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I found that a good metric to my suitability to that Capra demon was whether I could one hit kill the dogs and bandits in the lower levels. When I could do that it was so much easier to get back to the boss encounter and I was able to deal enough damage to make the battle winnable. Good work Simple. That's a real gateway battle. Have you rung the first bell yet?
I'm just cleaning up some loose ends. I had not defeated the Wolf Sif, and that demon back in the Undead Asylum kicked me silly last playthrough. No more. And the Dark Knights in the hallways down there are now manageable.
My Dark Souls single player sensibilities are protected by a +10 GfWL Firewall of Ineptitude
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Yup, rung the first bell. Was a bit worried that, what with being so pumped after finally beating the gargoyles, I'd end up falling to my death on the way up. The sooner they establish a Department of Health and Safety and give that whole place a good checking over, the better. I don't think anyone's done any proper risk assessments there for a while.
I was one-hit killing the dogs and thief/assassin guys, but that didn't stop them being a pain. That jump-on-your-back-and-slash-your-throat move was really annoying (although, let's be honest, it's really annoying in RL too, so we shouldn't expect a game to be much different).
Oh, and from the videos I'm watching, it doesn't look like I have ever done a proper backstab after all. I thought it may have been just with bigger enemies that you got the kick-em-off-your-sword animation, but this guy was getting it with yer bog-standard +24-soul hollows.
And y'know what? Not really bothered. I beat the Capra Demon. On my own.
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Arooooo! Well done on the Bell and on Capra.
You're approaching what I consider, personally, to be the second of three psychological barriers in Dark Souls. I encountered them on my Diaries playthrough, which was kind of an infancy insofar as I knew nothing and the world was huge and wicked.
The first was the Bell Gargoyles: forty hours of play and at first I could barely dent them. Understand that I bought the game without even the slightest intention of finishing it, or the slightest expectation that I could do so. I assumed I'd just play and enjoy until I reached a point where my really quite exuberant sucking at video games stopped me cold. Like in Demon's Souls. The Gargoyles cleaned the floor with me often enough that I thought I'd reached it, especially since I saw no real avenue to improving myself. Once you pass the first barrier, you suddenly feel that the world - that world which had seemed so unknowable and wicked - is becoming familiar. You're becoming comfortable in it. The tenor of your fear changes.
The second barrier teaches you (me) more about fear, in a place called the Depths, which you should, theoretically, be going to now. The Depths caused me to stop playing for three months. I wasn't mad or disappointed - it'd been like sixty hours by then, I'd got my money's worth - just resigned. Those who pass the second psychological barrier realize that fear is a fallacy in Dark Souls, that its difficulty is in fact all about how it manipulates you. Once you realize there's nothing to fear, you fear nothing.
The third barrier is quite a bit later. Pass it and you'll know you can finish. The third barrier wipes away any lingering doubts, even though it's probably just the halfway point of the game. You know if you don't finish, it's because you chose not to, rather than because you couldn't.
Good luck!
Life is the misery we endure between disappointments.
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Back trying the Crystal Cave again, and hating on it again. I think I'll wander off somewhere else. When I plunked down the.. you know the thingy, onto the stone the game showed an animation with some openings opening up. There was an animation of a cave door opening. Maybe I'll go find that, or something. Also, I haven't been down to New Anor Londo. When Anor Londo was so magnificent, why is the New Anor Londo such a hole?
My Dark Souls single player sensibilities are protected by a +10 GfWL Firewall of Ineptitude
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Thanks Matt. Your comment in the DS Diaries about how you 'kind of bumbled' your way through the game was one of the things I read that tipped me over into buying it. (Man, I was nervous just about buying it, let alone playing it, but, "Heck, if he can bumble his way through this, then so can I, darnit", I thought.)
Yeah, not looking forward to the Depths. I found the route just to Capra Demon quite claustrophobic, so what I'll make of the Depths - well, we'll see. But it looks like it's the best route to be able to upgrade my trusty claymore. Then the plan is level up my strength until I can wield the Black Knight Greatsword one-handed. I've had plans before though.
Let The Bumbling Commence.
OK, continue. Let the bumbling continue.
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Interestingly, most (all) people except me will say that the Depths, while bad, aren't that bad. They will say that what lies beyond the Depths is far worse. The Depths should be seen as an opening act, they will say, a mere overture to the symphony of horror that is to come.
Now, I do not say they are wrong. Certainly on subsequent playthroughs I have found the Depths to be perfectly tolerable, and the place the Depths go to be distinctly unpleasant.
But for me, the things I encountered in the Depths were everything that frightened me about the Souls games: insta-kills, unpredictable terrain, limited maneuvering space, swarms of dangerous foes, and an environment where no advantage of any kind could be found. It was after one particularly terrible moment that I calmly set the controller down and subconsciously called it a day. It was clear to me that I'd never get past that point, and I was okay with that. For some reason three months later I felt the urge to play Dark Souls again, and in an effort to avoid the inevitable I took a straw poll among my friends - I described several places I could visit, going out of my way to make it clear that the Depths was a very poor option, and asked them to vote.
They all ignored me, as they usually do and probably should, except one. He's a curt fellow, and his response to my epic email was
depths
So I went. And I gave it time and worked slowly. And I encountered the boss, and as usual I saw no way of beating it. But I kept trying. I wasn't really using the multiplayer much at that point, which helped me out; Solaire and I wound up doing it alone. And just when that boss was about to go down, when it had only a micron on health left, I felt my fear leave me. I thought yes! I see it! I CAN SEE THE LI-
I didn't get to say what I saw because I had died. There's a long and hard-to-see drop in the boss's room and I fell in it. But I respawned at the fire a very different person. Next time I beat the boss, because there really wasn't anything to fear. And even though it was late and I had to sleep, I felt so fearless I got all the way (almost) through The Place Beyond the Depths without any trouble at all. Because trouble happens when you fear the penalty, and I was not afraid.
I did bumble through Dark Souls. For someone who works professionally in the games industry I'm astonishingly bad at games; ask Xtal, he'll pull no punches. Believe me, you can do it if I can do it. Besides, we like having new people around. Botch is tired of being called "new guy." : )
Life is the misery we endure between disappointments.
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I bailed on the Crystal Cave and made some progress in New Londo ruins. Got the gates opened. Very definitely some sweaty palms there as I had killed the undead merchant and I had only a limited number of transient curses. Somehow, I found the merchant and stocked up, and my G15 keyboard has a 5 minute timer app, so that took some stress off. Very definitely a feeling of being way out in risk land.
My Dark Souls single player sensibilities are protected by a +10 GfWL Firewall of Ineptitude
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Well, plops. Got the large ember second time round (got stomped by Butcher #1 who ran up the stairs and attacked me while I was locked on with another hollow - thanks, pal) and scampered all the way back to Andrei in the certain, joyful, cute and fluffy hope that I'd be able to upgrade my claymore to +10 and go back to the Depths tanked up like Conan the Barbarian, in a tank. Should've taken the fact that all the enemies in Lower Undead Burg had respawned* as a sign that the game was about to slit my cute fluffy little hope open, eviscerate it and make me wear it as a hat. Large titanite shards? I thought I had tons of them. But no. Ah well. At least I got it up to +6.
Anyway, I've got to the bonfire, which was a huge relief. Got stomped again by Butcher #2 suddenly appearing from behind me, but otherwise been OK. I assume the things dropping from the ceiling are Slimes - ? Wiki says they drop large titanite shards (rare). Considering possibility of spending next six months farming the corridor down from the bonfire until I get enough, but even I'd probably get bored.
Your comment about giving it time and working slowly - well, that was something else I had read about DS that encouraged me to give it a go. I hate games that force me to rush. OK, maybe DS does do that for the boss fights, but in the main it rewards you for being careful and patient, and I like that. Know what you mean about limited space too. When the space is cramped I do a lot of darting into rooms/corridors, then running straight back out and waiting to see if anything follows. If not, I nip back in, this time wait a second or two, and then dart back out again. And wait. Maybe do that one more time, then creep in and check it properly.
I think I'm gonna be here a while.
P.S. Did you have the rusted iron ring when you came down here the first time?
*Despite me not having been anywhere near a bonfire. How did that happen? Mind you, I did have the satisfaction of nailing all three of the first group of thieves with one sword thrust. Yes!
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I did not. Not until I was half way through Sen's Fortress. Nor did I know how to run or target lock.
My Dark Souls single player sensibilities are protected by a +10 GfWL Firewall of Ineptitude
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No, me neither. It'd be a pretty risky trip to go back to where the Rusted Iron Ring is when you're leveled for the Depths. Could be done, but it might necessitate a second return visit to pick off some of the bigger enemies, as there's another key item in that area.
The things on the ceiling are indeed slimes. Not that dangerous to my knowledge - they almost always drop too late. They take a lot of damage, though, and they might cause your equipment to degrade faster. Fire is the best and easiest way to bring them down, and they will drop Large Titanite occasionally, but you're more likely to find Green.
The real Large Titanite farm is further on. Ideally you will have the Rusted Iron Ring by the time you start making that run. though not entirely necessary, it sure does help.
Just be careful in the Depths and you'll be okay, Simplen00b. As usual it's full of handy shortcuts once you've made the run once (you actually can bypass most of the Depths if you know where to go, and in fact the whole of the Depths is technically optional, but I don't recommend either. It's a proving ground. Besides, dropping your summon sign and helping out against the boss of the Depths nets one of the best time to simplicity to souls ratios in the game).
Watch the floor and listen for unusually loud water sounds, as that often means there's a hard-to-see drop down to a lower cistern. The Depths are much smaller than they seem at first. You get lost because it mostly looks the same and it turns you around, but really it's a very tiny place.
When you see goggle-eyed creatures, get ready. When you see them begin to inflate, charge in and kill them FAST. When they puff out their lung contents, keep an eye on the meter that appears on your screen! It looks like a poison meter, but it's not. Oh no.
Life is the misery we endure between disappointments.
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There was an animation of a cave door opening. Maybe I'll go find that, or something.
There's also the extra content, sold as DLC for the console versions but included in the PC version by default. But finding it is not obvious. 
What game but Dark Souls would hide its DLC content?
If you trek far enough away from a particular area, the enemies will respawn even without hitting up a bonfire. It's sort of the Metroid Prime model - come back to an adjacent room and enemies are still gone. Go back two rooms and there they are again.
I hate games that force me to rush....but in the main it rewards you for being careful and patient
This is a big part of why I like these games so much.
Rusted Iron Ring is not needed for Depths. There's only one spot where it's useful, and even then not hugely so. But if you want it, I'm guessing that you could handle all of the challenges that stand in your way. Those google-eyed creatures are Basilisks. Kill them, quickly. And do put your sign down for boss co-op. Good practice and a very nice haul.
Rule #2: Double-tap
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OK. It took about five minutes of exploring the Depths from the bonfire to realise that getting to the bonfire was the easy part. You weren't kidding about the lack of space. Creeping along some of those tight passages wondering what might be around the corner/hidden in a doorway was gut-clenchingly tense. However, one thing made it a lot easier. On my first visit to Capra Demon, I had nearly 7,000 souls to my credit. No way I was going in with those (hollow laugh: see later), so I buzzed up to Moss Lady and, among other things, bought a Purging Stone. Honestly just thought, "Yeah, might be useful, and it gets rid of a load of souls".
So the basilisks weren't too much of a problem, bless the ashen stone-encased skull of whoever it is in there accepting all my curses. Bless you I say! With lots of curses.
Anyhoo, cut long story short - lucked out on finding a fairly direct route to the boss. It meant taking a health hit with a fairly long drop, but whatever. And after everything DS had taught me about careful patient planning blah blah blah, I went in for my very first fight with Gaping Dragon. With Solaire. And 11,000+ souls under my belt. And without taking out magic bolt guy on the balcony. Bye bye Solaire, and bye bye me shortly after.
But losing those souls gave me focus. Stuff exploring the Depths. I was going to go back, get my souls and do whatever I needed to do to beat GD.
So I went back. Got his health down to about 40% then got stomped. Went back again. Got stomped before landing a blow on him. Went back. Landed a few blows then fell off a cliff. Went back. And this time, homeward boned out with 49,000 souls, and a near-certainty that tonight I'll be dreaming of endlessly running away from something big and loud roaring away behind me, but occasionally running toward it and waving a sword at it. Hoo yeah!
So I'm now on Strength level 29, and if I'm understanding the stats correctly, I need another three to be able to wield the Black Knight Greatsword one-handed, which could be fun. Although I like the claymore. The stabby action's good for narrow spaces.
Oh and sir sir sir please sir - I vanquished Kirk Spiky Knight Man. He only invaded once, but I got him.
If you trek far enough away from a particular area, the enemies will respawn even without hitting up a bonfire.
I'll bear that in mind in future. Also, am I right in thinking you only get one chance of summoning Solaire? His sign never appeared again after the first fight, even with a game restart.
my G15 keyboard has a 5 minute timer app, so that took some stress off.
??? (My stress-relieving strategy is to have an Adam and Joe podcast playing in the background, although this time I managed the boss fights without having them wittering hilariously away. Also used extensively for Shalebridge Cradle in Thief: Deadly Shadows.)
Nor did I know how to run or target lock.
You must be insanely good with whatever controls you use. Target lock can be a major pain at times, but if I take it off for most opponents, I'm utterly lost.
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Also, am I right in thinking you only get one chance of summoning Solaire? His sign never appeared again after the first fight, even with a game restart.
No, but you must be in human form. Oh, and about the respawns: by "area" I mean named area, like "Depths", or "Firelink Shrine". If you go through more than (I think) one of those transitions, you'll get respawns.
There's no shame in home-ward boning out of a boss arena, especially with a hot load of souls. Well played.
Rule #2: Double-tap
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The five minute timer thingy refers to one approach you may use in the New Londo Ruins are where you must be cursed to damage the ghosts that inhabit the area. Ah, I should say that either you must be cursed (via basilisks) or temporarily cursed (for 5 minutes) by using the 'transient curse', or wielding a cursed weapon, which are somewhat hard to come by, as I gather.
The stress in the traditional approach lies in not knowing exactly how much time remains in 'temporarily-cursed' mode. I used to spend a lot of time in a safe area waiting for my 'transient curse' icon to reappear, but with a countdown timer, I can be much more far ranging. I can be aggressively reckless, without being wrecked.
My Dark Souls single player sensibilities are protected by a +10 GfWL Firewall of Ineptitude
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you must be in human form
Realised this after I had shut the laptop down for the night and did a Homer Simpson head slap. I'm so used to going around hollow, it was a real surprise to see a summon sign.
There's no shame in home-ward boning out of a boss arena
I always used drops to get down to the boss area. I still don't know how to get back up to the Depths bonfire on foot.
five minute timer thingy
Ah, right. That sounds like a useful technique. (Sounds like I'd better check out whether I need to disable my purging stone before I do NLR properly. That's a way down the road tho'.)
Anyway, I've got down to the Blight Town bonfire, and getting there, the game became annoying for the first time rather than frustrating/challenging. Got attacked by mosquitoes while I was climbing down to the swamp, put target lock on to fight them and the camera got stuck in the boards of the platform above me. I. Could. Not. See. A. Wretched thing. Next thing I knew I had fallen off and died, which was the first time I had died for something that didn't feel like my fault.
But hey - guess I can't demand 100% game design perfection so I'll forgive it. Just this once.
The bigger issue is that, apart from farming leeches to get giant titanite shards, I'm not sure why I'm here. Guess it'll become clear at some point. And you can see the sky from down here! When those wretched mosquitoes aren't drenching you with blood, you can, anyway.
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One important thing I forgot to mention: In the settings screen turn Auto Wall Recovery off. This will save you from many "camera wigging out in tight spaces and causing you to drop off a ledge" type deaths.
Keep exploring Blighttown. You'll soon realize where you need to go.
Helmut, cursed weapons are hardly worth it. They let you attack ghosts, but do little to prevent them from attacking you. Ghosts drop both transient curses and cursed daggers if you really want such a weapon.
Rule #2: Double-tap
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In the settings screen turn Auto Wall Recovery off.
Oh wow! Finally worked out where that instruction is (along with turn music and vibration off - yes!). Thanks for the tip.
Blighttown update: on the basis that if you can't say something good about something, don't say anything at all, all I'll say is: after an hour's "exploring" the swamp, I reverted to an earlier savegame, went back to Undead Asylum and have collected the rusted iron ring. Will go back down tomorrow in hollow thief gear and see if that makes it less of a tiresome chore a bit more fun.
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I reverted to an earlier savegame,
Wha...revert...savegame...Dark...Souls...I...
I think I need to go lie down for a bit.
Rule #2: Double-tap
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Wha…revert…savegame…Dark…Souls…I…
I fear I may have committed an unpardonable sin.
But then again, Blighttown. Dark Souls has already stretched the definition of the words "enjoying" "playing" and "game" into uncharted territory for me, but even so, I can't (yet) make any of them apply to Blighttown. Haven't found it scarily challengingly difficult like the Depths. Just tiresomely and annoyingly difficult. Oh look I'm trudging through a swamp. Oh look here come some mosquitoes. Oh look I'm getting poisoned. Oh look here come some more mosquitoes. Oh look. A swamp.
On the upside, I finally had my first ever proper PvP invasion. Got this guy somersaulting and cartwheeling around me like a demented ninja on bad acid, throwing (spitting?) clouds of blue and black fog at me; we were in the bonfire area so I wasn't too worried about what looked like my inevitable death, and - not really sure what happened, but he just suddenly seemed to stop backflipping around, I got a couple of good hits in and down he went. Given my ultra-slow progress so far, I'd guess I'm probably quite highly levelled for this stage of the game, which I suspect is making up for my limited skillset (after 50+ hours gameplay, I still think my controller attack buttons have stopped working when all I've done is run out of stamina for the ninety-eleventh time).
Anyway - as far as Blighttown is concerned, at the moment I doubt I can say anything about it that hasn't already been spat in blood by many others. But I guess the DS Stockholm syndrome will kick in at some point, and I will grow to love it, and be grateful for the valuable lessons it's teaching me.
UPDATE: Aaaaand - I'm OK with Blighttown. I can hear Miyazaki's sigh of relief from here.
Did a good load of leech farming and upgraded claymore to 10+. Worked out how to deal with mozzies. Managed to climb back out (via Valley of Drakes route) - haven't done the boss yet (or even got the FK soul), but my plan is to stockpile various types of arrows & bolts, go back in and clear the place out.
Oh Dark Souls. You stamp all over my head and hands and fingers with heavy spiky hob-nailed boots, then you rip my spine from my body and wave it around with my head on top and then you stamp all over that with spiky boots and kick what remains of my carcass into a foul bottomless abyss, but you only do it because you love me and want to make me stronger.
I love you Dark Souls.
UPDATE #2: And back to reality. My main beef now is with those wooden platforms - is it just me, or is it impossible to slow walk on them? My feet keep getting trapped in those wretched slats and I've fallen to death about half-a-dozen times trying to get free. As I've said before, I really like the way DS rewards you for taking things carefully and slowly, but either it's now changed the rules or it's got crummy game engine mechanics in this area. Or am I just whining? [/whine]
Well, whatever. My dream of taking out all the enemies on the platforms going up to the main gate with range attacks can go back into the pipe it came from and I'll go focus on getting the FKS and Quelaag's arachnoid derriere. Probably with Maneater Mildred's help. Even though she tried to kill me earlier. Still, forgive and forget, eh?
(That's me and Mildred sharing a forgive-and-forget drink.)
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