Dark Souls

This meme again?

Eh, I wonder how they'll get past the Anor Londo Archers.

edited 25th Aug '15 1:25:56 PM by VeryMelon

...That is not credible, though it is apparently true.

442 deaths? Only? The whole stopmotion thing is genius. I guess. It sure as hell wasn't going to work in realtime.

What's impressive is how many days it took them to get out of the Undead Asylum.

I dunno if I'm right, but the phrasing on the site implies, atleast in my opinion, that the "stop motion" is on only during Democracy Mode^note Actions are done based on voting input by chat every so often.

Now I really want to try to shift that thing into Anarchy Mode^note Every action input from the chat is put in immidietly. Though the game will skip many due to them being simultanious commands...

EDIT: The stream seems to be frozen and we have no word from the stream owner yet...

edited 26th Aug '15 5:08:43 AM by Geist-Fox

The stream is doing really well, they're past the archer run in Anor Londo and exploring the chapel.

Now to watch them flail about as they try and solo O&S since they have jack-all humanity.

They can't even play online due to the slow-mo mod.

Oh right, Solaire.

So I got uo to the Taurus Demon and I gotta say, I'm pretty disheartened. It's not even the difficulty, I'm just not having fun. The combat is slow and clunky, the exploration is completely rewardless, and I haven't gained anything new (spells or equipment or whatever) to break up the monotony. And now I die to this thing and have to trek the whole way back up. Is there at least a bonfire close by that I missed?

Nearest bonfire to the Taurus Demon is in a tower a little after the dragon makes an appearance. It's not all that far away, and if you did miss it, well, I dunno how, it's not hidden at all.

As for exploration not being rewarding and not finding new gear, well, I just disagree. There are at least two weapons between Firelink Shrine and the first Burg bonfire that I can think of, plus a merchant who sells several more weapons, and I can't think of any paths you can take that just end in nothing. There's always something to find.

But, the game just isn't for everyone, and you may be one of those people. I know people who've tried it in earnest and just not enjoyed it for whatever reason.

To the left of the crossbow using hollow solider is a Bonfire. It's before you walk on the firebomb bridge.

That was more or less the idea. The combat is supposed to be much slower-paced than most action games, where the weapons have a more realistic weight to them compared to other games, and so that every single action you take whether it be dodging, attacking, using your shield, etc, really matters and you can't just mash buttons.

I don't really find it clunky, just built on different principles than the majority of games. If you prefer combat to be flashy and fast like KH or DMC you're not really gonna like this game lol

edited 16th Sep '15 11:31:26 AM by wehrmacht

Yeah, the point is not to hack and slash your target to pieces. Your attacks should be sort of careful and considered. Pick your moment.

I'm going to beat this game one day. Eventually.

I'm gonna stick it out for a while, but maybe it's just not for me. And I've scoured every nook and cranny between the shrine and the end of the Burg, but all I've found is some looted gear worse than my starting one. The bonfire you guys tell me is the one I'm using — so the idea is that every time I die to the Taurus Demon, which seems to be set to be often, I'm gonna have to make the climb again? Joy.

(And I am indeed a big KH and DMC fan.)

Be glad you aren't playing Demon's Souls then. The only way to unlock new checkpoints is beating bosses.

Oh, another thing. That knight that's on the way down in the path between the bonfire and the boss, he killed me easily once already. Is it feasible to fight him?

You don't really need to fight him now since the only thing he guards is a fairly useless ring - well, mildly useful - and some advanced drops you wouldn't be able to use for a while Unless he drops his sword, then you're golden.

If you plan on fighting him, it's probably best to either practice your parrying or come back with stronger gear/skills.

edited 16th Sep '15 12:24:45 PM by FergardStratoavis

Black Knights are each a Boss in Mook Clothing. Don't fight them until you're more familiar with the game.

Be glad you didn't run into the big guy hanging out at the bottom of the tower.

That guy is nasty.

it's often not that easy to judge gear from when you first find it. base power is not the only determinant of how useful a weapon is for one, the moveset matters a lot. it's often said that you can beat the game with almost any weapon provided you understand how it works, and it's kinda true. also something may seem weaker atm but it might be because it scales with stats you haven't put a lot of points into yet. 40 is the "softcap" of when gains from stats peter out.

some gear does just straight up suck though.

(your post tells me you haven't really explored everything either. there's a graveyard in firelink with some cool stuff. have a look if you feel like it, but don't go in there with a bunch of souls and don't bother trying to fight the enemies)

Dark Souls is more or less built around the old-school idea that you will die often and be frustrated, but as a result of you facing that adversity, the feeling that you get when you finally become good enough to make it to the boss unscathed, and just barely manage to beat him, that resolute feeling of relief and triumph of a seemingly impossible challenge that you just conquered, is what the "soul" of the game is built around.

it's not something everyone is willing to put up with though, since more modern games like super meat boy kind of eschew this. for what it's worth, dark souls 2 has bonfires much closer to the bosses in a lot of cases.

Could be that it's just not your thing, but I have heard stories of players who didn't like the Early Game Hell that came with being inexperienced in an admittedly cryptic and unorthodox game but that at some point the game just came together for them and thoroughly enjoyed themselves, so toughing it out for a little bit isn't a bad idea.

edited 16th Sep '15 2:04:46 PM by wehrmacht

You also have the option of simply grinding for souls in the Burg and leveling up a lot to make life easier. And don't forget that if you're in human form, you can summon other players for help.

And yeah, the stats are not the only thing that determines how useful a piece of gear is in this game. It depends a lot on your preferred style of play and the build you want. There is no real 'best' weapon or armour, just go with whatever suits how you play.

What class did you start as?

That's fair. I'm not ready to give up yet. I started as the guy with the scimitar, don't recall the name.

Also, try kindling bonfires. Gets you more Estus uses when you rest there. Very much worth the Humanity spent.

And grinding for souls is also a thing, if you need it.

And if you have those "soul of this and that" in your inventory, don't use them until you are at a place to spend them (bonfire or merchant) since you'll regret losing them in case of death if you do.

The "pocket soul" items grant you 200 souls at the lowest and keep getting higher.

Then there is the merchant in the burg. He might have things you like? Maybe? Can't recall if he had firebombs or not. But the hollows that throw them sometimes drop them.

What else... Well, most weapons have stat scaling which increases when forged stronger. Armor comes in different weights. Your equipment load^note how much equipped, not how much total in inventory, so no "you are over encumbered" messages here affects your mobility, most importantly your dodge speed and safety frames that come with it.

"Poise" is an armor stat that lets you tank through attacks without flinching. The higher the number, the stronger and/or more hits you can tank through. They still hurt though!

Stamina regenerates slower if you keep your shield up. If you are at a safe distance, give that left arm a rest and regain more stamina. For your safety, don't let your stamina run out.

If you get an opportunity for a back stab, just, do it!

And weapons have more properties than just attack power. Some reach far, some hit fast, some hit with enough force^note "poise damage" as it's often referred to to stagger most enemies.

Oh, and remember Asylum Demon and how you could stab his face? There is a ladder to get on top of the tower when fighting Taurus Demon... Also, you can roll between his legs to avoid him.

One time his AI derped on me and he fell off the bridge though.

edited 16th Sep '15 8:06:28 PM by Geist-Fox

that's wanderer.

the class doesn't matter that much tbh, it's just a few stat points you can change around if you have the souls and equipment you can find somewhere.

tip: try to have some poise on you at all times. basically poise determines how hard it is to stunlock you. it's good to have at least a little bit so every little thing won't knock you down. i don't think the wanderer has any equipment which gives him any, but the hollow soldier helm has 5 poise if you've managed to get one from the hollows.

Any poise less than 20 is only good against arrows and throwing knives.

Well, daggers too, I guess. But anything bigger than a shortsword will stagger you with less than 20.

Oh, shield talk:

• Stability reduces stamina loss when blocking. More stability, more blocking!
• Check the damage reduction! Not all shields block 100% physical damage, which is what most enemies use, honestly.
• Weight. Weapons, shields and armor all have weight. This only matters if you feel like dodging anything.

Where's the merchant? I saw none.