Dark Souls

Walter

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Staff member
NightCrawler said:
It took me forever to get good enough to beat the Wolf

I had trouble with the wolf (Sif), because its hits eat your stamina so heavily. But learning to dodge and get beneath it to attack really makes that fight a breeze.

(also the Hydra was my first true holy shit moment in the game).

Same here. I still think that battle is super impressive-looking. And it's not even really a boss.

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.

Yep. The general rule of thumb for zone progression is that if enemies are too tough, you're probably in the wrong area. Which is why I'm AMAZED that you already made it through the Tomb of Giants, the toughest zone in the game, and it's something I usually put off until near the end.

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)

You'll get the ability to teleport between bonfires at around the halfway point in the game. At that same time, the golden fog will be lifted, and you can port back to the closest bonfire.

Did anyone actually play through all of Dark Souls without using the internet?

Aazealh said he did. Other than him, maybe 5-6 people? I mostly peeked at a zone guide when I got lost, and don't feel bad about that. Learning the zone progression in the game isn't a spoiler for me. Lore stuff would be.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
I think I made it to Blight town before I started peeking at guides. I'm kinda proud of that. Also, I didn't have online capabilities for most of the game so I took on everything by myself. Never summoned. ALSO, for some dumb reason I was saving my humanities and so I did 80% of the game undead with only 5 estus flasks. I didn't really understand kindling bonfires.

I made the game so much harder on myself.
 

NightCrawler

Aeons gone, vast, mad and deathless
Walter said:
I had trouble with the wolf (Sif), because its hits eat your stamina so heavily. But learning to dodge and get beneath it to attack really makes that fight a breeze.

Darkroot was my rite of passage. I spent ~70% of my gameplay there, farming at that bonfire near the gate where the 4 human characters are. I thought if i got skilled enough to beat those guys constantly, i could take pretty much everything else i'd seen in the game so far, and since i was close to the blacksmith, i could keep upgrading my gear.

Same here. I still think that battle is super impressive-looking. And it's not even really a boss.

At first i didn't even want to get near it, thinking i'd be obliterated, not knowing that the long range attacks were worse than the close ones.

Yep. The general rule of thumb for zone progression is that if enemies are too tough, you're probably in the wrong area. Which is why I'm AMAZED that you already made it through the Tomb of Giants, the toughest zone in the game, and it's something I usually put off until near the end.

That's why i don't want to go back. Going through it was a mix of perseverance, luck and lots of sprinting to find bonfires.

You'll get the ability to teleport between bonfires at around the halfway point in the game. At that same time, the golden fog will be lifted, and you can port back to the closest bonfire.

That's good to know. I guess i'll take on Londo Ruins now, and Blighttown afterwards.

Oburi said:
I think I made it to Blight town before I started peeking at guides. I'm kinda proud of that. Also, I didn't have online capabilities for most of the game so I took on everything by myself. Never summoned. ALSO, for some dumb reason I was saving my humanities and so I did 80% of the game undead with only 5 estus flasks. I didn't really understand kindling bonfires.

Me too, offline, mostly undead, i only use humanities before a big fight, after finding out by chance that you could summon NPCs to fight bosses.
You can have more than 5 estus flasks? :ganishka:
 
When you say you are playing offline, you mean you have literally no messages or blood stains on the ground left by other players?
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
NightCrawler said:

I don't think I'd have enjoyed the game as much without the few funny messages I found. They also led me in the direction of hidden doors (I'd NEVER have found the pathway to Ash Lake. Who the fuck would?).
 
NightCrawler said:

Aww man, is that by choice? I can't imagine playing the game like that. The whole world felt so lived in, and just so recently empty, with so many signs of life left by other players. I don't think the NPC's alone could replicate that experience.

There are a lot of secret doors in this game that you are going to miss, I can tell you that much. (One such door is the only way to two of the in game areas like Walter mentioned, Ash Lake and The Great Hollow).
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
So before I buy Dark Souls 2 I want to play the DLC from Dark Souls which I never did since I let my xbox live membership run out and I've been too cheap to renew it just for this but the time has come. Is there anything I should know before I do this? I have a save file on a first playthrough right after the the Demon Ruins and Lost Izalith (and after killing the other bosses like Seath and Nito). Can I still do the DLC from here? Basically at the end of the game.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Oburi said:
Is there anything I should know before I do this?

Go to where you found Princess Dusk.

I have a save file on a first playthrough right after the the Demon Ruins and Lost Izalith (and after killing the other bosses like Seath and Nito). Can I still do the DLC from here? Basically at the end of the game.

Yep. But if you didn't have the DLC downloaded before you played through the Duke's Archive, go back through that area. There's a new unique drop from the first golem you encounter there that leads in to the DLC. After that, see above.

Also, if your character is at the very end of the game, you might find this area pretty easy. I think it's best suited right after you get the Lordvessel.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
I have another question. I went to find the Lady Dusk by ash lake where I remember her summon sign being only to find it gone. I'm not sure where she went or why I can't find her summon sign. If I buy and download the DLC can i still go back there and do it?

Sorry I'm getting neurotic about this. I just don't want to pay to renew my xbox gold membership just to buy the DLC only to find out that because of classic Dark Souls 'go to far and you've missed it forever' that I need to start a whole new game just to play it.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Oburi said:
I have another question. I went to find the Lady Dusk by ash lake where I remember her summon sign being only to find it gone. I'm not sure where she went or why I can't find her summon sign.

First, you have to be human to use summon signs. But her summon sign isn't what you're looking for anyway. That's not where you first found her. Remember, she was within that golden golem deeper in the cave near the lake with the Hydra. That's where you need to go, presuming you've already gotten the pendant from the first golem in the Duke's Archives.

Sorry I'm getting neurotic about this. I just don't want to pay to renew my xbox gold membership just to buy the DLC only to find out that because of classic Dark Souls 'go to far and you've missed it forever' that I need to start a whole new game just to play it.
You can't go too far (well, unless you beat the final boss and force your game back to New Game+). As long as you have the Lordvessel, you can begin the quest to get to the DLC area.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
Ah, I see. Thank you.

Speaking of that, when I initially saved her from inside that Golem, it was an unnexpected surprise. I had no idea anything like that would happen. She's a pretty interesting character with some good dialog. From what I'm gathering, the DLC involves more of her as well as some Oolacile stuff? I don't want to spoil it for myself since I love the lore but I'm getting pretty hyped up because it seems like this DLC adds a lot.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Oburi said:
Ah, I see. Thank you.

Speaking of that, when I initially saved her from inside that Golem, it was an unnexpected surprise. I had no idea anything like that would happen. She's a pretty interesting character with some good dialog. From what I'm gathering, the DLC involves more of her as well as some Oolacile stuff? I don't want to spoil it for myself since I love the lore but I'm getting pretty hyped up because it seems like this DLC adds a lot.

Don't get too excited for big answers or anything. There's not much dialogue in the DLC, but it involves some key stuff, and there's a lot of inferences that can be made based on it.

As for its quality, many think of it as one of the best pieces of DLC this generation. I think it's pretty good. Not my favorite area of the game. But it has some of the best boss fights of the game, and that's saying something.
 
I agree with Walter, I think its one of the best DLC , it enriches the lore , and offers a new "universe" within the game, that makes you care more about main characters. Plus its lots of fun later for PVP , its where I got most of my fights in DS versus other players
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
Just started but I'm enjoying the DLC :guts: Love how it opens with a bang! (
first boss was awesome
). I had a true "holy shit" moment when
I was running across the bridge in the forest and that giant flying dragon thing landed and glared at me :femto:
. I almost forgot how much I enjoy these games. I'm actually glad I waited so long to play the DLC because now once I finish this playthrough I can jump into DS2.

Walter said:
As for its quality, many think of it as one of the best pieces of DLC this generation. I think it's pretty good. Not my favorite area of the game. But it has some of the best boss fights of the game, and that's saying something.

So what would you say is your favorite area of the game? I really liked the Undead Burg/Parish and the Painted World. I also like New Londo Ruins and some of the Catacombs stuff particularly when there is mountains of bones or bodies or insects on the walls and shit like that. It's also hard to not love Darkroot Garden/Basin since it's great to explore. The first time exploring that area and coming across all it's unique enemies is very memorable, especially since a lot of it is optional.
 

Walter

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Staff member
Oburi said:
So what would you say is your favorite area of the game? I really liked the Undead Burg/Parish and the Painted World. I also like New Londo Ruins and some of the Catacombs stuff particularly when there is mountains of bones or bodies or insect on the walls and shit like that.

Well, I didn't mean that I necessarily had a hierarchy. Just that the
inverted Darkroot Garden + black ooze
doesn't stand out to me next to other areas of the game.

Glad you're enjoying it. The best is yet to come.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
I'm nearly finished with the DLC. All I have left is the
Black Dragon Kalameet and whatever else is in that valley.
I really enjoyed the whole thing. I loved the look and setting of map even if the design was pretty straightforward and not all that complicated. Getting through the levels was pretty easy for me since I'm doing this late in the game, however the boss fights were still a challenge.
Artorias took me a few tries and was one of my favorite fights in the whole game. He is so aggressive and fast, I felt like I was fighting Guts in Beast Mode :guts: Super exciting battle. I did NOT like the final boss in the Abyss, Manus I think. He seemed ridiculously overpowered with his attacks. Even at Level 90 with full Iron Golem armor (except for the Child Mask for stamina recovery) I was killed about 20 times before I killed him. I was switching between different heavy shields and powerful weapons but I had another stamina recovery ring so I had my stamina full within 2 seconds. Still, his attacks were vicious. I even had to summon little baby cub Sif for help (he was basically useless). What a tough fight. Now if I can only figure out how to cut the tail off of Kalameet I'll be all set...
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Manus also beat me down the first time I played through that section. Also probably died 20 times or so. But once you learn his patterns, he's a pussycat. On subsequent runs, I beat him on the first attempt. Artorias is the real challenge, in my opinion. Even now, after 5 playthroughs, he's the toughest boss in the game, to me. And that's as it should be.
 

Kompozinaut

Sylph Sword
Artorias
is the only DkS boss that I still don't have the balls to fight solo.
Kalameet
is a struggle solo, but I got used to him after the countless battles I spent trying to cut off his tail. I always summon for
Artorias.
Makes it a much more manageable fight, of course.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
Both were hard Bosses, but
Manus was more frustrating where as Artorias was the type of difficult challenge that I enjoy. Even though it took me 10-15 tries to beat him, I knew I could beat him. It was my type of fight. I just had to time it better and remain calm. Ugh, Manus. I knew his patterns perfectly but I still couldn't manage to avoid getting hit by them.
 
Best way to get kalameet's is to use sorcery, about 4 - 5 Soul Spears and Crystal Soul Spears will take it off pronto, and you can manually aim them so you don't have to wait FOREVER for him to make his tail vulnerable to melee
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Jaze1618 said:
Best way to get kalameet's is to use sorcery, about 4 - 5 Soul Spears and Crystal Soul Spears will take it off pronto, and you can manually aim them so you don't have to wait FOREVER for him to make his tail vulnerable to melee

It's always seemed weird to me when people suggest "Oh, just use sorcery," since doing that requires a specific build, and generally not one that's picked by newcomers. It's not like you can switch off from a melee character to using crystal soul spear (which requires something like 50INT, making it nearly a new game + level spell).

My Kalameet strategy:
just like the game's other giant, four-legged boss, get under it and swat at any body part you can reach, then back off and block. Wait for it to swoop in, dodge/roll its thrusting attacks, then get back underneath it. Rinse and repeat.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
Walter said:
It's always seemed weird to me when people suggest "Oh, just use sorcery," since doing that requires a specific build, and generally not one that's picked by newcomers. It's not like you can switch off from a melee character to using crystal soul spear (which requires something like 50INT, making it nearly a new game + level spell).

Yea, there's no chance I'm using Soul Spears since I have 18INT.


Walter said:
My Kalameet strategy:
just like the game's other giant, four-legged boss, get under it and swat at any body part you can reach, then back off and block. Then wait for it to swoop in, dodge/roll its thrusting attacks, then get back underneath it. Rinse and repeat.

I know I can beat him him. Hell, I almost accidentally killed him on my first try by doing just that. But, I really want to get all the items I can get, so I want his tail first.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Oburi said:
I really want to get all the items I can get, so I want his tail first.
Getting his tail is much, much harder than taking him down. I tried doing it a number of times before looking up the stats on the weapon that drops and seeing it wasn't worth it for my build, gave up.
 
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