::Out-of-Character Forum::

[stickdude]

It's tougher, sure. It just doesn't have as much leeway for mistakes. If you understand the way the game was made, you'll also understand that if you die, chances are you just have to try a different approach.
It's a designed difficulty, not difficulty for the sake of it, like Ninja Gaiden, for example. Ninja Gaiden is a case of difficulty for the sake of it. XD

 

[Rednal]

Eryi's Action. Difficult because killing you in creative ways is funny. XD

Like... You hit an info block, and it tells you that you can press "Down" to pull a Mario and go into a vase. There's a vase ahead of you... and if you go into it, you'll die. You also die in the NEXT vase, if I remember right... ^^ Fortunately, you have infinite lives.

Much like Dark Souls sounds, it's a designed difficulty. If you perfectly memorize all the traps, you can probably run through without dying, except in cases where the puzzles involve timing you can't really control (like when, exactly, the chicken you threw will hit the button... and if you don't time it right, you're gonna die). Then it's difficult just to be difficult.  

[stickdude]

If you progress properly, the only things that will instantly kill you are environmental hazards, most commonly in the form of thin ledges without railings, and maybe the odd Drake.
You can die. You can die very easily if you aren't careful. And you will die.

...A lot.
And no, unlike Disgaea, grinding isn't the answer to everything. XD
It helps. But skill is what this game needs.
I mean, hell, I had a screw-around character with max stats and I'd still get my a** kicked if I wasn't careful. ^^;

 

[Rednal]

Well, they are SUPPOSED to be hard. o wo b

Although grinding isn't the answer AS MUCH in Disgaea anymore, at least for most of the main story and certain bonus stages. There's a lot of emphasis on puzzle maps, and it's actually quite easy to render the map impossible to beat at certain points no matter how strong you are. XD  

[stickdude]

Being able to win using only a single method isn't what Dark Souls does. In the end it all comes down to builds and gear. Gear moreso, I think, but that depends if you're doing a challenge or not.
I'd like to play a Super-Heavy character next, seeing as I've never done so before.
Though, Light has always been the general consensus among players. Considering the way the game is, it's better to try and dodge instead of trying to defend, and needless to say, if you're wearing a full suit of plate, carrying a greatshield, and one-handing a sword the size of a man, you're dodge roll is gonna be really, really slow. XD

 

[Rednal]

Mm-hmm. In my experience, slow characters offer very little in the way of skill; you just kinda have to try and outlast something. Whereas nimble characters allow you much more room to maneuver, and not getting hit at all is even better than reducing the damage you take.

Of course, I tend to play squishy wizard types in games. Who cares how strong the enemy is if you can kill it with magic before it gets close enough to hit you? =D Don't even need dodging!  

[stickdude]

*Ahem*... In Dark Souls, you ALWAYS NEED DODGING, even more so IF you intend to play a squishy Wizard! (Or Pyromancer or Cleric, whatever school you prefer)
Magic as a pure form of damage output is a bad way to go, and chances are, you'll be mostly fighting in close quarters. Mid-to-late game, new spells and pyromancy upgrades can get damn expensive, too.
And regardless of your class or build, you'll wanna have a shield on you at all times.
Dark Souls 101: KEEP YOUR GODDAMN SHIELD UP! emotion_donotwant

 

[Rednal]

Mm-hmm. XD I remember that Demon's Souls wasn't really... kind to mages, due to very low MP regen and low output. XD; Which, actually, I didn't approve of. It's one thing to make a game challenging, but classes shouldn't be more-or-less totally useless if they're going to be in the game.  

[stickdude]

In the Souls games, there are no 'Classes'. It's all just builds and gear and playstyles, for example, I predominantly play a sword-and-shield warrior with mixed armor for both defence and low weight. However, I also use Pyromancy as a sub, and put some extra points into Dexterity so I can change out my sword for a spear if need be, considering spears are pretty damn good weapons.
Simple, but good.
Seriously, the high-tier upgrades on those things can get crazy.
Oh, and for you mages, there are some upgrade paths that make your weapon deal extra damage based on the stats that influence your preferred school of magic, essentially stacking a stat bonus on top of the weapons attack power.

 

[Rednal]

Nyeh. XD *Busy with lots of games now anyway*

Still need Mugen Souls... >.<  

[stickdude]

I figured you'd be interested, considering how much you seem to love stacking and stat bonuses. XD

 

[Rednal]

Eh. I got enough of that in Demon's Souls to last me for awhile. XD  

[stickdude]

Heheheh...
Anyway, I need some sleep, so I'll catch you later. ^^

 

[Rednal]

Ja ne! *Waves*  

[Rednal]

*Looks around* o wo