See, it could just be my character design that makes me think this (high strength with huge shield and black knight halberd), but I never have to learn attack patterns. I just keep my shield up and have them hit it, then I hit them. Unless they are a slow, strong one. Then, I just walk backwards until they have an opening and then kill them. However, a lot of deaths come from falling (Anor Londo, Blighttown, and escpecially Tomb of Giants because that was a freaking long walk to the first bonfire). The other come from bosses escpecially S & O. Falling and double teaming just seem like stupid ways to die. When I got a partner the fight couldn't be easier (I hit for like 400). Don't say its tactics either because its also a large part luck. Ornstein wouldn't always seperate from Smough and they would end up getting close together. When my jolly compatriot distracted Smough, Ornstein was nothing. He even misses really often like I think his attacks are meant for you to move into them while running from Smough. Then big Smough was a joke, an easily flammable joke.
But that IS your strategy. You are playing a tank, but not every fight or situation is going to work well for one. That's like playing a wizard and complaining that the enemies won't stay far away, or playing a thief and complaining that an enemy doesn't flinch from your shots. If you want to make a highly specialized character, you're going to have to live with the drawbacks of it.
Lol I learned that after the Anor Lando archers. I bought like 200 arrows which helped later against the 2 undead dragons which were pushovers with arrows. However, I can't see how certain areas of the game would be improved with any character type. Most areas of the game obviously were easier with ranged attacks, but those enemies could still be taken on with melee. Right now I'm way past Anor Londo, but that place broke the game for me in a way that makes me notice other really annoying parts. S & O was just a difficulty spike that was stupid and if I didn't have XboxLive I would've quit right there. I found out later you could summon Solaire, but I couldn't find his summon sign when I was looking for it. Another thing that probably kills people a lot regardless of class is the heights. Whenever I am noticeably high up I get so worried because I know I will get fucked over by that. Tomb of Giants really almost broke the game again because of the long walk back every time. Why there was no bonfire in between Catacombs and ToG is confusing to me. The walk was so long just so I could accidentally fall in the dark. Its funny because I died less to Nito(biggest letdown boss fight ever) than that fucking fall. I really wish Nito was hard because the opening built him up to be such a badass.
See, it could just be my character design that makes me think this (high strength with huge shield and black knight halberd), but I never have to learn attack patterns. I just keep my shield up and have them hit it, then I hit them. Unless they are a slow, strong one. Then, I just walk backwards until they have an opening and then kill them. However, a lot of deaths come from falling (Anor Londo, Blighttown, and escpecially Tomb of Giants because that was a freaking long walk to the first bonfire). The other come from bosses escpecially S & O. Falling and double teaming just seem like stupid ways to die. When I got a partner the fight couldn't be easier (I hit for like 400). Don't say its tactics either because its also a large part luck. Ornstein wouldn't always seperate from Smough and they would end up getting close together. When my jolly compatriot distracted Smough, Ornstein was nothing. He even misses really often like I think his attacks are meant for you to move into them while running from Smough. Then big Smough was a joke, an easily flammable joke.
Thats where we differ. I rarely fall off cliffs and I could run circles around S+O without taking a single point of damage. Where I get killed most is by missing a parry, or by missing a backstab because of my weak armor. It is all about playstyle.
And I do agree with you about the luck thing. If Orny decides to use his ranged lightning attacked rather than jump around like a tard and try to melee you, your fucked. If the Stray Demon immediately uses his fire attack once you drop, your fucked.
You seem to have a love/hate relationship with DS, otherwise I can't understand why you are still playing.
What was funny was I didn't even know about the Stray Demon until way later. I had already finished the Painting area before I found out there was anything over there. I went back and I'm so glad he didn't hit me with fire at first. The same thing happened with Nito the first time I jumped down, he used some dumb auto hit on me and that just pissed me off. It's a good thing that disappears after you get close or that would be dumb.
Out of interest how many tries did it take you to get past them?
Also prepare to get brutalised by Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough. Theyre the area boss for Anor Londo and the hardest bosses in the game apart from maybe Lord Gwyn and possibly the Four Kings after that rebalancing patch.
but I really don't have the motivation to keep going so I'm done and that's not changing.
Well as im sure as its been stated about 150 times now, the games true appeal lies in its challenge. This is a game that really is out to get you at every turn, and the fun in this game lies in overcoming this challenge.
Its a bit off topic but heres a table made to state just how hard Dwarf Fortress is, Dark Souls falls into the same category.
Lol you came into this thread a little late. S & O made me so mad I killed Solaire (didn't know he had a summon sign hidding somewhere until the deed was done) It took me like 12 tries at least to get by the Anor Londo douches, but it felt longer because of the long walk over there. What is funny is on my last try I was so mad I killed the firekeeper and was like "okay last try", I did what the strategy guide said and they did fall off and I felt really dirty for that, but even with my best shield they hit me off the ledge, and running up to them only made the one farthest away hit me, or the one closest would knock me off the ledge.
I'm past S & O through the power of jolly co-op because after I made the fight fair with a 2 v 2 it was really easy. So far there have been no hard bosses in the same way they were hard. Haven't gotten to the Four Kings, but it better not be 4 v 1 or I'll get really mad.
Lol I learned that after the Anor Lando archers. I bought like 200 arrows which helped later against the 2 undead dragons which were pushovers with arrows. However, I can't see how certain areas of the game would be improved with any character type. Most areas of the game obviously were easier with ranged attacks, but those enemies could still be taken on with melee. Right now I'm way past Anor Londo, but that place broke the game for me in a way that makes me notice other really annoying parts. S & O was just a difficulty spike that was stupid and if I didn't have XboxLive I would've quit right there. I found out later you could summon Solaire, but I couldn't find his summon sign when I was looking for it. Another thing that probably kills people a lot regardless of class is the heights. Whenever I am noticeably high up I get so worried because I know I will get fucked over by that. Tomb of Giants really almost broke the game again because of the long walk back every time. Why there was no bonfire in between Catacombs and ToG is confusing to me. The walk was so long just so I could accidentally fall in the dark. Its funny because I died less to Nito(biggest letdown boss fight ever) than that fucking fall. I really wish Nito was hard because the opening built him up to be such a badass.
There actually is a bonfire in the Tomb of the Giants. Its just behind where you slide down from the Catacombs, near where you see Patches.
The nice thing about long falls are that, for the most part, if you die from them it's your own fault for not being more careful. Very rarely have I ever been in a situation where an enemy forced me off a ledge from an attack that I could not dodge. Anor Londo and Blighttown are the worst for it, and luckily both of those sections don't really last all that long.
Sozac said:
Haven't gotten to the Four Kings, but it better not be 4 v 1 or I'll get really mad.
Prepare to get really mad. It starts 1 on 1, then 2 on 1, then 3, etc. If you can kill them fast enough you won't have to worry, but take too long and you'll be looking at a whole lot of ugly.
My friend absolutely loves dark souls so he let me borrow it, and I'm hating it. I also hate when he says, oh it must be "too hard" for you. He used walkthroughs and tells me to use them and I tell him that a game shouldn't need walkthroughs. He tells me the game doesn't hold your hand its like those old school games. I told him those old school games were simple enough that it didn't require the game to blatantly cheat and their mechanics weren't glitchy. I tell him that the story is nonexistent and I don't care about the lore. It keeps going like this and both sides sort of seem too opinionated.
I would like to hear from both sides of the Escapist what they thought of it.
Also, I don't want anyone coming on and saying it was easy, no gloating even if you are l33t or whatever I dont consider myself to be bad at the game either. I've mastered the controls and tactics and in the game I just made it past Anor Londo's arrow douches, but I really don't have the motivation to keep going so I'm done and that's not changing.
Lol I learned that after the Anor Lando archers. I bought like 200 arrows which helped later against the 2 undead dragons which were pushovers with arrows. However, I can't see how certain areas of the game would be improved with any character type. Most areas of the game obviously were easier with ranged attacks, but those enemies could still be taken on with melee. Right now I'm way past Anor Londo, but that place broke the game for me in a way that makes me notice other really annoying parts. S & O was just a difficulty spike that was stupid and if I didn't have XboxLive I would've quit right there. I found out later you could summon Solaire, but I couldn't find his summon sign when I was looking for it. Another thing that probably kills people a lot regardless of class is the heights. Whenever I am noticeably high up I get so worried because I know I will get fucked over by that. Tomb of Giants really almost broke the game again because of the long walk back every time. Why there was no bonfire in between Catacombs and ToG is confusing to me. The walk was so long just so I could accidentally fall in the dark. Its funny because I died less to Nito(biggest letdown boss fight ever) than that fucking fall. I really wish Nito was hard because the opening built him up to be such a badass.
There actually is a bonfire in the Tomb of the Giants. Its just behind where you slide down from the Catacombs, near where you see Patches.
The nice thing about long falls are that, for the most part, if you die from them it's your own fault for not being more careful. Very rarely have I ever been in a situation where an enemy forced me off a ledge from an attack that I could not dodge. Anor Londo and Blighttown are the worst for it, and luckily both of those sections don't really last all that long.
Sozac said:
Haven't gotten to the Four Kings, but it better not be 4 v 1 or I'll get really mad.
Prepare to get really mad. It starts 1 on 1, then 2 on 1, then 3, etc. If you can kill them fast enough you won't have to worry, but take too long and you'll be looking at a whole lot of ugly.
The standing skeleton's kicks push me farther when I have my shield up than when I just let them hit me, but luckily there is only one that's really high up. Also, I was talking about getting to that first bonfire. I knew there was one somewhere, but it was at the bottom of a long fall. It took like 5 deaths before I found the ladder. It was after that when I found Patches who knocked me right into the God Lamp. Just finding that made me so happy I didn't kill him when I got back to the top.
Also, that gives me the chills thinking about it. I guess I'll save that for last. Even though they will die fat because my guy can hit for a lot.
Aww. That was sad. I killed this wolf Sif without context again. It was awfully easy and the poor thing started limping when you got down its health. Like the killing blow was after it swung the sword and fell over. Anyone want to tell me why a huge ass wolf just attacked me with a sword.
I think the foremost reason for the game's popularity is how different it is.
Whereas almost all RPGs are relatively straightforward, story-intensive and relatively easy, Dark Souls emphasizes gameplay, infers a rather minimalist story, and makes killing you an amusingly important game mechanic. As a big fan of plot and story, I generally found playing through it to be like 'living' a sort of Arthurian myth. It's funny reading something like Theseus killing the minotaur, which goes into no detail about the actual killing part, and then fighting the Taurus Demon and imagining what a frantic and hellish time he had. I also find the game has an overarching theme of desolation. Of course, this is all just me.
Really, the popularity of Dark Souls can be written off to the same reason all games end up popular - because they're fun. That being said, your friend is rather silly for thinking the game to be infallible.
Ahh. I remember my experience in the Undead Burg. I chose the thief class and fucked myself solid due to that choice. Don't pick thief on your first time through. Just don't.
The thief class is actually pretty good if you know how to use him. The trick is to trade your dagger for something better first chance you get. I pick up the mace in Firelink Shrine and just use that until I get the Drake Sword. Plus already having the Master Key and being able to pick another gift is a nice bonus. I got the black bombs and killed that first boss guy and got his hammer. The Undead Burg was a piece of cake too.
Aww. That was sad. I killed this wolf Sif without context again. It was awfully easy and the poor thing started limping when you got down its health. Like the killing blow was after it swung the sword and fell over. Anyone want to tell me why a huge ass wolf just attacked me with a sword.
Basically there was a really awesome knight who managed to figure out how to not die in an empty abyss. You're after the ring that let him do that so you don't die instantly at a certain boss.
Out of interest how many tries did it take you to get past them?
Also prepare to get brutalised by Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough. Theyre the area boss for Anor Londo and the hardest bosses in the game apart from maybe Lord Gwyn and possibly the Four Kings after that rebalancing patch.
but I really don't have the motivation to keep going so I'm done and that's not changing.
Well as im sure as its been stated about 150 times now, the games true appeal lies in its challenge. This is a game that really is out to get you at every turn, and the fun in this game lies in overcoming this challenge.
Its a bit off topic but heres a table made to state just how hard Dwarf Fortress is, Dark Souls falls into the same category.
Lol you came into this thread a little late. S & O made me so mad I killed Solaire (didn't know he had a summon sign hidding somewhere until the deed was done) It took me like 12 tries at least to get by the Anor Londo douches, but it felt longer because of the long walk over there. What is funny is on my last try I was so mad I killed the firekeeper and was like "okay last try", I did what the strategy guide said and they did fall off and I felt really dirty for that, but even with my best shield they hit me off the ledge, and running up to them only made the one farthest away hit me, or the one closest would knock me off the ledge.
I'm past S & O through the power of jolly co-op because after I made the fight fair with a 2 v 2 it was really easy. So far there have been no hard bosses in the same way they were hard. Haven't gotten to the Four Kings, but it better not be 4 v 1 or I'll get really mad.
Well i had the (dis)pleasure of facing S&O solo, i can seriously tell you that its not a pleasnt fight otherwise. In a solo fight the AI adjusts the agressiveness of the one youre not targeting, so keeping on Ornstien will likely get you blindsided by Smoughs hammer, and visa versa with Ornstiens spear.
Also the trick for getting past the dragonbow douchebags (legitimately) is not getting hit by thier arrows. Dodgerolls were added for a reason. head to the one on the right, when you get close to him the one on the left cannot see you due to a pillar being in the way. Roll under the arrows as you approach, then when they switch to melee theyre like any other silver knight in Anor Londo.
Also the Four Kings is a 4v1 fight, and Solaire isnt on hand to help you. But each King spawns one at a time, in addition each have realatively little health for a boss and most of what you need to do is murder the one thats attacking you right away before the next one spawns. Also keep close to them, thier ranged attacks fucking hurt and that was before Iron Flesh got nerfed.
Also a fair tip, if you intend to challenge Gwyndolin in Anor Londo, do it offline. I cant think of words to describe my experience at the hands of the Blades of Darkmoon in Dark Anor Londo.
Also when you get to Lost Isalith, bring a Dragonslayer Greatbow and as many Dragonslayer arrows as you can afford from the Giant Blacksmith in Anor Londo. Quite frankly the area immeadiately after the real final boss of the Demon Ruins made me want to cry.
Also when you get to Lost Isalith, bring a Dragonslayer Greatbow and as many Dragonslayer arrows as you can afford from the Giant Blacksmith in Anor Londo. Quite frankly the area immeadiately after the real final boss of the Demon Ruins made me want to cry.
Just get the ring of fog (trade in that lantern you get in the tomb of the giants to sparkly for it) and you can run past all those giant things as long as you don't get too close.
Btw, those things are actually the lower halves of undead dragons. You can see one in the painted world after the upper half detaches itself and comes after you.
Also when you get to Lost Isalith, bring a Dragonslayer Greatbow and as many Dragonslayer arrows as you can afford from the Giant Blacksmith in Anor Londo. Quite frankly the area immeadiately after the real final boss of the Demon Ruins made me want to cry.
Just get the ring of fog (trade in that lantern you get in the tomb of the giants to sparkly for it) and you can run past all those giant things as long as you don't get too close.
Btw, those things are actually the lower halves of undead dragons. You can see one in the painted world after the upper half detaches itself and comes after you.
Its good to know im not the only one that noticed that, but i omitted it due to spoiler content.
And while im here i might as well add that taking the Dragonslayer option will often pay off as last time i checked it took an non-upgraded Dragonbow 3 Dragon-arrows to kill each undead dragon rear-end within effective range and with minimal stats. Thats 1500 used in arrows per kill and each drop 2000. And theres about three dozen or so of them.
I could also add that before the rebalancing patch the Crystal Ring Shield would decimate the things if you could wield something like the Black Knight Greatsword one handed.
Also in a massive departure on normal gameplay for enemies, the rear-ends can harm each other. At the end of the area theres a way onto a pillar up a root, taking the root will put you into the roaming range of about half of the rear-ends, but they cant actually touch you. Provoke as many as you can then laugh with glee as they muder eachother with jumping attacks meant for you and as you recieve thousands of souls for little to no effort.
Also as a real bonus at the bottom of that pillar, theres a hidden door with a bonfire behind it. I also recall a consumable soul that gave some 25k souls.
Also when you get to Lost Isalith, bring a Dragonslayer Greatbow and as many Dragonslayer arrows as you can afford from the Giant Blacksmith in Anor Londo. Quite frankly the area immeadiately after the real final boss of the Demon Ruins made me want to cry.
Just get the ring of fog (trade in that lantern you get in the tomb of the giants to sparkly for it) and you can run past all those giant things as long as you don't get too close.
Btw, those things are actually the lower halves of undead dragons. You can see one in the painted world after the upper half detaches itself and comes after you.
I was wondering what that thing behind the undead dead dragon in there was. Anyway already got the fog ring from the forest protection covenant which would be a bit more fun if I didn't run into 2 friends looking for PvP fights. There should be a designated area for those guys.
Out of interest how many tries did it take you to get past them?
Also prepare to get brutalised by Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough. Theyre the area boss for Anor Londo and the hardest bosses in the game apart from maybe Lord Gwyn and possibly the Four Kings after that rebalancing patch.
but I really don't have the motivation to keep going so I'm done and that's not changing.
Well as im sure as its been stated about 150 times now, the games true appeal lies in its challenge. This is a game that really is out to get you at every turn, and the fun in this game lies in overcoming this challenge.
Its a bit off topic but heres a table made to state just how hard Dwarf Fortress is, Dark Souls falls into the same category.
Lol you came into this thread a little late. S & O made me so mad I killed Solaire (didn't know he had a summon sign hidding somewhere until the deed was done) It took me like 12 tries at least to get by the Anor Londo douches, but it felt longer because of the long walk over there. What is funny is on my last try I was so mad I killed the firekeeper and was like "okay last try", I did what the strategy guide said and they did fall off and I felt really dirty for that, but even with my best shield they hit me off the ledge, and running up to them only made the one farthest away hit me, or the one closest would knock me off the ledge.
I'm past S & O through the power of jolly co-op because after I made the fight fair with a 2 v 2 it was really easy. So far there have been no hard bosses in the same way they were hard. Haven't gotten to the Four Kings, but it better not be 4 v 1 or I'll get really mad.
Well i had the (dis)pleasure of facing S&O solo, i can seriously tell you that its not a pleasnt fight otherwise. In a solo fight the AI adjusts the agressiveness of the one youre not targeting, so keeping on Ornstien will likely get you blindsided by Smoughs hammer, and visa versa with Ornstiens spear.
Also the trick for getting past the dragonbow douchebags (legitimately) is not getting hit by thier arrows. Dodgerolls were added for a reason. head to the one on the right, when you get close to him the one on the left cannot see you due to a pillar being in the way. Roll under the arrows as you approach, then when they switch to melee theyre like any other silver knight in Anor Londo.
Also the Four Kings is a 4v1 fight, and Solaire isnt on hand to help you. But each King spawns one at a time, in addition each have realatively little health for a boss and most of what you need to do is murder the one thats attacking you right away before the next one spawns. Also keep close to them, thier ranged attacks fucking hurt and that was before Iron Flesh got nerfed.
Also a fair tip, if you intend to challenge Gwyndolin in Anor Londo, do it offline. I cant think of words to describe my experience at the hands of the Blades of Darkmoon in Dark Anor Londo.
Also when you get to Lost Isalith, bring a Dragonslayer Greatbow and as many Dragonslayer arrows as you can afford from the Giant Blacksmith in Anor Londo. Quite frankly the area immeadiately after the real final boss of the Demon Ruins made me want to cry.
Right now I have three directions to go, I can go into the place underneath Firelink with the unkillable (?) ghosts, I can go into the Demon Ruins, or I can head into the Archives. I'm just screwing around in PvP now though.
Out of interest how many tries did it take you to get past them?
Also prepare to get brutalised by Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough. Theyre the area boss for Anor Londo and the hardest bosses in the game apart from maybe Lord Gwyn and possibly the Four Kings after that rebalancing patch.
but I really don't have the motivation to keep going so I'm done and that's not changing.
Well as im sure as its been stated about 150 times now, the games true appeal lies in its challenge. This is a game that really is out to get you at every turn, and the fun in this game lies in overcoming this challenge.
Its a bit off topic but heres a table made to state just how hard Dwarf Fortress is, Dark Souls falls into the same category.
Lol you came into this thread a little late. S & O made me so mad I killed Solaire (didn't know he had a summon sign hidding somewhere until the deed was done) It took me like 12 tries at least to get by the Anor Londo douches, but it felt longer because of the long walk over there. What is funny is on my last try I was so mad I killed the firekeeper and was like "okay last try", I did what the strategy guide said and they did fall off and I felt really dirty for that, but even with my best shield they hit me off the ledge, and running up to them only made the one farthest away hit me, or the one closest would knock me off the ledge.
I'm past S & O through the power of jolly co-op because after I made the fight fair with a 2 v 2 it was really easy. So far there have been no hard bosses in the same way they were hard. Haven't gotten to the Four Kings, but it better not be 4 v 1 or I'll get really mad.
Well i had the (dis)pleasure of facing S&O solo, i can seriously tell you that its not a pleasnt fight otherwise. In a solo fight the AI adjusts the agressiveness of the one youre not targeting, so keeping on Ornstien will likely get you blindsided by Smoughs hammer, and visa versa with Ornstiens spear.
Also the trick for getting past the dragonbow douchebags (legitimately) is not getting hit by thier arrows. Dodgerolls were added for a reason. head to the one on the right, when you get close to him the one on the left cannot see you due to a pillar being in the way. Roll under the arrows as you approach, then when they switch to melee theyre like any other silver knight in Anor Londo.
Also the Four Kings is a 4v1 fight, and Solaire isnt on hand to help you. But each King spawns one at a time, in addition each have realatively little health for a boss and most of what you need to do is murder the one thats attacking you right away before the next one spawns. Also keep close to them, thier ranged attacks fucking hurt and that was before Iron Flesh got nerfed.
Also a fair tip, if you intend to challenge Gwyndolin in Anor Londo, do it offline. I cant think of words to describe my experience at the hands of the Blades of Darkmoon in Dark Anor Londo.
Also when you get to Lost Isalith, bring a Dragonslayer Greatbow and as many Dragonslayer arrows as you can afford from the Giant Blacksmith in Anor Londo. Quite frankly the area immeadiately after the real final boss of the Demon Ruins made me want to cry.
I recently got the game for christmas.
I have no idea what's going on in it, I don't fully understand how to play, it's infuriatingly unfair at times, and nothing is properly explained.
Yet, it is oddly compelling and so far I'm pretty much loving it.
The bosses are bloody tough but when you defeat them, good god it's worth it.
Right now I have three directions to go, I can go into the place underneath Firelink with the unkillable (?) ghosts, I can go into the Demon Ruins, or I can head into the Archives. I'm just screwing around in PvP now though.
Well ill just sum up the areas from memory, it cant be too hard. Well, easier than Dark Souls is, thats for sure.
But be forewarned i wont make indicate specific directions. Use an actual guide or your own pathfinding skills to get through the levels.
The area under Firelink is The New Londo Ruins. The Ghosts are killable, but they require you to be...
-Wielding a cursed weapon. One can be made with Sif's soul from (I think) a +10 straight sword. Others can be dropped by ghosts.
-Be under the effect of a transient curse. You find 2 of theese near the start of the first bridge over the water. Equip and use them when youre attacked then you can damage for a time until it expires. The female undead merchant sells some and the ghosts may drop more.
-The third, and least preferable, way is to fight them while actually cursed. This can save time in the long run but you better be able to get the hell out when you can go get the curse cured for the non-ghost enemies.
The first half of braving the New Londo Ruins is fighting your way to the top of the church biulding across the waterways. Its best to keep your camera angled down at all times because most of whats coming will have you ankle deep in water and you might walk off a ledge where you thought there was more walkway, especially in combat.
Speaking of the combat, Ghosts come in two variations. The basic and most numerous ones have a long range grabbing attack that doesnt do that much damage, but all of thier attacks ignore shields.
The second much less common variation is the Banshee (Banshees have red faces), i only recalled fighting one or two but theyre much more dangerous escpecially if you let them get away. In addition to thier melee attacks which are the same as the regular Ghosts they have a lightning projectile attack that can pass through walls, its heralded by it screaming, which is why its dubbed Banshee.
Both Ghosts and Banshees can move freely through walls and will use this to try and box you in tight areas and attack from all directions with pre-scripted ambushes scattered about the place.
Your objective is to reach the top of the ruined church, where youll meet an NPC. Assuming youve delivered the Lordvessel this NPC will give you a key, which is needed to access an area to lower the water level and make it to the Four Kings.
Its also worth noting this NPC will also cure curse status at the cost of a humanity point.
After lowering the water level you can take one of the several lifts down to the lower areas. There are no more ghosts down here, theres much worse.
A foreword, if youre of a squeamish disposition you might want to avoid looking at the floors, Darkwraiths and Dark Slimes too closely.
First thing youll probably notice are the Darkwraith Knights. If possible try to avoid engaging them because they are just that dangerous. They have a curb stomping attack that will likely break your guard and a grabbing attacks that causes immense damage and will steal humanity points if you have any.
And a fair warning, the Darkwraith Knights are not glorified Black or Silver Knights, you try to treat them as such and they will wreck your shit.
The second enemy are the Dark Slimes. Theyre considerably less frequent than Darkwraiths but are no less deadly. mostly because they have alot of health. At long range they can spawn exploding skulls similar to the ones in the Catacombs, and can spit goo that will slow you down and eat at your health if you stand in it. At close range itll attempt to spike you and may have a followup sweep attack. Its very weak to fire.
Also the area boss of the New Londo Ruins are the Four Kings, and you require the Coveneant of Artioras (ring) to fight them, which you need to go to the Darkroot Garden and kill the Great Grey Wolf Sif to get. If you want to complete this area, go back to Darkroot Garden and kill Sif for the Covenant ring. If you enter the Four Kings boss area without it equipped you will simply drop into the abyss.
Youre now looking to get into a squat tower that near-ish to the massive gate that leads outside into the Valley of Drakes. Once you fight your way to the Tower and get inside descend its spiral staircase until you see it suddenly cut off.
Assuming you do have the ring now, equip it, then walk off the edge youll land in a pitch black area safely then the Four Kings boss fight will start shortly afterwards.
Before the rebalancing patch the best way to pummel the Kings was to equip Havels armor (regardless of personal endurance level) then use the pyromance spell Iron Flesh. The result was you literally made of iron, quite unable to flinch when struck at and a defence so high i was seriously wondering what made the Four Kings a serious boss fight with this.
But then Iron FLesh was nerfed and i havent replayed to see if it still works since, but try it anyway its probably still your best bet.
The Kings appear in sequence, with about 30 seconds between each appearence. Therefore you need to be able to kill each individual King before the next one appears. So use the Havels/Iron Flesh tactic, go batshit crazy with the most powerful weapon you can wield two handed, and glug a quick Estus if the health looks a bit lacking and keep Iron Flesh active[/i].
The Kings are all the same and have 3 attacks. The first is a sword swing that always comes from the left (thier right arms are swords) and stops when it about reaches the centre. Thier second and most annoying ability is thier grab. It doesnt do much damage but it takes precious seconds to be let go of in which another King can appear, it also drains humanity points like the Darkwraiths. Thier third and most dangerous attack is a longrange magic projectile. It does massive damage but they only use it at long range.
Actually i just looked at the wiki and it turns out you can summon an assist NPC if you summoned the same one for the Moonlight Butterfly.
The remainder of the Demon Ruins is... irritating to say the least. If you already explored the limits before delivering the Lordvessel then the area behind the now unlocked golden fog door is more sub- and actual bosses. Including the Demon Firesage right behind that door.
The Firesage is literally the Asylum Demon, or more accurately the Stray Demon (you fight stray on asylum revisit) but hes on fire. Amusingly this doesnt grant him immunity to fire. If you havent fought the Stray Demon then keep attacking its legs from behind (youre probably going to have some... recurring memories of the Demons ass by the end of this) and roll away when it raises its hammer with the head towards the ground. Failure to roll away will result in you getting hit by a massive area of effect magic spell that does a shit ton of damage. Success at evading means you have extra seconds to hit him while he recovers.
He will also try to fly up, turn around and butt stomp. Just walk away from this and keep behind him. Keeping behind him also makes his other attacks a non-issue.
When you reach the Centipede Demon (final area boss, also you can have Solaire assist if you managed to keep up his storyline) cut off its tail, then kill the tail. Your reward (an auto-pickup) will be the Orange Charred Ring, which makes you nigh invulnerable to damage from standing on lava. Something which will become useful in the first area of Lost Isalith. and the Centipede demons actual boss fight if you get killed.
Also the area where the Centipede Demon is is mostly covered in lava. Theres plenty of ground to fight on but you should take caution. And unlike Demon Firesage, Centipede Demon is 100% immune to fire damage.
The Centipede Demon has a few attacks, but the outstanding ones include his longrange option, a strecthing arm, a jumping attack that may knock you into the lava, a tailsweep that he will perform often if you melee. He may also grab and chew on you if you stay too close in front of his legs, but to my recollection it didnt do too much damage.
When low on health (about a quarter remaining) he starts spitting homing fireballs ar range and his jumping attacks follow up with an explosion similar to but half the size of the Demon Firesage.
I severely reccomend you try to get the Orange Charred Ring, it will become useful in the first area of Lost Isalith.
The area after the Centipede Demon is one of the most terrifying areas to me. A huge cavern mostly flooded with lava, and freely wandered by the... rotting lower bodies of undead dragons. Cant make this shit up.
Before coming here youll probably want to get the Dragonslayer Greatbow, and as much Dragonslayer Arrows as you can afford for it. Dragonslayer Arrows are sold at 500 each from the Giant Blacksmith in Anor Londo. The undead dragon arses dont respawn and take about 6-12 arrows to kill each with minimal stats, and award 2000 souls each. 2400 if you have the silver serpent ring found in the Tomb of the Giants.[footnote]I never found this, unfortunately.[/footnote]
Also bring a regular bow with regular arrows. More on that later. but for now...
The Dragonslayer Greatbow is the shiny thing on top of a wall to the left of the entrance to the palace hall. Nearby where the Giant Blacksmith is. Go into the palace hall, head upstairs jump out the broken window above where the entrance is. Drop down the bottom of the steps. From there do a running jump to land on top of the smaller wall, if this is successful walk long it to pick up your Greatbow.
If you have a homeward bone/miracle jump from the bottom of the steps to land behing the nearby railings. Youll be able to pick up the Gratbow from behind the railings but then you must use your teleport because theres no other way out of the railing.
Assuming youve done that take your time inching into the area sniping the zombie-dragon-legs witht he greatbow. If one gets too close, run away. As if you couldnt tell from thier sheer size alone theese things will simply wreck your shit if they get anywhere near you. They have 2 attacks, a jump and a tail sweep, both do huge knockback and incredible damage. They can also trample you.
Navigating the cavern itself isnt actually lava free running away from undead draconic denizens arses, there is a path along the roots that is moderately safe and awards minimal lava running. When you get to the first tower in the lava kill the fire breathing statues around it withoug setting off any more dragon arses, then one of the walls is an illusion. Break it and head inside for a treasure chest. Use the tower as a sniping point for all the dragon arses between the two towers. And any you think deserve to die.
When you feel the way between you and the second tower is clear enough make a mad dash to it taking care to run up a root that leaves you on the second floor of the tower. If you make it equip and take out your regular bow then start provoking all the dragon arses you possibly can. They cant touch you and thier attacks hit eachother, so theyll kill and critically injure themselves trying to get to you. When youre down to one, finish it off.
The second tower also has an illusion wall at its base. This one hides a bonfire.
Inside Lost Isalith itself youll come to fight with alot of fire satues.
Theres also a new enemy, a tentacle demon. It has 2 attacks, fisrt an acid spit that will drain your equipments durability, reducing it to near-broken, and a grab-and-eat attack which does huge damage.
Also in an out of the way area is a pyromancy-using hollow. It can be a difficult fight but its ultimately no problem.
The way to the area boss is comparatively short and theres no bullshit traps unless you want to go exploring for the treasures.
The area boss of Lost Isalith is the Bed of Chaos. Its worth keeping in mind you dont actually fight this boss head on. Avoid its attacks, and break your way into the roots on either side of it and smash the glowing roots within. Note that after breaking the first root, the Bed will start causing the floor to cave in. After busting the second root start approaching the Bed directly along the center but a couple steps to the right, the floor should cave in and you land on a root that leads into the Bed. Make your way in and kill the twisted form of what was once supposedly the Witch of Isalith to win.
Of course the Bed will attack you with sweeping root attacks (roll under them), area of effect chaos spells (run away form them before they hit) and by caving the floor in (at certain areas, but never in a way that will stop you from beating the boss).
The Dukes Archives were a real pain in my opinion. You would think a library biult for a legless dragon would be larger, well they seemed to get the height right, but everything else is a clusterfuck of obstacles, Channelers and Crystalised Hollow Soldiers. Then theres this thing where you have to die to Seath (the Scaleless)'s attacks in a hopeless boss fight, then theres a jailbreak thing with theese lovecraft-esque things that one hit you if they grab you.
Though if you have a magic based character the best scorcery spells in the game become available here, if you freed Big-Hat Logan from Sens Fortress.
But the Archives arent the real nutcracker, the Crystal Cavern is. Hope you like heights.
The Crystal Cavern is where you actually fight (to defeat) Seath after finding the reason for his evident invulnerability within the Archives. Anyway the caverns are guarded by a multitude of crystal golems that are much stronger than the ones at Darkroot Basin and within the cavern theres Crystal Butterflies similar to the Moonlight Butterfly in the Darkroot Garden. The Crystal Butterflies arent agressive but if you tick them off they wont leave you alone until you leave the Cavern itself.
Speaking of the Cavern itself its mostly a vertical descent. Only its down a series of catwalks improvised from large crystals jutting from the walls that are linked by invisible platforms that are marked only by weather effects (it snows in the cavern).
At the bottom there are theese clamshell things that would probably eat you if you were stupid enough to stand in front of them for too long. Theese are also right outside Seaths boss door so go right ahead and ignore them.
Seath's fight isnt that difficult if you prepare for the right things. Seaths crystal breath is unblockable can inflict curse on you so steer clear of it and stay just outside the reach of his claws or he will stop trying to hit you with sweeping crystal breaths and unleash a massive area of effect crystal breath in all directions.
Two-hand your weapon, bait his attacks, aviod them, then attack the tips of his left and right tails. Watch out for when he thrashes his tails however, they can cause an amazing ammount of damage and double hit you if you get pinned against a wall.
You can cut off his center tail (at the tip) for the Moonlight Greatsword, but keep in mind it has an insane intelligence requirement for effective use.
My advice would be to go Wolf hunting in Darkroot Garden, get the Covenant ring and Sif's Soul, then go attempt the Duke's Archives. If you make a momumental failure and Seath curses you with his breath attacks, retreat and head into New Londo, where under your cursed state you can kill the ghosts as if they were normal enemies.
If you beat Seath without getting cursed make the Cursed Greatsword of Artioras[footnote]Note that any weapon/shield requiring a demons soul must be taken to the Giant Blacksmith in Anor Londo to be forged. Demon weapons/shields upgrade on Demon Titanite[/footnote] and learn to use greatswords very quickly as its your main weapon for the first half of the New Londo Ruins. The Cursed Greatsword does have a fairly hefty faith requirement but it should only affect the swords magic damage stat.
Also if you end up not using Sif's soul for the Cursed Greatsword then you can use it on a +10 normal shield to make the Greatshield of Artioras, one of the best in the game.
I would stress Lost Isalith last. If you ventured deep enough into the Demon Ruins to encounter the fire breathing statues before then you know theyre pretty hard to kill with any kind of melee attack. And youll probably want to hoard souls to use the Dragonslayer Greatbow or to get levels and upgrades to make it more effective.
The true fun for me started around the same time I reached Darkroot Garden. I farmed souls like a bastard until I was nearly level 40 (yes, with an exploit, so sue me). Went back and enchanted a Claymore with electricity and took out the headless demon thing near the Blacksmith after some careful strafing, dodging and flat-out running. Afterward, I backtracked all the way to the beginning of Undead Burgh and one-by-one I destroyed every single Black Knight I had found who killed me because I didn't know they were there.
Those fights were epic, a true test of the skills I had gained through multiple hours of learning Dark Souls' modus operandi. Reading an enemy's movements carefully to know exactly what they were going to do, learning the timing and the exact reach of their attacks so that I could move to the minimum distance to avoid them before running close to get a few cheap shots before dodging away.
I saved the one with the big mace/hammer for last, the one who guards the door leading to a lake with a Hydra living in it. He killed me so many times, after so many attempts and so many careful backstabs to try and kill him, I finally ended him and claimed an awesome ring.
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