SoulsBorne Thread(FromSoftware franchises)

[The SheoDovah]

Seeing as we have a fair amount of Dark and Demon Souls fans on here and with the release of Dark Souls III, i figured we ought to praise the sun and partake in jolly co-operation! Or just discuss the franchise!

I'm currently playing the Prepare to Die edition of Dark Souls 1 and i am bloody rusty as hell! I got my arse kicked by Taurus. Freaking Taurus! I used to kick his arse! Now? I got killed by him 5 times. Twice, i got thrown off the bridge. The other three times were either mistimed hits or just me not being quick enough.

My Dark Souls build consists of the Deprived Class and i'm going pure heavy melee with bows for ranged attacked. I also summoned both Solaire and Lautrec for the belltower gargoyles and what a curbstomp battle it was! I mean, i probably only got one or two hits in due to both of them kicking their arses.

Plan on getting the [&@%!] Sword today and ditching the Halberd and the refined longsword. I don't have the armour to withstand heavy blows or repeated blows and the Halberd pretty much is useless. The longsword does crap damage whereas if i use the drake sword, i can use it for areas that would pose an issue for a [&@%!] sword wielder. My main stats are strength, endurance and dex. Got the knight shield and i will try to reinforce that to probably +5 before i hit lagtown. God, i hate blighttown.

For those who haven't played the first Dark Souls, Blighttown is often considered the worse area in the game due to the sheer amount of ways it can kill you. From being poisoned to being knocked off the bridge to well, it being a race against time in the swamp. It is fairly laggy as well.

So, what are ye builds for what games?

[The SheoDovah]

So, erm... anyone fancy talking about the Souls franchise?

PRAISE BE THE SUN.

[Cassandra]

Okay, I guess that I'm gonna be the first one to post something here, though I've never actually played any of the games. That being said, I'm almost done Fallout 4 and will start playing a new game soon. My sister has Dark Souls II, should I play it next?

You'd better have a good argument though, because there are many games that I'm considering right now.

[The SheoDovah]

Get Dark Souls 1. Dark Souls II is kinda the weakest game in the franchise and it is an utter [&@%!] when it comes to kicking your arse. It introduced the rather annoying lose X amount of health every time you die. Sure, Demon Souls had that but it was the first in the franchise so I'm willing to let that go. Dark Souls II has no excuse and it seems to do it for the sake of "adding challenge". I feel that it a rather cheap way.

Dark Souls is not like TES or Fallout 4. It does require patience, some planning and trial and error. If you try to hack and slash your way through the game, you won't get far. It requires every build to play to their strengths. E.g. Heavy Melee can't dodge efficiently but they can afford to take hits due to the armour and damage output with melee. It requires timing in your attacks for most, if not, all builds. Watch your stamina as that will be your best friend. The plot is there, it's basic but it matches the world. It isn't a game that holds your hand. The tutorial expects you to know the basics and you better know what you are doing on the tutorial boss.

But Dark Souls is an excellent RPG. It is more or less your own journey and you can summon people to help you or invade them(once you have a certain item).

Dark Souls II is not the best game to start with. Use the first one.

[Rook]

Dark Souls II, though its definitely the worst Souls game, is still pretty good. I would at least give it a try to see if you like it, even though Dark Souls and Bloodborne are much better. It can be an interesting challenge compared to the original game because of the limited nature of lifegems compared to the refillable Estus Flasks (health potions). The bosses aren't balanced as well as Dark Souls, though unlike Bloodborne, the difficulty stays pretty consistent. In Bloodborne, you could pretty much breeze through most of the map until you reached the boss, who'd usually pose a much higher challenge.

it is an utter [&@%!] when it comes to kicking your arse. It introduced the rather annoying lose X amount of health every time you die. Sure, Demon Souls had that but it was the first in the franchise so I'm willing to let that go. Dark Souls II has no excuse and it seems to do it for the sake of "adding challenge". I feel that it a rather cheap way.

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And you know that you can restore the lost health with a human effigy, right? You can get like 10 if you kill the Firekeepers in the beginning. That does prevent you from respecing, but that doesn't matter too much if you know what you're doing.

[Cassandra]

I'll have to see about getting the first one. But I'll definitely try the second one when I can.

And yes, I've seen my sister play so I have a bit of an idea when it comes to the gameplay. That's actually what attracts me to the game most. I'd like to play a game where fighting is actually different depending on what class you choose. And from what I've seen, the environment looks absolutely gorgeous.

[The SheoDovah]

Dark Souls II is said to be a cheap, cheating [&@%!] at times.


But the gameplay lacks most of what modern games have. Regenerating health, QTEs, hand holding and it makes it refreshing.

[MARS]

Dark Souls is a pretty fun and good game that I played a little. For almost 400 hours.

[Тeatime]

I recently completed my first run of Dark Souls and it is indeed a very good game. And while it is certainly a challenging game I didn't find it quite as harsh as people often make it out to be, it's just damn well designed difficulty.

Also, I never touched magic with my first character so I naturally started up a sorcerer as my 2nd one. I've just made it past the gargoyles with him and just wonder if people have any general tips for an int based build?

[MARS]

I'm in bed but here's a tip: sorcery wrecks serious face amd is the most OP thing in the game.

[Тeatime]

I am suitably intrigued. :vc

[The SheoDovah]

Magic is powerful stuff indeed. I did a lot of grinding yesterday using Chaos Fireball on the Phalanx and took mere seconds to wipe them out. Magic is worth checking out at least once. My build is magic melee and mostly a tank but has the ability to ruin your day with magic. Got 25 in Strength, Endurance, Vitality. 20 in Dex, Int. 18 in Faith atm. I intend on focusing on both Faith and Int along with Attunement(got it at 22 atm). The downside is, i'm in the low 80s and need 40k souls just to level up. But that just makes it a fun challenge.

Also, I forgot about Tomb of the Giants. A dark area. Skeletons dogs. Good thing i have a lightining Zweihander.

Oh and I [&@%!] beat Smough and Ornstien! Used Quelaag's furysword+5 and the Lightning Zweihander. Just have to beat the four lords(Nito,Seath,The four kings and Sif). I do intend to start the DLC soon. Just have to kill that [&@%!] Hydra in Darkroot basin. But may just focus on Nito and Duke's Archives to boost me magic.

EDIT: Forgot about Bed of Chaos. Oh god, i remember that god awful piece of [&@%!], cheap kill boss.

Also, i kicked Pinwheel's arse. Had no estus left, low health and couldn't risk healing so i did the dumbest thing possible and attacked him aggressively with the furysword. It worked and he didn't even get a chance to hit me.

WHY DID I USED TO DEPEND ON HAVEL MONSTER BUILDS!? This build is far superior in terms of damage, flexiblity and fun!

[MARS]

lightining Zweihander.

That's honestly a lot of wasted potential. Elemental upgrades are only good if you're not investing in a scaling stat, which usually means that you're either trying to keep your SL low, or you want 99 Endurance and Vitality for whatever reason. You already have a sizeable amount of strength on account of you holding a Zweihander; you'll do a lot better by just upgrading it normally and getting that sweet Strength damage bonus.

[The SheoDovah]

To be honest, i only used that for Smough and Ornstein due to the damage. Trying to avoid relying on it too much otherwise, i will risk getting lazy and letting my guard down. Fury Sword is my main weapon. Sure, it is probably the most damaging of my weapons but i think, the Furysword does more damage per combo and well, I'm trying not to turn into heavy melee tank. Using Bloodshield, steel armour, black iron leggings and silver knight gaunlets with Havel's Ring and the Wolf ring. I think, I will try to kill Nito today. Should be easy as i think, the fury sword will make quick work of him. Just getting to him is the challenge. Just keeping my equip load at 50% or less for normal dodging. Probably going to do Nito then buy the rest of the soceries from Logan's apprentice if i can. I almost killed Ornsteriods with the fury sword. I died because i got greedy. If i do beat Nito today, tis the Duke's Archives afterwards and to see if i can start the prepare to die content. Killed undead dragons, can beat the prowling demons. And well, the lightninghander is more or less my go to weapon if i think an enemy is weak to lightning.

Once i've got my magic stats up to 30+, I may get Strength, Vit and End up to 30 as well. Avoiding Resistance as well, it's a crap stat.Think i may 120-150 when i come to face Gwyn. The four kings shall be an interesting fight for me. But i think the fury sword DPS will make quick work of them.

[MARS]

The Fury Sword is pretty good, yeah. Nito generally dies pretty quickly to it, too. As for getting to him, you can basically make a dash from the bonfire inside TotG. Stay right where you land to avoid the skellies, and you should be golden.

[The SheoDovah]

I kicked his arse on the third attempt. First time, i died because of skeletons. Second time, i grabbed me 50K souls and went back to bonfire. The third time, pretty much did jump attacks with the fury sword. Dodged, attacked etc..


In Duke's Archives now and trying to find the goddamn key to Logan's cage. Also trying to access the DLC but can't seem to get the golden golem to spawn in the courtyard.

This pretty sums up the Tomb of the Giants.

[Pandelume]

I find it hilarious that you cant't say "[&@%!] sword" on a fantasy role playing game forum. Seems kinda inconsistent with Skyrim being rated M, and, you know, Daggerfall. I guess it has to be Hand-and-a-half sword. For the children. -_-

Closer to on topic, has anyone played the King's Field games? I'm very intrigued by these, supposedly they are "spiritual prequels" to the soulsborne games, even including certain characters (like Patches and Seath apparently).

[The SheoDovah]

Techincally, you can. It's just due to the how the filter works and what is deemed a swear by said censor. Disable it via the User Control Panel and it shows anything.

I've not and well, i rather not torment myself with Kings Field. Quite happy letting Dark Souls and Demon Souls kick my arse repeatly.

Also, Welcome to UESP, PAndelume!

[BetaB17]

lightining Zweihander.

That's honestly a lot of wasted potential. Elemental upgrades are only good if you're not investing in a scaling stat, which usually means that you're either trying to keep your SL low, or you want 99 Endurance and Vitality for whatever reason. You already have a sizeable amount of strength on account of you holding a Zweihander; you'll do a lot better by just upgrading it normally and getting that sweet Strength damage bonus.

Chaos Zweihander with 10 humanity is actually something to fear. More so than the standard upgrade or.. ehh.. Raw.. I mean, just ask the Legend?

But yes, in most regards the scaling is more valuable than pure damage or elemental/magic.. especially with the later since usually the damage is split between two types, thus having to deal with two defense types. Much better just to use buffs if that's your aim <_<

Also, Dov. Just going to say this. Most Faith spells are rather trash in DS1. Maybe the potential heal, Homeward, or odd spell(i.e great gravelord dance) but if it's not in your focus, its better to have it as a side avenue or none at all. You dont need to be as invested to do the basics

Magic likewise only gets a massive buff overall thanks to dark magic >_> which, may I add, deals a good portion of physical damage. Sorcery really just shines for being a utility. The only true reason to invest, aside from dlc spells(which are so OP), is for certain buffs(i.e Darkmoon blade) or long range offense.

Honestly, in DS1, pyromancy wins out if its offense you want, and unlike the other two.. doesnt scale on stats(tho you do gain faster casting frames thanks to dex). Its a free-be, with the only stat to invest being attunement.

[MARS]

Well not to be a naysayer, but...Wrath of the Gods is so powerful. You can take out entire clusters of enemies with one casting. Sorcery is by and far the most damaging offense in the game, both in terms of raw spells and buffing. You can take out Gwyn with no more than 3 castings of Crystal Soul Spear.

[BetaB17]

But WotG can't carry you through most encounters tho its a good situational n pvp spell, but not one worth justifying a high faith build. Maybe for DS2, but not 1 <_< Plus.. too spammy

Also, crystal scorceries arent all to grand, to be frank. Limited casts, high requirements, Attunement.. for a high Int mage build they're good.. hell even damn awesome with the right catalyst. But compare it to certain Dark scorceries.. they can be out classed. Seriously, try Dark Bead up close for PvP or on a large enemy.. never have I felt so much bliss 1hit-KOing a Havel monster.. and my guy doesn't even have max Int. Hence why they earn so much hate.. Hexes in DS2 only picked up this infamy

PS: Gwyn is too easy.
Kalameet, too OP, please nerf

[The SheoDovah]

If I had access to decent broadband, i wouldn't use WOTG for PVP. Tis spammy and well, it's often associated with the [&@%!] kind of PVP players that either spam it, or fish for backstabs.

I'm finding myself not really using mircales that much to be honest. I am however, using magic a lot and am doing some grinding in Duke's Archives in the prison tower. 10k souls every 3 minutes! Intend on getting Int up to 40, Vit up to 30, same with END,Strength and Dex.

Oh and accessed the DLC. The Guardian beast was challenging and well, my tatics were kinda crap. It was literally two handed Zweihander, hit twice, dodge and repeat. Accidentally fought Artorias. Got my arse kicked.

Think I may do 3 hours of grinding in the prison tower in Dukes today.

Oh and i had a bit of a annoying boss fight with Ceaseless discharge. The damn limb kept glitching out thus the hide in the small gap and attack plan was foiled. Pyromancy is indeed a powerful tool. It's speeds up grinding. I have chaos storm with a +9 hand. Admittly, i am at or nearly at soul level 100 but well, i rather improve my stats.

I think, if i could do PVP, this build would be perfect.

[Aarah]

Does Dark Souls have side quests and main quests? What's your purpose?

[The SheoDovah]

It doesn't have quests. It pretty much laughs in the face of quests. It's pretty much a simple story. Ye are chosen Undead and must fight through everything. There are side stories with NPCs. It more or less is just you bumping into some, rescusing some but it always results in something happening. From unlocking powerful spells to buy to the end of that NPC. It's not like TES, Aarah. Dark Souls doesn't give a damn about quests. It pretty much goes "There. Boss. You. Beat." then kicks your arse.

Joking aside, Dark Souls is not like most RPGs. It's action heavy but it always gives you a sense of acomphlisment whenever you beat a boss. Instead of "Yay, i beat that one. Whoopee." It is worth looking up videos of it on youtube for gameplay, Aarah. It requires a lot of patience and well, ye be wise to accept death is inevitable. You shall die a lot.

Oh and it has one the best tutorials i've ever played. By that, i mean, well, it pretty much tells you the controls and go "If you can't even make it past this bit, eff off!" I am joking of course but it is the best tutorial i've ever played. Mainly because i don't get told every [&@%!] thing and am expected to work it out on my own.

Anyway, after hitting a rut, i restarted my pyromancer magic melee build. Tis 35 hours down the drain but well, I was at soul level 100 and kinda struggling to level up magic. *facepalm*

This build will use Attunement, INT,STR,END and INT as my main stats. INT for the sheer power of the spells. Attunment is more or less a case of if i need a large variety of spells, level it up. But with Pyromancy, I'm confident i won't need more then 8 slots. Just swap out as needed. Faith will not be touched as well, it has no room for it. That was the mistake i made last time thus wasting many levels on something i rarely use.

I intend to cap off:
Vit: 30
Str:30
End:30
INT:50
Attunment: Soft cap of 20.
Dex: 30. For quick casting and for Queelag's furysword.

[BetaB17]

Before I comment. Let me just say >_> if you truly want to torment yourself, try killing Sif in DS1 with nothing but a broken sword. It is nothing but slow torture.. literally. Made all the more worse if you know the lore ;-;

Now to comment, Idont think Dov can give an explanation that doe much justice.

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The Souls saga is a more classic RPG. Unlike most games, where the story is told and experienced.. From Software believes on making the world itself tell its talr. Here is where the story is told through the environment and vague descriptions than from cutscenes. The lore of the world plays in the background, while the experience of the player drives you forward.

You'll be surprised how little some ppl understand the lore or actual story in DS. It is rich beyound belief.. yet can go by so unnoticed less you search for it. You as player have a choice of playing blindly through, hacking at monsters and enjoying that bliss without any story telling you otherwise.. or taking the scenic route and just admiring the world for all it has.. or somewhere in between. You get to decide what enjoyment you get out of it. I mean, the Devs are not shy on being so elussive with arguably some of their best gems >_> just look at the Painted World, Great Hollow, or even Ash Lake.. Hell, just look at how tucked away the entrance for the DLC zone is, and yet they know their fans will uncover these secrets without delay <_<

Pair up this wonderful world that they have crafted, you also have From Software's philosophy on difficulty. Dark Souls isnt just hard for the sake of it.. its hard bc it refuses to hold your hand. It is fair, it allows you to make mistakes, and teaches you very early on to be cautious and trust nothing. If you die, its more or less bc of you. Maybe you got too aggressive, or maybe you were too blinded to the clues they left scattered around. This series tells you early on what to expect 'Prepare to die'. This is more than just saying its challenging.. its telling you a simple truth, you will die.. alot. And thts okay. Its not saying that you must 'git gud', that you must become a pro at the game.. No. It teaches you tp imbrace your mistakes, and learn from where you failed.. something more games ought to adopt(aside from cranking up the difficulty)

Lets not mention DS being one of the few game to add value to death. It only further reinforces being cautious n defensive, and an invaluable delimma as you must conserve every last healing estus(unless your in DS2, then nvm). Nothing beats the struggle of risking so much, having so much experience that can be lost and so little healing items.. and yet soooo close to the boss. Do you trod back, defeated for being a coward out of fear of losing so many potential level ups and instead fight back thru a fresh wave of enemies and do better this time? Or do you gamble it all? Venture further into danger? And the bliss you feel when you win, no matter how small the progress was made.. that's something to treasure. You really do see and feel your own progression against the ever growing difficulty curve.. even if at first it seemed impossible

For the entire series, they all do have a core main quest. Simply put it.. kill more bosses, simple is it not? Well, if this next stament wasnt so true, idk what is.. but things are never as easy as they sound <_< There are sidequests which namely focus around specific interactions with a certain npc.. but they arent vital.. But boy oh boy are they worth it. Not jist for certain gear or secrets, but the tale you now share with them>_> and oh how you'd miss some of them when they're gone

I will state, while much of the series is best played blind or unguided.. the lore and story itself may be too much to grasp on your own. A wonderful youtube by the name Vaatividya has done wonders in the dark souls community by releasing quality lore vids, making them both informative, entertaining, and as close to canon as possible. I'll share a vid below for you. Its up to you if you want towatch the vids before you play, after, or even during. Heck, I loved watching these videos long, long before I ever picked up the game

Honestly, final statement. If you likes TES for its immersive world and lore.. you would love DS just the same. Its refreshing.. to play a game like this, truly

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[youtube]vBJDBtn2MbQ/youtube]

Also, I felt like sharing this, bc why not

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YouTube Link