Dark Souls & Other Souls-Likes

Muahahahahahahahahahaha!

For the next 4 hours (or 28 hours, one page says one thing while the other says the other) Dark Souls: PTDE is 75% off on Steam.

In case anyone was wanting it for PC, get yours today for $7.49!

Dark Souls II Shield Contest Winners:









JP/Asia Category:



US:



EU:

Very cool, only one shield that I haven't seen before and it looks awesome.

They are all amazing, each having a crazy story to go with them.

Just picked up Dark Souls on the steam sale.

Anyone interested in playing later (after finals)? Is the multiplayer even any good?

It's scary if you're fighting Jos

Kali would crush me on PS3 if I fought her :| Not sure she could invade me anyway or if I can summon her

I'm not good at PvP... I just like the challenge the game provides :<

I challenge you to a match :0!

I don't have dark souls atm c.c;

>:|||||||||||||||||||||||||| Bad Kali, bad

what level are you drac? I might be able to provide some fun instead

Uh >.> I can't remember but I think somewhere around 80 maybe? Haven't actually played in about 6 months but I can turn my PS3 on in a while after I walk my dog

level 80? dang on ps3 I need to work a bit. don't have any progress compared to on my xbox

Man.. I've been away from Dark Souls for a long long while. Hows the community been?

What's the best spot to find sign on the ground in New Londo? I didn't think the 4 kings would be so hard in NG+ and Beatrice is completly useless...

most people put their signs down along the bridge to new londo just before the ghosts.

Right in the area all the hollow guys are lazing around at.

Damn I always used to go there via the valley of the drakes. ><

I actually never summoned Beatrice for The Four Kings. The reason is that when you go through the fog gate, there is that one ghost that just randomly likes to sit there. She'll just sit there and shoot at it, unable to kill it since she isn't cursed. Then you have a Four Kings that's buffed as if you have a summon, but now you have to fight it alone.

P.S. The Four Kings is easily the hardest fight in the game NG+ IMHO.

Edit: Beatrice is fantastic for the Moonlight Butterfly. I usually just dodge around and let her solo it for me, haha.

Jolly Co-operation!

Actually I don't know if it's a glitch or not but when you reach the bridge before the fog, just quit and come back. The ghost will be able to go through the fog and will attack you. Just kill it then you'll be able to summon miss useless.

So, anyone in the range of ~133 that could help? The only person I found was an idiot that only used weak magic (~70-80dmg/spear) and a bow (~50dmg/hit). Managed to bring the kings the 25% but in the end I had to deal with 3-4 mobs at the same time. I swear if we were in FFXI I would have thought he just joined to skill up...

Dark Souls 2 to offer more freedom, can start halfway if "brave" enough
by Matthew ReynoldsJuly 07, 2013

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Dark Souls 2 will offer more freedom than the first game, Namco Bandai has revealed.

Director Yui Tanimura said that more open progression was a focus, and teased that players won't have to go to certain places in a specific order, as with the original.

"Freedom of exploration is something we want to prioritize for Dark Souls 2, even more so than Dark Souls 1," he told Digital Spy.

"In Dark Souls 1, you were able to travel to several areas, but hopefully for Dark Souls 2, there you have more freedom to explore throughout the game."

He continued: "We realize in Dark Souls 1 there were some certain orders, like ringing the bells or going to Anor Londo, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

"In Dark Souls 2, we're hoping we can provide more freedom so things don't have to necessarily be done in a certain order.

"We're hoping that if the player tries hard enough, or are willing enough, they could even start halfway through the game, depending on how willing or how brave they are."

When discussing how the player approaches the end stages of the game, Tanimura said that while the goal of "trying to cure a curse" is the same, how you reach the latter stages "is dependent on the player".

"You won't have to follow a certain line, it will be unique for all players, I think," he said.

"It might be an interesting aspect that players will be able to enjoy a little bit more than Dark Souls 1."

Tanimura recently vowed that more care will be taken on the PC edition of the game, admitting that the original was inferior to its console counterparts.

Dark Souls 2 will be coming to Xbox 360 and PS3 in March 2014, but was recently listed for the PS4 by a European retailer.

Dark Souls II' Offers More Freedom To Explore, A Truly Open World
Dark Souls II will be more open-world than the original.
by Erik KainJuly 08, 2013

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My one regret about not traveling to E3 this year is that I didn’t get hands-on time with Dark Souls II.

By every report, every gameplay video, and every screenshot I’ve seen—not to mention my interview with the game’s director, Yui Tanimura—Dark Souls II is looking every bit as good as the original, and perhaps even better.

Now Tanimura has revealed that the sequel will be a purely open-world game rather than the somewhat more guided experience in Dark Souls.

“Freedom of exploration is something we want to prioritize for Dark Souls 2, even more so than Dark Souls 1,” Tanimura told Digital Spy.


“In Dark Souls 1, you were able to travel to several areas, but hopefully for Dark Souls 2, there you have more freedom to explore throughout the game.

“We realize in Dark Souls 1 there were some certain orders, like ringing the bells or going to Anor Londo, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

“In Dark Souls 2, we’re hoping we can provide more freedom so things don’t have to necessarily be done in a certain order.

“We’re hoping that if the player tries hard enough, or are willing enough, they could even start halfway through the game, depending on how willing or how brave they are.”


Ringing the bells, opening the golden fog gates, and the other ways that Dark Souls used gating to keep players out of the most difficult areas—like scaring the hell out of you in the Catacombs—are all ways that Dark Souls was kept on a leash of sorts.

The game was never “open world” in the way that Skyrim is.

And that was, by and large, a very good thing. Open world games are all too often unfocused and tedious.

Then again, the new directors appear focused on killing tediousness in the sequel.

Tanimura told Polygon that the game would work to remove less exciting tasks like backtracking across long distances, and that the increased accessibility of Dark Souls II would simply be getting “rid of all the tediousness and the time-consuming stuff so you can actually get into the game and not worry about having to do certain tasks like this.”


And maybe Dark Souls II doesn’t need artificial gating; maybe a difficulty curve is enough, and will give more experienced players the ability to tackle the world in their own preferred order.

Starting halfway into the game might be good for very brave players. Then again, it might also mean skipping important secrets, loot, and lore. Which means players will have to make important choices.

How you reach the later stages “is dependent on the player” according to Tanimura, though the goal—to lift a curse—remains the same for everyone. ”You won’t have to follow a certain line, it will be unique for all players, I think,” he said.

Dark Souls has always been a game that prized exploration, experimentation, and risk. If the game’s new directors can make those values even more important in the sequel, then perhaps open world can work for the game.

In some ways it’s the next logical step. Demon’s Souls was far less open-world than Dark Souls, with several different Worlds to explore, cordoned off into actual stages. Dark Souls took the level design of that game and built a seamless, essentially stage-less, and gated open world.

Now we move into a world similar to Dark Souls, but without the gates.


And this has me both excited and the tiniest bit sad.

There was something truly awe-inspiring about ringing that second bell and having that mysterious gate where the Onion Knight sat, pulled open by a giant. There was something marvelous about finally having access to Act II, to Sen’s Fortress and then the beautiful enchanted city of Anor Londo.

How to convey that magic in an open world?

More importantly, though, I hope the game retains the use of short-cuts. I can think of few moments in a video game as exciting as finding that ladder leading down from the Red Wyvern’s bridge back to the bonfire in the Undead Burg. I think I giggled in delight. At the very least, I recall shaking my head in amazement (not for the first time) at how brilliantly designed the game was.

These small things are some of what makes Dark Souls so important and wonderful. It’s not just the challenge. It’s the way everything matters, that everything is tied together.

The way levels and combat mechanics compliment one another; the way lore is baked into the dirt and blood of the game; the way finding a short-cut can be so profound an experience, or beating a boss such a triumph.

‘Dark Souls II’ shield design contest winners announced
by Christopher HagueJuly 18, 2013

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Back in April, developer From Software asked the legion of Dark Souls fans to try their hand at designing shields for the upcoming release of Dark Souls II. After a rigorous series of community polls, the remaining selections were sent to be judged by the folks at From Software. Enough time has passed, and the studio has decided to reveal the final few at this year’s San Diego Comic Con. Check out the gallery below.


Six of the esteemed designers will receive their own shields in-game, their name in the credits, and a copy of Dark Souls II signed by the dev team. The top three from each previous category will also receive a signed copy of the game. I don’t know about you, but I think the harsh simplicity of the shield full of tally marks is fantastic. Dark Souls II is scheduled to hit the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC in March 2014.

Dark Souls 2: New Details Emerge from SDCC
Some new details have come out of SDCC, as players have gotten their hands on a demo of the game.
by Jacob SaylorJuly 21, 2013

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Dark Souls 2 is currently set to release early next year. While the first two entries into the series have garnered more of a cult following, this third entry is expected to make a big splash in the mainstream market. As Q1 2014 grows closer, more details come out of the veritable woodwork.

A Reddit user, MkfShard, was present at this year's SDCC. He was able to get his hands on a playable demo of Dark Souls 2, and aggregated some of his thoughts and observations concerning the game here. We've provided some of the highlights below, but for the full list, please click the link (read below).

• Every action feels more weighty, which means you're committing more to each movement.
  

• During special animations, you're no longer invincible; hopefully this means no more invincibility frames in PvP combat.
  

• Magic has been expanded, as expected.
  

• Enemy artificial intelligence has been drastically improved.
  

• The targeting system is changed.

The full list has details concerning specific parts of the game, including the Mirror Knight, Turtle Knight, new spells and unique items. Considering that this gamer got his or her hands on the game, we're wondering when the SDCC demo will be released to the public. Considering that fans have been clamoring for a taste of the title since its announcement at last year's Video Game Awards, we're hoping that it won't be too long from now.

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MkfShard

Hey there! Yeah, I was there! It was great, except the D-pad on both controllers was terrible and made me continually switch weapons. I was the first person to get to the Mirror Knight, and I would've beaten it too if it weren't for the controller!

Here are some highlights that haven't yet been mentioned:

New Mechanics:

-Every action feels a bit more weighty. You're committing more to each movement.

-You're no longer invincible during any special animation, like opening doors or entering bonfires.

-Magic has been expanded! Each spell now has a weak and strong attack, and some are even chargeable! Two-handing catalysts also changes the spell somewhat.

-When you're targeting someone, you're no longer restricted to attacking directly at them. This kind of threw me off, as I tried to back up and then heavy attack, but then attacked backwards...

-Enemies are much smarter. Even normal hollows were rushing me when I tried to heal.

-The enemies the Mirror Knight summons are weak, easily killable with a single greatsword strong attack. But they distract away from the boss himself, which can get dangerous.

-There's a shortcut in the dark basement area where the Turtle Knight is. You need to lure a firebomb hollow to blow up some explosive barrels, while rolling out of the way.

New Spells:

Sorceries:

Soul Arrow: Now chargeable!

Soul Lance: Seems pretty standard.

Soul Sword (Guessed Name): SO COOL!

Soul Rain (Guessed Name): Easily the coolest new spell. It shoots a ball of light upwards, before raining down countless Soul Arrows. However, it has an issue with low ceilings...

Flame Toss (Guessed Name): One of two fire spells. Seems to fire at an angle, and so it was always hitting walls instead of enemies...

Fireball (Guessed Name): A straight shooting fire ball that explodes. The explosion hurts you too, so watch out.

New Miracles:

Talisman: The Talisman was very interesting! It looks sort of like a small mace.

Regeneration: A prayer-like spell that slowly regenerates your health for a while. I couldn't find any standard healing on the Temple Knight.

Unknown Spell: I couldn't figure out what this spell did, but the symbol looked like a body with a ring around it. It is chargeable for a very long time, and it gives you a fiery aura.

Lightning Burst (Guessed Name): An extremely powerful Miracle that sends out a burst of lightning that crackles over a wide area and hits multiple times. With it, I was able to kill Mr. Turtle in about three hits.

Dark Orb (Guessed Name): With very interesting implications, it seems that Dark Magic has been integrated into Miracles! It fires off a small Dark Orb that does moderate damage.

New Items/Item Mechanics:

Green Blossom: It returns! However, it takes SO DAMN LONG to eat. Easily about as long as a weapon enchantment. Speaking of which...

Aromatic Ooze: Read: Sticky White Stuff. Extra magic weapon damage. Pretty cool.

Amber Herb and Twilight Herb: Magic-Use replenishment! I'm assuming that Amber Herb refills one spell, while Twilight Herb refills all of them to full.

Some Videos from Comic Con (including boss fight)
by luutxJuly 21, 2013

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