Log In
Register
Home
Topic RSS
Offline
Botch, basically Gregg and I did exactly as you guessed: chatting outside of the game we let each other know the exact location of our summon signs, trying to put them in somewhat obscure locations so that others didn't summon us first. It seemed to take about half a minute for us to see each other's summons.
Oh, and Steerpike's PSN ID is Grammarboy. He is very forgetful.
Steerpike, I think Endurance handles your equip limit, not Strength, no?
On that, this was something I was curious about and so I referred to the wiki. There are apparently 4 levels of encumbering, based on the percentage of your equipped weight against the total allowance:
<25% | Weight class = Light, Roll speed = Quick
>=25% and <50% | Weight class = Medium, Roll speed = Medium
>=50% and <100% | Weight class = Heavy, Roll speed = Slow
>=100% | Over-encumbered, Can't roll
I've found that helpful to know.
When those stone giants slow you down ... yeah, don't even bother trying to fight them. Just back away. I too wanted to explore the area outside Andre's door, so I went out and took on the Titanite Demon, who seemed to be missing a leg. It was a pure melee battle of endurance. We beat the crap out of each other. I smashed him with the Drake sword until the thing broke, then I ran away, equipped my Halberd+7 and finished him off. He was a respectable foe. I used 10 Estus to take him down.
If being wrong's a crime I'm serving forever
Offline
So if there's no sort of item burden then what's the point of the Bottomless Box? To save you having to scroll through items? I've got to say, I don't like the interface in Dark Souls much, I might even go as far to say it's worse than Demon's Souls. I do like the 'explanation' option though. The purchase screen is particularly confusing because the right hand column looks entirely unrelated to the left when really they should be connected. Organising my inventory at bonfires feels quite messy as well, scrolling through all the objects I've ever collected ever to see what I have and don't have (one minute L1 and R1 scroll through different screens (at least I think they do), the next minute they're transferring items to and from the Bottomless Box); I think I'd rather just have a 'store items' and 'retrieve items', just like how it was with Stockpile Thomas. I know that wasn't great but it helped compartmentalise my items and the ones in storage. I'd also liked to have seen how shop items compare to my own gear without having to switch back and forth, and actually knowing what something is before picking it up! Anyway, these things aren't really bothering me -- and I do like the overall appearance of the UI, with its faded, torn leathery look -- but I have noticed them.
Grumbling aside though, playing with xtal was bloody brilliant and Steerpike, I've been overburdened since I found my first heavy armour set as a cleric! Rolling and nimble dexterity was so Demon's Souls 😉
Botch, I too am getting tired of my cleric if only because Faith seems to be doing sod all really. I feel like the souls I've invested into Faith have hamstrung my character because at the moment it's only any good for healing between fights and considering that I die during fights that's not much good. Where's my god and my miracles? The clerics back at Firelink are as useful as a chocolate fireguard as well. I'm reluctant to start again though, I must see this build through to the end!
Offline
I'm all over the equip weight. They appear to have given it even greater granularity this time around. I try to keep mine under 25% for maximum mobility in most cases. I just wondered why they added the bottomless box if you can carry an infinite amount of stuff. Is it simply clutter management?
Good job Pokey, glad you enjoyed it. Like some others said, having a powerful ally obliterate the Bell Gargoyles was, for me, not that satisfying. Still, a win is a win. I'll probably do what Gregg(?) said and go back to help others. This was the first time in either game I had ever participated in co-op. I'm really particular about this kind of thing. I'm slow, and like to go at my own pace. Anything that interferes with that drives my enjoyment down. Yes, I'm weird. This instance was fine since it was clear what the goal was and there was no reason to dawdle.
I definitely get a bad vibe from Lautrec. He's up to no good.
Rule #2: Double-tap
Offline
xtal, those big stone golem knight giant things are pretty easy to take down with strike weapons, with swords and pointy things I suspect not though.
Edit: Botch, that's not weird at all. I was a Souls co-op virgin until the other night with the Bell Gargoyles, but that wasn't an especially good experience because the swift kill cheapened the victory, but with xtal, where we were both similarly levelled, it felt good to kick the Capra Demon's ass.
Offline
...Faith seems to be doing sod all really.
QFT.
Oh I'm sure there are better miracles to be acquired, and Heal is nice, but I just want to smash somebody. The Bandit fits the bill nicely. And frankly, I blew through the early soul-levels very quickly simply because the Burg and Parish are so familiar now. The sense of discovery and fear of the unknown that this game engenders are a large part of its brilliance.
I went melee against the Titanite Demon too until I got tired of dodging that huge polearm and put it down from a distance with my bow. That was actually a pretty stress-free fight since the cost for dying was essentially nil.
I'm tempted to bump up my Dex so I can wield that Black Knight Sword. But it's like a 6 point investment, which is huge when you're level 25.
Gregg, you can also use the D-pad in the bottomless box screen instead of R1 and L1, FWIW.
I enjoyed reading about your co-op exploits, although I think I'm a little jealous. 🙂 I've got some catching up to do.
Edit: I forgot to mention that the guy I summoned led me to Lautrec's cell. I had already freed him but I really appreciated the thoughtfulness. Kind of makes up for the griefers. I like to think that the majority of people are super-cool or at least neutral and the others are a tiny minority, albeit a highly visible one.
Rule #2: Double-tap
Offline
Botch, that’s not weird at all.
True dat, Botch, you're not weird, you're just one of us. : )
Is it Endurance that manages equip load? My bad. Now that I think about it I'm almost certain you're right. Hell, I can't even remember my own PSN ID, I shouldn't be giving advice from memory!
I do hate the interface. I wish they'd gotten rid of those bizarre glyphs and fixed the multiple screens and organized it so you could see information and understand it easily. It's nothing short of a pain in the ass, and I'll tell you, that might be the thing that really drags the PC review scores down, if they stick to that terrible interface.
I think the Bottomless Box is basically so you don't have to scroll through a bazillion things. It's certainly not necessary. Actually in some ways it makes things worse. By the way, if you're extremely miserly, there is actually a reason to hold on to all the crap you pick up. But you've gotta be, like, Scrooge McDuck-level.
My new character is a Hunter, which I took specifically to see how it would work out to be an almost pure archer.
It does not work out very well.
I may rebuild this evening. I was essentially a warrior last time, despite using a Sorcerer as my base, and while I'd like to try new approaches I also always seem to fall back into my "typical" method of play. Maybe I'll try a Pyromancer.
Life is the misery we endure between disappointments.
Offline
There seems to be a lot of people playing the pyromancer. Since I was still human, I decided to take a crack at Capra Demon. I summoned a player and with the two of us, he wasn't that hard. The dogs were really annoying and I wouldn't like to battle them alone. I don't care that much for bosses in the game anyway, so I don't mind getting help.
I'm not sure where to go now. Back to Darkroot Garden or brave the Depths?
The bottomless box doesn't look that useful. Am I soon going to meet someone who will buy my inventory items?
Offline
Am I soon going to meet someone who will buy my inventory items?
Not... exactly. Eventually you will encounter a way to get souls in return for your items, but it's not a game-changer. Let's just say the exchange rate ain't anything to write home about.
As to where to go, hmm. Pokey, you've hit almost the exact spot where I stopped playing Dark Souls for more than a month, the spot where I pretty much decided that was it, I couldn't get farther. And then two things happened.
First: they released the 1.05 patch, which adjusts the difficulty in a number of ways.
Second: a friend of mine called me a rude name and told me to get back to it.
So! Where to go...
...from a quest/story/progress perspective, your next stop should be the Depths. Darkroot Garden features many things you'll have to (or want to) do sooner or later, but it's a sort of flexible option. I spent a lot of time there gathering souls, so if you want to level a bit it's probably easier to do it there than in the Depths.
I think I mentioned this earlier but technically the Depths are optional. You don't have to brave them at all if you don't want to. There is another path, a much shorter one actually, which you'll find if you poke around the New Londo Ruins/Valley of the Drakes area. But I don't recommend using that path because, well, there's a lot of riches in the Depths. Plus it serves as a sort of psychological preparation area, spoon-feeding you ever increasing amounts of horror and revulsion so you're kinda mentally ready for what's next. Take the other path and you just get what's next.
Which would be the gameic equivalent of a complete Shakespeare noob deciding to experience some of the bard's work and starting with Julie Taymor's Titus.
Life is the misery we endure between disappointments.
Offline
Pokey, since I have read all of Steerpike's diaries (I don't mind general spoilers, and he's a fine enough writer that he never drops terrible spoilers (although I'm not even sure Dark Souls is a game that can be spoiled...no matter what you're told)) I know that there is a... [mild spoiler upcoming, not one at all really if you've read Steerpike's diaries]
..."giant snake-dog thing" who will eventually show up at Firelink Shrine and eat your items in exchange for souls. I also remember Steerpike mentioning that there is an item for which the purchase price and soul sale value to this character is the same, so you can essentially buy endless amounts of said item to "bank" souls that you may not yet wish to spend. Very useful. The item in question, I believe, is a Dung Pie. I have noticed that these can be purchased from the undead lady in the aqua duct between Firelink and the Lower Burg. All I'm unsure of is when exactly this item-eating fellow shows up. I hope it's soon, because I have a lot of Cracked Round Shields bogging down my inventory.
I agree with the rest of you, the interface is sort of wretched, worse than Demon's Souls in ways, mostly because Stockpile Thomas was pretty efficient in separating what you carry versus what you don't need to see (despite the fact that I was scared shitless to accidentally attack Thomas whenever I was near him (you know how when you put the PS3 controller down on a table or any surface and those damned trigger buttons can go off with a slight push? Yeah, that had me worried!))
The Bottomless Box is mostly useless, the only purpose it serves is that it basically aids the poor interface. The developers probably put this thing in as a late idea to allow players some breathing room in their inventory. The one thing it's useful for is to not have all your crap items on you so that when you go to upgrade your weapons and armor the list isn't gigantic.
Gregg, if you know the Burg and Parish well enough, which you should by now, you could get a character leveled up pretty quickly I surmise. My Pyromancer that you played with yesterday, who was level 30 at the time (and ended our session at 33) was level 12 the day before. And it honestly only took me about 3 hours to go from 12 to 30. I would put my summon sign down in the Burg to assist people with Taurus demon, and while I waited to be summoned I would just run the level over and over, practicing my skills on the various enemies. It's a good level with much variety (the firebomb guys are always tricky) but it's nice and small too, really.
After that 1.5 hour session I did where I just helped people with the Bell Gargoyles I was able to go from level 32 to 39 (talking about my Knight character now), purely with the souls from doing that battle over and over. Maybe not everyone's style, but all's fair in Dark Souls! And hey, I really do get a kick out of helping people!
If being wrong's a crime I'm serving forever
Offline
Quote-a-thon!!
Synonamess Botch said
... but I just want to smash somebody. The Bandit fits the bill nicely.
I so very nearly went for the bandit (because in fighting games I tend to go for the biggest dudes with the biggest weapons) but I fancied the idea of having something other than combat. I'm hoping the cleric class gets its shit together soon or I'm going to have to go do some wiki kung-fu.
Synonamess Botch said
I enjoyed reading about your co-op exploits, although I think I'm a little jealous.
I was half-tempted to post our Gmail chat transcript up for shits and giggles but I'm not sure most of it would be understandable out of context.
Steerpike said
...But you've gotta be, like, Scrooge McDuck-level.
That'll be me then! The only things I've been leaving behind are Hollow broken swords and sword hilts, everything else has gone in the box.
Pokey said
There seems to be a lot of people playing the pyromancer.
I nearly chose the Pyromancer myself because its stats are well allocated and it starts at level 1. It was initially between it and the Wanderer, then I went all Cleric and Bandit for a while. But basically from what I gather the Pyro and Wanderer have more points proportionally than any other class (taking levels into account), by 2 I think. That annoyed me a bit when I found out but in the end it didn't stop me choosing something else.
Steerpike said
...from a quest/story/progress perspective, your next stop should be the Depths.
I recommend this as well, especially now you've defeated the Capra Demon. I was pretty much in the same position as Steerpike towards the end of the weekend: everywhere was kicking my arse and I didn't know where to start chipping away at next. After me and xtal took the Capra Demon down I was pleased to see that the Depths felt do-able so my next port of call is there. It's tough behind the Artorias door (but close to a bonfire) and scary down in Darkroot Basin.
xtal said
And hey, I really do get a kick out of helping people!
If it involves being a medic with a grenade launcher, I know what your help feels like.
Offline
Thanks for the tips and recommendations. I have read the diaries. Great stuff! I didn't recall the dung pies and that is useful to know.
Looks like the Depths is the way to go then.
Offline
The giant snake-dog thing, who also answers to Kingseeker Frampt, turns up at Firelink after you ring both bells. A number of plot events, major and minor, occur at that moment - some at Firelink, some far away. Ringing both bells puts you at, say, 35% through the game, I'd think.
It is indeed the Dung Pie that you can purchase for 200 Souls and that Frampt will in turn eat for 200 Souls. Most objects won't get you a tenth of that. Of course, unique and highly reinforced stuff is worth more.
One other thing the Bottomless Box can help with, and this is useful in the context of feeding globs of poo to a giant snake-dog thing, is carrying twice the "maximum" allotted amount of something. You can carry a stack of 99 of an item in your inventory, and have a stack of another 99 in your Bottomless Box (at least, I'm pretty sure you can). This is relevant only for the Dung Pies since you could theoretically bank 39,600 (thank you Windows Calculator) souls in this way. That's not many souls, really, but it'll get you back on your feet if you have some catastrophe.
Be sure to go back to the Asylum, too! There's a new boss to fight and an object called the Peculiar Doll that unlocks a secret area.
Life is the misery we endure between disappointments.
Offline
I hope this Frampt has an appetite for Cracked Round Shields; even if he gives me 5 souls I'll be pleased. Just get the damned things out of my inventory!
Progress update: I found the secret bonfire in Darkroot Garden, and the comfort of that bonfire strengthened my resolve to smash the giant stone knights, and so I did, one by one.
Then I was already at the boss. Short area!
As I had just reclaimed my humanity to kindle the aforementioned bonfire I was greeted, under the stairs leading to the boss, some glowing words. I approached them (as I do for all glowing things!) and to my delight it was a summon sign for some witch lady NPC! I took her with me through the fog door to battle, I assumed, the butterfly that was hovering over the place. Indeed this was so. It's a bloody good thing I summoned that witch with her ranged magic attacks, because I only got a handful of hits in when the butterfly landed at the side of the bridge for a moment. That was a very easy fight, but hey I'll take it. I had never met that witch before so ... I'm surprised she helped me for not knowing me. Maybe she had a bone to pick.
Anyway, after this boss I collected a nice Divine Ember and backtracked to Darkroot Basin, where I defeated a black knight for the first time. Yay me! I got his shield as a drop, which is quite nice (95% fire dmg resist!). I have found a campfire in a cave, and I am currently telling myself ghost stories there.
EDIT: Gregg, do you play with headphones? Because I've thrown them on for the first time with Dark Souls this evening, and I'm now hearing that breathing you mentioned. I think it's my own character.
If being wrong's a crime I'm serving forever
Offline
What's everyone's take on the Resistance attribute? I haven't put anything in it. I get the feeling it would be a waste of points.
True dat, Botch, you’re not weird, you’re just one of us. : )
Or we're all equally weird. 
Rule #2: Double-tap
Offline
OR ALL EQUALLY AWESOME! That's what I tell myself every night, as I cry myself to sleep.
I never bumped it. Things like poison are bad early and soon become a non-problem because you'll have eleven thousand Purple Moss Clumps from the Darkroot trees; the really deadly stuff - toxin and curses - are pretty rare. Just doesn't seem like a good place to spend your souls, in my humble (awesome) opinion.
Life is the misery we endure between disappointments.
Offline
I don't play with headphones no but I've got my beloved separates surround sound system which I usually crank up so I can hear every noise, and for the record the sound design in Dark Souls is brilliant. Little things like walking through a small chamber sounds totally different to a large chamber which sounds totally different to being out in the open. For example when you run along that walkway where you fight the 'Darkroot Garden' boss...
the Moonlight Butterfly
Botch, as a cleric who doesn't care about moving around dexterously I've been pumping my resistance up because I noticed that it increases all defence stats more than levelling any other attribute (obviously!). I'm keen to feel what difference it makes, if one at all.
Offline
geggis said
Botch, as a cleric who doesn't care about moving around dexterously I've been pumping my resistance up because I noticed that it increases all defence stats more than levelling any other attribute (obviously!). I'm keen to feel what difference it makes, if one at all.
This, indeed. I've put some points into resistance (maybe 7 right now) because it increases ALL defensive stats more than raising any other stat does. So for being a heavy melee/faith character it's nice to have defenses scale up a bit more.
Progress: I finally dispatched the boss in the Depths (not easy) and have trekked into Blighttown. And um, yeah, fuck that place. I died 3 times in 3 attempts, once a giant club-wielding fatty knocked me off a ledge, the other two times I died to toxins. I had only one Blooming Purple Moss Clump... which didn't quite cut it. I'm not going back to that place until I've stocked up on tons of poison and toxin fighting mosses.
In other progress news though, I made myself a Divine Claymore+5 last night and so I thought I'd now brave the catacombs, as that's what Andre suggest I do. Well, he didn't really suggest it, more he hinted at that's what others do, so I thought why not. Well let me tell you, a Divine weapon is essential for that place. If the skeletons kept coming back to life ... whole different story. As it were, I owned the place. Another Titanite Demon down; another Black Knight down, a pretty simple boss defeated... and then I fell off a cliff and was greeted by "Tomb of Giants" as I slammed into the floor. Not going down there again.
Happily, I got the Rite of Kindling, and so now Firelink Shrine's flame is HUGE! I love it. 20 Estus, yum.
If being wrong's a crime I'm serving forever
Offline
xtal said
geggis said
Botch, as a cleric who doesn't care about moving around dexterously I've been pumping my resistance up because I noticed that it increases all defence stats more than levelling any other attribute (obviously!). I'm keen to feel what difference it makes, if one at all.This, indeed. I've put some points into resistance (maybe 7 right now) because it increases ALL defensive stats more than raising any other stat does. So for being a heavy melee/faith character it's nice to have defenses scale up a bit more.
I'm glad I'm not the only one because I was starting to worry that I might have wasted a few soul levels there. I need to get myself a divine weapon as soon as possible. Do they scale with faith? Or is divine just a quality that makes undead things stay down?
I found this while looking into weapon upgrading, very useful it seems:
Offline
Nice find, Gregg.
Yes, Divine weapons scale with not only faith (C) but strength and dexterity as well (D). I'm now swapping between my Fire Bastard Sword+5 and Divine Claymore+5 because apparently I can't yet upgrade my Halberd+10 to a lightning weapon, which I badly would like to do. Andre and Vamos are not the right blacksmiths for the job, it seems. According to your handy chart there I need to locate the "Giant Blacksmith." Hopefully "Default" means no ember required. I hope I meet this fellow soon. I have several titanite chunks just waiting to create a lightning halberd!
Blighttown is hell, and I suspect my road to progress goes through it. I think I'm over-leveled for my actual story progress (level 56), so I probably won't be able to summon help in the blasted place. It's going to get ugly, but I need to ring that second bell.
If being wrong's a crime I'm serving forever
Most Users Ever Online: 252
Currently Online:
6 Guest(s)
Currently Browsing this Page:
1 Guest(s)
Top Posters:
Spike: 1187
Pokey: 894
Jarrod: 607
Finkbug: 468
Armand: 318
kaythomas: 307
Member Stats:
Guest Posters: 9
Members: 15035
Moderators: 18
Admins: 6
Forum Stats:
Groups: 1
Forums: 4
Topics: 816
Posts: 18549
Newest Members:
Stabrovspeen, KennethCax, RobertFuery, Humaner, ButZoste, HoustonPulgeModerators: Jen: 631, Orb: 0, Scout: 1205, Toger: 1488, Yapette: 836, Dobralov: 17, xtal: 1685, Meho: 82, Tap-Repeatedly: 0, geggis: 1435, Lewis B: 214, Mat: 245, AJLange: 200, Dix: 483, Cheeta: 0, LewisB: 0, Amy Louise: 12, l0vetemper: 3
Administrators: admin: 2, MrLipid: 31, Steerpike: 3310, Helmut: 795, Synonamess Botch: 1127, heddhunter: 27
