-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Dark Souls III: The Ringed City |OT| One Last Journey
- Thread starter Hikami
- Start date
Orochinagis
Member
RIP.
First DLC is a hit or miss, Last boss is pure eye candy, second dlc is placed on the end game continuing the first dlc , good zones, wierd execution , a nice sidequest and a pretty confusing lore to tie up some info from the first dark souls
StoppedInTracks
Member
First DLC is sooooo useless. For all I care it could be only the bonfire next to the boss fight... like literally a bonfire plus one room. The rest is forgettable and not worth the $15 price.
My problems with the 2nd DLC which is still 10x better than the 1st one:
- last boss is a nobody and came out of nowhere.
Seriously? Uncle Gael? The NPC that is introduced in first DLC with a 10 second cutscene and never saw again? This is the main, final boss of the whole Dark Souls Trilogy spanning 300 hours of gameplay?
- the Humanity puzzle. Not a obscure as the Archdragon Peak but still on the level of 3 Cords from Bloodborne.
Besides that I agree with Lobos Jr from Twitch that The Ringed City is a 9/10 DLC compared to 10/10 The Old Hunters.
A fantastic piece of Souls content that is a must buy for every Dark Souls fan.
The first of the two DLCs easily is the weaker of the two. It is short and doesn't offer much in the way of exploration. It does however have one of the most exciting (and difficult!) bosses in the game and even by standard of the series. DLC #2 is incredible, offering great and interesting bosses, intriguing level design for the most beautiful location in Souls yet, and caps with my all-time favorite boss in the series. I played both of them in one go, and think they form a wonderful package easily on par with AotA. I never played the DLC for DS2 unfortunately, so I'll withhold judgement on that front. Just know you're getting the bang for your buck.
Yeah, I was wondering who this person was and why he was so strong? Never got the first DLC.
I think the fact that the final boss of the DLC is a nobody is the point, although it would have been nice to see some references to him in the main game.
Like for example, Pontiff Sulyvahn - in the main game he's arguably THE corrupting influence on Lothric, and in Ashes of Ariandel you find out he's actually
I wish there were more 'revelations' like that for this DLC, which I think is mainly focused on
Like for example, Pontiff Sulyvahn - in the main game he's arguably THE corrupting influence on Lothric, and in Ashes of Ariandel you find out he's actually
from Ariandel.
Patches/Lapp.
Echelon079
Member
So I got a pro a few weeks ago and I had never played DS3 on it before, just the regular. Did it get a pro patch? I mean I have boost mode on but it seems to be running narkedly different then when I had it on the regular. Also, it feels like it runs a ton better than Bloodborne which I find odd.
Echelon079
Member
So I got a pro a few weeks ago and I had never played DS3 on it before, just the regular. Did it get a pro patch? I mean I have boost mode on but it seems to be running narkedly different then when I had it on the regular. Also, it feels like it runs a ton better than Bloodborne which I find odd.
Dark Souls 3 got a Pro patch yeah. It runs an avg of 45 to 50 fps.
I've been haunting the windmill swamp level (can't remember what part of Dreg Heap the bonfire is called) as a benevolent mad spirit. I respecced to a faith-ish build and made my character Baron Bumwraith look creepier than he was initially. He's now basically a smiling, crazy looking big nose with women's hair and a penchant for armor without pants.
I generally sit back somewhere high and do encouraging gestures as the host and phantoms try to get past the angels and thru the level. If the host has been alone and unfamiliar with the level I've shown them how to kill the angels and cheered them on as they fight the Desert Pyromancer. If the host and phantoms don't get it and instead try to kill me I usually lead them to the top branch and let the angels take care of them while blocking their way or sitting on the highest branch flashing my loins at them.
I got a good 10 vertebra shackles from this level as quite often the host will die to an angel or the pyromancer or fall down. Still quite a struggle and IMO the invader covenant rewards should require far less effort especially since as a high level character you most likely end up against a gank squad of experienced players. Returning a total of 20 should give you all the rewards.
This is why I appreciate all the projectile enemies in the DLC as an invader, as they provide excellent back-up against a squad of gankers, and give me a general idea of where my prey is going. I think it evens out the odds quite well in most cases.
RyanardoDaVinci
Member
I was surprised and disappointed that the final fight of the series was not against some manifestation of The Dark Soul. They could have had the fight play out as it did, but when the little cutscene plays leading into Phase 2, Gael should have taken the blood of the last pygmy that was crawling away, been consumed and taken over by it, to become the embodiment of The Dark Soul.
Phase 2 could have been mechanically unchanged, but I think making the final fight of the series against the freaking thing it's named after would have been a much better send-off.
Plus, you get the added bonus of the player being the one to kill the series.
Phase 2 could have been mechanically unchanged, but I think making the final fight of the series against the freaking thing it's named after would have been a much better send-off.
Plus, you get the added bonus of the player being the one to kill the series.
Honestly, I don't think the way to get to the Archdragon Peak is that obscure. You just have to read an object description and remember it when you find the Path of the Dragon gesture, but everything is explained pretty clearly (relative to the series' standards, of course).
The humanity riddle is way more random.
Orochinagis
Member
Outside
Sullivan is from a painted world
Second DLC is better because there was anything good on the first one to be memorable, more exposition, fun sidequest, random cameos, and abrupt ending to one NPC you dont have time to know more since Gael only appears briefly and inmediately moves when you finish the first DLC, even worse if you finish the second DLC before the first, gael doesnt appear anymore
Ringed City alone is better than both DS1 and DS2's DLC. You might as well get Ashes of Ariandel with it as well considering its connected to the story of Ringed City and its more content to play. Pretty good content at, with Ariandel having one of the best bosses of DS3. Only issue to be had with Ariandel is its length, and that won't be an issue if you're playing both it and Ringed City back to back.
As for Ringed City's final boss:
I kind of like how unexpected it is that someone as random as Gael turns out to be the final boss. And similar to the Soul of Cinder, I find its more so what he represents with his pursuit of the Dark Soul that he cannot control that makes him an impact of a boss. The true final boss is the Dark Soul of Man, and for that to be the final boss of the entire series, I am okay with it. A final cutscene would have been nice though.
FF Seraphim
Member
Okay just beat the last required boss in the DLC and holy shit... talk about depressing...
Also tips on the optional boss please, he is wrecking me.
Seriously you break the illusion only to see your world is of nothingness,
you beat Gael and are left alone in a wasteland... all your actions are for naught since the world is just barren ash. What was the point of it all?
you beat Gael and are left alone in a wasteland... all your actions are for naught since the world is just barren ash. What was the point of it all?
Also tips on the optional boss please, he is wrecking me.
Just beat the optional boss solo on NG++ yesterday, after hours of frustration. Decided to repsec for 40 str and 40 dex and use artorious' greatsword. Think my final build had the lothric set, black knight shield and the old wolf greatsword.
Ended up taking him down quite easily by just staying by his head, think I still had about 5 estus left. Id recommend pumping levels into vitality and using the ring which makes your estus heal more.
Ended up taking him down quite easily by just staying by his head, think I still had about 5 estus left. Id recommend pumping levels into vitality and using the ring which makes your estus heal more.
StoppedInTracks
Member
No smart tips for the optional boss... he took me 4 hours on NG+3. Just learn his moveset and aim for his head whenever possible. No shield, 2H your weapon and equip the ring that ups your Estus recovery. What is really annoying is that he took less damage from Dragonslayer Greataxe which has built-in lightning damage than from Yhorm's Machete. So I used Yhorm's for the fight even though it made no sense: a lightning infused DRAGONSLAYER Axe should you know... work better for SLAYING DRAGONS, no?
Good luck!!!
They were worth it for me because I like Souls but if you're on the fence then you should probably wait since they're not exactly high quality content. In terms of creativity and design, they're below par. Vanilla DS2 quality stuff. The final boss of it all has a really good and aggressive moveset though. If you enjoy fighting Sulyvahn for example "the fair way" e.g. without parrying, exploiting AI or just crippling him with stacked damage buffs then this boss will please you as well. And the second DLC has some beautiful scenery. And that's about all the praise I can give them.
WheelHoss1
Member
I think they are both on par with the rest of DS3. Maybe nothing is new after 5 Souls games man. But they exude that classic DS aesthetic, have cool new loot, some cool secrets, and great bosses. Worth $25 (cost of one dinner)? Sure.
Honestly, after playing both DLCs a lot , I do think Ariandel had the better level design. Ringed City really only has the first half of the city (second half is ruined by yet another swamp and the Heap is pretty meh). Ariandel design was more consistent IMO, but it's also a fair bit shorter.
Ringed City totally wins in new weapons though. Ariandel weapons are pretty basic but I love the Ringed City weapons, mainly because they take more advantage of the Weapon Arts, so they're a lot more fun to play. Basically all my chars use one of the Ringed City weapons.
Sucks that the new spells sucked on both. Well, Lightning Arrow is useful but it's just a bow...
Still I think both are must have to make DS3 feeling complete, much like the other Souls and Bloodborne. Best content is still on the DLCs.
Ringed City totally wins in new weapons though. Ariandel weapons are pretty basic but I love the Ringed City weapons, mainly because they take more advantage of the Weapon Arts, so they're a lot more fun to play. Basically all my chars use one of the Ringed City weapons.
Sucks that the new spells sucked on both. Well, Lightning Arrow is useful but it's just a bow...
Still I think both are must have to make DS3 feeling complete, much like the other Souls and Bloodborne. Best content is still on the DLCs.
Projected Heal and Lightning Arrow are both goddamn amazing. Lightning Arrow isn't "just a bow" because you get hyper armor with unfaltering prayer.
Yeah, I felt like the first part of Ringed City is a bit of a letdown. I really enjoyed the city part, though. I kind of wish they would have just cut off the entire first part and made the Ringed City area much bigger and more complex. Would have been completely ace.
I liked Ariandel for the reasons you mentioned: it was very consistent. The lore and characters were nice as well. The only mark against it is that it is short. If Ashes and Ringed City were packaged together like Old Hunters was, I think this would have been on par or better than Old Hunters.
They're a pain when facing invaders/doing invading, though. Both times I was summoned as the Spear I was using my greatsword when usually I prefer my halberd.
il Diavolo
Banned
Beat the dlc.
was a massive cunt but satisfying once I was able to get his patterns down. Took
down on my first try surprisingly.
Midir
Gael
StoppedInTracks
Member
FUGS is such a disappointment in DS3
The only saving grace of this weapon over Yhorm's or Dragonslayer Axe is the rolling R1 which is amazing for punishing bosses with short recovery times like Friede. Yhorm's rolling R1 is unbelievably bad. I could not even invent a worse rolling R1 if someone forced me to.I beat NG+/NG++ with FUGS but switched to Yhorm's for NG+++ and the DLCs.
Never looked back.
RIP DS2 FUGS
Admiral Snackbar
Member
Just started up Ringed City for the first time and man. It's gorgeous and loud and very good.
Why are
always so shouty?
Why are
demons
Mechanized
Member
I think this DLC was better than Ashes but still not amazing or anything. A lot of encounters just felt like run past the enemy "puzzles" and enemies with huge HP pools as a way to artificially inflate difficulty. You never feel strong really. It's a shame as sense of strength increasing with progression should be a big deal in a RPG. The entire DLC might as well be the last single stage in the game the way it's balanced. The summon gimmick fight feels really unbalanced, just a bunch of people using op shit styling on you because they get a free relentless NPC to help them. I liked the first boss, didn't kill the optional one, but that last boss... meh. Kinda boring. It was a decent fight but the lore connections here don't seem interesting at all, or at least they're not expressed very well.
Here's the last boss of Dark Souls forever. Some dude with a minor plot. Woo~
None of the enemies in this DLC have huge HP pools and are "artificially" hard. Even the
Angels
Finally killed Midir solo after a countless number of deaths.
Just kept calm and concentrated on his attack patterns and only getting 1-2 hits in and backing out.
I also happened to 1 shot Gael when I first met him ... felt weird, but it was definitely a fun aggressive fight.
Great DLC altogether.
Friede still gave me almost as much trouble as Midir.
Just kept calm and concentrated on his attack patterns and only getting 1-2 hits in and backing out.
I also happened to 1 shot Gael when I first met him ... felt weird, but it was definitely a fun aggressive fight.
Great DLC altogether.
Friede still gave me almost as much trouble as Midir.
Gael's
seeks the flesh of the pygmy lords to acquire the blood of the dark soul
Orochinagis
Member
Well yeah, but the poor guy is chained by his duty making him go crazy on his journey while the player is still being tricked to burn his/her soul to the flame for the third time
SavoryTruffle
Neo Member
I loved Ariendel and hated Ringed City.
Ariendel may be short, but it felt carefully crafted, with surprises and memorable moments scattered throughout. Crashing through an icy floor, ambushed by wolves, dodging into a field of trees spewing fire in one direction and a larger wolf in the other direction. Slowly making your way through a broken village full of dangerous enemies or heading back to a shortcut opened up by cutting down a large bridge. Creepy blood red (eggs?) lining walls, crawling through a town full of ambushes and not so hidden treasure around every corner. The moment where the terrified villagers slowly creep away from you just to be cut down by the enemy coming down the hill is one of my favorite minor moments in the series.
Its overshadowed by whats to come though. The second crashing floor is one of my favorite moments in the series period. Much like how the initial reveal of the curse frogs from DS1 revolved around sound and visual design leading the player toward the waterfall trap/shortcut in the depths, the fall into the pit with the three fatties is preceded by a walk around three other sides, the pit itself functioning as a subtle centerpiece of the area in general. You can scope out the area down below from relative safety multiple times, making the fall so much more impactful. The fight with the three fatties, especially considering the ranged hammer adding to the general disorientation, is about so much more than just fighting three big dudes.
And then, right after that I dont want to know what that blood red whatever on the walls, floor, and OMG ITS EVERYWHERE actually is. Those disgusting bugs puking leeches down my throat. I really hope I dont have to jump down there and OH GOD THEYRE EVERYWHERE. The frequent inclusion of outright moments of shock and horror is a significant part of why the first Dark Souls is my favorite game in the series. But now, with those bugs, in that environment, with that grab suddenly having an egg grow on my head may have just been beaten.
And then, again, right after that, we have probably the best boss in the entire series. Its not hard to guess why. The point I want to emphasize in general though, is how distinct each phase is, both on its own and in comparison to the other phases. I used a totally different strategy for each phase, the only single fight in the entire series to make full use of the hybrid build Ive always run with. In a series that all too frequently trends dangerously close to wearing out its welcome, having a fight feel so damn special in so many ways is the last thing I expected out of a largely disliked expansion.
The Ringed City, by contrast, begins well enough, but gradually collapses in astounding fashion. The angels are great, to be clear. Obnoxious enemies that define significant portions of individual areas is one of the things I want from a souls game. If anything, they arent dangerous or imposing enough, especially given how few of them there are. Still, theyre interesting and distinct, which makes them worth fighting. I missed the path to killing the second angel, so traversing the branches leading to the second bonfire was a great moment. The visual of the little dark guys exploding into the huge skulls is also pretty cool, especially at the end of the infinite spawning house. I was enjoying everything leading to the first boss.
Thats where everything falls apart. If it isnt already clear, standard combat against standard enemies in standard environments of the same variety Ive been dealing with for multiple games now isnt what I want out of a souls game. And thats unfortunately all you get after the first bonfire. I dont have much to say about the Demon Princes fight because I hated it for the same reason I hated everything else to come. That trek down the loooooooong hallway with the stairs is almost offensively stupid. Not even particularly awful in any overt way. Just stupid. The enemies, especially the big guys, have exceptionally basic patterns, even for a generic souls enemy. They strike so slowly with only the most basic combos, scream loudly before doing their easy to dodge special combo, have no grab or alternative counter to just circle strafing with your shield up, and ultimately go down to the obvious and excessively long break in their attacks. Their only distinctive feature is their enormous health pool and high resistances.
And then came the swamp. Its a circle. Full of basic enemies. At least they go down quickly enough.
In most cases throughout the series, when you fight these sorts of basic enemies, theres some sort of environmental obstacle theyre paired with to make the general experience interesting. Those fatties in the Ariendel pit just swung their hammer a bunch, after all. But here, its just a hallway. The side paths are shorter hallways with a small room and a dead end. Thats the point Im getting at here. This is not your typical souls design. The rest of the games are not this basic, not this dependent on stats and little else. The DS3 main game is full of winding environments and distinctive encounter design. The basic combat design in the souls games are functional enough to stay out of your way, but when the games are at their best, the combat in and of itself is there to enable everything else. This is a series that is known for ruthlessly murdering the player that doesnt pay attention to their environment, as the many meme gifs and whatnot will attest to. Here, in Ringed City, I simply fought everything one enemy at a time and cleared everything without using a single flask. I think I got hit once, to a lightning spell or something. Im not good at these games. I just have a lot of patience and thats really all you need here.
anotherdargonanotherpaletteswapbossanotherinvasionblahblahblahohwowthefireisblackandnotred
Oh yeah, and then theres Gael, who looks and sounds really epic, but ultimately dies to circle strafing with a shield up. Yawn.
I know there's a ton of relevant stuff I'm ignoring but this post is long.
Ariendel may be short, but it felt carefully crafted, with surprises and memorable moments scattered throughout. Crashing through an icy floor, ambushed by wolves, dodging into a field of trees spewing fire in one direction and a larger wolf in the other direction. Slowly making your way through a broken village full of dangerous enemies or heading back to a shortcut opened up by cutting down a large bridge. Creepy blood red (eggs?) lining walls, crawling through a town full of ambushes and not so hidden treasure around every corner. The moment where the terrified villagers slowly creep away from you just to be cut down by the enemy coming down the hill is one of my favorite minor moments in the series.
Its overshadowed by whats to come though. The second crashing floor is one of my favorite moments in the series period. Much like how the initial reveal of the curse frogs from DS1 revolved around sound and visual design leading the player toward the waterfall trap/shortcut in the depths, the fall into the pit with the three fatties is preceded by a walk around three other sides, the pit itself functioning as a subtle centerpiece of the area in general. You can scope out the area down below from relative safety multiple times, making the fall so much more impactful. The fight with the three fatties, especially considering the ranged hammer adding to the general disorientation, is about so much more than just fighting three big dudes.
And then, right after that I dont want to know what that blood red whatever on the walls, floor, and OMG ITS EVERYWHERE actually is. Those disgusting bugs puking leeches down my throat. I really hope I dont have to jump down there and OH GOD THEYRE EVERYWHERE. The frequent inclusion of outright moments of shock and horror is a significant part of why the first Dark Souls is my favorite game in the series. But now, with those bugs, in that environment, with that grab suddenly having an egg grow on my head may have just been beaten.
And then, again, right after that, we have probably the best boss in the entire series. Its not hard to guess why. The point I want to emphasize in general though, is how distinct each phase is, both on its own and in comparison to the other phases. I used a totally different strategy for each phase, the only single fight in the entire series to make full use of the hybrid build Ive always run with. In a series that all too frequently trends dangerously close to wearing out its welcome, having a fight feel so damn special in so many ways is the last thing I expected out of a largely disliked expansion.
The Ringed City, by contrast, begins well enough, but gradually collapses in astounding fashion. The angels are great, to be clear. Obnoxious enemies that define significant portions of individual areas is one of the things I want from a souls game. If anything, they arent dangerous or imposing enough, especially given how few of them there are. Still, theyre interesting and distinct, which makes them worth fighting. I missed the path to killing the second angel, so traversing the branches leading to the second bonfire was a great moment. The visual of the little dark guys exploding into the huge skulls is also pretty cool, especially at the end of the infinite spawning house. I was enjoying everything leading to the first boss.
Thats where everything falls apart. If it isnt already clear, standard combat against standard enemies in standard environments of the same variety Ive been dealing with for multiple games now isnt what I want out of a souls game. And thats unfortunately all you get after the first bonfire. I dont have much to say about the Demon Princes fight because I hated it for the same reason I hated everything else to come. That trek down the loooooooong hallway with the stairs is almost offensively stupid. Not even particularly awful in any overt way. Just stupid. The enemies, especially the big guys, have exceptionally basic patterns, even for a generic souls enemy. They strike so slowly with only the most basic combos, scream loudly before doing their easy to dodge special combo, have no grab or alternative counter to just circle strafing with your shield up, and ultimately go down to the obvious and excessively long break in their attacks. Their only distinctive feature is their enormous health pool and high resistances.
And then came the swamp. Its a circle. Full of basic enemies. At least they go down quickly enough.
In most cases throughout the series, when you fight these sorts of basic enemies, theres some sort of environmental obstacle theyre paired with to make the general experience interesting. Those fatties in the Ariendel pit just swung their hammer a bunch, after all. But here, its just a hallway. The side paths are shorter hallways with a small room and a dead end. Thats the point Im getting at here. This is not your typical souls design. The rest of the games are not this basic, not this dependent on stats and little else. The DS3 main game is full of winding environments and distinctive encounter design. The basic combat design in the souls games are functional enough to stay out of your way, but when the games are at their best, the combat in and of itself is there to enable everything else. This is a series that is known for ruthlessly murdering the player that doesnt pay attention to their environment, as the many meme gifs and whatnot will attest to. Here, in Ringed City, I simply fought everything one enemy at a time and cleared everything without using a single flask. I think I got hit once, to a lightning spell or something. Im not good at these games. I just have a lot of patience and thats really all you need here.
anotherdargonanotherpaletteswapbossanotherinvasionblahblahblahohwowthefireisblackandnotred
Oh yeah, and then theres Gael, who looks and sounds really epic, but ultimately dies to circle strafing with a shield up. Yawn.
I know there's a ton of relevant stuff I'm ignoring but this post is long.
ariendel ariandel e > a = justified
At least part of my preferring Ashes might come down to it containing a village. I wish there were more of these in the series. I also think that's why I like Bloodborne DLC a lot.
The weapons are also possibly nicer. Crow Quills, Follower Saber, Onyx Blade are cool. Best thing TRC is Lothric War Banner.
The weapons are also possibly nicer. Crow Quills, Follower Saber, Onyx Blade are cool. Best thing TRC is Lothric War Banner.
WheelHoss1
Member
Hey guys. Somehow when I transferred to my Pro everything in my storage disappeared.
I want to do NG+ but think I need a couple shields (didn't use for NG) and maybe some of the heavy weapons I lost
Would anyone be willing to drop stuff since you can save load? On PS4
I have all rings (I think) and most sets of you wanna trade. Tons of embers too
I want to do NG+ but think I need a couple shields (didn't use for NG) and maybe some of the heavy weapons I lost
Would anyone be willing to drop stuff since you can save load? On PS4
I have all rings (I think) and most sets of you wanna trade. Tons of embers too
The Ringed City easily has the better slew of weapons. Crucifix of the Mad King, Ringed Knight weapons, Frayed Blade, Gael's Greatsword, Giant Door Shield, Ledo's Great Hammer, all fun and interesting weapons. The Aquamarine Dagger is the only one I would consider a dud.
I was trying out some infusions and soon to restore so I should be able to help you out. I will send a psn message.
F0rneus
Tears in the rain
Truth right there.
Crucifix is good, Ringed Knight ones I find boring, Frayed is good, Gaels is boring PvP weapon art filth, shields are meme weapons, Ledo's is okay but obscures too much of the screen. Anyway not saying Ashes weapons are objectively better, I just like using them more.
At least they both of shitty pyromancies.
FUGS is such a disappointment in DS3
I beat NG+/NG++ with FUGS but switched to Yhorm's for NG+++ and the DLCs.
Never looked back.
RIP DS2 FUGS
I agree. They really should not have nerfed it, I think I get less damage with it than I get with my refined Lothric GS yet FUGS requires more stats, is slower and much heavier.
whether you buy them now or later at discount should only matter if you want to play them with more people involved or if you dont care then I would pay less later and kill backlog. Either way, you cant really not get them at some piont it sounds like so unless you like playing while others are still involved in the hype, buy later.
I hate playing later with less online activity for my own two cents so I bought the seasons pass day one on PC.
Beerman462
Member
I can't get past the first boss
DaciaJC
Gold Member
Focus on killing the Demon from Below first. Demon Prince will emerge from the other twin and will be a bit easier to deal with.