the take-a-break-and-come-back method worked; got past the archers without any trouble at all.
Then I got invaded. The invader politely waited for me to finish with a mob I was fighting and heal up, then we exchanged bows, then he absolutely murdered me in the span of like two seconds. But it was all very classy.
I got invaded a second time a bit later and the guy kept doing stuff and using weapons I'd never seen before. He even turned his head into a mimic or something? Then he burned everything and killed me. It wasn't classy at all.
Some invaders go more for hijinks than efficiency. The hat that makes your head look like a mimic boosts soul gain and item find but also steadily draings health and is heavy to boot.
If I drop my souls in a boss room and then I put my sign down to help someone else and regain my humanity but I die in their world, do I lose the souls in my game?
Realistically, in one playthrough, how many petrified dragon bones can you get? I ask because I want to upgrade a second boss weapon and I've already spent near all of my dragon bones on another weapon. I may reroll yet another character specifically for this next boss weapon I want to try.
Sev: Your gameplay is the most heavily yomi based around. Usually you look for characters that allow you to force guessing situations for big dmg. Even if the guess is mathematically nowhere near in your favor lol. You're happiest when you have either a 50/50, 33/33/33 or even a 75/25 situation to go crazy with. And you will take big risks to force those situations to come up.
I've been trying to do some co-op outside Smaugh and Ornstein's room, since I have no humanity and want to summon help for the fight. But no one ever summons me and I have zero humanity and I'm not seeing any drops just from farming. What is the deal?
James and the Giant Peach have the highest summon rates in the entire game. You're just not leaving your summon sign where it should be.
Go back to the room where Solaire is, the bonfire, and leave your summon sign between the bonfire and the door. You'll be summoned with the quickness, shouldn't take more than ten minutes on the outside.
Head back to the Depths and farm the rats down there. I used to buy 99 Homeward Bones from the vendor in the aqueduct then go to the bonfire in the Depths by the slimes. Run down the stairs, kill the rats there, go around the corner and kill the rest by the bars that look into the room where the giant rat was. Homeward Bone back to the bonfire and repeat. By the time I was done, I gained enough souls to just repurchase the 99 Homeward Bones, plus a lot more humanity than I had to start with. Obviously that's grindy, but it gets the job done.
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FencingsaxIt is difficult to get a man to understand, when his salary depends upon his not understandingGNU Terry PratchettRegistered Userregular
That's my character right now. Strong enough to one-hand the Bastard Sword, smart enough to destroy enemies with spells. As powerful as I am, I feel like I might be doing SOMETHING wrong, but I'm not sure how when I have 60-something INT, a maxed version of the strongest staff in the game and ... yeah. I'm sorely tempted to start farming Soul Geysers, but I'm worried about the boss becoming impossible. He's not that tough one-on-one, though... hmm. Time to fuck around with these ascetics I guess.
Realistically, in one playthrough, how many petrified dragon bones can you get? I ask because I want to upgrade a second boss weapon and I've already spent near all of my dragon bones on another weapon. I may reroll yet another character specifically for this next boss weapon I want to try.
In my first playthrough I managed to fully upgrade one boss weapon and get another to +3, so 16 Bones? But I don't think I killed all of the Drakes in the aerie, so it might be closer to 20.
Think I changed my mind a little about PVP. I guess I'll just have to accept that most builds have strenghts and weaknesses. And while I could just Havelmage at my soul level, I think it's really lame. I'll stick with Sword&Board. If my enemy plays fair, so do I. Even encountering the odd Havelmage I have about a 64% win rate so I should make some progress towards the next rank. And if I lose that just goes to show that I'm playing against skilled opponents.
Realistically, in one playthrough, how many petrified dragon bones can you get? I ask because I want to upgrade a second boss weapon and I've already spent near all of my dragon bones on another weapon. I may reroll yet another character specifically for this next boss weapon I want to try.
In my first playthrough I managed to fully upgrade one boss weapon and get another to +3, so 16 Bones? But I don't think I killed all of the Drakes in the aerie, so it might be closer to 20.
if you're willing to farm bonfire ascetics, you can subsequently farm an infinite number of dragon bones
So I think I want to do a Faith/Warrior/light-throwing/PRAISETHESUN character when the game comes out.
How would I go about that? Also the OP is in some dire need or an update!
Some spoilers.
You will meet Licia of Lindelt after the Dragonrider boss fight. Not that far from the beginning of the game. She sells Lightning bolt and a few other miracles.
If you plan on going STR I would recommend starting with the Cleric class 'cuz the mace is pretty freaking good. Some people here would recommend tower shields but you can use the first 100% damage resistance medium shield if you have 16 STR.
If you prefer DEX then there are rapiers available after you help Lenigrast. You can take a detour to go pick up the Twinblade if you are feeling more exotic.
It takes a while to join the SunBros.
XBL - ArchSilversmith
"We have years of struggle ahead, mostly within ourselves." - Made in USA
I am attempting a dual wield character. I fall back on my great shield more than I would care to admit, but I am trying. What are some dual wield and power stance tips? What weapons should I seek out?
Get really, really good at rolling. I tried this too, started out dual-wielding but quickly switched to a shield around my meeting with the Pursuer. Finally, about 80% of the way through my first run through, I said "fuck it" and went back to dual wielding (mostly because I wanted to dual wield Uchigatana + Blacksteel Katana like a boss). At that point, my agility was high enough, and I understood the game well enough, for it to actually be feasible. Plus, there's so many bosses where, even if you block, you're just gonna get hit again and die, that I wanted to master rolling.
As for what weapons to seek out, dual katanas are always fun. The rapier + scimitar combo is good, too, as it gives you some nice variety. I'm currently rocking a Blacksteel Katana + the Curved Sentry sword (I traded the Sentry's boss soul for it, I think), and I really love that....
I am attempting a dual wield character. I fall back on my great shield more than I would care to admit, but I am trying. What are some dual wield and power stance tips? What weapons should I seek out?
I started out my second guy like this and I am currently using a twin-blade that I normally two-hand but I will quick swap back to the shield in emergencies. Judging from how fast I've gone through the content with him I will probably get to the point like Hyperion was saying and hardly need to use it because I got good at dodging or just killing stuff fast.
"We have years of struggle ahead, mostly within ourselves." - Made in USA
+3
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MorninglordI'm tired of being Batman,so today I'll be Owl.Registered Userregular
edited April 2014
I wouldn't recommend a faith CoC challenge run.
I'm kind of annoyed that
all the decent faith stuff requires you to coop.
I have to keep swapping to sentinels to buy faithstones and now I've just realised I have to sit there doing heir to the sun instead of progressing because otherwise I'm out of a second great lightning spear. I'm not going to bother with sunlight spear.
Not to mention I'm shit out of luck for wrath of god.
You'd be much better off with grabbing just enough int for great magic weapon and just doing a str or dex build.
Oh and as the game goes on I've stopped using heavy armor entirely. It isn't worth it. Your defensive stats don't scale well enough to handle the cov of champ damage so you are gimping your roll for no reason.
So whatever you do don't skimp on adapt like I'm doing. I've only got 20.
ON THE OTHER HAND
I'm actually cooping demon of song and I'm the one "tanking" him and by that I mean baiting him into doing attacks I want him to do and then dodging them. Which usually gives me enough time to throw three great lightning spears into his face for stupid damage.
Most of the wins I've had the other phantoms have been either completely useless or actively detrimental, especially a tank who ends up facing him away from me.
Morninglord on
(PSN: Morninglord) (Steam: Morninglord) (WiiU: Morninglord22) I like to record and toss up a lot of random gaming videos here.
Okay, attention giant penis snake monsters of dubious trustworthyness; please let me know if you are going to be transporting me to ancient temples beneath the Earth by swallowing and then spitting me out down there.
I mean, sure, I'll put the thing on the thing for absolutely no reason other than you told me too, but some courtesy would be appreciated.
+4
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MorninglordI'm tired of being Batman,so today I'll be Owl.Registered Userregular
edited April 2014
Rofl, regarding above, I was reading the Dark Souls 1 wiki without noticing.
I didn't have to get to +1 with that covenant at all.
Hahahahah I'm such an idiot!
Oh jesus that is really funny.
Morninglord on
(PSN: Morninglord) (Steam: Morninglord) (WiiU: Morninglord22) I like to record and toss up a lot of random gaming videos here.
Think I changed my mind a little about PVP. I guess I'll just have to accept that most builds have strenghts and weaknesses. And while I could just Havelmage at my soul level, I think it's really lame. I'll stick with Sword&Board. If my enemy plays fair, so do I. Even encountering the odd Havelmage I have about a 64% win rate so I should make some progress towards the next rank. And if I lose that just goes to show that I'm playing against skilled opponents.
I think this is a healthy attitude and I applaud you sir.
I really miss the Dark Woodgrain ring sometimes.
+1
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MorninglordI'm tired of being Batman,so today I'll be Owl.Registered Userregular
edited April 2014
When I miss it I just take all my clothes off.
Viola.
Darkwood roll distance.
That's the only thing I found useful about it.
I'm not sure what I think of the defender greatsword. The two handed moveset is the naffest naff that ever naffed its way onto a greatsword moveset. Kind of restricts its utility to the one handed moveset.
Oh well I'll see what the damage is like when I get it upgraded. Even at only +2 and infused its already got 166 bonus damage from my faith.
Also holy jesus those two are one hell of a binary boss fight. Do you have ranged attacks or long range weapons? Yes/No.
If Yes: Congratulations! This fight is a joke.
If No: We didn't design this for you dirty plebs. GET OUT!
Morninglord on
(PSN: Morninglord) (Steam: Morninglord) (WiiU: Morninglord22) I like to record and toss up a lot of random gaming videos here.
I'm not sure what I think of the defender greatsword. The two handed moveset is the naffest naff that ever naffed its way onto a greatsword moveset. Kind of restricts its utility to the one handed moveset.
Oh well I'll see what the damage is like when I get it upgraded. Even at only +2 and infused its already got 166 bonus damage from my faith.
Also holy jesus those two are one hell of a binary boss fight. Do you have ranged attacks or long range weapons? Yes/No.
If Yes: Congratulations! This fight is a joke.
If No: We didn't design this for you dirty plebs. GET OUT!
I'm more of a cello man myself.
3DS: 2234-8122-8398 | Battle.net (EU): Ladi#2485
+3
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MorninglordI'm tired of being Batman,so today I'll be Owl.Registered Userregular
edited April 2014
Darklurker?
More like Deadlurker.
Weakness: Punching.
Morninglord on
(PSN: Morninglord) (Steam: Morninglord) (WiiU: Morninglord22) I like to record and toss up a lot of random gaming videos here.
So I think I want to do a Faith/Warrior/light-throwing/PRAISETHESUN character when the game comes out.
How would I go about that? Also the OP is in some dire need or an update!
I've beaten NG, NG+, and NG++ with my Paladin character. Here are my recommendations:
- Start Cleric. Any class would be fine but Cleric has decent starting STR, FTH, ATN.
- Weapons: Early game use the Fire Longsword. The longsword moveset is far better than the Heide Knight Sword, and if you're pumping FTH you actually get better scaling too because the Fire Longsword is 50% elemental and the Heide is only about 20% Lightning. There are quite a few early game bosses/enemies that take a beating from striking weapons too, so consider just upgrading your mace you start with as a Cleric(or buy one from the blacksmith). Late game pretty much the undeniably best weapon for FTH builds is a Lightning infused Defender's Greatsword. I won't spoil how to get it in case you don't want to know, but just remember it. Thorned Greatsword is more or less equal but I prefer Defender for the free Sunlight Blade buff special it has.
As an addendum to that point, consider getting a Claymore as your early/mid game weapon. It has the same moveset as the Defender's Greatsword(which is a phenomenal combo of horizontal slashes and thrusts), and has basically the same requirements. 20 STR/13 DEX for Clay, 20 STR/12 DEX for Defender's, so if you're setting up for that you'll already have what you need.
- Magic. The heal miracles are cool for saving you lifegems between fights, but mainly Lightning Spears and later Great Lightning Spears/Sunlight Spear(if you max sunbros) will be your damage output spells. Pump your Faith and your Lightning just trashes all comers. Since you're pumping FTH you'll also have good fire bonus, and there's no downside to upgrading your Pyromancy flame as it just takes fire seeds, so do that too. There are a handful of always useful pyromancies that are cool to keep in your arsenal and use for different situations.
- Stats. This is pretty much down to personal preference. I wouldn't take your STR/DEX past the requirements for whatever weapon you want, as your FTH pumping your Lightning is where your damage comes from. If you want to use greatshields then you'll need more STR, but you don't need much to wear kite shields and there are 100% physical block kite shields available early game. You lack the stability, but they work well for just general shieldiness. Can never go wrong with Vigor if you want a lot of health, you get some agility from attunement so you don't need to pump adaptability super high, but you do want to get your agility to 95+ one way or another. Pump Vitality if you want to wear heavier gear without pushing your equip load up. Try to keep your load under 70% at all times so you don't fat roll, and the lower the better for more distance covered while rolling. On NG I ran close to 70% load all the time and it's fine, but on NG+ and ++ I run ~45 to 50% load because I am fine with the defenses of medium armor but I love rolling further.
I don't really use a shield any more because I dual wield lightning greatswords for more damage output and once you've played the game enough there's just never a need for a shield really. The shield is kind of your training wheels, though it's fine to always use one if you just prefer the aesthetic or feel of blocking attacks obviously.
Rofl, regarding above, I was reading the Dark Souls 1 wiki without noticing.
I didn't have to get to +1 with that covenant at all.
Hahahahah I'm such an idiot!
Oh jesus that is really funny.
I was wondering what you were talking about, because there are 3 great lightning spears in DaS2 and all 3 are just things you pick up or buy from a vendor. Also, if you want Wrath of God badly on your FTH character you can just buy it from Chancellor Wellager on NG++(ascetics don't work). This actually applies to every covenant reward spell except Sunlight Spear and Hidden Weapon.
I'm not sure what I think of the defender greatsword. The two handed moveset is the naffest naff that ever naffed its way onto a greatsword moveset. Kind of restricts its utility to the one handed moveset.
Oh well I'll see what the damage is like when I get it upgraded. Even at only +2 and infused its already got 166 bonus damage from my faith.
Also holy jesus those two are one hell of a binary boss fight. Do you have ranged attacks or long range weapons? Yes/No.
If Yes: Congratulations! This fight is a joke.
If No: We didn't design this for you dirty plebs. GET OUT!
Lightning Defender Greatsword is ridiculous. The 1h moveset is just bonkers, and +5 Lightning with 50+ FTH it does bananas damage. When I use the special to enchant it, it routinely hits for between 700 and 800 damage. In fact, my melee hits bosses for about the same amount as my great lightning spears most of the time. Now I dual wield them, and let me tell you, having 2 of those things sunlight blade buffed is not something bosses want to play with.
RE: boss fight are you talking about Defender and Watcher? I've killed them solo in melee range every time I've fought them just because I wanted them to be harder than they would be if I just torqued them with sunlight spear and GLS, and I've always been disappointed with how easy they are. I was hoping for more of a challenge, but they just feel like they have no health at all and are too easy to read the movesets of. Different strokes I guess.
Realistically, in one playthrough, how many petrified dragon bones can you get? I ask because I want to upgrade a second boss weapon and I've already spent near all of my dragon bones on another weapon. I may reroll yet another character specifically for this next boss weapon I want to try.
There's not a static number per playthrough, because some of them are chance drops. Here's the 2 best ways to get them assuming you've picked up all the ones in chests/on the ground/bought the 3 from Chloanne:
- Dragon Acolytes in Aldia's Keep can drop them. Not a common drop, and IMO the lesser of the 2 methods.
- Just ascetic Dragon Aerie after fully clearing it. The 3 drakes can drop them, and more importantly, the million crystal lizards in the area can drop them. Just make sure you've gotten all lizards before asceticing. You don't have to fight a boss or anything, and all you're really doing is making the 3 drakes harder, and they're cake to kill anyway.
Realistically, in one playthrough, how many petrified dragon bones can you get? I ask because I want to upgrade a second boss weapon and I've already spent near all of my dragon bones on another weapon. I may reroll yet another character specifically for this next boss weapon I want to try.
There's not a static number per playthrough, because some of them are chance drops. Here's the 2 best ways to get them assuming you've picked up all the ones in chests/on the ground/bought the 3 from Chloanne:
- Dragon Acolytes in Aldia's Keep can drop them. Not a common drop, and IMO the lesser of the 2 methods.
- Just ascetic Dragon Aerie after fully clearing it. The 3 drakes can drop them, and more importantly, the million crystal lizards in the area can drop them. Just make sure you've gotten all lizards before asceticing. You don't have to fight a boss or anything, and all you're really doing is making the 3 drakes harder, and they're cake to kill anyway.
Thanks, I will try this. I actually need dragon bones because I want to compare the crypt blacksword to my SCH. And I just got to Aerie on that very character.
Though I do kinda like having a dedicated character for each weapon build. ..
Sev: Your gameplay is the most heavily yomi based around. Usually you look for characters that allow you to force guessing situations for big dmg. Even if the guess is mathematically nowhere near in your favor lol. You're happiest when you have either a 50/50, 33/33/33 or even a 75/25 situation to go crazy with. And you will take big risks to force those situations to come up.
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Sirialisof the Halite Throne.Registered Userregular
edited April 2014
I read that the Manikin Mask was altered to this shitty looking mask because of legal issues with Naruto, why the hell does Naruto having a mask mean anything? Then Phantom of the Opera should be able to sue both.
I really thought those dudes were the next Black Knights, they could have been awesome if replaced with Heide Knights and made stronger.
I've heard in places that there's a penalty to damage if you use a weapon in your left hand, so I finally tested it for myself, using an unmodified morningstar on old knights. Counterhit with left hand, 164. Counterhit with right hand, 184. ):
I don't really use a shield any more because I dual wield lightning greatswords for more damage output and once you've played the game enough there's just never a need for a shield really. The shield is kind of your training wheels, though it's fine to always use one if you just prefer the aesthetic or feel of blocking attacks obviously.
I disagree. Lost Sinner's horizontal swings are weird and easily hit you if you roll, most of Ruin Sentinels', Smelter Demon's, Watcher's/Defender's, and many lesser enemies' (especially snipers) attacks have less effect on your stamina if you block, and some enemies just become a major pain in the ass, like Varangian pirates and hollow soldiers with spears.
I'm certain modders will fix that issue. Obviously the Manikin's are headless because From removed the original asset from the game, but either it's still in there somewhere or a talented modder will make the mask look good again.
Since my Dex is slowly climbing its way to 40 (I don't expect to get there before the end of this playthrough but you never know) I might end up using it just a smidge. I bet it does a lot of damage with Crystal Magic Weapon on it.
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Chainsaw WabbitRogue Academic Level 12are not what they seemRegistered Userregular
I just realized why these games are so awesome.
These games are so awesome because they are Ico with stabbing.
Posts
Duke's Archives on top of a bookshelf. You have to make a jump when one of the staircases is in mid-spin.
Easily one of the best supplementary PvP weapons in the game. Super effective against mages.
// Switch: SW-5306-0651-6424 //
Some invaders go more for hijinks than efficiency. The hat that makes your head look like a mimic boosts soul gain and item find but also steadily draings health and is heavy to boot.
Steam Profile
3DS: 3454-0268-5595 Battle.net: SteelAngel#1772
I had that exact situation happen to me and my bloodstain was still there for me.
PSN: Vorpallion Twitch: Vorpallion
Edit: I took that to mean "Leave a Soul item"
Go back to the room where Solaire is, the bonfire, and leave your summon sign between the bonfire and the door. You'll be summoned with the quickness, shouldn't take more than ten minutes on the outside.
In my first playthrough I managed to fully upgrade one boss weapon and get another to +3, so 16 Bones? But I don't think I killed all of the Drakes in the aerie, so it might be closer to 20.
Steam ID: 76561198021298113
Origin ID: SR71C_Blackbird
if you're willing to farm bonfire ascetics, you can subsequently farm an infinite number of dragon bones
Some spoilers.
If you plan on going STR I would recommend starting with the Cleric class 'cuz the mace is pretty freaking good. Some people here would recommend tower shields but you can use the first 100% damage resistance medium shield if you have 16 STR.
If you prefer DEX then there are rapiers available after you help Lenigrast. You can take a detour to go pick up the Twinblade if you are feeling more exotic.
It takes a while to join the SunBros.
"We have years of struggle ahead, mostly within ourselves." - Made in USA
Hm. Thank you.
Thank you as well.
?
"We have years of struggle ahead, mostly within ourselves." - Made in USA
"We have years of struggle ahead, mostly within ourselves." - Made in USA
I'm kind of annoyed that
I have to keep swapping to sentinels to buy faithstones and now I've just realised I have to sit there doing heir to the sun instead of progressing because otherwise I'm out of a second great lightning spear. I'm not going to bother with sunlight spear.
Not to mention I'm shit out of luck for wrath of god.
You'd be much better off with grabbing just enough int for great magic weapon and just doing a str or dex build.
Oh and as the game goes on I've stopped using heavy armor entirely. It isn't worth it. Your defensive stats don't scale well enough to handle the cov of champ damage so you are gimping your roll for no reason.
So whatever you do don't skimp on adapt like I'm doing. I've only got 20.
Most of the wins I've had the other phantoms have been either completely useless or actively detrimental, especially a tank who ends up facing him away from me.
I mean, sure, I'll put the thing on the thing for absolutely no reason other than you told me too, but some courtesy would be appreciated.
I didn't have to get to +1 with that covenant at all.
Hahahahah I'm such an idiot!
Oh jesus that is really funny.
I think this is a healthy attitude and I applaud you sir.
I really miss the Dark Woodgrain ring sometimes.
Viola.
Darkwood roll distance.
That's the only thing I found useful about it.
I'm not sure what I think of the defender greatsword. The two handed moveset is the naffest naff that ever naffed its way onto a greatsword moveset. Kind of restricts its utility to the one handed moveset.
Oh well I'll see what the damage is like when I get it upgraded. Even at only +2 and infused its already got 166 bonus damage from my faith.
Also holy jesus those two are one hell of a binary boss fight. Do you have ranged attacks or long range weapons? Yes/No.
If Yes: Congratulations! This fight is a joke.
If No: We didn't design this for you dirty plebs. GET OUT!
"We have years of struggle ahead, mostly within ourselves." - Made in USA
I'm more of a cello man myself.
More like Deadlurker.
Weakness: Punching.
I've beaten NG, NG+, and NG++ with my Paladin character. Here are my recommendations:
- Start Cleric. Any class would be fine but Cleric has decent starting STR, FTH, ATN.
- Weapons: Early game use the Fire Longsword. The longsword moveset is far better than the Heide Knight Sword, and if you're pumping FTH you actually get better scaling too because the Fire Longsword is 50% elemental and the Heide is only about 20% Lightning. There are quite a few early game bosses/enemies that take a beating from striking weapons too, so consider just upgrading your mace you start with as a Cleric(or buy one from the blacksmith). Late game pretty much the undeniably best weapon for FTH builds is a Lightning infused Defender's Greatsword. I won't spoil how to get it in case you don't want to know, but just remember it. Thorned Greatsword is more or less equal but I prefer Defender for the free Sunlight Blade buff special it has.
As an addendum to that point, consider getting a Claymore as your early/mid game weapon. It has the same moveset as the Defender's Greatsword(which is a phenomenal combo of horizontal slashes and thrusts), and has basically the same requirements. 20 STR/13 DEX for Clay, 20 STR/12 DEX for Defender's, so if you're setting up for that you'll already have what you need.
- Magic. The heal miracles are cool for saving you lifegems between fights, but mainly Lightning Spears and later Great Lightning Spears/Sunlight Spear(if you max sunbros) will be your damage output spells. Pump your Faith and your Lightning just trashes all comers. Since you're pumping FTH you'll also have good fire bonus, and there's no downside to upgrading your Pyromancy flame as it just takes fire seeds, so do that too. There are a handful of always useful pyromancies that are cool to keep in your arsenal and use for different situations.
- Stats. This is pretty much down to personal preference. I wouldn't take your STR/DEX past the requirements for whatever weapon you want, as your FTH pumping your Lightning is where your damage comes from. If you want to use greatshields then you'll need more STR, but you don't need much to wear kite shields and there are 100% physical block kite shields available early game. You lack the stability, but they work well for just general shieldiness. Can never go wrong with Vigor if you want a lot of health, you get some agility from attunement so you don't need to pump adaptability super high, but you do want to get your agility to 95+ one way or another. Pump Vitality if you want to wear heavier gear without pushing your equip load up. Try to keep your load under 70% at all times so you don't fat roll, and the lower the better for more distance covered while rolling. On NG I ran close to 70% load all the time and it's fine, but on NG+ and ++ I run ~45 to 50% load because I am fine with the defenses of medium armor but I love rolling further.
I don't really use a shield any more because I dual wield lightning greatswords for more damage output and once you've played the game enough there's just never a need for a shield really. The shield is kind of your training wheels, though it's fine to always use one if you just prefer the aesthetic or feel of blocking attacks obviously.
I was wondering what you were talking about, because there are 3 great lightning spears in DaS2 and all 3 are just things you pick up or buy from a vendor. Also, if you want Wrath of God badly on your FTH character you can just buy it from Chancellor Wellager on NG++(ascetics don't work). This actually applies to every covenant reward spell except Sunlight Spear and Hidden Weapon.
Lightning Defender Greatsword is ridiculous. The 1h moveset is just bonkers, and +5 Lightning with 50+ FTH it does bananas damage. When I use the special to enchant it, it routinely hits for between 700 and 800 damage. In fact, my melee hits bosses for about the same amount as my great lightning spears most of the time. Now I dual wield them, and let me tell you, having 2 of those things sunlight blade buffed is not something bosses want to play with.
RE: boss fight are you talking about Defender and Watcher? I've killed them solo in melee range every time I've fought them just because I wanted them to be harder than they would be if I just torqued them with sunlight spear and GLS, and I've always been disappointed with how easy they are. I was hoping for more of a challenge, but they just feel like they have no health at all and are too easy to read the movesets of. Different strokes I guess.
There's not a static number per playthrough, because some of them are chance drops. Here's the 2 best ways to get them assuming you've picked up all the ones in chests/on the ground/bought the 3 from Chloanne:
- Dragon Acolytes in Aldia's Keep can drop them. Not a common drop, and IMO the lesser of the 2 methods.
- Just ascetic Dragon Aerie after fully clearing it. The 3 drakes can drop them, and more importantly, the million crystal lizards in the area can drop them. Just make sure you've gotten all lizards before asceticing. You don't have to fight a boss or anything, and all you're really doing is making the 3 drakes harder, and they're cake to kill anyway.
Though I do kinda like having a dedicated character for each weapon build. ..
I really thought those dudes were the next Black Knights, they could have been awesome if replaced with Heide Knights and made stronger.
I disagree. Lost Sinner's horizontal swings are weird and easily hit you if you roll, most of Ruin Sentinels', Smelter Demon's, Watcher's/Defender's, and many lesser enemies' (especially snipers) attacks have less effect on your stamina if you block, and some enemies just become a major pain in the ass, like Varangian pirates and hollow soldiers with spears.
Since my Dex is slowly climbing its way to 40 (I don't expect to get there before the end of this playthrough but you never know) I might end up using it just a smidge. I bet it does a lot of damage with Crystal Magic Weapon on it.
These games are so awesome because they are Ico with stabbing.