Dammit, why isn’t there a demo of this game? You lunatics have almost got me convinced I need to try this out.
How often do disc based console games have a demo, particularly ones developed in Japan? Rent it, if you like it buy it.
Hell, I thought everything had a demo these days. But I don’t rent much, and with my backlog it’s just a slight possibility for purchase anyway. A quick downloadable demo would be just the thing. Oh well.
Join us Pogue! It’s not as easy or free as a download, but if there is a RedBox in your area, DkS should still be in inventory. Only 2 bucks to see the tightest combat ever, brilliant level design, and amazing interconnected world building.
I am giving it serious thought. You crazy people are damned persuasive.
Yeah.
I beat Gywn solo, new game+ using Homing Crystal Soul Mass ONLY. Once the first mass hits him he is done. Stagger, Stagger, Stagger, Stagger, Dead! My Intel was 50.
Gwyn, if fought fairly, on equal terms, by the sword, in the open, without parrying…is the hardest fight ever. But he has too giant weaknesses: Parry and stagger. Exploit these weaknesses and he dies.
If you fight any boss on their own terms you’re fucked. The bosses in this game are all about finding the exploit in the environment or their mobility.
So thanks to everyone for the Gwyn help, the guy went down a short while ago and I can honestly say I beat Dark Souls.
I got a heater shield thinking hours of parry practice were ahead but I finally just said screw it, farmed 6 more humanity, and beat him on the last one. Lost one to dying on the way to the boss fight, lost another when I accidentally looked away while walking and fell off a ledge.
In the end, the difference was using my Queelag’s Fire Chaos Sword over my Divine Iato +10. The Queelag sword did a little bit more damage per hit, so I was able to take more off while Gwen pounded on Soltaire. In the end, Soltaire gone, Gwyn and I each had one hit left… and he went for a grab instead of a swing. I got out of the way and wasted him. Had he done anything else, I might not have won.
It feels good to beat the game somewhat legitimately unlike Demon’s Souls where I just poison misted the 1-4 False Kine for half an hour. This was a fair (albeit 2 on 1) fight and I luckily walked away. Thanks again to everyone for their tips.
I could have swond I healed Solaire that way on ornstein and smough.
Those kinds of moments are one of the many things that make this game great. It’s just such a rush when overcome a challenge that’s stumped you for so long. It might be the only game that’s ever got me fist-pumping in single-player. It’s also a rare game where it makes sense to say you ‘beat’ it. When so many games are working with you to make sure you win no matter what, it’s so great to have one that doesn’t care if you succeed, that makes you feel like it’s actively working against you - when you finally beat it, it’s actually an achievement.
Of course, none of that would matter if it didn’t have such tight mechanics, incredible world-design, stunning monster-design and visceral yet thoughtful combat.
Pogue, just buy it already. This is the best console game of all time.
Seconded. It might just be the best game I’ve ever played. It’s certainly in the running.
Oh and am I the only one who wants the next one to be harder? Don’t get me wrong, this was brutally hard, but at the same time, I could go one or two more notches towards insanity (easy for me to say now that I beat it).
I’ve gone toe to toe with all the other bosses using only melee attacks. Even O&S which was a real bitch. Gywn is the only one I don’t think I can! He’s quite unlike the other bosses: super aggressive, in your face, attacks repeatedly, goodbye stamina & life bar, epic range with the quickness, always on you like flies on shit, I cannot breath! I have to exploit his weaknesses in 1 on 1 in order to win. HAVE TO.
This one is quite hard enough for me. :>
I’d like the next one to make the early game weapon choices more interesting. You don’t need to use the Drake Sword for half the game, but it’s the obvious choice. (“Obvious” if you know how to get it, of course.)
I’d also say that I wish Havel’s Ring wasn’t the obvious choice for one of your fingers, but I suspect that it’s just obvious for me. (I really, really like staying <25% load.)
Try the Dark wood grain ring… You get a new roll animation with more invulnerability frames, and it makes you run at the 25% speed if your encumbrance is less than 50%. Best ring in game for a light to medium char. I wear elite knight chest with black knight leggings and gauntlets and still flip around like I donned cloth.
Ooooooooooh. It shall be mine.
Sorry, Alvina! Stabbing people to protect your forest matters nothing to me compared to being a speedy bastard.
Yeah, the Dark Wood Grain ring is great. Combine it with something like Orenstein’s Armor which now has a great weight to armor ratio as well as looking cool, and you have great speed and manoeuvrability with pretty good phys resist.
I have a bit of a problem, which is that I equipped one of my favor and sacrifice rings, and although I like the extra end and hp a lot, I really miss the flexibility of two ring slots. I almost wish I could respec to tighten up my build and get more vit/end. Maybe I’ll try a Str character so I can use the Sif shield.
All right, the crazy people win, I will get this game. Although I think I will get Skyrim too, just so I can have extended knife fights with myself. Also, I will celebrate my decision by watching a Let’s Play of the original Demon’s Souls, since I don’t own a PS3.
The Ornstein armour does look mighty cool. My current character has an Ornstein build; full Ornstein armour, Dragonslayer Spear usually two-handed, Dragonslayer Greatbow, the flippy ring for added mobility, and the grass crest shield on the back for stamina regen. I’ve boosted the shit out of Dex and Faith, and do pretty decent damage with the spear. I’m also in the Warriors of Sunlight covenant, for maximum golden shininess in co-op. I had a pretty awesome session with another Sunbro who was in full Smough regalia. We totally destroyed that area, and the host sent us both a message after saying we rocked. :)
Four Kings down. Boo-yah! I swear, I’ve never played another game that makes me feel so satisfied to finally take down a boss.
What finally worked for me was to ignore the standard advice to wear the heaviest armor you can. I went in with my customary black leather (with the recent addition of channeler’s armor for the body), Eagle shield, and the Dark Wood Grain ring for mobility. I popped Great Magic Shield when I landed (which probably did nothing, but made me feel good) followed by Homing Crystal Soulmass, and charged the first King at top speed.
The Kings fire off their unblockable, high-damage magic attack when you’re too far away, so staying at close range is key. Most of their melee attacks are wimpy and can be trivially tanked, even with virtually no armor, no shield up, and no vitality. Some of their melee attacks, however, fuck me up like crazy, even through the best armor I’ve got. Iron Skin does nothing. A raised shield does nothing, except blow all my stamina on a futile block attempt. Maybe someone with a substantial vitality investment can ignore these hits, but even after dropping a few points into the stat (up to 16, I think), I can’t.
What does work for me is my old standby of getting the fuck out of the way. I just stayed in as close as physically possible, rolled away from every attack I could, avoided the big hits, and the Kings dropped like dominoes. I two-handed my enchanted claymore most of the time, and switched to Crystal Soul Spear and Homing Crystal Soulmass when my stamina was low.
With this strategy, I died a couple times to unblockable AOE attacks I didn’t recognize the tells for yet, and took them down handily on the third shot.
Thanks for the advice on the Dark Wood Grain ring! This thing is awesome. I had an amusing time getting it–I headed down to Blighttown to find Shiva of the East, decided that I should abandon the covenant instead of betraying it, went to the cathedral, back to Blighttown, discovered Shiva had gone back home now that I wasn’t in the covenant, cursed him for a bastard, headed to Darkwood Garden to get back in the covenant, fought a last couple invaders for old time’s sake…
I was expecting Shiva to put up a fight, but was disappointed. I prepped a Homing Crystal Soulmass, tossed a Crystal Soul Spear into his bodyguard to open the fight, a second one as he was reeling, and that was it for the bodyguard. Shiva was hung up on some geometry. I walked around, he started to yell something about my having a lot of guts to challenge him…and the Soulmass triggered right into him, killing him on the spot.
I’m sad to hear that Orenstein’s armor is awesome; I killed him before Smough, so I’ve got no way to get it this game. So it goes. I’m also kicking myself over forgetting to cut off Seath’s tail.
high fives Damien Neil