Dark Souls 2

Butterflies? Seriously? And you can kill them?

Oops... I figured it was some massive giant taking a leak so would sprint past as quickly as I could.

EDIT - Yeah, I kite the pole guys too. You've got to basically just round that corner and do nothing until the first guy aggros - a foot further forward and I had them all on me.

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"Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how the Tatty 100 is done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves." - Brendan Behan

I got fired up a bit trying to get past those guys... and then i started rushing...and that certainly didn't help. The worst part is that the boss fight is cryptic at first, so you will definitely be running by those guys a few times until you figure out the fight...

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Just about done!

I am just finishing up the final memory (don't ask), and just have the final boss left. As is my usual Pre-NG+ routine, I am running around buying up the last miracles, pyros, leveling all my gear to max, and making sure I collect all the extra goodies. Then I remember getting trolled at Belfry Sol, so i ported over, cleared the mobs, and waited for those nasty invaders to appear so I could taste sweet, sweet revenge. An invader spawns, and I wait on the rooftop for him to get settled and I pop a Great Magic Barrier, just in case. Of course, it;s a dude in full Havels Gear with dual crossbows and magic. I have trouble closing on these guys sometimes, so i quickly back up and over the peak of the belfry, hoping he will make the mistake of charging at me, which of course he does. As soon as he emerges I let loose with a 4 hit Claymore combo and then roll to the side. He fire a hex of some sort but I manage to avoid it by rolling into him, quickly getting another 4-hitter off. Now he is in trouble, at about 15% HP. I try to stay close but he drops a hex that staggers me hard and starts drilling me with crossbow bolts. At this point, I see another invader rise up in the spawn area and get the invasion message again. Great - now there are two of them, but art least this second guy looks like he isn't as well armored. I double roll back over the roof peak, and the Havel guy has to run over to get a bead on me again - Whoops! He should have chugged at that point, which would have insured a win, i think. Instead, roll into him with a Claymore thrust and it;s just enough to take him down - 1 down!

The next guy has a dagger and miracles, so I get him to commit with a combo, which misses, and once I stagger him with the clay, he never breaks the lock and down he goes, as well!

Revenge! Take that, Bell Brothers!!

Before beating the last boss, I will spend some time enjoying the PVP aspects, after which I will flip it all over and head on back to the beginning, with new content, harder difficulty, and more powerful items unlocked!

Great game. Not quite as groundbreaking and ingenious as DS1, but still a top notch experience.

Sheet for my toon:

http://gamehubbs.com/darksouls2/builds/5635

This planner has some issues, so keep in mind that the Claymore is actually +10 Lightning Infused, the Priest's Chime is +10 Lightning Infused, and all the armor is maxed out to either +10 or +5 depending on type. All the damage values should be way higher, but this gives an idea of the look and style of my character.

I just did my cheeky rejig last night. But foolishly forgot to check how my loadout looked pre 'op', or to equip it all mid-change so I could see the alterations live. D'oh!

I thiiiiiink I'm better off now. At level 80ish I've pared my STR/DEX down to 20/20 (which is still overkill, but it was worse before when I was pursuing some silly weapons), and with FTH up to 20+. Both lightning & fire swords seem to be augmented so my dual-wield is certainly feeling handy (Only C on both but it all adds up). Loving messing around with the new miracles opened up (And I think the pyroglove gets a boost from the FTH too). Have just taken a slight hit to VIT along the way, and dumped the 'barefoot warrior' schtick. Actually wearing full body armour again and just hovering around the 70% load and taking my time to nurse endurance back up. Have had +2 drangy body armour the whole time, but with the limbs back on really feeling the protection.

Had a quick blitz through the chariot-boss build up, and finding it straightforward now. Not sure if it's the slightly improved hits or just that I was taking it on for real rather than playing around the edges.

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Virtual Reality chatter on a movie site? Got endless amounts of it here. Reviews over here

After all my faffing around with armors, I am back in the Drangy chest, as you can see in my post above. I like the look, and the stats are crazy. Yeah, it's heavy, but I just adjusted my other gear to compensate, and am now sitting at 59.8 after picking up the Third Dragon Ring. Stamina rate changes after each 10 additional weight, so I pushed my load down a full step to see how it affects play. Stam regen seems a bit peppier, so I will run like this for now! I may go back up to 69 if it isn't that big of a change, as my arms and boots are on the light side, and I might miss the defense in NG+.

When I was running sub-40% the regen speed was really noticeable, and the roll distance & speed even more so. I think maybe I sacrificed too much armour to achieve it though, and it did mean I could be one-shotted far too easily. (Also the temptation to roll all the time means you're forever having to close in again. And forever wiping out your stamina )

ADP will take frames off your roll, too...

I thought it expanded 'invincibility frames'? And upped agility, which helps with all that I think yeah. I'm a bit wary of plunging too much into it, much as all that fits my style, and the poise is good for sword-n-board too, and the resistance to broad elemental stuff is dead useful etc. My knight came with a healthy 14 and I've expanded a bit, but the effects are almost a bit too subtle sometimes, so I haven't gone wild (and I'm still a touch leery in case this 60fps palavar is true on PC )

*EDIT*

Apparently it can also turn you into a kung fu singularity too...

Ok here are my stats as they kinda stand. (Seems I've actually lowered my ADP while mutating myself).



Very much enjoying the holy lightning bolts . Laid a few into the back of the chariot bastard while cowering in the outer-ring, but yet to figure him out fully.

Incidentally, how have I only just noticed that the bonfires are made of bones!

I love all the little details like that!

I see a shadow standing there wearing the Smelter set, too!

The hub bonfire is the best for a constant array of odd characters

(I can see how future PVP is gonna be crazy too - so many possible fighting styles that could materialise!)

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I understand Tatty taking a break from this game though. There are times when it can get a bit too like bleakly hurling yourself at a brick wall. (And then there are others when you're gleefully trying out lightning bolts and mastering sections and thoroughly happy with it all )

I will def be taking it slow for a while though and letting the dust settle between runs. Plus I need to make a boat-dispensing fountain in Minecraft

The weather has been stellar here, so i have been outdoors whenever possible. you know, sitting on the deck with a beer!

Also, lots of exercising and trudging about playing Ingress, too.

I presume I will be back in front of DS2 when the rain hits again.