Am I right in thinking it's best to just die at the end of a farming run for blood vials? This is a little tedious. Just want to crack on but don't really wanna waste blood echoes buying them...
Got whacked by a big man with a sack then woke up in fuck knows where. Spent the next hour trying to explore and getting repeatedly smashed. Took me longer than it should've to realise I could just warp back to the dream from the lamp. Lol.
No idea if I can ever get back there because I killed the fucker that put me there. I'm presuming there's more about...
This game is definitely the most disturbing of the bunch...
I think it all depends on what areas you end up doing first. I noticed some enemies in certain areas drop less vials than in other areas for instance. I've had no trouble with any of the bosses yet. Most have been disappointing so far. I like topping my health off every time I take even minor damage.
The place I used most vials was
Spoiler:
those two hunters outside by the rocks - that fucker with the shotgun must have made me use about fifty vials. I just couldn't figure out how to dodge the blast.
The game does seem to be getting much easier as I go through...
Yeah that’s what I was thinking. I never had to farm vials cos I died so much in some areas that I had tonnes from enemies that drop them. The starting area took me aaaaaaages to beat. Flew through the second half of game though. Got easy. Kinda like Dark Souls.
I've not bothered with them. Probably won't either. I'm starting to get souls fatigue already with this tbh. It's really great, but having played Dark Souls 3 before this, it's amazing how many assets they reused for that game. I've also noticed that many of the bosses seem to be placed at dead ends, which has led to LOADS of aimless wandering looking for where to go next.
Noticing some weird shit changing here and there like
Spoiler:
certain enemies that I swear look different and use different weapons which is cool. Also, is there a clock in this as it seems like it's sometimes night time and sometimes dusk in the Cathedral Ward?
Also,
Spoiler:
What's the crack with the frenzy mechanic?? Seems like it just causes bleed and kills you? That's a bit shit.
I've swiftly become tired of this game. I feel like I'm just going through the over familiar Souls tropes. It doesn't feel significantly different enough to feel fresh. It's got some lovely sections, enemies and set pieces, but I am finding it a bit over simplified and quite tiresome. The dark, bleak setting has become a bit depressing too.
The areas are not filled with enough lore and meaningful treasure. A lot of items don't link with many of the NPC's stories like they did in DKS1. I'm struggling to care about any of them. It started out great with the little girl but seemed to drift off.
Many of the consumables I'm picking up I don't really have a use for, aside from the odd molotov or poison knife. I'm finding that R2 charge attack through most enemies is working too well. When I do go down it's usually fucking dogs stun locking me to death.
Some areas seem designed purely to house a single item. There's a whole stretch of scenery with left and right turns in the Cathedral Ward that leads you to one item and nothing else. No reason to ever return there. Weird. Same with many bosses - they end in a room with a dead end. Light the lamp and off you fuck. I really dislike that about the new souls games. It's become a thing.
Much has been made of the combat, but I'm not a fan. I find the Dark Souls slower, more deliberate pace much more rewarding. The regain system in particular is something I don't get on with. You just end up spamming the attack button after you take a hit. It hardly leads to a deeper experience. It encourages you to be reckless and aggressive, but I don't see that as a good thing. It's still good combat, but I guess I've stumbled upon that win button with the Axe and it's incredibly hard to not use it.
The guns too, in regards to parrying, just feel like a replacement for shields when it comes to parrying. They're hardly innovative. Once you get the timing down the gun might as well be a shield. It's the same mechanic dressed up as something new. You still hit L2 at the right time and get the following visceral reward, just like Dark Souls.
Bosses have been really underwhelming so far. No stand outs as yet, and only Gascoigne was a stumbling block for half an hour. The rest have been knocked out in two or three goes and many have been done first time. None of them have been particularly impressive either.
The crap healing system will never be a good thing. It's just rubbish. Why they took a step backwards from the frankly perfect Estus Flask system of DKS1 is pretty baffling. None of the other games have got it right since. I'm now at the point in the game where I'm never running out and it's a bit of a cakewalk, but it's still a distant second to Estus. You should never have to farm in these games.
I'm also very bored with the Axe, but dubious about pumping upgrade materials into another weapon in case it's crap. I might have a look. Any suggestions for a strength build?
All that said, it's a great game, and some areas are stand out awesome. I just wish it was a bit more different to Souls. The more I play, the more I feel I could be playing any of them, and I'm all soulsed out. I can't hold that against it though.