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Demon's Souls
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Steerpike
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October 17, 2011 - 5:19 pm
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I remember last Halloween, or maybe the one before, they turned all player and world tendencies completely black. It was a freakin' nightmare.

Life is the misery we endure between disappointments.

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Pokey
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October 17, 2011 - 8:43 pm
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Yippee! The blue eyed knight is done. I just needed to back off after swinging my sword three times in order to keep my stamina up. I opened the shortcut and have the cling ring. Feels great to have more health and a shorter path. Heading through the fog door. I'm not sure about quitting the game. Will it resume where you quit? Once it did and then the second time I was back at the beginning of the level.

Later…it is the silly mistakes that do you in. I made it to the vendor and spent all my souls on moon grass. Good thing I did because I walked out his door and over to a balcony to look down and my knight walked right over the low wall  and I fell into a group of knights and died fast. [Image Can Not Be Found]

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Steerpike
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October 18, 2011 - 9:03 am
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Good job, Pokey! Defeating that Blue Eye is a milestone, and the Cling Ring will make your life easier. The Thief's Ring is also in that general neighborhood. That one makes it harder for demons to see you, so you can sneak past some, or at least get closer in order to stage a good attack.

When you die, you respawn at the beginning of the world, which is part of the reason finding and/or opening hidden shortcuts is such a boon. The Blue Eye would be about your halfway point in Boletaria Palace, but I'm pretty sure there's no checkpoint should you die past that. As for quitting the game, you will restart in the Nexus with full health, but otherwise you'll be in exactly the same state you were in when you shut down - same number of souls, possessions, etc.

Beyond the fog door things get... interesting. You're close, Pokey! Good luck!

Life is the misery we endure between disappointments.

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Pokey
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November 6, 2011 - 12:51 pm
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I finally defeated Phalanx. I hate to say how many hours and deaths that took. A lot of it was just farming to repair my equipment. Repairing armor is very expensive. Once I defeated the blue eye knight and went through the fog door for the second time, I didn't die again. Phalanx wasn't that hard, just took a while whittling down his minions. I'm so happy to finish that level and maybe get to see some other worlds. I have some questions.

Should I commit suicide in the Nexus so I don't die in body form and turn a world darker? Does it make the world much harder?

I don't want the weapon that the demon soul gives, so should I use the souls to level up?

Did the red dragon leave the bridge area when Phalanx was defeated and can I go and ransack his nest?

 

I have found that I can quit in a cleared area and will resume in that location when I reload. When I left him, Ostrava was walking back and forth in a cleared area. I hope he survived.

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Steerpike
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November 6, 2011 - 6:44 pm
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Well done, Pokey! Congratulations. Now you can branch out and check out some other worlds.

In general I would recommend against dying, in the Nexus or anywhere else. Stay alive as long as you can. A single death doesn't darken world or player tendency that much, and you never know when you'll need those hit points.

As far as boss demons' souls, you can burn them for lots of normal souls, but be sure to hang on to a few, as they can be used to perform special upgrades to certain weapons. The Red Hot Demon's Soul, in particular, is one you'll need.

The red dragon does NOT leave when the Phalanx dies. You'll have to kill it if you want the goodies in its nest. A very powerful bow and arrow is your best bet.

There's some debate about where to go next. Certainly the best place to collect tons of souls and improve your stats is the Shrine of Storms - it's a very dangerous spot, but few other places have monsters that drop so many souls. Others recommend heading for the Land of the Burrow King, where you'll get fewer souls but where the overall challenge may be less. You'll also meet another blacksmith there, who can upgrade your weapons. The Burrow King's area is probably the first one you'll "clear," so you may find yourself switching back and forth between that place and the Shrine of Storms.

The Tower of Latria and the Valley of Defilement are not for low-level characters. Definitely check them out just to sightsee, but I wouldn't plan to concentrate on them. And, of course, there's much more of Boletaria to explore.

 

Good luck! And jeep your eyes open for Ostrava. If he survives, you'll have opportunities to meet him again, elsewhere in Boletaria.

Life is the misery we endure between disappointments.

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Pokey
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November 6, 2011 - 8:19 pm
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Good advice, Steerpike. I'll stay alive as long as possible and check out 2-1 and 4-1 for souls to improve my stats and upgrade weapons. I think maybe banking the demon soul to save for later would be wise. It will be fun to check out those other places too, even if I don't stay long. I think Ostrava is still out there somewhere.

Edit…. Yep, he is. I checked out 1-2 for a bit and he was there behind bars. Guess I need to rescue him again.

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Pokey
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November 8, 2011 - 11:47 pm
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Well, having a body didn't last long.  [Image Can Not Be Found]   I was checking out Stonefang tunnel, tried to get on the crazy elevator and fell to my death. Almost the same silly mistake I made the first time. I did accomplish something at Boletarian Palace. I rescued Ostrava again and acquired a winged spear, wooden catalyst and a short compound bow. Now I can buy soul arrow and try it out on the blue eye knight. I need to get a bunch of souls so I can raise my stats. This game is killing me but it keeps pulling me back.

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Steerpike
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November 9, 2011 - 9:11 am
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Pokey, if it makes you feel a sense of companionship, I'm going through the exact same thing with Dark Souls right now. AND I died exactly the same way in that Stonefang elevator. I will tell you this: down there is where the other Blacksmith lives, and you'll be visiting him often.

If you need souls, you can't beat the Shrine of Storms. It's hard - super hard, really, at the beginning - but you get used to it. A bow and good melee skills and you can clear several thousand souls per run.

Did you manage to get the Cling Ring and the Thief's Ring in Boletaria? They're indescribably crucial.

Life is the misery we endure between disappointments.

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Pokey
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November 9, 2011 - 12:19 pm
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That does make me feel better and maybe not so clumsy. I do have the cling ring and the thief's ring as well as one for extra carry weight and the gash ring.

 

I may give the Shrine of Storms a try, though I need more strength to use my bow.

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Steerpike
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November 9, 2011 - 1:44 pm
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Steerpike's Travel Tips

The Scenic Shrine of Storms on $20 a Day

The silver skeletons like to roll around a lot, and they're physically big and powerful, but they're in the neighborhood of 250 souls apiece. As you level up they'll obviously get easier.

There are also flying Manta-Ray-like demons that you'll have to take down with your bow. The Thief's Ring is indispensable here, because they'll be less likely to bombard you.

The Vanguard, that demon that killed you at the very beginning, lives in the Shrine. You can avoid him easily, but it might be worth your time to kill him with arrows once you get around him. Once he's down he won't respawn, and having him out of the way opens up a nice shortcut.

The Adjudicator's Shield and the Crescent Falchion can be found in the first section of the Shrine. They're well protected by Red Eyes, but one constantly regenerates your health, and the other constantly regenerates your magic. Can't say no to that!

Finally, watch out for pressure-plate traps in the floor. They're one-hit kills. When you hear the telltale clunk that you've set one off, start rolling right away.

Life is the misery we endure between disappointments.

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Pokey
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November 9, 2011 - 10:42 pm
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Wow, lots of good advice, Steerpike. Those are some pretty tough characters to take on, but I will get there eventually. I can use the bow now and tried out the soul arrow on the blue eye knight. He went down in two shots. So much easier than melee. A few more runs to collect souls and then I'll try the Shrine of Storms. I've gotten the red eye knight three times with a little trickery.

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Steerpike
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November 10, 2011 - 9:03 am
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To be honest, Pokey, I never mastered the Red Eyes. Even at very high level they were a thorn in my side. I usually tried to lure them off cliffs.

Like you and so many others, Demon's Souls (and now Dark Souls) represents a conundrum. There is so much about the games that I should dislike: crushing difficulty, repetitiveness, occasionally awkward controls, essentially zero story; yet I've put more hours into those two games than any other game of this generation. I'm around 55 hours in Dark Souls, and I easily put in 200 in Demon's, yet even now I find myself drawn back to them again and again. I can't put my finger on why, but there it is.

Glad you're having fun with it!

Life is the misery we endure between disappointments.

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Pokey
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November 10, 2011 - 1:22 pm
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Last night a Red Eye was chasing me down the tower stairs in Boletaria and I heard a crash and he was gone. I looked at the bottom and all around but never found him. Darn, 2000 souls just disappeared. I assume he will spawn again so we can have more fun. [Image Can Not Be Found]

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Pokey
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November 13, 2011 - 8:35 pm
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I've decided that the Shrine of Storms is too hard. I can't get by the rolling skeletons. I went to the Valley of Defilement to try to get the Blessed Mace to use against them. It didn't seem that hard and I got quite a way the first time but backed up into space. The next time I got within a few feet of the mace and died because I didn't keep track of my health. Since then, one area just before the mace has become much more populated and dangerous and I haven't been able to get past. I may try fire bombs next.

I have been able to get a good way into the Stonefang Tunnel and found a lot of shards. I am at level 19 and have a winged spear+4, long sword +3 and a short compound bow +2 as my main weapons.

Edit….Yea, success finally. The very next trip I got the Blessed Mace +1 by careful use of my bow and not falling. Then I went on to test it against the Silver Skeletons. It worked so well, I got past a lot of them and killed the Black Skeleton and got the Crescent Falchion as well. What a thrill. The Red Dragon is next.

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Pokey
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November 16, 2011 - 10:40 pm
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I killed the Red Dragon and then grabbed the Purple Flame Shield. I have gone through half of Stonefang Tunnel and visited Blacksmith Ed. I did all this without dying once. The last time I died was when I went up against the rolling Silver Skeletons at the Shrine of Storms. After dying dozens of times trying to get through the first part of Bolitaria Castle, the game seems quite manageable, as long as I don't try to go someplace I am not ready for. Next up, the Armor Spider. [Image Can Not Be Found]

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Steerpike
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November 17, 2011 - 9:20 am
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Great work, Pokey! In some ways the early stages are the hardest, because you have the lowest stats and the fewest tools. It doesn't get easy, but it should get easier.

Armor Spider was not a problem for me - I just ran up and bashed him. Flame Lurker, on the other hand, will be a challenge since you're playing offline. Best of luck! Keep us posted!

Life is the misery we endure between disappointments.

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Pokey
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November 17, 2011 - 6:19 pm
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I killed the Armor Spider, though I was dumb and forgot to put my thief ring back on after switching it out. I used my bow and suffered very little damage.

Steerpike, when you went with melee against the spider, were you in full armor?  I'll probably wait a while but I need his soul to upgrade my weapons.

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Steerpike
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November 17, 2011 - 10:14 pm
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Pokey, as I recall, I never was able to upgrade my armor or find a better suit in Demon's Souls. I played as a Temple Knight, who comes equipped with pretty solid plate, so I faced Armor Spider in that. I remember well - it was a Saturday morning, and as soon as I saw I was against a boss, I hurtled toward it and started hitting attack, assuming I'd be dead. Instead it died. In any case, yes, I did indeed have full armor and killed it with melee weapons. It was immediately after that that I started using my bow in earnest, against the Manta Demons in the Shrine of Storms.

Life is the misery we endure between disappointments.

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Pokey
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November 19, 2011 - 12:24 am
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The big ol Tower Knight is dead. It was pretty tense since I didn't want to lose my body form and I had to get past two Blue Eyes, who always give me trouble and a hail of arrows from above. I've kept my body for quite a while now, through two demons. I may try to get further in the Shrine of Storms or find a demon who isn't too hard. I am strong enough to use the Purple Flame Shield now, so that may help.

I just noticed that I have Pure White world tendency for Bolitaria and the gate to the executioner is open. Wonder if I dare enter and risk losing my body form. Maybe I'll just take a look around and be ready to run.

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Pokey
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November 21, 2011 - 4:39 pm
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I have scoped out the early part of the Shrine of Storms, killed the Vanguard and got attacked by a Manta-Ray even though I had the Thief ring on. I wasn't sure which way to go—I don't want to meet a black skeleton–so I left and will return later.

I'm not having much luck with crystal lizards. The last one at the executioner's ground took off before I got close and got away. I see it is back, so will try again. I think I have missed at least three so far. I need those stones. [Image Can Not Be Found]

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