Thoughts on The Ringed City

[Evonisia]

Besides its over reliance on environmental hazards that force you to run and that one major PvP element, I quite enjoyed this DLC.

I particularly loved the setting and how varied it was. Maybe I've just gotten worse at Souls as of late but I don't really get people's complaints about the length. The enemies, too, were interesting to learn and there are quite a few new types compared to Ariandel.

Lorewise it's a little too early to judge, but I can say I'm more satisfied with it than the Ariandel cliffhanger, and I felt it better tied into the entropic atmosphere of the overall game.

 

[stroopwafel]

I actually read a rather fascinating interpretation on the meaning of the 2 DLCs.

I'll post it here [https://www.reddit.com/r/darksouls3/comments/62cutp/spoilers_the_story_of_dark_souls_3s_dlc_or_why_i/?st=j0y8uwqp&sh=e0cddfc7] for anyone who wants to read it.

Needless to say there's spoilers there.

Interesting read but I find it a little far fetched. If it were Kojima I'd say he/she has a point but with Miyazaki it's not really his style. I think it's a typical case of seeing things that aren't there. Yeah, in theory the DLC could be an allegory for the fanbase needing to 'move on' but by the same token it could be an allegory for growing old, losing everything and being forced to let go or an allegory for the state of industrialized society prolonging it's inevatible demise through environmental destruction or an allegory for the descend into oblivion of an alzheimers/dementia patient or an allegory for the hubris of man and the antithesis of the suppressed social class. The themes of Dark Souls are pretty universal to the human condition and could be interpreted a myriad of ways if you're really reaching. That the DLC is a way of Miyazaki saying ''Dark Souls is over now stop discussing it on the interwebs'' is really unlikely in my opinion. Besides Dark Souls might be over but From Software's line of dark fantasy action-RPGs definitely is not.

 

[ChupathingyX]

I actually read a rather fascinating interpretation on the meaning of the 2 DLCs.

I'll post it here [https://www.reddit.com/r/darksouls3/comments/62cutp/spoilers_the_story_of_dark_souls_3s_dlc_or_why_i/?st=j0y8uwqp&sh=e0cddfc7] for anyone who wants to read it.

Needless to say there's spoilers there.

Interesting read but I find it a little far fetched. If it were Kojima I'd say he/she has a point but with Miyazaki it's not really his style. I think it's a typical case of seeing things that aren't there. Yeah, in theory the DLC could be an allegory for the fanbase needing to 'move on' but by the same token it could be an allegory for growing old, losing everything and being forced to let go or an allegory for the state of industrialized society prolonging it's inevatible demise through environmental destruction or an allegory for the descend into oblivion of an alzheimers/dementia patient or an allegory for the hubris of man and the antithesis of the suppressed social class. The themes of Dark Souls are pretty universal to the human condition and could be interpreted a myriad of ways if you're really reaching. That the DLC is a way of Miyazaki saying ''Dark Souls is over now stop discussing it on the interwebs'' is really unlikely in my opinion. Besides Dark Souls might be over but From Software's line of dark fantasy action-RPGs definitely is not.

I read somewhere that the one "true" canon ending is in Miyazaki's head and it's staying there, but of course everyone is free to wonder and draw their own conclusions. I respect that and think that's how it's supposed to be. Creators - of the entertainment variety at least - should never give away their best kept secrets.

I haven't played any of 3 yet, but am glad he's putting (at least a soft) cap on this series, both in terms of him being the one to do so and that it actually happened.

 

[stroopwafel]

I read somewhere that the one "true" canon ending is in Miyazaki's head and it's staying there, but of course everyone is free to wonder and draw their own conclusions. I respect that and think that's how it's supposed to be.

Definitely, no disagreement there. Different people deriving different meaning from the same piece of work is what exemplifies great art.

 

[Avnger]

I vote post-modern military fps... IN SPACE!!!

Honestly, I'm still waiting for the PtD/SOFS edition to appear, and this DLC's release means that its coming ever closer.

 

[Imre Csete]

Seems fun.


I'll pick up the Fire Fades edition later this year.

 

[ChupathingyX]

Honestly, I'm still waiting for the PtD/SOFS edition to appear, and this DLC's release means that its coming ever closer.

It's already been announced. Dark Souls 3: The Fire Fades (which will include both DLCS) will release April 21.

 

[Dalisclock]

Honestly, I'm still waiting for the PtD/SOFS edition to appear, and this DLC's release means that its coming ever closer.

It's already been announced. Dark Souls 3: The Fire Fades (which will include both DLCS) will release April 21.

I'm honestly surprised they're dropping it so soon. Most companies wait a while to milk the final piece of DLC before compiling everything into the final "GOTY" edition. I guess I should give FROM a Kudos for that? Or maybe they really are done with the series and just want to do something else.

I am happy though. The complete game was the one I was waiting for before purchasing it. I won't play it until after I finish Bloodborne though(which I'm starting this weekend).

 

[Avnger]

Honestly, I'm still waiting for the PtD/SOFS edition to appear, and this DLC's release means that its coming ever closer.

It's already been announced. Dark Souls 3: The Fire Fades (which will include both DLCS) will release April 21.

Whelp, shows how much I pay attention. Guess its time to switch back to ramen and mac&cheese cups for a few weeks.

 

[ChupathingyX]

Honestly, I'm still waiting for the PtD/SOFS edition to appear, and this DLC's release means that its coming ever closer.

It's already been announced. Dark Souls 3: The Fire Fades (which will include both DLCS) will release April 21.

I'm honestly surprised they're dropping it so soon. Most companies wait a while to milk the final piece of DLC before compiling everything into the final "GOTY" edition. I guess I should give FROM a Kudos for that? Or maybe they really are done with the series and just want to do something else.

I am happy though. The complete game was the one I was waiting for before purchasing it. I won't play it until after I finish Bloodborne though(which I'm starting this weekend).

I took a break from Bloodborne to 100% DkS1, but am now debating if I should finish it next (after my Tomb Raider Reboot and GoW1/2 binge) or SotFS edition. I've heard some good things about the gameplay but that the rest of it feels very uninspiring and lacking cohesiveness. I might just go through BB, but part of me wants to hold off and finish in order of release to appreciate the natural progression in design.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Honestly, I'm still waiting for the PtD/SOFS edition to appear, and this DLC's release means that its coming ever closer.

It's already been announced. Dark Souls 3: The Fire Fades (which will include both DLCS) will release April 21.

I'm honestly surprised they're dropping it so soon. Most companies wait a while to milk the final piece of DLC before compiling everything into the final "GOTY" edition. I guess I should give FROM a Kudos for that? Or maybe they really are done with the series and just want to do something else.

I am happy though. The complete game was the one I was waiting for before purchasing it. I won't play it until after I finish Bloodborne though(which I'm starting this weekend).

I took a break from Bloodborne to 100% DkS1, but am now debating if I should finish it next (after my Tomb Raider Reboot and GoW1/2 binge) or SotFS edition. I've heard some good things about the gameplay but that the rest of it feels very uninspiring and lacking cohesiveness. I might just go through BB, but part of me wants to hold off and finish in order of release to appreciate the natural progression in design.

Personally, I would suggest you go and finish Bloodborne before returning to Souls. As I'm sure you noticed, Bloodborne is much faster than the Souls games and it can be a bit tricky to adjust to the difference, especially if you're jumping back and forth. So I'd say just finish Bloodborne to get it out of the way and then move on to Scholar.

As for the final piece of DLC...

I thought it was a fitting end. Walking through the final area after defeating the last boss felt fitting somehow. Vast, grey, dead...there's a world here, but it's long since been abandoned and is now nothing more than dust. It has a sense of full circle, and now Dark Souls is like this as well. It is finished, and if you want something new, you must travel to a new world (From Soft's next game I suppose) through the painting. This land, and this series, has been used up.
I do wish I had gotten some of the answers I was hoping for, and that maybe we would have gotten a new ending much like Scholar did, but I'm okay with what happened overall.

Midir can suck and die though. Never managed to beat him, not even in other people's games, so I gave up and figure he can rot down there for the rest of time.

 

[RedDeadFred]

Midir can suck and die though. Never managed to beat him, not even in other people's games, so I gave up and figure he can rot down there for the rest of time.

I honestly think he's easier to be solo than co-op. It's a lot easier to read his moves if he's only focused on you. When you get other people involved, it can be hard to tell when it's safe to go in for a hit or two.

 

[Dalisclock]

I took a break from Bloodborne to 100% DkS1, but am now debating if I should finish it next (after my Tomb Raider Reboot and GoW1/2 binge) or SotFS edition. I've heard some good things about the gameplay but that the rest of it feels very uninspiring and lacking cohesiveness. I might just go through BB, but part of me wants to hold off and finish in order of release to appreciate the natural progression in design.

Personally, I would suggest you go and finish Bloodborne before returning to Souls. As I'm sure you noticed, Bloodborne is much faster than the Souls games and it can be a bit tricky to adjust to the difference, especially if you're jumping back and forth. So I'd say just finish Bloodborne to get it out of the way and then move on to Scholar.

I played DS2 because it was in progression, because I hadn't picked up a PS4 at the time and because DS2 is the Black sheep of the series. I figured I might as well get it out of the way before moving onto BB, instead of playing BB and then being inevitably disappointed in SOTFS(moreso).

DS2 isn't bad, but it feels like a downgrade from DS1 in many areas. There's a lot more there but very little of it feels better(such as the map design or boss fights). Not to mention the NPC's feel a bit lackluster in comparison to DS1. Besides Lucatiel and maybe Venrick, most of the characters are rather one note. And then there's the stupid immortal cat that exists for some reason.

I still have demons souls as well, but I ran up against a wall with that stupid long bridge(yes, I know it's 1-2) and stopped and haven't quite worked up the patience to get going again(which must sound wierd when I bashed my head against the fume knight and the ivory king god knows how many times before beating them). That seems to be the big problem Demons souls has. It feels like getting to the boss can be such a big pain at times(and time consuming) that the game is a much bigger time commitment then Dark Souls(1 or 2) was.

Or maybe it gets better as you go in. Maybe it's just that bridge is obnoxious because you can't make it shorter, the "safe" route is full of dogs and the door before the boss is protected by archers and a bunch of dudes(which makes it really hard to engage one by one).

 

[Wrex Brogan]

Midir can suck and die though. Never managed to beat him, not even in other people's games, so I gave up and figure he can rot down there for the rest of time.

I honestly think he's easier to be solo than co-op. It's a lot easier to read his moves if he's only focused on you. When you get other people involved, it can be hard to tell when it's safe to go in for a hit or two.

I found he was easier to solo than co-op because of his titanic health pool - adding 2-3 people just seemed to jack it up to ridiculous levels, dragging the fight out to the point that someone was going to inevitably fuck up and die. Solo he's much easier to manage since his health isn't so massive and he's easier to read.

Still, fun fight. Kinda annoying that the new covenant was locked behind him, but meh, wasn't too interested in that coven to begin with.

 

[sageoftruth]

I've still still haven't beaten the first boss (bosses?). I had a Int/Dex build with an estoc and was doing piss poor damage against the Demon Prince.

I went back and selected a Str/Faith character from my roster. I was surprised at how easily I got through Friede this time. I think I finally have her 3rd form figured out. Anyway, I look forward to eviscerating the Demon Prince with Dorothy's Gnawing once I get back that fight.

 

[ChupathingyX]

I played DS2 because it was in progression, because I hadn't picked up a PS4 at the time and because DS2 is the Black sheep of the series. I figured I might as well get it out of the way before moving onto BB, instead of playing BB and then being inevitably disappointed in SOTFS(moreso).

DS2 isn't bad, but it feels like a downgrade from DS1 in many areas. There's a lot more there but very little of it feels better(such as the map design or boss fights). Not to mention the NPC's feel a bit lackluster in comparison to DS1. Besides Lucatiel and maybe Venrick, most of the characters are rather one note. And then there's the stupid immortal cat that exists for some reason.

I still have demons souls as well, but I ran up against a wall with that stupid long bridge(yes, I know it's 1-2) and stopped and haven't quite worked up the patience to get going again(which must sound wierd when I bashed my head against the fume knight and the ivory king god knows how many times before beating them). That seems to be the big problem Demons souls has. It feels like getting to the boss can be such a big pain at times(and time consuming) that the game is a much bigger time commitment then Dark Souls(1 or 2) was.

Or maybe it gets better as you go in. Maybe it's just that bridge is obnoxious because you can't make it shorter, the "safe" route is full of dogs and the door before the boss is protected by archers and a bunch of dudes(which makes it really hard to engage one by one).

Hah...I took a break from Demon's for that same section, but it was only my second real session with a Souls game at that point. What makes it difficult is that it's a mandatory path, and so early in the game before most people would have acquired helpful gear.

Having said that, it's a very good test that ultimately helped prepare me for what to expect from the rest of the game; most of which will be far less rigidly demanding. When you get past it, you'll have learned well the importance of managing item/spell useage, stamina, equip/item burden ratios, enemy priorities, and zoning (both yourself and your enemies).

Spoiler

Tip: bring as many arrows as your burden allows if you don't want to repeat that section once you finally make it to the boss.

I was surprised that personally there wasn't much in Dark Souls that compared in terms of having to be mindful of that many factors in a given area. The closest I suppose would be the AL archers, but that's already half way through the game and with decent gear acquired. Plus, I've found that if you time your run on the ledge right, the left archer's arrows won't even bother you by the time you reach the one blocking your path.

In any case, it's kinda encouraging that DkS2 sounds pretty manageable, especially considering the B team's main goal was apparently to make it more difficult for the sake of it alone.

 

[RedDeadFred]

Midir can suck and die though. Never managed to beat him, not even in other people's games, so I gave up and figure he can rot down there for the rest of time.

I honestly think he's easier to be solo than co-op. It's a lot easier to read his moves if he's only focused on you. When you get other people involved, it can be hard to tell when it's safe to go in for a hit or two.

I found he was easier to solo than co-op because of his titanic health pool - adding 2-3 people just seemed to jack it up to ridiculous levels, dragging the fight out to the point that someone was going to inevitably fuck up and die. Solo he's much easier to manage since his health isn't so massive and he's easier to read.

Still, fun fight. Kinda annoying that the new covenant was locked behind him, but meh, wasn't too interested in that coven to begin with.

It's a fun covenant, but it's kinda dumb that the only rewards you get are to make you better at the fight. You really do feel like a boss if you're up against one person. Going up a gank squad on the other hand just feels like a waste of time.

 

[Dalisclock]

In any case, it's kinda encouraging that DkS2 sounds pretty manageable, especially considering the B team's main goal was apparently to make it more difficult for the sake of it alone.

Well, they did kind of succeed in that. I swear the first two opening areas(beyond the tutorial area which leads right into the hub) felt way harder then the undead burg ever did. The forest of fallen giants tends to force you to deal with packs of mobs on a regular basis(and is maze-like to boot) while Heide's tower of flame is much easier to navigate, but most of the enemies are huge armored dudes not unlike the AL giant soldiers(at least these guys don't work in pairs). It makes it feel like the difficulty is badly skewed for the opening areas. One youtube video talking about DS2 early game vs. DS1 early game said it made DS2 feel sadistic by comparison and it's hard not to say he has a point.

It really doesn't help that your max health lowers every time you die, down to 50% until you find a special ring that limits this to 75%. 75% is pretty much DS standard. 50%, especially since you start the game with little in the way of decent equipment and with a very limited estus flask, makes the game feel so much more difficult.

Not to mention the bosses at time feel gimmicky when they don't feel lazy(beyond the "Dude in armor" issue). It gets better as the game goes on but it's hard to shake the feeling of how patchy the game feels, like shit was just thrown together outside of the main plot arc.

 

[ChupathingyX]

I actually got accustomed to playing with reduced health though in Demon's at least, but always used the Cling Ring to compensate. As for the rest I guess it'll be an interesting experience for contrast if nothing else.

Having said that, it's a pretty sad combination from the sounds of it. It makes you wonder how it was still rated so highly; actually higher than the original technically. Maybe things like enemy variety, world building and a cohesive, meaningful design philosophy were overlooked as merely "choices" vs critical components.