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[Dark Souls 3] Second and Final DLC OUT NOW!
Houn
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
This is a thread to discuss Dark Souls 3. It's a small indie game from Japan, you've probably never heard of it. This is a pretty good thread to use to talk about it! Ask questions, seek jolly cooperation, and go hollow among friends who have also stared too long into the deep recesses of Gothic Medieval Horror Murder Simulation.
What's that? You actually wanted to talk about Bloodborne, the PS4-exclusive Victorian Cosmic Horror kindred game from the same developers that won, like, all the awards forever? Try Here.
Or maybe you wanted to talk about all those OTHER Souls games that do not have a stylish "3" at the end of their logos? We got you covered.
Rules
- No talking about the merits of PvP Invasions.
- Spoilers for DS1 and DS2 are Ok, try to keep DS3+DLC spoilers behind tags for the new players.
- Always be Fashionsouling
DLC Details
The Ringed City, the second and final of the two planned DLC expansions, was released on March 28th. Per Namco Bandai, this DLC “has players chasing after the Slave Knight Gael to the literal end of the world as he searches for the Dark Soul of Humanity”.
Launch Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zbxn03qo6sAlso, the Reveal Trailer if you missed it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezosSMzPdNQThe Ashes of Ariandel, the first DLC expansion, was released on October 24, 2016 at 3 PM PDT for Steam players and October 24, 2016 at 9 PM PDT for console players. Venture to a frozen land and prepare to see the iconic "YOU DIED" message all over again while facing new challenges, plundering new treasures, and getting confused about the lore implications until Vaati releases a new video to explain it to us all. Also, a PvP arena, if that's your thing.
Reveal Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jjqS_03IjoVital Info
Dark Souls III is an action role-playing video game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. The fourth entry in the Souls series, Dark Souls III was released in Japan in March 2016, and worldwide in April 2016.
Opening Cinematic Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zDZYrIUgKELaunch Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWBwFhUv1-8Reviews:
Easy Allies, 4.5/5 Stars
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBFfQpfBIDI
IGN, 9.5/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6MXWZ4mheo
Gamespot, 8/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqxSX2JwcWs
ItsGWC, 9.6729346/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm6BPWZd8WU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBFfQpfBIDIIGN, 9.5/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6MXWZ4mheoGamespot, 8/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqxSX2JwcWsItsGWC, 9.6729346/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm6BPWZd8WUFrequently Asked Questions
Why should I play this game?
Well, it's fun. You remember fun, right? It's that thing Miyazaki-sensi invented back in 2011. This is the third (fourth? fifth?) installment in the "Souls" franchise, a series of action-heavy RPG games that focus on satisfying, visceral combat that rewards mastery over stat-boosting, and level design that focuses on exploration and acquired knowledge over linear corridors and waypoints. With the now-famous "Souls" currency system to provide tension, the industry-changing PvP and CoOp systems, and more vague-ass lore than you can shake a stick at, it's a game that provides the best kind of frustration and subsequent accomplishment as you, the player, "git gud" and learn to overcome life's challenges as represented by big ass monster dudes who frequently wear armor.
Alternately, you could watch those reviews up above. They make a pretty good pitch.
I can't help but notice that "3". This isn't the first game? Do I have to play other games first?
You are most astute, dear reader! This is not the first Dark Souls game. The Souls Franchise began with Demon's Souls back in 2009/10 for the PS3. FromSoftware followed up with the first proper Dark Souls in 2011/12 for PS3, 360, and later Windows, which became a roaring success. It got a sequel in 2014, the aptly-named Dark Souls 2 for pretty much every platform eventually, and then a spiritual successor / sister game in the PS4 exclusive Bloodborne in 2015.
You don't really need to play any of those, though. The Souls series itself tends to tell less traditional stories, opting to allow the player to unearth the lore and history of the world in an almost archaeological fashion, hiding much of it in item descriptions and environmental cues, and letting the players form their own motivations for continuing their quests. You can totally jump in to DS3 and not be lost in the slightest. That said, there are plenty of nostalgic callbacks and references to the first two Dark Souls games that you'll probably miss out on. I'd highly recommend at least playing the first game if you can, but no one is gonna blame you for jumping into the new hawtness.
Ok, but I heard it's really, really hard
Well... yes and no. Dark Souls is punishing. There is a weight to it's combat and traps that makes mistakes costly, and death will come frequently. It's ok, though. You don't suck, that's just the game's way of telling you to take what you learned from that death, and get better. Many modern games are tuned so that death either only occurs if you're doing absolutely, embarrassingly terrible, or never at all. In Dark Souls, it's frequent and brutal and just a thing to get through. In many ways, Dark Souls is about failure and how we deal with it. Will you charge over and over into the fight head-on? Will you take what you learned and try a new approach? Will you challenge yourself to learn enemy moves so you can react with perfect timing, dodging and parrying your way through the world in a dance of beautiful carnage?
Most likely, you'll get mad, toss your controller, proclaim loudly that the game is badly designed, and promise never to play it again. Then a day or two later you'll pick the controller back up and beat whatever had you stuck first try.
(It's ok. We all do it. Frequently.)
Ok, how about classes? I can be a warrior or a wizard?
Sure. The game lets your start as one of ten different classes, each with a slightly different stat alignment and starting equipment. See this image:
Of course, the "secret" is that your starting class is literally just how you start the game. You can choose Knight to start, decide you really dig magic, and end up a mage character by the end of the game. Every caster is going to spend a lot of the early game swinging around a club or sword until you get enough FP (Focus Points, think "MP" in most RPGs) to really be casting the majority of the time. Most likely you'll end up some kind of hybrid: you'll find a weapon you like the moveset on, some armor that looks faaaaaabuloooooous, and an array of support spells and items to get you through whatever situations the game might throw at you.
And then you'll die anyway.
I heard this game has always-on PvP. I don't like that at all.
Eh, yes and no. In game, there is an item called an Ember that you will find pretty frequently. Using one will boost your HP by 30%, give you a sweet "paper on fire" visual effect, and effectively "turn on" multiplayer. You have to be Embered in order to summon other players to CoOp with you, but at the same time, being Embered opens you up to potentially being invaded by other players seeking to smack you down and dance on your corpse. It's a risk/reward thing. Also, every time you beat a boss, you're automatically Embered if you weren't already as a bit of a "job well done" bonus.
Now, for some people, that's just too much, and they'll advise disconnecting the internet or playing offline or something. Other people will tell you that you're missing out on a core part of the experience by doing this. These two viewpoints will argue back and forth until a mod comes in and tells us to shut up about it for the 9,000th time.
I wouldn't recommend bringing it up.
Man, this game can be really obtuse sometimes!
Yup. One of the design goals was to make shit obscure so that people would talk about it online and share discoveries. Ergo, no shame in using a wiki if you want to know how to find a covenant or item that interests you.
Ok, but do you have dank memes?
Natch, brah.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq7Xevr0Wxc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwV7CAdjY74
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esOpx7ybPt8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7SAF-So9Pc
Ok, last question: I am a gamer that exclusively spends my time playing only games with the largest, finest hats. Is this game a good match for my eccentric tastes?
Now, get out there and Praise the Sun or something.
Houn on
+2
Posts
Btw, did you know that Kukri is actually decent damage against bleed-weak enemies?
Big Hat not-Douglas, actually. It's his OP. I'll revamp it a bit later, but for now, we're not on page 103.
I got that pic from Reddit.
:edit: hmm no, looking at pictures, it's not that.
:edit: found it, Fallen Knight set.
Warframe/Steam: NFyt
It sucks that I'm going to have to farm most of my pvp items, because I didn't use blue sentinels when I was SL25 or whatever when it can actually get you summoned more, and I was too busy just exploring and getting through farron keep and what not and didn't use watchdogs or faithful on my NG either, so I have hardly any of the items I need.
I mean in a perfect world, there wouldn't be rings and spells you need for the trophies behind the covenants, but eh, it's not like I have to have trophies. I just want them.
I'm turning my DEX Pyro into a utility wizard, I guess. 25/25 is a good INT/FAI split a pyro, or so I read, and it's also high enough to use most sorceries and miracles, but not high enough to benefit greatly from scaling, right?
So great heal is the obvious miracle.
What's the obvious sorcery?
What I really want to know is what is the connection between hollowing and trees. In DS1 and DS3 if you're hollow it looks like tree roots are coming out of your characters heart on the chest. And in DS2 we saw the giants turning into trees after death. Now in DS3 we have hollows turning into trees, pilgrim butterflies that are tree-like, and all that stuff.
It really feels like there's some connection between hollowing, trees, and the dragons, but I don't know what it is.
Warframe/Steam: NFyt
Need to figure out a build I suppose.
Also, another DS2 connection in DS3:
That's clearly Aldia.
What I want to know is why did Gwynevere peace out of being queen of Lothric unexpectedly? Maybe running away is just part of who she is?
He just flows between his moves so well. The fight is almost like a dance. He attacks, you dodge into a rolling attack and then move to the side to dodge the kick. A few more strikes between you leaping over the halberd and then you step aside to dodge the elbow jab.
And that kick-up/homerun attack. I've never been so satisfied by being defeated by a boss before. That was well played champ.
Armchair: 4098-3704-2012
Ending 3 checked off.
Now... I think I want to do flippy mcnoshield ninja. Or pyromancer. Not sure.
3DS: 0473-8507-2652
Switch: SW-5185-4991-5118
PSN: AbEntropy
Video Proof (Spoilers, of course):
Things I note in review/just from fighting him in general:
- I'd forgotten to use an Ember before the fight, so I tried to use one mid-fight. Ended up being clutch as fuck.
- I hate his spear/miracle form so much. I think the only reason I won this attempt was because he didn't queue up the endless Homing Crystal Soulmasses prior to going into Spear-form.
- He can use Power Within but doesn't get the health drain. Bullshit.
- HA HA HA at the end, his big explosion bounces my fireball back for a moment. That's hilarious.
Now I gotta figure out what's next. NG+? New Character? Play something else? I dunno.
On that spoiler
We all know Ludleth did some shit to bring back the First Flame after it went out, since he, you know, tells you this.
I am 100% sure the Queen of Lothric was part of that plan, and is probably the Firekeeper, memory wiped and tied to the false Firelink Shrine and the First Flame.
I have four slots with the right rings, what spells should I equip?
I won't hear a word against it
Pyro? Chaos Bed Vestiges and Chaos Fire Orb were my workhorses. They do around the same damage overall, but Vestiges has a shorter range and does it all at once, where Orb can be thrown much farther away, does less on impact, and leaves a pool of lava that can tick at most once for another chunk of damage. I also had fun with Rapport at the end there, but didn't play with it until super-late.
If you don't have those spells yet... use what you've got. Early on, I was mostly just swinging a sword, it wasn't until late game that I was regularly flinging fire. FP's limited, sword are not.
Also, End of Game stats and Fashion!
Edit:
I kinda wish you could turn the Dried Fingers OFF again. It became annoying having to fight another phantom and then ANOTHER phantom before being able to use the bonfire.
Steam ID: 76561198021298113
Origin ID: SR71C_Blackbird
The final run of bosses felt like increasingly insane Shonen fights, so I have to agree.
Steam ID: 76561198021298113
Origin ID: SR71C_Blackbird
I've been stuck on that fight for the last couple days and the only reason I don't mind is I love the atmosphere and visual design, it's all super awesome.
It was harder than the final boss for me that's for sure.
It's all about proper orientation and the swing of your weapon
The two game changers are the homing holy shots, and holy lasers. Just make sure you're clear of them before you commit to an attack. You can strafe them or dodge them. I found it's much safer to immediately try to close the distance, because their teleports mean it's useless to hit and run. Also, it's better to block a heavy hit if you can't dodge it than just take full damage. You need to try to conserve your Estus for the second phase.
Also, both of their heavy laser/flame charge attacks have big windows where you can get in and cause damage.
Hoping it's not long until I can get a shield that does not suck, though. Starting Knight last time spoiled me for having a decent starter shield.
Disgusting. Guess I gotta play Offline mode for now.
Steam ID: 76561198021298113
Origin ID: SR71C_Blackbird
the first stage of Nameless King fight is hard only because the camera doesn't stay locked.
She's a survivor.
YOU DIED.
Is it fine after all of his stuff is done and you just get them anyway?
The update may have changed this, but:
Some of the followups to Warcry and Stomp and such are quite different. For Stomp, some are launching uppercut-things, and some are wide, horizontal sweeps.