Dark Souls + Demon's Souls + Bloodborne Megathread XIII. The Ringed City - Games

[t]https://puu.sh/v323d/7f6804e18e.jpg[/t] this DLC has good armor

I love the ringed knights straight sword L2. It has such a huge arc.

Nothing like the game freezing mid boss fight and mid cutscene to completely ruin ones immersion. I can't tell if it's a Fromsoft issue or a windows 10 issue at this point.

Also, splitleaf greatsword L2 is best for dodge happy people.

I love how you can get a free respec by closing the game in task manager after respecing but not before closing that menu when you respec, it SAVES the stats but when you close that menu, it DELETES the item and counts the rebirth, and then saves it was something like that last I did it, didn't even need backups lmao

I wonder if that will trigger a softban.

[QUOTE=PotatoArmada;52030957]I wonder if that will trigger a softban.[/QUOTE] I have no idea how they could possibly detect it so there's no chance in hell. Plus they encourage backups anyways. If you were trying this using cheat engine like a dipshit then yeah it would because that'd be too obvious [editline]30th March 2017[/editline] I've been using backups and doing this since forever and its never caused a single issue the usual "INFINITE" method is "haha yeah just copy your save" but thats not actually infinite and you basically can't progress ever unless you want to give it up.

[QUOTE=J!NX;52030943]I love how you can get a free respec by closing the game in task manager after respecing but not before closing that menu when you respec, it SAVES the stats but when you close that menu, it DELETES the item and counts the rebirth, and then saves it was something like that last I did it, didn't even need backups lmao[/QUOTE] Oh jesus, that's fucking hilarious. How did you figure this out?

[QUOTE=Nidhogg;52031180]Oh jesus, that's fucking hilarious. How did you figure this out?[/QUOTE] I have an autoback up system and just after I respecced my 15 minute delayed back up just happen to save at the right time I realized I wanted to respec again since I was just fucking around so I ran the back up and... oh my god what my [B]stats [/B]didn't change? but I'm in the respec menu and it didn't use my pale tongue OR count towards rebirth! amazing! now I just crash the game after hitting the respec and it basically lets you have infinite respecs I hope this was never fixed after I found it out. It's such a smug stroke of luck to have just HAPPENED to have it back up at the exact moment. A second later and it'd have backed up after the 2nd save and I'd have to run it again, never having found out. [editline]30th March 2017[/editline] This might work for appearance change but I haven't tested it yet

So... I've done almost everything in the DLC now, outside PVP, here's my thoughts. Wall of text incoming, you've been warned: [sp]Holy shit, what a finish for DS3! Considering it could be years before we get anything else Souls related, they had to make this one count, and personally I'm not dissapointed. But I have to say, it's left me wanting more. Not in a bad way, mind, but this DLC has so much cool stuff in it that it makes me sad that we're unlikely to get any other solid content updates for the foreseeable future. And on top of that, there's still some parts of the game that need some work and I'm quietly hoping that we'll see some follow up patches to touch them up. I'll get into that later on, but first up, my initial impressions... I went into this DLC almost entirely blind, and it was hard to avoid all the spoilers. I saw the first trailer, and even that was too much. But thankfully the DLC still held a lot of surprises the whole way through, even right at the start. I legitimately jumped the first time the Murkman mage did their big "turn into a giant darkness ghost" attack at me, and the first encounter with the Angel right after it was nerve wracking to say the least. I had a blast crawling around the Dreg Heap and finding all the little secrets, nooks and crannies. And even then, I missed a lot of stuff and had to go back afterwards to get things like the Great Deep Soul spell. However, the Earthen Peak Ruins tested my patience a bit. The angel placement in the swamp section felt very unfair considering the work you had to do to get to the little slug avatar dude controlling it, and I think I died more times in that section alone than I did in total during Ashes of Ariendel. Eventually I made it up there and it was super satisfying to watch that floating bastard drop out of the sky. But I didn't enjoy the run up to it and felt like I couldn't actually explore the ruins area properly with the Angel hovering over it the whole time. And by the time I'd beaten it, I was just burnt out with the whole are and wanted to get it over with. That said, the inclusion of a nod to Dark-Souls 2 there (and in other places) is appreciated by me. I've always had a soft spot for DS2, so seeing an entire area get some recognition along with one of my favorite armour sets (the Ruin set) getting reimagined later on and the desert Pyromancer set coming back gave me a little happy warm feeling. Now... The Demon Prince boss fight. I'm not gonna lie, I summoned help for this boss after the first attempt solo and I say that without a single trace of shame. I've always enjoyed playing co-operatively more than solo, and even with help, this guy got me a few times. But in terms of actual fight-wise, he's a blast! Literally. The inclusion of an O'n'S style end-phase mixup depending which demon you kill first was a neat touch, the boss arena was really cool and the fight itself was super spectactular and visceral. A great first boss for the DLC, really gave a great indication of the upped challenge. Dark-Souls DLC has a reputation for being harder than the base game and this guy made it clear that DS3 was going out with a bang. Then we move into Ringed City. And holy hell the screenshots and trailer footage do not do this place justice. I have to say I am super, super pleased with the visuals of this area, for me it's tied with Grand Archives for favorite visual area, it hits all my aesthetic buttons and even when the enemies were frustrating the hell out of me, I've enjoyed the scenery every step of the way. I also quite liked the shift from direct combat to a more tactical, puzzle-oriented cat-and-mouse game right at the start. I remember walking down those stairs, watching an army of archers spawn, and promptly getting filled with enough arrows to qualify my chest as an iron storehouse. I figured out pretty early on that I had to run from cover to cover, but in true Dark-Souls fashion, the game didn't make it easy. Places that looked safe were often times not, and were it not for a few handy messages, I'd have completely missed the side passage halfway across the bridge. Even then, it took me a few attempts to take down the giant as I planned out my assault between dodging arrows, avoiding his summoned Knight buddies and keeping clear of his swipes. It was damn satisfying to take him down and go back to clean out the bridge. Moving down into Ringed City proper, it soon became apparent just how open this area was compared to other places in DS3. I actually got a big Bloodborne vibe from this whole DLC, and as somebody who has been craving a PC release for BB since it came out, that was very much appreciated. I found myself getting lost and running around in circles as I avoided (or, more often, got decimated by) the tough, roving enemies. It brought me way back to my first time playing Dark-Souls 2 all those years ago, throwing myself at the area again and again, slowly getting better at navigating it and planning my routes every single time. The bridge section with the 5 Herald knights stands out as one of my biggest challenge areas, and I fondly recall being chased off a side-street by one of the giant bastards, getting ambushed by a Ringed Knight, fighting them both off, only to be invaded by motherfucking Alva again and then finding the Black Witch set at the end of it all. That was a hell of a ride and I loved it! The way that all the little treasures and items are hidden away in the Ringed City makes exploring its twisty streets and alleyways super fun and rewarding. I can remember finally getting out to that swamp and frantically bolting away from the newest batch of ghost archers, turning a corner to find cover and falling into a little crevice, only to find the Ringed Knight Straight Sword lying by my feet. And then, picking my way through that little nook and discovering the Ringed City Streets bonfire not a few feet away! I audibly yelled "Oh thank god!" when I found that bonfire, which was a nice change of pace from the main game. I love DS3 most from all the Souls games I've played, but I'll be the first to admit the base story is a bit too Bonfire happy. I also remember figuring out the puzzle of "how do I get past this giant dragon without dying again", followed by "How do I get past this apparently infinitely looping spiral staircase" and then coming to the realisation that "Oh, holy shit, I just have to straight up kill that dragon now, don't I? Holy shit." The little side passage with three motherfucking hidden walls in a row was also a nice cheeky little inclusion. At this point I feel like that was done as a sly nod to the fans, a way of saying "Hey, we didn't give you the Bonfire mimic, but we sure as hell did just put 3 hidden walls back to back." That made me smile, and the miracle at the end was a nice reward. Also, can I just say the set-piece moment of the Ringed Knight beside the shrine before the Halflight boss is absolutely stunning? Not to mention challenging. I must have killed that guy 5 times now, but he's killed me a lot more often than that. Now, this is where I met my first possible bug: When I first got to the chapel place, I didn't get the prompt to open the door and fight the boss, and I thought I was missing something. So I literally went back and spent 3 hours picking my way through the Ringed City area trying to find what I missed. In that time I discovered where Lapp was hiding, found a bunch of additional items and discovered the Purging Monument, but eventually I ran out of things to find and finally came back, only to realise I was supposed to be able to just walk right into the boss fight. Out of all the fights in this DLC, this one was perhaps the least interesting, but I don't say that as a bad thing. It was actually really fun to bring in some buddies and fight the one, super-charged player with his NPC friends. Everybody who got summoned into my boss fight was pretty damn tough and the first two attempts ended with a well deserved victory for the invader. On the third go, though, I was sneaky and put on the White Ring, so the poor bugger who got pulled into my fight didn't know who to target, and we came out on top. Loads of fun, and the fact it's repeatable is a really nice little touch. Looking forward to playing around with this fight later on. And after that... Well, what can I say? I honestly wasn't expecting to fight Gael at the end of it all but what a fight it was! It was like Artorias, Gerhman and Soul of Cinder all rolled into one beautiful package, two undead battling in the crumbling ruins of reality over a thing that no longer exists... What better way to end the trilogy than that? I ended up needing a friend for this fight, too, simply because by this point I was mentally exhausted and Gael is one hell of a tough fight. That said... I still haven't beaten Midir yet. I've had several goes at that giant dragon bastard, and as optional bosses go, he's like if you combined Sinh, Ancient Dragon and Kalameet together. A real challenge, although I will say perhaps not the most fair of challenges. His sheer size makes navigating the camera a chore all on its own and no matter what I do for my defense, he always seems to destroy me in 2 to 3 hits. Running melee against this guy is... An experience, to say the least. Making him optional was a good call on From's part because he's a tough bastard.[/sp] That's all for spoilers, but all in all, this is one hell of a sendoff for Dark-Souls, and while I seriously doubt this is the last we'll see of the series (it's just too powerful and marketable of a brand imo) If this [I]is[/I] the very last Souls game we ever get, I think it's a good way to end it. Not perfect, but nothing is. This DLC exceeded all my hopes for it, surprised me and has me looking forward to playing around with new builds, running through NG+ cycles, and helping out people Online. And I honestly couldn't say that before it dropped. I really liked Ashes of Ariendel, but it was far too short. But together, AoA and RC together make for some damn good content, well worth the money I spent on the season pass. I do hope we get some additions to the Undead Arena, though. The new maps and password matchmaking were nice updates, but there's still no in-game "incentive" to play it beyond PvP for PvP's sake. If they just introduce something like the Aura system from DS2's PvP arenas, that'd be perfect. So hopefully we get some more support for that later down the line. Perhaps even more maps! But that's pushing it a bit. Beyond that, I'm looking forward to what From does next. I know they've got 3 projects in the works, and while the Armored Core series has never really interested me, I know they're making a new fantasy RPG "From a different perspective" so I'm very intrigued to see what that is.

I forgot why the boss [sp] Gael[/sp] is a thing, if i think a lot about that. [sp] Gael is... pretty much the Guts from Berserk homage, it's the only reason, right?[/sp]

So I tried out the Ringed Knight Paired Greatsword, and after the initial high and hype of how sicknasty the moveset is, it's actually pretty underwhelming in the long run. The weapon will [b]always[/b] be out-poised by any other heavy weapon, so don't expect to be successful in trading hits all the time with other heavies. With that being said, I think it's far too heavy in weight with the lack of stopping power in comparison to other more dependable UGS'.

The ringed straight sword L2 is a better great sword that the paired ones.

Is [sp]Gael[/sp] parryable?

[QUOTE=PotatoArmada;52031514]The ringed straight sword L2 is a better great sword that the paired ones.[/QUOTE] I'd use that sword more if I had the FP to swing it around like a madman. :v:

[QUOTE=Nidhogg;52031506]So I tried out the Ringed Knight Paired Greatsword, and after the initial high and hype of how sicknasty the moveset is, it's actually pretty underwhelming in the long run. The weapon will [b]always[/b] be out-poised by any other heavy weapon, so don't expect to be successful in trading hits all the time with other heavies. With that being said, I think it's far too heavy in weight with the lack of stopping power in comparison to other more dependable UGS'.[/QUOTE] I think the moveset at least isn't bad at all. Considering the startup of the L1 has insane reach and momentum. Even running L1 is good but i don't know if those moves can be parried. I need to try the ringed city spear though, the weapon art follow up doesn't seem to be bad even though it's so highly telegraped. At least it adds fire damage. Oh the R2s are not bad too

[QUOTE=Mentlegen;52031515]Is [sp]Gael[/sp] parryable?[/QUOTE] [sp]Yes, backstabs work too[/sp]

Rate my fashion. [t]https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/155779122767924750/BE8ED787E37BD8460D60CF324DD61F0FD9BA8CCF/[/t]

I'm pretty certain I co-oped or PVP'd someone with that same exact gear the other day.

For Lapp's quest ending [sp] Aside getting his armor, if you don't have the Ariandel dlc or haven't beaten the Gravetender Champion, he'll also give the ashes to access the arena and he's... summonable to fight the Church boss fight... yeah. http://i.imgur.com/Kp1B1VO.jpg [/sp]

Question about the boss [sp] Midir[/sp] [sp] NG+ and further, did anyone beat him by doing the riposte? I happened to do so. He was a quarter of his health and after the riposte it vanished. I previously didn't beat him like that so it feels like i missed something. Should say i hit his head some times after he used the ultimate beam attack but it didn't instantly went into riposte mode. [/sp]

[QUOTE=Sweater;52032557]Question about the boss [sp] Midir[/sp] [sp] NG+ and further, did anyone beat him by doing the riposte? I happened to do so. He was a quarter of his health and after the riposte it vanished. I previously didn't beat him like that so it feels like i missed something. Should say i hit his head some times after he used the ultimate beam attack but it didn't instantly went into riposte mode. [/sp][/QUOTE] [sp]I just hit him with a refined drakeblood greatsword +10 until he tripped onto the ground and let me finish him off with a riposte/visceral attack.[/sp]

[QUOTE=Hammer7;52032102]Rate my fashion. [t]https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/155779122767924750/BE8ED787E37BD8460D60CF324DD61F0FD9BA8CCF/[/t][/QUOTE] Nice telephone pole.

[QUOTE=Broguts;52032680]Nice telephone pole.[/QUOTE] It's actually pretty solid. The AoE buff it provides is nice and the duration is pretty surprising. Just sucks that it cancels out any Resin you have on it. [Sp]lmao it totally looks like a telephone pole though, i never noticed[/sp]

[QUOTE=DeVotchKa;52032712]It's actually pretty solid. The AoE buff it provides is nice and the duration is pretty surprising. Just sucks that it cancels out any Resin you have on it. [Sp]lmao it totally looks like a telephone pole though, i never noticed[/sp][/QUOTE] Best part is it stacks with Sacred Oath.

[QUOTE=Linda,Octopus;52032598][sp]I just hit him with a refined drakeblood greatsword +10 until he tripped onto the ground and let me finish him off with a riposte/visceral attack.[/sp][/QUOTE] [sp] Oh it's a finisher then. Saves some time[/sp]

[QUOTE=Hammer7;52032755]Best part is it stacks with Sacred Oath.[/QUOTE] And it actually works in pvp

So how soon 'til we hear about From's next game that isn't with bamco?

I'm currently trying to fight my way inside the titular Ringed City (I'm at the point where you get invaded by whom I can only suppose is [sp]Alva for the very last time[/sp]). The only thing I can say this far is that the difficulty of the enemy encounters in this DLC is, simply put, [I]schizophrenic[/I]. One one hand, if you got your gear right, the majority of the enemies are pretty easy to manage (something can be said specifically about the [sp]Ringed Knights[/sp], who in my experience are all show and no bite, since they don't even bother trying to protect themselves from backstabs like the Lothric Knights). Then, often enough, you meet these enemies that have unbeliveably large health pools or/[I]and[/I] an annoying gimmicks that just keep them alive again. And again. [B]AND AGAIN[/B]. But they have otherwise very simple movesets. More often than not I die to the [sp]"Fatso root Knights[/sp] because I get extremely bored and just want to deal one extra attack to make things go faster. By the far, the worst enemies in this regard are the [sp]odd clerics with stone on their backs[/sp]. Also, I can only assume the boss a certain NPC asks me to kill ([sp]a dragon who is succumbing to the influence of the Dark[/sp]) is that infamous bonus boss you guys keep talking about, the one with as much health as six bosses or something. Oh joy. I'm enjoying the DLC though, no doubts about that

Well this didn't last long for the Ringed City [sp]Every Spear of the Church is a Greatsword user and all summons are useless[/sp]