Favourite/Least Favorite Dark Souls Moments

[Bradach Donachad]

Well, Dark Souls II has been out for a while now, and I'm sure that many of you are working your way through From Software's latest deliciously difficult gauntlet of gaming with excitement, perseverance, and a little frustration. I, on the other hand, am currently finishing up the first. With that in mind, I wanted to ask-what were your favourite and least favourite moments from the original Dark Souls, fellow escapists?

My favourite moment would have to be arriving in Princess Gwynivere's audience chamber after an arduous trek through the beautiful city of Anor Londo.

But as for my most hated moment? Well, Wheel Skeletons. Enough said.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Hm...my favorite moment was probably when I was summoned into someone else's game and I was actually useful. I felt like I was finally getting the hang of the game. Of course, that feeling lasted for about two minutes, because then someone else got summoned in and destroyed the boss in three seconds. Sigh...
Either that, or when I was able to beat that Spider Queen lady without constantly dying. She was one of the few bosses I was able to get the hang of right away.

Least favorite: not knowing where to go after that bird dropped me off. I spent a good deal of time wandering around that area because I knew the skeletons would kill me, but I couldn't find the other path. Or when I hit the wall in the game and it just stopped being fun. I gave up shortly after that.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

I'm still playing through Dark Souls, and I don't really have a favorite moment so much as I just do a favorite area, which is currently Sen's Fortress. "Why?" I hear many of you asking, since many people absolutely hate that area. Well, it really took me back to the first video game I ever owned and beat to completion, which was The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time on the N64.

The design of Sen's Fortress really reminds me of a few of the dungeons in that game. The Serpent Warriors remind me of the Lizalfos from Ocarina of Time and the traps and general aesthetic remind me of the spirit temple in the desert. That entire area took me back to my childhood and I absolutely loved it.

Not only that but the cutscene of you being transported from Sen's Fortress to Anor Londo is probably the most beautiful and visually impressive thing in the entire game, at least for me.

Least favorite moment of Dark Souls would have to be when I went to blight town with 3 blooming purple moss (which was all I could afford at the time), then got hit with toxic 4 times within the span of 5 minutes and died about 3 feet from the bonfire. Was not a good time.

 

[Kopikatsu]

My favorite moment in DS1 was when I could finally equip Havel's set without encumbrance penalties. Tying with that was being able to stand toe to toe and have a good ol' fashioned slugfest with the Four Kings. Havel's set and the pre-nerf Iron Flesh. Good times.

Least favorite moment has to be Blighttown for sure. 'What status ailment do people hate the most in games?' 'Probably poison. Poison is super obnoxious, right?' 'Yes! Let's make an entire section of the game world focused on poisoning the player as much as possible!'

Then DS2 has Harvest Valley, Earthen Peak, The Gutter, and Black Gulch (Ugh). BECAUSE IF A LITTLE POISON IS A GOOD THING, OBVIOUSLY A LOT IS FUCKING HYPE. -breaks down into uncontrollable sobbing-

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

My favorite moment in DS1 was when I could finally equip Havel's set without encumbrance penalties. Tying with that was being able to stand toe to toe and have a good ol' fashioned slugfest with the Four Kings. Havel's set and the pre-nerf Iron Flesh. Good times.

Least favorite moment has to be Blighttown for sure. 'What status ailment do people hate the most in games?' 'Probably poison. Poison is super obnoxious, right?' 'Yes! Let's make an entire section of the game world focused on poisoning the player as much as possible!'

Then DS2 has Harvest Valley, Earthen Peak, The Gutter, and Black Gulch (Ugh). BECAUSE IF A LITTLE POISON IS A GOOD THING, OBVIOUSLY A LOT IS FUCKING HYPE. -breaks down into uncontrollable sobbing-

Poison in dark souls 1 isn't that bad, it chips away at your health pretty slowly and purple moss is pretty common and cheap. Toxic is the fucking worst though. When I was in blight town the toxic status could kill me in about 10 seconds if I didn't estus or use blooming purple moss, and blooming purple moss doesn't drop nearly often enough, and costs 1000 souls each, which is kind of a lot in the early game.

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

It's boring and cliche, but my favorite Dark Souls 1 moment was my first Orenstein and Smough kill.

It took me many, many tries and when I finally fired the last arrow into Smough's face, I let out a massive breath and just collapsed backwards onto the bed I was sitting on. It truly felt amazing.
Then on my second playthrough I went full Mage and killed them both first try, Smough first with no issues. It was a bit annoying to be honest.

Second place for favorite moments goes to my current playthrough. I decided to do a Paladin. Heavy armor, faith magic, big swords. In order to get the high level lightning spear, I needed to do co-op. So I spent several sessions just helping people beat the fuck out of the Gargoyles and then eventually, Sif. The level of JOLLY COOPERATION made me incredibly happy. Got quite a few thankful messages as well. So that was a good time.

Least favorite moment? Invasions. That is all. Fuck invasions.

Never had much issue with Blighttown. Probably because by the time I played the game, it had been hyped to such an enormous degree that I was a tad over-leveled and over-prepared.

 

[NeutralDrow]

My favorite moment...the ending. And not in a sarcastic way. That ending was probably the only moment where I felt like I actually had some place in the world, and my character had any kind of identity. And it was a pretty awesome ending. Summed up, eight words...

Spoiler

<color=black>LET TRUE DARK BE CAST UPON THE WORLD!

Seriously, I was totally expecting Kaathe to betray me, but he didn't. It was a wonderful feeling knowing that I'd finally achieved something beyond a confused headache.

Least favorite moment...probably one hour after the game ended, when someone reminded me that I hadn't done the DLC and told me how this was accomplished, because it threw 80% of my disillusionment with the game's ludicrously arcane and obtuse elements into sharp relief.

When I was in blight town the toxic status could kill me in about 10 seconds if I didn't estus or use blooming purple moss, and blooming purple moss doesn't drop nearly often enough, and costs 1000 souls each, which is kind of a lot in the early game.

I used the spider shield, myself. In fact, that was pretty much the only time in the game I ever used a shield.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

My favorite moment...the ending. And not in a sarcastic way. That ending was probably the only moment where I felt like I actually had some place in the world, and my character had any kind of identity. And it was a pretty awesome ending. Summed up, eight words...

Spoiler

<color=black>LET TRUE DARK BE CAST UPON THE WORLD!

Seriously, I was totally expecting Kaathe to betray me, but he didn't. It was a wonderful feeling knowing that I'd finally achieved something beyond a confused headache.

Least favorite moment...probably one hour after the game ended, when someone reminded me that I hadn't done the DLC and told me how this was accomplished, because it threw 80% of my disillusionment with the game's ludicrously arcane and obtuse elements into sharp relief.

When I was in blight town the toxic status could kill me in about 10 seconds if I didn't estus or use blooming purple moss, and blooming purple moss doesn't drop nearly often enough, and costs 1000 souls each, which is kind of a lot in the early game.

I used the spider shield, myself. In fact, that was pretty much the only time in the game I ever used a shield.

The reason I kept getting the toxic effect was the blow dart guys, who I had a lot of trouble seeing. The shield probably wouldn't have helped much because they typically shot me either in the back, or when I was in the middle of a fight and pointing the shield at another enemy.

 

[King Billi]

My favourite moment easily would have to be entering Ash Lake for the first time. I used a walkthrough for alot of the areas in Dark Souls but that was one secret I never had spoiled for me, I was just exploring off the beaten track a little way, discovered a hidden door in the side of a tree and found it all on my own.

Of course my pride in discovering this place was short lived once I found that there was only one way in and out of the entire area and since I hadn't reached the lord vessel at that time I was forced to climb all the way back out again to continue the game.

Second favourite moment was hanging around the entrance to the Artorias boss fight in the DLC area and being summoned to help people out in that fight over and over again, Also got summoned a few times for the Kalameet fight. I really don't go in for multiplayer or coop in any game but that was just too much fun and it felt cool to help so many people out.


Least favourite moment would be falling through a trapdoor in the depths and being set upon by Basilisks. I still consider them the most terrifying enemy in the whole game personally and encountering them for the first time in that situation without any idea how to get myself back on track was a very unpleasant moment.

 

[SmallHatLogan]

Arriving at Ash Lake is something I enjoy every play through. I just love the atmosphere and the music. The Hydra is actually quite a majestic creature and seeing it swimming back and forth before it detects you is awesome, not to mention seeing it jump over you which is just plain crazy. Arriving at the end and seeing the Everlasting Dragon reveal itself by unfurling its wings is really cool.

Least favourite? Well, there were two moments that made me almost quit my first play through. First was getting cursed in the depths (and I fucking hated the depths by this point, although now I know you can get through it in about ten minutes), looking up what exactly was going on and finding out that I had to run all the way back up to Oswald to get a purging stone. Second was my first encounter with Ornstein and Smough. What an ordeal that was.