One thing i will say is the DS1 intro is a master-class in introduction cinematics, simple, awesome, perfectly explains the basic framework of the world and myth.
One thing i will say is the DS1 intro is a master-class in introduction cinematics, simple, awesome, perfectly explains the basic framework of the world and myth.
Even though I have alot to accomplish in these games, the Dark Souls series, since I first started playing the first one a little over a year ago, has become one of my seminal gaming experiences, something that was previously only reserved for The first two Monkey Island games, A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening, Diablo 2, and the Infinity Engine.
Good read, though I highly doubt the intent is that meta. While it's filled with fantastic, grandiose sights and fights, I more than ever think that Dark Souls 3 is about nothing at all. This is especially enforced by recently playing alot of 1 and especially 2. There is a strict sense of you exploring and conquering Gwyn and Vendrick's fallen kindgoms. I never felt anywhere near the same sense of presence related to the Lothric Royal Family.
I don't really agree with that assessment of the DLC. I do think the DLC is meant to give the series a sendoff, and that's fine. I think reading into it that far is really reading far too much into it.
I also disagree that Dark Souls 3 has a lack of presence - the Lothric Royal Family is not as present as, say, Pontiff Sulyvahn, but there definitely is a presence and a story going on.
I don't really agree with that assessment of the DLC. I do think the DLC is meant to give the series a sendoff, and that's fine. I think reading into it that far is really reading far too much into it.
I also disagree that Dark Souls 3 has a lack of presence - the Lothric Royal Family is not as present as, say, Pontiff Sulyvahn, but there definitely is a presence and a story going on.
Well I agree that Sulyvahn and Aldritch are the main story thrust, but that ends halfway through. It's a long side-quest that just so happens to have nothing to do with your end goal. Come to think of it, the stuff and areas involving Aldritch and Sulyvahn are the most explicitly Bloodborne-esque of the entire game, and as such give off a straight horror vibe that doesn't exist in the rest of the game.
Sulyvahn seemed kind of boring to me and his visual design (apart from being a dual wielding light-sabre thing) didn't inspire.
I also was unusually dissapointed that the additional children of Gwyn didn't carry on that cute naming convention (Gwyndolin, Gwynevere).
DS3 felt too much like an arbitrary 'best hits of popular NPCs from demon souls and Dark souls, the popular boss fights repeated) rather then being unique and interesting itself, I still don't really understand why a copy of Seigmeyer is around, or a copy of Andre and karla (Cough Yuria) wasn't interesting at all.
DS3 had the most polished combat, but even there DS2 had the biggest wackiest variety of weapons, armor and spells.
I don't really agree with that assessment of the DLC. I do think the DLC is meant to give the series a sendoff, and that's fine. I think reading into it that far is really reading far too much into it.
I also disagree that Dark Souls 3 has a lack of presence - the Lothric Royal Family is not as present as, say, Pontiff Sulyvahn, but there definitely is a presence and a story going on.
Well I agree that Sulyvahn and Aldritch are the main story thrust, but that ends halfway through. It's a long side-quest that just so happens to have nothing to do with your end goal. Come to think of it, the stuff and areas involving Aldritch and Sulyvahn are the most explicitly Bloodborne-esque of the entire game, and as such give off a straight horror vibe that doesn't exist in the rest of the game.
Well I mean it's not just Sulyvahn and Aldrich, I think. But Aldrich is not a sidequest that has nothing to do with your end goal. He's one of the Lords of Cinder, after all.
I agree that section is pretty Bloodborne, though. One of the things I like about it.
Anyway, I mean we get a lot of information about the Watchdogs of Farron while going through the zones associated with Farron Keep, and there's definitely a story behind Yhorm as well (the Profaned Capital is also kind of Bloodborne + kind of Demon's Souls).
I felt the Profaned Capital was sort of truncated as an area. That and the Demon Ruins (for the second time). I actually think the Demon Ruins in DS3 is probably the worst area in the whole series, especially the squared indoor area.
Don't get me wrong, it is a great game. Iudex Gundyr is by far my favorite opening boss. The set pieces, especially Rosaria and Filianore, are beautifully obscene and grotesque. I'm not sure any game ever has more visually epic boss battles. It's just becoming my least favorite.
@vanatos Wasted potential for sure. Where many people claim she is the Bed of Chaos, I am of the opinion that we never saw her: "The Witch of Izalith attempted to duplicate the First Flame from a soul, but instead created a distorted being of chaos and fire. Its power formed a bed of life which would become the source of all demons, and is more than enough to satiate the Lordvessel."
There is no indication in the game that she became the BoC, but it was an early lore theory which took off massively.
@jjstraka34 Demon ruins worse than Lost Izalith? Come on.
The Demon Ruins is worse than Izalith for two reasons. #1 is the general Ankor Watt atmosphere in the first game #2 is that they didn't have time to finish it, and I can give a pass on that. I can't grant the same pass for the same area twice. The inside corridors of The Demon Ruins in 3 are really, really bad.
The Bed of Chaos is certainly the Witch, because even without any other exposition, you fight Nito and Seath while on your quest yo get the great souls. It's true she might not BE the Bed of Chaos, but the Bed of Chaos is what stands in her place.
Yeah, like the four lord souls do not necessarily map to the original four souls. For one thing, you don't need the Dark Soul to finish the game and Seath's and the Four Kings' souls were bequeathed.
That said, the Bed of Chaos and Gravelord Nito each drop actual lord souls, rather than bequeathed souls. It's ambiguous as to whether the Bed of Chaos is the Witch of Izalith or a creation of hers, but it is not ambiguous that the soul is definitely the original lord soul the Witch of Izalith found in the first flame.
Continuing to delve into my run of Dark Souls 1 after applying some of these fixes to makes the game run smoother. Can confirm that both the Gargoyle breath attack and the Gaping Dragons crawl attack, which both used to lock the frames to 15 fps, both held steady at 30 (I also managed to cut off the Gaping Dragon's tail for the first time, hefty Strength requirements on that bad boy). Furthermore, Blighttown, which always ran better on PC but had trouble spots (especially when looking at long vistas and angles and near the entrance to the Great Hollow) runs at 30 all the way through. At this point I expect the only real trouble spots to POSSIBLY be the Sif fight and I'm certain Seath's crystal attack will still cause some measure of a drop, but we'll see. Other than that, it is very possible to get Dark Souls running smoothly on even a mediocre graphics card.
Here is the video with the most pertinent information, the DSfix rundown for how to get things running as optimally as possible start at about the 3:00 mark:
Today I learned that in Dark Souls 2 you can be invaded while hollow.
Also I learned that apparently it is possible to invade someone with 6,000 soul memory while also being equipped with the simpleton's ring. I mean technically the agape ring could be obtained with ~35,000 soul memory so it's not outside the realms of possibility, buuuut I am dubious given everything you have to do to access the simpleton's ring.
Today I learned that in Dark Souls 2 you can be invaded while hollow.
Also I learned that apparently it is possible to invade someone with 6,000 soul memory while also being equipped with the simpleton's ring. I mean technically the agape ring could be obtained with ~35,000 soul memory so it's not outside the realms of possibility, buuuut I am dubious given everything you have to do to access the simpleton's ring.
It is Souls acquired, not spent, so there is no possible way someone could have gotten to Brume Tower while amassing only 6000 Souls. The only explanation I have for that is that someone dropped it for that person in a Co-op situation.
You can be invaded at any time, and there are places where even the usual items that would prevent it don't work (The Belfrys, the Grave of Saints and Doors of Pharos). I also got invaded today, but in the very beginning of Sen's Fortress. I happened to have Power Within in my spell slot, and was simply wielding a +3 Astora's Straight Sword. I simply cast the spell, and the guy was dead in 3 hits. I haven't been invaded much in any of the games simply because I rarely ever actually use my Humanity or Embers, but I find I have a higher than 50% winning percentage so far. Amazingly enough, the Dark Souls games are literally the ONLY games where I like PvP, and if you know me at all, that is saying quite a bit, as I despise it in nearly every other iteration.
Sorry for lack of clarity - I meant I was the one who had 6000 soul memory. I was invaded by someone wearing the Simpleton's Ring, which you could hypothetically get at 35,000 soul memory (30,000 to unlock the Agape Ring in Straid's inventory, then 5k more souls to buy it) and then play the rest of the game without earning any more souls. I'm just pretty dubious as to the likelihood of this happening. Or rather, I find it hard to reconcile the kind of player who'd go for such a challenge with the kind of player who likes to massively outgear their PVP opponents. Actually, I misread the matchmaking table and someone with 35,000 soul memory couldn't invade someone with 6,000 soul memory, because it's +4 (so tier 20 can invade 20-24, not 16-20).
Soul memory is also why I don't think it was likely to have been dropped in co-op, because they'd probably be outside each other's soul memory range. Tier 1-4 can co-op with tier 1 (which is what he'd need to be to invade me) and we're back to the dude getting to Brume Tower with such a small amount of soul memory.
Basically, this whole thing smells of fish. It's not that he beat me at PVP. Like I lose at PVP all the time. It's that he clearly had equipment that would be extremely difficult for someone who could invade tier 1 players to obtain.
Anyway, I was invaded twice by the same guy. Was annoying. I'll probably just go back to Dark Souls and finish that run instead of trying to make a sorcerer work in the Forest of Fallen Giants while dealing with highly twinked invaders.
This just in.....Smelter Demon is a son of a bitch. Here is a fight were three things are working against you. #1 his initial swing is so delayed that it is very easy to get caught in it, and if he combos you twice, you're in big trouble because.....#2 there is very little time to heal in this fight, if you get an opening, you have to choose to attack or heal, you simply can't do both, and #3 the constant damage he is putting out will eventually force you to heal, and the size of the room causes the best strategy (to hug his right side and dodge) to fall apart if the your camera lock-on goes away.
It also doesn't help when the same person invades you 3 times, once getting in a back stab as I entered the fog gate, which ends the animation.
Comments
https://www.reddit.com/r/darksouls3/comments/62cutp/spoilers_the_story_of_dark_souls_3s_dlc_or_why_i/
I also disagree that Dark Souls 3 has a lack of presence - the Lothric Royal Family is not as present as, say, Pontiff Sulyvahn, but there definitely is a presence and a story going on.
I also was unusually dissapointed that the additional children of Gwyn didn't carry on that cute naming convention (Gwyndolin, Gwynevere).
DS3 felt too much like an arbitrary 'best hits of popular NPCs from demon souls and Dark souls, the popular boss fights repeated) rather then being unique and interesting itself, I still don't really understand why a copy of Seigmeyer is around, or a copy of Andre and karla (Cough Yuria) wasn't interesting at all.
DS3 had the most polished combat, but even there DS2 had the biggest wackiest variety of weapons, armor and spells.
I agree that section is pretty Bloodborne, though. One of the things I like about it.
Anyway, I mean we get a lot of information about the Watchdogs of Farron while going through the zones associated with Farron Keep, and there's definitely a story behind Yhorm as well (the Profaned Capital is also kind of Bloodborne + kind of Demon's Souls).
Don't get me wrong, it is a great game. Iudex Gundyr is by far my favorite opening boss. The set pieces, especially Rosaria and Filianore, are beautifully obscene and grotesque. I'm not sure any game ever has more visually epic boss battles. It's just becoming my least favorite.
The Witch of Izalith was the most interesting Lord by far to me, so much wasted potential.
https://www.reddit.com/r/darksouls3/comments/63ivb4/fan_art_for_my_lady_s_painting_spoilers/
the First Flame from a soul, but instead
created a distorted being of chaos and fire.
Its power formed a bed of life which would
become the source of all demons, and is more
than enough to satiate the Lordvessel."
There is no indication in the game that she became the BoC, but it was an early lore theory which took off massively.
The Bed of Chaos is certainly the Witch, because even without any other exposition, you fight Nito and Seath while on your quest yo get the great souls. It's true she might not BE the Bed of Chaos, but the Bed of Chaos is what stands in her place.
That said, the Bed of Chaos and Gravelord Nito each drop actual lord souls, rather than bequeathed souls. It's ambiguous as to whether the Bed of Chaos is the Witch of Izalith or a creation of hers, but it is not ambiguous that the soul is definitely the original lord soul the Witch of Izalith found in the first flame.
Here is the video with the most pertinent information, the DSfix rundown for how to get things running as optimally as possible start at about the 3:00 mark:
Definitely could have used this advice for Dark Souls.
Also I learned that apparently it is possible to invade someone with 6,000 soul memory while also being equipped with the simpleton's ring. I mean technically the agape ring could be obtained with ~35,000 soul memory so it's not outside the realms of possibility, buuuut I am dubious given everything you have to do to access the simpleton's ring.
You can be invaded at any time, and there are places where even the usual items that would prevent it don't work (The Belfrys, the Grave of Saints and Doors of Pharos). I also got invaded today, but in the very beginning of Sen's Fortress. I happened to have Power Within in my spell slot, and was simply wielding a +3 Astora's Straight Sword. I simply cast the spell, and the guy was dead in 3 hits. I haven't been invaded much in any of the games simply because I rarely ever actually use my Humanity or Embers, but I find I have a higher than 50% winning percentage so far. Amazingly enough, the Dark Souls games are literally the ONLY games where I like PvP, and if you know me at all, that is saying quite a bit, as I despise it in nearly every other iteration.
Soul memory is also why I don't think it was likely to have been dropped in co-op, because they'd probably be outside each other's soul memory range. Tier 1-4 can co-op with tier 1 (which is what he'd need to be to invade me) and we're back to the dude getting to Brume Tower with such a small amount of soul memory.
Basically, this whole thing smells of fish. It's not that he beat me at PVP. Like I lose at PVP all the time. It's that he clearly had equipment that would be extremely difficult for someone who could invade tier 1 players to obtain.
Anyway, I was invaded twice by the same guy. Was annoying. I'll probably just go back to Dark Souls and finish that run instead of trying to make a sorcerer work in the Forest of Fallen Giants while dealing with highly twinked invaders.
Also, good show on your own PVP encounter.
It also doesn't help when the same person invades you 3 times, once getting in a back stab as I entered the fog gate, which ends the animation.