a shield is pretty much mandatory in Dark Souls...can't imagine beating any of the tough bosses without one
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Dark Souls is on Steam
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a shield is pretty much mandatory in Dark Souls...can't imagine beating any of the tough bosses without one
Drakenfeng
Gawd
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I had an easier time with many of the bosses using a 2H and beating them to death with little regard for defense (this is on playthrough 1 mind you). Many of the bosses are stunnable if you hit them hard enough and when you're doing 400+ damage a swing they don't last very long, meaning less dodging and potion use is necessary. I was lucky enough to get the Black Knight Greatsword from the knight in the tower after the wyvern; very early in the game. The zweihander is equally viable though and you can grab it from the graveyard from the start.
I spent 90% of the game with the grass shield equipped for the passive stamina regen though.
I spent 90% of the game with the grass shield equipped for the passive stamina regen though.
red tearstone, is doable but hard, I just did 4 kings SL1 NG+1 that way.
I started a new game with a bandit. Not NG+ a new first play through. Dang this guy has no armor defense! I mean I can't take much damage at all, so my play style is all about watching my stamina meter and keeping my shield up. I'm using all my starter armor cuz I like the way it looks and I want to play him through with his original garb. I am also sticking with his battle ax for my melee weapon. I have a basic bow for range attacking.
So is this game harder with a bandit than with a warrior or a knight? It seems like it is harder, or maybe I am just rusty. I am having a heck of a time taking out the Griffens on the roof top, but I have come close a couple of times.. The Black Knights have been tough too. I managed the first one but the second guy has beaten me several tries.
So I am running around the Parish and Firelink leveling up as much as I can. I have my ax and shield maxed out at +5 until I can find the ember for upgrading beyond that. And my bandit garb is being leveled up too, but it's not at +5 yet. I went back to the starter area and picked up the rusty ring and I have the the ring the first Black Knight guards. I also went and got the Wolf ring in the forest that I think gives poise.
I am almost always playing hollow. I tend to save my humanity for stoking bonfires, which is about the only time I turn human. I would stay human more if I could stay alive longer, lol. I don't have my PS3 hooked up to the internet so I am playing off line.
How is the DLC? is it worth getting? Is it all end game content, or would it be good to pick it up for the early game as well?
So is this game harder with a bandit than with a warrior or a knight? It seems like it is harder, or maybe I am just rusty. I am having a heck of a time taking out the Griffens on the roof top, but I have come close a couple of times.. The Black Knights have been tough too. I managed the first one but the second guy has beaten me several tries.
So I am running around the Parish and Firelink leveling up as much as I can. I have my ax and shield maxed out at +5 until I can find the ember for upgrading beyond that. And my bandit garb is being leveled up too, but it's not at +5 yet. I went back to the starter area and picked up the rusty ring and I have the the ring the first Black Knight guards. I also went and got the Wolf ring in the forest that I think gives poise.
I am almost always playing hollow. I tend to save my humanity for stoking bonfires, which is about the only time I turn human. I would stay human more if I could stay alive longer, lol. I don't have my PS3 hooked up to the internet so I am playing off line.
How is the DLC? is it worth getting? Is it all end game content, or would it be good to pick it up for the early game as well?
D
Deleted member 174368
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The DLC is excellent, just as good if not better than the base game, but it's mostly endgame content.
based on how the game works pretty much all classes are the same. Bandit might be a little bit harder simply due to low health high damage start.
You should be full speed you just have to learn to dodge instead of block. Using stock bandit gear is going to keep you at 0 poise so even the poise ring wont help you out much.
I Played bandit and am on newgame ++++++ with no issues so far. Currently is near full Giant gear aside from the pants and less than 25% weight. So full Speed with 76 poise.
You should be full speed you just have to learn to dodge instead of block. Using stock bandit gear is going to keep you at 0 poise so even the poise ring wont help you out much.
I Played bandit and am on newgame ++++++ with no issues so far. Currently is near full Giant gear aside from the pants and less than 25% weight. So full Speed with 76 poise.
I'm still stuck near the start 
What is the easiest character to play when first starting - one that can move fast and take a lot of punishment. I tried a pyro because some quick cheat list said that was the way to get to get pyro (which I find a pain to use with kb/m)
What is the easiest character to play when first starting - one that can move fast and take a lot of punishment. I tried a pyro because some quick cheat list said that was the way to get to get pyro (which I find a pain to use with kb/m)I'm still stuck near the start
just look for one with the skills you plan on upgrading...all it gives you is a starting boost as you can customize your character later on into virtually anything...so basicially the starting point doesn't matter as you can customize as you go
Domingo
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Your starting class doesn't really matter a whole lot unless you're not planning on leveling up. People say the pyromancer is probably the easiest road, although I didn't find myself using fireballs all that much until past the point that you'd have the pyromancer glove anyway.
D
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There is no class that can move fast AND take a lot of punishment. It's either one or the other.
I decided to start a new game...for the question a few posts back about which class to choose...for Dark Souls virgins I would choose 'Deprived' as you start out at Level 6 and it gives you 11 points in all skills across the board...great way to start and you can figure out which skills work best for you as you progress...and choose 'Master Key' as your gift
it's been over 5 months since I last played so I don't remember if this is normal or not...when playing at 1920 x 1200 and using DSFix and setting renderWidth to 2560 and renderHeight to 1600 is it normal for the screen to be cut off a bit on the top/bottom?...see screenshot
I decided to start a new game...for the question a few posts back about which class to choose...for Dark Souls virgins I would choose 'Deprived' as you start out at Level 6 and it gives you 11 points in all skills across the board...great way to start and you can figure out which skills work best for you as you progress...and choose 'Master Key' as your gift
I hope you are saying that as a joke. deprived has the worst gear and the point allocation is going to result in wasted levels once you decide what you want to level up.
gear doesn't make any difference early on...you find the same gear later as you progress in the game...I like the naked start with Deprived...in fact for quite a few of the boss battles I ended up stripping off all armor to gain quickness
how is it going to result in wasted levels?...with Deprived you get a higher starting point for a lot of the skills that you can use to figure out later on...like I said it's great for Dark Souls virgins, not experienced players who know exactly how to level up
I'm having an issue with the latest DXFix where I get flickering of the onscreen HUD whenever equipping the left handed weapon/shield...anyone know of a way to fix this?...didn't get this with an earlier version of DSFix
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NukeDukem
2[H]4U
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Can I play this game using kb/mouse?
At the very start of the game you can head down into Drake Vally and get Knight's Armor, and that Faith Based swords. You can also run into the ghost place and get a fire keepers soul.
This should help out people whom don't know how to dodge very well yet.
IMO Resistance is the worst stat by far. So for me the best class to start with would be the sorcerer because they waste the least amount of stats into Resistances with only 8. Followed by Knight and bandit at 10.
No. Don't let other people try and convince you otherwise.
This should help out people whom don't know how to dodge very well yet.
IMO Resistance is the worst stat by far. So for me the best class to start with would be the sorcerer because they waste the least amount of stats into Resistances with only 8. Followed by Knight and bandit at 10.
No. Don't let other people try and convince you otherwise.
LeninGHOLA
Vladimir Hayt
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Bullshit.
after experimenting with different versions of DSFix, including the version I last used when playing the game with no issues (version 1.5), I'm still getting flickering of the HUD...I think that the last official patch for the game screwed up some compatibility with DSFix...I can fix the flickering by disabling the onscreen HUD but I always liked having it enabled...oh well I'm willing to sacrifice the HUD in order to get the sharper graphics
* the game also works fine with no flickering when removing DSFix so I'm pretty sure the last patch messed some things up internally with DSFix
Domingo
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I always had issues with DSfix whenever I started tinkering with the GUI elements. Things like flickering and things not going away during cut scenes or loading screens. I ended up just sticking with the larger UI. While the equipment/spells part of the UI was pretty pointless, having a large and easy to see lifebar isn't a bad thing.
For anyone concerned with starting stats and equipment early on, I wouldn't worry about it. I ended up sticking with the armor bought from the first merchant for a loooong time and you can get the drake's sword right after the first "real" boss. Toss in the knight shield also found pretty close to the beginning and you have equipment that will be more than fine through the depths and probably Blighttown as well.
For anyone concerned with starting stats and equipment early on, I wouldn't worry about it. I ended up sticking with the armor bought from the first merchant for a loooong time and you can get the drake's sword right after the first "real" boss. Toss in the knight shield also found pretty close to the beginning and you have equipment that will be more than fine through the depths and probably Blighttown as well.
the main reason why I need to see the HUD is for the Stamina bar...that's vital during fights as you need to know when it's running low so you can take a moment to let it recharge...in this game the Stamina bar is vital to success
I hate to say it, but I'm afraid this game just isn't clicking for me. Perhaps I'm missing something, but the controls just feel extremely clumsy and the gameplay during boss fights (even when you've figured out how to beat something) just seems a little cheap. I've spent five hours, and I still haven't gotten past Havel or the Taurus demon (to be fair, I haven't spent much time on the Taurus demon). Havel seems to require a hundred or so backstabs to kill, while the Taurus demon just frustrates me with trying to roll past him. I'm not sure if it's the hitboxes or the model or what, but too often I get stuck in seemly empty space beneath him when rolling and get hit. Oh, and sometimes he'll jump up to the top of the tower and hit me, knocking me off.
I'm sure I could have gotten past him had I not spent the first 4hrs 30min just trying to kill the black knight (which I did) and Havel (still hasn't happened), but now I just don't have the patience to play through the SAME shit for the 400th time just to get back to a bossfight that will probably end in a technicality.
It's a shame, because I can see why some people enjoy the game (the combat system with the regular enemies is great), but I just don't know if I have the will to continue. Sigh..
I'm sure I could have gotten past him had I not spent the first 4hrs 30min just trying to kill the black knight (which I did) and Havel (still hasn't happened), but now I just don't have the patience to play through the SAME shit for the 400th time just to get back to a bossfight that will probably end in a technicality.
It's a shame, because I can see why some people enjoy the game (the combat system with the regular enemies is great), but I just don't know if I have the will to continue. Sigh..
don't try and kill Havel early in the game...way too difficult without the right weapons/gear...you save him for later when you've built up your character...same goes for the Black Knight...just because you encounter some enemies early in the game doesn't mean you have to fight them...it'll be an exercise in frustration
you do have to defeat Taurus Demon but he's not bad if you do it the easy way- climb up the tower and jumpstab him...rinse and repeat 3-4 times and boom
my first time playing I was extrememly confused and frustrated early on...I think it took me until after the Capra Demon boss fight for me to appreciate and understand the mechanics of the game
I enjoy the game but I wouldn't mind if DS2 is not quite so punishing. We have two of these games now with Demon Souls and Dark Souls and I think one more would be overkill. I don't want an easy dumbed down Dark Souls but something that moves away from the exact formula we have now. I don't know exactly what I would like, except a deep combat focused RPG that has a lot of replay value. I don't want Skyrim I know that much!
Domingo
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Same here. I think the game really clicked with me at that point. Avoid Havel early in the game. I ended up going back to him after ringing the second bell. That's right around the point where every hit from his isn't guaranteed death, plus you're finally able to hurt him badly with backstabs. Plus, that's also conveniently when his ring really starts to come in handy.
D
Deleted member 174368
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This is exactly why you shouldn't take the Master Key on your first playthrough.
MavericK
Zero Cool
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I finally got a chance to try this game out a bit and I agree with you. The controls feel extremely bad, even using a controller, and there is barely ANY tutorial/explanation of a vast majority of the game mechanics once you get past the first area.
I wanted to like the game as well but I just don't feel it. Most of the time I felt like I was running around aimlessly having no idea where to go or what I was supposed to be doing. Maybe DS2 will be better...
I like the game, but eventually the mechanics wear thin and the enemies get too easy even after ng+5 or whatever.
Great game but I feel that it would be even better if it was first person with locational damage, no weapon upgrades and smarter A.I. even so I'm sure I'll be buying the second game when it comes out.
Great game but I feel that it would be even better if it was first person with locational damage, no weapon upgrades and smarter A.I. even so I'm sure I'll be buying the second game when it comes out.
D
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Dunno how to say this without sounding like a dick, but the controls aren't bad, you're just not used to them since no other recent game plays similarly or uses this many buttons for melee combat. This isn't Skyrim or other similar games where melee is just mashing left-click while running backwards. After playing for awhile they become second nature and really intuitive. I don't think there's anything I'd change about the controls.
Realize that a lot of people hate this game at first and blame it on controls/difficulty/unfairness/graphics/everything. Your sentiment isn't uncommon, precisely because this game breaks a lot of the common tropes and conventions that exist in gaming today and sad as it is, people aren't used to games that don't do a lot of hand holding.
You can either give up or power through and kill the the first 2 bosses in the Undead Burg. After that, almost everyone changes their mind and thinks its the best game ever. There is a reason why Demons/Dark Souls get a ton of word of mouth praise. Hell, even the resident Plague_Injected who hates every game ever ended up loving it after complaining it was unfair/dumb at first, much like you.
But if you still don't like the idea of this game, then I don't really think Dark Souls 2 will change anything.
one word for havel...Magic. From the hydra side you pop into the door he'll follow you to a point once he either swings and misses or backs away you hit him once then repeat. Takes some time but you just have to fight him smartly.
For the most part this covers it.
I think I only went back and defeated him towards the end of my 1st playthrough...funny that he ended being pretty easy once you're powerful enough...such a sense of satisfaction and achievement once you are able to defeat enemies you thought were impossible earlier
I'm currently doing my 2nd run of the game and it's amazing how much easier it is once you know the layout, enemies etc...for 1st timers there is a LOT to digest and nothing is explained well...scaling is a critical part of the game which I only figured out towards the end of my initial run...I used the newb Drake Sword a lot back then but with with subsequent playthroughs I'm not touching it because it doesn't scale up at all...standard Zweihander is a beast even during the early levels...once you upgrade it, you're unstoppable
Domingo
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I think the upgrade system messes with people because on paper many of the better weapons have stats that appear worse than they actually are. You have to not only upgrade many weapons to +10 or better to make them worthwhile - you also have to somehow discover that their damage is compounded via your other stats like STR and DEX.
It's a little tricky and one reason that while I'd *never* suggest anyone spoil themselves to the content of the game, it could likely benefit from some kind of equipment tutorial.
I agree...it's confusing because a lot of new players probably only notice the base stats and they don't realize how scaling works and how much of an improvement it can offer...doesn't help that the in-game menus detailing weapon stats etc is buried in the UI...I definitely think people should spoil themselves regarding weapons/stats/scaling etc
http://darksouls.wikidot.com/weapons
I kind of expected all the responses so far - just given the praise it's clear there is a great game there somewhere but I just haven't felt it click. I'm going to revisit it and take out the Taurus demon, and then see how things go for a bit.
MavericK
Zero Cool
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I don't have a problem with the style of game (i.e., challenging combat, etc.) and I'm not expecting it to be Skyrim, but the controls just felt sluggish to me and I felt like while I was fighting the first "boss", I was fighting the controls more than anything. Maybe you're supposed to feel slow and crappy at first but it's not a great way to introduce your game other than by saying "you are going to be constantly frustrated playing this game".
As for the "hand-holding"...again, I'm not saying it should be Skyrim, but this is basically the polar opposite in terms of user friendliness, and not necessarily in a good way IMO. For instance, when I got to the first area after the "starter" area, I had new options at the fire pits and none of them were explained in any sort of way. Sure, I can go on the Internet and look it up, but I shouldn't have to do that.
I would need to play the game more obviously to make a final decision, so I'm not saying it's a bad game (since obviously several people like it), but that's my initial impression and it sounds like I'm not the only one. I guess if the purpose of the game is to be confused and frustrated then...mission accomplished?
This is exactly how I felt my first playthrough, though. I spent probably 10-20 tries on the Taurus demon the first time around. I guess it would have taken less time if I did the air attack but wanted to beat him the natural way. Now I have done a few SL1 runs and the thing doesn't even touch me. You'll become more confident as the game goes on, then when you replay or go to NG+ you'll laugh at how much easier it is.
An easy way to beat him is to throw all your firebombs at him, which if you have the 5 you find at firelink you'll take him to nearly 50% health. Another trick is to keep your distance, and inch in, then he'll do his jumping attack which after leaves him open for a swing or two. You can repeat that until he corners you then just run right by him and repeat. There are many ways to do it but like I said, once you get more familiar with the combat system and you take him on again in another playthrough, you'll have a much easier time.
Stereophile
Supreme [H]ardness
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The game became too easy and boring after multiple times through? You don't say !
I beat it once on PS3 and didn't really feel like playing anymore into NG+. But the first time was an amazing experience.
Quadnad, by the point of the Taurus demon, you haven't been to the first blacksmith or opened any short cuts, you're still learning the game. I'd recommend trying to at least get up up to the Bell Tower boss fight before deciding the game isn't for you. It's about twice as far from firelink shrine as you are now. And yeah don't worry about Havel. The game designers expect him to destroy you now. The game is full of optional encounters, and some entirely optional areas. You won't be ready to take on everything the first time you come across it.
that's the only area where the Master Key poses an issue...in all other areas the Key is very useful and the pros far outweigh that 1 con
I feel this game's difficulty scales pretty good.
Sitting at NG +++++ at level 240 and It still requires me to play seriously. If I dick around 2 or 3 hits and I'm done for. Other similar games allow you to face roll everyone once you get beyond a certain point.
The Spinning wheel Skeletons get me at least once each play through....even on +++++
Sitting at NG +++++ at level 240 and It still requires me to play seriously. If I dick around 2 or 3 hits and I'm done for. Other similar games allow you to face roll everyone once you get beyond a certain point.
The Spinning wheel Skeletons get me at least once each play through....even on +++++
LeninGHOLA
Vladimir Hayt
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If you fight the same boss over and over for hours until you beat it, try different tactics or items. The hardest enemy in the game is yourself. Learn and adapt. I can pretty much guarantee you will be happy you did.
The game has much more in common with a very hard Castlevania or Zelda game than anything like Skyrim or The Witcher.
The game has much more in common with a very hard Castlevania or Zelda game than anything like Skyrim or The Witcher.