Be Excellent To Each Other

The effergy but just use it like an item. Lost 3000 souls and want to hurt someone but on the plus side, I have a nice fire blade which was hidden away.

I believe I also have that fire blade. Sadly doesn't seem to be as good as the +3 longsword I'm currently rocking.

Have a slab, but alas, no large shards to upgrade.

Killed another boss, he were a right pain until sneaky tricks were noticed.

Found my first boss who killed me in one hit. That's enough for one night!

Which one?

I think I've killed 4 so far.

It was the last giant.

I thought he was going to incredibly easy till he pulled off his own arm and beat me to death with.

Didn't matter though, as next time I brought two friends along in human form (Palladin Dan who you met earlier helps you out for this fight) and stayed back as they chopped the giant to splinters. I must have looked a fight tit to my guest fighter but it got the job done.

The second boss (the cyclone knight) was far easier. I waited for some buddies before going through the fog gate but there were no signs so I scribbled my own name on the floor and got summoned to fight the boss with two other peeps. It really helped get a look at the boss before I had my go at him. Three on one sorted him out, picking up some trickets for my part as I was still human.

By the time if got back to my world there were a few signs so I summoned two guys to help out. Turned out that they weren't much good for a start - I couldn't figure out why they were letting the boss wail on me - that was until the boss fell over dead in one hit as both guest fighters had blasted him with two giant crossbows I hadn't noticed at the other end of the play area! Bloody marvellous that was.

That woman finally turned up at the fire pit to let me level up too so I'm on the RPG ladder to success. I don't think you can level up when she gives you the flask at first but relocates after a while.

Anyhoo, the battles across the broken ramparts that follows is tricky. At one stage there's a window across a gap from a ledge. The window is slightly higher than the ledge if you ask me and I'm sure the jump is only possible from the window to the ledge rather than the other way round. Some smart arse dropped a note which read something like "Be quick to jump and pull up". It was hilarious to see three ghostly images of the dead who had each seen the note and each jumped to their death but getting no where near the window.

Maybe I was just lucky, but I beat him first time by simply standing under him and avoiding his feet. His arm didn't seem to make much difference. Happened with the centipede demon on DS1 - First time he was an absolute walk over as he basically stood above me on the entrance platform and allowed me to kill him. Every time since he doesn't approach close enough to hit.



I'm viewing getting help (NPC or otherwise) as very much last resort. I'd completely forgotten it as an option as I've not seen any summoning signs due to never unhollowing.

Having stumbled across the crossbows on my nth defeat, using them successfully on my n+3rd attempt, The effect was a little surprising. I did leave a message before him, suggesting he had a weakness for traps. Scared the bejeesus out of me when someone rated it. Noones rated my ode to horses yet though.


I found that I just had to keep talking to her to unlock levelling up first time I met her. 4 times, I think it was.
She has led to my most stupid death yet though.kept going in and out of the levelling dialog due to the loading waits, so stopped paying attention, checked beex while continually kept pressing the cancel button.
Which in normal gameplay is backstep.
Looked back up to see myself jumping backwards off a cliff. I died.



I didn't think they were passable. (Yes, I did find the way forward, but there didn't seem to be a path over the low wall, tried following it round but it pitched me off the edge)

Found some natty armour though. Bit heavy mind.

INFORMATION: in the Lost Basille if you light the sconce the craftsman (the one talking about the ember) will move off the chest in the corner next time you come back! You get a big fat hammer.

I don't see how you're going to defeat those three bosses without help, Mr Dave. You're a better man than I if you have.

Unless you've made a detour, I don't think I've seen the bosses you're talking about.

In that case, get human and get some help. They're cunty mainly due to there being 3 of the bastards.

You'll know you're in the right place because you get swarmed by enemies 4 at a time... I'm seriously thinking of taking a buddy along the way so I can at least save some flasks for the bosses.

I have a suspicion that this npc may end up trying to kill me.

I've had some awesome progress across the Tower of Flame. Those knights are classic Dark Souls enemies. They look brutish and will smash you up if you lose concentration for a minute but if you're focused they're a piece of piss. Well, one at a time...

Doesn't seem too hard. Easy to knock off one before the others arrive, do falling damage to a second.

I suspect the falling damage reduction ring may help to not have to go into defense at that point, which was probably the difference between me succeeding or not last time. Certainly seemed easier than O&S in the original.

My ode to horse is now getting rated. Hurrah for horse!

I've made it to the pirate ship! Hang on, I'll just read this message on the floor.

"Look. Behind."

Arghhhhhhh. YOU DIED.

Yeah, the pirate ship is quite mean. Decided to go elsewhere.

Currently wandering round a quite annoying forest. Found a red summon sign on the floor. Why do I suspect that it'll summon someone quite angry into my game, given I've stil yet to unhollow.

Did you buy any of those devices off that woman? I thought it spun that room near the village but the devices are actually used on those 'faces' dotted around. There's one in that early trap room which I didn't figure out at the time but there's also a face where you can use the device on the pirate level. If you do, it lights up the entire cavern and then those pudding long arm monsters won't come out. It makes it much more manageable.

Yar, I've found three of them, two places to use them - the two you've mentioned.

SPinning the room just requires souls, Just got to what I think may be the boss room at the end of that area.

(Pudding long arm monsters = Zardoz)

It is the boss room.

It's not terribly easy.
Edit: Scratch that, it was easy.

Done. No help.

Although my hands are now in agony. It was a long fight, and I so wanted to pause, or have a better controller.

Ah, some woman has arrived to spin the room for me. Nice. No, hang on, I don't like it, I'll save it for later.

I've lost that other woman who sold the devices though. Did you try the face near the trapped chest? Ote interesting?

Just tried the Flexible Sentry. Fucker span me on the roof. Dead.

Think I'll cash in some of the boss souls to level up my magic and start powering up some kit. I haven't really found an awesome weapon like the Halbard from DS1 yet.

I've got: boss at the church, three boss guys (well done, by the way) (also, you're mental), flexible boss and the spinny room avenue. At least I ain't struggling for places to go!

It's not the nicest of areas, but not too bad once you've figuredout a few tricks.


She's moved to the main village. She only sells one anyway.


I found a halberd and upgraded it to +3. Sadly it's nowhere near as good as the ds1 halberd. Bit of a waste of souls and titanite.





Church is probably the easiest, but I'd probably go for the area behind the spinny thing.

The enemies behind the that particular boss fight have to be by far the most annoying enemies I've encountered in any of the games.

So anyway, are we loving this then or not?

I seem to be making better progress than I remember making during the early Dark Souls days although it's still maintaining it's difficulty and sometimes it's very bloody challenging. This is a good thing.

That being said, I think my memories of Dark Souls are rose tinted because I can remember the graphics being better than this. Some areas are very very pretty but some stuff looks like it's been made out of LEGO. I was seriously unimpressed with the Valley of the Fallen Giants, for example.

Plus, speed travel, whereas it's lovely and helpful and made trekking back and forth much more accessible, has ruined any interest in some areas. I feel, at this early stage, that the game should be beating on me to marvel in its consistency of vision of the work but it just seems like disparate "levels" instead. The world seems barely connected.

Plus, at least when I played DS1 I knew I had to ring two bells early on. I don't really know what I'm supposed to be doing at the moment beside finding a king (and defeating four large souls) but for what reason I couldn't tell ya. Maybe it'll come together when I reach the end of one of the threads I'm moving along but at the moment I'm a little confused what the purpose of all this is.

I'm loving it, mind. I just feel that the world in DS1 was much better 'connected', if ya gets me. You probably don't...

I do. I like it, but Dark souls world felt more coherently designed. And by now I've found one of the reasons for needing a large soul.

Just finished some lunchtime dark soulsing, ended at a rather misty place with huge amounts of bloodstains being about the only thing I can see. I don't really want to go in there.

Probably the thing which makes me most uneasy is the limitations put on resources. Limited number of enemies = limited souls. And things like limited amounts of titanite shards and less rubbish crossbow bolts in shops. Although I supose I may get around the former by going to someone elses world to help them at some point.

I have duely joined the sun covenant and am currently helping weaklings beat the crap out of a giant slug.

It's somewhat ruined my hollow only playthrough though. Apparently it resurrects you.

That's always been the reason to do it, hasn't it!?

News to me. i'm mainly doing it to be helpful. And get lots of medals.

Where'd you leave "ode to horse" by the way?

Platform before the last man in before the old dragonslayer.

I'll be on the look out.

I've just done the full circle now and I'm back at the Last Basilon.

Have you took a dip down the well yet?

I need a few more souls. Ironiically having just spent 40000 on fripperies so as to not overlevel myself.

I've had loads of exploring today.

Down the well! Weeeeeee. New area. Rats! Sharn't bother. Further down the well! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-I ain't stopping-eeeeeeeee. Let's try that again. WeeeeeeeeeSPLAT.

Then I went exploring the forest which is much, MUCH, more like Dark Souls 2 should be in my head. Wide open, loads of places to go and a sense of place about it. There's about 3 routes and a huge castle far off which I'll head towards. Later.

Loving it.

Also, it anyone was put off by the difficulty before I reckon you've got a much better chance of enjoying DS2.

So you're just falling down the well then?

The place that I'm currently in is mind bogglingly complicated. It's proving very hard to get a mental map.

Having now been to the bottom of the well, I will inform you that you don't want to go to the bottom of the well if rats are a concern for you.

You must have picked up another device then. Let's make a deal: I'll do one of the device faces and you do the other. We then share what they do. You in? I know of the trap room in the valley and one in the Last Basillion. You can take first dibs.

I couldn't make the fall to the bottom (second) entrance. I'll need to stat up my health.

Also, you can see a ladder going back up but behind some wooden poles. I've tried to jump through the poles without success. I wondered if you could burn them with fire arrows or whether you had to land on top and shuffle to the side immediately after. Dunno.

Or get the falling ring. Or

You can't make it down the first fall without the falling ring. Hang on, ladders?

Yoy talking about the pharos faces? You'll have a be a bit more descriptive as to the locations.

And I know of one to really not bother with, but you haven't made it that far, I guess. [spoiler]There's one in earthen peak which produces poison water. Great[/spoiler

You'll meet somone later.

Erm... 1) The Valley of the Fallen Giants, the four crossbow's room, the face is downstairs against the wall.

2) The Last Basilion, accessible via the pirate ship entrance initially and the face is in the large hall just after the well (the well where the zombies that come up) and the room with the secret wall that explodes, the face is in the large hall against the wall.

Ok, 1 is very useful. Chloranthy ring, I believe, along with other stuff
2 I don't think I'vereached. I've rather ignored the pirate ship.
2

I am now as SunBro as it is possible to get

I've seen a couple of guys in white with Sun Bro helmets on, but they won't talk. Can you converse with them now?

I bet Pate's old companion just. He ain't chuffed with Pate!

And now I have one magic slot! And Soul Spear Barrage! Prepare for zapp pow!

Used the device in the Lost Bastille and it's either opened a shortcut to the big boss or it's the only way to get to the big boss...

... actually, it might be a bonfire. Bloody signs. Scaring the wits outta me.

I died.

No

o, I think they're just passive enemies.

And yeah, I jst came to report on the other lock stone. It's a shortcut to after the boss battle that you were having problems with, a chest which was already empty (I can't remember what was in it) and a soul vessel. All in all, I wish I hadn't bothered woith that one. Although still better than the one I referenced earlier.

Turns out the boss on the ship is an enemy you'll meet again. He caused me no issues, although I was quite disappointed by it taking me somewhere I'd essentially already been.

So, err... yeah. I've soehow turned into a woman.

WTF!

Where's my fantastic 'tache gone?