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[StoppedInTracks]

Still stuck on Maneater myself. I guess I'll have to farm arrows and check into this arrow trick you speak of.

Don't cheap out, your first Maneater kill should be a normal (melee, magic) one.

Speaking about Maneater - I had the biggest bullshit happen to me just moments ago on NG++. I was fighting them (Northern Regalia) grassing and Warding all the time. I managed to kill one and get the second one to 60% of health and then the second one fell down the platform DURING the "snake bites the body --> hypermode" animation. Then he disappeared!

WHAT THE FUCK

After 5 minutes of waiting and turning camera around I found him below the middle structure (the one with the brazier). He was there just chillin'. He was out of reach of any kind of attack (arrows, magic).

I had to Evacuate, talk about bullshit... during such an intense fight.

I was *so* angry. I decided to use magic for the first time. I entered the boss area again and tried Firestorm on him. Wow... talk about overpowered - 1/3 of his health left. Two more casts and he was GONE. The whole battle took maybe 2 minutes with spicing and grassing.

Good riddance, I hate bugs that just kill your mood and entertainment.

 

[Calibus]

I can help you beat them. Don't give in to that cheap trick.

What's your level and which server are you in?

Actually came very close to killing them normal way, so I think I may have found my stride. Thank you for the offer though.

 

[StoppedInTracks]

False King Allant is a joke vs Northern Regalia. On NG++ I was dealing him 500 dmg with one blow vs 130 dmg with Dragon Sword +5.

He died like a bitch in 5 minutes.

I can smell the Platinum already... only 5 bosses left.

 

[Calibus]

Holy unskippable cutscene after Maneater fight Batman! Yeesh.

 

[Unknown One]

His Vitality isn't suicide if he knows what he's doing. I went to NG+++ without upping my vitality at all.

 

[Soulhouf]

Don't cheap out, your first Maneater kill should be a normal (melee, magic) one.

Speaking about Maneater - I had the biggest bullshit happen to me just moments ago on NG++. I was fighting them (Northern Regalia) grassing and Warding all the time. I managed to kill one and get the second one to 60% of health and then the second one fell down the platform DURING the "snake bites the body --> hypermode" animation. Then he disappeared!

WHAT THE FUCK

After 5 minutes of waiting and turning camera around I found him below the middle structure (the one with the brazier). He was there just chillin'. He was out of reach of any kind of attack (arrows, magic).

I had to Evacuate, talk about bullshit... during such an intense fight.

I was *so* angry. I decided to use magic for the first time. I entered the boss area again and tried Firestorm on him. Wow... talk about overpowered - 1/3 of his health left. Two more casts and he was GONE. The whole battle took maybe 2 minutes with spicing and grassing.

Good riddance, I hate bugs that just kill your mood and entertainment.

It's a known bug actually. It happened to me 3 times.
It seems very likely to occur when you have the thief ring equiped. Really weird glitch.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

False King Allant is a joke vs Northern Regalia. On NG++ I was dealing him 500 dmg with one blow vs 130 dmg with Dragon Sword +5.

Why the hell are you using these weapons with your stats? You'd deal a shitton more damage if you used, say, a Meat Cleaver buffed with Light Weapon. Or, if you want a similar swinging speed as NR, a quality Claymore+5 buffed with Light Weapon.

Northern Regalia and dragon weapons don't scale with any stats. You're basically wasting 60 levels using those weapons.

 

[Soulhouf]

Why the hell are you using these weapons with your stats? You'd deal a shitton more damage if you used, say, a Meat Cleaver buffed with Light Weapon. Or, if you want a similar swinging speed as NR, a quality Claymore+5 buffed with Light Weapon.

Northern Regalia and dragon weapons don't scale with any stats. You're basically wasting 60 levels using those weapons.

That's what I was trying to tell him but he didn't listen >_>

PS: I'm glad to see you back.

 

[StoppedInTracks]

I guess I don't really like experimenting... I have so many weapons stockpiled that I would spend too much time testing each one of them...

For 99% of the game I was using one of the following: Crescent Falchion, Dragon Sword, Northern Regalia. The rest 1% was my starting Halberd. Every single encounter/ enemy/ boss is doable with those weapons up to NG+++ (and I guess even further). (I used Moonlight Sword for Patches!)

For sure I will experiment with other, fancy weapons (Bramd, Blueblood Sword, Meat Cleaver?) with my next character. I will also min/max him according to FAQs etc.

This Platinum is my way Platinum. I want to remember the pressure and sweat in obtaining it.

 

[cj_iwakura]

I guess I don't really like experimenting... I have so many weapons stockpiled that I would spend too much time testing each one of them...

For 99% of the game I was using one of the following: Crescent Falchion, Dragon Sword, Northern Regalia. The rest 1% was my starting Halberd. Every single encounter/ enemy/ boss is doable with those weapons up to NG+++ (and I guess even further). (I used Moonlight Sword for Patches!)

For sure I will experiment with other, fancy weapons (Bramd, Blueblood Sword, Meat Cleaver?) with my next character. I will also min/max him according to FAQs etc.

This Platinum is my way Platinum. I want to remember the pressure and sweat in obtaining it.

Part of the fun I had in the Platinuming was getting those +5 weapons and realizing how great they were compared to what I was focused on before.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

I guess I don't really like experimenting... I have so many weapons stockpiled that I would spend too much time testing each one of them...

For 99% of the game I was using one of the following: Crescent Falchion, Dragon Sword, Northern Regalia. The rest 1% was my starting Halberd. Every single encounter/ enemy/ boss is doable with those weapons up to NG+++ (and I guess even further). (I used Moonlight Sword for Patches!)

Well, like I said, the claymore has the exact same moveset as the Northern Regalia, except it has better range. So you can make a Quality Claymore+5 and buff it with LW with an Insanity catalyst for pretty solid damage and better range, and you don't need to worry about Character Tendency (which is the only thing NR scales with). Mirdan hammers and war scythes have the same moveset as halberds so you could also make a Quality MH or Quality Falchion and do the same.

Sure, you can still "win" with a worse and heavier weapon, but why gimp yourself? NR is a very good weapon, but it works best on pure CT characters with very high vitality.

For sure I will experiment with other, fancy weapons (Bramd, Blueblood Sword, Meat Cleaver?) with my next character. I will also min/max him according to FAQs etc.

You don't need a FAQ if you understand how scaling works (BlueBlood sword might be an exception as there's no real way to know it scales with Luck from the in-game descriptions). Min-maxing is easy once you understand that. Put points in minimal requirements for the weapons, then level up VIT and END (for melee) or INT and MAG (for mages) to their optimized values 'til diminishing returns hit (usually at 40-50), then level up the stat your desired weapon scales with. I made tons of builds without ever using guides, the only one I made after reading wikis and forums was a BBS build 'cause I learned it scaled with luck there, and wanted to try it. Oh, and my DBS mage, but that wasn't after using a guide so much as watching a video of a Japanese player who used a DBS mage hybrid and pulled some really fun combos and wake-up hits. I didn't use his stats though 'cause they were really non-optimized. xD

Also I'd say don't bother with Bramd. It's 100% useless except for looks/roleplay, as it has the exact same moveset as the great axe, except slightly less powerful and way, way heavier (the heaviest item in the game, 36 lbs!). Meat Cleaver is actually kind of mediocre too, at least for SL 120~ builds, but it'd be suited for your stats since it scales with str, dex -and- faith and it's stronger with a Light Weapon buff (which scales with magic), so it's pretty damn strong at SL 150 or so. But for SL 100-125, a cursed great axe is more powerful (pretty much same moveset too) at a lower stat investment.

That's what I was trying to tell him but he didn't listen >_>

Yeah I saw lol... figured a second opinion couldn't hurt. He seems not to care much about optimizing and that's fine, but maybe our posts can convince beginners or fence-sitters or whatnot to use properly scaling weapons. ^_^

PS: I'm glad to see you back.

Thanks.

 

[2AdEPT]

Still stuck on Maneater myself. I guess I'll have to farm arrows and check into this arrow trick you speak of.

If you dont use arrow trick, same strategy applies...just try to kill the first one quickly so you go one at a time. Also I maintain that ANY souls boss that sicks two enemies on you is FAIR GAME for a summon to help...its kinda the whole idea of the game to be honest. Those that want to macho and do gang bosses solo are ok to do it, but it is not written anywhere that you are a whimp if you don't. Its kinda the opposite...developers meant for there to be a summon for Maneaters (that's why the arrow trick is there..in case you can't find a summon), gargoyles (even put TWO npc helpers there) and O and S.

 

[See You Next Wednesday]

Oh my God.

Look at this map. Look at how many floors, how many cells, how many pieces of treasure From Software included in this wonderful gorgeous map. Look at the use of space, from the massive open space before the boss room to the cramped, repetitive floors of the endless prison cells. Look how a seemingly clear path taunts you with treasures while hails of arrows force you to find another route. Look at how cleverly they pace the iron maidens so that you only open up a dangerous one after you become used to safe ones.

And the best part is, despite how complicated the map is, it's still a totally simplified version of 3-1's majesty.

Demon's Souls has the best level design of any game I've ever played.

Beautiful.

Demon Souls maps needs to be brought up when comparing any 3rd person action/adventure/shooter. Just like how people bring up that Doom map to any FPS comparison.

 

[SeventhSon]

Really not having a good time with Black Phantoms.

I'm 99% sure I'm going to play Dark Souls 2 offline.

If you dont use arrow trick, same strategy applies...just try to kill the first one quickly so you go one at a time. Also I maintain that ANY souls boss that sicks two enemies on you is FAIR GAME for a summon to help...its kinda the whole idea of the game to be honest. Those that want to macho and do gang bosses solo are ok to do it, but it is not written anywhere that you are a whimp if you don't. Its kinda the opposite...developers meant for there to be a summon for Maneaters (that's why the arrow trick is there..in case you can't find a summon), gargoyles (even put TWO npc helpers there) and O and S.

On the other hand, I just co-oped Flamelurker, it was fun. I was able to practice for my real fight, which ended up being pretty easy.

I guess I wish the PvP in Souls games was separated from the main campaign. Let the PvP twinkers battle each other and leave me alone.

 

[Booshka]

Really not having a good time with Black Phantoms.

I'm 99% sure I'm going to play Dark Souls 2 offline.


On the other hand, I just co-oped Flamelurker, it was fun. I was able to practice for my real fight, which ended up being pretty easy.

I guess I wish the PvP in Souls games was separated from the main campaign. Let the PvP twinkers battle each other and leave me alone.

Co-op makes the Souls games a joke, takes a way most of the difficulty. So the Invader mechanic is there to off-set that advantage. Being invaded is really frustrating when you don't understand what it's like to be an invader. Not so much in Demon's Souls anymore because less people are playing, but certainly for Dark Souls, invaders have to deal with all kinds of shit when they invade, unless you are low level invading like an ass, most of your invasions aren't just trivial noob stomping. You usually get massacred by a group of overleveled phantoms and the host.

I understand your desire to not be invaded at all, but summons should not be allowed without the risk of invasion because it trivializes the challenge of the Souls series. I think it would be okay if you could summon without invaders only if you are on a NG+ or beyond cycle with Black Phantoms everywhere. Usually the only challenge is bosses in co-op, and even that is pretty easy unless you are on NG+5 and higher.

 

[Toxi]

#truthfact

Although I much prefer Latria 3-2 to Latria 3-1. It's the verticality of the level that blows my mind.

It's amazing how different the two levels are. And you're right about the verticality; it's so important that the map even includes a little scale.

Dark Souls is up there (not every level, but overall it's pretty awesome) , but yes, I agree. And you get to appreciate it even more after playing other aRPGs with such bland, generic, thoughtless dungeons in comparison.

I think Oolacile Township is the best designed area in Dark Souls. It looks simple compared to some areas like Sen's Fortress, but the ability to jump between different rooftops as shorcuts and the way the map curls around on itself is very impressive.

Sen's Fortress and New Londo Ruins are close seconds for me.

 

[Booshka]

Painted World is another incredibly dense and well crafted level. In the vein of Demon's Souls as well that it is one level independent of the Overworld.

 

[StoppedInTracks]

Finally! No duping, no trading.

Total hours - NG = 75h, NG+ = 50h (farming!), NG++ = 12h, NG+++= 5h.

My cookie cutter equipment - PFS+10, NR, Dark Silver Chest, Venerable Head/Arms/Legs for fast rolling.

/Umbasa

 

[StoppedInTracks]

There are some insane challenges on YT: SL1, no magic, fat roll only.

:O

 

[2AdEPT]

Really not having a good time with Black Phantoms.

I'm 99% sure I'm going to play Dark Souls 2 offline.


On the other hand, I just co-oped Flamelurker, it was fun. I was able to practice for my real fight, which ended up being pretty easy.

I guess I wish the PvP in Souls games was separated from the main campaign. Let the PvP twinkers battle each other and leave me alone.

Everyone feels as you do at first...heck I even quit to main mneu often when I died to invaders so I wouldn't lose my progress. But I never went offline, unless I was trying to achieve world tendencies in demon's. Invaders are a welcome and excellent part of the mix for me now....just give yourself a a bit of time to learn to deal with them, and when you get your first win, you will want more!

 

[StoppedInTracks]

This game had no place to be released in the post Call of Duty, post Oblivion world:

- no maps whatsoever
- no compas
- multilevel, vertical, maze-like maps
- savepoints after the bosses, not before them
- dying makes the game harder so you will die again sooner and make the game even harder AGAIN
- replaying every level until you beat the boss
- dying twice in a row means losing unspend experience and gold
- no music in the stages meaning no music during 99% of the game
- pretty much nothing explained in the manual or in-game (World Tendencies, Character Tendencies - they are not even explained by numbers but by dark/ light hues)

It is a miracle that it got greenlit and released. A real-life miracle.

I am a bit Souled out at the moment so I will first beat Diablo 3 or Deus Ex: HR and then move on to Dark Souls.

 

[Somnium986]

This game had no place to be released in the post Call of Duty, post Skyrim world:

- no maps whatsoever
- no compas
- multilevel, vertical, maze-like maps
- savepoints after the bosses, not before them
- dying makes the game harder so you will die again sooner and make the game even harder AGAIN
- replaying every level until you beat the boss
- dying twice in a row means losing unspend experience and gold
- no music in the stages meaning no music during 99% of the game
- pretty much nothing explained in the manual or in-game (World Tendencies, Character Tendencies - they are not even explained by numbers but by dark/ light hues)

It is a miracle that it got greenlit and released. A real-life miracle.

I am a bit Souled out so I will first beat Diablo 3 or Deus Ex: HR and then move on to Dark Souls.

And all of those things are what make it so wonderful, and a success. If I remember correctly it's popularity spread mostly through word of mouth, and had almost no advertising. Truly amazing.

 

[oracrest]

There are some insane challenges on YT: SL1, no magic, fat roll only.

:O

I retired from DS challenges with this one. Default barbarian, no armor, no magic, stick with the basic club and no leveling weapon (essentially change nothing from what the class gives you to begin with,) and complete soul form playthrough (must suicide in the Nexus)

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF6D54F670DE07BA6

that slow roll only sounds like a doozy though! Do you have a link?

This game had no place to be released in the post Call of Duty, post Oblivion world:

- no maps whatsoever
- no compas
- multilevel, vertical, maze-like maps
- savepoints after the bosses, not before them
- dying makes the game harder so you will die again sooner and make the game even harder AGAIN
- replaying every level until you beat the boss
- dying twice in a row means losing unspend experience and gold
- no music in the stages meaning no music during 99% of the game
- pretty much nothing explained in the manual or in-game (World Tendencies, Character Tendencies - they are not even explained by numbers but by dark/ light hues)

It is a miracle that it got greenlit and released. A real-life miracle.

I am a bit Souled out at the moment so I will first beat Diablo 3 or Deus Ex: HR and then move on to Dark Souls.

They were smart enough to design a unique world that was small enough to easily remember with your mental map. I think they hit the nail on the head for what many gamers have been craving for a long time. No hand holding. A "real" challenge (not just arbitrary difficulty,) an immersive sense of adventure told through the gameplay itself. I think while many designers/marketing people/whoever that think making a game easier will attract a wider audience, rarely are they giving any thought to how many people are turned away by an easy, pandering experience.

Demon's Souls (and Dark Souls) is a game without all the bullshit.

 

[PandaPandaPanda]

when you get invaded by other players, are they relatively close to you in soul level or anything like that? Or can a high soul level person relatively invade low soul level people(such as myself who's around 20) or so

wasn't too sure since I started playing last night got invaded once and died pretty much immediately. I got invaded again today and I did a lame thing where on level 4-2 at the start with the two walkways I just kept running onto the other walkway until he/she finnally gave up and left

other than that, great game. I bought this at launch and it didn't catch on with me at first and decided to give it another go last night(farthest I originally got to was the spider boss)

 

[SeventhSon]

when you get invaded by other players, are they relatively close to you in soul level or anything like that? Or can a high soul level person relatively invade low soul level people(such as myself who's around 20) or so

I'd like to know this, and for summoning, as well. When I initially played 4-1, I summoned a Magician who used a Fire spell that destroyed everything in our path, including the boss. I have a feeling that was character a bit too high in level.

wasn't too sure since I started playing last night got invaded once and died pretty much immediately. I got invaded again today and I did a lame thing where on level 4-2 at the start with the two walkways I just kept running onto the other walkway until he/she finnally gave up and left

If you could open the gesture menu fast enough, you should have done the shrug each time you ran to the other platform.

I've discovered that chamber is pretty much a PvP arena if you're in body form. Before I had even opened the door to that area in my world, I through down my summon sign, was summoned, and walked forward into the chamber with at least 2 black phantoms waiting for me and the host. :/

other than that, great game. I bought this at launch and it didn't catch on with me at first and decided to give it another go last night(farthest I originally got to was the spider boss)

If you want to co-ordinate for co-op some, my PSN is Seventh_Son7

 

[oracrest]

when you get invaded by other players, are they relatively close to you in soul level or anything like that? Or can a high soul level person relatively invade low soul level people(such as myself who's around 20) or so

wasn't too sure since I started playing last night got invaded once and died pretty much immediately. I got invaded again today and I did a lame thing where on level 4-2 at the start with the two walkways I just kept running onto the other walkway until he/she finnally gave up and left

other than that, great game. I bought this at launch and it didn't catch on with me at first and decided to give it another go last night(farthest I originally got to was the spider boss)

I believe you can invade/be invaded by other players that are 10 levels away, plus 1% of your level (so the margin slightly increases the higher level you get.)

However, a low level character can still play through the game and stay low level, collecting better gear, and leveling up their weapons to the max. They can still invade new players and rock their world.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

This tool is useful to know the levels of the players you can play with. Enter your level, and it tells you the level range a coop partner can be. For invaders, it's the same except they're always lower (or perhaps lower-to-equal).

http://www.demonssouls.info/level-range.php

 

[oracrest]

oops, double post.

 

[PandaPandaPanda]

ah good to know. I was just curious because when I got invaded last night, I died in basically 2 hits. I wasn't sure what was going on(I didn't even notice the text-guess I was too absorbed into the game to notice) when I saw a red shadow and next thing I knew I was dead, lol.

When I saw the text today, I was thinking "how the hell did I miss that last night?"

I'd like to know this, and for summoning, as well.
If you could open the gesture menu fast enough, you should have done the shrug each time you ran to the other platform.

At first it was funny(at least I thought so) because I was trying to clear a pathway into the downstairs area but the spectre/ghost like things kept respawning. The text flashes up and i'm like "oh hell no, not again" so I try to run toward the archstone only to find there is a fog blocking me. I try to first kite him around that area but he wises up and gets a lucky hit in. I then realized the walkways and decided if you're gonna try andkill me, you're going to have to put forth the effort.

We basically ran around each other for a good 2 minutes before he just gave up and left. Lame tactics for the win ~_~

 

[mickcenary]

Question, DeSGaf:

I'm around SL60; STR at 40 and VIT/END close to 30 a piece. Starting as a Temple Knight and having not touched INT or MAG one bit, I think I have around 6 soul levels to gain in order to get them to 10 a piece and have Freke teach me sheeeeeit. Would you recommend doing that to take advantage of Light Weapon, etc?

 

[Calibus]

Finally! No duping, no trading.

Total hours - NG = 75h, NG+ = 50h (farming!), NG++ = 12h, NG+++= 5h.

My cookie cutter equipment - PFS+10, NR, Dark Silver Chest, Venerable Head/Arms/Legs for fast rolling.

/Umbasa

Grats! I am both dreading and looking forward to NG+s -- this game is rough compared to Dark and that's saying something.

I will say this, however, playing through Dark has really helped my skill level in Demon's. Made some glaringly bad choices in Demon's after picking up the game again,

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Question, DeSGaf:

I'm around SL60; STR at 40 and VIT/END close to 30 a piece. Starting as a Temple Knight and having not touched INT or MAG one bit, I think I have around 6 soul levels to gain in order to get them to 10 a piece and have Freke teach me sheeeeeit. Would you recommend doing that to take advantage of Light Weapon, etc?

Nah, Light Weapon is really only useful when your magic stat is fairly high (20+) and you use an Insanity Catalyst, and it works best on weapons that already have magic damage. Only two such weapons can be buffed though, the Meat Cleaver and the Blueblood Sword.

A better buff for a pure melee build is Curse Weapon. It's taught by Yuria, which has no stat requirement to teach you spells. You do need 18 int (for 3 spell slots) to cast it, though, but it's a very powerful buff. And if you use a Talisman of Beasts to cast it without the talisman's stat requirements, the HP drain becomes negligible for some reason.

If you want other support magic not taught by Yuria, you can always level magic up to 10 max, but only do that if you really want the cloud spells (poison, plague) or Warding. And you'd have to forego Curse Weapon unless you level up intelligence a whole lot -- not worth it IMO. I'd suggest spending those points in VIT instead. Don't go above 40 for END.

What weapon are you using, btw?

 

[oracrest]

Question, DeSGaf:

I'm around SL60; STR at 40 and VIT/END close to 30 a piece. Starting as a Temple Knight and having not touched INT or MAG one bit, I think I have around 6 soul levels to gain in order to get them to 10 a piece and have Freke teach me sheeeeeit. Would you recommend doing that to take advantage of Light Weapon, etc?

My advice would be that if the magic sounds interesting, just go ahead and invest points into it to try it out. For the first time through, just have fun with it, and experiment. Don't worry about messing up your build. More focused builds can be something you try in later playthroughs. You can always gain more levels to get more stat points, so go crazy. The only risk you run is leveling up so much that you are out of the busier mutliplayer level ranges.

 

[mickcenary]

Cheers, Morrigan/Oracrest.

The Meat Cleaver has been my go-to for a while now; really digging it. Outside of that, the notables are a DBS and a +5 Crushing Knight Sword, which I only just crafted, so I've yet to really use it.

As far as spells and miracles go, I'm really only interested in weapon buffs. I've heard that a Cursed Meat Cleaver is a hugely popular and effective combo to run with, but that'd mean a whole 10 damn levels I'd need to pump into INT.

Hmm!

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Meat Cleaver is one of the few weapons that benefit from Light Weapon over Curse Weapon. The stat investment is much higher though, you enough int to get 2 spell slots and a high enough magic stat to make it worthwhile. For the same kind of damage output and minimal stat investment, a crushing great axe+5 with Curse Weapon is just as powerful.

 

[weekend_warrior]

Question, DeSGaf:

I'm around SL60; STR at 40 and VIT/END close to 30 a piece. Starting as a Temple Knight and having not touched INT or MAG one bit, I think I have around 6 soul levels to gain in order to get them to 10 a piece and have Freke teach me sheeeeeit. Would you recommend doing that to take advantage of Light Weapon, etc?

Getting your INT up to 14 to get 2 slots is a good idea, but don't bother with any spells that scale with MAG. Second Chance is a great miracle, practically required in NG+, warding, protection, water viel are good too. A faith-knight build works fantasic, use a blessed weapons and you get awesome damage and health regen.

 

[PandaPandaPanda]

oh my god

level 3-1

those mindflayers.. t_t

just hearing the bell noise makes me tingly but wow the sense of exploration is pretty awesome. Normally in games I just usually go from point A to point B since I don't really care too much to explore every nook and cranny and here I am going to every single spot i'm seeing(i'm sure i'm missing stuff like secrets and whatnot)

and I don't know why, maybe i'm just failing at this game miserably but it took me close to 3 hours to beat 3-2, i'm having a great time though for the most part

 

[ijed]

Cheers, Morrigan/Oracrest.

The Meat Cleaver has been my go-to for a while now; really digging it. Outside of that, the notables are a DBS and a +5 Crushing Knight Sword, which I only just crafted, so I've yet to really use it.

Mirdan hammer's always fun. Better than the halberd as it does blunt damage which usually stuns so you just 2h it and r1 all day. I usually go blessed+5 with that and it does the job. For a mage I go the moon war scythe as it's a bit lighter - it also does bleed but that's not as good in DeS as it is with DaS.
With 40 str you could give the Branmd a go otherwise +5 the dbs. Has great Roll+r1 moves

 

[Vitten]

Cheers, Morrigan/Oracrest.
As far as spells and miracles go, I'm really only interested in weapon buffs. I've heard that a Cursed Meat Cleaver is a hugely popular and effective combo to run with, but that'd mean a whole 10 damn levels I'd need to pump into INT.
Hmm!

You really should learn the Second Chance miracle. Make it a habbit to cast it each time your enter a world, then eat some spices to refill your MP so you can cast it again immediately when it pops. It sorta makes you immortal and removes the last shreds of dificulty from the game.

 

[StoppedInTracks]

You really should learn the Second Chance miracle. Make it a habbit to cast it each time your enter a world, then eat some spices to refill your MP so you can cast it again immediately when it pops. It sorta makes you immortal and removes the last shreds of dificulty from the game.

Second Chance is a lifesaver for 99% of the time.

It is useless though in some boss battles (Maneater, Adjudicator) and hard hitting encounters (BP Giant Trolls, Giant Trolls, Dual Katana Skellies) - you have to use Warding there. Second Chance means you will get killed in 3 blows (2 blows kill you --> you revive --> 1 blow kills you for good) while Warding means you will get killed in 7 blows.

 

[Stiflers Mom]

Probably stupid question, but anyway:

Just finished Demon's Souls for the first time, and wonder, why should I bother with NG+?

Is there anything different (apart from the increased difficulty) that I might miss?

 

[Lavalamp1138]

Beat Demon's Souls for the first time last night with my roommate! We did the vast majority of the game through couch coop and had a blast doing it! Really enjoyed the ending. Now I'm anxious to jump into Dark Souls.

 

[StoppedInTracks]

Probably stupid question, but anyway:

Just finished Demon's Souls for the first time, and wonder, why should I bother with NG+?

Is there anything different (apart from the increased difficulty) that I might miss?

If you are not Platinuming then it is not worth it to NG+. Better to start a new char in NG0.

 

[Stiflers Mom]

They were smart enough to design a unique world that was small enough to easily remember with your mental map. I think they hit the nail on the head for what many gamers have been craving for a long time. No hand holding. A "real" challenge (not just arbitrary difficulty,) an immersive sense of adventure told through the gameplay itself. I think while many designers/marketing people/whoever that think making a game easier will attract a wider audience, rarely are they giving any thought to how many people are turned away by an easy, pandering experience.

Demon's Souls (and Dark Souls) is a game without all the bullshit.

Exactly... Love this game to pieces..

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Getting your INT up to 14 to get 2 slots is a good idea, but don't bother with any spells that scale with MAG. Second Chance is a great miracle, practically required in NG+, warding, protection, water viel are good too. A faith-knight build works fantasic, use a blessed weapons and you get awesome damage and health regen.

He has 40 str, at this point he's a full-on strength build. He should cap his faith at 16 to get Second Chance, but not go beyond that. Blessed weapons are a bad idea at this point. Crushing+5 or the Dragon Bone Smasher are the best weapons for him.

With 40 str you could give the Branmd a go otherwise +5 the dbs. Has great Roll+r1 moves

Bramd is useless. Same moveset as a Great axe, but weaker and over three times (!!) as heavy. The only reason to ever use Bramd is a) for the lols and b) to cosplay Garl Vinland.

I agree about the DBS though, possibly the best strength weapon. Ridiculously strong when fully upgraded, and its running and rolling attacks (especially 1-handed, though the 2h running r1 is good too) are lightning fast for such a big weapon. Since it's so good even 1-handed it works great with a shield. That thing makes the Dark Souls zweihander seem clunky and pitiful, to be honest.

Probably stupid question, but anyway:

Just finished Demon's Souls for the first time, and wonder, why should I bother with NG+?

Is there anything different (apart from the increased difficulty) that I might miss?

If you missed on some world tendency events (unique NPC appearances etc.) you can try to get them in NG+. Also, for PvP, if you didn't get the "evil ending" the first time

Spoiler

e.g. you attack the Maiden in Black instead of going back and letting her lull the Old One to sleep

you get a useful item for PvP, the red eye stone.
If you don't care about any of this, though, it's better to start a fresh build in NG, IMO. That way you can do the game again but using a completely different playstyle. Myself, the first time I went melee/dex without ever using any miracles (never levelled up my wanderer's initial faith stat). So I decided to experiment with faith in my second build. And after beating it with him, I went with a Royal to try a magic build. The game felt fresh again when trying a different playstyle.

 

[SeventhSon]

I just defeated the Maneaters. That was way easier than reputation made it out to be.

 

[oracrest]

Probably stupid question, but anyway:

Just finished Demon's Souls for the first time, and wonder, why should I bother with NG+?

Is there anything different (apart from the increased difficulty) that I might miss?

I tended to discover secret things that I missed the first time around. I believe your world tendency carries over, so you could use that to achieve some of the special world tendency events, they are pretty interesting. If I remember correctly it takes very specific actions to achieve them all on one playthrough. Chances are you missed some of them.

 

[mickcenary]

Just finished it!

It only took 16 hours; I had played a previous character right through to 4-2 (with around 30 hours clocked) immediately before starting a fresh run, so everything up until that point involved very little dying and a lot of first-attempt success. That being said, I didn't feel as if I was rushing, so I'm not exactly sure what to think of that length.

My slayer of demons ended up somewhere around SL70 - 75, with STR, VIT and END all at 43 a piece. Go-to weapon for 80% of the game was the Meat Cleaver, with a +5 Crushing Knight Sword complementing towards the end.

All in all, I enjoyed it; mainly for the same reasons that I enjoy Dark Souls and also for a few new reasons such as World Tendency (even if there were a few teething problems initially).

Overall, I felt it was easier than DkS due to the sheer amount of grass that you amass without even trying. There are a few enemies that hit harder than your usual DkS minion (red eye variations in particular), but outside of that, I found no bosses as testing as a select few in DkS. Of course, in being exponentially more capable with patented Souls gameplay now as compared to then, such an observation is kinda null and void.

Speaking of bosses... Man, did they pale in comparison. Were it not for Astraea's tonally interesting fight (dat music), the Valley of Defilement would have been a trio of utterly shitty demons. And it wasn't just those two that were lame. There seemed to be a bigger emphasis on "gimmicky" boss fights ('grab the new sword to shoot at the flying monster'; neat, but hardly satisfying), rather than on the mastering of mechanics and risk/reward gameplay.

I'm also of the belief that, In terms of pure design - both aesthetic and functional - 90% of the game lacks the consistency and memorability of DkS.

So, yeah. To me, it all points to From hitting their stride with DkS, which only makes sense. And of course, DkS was my first love, so this was always going to be the case. In the end, they're both superb games and I'm just happy that they exist!

 

[StoppedInTracks]

Am I the only one who picked up Stormruler only after killing The Storm King? I Soul Rayed that bitch to hell.

 

[Soulhouf]

For some reason the EURO servers ended up having more activity, so I did more online co-op/invasions and ended up making more progress in this version.
Magic build, 2-*, 3-* and 4-1 beaten.