Topic: Dark Souls: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Death

[K-man]

My body is ready.

I decided to convert this to a play through thread because I don't want to saddle down the old thread with spoiler tags.  Know that by entering Idol and I will be speaking freely about the game with no concern for spoilers.  READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

[Pugnate]

haha

[Xessive]

Wow that's atmospheric! haha

[K-man]

Changed thread topic.  Idol and I are playing this together so this will be a nice place to share our experiences.

[idolminds]

OMG A GIANT BIRD WTF

[iPPi]

That's an interesting setup. 

[Quemaqua]

Woo! I wish I could be you guys right now.

[idolminds]

Well this first area I sorta had spoiled for me by watching Que play at the meet, so I kinda sorta know whats going on here. But enough time has passed where I'll go "Oh yeah, I remember this" but only after I get in there. So it evens out. Joined a covenant, got my shrug on, and now working my way into the Undead Burg. Stumbled across the merchant so now I'm saving some souls to buy some stuff there. Got the Burg key and now saving for the inventory management box. 1000 souls isn't to tough to come by. Also bought a talisman to stop dudes from healing near me but I don't see a way to equip it? Oh well, Ill figure it out.

Already had a death. Cleared out the area past the merchant and climbed the roof for the soul up there. And there was a mark left by another player to make the jump to the next building. Well I fucked up my jump and landed on the ground below...surrounded by 4 skeletons. Took a fireball to the face and a sword in my side. I tried to back out, run to get a better position, but backing up over the little bridge there I bumped into another skeleton that blocked my way. Another fireball and a backstab and it was all over. Luckily it wasn't far from the bonfire and was easy enough to get to. I cleared it out so I wouldn't have to go through that again attempting that jump. I did get a crossbow for my trouble, so it was worth it.

[TheOtherBelmont]

Hooray for more people playing Dark Souls, can't wait to read more of your experiences!  JOLLY COOPERATION! 

[Xessive]

I thought there wasn't a coop mode like it's just someone randomly jumping into your world and whether or not he cooperates is up to him. But can you specifically invite a friend to play with you?

[W7RE]

I have this game, still haven't played it. I played through the first dungeon a few weeks ago, but wanted to finish some other games before really digging in. No idea when I'll get back to it. I did like what I played though.

[Xessive]

I have this game, still haven't played it. I played through the first dungeon a few weeks ago, but wanted to finish some other games before really digging in. No idea when I'll get back to it. I did like what I played though.

Read the earlier posts, you'll see my embarrassing attempts to enjoy the game. I'm still gonna give it another go just to try to recoup the cost! haha

[K-man]

Back when I first got the game I rolled a thief and played the intro.  I went back and rolled a Pyromancer last night.  Judging by the number of attempts it took me to beat the tutorial boss I'm not sure if he's for me.

Edit:
I've done some thinking about it, and I believe my major problem is that I'm rolling around too much and wasting endurance.  I dunno, we'll see.  I may roll another character and try it.  If I'm reading correctly though, class choice only really matters at the beginning of the game, since you can essentially make whatever you want by leveling.

[idolminds]

Yeah, pretty sure you can just stat up any way you want so ultimately the class doesn't matter.

I've made my way deeper into the undead burg. Most of the enemies weren't hard to deal with, except I did piss off a black knight dude that was having none of my shit, and some other knight that looked like he was made of stone that was able to one-shot me through my shield from full health. I'm guessing I'll just come back those those guys later. It did allow me to build up some souls though so I bought the storage box from the merchant.

I made some bad moves in a couple fights and used some of my flasks so by the time I came up on a fog door I only had 1 left. I step through the fog and see a note that says "Boss ahead". Oh great. We'll I just go back and...oh, I cant. Time to man up! Luckily while reading the note I could hear some archers shooting from somewhere so I climbed up by them and took em out before the boss showed up. Also based on the layout I sorta figured out what they wanted me to do to beat the boss, so it ended up not being terribly difficult...even if I almost died anyway. After the fight I used my last flask and forged ahead hoping to find a bonfire.

I met Mr Jolly Co-operation, followed by Mr Red Dragon that made me happy I healed a little. Then I opened up the shortcut to the bonfire and stopped there. Whew!

[TheOtherBelmont]

I thought there wasn't a coop mode like it's just someone randomly jumping into your world and whether or not he cooperates is up to him. But can you specifically invite a friend to play with you?

My jolly cooperation remark is something one of the NPCs says in the game.  There is no true co-op mode and you can't invite friends.

[Xessive]

My jolly cooperation remark is something one of the NPCs says in the game.  There is no true co-op mode and you can't invite friends.

Dang it. You had my hopes up for a sec.

[idolminds]

I've heard if you're clever and plan ahead to "meet up" in a specific spot, that you can summon a friend into your game. But its still mainly a crap shoot if you can do it or not.

Giant armored boar? Not a problem. Dude with spear backed up by 2 achers? Problem. Rats on the way back to collect my souls? "Yo dawg, we heard you like poison..." NO, RATS! YOU HEARD WRONG!

[K-man]

Rats were such assholes in Demon's Souls.

[Quemaqua]

Haha, I love this. It's bringing back so many memories.

Also, if boar is no problem, you're a better man than I. I had to do some serious footwork to take that bitch out. I got lucky and got a boar head helmet rare drop. I used that thing for like half the game.

[idolminds]

I'm not a better man, I am a coward. I would lure him to the doorway he couldn't fit through and then attack when he gave up and walked away. And I was so bummed when that helmet didn't drop. Gah, I wanted it so bad.

I did however end up with a really badass sword. The red dragon is a jerk, guarding some looty things. I want the looty things! So thinking back to the red dragon in Demons Souls I decided to buy a bunch of arrows and kill the bastard. I was able to plink away at him for a bit but I didn't know if I was going to be able to kill him. He got hurt, he would fly around, so I figured I'd keep going. Eventually it sounded like I had killed him and I got a Drakes Sword or something like that. I could only 2-hand it at first but I bumped up my stats and can now one-hand it. It does some serious damage. Downside is theres no stabby motion, only a swing so its harder to use in confined hallways. But some things that used to take 2-3 hits are now dying in one, so I'm pretty happy with it.

Note, however, this didn't kill the dragon. He's still there and will roast a bitch if they step foot on that walkway.

The bow is proving itself useful, but not overpowered like it was in Demons. Those rats? I am able to draw one out onto the bridge and take care of it with a single shot, then the other two are easier to handle. So now I basically have a pretty easy straight shot to the next boss. I know what I'm in for....and I'm scared.

[Quemaqua]

Awesome. Yeah, getting the tail is what gets you that sword. You don't have to kill him.

[idolminds]

Ah, ok. I was hitting his tail because that seemed like the safest place to hit him from. If I tried to go topside he'd burn the crap out of me.

[K-man]

Beat Taurus demon tonight.  The setup there was pretty obvious.  I love how this game sort of directs you where to go by kicking the shit out of  you when you wander into a place you're not ready for.

I died a bunch tonight.  Unfortunately the fear of death isn't nearly as present here as it was in Demon's Souls.  I can't decide if it's because I just got used to the game or if it's because a bonfire to this point has never felt THAT far away.

[idolminds]

Ok, turns out I wasn't up to where I thought I was. That fog door wasn't to the boss, just the next area. I flubbed a backstab but otherwise made it through to the next area ok. Opened up a new bonfire, found the blacksmith, and the shortcut elevator back to Firelink Shrine. So thats pretty awesome. On the way to the boss a hoard of zombies kicked my ass several times but I got a bunch of souls out of it. They are protected by some magic dude. I eventually saw that I could easily plink away at him with arrows from the lower level of the cathedral, and duck behind a pillar before he could send a bolt back at me. After that the undead werent bad, but they will still wear down your endurance in a hurry banging on your shield.

Around the corner was another red caped knight and a dude locked in a cell. I don't know if I should let him out or not. Demons Souls had a dude that was actually kinda bad to save so I'll have to see whats up with this guy.

So yeah, now I really really am at the boss. Sitting on 7k souls I figured I'd go spend em before I jump in there, and at Firelink I get 10 flasks so I'll have plenty to deal with. My next post should be the results of that terrible battle.

[Quemaqua]

I won't tell you that it's strictly good or bad to let him out, but some developments do occur as a result.

[idolminds]

Ah, ok. Well...I shall think on it some more. Hes not going anywhere anyway.

So I had a little time to play just now, spent all my souls (or as many as I could spend) on leveling up, and then marched on up to the boss. Just gotta take a deep breath and step through that door. Not knowing what to expect is half the fun, so I'm not going to detail and spoil that boss until kman gets a crack at him. Amazingly I was able to take him out on my first attempt (mostly since I pretty much knew what to expect out of him). The attacks weren't getting through my shield, except of course the fire breath, so it wasn't too bad. I also had some firebombs on me which helped. Still, I got banged up and had to find those short times where you can down a flask.

In the heat of the fight I forgot to try chop his tail off for the weapon. I guess you can get it later on but it would have been fun. I got a new helmet and shield out of the fight, though its making my roll slow.

Bell #1 has been rung! Now the next stuff will be interesting because this is about the point I stopped watching Ques playthrough. Everything ahead is all new to me.

[Quemaqua]

So much fun and death awaits you. Game has so many glorious moments. I'm curious which of the two games you guys will end up preferring. I loved both, but for me Dark Souls definitely won out.

[K-man]

Kicked some boar ass last night.  He didn't drop anything.  Then I died.  Then I died again.

Some deaths are just frustrating.  I got pinned by two armored fiends and couldn't escape.  In a situation like that one hit dooms you because by the time you recover from one hit, another is already landing.

[K-man]

Having spent just a few hours in the world of Dark Souls, I believe I prefer the open world format.  I thought it was sort of neat how Demon's Souls was segmented out into "levels".  In a way it made them more memorable.  But there's a real sense of exploration present in Dark Souls that wasn't with Demon's. 

My one knock against the game so far is definitely the frame rate in areas.  I mean there's just no excuse for that at this point.

[idolminds]

I agree with kman. Demons was awesome, but the exploration of Dark is just great. I get all excited when I open up new shortcuts and get a better idea of how interconnected everything is.

And yeah, the framerate issues do suck pretty bad. I went down into New Londo Ruins and it was really bad. I'm tempted to eventually buy the PC version for replays in the future since it can just brute force through that.

So that knight I didn't let out of his cell? Hes in Firelink Shrine anyway. To verify I went back to the cell and sure enough its empty. He's also kinda pissed at me for not letting him out. I don't think he's going to be very useful.

I found another boss. It did not go well. He has dogs. Evil dogs.

[TheOtherBelmont]

I don't want to ruin anything for you guys specifically, but be sure to talk to the NPCs in Firelink Shrine once in awhile, especially after you finish something major like a boss fight or ring a bell.

[idolminds]

Yeah I've been doing that though I don't have many people there yet. Just crazy guy, mute chick (hooray for boosting my flasks!), and Mr Miracle. Oh wait, and I guess the freed knight that comes and goes, and I just saved a dude out of lower burg but he doesnt say much.

[Quemaqua]

Haha, that boss is such a fucking dick. I never could manage to beat him without resorting to cheap tactics. Bleeding hard.

And yeah, I think Demon's and Dark both have a different vibe because of the structure. I love the just absolute malice of Demon's, but at the same time the world never felt entirely real or cohesive, where Dark actually feels like a real place. I wrote an article on this which I'd link to, but my blog is down again thanks to my host being filled with tools.

And yeah, the frame issues suck. It's not that bad until you get to Blighttown. Then God help you, because that place is rough. I kind of got a sick thrill because it reminded me of playing games on my old 386, and it just made a hard portion of the game that much harder. But I'm screwy like that.

[K-man]

Made a good bit of progress last night.  I was able to clear the cemetery of loot.  At first I was really afraid of those big skeletons, but found with the Drake Sword I was able to take them down in 3-4 hits. 

I told Idol about this last night, but it bears reposting.  I was messing around down in the New Londo Ruins and found the pathway to Drake Valley.  I first walk into a cave, but I see badness off in the distance so I back out.  You can also traverse the cliff side.  I see some loot far off so I decide to go after it.  I get closer and it looks to be beside a dead dragon.  No big deal, I'll just roll up in here and grab all this loOOOOOH SHIT HE WAS JUST SLEEPING.  He one-hits me after i grab two of the items.  I decide to attempt to go back for the third item and my souls.  I get back there and this time the dragon is awake.  I tried to take him down with some arrows but realized pretty fast that I didn't have enough.  Thankfully I was able to make him whiff with his attack and rolled by him.  I got my souls and the last part of that loot, but nowhere to go but forward.  I keep running along the cliff side.  I see smaller dragon/gargoyle looking things scattered along the cliff in the distance.  I engage the first one, take two swipes, realize that I'm nowhere near powerful enough, so I roll past him and keep running.  I keep running by these dragon things, and eventually 5-6 of them are after me.  They shoot lightning.  I wouldn't be able to replicate this in a million years, but I rolled/ran/recovered stamina avoiding these guys and their lightning bolts in a remarkable dance toward some loot I saw near the end of the path.  I made it to the end and grabbed the loot (a full armor set and a shield!), but the dead end quickly got the best of me.

I killed the big knight and his casting friend upstairs.  I tried the gargoyles 3 times but failed miserably.  I figured it was a good time to give it up for the evening.

[Quemaqua]

Haha, nice. Those are dragons, not gargoyles, and I couldn't legitimately engage those for a very long time. They're rough. You can kill the huge dragon much earlier and much more easily. I think I actually killed him probably about where you are now, the first time I came across him. I seem to recall him guarding at least one worthwhile item.

[idolminds]

Woo! Killed the Capra (and his little dogs, too)! It's a really tricky fight because of the really tight quarters. Drakes Sword was extremely useful because you can kill the dogs in one hit. Once they are gone then it gets a bit easier. Its just getting to that point is hard. As soon as you step in you better be ready to move and dodge his first attack otherwise it's pretty much over for you. Hit lands, you stagger, dogs hit you for more stagger and poison, and then the boss hits you again before you recover. Its just one big fuck you from the start.

Anywho, got the key to the Depths now so even more horrors await me. I walked in there a little bit and saw some butcher chopping at something and figured I should probably turn around and go think about spending my souls from Capra. Got back to Firelink and first thing that was weird to me was the skeletons respawned there without me touching a bonfire. Was not expecting that. I had killed them all on the way to Capra so...strange. But then the dude I saved from lower burg had something new to say but he still doesnt seem to do anything. Mr Miracles friends showed up and he says hes going to leave soon so I'm thinking now would be a good time to go grind up some souls and buy all the miracles he sells so I don't miss out later. I havent used any yet...maybe I should?

[TheOtherBelmont]

Mr Miracles friends showed up and he says hes going to leave soon so I'm thinking now would be a good time to go grind up some souls and buy all the miracles he sells so I don't miss out later. I havent used any yet...maybe I should?

I think I remember getting the Heal and Homeward miracles on my playthrough.  The Homeward one is useful since it will teleport you back to your last bonfire.  As far as skeletons go and their respawning, if its the skeletons right outside Firelink Shrine in the small graveyard area that you are talking about, then those skeletons cannot be killed unless you use a Divine weapon, keep this in mind if you ever make your way into the Catacombs.

[idolminds]

I was meaning the ones on the path up from Firelink to the Burg. They came back, but then maybe that was because I killed a boss?

And yeah I just found out about the graveyard skeletons. Though some of them seemed to die? At least they didn't come back. Thats when I took a little walk into the Catacombs and the first skeleton jumped me. Killed him...hmm, no souls? Thats....wait WTF NO! I then got out of there and he didnt seem to want to follow me into the sunlight. So then I went and grabbed the greatsword treasure in the graveyard which woke up 3 skeletons including one that was like 3 times larger than the rest so I got the fuck out of there as fast as I could. The ones I killed earlier seemed to stay dead, though.

When I loaded up my game I got worried for a bit. I went to Mr Miracle and his friends were gone...and so was he! Fuck! Now I missed out on those miracles! So I thought. I went to go see the Burg blacksmith to buy the smithing boxes. I haven't upgraded any of my swords or armor yet because I don't know how hard to find those ores are. I don't have many and don't want to waste them. Then I went and toyed with that limping lightning demon. I thought I could take him but it would take a really long time so I gave up on that. Anyway, when I got back to Firelink Mr Miracle was back so I'm happy. He's all worried about that chick though.

Oh and something weird happened. I talked to the crazy guy in FL and he said the crow had taken somebody. I thought it was just something he would say, but when I was going to the graveyard I could hear something like someone snoring. I looked all over and couldn't find the source of it. Really odd.

[TheOtherBelmont]

I was meaning the ones on the path up from Firelink to the Burg. They came back, but then maybe that was because I killed a boss?

And yeah I just found out about the graveyard skeletons. Though some of them seemed to die? At least they didn't come back. Thats when I took a little walk into the Catacombs and the first skeleton jumped me. Killed him...hmm, no souls? Thats....wait WTF NO! I then got out of there and he didnt seem to want to follow me into the sunlight. So then I went and grabbed the greatsword treasure in the graveyard which woke up 3 skeletons including one that was like 3 times larger than the rest so I got the fuck out of there as fast as I could. The ones I killed earlier seemed to stay dead, though.

When I loaded up my game I got worried for a bit. I went to Mr Miracle and his friends were gone...and so was he! Fuck! Now I missed out on those miracles! So I thought. I went to go see the Burg blacksmith to buy the smithing boxes. I haven't upgraded any of my swords or armor yet because I don't know how hard to find those ores are. I don't have many and don't want to waste them. Then I went and toyed with that limping lightning demon. I thought I could take him but it would take a really long time so I gave up on that. Anyway, when I got back to Firelink Mr Miracle was back so I'm happy. He's all worried about that chick though.

Oh and something weird happened. I talked to the crazy guy in FL and he said the crow had taken somebody. I thought it was just something he would say, but when I was going to the graveyard I could hear something like someone snoring. I looked all over and couldn't find the source of it. Really odd.

Don't worry about the snoring.  I went crazy thinking the game had bugged out and didn't load an NPC or something, but the source of the snoring will be revealed later so don't fret too much about it.  If you are curious about weapon and armor upgrading, don't be afraid to take a look at a wiki for upgrading stuff in Dark Souls. That one I linked to is good about not linking to any major story spoilers and has details about upgrading which isn't explained very well in the game.

[idolminds]

Cool, thanks.