The Souls Thread

[Dryus Rothic]

{Disclaimer: all games in the Souls Series are rated "M" for violence/blood/gore & partial nudity.}

Hello everyone,

  I have been really busy getting Graduate school stuff in order waiting  to pull the trigger, so I have not have much chance to explore the site as much as I want to. Unfortunately, I was almost taken aback by the complete lack of Souls thread in here so to rectify this issue I will attempt to start one. I am not much for starting threads I like the discussion more that starting it but here it goes.

 The Souls series I think has an excellent use of deep story for those of us who love the lore but also appeals to the I just want to hack and slash "COD" gamer in all of us.  The souls series has become slighlty softer since it's beginning in Demon Souls which I believe the mechanics and strategy were at its peak. DS1 was an excellent "sequel" but DS2 really dropped the ball for me. The invention of power stance caused quality builds to just dominate the PvP scene. WTH was up with that parry animation and the player just falling down begging to be stabbed in the face. I almost gave up DS due to the experience I had in DS2 because of the lack of variety in the entire game. DS3 on the other hand have been what every Souls fan has wanted. The story and the mystery is just enough to the lore junkies to quiver speculation after speculation which brings me to the topic I would like to discuss. I enjoy every aspect of lore in the souls series I currently am interested in the furtive pigmy. Alternatively, I am open to build discussion and I am currently quite proud of my build as I consider it unique from most of the community or just talk about anything souls related I'll pop back in to keep it going.

**Special note: if everyone despises the Souls series, and finds it to be so far inferior to the elder scrolls series nobody wants to talk about it. I give the moderators complete permission to delete this thread if they so choose no hard feelings.***

[TheRedStranger]

1 hour ago, Dryus Rothic said:

Special note: if everyone despises the Souls series, and finds it to be so far inferior to the elder scrolls series nobody wants to talk about it. I give the moderators complete permission to delete this thread if they so choose no hard feelings.***

It will stand, with dust or not, Dryus. I will never sweep a civil man under a rug here.

I am not one for deleting a thread where one expressed his thoughts and feelings on a matter in a way that  had no malicious intention and rather had intent to generate edifying dialogue. I am not one for censorship, even to the point of bitterness from those would indeed desire to silence a disparity of opinion. Fresh opinions keep the world moving. 

I also expect others to be civil about your thoughts and invite them to dialogue constructively if they agree or disagree with you either way. 

[I would however think about renaming it to the "The Soul Series." Less vague - might more people to notice.]

---

I have not played the yet so sadly I can't give a fair opinion in response ( @Nagol has though I believe and so has @Wulfsbane) All I know so far is that music is killer for mood music when you Dungeon Master.

[Speaking of which - Mike tells me you want to Rp sometime. Feel free to register for a RP or just pop up into the Minarchy Thread anytime you desire. It's real fun there - Minarchy basically means you can post almost anything at anytime RP-wise.]

 

[Wulfsbane]

Still the best mod in the game

[F07E]

I played it for like a couple minutes, died multiple times for dumb reasons, and decided to get go'in while the go'in was good rather than suffer till I eventually become so numb as to git gud and loathe everything about anything. (still made for a good joke at work though:)

[Wulfsbane]

And dont forget:

[Mike Arcade]

Want to get into the series, played the first one and got stuck at the skeletons in the first area after the tutorial. XP

[TheRedStranger]

@MoKat

Should I merge this with an adventure thread, RP thread, or Rogue-Likes thread?

[MoKat]

20 hours ago, TheRedStranger said:

@MoKat

Should I merge this with an adventure thread, RP thread, or Rogue-Likes thread?

I don't think so. This is in Video Gaming Discussions for a reason & I think it would get lost in any other thread (and none of the games in the series are a Rogue-like; nothing is randomly generated, BTW).

There have been announcements (like this one) about a Demon Souls remaster for the PS5, so this thread could get more action soon.

{Edit: FYI, I've beaten -all- of the Souls games, even if you include Bloodborne, so if anybody wants tips, feel free to ask. }

*posts Dark Souls boss theme for Ornstein & Smough*

 

[MoKat]

Dark Souls II: SOTFS - How Many Bosses Can You CHEESE?

 

FYI, SOTFS is the standard abbreviation of "Scholar of the First Sin" which is the remake version of Dark Souls 2.

...

And, yes, I have done some of those things

[MoKat]

Wait...u can actually use Crystal Magic Weapon on the Moonlight Greatsword??

Dark Souls II: SOTFS - Unique Weapons With Special Abilities

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Even though there are many of them and some of which are pretty interesting, these still don't even come close to the strength and power of the ones from the original Dark Souls. This is pretty much the game where they started underpowering everything.

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0:01 Wrathful Axe
00:28 Spitfire Spear
00:58 Ivory Straight Sword
01:28 Iron King Hammer
01:58 Dragonslayer Spear
02:25 Thorned Greatsword
03:19 Helix Halberd
04:35 Drakewing Ultra Greatsword
05:09 Sanctum Shield
07:10 Blue Flame
08:32 Sacred Chime Hammer
09:25 Sanctum Crossbow
09:55 Sanctum Repeating Crossbow
10:23 Bow of Want
11:16 Smelter Sword
12:02 Moonlight Greatsword
13:11 Puzzling Stone Sword
14:03 Majestic Greatsword
15:12 Bone Fist
16:06 Curved Dragon Greatsword
16:51 Smelter Hammer
18:21 Avelyn (only crossbow capable of power stance)
19:35 Spider Fang (special slows movement)
21:19 Channeler's Trident (dance buffs damage)
22:17 Sorcerer's Twinblade
23:11 Old Whip(bonus damage vs hollows)
24:05 Mytha's Bent Blade (builds toxic)
24:46 Pilgrim's Spontoon
27:03 Shield Crossbow (guard while firing)
29:00 Defender Greatsword
30:23 Ricard's Rapier
30:54 Aged Smelter Sword
31:55 Mace of the Insolent
36:20 Wathcher Greatsword
37:02 Ivory King Ultra Greatsword
38:14 Possessed Armor Sword
39:14 Bewitched Alonne Sword
40:04 Eleum Loyce (heals allies)
43:44 Disc Chime
44:23 Reeve's Greatshield and Orma's Greatshield (only shields capable of power stance)
45:24 Ice Rapier

 

[MoKat]

Demon's Souls Remake Breakdown | Gameplay, Release Date, Criticisms, & More...

 

Brought to us by VaatiVidya. Looks like it will be a PS5 exclusive.

[MoKat]

The main story of Dark Souls got a storybook treatment...

 

[MoKat]

Extra Life review ahoy!

Demon’s Souls Review, PS5 Remake Gameplay: Is it Worth it? Nostalgia Never Looked So Good

 

 

[MoKat]

The secret of the Ceramic Coins (Demon's Souls PS5 Remake).

[Language warning - Vaati dropped a few f-bombs]

 

[MoKat]

SunligthBlade has revived his Top 10 series...

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TOP TEN SOULS IS BACK!!

Welcome to Season 2 Plays Of The Month | Dark Souls 1, 2 & 3 / Bloodborne

 

 

[Mike Arcade]

I have most of the series on PC, really need to start playing them.

[MoKat]

On 8/28/2016 at 6:40 AM, Mike Arcade said:

Want to get into the series, played the first one and got stuck at the skeletons in the first area after the tutorial. XP

Divine weapons put those down for good. Astora's Straight Sword (along with the Dragon Crest Shield) can be obtained early on in the Valley of the Drakes, but you need the Master Key to unlock the door that leads there. You also need the stats to use Astora's; that 14 Faith requirement is usually the annoying part - not a problem for Clerics though.

Dark Souls Remastered lets U take them out with any type of weapon in that area. Necromancers in The Catacombs can still raise skeletons that weren't taken down by Divine weapons tho'.

{Edit: The normal path is up the stairs to the Undead Burg. There are some items in that graveyard area with the skeletons that are worth grabbing in a suicide run. Congratz on getting out of the Asylum, btw. Many people don't realize that U are expected to run from the demon the 1st time U encounter it.}

[Mike Arcade]

On 8/29/2021 at 2:23 PM, MoKat said:

Divine weapons put those down for good. Astora's Straight Sword (along with the Dragon Crest Shield) can be obtained early on in the Valley of the Drakes, but you need the Master Key to unlock the door that leads there. You also need the stats to use Astora's; that 14 Faith requirement is usually the annoying part - not a problem for Clerics though.

Dark Souls Remastered lets U take them out with any type of weapon in that area. Necromancers in The Catacombs can still raise skeletons that weren't taken down by Divine weapons tho'.

{Edit: The normal path is up the stairs to the Undead Burg. There are some items in that graveyard area with the skeletons that are worth grabbing in a suicide run. Congratz on getting out of the Asylum, btw. Many people don't realize that U are expected to run from the demon the 1st time U encounter it.}

The Asylum was pretty easy, even if the Giant Demon was intimidating, but I've faced off against huge bosses before. XP

What Class would you recommend for a 1st Playthrough? As sadistic I am, I always chose the Undead with No Clothes. XD

Not sure if my Laptop could play the Remastered version, but I'll see.

[MoKat]

16 hours ago, Mike Arcade said:

What Class would you recommend for a 1st Playthrough?

It depends on your playstyle.

Like magic? Go with a Pyromancer or Sorceror. A Pyromancer starts with a Pyromancy Flame & Combustion. You can get Soul Arrow for 2000 from Rickert early on (in the area before New Londo Ruins). A Sorceror starts with a Catalyst & Soul Arrow (I think; been a while since I last started a Sorceror).

Like to smack things? Try a Knight (u might want to remove his heavy shirt until you build up Endurance so u can fast roll).

Like bows? Start with a Hunter.

Once you have a good feel for game, try a Theif; that class starts with the Master Key & u can pick Black Firebombs as the starting gift - so u can give the Asylum Demon a nasty surprise

The Master Key is a double-edged sword. It can give you easy access to shortcuts, but it can also get you in trouble if you are not familiar with the different areas in the game.

There's a good Wiki about the game at Extra Life.

[MoKat]

Since Elden Ring is basically an open-world Souls game, I'm putting this here:

Unlikely Pair Ahead「Elden Ring Comic Dub」

Some of the commenters had good ideas, like this one:

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i wish we could summon her [Melina] at a grace almost any time, not for anything important she would just tell some lore, stories and give tips

 

[MoKat]

Elden Ring: Remembrance Weapon Showcase

{Because YT banned that account, here's a more recent video about the Remembrance Weapons:}

Ranking All Remembrance Boss Weapons Worst To Best In Elden Ring- Patch 1.09

Also, ELDEN RING: Patch Notes 1.04 from Bandai Namco.

[MoKat]

Sharing this because I thought it was funny & it proves that Elden Ring still has very exploitable bugs ^.^

Elden Ring + One Punch Man =

Elden Ring In 1 Hit

"cheese cannon" 🤣

[MoKat]

I thought that this analysis was interesting enough to share.

Malenia doesn't play by the rules - Elden Ring boss analysis

 

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Recorded on patch 1.03.2.

Content:
00:00 - Intro
01:48 - Poise, poise hp, poise damage, staggers
02:16 - Stance, stance health, stance damage, stance-break
03:01 - Hyperarmor, hyperarmor frames
03:33 - Interaction of hyperarmor and stance-breaking
03:58 - Bleed stun
04:16 - Poise, stance health and hyperarmor of Malenia
04:55 - Stance-break immunity
06:16 - Animation commitment
06:41 - Stagger cancelling
07:38 - Punishing attacks
09:03 - Human-poise bosses (Malenia, Friede, Maria)
10:03 - Closing thoughts

 

[Mike Arcade]

I'd like to get Elden Ring whenever I can, just kinda waiting for a sale on my end. But I do generally like these Souls-Type games with their actiony combat, yet also that sort of dungeon crawling from early RPG games.

[MoKat]

I think he has some valid points here:

Why Western Developers Are So Angry About Elden Ring's Success

 

{Edit: And this comment sums up what I think about it...

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When the wrong people are put into executive rolls, the product will under-deliver or fail. Most execs don't understand (or appreciate) storytelling, world building, game design, and/or user experience/preference. And so they strong-arm directors into making bad choices. The execs at FromSoft empowered the directors, writers, and devs to innovate and deliver what players actually want (and beyond). They're leading the industry in the right direction. Hopefully Acti/Blizz, EA, Ubisoft, and the rest will take notice and learn something.

 

Edited December 24, 2022 by MoKat
added a comment

[MoKat]

I don't think there have been any more patches since March, so...

Glitches you can do in Elden Ring [Phobia]

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CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro
01:03 Sponsor
02:06 ACT I
02:21 Gearing Up
03:20 Night's Cavalry Quick-Kill
05:16 Loretta Freeze
06:45 Volcano Manor Wrong-Warp
10:44 Leyndell Wrong-Warp
12:53 ACT II
13:05 Leyndell Skip
14:08 Gravity Glitch (PATCHED)
16:38 Morgott Skip
17:37 Mountaintops Wrong-Warp
19:00 Unload Glitch
21:00 Snowfield Skip
22:48 ACT III
22:58 Parry Drop
24:08 Skillswap
25:59 Malenia Freeze
30:45 FINAL ACT
30:55 Farum Azula Wrong-Warp
32:08 Godskin Duo Skip (PATCHED)
33:01 Final Bosses
36:13 Outro

 

[MoKat]

Elden Ring DLC trailer ahoy!

ELDEN RING Shadow of the Erdtree | Official Gameplay Reveal Trailer

 

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Premiered Feb 21, 2024

In the Land of Shadow, Miquella awaits the return of his promised Lord.
 

The Land of Shadow.
 
A place obscured by the Erdtree.
Where the goddess Marika first set foot.
 
A land purged in an unsung battle.
Set ablaze by Messmer’s flame.
 
It was to this land that Miquella departed.
Divesting himself of his flesh, his strength, his lineage.
Of all things Golden.