Line #27 Awesome/DarkSouls


1	!'''As a Moments subpage, [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff all spoilers are unmarked.]] Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.'''
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3	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/boss_0024_gwyn_lord_of_cinder.jpg]]
4	[[caption-width-right:350:With the strength of Lords, they challenged the Dragons.]]
5	* The awe-inspiring opening cinematic, seeing the Lords use the power of their Great Souls to rise up against the Eternal Dragons who ruled the world. The storm of lightning spears sailing from Gwyn and his assembled army of knights is particularly thrilling, as is the sheer intimidating might of Nito, avatar of death.
6	* There are enough cool boss battles in this game to have [[AwesomeBosses/DarkSouls its own entry]].
7	** Anytime YOU as the player finally beat ThatOneBoss that took several tries to beat (Which is a lot).
8	* Speaking of boss fights , Tarkus. He well earns his reputation as a MemeticBadass for being able to casually handle the boss you summon him for [[labelnote:for the curious]]The Iron Golem[[/labelnote]] [[OneManArmy by his lonesome.]]
9	* Ripostes are immensely satisfying to pull off. The enemy strikes, but instead of simply blocking, you deflect the blow with your off hand. There's a ''thunk'', time seems to slow as the foe staggers and is left wide open... and then you can ''run them through''.
10	** The non-thrusting weapons have different animations which are just as (if not occasionally more) awesome: for instance, if the player is wielding a mace or a hammer, they'll hit their opponent in the stomach (for modest damage), then, when they inevitably buckle over, the player hits them ''again'', this time in the face, causing the health bar to shoot down and the unfortunate enemy to go sprawling out onto the ground. Players wielding a fist-type weapon do the same thing, but with effectively their bare hands.
11	* Sort of an off-screen example, but it's never stated just how long the Chosen Undead has been sitting in the Asylum before Oscar came along. It's very possible that they've been rotting away (literally) in some gods-forsaken cell, alone, for decades, maybe even centuries, and ''never went Hollow''. The amount of willpower that would take is unimaginable. It puts your trials through Lordran in a new light, if the Chosen Undead has such an ''unbreakable'' will as to resist going hollow for god knows how long, then going through Lordran and pulling through all the crap it puts you is no challenge at all.
12	* Hawkeye Gough, retired and blind, aids you by picking up his massive greatbow and sniping Black Dragon Kalameet out of the sky, grounding him so that you can fight him properly. The music helps sell it, but what makes it even more amazing is when he begins to feel around for his bow. You can literally see plumes of dust falling off of him and his bow. He's been stationary ''that long''. And even out of practice as he might be, he only fires once and hits Kalameet through the wing and square in the side (and that's only because he wants to leave the rest of the fight to you - if he wanted, he could've easily taken Kalameet' head off with that shot).
13	-->'''Gough:''' Now watch, and see how Gough hunts dragons.
14	** This can turn into a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome if you work hard. Kalameet CAN be killed without Gough's help. It requires good reflexes, a strong bow, and a super fire resistant shield, but you can snipe Kalameet with arrows until he dies without Gough clipping his wings. If you successfully accomplish this insane task and then talk to Gough? When he would ask if you want his help with the dragon, he instead praises your skill for slaying the beast yourself, and expresses what an honor it was to meet you. Never has DevelopersForesight been so satisfying.
15	* The Boss Battle against Sif! If you can catch it, Sif and Artorias are using the same moveset. Sif, a CanisMajor, using the same moveset as the MasterSwordsman Artorias. Let it sink in.
16	* Siegmeyer, whom you were helping throughout half of the game, charges at the demons trapping both of you in the pit with his [[{{BFS}} Zweihander]] and ''absolutely'' epic BattleCry, then casually takes a nap after they are defeated. Bonus points for being the only [=NPC=] who fights by your side not as a white phantom, but in ''his own flesh'', meaning he risks his life to assist you.
17	** The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. His daughter, Sieglinde, goes through hell and high water to track him down so she can make sure he dies in peace. ''She's not Undead''.
18	* After Knight Lautrec kills Anastacia of Astora and shuts down the Firelink Shrine bonfire, it is insanely satisfying to take the Black Eye Orb, track the bastard down in Anor Londo, and make him and his companions pay.
19	* Any time you see the clever trap or ambush that was intended to take you out BEFORE it gets sprung on you, and turning that trap to your advantage, the first time you enter the area.
20	** You can foil a great many ambushes if, instead of rushing towards that fleeing enemy, or that shining glimmer of an item, you stop, turn the camera about, and take a look at your surroundings. Turning the tables on an enemy ambush is always insanely satisfying.
21	** Especially spotting the trap floors in Sen's Fortress before you trigger the arrows, and then lure the snakemen into the firing line. Done right, and you can make Sen's Fortress do all your work for you!
22	* Against certain bosses, if you use a shield to block a powerful attack, if your stamina is high enough to take the blow, you are flung bodily, do a back flip, and land on your feet, with your shield still up. No matter how many times you see it, it is still insanely badass to watch.
23	* Escaping the Gaping Dragon's grab attack. Let's explain: The Gaping Dragon's grab consists of the thing grabbing you, stuffing you into its immense, tooth-filled maw, and then chewing on you. ''And you can survive it''. Probably with only a sliver of health, but still.
24	** Moreover, by mashing buttons wildly, you can actually escape with minor damage only. Yes, you ''struggle out of that maw''.
25	* When reaching around midpoint of the game, formidable early bosses such as the Capra Demon and the Taurus Demon will become regular, respawning enemies. Except, with how leveled-up your player is since the first facing them, they’re no longer the daunting threat that they were when you started. The game is showing you just how far you’ve come since the beginning.
26	* Beating the game becomes an accomplishment for the player in general, due to the sheer amount of stuff that you can find throughout your journey. Of the two possible outcomes of your journey, picking the Dark Lord ending is ''insanely'' satisfying: you've been through hell and back, killing gods and overpowered beings all over the place, and at the end of it all, [[SpannerInTheWorks you give Gwyn's questionable plan a middle finger]] and become humanity's champion, bringing about an age where they can finally rule, free from those JerkassGods' dominion.
27	* Even long after the initial release of ''Videogame/DarkSouls'', new and impressively imaginative content is still being produced by its lively community. At the same time, most recent games start to reach the end of their lifespan, whereas ''Dark Souls'' appears to still be in the prime of its lifetime. Take Tanooki Suit's song "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbG0dbKHs4M Lordvessel]]" for example, which is further upgraded with Website/YouTube lore-ist [=VaatiVidya=]'s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N7J802QzP4 epic montage]] ('''contains spoilers''').
28	* Most people mark Solaire linking the fire in his own world after helping you kick Gwyn's ass as a Tearjerker, but taken another way, Solaire doesn't just find his sun, he ''becomes'' the sun, and Solaire always wanted to be "grossly incandescent". You can't get any more incandescent than the '''sun'''!
29	* The layout of Anor Londo is the level design's finest hour, featuring gorgeous architecture lit by a perpetual sunset (until/unless you break the area's illusion and plunge it into darkness) that is matched by the visual design of enemies such as the Painting Guardians and the Silver Knights, DifficultButAwesome buttress- and rafters-based combat, and an overall structure that is intricate and deliberate without being a place you're liable to get lost in. The one knock against it is that you don't respawn at the bonfire near Gwyndolin's boss fight even if you light it, requiring an unnecessary trek from the first bonfire.
30	* Dealing enough damage to a large enemy to stagger them is awesome for a couple of reasons. One is that they often have a pretty high amount of poise, and so figuring out you ''can'' stagger them just feels amazing. Additionally, if you exceed that damage threshold by a large amount all at once, you'll be treated to the image of a big monster ''sent flying'' by the force of the blow. Finally, since staggering an enemy puts them in a CycleOfHurting wherein you can hit (and therefore stagger) them again, such an attack generally heralds a CurbStompBattle in your favor.

Context Awesome / DarkSouls