Dark Souls(Demon's Souls successor)

[eot]

Becoming a SL1 Darkwraith was my main objective, other than finishing the game, and I too thought Four Kings were excruciating.

 

Until!

 

I did what I did before, which was just tank them wearing Havel's set.

 

Slightly more detailed tips:

Add any equipment that boosts pyromancy (the Crown of Dusk also helps you to be under max. equipment load), eat stamina grass, use the Crest Shield, rush the first one and hope you get lucky that they don't throw the homing blue stuff. After that it was actually pretty easy and only took a couple of tries. Not the purest way to play but all's fair, etc.

 

Never give up hope!

I did something similar, I stacked damage buffs, Power Within, Bellowing Dragoncrest ring etc. The Crown of Dusk is a double edged sword though because it increases the damage you take from magic attacks, which means that they can 1-shot you in certain situations. I think I used Great Combustion, then pulled out my fire RF Club (they're weak to fire). You can go down to the Demon Ruins and get the Large Flame Ember without placing the Lordvessel, getting the red chunks can be annoying, but I think some of the Black Knights always drop them (go back to the asylum) and you can always clear out the lizards in the Great Hollow too (which is annoying to do but still). Also, remember to keep attacking even as they're dying, the hitbox doesn't disappear right away and you can get quite a few extra hits in.

 

Another way to do it is to go fast roll and use the Red Tearstone Ring, which gives you a huge damage boost when you're under 20% health. The 4-Kings aren't as bad to dodge as you might think. I used that strategy for almost all the harder bosses. Once you've been to the Tomb of the Giants and killed Leeroy, you can use the Sanctus shield to combine the RTS ring with Power Within. How it works is that since the damage you take from Power Within is proportional to your max health, you can make the healing from Sanctus almost cancel the damage from Power Within, so you can stay in the RTSR health range. You have to curse yourself to get your health even lower to make it work, but everything 1-shots you at that point anyway.

 

 

Soul Level 1 run sounds horrendous. I take it you're not using a melee build, because I couldn't imagine how little damage you'd do with weapons. It seems like you're talking about literally hours to kill certain bosses!

Since elemental weapons don't scale with your stats, damage isn't a problem really. The Reinforced Club does quite well, it just has pretty short range and you get sick of it after a while. The fun part about doing an SL1 run is that you really have to learn the bosses in and out. Might not be fun for everyone but I enjoyed it. Except Manus he probably accounted for a third of my deaths in that run.

 

Regarding the DLC bosses and SL1:

A good strategy for Kalameet (also works for Manus) is actually to use the Light Crossbow. Don't make it elemental, for some reason it does more damage just as +15 normal. For Kalameet, just keep it in your offhand and have a regular weapon in your right hand. You can fill him with bolts without having to get up close and personal, it's much easier to read his tells from far away. There are a few attacks opportunities that are more or less safe though, so it helps to have the club ready to rush in and bash him. I really recommend the RTSR for that one since it doubles your damage and he does so much damage anyway.

[Bjorn]

I really don't get this. They aren't that hard. I have suffered more deaths to the archers than these guys.

 

And the archers never bothered me.  My first time through Anor Londo, I waltzed right past those guys and didn't even know they were a brick wall for most people.  But at the bottom of the Catacombs

the Bonewheels just destroyed me the first time I encountered them. And then for the next few times through there, I was so intimidated by them that I didn't engage them very well.

[osmosisch]

Man, the archers are so much easier. A known quantity from a known direction is way easier to deal with. I'd estimate I've died to the spoilers approximately twenty times as often as to the archers.

[Griddlelol]

Wow...

the bonewheel guys were a piece of cake for me. I guess it's all about play style. They either bounced off my shield until I beat them down or I just side stepped them and hit them when they stopped at a wall. The archers in anor londo almost made me quit. Just felt so cheap!

 

Interesting how people have problems with completely different things. A lot of the internet raves about Sif as a great boss, but to me it was over so fast I didn't even notice any of the intricacies of the fight. Made it very unmemorable for me, unlike S&O which while was incredibly hard I thought was a fantastically designed fight. 

[Griddlelol]

My playstyle so far has been very shield dependent. I go into every fight and try to tank as many hits as I can just to work out the bosses moveset. Once I've died once or twice I mostly just dodge and swing with my katana in 2 hands, lifting up my shield for bits I know I suck at dodging. I suppose that's because it's my first time and I have bosses to learn.

 

I've not touched any of the magic. I don't regret going full melee, but I do feel like I'm missing out on something. Once my 3 main stats are at 40, would it be worth putting points into faith or int? Or would it be better to put it into str to give me more options when it comes to weapons? 

[osmosisch]

I'd advise holding off on int and faith for a new character each because they're msot fun when you can contrast them against a previous playstyle (in my opinion anyway).

Pyromancy is completely separate from character stats as you know so you can just fold it into whichever build you feel like.

[Bjorn]

I'd advise holding off on int and faith for a new character each because they're msot fun when you can contrast them against a previous playstyle (in my opinion anyway).

Pyromancy is completely separate from character stats as you know so you can just fold it into whichever build you feel like.

 

I slightly disagree with that.  There are some fun and useful low Intel spells that really mix the game up, like hidden body and hush (which I used heavily in one build to run through areas and for quick backstabs).  But for the more powerful offensive stuff (especially weapon buffs for melee characters), you're looking at dumping 30+ points into Faith or Intel to get to the good spells. 

 

But its not necessary at all, you can just keep pumping into the physical stats and you'll be fine. 

[Griddlelol]

Oh really? So the diminishing returns aren't that bad? I assumed the drop off was huge as everyone seems to act like it is. 

 

Bed of Chaos huh? What a massive anti-climax. Time for the DLC! 

 

I'm not sure if I can even get those sorcery spells. The guy is locked up in the archives somewhere and I got tired of figuring out how to let him out. 

[Bjorn]

Oh really? So the diminishing returns aren't that bad? I assumed the drop off was huge as everyone seems to act like it is.  

 

No, the diminishing returns are brutal, as in usually not worth the points.  But I meant keep pumping the ones that aren't at 40 yet.  Unless you're farming, you're unlikely to soft cap all the stats that are useful to you before finishing the game.  Taking all 4 of the physical stats to around 40 should put you over level 100. 

[Griddlelol]

Oh right, I've not touched Str apart from a couple of points to get me to the lowest limit to use Uchigatana. I guess I'll put some more stuff into that.

 

I've not been farming at all, only occasionally if I'm 1000 or so souls from a level and about to go somewhere new. Leveling up is quite easy, the bosses give loads + the random souls you find lying around (like Brave warrior soul etc.) are plenty.

[N1njaSquirrel]

I did it! I defeated the 4 kings on my SL1 run! Whoo! http://steamcommunity.com/id/N1njaSquirrel/screenshot/3332971629711339988

[eot]

They increased the amount of souls you get from bosses (and some enemies as well) by quite a lot in a patch. The Gargoyles used to give 1,500 now it's 10,000. So you probably get 25+ more levels without grinding compared to 1.0. They probably did that because people were grinding for souls, but it tipped the scales a little too far in the other direction. It something I wish they'd put a bit more effort into.

 

I did it! I defeated the 4 kings on my SL1 run! Whoo! http://steamcommunity.com/id/N1njaSquirrel/screenshot/3332971629711339988

Congrats! now go invade some people in the Parish! hehe

Did you do it with zero poise?

[Griddlelol]

Any tips for Knight Artorias? Really struggling with him. I've died quite a few times, and I can get him down to 50% each time, but he always manages to kill me. He has a lot of attacks that just can't be blocked, and if I dodge I don't have time to get an attack in. 

[Bjorn]

Don't die?

 

 

Sorry!  I only fought him with one character, and remember it being tough and feeling slightly lucky when I finally pulled it off. 

[Gormongous]

Any tips for Knight Artorias? Really struggling with him. I've died quite a few times, and I can get him down to 50% each time, but he always manages to kill me. He has a lot of attacks that just can't be blocked, and if I dodge I don't have time to get an attack in. 

 

I think you might just have to show some superhuman patience, Griddle. That's how it was with the Stray Demon. Only about one in three of his attacks left an opening, so ninety percent of my time was just spent teaching myself not to trade blows and to wait until I was sure I could get a hit off without taking damage.

[eot]

Any tips for Knight Artorias? Really struggling with him. I've died quite a few times, and I can get him down to 50% each time, but he always manages to kill me. He has a lot of attacks that just can't be blocked, and if I dodge I don't have time to get an attack in. 

Interrupting this charge move is key, it's very hard to deal with him when he's all powered up (the buffs can stack too). The tell for it is two successive backwards dodges. If you charge him and get in 2-3 hits (2-handed preferably) it's usually enough to break him out of the animation. For the rest of the fight, I found that the leap and running attacks are quite useful against him, since you don't have much time to close the distance. There are a few moves where he takes a while to recover though, like the long distance leap. That's a good one to dodge and take advantage of.

[Griddlelol]

I think you might just have to show some superhuman patience, Griddle. That's how it was with the Stray Demon. Only about one in three of his attacks left an opening, so ninety percent of my time was just spent teaching myself not to trade blows and to wait until I was sure I could get a hit off without taking damage.

 

Yeah, I have a chronic case of "one more hit" on every boss I fight. Especially when they're low health. Still haven't learned not to do it, I feel like the risk of dying vs the reward of killing the boss from those extra hits is always worth it for me. 

 

Ah, I've never managed to interrupt him. I didn't notice the tell either. I'll look for that! 

 

I tried taking off my shield etc. and just dodging like crazy. This is the best strategy I've had so far. Got him down to 1/5 and he killed me. First time I've rage quit since the Anor Londo archers. Bleh.

[N1njaSquirrel]

Congrats! now go invade some people in the Parish! hehe

Did you do it with zero poise?

 

Thanks! Nah, I cheesed it with the Havel's armor. only put on the chest plate, as then I could at least do a medium roll. (I hate fat roll, it's the worst), I maxed out my pyromancy flame to +15, then used combustion and great combustion to kill the first two Kings, and then used my lightning reinforced club + 3 (as it dealt more damage than my fire RC +5) to kick the last two's butts. I tried power within, but found it killed me more than anything. Now onto dickery! XD

[JonCole]

Kept dicking around in the Depths and decided to go out on a limb to fight the boss. Got totally annihilated by the Gaping Dragon, but at least I know what I'm up against and I know how to get here relatively easy from the Depths bonfire. Still don't know how to get out of that place, though. I feel like I'm missing a critical shortcut to Firelink/other place.

[Reyturner]

Straight out of the Depths bonfire, through the slimes, hang a left, through the waist deep water, into the butcher's room, up through to the lower Undead Burg, up the stairs past that pointless hollow with the short bow, left at the female undead merchant, through the aqueduct and boom. 

[Roderick]

The Gaping Dragon is an amazing fight, I found. His attacks are quite readable and you can bait the charge. Yet it feels very grandiose, since you have to do some serious legwork on account of his size and speed.

[Griddlelol]

I agree. The Gaping Dragon is one of my favourite fights I've had so far. Great looking creature, well designed. My only complaint is that there's a cliff at the far end of the room. It's bloody impossible to see when you're near it, and you forget about the initial cut scene when you're fighting the boss for the 6th time.

[N1njaSquirrel]

Interesting how people have problems with completely different things. A lot of the internet raves about Sif as a great boss, but to me it was over so fast I didn't even notice any of the intricacies of the fight. Made it very unmemorable for me, unlike S&O which while was incredibly hard I thought was a fantastically designed fight. 

 

The thing about Sif is that whilst he isn't all that great a fight, he's the only boss that shows emotion and weakness. He starts limping when he's at 25%, which makes it heart-wrenchingly sad to deliver the final blow. Also story wise, he's got a sad story in general, only to be sadder for you to kill him when all he's doing is protecting the grave of his master. Also finishing the DLC before taking on Sif gives you a different cut scene.

 

The Gaping dragon is a great fight, and terrifying when first encountered. Although he did get quickly dubbed the 'vagina dragon'. I love smacking his head and watching it comically wiggle about.

[Griddlelol]

I didn't notice the limp. I managed to get him from like 40% to 0% in one burst thanks to him jumping into a wall a couple of times. It's a good looking boss though.

[eot]

The issue is that you can fight him at any point in the game. If you do it after the Gargoyles he's probably too hard (some of his attacks do a surprising amount of damage) and if you do it after Anor Londo he's a pushover.