Dark Souls III

[Cry Havoc]

Anyone else playing this? It unlocked yesterday. The first boss alone is hard as fuck. :lol

[DJR210]

I'd rather watch Spurs vs Warriors on my DVR if I need to induce anger and frustration

[baseline bum]

lol nm

[in2deep]

hate that game. most frustrating thing I ever experienced

[baseline bum]

:lol consoles
:lol 30 fps
:tu that 60 fps on pc


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NE9nONBpdc0

[baseline bum]

Anyone else playing this? It unlocked yesterday. The first boss alone is hard as fuck. :lol

I assume the performance is stellar on the 290x?

[baseline bum]

I guess so, GTX 780 and better get a basically locked 60 fps in the gamegpu.ru benchmark:

http://gamegpu.com/images/stories/Test_GPU/MMO/DARK_SOULS_III/test/ds3_1920.jpg

[Borosai]

I finished Dark Souls I on the PS3, but I still haven't played II, so I need to catch up. Great series though.

[Death In June]

It has a ton of crashing issues, but if you set the lighting to low, it seems to solve them. Otherwise, it's pretty well optimized. I'm about 10 hours in, and it's a mix of each of their previous games. They took ideas/mechanics/scenery/characters from Demon Souls, Dark Souls I and II, and Bloodborne and mashed them together.

[Reck]

I used to love hard ass games like these but in my old age I have gotten incredibly impatient with them.

[Cry Havoc]

I assume the performance is stellar on the 290x?

Actually it's very CPU bound atm, I'm not able to get a solid 60fps.

[baseline bum]

Actually it's very CPU bound atm, I'm not able to get a solid 60fps.

What cpu do you have?

[apalisoc_9]

I used to love hard ass games like these but in my old age I have gotten incredibly impatient with them.

Its too time consuming. I f8nd the older I get the more i lean towards quick sports games or maybe fighting games. Heck, i think inhave time..u just woukd rather spend tha time watching basketball or watching youtube videos. Much more entertaining.

[redzero]

Even though I want another PS4 game, I couldn't justify buying DS3 on anything other than the PC.

[Cry Havoc]

What cpu do you have?

i5 2500k @ 3.3ghz. It's a good processor but it's 5 years old now.

I am getting right around 53-55 fps on average, with 60 steady at times and dipping down into the high 40s at times. Although I know other people with similar setups or even lesser rigs who claim to be locked at 60 as the chart shows.


Its too time consuming. I f8nd the older I get the more i lean towards quick sports games or maybe fighting games. Heck, i think inhave time..u just woukd rather spend tha time watching basketball or watching youtube videos. Much more entertaining.

The way I see it, I'd rather play one 9.5+ game than 5 or 10 7.5 games. Dark Souls III is incredible. And massively rewarding when you kill a boss.

[baseline bum]

i5 2500k @ 3.3ghz. It's a good processor but it's 5 years old now.

I am getting right around 53-55 fps on average, with 60 steady at times and dipping down into the high 40s at times. Although I know other people with similar setups or even lesser rigs who claim to be locked at 60 as the chart shows.


Why wouldn't you overclock a 2500k man? I mean that's about the most legendary gaming cpu ever released, I see tons of people getting those to 5.0 GHz on AIO coolers.

[baseline bum]

The way I see it, I'd rather play one 9.5+ game than 5 or 10 7.5 games. Dark Souls III is incredible. And massively rewarding when you kill a boss.

I have never played any of this series. Is it kind of like a much harder Witcher 3? I might check it when I finish the Dying Light expansion.

[NASpurs]

I have never played any of this series. Is it kind of like a much harder Witcher 3? I might check it when I finish the Dying Light expansion.

Definitely start with Dark Souls (well start with Demon Souls if you have a Ps3 and can find a copy). You'll either love or hate the series if you start with Dark Souls. Then work your way up to the other two and see how the games evolve over time.

A big part of these games is the lore and if you start with DS3, you'll miss a lot of the references to the other two DS games.

Technically though, you don't have to play either of the first two DS games to enjoy DS3 but as a big fan of these games, I recommend starting with Dark Souls (and I highly recommend starting with Demon Souls).

[baseline bum]

Definitely start with Dark Souls (well start with Demon Souls if you have a Ps3 and can find a copy). You'll either love or hate the series if you start with Dark Souls. Then work your way up to the other two and see how the games evolve over time.

A big part of these games is the lore and if you start with DS3, you'll miss a lot of the references to the other two DS games.

Technically though, you don't have to play either of the first two DS games to enjoy DS3 but as a big fan of these games, I recommend starting with Dark Souls (and I highly recommend starting with Demon Souls).

I don't have a PS3 so Demon Souls is out, but I do have a 360 buried in my closet for Dark Souls. There is no way I'm going to start with the old games though, I'll go back to them only if I really like this one, especially since Dark Souls II is supposed to be really buggy from what I have read. Is it an action RPG like The Witcher series though?

[DJR210]

:tu that 60 fps on pc

Peasants can't see more than 30 FPS anyway

[NASpurs]

I don't have a PS3 so Demon Souls is out, but I do have a 360 buried in my closet for Dark Souls. There is no way I'm going to start with the old games though, I'll go back to them only if I really like this one, especially since Dark Souls II is supposed to be really buggy from what I have read. Is it an action RPG like The Witcher series though?

Dark Souls is on Steam though so you don't need to dig out the 360. It's like $20 and I recommend playing that one first instead of paying the $60 for DS3. If you really like the first DS, then you'll really like the other two. But if you don't like the first DS, then you'll more than likely not like DS2 and DS3.

I haven't played any of the Witcher series but that game looks like an open game with missions/objectives scattered around, that you pick up while traversing around? Yeah DS isn't like that. It's a little more linear but with branches and really vague as fuck as to what you need to do in the beginning. Everything you need to do is told by the NPCs and the descriptions in the items that you pick up. There's no hand holding guiding you to your objectives in DS. There's a lot of dying but if you have the ability to pick up patterns and learn (while having patience) then these games are a blast and you actually feel like you achieve something when you beat the bosses and ultimately the game.

[313]

Peasants can't see more than 30 FPS anyway:lol

[Cry Havoc]

Why wouldn't you overclock a 2500k man? I mean that's about the most legendary gaming cpu ever released, I see tons of people getting those to 5.0 GHz on AIO coolers.

I did. I even OCed it with the standard mobo recommendation (it's an ASUS with an overclocking bios built right in) and the system did, not, like it. I had to pull the battery out of the mobo and completely reset it to get it working again.

[redzero]

The first boss was piss easy, by the way. Getting that titanite shard on top of that coffin was harder.

[Cry Havoc]

I have never played any of this series. Is it kind of like a much harder Witcher 3? I might check it when I finish the Dying Light expansion.

I don't think The Witcher is an accurate comparison. That's more of an RPG. This game is incredibly combat focused with just minimal story spritzed in for flavor.

I think the texture of the games are similar but they diverge pretty wildly from there.

Dark Souls' is allllll about the combat. And honestly it's second to none in that department. It's punishing and will make you hate life but if you approach it with the idea that you really suck at first and learn how to engage enemies, it's incredibly rewarding. Panicked button mashing will get you killed even against basic mobs that you meet everywhere -- that's one of the most beautiful things about it honestly. At first even basic creatures you face (there's a witch fairly early on that will ruin your life if you let her) are ridiculously challenging but by the time you get to the end of the game you have really mastered the art of combat. You can dart it, do damage, and understand how to manage distance, similar to how a real sword fighter would in an actual battle. DS punishes you for being sloppy and rewards you for being patient and timing your attacks well.

[Cry Havoc]

The first boss was piss easy, by the way. Getting that titanite shard on top of that coffin was harder.

The ice monster? Or the knight? The ice monster is a cakewalk.

[baseline bum]

I did. I even OCed it with the standard mobo recommendation (it's an ASUS with an overclocking bios built right in) and the system did, not, like it. I had to pull the battery out of the mobo and completely reset it to get it working again.

Do you have an H-series board, or P67 / Z68? Or did you go right for 4.5 GHz from the start without upping vcore? You can't get any kind of overclock on your 2500k?

[Cry Havoc]

Do you have an H-series board, or P67 / Z68? Or did you go right for 4.5 GHz from the start without upping vcore? You can't get any kind of overclock on your 2500k?

http://www.amazon.com/MSI-Computer-Corp-Motherboards-Z77A-G45/dp/B007QWI9TY?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

This is the board I have. It's built to OC, so I have no idea why it was an issue. Honestly I've had so much performance out of the system that I've never felt the need to OC

[baseline bum]

http://www.amazon.com/MSI-Computer-Corp-Motherboards-Z77A-G45/dp/B007QWI9TY?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

This is the board I have. It's built to OC, so I have no idea why it was an issue. Honestly I've had so much performance out of the system that I've never felt the need to OC

That's strange. Did you just try to tie in a huge overclock from the beginning or something? Or were you using the Asus software to do it instead of doing it in the BIOS? That board should easily allow a good overclock.

[Cry Havoc]

That's strange. Did you just try to tie in a huge overclock from the beginning or something? Or were you using the Asus software to do it instead of doing it in the BIOS? That board should easily allow a good overclock.

I just used the standard OCs set by the mobo in the bios menu. =\ Might take a look at it again in the future, though.

[baseline bum]

I just used the standard OCs set by the mobo in the bios menu. =\ Might take a look at it again in the future, though.

That ain't how to do it man. You gotta go into the BIOS, put it at stock, bump up a couple hundred MHz through the multiplier (don't touch the BCLK, that clock is used by your RAM and PCIE too). Then stress test with Prime95's Small FFT test for 20-30 minutes. If it passes go back in the BIOS and bump up another 100 MHz through the multiplier. If it doesn't go in the BIOS and bump up the vcore maybe .05V and stress test again, and just keep going until you hit a power wall where it takes a lot more voltage to get that next 100-200 MHz or when your vcore gets to 1.3V to 1.35V, depending how good your cooling is. I'd be surprised if you couldn't get a 30% overclock on that chip, the i5-2500k are fucking overclocking legends. No reason to be cpu bottlenecked with that kind of processor bro. Also make sure to monitor your temps in stress testing, you don't really want to be above 90C, and ideally below 80C at all times. If you can't even get into BIOS when you go too far in an OC just clear the CMOS.

But I wouldn't touch oc'ing an i5 if you're using the stock cooler.

[z0sa]

I just picked up dark souls 2. With so many great games i never buy games for 60 bucks anymore

[Cry Havoc]

That ain't how to do it man. You gotta go into the BIOS, put it at stock, bump up a couple hundred MHz through the multiplier (don't touch the BCLK, that clock is used by your RAM and PCIE too). Then stress test with Prime95's Small FFT test for 20-30 minutes. If it passes go back in the BIOS and bump up another 100 MHz through the multiplier. If it doesn't go in the BIOS and bump up the vcore maybe .05V and stress test again, and just keep going until you hit a power wall where it takes a lot more voltage to get that next 100-200 MHz or when your vcore gets to 1.3V to 1.35V, depending how good your cooling is. I'd be surprised if you couldn't get a 30% overclock on that chip, the i5-2500k are fucking overclocking legends. No reason to be cpu bottlenecked with that kind of processor bro. Also make sure to monitor your temps in stress testing, you don't really want to be above 90C, and ideally below 80C at all times. If you can't even get into BIOS when you go too far in an OC just clear the CMOS.

But I wouldn't touch oc'ing an i5 if you're using the stock cooler.

I've got a hyper 212 cooler which is a legend in it's own right, and my core clocks at ~idle are right around 33c, they never get over 60 during gaming IIRC.

I'll give it another look, but if I recall correctly the OC's that were set by the mobo were pretty conservative. I was surprised when it shut down the boot sequence, was planning to start at that default and then work my way up from there. =\

[Cry Havoc]

I just picked up dark souls 2. With so many great games i never buy games for 60 bucks anymore

Haha, I was fortunate enough to have a friend gift this one to me. :tu

[z0sa]

Haha, I was fortunate enough to have a friend gift this one to me. :tu

Ds2 feels easy compared to ds1 and ds, but naybe its causd im already a vet of this series. Hows ds3

[Cry Havoc]

Ds2 feels easy compared to ds1 and ds, but naybe its causd im already a vet of this series. Hows ds3

It's faster, and I feel like it's a little bit easier to access, maybe because the graphics seem sharper and clearer, idk. It's fantastic though.

[Death In June]

I have never played any of this series. Is it kind of like a much harder Witcher 3? I might check it when I finish the Dying Light expansion.It's only like the Witcher in that it's third person and you have a sword, otherwise it's a lot different. The Witcher has a more clear cut narrative with lots of dialogue while Dark Souls has a narrative that you have to piece together, from item descriptions, vague NPCs, and boss encounters. The game mechanics, items, and NPCs are all cryptic and you have to experiment to find out what does what. Usually, within the first few weeks, no one knows what the fuck is going on. So there's this communal aspect, where people are discovering things together. By now, the games been cracked open, so it's mostly clear cut, but that was kind of a big thing with the original. With the Witcher, you can kind of over level, get sloppy, and still decimate everything in your path. Here, no matter your level, if you get sloppy, you're going to die. There are different builds you can go, most players usually start messing around as a melee/knight/strength build, which I think is a bit easier. You still have to keep your shield up, manage your stamina, master dodging, be mindful or blind spots/traps, and choose when to take your shots. Like someone else said, it's all about the combat. I would add exploration and the lore to that, if you find yourself getting into it. IGN has a good video that explains the story of the first two games in about 5 minutes if you just want to catch up and jump into the third game. The premise of the third game, as far as I can tell, is that life is cyclical in nature. Eventually the world gets too fucked up to exist. The light is extinguished and everybody dies, bringing in an age of darkness. From that, life begins again and so on. At the outset of the game, four lords need to wake the lord of cinder to end the world, but they abandon their post, presumably because they don't want to die. You have to hunt them down, kill them, and bring them to their thrones, wake the lord of cinder, and end the world.

[baseline bum]

The game mechanics, items, and NPCs are all cryptic and you have to experiment to find out what does what. Usually, within the first few weeks, no one knows what the fuck is going on. So there's this communal aspect, where people are discovering things together. By now, the games been cracked open, so it's mostly clear cut, but that was kind of a big thing with the original.

Can you play it as a single player game?

[Death In June]

Can you play it as a single player game?Yeah, absolutely. Though, you'd be missing out on some of the unique aspects of the game. People leave messages for you on the ground that populate your world. Sometimes they'll warn you about an ambush ahead, sometimes they'll tell you where some loot is, other times, they'll tell you to jump off a clip...sometimes there's a ledge underneath, sometimes they'll troll you into killing yourself and losing your experience points (souls), which you have one chance to recover by getting to the spot you died before they're gone for good. The other part you'd lose, is that you couldn't invade another players world and kill them. In turn you can't be invaded. There are some covenants you can ally yourself with. It's the game's PVP system. It lets you either protect people that are being invaded, join them for co-op against bosses/levels, or invade them to kill them and slow their progress.

[Joseph Kony]

thought about getting this and then I remembered how tiresome and boring bloodborne got after awhile and decided against it

[DJR210]

baseline bum

Is DSIII pirate friendly? Thinking bout getting it

[ElNono]

baseline bum

Is DSIII pirate friendly? Thinking bout getting it

http://www.scnsrc.me/dark-souls-iii-codex/

[DJR210]

http://www.scnsrc.me/dark-souls-iii-codex/

Thanks breh.. no dumbass Denuvo?

[baseline bum]

baseline bum

Is DSIII pirate friendly? Thinking bout getting it

:lol

719795421581832192

[DJR210]

:lol

719795421581832192

I went with whatever version is on KAT.. 37% done

[baseline bum]

I went with whatever version is on KAT.. 37% done

Have fun getting cryptolocker someday.

[DJR210]

Game is ok so far.. Great level design tbh, some of the best I've ever seen. I was stuck on the first monster (spiky ice lizard thing) for about an hour so I can imagine how bad it's gonna be

[Cry Havoc]

Game is ok so far.. Great level design tbh, some of the best I've ever seen. I was stuck on the first monster (spiky ice lizard thing) for about an hour so I can imagine how bad it's gonna be

Bad news dude, he's a regular mob later in the game and is the easiest boss by a wide margin. :lol

[DJR210]

Bad news dude, he's a regular mob later in the game and is the easiest boss by a wide margin. :lol

Yeah, I expect it. I'm at High Leorics Wall or whatever it's called now. Right after you pass that Dragon perched on top of the tower.. It makes you go so far without a campfire, shit gets annoying so I don't progress

[baseline bum]

Yeah, I expect it. I'm at High Leorics Wall or whatever it's called now. Right after you pass that Dragon perched on top of the tower.. It makes you go so far without a campfire, shit gets annoying so I don't progress

Damn that's not sounding like a game I'd be into if so, maybe I'll give this shit a pass. Or is it actually worth the frustration?

[Cry Havoc]

Yeah, I expect it. I'm at High Leorics Wall or whatever it's called now. Right after you pass that Dragon perched on top of the tower.. It makes you go so far without a campfire, shit gets annoying so I don't progress

Eh, most of the time I think the campfires are well-spaced. Make sure you're burning your shards to give yourself more Estus Flasks, those are key. Also you can allocate your faith pots to regular health pots at the blacksmith if you aren't a magic character.


Damn that's not sounding like a game I'd be into if so, maybe I'll give this shit a pass. Or is it actually worth the frustration?

I am pretty new to the series and it's definitely a struggle but it's about managing your health. You can't afford to take damage vs. every foe you face, so you have to learn the ins and outs of each opponent. Most aren't that difficult.

As an example, there's a mob that looks like a butcher, he has a giant hacksaw. The first time I fought him I had to use 4 estus flasks (health pots) just to kill him. Now I can take him out without taking any damage.

It's definitely frustrating, but not unfair, and the reward for learning how to easily take apart a mob that used to own you is really awesome. As opposed to many games that favor button mashing and just overwhelming your opponent, DS3 teaches you how to gauge distance, when to block, when to tumble the hell out of the way, and when to react very quickly when your opponent starts to wind up. You're going to die, a lot, but by the time you get to around level 40, you're rolling around and blocking a ton of attacks with your shield and immediately responding to the threat. It feels very weighty, like an actual swordfight should. Get lazy or sloppy and a lot of enemies can rip you to shreds. And it changes based on what weapon you have. If I know I'm going up against short ranged fast enemies, I switch over to my greatsword, because I can hit them with a lot more range and keep several of them at bay with one swing. Completely shifts my strategy vs using an axe, which can typically only hit one enemy at a time.

Worst case, if you're really struggling with an area, you can just summon a friendly spirit to help you. What feels impossible by yourself becomes very manageable with 2 or 3 people in your game who can take some hits for you and stab the dude in the back when he goes to finish you off.

[baseline bum]

Eh, most of the time I think the campfires are well-spaced. Make sure you're burning your shards to give yourself more Estus Flasks, those are key. Also you can allocate your faith pots to regular health pots at the blacksmith if you aren't a magic character.



I am pretty new to the series and it's definitely a struggle but it's about managing your health. You can't afford to take damage vs. every foe you face, so you have to learn the ins and outs of each opponent. Most aren't that difficult.

As an example, there's a mob that looks like a butcher, he has a giant hacksaw. The first time I fought him I had to use 4 estus flasks (health pots) just to kill him. Now I can take him out without taking any damage.

It's definitely frustrating, but not unfair, and the reward for learning how to easily take apart a mob that used to own you is really awesome. As opposed to many games that favor button mashing and just overwhelming your opponent, DS3 teaches you how to gauge distance, when to block, when to tumble the hell out of the way, and when to react very quickly when your opponent starts to wind up. You're going to die, a lot, but by the time you get to around level 40, you're rolling around and blocking a ton of attacks with your shield and immediately responding to the threat. It feels very weighty, like an actual swordfight should. Get lazy or sloppy and a lot of enemies can rip you to shreds. And it changes based on what weapon you have. If I know I'm going up against short ranged fast enemies, I switch over to my greatsword, because I can hit them with a lot more range and keep several of them at bay with one swing. Completely shifts my strategy vs using an axe, which can typically only hit one enemy at a time.

Worst case, if you're really struggling with an area, you can just summon a friendly spirit to help you. What feels impossible by yourself becomes very manageable with 2 or 3 people in your game who can take some hits for you and stab the dude in the back when he goes to finish you off.

OK thanks. Would you say DS III is as much fun as Dying Light? That's still the gold standard to me, holy fuck the ending is great in the The Following DLC.

[DJR210]

Damn that's not sounding like a game I'd be into if so, maybe I'll give this shit a pass. Or is it actually worth the frustration?

The sprawling multi leveled stage design and variety in the enemies has me continuing to play.. I havent even really touched the loot system or upgrading my character yet

[DJR210]

OK thanks. Would you say DS III is as much fun as Dying Light? That's still the gold standard to me, holy fuck the ending is great in the The Following DLC.

Nah, Dying Light FTW, but DS3 is worth getting, especially considering you're getting it at a 100% discount

[baseline bum]

Nah, Dying Light FTW, but DS3 is worth getting, especially considering you're getting it at a 100% discount

No thanks to Bird Sister's dumb ass tbh

[Cry Havoc]

OK thanks. Would you say DS III is as much fun as Dying Light? That's still the gold standard to me, holy fuck the ending is great in the The Following DLC.

It's not as accessible, but beating a boss in ds3 feels fucking amazing. Like you actually accomplished something that was very hard.

[DJR210]

Game is ok so far.. Great level design tbh, some of the best I've ever seen. I was stuck on the first monster (spiky ice lizard thing) for about an hour so I can imagine how bad it's gonna be

:lmao I haven't progressed any from where I was at the time of this post, and I've played it every day since

At least I finally earned how to lock on, run, jump, and change equipment though

[Cry Havoc]

:lmao I haven't progressed any from where I was at the time of this post, and I've played it every day since

At least I finally earned how to lock on, run, jump, and change equipment though

Make sure you're leveling up with souls.

If you're having trouble try upgrading your weapons. Whenever you get titanite shards you should use them, I have 55 stored now because I didn't use them when I first got them. Once your weapon gets to level 4ish, you'll need a different type of titanite to upgrade it.

If you're really struggling you can call another person to help you by summoning them. Makes a big difference.

Are you on PC? If you are I can create a new character and join your game through a password.

[DJR210]

Make sure you're leveling up with souls.

If you're having trouble try upgrading your weapons. Whenever you get titanite shards you should use them, I have 55 stored now because I didn't use them when I first got them. Once your weapon gets to level 4ish, you'll need a different type of titanite to upgrade it.

If you're really struggling you can call another person to help you by summoning them. Makes a big difference.

Are you on PC? If you are I can create a new character and join your game through a password.

Yeah, see.. that's the shit I need to learn still.. I have those shards, but honestly didn't know what the hell they're used for.. I have enough souls to level, but didn't realize I need to teleport back to that slut to level up.. So that helps.. I've gotten better at rolling strategically for the back stabs, and that has helped too.. I honestly just figured out how to lock on, so I don't know how many firebombs I wasted trying to hit things without the damn lock.

As for helping, I'm on the special poverty edition, there will be joining my game unless it works with Tunngle or whatever

[baseline bum]

As for helping, I'm on the special poverty edition, there will be joining my game unless it works with Tunngle or whatever

:lmao

[Cry Havoc]

Yeah, see.. that's the shit I need to learn still.. I have those shards, but honestly didn't know what the hell they're used for.. I have enough souls to level, but didn't realize I need to teleport back to that slut to level up.. So that helps.. I've gotten better at rolling strategically for the back stabs, and that has helped too.. I honestly just figured out how to lock on, so I don't know how many firebombs I wasted trying to hit things without the damn lock.

As for helping, I'm on the special poverty edition, there will be joining my game unless it works with Tunngle or whatever

So just to clarify a few things:

Souls - The wench will level you up with these, they're always counted on your screen for you. Try to bump the stats you need early on, but it's good to always boost Vigor alongside strength or dex (or int/faith if you're a mage), as that gives you more life. Endurance is really good too as it gives you more blocking or striking capacity in combat.

Titanite - Go to the blacksmith and have him reinforce your weapons. These will give added damage, from base to begin with and as you level it up it will cause other stats to rise and become a factor. There are different levels of titanite, in order of rarity:

Shard: Reinforces a weapon (not won't help a shield much) to +3. Use these, they are everywhere.
Large titanite shard: Reinforces a weapon to +6. Extremely rare early game, somewhat common mid-late game.
Twinkling Titanite: Reinforces a specialized weapon. Fairly rare throughout the game. This is usually for rare weapons.
Titanite Scale: Same as Twinkling except slightly less common.
Titanite Chunk: Reinforces a weapon to +9. Late game item only, as I have only found one of these so far.
Titanite Slab: Max reinforcement of a weapon.

Estus shards - Again go to the blacksmith, choose reinforce estus and you will have more pots to use.

Undead bone shards - Burn these AT your bonfire, they will give your estus flasks more health recovery.

A word on stamina: If you can find a shield that blocks 100% of physical damage, it's really strong for early game because as long as you have stamina, you can block attacks without dropping your guard. This gives you more time to learn attack patterns of enemies. Get used to them winding up, and immediately attack them. If you're really having trouble with one, you might be able to run past it. But stamina is really the key. Rolling away is good to establish distance and force them to use a big move to close on you, then when you block it you should either have a window to attack or you can just wait for them to attack x3 or x4 and exhaust themselves, and then you should have a window again to do some damage.

A shield with full physical protection will say *100* next to the physical stat on the defense screen when you equip it.

Are there any particular enemies you're having trouble with?

[DJR210]

So just to clarify a few things:

Souls - The wench will level you up with these, they're always counted on your screen for you. Try to bump the stats you need early on, but it's good to always boost Vigor alongside strength or dex (or int/faith if you're a mage), as that gives you more life. Endurance is really good too as it gives you more blocking or striking capacity in combat.

Titanite - Go to the blacksmith and have him reinforce your weapons. These will give added damage, from base to begin with and as you level it up it will cause other stats to rise and become a factor. There are different levels of titanite, in order of rarity:

Shard: Reinforces a weapon (not won't help a shield much) to +3. Use these, they are everywhere.
Large titanite shard: Reinforces a weapon to +6. Extremely rare early game, somewhat common mid-late game.
Twinkling Titanite: Reinforces a specialized weapon. Fairly rare throughout the game. This is usually for rare weapons.
Titanite Scale: Same as Twinkling except slightly less common.
Titanite Chunk: Reinforces a weapon to +9. Late game item only, as I have only found one of these so far.
Titanite Slab: Max reinforcement of a weapon.

Estus shards - Again go to the blacksmith, choose reinforce estus and you will have more pots to use.

Undead bone shards - Burn these AT your bonfire, they will give your estus flasks more health recovery.

A word on stamina: If you can find a shield that blocks 100% of physical damage, it's really strong for early game because as long as you have stamina, you can block attacks without dropping your guard. This gives you more time to learn attack patterns of enemies. Get used to them winding up, and immediately attack them. If you're really having trouble with one, you might be able to run past it. But stamina is really the key. Rolling away is good to establish distance and force them to use a big move to close on you, then when you block it you should either have a window to attack or you can just wait for them to attack x3 or x4 and exhaust themselves, and then you should have a window again to do some damage.

A shield with full physical protection will say *100* next to the physical stat on the defense screen when you equip it.

Are there any particular enemies you're having trouble with?

This helps a lot, thanks :tu


Are there any particular enemies you're having trouble with?

Yeah, all the ones with weapons.

[Cry Havoc]

This helps a lot, thanks :tu



Yeah, all the ones with weapons.

What class are you? Usually it's a good idea to do a lot of blocking until you get familiar with movement patterns, but if you're a mage that might not be the best bet.

[DJR210]

What class are you? Usually it's a good idea to do a lot of blocking until you get familiar with movement patterns, but if you're a mage that might not be the best bet.

I was playing as a Knight at first, but just made a Pyromancer today that I'm gonna run with.. I've seen that fireball skill doing work on enemies, I think that will help me a lot until I can master the parrying

[Cry Havoc]

I was playing as a Knight at first, but just made a Pyromancer today that I'm gonna run with.. I've seen that fireball skill doing work on enemies, I think that will help me a lot until I can master the parrying

Yep, Pyro is easier to start with, that's for sure. Find a weapon that suits you and use the crap out of it. Once you get a good shield the game becomes a bit more of a chessmatch.

[Cry Havoc]

Damn, this game gets intense later on. :wow Highly recommended, definitely #1 candidate for GOTY from me so far by a wide margin.

[DJR210]

Yeah, this game is sick. Never played a Souls game until this one..

I used your tips and figured out the upgrade mechanics in the shrine.. I killed that faggot treasure chest with legs and teeth and he dropped a sick Axe.. Was able to beat that part on Lothric's Wall and beat the stage boss.. The next level is fucking twisted with all the tied up bodies hanging and shit.

Love the dark imagery and the vast vantage points in this game. Good shit :tu

[baseline bum]

Yeah, this game is sick. Never played a Souls game until this one..

I used your tips and figured out the upgrade mechanics in the shrine.. I killed that faggot treasure chest with legs and teeth and he dropped a sick Axe.. Was able to beat that part on Lothric's Wall and beat the stage boss.. The next level is fucking twisted with all the tied up bodies hanging and shit.

Love the dark imagery and the vast vantage points in this game. Good shit :tu

Alright, I'm going to have to check this shit out once I finish AssCreed II (which is fucking amazing so far). Better with mouse and keyboard or XBox 360 controller?

[DJR210]

Alright, I'm going to have to check this shit out once I finish AssCreed II (which is fucking amazing so far). Better with mouse and keyboard or XBox 360 controller?

Controller is the only way to play this shit IMO

[Cry Havoc]

Alright, I'm going to have to check this shit out once I finish AssCreed II (which is fucking amazing so far). Better with mouse and keyboard or XBox 360 controller?

Either, really. You're going to have a trade off.

Controller is going to give you more defensive options since you can use your thumbs more effectively, however it's going to skillcap you since aiming the camera can be a chore. I play with a Ps3 controller as it's comfortable for me to do so.

KB&M is probably less intuitive and harder at first but gives you a better range of attacks since you don't need to use locking mechanics as much to fight creatures. Particularly good against boss battles and aiming your bow.

Overall KB&M is probably better but I find the controller a bit more enjoyable for once.

[Cry Havoc]

Yeah, this game is sick. Never played a Souls game until this one..

I used your tips and figured out the upgrade mechanics in the shrine.. I killed that faggot treasure chest with legs and teeth and he dropped a sick Axe.. Was able to beat that part on Lothric's Wall and beat the stage boss.. The next level is fucking twisted with all the tied up bodies hanging and shit.

Love the dark imagery and the vast vantage points in this game. Good shit :tu

Always attack treasure chests before opening them. The number of mimics in this game are ridiculous and they're hard to beat if you don't know their movements.

One thing new players do (myself included) is that we try to roll too early. You really have to wait until the attack is on it's way before rolling. You get several frames of invincibility when you roll, but if you roll early you're going to lose the stamina AND get hit, and it's going to get you killed a lot.

Let me know if any other areas give you trouble. I should warn you it gets harder from here. :lol

[DJR210]

You really have to wait until the attack is on it's way before rolling. You get several frames of invincibility when you roll, but if you roll early you're going to lose the stamina AND get hit, and it's going to get you killed a lot.:lol

Yeah those hesitation swings are a bitch to deal with.. I'm good tbh, now that I understand the upgrade system and the lock-on shit it's just a matter of learning enemy patterns. I'll beat the game at some point.

[Cry Havoc]

Yeah those hesitation swings are a bitch to deal with.. I'm good tbh, now that I understand the upgrade system and the lock-on shit it's just a matter of learning enemy patterns. I'll beat the game at some point.

:lol Just keep in mind that the game likes to flip the script on you a lot. The bosses tend to all have completely different strategies. Most of them are incredibly hard solo.

[DJR210]

:lol Just keep in mind that the game likes to flip the script on you a lot. The bosses tend to all have completely different strategies. Most of them are incredibly hard solo.

I'm on that fucking tree now

[Cry Havoc]

I'm on that fucking tree now

Beat him yet? There are some pretty straightforward strats to taking him down.

[DJR210]

Beat him yet? There are some pretty straightforward strats to taking him down.

Nah, that pussy ass tree keeps finding ways to kill me at the last second..

Im just gonna farm souls for a while and upgrade my HP

[Cry Havoc]

Nah, that pussy ass tree keeps finding ways to kill me at the last second..

Im just gonna farm souls for a while and upgrade my HP

Alright let me know if you want any tips.

[baseline bum]

LOL I died three minutes into this shit :lmao

[baseline bum]

This game is pretty impressive graphically and the combat is awesome, but damn I'm so unused to using the bumper buttons for attacks in games. Seems like it will take a while to get used to the controls.

[baseline bum]

Anyone getting stutters on the autosave? It happens maybe 10% of the time when the game autosaves (eg, when I see that fire icon in the top right). For instance, if I go to one of those red hint areas and read, it autosaves. And every tenth time or so when I do it I'll get a brief drop to 40 fps even though it runs a straight 60 fps with all settings maxed out any other time, whether I'm in battle or looking out at a wide open vista. I got the shit installed to an SSD too.

[DJR210]

Anyone getting stutters on the autosave? It happens maybe 10% of the time when the game autosaves (eg, when I see that fire icon in the top right). For instance, if I go to one of those red hint areas and read, it autosaves. And every tenth time or so when I do it I'll get a brief drop to 40 fps even though it runs a straight 60 fps with all settings maxed out any other time, whether I'm in battle or looking out at a wide open vista. I got the shit installed to an SSD too.

I get massive slowdown after a death, but it goes back up to 60 FPS withing 10-15 seconds


This game is pretty impressive graphically and the combat is awesome, but damn I'm so unused to using the bumper buttons for attacks in games. Seems like it will take a while to get used to the controls.

Yeah, the first level with the huge fucking castle was awesome.. They nailed the sprawling stage aspect for sure.. Makes me wanna pick up Witcher 2 again

[redzero]

Thank you From for giving the PC version framerate drops with the new update. I was getting tired of consistently smooth fps.

[DJR210]

Beat him yet? There are some pretty straightforward strats to taking him down.

That faggot is dead

[baseline bum]

Damn right when I start this game I'm going to have to stop it, since Fallout 4 Far Harbor comes out Thursday and I don't want to get 10 hours into a game and then stop playing it for a month while I'm on Fallout.

[DJR210]

Damn right when I start this game I'm going to have to stop it, since Fallout 4 Far Harbor comes out Thursday and I don't want to get 10 hours into a game and then stop playing it for a month while I'm on Fallout.

Play them both homes

[baseline bum]

Play them both homes

Nah man, I'm monogamous when it comes to gaming.

[Joseph Kony]

So I know I said I wasn't going to buy this game because it was too similar to bloodborne but fuck I rented it last week and now I purchased it :depressed time for untold amounts of frustration :lol

[DJR210]

So I know I said I wasn't going to buy this game because it was too similar to bloodborne but fuck I rented it last week and now I purchased it :depressed time for untold amounts of frustration :lol

Yup.. this game pisses me off, but it doesn't feel cheap so I keep coming back for more punishment

[Cry Havoc]

I've reached the final boss. Here we go.

[apalisoc_9]

Never played any of the souls series? Should I buy bloodborne first or just go with dark souls?

Watching videos, doesnt look lile my kind of game though.

I wish there was more games like dragon age..only non sport game Ive spent over 50 hours on.

[Cry Havoc]

Never played any of the souls series? Should I buy bloodborne first or just go with dark souls?

Watching videos, doesnt look lile my kind of game though.

I wish there was more games like dragon age..only non sport game Ive spent over 50 hours on.

It's a combat based fighting game. If you don't like that, you won't like this. It's very hardcore and extremely difficult.


Just put away the final boss solo. The ending music is glorious.

[Leetonidas]

Never played any of the souls series? Should I buy bloodborne first or just go with dark souls?

Watching videos, doesnt look lile my kind of game though.

I wish there was more games like dragon age..only non sport game Ive spent over 50 hours on.

just do what I do and check it out on Redbox...its worth the 3.25 to see if its worth your time

[apalisoc_9]

No more red box in Canada.

Ill probably just buy bloodborne for 25 bucks and seebif I like it or not. If not, Ill resell the damn game.

[Leetonidas]

damn that sucks. but yeah not a bad idea especially for 25 bucks. DS3 and blood borne are very similar so if you like one you'll probably like the other

[redzero]

I would recommend Demon's or Dark Souls first. The funny part of Dark Souls is that I had a good 150 hours between two characters invested, yet I never actually bothered beating the game.

[baseline bum]

thought about getting this and then I remembered how tiresome and boring bloodborne got after awhile and decided against it

You shut your whore mouth

[baseline bum]

I would recommend Demon's or Dark Souls first. The funny part of Dark Souls is that I had a good 150 hours between two characters invested, yet I never actually bothered beating the game.

Hey red, you think Demon's Souls is the best in the series? I'm loving Bloodborne so much I'm thinking of buying a PS3 just for Demon's Souls and Shadow of the Colossus remaster.

[redzero]

Hey red, you think Demon's Souls is the best in the series? I'm loving Bloodborne so much I'm thinking of buying a PS3 just for Demon's Souls and Shadow of the Colossus remaster.

BB > DS > DS3 > DeS > DS2

Demon's Souls might not have an online community anymore. They're all good, but if you want the faster paced combat, Dark Souls 3 is the closest to Bloodborne.

[baseline bum]

BB > DS > DS3 > DeS > DS2

Demon's Souls might not have an online community anymore. They're all good, but if you want the faster paced combat, Dark Souls 3 is the closest to Bloodborne.

Do I miss much if I play Dark Souls 1 before Demon's Souls? Are they relatively independent games or is DS1 a continuation of DeS?

[redzero]

Besides similar gameplay, neither game has anything to do with each other. The Dark Souls games barely have stories, so you can't really spoil yourself.

[Joseph Kony]

You shut your whore mouth

:lol sad part is i just bought both of these recently

[baseline bum]

Besides similar gameplay, neither game has anything to do with each other. The Dark Souls games barely have stories, so you can't really spoil yourself.

Cool, thanks.

[baseline bum]

:lol sad part is i just bought both of these recently

LOL man I have gotten so into Bloodborne. I fucking hated the first two hours and was ready to head off to GameStop to sell that shit back, but after those first two hours it has been amazing. That's hardcore that you can't level up until fighting Cleric Beast. I gotta say though, what an epic opening level.

[apalisoc_9]

Amazing how Bloodborne has almost zero story...certainly not at the level of todays gaming, and it still one of the top 3 games in the last 3 years, imo.

That's almost impossible in todays gaming community.

[DJR210]

:lol @ selling your games back to Gamestop.. Tf is the matter w/ you

[baseline bum]

:lol @ selling your games back to Gamestop.. Tf is the matter w/ you

The beginning of Bloodborne is fucking hard man. Way harder than the beginning of Dark Souls 3. Before you find the Cleric Beast you can basically die with one wrong move agaist a lot of the enemies. :lol

Besides, I sold them all my XBox 360 games that had PC versions to pirate tbh.

[DJR210]

The beginning of Bloodborne is fucking hard man. Way harder than the beginning of Dark Souls 3. Before you find the Cleric Beast you can basically die with one wrong move agaist a lot of the enemies. :lol

Besides, I sold them all my XBox 360 games that had PC versions to pirate tbh.

Should just pile up the games you don't want and set them ablaze IMO.. Better than the 5 bucks they give on new releaes

[baseline bum]

BB > DS > DS3 > DeS > DS2

Demon's Souls might not have an online community anymore. They're all good, but if you want the faster paced combat, Dark Souls 3 is the closest to Bloodborne.

LOL I found a PS3 that's actually in pretty nice shape for $40 at Gamestop so figured what the hell, and grabbed a copy of Demon's Souls too. I figure I'll check that after finishing Bloodborne (which I don't imagine I'll do for a while, that game is crack). DJR210 has to be rolling in his grave knowing I have a PS4/PS3/360/Wii. Though I haven't played the Wii since 2009. :lol

[Cry Havoc]

Do I miss much if I play Dark Souls 1 before Demon's Souls? Are they relatively independent games or is DS1 a continuation of DeS?

I wouldn't say there are spoilers, you just get more backstory. It's like watching Lord of the Rings vs The Hobbit. The Hobbit gives you some extra detail because it's the same world, but not necessary.

And I would actually say the story is extremely well done. They don't try to paint a huge narrative, but what's there is substantive and immersive. You actually feel like you're a tiny person in a huge world that can crush you at a moment's notice and nothing you do matters until near the very end.

[baseline bum]

Definitely start with Dark Souls (well start with Demon Souls if you have a Ps3 and can find a copy). You'll either love or hate the series if you start with Dark Souls. Then work your way up to the other two and see how the games evolve over time.

A big part of these games is the lore and if you start with DS3, you'll miss a lot of the references to the other two DS games.

Technically though, you don't have to play either of the first two DS games to enjoy DS3 but as a big fan of these games, I recommend starting with Dark Souls (and I highly recommend starting with Demon Souls).

LOL I'm enjoying Bloodborne so much I went out and bought a PS3 just so I could play Demon's Souls next. But as you're a huge Souls fan, the The Old Hunters DLC for Bloodborne is a must after finishing the campaign, right?

redzero, thoughts on The Old Hunters DLC?

[apalisoc_9]

How can anyone go through the same genre in like two months :lol

You need to swtich it up..Play some Horizon zero dawn.

[Reck]

Nioh just came out. Looks like another Bloodborne type game.

[baseline bum]

How can anyone go through the same genre in like two months :lol

You need to swtich it up..Play some Horizon zero dawn.

How am I going to play that shit? It's a month from releasing.

Besides, I played Fallout 1, Fallout 2, Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas, and Fallout 4 back to back to back to back to back. :lol

Took me months though.

[redzero]

LOL I'm enjoying Bloodborne so much I went out and bought a PS3 just so I could play Demon's Souls next. But as you're a huge Souls fan, the The Old Hunters DLC for Bloodborne is a must after finishing the campaign, right?

redzero (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=16145), thoughts on The Old Hunters DLC?

The Old Hunters is an awesome DLC. Have fun with the bosses.

[baseline bum]

The Old Hunters is an awesome DLC. Have fun with the bosses.

I'm definitely going to buy it in a few minutes and start it today, as I think I'm pretty close to beating the game and don't want my first experience with the DLC to be in a NG+. :lol

[baseline bum]

The Old Hunters is an awesome DLC. Have fun with the bosses.

Damn man that was a pretty epic DLC. The first boss (forgot his name) and Ludwig weren't too bad. Maria was hard as fuck. The boss right before her was one of the easiest in the game. Then Orhpan of Kos fucked me up a lot until I figured out when it was easy to stun him with the pistol and go in for the visceral in the first half of the fight, and then just dodge and go in for backstabs into viscerals in the second half. I liked the bump in difficulty having to fight a lot of hunters too.

I wonder how long we're going to have to wait for a sequel.

[redzero]

Nioh is fun so far. I beat the first boss, thought, "that was way too easy," then he gets back up and destroys me :lol.

[baseline bum]

Nioh is fun so far. I beat the first boss, thought, "that was way too easy," then he gets back up and destroys me :lol.

Anywhere close to as good as Bloodborne? I want to play this game, but then again I have four Souls games I want to play that I'm more excited about, so I might just snipe this game when I find it cheap somewhere since I don't expect I would play it for at least 2-3 months.

[redzero]

I haven't played the game enough to make that judgment. I don't know why I bought it right now, since I am not even close to finishing FFXV, and I don't like playing two games at once.

It's better than FFXV, I guess...

[redzero]

God, it's going to take me a long time to get used to the controls and mechanics of Nioh. I keep trying to play it like it's Dark Souls. I died over ten times easily to the second boss because I can't get used to the combat.

On a side note, after hundreds of hours of Overwatch on PC, trying to aim a ranged weapon with a controller is a fucking nightmare.

[IronMexican]

Why do I even want to buy Nioh when I'm working 12 hour shifts and only getting one day off every 14 days. Once this is over, I'll get it though.

[baseline bum]

BB > DS > DS3 > DeS > DS2

Demon's Souls might not have an online community anymore. They're all good, but if you want the faster paced combat, Dark Souls 3 is the closest to Bloodborne.

red man, did you play Dark Souls 1 on PC? If so, how did you set things up with dsfix to get 60 fps? I can't get rid of this annoying screen tearing when I use dsfix-2.4 to run the game at 60 fps.

EDIT: Nevermind, I see forcing VSync in the Nvidia Control Panel fixes that. Man this game is a mess on PC. By default it runs 30 fps and the internal resolution the game is rendered at is 1024x768 :lol

It looks like a good PS2 game by default. Thankfully dsfix allows you to render at 1080p and run the game at 60 fps.

[redzero]

Never played it on PC. If I ever want to replay the game, I'll get the PC version. My PS3 disc is missing.

[baseline bum]

BB > DS > DS3 > DeS > DS2

Demon's Souls might not have an online community anymore. They're all good, but if you want the faster paced combat, Dark Souls 3 is the closest to Bloodborne.

Is Demon's Souls just a lot easier than Bloodborne, or do you think it only seems that way once you have gotten used to the series? (BB was the first one I played seriously) I killed the red dragon, some bloblike thing with a bunch of tiny blobs that throw spears, this fat demon with an axe who tries to sit on you, a fire breathing spider, and this giant knight with a huge shield and they were all less difficult than Cleric Beast.

[redzero]

So, I got bored with Nioh and went back to Dark Souls 3, because I didn't finish the first DLC. I died a few times to the demon dual bosses, gave up and called it a night. I looked it up, and apparently I beat the first DLC without even realizing it, and I went straight to the new one. That's pretty cool how From connected both DLC's. I haven't seen that in a game before.

[baseline bum]

So, I got bored with Nioh and went back to Dark Souls 3, because I didn't finish the first DLC. I died a few times to the demon dual bosses, gave up and called it a night. I looked it up, and apparently I beat the first DLC without even realizing it, and I went straight to the new one. That's pretty cool how From connected both DLC's. I haven't seen that in a game before.

That's disappointing to hear about Nioh. Currently playing the first Dark Souls, and is it me or is it a lot harder to parry and a lot easier to backstab in DS1 vs Bloodborne?

[redzero]

Nioh might have a deeper combat system, but it lacks variety in enemies or locations. It's an entertaining game, but I would rather play Dark Souls 3 every time.

Oh, and while the combat is more "complicated," half of the extra moves one can learn are useless. The game wants to be more like Ninja Gaiden or Bayonetta, but if one blocks, dodges, and attacks when they are supposed to, there is no reason to even bother memorizing special moves.

[140]

That's disappointing to hear about Nioh. Currently playing the first Dark Souls, and is it me or is it a lot harder to parry and a lot easier to backstab in DS1 vs Bloodborne?
Bend over, I'll show you some easy backstabbing

[baseline bum]

^ :lol

[IronMexican]

Thinking about trading HZD in for this. I loved DS, really enjoyed DS2 and couldn't get into BB.

[IronMexican]

Bought DS3.

Ran out of the new copies with the DLC. Oh well

[IronMexican]

So far it feels a lot more BBish, as far as the pace of combat. Digging it

[IronMexican]

That Catacombs boss might be the easiest boss(and you can add mini bosses to this as well) that I've played in any of the three Dark Souls games.

[baseline bum]

That Catacombs boss might be the easiest boss(and you can add mini bosses to this as well) that I've played in any of the three Dark Souls games.

LOL I fought Pinwheel with a +15 uchigatana. I think I killed him in like 3 strikes. :lol

[IronMexican]

You gonna get into DSII next, bb?

[baseline bum]

You gonna get into DSII next, bb?

Not sure if I'll play Scholar of the First Sin or DS III first, but I have Nioh coming in the mail tomorrow so I'll be playing that next.