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    Dark Souls

    Game » consists of 14 releases. Released Sep 22, 2011

    A quasi-sequel to From Software's action-RPG Demon's Souls, set in a new universe while retaining most of the basic gameplay and the high level of challenge. It features a less-linear world, a new checkpoint system in the form of bonfires, and the unique Humanity system.

    Where do I go next?

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    metalmoog

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    #1  Edited By metalmoog

    I just dropped Quelaag and the Ceaseless Discharge. I went into Darkroot Basin and ran up against the Hydra which destroyed me. I went into the Darkroot Garden and ran into the forest hunters and the giant wolf that did the same. Also, went and did the Undead Asylum North and got rocked by the Demon in there. I'm a level 30 Pyromancer right now and getting extremely frustrated. Once I rang that 2nd bell the difficulty level has shot through the roof. Should I grind and level up some more or just say fuck it and head into Sen's Fortress?

    Thanks for the advice guys and gals!

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    bkbroiler

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    #2  Edited By bkbroiler

    Yep, Sen's. Good luck friend.

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    TheWyotee93

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    #3  Edited By TheWyotee93

    Sen's isn't as hard as Blighttown in my opinion. Its more about remembering the traps and tricks than actually fighting things. I would try it out at least.

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    McShank

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    #4  Edited By McShank

    Sens fortress, then Anor Londo. After that there is Painted world and then forest again for the wolf and butterfly. After that there is catacombs and then you have the lords which are new londo, tomb of giants then crystal caves. If you do it in that order, you should find the areas are better suited for your levels at that time.

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    The_Laughing_Man

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    #5  Edited By The_Laughing_Man
    @MetalMoog said:

    I just dropped Quelaag and the Ceaseless Discharge.

    They have a pill for that you know. 
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    Fribain

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    #6  Edited By Fribain

    30 feels a bit low for heading off to Sen's. You might want to find a nice place to farm souls and pour them into stats.

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    DecadentPimp

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    #7  Edited By DecadentPimp

    I would farm / dupe some souls, get to around level 45, then embark on Sen's fortress. It really isn't too hard (it's already been said that it's mostly annoying traps and narrow walkways to traverse), so you should get better at it just by playing it more. People are usually smart enough to leave their summon sign before the boss too, so you will likely have two people helping you (I can imagine it being a nightmare to get through the level while trying to keep everyone alive). You will also find that you barely needed your 45 levels at all once you've learned it enough (those are for Anor Londo, which is immediately after with some powerful enemies).

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    Rayeth

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    #8  Edited By Rayeth

    You could EASILY kill the butterfly in Darkroot basin at you level if you have the souls to buy the Crest to open the door.

    You also could kill the hydra fairly easily as well if you can dodge his ranged attacks and get to the waterside to fight him. He is a big softie in melee combat. 1 or 2 attacks and mostly just you slahsing off his heads and laughing.

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    kyokushin_nanaya

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    #9  Edited By kyokushin_nanaya

    There are numerous things that you can do to gain some ground once you've rung the two bells to get some advantage.

    • Upgrade your weapons, or in your case, your Pyromancy Flame at Firelink Shrine. You do not want to be fully depended on Drake Sword as it does not scale to your attributes.
    • Find certain items of interest and know what's guarding them. If you find that the enemies are too difficult, suicide runs are a good method (although certainly not the best) to receive them.
    • Of course, upgrading your weapons requires Souls right? One place that I highly recommend is beyond the Crest Gate found in Darkroot Garden. You will need to gather 20000 souls to purchase the key from the blacksmith in the Undead Parish before the bridge leading to Sen Fortress. While this may seem to be an expensive item at first, 20000 souls in the place I have just mentioned can be gathered approximately 5 minutes. You can also buy the materials require to upgrade weapons from the blacksmith I previously mentioned.

    When you feel comfortable with your level and abilities, you can head into Sen Fortress. There are a couple of things that you must acknowledge before heading into a lair that would make Indiana Jones weep:

    • Buy plenty of arrows and if you managed to farm enough souls, get roughly 20 Poison Arrows.
    • Watch for the cobra mages, especially when you are on the bridge with the swinging pendulums. Vinny learned this the hard way.
    • Sen Fortress, to my knowledge has NO bonfire. Yes, that means you will have to start from scratch. However, if you explore enough, you will unlock a shortcut that skips all, but one (the first one actually) pendulum trap.
    • Hidden away further in the level is one of the best merchants in the game. Even better is the Lightning Spear which a mimic holds. There's a very good reason why people hit chests before opening them.

    Sen Fortress is a horrible level and is rage inducing. Just play cautiously and remember where the threats lie.

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    the_hiro_abides

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    #10  Edited By the_hiro_abides

    @kyokushin_nanaya: Sen's Fortress has a bonfire. It's hidden over a wall by one of the spots that the giants throw explosive rocks at.

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    punpun

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    #11  Edited By punpun

    A few pieces of the armor set that you get for rescuing the NPC hidden behind the Hydra are pretty incredible. I'm end game on my latest character and still running around in high heels and a crown. Looks pretty badass combined with my black iron body/hands +5, and I'm light enough to use the ninja flip ring.
     
    I always take on the Hydra immediately after ringing the first bell. Usually only around level 10-15 with starter gear by then, so you shouldn't have trouble with it.

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    Turambar

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    #12  Edited By Turambar
    @Rayeth said:

    You could EASILY kill the butterfly in Darkroot basin at you level if you have the souls to buy the Crest to open the door.

    You also could kill the hydra fairly easily as well if you can dodge his ranged attacks and get to the waterside to fight him. He is a big softie in melee combat. 1 or 2 attacks and mostly just you slahsing off his heads and laughing.

    You don't need the Crest to open the door.  The moonlight butterfly is down the path next to the locked door.
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    metalmoog

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    #13  Edited By metalmoog

    Thanks for all the excellent tips guys! I've already unlocked the forest door to invisible death so I may go there and use the ol' ledge trick to farm souls and level up my stats. I'm going to do the Hydra again and then grab all of those arrows for Sen's fortress.

    Thanks again for your input dudes, it's most appreciated!

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    caska

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    #14  Edited By caska

    I found an easy spot with the Hydra was just to hide behind the big boulder and tree off a little bit to the right and just before the water. If you hide there and just keep your shield up you shouldn't take any damage from the range attacks. When it starts screaming run out and wait for all the heads to strike at the ground and then slash away. It takes about 2-3 trips per head so it's a longish strategy but if you're having trouble no harm in trying! I think I went to Sen's around level 35 or so and now I'm exiting Anor Londo for the first time at level 52. If you found the greatshield in Blighttown then that's pretty much all you need for Anor Londo as long as you've found a new weapon aside from Drakes. The stagger when enemies hit the greatshield is just as good as any parry (although it doesn't get everything) and makes fighting there a breeze. I would probably suggest if you want to upgrade weapons and stuff first to find the Covetous Serpent Ring or something in Sen's which boosts item discovery by 200 and makes farming a tad more bearable :P

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    kyokushin_nanaya

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    #15  Edited By kyokushin_nanaya

    If you haven't already, I would also advise going back to the Undead Asylum to get a couple of items that will assist you further in the game:

    • Rusty Iron Ring: Reduces slow movement while in water
    • Crest Shield: Remember that dude who gave you the Estus Flask in the beginning? You're going to take him down to get it, but the Magic Resistance on that shield is worth it. The fight itself is tough since he's damn fast, although at this stage, you've had worse.

    Word of caution: You can defeat the Stray Demon just like every boss in this game by being very careful. You can still skip this battle to receive the items that I mentioned, but you will fight at least one Black Knight. For warriors, punish the Black Knight when he finishes a thrust since the Knight requires about 1-2 seconds to recover. I advise a jumping lunge attack if your stamina can take the depletion without putting your guard at risk.

    In order to save you some amount of frustration, find the second bonfire and only then start to look for the items. It will save you a lot of grief. Thanks to Turambar for the clarification.

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    Jerr

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    #16  Edited By Jerr

    I beat both the Hydra and Butterfly sub level 25, so it's not impossible by any strech. However, for the Hydra, really do go get the Rusted Iron Ring. I skipped the Stray Demon and have yet to fight him.

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    Barrabas

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    #17  Edited By Barrabas

    If you get close enough to the Hydra he stops using the projectile attack. Then all he has left is his head smash attack. As long as you have a 100% physical damage resistant shield and enough stamina to block that attack he's really easy. You just block the attack and then attack the heads while they're stuck in the ground, repeat. The only difficulty you'll have is reaching the far outlaying heads before they draw back if you don't have the rusty iron ring like I didn't at the time.

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    gerrid

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    #18  Edited By gerrid

    The butterfly can be done at any level as long as you can get your dodge timing right. Try and keep as far away as possible so you have a good amount of time to dodge. Then when it rests unleash your pyro

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    Mmmslash

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    #19  Edited By Mmmslash

    @gerrid said:

    The butterfly can be done at any level as long as you can get your dodge timing right. Try and keep as far away as possible so you have a good amount of time to dodge. Then when it rests unleash your pyro

    This is applicable to every boss in the game, honestly. Even if you're only doing 1 damage, if you have the timing right and the patience, you can beat everything in the game.

    That said, a few minutes into Sen's, you get the Lightning Spear, and everything turns into EZ Mode again, similar to when you first get the Drake Sword. Enjoy it.

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