When you play the Souls games...

maverick · March 05, 2018, 11:50:54 AM

(including bloodborne)

Do you use any guides or do you think it would ruin the experience?

Verbatim · March 05, 2018, 12:02:26 PM

i tend not to use guides for any game in general, partly because of pride, partly because of how good it feels when i'm finally done, and partly because, in theory, a well-designed game is not going to require you to use any guides in order to beat it

i'll ask people questions about small mechanics, but in terms of progression, if i'm ever lost, it's up to me to figure out where to go, because i view that feeling of being lost as part of the whole experience, something i'd rather not lose

dark souls is no exception, but i have allowed people to drop hints on me, if only to emulate the experience of having the soapstone messages that i'm missing out on, since i play the game offline

i'm not above asking about obscure mechanics if it'll only help me understand the game's combat more, but i would never look up where to go, what to do, or how to beat certain bosses though

basically, anything that helps me understand the rules of the game? that's fine
lore? that's fine, generally speaking
anything that helps me progress or beat the game? that's for me to figure out

for example, not understanding how poise works isn't really going to enhance my experience of the game once i eventually learn how it works, and it's not going to ruin my experience if i just ask about it; that's just a matter of saving time

not understanding how to beat a boss, though, is part of the idea of fighting a boss in the first place

Verbatim · March 05, 2018, 12:05:15 PM

i used to abuse the shit out of guides as a kid, and i stopped when i began to realize how stale and flavorless some of my favorite games were starting to feel because of it

Desty · March 05, 2018, 12:14:02 PM

Look, unless you're new or whatever, you shouldn't use guides, but even then some bosses are impossible to those who haven't already done the impossible. Sometimes it's alright to use guides to save your sanity.
Here, take a look at this guide

YouTube

Desty · March 05, 2018, 12:20:09 PM

Look at the amount of damage being dealt. The guy playing it is insane, and his insight really helps

A Cheese Potato · March 05, 2018, 12:44:12 PM

Not really any harm in looking up minor stuff like infusion or stat allocation I suppose, but personally I try and complete the first playthrough completely blind. I've tried to avoid seeing much of Bloodborne 'cause I wanna play it one day, and I don't want half the fun spoiled.

Plus if you just follow a step for step guide on your first playthrough, you wont learn the game nearly as well.

Desty · March 05, 2018, 01:19:48 PM

Quote from: A Cheese Potato on March 05, 2018, 12:44:12 PM

Not really any harm in looking up minor stuff like infusion or stat allocation I suppose, but personally I try and complete the first playthrough completely blind. I've tried to avoid seeing much of Bloodborne 'cause I wanna play it one day, and I don't want half the fun spoiled.

Plus if you just follow a step for step guide on your first playthrough, you wont learn the game nearly as well.

That seems counter-intuitive brah

A Cheese Potato · March 05, 2018, 01:26:00 PM

Quote from: Desty on March 05, 2018, 01:19:48 PM

Quote from: A Cheese Potato on March 05, 2018, 12:44:12 PM
Not really any harm in looking up minor stuff like infusion or stat allocation I suppose, but personally I try and complete the first playthrough completely blind. I've tried to avoid seeing much of Bloodborne 'cause I wanna play it one day, and I don't want half the fun spoiled.

Plus if you just follow a step for step guide on your first playthrough, you wont learn the game nearly as well.
That seems counter-intuitive brah

what do you mean

Desty · March 05, 2018, 01:41:06 PM

Quote from: A Cheese Potato on March 05, 2018, 01:26:00 PM

Quote from: Desty on March 05, 2018, 01:19:48 PM
Quote from: A Cheese Potato on March 05, 2018, 12:44:12 PM
Not really any harm in looking up minor stuff like infusion or stat allocation I suppose, but personally I try and complete the first playthrough completely blind. I've tried to avoid seeing much of Bloodborne 'cause I wanna play it one day, and I don't want half the fun spoiled.

Plus if you just follow a step for step guide on your first playthrough, you wont learn the game nearly as well.
That seems counter-intuitive brah
what do you mean

If you follow a guide you'll probably find out the best way the fastest. That might not be the most fun way, but it's gonna be the most efficient one. If it's an area guide it'll tell you where all the hidden paths and good items are.

A Cheese Potato · March 05, 2018, 01:45:04 PM

Quote from: Desty on March 05, 2018, 01:41:06 PM

Quote from: A Cheese Potato on March 05, 2018, 01:26:00 PM
Quote from: Desty on March 05, 2018, 01:19:48 PM
Quote from: A Cheese Potato on March 05, 2018, 12:44:12 PM
Not really any harm in looking up minor stuff like infusion or stat allocation I suppose, but personally I try and complete the first playthrough completely blind. I've tried to avoid seeing much of Bloodborne 'cause I wanna play it one day, and I don't want half the fun spoiled.

Plus if you just follow a step for step guide on your first playthrough, you wont learn the game nearly as well.
That seems counter-intuitive brah
what do you mean
If you follow a guide you'll probably find out the best way the fastest. That might not be the most fun way, but it's gonna be the most efficient one. If it's an area guide it'll tell you where all the hidden paths and good items are.

Well sure, but you wont learn the game in an organic way. Both in area layout by repetition and general mechanics through trial & error

Desty · March 05, 2018, 02:07:49 PM

Quote from: A Cheese Potato on March 05, 2018, 01:45:04 PM

Quote from: Desty on March 05, 2018, 01:41:06 PM
Quote from: A Cheese Potato on March 05, 2018, 01:26:00 PM
Quote from: Desty on March 05, 2018, 01:19:48 PM
Quote from: A Cheese Potato on March 05, 2018, 12:44:12 PM
Not really any harm in looking up minor stuff like infusion or stat allocation I suppose, but personally I try and complete the first playthrough completely blind. I've tried to avoid seeing much of Bloodborne 'cause I wanna play it one day, and I don't want half the fun spoiled.

Plus if you just follow a step for step guide on your first playthrough, you wont learn the game nearly as well.
That seems counter-intuitive brah
what do you mean
If you follow a guide you'll probably find out the best way the fastest. That might not be the most fun way, but it's gonna be the most efficient one. If it's an area guide it'll tell you where all the hidden paths and good items are.
Well sure, but you wont learn the game in an organic way. Both in area layout by repetition and general mechanics through trial & error

yeah nah yeah nah that's wrong

Elai · March 05, 2018, 04:50:47 PM

the only thing i'd say is permissable is archdragon peak in ds3

Aether · March 05, 2018, 05:47:06 PM

DKS1 I played through blind the first time, DKS2 I played through entirely with a friend, and DKS3 I looked up a bit to make sure I didn't miss any content (because I missed a bunch on my blind DKS1 playthrough) but only enough to know it was there and not how to beat it or what it was all about.

Ásgeirr · March 05, 2018, 06:29:31 PM

Ive never used guides but instead looked up individual things near the end of the game or a new game+

Obscure shit like illusory walls and locations can suck a fat one tbh.

Verbatim · March 05, 2018, 06:49:32 PM

"hurr let's put an illusory wall behind ANOTHER illusory wall"

eat a dick miyazaki

Dietrich Six · March 05, 2018, 07:12:20 PM

First couple of souls games I would read weapon stats and skill allocation sheets while I wasn't playing. Lore was next. I was fucking addicted to those games and demon's was so fucking hard to understand that I needed some help with what the fuck was going on.

By the time three came out I didn't look anything up until the end.

Ásgeirr · March 05, 2018, 07:58:25 PM

At least Ash Lake and Archdragon Peak arent this bad

>Get a dragon scale key item from a hunt
>Trade it for a key from a random guy at a windmill whos not visible at first in an area with 10 windmills scattered about
>Piece together some vague clues from a couple random NPC's in different locations about a secret room in a cave
>Somehow make the connection between the key and the cave
>Figure out what cave it is and find some random text on a wall with vague clues
>Enter a room from a specific path to run a circle clockwise to unlock another room where the key is used

Nobody has done this without guides. NOBODY.

Turkey · March 05, 2018, 09:44:22 PM

Yep, I looked up some stat and upgrade mechanics, and on my subsequent playthroughs I usually check guides as I go for specific items I didn't find originally. With shit like illusory walls and timed events (like, do x before doing y to get z) I think it really enhances your experience, and Demon's Souls world tendencies, it's basically mandatory.