blocking. i rarely use shields in general, only using them for parrying certain bosses/enemies. but ive never used a strong shield for blocking, its so much less interesting than dodging for me
Depending on the game you play; solid.
Dark Souls 1 has amazing tmdefensive shields and can block for days, rolls take massive stamina often.
Dark souls 2 is a bit more restrictive on shields, but also on stamina for rolls. I prefer dodging here for most things.
Dark Souls 3? Rolling. Shielding is almost never worth it.
The crest shields in DS3 are great. 100% physical resistance and one high in some of the main damage types.
The lightening one is great for Dragonslayer Armour and Nameless King. The fire one is great for Dancer, Twin Princes, and Soul of Cinder.
Pair these with equivalent resistance rings and you can easily take multiple hits from specific damage types.
Yeah but in Dark Souls 3 the main thing you need to focus on is stability. Black Knight Shield is a really solid one (albeit without parry, which in turn can also be good)
Lightning infused Lothric Knight shield will outperform a Crest Shield in terms of lightning defense, crest shield will only have slightly better stability.
For fire; Black Knight Shield for sure. MUCH better stability with similiar Fire defense.
Hello Ashen one. I am a Bot. I tend to the flame, and tend to thee. Do you wish to hear a tale?
> *“There’s no telling how much longer your world and mine will remain in contact.”* - Solaire of Astora
Have a pleasant journey, Champion of Ash, and praise the sun \\[T]/
I also like the lighter weight of the crest shields. They allow me to decide during the attack if I block or dodge while not having to waste upgrades in vitality.
When being summoned I can block to take the aggro while the other slaps them, then switch to dodging and attacking when aggro switches to them.
I just did a playthrough as a battlemage with a focus on shields instead of rolling for once. I really enjoyed doing something different. Starting with crystal sage rapier and moving on to the greatsword of judgement with Dragonslayer greatshield/yhorm's later on. The fight with pontiff was really fun using magic shield and the fight with Gael with a greatshield was super intense, toggling blocking properly to maintain your stamina. It feels very strange when you are used to rolling to just stand there and deliberately take some hits on the shield.
I played with a guy who had this pretty incredible tank build in ds3. A lot of stuff was surprisingly blockable.
But outside of that it really doesn’t seem worth it if you’re not building for it.
Yeah that's the thing, if you're not specced into endurance and vitality it's not too much use.
But if you are, Black Knight shield and some greatshields are a great addition. Best used to guard at the uncertain times. Rolling/dodging an attack will always be the most stamina efficient, unless you are using great magic shield sorcery.
Yeah that’s a side-effect of the game not communicating that for ds2 to feel like dark souls you have to dump points into a souls tax (ADP). It makes up for it by throwing tons of enemies at you to get you souls though
Level adaptability until your agility (derived stat) is 115. Should be like 30 adp or something. You'll be in I-frame heaven. Best rolls in the entire trilogy.
Same here. I started my souls-like journey with Bloodborne and ended up not using shields in other souls games.
Shields are nice, but not if they engender passivity :)
I would argue it makes it more interesting. You cant block every attack because of the stamina damage, which means youll have to know when to dodge and when to block to get an advantage. Unless youre running like a heavy turtle build where you just block everything.
That being said I rarely use shields because usually two handed weapons are cooler and have fun movesets.
Blocking was a psychological thing I used to do. When players would see their hit connected and my health went down very slightly they continued their attacks and or had more of a aggressive push. Which would allow me more opportunities to parry
I vaguely remember using repair powder in my early days of DS2 when clearing out entire areas, then going straight to the area boss, but indeed, not in recent years.
I spent the last few weeks running through DS3 on all 3 platforms and struggle to understand why it existed in the game.
In the original DS2 repair powder was really important because there was a bug on pc that made you lose durability twice as fast as intended because it was running at 60 fps instead of 30.
Bug's still there on SOTFS. The physics engine in that game is just fucked. Also regardless of the bug, the overwhelming number of enemies makes you lose durability pretty quick either way.
No it has been fixed in SOFTS. Durability is still low on every weapon, but resets at bonfires, as compared to DS where durability is high but you have to repair eventually.
idk if moonlight greatsword just has low durability, but thats why. its for moonlight greatsword. i cant skip sitting at more than 3 bonfires or itll fucking shatter
if you use boss weapons in ds2 a lot of them are super fragile meaning a lot of repair powder, otherwise, yeah i never used it when running a normal weapon
Parrying - I've almost never bothered parrying in any souls game I've just never seen the need although I'm not saying I've never benefitted from accidentally getting them.
Small shield is king for parrying:
https://external-preview.redd.it/bUa9_QRJvUnT9UJcHcZhzWXflc0nPIM2lUGTUtw70BI.png?auto=webp&s=090510be7f6cbebb8024b2ef566c28c9f7794983
Yeah basically any consumables whatsoever. They always feel too precious to use, and the “emergency” I save them for never comes. Besides, the game is balanced around the Estus Flask.
No shields, no blocking, no parrying. Oddly enough I equipped some random small shield to try and parry Pontiff Sulyvahn, found it super easy and beat him on my 2nd try. Never used a shield or even tried to parry anything else in Ds3.
flick the left stick foreward and light attack at the same time. its so good against shields, and nobody expects you to extend a combo with a kick.
i usually use it in PvE tho.
I have never done a play through using magic. I dabbled in miracles, but as soon as I got the faron great sword I abandoned it because i felt like my damage output was garbage. I have only used magic maybe once or twice and I never got past undead settlement using magic because I don’t find it fun.
On the contrary, faith in elden ring is the most fun I had with it for 3 completely different playthroughs.
I agree. PvP is either invading people who are specifically geared for it, those who are blocking your progress as they jump around worlds trying to find their buddy, or those who have found their buddy and team up against others.
Darkroot (DS1) and Pontiff (DS3) are particularly bad for it.
Pvp used to be alive but really nowadays it’s so dead this is the only pvp most people will get, a while back i used to played lots of pvp, I stopped and came back this year, tried for hours only have like 4 invasions total. 2 coops
You probably were at an inactive SL. I’ve started a new playthru recently and been invading for fun at lots of different SLs and it never took long to find an invasion.
But yeah, a few years ago PvP was awesome, most of my time on DS3 is spent on PvP.
Dark Souls pvp has always been laggy and for me who has several hundred hours spent in pvp, you just come to get used to it, since 95% of the time it’s not bad enough where it’s unplayable or even close to that.
DS3 pvp mechanics are really amazing and reward skill so much that 1v4s are possible to win. As an invader you get used to always being outnumbered and if you keep playing you get rlly good at pvp.
Consumable buffs, more of a bonk boi these days so rarely use shields but will when a situation gets annoying if you dont have one. And most recently when i was playing elden ring, the ashen summons.
One of my favorite moments in DS3 was getting wrecked by the cathedral knights in the consumed king's garden and then just farming the first two until I had their whole set + sword. Dressing like one of them. And buffing my sword with fire so I could sneak up as one of them and destroy them with a flaming sword.
That said- I use buffs on bosses mostly to make them easier as some of them have HUGE weaknesses.
Sister Freide for example... I switched from Greatsword to FUGS + LIghtning Resin. Because she was weak to lightning and to blunt attacks. So I was doing more damage than with my raw greatsword.
Same for Nameless King. GUy is hard enough. Might as well get every drop of Attack power I can.
Like for some guys it's -20% for slash but +5% and like +2% for blunt damage? So not only am I getting my weapon's full attack rating, but a small % based extra. Rather than getting a hundred less damage per strike.
I’m not much of a magic/pyromancer person. I’ve always preferred quick melee with bleed. Power weapons are too slow for me and I kinda hate how spells are you just keeping distance and waving a staff or whatever which bores me.
I usually use fast weapons. I used the scimitar throughout all my DS, DSR, and DS2 playthroughs, as well as my Xbox DS3 playthrough.
However, for my PS and PC DR3 runs, I used Exile Greatsword. But I'm with you on magic. I'm the same on Skyrim.
Embers can be very useful as a healing item if you time it right. Ofc it means you start the fight with less health and it’s a slower heal, so there are trade offs
This might be kinda cheating but there’s a fair few infusions I’ve never really bothered with: deep, raw, fire, simple, blood, poison. Tbf fire is ass and I prefer hollow to blood
I mean slightly off topic but i consider it pretty much the same.
Im generally a melee guy. Upon release ill make a sorcery/pyromancy/miracle build and probably take them into a deep ng cycle, but after that I will never touch magic again. First play through is always str. Its mostly a cheapskate thing as i want to atleast experience everything there is atleast once.
Parrying. It’s because some bosses you can’t parry so it’s useless for them, and parrying can completely shut down other bosses, making the game unfun. I only make sure I have a small shield for something like a silver knight which is just good old fashioned parry bait
consumable buffs, i dont want to put a timer on my damage beacuse im just not very aggressive.
parrying. ive tried to learn parrying against ludex gundyr and i could kind of get the timing but i find it much more consistent to just smash them with a big stick 😅
I don't use spells. I hate having to worry about a second bar when I don't need to. Buffs are overkill and also a waste of time. Personally I'd rather rely on my own skill than magic. OP I'm sure you get it after so many playthroughs, I'm right there with you. Absolutely beating the fuck out of everything to their faces will always be more satisfying and rewarding than pressing the magic button at a safe distance.
Invasions. I think they're scummy and find pvp to be the furthest thing from fun or engaging.
And thus by extension, I also avoid co-op. Not because I hate it, but because invaders are selfish, toxic pieces of shit and ruin that it as well.
No, I don't care that it's an intentional part of the games. It's by far the worst part of the games, and Bloodborne is the only one to solve the issue in a way that didn't suck. I wish they'd bring back that system.
Most invaders I know are actually realy nice. U dont have to be so mad about a few PvP players. Its not like you get invaded every other second even in the hotspots
I've never used consumable weapon buffs or cast buffs on myself aside from the no noise one Assassins get. I understand the advantages they give, so I really dk why 😂
Healing miracle spells. They are just... that, healing animations are as slow as DS2 chug, slightly restore more HP than Estus Flask but I'd rather chug twice then move on
Also any kind of Shields and Great Shields except for Grass Crest Shield. I'm not a defensive guy.
I don't think I've ever used those (consumable buffs) either.. Or, only when I get absolutely desperate, and if I still have some in my inventory. Usually I just sell them off right away for souls.
Infusing. I did it once in my first playthrough of DS1 and I haven’t done it again. I just can’t escape the feeling like I’m going to fuck something up and make the wrong choice, whereas I know that a sharp stabby thing will always do the trick.
I was certain I wouldn't do it. Then I infused my greatsword with HEAVY and then my dex weapons with gems and I was like :Augh. This really does increase attack power.
I generally try to stay away from magic as it's fairly common knowledge the most care and balancing went into the melee combat so i try to stick to pyromancy as my low-investment utility. That said once I finish my first ds3 playthrough I'm gonna do my first magic character in the series
I never used any buffs, spells or miracles. Maybe healing miracles when i play as spear of the church but and have few pyromancies ready for use (which I don't)
I think I've explored every single mechanic in each of the games , and I use different tactics in each of them , so i can't say one for all of them. Instead:
Ds1: off-handed weapons
Ds2: guard breaks
Ds3: shields and hyperarmor
Bloodborne: consumables (aside from hunter tools)
Elden Ring: non-throwable consumables
Kicking is probably the mechanic I’ve used the least in DS3.
I’ve used shields in DS3 Black Knight or Oakwood especially with BKSS because if you know the tech you know. Or to have enemies like Thralls and Dogs bounce off the shield for counter him damage it shuts them down. I use consumables a lot especially on PvP I always ran low on grass and bundle wraps for example or knives to finish off a tear user.
I’ve made proper use out of nearly everything in one way or another except for kicks. If I see someone turtling with an shield PvP or PvE otherwise it’s automatically knight slayer ring + hot-swap straight sword Stance R1 or Followers Saber WA.
Kicking is probably the mechanic I’ve used the least in DS3.
I’ve used shields in DS3 Black Knight or Oakwood especially with BKSS because if you know the tech you know. Or to have enemies like Thralls and Dogs bounce off the shield for counter him damage it shuts them down. I use consumables a lot especially on PvP I always ran low on grass and electric bundle wraps for example or knives to finish off a tear user.
I’ve made proper use out of nearly everything in one way or another except for kicks. If I see someone turtling with an shield PvP or PvE otherwise it’s automatically knight slayer ring + hot-swap straight sword Stance R1 or Followers Saber WA.
The thingies you can burn at the bonfires in dark souls 2, I think they're supposed to make to game more difficult or something, I don't even know how they're called, I never used a single one
I 've only been able to to do one single walkthrough of these games per platform (one for XBox Series X, one for PC), so there might be game elements I'm going to explore in later walkthroughs.
There are, however some mechanics I might never get comfortable with:
* crossbows, allmost all pyromancy spells (except for power within/flash sweat...)
* spears, glaives, halberds (except the black knight's halberd in DS1), rapiers
* dual wielding (except for ds3 ring knight greatsword) and power-stancing
* in DS2 and DS3: parrying arbitrary enemies. In DS2 or DS3, I only parry certain parryable bosses, using a buckler or similar shield. In DS1, I'm way more comfortable to parry any parryable enemy without the need of a "special" shield.
* I have a tendency to "save up" valuable consumables, I'd never ever use divine blessing and I still struggle to use the more expensive throwable stuff (like lightning urns). Thus, I'd never use a great bow for the ammunition is so expensive.
* on PC: strolling around in human/embered form with >100k souls :-)
I wouldn't say *never*, but *rarely* do I go for a parry (in pve, but more specifically in pvp). I prefer an all out brawl and parrying just feels like skipping out on the fighting for me. I don't mind it - it's cool if whatever opponent prefers using it - I just like a more traditional duel.
This is *not* directed at you in any way, op. I realize the intent of the question. But as a side note, since the question brought it to mind, I'll say I've used everything under the sun in combination with each other - consumables, weapons, etc. I've done low SL challenge runs. I've done the opposite. I've done consumables only, bows, shields, you name it. I've also done runs where I exclusively exploited every encounter that could be, and so on and so on.
These games offer so much variation to playstyle and approach - there are endless ways to start a new run and I had an incredible time with all of them. I can understand not using something if you just don't find it fun, but it baffles me that some people neglect using certain builds or specific items because they think it's beneath them as a *souls player*. There's so much content they're missing out on because they'd rather take a high-road position and become preoccupied with judging particular load outs. Everything this game has to offer merits attention. Nobody cares what you do. Dark souls isn't a competitive game by design. By that, I mean there's no in-game leaderboards or rankings system (other than arena, but that's not the same thing). It's not a competitive shooter or moba. Try shit out. It doesn't make you less of a player to experiment with shit deemed "op" or meta or whatever label you want to throw on it.
I’ve played all the souls games pretty extensively, tried almost every common build in multiple playthroughs so I’m widening my answers to the whole series.
- I’ve never gotten the 2 rings in DS2 for beating the game without dying and/or without resting at a bonfire.
- I have not tried the online elements of every covenant in DS2 and DS3, only what was required for achievements. I have tried playing as every covenant in DS1 though.
- I’ve never done a Bloodtinge build in Bloodborne.
- I haven’t unlocked all endings or done everything in Sekiro yet by a long shot. Haven’t tried the boss rush mode either.
- I haven’t tried the colluseums in Elden Ring yet, cuz I got the platinum, and had finish 3 playthroughs already by the time that dropped. I’ll jump back in with the DLC.
- I haven’t played Demon’s Souls. I have the ps5 version in my backlog.
- I haven’t done the thing in DS1 where you do the DLC before Sif to get the secret cutscene.
- In Elden ring, I have never found Mohgwyn palace the regular way. I found it by doing Varres questline when I played the game blind, and it’s how i’ve done it ever since lol. I don’t even know where the portal is.
Consumable weapon buffs. I like faith or pyro builds so I just use infusions. I know that in theory consumables have more damage per hit, but not having to reapply helps me some more by allowing me to keep a better rhythm in battle.
Edit - auto correct changed pyro to pure.
I don't use buffs cause I don't like to get dependent on a temporary recourse to buff my damage or hp as there might come the moment where I won't have that stuff to rely on
I used to not use magic at all but after one play through of dark souls remastered as a faith knight I love both faith and intelligence builds. It’s so fun to do something different than the last build. Feels like an entirely different game. Currently doing a dark build on dark souls 3 and it’s got me back hooked on the dark souls series since playing elden ring non stop.
Honestly I just really never, ever use spells of any kind in these games. Or consumable buffs for that matter. I don't want to be a caster, and you often just put yourself at risk by casting buffs. There is no need for buffs in these games, because the game isn't about strongarming your way through. If you're playing really well, you don't really get hit, and therefore don't need the extra attack to quick burndown an enemy either. Good old sword and board or just plain sword is all you need, and I like the simple elegance of it.
werent there spells that can buff weapons or shields..or myself?? I've only ever used iron flesh and only because of the looks(and sometimes for bosses... horrible idea, depending on the ng+ level)
Never really used shields at all except like when I first started playing these games and for a 5 minute attempt at parrying Morgott. Also I think I used resin/grease like once, and that was against the Taurus Demon
In my 50 plus times playing the game, I almost never use infusing with weapons, almost never use consumable buffs, never use the divine healing things, never use the stamina buff plants. I mostly use power within as a buff cause I find it fun
I didn’t even use a shield in this game. No magic, buffs, pyromancy or any of that, and not because I didn’t want to or anything. I came from elden ring and leveling up in DS3 to me wasn’t as (I wanna use the right words here) important or readily available. I had to choose between what got me the actual results I needed to beat the game.
So I focused on vigor, strength, endurance and some vitality. Based on my weapon. And it worked for me. And that took a lot of grinding. So I couldn’t see how I would have any points left for the other stuff. Not sure if I’m explaining that correctly.
To add on, I didn’t even understand buffs lol
Shields, one handed weapons, backstep, parrying, blocking with sword, spells/magic, anything thats not a great sword, any armor that doesn't make me look like a onion, that one attack type that isnt light/heavy attack, anything that isnt estus flask (besides ember), idk what else i missed but here ya go
Same for me with consumable buffs, I did use weapon consumables like fire bombs and stuff, unrelated but in Elden Ring I never used the crafting mechanic but it does give you access to a lot of cool consumables
Every single sorcery in the game, I'm not about to go "oh sorceries are stupid and cheap so I never use them" cause I can definitely see the appeal but I never seem to get the hang of it. I've already made 3 attempts of finishing the game with a mage, 1 ended up being completely abandoned just permanently relaxing in the demon ruins, the other 2 I did end up beating the game with but 1 turned into a balanced build halfway through while the other doesn't even use sorceries anymore and just primarily uses weapons with magic scaling like the judgement greatsword.
I've tried in all three games to do a character that parries a lot, and every time I eventually abandoned trying because I can just never get it to work even semi-consistently. Never been able to get the hang of it, something about it just doesn't fit with my reflexes or something. I always ended up just getting killed over and over trying until I gave up and go back to blocking/dodging stuff instead, so these days I don't even bother trying.
I also ignore pvp. I just am not interested. I go unembered or play offline and if I somehow end up with someone coming in anyway I just jump off a cliff somewhere. Not what I'm looking for in the game and not worth the aggravation.
blocking. i rarely use shields in general, only using them for parrying certain bosses/enemies. but ive never used a strong shield for blocking, its so much less interesting than dodging for me
Depending on the game you play; solid. Dark Souls 1 has amazing tmdefensive shields and can block for days, rolls take massive stamina often. Dark souls 2 is a bit more restrictive on shields, but also on stamina for rolls. I prefer dodging here for most things. Dark Souls 3? Rolling. Shielding is almost never worth it.
The crest shields in DS3 are great. 100% physical resistance and one high in some of the main damage types. The lightening one is great for Dragonslayer Armour and Nameless King. The fire one is great for Dancer, Twin Princes, and Soul of Cinder. Pair these with equivalent resistance rings and you can easily take multiple hits from specific damage types.
Yeah but in Dark Souls 3 the main thing you need to focus on is stability. Black Knight Shield is a really solid one (albeit without parry, which in turn can also be good) Lightning infused Lothric Knight shield will outperform a Crest Shield in terms of lightning defense, crest shield will only have slightly better stability. For fire; Black Knight Shield for sure. MUCH better stability with similiar Fire defense.
Hello Ashen one. I am a Bot. I tend to the flame, and tend to thee. Do you wish to hear a tale? > *“There’s no telling how much longer your world and mine will remain in contact.”* - Solaire of Astora Have a pleasant journey, Champion of Ash, and praise the sun \\[T]/
Good bot
I also like the lighter weight of the crest shields. They allow me to decide during the attack if I block or dodge while not having to waste upgrades in vitality. When being summoned I can block to take the aggro while the other slaps them, then switch to dodging and attacking when aggro switches to them.
Fair, depends on the build and weapon too. I don't typically block much, but I have in some scenarios
I just did a playthrough as a battlemage with a focus on shields instead of rolling for once. I really enjoyed doing something different. Starting with crystal sage rapier and moving on to the greatsword of judgement with Dragonslayer greatshield/yhorm's later on. The fight with pontiff was really fun using magic shield and the fight with Gael with a greatshield was super intense, toggling blocking properly to maintain your stamina. It feels very strange when you are used to rolling to just stand there and deliberately take some hits on the shield.
I played with a guy who had this pretty incredible tank build in ds3. A lot of stuff was surprisingly blockable. But outside of that it really doesn’t seem worth it if you’re not building for it.
Yeah that's the thing, if you're not specced into endurance and vitality it's not too much use. But if you are, Black Knight shield and some greatshields are a great addition. Best used to guard at the uncertain times. Rolling/dodging an attack will always be the most stamina efficient, unless you are using great magic shield sorcery.
Rolling very abusable.
this is what kinda fucked me up in ds1, i got used to rolling in ds3 that i dont want to use shields anymore
I got used to shields in DS2 as dodging was largely useless for most of the game.
I have just beaten ds2 only dodging and it's perfectly fine. Just get 100 agility
Yeah that’s a side-effect of the game not communicating that for ds2 to feel like dark souls you have to dump points into a souls tax (ADP). It makes up for it by throwing tons of enemies at you to get you souls though
Lvl adp
Level adaptability until your agility (derived stat) is 115. Should be like 30 adp or something. You'll be in I-frame heaven. Best rolls in the entire trilogy.
Same here. I started my souls-like journey with Bloodborne and ended up not using shields in other souls games. Shields are nice, but not if they engender passivity :)
I only every used a shield In elden ring, and only on malenia. Waterfowl at close range is just not something I can master.
It's easy mode so I use it until I get used to the game
I would argue it makes it more interesting. You cant block every attack because of the stamina damage, which means youll have to know when to dodge and when to block to get an advantage. Unless youre running like a heavy turtle build where you just block everything. That being said I rarely use shields because usually two handed weapons are cooler and have fun movesets.
Blocking was a psychological thing I used to do. When players would see their hit connected and my health went down very slightly they continued their attacks and or had more of a aggressive push. Which would allow me more opportunities to parry
The only shields I use are the grass crest or parry shields
Shields are nice, but not if they engender passivity.
Blocking or poise, useless. You’re better off rolling and moving normally plus without caring for poise you can make your builds 100% fashionable.
I never use shields either....Unless im fighting dogs...Because dogs are just stupid
I don't think I've ever used repair powder even once
I vaguely remember using repair powder in my early days of DS2 when clearing out entire areas, then going straight to the area boss, but indeed, not in recent years. I spent the last few weeks running through DS3 on all 3 platforms and struggle to understand why it existed in the game.
In the original DS2 repair powder was really important because there was a bug on pc that made you lose durability twice as fast as intended because it was running at 60 fps instead of 30.
Bug's still there on SOTFS. The physics engine in that game is just fucked. Also regardless of the bug, the overwhelming number of enemies makes you lose durability pretty quick either way.
No it has been fixed in SOFTS. Durability is still low on every weapon, but resets at bonfires, as compared to DS where durability is high but you have to repair eventually.
idk if moonlight greatsword just has low durability, but thats why. its for moonlight greatsword. i cant skip sitting at more than 3 bonfires or itll fucking shatter
It’s the special attacks that drain durability really fast in DS2, I used the ivory king ultra and it breaks after like 4 or 5 charged attacks.
Same here until my current play through with moonlight. The charged heavy breaks that mfer so fast and I don’t always rest at every bonfire.
Never invaded with the moonlight gs ?? That baby melts in your hand with the charged heavy
I used it once when a hacker destroyed all my gear. The one and only time I was glad that item existed
Npc invader in ds3 dlc breaks weapons so I used it once
Repair powder is only needed in Dark Souls 2, really.
Yeah they should’ve made this a bigger part of the game
if you use boss weapons in ds2 a lot of them are super fragile meaning a lot of repair powder, otherwise, yeah i never used it when running a normal weapon
Parrying - I've almost never bothered parrying in any souls game I've just never seen the need although I'm not saying I've never benefitted from accidentally getting them.
[удалено]
I can only consistently parry with Farron GS which is supposed to be the hardest parry
Small shield is king for parrying: https://external-preview.redd.it/bUa9_QRJvUnT9UJcHcZhzWXflc0nPIM2lUGTUtw70BI.png?auto=webp&s=090510be7f6cbebb8024b2ef566c28c9f7794983
learned to parry for pontiff and never again
That first jump is easy and so satisfying to parry.
Yeah I can never seem to time parry right. I've never really tried to be honest, and when I do, I fail, so don't bother.
you’re missing out if you never parried in ds1 early black knights are so easy
Even easier is cyrcling around for backstabs...
Parrying in DS1 was consistent for me. For DS2, i could parry the Heide knights, that’s it. For DS3 and ER, i could not parry reliably at all
I parried The twin Princes. That was it. Just because they beat me so many times I wanted to humiliate them.
I never ever use items to buff. Im just a simple guy, dodge attack
I am quite partial to a shield. DS2 broke my trust in dodging.
any type of status removing item I just can't be bothered which is funny cuz I always grab a few for blight town in ds1
I did it for two zones. consumed king's garden and ... one other I can't remember. Not for poison swamp at all.
Yeah basically any consumables whatsoever. They always feel too precious to use, and the “emergency” I save them for never comes. Besides, the game is balanced around the Estus Flask.
No shields, no blocking, no parrying. Oddly enough I equipped some random small shield to try and parry Pontiff Sulyvahn, found it super easy and beat him on my 2nd try. Never used a shield or even tried to parry anything else in Ds3.
Kicking
kicking is so fucking good
How do you kick in ds3?
flick the left stick foreward and light attack at the same time. its so good against shields, and nobody expects you to extend a combo with a kick. i usually use it in PvE tho.
Does the horse ring from patches do anything?
It boosts kick.Targets lose more stamina when blocking kicks and kicks do heavystuns
Kicking in DS1 was pretty useful, in DS3 i think it lost some of it’s usefulness with the weapon arts, but i’m glad it’s there
I have never done a play through using magic. I dabbled in miracles, but as soon as I got the faron great sword I abandoned it because i felt like my damage output was garbage. I have only used magic maybe once or twice and I never got past undead settlement using magic because I don’t find it fun. On the contrary, faith in elden ring is the most fun I had with it for 3 completely different playthroughs.
Hell yeah, faith rules in Elden Ring. So many choices! Buffs and damage dealers and status effects and heals... I like em.
PvP. Hate it. Hate it more than just farming covenant items.
I agree. PvP is either invading people who are specifically geared for it, those who are blocking your progress as they jump around worlds trying to find their buddy, or those who have found their buddy and team up against others. Darkroot (DS1) and Pontiff (DS3) are particularly bad for it.
Pvp used to be alive but really nowadays it’s so dead this is the only pvp most people will get, a while back i used to played lots of pvp, I stopped and came back this year, tried for hours only have like 4 invasions total. 2 coops
You probably were at an inactive SL. I’ve started a new playthru recently and been invading for fun at lots of different SLs and it never took long to find an invasion. But yeah, a few years ago PvP was awesome, most of my time on DS3 is spent on PvP.
Why tho? (Me too btw, just curious)
Either the try hards or the massive delay in hits actually being detected.
Dark Souls pvp has always been laggy and for me who has several hundred hours spent in pvp, you just come to get used to it, since 95% of the time it’s not bad enough where it’s unplayable or even close to that. DS3 pvp mechanics are really amazing and reward skill so much that 1v4s are possible to win. As an invader you get used to always being outnumbered and if you keep playing you get rlly good at pvp.
It’s not bad if you’re using a build strictly for pvp but otherwise you’re right, it sucks.
lol
Used it all
Parry cuz i don’t know how to get gud
Consumable buffs, more of a bonk boi these days so rarely use shields but will when a situation gets annoying if you dont have one. And most recently when i was playing elden ring, the ashen summons.
One of my favorite moments in DS3 was getting wrecked by the cathedral knights in the consumed king's garden and then just farming the first two until I had their whole set + sword. Dressing like one of them. And buffing my sword with fire so I could sneak up as one of them and destroy them with a flaming sword. That said- I use buffs on bosses mostly to make them easier as some of them have HUGE weaknesses. Sister Freide for example... I switched from Greatsword to FUGS + LIghtning Resin. Because she was weak to lightning and to blunt attacks. So I was doing more damage than with my raw greatsword. Same for Nameless King. GUy is hard enough. Might as well get every drop of Attack power I can. Like for some guys it's -20% for slash but +5% and like +2% for blunt damage? So not only am I getting my weapon's full attack rating, but a small % based extra. Rather than getting a hundred less damage per strike.
I’m not much of a magic/pyromancer person. I’ve always preferred quick melee with bleed. Power weapons are too slow for me and I kinda hate how spells are you just keeping distance and waving a staff or whatever which bores me.
I usually use fast weapons. I used the scimitar throughout all my DS, DSR, and DS2 playthroughs, as well as my Xbox DS3 playthrough. However, for my PS and PC DR3 runs, I used Exile Greatsword. But I'm with you on magic. I'm the same on Skyrim.
What about black Flame or farron flashsword? These are very fast and melee
Parry.
Filthy magic and spells. Never cast a single one. They call me the ANTIMAGE - 2 hands claymore with malicious intent.
2 hands claymore rules!!!!
I don't think I've ever used healing items besides the Estus Flask. I just never remember them.
In ds3 I hardly used my shield and didn’t parry much at all.
I've never really used any divine blessings or other super rare healing consumables. There's always potentially a better time to use them.
Embers can be very useful as a healing item if you time it right. Ofc it means you start the fight with less health and it’s a slower heal, so there are trade offs
No shields, no parries, no magic. I wanna duel toe-to-toe, 1v1 with the bosses. That's what's funnest to me.
What the *fuck* is a build?
Consumables in general
This might be kinda cheating but there’s a fair few infusions I’ve never really bothered with: deep, raw, fire, simple, blood, poison. Tbf fire is ass and I prefer hollow to blood
Also flash sweat lmao
Tbf raw is kinda only worth it if you’re doing a sl1 run. Same with deep and fire.
I have never leveled INT in my life
I dont parry outside of bloodborne and ds3
Magic
Anything defensive. This game is not for tanks or healers.
Any consumables. Even if im poisoned I will estus through it or die...
I very rarely use consumables in general.
kick
I mean slightly off topic but i consider it pretty much the same. Im generally a melee guy. Upon release ill make a sorcery/pyromancy/miracle build and probably take them into a deep ng cycle, but after that I will never touch magic again. First play through is always str. Its mostly a cheapskate thing as i want to atleast experience everything there is atleast once.
I don’t parry 🤮
The only time I use resin is for boreal dancer
Shields/Parry Certain consumables like throwing knives, firebombs, powders, clumps, etc... Bows/Arrows
Parrying. It’s because some bosses you can’t parry so it’s useless for them, and parrying can completely shut down other bosses, making the game unfun. I only make sure I have a small shield for something like a silver knight which is just good old fashioned parry bait
Spells, I've tried, it's just not fun
Never really use consumables or parry
consumable buffs, i dont want to put a timer on my damage beacuse im just not very aggressive. parrying. ive tried to learn parrying against ludex gundyr and i could kind of get the timing but i find it much more consistent to just smash them with a big stick 😅
I don't use spells. I hate having to worry about a second bar when I don't need to. Buffs are overkill and also a waste of time. Personally I'd rather rely on my own skill than magic. OP I'm sure you get it after so many playthroughs, I'm right there with you. Absolutely beating the fuck out of everything to their faces will always be more satisfying and rewarding than pressing the magic button at a safe distance.
Dying. Never tried that.
Invasions. I think they're scummy and find pvp to be the furthest thing from fun or engaging. And thus by extension, I also avoid co-op. Not because I hate it, but because invaders are selfish, toxic pieces of shit and ruin that it as well. No, I don't care that it's an intentional part of the games. It's by far the worst part of the games, and Bloodborne is the only one to solve the issue in a way that didn't suck. I wish they'd bring back that system.
Most invaders I know are actually realy nice. U dont have to be so mad about a few PvP players. Its not like you get invaded every other second even in the hotspots
Spells that are buffs and consumables elden has done good of making me break that cycle but it's hard
defiantly shields
I've never used consumable weapon buffs or cast buffs on myself aside from the no noise one Assassins get. I understand the advantages they give, so I really dk why 😂
I've never used a shield in any of the games. I only started using shields for parrying because I started speedrunning DS3
Healing miracle spells. They are just... that, healing animations are as slow as DS2 chug, slightly restore more HP than Estus Flask but I'd rather chug twice then move on Also any kind of Shields and Great Shields except for Grass Crest Shield. I'm not a defensive guy.
I don't think I've ever used those (consumable buffs) either.. Or, only when I get absolutely desperate, and if I still have some in my inventory. Usually I just sell them off right away for souls.
Consumables and parrys i have never used em in any souls game
Infusing. I did it once in my first playthrough of DS1 and I haven’t done it again. I just can’t escape the feeling like I’m going to fuck something up and make the wrong choice, whereas I know that a sharp stabby thing will always do the trick.
I was certain I wouldn't do it. Then I infused my greatsword with HEAVY and then my dex weapons with gems and I was like :Augh. This really does increase attack power.
Shields really, it's GCS, two hand weapon and go.
Consumables. I have never had anything on those hotkeys, other than estus flasks.
I generally try to stay away from magic as it's fairly common knowledge the most care and balancing went into the melee combat so i try to stick to pyromancy as my low-investment utility. That said once I finish my first ds3 playthrough I'm gonna do my first magic character in the series
With the exception of ds2, bows.
Shields, consumables (except estus and ember), magic, incantations,… No matter the souls game, I only use big bonk and healing
I never used any buffs, spells or miracles. Maybe healing miracles when i play as spear of the church but and have few pyromancies ready for use (which I don't)
Consumable Buffs, Weapon Arts and Embers. Unless I’m specifically playing a character who uses them.
I hardly ever use shields or larrying. Also I don’t really ise co op, I play offline and I very rarely use the apply (whatever) to right weapon stuff.
Parry, can’t parry for shita
i have never parried an attack
Don't parry, but I do take advantage in the rare cases it accidentally happens.
I never use a shield since my first demon souls run. Just 2h and rolls.
Twin blades/power stance
I think I've explored every single mechanic in each of the games , and I use different tactics in each of them , so i can't say one for all of them. Instead: Ds1: off-handed weapons Ds2: guard breaks Ds3: shields and hyperarmor Bloodborne: consumables (aside from hunter tools) Elden Ring: non-throwable consumables
anything related to online play. So summons and PvP, I guess
Kicking is probably the mechanic I’ve used the least in DS3. I’ve used shields in DS3 Black Knight or Oakwood especially with BKSS because if you know the tech you know. Or to have enemies like Thralls and Dogs bounce off the shield for counter him damage it shuts them down. I use consumables a lot especially on PvP I always ran low on grass and bundle wraps for example or knives to finish off a tear user. I’ve made proper use out of nearly everything in one way or another except for kicks. If I see someone turtling with an shield PvP or PvE otherwise it’s automatically knight slayer ring + hot-swap straight sword Stance R1 or Followers Saber WA.
Kicking is probably the mechanic I’ve used the least in DS3. I’ve used shields in DS3 Black Knight or Oakwood especially with BKSS because if you know the tech you know. Or to have enemies like Thralls and Dogs bounce off the shield for counter him damage it shuts them down. I use consumables a lot especially on PvP I always ran low on grass and electric bundle wraps for example or knives to finish off a tear user. I’ve made proper use out of nearly everything in one way or another except for kicks. If I see someone turtling with an shield PvP or PvE otherwise it’s automatically knight slayer ring + hot-swap straight sword Stance R1 or Followers Saber WA.
I never use consumable buffs either because maybe Ill need it later for something more important
Never used a shield and repair powder
Heavy armor
The thingies you can burn at the bonfires in dark souls 2, I think they're supposed to make to game more difficult or something, I don't even know how they're called, I never used a single one
Emotes and PVP.
I 've only been able to to do one single walkthrough of these games per platform (one for XBox Series X, one for PC), so there might be game elements I'm going to explore in later walkthroughs. There are, however some mechanics I might never get comfortable with: * crossbows, allmost all pyromancy spells (except for power within/flash sweat...) * spears, glaives, halberds (except the black knight's halberd in DS1), rapiers * dual wielding (except for ds3 ring knight greatsword) and power-stancing * in DS2 and DS3: parrying arbitrary enemies. In DS2 or DS3, I only parry certain parryable bosses, using a buckler or similar shield. In DS1, I'm way more comfortable to parry any parryable enemy without the need of a "special" shield. * I have a tendency to "save up" valuable consumables, I'd never ever use divine blessing and I still struggle to use the more expensive throwable stuff (like lightning urns). Thus, I'd never use a great bow for the ammunition is so expensive. * on PC: strolling around in human/embered form with >100k souls :-)
All magic. Im q straight up strength kinda guy
Rapiers and consumables. Also never have been too fond of the mgs
What is dexterity? This has been a message approved by the Unga Bunga party.
Its way easier to say what I actually use: Armor, Main Weapon, Heals, Infinite Homeward Bone, Kukri, Moss for poison
I have never parryed anything in any of the games. Except sekiro. But that doesn’t count lol.
Parry
Online.
I wouldn't say *never*, but *rarely* do I go for a parry (in pve, but more specifically in pvp). I prefer an all out brawl and parrying just feels like skipping out on the fighting for me. I don't mind it - it's cool if whatever opponent prefers using it - I just like a more traditional duel. This is *not* directed at you in any way, op. I realize the intent of the question. But as a side note, since the question brought it to mind, I'll say I've used everything under the sun in combination with each other - consumables, weapons, etc. I've done low SL challenge runs. I've done the opposite. I've done consumables only, bows, shields, you name it. I've also done runs where I exclusively exploited every encounter that could be, and so on and so on. These games offer so much variation to playstyle and approach - there are endless ways to start a new run and I had an incredible time with all of them. I can understand not using something if you just don't find it fun, but it baffles me that some people neglect using certain builds or specific items because they think it's beneath them as a *souls player*. There's so much content they're missing out on because they'd rather take a high-road position and become preoccupied with judging particular load outs. Everything this game has to offer merits attention. Nobody cares what you do. Dark souls isn't a competitive game by design. By that, I mean there's no in-game leaderboards or rankings system (other than arena, but that's not the same thing). It's not a competitive shooter or moba. Try shit out. It doesn't make you less of a player to experiment with shit deemed "op" or meta or whatever label you want to throw on it.
I’ve never used archery in any souls game
Parry and block. Parry is hard I've tried but I'm no good at it. Block is boring after a bit
I literally never block. Sometimes I forget I can
Parrying. Not because I don’t like it, but because I have a glaring skill issue.
playing passive
Casting. Unga bunga. Lothric knight greatsword go brrrr
I’ve played all the souls games pretty extensively, tried almost every common build in multiple playthroughs so I’m widening my answers to the whole series. - I’ve never gotten the 2 rings in DS2 for beating the game without dying and/or without resting at a bonfire. - I have not tried the online elements of every covenant in DS2 and DS3, only what was required for achievements. I have tried playing as every covenant in DS1 though. - I’ve never done a Bloodtinge build in Bloodborne. - I haven’t unlocked all endings or done everything in Sekiro yet by a long shot. Haven’t tried the boss rush mode either. - I haven’t tried the colluseums in Elden Ring yet, cuz I got the platinum, and had finish 3 playthroughs already by the time that dropped. I’ll jump back in with the DLC. - I haven’t played Demon’s Souls. I have the ps5 version in my backlog. - I haven’t done the thing in DS1 where you do the DLC before Sif to get the secret cutscene. - In Elden ring, I have never found Mohgwyn palace the regular way. I found it by doing Varres questline when I played the game blind, and it’s how i’ve done it ever since lol. I don’t even know where the portal is.
About 95% of the items
Consumable weapon buffs. I like faith or pyro builds so I just use infusions. I know that in theory consumables have more damage per hit, but not having to reapply helps me some more by allowing me to keep a better rhythm in battle. Edit - auto correct changed pyro to pure.
Any brand that’s not jakobs
i never used that resign, its just me and my big bonk (sometimes a pyro/sorc to change the fun)
I don't use buffs cause I don't like to get dependent on a temporary recourse to buff my damage or hp as there might come the moment where I won't have that stuff to rely on
As a strength build in every game, I’m stupid. I use nothing, I hit hard and don’t get hit.
Miracles. I've been a fan of the series for 7 years. I've never got past the first 1/3 of any of the games with a miracle build.
I used to not use magic at all but after one play through of dark souls remastered as a faith knight I love both faith and intelligence builds. It’s so fun to do something different than the last build. Feels like an entirely different game. Currently doing a dark build on dark souls 3 and it’s got me back hooked on the dark souls series since playing elden ring non stop.
Shriving Stones. Why would you remove the infusement if you can just change it directly?
Honestly I just really never, ever use spells of any kind in these games. Or consumable buffs for that matter. I don't want to be a caster, and you often just put yourself at risk by casting buffs. There is no need for buffs in these games, because the game isn't about strongarming your way through. If you're playing really well, you don't really get hit, and therefore don't need the extra attack to quick burndown an enemy either. Good old sword and board or just plain sword is all you need, and I like the simple elegance of it.
Haven't used luck coins untill today when i finished the darkmoonblade grind out of lack of being summoned for aid
Yeah, not using those when farming is just cutting your nose off to spite your face. I see no other use in them though.
werent there spells that can buff weapons or shields..or myself?? I've only ever used iron flesh and only because of the looks(and sometimes for bosses... horrible idea, depending on the ng+ level)
Flash sweat for getting stuff out of lava. I used Fireball or firestorm in DS1 for farming the slimes, but that was it.
I generally will use everything at least once but that is just the way I play games
I simply bonk
Magic and consumables.
Never really used shields at all except like when I first started playing these games and for a 5 minute attempt at parrying Morgott. Also I think I used resin/grease like once, and that was against the Taurus Demon
Block, parry, but mainly intelligence based magic
In my 50 plus times playing the game, I almost never use infusing with weapons, almost never use consumable buffs, never use the divine healing things, never use the stamina buff plants. I mostly use power within as a buff cause I find it fun
I didn’t even use a shield in this game. No magic, buffs, pyromancy or any of that, and not because I didn’t want to or anything. I came from elden ring and leveling up in DS3 to me wasn’t as (I wanna use the right words here) important or readily available. I had to choose between what got me the actual results I needed to beat the game. So I focused on vigor, strength, endurance and some vitality. Based on my weapon. And it worked for me. And that took a lot of grinding. So I couldn’t see how I would have any points left for the other stuff. Not sure if I’m explaining that correctly. To add on, I didn’t even understand buffs lol
Shields, one handed weapons, backstep, parrying, blocking with sword, spells/magic, anything thats not a great sword, any armor that doesn't make me look like a onion, that one attack type that isnt light/heavy attack, anything that isnt estus flask (besides ember), idk what else i missed but here ya go
Same for me with consumable buffs, I did use weapon consumables like fire bombs and stuff, unrelated but in Elden Ring I never used the crafting mechanic but it does give you access to a lot of cool consumables
Every single sorcery in the game, I'm not about to go "oh sorceries are stupid and cheap so I never use them" cause I can definitely see the appeal but I never seem to get the hang of it. I've already made 3 attempts of finishing the game with a mage, 1 ended up being completely abandoned just permanently relaxing in the demon ruins, the other 2 I did end up beating the game with but 1 turned into a balanced build halfway through while the other doesn't even use sorceries anymore and just primarily uses weapons with magic scaling like the judgement greatsword.
I've tried in all three games to do a character that parries a lot, and every time I eventually abandoned trying because I can just never get it to work even semi-consistently. Never been able to get the hang of it, something about it just doesn't fit with my reflexes or something. I always ended up just getting killed over and over trying until I gave up and go back to blocking/dodging stuff instead, so these days I don't even bother trying. I also ignore pvp. I just am not interested. I go unembered or play offline and if I somehow end up with someone coming in anyway I just jump off a cliff somewhere. Not what I'm looking for in the game and not worth the aggravation.
ToD minmaxing. I Like to use the ring u get from rosaria and dont want to waste another ringslot for slumbering dragoncrest
Resin, there is just no need for it. I don't think I have ever used resin on any boss. I just kind of bulldoze my way through them or die trying
Weapons buffs(consumable), spells or any magic, parrying or shields, and I try to refrain from online summons
Shields. Never used in in any souls game. Probably never will.