ZackieChan
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I got Dark Souls. Now what?
- Thread starter Chittagong
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Funny enough i switched to a longsword/drake sword and use fireballs sparingly. i mainly use the fireballs for the black knight in undead burg and for some basic tools in the beginning, im mainly going to be warrior with pyromancy.
But the bandit knife makes perfect sense.
Attackthebase
Member
Going through the Undead Borg, not too hard before I faced the boss fight. The Tarius Demon owned my face. Shit, fought him twice and got decimated both times. Shit's painful. Any tips?
I'm in Anor Londo now. Killed the two big Gargoyles, now have to go through the part were they shoot arrows at you on the narrow ledge.
Sen's Fortress wasn't that bad, but I forgot to open the shortcut. I'm going to go back and do that before I go further, I need arrows.
This is going to be dumb. I have a few Pyro spells, but where do you get the actual fire glove? I accidentally killed the dude in the barrel, and the wraith lady near Qualag didn't have one for me to buy...
Sen's Fortress wasn't that bad, but I forgot to open the shortcut. I'm going to go back and do that before I go further, I need arrows.
This is going to be dumb. I have a few Pyro spells, but where do you get the actual fire glove? I accidentally killed the dude in the barrel, and the wraith lady near Qualag didn't have one for me to buy...
He's weak to lightning so use some Golden Pine Resin on your weapon. If you want a wider area to fight him on go back to where you entered from and climb the ladder up. You can either do a drop thrust on him from the top or wait for him to jump to jump up and fight him at the top.
when you get to that bridge that he appears on, climb up the tower to your immediate right and take out the undead soldiers. Climb down and trigger the taurus demon. Run back to the tower and climb it. Do a plunging attack on him (don't wait long or he'll jump up there).
After the plunge attack run to the other end and get him to follow. head back to the tower ladder, running past the demon (dodge roll on left side worked best for me). Plunge him about 3 times and thats it.
Attackthebase
Member
Thanks guys, I'll execute these methods when I play later tonight!
Did this after trial and error x 10 times. Felt fucking good I yelled at my monitor to fuck himself.
I flip off every boss in this game except Quelag (I summoned two phantoms that beat the shit out of her) and the Iron Golem who was surprisingly easy. The wizard guy in the catacombs was a joke too.
Yeah, the catacombs boss was meant to be faced earlier than when people usually kill him, I think. Wish I could see what he does but he dies in five seconds.
Use fire bombs. Have atleast 20. Go nuts in them asshats. Hated them.
manipulate
Member
Hey guys. I'm sure someone has asked this question before but I'm lazy. I haven't played either Demons Souls or Dark Souls. Should I play Demons Souls or just go straight to Dark Souls?
mickcenary
Member
Dumb question, but: what is the combat in this game even like? I'm guessing it's not like Skyrim, where you more or less hack at things and point and click to set things on fire, etc. Is there poetry, mechanical depth and visceral satisfaction? Is there weight and friction and conviction to the animations, etc? Yeah, I'm one of those gamers.
That's exactly what it is. It's glorious. Watch some videos.
Everything you want is in Dark Souls' combat.
You see the mustache on your avatar? Yeah, it's like that. Perfection.
The souls games have the best melee combat ever created. Dark Souls is the game of the decade.
Play both. One isn't necessarily better than the other. Demon's Souls has some incredible level design and great bosses. You're missing out if you don't play both.
mickcenary
Member
Woah. I am definitely excite, but you see, I'm not really an RPG guy at all. I think it's because Bethesda has made me hate the genre with its idiosyncratic shitty animation and sliding up and down cliff faces and whatnot.
For a point of reference - and I realise that this might be a stretch in terms of comparison - I consider shotgun battles in Gears of War 3 MP to be the pinnacle of satisfying gameplay mechanics.
HMM.
And thanks for the replies. I have watched some videos, but they don't really appear to be illuminating in that sense. Any links would be much appreciated.
For a point of reference - and I realise that this might be a stretch in terms of comparison - I consider shotgun battles in Gears of War 3 MP to be the pinnacle of satisfying gameplay mechanics.
HMM.
And thanks for the replies. I have watched some videos, but they don't really appear to be illuminating in that sense. Any links would be much appreciated.
Ghost_Protocol
Member
You have to be kidding. Either you've played the game already and are messing with us, or you're super-ultra late to the party. The combat in DS is exactly what you're looking for.
hey_it's_that_dog
benevolent sexism
There is visceral satisfaction. There is not much mechanical depth in terms of a combo system, but it's very important to manage your position and your enemy's position, so combat is tactical and requires your full attention, even for basic enemies. Counterattacks and backstabs are extremely satisfying. Most importantly, the animation is good, the enemies react appropriately to being hit, and it just feels right.
I'm just like you in that I cannot stand games that don't feel good, no matter how deep or rich the experience is. I would never play Skyrim simply because melee looks like garbage, even though I'd probably like other things about it.
Oracle Dragon
Member
Things I noticed about the gargoyles:
1) The second one seems weaker than the first. I don't mean he spawns with less health (which he does), I mean that he seems to take more damage from my weapons.
2) The second one will often just sit there and breath fire at you especially if the first garg is still up, making it easier to avoid. When you fight the second one, run towards him. When he breaths fire roll to the side and get beside him. You can wail on him while he keeps spitting fire.
3) If you have Master Key go to Valley of the Drakes first and get the flame resist shield, it can really help here, or use the Black Knight shield if you were lucky enough to get it.
4) If you are melee try and have 20 endurance, you can absorb a crapload even with a mediocre shield, makes all fights much easier. I fought Capra with 20 end, and I could block all of his hits without issue. End, not str, is the most important melee stat IMO.
J-Roderton
Member
I'm using the wiki, Dark Souls Gaf, and a guide book. It's like someone is holding my hand all the way through, and that's fine with me. Shit's hard.
Ghost_Protocol
Member
If you plan on playing Demon's Souls at some point, you must play it before Dark Souls.
Don't ever fight a boss that many times in a row again. You will not make it through the rest of the game (you won't even make it past the next boss you'll see.....) You'll toss the game out the window and rip your controller in two. Instead, if you aren't getting anywhere after 3 tries, stop, relax, and leave to upgrade your armor/shield/weapon/health/armor 2 or 3 levels. It works 80-90% of the time.
mickcenary
Member
YEAHHHHH, look: you guys have sold me on it. I'm even going to buy it from JB Hifi so I can't return it for full price. I'm fully aware of the immense critical praise this game has received, so I'm happy to render it one of the very few that I have a genuinely solid crack at.
Here's hoping I like it!
arglebargle
Member
to be honest, when i read your question it sounded to me like you knew more about the games than most people who play them (many dont get more insightful than "its hard") so it seems like a good match for your tastes. it an rpg in the sense that you level and can specialize in a class, and there is some plot if you know where to look. but its not really like a bethesda game at all.
i am playing a pyromancer know, and the handaxe does basically no damage to the gargoyles. my strategy was to level until i could use the halberd (which owns everything at that point in the game, to be honest), start the fight with a few fireballs, use halberd when out of fireballs. i beat it on the first try with this strategy (second try overall, first try was using handaxe).
and for the taurus, i used the plunge attack strategy as well. only takes three or four plunges, even with the crappy handaxe.
To further add on to what's been said...
It's a combat system that reminds me of Square's classic fighter - Bushido Blade.
Not so much the one hit kill elements (although that's there depending on the types of weapons used and the opponents faced) - but even at high levels against percieved weak opponents, there can still be definite moments of uncertainty.
Contributing towards this is the game's environmental hazards - narrow cliffs and walkways mostly, that require you to be alert and aware of your surroundings. It's a double edged sword though - dying and losing 100k souls as you're trying to get from one place to another is a bit droll - but the upside that it makes you exercise constant caution is definetly worth it .
Also, to reduce frustration, go in with the mindset that souls are just bonuses. The real mark of progress is simply good old memorization and familiarization. As you become familiar with a location, understanding where enemies are and where the shortcuts and pitfalls are, and how to approach x enemy on y terrain, you'll become much more powerful. It'll reflect in subsequent playthroughs with drastically reduced playtimes.
Yeah, I got a bit antsy on those two last night as well. My new character build wasn't so great for been bashed around which these two like to do.
My tip: Apply the gold resin to the weapon before the fight starts, run in and focus solely on the first gargoyle. With a bit of luck, you'll pop him before the second one gets into the fight proper.
With me, I had him on a sliver of health by the time the second one engaged, so I managed to tap him and have an easy battle.
Just be aware of the halfway point on the gargoyle's healthbar - before you make him go under half health (or near it even), make sure you have enough stamina to slash like hell, so as to leave him on the least amount of health (or kill him) before his buddy lands.
arglebargle
Member
you have to have the pyromancy glove or whatever as your active weapon to use pyromancy. try hitting right on the d-pad (i think its equipped by default if you picked a pyromancer) to switch from your weapon to that. if that doesnt work, go to the equip menu and make sure the glove is your second weapon.