Dark Souls - Summon or No Summon?
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I summoned Solaire a couple times in my first Dark Souls play, because I didn't know that it wasn't just a thing you were meant to do. Later I felt like I robbed myself. In following playthroughs I did everything solo
I do enjoy some jolly cooperation when it's me being summoned though
I do enjoy some jolly cooperation when it's me being summoned though
I only remember the online component in DS3. Demon souls, DS1, and DS2 I played with broken online for some reason.
Even Bloodborne was a bit of a mess with summoning for me.
I enjoyed putting down my sign before doing a boss in DS3 to get a taste for it before going in and doing it on my own. I also enjoyed PvP in DS2 remastered.
Even Bloodborne was a bit of a mess with summoning for me.
I enjoyed putting down my sign before doing a boss in DS3 to get a taste for it before going in and doing it on my own. I also enjoyed PvP in DS2 remastered.
It literally is a thing you are meant to do. The mental gymnastics people put themselves through in order to convince themselves that From put this feature in their games in order for it to never be used is always a marvel. Quite something ahead indeed.
There's no option for "Yes, but the person I summoned died in the first 2 seconds of the fight so I ended up soloing the boss with the scaled HP anyway."
It depends on the mood I'm in and if I like the boss or not. So a little of both. I tend to solo most of the stuff though. I absolutely summoned for the double tiger fight in Dark Souls 2 because that was a badly designed fight.
It depends on the mood I'm in and if I like the boss or not. So a little of both. I tend to solo most of the stuff though. I absolutely summoned for the double tiger fight in Dark Souls 2 because that was a badly designed fight.
Summon NPCs? Yes.
Summon other players? No.
I don't have any problem with NPCs, but don't like getting help from other players and I think sometimes they can destroy the atmosphere of the games. If I remember correctly, I only summoned 3,4 players in all 4 games.
Summon other players? No.
I don't have any problem with NPCs, but don't like getting help from other players and I think sometimes they can destroy the atmosphere of the games. If I remember correctly, I only summoned 3,4 players in all 4 games.
all solo first.
i helped people a lot with bosses in 2 and 3. Kinda sad when you see them hang back and do nothing. They miss half the game.
i helped people a lot with bosses in 2 and 3. Kinda sad when you see them hang back and do nothing. They miss half the game.
I don't think I ever summoned on any of my souls playthrough. Though I did help other people out by being a sunbro and such.
Only truly played Dark Souls Remastered (on Switch) and beat it, so I'm going to talk about that game only. My friend has DS3 on PC, but I didn't really enjoy that game nearly as much and never finished it or was even close to finishing it.
I used summons throughout the game (DS1) before going to boss fights as it was a game mechanic that was offered to me. I usually used them to distract the boss so that I could use my magic attacks (my only character I ever played was a heavy magic user btw), and it worked except for one boss. I think it made the boss actually harder, so I soloed it. Also some of the bosses didn't have a summon before them or I maybe didn't find them, so I soloed them as well. I really enjoyed the game my style.
I used summons throughout the game (DS1) before going to boss fights as it was a game mechanic that was offered to me. I usually used them to distract the boss so that I could use my magic attacks (my only character I ever played was a heavy magic user btw), and it worked except for one boss. I think it made the boss actually harder, so I soloed it. Also some of the bosses didn't have a summon before them or I maybe didn't find them, so I soloed them as well. I really enjoyed the game my style.
I've never summoned for a boss fight in any souls game. I keep trying until I take them out solo!
I use all mechanics that are allowed by the games systems. Summoning was allowed so I did whenever I could. Sometimes I couldnt, so I didnt.
You wouldn't go into a fight without armor or leveling, would you? But you certainly can defeat all bosses and levels that way. You play smart, and win. You exploit weaknesses to pyro or faith (electric). You make enemies get stuck on geometry on the cemetery... it's no different.
Im fucking tactical baby. If I summon, I know my summoned partner is disposable so I watch him fight the boss while I activate my sharingan way off in the distance. When they inevitably die, that's when I step in and finish them off.
You wouldn't go into a fight without armor or leveling, would you? But you certainly can defeat all bosses and levels that way. You play smart, and win. You exploit weaknesses to pyro or faith (electric). You make enemies get stuck on geometry on the cemetery... it's no different.
Im fucking tactical baby. If I summon, I know my summoned partner is disposable so I watch him fight the boss while I activate my sharingan way off in the distance. When they inevitably die, that's when I step in and finish them off.
Like plenty of other people, I'm strict about soloing on the first playthrough, but not because of a "git gud" mentality. It's because 90% of the bosses are designed to be taken on solo, and summoning in my experience tends to bypass all the interesting design choices crafted into the boss encounter. Most bosses just get shredded with more than one player on the field, even with their boosted health and damage output.
Only some of the tough bosses in Bloodborne and DS3, most of which are in their DLCs, retain the tension and strategizing that comes with fighting them solo when you do choose to fight them with summoned players.
For a feature that's clearly meant to be part of the whole experience, I do wish the earlier games in the series accounted for it more during boss battles. I'm totally fine with it by design making the fights easier, because hey, everything's easier when you have someone to help, but seeing this big scary monster/armored warrior stand around not knowing which target to attack or just get staggered over and over doesn't feel like a fun encounter for me. I think it's possible to make summoning in boss battles an easier time without it also just completely trivializing them and exposing the limits of the AI.
But ultimately, I'm not too bothered by it. I know that plenty of people also find it fun and satsisfying to overwhelm a boss that's been giving them a lot of trouble by summoning, and for some, it's the only way for them to make progress and continue enjoying the rest of the game.
Only some of the tough bosses in Bloodborne and DS3, most of which are in their DLCs, retain the tension and strategizing that comes with fighting them solo when you do choose to fight them with summoned players.
For a feature that's clearly meant to be part of the whole experience, I do wish the earlier games in the series accounted for it more during boss battles. I'm totally fine with it by design making the fights easier, because hey, everything's easier when you have someone to help, but seeing this big scary monster/armored warrior stand around not knowing which target to attack or just get staggered over and over doesn't feel like a fun encounter for me. I think it's possible to make summoning in boss battles an easier time without it also just completely trivializing them and exposing the limits of the AI.
But ultimately, I'm not too bothered by it. I know that plenty of people also find it fun and satsisfying to overwhelm a boss that's been giving them a lot of trouble by summoning, and for some, it's the only way for them to make progress and continue enjoying the rest of the game.
The feeling of when you finally beat a boss you've been stuck at for ages cannot be topped. I was on the brink of insanity with Sekiro and that original Genichiro fight.
I would certainly hope so, but if last year's dialog around Sekiro taught us anything, it's that the way others play games is Serious Business.
I've played through all the games once, solo only. Was too stubborn to get any help nomatter how many times I was defeated.
Solo on first run. Summoning usually turns the fight a bit of a mess. Get the full experience at least once.
Done multiple playthroughs of every game and only summoned a handful of times when messing around on additional playthroughs. It's terrible for the most part. The AI is so trash you just spend the entire time slashing the boss in the back and they're utterly helpless. At least with difficulty settings players would get practice actually playing the game.
I always play in offline mode. Hate the messages plastered all over the world.
I'll summon NPC from time to time if I come across it but I don't go out of my way to do so.
I'll summon NPC from time to time if I come across it but I don't go out of my way to do so.
I've beaten every game in the series solo(I actually tried to summon people to beat Ornstein and Smough when I first played DS1 but my teams of randoms kept wiping, and I eventually ran out of humanity and had to do it alone), but I really like helping other people beat difficult bosses, so I'm glad summoning is the in the game.
It's really satisfying helping a ton of people get past early tough spots and then leveling up all at once with the hundreds of thousands of souls you've amassed.
It's really satisfying helping a ton of people get past early tough spots and then leveling up all at once with the hundreds of thousands of souls you've amassed.
Absolutely. Getting summoned and helping someone overcome a huge roadblock is the best feeling in the world.
Hmm... well, invading and slaying a host might be a bit more euphoric. But still summoning is tons of fun.
I play all these game co-op with my brother and friends, so summon all the way. It's some of the most fun we've had in multiplayer.
First, learn how to defeat bosses by yourself. You can cheese most bosses in DS anyway lol,
Then once you know how to beat them, help others. But the fun in DS is really about figuring out the combat. Take the combat away and you basically have a walking simulator.
Then once you know how to beat them, help others. But the fun in DS is really about figuring out the combat. Take the combat away and you basically have a walking simulator.
I would play that. Sometimes I wish everyone in these games would just just chill and let me explore in peace with my binoculars. The challenge is fun, to be sure. But I'm there largely for the environments and lore.
Summoning is super fun, makes things more accessible to those who want it, and lets you share the experience with a friend. Only pros, no cons!
I played through DS1 and DS2 co-op with my friend as much as possible. It's called jolly cooperation for a reason. Not to mention between boss health scaling and invaders on the way to the boss door, it evens out in difficulty. I don't feel like I missed out on any experience playing co-op, especially because there's a good amount of fights you still have to do solo anyway (and I fought Gwyn solo because my friend kindled the fire which stuck him in NG+ and left me alone)
Co-op is good fun. On PS3 I'd plant my sign down just to grind souls really but you'd get some fun interactions and nice messages from people you'd helped or trashing those twink invaders in the Parish so new players could finally get to the Gargoyles - good stuff. :)
Ill be honest here, DS is not really difficult when you know what you are doing. Levelling up trivialises the difficulty in most situations. Past a certain point, when you can kill any enemy in 1-2 hits, it loses a lot of its charm because its not threatening anymore.