Dark Souls is on Steam

[chockomonkey]

I saw ash lake for a brief moment before i homeward boned outa there... i cant remember why exactly but it's still on my list of places i need to go. Is there a main boss in there or is that a side area?

 

[Armenius]

It's a completely optional area. There is a covenant available at the end of the path (with a bonfire that acts as a warp point), some Dragon Scales to pick up, and a Miracle you can only get there. One of the NPC's storylines can also resolve there.

 

[polonyc2]

I saw ash lake for a brief moment before i homeward boned outa there... i cant remember why exactly but it's still on my list of places i need to go. Is there a main boss in there or is that a side area?

It's a completely optional area. There is a covenant available at the end of the path (with a bonfire that acts as a warp point), some Dragon Scales to pick up, and a Miracle you can only get there. One of the NPC's storylines can also resolve there.

you also get one of the better Rings in the game there (Cloranthy Ring)

 

[jiminator]

That is not ash lake but the great hollow. worth doing regarldess, there are some 10 crystal lizards there.

 

[LeviathanZERO]

I saw ash lake for a brief moment before i homeward boned outa there... i cant remember why exactly but it's still on my list of places i need to go. Is there a main boss in there or is that a side area?

The flying Hydra is worth seeing. Especially if you can sucker the Clam monsters into his magic shots, as he flies over you. Fun

 

[polonyc2]

That is not ash lake but the great hollow. worth doing regarldess, there are some 10 crystal lizards there.

you have to go through Great Hollow to get to Ash Lake the first time so it's pretty much the same

 

[you2]

I wish i could enjoy this game but i could never get past the first hour or so because the pc controls are so sucky. The various dsxxx sort of fix mouse and key board but the menu system is still a PIA. The biggest problem is that I could never get past the first (non-turtoial) boss since he would one shot me and I could never get blcok to work with the klunky keyboard.

 

[shinotenshi]

xbox 360 controller?

 

[Armenius]

I wish i could enjoy this game but i could never get past the first hour or so because the pc controls are so sucky. The various dsxxx sort of fix mouse and key board but the menu system is still a PIA. The biggest problem is that I could never get past the first (non-turtoial) boss since he would one shot me and I could never get blcok to work with the klunky keyboard.

Suck it up and use a controller? Works great with any console controller in my experience (360, ONE, DS3, DS4).

 

[you2]

Why would I bother with the pc version if I was going to use a controller ? Why are they releasing it for the pc if they won't bother with a decent pc interface ? At least dogma has a 1/2 decent (not perfect) pc interface.

Suck it up and use a controller? Works great with any console controller in my experience (360, ONE, DS3, DS4).

 

[polonyc2]

Why would I bother with the pc version if I was going to use a controller ? Why are they releasing it for the pc if they won't bother with a decent pc interface ? At least dogma has a 1/2 decent (not perfect) pc interface.

KB/M is fine for Dark Souls...the most important thing is to remap the controls...I read so many posts here on [H] and other forums where people seem to blindly use the default layout and it baffles me...outside of graphics that's the most important thing to tweak...I always remap mainly because I hate WSAD for movement and always use the arrow keys (to the bottom left of the NumPad)...I agree that the Dark Souls controls are not perfect even after remapping (you can't rebind certain actions and you also can't use all keys on your keyboard) but after a few hours of playing you'll get used to it

 

[horrorshow]

KB/M is fine for Dark Souls...

No, just no.

 

[polonyc2]

No, just no.

my 1137 hours in the game say Yes...that's not to say that a controller is a bad choice, if it works better for you then go for it...all I'm saying is that KB/M works fine (after remapping) and I'm a pretty good player

 

[shinotenshi]

this is not 1980 anymore. it is not an affront to society to have a gamepad for a PC. and not playing Dark Souls on PC (better frame rate, resolutions, no slow down) because it requires you to buy a plug and play xbox 360 controller is the epitome of cutting off your nose to spite your face.

 

[Armenius]

Why would I bother with the pc version if I was going to use a controller ? Why are they releasing it for the pc if they won't bother with a decent pc interface ? At least dogma has a 1/2 decent (not perfect) pc interface.

The beautiful thing on PC is that you're not (usually) forced to use any specific type of input device. But it's apparent that keyboard and mouse was not given very much attention in the development of the PC port of this game, so why not use a controller when you have the ability to do so? With DSfix the game runs at a constant 30 FPS on almost any system with the option of changing the resolution. After playing the console versions where it drops to 10 FPS in Blighttown and then seeing the framerate never flutter on the PC version, why would you ever want not want to play the PC version?

 

[shinotenshi]

there is also a frame unlock which works really well based on my experience using it

 

[ghostwich]

First I've heard of using DSFix for a 30fps lock - I went immediately for a 60fps target.

 

[Armenius]

The first time I tried 60 FPS in this game I fell through a ladder. I never used it after that. While >=60 FPS is preferred, I don't think it's necessary in this game. Regardless, the game in general runs like shit without DSfix.

 

[polonyc2]

The first time I tried 60 FPS in this game I fell through a ladder. I never used it after that. While >=60 FPS is preferred, I don't think it's necessary in this game. Regardless, the game in general runs like shit without DSfix.

DSfix also allows you to remove the HUD and other interface changes which is nice...DSfix is a must-have for PC Dark Souls players...for DS2 I never used the GeDoSaTo tool (which is basically DSfix for DS2) as I just used some Nvidia Inspector tweaks to improve the graphics a bit

 

[ghostwich]

Thankfully I've never run into the 60fps geometry/physics bugs. I heard about the durability 60fps issue in DS2 but I abandoned that until I really finish with DS1.

 

[polonyc2]

I heard about the durability 60fps issue in DS2 but I abandoned that until I really finish with DS1.

I think they fixed that with a patch when Scholar of the First Sin was released...or maybe the SOTFS version is the only one with that fix, I don't recall

 

[ghostwich]

I think they fixed that with a patch when Scholar of the First Sin was released...or maybe the SOTFS version is the only one with that fix, I don't recall

Given the time commitment I'll go right to the SOTFS version.

(And then DS3? Good Lord.)

 

[polonyc2]

Given the time commitment I'll go right to the SOTFS version.

(And then DS3? Good Lord.)

I liked the SOTFS version a bit better overall due to the new enemy placements, new NPC etc...now that the DS3 hype is in full swing I think I'm going to replay Dark Souls 1 again and maybe DS2...I re-played Bloodborne a short while back so I'll skip that

 

[Domingo]

I played Dark Souls #1 entirely at 60fps. Yes, you can fall through ladders...but it's only happened to me once out of like 1000 ladders. There's also a jump in Blighttown you can't make. The jump to get from the to the Bird's Nest is also tougher. Half of that is just the lousy jump command, though. Luckily in DSFix there's a toggle key to allow you to swap to 30fps on the fly. Those are the only two instances I ever used it.
Beyond being able to boost the FPS, there are some HD texture packs you can download, too. They jazz the visuals up a little and didn't really impact performance all that much.
With DSFix cranked and the HD pack, the graphics aren't much (if any) worse than Dark Souls 2.

 

[polonyc2]

I'm going to look into some ReShade presets for Dark Souls...I only recently started using it and it makes a big difference in terms of graphics

 

[ghostwich]

I'm going to look into some ReShade presets for Dark Souls...I only recently started using it and it makes a big difference in terms of graphics

I tried doing this and it requires a little bit of DLL chaining (and then I think I gave up trying to make it work). Had to do this for the PvP WatchDog fix.

 

[Armenius]

I played Dark Souls #1 entirely at 60fps. Yes, you can fall through ladders...but it's only happened to me once out of like 1000 ladders. There's also a jump in Blighttown you can't make. The jump to get from the to the Bird's Nest is also tougher. Half of that is just the lousy jump command, though. Luckily in DSFix there's a toggle key to allow you to swap to 30fps on the fly. Those are the only two instances I ever used it.
Beyond being able to boost the FPS, there are some HD texture packs you can download, too. They jazz the visuals up a little and didn't really impact performance all that much.
With DSFix cranked and the HD pack, the graphics aren't much (if any) worse than Dark Souls 2.

The other thing I noticed with my short time at 60 FPS is that the parry window is much shorter. I rely on parrying a lot in both PvP and PvE, so that was another point against it. I didn't want to relearn what had become muscle memory at that point, coming from 400 hours of experience on the console versions at the time.

 

[chockomonkey]

The last time i'd played, I'd finally gotten past the headless demon on the bridge in Lost Izalith, then my sunbro killed me... not sure what his deal was, but i was kinda peeved so I quit--he was my friend after all.

So I went to play some of this last night--and the headless demon on the bridge was back! Clearly my strategy for killing him is not going to hold up for multiple attempts on this evil sunbro (that is, about 100 arrows or somethin)... is there a strat for killing this thing? I'd tried about 4 times with different strategies, but eventually got tired of the run back and so I just cheesed it with arrows.

Things I've tried:
- Tank it with Stone Armor + Iron Flesh pyro: he still did too much damage and locked me up until i was dead.
- Nimbly bimbly quick dodge around spec: rolled off the bridge (lol)
- Kill it with fire: flame whip and greater chaos fireball just don't do enough damage
- Longer reach: equipped my less upgraded washing pole to test out a longer range, but he raped me this way too.

It just never feels like the gear or spells in this game have enough of an impact. Is the only way to beat this guy I'll bet is just to memorize his damn moveset and know when to dodge?

 

[Domingo]

Those headless guys have been the bane of my existence as well. I'm replaying the game right now and am starting to get a little better at dealing with them.
The fact that they can lock you down and kill you with the two wide swings is a major issue. Blocking that first attack if you aren't close is never wise, because you can almost never move after blocking it. You have to dodge or be close. Ditto with them jumping straight up and coming down on top of you. It's hard to judge when and where they're going to land and you're almost always dead if they land on you.

What I tend to do is come straight at them. Move and left and right if they're firing electricity and wait for them to prep a wide swing. At this point, roll straight at them - toward the hand they're holding their polearm. Even if you screw up, the first swing tends to not be the one that kills you instantly. It's the setup to lock you down for the much stronger 2nd swing. Even if you get hit, you'll be safe from that 2nd swing if you roll to the side with the polearm. Once you're close and halfway beside/behind them, you're mostly safe for a moment. I tend to swing one single time since I stick to slow weapons like the great club. I just use the jumping smash. At this point, circle with them with your shield up. Try to stay on the side with their weapon and slightly behind them. You're safe from swings here. Only attack after they do their double wide swings. If they aren't attacking, don't do anything either. They seem open, but if they do their jumping attack out of the blue, you're in trouble. They telegraph that ever so slightly, so if you see him change grips - back away. Their jumping attack is strong if you're close, but you can just back out of range of it if you start early. After that, get close and repeat the process.

I died so many times on those guys, this comes after a ton of practice and getting instakilled so many times.

 

[jiminator]

Not sure why you are going there? Have you not killed the Bed of Chaos? There is a much easier hidden bonfire just before the lava ends. I think you can block them with a balder shield, but you will probably want to upgrade it. A few rolls and you just run past him. He respawns infinitely, so unless you need the drops....

 

[Armenius]

The last time i'd played, I'd finally gotten past the headless demon on the bridge in Lost Izalith, then my sunbro killed me... not sure what his deal was, but i was kinda peeved so I quit--he was my friend after all.

So I went to play some of this last night--and the headless demon on the bridge was back! Clearly my strategy for killing him is not going to hold up for multiple attempts on this evil sunbro (that is, about 100 arrows or somethin)... is there a strat for killing this thing? I'd tried about 4 times with different strategies, but eventually got tired of the run back and so I just cheesed it with arrows.

Things I've tried:
- Tank it with Stone Armor + Iron Flesh pyro: he still did too much damage and locked me up until i was dead.
- Nimbly bimbly quick dodge around spec: rolled off the bridge (lol)
- Kill it with fire: flame whip and greater chaos fireball just don't do enough damage
- Longer reach: equipped my less upgraded washing pole to test out a longer range, but he raped me this way too.

It just never feels like the gear or spells in this game have enough of an impact. Is the only way to beat this guy I'll bet is just to memorize his damn moveset and know when to dodge?

The Prowling Demon/Titanite Demon on the bridge is the only one in the game that respawns. Your sunbro (Solaire) attacked you because you didn't conclude his side quest positively.

Spoiler: Solaire Quest

You have to kill the Chaos Bug in the tunnel that drops the Sunlight Maggot before moving into Lost Izalith. You don't have to pick it up. You can either do this by getting rank 2 in the Daughters of Chaos covenant to open the wall before the Demon Firesage boss fight, or use the Poison or Toxic Mist Pyromancies to kill it through the wall. The required Chaos Bug is always sitting behind the center of the wall, so just stand against the wall and let loose your Mist of choice and wait for it to die. You'll know you killed it because it gives 100 souls in NG compared to 36 souls from the normal ones.

If you don't need the Demon Titanite that the Prowling Demon drops then I would just run around it. The souls are not worth it.

 

[polonyc2]

those Prowling Demons aren't that tough but the one on the bridge is more tricky because he seems to have a higher health ratio...plus he can knock you off the bridge into the lava...you can block most of his swings with a good shield (except for the move where he grabs you with his weapon and tosses you)...just take a few swipes and back off...or bait him into doing his jump move and attack directly after...try to get behind him as well...the only useful thing in that area is the Sunlight Maggot helmet which is great for the Tomb of the Giants

 

[Armenius]

those Prowling Demons aren't that tough but the one on the bridge is more tricky because he seems to have a higher health ratio...plus he can knock you off the bridge into the lava...you can block most of his swings with a good shield (except for the move where he grabs you with his weapon and tosses you)...just take a few swipes and back off...or bait him into doing his jump move and attack directly after...try to get behind him as well...the only useful thing in that area is the Sunlight Maggot helmet which is great for the Tomb of the Giants

It has the most health out of any normal enemy in the game. I am of the opinion that killing it is completely unnecessary. Certainly not for the souls, and you can get enough Demon Titanite throughout a regular playthrough to fully upgrade one boss soul ascended weapon to +5, anyway.

 

[polonyc2]

I am of the opinion that killing it is completely unnecessary. Certainly not for the souls, and you can get enough Demon Titanite throughout a regular playthrough to fully upgrade one boss soul ascended weapon to +5, anyway.

I must kill every enemy in the game, necessary or not ...actually maybe not every enemy as I always leave the Hellkite Dragon on the bridge...getting to (and fighting) Solaire of Astora on that bridge is also easier if you kill that Prowling Demon first...backing up too far onto that bridge agros the Demon forcing you to fight the Demon and Solaire at the same time which would not be fun

 

[jiminator]

you kill solaire? You EVIL EVIL man! all you really need to do is blow poison mist in the door.

 

[polonyc2]

I never kill any of the NPC's unless I'm about to start NG+...I just kill all the non-NPC enemies

 

[Domingo]

I suppose I've always killed Solaire. Never knew I could save him, go figure.

I'm pretty close to the end of the game in my recent playthrough. After struggling with areas like the Tomb of Giants and Demon Ruins in previous passes, both were pretty simple this time around.
The F+Strong Attack jumping club makes clearing out the more stout enemies pretty easy.
Lost Izalith is still a pain, though. I know you don't have to fight those weird dino-legged enemies, but when I have, they've been a problem. Lots of issues with the camera and getting 1-shot killed.

 

[jiminator]

I think they give 2000 souls each.... but fuck them Not worth the time. No "worthwhile" loot in the area either.

 

[polonyc2]

I think they give 2000 souls each.... but fuck them Not worth the time. No "worthwhile" loot in the area either.

yeah I was expecting some epic loot after clearing that dino area but it's totally worthless...no point wasting time with it...I cleared it one time and was disappointed with the few things in that area

 

[Domingo]

Yeah, I've never fully cleared it before and have no desire to do so. I don't know if I've ever gotten an item drop from those things either.
I figure I'll (hopefully) complete that area tonight and take on the DLC this weekend. Having never killed Kalameet, I'm pretty eager to go after him.
I'm running around in stock Eastern gear, so I might take the time to upgrade that (or something similar) before heading over there, though.