suicide in the Nexus so you don't get killed in the world you're trying to whiten up by accident) or get the world to pure black and then kill both the primeval demon and special black phantom. To make a world pure black, just get a bunch of stones of ephemeral eyes and kill yourself a bunch of times while you're in there.

You don't need to worry about any of this until your second playthrough, but I think that should be everything you need to know about world tendency stuff.

Also, the reason you thought Flamelurker was so easy was because pretty much nothing in this game is balanced around the player fighting with strong projectiles. People that have trouble with Flamelurker probably fought him with melee weapons.

Wow great explanation there. Thank you so much for that. I think I won't worry about it as you say until my NG+.

 

[Panipal2009]

Any EU-gaffers willing to gift or trade the Monk's Head Collar? Despite having had this game since it came out I've neglected to acquire it for my mage characters (lvls 133 & 459 (!) yes I Stockpile Thomas'd that one).

My lvl 133 unfortunately doesn't have as many goodies as my lvl 459 (which has Pure Bladestone), I think the most valuable thing they have are a bunch of Cloudstone Chunks and the Insanity Catalyst, but if you're interested in trading, make a request and I'll see what I can rustle up.

PSN is Panipal2005, cheers folks.

 

[krakov]

Had my first proper duel today with someone that apparently also experienced it for the first time. PvP feels much better in this game than in Dark Souls imho, even with the extra janky lagstabs. It all just moves a lot faster and more fluid.

That said, where do I go to invade or be invaded these days? have been spamming the Black eye stone at least 50 times in a lot of different areas but only invaded once. Been standing around 4-1 and 1-3, 1-4 for ages with only a handful of invasion which of most was just weird.

I'm currently level 86 but I also have some lower ones, no action either way.

 

[Soulhouf]

I'm back to Demon's Souls! (Japanese version this time, I will platinum them all)

OMG it's almost impossible to me to beat the game SL4, it's so much harder than Dark
OMG there are still many people who play this game. I had many multi player sessions today (invasions/co-op). It was a hell of fun.
OMG I forgot how more awesome bowing is in this game compared to Dark.
OMG no ninja ring, no poise, no derp masks, no giant armors and bullshit. This game is much better balanced
OMG lagstabbing doesn't exist
OMG I'm into this game again and I'm loving it. I almost forgot how awesome it is

 

[Croc]

God dammit, I just invaded a world for the first time and was doing decently against the other player, but when the other player suddenly came at me my new kitten starting attacking and biting my legs.

Needless to say I ended up losing.

 

[H_Prestige]

I'm back to Demon's Souls! (Japanese version this time, I will platinum them all)

OMG it's almost impossible to me to beat the game SL4, it's so much harder than Dark
OMG there are still many people who play this game. I had many multi player sessions today (invasions/co-op). It was a hell of fun.
OMG I forgot how more awesome bowing is in this game compared to Dark.
OMG no ninja ring, no poise, no derp masks, no giant armors and bullshit. This game is much better balanced
OMG lagstabbing doesn't exist
OMG I'm into this game again and I'm loving it. I almost forgot how awesome it is

I'm at lvl56. What's the best place to co-op?

Also 4-2 is kicking me in the ass. Those flying manta ray things hit hard and trying to kill them with arrows is frustrating. This game is definitely way harder than Dark.

OTOH, I finally upgraded my sharp uchigatana to +3 so I'm finally doing some big damage. Also rocking the official's cap and going shirtless. Looks badass.

 

[zkylon]

Those flying manta ray things hit hard and trying to kill them with arrows is frustrating.

Spoiler

You can equip the Thief Ring to get them off your back

 

[Soulhouf]

I'm at lvl56. What's the best place to co-op?

Also 4-2 is kicking me in the ass. Those flying manta ray things hit hard and trying to kill them with arrows is frustrating. This game is definitely way harder than Dark.

OTOH, I finally upgraded my sharp uchigatana to +3 so I'm finally doing some big damage. Also rocking the official's cap and going shirtless. Looks badass.

At that level the most active places for co-op are 4-2, 1-3 and 1-4.
As for the manta, like zkylon said,

Spoiler

equip the thief ring and you will avoid much trouble.

 

[Croc]

I'm still kind of confused by the multiplayer aspects in this game. Is there any way to invite someone to my game to help me with something, or can I only offer my own help to someone else?

 

[Soulhouf]

I'm still kind of confused by the multiplayer aspects in this game. Is there any way to invite someone to my game to help me with something, or can I only offer my own help to someone else?

You can only offer your help. If you need help, you have to be in human form and wait for somebody to put down his SS.

 

[neoemonk]

God dammit, I just invaded a world for the first time and was doing decently against the other player, but when the other player suddenly came at me my new kitten starting attacking and biting my legs.

Needless to say I ended up losing.

I've lost a few co-op matches before too. Feels bad man.

I think kittens are weak to fire though. Something to keep in mind.

 

[H_Prestige]

Spoiler

You can equip the Thief Ring to get them off your back

Well that made things easier.

Now I'm getting my ass kicked by those beam shooting ghost things inside. Was able to dash down to the grimreaper but got instakilled by something.

Also, any tips on how to kill the scraping spear BP knight in 1-4? I suck at backstabbing, which I feel would make this fight super easy.

 

[neoemonk]

Graverobber's Ring and magic/arrows will allow you to rip those BPs up

Dark Silver Shield helps against those beam guys. Or you can do what I did, which was die there until I was able to get under the beam without dying.

 

[Croc]

You can only offer your help. If you need help, you have to be in human form and wait for somebody to put down his SS.

Any chance the multiplayer is still active enough to find someone for 1-4? I've already beaten the Blue Dragon but getting back to the boss is probably harder than in any other level I've played. Plus the one time I actually got to the boss I was totally obliterated.

Never mind, went back and ended up beating the whole level including the boss the next time I tried. Very satisfying finally beating him.

I have to say the end game was kind of disappointing. I guess it was nice to have a bit of a break in the final stretch, I was just expecting something excruciatingly difficult. And as I write that I guess I realize 1-4 was pretty damn difficult, I was just expecting something more afterwards so it didn't feel like the big conclusion I was hoping.

Still overall amazing game though! So glad I bought it and pushed through.

 

[TheExplodingHead]

Any chance the multiplayer is still active enough to find someone for 1-4? I've already beaten the Blue Dragon but getting back to the boss is probably harder than in any other level I've played. Plus the one time I actually got to the boss I was totally obliterated.

Never mind, went back and ended up beating the whole level including the boss the next time I tried. Very satisfying finally beating him.

I have to say the end game was kind of disappointing. I guess it was nice to have a bit of a break in the final stretch, I was just expecting something excruciatingly difficult. And as I write that I guess I realize 1-4 was pretty damn difficult, I was just expecting something more afterwards so it didn't feel like the big conclusion I was hoping.

Still overall amazing game though! So glad I bought it and pushed through.

Now go beat it on NG+, if you thought False King was kind of hard the first time...he'll prove to be quite a beast even at SL120 with fully upgraded gear.

Looking back Demon's final boss was WAY harder than Dark's final, especially on NG+/+. Cooler too.

 

[TheSeks]

Now go beat it on NG+, if you thought False King was kind of hard the first time...he'll prove to be quite a beast even at SL120 with fully upgraded gear.

Poison Cloud. Come back in three hours. WIN.

 

[TheExplodingHead]

Poison Cloud. Come back in three hours. WIN.

Melee all the way man, all the way.

Besides, I did actually try this on NG++ and he just basically shrugged it off and continued rushing me, Thief Ring on. So I just handled it like a man. My magic/int was only about 20 or so though.

 

[Sullichin]

Now go beat it on NG+, if you thought False King was kind of hard the first time...he'll prove to be quite a beast even at SL120 with fully upgraded gear.

Looking back Demon's final boss was WAY harder than Dark's final, especially on NG+/+. Cooler too.

I definitely think Gwyn is harder than False King. He gives you way more time to heal. Idk, I never have a problem with him.

 

[zkylon]

Now go beat it on NG+, if you thought False King was kind of hard the first time...he'll prove to be quite a beast even at SL120 with fully upgraded gear.

Looking back Demon's final boss was WAY harder than Dark's final, especially on NG+/+. Cooler too.

I could never beat him on NG+

 

[TheExplodingHead]

I definitely think Gwyn is harder than False King. He gives you way more time to heal. Idk, I never have a problem with him.

I don't know, I was able to somewhat tank Gwyn on NG++ with fully upgraded Stone/Gold Hemmed set, and a Black Iron Shield +15, using Power Within and a Fire Halberd +10.

And you simply cannot do that with the False King, you have to dodge roll and manage distance a lot more. Even with a DSS +5 and Meat Clever/DBS w/ Black Turpentine, he takes less damage than Gwyn at that level, and I was a 70 STG/50 DEX. At least that's how it was for me.

I could never beat him on NG+

How I ended up beating him on NG++, and +++ was to bait him into using his AOE attack, and do a running attack to cancel him out and do big damage. that's pretty much all I did. If you dodge/side step any other attack chances are he'll immediately do his combo rush and totally break through your defense and kill you immediately, or go for his soul sucker, and then combo rush. So the safest strategy is to just to get a mid to long distance from him, and wait for him to go for AOE, run in and power smash him and back off again.

 

[zkylon]

How I ended up beating him on NG++, and +++ was to bait him into using his AOE attack, and do a running attack to cancel him out and do big damage. that's pretty much all I did. If you dodge/side step any other attack chances are he'll immediately do his combo rush and totally break through your defense and kill you immediately, or go for his soul sucker, and then combo rush. So the safest strategy is to just to get a mid to long distance from him, and wait for him to go for AOE, run in and power smash him and back off again.

I really wish to kill him and finally get platinum on the game. I'm 98% done, darn it

 

[Poimandres]

Alright, had a pretty productive weekend.

Beat 1-4, 4-2, 4-3.

False King was an absolute nightmare. I actually think I found him harder than S&O in Dark Souls (this is my first run through of Demon's).

4-2 was a lot of fun. I died a few times on the level, but thought it was really good.

Only 2-3, 5-2 and 5-3 to go!

 

[NeoUltima]

God Damn Pure Bladestone. Now I remember why I gave up on the Platinum trophy back when the game came out.

3 hours of grinding for it so far and nothing, bagh.

 

[TheSeks]

God Damn Pure Bladestone. Now I remember why I gave up on the Platinum trophy back when the game came out.

3 hours of grinding for it so far and nothing, bagh.

Just get someone online to drop a sword with it used on it.