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LTTP: Dark Souls

S

Solid SOAP

Member
I've only played Dark Souls once at my friend's place. I liked it at first, but didn't really fall in love with it. It seemed to me like a combat-heavy Zelda game, and I love Zelda, but I didn't get far enough into it to really sink my teeth in. Only up to the two gargoyles, if I recall. Well, this month Microsoft put it up for Gold members to take for free, I'm now about 9 hours into it, level 18, just slayed a giant rat in a sewer after conquering some bad mother fucker Carpa Demon, and I can safely say that this is the first game in a very, very long time that has really hooked me. Putting aside the "oh it's so hard wow ready to die!!!" infamous-ness it clearly lives up to, this game has some class A game and level design. Beating a towering boss, getting passed a tough area or finding a rare treasure feels oh so satisfying, but so does piecing the world together and finding the best ways to traverse it.

Exploring the game's world isn't just fun, it's insanely rewarding and gives you plenty of opportunities to find shortcuts or hidden gems. I never feel like I'm on a set path, either, despite the game's linear nature. It truly feels like a love-letter to the Zelda games of yore, before they were story and puzzle-heavy (Not that I don't love post-Ocarina Zeldas, mind). I'm so impressed just by the fact that this world is one coherent universe with next to no loading screens, everything is stitched together as though it truly existed. I never get a jarring loading screen or buffer signaling that the game is processing a new area, it's all cohesive.

I really love this game so far, it's the first in a very long time to really impress me at all facets. I hope I can beat it by this summer's end, I'm not gonna have my Xbox with my this upcoming semester and it'd be nice to have under my belt.
 
If you beat Capra at that level already, this game will be a cakewalk for you :lol He's one of the most infamous ds1 bosses. Nice OP, good read :)
 
Really? I didn't think he was THAT hard, honestly. I also got the sword from the Red Dragon that does an insane amount of damage though, so that's been a huge help and has made the game considerably easier.
 
You should try to upgrade another weapon you like even while you have the Drake Sword. At a certain point in the game the Drake Sword notably stops being useful because its damage doesn't scale with your stats and upgrade materials for it are rare (And don't increase its damage that much).
 
I stopped at the Capra demon, just couldn't beat it. I'm glad I played dark souls since it's been so talked about, even if I didn't end up sticking with it
 
You beat Capra at Soul Level 18? Shit. There's maybe one more boss later on that might give you some trouble.
 
Capra Demon is only hard because of
the dogs.
If you manage to kill them before engaging CD himself, it's a breeze, especially
if you continuously lead him up the stairs, drop down, then attack him as he lands like i did

People saying he'll breeze through the rest of the bosses are setting him up for a hard fall. Which i fully support
 
itzknickknac said:
I bought this game two summers ago, never started. I was thinking of playing this too. Or just go with DS2.
Click to expand...

I've completed both and I'd say play Dark Souls first, if that hooks you then you are going to want to play Dark Souls 2 just because you like the playstyle that these games offer.
 
Solid SOAP said:
Really? I didn't think he was THAT hard, honestly.I also got the sword from the Red Dragon that does an insane amount of damage though, so that's been a huge help and has made the game considerably easier.
Click to expand...

I'm constantly disappointed that so many people pollute their first playthrough with this.

And it's not even that the sword is outrageously powerful, it's the fact that (for the most part) receiving this item at all shows that instead of going into the game with a fresh mind and attitude the player did background research on how to play the game.

Which is pretty lame, because this is a single player game. Part of the fun is figuring out what works and what doesn't. The expectation from the developers is that the players are trudging through something unfamiliar, and we can especially see that in Dark Souls.
 
Rell said:
I'm constantly disappointed that so many people pollute their first playthrough with this.

And it's not even that the sword is outrageously powerful, it's the fact that (for the most part) receiving this item at all shows that instead of going into the game with a fresh mind and attitude the player did background research on how to play the game.

Which is pretty lame, because this is a single player game. Part of the fun is figuring out what works and what doesn't. The expectation from the developers is that the players are trudging through something unfamiliar, and we can especially see that in Dark Souls.
Click to expand...

I know, I was told how to get it by a friend and didn't really have a choice in the matter, I suppose. So I figured that as long as I know this pivotal piece of information on how to do well in this game which was giving me a bit of trouble in the begining I might as well take it. I haven't looked into anything else, really.
 
Holy shit, a LTTP about a Souls game where the OP isn't challenging the community to convince them why it's good! It's been so long!
All I'm gonna say is get the dlc... probably save it for your second playthroug, but do not skip it.
Escalated Dark Souls from my second favorite game of the gen to my hands down favorite!
 
Capra Demon is super easy. I fail to see how anyone had trouble with this boss, unless they haven't learn how to roll yet.

The game is absolutely brilliant in every facet of design. It's one of the few games that will stay in my memories forever. The game has a magical quality about it.
 
Banana Aeon said:
Capra Demon is super easy. I fail to see how anyone had trouble with this boss, unless they haven't learn how to roll yet.
Click to expand...

I guess I have achieved the unbelievable because I knew how to roll but still had difficulty with him.
 
Rell said:
I'm constantly disappointed that so many people pollute their first playthrough with this.

And it's not even that the sword is outrageously powerful, it's the fact that (for the most part) receiving this item at all shows that instead of going into the game with a fresh mind and attitude the player did background research on how to play the game.

Which is pretty lame, because this is a single player game. Part of the fun is figuring out what works and what doesn't. The expectation from the developers is that the players are trudging through something unfamiliar, and we can especially see that in Dark Souls.
Click to expand...

I'm can't say I agree with this, actually. The Souls games are primarily single player experiences, but the implementation of phantoms as aids and Miyazaki's own statements all encourage cooperative play. It could just as easily be argued that the game's are supposed to call back to the days when one player could find a cool secret and tell his friend about the "awesome sword you can get from the red dragon".
 
Banana Aeon said:
Capra Demon is super easy. I fail to see how anyone had trouble with this boss, unless they haven't learn how to roll yet.

The game is absolutely brilliant in every facet of design. It's one of the few games that will stay in my memories forever. The game has a magical quality about it.
Click to expand...

It isn't all about rolling though, the two dogs can be a pain in the ass if they catch you at the right moment. It is an easy fight once you get the hang of it, but for the first few times it is hard.
 
Romars202129 said:
Holy shit, a LTTP about a Souls game where the OP isn't challenging the community to convince them why it's good! It's been so long!
Click to expand...

Honestly, at first I was getting really frustrated with it and not enjoying it at all because I felt like I had to do a lot of grinding to get where I am now, but as of now I've been really loving it. Perfect difficulty, great world building and I just feel like every single step counts towards something. It's really an amazing game thus far, I haven't been this impressed with game design in... a while.
 
Banana Aeon said:
Capra Demon is super easy. I fail to see how anyone had trouble with this boss, unless they haven't learn how to roll yet.
Click to expand...

The behaviour of the dogs is very unpredictable - they may obstruct your path to the stairs or they may not. Rolling does you no good if you're not physically going anywhere and a large horned devil is about to bring his cleaver down into your skull cavity.

There's luck involved.
 
daninthemix said:
The behaviour of the dogs is very unpredictable - they may obstruct your path to the stairs or they may not. Rolling does you no good if you're not physically going anywhere and a large horned devil is about to bring his cleaver down into your skull cavity.

There's luck involved.
Click to expand...

I found that poise was the key to this battle. If you have enough poise so the dogs don't stagger you the fight becomes very easy, while if they manage to stagger you the whole roll/luck thing comes into play.

On new playthroughs I always get the
wolf ring
before I take on Capra :)
 
Keinu said:
I found that poise was the key to this battle. If you have enough poise so the dogs don't stagger you the fight becomes very easy, while if they manage to stagger you the whole roll/luck thing comes into play.

On new playthroughs I always get the
wolf ring
before I take on Capra :)
Click to expand...
Yep, poise is the secret. Elite Knight set with the Wolf Ring makes the fight a joke.
 
Rell said:
I'm constantly disappointed that so many people pollute their first playthrough with this.

And it's not even that the sword is outrageously powerful, it's the fact that (for the most part) receiving this item at all shows that instead of going into the game with a fresh mind and attitude the player did background research on how to play the game.

Which is pretty lame, because this is a single player game. Part of the fun is figuring out what works and what doesn't. The expectation from the developers is that the players are trudging through something unfamiliar, and we can especially see that in Dark Souls.
Click to expand...
I'm disappointed that you are disappointed that people enjoy a game the way they want to. The disappointments never end!
 
That's great! Take a little break after you finish it to avoid burn out, then try Dark Souls II, it's even better. Less frustrating elements than DS1. Though some people complain since combat Is more tactical in DS2, so of you spend hundreds of hours with DS1, you don't like having to invest in ADP to roll faster or something else most people don't understand some people complain about.

Have a great time and don't accidently hit any NPCs, especially blacksmiths... Ugh that mistake I made set me back like 5 hours haha
 
I am playing this game now too, just beat the Anor Londo boss.

The problem is that I am at level 60 and I'm STILL using the Drake sword! I just can't seem to find anything better... Any advice?
 
KaneU said:
I am playing this game now too, just beat the Anor Londo boss.

The problem is that I am hat level 60 and I'm STILL using the Drake sword! I just can't seem to find anything better... Any advice?
Click to expand...
Which build are u going for ?
Uchigatana (or Iaito in blightown) which you get from Shiva or by killing the merchant in undeadburg is very good for Dex builds. Its light weight and has a good moveset.
 
KaneU said:
I am playing this game now too, just beat the Anor Londo boss.

The problem is that I am at level 60 and I'm STILL using the Drake sword! I just can't seem to find anything better... Any advice?
Click to expand...
I'd argue that most weapons at this point are better than the Drake Sword thanks to scaling if you just take the time to upgrade them to +10. You're just looking at stuff from perspective of base stats
 
KaneU said:
I am playing this game now too, just beat the Anor Londo boss.

The problem is that I am at level 60 and I'm STILL using the Drake sword! I just can't seem to find anything better... Any advice?
Click to expand...

You have to upgrade your weapons at the smith in Undead Parish. Upgrading them makes almost anything better than the Drake Sword (wich is a pain to upgrade).
 
This game is far easier than I expected.

Got past the Taurus demon and to the dragon on the scary bridge and I've only died once because of some big guy with a club who one shot me. Almost died because of a scary black Knight dude in the undead burg. But other than that pretty easy.

Also not being able to pause is a pain in the ass...
 
I have no idea what you guys are talking about :(

I guess I just wanna do more damage and be fairly fast? I guess I'm looking only at the first stat, lol.

So can you suggest which weapon to upgrade, here is what I got:

Crystal Straight Sword
Drake Sword +5
Man-serpent Greatsword
Flamberge
Greatsword
Magic Scimitar
Shotel
Occult Club
Lightning Spear
Demon's Spear

Or should I get some other one at this point in the game?
 
Even if Capra isn't the hardest boss in the game, it's pretty impressive you got him at lvl 18, great job. Good to see you're enjoying the game OP. For me it's the best game of last generation. Make sure to play the dlc. It's required, not optional content.

KaneU said:
I have no idea what you guys are talking about :(

I guess I just wanna do more damage and be fairly fast? I guess I'm looking only at the first stat, lol.

So can you suggest which weapon to upgrade, here is what I got:

Crystal Straight Sword
Drake Sword +5
Man-serpent Greatsword
Flamberge
Greatsword
Magic Scimitar
Shotel
Occult Club
Lightning Spear
Demon's Spear

Or should I get some other one at this point in the game?
Click to expand...

Did you invest in str? Then MS Greatsword is a good bet if you like the moveset.

Whatever you do, ditch that Drakesword asap
 
KaneU said:
I am playing this game now too, just beat the Anor Londo boss.

The problem is that I am at level 60 and I'm STILL using the Drake sword! I just can't seem to find anything better... Any advice?
Click to expand...



almost anything is better

Pick a weapon you like the feel of and upgrade it according to your character's strengths
 
jem0208 said:
This game is far easier than I expected.

Got past the Taurus demon and to the dragon on the scary bridge and I've only died once because of some big guy with a club who one shot me. Almost died because of a scary black Knight dude in the undead burg. But other than that pretty easy.

Also not being able to pause is a pain in the ass...
Click to expand...
There are more of those scary black knights out there.
 
Creamium said:
Even if Capra isn't the hardest boss in the game, it's pretty impressive you got him at lvl 18, great job. Good to see you're enjoying the game OP. For me it's the best game of last generation. Make sure to play the dlc. It's required, not optional content.



Did you invest in str? Then MS Greatsword is a good bet if you like the moveset.

Whatever you do, ditch that Drakesword asap
Click to expand...

I guess I will invest in that one, I just need 4 more strength points :S
 
KaneU said:
I have no idea what you guys are talking about :(

I guess I just wanna do more damage and be fairly fast? I guess I'm looking only at the first stat, lol.

So can you suggest which weapon to upgrade, here is what I got:

Crystal Straight Sword
Drake Sword +5
Man-serpent Greatsword
Flamberge
Greatsword
Magic Scimitar
Shotel
Occult Club
Lightning Spear
Demon's Spear

Or should I get some other one at this point in the game?
Click to expand...
If you are looking for pure damage, Go kill Havel the Rock and get his club/dragon tooth. He is found in the basement of the tower of 1st Taurus Demon and the door can be opened using master key, if u are in the early game. Else some boss drops the key.
 
jem0208 said:
This game is far easier than I expected.

Got past the Taurus demon and to the dragon on the scary bridge and I've only died once because of some big guy with a club who one shot me. Almost died because of a scary black Knight dude in the undead burg. But other than that pretty easy.

Also not being able to pause is a pain in the ass...
Click to expand...
Generally, the difficulty of the game is greatly overstated.


Patient and cautions players will rarely be punished.
 
KaneU said:
I guess I will invest in that one, I just need 4 more strength points :S
Click to expand...

If you do, keep upgrading STR and upgrade the weapon along the normal path (regular titanite shards) all the way to +15 eventually. Give priority to this though, upgrading your weapon is very important
 
Creamium said:
If you do, keep upgrading STR and upgrade the weapon along the normal path (regular titanite shards) all the way to +15 eventually. Give priority to this though, upgrading your weapon is very important
Click to expand...

Ok, I will keep that in mind! Thanks to you and everyone else.

I guess I should do some souls hunting now :D
 
KaneU said:
I have no idea what you guys are talking about :(

I guess I just wanna do more damage and be fairly fast? I guess I'm looking only at the first stat, lol.
Click to expand...
Okay, c'mere for a sec.

Weapons in Dark Souls have this thing called "Parameter Bonus". This means that leveling up an attribute, in most cases either Strength or Dexterity or both, will improve the damage. It's right there on your item's stat's screen. Let's look at Drake Sword's Parameter Bonus

go6r5oF.jpg
Click to expand...

Nil, nada, none. Zero.
 
Nordicus said:
Okay, c'mere for a sec.

Weapons in Dark Souls have this thing called "Parameter Bonus". This means that leveling up an attribute, in most cases either Strength or Dexterity or both, will improve the damage. It's right there on your item's stat's screen. Let's look at Drake Sword's Parameter Bonus



Nil, nada, none. Zero.
Click to expand...

I feel so ignorant now, I never payed any attention to those stats... I also killed all bosses with a help of white phantoms :(
 
KaneU said:
I have no idea what you guys are talking about :(

I guess I just wanna do more damage and be fairly fast? I guess I'm looking only at the first stat, lol.

So can you suggest which weapon to upgrade, here is what I got:

Crystal Straight Sword
Drake Sword +5
Man-serpent Greatsword
Flamberge
Greatsword
Magic Scimitar
Shotel
Occult Club
Lightning Spear
Demon's Spear

Or should I get some other one at this point in the game?
Click to expand...

You don't have a +5 Drake Sword. If you did at that point (Anor Londo) you'd know the game inside out already.

That said, any weapon is fine, really. There are minor differences at max level (+15) but the movesets and how they work with your playing style are more important than doing 450 instead of 400 damage per swing. I'm not a fan of any of those weapons but they'll work.

As for Drake Sword:
http://www.beardednerd.se/why-dark-souls-drake-sword-is-the-greatest-noob-trap-of-them-all/

It's really not good for you in the long run.

By they way, don't feel bad about using white phantoms on your first run. Once you know the game, it's really fun to go back (on NG+ or another character) and conquer that stuff alone. But it can be tough to actually do it the first time around.
 
Haunted said:
Generally, the difficulty of the game is greatly overstated.


Patient and cautions players will rarely be punished.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much what I've noticed.

The only time I died was when I tried to fight an emeny which clearly outlevelled me. Killed me in one hit and my attacks did barely anything to it.

Toxi said:
There are more of those scary black knights out there.
Click to expand...

Cool, that was a pretty good fight.


I managed to face the Taurus Demon without any estus flasks, that was an interesting experience. Had to resort to humanity to heal me.
 
SiegfriedFM said:
You don't have a +5 Drake Sword. If you did at that point (Anor Londo) you'd know the game inside out already.

That said, any weapon is fine, really. There are minor differences at max level (+15) but the movesets and how they work with your playing style are more important than doing 450 instead of 400 damage per swing. I'm not a fan of any of those weapons but they'll work.

As for Drake Sword:
http://www.beardednerd.se/why-dark-souls-drake-sword-is-the-greatest-noob-trap-of-them-all/

It's really not good for you in the long run.

By they way, don't feel bad about using white phantoms on your first run. Once you know the game, it's really fun to go back (on NG+ or another character) and conquer that stuff alone. But it can be tough to actually do it the first time around.
Click to expand...


I do have a +5 Drake Sword, why would I lie about that? It's not like I didn't know I could upgrade weapons, for God's sake.
 
KaneU said:
I do have a +5 Drake Sword, why would I lie about that? It's not like I didn't know I could upgrade weapons, for God's sake.
Click to expand...
He's just skeptical because it's rather tricky to get 10 Dragon scales in one playthrough without a guide. But I suppose you might have farmed Drakes for their drops
 
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