Topic: Demon Souls Remastered. Is it, isn't it?

@Th3solution In the light of what @EclipseZero said, of course.

@TheBrandedSwordsman Oh yeah, I have no problem with the melee combat and using it on future endeavors. And I actually never once summoned for help in Bloodborne. I think I want to try it in Demon’s Souls though, just to have the experience.

Speaking of, as far as my progress so far, I’m now at the end of World 2-1. Have made it through and I think the boss is around the corner. I have a busy couple days with work and so I think I’m going to exit and save right there until I have time to take on the boss.

The good news is this level has a pretty decent shortcut to the archstone, in case I die

@CJD87 Moved over here for deeper discussion… 😄

I’m glad you’re enjoying the updates. I also love to hear/read peoples experiences with games I’m playing, have recently played, or are just simply near and dear to my heart. So I’m happy for the engagement!
Definitely agree about the ‘safety in numbers’ philosophy. 😄 It’s one of the things I really enjoy about the Soulsborne games is the little evidences of other players deaths and messages that give you and sense to et you’re not alone. Discussing with other players about their journeys in the game also helps immensely.

As far as update, I was able to make it through 2-1 without too much trouble, maybe a couple deaths at most, but Armor Spider I was able to get down on the first try! I owe this in large part to my magic build rather than any inherent skill. The ability to just take pot shots from a distance really made things reasonable. I ended up enjoying that mining themed sub level.

On from there I have spent several hours on 3-1, Prison of Hope in the Tower of Latria. I’m definitely hitting a frustration wall here. For the first time, I’ve nearly cursed and threw my controller at the TV when I lost a bunch of Souls dying deep into the level. I was stupid enough to take on the sea of launching arrows on the bridge and died not only several times there trying to dodge roll my way through, but subsequently also several times trying to run back to that spot where I got too hasty and fell off a ledge or forgot about a tentacle guy around a corner and ran right into him.

Honestly if I hadn’t have been greedy with confronting the arrows on the bridge, I’d have probably made it through fine (and been 10,000 souls richer). Ah well, I’m sure it’s the first of many disappointments.

And as for the platinum, I have no plans to try to target that right now. I’m hoping to make it through as much content as possible in one run, but I know from other discussions there is a lot of events and items that are dependent on World Tendencies and other factors that I’m just going to enjoy the base game as much as possible right now. I never got the Bloodborne platinum, but I am close — I think I’m at 80%.

Regarding my build, I’m hoping that I’m doing it right. I’m using a Fextralife build suggestion and so I’m pouring most of my points into magic, and then Intelligence, then Vitality. That’s the plan anyways. Currently I think I have 25 points in magic, 19 in Intelligence, and 14 in Vitality; Soul level 28. Wielding catalyst and the Kris blade mostly, switching out for the falchion when I need a little more ‘oomph’ to my melee.

I am a little worried that my current weapon set can’t be upgraded by the two blacksmiths I’ve met so far. Well, the one in the second world can do it, but he wants a rare moonstone that I don’t have.

@JJ2 Absolutely, and I appreciate the advice. I have used Island’s Edge for some early farming against the skeletons at the beginning; unfortunately I died there several times, including in physical form and the world is shifted quite black now. The last time I went there it has a new extra enemy at the beginning with a red hue around it, so I’m assuming I’ve pushed the game pretty far toward trying to punish me now. Is that what those red enemies are? I’m reading about Black phantoms and so I’m wondering what that term means.

@Th3solution I notice that you mentioned the words "... if I hadn't of been greedy... ". Well that is one of the many little things that I love about these games. The balance of risk and reward etc. I'd definitely suggest 'playing the percentages' to new players... but for the experienced player, beauty lies in making judgement calls on when to take the risk. It still doesn't always pay of... but its highly satisfying when it does.

... and also, before you know it 10,000 souls will seem like nothing 😉

@Th3solution
Hi tbh I was pretty content with pure white tendency on all worlds and did the extra stuff like the gate you opened in world 1. I think the so called black phantoms are like the red enemies you met behind that gate but varying strength or looking similar to npc invasion in DS games.
So no I didn’t push for black tendency personally. 🤷🏼‍♂️
I like positivity and not slaughtering npc for fun if that makes sense. RPG of mine 😅
I’m no completionist at all 😅

@Th3solution

I must confess that 3-1 was a real low-point for me also... Not only did I find the challenge fairly unforgiving, but generally it was the theme/skin that I enjoyed the least throughout the entire game. For me, worlds 1, 2 and 4 were excellent - with worlds 3 and 5 being a slight let-down. But the bosses in world 3 are pretty great, and especially the first one you will face at the end of 3-1!

I also copied a Fextralife build for my DEX playthrough, and it was fairly comprehensive to proficiently guide me towards an outcome that would suit my preferred playstyle. I honestly think that all builds are viable, as long as you have a clear idea from the very beginning what you are shooting for... and allocate stat points with absolute conviction. (Worst possible plan is 'no plan' and trying to evenly spread your stats through all the areas!)

RE. The platinum... I would propose you continue to enjoy your 'blind' run and finish the game as it was intended to be played (as little guidance as possible). Then if you're hungry for more and fancy the platinum, I'd actually recommend starting again from scratch and possibly with a new build + follow a platinum guide. With save-scumming, you can get the plat in 1.5 playthroughs. The difficulty scaling in NG+ is mad though, so would definitely advise starting your 'platinum run' as NG (instead of NG+).

Keep us all updated, Umbassa!

@Th3solution Sounds like you're doing well. The laughably named Prison of Hope is indeed a pain in the arse. If you're feeling brave enough and you've got the measure of the skeletons, I'd suggest pushing on in Island's Edge. There's some good loot to be had and the boss is relatively easy once you know how to harm him. The route to him is tricky in places but the level isn't actually that big.

Don't sweat the lost souls. 10,000? That's what, one level with some change left over? You'll hardly notice the benefit anyway. The real gains were the knowledge you acquired from exploring the level and the items you picked up along the way. Later on we'll be losing 10,000 souls without batting an eyelid. It's all relative.

I'm just a little ways ahead of you. I've done 2-2, which I found really tough due to my lack of fire resistance. I had to go and do 4-1 first so I could bump up my stats a bit. After a rocky start I think my dexterity build is coming together. I can definitely second what @JohnnyShoulder was saying about feeling the benefit of weapon levelling over character levelling.

@Gremio108 Oh fo sure, I don't make this stuff up. Maybe some times.

Sounds like you and @Th3solution have made some good progress. It will be interesting to hear when or if in the game is your first difficulty spike.

Losing vast amount of souls comes with the territory. You just go again. You could level up everytime you got enough souls, but then progress through the game would be very slow.

In regards to upgrade materials, a lot of the stuff you need to upgrade your weapons to a certain level are found later on in the game. Which is a good thing as it kinda prevents having way OP weapons early on in the game.

I really liked 3-1as I found it really spooky and atmospheric. It is a bit of a mare trying to get your bearings as it can be like a maze in some sections. The bridge of arrows, there is a way past it but not head on. I mean you can, but it is the more difficult way.

@JJ2 Yeah, the only pure white WT that I achieved was in world 1 and then when you go behind the open gate and explore around, the NPC just attacks with no provocation. I had no choice but to kill her. But otherwise I’m trying not to kill NPCs . ….even that guy in the Nexus I accidentally struck when I was practicing my moves 😅. At least he didn’t die. And he didn’t fight back either.

@CJD87 The setting of World 3 is pretty cool, but it is just a lot of running from one lookalike hall to another. Very easy to get disoriented. But the prison setting with hanging bodies is proper creepy. And I have the tentacle face dudes down and easy to handle now, so long as I don’t plow right into one while I’m trying to run back to my lost souls. Or even more annoying — the blasted little crystal lizard tricked me into chasing him right off into a hole. I think I hate those little rascals.

@colonelkilgore Greed is definitely the enemy of the Soulsborne player. I’m usually pretty patient, but with each subsequent death and annoyance my fuse gets shorter. 😄

@JohnnyShoulder I’ll try to be patient with the weapon upgrades. I just seem to remember Bloodborne having pretty quick access to getting weapons upgraded.
And yeah, I have the alternate route to bypass the arrows figured out now. I just need to get through it without doing something stupid along the way.

Yeah, I had always found the ‘other way’ on the PS3 version… but being a trophy hunter I noticed that the PS5 list required a head on assault. It wasn’t too bad actually… which surprised me. Think I messed up the first go and got it on the second attempt.

Ah, hallelujah! After spending the better part of two days on the cursed Prison of Hope, I finally cleared that infernal place. Gracious, what a royal pain in the derrière that was. I was really close to stopping and taking a break from the game because I just felt like I was making no progress. I’d consistently lose my souls, so I got to the point that I didn’t even care about trying to get back to my bloodstain to retrieve them. I must have flushed over 100,000 souls over the course of 30 deaths in that effin’ insane asylum.

The absolute kicker was the phantom at the end right before the boss. An invisible arrow shooting enemy — why not?! Oy vey, I was about to lose it there, dying several times right at the end after climbing that maze over and over and over…

The boss actually wasn’t that bad, once I actually got there. Took me 3 tries at her.

So glad I went through the trouble to save Sage Freke though. Got some boss spells now.

@Th3solution I remember that level being absolutely rock solid as its quite easy to become disoriented with all the floors looking similar. On the plus side, at least you'll have tons of mp replenish potions. "Old spice" might be one of my favourite in game item names ever 😂!

@R1spam Yes, I did like having a stockpile of spice. And it helped carry me through 4-1, since I had to spam a ton of magic there. But the level was sooooo much better than 3-1, even though the enemies were considerably tougher. Although I never got confident with the skeletons, I was good enough to get by. The boss was fairly easy for me as a ranged magic user, although it took me 2 tries since I didn’t realize the reach of that tongue attack 😅. But the shortcut path to the boss was leagues better than what you have to go through for Fool’s Idol.

@Th3solution Good luck on 4-2! 😬

@JohnnyShoulder I’ve moved on to 5-1. It’s actually pretty easy so far. I’m one-shotting most of the enemies with the build and spells I have. It’s an interesting setting too. The darkness makes it a little tough to navigate and hard to see the enemies and they can really sneak up on you, but that’s clearly by design.

@Th3solution I tried Depraved Chasm early on and got my backside handed to me as I found you can quickly get outnumbered, and the lack of space meant that it was easy to fall off either to your doom or receiving massive health damage. I fared much better when I tried it later on.

@JohnnyShoulder As I’m finding with many parts of this game, there is value in taking down the enemies in the Depraved Chasm from a distance. They are quick to attack when they get close and yeah — I’ve found myself in a group of four or five of them and it doesn’t go well if that happens.

@Th3solution One of the reasons I always use bow and arrows in these games as it makes for good crowd control.

@JohnnyShoulder There’s an advantage to bow and arrow over magic when it comes to distance. The reach of the magic spells is not always far enough away to be ideal. The flying manta rays in World 4 are an example. You have to have them pretty much hovering right over you to be able to reach them with the spell. Once o have a spell connect it’s a one-hit kill, but I have to dance around to be close enough.