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Dark Souls
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Synonamess Botch
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May 5, 2012 - 1:20 am
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No, I haven't found a way to open it yet.  I forgot about the ladder shortcut by the Burg bonfire, duh.

I killed the knight in the Burg, the one at the end of a hallway with his back turned.  He was guarding a nice ring.

Every time I get my humanity back I almost immediately get invaded.  This time again I could do absolutely no damage.  I even summoned someone to help me and he got axed but quick.  I tried a couple other times to summon and got a "summon failed".  I'm only level 23.  Is anyone else getting invaded so frequently and by impossible to kill phantoms?  I'm seriously considering going offline, although I'll miss the hints.  It won't even let you quit out of the game.

Rule #2: Double-tap

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Synonamess Botch
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May 5, 2012 - 1:25 am
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I just got a strange message about a disaster and a gravelord servant.  Not sure what's going on.

Rule #2: Double-tap

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geggis
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May 5, 2012 - 7:39 am
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I finally got a chance to have a good long session with Dark Souls and it seems I'm on the same page as you lot now.

I'd firstly like to agree with SB about the level design being brilliant and absolutely mad. Since visiting the Undead Parish I've been quite amazed by how well the game has totally disoriented me. Usually my 'body' compass is pretty good but in Dark Souls it's been thrown into disarray. That ladder leading down to the Burg bonfire, the lifts leading down to Firelink... crazy! As somebody who's never really liked hub systems (like the Nexus) the open and connected world pleases me immensely.

So yeah, obviously I defeated the Taurus Demon, I think on my fourth attempt. That led me to the bridge with the dragon and the Astora sun dude. When I went down those stairs on the bridge I was running low on Estus and the heal miracle (the Taurus Demon soaked most of that lot up) so I decided to turn back. I walked all the way back to the Burg bonfire, then fought my way back to the bridge stairs again and I couldn't believe it: had I ventured a little further I'd have discovered the ladder shortcut to the Burg bonfire not more than a few metres away from where I decided to turn back!

I made my way up to the church dealing with that armoured boar I remember from the Eurogamer Expo. Unfortunately I had an axe so wasn't capable of shoving a sword up its arse. I encountered the caped knights and I've got to say, I've not found them particularly tough to deal with. The church area is a death trap when you first enter it though.

There are the many caped knights waiting to ambush you, there's the big black knight at the back and then there's a room full of hollows and an undead priest wielding a giant trident waiting to blot you out. The big black knight I managed to bring down but the horde of hollows beat me to a pulp upstairs. Again. And again. And again. I realised that the Force miracle was absolutely useless during those moments. Eventually I got a technique down (standing and quick slashing with my battle axe just before they came into range) which allowed me to move forward and deal with the priest. He went down a lot easier than expected given how many times he'd crushed me while I was fighting the hollows.

Anyway, I'm with Botch -- Bell Gargoyle: 1  Me: 0 -- and yes, it's a pain getting up there. I need to explore the rest of the church. I did find a dead guy in a barrel who gave me some humanity when I destroyed it as well as a passage which I've yet to ascend. I've also found the blacksmith and seen that... thing, in the basement.

Finally, I'm tempted to level up my Dex so that I can use a Halberd but I don't want to squander my levels if I don't like it...

@Pokey:

I saw the dragon's tail but I've no ranged weapon to shoot it!

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geggis
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May 5, 2012 - 7:47 am
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Also, what's the benefit of reverse hollowing? Why shouldn't I stay hollow?

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geggis
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May 5, 2012 - 8:01 am
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Oh and I've noticed that if I'm hollow for a long time without dying my Estus Flask capacity increases by one; there's like a yellow glow and a charging up noise. It seems that if I die though it gets reset.

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Steerpike
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May 5, 2012 - 10:39 am
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I think that Estus increase is due to some multiplayer effect - if I'm not mistaken, it happens when somone else Kindles a bonfire you've rested at in the last 30 minute or something. One of the many cool online aspects.

Life is the misery we endure between disappointments.

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Synonamess Botch
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May 5, 2012 - 11:41 am
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Ok, I looked at Pokey's spoiler about the dragon, but it was something I'd already guessed at from floor hints.  I don't have a ranged attack either though.

Did anyone else trick the Armored Boar into standing in the fire and dying that way?  As I hinted at before, I accomplished it pretty much by accident when I sprinted to the stairs on the right of the path that he charges down.

Greg, I still find those caped knights pretty challenging.  My mace (which I upgraded to +1) just doesn't do much damage.  It takes me three or more hits to bring the average one down.  Those undead surrounding the magic-wielding priest I thinned out with Force and took them out one by one.  He was pretty easy to kill once isolated.  I killed the knight guarding the Fire Keeper soul with electricity.  Force is useless against heavy foes.

Greg, you should ascend those stairs past the boarded-up doorway in the church.

Also, what’s the benefit of reverse hollowing? Why shouldn’t I stay hollow?

Uh, not getting invaded by impossible-to-kill phantoms?skull

Oh and I’ve noticed that if I’m hollow for a long time without dying my Estus Flask capacity increases by one; there’s like a yellow glow and a charging up noise. It seems that if I die though it gets reset.

I've noticed this too and I think Steerpike is right about the resting and kindling, at least that's what I remember reading somewhere.  I mentioned earlier about not getting a "full" Flask at a bonfire.  It happened to me last night.  I died and woke up at the Parish bonfire, which I had previously kindled.  My flask only had 7 doses.  Does it happen if you die without touching your bloodstain perhaps?

I ran past that lightning-shooting demon by the Parish blacksmith and explored Darkroot Garden a bit.  Verily, I got my face eaten by trees.  Going to stay away from there for a while.  Takes me six hits just to kill one.  If you explore the Burg basement, there's a merchant who sells stuff for curing poison and whatnot.  There's a fog door down there that I left alone.  That's my next destination.  Everything else is either closed off or too difficult for me right now.

 

Rule #2: Double-tap

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Pokey
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May 5, 2012 - 12:09 pm
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If you want a ranged weapon, the Undead Burg vendor sells one and arrows too. I'm going to do my best to clear the church today. It looks like the path to the boss will cost a lot of estus. I am enjoying exploring all the various paths and shortcuts. The only reasons I see for reversing hollow is to kindle fires and summon help. I haven't seen any better drops or increase in damage. I did kill the boar when he ran through fire to get at me. I was surprised that he was dead when I returned to the area after being killed.

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geggis
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May 5, 2012 - 12:19 pm
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I ran past that lightning-shooting demon by the Parish blacksmith and explored Darkroot Garden a bit.  Verily, I got my face eaten by trees.  Going to stay away from there for a while.  Takes me six hits just to kill one.  If you explore the Burg basement, there’s a merchant who sells stuff for curing poison and whatnot.  There’s a fog door down there that I left alone.  That’s my next destination.  Everything else is either closed off or too difficult for me right now.

I have no idea where this garden is. I also don't know where the Burg basement is either! And ELECTRICITY?! Where the hell'd you get that? I feel a bit dumb all of a sudden.

I've been using a battle axe for most duals and it seems to be faring well compared to my mace. I think it's down to the type of attack; regular (axe) is probably better in that area than strike (mace).

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Synonamess Botch
Texas, y'all
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May 5, 2012 - 1:14 pm
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I have no idea where this garden is. I also don’t know where the Burg basement is either! And ELECTRICITY?! Where the hell’d you get that? I feel a bit dumb all of a sudden.

If you found the Parish bonfire, more specifically the blacksmith, you're not far from the Garden.  There's stairs leading down from the blacksmith to a room with a big demon in it.  He's easy to run past.  I found some resin in the Burg (I think) which imbues a weapon with electricity for a short time.  I recommend buying the Residence Key from that sniveling Burg merchant, BTW.

You've likely found the Basement Key, just look around in the Burg for a locked door.  Near where you killed Taurus Demon.  That leads to the basement.  Watch your back.

I have found an axe, maybe I should try that.

Rule #2: Double-tap

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Pokey
California
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May 5, 2012 - 4:19 pm
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I took a stab at the Gargoyle. It ended badly. Then I explored Darkroot Basin. It was a nice long walk until I ran into a Black Knight and he killed me quickly. I did get some purple moss and that was good. I haven't found the basement yet but I think I need to go elsewhere until I get stronger or have a better weapon. Maybe I'll stock up on firebombs to use on the Gargoyle.

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xtal
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May 5, 2012 - 7:06 pm
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Hey Souls gang, I have begun my Dark Souls journey! After completing worlds 1 through 4 in Demon's Souls I decided I will take a break until mid-May to see if, via fan vote, the global world tendency shifts to Black, at which point I will venture back in to do some things I can't otherwise do, as well as try to wrap up Valley of Defilement, and unbelievably, the game itself, which I did not think was possible after the first day I played Demon's Souls.

SO... I've been reading a bit of this thread, trying to skim over spoilers and locate all the good tips. So yeah, if any of you have early tips for me on any of the areas I would love some advice!

My character: I'm level 25, chose a Knight starting class since I went magic-heavy in Demon's Souls, I'm going for a melee/faith build here. Heavy on strength and endurance right now, and wielding a killer halberd (I love that weapon so much).

Progress: I've defeated the Taurus demon in the Undead Burg, have explored some of Undead Parish (I got to the Church, fought a very challenging Black Knight (I think that's what it's called- he was guarding a Flame Keeper's Soul), took the Flame Keeper Soul, rode an elevator down to Firelink, reinforced my Estus flask (yes!) and now I'm just dawdling around. I'm trying to level up a bunch and gain humanity (without using up my...solid humanity is it called, or hard humanity...something like that, I don't know?) to strengthen myself for the Catacombs. I've heard that's where I go to be able to kindle bonfires, which I'd really like to do. Mostly because I have a ton of humanity and am scared of losing it (I haven't lost my initial batch of souls once in the entire game yet! i.e. I haven't failed to retrieve a bloodstain even once). So yeah, my loose humanity is at 9. That could do a fair bit of kindling. But the skeletons in the graveyard are freaking tough. And I went into the Catacombs a tiny bit and fought some more, but they resurrect! Bah!

I think the Catacombs is going to be really hard...I probably should not want to go there this early; I should want to ring the bells first instead. But no, dammit. I want to be able to kindle shit! The only thing I've figured out so far, which was rather obvious, is that a striking weapon (club) is a bit better on skeletons than regular or piercing weapons. Other than that I'm scared shitless of the Catacombs. That first time I don't reach my bloodstain I'll probably stare at my television and cry.

So... being summoned as a white phantom... is really neat. I love helping other people, and if I die there doesn't seem to be any penalty.

For any of you playing on the PS3, are you online? What is your ID? I don't have anyone from here on my PS3 list other than Steerpike, Jarrod and Gregg. Give me some love, people!

I promise not to invade you.

wizard

If being wrong's a crime I'm serving forever

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Steerpike
Subtropical Southeastern Michigan
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May 5, 2012 - 7:29 pm
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Welcome to the fold, xtal!

My Catacombs advice... well, you'll be the first brave enough to take it. You can Kindle bonfires already, provided you're not hollow and have a spare humanity, so that they load your Estus flask to 10 doses. The Rite of Kindling is an additional power you get from defeating the Pinwheel in the Catacombs. With it, you can burn up to two more humanity points so a bonfire increases your Estus doses to 20 - which would be HUGE, but I gotta warn you, the Catacombs will be no pleasant trip for a low-level character. Personally I'd say it's a post-Bell-Gargoyle adventure. Where you are now, if you're looking to level, Darkroot Garden is the place to visit, and is easily entered by taking the stairs down past Blacksmith Andrei. There, ah, ahem, is a Titan Demon between you and it though. So be ready.

Life is the misery we endure between disappointments.

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Synonamess Botch
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May 5, 2012 - 7:58 pm
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Xtal, based on what you've said, I don't have any advice for you.  You're farther along than I am.  I haven't even caught a whiff of the shadow of the entrance to the Catacombs.  I'm a level 23 Cleric scraping by with shoddy equipment.  When I hit that Titan Demon Steerpike mentioned, it had about as much affect as hitting a stone wall.  You can run past it though if you want to attempt the Garden.

Anyway, I don't think I've ever mentioned it, but I'm scuzzbotch on PSN.  Welcome!

Oh, I'll have to remember to log on to Demon's Souls this month for the last hurrah. So sad.

Rule #2: Double-tap

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Synonamess Botch
Texas, y'all
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May 5, 2012 - 8:27 pm
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Oops, it's synbotch on PSN.  Don't even know my own ID...

I went on the forums and discovered that the area between the church and the Parish bonfire is a common place for griefers - guys who stay at low level but somehow find high-level gear.  They prey on other low-level characters.  Classy.  I tried an experiment - got my humanity back and went to that spot.  In less than five minutes I got invaded again.  I tried to lure him over to that wooden footbridge so I could Force push him off the edge, but he got me.

Rule #2: Double-tap

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Synonamess Botch
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May 5, 2012 - 9:55 pm
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That fog door in the Basement?  Two words: Capra Demon.

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Pokey
California
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May 6, 2012 - 1:15 am
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I am working my way through the basement. The assassins are tough. The first time through, the first bunch of three got me. The next time it was the second bunch. I'm looking for the merchant and the shortcut. I did buy the key so I can unlock one of the doors. I'm leaving Capra Demon alone for now. I'm at level 22 now.

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Steerpike
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May 6, 2012 - 1:25 pm
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You guys are doing great! Like the Church, explore the basement thoroughly, as there's another person you can rescue down there, who'll return to Firelink and sell you upgrades at outrageous prices.

Now, theoretically speaking, Capra Demon is an optional boss. If you kill him he will drop a key that opens an area that is, again, theoretically optional. I say "theoretically" because while it's possible to bypass the boss and the area, it's probably not the recommended course of action. I didn't take out Capra until I'd rung the first Bell; those assassins with their bleed move are terrible.

Personally, I'd suggest a few extended visits to Darkroot Garden. It won't be easy, but you should get more souls from the creatures there (don't venture in too deep), and it's close enough to a bonfire that you can head to safety easily enough. The Titan Demon can be dodged or defeated with ranged attacks thanks to the cover available in that one's room. Meanwhile, since a lot of heroes died in Darkroot Garden, you're likely to find some pretty good equipment lying around. There's Elite Knight Armor, which combines all the benefits of chain and leather; there's a Grass Crest Shield, which boosts stamina regen and gives you a pleasant green glow; there's other stuff I can't remember.

 

Befriend me on PSN! I am... who am I, xtal? I'm not Steerpike, someone always gets that before me. I think I'm Klordane.

Life is the misery we endure between disappointments.

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Pokey
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May 6, 2012 - 3:48 pm
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The next time I tried the basement, I had no problem with the assassins. The winged spear worked great against them. I released the person in the cell and bought some stuff from the merchant. I'll probably visit the Darkroot Garden again since I missed most of it. then maybe some practice rounds against  the Bell Gargoyles.

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Steerpike
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May 6, 2012 - 9:42 pm
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Don't worry, Pokey, you'll be spending a lot of time in Darkroot Garden. It's a lot larger than it seems on your first visit.

Invest 20,000 souls in the Crest of Artorias, which Blacksmith Andrei sells. That opens a door in the Garden that leads to an area which you can use to farm lots of souls.

Be advised, though, if you're not Hollow and you're in the Garden, you will get invaded constantly. Members of the Forest Hunter Covenant are essentially drafted into invading you whether they want to or not. To join the Covenant yourself, say friendly things to the furry cat monster in the ruined tower - but I don't advise joining, since you'll sin against the Covenant if you attack most creatures in the Garden. They're worth too many souls to be friends with.

Life is the misery we endure between disappointments.

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