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actionjackson posted:If you get the Drake Sword is it worth upgrading with Dragon Scales? They seem pretty rare. I've been rolling with the Drake Sword for quite a while now and I've poured the raw souls/materials into it and I love the drat thing. Like others said, it may not scale to your stats, but I honestly don't know what other weapon to start using. The low STR/DEX stats needed to use it have meant I can pour points into other stats and concentrate on leveling up my Pyromancy Flame. I really should go with something new, though. I think this thing has run its course. Any suggestions for something that could be upgraded into a more powerful option? I was thinking of Quelaag's flame sword.
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Dec 31, 2011 04:46
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Oxxidation posted:Hydra's basically a puzzle boss. The puzzle is "get into melee range without it magic-nuking you." All you really need is a shield that's big enough to block his spit. You might take some splash damage from time to time, but largely you'll never have to worry about it. Basically everyone should carry a "tower" style shield. I know that's stupid advice, but it's worked so wonderfully for me so far. Being able to block most attacks is awesome -- especially when it usually staggers them. To kill that hydra, you just need to make it to him; bait the shot he spits toward the crystal golems (don't even bother fighting them, they're like 200 each), then keep that big rear end shield up and charge forward. You'll probably get tagged by the most up-close spit, but move forward to the small spit of land where it's clear there's still geometry beneath the water. Heal, lock on to shield up, then block any attacks that come in from the heads (probably won't hit), unlock and sprint for the heads and melee the poo poo out of them. You can't use magic to hit it, so you have to wait until the heads hit. When there are only a few heads left, move to the right side but stay in the water. If you're in the middle they'll just attack nonsense way the hell out to the left. Stick right (by the rock) and they'll attack fairly close. Sprint over, hit 'em good and repeat until their dead. Mine had more life than heads, but once the last one was lopped off, it keeled over. [edit] rockem posted:Looking to play a guy who is Jolly Co-Op, while trying to wreck some dudes in PvP (even though I'm god awful at it.) Just play with other bros as much as possible, really. I'm pretty sure when you invade, you're rolling solo, bro. Gotta gently caress 'em up yourself. And they can have buddies, so good luck. There is no sweet spot for levels. You can sort of read this thread to see where people might be stuck and head there, but then you would be a pure rear end in a top hat, and WE WILL FIND YOU. SamBishop fucked around with this message at 07:31 on Dec 31, 2011 |
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Dec 31, 2011 07:28
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rockem posted:My idea of reading this thread is to see what level people are generally at when fighting a certain boss, and if I can help them. Is level 25 ok to help with everything from Gargoyles to Gwyn? I dunno because there's a lot of different factors based on how From handles matchmaking, and how players level up, and skill in general. I think I mis-read what you were asking before, so apologies if it seemed harsh. I think I thought (I'm not even sure now myself) that you were asking about where the hotspots were for specific places to invade people, and even then, I'm not sure why I was so hostile, so again, I'm sorry about that. It's weird; some places, like Anor Londo, seem to have hugely different ranges for levels (if that's what you meant by SL). I wouldn't have been able to take down Jake and the Fat Man without some help no matter how strong I was, and though there are a million different builds out there, I think the guy I summoned was probably something like 20 levels ahead of me (I'll never know). In the early days (pre-patches), From had set it up so if you saw people running around, they were typically within your narrow SL group to summon. I don't think that applies as much now that the rules have been slackened a bit, but it's not a bad rule of thumb. Bonfires near a boss or something safe near the approach is definitely the best rule of thumb, though. If you can go human and run around near an area and see a bunch of signs, drop yours nearby. You'll probably be picked up along with another dude or two and you can wreck stuff together. Actually, Anor Londo is a pretty good place (around the third bonfire, inside the main keep) to grab people and let some jerk try to invade your game. Best results I've had thus far, but I'm guessing that's because that whole area is both huge and a big time sink the first time seeing it.
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Dec 31, 2011 08:54
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JP Money posted:What he said. You'll need to make your way back to fire link, down into the catacombs (just keep dropping down to lower levels ASAP) and then make your way into the tomb of the giants and you'll find Solaire at the last bonfire before the boss (make sure you rest at the bonfire or else the covenant won't let you join). Thanks for this advice. I was going insane seeing all the "PRAISE THE SUN!!" markings and didn't know what was up. Of course, the Tomb of the Giants scares the piss out of me. I really, really don't want to go down there because I'm scared of the dark and this game puts me on edge so bad I'm going to have a heart attack any minute but I can't stop because I'm so close and now I know where all those old guys are and if I can just make it to the bonf-FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCKKKKKKK!!! I love, love, love how this game fills me with dread before even fire the system up. And the best part is once you've finally made it through or come back after a little leveling, you feel like such an idiot for creeping along at a glacial pace with a shield up and jumping at every little sound. I guess I need to finish up all that lava poo poo now that I can two-shot those Minotaur Demons (thanks, game, for just throwing a bunch of former bosses at me like common enemies) with my bigger fireballs. I need to farm some humanity and get me a fancy rear end spell before leaving the Chaos Covenant first so I can sunbro it up with the rest of you guys. I too shall praise the sun soon. I hope. Oh god I'm so scared.
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Jan 3, 2012 02:52
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Carl Seitan posted:Haha. You're mean. Well gently caress. Real Dark Souls thread starts now, I guess. I mean, I do have to head down there eventually. It was going to be my next stop after doing all that other stuff I mentioned anyway. Time to go thump on rats for a while, I suppose.
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Jan 3, 2012 03:02
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Gestalt Intellect posted:Given the difficulty of the game and the fact that you need to become human to kindle/summon help for bosses, I think invasions are possibly the dumbest feature. But in my limited experience with them I think your best shot is to assume that you'll lose in a direct fight, so instead just go to a cliff or something and try to douche the other guy into falling off. Anywhere else is just telestab hell. I keep hearing this kind of stuff (issues of network performance). Are you guys on the 360 or something? I've never, ever had an issue with lag in either invades or games I've joined, so I'm confused. If it's laggy as hell or something, that I can understand, but it's such a core part of the game's "ohshitohshitohshit" factor (and is entirely mitigated by just being hollowed) that I can't imagine not having it as part of the whole Souls experience.
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Jan 4, 2012 03:46
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Pickled Kittens posted:If you have never experienced repeated telestab death, you must only play at prime time. I play at really weird times, but it might be that I'm on the west coast or something. If I'm up at, say, midnight, then it's already the morning over in Europe and the afternoon in Japan, so I guess that makes sense. But nope, any bouts I've had have been surprisingly lag-free -- to the point where I just assumed that was normal. That's a shame that I'm sort of the odd man out when it comes to that stuff. [edit] Umberger posted:Absolutely. There are videos of (mostly Japanese) players beating NG+++++ and further bosses at SL 1. I think the record speed run without any exploits is 1h20m (~35m with one was the fastest I could find), for what that's worth as far as "skill > anything" goes. That absolutely blows my mind. For this entire generation, Japanese devs have been trying to find something that would appeal to Western audiences (remember Quantum Theory?) and we get not one, but two games that allow the super-hardcore folks that do those incredible speedruns in Japan to do their thing while still entertaining the rest of the world. This is proof positive, though, that all you really need to do is stick to your guns. If the concept is sound, it'll work everywhere, and trying to cater to a demographic will only dilute what makes the game so good in the first place. I love that despite the seeming Western fantasy backdrop, this is an innately Japanese game. The difficulty curve, the style of the gameplay, all that stuff would never, ever happen here. Granted, the King's Field games have been doing this for ages, but as someone who had to do PR for some of the PS one KF games, I really do feel like this is From's opus, and had they not stuck to their guns in terms of pacing and setting, I don't think this game would have taken off like it did. I think we all recognize the integrity of this game; it wasn't focused grouped into becoming easier, it never incorporated stuff like letting you pause, it just was what it was, and I think that's a huge part of why I love it. Also, why I love watching people absolutely beat it to a pulp because it is something I'll never do. Oh Japanese players, how I love your knack for destroying games. SamBishop fucked around with this message at 05:37 on Jan 4, 2012 |
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Jan 4, 2012 05:14
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Overlord K posted:I just had my first true Jolly Cooperation from a Sunbro. A really awesome dude whose handle was Jiro_Tatsu just helped me through pretty much the entirety of Anor Londo, from the first gate all the way to the boss of the area. He even left when we reached a bonfire so I could light it, then put his sign down again, right where he left so I knew I could summon him again. I can't wait until I can join you guys. I need to just grind to level up my Faith a little more, since I'm too high level to easily join up right now, but once I do, I look forward to good ol' co-oppin' fun. You should definitely send him a message, though. Plenty of Japanese folks can read English (at least a hell of a lot more than we can read kanja or kana), and I'd consider it something of an honor to get a message from someone in another language if I'd had a great time playing with them. I'd pass things through Google Translate or whatever if needed just to find out what they said. [edit] ChibiSoma posted:Gonna kill that Capra Demon before the next vernal equinox, I swear. He doesn't even seem that hard, it's just the area's small and I wasn't expecting two dogs and a big guy to rush me in such a tiny space! That guy gave me so much trouble for so long because you get bum rushed by those goddamn dogs and his initial attack can end up stunlocking you as you try to fight off the mutts and get pushed into a corner. I don't know what level you're at, but if you can make it (and I know this is a crazy stretch, but it's actually how I initially did it), head out from the bonfire in the Undead Parish near the blacksmith, past the Titanite rear end in a top hat, through the Darkroot Garden, down in to the Darkroot Basin, through the tunnel with the bonfire there, past all the drakes in the Valley of the Drakes, and into Blighttown. If you can just get that damned Eagle Shield, you can block drat near anything and it will probably last you the entire game. Of course, someone now is probably going to offer far better advice, but I still can't believe that's how I found Blighttown. There's a key just past the three Ogres that will let you unlock the gate into a tower that leads to the New Londo Ruins, and from there it's a super short trip up to the Firelink Shrine, but man... I really only explored the Depths on this run, and I think I was in my 50s or 60s when I fought the Gaping Dragon, so it was more just the terror of what he looked like than the challenge. SamBishop fucked around with this message at 05:47 on Jan 4, 2012 |
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Jan 4, 2012 05:40
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Overlord K posted:I ended up sending him a simple thank you message after that actually! I figured it would be nice. I added on a "Praise the sun!" to it for good measure. You are a good person, and you should be praised for making that effort. Much like the sun, I would think. Unfortunately, I am apparently another daughter of Chaos right now. That will change soon, though! Bluetooth human being posted:Trying to avoid too many spoilers, so apologies if this was answered in the thread already. I'm not sure what others will say, but speaking from the experience of doing the mock review for the game without any actual online connectivity (issues with US/JP servers long before any of them were live, sadly; the game is completely different with them now), 23 is pretty good place to be, but it really depends on what kind of character you're rolling. It sounds, fortunately, like you went with something a little more melee focused than my Pyromancer when I did it, but I took them down (eventually, with so many deaths I can't count) at 16, so I know you can do it. If you have some decent ranged spells, it really does help, as I doubt you're just going to steamroll one of them before the other starts loving up your flow. Use the whole length of the roof. Really try to bait one by getting close after fire breath and then run to the opposite side or let them both get close and then use the slope of the roof to dip below their fire breath. If you're going melee, cutting off their tails is a decent help to stop some of their dumb swipey (and air) attacks when they go airborne, but for me soloing it, it was absolutely a marathon. You can do it! (And, as others said, summons are of course a huge help.) [edit] Ruder posted:unhollow at a bonfire and summon somebody. gargs are usually for around 15-20 or so, so you should still be able to find someone to summon, right outside the church on the way to andrei and the bonfire This is great advice too. If you haven't fully explored the Parish to find the bonfire leading down to Andrei, it's a much more difficult trip, what with all the heavily armored knights, or ones that will parry and one-shot you. SamBishop fucked around with this message at 06:49 on Jan 4, 2012 |
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Jan 4, 2012 06:46
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Fingerless Gloves posted:This is a pretty good read about Dark Souls for those who haven't yet. Whoa, that's probably the first time I've seen someone randomly using one of our watermarked images, and the site's been around for almost 15 years now. That was a fantastic read, and perfectly distills why I love the game so much. Every single encounter has the potential to wreck your poo poo, and every area has something to teach you about the game as a whole -- mostly that if you just take things slowly and learn the area, what was originally terrifying becomes familiar. The second you get over-familiar or try to rush or get greedy with that extra swipe, though, the game will unceremoniously remind you why you were so cautious the first 50 times you tried it. Dark Souls is a massive, sprawling case study in beautiful game design.
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Jan 4, 2012 21:04
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Fingerless Gloves posted:The only time I could see a wiki being truly necessary is when trying to find the door that leads to lower blighttown. I've been starving myself of wiking everything past placing the lordvessel because I've yet to actually go anywhere past that, it just makes it more exciting. The worst part of wikiing everything is discovering just how much poo poo there is to miss. The game is clearly meant to be played twice, with the second time being saved for exploring all those little dark recesses you didn't dare explore the first time around.
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Jan 4, 2012 21:19
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Megalixir posted:Judging from my playing of the 360 version, I don't think splitting the fanbase three ways is a good idea. It would also need some pretty tight security since the 360 version is hacked to poo poo already. Man, this poo poo is deplorable. I guess I can understand someone wanting to do it for the offline single-player once they'd gone through the game a million times, but actively loving with other people online when the game kinda already does that with invasions in the first place is really terrible. There's absolutely no justification for it. What a shame that 360 players have to put up with that poo poo.
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Jan 6, 2012 23:21
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GodIsInTheTrees posted:AHHH gently caress the big knight rear end in a top hat at the bottom of the Burg tower. I really need that ring after neglecting End so much, but whittling him down always ends with a tiny screwup and him one shotting me. Like most enemies, he has a range that he'll follow you for. If you can get down below to aggro him, then sprint as fast as humanly possible up to the exit leading down the steps to the Undead Burg (where the four grunts were before), then that's right at the edge of his radius. Get him to attack with a hit, then move in close and take a poke while he's backing up. If he goes into the door and back down the stairs, you only need to get about 1/3 of the way toward the door and he'll come roaring back. I was as spellcaster (well, Pyromancer with Sorcery) to start, and I had to kind of cheese him to avoid getting pummeled into mush. Sure, it's a little cheap, but the danger is no less prevalent.
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Jan 7, 2012 00:27
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EC posted:I just took down the Gaping Dragon. Pretty easy if you're careful about him stomping all over you. At one point I got a message that my weapon broke, but when I respawned at the bonfire none of my weapons look broke. Should I be looking at something besides durability? I'm surprised nobody else brought this up, but if you have a weapon equipped, it can break, even if it's not out. Check all your other stuff; often the weapon that breaks when I get spit on or something isn't the one I'm using, it's the stuff I've got in reserve on other hands or as my backup. Case in point: the Pyromancy Flame can break, and then it's basically a Bic lighter at that point -- and mine was up to +5 after hitting +15 or whatever. Basically if it's out, that doesn't mean that's what broke. Repair everything the next chance you get. As for your pace, that's part of the beauty of the game. I promise you, if you were to start over and just lazily try to get back to where you are, you'd: a) Get there in about a 10th of the time b) Would probably see entirely new poo poo you missed, and c) Probably wouldn't get the same stuff even on the same route Dark Souls is a deeply exploratory game. We use comparisons to stuff like Castlevania or Metroid or whatever, but it's none of those. It's mostly King's Field, but nobody played those games, and this is such an evolution of those concepts that they're more the underpinning mechanics and perhaps ambiance than anything directly related. These games are utterly, completely unique. They are not like anything you've played before, despite comparisons in level flow. In those Metroidvania games people bring up, you have to find a new power to get somewhere. Here, at best, it's a key. To compare it to those other games is to belittle how open it truly is -- especially if you have that Master Key.
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Jan 7, 2012 10:20
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I'm having a blast, but skimming the thread and seeing y'all talk about areas I haven't hear of yet makes me think this game is going to own me for a long time.
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Welp, NG is done. I summoned someone at the start of the Kiln because everything I'd heard about being invaded scared the bejeezus outta me. Instead, we had no invasions and the dude ran around backstabbing and one-shotting all the black knights on the way. Finally rolled into the final fight and though he parished with about 25% to go, I managed to take Gwyn down. And now of course it's time to truly enjoy the game. I didn't do all the normal housekeeping stuff like killing everyone, since I'll save that for NG++ or whatever. I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be able to stop playing this game, though thankfully I've done enough that it won't keep stealing my time away.
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Jan 10, 2012 21:57
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Polo-Rican posted:You know, on my first playthrough I beat the Bed without dying once and was like "Heh, Everyone On The Internet Is A Baby." The cop-out solution is apparently to quit out and reload between phases, but I really only died on the fight because I didn't know where to drop for the final bit and kept falling to death. The first bubble was popped with zero effort by skirting the right edge. The second by spinting and leaping across the final gap before the bubble (hugging the left wall on approach, of course). It was only in trying to find out where to drop down that I had any trouble. Bait the swipes, stay moving to avoid the fire and then just launch yourself off the little outcropping of stones directly to the right of center. Run up the root, roll like a motherfucker through the twigs and swipe once. It felt like every other part of the game to me in that you just had to figure out the "trick" to beat the boss, but then I was always at super low load so i had max agility.
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Jan 11, 2012 05:15
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But then on my second playthrough, no matter how well I tried time it, it just kept sweeping me into the pits. I'd get tapped from the back and, for no reason, fly sideways, 90 degrees from where I should have flown. I probably died five times or so.