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 All right, let's wrap up Forest of Fallen Giants. For now. This will basically all be optional stuff but it's well worth the effort.   Today we are wearing quite the daring get-up. Gyrm Armor with the White Hollow Mage Hood makes us look like quite the occult warrior. I purposefully remained hollow after totally intentionally dying off screen because it just fit the attire better. Yeah. Let's go with that.  Let's just start with a brief comparison of the actual map of Drangleic and the Map in Majula Mansion for those who care how accurate it actually is. It's kind of different, yes, even if you turn either of the map to match the locations on the other map.   The Pursuer  It's kind of an easy fight in my opinion but I do know people who have trouble with him. Apparently just telling them to strafe right und don't be hit by the blue cursed sword attack isn't going to magically make them win the fight. But it will help tremendously because it will allow you to dodge most of his close range swing combos. If you get far enough away from him he will sometimes dash towards you to swing as he reaches you, in that case you'll need a little more timing than with the "strafe right to win" strategy but it's not very hard to dodge, really. Rarely he will also do a Shockwave type attack he wont dash towards you but you can dodge it the same way. What actually changes up the fight is when he manages to hit you with his blue glowing sword attack. That will curse you. Curse meaning that you go to the next level of hollowing without dying. You'll get green skin, lose your hair, and rot more and more. Which of course comes with the loss of total health as well. The most dangerous part of this attack is that it unlocks a new move for the Pursuer. His eye will glow red and He'll use magic to attack you. He might now summon a couple of dark energy orbs which will home in on you. That one may be it's hardest to dodge attack since there's multiple projectiles which might come from different directions depending on how you move. I'll be making an effort to show that off at a later point. Of course, there are too Ballistas in the boss room and you CAN use them to deal a great amount of damage to the Pursuer. But he'll very likely just smash the things as you try to shoot him. If you manage to parry him you might just have enough time to fire a salvo at him. You can also rely on co-op buddies to distract the Pursuer but honestly, you'll likely hit your phantoms too. The best advice I can give is to just fight him normally or come back later if you are having trouble. The Pursuer fight is completely optional after all. As for the Lore: He may also be related to another character who shall remain nameless for now. It's implied that he was once a Knight of King Vendrick, called Raime who was considered either the left or right hand of the King. Probably the left "sinister" hand. It's stated that his favorite bird was the black raven. The Pursuer of course comes in on a bird. Raime was eventually deemed a traitor. The Pursuer's Sword's description states that he hunts undead to atone for his sins which may as well be related. The Raven, by the way, is also associated with the godess Velka from Dark Souls. She was the goddess of sin. The bit with Raime, by the way, can be inferred from the Rebel's Great Shield, which we haven't found yet. Admittedly, this is speculation but it makes the Pursuer so much more interesting, even if it's basically just a detail. Boss Weapons Soul of the Pursuer, who lurks in Drangleic. The Pursuer, who seeks the bearer of the sign, will not rest until his target is slain. Give this Soul to Straid to make... Pursuer's Ultra Greatsword  Moveset/Weapon Class: Ultra Greatsword Physical Damage (+0/+5): 156 / 390 Scales with: STR: B/A (Good), DEX: C (Mediocre) Requirements: 30 STR, 18 DEX Damage Type: Slash In-Game Description: Ultra greatsword of the Pursuer. Known as the mightiest of the straight swords, it demands great strength and dexterity of its wielder. The Pursuer hunts down those branded by the curse, as if each Undead soul that he claims will atone one of his sins. Pursuer's Greatshield  Type: Greatshield Stability (+0/+5): 70 / 78 Noteworthy Damage Reduction (+0/+5): 100% Physical, 80%/82.5% Fire Requirements: 38 STR Note: From the description below you might assume that the shield has higher curse resistance but it actually serves to reduce build-up for all status effects equally well. In-Game Description: Greatshield of the Pursuer. For those who can handle the weight of this shield, it offers resistance to curses. The Pursuer hunts down those branded by the curse, as if each Undead soul that he claims will atone one of his sins. Le Désir de Vivre:  Translated to English the title means "The Desire to Live" It's a book found in the Mansion in Majula and later in the game as well. It was also in the first game where you could find it in The Duke's Archives. That Duke was called Seath, the Scaleless, a rare mutation of dragons with no stone scales. The Scales, apparently, were source of the Dragon's immortality, which Seath desperately wanted. The immortality, not necessarily the stone scales. So he had a "Desire to Live" of his own, which is probably the sole reason the book was chosen to be in Seath's archives. That or it's a happy coincidence. By the way, Seath played a big role in killing off the Dragons, making them go pretty much extinct. So much for their immortality. In my opinion Seath is one of the most interesting characters of Dark Souls. Maybe I'll get an excuse to talk about him a little more later. The Story of the book itself has nothing to do with acquiring immortality, though. It's the story of a talented girl, born and raised on a farm. Since her mind is too big for a farm she wishes to live a life that is less frustrating to her. Keep in mind that I haven't read the book and am basing this on a synopsis. So this is a synopsis of a synopsis if you will. If anyone here has actually read it feel free to let us know a bit more. Item Descriptions: Green Blossom: Green weed shaped like a leafy flower. Temporarily boosts stamina recovery speed. At one point, this herb was avoided due to its uniquely bitter taste, but once its effects became known, it was harvested to near extinction by merchants. Now, only exceptionally rare, wild specimens of this plant are left. Ring of Restoration A protective ring passed down in House Osteria. Gradually restores HP. In the sacred land of Lindelt, this ring symbolized prosperity and longevity for the great House of Osteria. But the ring is fragile and breaks easily, as if it hates being taken for granted. Seed of a Tree of Giants When the giants fell, they grew into great trees. Death is not the end, for anything that has ever once lived remains a part of a great cycle of regeneration. But what of those outside of the cycle? Titanite Slab Titanite Slab used to reinforce equipment. Reinforces equipment up to +10. Titanite was discovered in an ancient layer of earth, and is said to be a gift of the gods. One of the original slabs that provided the world with all forms of titanite. Titanite slabs were created to smith the weapons of the gods, or so the legends say. Witching Urn A small clay urn filled with magic power. Explodes, inflicting magic damage. Created in Melfia, a land that flourishes with magic and pyromancy. Though the magic contained in the urn lacks potency, it is a boon to any inexperienced traveler. Hunter's Hat A leather hat with a large brim. Traditionally used by bow hunters. The hunting goddess Evlana was no goddess at all, but rather a brave and highly skilled bow huntress. Long after her demise, the passing of lore transformed her into a deity. Note: In Dark Souls it was called Pharis' hat contrast the description of Pharis' Hat below. Pharis' Hat (from Dark Souls) Broad-brimmed hat favored by the archer hero Pharis. Pharis was an accomplished archer, and though he was human, he ranked alongside Hawkeye Gough, one of the Four Knights of Lord Gwyn. His hat is universally popular among children. Note: The character wearing and dropping the hat upon defeat is female not male. But she is never explicitly named. Ring of Blades The Ring of Blades is modeled after the mad knight of Alken's weapon of choice. Increases physical attack. The kingdoms of Alken and Venn long ago flourished on these very grounds. They were both founded by the same man, but were reduced to rivalry and spite. Drangleic Armor Set Belonged to Captain Drummond. Drummond's ancestors have served Drangleic for generations, principally as defenders of the great fort, but Captain Drummond is the last in this proud line. Note: In the video I said that a character we meet much later lets us in on the fact that we war against the Giants lasted for generations. But this set actually does as well. IGgy IGsen fucked around with this message at 22:44 on Jul 2, 2014 |
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Jun 17, 2014 18:40
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Regarding page 1's Emerald Herald discussion: she was literally the first thing I did in Majula playing blind. I do hear that a lot of people missed her, and sites like gamefaqs were filled with topics like "HOW DO I LEVEL UP THIS GAME SUCKS?" Maybe my mindset was unusual going into the game, but when I started in Things Betwixt I knew it was a tutorial. It was really obvious. When I left and got to Majula, it was extremely clear that I had changed zones (sunny, new environment, huge words that said MAJULA across the screen.) When I hit the zone change, I was aware that I was now in the first 'real' zone of the game, and I assumed it was going to be a hub (given my DS1 experience) so I immediately looked around for non-violent early-game stuff to accomplish. I walked along the coastline and saw the three exits in the area, remembered them for later, and then went towards the bigass monument dominating the cliff. On my way there, I talked to the only person visible and thus met the Emerald Herald. She was certainly not tucked away or blending in, because she's standing against a cliff, highlighted by the bright sky and all alone save for the big tree next to her. The only way I can understand not finding her is if you never played Demon's or Dark Souls and just jumped straight into 2 (which I don't understand but everyone does things their own way.) Even if you, as an experienced Souls player, missed her, I (and the developers) would expect you to think, "Hey I'm fighting big huge knights/scary turtle guys and they are strong, maybe I missed where to level up in the place where there were almost no enemies?" I just can't see someone going into the areas outside of Majula and not thinking "poo poo, I missed something, I'll go run back and find out how to level up and get Estus."
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Jun 17, 2014 19:48
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Coming in from Demons Souls, the Emerald Herald was just a return to visiting the Maiden in Black to level up and you couldn't even level up until you finished 1-1 of Boletaria Castle too.
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Jun 17, 2014 20:59
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I just wish she'd say her stuff in the background like the Maiden. So many little obnoxious oversights in this game (I still love it).
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Jun 17, 2014 21:28
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IGgy IGsen posted:Oh, I'm just bad at actually using them properly. But eventually I'll have to revisit some of the weapon types because there aren't nearly enough to have a new one for the roughly 30 episodes this will take. So I'll probably give them another shot at some point. Doesn't help that a number of the twinblades have really poo poo damage, and the easiest one to get (Twinblade) is pretty much the worst.
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Jun 17, 2014 21:33
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Judge Tesla posted:Coming in from Demons Souls, the Emerald Herald was just a return to visiting the Maiden in Black to level up and you couldn't even level up until you finished 1-1 of Boletaria Castle too. The Emerald Herald is a poor man's Maiden in Black. She simply doesn't have any style  She'd be better if she just talked less. And less slowly. And as already mentioned would recite her mantra in the background as you level up rather than every time you talk to her so you have to skip through it to get anything done. I'm also not quite sure why they wouldn't allow leveling up at bonfires. I get that they try to make you come back to Majula more often to make it feel more like home but the first game proved that you don't need a level up NPC to elicit that feeling. Granted, that was in part due to the first game being more interconnected but the utility of all the characters that would populate it was also a factor and I'd argue that the characters in Dark Souls II offer services that warrant coming back more. That's ignoring the Emerald Herald. I understand that there's quite a few people who like her. But to me she's just really bland.
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Jun 17, 2014 23:02
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The Pursuer's way of appearing in more than one place makes me feel like he could be your character's hot-blooded arch rival. I like to imagine you're both trading witty banter as you attempt to kill one another with various horrible things.
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Jun 18, 2014 00:15
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omeg posted:I just wish she'd say her stuff in the background like the Maiden. So many little obnoxious oversights in this game (I still love it). But then how else will you know to BEAR SEEK SEEK LEST?
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Jun 18, 2014 01:24
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Clearly the player character is haunted and the Pursuer is a physical manifestation of their accumulative sins.
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Jun 18, 2014 01:24
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Mazed posted:The Pursuer's way of appearing in more than one place makes me feel like he could be your character's hot-blooded arch rival. And then Vendrick banishes him to the Abyss 
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Jun 18, 2014 01:26
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Mazed posted:The Pursuer's way of appearing in more than one place makes me feel like he could be your character's hot-blooded arch rival. Honestly I feel like there was a lost opportunity, I wish he would turn up more often in really annoying places just to kill you and gloat a bit before disappearing.
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Jun 18, 2014 18:41
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Mazed posted:The Pursuer's way of appearing in more than one place makes me feel like he could be your character's hot-blooded arch rival. Yeah, that would of been pretty sweet. I pictured him being a lot like Nemesis from RE3, and he'd hunt you down throughout the areas, while being way too strong to kill. Instead, maybe you could temporary fend him off, if you were brave enough to fight him early. Sadly, you take him out pretty early in the game, and that never happens. Even the one time he shows up early, he doesn't do a whole lot of pursuing.
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Jun 18, 2014 18:56
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I believe the Pursuer's name is a holdover from his original purpose of being a boss that chases you around the level instead of you going to him and just fighting. It's disappointing they couldn't keep the original intent, but at the same time, I guess I can understand it if it had anything to do with system limitations. Edit: Also this is the best thing I've seen that involves the Pursuer.
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Jun 18, 2014 18:58
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And with that, we have caught up with the LP. The next (actual) update will probably be Saturday but from then on updates will get much rarer. So far I could keep a weekly schedule, but the official statement is "when it's done" Finally, a new area. This one's a lot shorter. Mostly because the Forest of Fallen Giants is pretty much the biggest area of the game.  Hiltrud in New Game has switched to wearing the Drangleic torso piece but went for something lighter for the rest (except the gloves) because the Drangleic Armor is actually pretty heavy and personally I'm one of those people who never go above 70% equip burden to avoid having a slower roll. This is a great example of the game now having cloth physics by the way. The first game had some armors with pieces of cloth or even small capes, but they'd never move and it looked kind of awkward. But since this is a Souls game EVERYTHING has an in-game explanation that is not at all farfetched or even ridiculous. Surely, in the first game, they knew the ancient art of reinforcing cloth to make it block incoming attacks but they forgot this technique by the time Dark Souls II plays out. Because it was a dumb fad. Clearly, this is how it is.  in NG+ we're a feral warrior using large wooden chunks as weapons. Guy Diealot (his name, by the way) doesn't really have the body for this outfit since he's pretty skinny but he somehow pulls it off with the Bandit Armor, the Lion Warrior Skirt and the Gyrm Helm. Also some gloves that don't really matter. Dragonrider  The Dragonrider is a really easy boss. So easy, in fact, that I believed he'd just return as a normal enemy later on, which was the fate of a couple early bosses from the first game. He's a dude in armor with a big weapon so he might seem really scary at first, but if you just circlestrafe counter-clockwise you will be able to dodge the vast majority of his attacks. Sometimes you might want to roll, if only to be on the safe side. He doesn't really have any attacks that require special tactics but be aware that while he mostly does two or three hit combos, he has a rare chance to also add in a fourth hit. He can be made slightly harder by just not enhancing the arena with one or both of the switches but unless this is your first time and you want to (and should) play it safe this isn't required at all. Boss Weapons Soul of a Dragonrider, who faithfully served King Vendrick. Long ago, the dragonriders mounted wyrms, and were feared on the battlefield for their unparallelled strength. Give this soul to Straid to make... Dragonrider's Halberd  Moveset/Weapon Class: Halberd Physical Damage (+0/+5): 100/250 Magic Damage (+0/+5): 90/120 Scales with (+0/+5): STR (C), DEX (C), INT (C) Requirements: 18 STR, 17 DEX Damage Type: Slash/Thrust + Magic In-Game Description: Halberd of the Dragonriders, King Vendrick's royal guard. A highly versatile weapon that can slash, sweep, and thrust when wielded numbly, and is also imbued with magic. Demands great skill of its wielder, and thus served to test the worthiness of those who aspire to join the Dragonriders. Dragonrider's Greatshield  Type: Greatshield Stability (+0/+5): 70 / 78 Noteworthy Damage Reduction (+0/+5): 100% Physical, 75%/78.1% Fire and Lightning Requirements: 35 STR In-Game Description: Greatshield of the Dragonriders, King Vendrick's royal guard. The rank of Dragonrider was reserved for honorable warriors who helped found Drangleic. Together with the King, they crushed its former inhabitants and erected a magnificent kingdom upon their graves. Dragonrider's Twinblade  Moveset/Weapon Class: Twinblade Physical Damage (+0/+5): 60/150 Magic Damage (+0/+5): 80/100 Scales with (+0/+5): STR (C), DEX (C), Magic (C) Requirements: 20 STR, 22 DEX Damage Type: Slash/Thrust + Magic In-Game Description: Twinblade of the Dragonriders, King Vendrick's royal guard. Twinblades are wielded with an unusual technique. This one strikes hard but is very heavy. Demands great skill of its wielder, and thus served to test the worthiness of those who aspired to join the Dragonriders. Dragonrider's Bow  Moveset/Weapon Class: Bow Physical Damage (+0/+5): 72/180 Magic Damage (+0/+5): 80/100 Scales with (+0/+5): STR (B), DEX (D), INT (C) Requirements: 20 STR, 18 DEX Damage Type: Projectile + Magic In-Game Description: Bow wielded by Dragonrider, King Vendrick's royal guard. Merely drawing this bow requires inhuman strength, but each shot has deadly potential Demands great skill of its wielder, and thus served to test the worthiness of those who aspired to join Dragonriders. Note: This bow uses more Stamina to draw the string than any other bow class weapons. Excluding greatbows, of course. It's also one of the highest damaging bows. Old Dragonslayer  Ah yes, good old Ornstein, or something that resembles him. Ornstein was a boss in the first game. He was together with some big dude called Smough and it was my favorite boss fight of the game.  In Dark Souls II he's alone and, frankly, I'm not too fond of him here. He's definitely a more fun boss than Dragonrider but it really seems more like he's been thrown in here as plain old fanservice. Old Dragonslayer is literally just there. He has a pretty good variety of attacks. Even though he's using a Spear he will not only thrust but also sweep. He also has one thrust with a obvious but unassuming wind-up you should look out for. If it connects you'll be skewered and take quite a bit of damage. At a range he can also fire dark homing magic,or close in with a dashing thrust or even a jump. Dodge timing on those can be a bit tricky. At least I tend to screw it up occasionally. Lastly, he has an attack from his old buddy Smough: He'll jump up and attempt to crush you with his mighty bottom. This also has an AoE effect so it's best to get as far away as you can unless you know exactly how far it reaches. Of course, now I have to address why he is here with the game's Lore: I simply don't know. There really isn't anything that even tells us that this is in fact Ornstein so my own take is that this is just an animated suit of armor. But still, why would someone do that? One theory is posited by VaatiVidya, one of the guys on youtube who try to make sense of the lore of Dark Souls, in this video. Attention: it addresses and shows some things that I haven't mentioned yet so be wary of some overarching lore spoilers, I recommend only watching this video if you've already played through the game. Anyway, VaatiVidya's theory is, that the cathedral may as well have been built in the image of the one in Anor Londo by Gwynevere (who, as we know if we thoroughly played Dark Souls, was not actually present in the first game seeing as the one we met there was an illusion) who was said to be married to a fire god called Flann. The gist is that Gwynevere moved to what is now known as Heide with Flann. And since Ornstein was tasked with protecting Gwynevere he went with her. Or she created something that resembles him. That's also a possible explanation for having a Cathedral with the same architecture as in Anor Londo as well as the Tower of Flame at the other end of the area. Personally, I lean more towards Dark Souls II being set in the same general area as the first game so it's also possible that this is an actual remnant of Anor Londo but since it was abandoned another city was built around it as time went on but the cathedral remained. Or perhaps, it is that Gwynevere returned here with Flann long after Anor Londo was gone and erected the cathedral there for old time's sake. OR maybe... it's something completely different. This really is a part of the game we have very little information on, so we can speculate and theorize like crazy. And that's what makes it fun. Boss Weapons Soul of the Old Dragonslayer. The Old Dragonslayer is reminiscent of a certain knight that appears in old legends. Give it to Ornifex to make... Dragonslayer Spear  Moveset/Weapon Class: Spear Physical Damage (+0/+5): 52/130 Lightning Damage Damage (+0/+5): 60/105 Scales with (+0/+5): STR (E), DEX (B/A), FTH (C) Requirements: 16 STR, 25 DEX Damage Type: Thrust + Lightning In-Game Description: The spear of the knight known as the Dragonslayer was imbued with the power of lightning, and shattered the stone scales of dragons. Strong attack unleashes its latent power. Note: Strong attack will shoot lightning at the cost of durability both when one-handing and two-handing the weapon. Covenants: So far we've discovered three covenants. Two of which belong together. Those two are The Way of Blue and the Blue Sentinels. Essentially covenants reward players for doing specific things. As you level up your covenant devotions you will get access to new things. Way of Blue (noob covenant) Can be joined by talking to Saulden in Majula. The way of blue is meant to protect you from invaders. To level up the covenant you happen to have to kill invaders. For joining you get the blue seals, which will increase your health a bit and can be coupled with the life ring for an extra boost. For 1 defeated invader you get the Bloodbite ring, which protects raises bleeding resistance. For 5 defeated invaders you get the sorcery Hush which masks all noise you make for a short time For 10 defeated invaders you get the Blue Tearstone Ring which increases your defense when low at health. The Blue Sentinels (police covenant) Can be joined by talking to Targray in the Cathedral of Blue with a Token of Fidelity in your inventory. The Blue Sentinels are the other side of the Way of Blue which means you'll get summoned to other player's worlds to help them fend off invaders. Additionally you can also engage in honorable duels with fellow Sentinels by praying at the Statues by the bonfire in the cathedral. To level this covenant up you... uh... need to kill a lot of people. Be they red phantoms, sinners you invade with a cracked blue eye orb or duels against other sentinels. For joining you get the Guardian's Seal, which allows you to get summoned to members of the Way of Blue For 50 kills you get the Spirit Tree Shield, which can parry spells. For 150 kills you get Wrath of the Gods, a powerful AoE miracle. For 500 loving KILLS you get Bountiful Sunlight a miracle that slowly heals you and your allies. You'll also get Targrays Armor set. If you want his set just kill him and then buy it from Melentia. That's one kill vs. 500. You'll miss out on the other rewards, though. Company of Champions (git gud covenant) Can be joined by interacting with Victor's Stone in Majula. This is supposed to be a challenge covenant. It increases the amount of hits enemies take and also expands their aggro range, forcing you to fight multiple HP-sponges at the same time routinely. To level it up you need to collect Awestones and offer them to Victor's Stone. Awestones from Red Phantom invaders, be they human or NPC and also have a chance of dropping from various strong enemies. For joining you get the Champion's Tablet which does nothing but tell you who else is in the Covenant. For 10 Awestones you get Great Magic Weapon, a sorcery that buffs up your weapon to do magic damage. For 25 Awestones you get the First Dragon Ring, which slightly increases numerous stats, making it very useful For 50 Awestones you get the Vanquisher's Seal, a ring that makes your fists a valid choice of weapon by greatly increasing stat scaling for unarmed combat. Item Descriptions Sublime Bone Dust Charred, ashen bones. Cast them into the Far Fire in Majula to increase the HP restored with each use of your flask. They say these are the remains of a saint who cast himself into the bonfire. But we will never know for sure, for soot and ashes tell no story. Note:It's not clear whether it's referring to a saint who cast himself into any bonfire or someone who linked the fire. Linking the fire was one of the possible endings in Dark Souls. After lighting the final bonfire after the final boss the First Flame would be re-lit, burning the one who did it alive in the process. If it's referring to that it confirms that the Link the Fire ending is canon. However there's still more to learn about that later on. Lloyd's Talisman Dark Souls II: Talisman used by cleric knights. Blocks Estus recovery within a limited area. It is said that the cleric knights used these talismans to hunt down accursed Undead. Cleric knights fight with pride, and by blocking the recovery of the Undead, they can also fight with impunity. Dark Souls: Talisman utilized by Allfather Lloyd's cleric knights to hunt down the Undead. Blocks Estus recovery within a limited area. In the outside world, the Undead are accursed creatures, and Lloyd's cleric knights are widely praised for their Undead hunts. This blessed talisman blocks Undead recovery, allowing the knights to fight with impunity. Note: Allfather Lloyd was the brother of Gwyn, the highest ranking deity from Dark Souls. It's interesting to note that while other item descriptions make a point of obscuring origins, uses and other facts of items these two descriptions are remarkably similar. Coincidency? Probably. The only thing left out is Lloyd's name. Old Knight Halberd An undated halberd. Wielded by a warrior from a time so ancient that there exists no record of his endeavors. Has extremely low durability. Sometimes, just as a thing falls to pieces, it unleashes its last flash of great power... IGgy IGsen fucked around with this message at 17:54 on Jun 27, 2014 |
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Jun 19, 2014 11:16
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Okay, so Tower of Flame embodies everything I think is wrong with this game. It's tiny, it's got boring big-guy-in-armor bosses and it promises so much more. It looks amazing. I can quite well imagine it being a full-fledged area the size of the forest citadel, with climbing the giant lighthouse to have a climactic battle on top or plunging off it into a humongous sea monster or... Anything, really. Another nitpick that really gets on my nerves: those two statues at the start, giant bird guys. In DS1, they'd be relevant and we'd probably run into them later. Here? Totally random scenery. I think I'd like this game a lot more if they scrapped the next big area (Lost Bastille which is boring as gently caress) and merged it with the Tower of Flame's visual while extending its story. edit: Basically it's all style, no substance and even the style seems like a random hit. anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 11:36 on Jun 19, 2014 |
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Jun 19, 2014 11:31
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If you ask me what I think embodies everything wrong with this game it's a pair of areas, one of which is a visually very impressive. But we won't be seeing that for quite a while. While I try not to be too negative in my commentary I might switch to rant mode for that one. Heide's Tower of Flames is a little half-assed and definitely a missed opportunity, but not nearly as bad as you make it out to be. What DOES embody quite a few things that the game does wrong in my opinion is its NG+ incarnation. It adds new enemies that just don't seem to serve much of a purpose other than making things take twice as long.
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Jun 19, 2014 14:27
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anilEhilated posted:(Lost Bastille which is boring as gently caress) What? That area is absolutely one of the better designed zones IMO. Many ways to go, many little nooks and stuff to explore, you can skip a boss with some creativity, really a lot of great stuff there.
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Jun 19, 2014 15:40
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omeg posted:What? That area is absolutely one of the better designed zones IMO. Many ways to go, many little nooks and stuff to explore, you can skip a boss with some creativity, really a lot of great stuff there. Bastille was great gameplay wise yeah, but I think he meant the visual style of it was boring, which I'd agree with. Keep the layout and gameplay of it the same and give it the art style of Heide and that poo poo would sing.
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Jun 20, 2014 10:19
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Pretty much that, yes. Bastille has a lot of gameplay with a lovely aesthetic, Tower of Flame has an amazing aesthetic with lovely gameplay. A match made in heaven.
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Jun 20, 2014 11:38
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Ah, alright then. Won't disagree there.
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Jun 20, 2014 13:31
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I... honestly really like the Bastille's aesthetic. It reminded me of the Painted World a little. And also, just a bit, of the Tower of Latria. Being perpetually moonlit is pretty cool, and the whole place just feels really desolate and lonely. It's very nice.
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Jun 20, 2014 17:05
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Yeah, and besides, "bastille" means Fortress in French. And there was a particularly famous Bastille that was used as a giant prison. Based on the name alone I expected a horrible, dingy, Tower of Latria kind of maze and it had that in spades. I actually quite liked the Bastille and enjoyed that all roads of the early-game sort of led there as a final destination.
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Jun 20, 2014 17:37
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IGgy IGsen posted:He can be made slightly harder by just not enhancing the arena with one or both of the switches but unless this is your first time and you want to (and should) play it safe this isn't required at all. Correction: he can be made easier by not throwing the switches thanks to the falling method you mentioned in the video. For those who don't know, you wait at the entrance and after the Dragonrider takes 7 steps forward, you dash around to the right (his left side) and he'll do a thrust then fall off. I just go to Heide's first and do this for some easy souls on all my characters now since it's so simple. quote:Note: This bow uses more Stamina to draw the string than any other bow class weapons. Excluding greatbows, of course. It's also one of the highest damaging bows. It also has a slightly longer draw speed, which can be helpful for PVP as people tend to gently caress up dodging it more than other bows. quote:Dragonslayer Spear Ah the dragonslayer spear. It is such a poo poo weapon in this. Absolutely garbage damage, really heavy, weak r2s, not particularly great reach. They took one of the best weapons in Dks and made it complete garbage. Rip. Also in the video you mention sweet spot damage in Dks. It's been a while since I've played it but I'm pretty sure that's not true. I never heard anything about that or experienced it myself. There was the direct hit system in Demon's but I think that only counted for large weapons like greathammers. SpruceZeus posted:I... honestly really like the Bastille's aesthetic. It reminded me of the Painted World a little. And also, just a bit, of the Tower of Latria. Being perpetually moonlit is pretty cool, and the whole place just feels really desolate and lonely. It's very nice. Agreed. The whole "moonlit twilight" aspect of the area is really neat.
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Jun 20, 2014 17:59
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Genocyber posted:Also in the video you mention sweet spot damage in Dks. It's been a while since I've played it but I'm pretty sure that's not true. I never heard anything about that or experienced it myself. There was the direct hit system in Demon's but I think that only counted for large weapons like greathammers. I'm pretty sure it was a thing it was just completely negligible. Just did some testing with a +5 Divine Longsword on NG++ in Undead Burg. A light attack hitting a random weak hollow will do 110 Damage. Grazing it barely with the tip does 108 (which is not really a sweet spot as it lowers the damage, but the principle is the same). Tough, honestly I have to say what modifies the damage might not be the part of the weapon that hits but the frame in the attack animation, as I'm pretty sure they only took less damage when I hit an enemy at the end of the animation i.e. when it's on the left side of the body. That's about the extent of my testing, though. I'm pretty sure it existed for halberds and axes, though. But googling it only yields results for Dark Souls II, so I'm kind of doubting my own experiences with these weapon types right now. Maybe I'm wrong about this.
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Jun 20, 2014 18:47
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Yeah, I don't think DS1 had weapon sweet spots, or at least very noticeable ones. You could get right up in a dude's face and gently tap him with the shaft of a spear and do the same damage as if you stuck him with the tip. They're definitely in DS2 though, and that's part of the reason a lot of people say that spears suck.
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Jun 20, 2014 19:15
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DS1 had sweet spot hit bonuses set for every weapon, but I forget if they were active.
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Jun 20, 2014 19:30
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Genocyber posted:Ah the dragonslayer spear. It is such a poo poo weapon in this. Absolutely garbage damage, really heavy, weak r2s, not particularly great reach. They took one of the best weapons in Dks and made it complete garbage. Rip. You're looking at this the wrong way. Now you can use one of the best looking weapons and give yourself a challenge at the same time! 
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Jun 20, 2014 20:33
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Hey IGgy IGsen would you mind if I did a kind of "speed run" of the game that would show of all the glitches that are used in it as I think they are absolutely hilarious. I would of course not spoil anything before you get there.
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Jun 20, 2014 20:40
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Licia is a terrible character that the devs wanted to make interesting but failed vs. her analog in the original but that's probably spoilery. Heides tower is not my favorite level either, but at least the next two make up for it.
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Jun 20, 2014 20:54
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I'm not actually gonna go down the Heide path up next if that's what you mean, instead I'll head over to another area we needed Licia to unlock, which will lead to some areas I quite like and eventually we'll go all over the place because the game lets us.FailAtMagic posted:Hey IGgy IGsen would you mind if I did a kind of "speed run" of the game that would show of all the glitches that are used in it as I think they are absolutely hilarious. I would of course not spoil anything before you get there. You'd be absolutely welcome to do that as long as you don't go ahead of the LP. Because I'm not good enough to do a speed run, even if you put quotes around it. Should be a fun watch and interesting too, because I know very little of actual glitches and only am aware of a few tricks.
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Jun 20, 2014 21:03
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Oh I meant the next two in the sense that they are on the same spur as it, not that I assumed you would be playing them in that order. You're doing a superb job btw.
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Jun 20, 2014 21:12
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IGgy IGsen posted:I'm not actually gonna go down the Heide path up next if that's what you mean, instead I'll head over to another area we needed Licia to unlock, which will lead to some areas I quite like and eventually we'll go all over the place because the game lets us. What about showing of items you didn't yet IE: Maughlin drops armor that gives additional souls
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Jun 20, 2014 21:44
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FailAtMagic posted:What about showing of items you didn't yet IE: Maughlin drops armor that gives additional souls If you wanna murder people and show the stuff you can get that's fair game because I'm not gonna do that for a long time. If ever. Plus I've already worn his set minus the hat, I just didn't show any of the ways to get that yet. Think that way: If I could have reasonably done something by exploring the areas we've already been through in the LP it's fine to show it even if I didn't.
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Jun 20, 2014 22:17
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Awesome first set of videos. I've been looking forward to someone LPing this game for awhile now since I haven't played it myself. One thing I do request, however, is that maybe you show us the item descriptions of things as you find them. Maybe just flash them on screen for a second so we can pause to read them, or show screenshots in the thread itself like Geop did. I love reading the descriptions and trying to get a sense of the lore through them. You seem to be skipping the loading screens which show item descriptions, so this seems like the only way to see them. Also, are you leveling up? I can't really tell, because I think you are editing it out.
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Jun 21, 2014 12:20
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Showing some descriptions in the post might be a good idea. Even though I showed them on screen in the videos a couple times I only did so very briefly to not disrupt the flow of the videos. I might bring up some of the descriptions that I think are relevant in future posts and retrofit old update posts with them. But don't expect that to happen over night. And uh. If the image for the boss of this area seems of a little bit lower quality than usual that's because I had to scan it myself from the strategy guide (which I don't think is very good, by the way) ------------------------------------------  What a horrible night to have a curse. And yes. It took me till the seventh episode to actually show leveling up.  Y'know, I'm a pretty big fan of Castlevania so I thought: "why not make a Simon Belmont build". We're wearing the Varangian torso piece. Which is the relevant part for this get-up I believe. You can mix and match the gloves and pants as you see fit, really. In fact, I don't fully remember what the parts I used actually are. Might be hard leather or knight leggings. I went with a hood too, just because my guy doesn't have long enough hair to be a Belmont. This build was surprisingly fun, but let me tell you that the Old Whip I was using was only upgraded to +1 (out of 5) because I didn't have the materials necessary to upgrade it further. It still did a decent job. I might run a build like this for fun eventually and perhaps I'll revisit it. The downside of whips is that their durability goes down faster than most other weapons and they do really bad against armored opponents. So you'll want to bring a back-up of sorts if you want to use a whip. If I ever do a proper Belmont build I won't use a bow, of course and I'll need to find another back-up melee weapon that can serve as a back-up in case of the whip breaking or armored dudes showing up. Maybe an axe? Skeleton Lords  This is quite an interesting boss. First time I fought him I was really disappointed because he just seemed like a fight against a couple random mooks. I managed to defeat them all but did not catch on to the main mechanic behind the fight until the end. The individual Skeleton Lords aren't too dangerous. Not even when fighting all three of them at once. There's another reason you don't want to do that. Whenever you kill one of the Lords a number of skeletons will spawn and the type of skeleton will vary depending on the lord you killed. The Scythe Lord (left-most at the start) will spawn four armored skeletons, nothing special, really. The Halberd Lord (middle) will spawn a couple bare sword and shield skeletons. Much like the armored ones they aren't anything special. If you made it this far you should be able to deal with them. The most dangerous lord is the Staff Lord. He throws fireballs at you so it's best to keep a pillar between you and him. And if you kill him he will spawn four of one of the most infamous enemies from the first game: Bonewheel Skeletons. For those not savvy: They are wooden torture wheels with Skeletons attached to them. Well, it's probably the other way around, but who cares? The skeletons utilize the wheels as weapons. By basically revving up and running you over. They aren't as dangerous as they were in the first game but you still don't want them to catch you off guard so it's best to kill them as they spawn. Sadly you can't get their wheel as a shield anymore. It was the best shield for shield builds. Depending on which lord you kill first and how many you kill at once this fight will become harder or easier. The smartest way to go at it is to just kill one lord at a time and deal with his spawns. If you want to intentionally make it harder for you you could just kill all the lords at once and deal with a ton of skeletons at the same time. I don't think there's another way to have to deal with this many humanoid enemies at the same time anywhere else in the game. I'm not sure if they intentionally designed the fight with the purpose to make it possible for you to choose your difficulty that way because they probably just wanted you to figure out how the boss works and beat it accordingly. I'd like to give them credit for that though. Boss Weapons Soul of a Skeleton Lord, who reigned from deep within the Huntsman's Copse. The Old Iron King commanded the capture of all Undead, but those charged with the task were overcome by the curse. Give it to Straid to make... Roaring Halberd  Moveset/Weapon Class: Halberd Physical Damage (+0/+5): 72/180 Dark Damage (+0/+5): 100/130 Scales with: DEX (B), DARK (C) Requirements: 16 STR, 12 DEX, 12 INT, 12 FTH Damage Type: Slash In-Game Description: Halberd forged from the soul of a Skeleton Lord. Imbued with the power of dark. The unsettling skull carved into this halberd recalls the final moments of the Skeleton Lord from whom it was created. The description of the Soul and weapon basically give as all the lore of Huntsman's Copse that I'm aware of. Sadly this area doesn't really have much in terms of Lore, it's a pretty long area but not much thought put into it. The Soul also namedrops the Old Iron King, though. Whom we may meet in the future. The red phantom Artificial Undead we met near the waterfall are one of the enemy NG+ enemy placements I like. Basically you see this big red dude spawn in front of you. From your last playthrough you might still remember that a NPC phantom will spawn if you proceed towards it, so the natural reaction would be to turn around to get that guy away from there. Which is when you notice the other red phantom Artificial Undead behind you. That's just the mix of cruelty and anticipating the player's behaviour to make it less unfair I can get behind of. Item Descriptions Undead Lockaway Key Key to the prison in the Huntsman's Copse. The Undead hunts during the reign of the Iron King took place in this forest, and the cells in which the Undead were held still stand there to this day. However, the march of time has eroded any difference between the captors and the captives. Black Hollow Mage Set worn by Hollowed Drangleic mages. Drangleic mages wore different garb depending on their sex. What function this served, however, is unknown, as with many old practices. This is a women's hood/robe. Note: We didn't get it in the video. It's a rare drop from the Necromancers and they don't respawn. Warlock Mask Strange mask worn by Aldia warlocks. Grants dark defense, and increased soul acquisition.Warlocks in Aldia gave rise to wicked things, and even forbidden rituals upon themselves. No one knows if they were born mad, or if their own misdeeds drove them over the edge. Effect: Increases number of Souls acquired by 2.5% Note: Drops from Merciless Roenna, so we didn't get it either. To grind I'd need to use Bonfire ascetics to make her respawn. Ricard's Rapier Dark Souls II: An exquisitely decorated rapier. Said to belong to a prince who appears in an ancient tale. There are numerous variations of the story of the prince who wandered the lands and eventually became Undead. The majority of these tales end in tragedy. but there are some exceptions. Dark Souls: A rapier with intricate decorations. Chosen weapon of the famous Undead Prince Ricard. Ricard's exploits are told in a monomyth. He was born into royalty, but wandered the lands in a fateful ill-conceived journey. He became Undead and disappeared up North. Note: A monomyth, according to Wiktionary is a cyclical journey or quest undertaken by a mythical hero. In Dark Souls we find someone who presumably is Ricard, since he's using the Rapier in Sen's Fortress. He wears the Elite Knight Set. Soul Spear Dark Souls II: Sorcery that fires souls shaped into a spear. Pierces enemies, causing heavy damage. This spells was said to have been devised by a master sorcerer, but his name is long forgotten. Dark Souls : Sorcery developed by Big Hat Logan. Fire piercing soul spear. A symbol of Logan's strength, the soul spear is referenced repeatedly in the legends, and is said to be on par with Lord Gwyn's lightning Pharros' Lockstone Stone activating a creation of Pharros the Vagabond. Pharros the Vagabond was a legend who wandered the lands, creating contraptions to help those in sincere and dire need. The scope of his travels was so wide that the Pharros has been mistakenly credited with many inventions that were crafted by others IGgy IGsen fucked around with this message at 17:59 on Jun 27, 2014 |
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Jun 21, 2014 15:41
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If you're doing an actual Belmont run you have a backup whip for your whip. Bloodied Whip is best for that, being the strongest whip after Old Whip.
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Jun 21, 2014 18:08
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You are definitely misinformed about way of the blue members needing to wear their ring. They dont need to to have blue sentinels come to help, those are the ones that need to wear their covenant ring. Also I'm surprised you didnt give holy water urns any mention, they're hands down the best thrown weapon in the game. Good LP though.
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Jun 21, 2014 20:33
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I could swear you'd need the Blue Ring to have Sentinels come and help you but I guess I was wrong so I corrected that in the post. I did give Holy Water Urns a mention, though. The Belmont build was using them against an invader (and also normal mooks, but that part wasn't on screen). They are pretty great, I agree.
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Jun 21, 2014 20:41
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Ah I have some fine memories of the huntsman's copse. I naturally bum-rushed the skeleton lords the first time, got punished for my ignorance, and played much smarter my second go. And then that first bonfire in Harvest Valley was the very first red sign I tried. Of course, it was some invincible dick with a cestus.
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Jun 21, 2014 21:23
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Will admit, first time I fought the Skeleton Lords, I freaked out when I noticed the Bonewheel Skeletons. There's no enemy I hate more, in any game, than Bonewheel Skeletons. I do miss the Bonewheel Shield, though.
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Jun 21, 2014 22:38
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