• As part of the relaunch of Skullheart, ALL previous threads have been archived. You can find them at the bottom of the forum in the Archives (2021) section. The archives are locked, so please use the new forum sections to create new discussion threads.

Souls Series and Bloodborne

I'm ashamed to say that I used a walkthrough extensively on my first run.
 
I'm having fun shanking fools left and right with the dagger you get in betwixted. Thing does so much critical damage the fight is practically over in one riposte/backstab.
 
One thing that pisses me off about Dark Souls II is the fact that you can only back stab with your right hand weapon.
 
Avil said:
Found the king. In order to kill him you need... WAAAT?? GIANT SOULS IN INVENTORY??? Isn't it enough they're inside of me? T_T Scourge of the any RPG game - you can make effective build / met all events only in second run.
Actually, the Ancient Dragon has the fifth Giant Soul so you can face Vendrick with 1.0 DF.
You can still beat Vendrick with four souls but his defense will be twice as strong and, depending on your build, he'll one-shot you.
So you are presented with two choices:
a) Fight the hardest but optional boss in the game, that also has one of the toughest fog gates to reach AND aggroing it counts as Sin;
b) Have a long tedious fight with Vendrick where the slightest error means death;
c) Don't put up with none of that bullshit. You got a caster build, for Gwyn's sake! You're not gonna use any of those earnings!

Went with b) in my first run. Took me like 30 tries of pecking his Hollow ass to death.
Went with c) in my second run. I don't need to put up with any'a that bullshit!
With both, I took him on at SL70, which is my self-imposed NG cap.
 
Balder said:
Actually, the Ancient Dragon has the fifth Giant Soul so you can face Vendrick with 1.0 DF.
The problem with that is that the Ancient Dragon is a bro, killing him is like killing Priscilla. I haven't attempted King Vendrick yet but I know for a fact that I'm not killing the big guy to make it easier. Killing those Drakes in the Aerie was hard enough on my conscious. I love Dragons, just as much as I love Wolves.
 
Denizen said:
The problem with that is that the Ancient Dragon is a bro, killing him is like killing Priscilla. I haven't attempted King Vendrick yet but I know for a fact that I'm not killing the big guy to make it easier. Killing those Drakes in the Aerie was hard enough on my conscious. I love Dragons, just as much as I love Wolves.
Not to mention he's an absolute pain in the ass to fight, requiring no mistakes on your part, or face instant death. I'd rather just keep the Giant Souls in my inventory across new game pluses than fight him again.

Fun fact, the Ancient Dragon can kill you by bumping his tail against you while he's landing. I found that out the hard way... when he had less than 10% of his life left...
 
Would it make it better if he was a fakey fake made up not real dragon?

I really wish the najka and freja boss fight areas were swapped. Why is the scorpion lady in the middle of the forest and the spider lady in the most deserty area in dark souls.

That's just me though, I just really really like desert stages, and when there's mummies and a bunch of other references to desert places just makes me want them more.
 
Denizen said:
The problem with that is that the Ancient Dragon is a bro, killing him is like killing Priscilla.
Not quite. As Fizzxwizz mentions, there's a running theory that the Ancient Dragon is a fake created by Aldia. This is supported by the description of the gear dropped by the dragon acolytes, which mentions attempts at re-creating dragons.
Also, I had no issues killing Priscilla because:
a) trophy
b) easiest tail weapon in the game
c) soul weapon is one of the best
d) she telling me with a straight face that "this land is peaceful, it's inhabitants kind" after I went through a nightmare of bloatheads, crow demons and bone wheels. Nobody - fuckin' nobody! - who has bone wheels in their vicinity can say they aren't up to no good. Yeah, they're only for "defensive purposes". Go bullshit another Undead, Priscilla. I'm on to you.

Denizen said:
Killing those Drakes in the Aerie was hard enough on my conscious.
But only on the conscience because, you know, they're stupidly easy to kill. Drakes are free! FFFRRRRAAAAAAYYYYYYY!:PUN:

Agent York said:
Not to mention he's an absolute pain in the ass to fight, requiring no mistakes on your part, or face instant death.
Same applies to Vendrick, hence why I never bothered with the Ancient Dragon. Why take the abuse twice? *shrug*

Agent York said:
Fun fact, the Ancient Dragon can kill you by bumping his tail against you while he's landing. I found that out the hard way... when he had less than 10% of his life left...
Now that's just mean of him. The game really gives 0 fucks to our suffering.
I went through a lot of those situations so I certainly know the feeling. The worst part is when the game goes into FUCK YOU mode because if it wants you dead, it will have you dead. Good example of that would be Vendrick doing the YOLO Sword Sweep Ultra Combo: just run up to you and swing that crap as many times as it takes to kill you (3 usually suffice).
I don't want to accuse the series of cheapness because overall the difficulty is hard but fair but can't help but wonder if there isn't some input reads here and there. The best way to see this is in the duel with Artorias - the way he roll-cancels his moves or finish his strings ALWAYS when you decide taking a swing at him.

Fizzxwizz said:
I really wish the najka and freja boss fight areas were swapped. Why is the scorpion lady in the middle of the forest and the spider lady in the most deserty area in dark souls.
The sand really doesn't make much sense given the surrounding caves and greenery...but after Earthen Peak > Iron Keep, you can tell this game doesn't care much about geographical verisimilitude. :|
 
He still helps you though, I don't kill people who help me or don't deserve it, it doesn't matter if they're not a Dragon. I don't know much about Priscilla, all I know is that some people consider her a "Waifu" and freak out if you so much as put a scratch on her. If she deserves it then yeah I'd ice that fool.
 
Last edited:
I don't see the point of fighting the Ancient Dragon either. And I'd add I don't subscribe the "clone theory" - I don't think a fake could give you the Ashen Mist Heart. However, cut dialogue from Nashandra says otherwise:
Brave Undead, what did that dragon tell you?
That thing is a prop, a false deity. Don't be fooled, my Undead.
On the other hand, she could just be bullshitting the player. She played Vendrick like a fiddle, after all.

As for Priscilla, yes, she is a victim of circumstance. The result of a interspecies relation, kept prisoner inside a painting.
To be honest, I only whacked her a couples of times, once for each build as I really wanted the weapons for more than ornamenting my armory.
It always surprised me there's no Painting Guardians or Painted World Guardians covenant, like the Forest Guardians.


I'll admit though...there's a fair share of NPCs in DS2, I try my best not to whack because they're just such insufferable twats.
Here's the thing - I NEVER fought a Ratbro but I can't stand their covenant leader, that arrogant, disease-carrying little shit and his "My servant this... My servant that...". Douche.


EDIT:
Denizen said:
*Barehanded vs Twin Pursuers video*
I hate these videos because they completely invalidate all my whining legitimate complaints about the game's unfair difficulty.
 
Man, I was so upset about "missed" giant souls. I thought is great souls of big bosses, but it's actually souls of real giants. I managed to collect 4 of them and kill the King. I think I had to kill ancient dragon before jumping to NG+, because souls actually moves with you. Well, next time better to read the wiki before "ending" the game.

When I fought Vendrick, all guardians before his doors stopped to appear at some point... Love his random jumps and crazy oneshotes.
---

Denizen said:
OK THIS IS FUCKING BULLSHIT.
Can't touch this... I wonder, how much time he practiced for it.
 
Last edited:
Shalquoir (best cat) also mentions of the dragon being not real (at least, the thing in the east)

There's also speculating stuff about old dragon being (mostly) the guy who owned the big creepy dragon guy mansion (I think he was somebody's brother or something)

I also have a hard time believing His Great Luminescence Gwyn The Lord of Cinder left three dragons to hang out and do dragon stuff. (however that's a entirely different discussion)

All in all I find the whole encounter with the old dragon dude to be very Gwynevere-esque.
 
Fizzxwizz said:
All in all I find the whole encounter with the old dragon dude to be very Gwynevere-esque.
Kinda funny when you realize they are both reclined in a similar pose.
 
Yeah, for killing the Ancient Dragon and Vendrick, I just fought armorless with a two-handed weapon. It was pretty sad since my character was/is a caster build, but that was the only way I could beat them, haha
 
Fizzxwizz said:
There's also speculating stuff about old dragon being (mostly) the guy who owned the big creepy dragon guy mansion (I think he was somebody's brother or something)

I also have a hard time believing His Great Luminescence Gwyn The Lord of Cinder left three dragons to hang out and do dragon stuff. (however that's a entirely different discussion)

All in all I find the whole encounter with the old dragon dude to be very Gwynevere-esque.
Aldia is Vendrick's brother but I'd wager he was killed by one of his experiments.

Assuming the Ancient Dragon is the real deal, he's the last of them. The Drakes (technically those are wyverns) are all minor dragonkin, so likely not the ones Gwyn Sunlight Spear'ed into kingdom come.
Now all the Ancient Dragon needs are 38Hs.:PUN:


Speaking of Sunlight Spear, guess who's a max rank Sunbro? Aaaaawwwww yeah! PRAISE IT, SON! \[T]/
Got my last medals doing Sunbro duty at the Shaded Ruins, shanking lions and torching Scorpioness Nascar. Every single person I helped clearing that area, all I did was backstab the lion men (for OHKO's most of the time). Who woulda guessed a shanking hexer is a Sunbro? Gotta defy them conventions!

Also a passing mention to a moment where I surprised even myself - while fighting Freja, I do one bad read of her movement and stand there as she Shoop Da Whoops everything in front of her. Somehow, my brain went into Bullet Time and I freakin' dodged underneath that shit. Yeah, I dodged ONE attack. That Pursuer-punching fraud got nothing on my mad skilz! :P
 
  • Like
Reactions: Yusuke Urameshi, PaperBag_Sniper and SanoBaron
Balder said:
Speaking of Sunlight Spear, guess who's a max rank Sunbro? Aaaaawwwww yeah! PRAISE IT, SON! \[T]/
Congrats with it. I'm not that lucky yet, in NG got summoned only 2 times. Maybe is something region related, because I was invaded by real dark spirits only two times too.
 
Avil said:
Congrats with it. I'm not that lucky yet, in NG got summoned only 2 times. Maybe is something region related, because I was invaded by real dark spirits only two times too.
I play with inter-regional play disabled (because y'all can go lagstab someone else!) AND I'm European but nonetheless got it done rather quickly. It's just 30 medals. The most frustrating part is when the host buys the farm, like the one time I got two loading screens in a row because the guy got killed even before I got "wholly summoned". -_-"
It also bugs me when hosts don't wait for summons and I have to track them down like a freakin' invader.

If you want to max that covenant and from my experience, Sinner's Rise (be ready for hosts that will rush to the fog gate without fighting enemies), Huntsman's Copse (2nd bonfire and mostly to fight Executioner's Chariot) Harvest Valley (2nd bonfire), Shaded Woods (3rd bonfire) and Shrine of Amana (2nd and 3rd bonfires) are great places for Sunbro duty.

Now, Bellbro duty - that's gonna be a riot. PvP just isn't my thing... <:3


Couple of random observations:
- Bless those spices because the stat requirements for some sorceries and miracles are insanely high, such as the Blinding Bolt's 65 FTH requirement. I don't think there was anything in DS1 that demanded getting a stat that high (besides Smough's Hammer). That said, I'll only put the spices to use once my build is finalized.
- Fought a phantom in Grave of Saints that drops the Dingy Set. The name ought to ring a bell with DS1 players. What's more, all its parts are already at +5....and nonetheless, the stats are pitifully weak. :/
 
Denizen said:
Killing those Drakes in the Aerie was hard enough on my conscious. I love Dragons, just as much as I love Wolves.
Ooooooh, you are going to hate DS1...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Balder
You're talking about Sif and Artorias right? Yeah I'm starting to learn the lore, and I've learned that the Souls series hates joy and happiness. Why do I have to kill cool people?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Yusuke Urameshi and Agent York
Agent York said:
Ooooooh, you are going to hate DS1...
For a moment I thought you meant the dragons, because this mofo always wipes the floor with me.
Kalameet.png

Not a exaggeration - the fight to get his tail took me about half an hour. By far the tensest moment in these series for me. Also because I'm a dumbass and waited until NG++ to do that.

But I see you bolded "wolves" and yeah, that part is gut-wrenching, especially when Sif's down to 10% HP.
Dark Souls 1 has that mystique about it, how it makes you feel like a massive asshole even though you needed to win that fight to progress. Remember when we beat Quelaag and then use the ring to speak to her sister? I never had a game guilt trip me like that!
And now that I think about it, 2 doesn't have that. There's no boss or even character you'll feel like crap for putting down.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Agent York
Denizen said:
You're talking about Sif and Artorias right? Yeah I'm starting to learn the lore, and I've learned that the Souls series hates joy and happiness. Why do I have to kill cool people?
I think out of all the npcs that die in DS1, you can only save one cool guy... you can also save a murderous jerk, but we don't talk about that. The only person who got anywhere close to a bad end in DS2 was poor Lucatiel, and I just find that plain upsetting...
 
Agent York said:
The only person who got anywhere close to a bad end in DS2 was poor Lucatiel, and I just find that plain upsetting...
That part didn't even make me feel bad because I learned that my actions won't change her fate, only if I get a reward or not. Her story is still sad, but it doesn't make me feel guilty about anything.
 
I have a couple of questions for the Dark Souls Expert, whomever he may be.

First Question. I'm currently SL 170 and I haven't started New Game+. I tried PvP in the Bell Keeper's Covenant but absolutely nobody showed up and I wasn't summoned anywhere.
Is this because of my high Soul Level?

Second Question. I've decided to start a new journey with what I'm calling the Knight Build. It will have a focus on Strength, Vigor, and Endurance with almost no attention to Magic. BIG FUCKING SWORDS.
What level should I stop at for the best PvP experience?
HARD MODE: How should I allocate my stats?
 
It seems like a good number of players are staying around level 150 for PvP stuff. I get invaded regularly and get summoned for coop often as well at that level. I can't help too much with stats though, dig around on forums and wikis and you should be able to find something to base your character off of, I imagine.
 
Denizen said:
HARD MODE: How should I allocate my stats?
Health, strength, equipment load and stamina. Basically, you'll want to be a monster truck that walks like a man.
If you are aiming for SL150, make sure STR alone takes at least 50 as a lot of the better toys have that requirement. Equipment load and stamina are required to carry all that crap around as well as being able to kill anything that staggers in a single BASS CANNON STUN-LOCK loop.
Health is the last important and BFSs hardly require DEX besides the starting value so no need to put points there, but be ready for some tough no-bow PvE.


Side note, starting to feel bad about Great Resonant Soul. That thing feels like Pay2Win. 500 souls for big ass damage on ANYTHING.
#FraudSouls (.__.)
That said, just made a +10 Dark Caitha's Chime and I'm taking the fraud to new heights! Just whooped Looking Glass Knight so fast, he didn't even get to call up his friends.

Also, just finished my NG+ soft cap - SL110. Was going to take it slower but I wanted to add a extra attunement slot and surprise!surprise! after 30 ATN, you have to go up TEN levels to get a extra one, so I went ahead and finished it. Walking around with 1000000+ souls and 0 Undead fucks to give. THANK YOU, BASED RING OF LIFE PROTECTION.
Current build is more or less:
Vigor : 9
Endurance: 9
Vitality: 7
Attunement: 40 (and +2 Southern Ritual Band that gives +3 spell slots)
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 20
Adaptability: 10
Intelligence: 31 (36 with Ring of Knowledge)
Faith: 31 (36 with Ring of Prayer)

My next run will see me put the last 40 levels and as you can imagine, 38 of them will go to INT and FTH so I can have those neatly at 50 which thanks to spices and rings, is enough to let me play with all the big boy spells.

To be fair, I don't know if these were the wisest choices for what I planned, namely DEX but I wanted to play around with the Old Whip and Spider Silk rapier. It also increases cast speed.

Ah! Almost forgot I got a question of my own - if I make the Old Whip enchanted, will it retain the bonus damage on Hollows?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Denizen
Balder said:
Ah! Almost forgot I got a question of my own - if I make the Old Whip enchanted, will it retain the bonus damage on Hollows?
All weapons/shields with unique properties should retain them through infusion. It should not get rid of it, but just keep a Palestone nearby.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Balder
Breaking news! If you don't want to kill the Ancient Dragon for that 5th Giant's Soul then just use an Ascetic in the first bonfire of The Black Gulch! The Giants underneath the map will give you another Soul of a Giant!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Agent York and Jutsei
Denizen said:
Vendrick's a dick.
Honestly, unless you want his clothes and soul (and the knowledge that you killed him I guess) there isn't much reason to fight Vendrick. Most of the optional bosses are massive pains in the neck because they can one or two shot you relatively quickly if you make one mistake.
 
I need to kill him, I can't move on without slaying the King himself.
 
Denizen said:
Vendrick's a dick.
You're running melee right? What worked best for me was looping clockwise around him, trying to keep my head right next to his ass at all times (lol). A lot of the time he does the vertical slams that rarely hits, occasionally you have to watch for when he horizontal swings or leaps back. The hardest part imo is knowing when to Estus, cause Vendrick just LOOOOOOVES to suddenly stop his recovery short and pull a fast move out of nowhere.

edit: I don't know if it's true, but I heard that having more than five giant souls pushes his defenses down even further. You could try getting more from Black Gulch, but I can't ensure it works. Hope this helps.
 
Denizen said:
Breaking news! If you don't want to kill the Ancient Dragon for that 5th Giant's Soul then just use an Ascetic in the first bonfire of The Black Gulch! The Giants underneath the map will give you another Soul of a Giant!
Tried it before going to the King, didn't work out on PC (i.e. killing giants second time do nothing).
 
  • Like
Reactions: Balder
Avil said:
Tried it before going to the King, didn't work out on PC (i.e. killing giants second time do nothing).
I tried the same thing on Xbox maybe 2 weeks ago and the giants did not drop a second soul. I think From patched that out.
 
Agent York said:
You're running melee right? What worked best for me was looping clockwise around him, trying to keep my head right next to his ass at all times (lol).
But the trick not only is making sure that you stay on his ass but also keeping him in the middle of the area because the asshole will deliberately corner himself so you can't circle him and then have to back way, thus giving him room for the YOLO Sword Sweep Ultra Combo he loves to spam whenever given the opportunity.

387.png

Avil said:
Tried it before going to the King, didn't work out on PC (i.e. killing giants second time do nothing).
PaperBag_Sniper said:
I tried the same thing on Xbox maybe 2 weeks ago and the giants did not drop a second soul. I think From patched that out.
Same with PS3. I remember well as it was the first time I used a Ascetic. From's got a Fraud Prevention System.

Vendrick starts with x32 DF. Each Giant Soul cuts it in half, so if you have 1, his DF is x16, 2 and his DF is x8, and so and so and until you have all 5 and his DF is x1. Also there is a unique opportunity where if you beat Velstadt at first try and immediately move on to fight Vendrick, his DF will be at x1, regardless of having Giants' Souls in your inventory or not.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PaperBag_Sniper, Agent York and Denizen
I'm on patch 1.04 on the PS3 and I got the extra Giant's Soul just yesterday, this is weird.
 
OnlyAfro watches pc players experience the magic of Mr. Butt Face
 
  • Like
Reactions: Denizen
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back