I'm fucking dead over this:
https://www.facebook.com/marcoantonio.villarialmoreno/videos/1340908082719345/
https://www.facebook.com/marcoantonio.villarialmoreno/videos/1340908082719345/
-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
-
We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.
SoulsERA |OT| So the world might be mended
- Thread starter III-V
- Start date
Finally! It has been a journey (dem Irithyl Dungeons, yo. Place gives me the heebie-jeebies), but Quelana Karla has been freed out of her cell and I collected the Jailer's ashes. Now I can finally buy proper dark pyromancies, tackle the Demon Ruins and, way more importantly, go full fashionsouls with my character. I'm not quite sure which combination to go with:
I'm partial to the middle one, but I like Karla's Robes (left) a lot as well. Thing is, I love her hat even more and wearing them both feels too much like I'm just cosplaying her.
...
This is important to me, OK?
I'm partial to the middle one, but I like Karla's Robes (left) a lot as well. Thing is, I love her hat even more and wearing them both feels too much like I'm just cosplaying her.
...
This is important to me, OK?
That one limp as it runs in the beginning really sells it.
I love the Souls boss memes like that. Once I saw it was a Shiba and the music came up I almost fell out of my chair.
Going from DS1 to DS3 really shows how far the combat has gone. IMO, the combat and the bosses in DS1 don't hold up that well compared to BB and DS3. DS1 definitely has the best world design with a few exceptions (Lost Izalith being the most horrible area in a Souls game that I've ever played).
The only bosses I felt in DS1 after playing the remaster that still shine are Ornstein & Smough (but only if you get Super Ornstein since Super Smough is laughable), Artorias, Kalameet, and Manus. Although these three would likely rank in my top 15 bosses in Souls, the remainder of the bosses are just varying levels of meh to bad whereas I find many more of the bosses in DS3 or BB to be outstanding. I like O&S but I feel like the Demon Prince battle in DS3 is a superior version of it.
I like the PvP mechanics in DS1 alot for finding matches and invasions (much moreso than DS3 or BB), but the actual fighting....is rather boring to me. It doesn't help that everyone looks hideous since Mask of the Mother and Hollow Soldier Waistcloth are so meta. Everything is just backstab fishing, super ganks, or one shot builds.
The only bosses I felt in DS1 after playing the remaster that still shine are Ornstein & Smough (but only if you get Super Ornstein since Super Smough is laughable), Artorias, Kalameet, and Manus. Although these three would likely rank in my top 15 bosses in Souls, the remainder of the bosses are just varying levels of meh to bad whereas I find many more of the bosses in DS3 or BB to be outstanding. I like O&S but I feel like the Demon Prince battle in DS3 is a superior version of it.
I like the PvP mechanics in DS1 alot for finding matches and invasions (much moreso than DS3 or BB), but the actual fighting....is rather boring to me. It doesn't help that everyone looks hideous since Mask of the Mother and Hollow Soldier Waistcloth are so meta. Everything is just backstab fishing, super ganks, or one shot builds.
I just started DS3 after about 120 hours of DSR and I agree. I don't find the combat in DS1 boring though; it's just slower and more deliberate. Coming from BB I didn't really feel that the combat didn't hold up. It just felt different (other than learning to play without lock on).
In that respect I think the bosses are the biggest shocker for people who have played the more recent games. I was truly surprised at how simplistic they were and how easily I could just stand there mashing R1 while dealing massive damage with Power Within. Some bosses are so simple and trivial they feel like joke bosses (Seath, Iron Golem come to mind). NG+ does up the ante a bit (O&SA and surprisingly Nito gave me a hard time but only because they'd kill me in two hits).
I think the series has undertaken a pretty significant shift towards bosses as the challenge and meat of the game since DS1. Which is partly good, because we've gotten awesome bosses like Fume Knight, Gascoigne, Ludwig, Maria, Kos, Loran Darkbeast that are all very hard but also immensely, uniquely satisfying to beat, but level design in general isn't as good. Bloodborne comes the closest but even then it can't touch DS1.
I've just gotten started with DS3 and while I like the Bloodborne DNA in it (because I love Bloodborne) so far Level design is strikingly linear and straightforward. I'm just at the undead settlement so I'll reserve my judgment but if the rest of the game is like this it'll definitely be the worst souls game for me. Heck, DS2 might be a clunky ugly duckling, but at least it tries to capture a bit of that DS2 openness.
DS1 world design is truly one of the greatest things in gaming. It's marvelously unique and it's probably really fucking hard to do since no one else (not even From themselves) has been able / willing to replicate it since. I wonder if that's why the back end of DS feels undercooked as a result of having to put so much work in creating the interconnected open ended world.
EDIT: Damn I really tend to ramble on when talking about souls.
Last edited:
Yeah DS1 world design is top notch. i completed the games in the following order BB>DS3>DSR (haven't played DS2 outside of the first area), but DS3 world design is weak in comparison to 1 and BB, although the strengths of that game (combat, bosses) put it above DS1 in my opinion. I actually think the overeall boss quality is slightly better than BB.
Artorias of the Abyss is a nice DLC, but I don't think its nearly as good as Ringed City or The Old Hunters.
The main issue with DS3, and one that I didn't notice when I was actively playing it (since I hadn't played DS1 yet), is that it doesn't do much new world-design or lore-wise and relies way too much on callbacks to DS1. When I was ignorant of the callbacks, I didn't mind at all but now I can see why people were a bit disappointed with this aspect of it.
Also with how people got excited for Soul of Cinder having Gwyn's moveset in his final phase, I expected Gwyn to be a magnificent boss that would leave an impression. Gwyn is wack.
Artorias of the Abyss is a nice DLC, but I don't think its nearly as good as Ringed City or The Old Hunters.
The main issue with DS3, and one that I didn't notice when I was actively playing it (since I hadn't played DS1 yet), is that it doesn't do much new world-design or lore-wise and relies way too much on callbacks to DS1. When I was ignorant of the callbacks, I didn't mind at all but now I can see why people were a bit disappointed with this aspect of it.
Also with how people got excited for Soul of Cinder having Gwyn's moveset in his final phase, I expected Gwyn to be a magnificent boss that would leave an impression. Gwyn is wack.
DS3's areas are all over the place in terms of difficulty, which is a shame. The boss fights are great, but I'd personally pick the difficult areas, easy bosses from DS1 over the easy areas/difficult bosses of DS3.
DS3 does get better later on, although the weird set-up of bonfire --> a few mildly difficult enemies --> another bonfire still remains even after the midway point of the game (roughly speaking). Only for the game to suddenly expect you to clear out an entire area on a single bonfire. I wish the game did more areas like that. It's the reason why I will ultimately remember areas like Irithyll Dungeons and Smouldering Lake fondly: because it felt like an achievement to get through them. I had to earn those bonfire visits, like I did in DS1.
DS3 does get better later on, although the weird set-up of bonfire --> a few mildly difficult enemies --> another bonfire still remains even after the midway point of the game (roughly speaking). Only for the game to suddenly expect you to clear out an entire area on a single bonfire. I wish the game did more areas like that. It's the reason why I will ultimately remember areas like Irithyll Dungeons and Smouldering Lake fondly: because it felt like an achievement to get through them. I had to earn those bonfire visits, like I did in DS1.
I wore the left and middle one as I made my way through Smouldering Lake. I think I will just have to alternate between them, because I like them both.
Started my second ever playthrough of DS2 (SOTFS) last night and I'm suprised by how much I'm enjoying it. The Forest of the Fallen Giants is actually pretty well designed - after the second bonfire - and knowing to up Adaptability at the start has made the game 'feel' better a lot earlier. I also saw a dragon covenant symbol for I think my first time ever - summoned the player in, they ran out of the bonfire room without noticing me so it became backstab city.
I never did anything with Powerstancing in my first playthrough - any tips?
I never did anything with Powerstancing in my first playthrough - any tips?
Dual Maces + Stone Ring is really good in PvE since most enemies are weak to strike damage. They can be bought from the blacksmith and only need 18 Str to powerstance (1.5x base required stats). Make sure you invest in plenty of stamina since powerstance attacks use a lot.
When you have the stats and weapons equipped, hold triangle/Y to change stances. L1 and L2 perform the dual attacks.
Last edited:
Finally! It has been a journey (dem Irithyl Dungeons, yo. Place gives me the heebie-jeebies), butQuelanaKarla has been freed out of her cell and I collected the Jailer's ashes. Now I can finally buy proper dark pyromancies, tackle the Demon Ruins and, way more importantly, go full fashionsouls with my character. I'm not quite sure which combination to go with:
I'm partial to the middle one, but I like Karla's Robes (left) a lot as well. Thing is, I love her hat even more and wearing them both feels too much like I'm just cosplaying her.
...
This is important to me, OK?
That one limp as it runs in the beginning really sells it.
First but with pointy hat.
Pointy hat is a must.
The Yhorm the Giant fight was a huge letdown.
The Dancer fight went a lot better. I actually managed to kill her on my first attempt ever. She only hit me twice in fact. Black Fire Orbs really wrecks her.
I don't know about the robe + hat combo, though. Makes me look too much like a copy of Karla. And too sorcerer-like? Master's Attire isn't perfect, but so far it's the chest armor that best captures the raggedy look I'm going for.
Maybe I should try to farm the Grave Warden Robe.
Edit:
Oh yes, I'm digging this look.
Not so much the fight itself, but the fact I wasn't able to figure out how to use Storm Ruler's unique attack on my first attempt. Siegward paid the price... and didn't respawn for a second attempt. I can't remember the last time when I felt so disillusioned with a game. Why couldn't they let Siegward respawn? Why couldn't they map both Storm Ruler actions under L2?
The Dancer fight went a lot better. I actually managed to kill her on my first attempt ever. She only hit me twice in fact. Black Fire Orbs really wrecks her.
I don't know about the robe + hat combo, though. Makes me look too much like a copy of Karla. And too sorcerer-like? Master's Attire isn't perfect, but so far it's the chest armor that best captures the raggedy look I'm going for.
Maybe I should try to farm the Grave Warden Robe.
Edit:
Oh yes, I'm digging this look.
Last edited:
Thanks for the reply ClearMetal. I know we both went through DSR more a less at the same time so it's very interesting to read your thoughts on DS3 since we both started it fresh recently.
Your post is totally on point. And it was encouraging to read I wasn't the only one struggling with those Lothric Knights, hah.
I haven't had a lot of time to play in the past few days but this weekend I decided to binge on DS3. And it's grown on me quite a bit. I'm currently at the boss in the Catacombs.
I've managed to sort of cobble up something similar to my DSR build: Strength with faith sprinkled in. I finally found the Great Club, my precious, and infused it with a Heavy Gem for A scaling. It's sitting at +5 and I kill almost everything in one hit, wonderful. Also, I was experimenting with Snuggly at the top of Firelink and I randomly stumbled on two pieces of Solaire's armor set! Grossly Incandescent . I also made Havel's Ring and I have the Grass Crest shield. It's starting to feel a bit like home!
I need to finish the game and gather my thoughts. So far I like it better than SotFS, but less than DS1 and BB. We'll see. I love how the game looks, but I hate how linear it's been so far. Unless I missed something along the way, I haven't found a single optional area in 15 hours of playtime.
Last edited:
The optional areas are pretty much all fairly late-game. There's one optional boss early on, but the first optional area I can think of is reachable from
the Catacombs
Dancer
Yeah, I killed the
and I was actually happy to find out it was optional. My favorite feeling in these games is spending hours exploring an area and killing the boss only to find out it's optional,
. So far I haven't had that in this game yet. That's why I love DS1 so much: about half the content in the game is optional, even areas which I didn't even realize were optional until recently (Undead and Lower Undead Burg, the Depths, like 80% of Blightown).
Cursed-Rotted Greatwood
like Old Yharnam and Blood Starved Beast for example
Last edited:
I just spent the night dying my way through one of the late-game optional areas.
NAMELESS KIIIIIIIIING!!!
That flamingo of his is manageable, if hard to target. But one-on-one...
The most frustrating part? He wouldn't be nearly as bad if the lock-on wasn't so shit in this game.
Stop. Releasing. Lock-on. Every. Fucking. Time. He. Teleports. Behind. Me.
Maybe it's karma for feeling all good about myself after defeating Oceiros and especially Champion Gundyr with surprisingly little trouble.
That flamingo of his is manageable, if hard to target. But one-on-one...
The most frustrating part? He wouldn't be nearly as bad if the lock-on wasn't so shit in this game.
Stop. Releasing. Lock-on. Every. Fucking. Time. He. Teleports. Behind. Me.
Maybe it's karma for feeling all good about myself after defeating Oceiros and especially Champion Gundyr with surprisingly little trouble.
I hate this so much. Feels like it got worse in DS3 somehow?
I don't know. I remember complaining about it in the DSR thread, too, haha. Maybe it feels worse in DS3 because it plays faster? Especially bosses are a lot more agile and some have very acrobatic moves, so lock-on is likelier to break.
How do Dark Sorceries scale on Dark Souls?
I have a few, and I have 50 Int, and 12 Dex and 12 Str.
I have a few, and I have 50 Int, and 12 Dex and 12 Str.
After 30 attempts I finally feel like I'm getting in the zone with NK. KotS is pretty easy at this point, although I still experience the occasional early death because of camera shenanigans. After that, NK is a case of keeping my distance and rolling through his lunge attacks. Easier than it sounds, though. My personal best is about 20% health left, so I'm not quite there yet. I still get greedy and my rolls aren't always on the mark, so at some point he tends to OHK me.
In DS3 they scale with both INT and FTH and a handful of catalysts are best for casting them (Izalith Staff, Sunless Talisman, Caithra's Chime and Pyromancer Flames). But if you go for a pure INT build and use a 'normal' catalyst, your damage shouldn't suffer too much. At 50 INT they should be perfectly viable I think.
OP
OP
It is done. Took me fifty or so attempts, but it is done.
The fight against NK is actually very fun, lock-on problems aside. The biggest problem is the unskippable first phase. That makes perfect sense and I don't even mind the fight itself (again, camera problems aside). But it's so frustrating to have to fight KotS every time when you really just want to practice against NK and learn his moves. As I said, it took me 30 attempts to simply get the hang of his moveset, let alone be able to reliably deal with all of them. In the end it paid off, though. I only needed to heal three times during the whole fight, so I'd say that's pretty decent.
Edit: Also, it's nice to see how busy the game still is. You can hear the bell in the area toll about once a minute.
Edit2: One downside (or is it upside?) of the NK fight: it makes DS Armor feel like a walk in the park.
Last edited:
Finished yesterday DS2 base game, and I just finished the first DLC (Sunken King). Myo pinion on boss fights:
Elana - challenging and really intense, loved it
Sinh - one of the most epic bosses in the whole series imho
Gank squad - fuck that shit, tried for a few times and noped the fuck out of there. Thank God it's optional
Again, both Elana and Sinh are soooooo much better than any other boss fight in the base game (well, Darklurker was also good to be fair). Really looking forward to see what the other 2 DLCs have to offer
Elana - challenging and really intense, loved it
Sinh - one of the most epic bosses in the whole series imho
Gank squad - fuck that shit, tried for a few times and noped the fuck out of there. Thank God it's optional
Again, both Elana and Sinh are soooooo much better than any other boss fight in the base game (well, Darklurker was also good to be fair). Really looking forward to see what the other 2 DLCs have to offer
Last edited:
Nameless King isn't one of my favorite bosses simply because the KoTS phase isn't a battle against him and his drake, but against the camera. I despise any boss where the camera is the issue, Loran Darkbeast in BB is the primary offender of this.
The actual NK battle itself is fine, but that first phase is just not fun and it drags down the overall quality of that fight. I think all of the DLC bosses aside from Halflight and Gravetender are significantly better, and Champion Gundyr, Sulyvhan, and Lothric/Lorian in the main game are much better fights.
The actual NK battle itself is fine, but that first phase is just not fun and it drags down the overall quality of that fight. I think all of the DLC bosses aside from Halflight and Gravetender are significantly better, and Champion Gundyr, Sulyvhan, and Lothric/Lorian in the main game are much better fights.
I'm almost done with the base game, just the final boss left. But first: DLC. I can't actually say I'm looking forward to it, but I feel I should do them at least once. My problem with DLC in many games is that the base game has a certain flow to it and DLC areas tend to break that flow.
I explored Ariandel a bit just now and... it didn't make a very good first impression with the wolves and the douchebag archer in the tower.
As for boss fights, Sulyvhan and Champion Gundyr are my favorite bosses thus far. NK could have been a contender were it not for the first phase.
I explored Ariandel a bit just now and... it didn't make a very good first impression with the wolves and the douchebag archer in the tower.
As for boss fights, Sulyvhan and Champion Gundyr are my favorite bosses thus far. NK could have been a contender were it not for the first phase.
Ashes of Ariandel was super disappointing aside from the fantastic final boss battle. Ringed City is great though, better than the vast majority of the main game for me.
Yeah, the best part of Ariandel is the village area, and that's because it's basically just Bloodborne lol.
The beginning area is stupid though. It's just a big open area of nothing, with a single linear path that you can access like 3 minutes from the start if you're taking your time.
I spent 2-3 hours wandering around there, because I didn't spot the ladder near the rope bridge, and I thought surely they wouldn't have that massive area and not have it lead to anything.
Heavy weapon infusion, where had you been all my life.
Reached Irithyll of the Boreal Valley and I ran into an old friend: Watchdog of the Old Lords, you are looking kinda pale. Stuck at the magic barrier that blocks the city. But I was actually happy to be stuck. Game's been too linear and straightforward so I'm excited that I have to go back and explore the areas. I just found the Smouldering Lake so that's where I'll be heading next.
A quick question: Considering the point I've reached in the game, have I missed the Warriors of Sunlight (or its equivalent) covenant in the areas I've already visited? Just answer yes / no. :) I need my Sunbro on.
Reached Irithyll of the Boreal Valley and I ran into an old friend: Watchdog of the Old Lords, you are looking kinda pale. Stuck at the magic barrier that blocks the city. But I was actually happy to be stuck. Game's been too linear and straightforward so I'm excited that I have to go back and explore the areas. I just found the Smouldering Lake so that's where I'll be heading next.
A quick question: Considering the point I've reached in the game, have I missed the Warriors of Sunlight (or its equivalent) covenant in the areas I've already visited? Just answer yes / no. :) I need my Sunbro on.
Excellent. I'll be on the lookout then. I missed it in DS2 for the majority of the game and I don't want it to happen again.
I love coop and it just isn't the same without the gross Incandescense of a golden Warrior of the Sun.
And speaking of coop, I'm pleasantly surprised at how quickly I'm being summoned. Abyss Watchers is almost instant.
Last edited:
It's certainly not as out of the way as it was on DS2. As long as you explore areas, you should stumble across it.
After going through DSR and almost the entirety of DS3, I like to think I've seen some disgusting shit by now. But that area beneath the church in Ariandel...
Gives me conniptions.
Gives me conniptions.
I stopped using lock on for almost everything that is bigger than the player. Played the first Dark Souls for the first time when the remaster released and I don't use lock on at all (sometimes for parrying) because the 4 directional rolling drove me crazy. Had a much better time with the game and especially backstabbing got a lot easier because you can just roll past the enemy without getting stuck on them. You have to control the camera much more but I never had a problem with that. Much better than getting stuck somewhere because the camera changed due to lock on.
Edit: finally defeated the boss. I don't know, I wasn't a fan of this fight. It could've been good, but too much fake difficulty nonsense to make it fun. I can't fathom why they thought it was a good idea to give her invisibility, hardly any environmental clues on her location* and an insta-kill move with such range.
* You could allegedly see snow stir when she jumped and landed, but I was never able to see it. Could be me, though.
On the bright side, the boss gave me an excellent idea for a new character in terms of both build and backstory/roleplaying.
Last edited:
Yessss just beat Fume Knight! Man that was tough as fuck, definitely one of the hardest bosses in the series and the one I've enjoyed the most in DS2 so far (still have to do the last DLC).
I'm so happy about it I saved the clip of the fight, nothing really special but I'm proud of it lol
I'm so happy about it I saved the clip of the fight, nothing really special but I'm proud of it lol
Fume Knight is my favorite boss in the series. Something happened in that fight that sort of flipped a switch in my brain and made me become obsessed with these games. The night I beat him I stayed up playing until 4 on a Saturday night while drinking bourbon. It was strangely soothing and relaxing. I used to be the guy who screamed bullshit at the screen whenever I died but I haven't done it once since.
I also saved the video of my fight and uploaded to YouTube for myself as an unlisted video. It's a pretty sloppy fight actually but every now and then I give it a watch and it makes me feel so warm and fuzzy. I save a clip of all my boss kills now. I just love the feeling so much.
Ironically, the boss who has killed me the most times accross all games is the Defiled Watchdog of the Old Lords and the video of my killing it got corrupted ;_;
Last edited:
OP
OP
The boss after Fume Knight is also very good,: unfortunately he's tarnished by Memory of Old Iron King, arguably the worst segment in any Souls game and one of the most annoying boss runs as well.
Pff. First boss(es) of Ringed City will take a lot of practice. I can hardly get through the first phase and the second phase is even worse.
This is actually one of my top 5 favorite Dark Souls bosses, and the best gank fight they've ever done IMO.
Came here just to talk about this. Yesterday before going to bed I decided to explore Iron Passage. Small but awful area with awful enemies (fuck those spellcasters). I managed to make it to the boss door thinking "oh, there it is, there must a shortcut or bonfire around..." Nope
And the worst thing is that the boss is just a re-skinned Smelter Demon lol Gotta say though, worst boss run without any doubt is the one to the original Smelter Demon. Fuck those Alonne knights and archers, they still haunt me in my nightmares
Can't say I'm a fan myself. It's so frustrating to get through phase 1 relatively unscathed, mentally prepare for phase 2 as you see the prince rise, only to get one-shotted within seconds and have to start all over again just to get another chance at correctly timing a roll.
Edit: Well I did it. Had to resort to spamming Dorhy's Gnawing, after farming a ton of souls to fully upgrade the Sunless Talisman. I wish I was able to beat the boss as an actual Pyromancer, but it just wasn't possible. At the very least I did it solo.
Last edited:
They are both absolutely terrible, but Memory of Old Iron King is mandatory as it leads to the final boss of the DLC (and also one of the best bosses in the game) while Iron Passage is optional and leads to a palette swap boss.
It doesn't help that Iron Passage is so ugly. Basically no light sources making it look flat and drab, a couple of textures plastered along the level.
It's such a pity because Brume Tower is so good. If it had less bonfires and more DS1 shortcuts (which would be totally possible since it's a tower) I'd consider it to be one of the best areas in the series.
It's weird how they never made boss arenas available as a dueling place after you've defeated them.
Last edited:
Almost done with the Ringed City, just two bosses left. Hopefully they aren't too frustrating; I'm kind of ready to call this playthrough quits now and I don't want to waste another day on one or two bosses.
...
I say this now, but I already know my pride won't allow me to give up once I started either boss fight, no matter how difficult they are. Please be merciful, game...
...
I say this now, but I already know my pride won't allow me to give up once I started either boss fight, no matter how difficult they are. Please be merciful, game...
So I thought Fume Knight was gonna be the peak of Dark Souls 2 but after beating Sir Alonne I'm not sure anymore, what a fight man, loved every second of it. 1v1, sword vs sword, no bullshit, and the fact that he wields a freaking huge katana makes it even cooler
Time to tackle the last DLC
Time to tackle the last DLC
The music in that fight is incredible.
Also
if you beat him without taking damage he commits Seppuku out of shame when he dies
I'm glad Midir is optional. Maybe I'll give him another try later, but for now he can go fuck himself with his laser beams, tailsweeps and fire pools.
The final DLC boss on the other hand... Only did one attempt, but man, that was fun. Got in trouble because I burned through my FP in the first half, which forced me to get close during the more dangerous second half. Maybe I have a better chance if I start with melee and switch to ranged pyromancies later.
The final DLC boss on the other hand... Only did one attempt, but man, that was fun. Got in trouble because I burned through my FP in the first half, which forced me to get close during the more dangerous second half. Maybe I have a better chance if I start with melee and switch to ranged pyromancies later.
Done. I completed the game.
Ringed City final boss was, as said above, a really fun fight. Despite the many, many moments of boss rage I experienced over the course of the game, I actually think it was a little bit too easy? But the whole dynamic of the fight was just amazing. No camera or lock-on problems, no environmental traps or corner abuse, no bullshit inta-kills, no replenishing health bars*... just you, the boss, one-on-one in a highly dynamic duel to the death. Amazing. I can fight this type of boss all day, every day.
* I was so happy about this; nothing more demoralizing than seeing a depleted health bar fill up again.
Decided to immediately go for the final boss of the main game, since I was already in the zone. Farming and collecting missed stuff could wait.
Big spoiler warning for the ending!
Ringed City final boss was, as said above, a really fun fight. Despite the many, many moments of boss rage I experienced over the course of the game, I actually think it was a little bit too easy? But the whole dynamic of the fight was just amazing. No camera or lock-on problems, no environmental traps or corner abuse, no bullshit inta-kills, no replenishing health bars*... just you, the boss, one-on-one in a highly dynamic duel to the death. Amazing. I can fight this type of boss all day, every day.
* I was so happy about this; nothing more demoralizing than seeing a depleted health bar fill up again.
Decided to immediately go for the final boss of the main game, since I was already in the zone. Farming and collecting missed stuff could wait.
Big spoiler warning for the ending!
Actually got him on my first try, haha. No estus left, though, and only one ashen estus. So at least it wasn't a walk in the park. I already knew his second phase would be Gwyn, but it was a nice call-back regardless. This one was much easier than the Gwyn fight in DS1, though. Or maybe I've gotten a lot better at Dark Souls...?
After Cinder, you can either not trigger the ending at all or continue playing after the ending. That makes me think it's better to do the Soul of Cinder before tackling the DLC in future playthroughs. I think the DLC boss fights somewhat trivialized him for me.
I chose the End of the Darkness ending and I'm glad I did. The light slowly fading, and the Fire Keeper and my character slowly fading into darkness... I like it. The linking of the fire should have ended a long time ago. Some might argue it should never have happened in the first place.
Now the world can die. Perhaps, one day, a new one will be born. A cold, dark and very gentle place. That might make a good home for someone, someday.
After Cinder, you can either not trigger the ending at all or continue playing after the ending. That makes me think it's better to do the Soul of Cinder before tackling the DLC in future playthroughs. I think the DLC boss fights somewhat trivialized him for me.
I chose the End of the Darkness ending and I'm glad I did. The light slowly fading, and the Fire Keeper and my character slowly fading into darkness... I like it. The linking of the fire should have ended a long time ago. Some might argue it should never have happened in the first place.
Now the world can die. Perhaps, one day, a new one will be born. A cold, dark and very gentle place. That might make a good home for someone, someday.
Ashen one, hearest thou my voice, still?