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It is a cheap, [&@%!] boss that should be a challenge but instead, is just the biggest troll of a boss in teh franchise. I rather face Smough on steroids that is invisible and attacks with the same aggression that Artorias has.

So far, the bosses haven't given me much trouble. Smough and Ornstein were the hardest before i realised that fire and lightning works well. Then it was a matter of Solaire distracting one of them and me unleashing hell on the other.

Artorias, he was the true challenge for me. I finally conquered him today once i mastered the timing and dodge. Also, I used the Zweihander. I swear that sword will never let me forgo the use of it in any playthrough. Damn thing is too useful and it was only for the raw physical damage. (normal +10)

He is my favourite boss as well. It's just two people dueling. Simple as. One is corrupted and well, he makes you think on your feet. Do you heal and hope he doesn't spear you? Or do you risk getting hit if you cock up another time? And the buff can be stopped if you hit him during the Super Artorias powering up phrase. I wasn't tanking him. Just a timing issue on my part and dodging. Also did a risky but epic move to finish him off. A leaping attack with the Zwei ended him. If i had missed, i'm sure i would have lost. It was also a "Right, either i beat him or i don't then i'll do other bits" attempt.

I also beat Sif today. After saving him. I gave him a quick death and well, i feel dirty, ashamed and sick for using a great fireball on him. Should have honoured him with a melee duel.

And as for Manus? [&@%!] MANUS!

Faced him twice, died. It seems to be one of those no [&@%!] given bosses that will either spam attacks, decide to change attack in mid attack and i've heard he is a very cheap, infuriating boss that spams magic once you get his health to 60% and will decide to hit you when you use the pendant every single time.

Also, the humanity ghosts are irrating.

Only have the Four Kings left then it's Gwyn. Should look into the Stray Demon.

As for Kalemeet, i've heard the legend.

The dragon that even Anor Londo didn't want to [&@%!] off.

The foul black dragon has killed many a chosen undead.

Giantdads, Haveldads, monster melees, WOTG spammers, the worst of the worst, the best of the best, they have stood no chance.

Even the mighty Crystal Soul Spears failed to harm his scales.

He is the dragon everyone fears.

The havels, the giants, the pyrostormers, they fear him.

He is the boss of bosses.

He is the king of the bosses.

He is the god of Dark Souls 1.

And git gud doesn't apply here. For yes indeed, you need to git perfect.


I rather take on Ornsteroids riding a Gaping dragon with Nito flooding the arena in toxic whilst 18 channellers spam soul arrows and a Bed of Chaos spamming swipes then face him.


But because i'm a cruel man to myself, i shall face him.

After i've levelled up more.

And maybe, havel it up.

I may need a lot of booze.

Also, is it me or do the four kings give no [&@%!] about hitboxes? I swear my blade hit them yet they did not get affected by it?

And I'm probably going to do: Four KIngs, Stray, Manus the Rageis, find the rest of the embers + levelling up more, Gwyn.

With Gwyn, i won't parry him to death. It would be a cheap way to end and well, i rather go one on one with the lord of cinder. Do feel that i should summon Solaire to cheer him up but no, it's me vs him. Me, the chosen undead, destroyer of many things, conquerer of Anor Londo, Lost Lava spam, New LOndo Ruins, soon to be(hopefully) killer of the father of the abyss. Him, a burnt out hollow god with a mere fraction of his power.


Speaking of which, i know people view the fight as disappointing but i always liked it. It is a neat way to end the game and shows how much Gwyn sacrificed and how he is determined to go out fighting if he is still just sane enough to make that choice or just suffered the fate of the undead. And the theme reflects it. Shame about the parry method but i chalk that up to From running out of time to correct it. It also sums up Dark Souls. You start out fighting, you go out fighting. It's rather fortunate for us that he is very weak otherwise, we would probably get one hit killed by his lightning bolts. I mean, the dude shot down dragons with his bolts and presumably took them on, one at a time.

Per Gwen, he should of been harder. The general mood and feel of the boss still conveys sad loss. Had he been more punishing, going so far as to even quick block or even counter your parries.. Actually, all of the Lord bosses were pretty under developed. After Anor Londo, the rest of the game kind of crawled to a snails pace and lack luster in levels..

I do however really like how DS2 handled their end boss(s). I mean, the throne bros were fun and you had to be quick about it. If you done things right, surprise! New boss. And thanks to SotFS, a 3rd one after that if all steps were cleared. Personally? The dlc bosses like Fume or Ivory were also wonderful.. though Fume sort of lacked the scenery and grandeur that he deserved.. especially whe you hold the title of hardest ds2 boss

From did admit that they had to rush parts of the game due to time constraints thus the crap Bed of Chaos and Lost Lava spam using recycled Capra demons, Taurus and two new enemies. Nito should have been a pants ruining affair and without his skeletons. Four Kings feel a bit iffy and underdeveloped and well, i think they had intended to do more with them but ran out of time thus the pitch black space. Nito is implied to have been weakened as the result of Pinwheel stealing his power. Had we faced him fully powered, we would probably not even have time to go oh crap when he releases a miasma of death. Sif is easily the best of the lord bosses and i only class him as that due to him being on the way if you don't fancy taking the long way around. They had to be cruel [&@%!] and give him a limping animation as you whittled down his health.

*Cries*

Damn you Software!

I would have liked if Gwyn grabbed our weapon during the parry attempt and thrown us across the arena with just one hand. But i feel he is done well. Unlike Bed of Chaos. I rather fight an army of Taurus and Capra demons on steroids. At least, i know i have a bit of a chance and not have a case of "please don't be a [&@%!], please don't be a [&@%!]!" then get swatted or firestormed or both. Or maybe, Bed of Chaos could have been the Dark Souls answer to Maidan Astrea in regards of fighting. Maybe, with a few hollowed daughters being the boss and the bed itself just a pathetic mess or something to make you feel pity for it.

Nito, i thought he was done well apart from the cheap skeletons but too easy to kill due to him being the god of death/lord of the dead and well, i shouldn't be able to get close to him and attack him repeatly. Would have had him summon several players as part of the gravelord convenant during the fight. Something like the old monk fight in Demons.

EDIT: Kinda rushed through the Four Kings and Gwyn. Kinda hit the point where anything else i do, i may risk losing enjoyment of the game and well, I wanted to play Dark Souls 2.

Dark Souls II. Why, From? Why change the kick attack to a god awful, er... back slap? I mean, i can understand why due to Kick breaking poise most of the time in Dark Souls 1 but by god, this is [&@%!]. The controls seem to not want to respond most of the time when it comes to jumping attacks or the timing seems to have been reduced. No problem doing it in the first game. Just forward and R2. Here? It seems to either be the Nintendohard [&@%!] of millieseconds forward before attack or just damn annoying to pull off. Dislike having to go to a certain NPC to level up. Erm... why is this a thing? It made sense in Demons Soul as we were trapped in the nexus and the Maiden in Black wanted us to become stronger to help put the old one to sleep but here? Erm... because it's what Demons did? The bonfire levelling worked! Why remove this? Tis annoying! Also, parrying seems to barely work but i've heard that it's more to do with the window being at the end of the animation. Goddamnit, that is annoying if true. Dislike the whole reduced health aspect when hollow. Again, made sense in Demons due to our soul being trapped there. Here? Erm... why does the curse of the undead suddenly weaken you? Either the Chosen Undead told the curse to sod off thus ignored the health reduction or erm......

CHALLENGE! And i'm unsure about the whole durablity being reduced. Have heard that there is a nasty bug that can cause weapons to break in a few swings.

I'm torn between enjoying it and not enjoying the game. Kinda makes me want to go back to Dark Souls 1. And a broken sword for warrior? Really? You make the high strength, high dex class have a broken straight sword? Even Deprived has better weapons. I also find it hard to believe that a broken straight sword does more damage then a dagger.

And i've also heard that the game is fond of cheap instant kill attacks. Yay, i'm really going to enjoy this if true. :-/

I just beat Artorias on my first try with my pyromancer.
I had fought him several times before with another character though but dang, feels good. I had the ninja flip ring and basically just hit him with great combustion until he fell.

I also made it to Manus but I think I'll take a break before trying him on. <.<'

I can't enjoy Dark Souls II for some reason. It feels a bit clunky and feels like a weaker version of Dark Souls 1. Parrying doesn't work, jump attacks seem to demand nanoseconds between the left stick and strong attack button. Hate the crap durablity, dislike the reduced health and well, it isn't enjoyable for me. Annoyingly, i know i would like it but the gameplay, it's just meh.

@Tea, Artorias was a real [&@%!] for me to fight but it was usually poor timing that caused me to die. My deprived Magic Melee build managed to do well once i got the timing down. Don't use magic or elemantal weapons as he takes the spilt damage and eats it. Physical damage is the true way to kill him. As for Manus? My first reaction was "Oh hell no." then homebaning it. Or quitting the game. I've heard about the cheap [&@%!]. I've heard how he spams dark magic. I heard how he is a bit like Bed of Chaos only, far better then it due to it being a challenge when he isn't a cheap [&@%!]. Kinda caused me to complete Dark Souls by going t the Four Kings and Gywn. Still not enjoying DSII. May need to leave it for a long time before i try it again to see if it is a case of me keep comparing it to DSI thus not enjoying what DSII has to offer. :-/

Manus is hard, yes, but the real challenge comes from his unpredictable nature, combos, and his spammy dark magic

Here's a lil trick to beat him.. git gud. That, or use the bloody amulet that you were given for just this reason. It can repel dark magic spells if timed correctly, and almost vital if you want to survive his massive aoe

Git Gud doesn't apply to him, Beta. It's more of "Oh, you git gud will ya? I'm gonna to be a spammy cheating [&@%!]." then cheats, spams and bullcraps his way to victory. Damn Manus. Still, Artorias is easily the best boss in the DLC. Hell, i would say in teh entire franchise(out of I and II) due to it being a simple duel to the death and seeing the effect of the Abyss's corruption on him. If he had his shield, we would probably not stand a chance. If he was fully powered, well, we would probably enter the fog gate, die.

Hmm, come to think of it, a lot of the bosses would curbstomp us if they were fully powered. Nito would decay us to death, i mean, dude killed dragons with decay, death and disease. What hope would we have against fully powered Nito? Gwyn would be a tough [&@%!] and with his lord soul, well, i would believe he would curbstomp us within seconds. Seath is at full power, it seems but he made the mistake of having a soul jar that was easy to destroy. I do get the feeling that Ornstein and Smough may have been holding back if the Frampt decieving the Chosen Undead theory is true thus giving us a chance at beating them. At least, Ornstein may have been holding back. Smough gives no [&@%!] as he just loves killing.

Full power in terms of lore? Honestly, Kalemeet seems pretty close to the true terror that he is. Excluding that fact that we fought him via handicap, the only exception being how the hell we could kill him(true dragons are suppose to be immortal due to their scales), same can be said for the dragon in the Sunken King dlc(granted, I'll mark that down as a mercy killing). There is also Manus(& his children) who are pretty well portrayed, specially given that he may, or may not be the furtive pygmy.. adding more to the reason why Gwyn fears him, minus the whole darkness thing...

In DS2, there are a fair number of bosses that live up ti their rep. I mean, the Old Dragonslayer certainly does, given that he's a faint echo of his former self(much like all the lord souls). Also, alot of the dlc bosses do well too. Ivory King for starters, despite casting homself into the chaos(much like Gwyn to the first flame), he is still a force to reckon with. There is also Alonne, who is just.. really.. really badass. And of course Raven, aka Fume Knight(i.e the toughest boss in DS)

Its really only DS1 that falls short with meeting boss expectations. I get it, the Chosen Undead is really powerful.. but a fair number of these bosses would have been out of his league if they stayed in their prime. Also, just to mention this. Smough and Ornstein both could of been potential illusions for all we know. Many belief how unlikely a Knight of Gwyn's would knowingly guard a false entity, let alone sacrifice himself. He potentially could of left Anor Londo to go protect the real princess, who knows. Begs the question, if he had a piece of Gwyn's lord soul, why didnt we need his yet 4Kings and Seath were essential?

Per the best.. Idk, DS1 Artorias is certainly a fan favorite, but part of that comes from the lore, references in the main game, that armor, and of course his awesome introduction. Not many can compare with that in the other games. Ivory King sort of falls in a similar vote, what with his whole dlc and his bloody assortment of pets. I only think he falls short bc his armor.. is far less badass than what you would hope. Granted <_< he was a kind king, so I'll give him that. Also there is Fume Knight another DLC end-boss. He has the looks.. he has the moves.. he even has some of the history.. and just look at where he calls home? And yet, despite all that.. it could of done better. His arena and introduction cant compare with Artorias. There is hardly any suspense(he needed more lore references). Still, that battle with his [&@%!] epic. Whats better than wielding a giant sword? Dual-wielding it with an even bigger gaint sword!

I have heard that they are truly immortal but can still be killed. Just that once they are killed, they enter a living death for the rest of time. A bit like the undead curse, only, a billion times worse as they are aware of being dead/ Imagine being blasted by Gwyn into tiny pieces and spending the rest of time like that? That is pure nightmare fuel. However, it could be that they are everlasting and just immortal in terms of age, immune to illness and can only be killed in combat. Just imagine the pure shock they got when Gwyn ripped them to pieces with his bolts. I've heard that Kalmeet was the one dragon that even Anor Londo refused to provoke. May have already said that though. But yeah, he is someone i ain't fighting even if I was Havel the Rock on steroids and dealt thousands of damage with each blow. Manus, yeah, he does live up to it even if he is a cheap [&@%!] and spammer.

If he is the FP, then it is a cruel, ironic fate. He wanted the Dark Soul to uproot the gods and put Man on top, only to become corrupted by the Abyss and to have the Dark Soul be involved with his death. It could also be that his lord soul went [&@%!] when he was dug up and tormented thus turning into a monster.

I've heard about some of Dark Souls II's bosses. I've heard the rat one is just as bad as Bed of Chaos due to toxic spam. I hate toxic in DS1. A boss that spams it in DSII, just no.

It is implied that the Chosen Undead is exceptionally powerful and has the strongest willpower of all the undead Dark Soul barers. I mean, it could have been hundreds to thousands of years that they were stuck in the Ayslum and not going hollow with no purpose, that takes real skill. In terms of bosses, i felt they achieved what they were going for and wanted to show the effects of the First Flame slowly going out along with what happened. Apart from Bed of Chaos. [&@%!] that boss with a broken straight sword!

But at full power? I think out of the full power bosses, it would be Ornstein that the Chosen Undead could barely beat. I think, he may have agreed to guard the illusion and be a test out of a sense of duty for Gwyn. I view him as a very dutiful person and even if he hated the plan and knowing that Gwyn's plan failed, Frampt convincing him to give his a try may have been something he agreed to and didn't bother to let Smough in on it.

Nito and Seath(without his soul jar) would be impossible to beat. I mean, Seath, he sits ontop of a pile of dead dragons during the intro. What chance would we have? We struggle to beat dragons in single combat. It is implied he is weakened due to madness thus him not thinking straight when the Chosen Undead fights him and would explain why he seems to only do a few attacks.

I do agree Artorias is a fan favourite and he did live up to the lore. I like that his armour being a factor into why the Chosen Undead managed to mercy kill him and his left arm is said to be literally dust at that point. But i think Artorias may have been severely weakend during his fight with Manus and the corruption robbed him of his power. He also used his Greatshield and his power to protect Sif. If he was fully powered with his Greatsword and Greatshield, we wouldn't stand a chance. Sif is fully powered when the Chosen Undead fights him and is just a giant wolf. Same with the demons but i think the Firesage may have been at his weakest on account of the limited pyro spells but it could be a result of From rushing that are of the game.

If the Smough and Ornstein we fought was an illusion, it is sad to see him degrade into the Dragonslayer into II.

And dual wielding giant swords is always awesome.

Oh and Gaping Dragon, i do get the feeling was in it's prime but it's need to eat everything damaged it's thinking and it's tiny head may have caused it to overestimate it's size compared to the Chosen Undead.

But it would be a bit of a [&@%!] game if we reached Nito and died before we even got a chance to move. Or get nuked via Gwyn's thunderbolt.

What????

So I've been keeping up to pace with Dan from Extra Credits, play through Dark Souls in a mostly blind plauthrough. Honestly, its refreshing to see a game dev give a new perspective on the game, on the mechanics, even if they themselves arent genuinely good at the game

Well, he just released a recap episode, one delving into not just his experience, but the lore as he came to understand it. Even though I myself am well versed with the lore first hand and via dependable sources(VaatiVidya, praise be him), it was actually nice to hear this retrospective. It's simple, basic, yet hits just about everything worth mentioning in the whole game in a single video. I don't just see the value in it for that, but to how it can potentially encourage someone else to delve into that very same series, to engage in this admittably intimidating game and prosper from it, to very well take that leap of faith and never regret it

So to any of you folk out there still debating on whether its worth your time, whether this game is right for you, and you arent all to fussy over spoilers. Here, this is for you, enjoy

Haven't gotten around to that video yet but that was an awesome LP. It's just a pity they couldn't keep the format of the first few videos throughout the series, I loved it when they'd just stop for 10 minutes and talk about a single animation or something like that.

I do and dont. Part of me enjoys the progress Dan was making in the game solo, but I do miss their dev talks and the occasional guidance (if not more of the last). Heck, even after the fact, it would of been fun to have seen some guest appearances.

Hopefully, they get around to that DS2 LP, and bring back the duo or something. I mean, they already did a vid about how to cheese thru the early game >_> i.e be a mage, thats it

I watched one of Tyrannicon's Let's Plays of Dark Souls. It's rather entertaining and i think, he is playing it badly on purpose as part of roleplaying as his character, Throthgar the cowardly Dragonborn from Skyrim playing Dark Souls. I would check the video Beta mentioned but data cap and me trying to conserve data where possible.

Also, i started again as a socercer and man, it is a challenge. I dumped the first 10 levels into magic and attunement so that half of the cap is filled. Sure, i do a lot of damage with spells but with just soul arrow and not being strong at melee, it is a welcome challenge. Deprived was said to be the challenge class. I disagree, sorcerer is. I.... had one stupid death that may have just been caused by bad luck. Those damn rats in the burg. It knocked me off and this was after i died to undead soldiers near the Parish bonfire. 11 humanity lost. :-/ Trying to get what i view as melee stats up to 15 and 20. Strength, 20, Endurance, 15, Vit, 20, Dex, 15 then back to magic. Tis challenging indeed but it is making me think more. Even trying the spear this time around and my playstyle is changing to reflect the class.

May try to get a Balder shield for it's looks. Knight shield is ok but want to use different shields and well, this time, i may just go heavy magic melee until i need to dodge for certain bosses. Greatshield is what i'll aim for near the end- middle of the game. Weapons of every upgrade and once i have 40 in the melee stats, 50 in magic and attunement, i'll probably look at Faith but that is likely a new game+ thing.

I think I know why i can't enjoy DSII. I keep thinking it as DSI and expecting it to be that. I must not. I also dislike how they have spilt many stats into different things. I mean, a stat for equip load? Really? That is annoying.

Sorcerer was the 2nd class I really tried and I found the early game to be pretty easy. I never really touched strength or dex tho as I just went for an int scaling weapon as soon as I could.

Spears are great tho, my first run was 100% spear after I picked up the winged spear.

I take it your both talking bout DS1? Mages can shift either way for early game. Unlike deprived(which obviously will struggle), mages only really struggle for that survivability and melee. No matter what, any pyromancer or mage will have to get fight up close.. Good thing spears and polearms exist

DS2 is where mages really win out, since alot of early game struggles can be dealt with from safety, AI pathing, and general quantity over quality. Not to mention the loot you can now claim without giving an arm and leg for. You can also farm so many of those early tough enemies without a problem, its a good jumping off point for most builds. If you really want to strike it true.. mage/hexer tends to do well from start to finish. Plus, the starter catalyst is goos enough for even end game

Btw, in DS2, prior to SoTFS, you can get a fire longsword fairly early on. Its strong, low requirements, and a good standard slash 1H moveset and a wonderful 2H moveset for jabs(its like a having a short spear some times)

Yeah, I haven't played DS2, dunno if I'll ever get around to it tbh.

It's kinda meh to me. Have heard it doesn't live up to the original and that it loves it's cheap deaths or hidden mobs behind a door because god help those who open a door. Seriously, why hide 7- 8 enemies that are instantly aggroed at an area that is probably for....

Goddamnit! I realised i may have went to the wrong place but alas, i'm all Souled out with the Dark thus taking a break from the games.

Have heard the game loves to go into troll mode with it's hitboxes and it deciding that despite you avoiding an attack, you got hit.

Actually, hit boxes are more true. Its just you have a much smaller gap for dodging or parries, meaning you have to be better.. or invest levels for better rolls. If DS2 got anything right, it was combat(excluding parry/backstabs)

This is no more true than for the dlc bosses. They are brutal, why? You can call it cheap, or call it clever, but they love to punish players. Slow, delayed attacks to bait an early roll, or a fast quick hit if you dodge too late. Its smart really, bc they dont fit into the trend that you have grown so accustomed to till that point. There is good reason why Raime, the Fume Knight is the hardest boss in the DS2.. the numbers dont lie

Not when you dodge the sword then suddenly get hit despite it showing on the screen that you avoided that attack and suddenly teleport in front of the sword to be impaled on it.

>_> are you sure you dodged?

I've played thru the game, done the dlc, and even PvP it up. Never experienced anything like that.. except maybe in PvP, but thats just lag

Never happened to me but apparently, the game's hitboxes doesn't match up with what is on screen.

EDIT: I think, because my copy is unpatched and that i don't have the complete edition, that could be a factor into why i can't enjoy it. Also, What the hell, From? You do the Prepare to Die edition with the DLC on the disc yet refuse to do the same for Dark Souls II? And just do it as a Scholar of the code edition? I may as well buy the damn DLC from the PS store. Seriously, this kind of editions [&@%!] me off!


Also, there seems to be a bit of a fuss between parts of the fanbase. Apparently, using co-op is deemed an easy mode and cheating. Despite the fact that it's been there since the Demon Souls days and yeah, Git Gudders are utter dicks at times. By that, i mean the people who feel that it's their duty to abuse anyone who dares to not play the same way as them.


I do wonder what DLC III will get but that can be for the III thread.

Wow, just wow. I have really underestimated bows. It's not part of the build but it is a damn useful tool. Granted, the damage is a bit crap due to me refusing to upgrade the bow and being cheap on arrows but for those awkard enemies that spells can't reach, tis useful. And Paladin Leroy is one powerful summon. I thought i'll try using him against Pinwheel before Anor Londo and i swear, the fight only lasted a minute. It's usually short when i fight him myself but not that short! Apart from the one time i was in [&@%!] it, mode and attacked aggressively due to no estus, no humanity and half health left. Catacombs were challenging at this point. Kinda want to try my luck against the Hydra but i got me arse kicked by the golems so no, i'm not ready yet.

I am curious to see how my magic tank will work at level 100. Granted, there are two bosses that will force me to go light if Havel's Ring doesn't prevent me from fat rolling. Artorias as i'm not tanking him. I know what would happen. "HAHA! Try and hit me now!" *YOU DIED* "Oh, [&@%!]." and Bed of Spammy hands and firestorms. Just using the cheap hit, quit, hit, quit, hit, quit, ragequit when i miss the jump, set the game on fire, punch england in the face, burn the earth and sew two horses ass to ass.

Idk why, but I just cannot get enough of this vid. Its just so damn good, and chalk full of references both to pop culture, the game, and it's community. Plus 15 minutes of original animation?! Thats a hell of alot of work

Seriously, watch this, especially if you've played thru DS2. If you haven't spoilers are ahead