Dark Souls 3 - April 2016 : You Died, You Died, You Died

i dunno about you but what i really needed was a dark souls branded endless runner for my phone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LputQewHUIw

lol.

it's getting really hard to avoid knowing more about this game than i want to. truly excited.

feel like today opened the floodgates of early game DS3 footage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igWjGlNlgH0

so far it looks really good. a bunch of references to Dark Souls get spoiled in the above video btw.

i have seen some people freak out (not here of course) that it isn't a totally interconnected world like Dark Souls was. except Dark Souls wasn't. Undead Asylum was cut off from the rest of the world, so was Anor Londo, so was the Painted World.

i think the areas themselves will be bigger and more intricately designed. already just from watching this footage it looks 100x better than the starting Betwixt/Forest Of The Fallen Giants areas from DS2.

cannot wait to die.

i'm not worried about it. i know there's warping from the beginning, and Although I did love the parts of Dark Souls where it felt like you really might not be able to get back (like going down into Blighttown or the Great Hollow for the first time), I'm sure they know what they're doing.

I'm also super excited for pvp in this game. I never really did it in DS1 because i missed the learning curve (everyone still playing was already way too experienced for me to even learn from my mistakes, it seemed like), and by the time i wanted to go back and try, I didn't have XBL anymore. I kinda sucked at DS2 and didn't want to keep playing it after finishing, and played Demon's Souls offline on a borrowed PS3. But Bloodborne is where I finally did enough pvp to mentally relax and not care about dying (which is really 90% of it), and learn some of the psychological tricks (switching up attacks & weapons, not repeating attacks on people who will parry you, baiting people into getting parried, etc). Feel like this is going to transfer over to DS3 pretty well.

Worst parts of being into these games:

1) Looking at Reddit for info. I'd never actually looked at it before Bloodborne came out and the depressing parts definitely creep in.

2) Most people who make Souls videos are into terrible music.

3) Occasional hate mail from children when playing online.

Do these games have a story? And is there a larger, interconnected story?

they have a story but it's really up to the player to piece it together.

as for are the games connected there are many theories and i thought the world of 2 was largely completely disconnected from the world of 1 but 3 has a lot of things returning from 1 so who knows maybe we will be playing in the past or future of places we have been to before. the first game was tightly directed by creator Hidetaka Miyazaki, then he took on a more supervisory role for 2 so that he could make Bloodborne at the same time. 3 looks like it will be a return to form in many ways receiving his full attention and his intention for it to be the final game in the series. so chances are good there will be some overarching story themes concluded or fleshed out.

imo dark souls 1 starts when you are cursed/hollowed/undead. the main mechanic of the games - dying over and over - is part of the story. as a hollow you cannot die; that is your curse. this is the same with all of your non-boss enemies and many of the NPCs that populate the world. how this curse is tied into the king-queen-god-monsters whose thrones you usurp remains to be seen. the motivations for many characters, including the "helpful" ones who guide you, is unclear. the writing and voice acting is pretty great. then there are the major themes of the series: the meaning between Light and Dark, the flames, the bonfires and kindling, death and rebirth, etc.

i've beaten the two Dark Souls games multiple times and can barely grasp the story. there is a lot of symbolism and ambiguity there. if you want there are dozens of hours of lore analysis waiting for you on youtube.

i think from software's games are some of the greatest examples of environmental storytelling in gaming history tbh

what adam said, but basically the story is very vague and easy to miss/ignore (both the main one and those of the characters you meet). a lot of it has to do with reading the descriptions of the items you pick up.

i also love how it's done, partially because i like the option to completely ignore it much of the time. they provide just enough details to create atmosphere and let you fill in the gaps.

there is massive complex deep lore if you want it and it's totally not necessary to know while you play.
http://soulslore.wikidot.com/

3) Occasional hate mail from children when playing online.
― sam jax sax jam (Jordan), Thursday, March 3, 2016 2:07 PM

this is a plus in my book

playing the deep game

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.co.fromsoftware.darksoulscamera

important information imo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm4IOCkc5n0

I wonder if Burial is trying to get that next EP done before this comes out.

reviews coming in for this now, sounds like more of the same? http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-4/dark-souls-iii/critic-reviews

perfect

yeah not a bad thing. I'm a bit discouraged by he Polygon review which said that environment design is more akin to DS2 than DS though.

huh, my impression was that it's the opposite, we'll see i guess.

I saw this thread was updated and fully expected to click through and see this: (warning bare butt semi NSFW) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CfG10WFUYAAgTOm.jpg:large

Read a few conflicting reviews about world design and difficulty

Eurogamer's preview from the Japan build said it was slightly too easy, then the full Rich Stanton review from today said he wouldn't be surprised if the difficulty wasn't patched downwards because it's so brutal. Interesting to note he thought it spells out plot points and relies on fan service too much. I wonder if the localisation was by the same personnel as before?

The Eurogamer review is a bit too detailed re: locations and bosses for people who want to be surprised btw

Can I finish the Bloodborne DLC and late game in time to get DS3 on release then get burnt out by it, hm

he wouldn't be surprised if the difficulty WAS patched downwards ^

Read somewhere that one of the pre-release/review versions were easier in terms of low boss hp, at least in the beginning, but who knows. I'm sure there will be some early patches. I'm just looking forward to early days multiplayer chaos before everyone knows what they're doing.

apparently the XBox version everyone is playing early is a preview build that will be fixed in a day one patch. all enemies do lower damage to the player in the preview build.

i bought this yesterday, Steam said I was coming out April 11! i thought it was coming out April 12!

looks like it will unlock on the 11th at 7pm EST

I'll get a physical copy in the mail on the 12th, spent the rest of the day downloading the patches, then go out of town for work the rest of the week. ;_;

preordered a ps4 copy from an online retailer who often sends stuff out early - hoping it arrives tomorrow...

https://www.facebook.com/darksouls/videos/1069455576460819/

heh, just added that to the game-related lolz thread

omg my copy has shipped

goodbye weekend, i didn't have any plans 4 u anyway

so stoked for this, only know a few small facts about this and have kept myself in the dark to avoid over-hype like i fell for with 2 (which i wasn't into and didn't finish)

ahh why isn't tuesday now

very admirable, i let myself look at mechanics/weapons/pvp info, but drew the line at any levels/bosses/walkthrough videos.

order placed

2 days and 22 hours on steam

gahahah ShopTo sent me a dispatch e-mail at 12:30 and it came through my letterbox minutes later, say what you want about Royal Mail but

I'm on the Research Hall on the Old Hunters rn :/

no, my son is *also* named Vordt

Don't know if it's just me trying to go to back to a lumbering blubbertank character after playing a cardio freak in Bloodborne, but not really feeling the idea that the combat has been honed to perfection here, getting lots of camera lock-on fuck-ups and unwanted useless kicks coming out in critical situations

so far had very tough bits of levels but not really any tough bosses

mine now isn't arriving until Thursday, that's what i get from ordering from the evil empire.

watching Steam unpack this thing right now is torture!

alright i failed to get my brand new DS4 controller to work so i went KB+M (for now, hopefully someone will hack something to get this working)

but damn. this is already really great. i just fought a giant version of a common enemy in the other souls games and it was a lot of fun. i love having this speed in these games, this is going to be incredible.

art design is just draw dropping and dreamlike. i am just staring at corners for minutes looking at some strange beautiful scenery.

i've got to stop because i have work in the morning. but damn, this game is amazing. it LOOKS incredible, just the way light hits everything looks way more impressive than any Souls game. there is this cool green light left behind from your soul echoes in this game, which makes for some really cool lighting situations.

the game is hard too! ive been dying over and over in the beginning area for about an hour and a half, just loving it. the game looks amazing. that dragon draped over the entrance near the bridge is so cool. the combat/controls is flawless, perfect, all systems check. I would say Dark Souls: Championship Edition but the atmosphere in this is so thick and unique it really feels like a thing of its own. i love it!

http://i.imgur.com/I8z6Lk1.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/c3Vfqad.jpg

supposed to get here Wednesday. I am hyped.

went deprived, stuck on 1st boss. don't go deprived

there is no other way to go afaik

Ah, memories. Way to do it blind! I did it solo too, but I've played way too much of these games I guess.

Have you looked up what the humanity thing by the bonfire is about? That's one of those secrets that I never would have figured out on my own.

I did! and I've moved on. I forgot to mention but that run I described above net me half a million souls and I levelled up six times in the 90s bracket all at once, ha. I beat the Halflight boss first try and I quick look-ahead on the cheat sheet would indicate that I'm home stretch, just a dragon and a final boss. I think I will win it tonight, spend the next week casually ranking up every covenant, murder all the NPCs, re-spec for a strength build and then do an NG+. I'm jealous of all these people with giant weapons and huge armours and want a taste. Also I enjoyed NG+ on DS1 as a kinda high-speed closing credits recap of the game, taking four hours to accomplish what previously took 40, so I'm looking forward to the same on this game. I used summons on about half my boss fights and I'd like to do some solo attempts on easy mode

Did you get Halflight (npc version), or a player summoned as Halflight? I was reaaally hoping for the latter as it's one of the coolest features of the dlc, but not a lot of people hang around waiting to get summoned as the Spear of the Church these days so it was probably the npc. :(

What weapon are you running?

(also the dragon might take some time, it's pretty summon-resistant but worthwhile imo)

I just played over my lunch break. I did get PvP Halflight but won it first try, I lucked out, I guess. Attempted dragon a few times and failed failed failed. Brought in a couple friends and won it on the fifth try.

I'm playing a very-high dexterity build with a sharp Lothric straight sword. I play two-handed with a Grass Crest on my back and I rely on my Pharis bow maybe too often with certain beasts. I have maxed sharp Sellswords on hand too in case I come up against something very fast.

I ate my lunch while waiting for Church summons. A thrilling time fighting somebody who had brought along two friends. I couldn't Estus, which I didn't understand, but I figured was the result of a spell or a Lloyd or something. I murdered the two friends, danced around the main opponent waiting for my Estus to reset, it didn't, so waited until a Painting accomplice rushed her and then went in for the kill. Beat three people in one round with no Estus, very satisfying!

sharp Lothric straight sword

Ah, a person of taste. As much as I try I keep this on every build I make, it's just too good -- the sweeping range that nearly hits behind you, the thrust, the two-handed moveset, the guard break. My main pvp character is sl44 with this in the right hand and a Great Scythe in the off-hand for range (secondary weapons are caestus for parries + perseverance with the straight sword, and a fire dagger for quick step in swampy areas).

Nice! Yeah as a boss you don't get any estus, but you do get Dark Souls 1 level poise. A lot of people bring blessed regen items and healing miracles as the church boss.

After I got handily dispatched in PvP by one, I switched over to a sharp spiked mace and I'm so happy with it. Finished NG. I don't think I can recall a better series of final bosses than there are in this game... Midir and Gael especially feel like some kind of high-water marks

One of my favourite moments in DS1 was the first time I won NG and plowed through the first half of the game in NG+ in a couple of hours. I started doing the same in DS3 and it's just amazing how small the world is compared to how it felt the first play through... how I had to carefully strategize every section, remember every enemy's location. It doesn't feel as if the ease with which I play is a product of "higher stats, better gear" so much as it is "Man Of Pus doesn't scare me any more"

Consistently the most overpowered enemy on the second play through is the evangelist. It feels like they levelled-up their spiked mace to match my own

I read up and understand now what they mean by "meta level" and I am halting my character's development at SL 128 to hopefully enjoy some PvP. I intend to keep running my high-DEX setup but will likely switch to mage-mage if my patience permits me a NG++ run

Congrats!

I actually opted out of meta-level pvp a long time ago, the damage is so high that you can die in three hits, and everyone's got everything on their builds (hornet ring, tears of denial, chaos bed vestiges, etc).

I've got a sl44±4 character that I use in the Cathedral through central irithyll, a sl66+6 for Pontiff, and a sl77+7 for Grand Archives. I've found a lot more groups actually trying to get through the levels that way, and for me it's more fun to fight a group of players who maybe aren't pvp experts than dueling one person who is (although they can be fun too). But groups at meta level who are just trying to crush invaders, I burnt out on that.

Also lower-level pvp is fun because the damage to health ratio is more forgiving. You can take a bunch of hits, make mistakes and learn from them, and also need to apply pressure instead of playing passively and waiting for that one big parry or whatever.

I def. feel like I missed out not playing online, but I don't feel like I missed too much. It almost sounds like a different game.

It kinda is! Certainly a completely different set of skills. You don't have to worry about pressuring or roll-catching the AI, or playing parry mind games.

Yeah, I was reading something about the mirror knight in DS2, where it can summon another player, and a lot of people pointed out that it summoning an NPC is not too bad, but if it succeeds in summoning a player the player could be a lot more trouble than the boss.

Same for the spear of the church in DS3, and the Old Monk in Demon's. I guess they just skipped the 'player as boss' in DS1 and BB.

I really lucked out I guess with my Halflight PvP moment. I went in solo and beat the guy solo. Since then I've "been the boss" about twenty times, each time there were 1-2 accomplices, and I've only managed to hold my ground against them.. 25% of the time?

Also you're not kidding about "meta PvP". I'm getting destroyed. Nosomuch because I can't go toe-to-toe with an invader, and more because there are clearly some tactics involved. I've had invaders suddenly backed up by one or two identically dressed helpers. Invaders making a bee-line for the most dangerous part of the area and letting a mob of enemies do the job. I've been playing Darkmoon as my covenant and I get summoned most often to late-stage DLC areas (Dregs, Ringed City) and my SL 130 character, weakened by the summon, is definitely struggling with Ringed and Haldar Knights that I would otherwise not have issues with. One Dark Spirit cleverly led us into the death from above area of Ariendel and I didn't even have time to roll away between the thunderbolts from the tower.

One particularly nasty summon found me and the Dark Spirit in the entry zone of Ringed City with the 100 phantom archers. I was able to murder the dude in a Saint Sebastian fever dream