All signs seem to point to poise being turned back on in the near future in a patch. Is the fact that this mechanic was broken for the first month of the game mind-blowing to anyone else?? How was this missed?? And maybe even more impressive, the entire Souls community has been playing the game minus basically ANY ability to take a hit without staggering.
It is kinda mind-blowing, yes. Also interesting to watch LPers try to decide how much poise enemies have when of course they have none + superarmor on attacks.
On another Bloodborne note (I think that's still allowed) I've been diving back into that game the last few days and making alot more progress. Surprisingly one-shotted both the Watchdog of the Old Lords in the first chalice dungeon and Shadows of Yharnam. Must say however, that the Forbidden Woods makes Blighttown seem like a day at the beach in comparison. Perhaps the most confusing layout of any level in any of these games. And I don't, but man, if you hate snakes, this level will send you into fits (then again I hate rats, so there are likely a couple bosses in Dark Souls 2 that will do the same to me). What always gets me is how GROTESQUE they make the animal mobs in these games. The boars, the rats, the crows. I get more freaked out by degenerate wildlife than anything else.
I could also go on forever about just how good they are about naming the areas, it's like they have a mainline to exactly what sounds cool and foreboding at the same time. Forsaken Castle Cainhurst, Things Betwixt, The Profaned Capitol, The Tower of Latria....take your pick....
Eliminated Rom after about 4 or 5 tries, I was not expecting the little spiders to hit that hard or stunlock, but I am glad I've done the last 3 bosses in this game solo. Once I got to the third phase, I realized I was losing the battle of attrition with my Blood Vials and with only a third of the babies down, I threw on some Bolt Paper and dove in for the kill. Ended up working, but bad RNG could have killed me just as easy.
Love the idea that he was essentially a Dreamcatcher created by Willem to mask what his students had ended up doing from the waking world, and when that Blood Moon rises, it's pretty awesome. I almost wish I hadn't been privy to the info about the game or had a PS4 earlier. Apparently both From and Sony were able to sell the game as a Victorian werewolf hunting Van Helsing-type thing right up until the game was released, and it must have been a absolute mind-blower to have the game morph into what it did with no prior knowledge. Really, the game everyone thought they were getting ends after you kill the Blood-Starved beast.
Another interesting feature is that the NPC Hunters you encounter over the course of your game are often far harder than the bosses themselves. Other than that, I will maintain that after Bloodborne you really miss that quick dash to the side when you're locked onto an enemy when you play Dark Souls 3, which sucks, because it almost seems like alot of the enemies in 3 were conceived while they still had Bloodborne in mind. Oh well, maybe things will be better when Poise is actually turned on, if ever....
Also, the Chalice Dungeons are pretty terrible (at least thus far) until you get to the bosses, which are actually pretty good, whether they are original or old enemies in new arenas. But they should leave the random dungeon layouts to Diablo 3....it doesn't fit with the exacting and precise nature of these games at all. Still, content is content, and they aren't without merit, just lackluster.
I could also go on forever about just how good they are about naming the areas, it's like they have a mainline to exactly what sounds cool and foreboding at the same time. Forsaken Castle Cainhurst, Things Betwixt, The Profaned Capitol, The Tower of Latria....take your pick....
Yeah. The firekeeper prayer in this game is also pretty cool
"Let these souls withdraw from their vessels Manisfestations of disparity, Illucidated by fire, Burrow deep within me, Retreating to a darkness beyond the reach of flame, Let them assume a new master, Inhabiting ash, casting themselves upon new forms."
Somehow screwed up Yuria's questline, so I just attacked her. Took me a good 8-10 tries to beat her, but a good fight, much like a PvP duel. You have to whittle her down to half health at least a couple time since her Estus chug was very hard to interrupt, and I feel like it would have been alot easier with just one more weapon upgrade and a few more points in stamina, but in the end, she went down....
She does, it's a katana with a dark weapon art, plus you can get her armor from the Handmaiden. And yes, I feel like it's a better than 75% chance that Londor and the Sable Church simply has to be one of the DLCs.
ooooooo, i kinda wanted her armour in the event that I could not find the Judgement set (WHY FROMSOFT?!?!? WHY!!!!!!!?!?!?!) but I guess I never actually thought about killing her. Killing Siris didn't get me her armour and I beat the cycle where I chased her around the map without going back to pick it up
ooooooo, i kinda wanted her armour in the event that I could not find the Judgement set (WHY FROMSOFT?!?!? WHY!!!!!!!?!?!?!) but I guess I never actually thought about killing her. Killing Siris didn't get me her armour and I beat the cycle where I chased her around the map without going back to pick it up
Did Siris drop ashes?? Because if she does you just give them to the handmaiden in the shrine....
Just checked actually....visit your handmaiden after killing her to get her armor. No ashes needed....
The thing about their DLCs is that they are obviously intended to complete the story from the beginning, they aren't just run of the mill add-on's. There is alot of stuff in Bloodborne that makes very little sense until you get to the Old Hunter's content. Artorias and the Abyss was clearly intended from the outset. Yuria and Yoel and the whole idea of the pilgrims from a land that is ruled by hollows, where it is almost embraced rather than feared. How can you not explore it?? And since we'll be getting two, I'm a little more hard-pressed to figure out what the other will be focused on, but I'm fairly sure we'll be in two different areas tying up loose ends that have been left in the main game.
I'm thinking after watching a couple lore videos that Rosaria is at the very least a daughter of Gwynevere, simply based on the item descriptions of certain miracles and a event that takes place in Gwynevere's empty chamber. She remains the biggest mystery that they refuse to tell us about. She was long gone by the time Dark Souls 1 even started. Even if at one time she did reside in Heide's Tower of Flame, she was long gone there as well. That said, people also speculate that she is the mother of the Princes in 3, but I'm not sure how, as Oceiros is far from a Flame God. Furthermore, has there ever been ANY information on the mother of Gwyn's children??
Even so, in these games, the concepts of birth and pregnancy are rampant and yet they are as far removed from normal sexual reproduction as can be. In Bloodborne the Great One's are simply implanted in human females by osmosis. In Dark Souls, who the hell knows. You have two very buxom females who are affiliated with fertility, yet there isn't a hint of the risque to any of this. If anything, pregnancy and birth are viewed as horrifying rituals, and (not to get too gross) there was a time in Bloodborne when I took a vial from the prostitute looked at it and read and asked myself "Is this supposed to be menstrual blood??" Not only that, you can't get blood from her after she has obviously been impregnated. I honestly don't think it's far out of the realm of possibility based on what we've seen in these last two games. It's really bizarre stuff.
people also speculate that she is the mother of the Princes in 3, but I'm not sure how
Divine Blessing Descriptions:
DS1 "The Goddess of Sunlight, Gwynevere, daughter of the great Lord of Sunlight Gwyn, is cherished by all as the symbol of bounty and fertility."
DS3 "The Queen of Lothric, married to the former King Oceiros, was initially revered as a goddess of fertility and bounty."
Of course, it could also be a daughter of hers, as gods have a thing with inheriting portfolios. Also there may be a bit of a mistranslation between "revered as" and "reverently compared to", though it seems like that translator may not be totally on the level.
There's also no real indication that gods are a one marriage deal. In DS1 she is married to flame god Flann. In DS2 there's no mention of him, but there's lore placing her beside Heide's tower of flame, which may or may not be a different flame god, or even her child.
I'm thinking after watching a couple lore videos that Rosaria is at the very least a daughter of Gwynevere
I think they're definitely closely related. My guess is that Ocelotte was stillborn, perhaps due to
"The Lothric bloodline was obsessed with creating a worthy heir, and when this proved impossible, resorted to unspeakable means."
Then she was struck dumb (lore says Rosaria is voiceless, but never tonguelss), took the corpse and animated it into that... thing... she has with her.
"After giving birth to Ocelotte, her youngest, she quietly disappeared."
This may be highlighted by Oceiros acting like he's holding the child while it's obviously not there, so it must be somewhere.
Once you leave the Catacombs and dive into the mid-late game areas, things really ramp up. The reason for the multiple bonfires are fairly clear in these areas, as you are expected to traverse treacherous situations that aren't at all suitable for farming or runs every time you die (the combo of the Pontiff Knight linked to the two other minor mobs along with a Flame Witch in the basement is a prime example of something they only expect you to do once).
The beast from the bridge when you enter Ithryll comes back when you reach the water if you don't kill him up above, which is not at all where you want to fight such a vicious creature. Whether it's intentional or not though, if you run to the concrete edge of the lake all the way back, he simply runs into an invisible wall and can be cheesed in any way you see fit. Whether this is a glitch or just From finally saying "ok, you've had enough, go ahead and take him out" is up for debate (though I lean towards the later).
The Ithryill Dungeon is Tower of Latria 2.0, with the Jailers being some of the most original, dangerous, annoying and fun mobs I've seen in the entire series, along with a great visual design. That said, it's another highly hazardous area that is hard to wrap your head around immediately. I've gotten to the room with the Giant and then headed to....
The Smouldering Lake. First things first, apparently this sand kingdom of Carthus is somehow tied to what clearly used to be Ash Lake and Lost Izalith, as evidenced by this worm, and having you manipulate the ballista to take him out is a awesome element. As for the rest of what I've seen....I hate the way the inside portion of this level is designed. Nothing but squares and corners with highly hazardous enemies (don't get me started on the flame shaman with the bird masks who make some of the most repulsive sounds I've ever heard in a video game). You just descend and fight everything I'm terrified of in these games. Deformed animal-like creatures, rats and basilisks, and then you get an NPC invasion even while NOT in Ember form (I ran for now) and a Black Knight that (From laughing in your face again) you can use a bow to get down to about 40% with hit and run, at which point if you hit him one more time he'll pursue you to the ends of the earth. That said, most of the mobs here drop regular Titanite at a absurd rate, so much that you can basically level any regular weapon you want to +3 without any issue.
So right now I'm about 75% through 3 different zones, all of which are some of the most challenging in any of the series. I feel like I could definitely use about 5-10 levels of farming, but this game just doesn't seem to have the obvious farming routes of 1 and 2 (Bloodborne suffers from this a bit as well). Any ideas on that front are welcome.
So, got to the Pontiff, and didn't even bother trying solo. I'm not that good yet and eager to open new areas. Still took two tries. Yikes, what a fight this must be solo. One day. Anyway, you are then immediately greeted by a NPC gank squad with Deacons blasting fireballs at you PLUS (and smartly by the way) Aldritch Faithful are camped out here just salivating at the opportunity to attack a freshly-embered player off the boss fight. If you can make it through this courtyard without dying under these circumstances, hats off. I didn't. The Deacons aren't bad for farming imo....but the two croc beasts in the water underneath to get to the Aldritch Faithful Covenant??....not today. Anyway, explored the rooftops and the Knights are still attending to their posts it seems. I mostly got through this, but I ran out of Estus and had too many Souls to waste, so Homeward Boned out. Next project I guess.
This is an interesting area, as you are rarely kept in the same place after killing a boss for so long. This is clearly to entrance to Anor Londo, but it is not yet. That being said, the Archer Knights aren't AS bad on the run as they were in the original, but the way they can quickly switch to their devastating bow attack the second you back away from them is pretty brutal.
Does anyone know if buffing a weapon that already has bleed stacks with Carthus Rouge?? I guess the same question applies to if an elemental infused weapon is buffed with fire or lightning etc....
you could test that easily for yourself. Normally a non resistant enemy takes like 3 2handed hits from the uchigatana before bleed damage applies. With the rouge the bonus damage should happen earlier.
On that note, I'd never used consumables except the estus. Saving it all up for Journy 2 I guess ^^ Tried some resin, but my chaos blade wouldnt take it.
I finished my first playthrough with Yamcha, I had some help from Yuria because I chose her ending . I had hoped for a longer cutscene at the end or maybe this specific one was just shorter ?
Haha, this guy's delayed attacks were hell and I'll probably never get his spear-phase right.
Comments
Love the idea that he was essentially a Dreamcatcher created by Willem to mask what his students had ended up doing from the waking world, and when that Blood Moon rises, it's pretty awesome. I almost wish I hadn't been privy to the info about the game or had a PS4 earlier. Apparently both From and Sony were able to sell the game as a Victorian werewolf hunting Van Helsing-type thing right up until the game was released, and it must have been a absolute mind-blower to have the game morph into what it did with no prior knowledge. Really, the game everyone thought they were getting ends after you kill the Blood-Starved beast.
Another interesting feature is that the NPC Hunters you encounter over the course of your game are often far harder than the bosses themselves. Other than that, I will maintain that after Bloodborne you really miss that quick dash to the side when you're locked onto an enemy when you play Dark Souls 3, which sucks, because it almost seems like alot of the enemies in 3 were conceived while they still had Bloodborne in mind. Oh well, maybe things will be better when Poise is actually turned on, if ever....
Also, the Chalice Dungeons are pretty terrible (at least thus far) until you get to the bosses, which are actually pretty good, whether they are original or old enemies in new arenas. But they should leave the random dungeon layouts to Diablo 3....it doesn't fit with the exacting and precise nature of these games at all. Still, content is content, and they aren't without merit, just lackluster.
"Let these souls withdraw from their vessels
Manisfestations of disparity,
Illucidated by fire,
Burrow deep within me,
Retreating to a darkness beyond the reach of flame,
Let them assume a new master,
Inhabiting ash, casting themselves upon new forms."
Just checked actually....visit your handmaiden after killing her to get her armor. No ashes needed....
Even so, in these games, the concepts of birth and pregnancy are rampant and yet they are as far removed from normal sexual reproduction as can be. In Bloodborne the Great One's are simply implanted in human females by osmosis. In Dark Souls, who the hell knows. You have two very buxom females who are affiliated with fertility, yet there isn't a hint of the risque to any of this. If anything, pregnancy and birth are viewed as horrifying rituals, and (not to get too gross) there was a time in Bloodborne when I took a vial from the prostitute looked at it and read and asked myself "Is this supposed to be menstrual blood??" Not only that, you can't get blood from her after she has obviously been impregnated. I honestly don't think it's far out of the realm of possibility based on what we've seen in these last two games. It's really bizarre stuff.
DS1
"The Goddess of Sunlight, Gwynevere, daughter of
the great Lord of Sunlight Gwyn, is cherished
by all as the symbol of bounty and fertility."
DS3
"The Queen of Lothric, married to the former King Oceiros, was initially revered as a goddess of fertility and bounty."
Of course, it could also be a daughter of hers, as gods have a thing with inheriting portfolios. Also there may be a bit of a mistranslation between "revered as" and "reverently compared to", though it seems like that translator may not be totally on the level. There's also no real indication that gods are a one marriage deal. In DS1 she is married to flame god Flann. In DS2 there's no mention of him, but there's lore placing her beside Heide's tower of flame, which may or may not be a different flame god, or even her child. I think they're definitely closely related. My guess is that Ocelotte was stillborn, perhaps due to
"The Lothric bloodline was obsessed with creating a worthy heir, and when this proved impossible, resorted to unspeakable means."
Then she was struck dumb (lore says Rosaria is voiceless, but never tonguelss), took the corpse and animated it into that... thing... she has with her.
"After giving birth to Ocelotte, her youngest, she quietly disappeared."
This may be highlighted by Oceiros acting like he's holding the child while it's obviously not there, so it must be somewhere.
The beast from the bridge when you enter Ithryll comes back when you reach the water if you don't kill him up above, which is not at all where you want to fight such a vicious creature. Whether it's intentional or not though, if you run to the concrete edge of the lake all the way back, he simply runs into an invisible wall and can be cheesed in any way you see fit. Whether this is a glitch or just From finally saying "ok, you've had enough, go ahead and take him out" is up for debate (though I lean towards the later).
The Ithryill Dungeon is Tower of Latria 2.0, with the Jailers being some of the most original, dangerous, annoying and fun mobs I've seen in the entire series, along with a great visual design. That said, it's another highly hazardous area that is hard to wrap your head around immediately. I've gotten to the room with the Giant and then headed to....
The Smouldering Lake. First things first, apparently this sand kingdom of Carthus is somehow tied to what clearly used to be Ash Lake and Lost Izalith, as evidenced by this worm, and having you manipulate the ballista to take him out is a awesome element. As for the rest of what I've seen....I hate the way the inside portion of this level is designed. Nothing but squares and corners with highly hazardous enemies (don't get me started on the flame shaman with the bird masks who make some of the most repulsive sounds I've ever heard in a video game). You just descend and fight everything I'm terrified of in these games. Deformed animal-like creatures, rats and basilisks, and then you get an NPC invasion even while NOT in Ember form (I ran for now) and a Black Knight that (From laughing in your face again) you can use a bow to get down to about 40% with hit and run, at which point if you hit him one more time he'll pursue you to the ends of the earth. That said, most of the mobs here drop regular Titanite at a absurd rate, so much that you can basically level any regular weapon you want to +3 without any issue.
So right now I'm about 75% through 3 different zones, all of which are some of the most challenging in any of the series. I feel like I could definitely use about 5-10 levels of farming, but this game just doesn't seem to have the obvious farming routes of 1 and 2 (Bloodborne suffers from this a bit as well). Any ideas on that front are welcome.
This is an interesting area, as you are rarely kept in the same place after killing a boss for so long. This is clearly to entrance to Anor Londo, but it is not yet. That being said, the Archer Knights aren't AS bad on the run as they were in the original, but the way they can quickly switch to their devastating bow attack the second you back away from them is pretty brutal.
On that note, I'd never used consumables except the estus. Saving it all up for Journy 2 I guess ^^
Tried some resin, but my chaos blade wouldnt take it.
I finished my first playthrough with Yamcha, I had some help from Yuria because I chose her ending .
I had hoped for a longer cutscene at the end or maybe this specific one was just shorter ?
Haha, this guy's delayed attacks were hell and I'll probably never get his spear-phase right.