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

If I'm being honest, probably ... late fall 2018 or winter 2019. I play the long game (and these games are long).

Temperature's down, overcast day ... I think I'm diving into Dark Souls later! Wish me luck.

bookmarked

this year i finally got to grips with this game after dying a lot when i gave DS3 a feeble attempt a few years ago.

you're gonna have a great time!

lol was stuck on the very first screen, where it says to adjust the brightness so that you could see the fire but not the dragon. But I could never see the dragon, even on 10, so I set it to 8 or something. Otherwise, so far, so good! I haven't made it that far, but I did kill the asylum demon (on my third try?), and I've been accumulating ... stuff. No idea what any of it does. And while wandering into that graveyard early on gets my ass kicked by skeletons, I don't think I've lost all my souls yet. Unless I just did, but quitting the game before I retrieved them from where the skeletons killed me? Doesn't matter much, I used most of my other souls to level up a few things at the first bonfire.

This is my first even PS4 game, btw, so I have to get used to the controller/camera. Also, creating my character was kind of dumb, but that's neither here nor there. Someone recommended being a warrior your first time, so that is what I am. Others have recommend playing defense more by movement and less with a shield, so I have been fighting like that so far, too. But I'm enjoying it!

I’ve got a preorder for the Switch ver on the books but I’m tempted to cancel since I’m not sure I’ll care. But on the other hand it’s a whole phenomenon I haven’t experienced yet.

I was going to get it on the Switch, but then I thought fuck it after the umpteenth delay. The only advantage is portability, but for this type of game the screen is too small for me.

you almost waited long enough to start playing it for the Switch release to roll around!

That's true! Though there was just as good a chance that had I waited for the Switch version I would have just started my mental clock then.

you're still a weirdo either way

I mean I hear you have children so I suppose that's a mitigating factor

You have no idea.

I think playing Hollow Knight first did indeed prime me for this. I'm still at the start and have died a lot, but mostly by experimenting and practicing when I don't really have much to lose. There are so many stats and items and bullshit that I'm worried I'm going to miss something, but that's only encouraged me to take it all in and take my time.

Right mindset. Explore, be confused, struggle, DIE, overcome, be elated, all that Souls stuff.

Plz update frequently here because it’s oddly fun for old heads to hear about someone’s first time with the game and we can give subtle, non-spoilery suggestions if need be.

Well, I'm still mucking around, since months ago I watched a play through up to the second or third boss (to know what I was in for) and then stopped, so in these very early stages I broadly know what's in store at some points but not in so much detail that I'm not still getting lost and surprised and messed with. For example, I was hit by the boulder coming down the stairs, even though I knew it was coming! But on the other hand, I beat the asylum demon on the third try, which is not some incredible feat, except I've seen accounts that even that boss has given some folks trouble, and I figured, hey, if I get stuck with him then maybe I'm over my head.

One lesson I've already learned is that ... you don't have to fight everything! For example, that first graveyard with the skeletons, I assume it's totally avoidable, because I cannot believe anyone can survive an onslaught of giant and regular killer skeletons that regenerate and kill you in a few hits. At the same time, you can generally outrun or even avoid the baddies, if you're smart about things, or at least draw them to a more favorable area, and in this case it's so close to the fire that you might as well give it a shot and find cool stuff. (Which I think I did, but it's hard to know.) The skeletons have been useful in another regard, and that's as fighting practice. Even if they constantly kill me, I'm learning how to parry, and if that means one successful parry for every three times I get hit and killed, that's better than nothing. And speaking of parrying, I saw some accounts that it's even better to play defensively but without a shield, so I've been experimenting with that, too.

Also getting over the newbie hump of accidentally drinking from a flask.

Anyway, I'm in absolutely no hurry, but I do like the game so far, and look forward to more (not least because I'm barely into it). The great thing is that so many people have played this game so many different ways, so any and all answers are out there, and yet it's still sort of this cult thing, as mysterious as I want it to be.

Sounds like you're doing just fine.

As far as shield/no shield, it mostly depends on weapon moveset imo. Shields are great as long as you don't use them as a crutch and learn how to dodge too. I.e, I like to use a katana and mostly go two-handed (because it does more damage) , but will switch back for blocks/parries, or if I'm in a narrow corridor and want to use the thrust that's part of the one-handed moveset.

Yeah, I'm still getting used to the controls and what does what. I have a couple of swords, maybe a bow and arrows, the morning star mace (which wipes out my stamina?), some bombs, but I mostly use the second sword I got. Longsword?

Some guide suggested for leveling up to focus at first on the two or three traits your build already has relatively high. Seem like the right strategy?

I don't want to ruin your 1st playthrough by spoiling or otherwise giving too much advice but i'll just say don't put any points into the resistance stat when levelling up

I picked a warrior, and it started relatively high in strength, dexterity and ... endurance? So those are the stats I've been (modestly) leveling up so far.

Endurance is always a safe bet. And vitality.

I am advancing as slowly as a football game. I think I must have already missed the second (real) bonfire, since I keep getting kicked back to firelink shrine, so I should probably check what I didn't see. I've gotten my ass kicked by a few ambushes, where two or three baddies just corner me and kill me (a la Doom, sort of). I'm impressed by the AI so far!

One thing I may have discovered for myself, unless I did something wrong, is that if you quit the game before dying I think you resume where you left off, not at the last bonfire. Because there aren't really checkpoints other than bonfires in this otherwise, are they?

Here'a question: I keep accumulating weapons and other crap. 1) is there a limit to what I can carry and will it affect my character's abilities? 2) Are there serious pros and cons to various weapons, or is it just a matter of a point higher here or a point lower there? I think I get the idea of scaling - certain weapons will do better paired with certain stats, right? - but (maybe again like Doom) is it fine, despite the arsenal, to just pick one or two weapons you like the most and save the rest for specialty work, as needed? For example, I think I have a bow and arrow, and some firebombs, so those are my ranged weapons. Will it be obvious when I should use them? And swords and close weapons, are they by and large comparable? At least at the start? No doubt there are nuts who have beaten this with the introductory broken sword hilt.

the game autosaves constantly, everything you do is permanent unless you resort to ps+ upload save scumming. if you quit from the ingame menu you'll always return to where you were (there might be exceptions like boss fights and such)

however, iirc in dark souls when you find a new bonfire, unless you light it *and* sit down (and thus reset all enemies even when you don't want to) you won't respawn in the new bonfire when you die but maybe they fixed this for the re-release

1. there's only equipped gear weight limit/penalties and it's visible in the ui, unequipped inventory does not count towards that and is harmless apart from being a major pita to navigate the equipment menu when you have 30 straight swords and 20 hollow soldier armours cluttering the view. i don't know how you feel about mechanical spoilers so i'll refrain from talking more about stats

2. use the weapons you feel most comfortable with, there are big differences between weapons but I think most if not all character builds are viable.
damage types matter a lot in specific situations, ie ENEMY is very resistant to TYPE_X but weak against TYPE_Y. sometimes it will be obvious, sometimes the game will tell you what to use if you talk to the right npc or if you read item descriptions, sometimes you need to infer from the backstory, and failing all that there's always trial and error

ugh, sounds like spreadsheet work

not really, my post made it look a lot worse than it is, i first got through the game wihout understanding anything about scaling, weapon upgrades, enemy resistances and all that.

common sense applies: if you level up dexterity a lot, favour weapons with good dex scaling and good moveset, etc. if you're hitting enemies in an area for 200 damage and then suddenly a new enemy appears and you only hit for 50, then it's probably resistant to what you're using.

is there fast travel from one bonfire to the next? for example, if I'm in undead burg, can I go back to firelink? will I want to? do I have to walk back?

That’s something you acquire later in the game. Not immediately available at the outset.

ok. and per your previous post, does that mean those details are the sorts of things I need to be paying attention to, how much damage I am doing? I've just been hitting things until they die.

ok. and per your previous post, does that mean those details are the sorts of things I need to be paying attention to, how much damage I am doing? I've just been hitting things until they die.

xp

then you're doing just fine, don't overthink this. ds is not a min-maxing game, no need for spreadsheets or dps comparisons, i'm sorry if my post misled you

if something is causing you frustration to the point of ruining your enjoyment do ask for advice here but otherwise the less you know going in the better imo

ok, so it looks like I went from having 10 estus to 5. Is that because I need to rekindle something? But I need humidity to do that right?

each bonfire can be kindled up to 3 times with humanity and will give you 10, 15 and then 20 estus when you rest at that particular bonfire

humanity allows you to have a higher estus count. i’d relax and experiment a bit like chihuahua says. although resources can be scarce there’s little that’s irreplaceable (certainly not souls, estus or humanity). the game has a load of depth in terms of landscape and fragmented story, but it’s not *complicated* and you can progress fairly consistently with rolling, hitting, blocking, adding points to your fave stats, upgrades to your weapons, and shitting yourself with the bosses, before learning their patterns.

how about killing NPCs? some give stuff, some don't?

killing is irreversible. some (all?) do give stuff when dead that may or may not be worth your while. i refuse to spoil anything regarding this matter as i have a vested interest in following your Lordran escapades itt (:

certain paths in this game are not accessible until/unless an npc dies. certain paths in this game are not accessible _if_ an npc dies.

if that makes you anxious, you can hit a wiki but suffice it to say there are youtubes of pacifist no kill runs and (spoilers) https://kotaku.com/the-journey-to-kill-everyone-in-dark-souls-yes-everyo-479806481

part of what makes this game series so deeply enjoyable is that the system is robust enough to support and surprise you however you want to play.

huh. well, the knight at the very beginning all buy dares you to kill him. I assume that doesn't make a difference. So far none of the other speaking characters I've encountered have dared me to kill them, so I suppose that's more in the optional category.

I'm still working on my backstabbing. It's tricky, because some common baddies let you circle them pretty easily, other ones make it all but impossible to get behind them.

OK, here's another question. Clearly you are given tools and/or weapons that make certain battles easier. Like, say, the gold resin. Are they given to you because you are supposed to use them soon, or is it foolish to use them early on because they're something limited you should save for later?

Similarly, I've picked up a ton of shit, from weapons to rubbish to bones and other stuff. Am I supposed to equip any of this stuff? Right now only 3 of my 4 slots or filled: sword, shield, estus.

The most annoying thing so far is that you get impatient having to repeat the same string of enemies again and again. Like, I get to the taurus demon and get close, but then die, and then .... I have to go through all that nonsense again. But because I am impatient, I am sloppy, so struggle. Oh well. That's a good sign it's time to take a break.

most of the stuff you pick up is useless because if you're playing a sorcerer, you probably won't ever make use of this giant hammer that takes 30 strength to wield one-handed, and if you use a straight sword you don't need 10 of them unless you plan to a different upgrade path for each. eventually you'll be able to store it away in the bonfire but until then feel free to just drop common dupes on the ground

like i said, i never knew about the gold resin or any of the other optimal strategy stuff until well after beating the game, you don't need any of it

what you do need is to learn to run past enemies, don't try to kill every one or even just a few on your way back to where you were. this applies to the whole game. very rarely will you need to actually kill some problematic minion to return to a boss arena
so you died at the taurus demon, ok then, get up from the bonfire and make a straight run to that tower right away. learn when and where it's safe to slow down or stop a few seconds to regain stamina

... and this is the one game where you should NOT feel bad about cheesing an enemy. I don’t know if they’ve fixed it but there was one boss quite late on that you could kill really easily due to some cheesy exploit. had no second thoughts about doing it.

I think it was ceaseless discharge

Never occurred to me to just run past all those enemies. Won't they follow me?

One other reason I've felt compelled to kill everything again is to re-accumulate all those souls I lost when I died. Should I not bother? I have no idea how many bonfires there are or where they are, so I wanted to make sure I had souls on hand should I want to level up or whatever. Same with merchants. I found one in Undead Berg, but it's close to the bonfire, so every time I respawn there I have virtually no souls, or at least not enough to buy anything/much. I assume I'll be back here later on? Or there will be other merchants?

Also, had to replace a sword for the first time, because it was getting damaged or dull or something. Will that happen throughout, or at least to some weapons? I just assumed every time I started again at the bonfire that everything on me refreshed as well, but I guess even though I came back intact my weapon had been getting systematically degraded? I'm still having some trouble swapping equipment around, too, for some reason - like, how to replace one sword with a different one - but I'll figure that out eventually. That's just knowing the right buttons.

Running past enemies is a hallowed tradition in these games. There's really no reason to fight them once you've explored the area, if you're just running back to the boss. They'll follow at first, and then give up past a certain range.

One other reason I've felt compelled to kill everything again is to re-accumulate all those souls I lost when I died.

Have you made it back to the place where you died? You can recover them that way. ;)

Also, had to replace a sword for the first time, because it was getting damaged or dull or something.

That is a thing that will happen to all weapons, and in this game they're not automatically repaired at bonfires. The merchant has an item that will let you do that (repair stuff at a bonfire via menu) though, and it's absolutely worth getting. Once you start upgrading weapons, you're going to want to repair them rather than switching to a different one.

Have you made it back to the place where you died? You can recover them that way. ;)

But if you die before you get back to your pile o' souls, you lose everything, right? Like in Hollow Knight? I haven't been paying close attention, since in many cases once I hit the bonfire I level up or otherwise spend most of my souls, anyway.

Yep same thing. That's good, don't spend too much time worrying about souls.

Like, say, the gold resin. Are they given to you because you are supposed to use them soon, or is it foolish to use them early on because they're something limited you should save for later?

You can use them whenever. On my first time, I hoarded them and ended up never using them. Even so, if you use them on a boss when you don't really know what you're doing, you'll probably die anyway (unless you get lucky and outdamage them). And once you learn their tells, you don't really need the resin because you won't be getting hit as much. They're mostly good for speedrunners.

The one exception might be a fight that's coming up soon, where it helps to do a lot of damage quickly, assuming you're doing it solo. :)

Huh. Well I assume when I get around to it I'm going to take out the taurus demon today, so I'll gird myself for what comes after.

Taurus demon down! I used the gold resin and a plunging attack (I figured that was what the tower was there for). Made it kind of around the dragon at first, past some rats (that poisoned and killed me the first time around), then I think hit a new neighborhood and was quickly killed by a black knight. (The same one I avoided earlier? I dunno.) I assume that tells me I did something wrong or went the wrong way, but I think I need to find a way around the dragon. I did buy a bow and arrows earlier, or found it maybe, but I have a feeling I can't just shoot the dragon.

...

(I'll say it's a different black knight. And they're generally placed in ways that don't block your progress, since they're pretty tough for early game.)

Dark Knight up the tower before you get to the metal pig? Yeah, he's a different guy then the one down the stairs before you get to the taurus demon. You haven't seen the last of those fuckers by a long shot.