Dark Souls – the Hollowed Killer of Lordran
November 8, 2012 7:48 AM   Subscribe

 
A bit of context would have been neat.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 7:57 AM on November 8, 2012


Well, you see, there's this soul that is dark and it seems to be serial murderer in a town named Lordran. It also seems to have been hollowed out by someone or *something*, so not only is this soul dark, it's also empty. (please don't punch me)
posted by NoMich at 8:10 AM on November 8, 2012 [2 favorites]


Chicken soup for the lover of murderous killing's dark, hollow soul.

I didn't realize Dark Souls had a PC port. I'll have to check it out.
posted by BrotherCaine at 8:20 AM on November 8, 2012


Heads up: PC port is a straight port, so you'll be getting PS3-caliber graphics and so on.
posted by griphus at 8:25 AM on November 8, 2012


griphus, that can be fixed.
posted by McCoy Pauley at 8:32 AM on November 8, 2012


World 1-1

I start with a maniacal sprint down a red brick path. An unwary foe tries to block my path. He has no idea what hell awaits him beneath my heels. I leap high into the air, one fist raised. Both feet strike him full in the head. He's crushed between my boots and the pavement, but there is no cry of pain. Just a cheerful whistle signals his demise. Again I spring into the air, smashing open a box to retrieve a single coin. Leaping over green pipes, I kill three more, splintering skulls, spattering brains. My boots and plumber's overalls are soaked with blood. I think there's some in my mustache as well. The next pipe leads downward; should I venture in search of greater riches? Ahead, there's the faint rustle of foot on brick. I leap down from the pipe, ready to kill again.
posted by dubold at 8:34 AM on November 8, 2012 [23 favorites]


McCoy Pauley: "griphus, that can be fixed."

For anyone thinking of playing PC Dark Souls, this will always find you the most up-to-date version of the fix, which has improved considerably since its first release.
posted by ArmyOfKittens at 8:41 AM on November 8, 2012 [1 favorite]


One thing I like about this game is that there is actually more to Big Hat Logan's story. SPOILERS You can kill him in the library but if you do the right actions there's a little more story to be had, and a very different fight.

Actually it's the same for a number of these NPCs. Dusk dies of other reasons later (although that might be the new DLC?), as does Lady Reah of Thorolund. Sometimes NPCs even murder other NPCs unless you choose to intervene. What a fabulous game.
posted by 2bucksplus at 9:03 AM on November 8, 2012


Read that last night while I was playing Dark Souls.

You know I can't do it. I couldn't kill some of those characters. As much as I might want Priscillas Dagger or the Lifehunt Scythe, I cannot bring myself to kill Priscilla in order to get them. She's alone in the Painted World, no company but the wild things and a few soldiers, and all she says when you talk to her is that she doesn't have anything for you and you should feel free to leave. And I do, every time. There's no hostility, just quiet sadness with a frisson of angst.

I can't.
posted by seanmpuckett at 9:05 AM on November 8, 2012 [4 favorites]


But I do kill Lautrec. Every god damn time. The bastard. With his beautiful armour and ring of honour and his rotten, rotten soul.
posted by seanmpuckett at 9:06 AM on November 8, 2012


Uh, and ... if you're looking for help in the Depths or Blighttown look for the hot redhead wearing black gloves and a crepe skirt, playing on PSN as catbear.
posted by seanmpuckett at 9:12 AM on November 8, 2012


You have to kill everyone, because the true Dark Souls starts in NG+. I wonder if Solaire ever wonders where I got his armor...
posted by 2bucksplus at 9:12 AM on November 8, 2012 [1 favorite]


I hear you, seanmpuckett.

People who have not played Dark Souls should know: the NPCs in this game have excellent voice actors, and rather than glurging out backstory and quest directions, they only deliver dialogue consistent with what you'd expect someone trapped in a nightmarish fantasy world to say. Consequently, it's rather easy to get attached to them.

Deciding whether or not to kill Hawkeye Gough for his spiffy armor is the worst ethical crisis I have ever faced in a video game.
posted by prize bull octorok at 9:44 AM on November 8, 2012 [2 favorites]


This game. Holy cow, this game.
posted by SpacemanStix at 9:47 AM on November 8, 2012 [1 favorite]


Heads up: PC port is a straight port, so you'll be getting PS3-caliber graphics and so on.

There were mods to fix this within a day of release.
posted by Justinian at 10:09 AM on November 8, 2012


Which I see someone already pointed out. Curse you.
posted by Justinian at 10:10 AM on November 8, 2012


Is there a passable no-grind build for Dark Souls I can try? In Demon's Soul's I sunk a ton of time into a dexterity build but could never get the requisite drops to improve my gear properly. After weeks of farming the same enemies without getting a single item I needed from them I gave up.
posted by Blue Meanie at 10:45 AM on November 8, 2012


Is there a passable no-grind build for Dark Souls I can try? In Demon's Soul's I sunk a ton of time into a dexterity build but could never get the requisite drops to improve my gear properly. After weeks of farming the same enemies without getting a single item I needed from them I gave up.

You can buy most of the gear improving items from merchants. I don't think you need to grind in the game at all unless you want to make it easier or want to upgrade your equipment to the max level
posted by Cloud King at 10:52 AM on November 8, 2012


Blue Meanie, there's enough easily-acquired upgrade material scattered around that you should be able to put together gear that will carry you all the way to the end of the game and beyond without having to spend any time grinding. You don't have to farm for rare drops unless you're going for 100% achievements or trying to amass a varied arsenal of maxed-out weapons on a single character.

Feel free to memail me if you have any other questions, I love talking Dark Souls.
posted by prize bull octorok at 10:58 AM on November 8, 2012


Cloud King, Octorok, thanks much. I bought Dark Souls at launch but have barely touched it in fear of getting stuck as I did with its predecessor. I'll move it to the top of my pile and will give it a go as soon as I finish my stealth-ghost Dishonored run. Nobody does tough-but-fair like From Software does.
posted by Blue Meanie at 11:13 AM on November 8, 2012


I could read thought pieces on this game forever! People still haven't gotten as in-depth into the deep stuff happening in this game as I'd like. The way the gameplay mechanics and almost-imperceptible story/lore elements tie so beautifully into the feelings and message the developer wants to send. The Rashomon-like way the narrative fragments into subjectivities, to the point where you're almost certainly mislead on your first playthrough (I recommend not spoiling yourself with wikis until NG+, if you can handle it.)

Here's something interesting I read on the previous game in the series, Demon's Souls and the way the gameplay mechanics implicate the player, NPCs and other players in an ecosystem of greed and moral quandaries (warning: all sorts of spoilers.)
posted by naju at 11:24 AM on November 8, 2012 [2 favorites]


Is there a passable no-grind build for Dark Souls I can try?

SL1 run.

This video also has some hints for a powerful PvP build (warning: offensive, contains dubstep).
posted by A Thousand Baited Hooks at 11:56 AM on November 8, 2012


And just to tempt me it's on sale at steam right now.
posted by BrotherCaine at 12:50 PM on November 8, 2012 [1 favorite]


The boxed version is cheaper than Steam right now from Amazon BrotherCaine.
posted by pharm at 12:56 PM on November 8, 2012


I applaud this game for finding a golden medium between the usual quicksave no challenge modern AAA game and the heart-rending permadeath of Nethack and Dungeon Crawl. (Ever lost a 16 hour Spriggan Wizard while people watch? The pain.)

Also, players may enjoy this music video, You Died.
posted by dragoon at 1:21 PM on November 8, 2012


We went to Medieval Times recently, and the people sitting in the "green knight" section started chanting "USA! USA! USA!"

So I started yelling "PRAISE THE SUN! PRAISE THE SUN!"
posted by jake at 2:27 PM on November 8, 2012 [2 favorites]


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