Talk to me about Dark Souls

I'm in Blighttown for the first time. It is indeed as PITA as advertised. I'm playing on the PC, so it isn't the slideshow that it apparently is on consoles, but damn, annoying. I was forced to kindle the upper bonfire, cuz I kept running out of flasks. Hopefully the extra five will get me down to the lower bonfire. And I hope my two good swords don't break between now and when I'm able to get back to a blacksmith.

It's been a while since a game's really forced me to say "my equipment really needs repairing, but it's a LONG way back to someone who can fix it. Do I make the trip, or take my chances?"

Kinda in the same boat. The recommendation for controller is what's stopping me.

I definitely plan on using a controller.

I think I'll start with the first Dark Souls and go from there. Thanks for all the info everyone.

I started playing the first Dark Souls and just made it to Firelink Shrine. I'm still not solid on the controls, which isn't doing me any favors in combat. Right out of the gate I ran into some reassembling skeletons that have killed me about 10 times now. Are these guys beatable? They just keep reassembling with more health, do I need to just keep hitting them? Or am I not supposed to go that way?

First of all, don't play it like it's Devil May Cry or something. That's usually the first mistake everyone makes.

The controls are definitely a challenge at first, but the more you play the more you get used to them. You should expect to accidentally roll off cliffs, drink Estus flasks at the wrong time and completely miss heavy swings for the first couple of hours. Lesson 2- learn to use the lock-on effectively. It makes a WORLD Of difference.

I think I remember where you are, you're talking about that grave area with the big skeletons with the cutlasses. Maybe don't fight those guys yet. The game has a way of communicating things with you like "come back later".

Dark Souls is definitely much less refined than the new one. Three (technically five) games in I think they've really kind of filed off the edges and made it technically the best one yet...but it's lacking that sense of surprise and mystery the original games had.

Michael Barnes wrote: The controls are definitely a challenge at first, but the more you play the more you get used to them. You should expect to accidentally roll off cliffs, drink Estus flasks at the wrong time and completely miss heavy swings for the first couple of hours. Lesson 2- learn to use the lock-on effectively. It makes a WORLD Of difference.

Yeah, I forget to lock on and make a heavy swing which goes about 90 degrees away from the enemy and then I get hit multiple times. Just gotta keep at it.

Michael Barnes wrote: I think I remember where you are, you're talking about that grave area with the big skeletons with the cutlasses. Maybe don't fight those guys yet. The game has a way of communicating things with you like "come back later".

Yeah, I was starting to get that vibe. Thanks.

I bounced off of it pretty hard (the first one). Bloodborne was the one that hooked me and I liked most of what I played of Dark Souls 2: Sins of the First Scholar. I feel like those games had much better quality of life improvements, to use a trope from the video game reviewing lexicon.

I think the biggest thing is not to keep pushing in directions that are way too hard. It's telling you something. It's also important to realize that there's no timer on the game so when fighting you can be INCREDIBLY patient if you want (and you have a good enough shield). Most games have some mechanism or expectation that you'll try to move forward at a particular pace. In this game there is NO reward for it.

The game hates you. So you need to use every cheap geometry trick, lure enemies one at a time, etc and not feel bad about it.

Gary Sax wrote: The game hates you. So you need to use every cheap geometry trick, lure enemies one at a time, etc and not feel bad about it.

I still remember finding a nice souls farming loop in Demon's Souls and feeling no compunction about "exploiting" it. Use every possible foothold in these games.

Michael Barnes wrote: Dark Souls is definitely much less refined than the new one. Three (technically five) games in I think they've really kind of filed off the edges and made it technically the best one yet...but it's lacking that sense of surprise and mystery the original games had.

Do you think this is a function of it being 5 games in? I wonder if someone starting with Dark Souls 3 would find that surprise and mystery of the first one. I often wonder if people love the first one (in part) because... it was their first Dark Souls formula. Maybe that's why I like Bloodborne the best thus far?

Sax and Frohike are correct. Cheese early and often. Turn the tables on the game by exploiting anything you can.

Today I was asked by an NPC to help fight a fire demon. I lucked out and find the cheese spot right away. I sat there and threw minimally effective fireballs at the fire demon while the NPC did all of the work. Fire Demon was completely flummoxed as to how to hit me. Zero health lost.

100% legit in this game.

Barnes needs to get gud rather than cheese

Cheesing is legit in the game though. If you find things hard, use everything the game offers to fight - summons, online sunbro help, extra health from humanity/ember form, and ranged attacks.

No matter your build, have a fucking ranged option. If a dex build, use a bow. If a strength build, have enough dex to use a bow or use a crossbow. Or pick up some magic. Something. ANYTHING.

OMG yes 100x. It doesn't matter if you are playing Melee Mel the Face-Puncher. Attune a Soul Dart you can barely cast. Have a bow ready in hot swap that the game says you can not wield effectively due to your stats. Stockpile 200 wooden arrows at all times. Spend extra souls after leveling up on throwing knives and firebombs.

You will encounter countless cheesable situations that require a ranged weapon, and if you can off a dangerous enemy by posting up on a roof and patiently plinking it with arrows doing 20 damage per...do it.

Ranged is also useful for luring single enemies out of large groups. Pop one guy and he'll come to you without the rest of the mob.

I'm leaning on the Pyro's fireball right now a lot, it's been really effective. Slow to cast though, plenty of deaths winding it up too close to an attacker.

In the Undead Burg, I found a crossbow but I haven't used it yet. Haven't had a need really. Maybe against those assholes lobbing firebombs at me from the roof.

I can reliably get to the Taurus Demon, but haven't figure out how to beat him. Hitting him doesn't seem to do anything, so I'm assuming I have to get him to fall off somewhere on the bridge or the tower. Maybe get him to jump at me near a ledge? I don't know, I'll figure it out.

I'm really curious about that huge knight guarding that dead body. My couple of run-ins with him ended badly, but a message said try fire, so I guess I'll try some of that resin I found, which I guess makes my weapon all fire-like. If I still get destroyed, I'll just leave him alone for now...

Gonna marathon DS3 for a while today. Once I beat it I'll have finished all the series, and I'm close to 100% completion on all. Only other devs I love this much are Platinum and Capcom's Monster Hunter team. Nintendo is close behind this perfect trinity.

Disgustipater wrote: In the Undead Burg, I found a crossbow but I haven't used it yet. Haven't had a need really. Maybe against those assholes lobbing firebombs at me from the roof.

I can reliably get to the Taurus Demon, but haven't figure out how to beat him. Hitting him doesn't seem to do anything, so I'm assuming I have to get him to fall off somewhere on the bridge or the tower. Maybe get him to jump at me near a ledge? I don't know, I'll figure it out.

I'm really curious about that huge knight guarding that dead body. My couple of run-ins with him ended badly, but a message said try fire, so I guess I'll try some of that resin I found, which I guess makes my weapon all fire-like. If I still get destroyed, I'll just leave him alone for now...

There are ways to cheese Taurus, but he's a simple enough boss to learn the ropes against. He follows the basic Dark Souls 101 pattern: dodge his attacks, stick to his ass as much as possible, and only take a few hacks before playing defensive and maneuvering behind him.

If you need to, throw some firebombs, use a pine resin, or go for a leap attack off the archer tower.