Dark Souls - I'm Prepared To Die (Again)

[vallorn]

I agree with the above, upgrading weapons makes a lot of difference because the game focusses on not taking damage in the first place by blocking or dodging over minimizing damage taken with armour. Really, the most important stat on armour is Poise which just lets you "TANK THROUGH THE PAIN!" and smack people around instead of staggering all over the place. It's why I gave you those tips on poise to weight ratios before, dodging while having decent poise is really the mathematically optimum way of playing the game. Blocking eats up a lot of stamina and locks you in place while you absorb the hit so while it can be good it's really bad against some enemies. Parrying is amazing but most late game enemies cannot be parried and even the ones who can be, it's a feast or famine system where either you 1shot most things or, more likely, you eat a load of hits.

 

[vallorn]

Well when you do go down under to find Manus... Just remember:

Also, the cat down there is trying to guide you to something, swing your sword.

 

[Xprimentyl]

If only upgrading armor involved weight reduction/poise buffs, then it would be well worth it. As it is they're mostly just good for an extra layer of defense if you have leftover materials.


I've been kinda wanting to do an all-out <25% pyro build in either DS2 or 3, whichever's more viable. Ready for a change after playing two games with heavier strength builds.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Also, I've tried using lighter armor to get to a fast roll like you lot, but it feels like I?m running around naked. Is there any noticeable benefit to reinforcing armor? Obviously, by the sheer numbers there is, but I?ve not heard anyone mention or recommend it. Is this the part where you guys are in awe to find out I?m still using armor with base stats?

I wouldn't bother unless you have a massive surplus of upgrade materials and all of the weapons you know you like are fully upgraded. Is it worth it? Maybe a little.But really at the end of the day if you're getting hit you're doing something wrong in the first place. Weapons>Armor always.

I agree with the above, upgrading weapons makes a lot of difference because the game focusses on not taking damage in the first place by blocking or dodging over minimizing damage taken with armour. Really, the most important stat on armour is Poise which just lets you "TANK THROUGH THE PAIN!" and smack people around instead of staggering all over the place. It's why I gave you those tips on poise to weight ratios before, dodging while having decent poise is really the mathematically optimum way of playing the game. Blocking eats up a lot of stamina and locks you in place while you absorb the hit so while it can be good it's really bad against some enemies. Parrying is amazing but most late game enemies cannot be parried and even the ones who can be, it's a feast or famine system where either you 1shot most things or, more likely, you eat a load of hits.

I figured as much on the armor front; getting bigger airbags isn't the solution to shitty driving skills, very cruel, Dark Souls-y logic.

 

[vallorn]

Also, I've tried using lighter armor to get to a fast roll like you lot, but it feels like I?m running around naked. Is there any noticeable benefit to reinforcing armor? Obviously, by the sheer numbers there is, but I?ve not heard anyone mention or recommend it. Is this the part where you guys are in awe to find out I?m still using armor with base stats?

I wouldn't bother unless you have a massive surplus of upgrade materials and all of the weapons you know you like are fully upgraded. Is it worth it? Maybe a little.But really at the end of the day if you're getting hit you're doing something wrong in the first place. Weapons>Armor always.

I agree with the above, upgrading weapons makes a lot of difference because the game focusses on not taking damage in the first place by blocking or dodging over minimizing damage taken with armour. Really, the most important stat on armour is Poise which just lets you "TANK THROUGH THE PAIN!" and smack people around instead of staggering all over the place. It's why I gave you those tips on poise to weight ratios before, dodging while having decent poise is really the mathematically optimum way of playing the game. Blocking eats up a lot of stamina and locks you in place while you absorb the hit so while it can be good it's really bad against some enemies. Parrying is amazing but most late game enemies cannot be parried and even the ones who can be, it's a feast or famine system where either you 1shot most things or, more likely, you eat a load of hits.

I figured as much on the armor front; getting bigger airbags isn't the solution to shitty driving skills, very cruel, Dark Souls-y logic.

The solution to that is Drifting.


One does not simply Drift into Oolacile.

 

[Fox12]

Also, I've tried using lighter armor to get to a fast roll like you lot, but it feels like I?m running around naked. Is there any noticeable benefit to reinforcing armor? Obviously, by the sheer numbers there is, but I?ve not heard anyone mention or recommend it. Is this the part where you guys are in awe to find out I?m still using armor with base stats?

I wouldn't bother unless you have a massive surplus of upgrade materials and all of the weapons you know you like are fully upgraded. Is it worth it? Maybe a little.But really at the end of the day if you're getting hit you're doing something wrong in the first place. Weapons>Armor always.

I agree with the above, upgrading weapons makes a lot of difference because the game focusses on not taking damage in the first place by blocking or dodging over minimizing damage taken with armour. Really, the most important stat on armour is Poise which just lets you "TANK THROUGH THE PAIN!" and smack people around instead of staggering all over the place. It's why I gave you those tips on poise to weight ratios before, dodging while having decent poise is really the mathematically optimum way of playing the game. Blocking eats up a lot of stamina and locks you in place while you absorb the hit so while it can be good it's really bad against some enemies. Parrying is amazing but most late game enemies cannot be parried and even the ones who can be, it's a feast or famine system where either you 1shot most things or, more likely, you eat a load of hits.

I figured as much on the armor front; getting bigger airbags isn't the solution to shitty driving skills, very cruel, Dark Souls-y logic.

That's why you were wearing armor? Everyone knows there's only one reason to wear armor in dark souls.

 

[vallorn]

Here we have a lovely Fashion Soul using the Chester mask to great effect. Look at his wonderful use of the Chaos Blade and Murakomo to look like a complete and utter bastard!

And here, we have a lovely Battle Nun set up, using a mace as is proper this Fashion Souler is making great use of the armour and cloth that the Elite Knights body has in order to blend into that Dingy Skirt while still being able to make that lovely Maiden's Hood work!

 

[Fox12]

What DS3 sometimes lacked in depth it made up for in raw sex appeal.

Hot or not?

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

[Xprimentyl]

The solution to that is Drifting.


One does not simply Drift into Oolacile.

Haha! What the WHAT now?!?

Anywhooooo, I finally got to spend some more time in Oolacile, and Manus? Y?know, ?Father of the Abyss? and whatnot? Yeah, he?s an asshole; yet another in the world of Lordran. They really could just change the name of the game from Dark Souls to A Bunch of Assholes. Manus? overt aggression aside, the biggest struggle for me is his character design. He?s aesthetically fitting enough for an embodiment of humanity gone wild, but it?s hard to read what attacks he?s telegraphing when I can?t make out the shape of his body; all I see is a foggy, amorphous black blob with an evil menorah for a head flailing wildly all over the place, primarily my ass.

So, as I am wont to do, I turned my wrath towards things I could kill. That being said, I?m sorry, Vallorn, but I killed Priscilla. Other than Manus and Gwyn, she and Kalameet were the only bosses left to fight, and it doesn?t take a genius to figure out why I didn?t pick Kalameet. I got her tail weapon and made her soul weapon, so I promise to let her live in NG+ if that?s any consolation. Besides, she got her revenge with this shitty soul weapon of hers; ?Lifehunt Scythe? sounded awesome until I found out (the HARD way) that the bleed damage affects both the stabber and the stabbee.

EDIT: In researching tactics for Manus, not sure if it?s been patched out or not, but apparently, you can see him outside of his fog wall and he can be reached? with arrows . I?m a better person than that and I DO want to legitimately ?git gud,? but with God as my witness, I?ve got 37 Dexterity, a +14 Longbow, hundreds of arrows and the Hawk Ring all burning a hole in my figurative pocket right now?

 

[vallorn]

The solution to that is Drifting.


One does not simply Drift into Oolacile.

Haha! What the WHAT now?!?

Mods! The wonderful world of Mods!

Anywhooooo, I finally got to spend some more time in Oolacile, and Manus? Y?know, ?Father of the Abyss? and whatnot? Yeah, he?s an asshole; yet another in the world of Lordran. They really could just change the name of the game from Dark Souls to A Bunch of Assholes. Manus? overt aggression aside, the biggest struggle for me is his character design. He?s aesthetically fitting enough for an embodiment of humanity gone wild, but it?s hard to read what attacks he?s telegraphing when I can?t make out the shape of his body; all I see is a foggy, amorphous black blob with an evil menorah for a head flailing wildly all over the place, primarily my ass.

So, as I am wont to do, I turned my wrath towards things I could kill. That being said, I?m sorry, Vallorn, but I killed Priscilla. Other than Manus and Gwyn, she and Kalameet were the only bosses left to fight, and it doesn?t take a genius to figure out why I didn?t pick Kalameet. I got her tail weapon and made her soul weapon, so I promise to let her live in NG+ if that?s any consolation. Besides, she got her revenge with this shitty soul weapon of hers; ?Lifehunt Scythe? sounded awesome until I found out (the HARD way) that the bleed damage affects both the stabber and the stabbee.

EDIT: In researching tactics for Manus, not sure if it?s been patched out or not, but apparently, you can see him outside of his fog wall and he can be reached? with arrows . I?m a better person than that and I DO want to legitimately ?git gud,? but with God as my witness, I?ve got 37 Dexterity, a +14 Longbow, hundreds of arrows and the Hawk Ring all burning a hole in my figurative pocket right now?

Did you find Sif? He's in The Abyss and if you save him he's a summonable for Manus (His sign is, uniquely, in the boss arena near the middle). Also, those Humanity Phantoms are the single best source of farmable Hard Humanity in the game.

As for dealing with Manus's attacks. You could always turn up your screen's brightness / contrast to see a little better in there. His Second Phase attacks are worse though. For actually dealing damage to him via arrows though, you need the Hawk Ring and usually the Black Bow of Pharis to have the range required to do anything significant to his healthbar. (and yes, it hasn't been patched out and it's stupidly hard to do because you have to free aim the bow without using the zoom in reticule (It doesn't go down far enough) so have Fun with that!)

 

[Xprimentyl]

It finally happened. I swore to myself going into this game that I wouldn?t allow it to happen, but I did.

I was fighting Manus for the 10th or so time, and was having my best go at it yet. I still had 11 of my 20 Estus flasks, I?d perfected the timing for switching between my Estus and Silver Pendant, my Stamina management had never been better, etc. Everything was aces; the battle was a work of art; I was one with the universe. I had him down to literally one hit of life, closer to death than I?d ever had him, while I still had 3/4 of my own health; the battle was won. In an act of desperation, Manus performed his Dark Magic attack which I expertly repelled with the Pendant just before going in for the kill to which Manus responded, without pause, to grab me and slam me repeatedly into the ground. I watched as my health went from 3/4, to 1/3 to NOTHING within seconds?

I threw my controller.​

I don?t know what came over me. Thinking back over all of the battles, Gaping Dragon being my first significant hurdle, the Archers which almost broke the game for me, O&S who were seemingly impossible, even Artorias who recently pushed all of my skills to their limits, not ONE of them brought about this kind of white-hot blind rage. I couldn?t help myself; it was a reflex, like sneezing; my arm shot out and the controller went flying into the ground, the back piece flew off and the battery shot across the room. I?ve been playing video games for over 30 years and NEVER have I thrown a controller; it was quite cathartic, I?ll admit, but hopefully, I never go to that dark a place again. It?s just a game; it?s just a game?

Did you find Sif? He's in The Abyss and if you save him he's a summonable for Manus (His sign is, uniquely, in the boss arena near the middle). Also, those Humanity Phantoms are the single best source of farmable Hard Humanity in the game.

As for dealing with Manus's attacks. You could always turn up your screen's brightness / contrast to see a little better in there. His Second Phase attacks are worse though. For actually dealing damage to him via arrows though, you need the Hawk Ring and usually the Black Bow of Pharis to have the range required to do anything significant to his healthbar. (and yes, it hasn't been patched out and it's stupidly hard to do because you have to free aim the bow without using the zoom in reticule (It doesn't go down far enough) so have Fun with that!)

To answer your question, yes, I found Sif, but had no idea where his summon sign was; if it?s IN the boss room, well, that?s just par for the course Dark Souls bullshittery; I barely have time to breathe in there let alone stop and make a phone call to a dog. But thanks for the tip on upping the brightness; it does help quite a bit. After having success so bitterly ripped from my arms yesterday, I?m convinced I WILL beat Manus and will NOT cheat by shooting him like a ***** from outside the boss fog; FUCK that asshole; I?m gonna rip his throat out with my goddamn teeth. I feel sorry for Gwyn; if he knew the bullshit I?ve been through putting off our finale, he?d kick his own ass to save himself the world of pain I?m about to bring down upon him. And no, I?m not going to rekindle the flame; I?m gonna let that shit and everything he sacrificed for burn out then piss on the ashes.

 

[iwinatlife]

rage

Yes Sif's sign is in the boss room I believe directly in front of manus...so not the easiest thing to access.
Glad to read despite the deaths you have not gone hollow yet.
I have faith that you will become our Lord of Dark...for at least one age

 

[Xprimentyl]

I had Kalameet within one tick of a life bar after maybe 3-4 tries, but he got the best of me. Threw me off for probably another dozen attempts before I finally collected my nerves and wits. You'll get through it. Keep calm and DEFEAT.

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

Dude... that's brutal. I'm gonna give you a moment of silence..................................

Alright well buckle up buttercup you've gotta down this mother fucker.

Side note: I've always seen people recommending the pendant for negating the dark attacks but I've always just turned around and used my shield to block most of the damage. Seems so much easier and nearly as effective as using the pendant.

 

[Fox12]

Well done with Kalameet. You'll have him soon, I'm sure.

I spiked a controller once. I learned my lesson when it broke, and I had to shell out sixty bucks for another.

 

[Xprimentyl]

rage

Yes Sif's sign is in the boss room I believe directly in front of manus...so not the easiest thing to access.
Glad to read despite the deaths you have not gone hollow yet.
I have faith that you will become our Lord of Dark...for at least one age

I have staved off my own hollowing this long; I think I'll make it. Manus, on the other hand, will NOT. And yes, my Age will indeed be Dark; oh, so very Dark...

I had Kalameet within one tick of a life bar after maybe 3-4 tries, but he got the best of me. Threw me off for probably another dozen attempts before I finally collected my nerves and wits. You'll get through it. Keep calm and DEFEAT.

It's feast or famine with me; either the bosses rip me to shreds within seconds or I start hearing "Eye of the Tiger" in my head and start fighting like a cornered wolverine and pull victory out of my ass; this was the first time I was expecting the latter only to have the former become my reality. I'm calm now; still angry, but quite calm. I only have ONE 360 controller; I HAVE to be calm!

Dude... that's brutal. I'm gonna give you a moment of silence..................................

Alright well buckle up buttercup you've gotta down this mother fucker.

Side note: I've always seen people recommending the pendant for negating the dark attacks but I've always just turned around and used my shield to block most of the damage. Seems so much easier and nearly as effective as using the pendant.

Yeah, I noticed I could tank a good chunk of the damage from the Dark Magic, but honestly, my opportunities to heal are so rare, it's playing with fire to willing take health damage as Manus is a big fan of following up that attack with some pretty damaging physical (and emotional) ones. If there's a chance to negate it entirely, I'm likely to go that route, though I will keep in mind that method in mind should times get desperate.

Well done with Kalameet. You'll have him soon, I'm sure.

I spiked a controller once. I learned my lesson when it broke, and I had to shell out sixty bucks for another.

Unfortunately, I've not even tried Kalameet yet, but I'll find no shame in following in your footsteps in giving him a couple half-hearted attemptsgoes before deciding skipping him if he gives me too much of a headache! And thankfully, MY controller did not break; I was 100% sure it did, but it's fine.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Manus down! Manus down!

He wasn't even that hard and I think that last-bit-of-life grab is a part of his move set because he tried that shit again, but I had full health, so I survived long enough to shove my halberd up his abyss-stained ASS!! "Father of the abyss?" More like "Unwed Pregnant Teenage Whore of the A-*****!"

 

[Xprimentyl]

Dude... that's brutal. I'm gonna give you a moment of silence..................................

Alright well buckle up buttercup you've gotta down this mother fucker.

Side note: I've always seen people recommending the pendant for negating the dark attacks but I've always just turned around and used my shield to block most of the damage. Seems so much easier and nearly as effective as using the pendant.

Yup, Greatshield of Artorias worked well for me. I tried the pendant a couple times but it felt like more of a distraction than anything. Not worth relying on if you have something better to negate the damage.


Anyways, congrats on Manus OP. Kalameet's patiently waiting, along with another Titanite Slab if you haven't gotten it yet. Also keep in mind what you wish to accomplish yet before NG+. It's pretty satisfying to clean up loose ends; kinda like a victory lap before the final showdown.

 

[Fox12]

Hell yeah! That means there's only one challenge left. And it was all thanks to

 

[vallorn]

As a future tip, the Magic Barrier miracle of Havel's that you can find down in Ash Lake nearly nullifies magic damage. Combine that with the physical protection of Havel's gear and his greatshield and you can pretty much tank through Manus's fight.