Bloodborne

[Immryr]

I started on my second playthrough today after finishing the game some time last week. I got a huge surprise in the cathedral ward when I got grabbed by the invisible amygdala! I had no idea that could happen. I'm going with some kind of skill build for this character, not sure which weapon I will settle on at the min - leaning towards the reiterpalasch. after that I'm thinking either a torch only or gun only type of run might be fun.

I didn't go too far into the chalice dungeons first time round, I wasn't hugely enjoying them but I might try and slog through them this time just to fight the bosses.

[CMoon]

There is no question about the chalice dungeons being a chore. I don't like the whole "do the static dungeon just to unlock the random dungeon. Really obvious attempt to shoehorn in more hours with a rouge-like / diablo-esque collect-em-up mentality. As pointed out earlier, I don't know if this is what From does well.

On the other hand, apparently the chalice dungeons mix it up a bit after the lower pthumeru / hintertomb, but I haven't made it that far yet.

If you haven't seen it yet, here's a 'flowchart' of how the chalice dungeons work: http://i.imgur.com/EdYtWGZ.png

[evil_ash_xero]

The Chalice Dungeons are junk.

[Necronopticous]

what does a good blades of mercy build look like?

Pretty basic, I think. Pump skill to take advantage of S-rank scaling at +10, pump arcane to boost elemental damage and allow access to whatever spell items you feel like using, and probably throw some points into stamina to keep the quick combos going and increase the utility of your +%max stamina runes.

[Cata]

I think I'll be playing this game for quite a bit tonight. Stopped for a bit (really only play about 18-19 hours total so far) so I'm up to Vicar Amelia. I've fought her about 5 times and have had some trouble so I started venturing off to the witch village on the left. I'm wondering if i should just continue exploring that way and come back and fight Amelia or if I should go for Amelia first and just grind out her attack patterns till I've got them down.

Either way, SUPER impressed how much they've gotten the load times down. I was thinking maybe they'd go down by about 5 to 10 seconds haha

[CMoon]

I'm wondering if i should just continue exploring that way and come back and fight Amelia or if I should go for Amelia first and just grind out her attack patterns till I've got them down.

You're fine either way. Amelia isn't really that hard when you figure her out, but the 'witch area' (Hemwick) is a fantastic early area...actually one of my favorite in the game.

[Immryr]

i really don't like the fact that the forest skip has been patched.

[cave hermit]

I kinda stopped for awhile after getting sidetracked by DOTA, but now that the long load-times have been patched and the end of my semester is approaching, I might get back into this.

I left off immediately after finding the blood starved beast, although even if I manage to kill it I'm not sure where to go after that since apparently killing it just unlocks the chalice dungeons...

[Necronopticous]

I left off immediately after finding the blood starved beast, although even if I manage to kill it I'm not sure where to go after that since apparently killing it just unlocks the chalice dungeons...

It unlocks more than that, but if main game progression is your modus operandi, then Vicar Amelia is your next mark.

[Immryr]

although you don't need to take on the vicar immediately, i'd probably advise going after the witch before the vicar.

[Cata]

Man, I played quite a bit over this weekend. Last time I posted I was just about to take on Vicar Amelia. She went down after one or two tries at which point I then took on the witch of hemwick and the shadows of yharnam. Was really surprised when I took both of them down in one go. Thought they would give me a bit more trouble.

Then I moved to Rom. Rom took me about 8-10 tries before I finally just BARELY managed to scrape by. Definitely one of the harder bosses in the game IMO.

So now I am just arriving at Yahargul. I had ventured just briefly into Cainhurst but immediately got slaughtered by two spider things. I'm currently at level 51~ so maybe I need to go through Yahargul a bit first and get some levels added.

Either way, I'm having a lot of fun jumping back into this game. I had set it down for a couple weeks and kept putting it off knowing that it'd be tough making my way back into the game again but when the new patch came out with the reduced load times I couldn't help myself. Boy am I glad I didn't give up on it.

So now that I'm blazing through the campaign and I'm about 3/4 of the way done from what I'm hearing I'm wondering if after the campaign I should dip my toes into DS2 for PS4. I'm really enjoying the satisfaction these games offer (really pretty similar to shmups imo) and would love more of it. I do have a PS3 so I could pick up just vanilla Dark souls or even Demons Souls but I'm so much more tempted on getting a new game for my PS4 first

[CMoon]

So now that I'm blazing through the campaign and I'm about 3/4 of the way done from what I'm hearing I'm wondering if after the campaign I should dip my toes into DS2 for PS4. I'm really enjoying the satisfaction these games offer (really pretty similar to shmups imo) and would love me. I do have a PS3 so I could pick up just vanilla Dark souls or even Demons Souls but I'm so much more tempted on getting a new game for my PS4 first

Demon's Souls and Dark Souls are better than DS2. I've discussed this at length in a lot of threads, but DS2 lacks the world design, lore and overall creativity of the other titles--this stems from the fact that Miyazaki didn't work on it. Also, DS2 on the ps4 currently has a bug that causes weapons to degrade very quickly. I'd at least wait until they patch it.

I'm sure you can get Demon's Souls and Dark Souls for pennies right now. If you dug Bloodborne, there's no real reason not to go check them out.

[Necronopticous]

I'd recommend Demon's Souls, then Dark Souls, then quit while you're ahead. Save the best for last. Save the worst for never.

[Cata]

Haha damn, 2 must really be bad

I guess I can understand though, since these games are a decent amount longer than most games these days. I'd much rather sink 40-60 hours minimum into a much better experience

[Sparky]

Off topic but Demon's Souls is currently on sale on the PlayStation Network store. With PlayStation Plus it is $5.

[evil_ash_xero]

Haha damn, 2 must really be bad

I guess I can understand though, since these games are a decent amount longer than most games these days. I'd much rather sink 40-60 hours minimum into a much better experience

Lots of people say it's because Miyazaki didn't work on it. But I think it goes beyond that. It's obviously a different team. The art direction is different (for the worse), the level design is too linear....it's just really noticeable.

I'm so in love with the main team's games, I just can't get into something different like this. At least with the Resident Evil games, even if they were made by different teams, they kept the same aesthetic.

Dark Souls 2, just seem different. And it really doesn't bring anything new, that is good, to the table. It's all kind of lackluster. Not bad...but not really all that engrossing either.
Some really like it though.

Bloodborne's patch is pretty amazing. They really got those respawn times down a LOT. And the item descriptions are back! Awesome.

Still, this game is DYING for some DLC. I hope they have some on the way.

[Cata]

Yea in regards to DLC I can already kinda see how there doesn't seem to be nearly as much post content as the other souls games. Other than running chalice dungeons for gems in such I've heard theres really nothing new to shoot for.

I will say having played what I have so far I'd totally be OK paying for it, as opposed to something like arkham or evolve

[evil_ash_xero]

Yes, more of this game would be a great thing.

I hope they are working on it.

[Obscura]

Haha damn, 2 must really be bad

I guess I can understand though, since these games are a decent amount longer than most games these days. I'd much rather sink 40-60 hours minimum into a much better experience

Ignore the haters; anyone who says that 2 isn't better than 1 is just too caught up on "MUH MIYAZAKI!!" (oh, and his name appears enough times in the DS2 credits that the claim that he didn't work on Dark Souls 2 at all seems pretty dubious).

It's better in pretty much every single regard. Better controls, better character system (fanboys will tell you it's worse because it's less broken, but they should probably be ignored), better visuals (christ DkS 1 is ugly as hell; worse than most '90s 3d PC games, honestly), better level design (unless you just really like long corridors with enemies that hold up shields where you just have to sit and wait for them to do something), better enemy AI that stops the game from turning into a series of "lure one enemy out at a time"... shit, let's just say better everything other than story, and who gives a shit about story in a videogame?

[evil_ash_xero]

Haha damn, 2 must really be bad

I guess I can understand though, since these games are a decent amount longer than most games these days. I'd much rather sink 40-60 hours minimum into a much better experience

Ignore the haters; anyone who says that 2 isn't better than 1 is just too caught up on "MUH MIYAZAKI!!" (oh, and his name appears enough times in the DS2 credits that the claim that he didn't work on Dark Souls 2 at all seems pretty dubious).

It's better in pretty much every single regard. Better controls, better character system (fanboys will tell you it's worse because it's less broken, but they should probably be ignored), better visuals (christ DkS 1 is ugly as hell; worse than most '90s 3d PC games, honestly), better level design (unless you just really like long corridors with enemies that hold up shields where you just have to sit and wait for them to do something), better enemy AI that stops the game from turning into a series of "lure one enemy out at a time"... shit, let's just say better everything other than story, and who gives a shit about story in a videogame?

I STRONGLY, yet politely, disagree.

[Cagar]

I 85% agree with Obscura to be honest.
I am 100% certain that the hate that DkS fanboys have towards DkS2 is not honest hate from the game-experience itself, but bandwagoning the 'MUH MIYAZAKI' bullcrap and blowing things out of proportion on reddit, 4chan and negoaf. It feels like a meme to me instead of real criticism, really.

I seriously wonder why didn't From just straight up lie that Miyazaki is directing DkS2 too. I believe that the reception of the game would've changed drastically by just placing his name in the right place in the credits.

[Necronopticous]

I 85% agree with Obscura to be honest.
I am 100% certain that the hate that DkS fanboys have towards DkS2 is not honest hate from the game-experience itself, but bandwagoning the 'MUH MIYAZAKI' bullcrap and blowing things out of proportion on reddit, 4chan and negoaf. It feels like a meme to me instead of real criticism, really.

I seriously wonder why didn't From just straight up lie that Miyazaki is directing DkS2 too. I believe that the reception of the game would've changed drastically by just placing his name in the right place in the credits.

Well, you guys are entitled to your opinion, but in my case I actually had no idea who Miyazaki even was or that he was absent from Dark Souls 2 development when I originally played it. I was eager and excited to play Dark Souls 2, and it was just a joyless slog for me. I forced myself through the entire game and rarely enjoyed any moment of it. I was absolutely flabbergasted by some of the changes which broke (in my opinion) existing and perfectly functional established systems (blocking, rolling, parrying/riposte), alienated by the way the game fit (or didn't fit) together like a multicolored LEGO house built from 20 different LEGO sets, and just completely turned off by most of the bosses, which are either A) completely forgettable B) ripped directly from Dark Souls and watered down or C) love-letters to the concept of copy/paste.

I have played through Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne no less than 4 or 5 times each with myriad approaches and I still don't feel like I have exhausted the experience of any of them. I suffered Dark Souls 2 one time and I would never do so again. I have no idea what specific involvement Miyazaki did or didn't have in Dark Souls 2, but like it or hate it, it is an entirely different beast to the other 3 games. That said, your experiential feeling towards the other "Souls" games will not necessarily carry over to Dark Souls 2. I suppose the best thing to do would be to try it yourself and form your own opinion, but the same could be said for anything. Cata mentioned wanting "more of [the Bloodborne experience]" to which I can only advise Demon's Souls and Dark Souls.

[Obscura]

forced myself through the entire game and rarely enjoyed any moment of it. I was absolutely flabbergasted by some of the changes which broke (in my opinion) existing and perfectly functional established systems (blocking, rolling, parrying/riposte),

Blocking and parry/riposte were anything other than "perfectly functional" in Dark Souls 1. "Hold LB for invincibility lulz" has no place in any action game, and parry on reaction is just a terrible idea (whereas the Dark Souls 2 version with startup means you have to make a prediction to parry = you have to take a risk to get the move that's otherwise absolutely ideal for every situation). Rolling wasn't broken in DS2 at all; they just made it so that you don't have to put a million points into carry weight to be able to do it, and they made the invincibility on it its own stat, to replace the worthless Resistance stat.

alienated by the way the game fit (or didn't fit) together like a multicolored LEGO house built from 20 different LEGO sets,

Totally unlike Demon's Souls and the archstones, right?

and just completely turned off by most of the bosses, which are either A) completely forgettable

Yeah, the 50 bosses on the path to Bed of Chaos in DS1 were so good! Seath was so good! 4 Kings wasn't just "mash RB" by the time most players get to him! Pinwheel, man, what a fight!

B) ripped directly from Dark Souls and watered down

Admittedly, I haven't played Demon's Souls, but according to what I've read, the Bell Gargoyles, Gwyn, and the bridge dragon were just reskins of Demon's Souls bosses. The only direct rips I can think of in DS2 were Old Dragonslayer (which was watered down because it's possibly the first boss you fight in the game, rather than being at the half-way point like Ornstein was) and the Belfry Gargoyles (which was the furthest thing in the world from watered down, roflmao.)

or C) love-letters to the concept of copy/paste.

Are you sure you're not confusing DS1 and DS2? Asylum Demon/Stray Demon/Demon Firesage say hello! And how many times did the Taurus and Capra demons appear in Lost Izalith? And then the additional Pinwheels in Tomb of Giants?

About the only real criticism I've ever seen of DS2 compared to 1 is "lol Iron Keep elevator" (personally, I found the elevator to Dragon's Aerie to be just as hilarious, although no one talks about that one for some reason). But if you're that bothered by the fact that some of the parts of the world might not fit together absolutely perfectly, I have to wonder how you ever played videogames at all, given that "the total world map makes complete and perfect spatial sense" is a tiny exception, rather than the rule. Oh, and it doesn't explain why the DS2 haters still love Demon's, with Archstones and all.

EDIT: It's worth noting that much of the DS2 hate simply parrots this article (http://blog.danbo.vg/post/78846292906/dark-souls-2), which was written by an author that at the time hadn't played the game.

[evil_ash_xero]

I didn't finish Dark Souls 2. The world and design just did nothing for me.

If you MUST play more, after playing Dark Souls and Demon's Soul, give it a shot.
You may like it, but you may not.

[jepjepjep]

Yes, more of this game would be a great thing.

I hope they are working on it.

I hope they're working on adding an estus flask to it. That's my only gripe. Aside from the forced grinding, the game is great.

[Cata]

Well I mean, the Blood Vial is the replacement for that

[jepjepjep]

Estus refills itself when you rest at bonfires or die. In Bloodborne, you have to grind currency to buy more blood vials and quicksilver bullets. I've been more frustrated with my Bloodborne run than any of the souls games, including Dark Souls at SL1. I'm at Gehrman at SL70 and the fight feels like such bullshit. I do extremely pitiful damage unless I do the gun riposte/visceral and I seem to take huge damage no matter what I do. On top of that, I just want to keep fighting him, but the game design is forcing me to do some repetitive grinding just to refill my bullets and vials.

[Cata]

yea i had to grind for some bloodviles 2-3 times while trying to take down rom. the nice thing, though is that you have those two wolves and a couple trolls in central yharnam that take 3 minutes tops to get about 16 blood vials in one run so i felt that it wasn't too bad

I think the big difference for me, though is that while bloodborne doesn't refill your vials it also doesn't take a permanent chunk out of your HP thus making it a fair trade off. I haven't played any of the other games yet, though, so I can't really say how much balance there is in that tradeoff

[CMoon]

Estus refills itself when you rest at bonfires or die. In Bloodborne, you have to grind currency to buy more blood vials and quicksilver bullets. I've been more frustrated with my Bloodborne run than any of the souls games, including Dark Souls at SL1. I'm at Gehrman at SL70 and the fight feels like such bullshit. I do extremely pitiful damage unless I do the gun riposte/visceral and I seem to take huge damage no matter what I do. On top of that, I just want to keep fighting him, but the game design is forcing me to do some repetitive grinding just to refill my bullets and vials.

This is one of my biggest problems with bloodborne. Want to point out though that you can do a quick run through mergo's middle loft and pick up enough vials and echoes to keep on with the fight. The problem is, it shouldn't work that way. Dark Souls had it figured out, so why the step backwards?

RE: Dark Souls 2 vs the world...

I STRONGLY, yet politely, disagree.

Probably the best response. Although it deserves its own thread, I'd like to hear Obscura justify some of his arguments. Also, Cagar's argument about fan bandwagoning doesn't work for me. The whole 'B team' issue wasn't known until after we were playing the game and forming our own opinions. I know I'm only one data point, but I really tried to love DS2 the way I loved the other titles. Still 'trying' actually...

[Necronopticous]

I finally beat Watchdog of the Old Lords in Cursed Pthumerian Defilement Layer 2. I'm playing a glass cannon character of sorts (mainly just glass at this point) with 50 points in skill, 25 in arcane, and base stats otherwise. Level 62 total. With base life/stamina, it doesn't feel too different from my level 4 game, except that I can kill things more quickly and use the Blade of Mercy effectively. It took me about 4 hours of attempts to finally down this guy. I uploaded the vid from my PS4. I don't know how to cut it, so there are a couple of failed attempts in the video prior, but I'll link to the specific time where my successful attempt starts.

https://youtu.be/_EB8BcAoS_o?t=522