Xeogred wrote:Oh I see how it is isiolia... you're one of those "just parry the final boss" guys.
Hehe, one of my friends and others say that too. I just couldn't get it down man! Gwyn didn't seem like someone that should have given me that much trouble but he did.
The first time I beat the game, I doubt I could have parried him - I brought in Solaire (though figuring out how to have him available on NG, without a guide or prior experience seems unlikely, I'd looked up NPC quest stuff because I knew it was easy to miss).
Second time though, with most of the other games under my belt, parrying was realistic (the same was true for Bloodborne's "final" boss). I think you can even trigger the parry-able attack by using Estus, similar to keeping Fume Knight in his first stage.
I would tend to agree with the sentiment I've seen elsewhere though, that Gwyn has no happy medium (well, short of summoning help). Either you can parry him, and he's trivial...or you can't, and he's very difficult.
Parrying is another thing that DS2 borks, come to think of it.
Xeogred wrote:Kind of a shame magic got nerfed so hard in DS3 haha, I beat NG with a STR/Int build and it was pretty crap, respec-ted to STR/Faith and instantly handled things better. So ... Faith Lightning Spear Sunbros 4 Life.
It got nerfed pretty hard in DS2 as well, though I never wound up respeccing in my first playthrough where I tried to go that route. I did wind up using INT scaling weapons though, which I also used for a fair amount of
Demon's Souls.
Exhuminator wrote:
I'm a male soldier, with a soldier shield, and a scimitar+2. I've leveled up my Strength, Endurance, and Luck quite a few times. I have no magic, I don't even know how you get magic in this game let alone use it.
You can buy and/or trade certain items for spells from NPCs that end up in the Nexus when you find them. Souls games have spell slots that depend on a particular stat (INT in DeS, Attunement in the others), determining how many you can set - in DeS, you can "remember" spells by talking to an appropriate NPC, IE, one you can learn sorcery from for sorcery (the other games have Attune Spells as an option at bonfires). Equip an appropriate weapon, usually a catalyst or talisman, and using standard attack will cast the spell you have selected.
DeS and DS3 (effectively) have an MP bar, DS/DS2 have set uses per spell a la D&D.
Something this game desperately needs is dismemberment and decapitation gore, it would have added so much to the combat. I mean there's already the Havok Physics engine going on, that could have easily handled the gibs. Missed opportunity.
To be fair, even DS3 lacks facial animation, so intricacies like that just probably aren't in scope.
Nioh has heads a flyin' though >_>b
And yes the checkpoint system in Demon's Souls sucks ass.
Totally agree. I mean, there are usually decent shortcuts to open up, but some of the initial runs are arduous to say the least. It's something that later games do address, as bonfire/lantern placement tends to be less structured.
The runs to the final bosses of each area do tend to be pretty short though, so, there is that.
Anyway, I'm going to have to figure something out with my doofy little soldier guy. I shouldn't be turned into meat paste from just one hit of that tower knight's attack. It seems like From Software designed this game so that you would constantly grind for souls in order to gain levels, raising your stats. I know people say you can beat this game completely naked with just a twig between your fingers, but that's only applicable to someone who's already put hundreds of hours into it. On a more realistic note; it's clear From Software intended for grinding up souls and slowly eking out more powerful stats until you overcome a boss, rinse repeat.
Obviously stats matter or they wouldn't be such an integral part of the game design.
Bosses have a tendency to at least have an attack or combo in their arsenal that's like that, if not most/all of them. It's one reason I like to push HP up early, as it gives a much more generous margin for error. You didn't mention Vitality as something you'd put points into, though Stamina (via Endurance) is also key.
IMO, pushing up damage stats early (other than to meet base requirements for weapons) isn't as effective. You get better gains for much less cost by upgrading the weapon itself, and/or by using weapons that don't have stat scaling early on. By the time that slows down, chances are, you can comfortably swap over to putting points into damage stats.
Regardless, it's not realistic to out-level content, though you can certainly make it relatively easier. It's just never the case that you can become nigh invincible or anything.
