Dark Souls 2

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there's a frog in my snake oil
Ah ok, yep it sounds like I approach the close scrapping in a similar way, but if anything relying on the ultra-darty light loadout to get within range & out again. Not sure how long it'll keep working.

Have found the bastard sword but not really trialled it - says it's designed as two-hander (plus on cusp of my abils) and I was shielding myself from bosses at the time. Tried out a few of my pick ups at the end of sesh last night tho. Do love the varied stylings.

I'm thinking I'm gonna stay with swords ultimately, but the Dragonslayer staff does look kinda fun - ranged lightening bolt & works behind shield for some stabby-stabby. Looking forward to experimenting with some of the more out-there weapons
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A system of cells interlinked
All the big swords claim they are for two hands, but F that! just run the STR up to the minimum and start swingin! You defo want that Cloranthy ring from the first Pharos lock in Giants Forest though, or the big swords can be tough to manage. I generally have my shield in front of me in any new area, and the swords are just fine in one hand once abils are where they need to be. I tend to dump points into END a lot, though...A lot of people really like the Estoc for stabby play, and I run a Shotel in slot 3 if I run up against mobs or players with great shields. The Shotel R2 hit around shields! So many weapons and ways to use them! That spear sounds cool, I may have to try it, too!

Half the fun is trying out different things until you settle on something you like.
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“It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.” ― Thomas Sowell



The People's Republic of Clogher
Skeleton Lords - Gone!



Also met a very interesting npc, going by the name of Ray Winstone. Listening to his story makes me glad I killed another npc a few days ago...

...or does it?

EDIT - Interesting use of the Grocer's Apostrophe there by From. Interesting and wrong.

Skeleton Lords' Soul? There are loads of 'em!
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there's a frog in my snake oil
All the big swords claim they are for two hands, but F that! just run the STR up to the minimum and start swingin! You defo want that Cloranthy ring from the first Pharos lock in Giants Forest though, or the big swords can be tough to manage. I generally have my shield in front of me in any new area, and the swords are just fine in one hand once abils are where they need to be. I tend to dump points into END a lot, though...A lot of people really like the Estoc for stabby play, and I run a Shotel in slot 3 if I run up against mobs or players with great shields. The Shotel R2 hit around shields! So many weapons and ways to use them! That spear sounds cool, I may have to try it, too!

Half the fun is trying out different things until you settle on something you like.
Yep totally rocking the endurance ring, helps loads. (Weight load def makes a big difference too on recovery - plus there's something funny about attacking giants in bare feet )

I sold one armour-piercing thruster because its base hit was so weak. Don't think it was the Estoc. Can't bring myself to dump things like the rapier though, as they're just so daft (& I'm still tempted by learning parries etc).

I do get a touch put off by uber-silly stuff. Like some of the parry stuff not looking very believeable. And a ginormous sword I picked up in the Wharf which disappears into the ground when you roll. (But hey, if I can swat unbelieveable monsters with it I'll probably forgive it its sins )



there's a frog in my snake oil
The scamps!

The messages & blood are cool when you're stumped, but lord they do talk out of their holes a lot

Do love how the online overlays make you feel less alone in your struggle / more part of an active world tho. It's also funny when there's a massive load of blood splatter near an entrance, and when you finally brave it it's just one scraggly foe. (I avoided the map basement in the hub building for ages, because he said not to venture down there and the map was awash with blood. Plus there was A LOT of ominous noise going on - like some kind of death horse. Turns out it was the piglets above ground )



A system of cells interlinked
Taccy: Lords were fun, but did you go the other direction in Copse, going over the wooden bridge above the second fire? The run is tough, because you aggro these brutal enemies that jump down from on top of poles they are clinging to. Then you get to the second boss... Good luck!



The People's Republic of Clogher
I found the Lords surprisingly easy - Just offed the witches first then kited the skeletons into a couple of choke points where I slapped them with the Drangleic sword. My rolling skillz avoided Chorlton & The Wheelies and I was able to get them in their transform animations.

Dark Souls 3 leaked preview:




A system of cells interlinked
Yeah, I one-shotted the Lords fight - seemed like a mid-level mini boss to me. The other boss in the big round place? Not so easy...until you figure him out, that is...and like I said, the run is TOUGH, with 4-5 fast, agile, hard-hitting mobs that killed me quite a few times. They aren't to bad to deal with, but you have to be mistake free or they punish you, big time.



there's a frog in my snake oil
Phew, beat the beast with two backs at Wharf on the first go thankfully. Didn't particularly wanna go on another torch run through there, even with the shortcut. There is loot in them there walls tho I'm told.

*EDIT* The grind to refight bosses does feel a bit like GTA4's redrives to missions at times, which is fine so long as the journey is diverting and emergent, but can see it being a pain if you hit a long road to an Uber boss. Does add to the challenge tho for sure!!

Seds on the Cathedral ring, did you mean the binding one out front? If so yep that's a beaut! If not have turned it over and can't find any hidden caches. Did manage some coop support tho, so I'm in the clan (Which is cool, as I didn't want to think I'd aced the slayer purely by being overpowered ). Haven't been summoned to repel invasions yet but sounds fun



there's a frog in my snake oil
I got those three bastards

I offer as evidence: this shield, in this wall...



Did the same get one / wait for the rest to come up / drop while they're mid-move then patiently finish on floor. Their purely physical attacks def made it 'easier' . (Had to wipe out the build up section tho, or at least that's what ended up happening with me too!)

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Seds just found the dark-swinging staff guys in the Copse. See what you mean. Do-able but they've got a kick to them.

Holding off on what looks like the final Bastille boss for a bit - mainly coz that statue blocking the nearest fireplace suggests trouble somehow...



A system of cells interlinked
No more bosses in Lost Bastille! However, there is an optional boss in the Belfry. Keep in mind it's a PVP zone, and invasions will happen! You need a Pharros stone to access that area, though... Otherwise, it's off to the Sinner's Rise, which is right next to the Bastille.

RE: Boss runs - Yep, all part of the DS experience. No saving just outside a boss door to repeat the fight over and over. Gotta make it there in good shape!

Meanwhile, I just got to an area that is absolutely spectacular! The last few areas have all been really well done. While DS1 had super strong start and middle sections with the level design and art sort of falling off a bit towards the end, this game seems to get stronger as you go along.



The People's Republic of Clogher
Had a little break from DS2 - Spectacle fighters have been calling.

A word of warning on the new Xbox pad - The bumpers are in an awful position and you've got to press them with the inside of your index finger knuckle to get the best out of them. Weird, but then again the bumpers on the 360 pad aren't great for Dark Souls either.

They seem to have copied the scheme from the PS3, which generally uses R1 and L1 for combat and they're in a much more natural position.



there's a frog in my snake oil
No more bosses in Lost Bastille! However, there is an optional boss in the Belfry. Keep in mind it's a PVP zone, and invasions will happen! You need a Pharros stone to access that area, though... Otherwise, it's off to the Sinner's Rise, which is right next to the Bastille.
Arg! The Belfry, being bested by 'Bruce Lee' and his fists (or 'The Mistress of the Dance' and her knife parries!), or getting gang-gouged by a flock of dragon gargoyles!

Arg, Sinner's Rise, mutated beasts dragging themselves towards me with painful inevitability, before a troll in need of an optician dances me to death!

Arg, the Copse and those blinking dark-staffed bastards!

Yep, found 'em - they've made for a tough session

On the plus side I reckon the Sinner is do-able. Have been kiting the mutants into the upraised lift well, just takes a while. And his lock-break isn't a deal breaker - I just need to be more patient. (Plus I've got a feeling he's fairly unarmoured - so might try the whip I've found).

As for the gargoyles etc. Fuuuuuuck, think maybe I need to level up. (Although weirdly I went the longest without damage when they were in a big group. They seemed to cluster and focus on fire-breathing etc).

Originally Posted by Seds
Meanwhile, I just got to an area that is absolutely spectacular! The last few areas have all been really well done. While DS1 had super strong start and middle sections with the level design and art sort of falling off a bit towards the end, this game seems to get stronger as you go along.
That is good to know. Because the bowels I've been clambering through having been making me hark back to prettier realms....


...And had me reciting 'It is a pretty game, it is a pretty game'. I may start calling it my precious soon



A system of cells interlinked
I have started switching up my gear a bit so I can use the Mastodon Greatsword +10. With the elemental imbue, It is doing about +30 more damage than my Claymore +10 elemental. I miss the thrust already, but the reach is a bit better, and gotta love that damage! I think I will need to switch back and forth quite a bit anyway depending on what sort of enemies I am fighting. The Mastodon is pretty damn heavy too, so i can't wear my maxed out Drangleic Armor when I use it, instead using the Faraam set, which I still need to level from +8 to +10...




there's a frog in my snake oil
I'm thinking I need to up my reach, but options like the Drangy sword etc do impact on my 'barefoot warrior' style with their added weight. Plus the swing seems pretty delayed with my current stats. (And the way the Drang sword hangs in midair after first strikes as if it's going to thrust is just a teeease! )

Plus I've finally figured out where the thrust is on the firesword - the roll move, which is dead useful. Bit stamina-heavy & hit-n-miss for boss fights though.

Got some other fun kit I want to play around with, but they all seem a bit situation-limited. The dualblades look ace for group combat when two-handed, but a bit low on base attack even with the multi-contacts, and kinda all-or-nothing. Also picked up Richard's Rapier on a kamikazee run down an acid Copse cave, which has a hilarious flurry move for it's strong attack (but has like zip durability). I still have a tendency to panic with targeted weapons tho, so will prob dual use it if anything. I tend to fall back on wild swings when mobbed



A system of cells interlinked
Some people just LOVE Ricard's Rapier... and I see it frequently in PVP. I can't get onto it for some reason, even though the move set is pretty slick.

The Drangleic sword is just a wee bit shorter than the other great swords, and it has a swing that feels kind of weird to me. I am such a Claymore person! Seems best for stun-locking with just the R1 attack...then end with a thrust R2 for extra damage! Drangleic is a Twinkling Titanite weapon too, which seem to fall off at the higher levels.

The Claymore hitboxes just seem to be the best of that size sword, with a nice wide arc, good dead-angling, and a thrust that feels like a spear.



there's a frog in my snake oil
Oo I didn't realise the Claymore has both 'panic swing' & precision strike That plus the hitboxes / reach does sound very tempting. Will def be looking out for it