Dark Souls: Siegfried stops writing a journal like some bitchy teenager, the game is discussed.

ClockworkUniverse

Bumping because this is basically where conversation about Dark Souls has been happening.

IJBM: People think Sif is male. She's named after a Norse goddess.

MadassAlex

Nuking this liveblog because my progress has so terribly overtaken my blogging. Siegfried is a beast these days, unless he has no bonfire to return to and is being shot by two Black Knights on a catwalk that they can easily push him off. -_-;

Keeping the thread through.

Recommend going back to Darkroot after the whole shenanigans at Londo fortress?

ClockworkUniverse

You can pretty much walk right by the black knights with the arrows. If you're in motion, they can't hit you at all. Keep going. At that point, you're about twenty feet from the bonfire.

Nah, all that's left for you there is Sif. She's a bitch.

Nova

Maybe you should rename the thread then :C

Nova

Maybe you could think of a better name :C

MadassAlex

... aw c'maaaawn. 8D

^^^ Thanks for the tip.

ClockworkUniverse

When you get into the main building, BTW, make sure not to go through a door that doesn't lead to the bonfire. There are silver knights through a lot of them.

It should be the first on the left, but I could be wrong. The way I'm thinking of it, you first enter it by dropping down onto a balcony.

BTW, how much damage are you doing to the silver knights and with what weapon? +3 lightning spear is doing 77 a hit for me.

Nova

Maybe you could think up a satisfying ending :C

Like, maybe he died :<

ClockworkUniverse

^He can't. That's the premise of the game.

Nova

>

I NEED CLOSURE

MadassAlex

I haven't yet fought any silver knights, unless those are the huge guys. For comparison's sake, though, I do about 120-140 damage per a heavy hit on the towering sentinels and the lightning demons.

^ If it makes it any better, I've got the idea in my head to revisit it with my alt characters and Siegfried in mind as a power trio, with less pointless detail and more focus on the subtle narrative hints in the game.

Nova

Yeah. Do that :C

IanExMachina

I bought Dark Souls today.

Soooo tips before I start playing or anything?

ClockworkUniverse

The backstep is completely useless and parrying is hard to pull off. Dodgerolling and running for your life are both more effective.

Also, if you get to the first post-tutorial area and try to take on the skeletons, you're doing it wrong.

ClockworkUniverse

Also, play a pyromancer for your first file. You'll thank me.

IanExMachina

Ok so backstepping is useless (why out of interest?)

Also why pyromancer?

ClockworkUniverse

Backstepping is useless because it moves you back about three inches in the same time that a dodgeroll would take to move you back about five feet.

Pyromancy spells do a flat amount of damage. Early in the game, the one you start with if you're a pyromancer does a lot, and you won't meet the guy who teaches pyromancy for quite awhile.

MadassAlex

Pyromancers also begin the game at level 1, meaning you get a few levels of character customisation over everyone else.

On the other hand, what kind of character are you interested in playing? Heavy close combat? Magical? Agile? Shooty?

IanExMachina

Fair enough, however their magic gradually gets outclassed to make up for it?

I'm tempted to go for an agile character, but unsure as I've never played before so maybe something heavy to absorb hits as I learn.

ClockworkUniverse

In my experience, agility > absorbing hits.

There are attacks that will basically one-shot you unless you dodge or are wearing the best armor in the game or something.

And I have yet to reach the point where pyromancy isn't awesome, even on my main file which is 24+ hours in.

IanExMachina

Hmm I'll aim to be Dodgy McDodgerson then.

Also covenents and online stuff?

From the sounds of it it sounds fun to drop an item so it hassles other players in different worlds?

The Instruction booklet isn't too illuminating however I don't really want to browse a wiki and know everything in detail at the start.

MadassAlex

Yeah, pyromancy does get "outdated", but you can also scale it up via a trainer after a few boss fights. As long as you remember to stay on top of it, you should be able to rely on it gamelength-through.

Anyway, here's a few tips:

- No matter your build, having high endurance rules. This stat gives you a higher equip burden limit, meaning you can move faster with lesser amounts of gear or wear insanely heavy stuff.
- Strength, dexterity, intelligence, faith: choose one of these to be your "main". This will be your damage-dealing stat, and you'll use weapons that scale with that stat most effectively.
- Vitality is the other important stat. This is essentially your HP bar.
- If you want to cast spells, then you need attunement. I can't imagine you needing more than 16 for a long, long time, though, and you can get away with 10-12 in the early game.

That item-dropping thing appears to be false.

As for covenants, they're groups of players affiliated with the nine main factions. The "good" covenants are associated with Faith, and tend to be about assisting other players. The "evil" ones are about antagonising others for your own benefit. Which one you join depends on you and your progress. You can unjoin and then join another instantly by taking an NPC up on a covenant offer, but that could get your entered into a book which records the names of sinners. And there's a particular covenant that's based around executing those people, so expect to get invaded.

IanExMachina

*likes the sound of the evil covenants*

Why would they lie about such a fun sounding feature.

Hmm I think I'll attempt a dexterity person (most likely thief as I like the concept).

MadassAlex

Alrighty. You'll want bows and good melee weapons that scale with dex, so look into thrusting weapons. Rapiers, estocs and spears of various kinds will be your close combat mainstays.

ClockworkUniverse

Also, when you see a dragon, try to shoot off its tail. It takes quite a few shots, so be patient. You'll thank me.

ClockworkUniverse

http://www.gamepro.com/article/news/224021/man-beats-dark-souls-in-less-than-2-hours/

D8

MadassAlex

Naaaaawwwww. -shakes head-

ClockworkUniverse

Did you ever watch the run of Demon's Souls I linked you to?

Anyway, this was an early run, so it'll probably be obsoleted in the coming months.

MadassAlex

Nope, I rarely watch speedruns. Australian monthly download limits, ect.

ClockworkUniverse

Ah...that sucks.

But having seen that one, I don't doubt that this one's legit. Dark Souls has more shortcuts, after all. Especially if you take the master key.