Dark Souls

[SantaC]

Somebody invaded my game and killed me. You were the only person playing Dark Souls on my friend's list, but I guess it was just a random person?
[/quote

if you dont want to be invaded, play as hollow. Also anyone can invade you, not just from your friendlist.

[Great Rumbler]

Yeah, I checked later and it was just some random dude. And I usually play as a hollow, but I'd upgrade a fire at some point and hadn't been killed since then. Oh well, not a big deal.

[iconoclast]

Finally got around to playing the DLC. It reminded me exactly why I love this series so much - exploring new areas, learning how to deal with new enemies & bosses, finding new equipment, meeting new characters, etc. The combat is very satisfying of course, but it's not as engaging once you know exactly where everything is.

But anyway, Artorias & Manus are easily two of the best bosses in the game (especially Manus). I still need to go and fight the dragon and collect the rest of the new items, but so far everything's been great.

[SantaC]

on my 2nd run right now, oh man the soul farming at the forest gives me 30K souls per minute right now.

[Great Rumbler]

Soul farming in the forest is crazy, especially using the little trick to make the ghost guys fall off the ledge and die.

[Great Rumbler]

Here's my current stats and loadout:

Zweihands +7
Magic Halberd +2
Tower Kite Shield +3

Gargoyle Helm +3
Hard Leather Armor +4
Balder Gauntlets +3
Elite Knight Leggings +3

Blue Tearstone Ring
Havel's Ring

Level 48
Vitality 19
Endurance 19
Strength 34
Dexterity 20

[SantaC]

are you in anor londo yet?

[Great Rumbler]

No, I've still got the Great Hollow and Sen's Fortress before I head on to Anor Londo.

[Raban]

I wouldn't do the Great Hollow now. Wait until after you get the Lordvessel

[Great Rumbler]

Ugh, yeah, I've forgotten how much of a pain it was getting back out of the Great Hollow. Easily one of the worst locations in the game [up to the point that I've played it], at least in Blighttown you can skip most of it with the master key. Then I'll probably just do Sen's Fortress and then go onto Anor Londo.

[SantaC]

also your 2nd ring needs to be replaced. ring of favor and protection is the way to go.

[BlueTsunami]

Darkroot Garden is such a pain in my dick. It seems like everything in the forest wants to plow my butthole. I should probably move to a different area and return there or something. Those fern like creatures can suck ma' dick.

[Great Rumbler]

Give those plant guys a taste of Zweihander steel.

In my own game, I just put the beat down on the iron golem. He went down like a total wuss after a few hits from my Zweihander +7, especially with my summoned hero distracting him.

[Raban]

I just anally fisted the Iron Golem myself on NG+. Sen's Fortress is much more fun when you know what to expect, it went rather quickly. Returning to Anor Londo, however, presented its own set of problems. Those Silver Knight Archers fuck me up every time. If only unlocked doors stayed open in NG+, I could just waltz up to my blacksmith and craft my Great Lord Greatsword I've been waiting forever to make :'(

[Raban]

Finally got past those shitlips last night, got to summon for the boss fight and after a few tries, S&O went down easy. Now I have both their armor and weapons, and I made the Great Lord Greatsword

[chronovore]

http://kotaku.com/5957886/dark-souls-secret-revealed-director-was-pulling-a-prank-on-players

Dark Souls was notoriously one of the most challenging games of 2011. It killed players over and over, sometimes rewarding patience and determination in the face of death and failure with yet more death and failure.

And if players felt like the game was trolling them? Well, they may have been right. At least, about one certain thing.

In an interview with IGN, game director Hidetaka Miyazaki explained outright what the deal with the pendant is. And the answer is: he was having fun on the audience.

The pendant is an optional starting gift when a player begins Dark Souls. It doesn't actually do anything, but Miyazaki said in an interview once that if he were playing, he'd choose the pendant or nothing at all. Players, naturally, then drove themselves and each other a bit crazy trying to suss out any hidden properties, and to follow the reasoning.

But the actual reasoning? As Miyazaki told IGN: "When it comes to the pendant, I actually had a little bit of an intention to play a prank."

Perhaps getting to hear the anguished cries of players worldwide isn't such a farfetched motive for the man who made the game that had what felt like the entirety of Twitter yelling unanimous obscenities for month.

Masterclass pranking.  :'(

[BlueTsunami]

Beat Silf! That was a harrowing fight. I used the Wood Grain ring to cartwheel right into him as he attacked. It put me right under him where I was able to get a few strikes in. It got hairy though since he had this attack where he would jump far back and charge at me (couldn't block it and seemed to large a radius to sidestep).

[Great Rumbler]

Silf gave me some trouble until I remembered that I could roll under his 360 spin attack. Took care of him shortly after that.

Got my Zweihander up to +10 and then took down Smough and Ornstein on my second battle. Back when I played this on 360, I think they killed me at least 20 times.

[SantaC]

Silf gave me some trouble until I remembered that I could roll under his 360 spin attack. Took care of him shortly after that.

Got my Zweihander up to +10 and then took down Smough and Ornstein on my second battle. Back when I played this on 360, I think they killed me at least 20 times.

do you have the black orb or whatever? Use it in the big hall in anor londo with the giant knights guarding boss room.

[Great Rumbler]

Ya, I did that part and got the firekeeper girl revived.

[iconoclast]

Finished my first playthru of the PC version. I haven't played since patch 1.03 I think, so it was interesting to see some of the changes/nerfs they've made. The DLC areas and bosses are great too, so it's well worth buying for the console versions.

Instead of going straight into NG+, I decided to start a naked/melee only Soul Level 1 run with a new character. So far I've killed the Gargoyles, Moonlight butterfly, Gaping Dragon, Quelaag, Ceaseless Discharge, and Sif. Nothing's been too hard so far, but I'm sure Ornstein/Smough & Manus are going to be tough. Maybe Kalameet too.

[Great Rumbler]

Where does the DLC stuff come up?

[iconoclast]

The entrance is behind the hydra in Darkroot, where Dusk is. You have to rescue her and then kill a (new) golem in the Duke's Archives before the entrance appears tho, so you can't access it until you've completed Anor Londo.

[Don Flamenco]

well, not behind the hydra, it's  all the way to the left if you stay in the water and hug the wall.  if you try to go behind it, you fall and die. 

[Raban]

Also, consider returning to the Undead Asylum at the beginning of the game after you collected a key in Firelink. You can get a ring that will make the task of getting to that spot, as well as any fight in water, MUCH easier.

[Great Rumbler]

Time for some Dark Souls DLC, and I'm going in totally blind and without any aid whatsoever [I was a wimp and used the official guide for the rest of the game :'(].

[Madrun Badrun]

How is the pc version for resolution and 60fps?  I know there are fan patches but how do they work in practice?  Should I stick to the 360 version (without dlc) or pick up the pc version?

[Great Rumbler]

Durante's DSFix works great. It just adds an .ini file that you edit [it comes with a complete explanation of what changes you can make and what they do]. Looks great, runs great, and takes about five minutes in total to set up.

[iconoclast]

It took me a couple hours, but I finally beat Manus. He's a tough bastard at SL1, since I think he's resistant to both lightning and fire damage. He also has a bunch of different attacks, but several of them leave him open when he whiffs. Most other bosses only have 2 or maybe 3 punishable attacks, so some of the fights can drag a little as you wait for your opening. Not with Manus tho, because he's the best.

I uploaded the video too, cos why not

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

[Great Rumbler]

Knight Artorias [in the DLC] is straight up killing me here. I think I've died about 30 times.  :'(

Two of three times I've got him down to just a few hits left, but he always finds a way to shred my defenses or keep me off guard to where I can't find a chance to heal.  :'(

[SantaC]

Knight Artorias [in the DLC] is straight up killing me here. I think I've died about 30 times.  :'(

Two of three times I've got him down to just a few hits left, but he always finds a way to shred my defenses or keep me off guard to where I can't find a chance to heal.  :'(

equip giants armor + ring of favor and protection + activate great magic defense

profit.

[Raban]

It took me a couple hours, but I finally beat Manus. He's a tough bastard at SL1, since I think he's resistant to both lightning and fire damage. He also has a bunch of different attacks, but several of them leave him open when he whiffs. Most other bosses only have 2 or maybe 3 punishable attacks, so some of the fights can drag a little as you wait for your opening. Not with Manus tho, because he's the best.

I uploaded the video too, cos why not

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

Holy shit, icono. SL1 looks really fun, I think I might try it. I never thought what the game would be like if you just dodged everything

[iconoclast]

Yeah, it was pretty fun. If you do try it, just make sure you plan ahead properly. I think getting your fire weapon up to +7 before going through Sen's Fortress is one of the most important things to do. You don't want to reach Ornstein & Smough and realize you'll have to backtrack because your fire weapon sucks like I did.

[BlueTsunami]

So with the Hornet Ring and my Black Knight (Great)Sword up to +5 my ripostes are fucking RIDONC. I love playing like this instead of constantly blocking hits and pecking. A much higher gamble though. I'm able to knock 3/4th health off of Black Knights with a riposte. Daggers are supposed to be even more devastating though? Or is that only for backstabs? I'll have to investigate this but using a great sword is useful for falling back to block and swinging when things get hairy.

[Great Rumbler]

I'm kind of in a bind here. I'm about to go fight Manus, but he does a ton of dark magic damage so I really need the Silver Pendant. The problem with that is that I don't have any of the things required to get to the Silver Pendant [i.e. a light source]. I got Cast Light, but I haven't put any points into attunement or intelligence, so I can't use it. I'd probably need at least 5 levels. The Skull Lantern and that glowing helmet are both in places I'm not ready to go yet. So, yeah, a bit of a bind.

Edit: I'll probably just try to beat him without it, too much trouble otherwise.

[Raban]

For the record, I think if you're messing around in the DLC area, you can take on the Catacombs (where you get the Skull Lantern), just bring a divine weapon with you.

[fistfulofmetal]

sunlight maggot > skull lantern

[Raban]

True, but killing a necromancer is probably easier than coming up with 30 humanity for the Chaos Servants.

[Great Rumbler]

Coming up with 30 humanity isn't too hard if you have the Dark Hand.

[Raban]

That's true! I oughta get me one of those.

[Great Rumbler]

Well, I finally came up with 30 humanity and opened the secret shortcut, although I still haven't found it yet.

Also, finally got my Zweihander up to +15.

[BlueTsunami]

Gaping Dragon fucked me up and  I couldn't find the nearest bonfire so I ended up all the way back at the Parish

[Raban]

Well, I finally came up with 30 humanity and opened the secret shortcut, although I still haven't found it yet.

Also, finally got my Zweihander up to +15.

It's a little hidden, actually. Have you fought the Firesage Demon in the Demon Ruins? It's in a room right outside that one.

[Great Rumbler]

I found it after I looked around a little bit, not too hard to find if you go on ahead into the Demon Ruins.

Here's where I'm currently at:

Level 79
Vitality 24
Endurance 30
Strength 44
Dexterity 25

Zweihander +15
Lightning Spear +5
Crest Shield +5

Guardian Helm
Black Iron Armor +5
Silver Knight Gauntlets +4
Elite Knight Leggings +5

Havel's Ring
Ring of Favor and Protection

HP 1089
Stamina 159
Equip Load 52/126

[Don Flamenco]

Well, I finally came up with 30 humanity and opened the secret shortcut, although I still haven't found it yet.

Also, finally got my Zweihander up to +15.

now kill spider waifu for her Firekeeper Soul

[Great Rumbler]

Well, I finally came up with 30 humanity and opened the secret shortcut, although I still haven't found it yet.

Also, finally got my Zweihander up to +15.

now kill spider waifu for her Firekeeper Soul

I can't do it. :'(

[Raban]

Well, I finally came up with 30 humanity and opened the secret shortcut, although I still haven't found it yet.

Also, finally got my Zweihander up to +15.

now kill spider waifu for her Firekeeper Soul

SAD, she's awesome! Talking to her with the Old Witch's Ring on is one of the things that made me totally fall in love with this game. She was even chill when I accidently used Great Chaos Fireball in the room and it hit her. Didn't effect my covenant standing or nothin'. Boss.

Also, your stats look ace, GR. You're just about ready for the end of the game.

[Great Rumbler]

Also, your stats look ace, GR. You're just about ready for the end of the game.

Cool, because I still haven't even beaten the Four Kings or gone through the Duke's Archives yet.

[Raban]

Four Kings should be no problem for you. The Duke's Archives however... is a different story entirely.

[Great Rumbler]

I made it through the Duke's Archives back when I played on the 360 without too many problems and I wasn't nearly as powerful [or as good at the game] as I am now. Shouldn't be too bad, although I never did beat the boss in Crystal Caverns.

[Raban]

Seath? Yeah, I recommend stacking curse resist like crazy. IIRC I had the dingy set + velka's mask and I was able to stand in his crystals taking minimal damage and no curse at all. He's also got this little gimmick where you have to destroy his life support in the room before you can damage him, I dunno if you figured that out when you fought him before.

I only had trouble when I was trying to get the Moonlight Sword from his tail, I gave up on that after a few tries and just running in and smashing his nuts with my Claymore worked very well. Your Zwei ought to demolish him.

[naff]

I'm sure there's some trick to getting Seaths tail. Can't remember how but I remember finding it quite easy after getting frustrated and looking up ways to do it.

[The Sceneman]

iirc you have to be wearing real light gear; so you can zip around, bait his big breath attack, then run behind him and go to work on one of his tentacles.

[BlueTsunami]

Tomb of Giants. Now this shit suuuucks.

[fistfulofmetal]

Tomb of Giants. Now this shit suuuucks.

those skeleton dogs are the worst THE WORST. i recommend just looking online to find the direct route. find the bonfire near the end and you'll be able to run right to the boss with no hassle.

[cool breeze]

accurate

[BlueTsunami]

Tomb of Giants. Now this shit suuuucks.

those skeleton dogs are the worst THE WORST. i recommend just looking online to find the direct route. find the bonfire near the end and you'll be able to run right to the boss with no hassle.

I'll probably do this since those skeleton dogs suck so much balls. I have very high stamina and those things can still deplete it.

(Image removed from quote.)

accurate

I hate how you can constantly hear them breathing like giant dogs. Its so disconcerting. From know how to set that atmosphere.

[SantaC]

here I am farming souls

[Great Rumbler]

Seath went down so fast. Cursebite Ring and that shield that boosts resistance really made a difference.

[SantaC]

Seath went down so fast. Cursebite Ring and that shield that boosts resistance really made a difference.

but did you get his tail?