Dark Souls

[patsu]

Yeah, Black Knight Greatsword, not Batman Greatsword.

Also, screw auto-heal Hellkite !
Got its health to 1/3. The dragon will cover itself with its wings and heal. There is no healing effect visually; the health bar simply reset to full [shake fist at From Software]. Wasted another 70-80 expensive arrows. Strength 40 and DragonSlayer + 5 damage is not fast enough to kill it in NG+ it seems.

Also forgot there are 3 bosses in

Spoiler

Demon Ruins and beyond. After killing Nito and Ceaseless Discharge tonight, I still have 3 more bosses to go, including Lord Gwyn.

 

[Cornsnake]

That fight with Ornstein and Smough qualifies as the first truly difficult boss fight. I still haven't beaten them after quite a few attempts. But I am getting closer. I got Ornstein on his last health before he killed me. I hear killing Smough last is easier. But I like the rewards for killing Ornstein last better. Ornstein seems to get a lot of lucky hits in. He's going down once his luck runs out.

 

[patsu]

Yes, I think it's easier to kill Ornstein first. Smough's attack seems more predictable even after power up. It's down to attack timing and quick reflexes to wear him down.

Did you summon Solare's help ? His summon sign is on the left staircase (if you're facing the boss entrance). He lasted about 30 seconds in NG+ but still a great help to learn both bosses' moves.

 

[Cornsnake]

Yes, I think it's easier to kill Ornstein first. Smough's attack seems more predictable even after power up. It's down to attack timing and quick reflexes to wear him down.

Did you summon Solare's help ? His summon sign is on the left staircase (if you're facing the boss entrance). He lasted about 30 seconds in NG+ but still a great help to learn both bosses' moves.

No I didn't. I kinda want to get through the game without help, and I'm afraid that if he dies, he'll stay dead until NG+. I think I can do it on my own, and I'm putting my summon sign down afterwards to help other players. This seems like a perfect spot for co-op.

 

[patsu]

No I didn't. I kinda want to get through the game without help, and I'm afraid that if he dies, he'll stay dead until NG+. I think I can do it on my own, and I'm putting my summon sign down afterwards to help other players. This seems like a perfect spot for co-op.

It's quite alright. If he is killed, it's only his Blue Phantom form that dies. His real self is still out and about in Lordran. You can summon him again next time. I swore out loud when Solare died in my first summon, thinking that he's lost forever.

Co-op would be great too. You'll likely get some invading warm up before the real game. ^_^


Yeah I probably should help out in a few O&S combat before fighting Gwyn. Thanks for reminding me !
Leave your sign near the bonfire. I got invaded a few times before making to the boss entrance.

 

[specwarGP2]

No I didn't. I kinda want to get through the game without help, and I'm afraid that if he dies, he'll stay dead until NG+. I think I can do it on my own, and I'm putting my summon sign down afterwards to help other players. This seems like a perfect spot for co-op.

4 kings is pretty good too. people always summon there.

 

[Sigfried1977]

Yes, I think it's easier to kill Ornstein first. Smough's attack seems more predictable even after power up. It's down to attack timing and quick reflexes to wear him down.

Well, at least until he goes into hardcore trolling mode where he backs you into a corner and starts spamming his jumping attack that causes the electric shock wave (which seems to be a one hit kill no matter what)

 

[patsu]

If you back away in time and have good lightning resistance, you should be able to survive his jump attack + electric shock wave (It halved my life).

Spoiler

I played hide and seek around a broken pillar with powered up Smough. Hit him right after he slams his hammer into the ground. Rinse and repeat.

I never went into the corners. Always circle around a pillar while keeping the target lock on him.

I cleared all the NG+ bosses except Gwyn. Now going to play as Blue Phantom. ^_^

 

[Cornsnake]

Got the bastard. I got a very nice reward afterwards. Getting the Lordvessel was nice too.

4 kings is pretty good too. people always summon there.

Sounds great. I heard people complaining about that boss after they nerfed Iron Flesh in the last patch.

 

[Cornsnake]

It's quite alright. If he is killed, it's only his Blue Phantom form that dies. His real self is still out and about in Lordran. You can summon him again next time. I swore out loud when Solare died in my first summon, thinking that he's lost forever.

Co-op would be great too. You'll likely get some invading warm up before the real game. ^_^


Yeah I probably should help out in a few O&S combat before fighting Gwyn. Thanks for reminding me !
Leave your sign near the bonfire. I got invaded a few times before making to the boss entrance.

It seems to be a popular spot for both co-op and invading. I get summoned within minutes of putting my soul sign down. But then it's still a matter of making it to the boss fight. I get killed falling off narrow ledges, by invaders that one hit kill me with a backstab despite the fact that I had good defences against his lightning weapon, and of course the summoner dying. I have a good way of killing those 2 silver knight archers, but they rather take them head on.

 

[patsu]

Got the bastard. I got a very nice reward afterwards. Getting the Lordvessel was nice too.

You got the DragonSlayer Spear ? Is the strong attack a "Lightning Javelin throw" ? I saw it in a PvP video once.

Don't forget to buy Ornstein's armor set from Zena.

Sounds great. I heard people complaining about that boss after they nerfed Iron Flesh in the last patch.

Yeah but it's not too bad. You should be able to avoid getting hit using standard Dark Souls combat techniques. Invasion and O&S are the toughest fights. They were all there, together, in Anor Londo.

I doubt Gwyn is harder. Wait... I take it back. Proper Hellkite fight may be the most difficult combat. I have absolutely no clue how to approach him. May be I need to top up my stamina so that I can fire the DragonSlayer arrows quicker (but I am not sure).

EDIT:
Forgot to mention the "Amazing Chest" was a surprise too.

 

[patsu]

It seems to be a popular spot for both co-op and invading. I get summoned within minutes of putting my soul sign down. But then it's still a matter of making it to the boss fight. I get killed falling off narrow ledges, by invaders that one hit kill me with a backstab despite the fact that I had good defences against his lightning weapon, and of course the summoner dying. I have a good way of killing those 2 silver knight archers, but they rather take them head on.

Yeah I watched Anor Londo invasion videos. It's a dangerous place indeed.

What weapons did your invaders use ?

I tried Gravelord Greatsword yesterday (Got it from Nito, _before_ going into the boss fight). It's better than Drakesword, lightweight and longer. It has poison effect, which may be handy for quick PvP action.

The archers were a pain in the butt during the first playthrough. By luck, I cleared it in one go in NG+. That Black Knight didn't switch to sword and shield when I made it to him.

 

[Cornsnake]

What weapons did your invaders use ?

I think that was a Lightning Claymore.

I've also encountered blue enemies. I assume they get sent after sinners.

I was just summoned by some guy who hadn't opened up any of the shortcuts in Anor Londo. So we fight our through the level until we reach another bonfire, which for some reason he doesn't light up. Next thing you know he feeds himself to a chest and die. But at least he opened up one shortcut right. I get summoned again by the same guy, who has just been invaded. But to my surprise the invader runs away from us. Towards the shortcut. He throws the switch, closing the shortcut. The summoner dies again. Summons me again. We take the long way around to open up the shortcut again. He throws the switch just as I and another white phantom want to step on the bridge. We both fall to our deaths.

After escorting dummies I'm finally summoned by someone who can go directly to the boss fight. Which went very well for the most part. I keep Smough busy while they kill Ornstein. Then all of us attack Smough who has difficulty deciding who he wants to attack. Sadly he kills the summoner just before I was able to get the last hit that would have killed him in.

 

[patsu]

I think that was a Lightning Claymore.

I've also encountered blue enemies. I assume they get sent after sinners.

There are also remnants of dead players in Dark Souls. Once in a while, a dead player's items will come alive in another player's world. A "Drift Item" appears as an orb-like monster, and fire soul arrows at its enemy.

They appear randomly in the game. Supposedly, some are good, while others are evil. I got killed once in Blighttown by a Drift Item before realizing what's going on. Encountered another one in NG+ before fighting Nito.

The Dark Souls creators are very imaginative.

I was just summoned by some guy who hadn't opened up any of the shortcuts in Anor Londo. So we fight our through the level until we reach another bonfire, which for some reason he doesn't light up. Next thing you know he feeds himself to a chest and die. But at least he opened up one shortcut right. I get summoned again by the same guy, who has just been invaded. But to my surprise the invader runs away from us. Towards the shortcut. He throws the switch, closing the shortcut. The summoner dies again. Summons me again. We take the long way around to open up the shortcut again. He throws the switch just as I and another white phantom want to step on the bridge. We both fall to our deaths.

You must have become his BFF. I know that lonely feeling outside Ornstein's and Smough's hall. Bus load of invaders but couldn't find a single co-op player except Solaire.

 

[Cornsnake]

There are also remnants of dead players in Dark Souls. Once in a while, a dead player's items will come alive in another player's world. A "Drift Item" appears as an orb-like monster, and fire soul arrows at its enemy.

They appear randomly in the game. Supposedly, some are good, while others are evil. I got killed once in Blighttown by a Drift Item before realizing what's going on. Encountered another one in NG+ before fighting Nito.

The Dark Souls creators are very imaginative.

The guide mentioned those as well. But I haven't actually seen one in game. Did they drop anything good?

 

[patsu]

The guide mentioned those as well. But I haven't actually seen one in game. Did they drop anything good?

Yes, I only found out about "Drift Items" after flipping through the guide.

The drop wasn't that great, but I think it depends on what item came alive. Would be awesome if a Titanite Slab comes alive in my world.


The thing about Drift Item is it's shiny, small and beautiful. Soul arrows have good range. I was one shot from halfway across Blighttown Swamp. Second time I saw it, I immediately held my shield up. It seemed to fire soul arrows in random and every direction.


EDIT: About the invader who shut off your Anor Londo shortcut. Is it the spiral staircase ? It would force your entire party to take the risky ceiling beam route (like how Gandalf was forced to take Bilbo and gang through Mordor). He could knock you off from the beams with DragonSlayer bow. Probably a seasoned invader.

 

[Cornsnake]

EDIT: About the invader who shut off your Anor Londo shortcut. Is it the spiral staircase ? It would force your entire party to take the risky ceiling beam route (like how Gandalf was forced to take Bilbo and gang through Mordor). He could knock you from the beams with DragonSlayer bow. Probably a seasoned invader.

Yes, the spiral staircase. And yes there was an invader waiting for us at the end of the ceiling beam route use the DragonSlayer bow. I got so close, it wasn't until the very last beam that he knocked me off. Must have been expensive for him, he shot quite a few arrows at me before killing me.

There are quite few skilled players out there. One invader killed the host by hiding in that double spiral staircase. We couldn't get to him because we were on the other floor. While he could one shot the host with magic.

I'm noticing quite big difference in level between invaders or people being summoned. It may make joining people easier, but it's not always a fair fight. I only managed to kill one invader today, and he already took some damage fighting the other phantoms. The invader wasn't really alone either. We were fighting in that gaint hallway before the boss fight. The 2 gaint guards were involved in the fight as well, and that silver knight was shooting at us from a distance. Felt great after surviving that. But it left me with almost no health for the boss fight, and once again I got killed by gaint Ornstein.

 

[patsu]

The closer you get to the archer, the harder it hits.

I played with "Fall Control" magic in the Great Hollow and the Catacomb. Sometimes I can survive a long fall. Don't know if it works in Anor Londo.

I also wonder if one of the rings can improve your poise and physical defense. I have seen a PvP video where a Blue Phantom wearing the full Havel set and shield made it all the way to the archer and whooped his *ss. That was gratifying.

Will your Ring of Fog help too ?

EDIT: Yeah fighting the invader on the ground floor with 2 giants is tough. I usually opt for the top floor, but finish off that archer first. I also prefer fighting in narrow places so they can't backstab me.

 

[specwarGP2]

I've also encountered blue enemies. I assume they get sent after sinners.

Blue phantoms invaders are from the darkmoon covenant.

There are also remnants of dead players in Dark Souls. Once in a while, a dead player's items will come alive in another player's world. A "Drift Item" appears as an orb-like monster, and fire soul arrows at its enemy.

It's actually not a dead player's items but gear you drop. Depending on what you drop they turn into a "vagrant." I've killed a bunch and I've always got humanity from them. I agree that its a really neat idea that' the devs incorporated into the game!

 

[Cornsnake]

The closer you get to the archer, the harder it hits.

I played with "Fall Control" magic in the Great Hollow and the Catacomb. Sometimes I can survive a long fall. Don't know if it works in Anor Londo.

I also wonder if one of the rings can improve your poise and physical attack. I have seen a PvP video where a Blue Phantom wearing the full Havel set and shield made it all the way to the archer and whooped his *ss. That was gratifying.

Will your Ring of Fog help too ?

EDIT: Yeah fighting the invader on the ground floor with 2 giants is tough. I usually opt for the top floor, but finish off that archer first. I also prefer fighting in narrow places so they can't backstab me.

I like to use the Ring of Fog against the archers. I can get close without being fired upon. And if I make a headshot it can even stagger them, letting me keep on shooting without them being able to break free from it.

I haven't tried Fall Control. I have only one magic slot available, and that's reserved for additional healing. But sounds interesting enough to try later.

I finally made it through the entire level, and helped killing Smough and Ornstein. Got my Sunlight medal.