Dark Souls 3

that's the best way to beat those transforming creatures- Pus of Man (firebombs and then strong attack...move away, rinse, repeat)...for the Lothric Knights (and a lot of other enemies) you need to learn to master the back-stab

How do you backstab? Regular attack from behind?
 
How do you backstab? Regular attack from behind?

yes...but you need to get the angle right...it's not really straight behind them but more of an angle...it even works with certain bosses...back-stabs will make the game much easier
 
God damnit. I killed an NPC that I think was for a quest. Yoel of londor at the undead settlement just after the frost dog boss. He said grant me death as I was walking by and I killed him before I saw I could talk to him. This is the type of shit that pisses me off. I feel like I have to restart the damn game just to get him back. Fucking shit.
 
Game is crashing a ton too. Seemingly random how/when it happens. I get the mouse icon pop up and hear a sound like there was some error but I can't alt tab or anything. My character just runs in circles or into a wall. When I press any key it goes black and requires a hard reset on my PC to do anything again. Super annoying.

Any suggestions for that?
 
he is not critical, just changes some options. he also gives "free" levels, but they have to be paid back for certain outcomes. changes some of the NPC dependencies
 
he is not critical, just changes some options. he also gives "free" levels, but they have to be paid back for certain outcomes. changes some of the NPC dependencies

he's not 'critical' but I like the Usurpation of Fire ending the best (I also think it's canon) so Yoel is necessary for that
 
he's not 'critical' but I like the Usurpation of Fire ending the best (I also think it's canon) so Yoel is necessary for that

I suppose it's incentive to replay the game.

I need to figure out these crashes. It wasn't happening the first day I got it at all. Last night it happened probably five times. Doesn't happen with any other games. It's like there is some error popping up but I never get to see what it is. If I press a key it makes that beeping sound like there is some dialog that needs addressed before you can do anything. It goes black at that point and requires me to hit the reset button on my PC.
 
I suppose it's incentive to replay the game.

I need to figure out these crashes. It wasn't happening the first day I got it at all. Last night it happened probably five times. Doesn't happen with any other games. It's like there is some error popping up but I never get to see what it is. If I press a key it makes that beeping sound like there is some dialog that needs addressed before you can do anything. It goes black at that point and requires me to hit the reset button on my PC.

you should regularly backup your save folder so if you need to you can go back...

C:\Users\(username)\AppData\Roaming\DarkSoulsIII\folder with a bunch of letters and numbers

the Usurpation of Fire ending is pretty convoluted so if you are playing the game blind then it's going to be hard to figure out all the steps without a walkthrough...might be better to just continue playing
 
you should regularly backup your save folder so if you need to you can go back...

C:\Users\(username)\AppData\Roaming\DarkSoulsIII\folder with a bunch of letters and numbers

the Usurpation of Fire ending is pretty convoluted so if you are playing the game blind then it's going to be hard to figure out all the steps without a walkthrough...might be better to just continue playing

Yea, I got over it haha
 
Not crashing anymore so that's good.

Really enjoying the game. Glad I picked a cleric it's nice having extra heals to use in between basic combat and saving the estus flasks for the tough stuff. Having unlimited homewards is pretty nice too just in case.

I did cheat a bit and looked at a guide for the Undead Camp. I beat the boss and couldn't figure out how to get down into the area underneath the church. Turns out you have to get those mortician's ashes from the back of the graveyard, turn them in, and buy the key for the sewers. I never would have figured that shit out. Maybe never would have seen that stuff on multiple play throughs.
 
I did cheat a bit and looked at a guide for the Undead Camp. I beat the boss and couldn't figure out how to get down into the area underneath the church. Turns out you have to get those mortician's ashes from the back of the graveyard, turn them in, and buy the key for the sewers. I never would have figured that shit out. Maybe never would have seen that stuff on multiple play throughs.

there's a lot of really complicated stuff like that in DS3...easy to miss stuff because you need to do a bunch of stuff in a certain order with certain people...the other Souls games never had this many complicated quests
 
I started up a NG+ run yesterday. Have made it as far as the Cathedral of the Deep and have only died a couple times, even with a decent amount of invaders. Gael's blade is definitely a new favorite weapon. It's like the Claymore with a better L2 combo attack.
I haven't followed the various buffs and nerfs, but at least in PvE, the Dark Sword is still probably overpowered. I'm using the quality infused version and it hits like a giant/slow weapon but it's nearly as quick as a Broadsword. It doesn't seem all that great for dealing with invaders (they blow through it), but it's amazing vs. enemies.
 
I'm still cruising on NG+. The Cathedral (even the big guys and the boss) was a one and done. The swamps don't seem to be any worse either. I get that I'm overpowered, but this is probably easier than the first two games.

I started tinkering around with a Havel build and man...you need some crazy leveling to avoid fat rolls in his gear. We're talking level 150'ish if you want some decent other stats, too. That's pretty disappointing considering how lackluster that gear actually is this time.
 
I started tinkering around with a Havel build and man...you need some crazy leveling to avoid fat rolls in his gear. We're talking level 150'ish if you want some decent other stats, too. That's pretty disappointing considering how lackluster that gear actually is this time.

the Havel's Ring +3 you find in Ringed City should help but yeah you need some crazy leveling to fast roll with Havel's full set plus a STR weapon
 
the Havel's Ring +3 you find in Ringed City should help but yeah you need some crazy leveling to fast roll with Havel's full set plus a STR weapon

Sadly, by the time I get to that point it won't be of that much use (that's 99% of the way through). I didn't grab it on my first pass through the DLC, so it seems like I'll just be skipping the Havel build at this point :p
 
Sadly, by the time I get to that point it won't be of that much use (that's 99% of the way through). I didn't grab it on my first pass through the DLC, so it seems like I'll just be skipping the Havel build at this point :p

Yep, even the Havel +3 ring for 19% more capacity is a far cry from the base Havel ring you got in DS1 that added 50%. A Havel build in DS3 would be for nostalgia more than anything, as there are far better tank builds stat-wise.
 
Yeah, my sole reason for wanting a Havel build is just because of the troubles he gave me in the first game. Plus, I just like the idea of the character.
It was feasible in the first game, although it also took hefty stats to rock the full set (+ a high STR for the Dragon's Tooth). It was definitely a NG+ build and probably not one you could use unless you leveled a lot or it was very late in the game.
In DS2 I remember using it for almost all of NG+ and it was incredibly good. I wasn't even afraid of pesky quick invaders because I'd just blow through their shenanigans.
 
Just curious - what are some good greatswords and ultra greatswords that work well with a quality or strength build? I haven't followed all of the various patches, so I have no idea what's still valid and what isn't.
I really like the moveset of Gael's greatsword, but it looks a bit odd. I'm rocking the Alva armor set (+Shield of Want) so it just looks weird rocking a rusty, broken sword with fancy armor.
Are there any cool-looking giant swords that are similarly effective?
 
LOL, so in testing out the viability of a Havel build I have discovered that even with Havel's Ring+3 and the Ring of Favor +3 you still have to have an 88 in Vitality to do normal rolls in the full Havel set. I suppose you could skip out on wearing 2 rings so you only need an 86 or 87, but at that point you might as well go all-in.
I played around with it for a little bit and it's pretty weak sauce for the amount of trouble it requires. Even with a 60 in STR and a maxed out Dragon's Tooth, it's not doing more than maybe 10% more than my refined 40/40 Dark Sword. It's about twice as slow, too.
The armor is a definite step up from my usual Alva set, but it's not like that matters that much in this game. The Morne and Black Iron set are much better bang for your buck and only require something like a 30 in Vitality to rock with a full stash of weapons.
Since Poise doesn't really matter, it's almost like they made this set require such crazy stats as a joke.
 
not counting the pvp arenas, once you level up that high is pvp still viable?...can you still find people to invade or get invaded easily?...I remember with the first DS I think they recommended you not go past SL 125...with the 2nd Dark Souls they used that new soul memory thing so it didn't really matter
 
not counting the pvp arenas, once you level up that high is pvp still viable?...can you still find people to invade or get invaded easily?...I remember with the first DS I think they recommended you not go past SL 125...with the 2nd Dark Souls they used that new soul memory thing so it didn't really matter

I'm at level 155 in NG+ and I still get invaded pretty often. No more or less than my first pass through the game. The two times I've invaded others I've popped right in within 30 seconds. Not sure about the algorithm to it, but there seems to be a decent number of players who are as over-leveled as I am. I've got the souls to spare, so I might as well :p
I have noticed that I've had minimal troubles defending myself vs. others, though. I've only lost one invasion and it was mainly because I was in the midst of fighting a pile of mobs in the swamp at the time. Some of it is me getting a little better at PvP and some of it seems to be the Astora Greatsword doing massive damage and setting up knockdowns very well.

EDIT: I got to Anor Londo and there's definitely no issue being invaded. I was getting invaded rapid fire (2 at once in a couple cases) so there doesn't seem to be any issue with PvP and being highly leveled. The levels just keep racking up, too. I'm at 160, now. I'm not even grinding - just using all of my souls for leveling. I have 1 of nearly every item in the game, so there's not really anything else to spend 'em on.
 
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Have now gotten to Lothric castle. Still seeing a surprising number of invaders. Obviously I know some are canned NPC's, but I'm still getting at least one invasion per area and in a few instances they're nearly back to back. Based upon what I remember of my first pass, I think some areas are hot spots for invaders. I distinctly remember getting repeatedly invaded at the beginning of the Boreal Valley, Anor Londo, and Lothric castle last time, too. Yet it seems to only relate to the very beginning portions of those levels.

I'm still not a huge PvP player (I'm being forced to be with all of these invasions) but it feels like endurance is often the key stat. Roll and 2 attacks is par for the course, but being able to do 3-4 swipes instead of 2 is a deal breaker with the stun many weapons cause. Having a lot of HP certainly doesn't hurt, too.
 
I'm at the end of the line now. Done everything in the shipping version of the game except kill the Nameless King (I struggled with him on my first pass) and Soul of Cinder.
I haven't been invaded in a while (am now at level 171) so I think I probably went over the cusp of where most players are. Granted, I don't recall a ton of endgame invasions before either.
I'll be really curious to see how Freide, Midir, and Gael are with better stats. If I need to respec I could probably yank all of my magic stats and give myself like an 80 in health to be a megatank :p
 
I am replaying also. I think I will stop about level 125 or so. I don't care for PvP (because I suck at it) but I like the PvE and coop. That was one of the problems with DS2, if you kept playing it would put you outside of the range of everyone else, at least until they added the ring to stop it.
 
I've done a hell of a lot better in PvP since I boosted my stamina. It always used to be that I'd hit someone twice and they'd have just enough life to get away and recoup. That doesn't happen anymore. Plus, the knockdown ability of the Astora Greatsword pretty much means they die if I ever land it. It goes further than it looks, too.

Edit: The Nameless King is still a sonofabitch. He wouldn't be so bad if it was only one form. The first form is easy enough, but it's setup (with the fire breath) to insta-kill you if you start getting overly aggressive and frustrated.
The 2nd form is one of those fights where luck plays a major role. If the AI is being a dick, it can pretty much spam a few sequences over and over with minimal opportunity for reprisal of any sort. Either that or it can just keep doing that 1-2 swipe that gives you 2 free hits afterward. I hate when fight difficulties revolve around the CPU either being mean or stupid like that.
After getting pretty close to beating him on the first try, I went on a horrible bad streak of like a dozen bad fights in a row. Some were my fault and a few were just the CPU going ape with safe/strong attack patterns.
I'd put him in the top 3-4 hardest fights in the series. He isn't Freide or Lud and Zallen, but he's not too far behind.
Cinder can be like that on occasion, but his stuff is a lot easier to dodge and punish.
 
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Still plugging along and have cleared out the first DLC and am about halfway through the 2nd on NG+. Still getting invaded and still seeing plenty of boss summons at level 185. I don't plan on leveling any higher at this point. If I were to do anything, I'd probably just re-spec completely. Rocking a mix of the Dark Sword, Gael's, and the Astora Greatsword. I like the Wolf Knight's Greatsword, but it weighs slightly too much for my setup.

The vikings in the first DLC are still pretty fierce opponents in NG+, but I don't think the bosses (Gravetender and Freide) are any harder at all. I beat the Gravetender on my first try and didn't really have any trouble at all. Friede is still incredibly hard, but she still eats hefty damage and is easily stunned or locked down. I feared she might be nearly unbeatable, but if anything I think your increased stats make that fight easier.

Knowing where the Angel avatars are makes the early portion of the Ringed City DLC a breeze. Got through on my first try and even killed an invader during the process. The Demon Prince is almost like the bosses from earlier DLC's. He's MUCH harder, and it feels like you just don't do much damage to him no matter how you approach it. The key to that fight is avoiding toxicity in the first portion of the battle. If you're toxic (and don't have cures ready), you might as well just start over because that fight is too long. That battle is a prime example of how just a little additional health can make certain bosses night and day tougher. Kind of like Zud and Lallen, it usually revolves around multiple enemy bosses, too.
 
doing ringed city dlc for the first time. at the second part. I am like where the hell are the shortcuts and the bonfires?

the DLC this time around feels like they took 3 short DLC and combined two to make two packages. IMO the DLC in #2 just seemed like much more content.
 
The Dark Souls 2 DLC is definitely much larger than 3. The Ringed City is pretty large and varied, but Ashes of Ariandel is pretty straightforward and not that big. Obviously you had a 3rd DLC with Dark Souls 2 as well.

Cleared out Gael and Midir on the first tries, although I did admittedly use NPC summons. At this point, I was just burned out and ready to move on. Even with the summons, neither seemed to be any worse than before. Gael is still erratic and his 3rd form is pure chaos. I hate when things like blowing cloth and weather effects throw my timing off. Midir wasn't as bad because I swapped to the Wolf Knight's Greatsword. It has an overhead style swing which caused me to rarely ever miss his head. Before I was missing a decent amount of what should have been easy hits.

I never have really figured out what hollowing does or how it works. Obviously it makes you look more like a zombie and there are enchantments that feature it, but that's as much as I can figure out. I only did it to get the more grim ending. It'll apparently take almost 3 million souls to cure mine, so that's not gonna happen!

Anyway, I'm done with the game and probably the whole series at this point. I just need a break for a while. I'm due for another Bloodborne playthrough, though.
 
some dude has a video out on farming the winged knights. he manages 109k souls in 90 seconds. The tricky parts for the build were the mendicant's staff and the mimic headpiece (luckily one was in the DLC). 3 million is probably doable fairly fast. It works fairly well and practice for backstabbing.
 
At this point, I don't plan on playing it again for at least a year. I made a run-through of DS1 and DS2 (+ all of the DLC) last summer and I still have no desire to revisit either of them. They're great games, but by the end I tend to get burned out on the mechanics.
Bloodborne doesn't even seem very appealing at the moment. I think Mass Effect Andromeda and Outlast 2 are in the cards for me. Something that doesn't involve dodging or strafing.
 
At this point, I don't plan on playing it again for at least a year. I made a run-through of DS1 and DS2 (+ all of the DLC) last summer and I still have no desire to revisit either of them. They're great games, but by the end I tend to get burned out on the mechanics.
Bloodborne doesn't even seem very appealing at the moment. I think Mass Effect Andromeda and Outlast 2 are in the cards for me. Something that doesn't involve dodging or strafing.
Yeah I just finished a NG run-through, Usurper of Fire ending, pretty sure I 100%'d, and too burned out to touch the DLC. And I'm not a teenager so I don't have hundreds of hours of free time to learn the PvP meta, even though I inadvertently got summoned into fight clubs a few times and did okay. Too often PvP opponents are pussy slap fighters that spend 95% of the fight rolling away. I realize better players know how to deal with that (ranged secondaries) but I just don't care. I also can't take the lag of PvP.

I think the exploration is really what drives this series for me. I never played the DS2 DLC so I'll prob run through that after recovering for a few months. Going to start either Fallout 4 or ME:A.
 
I'll probably do another DS1 playthrough sometime this summer...haven't played that in awhile...might do DS2 + all 3 DLC as well...I've logged the fewest hours of any Souls game into DS2 (which is still a lot but not as much compared to DS1 and DS3) and want to see if my previous opinion of it being the worst in the series hold true or if it's as under-rated as a lot of people seem to think...for now I want to knock out some other games in my backlog- Mass Effect: Andromeda, Fallout 4 (with High-Res texture pack), Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and Alan Wake
 
I think the exploration is really what drives this series for me. I never played the DS2 DLC so I'll prob run through that after recovering for a few months. Going to start either Fallout 4 or ME:A.


Agree. At the end it felt like some grand adventure.
 
I'll probably do another DS1 playthrough sometime this summer...haven't played that in awhile...might do DS2 + all 3 DLC as well...I've logged the fewest hours of any Souls game into DS2 (which is still a lot but not as much compared to DS1 and DS3) and want to see if my previous opinion of it being the worst in the series hold true or if it's as under-rated as a lot of people seem to think...for now I want to knock out some other games in my backlog- Mass Effect: Andromeda, Fallout 4 (with High-Res texture pack), Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and Alan Wake

2 is my favorite. I dunno about PvP balance or anything like that, but the game itself is pretty epic. I hate how that term is often abused, but it's fitting for DS2. Large sprawling outdoor areas, a massive variety of environments, tons of boss encounters (that are mostly "fair"), and tons of end game content. The DLC probably makes the game 50% longer and it's already the biggest game of the 3 to begin with.
There are some definite issues with the difficulty steadily decreasing, but I think that's just the nature of being able to roll more and use more flasks.
All that said, I have almost no desire to revisit #2 after replaying it last year. By the end I was burned out and the last few areas (especially the blizzard, unicorns, and cat bosses) are infuriating.

There are still some elements in the first game that might be the most maddening, though. The tiny ledges in Anor Londo, the Bed of Chaos, the path to Gravelord Nito, and the Prowling Demons (in general) still haunt me to this day.
 
probably one of the best things about #2 was the way you could reset bonfires to redo bosses. I wish they had kept that feature for #3
 
DS2 had a lot of nice aspects but overall I thought the DLC's were what made the game really good...I also liked the Scholar of the First Sin version...game is not bad, it's just lower on the scale when compared to the other Souls games but still better then 90% of all other games...but like with all Souls games after pouring countless hours into it you get burnt out and need a break...looking at my Steam stats I have 1137 hours in DS1, 997 hours in DS2 (combining both the vanilla and SOTFS versions) and 576 hours in DS3
 
soooooo... very late to the party it seems :D

i just installed it with all the dlcs! had the game and got all the dlcs today. i have all three dark souls and still didnt started playing it, so now i finally decided to start with this one :D

other games i have that i still didnt started playing are nier and witcher 3. + the three dark souls and this is my backlog. decided to go with this one because of all the fun i had with the surge :D

any tips? :D
 
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