Originally Posted by stk i wvu I would say I am pretty decent at games and like RPGs. Some people have said that the game is not THAT hard but I dunno. I bought it used at Gamestop so I guess I will just return it if its too frustrating. Just wondering if anyone has any tips for starting out, thanks.

It isn't that hard, but it can be challenging especially if you don't know the right strategy (and if you know all the tips and tricks parts of it can be stunningly easy ).

What we always tell people is to start off with the "Royalty" class. Being able to attack at range with the soul arrow spell makes the first level 100x easier than melee (I would imagine - I never tried melee on that level until my NG+ and I was level 96 then). But I know Shipwreck couldn't make it through the first boss on his advance review copy - he probably started off as a fighter class. I had little problem playing as a Royal and I'm by no means the best gamer at reflex-type games (which this is when in combat).

I'm stuck in whatever the world is right after 1-1. Those ing zombie things take forever to kill, and I'm out of health potions so I can't get through the first part of the level without dying. Any tips?

I'm a hunter. I'm using the sword like the tip said, but it doesn't help much.

What I did was I went back through 1-1 multiple times just to grind and level my character up.
I started out as a Hunter also and used the axe for quite awhile until I started using a spear almost full time now. While you're still starting out you should just always keep your shield up and roll. Retreat if you need time to recuperate and head back in when you're ready.

i didn't read any tips or guides though so i dunno what I should have done. Not sure what a Hunter is actually supposed to be good at, but i'm whoring out my STR and END, and now I'm just starting to work on a little bit of VIT and DEX. Eventually I should start doing Magic and Luck as well I guess...

Anyone have tips on the 1-4 boss? He got me with soulsucker 3 times and knocked my intelligence down to 37 from 40, causing me to lose a magic slot - so I think melee is out of the question based on my lack of skill. I have a +5 sticky bow, but I always have trouble moving out of targeting mode in time to dodge against regular enemies. Again, any suggestions are welcome!

Originally Posted by coolz481 Anyone have tips on the 1-4 boss? He got me with soulsucker 3 times and knocked my intelligence down to 37 from 40, causing me to lose a magic slot - so I think melee is out of the question based on my lack of skill. I have a +5 sticky bow, but I always have trouble moving out of targeting mode in time to dodge against regular enemies. Again, any suggestions are welcome!

Yes, you can cheese him in two ways apparently.

The easiest, though it takes a while, is to sneak up behind him and cast poison cloud, then slowly retreat. In the original game I think I had to do this 5 or 6 times, maybe? In NG+ I hear it take even longer. The other way, which I am going to try soon as I'm near the end of my NG+, was mentioned a few pages back. Apparently there is a spot you can use the bow on without having him attack you. I'm very hesitant to try it because I'm worried I'll screw up and he'll come after me. Where I'm at now soul levles are so hard to come by and they only so slowly increase your ability that I don't want to lose any.

I tried black phantom Satsuki out tonight with the clever rat's ring and he was much harder than in the original game. I wiped him out pretty quickly last time once I had gained a few levels, had the moon winged spear +5, and used the clever rat's ring - like I think it only took 4 or 5 hits to get him down so even if I didn't get him before he healed it was no big deal to knock him back down again. This time it took 10-15 hits to get him down, and then I kept missing his healing. I finally just gave up as there's no point to doing it again anyway. But the point is that this game definitely still keeps you on your toes even when you get to really high levels (I'm around 150 now).

I also managed to farm one more cloudstone chunk in about 12 visits to 4-3. That's enough I suppose since I now have 5 and will get 2 more in the next game - then I can finally knock out that last upgrade trophy as I'm closing in on the others. I think I'm going to do the black CT stuff soon, though I'm afraid with how tough Satsuki was that I'll have some problems with some of the Nexus characters. I guess I'll find out.

So, I have a question. If you attack someone in the Nexus and get killed, do they continue to go after you when you respawn, or is all forgotten at that point?

Originally Posted by DarthPuma I'm stuck in whatever the world is right after 1-1. Those ing zombie things take forever to kill, and I'm out of health potions so I can't get through the first part of the level without dying. Any tips? I'm a hunter. I'm using the sword like the tip said, but it doesn't help much.

You know, I've been all through this game and back to every level many, many, times and I still don't know what you are talking about here. Do you mean world 2, or the next part of 1? World 2 has the miners - is that it? I never had much trouble with them even at a low level. In fact, I would suggest to others who tried world 4 or 5 first after 1-1, to go to 2 instead. But you may simply have to do what imascrub suggested. I think I farmed a few levels off the red eye knight on 1-1 before I moved on to anything else. Once you get the thief's ring (which you should have from 1-1) you can whittle him down with arrows or soul arrow (though you probably don't have that) and then run and repeat. The thing to remember in this game is that the enemies always return to their spots if you can get far enough away (and it helps tremendously to use the thief's ring).

I would suggest putting levels into strength at first so that you can equip the winged spear and purple flame shield that you can get pretty early. In the mean time, buy a heater shield from Boldwin in the Nexus. You can get the winged spear off a corpse along the bridge in 1-2 that the dragon breathes fire on. Just run out, grab it, and let yourself get killed. You will then have pretty much one of the best weapons in the game right off the bat. The shield you can get from the dragon's roost. I waited till I killed the red dragon, but apparently you can get it the same way - by running out with good timing and getting it before he gets back. I'm still using those two (fully upgraded now of course) for 90% of my combat (the rest being arrows or spells).

So I finally had to start playing another game tonight and busted open Ratchet & Clank. The funny thing is I died a few times in that because I kept trying to roll by pushing 'O'. I also kept worrying about Ratchet's wrench breaking. I think I've been playing too much Demon's Souls .

Originally Posted by io You know, I've been all through this game and back to every level many, many, times and I still don't know what you are talking about here. Do you mean world 2, or the next part of 1? World 2 has the miners - is that it? I never had much trouble with them even at a low level. In fact, I would suggest to others who tried world 4 or 5 first after 1-1, to go to 2 instead. But you may simply have to do what imascrub suggested. I think I farmed a few levels off the red eye knight on 1-1 before I moved on to anything else. Once you get the thief's ring (which you should have from 1-1) you can whittle him down with arrows or soul arrow (though you probably don't have that) and then run and repeat. The thing to remember in this game is that the enemies always return to their spots if you can get far enough away (and it helps tremendously to use the thief's ring). .

I thought that as well....about the enemies always returning to their original spot...until the dual sword black skeleton did not on 4-1 (the one before the last fog). The jerk followed me out to the ledge and I accidentally imitated a lemming after he took down 3/4 of my health in 1 swipe.

If anyone helped out a person with Flamelurker (I was around SL36) last night and got the shaft on the ratings, that was me. I feel bad...my son (3) started screaming when FL was almost dead...had to run after he was killed and got to give them a 'C' rating (1 sec left on rating when I got back)...I feel bad and apologize if it was any fellow CAG member.

So, 1-1, 1-2, 2-1, and 2-2 down and I can get to the black skele on 4-1 before the last fog (might be able to take him out). Should I do 4-1 next or something else? I think I am around SL40 now. I hated 3-1...but I made it to the keys to unlock the gate to the gate to the right off the entrance.

Originally Posted by coolz481 Anyone have tips on the 1-4 boss? He got me with soulsucker 3 times and knocked my intelligence down to 37 from 40, causing me to lose a magic slot - so I think melee is out of the question based on my lack of skill. I have a +5 sticky bow, but I always have trouble moving out of targeting mode in time to dodge against regular enemies. Again, any suggestions are welcome!

When I beat him the first time, I used the sticky bow but never went into targeting mode. I just locked on and fired. He moves slowly and doesn't avoid you're arrows well. Plus it gives you enough time to dodge his attacks from a safe distance. Also, when he goes into his charged attack, it opens him up to several easy arrow hits.

Originally Posted by DarthPuma I'm stuck in whatever the world is right after 1-1. Those ing zombie things take forever to kill, and I'm out of health potions so I can't get through the first part of the level without dying. Any tips? I'm a hunter. I'm using the sword like the tip said, but it doesn't help much.

I did a hunter as well.

If you are out of life, go back to 1-1 and go through it a couple of times, that will allow you to restock.

I also ran with the axe for some time and a smaller shield that I could parry the enemies attacks with.. I only went to a larger shield after getting killed mutliple times on world 4. Those skeletons at the time could stun me and they were so fast I couldnt get the parry timing down.


Also typically in RPGs i am a mage or theif... this time I went for a bit more of a brute but use the bows a lot. I can 1 hit kill a lot of things now. I would suggest you get dexterity up (helps bow damage) or get some magic up. This way you have a ranged attack as well.



Until that level however get good at the parry and then counterstrike with your axe, or even that sword.

Also remember you dont have to do 1-2 at first I dont think, you can branch out to other worlds.

just started playing this game this weekend..great game thou i messed up on upgrading stats i dont need right way so gonna farm the red eyes knight in 1-1 so i can atleast have the purple shield..
so for new comers to the game like others suggest upgrade strenght in the beginning is a good choice

See I ran with a smaller shield and parry/counterstrike combo for a long while.

Originally Posted by io So, I have a question. If you attack someone in the Nexus and get killed, do they continue to go after you when you respawn, or is all forgotten at that point?

They'll remain hostile until you kill them, or you start a new game.

Originally Posted by jmbreci I thought that as well....about the enemies always returning to their original spot...until the dual sword black skeleton did not on 4-1 (the one before the last fog). The jerk followed me out to the ledge and I accidentally imitated a lemming after he took down 3/4 of my health in 1 swipe. So, 1-1, 1-2, 2-1, and 2-2 down and I can get to the black skele on 4-1 before the last fog (might be able to take him out). Should I do 4-1 next or something else? I think I am around SL40 now. I hated 3-1...but I made it to the keys to unlock the gate to the gate to the right off the entrance.

Even at the level I'm at now, I still have to take him (the black skeleton before the boss) out with hit and run tactics. I stand at the top of the stairs, hit him with an arrow, and then run back down the corridor past the trap button. He never follows me out into the outer area. Make sure you have the thief's ring on or they will follow you much further. That is one of the harder bosses to get back to should you fail it (have to go all through 4-1 again and fight that stupid black skeleton again). Make sure you run immediately down all the stairs to fight him. I made the mistake of trying to take him out from above like the Tower Knight but his tongue attack will get you through the walls and you have no idea when it is coming. Get down below and circle around him. The only other level that is as much of a pain to get through again is 5-1. Fortunately most of the other levels (especially the second parts of each world) have shortcuts you can take once you clear things out.

For 3-1, I was jumping the octopus men and trying to kill them with my spear before they could cast anything on me. I was somewhat successful doing that in my first playthrough. Now I just take them out with arrows - much easier and they seem particularly susceptible to them. Just get ready to dodge their soul ray counterattack. Other than those guys, 3-1 isn't particularly hard, just lots of running around to find keys. You could try 5-1 but I found (and still find) the bigger club-wielding guys to be a serious pain. And it is much harder to run away in that level because of all the narrow walkways.

I found 4-1 relatively easy--if you can get to the boss, then just go for it since he's probably the easiest in the game. I think I was about SL40 too when I did it, too. For me, the Golden Skels were more difficult since you have to fight them on the cliff and there's really no room to roll/dodge. I ended up using magic to get through that part since my attack power wasn't too good, I didn't have a mace/blunt weapon, and I just didn't want to spend a lot of time fighting them. I keep thief's ring on pretty much all the time, so for the black skels, the first one I can kill either with arrows from below the ledge he's on, or just bait him into the long corridor and backstab him when he gives up and walks back. The second one, I just lure him into the courtyard so I have more room to dodge/roll. The third I can kill w/flame toss, but there's enough room to melee if you want to just turpentine your weapon and have at it.

Right now, I'm just farming the easy reaper in 4-2. Rescued Urbain, but I don't feel like seeing the entire level through just yet as I'd like to have a bit more attack power/vitality to get through it. I might try finishing 2-2 first as I'd like to get better weapon upgrades, then maybe try 3-1 to at least rescue Freke.

Originally Posted by io You could try 5-1 but I found (and still find) the bigger club-wielding guys to be a serious pain. And it is much harder to run away in that level because of all the narrow walkways.

IMO, those giant dudes are the toughest regular enemies in the game because of their speed and range. In 5-1 you can't really roll because you're on walkways and on 5-2 the swamp slows you even more. On 5-2 at least you can sneak by them, but on 5-1 it's just tedious.

Originally Posted by gunm I found 4-1 relatively easy--if you can get to the boss, then just go for it since he's probably the easiest in the game. . . . Right now, I'm just farming the easy reaper in 4-2. Rescued Urbain, but I don't feel like seeing the entire level through just yet as I'd like to have a bit more attack power/vitality to get through it. I might try finishing 2-2 first as I'd like to get better weapon upgrades, then maybe try 3-1 to at least rescue Freke.

Really? I rank him as one of the tougher ones. Sure, if you know how to do it, it isn't that hard. But you still have to be really on your toes to take him out. It is hard to get in front and hit that spot and I got killed in my last game because when he got back up after he fell the first time he was back against the wall and I couldn't run behind him any more. That made it a pain, because if you then back away you can get out of range of his cleaver but then he does the tongue attack again.

But there are many easier bosses than that. The 4-3 one has to be the easiest in the game. And 2-3 is pretty easy too. And I guess 5-3 is super-easy if you take the coward's path (though even fighting Garl I didn't find too hard in NG+ as opposed to, say, Black Phantom Satsuki). Oh, and 5-1 isn't too hard if you have enough power in your bow to take him out from up high (which I couldn't at first but then went nuts levelling my dexterity and had no problem). I would also rate 1-2, 1-3, 3-1, 2-1, 3-3, 4-2, and 5-2 as easier than the Adjuticator. And 1-4 is easier if you just use poison cloud.

The toughest, for me, was probably 2-2 because I couldn't get him stuck on the bones like everyone else. However, when I went up the stairs and attacked him it was pretty easy. I had a little trouble with 3-1 and 4-2 in the NG+ that I didn't have originally but neither was that hard. And I hear a lot of talk about 1-3 being hard, but in my NG+ he was even easier than the first game. This time I went after him a little more agressively with soul ray and while Biorr distracted him I took him out pretty quickly. I even kept Biorr alive which I almost didn't do the first time while I stayed far away firing arrows because I got closer and pulled him away a few times so Biorr could recover.

I would definitely recommend you wait on 4-2. Though once you go through it a few times it isn't all that hard. Here's a little tip - instead of trying to take out the third reaper (who is right around a corner and can't be hit with arrows like the other 2) just run past him. I was blowing through all my spices trying to to God's wrath on him but then I read this tip somewhere and it worked like a charm. You just run past and roll down the stairs so his death ray doesn't hit you. Then take him out with arrows from below.

But yeah, finish off 2-2 even though it is one of the tougher bosses. Then you can do all of 3-1 - it isn't that hard. Just shoot the octopus men with arrows and hide right after each shot. It should only take 2 shots I would think. Once you clear them out the level isn't that hard - just beware of the black phantom before the boss and also make sure to take out the follower up above the boss before going in or you can't win (get to him by going up one of the towers). He's by the key you need to rescue Freke so if you do that first then you are set for the boss (and he doesn't respawn so once you get him that's it).

Sweet, that's good news then (although I could've swore 1-3 penetrator was kind of tough?)! For 4-1, I ran down the stairs once I entered the room, but ended up falling off the ledge in my zeal, lol. The first thing I thought was, oh shit, I'm gonna die from falling without even doing anything, but luckily I hardly took any damage. From there it was just about staying close to him and running under his swing after hitting his weak spot. I did have to be careful not to get stuck in a spot near the fog where there's a piece of debris, but beyond that, I didn't get hit at all. I ended up having a harder time against the Golden skels. :p

Originally Posted by gunm Sweet, that's good news then (although I could've swore 1-3 penetrator was kind of tough?)! For 4-1, I ran down the stairs once I entered the room, but ended up falling off the ledge in my zeal, lol. The first thing I thought was, oh shit, I'm gonna die from falling without even doing anything, but luckily I hardly took any damage. From there it was just about staying close to him and running under his swing after hitting his weak spot. I did have to be careful not to get stuck in a spot near the fog where there's a piece of debris, but beyond that, I didn't get hit at all. I ended up having a harder time against the Golden skels. :p

Yeah, see, I got stuck on that debris once and killed. Then in my NG+ both times I fought him he got back up against the wall which meant I couldn't run behind him any more. The first time threw me off and he killed me with his tongue attack I think. The second time I was prepared for that and handled it.

I've heard people say Penetrator is tough, but I had little problem with him. In my original game I was super cautious because of all I had heard and Biorr pretty much took care of him by himself. I hit him with a few arrows from far away and Biorr was down to a sliver of health when I finally won. On the NG+ I went after him with soul ray and that did a lot of damage. Biorr and I took turns distracting him (I just rolled when he came after me and he didn't touch me once). That helped Biorr out a lot and he barely got hurt the second time. Of course, rescuing Biorr is critical then in making that fight easier. It would be a lot harder if you had to face him yourself I guess. In case you don't know, Biorr is in a cell way back at the beginning of 1-3 (probably he's actually in 1-2) near the blue-eye knights (there is a locked door that leads to the cells) but you need to go almost all the way through to get the key first. And DO NOT attempt 1-3 if your world tendency is even slightly below neutral - I found that out the hard way. Fortunately the online part resetting the WT helped me in this case as it brought it back to neutral which makes that level 100x easier to get through.

Another question for the vets. The guide says you can kill the black phantom NPC's "easily" with soulsucker. How, exactly? There isn't one I can think of that you can sneak up on with ease (maybe Selen in the swamp, though you'd have to go way around to sneak up on her and deal with the constant poisoning). I tried it as a last ditch attempt against Satsuki while we were locked in melee combat but of course he killed me before I could get the spell off.

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IIRC Soulsucker is primarily a stealth spell, so I'd think it would be difficult to use in combat due to the casting time and range. Does having the graverobber and/or thief's ring on in soul form help with sneaking up on them?

Edit: also, for Adjudicator, I think just staying under his swing is enough. There were a couple times I couldn't run completely around him, so I just stayed close and made sure I had room to run/roll under his swing.

Originally Posted by gunm IIRC Soulsucker is primarily a stealth spell, so I'd think it would be difficult to use in combat due to the casting time and range. Does having the graverobber and/or thief's ring on in soul form help with sneaking up on them?

If the enemy is facing the other way either one will work. I use thief's ring on normal enemies and graverobber on black phantoms of course. But I still don't see how you can "easily" use it on the black phantom NPC's like the guide says. I wonder if you can sneak up on Satsuki from the back side (by backtracking all the way from the 4-2 archstone back to the beginning of 4-1)? I was thinking about that last night but it was late and I just wanted to get the primevil demon and be done with that world (so it isn't pure black any more now). But I see no way of sneaking behind Miralda, Scirvir, or Rydell for sure. Maybe you can sneak behind Satsuki and Selen. Though in both cases it takes so long to get there I wouldn't want to do all that only to find out they detect you when sneaking up.

And also, it seems like you could use it on the False King (1-4) but I certainly don't want to try that unless someone else can confirm it as I'd imagine he will hit you right back with it if it doesn't work. But I know I could sneak up pretty close behind him to apply poison cloud without having him ever turn around.

By far the easiest place to do it and get a decent amount of souls (plus some fresh spice/old spice which are in short supply otherwise) are the black phantom octopus men at the end of 3-3. You just start off at the 3-4 archstone and exit the Old Monk's room and the first one is right there. Get him, go down a bit and kill the two regular enemies and then get the other one. It takes about a minute and if you screw up on them it isn't so bad because they take a while to get their spell going so even if they detect you, you can get it off before they attack (you have to get really close for soulsucker and if you go just a hair closer they detect you and turn around and attack).