Dark Souls Impressions - The FINAL Update

Big Boss | Mythic Card Master
 
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Jacob Potila was actually a Jacob Flotilla of lies.- WarTurkey
I'm looking forward to Sen's


Batch | Mythic Inconceivable!
 
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I'm looking forward to Sen's
You mean when he quits the game?


 
Verbatim
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I'm looking forward to Sen's
You mean when he quits the game?
Spoiler
it's actually not so bad so far


Batch | Mythic Inconceivable!
 
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I'm looking forward to Sen's
You mean when he quits the game?
Spoiler
it's actually not so bad so far
Oooooooo excited

Just remember as a word of advice, dont lock on to anything when you cross the small bridges, the camera will fuck you up.

Oh and another hint which may be a spoiler if you want it.


 
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this game should tell you if you had lost souls during a prior session, and the exact amount that's on the line

sometimes i don't remember, and then i realize--i just lost 10K for no reason

i mean, i'm at a point where 10K souls is chump change, but idc
Last Edit: June 15, 2016, 10:09:42 PM by Verbatim


 
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I think Sen's Fortress is my favorite area so far.

I probably won't be able to cover it until the update after the next, but yeah, I had a lot of fun here.


Tyger | Elite Four Inconceivable!
 
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I don't get the hype up about sens fortress. It's one of the least frustrating areas of the game imo


 
 
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How many hours have you played, Verb?
according to my IGT, i just hit the 80 hour mark LOL

though tbf, there was one day where i accidentally kept the game on all night--and whenever i type updates, i usually don't bother quitting the game, so i'd say there's a 20-30 hour inflation there

so, in terms of raw gameplay, i'd say ~50 hours is a more fair estimate


 
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made a new avvy

>when the loop is just right



 
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The Rage....
I wonder how verb will do the

Spoiler
abyss section


 
Verbatim
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I <3333 my new armor. I've had it since I visited the Darkwoot Woods for the first time, but I just started wearing it a lot.

I really wish I could skip straight to the Sen's Fortress update, guys, but I feel like GH+New Londo is a good prelude to it.


Tyger | Elite Four Inconceivable!
 
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I wore crimson robe and the the stone helm, gauntlets, and pants all through the game

Fashion souls is where it's at


 
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Hmm, I haven't actually tried mixing and matching stuff yet.


 
 
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I wore crimson robe and the the stone helm, gauntlets, and pants all through the game

Fashion souls is where it's at

That's my go-to outfit, also. I usually swap the stone set for Ornstein's set later in the game though.


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Ya fuckin' ganderneck.
I like playing as a darkwraith.


 
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I like playing as a darkwraith.
Do I need to show you the door?


Aether | Mythic Invincible!
 
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Long live NoNolesNeckin.

Ya fuckin' ganderneck.
I like playing as a darkwraith.
Do I need to show you the door?
BRING BACK THE DARK HAND.


 
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<- Previous update: Aggro Acrimony


Recap:
- Forest Hunter massacre
- Defeated the Moonlight Butterfly
- Defeated Havel
- Found hidden bonfire in Quelaag's Domain
- Discovered the Great Hollow

Current missions:
- Explore the Great Hollow
- Explore New Londo Ruins
- Brave Sen's Fortress



I've posted this image already, but I think it encapsulates my experience in the Great Hollow quite well, both literally and metaphorically.


Yep, that about sums it up.

The Great Hollow is an old hollowed-out tree, vertically spacious enough to where you will fall to your death if you're not advancing with tightrope caution. Navigation is at the mercy of a series of these thick, gnarled branches, bending and stretching irregularly all around the center. Traversing the gaps between branches will often place you in a situation where you must descend, land on a lower branch, and take some fall damage in the process. Misjudging your aim will, of course, lead to certain death. This makes the locale quite annoying to go through. Since the area is so well-hidden, however, I figured this must be some kind of optional area, with nothing too important to be found. Nevertheless, I did what I could down there--and I know I'll be returning later.

While I was there, I focused primarily on collecting every item that I saw sitting on each branch. I picked up all colors of Titanite--like Green and Blue--and even some colors I had never picked up before, like Red and White. Occasionally, a few crystal lizards would appear at random, usually hiding inside little alcoves beyond my reach, so they always disappeared before I could even react, let alone hunt them down. I did manage to kill one, though, by stunlocking him against a wall with my bow, but I wasn't so lucky with the rest. I decided to not even worry about them. I wasn't even sure how many there were, but I spotted them pretty often.

Jumping from branch to branch was so scary, because if I fucked up my placing, it was a looong way down. Luckily, I happened to have three Rings of Sacrifice in case I needed them, but I still made sure to be extra careful when leading myself down from precarious heights. Fortunately, I only fell to my death once early on--which was great, because I was also laying down a lot of Prism Stones--mainly to help gauge whether or not jumping down a certain height would be fatal or not, but also as a way of marking my trail, to prevent myself from going in circles. Prism Stones are the premier exploration item, and I guarantee I'm part of a minority who actually uses them.

One of the coolest things I found was a Cloranthy Ring. It's basically my Grass Crest Shield in ring form. It even comes complete with the green aura that I like. Awesomely, the effect also stacks with the shield--but honestly, I think one stamina boost is enough. I can't sacrifice Havel's Ring for this. Still a neat find, though.

The only hostile enemy in the upper section of the Hollow were those lousy basilisks--the freakish eyeball lizards that curse you if you let them smoke you out. These ones were a different color, though, so I assumed that they would be tougher to fight--but they weren't, really. Without some kind of physical attack, they're only ever dangerous if they happen to gang up on you. The speed at which your curse meter builds stacks with the number of smoke billows there are, and the meter itself is only about an inch long--so it's better to fight them one at a time.

As I descended further down the hollow, the scenery gradually began to change. Large fungi which served as platforms appeared along the rim--and the next thing I knew, more of those little mushroom dudes started waddling towards me. I first encountered these things in the Darkwoot Woods. As they approached me, some of them tripped and fell flat on their faces, and I mistakenly assumed that they wouldn't be hostile, just like the ones I saw earlier--until they started punching me.

The number of hits it took to KILL one of these little bastards seemed a bit too high--and I was only rewarded, like, 50 souls for each one. When they die, though, they make loon noise, which is kinda interesting. I like that sound--we have a lot of loons up here in Michigan. Anyway, things were soon about to get worse, because the baby mushrooms were soon followed by the parents. They were much taller, looked meaner, and seemed a lot tougher... but I felt like I could take them.

NOPE. Turns out, they pack a wallop! One single punch from one of these fuckers took away, like, 80% of my health. It was pretty dumb. On top of that, they had a lot of HP investment, and there were simply too many of them for me to kill. It took me about three or four attempts before I finally realized that I was probably better off just giving up. I even tried new armor, and it didn't help me one iota.

That's about as far as I got in this location, but I'll be back.

The last thing I did was hunt for a few more crystal lizards, but--on account of my carelessness--I ended up getting myself fucking CURSED by a group of basilisks. So, now I finally know what happens: Getting cursed instantly kills you. Upon respawning, your healthbar gets cut in half. Unless you have some specific, rare, or expensive items, there's nothing you can do about it.

Fortunately, I did buy myself a couple Purging Stones from the pardoner the last time I visited him, so I was able to un-curse myself just fine--only to get cursed once again immediately after. Jesus Christ. I had more Purging Stones, but fuck it--why waste more of them?

It was at this point that I just dropped everything and said, "Well, if I'm cursed, I might as well make use of it."

So, I set a course to New Londo Ruins. As you all know, being cursed, whether it be by Transient Curse or by basilisk breath, allows you to make contact with the ethereal--so, what better time than now to pay them visit, huh?



Before entering the ruins, I stopped at a bonfire to regroup and look over some things--and I made a fateful decision:

I'm ditching my Grass Crest Shield in favor of my Eagle Shield. The latter is a greatshield that gives me more stability, more overall defense, and synergizes well with my Winged Spear. I can't parry with it, which is unfortunate, but I rarely ever parry during an important duel anyway--and as for the stamina-boosting effect, that can be summarily replaced with my new Cloranthy Ring, if I'm ever in need of some green aura goodness.

She had a good run, but it's time to place her in the box.

[F]

...Just kidding. I'll probably still use it every once in awhile.

The other decision I made was to bust out my new armor set--which actually isn't new; I picked it up in the Darkwoot Woods a long time ago--but I could never wear it, because it was too heavy. With the power of Havel's Ring, though, I can at least wear it all and be at mid-roll range. I think it's mid-roll, anyway--I don't know the exact math behind it.

Finally, I bought a couple more Purging Stones, just in case--and then I was prepared.



As I found out in Update #2, New Londo Ruins is actually accessible as soon as you make it to Firelink Shrine at the beginning of the game. I ended up down there while wandering aimlessly, and naturally, I got fucked up--so, now's my chance for some good ol' redemption.

Remember how I mentioned earlier how the crestfallen warrior is now absent from his post in the shrine? It seems that he's had an ill fate. As I approached the docks, an aggressive blue-clad hollow began striking me. Recognizing him as the crestfallen warrior, I hesitated for a moment before laying waste to him. What business he had in New Londo Ruins, I have no idea--but I was eager to find out, if I ever would.

Speaking of the hollows, none of them are hostile in this area, and I wondered why. Most of them are moping around in corners or making a ruckus somewhere. Some of them made funny poses. None of them seemed to have any idea what they were doing, though--because they're brainless hollows. But the fact that they weren't hostile was enough to convince me not to kill any of them. You don't scratch my back, I don't scratch yours.

Finally, after crossing the docks, I was face-to-face with the ghost that killed my ass so many months ago. Two good strikes with my spear was enough to vanquish them, but they had a couple of dangerous attacks of their own--namely, the one where they outstretch their arms towards you, forcing you to back up. Finally being able to block their attacks was nice, too.

I found another Fire Keeper Soul in this area. Very good. Getting it was kind of a bitch, though--it was sitting on this narrow strip of a platform submerged in the lake. Advancing towards it would spawn three ghosts--two in the front, one in the back, sandwiching you between them, forcing you to make a move quickly on this narrow fucking platform. Once again, Firebombs saved me a headache or two here.

By far the worst thing about the ghosts was their uncanny ability to pass through solid objects, allowing them to hide underneath platforms and stab you from below. Sometimes they'll hide in the ceiling, too. A particularly scary variety of the ghosts are the ones with the red eyes. They have no discernible difference, from what I was able to tell, except that they're a little more aggressive, and they elicit a blood-curdling scream when they spot you. Not cool.

Pip has forbid me from exploring New Londo too much, at least until I have surpassed Anor Londo--so, I sated my desire for loot, and then left without getting too far. Of the most notable things I found were the following: A Parrying Knife, a Cursebite Ring, a Composite Bow, and my personal favorite: a Rare Ring of Sacrifice. It's the same thing as a regular Ring of Sacrifice, but it also nullifies your curse. Kinda situational, but "situational" is my middle name.

The last thing I did was speak to a dude in crimson robes called Ingward, standing atop an old creepy-ass church. He undid my curse, and explained to me the purpose of New Londo Ruins. Originally, this was the home of the Darkcunts, and the Four Kings--but Ingward and the rest of his "sealers" caught wind of their wretched cunt behavior, so they flooded the city to lock them away for good.

I already like these dudes. I have some crimson robes of my own, but I have no interest in sorcery at the moment.

With that, I took out a bone and returned back to my bonfire.

It was time for me to brave Sen's Fortress.


Big Boss | Mythic Card Master
 
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Jacob Potila was actually a Jacob Flotilla of lies.- WarTurkey
Fun fact, but I'll spoiler it in case you want to see for yourself

The screaming red eyed ghosts are holding a
Spoiler
baby


 
Verbatim
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Fun fact, but I'll spoiler it in case you want to see for yourself

The screaming red eyed ghosts are holding a
Spoiler
baby
That's interesting.

Yeah, details that minute are typically fair game.


Aether | Mythic Invincible!
 
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Long live NoNolesNeckin.

Ya fuckin' ganderneck.
EDIT: Nvm I can't read lol
Last Edit: June 18, 2016, 12:55:21 PM by Aether


 
Verbatim
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Should at least get the firekeeper soul in New Londo ruins before going to Anor Londo. It's not very far into it, just right where you first get to the flooded area turn right immediately, then turn right again and cross the narrow pathway submerged in the water. Probs will want to homeward bone out of there because the ghosts start swarming you.

The more estus you have when reaching Anor Londo, the better.
Yeah, I mentioned grabbing it, no worries.

Quote
I found another Fire Keeper Soul in this area. Very good. Getting it was kind of a bitch, though--it was sitting on this narrow strip of a platform submerged in the lake. Advancing towards it would spawn three ghosts--two in the front, one in the back, sandwiching you between them, forcing you to make a move quickly on this narrow-ass fucking platform. Firebombs saved me a headache or two here.
Last Edit: June 18, 2016, 12:55:58 PM by Verbatim


Aether | Mythic Invincible!
 
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Long live NoNolesNeckin.

Ya fuckin' ganderneck.
Should at least get the firekeeper soul in New Londo ruins before going to Anor Londo. It's not very far into it, just right where you first get to the flooded area turn right immediately, then turn right again and cross the narrow pathway submerged in the water. Probs will want to homeward bone out of there because the ghosts start swarming you.

The more estus you have when reaching Anor Londo, the better.
Yeah, I mentioned grabbing it, no worries.

Quote
I found another Fire Keeper Soul in this area. Very good. Getting it was kind of a bitch, though--it was sitting on this narrow strip of a platform submerged in the lake. Advancing towards it would spawn three ghosts--two in the front, one in the back, sandwiching you between them, forcing you to make a move quickly on this narrow fucking platform. Once again, Firebombs saved me a headache or two here.
Ye just saw.


Aether | Mythic Invincible!
 
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Long live NoNolesNeckin.

Ya fuckin' ganderneck.
Wait have you killed pinwheel yet?


 
Verbatim
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Wait have you killed pinwheel yet?
Nope, not yet.

If you check the OP, you'll see a list of bosses that I've killed so far with their names crossed out.

Major Boss Hitlist
Asylum Demon
Bed of Chaos
Bell Gargoyles
Black Dragon Kalameet
Capra Demon
Ceaseless Discharge
Centipede Demon
Chaos Witch Quelaag
Crossbreed Priscilla
Dark Sun Gwyndolin
Demon Firesage
Dragon Slayer Ornstein & Executioner Smough
Four Kings
Gaping Dragon
Gravelord Nito
Gwyn, Lord of Cinder
Iron Golem
Knight Artorias
Manus, Father of the Abyss
Moonlight Butterfly
Pinwheel
Sanctuary Guardian
Seath the Scaleless
Sif, the Great Grey Wolf
Stray Demon
Taurus Demon

The equipment image is out of date, though. I should update that...


Aether | Mythic Invincible!
 
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Long live NoNolesNeckin.

Ya fuckin' ganderneck.
Wait have you killed pinwheel yet?
Nope, not yet.

If you check the OP, you'll see a list of bosses that I've killed so far with their names crossed out.

Major Boss Hitlist
Asylum Demon
Bed of Chaos
Bell Gargoyles
Black Dragon Kalameet
Capra Demon
Ceaseless Discharge
Centipede Demon
Chaos Witch Quelaag
Crossbreed Priscilla
Dark Sun Gwyndolin
Demon Firesage
Dragon Slayer Ornstein & Executioner Smough
Four Kings
Gaping Dragon
Gravelord Nito
Gwyn, Lord of Cinder
Iron Golem
Knight Artorias
Manus, Father of the Abyss
Moonlight Butterfly
Pinwheel
Sanctuary Guardian
Seath the Scaleless
Sif, the Great Grey Wolf
Stray Demon
Taurus Demon

The equipment image is out of date, though. I should update that...
Ah man, if you want to be able to kindle bonfires past 10 estus (up to 20) then I would suggest doing the catacombs to get to him. He's a pushover boss, really. One of the first that I take care of, usually. There's also a fair amount of loot on the way to him.


 
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Ah man, if you want to be able to kindle bonfires past 10 estus (up to 20) then I would suggest doing the catacombs to get to him. He's a pushover boss, really. One of the first that I take care of, usually. There's also a fair amount of loot on the way to him.
Yeah, after I get done with what I'm currently doing, I had plans to revisit both the Catacombs and the Valley of Drakes. I should be strong enough by now to traverse those locations. I didn't have a way to deal with those skeletons until now, so that's an exciting prospect. I appreciate the heads-up.

However, if I could ask that you avoid talking too much about future events, that would be awesome. Part of the fun is not knowing what to expect, you know what I mean? So, unless I'm specifically asking for some information, I'd like to remain totally blind. It's not a big deal, but yeah. Thanks.


 
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If you just have to say something, you could just put it in spoiler tags.

Then, when I'm all finished, I'll get to go back and open up all those spoiler tags, like a time capsule. That'll be cool.