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turtlecrunch
May 14, 2013

Hesitation is defeat.
...there's an inherent beauty that can be found within everything, beyond all the withering and decay.



***Click here for the Japanese import thread.***

Platforms: PC, PS4, XBone
Director: Hidetaka Miyazaki / Isamu Okano / Yui Tanimura
Website: US | JP
Release: April 12, 2016 (NA/EU), March 24, 2016 (JP)

Dark Souls III is the final entry in a series of dark fantasy action-RPGs by FROM Software. The series is known for its atmosphere, complex lore, replayability, haunting enemy design, and challenging bosses. The online mechanics of Dark Souls include both passive elements (you can see ghosts where others died, and read messages on the ground from helpful souls) and active PVP/co-op (other players can invade your game world). Dark Souls III introduces Weapon Skills, unique abilities for different weapons that allow melee characters to utilize mana just like sorcerers and clerics.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HIxuGi_2TQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhxngUz6C3U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5rljUBxfIEhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zDZYrIUgKE

Info & Gameplay Links
6/25/15 Leak: The Know (mechanics, screenshots, incorrect info possible)
HD Trailers: E3 / Gameplay Reveal / Darkness Has Spread / Opening Cinematic / Shadows Ahead
Goons vs. PS4 Network Test: 1 2 3 4
PSX 2015 Gameplay

Versions
[NA] Day One / [EU] Apocalypse / [EU/NA] Collector's / [EU] Prestige


How to Import the PS4 Japanese Version
($80, releases 3 weeks earlier, english NPC dialogue, no english text)
(11AM EST/8AM PST @ March 23, 2016)

1) Make a Japanese PSN account, follow this walkthrough, you will need a real e-mail address that you can check to verify your e-mail
2) Set your Japanese PSN to primary on your PS4 (provided your main account is also primary, this will let you play DS3 on your main account using your main PS+)
3) Order the 5k and 3k yen PSN cards from http://www.play-asia.com/search/PlayStation+Network+Card+japanese - these cards are delivered digitally, use a real e-mail
4) Go to the Japanese PSN store and scroll to the second-to-last option and select that option to enter your PSN cards
5) Find the Dark Souls 3 PSN page and preorder it, I found it under the main splash section, you should not have to search for it (try not to get discouraged when you have to click on different buttons each screen to find the confirmation button)
6) Game will download on 3/20 and unlock on 3/23 in the US http://www.torpeden.se/DKSIII/JP/
*OPTIONAL* Install the Google Translate app on your phone and try to take a good enough picture of item text on your TV for it to spit out a super-high-quality machine translation for you.



Stats & Classes
[VIG] Vigor: Hit points // !FROSTBITE!status resistance
[ATT] Attunement: Focus points (mana) & attunement slots (number of slots for equipping spells/miracles/pyromancies)
[END] Endurance: Stamina (needed for evasive actions, attacks, etc) // lightning defense // !BLEEDING!status resistance
[VIT] Vitality: Equipment load weight (affects movement/roll speed) // physical defense // !POISONED!status resistance
[STR] Strength: Allows wielding of large/heavy weapons & improves physical attack // fire defense
[DEX] Dexterity: Allows wielding of fancy weapons & improves physical attack & reduces spellcasting time & reduces falling damage
[INT] Intelligence: Allows casting of sorceries and pyromancies & increases magic attack // magic defense
[FTH] Faith: Allows casting of miracles and pyromancies & increases magic attack // dark defense
[LCK] Luck: Improves ability to cause !BLEEDING!status and !POISONED!status effects & increases item discovery // !CURSED!status resistance









Beginner Tips
+ It pays to stop and examine your surroundings, and to listen for signs of enemies.
+ Your starting class only determines your starting equipment and stats. When you level up, you can choose any stat to raise, and you can change equipment at any time.
+ Pyromancies have intelligence AND faith requirements to cast.
+ Both magic-using characters and melee characters may need focus points due to the addition of Weapon Skills, melee attacks that consume FP.
+ Restore HP with an orange estus flask, restore FP with a blue estus flask. Your allotment of orange/blue estus can be configured at the blacksmith in the main hub.
+ Regular attacks for weapons vary based on how you are holding them and your actions immediately prior to attacking. To start, each weapon has a light attack and a heavy attack. The nature of this attack changes based on whether you are one-handing or two-handing the weapon. There are also variations of the light and heavy attacks that you can create by: 1) running then attacking, 2) dodging backwards then attacking, 3) dodging forwards then attacking, and so on. Pressing forward+R2/RB will cause you to do a jump attack. When you get a new weapon, it's a good idea to test out its entire moveset. In addition to regular attacks, you can use Weapon Skills, parry/ripostes, and backstabs with weapons.
+ Activate your Weapon Skill (consumes FP) by pressing L2/LB. If you have a weapon in each hand, pressing the Weapon Skill button will activate the skill for the weapon in your LEFT hand. If you are two-handing a single weapon, the skill will activate for that weapon.
+ Some shields can parry enemies. Read the shield's item description to find out if it can parry. When an enemy is attacking you, press L2/LB to parry them. The enemy will stagger, and you can riposte for high damage. Not all enemies can be parried.
+ You can backstab enemies. Circle behind them and attack their back to initiate a backstab for high damage. Not all enemies can be backstabbed.
+ Try to always have a ranged option available, whether it's a bow, a throwing knife, or magic. You can use ranged attacks to pull enemies away from dangerous or uncertain environments to safer fighting grounds.
+ If you are coming from playing just Bloodborne, be aware that most weapons will not rally/recover your HP if you hit an enemy with them.
+ There may be hidden paths behind illusory walls. Hit walls if you think they don't fit in. If there is a message on the ground that says "illusory wall ahead" or "hidden path ahead", there's definitely an illusory wall there.

turtlecrunch fucked around with this message at 00:26 on Apr 4, 2016

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Kite Pride Worldwide
Apr 20, 2009


I want that sword and shield that hollow is carrying :swoon:

Also, it wouldn't be a Souls game without a firebreathing dragon at the end of a bridge, would it?

Keru
Aug 2, 2004

'n suddenly there was a terrible roar all around us 'n the sky was full of what looked like 'uge bats, all swooping 'n screeching 'n divin' around the ute.
I cannot wait to get loving murdered by this game, over and over again.

The REAL Goobusters
Apr 25, 2008
Me gusta

Regy Rusty
Apr 26, 2010

I'm unabashedly excited for this, my first time on the Dark Souls pre-release hype train

RBA Starblade
Apr 28, 2008

Going Home.

Games Idiot Court Jester

I'm glad shields will be returning and that they (probably) won't be trying to fit BB's faster-paced combat in altogether. Though it'd be cool if for dual-wield or powerstanced builds there was some of that, if you wanted it.

Hopefully they don't gently caress up the magic balance this time. :v:

Neo Rasa
Mar 8, 2007
Everyone should play DUKE games.

:dukedog:
So the final boss will be giant Gwyn?

Kite Pride Worldwide
Apr 20, 2009


RBA Starblade posted:

I'm glad shields will be returning and that they (probably) won't be trying to fit BB's faster-paced combat in altogether. Though it'd be cool if for dual-wield or powerstanced builds there was some of that, if you wanted it.

Hopefully they don't gently caress up the magic balance this time. :v:

I heard there's a new 'swordfighting arts' thing that will work similarly to magic/hunter tools. Presumably they're like magic for physical only characters? I imagine Bloodborne had a lot to do with this design decision :v:

Mel Mudkiper
Jan 19, 2012

At this point, Mudman abruptly ends the conversation. He usually insists on the last word.

Neo Rasa posted:

So the final boss will be giant Gwyn?

I was thinking the same thing.

Undead Gwyn would be a hell of a way to end the series

Dr. Red Ranger
Nov 9, 2011

Nap Ghost
Looks like we may be going back to Lordran? Definitely looks like a Lordran "pinecone" neck drake, and the trailer had hunched over hollows(?) wandering the ashy wastes of what looks like the Anor Londo caldera with estus flasks tied to their walking staves. The aesthetic makes me think Age of Dark.

EC
Jul 10, 2001

The Legend
Super excited about this. Especially since it will be the "final episode" of Dark Souls:

https://www.bandainamcoent.eu/news/...n-4-and-pc/5145

quote:

“The DARK SOULS brand became a phenomenon thanks to amazing work from our dear partners FromSoftware and our very own BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment teams”. said Herve Hoerdt, Vice President of Marketing & Digital at BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe. “But above all, we are blessed to have such a supportive and loving community, and we are happy to dedicate this final episode to them!”

RBA Starblade
Apr 28, 2008

Going Home.

Games Idiot Court Jester

Alabaster White posted:

I heard there's a new 'swordfighting arts' thing that will work similarly to magic/hunter tools. Presumably they're like magic for physical only characters? I imagine Bloodborne had a lot to do with this design decision :v:

That'd be pretty cool, maybe tie it to agility or adaptability or something, give it a use besides more iframes. Make one of them a single shot gun or something!

Though I have to admit, DS2, then Scholar, then BB, now DS3. I'm down to keep playing these games forever but I hope the quality doesn't start to degrade.

e: Oh well there you go

Mel Mudkiper
Jan 19, 2012

At this point, Mudman abruptly ends the conversation. He usually insists on the last word.

Dr. Red Ranger posted:

Looks like we may be going back to Lordran? Definitely looks like a Lordran "pinecone" neck drake, and the trailer had hunched over hollows(?) wandering the ashy wastes of what looks like the Anor Londo caldera with estus flasks tied to their walking staves. The aesthetic makes me think Age of Dark.

If the first game was the end of an era, and the second game was about revealing the eras as part of a cycle, I could easily see this as the cataclysmic end of the cycle itself

Miss Mowcher
Jul 24, 2007

Ribbit
"Only embers remain"

So... Dark Lord ending for DS 1 ?

I want them to detach movesets from specific weapons, editable movesets would be baller but I'm ok with only some different moves for a weaponclass and letting me choose between SpearMoveSet 1/2/3 for any spear

Miss Mowcher fucked around with this message at 20:10 on Jun 15, 2015

sector_corrector
Jan 18, 2012

by Nyc_Tattoo

Alabaster White posted:

I heard there's a new 'swordfighting arts' thing that will work similarly to magic/hunter tools. Presumably they're like magic for physical only characters? I imagine Bloodborne had a lot to do with this design decision :v:

That was from that The Know leak, so I'm skeptical, but I would love that to be the case. Being able to select shield turtling or fast sidestepping BB combat would let me throw shields in the garbage from the word go and never look back while letting people who like that style still play that way.

RBA Starblade
Apr 28, 2008

Going Home.

Games Idiot Court Jester

Mel Mudkiper posted:

If the first game was the end of an era, and the second game was about revealing the eras as part of a cycle, I could easily see this as the cataclysmic end of the cycle itself

That makes a lot of sense and what I was just thinking. If there are multiple endings again maybe either the world is unmade or you make a new way? Vendrick was trying to break the curse and it was about the power of monarchs, and it looks like we're wearing a crown to start with here.

quote:

That was from that The Know leak, so I'm skeptical, but I would love that to be the case. Being able to select shield turtling or fast sidestepping BB combat would let me throw shields in the garbage from the word go and never look back while letting people who like that style still play that way.

That would make invasions really awesome too. Either try and hide behind a greatshield for an opening or try and jump around it to attack. I personally didn't like the fast pace combat much at all but it'd be a shame to remove it entirely.

sector_corrector
Jan 18, 2012

by Nyc_Tattoo

ZZZorcerer posted:

"Only embers remain"

So... Dark Lord ending for DS 1 ?

Possibly - they never picked an ending for II, and sort of imply that the boom and bust cycle goes on eternally, and new kingdoms are built on the old. It could just be that we're in the waning stages of the last Chosen undead reigniting the flame.

Mel Mudkiper
Jan 19, 2012

At this point, Mudman abruptly ends the conversation. He usually insists on the last word.
I kind of hope the success of Bloodborne spurns them make the two series more distinct

Bloodborne can be the series more focused in mechanics and complex in its level design
Dark Souls can be about variety of styles and equipment and grander world scale

Deceitful Penguin
Feb 16, 2011
Ehhh. Bloodborne was Ok but boss design was poo poo, as were the tools.

I'm hoping they'll be back to real variety in character types and weapons and armour, but I don't know. The series has been trying new things and I don't know how great they've been. Chalices were poo poo, the health regain mechanic was ok but not really all that different when you could rarely get all your health back against actually difficult enemies.

Mel Mudkiper
Jan 19, 2012

At this point, Mudman abruptly ends the conversation. He usually insists on the last word.

Deceitful Penguin posted:

Ehhh. Bloodborne was Ok but boss design was poo poo

*record scratch*

NoEyedSquareGuy posted:

Miyazaki is the good one right? I don't want to have to hear endless complaints about the "B Team" again.

Miyazaki is not the director though, it looks like he is gonna be an advisor like with DS2. I am honestly ok with that. DS2 made some mistakes but I don't see the point of having both games in the series fall under the same creative vision. A lot of the combat tweaks DS2 made were genuinely great and I think the DLC settings showed the "B team" getting a better sense of level and boss design.

Mel Mudkiper fucked around with this message at 20:16 on Jun 15, 2015

NoEyedSquareGuy
Mar 16, 2009

Just because Liquor's dead, doesn't mean you can just roll this bitch all over town with "The Freedoms."
Miyazaki is the good one right? I don't want to have to hear endless complaints about the "B Team" again.

Zenzizenzizenzic
May 25, 2012

Fun Shoe
I do hope the final boss is included at release and not patched in a year later

Bubba Smith
Sep 27, 2004

Is tonight the greatest moment in Dominick Cruz's life?

No.

The greatest moment in my life was realizing that I didn't need a belt to be happy.

Deceitful Penguin posted:

Bloodborne was Ok

lmao what

Fair Bear Maiden
Jun 17, 2013
The press release states Miyazaki is directing, and so does pretty much every official source. Sure, it might be he's actually more hands-off and using his star power to calm the cries of the hardcore, but there's no concrete proof of that right now.

EDIT: I think the A/B team stuff is bullshit and am on board and interested regardless of whoever is directing. Yui Tanimura directed the DSII DLC from day 1 and they were good stuff.

Chard
Aug 24, 2010




Souls Games Forever

Mel Mudkiper
Jan 19, 2012

At this point, Mudman abruptly ends the conversation. He usually insists on the last word.

Fair Bear Maiden posted:

The press release states Miyazaki is directing,

Weird I just read something that says he wasn't, but yeah the press release does explicitly say directing.

You're right though. The "B Team" did a look of great work they don't get credit for.

Turncoat Mommy
Oct 3, 2010

I believe in you.
bring back the catbros

Vermain
Sep 5, 2006



Dark Souls 1 and Dark Souls 2 were both good games for differing reasons, and I'm interested in seeing what lessons they've learned from them for the final (?) installment.

My one hope is that they'll put a lot of thought into the online component. It's been one of the more stand-out features of the game, but it's always felt a bit haphazardly designed.

Mel Mudkiper
Jan 19, 2012

At this point, Mudman abruptly ends the conversation. He usually insists on the last word.

Vermain posted:

Dark Souls 1 and Dark Souls 2 were both good games for differing reasons, and I'm interested in seeing what lessons they've learned from them for the final (?) installment.

I just want to see more complex levels like from 1 but a wide variety of viable builds like 2

Selenephos
Jul 9, 2010

Dark Souls 2 was consistently good but not amazing, while Dark Souls 1 had amazing moments with some really goddamn lovely, awful moments thrown in too. Both have their merits and the whole A Team vs B Team stuff is silly.

icantfindaname
Jul 1, 2008


Dāku Souru Suri

ZenMasterBullshit
Nov 2, 2011

Restaurant de Nouvelles "À Table" Proudly Presents:
A Climactic Encounter Ending on 1 Negate and a Dream
Will there be a sexy raven lady? Need to confirm otherwise no buy

GenderSelectScreen
Mar 7, 2010

I DON'T KNOW EITHER DON'T ASK ME
College Slice

Fair Bear Maiden posted:

EDIT: I think the A/B team stuff is bullshit and am on board and interested regardless of whoever is directing. Yui Tanimura directed the DSII DLC from day 1 and they were good stuff.

If I have to wait for the DLC before the game to get good then gently caress that noise.

Vermain
Sep 5, 2006



Hitlers Gay Secret posted:

If I have to wait for the DLC before the game to get good then gently caress that noise.

It was good before then, and the DLC frankly ranged from "decent" to "awful" (trending towards the latter for Iron King/Ivory King). They had to throw them together really quickly, and while they accomplished some impressive things (especially aesthetically), the gameplay ended up largely replicating/amplifying some of the worst parts of DS2's core systems.

RBA Starblade
Apr 28, 2008

Going Home.

Games Idiot Court Jester

Mr. Fortitude posted:

Dark Souls 2 was consistently good but not amazing, while Dark Souls 1 had amazing moments with some really goddamn lovely, awful moments thrown in too. Both have their merits and the whole A Team vs B Team stuff is silly.

It's kind of hard to go back to DS1, 2 has a lot of quality of life changes that add up. I need to play my pc version of it sometime, get around to doing that zweihander build.

quote:

It was good before then, and the DLC frankly ranged from "decent" to "awful" (trending towards the latter for Iron King/Ivory King).

The Burnt Ivory King was like the best thing in DS2 though.

Mel Mudkiper
Jan 19, 2012

At this point, Mudman abruptly ends the conversation. He usually insists on the last word.

Vermain posted:

It was good before then, and the DLC frankly ranged from "decent" to "awful" (trending towards the latter for Iron King/Ivory King). They had to throw them together really quickly, and while they accomplished some impressive things (especially aesthetically), the gameplay ended up largely replicating/amplifying some of the worst parts of DS2's core systems.

Iron King had Fume Knight and Sir Alonne tho

Vermain
Sep 5, 2006



Mel Mudkiper posted:

Iron King had Fume Knight and Sir Alonne tho

It also had Cool Ranch Doritos Smelter Demon, though. A land of contrasts.

Ineffiable
Feb 16, 2008

Some say that his politics are terrifying, and that he once punched a horse to the ground...


I hope they announce a dark souls remaster so you can play the trilogy on ps4.


And I'll preorder whatever collectors edition they unveil for us.

Mel Mudkiper
Jan 19, 2012

At this point, Mudman abruptly ends the conversation. He usually insists on the last word.

Vermain posted:

It also had Cool Ranch Doritos Smelter Demon, though. A land of contrasts.

Granted the "bonus" bosses of the three DLCs were pretty weak. Three ghosts, same boss from before, same boss from before and his buddy.

I liked the level design of the DLC a lot though. Each one was an interesting experiment. Sunken King was a puzzle stage, Iron King was vertically designed, and Ivory King was build around changing the world state.

NoEyedSquareGuy posted:

Ivory King has the Frozen Wastes and is therefore the worst DLC by default. Even if the rest of it is arguably better than the other two DLCs.


I give credit to the Frozen Wastes for being a ballsy experiment even if the experiment failed

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NoEyedSquareGuy
Mar 16, 2009

Just because Liquor's dead, doesn't mean you can just roll this bitch all over town with "The Freedoms."

Vermain posted:

It also had Cool Ranch Doritos Smelter Demon, though. A land of contrasts.

Ivory King has the Frozen Wastes and is therefore the worst DLC by default. Even if the rest of it is arguably better than the other two DLCs.

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