Dark Souls. Why should I keep playing?

[K1CKER]

So I`ve been playing Dark Souls lately, I really wanted to know what all the fuss was about, and I`ve gotta say it`s just stupid.

People keep praising it it`s good because it`s hard, but that`s not really difficulty, it`s just game design made to waste your time.

I want to make it clear, I`m not BAD at the game, I can do all the moves easy, all the counter kills, kicks and jump attacks, I don`t mind at all that I have no map, I can remember an area without difficulty.

I don`t mind that basically any enemy can kill me if I make mistakes, that`s fine.
I don`t mind that I lose all my souls if I die, you should lose a lot if you die.

What IS NOT fine is that I have to grind to the same area 100 times if a boss kills me.

I`m at the early Taurus Demon and I can get to him and clear all the 30 or so minions before him without even being touched if I`m careful, but WHY do I have to do it EVERY TIME HE KILLS ME?

It`s just boring and stupid and a waste of my time.

Even worse is the fact that if I were willing to be a mindless drone and just grind this area forever I can get to any level, just kill minions, go to fire, make them respawn, kill again, FOREVER, and get to any level I want.



So I wanted to ask all of you who like this game and got to really high levels in it, Is it worth it? Is the later game content good or just the same boring grind all the way through?

 

[Frozengale]

It's the same grind all the way through. If grind isn't your thing then there is nothing wrong with that. Some of us find it enjoyable to some extent. If you play smart there shouldn't be any real grinding though, unless you want to.

And yes you can grind to the point where you max out all your stats. You could even do it before the Taurus Demon. It would take you months of grinding to do so, but it is doable. I don't see how this is a problem. It means if you are having trouble with a boss or something else, you can grind the things you can kill until your character stats are good enough to overcome your own shortcomings. That is incredibly good game design, it makes it so no matter how bad you are at the game you can still progress if you put in the effort.

Placing the fires away from the boss is a little mean, and I would say a bit stupid. But you are also stupid if you don't realize you can run right through the area straight to the demon without killing any of the skeletons. I've done it many a time when i just felt like fighting the Demon and not cutting a path straight through.

I really don't see these things as problems, one of them is good game design, one of them is a minor inconvenience.

 

[Solo-Wing]

So I`ve been playing Dark Souls lately, I really wanted to know what all the fuss was about, and I`ve gotta say it`s just stupid.

People keep praising it it`s good because it`s hard, but that`s not really difficulty, it`s just game design made to waste your time.

I want to make it clear, I`m not BAD at the game, I can do all the moves easy, all the counter kills, kicks and jump attacks, I don`t mind at all that I have no map, I can remember an area without difficulty.

I don`t mind that basically any enemy can kill me if I make mistakes, that`s fine.
I don`t mind that I lose all my souls if I die, you should lose a lot if you die.

What IS NOT fine is that I have to grind to the same area 100 times if a boss kills me.

I`m at the early Taurus Demon and I can get to him and clear all the 30 or so minions before him without even being touched if I`m careful, but WHY do I have to do it EVERY TIME HE KILLS ME?

It`s just boring and stupid and a waste of my time.

Even worse is the fact that if I were willing to be a mindless drone and just grind this area forever I can get to any level, just kill minions, go to fire, make them respawn, kill again, FOREVER, and get to any level I want.



So I wanted to ask all of you who like this game and got to really high levels in it, Is it worth it? Is the later game content good or just the same boring grind all the way through?

First the Taurus demon is easy. Climb up the tower where the snipers are then jump down on top of him hitting for huge damage. Roll under his attacks to get behind him. Draw him to the middle of the wall. Roll under him and run back to the tower. Climb up. Repeat. Not that hard when you know when to roll.
Second you have yet to feel the pain. Wait till Sens fortress. That is when the game gets rid of the Lube and has it's way with you.

 

[SlaveNumber23]

Why should you keep playing? Because you enjoy the game. If you do not enjoy the game then by all means don't keep playing.

In this game you have to learn from your mistakes, if you are having trouble fighting through the enemies on the way to the boss unscathed then try avoiding them altogether? Try creating a new character as a different class. Try different ways of approaching the boss. If you can honestly play the game well and with a clever attitude, as you claim "do all the moves easy, all the counter kills, kicks and jump attacks" you shouldn't be having too much trouble with the Taurus Demon and the lesser enemies on the way to his fight. You might be better at using different playstyles, if you are having trouble timing blocking try using a spear and shield, you can attack with the spear while keeping your shield raised, or even try casting spells and avoiding contact with the enemies at all. You are only at the Taurus Demon so creating a new character is a very minimal waste of your time spent on your previous character, and you will have learned a lot.

 

[fireaura08]

Think back to the tutorial, where you had to kill the Asylum Demon with the drop attack. Then, think of the archers near the Taurus's bridge.

Trust me, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The archers at Anor Londo (hell, all of Anor Londo) and the Tomb of the Giants/Lost Izalith are some of the hardest parts of the game if you're unprepared.

 

[K1CKER]

Placing the fires away from the boss is a little mean, and I would say a bit stupid. But you are also stupid if you don't realize you can run right through the area straight to the demon without killing any of the skeletons.

I tried running straight to him many times. The enemies just jump attack you then surround you. There isn`t enough room in the small corridors unless you`re really lucky.

In this game you have to learn from your mistakes, if you are having trouble fighting through the enemies on the way to the boss unscathed then try avoiding them altogether?

What I said is I do NOT have trouble with the minions on the way to him, but I shouldn`t have to kill them slowly 100 times just to advance to the boss.

 

[K1CKER]

Anyway I don`t need tips for that boss, I`m asking the guys who finished the game: How does the later content look and if it`s worth it playing it more than I have?

 

[Corven]

I'd say give up and trade it in, what your experiencing now is what you'll be experiencing for the whole game, the game mechanics won't just change half way through, if you fuck up, you die and go back to the last check point and have to kill all the baddies from where you were all the way to the last boss you encountered.

 

[fireaura08]

Anyway I don`t need tips for that boss, I`m asking the guys who finished the game: How does the later content look and if it`s worth it playing it more than I have?

The later content (after the Anor Londo bosses are defeated onward) is the beef of the game, and where most of the legitimate PvP is. The bosses are pretty tough, and one is downright cheap. The final boss can also be really easy if you exploit a certain weakness. I felt that the later half was much more difficult, but at the same time more fun.

 

[Solo-Wing]

Anyway I don`t need tips for that boss, I`m asking the guys who finished the game: How does the later content look and if it`s worth it playing it more than I have?

I find the later content to be really fun, but that's just me. Sen's fortress and Anor Londo are brutal to get through, although there's a bit of a problem late in the game where you're essentially given a "Get the Macguffins!" Quest and are supposed to kill several different bosses located in different areas in the game. It's not that they're super hard, it's just a bit... Jarring, when the game was so linear to make a complete 180 and go "You know what, no need to go from Point A to Point B to Point C. Go where you want."

Well one of them is super hard. *Cough* Four kings *Cough*

And the rest are absolute pains to reach. I fucking hated going though the Demon Ruins. Taurus and Capra Demons everywhere. UGH.

 

[Tallim]

I think the Taurus Demon has one of the worst placed bonfires in the game. A lot of the other bosses are reasonably close to a bonfire with few enemies to get through to get back to them although it usually requires you to find a shortcut.

In all honesty if you are finding it tedious at the Taurus Demon then you aren't going to have a lot of fun once you get to the harder parts. Everything up to Anor Londo is really just a warm up before they roll out the tough stuff.

In the end it is up to you not all games are right for all people, not much point playing it if you aren't having fun.

 

[hazabaza1]

That's a common complaint about Dark Souls. I don't really have much of an issue with the checkpoints, if worse comes to worst I just take a break for a bit, but if it annoys you that much, I'd stop now.

 

[K1CKER]

Well I just beat that stupid Taurus so I`ll go on a bit more see what`s next.

I still think the game`s "difficulty" is more cheapness than actual difficulty, but I`ll give it some more time.

Maybe the PC version will have QuickSave

That would fix all the awfulness. Not to mention load times, great idea they had making it on console first, Xbox huge loading times + die a lot = half the game looking at loading screens.


What I hate the most is the fact that if someone doesn`t mind easy grinding for 10 hours they`ll be better off than me, and they might actually play the game 2x times worse, but they get rewarded for mindless, empty grinding.

I think the Taurus Demon has one of the worst placed bonfires in the game.

It`s good to know that was one of the worst ones, I really couldn`t take all of them being like that. Thanks! I might play more just for learning that others are better placed.

 

[ColeusRattus]

Well, I think the OP kind of misunderstood the placement of the checkpoints. They're not where they are to pad the game by senseless grinding, there there so you actually fear dying against a boss, because you have to replay a huge portion of the area.

Sure, the end result is quite similar, depending on your mindest while playing it, but having checkpoints right before bosses instantly degrades Dark Souls from being a difficult yet rewarding game into an easy trial and error experience., as there would be no risk involved when fighting bosses.

 

[Sean Hollyman]

I was thinking of getting this, but now I won't..

 

[lionsprey]

Well, I think the OP kind of misunderstood the placement of the checkpoints. They're not where they are to pad the game by senseless grinding, there there so you actually fear dying against a boss, because you have to replay a huge portion of the area.

Sure, the end result is quite similar, depending on your mindest while playing it, but having checkpoints right before bosses instantly degrades Dark Souls from being a difficult yet rewarding game into an easy trial and error experience., as there would be no risk involved when fighting bosses.

this.
thats the reason behind the bonfires not being so close to the bosses dark souls wants to make you dread fighting a boss and carefully learn how to beat it.
and as others have said the tauros bonfire is probebly the worst placed in the game.
i think the capra demon's got a annoying placement as well but that's it

 

[pure.Wasted]

Well, I think the OP kind of misunderstood the placement of the checkpoints. They're not where they are to pad the game by senseless grinding, there there so you actually fear dying against a boss, because you have to replay a huge portion of the area.

Sure, the end result is quite similar, depending on your mindest while playing it, but having checkpoints right before bosses instantly degrades Dark Souls from being a difficult yet rewarding game into an easy trial and error experience., as there would be no risk involved when fighting bosses.

How does placing the checkpoint further back make the game more difficult?

And it's not like the trial-and-error element is removed by forcing the player to fight all the way back to the boss. You still have to try-and-err, you just lose more when you err.

From the sound of things, I'm sure I'd be enjoying the game even less than the OP. I can absolutely respect the idea of making a player's failure meaningful, but this isn't meaningful, it's just torturous. Like, old school Nintendo platformer torturous. "Oh, did you miss the jump onto a platform you couldn't actually see on the screen before you jumped at it? Ssssorry about that, have fun replaying the level again!"

 

[Hemlet]

The Taurus Demon bonfire is a pain in the ass, but the rest of the game is actually pretty peachy. There's a little bit of grind if you're the type who wants to upgrade their armour and weapons of choice as high as they'll go (and lord knows I am, but thankfully there's a ring in Sens Fortress that triples the drop rate of items when you wear it).

I guess the two biggest things that need to be cleared up about the game are:

-gear is largely more important than stats for melee based characters. I haven't rolled any heavy magic users, so I can't speak for them. Stats are still important mind, but outside of high Vitality and Endurance for health and stamina stats are mostly so you can adequately use gear.

-The Taurus demon isn't really an accurate representation of boss fights in Dark Souls. Outside of a few fights (one or two early game, one late game that I can think of), the boss fights are mostly marathons rather than sprints. If you don't charge in, spend some time dodging, and pay attention to how a boss moves and what its tells are, you can usually gauge when to move in for a few quick hits. It's totally possible to grind your way up to a ridiculous level for the area you're in and brute force everything, but the game will stop being fun very very quickly if you do so.


After the game finally hammered home the point that I should spend most of my time walking through new areas rather than running/sprinting, and that I should almost always have my shield up just in case, it became much more fun. Also, friendly advice, check your corners before going through a door/down stairs/turning down a hallway. Always. Every time. You will prevent a lot of otherwise unexpected deaths by doing so.