Dark Souls [PS3, X360, Sequel to Demon's Souls]

[Ike]

Feb 2, 2011 15:52:55 GMT -5 kitten said:

I'd argue the tension can sometimes be higher when you're having to escort a less-skilled player (no offense to Ike =P).

just glad to be of service

[munchy]

Demon's Souls did the Castlevania atmosphere so much better than Lords of Shadow, it's not even funny. (Well, it probably will be in about five years.) I initially wanted to play it for the potential of making a really fucking hideous custom character, but it looks like a cool game as well.

[caoslayer]

Feb 2, 2011 22:46:48 GMT -5 cj iwakura said:

Sparkly is back.



And she wants blood.

Shit, where I left my sword able to cut the skies?

[camanchi]

Man, I just read some new info on Catherine and now I find out about this. Today is a good day.

[ALV]

Campfire are the new Maden in Black
and i regret so much killing her in the end of ds, going for ng+ now ...

[ALV]

and by the way,all my money for a next gen rogue like made by fromsoftware

[megatronbison]

Does Demon Souls ever get easier? I've barely touched it - I started as a Royal and have only reached the second mine stage (uh, after the big spider anyways) and well, I got to the next boss and died in two hits- kinda demotivating. At the same time I have played through tough games- NG1+2, Godhand etc. Let me know.

[justjustin]

Demon's Souls does get easier, but it's more because you eventually learn how everything works rather than needing to master sections using reflex and skill. I would still say it's primarily an action game, but just knowing that, for example, a weapon with the blessed prefix gets a damage boost from your faith stat (and knowing how to craft that) deeply impacts your success. The "old-school" process of identifying patterns and learning how to best react in a situation is still important, but I think knowledge of how to properly build characters helps more.

[ALV]

The first third of the game was hard, but not brutal as some say.
I was very carefull and thought out every move
The rest of the game was so easy compared to it I would complete 1 archstone demon every time I started the game and i finished it in a sitting where I completed 5 archstone demons. It was so strange having the game on its knees.

[Vokkan]

Feb 2, 2011 13:38:28 GMT -5 justjustin said:

Really looks like a more menacing version of Demon's Souls. Darker, more violent, creepier atmosphere.

On the contrary, I think it looks a lot more like generic a bit darker fantasy. More violent atmosphere than Demon's sure, but Demon's had such a dark, disgusting and hopeless atmosphere. The whole world were a battle long lost.

Dark Souls looks like more of a colorful, co-op action game - which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

[TheGunheart]

I'll admit, I sequence broke just to get the Dark Silver set and Pureblood sword early.

[muteKi]

I really do need to get the original

[camanchi]

I'm actually playing through it right now. When I first bought it at release time, I was lost and didn't get very far. Somehow, I've figured it out lately and though I still screw up and make a dumb move that gets me killed, it's not impossible- it just seriously makes you learn how to survive.

[Feynman]

Feb 3, 2011 16:58:11 GMT -5 @megatronbison said:

Does Demon Souls ever get easier? I've barely touched it - I started as a Royal and have only reached the second mine stage (uh, after the big spider anyways) and well, I got to the next boss and died in two hits- kinda demotivating. At the same time I have played through tough games- NG1+2, Godhand etc. Let me know.

Well, increasing your stats and getting better equipment can help dull the edge a bit, but ultimately Demon's Souls boils down to understanding and making skillful use of the combat mechanics. Trying to brute force your way through won't work.

Learn the timing of your attacks, enemy patterns, and master use of the roll. Try to always be unencumbered to maintain the best movement speed/roll distance. Depending on how you develop your stats, that may mean equipping a ring to increase your encumbrance limit, or wearing lighter/less armor. Armor and health does help, but in Demon's Souls the best defense is not getting hit in the first place, and mobility is of the utmost importance. Rolling gives you a few frames of invulnerability, and exploiting that is a vital technique to master.

You don't have to do the worlds in order! Aside from the first and last level, you can play the worlds in any order you wish, and it's very advantageous to do so. The worlds throughout the game have many powerful items hidden away, and skipping world 2-2 to explore some of the other areas could offer great benefit... just off the top of my head, there's a sword that deals magic damage in 4-2, which can prove very useful in the fight against Flamelurker, since he resists physical damage. It's a great starter weapon until you have the means to craft a powerful weapon of your own! Stage 4-2 is also one of the best soul farming areas in the game, making it a great place for new players to level up and get a bit more of an edge.

When exploring the stages, don't rush in. Ever. Try to lure monsters to you in small amounts, and don't get surrounded. Recklessness, haste, and panic are the biggest killers in the game... until you know a level and the monsters within so well you can play it in your sleep, take it slowly. Be methodical, stay calm, and pay close attention to your surroundings. If you've died half a dozen and you're getting frustrated on one stage, play a different level or take a break. Bashing your head against a level while frustrated will only lead to more mistakes, and in Demon's Souls, mistakes are lethal.

Consider investing in magic! The AI is really dumb when it comes to spells, and attacks like Soul Ray and Homing Soul Arrow rip enemies apart with ease. It's not anywhere near as satisfying as the game's melee combat, but if you're really stuck, it will get you to the end of the game. Even if you're like me and shun attack spells, having at least a couple magic/faith slots will prove useful, as the defensive buffs they provide are quite powerful, and almost mandatory in PvP.

And, of course, practice! Don't give up! Sooner or later, the game mechanics will click with you. Once it does, you'll find yourself shredding through the game and wondering why you ever thought it was hard. You'll begin to notice how predicable the AI patterns are, you'll get the timing of your attacks and rolls down pat, and everything just make sense. Sooner or later, nearly everybody who plays the game for any significant period of time has that eureka moment.

@kitten:

I guess I can understand where you're coming from, but I really can't imagine Demon's Souls being nearly as tense an experience when there's another player or two to assist in combat and distill the pressure a bit. Of course, I'm also not prone to enjoying co-op multiplayer to begin with, so maybe that's just me. PvP is dandy, though. I've spent an awful lot of time infuriating players with my murderous Black Phantom ways, and I look forward to that feature's triumphant return.

[caoslayer]

Screw tactics, get the biggest shield you can wield and max it, 90% of the enemies will get stunned by attacking you.