FromSoftware Video Game • Page 189

LONGISH PLAYERS LOG THING ABOUT DS3 SL1 RUN for those following

I resumed my run today after taking a week or so off for holiday related stuff. I felt like I was beating my head against the wall vs Nameless King so I decided to give Soul of Cinder a try and he is HARD this time around. I am, um, out of pine resins haha, so I'm taking a bit of a break to get souls together to buy more for later attempts BUT now I've beaten every boss but those two and attempted both of those multiple times so I wanna give some opinions.

Bosses I like more now:

Abyss Watchers - This fight has always been amazing but fighting these guys on SL1 has been an improved experience, not VASTLY improved but certainly more enjoyable than in the past. Juggling the two in phase 1 is a thrill when you're so close to the edge and much more fun than before, and phase 2 is still as awesome as it was previously. Most of my improved opinions are on phase 1. This boss took me 5 attempts on SL1.

Dancer of the Boreal Valley - Dancer is a boss I had SOME trouble with on my first attempt of this game but not much, but on SL1 she destroyed me so many times that I lost count, and was the first boss I lost count on like this (and then almost every fight after). Her moveset is vast and incredible, and I really gained a new love for Dancer this time around. Not only can she be punishing but she's especially fair, and it often feels like she's just playing with her food with the windows she gives.

Deacons of the Deep - This boss is deceptively difficult on SL1, though it was still just 2 attempts. The windows to deal damage are much fewer due to the lower health and lack of ability to clear as well, and that causes the curse attack to be MUCH more of a threat. This is still not a great boss but is much more fun in a SL1 setting than normal.

Lorian and Lothric - This fight gave me equally as much trouble on SL1 as they did my first time playing the game, but it didn't frustrate me like it did the first time. Instead it made me learn new things and felt fresh. New things gave me trouble this time than the first time, and that was a cool little bit of insight that made me appreciate how many different things it does well, and how many different methods there are to dealing with them.

Soul Of Cinder - I haven't beaten Soul Of Cinder and don't feel particularly close to doing so yet, but what I can say is that on my first playthrough of DS3, I beat SOC in 1 try. In my second playthrough, 2 tries. This time around, I feel like I'm finally able to give the boss the respect it deserves because it is so much harder than in the past. The inability to tank multiple hits makes its movepool and utility extremely hard to deal with, still in a fun way that does require mastery of the game, and each of the 4 weapon phases offer a unique challenge that makes every run feel different. I used to think of this as a weaker ending fight out of the FromSoft games but I truly love this fight now.

Bosses I like less now:

Champion Gundyr - This fight is a bit too easy for a SL1 setting, very punishing but still easy.

Yhorm the Giant - I used to think this fight got an unfair reputation out of the gimmick weapon fights, but this time around it felt so unfun. The weapon responsiveness feels terrible with a limited stamina pool available and the inability to really take a hit, and I much prefer Storm King and Rykard now.

High Lord Wolnir - Every time I do this fight it gets worse in my mind. Just a snoozefest.

Aldrich - This is a fight I used to love and still do like, but I do have a bit of a lower opinion on it now than I did previously. It felt a lot less "fun" and I can't really explain why as it still did offer difficulties but they felt less fun to deal with. Still great though!

Bosses that feel relatively the same opinion-wise:
Iudex - It literally is the same experience
Vordt - Pretty much the same
Greatwood - Pretty much the same fight on SL1 as normal as well
Crystal Sage - Was kinda bad, is still kinda bad
Old Demon King - Was pretty good, is still pretty good IMO
Pontiff Sulyvahn - Was fine, is still okay
Dragonslayer Armour - Previously didn't really like, still don't really like
Oceiros - Was pretty good, is still pretty good
Ancient Wyvern - It's whatever
Nameless King - Still excellent

Will probably post again after I do finish SOC and/or Nameless King

 

Yeah, that back half of DS1 definitely feels like they ran out of time, which Miyazaki basically confirmed already.

 

I never got around to doing SL1 in 3. I finished the run in 2 and gave up somewhere around Seathe in the first game just due to time.

SL1 in Dark Souls 2 is unironically probably the easiest to complete. Never did 3 so not sure.

Rapier/Mace are such strong fucking weapons that you can just get immediately

 

I don't think I could ever try DS1 at SL1, I was frustrated enough going through areas at a normal level, I'd do so bad

 

My biggest complaint with it was item optimization to reach necessary stat thresholds for certain items. This felt infinitely better in 2 due to how many more items exist in the game and I’d imagine it’s similar for 3.

 

Yeah it's very good in 3, you have a lot of flexibility to get to a variety of weapons and also improve your equip load enough to get defenses desired and stuff

I bet it's amazing in Elden Ring with how many gear pieces have built in stat increases alongside talismans

 

Demon's Souls rules and I prefer the original over the remaster. It still plays really well, and the original armor/boss/enemy designs are so much better

 

I have an extreme burnout problem on Soul Of Cinder and don't know when my brain needs me to call it quits for the day/session and have wasted so much time as a result. I know I can do it but oh my god I am so tired and feel like I am doing bad.

 

PLAYERS LOG SOUL OF CINDER IS DEAD EDITION

SOUL OF CINDER IS DEAD



Oh my GOD that was so hard. Hardest fight I've ever done in a game. By the end I was starting to lose all my admiration for that boss but it was an amazing experience.

I started my first FromSoft game in mid 2021 or so, and it was Sekiro. When I started it I was told by someone I knew (who used to post on this site but doesn't anymore) that I wouldn't be able to beat it. He said "I've beaten every FromSoft game ever and I can't beat Sword Saint Isshin so you DEFINITELY can't" as a way to put me down and make himself feel superior I guess, then as I'd post updates he'd diminish those accomplishments too. At first I stuck with Sekiro in an attempt to prove him wrong but very soon in just fell in love with the challenge it had to offer, beat the game, then explored DS3, Bloodborne, Demons Souls, Elden Ring, and found so many new things to love. It's exhilarating to play through a game like this for the first time and even moreso to add your own challenges on after.

I highly recommend trying out a SL1 run if you feel burnt out on the soulsborne combat and want it to feel fresh again, it offers a challenge like no other, and I say as someone who is definitely not a veteran, if I can do it you can do it. I do feel an immense amount of pride, not because I feel good at these games or anything but because I was able to put the work in and have the mental stamina I needed to pull this off, because there were quite a few times where I felt like giving up altogether.

Thx for reading I will fight Nameless King and DLC bosses at some point but I need a BREAK.

 

Hell yeah, congrats man
Sekiro no prayer beads run next!

 

I think I could do that! Sekiro randomized was fun, I'd be down for no prayer beads instead. After NK and DLC I'll either do that or do Elden Ring RL1

For a while I was trying to do a no-death run of Sekiro and play it like a roguelike but I kept getting completely fucked up by the Snake Eyes guy in the swamp and burnt myself out haha, someday I'll go back to that too

 

Hmm, Elden Ring RL1 would be pretty cool to do next instead of Sekiro no prayer beads - Sekiro has several bosses/mini bosses that I could see getting very frustrating very quickly at low vitality, Snake Eyes in the swamp being a prime example!

 

Yeah I'm torn, on one hand that's all true, on the other hand Elden Ring has sooooo many vigor checks throughout the game haha. But also Elden Ring has a lot of diversity on how to raise your stats at RL1 so it might still be very doable, plus way more stuff is optional in Elden Ring than in Sekiro

 

I don't know how to take breaks lmao, still struggling a lot with Nameless King (getting the damage output is hard) but beat Gravetender+Greatwolf and got to phase 3 on Sister Friede

 

This whole area can get nuked.

 

Whaddup. I got a PS5 and Elden Ring recently. I chose Astrologer and have been awesome at magic combat, but suck at melee. I think I’ll put the points towards arcane and faith. Margit kicks my ass, so I’m exploring the peninsula place now.

 

Something I've wondered about SL1 playthroughs, between bosses, are you just running through all the enemies? Do you ever fight anything else?

 

In theory I imagine you’re supposed to run through a lot of things but I definitely don’t have that in my skill set, so I fight a lot of things that I probably shouldn’t. The stories I hear though are a lot like a first time souls playthrough though where you fight nearly everything the first time you do it, then you learn to fight nothing. But yeah TLDR I fight nearly everything

 

I need dlc so bad

 

Sekiro is currently downloading

 

I know I can do this but my god it is draining

 

WOOOOOOOOOOOOO



DS3 base game fully done at SL1

 

Congratulations.

 

Thank you almost all my hair is gone but it was 100% worth it

Insanely hard fight though I do think Soul Of Cinder was a bit mechanically harder, Nameless King was just a lot more punishing (4 of the 5 healing flasks I used were in a row cuz every time I thought I had a window I'd get hit right after and have to find another window)