i’m nearing the endgame with this hexer character. spamming dark orb can stunlock a lot of things, and casting dark weapon on this dark infused spear with natural dark damage does big numbers against stuff that’s not good at resisting it. for things that do, the poison-infused bandit’s knife in the second slot usually works. the ultimate fallback weapon for this character is the puzzling stone sword, doing purely physical damage, which i dipped into a dlc area for as soon as possible. i feel like the stone ring is key to this character because it makes all these light weapons (including dark orb!) do a decent amount of stagger
if i keep playing i’ll start dipping into the hexes that cost souls to cast soon
I played a lot today because my power is starting to snowball. I’m realizing the pacing in the game is a lot more like a famicom RPG than I expected. Spend an hour grinding outside of your home town and then you can explore.
I beat two bosses in one session. A computer-controlled invader came in and I smoked him all the same. He followed me half-heartedly through the level until we came to a tall staircase. Something about his AI routine would not allow him to exit from the top of the stairs. I shot him about 20 times from my vantage point.
I’m a little annoyed because I’ve met two people who sell spells but nobody has any sorceries. I need more bullets.
Also, zombie woods is a bad level. I’m gonna say it. Enemies that charge straight at me would be a problem if I didn’t have miles of safe space to back away towards.
Yeah this is the one Souls game where you’re striking out from your “hometown”, isn’t it? and in 32 bit RPG fashion too, its a ruined hometown (though for once it came that way)
(Nexus/Hunters Dream/DS3 Firelink are more like Missions Control you warp out of, and DS1 Firelink is kind of a precarious haven that you don’t actually spend a lot of time in)
there’s a sorcery trainer in No-Man’s Wharf, sitting out on a dock near the end of the level which (guessing by zombie woods youre referring to Huntsmans Copse) you have access to at this point! Melentia the merchant also sells a copy of Soul Arrow & i believe there is both a Soul Arrow and Great Soul Arrow somewhere in Forest of Fallen Giants. The Copse has a copy of Soul Spear which is like your magic rocket launcher, but it takes like 40 Int to cast so itll be awhile fore you can use it. (/gamefaqs, sorry if u got any of that already lol)
I rly like the Copse but for its variety of terrain & cool “stormy dusk” aesthetic more than its encounter design, which is yea a little toothless other than some undead rogue ambushes, and the optional Sicko Corridor that takes you to the Undead Purgatory horse jail
if this is the forest of fallen giants it’s like literally the first level after the tutorial and enough people in this thread had trouble with it that i’d say it’s fine!!! the danger there is not running out of space it’s being inattentive and attracting many enemies. it’s not too easy because you played the encounter right!!! hmph!!!
i misread it as Fortress of Fallen Giants on my first playthrough cuz… it’s a fortress
i like that the name makes more sense way, way towards the end (during the most bizarre “endgame” sequence in the series)
it’s more like Battlefield w/ Fallen Giants
That area has one of the best gimmicks in the game. If you hit the trees with screaming faces they make a weird noise that attracts the enemies and they ignore you.
its low-key a second hub after Majula and parts of it feel like a clearing house for gimmicks that didnt sustain whole other levels
it also has an uncanny weird-lit autumnal vibe that i love
there are parts of it that nail Vermont on a foggy late fall day better than any other other video game ever has or will. Hitman 3 has a level that literally takes place in autumnal Vermont and it doesnt come close to the same vibe
I’m beyond the point of anything I’d played before, new territory now (spider boss, skelly trio boss, got to both at a nice level of strength so they were easy (haven’t been using spoiler tags should I use spoiler tags? (I don’t care about reading spoilers myself!))) havin’ a real good time with this game
some pics that felt soulsy delivering packages today
ok i have my spear and my stupid little ring and my stupid little lightning infusion and it occurs to me i should have named my guy POKEY THE PENGUIN because that sure is the mechanic. i forgot how snes action game ass the fighting is in ds2, so much about timing and observing enemy attacks, it feels less “immersive” and “”“”" fun “”“”" than ds3 or bloodborne or elden ring by whcih i mean i like it better
doing everything out of turn. giants>pursuer>bastille>farting around in heide>ruin sentinels>dragonrider>wharf>dragonslayer>fuck you targay>shaded woods unlock i guessssss i’ll go fight the lost sinner now lol
I have always thought that the closest progenitor for the Souls games is Zelda II, but there still hasn’t been a souls-like where you can temporarily transform into a faerie. Imagine how goated it would be to float wherever you wanted for ten seconds.
