disarm wrote: Now I'm off to explore the Darkroot Garden
I was exploring that yesterday. I finished the first section and killed the moonlight butterfly boss. Then I bought the key to the area behind the locked gate and explored that too. Wow, that section is tough. There's a knight NPC there that's really brutal and it took me a while to figure out how to beat him and the mage and another NPC. I finally made it over to the section past the big cat NPC and killed a couple of giant mushrooms and looted the chest they were guarding. I got the Eastern Armor set too after killing a whole bunch of trees and then I decided that was enough of that and got out of there to explore elsewhere.
Tonight I returned to the Asylum and cleaned that all out except for the stray demon boss. He's too tough for me until I get some more levels I think.
"This game is best played with a warm cup of Folger's coffee in your hands, so you can actually smell the oppression while you relive the greatest period of all time. The period when white people discovered the world, and decided they didn't like it." - EUIV Steam user review
Today I finished up the Depths and beat the Gaping Dragon boss. He was nowhere near as hard as I thought he might be. In fact, he was pretty easy. So now I'm on to Blighttown. I have to say, I'm not much looking forward to this area. It's confusing as hell and there's poison everywhere.
"This game is best played with a warm cup of Folger's coffee in your hands, so you can actually smell the oppression while you relive the greatest period of all time. The period when white people discovered the world, and decided they didn't like it." - EUIV Steam user review
Today I made it though upper Blighttown and the lower swamp to Quelaag's Domain and killed the spider lady boss there. It only took 2 tries so she wasn't bad at all. It was the getting there that was the PITA. I rang the second bell, rested at the bonfire there, and got the heck out. What a pain that swamp is with the constant poison and especially those annoying giant mosquitoes. I'm glad I'm done with that area for now. When the second bell rang it looked like a giant opened up the gate to that closed off portion in Undead Parrish so I guess that's the next place for me to explore. Really enjoying this game. 51 hours played and counting.
"This game is best played with a warm cup of Folger's coffee in your hands, so you can actually smell the oppression while you relive the greatest period of all time. The period when white people discovered the world, and decided they didn't like it." - EUIV Steam user review
Just beat the Iron Golem boss in Sen's Fortress on the first try. On to Anor Londo.
"This game is best played with a warm cup of Folger's coffee in your hands, so you can actually smell the oppression while you relive the greatest period of all time. The period when white people discovered the world, and decided they didn't like it." - EUIV Steam user review
I don't know how much you explored around the swamp area below Blight town but there really are some areas worth exploring there. You can farm for items from the slugs and the giant tree has a secret door that opens to a whole new world.
Seeing as how you are on your way to Anor Londo you may want to wait to return until after you get a certain item after a certain boss fight. Can I be less helpful?
Sounds like you are doing very well. That Giant Golem always gave me trouble for some reason and it sounds like you made it through Sen's Fortress fairly easily.
Scuzz wrote:and it sounds like you made it through Sen's Fortress fairly easily.
Except for those dang scythes and other traps. The fighting was actually a relief.
Yeah, I figured I'd wait until a bit later to go back to the swamp. I left a lot unexplored at the bottom. I'd like to take out that hydra in darkroot basin but I've got to figure out to how get close to him first. My god he's got range on those spells.
"This game is best played with a warm cup of Folger's coffee in your hands, so you can actually smell the oppression while you relive the greatest period of all time. The period when white people discovered the world, and decided they didn't like it." - EUIV Steam user review
Scuzz wrote:and it sounds like you made it through Sen's Fortress fairly easily.
Except for those dang scythes and other traps. The fighting was actually a relief.
Yeah, I figured I'd wait until a bit later to go back to the swamp. I left a lot unexplored at the bottom. I'd like to take out that hydra in darkroot basin but I've got to figure out to how get close to him first. My god he's got range on those spells.
Oh, so you did get down there. Going down that tree is always fun.
Yeah, I need to go back though at some point. No rush. I did kill the hydra and the gold golem in the basin, freed the lady and bought some spells. Then figured it was time to move on.
Currently slogging my way through Anor Londo. It's a spectacular place visually but much tougher than Sen's Fortress. The giant sentinels were easy as were the gargoyles and painting guardians but the demons with lightning and silver knight archers are a PITA. I finally made it past the silver knight archers and to the second bonfire. Met my old friend Solaire again there. I'm sure that means he will come in handy again sooner than later.
"This game is best played with a warm cup of Folger's coffee in your hands, so you can actually smell the oppression while you relive the greatest period of all time. The period when white people discovered the world, and decided they didn't like it." - EUIV Steam user review
Well, that Ornstein and Smough fight is no fun at all. I tried and tried to kill them last evening only to fail. Twice I killed one and got the other one down to just a sliver of health, only to get stuck and killed when dodge rolling into a pillar base. So frustrating. I finally called it quits because it was way too late. Then today I beat them on the third try. Go figure. My primary emotion afterwards was not one of triumph but of relief to finally get past that hurdle. But, I fear that the game is taking a big upwards spike up in difficulty from now on so I'm sure more frustration lies ahead.
At least I can warp to bonfires now. That's handy. I will probably return to the Blighttown swamp now for a while to explore. Or maybe the Dukes Archives, we'll see.
"This game is best played with a warm cup of Folger's coffee in your hands, so you can actually smell the oppression while you relive the greatest period of all time. The period when white people discovered the world, and decided they didn't like it." - EUIV Steam user review
I think (as do most people) the O&S fight is the toughest in the game. The fight can also be made harder by which one you kill first. Generally it is considered best to kill Ornstein (the fast one) first as Smough is slower with more predictable moves. But it is getting that first one down that is the hard part. Even with Solaire that fight can be tough.
Have you tried entering the picture in the big "church" building you had to pass thru? You need an object to do that but you may have it as you returned to the asylum at the start of the game.
Scuzz wrote:Have you tried entering the picture in the big "church" building you had to pass thru? You need an object to do that but you may have it as you returned to the asylum at the start of the game.
Aha, so that's how you get to the Painted World then? Is that the building with all the painting guardians in it? I guess it has to be. I never even thought about entering that painting, lol. I did pick up that item you mentioned in my old asylum cell (if that's the right one). I'll have to try it out. Thanks for the tip.
"This game is best played with a warm cup of Folger's coffee in your hands, so you can actually smell the oppression while you relive the greatest period of all time. The period when white people discovered the world, and decided they didn't like it." - EUIV Steam user review
I've gotten through the Duke's Archives and freed Big Hat Logan again. I think I may visit the Painted World next.
The more I play this game the more impressed I am with it. It is an incredibly dense game. There is just so much to discover and do. The lore is very, very good. Nothing in this game is in your face. It's all there for you to discover for yourself, there's no hand holding. There are many ways to proceed and many ways to power. Also, many ways to die. It's unforgiving but, with perseverance, eventually what was hard becomes easier. The art and animations in the game are so excellent. It all combines to create a brooding, atmospheric environment that feels very real. The areas are really one seamless world and their architecture is breathtaking in scope and consistency between areas. It's an amazing accomplishment and I see why the game has sold millions of copies. It's one of the best games I've ever played.
"This game is best played with a warm cup of Folger's coffee in your hands, so you can actually smell the oppression while you relive the greatest period of all time. The period when white people discovered the world, and decided they didn't like it." - EUIV Steam user review
Bought it. Installed it. Launched it. Played for a half hour. Launched it next day.
Says it's preparing to install files......wait......nothing.
Quit. Relaunch. Same thing. Verify files. Nothing. Unplug controller. Nothing. Uninstall. Reinstall. Launch. Same thing.
Request refund. Denied because they say I've played 4+ hours.
TRIED to play for 4 hours? Probably. ACTUALLY played for 4+ hours? No way.
stimpy wrote:Bought it. Installed it. Launched it. Played for a half hour. Launched it next day.
Says it's preparing to install files......wait......nothing.
Quit. Relaunch. Same thing. Verify files. Nothing. Unplug controller. Nothing. Uninstall. Reinstall. Launch. Same thing.
Request refund. Denied because they say I've played 4+ hours.
TRIED to play for 4 hours? Probably. ACTUALLY played for 4+ hours? No way.
Sad cat today.
Which version did you buy? I have an older PC and never had any trouble, although the DS2 later versions are 64 bit and unplayable by my PC.
It looks like some people have trouble with the prepare to Die Edition, which is what I have.
ColdSteel wrote:I've gotten through the Duke's Archives and freed Big Hat Logan again. I think I may visit the Painted World next.
The more I play this game the more impressed I am with it. It is an incredibly dense game. There is just so much to discover and do. The lore is very, very good. Nothing in this game is in your face. It's all there for you to discover for yourself, there's no hand holding. There are many ways to proceed and many ways to power. Also, many ways to die. It's unforgiving but, with perseverance, eventually what was hard becomes easier. The art and animations in the game are so excellent. It all combines to create a brooding, atmospheric environment that feels very real. The areas are really one seamless world and their architecture is breathtaking in scope and consistency between areas. It's an amazing accomplishment and I see why the game has sold millions of copies. It's one of the best games I've ever played.
Agreed. This is a game that does not hold your hand. You are pretty much left to figure things out on your own or look things up. I haven't played one of these games when they first released but I imagine the community is so alive that it is crazy.
Quit. Relaunch. Same thing. Verify files. Nothing. Unplug controller. Nothing. Uninstall. Reinstall. Launch. Same thing.
Did you install the DSFix mod before playing? I highly recommend that you do that and configure it. That might eliminate your problem. Some things I used it to fix:
1) Resolution (set it to 1920x1200)
2) Set to borderless full screen
3) Turned off intro screens
4) Turned on AA (make sure it is turned off in the game first)
I've had no issues at all on my PC with it.
EDIT: One thing I have noticed is that it seems to hang once in a great while loading and doesn't recognize my controller for about a minute, then it starts working. Once, when this happened it said it was starting the game in off-line mode so I suspect it was a problem with the multiplayer connection aspect. There is another mod that fixes the multiplayer, so that might be worth installing as well. I believe the name of that mod is DSCM. I don't have that one installed because I don't care about MP.
"This game is best played with a warm cup of Folger's coffee in your hands, so you can actually smell the oppression while you relive the greatest period of all time. The period when white people discovered the world, and decided they didn't like it." - EUIV Steam user review
Quit. Relaunch. Same thing. Verify files. Nothing. Unplug controller. Nothing. Uninstall. Reinstall. Launch. Same thing.
Did you install the DSFix mod before playing? I highly recommend that you do that and configure it. That might eliminate your problem. Some things I used it to fix:
1) Resolution (set it to 1920x1200)
2) Set to borderless full screen
3) Turned off intro screens 4) Turned on AA (make sure it is turned off in the game first)
I've had no issues at all on my PC with it.
EDIT: One thing I have noticed is that it seems to hang once in a great while loading and doesn't recognize my controller for about a minute, then it starts working. Once, when this happened it said it was starting the game in off-line mode so I suspect it was a problem with the multiplayer connection aspect. There is another mod that fixes the multiplayer, so that might be worth installing as well. I believe the name of that mod is DSCM. I don't have that one installed because I don't care about MP.
I have the Prepare to Die version.
Number 4 is the rub.......how do I turn it off if I can't launch the game?
Quit. Relaunch. Same thing. Verify files. Nothing. Unplug controller. Nothing. Uninstall. Reinstall. Launch. Same thing.
Did you install the DSFix mod before playing? I highly recommend that you do that and configure it. That might eliminate your problem. Some things I used it to fix:
1) Resolution (set it to 1920x1200)
2) Set to borderless full screen
3) Turned off intro screens
4) Turned on AA (make sure it is turned off in the game first)
I've had no issues at all on my PC with it.
EDIT: One thing I have noticed is that it seems to hang once in a great while loading and doesn't recognize my controller for about a minute, then it starts working. Once, when this happened it said it was starting the game in off-line mode so I suspect it was a problem with the multiplayer connection aspect. There is another mod that fixes the multiplayer, so that might be worth installing as well. I believe the name of that mod is DSCM. I don't have that one installed because I don't care about MP.
Every now and then the servers will off-line and you may end up playing off-line for awhile. It makes very little difference in the game play at this point in time.
I notice every now and then that if for some reason I should hit my mouse after loading the game it might take a minute to get the controller going again. I am careful with that now.
ColdSteel wrote:I have the Prepare to Die version.
Number 4 is the rub.......how do I turn it off if I can't launch the game?
Yeah, I have that version too. You shouldn't mess with the AA in the mod until you can get the game to launch again. Have you tried deleting and reinstalling? Kind of a pain to have to re-download it but maybe as a last resort.
Are you running Windows 10 or 7? Are you using a 120Hz monitor over displayport by any chance? Because it only works at 60Hz. Also make sure you are running the .exe as system admin.
Also, what kind of card do you have? AMD or Nvidia? You might try installing a different video driver and see if that fixes it (newer or older that what you're using).
"This game is best played with a warm cup of Folger's coffee in your hands, so you can actually smell the oppression while you relive the greatest period of all time. The period when white people discovered the world, and decided they didn't like it." - EUIV Steam user review
Quit. Relaunch. Same thing. Verify files. Nothing. Unplug controller. Nothing. Uninstall. Reinstall. Launch. Same thing.
Did you install the DSFix mod before playing? I highly recommend that you do that and configure it. That might eliminate your problem. Some things I used it to fix:
1) Resolution (set it to 1920x1200)
2) Set to borderless full screen
3) Turned off intro screens
4) Turned on AA (make sure it is turned off in the game first)
I've had no issues at all on my PC with it.
EDIT: One thing I have noticed is that it seems to hang once in a great while loading and doesn't recognize my controller for about a minute, then it starts working. Once, when this happened it said it was starting the game in off-line mode so I suspect it was a problem with the multiplayer connection aspect. There is another mod that fixes the multiplayer, so that might be worth installing as well. I believe the name of that mod is DSCM. I don't have that one installed because I don't care about MP.
Think I may have it working. Forgot about trying different compatibility modes. That seems to have done it.
Question.....
4) Do you mean put the AA setting to 4 instead of 0?
stimpy wrote:4) Do you mean put the AA setting to 4 instead of 0?
I read that you need to first make sure AA is turned off in the game's config. Then you can go into the DSFix text config file and set the AA value there to what you'd like. I set mine fairly low. At 2 I think.
Tonight I beat Seath and got the Moonlight Greatsword to boot. Since I have a high Int build, I can't wait to play with it. I just got it to +5 after having to do some drake farming for scales. I also crafted a Furysword. It doesn't scale as well but the fire damage is nice for some things.
"This game is best played with a warm cup of Folger's coffee in your hands, so you can actually smell the oppression while you relive the greatest period of all time. The period when white people discovered the world, and decided they didn't like it." - EUIV Steam user review
Noob question, but how do I know how many souls it takes to level up?
I read somewhere that to get to level 2 it takes 673 souls, but I have over 1,000 and when I go to a bonfire it doesn't live me an option to level.
What am I missing?
stimpy wrote:Noob question, but how do I know how many souls it takes to level up?
I read somewhere that to get to level 2 it takes 673 souls, but I have over 1,000 and when I go to a bonfire it doesn't live me an option to level.
What am I missing?
You level up at bonfires, but I am not sure you can until you leave the asylum. I just checked my DS1 game (NG+) and I didn't have a level up option in the asylum. But maybe that is just NG+. NG+ is New Game Plus, or that is what they call it when you start over again with the same character.
stimpy wrote:Noob question, but how do I know how many souls it takes to level up?
I read somewhere that to get to level 2 it takes 673 souls, but I have over 1,000 and when I go to a bonfire it doesn't live me an option to level.
What am I missing?
You level up at bonfires, but I am not sure you can until you leave the asylum. I just checked my DS1 game (NG+) and I didn't have a level up option in the asylum. But maybe that is just NG+. NG+ is New Game Plus, or that is what they call it when you start over again with the same character.
That's right, you can't start leveling up until you get to the Firelink Shrine bonfire. You'll need to beat the asylum demon first and escape the asylum. From then on you'll have a "level up" menu option at all bonfires.
Here's a pic of my boy with his new greatsword.
It's awesome. It kills the crystal warriors in the dukes archives with one swing (one handed at that). I went back and finished the Big Hat Logan quest chain today and picked up some nice stuff. I also went back to the asylum and finished off the Stray Demon, finally. He was tough at first but once I was able to get behind him, I was easily able to kill him. Getting behind him was the real trick.
I also went back and killed the sword wolf. Catching up on the optional bosses I guess.
"This game is best played with a warm cup of Folger's coffee in your hands, so you can actually smell the oppression while you relive the greatest period of all time. The period when white people discovered the world, and decided they didn't like it." - EUIV Steam user review
stimpy wrote:Noob question, but how do I know how many souls it takes to level up?
I read somewhere that to get to level 2 it takes 673 souls, but I have over 1,000 and when I go to a bonfire it doesn't live me an option to level.
What am I missing?
You level up at bonfires, but I am not sure you can until you leave the asylum. I just checked my DS1 game (NG+) and I didn't have a level up option in the asylum. But maybe that is just NG+. NG+ is New Game Plus, or that is what they call it when you start over again with the same character.
That's right, you can't start leveling up until you get to the Firelink Shrine bonfire. You'll need to beat the asylum demon first and escape the asylum. From then on you'll have a "level up" menu option at all bonfires.
Here's a pic of my boy with his new greatsword.
It's awesome. It kills the crystal warriors in the dukes archives with one swing (one handed at that). I went back and finished the Big Hat Logan quest chain today and picked up some nice stuff. I also went back to the asylum and finished off the Stray Demon, finally. He was tough at first but once I was able to get behind him, I was easily able to kill him. Getting behind him was the real trick.
I also went back and killed the sword wolf. Catching up on the optional bosses I guess.
Sif isn't really optional. There is something you get by beating him that you need to move ahead, but I can't remember what it is.
Scuzz wrote:Sif isn't really optional. There is something you get by beating him that you need to move ahead, but I can't remember what it is.
I'm pretty sure it's the abyss ring he drops. I went through the Ruins of New Londo yesterday and drained the water. The guy on top of the tower that gives you the gate key said something about Sif and the abyss there killing you unless you were ready for it. I gather I need that ring to survive it.
Speaking of New Londo Ruins, that area is amazingly scary. The atmosphere is so thick you could cut it with a knife. The way the drained area's below glisten wetly in the moonlight and the muck and bones and debris there on the bottom, you can almost smell the stench of death and decay. Thank god you can't. And those ghosts are a true pain. Much more of a pain than the darkwraiths there are. On the good side, I ended up with 22 transient curses after going through there.
I also went though the Painted World of Ariamis last night. What a pain. I hate those wheel skeletons. In fact, just about everything there is a pain. Some good loot to be had there though. I let the area boss live. She was peaceful so I figured I could come back later if I wanted to kill her. She is totally delusional though. "Everyone in this world is peaceful". Yeah, right bitch. All they all did was try to kill me from the second I arrived. Peaceful, my ass.
"This game is best played with a warm cup of Folger's coffee in your hands, so you can actually smell the oppression while you relive the greatest period of all time. The period when white people discovered the world, and decided they didn't like it." - EUIV Steam user review
I've kind of reached that stage in the game where I've collected a lot of really nice weapons and now I'm torn on deciding which ones are best to use and max.
I started with a winged spear (which is awesome) and it's now enchanted +4. I also have a gargoyles halberd, and great scythe that are each enchanted +4. Then there's the already maxed moonlight greatsword, furysword and Velka's rapier. I like certain things about all of them but don't like certain things about all of them. I love the longer swords with a sweep attack. The moonlight great sword would be just about perfect if it had more than just the R1 attack. I don't feel I can use it's special ability R2 attack because of the big durability hit that causes. It's very limiting. I love the Furysword and it's my go to weapon anytime I need fire damage or go against things with magic resistance. I love Velka's rapier's move set a lot but it just doesn't do enough damage to be viable. The gaygoyles halberd is very nice and does good damage but not as much as the great scythe. It does have built in toxic and poison resistance though.
There's no denying that the great scythe is as effective as all get out and does a crap load of damage with a bleed aux effect. Like the gargoyles halberd, its reach is so long that I can hit mobs as they approach me even before they can get into their attack animations. Of course, that doesn't work so well with the big bosses and mobs. I've been practicing using in against the Royal Sentinels in Arnor Londo. Unlike using the greatsword, it's much harder to roll past them and hit them with the sweep attack. But, two swipes and they're dead if I can hit them. Back stabs don't seem to work with it though, which I'm sad about because I love the backstabs.
I only have one blue titanite slab and I'm trying to figure which enchanted weapon I should max out and it's a really hard decision to make.
"This game is best played with a warm cup of Folger's coffee in your hands, so you can actually smell the oppression while you relive the greatest period of all time. The period when white people discovered the world, and decided they didn't like it." - EUIV Steam user review
Tonight the Silver Knight Shield finally dropped for me. That's one really nice shield. Good resists and stability. I've been farming and farming the knights in Arnor Londo and I thought it would never drop. I got tons of swords and a few spears but no shield until now. Now I can go do something else.
I killed Ceaseless Discharge yesterday so I'm partway though the Demon Ruins at the moment. Wearing the Gold Hemmed Black set now for armor.
"This game is best played with a warm cup of Folger's coffee in your hands, so you can actually smell the oppression while you relive the greatest period of all time. The period when white people discovered the world, and decided they didn't like it." - EUIV Steam user review
Indeed I have. He helped me take down the gargoyles in Undead Parish. Praise the sun.
I haven't quite finished the Demon Ruins yet. I got sidetracked there when I found a shortcut to Lost Izalith. I found a chaos bug in the shortcut that dropped a nice sunlight-maggot helmet. It will come in very handy in Tomb of Giants, which is dark as hell. So I'm headed back there for a bit.
"This game is best played with a warm cup of Folger's coffee in your hands, so you can actually smell the oppression while you relive the greatest period of all time. The period when white people discovered the world, and decided they didn't like it." - EUIV Steam user review
You can run into Solaire at least three places, maybe four. I don't know if you have to use him in a certain number of places in order to complete his story line but one important place you can find him is actually the area near the sunlight maggot.
I've run into him in 2 different places so far. I'll be sure to look for him around that area when I go back.
"This game is best played with a warm cup of Folger's coffee in your hands, so you can actually smell the oppression while you relive the greatest period of all time. The period when white people discovered the world, and decided they didn't like it." - EUIV Steam user review
Your play has inspired to retry this. I have been fairly successful and I killed the Iron Golem at Sen's Fortress tonight. Going to finish a few things and off to Anor Londo.
I'm glad. If you got though Sen's Fortress then you're doing quite well indeed. It's one of those games that the more you play, the better you get and the more fun it is. I really like the combat a lot.
I killed the demon firesage boss and opened up the stairs and lift from the demon ruins to the chaos bonfire. I'm at level 115 now and thinking about whether I want to try the sanctuary boss and the additional content there first or go back and finish up the giant's tomb now that I have a good light source. One thing I'm not really looking forward to is Lost Izalith and the burning bed boss there. I've heard that's a horrible fight.
"This game is best played with a warm cup of Folger's coffee in your hands, so you can actually smell the oppression while you relive the greatest period of all time. The period when white people discovered the world, and decided they didn't like it." - EUIV Steam user review
ColdSteel wrote:I'm glad. If you got though Sen's Fortress then you're doing quite well indeed. It's one of those games that the more you play, the better you get and the more fun it is. I really like the combat a lot.
I killed the demon firesage boss and opened up the stairs and lift from the demon ruins to the chaos bonfire. I'm at level 115 now and thinking about whether I want to try the sanctuary boss and the additional content there first or go back and finish up the giant's tomb now that I have a good light source. One thing I'm not really looking forward to is Lost Izalith and the burning bed boss there. I've heard that's a horrible fight.
There is a reason to do the catecombs early, although I can't remember what it was. An object or ability I think.
Scuzz wrote:There is a reason to do the catecombs early, although I can't remember what it was. An object or ability I think.
Great Scythe?
"This game is best played with a warm cup of Folger's coffee in your hands, so you can actually smell the oppression while you relive the greatest period of all time. The period when white people discovered the world, and decided they didn't like it." - EUIV Steam user review
Scuzz wrote:Not a weapon. I don't want to spoiler you, but if it is what I think it is it is better than any weapon.
Well, I finished the catacombs quite some time ago so whatever it was, I guess I missed it.
"This game is best played with a warm cup of Folger's coffee in your hands, so you can actually smell the oppression while you relive the greatest period of all time. The period when white people discovered the world, and decided they didn't like it." - EUIV Steam user review
