Dark Souls Catch-All

imbiginjapan wrote:
JC wrote:
imbiginjapan wrote:
JC wrote:

level 92 and Artorias is kicking my a$$ in the DLC

Use more skill! I solo'd him on my second try at level 50 or so. ;)

well that's just mean.

Yea I know. I have little useful advice to give though, so I'll just brag. :p

Like everything, learn his attack patterns and compensate. Invite some friends! Above all, make sure you have a good, upgraded shield (or are you running shieldless?)

If you want to truly feel inadequate, check this out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zsq0... (SL1, NG+7)

Pyro and the baseball bat will get you through in NG. It helps a lot to be able to dodge his big moves.

well that at least gives me a few things to try.

I've got elite knight armor set almost all maxed out and a +10 knight shield. Queelag's sword maxed as well.

It's just a matter of learning his movements.

JC wrote:

level 92 and Artorias is kicking my a$$ in the DLC

If it makes you feel any better he's kicking my ass as well (about 20 attempts so far *sigh*). Granted it's my SL3 two-handed Uchigatana run

The major thing to remember with Artorias is that if

Spoiler:

he jumps back twice he's going to charge up his super mode. If you hit him twice two handed (generally) you can stagger him out of this power-up and then he sliding and jumping attacks will not be unblockable. It can be tricky to keep the right distance to get this right every time. He's also super resistant to elemental weapons (like the fury sword). If you have STR or DEX leveled up, making a +15 melee weapon will help you a lot.

I love dodging his flip flip flip attacks though. It's really fun.

CptDomano wrote:

Aaaand O&S down! I was getting ready to head to bed, but I figured I'd take one run at them just to see what would happen. Apparently that was the one that stuck, because I ended up clearing them both out with barely any damage taken. Not exactly sure what I did different, so I'm just going to chalk it up to luck of the draw. I'm still under 20 hours in this play through even with the slight hiccup as well, so I'm still doing pretty good time-wise.

However, now I'm at a point in the game that I'm not entirely familar with. I've only ever beat O&S once before now, so basically I'm running through some pretty unfamiliar territory. We'll see how this goes

Congrats! I definitely think that's the hardest part of the game (although the DLC bosses are jerks too).

....Yeah, so....Greatshield of Artorias + Man-Serpent Greatsword +14 (488 dmg @ 38 Str)= Pretty much unstoppable

I just took out Four Kings without much trouble. Tooling around in the Catacombs/Tomb of the Giants now and just mowing down basically anything in my path. Definitely realizing how much easier a solid STR build is at this point. Sitting around lvl 64 and getting pretty confident with the build. We'll see how long the confidence lasts

Greatshield of Artorias pretty much breaks the game.

You're kind of right, but I see the Greatshield as more of an "easy mode" than actually breaking the game. It gives you a chance to actually explore an area (or even a boss) without having the frantic pace of simply trying not to die. That being said, you are still very much in danger even with the shield--you might be able to block everything for very little stamina cost, but at some point you still have to attack and figure out when the best time for that is. It also doesn't stop an enemy from hitting you in the back.

However, it definitely makes the game a lot easier to approach, that's for damn sure.

I suppose it depends on your definition of game-breaking. For a game that is so heavily focused on skill and learning via trial and error an item which allows you to sit and block nigh-indefinitely is pretty broken in my opinion.

That said the STR requirement on the Greatshield does make it an impossibility for some character builds, and tough to get for others. I'll accept that as a good balancing factor. It's not pre-nerf Crystal Ring Shield.

CptDomano wrote:

....Yeah, so....Greatshield of Artorias + Man-Serpent Greatsword +14 (488 dmg @ 38 Str)= Pretty much unstoppable

I just took out Four Kings without much trouble. Tooling around in the Catacombs/Tomb of the Giants now and just mowing down basically anything in my path. Definitely realizing how much easier a solid STR build is at this point. Sitting around lvl 64 and getting pretty confident with the build. We'll see how long the confidence lasts :D

I felt the same way with Greatshield of Artorias plus Black Knight Halberd+5. I could kill most enemies in one hit, even bosses only took a few. I went in and beat Gwyn on the first try, able to block anything he threw at me.

ahrezmendi wrote:

I suppose it depends on your definition of game-breaking.

Fair enough--I can agree with that. Like I said previously, I feel like STR builds in general are kind of the easy mode anyway, as the damage you're putting out there means you're mowing down everyone in a few hits. There wasn't a whole lot of skill involved BEFORE I got the Greatshield, to be honest (aside from O&S, of course). Just get in the boss' face, apply beatdown and move on.

Has anyone else tried this game with 3dvision. I don't think I could play it for long periods but wow....

If you want game breaking get Dark Bead.

I've never understood the hype over the greatshield. I agree it's the best shield in the game, but I wouldn't say it significantly impacted anything for me. Then again, I didn't get equip it until after I beat the game the first time.

Those secondary resistances are really appealing for the weight, but I love fast rolling too much for any kind of shield like that.

drdoak wrote:

Those secondary resistances are really appealing for the weight, but I love fast rolling too much for any kind of shield like that.

Let me tell you...trying to roll/run away during Nito's spike attack thing is no easy feat. The greatshield did NOT protect me from that (unless I was maybe facing wrong?).

CptDomano wrote:
drdoak wrote:

Those secondary resistances are really appealing for the weight, but I love fast rolling too much for any kind of shield like that.

Let me tell you...trying to roll/run away during Nito's spike attack thing is no easy feat. The greatshield did NOT protect me from that (unless I was maybe facing wrong?).

Facing doesn't come into it, it's all about timing and what equipment you are using and your proximity to him.

I kind of figured, I was just using an example of when the Greatshield doesn't protect you from everything.

Any tips from people who've taken down Manus on a no shield playthrough? He's acting as my first serious roadblock.

tagg wrote:

Any tips from people who've taken down Manus on a no shield playthrough? He's acting as my first serious roadblock.

Are you strictly going in solo? If that is the case then I recommend trying to bait his combo or magic hand slam. After you dodge get in 1 or two hits and do it again.

Some of his other swipes allow for a brief moment of opportunity, Manus is all about his effective ranges. Also it is possible to run in quickly and hammer away with a high def build similar to how most people deal with 4 Kings.

Gimpy_Butzke wrote:
tagg wrote:

Any tips from people who've taken down Manus on a no shield playthrough? He's acting as my first serious roadblock.

Are you strictly going in solo? If that is the case then I recommend trying to bait his combo or magic hand slam. After you dodge get in 1 or two hits and do it again.

Some of his other swipes allow for a brief moment of opportunity, Manus is all about his effective ranges. Also it is possible to run in quickly and hammer away with a high def build similar to how most people deal with 4 Kings.

I'm trying to avoid summoning players as much as possible, but I'm not against summoning AI allies since they tend to be less game breaking. Is Sif helpful enough to offset the HP gain on the boss?
I'll look out for those openings you mentioned. Then the only thing to worry about will be the magic that I was bad at handling even with a shield. Thanks.

I never found Sif useful with Manus.

psu_13 wrote:

I never found Sif useful with Manus.

He absorbs some damage and also allows you to get some hits in while Manus' attention is on Sif.

I could never figure out how to stand on the summon sign without dying.

Gimpy_Butzke wrote:
psu_13 wrote:

I never found Sif useful with Manus.

He absorbs some damage and also allows you to get some hits in while Manus' attention is on Sif.

I found him useful. He will save your bacon once or twice.

Manus is super easy to solo if you use the appropriate items, with or without a shield.

Has anyone played the Darl Souls 2 beta?

I got invites to the last two rounds, but I did not notice the messages until the very short beta periods had ended. The last one was a N. American network test. I tried playing it and got blocked as soon as I hit the title screen.

heavyfeul wrote:

Has anyone played the Darl Souls 2 beta?

I got invites to the last two rounds, but I did not notice the messages until the very short beta periods had ended. The last one was a N. American network test. I tried playing it and got blocked as soon as I hit the title screen.

The last one didn't work at all. They rescheduled for Nov 8-9 weekend, 11PM - 2AM Pacific time.
(Count yourself fortunate, that's 2AM-5AM Eastern time).

tagg wrote:

Any tips from people who've taken down Manus on a no shield playthrough? He's acting as my first serious roadblock.

On my no shield run I did so much damage that Manus went down pretty fast, the only thing to really watch out for is the juggle/grab which is signalled by a roar. If you're struggling to dodge his regular attacks you could always try using some of Elizabeth's mushrooms, they give you really good health regen for something like 30s so you don't have to stop and drink an estus.