Dark Souls III Official Thread

There's some serious Bloodborne shit happening in this Cathedral.

Been meaning to post in here...I'm at Ithryll of the Boreal Valley so a little ahead of you. The area I'm doing now is pretty tough, there is a particular enemy that is really tough...it's super fast and very deadly in close range. Once you further in the area there aren't as many, but there's this bit right up front that I found to be quite difficult. It's a cool environment- snow.

The dungeon area in Ithryll was pretty neat too...the jailers, man, they have a NASTY attack. They knock your ass down and BRAND you.

Cathedral of the Deep was great, definitely a Bloodborne vibe there. Have you fought the Deacons of the Deep? It was a simple fight, but I loved it because visually it was really scary. There are some areas I still don't quite know what to do with there, the thing with the slave giants I don't really get. I killed one of them (totally cheesed it, of course), but there are others. Make sure you go all the way up into the cathedral, there is a place you can run around in the rafters.

Loadout-wise, I am still using the +4 Ithryll sword almost exclusively. I get other weapons and I think "awesome", upgrade them, and then back to my ice sword. I was using the Drang Hammers for a while because they have a BRUTAL stunlock/knockdown, especially vs. skeletons. I used the Demon's Fists for a while, but I just wasn't impressed with them- none of the big transposition weapons have done much for me. Poisoned Black Blade, meh.

Armor has been kind of the same way, Fallen Knight and occasionally swapping it out for different resistances.

I think this is definitely the best game in the serious, 40 hours into it.

The graveyard part before that had those damn Grave Wardens...those bastards wiped me out at the worst possible times, loaded with souls and I screw up...then they just destroy you.

After that, the Catacombs...that's a great area too. The end boss was freakin' great. The reveal is one of the best moments in the game so far. Love the rolling balls of skeletons.

I've been enjoying the game very much, the combat is so much snappier and better. The Cathedral of the deep was an amazing level, the way it all tied back together layoutwise and there's only really one bonfire is awesome (there's another one but it's for some crazy ass covenant thing in the rafters and not necessary). The deacons were super cool. Everything about them completely captured that claustrophobic, crowding in around you brand of horror. Fantastic.

By contrast, I did not enjoy the catacombs very much. I felt like there was a light difficult spike, even though the boss wasn't that hard, and the skeletons are tedious to fight.

On to the smouldering lake. I guess I broke some storyline by beating the boss of the catacombs area first. ::

Michael Barnes wrote: Been meaning to post in here...I'm at Ithryll of the Boreal Valley so a little ahead of you. The area I'm doing now is pretty tough, there is a particular enemy that is really tough...it's super fast and very deadly in close range. Once you further in the area there aren't as many, but there's this bit right up front that I found to be quite difficult. It's a cool environment- snow.

That first area with the dick enemies is one of my favorite areas to invade in, along with the dungeon. It's really fun to watch them desperately summon help in and use unfair tactics to wipe out the lot of the inept guardians. I've had more rage mail from invading here than anywhere, but the dungeon comes close.

lol, the best spots to be a dick are the areas people struggle with the most. But hey, you pop that ember for more health and companions and them's the risks!

Beat the old fire demon, summoned help for that one. Just beat the pontiff. I co-oped on him but my partner immediately died and I still beat him... So I'm counting that as a solo win. I could not manage to parry him for shit.

The iirthryl (sp?) valley is probably my favorite souls\bloodbrne environment of all time. So pretty and stark.

Now I'm fighting these robed motherfuckers. Cheaping then with my longbow.

All of Irithyll is great. I'm in the dungeon after beating the boss in the city of SPOILER. The dungeon has these creepy jailers and I love how the jailers have kept all these strange creatures in their dungeon. Yes, it's annoying in some ways, their power sucks, but the environment is so horror... I feel like the Dark Souls dude understands horror better than any other game maker. He realizes that he has a great horror medium, and the less said and the more implied the better. Great!

My rapier game is still going strong.

Yeah, I really like that whole area too...haven't found the boss yet though. Sounds like you may have pulled into the lead here.

The moment I fell in love with Miyazaki's vision for these games was in Demon's Souls...there is a similar prison environment, and there are these Mind Flayers (YES) that are the jailers (or gaolers, whatever). They wander around slowly, ringing these bells occasionally. It was SO creepy and spooky, it felt like you should NOT be there.

The horror in these games is often extraordinarily well done. Those dudes in the dungeon, man...the gold, expressionless masks...the branding irons...yikes! And the whole Deacons of the Deep thing was really scary...let alone the reveal of Wolnir.

But yeah, the key is that nothing is really explained and there is always a touch of surrealism. I love that area where there is like a "dressing room" or whatever for the guards...nothing is explained, but you gather a sense of what the area is. But then you start to wonder...what do these guys look like? Where do they come from? Who lights all of the candles here?

I think it's lame that one of the four lords of cinder fights was a gimmick fight.

I'm kind of reaching post-peak souls, so I've been doing more co-oping on bosses that I know I could beat solo if I just tried them ten more times. Dark Souls 3 is real good but I'm ready to move on to Stellaris but I just cannot leave the game until it's done. I'm currently:

Finished the game, all optional bosses too.

I loved it, best souls game, but I am Souls-Ed out. Co-oped the last couple bosses after a few tries, even when I think I could have beaten them with practice.

I just finished most of a 100% run, this time with a giant club strength build and shield/armor. Was much easier than the base dex rapier/buckler character I was running the first time I played.

I would like the platinum trophy for this, and I find the checklist thing kind of comforting to my worried/anxious/can't sleep mind, but grinding out the covenant items (you need the rings and armor they give you for 100%) is a real bummer so I don't know that I'll keep going. I'm not really even that close; to get all the rings (there's an achievement for it, and platinum is for getting all achievements) you need to go through up to new game++. I'm good enough at the game where it wouldn't take long to do so, so it's really this horrendous grinding for covenant items that's holding me back.

DS3 is an extremely good game. I will be interested to see what the special ending looks like, I did all the nonsense to get it this time. How in the world you're supposed to figure out all these character's obscure sidequest trigger actions, I have NO idea. I got married, Dark Souls style, which apparently means plunging a dagger into the face of your dead bride.

My mad pursuit of the 100% trophy continues. I am engaged in the absolute worst part right now: grinding covenant items up to 30. I've done vertebrae shackles, wolfgrass, sunlight medals (easy!), and I've got 23 human dregs and 11 blue sentinel conchords. Apparently conchords are the worst, so I'll be dealing with that shortly.

I think I'm going to get everything done for this run and wait for the DLC coming out. I'll be on track platinum if I win new game + and ++ and get the new rings in those runs, which shouldn't take very long.

In case you're wondering, I would not recommend pursuing platinum in this game. The covenant item grind has been absolutely horrendous. Many hours.

PLATINUM TROPHY TODAY! Got the last +2 ring!!!

Also, the expansion dropped today.

Got into the DLC with my super powered armor dude who got the platinum. The DLC areas are pretty hard, though the snow area is doable. It's also kind of boring and feels like a complete and utter tangent lorewise from the rest of the game. The 2nd DLC areas are just ballbustingly hard, just go ahead and call in cooperators to see it through.

BUT, once you get into the second DLC it is a Dark Souls lore lover's heaven. It doesn't like "explain" everything at all... but it also kind of does explain the most important mystery of the series, the Dark Soul and the furtive pygmies. And it provides a very concrete ending for the series that, if you stretch and look at it a certain way is kind of a happy ending? Anyone else played it? I'd love to do a lore-off.

These DLCs probably should have been released together, as when you pair them up they provide a coherent plotline that is pretty satisfying.

I'm still slashing my way through DS3 using basically the same gear and armor I started with: Bandit Knife (upgraded), target shield, and Deserter set. I did get Wolnir's Sword because I miss using giant swords. I think I'll start another playthrough once I finish this one but go with my first love of heavy armor and big swords. I also want to do all the NPC quests. Early on I healed my dark sigils and killed Yuria of Londor, which seems to have dead-ended a number of quest lines, so I'll follow a guide to do everything right next time.

I am currently in Anor Londo, though I may go back to the Irithyll Dungeon and do that area first. When I got to Anor Londo I perked up when I saw that the Giant Blacksmith's door was open so I ran over there to check him out and was sad to find him dead.

I initially had a hard time with Pontiff Sulyvahn, but once I relaxed and took my time, I realized I could parry him and learned the timing of his wind ups, I took him down no problem.

Onward!