Dark Souls anyone?

Loneliness, Depression & Relationship Forum

Help Support Loneliness, Depression & Relationship Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
21acceptedbeingalone said:
Just saw this thread. I am a huge fan of demon's souls and dark souls and have played both a ridiculous amount. Im happy for dark souls 2.

Awesome, I have yet to play Demon's Souls, but I'll probably pick up a used copy in the near future.
 
Sweeet, I just completed a no healing challenge on the Sanctuary Guardian and Knight Artorias in ng+, this is a first for me :cool:.
 
Heard this game is really really hard, but still worth buying?
 
Lilianna said:
Congrats!

Thnx :D

HumanZ said:
Heard this game is really really hard, but still worth buying?

How about worth buying BECAUSE it's really really hard? Actually the game becomes exponentially easier as you build up your stats and equipment, it's just a matter of experimenting with different builds and finding out what works for you. I watched a fair amount of playthroughs and did a lot of research on the wikis. Once you have a basic understanding of how different stats and equipment interact with each other it's a lot easier to learn combat skills. I guess I wouldn't recommend it to more casual gamers though.
 
HumanZ, from what I've seen the game is justly hard. In the sense, if you're good at games, you won't have a problem with the difficulty. If you're very attentive, you should be fine.

T.T I've heard good things about the game and really would like to play but, can't exactly afford it.
 
There's an unspoken code of ethics within the Dark Souls PvP community, a certain standard of etiquette to which one is generally expected to adhere. When I first started playing other people I was completely oblivious to it. I didn't understand the hostile message I received one day after defeating an invading player. I suppose I was asking for that kind of reaction when, after feeling a little full of myself post victory, I used an inflammatory gesture, thus adding insult to injury so to speak. My opponent criticized my use of healing items during the fight and wearing a mask that gave me a slight strategic edge.

My initial response was to get angry and I promptly told this person where they could stick their opinion. I reminded them of the fact that they were playing the role of the aggressor in that situation by invading me and so deserved any treatment they got. Their reaction made me curious though, and I did a little reading on the wikis. I found out that generally the biggest sore spot for your everyday 1 on 1 PvP'er is healing during a fight. So began my learning process on what makes for enjoyable dueling in this unique game.

Ok I admit it: I was an ******* about this in the beginning. I really liked the idea of an honor system, it just spoke to me, and I started to hate anybody making the same faux pas I was deemed guilty of by a certain garrulous past opponent. I got angry at people and sent a number of messages I'm not proud of. With time and experience however, I've become much more relaxed. My understanding of what I feel is proper Dark Souls etiquette has deepened; it has been refined and redefined.

Looking back at my encounter with the invader who questioned my sense of gaming honor, I don't believe I was in the wrong. The subject of honor, and what actually constitutes honorable PvP, is hotly contested within the Dark Souls online community. I now feel that most people preaching honor are, like myself in the early days after being introduced to this concept, simply confused as to the mechanics of, and the distinction between, the different types of PvP.

I don't remember which forum I read this in, but it's stuck with me; someone commented in a thread about this very subject that, "...most people just don't understand the difference between a duel and an invasion." Basically there are two ways to PvP in Dark Souls (not counting the Battle of Stoicism arenas but that's a whole different can of worms I won't open right now): you can invade another person's world and force them to fight you, or you can leave a PvP summon sign and invite them to summon you for a duel. The way I see it, invasions are like a street fight or a battlefield; all bets are off. If you invade then you should be prepared to be met with extreme hostility and anything possible within the mechanics of the game should be considered as fair play. For example, when this whole thing started for me by defeating that verbose invader, I was actually just waiting for a friend's co-op summon sign to appear so I could give him some loot, which can be a lengthy process depending on your internet connection and how the servers feel like behaving that day. If I'd lost the fight I would have had to start all over again, so I was just doing everything in my power to keep that from happening.

It works both ways too of course; don't expect any courtesy from invaders. Some of them might bow to you before starting the fight, which is usually the calling card of a respectful player, but don't bow to them expecting them to wait for the animation to finish before attacking. As a rule of thumb, assume that any invading player is simply going to try to kill you as quickly and efficiently as possible without any regard to etiquette. They probably expect the same from you. On the other hand, if you summon another player for PvP, I feel that this is the time when at least a minimal amount of respect and sportsmanship should be extended by both parties. It's simply the difference between being jumped on the street, and stepping into a boxing arena (though much less risky of course :D).

Basically, what I'm trying to say with this rambling rant is that, entirely dependent on how the fight is initiated, it may or may not be acceptable to throw sand in your opponent's eyes and follow it up with a steel toe kick to the crotch. What's even more important to keep in mind though, is that you're interacting with a large community of people. Some of them will be honorable in their fights, some of them will be complete trolls. It's only a video game after all. The more I forgive behavior I don't approve of, the easier it is to just move on to the next fight, and the more I enjoy myself. In fact just last night I summoned someone for PvP, and they killed me while I was enchanting my weapon (which causes your character to be frozen in place for a few seconds while the animation plays out). At first I was angry, but decided to calm down and sent them a message simply asking why they would choose to leave a summon sign instead of just invading if they were going to play like that. They agreed that it was a bad move on their part and apologized. We ended up having a short discussion and they're now one of my PSN contacts. It just goes to show that a little levelheadedness goes a long way.

To conclude, here's a hilarious collaborative video about PvP trolling made by two prominent members of the Dark Souls community.
 
Well I just completed a new challenge for myself. I killed Kalameet in ng+ while in hyper mode (Red Tearstone Ring) with 64 hp and no healing items used. I started the fight with full health and basically depended on luck as to whether Kalameet would get my health low enough w/out killing me in order for the Red Tearstone Ring to take effect (boosts attack damage by 50% when health is at 20% or below).

Here's the build I used:

Starting Class: Cleric
Covenant: Blade of the Darkmoon +1
SL: 125

Vit 40
Att 16 (4 slots)
End 40
Str -
Dex 40
Res -
Int -
Faith 40

Right hand: Balder Side Sword + 15
Left hand: Tower Kite Shield +15, Darkmoon Talisman

Thief Mask +10
Black Cleric Robe +5
Black Sorcerer Gauntlets +10
Silver Knight Leggings +5

Spells: Darkmoon Blade & Sunlight Blade
Rings: Ring of Steel Protection & Red Tearstone Ring
 
I've been playing Dark Souls a lot lately. I played it quite a bit when it first came out then left it once I'd gotten everything done on it, but I went back to it the other day out of boredom and it's once again been pretty fun. I've stopped playing it now though, because I had planned on making a Master Key Undead Burg Gravelord Servant exploit battle arena thing, but then I remembed the Bed of Chaos and just decided to not bother. It's kinda a shame I didn't find this thread during my "hayday" of the last week or so, when I was really into it, but it's past now. I guess if I do sign in on it now all I seem to do is rock the ring of fog and hide somewhere. There's a spot I'm fond of in Anor Londo where it's a point of no return, since there's no way back beyond dying or warping to a bonfire if you drop down there. Hiding there and letting the invaders kill themselves after spending a good hour looking for me is quite fun. If they send hate and then immediately reinvade me I take up a Dragonslayer Greatbow and swat them off the rafters.

If I ever boot it up again before I forget everything about my current save (which means if I return again in the future the save would be deleted anyway) I'll probably try hiding in the forest dressed as that bandit NPC, with a +5 Chaos battleaxe. Set up just right with the humanity and such, can land a backstab just around 1000 damage, which makes for excellent surprise tactics, especially since people like to stand still on the area with the bandit to watch to forest for you. I wonder if it's still viable or if everyone knows about it. I guess Crystal Soul Mass or Pursuers would ruin it also.
 
Sadly my computer isn't fancy enough to run Dark Souls... but one day! One day I'll know what all the fuss is about!
 
Greb said:
...I've stopped playing it now though, because I had planned on making a Master Key Undead Burg Gravelord Servant exploit battle arena thing, but then I remembed the Bed of Chaos and just decided to not bother...

Yeah the Bed of Chaos is definitely my least favorite part of any playthrough. I have a pretty good system though now where I can usually get it done on the first try.

Greb said:
...I guess if I do sign in on it now all I seem to do is rock the ring of fog and hide somewhere. There's a spot I'm fond of in Anor Londo where it's a point of no return, since there's no way back beyond dying or warping to a bonfire if you drop down there. Hiding there and letting the invaders kill themselves after spending a good hour looking for me is quite fun. If they send hate and then immediately reinvade me I take up a Dragonslayer Greatbow and swat them off the rafters...

Lol awesome. Are you referring to the space on the left hand side of the narrow walkway when you first come to Anor Londo where there's a chest with a divine blessing in it?

ajdass1 said:
Sadly my computer isn't fancy enough to run Dark Souls... but one day! One day I'll know what all the fuss is about!

And a glorious day it shall be. Praise the Sun! :D
 
Yeah I didn't know it had a Divine Blessing in it, though. Trick is not to open it because otherwise they'll assume I as a player know about the location and go there. But yes, yes I am. It's quite a good spot if you can pull it off right, especially in Dark Anor Londo. It's always obvious to a skilled player I'm there once they land though, because the blocking Painting Guardian is dead. I like kicking him off the platform to the area below in the hopes they'll think I'm down there, but still. I'll have to test if you can use fall control to land safely in the area below, but somehow I doubt it. I know you can use Fall Control to jump from the Undead Burg right down into the Lower Undead Burg and basically skip a fair amount of the Undead Burg and Parish, but yeah. It'd be a fairly pointless shortcut in Anor Londo but I think once you fall you hit a kill zone which renders you instantly dead anyway, before you hit the ground.

Bed of Chaos would be a lovely stroll through the country if the **** bonfire wasn't so far away. The same can be said about Ornstein and Smough, a fairly easy boss if you can keep Ornstein behind Smough (or just keep away from slow-ass Smough and kill Ornstein, who loves to do rapid speed dashes that are easy to dodge, whereas Smough waddles and occasionally does a running charge...but yeah) the hardest part about those two is the walk past the sentinels, two angry Silver Knights and also that one with the Dragonslayer Greatbow. Overall not very challenging enemies but when you just want to kill the boss...bluh.

If only I could be as grossly incandescent.
 
Right, not opening the chest makes sense. That spot isn't actually a point of no return though. You can drop down to the platform with the statue of Gwynevere on it without using fall control and only lose a tiny amount of hp, and then make your way over to the right side of the path from there. The Lower Undead Burg shortcut is also possible without fall control. Here's a video demonstration. The Undead Burg shortcut starts at 3:00.

[youtube]ixhCaRCgelQ[/youtube]
 
Hmm. I'll have a poke around at the Gwynvere statue a little more. Would be nice to be able to quickly flee when the enemy tries to find me up there, to increase how long I can remain hidden. The longest I ever managed was down in the big painting guardian room, since I used Slumbering and Fog rings to circle around one particular pillar constantly to keep hidden. It's nice when it lasts a long time though, since you can get invaders and spirits of vengeance joining, and typically if you've had an invader looking for you for a while, they immediately make a beeline for the vengeance spirit just so they can kill something.

Thanks for the video, gunna check it out now. Might teach me something new :)


Ha, I'm a mini-fan of this guy, mostly because his commentry isn't with an annoying voice. I watched his "Everything possible before Bell Gargoyles" longplay, so I could set up a Gravelord Servant early on to catch some dumbass Undead Burg Soul Level 10 invaders...but then I found out it doesn't work until NG+...so I had to delete that character, lol. Still, he's pretty good.
 
No problem. That guy's an amazing player. I've learned a lot from watching his videos.
 
Yeah me too, kinda. I learned quite a bit that made my return visit to Dark Souls more pleasing by watching that Everything possible before Bell Gargoyles thing. That video you put up also showed me two shortcuts I wasn't aware of, too, the quick Four Kings shortcut and the Duke's Archives elevator shortcut. Both are pretty awesome, indeed. :D
 
Yeah the Four Kings one has saved me quite a lot of time, especially when I'm just out to get the Very Large Ember. I have to admit though I have yet to pull off the Archives shortcut successfully. Thus far my attempts have caused me to spend so much time trying to do it that I eventually decide it will just be faster to go through the level the standard way.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top