a bit of dark souls help!

[irishdude]

First of loving the game, but ive got a tiny problem: the combats great but iam not that good at it but getting better (playing as warrior) so iam grinding in undead burg for about 6 hours and now at lvl38 with the first bell rung, so should i press on in to the catacombs or keep grinding lvls? any tips would be very much appreciated!

 

[irishdude]

I'm sorry to say you need to start over. If you are level 38 with just having rang the first bell you are not in the right mindset. This is not a game grinding levels will help with. If you grind, you need to spend it on gear upgrades. The bosses scale as you level, so all level grinding does is shoot you in the foot. I beat the gargoyles at level 22 as a tanking knight for example. I had to use the drake sword of course. If you want this new hellish difficulty you have set for yourself then now is the time to start going into the catacombs, more grinding is just putting off the more difficult, and absolutely fun, parts of the game.

iv 16hrs played and i beat the gargoyles at 10hrs at about lvl 22 to 25 i think and i have being leveling gear as well

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

What? I grinded and ended up capable of rolling over the boss in the catacombs.

Did you know you can head into the forest? There's some very nice armour in there I'd recommend looking for!
The forest is on a path leading off from that big church. There's a blacksmith there too!

 

[irishdude]

What? I grinded and ended up capable of rolling over the boss in the catacombs.

Did you know you can head into the forest? There's some very nice armour in there I'd recommend looking for!

pass the blacksmiths ya?

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

What? I grinded and ended up capable of rolling over the boss in the catacombs.

Did you know you can head into the forest? There's some very nice armour in there I'd recommend looking for!

pass the blacksmiths ya?

Yup. You best watch out though. Some very big things live in that forest. But you can run in and grab the armour then run out/die

 

[Gingernerd]

Unless i missed something in the most recent patch. The enemies and bosses definetly do not scale as you level up. However, grinding is of limited use.

It's not time to go to the Catacombs quite yet. Since you have rung the first bell, your next bell is down below blighttown. once you get to the bottom swampy area, you can find these large leech like creatures that aren't particularly dangerous and they are great for farming large titanite shards and green titanite (which can upgrade your weapon to a magic or blessed weapon. very powerful!)

Other than that, its worth looking around and finding good armour and equipment even if you need to run into danger and past enemies. Even if you die it's still worth it to get the goods. finally make sure to kill Havel , the guy in massive armour at the bottom of the stairs in the tower at undead burg, to get one of the most useful rings. The best way to do this is to completely avoid his attacks by edging around to the right and backstabbing him after he swings. You get Havel's ring which increases equipment load by 50%.

 

[AlternatePFG]

Enemies don't scale, but you can't really grind your way to victory in this game. Go fight the Capra Demon and make your way down to the Depths, fight Gaping Dragon and go to Blighttown to ring the second bell. My current character is a level 40 pyromancer (Admittedly the majority of my souls have gone into my pyromancy flame and I have been purposely keeping my level low so I can be summoned for certain boss fights) who is nearing the end of the game, so leveling only gets you so far.

Alternatively, go into Darkroot Forest before Blighttown. There is some nice stuff there and it's generally a pretty easy location. Well, until you get to the Forest Covenant area at any rate.

Edit: You really don't need to start over though, you're at a bit of an advantage at this point in the game.

 

[Mikeyfell]

First of loving the game, but ive got a tiny problem: the combats great but iam not that good at it but getting better (playing as warrior) so iam grinding in undead burg for about 6 hours and now at lvl38 with the first bell rung, so should i press on in to the catacombs or keep grinding lvls? any tips would be very much appreciated!

Ignore LastGreatBlasphemer I level grind all the time, I'm level 99. If you rang the first bell you have to go down through the depths to Blighttown to get to the second bell. (Or if you have the master key you can take the shortcut through New Londo) Either way Blighttown is really tough, there's poison and dangerous paths everywhere but you need to kill the spider/naked chick boss at the bottom of Blighttown.

Then Sen's Fortress, then Anor Londo,

In order to go to the Catacombs you need a "Divine" weapon because of immortal skeletons. Also after the Catacombs there's an area called "Tomb of the Giants" You'll need a spell called "Cast Light" to get around there so start training your intelligence at least to 12 (I think)

After that you'll be caught up to where I am

 

[demoman_chaos]

First of loving the game, but ive got a tiny problem: the combats great but iam not that good at it but getting better (playing as warrior) so iam grinding in undead burg for about 6 hours and now at lvl38 with the first bell rung, so should i press on in to the catacombs or keep grinding lvls? any tips would be very much appreciated!

I agree you should start over, and here is my personal opening strategy guide:
Start as a cleric with the mystery key. Once at firelink, Go down the stairs next to the guy by the fire, down the lift, and into New Londo Ruins. Serach around the area for a few goodies like the Estoc but don't cross the bridge. To the right of where you came in, there is another tower. Go in and you'll unlock a door to the Valley of Drakes (from here is a shortcut to Blighttown I HIGHLY recommend when you are ready to take on the fire spider boss).

Follow along the path and you'll come to an undead dragon. Grab the loot next to his face (a decent sword and a good shield) and RUN!!! Run past the dragons and go up the lift. You'll hit a bonfire. Just past the bonfire is a decent shield and a black knight I recommend you run from. Go up the cliff and go left away from the big blue guys. You can take a slight detour to collect some leather armor and a bow. There is also a crystal gecko along the way.

You'll come out in the forest, kill or run past the tree monsters. Then run like hell past the Titanite Demon (I call him Zeus). You'll meet the blacksmith. From there just go back and activate the lift back to Firelink. In Firelink there is a secret area with lots of goodies. Go up the stairs to the left of the lift and jump across to that building. Fall off in the open area and you'll find a batch of treasure chests. The exit will put you are the graveyard, which I recommend grabbing the shiny objects after hitting up the bonfire here again first (so you don't have to go all the way back to the blacksmith area if the skeletons kill you). Use the acquired souls to buy Heal from the miracle fatty and level up your Attunement so you can equip both your starting heal and the new one for a total of 10 heals.

Being a cleric also means you can use the sword you picked up from the undead dragon right away, which isn't as strong as the Drake Sword, but has a stabby attack. I also recommend getting the halberd from out front of the church and making it a Fire Halberd via the hidden blacksmith in the catacombs. When max upgraded, it does over 600 non stat based damage and a lot of enemies hate fire.

 

[Eldermage]

One dirty trick to keep in mind: Pyromancy
After the patch, I believe its strength diminished somewhat, but it's still useful as heck when dealing with lots of enemies, and upgrading the pyromancy flame isn't that expensive (though, you end up thinking "should I level up my stats or should I upgrade this glove?")

Also, a handy tip: practice, practice, practice.
I favour sword 'n' shield combat, sometimes switching out sword for mace or spear, depending on the situation. I dislike fighting with no shield as it leaves me exposed/no quick way to block incoming attacks, but it's a matter of personal taste

Best of luck!

 

[AlternatePFG]

One dirty trick to keep in mind: Pyromancy
After the patch, I believe its strength diminished somewhat, but it's still useful as heck when dealing with lots of enemies, and upgrading the pyromancy flame isn't that expensive (though, you end up thinking "should I level up my stats or should I upgrade this glove?")

Best of luck!

I always favor upgrading gear over levels, usually. The upgrades usually have a bigger effect for each increment and if you want to be summoned as a phantom/invade as a phantom you don't want to level too fast.

Yeah though, pyromancy makes the game significantly easier. My pyromancer has had a much easier time on most of the bosses than my basic warrior guy did on my first playthrough, but that just might be because I am more experienced with the game now.

 

[Julianking93]

Not sure what the first guy is talking about but, like Demon's Souls, the enemies in Dark Souls do not scale with you. This is so you can fuck up enemies that gave you a hard time in the beginning, a feature that I quite liked.
Granted, with NG+, the game gets overall more difficult but the enemies don't scale.

However, grinding doesn't really do much for pure leveling. I'd say putting more souls into getting upgraded gear is the better option. You can be lvl 50 with extremely high dex but if you just have a regular katana, you're gonna get your arse handed to you.
Go with searching for stronger equipment and grind for upgrading your equipment.
Also you have to decide what main weapon you'll use. Once you've completed the game once, you can experiment a little but experimenting in the first playthrough is a sure way to get yourself killed.

Stick with one main weapon with a secondary that doesn't scale with your level.
The Drake Sword is probably the best weapon to get early on and while you're using it, upgrade other weapons that you're built for into your primary weapon when the Drake Sword gets outclassed.

As for where to go next, DO NOT GO TO THE CATACOMBS.
That place is probably the most difficult in the game if you don't have the right equipment.
Divine weapons, the Sunlight Maggot and either an extremely dense build of armour or the Wood Grain ring. Enemies there are a pain in the arse. The skeletons take forever to kill, are very strong and will continue to resurrect unless you use a Divine weapon against them.

The suggested route for the game, from easiest to hardest is Undead Burg, Undead Parish, Depths, Blighttown, Quelaag's Domain, The Great Hollow, Ash Lake, Sen's Fortress, Anor Londo, Painted World of Ariamis, Darkroot Garden, Darkroot Basin, New Londo Ruins, The Duke's Archives, Crystal Cave, Demon Ruins, Lost Izalith, The Catacombs, Tomb of Giants then Kiln of the First Flame

So basically, after you're done ringing the first bell, go to Blighttown. The Depths will cause hours of frustration if you're anything like me so wait a bit before that and save The Great Hollow, Ash Lake, Painted World of Ariamis and Darkroot Basin for later on in the game.

Hope that helps out a bit!

 

[demoman_chaos]

Also, a handy tip: practice, practice, practice.
I favour sword 'n' shield combat, sometimes switching out sword for mace or spear, depending on the situation. I dislike fighting with no shield as it leaves me exposed/no quick way to block incoming attacks, but it's a matter of personal taste

Best of luck!

2 handed polearms are beast, especially the halberd. Why slash 3 or 4 times with a sword when 1 or 2 pokes from a halberd does the job at ranges where enemies can't grapple or parry.

To the OP: NEVER let yourself get grabbed, you WILL pretty much always die instantly.

 

[Eldermage]

Also, a handy tip: practice, practice, practice.
I favour sword 'n' shield combat, sometimes switching out sword for mace or spear, depending on the situation. I dislike fighting with no shield as it leaves me exposed/no quick way to block incoming attacks, but it's a matter of personal taste

Best of luck!

2 handed polearms are beast, especially the halberd. Why slash 3 or 4 times with a sword when 1 or 2 pokes from a halberd does the job at ranges where enemies can't grapple or parry.

To the OP: NEVER let yourself get grabbed, you WILL pretty much always die instantly.

I concur: NEVER let them grab you, unless your equipment and your stats are high enough, you'll be sent to the bonfire in a hurry.

As for combat, again, matter of personal taste. Polearms are awesome. I just kinda like poking my foes over and over ^_^

 

[krazykidd]

First of loving the game, but ive got a tiny problem: the combats great but iam not that good at it but getting better (playing as warrior) so iam grinding in undead burg for about 6 hours and now at lvl38 with the first bell rung, so should i press on in to the catacombs or keep grinding lvls? any tips would be very much appreciated!

Okay first off , stop grinding if you aren't doing it for upgrades , levels won't help you in this game . Second you shouldn't really be grinding . Just press on , and learn from every battle. I suggest investing in a shield and a spear if you are have trouble fighting monsters . You can attack with your spear while keeping the shield up . Secondly just be patient , don't try to be kratos and rip shit to shreds , let the enemy deal the first blow ( while you block ) and couter attack . I played as a bandit and didn't use magic spells at all , so melee isn't impossible . Also try to see gaps in monsters defenses , when are they most vulnerable? When can you let down your shoeld to regain some stamina , when can you dodge . It just takes some practice , but going into the game expecting to grind is not a good idea . Also in the forest is the best grinding spot if you are hellbent on grinding . 9k souls ( on first playthroug) and a bonfire very close ( 10 seconds away) . Upgrade your weapons woth some kind of magic , i personally suggest lightning or fire ( but you don't get fire till you go to the catacombs).

Anyways good luck and keep trying it's worth it!

 

[GundamSentinel]

First, don't pay attention to the 'you should restart'-people. Level grinding can and does help a lot. On my first playthrough I got stuck just about where you are now. I leveled to about level 35 and suddenly I had a much easier time. Just make sure you don't forget upgrading your equipment and have a plan for what you want your character to be and level accordingly. If you want to be a jack-of-all-trades and upgrade every stat, you'll probably die.

As to what you should do:
Head down to the lower part of the Undead Burg and kill the Capra Demon if you haven't already. He'll drop a key to unlock the Depths, which is on the way to Blighttown where the second bell is located. Get some decent armor if you haven't already (possibly in the forest), but make sure it does not hamper your movement speed. The level you are at should really be sufficient to make it through Blighttown without too much trouble.

Speaking of the forest, there is a (relatively) easy optional boss there, along with some fine loot. The tree creatures around there drop different kinds of Moss, which are used to get rid of Poison effects. Make sure you have a good stash of those before heading into Blighttown. Those are really necessary.

And as always:
- Keep your shield up
- Check those corners
- Don't run
- Be prepared

 

[zombieshark6666]

Ah, I went to the Catacombs first after getting to the Sanctuary at the start. I never made it to the second bonfire, but it was still fun. I thought: Damn, it's true that this game is hard.

I'm not far enough to help you, but please ignore the drama queens, find a setup that works for your style and max that equipment.

 

[irishdude]

Not sure what the first guy is talking about but, like Demon's Souls, the enemies in Dark Souls do not scale with you. This is so you can fuck up enemies that gave you a hard time in the beginning, a feature that I quite liked.
Granted, with NG+, the game gets overall more difficult but the enemies don't scale.

However, grinding doesn't really do much for pure leveling. I'd say putting more souls into getting upgraded gear is the better option. You can be lvl 50 with extremely high dex but if you just have a regular katana, you're gonna get your arse handed to you.
Go with searching for stronger equipment and grind for upgrading your equipment.
Also you have to decide what main weapon you'll use. Once you've completed the game once, you can experiment a little but experimenting in the first playthrough is a sure way to get yourself killed.

Stick with one main weapon with a secondary that doesn't scale with your level.
The Drake Sword is probably the best weapon to get early on and while you're using it, upgrade other weapons that you're built for into your primary weapon when the Drake Sword gets outclassed.

As for where to go next, DO NOT GO TO THE CATACOMBS.
That place is probably the most difficult in the game if you don't have the right equipment.
Divine weapons, the Sunlight Maggot and either an extremely dense build of armour or the Wood Grain ring. Enemies there are a pain in the arse. The skeletons take forever to kill, are very strong and will continue to resurrect unless you use a Divine weapon against them.

The suggested route for the game, from easiest to hardest is Undead Burg, Undead Parish, Depths, Blighttown, Quelaag's Domain, The Great Hollow, Ash Lake, Sen's Fortress, Anor Londo, Painted World of Ariamis, Darkroot Garden, Darkroot Basin, New Londo Ruins, The Duke's Archives, Crystal Cave, Demon Ruins, Lost Izalith, The Catacombs, Tomb of Giants then Kiln of the First Flame

So basically, after you're done ringing the first bell, go to Blighttown. The Depths will cause hours of frustration if you're anything like me so wait a bit before that and save The Great Hollow, Ash Lake, Painted World of Ariamis and Darkroot Basin for later on in the game.

Hope that helps out a bit!

First of loving the game, but ive got a tiny problem: the combats great but iam not that good at it but getting better (playing as warrior) so iam grinding in undead burg for about 6 hours and now at lvl38 with the first bell rung, so should i press on in to the catacombs or keep grinding lvls? any tips would be very much appreciated!

Ignore LastGreatBlasphemer I level grind all the time, I'm level 99. If you rang the first bell you have to go down through the depths to Blighttown to get to the second bell. (Or if you have the master key you can take the shortcut through New Londo) Either way Blighttown is really tough, there's poison and dangerous paths everywhere but you need to kill the spider/naked chick boss at the bottom of Blighttown.

Then Sen's Fortress, then Anor Londo,

In order to go to the Catacombs you need a "Divine" weapon because of immortal skeletons. Also after the Catacombs there's an area called "Tomb of the Giants" You'll need a spell called "Cast Light" to get around there so start training your intelligence at least to 12 (I think)

After that you'll be caught up to where I am

First, don't pay attention to the 'you should restart'-people. Level grinding can and does help a lot. On my first playthrough I got stuck just about where you are now. I leveled to about level 35 and suddenly I had a much easier time. Just make sure you don't forget upgrading your equipment and have a plan for what you want your character to be and level accordingly. If you want to be a jack-of-all-trades and upgrade every stat, you'll probably die.

As to what you should do:
Head down to the lower part of the Undead Burg and kill the Capra Demon if you haven't already. He'll drop a key to unlock the Depths, which is on the way to Blighttown where the second bell is located. Get some decent armor if you haven't already (possibly in the forest), but make sure it does not hamper your movement speed. The level you are at should really be sufficient to make it through Blighttown without too much trouble.

Speaking of the forest, there is a (relatively) easy optional boss there, along with some fine loot. The tree creatures around there drop different kinds of Moss, which are used to get rid of Poison effects. Make sure you have a good stash of those before heading into Blighttown. Those are really necessary.

And as always:
- Keep your shield up
- Check those corners
- Don't run
- Be prepared

cheers guys the info helping alot, the games great but man they dont really give ya any help on where ta go