Dark Souls: Initial Thoughts

[Dansen]

I'm at the golem in Sen's fortress right now, I really like this boss because it uses reverse phycology on you, one would think that since he is so large you would want to stay away from him but it turns out that the safest place to be is right under his legs. Almost beat him except he nocked me off the map.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

You have to for the story. Oh, and the Capra Demons respawn. And you fight another version of the Stray Demon before your next bonfire. Have fun.

Speaking of the Stray Demon, when do you think it's a good time to revisit the Asylum and kill it?

Edit: Also, does anyone know what you forge with Queelag's soul?

http://darksoulswiki.wikispaces.com/

The wiki is the best place to find out things that you would never figure out on your own.

It's still incomplete due to the game still be relatively new, but most of the equipment in the game is already mapped so that you know which Boss Souls do what.

As for Queelag's souls.

It let you upgrade either a +10 curved sword, or +10 katana.

Queelag's Furysword for the former, and Chaos Blade for the latter.

Use this wiki instead http://darksouls.wikidot.com/ its more complete and better written in most parts.

You're right, this wiki is better.

Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

You have to for the story. Oh, and the Capra Demons respawn. And you fight another version of the Stray Demon before your next bonfire. Have fun.

Speaking of the Stray Demon, when do you think it's a good time to revisit the Asylum and kill it?

Edit: Also, does anyone know what you forge with Queelag's soul?

I've seen level 20s do it, but I recommend level 30-40. I heard that the Chaos Blade wasn't worth it and that a regular katana is better (I'm beating the game with a +13 Iaito). So go for the Furysword that requires a +10 curved sword.

 

[krazykidd]

I'm wondering, what's so bad about Blighttown? I made it through and killed Queelag with little fuss. Not nearly as annoying as the Valley of Defilement from Demon's Souls, in my opinion.

Probably depends on how you are set up. I found Blighttown pretty challenging but I agree it is not a patch on the Valley Of Defilement in terms of annoyance. Most of my deaths were me instinctively rolling out the way of an attack and off a cliff.

Yeah, I had a couple deaths from falling there, but didn't have any issue with the toxin dart guys or being poisoned.

You're not supposed to fight Ceaseless Discharge right after Queelag, right? Cause I went over there and got pounded into a fine paste. Ah well, I least I got a set of kickass armor out of it.

Spoiler

is the ceaseless discharge the giant lava thing near the gold hemmed armour? because you can kill him unarmed if you want, just aggro him untill he starts chasing you then run to the fog gate, when he lunges at you attack his fist(?) a few times and he falls off into the bottomless pit, easy kill, but dont continue on unless you think you can kill 4-6b taures demons

Fix that for you ,

anyways yeah , that'S what i did , but i did it but complete fluke , because i saw him got scared ran for my life, got blocked by white door , and then just wailled on him . I was so fuckign surprised when it happened, but happy nontheless, it's when i realised you can'T run from boss fights, never tried before.

EDIT:

I'm at the golem in Sen's fortress right now, I really like this boss because it uses reverse phycology on you, one would think that since he is so large you would want to stay away from him but it turns out that the safest place to be is right under his legs. Almost beat him except he nocked me off the map.

Thats what she said! hehehee

 

[AlternatePFG]

I beat Pinwheel, the boss in the Catacombs. That has to be the easiest boss in the game, (At least the Moonlight Butterfly could kill you if you didn't know what do) maybe as easy as the Fool's Idol in Demon's Souls.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

I beat Pinwheel, the boss in the Catacombs. That has to be the easiest boss in the game, (At least the Moonlight Butterfly could kill you if you didn't know what do) maybe as easy as the Fool's Idol in Demon's Souls.

It appears as a mini boss later on. And there are 4 or 5 of them at once. The good thing: the mini bosses still drop the masks which means that you can get all three.

 

[Ovoon]

Thanks to the grindspot in the forest, I grinded from level 29 to level 66 in a short amount of time. I'm now just passed Anor Londo.

Oh yea, if you're ever stuck on a boss, grab 2 online players. I kill every boss on my first or second try now thanks to that.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

Spoiler: My god...

That's a speed run. He beat the game in one hour and twenty-six minutes.

I saw that. It made me feel so unskilled. He beat me by 53 hours.

 

[Googenstien]

guy is doing so much cheap/hacky shit on that speed run video.. he logs everytime he dies to cheat death and keep the mobs he killed dead -- lame

 

[QueenOliver]

I'm wondering, what's so bad about Blighttown? I made it through and killed Queelag with little fuss. Not nearly as annoying as the Valley of Defilement from Demon's Souls, in my opinion.

Probably depends on how you are set up. I found Blighttown pretty challenging but I agree it is not a patch on the Valley Of Defilement in terms of annoyance. Most of my deaths were me instinctively rolling out the way of an attack and off a cliff.

Yeah, I had a couple deaths from falling there, but didn't have any issue with the toxin dart guys or being poisoned.

You're not supposed to fight Ceaseless Discharge right after Queelag, right? Cause I went over there and got pounded into a fine paste. Ah well, I least I got a set of kickass armor out of it.

is the ceaseless discharge the giant lava thing near the gold hemmed armour? because you can kill him unarmed if you want, just aggro him untill he starts chasing you then run to the fog gate, when he lunges at you attack his fist(?) a few times and he falls off into the bottomless pit, easy kill, but dont continue on unless you think you can kill 4-6b taures demons

And 7 Capra Demons. Seriously, fuck Demons Ruins. That place was insane.

AND Capra Demons!? i can honestly say i legged it after seeing all the taure guys, well i aint ever going back in there, one is enough to send me into a rage haha

You have to for the story. Oh, and the Capra Demons respawn. And you fight another version of the Stray Demon before your next bonfire. Have fun.

Not true. There's a bonfire if you kill the Burrowing Rockworm near the last of the Capra Demons. You still have to go through a Capra Demon, several demon statues and a Taurus Demon to pass through the gate, but you don't have to go through all of the waves of Capra Demons.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

I'm wondering, what's so bad about Blighttown? I made it through and killed Queelag with little fuss. Not nearly as annoying as the Valley of Defilement from Demon's Souls, in my opinion.

Probably depends on how you are set up. I found Blighttown pretty challenging but I agree it is not a patch on the Valley Of Defilement in terms of annoyance. Most of my deaths were me instinctively rolling out the way of an attack and off a cliff.

Yeah, I had a couple deaths from falling there, but didn't have any issue with the toxin dart guys or being poisoned.

You're not supposed to fight Ceaseless Discharge right after Queelag, right? Cause I went over there and got pounded into a fine paste. Ah well, I least I got a set of kickass armor out of it.

is the ceaseless discharge the giant lava thing near the gold hemmed armour? because you can kill him unarmed if you want, just aggro him untill he starts chasing you then run to the fog gate, when he lunges at you attack his fist(?) a few times and he falls off into the bottomless pit, easy kill, but dont continue on unless you think you can kill 4-6b taures demons

And 7 Capra Demons. Seriously, fuck Demons Ruins. That place was insane.

AND Capra Demons!? i can honestly say i legged it after seeing all the taure guys, well i aint ever going back in there, one is enough to send me into a rage haha

You have to for the story. Oh, and the Capra Demons respawn. And you fight another version of the Stray Demon before your next bonfire. Have fun.

Not true. There's a bonfire if you kill the Burrowing Rockworm near the last of the Capra Demons. You still have to go through a Capra Demon, several demon statues and a Taurus Demon to pass through the gate, but you don't have to go through all of the waves of Capra Demons.

There is? Damn, I missed it. Well, I made that section a lot harder than needed. Though, fighting the Firesage with half health and with 1 potion left trying to desperately stay alive was exhilarating.

 

[Dansen]

Well I just got invaded in a co-op session, it was the lamest thing ever.

We were in Anor Londo right outside the giant church.
The host and the other phantom run down the entrance stairs to kill him, while I took out my Dragon Slayer Great bow and started lining up my shot. The invader takes out the other phantom in three hits, and apparently he and the host used some sort of spell that made it impossible to lock on, so they were running around each other trying to get hits. I took a shot and missed so he immediately notices me and starts sprinting up the steps. I take another shot but he starts rolling up the stairs, so I switch to my spear, only to find out I cant hit him. Then I sprinted around while the invader chased me and the host chased the invader. Eventually I just gave up and he killed me in four hits.

It was incredibly retarded. There has to be level caps placed on invaders because this guy was obviously way stronger. You can't have open level pvps in RPGs, it doesn't work. I wouldn't be so mad because it was actually kind of epic, except now I have to wait twenty more minutes to find a host.

 

[Bat Vader]

Well I just got invaded in a co-op session, it was the lamest thing ever.

We were in Anor Londo right outside the giant church.
The host and the other phantom run down the entrance stairs to kill him, while I took out my Dragon Slayer Great bow and started lining up my shot. The invader takes out the other phantom in three hits, and apparently he and the host used some sort of spell that made it impossible to lock on, so they were running around each other trying to get hits. I took a shot and missed so he immediately notices me and starts sprinting up the steps. I take another shot but he starts rolling up the stairs, so I switch to my spear, only to find out I cant hit him. Then I sprinted around while the invader chased me and the host chased the invader. Eventually I just gave up and he killed me in four hits.

It was incredibly retarded. There has to be level caps placed on invaders because this guy was obviously way stronger. You can't have open level pvps in RPGs, it doesn't work. I wouldn't be so mad because it was actually kind of epic, except now I have to wait twenty more minutes to find a host.

Was the host unable to setup a private co-op match or does Dark Souls not allow those? Can that player be reported or no?

 

[Jfswift]

My experiences and thoughts so far, based on the PS3 version of Dark Souls:

Pros:

- Vast, open world (I *LOVE* exploring old ruins, it is soooooo fun!)
- Lots of loot, including some new weapons to play with
- save zones seem to be in fair locations
- overall gameplay feels mostly balanced and fair if you know what to do (and if not there are forums and guide books to assist you)
- increased difficulty (yes, that's a pro because in Demons some of the more basic enemies just seemed to be flat out retarded, where as in here the AI will make them back up and hide or do sneaky things that I would also do -- and really, who doesn't a challenge)
- Multiplayer is Oh-SO-fun! I love tag teaming bosses and I don't even mind dying from a PVP fight because it just adds to that sense of danger and realism I love, never knowing when someone will invade :3

Cons:
- Framerate is a little choppy but not game breakingly so (it's really a non-issue for me)
- Graphics could have been better but again.. I'm not a huge graphics guy - I can still sit down and play Blaster Master on NES and have fun with it

 

[MisterShine]

guy is doing so much cheap/hacky shit on that speed run video.. he logs everytime he dies to cheat death and keep the mobs he killed dead -- lame

lolwut? The only time that I remember him doing "cheap/hacky shit" was when he fell off of the rafters and exited the game really quickly.

I watched the whole thing, he quits/restarts during several fights to reset the boss positions and to prevent deaths, at least the double boss fight in Anor Londo and the Ice Dragon dude, where he also hides in a little crevice next to the bosses tail to prevent himself from being hit by any attacks.. Yeah, pretty impressive still but he exploited some mechanics. Xbox version doesn't let you do that, trust me -_-

 

[Xyphon]

Well I just got invaded in a co-op session, it was the lamest thing ever.

We were in Anor Londo right outside the giant church.
The host and the other phantom run down the entrance stairs to kill him, while I took out my Dragon Slayer Great bow and started lining up my shot. The invader takes out the other phantom in three hits, and apparently he and the host used some sort of spell that made it impossible to lock on, so they were running around each other trying to get hits. I took a shot and missed so he immediately notices me and starts sprinting up the steps. I take another shot but he starts rolling up the stairs, so I switch to my spear, only to find out I cant hit him. Then I sprinted around while the invader chased me and the host chased the invader. Eventually I just gave up and he killed me in four hits.

It was incredibly retarded. There has to be level caps placed on invaders because this guy was obviously way stronger. You can't have open level pvps in RPGs, it doesn't work. I wouldn't be so mad because it was actually kind of epic, except now I have to wait twenty more minutes to find a host.

Was the host unable to setup a private co-op match or does Dark Souls not allow those? Can that player be reported or no?

No, you can't make a private match. The closest you can come to that is your friend being around 10% of your level and being lucky enough to find their summon sign. No actual invites, which does suck quite a bit.

You can "report" an invader by using an item to indict them. They're added to a list of "sinners" and can be invaded and killed by people in the Darkmoon covenant.

 

[krazykidd]

Well I just got invaded in a co-op session, it was the lamest thing ever.

We were in Anor Londo right outside the giant church.
The host and the other phantom run down the entrance stairs to kill him, while I took out my Dragon Slayer Great bow and started lining up my shot. The invader takes out the other phantom in three hits, and apparently he and the host used some sort of spell that made it impossible to lock on, so they were running around each other trying to get hits. I took a shot and missed so he immediately notices me and starts sprinting up the steps. I take another shot but he starts rolling up the stairs, so I switch to my spear, only to find out I cant hit him. Then I sprinted around while the invader chased me and the host chased the invader. Eventually I just gave up and he killed me in four hits.

It was incredibly retarded. There has to be level caps placed on invaders because this guy was obviously way stronger. You can't have open level pvps in RPGs, it doesn't work. I wouldn't be so mad because it was actually kind of epic, except now I have to wait twenty more minutes to find a host.

Was the host unable to setup a private co-op match or does Dark Souls not allow those? Can that player be reported or no?

Reported for what? Playing the game? Lol you don't get to chose who you invade . And the invasion process is limited , both parties must meet several conditions.

 

[Cananatra]

Also: at the Undead burg at a bit where I have the choice of running across some battlements and being stomped flat by a goat demon or running downstairs and being bi-sected by a demon knight-am I on the right path or is there somewhere slightly easier I should have gone to?

Kill the Taurus Demon by climbing the tower and kill the skeletons that shoot at you as walk outside, before the boss appears. Trigger the boss fight, climb that ladder and do a falling attack on the demon. Rinse and repeat till he's dead.

The Demon Knight is something you want to fight later, and even then he's only defending a rare item, not the next area to go to.

I found (while i stubbornly insisted fighting that knight before the demon) that if you let it chase you back the way you came, you can climb up the ladder and it wont follow you up. From there it was just a matter of shooting it until it died.

 

[Bat Vader]

Well I just got invaded in a co-op session, it was the lamest thing ever.

We were in Anor Londo right outside the giant church.
The host and the other phantom run down the entrance stairs to kill him, while I took out my Dragon Slayer Great bow and started lining up my shot. The invader takes out the other phantom in three hits, and apparently he and the host used some sort of spell that made it impossible to lock on, so they were running around each other trying to get hits. I took a shot and missed so he immediately notices me and starts sprinting up the steps. I take another shot but he starts rolling up the stairs, so I switch to my spear, only to find out I cant hit him. Then I sprinted around while the invader chased me and the host chased the invader. Eventually I just gave up and he killed me in four hits.

It was incredibly retarded. There has to be level caps placed on invaders because this guy was obviously way stronger. You can't have open level pvps in RPGs, it doesn't work. I wouldn't be so mad because it was actually kind of epic, except now I have to wait twenty more minutes to find a host.

Was the host unable to setup a private co-op match or does Dark Souls not allow those? Can that player be reported or no?

No, you can't make a private match. The closest you can come to that is your friend being around 10% of your level and being lucky enough to find their summon sign. No actual invites, which does suck quite a bit.

You can "report" an invader by using an item to indict them. They're added to a list of "sinners" and can be invaded and killed by people in the Darkmoon covenant.

I know Dark Souls is meant to be extremely difficult but not letting players host private co-op matches seems almost unfair.

 

[lapan]

So, I was just going around, minding my own business, when I was summoned to another world as a phantom. While this is just fine and dandy, I couldn't find the guy that I was supposed to be killing. At all. So, I decided to just explore for a while.

Fifteen minutes later, I suddenly get the Rite of Kindling, and the souls of Pricilla, Nito and Seath. Immediately after I get these, I'm transported to yet another world, where everything is just a normal PvP match. After I completed that, I got a duplicate Cat Covenant Ring.

Does anyone know what happened? I mean, I got a trophy for getting the Rite of Kindling, and I kept all of the stuff I got.

EDIT: I just realized that I got every single boss soul up to that point. I currently have two souls of the Moonlight Butterfly, two souls of Quelaag, the soul of an Iron Golem, and two Sif souls.

Matchmaking seems bugged sometimes. I myself once got in an apparently empty game where i could pick up every item but the host was nowhere to be found and i couldn't pass through any fog. In the end i killed myself after picking up everything i could find.