Dark Souls

[Walter]

I've been trying to get the tail of Black Dragon Kalameet ( from the DLC)
Died 12 times and still couldnt cut his tail. I dont want to kill him before I get it.

Getting his tail is harder than killing him. It also is not worth it at all.

[Jaze1618]

I've been trying to get the tail of Black Dragon Kalameet ( from the DLC)
Died 12 times and still couldnt cut his tail. I dont want to kill him before I get it.

I found the most reliable way to do this solo is with my int builds. Manually aiming soul spears and crystal soul spears at his tail always works for me. Much better than waiting for him to put it in reach of a physical attack.

Otherwise it should also be pretty easy if you can summon someone to help with the tail.

[Sankari]

I found the most reliable way to do this solo is with my int builds. Manually aiming soul spears and crystal soul spears at his tail always works for me. Much better than waiting for him to put it in reach of a physical attack.

Otherwise it should also be pretty easy if you can summon someone to help with the tail.

Got tired of waiting for his tail. Killed him. Now I'm going to improve some weapons and then move on to NG+

[Walter]

Sorry, didn't see these questions until today:

1) The Dragon Breath, after using the Dragon Stone. Is its fire breath power increased due to how much Humanity you have active or is its power increased by how many dragon scales you offer up? Is it the same way with the Dragon Torso?

The only way to increase its power is by offering dragon scales through the covenant.

2) The Eye of Death, how does it exactly affect other players worlds? Stronger enemies? Is there a huge difference in the enemies difficulty?

It's for the gravelord servant covenant. Using the Eye of Death like a trap, you can send black phantoms into nearby players' worlds and generally be a complete dick. Here's a detailed tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-TzeyuF1_c

3) You can stack magic and miracles allowing more uses but not rings effecting your stats. However, I stack the Serpent ring and the treasure chest helmet, both of which increase item drop. I wonder if the stats have stacked in doing such.

As far as I know, yes they do stack. But there are so few examples of them, and much more essential rings, that I can't imagine it being used very often. I think having Havel's ring (if you are heavily armored) and/or the Ring of Favor pretty much trump all other rings. Cloranthy Ring is also very good for strength players (increased stamina).

4) Whats typically is the best defensive item against the Black Mages, as I don't have the DLC, thus I'm not sure if I can equip anything to really put a great defense against these guys. If my magic defense is all I got in terms of defense I must say the Black Mages powers are hugely over powered.     

Not sure who you mean... Pyromancers? There aren't any black mages in the game. Well either way, all equipment has ratings for each kind of damage. Having trouble with a magic user? Equip a shield strong against it; same for fire, lightning etc.

5) Apparently, you can't learn sorcery unless your a sorcery class, is this correct? I been playing one character for the past 112 hours and haven't experimented a lot with abilities and such of particular classes.

Incorrect. Anyone can learn sorcery. You just have to raise your Intelligence stat to the level where you can buy spells and use them effectively. I think the early cutoff is 11 INT for the first sorcery teacher (Griggs, who you rescue in Undead Burg). And it's something like 18 for Big Hat Logan (he's snobby).

[Walter]

The English edition of the Dark Souls: Design Works just shipped yesterday. Basically, it's an artbook of the game's designs with a long series of interviews with the director and designers about the game's development. Thankfully, mine already arrived. 

In one of the interviews, Berserk is specifically referenced when one of the designers said the series' armor designs were what made him start paying attention to armor in fantasy series. Here's the excerpt:



As a comparison, here's a picture of the Catarina armor design sketch: http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/0/1520/2443067-catarina-armor.jpg

None of this is any surprise to fans of both Berserk and Dark Souls. There are a dozen or so other similarities. But it's nice for Berserk to get some _official_ influential recognition in the interviews.

The book itself is very cool, and a must have for anyone in love with the design of the world and/or armors in Dark Souls. The interviews at the end sometimes get a little tangential, but include some really enlightening things about some of the characters and origins of the ideas in the game. Neither the art nor the interviews however are quite as extensive as I had hoped, but just to get a glimpse of the ideas and personalities behind the game—worth every penny.

It's $25 on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Souls-Design-From-Software/dp/1926778898

[krzykoopa]

The English edition of the Dark Souls: Design Works just shipped yesterday. Basically, it's an artbook of the game's designs with a long series of interviews with the director and designers about the game's development. Thankfully, mine already arrived. 

In one of the interviews, Berserk is specifically referenced when one of the designers said the series' armor designs were what made him start paying attention to armor in fantasy series. Here's the excerpt:



As a comparison, here's a picture of the Catarina armor design sketch: http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/0/1520/2443067-catarina-armor.jpg

None of this is any surprise to fans of both Berserk and Dark Souls. There are a dozen or so other similarities. But it's nice for Berserk to get some _official_ influential recognition in the interviews.

The book itself is very cool, and a must have for anyone in love with the design of the world and/or armors in Dark Souls. The interviews at the end sometimes get a little tangential, but include some really enlightening things about some of the characters and origins of the ideas in the game. Neither the art nor the interviews however are quite as extensive as I had hoped, but just to get a glimpse of the ideas and personalities behind the game—worth every penny.

It's $25 on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Souls-Design-From-Software/dp/1926778898

Thats pretty cool, When I first seen the onion knight I thought the same thing that looks like… naa it can't. Ha

[Delta Phi]

Been doing my…uh…farewell play through. Gearing up to start NG+. After I get done all that I want to get done I think I'll finally uninstall the game and shelve the disc. If DkSII is anything like what it's shaping up to be then I doubt I'll be coming back to DkS (but you never know, been playing this game on and off for the last 2 years. Certainly gotten more milage than any other game I've bought.)

[Griffith]

Everyone's favorite reviewer here takes on Dark Souls!

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/8802-Dark-Souls

Anyway, the rake keeping me from finishing the game recently has been that it randomly stopped booting for some reason, and I didn't feel like troubleshooting/reinstalling/troubleshooting, and who knows how Windows Live shutting down will complicate matters (maybe not at all, but I don't care to find out). Anyway, I might just wait to get a cheap ps3 and marathon the entire Souls series on my big screen (or if PS4 streaming can deliver I might be able to waste money on it after my wedding).

[Walter]

Everyone's favorite reviewer here takes on Dark Souls!

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/8802-Dark-Souls

Can't wait to hear General Potshot's timely, in-depth take!

Anyway, the rake keeping me from finishing the game recently has been that it randomly stopped booting for some reason, and I didn't feel like troubleshooting/reinstalling/troubleshooting, and who knows how Windows Live shutting down will complicate matters (maybe not at all, but I don't care to find out). Anyway, I might just wait to get a cheap ps3 and marathon the entire Souls series on my big screen (or if PS4 streaming can deliver I might be able to waste money on it after my wedding).

It's your call, but that sounds way more tedious than troubleshooting the PC error, which likely boils down to changing one or two settings in DSfix. There are actually two settings that have notes saying they should be toggled if you experience a failed boot. One of them is skipping the logos at launch, but I can't recall the other one.

As for GFWL, the games saves are the only real thing that would be affected by its closure, and there is already a way to backup your save independent of GFWL through DSfix. So I'm not worried.

[Sankari]

I'm still gathering all the good weapons before moving on to NG+
Sad thing is , the multiplayer will probly die when DS II is launched, but o well

[Delta Phi]

Last night I finished getting everything there is to get (on one file). I'm feeling pretty satisfied.

[Walter]

Dark Souls is on sale for $6 on Steam. I will buy a copy for any member who doesn't have it already, and is committed to playing it.

Just post with your steam name and I will gift it to you today.

[Griffith]

Dark Souls is on sale for $6 on Steam. I will buy a copy for any member who doesn't have it already, and is committed to playing it.

Just post with your steam name and I will gift it to you today.

[Hitoshura]

Dark Souls is on sale for $6 on Steam. I will buy a copy for any member who doesn't have it already, and is committed to playing it.

Just post with your steam name and I will gift it to you today.

RSA92689 is my steam name. I've been meaning to get this ever since I've beaten Demon's Souls years ago .

[Gummyskull]

My brother owns this game on the ps3 and I've been really wanting to play it after reading the praise here. I've played plenty of fantasy role playing games before (Star Trail, Skyrim, Baldur's Gate, Diablo to name a few) so I'm not inexperienced when it comes to them. Dark Souls seems different in comparison though, which is really appealing.
Is there anything I should know before starting? Or should I go in blind?

[Delta Phi]

Blind. Definitely. You'll miss some stuff but its worth the total feeling of dread you'll have around each corner. Especially if you plan to play through it multiple times, I'd avoid as much info/spoilers as possible. You'll feel that much more accomplished when you clear and area or beat a boss.

One thing to keep in mind if you're feeling daring: Most, if not all, bosses with tails can have their tail cut off, which, in some instances makes the boss easier, but will also yield a special weapon drop.

Also, read as many item descriptions as possible. It'll enrich your experience 10 fold.

[Walter]

RSA92689 is my steam name. I've been meaning to get this ever since I've beaten Demon's Souls years ago .

Cool. I sent you an invite (can't gift without being a friend).

I've played plenty of fantasy role playing games before (Star Trail, Skyrim, Baldur's Gate, Diablo to name a few) so I'm not inexperienced when it comes to them. Dark Souls seems different in comparison though, which is really appealing.

Yeah, quite different from those. Namely, it's more of an action game.

Is there anything I should know before starting? Or should I go in blind?

Be prepared for a long learning curve, where you will become frustrated at your deaths. But every death is a learning experience. Even if you die before retrieving any lost souls from your corpse, you'll get more adept at the game the longer you play it. And that mastery is really what kept me glued to the game, independent of its amazing world design.

[Hitoshura]

Cool. I sent you an invite (can't gift without being a friend).

I accepted the friend invite just now.

[Doc]

Be prepared for a long learning curve, where you will become frustrated at your deaths. But every death is a learning experience. Even if you die before retrieving any lost souls from your corpse, you'll get more adept at the game the longer you play it. And that mastery is really what kept me glued to the game, independent of its amazing world design.

I think that's the crux of it. Modern gaming has created almost a stigma towards 'dying', mainly because most mainstream developers are content to handhold the player through everything. Dark Souls is lesson in trial and error. Nine times out of ten, if you die it's because you weren't mindful of your surroundings or mistimed an attack/block/roll. You've just got to suck it up and come back wiser and stronger.

However, this was something I had to learn through Demon's Souls before I could go back and give Dark Souls another shot.

Also, far be it for me to tell you how to play but I would recommend at least having some form of magic, whether it's sorcery or pyromancy. It's definitely a crutch for the early part of the game.

[Hitoshura]

Thanks for the game, Walter! You have a heart of gold. Don't let them take it from you

[Gummyskull]

Thanks for the advice Walter, Doc, and Delta Phi!  Now I am even more excited to start playing.

[Delta Phi]

If anyone one has XBox Live Gold and wants to play this game but has their reservations, Dark Souls is free to purchase this month (June). It's definitely more than worth $0.00

[NightCrawler]

Went blind, haven't played a single player game since the Mass Effect series. Oddly, it grabbed my attention, but quickly realized this game just tortures you and sucks you in like a bad case of Stockholm Syndrome. I feel like an abused housewife in a perpetual war of attrition with my unforgivingly violent husband: "I can fix you Dark Souls, i'm sure it'll be a worthy experience in the end".
Anyway, after i did all of Darkroot Garden/Basin i realized that it all of that hard work was basically pointless, wow... So on i went through the Valley of the Drakes into Blighttown... humm... nope, this will take me forever, better choose something else. Tried New Londo Ruins, died without finding a bonfire, gave up. What else is left? Oh, right, the Catacombs. Okay, lets do that. A lot of sprinting and surprisingly got to a bonfire. Stuck to it fiercely throughout Tomb of the Giants and now i've reached a golden fog and can't pass through it, geez... really?! Whatever i need to do to get it open, please tell me i can magically teleport back to this location and don't have to go through that catacombs/tomb of the giants nightmare again...

[Walter]

Glad to hear you've picked up the game.

It's definitely not kind to newcomers. At first blush it does seem like the game is directionless. But if you talk to NPCs, often they will give you lots of info on where to go, what to do. The very first one you meet tells you where to go for the first half of the game

Youve done Undead Burg, right? Didn't see it mentioned, and the route you took could have avoided it. You had the right idea with Blighttown though... Should go back there. You're looking for bells. Gargoyles. Then blight town. Then the gated fortress.

And yeah you will eventually be able to port back to places you've explored. Also the ring you got from the forest will help you later in the game.

[NightCrawler]

Yes, i did all of Burg, Parish, rang the first bell (by summoning two NPCs, completely by chance, and it was such a relief, cause i was getting my ass kicked ad nauseam). Then after i met the first smith i went on to the Darkroot Gardens/Basin, thinking that would be the way to go, but it seems like its only a side area. It took me forever to get good enough to beat the Wolf (also the Hydra was my first true holy shit moment in the game).
When i went back to other areas, like the Depths and New Londo Ruins, it felt a bit like i should've went through those first and the Gardens/Basin later, cause the enemies seemed harder in the Gardens. But there's no way to tell with this game.
I didn't want to use guides or anything similar, but this golden fog kinda pissed me off, just the thought of having to leave Tomb of Giants just to go back through it again is making me not wanting to play. At this point it's by far the worst area of the game, it's not confusing like Blighttown seemed to be, but way more soul crushing.
This teleporting thing, can i find it at this stage i'm at, or is it only further in the game? Can i leave Tomb of Giants knowing i can just teleport back to finally go through the golden fog, or it doesn't work like that at all? (i must confess i'm not much of an adept of the Metroidvania style) Did anyone actually play through all of Dark Souls without using the internet?