From Software Bloodborne. Discuss or die!

[CthuluIsSpy]

DS1 and DS2 were too defensive. It's their only combat flaw. You could smash your way through both games, one or two-shotting most bosses with a good medium shield. Playing with a shield was so trivial it wasn't even funny.

But maybe Bloodborne is going too far, always forcing you to gogogogogo. I think DS2 DLCs stroke a perfect balance - shield is still useful but some enemies hit too hard or too fast or they kick to guard break you.

Yeah, I was having trouble twohanding or powerstancing veldstat, but then I equipped a drangleic shield and he suddenly became much easier.
I can never get over how stupidly good shields are in Dark Souls. Even Smough, who can break two foot wide columns in a single swing, somehow can't power through a flat piece of metal.

 

[Elwro]

Thanks, Silva!

 

[Hobo Elf]

Any recommendations on how to start a playthrough so that eventually it would be a Bloodtinge or an Arcane build ? I just can't figure out a fun way to start the game which would not be Strength or Skill based, but I just haven't really cracked this game, it seems, despite finishing it twice. So , I'd appreciate any pointers!

Arcane is a bit trickier to pull off. There aren't many weapons that do Arcane damage so finding a good specific Arcane weapon can be difficult. Some weapons have Arcane scaling so you need to find the proper gems to convert your weapon into a Fire / Bolt damage dealing one so that they actually benefit from the Arcane stat, and that means chalice farming. I should also point out that the The Holy Moonlight Greatsword is deceptive as it appears to be an Arcane weapon. Do not be tricked by this, it's basic melee attacks scale only with the melee stats. The R2 beam attack is the one that benefits from the Arcane scaling. And if you're doing a pure / heavy Arcane build then this isn't going to be much use to you.

Also as a little protip for Arcane builds, the tentacle spell can be used to to parry enemies, so you can substitute using guns to parry with that.

 

[Elwro]

Also as a little protip for Arcane builds, the tentacle spell can be used to to parry enemies, so you can substitute using guns to parry with that.

Wow. Didn't know that. Thanks!

 

[vortex]

Fextralife, who leads english forums for Soulborne games, thinks B2 is in the making-

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

Yes, but will it be on PC?

 

[vortex]

Yes, but will it be on PC?

No way. This is Sony's IP.

 

[mediocrepoet]

I'd like to see them do more with BB's environment style and creatures. It's funny because the first times I played it I couldn't get into it, it was too twitchy, etc. It wasn't until after I beat DS3 and went back to it that the game's different speed and rhythm clicked and I started to love the game.

 

[Elwro]

(just like with Elex )

 

[Silva]

That's bullshit. The only certainty from Sony is The Last of Us 2 and God of War 4: Norse babes edition.

 

[waterdeep]

I hope they don't make a sequel, the das sequels were shitty cashgrabs

 

[Silva]

Base game plus expansion for 20 bucks on Pstore right now. Don't know if this sell is global though, I'm in Brazil.

 

[Hyperion]

Finally decided to give the DLC a go and holy fuck I need some creams for my ass because it just got ripped open like Christmas wrapping paper. Can't remember the last time I've raged so hard at a game like this. Only thing that comes close as I can remember is pre-nerf Shrine of Amana. I know I'm not a complete retard at these games, nor highly skilled, but holy shit going in at level 40 was a massive mistake. Did pretty well in the first area, but after the gatling gun bridge enemies decided to tell me to go fuck myself and started poising right through my Kirkhammer. Got to Ludwig, and the dude is just an absolute buzzsaw. I have enough HP to survive a couple of hits depending on the attack, but he just has way too much life for me to kill him with a +6 weapon.

The weapons are fucking badass though, and I went through a fairly large number of my Shards getting the Boom Hammer up. So far, totally worth it, though as the L1 + Charge Attack is absolutely wonderful. I also wanna give the Amygdalan Arm, Whirligig Saw, and Beast Cutter a go, but can't afford to level any of them up as much I would like. Just wanna use a weapon that pancakes shit with massive AR. Really hope the Kirkhammer isn't my best bet in that case. From gets 12/10 on weapon design this time around. Bra-fucking-Vo.

P.S. - Fuck that asshole with the portable Gatling Gun. Cheating cocksucker with his unlimited bullets.

 

[mediocrepoet]

Finally decided to give the DLC a go and holy fuck I need some creams for my ass because it just got ripped open like Christmas wrapping paper. Can't remember the last time I've raged so hard at a game like this. Only thing that comes close as I can remember is pre-nerf Shrine of Amana. I know I'm not a complete retard at these games, nor highly skilled, but holy shit going in at level 40 was a massive mistake. Did pretty well in the first area, but after the gatling gun bridge enemies decided to tell me to go fuck myself and started poising right through my Kirkhammer. Got to Ludwig, and the dude is just an absolute buzzsaw. I have enough HP to survive a couple of hits depending on the attack, but he just has way too much life for me to kill him with a +6 weapon.

The weapons are fucking badass though, and I went through a fairly large number of my Shards getting the Boom Hammer up. So far, totally worth it, though as the L1 + Charge Attack is absolutely wonderful. I also wanna give the Amygdalan Arm, Whirligig Saw, and Beast Cutter a go, but can't afford to level any of them up as much I would like. Just wanna use a weapon that pancakes shit with massive AR. Really hope the Kirkhammer isn't my best bet in that case. From gets 12/10 on weapon design this time around. Bra-fucking-Vo.

P.S. - Fuck that asshole with the portable Gatling Gun. Cheating cocksucker with his unlimited bullets.

Wait until you meeting the Orphan.

 

[Silva]

...or Lawrence.

 

[Hobo Elf]

Never died to Laurence. What is it about him that people hate him for?

 

[flabbyjack]

I love Dark Souls games, but what I don't like is how they lock you out of content for stupid bullshit reasons.

Visit dark corner of map #2 before fighting boss x or you terminate storyline y and don't get to access weapon z.

 

[Hobo Elf]

Can't wait to get to Cainhurst and get my hands on the Evelyn and the Chikage. Only thing I'm not sure of, is whether I'll go with 50 Blood or split skill/blood 40/40 (I do love my Rakuyo).

Can't wait for this nig to figure out Evelyn + Bone Marrow Ash.

 

[Silva]

Evelyn is for faggots. Real men use Repeater.

And Lawrence gives me a huge headache with that second phase.

 

[Hobo Elf]

Just use them man. The game shits out blood echoes and dumps them on your lap like no tomorrow. Buying them back is so trivial.

 

[Silva]

Evelyn is gud, already up'ed one to +10 on another build, never used Bone on it though. I'm completely autistic about consumables hoarding them in the idea that I'll save'em for later and then finish the game with a shitton of junk.

Pistoleros and Arcanists really shine on NG forward, when you are swimming on bullets (and Bone Marrow). The real jump happens at the level 5 chalices which give bazillion blood echoes allowing you to pump stats to your desired meta, and then use the leftover in vials/bullets/items.

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

ITT People are talking about their shiny guns while I'm stuck with crossbows, because Sony are greedy bitches

 

[Hyperion]

But yeah, first impression is, whole different game and, so far, I'm not having as much fun as with BB.

I couldn't possibly imagine going from BB to Souls. From Souls to BB is definitely a less jarring experience, but there are times when it feels a lot more button mashy and 'popamole' than Souls. Just a huge change in your mindset from going to almost purely reactive in Souls to being able to win through sheer aggression in BB.

Been doing The Old Hunters content, and have done everything but The Fishing Hamlet so far. Maria was far and away the easiest boss fight imo. The first 3/4 of the fight I literally traded with her blow for blow with the Whirligig Saw, which was only +8 at the time. When she enchants her sword with both Fire AND Blood (ooOOo Symbolism) was the only time I really felt in danger because of how powerful Rally can be. And even then it was only that 1 Charge Attack that hits you from across the entire arena that was particularly dangerous.

Living Failures frustrated the ever living fuck out of me because no matter how many attacks I would dodge or bait out, the fuckers would extend their combo by 1 hit EVERY TIME I decided to attack. The only time I felt I could safely get more than 1 hit in a row was when they summon their Meteor Shower. I know for my first attempt I underestimated the shit out of them, then saw how much life and physical defense they have and realized I was in for a long fucking fight.

Laurence was just a load of fucking bullshit all around. You can't rally the cocksucker because every. Mother. Fucking attack has the goddamned explosion effect to hit you twice and remove the rally bar. Or you dodge and the goddamned explosions hit you regardless of when and where you dodge. Then Phase 2 happens and the fucker breathes fire while standing on a rotating pedestal because he can fucking spin like he's on sale at a car show. And of course he shits lava that you walk into just while swinging your weapon. Just a gigantic pain in the ass all around, but somehow less frustrating than fucking "Ax'thulu" right before him. Fuck those guys with a rusty sawblade.

Ludwig is by far my favorite boss of the DLC so far. The song, the arena, the transition at 50%, everything. Of all the bosses, he felt the most fair when it came to difficulty, with the exception of him being able to trap you between his appendages and just endlessly wail on you while you're helpless because of shitty collision. Only happened to me twice when I was trying severely under leveled, though. Rather nice of From to put the Old Hag + Bloody Zombie combo right before him for a free 5 Blood Vials too. Especially since most deaths to Ludwig usually happen because of a fuck up and dying from 100% to 0 immediately and I never really used many vials per fight.

We'll see how Orphan of Kos shapes up with his Lightning Storm and KFC Drumstick bullshit.

As much as I love all of the games, I really need the series (Souls and BB) to just die already and From can branch out a bit. Maybe go back to trying their hand at a turn-based game like Enchanted Arms again because the entire time in the DLC I felt reminded of something else. Research Hall reminded me of the Library from DS1, Abyss Watchers phase 2 wasn't even trying to hide being similar to Maria, Ariandel was Laurence-lite. And this isn't even counting things like comparing Hemwick to the Undead Settlement. It's getting depressing how out of ideas they are.

 

[Silva]

I'm with D_X here, BB is the best in terms of sheer fun to me. Don't know if I would consider it the best game in the series though, that's another discussion.

I think calling BB button mash is elusive. The game requires as much tactics as any Souls game only applied in a more aggressive than reactive way, as said above. The very first Yharnam area shows this and can kill you if you go in recklessly button mashing.

And going back to DS1 after BB is weird. Not only the game feels slower and less fun but it's easy as fuck. Last time I tried it my first death occurred in Anor Londo (even Sen Fortress was piece of cake). Wtf.

As much as I love all of the games, I really need the series (Souls and BB) to just die already and From can branch out a bit. Maybe go back to trying their hand at a turn-based game like Enchanted Arms again because the entire time in the DLC I felt reminded of something else.

This. One thousand times this.

 

[DragoFireheart]

I wish somebody would've told me about the Saif.

btw:

Saif is a great weapon.

EDIT:

It's one of the best PvP weapons. If you are going skill or pure arcane (bolt or fire), I recommend it. The normal mode heavy attack can interrupt enemies like the Brain frenzy things while the trick mode regular attack can rekt enemies likes the Bloody Hunter. The trick mode really fucks with Hunter AI and isn't able to reliably register your attack and react: this results in you attacking, dashing forward, and then hitting them. You'll sometimes see them try to do something but get short-stunned every time.