Help me to enjoy dark souls.

Da pyro man 999

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I recently borrowed dark souls of a friend and have been playing it on or off for the last week or so. I don't know if the following fact will show me to be a terrible gamer but, I still haven't gotten past the gargoyles. Right now, i don't find the game hard, i'm just finding it frustrating. So, any tips on enjoying the game? Any particular class i can choose, or weapons i need? stuff like that.

I would really like to enjoy dark souls, but it keeps pushing me away.
 

Able Seacat

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If it's not for you then there's not much point in making yourself suffer through it. Maybe one of the online walkthroughs will help you out or at least explain some stuff to make things a little less frustrating for you.
 

TehCookie

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Use it as a frisbee, or a coaster, or cut it into a shuriken.

If you're not enjoying playing it you don't have to force yourself to.
 

Mikejames

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Note that the game is a frustrating time sink that's not for everyone, so if you're not having any fun with it I wouldn't trust Blighttown to change your mind. That said-

-Did you choose pyromancer? You should probably choose pyromancer.

-Get a bow sooner rather than later.

-If you want to summon people for help you need to use humanity at a bonfire first.

-Talk to everyone back at the Firelink shrine when you can. There'll be random tips/items/character info doing that.

-There are multiple encounters where I will defend the use of an online guide should you need one.
 

SnakeTrousers

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I found that fight difficult too, and the guys you've gotta go through every time to get to it certainly didn't help. Now, though, not so much. Just keep your distance when you're not sure, try to stay behind it and if you have a shield then use it as much as you can without running out of stamina.

I find this strategy works for a lot of the game, actually.

Da pyro man 999 said:
Right now, i don't find the game hard, i'm just finding it frustrating.
Care to elaborate?
 

Erttheking

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Never give up. When I got to Sen's Fortress, I honestly thought that I would never be able to get through it. If you press on hard enough you will overcome it. And you will feel like you're on top of the world.

Also, if boss fights are too hard, don't be afraid to use your white soapstone to summon other players to help you.
 

Augustine

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Having done everything conceivable in Dark Souls, I would want to stress that EVERY obstacle in this game can be overcome creatively, outside the box.

If you come up against something that seems impossible - take a step back and evaluate, study the situation and the tools available to you. Chances are there is a solution that allows for less then prefect execution (but it is possible to beat the game at level one, you just have to be master it).

Having said that, the minimum bar for skill is set quite a bit higher than most games, to be sure. So, I don't want to say that there is easy shortcut to early success - take time to learn the basics, it'll save you a lot of pain later on.
 

Lawnmooer

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Da pyro man 999 said:
Right now, i don't find the game hard, i'm just finding it frustrating. So, any tips on enjoying the game?
How so?

Usually, people get frustrated because they find the game hard, are unable to progress because of various reasons (Trying to play it like other games of similar genre tends to be the favoured way of limiting progress)

Are you frustrated because you're finding enemies attacks to be unpredictable and hard to mitigate? Because you're having difficulties in progressing?

Any particular class i can choose
I'd recommend either Cleric or Pyromancer as a starting class.

Pyromancer is the typical one people choose, as it starts at level 1 meaning the first few levels are cheaper than for other classes (Other classes may be higher level but can often have levels in skills that are not useful like Resistance). It also starts out with a Pyromancy Glove and the Fireball pyromancy, which is very strong when used correctly (It is also amazing for dealing with Oozes which you'll encounter later, whom are resistant to physical damage)

Cleric is also a decent starting class, especially for a newbie. Starting off with a free Talisman (Happens to be a very good talisman too) and a free Heal miracle (Which can be stacked with the Heal miracle bought from Petrus in Firelink Shrine to double the amount available to use) really helps with survival. While Heal does have a hefty cast time, it can allow you to save on Estus Flasks (Which are quicker to use) by healing up between combat.

weapons i need? stuff like that.
I really suggest trying out various weapons to find one which moveset you like, then try and level your stats towards getting the most out of it (Without neglecting Stamina and Vitality) and upgrade it whenever you get the chance. - Ideally I recommend using a test character to check out different weapons and once you find the right one, creating a new character to minimize the any wasted levels (Since levels do end up getting really expensive, wasting levels can be detrimental later on)

Fist Weapons
Hammers
Great Hammers
Axes
Great Axes
Daggers
Thrusting Swords
Straight Swords
Great Swords
Ultra Great Swords
Katanas
Curved Swords
Curved Greatswords
Halberds
Bows
Crossbows
Greatbows
Whips

The key is getting a weapon type you like and sticking with it, getting to know the ins and outs of using it, getting to know exactly how long it takes to do normal and heavy attacks, knowing its range, attack pattern, swing arc and when to use both the sprint attack and the roll attack. Even stuff like knowing how much stamina it takes for a swing/combo can be important (Especially when needing Stamina to roll and/or block)

Upgrades are also very important, they can cause a weapon to end up doing more than double the original damage, aswell as being able to tailor the weapon to better suit your stats.
 

verdant monkai

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Da pyro man 999 said:
I recently borrowed dark souls of a friend and have been playing it on or off for the last week or so. I don't know if the following fact will show me to be a terrible gamer but, I still haven't gotten past the gargoyles. Right now, i don't find the game hard, i'm just finding it frustrating. So, any tips on enjoying the game? Any particular class i can choose, or weapons i need? stuff like that.

I would really like to enjoy dark souls, but it keeps pushing me away.
The game's not pushing you away. You just need patience.

If its bothering you that much consult a walkthrough and grind on some enemies for souls and to improve your technique.

Also as a tip from someone who's done newgame+ get the heaviest armour you can (the Golem set is what I use). Its not good for PvP but it helps you whether the damage of the dungeons on your way to the boss. And lets you survive more than 3 hits when your fighting it.
 

Launcelot111

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The gold pine resin that can be found in Undead Burg will give your weapons some extra lightning damage that tears through the gargoyles. If you feel really confident in yourself, you can also use humanity to reverse your hollowness and make your way up to the boss door, where you can summon an NPC to help you fight (just remember you go back to being hollow if you die).

In a broader sense, take your time and scope out every new room with the expectation that a trap or ambush is waiting for you. Patience is the most important thing about this game, as observing an enemy and waiting 30 seconds for an ideal opening to kill it is better than rushing in and losing 30 minutes of progress.
 

krazykidd

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If you are asking for help/looking at guides, you are doing it wrong. It's fine to not like the game. However part the (supposed) fun is learning from you mistakes and overcoming the trials and tribulations on your own. Give up but keep your head held high.
 

Windcaler

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Well to start you need to keep in mind that dark souls isnt for everyone. If you arent enjoying it then you arent enjoying it and its ok to put the game down. It doesnt make you a bad gamer or any nonsense like that it just means the game isnt for you.

That said the best advice I can give is learn from your mistakes. Its ok to go in to simply observe how a boss fights. When you learn the tells of those bosses you wont necessarily need to block/dodge because you'll just move out of the way, get around them, or stagger them during attack animations that completely miss.

Something else you can do is go from normal difficulty mode to easy difficulty mode by upgrading your equipment at the blacksmith (dark souls has difficulty modes but its not a slider). If you need shards you can get them by killing balder knights (the guys with the red capes) around the church. There should be 5 or 6 of them around if you can clear the whole area before returning to the bonfire. They also drop pieces of armor, a pretty good shield, and the Balder side sword which is one of my favorite dexterity based weapons in the game.

You can summon other players to help. Theres usually white sigils or sunbro marks just outside the church. Failing that you can also summon Solaire and Lautrec inside the church. However I do not recomend that you summon players to help. The reason being that IMO it effects the sense of accomplishment that you get from overcoming the bosses. If you do it solo it just feels a lot better. That goes for all bosses

The third thing in mind is know your mechanics and your equipment. Use your shield and dodges properly so you arent depleting yourself of stamina. Get in, get a few hits in, and back out. If you need to use estus do so when the boss is either out of range or in an attack animation that wont hit you. Your weaponry also plays a big part of the fight. Its ok to use speedy weapons or slow heavy weapons if you use them properly. You dont want to use the heavy attack of a Zwienhander unless you've got the right opening and you will only learn those openings through experience with the boss. Now if you go into the stats of your gear, particularly your weapons youll notice they have letters under certain attributes. A normal longsword will be C and C for strength and dexterity while Astora's straight sword will have a C C and C under strength, dexterity, and faith. What these are is scaling effects meaning the higher your stats are in these abilities the better the weapon does. So if youre a dexterity based character a weapon like the balder side sword (which has E strength and B dex scaling) is going to work better for you then say a longsword (which has C strength and dex scaling).

Lets see...oh cut that tail on the first gargoyle for a nifty ax. You can do it with any slashing weapon like the broadsword, claymore, bandit knife, whatever. The second gargoyle doesnt have a tail so dont worry about him.

Also dont worry about classes, just design your character how you want them. You can beat the game with any kind of character, yes even one where you did nothing but sink your points into resistance (tested that one myself) although I dont recomend that since the return on resistance is awful. Just find yourself a playstyle that you enjoy and run with it, if you need help adapting that playstyle for certain bosses the dark souls community will always be there to help with advice

I hope that youll start enjoying the game more. It really is an excellent game and a glorious piece of art but Ill reiterate that Dark souls isnt for everyone.
 
Aug 1, 2010
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Well, first tell us a bit about your character. It's hard to know how to help without info.

Here's a few general tips though.

-Get a good bow, upgrade it and carry a shitload of arrows. Ranged combat is extremely helpful.

-Before going to the Gargoyles, turn human, then summon Solaire just outside the door. He helps a lot.

-Lightning is their biggest weakness. If you haven't gotten the lightning resin yet, buy the Residence Key from the first merchant or kill him and go get it from the chest in the house. It's absurd just how much more damage the lightning does.

-The trick is to kill the first Gargoyle before the other even has a chance to get to you. Go for high damage.

-The fire is incredibly annoying. The trick is to never try to dodge it. Just block and you'll take less damage. If you can, equip a shield with hire Fire Resistance.

-You don't have to take the bosses in any defined order. I didn't fight the Gargoyles until I was well into the forest area

-LEARN. TO. PARRY. It's a bit hard to do, but extremely useful. It makes the Anor Londo castle exponentially easier and is easily the best way to kill the final boss.

-Upgrade Endurance and stay under 50% equip rate. Being under 25% is nice, but you'll take a hell of a lot more damage and you're not [i/]that[/i] much faster.

-Be sure to upgrade your weapons as much as you can. Upgrading armor is less essential.

-Buy the Crest Of Artorias as soon as you can. The are it opens is by far the best soul farming area in the entire game. You can make 7000 souls in under 5 minutes with little difficulty and then keep doing it over and over.

-Get good at running past enemies. Some bosses have hordes of mooks between them and the nearest bonfire and it just isn't worth it to fight through them every time.

-Class really doesn't matter much. Pyromancer is nice just because you start the game with the flame hand.

-Never put a single point in Resistance. It's useless.

And, I really hate to say this because it starts a litany of bad habits, but if all else fails, get the Drake Sword. Just Google the name and you'll find tutorials on how to get it. Stay away from it as long as you can though. It can become a crutch that cripples you late game.

krazykidd said:
If you are asking for help/looking at guides, you are doing it wrong.
This is simply incorrect. Do everything you can by yourself, but Dark Souls does a very poor job of explaining a lot of things. Don't be ashamed to look for help.
 

Therumancer

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It's not for everyone, and yeah, Frustration is part of it. Half the "point" of Dark Souls is that it doesn't seem hard, at it's core it's a fairly simple system, but it actually is, and the game is set up to seriously pound you for simple mistakes. What's more it feeds on the frustrated, as when you get frustrated and come rushing back you make more mistakes, and wind up dying even more often. :)

I myself am not great at it, but I will say that your best options might be to summon other players (if enough people are still playing), as other people have said. It's also one of those games where if you get frustrated it helps to stop playing for a while than to keep playing and making even dumber mistakes as you rush to the point your trying to get past.
 

Fake James

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1) find a look/build you want, fix it in your mind, and go for it. there is no point trying to aimlessly happen upon an armor or a weapon (or not) that you think is badass and have the game suffer for it. there are plenty of online resources, find how you want to build your toon before you play 20 hours with something you dont really like.

2) play with a friend. the online system in dark souls is set up such that if you really want to, you can play the entire game with a friend. do so. you will have someone to talk to, someone to help you, and you can troll invaders all day. or go to the forest and kill invaders with your friend, and maybe an extra sunbro or something. fun!

point is, i found that when first playing the game, it was way more fun playing with a friend, giving you the freedom to build and play your guy the way you want to without fear of being utterly unable to progress. later, if you want the real dark souls experience, you can always solo ng+.

and thats about it. really.

... also having to type 'coughequences' before i can post something?

holy too many adds, batman.
 

EightGaugeHippo

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Everything in the game looks bigger and scarier than it actually is.

Respond to enemy attacks, don't react.

Nothing is immortal, nothing is impossible.

If you have full stamina, have your shield up.

The thickest armour and heaviest weapons do not make you untouchable.

Treat each and every enemy as an equal threat

Talk to everyone.

Do not worry about loosing souls, they come and go, don't be disheartened.

and above all, Praise the Sun.
 

Snowbell

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I've been seriously struggling too, I love DS but I just can't seem to get into Blighttown u_u

I've got Elite Knight Armour, a good shield, the Drake sword (I'm grinding souls for shards to get a weapon good enough to replace it) but those goddamn fat things keep slaughtering me. It's very frustrating, I haven't played it for a week.

As you're stuck on the Gargoyles I ask: Do YOU have the Drake sword? It would still be good for where you are in the game, and it's such an obvious question for most DS veterans that they may not have mentioned it to you
 

Coakle

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Role Play.

It's important to keep yourself entertained while playing a game like Dark Souls.

Personally, I pretended that every boss was an episode of 'COPS'. Soltaire was renamed, Sonny 'The Sun' Jack. He was my partner as we broke down doors and busted gargoyles. Honestly, once I put the 'COPS' theme on, I played a lot better. Don't let defeat prevent you from enjoying the game. There is too much character and story you can inject into the world to not enjoy Dark Souls.