Dark Souls III: Witty Title Pending

[ZeltArruin]

I got level 86 with 40 Dexterity and Endurance and a winged spear +15. So I don't really know what to do with my souls anymore. Is it worth to upgrade armor? I wear Eastern Armor with Gargoyle Helm and the Wanderers hands and feet, which is okay but I still hope to find better stuff in the archives and demon ruins.

Any suggestions what to do?

Also, how do I deal with the dragon on the bridge? I got him down to just a little bit of health but then he flew away. He does seem to come back later but I'd rather not keep spending 5 minutes shoting arrows over and over to see how exactly he behaves.

Hp(vitality? vigor? whatever it's called), Strength, attunement if you like pyromancy/filthy magic. I find armor upgrades to be okay, some stuff becomes rather trivial, but against some things, they'll never matter. It can help you in PVP to have poise and defense, but ymmv.

[Temotei]

Also, how do I deal with the dragon on the bridge? I got him down to just a little bit of health but then he flew away. He does seem to come back later but I'd rather not keep spending 5 minutes shoting arrows over and over to see how exactly he behaves.

If you have the DLC, there's a dark magic spell that basically kills it in one casting if you're close enough.

If you don't cast/don't have the DLC, then either have amazing fire defense and kill it fast in melee or cheese it by shooting it for a long time in the tail.

I think past NG+ or NG++ it's almost impossible to survive its breath, so just use range or a few castings of that dark spell. Can't remember what it's called. It shoots a bunch of little dark things at the enemy in a cone.

[ZeltArruin]

If you have the DLC, there's a dark magic spell that basically kills it in one casting if you're close enough.

If you don't cast/don't have the DLC, then either have amazing fire defense and kill it fast in melee or cheese it by shooting it for a long time in the tail.

I think past NG+ or NG++ it's almost impossible to survive its breath, so just use range or a few castings of that dark spell. Can't remember what it's called. It shoots a bunch of little dark things at the enemy in a cone.

You're thinking of Dark Bead.

[Yora]

Horay, I finally did it. After 75 hours of playtime (plus 25 hours on a pyromancer) and 101 levels over about 2 years I finally finished the game.

Though I think I was really overleveled. I did the Ash Lake Hydra and Four Kings on first try and Ceaseless Discharge, Centipede Demon, Bed of Chaos, Nito, and Seath all with less than five.
My strategy for Ceasless Discharge was to stop dodging and just letting myself getting hit, stabbing back three times, and then healing. The whole thing three times and it was done.

A bit annoyed that I went through the trouble of farming a White Titanite Slab for an Occult Spear +5 and then seeing that my Winged Spear +15 does about three times as much damage to the final boss.

And what's up with the ending?

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This is more sparse than Half-Life 2!

[ZeltArruin]

And what's up with the ending?

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This is more sparse than Half-Life 2!

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Which ending?

[OldTrees1]

And what's up with the ending?

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This is more sparse than Half-Life 2!

Some of the meaning is conveyed by the detail that NG+ starts immediately. Your choice matters but not forever.

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If you light the first flame in the hope of ending the undead curse, the curse will be lifted for a time but the flame will weaken and fade once more. If you leave the first flame as it fades then eventually another will throw themselves into the first flame.

[Snowbluff]

Some of the meaning is conveyed by the detail that NG+ starts immediately. Your choice matters but not forever.

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If you light the first flame in the hope of ending the undead curse, the curse will be lifted for a time but the flame will weaken and fade once more. If you leave the first flame as it fades then eventually another will throw themselves into the first flame.

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There is a third ending to usurp the flame, which obviously solves nothing.

I avoided because I liked the turtle shell guy, but not Yuria. XD

[TechnOkami]

Some of the meaning is conveyed by the detail that NG+ starts immediately. Your choice matters but not forever.

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If you light the first flame in the hope of ending the undead curse, the curse will be lifted for a time but the flame will weaken and fade once more. If you leave the first flame as it fades then eventually another will throw themselves into the first flame.

This is the DSI endings they're talking about, not the DsIiI endings.

[Yora]

Some of the meaning is conveyed by the detail that NG+ starts immediately. Your choice matters but not forever.

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If you light the first flame in the hope of ending the undead curse, the curse will be lifted for a time but the flame will weaken and fade once more. If you leave the first flame as it fades then eventually another will throw themselves into the first flame.

Yeah, when I told my dad about the core mechanic of reviving and resetting the enemies he said it sounds like Groundhog Day. The game simply returning to the starting point to do the whole thing all over again fits very well with that.

I did the Undead Asylum after that to get to the Firelink Shrine and spend my souls and it was surprisingly easy. When I did NG+ in Demon's Souls the enemies were noticably tougher. This time I did the asylum demon without taking any damage and every wretched dies on the first hit. Seems a bit too easy right now.

[Fable Wright]

Yeah, when I told my dad about the core mechanic of reviving and resetting the enemies he said it sounds like Groundhog Day. The game simply returning to the starting point to do the whole thing all over again fits very well with that.

I did the Undead Asylum after that to get to the Firelink Shrine and spend my souls and it was surprisingly easy. When I did NG+ in Demon's Souls the enemies were noticably tougher. This time I did the asylum demon without taking any damage and every wretched dies on the first hit. Seems a bit too easy right now.

It will be easier until about Anor Londo, where the NG+ experience really starts.

[TechnOkami]

With time being as fluid as it is, it kind of is like groundhog day.

[OldTrees1]

This is the DSI endings they're talking about, not the DsIiI endings.

I was responding with the DS1 endings to a DS1 question.

[Yora]

Now that I've finished DS I got back to Bloodborne. And I've been wondering how much replayability there is in that game. There's no spells, no shields, and no heavy armor so really it seems to come down to only dex-damage fast dodger and strength-damage fast dodger as alternative character types. Is there any other kind of character customization beyond fast attack weapons and slow attack weapons?
It's fun, but if I play it a second time I'd like to play it differently.

[Fable Wright]

Now that I've finished DS I got back to Bloodborne. And I've been wondering how much replayability there is in that game. There's no spells, no shields, and no heavy armor so really it seems to come down to only dex-damage fast dodger and strength-damage fast dodger as alternative character types. Is there any other kind of character customization beyond fast attack weapons and slow attack weapons?
It's fun, but if I play it a second time I'd like to play it differently.

In my opinion, Bloodborne is the most enjoyable of the FromSoft games, hands-down, and it's the one I've replayed the most, at least.

In part because yes, there are spells in the form of Hunter Tools, which support a late-game Arcane build with elemental weapons and a lot of variety. In part because weapons are a lot more varied than just 'fast attack, slow attack'. The Whirligig Saw is an entirely different beast from the Kirkhammer, in turn vastly different from the Threaded Cane and the Holy Moonlight Sword. In part because leveling up your secondary attack stat (Arcane vs Bloodtinge) or going in on them as primary stats leads to a very interesting experience—the Chikage and Bloodletter are different from most weapons in the game, and you get access to the Evelyn in pvp and pve, which just shreds people.

Oh, and never forget the Runes. Oeden Write loadouts support a very different build than Clawmark/Beasthood ones, in turn different from generalist defenses, and really there's a lot of toggles and switches that make the whole fast dodger gameplay style incredibly customizable.

[TechnOkami]

I was responding with the DS1 endings to a DS1 question.

I meant to quote Snowbluff, because they mentioned a third ending that doesn't exist in Dark Souls 1.

Whoops on me.

[Yora]

In my opinion, Bloodborne is the most enjoyable of the FromSoft games, hands-down, and it's the one I've replayed the most, at least.

In part because yes, there are spells in the form of Hunter Tools, which support a late-game Arcane build with elemental weapons and a lot of variety. In part because weapons are a lot more varied than just 'fast attack, slow attack'. The Whirligig Saw is an entirely different beast from the Kirkhammer, in turn vastly different from the Threaded Cane and the Holy Moonlight Sword. In part because leveling up your secondary attack stat (Arcane vs Bloodtinge) or going in on them as primary stats leads to a very interesting experience—the Chikage and Bloodletter are different from most weapons in the game, and you get access to the Evelyn in pvp and pve, which just shreds people.

Oh, and never forget the Runes. Oeden Write loadouts support a very different build than Clawmark/Beasthood ones, in turn different from generalist defenses, and really there's a lot of toggles and switches that make the whole fast dodger gameplay style incredibly customizable.

Any place where I can find out what my options are? I think with purely trial and error I am unlikely to find out what actually works and what doesn't.

[Fable Wright]

Any place where I can find out what my options are? I think with purely trial and error I am unlikely to find out what actually works and what doesn't.

Options more or less boil down to the following:

1. Pick a primary attack stat (Strength, Skill, Arcane, Bloodtinge).
2. (Optional) Pick a secondary attack stat.
3. Find a weapon that fits your stats, and see if you like the moveset.
-For pure strength, your best options are the Beast Claws, Kirkhammer, Whirligig Saw (DLC), or Amygdalan Arm (DLC).
-For pure skill, your best options are Blade of Mercy, Burial Blade, Beasthunter's Saif (DLC), or Rakuyo (DLC).
-For strength/arcane, your options are Logarius's Wheel, Tonitrus, Holy Moonlight Sword (DLC), or Boomhammer (DLC).
-For strength/skill, your options are Ludwig's Holy Blade, Stake Driver, and all of the beginner weapons. This is the most versatile selection of attack styles and will have extremely high damage compared to other builds.
-For skill/arcane, you have no unique weapons, but the most versatility of any build.
-For strength/bloodtinge, you have the Bloodletter (DLC), and the Cannon/Church Cannon in your off hand.
-For skill/bloodtinge, you have the Chikage and Simon's Bowblade (DLC).
-For all bloodtinge builds, you have access to the Evelyn (very high off-hand damage for PvP and many PvE enemies).
-For pure arcane builds, you can convert any weapon (but probably Ludwig's Holy Blade, which has the best arcane scaling) to elemental or arcane damage with a gem found from a chalice dungeon (or one found relatively early in the main game if you know where to look), access to Blacksky Eye (DLC), Executioner's Gloves, and A Call Beyond (some of the best ranged PvE damage in the game). You also have access to the game's only off-hand crowd-control weapons (the Flamesprayer and Rosmarinus), but you will be building a glass cannon due to the fact that you want 70-99 Arcane stat, when other builds are fine breaking off at 50 and focusing on Endurance and Vitality.
-For builds that dip Arcane, you get Beast Roar (think Dark Souls force spells), Empty Phantasm Shell (Magic Weapon spell from DS), the Old Hunter Bone (better rolling at the cost of not really using other Quicksilver sinks during that fight), and a few other tertiary things like the Messenger's Gift (DS chameleon spell).
4. Put points in Endurance and Vitality for survivability to taste.

In general, when you're familiar with the game, Arcane builds hold the most versatility, flexibility, and tools... but finding all the various things in the nooks and crannies of the game is hard on an initial playthrough. Quality builds (aka Str/Skill) let you explore different weapon movesets with good damage across the board, at the cost of ignoring most of your tools and off-hand weapons. Anything else is just a matter of preference, really.

[ZeltArruin]

Options more or less boil down to the following:

Quality Info dump

Or just use the hunter axe, literally the best pve weapon in the game bar none. From 0 to +10, it will never let you down and you don't even need filthy dex to use it. Giant dad would be so proud!

[Fable Wright]

Or just use the hunter axe, literally the best pve weapon in the game bar none. From 0 to +10, it will never let you down and you don't even need filthy dex to use it. Giant dad would be so proud!

I dunno. My little brother tried the spin-to-win axe build, got bored and frustrated on a chalice dungeon, then stopped for a long while. He later tried an Arcane build when I showed him how to build it and where all of the important early-game tools were, and has a lot more fun. Fights were a lot easier for him, too. A pure-Str axe build is an option, sure, but it doesn't really show off all of the strengths and versatility of Bloodborne.

[ZeltArruin]

I dunno. My little brother tried the spin-to-win axe build, got bored and frustrated on a chalice dungeon, then stopped for a long while. He later tried an Arcane build when I showed him how to build it and where all of the important early-game tools were, and has a lot more fun. Fights were a lot easier for him, too. A pure-Str axe build is an option, sure, but it doesn't really show off all of the strengths and versatility of Bloodborne.

It trivialized boss mechanics and enemy mechanics for me. Then again, I came in to Bloodborne as my fourth souls borne game, so it was rather easy to begin with. That and I never use filthy magics.

[Rodin]

I think what the Axe gives you is ease + reliability. It's simply a solid all-around weapon, so while others can be murderous with the correct build the Axe is just more forgiving.

I also think that some of Bloodborne's Chalice dungeon bosses are tougher than any bosses from the series - particularly the Headless Bloodletting Beast and the stupid One-Hit-Kill Dog.

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On an unrelated note, I noticed something while replaying the games recently that I never noticed before. There are virtually NO bosses in all the games that use a shield.

Dark Souls 1 - no boss that I can think of.

Bloodborne - ditto, unless you count bosses with armor. Even then, that really only brings in Amygdala.

Dark Souls 3 - Dragonslayer Knight.

Dark Souls 2 - Has pretty much all of them. Looking Glass Knight, Dragonrider, the Ruin Sentinels, Fume Knight (uses his sword as a shield), Pursuer. Even there the number is tiny compared to the list of bosses.

I think it's a bit of a shame, really. I always look forward to the Looking Glass Knight because the fighting style is much different from the other bosses - you have to worry about getting in behind the shield rather than just the standard dodge-counter of the other bosses.

[Dienekes]

Well, Demon Souls had Tower Knight and Phalanx. But yeah, I think the games generally favor their bosses feeling aggressive, which shields kind of imply the opposite.

That said, Tower Knight, Looking Glass Knight, and Pursuer are very fun bosses. I don't really count Fume Knight as a shield boss, Dragonrider is a joke, and Ruin Sentinels and Phalanx are kind of boring.

[Fable Wright]

I think what the Axe gives you is ease + reliability. It's simply a solid all-around weapon, so while others can be murderous with the correct build the Axe is just more forgiving.

I also think that some of Bloodborne's Chalice dungeon bosses are tougher than any bosses from the series - particularly the Headless Bloodletting Beast and the stupid One-Hit-Kill Dog.

The axe is safe, but not very fun, and definitely not the weapon I want to mention as one that showcases the versatility of characters in Bloodborne. That said, you are absolutely right about the @#$%ing Bloodletting Beast. He's not even fun, visually engaging, or a boss that you have to plan around—he just turns the whole battle into a real-time turn-based combat system that's frustrating beyond measure, and has nonsensical hit-boxes. (How far does that arm move? How did that freaking slam hit me again?)

On an unrelated note, I noticed something while replaying the games recently that I never noticed before. There are virtually NO bosses in all the games that use a shield.

There is a good reason for that. Dark Souls is a game that wants you to win or lose fights relatively quickly due to the high death count for casual players, and having a lot of very defensive boss fights is inimical to that. Couple that with the fact that progress made on the boss's health bar is critical to keeping up new player's enjoyment of the game and acting as a reward system in the otherwise unforgiving fights, and you can see why From is careful with them. They're nice, but only because you don't fight that many of them. And aside from that, as a relatively casual Souls player, I really wouldn't want to fight someone like Champion Gundyr wearing a shield, and I strongly prefer the monster bosses with the creative designs and attack patterns to the vast majority of humanoid bosses regardless.

Also? They're few in number because they're a small subset of a category of a particular type of boss enemy. Humanoid, single-body, melee, non-transforming boss that happens to have a shield is just naturally going to exclude most bosses in the Soulsborne series just based on the number of divisions you made there. Except in Dark Souls 2, when each of those categories was a lot larger.

[Yora]

So I started Dark Souls 3. (Yay!) But I did groan a bit on my second attempt at the Crystal Sage when I realized that it's THAT boss fight. Again. For the third time. (Maybe there's one in DS2 as well.) The use of the blue arcane bolt spell seems like it might even be a nod to Demon's Souls.
I already thought it felt slightly cheap in DS1 with the Bell Gargoyle and Pinwheel being obviously recycled.

On the other hand, I find it quite charming to see some of the regular enemies returning. Like the Fat Officials or the poison cloud casters on the Road of Sacrifice. Seeing the red claw come over the ridge after raising the banner also brought me a smirk.

The one thing I am feeling unhappy with is that spears seem to suck in this game. I played Winged Spear plus 100% shield in Demon's Souls and Dark Souls 1, but the damage in this game seems awfully low. I also got the Astor Spear, but Winged Spear +3 seems to be already better than that.
What I do like is that there's a significant difference in attack speed when having the shield up or down. If there was a difference in the first two games it was nearly as noticable. Now it's a lot more shield up-shield down action during fights, which is nice, since it's very much a weapon combo to play it as safe as you can be.

Also, Siegbräu is my favorite item ever.

[Fable Wright]

The one thing I am feeling unhappy with is that spears seem to suck in this game. I played Winged Spear plus 100% shield in Demon's Souls and Dark Souls 1, but the damage in this game seems awfully low. I also got the Astor Spear, but Winged Spear +3 seems to be already better than that.

In Dark Souls 1, the spear was unquestionably the best PvE weapon in the game. In 3, they wanted players to diversify and be far more aggressive, so they balanced the defensive bonuses of the spear with limited offensive potential. Unfortunately, they got the balance wrong and the straight sword stunlock is far better, but it's a thought, right?

[Yora]

Towards the end both DS and BB got stupidly easy. With the exception of Gerhman I managed five of the sixt last bosses in BB on first try. Even Moon Presence after wasting most of my blood vials on Gerhman. I also did Four Kings on first and Nito on third. Level 90+ with maxed out weapon is too easy. Fighting with a bit of a handicap might not even be that bad.

[Fable Wright]

Towards the end both DS and BB got stupidly easy. With the exception of Gerhman I managed five of the sixt last bosses in BB on first try. Even Moon Presence after wasting most of my blood vials on Gerhman. I also did Four Kings on first and Nito on third. Level 90+ with maxed out weapon is too easy. Fighting with a bit of a handicap might not even be that bad.

Moon Presence and Mergo's Wet Nurse are jokes, Micolash is only ever a problem if he gets off A Call Beyond, and The One Reborn is pretty trivial if you kill the bell maidens first, and not that horrible if you don't. If Celestial Emissary was one of the last six you talked about, then yeah, it's unquestionably the easiest boss in the game and only there for lore reasons. That said, while they are weaker bosses, the Bloodborne main game* was designed to close out around level 70-80 or so for DS veterans. The games might be easier at the end because you overlevel, but that's a matter of personal preference.

*The DLC bosses are a challenge more or less regardless of your level, and the easily-missed Ebrietas hits hard enough to challenge you at a higher level than most bosses.

[Yora]

Best Dark Souls boss fight video I've seen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XZ92NMGhj8#t=15m47s

[TechnOkami]

Best Dark Souls boss fight video I've seen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XZ92NMGhj8#t=15m47s

I... guess? I dunno, the Gaping Dragon is, like, THE easiest boss in the whole game... it's stuff is easy to dodge, its windows of attacking it are huge... eh.

[TechnOkami]

So, a friend of mine and I played through the new DS 3 DLC.

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Did anyone else feel like it was short? Because we completed it twice technically with our playthroughs, and it still felt short to the both of us.

Personally, I think it's to represent the tightly confined space of the painting, but it still felt really short.

Also, HOLY SH!T LORE BATMAN