Dark Souls III: Witty Title Pending

[Rodin]

Huzzah! Just managed to kill Sinh and obtain the crown. On NG+, no less. Cost me a total of about 15 Human Effigies and 700 lightning arrows/bolts, but the great ugly beast finally fell.
Now I think I'm ready for the new expansion, although I still have to defeat the trio. I'm not used to PvP, so this battle is nearly impossible for me to solo, and I can't find any summons near the boss door.

Most of the summons I found were actually by the entrance where the NPC summons are. May be helpful to try there.

That said, the pair of summons I got that finally allowed me to beat those guys were outside the boss door, so...

[JabberwockySupafly]

I started playing the new DLC last night, and while I haven't been too far into it as of yet (stupid work/life commitments) I have to say I like the feel of this one a lot better than the last one, and even a bit more than the main game. The layout and style of progression reminds me a lot of Demon's Souls so far, specifically the Tower of Latria, and that's a good thing.

Haven't run into anything ridiculous or 'unfair' so far, and the enemies/traps/etc feel pretty balanced. I might start farming for the Ashen Warrior sword shortly, since I like the look of the moveset. The low durability has me a bit concerned, though.

[Morty]

How is the DLC area accessed, and how high a level should you be to enter it? I'm considering buying it, and wondering which of my characters could get there.

[Surrealistik]

You can do it at SL150.

It's also definitely worth the money.


Also Monastery Scimitar got nerfed; no more instant parries. Good; frees up a slot on my build for a shield.

Precise numbers on the recent (and needed) backstab and riposte nerf: http://www.reddit.com/r/DarkSouls2/c...critical_nerf/

Unfortunately the UGS weapons were given additional ticks of riposte damage in the process for some reason, so I'll be switching from Malformed Skull to Curved Dragon Greatsword for my swap in riposte instakiller. As an incidental bonus, this allows me to x-fer some more Str to Dex.

[TechnOkami]

You knowledge and ability to adapt with how quickly the meta shifts makes me wonder how many Soul Vessel's you go through to keep on top of it all with an optimized build.

[Surrealistik]

It's surprisingly not all that much; basically 1 SV whenever a major patch/calibration comes out that materially impacts a build. Most of my builds are also theorycrafted in a spreadsheet ahead of time before I commit to them in game, and are then usually tweaked a couple of times after playtesting.

I think Tokyo Dickdrift has only been tweaked once (outside of patches/calibrations) in order to accommodate power stanced Old Whips, because they really are worth using on an as needed basis.

[Morty]

You can do it at SL150.

It's also definitely worth the money.

Well, actually, my SL150 character got moved to NG+, and it seems that the entrance to the DLC area is located behind Rotten's lair. I just beat the Rotten with my currently ~SL90 character. Will he survive down there?

[Surrealistik]

SL150 is definitely enough to survive, but whether your character does depends on your build and your own abilities.

[Rodin]

Well, actually, my SL150 character got moved to NG+, and it seems that the entrance to the DLC area is located behind Rotten's lair. I just beat the Rotten with my currently ~SL90 character. Will he survive down there?

The first DLC I did starting at SL 85. I was even a bit lower than that when I first attempted it - I think I went in to begin with at SL 50-60 or so, but found that I was a bit under-leveled as the DLC went on. SL 85 was fine (if tough), but I didn't wind up beating the bosses at that level - that honor went to my much higher level Havelbro.

[Morty]

Hmm. Well, I can't really buy any DLC right now, anyway, but I guess I'll buy Crown of the Sunken King when I have the chance.

[Rodin]

The new DLC seems to be similar to the last one in terms of preparedness level - it's just about possible at SL100-ish, but 150 makes things soooo much easier.

Just beat the first boss with my usual tactic - summon another player, realize that the boss is only and always focusing me, and run around screaming for the entire fight while they hack freely at the things back.

I actually had a Mirror Knight fight where I think I never even swung my hammer. Just sat there and tanked with Havel's Shield for the entire fight.

[Snowbluff]

Hmm. Well, I can't really buy any DLC right now, anyway, but I guess I'll buy Crown of the Sunken King when I have the chance.

I haven't even had time to finish the first. D:

[SKarious]

Well, I managed to clear the Sunken King DLC with a soul level of about 190 on NG+, and I'm not very good at this game, so it's definitely possible. Just make sure you pack a lot of lifegems and poison moss.

[TechnOkami]

I haven't even had time to finish the first. D:

But... that is the first DLC. :I

[Morty]

Turns out you can get summoned into the DLC areas even if you do not have them yourself, which is surprising and nice. We went in bravely, fought some calcified fighters, but then died in the boss fight, which is actually against three human fighters. Now I'll try getting summoned into the other DLC.

[SKarious]

Any of you PvP masters here can give me some advice on dealing with Maldron the Assassin in the new DLC?
My basic buid: lots of strength, Vitality, Endurance, with a bit of Pyromancy for support.
Weapons: Mace, Halberd/Lucerne, Havel shield, warmth/toxic mist/ some kind of fireball.
Don't be afraid to give even basic tips - I probably don't know them.

[Rodin]

Any of you PvP masters here can give me some advice on dealing with Maldron the Assassin in the new DLC?
My basic buid: lots of strength, Vitality, Endurance, with a bit of Pyromancy for support.
Weapons: Mace, Halberd/Lucerne, Havel shield, warmth/toxic mist/ some kind of fireball.
Don't be afraid to give even basic tips - I probably don't know them.

I cheated. I cleared the ash demon at the bottom on one life, then went back and after Maldron runs away I went down and took out the archer before leaping to the ledge in the middle. Then I shot Maldron to death with my crossbow.

[Tome]

Any of you PvP masters here can give me some advice on dealing with Maldron the Assassin in the new DLC?
My basic buid: lots of strength, Vitality, Endurance, with a bit of Pyromancy for support.
Weapons: Mace, Halberd/Lucerne, Havel shield, warmth/toxic mist/ some kind of fireball.
Don't be afraid to give even basic tips - I probably don't know them.

I tag teamed him with the phantom I was doing the DLC with. We both used large weapons (Smelter Hammer in my case) and kept pancaking him every time he got up.

Beyond that the same rule that applies to everything else in the DLC, and Dark Souls in general, applies; Don't get greedy. If you overextend yourself he can really punish you with that charge attack of his.

[Surrealistik]

He's a dumb NPC; go for backstabs (like PCs, he's very punishable when he misses with a lance charge)/ripostes or spam ranged attacks when he runs.


Loving Fire Snake; not sure if I like it more than Forbidden Fun on my build, but it is _definitely_ one of the best Pyros in the game up there with Sun and Great Combustion. Comes out relatively fast and has a huge tracking hitbox while hitting for excellent damage. Especially good vs gank squads as it tends to score multihits when they come at you aggressively (which is most of the time).

Probably my biggest complaint is that it doesn't come with residual chip damage fire fields.

[TechnOkami]

I still don't have either DLC D:

[Morty]

I managed to beat Velstadt with only the Grave Warden's help in just two tries. Not bad, I suppose, especially since I decided to throw caution to the wind and wear armour for its looks - I'm wearing the Insolent Helmet, Creighton's Mail, Vengarl's Gauntlet and Drangleic Boots. I think this character is quite ready for the DLC if I decide to buy it.

[Surrealistik]

My bleed build:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...a0I5bVE#gid=19

http://gamehubbs.com/darksouls2/builds/21943

Really have a lot of fun with this one; feels like a fast, aggressive ninja, and plays like one; bleed someone out and keep up the pressure. I think it might stand to benefit from some tweaking, but thus far, I'm really happy with it; typically procs bleed in 2-3 hits, which happens extremely quickly via dual bandit daggers/notched whips that it can swing for days while still having plenty of stamina to roll and backstep.

[Snowbluff]

Isn't there a reaper weapon with such a strong bleed that it will bleed on 1 hit?

[Surrealistik]

You're probably thinking about the Full Moon Sickle; though it does feature the most bleed of any weapon in the game with the bleed infusion, it's only slightly more than the Notched Whip, and I can't see it bleeding instantly even with Crest of Blood and Shadow Gauntlets unless your target basically has no resist.

Beyond that, like most Reapers, it's pretty unwieldy and slow, especially when contrasted with dual Bandit Knives backed by a Stone Ring that are preempting and hit stunning your opponent from full to zero. Notched Whip I pack because it has even more bleed than the daggers, is unparryable, and has superb range which combines amazingly with SR's added stopping power; a 45 poise damage weapon with more range than the Dragonslayer/Stone Spear; nuff said.

[SKarious]

Is bleed of any use in PvE? Are there any tough enemies or bosses vulnerable to it? I don't remember causing a single boss to bleeed.

[Surrealistik]

I think a couple might be immune.

I know you can bleed out Vendrick; it only takes a couple of hits with the right weapons/gear. If you're really going to rock bleed, you need the Crest of Blood, Shadow Gauntlets, and a fast bleed weapon (Falchion, Notched Whip, or Bandit Daggers) that are either Raw or Bleed infused.

The calculation for Bleed btw, is as follows:

You need to accumulate 1000 points of Bleed before it triggers, so:

1000 / ( X * ( 1 - Y / 1000 ) )

Where:

1. X is the sum of a weapon's bleed value and all Bleed bonuses (Bleed BNS, Shadow Gauntlets, etc)
2. Y is the total bleed resistance of your opponent

Example:

Assumptions:

1. Weapon is a +10 Bleed Bandit's Knife
2. Shadow Gauntlets is assumed. (+60 to innate Bleed + Bleed infusion weapons, +50 to innate Bleed, +25 to infused Bleed)
3. Crest of Blood is assumed. (+60 to innate Bleed and Bleed infusion weapons, +50 to innate Bleed, +25 to infused Bleed)
4. Bleed BNS is 135
5. Enemy bleed resistance is 250 (it will usually be somewhere between 200-300; builds with *extreme* bleed resist will be around 350-400, but they're outliers).

1000/((143+135+60+60)*(1-250/1000)) = ~3.35 (4) or 4 hits until you inflict Bleed.

Notched Whips with the same assumptions:

1000/((200+135+50+50)*(1-250/1000)) = 3.037 (4) or 4 hits until you inflict Bleed.

[Snowbluff]

Does bleed just do a chunk of damage to bosses?

[Surrealistik]

Pretty sure bleed procs deal a flat 200 damage not adjusted by anything else in PvE.

[Snowbluff]

Meh.

You know what would be cool? If enemies had stamina bars. That way, even if it does little damage, it would force a boss to slow down or something.

[TechnOkami]

Meh.

You know what would be cool? If enemies had stamina bars. That way, even if it does little damage, it would force a boss to slow down or something.

And make the game easier? Blasphemy! I say this knowing full well that they added those non-estus healing gems which made healing so much easier. There wasn't quite as bad as an early game healing deprivation as there was with DS I.