Dark Souls (Project Dark) - October 4, 2011

Yeah Demon Spear scales, IMO it's much better than reg. lightning spear. Plus look at the freaking RANGE on that thing, it's long as shit.

Don't bother using the dragonslayer bow. You can make a bow from a boss soul that scales well and is much better and uses regular arrows too. Req. isn't too bad either. So fuck the dragonslayer bow.

WHen I was getting plat after my first playthrough I ALWAYS carried one of each element weapon, and Demon Spear was my lightning one. I had Quelaag's for fire, I had Titanite Catch as my default equip because it scales incredibly, and I had a +15 uchi for just reg.
 
[quote name='Backlash']I dunno how much effort you want to put into your bow. I think the DragonSlayer bow can only be used with DragonSlayer arrows, which are 500 each. Pricey!

If there's other weapons you need more Str and Dex for, fine, but I wouldn't raise those just for the bow when you could use those points for more Vit and End, or Int or Faith if you want to use certain miracles or spells. I STRONGLY recommend getting enough Int to use Cast Light (15 or 16 I think) before you go through the Tomb of the Giants. Makes a HUGE difference.

Personally, I mostly use the bow to pull enemies one at a time when they're standing in a group, so I never put any specific souls towards that (I did upgrade my longbow to +5 but that was cheap).[/QUOTE]

OK, I guess I'll hold off on the Dragonslayer Bow. And I'll upgrade my longbow - I should have thought of that a while ago. I used it to pick off the prowling demon in Anor Londo and it took like 100 shots. I should have upgraded it first - d'oh! Can that +5 longbow then be used for the boss bow IRHari mentions below?

And yeah, I got INT to 16 already. I guess I need to go do that Hydra/Crystal Golem thing so I can get that Cast Light spell... I'll do that after I finish up Anor Londo tonight (hopefully).

[quote name='IRHari']Yeah Demon Spear scales, IMO it's much better than reg. lightning spear. Plus look at the freaking RANGE on that thing, it's long as shit.

Don't bother using the dragonslayer bow. You can make a bow from a boss soul that scales well and is much better and uses regular arrows too. Req. isn't too bad either. So fuck the dragonslayer bow.

WHen I was getting plat after my first playthrough I ALWAYS carried one of each element weapon, and Demon Spear was my lightning one. I had Quelaag's for fire, I had Titanite Catch as my default equip because it scales incredibly, and I had a +15 uchi for just reg.[/QUOTE]

Cool, I will upgrade that spear immediately, then, and use it in the Anor Londo boss fight. I need to do the Quelaag thing too. Can I do those now that I have the Giant Blacksmith, or do I still need more embers to get fire and such? I think the only ember I've found recently is the dark one from Ariamis.
 
No special embers needed to use Boss Souls, but the weapons have to be at +10 and I think you have to have the Large Ember to get there? Anyway I'm sure you have that. So yeah, go crazy. I used the Fury Sword (+5 as soon as I could) for a very long time; I love it. I found it usually does slightly less damage per hit than the Lightning Spear, but it's so fast and uses so little stamina (relatively) that you can get a ton of hits in so you do more damage per "engagement" with it.
 
Do NOT use the Demon Spear in the Anor Londo boss fight! One of the two bosses has huge lightning resist (and basically chucks lightning at you all the time) and once you kill one the other one left alive will have massive lightnning resist as well. Lightning is pretty useless in that boss fight.

Go with a Fire weapon for that boss fight. Pyromancy helps on the fat one. Or use magic/normal weapons.
 
[quote name='Backlash']I ended up killing Ornstein first since I was doing it by myself and killing him last is so much harder, and I was just sick of that battle and wanted to progress. So now I'll have to kill him last in NG+, whee. I think my best hope is to try to arrange a summoning beforehand with someone who knows I need to kill Smough first (hopefully with a fellow CAG).[/QUOTE]

Just message them when you summon them, that's what I did. Also, you can keep the black crystal in one of your slots so if they do kill the wrong one, you can banish them, die, and then try again.
 
What's the highest stability the Grass Crest Shield can go up to if I upgrade it down any path of ember I choose?
For example, it's stability is at 58 right now and it's +5, is there a way an upgrade can make it go up to around 70?
 
[quote name='IRHari']Do NOT use the Demon Spear in the Anor Londo boss fight! One of the two bosses has huge lightning resist (and basically chucks lightning at you all the time) and once you kill one the other one left alive will have massive lightnning resist as well. Lightning is pretty useless in that boss fight.

Go with a Fire weapon for that boss fight. Pyromancy helps on the fat one. Or use magic/normal weapons.[/QUOTE]

Hmmm... Well, I'm using the lightning spear otherwise. But yeah, I do have some nice pyromancy spells so I'll be sure to load up on those.
 
The lightning spear is pretty shitty. Super narrow hitbox and using it with your shield up eats up stamina quickly. I only use it while fighting the ghosts in New Londo Ruins. A +5 lightning uchigatana on the other hand...
 
[quote name='gettinmoney662']The lightning spear is pretty shitty. Super narrow hitbox and using it with your shield up eats up stamina quickly. I only use it while fighting the ghosts in New Londo Ruins. A +5 lightning uchigatana on the other hand...[/QUOTE]

Lightning spear is pretty good for most enemies. But, as stated before, it isn't so great for Ornstein. So I managed to get in there with Solaire (playing offline for the most part - more on that later). I have little trouble taking out Smough and even getting Ornstein down to about half (using mostly pyromancy). I just can't get past that point. Any weapon I have seems to do miniscule damage. Well, I tried the lightning spear at first, then switched to Astoria's sword (leveled to +4 I believe). I just can't get enough damage done and Solaire doesn't last long once Ornstein transforms. See, that's what I didn't understand about the order of the boss fight here (I didn't realize they changed half way through). I take it giant Ornstein is a pain in the ass in NG+ as he is one in the regular game. If I had the ability to switch to a bow without having to go into inventory I might be able to handle him. But I just can't get there.

I was rapidly running out of humanity, not to mention clearing out the Great Hall is a huge pain every time to summon Solaire (if you solo it you can just run past all those guys and through the fog).

So I tried seeing if I could get another human player in there. I saw NO summon signs anywhere the whole way between the bonfire (where Solaire sits) and the great hall, right up to the fog door. So I went in yet again with Solaire. I did that 4 or 5 times. Then, on my last attempt while still seeing no summon signs, I get fucking invaded :bomb:. I actually handled the guy pretty well (fight lasted about 2-3 minutes) but yet again, got backstabbed in the face. That shit really needs to be fixed or taken out. So this fucking griefer wasted yet another of my humanity. I'm actually going to resort to waiting 24 hours and downloading my PS+ save since I lost so much of it. Then I really don't know what I'm going to do. I guess maybe playing a bit earlier in the day I might get more summon chances. But since that means 2 days off (can't download till 3am on the 11th - odd that it is set from when I quit playing and not from when I uploaded my last pre-boss save a few hours earlier) I might actually start to lose interest in this game as I'll probably start Uncharted 3 and maybe move on to Skyrim. Too bad...
 
How are you fighting giant Ornstein? You need to get right under him the entire fight. WHen he attacks, roll INTO him and he should whiff every attack. While he's lagging get a few hits in and repeat.

Make sure you watch out for his shocking butt stomp, he does it every now and then and you need to run away from him.
 
How do I get to the blacksmith in the Catacombs? I was misled by the guide, as there is noway the pinwheel skeletons can get to him if I cannot get through that wall.

Pinwheel itself was by far the easiest boss for me to date.
 
[quote name='jmbreci']How do I get to the blacksmith in the Catacombs? I was misled by the guide, as there is noway the pinwheel skeletons can get to him if I cannot get through that wall.

Pinwheel itself was by far the easiest boss for me to date.[/QUOTE]
After you cross the second bridge I think it is you weave through the caves and are about to exit to the 3rd bridge you will see a spiral staircase go down with one skeleton on it. the staircase will end in what seems like a fatal drop but there are a series of ledge you can drop to on the way down. At the bottom is the blacksmith who will blow a hole in the wall to the area with the wheel skeletons.

[quote name='io']I was rapidly running out of humanity, not to mention clearing out the Great Hall is a huge pain every time to summon Solaire (if you solo it you can just run past all those guys and through the fog).

So I tried seeing if I could get another human player in there. I saw NO summon signs anywhere the whole way between the bonfire (where Solaire sits) and the great hall, right up to the fog door. So I went in yet again with Solaire. I did that 4 or 5 times. Then, on my last attempt while still seeing no summon signs, I get fucking invaded :bomb:. I actually handled the guy pretty well (fight lasted about 2-3 minutes) but yet again, got backstabbed in the face. That shit really needs to be fixed or taken out. So this fucking griefer wasted yet another of my humanity. [/QUOTE]
You are only ever going to find summon signs at that bonfire with Solitaire in that area though the best place to be looking for signs is not there, but to open the big door by turning the lever in the front of the chamber, retreat to the beginning of the level and latch onto that bonfire, and look for summon signs back at the start of the bridge with the first gargoyle of the level (at the base of the elevator). It is popular because it lessens the chance that you will be summoned and then have to fight through all of upper Anor Londo before the boss fight.

Speaking of invading griefers. We had reached exterior Londo where the two silver knights fire arrows at you as you run up the incline when a blue hostile phantom invaded. We retreat back down and walk up to meet him near the large hall chamber door when he abruptly starts running back down the stairs. He runs all the way back to the first elevator, then drops down the side and walks up the walkway to the upper area with the painting. At this point we're all like "fuck you" as once you drop down you have to go all the way through the upper area to get back on our mission. So we ignored him and went back to it and moved into interior Londo. Like 10 minutes later he finally comes out of hiding and tries to attack and within 15 seconds we had trapped him in a corner and combusted him to death.
 
Just my opinion, Io, but if you're so frustrated that you're planning to quit the game, just kill Ornstein first, as big Smough is much easier (especially with pyromancy). At least you can progress and keep enjoying the game.

FWIW, the easiest way to fight the two of them at the same time is to constantly move in clockwise or counter-clockwise circles around the room, trying to keep the columns between you and the enemies and striking when you get a chance. At least, if you're killing Ornstein first that's the easiest way.
 
Oh the humanity!
260px-Hindenburg_burning.jpg


Most people already know that the bottom of the Tomb of Giants where the baby skeletons spawn is a good farming spot for humanity, but I just tried it last night and it was so much better than I ever expected! In roughly 30 minutes, I got 29 humanity and about 80,000 souls. That's without any soft humanity, just the gold serpent ring (300 item discovery). I also missed grabbing sveral humanity, so it would have been more like 35 at least if I had been a little faster.

Tips I learned (might be obvious but hopefully this will help someone):

1. Wear heavy armor, over 50% is fine. You don't need to move fast but you do need plenty of poise. If they start hitting you and you can't swing your weapon, you can die fast (from damage plus toxic status).

2. Wear the gold serpent ring (duh) and the ring of the evil eye. The evil eye ring keeps you from having to heal since you will get hit by the mobs, but you'll get plenty of HP back.

3. Use a weapon that swings horizontally with R1 and has nice range. I was using a claymore (Divine +8 as it happens).

4. Grab the humanity as soon as you think you see any kind of item glow, because it disappears super-fast. I just stayed in the water and would swing the weapon (hopefully hitting 3-5 skellies at once), then rush over to where they were dying and spam the X button. Then repeat.
 
Found this trick for cooping with friends on the gamespot boards but the same principle should work if you are having difficulty finding anyone to summon in your current area.

1.)Pick an out of the way location for your friend(s) to place their white soapstone (and keep it there).
2.)As the host, journey to that location and see if the sign is there
3.)If not, the hosts puts down their white soapstone (which ejects them from their current lobby) and immediately pulls it back up (which causes the game to connect to another lobby).
4.)After waiting about 1 minute if their soul sign does not appear repeat step 3 until it does or you find other players to summon.
 
[quote name='io']Lightning spear is pretty good for most enemies. But, as stated before, it isn't so great for Ornstein. So I managed to get in there with Solaire (playing offline for the most part - more on that later). I have little trouble taking out Smough and even getting Ornstein down to about half (using mostly pyromancy). I just can't get past that point. Any weapon I have seems to do miniscule damage. Well, I tried the lightning spear at first, then switched to Astoria's sword (leveled to +4 I believe). I just can't get enough damage done and Solaire doesn't last long once Ornstein transforms. See, that's what I didn't understand about the order of the boss fight here (I didn't realize they changed half way through). I take it giant Ornstein is a pain in the ass in NG+ as he is one in the regular game. If I had the ability to switch to a bow without having to go into inventory I might be able to handle him. But I just can't get there.

I was rapidly running out of humanity, not to mention clearing out the Great Hall is a huge pain every time to summon Solaire (if you solo it you can just run past all those guys and through the fog).

So I tried seeing if I could get another human player in there. I saw NO summon signs anywhere the whole way between the bonfire (where Solaire sits) and the great hall, right up to the fog door. So I went in yet again with Solaire. I did that 4 or 5 times. Then, on my last attempt while still seeing no summon signs, I get fucking invaded :bomb:. I actually handled the guy pretty well (fight lasted about 2-3 minutes) but yet again, got backstabbed in the face. That shit really needs to be fixed or taken out. So this fucking griefer wasted yet another of my humanity. I'm actually going to resort to waiting 24 hours and downloading my PS+ save since I lost so much of it. Then I really don't know what I'm going to do. I guess maybe playing a bit earlier in the day I might get more summon chances. But since that means 2 days off (can't download till 3am on the 11th - odd that it is set from when I quit playing and not from when I uploaded my last pre-boss save a few hours earlier) I might actually start to lose interest in this game as I'll probably start Uncharted 3 and maybe move on to Skyrim. Too bad...[/QUOTE]

Your problem is you're relying on the lightning spear. I already platinumed the game, the lightning spear is good when you first get it but rapidly loses it's effectiveness.

Most people leave their summon signs after the elevator that is after the first bonfire in Anor Londo. That's where I would leave mine when I was looking to help people.

[quote name='Backlash']Oh the humanity!

Most people already know that the bottom of the Tomb of Giants where the baby skeletons spawn is a good farming spot for humanity, but I just tried it last night and it was so much better than I ever expected! In roughly 30 minutes, I got 29 humanity and about 80,000 souls. That's without any soft humanity, just the gold serpent ring (300 item discovery). I also missed grabbing sveral humanity, so it would have been more like 35 at least if I had been a little faster.

Tips I learned (might be obvious but hopefully this will help someone):

1. Wear heavy armor, over 50% is fine. You don't need to move fast but you do need plenty of poise. If they start hitting you and you can't swing your weapon, you can die fast (from damage plus toxic status).

2. Wear the gold serpent ring (duh) and the ring of the evil eye. The evil eye ring keeps you from having to heal since you will get hit by the mobs, but you'll get plenty of HP back.

3. Use a weapon that swings horizontally with R1 and has nice range. I was using a claymore (Divine +8 as it happens).

4. Grab the humanity as soon as you think you see any kind of item glow, because it disappears super-fast. I just stayed in the water and would swing the weapon (hopefully hitting 3-5 skellies at once), then rush over to where they were dying and spam the X button. Then repeat.[/QUOTE]

Or you can just go to where the water meets the ground, run out and run back. That spawns 5-6 skeletons, which cuts down on the chances of you getting swarmed and mauled to death and the chances of the humanity disappearing (since it disappears when new babies spawn).
 
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[quote name='IRHari']How are you fighting giant Ornstein? You need to get right under him the entire fight. WHen he attacks, roll INTO him and he should whiff every attack. While he's lagging get a few hits in and repeat.

Make sure you watch out for his shocking butt stomp, he does it every now and then and you need to run away from him.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, see, I was staying away because of the butt stomp. Then I would try to run in and hit him. But like I said, no weapon I have will hurt him very much so it would take a long time and his lunging shot gets me eventually. I mean, I can dodge it several times, but he gets me even when I'm rolling, which is annoying. So maybe I need to spend more time up close.

[quote name='guardian_owl']You are only ever going to find summon signs at that bonfire with Solitaire in that area though the best place to be looking for signs is not there, but to open the big door by turning the lever in the front of the chamber, retreat to the beginning of the level and latch onto that bonfire, and look for summon signs back at the start of the bridge with the first gargoyle of the level (at the base of the elevator). It is popular because it lessens the chance that you will be summoned and then have to fight through all of upper Anor Londo before the boss fight.[/QUOTE]

Well, when I first went in to the bonfire with Solaire and kindled it I saw a few summon signs right by that so I expected more - they just weren't there last night. But then again I was playing at 3am Pacific on a Tuesday night so that could be as much a factor as anything. It would make more sense for there to be some by the fog gate as that's where they have been for most other bosses. That way the host can clear out that Great Hall and just summon when needed for the boss fight. It makes no sense to me to put them way back at the beginning of the level because that means all that distance to travel plus the bat demons and all that crap. It is much easier to fight the 2 silver knights from the Solaire bonfire (you can run past the third). Then you are in the great hall. Though I suppose I can check back at the beginning - I just hate getting invaded while I'm still looking for signs and dealing with the normal enemies along the way.

[quote name='gettinmoney662']Your problem is you're relying on the lightning spear. I already platinumed the game, the lightning spear is good when you first get it but rapidly loses it's effectiveness.

Most people leave their summon signs after the elevator that is after the first bonfire in Anor Londo. That's where I would leave mine when I was looking to help people.[/QUOTE]

Again, makes no sense to me but I'll look there. It seems you'd be in the room with Solaire during normal progression to the boss and that's where you'd base your final attack from. I opened the big door but saw no reason to backtrack all the way down to that elevator.

As for the lightning spear, well, I just fucking got it, so it's not like I've depended on it for a long time. I mean, I got it at Sen's, did Painted World, and now Anor Londo. One of the other walkthrough's I read said it would be your weapon of choice for most of the rest of the game and I tend to agree for most enemies. Maybe I'll try Drake sword on Ornstein next time. I don't have any of this other shit you people keep talking about because I don't have the embers for fire, divine, etc - haven't gotten to those yet! Though maybe I can do the Quelaag Fury sword thing and try that out. Problem is, no way will I have any banked humanity to raise its attack - is it still worth using without that?
 
[quote name='io']Again, makes no sense to me but I'll look there. It seems you'd be in the room with Solaire during normal progression to the boss and that's where you'd base your final attack from. I opened the big door but saw no reason to backtrack all the way down to that elevator.

As for the lightning spear, well, I just fucking got it, so it's not like I've depended on it for a long time. I mean, I got it at Sen's, did Painted World, and now Anor Londo. One of the other walkthrough's I read said it would be your weapon of choice for most of the rest of the game and I tend to agree for most enemies. Maybe I'll try Drake sword on Ornstein next time. I don't have any of this other shit you people keep talking about because I don't have the embers for fire, divine, etc - haven't gotten to those yet![/QUOTE]

Because once you've unlocked all the shortcuts, all you have to do is run straight from the bonfire to get to the boss. There are only four enemies in the way. Plus, that bonfire starts with +10 Estus flasks and you can teleport to it.

The Drake Sword might be better on Ornstein just because he's resistant to lightning but the giant blacksmith near S&O can upgrade weapons to lightning without an ember. Get your preferred type of weapon and raise it to +10 and then raise it to lightning.

S&O are extremely hard solo. I have yet to do it and I melee soloed all of Demon's Souls and every other boss in Dark Souls. Getting actual players to help you will make a world of difference.
 
[quote name='gettinmoney662']Because once you've unlocked all the shortcuts, all you have to do is run straight from the bonfire to get to the boss. There are only four enemies in the way. Plus, that bonfire starts with +10 Estus flasks and you can teleport to it.

The Drake Sword might be better on Ornstein just because he's resistant to lightning but the giant blacksmith near S&O can upgrade weapons to lightning without an ember. Get your preferred type of weapon and raise it to +10 and then raise it to lightning.

S&O are extremely hard solo. I have yet to do it and I melee soloed all of Demon's Souls and every other boss in Dark Souls. Getting actual players to help you will make a world of difference.[/QUOTE]

OK, I'll go back there and see what I can find. It seems further to me and teleporting makes no sense because the host, at that point, doesn't have the lordvessel for teleporting (but maybe you mean the people helping). I guess you can just run past all giant knights in the Hall - or do you generally take those out? I'd like to summon one person and then get Solaire but to do that you would definitely need to clear out the great hall. My method for doing that has been poison arrows from the stairs above and waiting for them to die. I don't want to engage them because I want to save my pyro and estus for the boss (and yeah, I kindle every bonfire I get to so I don't even think about which ones start at 10 vs 5). Then again, I probably don't need Solaire, really. I have 7 sunlight medals already and would get another from this fight (since I'm in sunlight covenant). I just want to be sure my summon partners take out Smough first.
 
[quote name='io']OK, I'll go back there and see what I can find. It seems further to me and teleporting makes no sense because the host, at that point, doesn't have the lordvessel for teleporting (but maybe you mean the people helping). I guess you can just run past all giant knights in the Hall - or do you generally take those out? I'd like to summon one person and then get Solaire but to do that you would definitely need to clear out the great hall. My method for doing that has been poison arrows from the stairs above and waiting for them to die. I don't want to engage them because I want to save my pyro and estus for the boss (and yeah, I kindle every bonfire I get to so I don't even think about which ones start at 10 vs 5). Then again, I probably don't need Solaire, really. I have 7 sunlight medals already and would get another from this fight (since I'm in sunlight covenant). I just want to be sure my summon partners take out Smough first.[/QUOTE]

I did mean the people helping. I generally take them out. Lock on and strafe to the right, wait for them to do shield bash, attack them while the shield is down, repeat. Also, what level are you? That plays a huge role.

As for taking out Smough first, just message the phantom when you summon him. He's the easier one to take out of the two first so you shouldn't have a problem, but you can keep the black crystal in one of your slots just in case.
 
Lightning spear is a fine weapon for quite awhile, even past Anor Londo, unless you're maybe a strength-focused character. I made the Quelaag Fury Sword just for the S&O fight once I figured Ornstein was lightning resistant, but in the end I still found it easier to kill them with the Lightning Spear. (I ended up meleeing them solo; it can be done, but I definitely raged several times and it was a looooong fight).

Then after that fight I used the Fury Sword all through Duke's Archives and New Londo and Tomb of the Giants. So it's nice but I don't think it's going to be the silver bullet for S&O.

Edit: I later jumped my Int from 16 to 32, so I'm now using a Magic +10 Uchi, which I like pretty well. But I'm about to make a Lightning Bastard Sword, I think. It's like a Claymore except slightly faster, maybe a little less range, and no thrust move. But it only cost 3000 from Andrei and only takes 16 strength to use one-handed.
 
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So what I'm gathering from all of this is that maybe this is the toughest boss fight in the whole game? It seems that every other time I mentioned having trouble with a boss people said they were easy - but not this time ;).

Or is there an even harder one I have to look forward to?
 
I think it's been the hardest one so far for me, though to be fair I used Homing Cyrstal Soulmass and had a phantom helper for 4 Kings.

Stray Demon caused me almost as much rage, but the fight ended way more quickly and was right next to the bonfire, so it wasn't as bad. When I'd fight S&O it would take longer to get to the fight, and then I'd fight them for like 10-15 mins before dying. Ugh.
 
4 Kings is the hardest, IMO. It'll be even harder when the new patch comes out, since they're nerfing Crystal mass as well as Iron Flesh.

Most of the 'hard' bosses in this game are only hard because From got lazy and just decided to throw multiple enemies at you simultaneously.

In Demon's Souls I thought Penetrator was the hardest.
 
Yeah, like I said earlier, I don't remember any bosses in Demon's Souls being as hard as 3 or 4 I've seen so far in this game. I don't even really remember any particular boss fights from Demon's Souls.
 
Nah, hardest was either Maneater (because of the double team), Flamelurker (really hard to cheese that fight) or False King Allant.

But ya, often I'll go off, do my thing, then when I want to do some Coop I warp to Ando and put my sign down at the start of the bridge. Then you just have to run between the two giants outside and to the left of the two in the hall and enter the fog gate.

Mainly the only people you will run into at the solitaire fire are people who haven't beaten the bosses yet because otherwise to get to that bonfire afterwards you have to backtrack either through 5 mini-gargoyles and the 2 arrow firing silver knights, or 3 giants and 3 melee silver knights. Coming from the first bonfire it's just the elevator and no enemies.
 
i take this from my EQ/wow days; if i find stuff to hard its time to level up and farm/upgrade better gear/spells

also for some reason some of the stuff that people have trouble on wasnt that bad for me. i got 4 kings on my 2nd try by just burning it and i think got through the archer part in lando on my 1st try, just speared em really fast. but stuff like the curses in the depths, them dou bosses, cutting off seths tail, sens and brighttown really owned me :)
 
Yeah, but this is a game where you really can't level your way out of hard spots - it never really gets all that much easier unless you really overdo it (like 40-50 levels). You need to find the right strategy. I have no doubt that with 2 human summons Ornstein and Smough will be fairly easy. It is just tough when they focus on you or you and Solaire (who always gets his weak ass killed when I summon him). I mean, with Solaire I can always get to the second form. By myself I can't even get that far. With a third person I think it will be pretty easy - I'll find out shortly, hopefully. I think I'll try it once or twice tonight and if I make it I'll just keep that save, even though I will have burned through 7 or 8 humanity items since my last PS+ backup. I got 5 from Lautrec so I still have some left. If not, for some reason (griefing invader or just lousy summon partners which has happened to me before) I'll go back to that save and try it again in a few days.

I think my level is way high enough. I mean, I found nearly all of the Painted World very easy (just a little difficulty with the crow demons and haven't gotten one drop from them yet) and most of Anor Londo too, up to the point of the boss fight (I used poison arrows on the archers - no problem). Xanthous (the NPC invader) in Ariamis went down in a couple of hits (this after I read how careful you have to be because of his pyro attacks - he never got one off on me), and Lautrec was cake when I invaded him in the Great Hall. I think the regular parts and these "side" missions are relatively easy because I am already over-leveled. I am around 65 right now. But the thing is, being 55 or 75 I don't think would make too much difference on those two bosses.
 
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[quote name='IRHari']4 Kings is the hardest, IMO. It'll be even harder when the new patch comes out, since they're nerfing Crystal mass as well as Iron Flesh.

Most of the 'hard' bosses in this game are only hard because From got lazy and just decided to throw multiple enemies at you simultaneously.

In Demon's Souls I thought Penetrator was the hardest.[/QUOTE]

Eh, 4 Kings isn't too bad if you have a high DPS. I didn't use Iron Flesh or any spells. Wear heavy armor with high poise (I wore Havel's set), double hand your sword with the Grass Crest Shield on your back, eat a Green Blossom, and attack as fast as possible. If you can't kill one before the next shows up, then you need a better weapon. I think I used my +5 Lightning Uchigatana.

I was even able to beat them on NG+ by myself, which I didn't think was gonna happen, although I ended up using the Crystal Ring Shield at the very end just to get it over with since more were spawning and there wasn't much health left.
 
Well, I went back to the first Anor Londo bonfire and revived. I went all the way up to the entrance to the Great Hall and no summon signs. WTF!? So I went back to the bonfire, quit and reloaded. Then when I went down the elevator there were 2 there. One disappeared but then another showed.

With these 2 guys we wiped the floor with Smough and Ornstein - easy as pie. Of course it helped that I had had so much practice at them so I knew what to do and when. I messaged them first (while they were off killing the big knights ;)) about Smough and it worked out well. No sunlight medal - I guess you don't get one if you are in the covenant but are the host.

Then (after getting the Lordvessel) I went back, cleared the Great Hall, and left my summon sign right on the steps leading up to the boss battle - which is where I would have expected to find them but didn't yesterday. The advantage to leaving it there is that you can go all the way to the bonfire (where Solaire is) and even rest there and your summon sign stays. So you can go farm silver knights while waiting to get summoned. On the bridge you can't go anywhere or it disappears. I got summoned in just a few minutes from that spot on the final stairs. This fight was a little tougher, though. We got rid of Smough and the other summon ended up getting killed. The host was using lightning spear like me (and gold-hemmed armor) so we couldn't hit that hard. It took us a while to take down giant Ornstein but he is so much easier when one person can distract him while the other attacks. The only problem I had was that I was down to a sliver of health and apparently the host didn't notice or wasn't aware that he could use the Estus to give me health. So for the last couple of minutes I stayed way back and only came in when I had a clear shot. It wouldn't do either of us any good if I died (no sunlight medal and he'd have to fight by himself anyway). So I just tried to distract without getting hit.

When I summoned I noticed both the guys were hurt by the giant knights so I used an Estus before we even went into the fog - gave them both full health for the boss fight. And I made sure to chug Estus wheenever I noticed one of them losing health. Though we were so quick I only had to do that once or twice.

So now I can move on at least. I guess I'll go do the Hydra so I can get the light spell. I need that for the Catacombs, right? I also couldn't make Quelaag's fury (or I would have used that on Ornstein) because apparently I didn't have what I needed. I had bumped several weapons up to +5 but the Giant Blacksmith won't go to +10 which I guess is what I need for that sword (using a scimitar). (Edit: Got Quelaag's Fury Sword as well as the one from Priscilla now).
 
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[quote name='io']Well, I went back to the first Anor Londo bonfire and revived. I went all the way up to the entrance to the Great Hall and no summon signs. WTF!? So I went back to the bonfire, quit and reloaded. Then when I went down the elevator there were 2 there. One disappeared but then another showed.

With these 2 guys we wiped the floor with Smough and Ornstein - easy as pie. Of course it helped that I had had so much practice at them so I knew what to do and when. I messaged them first (while they were off killing the big knights ;)) about Smough and it worked out well. No sunlight medal - I guess you don't get one if you are in the covenant but are the host.

Then (after getting the Lordvessel) I went back, cleared the Great Hall, and left my summon sign right on the steps leading up to the boss battle - which is where I would have expected to find them but didn't yesterday. I got summoned in just a few minutes. This fight was a little tougher. We got rid of Smough and the other summon ended up getting killed. The host was using lightning spear like me (and gold-hemmed armor). It took us a while to take down giant Ornstein but he is so much easier when one person can distract him while the other attacks. The only problem I had was that I was down to a sliver of health and apparently the host didn't notice or know that when he used the Estus it gives me health. So for the last couple of minutes I stayed way back and only came in when I had a clear shot. It wouldn't do either of us any good if I died (no sunlight medal and he'd have to fight by himself anyway). So I just tried to distract without getting hit.

When I summoned I noticed both the guys were hurt by the giant knights so I used an Estus before we even went into the fog - gave them both full health for the boss fight. And I made sure to chug Estus wheenever I noticed one of them losing health. Though we were so quick I only had to do that once or twice.

So now I can move on at least. I guess I'll go do the Hydra so I can get the light spell. I need that for the Catacombs, right? I also couldn't make Quelaag's fury (or I would have used that on Ornstein) because apparently I didn't have what I needed. I had bumped several weapons up to +5 but the Giant Blacksmith won't go to +10 which I guess is what I need for that sword (using a scimitar).[/QUOTE]

Ehhh, it's better if you die than if the host dies. If the host dies, it's like you die anyways. Only Andre will take weapons to +6.
 
^^ Right, but the host was doing fine (I was watching his health bar) and if I went in there with my sliver and got killed neither of us gets a sunlight medal and he'd be fighting on his own anyway. I think I did decently by staying back and drawing Ornstein's attention every so often and then hitting him a few times when I could.

OK, different topic... Apparently I have had a trophy glitch. I was comparing trophies with some of the people I have played with to see if they are much further along and I noticed one glaring difference. I do not have the "Anor Londo" trophy. So I thought maybe it only happened if you did something else.

But... no...

Arrive in Anor Londo.

After ringing both bells you'll view a cutscene where the big doors next to the Undead Parish Blacksmith will open, allowing you entrance to the trap-filled Sen's Fortress. This is the way to go to advance the story and eventually acquire the Lordvessel.

Push your way through this dungeon and at the very top you'll face the Iron Golem boss fight. After defeating him you'll spot an orange ring in the area he was at, touch that ring and you'll be taken to past the big walls on the very top of the mountain, to the enormous city of Anor Londo, unlocking the trophy by doing so.
Click to expand...

OK, so clearly I did this - in fact I went back and forth (via gargoyle/ring of light) a few times - no Anor Londo trophy. WTF!?

Edit: Checked out ps3trophies and it seems that this is a glitch that has happened to a few people. You'd think this would have been fixed by one of the earlier patches, but OK... So, it looks like I will have to get it in NG+. I'll make sure to backup my save to PS+ right before fighting the Iron Golem next time, then go right through to Anor Londo. I might have gone back to the bonfire and hung out and helped as a summon before I went through - maybe that screwed something up?
 
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You need Cast Light for Tomb of the Giants, not the Catacombs. And you are a way higher level than I was at that point, so the Catacombs and Duke's Archives will probably be super-easy for you.

I summoned helper(s) for 4 Kings, Inferno Demon, and Giant Centipede, and beat them all on the first try. It's just sooooo much easier with multiple people. I did some damage (often via homing soulmass) , but really I mostly watched health bars and chugged estus. I wish I had done that on earlier bosses and saved myself frustration. I was just afraid that I would waste the humanity by either not finding helpers, or (more likely in my mind) dying on the boss anyway.
 
On a separate note, I have a question for anyone who has finished Siegmeyer's storyline:

I am in Lost Izalith, ready to fall through the floor and help him. I really want that titanite slab so I don't want to screw this up, and I know he has to survive the fight with > 50% health. I read somewhere that you can snipe most of the enemies through the hole before you talk to him and he jumps down. However, the guide says that if you "engage the enemy" before talking to him, then his story ends and you don't get the slab from him in Ash Lake. Any advice here? Can I snipe the enemies through the hole before talking to him?
 
Snipe 2 out of the 3 then jump in

There are 3 that matter then a 4th off to the side. I killed the 3, thinking he would fight the 4th but nope. Only take out 2, injure the 3rd then jump in with him. That worked for me on NG+ but who knows with how fickle this game can be regarding NPCs
 
Great, thanks! I'll probably try it out tonight or tomorrow night. (It's tough being at work all day on a computer where I can discuss the game and think about the game but I can only play it for a couple of hours each night, and tonight my college is playing a big game on Thurs night football on ESPN so I'll probably watch that instead.)
 
I had the same problem. Once I achieved everything I set out to, I traded it in just to remove temptation. It consumed me too much, yet I still post about it all damn day lol
 
[quote name='Backlash']You need Cast Light for Tomb of the Giants, not the Catacombs. And you are a way higher level than I was at that point, so the Catacombs and Duke's Archives will probably be super-easy for you.

I summoned helper(s) for 4 Kings, Inferno Demon, and Giant Centipede, and beat them all on the first try. It's just sooooo much easier with multiple people. I did some damage (often via homing soulmass) , but really I mostly watched health bars and chugged estus. I wish I had done that on earlier bosses and saved myself frustration. I was just afraid that I would waste the humanity by either not finding helpers, or (more likely in my mind) dying on the boss anyway.[/QUOTE]
When you summoned those people, where were their soul signs?
Right in front of the fog door?
 
For 4 kings they were before the first bridge at the very start of New Londo, for Inferno it was by the bonfire down there, and for Centipede it was by the bonfire before that boss. I also successfully put down my soul sign in those spots and got summoned to help.

BTW, for S&O, I always started my runs to the boss from the Solaire bonfire, because you could fight just one silver knight and run past all other enemies pretty quickly. I found it faster than using the other fires. On the other hand, I never got summoned from there, so summoning others does seem to work better from inside the great hall.
 
[quote name='jacknicklson']Snipe 2 out of the 3 then jump in

There are 3 that matter then a 4th off to the side. I killed the 3, thinking he would fight the 4th but nope. Only take out 2, injure the 3rd then jump in with him. That worked for me on NG+ but who knows with how fickle this game can be regarding NPCs[/QUOTE]
Lol, I didn't know that. Thanks a lot useless guide. I got super lucky and managed to dodge getting eaten while making sure none of them got off an attack on him. That trick would have made it so damn easy and no risk involved. If either of you get eaten, it's over for sure.

That should be added to my guide for sure, IO.
 
Anyone have any advice for the Tomb of Giants? Those &#% giant skeletons are killing me. I'm at level 62+, and I just can't do hardly any damage to them. I know I need a new weapon, but I just don't know what to get. The last thing I was able to do last night was get into that room with 5 of those b@stards, and I couldn't snipe them or hardly hit them with magic. I ended up falling off the wall, then running and grabbing that Divine Ember, then I died.
 
Strong pyromancy works well against them; I used Great Combustion and Great Fireball. I also recommend using heavy armor and a shield with lots of stability. I usually try to stay under 25% for fast rolling, but down there you don't need that, so try equipping Havel's Ring and using heavier stuff. You'll need lots of stability and stamina to block the attacks of later enemies down there (don't want to give away any fun surprises ;) ) I think I was using Quelaag's Fury Sword against them, btw. It was ok, not awesome.

For the room with 5 of them - I died multiple times until I was able to run and jump over the first gap (where the ladder is) and walk around until they were all aggro'ed. Then I cast great fireball down into the pit until 4 of them were dead. I guess you don't need to go back in there now, though.
 
[quote name='jh6269']Anyone have any advice for the Tomb of Giants? Those &#% giant skeletons are killing me. I'm at level 62+, and I just can't do hardly any damage to them. I know I need a new weapon, but I just don't know what to get. The last thing I was able to do last night was get into that room with 5 of those b@stards, and I couldn't snipe them or hardly hit them with magic. I ended up falling off the wall, then running and grabbing that Divine Ember, then I died.[/QUOTE]

Chaos or Fire claymore is what I used. Such a great weapon
 
[quote name='Backlash']Strong pyromancy works well against them; I used Great Combustion and Great Fireball. I also recommend using heavy armor and a shield with lots of stability. I usually try to stay under 25% for fast rolling, but down there you don't need that, so try equipping Havel's Ring and using heavier stuff. You'll need lots of stability and stamina to block the attacks of later enemies down there (don't want to give away any fun surprises ;) ) I think I was using Quelaag's Fury Sword against them, btw. It was ok, not awesome.

For the room with 5 of them - I died multiple times until I was able to run and jump over the first gap (where the ladder is) and walk around until they were all aggro'ed. Then I cast great fireball down into the pit until 4 of them were dead. I guess you don't need to go back in there now, though.[/QUOTE]

Argh. I killed the Pyromancer, so I'm screwed on that front (can't upgrade my pyromancy flame). I need to find a place to farm humanity so I can give it to the spider lady and get that Chaos Storm spell; maybe that will help. There were a couple more treasures down there that I want to go back and get.
 
[quote name='jacknicklson']if you havent defeated the Bed of Chaos you can find Quelanna in the swamp, she will upgrade your glove. So does the egghead servant[/QUOTE]

Ok. The Wiki is very unclear when and how she shows up. I have the Gold-hemmed gear, so that appears to be one of the requirements. I'll go check after I figure out how to get out of the Catacombs.
 
Is BlightTown as bad as it gets?

I beat Demon Souls, and remember how much I hated 5-x. Is BlightTown the equivilant? The framerate is brutal too. I am at the first bonfire in Blight Town. I have co-oped about 20 times, still haven't beaten the level. Not going to go anyfurther on my own until I see what the end is like in co-op, but I am getting a little bored/frustrated with the level. The only good thing is that I have gone up about 3-4 levels grinding out co-op. I wish there were more giant guys around that bonfire, as the face-eaters and dogs are shite to fight, the giants are fun to backstab.
 
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