DARK SOULS: if you need me i'll be in an induced coma so mvrch comes tomorrow

I was getting deaded over and over again by Six Angry Skeletons in this weird pit in the Tombs. Went online and found zero workable strategies for melee characters. What to do?

Figured it out on my own. I waited til Three of the Six were clustered near me, swinging at the wall, and did a drop attack. With my fiery sword? all three were dead immediately.

Ha, decided to make amends later and do Anor Londo, then mid battle Onion Knight ran up behind me and killed me.

Alright, now here's a prototypical Dark Souls story. I had planned to save absolving myself for later, but while I was exploring Anor Londo and specifically trying to take down the titanite demon (so close!), an angry Onion Knight would every once in a while run out of nowhere and relentlessly chase after me. One time he chased me all the way back to the bonfire, where I rested - and he was still there when I woke up! (And killed me.) So I decided to first figure out how to open the front gate (which introduced me to the giant blacksmith, who I enlisted to upgrade my Heater+10 to the Great Shield of Sif that I'm not strong enough to carry yet), hoofed it all the way back to the belltower, and discovered it would cost me 35,000 souls to clear my conscience. So grind I did, saved the souls, was absolved, then hoofed it all the way back to Anor Londo (skipping the archers this time, though avoiding more giant magic knights), found my way back to the bonfire, and ... now Solaire is gone? He was there before, where did he go? He's not going to try and kill me now, is he?

did he go missing only after onion knight chased you to the bonfire? i don't recall precisely when he moves on from sitting at the bonfire, maybe it's after killing the boss, maybe it's before that (meeting the blacksmith, opening the shortcut)? i'd say don't worry about it, afaik using oswald will not mess with other npcs storylines

Yeah, he went missing after onion knight chased me, or at least, I didn't know he was missing until I came back from my boondoggle. Don't think I opened the shortcut (unless you mean the front gates?) and I haven't encountered the boss yet, just the titanite demon.

there are 2 shortcuts, the big front gates opened with the lever inside the main hall with the magic giant knights, and the small side gate outside the blacksmith's

Yeah, I haven't left the blacksmith route yet, maybe I'll open that door just to do it. Still need to kill the titanite demon, which is tough. Oh, wait, just looked at fgti's summary, don't have to kill that demon! Fuck that guy, I'll skip it.

I love how no two people will play this game the same way. There is almost always another way, another order, another weapon, another cheese, another strategy or shortcut.

I don't know if he's a titanite demon or what but he's my least favourite recurring creature. Surprisingly dangerous (to me, also) are those serpent mages? they don't look like shit but they always get me

I did really appreciate that the Beast Skeletons in the Tomb Of The Giants were extremely fucking me up and it was only because I'd fallen into a set battle rhythm with the majority of the other creatures, and they required me to tighten things up. They were murdering me! and then I just started fighting them faster and then they were murdered

Yeah, snake people fuck me up, too.

Have you summoned anyone for help yet? I generally play skeleton, because I die all the time, but I know it's an option for boss battles if you turn human first.

Yeah I summoned for Bell Gargoyles and Quelaag. Maybe one or two others.

I haven't made it to the Anor Londo bosses, though I know where they are and am probably ready, but every time I'm about to dive in I look and see I have 2/3rds of the souls I need to level up. So I grind for more souls until I have enough, spend them and level up, then make my way through the keep and then ... accumulate a lot of souls again. And so on. I did beat the titanite demon, though, so there's that. I think next time I spark up the PS4 I'll tackle the bosses. Oh, and I did get my STR up enough to wield that shield, and it seems to be going well, though it does also seem to add enough weight to make rolling slower. A better compromise for now seems to be two-handing whatever weapon with the grass shield on my back, esp. as I start fighting enemies whose attacks are better to avoid or dodge than to block with a shield.

Like, for sheer wallop, the snake sword +10 seems to be pretty good. My claymore +10 is my generic go-to. My katana +10 is my stunt sword, for fast or specialty work. My divine mace +5 is for skeletons. The zweihander I've only used when I'm messing around, because it's sloooooooooow. There are tons of weapons I have never used, maybe I'll mess around with them later.

I've just stuck with Quelaag +4 (still waiting on some Demon Titanite for the +5), the Lightning Spear (+5). I have some other shit lying around that I've upgraded but idk! I love fire damage. I know I'm not making the best use of Quelaag because I don't carry much humanity around with me but.. it's fine. I have a Divine Longsword for Catacombs stuff.

New Londo Ruins is really weird and sad! It's like Zelda's Water Temple crossed with Auschwitz. I wonder at what point to art directors decide that it's time to use a collection of pixels that depict "a decaying human body" to wrap around their environments? Like, I don't feel terrified so much as mystified that "this was the decision that was made".

Part of what made Zelda BOTW so powerful was all the remnants of ancient battles (that crazy warfield, or the detritus around Akkala Tower) but that it was all dead or sleeping Guardians. Very effective method of conveying "a battle happened here" rather than just piles of rotting corpses. But hey, idk, I used to think the boss Legion on Symphony Of The Night was "pretty cooL" when I was a teenager and that's just a giant booger of corpses.

New Londo was probably the most confusing environment to navigate for me (and then you factor in the darkness, and the scary ghost ladies/curse mechanics).

I used to think the boss Legion on Symphony Of The Night was "pretty cooL" when I was a teenager and that's just a giant booger of corpses

if giant boogers of corpses aren't cool then i don't wanna be cool tbh

O&S - down! I was able to beat Smough on my own but other guy seemed a little tricky, or at least I knew how long it would take me to get him down as well. So for the first time I summoned someone, Solaire, and it made it pretty easy, tbh, or at least easy enough, since I already had a Smough strategy. Now ... I have no idea where to go next. I can go back to the Catacombs, New Londo Ruins, um. Was there something to do/explore after I killed Queelag? Once I was done with her I just left, but I think there is another boss or fire or something?

Cool! Nothing wrong with some help from Solaire, although playing against them solo can be more like what I alluded to upthread. More like pvp, where you sometimes need to keep track of multiple aggressive opponents, keep them both on you screen, play unlocked at times, maybe run in one direction while keeping the camera behind you, etc.

There is in fact a whole path beyond Quelaag with multiple bosses that's required for finishing the game.

have you already talked to frampt, or not at all yet? there are... options

is he the one in Firelink or is there another giant dragon monster?

with o&s, sometimes I felt like I was just fighting with the camera.

he's shows up in firelink after you ring both bells.

if you do speak to him again after getting the lordvessel he'll tell you exactly what to do to beat the game. but you don't need advice from an old snake to do that, do you?

I talked to him earlier, he already said I was the chosen one. because of course I am.

Soooo I take it both of you *somehow* knew to kill Lautrec (the knight you rescue from the church before the gargoyles) early on?

oh, I totally killed him earlier because of that walkthrough i looked at. got me his ring, which I'm sure has helped, even though it has limited the number of rings I can use. so far I have to say that if I did not consult a guide, or looked at any walkthroughs, or asked you guys for advice, this game would have been literally impossible. It is hard enough with hints and tips. right now I am exploring the catacombs blind and I think I have killed everything except for one archer I can't find anywhere. And I have no idea where to go. Basically one sliver of red health, no more estus. And I wouldn't have made it that far if I didn't know how to use a Divine weapon. oh, and there is what I suspect is a titanite demon hiding in the dark at the end of the tunnel, but I am in no condition to even try to fight it. And I don't want to die wherever I am, because I don't know how to get out.

That is, the game is hard enough without letting it mess with you. Speaking of which, I became human to summon Solaire and have somehow stayed human, so now I am getting a few (still offline) messages here and there. Like one that said "treasure inside" or something but also lead me to an ambush.

Do you have a homeward bone? And iirc correctly the way forward is somewhere near that titanite demon. Don't be afraid to die, you'll figure it out eventually.

So, if you hadn't killed Lautrec, he would have eventually killed the mute woman at Firelink and extinguished the fire, but then after O&S you'd get to invade his world and take revenge on him and his buddies, which is pretty satisfying.

Eh, I'll live.

Oh, I do have a homeward bone! That takes me to the last bonfire, right? Phew. Still haven't found a second bonfire in the catacombs, just the one toward the start.

Rolled on through New Londo, I think my build is good and most of the time I die it's because I'm getting mobbed or a slip off a path. Beat the Four Kings on my first try (used a Green Moss). Went back and killed the Titanite Demons in Sen's basement and used the Demon Titanite to upgrade my Quelaag to +5.

Demon Ruins was fairly challenging. Really hate the material-soaking worms and nearly lost everything to them. Was feeling confident enough to start carrying around 10 humanity with me to keep my Quelaag super-powerful and it is very worth it. Didn't lose anything. Made it to Centipede, murdered him second try, did a little guidebook reading and apparently I need to Covenant with the Spider Woman? Give her 30 souls? So Solaire stays on my side? Well, I gave her my 10. Gotta figure out where to get the rest.

right now I am exploring the catacombs blind and I think I have killed everything except for one archer I can't find anywhere

one that said "treasure inside" or something

Still haven't found a second bonfire in the catacombs

Gotta figure out where to get the rest.

Beat the Four Kings on my first try

I can't remember if the first bonfire in catacombs was behind a breakable wall, but that's the one I have found. Oddly enough, I have been randomly hitting walls throughout my play in the catacombs, but haven't found any second bonfire yet. Will keep looking!

Beat the Four Kings on my first try

Agreed, this is not ok

the first is the one with a necromancer in the bonfire room, full of bugs crawling on the walls and floor and with a switch that opens the gate that leads outside, you literally can't miss it because it's how you gain access to the catacombs area

I have been randomly hitting walls

the breakable wall is unrelated to the bonfire, it was about the archer you couldn't find but maybe i'm confusing things again, i don't recall if the "treasure inside" dev message is outside or inside the wall so perhaps you've already broken it

You could see the "treasure inside" glow behind the wall, so I broke that, but when I went in I think I fell or was shot or something. Didn't die, though! And got the treasure, even if like many things in this game I don't know if it's an online only reward or any sort of big deal, or just something to add to my collection of swords and shit.

I def. found the first bonfire. But I also I found my way all the way to the titanite demon, which seems to be the way to go to the boss, but I didn't find a second bonfire, so maybe I found my way without going the right way?

Speaking of invisible wall, while wandering around I found some walls with bits and pieces of skeletons glitching through it, but I have no idea how to get to them, since the wall doesn't break.

Idk why I'm doing OK against the bosses!

Sif: He murdered me first try, and I went to the bar, and drank a pint of beer, and watched a video of "how to beat Sif", and saw that the player was rolling toward him, staying close. Killed him with zero estus left and a sliver of health remaining on my second try.

Quelaag: I think it took me four or five tries, and gave in and used a summon on my fifth try. Killed her with zero estus left and a sliver of health remaining.

Iron Golem: First try, but I was nearly dead.

Priscilla: Was slaughtered on my first try, landed no hits, but lucked out on my second, and lightning speared her and circled her until she was dead. Easy kill.

O&S: I beat Fat One first try but got murdered by Hot One. Decided to try a second time solo with no summons. Just kept backing away until there was a nice opening. Beat Fat One quickly and took down Hot One with the same ease, relatively, as a Royal Sentinel.

Nito: First try? Maybe second. He is not hard once you realize that the black parts of him take no damage.

Pinwheel: Uh. I don't think I even needed any Estus for him.

Seath: First try. He whomped me with his tail and I nearly died, but I got him. I was having, weirdly, trouble fighting those crabs, and really wanted to get out of that weird and shitty area.

Four Kings: I died a lot in New Londo-- three drakes at once, falling, getting ganged up on by two or more of those Horned Kings, forgetting that my Transient Curse needed a re-up and getting scissored by the sisters. I was tired of making my way there from Firelink so I very meticulously read a walkthrough, and I'm glad I did. I only had one Green Moss on me (for the Stamina boost) and I used it and beat the clock on each King.

Ceaseless Discharge: Third try, and again, all Estus drunk and only a sliver left.

Centipede: Second try, with Solaire summoned. Came very close the first try! Got in the last four hits on only a sliver of health left, but couldn't land the last one (or two).

I don't have tonnes of experience with games like this, really-- 3D combat? not so much. But I got so good at Dead Cells this year that my reflexes are good. And this game has the same kind of "consult the FAQ for secrets" appeal as like Nethack, ADOM, and other games that I love to steamroll through.

And like, even if I'm doing good mid/late game (largely, honestly, thanks to how wonderful the Shield of Astorius is, and that I'm running Vitality 33, Endurance 35, Strength 40, Dexterity 20 at the moment, with no points put into any other attribute), I was immensely struggling early-game. Taurus Demon took me seven tries. Bell Gargoyles like ten. I lost count of how many times the Stray Demon murdered me, but it's probably around thirty-- I came back much later with my Giant Armor and super-powered weapons and he still murdered me a couple times.

Are you using magic or spells or anything like that? I have been purely sword and shield (give or take a bow and arrow) this whole game, but could totally see playing it again sometime in the future a totally different way. Even if I know what's coming.

No, no magic, no spells. Arrows VERY rarely (I used the Dragon Bow and Dragon Arrows on, like, the Undead Dragon in Valley Of Drakes). I swap between Quelaag and a Lightning Claymore for weapons, pretty much always use Shield Of Artorius. Giant Armour or Havel Armour; swap out to Dingy or Gold-Banded when necessary. Wearing the Favour And Protection Ring and Havel's Ring. Have been fastidious about upgrading, cashing in my souls. Not really a large amount of grinding except that I've probably killed 50-75 Royal Sentinels on my path from Princess Bonfire to Giant Blacksmith.

Ooh, so you did the Painted World! I was wondering if either if you went in.

Fgti, since you're getting very close to endgame, make sure you look up how to access the dlc areas since you have to do it before the final boss.

(lol @ Hot One)

I haven't done painted world yet. Is that in Anor Londo?

xpost With all that heavy stuff, are you just basically an unstoppable tank? Don't do a lot of rolling?

Ugh, just figured out where to go in Catacombs and encountered those wheel skeletons for the first time. Little did I know they roll back. And then a black knight attacked me? That's harsh.

That part is a gauntlet, I just run for my little life.

(yeah, the entrance to the Painted World is through a painting in Anor Londo)

wheel skeletons <3

the treasure is the darkmoon ring and it's sort of a big deal but the kind it's hard to figure out on your own. like the dlc, don't do the final boss without looking into it

catacombs bonfire spoilers: the second bonfire is in the open area with the waterfall and rotating spiked bridges. there's an invisible wall near the switch that rotates the bridge

Fuckin' invisible walls and special treasures with no explantation. I love it. I mean, I hate it, but I love it. But I hate it.

that bonfire is one of the better hidden ones, on the other side of the waterfall near the other switch that rotates the first bridge you can hear the high pitched bonfire noise and see it through a crack in the wall. they tease you with a glimpse of it and if you pay attention next time you're out in the open you'll remember to look for it.

and of course the entrance is carefully placed in a side path near one of the switches AND in a wall right next to one of the trap spike statues to prevent players from finding it by accident on the one time they go that away because once you've moved the bridge you'll probably never do it again (unless you're pvp'ing and want to send someone to their death)

the wheel skeletons are total bastards, i hate those fuckers

(lol @ Hot One)

ws either of them

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJPp9ZyUGFg

Okay, dropped down to kill the Black Knight a different way then successfully outran the skeleton wheels. But Pinwheel, what is up with that dude? Along with the butterfly it's almost like a training/tutorial boss. So weird that the first couple of bosses you encounter are so much more challenging than bosses (incl. Iron Golom) you encounter later on. There must be a reason for it, since so much of the rest of the game is steeped in huge difficulty spikes and obscure challenges/mysteries. It's hard to believe they just ran out of time or something and figured, hey, here's a freebie