@Th3solution Sounds like your playthrough is going swimmingly, my friend. Feel free to tag me when you have the game all wrapped up and want to share your overall impressions! Good luck with the close of play, to use a cricketing expression.
"Loneliness was an unsatisfied thirst for illusion" - Kobo Abe
DS2 update —
Well… I thought perhaps my next post would be my discussion of finishing the game, but I’ve opted to try and do the DLC first before doing the final area/final boss.
And, the DLC is tough! It’s almost pushing me to my limits and I feel as close to quitting the game as I’ve felt the whole time! I’m over 90 hours into it though and I don’t want to give up now. But believe me, I’ve not been this close to throwing my controller since my early days with Bloodborne. 😅
For context, I’ve done all the main campaign up through the Giant memories and I’ve killed Vendrick. I’m quite overpowered for most standard encounters, and I made my way through the memories and Vendrick without much resistance. I think I may have died to Vendrick twice.
But I started with the Crown of the Old Iron King and, although the area is quite interesting in design, it been brutal and just not nearly as fun. The enemies here have been quite powerful and aggressive. I hate those fiery floating guys that can contort their bodies and stretch their arms to hit you from a mile away and also slash at you when they are facing away from you or even when they are on the ground after you take them down. Then you have the really annoying sorceresses that can vanish and reappear behind you for a backstab/throat slash. Ugh. And heaven forbid if there happens to be one of those burning Nadalia things nearby buffing them all. 😖
And so I made it through all that BS to the Blue Smelter Demon, finally… what a horrible trek to the boss that was. And then of course immediately died to him. This has been the worst trek to the boss in the whole game. Most of bosses have had bonfires fairly close, but it’s a real gauntlet getting to Smelter 2.0.
But thankfully, I bested him with the help of NPC summons, and gladly will never have to make that runback again. Now, on to Fume Knight… which I hear is even harder! Not looking forward to it. 😄
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@Th3solution yeah the difficulty definitely ramps up some in the dlc, particularly for magic-weilders irrc. Well done on besting Blue Smelter Demon though, he is notoriously tough… and I remember having some issues with him myself 😅
From what I recall @Th3solution Crown of the old Iron king was the hardest area for me compared to Ivory and... Whatever the other one was so you certainly didn't do yourself any favours right off the bat!
But yeah magic users got some nerfing in the dlc with enemies having really high resistances.
Congrats on beating blue smelter demon though. He's quite the tough cookie. Fume knight's no slouch either and the other boss was a real pain in my arse so... Good luck!
Previously known as Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy
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"You don't have to save the world to find meaning in life. Sometimes all you need is something simple, like someone to take care of"
@colonelkilgore@HallowMoonshadow Thanks, I was proud I made it through ol’ Smelty. It was tight too, as both NPCs I summoned to help me were at just a sliver of health each when we downed the beast, and although I had still 6 or 7 Estus left, he was certainly able to 2-shot me and so if I had to take the brunt of his attention it was going to be rough.
The main issue was the run to the boss, so even if the other bosses in this DLC are hard, I can live with that if they have a close bonfire. But I died like 15+ times trying that run from the closest bonfire to Blue Smelter Demon and that’s when the defeatist frustrations kick in. If I die to the boss but am able to just jump right back into another go rather quickly, then it’s less discouraging. As it stands, I got my two summons and then ran like mad through all the hoards of enemies until I arrived at Smelty’s boss gate. 😂
It’s probably foolish that I started with the Old Iron King, but I heard it was the best and so I wanted to make sure that it was worth my time to play the DLC. As it stands, I’m probably over halfway through the area so I’ll just try to finish it and get the crown. And if it’s the hardest, then there’s no reason to not try the other two DLCs.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@Th3solution As you've said to me before, I believe, it sounds like you are making a real feast of DS2! I am about halfway towards a completely op build in ER, so hopefully we will be able to compare notes on that and DS3 at some point sooner, rather than later.
Is the quality of the DLC truly something that makes SOTFS a more outstanding experience than just running through the base game would be in your opinion, Sol?
"Loneliness was an unsatisfied thirst for illusion" - Kobo Abe
@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN So, I think my DLC experience is not quite as positive as most. Or perhaps I was expecting something grand because of the high reputation. To your other point — farming to be overleveled/OP is something I thought I had already accomplished because the base game enemies and bosses were not too difficult at this point. And to be fair, the enemies in this DLC are pretty cool and unique. I can handle them 1-on-1 or even two at a time, but there’s areas where you have 4-5 enemies attacking simultaneously, one shooting magic from a fair distance, one shooting arrows at you and three melee enemies coming aggressively from all directions. It happens in the base game but the gank squads are mostly fodder enemies but here they are each fierce and take 3-4 shots at least and often one of them is a brute mini-boss style. 😅 It’s a lot. And one of the main gimmicks of the DLC are these fire pillars which buff the enemies of the area, so a 3 shot enemy is now a 6 shot enemy, and when there are 5 of them then it’s just brutal.
That said, I appreciate how the DLC has forced me to try some new tactics and new combat methods. I’ve used my bow a lot more to try and clear areas from a distance, and I’m learning to dodge more aggressively whilst trying to backstab, stuff like that. Still, I would say the base game has been more enjoyable so far, but I’m only about… maybe 1/4 - 1/6th of the way through the DLCs
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@Th3solution Yeah, I just scrolled up a bit so my apologies for unwittingly making you repeat yourself, but it does sound like I did myself a favour by leaving SOTFS well alone after my initial foray into No Man's Wharf, let alone touching the DLCs. I mean it sounds like it parallels The Old Hunters for how difficult it is, and I could only best Ludwig with the help of a summon in that, and went no further, I only got that one 'cause I particularly liked the boss' lore etc. and you could get a trophy for besting him and the other Bloodborne DLC bosses, a feature that is absent in other FromSoft DLCs, but I won't go into the reasons for that as they've been discussed on here before.
Anyway, I digress. so I'll just wrap up by saying that I may put SH2R on hold until beating ER after all, as I am only 45 levels away from completing the levelling up aspect of my build now - doesn't sound like it's much, I know haha 😉, but it actually isn't considering how many times people such as myself, and, perhaps I can include you in this, like to level up to achieve that properly perfect op (Strength, in my case, magic, pyro, dex etc. in the cases of others) build.
Good luck with the rest of the DLCs and finishing off the base game.
@colonelkilgore Oh great… 😰. You sure know how to encourage a guy, don’t you.
@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN I didn’t play Old Hunters, but it does sound like it might be a similar situation to the DS2 DLC with the bump in difficulty and interesting lore attached. The DS1 DLC wasn’t that difficult , and in fact I played it in the normal course of the game and I barely noticed that it was even separate from the main campaign. These games have so many cryptic side quests and supplementary areas, that a DLC pack just blended right in. As for DS2, the 3 DLCs do have these corresponding items that you have to find to access them and then arrive at special portals that you have to warp through to start them, so it’s not the most elegant way to proceed, although it makes sense in all the other crazy lore and rules of the Dark Souls universe.
Is say the base game starts to settle into a decent rhythm after No Man’s Wharf and after that area it’s not too difficult for a while. Then there’s a bump in difficulty about 20 hours later at Harvest Valley and then The Gutter. Then it levels off for a while after Iron Keep and stays fairly reasonable throughout until the DLC. At least for being overleveled like I’ve been.
Good luck with your ensuing 45 levels! If things are going well, then that’s a perfectly viable strategy and to keep pushing on if you’re enjoying it. SH2 will be there waiting for whenever you’re ready.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
Fume Knight update incoming (I just have to get this off my chest. Feel free to ignore 😅) —
Well, I have had my first 15 attempts at Fume Knight… And his reputation as a difficult boss is certainly legitimate. On the plus side, the bonfire is right next to the fog door for the fight. Also, I appreciate how Fume Knight doesn’t attack you immediately when you enter the arena. You have to approach the center stage and then he appears and then you have a couple seconds to even get a few hits in while Fumie materializes.
That said, even though I can buff my weapon, cast a debuff on the boss, and then get in a hit or two all before he starts fighting, I’m getting crushed over and over. I’ve tried using summons 3-4 times, burning through humanity like there’s no tomorrow, but I still haven’t found an easy strategy for the fight. I’ve watched some videos and there’s some that advocate cheesing spells from a distance, but I found that difficult because he’s quite resistant to spells and he can still close in very quickly from across the arena, which negates some of the cheesability. I’ve tried doing the melee thing up close, and that seems to work the best and a silverblack spear +10 with Dark Weapon buff does a fair amount of damage. And with this I can get through his first phase fairly consistently now, but once he goes into second phase with the dark flame UGS, the dodge timing is all different and the hit box for his sword is absolutely insane (feels like the whole arena is a hit box with some of those sword sweeps) and so I die. A couple times I have got him down to about 1/10 of his health bar, so probably 3-4 hits left, before dying so I’m getting close. I actually think the most consistent strategy for me is to use one NPC summon (not two because the second one is trash and dies so quickly) to take some of his attention and I can get him into his second phase and then down to about 1/4 of his bar by the time the NPC dies. So its worth the extra HP the boss gets to be able to get easily through the first 3/4 of the fight. The problem is that taking that method robs you of the chance to get into a rhythm with the dodge timing during the first part of the fight and so I find I take many more hits once I have to solo him and can’t dodge those crazy attacks as easily because my skills are rusty from keeping distance the first part. Also, as I mentioned there’s the repeated use of humanity that I have to do to keep summoning. I have plenty of humanity, but I need to save some for the other difficult fights yet to come.
So yeah, overall I don’t know. I’m going to have to keep experimenting. I’ve switched my rings and gear out, seeing if anything makes a difference and honestly defensive rings haven’t helped and I’m getting better results from loading up on offensive rings. I think the key is trying to damage as quickly as possible because the longer you’re there and more dodges you have to do, the higher the risk since he can two-shot you. It’s all about the dodge timing. Armor seems to do very little.
I suppose I can come back to him later, but I very much want to be done with him now. And I think I can do it. Maybe. This is definitely one of the toughest bosses for me in a while.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
I don't remember Lud and Zallen being all that difficult myself to be honest @colonelkilgore although it was a long while ago I did my DS2SotFS run so it's all a bit of a blur at this point.
I do however recall The Fume knight being a right pain in the arse @Th3solution so I really feel for you. The only other boss that really got my goat in the DLC was the other boss in Iron King DLC. The rest of the DLC's and their bosses were fine enough from what I remember.
I also have to agree with you in finding the DLC to be alright. Nothing too amazing (At least for Iron king). I was quite fond of the Ivory King DLC but that maybe because I just love snowy/winter areas in games
@HallowMoonshadow one of the (many) things I find genuinely intriguing about souls-likes when discussing boss-difficulty is that one person’s wall can be the next person’s doormat. We had a decent chat about it over on:
@HallowMoonshadow@colonelkilgore@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN In true Souls/FromSoft fashion, Fume Knight went down much easier after I took a break away from the game for a day. Going back in refreshed last night, I was able to fell the foe on my third attempt, and in hollowed form with an HP bar penalty and solo without NPC summon assistance!
Once I got the rhythm of dodging to my right for the first phase and then to the left for the second phase, and not panicking when the second phase happens and his UGS gets buffed, well it was just much easier with a little less fatigue and a better state of quicker mental and physical reaction timing and anticipation. I also utilized the Simpleton ring, which makes you invisible during the dodge roll and I think it also adds a couple i-frames in the process, which is critical in this fight. Either way, he’s dead and the old iron crown is mine.
Unfortunately, it’s out of the frying pan and into the fire now with Sir Alonne. I didn’t have time to make it all the way to him and much to my chagrin it appears that he’s another one with a long trek from the bonfire to the fog gate through numerous tough squads of enemies. 😮💨
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@Th3solution yes sol… it’s always better going back to a tough boss after some rest and time to ruminate on the encounter (even subconsciously). No doubt t=you’ll have similar success with Alonne et al too 👍
@Th3solution Excellent! Congrats on besting him, Sol. You should definitely speak to @nessisonett about Sir Alonne, as I remember he was the last boss that he defeated in the Souls games, having defeated all of them now. (Idk about Elden Ring bosses, ness? As that conversation occurred before ER was released, I believe).
"Loneliness was an unsatisfied thirst for illusion" - Kobo Abe
@colonelkilgore@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN@HallowMoonshadow Bested Sir Alonne after about 8 attempts. The run from the bonfire to his fog gate is insane. I went ahead and just cleared the way and farmed all the enemies on the runback the requisite 10ish times so they would stop respawning. I got a lot of souls out of it and it made re-fighting the boss less frustrating.
Still, he was definitely a tough one. The timing is really tricky and varied depending how far he is from you, so dodge-rolling is quite the challenge.
But he’s dead. And that mops up the entirety of the Iron King DLC. If that’s the hardest, it should be smooth sailing from here. Next up, The Crown of the Sunken King
Well fancy that! I was just getting around to sending you a congrats for the Fume Knight... So well done on that and especially Sir Alonne too @Th3solution!
Well done on besting the Iron King DLC! Here's hoping the Sunken King and Ivory King don't give you as much trouble Sol!
Previously known as Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy
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"You don't have to save the world to find meaning in life. Sometimes all you need is something simple, like someone to take care of"
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