Demon's Souls Coming to America.

[schild]

You should've gotten the scimitar (at least) in 1-1 so you wouldn't have to use the rapier.

I use firebombs on phalanx either way since you get about 12 and it's the only place they're useful in the whole thing.

[stray]

Just for giggles, started up a Royal today instead of a Temple Knight.  Jesus christ Soul Arrow is cheating.  Though the rapier is obnoxious during the Phlanax fight.  I had to dance around and wait for Soul Arrow to regen, as opposed to my TK who just went in there and swung the halbred around a bunch toe to toe.

Yeah, it is a bit easy... Though I've finally met my match in Garl Vinland.

I'm rolling a Knight now to get a better feel for the melee game. I'm sure I'll train magic, but not a bunch.

[Kageh]

Not to derail from meat cleaver bitch, but what exactly does the stat mean when it says "Magic Attack" on weapons? For instance, my Crescent Falchion has modest physical attack stats, but the magic attack stat listed underneath has a different number.

At first, I thought it gave a boost to my spell damage, but I'm noticing the sword in general is a hard hitting weapon... I equipped the Magic Sword Motoko (unique katana), thinking it'd be an upgrade.. It had a base physical attack around 200 or something - yet my upgraded Falchion is better - even though it's physical attack is stated as being lower. Am I right to assume that "magic attack" contributes to it's physical abilities as well.

Hope I make sense..

I'll try explaining, I hope my essay makes sense too, it's kind of complicated. It took me a bit of time to fully understand this:

When you look at the screen with the weapon description, you see three base numbers for damage. They usually look like X/Y/Z underneath each other. Those are the base numbers for melee/magic/fire damage the weapon does. Right next to each of those base numbers, you see a modifier, which can be either negative or positive. Negative modifiers usually mean you don't mee the minimum stat requirements. Now, looking at the complete damage table in the weapon description, you see something like:

Longsword

Melee Damage	80	+20
Magic Damage	0	0
Fire Damage	0	0

And below the damage tables, you see another table with 4 columns and letter ratings ranging from S to E or - (the progression is S-A-B-C-D-E or nothing), looking like this:

Strength	Dexterity	Magic	Faith
D	E	-	-

How do these work together? The bonus column in the weapon stat table (+20) is computed by multiplying your strength and dexterity ability scores according to the D and E modifiers. It means that this particular longsword will get a mediocre bonus from your strength score and a rather low bonus from your dex score. If a weapon is dependent on Magic/Faith, you will see attribute ratings of -/-/D/E for example, and those would increase the magic damage of the weapon, not the physical.

In addition to this, a weapon also has special attack rating values for Bleeding/Poison/Plague attacks .Those are the numbers you see somewhere in a separate row below the damage types - Makoto starts with a bleed attack rating of 320-something.

To make things even more complicated, "melee" damage can be of the slashing/piercing/crushing (blunt) variety. The types of phyisical damage correspond to the damage resistance types you see on armor.

And now it is time to compute the damage. Your weapon gets a "total attack" rating that you see in your "statistics" window - you should see 4 values there, 2 for the left hand, 2 for the right hand. That stat should be the sum of your modified melee damage (base + bonus from attributes) + magic damage (base+ bonus from attributes) + fire damage (I think there's no stat fire damage). For damage calculations, the damage is broken down into the individual components, and every component is processed against the appropriate defense of the target.

I don't know the percentages that defense values translate in, but I'll give a few easy examples using shields. Assuming a naked enemy with 0 defense and a Kite Shield with DamageCut% values of 100/30/70 (those represent melee/magic/fire damage resistances, and the third value is actually not displayed on the stat screen, you have to look that up in the Wiki item listings) and a weapon which does 100/100/100 damage, you will hit the blocking enemy for 0/70/30 = 100 total damage. 70 of those 100 damage came from your magic attack. If the enemy would have used a Purple Flame Shield (DmgCut% 100/30/90) instead, you would have hit for 0/70/10 = 80 total damage. Of course, the enemy will usually have melee/magic/fire defense values from armor or stats too, and those translate in additional resistance. The thing to notice here is that if you use a Crescent Weapon and hit a shield blocking enemy with a Kite Shield, 70% of your magic damage value will get through the shield. And this is why weapons with a high magic damage score are usually better than high physical damage weapons: melee resistances and melee block values on shields are a noticeably higher than the magic/fire counterparts. A weapon with 0/150/0 scores will usually hit for more than a 250/0/0 weapon.

Since you mentioned weapons that "boost" your spell damage, I think only the Krys Knife does this, and it's an inherent property. I don't know by what percentage though. Every other weapon where you'll see a "Magic Damage" value (Crescent, Blessed, Uniques) will function as a melee weapon. It's just a different damage type - think D&D with "Longsword does 1d6 physical + 1d6 magical damage".

[Nerf]

The krys blade will also increase your spell damage more as you enchant it.  A +5 krys, ring of magical sharpness, insanity talisman, and monks headwrap is *FUN* (just don't get hit by any magic)

[JWIV]

You should've gotten the scimitar (at least) in 1-1 so you wouldn't have to use the rapier.

I use firebombs on phalanx either way since you get about 12 and it's the only place they're useful in the whole thing.

I am _really_ really bad about using consumables.  I keep throwing them into storage to save in case I really need them for some imaginary future fight.

I did pick up the scimitar in 1-1 (as well as some mail breakers and claymore/bastard sword).  The scimitar is okay, but I really wanted something with more range and didn't have the str for the claymore or bastard sword. 

[stray]

Thanks Kageh.. More than helpful actually!   Interesting about the Krys Knife.. It's the only weapon like that?


Anyways, yeah, Vanguard goes down quick with firebombs.. Even quicker if you enchant turpentine too. I never used that shit ever on the previous character.. so like schild said, don't worry about those particular consumables (but worry about wasting ephmeral eyes..!   everything else is meant to be used - and liberally).

[Kageh]

Always welcome, I was so confused by all the stats in the beginning myself, and the general GameFAQs explanations take some time to understand, glad I could help.

As for Krys equivalents, no weapons that I can think of, but there's the Ring of Magical Sharpness (stackable according to the Wiki) and the Monk's Headwrap/Insanity Catalyst that Nerf mentioned.

There's also Clever Rat's Ring, which increases attack power a lot when below 30% HP, but I don't think that works with magic.

P.S. Yay my US edition finally arrived!

[Azazel]

OK ordered this sucker today from Play-Asia. Should be here Monday or Tuesday. Point me to the not-too-spoilerific newbie guiide. 

[Elerion]

http://demonssouls.wikidot.com/

7 top left links.

[Kageh]

A very useful wiki page I found today:

http://demonssouls.wikidot.com/north-america-differences

Lots of web spoilers/guides will refer to the asian version, and the american one has had some (sometimes not so obvious) wording changes. This page lists them for reference. So if you read my references to DamageCut% and have no clue what I mean - I always wondered about the wording myself - it's because there actually used to be a stat called exactly that!

[Lounge]

Kageh you sir are awesome.  Thanks for that writeup.

[ghost]

I think I finally may have burned out on this one.  Thank goodness.

[schild]

If you burnt out before 60 hours, you're a bad person and likely a fan of small children.

[ghost]

If you burnt out before 60 hours, you're a bad person and likely a fan of small children.

I think I played 60 hours in the past 10 days.....

[schild]

That sounds about right. 20 hours short, imo, but it'll do.

[Azazel]

When is Borderlands released on PC? (at work, so can't check Steam)

There's a very good chance that Borderlands will unlock on the same day that this game arrives from HK...

 

[schild]

4 days and like 17 hours. Doesn't matter since you won't be able to download it. 

[stray]

If you burnt out before 60 hours, you're a bad person and likely a fan of small children.

I think I played 60 hours in the past 10 days.....

Kind of in the same boat. I'm not exactly burned out yet.. I should probably at least complete the story with my first character before jumping into another. I just feel like I've hit a wall trying to be too hybrid. Garn (sp) Vinland is too tough at this point.

Hmm, if I got black world tendency and got his sister's sword, I might beat the shit out of him.

[Kageh]

About 8 days on the korean version here. Talk about longevity!

Here's what I do for beating Garl (as melee or ranged) :

1.) Lure him out from the plague mud, kite him upwards on the left side until he gets stuck at about midway to the exit in that tunnel-like portion under a couple rocks, and from there cautiously step towards him until he lowers his shield to attack. After dodging or stepping back to evade the attack, you have time for about 2 hits, after which you should quickly back away, rinse repeat. If you are using melee, grab your weapon with two hands and don't worry about using a shield, you should be able to easily dodge his attacks by rolling back since they are slow. Should he heal, just keep going, you'll win eventually. If you're still on first difficulty setting, a "regular" hit should not kill you. Just remember two-hand grip for the weapon since I believe he cannot parry those. He parried/counterattacked me a few times when using weapons one-handed, and that means one-shot kill.

2.) Apparently, if you somehow manage to kill Astraea before killing him (only possible via ranged/magic), and reload your game, he will suicide, simply leaving his loot on the floor. The problem is getting close enough to Astraea to shoot, and doing more damage than she heals.

[Azazel]

4 days and like 17 hours. Doesn't matter since you won't be able to download it. 

Friend of mine is going to pre-download Borderlands on his Lappy, and I'll just transfer it over to my steam account tomorrow.   


In other news, my Play-Asia order (with DS in it) is now:
Estimated shipping date: On or before Nov 06, 2009
  

[stray]

About 8 days on the korean version here. Talk about longevity!

Here's what I do for beating Garl (as melee or ranged) :

1.) Lure him out from the plague mud, kite him upwards on the left side until he gets stuck at about midway to the exit in that tunnel-like portion under a couple rocks, and from there cautiously step towards him until he lowers his shield to attack. After dodging or stepping back to evade the attack, you have time for about 2 hits, after which you should quickly back away, rinse repeat. If you are using melee, grab your weapon with two hands and don't worry about using a shield, you should be able to easily dodge his attacks by rolling back since they are slow. Should he heal, just keep going, you'll win eventually. If you're still on first difficulty setting, a "regular" hit should not kill you. Just remember two-hand grip for the weapon since I believe he cannot parry those. He parried/counterattacked me a few times when using weapons one-handed, and that means one-shot kill.

2.) Apparently, if you somehow manage to kill Astraea before killing him (only possible via ranged/magic), and reload your game, he will suicide, simply leaving his loot on the floor. The problem is getting close enough to Astraea to shoot, and doing more damage than she heals.

Yeah, it was a lot easier this time. I kind of did the above before, but what psyched me out is that he ran to Astraea last time when low on health and got fully healed. This time, I just patiently beat his ass and he stayed put.

[ghost]

The key to Garl (and really everything in this game) is to be patient.  If you try to get that extra hit in you will get killed.  Keep your shield up and choose your attacks wisely and you will be rewarded.

[Morfiend]

The key to Garl (and really everything in this game) is to be patient.  If you try to get that extra hit in you will get killed.  Keep your shield up and choose your attacks wisely and you will be rewarded.

This is very good advice. I cant count how many times I died cause I got cocky or tried to fit in just one extra swing.

[stray]

Man, I really liked those two characters (Garl and Astraea). Sad to see them go. Heh..

The only problem with this game is, I don't exactly get to know these characters much. In some ways, this game feels like just a combat system (albeit, a good one), not an RPG. Just about finished with it.. and I still need a proper "epic story" fix.

[schild]

It has an epic story, it's just your characters and they don't spell it all out.

[Yegolev]

He means he wants the gray areas colored in for him.

[schild]

He means he wants the gray areas colored in for him.

Don't say that. It makes me think Stray is one of those people that likes lolcats.

[ahoythematey]

Demon's Souls has a fantastic story, but it's using a language almost entirely native to video games to tell that story: the world around you and your time spent in it.

[JWIV]

The key to Garl (and really everything in this game) is to be patient.  If you try to get that extra hit in you will get killed.  Keep your shield up and choose your attacks wisely and you will be rewarded.

This is very good advice. I cant count how many times I died cause I got cocky or tried to fit in just one extra swing.

Eventually, I am either going to go crazy or the game is going to manage to beat the stupid out of me.   You'd think I'd know better by now than to go running into a new area carrying more souls than I'd  want to lose but NOPE.

[stray]

What's wrong with lolcats anyways?  



Umm, don't get me wrong.. It just feels empty outside of the great gameplay. I happen to like RPG's with a bunch of adventure elements. I'm not asking for Shenmue or anything either, but this was pretty sparse. While I enjoyed it, I'm still looking forward to some of the more traditional rpgs that'll be on the system (although, I must say it's been way too long of a wait). This doesn't exactly scratch that itch.

[schild]

It just feels empty outside of the great gameplay.

It's not.

[Morfiend]

It just feels empty outside of the great gameplay.

It's not.

At first it does a little, but then you dig in to it, and actually listen to what the NPCs have to say, and it is much deeper.

[stray]

I didn't say the game is empty, just in case I came off that way. Just that it feels empty outside of gameplay/combat. I've dug into it as much as I have - and I don't see what's so deep about it. It's interesting, but it's not deep. What story elements that are there are cool - the whole Demon soul thing is cool, the Monumentals are cool, Blacksmith Ed is cool.. Garn and Astraea were cool.. but it's like they're all little cockteases at the same time. I don't get enough of it. The priority it puts on story is closer to an action title, or even an arcade game. That's all fine and good, but I expect more from an RPG. I like to meander about, I like tons of sidequests, or bullshitting with NPC's about minor events in the game, or dialogue with party members, or bosses really laying out what the fuck is on their mind, etc., etc.. Here, I'm lucky to get a dozen NPC's talking - and even when they do, they've got little to say. Their scripts just putter out and start repeating themselves.

Luckily, the gameplay is just that engrossing to cover up for it. But it'd be nice if had more to flesh it out. That's all I'm saying.

[schild]

How about you tell us what you think the story is and we'll flesh out the rest of it for you. Assuming you've finished the game.

[stray]

I have two or three stages left. What I gather from the story is that there's some evil entity (forgot his name) responsible for the fog that the monumentals have been keeping in check.. apparently, the king of boletaria fucked shit up or something, opened pandora's box, dabbled with demon magic, and that's what brought the fog back. A bunch of knights and heroes entered the fog to try to put an end to it.. and you're one of them. Except, not really, I guess. You don't have to be. You can be an opportunist, and just end up like Yurt or Patches too. Other than that, there's the "grey" elements to the story.. like the Witch, the Maiden, and the Sage, who try to walk a fine line and balance demon magic in a less malignant way.. and there's also Urbain and his religious faction who are completely against magic. And I don't even know wtf Astraea's deal was. Seemed like she got too close for comfort, and became a demon herself in some kind of.. harmless way, I guess. Garn seemed devoted to her, so he followed suit. You kill him nonetheless because you need the phat lootz.

If there's something that completely unravels all of that, feel free to tell me.