Beginner Thread

@TaliciaDragonsong said:

@Chop said:

@TaliciaDragonsong said:

@Chop said:

@TaliciaDragonsong: No curved swords scale naturally with faith, so it's probably best to stick with your Schimitar. The Falcion is the only similar weapon and it will end up with a higher attack in the end but it would be a fairly minuscule difference anyways.

Huh? Where'd that faith thing come from? I'm going mostly dex (think its at 20 now) over str (16 I believe). I think I saw Dex improving its damage by two-three points, while str only did one. So, Dex is the way to go when I want to keep using a scimitar right? I love those things and no other weapon had the same flair yet.

You said you modified your sword into a divine version. Doing that makes it so that the swords damage scales primarily with the faith stat, rather than dex. When you check a weapon out, you should notice some letters near the bottom of the screen. The higher the letter, the more the damage scales based on whatever stat the letter is beside.

Your best bet at this point would be to reset your Schimitar back to +5 at the black smith. From there, I'd suggest keeping the Schimitar normal, as curved swords already have a B in dex.

Yeah sorry, I forgot about the divine part. I heard talk about needing it to kill zombies in the catacombs or something so I'll just up another Scimitar to +5. Its not worth doing anything with it past that? Can't you make it go to +10? Or any of the other elements?

Oh, it's worth upgrading the sword to 15+ and you should definitely work on doing that. The divine weapon is recommend for the skeletons in the catacombs, it's not something you have to bother with for quite a while. If you do plan on keeping the divine Schimitar in your back pocket and upgrading a second one, go with a Falcion instead. It's the exact same sword but with a higher base attack. You should be able to find one at the very start of blightown, the area right after the sewers.

@TaliciaDragonsong said:

@Chop said:

@TaliciaDragonsong said:

@Chop said:

@TaliciaDragonsong said:

@Chop said:

@TaliciaDragonsong: No curved swords scale naturally with faith, so it's probably best to stick with your Schimitar. The Falcion is the only similar weapon and it will end up with a higher attack in the end but it would be a fairly minuscule difference anyways.

Huh? Where'd that faith thing come from? I'm going mostly dex (think its at 20 now) over str (16 I believe). I think I saw Dex improving its damage by two-three points, while str only did one. So, Dex is the way to go when I want to keep using a scimitar right? I love those things and no other weapon had the same flair yet.

You said you modified your sword into a divine version. Doing that makes it so that the swords damage scales primarily with the faith stat, rather than dex. When you check a weapon out, you should notice some letters near the bottom of the screen. The higher the letter, the more the damage scales based on whatever stat the letter is beside.

Your best bet at this point would be to reset your Schimitar back to +5 at the black smith. From there, I'd suggest keeping the Schimitar normal, as curved swords already have a B in dex.

Yeah sorry, I forgot about the divine part. I heard talk about needing it to kill zombies in the catacombs or something so I'll just up another Scimitar to +5. Its not worth doing anything with it past that? Can't you make it go to +10? Or any of the other elements?

Oh, it's worth upgrading the sword to 15+ and you should definitely work on doing that. The divine weapon is recommend for the skeletons in the catacombs, it's not something you have to bother with for quite a while. If you do plan on keeping the divine Schimitar in your back pocket and upgrading a second one, go with a Falcion instead. It's the exact same sword but with a higher base attack. You should be able to find one at the very start of blightown, the area right after the sewers.

I just arrived there, but the dude below 2shotted me so I thought it would be wise to hunt around a bit first for souls for upgrades etc. I read that the graveyard skellies can drop em but they seem to hate me. How do I get to +15? As I said I just killed the gaping dragon and didn't went far beyond that, what materials do I need? Can they be forged at Andrei or do I need to find another blacksmith?

You can only get to +10 with the blacksmiths you currently have access to. You'll need Titanite Shards (buy from the blacksmith) and Large Titanite Shards (Rare drops from the slugs in the sewers) to upgrade past +5. I wouldn't advise trying to farm from slugs, as you can just buy the large shards later in the game and it'll be a LOT less trouble that way.

If you're having trouble, seriously consider busting your Schimitar back to +5 and upgrading it as far as you can. By making it Divine, you turned the dex boost from B to E and that's a significant drop to the damage you'll be doing with it.

@TaliciaDragonsong said:

@Chop: I will try that then, I picked up some large shards on my trip in the sewers. Is that Falchion worth finding it? If its near the entrance of blight town from the sewers then I wouldn't mind a trip there to get it, otherwise I'll pump some souls into a new scimitar. I do remember the Scimitar not being selectable at Andrei's reinforcement when it hit +5 earlier tho, or would that open up because I now have the large shards?

Nah, the Falchion only has two more attack. It's not worth the frustrations of suicide runs through blightown. If you mean you couldn't find the Schimtar +6 in his menu after upgrading it to +5, that's because the upgrade to +6 is in the modify menu, not the reinforcement menu. If it just wasn't selectable in there, you probably didn't have any large shards or the large ember.

I was able to get my STR to 20 and my DEX to 18 and am now able to wield the Black Knight Sword. It was a little rough at first because of how slow it made me, but I was to get the dragon on the bridge to appear and exploited the one-hit kill bug and used the souls from that to upgrade my END to 18. Now I'm pretty much destroying everything I come across as long I don't act stupid. This is especially true after upgrading the sword at the blacksmith. But now I'm curious, where do I head to? I can go down the stairs by the blacksmith or up the stairs in the church. I'm sure both lead to probably death however. Any suggestions?

@Chop said:

@D_W said:

Any tips for taking out the Boar in the Undead Parish? The drake sword seems to only do 20 damage to it!

Bait him to charge you and when he does run back to the staircase building. When the boar starts to head back, backstab him for an instant kill.

I forced him to run into one of the fire-things and he killed himself on it.

@handlas: I have been getting some good drops, found the boar helm after I killed the armored boar and found a decent amount of upgrade parts, but it doesn't seem like anything too drastic or anything

Also another question: I just killed the gaping dragon and am about to go into Blighttown, and I've been using the Drake sword for quite some time now, I was wondering if its still worth it or should I start looking into upgrading other weapons as I've pummed quite a bit of points into dex and have a decent amount of large titanite shards to spend

How do you get the Drake Sword? I am in the opening video now and I hear all you have to do is shoot that Dragon on the bridge in the tail a couple of times?

@N7:Correct. You'll be able to hit his tail while you're standing under the bridge. Bring plenty of arrows. I'd recommend at least 30 to be safe. Depending on your aim it will be a lot more than a couple shots, but keep at it and you'll eventually get it.

@MentalDisruption: Thanks! Just got out of the Asylum and OMG THIS GAME IS COOOOOOL

I rented this game from Redbox on Thursday and I just returned it today. After 38 hrs of play time, I have decided that I'm buying the shit out of this game tomorrow asap. I'm really thankful to Matt Rorie because that quicklook did it for me.this game is fucking incredible.

I still don't know %100 of the core mechanics like Summoning and Covenants, but I don't really feel like I need to know how everything works. I love the sense of mystery and discovery in this game. I love how the From Software fucks with the player by challenging common video game conventions and cliches. The huge interconnected world is great and I haven't found myself needing any sort of map whatsoever. The combat is so satisfying and demanding and all the weapon classes feel so different. The loot is so awesome.Needless to say that this is one of the most refreshing experiences I've had this generation.

I don't know why a lot of people find it hard to describe this game to others since Dark Souls is essentially a Metroidvenia just like those Castlevania DS games but in 3D and pretty brutal.

PS. Sen's Fortress was fucking amazing.

So this weekend I played through 1-1 of demon's souls and got to the first bell in dark souls. The first game seems more clear on where I have to go next, i.e. 1-1 1-2 etc. Is there a trick to knowing where to go next in dark souls? Or is exploring and getting wiped out by tougher areas part of the fun? Also, I heard about yurt, the silent chief on a giantbomb video. Is there anything like that in dark souls that I need to watch out for?

@ManiacMaysin:

There's really not much of a trick in knowing where to go next other than knowing that the first bell is up and the last bell is down. At least til you ring the second bell. It's all about playing the "i wonder what this key opens" game. Sometimes you're rewarded with the right path, other times you're given a death screen. Sometimes both.

I picked the master key as my gift, is that the only item that can't be obtained in the game world? As I've heard the Pendant is story related and suggested as the starting item by the games designer.

@Evan223:Yeah, you can get every other gift in the game except the master key. Technically you eventually do get the same results as the master key though, since it's possible to obtain keys which open every door that the master key would have opened. It just won't be as early and it will cost you some souls.

I picked the witch ring. Kinda wish I didn't. Since it's covenant related, I don't know if I will be able to use it since I started in a covenant as a pyromancer. Master key seems like it might be useful, but is it worth starting a new character after playing eight hours?

I don't think you start in a covenant as a pyromancer. Only clerics and knights start in the way of the white. Even if you did, there's a pardoner at the first bell who can remove you from your current covenant with no penalties. It's up to you on starting over. I wouldn't since the witch's ring will still be very useful for a pyro.

@MentalDisruption said:

I wouldn't since the witch's ring will still be very useful for a pyro.

Cool. Thanks for the tips.

How do I shot arrow? I got like 60 arrows/bolts, but I don't know how to use them. Whenever I attack he just aims from the hip.

@N7 said:

How do I shot arrow? I got like 60 arrows/bolts, but I don't know how to use them. Whenever I attack he just aims from the hip.

You have to equip the arrows/bolts first in the inventory. Then press R1 to fire. To aim press triangle to hold the bow with both hands then press L1 to go into first person, then R1 to fire. I don't think you can aim a crossbow, just have to fire using auto-targeting.

@ManiacMaysin: Aha! I tried this before but it somehow did not work.

Thanks for the help! Now back to paaaain.

I dont want to read much of this thread because of probable spoilers and I still dont have the game , but I know a few tips from demon souls that could be used in Dark Souls , use your surroundings to your advantage , use the traps on your enemies (at least in D souls it happened) also tight corridors can help you a lot .... some enemies use wide arc of attacks and the walls can hinder them a lot this helped me a lot to defeat Garl Vinland and a black phantom on level 3-1 in the tower of Latria ..... if Dark Souls kept much of the systems from Demon Souls then this helps

Anyone know where i can get a good bow? I've got a short bow and i just cleared the gargoyles. I generally like finding things on my own in games like this and i really don't use any guides, but i'm dying for a bow or something along those lines.

@UnrealDP: I believe there's a longbow somewhere in the darkroot basin, but I haven't found it for myself yet so don't take my word for it completely. If you have 20,000 souls though you can unseal the door in darkroot basin and kill Pharis. Pharis's bow is damn good. You get to darkroot basin past the demon that throws lightning next to the blacksmith in undead parish, or past havel in undeadburg by the way.

I cant get the drake sword!

The Dragon keeps leaving when I try to shoot him with the arrows!

HELP!!

@MentalDisruption:

Yikes that sounds really tough, but thanks anyway. I'll keep that in mind, but i'm already struggling just to kill the guy in front of the door to darkroot. That giant club thing is hellishly powerful!

@buttersdaman000: Leaving as in flying onto the bridge? He should land on the bridge for a couple seconds, then jump back over to his perch if you're doing it right.

Easy way to beat the Taurus Demon?

Fight him like the tutorial boss. Just run back to the to the ladder when he appears and climb to the top. Use that special move that you did on the tutorial boss then rinse and repeat.

I took him down with 2 of those attacks and 1 slash with the lighting enchantment equipped

@MentalDisruption:

No he leaves and he flies off and doesnt come back. Actually, sometimes he does but as soon as I go try to shoot his tail he flies off again.

Was I not supposed to make it to the other room before I tried or what?

(I reached my post limit for the day so I gotta be creative lol)

@UnrealDP:Good luck! I found it easier if you go in naked, stay as close as you can to him, keep circling him, and backstabbing. He doesn't have any sweeping attacks so you're safe staying as close to him as you can get if you're constantly moving.

If all else fails you can run straight past the demon next to the blacksmith. He doesn't actually have to be killed for you to enter darkroot.

@MentalDisruption:

Oh, so that's where that leads. I always assumed that lightning chucking jerk was there to deter me from some where much more dangerous! Awesome, thanks for the tip duder!

Stickied, awesome!

Guys, where can I find some vendors to buy some armour / arrows etc? I've just been handed my a$$ on a plate by the Taurus Demon, so am saved at a bonfire before him. Thanks!!

@crabbiTScot said:

Guys, where can I find some vendors to buy some armour / arrows etc? I've just been handed my a$$ on a plate by the Taurus Demon, so am saved at a bonfire before him. Thanks!!

Turn around and go down those stairs to your right, and then turn left and you'll see two shielded enemies. Kill them and roll into the boxes next to them to find some stairs, and the merchant is right down there.

That being said, arrows aren't especially effective against the Taurus Demon; it's better to just climb the ladder whenever possible in order to do a leaping attack.

When u allow a question in this thread regarding weapon stats: i can except that the param bonus "A" is the best?

and what are the plus (and sometime minus) values behind the dmg value

Thanks Mike, will have a look tonight!!!

Anyone know what to do with large demon souls to get their weapon? I just defeated the butterfly and would love to get that sick looking spear!

@Buckfitches said:

Stickied, awesome!

Yeah, I just noticed. Awesome indeed!

I just defeated the Taurus Demon last night. Yes, I suck. Took me until my fourth attempt, purely because after doing the whole lunge attack off of the tower tactic, I occasionally would just get stuck and repeatedly beaten down by the boss' hammer. Annoying, but totally worth it after I ran through the bridge and got the Drake Sword by pelting the dragon's tail with arrows. Now I just need to kill this knight that is nearby and see if I can take out the dragon. Any ideas?

@JoeMarsden: I'd say, screw that dragon! Just make your way through the undead Parish, and head for the Cathedral.

At lower levels, a black knight will completely ruin your day if it gets the chance.

You could try and summon a few buddies to help you out though, usually works great!

@Buckfitches: Righto. I just heard that the dragon can be bugged from up that tower, leading to a one hit kill. Thought the souls may be worth it, but if the Dark Knight is going to dick me over, then I won't bother. Thanks for the tip.

@UnrealDP:I believe you have to take it to a blacksmith with the appropriate item to combine it with, but I haven't actually tried for myself yet.

@JoeMarsden: I've found that the bug doesn't always work anyway, or it was already fixed. When I went up there I couldn't see the dragon from the tower. He'd disappeared completely. Better to leave the dragon for as long as possible anyway. You can make a lot more than 10,000 by using the dragon to farm the hollow on the bridge.

@MentalDisruption said:

@UnrealDP:I believe you have to take it to a blacksmith with the appropriate item to combine it with, but I haven't actually tried for myself yet.

@JoeMarsden: I've found that the bug doesn't always work anyway, or it was already fixed. When I went up there I couldn't see the dragon from the tower. He'd disappeared completely. Better to leave the dragon for as long as possible anyway. You can make a lot more than 10,000 by using the dragon to farm the hollow on the bridge.

That reminds me, the lootable corpses on the bridge- is it pretty easy to get to them without the dragon fucking you over? I assume you let him do his fire attack once, then quickly run out before he has time to do it again?

@JoeMarsden said:

@MentalDisruption said:

@UnrealDP:I believe you have to take it to a blacksmith with the appropriate item to combine it with, but I haven't actually tried for myself yet.

@JoeMarsden: I've found that the bug doesn't always work anyway, or it was already fixed. When I went up there I couldn't see the dragon from the tower. He'd disappeared completely. Better to leave the dragon for as long as possible anyway. You can make a lot more than 10,000 by using the dragon to farm the hollow on the bridge.

That reminds me, the lootable corpses on the bridge- is it pretty easy to get to them without the dragon fucking you over? I assume you let him do his fire attack once, then quickly run out before he has time to do it again?

Haven't actually tried for myself. It sounds like it would be fairly easy. Just keep in mind that it'll likely be a suicide run. I'd imagine that the dragon should have enough time to get back and start breathing again before you can make it back to the stairs.

@MentalDisruption said:

@JoeMarsden said:

@MentalDisruption said:

@UnrealDP:I believe you have to take it to a blacksmith with the appropriate item to combine it with, but I haven't actually tried for myself yet.

@JoeMarsden: I've found that the bug doesn't always work anyway, or it was already fixed. When I went up there I couldn't see the dragon from the tower. He'd disappeared completely. Better to leave the dragon for as long as possible anyway. You can make a lot more than 10,000 by using the dragon to farm the hollow on the bridge.

That reminds me, the lootable corpses on the bridge- is it pretty easy to get to them without the dragon fucking you over? I assume you let him do his fire attack once, then quickly run out before he has time to do it again?

Haven't actually tried for myself. It sounds like it would be fairly easy. Just keep in mind that it'll likely be a suicide run. I'd imagine that the dragon should have enough time to get back and start breathing again before you can make it back to the stairs.

Hm, I'll give it a go when I go on later. Let you know how it goes.

@JoeMarsden: I killed the Knight on that tower yesterday with my Mace (I think it was +3 at time, I cant remember now). Just try to avoid his attacks (even if you can block it he hits hard and uses up your stamina quick and can follow up very quickly so its best to strafe around him). I think I was level 18 or something (I just hit lvl 20 or so not long after that by killing the drake and farming some other souls and whatnot).

The easiest way, I guess, is to get the drake sword first, as it hits him for about 63 damage. Then just keep circling him and be patient, hit him when hes open (usually right after he's attacked). If you get caught open, though, he's gonna mess up your face. It's doable though, with patience.

For me the Drake was still visible and the trick worked, but the problem I have which I didn't think about until after doing it- you cant get the Drake Scale if you kill him that way. So, be warned. That being said there's more then likely others later in the game but just sayin'.

Is there any way to get out of a parry and actually not get instakilled?Im at the undead parish and those red caped knights with the rapiers are dicks.I was also wondering if theres an actual way to aim the crossbow and get a reticule like the shortbow.

I am pretty sure those knights only parry when they are holding their rapiers out straight. Just wait for them to put their rapier down and they shouldn't parry you.

Is there any way to get out of a parry and actually not get instakilled?Im at the undead parish and those red caped knights with the rapiers are dicks.I was also wondering if theres an actual way to aim the crossbow and get a reticule like the shortbow.

@Smokay: No, best way to kill them is jump attacks or parry riposte them. Or if your good at it back stabbing. If he goes into Parry position with his Rapier (raised up and not attacking) he will parry you if you try to hit him which is a insta kill.