Dark Souls
-
Dark Souls series
Demon's Souls
Starting Classes
Note that your starting class only determines your stats and equipment at the start of the game. While this will obviously affect your first few hours of play, once you progress and level up you are able to adapt your character to use any equipment in the game.
Starting Gifts
Divine Blessing : Fully restores HP and clears abnormal status effects
Black Firebomb : Throw to create a powerful blaze
Binoculars : Used to see far away objects, threats, and scenery
Pendant : It's filled with blocked memories
Twin Humanities : An item you can obtain from black phantoms
Master Key : Use this to open doors with a simple lock
Tiny being's Ring : Wear this to increase your maximum HP by a small amount
Old Witch's Ring : A ring given by a witchSpoiler:
BUT WHAT DO THE STATS MEAN?!
Pressing SELECT on your character’s or a weapon’s stat screen will give you a short explanation of each stat.
Vitality: Your HP. Diminishing returns kick in around 40 Vit.
Attunement: Determines your number of spell slots ie: how many spells (including pyromancy and miracles) you can equip. 50 attunement gives you the maximum of 10 slots.
Endurance: Determines your stamina (green bar), equip load and bleed resistance. Stamina maxes out at 40 Endurance, but equip load and bleed res. will continue to rise past 40 End.
Strength: Weapon requirement, weapon damage modifier which usually applies to large weapons. Does not increase the speed at which you can swing weapons. Two-handing a weapon (triangle/Y button) increases your strength by 50%, allowing you to wield large weapons when you are well below the required Strength level.
Dexterity: Weapon requirement, weapon damage modifier usually applying to curved swords, daggers and bows. Slightly decreases the casting time of spells.
Resistance: Increases physical defence along with flame and poison resistance. I am yet to find a reason to increase this stat.
Intelligence: Affects the power of sorceries (note: not miracles or pyromancy). Spell power is determined by the Magic Adjust of your catalyst, which in turn is determined by your intelligence. Some weapons scale with intelligence, too.
Faith: Like Intelligence but for miracles. Increases miracle power, magic defence and the damage of weapons that scale with Faith.
Humanity: Not really a stat. Can not be increased by levelling up, nor does it affect your level. It does, however, increase your item discovery rate, a variety of defensive statistics, along with your resistance to curses. Chaos weapons scale with Humanity.
THE NOT-IMMEDIATELY OBVIOUS
Player actions
Kicking: Forward+R1/RB. Useful for staggering enemies and breaking their guard, some weapons replace the kick with a fancy backflip thing which is pretty much useless.
Jumping: Tap O/B while running. Really dodgy, take your time and line yourself up. Useful for shortcuts secret areas and the occasional plunging attack.
Two-handing: Triangle/Y. Increases your Strength by 50% increases your attack power and changes your weapon’s animations. Very useful if you’re confident in your dodging.
Stamina and equip load
Your equip load determines your roll and run speed.
Equip Weight above 100% of total Equip Load leaves the player unable to roll and run.
Equip weight above 50% and up to 100% of Equip Load gives slow movement, and causes the player to 'fat roll'.
Equip weight above 25% and up to 50% of Equip Load gives medium movement. Equip weight equal to and below 25% of Equip Load gives fast movement.
There are more speeds but those are the main categories. Under 50% is fine but ideally you’ll be under 25%.
How to use spells
To use spells, you firstly need to attune the spell at a bonfire then equip a catalyst in either hand. For miracles, you need a talisman rather than a catalyst. For pyromancy you need a pyromancy flame.
Humanity
Humanity exists in two forms: either as a consumable item or in the counter in the top-left of the screen. Humanity is only active when it is in that counter, to get it there you either need to use a consumable Humanity, help to kill a boss in co-op, kill another player by invading or absorb it from an enemy. Once it’s there it can be used at a Bonfire to “Reverse Hollowing”. This will make you human and allow you to summon friends for co-op but also make you vulnerable to Invasions. Once human, you will be able to use more Humanity to kindle Bonfires. Humanity in your counter will be left, together with your souls, with your bloodstain upon death. Dying whilst human will turn you hollow again.
Kindling
To kindle a bonfire you must be human and have at least one Humanity in the counter. Kindling will increase the number of Estus flasks you receive from that bonfire by 5.
Co-op and Summoning
Conditions for summoning:
The host (person whose game world will be used) must be human. The client (person joining the game) can either be human or undead.
The host’s level must be approximately 10 levels + 10% (above or below) of the client’s level.
The area boss in the host’s world must still be alive in order for a host to either summon allies or to be invaded by another player. A client can still be summoned even if the client has already defeated their own area boss.
The host must not have placed down a summoning sign. Summoning signs from other players will not appear in a host’s world if the host also has placed a summoning sign down. This is to prevent a network conflict of the host joining someone else's game world while the clients are trying to join the host's game world
After successfully summoning, the client will return to their world if the area boss is defeated, the client is killed or the host is killed.
Gestures
In order to maximize your enjoyment of Dark Souls, you will need to praise the Sun at every opportunity. Press Select or Back to access the gesture menu and raise both arms in salute to our magnificent father.
Poise
Poise is an armour stat, tucked away on the right side of the stat screen, which determines your resistance to stun-locking. Higher poise means you can take more hits, or heavier hits, before being staggered, allowing you to complete your animations even if you are hit during them.
There are specific amounts of poise at which certain weapons will stop stun-locking you in one hit:
76 poise (51 for 1-handed resists):
All Ultra Greatswords 2h R1s
All Great Axes 2h R1s
All Great Blunt 2h R1s
53 poise (36 for 1-handed resists):
All Great Asian Swords 2h R1s
All Great Swords 2h R1s
All 1-handed Blunts 2h R1s
All 1-handed Axes 2h R1s
31 poise (21 for 1-handed resists):
All Asian Sword 2h R1s (and R2 in the case of Shotel)
All 1-handed Sword 2h R1s
All Katana 2h R1s (including Washing Pole)
All Great Scythe 2h R1/R2s
All Whip 2h R1s
All Large Spear (Partisan/Pike) 2h R1s
All Small Spear (Silver Spear/Winged Spear) 2h R1s
All Halberd/Pole 2h R1s (figured this would have been 53, but it wasn't).
8 poise (6 poise for 1-hand resists, or Fist Weapons):
All Rapier 2h R1s
All Dagger 2h R1s
All Fist Weapons R1s (although this is actually 6 since you can't 2-hand a Fist Weapon)
Videos
"What's wrong? Get a bit of scare out there?
No problem. Have a seat and get comfortable.
We'll both be Hollow before you know it."
EpicNameBro's Lore series
NG++ Bosses at SL1 by me.
VaatiVidya's Prepare to Cry series: Artorias, The Sisters of Chaos, Siegmeyer, Solaire, Rhea, Pendant.
Pictures
Reviews
EDGE - 9
Gamespot - 9.5
IGN - 9
Eurogamer - 9
Beefjack - 9/10
The Guardian - 4/5
Metro - 9/10
RPG Site - 9/10
Electronic Theatre - 9/10
Joystiq - 4/5
JPS - 5/5
Telegraph - 5/5
OXM - 9/10
GamesTM - 9/10
Game Informer - 8.75
Strategy Informer - 8/10
NowGamer - 9.1
Weapon Upgrade Tree
Resources, SPOILERS APLENTY
"A great pool of knowledge, the fruits of superior wisdom and an unquenchable desire for truth."
Dark Souls Wikidot Wiki
Dark Souls Wikispaces Wiki
DSStats
Character Planner
Glossary
My Prepare to Die, NG++++, SL1 Death Diary
Spoiler:
"I love Boletaria for what she is. A place of odd wonders.Strange faces, wielding strange trinkets, hiding in strange places."
Reviews
1UP
Edge
Eurogamer
Game Informer
Gamespot
GamesTM
IGN
The Telegraph
If you're just starting out, the instruction manual has all the information you need right now.
Starting Classes
Will=Intelligence.
Starting Equipment
Knight: Long Sword, Mail Breaker, Kite Shield, Fluted Armour.
Priest: Mace, Heater Shield, Talisman of God, Chain Helmet, Chain Mail, Chain Gloves, Hard Leather Boots, Heal miracle.
Thief: Dagger, Short Bow, Buckler, Assassin's Hood, Black Leather, Black Gloves Black Boots, Arrows x20.
Magician: Short Sword, Wooden Catalyst, Leather Shield, Wizard's Clothes, Wizard's Gloves, Wizard's Shoes, Flame Toss spell, Water Veil spell.
Temple Knight: Halberd, Talisman of God, Mirdan Armour, Heal miracle
Soldier: Broad Sword, Short Spear, Soldier's Shield, Plate Armour, Bolts x20.
Wanderer: Falchion, Dagger, Wooden Shield, Leather Armour, Hard Leather Boots.
Barbarian: Club x2, Wooden Shield.
Royalty: Rapier, Silver Catalyst, Buckler, Silver Coronet, Wizard's Clothes, Wizard's Gloves, Wizard's Shoes, Soul Arrow spell, Fragrant Ring.
Hunter: Battle Axe, Long Bow, Leather Shield, Leather Armour, Arrows x50.
Body Form and Soul Form
Body Form: you start the game in Body Form. While you are in this form you will have your full HP, be able to summon other players for co-op and also be vulnerable to Invasion.
Soul Form: Dying in Body Form reverts you back to Soul Form. In this form you will have roughly half your HP (dependent on Character Tendency, see below), do more damage (also dependent on Character Tendency) and are able to be summoned to other players' worlds for co-op or PvP. In order to regain your body, you must defeat a boss, help another player to defeat a boss, kill another player by invading or use a Stone of Ephemeral Eyes.
The Nexus
"What's happened, Have you lost your nerve?No matter. Have a seat; we can sit here forever!At least we will be safe!"
Your hub, where you'll find the essential NPCS and a corner in which to cry. The messages in the lower area provide a lot of useful information, read them. The community numbers the Archstones/Worlds from 1 to 5, starting from the Boletarian Palace and working clockwise (excluding the broken Archstone). Areas within the worlds are also numbered in the order they are encountered. For example, 4-2 would refer to the area of the Shrine of Storms between the Adjudicator Archstone and the Old Hero Archstone. 3-x simply means the entirety of the Tower of Latria world.
It's good to get into the habit of repairing your weapons with Boldwin and dumping any non-essential items with Thomas whenever you return to the Nexus.
Upgrades
Can't find a picture so just go here
Pay attention to the Stat Bonuses of different weapons, these are the key to doing high damage as you level up.
Super-secret Demon's Soul use chartSpoiler:"Nothing suits your fancy? Well, don't be too frugal. A bit of Indulgence goes a long way."
Stamina and Equip Load
Your equip load affects your run and roll speed. There are three different speeds/animations.
Equip Load below 50% of maximum gives you the fastest movement and roll.
Between 50% and 100% gives you the slower roll.
Over 100% and you will not be able to run or roll.
Your equip load includes all your equipped armour and weapons (any item you have equipped in the four armour or weapons slots). it does not include ammunition, consumable items or rings.
Spells and Miracles
To use a spell/miracle you must firstly purchase the it from an NPC, then equip it by choosing to Remember Spell/Miracle. Pay attention to how many slots the spell takes up along with how much MP it takes to cast. Spell memory and MP are determined by your Intelligence, spell power is determined by your Magic stat. Miracle memory is determined by your Faith. To cast spells you need a Catalyst, for miracles you need a Talisman.
Playing Online
Co-op: In order to host a co-op session in your world, you must be in Body Form and the boss of the area must be alive. Check near the start of levels and near boss doors for blue signs left by other players. Clients (players being summoned) must be within 10 levels+10% of the host's (those doing the summoning) soul level.
To offer your services as a phantom, use the Blue Eye Stone to place your soul sign. You must be in Soul Form to do this. Succeed in killing a boss in the host's world and you will revive to Body Form in your world.
Invasions: Whenever you are in Body Form and in an area with the boss still alive, you are vulnerable to invasions.
To invade, you must be in Soul Form and use the Black Eye Stone. Killing the host will revive you to Body Form.
Red Eye Stone Duels: Once you acquire the Red Eye Stone, you are able to place a soul sign challenging other players to a PvP duel. Losing will cause you to lose a soul level.
World Tendency
This is essentially a sliding scale, between Black and White, which influences difficulty, item drops and special events. Each world's tendency is separate and certain actions within a world can influence its tendency. Changes take effect when you return to the Nexus.
White World Tendency: decreases enemy HP, attack power and defence. More chance of healing items being dropped, lower chance of upgrade stones and rare items being dropped. Attack power increased in Soul Form which stacks with Character Tendency.
Black World Tendency: increases enemy HP, defence and attack power. Your max. HP in Soul Form is reduced, enemies hold more souls and are more likely to drop stones and rare items.
In addition to these affects, special events and enemies will appear at the extremes: Pure White or Pure Black.
Wiki page (spoilers).
Character Tendency
"Stay the path, and you will soon be a monster yourself!
Can't you see you've fallen for their trap?"
Like the above but for your character, so it carries between worlds and game cycles. Killing black phantom NPCs and invaders will move it towards White, making the game easier by increasing your attack power in Soul Form. Killing Body Form NPCs (including merchants and the like) will move it towards Black, reducing your HP while in Soul Form.
Special events occur when Pure Black or Pure White Character Tendency is achieved.
Wiki page
"All done? Good day. Be sure not to get yourself killed"
-
it defintly is in the top games of all time and personally i think only demons souls is actually better of recent.psn/steam:daviedigi
raziel once wrote..."davie's to nice for this forum"! -
I just beat four kings with an sl10 build. Oh yeah.
Oh, fonts.
I'm still great and you still love it. -
DARK SOULSWeekend play: I've lost the internet while I shift abode, which has somewhat mega-dicked my game plan of 'Jolly Co-Op ftw' but solo aint so bad. Ballsed up Gaping Dragon a couple of times though- mostly because it's such a boring, rote hp sponge of a fucking chore that I fall asleep and get sat on.
-
It is true. We have chosen Kaathe. -
been hammering this last few days and now at soul level 80 with bed of chaos to go.joined darkwraith covenant for first time.took down seath.made a lightning zweinheinder +5.and beat nito too.im funking loving this like an only child.psn/steam:daviedigi
raziel once wrote..."davie's to nice for this forum"! -
I havn't touched this game for months and now I'm scared to load it up. Can anyone lend me their testicles?
PSN : time_on_my_hands -
I picked this up for a measly $15 over the weekend.I reached the game proper after the tutorial and made it up the stairs and got promptly fucked by a few skeletons in armour after 10 minutes of walking and killing.Should I be concerned I have no idea what I'm doing? Is it worthwhile me just ploughing on without knowing the best builds, paths, etc?
-
Yes.
Prioritise pumping your equipment rather than Soul Level, though if you must, Endurance and HP ought come first of all the stat categories.
-
Yes I should be concerned?Or yes I should plough on without knowing what to do?
-
The latter. It's not such a bastard of a game at all.
-
Definitely the second one. If a question pops into your head while playing, post it here. -
'sup googs. keep us posted. I will ramble too much info at any time you need it.I'm still great and you still love it.
-
I just ordered this game today based on your guy's fervent discussion of it on the old newforum. Was tempted to buy it release day tbh but I think waiting until it hit £17.99 worked too ;)
-
Nice one. The good thing is that the mp community is still very active, so all the online stuff is still going strong.I'm still great and you still love it.
-
Will do.I ran up the stairs, beat about 6 zombies. Entered some castle ruins. Killed those peeps. Ran through a white thing, killed some more things. Then tried to battle two things with spears and got died.:-(
-
Good work. Hmm, so this is running fine at home, on firefox, but not at work, on IE.
I'm still great and you still love it. -
Main bit of advice would just to be patient. Rushing in, particularly when you're learning the combat mechanics, is liable to leave you with a rusty short sword through your back. The only other little hint I'll give you now is that with most weapons, flicking the left stick forward as you hit attack will throw out a kick that can knock human-size or smaller enemies reeling.I'll leave it at that unless you have specific questions.
-
Good calls.
Meanwhile: Just took my faith build to NG+. Either gonna do some NG+ with her or start a new build.
used Solaire for the first time, and did the other ending. Awesome.
I'm still great and you still love it. -
What SL's have you got available now, Face? I've got a SL101 guy who needs to take down the 4 Kings in NG+ and a SL1 gal who I'm going to bring up to SL15-20 and freeze for Parish PvP. I've also got a mage locked at SL30 and a Faith build at SL70 or so.Would love some co-op with any, guys 'n' gals. Preferably the SL101 or SL1.
-
I'm gonna make a SL1 build. Let' co op mang.
-
When is good for you? Time difference makes it such a bitch (I'm GMT+8)
-
sl145, sl90-100 (faith, who's just hit NG+, so 4k will be a little while), sl80 mage in NG, sl10 at the kiln in NG and ready for anything and supplier of fine lightning wares, premade to +14, if you want. And a newly started archer. Just knocked up now. sl18, about to be 20 chillin in the parish for a bit, but already rockin ASS and the dragon crest.
I'm still great and you still love it. -
Fancy jumping on in the very near future, Face (like, 15 minutes)? Take a wander through The Burg with my SL1? I'm unsure quite what weaponry I want to kit her out with at the moment. Something with fire or lightning... With any luck I'll get invaded and you can FUCK THEM UP.
-
Sure. Give me another 5.
I'm still great and you still love it. -
Ok, booting up now. Can we do private chat? I don't even know if my mic works.
-
Saw Gaping Dragon off again. Couldn't manage it on Sunday for...some season. Pass. I only took one hit from his weakest strike today. Huh.
Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Categories
- All Discussions2,712
- Games1,876
- Off topic836