As I've already put in quite a few hours, and other games will start coming out past this weekend I'm starting to wonder if I'll be able to finish it before moving on for a while. I just found the smith in Anor Londo, and I've yet to do new londo ruins, valley of drakes, tomb of the giants and the demon ruins (might've missed some other zone?). I've also yet to kill the Hydra in the Basin. So, can anyone give me an estimate of whereabouts I am in the progression ?

60% in?

Getting to Anor Londo is just a bit before the halfway point of the main quest line I'd say.

@LordXavierBritish said:

Getting to Anor Londo is just a bit before the halfway point of the main quest line I'd say.

This makes me so happy, yet terrified.

hmm, too bad =/ guess I'll have something to look forward to once the crazy-times are over though =D

@Ares42 - just curious what game are you getting soon that will trump your interest in Dark Souls? UC3? Skyrim isn't for 3 more weeks.

@Awolf007: batman ?

@Ares42 - btw, I'm EXACTLY at the same point in the game as you are. Well, almost exactly. I just cleared the room with like 15 ninjas and the black iron armor in Anor Londo over my lunch break today. (I have a 2 year-old, 5 year-old and a relatively demanding job which have all kept me from progressing further in this game).

Where are you at stat-wise and what weapons are you using? Have you taken time to do any major upgrades? Or have you been just rocking the Drake sword like me?

@Awolf007: I'm about lvl 50ish. Never actually picked up the Drake sword (playing no agi cleric, so no bow), but upgraded a reinforced club to divine pretty early (terrible choice, but was sorta clueless). Found the lightning spear at Sen's and have been upgrading and using that ever since, almost feels like cheating since I got it :P Should probably spend some of my shards on armor, but I'm not really struggling so don't feel the need. Only place I've died more than 2-3 times is the dual archers you're about to have a pleasant meeting with :P

@Ares42 - I sort of blazed through Sen's and didn't get the lightning spear. Where was it? I've heard so much about it. Does it deal out nice DMG? I've been similar with upgrades - I too haven't been getting wrecked all that much in any level so haven't really seen the need. I took some leather armor up to +2 and then got the gold-hemmed black cloak in Blight Town and have been rolling that since. Its light and I prefer to run fast and roll fast than be heavy and protected. Only real upgrades I've done have been the Drake Sword to +2 with a dragon scale found in a chest and another that I got from trading an egg thingy to Snuggly the crow.

I've heard a lot about those archers - they rape pretty nasty, huh? Fun fun - at least its the weekend so I MIGHT get to play more than 90 minutes at a sitting so I can actually get the FLOW down on a tough boss like that.

@Awolf007: drops from a mimic at the bottom of one of the boulder-ramps. I have it at +3 now I believe and it does 198 physical 198 lightning (no stat-scaling). As for the archers, you can check out the other thread here dedicated to them. Might wanna give them a few tries yourself first though, might get lucky :P

@Ares42 - what do you mean by "a mimic"? I remember the boulder ramps. I only descended to the first one that was open before moving the boulder-launching device. I believe it had a ring at the bottom and a death-chest by the elevator platform. Then I basically progressed through and turned the turnstyle that directs the boulder-launching device one single quarter-turn. Then I just kept going to the really small bridge with the 4 pendulums that connects one building with the other and moved forward and forward. Should I have run back down one of those boulder ramps after turning the device?

Also - how soon after the room with all the ninjas is the black smith in A.L.? Is he in the Enormous castle?

@Awolf007: Think what you're referring to as a death-chest was the mimic :P try poking it.

iirc after the ninjas the next section is the archers, then there's another small section until you can access the smith. I'd say it's about 10-20 mins (depending on how thorough you are) once you're past the archers. I wouldn't try to save souls for it though, the next area gives a ton of it anyways.