[PS3] Demon's Souls

[SilentScreams]

That's sad, because there's tons of them at stores over here. In fact, to rub salt in the wound, they've been on sale for pretty cheap for a while, $30 or so.

Heh, typical.

There's a couple of copies going on Ebay for decent prices in the next few hours, so I'll put bids in for those as they come...much more than $30 though! More like £35-£40.

[Spigot]

I feel bad for you, SilentScreams. The local shop has a few copies discounted to about $30 too. If I worked really hard, I MIGHT even be able to rustle up one of the CE's :)

I wonder how much it would cost to send the game to you...

[frederec]

Heh, typical.

There's a couple of copies going on Ebay for decent prices in the next few hours, so I'll put bids in for those as they come...much more than $30 though! More like £35-£40.

If it was economical to ship something across the pond, I'd go pick a US copy for you and send it your way. But as I recall the shipping costs negate whatever savings might happen.

[CappinCanuck]

Heh, typical.

There's a couple of copies going on Ebay for decent prices in the next few hours, so I'll put bids in for those as they come...much more than $30 though! More like £35-£40.

I feel bad for you, SilentScreams. The local shop has a few copies discounted to about $30 too. If I worked really hard, I MIGHT even be able to rustle up one of the CE's :)

I wonder how much it would cost to send the game to you...

If it was economical to ship something across the pond, I'd go pick a US copy for you and send it your way. But as I recall the shipping costs negate whatever savings might happen.

You could ship it lettermail, a PS3 case should be thin enough. Ontario to Texas cost me like $4. Not sure if a CE would fit though :) A little over an inch thickness max or you bump it up to parcel service.

[SilentScreams]

I have no idea about shipping prices, but I get the feeling that frederec is right about them at least being enough to negate any savings. I really appreciate the offers though.

[Spigot]

You could ship it lettermail, a PS3 case should be thin enough. Ontario to Texas cost me like $4. Not sure if a CE would fit though :) A little over an inch thickness max or you bump it up to parcel service.Yeah, but Silent is over in the greatest of britains or the scottiest of lands. Shipping to the US is one thing. Over the Atlantic is something else.

I wonder if Silent could just order off of PlayAsia.

[SilentScreams]

Well I won the first Ebay auction. :)

Ended up costing me £33 for the LE including postage and packaging, which isn't too bad really.
Should have it sometime next week.

[Gorvi]

Congrats!



Start off as a Royal. ;)

[Banacek]

Congrats!



Start off as a Royal. ;)

5m6lymJy57E

[Gorvi]

You're just trying to kill him. :p

[Xerxes]

Shit, I've had this game since day one. I really ought to sit down and get into it.

[Xydarc]

Shit, I've had this game since day one. I really ought to sit down and get into it.
This is a good time to do it. Atlus is shifting the server to PWWT.

[Badger]

This is a good time to do it. Atlus is shifting the server to PWWT.

Wow, for two whole weeks as well. I accidentally reset world 5 from pure white while I was trying to retrieve Istarelle, fortune smiles upon me :D

[Hawkzombie]

Yeah, I gotta get in there and do all my stuff all over again that I lost when my PS3 died.

[Xerxes]

This is a good time to do it. Atlus is shifting the server to PWWT.

Where do I start? :eek:

[Gorvi]

Where do I start? :eek:
At the beginning, silly. ;)

[Spigot]

Just don't die!

[bstiff]

This is a good time to do it. Atlus is shifting the server to PWWT.

Does the dragon still strafe the cause way on pwwt? If I remember right, they're not where they usually are if you're on white tendency so wasn't sure if it's the same for the causeway.

[frederec]

Does the dragon still strafe the cause way on pwwt? If I remember right, they're not where they usually are if you're on white tendency so wasn't sure if it's the same for the causeway.

No, and that's one of the nice things about it. The dragon doesn't show up at all until 1-2. It's missing from both places in 1-1, and one of those spots makes it so you can get some treasure.

[Hawkzombie]

Yep, PWWT makes the game much easier and many people love it for the first play-through as you can get a lot of neat bonuses that way.

[SilentScreams]

So PWWT is easy mode?
I hear the game gets harder every time you die...so if I died enough would the game revert back to normal difficulty?

Sorry, newbish question. I should be getting the game some time next week, so I wanna know where I stand. :)

[Spigot]

No, it doesn't get harder every time you die. You'll just lose your souls (aka money) if you die twice in a row before making it back to your corpse.

Dying repeatedly shouldn't have any effect on the world tendency while they have these special events going on.

[Hawkzombie]

Yeah, when you die in body form it shifts the world towards black which DOES increase the difficulty slightly with PBWT being the hardest (There are about 7 stages from PBWT to PWWT). While PWWT opens up some things, PBWT does the same. If you're in soul form and die, nothing happens except the loss of souls should you die again before regaining them.

While events like this go on, you will have to (usually) enter the world (any level) and exit back to the nexus a few times for it to register...but after that, it will always push itself towards PWWT.

[Spigot]

Oh yeah, body form. Forgot about that. I rarely go into body firm. Soul form is so much more comforting.

[Hawkzombie]

PBWT is actually the hardest to maintain as well, as killing a boss in the world actually shifts towards white.

[frederec]

PBWT is actually the hardest to maintain as well, as killing a boss in the world actually shifts towards white.

But it's also the easiest to get back, since even if you've killed all the bosses in a world, you can revive in the nexus and kill yourself in the world four or five times to switch to pure black.

Character tendency was the one that I found challenging. But you have to do it to get all the rings. And it can be scary to see your health bar be so low when you've got pure black world and character tendency, even with the cling ring.

[Hawkzombie]

Oh yeah, Character tendency is another one that's annoying to get...I still can't seem to be anything but neutral or white.

[frederec]

Oh yeah, Character tendency is another one that's annoying to get...I still can't seem to be anything but neutral or white.

That's because to go darker you have to either kill NPC's (in the Nexus this can have nasty consequences), blue phantoms (the special ones you see in pure white world tendency), or PC's whose games you've invaded. And I'm not 100% sure on all of these, I'd need to look it up. But one way or the other it's not the sort of thing I'd recommend doing unless you're near the end of a playthrough (especially when killing Nexus NPC's).

[Hawkzombie]

yeah, definitely...But it could be fun. :D

[SilentScreams]

My copy of the Phantom Black edition arrived this morning. I'm looking forward to playing after work.

[aVaKus]

Started a new game as a royal yesterday. I'm loving this whole PWWT thing. Makes the game seem much easier. I was able to take down Miralda the Executioner without her ever touching me. Finished off the first level and killed Phalanx with over 10,000 souls.

[Xydarc]

This was cool:

I just started World 4-2 with my SL 40 Royal when I get invaded. I make myself ready to attack, when I get a PSN message from the Black Phantom. He says he wants to help me and show me the secret paths and such. So he runs me through 4-2, I grab all the goodies, and he drops before Old Hero. I hate to say it, but I was wary of this guy at first, I thought he would ambush me or something devious like that. It was a cool thing to do, so thanks to Andrew_Revender for your assistance.

[Banacek]

This was cool:

I just started World 4-2 with my SL 40 Royal when I get invaded. I make myself ready to attack, when I get a PSN message from the Black Phantom. He says he wants to help me and show me the secret paths and such. So he runs me through 4-2, I grab all the goodies, and he drops before Old Hero. I hate to say it, but I was wary of this guy at first, I thought he would ambush me or something devious like that. It was a cool thing to do, so thanks to Andrew_Revender for your assistance.

Doesn't the invader get something as well? Do you guys share souls?

[frederec]

This was cool:

I just started World 4-2 with my SL 40 Royal when I get invaded. I make myself ready to attack, when I get a PSN message from the Black Phantom. He says he wants to help me and show me the secret paths and such. So he runs me through 4-2, I grab all the goodies, and he drops before Old Hero. I hate to say it, but I was wary of this guy at first, I thought he would ambush me or something devious like that. It was a cool thing to do, so thanks to Andrew_Revender for your assistance.

I thought one of the challenges of invading/grouping with people was that you couldn't really talk to them. I didn't know they could message you.

I could see the fun of running through as a friendly black phantom, passing by all these enemies without them attacking you.

[Hawkzombie]

I can't recall 100% if the Black Phantom gets souls of enemies they kill, but you'll find that sometimes they just want to invade to be nice.

Enemies will never attack a black phantom. Ever. So a lot of them will pop in, kill everything for you, then pop out.

So you Have Black, Blue, and what I like to call Benevolent Phantoms :p

[Hawkzombie]

I thought one of the challenges of invading/grouping with people was that you couldn't really talk to them. I didn't know they could message you.

I could see the fun of running through as a friendly black phantom, passing by all these enemies without them attacking you.

Well, you can send a PSN message to anyone once you have their user name.

[SilentScreams]

Just played my first ever game. I started as a Knight. 1-1 was easy peasy. Phalanx doesn't like firebombs.
The only thing I couldn't beat was that red eyed knight guy. He kicked my ass badly.

[frederec]

Just played my first ever game. I started as a Knight. 1-1 was easy peasy. Phalanx doesn't like firebombs.
The only thing I couldn't beat was that red eyed knight guy. He kicked my ass badly.

Yeah, the Red Eye Knight is for later. Don't worry about it, he's just guarding a locked door who's key you won't get for a while, if you get it at all.

[Abednigo]

I'm considering picking this up. I have a ton of Amazon and Gamestop gift cards.

But I haven't finished FFXIII yet! :)

[Banacek]

I'm considering picking this up. I have a ton of Amazon and Gamestop gift cards.

But I haven't finished FFXIII yet! :)

I say buy it before it's gone. FFXIII will be around for a while, but the DS servers won't be.

[Xydarc]

Doesn't the invader get something as well? Do you guys share souls?
I don't think so, everything he killed I got the souls. I'm pretty sure the only souls a Black Phantom receives is when he kills a player. Otherwise all you would do is invade another player's game and farm souls without consequences.

I thought one of the challenges of invading/grouping with people was that you couldn't really talk to them. I didn't know they could message you.

I could see the fun of running through as a friendly black phantom, passing by all these enemies without them attacking you.
He sent me the message through PSN, not through the game. It was cool to see him run up to the black phantom that "guards" Saint Urbain and kill it without being attacked in return.

[Xydarc]

Yeah, the Red Eye Knight is for later. Don't worry about it, he's just guarding a locked door who's key you won't get for a while, if you get it at all.
Royals and their starting spell can take down Red Eyes Knight no problem. Part of the reason why Royals are suggested as a starting class.;)

[Badger]

Crikey, I had underestimated Old King. Went in to knock his block off and steal his armour, only to be one-shotted more times than I care to recall. Decided second chance might be an idea, and just legged it every time he snuck a hit in. Very difficult boss for a melee fighter otherwise, he's relentlessly aggressive and one hit will break almost anyone's guard, if it doesn't cut right through and kill you. Thank fuck he doesn't heal.

[Xydarc]

Crikey, I had underestimated Old King. Went in to knock his block off and steal his armour, only to be one-shotted more times than I care to recall. Decided second chance might be an idea, and just legged it every time he snuck a hit in. Very difficult boss for a melee fighter otherwise, he's relentlessly aggressive and one hit will break almost anyone's guard, if it doesn't cut right through and kill you. Thank fuck he doesn't heal.
Poison Cloud/Plague Cloud are your friends. Stand as close to him as possible without aggro-ing him, and cast away until he dies.

[Banacek]

Poison Cloud/Plague Cloud are your friends. Stand as close to him as possible without aggro-ing him, and cast away until he dies.

Yeah, that's how I did it. It was 3 am and I just wanted to beat him. I didn't care if it was 'cheap' :)

[frederec]

Crikey, I had underestimated Old King. Went in to knock his block off and steal his armour, only to be one-shotted more times than I care to recall. Decided second chance might be an idea, and just legged it every time he snuck a hit in. Very difficult boss for a melee fighter otherwise, he's relentlessly aggressive and one hit will break almost anyone's guard, if it doesn't cut right through and kill you. Thank fuck he doesn't heal.

There is a horrible cheating way to beat the Old King. The first time I killed him I used the assistance of a blue phantom, but the couple of other times I beat him, it was solo and I took no damage at all.
When you go into his room, he won't move until you move. If you stay still, you can hit him with your bow. He will get knocked back slightly every time you hit him, gradually reducing damage. So you have to make sure you're doing enough damage to kill him, but it's pretty nice.

[Xydarc]

There is a horrible cheating way to beat the Old King. The first time I killed him I used the assistance of a blue phantom, but the couple of other times I beat him, it was solo and I took no damage at all.
When you go into his room, he won't move until you move. If you stay still, you can hit him with your bow. He will get knocked back slightly every time you hit him, gradually reducing damage. So you have to make sure you're doing enough damage to kill him, but it's pretty nice.
I never tried it that way. I've used Poison Cloud each time, and I'll use the same trick with my Royal.

[Spigot]

Never think that your victory is cheap in Demon's Souls. It's just less deathy.

[Hawkzombie]

It's the only game where you feel good when you manage to be cheap :p

[frederec]

It's the only game where you feel good when you manage to be cheap :p

Yeah. After all the times he killed me, it always felt good to destroy Flamelurker by corralling him and picking him off with arrows from safety.

[Xydarc]

I wonder how long PWWT will last?

[Spigot]

It was for two weeks, wasn't it? So we've got a week left.

[Xydarc]

It was for two weeks, wasn't it? So we've got a week left.
I think this is the last week. Unfortunately, Atlus just said "a couple of weeks" and didn't give any firm dates. Regardless, I plan on finishing World 2 and World 5's PWWT events (http://demonssouls.wikidot.com/white-world-tendency-events) tonight.

[Hawkzombie]

I haven't had much time, but I'm off for the weekend and have the place to myself, so I'm gonna binge on this game :p

[Spigot]

Why do these events always happen when I'm away at the in-laws for a few days? Sigh. I was too busy last week to work on this game and I won't be home until Monday now :(

[Xydarc]

I haven't had much time, but I'm off for the weekend and have the place to myself, so I'm gonna binge on this game :p
Good plan!

I killed Miralda in 1-1, but I've died 4 times trying to get that damn Colorless Demon Soul.:mad:

[Hawkzombie]

I've managed to get ONE colorless from 1-4 (Penetrator's level if I screwed it up, it's been a while) but I tried to get it from 2-1 and no matter WHAT I did I couldn't get the fucking thing to show up. It's one of the weird ones where it shows up 1 step BEFORE pure black.


...Wait. Do they only show up when a boss hasn't been killed yet??

[Badger]

I've managed to get ONE colorless from 1-4 (Penetrator's level if I screwed it up, it's been a while) but I tried to get it from 2-1 and no matter WHAT I did I couldn't get the fucking thing to show up. It's one of the weird ones where it shows up 1 step BEFORE pure black.


...Wait. Do they only show up when a boss hasn't been killed yet??

Nope. Killed it after taking down Dragon God. If you're trying to push into PBWT right now and you're online, it'll keep resetting to PWWT while the event is on. Even when it's not, if you're online it can still sometimes reset.

Also, you need to back out to the Nexus to update the world tendency. About 7-8 eye stones will be all you need to drop WT enough for the primeval demon to show up.

[Hawkzombie]

Oh, no....I did this a while ago, not during the event. I went all the way to pure black and then killed the dragon god. Then I went back in body form and died until I hit pure black again. No demon any of the times I went in.

[Xydarc]

FINALLY!

It only took a baker's dozen tries, but I finally got that damn Colorless Demon Soul in 1-1. Now to finish Stonefang Tunnel.

[Hawkzombie]

Oh man...that one was a bitch and a half to get...good job, Xydarc :D

[Abednigo]

Ok. I went ahead and ordered it. It'll take about a week with free shipping, but instead of reading through 91 pages, can someone give me a quick bullet point list of hints or tips for playing this (allegedly) old school arcade tough game? :)

[Gorvi]

http://i36.tinypic.com/2n8qyk1.jpg

[Hawkzombie]

1. Fear Everything.
2. Make a Royal as your first class.
3. Fear Everything Twice.

EDIT: Nice, Gorvi XD

[Gorvi]

When walking into a dark area where you can't see around the corner, always always always always always walk with your shield up. Hell, do it all the time anyway. ;)

[LarsenNET]

Ok. I went ahead and ordered it. It'll take about a week with free shipping, but instead of reading through 91 pages, can someone give me a quick bullet point list of hints or tips for playing this (allegedly) old school arcade tough game? :)

Everything you need to know about Demon's Souls is here:
Demon's Souls Wiki (http://demonssouls.wikidot.com/)

The biggest piece of advise I can give you is to go slow all of the time. What usually happens is you will go slow the first time and at some point die. Instinctively you will say I know how to get back and rush your way to get back to your soul. You will most likely die quickly. You have to play prepared to die at any time, that is part of the fun / genius of the game.

[Banacek]

You guys and your Royals. So scared to start with a real class :D

[Gorvi]

You guys and your Royals. So scared to start with a real class :D
Hey, now, Royal is the only class that starts off at level one, we just like to be able to customize our stats 100% from the get go. Yeah, that's it! :p

[nabokovfan87]

I really enjoyed my barbarian and hunter.

[Xydarc]

You guys and your Royals. So scared to start with a real class :D
Hey, I took a Hunter to SL 150 and all the way through NG+ before starting my Royal.:cool:

[Xydarc]

All PWWT events done except for World 5. Ugh.

[Abednigo]

Everything you need to know about Demon's Souls is here:
Demon's Souls Wiki (http://demonssouls.wikidot.com/)

The biggest piece of advise I can give you is to go slow all of the time. What usually happens is you will go slow the first time and at some point die. Instinctively you will say I know how to get back and rush your way to get back to your soul. You will most likely die quickly. You have to play prepared to die at any time, that is part of the fun / genius of the game.

Thanks for the input guys! I have heard the tip above a few places. People tend to die again because they try and rush to the place they just died at, only to get killed again before even reaching the bloodstain and losing all their souls. It's good to know that it's smarter to just take is slow all the time.

And keep your shield up all the time. :)

[Hawkzombie]

I forget which class starts with a small buckler and a curved blade, but I actually liked them for starting as well.

[frederec]

Thanks for the input guys! I have heard the tip above a few places. People tend to die again because they try and rush to the place they just died at, only to get killed again before even reaching the bloodstain and losing all their souls. It's good to know that it's smarter to just take is slow all the time.

And keep your shield up all the time. :)

All this is true, but I gotta say, by the time you're doing your forth run through the game (getting trophies and whatnot), it is kinda fun to run through as fast as possible. It's amusing to blast through places that you used to inch through.

[Spigot]

My luck, the next time they have one of these events it'll be PBWT for a month and it'll happen right when I'm getting back into Demon's Souls again. Grr...

[Badger]

Grow some balls and start as a temple knight. You're in good company.

Honestly this game is a billion times easier with soul arrow. Make your choice early on, I haven't yet played a magician properly and I feel all the more superior because of it :D

[rahsoul]

All this is true, but I gotta say, by the time you're doing your forth run through the game (getting trophies and whatnot), it is kinda fun to run through as fast as possible. It's amusing to blast through places that you used to inch through.

I agree. Though, Maneater is giving me a headache on New Game+.

[SilentScreams]

I'm doing my first run with a Knight. So far so good. I've just learned Soul Arrow as well as getting myself a crossbow, so hopefully that'll sort out my ranged combat deficiency. I guess I should put some points into magic next.

[LarsenNET]

I did a search to see the status of Demon's Souls 2. This article is a couple of months old but it's not good news. Looks like It's not even on the radar.

Demon's Souls 2 isn't happening (http://www.psxextreme.com/ps3-news/7138.html)

From Software Producer Kajii and director Miyazaki have made it abundantly clear that there is no Demon's Souls 2. They also say they don't plan to do one, which definitely comes as a disappointment to those who have spent many an enjoyable hour indulging in one of the best RPGs of the generation. Of course, there was an undercurrent of very vocal complaints, all centered on the high level of difficulty. We thought it sort of affected the game's inherent accessibility but then again, given the targeted demographic, it probably didn't tick off the hardcore role-playing buffs.

[Hawkzombie]

Fuck

.....

FUCK

[Jason]

All this praise for this game makes me want to play it. I'll have to wait a little while though as I need to finish Yakuza 3, which I barely have started, first.

[Spigot]

But I thought they already announced Demon's Souls 2! I'm so confused.

[Badger]

I would like to know how it sold in Japan because From Software are partial to their franchise sequels, and this being their greatest international achievement yet puts it firmly in sequel territory. The no-show at E3 was a disappointment, especially after rumours of a sequel to "a very difficult game" or whatever. I guess that describes a good majority of From Software titles.

My fingers were crossed for Chomehounds 2 anyway :p

[frederec]

But I thought they already announced Demon's Souls 2! I'm so confused.

There were reports a while back of them making a follow-up to a recent game. It heavily hinted at Demon's Souls, but nothing was stated definitely. I try not to get my hopes up to high for sequels until they've been officially announced and dated.

[Banacek]

How many King's Field games did they make? And none of them made GoTY. There will be another Demon's Souls.

[Xydarc]

I just spent the past two hours trying to kill BP Garl Vinland and his magic-resisting ass and FINALLY succeeded. Crest of Vinland in hand, I jump to 5-2 to talk to his sister and complete her PWWT side quest. Only, I can't find her. Sitting where she should be is a slug. Also sitting where she should be is a loot orb. I kill the slug, and loot Selen Vinlands female-only armor (my Royal is a male, and my female Hunter already has this set). That goddamn slug crawled all the way over to her and killed her while she sat there and took it. NPCs like Selen will only fight back if attacked by the player. Fucking slug. Fucking game.

I hate you, Demon's Souls.

I love you, Demon's Souls.

That does it for all the PWWT events. C'mon Atlus, let's get a PBWT event going on. Don't make us wait until All Hallow's Eve.

Note: Those who complain about Royals being "Easy Mode" have yet to take on Garl Vinland and his Dark Silver Armor and Dark Silver Shield.

[Badger]

I just spent the past two hours trying to kill BP Garl Vinland and his magic-resisting ass and FINALLY succeeded. Crest of Vinland in hand, I jump to 5-2 to talk to his sister and complete her PWWT side quest. Only, I can't find her. Sitting where she should be is a slug. Also sitting where she should be is a loot orb. I kill the slug, and loot Selen Vinlands female-only armor (my Royal is a male, and my female Hunter already has this set). That goddamn slug crawled all the way over to her and killed her while she sat there and took it. NPCs like Selen will only fight back if attacked by the player. Fucking slug. Fucking game.

I hate you, Demon's Souls.

I love you, Demon's Souls.

That does it for all the PWWT events. C'mon Atlus, let's get a PBWT event going on. Don't make us wait until All Hallow's Eve.

Note: Those who complain about Royals being "Easy Mode" have yet to take on Garl Vinland and his Dark Silver Armor and Dark Silver Shield.

That slug is there with Selen's armour all the time WT isn't pure. I may be mistaken, but I think that island with the solitary slug is way over the other end of the swamp, not far from the Large Sword of Moonlight cave. Selen can be seen pretty much as soon as you enter the first fog gate (past the island with 3 little dudes and one giant dude) and look right.

Funny enough, Garl is one of the easier guys to fight melee style as he's pretty slow, predictable and won't leave his post. Let him swing, back out of danger and punish with your weapon of choice. I tried fighting his BP with a shield-ignoring-sword but it's a bad idea because eventually he'll just clock you while you're mid-combo. Take your time and don't let him heal :)

[Gorvi]

The game has apparently sold out (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/uk-demons-souls-virtually-sold-out) in the UK, so good news there. :)

Also, for anyone interested, they have a very interesting interview/retrospective (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/souls-survivor) with the game director from around the European release. It's a damn good read.

[Hawkzombie]

I've been getting all my pure white events done, and even did the assassination quests. Firebombing characters in one hit is kinda satisfying :p

[nabokovfan87]

Fuck

.....

FUCK

Dude, this is THE single best RPG ever made (fight me on it, I dare you). Glad to see someone sticking by their game by extending the servers, but quite frankly I don't think anything good can come from it. This game is 90% bizzarreness that turned a lot of people off. It sold out everywhere, which... why not make another, but why should they? Can you actually improve, or is it just a matter of wanting more?

The demon's souls we all know and love isn't going anywhere, the only real question is how will online and gameplay change once the servers go down. Also, what will be the first game to take this combat system and export it elsewhere. I have a copy of this thing coming tomorrow, glad I bought it not, but staring at that box and the broken POS in my closet..... I think phrases like "fuck... FUCK.... FUUUUUCK!" should be reserved for times like:

Losing first 3 characters to ylod #1, but knowing you have the backup on an external drive of 10+ hours back. Loading said backup to new ps3 only to find that because of trophies you aren't aloud to take it off the fucking disk. Just when you think you can't take more of the next 4 characters and 80+ hours of triumph, your damn house gets robbed and you lose it all... AGAIN.

Fuck. FUCK. ugh.... God damnit.

[Hawkzombie]

...Wow. you really turned this into another chance to bitch about your PS3s. I salute your brass balls :p

And honestly, there's a LOT of lore to this world that has barely been scratched on the surface. There's a lot of stuff that could easily lead towards a sequel. And let's not forget there's a 6th world completely cut off in this game. The North Lands...with giants. Fuck yes.

And you made no sense saying no good will come in extending the servers...I don't get it...what BAD could come of it? People still playing? People still talking about the game of the year (I believe it was for IGN) of 2009?

Yeah, must be terrible for them to be making a ton of money off a game no one really expected to do well sales-wise outside of Japan. And people are put off by the difficulty, sure...but I think it's far less than those that aren't.

[nabokovfan87]

Not really trying to, Just seeing those words, brings me back.

I am more pissed about losing the saves then anything. All that work, imagine if what you had on your ps3 right now was gone and you had no way of getting it back. Then you start over, get into it MORE, play longer, and it happens again and again.

And it was Gamespot's GOTY.

EDIT: Quite honeslty the game isn't hard, it just takes a lot of patience and awareness as to what is going on. If you mess up, it is because YOU messed up. If you have trouble, co-op a bossfight, if you are spending 6+ hours on the first level, you are doing something insane to mess yourself up.

[Hawkzombie]

Yeah, it's the kinda game that has the same level of difficulty as, say, Mega Man 1 respectively. Once you learned the levels and the patterns, things are easy, and any mistakes are your own.

The game punishes those unprepared.

[Abednigo]

All this is true, but I gotta say, by the time you're doing your forth run through the game (getting trophies and whatnot), it is kinda fun to run through as fast as possible. It's amusing to blast through places that you used to inch through.

I love that in games where you can do that. Even in FFXIII (which I'm trying to finish), being on Pulse after you've leveled up a bit and breezing through battles that were a bear before is quite satisfying.

I think DS is coming today (or tomorrow). I probably won't dig into it too much until I finish FFXIII. Then I can totally focus on it.

[Kelegacy]

Have fun Abednigo. DS is such a good game.

I wound up getting sidetracked while on my way to finish the game (thanks to Infamous and RDR and then JC2). I was nearly at the end of the second area in Tower of Latria (I think I was in the swamp) and then I just had one world left, that last one, world 5. At this point it's been a while so I bet I'd suck all over again even though it's only been a few months. But I need to fire it up and try to push through so I can say I beat it. I didn't have much of a problem after I grinded and got more powerful....the difficulty went down drastically IMO. I can still get killed if I'm not careful, but overall I am not having that hard a time.

I'm playing as that ranger class, btw.

[nabokovfan87]

I think DS is coming today (or tomorrow). I probably won't dig into it too much until I finish FFXIII. Then I can totally focus on it.

I would imagine if you touched demon's souls, you would never go back. Finish fast, it would be interesting to hear you contrast the two.

.....and I truly hope you enjoy the hell out of Demon's Souls.

Yeah, it's the kinda game that has the same level of difficulty as, say, Mega Man 1 respectively. Once you learned the levels and the patterns, things are easy, and any mistakes are your own.

The game punishes those unprepared.

Yes, true, but...

First level, easy enemies except red eye knight, which, you can tell by looking at him he is going to be insane to take on. Most people I imagine, try to kill him, die once or twice, and then just decide to either give up or skip him. If you skip him, then you get to the dragon part, dragon takes out a bunch of people, there is also the ball trap to kill about 10 or so people. Then you start seeing the shield enemies that you already know you have to hit from behind.

I have heard countless people say how difficult the boss fight is, but, I was sitting there after finally getting through the first level, and I didn't want to quit and have the whole game reset to where all the enemies I had just cleared were back. I started the fight, practically ran around for 15 minutes, killing enemies one by one, until I had defeated the boss. One of the most "holy fuck, I cannot believe that just happened" moments of the game. Took me roughly and hour to beat the entire first level. On my next playthrough, 20 minutes.

Even when I had no idea what the game was like, or what any of the systems were, it didn't take me nearly 4 hours that some podcasts and so forth are reporting.

Then I went to just about every world (3 of the 5, I believe, I started 4 but didn't finish). Anyways, that same thing just happens over and over again. Go left you die, keep going right and taking your time and you end up getting through. The prison was difficult, but no harder then the first level for me. No harder then the volcano plant (or whatever it is), and no harder then the acid level with all the decaying wood and drops. The whole thing with this game is that it takes patience, not skill. You don't rush into a fight, you take your time, observe what is going to happen, and you pick up on things through the level. Sometimes it just comes down to not having enough herbs to heal, or weak armor, or not having a certain item, but it all takes time to get through things, and it is a lot of repitition. I am positive that the repitition is a design characteristic, and I have no idea if it is akin to other RPGs or not.

Demon's souls is only the second of third one I have ever played and that right there should tell you how design trumps difficulty, especially for me. I never had the issue that I am having in dragon age, where I just don't have enough attack power to kill something, I can always go back and get something out of it. In something like pokemon, earthbound and so forth, once you clear an area that is it, but with this game, there is something to be said for designing things so that you are meant to go back, explore more, open more, and learn.

[Abednigo]

I just played through the tutorial and part of one of the levels, and big shocker, I died. LOL! But it was an awesome death.

Even after only maybe 30 minutes...holy crap I love this game! I absolutely love this kind of game. I walk around with my shield out almost constantly. I'm glad you do get healing items. I hadn't read anything about those and was thinking it was going to be impossible. But healing items are abundant (so far). Not that it helps when you're fighting a monster and two others are shooting arrows at you. :) But still, if you can catch a breath it's good to have them.

But I only really died because my son (16 months old) was shoving a book in my face and screaming for me to read it. So it wasn't the game being cheap, it was my son. Yeah, that's it. :) I'll have to write more later. He's screaming at me to wrestle with him.

[Spigot]

It's amazing how many toddler-caused deaths we suffer annually as a demographic.

[Kelegacy]

Yes, Abednigo, this game is hell to play with a young child. No pause button screws you. My son killed me by simple crying distraction alone sometimes. It's a game you need to concentrate on.

[Abednigo]

Yes, Abednigo, this game is hell to play with a young child. No pause button screws you. My son killed me by simple crying distraction alone sometimes. It's a game you need to concentrate on.

Definitely. The "pause" is deceiving too, since it opens your menu at the top of the screen but the game doesn't stop. I keep forgetting that it keeps going when I'm accessing my inventory.

[Kelegacy]

Definitely. The "pause" is deceiving too, since it opens your menu at the top of the screen but the game doesn't stop. I keep forgetting that it keeps going when I'm accessing my inventory.

I shelved the game for about 4 or 5 months because it needed so much attention and my young child was infringing on that. Then I wound up playing it only at night when he was sleeping and I found that I got sucked in like crazy. I couldn't believe I even put it down to begin with.

You'll find a good medium. Plus, it saves constantly so you can always shut it off if he shoves a book in your face if you wanted to.

[Xydarc]

That slug is there with Selen's armour all the time WT isn't pure. I may be mistaken, but I think that island with the solitary slug is way over the other end of the swamp, not far from the Large Sword of Moonlight cave. Selen can be seen pretty much as soon as you enter the first fog gate (past the island with 3 little dudes and one giant dude) and look right.

This isn't quite true. Selen will only appear in body form if PWWT is greater than 90%. Anything less, and nothing appears on that island, not even her armor. You have to kill her in body form (or let a goddamn slug kill her) to loot her armor set.

Can't wait for a BWWT event, so I can kill Selen as a BP and loot her sword.

[LarsenNET]

I haven't played this since i beat it in late March. I start it up and start 1-1, within about 10 seconds of loading it up I get invaded and at this point I'm still trying to get re-acclimated to the controls. Needless to say I died although I got close. I was able to pick up my souls but then died a couple of time later losing over 100,000 souls. Bummer.

I guess I should have at least got through 1-1 after I beat it before I forgot what I was doing.

[Hawkzombie]

From what I understand, the slug is on a diff. island with her stuff. She's on the island with the Thief's ring.

i FINALLY got all my PWWT events complete on this playthrough. I haven't done all the PBWT events yet, and am debating doing them or simply beating the game for the first time ever :p

[Seika]

Well, it is finally time to finish this one. I stopped playing it when GOW3, and Heavy Rain got released, then I sort of didn't want to pick up Demon's Souls again because of the steep learning curve it has to get into it. Even though I'm in the middle of Yakuza 3 and FFXIII, it's time to finish this, time to beat Demon's Souls.

I had to abandon my old class, a Knight, because I completely forgot where I was heading with him, and started a new Female Soldier build. After 3 days straight of playing(not kidding), 75 Soul Levels, and 4 Silver Trophy bosses later. I can safely say this is now, by far, one of my favorite RPG's of all time.

Just the amount of polish, and thinking behind every detail of the game design of this title, makes it absolutely a joy to play. It is a hard game, for the first 40 or so Soul Levels, it was a pain, I struggled just to barely get by even the weakest enemies. Some the first bosses I beat, was at times just at the edge of dying, and with my last hit. I seriously almost broke my DS3 when I killed the False King, I was completely out of herbs, my shield was broken, and I two-handed him with an Uchigatana to finish him. I hadn't felt a rush like that since way back in the day, when beating games on the SNES or Genesis, truly a fantastic experience.

Once I got my class going though, and I memorize all the different fighting styles you must know for each world. I got the Gloom armor from the Silent Chief in 3-2, the Brushwood Helmet and Demonbrandt from 1-1, and the Adjudicator's Shield. Then, I started taking down demon boss after demon boss, and what a great joy it was to figure them out, and crush them.

Currently on the last world's(5) second boss, and I feel sad because I don't want it to be over yet. :(

[Hawkzombie]

heh heh, I felt the same way you did. I went magic with my build and am going to balance it out a bit in my second play through...beat the game tonight, Soul Level 74, and man...

This has become one of my favorite games I've ever played. Seriously. I can't wait to get back into it again for the extra challenge.

[Xydarc]

From what I understand, the slug is on a diff. island with her stuff. She's on the island with the Thief's ring.

Going by both the Unofficial and Official Wiki, and the strat guide, the only way to get Selen's Dull Gold armor set is to kill her in body form, which is only available in PWWT.

Is the celebratory PWWT event still going?

Edit: I'm not trying to be an ass about this; Demon's Souls is the kind of game where you want to present the most accurate information as possible.

[Badger]

Going by both the Unofficial and Official Wiki, and the strat guide, the only way to get Selen's Dull Gold armor set is to kill her in body form, which is only available in PWWT.

Is the celebratory PWWT event still going?

Edit: I'm not trying to be an ass about this; Demon's Souls is the kind of game where you want to present the most accurate information as possible.

Interesting. I retract my previous statement that it's always there then. I may have run into some luck and chanced upon the armour set after a farming session, not realising the slug could have killed Selen. Still not 100% on this having never witnessed it and I honestly can't remember where the island was now. I didn't think slugs went out anywhere near as far as Selen's island (just past the first fog gate).

[Abednigo]

First demon down (Phalanx) and up to Soul Level 9. I'm not quite sure how it calculates that, but that's great. :-) The Demon's Souls Wiki is a great help.

Off to 1-2!

Dragon!? Again!? :-)

I must say that I absolutely love how the levels are so interconnected. Even just in 1-1 when you first walk up the initial path/stairs, you end up all over the castle. See that platform way up there? You'll get there or can go there. At one point you even look down where you started. Very cool. It reminds me of Uncharted how you ran your way through the island but when you reached the ruins you could look down where you were earlier. Great level design.

I actually think before I get too into 1-2 (or when inevitably I die), I might go back to 1-1 and clear it out a bit more.

[Gorvi]

A nice little interview over at Edge (http://www.next-gen.biz/features/interview-demons-souls?page=0%2C0).

[Banacek]

So glad they didn't go with perma-death. That would have been a game that I would not have played.

[Gorvi]

So glad they didn't go with perma-death. That would have been a game that I would not have played.
Not to mention that it would have ruined the whole soul form thing. Now, perma death if you die in soul form, that would have been interesting if it was optional for an added challenge.

[Superman's Dead]

Demon's Souls is like the Seabiscuit of the video game world.

In my head, the exec. producer of this game kept saying, "I'm getting too old for this shit" before going off and handling business people.

[SilentScreams]

If I die, it usually signals the end of my play session for the night. I just hate having to go through the whole level again until I eventually figure out the next boss through trial and error. Perma death would have been worse, but the current system is still a pain in the ass.

Cue "hardcore" gamers talking about the old days. There's a good reason they're the old days, folks.

[Banacek]

If I die, it usually signals the end of my play session for the night. I just hate having to go through the whole level again until I eventually figure out the next boss through trial and error. Perma death would have been worse, but the current system is still a pain in the ass.

Cue "hardcore" gamers talking about the old days. There's a good reason they're the old days, folks.

I think most people in this thread would disagree with you, but oh well.

[SilentScreams]

The game claims to be hard. It's not hard, it just wears you down with tedium. Hard and repetitive are two different things.

[Banacek]

The game claims to be hard. It's not hard, it just wears you down with tedium. Hard and repetitive are two different things.

No, I get you, I just didn't see the game as tedious at all. But, I see where you are coming from. All I ask for in a sequel is a real pause button. I have children, man!

[SilentScreams]

A pause button would be awesome.

It's killed me once or twice...once where I tried to squeeze in a quick session while I was waiting for a takeaway. They came early and I had to get up to answer the door. The whole time I was paying the guy, I could hear my poor guy getting his ass kicked. :D

[frederec]

No, I get you, I just didn't see the game as tedious at all. But, I see where you are coming from. All I ask for in a sequel is a real pause button. I have children, man!

I would almost fake having a pause button. If you just quit the game, when you came back it would generally start you pretty near to where you left off.

[Gorvi]

I never found the game to be tedious, it was usually to tense to feel that way. Grinding souls could get tedious I guess, but that's about it.
I would almost fake having a pause button. If you just quit the game, when you came back it would generally start you pretty near to where you left off.
That's what I always did. The game is saving constantly, and you can force it to by doing something as simple as using a herb, even if you don't need to. You just start back up right where you left off.

[Banacek]

That's great if you don't have infants that you have to run after to make sure they don't climb up your furniture and jump off.

[Gorvi]

That's great if you don't have infants that you have to run after to make sure they don't climb up your furniture and jump off.
Hey, I've got two, but that's why I only game when they sleep. ;)

Ok, they're not infants anymore, but still, 2 and 3 is no walk in the park!

[Banacek]

Hey, I've got two, but that's why I only game when they sleep. ;)

Ok, they're not infants anymore, but still, 2 and 3 is no walk in the park!

Oh I know. My little one just turned two. She is fearless. I will get no gaming done when she is awake. Which is great because she usually stays up late :)

[Abednigo]

Glad to hear I'm not the only one with a tiny human that causes a few unwanted deaths. :-)

[Kelegacy]

If I die, it usually signals the end of my play session for the night. I just hate having to go through the whole level again until I eventually figure out the next boss through trial and error. Perma death would have been worse, but the current system is still a pain in the ass.

Cue "hardcore" gamers talking about the old days. There's a good reason they're the old days, folks.

I understand the boss aspect, because dying against them is a long trek back and that sucks. However, I've rarely died against any boss now that I'm fairly strong in the game. I grinded a bit early on to refine my own skills and get better at the game and it helped so damn much. Wikis feel like cheating usually...but not against bosses for some reason.

I don't mind the current system, as it is fear inducing. You are always on your toes because you don't want to die. I love that feeling. These days games are way too easy. Demon's Souls is challenging, but it never feels cheap. Cheap would have turned me off early on.

And no quicksaves means a lot of people wind up fucking the pooch. :) It's done really well sales wise, so there must be a lot of us old-timers around. :)

[Hawkzombie]

Going by both the Unofficial and Official Wiki, and the strat guide, the only way to get Selen's Dull Gold armor set is to kill her in body form, which is only available in PWWT.

Is the celebratory PWWT event still going?

Edit: I'm not trying to be an ass about this; Demon's Souls is the kind of game where you want to present the most accurate information as possible.

I can honestly say 100% I killed the slug and it dropped the dull gold set. It was near an island with four giants. Then, I went back in after I had killed the boss and she was there on a different island (where you find the thief's ring) which is near where you first pass the fog of the level (the entrance plank leading upwards to mosquitoes, etc).

Unless I killed her as a slug and she ran back, the slug dropped it :p

I trust demonssouls.wikidot.com Every bit of information I've used has been accurate, whereas the 'official' wiki opened up only a few weeks ago from what I understand so the info is not as accurate. It's where I found the location of the dull gold armor slug and Selen.

Plus, the wikidot one has translated Japanese maps :p

http://www.geocities.jp/kouryakubo/ds_en/chart/chart052.html

See, near (in-between them actually) numbers 7 and 8 you see Selen's Island. Near 10 is the slug that drops the set.

[frederec]

I don't know about anyone else, but I felt like one of the more dangerous places in the game was that little island with slugs at #11 in that map. And I'm not talking about the huge slug pile, that at least has a safe spot. It's just this lonely little island with like four slugs. I died there several times because there wasn't really a safe spot where I could run if necessary. Makes it even worse that there's not much of serious worth there. I just wandered there out of curiosity.

[Hawkzombie]

Nah. The island with four giants, because if you're not careful you can get more than one after you, and they move fast in the swamp...you do not.

[frederec]

Nah. The island with four giants, because if you're not careful you can get more than one after you, and they move fast in the swamp...you do not.

I can see that, especially during pure black world tendency, when they've got a black phantom giant with them. But for me personally, I rarely had trouble sneaking around the right hand side on the back. Every once and a while they'd notice me, but by then I'd be running up the bridge and they'd generally lose interest.

[bstiff]

I can see that, especially during pure black world tendency, when they've got a black phantom giant with them. But for me personally, I rarely had trouble sneaking around the right hand side on the back. Every once and a while they'd notice me, but by then I'd be running up the bridge and they'd generally lose interest.

Ugh the swamp! If it wasn't so dark and you could actually see wtf you were doing it wouldn't be that bad. On my first playthrough I must have run in circles for hours until I finally broke down and downloaded a map. It made things much easier.

[aVaKus]

I need a little direction. I beat the spider at the end of 2-1 and have been wandering around 2-2 rather aimlessly. Should I be somewhere else or should I finish up 2-2 before moving on?

[Gorvi]

I need a little direction. I beat the spider at the end of 2-1 and have been wandering around 2-2 rather aimlessly. Should I be somewhere else or should I finish up 2-2 before moving on?
You should be ok doing 2-1, but the Flamelurker is a bitch to fight, no matter what. If you do push through 2-1 I'd recommend calling forth some blue phantoms for the boss fight. After that you can feel free to fight the boss of 2, as you don't actually "fight" him, you defeat him at level 1 as easy as at level 50. It's just a bit of trial and error.

If 2-2 seems like a bit much 4-1 is a good place to go, it's at least kinder than 3-1 will be to you.

[aVaKus]

You should be ok doing 2-1, but the Flamelurker is a bitch to fight, no matter what. If you do push through 2-1 I'd recommend calling forth some blue phantoms for the boss fight. After that you can feel free to fight the boss of 2, as you don't actually "fight" him, you defeat him at level 1 as easy as at level 50. It's just a bit of trial and error.

If 2-2 seems like a bit much 4-1 is a good place to go, it's at least kinder than 3-1 will be to you.

Thanks for the input Gorvi. 2-2 has been doing nothing for me but consuming my resources. I've been wandering around it for a few hours now (almost lost 20000 souls at one point when a speck of lava landed on my big toe) and am tired of being lost in the endless caves. I'll head off to 4-1 for now for the change of scenery. :)

[LarsenNET]

The skeletons are a good way to grind for souls early on in 4-1.

[Gorvi]

The skeletons are a good way to grind for souls early on in 4-1.
The boss is also one of the easier fights. Heck, the red eyed skeleton near the entrance to the boss area is probably more of a pain in the ass than the boss is. It also opens up a great place to do a little bit of easy grinding at the very beginning of 4-2. If you've got a good bow you can kill that reaper pretty quick for a nice 5k souls. Do that, Evacuate, repeat.

[frederec]

Just try the different worlds. Three has great atmosphere, and the boss isn't hard (as long as you don't accidentally wander in before killing this one guy that makes her immortal). Four is great for experience, but can be tough. Like Gorvi mentioned, the boss in 2-2 can be rough, but in some ways is worth it since killing that boss opens up the ability to use boss souls for special weapon upgrades. And the boss for 2-3 isn't so bad.

World five is famously annoying, but also has some good creepy atmosphere, like world three.

I'd suggest you try out some of these other places and see how far you get, and how you like them.

I'm going to disagree with Gorvi about the boss in 4-1 being easy. He can be easy, but he can also smack you around if you don't get the pattern down. But yeah, the soul farming potential at the beginning of 4-2 cannot be understated.

[Gorvi]

The Adjudicator did kill me the first time I fought him since I tried to fight him at range, but once you know how to kill him he's really quite easy to take down. Just get right up to him and attack the wound at his side and avoid his cleaver swings. Once he falls, beat the crap out of his head, and just follow that pattern til he's dead.

I completely forgot that that's what you use the Flamelurker's soul for, in that case he's definitely worth going after as soon as you can.

[aVaKus]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I can't wait to get home this evening. So much to do.

[Abednigo]

I just realized I can't move on to 1-3 until I beat the archdemon of another world. Which one would you suggest I tackle? I went ahead and started 2-1, but I'm not sure if that's advisable.

[Banacek]

1-3 is the start of the end of the game. I would beat every other level before I entered 1-3.

[Gorvi]

I just realized I can't move on to 1-3 until I beat the archdemon of another world. Which one would you suggest I tackle? I went ahead and started 2-1, but I'm not sure if that's advisable.
It's been a while, but I think you want to be 60+ before you try to tackle 1-3. So far as which one to do to beat an arch demon I found that the bosses in world 4 (the Shrine of Storms) were the easiest all the way through, so long as you can use a bow. Heck, I got so good at beating the boss of 4-2 (I believe he's called the Old Hero) that whenever I died I'd just get to him, throw down my blue marker, and beat the crap out of him without being touched so I could get my body back.

[Abednigo]

I beat the spider in 2-1 very easily. I'm in 2-2 now. So far so good.

This game is amazing!

[Xydarc]

After you beat Flamelurker, keep talking to Ed the Blacksmith until he requests the red-hot demon's soul. Then he can make special weapons for you, like the Lava Bow.

[Abednigo]

Thanks for the input Gorvi. 2-2 has been doing nothing for me but consuming my resources. I've been wandering around it for a few hours now (almost lost 20000 souls at one point when a speck of lava landed on my big toe) and am tired of being lost in the endless caves. I'll head off to 4-1 for now for the change of scenery. :)

I'm in those caves now too. But I have the map on the DS Wiki open to help me through it. This game is one of those rare games that I don't feel remotely guilty for using a map/guide. :-)

Those freaking huge bugs are a pain though. So many HPs they take forever to kill (and blow up when you kill them).

I'm finding that I get into a pretty good groove. Even when a strong enemy shows up I've got my attacks down pretty well that I can usually survive and heal if I need to between exchanging a few blows. It's really rewarding.

[aVaKus]

Ugh! Whats up with there being 2 maneaters!?!?

[frederec]

Those freaking huge bugs are a pain though. So many HPs they take forever to kill (and blow up when you kill them).


You can just avoid a lot of the big bugs. You can also make faster progress with them if you have a magically enchanted weapon of some kind. Not fire enchanted, of course.

Ugh! Whats up with there being 2 maneaters!?!?

Because they hate you. Supposedly if you kill the first fast enough, you never see the second.

However, there's a secret...
Maneater is one boss you can actually hit from the other side of the fog. You can only see one of them, but there's a part of the fog (I think it's the left side), where you can shoot him with an arrow. As long as you don't use the Lava Bow (it knocks him back, eventually putting him out of range), you can kill him before you walk in his area. Then you only have to deal with one Maneater.

[Banacek]

Ugh! Whats up with there being 2 maneaters!?!?

I beat worlds 2, 4, and 5 before I took on Maneater. Then I took the Meat Cleaver and sliced those bastards up.

[Superman's Dead]

I've been playing through at a slower pace than most of you, I think, but I love this game.

I started off with a Temple Knight, and I loved the Halberd but it had to go. I went through parts of 5-1 and 4-1 very VERY slowly, and now I have a Blessed Mace +1 and the Saints Robes. I'm losing some defense without the armor and helmet, but now I can have a shield, a bow, my mace, and still roll around. I think I'm gonna grind the skeletons some more before I try and make it through 2-1, which I think is possible now that I have a bow.

[Abednigo]

You can just avoid a lot of the big bugs. You can also make faster progress with them if you have a magically enchanted weapon of some kind. Not fire enchanted, of course.

I probably need to head back to the Nexus then. The ones in the small tunnels are pretty hard to avoid and I don't have a magically enchanted weapon. Probably good to have anyway. What do you recommend?

[frederec]

I probably need to head back to the Nexus then. The ones in the small tunnels are pretty hard to avoid and I don't have a magically enchanted weapon. Probably good to have anyway. What do you recommend?

If you upgrade a weapon with moonlightstone, darkmoonstone, or faintstone, I think those will give noticeable magic attacks. I think I used a darkmoonstone altered weapon for a while since it added MP regeneration.

There are unique weapons with magic attack, but they can be a little tricky to get. And frequently the upgraded weapons are better in the long run.

[danhoo]

If you upgrade a weapon with moonlightstone, darkmoonstone, or faintstone, I think those will give noticeable magic attacks. I think I used a darkmoonstone altered weapon for a while since it added MP regeneration.

There are unique weapons with magic attack, but they can be a little tricky to get. And frequently the upgraded weapons are better in the long run.

Wait, I think Abednigo hasn't faced Flamelurker yet -- can he upgrade with stones without the red hot soul?

If memory serves, there's a magic-based Scimitar in 4-1 somewhere.

[frederec]

Wait, I think Abednigo hasn't faced Flamelurker yet -- can he upgrade with stones without the red hot soul?

If memory serves, there's a magic-based Scimitar in 4-1 somewhere.

I think it's a crescent scimitar in 4-1. Need to look that up and confirm... edit: It's a crescent falchion +1, it's relatively close to the beginning of the level, but it's guarded by a black samurai skeleton. A little tougher than some of the skeletons in the area, but doable. Once you go up the stairs, if you go left though the interior of the walls, then left again, you'll see the skeleton (the section overlooks the stairs you climbed up earlier).

But isn't killing flamelurker only required for special upgrades using boss souls? I think you can still do upgrades with other stones.

[Abednigo]

I'm just outside the Flamelurker room now. I'll give it a shot this weekend. My son isn't going to bed quietly and I'd hate to be in the middle of a fight if he woke up again. :)

[frederec]

I'm just outside the Flamelurker room now. I'll give it a shot this weekend. My son isn't going to bed quietly and I'd hate to be in the middle of a fight if he woke up again. :)

He can be tough. If you have trouble...
Know that if you're careful, and a little lucky, you can essentially corral him on one side of this formation of bones near the entrance while you're on the other side. You can then hit him with arrows from the other side. It's not foolproof; he sometimes will jump out and chase you down. But when it works well, you can kill him without getting hurt.

[Xydarc]

I'm just outside the Flamelurker room now. I'll give it a shot this weekend. My son isn't going to bed quietly and I'd hate to be in the middle of a fight if he woke up again. :)
If you're in body form, summon a Blue Phantom to help. Another moving target makes Flamelurker that much easier.;)

[nabokovfan87]

Wait, I think Abednigo hasn't faced Flamelurker yet -- can he upgrade with stones without the red hot soul?

If memory serves, there's a magic-based Scimitar in 4-1 somewhere.

And it is very VERY useful.

[Abednigo]

Wait, I think Abednigo hasn't faced Flamelurker yet -- can he upgrade with stones without the red hot soul?

If memory serves, there's a magic-based Scimitar in 4-1 somewhere.

You mean the Crescent Falcion +1? I just went into 4-1 and grabbed that. Flamelurker has killed me maybe 8 times. I've gotten him at most down to half health and get him stuck in the ribs (or losing sight of me), but when I hit him with soul arrow he chases me down and eventually kills me. I think I need to grind a bit. The skeletons in 4-1 aren't as hard as they were when I first went there so I might kill the ones near the entrance (before and just inside the fog gate) to get some souls to level up and get more health items.

I tell you though, even though I keep dying, I don't feel defeated to the point of quitting. I'm just like, "Well okay, let me go check out some other areas!" :)

[frederec]

You mean the Crescent Falcion +1? I just went into 4-1 and grabbed that. Flamelurker has killed me maybe 8 times. I've gotten him at most down to half health and get him stuck in the ribs (or losing sight of me), but when I hit him with soul arrow he chases me down and eventually kills me. I think I need to grind a bit. The skeletons in 4-1 aren't as hard as they were when I first went there so I might kill the ones near the entrance (before and just inside the fog gate) to get some souls to level up and get more health items.

I tell you though, even though I keep dying, I don't feel defeated to the point of quitting. I'm just like, "Well okay, let me go check out some other areas!" :)

One thing I forgot to mention about getting Flamelurker stuck in the ribs. Whenever I get it right, I'm unable to lock onto him. So if I'm using arrows, I have to go into first person mode to aim. Once I used soul arrow, and just manually aimed (which is awkward) between two of the spines and waited as he jumped back and forth. This allowed me to stay far back enough and close to the wall so that I'm less likely to attract his attention where he comes out from behind the barrier.

[Mr. Murphy]

At what point does this game stop feeling so clumsy? I bought this months ago due to the word of mouth going around on CoG and the rest of the tubes, it sounds in every way like a game I will love, then I start playing it and it's just so frustrating to control or figure anything out.

Can't wait for that magic moment when I find myself wanting to play this instead of forcing myself to. And I don't want to read FAQs and ruin the experience, but I feel like without them I'm just fumbling around in the dark. I spent an hour trying to figure out how to not be dead and got really frustrated that dying was such a pain in the balls. A week or so later someone mentions in passing that you kinda want to be dead most of the time...

I talk to everyone and explore everywhere, so I get pretty frustrated when after all that time a game isn't giving me any idea of what I'm supposed to be doing.

/rant. I REALLY want to love this game, it sounds awesome, I just can't seem to get comfortable.

[Spigot]

Is it the gameplay that feels clumsy or figuring out what to do? ie. Is it the way you move/fight/block that is bugging you or just the way in which the game communicates where you should go next that is pissing you off?

If you do have any questions, as frederec.

[frederec]

What you're describing is a large part of the reason I put this game down for about a month after I first got it. I played it through a chunk of the first area, and so much of the controls just felt awkward. I was a little afraid I'd wasted my money just because I'm a sucker for limited edition Atlus stuff.

I picked it back up during a pure white world tendency event, and was able to get a handle on it, then started really enjoying it, and played it obsessively until I got every single trophy.

I'm not entirely sure how to get over that initial hump of frustration at the way it plays until you realize it plays that way intentionally, and you can use all the quirks to your advantage. In fact, I say periodically that I'm continually shocked that more people don't quit because of the initial frustration and never come back.

If it's the lack of guidance that's driving you nuts. Well, that's sort of intentional too. This game revels, sometimes a little too much, in its lack of hand holding. Look to the messages on the ground, they'll frequently give you hints. You're not the first one to have trouble coming to terms with the fact that you can play this game dead most of the time.

But that's why we have this forum. Lots of the people in this thread have played this game all the way to the end. Others are in various stages of play. And most everyone is willing to help or give advice, for better or worse.

[Spigot]

I did the same thing. I put the game down after a day or two mostly out of frustration and confusion, though I did appreciate what it was doing. I've picked it up several times since then and tend to play for a couple of days until something a little more friendly distracts me. One of these days I'll actually focus on it the way it deserves and hopefully finish it, but I find my love for the game ebbs and flows depending on how badly I'm getting spanked :)

[Kelegacy]

I got really lucky and beat Flamelurker on my first try. Stood up on those broken stairs and shot at him with a bow. I'd have to retreat sometimes, run around the room and go back. I was able to take him down finally, but it took a bunch of powerful arrows.

[Spigot]

I look at Demon's Souls as that game that will always be there for me to bang my head against whenever I'm between other games. I usually make a bit of progress and then can move onto friendlier territories for a while before coming back to 4-1 or what have you :)

Just remember: SHIELD UP!

[Abednigo]

I got really lucky and beat Flamelurker on my first try. Stood up on those broken stairs and shot at him with a bow. I'd have to retreat sometimes, run around the room and go back. I was able to take him down finally, but it took a bunch of powerful arrows.

What bow and arrows did you use? I have a compound bow (the first you find) and some arrows and heavy arrows. But they do 3 damage on Flamelurker. Not good enough obviously. :) I can probably beat him with Soul Arrow it just takes some practice to trap him in various spots and figure out how to avoid him when he comes after me without getting pinned somewhere and pummeled to death.

[Mr. Murphy]

Is it the gameplay that feels clumsy or figuring out what to do? ie. Is it the way you move/fight/block that is bugging you or just the way in which the game communicates where you should go next that is pissing you off?

If you do have any questions, as frederec.

BOTH. And yet I love the aesthetic, I love giant bosses that require actual time and thought, and I love demons. And souls. I want to like this game.
I mean, I even like grinding, and right off the bat I got the sense that's what this game is really about - patience, and grinding. But the controls feel completely counter-intuitive in every way, especially when switching back to Demon's Souls from other action titles, and I just haven't gotten a grip on what I'm doing or why. Other than grinding. But because I suck and don't know what I need to get better, I keep dying and undoing all my grinding efforts.

I know that once I find my way in I'm gonna play this for months.

[Xydarc]

You mean the Crescent Falcion +1? I just went into 4-1 and grabbed that. Flamelurker has killed me maybe 8 times. I've gotten him at most down to half health and get him stuck in the ribs (or losing sight of me), but when I hit him with soul arrow he chases me down and eventually kills me. I think I need to grind a bit. The skeletons in 4-1 aren't as hard as they were when I first went there so I might kill the ones near the entrance (before and just inside the fog gate) to get some souls to level up and get more health items.

I tell you though, even though I keep dying, I don't feel defeated to the point of quitting. I'm just like, "Well okay, let me go check out some other areas!" :)
If you're still in Soul Form, drop your blue stone in front of Flamelurker's entrance, and let someone summon you. When you get your body back, summon 1 or 2 Blue Phantoms and lay the pain on Flamelurker.

[Xydarc]

What bow and arrows did you use? I have a compound bow (the first you find) and some arrows and heavy arrows. But they do 3 damage on Flamelurker. Not good enough obviously. :) I can probably beat him with Soul Arrow it just takes some practice to trap him in various spots and figure out how to avoid him when he comes after me without getting pinned somewhere and pummeled to death.
Heavy Arrows. Buy them from Patches in the Nexus.

[Abednigo]

Heavy Arrows. Buy them from Patches in the Nexus.

I thought so. Does the bow matter? Every time I equip my short compound bow it says I lack the skill, but it lets me equip and use it.

I just noticed on the Wiki that I do need to have my DEX to a certain level (18) and whatever the E stands for has to be at 10.

[Hawkzombie]

E is simply the grade of how well the weapons dmg is affected by a certain skill. E to D to C to B to A to S. The higher/better the grade, the more damage will be done when your X skill is higher.

You CAN use items, but it's right, to be really effective and do decent dmg you need the minimum skill.

[maharahaj]

So I have owned this game since January and never touched it, despite actively reading this entire thread over the months past. I had a dream about the game last night, so I figured it was time I jump in on the action.

It pretty fucking awesome so far, despite my numerous deaths so far...5 to be precise. Playing as a Royal, all was well and good, rocking my Soul Arrow, until I got to the top of the first castle wall and the tougher knight presented himself. Died. Then I try again, race to where I died, but forgot to grab my souls and headed the other direction on the castle wall until I ran into the Black Knight. Died. It was at this time it dawned on me that I forgot my initial souls. Lesson learned.

Well, I eventually made it across the castle wall and down the long stair case on the other side, got the cling ring and headed back to the Nexus for this breather. Baby steps folks...baby steps.

I do love the presentation, sound, graphics and world. I also love the sense of constant danger, despite the fact that I play games to relax, not stress. But, this looks like it is worth it!

[danhoo]

Abednigo: My 2 cents for Flamelurker -- make sure you keep your distance and can run and roll. It's a big square room, and he's pretty fast, but his attacks tend to be slow and telegraphed, so you should be able to avoid him. Make good use of range attacks (he's weak to magic) or hit and run attacks. Flame-resistance helps (thank you purple flame shield). Prepare yourself for dealing with when he gets faster and hits harder when his health is low. When he starts getting really jumpy, he can be hard to target. Lastly, don't be a fool like me and let him trap you in a corner and pummel the living daylights out of you.

[Abednigo]

Lastly, don't be a fool like me and let him trap you in a corner and pummel the living daylights out of you.

That's usually why I die. I'm doing good and get him down to half health and manage to do something stupid, or he catches up to me as I'm running away, knocks me into a corner and pummels me to death. I guess I get over confident and he takes advantage of it.

[Vermillion]

So I just got the game and I have a very dramatic love/hate with it. It's just that, at this point (3-4 hours in), I don't know if I'm playing the game correctly. Which is frustrating, but I can't stop playing it.

- I chose a wanderer as my class. I thought about a class that can heal itself, but wasn't sure. Good/bad choice?
- Is the first ghost world (next to the guy you first talk to) the best place to start?
- Is it realistic, as a new player, to die a metric crap ton of times on the first ghost level? I'm definitely starting to make a dent in the level, unlock quicker routes to get upstairs, buy some armor, etc.. Just seems like real slow going.
- Should I be investing in a bow?
- I've never leveled (as far as I know). How and when does this happen? How can you track the progress?
- When you get your souls, and leave the ghost level, do you get to keep them? Can they be stored in like a bank? Should I just be spending them as soon as I have enough to buy something? I just hate dropping them in death and not making it back to pick them up.

[frederec]

So I just got the game and I have a very dramatic love/hate with it. It's just that, at this point (3-4 hours in), I don't know if I'm playing the game correctly. Which is frustrating, but I can't stop playing it.

- I chose a wanderer as my class. I thought about a class that can heal itself, but wasn't sure. Good/bad choice?

A lot of people advocate starting as a Royal, since it gives you a spell and an MP restoring accessory. As you play and advance, the choice of class becomes irrelevant. It only matters at the beginning. If you find it too hard, try again as a Royal.


- Is the first ghost world (next to the guy you first talk to) the best place to start?

You have to start there. The others will open up when you defeat the first boss.


- Is it realistic, as a new player, to die a metric crap ton of times on the first ghost level? I'm definitely starting to make a dent in the level, unlock quicker routes to get upstairs, buy some armor, etc.. Just seems like real slow going.

Yes. This is perfectly normal. If you can get far enough to unlock the shortcuts, you're doing it right. You should also get a little better at dealing with the enemies' patterns.


- Should I be investing in a bow?

I'm a big fan of a bow, but keeping up with arrows can be expensive, especially at the beginning. You will not be able to use them exclusively, but they become very useful.


- I've never leveled (as far as I know). How and when does this happen? How can you track the progress?

This opens up after you beat the first boss. That should be your main current goal.


- When you get your souls, and leave the ghost level, do you get to keep them? Can they be stored in like a bank? Should I just be spending them as soon as I have enough to buy something? I just hate dropping them in death and not making it back to pick them up.

You keep them, they do not get stored. Once you beat the first boss, you can use the souls to buy new levels. So you may want to try to save some for after the boss.

[LarsenNET]

See comments below. Edit: beat by fredrec again ;)

So I just got the game and I have a very dramatic love/hate with it. It's just that, at this point (3-4 hours in), I don't know if I'm playing the game correctly. Which is frustrating, but I can't stop playing it.

- I chose a wanderer as my class. I thought about a class that can heal itself, but wasn't sure. Good/bad choice? No really good or bad but Royal is the most preferred.
- Is the first ghost world (next to the guy you first talk to) the best place to start? Yes should be 1-1, that's where you start
- Is it realistic, as a new player, to die a metric crap ton of times on the first ghost level? Yes I'm definitely starting to make a dent in the level, unlock quicker routes to get upstairs, buy some armor, etc.. Just seems like real slow going.
- Should I be investing in a bow? Depends on play style. You find bows as you go.
- I've never leveled (as far as I know). How and when does this happen? How can you track the progress? You can "level up after the first boss.
- When you get your souls, and leave the ghost level, do you get to keep them? Only when you cash them in to level up or buy things. Can they be stored in like a bank? NoShould I just be spending them as soon as I have enough to buy something? Not if you want to level up I just hate dropping them in death and not making it back to pick them up.

[frederec]

See comments below. Edit: beat by fredrec again ;)

What else am I going to do between classes but troll the forums looking for places I can act like I know what I'm talking about?

[Hawkzombie]

What else am I going to do between classes but troll the forums looking for places I can act like I know what I'm talking about?

You get ONE platinum trophy and suddenly you're the expert :p

[frederec]

You get ONE platinum trophy and suddenly you're the expert :p

I have two! I got the one in Fallout 3.

And you'll notice I didn't say I was an expert, but that I liked to act like I was an expert.

[Vermillion]

Thanks for the heads up. I guess I'll continue to use this character until I just hit a brick wall. I'm really eager to get home and continue to grind 1-1 ad nasuem ;)

Any preferred builds/load outs? Right now I'm running a dual handed standard sword, because it's faster to plow through the baddies with. However, long term I'm thinking some kind of pole arms, shield combo. I'm more of a defensive player and in "theory" that build gives me a "turtle and attack at your convienence" build. Just not sure the how the builds play out in reality.

You're my hero Ferris Bueller.

[Superman's Dead]

I think a shield/short spear combo would work a bit better.

As a Temple Knight I started with shield/polearm, and I just can't justify it after finding some much better swords. The spear is a little faster and works better in corridors, IIRC.

[frederec]

Thanks for the heads up. I guess I'll continue to use this character until I just hit a brick wall. I'm really eager to get home and continue to grind 1-1 ad nasuem ;)

Any preferred builds/load outs? Right now I'm running a dual handed standard sword, because it's faster to plow through the baddies with. However, long term I'm thinking some kind of pole arms, shield combo. I'm more of a defensive player and in "theory" that build gives me a "turtle and attack at your convienence" build. Just not sure the how the builds play out in reality.

You're my hero Ferris Bueller.

In the long term I eventually went with a dex build. This is because I came to rely on bows more and more, eventually cherishing my sticky compound long bow +5. It also was nice since there's a sword out there which uses dex as its primary stat. So I could switch between long range and close up attacks and not have to split my stat growth.

[maharahaj]

This game rules; I'm sorry I put it off for so long. Between yesterday and this morning, I went from Soul level 28 to 52 and have beaten (in this order) Fool's Idol, Adjudicator, Armor Spider, Red Dragon (in world 1-2), Tower Knight and Flamelurker. The last four have all been from the body form that I recooperated when beating Adjudicator. I just crafted a Lava bow, but need to get my dexterity up to 16 from 12 in order to use it properly. Then, I'll take out Leechmonger!

To level up, I think I am going to start level 4-2 next. I am playing as a Royal, but am now focusing on both magic and ranged fighting styles. Having a compound bow is just great for taking out enemies that won't target lock with my magic from a distance, or if I run my MP gauge empty and wait for it to recharge.

I did make one mistake though. I was purposely playing offline to try to maintain world tendencies but inadvertantly signed in one time which lost me Pure White in two worlds. Ugh!

[Hawkzombie]

losing a PWWT is the worst, but they are also the easiest to get back, if there are demons left to beat in them.

[maharahaj]

Oh, there are plenty of demon's left to destroy!

[frederec]

Oh, there are plenty of demon's left to destroy!

He meant boss demons...

But yeah, it sounds like you're having a blast. Very cool.

[maharahaj]

Lava bow is now in full force and Leechmonger was no contest; never got hit by him. I now have PWWT in World 2 and 5, and I had it in World 1 until I took out Miranda a few moments ago.

This thread pointed out a great way to farm souls in the beginning of 4-2. I am taking full advantage :)

I think I am going to put the game to rest for the remainder of the evening (am on a stay-cation today thru Wednesday), as I have played about 18hours worth of it during the past 48 hours.

EDIT: I found two bugs today while playing. When upping my dexterity from 15 to 16, it said my attack power would go from 177-273! After buying the upgrade, it showed that it was only 178. Secondly, when back in World 1-1, I was running to where the Dragons normally hang out and a random message select screen option showed up on the right side of my screen for about 2 seconds, covering a good 1/3 of the screen.

[Abednigo]

I'm still trying to grind a bit before taking on Flamelurker again. The red-eyed knight in 1-1 and the skeletons in 4-1 have been great for soul farming.

[maharahaj]

I'm still trying to grind a bit before taking on Flamelurker again. The red-eyed knight in 1-1 and the skeletons in 4-1 have been great for soul farming.

I spent ALOT of time in 4-1 yesterday. I think I ran the entire map 7 times and the first half of the map (up to the cliff ledge behind the castle) at least 12 times. No joke.

It got me from a Soul level in the high 30's (36 I think) to 50. I was two-shotting every silver skeleton with soul arrow and all the Black skeletons with about 7-8 shots. And the wierd thing is, I absolutely hate grinding and/or replaying missions in games, but was enjoying every second of it here. Partly because I knew that leveling here would be less stressful than on other X-2 levels that I was unlocking as well as the fact that I was seeing just how awesome I could play without getting hit by a single shot. If when I did get hit, the good old Regenerator's Ring and Adjudicator shield I was rocking cured me fast.

[maharahaj]

I beat a good chunk of the game today. 3-2, 4-2, 5-2, 2-3, 3-3, 4-3 & 5-3! I was disappointed to find that all the X-3 areas were mearly final boss zones and not full blown levels. Oh well.

I think my ranged/magic character build is too awesome. I am plowing through with little disregard for keeping my shield up or tip toeing through the levels. I am around the 30 hour mark and have only died 3 times in the last 20 hours. All in level 5-2, because I was clowning around instead of taking the game seriously. And all three deaths were right at the start of the level so I was always able to re-gain my dropped souls.

Either way, I'm loving the game.

[maharahaj]

I just beat it. What a fucking great game. It took me over 36 hours and I got up to Soul Level 78. The only boss I didn't beat was the optional Blue Dragon. Took the good ending route this time.

[ElektroDragon]

I never thought I'd meet an RPG that was too hardcore for me to play, but Demon's Souls was it. I'm absolutely ashamed of myself, but there you have it. World states, for the record, suck!

[danhoo]

I just beat it. What a fucking great game. It took me over 36 hours and I got up to Soul Level 78. The only boss I didn't beat was the optional Blue Dragon. Took the good ending route this time.

Awesome. That blue dragon is pretty ridiculous, IMHO. I think I put well over 200 heavy arrows + lava bow into him before he went down. HP-wise, he seemed stronger than a lot of the bosses.


I never thought I'd meet an RPG that was too hardcore for me to play, but Demon's Souls was it. I'm absolutely ashamed of myself, but there you have it. World states, for the record, suck!

Eh, I wouldn't be ashamed -- it's not about being hardcore enough, it's just not everyone's cup of tea, for good reason.

[SilentScreams]

I never thought I'd meet an RPG that was too hardcore for me to play, but Demon's Souls was it. I'm absolutely ashamed of myself, but there you have it. World states, for the record, suck!

Like Danhoo said, it's not for everyone. It's not really about being hardcore or not.

I could finish this game if I had the patience, but I hate repeating content that I've already done, and you spend a lot of time in this game doing just that. Trial and error is the name of the game.
I'll probably never finish it either, so you're not alone.

[Gorvi]

Congrats again to Demon's Souls, it's now getting a Greatest Hits rerelease (http://playstationlifestyle.net/2010/09/15/demons-souls-joins-ps3-greatest-hits-price-reduced-to-29-99/). That means it's sold over 500k copies in the US, not bad at all. :)

Now lets hope for a surprise Demon's Souls 2 announcement at TGS this week. :D

[Serapth]

Congrats again to Demon's Souls, it's now getting a Greatest Hits rerelease (http://playstationlifestyle.net/2010/09/15/demons-souls-joins-ps3-greatest-hits-price-reduced-to-29-99/). That means it's sold over 500k copies in the US, not bad at all. :)

Now lets hope for a surprise Demon's Souls 2 announcement at TGS this week. :D

Sure, I break down and buy it and it goes on sale. Only played a little bit, it really sounds like I need to buckle down and beat the first level and the game opens up?

In many ways this game reminds me of Dead Rising. Unique, frustrating, addictive with downright fucked up controls.

[Gorvi]

Sure, I break down and buy it and it goes on sale. Only played a little bit, it really sounds like I need to buckle down and beat the first level and the game opens up?

In many ways this game reminds me of Dead Rising. Unique, frustrating, addictive with downright fucked up controls.
I've been seeing it for $30 all over the place for a while now, but that might be different up in Canada. And yes, until you beat that first level you really can't do much. Beating that opens up character progression and the other 4 worlds.

[ElektroDragon]

Sure, I break down and buy it and it goes on sale. Only played a little bit, it really sounds like I need to buckle down and beat the first level and the game opens up?

In many ways this game reminds me of Dead Rising. Unique, frustrating, addictive with downright fucked up controls.

Well said... it doesn't open up though. It's all a bunch of little disconnected room worlds around a central hub. The layout and some mechanics (like the world phases) remind me of Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom, except with 100% more frustration. Don't even dream of putting the game down for a month and coming back to it. That's what I did, and even though it was hard enough to begin with, if you forget the controls, you're fucked. Your options are either to start over, or sell the game. I did the latter. I will admit that it can be addictive though, as I once played it for about 7 hours straight. I may have to buy it again once it hits the bargain bin and use a walkthrough every 2 feet.

The Japanese seem to have fetish for games that punish you and almost force you to fail, like this one and Dead Rising. Maybe it is some sort of subconscious WWII complex.

[Banacek]

See, after playing Metroid: Other M and have Ninja Gaiden flashbacks, I have to say that Demon's Souls (and Dead Rising) are a different kind of 'hard'. DS and DR want you to play the game a specific way, and if you do that, then you will be fine. Try to play the game any other way, and you'll get beat down. The other kind of difficulty (which I abhor) is the kind where blind luck controls the outcome more then anything you do. If my only chance to beat a boss is to keep trying until I get a playthough that doesn't spam almost unblockable attacks without giving me the 'window' to attack, then that just sucks.

[Karak]

So they announced the sequel in game but not name as a PS3 and 360 game today "Project Dark. I never got a chance to try it on my PS3 in the small window it was working. I will have to pick up the sequel for the 360. Not sure about the difficulty but enough of you like it I think its worth trying.

[danhoo]

So they announced the sequel in game but not name as a PS3 and 360 game today "Project Dark. I never got a chance to try it on my PS3 in the small window it was working. I will have to pick up the sequel for the 360. Not sure about the difficulty but enough of you like it I think its worth trying.

It's probably going to be more of a spiritual sequel than a direct sequel, since I think Sony still owns the rights on the IP? Doesn't really matter though -- a game made by FROM in the same vein as Demon's Souls with similar levels of awesome-sauce and improvements is a day-one sale for me.

[Karak]

It's probably going to be more of a spiritual sequel than a direct sequel, since I think Sony still owns the rights on the IP? Doesn't really matter though -- a game made by FROM in the same vein as Demon's Souls with similar levels of awesome-sauce and improvements is a day-one sale for me.

Ya it will be as close as I can get.

[Spigot]

Why would Sony own the IP? Wasn't it developed by FROM and published by Atlus? Or was it put out 'first-party' in Japan?

[danhoo]

Why would Sony own the IP? Wasn't it developed by FROM and published by Atlus? Or was it put out 'first-party' in Japan?

It was developed by FROM with "assistance from SCE Japan Studio" (according to Wiki). So, it was sorta co-developed by Sony and published by Sony in Japan. This in turn resulted in the big mistake by Sony of thinking that it would not sell in the US and not bothering to publish in the US or Europe.

Atlus USA published it in the US (because Atlus knows a good thing when they see it), and I think Namco published it in Europe.

[danhoo]

There's a (not so well recorded) video of the Project Dark trailer here:

http://kotaku.com/5641393/yup-project-dark-is-basically-demons-souls-2

I'm definitely getting that Demon's Souls 2 vibe.

[Hawkzombie]

Good god I want that. I want it so bad it hurts

[ElektroDragon]

I was actually hoping Project Dark was thier sequel to Enchanted Arms instead. Wishful thinking, I know, but I actually managed to play, finish, and enjoy EA without incredible frustration and repetition, which is more than I can say about Demon's Soul's. Demon's Souls is for masochists only.

[frederec]

Demon's Souls is for masochists only.

And there are apparently a lot of masochists around here, and we're just waiting for the next opportunity.

[Xydarc]

No Demon's Souls 2
how will masochists get fix?
Project Dark is here

[Hawkzombie]

Enchanted Arms is one of the worst RPGs I ever played, and I only played a good chunk of it because of the transvestite.

[SilentScreams]

I got to the end battle. I can't remember exactly how it unfolds, but there's an easy way to end it and a hard one. The hard way gets a better ending I presume, but I don't actually know as I took the easy way out because I wanted to be done with the game.

[Hawkzombie]

The end battle...it's pretty easy. And then to make the choice you either walk away from the Maiden, or you kill her. Killing her gives you a red eye stone, which lets you invite people to your world for PvP battles. And 200k souls. Not killing her gives you her Demon's Soul. I forget what that opens up in terms of magic...

[LarsenNET]

You can give it to Yuria the Witch to get the Soul Sucker spell. You can consume it for 60K souls.

[frederec]

The end battle...it's pretty easy. And then to make the choice you either walk away from the Maiden, or you kill her. Killing her gives you a red eye stone, which lets you invite people to your world for PvP battles. And 200k souls. Not killing her gives you her Demon's Soul. I forget what that opens up in terms of magic...

It gives you Soulsucker, which doubles the souls you get from enemies. This spell is why people generally recommend getting the good ending the first time around.

It's a bit tricky to use. But Soulsucker and world 4-2 in PBWT yields crazy experience with this one black phantom.

[Hawkzombie]

Yep, the Double Katana one, if I'm not mistaken. But getting it to work right can be a bitch.

[Spigot]

Enchanted Arms is one of the worst RPGs I ever played, and I only played a good chunk of it because of the transvestite.A) Did you play it in English or Japanese? This is important because your gay party member is much less annoying/offensive in Japanese (though still flamboyant, not insultingly so) than he is in English and B) Did you play more than about, oh, an hour or so.

Because the game radically changes (and for the better) about an hour into the game. I'm actually looking forward to finally sitting down and really working on the game at some point in the not too distant future because the world and general thrust of the narrative was pretty interesting and not just another FF knock-off, no matter what the initial gameplay segment may lead you to believe.

I think that first part is almost a straight up parody of, say, a FF8ish kind of JRPG that they did intentionally to contrast with how different it is from the rest of the game, at least what I played.

[SilentScreams]

The end battle...it's pretty easy. And then to make the choice you either walk away from the Maiden, or you kill her. Killing her gives you a red eye stone, which lets you invite people to your world for PvP battles. And 200k souls. Not killing her gives you her Demon's Soul. I forget what that opens up in terms of magic...

I was actually talking about Enchanted Arms. Sorry, I should have quoted you! :D

I'll never make it to the final battle in Demon's Souls. I don't have that much trial and error in me.

[Hawkzombie]

.....OK FINE Spigot...I shall try it some more :p

[Spigot]

.....OK FINE Spigot...I shall try it some more :p
Yay!

I mean, I won't deny that it is quite dated at this point being a, what, 4-5 year old game that feels very much like a PS2 JRPG with some pretty graphics. But it deserved a lot more praise than it ever got and it did end up being a pretty neat JRPG once you soldiered past that introductory part.

The fact that almost all of the reviews from back in the day were so hung up on the crew you started the game out with tells me that they probably never got more than an hour or two into the game...

[SilentScreams]

Well I got to the end of Enchanted Arms, which is more than I manage with most JRPGs, so it can't have been all bad.
Sadly I don't remember anywhere near enough about it to discuss it in any depth.

[Serapth]

A) Did you play it in English or Japanese? This is important because your gay party member is much less annoying/offensive in Japanese (though still flamboyant, not insultingly so) than he is in English and B) Did you play more than about, oh, an hour or so.

Because the game radically changes (and for the better) about an hour into the game. I'm actually looking forward to finally sitting down and really working on the game at some point in the not too distant future because the world and general thrust of the narrative was pretty interesting and not just another FF knock-off, no matter what the initial gameplay segment may lead you to believe.

I think that first part is almost a straight up parody of, say, a FF8ish kind of JRPG that they did intentionally to contrast with how different it is from the rest of the game, at least what I played.

See I didn't, I played up till some tunnel, or maybe a return to the school, im not sure, I remember running around in some town fair thing. Anyways, its a sheer testement to how fucking awful the first few hours of that game arm. You are an unlikable shit and the uber gay party member has to be one of the worst video game characters ever. I would quite seriously be writing nasty letters if I was gay and played that game. He made Richard Simmonds look butch.

Really, that first few hours was so terrible I don't care if it ever gets/got better, I am not inflicting any of that pain upon myself again.

[Spigot]

I hear ya. That's why I was wondering how far you played AND if you played it in Japanese or not.

In English, your gay friend is portrayed in an INCREDIBLY insensitive and stereotypical manner. I think the first time I played the game I spent about 5 minutes with the game and turned it off because it was both annoying and offensive and I'm usually able to put up with a lot of stuff on both the annoying and offensive scales.

In Japanese, though, your buddy, while still somewhat flamboyant, is not this simpering effeminate twit who makes you want to punch your fist through the TV. The voice work is quite strong and while he doesn't hide his sexuality or anything (and still makes a few innuendos from time to time), he's much less about the stereotype and much more about just happening to be your friend who happens to be gay and happens to like to comment on the hot guys in the school.

Not that it matters after about five minutes past the part you got to :) You got right up to just before the part of the game where everything changes for the better. Man...

[Iron Past]

To bring it back around... Picked up Demon's Souls from the Amazon Lighting Deal last week ($20!) and couldn't be happier. The camera blows and the controls are awkward, but I really like everything else--well, aside from the character creator, but slap a little armor on and who notices? Really glad I heard somewhere to start with a Royal; I haven't tried any of the other classes, but that one seems almost easy in the beginning.

I found that little place where it has character models of leaderboard positions and saw that you get some really crazy stuff by the end, which is awesome. Of course, I only found it because apparently even story dialogue will stop if you walk too far away and I was looking for whatever prompt I needed to move forward after the first dungeon, thinking that ring of candles did said nothing more than "I'm a Monumental." :mad:

That project Dark trailer looks good, and while I usually prefer to play on the X360, if they keep the controls the same with the action on the triggers and bumpers, I'd have to stick with PS3 for sure. I like the X360 controller more, but the bumpers/triggers wouldn't work well for that kind of use (not for me, anyway).

[Hawkzombie]

Yeah, I'll keep it PS3 for sure...you never know if they might sneak in a 'previous save' feature under Sony's nose ;)

Which would be fucking amazing.

[Spigot]

That would be awesome. And who said we could get back on topic? Come on, guys!

[Iron Past]

Oh! By the way, I saved and turned off after talking to the statue and visiting a couple of the guys around the Nexus (after the first boss). Where do you run into the guy who will upgrade your level? Given, I only ran around for a couple minutes, so I may not have triggered it yet.

[Hawkzombie]

After you talk to the monumental, find the Maiden in black (she's hard to miss, but she does move around the main area a bit...but never to the second floor or higher at all)

[Spigot]

Yeah, the last time I played I could NOT find her. I scoured the Nexus from top to bottom and she must have been playing Hide & Seek or something...

[Iron Past]

Okay, figured it was her. I'll find her the next time I get a chance to start it up. Really, there's a strange kind of dread when first starting it up, but then it fades to joy when playing.

[Iron Past]

Five hours in and I really like this game. I've only gotten so far as to open the elevator shortcut in 2-1 (and beat the boss in 1-1), which doesn't seem very far for five hours of play, but honestly feels much shorter. I wanted to address grinding, since I saw it somewhere. I think that technically, yes you do grind, but it doesn't feel that way. Insofar as you killing monster after monster for souls, it's present, but doing something non-taxing and boring with no clear goal, not at all. Maybe it's because the rewards are so immediate or because in my mind I'm running through a level to go after someone specific, but it's cool with me.

I thought I'd try that red-eyed knight on the bridge in 1-1 and got slaughtered time after time, but realized after I gave up I had gotten 4k souls one-shotting the guys on the way. So I don't know, I suppose I like the game's systems enough to keep going.

[Hawkzombie]

Yeah...it's a grind, but it does it in such a way that you grind towards a goal, and once you hit that goal you keep going. I love how it manages to make me feel NOT overwhelmed by that.

[maharahaj]

Five hours in and I really like this game. I've only gotten so far as to open the elevator shortcut in 2-1 (and beat the boss in 1-1), which doesn't seem very far for five hours of play, but honestly feels much shorter. I wanted to address grinding, since I saw it somewhere. I think that technically, yes you do grind, but it doesn't feel that way. Insofar as you killing monster after monster for souls, it's present, but doing something non-taxing and boring with no clear goal, not at all. Maybe it's because the rewards are so immediate or because in my mind I'm running through a level to go after someone specific, but it's cool with me.

I thought I'd try that red-eyed knight on the bridge in 1-1 and got slaughtered time after time, but realized after I gave up I had gotten 4k souls one-shotting the guys on the way. So I don't know, I suppose I like the game's systems enough to keep going.

I grinded for a few hours on level 4-1, but that wasn't until I had already cleared out levels 1-1, 3-1, 5-1 and got to the boss fog gate on 2-1. I ran the first half of 4-1 over 20 times and then the whole level up to the boss fog gate about 7 times. Took 4 hours or so, but I went up about 20 levels. What's great is that even though I HATE grinding in games, I absolutely loved it in this world. I was making a game of it to see how long I could go with out getting hit, and then smack talking the skeleton enemies as I out smarted them. After grinding world 4-1 and getting to a level in the mid 40's, the game became a cake walk for all the X-2 and X-3 levels.

[Serapth]

Ok, the retarded aiming system in this game completely gimps spell casters. The auto lock on is flaky as fuck, sometimes completely missing a target standing right in front of you, sometimes locking on to the dragon flying overhead instead of the crossbowman giving you a bolt enema. Its ruining an otherwise great experience, but I am respecing towards melee because magic is such a crapshoot.

Also, the fact r3 sometimes causes you to turn 180 degrees sure as hell doesn't help.

[ElektroDragon]

Haha! If only the controls had been the only frustrating part of the game!

[Spigot]

I do wish there was a better way to aim spells. That's probably the one aspect of the controls that really irks me, being a spell-centric kind of guy.

[Panthera]

Haha! If only the controls had been the only frustrating part of the game!

You see, some of us like games where you can actually die once in a while.

[Gorvi]

Ok, the retarded aiming system in this game completely gimps spell casters. The auto lock on is flaky as fuck, sometimes completely missing a target standing right in front of you, sometimes locking on to the dragon flying overhead instead of the crossbowman giving you a bolt enema. Its ruining an otherwise great experience, but I am respecing towards melee because magic is such a crapshoot.

Also, the fact r3 sometimes causes you to turn 180 degrees sure as hell doesn't help.
That was a bit of a pain, but I got past it pretty easily. I do wish there was a way to more reliably target enemies with spells that are further away, though.
Haha! If only the controls had been the only frustrating part of the game!
Frustrating if you try to rush through it, yeah, but aside from a couple of difficult bosses the game is always manageable.

[ElektroDragon]

Better would have been to make all magic radius based, no? No aiming required. Always affects all surrounding enemies. I mean come on, it is MAGIC, why not make it radius based?

Imagine if you, as a wizard, had the magical power and knowledge to cast a spell... missing your target would seem to be the ultimate EPIC FAIL.

If I ever design a single character RPG, all magic will be radius based.

[Banacek]

Better would have been to make all magic radius based, no? No aiming required. Always affects all surrounding enemies. I mean come on, it is MAGIC, why not make it radius based?

Imagine if you, as a wizard, had the magical power and knowledge to cast a spell, missing your target would seem to be the ultimate EPIC FAIL.

That removes all skill from the equation, which defeats the goal that Demon's Souls set out to achieve.

[Spigot]

That removes all skill from the equation, which defeats the goal that Demon's Souls set out to achieve.Agreed. That said, the aiming mechanic for spells is very poor. At the very least, they should have let you have the same kind of aiming mechanic as they used for bows.

[danhoo]

Better would have been to make all magic radius based, no? No aiming required. Always affects all surrounding enemies. I mean come on, it is MAGIC, why not make it radius based?

Imagine if you, as a wizard, had the magical power and knowledge to cast a spell... missing your target would seem to be the ultimate EPIC FAIL.

If I ever design a single character RPG, all magic will be radius based.

Some of the "uber" spells were radius based (God's Wrath and Firestorm), if memory serves. God's Wrath was particularly entertaining because it was spherical in effect, so you could nail enemies standing a floor below you sometimes.

But yeah, the ray-based spells were a pain to aim.

[Serapth]

Agreed. That said, the aiming mechanic for spells is very poor. At the very least, they should have let you have the same kind of aiming mechanic as they used for bows.

See, this is the obvious fix. This is the kind of lack of polish in Japanese games that just boggles the mind. The tech is there, its just a matter of play testing. Very small minor tweaks would make games like this and Dead Rising go from good but frustrating to epic but win!

[Banacek]

See, this is the obvious fix. This is the kind of lack of polish in Japanese games that just boggles the mind. The tech is there, its just a matter of play testing. Very small minor tweaks would make games like this and Dead Rising go from good but frustrating to epic but win!

You should play Dead Rising 2. They listened to everyone's complaints about the first one and fixed them. It's so much fun.

EDIT: Except for the complaint that there is a time limit. That's just part of the game.

[Serapth]

You should play Dead Rising 2. They listened to everyone's complaints about the first one and fixed them. It's so much fun.

EDIT: Except for the complaint that there is a time limit. That's just part of the game.

Can you shoot without holding the bumper button down? Shooting was the major flaw in that game. That and your general uselessness while trying to use the phone.

[Banacek]

Can you shoot without holding the bumper button down? Shooting was the major flaw in that game. That and your general uselessness while trying to use the phone.

Yes, you can shoot without the bumper button, but honestly the guns aren't nearly as fun as the melee weapons you can create.

As for the phone, missions come up as text messages, no need to answer it unless it's an 'Urgent' call, and even those you can ignore if you know what the call is going to be about. The texts you can check whenever you want, you don't miss any missions because you missed a call.

[SilentScreams]

You can also move while aiming the gun, which for me was the single biggest improvement they made. Something so simple, and yet it makes the world of difference.

[Serapth]

Ok, I am thoroughly hooked now, as long as the game can keep up the feeling of character progression, I think it will keep its hooks in me.

Right now im around level 20, just over I think. Ive spec'd for a fighter mage type and im loving it. So far i've completed 1-1, 1-2 ( cheese out and killed the dragon ) and a think 1-3 is off limits for now. So then I jumped over to a prison level (3? I forget ). It was a fucking freaky experience with the bell carrying mind flayers walking around with some uber stun spell and some massively damaging ranged attack. It was an extremely cool level and extremely frustrating all at once as the released prisoners are annoying as hell as they swarm you and make you basically immobile while the guards mindrape you.

I was making a huge mistake in dealing with mind flayers though, I was trading ranged magic with them ( or more accurately shooting and ducking ) with mixed results. Then I learned they hesitate before casting, so I found my most successful strategy was to do a running attack, which works wonderfully, so long as no prisoners get in the way, which is pretty much death.

Anyways, I made it through the prison and accomplished my goal ( freed the sage ), then instead of doing the smart thing, I went for it and got 2 shoted by the invisible bitch.

Anyways, thats about where I am at. At level 20ish, wielding a +5 long sword and +4 soldiers shield wearing full fluted. I have the evacuate miracle, and flame toss + some uber armour spell from the sage. That uber armour spell rocks, but takes half my mana to cast. With it though, I can make short work of the silver skeletons ( awesome btw! ) on 4-1, which before was a tricky timing based fight. This all leaves me at a "what next" point.

The experience with the invisible archer ( and silver skel archers ) taught me I need a better shield. I have a purple flame shield +1, but I need another 6 or so str I think before I can use it ( its around 23 str min I believe ). I have a spiked shield in storage and am contemplating buying the heater shield and upgrading it. Whats the suggestion here? Im sitting on only about 6k in souls right now, and maybe another 5K in summonable items.

Next, I sorta figured it would go 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, etc... and now realize it doesn't. So Im a bit confused as to where to go next. I've considered 4-1, but I have a feeling some of the bosses there would p0wn my ass. Ive fought my way up to a courtyard with a giant bastard sitting in the middle and decided to let discretion be the better part of valor and instead went up top and killed a bunch of archers. If nothing else, this is a good soul farming route. I suppose I could upgrade my shield and go back and face that invisible chick, but my god that level is confusing.

So, what suggestions? ( As spoiler free as possible ).

[Gorvi]

Don't think of the levels as going up in difficulty, it's just a way to identify them. 4-1 at this point would be a good one to go through as the boss is rather easy if you can get his attack pattern down. You won't be able to go to 1-3 until you beat one of the *-3 levels in the other worlds. So technically you could go through 2-1, 2-2, then 2-3, and got straight for 1-3, but you'll be too low a level to make any real progress.

I'd say go through world 2, or at the very least beat 2-1.

[frederec]

Next, I sorta figured it would go 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, etc... and now realize it doesn't. So Im a bit confused as to where to go next. I've considered 4-1, but I have a feeling some of the bosses there would p0wn my ass. Ive fought my way up to a courtyard with a giant bastard sitting in the middle and decided to let discretion be the better part of valor and instead went up top and killed a bunch of archers. If nothing else, this is a good soul farming route. I suppose I could upgrade my shield and go back and face that invisible chick, but my god that level is confusing.

So, what suggestions? ( As spoiler free as possible ).

First things first. You can't finish world one, until you complete one of the other worlds. Its an odd facet of the game, but that's how it is. Most people complete world 2 first, though the boss at 2-2 (Flamelurker) can be tough.

What most people suggest is to try each of the worlds and see how you like them. You've seen what 3 has to offer. World 4 is generally considered somewhat tough, but good for experience. World 5 has a reputation for being nasty (5-2 in particular). You can do them in any old order you want, so just sample them and see how you progress.

[Serapth]

First things first. You can't finish world one, until you complete one of the other worlds. Its an odd facet of the game, but that's how it is. Most people complete world 2 first, though the boss at 2-2 (Flamelurker) can be tough.

What most people suggest is to try each of the worlds and see how you like them. You've seen what 3 has to offer. World 4 is generally considered somewhat tough, but good for experience. World 5 has a reputation for being nasty (5-2 in particular). You can do them in any old order you want, so just sample them and see how you progress.

Ok, wait? So 1-1,2-1,3-1,4-1,5-1 are all do-able at the time you open them up? I sorta figured some would be uber hard or have insta kill mobs etc... Does difficulty scale to level, or is it based off depth into the world ( the -2,-3,-4,-5 part )? From my returns to level 1-1 and 1-2, it doesn't seem like its getting harder as I level, so I didn't figure there was level scaling going on ( I really hope there isn't actually ).