Souls-likes

Lagduf

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Elden Ring does look absolutely incredible.

I am very hyped, it’s a perfect looking interpretation of a souls game in a quasi-open world.

The possibilities for character builds look pretty open and it seems that there are a ton of options for characters based on you’re preferred play style.

I loved Dark Souls 1 but DS2 and DS3 just didn’t grab me the way the original did. I think Elden Ring may rekindle that for me.
 

HornheaDD

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Did you like Sekiro or Bloodborne?

I. fucking. love. Bloodborne.

It was the first FROM game I got into. I'd tried DS3 first but was like WTF IS THIS SHIT and bounced after the first bossfight. At first with BB I didnt get the control scheme and wished for being able to edit the gamepad, but once it clicked, theres literally no other way to play.

I really did like Sekiro, I rage quit a couple times, but eventually came back to it and finished it. It was really good, but a little repetitive when it came to the music. The 'you're in a fight' music got on my nerves so bad. But the world in which it took place was really awesome.

Im hoping ER plays a little more like BB/Sekiro, but I'm sure it will still be an enjoyable rage-quittable-and-returnable experience. I cant wait!
 

Gentlegamer

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Everything I've seen indicates Elden Ring plays exactly like Dark Souls III + dedicated jumps with iframes.
 

HornheaDD

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To be clear, I do enjoy DS 3 now. It was just my very first experience with any souls game ever and I noped out because it was "unplayable" lol. I 'knew' about the difficulty but thought "nah its gonna be hard like MegaMan 10." I was not prepared lol.

Once I clicked with BB's control scheme, I went back to DS 3 and have enjoyed it. Haven't beat it but enjoy it.

If ER is like DS3 but with a little more mobility like BB, not necessarily as quick as Sekiro - it'll be a fun ride.
 

jro

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Can't wait to play Elden Ring, no doubt. At first I was kicking myself for missing the beta signup but waiting to play the final, finished, immaculately polished (fingers crossed!) product won't hurt either.

From better not take out that whole getting the dragon to jump off the mountain thing, though.
 

jro

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Kicking myself, again, for not getting in the Elven Ring beta. I haven't played through a Souls-like in however long it's been since my Royal playthrough of Demon's, don't wanna get rusty.

How's a big hoss pure strength build in Dark Souls 3 go? I've played through it three times as a pyromancer and once as pure dex, both of which seemed pretty well suited to the increased speed and emphasis on dodging over blocking, I could go for a bit of a change of pace.
 

jro

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So... very wrong I was on Death's Door. It's fucking terrible. Some of the most unintuitive level design I've seen and just goddamn random dumb areas. Got lost, I dunno, a half-dozen times, i.e. wandered around for 30-plus minutes before I finally looked up a walkthrough to get a little less stuck and then maybe found the right way.

BAD. Don't play this, it sucks. Basic combat and traversal gameplay are great, the level design is fucking trash. I can't remember playing any other game that made me think man, this is great immediately followed by fuck this level is trash as much as this.

I'm 80% finished with it but don't want to force myself to hate life for the last 2 hours of this shit.
 

Lagduf

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I’m replaying DS3. Going slow, probably overleveling but that’s fine.

Turns out I almost beat the game way back in 2016, not sure why I stopped.
 

sylvie

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So... very wrong I was on Death's Door. It's fucking terrible. Some of the most unintuitive level design I've seen and just goddamn random dumb areas. Got lost, I dunno, a half-dozen times, i.e. wandered around for 30-plus minutes before I finally looked up a walkthrough to get a little less stuck and then maybe found the right way.

BAD. Don't play this, it sucks. Basic combat and traversal gameplay are great, the level design is fucking trash. I can't remember playing any other game that made me think man, this is great immediately followed by fuck this level is trash as much as this.

I'm 80% finished with it but don't want to force myself to hate life for the last 2 hours of this shit.
Bro you said Death's Door sucked back in July , what you doing
 
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jro

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Bro you said Death's Door sucked back in July , what you doing
LOL apparently forgetting that I've changed my mind on DD about a dozen times already.

Since I hate to let a game "beat" me, I picked it back up again, and I'm finally at the second-to-last boss, thinking I should be able to finish it in a few days. Pretty torn on the game overall, it has some really strong points and some really irritating ones. I'll finish it, re-consider, and maybe post on it one last time.
 

jro

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I've lost to the Last Lord, I dunno, fifteen or twenty times in a row. Just an aggravating combination of RNG, luck, and hoping that the collision detection works (seriously, the goddamn bombs/doors charge is a fucking crapshoot).

I really want to finish it, but honestly, this is the single worst Souls-type final boss fight I've ever seen. Oh yeah, I forgot, it comes at the end of a massive gauntlet of hookshotting unlike anything else in the game, fun.

Maybe I'll eventually beat it, but overall, it's a hard pass.

edit: the two things that make me really not like DD, overall, are:
1. Knockback on hit is insanely punishing to the player. Even in proper Dark Souls games, if you get hit, you get a second or two of invincibility to get back up and re-orientate yourself. Not so in DD. You get hit, you can (and will) immediately get hit again, and sometimes several more times after that. Thus one hit can almost instantaneously become two or three or your whole life bar. I think I get why the devs did it, but it sure as hell blows for the player.
2. Player build is awful. EVERY SINGLE BOSS before the last one uses a similar pattern where the player is best off relying on ranged weapons. Get a few hits in close just to charge the ranged/magic, then use that, repeat, to a fault. Then, the Last Lord has a completely different pattern that makes the player's build up to that point, probably done in response to the rest of the bosses in the game, mostly useless. Guy is so fast and constantly in close that ranged weapons/magic are nearly useless and melee is the only way to hurt him. Just a bizarre design choice that seems to inherently fuck over the player and make them more likely (like me) to say fuck this and quit.

I know it's a two-man studio. And a lot of what's in DD is really nice. But tiny dev or not, it's a waste of time to play and generally just fucking irritating.
 
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sylvie

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I bought a PS3 off @Lastblade pal and my copy of Dark Souls will be here tomorrow. I have played this game before but I stopped playing bc it was on PC and I had a really weird setup. I enjoyed it. I got stuck in a hard spot when I accidentally attacked the first blacksmith you encounter and couldn't beat the 2nd or 3rd boss or whatever lmbo

So I'll be playing Dark Souls !!!!!!!!!!!!!! With the boys!!!!!!!!!
 

HornheaDD

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So there's a rip of the Elden Ring network test out there for hacked PS4s. Im installing it now, hopefully it'll work.
 

jro

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I bought a PS3 off @Lastblade pal and my copy of Dark Souls will be here tomorrow. I have played this game before but I stopped playing bc it was on PC and I had a really weird setup. I enjoyed it. I got stuck in a hard spot when I accidentally attacked the first blacksmith you encounter and couldn't beat the 2nd or 3rd boss or whatever lmbo

So I'll be playing Dark Souls !!!!!!!!!!!!!! With the boys!!!!!!!!,
As usual, always happy to see someone pick up the genre, there really is nothing like it. Keep us updated on progress, thoughts, whatevs else.
 

sylvie

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Ok. I am a stupid bimbo at this game so it will be a slow but likely hilarious recounting of my DARK SOULS gaming events.
 
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HornheaDD

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Elden Ring works. Pretty cool so far. Definitely feels more like DS3 than Bloodborne, but it seems a little faster. I had finally gotten the horse and was running through a valley when that Agheel dragon swooped down and destroyed everything in its path. Fuck.

Cant wait to play this on PS5!
 

Heinz

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I know I poopooed the games earlier but I have found the error in my ways and started playing the DS remaster and loving it. Just clicked this time.

So far I'm up to the depths so not too far in.
 
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Lastblade

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I almost finished DS2, but somehow gave up near the end.... I did finish Demon's Souls remake on PS5 without too much of a problem.
 

sylvie

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Framerate issue Im assuming? Doesnt look that bad, to be expected !
 
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jro

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I know I poopooed the games earlier but I have found the error in my ways and started playing the DS remaster and loving it. Just clicked this time.

So far I'm up to the depths so not too far in.
Right on, just takes that one time for everything falling into place. Blighttown is a really good litmus test of if you'll be fine with the rest of it, IMO, so you're good to go. Tomb of the Giants can be nasty but the same idea as works in the former (slow, pull one enemy at a time) works in it.
I almost finished DS2, but somehow gave up near the end.... I did finish Demon's Souls remake on PS5 without too much of a problem.
DS2 was surprisingly enjoyable once I finally got into the groove of it. Coming back to it fresh from Demon's would be pretty smooth, I think, they share a handful of design choices that the others don't.
Framerate issue Im assuming? Doesnt look that bad, to be expected !
Blighttown on the original gen is notorious for its framerate issues to the point that the choppiness is often given most or all of the credit for making the level so hard.
 

roker

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I want to play this game but I think I’m going to wait until I buy a next gen system.

Leaning on xbx still.
 

sylvie

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My character:
1643095552738.png

I think I subconsciously based her off sissela and I's favorite romantic film, DARK ANGEL:

1643095650347.png

Anyway, having fun with the game of course. It's 1:27 AM and I should be getting ready for bed but I want to keep playing lol.

Using the long sword right now. I was focusing a few tries on trying to kill the Black Knight in some tunnel a bit after the first kindle spot I found in Undead Burg. I recall someone mentioning he drops good shit. The game seems to be setting me up to kill him from behind, but I keep either accidentally rolling into him (lol) or I'm not hitting the right attack input because Im panicking and Im doing like no damage to his back.

I am familiar with this fucking minotaur thing from the last time I played. I gave him one shot tonight. Died, of course. I understand the tactic of running up the ladder and drop-stabbing him from the top but then my absolutely fucking dumb brain can't execute the skills necessary to dodge-roll and shit. It seems like my fucking character is never attacking fast enough but usually in games the long sword type deal is the most I'll sacrifice in terms of speed / damage balance. My only other weapon atm is a short sword anyway.

Good times!
 

Heinz

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I followed this suicide run to get the gravelord sword and it makes certain enemies extremely easy early on.

 
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jro

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I followed this suicide run to get the gravelord sword and it makes certain enemies extremely easy early on.

Gravelord Sword is actually viable all the way through the end of the game, at least on NG. I still very clearly remember the first time I finished the game, I used the 100% noob-friendly strategy of Drake Sword for about the first half of the game, then Gravelord for the entire rest of the game. DPS was lagging a bit by the end but it still got me through everything.
 
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