It's a decker for the one more go addiction. I'll see what's over that hill and go to bed. Over the hill is a whole new area with new monsters.
Wonder what's in that ruin over there...
Souls games are great for that feeling of "No idea if this is the right way but I'll just keep going…"
Im finding the DLC a bit of a push over but my rivers of blood build does feel a bit on the broken side. Still not hit the last boss which I believe is a massive difficulty spike. I wouldn't really get the DLC though if you aren't enjoying it enough to see the base game through.
Neither are required to access the DLC, and are probably two of the hardest bosses in the main game. Even if you beat Malekith, all you have in the main game is the last run of bosses, so to be honest I'd say you could probably just jump into the DLC. You'll have a bit of an easier start dealing with normal enemies again for a while before you have to take on a main boss so should help knock some of the rust off. The only issue you might face is whether you're underlevelled having not gotten the runes from defeating those bosses.
So long as you've beaten Mohg in the Blood palace area (and assuming you beat Radahn previously), I'd say just go for the DLC.
For someone who stopped playing the base game when I hit a wall with Malenia and Makilath.
Should I try and keep going there before trying the DLC?
Feel like in getting near the end now. Only have the abyssal woods and ancient ruins left to explore and did a lot of the optional content.
I'd aim for about Lvl 140 or so, just to make sure you have enough points in Vigor. Your strength etc mostly scales in the DLC with the scaling/upgrade system exclusive to the DLC, but your health/stamina/FP bars are still important.
As for narrative, so long as you've beaten Radahn in Caelid and Mohg in the Moghwyn Dynasty place (because the access point to the DLC is located there), you're good to go. It can be done before or after beating the main game.
Narratively probably after Mohg. Best time after you beat the main game and get the Sacred Relic sword which you need for THE farming spot.
When's the best time to start the DLC? Narratively as well, if it even matters.
Currently level 125 and just about to start the Forbidden Lands.
Man commander Gaius and that stupid charge. Id say there's a quarter of a frame that's safe to dodge it.
Beat him at least but he was a serious pain.
Made it to the final boss this morning and got through his first phase relatively unscathed where I wondered if he was nerfed, and then that second phase hit me like a train.
And in true FromSoftware boss tradition, I’ve done nowhere near as well in the first phase as the first time I faced them. This is going to take a while!
Exact same tactic myself - tips hat
Alexander shows up in a few different spots after, and then you fight him in Crumbling Faram Azula, but I think you need to have summoned him for the big fight against Radahn and then talked to him after to keep his questline going. But yeah it's one of the best talismans in the game for the buff to weapon skills.
I got good at the final boss's Phase 1, so my luck in Phase 2 was down to him mostly using those combo attacks or picking the Mimic to target for some of the other attacks. I was only using the scarlet rot sporadically too because I was worried about having to farm/craft more. Like Johnny and me both said earlier though, could do the fight 50 more times and not get close to beating him again.
Alexander's Jar Shard sounds like something that might have been useful, but I don't have it, I only remember Alexander the jar being stuck and me giving him a kick to get unstuck but nothing else.
Luck certainly played its part, but I also have to claim that I git gud, because I did :) I stuck with my equipment and stats and learned when taker's flame work and when it doesn't, and I learned how to roll the initial attack getting it right maybe 1/2 times. I got it consistently down to less than 1/5 of its health and maybe luck helped with the rest.
I used Backhand Blades with scarlet rot grease, talismans were Dragoncrest Greatshield, Pearldrake Talisman +3, Crimsonseed Talisman (the new one that give more HP when you use the flask) and Alexander's Jar Shard. Can't remember exactly what I had in the physick flask as I was still trying different things every few runs. But my win was more down to luck than anything, just had a lucky run of the boss mostly using the attack combo that I was pretty decent at avoiding, Mimic drawing aggro at the right times and being grabbed once which allowed me to heal and re-buff, and just pure dumb luck.
It wasn't the build I normally use and I had tried a few different things. I really tried sticking with the Wing of Astel at the start but just couldn't get a decent amount of time to hit the Nebula skill, and he moves around so much in Phase 2 that it was pointless trying.
If anyone cares, I have a S+D build and I was using the Blasphemous blade skill attack while letting mimic have it, there was no way to get any significant close range melee hits without getting killed, especially in the second phase. So talismans for protection against physical and nonphysical, ranged skill attacks which also heal, (maybe*) physic before entering to be able to summon mimic without getting killed and a bit of git gud during 2 hours of trying and probably also a bit of luck. I know this isn't the ideal build and equipment, but this is how I played for the most of the DLC and I wasn't feeling like changing or respec'ing.
*sometimes I used it before the fog, sometimes just before second phase, I don't remember which one was this.
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Two of the guys at Kinda Funny are doing co-op trying to beat the final boss, and even mid-combo he'll change which player he's aiming at even if say Player 1 is in front of him throwing magic from a distance and Player 2 is running up behind the boss to try get some hits in…. the boss has turned mid-combo even before Player 2 has gotten a hit in.
I think they may have modified it in the DLC that maybe the bosses switch target more easily or more often depending on distance or priority (like more going for the player whose game they're in instead of the co-operator), and not just who recently did damage.
The boss AI seems to go for the player that is doing the most dps in a certain time window.
I’ll never understand it. The whole game is setup to allow you to face these challenges in whatever way you want. Level up/change build/ask for help etc. There’s no wrong way to play, and using whatever tools you need doesn’t diminish the feeling of finally getting past that fúcker that’s been annihilating you for hours.
And I’ve been in situations where my current build just happened up be really effective against certain enemies anyway - like the fire knights, a STR build with a greatsword of good reach really makes them no hassle at all. Am I going to change my build because I found I got through that bit too easily? Absolutely not!
Also I don’t know if I’m imagining it but I think the bosses in the DLC seem to pay far less attention to my mimic than they did in the base game. Most times I’ve used it the boss ignores it for 90% of the fight but it’s been instrumental in giving me a second or 2 for healing.
fk that was tough.
During the game I'd usually put my summon sign down after I beat a boss. Frustratingly many many of those ended in failure and I was surprised at how much more difficult it was to beat the boss with summons than it was soloing it with a mimic etc.
The fight itself was easier as the agro was divided between the players, but the increased boss health prolonged the fight so much that it gave the boss more opportunities to punish the host if/when they got greedy.
I will say that looking at Reddit and Steam threads after beating the final boss, there was very little 'oh it's easy if you have such and such a build' / 'git gud'. It was 99% 'oh yeah that boss is a **** nightmare'.
I'm now pacing myself and find all kinds of reasons to avoid getting to the final boss, I don't want this to end :|
Yeah even after finishing the game (and there are some tough-ass enemies in the final areas), I hate the Fire Knights the most in terms of general field enemies. The Specimen Storehouse of Shadow Keep…. they are just everywhere, and I wouldn't be surprised if I've been killed by each individual one in the game.
Anyone complaining about using summons is an idiot. It's literally part of the game. It's as much a tool to be used as upgrading your weapon or using talismans.
There are definitely some build exploits which can do ridiculous damage, but there's no reason not to use it. A friend of mine beat the final boss using the perfume bottles but the only difference between me and him is, I wish I'd used it, and if I'd had to go another hour or so I probably would have done it myself too.
Unless you're literally modding or purposefully exploiting a glitch, then as far as I'm concerned; "EA Sports - IT'S IN THE GAME!"
Honestly I'm seeing way more moaning about these so called elite players than seeing these people give out about not playing the game properly. Unless it's people out to harass streamers but it's not been on the likes of twitter or forums I've been on?
Anyway so far I've had far more trouble with those fecking fire knights than any of the bosses. They just seem to leave very little in terms of openings.
Absolutely, so much shyte talk online that "you're not playing right if you summon or use certain weapons". Like you said, the bosses use their own cheese, why can't we. Saw a great meme where a player is basically very hard on themselves for being stupid enough to try a greedy 2nd light attack against a boss when they boss just hit a 15 hit combo ending with an aoe attack. Feck those bosses, I'll use whatever i have.
"*It is interesting that these two, as far as I could tell, actually bypass the health boost restriction by being summoned in the arena?"
Yes, that's something I only recently learned while watching someone streaming the game and they mentioned it. NPC summons don't affect the bosses' health pool if they're summoned while in the arena/fight, whereas summons before the arena/fight (before you pass through the fog gate) do. Though of course, the instances where you can summon an NPC inside the boss arena are pretty rare. Even in the main game I think it's only really Radahn, where it doesn't matter how many of the NPCs you summon, the health pool stays the same as far as I know.
I've always said it: players should use whatever tools legitimately available to them to overcome the challenges in these games. Yes, it's impressive seeing feats of amazing dexterity and patience pulled off by skilled players, but for everyone else the games should be tackled as you see fit. Miyazaki has even said as much! This is extra true here, as the final boss throws so much unfair bullshit at you, the player should respond with whatever strategy evens or overcomes the odds.
One thing I will say though: the old 'wisdom / elitism' that summoning is easy mode is less applicable here than ever (unless you get in a super skilled co-op partner). Yes, it's great to have NPCs in the Bayle and pre-final boss brawl*, but they're driven by story reasons. As nice as it is to have someone drawing aggro, the sheer relentlessness of the attacks and the massive boost in boss health here means summons can make things even harder. Having the NPCs in the final fight in particular will just prolong that punishing second phase, and they barely do any damage. Obviously Spirit Ashes are near essential for most players throughout, though - they have very much taken the place of traditional co-op.
*It is interesting that these two, as far as I could tell, actually bypass the health boost restriction by being summoned in the arena?
