Dark Souls- PS3, Xbox 360, PC

[Leader Bee]

There's also a pyro teacher with the Chaos covenant, though, which is also in/near Blighttown. I suppose he can level up your flame as well? I wouldn't know, cause I accidentally agroed him (he looks just like an enemy of that area (with a big egg on his back), so watch out!)

Hell... You aggroed those maggot backs? After finding out the ones in the room before quelaag spawn those nasty worms I wouldn't have even considered hitting this guy, given how small the worms are you'd think they'd be easy but the little buggers raped me the first time; I soon learned my lesson and left them alone.

[Sumez]

Oh, I never attacked those guys once, as they weren't trying to fight me (though I did try attacking one of those in Demon Ruins, just to see what they were like)

I attacked this guy because he was standing in my way, and there didn't seem to be any way to get past him otherwise (didn't see any "X: Talk" note either?)

[Weak Boson]

I totally missed pyromancy the first time (killed the dude in the barrel) so I never got a flame. On NG+ and have been enjoying my new found powers. That was until, even having read the above posts, I still ended up slicing up the egg dude. I gather if you don't kill hostile NPCs you can make up by getting absolved in the undead parsih. Still that's going to be a lot of souls down the drain...

[Sumez]

Yeah, I'm still considering whether to do that in order to get the Chaos pyromancy spells - are they worth it? I already bought the best ones the witch in Blighttown has to offer.

[Zaarock]

You don't get the chaos pyromancies from him, you get them from the covenant. He gives you another pyromancy catalyst and sells poison/toxic mist if you talk to him after being infected though.

Chaos fireball is good, and you want to put 30 humanity into the covenant to unlock a shortcut to lost izalith, after your first playthrough at least. (you can skip two bosses and farm demon titanite through this shortcut)

[Moniker]

After killing the pyro dude I'm thinking about switching over to sorcery. I wasn't getting that much out of the fireballs anyway, since the effective range is so small. I'm almost at 20 END and perhaps I'll pump INT after that. I read that it's good for both sorcery and elemental weapons. Haven't read much about ppl using sorcery here, anyone recommend it as a substitute? I did make a divine wing-tipped spear, but it still has nothing on my +2 dark knight sword. I could bump it with faith, but the only miracle that looks good is Homeward.

[sjewkestheloon]

Just drained New Londo Ruins. I can take those darkwraiths--sometimes two at a time, but there's a point where three of them come running at me at once, and I'm thinking it's time to reconsider my path.

Congrats on finishing it.

Thanks man. Those darkwraiths are swines. If you go into lower New Londo from the lift near the entrance, walk into the first room and take them on one at a time, you can go right out of the room, follow the path around and cross to the tower on the other side of the valley of drakes shortcut. Work your way up and around until you can take a path to the right of a large staircase where ghosts will attack you from across the way. Turn around and you can drop down onto the path with the fog door to the boss.

I found this route to be much easier than the other 'official' route as you don't have to deal with so many enemies at once.

[Zaarock]

I'm thinking about switching over to sorcery.

Pyromancy costs you nothing level wise, but if you want to go int you can't go back. The spells between them aren't even that similar.. pyromancy is more about splash damage and area of effect spells along with a couple good melee spells. While sorcery is about soul arrow, homing shots and buffs.

I read that it's good for both sorcery and elemental weapons.

Nothing affects elemental weapons.

I could bump it with faith, but the only miracle that looks good is Homeward.

You should probably make your weapons based on your stats instead of the other way around :p I guess if you don't like the miracles then it's not worth it but afaik the force miracles and buffs should be pretty good.

[Moniker]

I could bump it with faith, but the only miracle that looks good is Homeward.

You should probably make your weapons based on your stats instead of the other way around :p I guess if you don't like the miracles then it's not worth it but afaik the force miracles and buffs should be pretty good.

Yeah, I'm level 25ish and all I've really invested in is STR (20), DEX (18), and END (17). And the odd VIT and RES when I first started up. Don't wanna end up as a pure warrior type, but haven't had access to anything nearly effective as melee. Well, more to mull over then.

[Sumez]

Chaos fireball is good, and you want to put 30 humanity into the covenant to unlock a shortcut to lost izalith, after your first playthrough at least. (you can skip two bosses and farm demon titanite through this shortcut)

That titanite demon respawns?? I never returned there after killing it...

I knew about the shortcut, but didn't see any reason to waste 30 humanity on it. Does it carry over to subsequent playthroughs??

He gives you another pyromancy catalyst

What's different about it? Better than the normal one somehow?

[Moniker]

Goddammit got cursed again by a freaking frog. Was in human form, too. Forgot the passageways and landed next to one, killed it, and one of its friends snuck up and breathed on me. I think Dark Souls is gonna take a break for a few days, or at least until I can muster up the patience to farm 6k in souls again.

[Elixir]

The dude in the bell tower after the gargoyles sells them for 3k.

[Moniker]

Awesome. Thank you, sir.

[Zaarock]

What's different about it? Better than the normal one somehow?

It's another normal catalyst, it just means you can get and upgrade a catalyst without the pyromancer guy and vice versa. Also useful because you can trade an ascended catalyst for a red titanite slab every playthrough (has to be unupgraded for some reason)

[Sumez]

The dude in the bell tower after the gargoyles sells them for 3k.

Start saving up for the Crest of Artorias key instead (20k from Blacksmith Andrei), though. Once you open that door, you can easily farm 6k souls over and over again from killing just 3 respawning enemies behind that door (which again is right next to a bonfire).

[evil_ash_xero]

What he said. Also, check it out on YouTube(search for Dark Souls forest farming), and you can see how you can just make them fall off a cliff. They're kind of tough, so it's a good idea to do it that way, anyhow.

[Sumez]

Well at least for the first few "invisible" non-respawning enemies. The four that respawn are all pretty easy to take out in a few hits if you have a decent weapon.

[evil_ash_xero]

Yeah, but it's tons faster, the other way.

And that stupid one, with the fog ring...you can't lock on him, and it's aggravating.

[Zaarock]

Yeah, but it's tons faster, the other way.

No, not if you can run straight up to them and kill them in two-three hits.

[sjewkestheloon]

Played for a few hours today and got my NG+ run through to Sen's Fortress where I PVP'd a lot for the Forest Covenant and then took out all 4 titanite bastards in the bottom of Sen's. You can clear this game very quickly when you know what you are doing, although I suppose we already knew that from the speed run.

[Elixir]

Start saving up for the Crest of Artorias key instead (20k from Blacksmith Andrei), though.

What he said.

Or you could just uncurse yourself and not break the game.

[Sumez]

1. That would require the souls in the first place!
2. How's killing the forest NPC enemies "breaking the game"? It doesn't take long before the game requires 40k souls just for increasing a single stat, and when every other casual enemy in the game drops 150-200 souls at max, that would take an awful lot of time. If anything's broken, it's the lack of increasing "exp" as you approach the end of the game.

That said, the pond at the end of Tomb of Giants with the respawning pygmy skeletons is also a pretty decent location for grinding souls, and that gets you a lot of humanity as well.

[Moniker]

Yeah, I'm not a fan of grinding/farming in general, which is why I don't really like the curse mechanic. I just got the requisite 3k souls and continued down. Killed the gaping dragon and squandered most of the souls on crystal gear, having not read the description that says they're irreparable.

The gaping dragon was immensely easier with a lighter equip weight and two-handing a greatsword with the Grass Crest (or whatever) shield on my back. I may stick with lighter armor from here on out; just gotta have that 100% shield to compensate.

[Elixir]

1. That would require the souls in the first place!

...so does alternatively grinding 20,000 souls for an area you can't take.

2. How's killing the forest NPC enemies "breaking the game"? It doesn't take long before the game requires 40k souls just for increasing a single stat, and when every other casual enemy in the game drops 150-200 souls at max, that would take an awful lot of time. If anything's broken, it's the lack of increasing "exp" as you approach the end of the game.

How is gaining 40 levels in an hour not "breaking the game"?

[Sumez]

If you want to spend an hour going nowhere, fine with me, you can have all the levels you want. In a game like this, it won't do much of a difference anyway.

Getting enough souls to buy a couple of uncurse items in this area only takes killing a couple of guys and then moving on anyway. Or kill 10 of then and you'll have your money back for the crest key.

[Elixir]

Yes, but what you literally suggested was for him to grind 20,000 souls to exploit an environmental AI bug instead of simply going to the gargoyles and collecting 3k along the way. Frogs aren't even hard. They take what, 1-2 hits and don't actually attack you?

Also, massing levels early on isn't really a good idea, since it isolates co-op even further.

Anyway, isn't the 1.04 patch out in a few hours? I'm really hoping the co-op is drastically fixed.

[Sumez]

Environmental AI bug? Huh? What? I'm pretty sure those guys are meant to give you 2000.
Also, I was never talking about amassing levels.

[Elixir]

I'm pretty sure they give 2000 too.

[iconoclast]

All of the changes in 1.04 are here in English: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=450602

Good stuff.

[CMoon]

Those are good changes, but word is that a lot of armor got nerfed. Two pieces I was working on have apparently been serious nerfed. Pyromancy got nerfed. I'm not saying these are bad things, but I'm rather close to the end, but will probably have to mix up all my tactics endgame, and even farm out some new pieces of armor.

Strategy guide (if you bought one) just became worth substantially less.