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I wish we could have gotten a glimpse of the Great Swamp in one of the games. From what all the pyromancers say about it, it's the one place that will still be alive when everything else dies.
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Jul 22, 2016 21:52
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wiegieman posted:I wish we could have gotten a glimpse of the Great Swamp in one of the games. From what all the pyromancers say about it, it's the one place that will still be alive when everything else dies.  But more seriously, it sounds like one of those places in the legends of Souls games like Forossa or Carim. It's a point of origin, but not the focus of the game.
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Jul 22, 2016 21:57
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Wasn't it mentioned somewhere that Lucatiel was the only girl born into a family of knights or something? I'm sure I vaguely recall hearing a reason as to why she wore masculine clothing and a mask with a male face on it.
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Jul 22, 2016 22:01
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anilEhilated posted:I think it's a gentleman's mask as in a "mask of a gentleman". IIRC, it's a man's face. That makes a surprising amount of sense. But it didn't occur to me. The wording made it seem like the mask belonged to a man. I think the corpse we take her armor set from is male at least.
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Jul 23, 2016 12:47
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Getting the Mask by trading a Vertebra Shackle is important, too. The shackles come from deep in the root network that exists below the tree. And yeah, the mask is a man's face complete with mustache, and the armor set offers a simple front with no indication of breasts. Lucatiel, like many warrior women throughout history, was disguised as a man.
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Jul 26, 2016 18:37
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gbuchold posted:Getting the Mask by trading a Vertebra Shackle is important, too. The shackles come from deep in the root network that exists below the tree. That's possible, but I always figured it was simply to hide her decaying features - she was hollowing, after all. It's not like anything like visible swells for breasts are necessary for armor, and in fact they can be structural weaknesses in a cuirass.
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Jul 27, 2016 04:01
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"Forsooth, my tit fell off!" Sorry.
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Jul 27, 2016 09:39
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anilEhilated posted:"Forsooth, my tit fell off!"
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Jul 27, 2016 09:47
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Jetrauben posted:That's possible, but I always figured it was simply to hide her decaying features - she was hollowing, after all. It's not like anything like visible swells for breasts are necessary for armor, and in fact they can be structural weaknesses in a cuirass.
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Jul 28, 2016 23:22
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   I released Episode B earlier, when I didn't know how much damage was done to my project files after my old computer had died! This is the part where I would have released it properly! It covers the Undead Settlement in under 20 minutes, that is WITH some of the optional stuff. Maiden Astraea and Garl Vinland Demon's Souls is probably the Souls game that the least people have played. It was the first, after all, and more of a sleeper hit with a cult following than the other Souls games which were critically acclaimed and very popular. So many probably don't know about Astraea, though, there's at least one reference to this boss fight in every Souls game after Demon's Souls. Astraea is found at the end of what's probably the vilest area you've seen in any of the Souls games. Blighttown is sunshine and rainbows by comparison. You have to battle through a blood filled swamp with some devious enemy placement, near the end you find a shantytown, the sound of flies buzzing about fills your ears the entire time. There's a strong sence of dread building due to the combination of audio and visuals, and you can't help but wonder what's ahead. Because your job is to kill the Archdemon who hides in here and take their Demon's Soul. Naturally, you're expecting the most horrible monstrosity as you enter Astraea's Lair. The entire area and the following boss fights are one of my favorite sequences in games. It's best you see for yourself (Yeah, this is a video link, click it!) Maiden Astraea is worshiped as a christ-like figure in the middle of this swamp. She is a saint turned demon, a human who supposedly lost faith down in this dark place and embraced demonhood, but kept her appearance and her sanity. She used her powers as a demon to ease the suffering of those residing in the Valley of Defilement. There's some old merchant lady who claims Astraea made things worse, but I'm not sure I believe her. Another NPC we can find the the Valley is Selena Vinland, Garl Vinland's Sister, who came to find her brother and Astraea. Selena describes the place as "strangely pure" despite being filled with all manners of grossness. Garl Vinland is Maiden Astraea's last surviving Knight, it's made clear that neither Astraea nor Garl want to harm you. Entering the boss arena you are asked nicely to leave. Once you approach Garl you are again asked to turn back and leave them be. He will not even attack you unless you step very close to him, and he won't properly aggro and pursue you until you take off a significant amount of his health. You can also attack Astraea from a range with a bow and she will desperately ask you to stop. Once Garl is dead Astraea willingly hands over her Demon's Soul by committing suicide, but not without disdain for you in her voice. It's one of those moments in games that just make you go "Am I really the good guy?". It's executed really well and comes almost completely unexpected. To the best of my knowledge you could just ignore the Valley of Defilement entirely, because to enter the last stretch of the game all you need to do is kill one of four Archdemons, Astraea being one of them. Though, on my playthroughs I always killed all the archdemons, so I don't know if there's something else that prevents you from going on at the end if you haven't killed them all. I mentioned earlier that Dark Souls I, II and III each referenced Astraea and Garl Vinland in some fashion, so let's go over it real quick.     In Dark Souls I we had Rhea of Thorolund, who looked very similar to Astraea, and assumed a similar sitting pose when found at the bottom of the Tomb of the Giants. Meanwhile, Paladin Leeroy looked somewhat similar to Garl Vinland, particularly the fact that he wielded a huge mace. But those are only visual similarities, the characters don't even have anything to do with each other, aside from showing up in the same location.  In Dark Souls II Velstadt, the Royal Aegis, looked a lot like Garl Vinland, though, he took more after Paladin Leeroy. Very similar helmet, huge-rear end mace. There's no Maiden Astraea Lookalike that I can think of off the top of my head, though.   Dark Souls III has Irina and Eygon While they fulfill different roles again, this time they are linked together and very much meant to remind us of Maiden Astraea and Garl Vinland, the two pieces to one of the most powerful moments in a Souls game. Their relationship to each other seems much different than Garl's and Astraea's. Eygon cares for Irina, but seems to have given up on her. He's also in some way supposed to remind us of Lautrec from Dark Souls, being kind of a shady guy who may or may not do something you'll regret not killing him for at some point.  The below list also contains items covered in the Curse-rotted Greatwood update, in fact, those will be first. Transposing Kiln An old transposing kiln from Courland, crafted with stitched crystal lizard hide Give to Ludleth, Lord of Cinder to conduct soul transposition. This kiln can transpose twisted souls to craft special items with their concentrated essence. Deemed forbidden by those unable to make proper use of it. Soul of the Rotted Greatwood Soul of the Curse-rotted Greatwood. One of the twisted souls, steeped in strength. Use to acquire many souls, or transpose to extract its true strength. Ever since its establishment, all manner of curses have managed to seep into the Undead Settlement. The worst of them were sealed away inside a spirit tree, but eventually the curses took their toll. Hollowslayer Geatsword Dark Souls III: Greatsword used for a lifetime by a masked knight. Harbors the fears that lurk within the mind of Hollows, and is particularly effective against them. Bestowed to a proper Mirrah knight long ago. Two-hand to execute special sword techniques. Skill: Stance - While in stance, use normal attack to break a foe’s guard from below, and strong attack to slash upwards with a forward lunge. Dark Souls II (Mirrah Greatsword): Greatsword issued to the proud knights of Mirrah's official order. This one was wielded by Lucatiel. This greatsword demands advanced skill in a rare and unique sword technique. A tiny message is inscribed on the blade, a promise to someone special. Note: That someone special in the Dark Souls II description supposedly is Alsatiel of Mirrah, Lucatiels Brother. Lucatiel was a Dark Souls II character whose arc revolved around the process of her going hollow and losing her identity ever so slowly as well as the angst that comes with losing ones mind while staying just sane enough for long enough to notice it. It ends with her demanding of the Player to remember her name. Alsatiel is an NPC invader who appears in the area that follows that event Arstor's Spear One of the curses that festered within the belly of the Greatwood, and a terrible weapon favored by Earl Arstor the Impaler. The spear is enwreathed in rotten, heavily poisonous meat. Defeating foes restores HP. Skill: Shield Splitter - Take a large step forward and make a single focused thrust to puncture enemy shields and inflict damage. Young White Branch A young white branch. Use to transform into something which blends into the surroundings. Little Dusk's first sorcerer's staff eventually became a seedling, and then three white birch saplings. The young branch is said to still contain echos of little Dusk's capriciousness. Young White Branch (gift from the Giant) Branch of a young white birch received from a giant, apparently as a token of friendship. Become something that blends in to the surroundings. Consumed with use. "Good friend, no hit. Note: The Young White Branch is a different entry in your item list, though, it is also just called a young white branch. The description is different. It's best not to use the one you get from the giant, because he will attack you again if you don't have it in your inventory. Siegbräu Special brew of Siegward of Catarina. Perfect for travel in its jolly barrel mug. Restores HP and temporarily boosts frost resistance. Leave it to Siegward to discover a drink that even an Undead can enjoy. Perhaps his long years spent Undead have left him wanting to drain a cup or two and revel as if he were still among the living. Undead Bone Shard Dark Souls III: Undead bones that yet burn. Cast it into the shrine bonfire to boost the recovery provided by the Estus Flask. The bonfire's cinders are the bones of Undead, and a bone that still burns is a fresh cinder indeed. Before feeding upon death, one must first pray to it. Dark Souls II: (Called Sublime Bone Dust, but has the same purpose) Charred, ashen bones. Cast them into the Far Fire in Majula to increase the HP restored with each use of your flask. They say these are the remains of a saint who cast himself into the bonfire. But we will never know for sure, for soot and ashes tell no story. Irithyll Straight Sword] Straight sword bestowed upon the Outrider Knights of the Boreal Valley. This weapon is enshrouded in frost, and causes frostbite. Every Outrider Knight one day devolves into a beast, constantly hounded by Pontiff Sulyvahn's black eyes. Skill: Stance - While in stance, use normal attack to break a foe's guard from below, and strong attack to slash upwards with a forward lunge. Plank Shield Makeshift shield cobbled together from wooden planks. Provides minimal protection, and at the cost of moderate humiliation. Skill: Shield Bash - Without lowering your guard, strike the enemy with the shield to knock them back or stagger them. Works while equipped in either hand. Note: Not really important in any way, I just like the description Spiked Mace Choice weapon of the evangelists of the Cathedral of the Deep, mentors of the dwellers of the Undead Settlement. Its long, sharp spikes cause great pain and bleeding. Skill: Spin Bash - Bash foes with a large spinning motion. and utilize momentum to transition into an overhanded strong attack smash. Evangelist's Robe Set Robe of an evangelist sent from the cathedral. These teachers, all women, came to enlighten inhabitants of the Undead Settlement and sent carriers on the path of sacrifice. Pale Tongue Proof of a red orb invader's victory over a Host of Embers. Claiming tongues as trophies was originally the practice of an infamous troupe of invaders, who offered them to their speechless goddess. Vertebra Shackle A special bone collected by members of the covenant of Mound-makers, discovered in the corpses of their victims. Only one such bone is found in the vertebrae, and the Mound-makers believe it to be a shackle of the gods. In their minds, each victim is another connection, an addition to the family. Red Eye Orb Online play Item. Invade other worlds at will Defeat the Host of Embers of the world you have invaded to gain the strength of fire. The red eye orb is rooted in a tiny land swallowed by darkness long ago. Some choose to put the orb to other uses. To embark on this path, enter the service of Rosaria in the Cathedral of the Deep Loretta's Bone Old, discolored human bone with several holes bored into it. A woman's corpse in the Undead Settlement was found clutching this bone. Her name was Loretta. Mortician's Ashes Umbral ash of a resident of the Undead Settlement who made a living burying corpses. With this, the shrine handmaid will prepare new items. Note: Among other things the Shrine Handmaid will now sell the Grave Key, which allows you to enter the door in the sewers of the Settlement Hawk Ring Dark Souls III: Ring associated with Hawkeye Gough, one of the Four Knights of Gwyn, the First Lord. Extends the range of arrows. In his later years, the giant Gough was blinded, but this did not prevent him from striking down a calamitous dragon with his Greatbow. Note: If you are a Monster and kill the Giant he will drop this ring Dark Souls II: A ring graced with the engraving of the hawk. Extends the range of arrows. Blue eyed Durgo, the nomadic bowman, had many valiant victories in battle, half owing to the boon of this ring. Dark Souls: One of the special rings granted to the four knights of Gwyn, The Hawk Ring belongs to Hawkeye Gough, who led the Greatarchers. Boosts bow range, so that arrows fly like they were shot by Gough's great bow, which took down high-flying dragons. Bloodbite Ring Dark Souls III: One of the bite rings native to Carim. Increases bleed resistance. The crafting of these rings is forbidden, perhaps owing to a fear of malleable stone. Clerics, however, dabble freely in the art. Dark Souls II: One of several "bite" rings, known for their peculiar design. Increases bleeding resistance. The similar, oddly disturbing design of these rings suggests a common source. Whoever the master craftsman was, he clearly knew his trade. Dark Souls: One of the infamous bite rings commissioned by Sir Arstor of Carim. Despite the dreadful rumors surrounding its creation, this ring is an unmistakable asset, in its ability to help prevent bleeding. Note: Just one of the items that mentions Arstor, whose spear we can make from the Soul of the Greatwood. Funnily, aside from the spear his name is only mentioned in the descriptions of the first Dark Souls Way of Blue Pale blue sheepskin parchment detailing the moon of an ancient accord. Equip to pledge oneself to the Way of Blue. Members of the Way of Blue are the beneficiaries of an ancient accord. When a dark spirit threatens them, a blue spirit will grant them assistance, and help root out the invader. Summoning takes place automatically while this is equipped." Note: I forgot to include this after beating the High Wall, but you get it there, from Emma Warrior of Sunlight An ancient talisman depicting a holy symbol bestowed upon the Warriors of Sunlight. Equip to pledge oneself to the Warrior of Sunlight covenant. Warriors of Sunlight are brilliantly beaming co-operators who place their golden signatures to help those in need, for it is their duty to deliver a great conquest to their summoner. Mound Makers A malformed vertebra found by the mad, with a queer symbol on its inside, proof of the shackles of the Gods. Equip to pledge oneself to the Mound-makers covenant. The mound-makers wish only to add to their mounds, becoming mad spirits whether summoned as co-operators or invaders. They are blithe to those around them, for in their minds, any kill might lead to another shackle.
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Jul 29, 2016 23:26
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I really liked the Astraea/Vinland stuff too. It's the only time in the entire game you meet someone who's become a demon and still retained their sanity (even most of the helpful NPCs are implied to be corrupted and go mad if you make the world pure Black, but they're back to normal once you make the world light again, so...). I don't think it's unintentional that it's a couple, either; they clearly care about each other, and while Astraea has the thing you mentioned, Garl will stop fighting if you kill her first and give up, and you can in fact just leave and the game counts as you killing him. That might even be the "intended" route, since Garl is unique in that his black phantom shows up in a pure white world (which Valley will almost certainly be since you just beat the 3rd boss there) and that doesn't make much sense if he's dead. And yeah, you do have to kill every demon to start the endgame.  I actually think Quelaag's Sister is DS1's closest analogue to Astraea. She fills the same role backstory-wise and has a bodyguard figure that you also have to kill for what may be misguided reasons (was it ever confirmed if Kirk was a Darkwraith or a Chaos Servant?). As for 2, yeah, they don't really use that concept. The Milfinito and the Ivory Queen what's-her-name are probably closest? Speaking of DS2, props for the  on Lucy last time. She was hands-down my favorite too, and it makes me wish 2 "tried" more often with its NPCs, because when they bothered to do anything with them it worked out OK. Just for the vast majority it was say hi, move them to Majula, and done.
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Jul 30, 2016 02:28
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Wayne posted:Speaking of DS2, props for the Yeah! The idea is, since Dark Souls III is most likely the last game in the series, for a while at least, and has a lot of references and all around fan service to the other Souls games in it, I should do the same and just talk a bit about things from previous games. Preferably where they make sense in context of Dark Souls III. I may or may not run out of material before the LP finishes but for the time being expect a lot of the posts accompanying updates to touch on characters, areas, bosses and concepts from the older games.
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Jul 30, 2016 10:59
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  The casual episode covers exactly what's in the video. Only in eight minutes instead of roughly 30:00. The rest of the video is walking to the next area. Which isn't in the main video. So if you only have a few minutes and maybe prefer a more casual atmosphere this is probably the way to go.  Crystal Sage  The Crystal Sage is an interesting boss. It's almost like they saw Pinwheel from Dark Souls and tried to find a way to make him less of a joke. Full disclosure. I died to pinwheel once. In my LP of the game no less. The Crystal Sage is kinda similar after all. The Sage is a spellcasting boss, it does have a melee attack but that one's just kind of there. You might not even see it if you're aggressive enough because he'll flinch out of it every time you hit him. My general advice for Phase 1 is to dodge past all the purple stuff to reach the Sage to lay the smack down on his candy rear end until he peaces out! Once teleported he'll reappear at a different location. Though, the spots he can appear in are fixed the order is randomized. Crystals will appear to come from the ground, to my knowledge they do no damage whatsoever. Just touching them will break them. Once he's down to roughly 50% of his health the second phase starts, and now you also have to dodge blue stuff. The Sage will summon three clones. They have the same moves as the big guy himself only they die in one hit and their magic is blue instead of purple. A wise person will kill the clones before attacking the real boss because their spells are quite damaging. Always be on the move and ideally bring a fast weapon in case your main hand one is of the slower variety. This will reduce the time you're just standing around in an attack animation, waiting to be killed by magic coming from a total of four sources. I found myself having trouble on my huge-weapon run for this reason. Once the clones are dead continue to spam attacks on the Sage proper until he teleports and the whole game begins anew. Depending on how powerful you are you can kill him in 2-6 teleports on most characters. This is due to you being able to fight him much later in the game by going down a different route first. All in all he's not too hard, but definitely not to be underestimated. That last part is true for every boss, but especially this one, because if things go south they go straight to the pole. As we can learn from the description of his Soul and the spell and weapon we can make from it this was only one of two crystal sages. This one sided with the legion of Farron Keep, an area close by. Oddly enough he's not guarding the path to Farron Keep but to the Cathedral of the Deep. The other sage, at this point, we don't really know anything about. A Brief History of Big Hat Logan A lot of people drew connections to Big Hat Logan from Dark Souls when they saw the Crystal Sage and the hollow sorcerer's with the big hats. Some went as far as saying that one of the sages was Logan himself. In truth it's more like they are part of a big Logan fan club. So I find it best, for those not already aware, to describe who Logan is exactly. In Dark Souls we first learn of him from Griggs of Vinheim, who admires Logan and tells us about how awesome of a sorcerer Logan is and how poo poo he is by comparison. Griggs paints us a picture of a Legend. And for all you know he may be just that. Logan is a fairly well hidden NPC. A lot of people might not find him on their first playthrough. I think this is intended to enhance the myth of the Big Hatted Sorcerer. On the other hand, they may not have made it that way for any specific reason. Another character, Rickert of Vinheim, will let you know that Logan is over 100 years old and shouldn't even be alive. Thing is, he's of course undead, which grants him some form of immortality. Interesting that the people who know him did not consider this. Is he really that awesome? When we find Logan he's in a cage in a room that has no real entrance (we have to bust a hole in the wall to get there), just hanging out there with his huge hat, being fairly chill, especially considering the situation he's in. Once freed he'll go to Firelink Shrine and set up shop near Griggs, who'll just go "Noooo, don't go to me, I suck, Logan's right over there, go to Logan, he's a basically demigod". Naturally, Logan has much more powerful spells in stock than Griggs. After the game progresses far enough Logan moves on. But not before telling us where to. In fact this would not be the first time he's telling us he made his intentions clear form the start: He wants to go to the Duke's Archives, which belong to Seath, the Scaleless Dragon who betrayed his own race and got granted the title of Duke by Gwyn, the Lord of Sunlight. But I'll find an excuse to talk about Seath in more detail at a later point, as he's probably my favorite Souls antagonist, so for now I'll stick to what's essential for Logan's story. Logan was fascinated with Seath because he had attained true immortality. Logan describes him as a "true undead" in a later encounter. The source of Seath's immortality is a crystal. In fact, Crystals are all over Seath's archives. Once we find Logan he is, of course, captured again. This time in a cell befitting of the myth that surrounds the man. But it's way too big for him. So of course, we rescue him again. And he moves to a different spot in the archives where he begins studying Seath's research on immortality and begins to sell us crystal infused versions of his previous spells. And here is where Logan's story begins to mirror Seath's. In the process of researching way to become immortal he went completely mad. His research included kidnapping people to experiment on them and fusing various monsters with people or other monsters. We have Man-Serpents and Cthulhu Nagas roaming about his place, for instance. Then there's regular crystal infused hollows. While Logan doesn't actually do that, delving into Seath's research still turns him insane. This becomes apparent if you visit him again later, he'll just ramble on about how great seath is and eventually his ramblings beome unintelligible. Once all of his spells are purchased he moves on to a final location: The room we first fought Seath in. Logan decided in order to become immortal he must be more like Seath. Since Seath was a Scaleless, naked dragon, Logan stripped himself of all his clothes and hung around in the archives. Most other characters in the first Dark Souls go hollow and attack you somewhere once their stock is depleted, Logan doesn't. He still attacks you but he's specifically not hollow. Just bonkers. The only reason he's still wearing his hat is so you can tell it's Logan. And that's where the tale of the legendary Logan ends. Pantsless and no idea what's going on anymore.
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Aug 5, 2016 20:45
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That crazy lady with a Butcher Knife is also a reference to Melinda the Butcher from DS2, who appeared in the Gutter. I'd not used any of the reapers much, so now that you're showing them off those scythe animations look pretty weird. Were they another thing that was incorporated from Bloodborne, as with the great hammer animations from the Kirkhammer? Wherever they derive from, it seems odd that the animations are pretty wild but don't really incorporate the weapon's design like those in DS1 and DS2. (They're focused on slashing rather than piercing like a hook or chopping backwards.)
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Aug 5, 2016 22:01
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The stick guys are apparently called "Lycanthrope Hunters", whereas the cross guys are lycanthropes. The lycanthropes are apparently undead from the settlement who have...gone bad, we'll say, so the followers of Aldrich exile and hunt them. There's more going on there, but it's spoilers for now.
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Aug 6, 2016 01:48
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Okay, so I'm not quite caught up, but I wanted to do some Wild SpeculationTM. Forgive me if I've managed to completely miss something that should either make something more obvious, or make one of these stupid. The Unkindled: it seems possible to methat the ashes from which we were born might be what's left of the Chosen Undead from the first game, after linking the fire. I don't have specific things, but it seems possible, considering we seem to have been roused by something like the Bells of Awakening. The Curse-Rotted Greatwood: Any chance that it's what has become of one of the Giants from DS2? It lumbers in a somewhat similar manner, and the arm it spouts has a similar pallor. I like the idea of this Giant having been preserved in some way, having something of a half-life inside of its tree.
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Aug 6, 2016 15:01
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azren posted:The Unkindled: it seems possible to methat the ashes from which we were born might be what's left of the Chosen Undead from the first game, after linking the fire. I don't have specific things, but it seems possible, considering we seem to have been roused by something like the Bells of Awakening. azren posted:The Curse-Rotted Greatwood: Any chance that it's what has become of one of the Giants from DS2? It lumbers in a somewhat similar manner, and the arm it spouts has a similar pallor. I like the idea of this Giant having been preserved in some way, having something of a half-life inside of its tree.
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Aug 7, 2016 11:49
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IGgy IGsen posted:I think the Unkindled are specifically people who failed to link the fire previously, or were otherwise unfit for it. The ones who did link the fire are Lords of Cinder, see all the guys mentioned in the intro cinematic as well as Gwyn from Dark Souls being called a Lord of Cinder in the nametag for his Bossfight. If you decided to link the fire in Dark Souls or Dark Souls II than your PC too, is a Lord of Cinder, not unkindled ash. Right. Long enough since I watched the beginning stuff that I had forgotten some of that.
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Aug 8, 2016 15:55
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  Today well have us a bit of a quickie, we're going back to Firelink Shrine and explore that belltower we couldn't access before. Fire Keepers If you scroll down to the items you'll see that all of them are related to Fire Keepers. So, what's a Fire Keeper even? There isn't too much we know, to be honest. They are women who tend to the bonfires. In the first Dark Souls specifically a Bonfire tended to by a Firekeeper actually extinguishes if the Firekeeper dies. Let's just go over hte Fire Keepers that we know of. Dark Souls had Anastacia, who hung out in a cave behind bars in Firelink Shrine, she was mute because her tongue was cut out. Over the course of the game she can actually get killed by a different NPC and later be revived. Being revived restores her tongue reveals that she hates to speak to us because she's afraid her "impure tongue" might offend. Then there's the Fair Lady, or Queelags sister. Some call her Quelaan, but that's just a fan name that sounds too similar to Queelana, an actual character in Dark Souls. Residing between Blighttown, The Demon Ruins and Lost Izalith, The Fair Lady is a sickly, blind, spider lady who could only speak in her own tongue, which the player can understand by equipping the Old Witch's Ring. She tells us that she is deathly sick because she sucked the poison out of a man. That man happens to be nearby (supposedly he's responsible for ruining Blightown). Her Sister, Quelaag, is a more healthy spider lady who made it her mission to collect humanity to ease the suffering of her sister. The last knwon Fire Keeper of Dark Souls is Lady of the Darkling who is found in Anor Londo. Whe is a Darkmoon Blade loyal to Gwyndolyn. Her entire body is hidden under brass armor which she wears because she's ugly as gently caress. To her words at least. If you clip through her helm somehow or change her equipment by tinkering with files it turns out she actually has a normal face. Anyway, she is so loyal to the Darkmoon Blades because Gwyndolyn welcomed her with open arms despite her exterior. In Dark Souls II there's only one active Firekeeper: the Emerald Herald, Shanalotte. Opposed to the other Fire Keepers we know from the first game she seems dedicated to guide the Chosen Undead, welcoming them as "the new monarch" basically out of the blue as soon as you talk to her for the first time. She is an artificial person created by Aldia, more specifically, she's supposed to be a Dragon, who Aldia believed to be the key to overcoming the undead curse. There are three more firekeepers in Dark Souls II but they are all retired. The three old women from the start of the game. Well, there's a fourth but she only shows up in the intro cinematic (presumably). These retired Firekeepers all look very similar to the Shrine Handmaid in Dark Souls III. The three old ones help the player character find their identity by uh... allowing them to create a character. They also tell the player that they will die a lot und lose their souls because Dark Souls II sure is HARDDDDD lol. In Dark Souls III there is only one Fire Keeper that we meet, she's the level-up lady in Firelink Shrine and she happens to blind, which is now apparently true for all Fire Keepers. In this very episode we also find a corpse of a fire keeper on top of the belltower. We then find a couple more corpses on the ground floor of said belltower. I didn't consider this when recording commentary but much like Shanalotte from Dark Souls II they may be artificially created, much like her. They could be a copy of that one we loot the Fire Keeper Soul from. Seeing as we can find so many dead ones in one spot and they seem to be taken to the trash like once they are no longer needed this may be the case. But this is just me theorizing without any research. But it is a possibility that they've been using the same Fire Keeper over and over every time the fire faded to help the Chosen Undead of the time and now the Unkindled. I could, however, be completely wrong with all of that. In any case, if These Firekeepers are not born by natural means then Aldia probably is not responsible for it as he was against linking the Bonfire. Then again, there may be things we've yet to learn. But I think I went a little too far with my theorizing. Let's move on to the item descriptions. Firekeeper Soul Dark Souls III: Soul of a Fire Keeper who is said to have returned from the Abyss. This Fire Keeper preserves the bonfire, and serves its champion. She is said to have soothed and accepted the dark sigil, which has tainted her soul. And yet, her soul will one day embed itself in the bosom another Fire Keeper. Dark Souls (Regular): Soul of a long-lost Fire Keeper. Each Fire Keeper is a corporeal manifestation of her bonfire, and a draw for the humanity which is offered to her. Her soul is gnawed by infinite humanity, and can boost the power of precious Estus Flasks. Reinforced Estus Flasks capture denser Estus, allowing for increased restoration of HP. Dark Souls (Anastacia of Astora): Soul of the Ash Maiden, Fire Keeper of Firelink Shrine. A Fire Keeper's soul is a draw for humanity, and held within their bosoms, below just a thin layer of skin, are swarms of humanity that writhe and squirm. Was the Ash Maiden locked in this dark prison for some transgression, or by her own will? Dark Souls (The Fair Lady): Soul of a Daughter of Chaos, Fire Keeper of Quelaag's Domain. A Fire Keeper's soul is a draw for humanity, and held within their bosoms, below just a thin layer of skin, are swarms of humanity that writhe and squirm. To her, the countless eggs which appeared were cradles for each tiny humanity. Dark Souls (Lady of the Darkling): Soul of the Darkmoon Knightess, Fire Keeper of Anor Londo. A Fire Keeper's soul is a draw for humanity, and held within their bosoms, below just a thin layer of skin, are swarms of humanity that writhe and squirm. Her brass armor serves to disguise this ghastly form. Fire Keeper Robes Robe worn by the guardian of the shrine. The Fire Keepers were robbed of light, to better serve as vessels for souls. Only those who cherish the writhing, searing darkness were given the keeper's black attire. Estus Ring A green ring crafted from shards. Increases HP restored by Estus Flask. This ring was entrusted to a certain Fire Keeper, but in the end she never met her champion, and the ensuing tragic farce became a favorite tale of the masses.
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Aug 12, 2016 19:59
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IGgy IGsen posted:We then find a couple more corpses on the ground floor of said belltower.
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Aug 12, 2016 21:57
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IGgy IGsen posted:She tells us that she is deathly sick because she sucked the poison out of a man. That man happens to be nearby (supposedly he's responsible for ruining Blightown). Her Sister, Quelaag, is a more healthy spider lady who made it her mission to collect humanity to ease the suffering of her sister.
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Aug 12, 2016 22:28
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There's a neat touch I like about miracles; they're actually a character reciting a story about that specific miracle from history, and their faith makes it real.
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Aug 12, 2016 22:51
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anilEhilated posted:Mind elaborating on this a bit? The only man I recall being around is Eyngyi and he still seems rather, well, poisoned. I don't think I've ever encountered the Blighttown backstory either. Here's some dialogue from Eingyi "Worse than Undead, we are diseased, and unwanted. Like the grime of the Great Swamp. But my dear, Fair Lady! She cried for me… and swallowed the great Blightpus, despite Mistress Quelaag's orders to the contrary." This is also why the Fair Lady herself is sick. Him being an egg-carrier does not necessarily mean that he's still poisoned. The part where he is the one responsible for poisoning Blighttown is mostly speculation. Fact is he is a Pyromancer and he's the one who developed the poison pyromancies, see the description of Toxic Mist: "Unique pyromancy crafted by Eingyi, considered a heretic even at the Great Swamp Create intense poison mist. Why was Eingyi driven from the Great Swamp? One only need cast this pyromancy, a perverse diversion from the art of fire, to find out." This is the only reason people think that Eingyi is the one who turned Blighttown into Blighttown, prior to that it was, I assume, not so Blighted. I mainly think that because one of the Sealers came from New Londo (we get this from the Sorcery Remedy's description as well as the fact that the Crimson robes can be found close by) to cleanse it away, but wasn't successful and instead died to the poison herself. That Sealer probably would only have attempted this if Blighttown's poisoning was a more recent development at the time. But again, that part is just speculation, but it makes the story of the place and that of Eingyi more interesting to me.
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Aug 13, 2016 16:55
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 Darkstalker Kaathe  When Yuria dies she mentions that she failed Kaathe. Even if you played Dark Souls you may have never encountered Kaathe because in order to even find him you have are not allowed to give the Lordvessel to Frampt, who is much more readily accessible. But knowing who Kaathe is gives us a good idea of learning more about what the Hollows of Londor are up to, considering that their allegiance seems to be with him. First, here's his dialogue upon meeting him in the Abyss, entered from the ruins of New Londo, after retrieving the Lordvessel: "The truth I shall share without sentiment. After the advent of fire, the ancient lords found the three souls. But your progenitor found a fourth, unique soul. The Dark Soul. Your ancestor claimed the Dark Soul and waited for Fire to subside. And soon, the flames did fade, and only Dark remained. Thus began the age of men, the Age of Dark. However… Lord Gwyn trembled at the Dark. Clinging to his Age of Fire, and in dire fear of humans, and the Dark Lord who would one day be born amongst them, Lord Gwyn resisted the course of nature. By sacrificing himself to link the fire, and commanding his children to shepherd the humans, Gwyn has blurred your past, to prevent the birth of the Dark Lord. I am the primordial serpent. I seek to right the wrongs of the past to discover our true Lord. But the other serpent, Frampt, lost his sense, and befriended Lord Gwyn. Undead warrior, we stand at the crossroad. Only I know the truth about your fate. You must destroy the fading Lord Gwyn, who has coddled Fire and resisted nature, and become the Fourth Lord, so that you may usher in the Age of Dark!" Even though Kaathe's intentions oppose Frampt's he tasks you to do the exact same thing. To kill Gwyn. But instead of linking the fire he wants you to just not do that. Once you did as you're told, funnily, both Frampt and Kaathe show up to welcome you as their Dark Lord. I'm not sure this if this is supposed to tell us something about Frampt or the primordial serpents as a whole. But that's something to ponder on for another time, really. Kaathe seems to want to help humanity reach their true potential the Dark Soul he mentions most likely being the source of Humanity (Humanity being an in-game item and a mechanic in Dark Souls). So every human has a bit of the Dark Soul inside them. Souls games make clear thet humans are creatures of the Dark by their nature. Kaathe commanded the Darkwraiths to collect humanity, which is essentially synonymous with the Dark. Embracing the Dark and possibly hollowing is seen as a means to end the age of fire for good and jumpstart a new age of man. We never really learn what happens after you become the Dark Lord, though, if you go through with Kaathe's plan. At this point I should also mention that by killing Yuria we've locked ourselves out of one of the endings for Dark Souls III, but don't worry, we'll still see it and how to get it. As an interesting aside: Some people believe that Gwyn "resisting the course of nature" as Kaathe put it, was Gwyn linking the Fire to Humanity, which is why the curse of undeath appears every time the flame is fading. It makes sense and is a very interesting theory for sure. This could also be the "First Sin" that is being referred to in the Title of Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin. Soul of a Crystal Sage Soul of a Crystal Sage. One of the twisted souls, steeping in strength. Use to acquire many souls, or transpose to extract its true strength. The twin Crystal Sages once serves as spiritual guides to the scholars of the Grand Archives, and one went on to ally with the Undead Legion. Crystal Sage's Rapier Thrusting Sword with tiny crystals scattered across its blade, used by the Crystal Sages for self-defence. The crystals boost the magic damage inflicted by the sword, and the item discovery of its wielder, fruit of the lifetime of research conducted by the sages. Skill: Stance - From stance, use normal attack to back step and execute a surprise attack, or a strong attack for consecutive thrusting. Crystal Hail Unique sorcery developed by extraordinary preacher twins known as the Crystal Sages. Casts a cascade of small crystal soulmasses from above. Crystal soulmasses have piercing qualities. In a pact said to have been formed long ago, one of the Sages allied with the Undead Legion in order to train the sorcerers of Farron. Butcher's Knife Butcher's knife with an oddly large blade wielded by the madwoman haunting the Road of Sacrifices. Squarely-landed hits restore HP. Back in the Undead Settlement, the woman acquired a taste for human flesh, of which she took glee in partaking. Skill: Sharpen - sharpening the blade increases HP restored with each successful hit. Golden Falcon Shield A metal shield fashioned in the form of a falcon with wings outstretched. The golden falcon was the emblem of an ancient band of sellswords, and even to this day, many mercenaries remain who look upon it as a token of good fortune. Skill: Parry - Repel an attack at the right time to follow up with a critical hit. Works while equipped in either hand. Note: the description is most likely a reference to the Band of the Hawk/Falcon from Berserk Exile Greatsword Bloodstained greatsword wielded by one of the Watchdogs of Farron, who preside over the slumber of fallen warriors. The blade is a reminder of the exile's past misdeeds. Inhuman strength is required to wield this heaviest of curved greatswords. Skill: Spin Slash - Slice into foes with a large spinning motion, and continue spinning to transition into a strong attack. Great Corvian Scythe Great scythe of the forlorn souls guided by heretical storytellers. The Mistress of the Painted World is said to wield a great scythe herself. Great scythes inflict profuse bleeding, such that the blood patters on the wielder. Skill: Neck Swipe - This attack aims for the scruff of a foe's neck, and when successful, functions as a head shot, inflicting heavy damage. Note: The Mistress of the Painted World is Priscilla, from Dark Souls. She could be found in the Painted World of Ariamis, which was filled with human-bird hybrids, much like the enemies in the first stretch of the Road of Sacrifices Black Knight Greatsword Dark Souls III: Ultra greatsword wielded by the Black Knights who wander the lands. Designed to face chaos demons. The Black Knights constantly faced foes larger than themselves, and this sword's unique attack greatly reduces enemy poise. Dark Souls II: Ultra greatsword wielded by knights who served a lord of light in a long forgotten age. Even after their flesh was charred by flame, they remained as strong as ever, and stood watch, challenging visitors to their land. Dark Souls: Greatsword of the black knights who wander Lordran. Used to face chaos demons. The large motion that puts the weight of the body into the attack reflects the great size of their adversaries long ago. Black Knight Set Dark Souls III: Armor of the Black Knights who roam the lands. The knights served the First Lord Gwyn, and followed him into the flame upon its linking. They became ash, but still wander the realms to this day. Dark Souls: Armor of the Black Knight who haunt Lordran. The knights followed Lord Gwyn when he departed to link the flame, but they were burned to ashes in newly kindled fire, wandering the world as disembodied spirits ever after. Fallen Knight Armor Armor of an order of fallen knights who disbanded and fled but met untimely deaths. The drab, tattered cloth conceals tough, black metal which provides dependable protection from fire. It is just possible to make out the majestic gold engravings on its surface. Conjurator Set Attire of traveling conjurators. Conjurators were the predecessors to pyromancers, and spent their lives roaming the lands. No wonder their attire was designed to protect them from fire, poison, and other threats of nature. Braille Divine Tome of Carim A sacred braille tome from Carim, filled with advanced miracles. Give to a storyteller to learn advanced Carim miracles. In the Way of White, there is a tradition of placing great faith in the words of the blind, and braille tomes are not unusual. Great Swamp Pyromancy Tome Pyromancy tome from the Great Swamp containing advanced pyromancies. Give to the old master pyromancer to learn advanced pyromancies of the Great Swamp. Spells of the Great Swamp are passed down from master to pupil. Without a master, there is no pupil, but without a pupil, there is also no master. Farron Coal Coal used for weapon infusion. Long ago, used to forge the greatswords of the Undead Legion of Farron. Give to the blacksmith in the shrine to allow the use of gems for heavy, sharp and poison infusion. Sage Ring A ring given to Farron's Undead Legion by one of the preacher twins, known more commonly as the Crystal Sages." Shortens spell casting time. The sorcerers of Farron's Abyss Watchers were known to be lonesome warriors who would only rely upon more pragmatic spells. Morne's Ring A malformed ring given to knights of Carim. Boosts miracles. Morne served the goddess Caitha and later became an apostle of the Archbishop. They labored together to provide comfort to the suffering. Great Swamp Ring Ring said to be chiseled from the bone of a flame salamander by blighted Pyromancers living in the Great Swamp. Boosts pyromancies. It is believed that salamanders are the descendants of demons, born of the Chaos Flame, from which Pyromancy is also said to have originated. IGgy IGsen fucked around with this message at 12:22 on Aug 21, 2016 |
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Aug 19, 2016 20:30
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As it turns out, "swamp" turns out to be the correct word. I remembered from high school that there was a distinction between bogs, swamps, and marshes in the sense of being types of wetlands. But of course recalling all the relevant details is a bit trickier. With Professor Wikipedia to the rescue, apparently swamps are distinguished by being forested wetlands. Of course, "swamp" doesn't really get into how terrible Farron Keep is, but that's a story for another video.
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Aug 20, 2016 02:20
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IGgy IGsen posted:When Yuria dies she mentions that she failed Kaathe. Even if you played Dark Souls you may have never encountered Kaathe because in order to even find him you have are not allowed to speak to Frampt, ever. Not true!  The cutoff point is actually giving Frampt the Lordvessel, and I mean literally putting it down (you can Homeward out of the Kiln when he takes you there to keep Kaathe available, even). In fact, you can even meet Kaathe, join the Darkwraiths for your Skeletor armor and red orb and whatnot, and then place the Lordvessel for Frampt anyway!That whole discussion of yours does make me wonder why Gwyn appears to be hollow, when the curse of undeath is a human thing and Gwyn was a god. I wouldn't be surprised if at least part of going back to the "Lords of Cinder" in DS3 is justifying that, heh. I still haven't beaten it, though. Since my first playthrough is Luck-based, I decided to farm the Corvian scythe and give it a try in PvP. Scythes just have an atrociously bad moveset in DS3 and it's basically impossible to get enough hits in sequence for bleed to trigger, even with its slightly higher bleed rate. I do have a soft spot for it, though, and it is fun to get out of the Dark Swords 3 rut for a bit and try some different weapons. Speaking of, how far ahead are you playing? Seems like there have been a few balance patches already and one coming out next week, it might be good to talk about how the game evolves since you're LPing it so early. Last but not least, due to some stubborn playing and not looking at walkthroughs, the giant crabs were the first enemies in 3 I got a "visceral attack" to kick in on, due to going after them with the evangelists' spiked mace. They're actually not that bad at all if you're using a crab-cracker like that, 3 or so 2-handed hits and the critical and you're done. Oh, and actually last, the Fallen Knight armor is one of my favorite sets, and hands-down my favorite DS3 armor set (so far). The helmet's a bit weird (hats in general are really disappointing in 3, actually) but what can you do?
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Aug 20, 2016 05:41
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Wayne posted:Not true! quote:That whole discussion of yours does make me wonder why Gwyn appears to be hollow, when the curse of undeath is a human thing and Gwyn was a god. I wouldn't be surprised if at least part of going back to the "Lords of Cinder" in DS3 is justifying that, heh. I still haven't beaten it, though.
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Aug 20, 2016 10:12
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Gwyn looks Hollow because he is burning his Soul in the Kiln. All species started as Pygmies, be they Gods or Humans. With his Soul gradually burning away, Gwyn is beginning to revert back to that.
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Aug 22, 2016 06:28
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Wayne posted:Not true! My first run through of the game was two handing the scythe. I don't think I managed to get the skill attack to proc even a single time.
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Aug 22, 2016 07:56
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IGgy IGsen posted:Braille Divine Tome of Carim I Assume you'll be covering the other Divine Tomes at some point? I'm really curious about them, and what makes them bad for our Miracle vendor. Really loving this, man. I love these games, but I haven't beaten any Soulsborne games, and haven't even played this one yet. I'm not sure I'm cut out for the style, but I love the games enough to try. These really help me get the most enjoyment out of games I don't know I'll ever be able to play to the fullest.
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Aug 22, 2016 14:56
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So now that it's been touched on, the lycanthropes are actually corrupted by the abyss. Glowing red eyes in this game pretty much always signify that. It looks like the lycanthropes we've encountered have all already been crucified, so it's likely that the hunters do that before they become big and monster-y. I think it's unclear if the folks traveling the road of sacrifices are also destined to become lycanthropes, or if they're just hunting them. It does seem that the Cathedral faction (the priests, the hollowed villagers, the crystal sage, etc) are aligned against the Abyss.
Discendo Vox fucked around with this message at 19:42 on Aug 22, 2016 |
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Aug 22, 2016 19:36
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Arcade Rabbit posted:All species started as Pygmies, be they Gods or Humans. With his Soul gradually burning away, Gwyn is beginning to revert back to that. Has that been confirmed anywhere, or speculation from DS1's intro? I always got the impression that there was a progenitor of each "race" (gods, giants, humans (and we know Manus was theirs), etc.), and the races were established when they found the Lord Souls. The Souls just gave them the power to fight the dragons (and the subsequent stuff, like the Izalith Family ruining everything). But then I've never been much of a Souls lore hound. I've streamed and co-commented on everything except Bloodborne by now, and I'm pretty sure I've said something hilariously wrong at least once in each of them.  Gwyn being charred instead of hollow makes sense, though. It seems like they took pains to make sure any of the other non-humans you fight aren't hollow and there's another reason for their hostility (Artorias / 4 Kings fell to the Abyss, you invaded the tomb Gwyndolin's guarding, etc.) so Gwyn himself just seemed like an odd exception. Fuligin posted:My first run through of the game was two handing the scythe. I don't think I managed to get the skill attack to proc even a single time. You mean the Weapon Art? You probably did and didn't even notice; Neck Slice is like 10-15% bonus damage on top of a regular 2H R2. One of my biggest gripes with 3 is how they tightened the damage range on alternate attacks; sure, it balances the game more, but now R2s are almost never worth the extra stamina they cost.
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Aug 23, 2016 04:53
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Wayne posted:Has that been confirmed anywhere, or speculation from DS1's intro? Admittedly its speculation on my part, but feels like a solid enough reason. That's just how Souls goes though, and part of why I both hate it and love it. On the one hand, there is no definitive lore. On the other hand, there is no definitive lore. I've heard arguments that the entire opening cinematic is all one big lie to begin with. Take it all with a grain of salt and don't prescribe to one idea exclusively.
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Aug 23, 2016 08:31
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 Let's Compare Souls games to Castlevania So, I mentioned that the Cathedral of the Deep reminds me a bit of the level progression in classic Castlevania games, where you start outside the castle and work your way inside (over the course of several levels), so let's take this as an excuse to compare Dark Souls to Castlevania. There are people who would actually describe Dark Souls as a 3D Castlevania, though, I'm not sure if they mean the classic or the Metroidvania games, both of which are enjoyable in their own right, though in entirely different reasons. I'm going to focus the similaities of Souls games to classic Castlevanias here. Mainly the first one. Castlevania is a rather slow paced action game. The challenge is less based on reflexes but mastering your movement, which has a very deliberate restriction that many people hate: The Jump physics. Once you jump you are commited to that jump, there's no adjusting in mid air. And while Castlevania is not the only game to feature this by a long shot it's one of the better known examples, mainly because it does the whole thing very right. The levels are built with that element in mind. There's no weird precision jumping you need to do Additionally, there's a brief delay before your attack, you also need ot keep that in mind when maneuvering through a level because even enemies that would be cannon fodder in other games can be threatening if you blink at the wrong moment. This isn't so evident early on, as the game eases you into how it works but you'll take more damage from enemies with every level. It is tough, yet fair and has a satisfying difficulty curve, which some would say is one aspect of what makes a well designed game. You might now say "But IGgy, sure, these elements are somewhat similar, but that applies to many games!" And You'd be right. The Metroidvania comparisons holds up even less so in my opinion because those games are mainly exploration with there not really getting much of a challenge in combat. So let me throw you a curveball and tell you of another game that reminds me of Dark Souls. The game is a fantasy game set in a bleak world. At the start you are given some vague direction and a weapon, though, you could just skip that if you like. Your job now is to find specific objects and if you find all of them something happens. Brilliant, right? Along your path there's plenty of secrets to discover. So many that you can not be expected to find them all on your own. A few of them are required for progression too, so it's especially cruel. There's no friendly player messages that tell you that this is an illusory wall right there, or that you need to try jumping (if you want to die). No, this game is older. You went to school and found some nerd with the same game and he'd tell you that he's heard from his cousin who heard from his friend whose uncle works at nintendo that if you set that tree on fire a secret passage appears. I'm talking about Zelda. The Original one. While I would agree that describing talking to some dude at school hardly constitutes a gameplay mechanic this aspect of Zelda is something that Dark Souls reminded me of in that regard. There's many a thing to discover and a lot of them will not be found on your own. But we have the internet now, so secrets are dead. But if you choose to ignroe the internet here, aside from the online functionality of Souls games, you can get a bit of that sense of wonder back trying to decipher some message's meaning and whether it was supposed to help or hurt you. Yeah yeah, I know, not a very good comparison. Castlevania and Zelda have nothing to do with Souls games. Oh wait, both of those games are hard! Difficulty, such a Souls thing! Haha.
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Aug 26, 2016 19:44
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According to the wiki, the Paladin's ashes unlock a bunch of items associated with the Way of White characters from DS1. The ashes themselves belong to Leeroy. Those priests you encountered when you first came inside had glowy red eyes- so it looks like the Abyss has gotten this far even within the organization that is opposing it. edit: the zombies in the graveyard apparently revive up to a set cap. The infested ones are always already spawned out in the environment, but may be able to respawn in getting to that cap-reports are mixed. Discendo Vox fucked around with this message at 04:09 on Aug 27, 2016 |
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Aug 27, 2016 03:18
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"Reports are mixed" pretty much sums up a lot of the in-game mechanics in DS3...
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Aug 27, 2016 14:04
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  Deacons of the Deep  The Deacons of the Deep are a simple but unique boss fight. I'd say it's a mob boss done right. Compared to the Royal Rat Authority or... well... the Magus and his Congegration from Dark Souls II this is downright glorious. It is an easy fight but it still manages to convince you that it's dangerous with its atmosphere and the sheer number of opponents. All but one of them are regular Daecons that we've fought in a few parts of the Cathredral. The don't really do anything those don't. Maybe they are a little less agressive to make them more manageable despite there being a lot. One of them will always have a read glow. that is the one that you have to attack to deplete the boss health bar. It's safer to run headfirst into a group, but if that's where the glowing one is don't shy away from getting into the middle of them. Using your weapon to hit a lot of them at the same time is more fun than it should be. Once you've taken out enough red glowing ones the Archdeacon will appear. That Archdeacon's name is Royce. He wears different robes, a pope hat and is your new target. Hit him with your preferred means of dealing damage until he dies. There's one thing the Deacons can do that is dangerous: They can curse you. If you notice your curse meter bilding up slowly then find and kill the ones that channel darkness to the ceiling. I only died to the Deacons voice and that wos on my first attempt when I didn't even notice the curse build-up. The Deacon's are guarding Aldrich's coffin, which is huge, at the center of the room and completely empty. So technically you could say they guard nothing, though you do get a peculiar small doll for beating them...
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Sep 2, 2016 20:31
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IGgy IGsen posted:The Deacon's are guarding Aldrich's coffin, which is huge, at the center of the room and completely empty. So technically you could say they guard nothing, though you do get a peculiar small doll for beating them... With all the returning references and characters, I'm kinda hoping it's connected to Priscilla. It's one that might actually make some sense.
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Sep 3, 2016 02:39
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So now is a good time to bring up a big issue i have with this game. Its incredibly linear. After the Deacons, this pathway just ends completely and you're forced back to the swamp area. Or you finished the swamp area, hit a thing, and was forced to detour over to get the Doll. As a whole, the game is very linear, and its really noticeable after DS and especially DS2. DS starts pretty open, then widens a lot at the end. Inversely, DS2 starts out really open before narrowing down for the end game. Then there is DS3, which is basically the same start to finish every time. There are off shoot areas, some optional and some required, but it is still ultimately the same journey start to finish. In DS, my first Lord Soul boss I fought was Seath. In DS2, my first was The Rotten. In DS3, its the first Lord of Cinder because its always the first Lord of Cinder. It has to be, without some major glitch shenanigans. Its just really glaring to come off of the first two games, and end on this note. Bloodborne was sort of the same, but not as bad or as glaring about it. Side note, the first DLC has been announced. I don't think we know much about it yet though.
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Sep 3, 2016 06:17
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The Deacons curse move has an aspect you didn't really cover, or at least, you aren't really getting across how it works. When they're shooting black smoke into the sky, they're casting a ritual that will fill the entire room with curse smoke. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_pBpiNTlrI It basically works as a soft time limit that punishes overly cautious play
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Sep 3, 2016 16:06
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