[INDIGO_CYCLOPS]

Just got my first weapon trophy last night, occult uchigatana +5, gliding through dudes like nothing, bigger enemies in 2 hits usually. It seems weapon trophies won't be as annoying to get this time around!

[Mortrialus]

Alright, having played through the game and almost all of NewGame+, I’m going to do a full on review, discuss at length my thoughts on all the zones, the new mechanics in Dark Souls, the covenants and how an additional entry to the series could improve upon what Dark Souls accomplished. This is inspired by someone who also shared their thoughts on all the zones so I figured I’d do the same. Most of my thoughts on Dark Souls haven’t changed from my first impressions, so I’m going to just quote what is still relevant. Hang on boys and girls, this is going to be a long one.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost...ostcount=15569

For the most part, it's Demon's Souls. It feels like Demon's Souls, it controls like Demon's Souls. And that is an absolutely wonderful thing. Demon's Souls's combat just felt so good. The hit detection was damn near perfect, the player and enemy move sets were all really good, and it was just the most rewarding and fluid combat I've ever seen in an Action-RPG. The new, additional moves like leaping, plunging and lunging attacks are a nice touch. Excluding one particular change, that is how I would describe Dark Souls; Demon's Souls an extra nice touch. However, the changes to world design absolutely blow Demon's Souls out of the water. While the level design is very similar to Demon's Souls, the way the world is constructed and connected is simply genius. I cannot praise it enough. It is similar to a 3D Metroidvania game like, for example, Soul Reaver 1, but without the permanent upgrades that open up new areas. It is, excluding the Tutorial level, Anor Londo and the Dukes Archives, simply one huge world with branching paths, hidden passages, and a crazy amount of secrets. I think Dark Souls is going to go down in gaming history as arguably the best, most realize gaming worlds ever devised. FROM Software’s decision to make Dark Souls's world a single, flowing interconnected world provides this game with a sense of scope and scale that was simply impossible for Demon's Souls hub based, level select design. The environments themselves are better both graphically and artistically. The decrepit and weathered Undeadburg is definitely a set up from Demon's Souls Boletaria Palace. The vines and plan life in the first stages of overtaking the city really help it "pop" more than Boletaria Palace. Blackroot Forest is amazing, and a unique departure from traditional zones while still feeling appropriate and well made. Not only that, the game’s levels are for the most part, MUCH more well lit. You will usually be able to see your surroundings very clearly. Demon's Souls, while a beautiful game, was often way too dark. Dark Souls strikes a much more appropriate balance. Almost every aspect of Dark Souls can be described as "Like Demon's Souls, but improved upon." The music? Like Demon's Souls but heads and shoulders above its spiritual predecessor. The Bosses? Like Demon's Souls but heads and shoulders above its spiritual predecessor (Speaking of which, bosses dropping special loot under certain circumstances similar to Monster Hunter was an absolutely amazing addition, although they should have gotten more creative than “Cut off the tail.”)

The covenant system, while it does need a lot of improvements to realize its full potential, is much better than Demon’s Souls World Tendency mechanic. What makes the covenant system so much better is that, unlike world tendency and like everything else about Dark Souls, it really helps build and realize the game world. While many covenants are shockingly lacking in lore, useful items, and things such as that, there are several that are actually really good in that regard, namely the Chaos Servants and the Darkwraith. It is unfortunate that the other covenants haven’t been given the same attention to detail and often don’t make sense. The Gravelord Servants should be one of the more important covenants and yet joining them only wields a very good intermediate weapon, some useless miracles, and absolutely no lore. What does Gravelord Nito want? Why would players want to serve him and help him fulfill his goals? Why is it you can align with Nito, only to be forced to fight him later on in the game? At the very least, joining the Gravelord Servants should make Nito optional. The final act would have been much more interesting if instead of requiring all four Lord Souls to open the final level, it could have been reduced to three depending on your covenant. If you join Nito you won’t be forced to confront him in the final act. You could have done something where if you reach his boss room while a Gravelord Servant, he would become an active NPC that you could talk to, similar to Kaath and the Daughter of Chaos. The same could apply to the Path of the Dragon with Seath and the Chaos Servant for The Bed of Chaos. It is definitely a missed opportunity and one that would have really complimented the world design and the varying optional secret zones.

At this point I am going to be discussing the zones and covenants at length. This is going to be a long one. I will, however, spoiler tag everything here so don't worry.

Zones

Northern Undead Asylum
This is a pretty solid tutorial level. There is still a great level of detail in it. If you stop by the first bondfire, and look up, you can see the Asylum Demon waiting to pounce on you. The tragic death of Oscar of Astoria is great as well. Where this zone truly shines, however, is when you return to the undead Asylum later in the game. It is an amazing secret had it not been for the internet. Going back, fighting the Stray Demon, a pumped up version of the Asylum Demon, and fighting a hollowed Oscar is really, really cool as are the additional Black Knight wandering the ruins.

Firelink Shrine, Undeadburg and the Undead Parish
These three zones simply feel like one large zone to me. Firelink Shrine’s music is delightfully moody and ambient. It’s ambient enough to where it doesn’t feel jarring when you move onto other areas that lack music. Like Demon’s Souls, it feels great to see the area fill up with friendly NPCs. It also feels great to access a really quick shortcut that leads to the area. Overall, Firelink Shrine works very well as the closest thing to a hub.

Undeadburg and the Undead Parish are great starting zones. There is plenty of secrets to be found here, and are well built enough to serve as an extension of the tutorial level. As I mentioned before, the areas are similar to Boletaria Palace, but the rundown nature of the zones really help them “pop”. There is a great attention to detail, and a variety of great moments involving Hellkite, like when he first appears and when you encounter him after the Taurus Demon. I also love the undead merchant. The guy is completely out of his gourd. There are also plenty of areas where you can simply enjoy the surroundings and the skies. Overall, it is very basic, but very good.

The Depths
The Depths is probably the best sewer level in gaming history and very enjoyable. Getting jumped by a slime is a pretty shocking experience. As always, there is a great attention to detail here. Behind the first Butcher is a pit and if you drop down the pit, you’ll find yourself upon a mountain of bones, obviously the Butcher’s garbage. You can also save a future meal of his as well. The area is delightfully disgusting. The walls seep a very disgusting puss, and are fill with all kinds of vermin. The attention to detail also works well. It is very amusing to see the petrified remains in the basilisk pit, and stumbling upon their area teaches players a new kind of fear. Despite being underground and a sewer, the area doesn’t skip on providing gorgeous views. You can’t help but be impressed as you arrive upon the balcony overlooking the boss arena. The area is great, with a solid amount of secrets and explorations, some secrets such as the basilisks are better left undiscovered.

Blighttown and Quelaag’s domain
Oh boy. The first thing that comes to mind when arriving at Blighttown is “Frame rate.” The frame rate here is absolutely atrocious and a boat anchor that holds back any enjoyment here. It’s a shame because had it not been for the frame rate problems, I would have described this zone as “The valley of defilement, but very good.” The area actually manages to make working your way through these shanties very enjoyable. The vista here is amazing. You can see how the entire area is built underneath the Undeadburge, and how it is likely that the swamp was likely created by the mass dumping of sewage into the area. Seeing the underside of the castle, the giant pillars that hold the city up, and the swamp down below is really striking, as is looking up from the swamp and seeing the intricate shanties. The addition of the ring that allows you to traverse the swamp unfettered helps with the enjoyment level as well. There is a great amount of exploration to be had here, as well as a crazy amount of good items. However, the endlessly spawning mosquitoes was a stupid design choice. Mosquito enemies? I can live with that. Endlessly spawning mosquitoes? Fuck you. The view of Quelaag’s domain is really cool as well. Overall, it is a great zone hindered by technical problems.

The Great Hollow
Finding this area is really cool, the zone itself isn’t. They should have picked a more manageable area to house the majority of crystal lizards in the game. It’s a pain in the ass to traverse, houses the most dreaded enemies in the game, and frankly looks boring. I am not a fan of the zone.

Ash Lake
The Ash Lake is definitely a worthy reward for traversing the Great Hollow. This area is unbelievable. It’s a beach level mixed with a forest level. It is such an unlikely, crazy mix, and yet it works. The music, combined with the absolutely striking visuals, make this easily one of the most memorable areas in the game. There is a lot of great loot to be had despite the complete lack of any exploration. Overall, it is a fantastic breather level and I love it.

Sen’s Fortress
There is something truly special about this area. In Demon’s Souls, you couldn’t level until you had completed 1-1. It was a real, sink or swim, make or break level. If you were really dedicated, grinding in Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls could make the game significantly easier. Sen’s Castle definitely recreates a feeling of grinding being completely useless. No matter how high your Vitality is, if you take three arrows from a booby trap, you’re probably going to die. If you get hit by a pendulum, you’re most likely going to die. There isn’t a bondfire to be found here so you either conquer the level or the game is officially over. This area definitely raises the stakes. The area looks great, as does the vistas you can find here. There is also that attention to detail as well. Finding the giant who opened the gate, as well as seeing the boulders actually being loaded onto a machine by a giant helps the area seem alive. I still don’t know who Sen is though.

Anor Londo
Aesthetically, this is one of the best levels is the game. It just looks amazing, like an entire city build in the style of gothic cathedrals. It even looks better at nighttime as well. It is just breath taking. There are plenty of great moments here as well. Fighting the Painting guardians on the catwalk is really cool, as is watching one of them fall off onto the chandelier, bringing it crashing down. However, at this point in the game, Xen Syndrome starts to hit. The exploration here feels tacked on, especially once you make it past the two archers and enter the interior. It doesn’t have that same feeling of openness and complexity as the areas before it. Still, the area itself is great and Xen Syndrome doesn’t full kick in until later.

Painted World of Ariamas
I love snow levels. In the real world, I reside in the frozen hellhole called North Dakota. While it does snow here, it is way too cold to be enjoyable. I love snow levels because I can enjoy the snow without having to be personally involved in it. This is my favorite area in the game, aesthetically at least, however it doesn’t live up to that. It feels very stock, with predictable exploration and predictable puzzles. They also don’t explain the lore behind this area very well other than that it was created by Ariamas. Like the Asylum, the Great Hollow and Ash Lake, it is definitely a cool secret, but it just feels stock. It feels like DLC that wasn’t quite finished and the amazing visuals don’t make up for that. Still it isn’t awful, only generic and it really overstays its welcome.

Darkroot Garden and Basin
Like Undeadburg and Undead Parish, these feel like one zone to me. I really love these zones. They are so drastically different from anything the Souls series has done before, and yet they still feel very carefully built and constructed. There are a lot of dangers when making a zone like this in a game like this. It could have very easily turned into a really empty area that is simply too big for what enemies and items there are and yet it doesn’t fall into that trap. The atmosphere here is breath taking. That attention to detail shows up here as well. If you take the bridge down the river before seeing the hydra, it simply looks amazing. You can see the Moonlight Butterfly before you fight it as well. Overall, great zone that lives up to the standards set by the earlier game.

Valley of Drakes
Shit. While Ash Lake feels like a great breather level because of its scenery, this area just feels lazy because it reuses Dark Root Garden and Basin’s art style. It does not live up to a name like “Valley of Drakes.”

New Londo Ruins
I really like this zone. The waterlogged look is great, as is the zone’s tragic history that is revealed to you. Overall it is really good until you drain the water. I dunno I just don’t care for the way this area looks after you’ve drained the water. The countless drowned bodies are cool, but it doesn’t seem very interesting. Perhaps it would have been better if they had made the area visibly corrupted with dark magics caused by the Darkwraits. Otherwise it just bores me.

The Abyss
LOL. Okay admittedly, falling into this area as the boss fight starts is really cool and pretty unsettling. After you’ve defeated the Four Kings, the darkness should have cleared revealing scenery or something. This area probably only took a minute to program.

The Duke’s Archives
Another great zone, and one of the only areas in the game that I would actually like to visit. Can you just imagine what is in all those books? The area is simplistic, but it works very well. There is also a lot of really good lore related things here. The Pisaca’s you see are maidens that have kidnapped and brought there. This is also why Rhea can appear here. It really unsettling to see this happen to a character I actually liked.

Crystal Caves
Xen Syndrome officially hits in full force. The area is painfully short, which is sad because it looks amazing. It also revolves around a very stupid gimmick involving invisible floors. It should have been another huge labyrinthian level; perhaps with a gimmick where you destroy giant crystal stalactites to open up new areas. The area is really gimmicky, and painfully short.

The Catacombs
This is a great level provided you’ve picked up a divine weapon. I really loved it. I loved the secret to unlocking the Gravelord covenant. I loved the plethora of short cuts you can utilize and love how there is a hidden blacksmith here. I also love how the dark, decrepit catacombs are contrasted with a serene looking cove with a beautiful waterfall. I also love the boss arena. The It’s a giant coffin. Amazing.

Tomb of the Giants
Xen Syndrome is back in full force. This zone would be bearable, but still subpar had they made the skull lantern available right after you defeat pinwheel. The gimmick is that it is pitch black. If you aren’t aware of the other two ways to illuminate the dark, this zone is just shit. It is filled with the most obnoxious enemies to deal with. The Feral Skeletons in particular are a pain to deal with because of how unrelenting there are. I swear they never leave themselves open for attack. There are some nice aspects to the level, such as the return of Patches and Maiden Rhea’s story but other than that, it is just terrible. It does get better once you get past the Brilliant Light.

Demon Ruins
This is a really bland zone. It just doesn’t leave much of an impression on me and I really like Fire and Lava levels. The exploration literally dies here in the game. I frankly still don’t remember much of this zone. It’s just really bland. Xen Syndrome is at work here.

Lost Izalith
Shit zone. Xen Syndrom is at its worst here. This is easily the worst zone in the game. I hate, hate, hate, hate this zone. The Bounding Demons are obnoxious, and impossible to melee. And they are placed over THIRTY GOD DAMN TIMES HERE. The only reasonable way to deal with them is to run to one of the buildings and herd them all together so they kill each other. It is just a pain in the god damn ass.The frame rate also sucks, and there is very little worthwhile items and again, almost no real exploration. I fucking hate this area.

Firelink Alter and Kiln of the First Flame
I love this area. This is a great build up to the final fight. The hallway to Kiln of the First Flame, with the ghostly Black Knights wandering blindly really hits home how things are winding down. I also love how Kiln looks. It is a desert made of ash and cinder. It is really cool. I would have loved it had this zone been a full length zone like the Depths and Undeadberg just because of how cool this area looks. Still, as an area to house the final boss, I really, really like it.

The Covenants

Blade of the Darkmoon
This is an okay covenant and a cool secret. I like how you actually talk with the god you swear allegiance to, which isn’t always applicable. If the online worked consistently, this would be really nice covenant to join as well. Still, the rewards are pretty lame and it doesn’t add enough to the lore, though that is par for the course.

Chaos Servant
Hands down the best covenant lore wise. Joining and leveling the covenant gives you all you need or want to know about the Witch of Izalith and her daughters. It also sheds light on why Eingyi is so fanatically devoted to the Daughter of Chaos. The rewards themselves are good as well if you are a pyromancer. This should be how all covenants are.

Darkwraith
This is only covenant comparable to the Chaos Servants. Kaath actually manages to shed light on the full story of the game. It is also interesting how this is the only covenant where you’re the one being worshipped, or at least in control. The Dark Set is pretty good, though it is a shame that the awesome looking Dark Shield and Dark Sword aren’t particularly useful. The Red Eye Orb is one of the better PVP items.

Forest Hunter
Forest hunters feel way to unrelated to the actual lore of the story. What they should have done, is make it apparent that the Forest Hunters are guarding the Ring of Astorias specifically to stop the Darkwraiths, and that if you max out the covenant, Alvina will send trust and task you with destroying the Four Kings, creating an event where entering Sif is no longer aggressive and willingly gives the Covenant of Astorias. The rewards are lack luster. The Ring of Fog is great, though it is unfortunate that the Ring of Fog is available elsewhere in the game and that is all they really have to offer. This is undoubtedly the best covenant for PVP.

Gravelord Servant
This covenant is easily the most disappointing in the game. You have absolutely no interaction with Nito, and the rewards are shit excluding the Gravelord Sword you get for joining the covenant. This should be one of the most important ones from a lore, reward and PVP perspective. I have no idea if the Eyes of Death ever worked. This covenant just sucks.

Path of the Dragon
This covenant offers interesting rewards, though I have no idea how useful they are. It unfortunately adds nothing to the lore. The PVP item is just awful and Dragon Scales are far too precious to waste here.

Princess’s Guard
The cooperative effects are alright. The rewards are kind of bland, at least I had no use for them anyway. It’d be nice of the Princess actually added to the lore and revealed things about the game world, it’s unfortunate that she doesn’t. That said, defeating Ornstein and Smough and being rewarded with a view of Gwynevere’s giant cleavage while a heavenly chorus plays amuses me greatly. It’s a shame Gwynevere is just an illusion.

Warriors of Sunlight
The real reward for this covenant is the gold aura when you play in coop. It adds+10 to swag and looks hella sexy. The Miracles you receive are at least cool looking, though I haven’t received them yet so I’m not sure if they’re actually useful. It’s a shame it doesn’t add anything to lore.

Way of the White
The story line of the characters involved in the covenant is really cool, though you don’t need to be a part of this covenant to enjoy it. This is really only useful for getting Petras to sell miracles. Overall, eh.

I might go through all the bosses later on.

[Yoshichan]

Very nice Mortrialus :)!

[Rez]

Lost Izalith, dealt with. The Bed of Chaos was a fun boss. It's a real shame about THAT giant annoying room beforehand, because really a few tweaks could have made the area another genuinely fun section. Now all that's left is the Tomb of the Giants. Two things: Is there a shortcut back to TOTG since I've bet Pinwheel? Where is the light emitting helmet?

anyone?

[toddhunter]

Nice, but there is a bonfire in Sen's fortress. Once you find it, it makes the whole second half of the level pretty easy (but I agree the blood pressure does rise in the circumstances surrounding it)

[Zzoram]

Nice, but there is a bonfire in Sen's fortress. Once you find it, it makes the whole second half of the level pretty easy (but I agree the blood pressure does rise in the circumstances surrounding it)

There is also a shortcut in Sen's Fortress, the cage key to free Big Hat Logan lets you open up an elevator cage just before the fire boulder area.

[UrbanRats]

Sen’s Fortress There is something truly special about this area. In Demon’s Souls, you couldn’t level until you had completed 1-1. It was a real, sink or swim, make or break level. If you were really dedicated, grinding in Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls could make the game significantly easier. Sen’s Castle definitely recreates a feeling of grinding being completely useless. No matter how high your Vitality is, if you take three arrows from a booby trap, you’re probably going to die. If you get hit by a pendulum, you’re most likely going to die. There isn’t a bondfire to be found here so you either conquer the level or the game is officially over. This area definitely raises the stakes. The area looks great, as does the vistas you can find here. There is also that attention to detail as well. Finding the giant who opened the gate, as well as seeing the boulders actually being loaded onto a machine by a giant helps the area seem alive. I still don’t know who Sen is though.

Actually, there is a Bonfire, but it's hidden, you have to let yourself fall on it, from the are with the giant throwing bombs at you.

[Mortrialus]

Very nice Mortrialus :)!

Thanks. I actually wasn't expecting anyone to read through the thing. It's stupid long.

Nice, but there is a bonfire in Sen's fortress. Once you find it, it makes the whole second half of the level pretty easy (but I agree the blood pressure does rise in the circumstances surrounding it)

Really? I never found it. Man this game is awesome. So many secrets.

[Gattsu25]

Alright, having played through the game and almost all of NewGame+, I’m going to do a full on review, discuss at length my thoughts on all the zones, the new mechanics in Dark Souls, the covenants and how an additional entry to the series could improve upon what Dark Souls accomplished. This is inspired by someone who also shared their thoughts on all the zones so I figured I’d do the same. Most of my thoughts on Dark Souls haven’t changed from my first impressions, so I’m going to just quote what is still relevant. Hang on boys and girls, this is going to be a long one. Sen’s Fortress There is something truly special about this area. In Demon’s Souls, you couldn’t level until you had completed 1-1. It was a real, sink or swim, make or break level. If you were really dedicated, grinding in Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls could make the game significantly easier. Sen’s Castle definitely recreates a feeling of grinding being completely useless. No matter how high your Vitality is, if you take three arrows from a booby trap, you’re probably going to die. If you get hit by a pendulum, you’re most likely going to die. There isn’t a bondfire to be found here so you either conquer the level or the game is officially over. This area definitely raises the stakes. The area looks great, as does the vistas you can find here. There is also that attention to detail as well. Finding the giant who opened the gate, as well as seeing the boulders actually being loaded onto a machine by a giant helps the area seem alive. I still don’t know who Sen is though.

Good review but I thought there was a bonfire at the top of sen's

[Grinchy]

Different weapon classes also have different riposte and parry animations. The parry animation for curved swords are exceptionally cool. Not all weapons in the left hand can parry though, hammers can only block and attack.

Yeah the painting guardian sword has the same animation that the shotel does, which looks awesome. I have been using it as my left hand weapon for a little while now because of its A dex modifier.

[K' Dash]

I read on the guide I can make a Cursed Great Sword of Astorias with Sif's Soul, what do I need?

[Mortrialus]

I read on the guide I can make a Cursed Great Sword of Astorias with Sif's Soul, what do I need?

True Great Sword= Use broken sword

Cursed Great Sword = Use non broken sword.

[kyubajin]

Help!? Apparently I can't repair my Crystal Straight Sword at bonfires, can Andre of Astora repair it? He's the only blacksmith I have available.

[K' Dash]

Help!? Apparently I can't repair my Crystal Straight Sword at bonfires, can Andre of Astora repair it? He's the only blacksmith I have available.

You can't repair crystal weapons.

True Great Sword= Use broken sword Cursed Great Sword = Use non broken sword.

Thank you!

[Zzoram]

Help!? Apparently I can't repair my Crystal Straight Sword at bonfires, can Andre of Astora repair it? He's the only blacksmith I have available.

Don't think Crystal stuff can be repaired at all.

[Zzoram]

True Great Sword= Use broken sword Cursed Great Sword = Use non broken sword.

What's the difference? Which is better?

[kyubajin]

Don't think Crystal stuff can be repaired at all.

Woot! :( It was my best weapon... how am I supposed to deal with Gaping now...

[K' Dash]

What's the difference? Which is better?

You can kill ghosts with the cursed one, I'm going to new londo with it.

[ShinUltramanJ]

Alright, having played through the game and almost all of NewGame+, I’m going to do a full on review, discuss at length my thoughts on all the zones, the new mechanics in Dark Souls, the covenants and how an additional entry to the series could improve upon what Dark Souls accomplished.

I briefly played some of the 360 version, and while I didn't get very far during my brief time with the game, it certainly felt just like Demon's Souls and that's a good thing.

I wound up buying the PS3 version, along with Batman AC earlier this week, and while DS remains sealed as I try to finish Batman, your review makes me want to run right home, rip, the seal off and start playing.

Well done!

[Friedreich]

What's the difference? Which is better?

True>Cursed. Super effective in Catacombs/Tomb of Giants since it does high divine damage (overall as well iirc) and looks better.

[Mortrialus]

What's the difference? Which is better?

The cursed one can kill the ghosts. The True one does a mix of physical and magical damage, and has better scaling with magic and faith. Frankly, if you use the Covetous Gold Serpent Ring, they ghosts will drop Transient Curse enough to keep you replenished with a surplus.

[Finalow]

You can kill ghosts with the cursed one, I'm going to new londo with it.

FUCK. I used the soul of Sif to create the shield, geez i didn't know this. =|

[Friedreich]

Instead of getting a weaker version of a boss soul weapon, you guys should really just use Transient Curse. You only need two to get through all of New Londo.

[Baloonatic]

anyone?

No shortcut as far as I know. The lantern is in the pit near an NPC in the tomb. Stand on the ledge to see it!

[Yoshichan]

Thanks. I actually wasn't expecting anyone to read through the thing. It's stupid long.

I read everything in this thread!

[Mortrialus]

I can't edit it into my other post, it makes the entire thing far too long.

Bosses

Asylum Demon
This is a pretty good tutorial boss. He definitely leaves in impression when you first encounter him with a broken sword. He is definitely a lot harder than Demon’s Souls tutorial boss. He has a great design as well. I really enjoy using the plunging attack on him. That attack is never not cool.

Taurus Demon
Nosferatu Zodd, is that you? I can’t be the only one who thinks this guy looks a bit like Zodd, am I? Like the Asylum Demon, you have the option to use the plunging attack on him, which is always cool and he also has a hell of an entrance. No complaints here.

Belfry Gargoyles
These guys look really cool. I love the way the first one looks. That said, they’re really easy in my opinion. I’ve only ever died to them once. It’s still a cool fight in a cool boss arena.

Capra Demon
I have yet to die to him, but I am amused by how many people have had a lot of trouble with him. This guy charges you as soon as you enter, he doesn’t give a fuck. This guy’s design is really intimidating as well. Truthfully, the danger in this fight is the dogs. As soon as you kill them, which shouldn’t be too hard, there isn’t any danger here.

Stray Demon
This fight is really cool. You see him foreshadowed ealier, but you forget about him soon after. Going back to the Asylum and fighting a pumped up Asylum Demon is really neat. He has a hell of an entrance as well. I think EpicNameBro summed it up best. That said, he is a lot more predictable than the Asylum Demon. It’s still a really cool boss fight.

Gaping Dragon
The Gaping Dragon is my vote for the coolest looking boss in the game, and my vote for the easiest. This boss has yet to kill me or even me, which is disappointing. That said, this fight always manages to disturb and panic me because of how horrifying the thing is. It is absolutely nerve wracking to see the Gaping Dragon walk towards you.

Chaos Witch Quelaag
Overall this is a really cool fight but this is another boss I didn’t really have any problems with. I do love her design though. Almost all of Dark Souls’s bosses look amazing. I like the mechanics of it as well as her abilities. Overall I really enjoy this fight.

Moonlight Butterfly
Umm… It’s pretty? Pretty disappointing boss. It has three attacks, all of which are easily dodged. I do like how you can see it outside the boss arena. But there isn’t much to say about this fight.

Great Grey Wolf Sif
I love this fight, it is probably my favorite. I also love his intro cut scene. Sif is probably the most majestic thing I have ever seen in my life. He is beautiful. It is just amazing to see him jumping all over the boss arena, and swinging his sword. His move set is great and varied. The boss arena, a grave of swords (Berserk reference?) is fantastic. I love this fight, but I always feel bad for killing him because of his near death animations. Sif’s boss theme is also amazing.

Iron Golem
This guy is really easy. I suppose if you get hit by his grab attack he can one shot you, but other than that, eh. He looks cool though and has one of the better boss themes in the game.

Dark Sun Gwyndolin
I like the infinite hallway. I also like how he is the true villain of the game. He’s kind of a wimp though.

Ornstein and Smough
I love their intro cut scene, when Ornstein flies down to the floor. I didn’t have too much difficulty with them my first time, but I had a lot of trouble the second time. I also find it amusing how people often have different problems with this fight. When I played, I wanted to kill Smough first and made an effort to position him between Ornstein as a sort of shield. The Second time, however, I wanted to kill Ornstein first and Smough made that a god damn pain in the ass. He was unrelenting, always charging at me and ruining my attempts to kill Ornstein when he’s open while Ornstein just hung back and let Smough do all the work. Though I’ve talked to a lot of other people and they say they have the opposite problem. I wonder if there is a mechanic in the fight where whoever you attack first becomes unaggressive or something. I really like them as a duo though. I love how little respect they have for each other because of Smough’s backstory. Their boss theme is great as well.

Pricilla the Crossbreed
I am never killing this boss again. Ever. She is even more gut wrenching then the Maiden Astraea. She is entirely optional, and she even politely gives you directions on how to leave. She is also the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. As a fight, she isn’t that difficult, though she is kind of interesting.

Seath the Scaleless
Fuck Seath’s tail. Getting his tail is a pain in the ass. I didn’t have any problem with him. I don’t’ even remember his move set to be honest. He has a cool introduction and a cool design, but that is about it.

Pinwheel
Pinwheel is a contender for the easiest boss in the game, and he is definitely the quickest to kill. He’s a joke. His boss arena is really cool, however.

Gravelord Nito
Because of the three Giant Skeletons, Nito is probably the hardest boss in the game, especially if you didn’t realize you needed a divine weapon for him. Nito’s boss theme is really unsettling. I think his boss arena is really bland, however. Nito himself is kind of bland.

The Four Kings
Their introduction is horrifying. You fall forever, think you’re going to die, end up in pure darkness and one of them appears somewhere as their horrifying boss theme appears. I like the gimmick behind this fight. Their grab attack is really horrifying as well.

Ceaseless Discharge
This boss has the most unfortunate name ever. This boss sucks, because the gimmick is just really lame. He is a true child of Dragon God obvious.

Demon Firesage
Finding and fighting the Stray Demon in the Asylum is really neat, particularly because he is a call back to the first boss in the first boss’s level. The Demon Firesage showing up in the Demon Ruins for whatever reason? Fuck that shit. That is so lazy.

Centipede Demon
Kind of a lame fight. He has one attack, and the gimmick is that the floor is lava. Eh.

The Bed of Chaos.
I actually enjoy this fight. It has a real epic feel to it and it is a nice change of pace from the other boss fights.

Gwyn, Lord of Cinder
I died so many times to Gwyn. I probably died over fifteen times to him before I someone told me what his gimmick is. After I realized how cripplingly weak to parrying he is, I went and one shot him. He’s a satisfying final boss, but I do have a few problems with him. First off, they shouldn’t have made him weak to parrying. Second, they should have made him a bit more unrelenting. He is so unrelenting that you basically have no way of even healing in the fight. If they had made him immune to parrying, but a bit less unrelenting, he would have been perfect. His boss theme is simply amazing. I don’t care for his design. He looks really haggard and he doesn’t command anywhere near as much respect as False King Allant.

[Augemitbutter]

anybody in here using Priscilla's Dagger? thinking about trying it, but i don't know if i should waste materials for upgrades. my dex is 28, but i'm going to boost it soon enough.

[The_Darkest_Red]

I can't edit it into my other post, it makes the entire thing far too long.

Thanks for all the opinions, man. I love reading this kind of stuff.

[MechaX]

Instead of getting a weaker version of a boss soul weapon, you guys should really just use Transient Curse. You only need two to get through all of New Londo.

That's true. You should only need 3, maybe 4 curses tops to brute force your way through all of the ghost sections. And you can run through a lot of the areas too.

But on the other hand, the Artorias Sword in general kind of sucks and has asinine pre-reqs to wield effectively, so you might as well just make it into a version that kills ghosts without a hassle.

[Rez]

How do I fight this Darksun guy?

[Mortrialus]

That's true. You should only need 3, maybe 4 curses tops to brute force your way through all of the ghost sections. And you can run through a lot of the areas too. But on the other hand, the Artorias Sword in general kind of sucks and has asinine pre-reqs to wield effectively, so you might as well just make it into a version that kills ghosts without a hassle.

I bet its the best weapon at max soul level though. But really, if you use the Covetous Gold Serpent Ring, the ghosts will drop Transient Curse enough to get you through the zone with a surplus of Transient Curses dropping.

How do I fight this Darksun guy?

Dark Sun Gwyndolin only has three attacks.

One of his attacks is an arrow barrage. This can easily be avoided by running a little bit to the left of right.

His second is a soul arrow barrage. I forget if you can hide behind a pillar to avoid them. I hang to the far left or far right of the hallway. They home in on you, and when you're near a wall, they bunch up making them easier to dodge.

His third attack is a very large mass of magic. It is slow and easily dodge, but I know for a fact you can't hide behind a wall to dodge it.

As soon as you get to him, he will teleport further down the hallway. You'll only be able to get one or two attacks at a time.

[electroshockwave]

Just got my first weapon trophy last night, occult uchigatana +5, gliding through dudes like nothing, bigger enemies in 2 hits usually. It seems weapon trophies won't be as annoying to get this time around!

What's the stat bonus for faith on a fully upgraded occult weapon?

[Mortrialus]

Anyway my final thoughts on Dark Souls is that it is easily a 4 Star game. While I did a lot of criticising of the individual zones of the game, it is still fantastic. The characters managed to grow on me the same way Demon's Souls's characters did. Also, the Armor and Weapons look much cooler in Dark Souls than Demon's Souls. It is almost certainly my pick for game of the year, game of the generation and a contender for one of the best games of all time.

What's the stat bonus for faith on a fully upgraded occult weapon?

C

[Augemitbutter]

if anybody wants to make the gaping dragon fighte harder for ng+, don't kill the mage in the depths. that guy will try to nuke you from above while you fight the boss, and even buff it with some kind of aura i haven't seen before.

[electroshockwave]

C

I thought that occult weapons were supposed to get a bigger bonus from faith. My Divine claymore +5 is a C.

[Mortrialus]

I thought that occult weapons were supposed to get a bigger bonus from faith. My Divine claymore +5 is a C.

It might be slightly better.

[Phat Michael]

need some quick help. just joined the cat covenant. gone down to the blight town and shiva/ninja/merchant isnt there? i know where they are supposed to be but how come they are not appearing? i want the wood grain ring...

[deim0s]

need some quick help. just joined the cat covenant. gone down to the blight town and shiva/ninja/merchant isnt there? i know where they are supposed to be but how come they are not appearing? i want the wood grain ring...

Heard you have to speak to Shiva once inside the forest, before he/she appears in blighttown.



Wen't back to the Catacombs after Ornstein and Smough. I still have an unlit bonfire there - where you could see it thru the cracks... any hints to get there?

I've already killed Pinwheel... but haven't met Patches yet here or remember encountering him with the bridges.

[The_Darkest_Red]

Wen't back to the Catacombs after Ornstein and Smough. I still have an unlit bonfire there - where you could see it thru the cracks... any hints to get there? I've already killed Pinwheel... but haven't met Patches yet here or remember encountering him with the bridges.

You'll get to Patches soon enough after the Pinwheel fight. Just follow the embers and walk very, very slowly. Don't try to get cute and fall off of anything either.

The bonfire will be easy enough to find after that.

[Phat Michael]

Heard you have to speak to Shiva once inside the forest, before he/she appears in blighttown.

damn ok i didnt do that. where is Shiva located in the forest?

[ssolitare]

So the crystal ring shield can't be repaired right? I wonder if I should even bother getting it.

Also if I'm in human form on the Anor Londo boss will be able to Summon a NPC?

[The_Darkest_Red]

I was talking to one of my friends last night and he was telling me about how he couldn't get into Dark Souls. He said, "I guess I just need more from a game than difficulty."

*sigh*

[Stefan™]

So the crystal ring shield can't be repaired right? I wonder if I should even bother getting it. Also if I'm in human form on the Anor Londo boss will be able to Summon a NPC?

The Crystal Ring shield can be repaired, it can also be upgraded!

I dread those Titanite demons.

And yes you can summon others or choose to be summoned when in human form.

[K' Dash]

True>Cursed. Super effective in Catacombs/Tomb of Giants since it does high divine damage (overall as well iirc) and looks better.

I don't want to be cursed when I do New Londo, what's other good choice for divine? I was thinking maybe a divine Uchigatana

[Finalow]

fuck the Demon Firesage. Wtf is your problem? Not enough bosses in that area? Really game?
It killed me 7 times, i would like to summon someone but there is NO SIGN.

[Yo Gotti]

fuck the Demon Firesage. Wtf is your problem? Not enough bosses in that area? Really game? It killed me 7 times, i would like to summon someone but there is NO SIGN.

Did you beat the Stray Demon?

[Mortrialus]

I don't want to be cursed when I do New Londo, what's other good choice for divine? I was thinking maybe a divine Uchigatana

Transient Curse has no negative effects. Using them does nothing except allow you to attack the ghosts.

[Dyno]

Some character building advice from you advanced Dark Souls players would be appreciated here...

I'm a Level 25 Deprived with 24 Str, 15 Dex, 12 End & Vit, and the standard 11 in everything else. I have been playing around with whatever weapons I find but just keep coming back to my starting club which has A - rate for Strength. I'm just rocking the Club +5 and a Hollow Shield +5. It's been a challenge but I've defeated everything thrown at me including Black Knights.

I have cleared out the Undead Parish and Darkroot Garden. All the shortcuts in and around Firelink Shrine have been opened. I am half way through the Undead Basement but took a break because it is time for magic!

I'm going to buy my first spell but it kind of sets the course for my character. I have access to Miracles and Sorcery at the Firelink Shrine. Haven't met a Pyromancer yet. What do you think would work well with a weapon & shield type fighter? Miracles have some interesting stuff, Faith weapons lean towards strong characters and they are helpful versus various foes. Sorcery on the other hand gives decent ranged attacks - something I utterly lack.

I played a Miracle-backed fighter in Demon's Souls so I wouldn't mind a change. The thing is I have the Divine Ember for Faith weapons and the catacombs (which I was repelled from) is in my future.

What are your opinions?

[The_Darkest_Red]

Transient Curse has no negative effects. Using them does nothing except allow you to attack the ghosts.

Yeah, Transient Curse is the way to go. The ghosts drop plenty of them and the effect is fairly long. I think I finished the area with 10-12 leftover.

[web01]

"Review of Bosses"

Disagree with what you have to say about Ceaseless Discharge,
you can fight this boss totally legit and it is a really good fight.

It was clearly designed to be fought this way because because you can bait him to attack with specific tentacles and you need to know the correct way to roll because the armored tentacles take less damage than the unarmoured.

Most people would only find out about the easy way method and the instant kill gimmick if they looked them up online.