Dark Souls Impressions - The FINAL Update

#FuckDarkwraiths

Yes.

Fucking hell

I think Nito is one of my favourite fights

(reposting for being the last post on the page)

<- Previous update: PASTY WHITE BOY FUCKED BY FOUR STUDS IN STEAMY FIVESOME

Recap:
- Killed the Four Kings

Current missions:
- Explore the Catacombs
- Explore the Great Hollow
- Explore the Demon Ruins
- Find and kill Gravelord Nito and the Witch of Izalith


Two Lord Souls down, two more to go.

Given that one of them is named Gravelord Nito, I had this idea to return to the Catacombs—that place under the graveyard in Firelink Shrine that I stumbled upon way back in Update #1.5. Those skeletons kicked my ass, but I have divine weapons now, so I'll actually be able to take them out. This was also a good opportunity for me to explore other weapon options, and I found myself switching between my Divine Longsword and my Divine Falchion frequently.

I don't like either of them that much, unfortunately. The Falchion's moveset feels very awkward to me, and the Longsword is all right, I guess. It's just really boring, and was really starting to miss my spear when I was wrapped up with this section—though that has nothing to do with it being easier to use. It just feels more natural to me at this point. I simply haven't found another weapon type in this game that I enjoy using as much as spear + shield, and since I hit my self-imposed level cap of 65, I can't boost my strength any higher to experiment with those silly two-handed swords (that I know I'm not going to like anyway). Maybe some other time, but probably not in this playthrough.

The Catacombs was a cool place, I guess, but the tight mazelike hallways and constantly heading downwards into nowhere in particular was quite dizzying and claustrophobic. The bonfire at the very beginning actually ended up being my favorite spot, because I just like the scenic element of that swarm of cockroaches crawling all over the walls and ceiling. I'm not sure if the roaches have any significance, but being in that room gave me all sorts of creeps.

I wasn't terribly impressed with the lever system in this place. Any time a game has you pushing random levers, but doesn't make it clear what you're doing, kind of bothers me—especially if it involves changing environmental elements, and especially if you have the option to pull the lever back, both of which happened to be the case here. It might just be a pet peeve, but I'm not sure if that's really good level design or not.

As of right now, I'm only certain of one thing—there's a long narrow platform that leads to the next section, which is a big mausoleum type area. This narrow platform is lined and guarded by a row of spikes, preventing you from stepping onto it, but there's a lever a few meters away (that takes virtually no effort to reach), and pulling it retracts the spikes. That to me isn't really much of a puzzle or obstacle—it's just kind of a simple, arbitrary task (more like an errand) that I'm obliged to do because the game wasn't sure how else to make the area seem more treacherous. I don't know, it felt lazy.

However, I did enjoy the mazelike design, the stone statue traps that try to stab you if you get too close to them, and the overall scenery and atmosphere was pretty great. They succeeded in making it a dark and scary place, which is why I found myself making liberal use of the Cast Light spell that I bought from Dusk, as well as Prism Stones, because there were a lot of points where I found myself jumping into dark holes leading to who-knows-where, and it's good to know whether I'd survive the fall. I also found myself employing the walking animation over running, just like I used to do when exploring the Depths, to help me get immersed as well as take caution for anything that might pop out of nowhere.

There's a specific place I've yet to explore, and I'm planning on going back down there soon—there's a spiral staircase that leads downward into the darkness, but my Prism Stones shriek loudly when I toss them in, indicating that I'll certainly die if I try to jump down there—but, nonetheless, it does have a bottom. I'll have to acquire a Fall Control spell or something, and then I'll see what's going on down here.

In general, I think they could've used a little more enemy variety here. Generic skeletons, fire mages, and floating exploding skulls? These are fine, but I could've used a little bit more. There was one giant skeleton that I was able to find, and I also slayed a titanite demon, but the only unique enemy I found was towards the very end, and you know which one I'm talking about already. Now I know where Bonewheel Barry got his username.

Here's something I'm absolutely delighted about, though—at some point, I found a message on the floor beneath a blasted wall that said "Treasure," which is kind of an awkward message for the developers to place there, but it did indeed clue me in to finding a particular ring that I've been searching for for a long time: the Darkmoon Seance Ring. All I had to do was kill a few skellingtons and snatch it from a coffin.

I've heard it through the grapevine that this ring allows me to become a Blade of the Darkmoon, which is the best and most morally righteous covenant in the game (except for the Way of White, I guess, but those guys are pussies). All I have to do now is head to Anor Londo and present it to that big tomb, apparently, and I'm all set.

Anyway, after spending a while running about, slaying more skellies and mages, traipsing about some coffins, and having the floor collapse under me a couple times, I made it to yet another white light—and this one has a boss behind it, for sure. I could just feel it.

What I found behind that light, though, was not Gravelord Nito.

It was something much, much worse.

YouTube

...So, after that, I warped straight back to the Darkmoon Tomb in Anor Londo to present my ring.

When I got there, the statue of Gwyndolin(?) was missing, but in his place was a hallway leading to another white light. Just before it were placed a set of two squared candles. I approached it slowly, resisting the urge to make a beeline for the white light, and a stern female voice from behind the veil halted me.

I don't remember exactly what she said, but the way she sounded, it was clear to me that she didn't want me to traverse that white light. I don't know what will happen exactly if I try to cross it, but I'm just gonna heed her wishes for now. She allowed me to join the Blades of the Darkmoon, though, and that's all I ever wanted anyway.

I also gave her Lautrec's ear, as a tribute from that one time I avenged that Fire Keeper and killed his stupid ass. She accepted it without a word, and the only thing that happened was my connection with the covenant "deepened." Whatever that means. Kinda expected something better to happen, but whatever.

Since I play offline, I won't be able to do much darkmooning anyway, but on principle, it feels good to be part of this now.

#FuckDarkwraiths

Gonna go back to the Catacombs and explore some more, and then I'll probably head to the Great Hollow next. I have no idea where to find Gravelord Nito if he's not in the Catacombs, though—I was 90% sure he'd be there.

Asylum Demon
Bed of Chaos
Bell Gargoyles
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
Moonlight Butterfly
Pinwheel
Seath the Scaleless
Sif, the Great Grey Wolf
Stray Demon
Taurus Demon

I've heard it through the grapevine that this ring allows me to become a Blade of the Darkmoon, which is the best and most morally righteous covenant in the game

Only if you're a slave to the gods. True wise men walk the path of the dragon.

I've heard it through the grapevine that this ring allows me to become a Blade of the Darkmoon, which is the best and most morally righteous covenant in the game

Only if you're a slave to the gods. True wise men walk the path of the dragon.

I don't think I've come across that one yet, but we'll see about that I suppose.

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If you pay enough attention when entering the area, you can actually tell what that lever does. It's nothing random that happens deep down inside the catacombs for later or something dumb like that.

Can I assume you know that you don't really need divine weapons for this section? The skeletons are controlled by the necromancer guys with their torches. If you kill them, the skeletons they raised will become mortal and will actually die permanently if you kill them. Thought I'd throw that out there since you already beat the area. It's also easy to miss if you only use the divine weapon because you can't really tell that it triggers their mortality.

yeah, in fairness, i did kind of rush through the place on my first go around, so i'm not surprised that i missed a whole lot, but i did head back there last night, and yeah, i was able to figure all that stuff out

that necromancer thing is pretty cool actually—i wasn't 100% sure that they were bringing the skeletons back to life, but i had an idea

i forgot to mention that one of them dropped their skull lanterns, too, so i have that now

Many of them are pretty grindy though (the ears are dropped by creature in The Painted World, so you can just farm them there too).

ooh, fun

that's if i can figure out how to get there

it'll be exciting if i do, because i seem to recall someone doubting that i'd ever find it while playing offline

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Many of them are pretty grindy though (the ears are dropped by creature in The Painted World, so you can just farm them there too).

ooh, fun

that's if i can figure out how to get there

it'll be exciting if i do, because i seem to recall someone doubting that i'd ever find it while playing offline

Verb, if you so much as touch my Fluffy while you're in there you are a dead man, you hear me!?

So, who's going to finish Dark Souls 1 first: Verb or Wildpie?

Before you progress any further, go back to where that Titanite Demon was. Look for a coffin in that hallway you can interact with. Interact and wait a minute. You'll know when it happens...

Before you progress any further, go back to where that Titanite Demon was. Look for a coffin in that hallway you can interact with. Interact and wait a minute. You'll know when it happens...

i may or may not do this

not really one for taking advice i didn't ask for (especially in a game like this where treachery among players is encouraged)

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Before you progress any further, go back to where that Titanite Demon was. Look for a coffin in that hallway you can interact with. Interact and wait a minute. You'll know when it happens...

i may or may not do this

not really one for taking advice i didn't ask for (especially in a game like this where treachery among players is encouraged)

Do or do not. Just know if you progress through the next area you'll throw away a unique opportunity without visiting the coffin first.

holy fuck

The Rite of Kindling feels extremely OP. I don't even feel good using it.

<- Previous update: Don't give up, skeleton!

Recap:
- Rushed through the Catacombs
- Killed Pinwheel
- Joined the Blades of the Darkmoon

Current missions:
- Explore the Catacombs more thoroughly
- Explore the Great Hollow
- Explore the Demon Ruins
- Find and kill Gravelord Nito and the Witch of Izalith


This is just gonna be a quick half-update, because I didn't get a lot of stuff done, but something DID happen, and I need to ask an important question. I rarely ask questions, because I prefer my playthroughs to be mostly help-free, but this is a rare exception.

After killing Pinwheel and joining my favorite covenant, I decided to head right back into the Catacombs to explore it further and uncover a lot more of the stuff that I missed, and unsurprisingly, I ended up missing a lot of shit because I kinda rushed through it the first time—which is normally unlike me, but I guess I just wasn't really in an exploring mood that day.

Among the things I missed were a couple of items and weapons—I found and hunted a crystal lizard thing and got some Twinkling Titanite from him, picked up some Green shards, an interesting halberd-type weapon called a Lucerne, a Mace, and a Great Scythe. I also found some priest's clothes, a quaint miracle called Tranquil Walk of Peace, and in the last update, I forgot to mention that one of the necromancers dropped his Skull Lantern for me.

Between a couple large boulders, I can spy an unlit bonfire, but as of right now, I have no idea how I'm supposed to reach it.

I went down that deep spiral staircase, too, and I met another blacksmith character down there. This must be Patches, the character Flee mentioned me missing. He triggered a cutscene, which made me think I was about to fight him, especially after he told me to fuck off—but it turns out, he's friendly, if a bit gruff. He has a really cool voice, too, even though it makes absolutely no sense. He smashes the wall next to him, which leads to the area with the bonewheel gang—I suppose that could function as a shortcut.

In terms of selling, he doesn't offer much except for Homeward Bones, which was okay, because I was in short stock of those. He can also modify weapons to give them fire properties, which is neat, but I don't really have a use for that right now. The best I took away from this meeting was what he told me after persistently talking to him—there's an ember in... New Londo Ruins?—I think that's what he said, anyway—that he can utilize. I remember finding an ember there already, but I've already given it to somebody else. I guess there's another one out there. He also brought up a witch, and how it's impossible to reach the Lost Izalith. That doesn't help me much, but I seem to be at a point where the game is at least acknowledging the area's existence—so I must be close, at the very least.

Lastly, I decided to heed Bonewheel Barry's words and head back to the place where I slayed that Titanite Demon. He said to interact with a particular grave, and I was able to identify it immediately—it's very open and sticks out like a sore thumb. I'm VERY annoyed that I wasn't able to spot it on my first go-around, but whether or not I would've known to wait inside of the coffin without Barry's advice, I'll never know.

Waiting inside the coffin for what felt like 15 seconds triggered an odd cutscene where the coffin closed itself on me and transported me into a dismal new area—the Tomb of the Giants.

Essentially a small, circular, flooded cave with large stalagmites and stalactites strewn about, the only thing I was able to find was a very large open coffin. It contained a grotesque being that kinda reminded me of that one scene in Cowboy Bebop, where Spike opens up a mini-fridge that has a year-old rotting lobster inside of it, rendered totally unrecognizable.

Is this Gravelord Nito?

It wasn't until I stopped holding up my shield that a button prompt appeared that said:

"X: Pray to the sarcophagus Gravelord"

Gravelord Nito confirmed? I threw a Black Firebomb directly inside the coffin—but absolutely nothing happened. I fired a couple arrows and got the same result. I tried a bunch of things out before I finally succumbed and pressed X just to see what would happen.

Praying to the sarcophagus results in only one thing—I kneel down, and an option to enter its covenant appears. That's it.

Having just joined the Blades of the Darkmoon, my favorite covenant, I have absolutely no interest in joining some different one, let alone one that's associated with Gravelord Nito. But that's the only thing it's allowing me to do, and I can't seem to attack it either. I'm just not sure what to make of this.

So, here are my questions—
1. Is that Gravelord Nito?
2. What happens when I join this covenant, and do I have to join it?

If the answer to the first question is "no," then just say no. I don't need any further information beyond that.

Thanks.

So, here are my questions—
1. Is that Gravelord Nito?
2. What happens when I join this covenant, and do I have to join it?

If the answer to the first question is "no," then just say no. I don't need any further information beyond that.

Thanks.

1. Yes, that is him.
2. If you join his covenant you'll be able to "infect" other worlds. This means that other players will have to fight red phantom versions of normal enemies. They have more health and do more damage. To "cleanse" their worlds they can invade you back, which if you are defeated ends the red phantoms.

All right, thanks. Now I just have to figure out how to kill his ass.

I understand what Nito's covenant is all about already—I was just wondering if any events would get triggered upon entering the covenant. I assumed the answer was no, but I absolutely had to make sure.

All right, I figured everything out now. Found a new path. Let's do this.

edit:
i found that hidden bonfire, too

i'm a fucking god

YouTube

Nito's covenant gives you some pretty sick stuff.

Non-update update:

Tomb of the Giants is actually giving me a little bit of trouble, so I went hunting for some materials to upgrade my stuff with. I'm also dabbling with some more weapons and a little bit of sorcery (nothing offensive—just utility spells like Cast Light and some gimmicks). Currently using a Magic Morning Star+6 to handle the giant skeletons.

I went back and slayed the hellkite wyvern, too. I didn't bother to chop off his tail, though—seemed like too much trouble for an item I can just get in NG+ anyway. Got challenger's Claymore and played around with it. Don't like it. Greatswords suck.

I have lots more to say, but I'll save that for later.

Actually, one more thing: It would be nice if there was a way to check if the bonfire you just lit is capable of being warped to.

Warpable bonfires are almost all covenant locations or boss rooms. They may also show up in the list even if you're at that specific bonfire, which is one way to check.

are ya done yet?

i wanna say i'm 70-80% done

This place just gets weirder and weirder, doesn't it...

So, I finally found and fought Nito last night (just one attempt so far). I'm already not sure how I'm gonna handle him—especially considering how draining it is for me to reach him from the nearest bonfire.

That said, when I died, I thought to myself, "Why don't I just use that one coffin to warp over there?"

So I tried that. Warped over there—Nito did absolutely nothing. It's like I was never there.

So I just... sauntered over, took my souls, and moseyed along.

Awkward.

So, I've decided that I enjoy this game enough to buy its DLC.

The question is, do I buy it now, or after I've beaten the game?

I'm leaning on saving it for NG+, making this playthrough 100% vanilla, but I'd still like to make videos for the DLC bosses.

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So, I've decided that I enjoy this game enough to buy its DLC.

The question is, do I buy it now, or after I've beaten the game?

I'm leaning on saving it for NG+, making this playthrough 100% vanilla, but I'd still like to make videos for the DLC bosses.

Same