Picked up First Sin back in stock at GMG. I tend to play some type of 1 handed and shield and am looking for an idea to do something different. When I use a shield the fights tend to play out too similar at times - keep the shield up, circle around and pick your shots. I still want to stick with melee. What have been some of your most fun melee type of characters to play?
Well offense is one thing, but you either have to use a shield or be comfortable with dodging up close.
The other alternative is a slow weapon with range and power, like a two-handed large club or a halberd or something. For most enemies the goal is to walk backwards from their swipes, then step forward and smash them. With the right timing, you can attack as they approach as well.
This was a key technique in Bloodborne with its R2 charge attack. It’s a fun way to read enemy attacks without having to dodge every time if you were up close.
OK then so I guess I need to:
- armor up + shield to withstand getting hit
- get a shield that blocks 100% and stick with light armor
- dodge and keep my load / encumbrance low so I can freely dodge / roll.
- try to manage distance with a long weapon
I just started out as a knight, so I have the starting armor. It puts my load at around 60-65%. If I’m going to roll I should probably get it below 50%, right? It’s been a long time since I played. There are probably places it’s tough to roll too due to being in tight places or areas where you can roll to your death.
Also, I did something to knock the hippos on their butts, but now I can’t remember what I did! I’ve done it several times where after I attack them from the front I’ve just knocked them down. Pretty sure it wasn’t their sit attack either.
Normal roll is 70%. The distance and iframes are affected by the agility secondary stat I think.
Heavy armor, two-handed weapon, and rolling for emergencies should work. Keep a shield handy for projectiles or certain enemies that are easier that way. Just experiment until you find an approach that is fun for you.
Holy crap some of the enemy placements are tough. I almost got pinned down by 3 turtle dudes. I got cornered then Armoror Dennis decided to invade. I ran and got away and waited up on the roof for Dennis to get some space to fight. Unfortunately Dennis got the best of me.
For most fights I have better luck using a smaller strength based weapon like a mace then a bastard sword. Striking first often makes for an easier victory, although timing an enemy’s approach and whacking them with a longer weapon can work too.
Mace has pretty bad range and a somewhat suboptimal swing pattern. Personally I prefer slightly larger weapons, not necessarily Ultra weapons (Greatsword, Great Club, etc) but a Greatsword class (Claymore) is a nice balance between damage, range, speed and recovery time. What mace does have going for it is the blunt damage type which is probably why you’re favoring it at the moment. Blunt is pretty much the king in this game, it has no real downsides vs most enemies but it’s the best damage type versus armored enemies - which is most of them.
I haven’t played since they (supposedly) fixed durability bug but if it is indeed fixed then give Great Club a try. Like most ultra weapons it can flatten opponents when twohanded which is really useful versus phantoms.
Alternatively, go the hexer route and get yourself the Dark Crypt Blacksword cough.
As I get those weapons I’ll give them a try. I was also trying out the sword that is good vs armored enemies - I forget what it’s called. Begins with an ‘E’. It was useful against the turtle guys.
My first boss fight went well - against the Old Giant guy after the elevator ride next to the fire room with the lizard. Beat him my first try, but the Pursuer destroyed me. Actually the Pursuer was my first boss up on the roof. He killed me there and then killed me in his room with the ballista.
Wow, that red dragon wasn’t there in vanilla DS2. Not exactly sure what to do with him at this point since he blasts me with fire before I get close and he is out of range for my ranged weapons. I’m not looking for hints on this.
Sometimes ranged weapons almost feels like cheating.
I was invaded for the first time by a player since I got Scholar of the First Sin. I was fighting one of the big dudes in Heide’s Tower and had to disengage and get somewhere safe. I pulled out my crossbow and started plinking him as he approached and he started shaking his finger at me. I thought that he is expecting a bit much to invade someone and then try to tell them how to fight. I wasn’t looking to be invaded. In any case I stopped because I saw he had a big club and figured I could dodge it, which I did and he went down. Always feels good to kill an invader.
So, is it obvious to encounter the DLC? Is it in the latter part of the game? I’m still pretty early in, but up to level 20 something and haven’t seen any signs of it.
The DLCs are found about mid-game-ish, and you really can’t miss those areas, they are really distinctive. You do need an item to get in, though, and the place where those are is not necessarily obvious.
Thanks!
Anyone play with a big shield that blocks 100%, like the Dragon Rider shield, but not wear any armor (or very light armor)? That way you’re still mobile and have good stamina recovery but can block a lot of damage when you want to?
Just got back in after GMG put Scholar on sale for $24.99. Only slightly less than the upgrade for $29.99 from my original PC port but I for whatever reason had a psychological block against paying full price.
Wow. The new enemy placements are really tough. The first time I climbed up the tree in the Forbidden Forest and found that the Heide Knight was gone, only to be replaced by a Yakkety Sax of new surrounding enemies? Golden. The new turtle knights everywhere? Similarly golden (and fragging annoying). And I’m finding that it’s been long enough that I’m not sure what items have been switched around in terms of placement. I do wonder if they kept the Drangleic set in that initial spot – I found that it was sort of the armor equivalent of the Drake Sword for me the first time around.
Anyone have any tips or pointers for a noob just beginning to dip his toe into Scholar?
I don’t really have any tips MMDuran as I’m definitely not a top tier player in DS. I found that the muscle memory starts to come back and I haven’t had to retry a battle too many times. The Pursuer (I think) was a pain in the ass. The bell tower gargoyles beat me up 5 or 6 times before I beat them. It was tough because I didn’t have a good weapon with lightning, and I didn’t have the stuff to let me apply lightning. On my final time when I won, I was looking for some signs to get a little help before I entered and couldn’t find any. It is tough for me to fight them when they have 3 on the field at once.
I wish I would encounter some DLC so I can see something entirely new!
I’ll go a step further and say “You will not find all of the items you need without resorting to the Internet.” There’s no shame in it – prior to Scholar, they just dropped the items into your inventory. Scholar makes acquisition mandatory.
Also, Armorer Dennis? Fuck that guy. He’s brutal.
I won’t spoil stuff, but generally item placement hasn’t been totally destroyed. It’s done in ways that are usually better balanced and/or less annoying. Generally.
The DLC is really designed for higher-level characters. You have to be pretty far in to even get access, and once you’re there, you’ll see rather quickly if you can hack it. All have a few enemies up front near the start that serve as a kind of “You must be this tall to enjoy this ride” sign, and they all have some very challenging endings.
I truly hate the Black Gulch and The Rotten. I do mean hate.
Sounds like a pretty standard setup to me. As with all the other games, armor isn’t really all that important. The Hexer’s set is a good choice and has really good elemental resistance for really low weight.
But the real benefit, for me, is that you don’t have to hear the “cling clang” every step you take.
Finally beat The Rotten. Once I got the timing / pattern down it wasn’t as bad as I first thought. I did beat him when I initially played DS2. Wish I had a decent fire based weapon (or weapon perk to apply) for that fight.
Wow, I looked up how to access the DLC and my guess is that I never would have found the locations needed for the keys to access those. Dark Souls is probably the only game I don’t ever feel bad about looking at walk throughs for. I try not to look for fights, but damn I need to look up how to find things. I think I can access the DLC behind The Rotten now.
I’m wondering if I should switch to a Dexterity build. Swinging the big heavy weapons isn’t really my style. I like getting in a bunch of quick hits and then getting out, or hiding behind the shield and striking quickly. It’s always so hard to hit fast enemies with something like the big club. Any good strength weapons that don’t feel so cumbersome? I haven’t gotten a Claymore yet.