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Dark Souls 3: Ashes of Ariandel |OT|
- Thread starter Alo0oy
- Start date
SweetJohnnyCage
Member
Not sure what your setup/gear is like, but I did it with a +10 Butcher Knife, no shield, at around level 85, in medium gear. This is on NG, though.
The Butcher Knife staggers Friede in 1 hit, so you can knock her out of basically any attack. That said, you have to play calmly and figure out the roll timings. Phase 3 legit had me in awe the first few times I got into it, but once I got laser focused, she went down and I had 10 flasks remaining.
I didn't have much trouble with UGS fighting against that last boss. All about picking your moments. There are certain attacks
that leave them super exposed and easy to hit. Never swing more than once.
Also
Also, c'mon, the boss is one long fight. Complaining you have to go through the phases again when you die is so silly.
The series desperately needs some long ass fights and this one is right up that alley.
when she jumps away and goes invis
Also
the 2nd phase is pretty easy, as long as you keep your distance from Freide she'll only ever really do her ranged attacks which are easy to step away from. Just wail on Ariandel. Third phase is really the fight, the other two are just "don't lose too much estus" barriers.
Also, c'mon, the boss is one long fight. Complaining you have to go through the phases again when you die is so silly.
The series desperately needs some long ass fights and this one is right up that alley.
It's not, there's another one, but don't get your hopes up. You have already seen the best it has to offer
Yeah I just watched a video on how to get there. Well, still something to do tomorrow.
Bruh, Crown of the Sunken King is best DLC and best Dark Souls zone.
nah.
Sumio Mondo
Member
Sinh was a good boss battle but aside from that? Heck no, one of the weakest DLC for me.
Agreed. Well I've never played the Dark Souls 1 DLC but Crown of the Sunken King was probably my favorite of the Souls 2 DLC and infinitely better than this one.
DS1 DLC is a fantastic boss gauntlet.
Don't expect anything out of the levels though.
Most interesting level design since any of Latria or Stonefang Tunnels. Up there in best souls series design alongside pretty much all of Demon's Souls (Shrine of Storms is kinda weak looking back but otherwise perfection) and Bloodborne has the Research Hall in its DLC. And this is alongside Brume Tower from Crown of the Old Iron King which is also fantastic level design.
Jawbreaker
Member
Man, Crown of the Sunken King is a good deal better than this DLC. It's one of the best areas in the entire series. The level design is exquisite.
I mean I agree that they reuse the solder enemy a bit too much but yo the first time you see *those* phantoms? God fucking damn, best whiplash ever. And the level design is so unique and interesting that it shines in spite of the slightly underwhelming enemy variety.
I think this DLC had too much "straight forward path with slightly branching spokes" much like a lot of Dark Souls levels and doesn't really set itself apart in any interesting way. It has one *REALLY* amazing enemy and one damn great boss but otherwise just feels kinda like more fairly straight forward Dark Souls 3. And there was a missed opportunity to have a really great long trek that the souls games just never seem to have anymore. I love brutal and long treks between "checkpoints" and the Souls games desperately need more.
The missed opportunity in this DLC (two in fact):
First one is the very beginning. Initially, I didn't realize you could go up and over the hill on the left side. I thought it was basically a cliff side one-way drop and going through the whole trek alongside the mountain and through the Milwood Knight outpost and running up the slope and to safety and away from wolves was damn amazing. ... And then I saw you can just walk over the cliff after I backtracked from the bridge bonfire and I was let down.
Second one was:
Towards the end of the DLC, honestly felt the double tree shortcut was overkill and unnecessary. Aside from the two milwood knights at the end, fighting the wolves and soldiers is kinda trivial even "underleveled".
Orochinagis
Member
also had the tree
Felt like the most "zelda dungeon"y of Dark Souls, light puzzles, those tomb/ghosts. It was good.
Jeez DS2 is ugly.
This DLC is so much better for me.Its beautiful too look at,has tight level design that loops beautifully on itself,capped off with one of the best boss in Soulsborne.
What more could one ask for me,really? Ashes of Ariandel is super good.
Sunken King is an amazing DLC expect for the bosses.
One is Nashandra reskin that makes another boss to fight beside her and the optional one is nothing, but bunch of NPCs..
Sinh was great though(with some fucked up hit boxes lol)
I loved the idea behind the phantoms knights, but DS2 graphics didn't do them justice. they felt like NPCs with missing textures.
I much prefer the look of the transparent lady ghosts in Bloodborne's Cainhurst Castle.
One is Nashandra reskin that makes another boss to fight beside her and the optional one is nothing, but bunch of NPCs..
Sinh was great though(with some fucked up hit boxes lol)
I loved the idea behind the phantoms knights, but DS2 graphics didn't do them justice. they felt like NPCs with missing textures.
I much prefer the look of the transparent lady ghosts in Bloodborne's Cainhurst Castle.
Sinh is a better dragon fight than Kalameet.
Fight me.
I thought that was a mechanic that was underutilized and coulda been way creepier and better. The actual ghost ladies were both a bit too easy and too lame (as in weak, slow, plodding). They coulda been way more of a threat and have you be way more careful going through the castle. Ah well.
Fight me.
I thought that was a mechanic that was underutilized and coulda been way creepier and better. The actual ghost ladies were both a bit too easy and too lame (as in weak, slow, plodding). They coulda been way more of a threat and have you be way more careful going through the castle. Ah well.
We faced off against Father Ariandel and Sister Friede: https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLnhwVsYSH1o1hzNYLvTB-nE9sT0LX-GjF&v=RXU-q0FfXsg
Pretty cool first phase, her fighting style reminds me a lot of
?
Pretty cool first phase, her fighting style reminds me a lot of
Gehrman actually with the stance holding the scythe behind her and massive anime jumps into the air.
Boy am I glad that you get Gael as a summon to help you out in the second phase, that'd be incredibly unmanageable trying to do it on your own. I was surprised Father Ariandel and Friede didn't have separate boss health bars, until she got back up for a third time.
Is this the first time they've ever done a 3 phase boss
Boy am I glad that you get Gael as a summon to help you out in the second phase, that'd be incredibly unmanageable trying to do it on your own. I was surprised Father Ariandel and Friede didn't have separate boss health bars, until she got back up for a third time.
Is this the first time they've ever done a 3 phase boss
I agree with these, Sunken King is excellent.
The only gripe I have with it is the placement of the two bosses back to back.
Couldn't they just put Elana at the entrance of the Sanctum? That would've been perfect.
I mean after playing through this, I can't help but be thinking of Peace Walker. In Peace Walker I thought that: "this was it, I've had my fill of MGS". This DLC, especially after the main game does nothing but tell me that the dev team is throwing their hands at what to do with the series. It's just more Dark Souls, exactly the same as DS3.
Personally, if this is the best they can do I'm glad they're moving forward.
Personally, if this is the best they can do I'm glad they're moving forward.
There's a boss in Old Hunters that technically has 3 phases. Won't say which one in case you have yet to play it (in which case you should!)
bruh
I will give you that the boss before Sihn wasn't that good, but the trip down there was hella tense
also had those fucking enemies that looked like phantoms
and the crazy jester pyromaniac invasion
honestly Sunken King has the only Co-op area that I liked of the three DLC
of course doing that solo is terrible
but with some bros it's great
Morrigan Stark
Arrogant Smirk
3 phases but not 3 health bars, which is what I suspect they meant. And no, this hasn't been done yet. Multiple HP bars is a new thing in DS3.
Ah, gotcha.
By the way, did anyone else find several "It'll happen to you, too!" messages in their final boss room?
After seeing the transition from the 2nd to 3rd phase for the first time, I assumed "it" meant "jaw drop," but would be curious to know if there's any other significance I'm missing.
Yeah, 3 separate health bars is what I was getting at, and I know which boss you're referring to as well, but she has 3 phases all under one health bar.
As for 'it'll happen to you too', I reckon that's for you'll die or become Hollow or some other kind of miserable fate to match Father Ariandel.
I did everything solo and I didn't find it that bad, even funny in a way (the Benny Hill theme played in my head). Truth be told, I think even the Iron Passage wasn't that terrible, like some made it out to be.
Now, the Frigid Outskirts, those are pure bullsh*t.
I mean I don't really get posts like this that bash the areas. They're side shows supposed to be played in coop, not massively important story areas.
Personally I like the novelty of them, even if ivory king was designed by a giant gaping asshole >.>
We wrapped up our DLC playthrough with the final fight against
: https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLnhwVsYSH1o1hzNYLvTB-nE9sT0LX-GjF&v=v0xL7G6_puo
Not gonna lie, it's a bit of a lacklustre/abrupt end to the DLC - I was expecting there to be more than
That's the part that sucks - people often like doing areas/bosses solo, and designing areas/bosses that are supposed to be done in co-op is a horrible decision especially when you have to pay for multiplayer features.
Frozen Outskirts would be a damn nightmare if you were doing it solo and decided to fight enemies rather than run away.
Blackflame Friede
Not gonna lie, it's a bit of a lacklustre/abrupt end to the DLC - I was expecting there to be more than
just the Painter saying she's going to paint a cold and gentle place. Some sort of cutscene would've helped let you know that the DLC has 'ended'. The fight itself is amazingly cool though, the blackflame and frost attacks from Friede look stunning.
Take my advice - the Rose of Ariandel is fucking horrendous. The weapon art takes off a not insignificant amount of health, the range is awful, the moveset is non-existant because it's a utility weapon for using miracles and I bet the spell buff isn't even worth it!
Take my advice - the Rose of Ariandel is fucking horrendous. The weapon art takes off a not insignificant amount of health, the range is awful, the moveset is non-existant because it's a utility weapon for using miracles and I bet the spell buff isn't even worth it!
That's the part that sucks - people often like doing areas/bosses solo, and designing areas/bosses that are supposed to be done in co-op is a horrible decision especially when you have to pay for multiplayer features.
Frozen Outskirts would be a damn nightmare if you were doing it solo and decided to fight enemies rather than run away.
Morrigan Stark
Arrogant Smirk
You don't have to pay on PC, and you do have NPC summons you can get offline anyway. Plus they're still doable solo.
A twinblade weapon + stone ring (to stagger them) makes this part pretty easy actually. Without a strong weapon to stagger the horses it's a nightmare (no pun intended), but the stone ring really shines here. Underrated ring.
All that said, the Iron Passage can still eat a bag of dicks.
Clear
CliffyB's Cock Holster
Well obviously, it is designed for co-op play after all, as are the equivalent areas in the other 2 crown add-ons.
That being said, I've beaten em all solo without too much difficulty and I'm pretty average skill-wise.
Very...festive!
Finished AoA recently and must say I enjoyed it. When one is in the mood for Souls it can really be very rewarding.
Also watched Joseph Anderson's review of the DLC, and it seems he (among others) likes to quantify the experience to an almost unreasonable extent. I know it's easy to compare and put a price to everything, but if all you're boiling the series down to is # of maps, # of bosses, etc. then maybe it's not worth your time anymore?
Personally, I think there's much more value to be had outside of this perceived volume.
*nods* But it's a set of metrics that are becoming quite common nowadays, sadly. Even before No Man's Sky was released, you had people questioning why an indie game was priced like a AAA release - as though who a developer is and how much variety there is somehow have to be reflected in price. It's incredibly reductive, and ignores game quality. Maybe it's an attempt at objectivity? "4 maps and 2 bosses for $15 isn't as good as 10 maps and 6 bosses for $15, therefore..."
It does need to be dealt with, I think. But it's an issue that a lot of people bring to games that they don't bring to other media or events (books and music festivals are the two that spring to mind), so no easy answer.
Those areas have just never been a problem for me. You can quickly run through the cave if you know the route; Iron Passage is annoying because of the mages but completely doable solo. I'll give people the Frigid Outskirts because of the ever-spawning reindeer. They needed better bosses and I think that's the problem, however, I think the areas themselves are pretty cool.
The reindeer, just like every other enemy in DS2, have a limited number of respawns - I think it's 13 or 14? And their spawn-points are triggered at certain points of the map.
Iron Passage, likewise, can be cheesed if you've got the Feather - pace yourself slowly, killing all enemies until you get to the Fog Gate, Feather back to Bonfire, repeat 12 times.
Both of which point-up the major flaw in DS2 - the awful areas it has are, I think, partly based around the game's limited respawns of all enemies. From were well aware of how bad some parts of the game were, and they just figured anyone annoyed enough by them would cheese the game.
Yup, it's on peoples' minds and needs to be taken into consideration I suppose.
It's even trickier when you consider the differences in DLC release format/timing across From's games, and how there's always a follow-up "Complete" or "GotY" edition that includes everything.
Hopefully the 2nd DLC will be better balanced to give people a better sense of volume, both in and of itself and as part of a larger whole. It'll supposedly be the final entry in the Dark Souls series, so that lasting impression will be very important!
I like Anderson's videos but they sometimes feel like high-schooler's essays with absurd minimum word requirements. Do you really need >10 minutes to say "I think it's overpriced"?
Haha, to be fair he does go into some pretty good detail about the enemy/boss encounters, and how the game trains you to deal with certain situations. Sometimes he can get carried away and believes too much in his own theory for "what a game's trying to do," and ends up applying it to everything and blaming the game when it doesn't seem to fit.
Naturally content/price is a part of the decision making process for many people, but dwelling too long on this point or making it the crux of your argument for/against a game does tend to suck the fun out of it.
For all you Disney and Dark Souls fans (hey, there's a probably at least one of you), I made a video combining Ashes of Ariandel and Frozen's Let It Go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaWTJ9lUC-k
To be honest, I was impressed at how well the song fit the video, and it works on so many levels - Friede as Elsa, Ariandel = Arendelle and so on. There's more connections than you think!
To be honest, I was impressed at how well the song fit the video, and it works on so many levels - Friede as Elsa, Ariandel = Arendelle and so on. There's more connections than you think!
Do you mean the attack where she drags the scythe on the ground?
When she is not invisible, dodge behind her just as/before she starts hitting.
When she goes invisible, look/listen carefully to find out where she jumps and rush her before she attacks.
CybernatonEvolution
Member
Can this DLC get any worse? Gang-bang mobs, gang-bang boss and then the motherfucking platforming with archers. So fucking stupid and lame; it is not even hard but just badly designed. I wouldn't be surprised if the DLC kills DkS3 (at least there is the PvP area) instead of making it more active like DkS1 was in both aspects of PvP and PvE--people still do challenge/speed runs of DkS1 to this day.
I was really excited to get to play DkS3 again and find an incentive to do so but this DLC basically killed my interest.
I was really excited to get to play DkS3 again and find an incentive to do so but this DLC basically killed my interest.
Lockjaw333
Member
So I reinstalled ds3 on my new secondary SSD, as I had uninstalled it to make room on my primary a while back for newer games.
And my save is gone....noooooo.
I wish I knew before that ds3 doesn't use steam cloud saves. UGH!
And my save is gone....noooooo.
I wish I knew before that ds3 doesn't use steam cloud saves. UGH!
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