Dark Souls HELP ME! Cheats,tips,hints Anything!

[TsunamiWombat]

As for the dragon, here's what I always do - stand on the bridge and take cover on the LEFT side, pressing against the stone -| |- like so. Pressing against the stone! That's the only place your safe from the fire attack. Then wait. Just wait.


Eventually, the Dragon will get fed up with your shit and leap down onto the bridge. At this point you haul ass, bolt across the bridge running underneath it, stopping to loot those 2 corpses for the Claymore and a Large Undead Soul(IIRC?) if your feeling brave. Then dive behind the rock on the left side again. Wait for the dragon to finish spamming fire at you, it'll march towards you. Then, bolt inside the room and take cover out of the dragons LOS. Wait for it to re-perch on the castle, kindle the bonfire and pull the lever. Viola.

 

[TsunamiWombat]

More Dark Souls Tips: Get the master key as your starting gift, or roll a thief. In certain place it will save you ample amounts of time. It's especially useful when you arrive in Firelink - kindle and do your settling in. Then go down the stairs on the right side of fire link and wind your way down into the ruins of New ndo. you'll know it because it's dark and scary as fuck.

If you proceed right, you'll head up another small tower and open a gate to an area with some perilous ledges and bridges using the Master Key (you normally wouldn't be able to unlock this door until much later, after finishing Blight Town). March along these ledges until you see a sleeping undead dragon. Sprint up and loot the two corpses near it. It will wake up and PROBABLY kill you. Whether it does or doesn't, you just got the Dragon Crest Shield, which is a good shield with 100% phys dmg reduction when blocking (you won't take any dmg on a successful block) and high fire resist (which will help at certain points later in the game, such as with the Hellkite Dragon you met on the bridge). You also just got the Artorias Long-sword, which is a generic long-sword that has two special benefits - it has faith scaling with damage (which makes it very awesome if your playing a build that uses miracles from the Way of White covenant) and it has the Holy Effect, which means it can permanently kill the Skeletons you find in the graveyard tombs (and is thus useful for some early exploring there, though it's advisable you finish Bell-tower Gargoyle first as the skeletons will still probably fuck your shit)

After you get these items, return to New Londo ruins and proceed forward, getting the Estoc and the 2 Transient curses if you like. Don't bother using the curses though, whilst the ghosts are good for souls at 200 a pop, they will definatly fuck your shit at this point. Instead, cross the bridge and start sprinting when you see them. Work your way right and hang a U-Turn, pass through the ruins of a doorway in a ruined wall. There will be some water (which will kill you if you fall into it) and a thin ledge just below the surface of the water you can walk on, leading out to a ruined tower in the middle of the lake. Cross this as quickly as you can safely, Ghosts will spawn. Grab the Firekeepers Soul in the tower. Then you'll probably die because getting back past the ghosts is nearly impossible at this stage.

When you respawn at firelink shrine, you can talk to the flamekeeper there and upgrade your Estus Flask with the firekeeper soul you found.

 

[Yeager942]

A very important point I must mention is that your actual stats in the game are not important in the least bit. Prioritize upgrading your gear and armor through titanite shards. Just get enough stats so that you can actually hold a weapon of your choice, then pump all your remaining stat points into VIT or END. However, stats will be useful later in the game once an upgraded weapon begins to improve its stat scaling. For example, a katana that is upgraded to +8 may have a C rating in Dex, but a +14 katana will have a B rating. Enchanting a weapon will remove the scaling, but increase the base damage by a LOT. This makes elemental weapons incredibly powerful in the early/mid game, but a normal scaling weapon will always beat them in the late game.

In short, wait until you have weapons that scale well into your stats before you begin maxing these points. Just get these stats to the bear minimum to hold the weapons first. And finally, NEVER max str/dex past 40 (unless a weapon needs it past this point so you can hold it). Damage scaling kind of stops past 40, so the damage you'd get from 60 dex is minimal from if you had 40 dex. Those 20 points are better spent elsewhere

A lot of people are recommending the drake sword. I would personally advise that you don't do this. The drake sword makes the first few areas an absolute breeze to get past, but because you get so use to killing everything in 1-2 hits, it teaches you some very bad habits in combat.

Getting some miracles/sorceries can help a lot and they are both very useful for late game/pvp. Join the Warrior of Sunlight Covenant for some awesome spells if you can get your faith high enough.

Look for firekeeper souls to upgrade your flask. This will be very important as the game progresses and you can always check the wiki for their locations.

Start off with the master key. It makes going through the world easier, but may unlock areas that you will be unfamiliar and unprepared to deal with. Generally, the areas it unlocks contains secrets, shortcuts, or awesome treasure, so mentally mark down what doors the master key opens and come back their later. However, all the places that it unlocks can be reached without the Master Key, it only lets you get to them sooner.

 

[TsunamiWombat]

More Dark Souls Tips: While your still figuring out how to play, and what your preferred style is, getting the Drake Sword from the Hellkite Dragon on the bridge to the Undead Parish (the one that's killing you over and over) is handy, as it will do the absolute highest damage of any weapon you'll find (even large weapons) until later when you start upgrading your gear and your stat scaling starts making a bigger difference (about soul level 40-50 'real' gear will catch up). It also confers a bonus to magic resist.

In order to get it, go to the area with the hellkite dragon and sprint to mid-bridge and head down the stairs, avoiding getting killed by the dragon if at all possible. You can also use the shortcut to get there from the Undead Burg bonfire without any risk at all, if you've previously kicked the ladder down to provide yourself a shortcut.

Make sure you have a short bow and at least 100 to 150 arrows. Then, proceed down the right side of the bridges underside, where you can see the dragon's tail wrapped around the tower. Enter manual aiming mode, aim as high up the tail as you can, and start popping him. After a shot he'll jump down on the bridge and stomp around, don't worry he can't attack you whatsoever and will eventually re-perch. Repeat this until the tail pops off and you'll automatically loot the Drake Sword. It's worth noting that while the drake swords 2 handed strong special attack looks impressive, it's not really worth the effort- spamming light attacks is infinitely better with this weapon, and you can kill most hollows in 1 or 2 hits with it.

 

[TsunamiWombat]

A very important point I must mention is that your actual stats in the game are not important in the least bit. Prioritize upgrading your gear and armor through titanite shards. Just get enough stats so that you can actually hold a weapon of your choice, then pump all your remaining stat points into VIT or END. However, stats will be useful later in the game once an upgraded weapon begins to improve its stat scaling. For example, a katana that is upgraded to +8 may have a C rating in Dex, but a +14 katana will have a B rating. Enchanting a weapon will remove the scaling, but increase the base damage by a LOT. This makes elemental weapons incredibly powerful in the early/mid game, but a normal scaling weapon will always beat them in the late game.

In short, wait until you have weapons that scale well into your stats before you begin maxing these points. Just get these stats to the bear minimum to hold the weapons first. And finally, NEVER max str/dex past 40 (unless a weapon needs it past this point so you can hold it). Damage scaling kind of stops past 40, so the damage you'd get from 60 dex is minimal from if you had 40 dex. Those 20 points are better spent elsewhere

A lot of people are recommending the drake sword. I would personally advise that you don't do this. The drake sword makes the first few areas an absolute breeze to get past, but because you get so use to killing everything in 1-2 hits, it teaches you some very bad habits in combat.

Getting some miracles/sorceries can help a lot and they are both very useful for late game/pvp. Join the Warrior of Sunlight Covenant for some awesome spells if you can get your faith high enough.

Look for firekeeper souls to upgrade your flask. This will be very important as the game progresses and you can always check the wiki for their locations.

Start off with the master key. It makes going through the world easier, but may unlock areas that you will be unfamiliar and unprepared to deal with. Generally, the areas it unlocks contains secrets, shortcuts, or awesome treasure, so mentally mark down what doors the master key opens and come back their later. However, all the places that it unlocks can be reached without the Master Key, it only lets you get to them sooner.

Oh, I agree (regarding the Drake Sword) but it was a useful crutch that let me get much further than I ever had before, and helped me learn how to play through trial and error. In the end I rolled a new character afterwards that didn't bother getting the drake sword (this was partially because I started as a knight in heavy armor, but then I got to blight town and got the shadow warriors armor and the Iatotachi, and my 25 str was useless when I realized what a heavenly dream maneuvering in lighter armor was. So now i'm playing a dex oriented thief and pumping dexterity and leaving str at around 12)

Edit: Infact I would suggest experimenting quite a bit and not getting too attached to any one character. Then, when you find what your most comfortable with/an equipment set you want to use, focus on upgrading that equipment and scaling your stats to it. Also, rule of thumb - more vitality is never a bad thing.

 

[Yeager942]

Oh, I agree (regarding the Drake Sword) but it was a useful crutch that let me get much further than I ever had before, and helped me learn how to play through trial and error. In the end I rolled a new character afterwards that didn't bother getting the drake sword (this was partially because I started as a knight in heavy armor, but then I got to blight town and got the shadow warriors armor and the Iatotachi, and my 25 str was useless when I realized what a heavenly dream maneuvering in lighter armor was. So now i'm playing a dex oriented thief and pumping dexterity and leaving str at around 12)

I can understand wanting to get it, and I did the very same thing during my first playthrough. However, I hit a road block in blighttown and I realized I had no idea how to parry, dodge, or time my attacks against the big and fast barbarians because I was so use to killing everything in two hits. I only mean to say that it may delay his learning of these important skills.

Remember OP, every weapon in the game is good and has its strengths and weaknesses. Find a weapon that looks awesome and fits your play style, then upgrade the crap out of it. Eventually, you'll be picking weapons and armor for the pure swag factor.

 

[TsunamiWombat]

More Darksouls Tips: Get a ranged weapon for kiting and pulling. Crossbows scale in raw damage MUCH faster than other bows, but have no stat scaling and no manual aim (you can only 'z target'). To me this makes them useless for a ranged weapons real purpose in dark souls - weakening enemies at a distance and pulling individual enemies away from groups so you don't get mobbed. They have the benefit of having -no- stat requirements though, so for a weaker character with bullocks for physical stats (such as a sorcerer) having a leveled crossbow can be a very handy backup weapon.

Don't bother upgrading the Short Bow. You can find a Compound bow later (which has better scaling with str) if your a more melee oriented character anyway, or a longbow fairly early in darkroot basin which great dexterity scaling if your a dex character/archer.

Practice with your bow. Practice headshots. In general, arrows will drift down and right from where you aim as their effective range falls off. Learn to get a feel for what your bows range actually is (the longbow has much further range than the short bows, for example) and learn when to use varied ammunition - Standard Arrows are cheap and easily plentiful. Heavy Arrows are a bit more expensive and do better damage, but also have a penalty to range so are better used when you're up close and personal. Poison arrows are very high damage, but that damage is over time and best at range. Fire arrows burn things. Burning things is good. You can get varied arrows from the female undead merchant, who you'll find later on in the aqueduct pipe after you get access to lower undead burg in the area around the Capra Demon (who will be your first true "FUCK YOU!" boss in this game)

 

[TsunamiWombat]

Oh, I agree (regarding the Drake Sword) but it was a useful crutch that let me get much further than I ever had before, and helped me learn how to play through trial and error. In the end I rolled a new character afterwards that didn't bother getting the drake sword (this was partially because I started as a knight in heavy armor, but then I got to blight town and got the shadow warriors armor and the Iatotachi, and my 25 str was useless when I realized what a heavenly dream maneuvering in lighter armor was. So now i'm playing a dex oriented thief and pumping dexterity and leaving str at around 12)

I can understand wanting to get it, and I did the very same thing during my first playthrough. However, I hit a road block in blighttown and I realized I had no idea how to parry, dodge, or time my attacks against the big and fast barbarians because I was so use to killing everything in two hits. I only mean to say that it may delay his learning of these important skills.

Remember OP, every weapon in the game is good and has its strengths and weaknesses. Find a weapon that looks awesome and fits your play style, then upgrade the crap out of it. Eventually, you'll be picking weapons and armor for the pure swag factor.

Blight-town was about where I learned the wondrous wonders that was moving and dodging in light armor and remade as well. Though that was far from my first character either. Proceeding in dark souls is a process to be sure, and one thats taken place over multiple characters.

 

[TsunamiWombat]

PS: If your playing the PC version, get the resolution fix (don't fuck with framerate though, it can get you banned from Windows Live). Seriously, it's like a dream. I can almost swear the game even SOUNDED better after I modded it to fix the resolution.

 

[Quazimofo]

. I repeated the process 5 times before I said fuck this shit and uninstalled the game. .

5 times and you're ready to give up ?

And now you're looking for cheats ?


LOL. The modern gamer in a nutshell.

I'm not one for the poo-pooing of modern gamer's, but dying ONLY five times?

That's like...not...a lot of dying for Dark Souls.

yeah, i died like 3 times just trying to get the ring of sacrifice you find in firelink

then i died twice in a row going to buy ornstein's armor, so guess what happened to all of those souls?
This is the only game that has had me ragequit for the day, rather than just hit a good stopping point and go "alright, im done for now". Well that, and Kingdom Hearts 2 (one bossfight with the guy who hopped around and shot needles at you. that was it).

BUT THE POINT IS!!! dark souls will make you angry several times, and you will die several hundred more than that, but goddamn is it satisfying when you can hand someone their ass after many long days of them angering you. it is VERY therapeutic to kill taurus demons in 4 hits as casually as zombies after that fucking boss fight (its not hard, but gave me a LOT of trouble. kept jumping off the bridge after fall-stabbing him, and then i didn't know how to dodge properly)

 

[Yeager942]

More Darksouls Tips: Heavy Arrows are a bit more expensive and do better damage, but also have a penalty to range so are better used when you're up close and personal.

I did not know this. :B

I feel like I must recommend the Elite Knight Set, aka the best medium set in the game. It's pretty heavy for new players, but if you can Havel's Ring or pump up your END, you'll find that the EK set offers a nice compromise of protection and comparatively low equip burden compared to other heavy armor. It's also the armor worn by the guy on the cover, and quite possibly the swaggiest armor in game.


Again, you'll be fat rolling at early levels unless you have Havel's Ring, but if you are having this much difficulty with the game, I recommend you fight Havel later.


Just be good at backstabbing

Edit: I first killed Havel at lvl 24, and was easily one shotted by him. He does train you to dodge though. If you want to really be cheap, get some poison knifes or dung pies for an easy kill.

 

[TsunamiWombat]

. I repeated the process 5 times before I said fuck this shit and uninstalled the game. .

5 times and you're ready to give up ?

And now you're looking for cheats ?


LOL. The modern gamer in a nutshell.

I'm not one for the poo-pooing of modern gamer's, but dying ONLY five times?

That's like...not...a lot of dying for Dark Souls.

yeah, i died like 3 times just trying to get the ring of sacrifice you find in firelink

then i died twice in a row going to buy ornstein's armor, so guess what happened to all of those souls?
This is the only game that has had me ragequit for the day, rather than just hit a good stopping point and go "alright, im done for now". Well that, and Kingdom Hearts 2 (one bossfight with the guy who hopped around and shot needles at you. that was it).

BUT THE POINT IS!!! dark souls will make you angry several times, and you will die several hundred more than that, but goddamn is it satisfying when you can hand someone their ass after many long days of them angering you. it is VERY therapeutic to kill taurus demons in 4 hits as casually as zombies after that fucking boss fight (its not hard, but gave me a LOT of trouble. kept jumping off the bridge after fall-stabbing him, and then i didn't know how to dodge properly)

This bears repeating. This game WILL piss you off. A lot. Just remember that Souls, even humanity, come and go. If you need them, co-op is the best way to get them. So if you double die, don't smash your controller and don't rage quit. Just take a break when the frustration gets too much.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Learn to use magic. That probably would have helped me, but I gave up on that game long ago. Pity too, I understand I got a good ways into it.

do you remember what area? and why did you give up? just got bored? probably very justified ragequit?

I had just taken down that Lava Spider Queen Beauty monster down in the caves. I believe I was on my way to ring the second bell up in the tower, if I understand the storyline correctly. I met the Onion knight dude outside of the tower where those lightening lizards were and got stomped at range. Fought the giant lava monster down in the depths of Hell (really, what else would you call that place?) and couldn't beat him either. Tried going back to the beginning to go the way that those skeletons come from. Made it into the cave--pitch black, can't see--and something one-hit killed me and I couldn't see it. So that's where I was.

I gave up because I couldn't take it anymore. I had invested dozens of hours into the game, and while it did beat the snot out of me, I was enjoying it and every time I finally sent a boss packing, I felt that I earned it. But then enemies started using range attacks, magic attacks, attack-and-run-to-safe-distance attacks. Other players were using spells that I'd never seen and crushing me, getting armor and resistances that I had no idea where they came from. I tried, like this person, asking for help from my friend--who loved playing the game and knew tricks--and he just said, "Figure it out." I was no longer making progress in the game. I had hit a wall. So, I decided I'd finally start learning some spells. Nothing major. Just healing, and basic range spells. Problem was, the game never explained to me how to do it. I'd equip the spell, equip the staff, make sure I had (what I figured was) enough points in intel, but all my character would do was put the staff out, then scratch his head. I asked for help on the internet and all I got was, "You're level 56 and you don't know how to use magic?!"
So that's why I quit. I hit a wall that I could not get over, and watching everyone else climb it was just depressing. You can only fight enemies and lose all that saved up humanity and souls so many times without moving an inch forward before you call it quits. A shame too, as I did enjoy the game and still think about it on occasion, but the headache just wouldn't be worth it.

 

[crimson sickle2]

I had just taken down that Lava Spider Queen Beauty monster down in the caves. I believe I was on my way to ring the second bell up in the tower, if I understand the storyline correctly. I met the Onion knight dude outside of the tower where those lightening lizards were and got stomped at range. Fought the giant lava monster down in the depths of Hell (really, what else would you call that place?) and couldn't beat him either. Tried going back to the beginning to go the way that those skeletons come from. Made it into the cave--pitch black, can't see--and something one-hit killed me and I couldn't see it. So that's where I was.*snip

If ever get back into it, for progression advice: don't battle lava monster, he's the satanic hidden boss of hell; I don't know what lightning lizards, unless you're in Sen's Fortress, then you need some kind of range for the moments when they are positioned around guillotines, with your character, I'd use a crossbow; I can only guess you mean the Tomb of the Giants with the dark bit, if you ever saw the Hydra in Darkroot Basin, there's a way to get a "Cast Light" spell around that lake past it; I don't know the exact problem you had with spells, unless you were trying to cast a healing Miracle with a Catalyst, you need a talisman.

 

[Entropywarrior]

As has been said many times before, its so important I feel like I need to re-iterate, be a sorcerer. Bosses become a complete joke, the only 'difficult' parts are getting to said bosses and stomping them with magic. Also get the drake sword by shooting off the red dragons tail sitting on the bridge, youtube it if you have to. And learn to backstab, I find if you stick to the right side of their back, you will back stab every time. Essentially backstab to the bosses, with magic for the harder parts like 3 v 1's, then magic the bosses down. Also watch a speed run video of the game, shows you the tips and tricks to make it shorter and easier, and shows you some of the ways to beat the lame bosses like the ceaseless discharge who you shouldnt actually fight, but need to cheese him near the portal.

 

[scorptatious]

. I repeated the process 5 times before I said fuck this shit and uninstalled the game. .

5 times and you're ready to give up ?

And now you're looking for cheats ?


LOL. The modern gamer in a nutshell.

You sure like to complain about and bash on anything related to modern gaming do you? It seems like every time I see you post on here, you do that.

OT: Make sure to talk to any friendly NPC you come across. Most of the time, they give out some pretty helpful advice. The guy who hangs out in Firelink Shrine when you first arrive gives you your goal and tells you where you need to go. There's also another guy later on who gives you the secret to beating those skeletons in the graveyard and the area beyond it.

Finally, learn to counter and riposte (if you're playing a melee based character) trust me, it's definitely worth it.

 

[Solo-Wing]

Light armor. Speed is your best friend in this game. I tried to play with heavy armor. Tanking is a fucking stupid idea in this game. Dodging is a much better way to deal with enemies. Plus the additional speed is very helpful during bosses.

Start with the fucking Master Key. Meaning be a thief at the start or choose the key as your gift. It will make Reaching Blighttown SO MUCH EASIER.

Another pro tip. As soon as you finish with the undead asylum head down to New Londo ruins and use the master key to enter the Valley of Drakes. Head tough it till you find a dead dragon hanging off a cliff. He is playing dead. Grab the two shiny objects between his two claws as fast as possible and maybe the third item to the side. He will kill you here but it is worth it. You just got one of the best shields in the game and a damn fine sword to start with. This sword can last till Sens Fortress without any upgrades.

Don't kill any NPC's except Laudric (The dude you rescue in the church) and do not fight him till he is hanging at the Fire link Shrine. Better location and you can easily knock him off the cliff. If you do not kill him before ringing the second bell he will kill the Firelink fire keeper. Not good. Kill the bastard there and get his awesome ass ring.

Before you go for blight town it is recomended that you head back to the Undead Asylum for the ring that will let you walk through murky water without being slowed down.

DO NOT USE FIRE KEEPER SOULS. Save them to have your Flask upgraded in power.

I think i covered all the bases for everything before Sens fortress.

Oh and the blighttown boss... AMAZING CHEST AHEAD.

 

[lapan]

Learn to use magic. That probably would have helped me, but I gave up on that game long ago. Pity too, I understand I got a good ways into it.

do you remember what area? and why did you give up? just got bored? probably very justified ragequit?

I had just taken down that Lava Spider Queen Beauty monster down in the caves. I believe I was on my way to ring the second bell up in the tower, if I understand the storyline correctly. I met the Onion knight dude outside of the tower where those lightening lizards were and got stomped at range. Fought the giant lava monster down in the depths of Hell (really, what else would you call that place?) and couldn't beat him either. Tried going back to the beginning to go the way that those skeletons come from. Made it into the cave--pitch black, can't see--and something one-hit killed me and I couldn't see it. So that's where I was.

I gave up because I couldn't take it anymore. I had invested dozens of hours into the game, and while it did beat the snot out of me, I was enjoying it and every time I finally sent a boss packing, I felt that I earned it. But then enemies started using range attacks, magic attacks, attack-and-run-to-safe-distance attacks. Other players were using spells that I'd never seen and crushing me, getting armor and resistances that I had no idea where they came from. I tried, like this person, asking for help from my friend--who loved playing the game and knew tricks--and he just said, "Figure it out." I was no longer making progress in the game. I had hit a wall. So, I decided I'd finally start learning some spells. Nothing major. Just healing, and basic range spells. Problem was, the game never explained to me how to do it. I'd equip the spell, equip the staff, make sure I had (what I figured was) enough points in intel, but all my character would do was put the staff out, then scratch his head. I asked for help on the internet and all I got was, "You're level 56 and you don't know how to use magic?!"
So that's why I quit. I hit a wall that I could not get over, and watching everyone else climb it was just depressing. You can only fight enemies and lose all that saved up humanity and souls so many times without moving an inch forward before you call it quits. A shame too, as I did enjoy the game and still think about it on occasion, but the headache just wouldn't be worth it.

The lavamonster can be lured to the start of the area, where he will fall down after a few strikes. If you already fought him once, you first need to run to where you got the armor to reset him, then sprint back to the start. He will leap at you, but can only grab the edge of the ground because under him is an abyss. Hit him about 7 times and he falls down. If you dont want to use this cheap way you need to be really good at dodging, because he can oneshot you with a lot of his attacks.

Healing spells usually use a talisman and faith rather than int. Catalysts and Int are only for sorceries.

If you want to enter Sens Fortress and have problems with the Lizardmen i'd recommend upgrading your equipment a bit. If you are still using the Drake Sword this is the perfect time to switch to something better. By then you should be able to +10 your equipment if you picked up the ember in the Depths. If you lack the materials: the leeches in blighttown drop large shards and you can buy the small ones at the blacksmith. You can also use the traps in the fortress against the lizardmen by luring them over the arrowtrap switches, or activating them yourself by stepping on them when they are in the arrows path.

 

[SweetLiquidSnake]

Trade it in and buy Skyrim

You do know that that isn't helpful at all nor does it answer the OP's question right?

But it does, this way he can play a game that's good and enjoyable, instead of infuriating and lacking.

i personally thought skyrim kinda sucked but im not trying to debate personal opinion, thats pointless. im just curious what you think dark souls is lacking.

also, since the op said he uninstalled the game after he rage quit, im guessing hes playing on pc so trading it in for skyrim isnt really an option

I liked that your answer was polite (not that the other's weren't or anything) so I'll respond.

I played DS after skyrim and the whole time I kept comparing the two and DS just had none of the features I liked. I found DS to be stupidly hard and I don't need that aggrivation, I like that in Skyrim you can just chill and ride a horse around, I don't need some zombie about to bite my ass around every corner lol. To me Skyrim is the ultimate in fantasy and therefore DS, Kingdoms of Amalur, Dragon Age, Dragons Dogma and Fable all seem inferior now.

But you're right it's personal opinion, and I know he can't trade I was just saying.

 

[Souplex]

Learn to block, and keep the enemies on one side of you.
A shield/spear combo is great, I recommend going for the winged spear in the graveyard at Firelink shrine, you don't have to survive, you just have to pick it up.
As for the dragon on the bridge, just charge in, and on the right there will be a staircase down. From there, you can go further down to kick a ladder down to the previous bonfire allowing you to skip the dragon every other time.