Demon's Souls - Spoilers are Harsh. Evaluate me

[Velorath]

I can snipe the reaper in the first room in three shots for an easy 5000 souls (counting his shadowmen who also die when you kill him)

Your second time through the game (NG+) is an explorative journey of self-discovery on realizing you used ranged as a crutch for far too long.

I still melee a lot in most levels, simply because it's a lot more fun than standing back sniping.  4-2 is fucking hell on earth for trying to melee though.

[schild]

I can snipe the reaper in the first room in three shots for an easy 5000 souls (counting his shadowmen who also die when you kill him)

Your second time through the game (NG+) is an explorative journey of self-discovery on realizing you used ranged as a crutch for far too long.

I still melee a lot in most levels, simply because it's a lot more fun than standing back sniping.  4-2 is fucking hell on earth for trying to melee though.

Funny because the only thing I range in 4-2 is the first reaper, and the first group of white skeletons.

Also, the most underused ability in the game is Demon's Prank.

[Velorath]

I can snipe the reaper in the first room in three shots for an easy 5000 souls (counting his shadowmen who also die when you kill him)

Your second time through the game (NG+) is an explorative journey of self-discovery on realizing you used ranged as a crutch for far too long.

I still melee a lot in most levels, simply because it's a lot more fun than standing back sniping.  4-2 is fucking hell on earth for trying to melee though.

Funny because the only thing I range in 4-2 is the first reaper, and the first group of white skeletons.

Also, the most underused ability in the game is Demon's Prank.

I snipe the reaper and the skeletons.  Either switch to fire arrows or soul light for the gold skeletons.  Shoot the purple eyed shadowmen at medium distance, run down the stairs and shoot the second reaper who tends to fall off the cliff after the first or second shot. Poison gas the purple shadowman and the last reaper.  Melee or shoot the slugs.  The second reaper is the only place I tend to get hit because the shadowmen can respawn so fast.

[LK]

Also, the most underused ability in the game is Demon's Prank.

Manipulating AI behavior instead of beating the shit out of them seems to be a low priority for most players.

[apocrypha]

I think I've fucked up 1-3 somehow. Cleared it and defeated the boss, but don't seem to have got the Iron Key from one of the Fat Ministers, which means I can't free Biorr nor get to Yuria. I've got the Ministers Hat but not the key! No idea how that happened but I'm pissed off about it, especially so since I started this playthrough specifically to try and access more of the content and NPCs than I did before mistakenly ending my first game.

NPCs that drop crucial items should respawn!

[Falconeer]

I read somewhere here that the game ends abruptly and without notice, and I guess it means you are forced to start a NG+ without being able to roam freely and go back to old maps to clear up left behind bosses and secrets.

Is that so?

If yes, could you please me WHAT NOT TO DO/KILL to finish the game? What's the last boss/area I shouldn't clear if I don't want to finish it and be forced to a restart?

[apocrypha]

Yes, entirely true.

After defeating the last boss in Boletarian Palace (False King) do not talk to the Maiden in Black. That ends the game.

[schild]

I wouldn't say the game ends abruptly, but talking to the maiden in black, without giving you an option, initiates the end of the game.

[Velorath]

Should I pretty much assume that farming 4-3 with the one-hit manta kill sword is the fastest way to farm souls?  Also, is the a recommend level to get to before starting New Game +?

[schild]

Should I pretty much assume that farming 4-3 with the one-hit manta kill sword is the fastest way to farm souls?

Yes. It's also worth going pure black and wearing the ring of avarice (buy it from the opera singer in 3-1). Also, if you're a girl char, wear the silver bracelet too.

Also, is the a recommend level to get to before starting New Game +?

I'm 87. I feel underpowered. Hence why I'm playing a second character all the way through. I wouldn't go into NG+ until you kill old King Doran though.

[Velorath]

You can find a ring of avarice in 3-2 (cheaper than paying 50000 to the vendor).

Think I'm at 85 or 86 right now.  Killed Doran already.  Beat every part of area's 2-5, and the blue dragon in 1-4.  Might farm 4-3 until around 90 or so and then and then finish up 1-4.

[schild]

I'm probably going to stay in the original game on my main and just not finish at all to prepare for the inevitable DLC.

[apocrypha]

I'm probably going to stay in the original game on my main and just not finish at all to prepare for the inevitable DLC.

That's a really good idea.

[Falconeer]

About DLC. How will we be supposed to download it since the game is not released in NA and EU? I doubt our PSNs will ever put up DLC for unreleased games. I hope I am wrong, but hurrr....

[Yegolev]

I made a JP account waaaay back... can't remember the email/passwd so I guess I'll have to make another one when the DLC hits.  Because I'm sure I'll need it.

[Yegolev]

I have read the Acquiring Thread also and I think many of you are using Ranged a whole lot.  Most of the time I melee, except versus those mindflayers in the prison.  They get the arrow treatment because they are fuckers with that area attack, plus dodging on those balconies is sketchy.

Backstabbing the miners in 2-1, yeah that is the way to go.  I had a hard time starting out as a Thief but I'm vastly better now.  Note that if you don't want to use that damned Mailbreaker on them, you can do a thrust with the dagger if you roll toward them.  I mince all those lizards with a roll-thrust-roll back.  Actually you can thrust with the dagger just my moving forward when attacking, but the roll is super.  For times when thrusting sucks, like when you need to be quick, the dagger's normal slash attack is fantastically quick.  Like leaping-wolf quick.

I really should learn how to parry.

[Ard]

Backstabbing with a halberd is so much more satisfying than using a puny dagger, even if it likely does less damage 

[Yegolev]

Wow, how do you get your foot to them to kick them off of your blade?!

Backstabbing with a scimitar, I do far less damage than with a dagger.

[Ard]

I can't even drop a lizardman in a single backstab with the halberd, but damned if it isn't satisfying.  The hit immediately after kills them, and still doesn't trigger the swarm anyhow.

[Falconeer]

Winged spear is overpowered.

[schild]

I didn't do 2-1/2-2 until I upgraded to the scraping spear on my first character. I did 3 and 4 before it in fact.

[Yegolev]

2-1 was a very intimidating place until I figured out the thrusting bit.  Currently a roll-stab hits for 81 with 20 Dex and Dagger +7.  Also they often don't notice me murdering their fellows if I backstab.  Problem is they give 3 or 4 souls, since they are so easy.  Really, you use a thrust attack and it's easy, minus fat officials and ambushes in ridiculously-narrow corridors.

I also ghetto-farm the three jerks at the top of the tower where you first have to come in since they are ~630 souls for just a bit of dodgery/Soul Arrow.  For some reason the two lizards give 32 and 36 souls instead of 3 or 4 like the others below.  I read a note saying the official is weak to fire, but I don't fell like bothering with switching to spell that probably has less range.  Nor do I feel like wasting turp on him.

[Velorath]

Finished 2-1 through 2-3 on New Game+ today (pushing the area into Pure White tendency and picking up Keel Smasher in the process).  Tried to cheese Flamelurker a bit.  There's a spot I've found that he tends to get caught on a little bit allowing me to attack him from a distance.  The drawback is that he'll sometimes do a side jump that gets him unstuck, and then a quick charge and he's right on top of me.  Sometimes he'll get stuck for a good while before he does that, and sometimes he'll do it after only one or two hits on him.

I was looking to beat him in body form (pushes the area closer to white than if you just kill a boss while you're in soul form), so when his health was really low, I used a stone to revive.  Almost immediately after, he did his little side leap and charge.  I was at full health (and had one time revive up), but it still scared the shit out of me since it still would just take a couple small fuck ups to get killed, and dying in body form would push the area closer to neutral.  Managed to roll away and hit him a couple times though to finish him off.  Turned in his soul to the blacksmith and was finally able to get North Regalia forged (which kicks ass).

[schild]

North Regalia is what people switched to post-patch for PK-ing. It's pretty much the last totally OP pieces of equipment. So, yea, it kicks ass.

[Velorath]

I'm probably going to stay in the original game on my main and just not finish at all to prepare for the inevitable DLC.

New Game+ hasn't been that bad so far (started it at around lv. 103 I think).  In fact in some ways it's a lot easier.  Having stuff like One Time Revive from the get go has made a lot of encounters a breeze.  I find myself going through a lot more arrows and spice than before, but farming souls to buy them with is trivial.  The only boss fight I'm really not looking forward to is the Maneaters.

[Falconeer]

I got that knight who tries to kill you in the nexus and stol his gloo, armour. Well. here's my gripe with the game. I am deep down in 4.x and as a knight I am still wearing the same armour and shield I got at level 1. Fluted is apparently the best armour I could find so far. Now I am sure better stuff will come, and loot is not the point of this game. Still, the same identical armour from level one and a shield I got in 1-2? cheap!

And the point is.. gloom armour, this super cool looking dark and evil thing I got.. it has very good resistances against poison, bleeding and all. But physical defenses? Worse than fluted starting one. Sad!

EDIT: And my son is asking the experts among you why that knight is not appearing in his game. He saved him from the elevator/cage in 3-2 (methinks) but he's nowhere in the Nexus to be found in his game. We are both withish tendency but not pure yet.

[Yegolev]

I'd assume the point of the gloom armor is that at a high soul level you will have a naturally-high physical resistance.  I have found some armor but it's got tradeoffs against the black armor I started with (thief) that I don't care for.

[Arinon]

I had the same problem with Ostrava of Boletaria, the dude that shows up in several places in world 1.  On my first character I saved him in 1-1 and then never seen him again.  Kinda sucks because there doesn't seem to be any other way to get the Mausoleum key.  All the rest of my characters just kill him in 1-1 rather then take any risks.  Sucks.

[Yegolev]

I saved Ostrava and found the key in a crate outside the courtyard where he was.  Smashy-smashy!

[Velorath]

EDIT: And my son is asking the experts among you why that knight is not appearing in his game. He saved him from the elevator/cage in 3-2 (methinks) but he's nowhere in the Nexus to be found in his game.

Has he beaten the boss yet?

[schild]

That Knight.

[Falconeer]

Uhm...


Oh, and killed Patches today because I felt it was a good idea after the dark knight incident. How much did I gimped myself?

[apocrypha]

The problem is he is NOT in my son's game. He killed the boss, in fact he's deep in 5-2 now, while I cleared 4-2 only today, but that dark knight was never there for him, so we were wondering why.

Some of these NPCs can get killed quite easily accidentally. He may have just fallen off the edge where his cage was or something. he's no big deal really, all you get is the Gloom Armour from him, and I've yet to have a char with high enough stats to wear it and still be able to dodge.

Oh, and killed Patches today because I felt it was a good idea after the dark knight incident. How much did I gimped myself?

Not at all. He sells cheap arrows and a ring that you easily get elsewhere, that's it.

[Morfiend]

So I have the full game cleared except the boss of 1-4. My character is magicless except for Hide, and uses a Uchigatana +8 and the Dark Steel Shield, with the Lava Bow.

Currently soul level 71.

I think I am going to try and push all the zones in to pure black to get the extra items and the primal demons and crap.

[schild]

So I have the full game cleared except the boss of 1-4. My character is magicless except for Hide, and uses a Uchigatana +8 and the Dark Steel Shield, with the Lava Bow.

Currently soul level 71.

I think I am going to try and push all the zones in to pure black to get the extra items and the primal demons and crap.

Too bad you aren't using Magic, the Beast Talisman from 2-2 pure black is totally worth it (and awesome).