Ha, I never thought of doing that, that's a pretty good plan. I gather it's possible to jump off the ladder itself?
Hmm, now I kinda wanna go and test to see if the cat ring allows you take that whole fall without damage, and if falling further increases the plunge damage.
Jumping off the ladder simply requires tapping the O button very quickly. The fall doesn't damage you if you connect, but it does leave you wide open to an attack, and if he bites you once, he probably will again, so you have to high tail it to the pillar to regain your ground, at which time you let him circle, bait a big attack that takes some time, and then run back to the ladder. Should take 4 plunge hits. If you miss on the plunge, you're just screwed. I never thought about falling further.
Has anyone found their way down to the pit at the bottom of the Tower behind Firelink?? There are literally hundreds of corpses of dead Firekeepers thrown down there....very interesting....
There's a really cool ring there for early in the game.
Agreed, not so useful once you get bone shards later, but I also think buying the key for 20,000 should be one of any player's first goals. There are at least 3 invaluable items for early play.
Ruminating some more on the series, it really almost feels like Dark Souls 3 is like a band's Greatest Hits collection. It's also incredibly dense and obtuse, even compared to previous entries. Figuring out how to turn into a dragon or how to pull of the usurping the fire ending remind me of all those solutions from old games that make you say "how the hell was anyone supposed to know that??". Think getting the nescessary sword in Ultima 2. Hell, at least 3 or 4 of the covenants are practically hidden (Aldrich Faithful behind a illusory wall, the Mound Makers on a semi-hidden path AND knowing the mob who takes you there isn't hostile, Darkmoon via an invisible bridge you have to cross Last Crusade-style, and Rosaria's Fingers requires tight-rope walk on rafters and two consecutive drops onto balconies). I don't feel bad looking at guides for these games, because I don't have the TIME to figure this stuff out by trial and error. There are also a metric tons of non-respawning mini-bosses in this game, and some of them are far harder than at least half the official ones.
So, just beat the guy(s) after Farrow Keep with the Sword/dagger. I admit that after my first encounter with him he had me so scared that I switched characters for a long while instead of facing him. In the end, it took me 4-5 tries, but he wasn't that tough. However, now we get to the mechanic that I really dislike from the original, that of Skeletons that won't die. I mean it was kind of original in the original, but it got old, FAST. I was like, 'Again? Really?' whatever.
Thanks for the tip. Now I just have to find/infuse a divine weapon.
just knock them down a second time, they'll not rise thrice. Blessed weapons are pretty underwhelming, I expected some nice bonus damage on the skeletons, instead the weapon slowly heals me.
I didn't find the regular skeletons in the Catacombs to be much of an issue. The skeleton ninjas were a different story altogether however. They are part of a group of enemies in this game (Black Knights, Pontiff Knights, probably a few others I haven't seen yet) who seem to have nearly unlimited stamina to keep pulling off their lighting fast combos. The Souls games usually puts you and regular mobs on even ground as far as the rules go, but that thinking went out the window the first time I had a Pontiff Knight pull a 5-7 hit combo with no let-up.
@jjstraka34 I don't think they have unlimited stamina, it's just that stamina costs are way lower in this game. My Assassin can pull off 7 hit combos with a longsword with only 20-something End
Another issue (and maybe it's because I haven't upgraded mine, which I didn't even know you could do til a few days ago) is that I am never able to block two consecutive blows with a 100% shield without being broken, and often times even the first hit causes a mini-stagger. If stamina costs for attacks are low, they must be astronomical for blocking blows from harder enemies.
I guess I also miss being able to upgrade armor. If nothing else, it was something to spend excess low-level titanite on. I understand why they did away with it in Bloodborne, as it barely matters what you do with any stats in that game unless you are gunning for a mid-late game arcane build. It was meant to be simpler. But it seems like it wouldn't have hurt anything to keep it in. Then again, we're talking about a game whose poise mechanic isn't even functioning, and they seem to think it's almost amusing. There is sadistic streak in From Software to be sure. Reading their patch notes is proof, as they essentially give away nothing and basically dare players to go figure out what was changed.
Thanks for the tip. Now I just have to find/infuse a divine weapon.
just knock them down a second time, they'll not rise thrice. Blessed weapons are pretty underwhelming, I expected some nice bonus damage on the skeletons, instead the weapon slowly heals me.
Thanks for the info. I went back and tried this. I got pretty far. Then I went back and took out the Crystal Sage just to see what would happen and happy day, I found an alternate path. I love that about these games that there are always new things to find.
Some more thoughts on Demon's Souls. After exploring most of 2-2 and 3-1, the big takeaway is that there aren't really many enemies compared to later games (or at least they seem less substantial ad have very easy to figure out AI). However, aside from the Forbidden Woods in Bloodborne, I can't remember any levels of the later games being this maze-like and generally confusing. Not to mention that 70% of the game takes place in dark or low-light areas. Navigating the levels thus far is the challenge of Demon's Souls imo. Only 1-2 (which was short) has even been close to straightforward thus far.
I just learned something quite interesting. If you ignore the chest in Firelink Shrine, you can obtain its contents in dark Firelink. This will cause the chest to become empty in the normal Firelink as well. Could the Firelink Shrine be something not unlike the Hunter's Dream, @jjstraka34 ?
Something is up with it, because Gundyr was supposed to link the fire in one age or another and failed. I've also heard that if you never talk to the DS2 handmaiden before going to Dark Firelink, then talk to her there first, when you go back to the real one she recognizes you. Dark Firelink is in the past, likely one where Gundyr was successful....
As for the Hunter's Dream and the Abandoned Workshop, the Dream is clearly a sort of "gift" from the Moon Presence in exchange for Gehrman ushering Hunters through to carry out it's will. The doll is a replacement for Maria, as it's clear she and Gehrman were responsible for what happened with Kos and the Fishing Hamlet, and they never forgave themselves....
The Fishing Hamlet was Byrgenwerth's first real field operation after discovering Ebrietas. Fishing Hamlet is a little misleading, as it was actually a whaling town. Kos, a great one of the sea, was either accidentally or purposely killed by the community, then washed up on shore. However, the parasites from her quickly infected the whole town, leading to an Insmouth situation and the worshipping of her as a god. She was still with child. Gehrman and Maria led a group of Hunters into the village when word of it reached Byrgenwerth. They slaughtered inhabitants and raided the skulls for eyes. Eventually they would have reached the dead God Kos, and likely slaughtered her Orphan offspring in an attempt to study the corpse. However, as a legitimate Great One, the Orphan was able to still exist in the Nightmare/Dream world, much like Mergo. Maria threw away her weapon and locked herself away in the Clocktower. Gehrman, tortured and having lost his love and partner, appeals to the Moon Presence, as he was the owner of one of the umbilical cords. When the Orphan of Kos is killed in the Nightmare, the Doll mentions a weight being lifted from Gehrman.
I haven't gotten to any of these fights, but this is the lore as I see it....
@jjstraka34 That's interesting that you think the Dark Firelink is in an alternate past where Gundyr succeeded in linking the fire. I was thinking more like Dark Firelink is the real firelink hidden by the King Oceiros because his son refused to link the fire. The Firelink Shrine we start at is some kind of "dream" firelink.
EDIT: This is mostly because Dark Firelink is connected with the world, while normal Firelink isn't.
Well I guess Gundyr could have either linked the fire or let it fade, regardless, his second incarnation is "Champion" for a reason, and there is game text that says his Iudex version was supposed to be a Lord of Cinder but was "late".
Also interesting, and likely why we never saw him again, is that in his world, Solaire is us. He succeeded in linking the fire, confirmed my Miyazaki himself.
The lore of 3 is so byzantine and up in the air that it's really almost impossible to get a good grip on yet, if ever. In retrospect, Dark Souls 1 seems like your average big-budget blockbuster, it's pretty easy to connect the dots. Bloodborne also has a comparatively easy puzzle to solve. 2 and 3 are just labyrinths of theories and speculation. I can't discern much of anything from Demon's Souls even though it's still very good. Sometimes I feel like it's a little amateurish and cribs alot more from classic D&D than the later titles....
there is game text that says his Iudex version was supposed to be a Lord of Cinder but was "late".
the champion version's soul says: "Once, a champion came late to the festivities, and was greeted by a shrine without fire, and a bell that would not toll. "
Ok, so maybe it is just one version and Dark Firelink really is just us doing some back to the future on Gundyr. But wouldn't that imply we've ALREADY gone back to the past to stop him?? Or maybe he didn't need to be stopped. But then why is the Pus of Man version greeting us initially?? Like I said, this is loopy stuff.....
@jjstraka34 The way I see it the first time we meet Gundyr is the second time he meets us, because we have already beat him once in his past before he became Iudex and before he became infected with the Pus of Man. It could also be that Ludleth is the one who linked the fire in Gundyr's stead, because from what I recall from dialogue Ludleth "willed" himself to kindle the fire instead of being destined to.
Comments
Blessed weapons are pretty underwhelming, I expected some nice bonus damage on the skeletons, instead the weapon slowly heals me.
I guess I also miss being able to upgrade armor. If nothing else, it was something to spend excess low-level titanite on. I understand why they did away with it in Bloodborne, as it barely matters what you do with any stats in that game unless you are gunning for a mid-late game arcane build. It was meant to be simpler. But it seems like it wouldn't have hurt anything to keep it in. Then again, we're talking about a game whose poise mechanic isn't even functioning, and they seem to think it's almost amusing. There is sadistic streak in From Software to be sure. Reading their patch notes is proof, as they essentially give away nothing and basically dare players to go figure out what was changed.
As for the Hunter's Dream and the Abandoned Workshop, the Dream is clearly a sort of "gift" from the Moon Presence in exchange for Gehrman ushering Hunters through to carry out it's will. The doll is a replacement for Maria, as it's clear she and Gehrman were responsible for what happened with Kos and the Fishing Hamlet, and they never forgave themselves....
The Fishing Hamlet was Byrgenwerth's first real field operation after discovering Ebrietas. Fishing Hamlet is a little misleading, as it was actually a whaling town. Kos, a great one of the sea, was either accidentally or purposely killed by the community, then washed up on shore. However, the parasites from her quickly infected the whole town, leading to an Insmouth situation and the worshipping of her as a god. She was still with child. Gehrman and Maria led a group of Hunters into the village when word of it reached Byrgenwerth. They slaughtered inhabitants and raided the skulls for eyes. Eventually they would have reached the dead God Kos, and likely slaughtered her Orphan offspring in an attempt to study the corpse. However, as a legitimate Great One, the Orphan was able to still exist in the Nightmare/Dream world, much like Mergo. Maria threw away her weapon and locked herself away in the Clocktower. Gehrman, tortured and having lost his love and partner, appeals to the Moon Presence, as he was the owner of one of the umbilical cords. When the Orphan of Kos is killed in the Nightmare, the Doll mentions a weight being lifted from Gehrman.
I haven't gotten to any of these fights, but this is the lore as I see it....
EDIT: This is mostly because Dark Firelink is connected with the world, while normal Firelink isn't.
Also interesting, and likely why we never saw him again, is that in his world, Solaire is us. He succeeded in linking the fire, confirmed my Miyazaki himself.
"Once, a champion came late to the festivities, and was greeted by a shrine without fire, and a bell that would not toll. "