From Software The Dark Souls Discussion Thread

[Caim]

Just beaten up Pinwheel. Is he vulnerable to magic or something like that? I killed the one in front. I hit him few times with Leeroy, and he had less than one third HP. I had who knows how half HP.

Pinwheel's supposed to be a pushover.

 

[Silva]

Hey bros, come to oolacile township if you want a beating from my dual-dagger poisoning bleeder backstabber thief scum.

 

[potatojohn]

Is shield stability a % of how much stamina damage you take when blocking?

 

[Cowboy Moment]

Not sure if it's a straight up percentage, but higher stability does reduce the amount of stamina drained by attacks. Keep in mind that the stamina damage and actual damage of an attack aren't necessary the same, or even related. Some attacks, like shield bashes, drain a lot of stamina but little health, and some others hit very hard, but barely make a dent in your shield (projectiles, most obviously).

 

[DragoFireheart]

Not sure if it's a straight up percentage, but higher stability does reduce the amount of stamina drained by attacks. Keep in mind that the stamina damage and actual damage of an attack aren't necessary the same, or even related. Some attacks, like shield bashes, drain a lot of stamina but little health, and some others hit very hard, but barely make a dent in your shield (projectiles, most obviously).

Also note that Dark Magic and/or Darker Pyromancy drain large amounts of stamina.

 

[Caim]

This must be the first game I found where you can dual wield shields.

...

Someone beat the game with such a build, didn't they?

 

[DragoFireheart]

This must be the first game I found where you can dual wield shields.

...

Someone beat the game with such a build, didn't they?

Probably.

 

[meanwhileInPoland]

close

 

[Caim]

Ah yes, of course someone beat the game with just a shield.

Same goes for the fist weapons, the whip and bare hands I guess?

 

[meanwhileInPoland]

same goes for only consumables run/only somersault artorias sword attack/ and any other shit you can come up with

 

[Caim]

Guys, I need some advice. I'm playing the game in a heavy armor sword and board kind of guy, and thus far it works quite well: Stone armor with the sword you got from the hellkite's tail and the shield guarded by the Black Knight in Deeproot Basin (too weak for the stone shield). I know there are better armors to find out there, especially Havel's, but what should I keep in mind with getting his (and in between) stuff?

And how useful is his ring for that? I know he drops a neat ring but given that he can easily one-shot me I'm putting off our fight until I can at least damage him.

 

[agentorange]

Keep in mind that using Havel's set will make for the most uninteresting play-through possible.

 

[Edward_R_Murrow]

I know there are better armors to find out there, especially Havel's, but what should I keep in mind with getting his (and in between) stuff?

The keys to playing a heavy in Dark Souls 1 are your shield, your weapon, sufficient Poise from your armor, and your health.

-You want a shield with extremely high stability to block attacks while using the least stamina possible. In practice, this means Greatshields (and thus a high STR stat to properly use them). But you can get by with highly upgraded Medium Shields like, say, a Black Knight Shield. You probably won't have the Titanite (or Embers) for these in the early-mid game, however. The Grass Crest Shield probably won't cut it as far as blocking goes. Too little stability. You want either a Havel's Greatshield or one of the Artorias Greatshields towards the endgame.

-You need a weapon that can deal a lot of poise damage so that when you hit enemies after blocking, it stunlocks them. The heavier the weapon, the more poise damage, generally speaking. Greatswords, greataxes, large clubs, and whatnot are all great. The Drake Sword is a little weak, and will become moreso as you advance through areas. Grab the Claymore off the Hellkite Drake's bridge, or go buy a Bastard Sword from Andre. Again, you're going to want Strength to wield these.

-Stack as much Poise as possible. Higher Poise means you can take more abuse from enemies before going into a hit-confirmation animation. Stone Armor is good, but if you need extra Poise without a lot of extra weight, explore the Darkroot Garden carefully for the Wolf Ring. Tons of Poise for the cost of one ring slot.

-Have sufficient health. You need to be able to not be one-shotted by enemies, so you can take advantage of your poise to chug Estus Flasks while in combat without fear of being interrupted during the animation. Also, upgrade your Estus Flask with Fire Keeper Souls (at, ironically enough, Fire Keepers) posthaste to recieve a larger healing boost with each flask use. Consider kindling bonfires to increase Estus Flask numbers at each rest to 10 (or up to15 or 20 with the Rite of Kindling).

So your idea as a heavy is to stack poise, carry a good shield, block enemy attacks, and punish with an extremely damaging strike that will stun the enemy. Sufficient stamina and weapon power will allow for stunlocks and make the enemy powerless to stop you from beating it to a pulp. Tougher foes, like bosses, might require some healing. Poise will allow you to eat their attacks without flinching, if need be, giving ample opportunity to chug Estus.

You can amp up this strategy even more with things like the Pyromancy (magic available to virtually all builds) Iron Flesh. Just don't plan on dodging out of the way.

This playstyle is decent enough at PvE in the lower rungs, but will quickly become obsolete at higher New Game+ cycles. That's probably okay, however, because New Game+ sucks in DkS1.

However, don't expect to win any PvP matches...you'll be backstabbed after practically every attack, if the opponent is halfway competent.

And how useful is his ring for that? I know he drops a neat ring but given that he can easily one-shot me I'm putting off our fight until I can at least damage him.

Grants a huge increase to equip burden, making all that heavy stuff you need to bear a bit less of a drag.

If you want to kill Havel easily, grab a Reinforced Club from the merchant in the Undead Burg, strip naked, and slap some Gold Pine Resin on it. Roll behind Havel whenever he attacks and then backstab him. The lightning will pierce through his armor, dealing a good amount of damage. If you know what you are doing, you can also get in a free light attack as enemies recover from the backstab animation (yes, backstabs are completely busted). Do this and you'll expediate the process.

I recommended the Reinforced Club because of the bleed effect. If you do a decent job of landing attacks on Havel in a timely manner, Bleed will build up and he'll take massive damage that is ignored by his armor.

 

[AN4RCHID]

Havel's is fine for a first playthrough. Makes NG+ stupid though.

 

[Caim]

Alright, thanks for the hints bros.

I have the Wolf Ring already, and I managed to get my hands on the Zweihander(?) in the graveyard near Firelink. Will that one suffice until I can backtrack to the bridge and get the Claymore (currently near Blighttown). I figured that the Drakesword is kind of losing its edge (plus, it won't hit harder when I level my Strength), so I'm up for something new. But don't the two-handed swords swing incredibly slow, even with both hands?

 

[Murk]

The regular greatswords (bastard, claymore) are quick enough that you don't have to worry about that. The ultra greatswords like the zwei are a lot slower, but their range and power can make up for it. You will have to learn to attack enemies before they are fully in range, but that's part of the whole 'get gud' aspect of the game.

I always enjoy light armor dodge characters, and nowadays nearly never use a shield. Different styles and all hat, but you will feel a greater sense of accomplishment in pve if you learn to dodge.

 

[Cowboy Moment]

You can kill nearly everything in the game with the Zweihander's 2HR2 as long as your timing isn't absolutely fucking terrible. It becomes trickier against bosses whom you can't easily poisebreak, but thankfully Zweihander's 2H roll attack is really good, and tracks perfectly. I think I killed the likes of O&S and the DLC bosses with that attack alone.

 

[Silva]

Guys, I need some advice. I'm playing the game in a heavy armor sword and board kind of guy and

You are a faggot.

I always enjoy light armor dodge characters, and nowadays nearly never use a shield.

This is how men play DS.

 

[Cowboy Moment]

Giant's Armor is the only armor for real men.

 

[DragoFireheart]

Thinking about coming back to my first love.

Which of you fuckers are on PS3 version? My username is Dragofireheart.

 

[meanwhileInPoland]

I am. My username is

Spoiler

oh wait i owe DS1 only on pc

 

[Raghar]

Just rescued Rhea. Petrus said something nasty about her like he would like to kill her, that sitting person also said something against her, but he's too apathic do do anything, and Petrus might like to kill her to kill witness of his cowardice. I took Gravelord greatsword and killed him. Normally I can't combo with large weapons more than two times, but I comboed him four times.

Of course before I managed to speak with keeper of Firelink shrine, someone killed her. But I found another smith. Actually two. And I also discovered that flaming weapon doesn't produce light. Actually neither zweihanders coated in fire reisin.

 

[DragoFireheart]

I am. My username is

Spoiler

oh wait i owe DS1 only on pc

 

[StaticSpine]

Of course before I managed to speak with keeper of Firelink shrine, someone killed her.

You can revive her after the event in Anor Londo.

 

[Akratus]

My name on PC is Aaunfadawdeawe.