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

reading up on mechanics / menus / stats / weapons / etc goes a long way and is almost necessary, but its best to avoid level walkthroughs unless ur rly lost or stuck

Also, yeah, it can be a good idea to just walk away and come back later with a cool head sometimes.
― circa1916, Monday, January 6, 2014 3:20 PM

for me it was like months before i picked it up again

1 weird tip: forest covenant pvp = fast ca$h! i netted 1 million souls thru killing one hi-level scrub

i picked it up again and beat the Taurus demon (by knocking him off the bridge/getting lucky)! but i feel like i fucked up by not picking the master key at the beginning, no way to get the drake sword (which of course i only know about from looking shit up online). also my main sword is about to break so i'm stuck using one of the many dumb battle axes i picked up (or the claymore with no shield, i guess).

You don't need the Master Key to get the Drake sword. Unless I'm forgetting something? Just get a bow and a ton of arrows and repeatedly shoot the dragon's tail from underneath bridge. Will definitely give you a leg up early on, just don't rely on it for too long because it doesn't scale with your stats.

i didn't have a bow, because i hadn't found the merchant. i started a new character for fun but got stuck on the taurus demon this time, although i did find the merchant, which is totally useful. maybe i'll go back to my knight character now that i can backtrack and fix my sword, although if i can just beat the stupid demon i'll be close to the same spot. this game.

i'd say avoid the drake and stick w/ longsword, claymore or grab the zweihander in the firelink graveyard

hmm i have a claymore for my knight character but i don't think i'm strong enough to use it properly, and losing the shield seemed like a bad idea.

also i feel like i'm much better at backstabbing (and fighting in general) when i don't lock on to enemies -- is this just because i suck?

nah lock-on is only there to help if you need it. a lot of boss fights go better without using it.

if you've haven't reached the blacksmith yet (he sells a longsword) you could just level up strength and dex a couple times to match the claymores 1-hand requirements (the numbers in red in the weapon stats are the ones to shoot for)

solid, thanks

got back into this in a big way for about two weeks in december. most of the enemies i'm up against now are frustratingly difficult: maw dragon, stray demon back in the original asylum, water hydra, running past the ghosts, blue drakes, twin gargoyles (which are giving me more trouble than they should)... wish i had more spare time.

stray demon is total asshole but optional

Stray Demon's a good example of a boss that's easier w/out lock on. Unload eqpmt until you can fast roll and just keep yourself behind him. Might be worth summoning (NPC or otherwise) for Gargoyles and Maw. If you can get your poise up and get yourself a shield w/ decent stability, Hydra isn't too bad. I generally find it easier to fight the ghosts in the Ruins than to run past. They can pile up on you in a nasty way. Get yourself a transient curse and kill a few of them to get more, it's not an uncommon drop. I ended up with way more than I needed by the time I beat that level.

ok i feel like i'm in a better position now, i went back to my original knight and backtracked to the merchant to fix up my weapons, buy a bow, get a key to get that gold pine resin, grind a little, etc. then i was able to get to the next bonfire (by the blacksmith). lots of scary looking paths available now.

glad to hear those ghosts drop transient curse... i used all mine up and tried to run around them. i have one left, may go farming.

u can buy them too from the creepy lady in the cell

doesn't she run out?

new DS2 trailer

http://youtu.be/svZBy_scUdg

so I'm finally playing through DS 1 (I got it last year, played up until the Taurus demon and got so frustrated I put it away until a few weeks ago) and I have found that there's little more liberating then going into new situations with few souls because otherwise I'm freaking out about losing 30,000 and then I lose them and I want to pack it in.

http://a.psblogstatics.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/01/The+average+Dark+Souls+day_bd22d9_4810083.gif

rang the first bell! i mean, after not being able to quite take the gargoyles solo, so i kept clearing out the church area until i had some humanity, then left my character in a 'safe' hallway to help my girlfriend bring in the groceries, came back to find that i died, did it all again, and summoned lautrec to help me.

is it wrong to feel like i just finished the 'tutorial' and the game is only really starting now?

I just made it to Anor Londo and I'm thinking this is the halfway point? Maybe more?

i made a low-level darkwraith (red invader) and kicked someone off the drake sword bridge

also invaded the forest and found 2 nude ppl fist-fighting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8Yvy1HgL1I

this is on sale for 4.99 for xbox gold members right now

whoa cool, I will finally try this then

see u in the burg ;]

Large Edge feature on DSII
http://www.edge-online.com/features/dark-souls-ii-fromsoftwares-quest-to-create-the-last-great-adventure-of-the-ps3-and-360-generation/

whoa cool, I will finally try this then

― Euler, Tuesday, January 21, 2014 7:02 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

You don't try Dark Souls, Dark Souls tries you......

So Dark Souls “celebrity” EpicNameBro has been hired by Future Press to work on the DS2 guide. Supposedly he’s the only one outside of From who’s played through the entire thing and he had this to say:

https://twitter.com/epicnamebro/status/424709538025967616
https://twitter.com/EpicNameBro/status/424750288684077056

Slight conflict of interest there, but for a guy who’s spent so much of his life dedicated to digging deep into this series, that’s notable.

blighttown.

:(

bring purple mosses

i spent a long time in the garden so i have plenty, haven't had to use any though since i've been dying moments after getting poisoned/made toxic. only had about 20 min to dip my toes in though.

i watched a couple youtube videos on it this morning, less to get specific strategies or routes than to reassure myself that it can be done.

Go back to the undead asylum and get the rusted ring. it'll let you walk/sprint normally in the swamp.

i have it! the next trick will be making it down to the swamp.

Do you know the back way in? Easier then going through the sewers and you can just run past the big club guys.

the poison dart guys don't respawn after they're killed, if you haven't noticed that already. also, the spider shield is your friend.

blighttown is intimidating at first, but it's really not too bad once you get an idea of how it's put together.

Do you know the back way in?

nah, but googling indicates that i either need the master key (which i don't have) or need to go through some scary areas where i haven't been yet?

yeah it's amazing how psychological this game is, it's not only learning the enemy attack patterns etc but being relaxed/familiar enough not to choke and make dumb moves.

Yeah, possibly. I think you have to go all the way down and then up again in Blighttown to get out and grab the key from a corpse.

yeah, best to proceed from where you came in at this point. also, if you happen to stumble across a place called The Great Hollow, DO NOT mess with it at this point in the game. i got myself in a nasty mess in there on first play through.

done & done

I don't know how you'd stumble across it, it's incredibly well-hidden imo!

yeah, i did the master key to get there.
i really wanna get back to playing this. dark souls requires month breaks to calm the soul(s).

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

i'm gonna die

the lighting during that fight looks so cool. man, this is like 6 weeks now? if this was coming out on next gen too i think i'd be buying a ps4

i might have to put aside DS1 to give it a shot, i like the idea of playing it before everyone's discovered every little thing.