[KennyLinder]

Well, Pinwheel is available right from the start of the game. It's possible to rush the catacombs, forge a fire weapon, and get the right of kindling before tackling the other bosses (you'll have to buy titanite shards from andre though). Even doing this though you'll probably have more trouble getting through the catacombs than with the pinwheel fight itself. It's too bad, that fight has good music. But I tend to make the catacombs an early priority now, instead of doing it along with ToTG like I used to, so I can make fire/chaos weapons.

But you need to goto Demon Ruins for the fire ember, right?

[elohel]

I like when someone invades me that isn't completely overpowered and I have a chance at killing them but I gave up on anything that involved me invading them. Every time I do I get camped and it's usually more than 1 so I have no patience to be dying like that all of the time. Also I can't get over how ridiculously easy Pinwheel was for that point of the game. I keep asking myself "did I really kill him in 4-5 hits?".

where are you now? like what all do you have done?

[Sullichin]

But you need to goto Demon Ruins for the fire ember, right?

Only for the large flame ember, which is needed for +5 -> +10 fire weapons and chaos ember. You can make a +0 fire weapon with a +5 regular weapon and the green titanite shards that you can find on your way to Vamos. An unupgraded fire weapon will still be really strong early in the game.

[fuzzyreactor]

love trolling ppl with toxic mist, dung, poison arrows, poison darts, and Loyd talismans

so much delicious hate mail

[Derrick01]

where are you now? like what all do you have done?

I only have a few areas left that I'm aware of. Tomb of Giants, Crystal Cave, Demon Ruins and Lost Izalith.

[SiegfriedFM]

Any suggestions for a pure sorcerer trying to take on Crystal Cave? None of my stuff does much damage (got Logan's spells and an Enchanted Partizan). Level 53, around 40 in INT, not much of anything else.

Thinking of going to Lost Izalith, nuking everything in my path and then returning here after that and New Londo. But it will still be rather hard to deal with Seath.

[Jarlaxle]

Any suggestions for a pure sorcerer trying to take on Crystal Cave? None of my stuff does much damage (got Logan's spells and an Enchanted Partizan). Level 53, around 40 in INT, not much of anything else. Thinking of going to Lost Izalith, nuking everything in my path and then returning here after that and New Londo. But it will still be rather hard to deal with Seath.

As a pure sorcerer who beat that area for the first time on Friday, don't fight anything in the crystal caves. Just run all the way to Seath. There's really no point in fighting them. If you are having trouble with Seath, once you feel like you've gotten the run through the crystal caves down, just summon someone to go with you. There were a bunch of summon signs when I was at the last bonfire before going to the crystal caves. Shouldn't be too difficult unless you are trying to get the Moonlight Greatsword by taking off his tail.

[SiegfriedFM]

And if I'm trying for the blue slab? :(

Anyway, went to New Londo and smashed everything in my path. Now I'm thinking of making either a fire or raw weapon for Seath.

[Jackben]

And if I'm trying for the blue slab? :( Anyway, went to New Londo and smashed everything in my path. Now I'm thinking of making either a fire or raw weapon for Seath.

Raw kinda blows, I would go for fire.

[ixix]

And if I'm trying for the blue slab? :(

Bring plenty of Prism Stones. You can run past all the enemies to the pathway leading to the slab then take your time getting to it. When you've got it just retrace your steps and continue on to the boss.

On rare occasions one of the crystal golems can follow you down onto the pathway. If that happens just start running and hope he takes a tumble off the edge. And if he doesn't then, uh, good luck?

[krakov]

I found a bow and arrows to be really useful when marking the path to the blue slab. Was much easier to get than I had anticipated.

[CountAntonius]

Estus flask do you mean? Also, what armour has he got? Its ace.

Armor of thorns helmet and chest piece. Black iron gauntlets and dingy robe.

[Sblargh]

Sen's Fortress was the easiest easy of easy town, but it did made me consume 8 of my 10 flasks by the time I got to Anor Londo and then MAN, the panic at not finding the bonfire! lol!

[Derrick01]

So I just lost about 100k souls due to the "event" in the archives. I am not happy right now.

[Yoshichan]

So I just lost about 100k souls due to the "event" in the archives. I am not happy right now.

That sucks...

[Sajjaja]

So I just lost about 100k souls due to the "event" in the archives. I am not happy right now.

LOL xD

I'm on my way there now actually. I found that I will always spend my souls when I'm PVEing so that I make use of them because I know I am bound to die because this game is the biggest fucking asshole I've ever been in a love/hate relationship with. When I need more, I'll simply invade some people and take their moneiz and move on to upgrading. My biggest loss so far is 70k + 6 humanity at... believe it or not.... Demon Firesage >_< Once I figured out a strategy, he was chump change... but sometimes.... things just don't go your way :(



For the Set of Thorns, do I need to have killed Kirk in the depths/lost izaleth with the bosses being alive? Can kill him still if I missed him there? Or do I have to wait till I get to NG+ ?

Also, I'm conflicted. Should I upgrade my BSS to +15 or wait till NG+ and make it into a GLGS and keep it at +10 for now?

[Red Liquorice]

love trolling ppl with toxic mist, dung, poison arrows, poison darts, and Loyd talismans so much delicious hate mail

lol. Every time I try to throw dung it seems to miss, but I am that type of player who likes to poison/toxic other players just to watch them panic. Really should try some of these other options!

So I just lost about 100k souls due to the "event" in the archives. I am not happy right now.

It sucks, but you can get that back just from helping to co-op 3 or 4 bosses. Souls are no big loss really :)

[ixix]

For the Set of Thorns, do I need to have killed Kirk in the depths/lost izaleth with the bosses being alive? Can kill him still if I missed him there? Or do I have to wait till I get to NG+ ? Also, I'm conflicted. Should I upgrade my BSS to +15 or wait till NG+ and make it into a GLGS and keep it at +10 for now?

NPC invaders follow the same basic rules as any other invader; if the boss is dead or inaccessible they can't invade. So if you've killed the bosses without fighting him you'll need to do it in NG+, I'm afraid.

You can turn virtually any sword you please into the Great Lord Greatsword, there's really no need to use a sword that you like on the upgrade. You can just buy a Longsword or something from Andre, take it to +10, then start NG+ and upgrade it at the first opportunity. If you like the Barbed Straight Sword I'd take it to +15 and use a throwaway weapon for the upgrade.

[Sajjaja]

NPC invaders follow the same basic rules as any other invader; if the boss is dead or inaccessible they can't invade. So if you've killed the bosses without fighting him you'll need to do it in NG+, I'm afraid. You can turn virtually any sword you please into the Great Lord Greatsword, there's really no need to use a sword that you like on the upgrade. You can just buy a Longsword or something from Andre, take it to +10, then start NG+ and upgrade it at the first opportunity. If you like the Barbed Straight Sword I'd take it to +15 and use a throwaway weapon for the upgrade.

Ah, didn't know it could be another straight sword. And by BSS I meant Balder Side Sword xD Guess I shouldn't abbreviate weapons. Just checked out the Barbed Straight sword, that is one bad ass PVP weapon. Definitely going to get Kirk in NG+.

[ixix]

Ah, didn't know it could be another straight sword. And by BSS I meant Balder Side Sword xD Guess I shouldn't abbreviate weapons. Just checked out the Barbed Straight sword, that is one bad ass PVP weapon. Definitely going to get Kirk in NG+.

I initially planned on asking what you meant by BSS, but then I assumed that since we were talking about Kirk you were asking about his sword.

You shouldn't assume, it leads to assumptions, something something the rest of the cliche eludes me.

[Derrick01]

LOL xD I'm on my way there now actually. I found that I will always spend my souls when I'm PVEing so that I make use of them because I know I am bound to die because this game is the biggest fucking asshole I've ever been in a love/hate relationship with. When I need more, I'll simply invade some people and take their moneiz and move on to upgrading. My biggest loss so far is 70k + 6 humanity at... believe it or not.... Demon Firesage >_< Once I figured out a strategy, he was chump change... but sometimes.... things just don't go your way :(

Yeah I normally don't keep a lot but things were going smoothly in that place and I was going to wait until the next bonfire (which is like right after the event. Nice troll). I was going to use it on some crafting before leveling up 2-3 times since every one costs about 30k for me now.

But yeah I got back up to 30k pretty fast without using any bonus souls. Still pretty pissed about that though.

[Jarlaxle]

So, I just beat The Bed of Chaos. I know he's not hard but I had a bitch of a time with this thing. Ornstein and Smough....no problem (first time solo'd). 4 Kings.... no problem (first time solo'd). Fucking Bed of Chaos....took about 9 or 10 times and I couldn't find any bonfires so I had to run all the way there each time from the beginning of the level. I just couldn't get to the center platform. I would block the first swipe, try and block the second and fail and get pushed back. Two swipes and I was out of health. No time for estus flasks. Just a real bitch all around. I didn't care for that whole area to be honest. I didn't do much exploring because I didn't really like the area and I'm kind of ready to get to the end now.

All I have left is the Catacombs and Tomb of the Giants. I didn't find the helmet that lights things up that I had heard about. I'm not going all the way back down there to find it either. What are my other options? Is there a spell or something that will give me light? I've been dreading this part of the game the whole time but it's the only thing standing between me and the end now.

[Sajjaja]

So, I just beat The Bed of Chaos. I know he's not hard but I had a bitch of a time with this thing. Ornstein and Smough....no problem (first time solo'd). 4 Kings.... no problem (first time solo'd). Fucking Bed of Chaos....took about 9 or 10 times and I couldn't find any bonfires so I had to run all the way there each time from the beginning of the level. I just couldn't get to the center platform. I would block the first swipe, try and block the second and fail and get pushed back. Two swipes and I was out of health. No time for estus flasks. Just a real bitch all around. I didn't care for that whole area to be honest. I didn't do much exploring because I didn't really like the area and I'm kind of ready to get to the end now. All I have left is the Catacombs and Tomb of the Giants. I didn't find the helmet that lights things up that I had heard about. I'm not going all the way back down there to find it either. What are my other options? Is there a spell or something that will give me light? I've been dreading this part of the game the whole time but it's the only thing standing between me and the end now.

Yeah... Bed of Chaos was a bitch for me too, not because he was hard, but so fucking cheap... I beat him today as well.. and when I got both roots destroyed and had the middle one left, I died about 5 times before I managed to leap onto the middle root. RIGHT FUCKING THEN, HIS ARM SWING KNOCKS ME OFF THE MIDDLE ROOT AND I HAVE TO TRY 3 MORE TIMES!

As for Lost Izaleth, theres a shortcut you can open from the entrance to Firesage Demon and Lost Izalath from the LI side of the wall. Right of the Firesage entrance, there are some branches that take you down to a giant door that can be opened from the opposite side. To get there, you have to take a slight detour from the Bed of Chaos entrance down a long tunnel with a Titanite Demon. At the end of the tunnel depending on how you approach him/what you have done, Solaire may attack you as he may have lost his sanity. Read a wiki for details on that. Of course, you can just kill him then and take his gear. At the end of the tunnel, one of the maggots there will drop the helm. You can then touch the door and the shortcut will open.

[Zertez]

The shortcut to Lost Izalath is tied to the Daughter of Chaos covenant. In order to open the door you need to be lvl 2 with the covenant. You need 30 humanity to get to level 2 and open the door. The shortcut also helps farm red titanite chunks/slabs.

[one85x]

The shortcut to Lost Izalath is tied to the Daughter of Chaos covenant. In order to open the door you need to be lvl 2 with the covenant. You need 30 humanity to get to level 2 and open the door. The shortcut also helps farm red titanite chunks/slabs.

That's only if you want to open it from the Demon Ruins side. Ranking up solely to open the door from that side isn't really worth it anymore now that you can just run straight through LI.

[Zertez]

That's only if you want to open it from the Demon Ruins side. Ranking up solely to open the door from that side isn't really worth it anymore now that you can just run straight through LI.

You also get the pyro spell Chaos storm as well. I usually have a ton of humanity in the counter, so I open it and not worry with LI. LI is the worst area in the game imo, I hate it more than most hate Blighttown.

[Jarlaxle]

There's really no other option other than the helm? Is it completely dark or can I see a little bit if I go really slowly. I honestly just don't want to go back down to Lost Izaleth. Shortcut or not.

[Sajjaja]

There's really no other option other than the helm? Is it completely dark or can I see a little bit if I go really slowly. I honestly just don't want to go back down to Lost Izaleth. Shortcut or not.

There is 1 more option. To get the lantern from Tomb of Giants by I think it is by Patches. He lures you into a trap and you can loot it there. But youd have to get there first.

[Sullichin]

There's really no other option other than the helm? Is it completely dark or can I see a little bit if I go really slowly. I honestly just don't want to go back down to Lost Izaleth. Shortcut or not.

There is 1 more option. To get the lantern from Tomb of Giants by I think it is by Patches. He lures you into a trap and you can loot it there. But youd have to get there first.

The skull lantern is also dropped by the necromancers in the catacombs (since 1.05). But if you don't have one, you don't have to be in the TotG for long before getting one as Sajjaja mentioned. I didn't even pick up the sunlight maggot until like my 5th playthrough.

[ixix]

If you have at least 14 Intelligence you can also buy the Cast Light spell from Dusk. I rather like it as a light source on account of it not taking up the shield slot and not requiring me to put a bug on my head.

[Sblargh]

Batman and fat Robin are dead. As a rule, I don't like fighting 2 enemies, but this one was alright, helped that the fighting was exciting *and* ended in my favor. The dragonslayer died, I had like 4 flasks, then the hammer guy exploded in a ball of lightning sometimes and I was down to the last flask when I decided stop dancing around finding a good oportunity and proceeded to murder him the best I could.
And murder him I did.

[B-Genius]

I initially planned on asking what you meant by BSS, but then I assumed that since we were talking about Kirk you were asking about his sword. You shouldn't assume, it leads to assumptions, something something the rest of the cliche eludes me.

To assume makes an ass of you and me.

I was listening to the soundtrack recently, and 'Firelink Shrine' is by far one of the most beautiful tracks I've ever heard in a game. It has the potential to mean so much from player to player - the sense of potential and adventure the first time you set foot into the world of Lordran... the sadness and retrospect of losing thousands of souls... the satisfaction of accomplishing a goal (but to what end?) and making your way back to the only true 'solace'...

I love it, the way it goes really quiet in places, then swells again with the strings. Like with Demon's Souls 'Maiden in Black', it's the only piece of "peaceful" music that plays throughout, so it really evokes a lot of emotion. It's gonna bring on a big nostalgia hit in years to come, that's for sure.

[Daigoro]

i love that track as well.

[Zertez]

If you have at least 14 Intelligence you can also buy the Cast Light spell from Dusk. I rather like it as a light source on account of it not taking up the shield slot and not requiring me to put a bug on my head.

If you know the area or just need a light source for the run down to the babies, you can use cast light and then swap out another spell at the bonfire. You wont lose a space and still get the light source.

[ixix]

If you know the area or just need a light source for the run down to the babies, you can use cast light and then swap out another spell at the bonfire. You wont lose a space and still get the light source.

And you can use the same basic trick to get a free extra casting of the spell if you're not confident in your ability to reach the next bonfire before the 15 minutes of light the spell allots you run out. Just equip it, cast it, then rest at the bonfire again immediately to refresh your spell charges. You'll retain the full duration of the initial casting while also having the full complement of three charges to see you through the Tomb.

Truly the most civilized means of lighting your way. Accept no substitutes.

[KennyLinder]

So, I just beat The Bed of Chaos. I know he's not hard but I had a bitch of a time with this thing. Ornstein and Smough....no problem (first time solo'd). 4 Kings.... no problem (first time solo'd). Fucking Bed of Chaos....took about 9 or 10 times and I couldn't find any bonfires so I had to run all the way there each time from the beginning of the level. I just couldn't get to the center platform. I would block the first swipe, try and block the second and fail and get pushed back. Two swipes and I was out of health. No time for estus flasks. Just a real bitch all around. I didn't care for that whole area to be honest. I didn't do much exploring because I didn't really like the area and I'm kind of ready to get to the end now. All I have left is the Catacombs and Tomb of the Giants. I didn't find the helmet that lights things up that I had heard about. I'm not going all the way back down there to find it either. What are my other options? Is there a spell or something that will give me light? I've been dreading this part of the game the whole time but it's the only thing standing between me and the end now.

There is a hidden bonfire in Lost Izalith. It's at the area where you leave the huge demons and lava, and make your way up a tree trunk. It's hidden in the middle of a building in the centre of the lava room. Handy.

[KennyLinder]

Ah, didn't know it could be another straight sword. And by BSS I meant Balder Side Sword xD Guess I shouldn't abbreviate weapons. Just checked out the Barbed Straight sword, that is one bad ass PVP weapon. Definitely going to get Kirk in NG+.

Where do you come across Kirk? Does he drop the barbed sword when you kill him?

[elohel]

I only have a few areas left that I'm aware of. Tomb of Giants, Crystal Cave, Demon Ruins and Lost Izalith.

Are you liking it the more you play it or less?

[Red Liquorice]

Call me slow, but it just struck me the other day that Ornstein and Smough are basically boss versions of the knights and sentinel enemies found in Anor Londo.

[Mr_Appleby]

Only for the large flame ember, which is needed for +5 -> +10 fire weapons and chaos ember. You can make a +0 fire weapon with a +5 regular weapon and the green titanite shards that you can find on your way to Vamos. An unupgraded fire weapon will still be really strong early in the game.

To add to that you can grab the chaos ember straight after ceaseless, usually wearing gold-hemmed set and cast water veil is enough to get it. Though it is a suicide run of course. And red chunks are limited till later on.

[Red Liquorice]

I may be wrong, but the shortcut to Lost Izalith seems a waste of humanity as far as I can see - On my first playthrough I didn't spend the 20 humanity on the shortcut but found I didn't need it since this shortcut seemed part of the playthrough any way. I forget now, but did I open it from the other side? So basically it's 20 humanity vs fighting a Titanite Demon?

I take the demon, since you would have to fight it any way each time you use the shortcut from either direction - It doesn't seem much of a shortcut really!

[Dresden]

Ah, didn't know it could be another straight sword. And by BSS I meant Balder Side Sword xD Guess I shouldn't abbreviate weapons. Just checked out the Barbed Straight sword, that is one bad ass PVP weapon. Definitely going to get Kirk in NG+.

Balder Swag Sword is one of the best weapons in the game. Great speed, reach, weight, moveset, and is enchantable and scales well with Dex.

I may be wrong, but the shortcut to Lost Izalith seems a waste of humanity as far as I can see - On my first playthrough I didn't spend the 20 humanity on the shortcut but found I didn't need it since this shortcut seemed part of the playthrough any way. I forget now, but did I open it from the other side? So basically it's 20 humanity vs fighting a Titanite Demon? I take the demon, since you would have to fight it any way each time you use the shortcut from either direction - It doesn't seem much of a shortcut really!

You can take the long way and eventually reach the Titanite Demon without using the shortcut, but that means you have to go through the lava field first, which the shortcut preempts (by opening the passageway with the sunlight maggots).

I don't care for the shortcut anymore, the lava field isn't the loyal pain it was and when you die on the boss there, it's shorter to run from the bonfire in the lavafield rather than from the firesage bonfire.

[Zertez]

I use the Daughter of Chaos bonfire and not the Demon Firesage one. It is about the same distance, but I can warp into the DoC bonfire and take the elevator down. I have more humanity than I know what to do with and my counter is normally over 30 on my games, so I dont mind dropping the humanity not to have to deal with the lava field and the Bounding Demons. On the first play through or if you dont have much humanity, it is worth taking the long way to open the door. Losing 30 humanity really isnt a big deal any more.

[CountAntonius]

So a new beginning(PVP and boss spoilers imminent)

BB glitching with the covenant of artorious so I can leave the Forrest open for invasions and manage to get to kiln. Now this time I didnt kill the Taurus demon to keep the undead burg active as well. Would killing the capra demon lock anything out or just lower undead burg? I'd like to visit the depths to save the pyro npc.


Bosses like the undead dragon in painted world and valley of the drakes have any impact? What about the hydras in darkroot basin and ash lake?

My goal is to be able to host pvp and be invaded in as many places as possible while still having the lord vessel and reaching kiln. What optional bosses should I avoid killing? (sif is safe thanks to the bb glitch).

Bosses I wont kill:
Sif
Priscilla
Taurus Demon
Gaping Dragon
Moonlight Butterfly
Gwwyn
Lord of Cinder

any more?

Really wish there was a place that explained what bosses locked out what areas.

[SiegfriedFM]

Whoo! After a few unsuccessful tries, I took down all the Demon Ruins and Lost Izalith bosses. It doesn't help that my sorcerer is made out of porcelain and got one-shot by most attacks, but when I get some distance and can fire those bolts, muahaha!

Next up is Chaos Ember, then getting to Vamos to start on my chaos weapon, then a return visit to Duke's Archives for the blue slab and Seath. After that, I should be done with Sorcery and have all but one weapon type crafted.

[maomaoIYP]

So a new beginning(PVP and boss spoilers imminent) BB glitching with the covenant of artorious so I can leave the Forrest open for invasions and manage to get to kiln. Now this time I didnt kill the Taurus demon to keep the undead burg active as well. Would killing the capra demon lock anything out or just lower undead burg? I'd like to visit the depths to save the pyro npc.

If you don't kill Capra, the maiden who sells you WoG never shows up.

[KennyLinder]

The Barded Straight Sword drops from Thorn Knight, right? Where he is? I have probably seen him already :) I tried to check the wiki but the search isn't working.

[CountAntonius]

If you don't kill Capra, the maiden who sells you WoG never shows up.

I'm switching to a str build with this guy no faith. However capra demon can be killed and will have no effect on undead burg?

[CountAntonius]

Double post...

[krakov]

I'm switching to a str build with this guy no faith. However capra demon can be killed and will have no effect on undead burg?

Only affects lower undead burg, not the Taurus part. You'd probably want the large ember, no?