From Software The Dark Souls Discussion Thread

[Monkey Baron]

Alright, played about 2 hours.

Changes I noticed within the time I played:

Spoiler

• New items including a new starting gift. I picked it (it was some ring that said that it isn't to be removed lightly) and removed and reequipped it a few times. Nothing seemed to happen but I'm interested to see what it does later on.
• The locations of NPCs/Items/Enemies/Bonfires are moved around.
• The modder is a funny guy and made Stray Demon accessible in the tutorial. My friend said it took him 15 minutes to defeat him. I died to him a few times until I gave up.
• The game is drastically more difficult and bonfires are scarce. I couldn't find another (accessible) one after beating the first boss after the tutorial.
• A lot less linear. There are already 3 (maybe 4) paths open to me where I'm at right now.

The first area (that most people will choose at least) is pretty familiar but things are switched around. Another area I checked seemed to be drastically different (also renamed) from what I remembered although I could be wrong. I predict that other areas will be different in the same way too. I like what I've experienced so far, and I would recommend it to any fan of DS1. I have a really good feeling about this mod.

That being said, I'm not sure if I'm going to continue any time soon since I want to start and finish ATOM by the end of this month.

 

[Nathaniel3W]

Remind me: Is Stray Demon the boss lurking beneath the fallaway floor where you fought the first boss in the game? I beat him somehow in my first playthrough, but in NG+ I had to blast him with Dark Bead.

I loved Dark Souls. And I'd be open to trying out a total conversion mod. But if it were a total conversion, I would want it to be in an entirely new setting, not just Lordran remixed.

 

[Monkey Baron]

Remind me: Is Stray Demon the boss lurking beneath the fallaway floor where you fought the first boss in the game? I beat him somehow in my first playthrough, but in NG+ I had to blast him with Dark Bead.

I loved Dark Souls. And I'd be open to trying out a total conversion mod. But if it were a total conversion, I would want it to be in an entirely new setting, not just Lordran remixed.

Yep, that's the one! Honestly, NG+ isn't really enjoyable for me since the health of all the bosses are bumped up to the point where they get pretty spongey. It breaks Four Kings imo.

If you're interested in the content of the mod, LobosJr is doing a playthrough of it. I skimmed through it a bit and there seems to be some pretty hefty changes, and I really like the concept of the boss I saw there. That being said, it is reusing old assets so don't expect entirely new enemies and NPCs.

 

[Perkel]

Yeah i am downloading this right now.
Imho from what i read it looks like great overhaul.

 

[Steezus]

lol, Pinwheel doesn't suck ass.

 

[janior]

Looks like garbage.

 

[agentorange]

Anyone recommending that Daughters of Ash shit is a moron.

 

[Wunderbar]

The modder is a funny guy and made Stray Demon accessible in the tutorial.

that's gonna be no from me dawg

 

[The_Mask]

Remind me: Is Stray Demon the boss lurking beneath the fallaway floor where you fought the first boss in the game?

Yes. Look to the right as you begin the game and he/it is there.

 

[Perkel]

Things i noticed:

- I love that bonfires are more scarce now. This was like #1 issue for me with Dark Souls coming from Demon's Souls.
- Those 3 pseudo covenants at start are not covenants, they are challenge runs. First one halves stamina regeneration and weapons degrade a lot faster (even faster than in DS2), caitha i think is 1 hit kill and last one in second cell on left is permadeath. It would be great if dev placed hint on what those are.
- getting shield before doors open is retarded change that serves no purpose
- enemies will hunt you down regardless where you go. You can't run away like in orginal DS.
- is it me remembering something wrong but i think you have less life overall now. With knight you start at around 450life and with 15 into life you get like 530ish which is welcome change because vitality scaling was too good in DS1.
- enemies i think respawn behind you when you move away far which means no souls runs for bonfire. I like this change though some might find it wrong. Imho because it forces you to push on instead of going back like wussy to store your souls.

At least this is from my 20 minutes with it.

That pseudo covenants thing cost me around 40 minutes of time.
I like Struggle one with weapon degradation but i don't know how to push through beggining when you have like 1 weapon and i don't even know if mcduff is same place even.

 

[baturinsky]

I have installed all three DS-es now and playing them side by side. Overall, I like all of them, though each has it's pros and cons.

DS1. Using Straight Swords or Calymore. They have range, swing and jab attacks, ok speed. Only drawback is they are pretty bland after a while. Also, used Sorcery - it's pretty strong, much stronger than in sequels. Especially shotgun darkness - it just rapes bosses.

DS2. All kind of spears mostly. Enemies are too good at turning midcombo, so dodging does not help much, so range is the king. Also used great clubs, because smashing enemies into the ground is both satisfying and extremelly effective.

DS3. Farron Greatsword. Most fun weapon by far, and pretty effective too. Trademark special attack makes you move constantly, avoiding enemy strikes and hitting them from unexpected angles. As sidearm for some bosses I used Estoc - better control and can be enchanted.

Any other weapons worth trying?

Bosses - most hardest of them I have managed to do is S&O (and only with NPC help) and Dancer. But I have yet to defeat a pair before Nashandra and Twin Princes.

Abyss Watchers are surprisingly easy if you just wait for long combo and dodge through last strike.

Astorias does not hit too hard in normal form and can be mostly just blocked with a shield. Only issue is to hit him hard enough when he tries to self-buff.

 

[Elwro]

I found that the most fun way to combat Artorias is just to decide to dodge all his attacks and play pure melee. (And, of course, not break his buff ) The whole 'dance' is just insane, satisfying and really memorable.

 

[TheImplodingVoice]

I found that the most fun way to combat Artorias is just to decide to dodge all his attacks and play pure melee. (And, of course, not break his buff ) The whole 'dance' is just insane, satisfying and really memorable.

Artorias looks a lot more intimidating that he actually is. He jumps around crazy but if you're in his face with with your good old trusty Zweihander then he is easy work. Manus always is the fight I dislike the most. Frustrating as shit, so I always end up chilling by the 2nd bonfire and help a few people out to kill him(that is if they follow me to the fight and not fucking die like most of them)

 

[Silva]

I found that the most fun way to combat Artorias play Souls games is just to dodge attacks and play pure melee..... The whole 'dance' is just insane, satisfying and really memorable.

Corrected for you. The uncomfortable truth for PC players is that Bloodborne is the better designed game in the series exactly because of this.

Luckily they will use this wisdom for Sekiro.

 

[Average Manatee]

For DS1 try a weapon with good poise damage. Even the simple reinforced club two-handed is surprisingly good with stun locking enemeis, which makes SL1 runs very enjoyable. Fromsoft essentially broke the way poise works in later games to make it nonfunctional.

 

[baturinsky]

I prefer walking out of strikes over dodging, with shield being in insurance. Dodging takes too much control out of you - you avoid the strike indeed, but lose time and end up usually too far from enemy. While if you sidestep the attack successfully, you can smash their face without losing time and stamina.

 

[Steezus]

I mean, play the game however you want, but just taking the biggest weapon with the most poise damage and stun-locking everything to oblivion is definitely the least fun way to play these games imo.

 

[Black Angel]

I mean, play the game however you want, but just taking the biggest weapon with the most poise damage and stun-locking everything to oblivion is definitely the least fun way to play these games imo.

Nah, for me, beating everything down to a pulp with the Zweihander is the most fun experience I ever had, especially since I discovered this by myself. I'll never forget that very first time I saw a bloody crystal golem staggered because of Zwei's 2-handed R2.

And then on my newer playthrough, I Leeroy Jenkins my way to Zwei, and enjoyed smashing Taurus Demon's head with it.

 

[Russia is over. The end.]

Artorias looks a lot more intimidating that he actually is. He jumps around crazy but if you're in his face with with your good old trusty Zweihander then he is easy work.

Since he's a one armed opponent, I imposed on myself to wear no shield to compensate for his disadvantage. On a shieldless run, he's very tough.

 

[The_Mask]

Artorias looks a lot more intimidating that he actually is. He jumps around crazy but if you're in his face with with your good old trusty Zweihander then he is easy work.

Yes! But if you go at him with low poise damaging weapons like bow&arrow or the dagger family, he is a lot more dangerous.

I recommend a bow-only run. It changes your whole perspective on what you thought was easy or what was hard. ^__^

 

[The_Mask]

Artorias does not hit too hard in normal form and can be mostly just blocked with a shield. Only issue is to hit him hard enough when he tries to self-buff.

Artorias is a lot easier for first timers if you maximize your stamina regen, and if you use a high stability shield (heater, Balder or Silver Knight).

Try using the Mask of the Child (if you have it from Pinwheel) and invest in Green Blossoms.

You can use Power Within too, but most newbies are not comfortable with that at first - but if you do make sure you cast it before you head into a boss fight, and take a close look at how it works by watching your stats screen. The mechanics are a bit... convoluted. ^__^

 

[TheImplodingVoice]

Artorias looks a lot more intimidating that he actually is. He jumps around crazy but if you're in his face with with your good old trusty Zweihander then he is easy work.

Yes! But if you go at him with low poise damaging weapons like bow&arrow or the dagger family, he is a lot more dangerous.

I recommend a bow-only run. It changes your whole perspective on what you thought was easy or what was hard. ^__^

I've always thought about a bow only run. But it seems really tough but I will try it out in the future. Bet I'd get the shit kicked out me of using bow only. But could be fun as well

 

[TheImplodingVoice]

Artorias looks a lot more intimidating that he actually is. He jumps around crazy but if you're in his face with with your good old trusty Zweihander then he is easy work.

Since he's a one armed opponent, I imposed on myself to wear no shield to compensate for his disadvantage. On a shieldless run, he's very tough.

Will do a complete shield less run some time in the future. But I just 2 hand the zwei most of the time so I don't use a shield much. But I use the shield for that little bit faster stamina recovery.

 

[Deflowerer]

I mean, play the game however you want, but just taking the biggest weapon with the most poise damage and stun-locking everything to oblivion is definitely the least fun way to play these games imo.

Actually I feel like Soulsborne games and Monster Hunter games are one of the few action / action-rpg games where using big-ass swords feels amazing. You really feel the weight of it. Most other games treat it as if you're using candy cane with a pasted on greatsword .jpeg .

 

[Dawkinsfan69]

Artorias looks a lot more intimidating that he actually is. He jumps around crazy but if you're in his face with with your good old trusty Zweihander then he is easy work.

Yes! But if you go at him with low poise damaging weapons like bow&arrow or the dagger family, he is a lot more dangerous.

I recommend a bow-only run. It changes your whole perspective on what you thought was easy or what was hard. ^__^

I've always thought about a bow only run. But it seems really tough but I will try it out in the future. Bet I'd get the shit kicked out me of using bow only. But could be fun as well

Yea I don't think damage scaling is great for bows.. I remember when I got bloodborne I tried to build my first character to be a gun specialist and that was the worst idea ever, even with all points pumped into gun damage I'd run out of bullets before I could kill a few trash mobs