Support NeoGAF

[Soulhouf]

i didnt think world 5 is as bad as most people seem to think. part of that may be that i went there last and was therefore a little overleveled for it, but especially 5-1 isnt that annoying. 5-2 is a little, but i still think the antipathy directed towards it is a little unfair.

Adjucator shield + blessed weapon and that poison is no longer annoying in 5-2. You can also find the regenerating ring there which helps a lot.
5th world is my favorite in Demon's Souls despite the bosses are pretty easy. The atmosphere, level design and the loot there are so good.
We don't see places like that very often in video games.
I love that level.

 

[nicoga3000]

Is it worth playing Demon's Souls before Dark Souls? I'm thinking of grabbing one/both soon (since I feel like I need to play them as a PS3 owner).

 

[zkylon]

Is it worth playing Demon's Souls before Dark Souls? I'm thinking of grabbing one/both soon (since I feel like I need to play them as a PS3 owner).

Haven't played Dark but yeah, Demon's Souls is more than worth it. You can probably find it for a lot cheaper, too, so you can try it and if you love it, you can then grab Dark.

 

[Soulhouf]

Is it worth playing Demon's Souls before Dark Souls? I'm thinking of grabbing one/both soon (since I feel like I need to play them as a PS3 owner).

Absolutely, it's more than worth it.
In addition that's the right order to play them. They are not related but Dark Souls made so much improvements that it would be difficult to play Demon's Souls after.
Why bother to play Demon's? Because it's a unique and fascinating experience.

I played Demon's (platinum US version) than Dark (platinum) and came back and played Demon's again (platinum EUR version). Playing again Demon's after having beaten Dark felt weird, it's so primitive compared to Dark, but still an amazing game.

 

[nicoga3000]

Looks like I'll be grabbing a copy of Demon's Souls now and Dark Souls later on then. Thanks for the info!

 

[oracrest]

It's worth it before, but not totally necessary.

It's worth if after, too.

Whatever you do, play both at some point!

 

[mattp]

definitely play it, both games are incredible
the order you play them doesnt really matter

but make sure you do demon's souls before atlus shuts down the servers

 

[B-Genius]

Whatever you do, play both at some point!

Hey oracrest, I never see you around the Dark Souls thread.

Are you still into it? Have you upturned every stone?
Still waiting for your SL1 or a similarly brutal run. Doesn't feel right watching other people play

 

[arglebargle]

Looks like I'll be grabbing a copy of Demon's Souls now and Dark Souls later on then. Thanks for the info!

i know its been answered to your satisfaction, but allow me to pile on. demons souls is probably my game of the generation and only dark souls really competes for that title. definitely the new franchise of the generation though.

as an aside, i tend it give arbitrary bonus points to the originals in my awarding of these things (likewise i generally say shenmue even though shenmue II is almost certainly a better game) so i still tend to say demons souls is the best, even though dark also has a lot to recommend it. also part of the reason i may be enjoying dark souls as much as i am is because i understood the systems so much better upon startup than i did in demons.

 

[Creamium]

Beaten 4 big demons now and gotta say getting to them has always been more difficult than the bosses themselves. As a whole however, I haven't been frustrated with this game nearly as much as I thought I would. Too busy having fun. In the areas I've cleared so far, if you explored far enough, there are always shortcuts to make travelling in the area faster. It can be annoying if you lose a bunch of souls when you're close to the end of an area, but I just dust myself off.

I love the weird and unexpected stuff that can happen in the world. Like yesterday I started to see

Spoiler

random dead bodies in the Nexus. Looked it up and as it turned out, a bandit (Yurt?) starts a killing spree once you freed him. So I took that asshole out.

One question though, about the 2 dragons in the castle area : can you only take them out using ranged weapons aka what seems like the painfully slow way? I've tried using the bow against Red, but it seems I'd be up there forever pelting him, does almost no damage. Is there a quicker way to take them out if you're not a magic user?

 

[Soulhouf]

One question though, about the 2 dragons in the castle area : can you only take them out using ranged weapons aka what seems like the painfully slow way? I've tried using the bow against Red, but it seems I'd be up there forever pelting him, does almost no damage. Is there a quicker way to take them out if you're not a magic user?

Yup it's the only way.
Use the Cleaver Rat's Ring to increase damage significantly.

Edit: also the Lava Bow does decent damage. If you didn't use the Armored Spider soul yet, that's what you should craft with it.

 

[arglebargle]

One question though, about the 2 dragons in the castle area : can you only take them out using ranged weapons aka what seems like the painfully slow way? I've tried using the bow against Red, but it seems I'd be up there forever pelting him, does almost no damage. Is there a quicker way to take them out if you're not a magic user?

the demons souls wiki claims that there are places you can stand below him and hit him with a large enough sword. i did it with a bow and arrows, so i cant personally verify whether it works.

 

[Creamium]

Yup it's the only way.
Use the Cleaver Rat's Ring to increase damage significantly.

Edit: also the Lava Bow does decent damage. If you didn't use the Armored Spider soul yet, that's what you should craft with it.

Haven't found anyone else to craft this gear yet, since the guy in the Nexus doesn't offer this... I guess I'll meet another guy later. I think I made a mistake by consuming the first couple of boss souls, but I kept Tower Knight and Armored Spider.

Already have the Rat's ring, thanks for the tip.

 

[Soulhouf]

Haven't found anyone else to craft this gear yet, since the guy in the Nexus doesn't offer this... I guess I'll meet another guy later. I think I made a mistake by consuming the first couple of boss souls, but I kept Tower Knight and Armored Spider.

Already have the Rat's ring, thanks for the tip.

Blacksmith Ed is the guy who craft advanced weapons and Demon's Souls weapons. But before that you need to give him the Flamelurker soul.

 

[oracrest]

Hey oracrest, I never see you around the Dark Souls thread.

Are you still into it? Have you upturned every stone?
Still waiting for your SL1 or a similarly brutal run. Doesn't feel right watching other people play

Thanks! I still browse it regularly, but rarely post. I am still going through playthroughs. I played it through once already, and started a bit on a NG+ I also have some close friends that start Demon's Souls for the first time, so I go back to that a little bit as well, and try to keep in their level range as they are going through it.

I got back into it on Xbox 360 since many of my friends only have that system, so I am just starting a character on that system. I am still working through it, finding new secrets, and trying not to spoil it as much, and "rediscover" the game again with new playthroughs. There is still a lot of this game that is beyond me still!!

 

[Creamium]

Question about upgrading weapons : I have a +4 Halberd right now, but I have the necessary material to make different weapons (greystone etc.). I don't get any extra upgrade paths when I visit Blacksmith Ed however. You need a +3 weapon for this, but do the extra paths disappear once you choose to upgrade the basic path further? So in other words, does your weapon need to be exactly +3 to get more upgrade paths?

 

[zkylon]

Question about upgrading weapons : I have a +4 Halberd right now, but I have the necessary material to make different weapons (greystone etc.). I don't get any extra upgrade paths when I visit Blacksmith Ed however. You need a +3 weapon for this, but do the extra paths disappear once you choose to upgrade the basic path further? So in other words, does your weapon need to be exactly +3 to get more upgrade paths?

Yup. Once you're on a path, you're set until you reach the next branching point, at +7 or +9 (this depends on the upgrade and weapon).

You should look it up on the wiki before you upgrade so you don't waste stones.

 

[Mifune]

Holy fuck, I just straight up MASSACRED the Tower Knight. And this was after barely taking a tenth of his life away the previous like twenty attempts.

I ran through his legs, hacked away at his feet, and then it took literally three heavy swings of my Bastard Sword+3 to gut his ass.

And to think I was ready to take a break from this game for a while. Now I've beaten 1-1, 1-2, 2-1, 3-1. Played a little of 4-1 and those rolling skeletons are awesome.

 

[MoogleWizard]

Is there still an active online community for Demon's Souls? I absolutely loved the sequel and am thinking of getting the first game, but it would be only half the fun for me without the online aspects.

 

[Mifune]

Is there still an active online community for Demon's Souls? I absolutely loved the sequel and am thinking of getting the first game, but it would be only half the fun for me without the online aspects.

Oh yes there is. I'm constantly seeing specters running around and messages from other players.

 

[Sullichin]

Is there still an active online community for Demon's Souls? I absolutely loved the sequel and am thinking of getting the first game, but it would be only half the fun for me without the online aspects.

Yup. beat this after dark souls and i was pleasantly surprised at the huge number of ghosts running around, more than Dark actually. You'll see plenty of people fighting bosses alongside you in different worlds. I was also able to get co-op help and helped a couple of other people, and got invaded a few times.

 

[MoogleWizard]

Great! Just ordered a copy for 20 bucks! Can't go wrong for that price ;-)

 

[Peace Tea]

Great! Just ordered a copy for 20 bucks! Can't go wrong for that price ;-)

Nice. Saw a few 'hints' with recommendations in the triple digits, last month. There were also enough summon signs at the beginning of each dungeon. Maybe someone can recommend you a good soul level cap for co-op? I'd say SL55 but it's been a while.

 

[arglebargle]

Great! Just ordered a copy for 20 bucks! Can't go wrong for that price ;-)

cant go wrong with one of the best games of the generation either.

 

[joe2187]

So I've just gotten back into Demons Souls again after revitalizing my love in the genre with Dark Souls.

and...

Maiden Astrea....


My god....what have I done!

 

[UrbanRats]

So, since i enjoyed Dark Souls so much, i decided to pick this up last week.
I'm finding the story far more interesting, although i still like the gameplay of Dark Souls better.
That said, i'm finding this a bit more frustrating, while 1-1 was very easy (easier than Dark Souls' beginning), i'm at 1-2 (just started) and the

Spoiler

Tower Knight crushed me as soon as i entered his arena

, but that's not the problem, the problem is the goddamn

Spoiler

bridge with 2 blue eyed knights + several crossbow knights + dragon spitting fire all over me, that i have to cross everytime i want to try my luck with the boss :\

.
I am a knight, i have no ranged solutions and i can't

Spoiler

lure them back one by one because of that fucking dragon pissing all over my strategy

.
Plus the bonefires in DaS were usually closer to the boss than that damn archstone (my be the frustration talking though).

 

[Creamium]

So, since i enjoyed Dark Souls so much, i decided to pick this up last week.
I'm finding the story far more interesting, although i still like the gameplay of Dark Souls better.
That said, i'm finding this a bit more frustrating, while 1-1 was very easy (easier than Dark Souls' beginning), i'm at 1-2 (just started) and the

Spoiler

Tower Knight crushed me as soon as i entered his arena

, but that's not the problem, the problem is the goddamn

Spoiler

bridge with 2 blue eyed knights + several crossbow knights + dragon spitting fire all over me, that i have to cross everytime i want to try my luck with the boss :\

.
I am a knight, i have no ranged solutions and i can't

Spoiler

lure them back one by one because of that fucking dragon pissing all over my strategy

.
Plus the bonefires in DaS were usually closer to the boss than that damn archstone (my be the frustration talking though).

Try another area. This section + Tower Knight are tough when you try it this early in the game, it's easier when you return after clearing the first sections of other areas (e.g. Tower of Latria, Stonefang). Don't try the other two just yet.

Whenever some section started to annoy me, I quit that section and tried another. The fact that you always have a choice, is what I like so much about this game.

Btw, you may not have a ranged solution yet, but it's definitely something you want to work on... It's also the only way you're going to get rid of that pesky red dragon. It's very useful to have a ranged weapon on hand. Went with the bow for my tower knight. Upgraded the composite bow, then deeper into the game got the lava bow (as Soulhof recommended), really useful.

 

[MechaX]

Interestingly, some of my friends want me to go through this game with them again (especially since they both rage-quitted 1-1 when they first started, but one of the two of them beat the game by seriously grinding in the first section of 4-1 for 40 hours. I am not even joking), even though I really want them to move on to Dark Souls already. Keep in mind that one of the two friends took advantage of a glitch to level up to Soul Level 200+ and still couldn't beat the Maneaters.

But anyway, assuming that I already played as a Strength build using Bone smasher and a Magic build, what would be another good "build" to use to shake things up?

 

[Dresden]

So, since i enjoyed Dark Souls so much, i decided to pick this up last week.
I'm finding the story far more interesting, although i still like the gameplay of Dark Souls better.
That said, i'm finding this a bit more frustrating, while 1-1 was very easy (easier than Dark Souls' beginning), i'm at 1-2 (just started) and the

Spoiler

Tower Knight crushed me as soon as i entered his arena

, but that's not the problem, the problem is the goddamn

Spoiler

bridge with 2 blue eyed knights + several crossbow knights + dragon spitting fire all over me, that i have to cross everytime i want to try my luck with the boss :\

.
I am a knight, i have no ranged solutions and i can't

Spoiler

lure them back one by one because of that fucking dragon pissing all over my strategy

.
Plus the bonefires in DaS were usually closer to the boss than that damn archstone (my be the frustration talking though).

Head to 5-1 or 4-1 first to grab the weapons there--5-1 has a Blessed Mace, while 4-1 has a Crescent Falchion. The bosses there aren't too difficult, either.

1-2 seems like a logical place to head to, but you can't even progress past that until

Spoiler

you clear out one of the other levels completely, anyways.

Hit up some of the other areas first.

 

[survivor]

I restarted the game again after getting bored of the magic build and went for a Strength based build. Having more fun this way. After 1-1 just went to 4-1 to grab the Crescent Falchion.

The Great Axe is the weapon I should be aiming for according to most builds online. It's available in 2-2, but am I even that ready to head there or should I just stick with my current weapon until I'm stronger?

 

[Dresden]

I restarted the game again after getting bored of the magic build and went for a Strength based build. Having more fun this way. After 1-1 just went to 4-1 to grab the Crescent Falchion.

The Great Axe is the weapon I should be aiming for according to most builds online. It's available in 2-2, but am I even that ready to head there or should I just stick with my current weapon until I'm stronger?

You're good to go. It's not until the end of 2-2 that you're going to see a bump in difficulty.

 

[zkylon]

You're good to go. It's not until the end of 2-2 that you're going to see a bump in difficulty.

lol ain't that the truth

 

[UrbanRats]

Thanks guys, proceeded with 2-1, to take some steam off.
luckily, that

Spoiler

spider

was quite easy (although all the way there i was shitting myself).
Now i'll look up for some good equipment, since the one i have right now is decent, but i'm still not comfortable with it (bastard Sword+2 - Mail breaker +4 - steel shield+3).
Especially the bastard sword, is slow and sucks a lot of stamina, but it doesn't deal a lot of damage and doesn't pierce.

 

[zkylon]

Thanks guys, proceeded with 2-1, to take some steam off.
luckily, that

Spoiler

spider

was quite easy (although all the way there i was shitting myself).
Now i'll look up for some good equipment, since the one i have right now is decent, but i'm still not comfortable with it (bastard Sword+2 - Mail breaker +4 - steel shield+3).
Especially the bastard sword, is slow and sucks a lot of stamina, but it doesn't deal a lot of damage and doesn't pierce.

Try all the X-1s before venturing into the X-2s. You get amazing equipment in some of those levels. You should be aware of this since you've played Dark Souls, but just try a different world if you get stuck. I did 3-1 the last of the X-1s because I kept getting lost there.

 

[UrbanRats]

Yeah, since the game is more linear, i had assumed it was meant to be played in a more straightforward way (like a Ninja Gaiden, almost).
Now i think i'm getting the hang of it, each world is a theme, not necessarily just harder than the one before it.
EDIT: Also, one of the archstones is broken (giants of the north, or something like that), do you ever get to venture there? i'd google it, but i'm afraid of big spoilers.

 

[JackSmithy]

nope

 

[zkylon]

Yeah, since the game is more linear, i had assumed it was meant to be played in a more straightforward way (like a Ninja Gaiden, almost).
Now i think i'm getting the hang of it, each world is a theme, not necessarily just harder than the one before it.
EDIT: Also, one of the archstones is broken (giants of the north, or something like that), do you ever get to venture there? i'd google it, but i'm afraid of big spoilers.

No, not really.

 

[oracrest]

Did anyone pick up the strategy guide for Demon's Souls? the one with the dead knight on the cover.

I was hoping to get some pictures of it, to get an idea of how big it is. Thanks in advance if anyone can do that for me

 

[Creamium]

Daayum, old king just

Spoiler

took about 10 levels from me

. Looks like I'm going to prepare my next try really well. And ditch heavy armor for faster rolls I guess. The wiki mentions a bow exploit, but I can't seem to hit him right after you exit the fog. Most other strategies involve spells, which I don't have.

Last boss I have left, and so far the cruelest...

 

[arglebargle]

Daayum, old king just

Spoiler

took about 10 levels from me

. Looks like I'm going to prepare my next try really well. And ditch heavy armor for faster rolls I guess. The wiki mentions a bow exploit, but I can't seem to hit him right after you exit the fog. Most other strategies involve spells, what I don't have.

Last boss I have left, and so far the cruelest...

i think he killed me more than any other boss in the game. i eventually did it melee, rather than those bitch made strategies like standing in the entrance and poisoning him for an hour. wasnt easy though. stay mobile, stay patient, i think it was useful to have a weapon with some reach.

in retrospect i think my build sucked in that game, and i may replay it to make a better character once i finish dark souls.

 

[B-Genius]

Thanks! I still browse it regularly, but rarely post. I am still going through playthroughs. I played it through once already, and started a bit on a NG+ I also have some close friends that start Demon's Souls for the first time, so I go back to that a little bit as well, and try to keep in their level range as they are going through it.

I got back into it on Xbox 360 since many of my friends only have that system, so I am just starting a character on that system. I am still working through it, finding new secrets, and trying not to spoil it as much, and "rediscover" the game again with new playthroughs. There is still a lot of this game that is beyond me still!!

Oh yeah, nice. I saw your recent post in there. Very sporting of you to help your buddies out. Wish I had a decent connection so I could arrange sessions with peeps back home...

Anyhoo, you take your sweet time and let us know when you start uploading videos

 

[zkylon]

Daayum, old king just

Spoiler

took about 10 levels from me

. Looks like I'm going to prepare my next try really well. And ditch heavy armor for faster rolls I guess. The wiki mentions a bow exploit, but I can't seem to hit him right after you exit the fog. Most other strategies involve spells, which I don't have.

Last boss I have left, and so far the cruelest...

I'm stuck on NG+ at that boss fight. I beat him melee on my first run, but it took me a lot of tries. To beat him I applied the same strategy I used for the whole game: protecting your life always comes before damaging your enemy (aka act like a total wuss). It took me longer, but not by much, and it was melee on melee, which makes me quite proud of myself. I suggest casting Second Chance or Warding, if you have them, to give yourself some room for error.

 

[arglebargle]

I'm stuck on NG+ at that boss fight. I beat him melee on my first run, but it took me a lot of tries. To beat him I applied the same strategy I used for the whole game: protecting your life always comes before damaging your enemy (aka act like a total wuss). It took me longer, but not by much, and it was melee on melee, which makes me quite proud of myself. I suggest casting Second Chance or Warding, if you have them, to give yourself some room for error.

i used no spells or miracles the entire game, but he gave me enough trouble that i thought about finding and using those two. seems like it would have made the experience less difficult. and you are completely right that preserving your life is more important that damaging enemies.

 

[fuzzyreactor]

how active is the pvp for this still? what levels? tired of dark souls

 

[Creamium]

Finished it. Took down Allant with a mix of the wuss strategy + melee. I'm surprised how

Spoiler

how little there was to the endgame. It's just a formality. Your last level boss is basically the end boss.

Started a NG+, but I'm just as tempted to start over with a magic user. Probably gonna wait a bit before jumping into Dark Souls. Tbh I wonder if I'll like it as much as this game. Big part of the charm here was the variety of level choices you had and how quickly you could jump between areas. Dunno if it's so easy in Dark with its connected world...

 

[Peace Tea]

Finished it. Took down Allant with a mix of the wuss strategy + melee. I'm surprised how

Spoiler

how little there was to the endgame. It's just a formality. Your last level boss is basically the end boss.

Started a NG+, but I'm just as tempted to start over with a magic user. Probably gonna wait a bit before jumping into Dark Souls. Tbh I wonder if I'll like it as much as this game. Big part of the charm here was the variety of level choices you had and how quickly you could jump between areas. Dunno if it's so easy in Dark with its connected world...

It's a huge pain in the ass, but after your first playthrough (and enough trial & error) you can map out the fastest 'running/travel' routes in Dark.

I'm guessing that appreciation for the nexus will grow as both of these games age.

 

[NEOPARADIGM]

I wonder if I'll like it as much as this game.

Dude, Dark Souls is fucking awesome.

And I'm the type of person to rarely say such things in fear of building something up too much for someone else.

It's not that "Demon's Souls ain't got shit on Dark Souls" or anything, but it's a wonderful sequel and you shan't be disappointed.

 

[zkylon]

Finished it. Took down Allant with a mix of the wuss strategy + melee. I'm surprised how

Spoiler

how little there was to the endgame. It's just a formality. Your last level boss is basically the end boss.

Started a NG+, but I'm just as tempted to start over with a magic user. Probably gonna wait a bit before jumping into Dark Souls. Tbh I wonder if I'll like it as much as this game. Big part of the charm here was the variety of level choices you had and how quickly you could jump between areas. Dunno if it's so easy in Dark with its connected world...

I played as a jack of all trades and I've ended up using magic a lot and it's a lot of fun. I'd suggest starting as Royalty. Soul arrow is an amazing spell to start with.

 

[Inanna]

Finished it. Took down Allant with a mix of the wuss strategy + melee. I'm surprised how

Spoiler

how little there was to the endgame. It's just a formality. Your last level boss is basically the end boss.

Started a NG+, but I'm just as tempted to start over with a magic user. Probably gonna wait a bit before jumping into Dark Souls. Tbh I wonder if I'll like it as much as this game. Big part of the charm here was the variety of level choices you had and how quickly you could jump between areas. Dunno if it's so easy in Dark with its connected world...

Wait til you play Dark Souls, the ending is faaaar inferior to that of Demon's Souls. And I too missed the nexus in Dark.

 

[Soulhouf]

Wait til you play Dark Souls, the ending is faaaar inferior to that of Demon's Souls. And I too missed the nexus in Dark.

I actually prefer Dark Souls endings.
Because at first you say WTF but when you do some research and understand more the story it all make sense. I love how it's done.