[Joachim]

When I pre-ordered Dark Souls at gamestop the guy was talking about how he wished they had an in-game preorder bonus, like a really strong sword, to make the game easier.

GROAN
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[Joachim]

fuck the undead burg.

[Joachim]

[Joachim]

i've reached kind of an impasse, i think. i just rang the first bell, and went down to new londo ruins. i ran out of transient curses because the ghosts kept ganging up on me: so i found the lower part of the undead burg, but i don't think i'm equipped for the capra demon, he's slaughtered me every time i've tried to fight him. i explored the woods a little bit, but every single thing in there has completely creamed me.

and then went back to the normal burg to look around and get some souls, killed the black knight, got the blue tears ring and then... mistaking him for a black knight from the distance, i accidentally engaged Solaire in combat and had to kill him.

):
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[Joachim]

[Joachim]

for a first time through, i had to; i couldn't refuse the souls i'd gain from her, nor the Soul of Priscilla which would likely end up becoming useful later on. if it had been my first sin, i would be upset; but i killed solaire early in the game, mistaking him from a black knight from the distance, and that kind of sealed my fate as a sinner.
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[Joachim]

In anor londo.

Havel's Helm.
Silver Knight Armor +2
Gold-Hemmed Skirt.
Xanthus Gloves.

Lightning Spear +3.
Long Bow.

Crest Shield +3.
Pyromancy Flame.

I have an endurance of 27 so I can run around and roll with all the knight armor and havel's helm. i'm pretty pumped about that.



i think he looks kind of cool.
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[Joachim]

I love how subtly woven into the gameplay and architecture of the areas the narrative and story is.

In Anor Londo, in the room where you fight Ornstein and Smough, beneath Gwynevere's chamber, against the wall there are three statues standing upon pedestals, each resting within their own indentation; In the center, stands the largest, a king with a large blade - presumably, Gwyn. To the right, stands Gwynevere, no weapon draw, arms crossed. On the left... there is a pedestal, but the statue is missing. I can't pretend to know the full backstory at this point in the game - I am just about to kill Seath - but I think its quite clear that there was "meant" to be a statue representing Gwyndolin, and the absence of said statue says something about her (his?) nature and relationship with the family. I've heard murmurs about this before, but I'll be honest in saying I'm not sure of the details.

Similarly, I love the interaction with the NPCs - every single one of them, in some way, has some sense of import, even for the very fact that they're not immediately trying to kill you, that they're not just soulless monsters. It grants a kind of solidarity. And when you are left with no choice but to kill one of them, you kind of feel it, there is a moment of regret and shock. I traveled through Blight Town earlier today, after taking a break from trying to kill Seath, and came across Laurentius of the Great Swamp, who I had told of a greater pyromancy down below. He was one of my favorite characters, and there he was, hollow, attacking me. I had no choice but to kill him. I came upon the fog door guarding Gwyndolin and entered - I was attacked, and then fought and killed her (or him?). Upon my return to the bonfire, the Firekeeper decried me for turning my blade upon a deity and hunted me down, again leaving me with no choice but to kill her. I received a Firekeeper's soul... but it feels "dirty".

I went to Firelink Shrine and simply rested for a few moments before turning the game off. I do not actively seek to sin in this game, but in the same vein - I can't justify abolishing it. Not for the cost, not for the relief of the weight. I feel like the weight, the fact that there are or can be repercussions because of the things that I have done (in the same vein, I have also killed Solaire, initially believing him to be a Black Knight from the distance and then provoking him) drives me forward. I want those repercussions.

I really, really love this game right now. Maybe a little bit too much.
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[Joachim]

The female aspect was taken from the item description. The rest is inferred, as far as I know, but its definitely reasonable and it makes sense. As far as the missing statue goes, i'm not sure, actually - I had mistaken Gwyndolin being the first-born, but I think it could go either way. Interesting.
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[Joachim]

I've been wondering lately, given that I'm probably one of the last people going to finish Dark Souls out of the batch that bought it when it first came out: What is the general consensus on the post-Anor Londo game now? There was a lot of discontentment and groaning about them early on, and I'm wondering what the general consensus is now.
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[Joachim]

[Joachim]

About to beat the game with this dude.


other hand:


Claymore +15.
Quelaag's Furysword +5
Tower Knight Shield +9
Pyromancy Flame +3 (i got fucked here)

Smough's Helm
Black Knight Armor +5
Smough's Gauntlets
Gold-Hemmed Skirt

cool
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[Joachim]

[Joachim]

what if its being turned by other players in their own games, and its not unlike being able to hear other people ring the bell? i mean, i doubt it, but it could be neat.
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[Joachim]

I still think one of my favorite ghost related incidents in Dark Souls involved my previous character standing at the bonfire in Firelink shrine, decked out with Smough's helm and black knight armor, gold-hemmed skirt and some gauntlets of some kind. For a brief moment, standing next to me, I saw another character, decked out in Smough's armor; everything except for the helm. His face was bare, and for a moment, I felt a sense of solidarity and understanding. A feeling of both accomplishment and shared experience crept over me as I understood that our situations were probably not altogether that different. We just chose to accentuate different aspects of it.


On another note, I've never really understood the grief with the archers in Anor Londo. I've died twice on them, total, once on each character. Once I'm hacking at the only one you need to kill the other doesn't hit me anymore. I'm guessing the arrows are hitting something else, or that he doesn't "see" me anymore.
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[Joachim]

I think I stumbled upon a pvp arena in the undead burg today, with the host simply standing and watching, providing a forum, as invaders battled eachother. all of these people were quite clearly much more powerful than they ought to be: a man in straight black knight armor, with a backstab dealing only 26 damage which was a miniscule fraction of his health, and some women wielding what seemed to be Priscilla's scythe. I was level 12 when I invaded this world.
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[Joachim]

[Joachim]

Breaching Anor Londo at level 18 now. This low level run has been a lot of fun: invaded someone double my level and kicked there ass, and almost fended off a level 70 Darkmoon Blade, but I made a few mistakes and left myself open trying to heal. I've only summoned to make the fight against Havel at level 12 faster.

Equipment thus far:

Elite Knight Helm +7
Elite Knight Armor +8
Elite Knight Gauntlet +7
Elite Knight Leggings +7

Uchigatana +10
Crest Shield

I also have a few extra things that I grabbed in pvp that I only use for invaders: A fire darksword +10, bloodshield +15, dark hand and fire notched whip +10. Also Elite Knight Helm +10 and Elite Knight Leggings +10.
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[Joachim]

[Joachim]

I actually thought the invisible parts of the Crystal Cave were quite cool. It kind of epitomized the idea of progressing slowly and cautiously, existing as a refinement - if not perfection - of the "floors you can fall through" idea from Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. The Prism Stones were a more interesting replacement for the Holy Water, and the presence of the light snowfall made the use of it totally optional, so long as you were observant and careful.
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[Joachim]

http://whatifgaming.com/dark-souls-review-the-failure-of-game-design

lol
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[Joachim]

[Joachim]

[Joachim]

I should probably stay away from the forest. I haven't even taken PVP there seriously in a few days. I was having a blast last night unequipping all of my armor and just equipping the Catarina Helm while dual wielding Hollow Warrior shields, running around, catching the guys attention and then bolting off. When I would lose them, I would leave a trail of purple moss clumps leading down the path towards the long ladder that goes to the wooden bridge that would lead to the hydra. I would hide behind the wall jutting out and position the camera so that I could see them coming down. The second they would turn the corner, I would use Force and knock them into the river, immediately followed by me sending them a message saying "blast off!!!"

This worked about a fourth of the time. The other times they either had too much poise, never came down or got killed by other forest invaders.
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[Joachim]

[Joachim]

[Joachim]

[Joachim]

[Joachim]

I invaded some dude in the burg. He bowed. I bowed. While I was bowing he ran up and backstabbed me. 40 damage. I one hit killed him out of spite and sent him a message saying "yo, that shits rude. don't do that again."

he replied and apologized. joined a chat, helped him fight through the bell gargoyle, lower undead burg, depths and blight-town dropping a few items here and there.

playing with other people is interesting.
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[Joachim]

As far as I know, these are the only ways to get them:

Sold by: Reah of Thorolund for 1,000 (only 1).
Sold by: Patches the Hyena for 20,000 (only 1).
Trade: Ring of the Sun Princess with Snuggly for two Divine Blessing's.
Treasure: Chest in Ricard's tower in Sen's Fortress.
Treasure: Chest in Painting Guardian room, in Anor Londo. On walkway, opposite end of exit from rafters.
Treasure: Two are found in the lava area before Lost Izalith. Obscured by a big root behind sniper tower.
Reward: Kill one invader in the Forest Hunter covenant, to receive one Divine Blessing.

I've been wondering the same thing myself, given that a while back someone dropped 25 of them for me.
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[Joachim]

I usually only bow if they bow; otherwise I'll either just slowly walk in or wave. Moreso the former than the latter. It just seems like a polite way to communicate that we're aware of each-others existence and that we should get ready to fight now. I've never seen it as being necessarily attached to the concept of honor.
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[Joachim]

Is this with your pyromancy flame maxed out? Do you have anything that would boost the strength of Pyromancy on, like a crown of dusk?
My pyromancer easily does 600-800 damage with any one fireball or burst of combustion, which is a decent amount more than any weapon I've ever used (but then, I tend to gravitate towards more wield-y weapons rather than big power houses) in one go. Her main standard weapon is a maxed out estoc, which does reasonable damage but is really fast and has a great move set. (plus she's a dexterity build, which increases casting speed and scales with the estoc)
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[Joachim]

My dream is coming even closer to fruition. I want a full 3D map of this shit, though... I want to see Lordran. I'm not sure that will ever happen, though...
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[Joachim]

[Joachim]

[Joachim]

My level 18 darkwraith, Bartholomew. This is his default set-up;

Elite Knight Helm +10
Elite Knight Armor +10
Catarina Gauntlets +5
Elite Knight Leggings +10.
---
Lightning Uchigatana +5
Talisman
Bloodshield +15
Parry Dagger +9

alt set-up, mostly for pvp in lower level areas like Anor Londo or lower:



Giant's Helm +5
Ornstein's Armor
Elite Knight Gauntlets +8
Giant's Leggings +5
---
Lightning Uchigatana +5

Dark Hand
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[Joachim]

[Joachim]

Youpi, I am really happy that you used that song at the beginning.
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[Joachim]

I think I'm going to do a run where, right after I get to Lordran, I'm going to run up and kill Sif and then head to New Londo Ruins to kill the Four Kings.

Wish me luck.

[Joachim]

Or it might be related to the upcoming Dark Souls Design Works art book?
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[Joachim]