Can I go to Anor Londo before Sens Fortress? I really just want to restore the firekeeper at firelink :( or maybe is there another firekeeper in Sens Fortress? sigh... I hate that Lautrec douche.

Can I go to Anor Londo before Sens Fortress? I really just want to restore the firekeeper at firelink :( or maybe is there another firekeeper in Sens Fortress? sigh... I hate that Lautrec douche.

I wonder if I should try and defeat the Hydra first, so far I only killed the butterfly in forest... I just dont wanna go back to blighttown :( :( :( the only reason I left the boss there was coz I was under the impression my firekeeper would die after I ring bell...

I have never killed the Hydra, even with newgame+++ on the consoles, never killed it. You can shortcut your way through blighttown, I only ever did that area fully once. Ever since the first terrible experience I take the shortcut through New Londo Ruins, then valley of the drakes.

Anor Londo provided one of the worst moments I've ever had with this game. Up until that point, everything had been fair. If I died, it was probably my fault (or the camera's, but whatever). But that part in Anor Londo? Total bullshit. Anyone who's been there and done that knows what I'm talking about. Once I figured out that it was much easier if I took my time, didn't sprint and just avoid the attacks, everything was smooth sailing.

In case you're wondering, I'm talking about the archers that shoot dragon arrows at you, while you're trying to cross through a thin archway between to buildings. Yeah. Reminded me of that race in a side-mission in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. Same concept, different game.

@JoeyRavn: when I saw someone bait the one on the right to take out his sword and use the poor AI to exploit them I was like, "oh well this will be a easy". Then I met Smough and Ornstein :/. But even that battle is pretty easy to do now.

This needed to be posted.

Don't sweat it. You're going to encounter another Firekeeper right past the boss at the bottom of Blighttown (Hidden doorway right after boss room). That should be your goal. It's accessible way earlier than the Anor Londo one.

Edit: Just don't hit the weird-looking NPC blocking your way. Talk to him first. Then talk to the lady inside. That'll be your new Firekeeper.

The Hydra is a completely optional mid-boss, and a fairly easy once you get up close. (Edit, not too close, there's a drop-off in the water). I believe it's a necessary step in accessing the DLC (whenever console users get it). For now, feel free to ignore it. Unless you have a magic build and want some useful spells that come after killing it.

Hydra is kinda annoying when you can't see that drop off into the watery abyss

@DeeGee said:

Only a master of the Time Belt could have made such a masterpiece.

@Dark: Hydra is easy. Use the Rusted Iron Ring to keep your movement speed normal in the water and get up close. All the heads try a melee attack and you can chop the heads off one by one. You don't need to do enough damage to kill the Hydra if you manage to cut off all the heads.

I loved Anor Londo, probably my favorite area in the game, it's just a beautiful desolate once grandiose place. I loved just staring at the view.

I never had the problem most people seem to have with the archers there, what really REALLY did me in over and over were the electric demons with pitchforks, those things are assholes!!!!

@Humanity: That drop off point is so much easier to see in the PC version. Maybe it's because of the graphical mod makes things less muddy, or because of my brightness settings, but now it's crystal clear where the line is.

@Bassario said:

Can I go to Anor Londo before Sens Fortress? I really just want to restore the firekeeper at firelink :( or maybe is there another firekeeper in Sens Fortress? sigh... I hate that Lautrec douche.

@Bassario said:

I wonder if I should try and defeat the Hydra first, so far I only killed the butterfly in forest... I just dont wanna go back to blighttown :( :( :( the only reason I left the boss there was coz I was under the impression my firekeeper would die after I ring bell...

Even if there was a way to get to Anor Londo before ringing both bells and/or going through Sen's Fortress (there isn't), it would be impossible to get Anastacia's soul back because Lautrec is only in Anor Londo if you allow him to kill her. Also, no generic firekeeper soul will revive her, it specifically has to be her soul which you can only get if you invade Lautrec's world in Anor Londo and successfully kill him. I say kill him beforehand, his ring is really the only thing worthwhile that he drops (the ring of favour and protection), and you can get that by killing him at any point (thought I believe he needs to at least get to Firelink first). Edit: Also, be careful, since you can reinforce your estus flask with Anastacia's soul, preventing her form being revived that playthrough.

Check out these pages for more info: http://darksoulswiki.wikispaces.com/Anastacia+of+Astorahttp://darksoulswiki.wikispaces.com/Knight+Lautrec

I loved Anor. Mostly because I trolled invaders. They would spawn. Id run and turn the crank. And the stairs would move. They would have to go take the long route. And I would set up with a dragon bow and shoot them off.  
 
So much hate mail..so much hate mail. 

I think I've reached a point where I'm no longer having fun with this game anymore. Everything about Anor Londo has been a pain in the ass. I was looking forward to getting there because I would finally be able to upgrade my Claymore+10 (right now, a Lightning Claymore+3), but, man. What a shitty place.

I just can't beat, ehrm, Dumb and Dumber. Abbot and Costello. Whatever their names are. Getting there is enough of an issue already (with the two stupid giants that always manage to hit me when I'm trying to run past them), so not being able to survive more than 10 seconds against the bosses is not the most appealing thing ever. No, literally, I've been killed in less than ten seconds. I entered the room, the tall one dashed across it, I didn't even have enough time to get my shield up, he knocks me down (and almost half of my life), then the fat one stomps me to a pulp while I'm locked in my getting up animation. Good times.

I don't know what I can do now. I could try getting Quelaag's Furysword (which is pretty effective against these dudes), but I would need to go back to the first blacksmith... meaning I would have to walk through Anor Londo and Sen's Fortress... I'm shit out of luck, I guess.

Nope, Sen's Fortress leads to Anor Londo.

@JoeyRavn said:

I think I've reached a point where I'm no longer having fun with this game anymore. Everything about Anor Londo has been a pain in the ass. I was looking forward to getting there because I would finally be able to upgrade my Claymore+10 (right now, a Lightning Claymore+3), but, man. What a shitty place.

I just can't beat, ehrm, Dumb and Dumber. Abbot and Costello. Whatever their names are. Getting there is enough of an issue already (with the two stupid giants that always manage to hit me when I'm trying to run past them), so not being able to survive more than 10 seconds against the bosses is not the most appealing thing ever. No, literally, I've been killed in less than ten seconds. I entered the room, the tall one dashed across it, I didn't even have enough time to get my shield up, he knocks me down (and almost half of my life), then the fat one stomps me to a pulp while I'm locked in my getting up animation. Good times.

I don't know what I can do now. I could try getting Quelaag's Furysword (which is pretty effective against these dudes), but I would need to go back to the first blacksmith... meaning I would have to walk through Anor Londo and Sen's Fortress... I'm shit out of luck, I guess.

Here's how I beat them:

@Bassario said:

Can I go to Anor Londo before Sens Fortress? I really just want to restore the firekeeper at firelink :( or maybe is there another firekeeper in Sens Fortress? sigh... I hate that Lautrec douche.

Don't rush into Anor Londo. If you do you'll be stuck doing some grinding.

Anor Londo is probably the biggest hurdle for most new players in this game. It's worth to struggle through it, the game opens up after that and the difficulty doesn't really go up anymore in my opinion.

@dudeglove said:

@The_Laughing_Man said:

I loved Anor. Mostly because I trolled invaders. They would spawn. Id run and turn the crank. And the stairs would move. They would have to go take the long route. And I would set up with a dragon bow and shoot them off. So much hate mail..so much hate mail.

That sounds fucking amazing.

Can't really see the hate for either Sens or Anor Londo, both are fantastic areas to run around in with the exception of trying to dodge the black knight archers. Then again, poison arrows.

While I agree, the swinging axes over bridges in Sens (especially that last one with 4 axes all close together on a very narrow walkway with a serpent mage spamming lightning attacks at you) can be annoying. Getting knocked off the last bridge and having to re-climb all of Sens can be disheartening.

@JoeyRavn: Once you defeat Fatboy Slim (or Fatty and Beanpole, to use the in game messages) you get the ability to teleport between bonfires. Maybe get some co-op help for Fatboy Slim?

@JoeyRavn: Try summoning phantoms, if not other people, Knight Solaire's summon sign is located on the stairs where the silver knight archer is in the main hall. Having at least 1 other person there to distract one of them makes that fight incredibly easier.

Edit: Also, fatty is weak against lightning and slim is weak against fire, so you can try that as well

I love the funhouse gameplay of Sen's Fortress but there's so much platforming that you get in some sticky situations.

Like when I had 50,000 souls and tons of humanity, and got cocky because I had just used the bonfire on the roof. I slipped on the bridge with the crossbowman, and fell through the ceiling which sent me hurdling towards the basement. It would have been fine if I died, but instead of falling to my death, I landed on a precarious railing with nothing below me. The only way off was to kill myself, leaving my bloodstain on that railing.

Luckily I managed to buy homeward bones, make that same improbable fall, grab my bloodstain and bone out of there.

@mosespippy: @ThePaco: I've tried using Solaire, but getting him is almost not worth the effort. The first time I tried, I managed to summon him, but he run away to fight the giants. I didn't notice he wasn't following me, I crossed the fog... and Solaire never showed up. The second time I think I actually got him to fight, but the two assholes ended up killing me anyway. And the third time, on my last Humanity, a piece of shit invaded me and killed me two steps before the white fog. So, yeah, between the stupid giants and the random dude invading me and killing me, Solaire is out of question.

I've been loving this game so far. The exploration and discovery aspects of it are amazing. Getting to a new area, slowly making progress until you reach a bonfire or open a new shortcut is an incredible experience. Very few games feel so rewarding with so very little. And you can learn from almost every death, because they are (mostly) your own fault. But everything about Anor Londo screams to me "fuck you, player". From the position of the enemies in the map to the very layout of it (seriously, how was I supposed to know I had to walk over that archway-thingy to enter the cathedral?). I feel like I've hit a wall and not because of my lack of skill. I can more or less control the fight to the point where I'm almost able to down one of the pair, but there's always something beyond my reach that fucks me over. The camera is driving me nuts. Locking onto a target is a matter of luck, it seems. I'm sometimes directly in front of an enemy, I tried to lock on that game just centers the camera, disorienting me and putting my back against the enemy. I guess it's an inherent flaw of all third person games (to some degree or other, camera controls are always a sensitive issue), but in a fight where I have to be paying attention to two attackers at the same time... it's almost as if the camera was another enemy I have to fight back.

I'll keep trying, but my faith in Dark Souls is fading fast...

@JoeyRavn: What Soul Level are you and what console are you on?

@JoeyRavn: I know the feeling, I felt the same way when I first fought the 4 kings when the 360 version came out last year. I died like 15 times, actually making me put the game away for like months before I came back, tried a strategy I didn't try yet, and ended up obliterating those 4 kings, which was stop defending and never stop attacking.

At this point I would say keep trying a different strategy and if you can summon human players, it does help (I like to help people beat Orsntein and Smough, but my dude is too high level on my current playthrough to get summoned anymore), best place to look for summon signs is the bonfire where the silver knights hang out. If you have at least 25 faith, try joining the Sunbros covenant to get lightning spear (need 20 faith to use that) and use that on Smough (fatty), usually takes him down really fast, but LS has little to no effect on Ornstein.

Just keep trying man, eventually you'll beat them, and it will feel fucking awesome.

@thellama042: PC.

I'm going to try this fight just once more, but if I die again, that's it. I'll give up. There's no way I can beat these two fuckers. They are beyond my abilities as a player, and my patience.

Edit: Yep, that's that. Can't progress in the game without beating this boss fight. I can't beat this boss fight, so there's little point in playing the game. It was good while it lasted, Dark Souls.

@JoeyRavn: I feel like I could provide some advice if I knew what gear you are using. For the most part I found that the key to this battle was getting distance between you and the pair, doing damage only when you can single out one. When they are together one attacks right after the other and you can't really do much if one stuns you. The area is large so you can create space by staying mobile. Focus all attacks on one target since the other will get full health when the first dies. I certainly took a beating on these guys myself and had to run to the end of the room and heal knowing that Beanpole would get to me quick and attack during the heal but I'd get a slight increase in health from the trade off.

@jozzy said:

Anor Londo is probably the biggest hurdle for most new players in this game. It's worth to struggle through it, the game opens up after that and the difficulty doesn't really go up anymore in my opinion.

I don't know... New Londo is kind of a bitch.

@The_Laughing_Man said:

I loved Anor. Mostly because I trolled invaders. They would spawn. Id run and turn the crank. And the stairs would move. They would have to go take the long route. And I would set up with a dragon bow and shoot them off. So much hate mail..so much hate mail.

That sounds fucking amazing.

Can't really see the hate for either Sens or Anor Londo, both are fantastic areas to run around in with the exception of trying to dodge the black knight archers. Then again, poison arrows.

@thellama042: PC.

I'm going to try this fight just once more, but if I die again, that's it. I'll give up. There's no way I can beat these two fuckers. They are beyond my abilities as a player, and my patience.

Edit: Yep, that's that. Can't progress in the game without beating this boss fight. I can't beat this boss fight, so there's little point in playing the game. It was good while it lasted, Dark Souls.

@PerryVandell said:

@jozzy said:

Anor Londo is probably the biggest hurdle for most new players in this game. It's worth to struggle through it, the game opens up after that and the difficulty doesn't really go up anymore in my opinion.

I don't know... New Londo is kind of a bitch.

Other than 4K, New Londo is easy.

As for Biggy and Smalls, it's definitely my favorite fight in the game. It's like the end of the training course, where the game goes "okay hotshot, you think you're a fucking badass? Come prove it!"

Then again I've always summoned. And went for Smough first. I think that's hard mode though.

@Terramagi: New Londo would be easy if it didn't have the goddamn Darkwraith knights. Those guys aren't too bad 1v1, but they are almost always in groups of 3 or 4, which complicates things. I beat Four Kings on the first try, though I had a melee character which I hear they're weak against. Heard they were a massive pain on NG+ though.

@Terramagi: New Londo would be easy if it didn't have the goddamn Darkwraith knights. Those guys aren't too bad 1v1, but they are almost always in groups of 3 or 4, which complicates things. I beat Four Kings on the first try, though I had a melee character which I hear they're weak against. Heard they were a massive pain on NG+ though.

@PerryVandell: If you move slowly through New Londo you'll never encounter more than one Darkwraith at a time. The only places where you are likely to encounter 2 or 3 of them at once is inside the buildings. My advice is to slowly inch your way into them with your shield up. When one guy comes towards you, back off, circle strafe, and stab him in the back. Rinse/Repeat.

@PerryVandell: On NG+ it took me 2 hours to get the Lord Vessel and reach 4K and another 4 hours after that to defeat them. NG+ is easytown until 4K. Gwyn was the only other problem I had with NG+. I was a melee character too, but I certainly didn't spec my character for optimal damage.

@JoeyRavn said:

@thellama042: PC.

I'm going to try this fight just once more, but if I die again, that's it. I'll give up. There's no way I can beat these two fuckers. They are beyond my abilities as a player, and my patience.

Edit: Yep, that's that. Can't progress in the game without beating this boss fight. I can't beat this boss fight, so there's little point in playing the game. It was good while it lasted, Dark Souls.

This video is a nice showcase of how to dodge and block their various attacks. The majority of learning that takes place during a boss fight is how to dodge and block attacks. All the health in the world isn't going to help if you can't do that.

The other option is to summon a human phantom and let them solo one of them and then you can help when one of them goes super. In my experience on the 360 there are always people who want to be summoned to get sun bro medals off these guys.

@golguin said:

The other option is to summon a human phantom and let them solo one of them and then you can help when one of them goes super. In my experience on the 360 there are always people who want to be summoned to get sun bro medals off these guys.

That would be ideal if the summoning system would work. What I have found out while trying to beat these two for couple of days now, that it just doesn't work. On average it goes something like this:

Summoning failed, summoning failed, summoning failed, summoning failed, you have been invaded, you die.

It seem that only thing I can summon properly is that AI knight.

@mmzOne said:

@golguin said:

The other option is to summon a human phantom and let them solo one of them and then you can help when one of them goes super. In my experience on the 360 there are always people who want to be summoned to get sun bro medals off these guys.

That would be ideal if the summoning system would work. What I have found out while trying to beat these two for couple of days now, that it just doesn't work. On average it goes something like this:

Summoning failed, summoning failed, summoning failed, summoning failed, you have been invaded, you die.

It seem that only thing I can summon properly is that AI knight.

Don't know what to tell you. I'm on the 360 version and I'm constantly fighting host and phantoms in the forest. They don't have trouble summoning allies.

Just a few hours ago I actually went to Anor Londo to try out this fight because of this thread. I was summoned about a minute after putting my sign down. The host died at the archers, but was able to summon me again. I took him through the archers (I killed the left one and he killed the right one), through the castle, and into the fog gate.

I usually PVP with Gwyn's sword, but for PVE I go with my lightning uchi for max mobility and speed. I burned Ornstein to death with max pyromancy great combustion. I killed Super Smough by simply slashing him to death. The host didn't do much except take hits and heal. I only took a single hit during the whole fight and that was from a little bump Super Smough gave me when I attacked too soon after his lighting sit smash attack. I also have the flip ring so maybe you should get that from the forest cov. I don't know what kind of roll you have, but if its not the fastest roll you're doing it wrong. Knowing their attacks and rolling/flipping away is the best way to kill them. They aren't fast. You just have to know not to dodge too early or too late.

@golguin said:

Don't know what to tell you. I'm on the 360 version and I'm constantly fighting host and phantoms in the forest. They don't have trouble summoning allies.

Just a few hours ago I actually went to Anor Londo to try out this fight because of this thread. I was summoned about a minute after putting my sign down. The host died at the archers, but was able to summon me again. I took him through the archers (I killed the left one and he killed the right one), through the castle, and into the fog gate.

Well, I'm playing on PC. Apparently the summoning system works much better on consoles, according to steam forums.

Having said that, I have just managed to summon my first human helper after trying for two-three days. We immediately annihilated the boss duo. It just shows how much less frustrating this game would be if it would be completely bug free.

@mmzOne said:

@golguin said:

Don't know what to tell you. I'm on the 360 version and I'm constantly fighting host and phantoms in the forest. They don't have trouble summoning allies.

Just a few hours ago I actually went to Anor Londo to try out this fight because of this thread. I was summoned about a minute after putting my sign down. The host died at the archers, but was able to summon me again. I took him through the archers (I killed the left one and he killed the right one), through the castle, and into the fog gate.

Well, I'm playing on PC. Apparently the summoning system works much better on consoles, according to steam forums.

Having said that, I have just managed to summon my first human helper after trying for two-three days. We immediately annihilated the boss duo. It just shows how much less frustrating this game would be if it would be completely bug free.

Problem with the summoning system is that you have to have the proper ports forwarded, and uPnP active. The latter isn't a problem with most routers, but the former goes contrary to the needs of every game on Steam.

Thanks GFWL.

@JoeyRavn said:

Anor Londo provided one of the worst moments I've ever had with this game. Up until that point, everything had been fair. If I died, it was probably my fault (or the camera's, but whatever). But that part in Anor Londo? Total bullshit. Anyone who's been there and done that knows what I'm talking about. Once I figured out that it was much easier if I took my time, didn't sprint and just avoid the attacks, everything was smooth sailing.

In case you're wondering, I'm talking about the archers that shoot dragon arrows at you, while you're trying to cross through a thin archway between to buildings. Yeah. Reminded me of that race in a side-mission in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. Same concept, different game.

making a crazy dash up the path and turning left works for me. also, you gotta roll through those attacks. once you get close enough, he'll off himself by trying to melee you. i don't remember having to roll for that one.. but the guy on the right? i just rolled through each attack and he ended up jumping off too.

oh man.. wow, this post was empty for ages and I had a look today and 46 posts O_O

Well thanks for the opinions I guess, I skipped a lot of what u guys said sadly tho coz it went heavily into spolier territory and I know I like to get a lot of advice on the fine details of stuff here but believe it or not I am trying very hard to experience everything for the first time on my own and without warning coz that is how this game was designed to be played xD once Im there and something doesnt quite make sense I look it up.

My worst moment so far in the game (believe it or not this moment was far worse than anything in Blighttown, tho Blighttown is still the worst thing ever as a whole) it happened when I finally reached the top of Sen's Fortress, its funny looking back it doesnt seem that long or difficult but learning it from scratch was quite hellish mainly due to the no bonfire halfway or anything which is a bit harsh but ANYWAY, I finally got up to the top of the fortress and climbed up some stairs just one more lvl to have a nice good look at the iron golem and as I am peacefully standing there catching my breath and absorbing in the satisfaction of getting past that frustrating place a GIANT FUCK-OFF FIREBALL crashes on top of my head and burns me to a crisp while I struggle to even move... with absolutely no warning or no way of knowing it would happen (no fireballs came down before that one) .. .. .. naturally being ENRAGED with the game after that I managed to die stupidly on my way back to the top losing all 10 humanity and 40 000+ souls I had saved up.

But yes, I am kinda rushing to Anor Londo to be honest coz I have explored most areas well and I am keeping myself lvl 40 for now, have made two +5 divine weapons coz I use a faith build and I have a +15 flaming hand thing (for pyromancy) just for shits and giggles if I wanna throw some fireballs, most of all I am rushing there to invade and murder that slimy golden assed piece of shit Lautrec wanker. Afterwards I will probably cut off his head and $%|@ down his throat.

@Bassario: if youre looking for another firekeeper to reinforce your flask before anor londo , the chaos servant spider lady is a firekeeper.

@rebgav: thanks! I managed to find the bonfire easy enough but the opening the cage thing, would never have found that xD tho I dont actually know where this hidden elevator is... I have explored Sen's really well now, something perculiar happened down below, when I went to fight the 4 titanite demons, the first two were easy enough coz I have my rusty iron ring, however the other two in the long room were horribly overpowered which was a bit random and I am having trouble clearing them out, no matter think ill come back a bit later when Im bored and stronger, but yeah I saw some kind of really strange... glowing... murloc creature... is the best I can explain it, I only saw it once right next to the last of the titanite demons but I only saw him for a few seconds as I was killed pretty much immediately what was that?

@Bassario: That was probably a vagrant. I've only seen one in my 170 hours playing. When someone dies dropping lots of souls and humanity a vagrant will apear in nearby player's games. The one I saw happened to appear as I was getting ambushed so I never got to defeat it.

Lol bugger.. that would be right -_- yeah when I think back it kinda did appear to be all spirity like ppl that you summon from other games xD that is relally annoying coz once again I lost a BUCKETLOAD of souls and more importantly about 7 humanity coz when I went back to get my splat one of the titanite demons (that I had not yet realized were 4 times tougher than the original) pounced and one shot me... so many facepalm moments in this game yet I continue to love it... strange...

But anyway if the vagrant only gives souls I dont really care, but if it also drops humanity that would be pretty amazing.