At the Consecrated Snowfield, continuing (possibly concluding) what has now become essentially my revenge tour through the middle section of the game, where I smash through enemies that, in my first play-through, caused me no end of grief.
Both of the Godskin Apostle bosses (Altus windmill and Caelid divine tower), Astel Natural Born of the Void (I just love the name so much it's like something out of Bloodborne), Commander Neil- these mfers too me forever last time. Not only that but re-speccing between Comet Azur and extreme bleed/dex builds as needed to cheese them.
In my first play-throug I started as int/dex because I wanted to use all the cool spells but I found them all useless in battle except for the basic ones- they took to long to caste, did not aim well- the enemies were faster than the spells. I switched to bleed build when getting to Altus and getting the twinblade but then switched back to magic with the Comet Azur cheese because Astel was just impossible for me to read. It was just too big, too camera jank- it would fly over me and then everything was purple and then I would be dead and not even know how. Then I youtubed it, saw the comet, and used that.
Well this time I am committing to smashing. On the occasional fight where I really can't connect, I switch to a heavy partisan (spear) with the spectral lance ashes of war which allows stance breaking from a distance. And on the last catacomb I did I had to hit a pillar then jump on top of it and my big mace was just too slow to let me do that- hahah, stupid game. I also got my +10 mimic tear and I know it's unoriginal to rely on that but my god is it fun to see my clone invoke the cragblade move and start wrecking shit.
Especially now when the game's idea of "more challenge" is to just have two of everything. Remember those crazy lions with swords? Now there's two! Remember those crystal ladies? Now there's 2! Wait now there's three! Remember those 10 erdtree avatars you already fought? How about another one that splits into two? And yeah I know the dreaded Godskin Duo fight awaits me. Naw dog, I'm-a use my clone.
This time I beat Astel in one shot- all I needed to do was find its head, tank through its non-magical/buffed attacks and rely on my flasks, big vigor bar and bigger mace to kill it before it killed me. My clone and I swaggered into Commander Neill, one of the most infamously annoying fights, and comically wrecked their shit. It was so beautiful I wish I recorded it- each of us took on one of his summons, eliminated them with stagger and critical, and ganked his dumbass lickety split. Also did a Leroy Jenkins at the dragonskin soldier in the lake of rot before unlocking all of the floor tiles, dying at the same time as killing it (which still counts and it was easy enough to go back for the runes)
Meanwhile little annoying imp creatures kill me in three hits in the Consecrated Snowfield- the damage dealing spike is absolutely insane in the game's late-game. I am reminded of the phrase "vigor tax" in this game that purportedly allows for individual playstyle but all but forces the vast majority of players- those of us who aren't pros or obsessives- to spend half of our upgrades on the one stat of vigor.
Last play session had my find such fun fashionsouls gear that I actually used a larval tear to move a few points into endurance to allow for:
- a red hood/cloak/sports-bra thing I got from a catacomb boss with some nice resistances
- a commoner's head band because I really like playing while being able to see my character's face
- the bull goat gloves and pants, to keep my poise to 51
So I kind of look like a scary Red Riding Hood
I've also cleared- as best as I can tell, via online maps and such, though it's impossible to know for sure- every single boss in Limgrave, Lurnia, Altus, Mt Gelmir, Lyndell and its outskirts (before the destruction of the Erdtree), all of Noskia and Ansel, and the Mountain Tops of the Giants except for the Fire Giant which I'm saving for when I'm ready to move on to crumbly farm of zulu. And the whole map is exposed. This pretty much completes what I really wanted to do in this game as only the really annoying late game stuff is left. I'm still having fun so I'm gonna keep going but the point of this play through was to have a much more enjoyable play-through where I wasn't annoyed and frustrated every second and I have accomplished that.
None of my many criticisms of the game have changed, just my way of dealing with them. Which is- again, and I can't stress this enough- smashing things with a big stick and/or cowering behind my ***** shield. I highly highly recommend a strength build play-through of this game for anyone who hasn't done it and is considering another- or first!- play-through. And I should have expected this as with Dark Souls, when the only way I got over the hump of failure was to find the Zweihander and clobber everything with it.
Both of the Godskin Apostle bosses (Altus windmill and Caelid divine tower), Astel Natural Born of the Void (I just love the name so much it's like something out of Bloodborne), Commander Neil- these mfers too me forever last time. Not only that but re-speccing between Comet Azur and extreme bleed/dex builds as needed to cheese them.
In my first play-throug I started as int/dex because I wanted to use all the cool spells but I found them all useless in battle except for the basic ones- they took to long to caste, did not aim well- the enemies were faster than the spells. I switched to bleed build when getting to Altus and getting the twinblade but then switched back to magic with the Comet Azur cheese because Astel was just impossible for me to read. It was just too big, too camera jank- it would fly over me and then everything was purple and then I would be dead and not even know how. Then I youtubed it, saw the comet, and used that.
Well this time I am committing to smashing. On the occasional fight where I really can't connect, I switch to a heavy partisan (spear) with the spectral lance ashes of war which allows stance breaking from a distance. And on the last catacomb I did I had to hit a pillar then jump on top of it and my big mace was just too slow to let me do that- hahah, stupid game. I also got my +10 mimic tear and I know it's unoriginal to rely on that but my god is it fun to see my clone invoke the cragblade move and start wrecking shit.
Especially now when the game's idea of "more challenge" is to just have two of everything. Remember those crazy lions with swords? Now there's two! Remember those crystal ladies? Now there's 2! Wait now there's three! Remember those 10 erdtree avatars you already fought? How about another one that splits into two? And yeah I know the dreaded Godskin Duo fight awaits me. Naw dog, I'm-a use my clone.
This time I beat Astel in one shot- all I needed to do was find its head, tank through its non-magical/buffed attacks and rely on my flasks, big vigor bar and bigger mace to kill it before it killed me. My clone and I swaggered into Commander Neill, one of the most infamously annoying fights, and comically wrecked their shit. It was so beautiful I wish I recorded it- each of us took on one of his summons, eliminated them with stagger and critical, and ganked his dumbass lickety split. Also did a Leroy Jenkins at the dragonskin soldier in the lake of rot before unlocking all of the floor tiles, dying at the same time as killing it (which still counts and it was easy enough to go back for the runes)
Meanwhile little annoying imp creatures kill me in three hits in the Consecrated Snowfield- the damage dealing spike is absolutely insane in the game's late-game. I am reminded of the phrase "vigor tax" in this game that purportedly allows for individual playstyle but all but forces the vast majority of players- those of us who aren't pros or obsessives- to spend half of our upgrades on the one stat of vigor.
Last play session had my find such fun fashionsouls gear that I actually used a larval tear to move a few points into endurance to allow for:
- a red hood/cloak/sports-bra thing I got from a catacomb boss with some nice resistances
- a commoner's head band because I really like playing while being able to see my character's face
- the bull goat gloves and pants, to keep my poise to 51
So I kind of look like a scary Red Riding Hood
I've also cleared- as best as I can tell, via online maps and such, though it's impossible to know for sure- every single boss in Limgrave, Lurnia, Altus, Mt Gelmir, Lyndell and its outskirts (before the destruction of the Erdtree), all of Noskia and Ansel, and the Mountain Tops of the Giants except for the Fire Giant which I'm saving for when I'm ready to move on to crumbly farm of zulu. And the whole map is exposed. This pretty much completes what I really wanted to do in this game as only the really annoying late game stuff is left. I'm still having fun so I'm gonna keep going but the point of this play through was to have a much more enjoyable play-through where I wasn't annoyed and frustrated every second and I have accomplished that.
None of my many criticisms of the game have changed, just my way of dealing with them. Which is- again, and I can't stress this enough- smashing things with a big stick and/or cowering behind my ***** shield. I highly highly recommend a strength build play-through of this game for anyone who hasn't done it and is considering another- or first!- play-through. And I should have expected this as with Dark Souls, when the only way I got over the hump of failure was to find the Zweihander and clobber everything with it.
