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

[Fox12]

Snip

Snip

Secret boss in Anor Londo? You mean Gwyndolin? I found him/her, tried a couple of times, but those magic attacks eat right through my shield for some heavy damage. I think I can pull it off, but decided to try the Painted World instead. What's the "everything else" I need to do before beating him/her? Do I lose access to Anor Londo or something? I think I've done everything; just need the blacksmith and I farm souls from the Silver Knights and Sentinels when times are tough and one more point in Endurance gives me a warm fuzzy.

Yeah, you use the pillars on the sides of the arena as cover against Gwyndolin's magic attacks. Just zig-zag from the sides of the arena stopping at the pillars to recover your stamina.
When (s)he rises up on those weird snake legs it's to prepare for a hail of arrows. You can block those and close in to get a solid hit or three in. You don't need to worry about attacking too much and leaving yourself open, as Gwyndolin's response to being physically attacked is to teleport away.

Priscialla is actually fairly easy, and you'll have unlocked enough shortcuts that getting back to her to fight her is pretty easy. Plus if you're a cheevo-whore she has a tail-weapon to cut off.

What Fox fails to mention about Kaathe's schemes is that if the fire dies the world will become a dark bleak shitty place.
Kaathe has had a few machinations over the years, and they've all ended badly for all involved.
Sacrificing yourself to the first flame is good for all but you, the prophecy is to trick you into doing the right thing for the good of all.

Not necessarily. Kaathe isn't a very trustworthy dude, but there's no reason to assume that the world is screwed if the light goes out. The dark soul turned into the abyss because it was corrupted, and went wild. The same thing basically happened with chaos and the first flame. You could basically argue that the abyss is to humanity what chaos is to the first flame. Left alone, humanity seems harmless.

It's pretty open ended. I don't like to think of the endings as good or bad. They're just two different paths you can follow.

From what I've gathered, linking the fire is better, but not by much. Apparently in DS3 you see a future where the fire has gone out and it's very dark and silent, like a night that never ends. Instead linking the fire has locked the world into a state of "Fire burns, fire gets low, world gets (more)shitty, somebody comes along and links it, world gets better". By DS2 apparently it's now considered a royal duty to link the fire and 3 is kicked off because the person who was designated to do it said "Nope. Not happening" and the fire is about to die.

DS3 apparently is one big implication that all of this linking of the fire was only delaying the inevitable. Eventually the fire is going to go out, because the world has gotten old and tired.

I didn't get that impression at all. Every awful thing that happens is the result of people trying to prolong the age of fire, and in many cases life, beyond the point of what's natural. The world is constantly in flux, and trying to keep things stagnant only makes things worse. It leads to suffering and existential despair because it's impossible. Chaos is unleashed on the world because the lords tried reigniting the first flame. Seethe goes insane seeking immortality. The undead go hollow because they're unable to die. Darkness isn't evil, it's natural. The age of dragons led to the age of fire, and the age of fire led to the age of darkness. Eventually the age of darkness will give way to something else. All the suffering that occurs is the result of individuals trying to keep things from changing, and from being attached to worldly things. The whole game is steeped in existential philosophy.

I don't like talking about the DS3 lore, since it's an incoherent mess that contradicts itself, but it supports my point as well. The Lords of Cinder all peace out because they realize they're dying for nothing. It's better to let the world continue onto its next phase. The one lord who does show up seems to regret his decision rather quickly once he starts burning. Then there's the whole ordeal with the dead fire keepers and their stolen eyes. What's the point of the age of fire when the games make it clear that all the awful things that happen are the result of people trying to keep the fire burning? If anything, I thought all of the games took a rather negative view of linking the fire.

I actually kind of agree with you on this. Linking the fire isn't really solving the problem. Instead of letting it run it's course, we just get people sarificing themselves over and over again so the age can drag itself on for a few more years. I wasn't trying to imply the age of fire was all peaches and cream, but rather that what we do know of the age of dark doesn't sound particularly wonderful either(from the DS1 intro and the bit in DS3 with the untended graves). It's the unfortunate thing that as bad as Lordran is, the rest of the world is implied to be worse. Lordran, at least, still has sunlight(even if it is an illusion).

But as you said, trying to infinitely prolong the age of fire has just created it's own set of problems. Vendrick knew this. He just didn't know how to fix it and it destroyed him in the end.

It would have been interesting to see a Dark Souls game set in the age of darkness so we could explore that a bit. I would have rather haven seen that then DS2, which while not bad at all, feels very different and DS3 like it's rehashing a lot of the points from the first game.

I was kind of hoping that DS3 was going to do that. It would be interesting to have a Dark Souls game that's about rebirth instead of death. Maybe the world starts out dark, or grey, and gets progressively lighter?

You're certainly not wrong about the age of dark not being perfect, though. The one thing I like about Dark Soul's is that it encourages discussion. None of the choices offered are purely good or evil. They're just about how you choose to react to a bad situation. It's refreshing to see a game where the only real enemy is a force of nature, like time. You can't beat it, but you can choose how you react to it.

 

[Xprimentyl]

SNIP!

The whole game is steeped in existential philosophy.

This sums up what I?ve read of all your most recent comments, and it has granted me a MUCH deeper appreciation of the game. The theme that there is no one ?right? way truly permeates every aspect of this game, from the narrative to the mechanics to each players? approach; for me, it?s become a game where I not only NEED to play multiple times to understand, but one I WANT to play multiple times to experience everything and every way. It truly is brilliant in that it was designed to put the player, conditioned for linearity to beat a game, on the path that, ?neath the nuance and folds, might not be the right one at all; there are entirely other and opposites paths should the player take upon themselves the onus to observe and question implied authority. This is far deeper than any ?would you kindly? reveal.

In retrospect, the opening expositive cinematic, for all its ambiguity, does put Gwyn and his allies in a ?not necessarily the good guys? light. The Age of Dragons isn?t qualified as ?bad,? and when amongst the allies of Light are counted a mass of skeletons unleashing death and cowardly, envious traitor, any reasonable person would question motives and intent. Then, five minutes into the game, the game kisses my ass and tells me I?m the Chosen Undead, chosen to maintain what Gywn did? almost makes me feel stupid, used! The alternative? Say fuck the Age of Fire, kill Gwyn and walk away? Yeah, no telling what that even does other than it?s NOT what I was told to do, and as one who has once or twice eschewed parental guidances, authority and structure, I can attest that?s not always the wisest choice? Decisions, decisions!!

 

[Xprimentyl]

That's strange. Shiva of the East will try to steal the Chaos Blade katana from you, if you have it, but that shouldn't be until much later in the game, and in a different area. It may just be a glitch. To my knowledge he's not allied with anyone. If you have the chance, make sure you kill his invisible bodyguard for his magic ring. If you can't, then don't sweat it. It's only useful for light builds anyway. If the covenant is mad at you then you can buy absolution from Oswald near the firs bell of awakening. They'll let you rejoin after that.

So, out of curiosity, I visited the priest guy in the belltower, and apparently, I?d ?sinned? to the tune of 38,000 souls? But I know for a fact, with the exception of starting shit with Gwyndolin who only warned me off traversing his white light (bow-chicka-bow-wow,) I?d not killed any unaggressive NPCs. The only NPC I?ve killed was Shiva of the East and he attacked me first when we were supposed to be homies in the same covenant. Is it possible I killed his bodyguard before I joined the covenant and he was perma-pissed at me regardless of our being covenant kin? Does his bodyguard appear a normal aggressive forest dweller fodder before one joins the covenant, because I know I killed a few invisible guys, but they were all aggressive and attacked me first?

Also, I finally beat Gwyndolin, but nothing in Anor Londo changed? The illusion of Gwynevere is still there; where?s this curse that snake-legged tranny put on me??

 

[Glongpre]

So, out of curiosity, I visited the priest guy in the belltower, and apparently, I?d ?sinned? to the tune of 38,000 souls? But I know for a fact, with the exception of starting shit with Gwyndolin who only warned me off traversing his white light (bow-chicka-bow-wow,) I?d not killed any unaggressive NPCs. The only NPC I?ve killed was Shiva of the East and he attacked me first when we were supposed to be homies in the same covenant. Is it possible I killed his bodyguard before I joined the covenant and he was perma-pissed at me regardless of our being covenant kin? Does his bodyguard appear a normal aggressive forest dweller fodder before one joins the covenant, because I know I killed a few invisible guys, but they were all aggressive and attacked me first?

Also, I finally beat Gwyndolin, but nothing in Anor Londo changed? The illusion of Gwynevere is still there; where?s this curse that snake-legged tranny put on me??

Apparently there is a glitch where an npc can walk off the cliff and die, and you will be blamed for it. Most often it seems to be the invisible ninja behind Shiva.

So go check behind Shiva and see if there is a body you can loot. The ninja drops a really good ring for light builds.

If it wasn't him that died then I don't know what to tell you.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Apparently there is a glitch where an npc can walk off the cliff and die, and you will be blamed for it. Most often it seems to be the invisible ninja behind Shiva.

So go check behind Shiva and see if there is a body you can loot. The ninja drops a really good ring for light builds.

If it wasn't him that died then I don't know what to tell you.

Uh, Shiva's kind of... dead; I had to self-defend him to death. :/

 

[Souplex]

This sums up what I've read of all your most recent comments, and it has granted me a MUCH deeper appreciation of the game. The theme that there is no one "right" way truly permeates every aspect of this game, from the narrative to the mechanics to each players' approach; for me, it's become a game where I not only NEED to play multiple times to understand, but one I WANT to play multiple times to experience everything and every way. It truly is brilliant in that it was designed to put the player, conditioned for linearity to beat a game, on the path that, 'neath the nuance and folds, might not be the right one at all; there are entirely other and opposites paths should the player take upon themselves the onus to observe and question implied authority. This is far deeper than any "would you kindly" reveal.

In retrospect, the opening expositive cinematic, for all its ambiguity, does put Gwyn and his allies in a "not necessarily the good guys" light. The Age of Dragons isn't qualified as "bad," and when amongst the allies of Light are counted a mass of skeletons unleashing death and cowardly, envious traitor, any reasonable person would question motives and intent. Then, five minutes into the game, the game kisses my ass and tells me I'm the Chosen Undead, chosen to maintain what Gywn did... almost makes me feel stupid, used! The alternative? Say fuck the Age of Fire, kill Gwyn and walk away? Yeah, no telling what that even does other than it's NOT what I was told to do, and as one who has once or twice eschewed parental guidances, authority and structure, I can attest that's not always the wisest choice... Decisions, decisions!!

To oversimplify:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/comics/critical-miss/17024-The-Plot-of-Dark-Souls
Scenario 1: You go in blindly and set your soul on fire to sustain the world not realizing there's another option.
2: You learn the truth, and nobly sacrifice yourself for the good of all.
3: You learn the truth, Kill Gwyndolin for setting you up, but still sacrifice yourself for the good of all, Gwyndolin just doesn't get to enjoy it as punishment for their deception. (My preferred approach)
4: You don't learn the truth, and let the fire die for "Reasons".
5: You learn the truth and let the fire die because "Screw those assholes".
6: You learn the truth and let the fire die because you want the Age Of Dark for whatever reason.

Also, I finally beat Gwyndolin, but nothing in Anor Londo changed? The illusion of Gwynevere is still there; where?s this curse that snake-legged tranny put on me??

Killing Gwyndolin doesn't undo the illusion, attacking GwynBoobs does though.
Undoing the illusion will piss Gwyndolin off though if he were alive.
If you've beaten Gwyndolin you're probably tough enough to handle the DLC. If you still haven't killed Sif you get a bonus scene if you get to a point in the DLC (You'll know) before fighting her.

 

[Xprimentyl]

To oversimplify:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/comics/critical-miss/17024-The-Plot-of-Dark-Souls

Hahaha! Sadly, that's pretty much the case!!

Killing Gwyndolin doesn't undo the illusion, attacking GwynBoobs does though.
Undoing the illusion will piss Gwyndolin off though if he were alive.
If you've beaten Gwyndolin you're probably tough enough to handle the DLC. If you still haven't killed Sif you get a bonus scene if you get to a point in the DLC (You'll know) before fighting her.

Ah, got it.

And out of curiosity, as Gwyndolin was fairly easy compared to what I've faced so far, why would he be the measure of readiness for the DLC? From what I've seen, the DLC looks BRUTAL.

 

[Souplex]

To oversimplify:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/comics/critical-miss/17024-The-Plot-of-Dark-Souls

Hahaha! Sadly, that's pretty much the case!!

Killing Gwyndolin doesn't undo the illusion, attacking GwynBoobs does though.
Undoing the illusion will piss Gwyndolin off though if he were alive.
If you've beaten Gwyndolin you're probably tough enough to handle the DLC. If you still haven't killed Sif you get a bonus scene if you get to a point in the DLC (You'll know) before fighting her.

Ah, got it.

And out of curiosity, as Gwyndolin was fairly easy compared to what I've faced so far, why would he be the measure of readiness for the DLC? From what I've seen, the DLC looks BRUTAL.

More just that you're at the point where you're doing optional bosses before getting the lord souls.
Although I would descend the Great Hollow first, just because it's a fun side-area. Ash Lake is at the bottom, and it's pretty cool too. I descended before I had the LordVessel, and it made the climb back a huge butt.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Apparently there is a glitch where an npc can walk off the cliff and die, and you will be blamed for it. Most often it seems to be the invisible ninja behind Shiva.

So go check behind Shiva and see if there is a body you can loot. The ninja drops a really good ring for light builds.

If it wasn't him that died then I don't know what to tell you.

Uh, Shiva's kind of... dead; I had to self-defend him to death. :/

You called it. On my way past Alvina to fight Sif, I looked back and saw a gold shiny to the left of her little enclosure; grabbed it up and it was the Dark Wood Grain Ring. Looks like Shiva's bodyguard did commit suicide; Shiva mistakenly blamed it on me and attempt revenge resulting in his own, pointless demise by my once-pure hands now stained in the blood of his slighted passion, Dark Souls' spin on "Romeo and Juliet."

 

[Xprimentyl]

And out of curiosity, as Gwyndolin was fairly easy compared to what I've faced so far, why would he be the measure of readiness for the DLC? From what I've seen, the DLC looks BRUTAL.

More just that you're at the point where you're doing optional bosses before getting the lord souls.
Although I would descend the Great Hollow first, just because it's a fun side-area. Ash Lake is at the bottom, and it's pretty cool too. I descended before I had the LordVessel, and it made the climb back a huge butt.

Damn it, I was hoping you were going to say that Gwyndolin was actually extremely hard and my beating him with relative ease meant I was the greatest Dark Souls player ever.

SPEAKING OF WHICH...

Sif is dead. Really proud of myself; only took me three tries which, aside from the Moonlight Butterfly (twice) and Iron Golem (bested in a single try WITHOUT taking any damage,) is the least attempts of all other bosses by far, embarrassingly so in some cases. Now I'm sitting on the Soul of Sif; think I'm going to make the Greatshield of Artorias; I looked into the Swords of Artorias, but I've nowhere the stats in INT and FTH to make it worth my while. Already made that mistake when I got all excited with Gwyndolin's soul and made the Darkmoon Bow which I can't use...

 

[Souplex]

And out of curiosity, as Gwyndolin was fairly easy compared to what I've faced so far, why would he be the measure of readiness for the DLC? From what I've seen, the DLC looks BRUTAL.

More just that you're at the point where you're doing optional bosses before getting the lord souls.
Although I would descend the Great Hollow first, just because it's a fun side-area. Ash Lake is at the bottom, and it's pretty cool too. I descended before I had the LordVessel, and it made the climb back a huge butt.

Damn it, I was hoping you were going to say that Gwyndolin was actually extremely hard and my beating him with relative ease meant I was the greatest Dark Souls player ever.

SPEAKING OF WHICH...

Sif is dead. Really proud of myself; only took me three tries which, aside from the Moonlight Butterfly (twice) and Iron Golem (bested in a single try WITHOUT taking any damage,) is the least attempts of all other bosses by far, embarrassingly so in some cases. Now I'm sitting on the Soul of Sif; think I'm going to make the Greatshield of Artorias; I looked into the Swords of Artorias, but I've nowhere the stats in INT and FTH to make it worth my while. Already made that mistake when I got all excited with Gwyndolin's soul and made the Darkmoon Bow which I can't use...

The Greatshield of Artorias has the highest stability (How Stamina-efficient blocking is) of any shield, and fairly good block percentages. (The number by each element is what percentage of damage of that type it blocks)

 

[Dalisclock]

To oversimplify:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/comics/critical-miss/17024-The-Plot-of-Dark-Souls

Hahaha! Sadly, that's pretty much the case!!

Killing Gwyndolin doesn't undo the illusion, attacking GwynBoobs does though.
Undoing the illusion will piss Gwyndolin off though if he were alive.
If you've beaten Gwyndolin you're probably tough enough to handle the DLC. If you still haven't killed Sif you get a bonus scene if you get to a point in the DLC (You'll know) before fighting her.

Ah, got it.

And out of curiosity, as Gwyndolin was fairly easy compared to what I've faced so far, why would he be the measure of readiness for the DLC? From what I've seen, the DLC looks BRUTAL.

The DLC is hard, with 4 bosses, and only one of which(the dragon) is optional. Though in my opinion, the Artorias Boss fight is one of the best in the game. No BS. Just an arena, you and him.

Also, if you want to get more into the Lore, check this out. While some of this is speculation and theory, he's pretty good at backing up his arguements. Also, massive spoilers.

 

[Fox12]

SNIP!

The whole game is steeped in existential philosophy.

This sums up what I?ve read of all your most recent comments, and it has granted me a MUCH deeper appreciation of the game. The theme that there is no one ?right? way truly permeates every aspect of this game, from the narrative to the mechanics to each players? approach; for me, it?s become a game where I not only NEED to play multiple times to understand, but one I WANT to play multiple times to experience everything and every way. It truly is brilliant in that it was designed to put the player, conditioned for linearity to beat a game, on the path that, ?neath the nuance and folds, might not be the right one at all; there are entirely other and opposites paths should the player take upon themselves the onus to observe and question implied authority. This is far deeper than any ?would you kindly? reveal.

In retrospect, the opening expositive cinematic, for all its ambiguity, does put Gwyn and his allies in a ?not necessarily the good guys? light. The Age of Dragons isn?t qualified as ?bad,? and when amongst the allies of Light are counted a mass of skeletons unleashing death and cowardly, envious traitor, any reasonable person would question motives and intent. Then, five minutes into the game, the game kisses my ass and tells me I?m the Chosen Undead, chosen to maintain what Gywn did? almost makes me feel stupid, used! The alternative? Say fuck the Age of Fire, kill Gwyn and walk away? Yeah, no telling what that even does other than it?s NOT what I was told to do, and as one who has once or twice eschewed parental guidances, authority and structure, I can attest that?s not always the wisest choice? Decisions, decisions!!

This game is really something special. It takes a while for it to sort of "click" though. I usually don't like it when people say that a game gets better later on, but for Dark Soul's it really does. Like a good book, you can get different things out of it every time you play. It can be a challenge just piece the plot together, much less for you to figure out the themes of the story. The thing is, it fits the tone. The game doesn't really seem to care whether you figure everything out or not. It's there whether you discover it or not. In an industry where developers try to draw your attention to every detail in the game, Dark Soul's has entire areas that can be missed. Nearly 40% of the game, in fact. I appreciate games like Bioshock, but like you said, those games tend to shove their ideas right in your face, where it's impossible to miss. Dark Soul's respects it's audience enough to believe that you can handle both the game mechanics and the obscure story. People talk about how hard the game is, but it really is much more then that. It's a methodically planned out piece of work. I hate to sound pretentious, but it's one of the few modern games I would definitely classify as art.

Apparently there is a glitch where an npc can walk off the cliff and die, and you will be blamed for it. Most often it seems to be the invisible ninja behind Shiva.

So go check behind Shiva and see if there is a body you can loot. The ninja drops a really good ring for light builds.

If it wasn't him that died then I don't know what to tell you.

Uh, Shiva's kind of... dead; I had to self-defend him to death. :/

You called it. On my way past Alvina to fight Sif, I looked back and saw a gold shiny to the left of her little enclosure; grabbed it up and it was the Dark Wood Grain Ring. Looks like Shiva's bodyguard did commit suicide; Shiva mistakenly blamed it on me and attempt revenge resulting in his own, pointless demise by my once-pure hands now stained in the blood of his slighted passion, Dark Souls' spin on "Romeo and Juliet."

That's weird. If they're hostile then I wouldn't bother befriending them. You got what you needed if you got the ring, and it's pretty easy to outrun them if you need to. If you don't know how to access the DLC then make sure you kill that damnable Hydra. Then rest at a bonfire, come back, and explore the lake area.

Edit: Oh yeah, and complete The Duke's Archives.

 

[Glongpre]

I appreciate games like Bioshock, but like you said, those games tend to shove their ideas right in your face, where it's impossible to miss. Dark Soul's respects it's audience enough to believe that you can handle both the game mechanics and the obscure story.

I wouldn't say that. Both games just go about the storytelling in a different manner.

Bioshock (and most games) follow the traditional storytelling method like you would see in a movie or a book. You go on a journey and everything the author wants to convey in his story you will read/see/hear.

Whereas, I would say Dark Souls uses a much better suited storytelling method, which really can only be achieved through games, and that is letting the player experience it for himself. What your character (and you) experience depends entirely on how you play, and what you do.
It is a fantastic storytelling structure for a videogame, and I hope more developers start using it.

This kind of experiential storytelling could really help make videogames a more unique storytelling medium, an experience you can't receive from a movie or a book.

 

[Dalisclock]

Whereas, I would say Dark Souls uses a much better suited storytelling method, which really can only be achieved through games, and that is letting the player experience it for himself. What your character (and you) experience depends entirely on how you play, and what you do.
It is a fantastic storytelling structure for a videogame, and I hope more developers start using it.

This kind of experiential storytelling could really help make videogames a more unique storytelling medium, an experience you can't receive from a movie or a book.

Cracked (Don't hit me) mentioned this during the last week. There's a reason game movies don't really work and it's because trying to adapt something designed to be interactive doesn't work so well when turning it into a pure viewing experience. Bioshocks twist doesn't work as well(or at all) if you're not holding the controller. Dark Souls wouldn't work as a film at all unless somehow you could do arthouse-ish minimalist narrative(or lack of such) with BlockBuster SFX. It may work for the fans but not enough to make a profit.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Also, if you want to get more into the Lore, check this out. While some of this is speculation and theory, he's pretty good at backing up his arguements. Also, massive spoilers.

How sad! Now, I feel like a super-dick for killing Sif (not that I was ever ok with it; me = dog lover.) That is a deep story though; That would be an amazing game unto itself.

 

[Dalisclock]

Also, if you want to get more into the Lore, check this out. While some of this is speculation and theory, he's pretty good at backing up his arguements. Also, massive spoilers.

How sad! Now, I feel like a super-dick for killing Sif (not that I was ever ok with it; me = dog lover.) That is a deep story though; That would be an amazing game unto itself.

Yeah, and its worse if you don't kill him till after you meet him in the DLC. It's really obvious he doesn't want to fight you and he has no choice but to do so anyway.

The Solaire one might be even worse. Either Solaire or poor Siegmeyer.

Sadly there's not much in the way of happy endings for anyone. The closest thing to a happy ending I can find is getting to kick Patches off a cliff. Because that guy's a major asshole.

 

[Xprimentyl]

So Dark Souls is being all ?Dark Souls? again.

I love my +5 Black Knight Halberd, but those moments when I rue having sacrificed speed for power have been coming more and more frequently, so I?ve been toting around my +10 Uchigatana waiting to get it to +15. I finally bested New Londo Ruins (fuck those ghosts,) got the water lowered, got the Very Large Ember firmly in my greedy little mitts, got my Uchigatana up to +14 aaaaaand? forgot I needed a titanite SLAB for +15.

No worries; a wiki revealed that slaying the Stray Demon yields a slab 100% of the time, so I hopped on the next crow to the Asylum and took the shitty floor elevator to the basement to get my slab. Fast-forward 3-4 attempts later, we killed each other at the same time; ?YOU DIED? faded into ?YOU DEFEATED? which faded to the load screen. Back at the bonfire, a quick peek into my inventory aaaaaand? NO SLAB?!?

Incensed, fingers still quaking with penned up Souls boss rage, I Googled ?Stray Demon didn?t drop slab,? and it turns out that the slab, like the random drops you get from regular enemies, is a pick-up; it doesn?t automatically go into your inventory like boss souls or narrative-imperative items, so if you die before picking them up, they disappear into the ether like all my hard work beating that fat fuck was for NOTHING. Now, my only chance to get a +15 weapon is to try to farm a slab from Darkwraiths or Crystal Lizards with a one in a THOUSAND chance that?ll ever happen from either of those. This sucks?

 

[Seishisha]

So Dark Souls is being all ?Dark Souls? again.

I love my +5 Black Knight Halberd, but those moments when I rue having sacrificed speed for power have been coming more and more frequently, so I?ve been toting around my +10 Uchigatana waiting to get it to +15. I finally bested New Londo Ruins (fuck those ghosts,) got the water lowered, got the Very Large Ember firmly in my greedy little mitts, got my Uchigatana up to +14 aaaaaand? forgot I needed a titanite SLAB for +15.

No worries; a wiki revealed that slaying the Stray Demon yields a slab 100% of the time, so I hopped on the next crow to the Asylum and took the shitty floor elevator to the basement to get my slab. Fast-forward 3-4 attempts later, we killed each other at the same time; ?YOU DIED? faded into ?YOU DEFEATED? which faded to the load screen. Back at the bonfire, a quick peek into my inventory aaaaaand? NO SLAB?!?

Incensed, fingers still quaking with penned up Souls boss rage, I Googled ?Stray Demon didn?t drop slab,? and it turns out that the slab, like the random drops you get from regular enemies, is a pick-up; it doesn?t automatically go into your inventory like boss souls or narrative-imperative items, so if you die before picking them up, they disappear into the ether like all my hard work beating that fat fuck was for NOTHING. Now, my only chance to get a +15 weapon is to try to farm a slab from Darkwraiths or Crystal Lizards with a one in a THOUSAND chance that?ll ever happen from either of those. This sucks?

Tough luck there man, losing a slab in og dark souls feels bad, but don't despair there is infact another guarranteed slab in game, if you complete siegmeyer of catarina's story line you can get a slab. (he's the knight who looks like an onion) I would recommend looking up the info so you know where to go, and what you'll need. It may proove less anoying for you if your not into farming. Good luck either way.

 

[Xprimentyl]

...another guarranteed slab in game, if you complete siegmeyer of catarina's story line you can get a slab.

Ok, just looked that up in a wiki, and I'm pretty sure I've encountered him everywhere up to Blighttown where I only talked to him once; he didn't wake up and ask me for clumps; I guess I need to talk to him again? Also, I don't recall seeing him inside Sen's Fortress, only outside before I rang the second bell of awakening; am I screwed??