I just finished the DLC content, and I'm in the mood to talk about it. Favorite part? Least favorite part? Thoughts on the boss fights and new areas? Discuss!

The "final" fight is probably one of the coolest fights of either of the D.Souls games and the effect it has on the regular content is really fucking cool. Most other games would completely ignore a little detail like that.

I loved the extra backstory for Artorias (I especially like the Sif callback, not sure if you noticed the secret area in the lower areas of the Abyss), and also thought that his boss fight was one of the hardest if not the hardest boss fight in the game (I play a very melee heavy character). I loved how the DLC content started off strong as fuck, delivering a really unique boss fight literally seconds into arriving.

I really liked the atmosphere of the Oolacile Township area, with the constant screaming girl in the ambient background. Super creepy. Also, the new Abyss areas were really cool, and was pretty surprised by the physical form of the humanity enemies. All around, all of the content felt new and unique, and I really enjoyed the entire time I spent with it.

Beat everything except Kalameet.

Because fuck that guy.

Noticed that my CPU was chugging in the Chasm of the Abyss. Wonder how badly it's going to run on consoles, with the humanity enemies.

Manus was a cool goddamn fight.

How do you start the battle with Kalameet?

@Bocam said:

How do you start the battle with Kalameet?

There is a small tower with a locked door above the Artorias fight. There is an NPC at the top of that tower that will trigger an event (if talked to enough) that will set up Kalameet as a proper boss fight. The key to the tower is either in the Oolacile Township area, or in the Chasm, I really can't remember. I just know it's in the areas after the Artorias fight.

@Bocam: I think you need to encounter him in the Royal Wood, then in the area where he flies over and roasts everything. Once you see him there talk to Hawkeye Gough and he will ground him for you.

Kalameet was fucking cool, though he was similar to Seath in that I spent so much time trying to cut off his tail that once I did the fight itself was easy (not as easy as Seath became, but still pretty easy).

I'm so glad that I was in Human form the time I defeated Manus, even though I failed to summon any players to help me about halfway into the fight I noticed Sif's summoning sign and I was STOKED!

Hawkeye Gough was a very interesting character to listen to, and definetly among the nicest NPC's in the game.

I loved the Sif/Artorias backstory they filled in with the content. And I almost freaked out when I realised that you can summon a young Sif to help you against Manus. And if you do that the beginning cut scene of the Sif fight back in Darkroot Garden changes.

I had a lot of problems with Kalameet as well, I ended up getting the titanite slab from the area and did not beat him yet (I'm on NG+ at SL 111 at the moment).

@Roland_D11 said:

I loved the Sif/Artorias backstory they filled in with the content. And I almost freaked out when I realised that you can summon a yound Sif to help you against Manus. And if you do that the beginning cut scene of the Sif fight back in Darkroot Garden changes.

I had a lot of problems with Kalameet as well, I ended up getting the titanite slab from the area and did not beat him yet (I'm on NG+ at SL 111 at the moment).

You only have to rescue him to get the new cutscene.

Which makes it kind of weird if you summon him during the Manus fight AFTER killing him in the present and he ends up taking a dark magic shotgun to the face and dying.

@Terramagi: Interesting, I didn't know that. But I don't think it is weird if he 'dies' in the Manus fight. You summon a phantom, just as you summon other NPCs like Solaire or other players. If they die in your world they do not 'really' die.

@Terramagi: Dying as a Phantom doesn't count as regular dying, you don't lose your souls or anything. It's the same for NPCs and a good story reason to why you can have Solaire die in a boss fight over and over again yet still be alive for later parts of his story.

Invaders are the same, if you kill Marvelous Chester when he invades you he's still alive afterwards (and pissed off at you).

I felt From Soft did a phenomenal job on the DLC package. From start to finish there wasn't a point in the story when I began to get bored or feel that this was an unnecessary add-on to the game. The lore alone justified my purchase by the end of it!

Funnily enough I felt the Manus fight was the easiest boss fight, especially when Sif joined the fray to take the heat off at times. Artorias, on the other hand, was far too much for my dex. build to handle. Thankfully a dudebro wearing the same elite knight armour as me helped me out for the fight with his lightning Zweihander. He also showed me you could stunlock Artorias out of his supermode buff charge, which made the fight much easier!

Kalameet had to be my favourite boss fight however. Possibly the most rewarding solo fight in the game, as you square-the-fuck-off with a humongous and pissed off dragon. I died a helluva lot fighting him but it felt so satisfying to land the killing blow when I eventually got my shit together and fought like an MLG Pr0x420.

Yes, the Artorias fight was an endurance test for me, I did it with a dex build as well. It took me about 15 minutes to slowly and cautiously wear him down, blow by blow (using an Uchigatana +15 with great magic weapon buff). I was so happy when he finally died.

As far as the NPCs go I liked Gough very much. His voice acting is great and he has some very interesting things to say.

Kalameet is probably my favorite boss in the game now, all the new boss encounters were fucking phenomenal.

Yes, lets talk about DLC content, especially letting poor little Bassario better understand how Playstation 3 works and when it is coming out on ps3? Lol basically I am new to ps3, I only bought one a few months ago coz I got FED UP with capcom not translating monster hunter games and I imported the monster Hunter Freedom 3rd HD from Japan :P

Thats the only reason I own one :S thanks to this I did get Dragon's Dogma which was a fun lil game and now this, Dark Souls coz everyone told me the PC port was the slimiest nastiest port since ever, however the moment I got my ps3 copy a friend told me that same day that actually the port is fine because ppl went and modded it pretty much immediately -_-

ANYWAY :P when the DLC stuff comes out on PS3 will it automatically prompt me in-game or do I have to find it somewhere in the playstation network? thanks for your help.

@Bassario: On October 26 select Playstation Store from the PS3's main menu and it'll be in there. The store usually updates at around 5PM pacific time.

@mosespippy: Great, thanks again.

Overall it was pretty good. I have yet to beet Kalameet and Manus (right now I'm trying to get Kalameet's tail before I progress any further which is hard as fuck).

That said, the Royal Wood is not my favorite level of the game. Bright and coloful levels never were Dark Souls' strong suit (organic outdoor levels neither) and I'd prefer it if they went into a little more dark and bleak direction again with the sequel (more Demon's Souls-y).

@CptBedlam said:

Overall it was pretty good. I have yet to beet Kalameet and Manus (right now I'm trying to get Kalameet's tail before I progress any further which is hard as fuck).

That said, the Royal Wood is not my favorite level of the game. Bright and coloful levels never were Dark Souls' strong suit (organic outdoor levels neither) and I'd prefer it if they went into a little more dark and bleak direction again with the sequel (more Demon's Souls-y).

It's clearly intentional, as you've gone back in time to when the Age of Fire is still going strong.

Plus, if you look closely, you might realize Oolacile isn't so far from Lordran after all.

@Terramagi said:

@CptBedlam said:

Overall it was pretty good. I have yet to beet Kalameet and Manus (right now I'm trying to get Kalameet's tail before I progress any further which is hard as fuck).

That said, the Royal Wood is not my favorite level of the game. Bright and coloful levels never were Dark Souls' strong suit (organic outdoor levels neither) and I'd prefer it if they went into a little more dark and bleak direction again with the sequel (more Demon's Souls-y).

It's clearly intentional, as you've gone back in time to when the Age of Fire is still going strong.

Plus, if you look closely, you might realize Oolacile isn't so far from Lordran after all.

I'm not disputing any of this. I'm just saying the game's graphics don't particularly shine in these types of levels.

I think they should add a dungeon where you have to push a rock up a never ending hill, and every time you die you have to start over.

So the black magic is really good. Dark Beat pretty much counters rolling, pursuers is a more obnoxious version of Crystal Soul Mass, and since you can combine them with regular sorceries, you can pretty much break any counters for it. Trying to use the silver pendant when I'm using Dark Bead? HOMING CRYSTAL SOULMASS TO THE FACE.

I liked most of the DLC quite a lot, although it could've been without the wood area. Already my least favorite part of the original game and then they basically just reskinned the same exact geography, lazy. I liked the guardian, Artorias and Kalameet fights, but Manus was way too traditional (boss slams hand down, you hit hand). Ended up one-shotting every boss though, but I'd probably attribute that to my build which is just stupidly OP. The Sif secret was great, and the Gough cutscene was awesome =D Also love the fact that you end up getting some really unique and special loot, like a strength bow and the tracers that are actually made for dual-wielding.

What I like the most in the extension is the new cutscene when you face Sif after rescuing him from the Abyss. It's really touching. I would rather not to kill him if I can. Such a faithful companion....

@Inquisitor_Sif said:

What I like the most in the extension is the new cutscene when you face Sif after rescuing him from the Abyss. It's really touching. I would rather not to kill him if I can. Such a faithful companion....

Fun fact: Sif's fighting style is actually very similar to that of Artorias'.

@Ares42:

I wouldn't call it lazy, it is intentional, since you are fighting in the same area (Darkroot Garden = Royal Woods) a few centuries back in time. And you can run past all the enemies except maybe the first two fork-wielders. After you unlocked the shortcut, the area is done.

Does this DLC come out for the 360? I've played Dark Souls on PS3 but I'm going to be getting it for Xbox for when I go back to England. Hence, why I am asking.

@Carlos1408: Since the PC version is essentially the 360 version, I don't see why they wouldn't. Both console DLC updates should come out at the end of October.

Yes, it will come out as DLC. Namco Bandai also said they will re-release the game on PS3/360 as 'Prepare to die'-Edition, which will include the new content.

@CptBedlam said:

That said, the Royal Wood is not my favorite level of the game. Bright and coloful levels never were Dark Souls' strong suit (organic outdoor levels neither) and I'd prefer it if they went into a little more dark and bleak direction again with the sequel (more Demon's Souls-y).

Hey you could always go back and play the Valley of Defilement if you really want to Shawshank

@Fredchuckdave: No I can't. I don't have a PS3. :(

@CptBedlam: NO! You can't walk slowly in a poisonous swamp for ages? You can't get massacred by Black Phantom Giant Depraved Ones? You can't completely annihilate the trivial bosses? What kind of a Demon's Souls apologist are you?

@Morbid_Coffee: Awesome that's good to hear. Thanks for the info. It'll be great to start a new game and have some new content to boot! :D

I just like how the dlc reveals that the greatest deed of Artorias the Abyss Walker was in fact a giant sham. He never overcame the abyss, the abyss destroyed him. You just picked up the slack, then got none of the glory.