Dark Souls III

So Midir looked like a ridiculous and obnoxious boss until I found out you're supposed to beat him the same way you do Nameless King phase 1: stand in front of him otherwise he'll just use all his most obnoxious attacks. I watched a video showcasing the strat and then beat him 3 tries later.

On the other hand, Gael is really really cool. I can see why people were gushing about this fight.

How easily can I get the best version of the Gold Serpent Ring? I'm trying to grind for covenant items before going after the Soul of Cinder again.

Also, I really like Soul of Cinder even though I haven't beaten it. It's just a really fair challenge with no bullshit attached.

You can find a +3 version (the best) in the ringed city.

Edited by Draghinazzo on Apr 2nd 2020 at 12:22:17 PM

I knew that since I looked it up. I'm just wondering how easy it is to run in, grab it, and gtfo.

Also, do I only need one version of each ring for that achievement? The wiki doesn't have a page on III's achieves.

Edited by Karxrida on Apr 2nd 2020 at 9:22:59 AM

You have to go through a rather difficult area and then beat a non-trivial boss to get to where the ring is. Also according to what I'm reading you do need every version of every ring to get the achievement.

EDIT: Ok, actually I don't think you need any of the DLC rings to get the achievement but that does mean you need to get to NG+2 to get the other rings.

EDIT: Dude, fuck. I gave the dark souls blood to the painting woman. Her naming the painting after you put a smile to my face, but then she said "I wonder when uncle Gael intends his return" and that made me feel terrible.

Edited by Draghinazzo on Apr 2nd 2020 at 12:39:21 PM

Correct. You do not need the rings from the DLC. Just all of the rings in the base game.

Edited by M84 on Apr 3rd 2020 at 1:24:16 AM

"Just."

So that was Dark Souls III. Honestly, compared to Friede, Midir, the Demon Prince, and everything else I went through in those DLC's, the Soul of Cinder is a really easy boss. Still good though, I wish I hadn't been spoiled as to what it is exactly or that he uses sorceries/miracles/pyromancies like you do.

Overall, the game's pretty good. I feel it's the opposite of DS 1 where the beginning is good but not exceptional (barring occasional highlights like Abyss Watchers), but in the later areas it really starts to shine.

While it has its annoying parts (like Farron, which wasn't even that bad the second go around), I feel that this game lacks any area or boss I would consider a total disappointment like I and II do. I guess playing it "safe" paid off since it's pretty consistent in quality overall.

I feel that out of all the games it feels the best to play and control, I actually bought DS 1 remastered and played it recently and while there's nothing wrong with it per se the difference in fluidity and feel is jarring compared to how much more refined DS 3 is.

I'm a bit conflicted on the changes to the game speed. I don't think it's entirely bad but I feel that when combined with the nerf to poise and apparently how much harder being a caster is, it feels like there's less build diversity here since tanking isn't a viable playstyle (especially with the DLC bosses who can easily two or three shot you depending on the attack) and you basically have to play this pretty fast, armor existing mostly for fashion souls is one of my main gripes since it actually did matter a lot in DS 1. It's not impossible to play with a heavier/slower weapon but I confess I had to switch to a straight sword multiple times because the faster weapon swing was just easier to work with given how relentless some of the enemies are.

I like the bosses on the whole, on average better than either game (especially II's which were mostly mediocre or bad outside of the DLC) but I feel FROM got carried away with the multiple phase fights in the optional content, mostly in Nameless King and Friede. The former's first phase is bad because of the janky camera when you're trying to fight the dragon (forcing you to leave it unlocked so you can actually see what NK is going to do), and the second's second phase sucks because it just takes way too long. Worse, if you die to the bosses you have to do the preceding phases all over again. They make the fights overly long and tedious to get to the part you actually care about. That being said in terms of lore/atmosphere they're pretty good and memorable, so I can't say it's all bad.

I know a lot of people don't like how much it relies on DS 1 (and references De S), and maybe if DS 2 hadn't mostly been its own thing it would bother me more, but I think it's mostly fine since the whole point of this game was to give a send-off to the series. It's definitely not enough to knock the game down significantly for me.

So in terms of how this ranks with all the others (excluding Bloodborne which I haven't played), I'd say it's probably something like DS 1>=DS 3>Demon's Souls>DSII. Something like that. They all have their own strengths and weaknesses and you could make a case for a different order (except DSII is always last lol).

Edited by Draghinazzo on Apr 3rd 2020 at 3:51:11 PM

Pretty much agree with this. In my opinion DS 3, had the best individual level design and boss design which is why it's my favorite. There was a much more consistent difficulty curve than 1 and 2.

Friede's second stage is a samn slog. Especially with how obnoxiously easy it is to die in her third stage. I had to summon Gael to speed through it.

Yeah I tend to agree, too. I wasn't a big fan of the DLC bosses at first, but I grew to like them more as I understood them better.

Edit: Should probably be more clear, that second sentence was where I divulge from x2's opinion, not me reiterating it.

Edited by shigmiya64 on Apr 3rd 2020 at 9:38:26 AM

I mean, I like the DLC bosses for the most part. The only one I find kind of disappointing is Midir, because he's like super intimidating but once you figure him out he's pretty simple and it takes forever to kill him anyway because of his mammoth health pool. Kalameet is still From's best dragon boss IMO. I don't like Friede's second stage but the boss on the whole is good I'd say.

Out of all of them I'd say Gael is the best, he wasn't super hard for me but the whole emotional context of the fight really elevated it. I like how he's another Guts wannabe except it's way more blatant with him than Artorias (he surprised me when he pulled out the crossbow the first time). I just wish you'd spoken to him again besides the initial dialogue when he pulls you into the painting so you could get to know him a bit better.

A random question.

So I'm writing a web novel and the prologue starts with the main character facing "the final boss."

MC climbs up a hill strewn with swords and other weapons stuck in the ground. At the top of the hill sits the final boss, with the setting sun behind him. In front of him is a small bonfire and he is hugging a sword in his arm. Then as the MC gets closer, the boss stands up, draws the sword and immediately starts attacking without saying a word.

I thought there was something awfully familiar about that situation...

...and then realized that is pretty much exactly how the Soul of Cinders battle begin.

Fucking hell, the Dancer is way harder than I remember.

I just cannot get a read on its attacks. They come out so quick I don't react quick enough, or, and this fucks me up in a lot of games, the windup is just a little longer than it looks like it's gonna be and I dodge too soon (looking at you, Orphan of Kos), or the range catches me off guard, or it turns out to be a long combo...

edit - gottem

Edited by artfulscruff on Apr 9th 2020 at 12:58:29 PM

Took a break but I'm back.

Doing Covenant grinding at the moment. Got enough Dregs for Aldrich's covenant to give me the spell and now I'm doing Watchdog grinding.

Oh boy, you better find a partner to grind Mound Makers. For some reason their item's drop rate from mobs is way lower than the others.

I don't have the ability to get a partner and the other covenant items already have really low drop rates without the best Snake ring. On top of that, Mound Makers have to be maxed for 100% since you get a pyromancy from it. That's just great.

Not helping matters is that I'm eyeing up FFVIIR and Persona 5: The Royal for new time sinks.

Find a friend to help cheese the Mound-Makers achievement ASAP, that grind for their Covenant drops is absolutely godawful.

Vertebra Shackles have a much, much worse drop rate than other covenant items. I farmed with a stranger but had connection problems by the time I'd gotten 28, and it took me an hour of farming to get the last 2. By contrast, I'd get around 15 Tongues or Swordgrasses in the same time frame.

Edited by shigmiya64 on Apr 12th 2020 at 10:54:13 AM

Ugh, I hated farming for covenant crap. I actually had to play PVP for once — I'm not good at PVP.

My "strategy" consisted of two-handing a mace, activating the WA, and hoping for the best.

Edited by M84 on Apr 12th 2020 at 9:33:29 PM

Grinded out tongues for Rosaria's Fingers and did the dude's sidequest so I could transpose Rosaria's soul. Thank god you only need 10 tongues for the ring since there are only two Darkwraiths to farm.

Doing Watchdogs grinding now.

That shouldn't be too hard, along with the Darkmoon covenant. Heck you might already have several of the items needed simply from working along with the Blue Sentinels.

Still playing offline.

Got max covenant rank for Watchdogs and obtained the achievement for doing every infusion. I think I'll take on the Consumed King tomorrow after work.

Went looking for Tsorig in the Demon Ruins and stumbled upon the final Estus Shard. Convenience!

Somebody modded in automatic rifles into Dark Souls 3. PERFECTLY BALANCED, I SAY

Same energy.