Dark Souls 3

People still like Dark Souls 1 over this game =) The reason being I think it's because it's so small and cheap.
Then I like Demon Souls over all the Dark Souls games.

They left stuff out of the Dark Souls series that only Demon Souls offered.

A. Like the 2nd Tower Knight Boss where you can either Cast Magic from the Top or Melee him then Oil comes out of the ankles when you hack at him.

B. The 1st level where you had traps like Boulders

C. How Eerie the Lava level walking around the Lava farming Chunks for fire weapons

D. The Spider Boss where it just launches Fireballs at you and you get caught up in the Webbing and couldn't swing with a darn at it.



Dark Souls 3 is ok but they could of done better some guy said on the Steam forums the level design was better in Dark Souls 2 I agree. Just looked better..
 
Dark Souls 3 is ok but they could of done better some guy said on the Steam forums the level design was better in Dark Souls 2 I agree. Just looked better..

I didn't like Dark Souls 2. But can't comment much on the level design. I bought the Scholar of the First Sin PS4 edition and only played for an hour or two before trading it in. Coming from Demons and DS1, the movement just felt broken.
 
The levels don't have the same interconnected feeling of Dark Souls 1, but all of the map were quality. No Lost Izalith crap. The Grand Archives level was so much better than the Duke's Archives in DS1. Although Tower of Latria was scarier than Irithyll Dungeon

the different levels may not interconnect together but there a lot of shortcuts within each level which make it just as cool in my opinion...I know a lot of people loved the way the various levels in DS1 connected back into Firelink Shrine but to me it was cool but nothing earth shattering...you don't need the connected areas anymore because you can now warp within bonfires from the very beginning of the game...the connections are needed when you don't have the warping (until mid-game like DS1)...I agree about Grand Archives being much better then Duke's...I thought Duke's was one of the worst levels in DS1 (except for the invisible walkways)
 
I thought Duke's was one of the worst levels in DS1

I didn't mind Duke's so much once I was pro at it, but yeah, it was a pain to go through your first time. I found the invisible walkways in the crystal forest a far worse design.

That said, anyone lost a ton of souls during their first DS3 playthrough? I think the most I lost my first playthrough was slightly over 100k. Really depends on your souls lost vs soul level. Given I was SL80'ish at the time I lost 100k souls, I was like "meh." I seem to remember losing a fair amount of souls in DS1 and raging. I think the plethora of bonfires in DS3 is proving insurance against losing souls. Not sure how I feel about that design.

Now thinking about it, I might have lost a total of 200k souls my entire first playthrough of DS3. All things considering, that's not THAT bad. There were very few places in the game (archdragon peak comes to mind) I felt my souls were in jeopardy.
 
Last edited:
I am on NG+ and have stopped leveling at 124 so I can summon and coop. That was one thing I hated about DS2 with their soul level thingy. Unless you wear the ring continuing to play the game will throw you out of coop range.
 
I didn't mind Duke's so much once I was pro at it, but yeah, it was a pain to go through your first time. I found the invisible walkways in the crystal forest a far worse design.

Those freaking crystal walkways are the point at which I just quit playing the game. "ohhhkay I'm done". And that coming from someone that didn't even mind Blighttown and never had much trouble with it.

That said, anyone lost a ton of souls during their first DS3 playthrough? I think the most I lost my first playthrough was slightly over 100k. Really depends on your souls lost vs soul level. Given I was SL80'ish at the time I lost 100k souls, I was like "meh." I seem to remember losing a fair amount of souls in DS1 and raging. I think the plethora of bonfires in DS3 is providing to be insurance against losing souls. Not sure how I feel about that design.

I'm sure I've lost 100k by now. But thankfully they abandoned the Soul Level based matchmaking of DS2 in favor of a return to just Level & equipment. If you lost a shitload of souls in DS2 you couldn't help but feel outgunned by people that didn't, and were higher levels with better gear.
 
People still like Dark Souls 1 over this game =) The reason being I think it's because it's so small and cheap.
Then I like Demon Souls over all the Dark Souls games.

They left stuff out of the Dark Souls series that only Demon Souls offered.

A. Like the 2nd Tower Knight Boss where you can either Cast Magic from the Top or Melee him then Oil comes out of the ankles when you hack at him.
B. The 1st level where you had traps like Boulders
C. How Eerie the Lava level walking around the Lava farming Chunks for fire weapons
D. The Spider Boss where it just launches Fireballs at you and you get caught up in the Webbing and couldn't swing with a darn at it.

No offense but my god what random and trivial shit.
 
That said, anyone lost a ton of souls during their first DS3 playthrough? I think the most I lost my first playthrough was slightly over 100k. Really depends on your souls lost vs soul level. Given I was SL80'ish at the time I lost 100k souls, I was like "meh." I seem to remember losing a fair amount of souls in DS1 and raging. I think the plethora of bonfires in DS3 is providing to be insurance against losing souls. Not sure how I feel about that design.

Now thinking about it, I might have lost a total of 200k souls my entire first playthrough of DS3. All things considering, that's not THAT bad. There were very few places in the game (archdragon peak comes to mind) I felt my souls were in jeopardy.

I lost a bunch of souls numerous times...didn't really effect my leveling so it wasn't too bad...most of the time it's easy to make up any lost souls by using the soapstone to assist someone else...in my 2nd playthrough I lost souls as well but mostly due to overconfidence...non-boss NPC's usually do some random BS move where they have infinite sword swings when they see your health/endurance is down
 
So far I've barely lost any souls in this one. I did end up dropping 10K while exploring the outside areas of the Cathedral of the Deep, but that's the only time where I've died and didn't recover my souls. Compared to DS1, that seems nuts. I lost a shit ton of souls in all of my playthroughs of that one.
After playing DS1 and 2 in a row, I've conditioned myself to being extra careful. The ability to dodge like a madman to escape hordes helps a lot. While enemies are smarter in this game, they don't seem to always have an attack ready to smack you out of healing. The DS2 DLC's were infamous for giving you a millisecond too short of a window to heal.

Gotta say I'm enjoying the opportunity for co-op this time around. Helping other people maul easy bosses is fun and earns souls quickly. In the previous games I might wait 15 minutes for a summon. There are so many playing this one, sometimes I get 3 of them in 5 minutes. I'm sure the audience will fade like the others did, but it's great while it lasts. Haven't used any summons on my games so far, but it's fun helping others.
 
Just made it to the Kiln of the First Flame. (45 hours on my save)
This game is huge. The levels are so expansive. I still haven't explored Archdragon peak. I just found it today and summoned a mad phantom, who turned on me and I killed him, and then I was invaded with only 1 estus left, and died.

The levels don't have the same interconnected feeling of Dark Souls 1, but all of the map were quality. No Lost Izalith crap. The Grand Archives level was so much better than the Duke's Archives in DS1. Although Tower of Latria was scarier than Irithyll Dungeon.

After I beat it, I'm gonna take a long break before considering NG.

I started NG on DS1 but didn't get far before getting bored.
But the world is completely interconnected aside from Firelink and High Wall. Even though you travel to Archdragon Peak, you still see it in the distance. That huge castle you see towering above where you come from at the beginning of the game from Firelink? That is Lothric Castle. Just because you can't walk everywhere doesn't mean the world doesn't fit together. It's certainly not Dark Souls 2 all over again.
 
I just realized I'm supposed to actually kill that ancient Wyvern on Archdragon peak. I thought at first, it was an option like the dragons in Demons Souls world 1. Then got to the next fog gate and can't get through.

Also just read in the console DS3 thread that poise isn't working ? WTF.
 
If poise isn't broken, it certainly isn't calculated the same way...and enemies don't seem to factor it in at all.
Something I noticed last night - you no longer have to roll forward after a jump. After your character leaves his/her feet, just let go of the run button and don't press a direction. You character will stick their landing like a long jumper.
 
I just realized I'm supposed to actually kill that ancient Wyvern on Archdragon peak. I thought at first, it was an option like the dragons in Demons Souls world 1. Then got to the next fog gate and can't get through.
there is an easy way and a hard way. read the messages for the easy way
 
I just realized I'm supposed to actually kill that ancient Wyvern on Archdragon peak. I thought at first, it was an option like the dragons in Demons Souls world 1. Then got to the next fog gate and can't get through.

Also just read in the console DS3 thread that poise isn't working ? WTF.


Yeah, poise basically does nothing. You still get your shield knocked back just as easily, etc, regardless of your poise level. It's completely broken.

Someone figured out how to re-enable it with a hex editing tweak, so it seems it was intentionally turned off by the developer. Which pisses me off.
 
ok, the shield knock back is related to "stability", not poise. Poise is related to the stagger caused by attacks. The issue being that you can wear heavy armors and still get staggered by guys with daggers.
 
ok, the shield knock back is related to "stability", not poise. Poise is related to the stagger caused by attacks. The issue being that you can wear heavy armors and still get staggered by guys with daggers.
This. The higher the poise, the more poise damage you should be able to take before staggering. Think of it like a hidden stamina bar and how it goes down when you block and regenerates. It's kind of silly to be wearing full Havel's and being staggered out of your Dragon Tooth swing because someone got a lucky stab with their Dagger in. Now heavy weapons still get hyper armor, but that's an unrelated stat. Just trying to get the point across...
 
I traditionally went medium to super heavy in previous games. Havel and such.
Knowing that poise isn't turned on in this one has made me get just enough vitality to keep a shield, large weapon, and bow all equipped at once. Armor barely seems to matter, so I'm digging the thorns set. It makes a lot of shield enemies bug out as though they had just blocked a normal strike.
 
ok, the shield knock back is related to "stability", not poise. Poise is related to the stagger caused by attacks. The issue being that you can wear heavy armors and still get staggered by guys with daggers.

Yeah, shield stability and poise are two completely different mechanics.

Shield stability determines how fast your stamina is drained when your shield is struck. If your stamina hits zero with a shield up, you are completely open for guard breaks, which, in turn, set you up for a riposte or backstab. Very important stat to consider for PvP.

Poise, on the other hand, was the system that determined when a player got knocked on his ass (i.e. staggered). This had pros and cons in DS1. High poise allowed a player to walk through attacks to get in position for something like a backstab. However, if enough damage was being received, the player risks being staggered. As others have mentioned, poise is effectively disabled for players in DS3. This makes wearing heavy armor somewhat less effective compared to previous iterations. That's why rolling is now king.
 
I just realized I'm supposed to actually kill that ancient Wyvern on Archdragon peak...

speaking of dragons...are you supposed to kill that dragon in the High Wall of Lothric?...in my 2.5 playthroughs I never killed him but collected all the items under him...he seems similar to the Hellkite Dragon from Dark Souls 1 Undead Burg area
 
Last edited:
speaking of dragons...are you supposed to kill that dragon in the High Wall of Lothric?...in my 2.5 playthroughs I collected all the items under him but he seems similar to the Hellkite Dragon from Dark Souls 1 Undead Burg area
No, it's not required. This is the chance to get a Large Titanite Shard early in the game, though. At least the souls that Hellkite paid out was worth it, if nothing else. I don't think it's worth it this time around.
 
No, it's not required. This is the chance to get a Large Titanite Shard early in the game, though. At least the souls that Hellkite paid out was worth it, if nothing else. I don't think it's worth it this time around.

seems like it would take 100 or so arrows to bring him down...not really worth it for just a Large Titanite Shard
 
its very worth it at the beginning of a run if you have no large. :)

the early game is not all that difficult so I don't think an upgraded weapon is even necessary...more important to level up your Vigor/Endurance and STR or DEX
 
seems like it would take 100 or so arrows to bring him down...not really worth it for just a Large Titanite Shard
It took me around 70 Wood Arrows with the Longbow +0 at minimum stats required to wield effectively to make it fly off. I mixed in some weapon art to cause more damage with each shot.
 
just tried out the Dark Sword after hearing so many people raving about it...I like it...love the moveset and it's a fast weapon...it only really gets good once you infuse it to at least +4 with a Heavy Gem
 
I've only just now started finding large shards in the swamp. Got my Great Club up to +4. While the moveset isn't as good as DS2, it's better than the large club. The heavy attack isn't just a dumbed down jump attack.
 
It took me around 70 Wood Arrows with the Longbow +0 at minimum stats required to wield effectively to make it fly off. I mixed in some weapon art to cause more damage with each shot.

I didn't realize this was even possible, I thought it was part of the scenery. I'm going to run back and kill that dragon tonight.
 
20160508012510_1_zpsxbpvktdi.jpg


Dark sword +10 with Heavy Gem infused with Dark Blade.
 
the heavy/sharp/quality depends on your stat allocations. With 40/40 you are going to get the highest with quality.
 
I'm trying to get the 'Collect all Gestures' achievement in 1 playthrough but damn it's tricky...so many convoluted steps you need to take to collect all of them- speak to certain NPC's at certain times, summon certain NPC's for certain boss fights etc...
 
Last edited:
I'm trying to get the 'Collect all Gestures' achievement in 1 playthrough but damn it's tricky...so many convoluted steps you need to take to collect all of them- speak to certain NPC's at certain times, summon certain NPC's for certain boss fights etc...
As far as I'm aware, you can't get them all in one playthrough.
Sirris won't give you the Darkmoon Loyalty gesture until after Abyss Watchers are defeated. You also must get Proper Bow gesture before Abyss Watchers are defeated, which requires giving a Pale Tongue to Rosaria. Doing the latter makes Sirris turn on you, preventing you from receiving the Darkmoon Loyalty gesture.
You need at least three playthroughs to get all the rings, anyway, so I wouldn't stress over it. Just focus on getting whichever one you didn't get the first time in your second playthrough.
 
As far as I'm aware, you can't get them all in one playthrough.
Sirris won't give you the Darkmoon Loyalty gesture until after Abyss Watchers are defeated. You also must get Proper Bow gesture before Abyss Watchers are defeated, which requires giving a Pale Tongue to Rosaria. Doing the latter makes Sirris turn on you, preventing you from receiving the Darkmoon Loyalty gesture.
You need at least three playthroughs to get all the rings, anyway, so I wouldn't stress over it. Just focus on getting whichever one you didn't get the first time in your second playthrough.

the Sirris part was the one that was tricky as far as gestures...I thought you could receive the Darkmoon gesture first after giving the Dreamchasers ashes to the hand maiden at Firelink...then give the pale tongue to Rosaria which enables you to summon Heysel for the Abyss Watchers fight giving you the Proper Bow gesture...I know once you join the Rosaria covenant it blocks you from progressing further in the Sirris quest but you only get 1 gesture from her so as long as you join the covenant after getting the Darkmoon gesture I thought everything would be fine
 
As far as I'm aware, you can't get them all in one playthrough.

No, I think you can get all gestures through a single careful playthrough.

You can get the Darkmoon Loyalty gesture prior to fighting Abyss Watchers. Pretty sure Sirris triggers off completion of Deacons of the Deep boss fight too.

You may be denying yourself some nice items by forcing yourself down that path. I ended up killing Sirris anyway just so I can have her sword.
 
I gave up on trying to accomplish everything I wanted in my first go-round. Hell, just glancing at IGN's walkthrough, I think I've already bungled like a dozen things. I'll almost certainly play through things again, so it's all good.
 
I gave up on trying to accomplish everything I wanted in my first go-round. Hell, just glancing at IGN's walkthrough, I think I've already bungled like a dozen things. I'll almost certainly play through things again, so it's all good.

I think the only NPC story I managed to complete was Seigward's. I've glanced at some FAQs, and many of the NPC progressions are so convoluted. I'd rather experience it organically, than needing to consult a guide to make sure I don't break someone's quest line.
 
I think the only NPC story I managed to complete was Seigward's. I've glanced at some FAQs, and many of the NPC progressions are so convoluted. I'd rather experience it organically, than needing to consult a guide to make sure I don't break someone's quest line.

That's my biggest problem with the Souls series. It's less about choices, and more about "If you want to complete this quest, you need to talk to NPC X after Boss 8, but will no longer be around if you enter the next zone, or if you talk to NPC Y. To find NPC X, you need to backtrack to a zone you haven't been to since Boss 2." And it's not just quests, but NPCs too. I know people rag on Dark Souls 2, but unlike the rest of the series, there was no spot in the game where half your town could die because you saved an NPC, who would later betray you.
 
That's my biggest problem with the Souls series. It's less about choices, and more about "If you want to complete this quest, you need to talk to NPC X after Boss 8, but will no longer be around if you enter the next zone, or if you talk to NPC Y. To find NPC X, you need to backtrack to a zone you haven't been to since Boss 2." And it's not just quests, but NPCs too. I know people rag on Dark Souls 2, but unlike the rest of the series, there was no spot in the game where half your town could die because you saved an NPC, who would later betray you.

I agree 100%. It's really esoteric and it doesn't have to be. I understand them wanting to reward exploration and subsequent playthroughs, but some things are just stupid. Characters that show up in random places you've already been through 100 times. Of course they're wearing dark clothing and leaning against something, too. Or better yet, they look like a log or an enemy.
I like the way Dark Souls 2 handled things. There were lots of characters, plenty of secrets, and story arcs that played out without forcing you to use a hint guide or risk ruining portions of the game.
Save the esoteric stuff for minor side quests.
 
I think the only NPC story I managed to complete was Seigward's. I've glanced at some FAQs, and many of the NPC progressions are so convoluted. I'd rather experience it organically, than needing to consult a guide to make sure I don't break someone's quest line.

this is without question the most convoluted Souls game in terms of quests, covenants, side missions, NPC interactions, rings, gestures etc..my first playthrough was blind and before starting my 2nd playthrough I consulted a detailed walkthrough and was shocked at how many things I missed
 
this is without question the most convoluted Souls game in terms of quests, covenants, side missions, NPC interactions, rings, gestures etc..my first playthrough was blind and before starting my 2nd playthrough I consulted a detailed walkthrough and was shocked at how many things I missed
And somehow people are supposed to find this stuff out without walkthroughs? By dumb luck and endless backtracking? :)
 
Back
Top