Who gives a fuck about Demon's Souls anymore?? Dark Souls was announced!
I know everyone is going to be excited to talk about this game, but please don't spoil it for others. Please use the spoiler tags and please label your spoilers with something appropriate so people will have an idea of what they are about to see.
Woah, what? What the hell is Dark Souls?
Dark Souls is the "sequel" to Demon's Souls. I put sequel in quotes because it's not a true sequel that takes place in the same world with the same characters, etc., shit that a sequel normally has, but it's the same vein of Demon's Souls in that it's a dark, medieval world, hard as fuck, and just as awesome. Japanese gaming rag Famitsu had an article about it.
- This is the official title of what was previously Project Dark
- This time they want to increase the amount of field exploration in the game.
- All fields are seamless, so whatever you can see, you can reach and explore. If you see a fortress or castle walls in the distance, you can eventually get there.
- There will be no map display in the game, just a position display marker.
- They aim to make the game just as challenging than Demon's Souls, but also just as rewarding when you succeed. The sense of achievement is important.
- The gameplay will be similar to Demon's Souls in concept, where it's about trial and error and learning from your mistakes to play better.
- The game does not share the same world and story as Demon's Souls.
- The game will not use the same format as Demon's Souls in terms of having 5 worlds connected via a hub.
- Instead all maps in the game will be linked seamlessly in a connected world. The pace of the game will feel more about exploration and discovering locations, which you can then go inside into a dungeon or whatever and explore the interior further.
- There will be more complex level designs in the game using more vertical design in areas and such.
- The world setting is based on medieval dark fantasy, and will contain themes like "high fantasy of kings and knights", "death and the depths of the earth", and "the flames of chaos".
- The character creation process will not be class based.
- The play style of the player character will have much more freedom this time.
- There will be many more spells and items, and the animation and uniqueness of weapons will also be increased.
- The online elements are very similar to Demon's Souls. There is cooperative and PvP.
- You can still leave messages, and see players who died at various places.
- There will be no Soul Tendency this time because they don't want to have to use dedicated servers to handle that shit again.
- Instead this time there will be more features allowing players to engage in "mutual role playing" which they say are still under wraps. They'll reveal more when it's time.
- The difficulty has been increased greatly over Demon's Souls.
Here are some videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93LFz_j5fQAhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HobdMOegikIs there anything else?
We've got screenshots too!
! Dark Souls PSN List !
PA Name - PSN ID
Shorn Scrotum Man - sojakfa
YamiNoSenshi - YamiNoSenshi
Sarganym - RagingKermit
NailbunnyPD - NailbunnyPD
taliosfalcon - TaliosFalcon
mr weenis - Mr_Weenis
Nitsua - Darkhawk16
MonkeyConQueso - Aubvry
El Fantastico - ArcticArctos
Frei - Chace8625
Dignified Pauper - DignifiedPauper
Farangu - Farangu
Zombiemambo - MEGARAD3000
Mostlyjoe13 - Mostlyjoe
! Dark Souls XBox360 List !
PA Name - Xbox360 ID
Spawnbroker - Xenacity
Posts
Demon's Souls is a recent PS3 exclusive title from developer From Software, already known for the Armored Core series, Chromehounds, the Tenchu series and Ninja Blade. Demon's Souls is a third person action game in the vein of From Software's old, old franchise King's Field. King's Field was know to be ludicriously hard and huge learning curve. Demon's Souls keeps that tradition pretty damn well.
So what's the big deal with this RPG that put's it above the others?
Demon's Souls "ain't yo mamma's RPG". It certainly takes keys from a lot of other well know games before it, like King's Field (naturally), Monster Hunter, and we'll throw in one you know like TESIV: Oblivion. It's not just another JRPG that is turned based, has that same menu in every JRPG ever made. For a gaming coming from Japan, it's distinctly Western. It has a very dark European background, full voice acting and some of the best environments that can be found in a game today.
Equipment comes in all kinds of forms, from long swords to katanas to a Pyramid Head-esque meat cleaver. Enemies range from zombies to dark knights to dragons. Bosses? Gigantic and intimidating. Giants mechanical knights, fire breating spiders (yes, you just read that), a veritable God. Pretty much every imaginable baddie is out for your ass in this game.
Did I mention how this game is hard? This game is hard. Like, fucking hard. I cannot emphasis the difficulty of this game. Now, it's not what I like to call "Ninja Gaiden Hard", where the game is difficult to the point of hindering the player (*coughfuckingterribadcameracough*). It is such a well crafted difficulty to the point where the game is never cheap. Your death is always your own fault. And you will die. And there are heavy consequences for that death.
There is no long and arduous tutorial. No quick time events. No button mashing. No pop-up hints. You will get mobbed by monsters. You will fight bosses that could very well kill you in one hit. You'll fall of ledges because you didn't watch where you were stepping. There isn't even a pause button! You'll fight tooth and nail to get past each and every level. But God damn it, does it feel rewarding once you do.
Ok, you've got me now. This game have a story?
While the story in Demon's Souls is simple, the world that is created around it is very interesting. It takes place in the fictional European-inspired kingdom of Boletaria, where a corrupt king summons "the Old One" and uses unholy powers to bring unrivaled prosperity to his lands. Prosper it did, but then fell victim to his own vices and traps and abused his power to cause great destruction, causing a great fog to cover the country and summon countless demons to devour the innocent. This is where you come in! You are a lone adventurer who quests into the depths of Boletaria to put a stop to the fog and bring peace to the land, not even death itself can stop your pursuit!
That's it. You play the part of a random adventurer out to find your fame. No girl to save, no friend who betrayed you. Just you, the legions of hell, and victory on the other side of them.
So how does it play?
Demon's Souls plays in real time from the third person perspective. You name and design your character yourself and use a system similar to Oblivion's face creation to get your look. There is a vast amount of weapons and armour and two kinds of magic: Spells (mostly offensive attacks) and Miracles (mostly defensive and healing abilities). And you need to take into account your environment. Yeah, you have an huge sword that smacks monsters around, but will it really be of any use in a narrow hallway?
Bring aware of your surroundings is key. Every new enemy you come upon will act differently. The most important piece of advice is move slowly, attack carefully. If you just waltz around playing like it's Ninja Gaiden, your liable to fall off a cliff or become stunlocked by an enemies attacks.
You have your tipical Health and Magic, but Demon's Souls also takes hint from The Elder Scroll's and implements and Stamina system for sword attacks and blocking with shields. Every action takes away a certain amount of Stamina, but it's always regenerating. The heavier the attack, the more Stamina you will use. The more hits you take behind your shield, the more Stamina will be drained.
Demon's Souls has over a dozen starting "classes", but in actuality it is a classless game. All equipment is dependent on your character stats, so even if you start as a cloth wearing Royal, you can still pick up and use the same heavy armor the Knight has if you have the right statistics. There are certain advantages and challenges from picking each starting class tho. As a Royal, you are well equipped to use magic but don't have a lot of armor or health. As a Thief, you can backstab easier because of your dagger. As a Knight, you have heavy armor and are well equipped for melee combat but roll slowly and have no magic. It is a very well set system.
Leveling up is done by the games only currency, Souls. Souls are everything. They will get you higher stats, buy you equipment, potions, increase the effectiveness of your gear, are needed to craft new weapons. If you die, you lose all your Souls, and this is one fact that makes Demon's Souls so punishing. Now, you do have one chance to get them all back from a bloodstain you leave behind in your death, but if you die before you touch that bloodstain, all those Souls are lost.
The entire game is based around deep, complex dungeons that take ages to fully explore. Your only refuge from the monsters is the "Nexus" which is the hub or "town" of Demon's Souls. Here you can talk to the locals, level up, learn new magic spells, repair or buy new items and equipment, and store your unwanted junk. Don't think though you've got it all down, New Game+ provides even more to see at the Nexus!
Oh yeah, there is a New Game+. Playing in New Game+ raises the difficulty even more! It's a whole new ballgame when you enter your second time around. But it doesn't end after that. You can start a New Game++, and keep going. Every new game raises the difficulty more.
Is there multiplayer?
Oh yeah! Demon's Souls has some of the coolest and original multiplayer interaction ever.
Co-Operative
Players can utilize a special item called the "Blue Eye Stone" to set a marker on the ground that acts as a gateway to a multiplayer Co-Operative game. There's no lobby or matchmaking system. Other players online can see your marker and invite you into their world, and soon enough you and two other adventurers will be on your way to slaying some monsters.
All three players can receive Souls for their hard work, and they can team up to take out the Boss Demons with better efficiency! As your game together ends, players can grade the host adventure on a scale from D to S and this grade carries with the Host so other players know how good or bad a player they are.
Competitive
Don't like playing nice? With the use of the "Black Eye Stone," players with evil intent can literally force themselves into another player's world! Taking the role of the "Black Phantom," the player must hunt out and kill the invaded player to receive a special Souls bonus! However, if the invading Phantom is killed then you lose all your Souls and he gets a big reward for killing you.
If you want to join someone in co-op or kill someone by invading, you will only have access to those within 10 levels of you. No picking on newbies, and no getting sent to fight someone much higher than yourself.
Educational
Uh...what? Hang on, let me explain this one. Demon's Souls offers a special method of communicating with other players in other worlds, to help (or deceive) other players about events that may be coming up in around that corner, or across that dark bridge. By utilizing a wide selection of stock messages and phrases, players use a bizarre Twitter-esque system of leaving messages on the floor for others to read. These messages can be read by anyone, and can even be graded on their usefulness! Players who leave helpful or nice messages are rewarded with a full health restore!
The Pantheon
But wait! There's more! Demon's Souls taps into the desires of envy and jealousy by providing its own Leaderboards. Players can visit The Pantheon at the very top of The Nexus to see who the greatest Boletarian adventurers are. Ever wonder who has the most PKs? Who's played the longest? Who's got the most souls or the most Trophies? The Pantheon tells all.
Ok, I want this game. As in right now. How do I get it?
For the longest time you would have to import the Asian version, but not any more! As of October 2009, Atlus has published Demon's Souls here in the US!
Demon's Souls was also released in the EU by Namco-Bandi on June 25, 2010.
All versions have their own online servers. EU cannot play with US, Asian cannot play with EU, etc.
I live off review scores.
Fine. Be like that. Demon's Souls has gotten very positive reviews since it's asian release in January 2009.
Famitsu: 9 / 7 / 7 / 6
Dengeki: 95 / 85 / 85 / 85
Eurogamer: 9 / 10
RPGFan: 84%
GameSpot: 9.0
Gamer Limit: 9.5
GamesRadar: 9
GameTrailers: 8.9
IGN: 9.4
GameSpot 2009 Game of the Year
Now, slayer of demon's...go forth!
Helpful Links!
Below are several helpful links for those who need specific info regarding the game. Personally, I'm telling you not to use any of these on your first game because it ruins the fun, but if you really have to, go for it.
Demon's Souls Wiki - A comprehensive Demon's Souls wiki, started thanks to the people at SomethingAwful. This is the most comprehensive Demon's Souls resource there it. Maps, weapon, armor, upgrades, character builds...it has it all.
Ultimate Demon's Souls PvP Guide - Possibly all you wanted to know about PvP. What weapons to use, what builds to play and how to play them. A very good guide if you want to maximize in PvP.
Demon's Souls Ventrilo - This is a Ventrilo chat server maintained by the guys who run the Demon's Souls wiki. People hang out here throughout the day/night/whenever and talk shop. Some of the best DS players are on here and everyone is always up for a friendly duel. Not a lot of microphones, but everyone is usually in chat. Note: Pretty dead now.
Demon's Souls Forum - Another product of the great people who maintain the Demon's Souls wiki! If I need to tell you what a forum is about then you have some issues. Note: Still active![/quote]
! Demon's Souls PSN List !
PA Name - PSN ID (Region)
Shorn Scrotum Man - sojakfa (USA)
Mostlyjoe13 - Mostlyjoe (USA)
Folken Fanel - folken_PA (USA)
cj iwakura - cj_iwakura (USA)
Demon's Souls Soul Farming Guide!
I am sad that I have to prep for running Deadlands tonight instead of playing this game right now. I have delicious souls to acquire!
I still need verification of the black phantoms spawn from loot thing.
Also, at what point can we stop using spoilers? We going to go in stages?
PSN: Bizazedo
CFN: Bizazedo (I don't think I suck, add me).
To copy my question from the old thread, what exactly do we get from the dragon tail/head at the bridge?
Twitch: KoopahTroopah - Steam: Koopah
I'm not sure what the usual policy is, but the game's only been out for 2 days. And remember, many people are still just getting their copies due to all the shipping issues. Give it some time!
Spoilers are weird for this game, as there isn't like major story plots to just drop a bomb on. But its all either strategies on a boss or secret spots to get items or open new parts of the world.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Praise Papa Nito!
So who else is enjoying the line of super heavy weapons? I'm torn between the Claymore move set and the Zweihander move set. Claymores get that stabbity motion, but the Zweihander type go THWACK.
About sniping the head: I found a spot to do it from below and hit him with 300+ arrows while I was watching TV. He didn't die... and those arrows should have altogether done 2500+ damage, so I think he's healing or something.
I guess since the youtoob only shows breaking its tail, people are saying thats how you get the sword. Simply getting him down in HP enough dropped it for me.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
So waste time hitting the tail and not the head. Got it.
Twitch: KoopahTroopah - Steam: Koopah
I guess I'm good to go into the sewers now >_>
There are geckos. I've only seen 2 though, dunno if there are rooms full of them ala demon souls.
I'm dead serious."
There are crystal geckos. As for Dexterity, it is hard to say. Ascending a weapon will always change the scaling of dex for the worst. Personally, I am leveling dex and str side by side, with dex being about +3 higher than str always. Good luck finding a good bow though
Orange Soapstone: Male Merchant in Undead Burg. Costs 100 souls. Used to write/rate messages.
White Soapstone: Soltaire gives this to you if you say Yes to his questions. Found after beating the Taurus Demon in Undead Burg. As undead, use to allow the living to invite you to their game so you can co-op.
Repair Box: Male Merchant in Undead Burg. Costs 1000 souls. Used to repair your gear at bonfires.
Bottomless Box: Found in the Depths area, which is Below Undead Burg. Requires beating Capra Demon to access. Costs 2000 souls. Let's you store unlimited items in it at bonfires, to de-clutter your inventory.
Weapon Reinforce Kit: Sold for 2000 souls by the Blacksmith, near the Undead Parish. Allows you to reinforce your own weapons at bonfires with shards you find.
Armor Reinforce Kit: Sold for 2000 souls by the Blacksmith, near the Undead Parish. Allows you to reinforce your own armor at bonfires with shards you find.
Anything else that should be included?
Steam: TheArcadeBear
No, hit him anywhere. The head spot lets you get more arrows in without waiting for him on moving around.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I should probably stop laughing while I set things on fire.
I'm trying to wrap my head around how it all works. I chose a thief, with a ring that (I think) replenishes my HP over time if I'm standing still, but I'm not sure it's working. I also restored my 'humanity' and some other thing, but other than making my dude's face look less ghoulish, I don't really know what that did. I also made some kind of pact with the light, so I guess I'll be able to cast miracles when I can afford them, or something? There's clearly a lot to learn here.
I was curious if I can get him back if he ended up leaving on me...
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
-Talk to NPCs until they loop dialog, NPCs are full of surprises.
-Press X (or PS3 equivalent) when in equip menus to see an items full stats, press back (or select) to see a breakdown of those stats.
-If you can hurt it, you can kill it, it just might not be very easy.
That kinda stuff.
Equipping the Drake Sword gives you +15 to Fire and Damage resistance. That's the blue buff.
If you have the Ring of the Evil Eye equipped, you'll see a grey eye icon. When you kill enemies, you restore a little health. Seems to be a static number that does not scale with the more HP you have.
If you have the Blue Tearstone Ring equipped, when you get low enough in health, a purple icon will show up, and your character will glow with light. Your defense is raised while this is in effect. Truthfully, your HP by this point is low enough that anything will still probably one-shot you. It's not a bad ring to start with, but there's definitely better.
I haven't found any other items that give buffs yet.
Steam: TheArcadeBear
I was put off by his dickness so I didn't talk to him enough!
If he's the one I think you mean,
No, don't. People really need to stop saying this. If you do that you join his Covenant and you don't want to just join one to buy Miracles. You have to wait until he has friends with him then he'll sell you Miracles without joining his Covenant.
The OP should also state in bold red or something that the HP regen ring gift does not do what it says it does. Very important to know so you don't waste your first character by picking a nearly useless gift.
That was me, the item and buff in question are:
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
e: More importantly, will it tell me when I use the Master Key? I'd like to know just how useful it is to me.
Joining and leaving covenants doesn't seem to be a big deal though? At least, not so far for me. Maybe it will bite me in the ass down the road?
Yes, that's exactly correct. Some doors are one way shortcuts, and others require keys that must be purchased or found by murdering things. You're allowed to sequence break a little, but not so much that the game turns inside out. And you will see a little notification that you used the Master Key when you do. Helps to know that you just opened a door you haven't met the requirement for yet.
Yes, from what I read when you break a Covenant you get some pretty nasty side effects. For one thing, I think all the NPCs related to the Covenant attack you on sight. Plus you get your name put in the Book of the Guilty.
Interesting, we will see.
I definitely rank up every good message I see, and down vote every misleading one. And I make sure to leave a message in any situation where I feel it would be useful and there is not one already. It takes a little time out of my day but, as my friend put it "We are all in this thing together."
Wish my messages could go cross platform and help out guys on the PS3 and vice versa though.