Will I like Dark Souls?

[Buffoon1980]

It's a brilliantly designed game, old school in the best sense of the term, few games are as fun to explore.

That said... it's too tough for me. I just die too often for it to be fun. I'm absolutely not criticising the game for that, it's my responsibility, but yeah... I suck, and therefore Dark Souls is less fun than it could be, for me at least.

 

[IrenIvy]

I have a question too: as a PC gamer how is it difficult to play Dark Souls with keyboard/mouse only?

 

[Little Gray]

Don't listen to this guy. Grinding is altogether relatively unnecessary. The key to Dark Souls is learning enemy patterns and efficient ways to dispatch them. You will want to take it slow, though. Bumrushing Dark Souls is a quick and easy way to get yourself killed a million times and ragequit.

Since bosses scale based on your soul level grinding is actually a pretty bad idea. You will have an easier time with the regular enemies but bosses will be much much harder because while you are a higher level you dont have the gear to back it up.

 

[William Dickbringer]

-SNIP-

1. the game can feel cheap at times but you can learn about them
2. enemies do get easier with right weapons
some pro tips for you: get to mastering blocks parries and riposte especially the last two that will save your ass with some enemies, get a good shield with 100% damage reduction (forgot the name of it), also for first playthrough get your poise(?) up with armors that way you don't get staggered around so much (if you get staggered you're either gonna be dead or nearly dead) or if not learn to roll and dodge, if you go off a high cliff roll beofre you hit so you get a damage reduction also always get the key as your gift saves you souls

Anyways those are all I have to say about it if you get it good luck on your journey and welcome to the escapist

 

[Rad Party God]

... the toughest enemy that i have faced has been my own keyboard.

Pro tip for PC version: Use a controller, especially a 360 controller.

Glad you liked it, personally I absolutely loved it, it has already become my favorite RPG this gen and one of the best RPG's I've ever played.

 

[SilverBullets000]

Welcome to the Escapist! [sub][sub]Huh, I never got this warm of a welcome...I should make a thread sometime.[/sub][/sub]

1. Does the game pull unfair moves? I am currently playing the Witcher 2 and although combat can be tough as long as i remember to parry and very occasionally roll I can survive and if i do die I can see why. Compare this to other games I have played where as soon as i recover from being knocked down I am hit again before i can even attack. This just becomes frustrating.

1. Yes...and no. The enemies tend to gang up on you, so it's better to have a strategy for fighting them going in rather than pulling a Zelda and just swinging wildly at them. The more powerful enemies may stagger you and get a hit in, but I can only remember ever being one-shotted by enemies that were in areas I weren't supposed to be in.
The cheapest thing that the game pulls in my opinion is that dying makes you drop all your collected souls and humanity. Since souls are the experience points and the money, it can be a hassle to have collected so many souls and have them all dissapear because you've made a simple mistake. Yes, you can pick them up if you reached the spot you've died before you kick the bucket a second time, but dying twice makes you lose them forever. I'm actually surprized no one else mentioned that yet~

2. Do earlier enemies get easier as you level up? and finally from what I have seen from videos a lot of player seem to use a hit and run away tactic is this the only was to win?

2A. Yes, they do get easier as you level up. Some ridiculously so. There are stone golems in the game. Your first encounter with them will take about six to eight hits to take them down. After you level up and upgrade your equipment enough, you can one-shot them.
2B. No, not really. Dodging is definetly recommended, though. It's possible to weild magic in the game that'll let you strike enemies from a distance, but you'll still need to avoid getting hit. So yeah. Not the only way, but it is probably the best, as learning how to parry/riptose is something that's rather difficult to get down at first.

 

[Weaver]

1) There ARE some parts that are just straight up cheap. There's only a few parts, like 2 I can think of.

2) Leveling your character, and especially their weapons, will make the game easier.

 

[Keneth]

Enemies in Dark Souls don't kill you because they are unfair. They kill you because you suck. You will either get better or you will stop playing. The outcome is based mostly on your levels of patience and/or masochism.

 

[Elijin]

So... gonna put this out there cus its an awesome shortcut about blighttown... If you have the master key, you can take the elevator down from Firelink to New Londo and use the key to get to the valley of the drakes. From here you can go through the tunnel with the big fat guys, and straight to the normal 'exit' out of blighttown. Just go down some ladders, down the long rotating elevator, and tada!

Also, yeah, most of those people who twink just cant fight their own level. Kinda sad.

OP: On that thought, if you ever see someone invade your world with -awesome- looking gear in the beginning areas, just disconnect. I dont care if people think its wrong, twinks dont deserve the kill.

Im just glad the DWGR was nerfed, so now 75% of the PvP'ers arent wearing it... I still love it though

Even the shortcut involves narrow platforms, moving platforms and severe drops. I just find the camera and movement controls a bit clumsy to get away with those things. I mean hell, I've fallen between the wheel and the platform, which I swear to god is too narrow of a gap for my character to fall between. But ugh.

And Im not even going to mention the number of toxic blow dart men overlooking that shortcut -.-

 

[Genixma]

Hi I am new to this forum and am wondering if anyone can help me here. I have been looking at the game Dark souls and am wondering if it is the game for me, as I absolutely love the art style ect. I am wondering though.

Welcome to the Forums

1. Does the game pull unfair moves? I am currently playing the Witcher 2 and although combat can be tough as long as i remember to parry and very occasionally roll I can survive and if i do die I can see why. Compare this to other games I have played where as soon as i recover from being knocked down I am hit again before i can even attack. This just becomes frustrating.

If you pay attention to what you're doing and mind your health, endurance bar, and everything that's going on you can get by. But the game does throw some surprises at most turns.

Spoiler: For Example

At the beginning of the game, the Asylum Demon drops down and you can stay and fight but it'll take a while or you can exit the fight to gain beginning weapons to make the fight easier, the Hellkite Drake that you won't see coming until it's too late sometimes, the clastophobic Capra Demon fight or the Taurus Demon that leaps from a tower to fight you. So you will be thrown into unpredictable circumstances without mercy at times.

2. Do earlier enemies get easier as you level up? and finally from what I have seen from videos a lot of player seem to use a hit and run away tactic is this the only was to win?

The enemies do not necessarily get easier but you can get use to their tactics to fight them doing more damage and being able to kill them faster over time. Once again, at least against normal enemies, if you pay attention to your surroundings and what you're doing. And don't just head in recklessly you should be fairly well. Mini-Bosses and Boss Encounters keep you on your feet but, if you have the will and patience the game is quite the experience. This is the first game in ages that's made me look up and study strategies to get through. So whether it is worth your time is ultimately up to you.

 

[Jimmy T. Malice]

Don't listen to this guy. Grinding is altogether relatively unnecessary. The key to Dark Souls is learning enemy patterns and efficient ways to dispatch them. You will want to take it slow, though. Bumrushing Dark Souls is a quick and easy way to get yourself killed a million times and ragequit.

Since bosses scale based on your soul level grinding is actually a pretty bad idea. You will have an easier time with the regular enemies but bosses will be much much harder because while you are a higher level you dont have the gear to back it up.

Bosses don't get harder based on your soul level... the wiki gives a consistent value for their health irrespective of SL. They do get harder if you summon a phantom to help, though.

 

[scotth266]

Snip.

As someone who has been playing through Dark Souls, here are some spoiler-free tips.

Join the Way of the White covenant (the guy offering it is the guy talking about miracles). This makes you less of a target for PVP and increases your chances of playing co-op (which you can only do while human).

Be human as much as possible, especially when you're having problems with a particular boss. It opens up unique encounters, increases the drop rate, and lets you summon friendly phantoms to help you with bosses, though you'll need an item from a friendly NPC (near when you get your toasty surprise on the bridge.) It's called the White Soapstone, and has unlimited uses. Also try to pick up the Orange Soapstone from a merchant: it lets you leave those glowing floor-messages. If you run out of humanity, don't fret: there's a way to get more. Try killing rats: the more the merrier, as they drop it.

Try practicing until you can perform leaping attacks and running attacks: these are critical to closing gaps on enemies and doing damage while preserving your ability to dodge roll out. If you run up to an enemy, stop, and then attack, it's very inefficient against bosses and will likely get you killed.

Parrying is great but hard to do. Backstabbing on the other hand is great and incredibly easy.

Trust in floor messages. Some of them ARE trolls but the majority will lead you to all sorts of goodies.

No mistake can be undone. If you die, regard it as a learning experience and not a punishment.

Level Endurance and Health a lot early, putting points in whatever stats you want for particular weapons.

 

[Azure23]

As someone who has sunk hundreds of hours into both Dark Souls and Demon's Souls, I can tell you a few things with certainty:

1. Dark Souls is tough but fair: there are no one shot kills, you just have low vitality, level that shit up. There are environmental traps all over the place, but there are always hints, perfect example: a bridge filled with burned corpses, probably a dragon doing flybys, watch out for that shit. Is that a slightly raised tile in this trap laden dungeon? Keep your shield up while walking over it, just in case. Check your goddamn corners

2. Dark Souls will not tell you where you need to go outside of cryptic npc conversations, some people love it, some people hate it. Check the wiki if you want the most accepted order for the areas. In that vein, check the wiki anyway, it has lots of useful info about mechanics that admittedly the game does a piss poor job of explaining (im looking at you poise!).

3. Have a character in mind when you start, in this game you can level up whenever you have the currency to do so. Have a few key attributes you want to build up over the course of the game in order to avoid spreading yourself too thin. Do you want a traditional knight who uses longswords but can also cast support miracles? invest in vitality, endurance, strength, and faith. A nimble fencer who excels in ripostes and backstabs? endurance, dexterity, and vitality (always vitality and endurance just as a rule). Maybe you just want a glass cannon mage who can blast enemies with the most powerful magic? pump intelligence and maybe a bit into dex so you can enchant the lighter weapons and do good damage with those too. There are hundreds of forums just dedicated to discussing player builds, both pvp and pve, so you have resources if you need advice.

After reading your most recent post I can see that you understand what keeps a lot of people coming back to Dark Souls, it's fascinating and cryptic lore. The mysteries and item descriptions gradually weave an epic mythology that really gives so many things in the world new meaning. A monstrous boss you'll fight later will be made suddenly tragic, that seemingly useless item will be the key to unlocking new areas. Characters will change and betray you due to your actions. Remember to persist, it isn't about survival, it's about progress.

Sorry for the long post, but I have lots to say when it comes to Dark Souls.
Stay strong, the first run through Dark Souls is one of my most memorable and fun videogame experiences in a long damn time. I'm a bit jealous of you in fact.
Praise the Sun!

 

[Lazy Kitty]

Well, Dark Souls is definitely a lot of [a href="http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/v0.31:Fun"]Fun[/a].
So yes, if you like [a href="http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/v0.31:Fun"]Fun[/a], you'll probably like Dark Souls.

 

[unbreakable212]

Well sometimes when you die early on or when you encounter a new enemy for the first time, you might feel that the game is being unfair, as you don't know what to expect... overall though it's quite fair, as long as you do the right moves when required you'll come out alive.

Early enemies will feel as if they have become easier but they're just the same. You'll likely have much better gear and be more experienced by the time you encounter any "early enemies" again, but they can still be capable of killing you by knocking you off a ledge, so always be wary and take things slow!

 

[loa]

1. Does the game pull unfair moves? I am currently playing the Witcher 2 and although combat can be tough as long as i remember to parry and very occasionally roll I can survive and if i do die I can see why. Compare this to other games I have played where as soon as i recover from being knocked down I am hit again before i can even attack. This just becomes frustrating.

2. Do earlier enemies get easier as you level up? and finally from what I have seen from videos a lot of player seem to use a hit and run away tactic is this the only was to win?

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

1: Not as much as you'd think.
There are sudden death traps but those work only once and you know where they are afterwards.

2: You can grind but you don't have to. Early enemies are trivial for a skilled player.
Dodging and blocking is key.
If that is what you mean by "hit and run" then yes, this is the only way you'll make it anywhere.
There's no such thing as a tank and there's heavy emphasis on timing your attacks and dodging/parrying.

 

[Little Gray]

A piece of advise for you. Start learning how to parry right away. While it wont help you on everything it trivializes most enemies and the final boss. You would be very surprised by how many enemies you can parry.

Since bosses scale based on your soul level grinding is actually a pretty bad idea. You will have an easier time with the regular enemies but bosses will be much much harder because while you are a higher level you dont have the gear to back it up.

Bosses don't get harder based on your soul level... the wiki gives a consistent value for their health irrespective of SL. They do get harder if you summon a phantom to help, though.[/quote]

A bosses damage does scale with your level and your health. It was built this way so that no boss in the game can one shot you if you get hit at full health.

 

[Jolly Co-operator]

I think you will. It's difficulty has been a little overhyped. It's definitely a challenge, but it's nowhere near to the point where you'll be grinding your own teeth to dust. It will likely require you to be alert at just about all times, or at least that's how it went with me. I wasn't able to zone out and go into pseudo "auto-pilot" the I've been able to with some other games. The necessity of alertness and attention is one of my favorite parts of the experience. Death feels like a learning opportunity, rather than just smacking into a brick wall, and it's extremely satisfying to get past a part that you've been having trouble with.

The gameplay is fun, too. There are many play-styles that you can choose from, largely depending on your armor and other equipment. You also have full control on the distribution of your stats when you level up, and since you're play-style mostly depends on weapon type, you never feel like you're locked into a routine.

The environments are great, there's a lot of enemy variety, and fun, intimidating bosses. Some of the enemy designs are truly unsettling (I mean that in the best possible way, of course).

I wholeheartedly recommend the game. Have fun, and prepare to die