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Dark Souls I, II and III

Posted: October 2nd, 2012, 9:57 am
by Dante Fireseed
So I've picked this up - I played about 10 hours of Demon's Souls but gave up on it. I'd like to give Dark Souls a better bash. Bearing in mind the game's reputations, any tips on class/gear/general advice before I start?

Re: Dark Souls

Posted: October 2nd, 2012, 10:28 am
by DomsBeard
Hold your shield up!!. I've had a break after beating the bell gargoyles. Just learn from your mistakes, it's not an unfair game it just punishes any mistakes you make.

Re: Dark Souls

Posted: October 2nd, 2012, 12:28 pm
by dezm0nd
Always use your shield. Go Pyromancer and get the Drake Sword. It's essentially the games easy mode but is still not that easy. Give it a shot.


Re: Dark Souls

Posted: October 2nd, 2012, 1:27 pm
by magicjoef
I recently got this and started it. I'm only a couple of hours in, but I took Dezmond's advice for Pyromancer after seeing his Quick Rinse video, and it seems to be working out so far :)

I think by taking it slowly this game will be very rewarding, and it seems pretty up front about it's difficulty, nothing cheap so far. I did run through the first area quite a few times to grind a few levels to try and get ahead of the curve too, though I'm not sure how scaling works?

Re: Dark Souls

Posted: October 2nd, 2012, 1:28 pm
by Dante Fireseed
cool, thanks guys I will give Pyromancer a go then.

Re: Dark Souls

Posted: October 2nd, 2012, 2:20 pm
by Sean
The best piece of advice I could give for anyone jumping in: don't rush into anything, ever. Always take your time, even with the early enemies. All enemies are capable of killing you if you just run into it, carelessly. Either that, or, you'll rush to an edge of a cliff somewhere, and won't know it till it's too late. The Souls are all about taking your time, defending, and, planning your attack accordingly.

Also, yeah, Pyromancer all day, every day.

Re: Dark Souls

Posted: October 2nd, 2012, 3:02 pm
by Dante Fireseed
I hear everyone talking about the importance of swords/shields, is ranged combat worth doing?

Re: Dark Souls

Posted: October 2nd, 2012, 4:18 pm
by Sean
Definitely, though, not always.

It's good to mix up melee, magic, and long-range. Long range is best used on enemies that are way off in the distance, that can't see you. You'll hit them, and, they'll look around for someone, but, eventually go back to where they were, and you can hit them again. Repeat the process until they're dead. It can be a bit tedious, especially against larger dragons, but, it works, and, I've found no other way to beat them.

Re: Dark Souls

Posted: October 2nd, 2012, 4:25 pm
by Bakers_12
From first hand exparance I would say the best bit of advice is don't play when drunk!!!!

secondley Up grade your equipment over your player stats

Re: Dark Souls

Posted: October 2nd, 2012, 4:42 pm
by dezm0nd
I'd even advise not playing when tired let alone pissed up haha

Re: Dark Souls

Posted: October 2nd, 2012, 4:46 pm
by JaySevenZero
Bakers_12 wrote:From first hand exparance I would say the best bit of advice is don't play when drunk!!!!

secondley Up grade your equipment over your player stats
Heh, I'd also advise against writing on forums when drunk too! :twisted:

Re: Dark Souls

Posted: October 2nd, 2012, 5:15 pm
by mikeleddy83
Not advice for before you start but between each play session, don't end your night on this game!

Put on something else after a long session, preferably an online multiplayer game where you'd usually die alot. Those skills are transferable and the first hour after changing game you'll absolutely dominate, give it a try sometime!

Re: Dark Souls

Posted: February 27th, 2013, 10:09 pm
by James
Seemed like high time to resurrect this topic. We'll be using this in the run up to the Dark Souls show (Issue 76), but for now I'm going to chat Demon's Souls.

Over the course of about 2 years I have beaten (in order) Phalanx, Armor Spider [sic], Flamelurker, Dragon God, Adjudicator, Fool's Idol, Leechmonger and, just today, Old Hero. The level-by-level pattern is the same each time; I get to the very cusp of breaking point, and then crack it... and the feeling is amazing. One of the very few games I've played that nearly perfectly match player and character progression.

My plan - and I'm writing it down so that I cannot hide from it - is to finish Demon's Souls and to restart and finish Dark Souls by 26th March (arbitrary date, not at all connected to a game release). That's a tall order, but one that I'm looking forward to.

Any hints/tips/stories you want to share? They don't have to be Demon's/Dark Souls related, but it would help if they were. ;)

Re: Dark Souls

Posted: February 27th, 2013, 10:13 pm
by Sean
I'm impressed you took down Flamelurker so early. He's one of the hardest bosses in both games, IMO.

Re: Dark Souls

Posted: February 27th, 2013, 10:34 pm
by James
Sean wrote:I'm impressed you took down Flamelurker so early. He's one of the hardest bosses in both games, IMO.
He certainly took a few attempts to beat. I tried using the steps at the far end to limit his movement, but that didn't really work. If he has a weakness it's magic, so my being a Royalty class helped. Beyond that it was a matter of learning his attack patterns and, as usual for me, probably a lot of luck! :roll:

Should've said that I'm going after the Red Dragon and Tower Knight in 1-2 next. The audible gulp I just involuntarily let slip kind of goes for any of the bosses, but that one was for this particular dynamic duo.

Re: Dark Souls

Posted: February 28th, 2013, 12:15 am
by DomsBeard
I love Dark Souls but kind of gave up after beating the bell gargoyles and ringing the bell. Just wasn't sure where to go next. Explored Dark Root Basin and found the bonfire behind the brick but that was about it.

Re: Dark Souls

Posted: February 28th, 2013, 12:18 am
by Todinho
Funny every time I hear about strategy for Demon's or Dark souls people mention spear and armor but I almost finnished Demon's souls using a Wanderer with poor armor but high speed and health,some of the bosses were a pain to beat like this(the penetrator and the metal spider come to mind) but others were kinda of easy like the flamelurker I would easily dogde his attacks and strike with an enchanted weapon, and with the regen ring to help it was easy,I have been using the same strategy for dark souls but the world is so big that im completely lost and dont know what to do.

Re: Dark Souls

Posted: February 28th, 2013, 12:22 am
by Todinho
iwatttfodiwwfa wrote: Should've said that I'm going after the Red Dragon and Tower Knight in 1-2 next. The audible gulp I just involuntarily let slip kind of goes for any of the bosses, but that one was for this particular dynamic duo.
I think the Dragon is just a matter of using alot of arrows and the tower knight you just have to learn the patterns and know when to attack,didnt fin him too hard to be honest...but the penetrator though I have knightmares just thinking about it,that's next in that world after tower knight by the way.

Re: Dark Souls

Posted: February 28th, 2013, 12:25 am
by James
Todinho wrote:Funny every time I hear about strategy for Demon's or Dark souls people mention spear and armor but I almost finnished Demon's souls using a Wanderer with poor armor but high speed and health,some of the bosses were a pain to beat like this(the penetrator and the metal spider come to mind) but others were kinda of easy like the flamelurker I would easily dogde his attacks and strike with an enchanted weapon, and with the regen ring to help it was easy,I have been using the same strategy for dark souls but the world is so big that im completely lost and dont know what to do.
Your best bet is to ask some of the folks on the forum here. There's certainly no shame in using a guide or getting some advice when it comes to these games; one look at the Demon's Souls wiki will show just how much people come together to support one-another and share strategies.

I've been playing Demon's Souls as a magic-centric Royalty class (the recommended 'easy' route), but that has proved something of a false economy as I'm less proficient with physical attack and defence than I should be by now. Plenty of different strategies, and half the fun I'm having is trying different methods.

Re. Red Dragon and Tower Knight: I'm probably arriving here a bit later than most, so I'm hoping that the Sticky Compound Long Bow and Heavy Arrows I now have will help make short work of the dragon. I think Tower Knight is susceptible to magic, so I'm planning on falling back on Soul Ray for that. I'm glad to be light and fast though as that'll help keep me out of harm's way.

Re: Dark Souls

Posted: February 28th, 2013, 10:35 am
by James
Demon's Souls question:
I have PWWT in World 1 and the gate to Miralda The Executioner is open. Should I even bother, or should I save my anguish for The Storm King (where I'm headed next)?

Edit: Question answered. I just beat her. Poison Cloud is a blessing.
:-)