# Fucking Dark Souls...



## Harbinger (Oct 6, 2013)

So im sick to death of failing with shooters thought i'd try this out seeing as its got so much praise. I knew people said you died a lot but are the check points supposed to be fucking nowhere?
Checked every nook and cranny for a bonfire along a trail after carefully picking off like 20 zombies, spending an hour fighting this taurus thing, only to then walk on an open bridge, which burst on fire and killed me instantly when i was half way across it with no warning. Fuck that game.


----------



## Judge Spear (Oct 6, 2013)

It's a niche game for people who want a challenge. I honestly hope that for as many Dark Souls they plan to make, they never change that. I think the difficulty is hilarious yet fair. 

The fucking mimics. ROFL


----------



## PastryOfApathy (Oct 6, 2013)

You were expecting to die a lot yet act shocked when you die? lol


----------



## RTDragon (Oct 6, 2013)

Welcome to Dark Souls when they get off on your tears. (Hope you did'nt play demon souls.)


----------



## Harbinger (Oct 6, 2013)

No i havent played demon souls, why?
And i can put up with dying, i just cant put up with taking 3 hours to get to the part where i died to see if i wouldnt get insta killed again.


----------



## Judge Spear (Oct 6, 2013)

Harbinger said:


> No i havent played demon souls, why?
> And i can put up with dying, i just cant put up with taking 3 hours to get to the part where i died to see if i wouldnt get insta killed again.



Well then...


git gud

In all honesty though the game's not for you.


----------



## Ketsuo (Oct 6, 2013)

Some bonfires can be kind of far away from each other but it shouldn't take that long to get back to the point you're at.  If you really want help with the game you can always check the wiki for it here: http://darksouls.wikidot.com/

Its supposed to be a hard game filled with traps and enemies made to murder you.  If you're getting pissed off with it that early on though you should be warned that its only going to get harder.


----------



## Distorted (Oct 6, 2013)

I never played a game where you got punished so harshly for screwing up. But it is definitely a game you have to try and try again at. What pissed me off were the people that would invade and try to destroy me all the time. Leagues over my own level but feel the need to fight me anyway. 

I decided to stop and take a break from it after walking into those crystal monsters. I just said done and cut the game off.


----------



## Dire Newt (Oct 6, 2013)

THAT'S the point where you got frustrated?

Oh boy... honestly, you should probably stop playing it. It only gets much, much harder from there on.


----------



## Harbinger (Oct 6, 2013)

Its not the difficulty that i have an issue with, its the having the replay all my progress. I get kicked off the xbox if im on there too long, not even allowed on there once a day, just sucked that my entire gaming session today was put back to 0.
Having to replay a level if you die isnt hard, its just annoying, up untill that point i was really enjoying that game. I pretty much only play shooters but they're all making me sick lately, the only thing i find enjoyable to play was pokemon and monster hunter recently and dark souls reminded me of monster hunter somewhat which is one of my favorite games.


----------



## Dire Newt (Oct 6, 2013)

If that's the case you really should have researched the game a bit more before playing it. You will die and get set back a lot and given your situation you'll find it hard to make any progress at all.


----------



## Schwimmwagen (Oct 6, 2013)

Go full Japanese and research the shit out of the game's inner workings before you play it.


----------



## Ketsuo (Oct 6, 2013)

You don't lose all your progress though.  Most enemies do respawn and you do drop your souls but most shortcuts and passageways will stay open once you access them for the first time and you can get your souls back if you manage to reach them without dying again.  Also, you get to keep the items you've picked up so you can bypass some enemies and head straight for wherever you need to go provided you do know where to go.


----------



## Schwimmwagen (Oct 6, 2013)

Ketsuo said:


> You don't lose all your progress though.  Most enemies do respawn and you do drop your souls but most shortcuts and passageways will stay open once you access them for the first time and you can get your souls back if you manage to reach them without dying again.  Also, *you get to keep the items you've picked up* so you can bypass some enemies and head straight for wherever you need to go provided you do know where to go.



Wait, really?

Huh, now that I replaced my old PC controller I might as well play again. I didn't get to go far due to that POS.


----------



## Verin Asper (Oct 6, 2013)

Harbinger said:


> So im sick to death of failing with shooters thought i'd try this out seeing as its got so much praise. I knew people said you died a lot but are the check points supposed to be fucking nowhere?
> Checked every nook and cranny for a bonfire along a trail after carefully picking off like 20 zombies, spending an hour fighting this taurus thing, only to then walk on an open bridge, which burst on fire and killed me instantly when i was half way across it with no warning. Fuck that game.


Why do you think the game have a version called "PREPARE TO DIE"
also in that area theres only if I'm right one or two bonfires which you are suppose to open up alternate ways from said bonfire....
but the game wont help you there...its for the very observant and slow going players


----------



## Fernin (Oct 6, 2013)

Links you'll find useful are below. Also, you'll never loose 'three hours' of progress in Dark Souls. All enemies except for bosses and elite enemies respawn whenever you die or reload the game (Except for in the Kiln of the First Flame, were the Black Knights DO respawn). Once Further more once you learn your way around the map you can get just about anywhere on foot in a few minutes, and once you get the Lord Vessel you'll be able to warp freely between bon fires. I also recommend not running around with too many souls at once, since, as is pointed out many times, you WILL die. Instead spend what you have almost immediately on leveling up your primary weapon stat (STR/DEX/INT/FAITH) to the point needed for your weapon of choice (this should be you're first 15-20 levels) then stack the rest in stamina and vitality.

Bonfire Location: http://darksoulswiki.wikispaces.com/Bonfire
Covenants (In Game Guilds more or less: http://darksoulswiki.wikispaces.com/Covenants
All weapons in the game as well as were to find the and their required stats: http://darksoulswiki.wikispaces.com/Weapons
Location Overviews as well as a basic Walk-through: http://darksoulswiki.wikispaces.com/Places (I recommend NOT following the guide unless you absolutely have too, otherwise you'll be loosing the discovery aspect of the game).


----------



## LachneAdalbert (Oct 16, 2013)

I'm obsessed with this game...GAWD it's great (especially the challenge)


----------



## benignBiotic (Oct 16, 2013)

Harbinger said:


> No i havent played demon souls, why?
> And i can put up with dying, i just cant put up with taking 3 hours to get to the part where i died to see if i wouldnt get insta killed again.


Why do we fall?

The pleasure of Dark Souls comes from learning. You know how it took you three hours to get to that point? As you get better it will take less and less time. Until eventually you're running through the Undead Burg like a pro and making the Taurus Demon look like a saucy biptch. There are so many ways to get past challenges. You just have to be open to learning them. And because it's so flipping hard you will feel like the biggest boss ever for beating it. 

Disclaimer: This game gets me extremely moist.


----------



## Jessicat (Oct 17, 2013)

I love Dark Souls so much. I finally beat it the other week, and I'm now on my third runthrough.


----------



## Demensa (Oct 17, 2013)

The first 3 - 6 hours are incredibly slow. Things should speed up once you start learning how everything works, but you have to remember that in this game you achieve progress in little bursts, rather than continuously.
You'll spend an hour trying to beat a tough boss, then speed through a new area, picking up new items, until you come to another group of enemies that stall your progress for another hour.  
You'll go back and forth to different areas, every time you level up or find a new weapon, just to see if you can finally beat those enemies that always gave you trouble.

Dark Souls is not something you play when you want to relax, or progress through a game at a steady rate.  

Seriously though, I started playing a few nights a week, which quickly turned into every night, and by 20 hours into the game I was completely addicted. Any time outside of Dark Souls felt like wasted time.
Try giving it a few more hours at least.


----------



## Fibriel Solaer (Oct 17, 2013)

You were supposed to notice that the bridge was blackened and burned and had corpses on it (not counting the undead.) You would have tiptoed onto it carefully and turned tail and run back off as soon as you heard a dragon roar (the same one that you saw when entering the Undead Burg.)

If you return to that area, you *will not* have to fight the Taurus Demon again (bosses do not regenerate), and the Hellkite Wyvern will be perched on the bridge. You were killed immediately before your next bonfire, by the way, sort of. (Underneath the dragon is a shortcut connecting the Undead Burg bonfire to his area.

It should take you no more than five to ten minutes to walk back to that area and then you will have to solve the minor puzzle of passing the dragon._




Dark Souls_ is a game of patience and precision. The fact you've just come from a shooter explains why you're doing so poorly - most shooters are played exactly opposite to _Dark Souls._

The most important things to understand in Dark Souls are equip load, blocking, and dodging. The heavier your armor (relative to your max Equip Load) the slower you move.

< 25% Equip Load: Fast Roll (ninja flip with a certain ring equipped)
25~50%: Mid Roll
51-100%: Fat Roll
Over 100%+: Can only walk, can't roll.

In my opinion you should never go over 50%, but if your armor and shield are so good you take little to no damage it may be worth it.

Blocking consumes stamina. The heavier the hit you block, the more stamina it takes. A shield with a higher Stability will take less stamina when blocking.

Some attacks (or attack combos) are too powerful for your character to block (though you might be able to block them later with better equipment), and then you need to roll to dodge them. Rolling gives you a very brief invulnerability frame, and if you roll in the right direction you won't be in the attack's hitbox anymore by the time it runs out.

The Taurus Demon is difficult mostly due to the confined horizontal space. You need to bait him into attacking and learn the range of his swings, then roll back out of range. Run in after his swing, hit once or twice, and flee again.

As I said, the game is very defensive. You will scream when you fight the Capra Demon.



Also, if you spend 1 liquid humanity (topleft counter. Using a Humanity item adds 1 to that counter.) you can become Human, which has one good thing and several drawbacks.

- You can summon other players as phantoms to help you, IF you have not beaten the area boss. (Very few summons will be available for the Taurus Demon, Capra Demon, and Priscilla, but you will have no trouble finding them otherwise.) They won't be able to follow you outside of your current area and you can't rest at a bonfire while phantoms are active.

- Other players can invade your world and attack you, IF you have not beaten the area boss. This will keep you from resting at a bonfire or leaving the area. You can only get rid of them by killing them or entering the boss fog.

- If you die, you lose your Human form and don't get the humanity back. (Humanity is very easy to acquire, however.)



To acquire Humanity, you can either farm the item from enemies (often preferred as the item also heals HP, works when summoned, and you can hold far more than the 5~15 estus flask charges) or obtain it by leaving your summon sign for other players to call you for help defeating the area boss. You can leave your summon sign even in an area you've already cleared, and you can be summoned while not Human.


----------



## Fernin (Oct 17, 2013)

I actually got the Taurus demon easy the first time, did the diving attack from the tower then baited him halfway across the wall, ran beside him, and repeated.

As for the Capra demon, he's a cunt. There are no ifs ands or buts about it. The first Capra Demon fight sits right beside the Bed of Chaos is straight up mistakes.


----------



## Fibriel Solaer (Oct 17, 2013)

Fernin said:


> I actually got the Taurus demon easy the first time, did the diving attack from the tower then baited him halfway across the wall, ran beside him, and repeated.
> 
> As for the Capra demon, he's a cunt. There are no ifs ands or buts about it. The first Capra Demon fight sits right beside the Bed of Chaos is straight up mistakes.



The strategy I found to work best for Capra is to not lock on at first and roll right past him immediately. Once you get behind him you get more than enough room to take out the dogs before he can even turn around.

When the dogs are gone, he's easy, even without the exploit. It's those damn dogs that are the whole problem.


----------



## Fernin (Oct 18, 2013)

Fibriel Solaer said:


> The strategy I found to work best for Capra is to not lock on at first and roll right past him immediately. Once you get behind him you get more than enough room to take out the dogs before he can even turn around.
> 
> When the dogs are gone, he's easy, even without the exploit. It's those damn dogs that are the whole problem.



The problem I always had was that the second I stepped through the fog he'd hit me before I even had control of my character back. The dogs just make the whole thing even one. I hold strongly that it is indeed one of the game's few straight up mistakes.


----------



## Jessicat (Oct 18, 2013)

The Capra Demon gave me more trouble than anything else in that entire game. Even Blighttown was easier. Bed of Chaos took me a few times, but only because it kept slapping me off everytime I tried to make that jump.


----------



## Fibriel Solaer (Oct 18, 2013)

The most difficult part of the game for me so far is the fight against Bernstein and Smores. It seems nobody is any good at it as 2/3 fights I phantom for end in failure and completing the fight is the only time I've ever gotten a "Thank you" message over Xbox Live.

Those are not their names but I insist on calling them that.


----------



## Jessicat (Oct 18, 2013)

Don't you mean Drake and Josh?

Also, I'm doing a SL8 runthrough, so if anyone needs help with the Capra Demon (and is using the PC version), you can summon me if you need to!


----------



## Fernin (Oct 18, 2013)

Fibriel Solaer said:


> The most difficult part of the game for me so far is the fight against Bernstein and Smores. It seems nobody is any good at it as 2/3 fights I phantom for end in failure and completing the fight is the only time I've ever gotten a "Thank you" message over Xbox Live.
> 
> Those are not their names but I insist on calling them that.



Oh come on, Dragon Slayer Ornstein needs at least some respect, he's got the greatest armor in the game (well maybe not stat wise, but come on if looks could kill you'd drop dead the second you entered the room), his fighting style is epic, and his 'super mode' makes not only him even more bad ass, but makes YOU feel like a bad ass for going toe to toe with him. Plus he attacks you only because he's doing his job (guarding Gwynevere from murderous Undead, aka the PLAYER) and is probably one of the only straight up noble characters in the lore, even showing respect for Smough if he's killed first (who does NOT show the same respect if you kill Ornstein first).

As for fighting them, I actually had less trouble with them than any other boss, but I think it's mostly because their fight relies on some very Ninja Gaiden (the xbox version) skills and timing, Ornstein's empowered form in particular.


----------



## Jessicat (Oct 18, 2013)

Yeah, Smough's a huge dickhead. Did you know that he eats people's bones?

Also, Ornstein was one of the Four Knights of Gwyn, which is pretty baller.

Also, it's debatable whether or not he's "protecting" Gwynevere. I think it was more of a test to see whether or not the Chosen Undead is truly powerful enough to fulfill the role that Gwynevere (cough cough Gwyndolin) has set out for you.


----------



## Fibriel Solaer (Oct 18, 2013)

Fernin said:


> Oh come on, Dragon Slayer Ornstein needs at least some respect, he's got the greatest armor in the game (well maybe not stat wise, but come on if looks could kill you'd drop dead the second you entered the room), his fighting style is epic, and his 'super mode' makes not only him even more bad ass, but makes YOU feel like a bad ass for going toe to toe with him. Plus he attacks you only because he's doing his job (guarding Gwynevere from murderous Undead, aka the PLAYER) and is probably one of the only straight up noble characters in the lore, even showing respect for Smough if he's killed first (who does NOT show the same respect if you kill Ornstein first).
> 
> As for fighting them, I actually had less trouble with them than any other boss, but I think it's mostly because their fight relies on some very Ninja Gaiden (the xbox version) skills and timing, Ornstein's empowered form in particular.



Ornstein's armor is pretty cool, yes. His empowered form is actually easier, for me anyway - the game is designed to screw you over when fighting more than one enemy at a time.

As for his role, I believe that the non-monster bosses of the game are divided into three groups:

1. People manipulating the player into succeeding Gwyn, Lord of Fire (e.g. almost everyone);
2. People protecting something personal upon which the player is trespassing (e.g. Sif)
3. Insane Hollows (e.g. Four Kings)

Ornstein and Smough are either in group 1 or 3. With their armor on I can't see their faces to see if they've gone Hollow or not, however...


----------



## Jessicat (Oct 18, 2013)

Sif's alternate cutscene if you fight Artorias beforehand is so upsetting.


----------



## Fibriel Solaer (Oct 18, 2013)

Jessicat said:


> Sif's alternate cutscene if you fight Artorias beforehand is so upsetting.


I'm aware that he has one, but I just got the DLC and haven't done it yet. It does sound very sad.


----------



## Jessicat (Oct 18, 2013)

What console are you playing on?


----------



## Dire Newt (Oct 18, 2013)

When I fought Jake and the Fatman, I tried killing Fatman first because I wanted the ring. It took me about 30 attempts and failures before I gave up on that.
I said "Fuck it" and went for Jake first. Beat them on my first attempt.


----------



## Fernin (Oct 18, 2013)

Fibriel Solaer said:


> Ornstein's armor is pretty cool, yes. His empowered form is actually easier, for me anyway - the game is designed to screw you over when fighting more than one enemy at a time.
> 
> As for his role, I believe that the non-monster bosses of the game are divided into three groups:
> 
> ...



Given that Gwyn's Knights don't seem to go hollow as Ciaran and Gough are both fine when you meet them, and it took something as powerful as Manus to corrupt Artorias, I'm quite certain Ornstein is in full control of his mental faculties (after all he does pay respect to Smough if he falls first, something I don't think a hollow would do) I still hold he was protecting Gwynevere (and I think it'd debatable if he even knows Gwyndolin even exists.). Given that there's no way to know the Chosen Undead from any other undead, they must keep thief vigil. Particularly against Dark Wraiths.

And as for Sif, it's heart breaking the first time you fight him, even if you're not familiar with the lore since up to this point you've been fighting obvious monsters, and suddenly you find yourself against what seems to be a sentient giant wolf whose only guarding the grave of a fallen friend. Between the music, Sif's obvious vigil, and the way he starts limping halfway through the fight, it's the only fight in the game where you feel 'wrong' for engaging in it. (Priscilla doesn't count since you DO have a choice about fighting her, doing so however makes you feel like no less of a prick.) I won't spoil the cutscene or the circumstances around it, but I will say it's gut wrenching, because neither of you can back down, and you both know it. You both have a duty.


----------



## Jessicat (Oct 18, 2013)

Yeah, and if Ornstein isn't hollow, that'd mean that Smough isn't either, since they would have fought long ago.

Ornstein is actually still alive when Smough smashes him with his hammer; this implies that Smough wanted to take care of Ornstein a while ago, but wasn't strong enough.


----------



## Fernin (Oct 19, 2013)

Jessicat said:


> Yeah, and if Ornstein isn't hollow, that'd mean that Smough isn't either, since they would have fought long ago.
> 
> Ornstein is actually still alive when Smough smashes him with his hammer; this implies that Smough wanted to take care of Ornstein a while ago, but wasn't strong enough.




Aye, I don't think he would have been strong enough. Ornstein would have handed Smough his ass, given that he once hunted dragons with Gough. Also, don't forget Smough is quite jealous of Ornstein and the other three knights, he wanted to join their inner circle but was never allowed since he was a cannibal and general douche. That he kill's the weakened Ornstein may well be what he sees and as either payback for never letting him into the Knights, or a way to seize Ornstein's position and power.


----------



## benignBiotic (Oct 19, 2013)

Jessicat said:


> The Capra Demon gave me more trouble than anything else in that entire game. Even Blighttown was easier. Bed of Chaos took me a few times, but only because it kept slapping me off everytime I tried to make that jump.


It really dfepends on your character. If you're a rogue or especially a mage, the Capra Demon will fudge you up. But when I went through with my heavyweight he was aaaalmost laughable. Almost.


----------



## Jessicat (Oct 19, 2013)

Fernin said:


> Aye, I don't think he would have been strong enough. Ornstein would have handed Smough his ass, given that he once hunted dragons with Gough. Also, don't forget Smough is quite jealous of Ornstein and the other three knights, he wanted to join their inner circle but was never allowed since he was a cannibal and general douche. That he kill's the weakened Ornstein may well be what he sees and as either payback for never letting him into the Knights, or a way to seize Ornstein's position and power.



Do you watch EpicNameBro's Lore videos?


----------



## Fernin (Oct 20, 2013)

Jessicat said:


> Do you watch EpicNameBro's Lore videos?



Most of my understanding of the lore comes from a combination of the two major wikis and the Prepare to Cry videos along with some forum speculation in the past.


----------



## Jessicat (Oct 21, 2013)

The Prepare to Cry videos are great, but EpicNameBro goes way more in depth on stuff, it's really interesting.


I started a new file yesterday with the goal of doing Artorias cosplay, and I'm really enjoying sorcery, since I've never used it before.


----------



## Fernin (Oct 21, 2013)

Jessicat said:


> The Prepare to Cry videos are great, but EpicNameBro goes way more in depth on stuff, it's really interesting.
> 
> 
> I started a new file yesterday with the goal of doing Artorias cosplay, and I'm really enjoying sorcery, since I've never used it before.



I've only ever done such with Ornstein and as a Black Knight. Artorias would be fun I'd imagine though.

As for EpicNameBro, I'll have to give his videos a watch. =0


----------



## Verin Asper (Oct 21, 2013)

Jessicat said:


> The Prepare to Cry videos are great, but EpicNameBro goes way more in depth on stuff, it's really interesting.
> 
> 
> I started a new file yesterday with the goal of doing Artorias cosplay, and I'm really enjoying sorcery, since I've never used it before.


Which is odd as both him and Vaati acknowledge each other, Vaati you can sorta say glosses over things, gives the basics while ENB give more indepth info.
Vaati though go about the lesser known things though


----------

