Wednesday, 10 September 2014
Monday, 26 May 2014
Aldia's Keep #1
Having gotten the Kings Ring I could recall three doors that required the symbol of the king. I decided to visit them in order and visited the Forest of Fallen Giants first only to find a petrified giant whom I couldn't interact with. Second up was the one at the crossroads in the Shaded Woods which proved more useful as it lead to Aldia's Keep.
Despite finding the lore surrounding Aldia and it's mad lord and his insane experiments I didn't really enjoy the area that much. I think it was down to the hippo men! can't stand the hippo men and this place is full of them. I began by beign petrified by a pack of rabid dogs. Then killed (and sent 60 feet in the air in a weird glitch) by a Mimic. I found Lucatiel at the bonfire in the last throws of hollowing and then met her brother in red phantom form. He has quick attacks but was easy to stun into submission. Then killed again by a lurching dragon skeleton. This place wasn't going well and then comes the hippo man! Still haven't gotten the knack of dueling these guys and relied on arrows to take him down, did the same for the giant basilisk behind him.
I went to investigate a treasure when the mirrors in the hallway smashed and out popped 3 heavily-armoured black phantoms. At least with human foes I know where I stand and gradually chipped away at them with the Large Club until they all fell. Released an NPC too from a cell of sorts only to get nothing out of him.
The inner keep required me to spark up a torch to reveal the many caged monsters within which was ominous but set a nice tone. Found a hidden wall and bonfire in one of the labs which was of much relief. The Aldian wizards didn't put up much of a fight, neither dig the dogs in the corrosive pit where you find your key to escape. Then again with the hippo men, this time bursting through walls and leaving me no room to circle them! and if that wasn't enough Navlaan invades with some mega hexes to blow me into last week. Not a good day at the office.
Despite finding the lore surrounding Aldia and it's mad lord and his insane experiments I didn't really enjoy the area that much. I think it was down to the hippo men! can't stand the hippo men and this place is full of them. I began by beign petrified by a pack of rabid dogs. Then killed (and sent 60 feet in the air in a weird glitch) by a Mimic. I found Lucatiel at the bonfire in the last throws of hollowing and then met her brother in red phantom form. He has quick attacks but was easy to stun into submission. Then killed again by a lurching dragon skeleton. This place wasn't going well and then comes the hippo man! Still haven't gotten the knack of dueling these guys and relied on arrows to take him down, did the same for the giant basilisk behind him.
I went to investigate a treasure when the mirrors in the hallway smashed and out popped 3 heavily-armoured black phantoms. At least with human foes I know where I stand and gradually chipped away at them with the Large Club until they all fell. Released an NPC too from a cell of sorts only to get nothing out of him.
The inner keep required me to spark up a torch to reveal the many caged monsters within which was ominous but set a nice tone. Found a hidden wall and bonfire in one of the labs which was of much relief. The Aldian wizards didn't put up much of a fight, neither dig the dogs in the corrosive pit where you find your key to escape. Then again with the hippo men, this time bursting through walls and leaving me no room to circle them! and if that wasn't enough Navlaan invades with some mega hexes to blow me into last week. Not a good day at the office.
Friday, 23 May 2014
Armour effectiveness
Armour in this game is feeling very Demon's Souls for me i.e not great. I have 30 VIT, +10 Gyrm Armour and Smelter stuff giving me 1000+ Physical Defence. Never have I had such a high defence in a Souls game but I still take massive damage.
I don't know whether there's a crazy algorithm for calculating damage per defence point and above a certain threshold it becomes redundant?
I'm thinking VIG is more important for soaking up damage or maybe a happy medium between that and VIT. I've been watching ENB's playthrough and he seems to favour VIG (his current build has 40 VIG and 6 VIT) and is surviving more blows than I am at a similar SL (with 16 VIG and 30 VIT).
I don't know whether there's a crazy algorithm for calculating damage per defence point and above a certain threshold it becomes redundant?
I'm thinking VIG is more important for soaking up damage or maybe a happy medium between that and VIT. I've been watching ENB's playthrough and he seems to favour VIG (his current build has 40 VIG and 6 VIT) and is surviving more blows than I am at a similar SL (with 16 VIG and 30 VIT).
Undead Crypt
The elevator down from Shrine of Amana leads to this dark, torch-lit area. The early hex-casting witches and hollows don't provide much resistance. I've switched over to the Black Knight Ultra Greatsword which seems to swing slower than the Large Club but I figured the fire damage might be good in an undead area. Following a couple of drops I found an obscured route to a sconce, the burning of which triggers a load of statues to light up. No idea what this does or if it sis even necessary to progress!
Ended up in a room full of crumbling headstones with zombies seemingly spawning when I came within range. Mixed in with these were larger stone tablets that spawned pyro ghosts who packed a punch. At one stage I entered a room with 4 tablets spawning endless pyro ghosts - I was splatted in seconds! Fortunately the tablets don't respawn when destroyed so it was just a matter of attrition. I really enjoyed this dynamic as the ghosts were a real threat but I think having the tablets not respawn was a mistake.
I came to a corridor lined with paintings housing ghosts, felt a bit Castlevania and not in a good way, followed by two hulking knights brandishing two tower shields apiece. Some flame swathes absolutely tore them to shreds. Having unlocked a shortcut back to the bonfire I came across a gauntlet of knights guarding the boss fog. Upon entering pyro ghosts started spawning and it all ended in a mess. Thanks to a helpful soap sign message I found if I killed the zombie ringing the bell the ghosts wouldn't spawn. Then ti was just a matter of drawing out the greatshielded knights one by one.
The boss reminded me of the Penetrator from Demon's Souls in his aggression and pillar chopping attacks. He has quite a bit more HP than the aforementioned though and even with a buffed weapon it was taking a lot of swings. I was getting 3/4 of my dodges no problem but the one I'd miss would see me lose most of my life which meant an estus break and it was becoming a chore. Summoning some Sun Bros (and basically I'm thinking of this as cheating as it makes it so easy summoning help) and he was Tiddles the cat.
Following that I came across the ultra hollowed King Vendrick. He didn't aggro so I swiped his ring and decided to leave him be in hope that it may be the "good ending" path.
Ended up in a room full of crumbling headstones with zombies seemingly spawning when I came within range. Mixed in with these were larger stone tablets that spawned pyro ghosts who packed a punch. At one stage I entered a room with 4 tablets spawning endless pyro ghosts - I was splatted in seconds! Fortunately the tablets don't respawn when destroyed so it was just a matter of attrition. I really enjoyed this dynamic as the ghosts were a real threat but I think having the tablets not respawn was a mistake.
I came to a corridor lined with paintings housing ghosts, felt a bit Castlevania and not in a good way, followed by two hulking knights brandishing two tower shields apiece. Some flame swathes absolutely tore them to shreds. Having unlocked a shortcut back to the bonfire I came across a gauntlet of knights guarding the boss fog. Upon entering pyro ghosts started spawning and it all ended in a mess. Thanks to a helpful soap sign message I found if I killed the zombie ringing the bell the ghosts wouldn't spawn. Then ti was just a matter of drawing out the greatshielded knights one by one.
The boss reminded me of the Penetrator from Demon's Souls in his aggression and pillar chopping attacks. He has quite a bit more HP than the aforementioned though and even with a buffed weapon it was taking a lot of swings. I was getting 3/4 of my dodges no problem but the one I'd miss would see me lose most of my life which meant an estus break and it was becoming a chore. Summoning some Sun Bros (and basically I'm thinking of this as cheating as it makes it so easy summoning help) and he was Tiddles the cat.
Following that I came across the ultra hollowed King Vendrick. He didn't aggro so I swiped his ring and decided to leave him be in hope that it may be the "good ending" path.
Thursday, 15 May 2014
Shrine of Amana #2
I actually like Shrine of Amana, yes the heat seekers are annoying but they also add a new dimension to the combat. The mix between long-range sorceresses, melee knights and surprise-attack mermen makes really keeps you on your toes. The hidden paths in the water and the iridescent reflections of the glowing blue flowers make for a unique atmosphere.
The last area is a right aul ambush. I initially took out the hidden sorceresses only to be invaded by an NPC firing hexes and running into a rake of submerged mermen! I eventually figured out the trigger point for the invasion and took out all of the sorceresses and mermen before getting invaded and running to dry ground. The NPC is wiley enough not to charge in but I had such high magic defense that his spells weren't too damaging when I waded in close range.
Soon followed the boss - The Demon of Song. He's impervious except when he emerges from the frog's mouth to attack. First attempt saw me pinned against the wall and slapped to death. He hits hard! Next go I tried pyromancy but he took little damage with his frog suit. Next go I just waited until he did his jumping attack and then got in for 2 hits and backed off again. Patience won out in the end and I got by without a scratch.
The last area is a right aul ambush. I initially took out the hidden sorceresses only to be invaded by an NPC firing hexes and running into a rake of submerged mermen! I eventually figured out the trigger point for the invasion and took out all of the sorceresses and mermen before getting invaded and running to dry ground. The NPC is wiley enough not to charge in but I had such high magic defense that his spells weren't too damaging when I waded in close range.
Soon followed the boss - The Demon of Song. He's impervious except when he emerges from the frog's mouth to attack. First attempt saw me pinned against the wall and slapped to death. He hits hard! Next go I tried pyromancy but he took little damage with his frog suit. Next go I just waited until he did his jumping attack and then got in for 2 hits and backed off again. Patience won out in the end and I got by without a scratch.
Tuesday, 13 May 2014
Shrine of Amana #1
I'd heard only bad things about this area from my dipping into the boards.ie thread and so was very cautious and tip-toed through the early satges. It's narrow paths through often deep water can make for slow dodging but finding your way without falling into the depths isn't too taxing. The first part is straight-forward enough. The templar knight guys are fine on their own but in numbers can be devastating as they swing through their halberd combos. The added mermen appearing from the water weren't really a bother as you can spot them a mile off. The "Milfitano" NPC encountered in a small hut reveals little in the way of lore.
The next part is a bit of pain. The heatseeker soul-arrows coming from the long distance leaves little room for maneuver. every time I found the sorceress who was casting them there was another on the horizon doing the same. After a few deaths I decided to beef up my magic defense - I equipped the Spell Quartz Ring +2 and returned to McDuff to infuse a Silverblack shield with magic to give it 88% protection after a few upgrades. This made blocking the soul arrows much less deadly but I was still getting unstuck at an area with 2 long range sorceresses and 2 templars to deal with when you get close!
After a few unsuccessful attempts I decided to explore a path off away into the water. Lighting a torch helps see where the underwater paths fall away but unfortunately this attracts the mermen. Guarding the treasures were 2 more sorceresses and its here I got out the bow and played them at their own game. With this strategy I easily dealt with the previous impasse and made it to the next bonfire.
The next part is a bit of pain. The heatseeker soul-arrows coming from the long distance leaves little room for maneuver. every time I found the sorceress who was casting them there was another on the horizon doing the same. After a few deaths I decided to beef up my magic defense - I equipped the Spell Quartz Ring +2 and returned to McDuff to infuse a Silverblack shield with magic to give it 88% protection after a few upgrades. This made blocking the soul arrows much less deadly but I was still getting unstuck at an area with 2 long range sorceresses and 2 templars to deal with when you get close!
After a few unsuccessful attempts I decided to explore a path off away into the water. Lighting a torch helps see where the underwater paths fall away but unfortunately this attracts the mermen. Guarding the treasures were 2 more sorceresses and its here I got out the bow and played them at their own game. With this strategy I easily dealt with the previous impasse and made it to the next bonfire.
Monday, 12 May 2014
Drangleic Castle #3
The lift that was now activated brought me to a strange room with a caged maiden with a gimp-like creature strapped on as a lock. With the King's Passage Key looted I made it back down. The passage is filled with statues and moodily lit with flashes of lightning. Some of the statues come to life and attack with katanas and karate kicks but go down easily enough.
I found Benhart's summon sign at the end and figured I'd better summon him with a boss fog imminent. The Looking Glass Knight is a fairly standard knight-type boss with a slow sword combo and easily to spot attacks. His attacks track you ridiculously well though which makes for tricky dodging. I blocked most of them and tried to get around the side of him after. His huge shield blocks most horizontal attacks which was a pain.
His surprise move was to set his shield and summon a phantom from within it (allegedly human invaders can be summoned but I only got an NPC). This didn't make it as awkward as I would've thought as the NPC was fairly tame. I did get splatted on my first attempt as the LGK deals a ton of damage if he gets past your shield but I got him easy enough on my second go with Benhart distracting him I could get in attacks from behind. With him dispatched I moved into the Shrine of Amana.
I found Benhart's summon sign at the end and figured I'd better summon him with a boss fog imminent. The Looking Glass Knight is a fairly standard knight-type boss with a slow sword combo and easily to spot attacks. His attacks track you ridiculously well though which makes for tricky dodging. I blocked most of them and tried to get around the side of him after. His huge shield blocks most horizontal attacks which was a pain.
His surprise move was to set his shield and summon a phantom from within it (allegedly human invaders can be summoned but I only got an NPC). This didn't make it as awkward as I would've thought as the NPC was fairly tame. I did get splatted on my first attempt as the LGK deals a ton of damage if he gets past your shield but I got him easy enough on my second go with Benhart distracting him I could get in attacks from behind. With him dispatched I moved into the Shrine of Amana.
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