I don't know anyone IRL I can explain this to, or discuss this with
Played Dark Souls for a little, but not much. Elden Ring, I beat and loved.
With Demon's Souls lately, and this week... I spent no less than 4 days going the wrong. fkn. direction.
Got my little mace, a shield, and a wand for spells (I like being a battle mage, sue me!)
This Maneater boss was beating my ass, so I needed some help.
Found out about a spell I could buy if I could save a witch. So, I went to that level and headed for where I thought the witch was, but I had the world tendency of black, so the game was so much harder and I couldn't get past these double-spawning black phantom fat officials.
So, I needed some help. Didn't even understand world tendency, had to Google that a couple times Found out about a way to reset neutral in the first act, if I got rid of some executioner lady. I go back, but she wasn't there. Needed pure black world tendency, I guess. I go get my little stone to resurrect my body, got killed and then cheesed the executioner by accident because she fell into a pit after she spawned.
Okay, reset to neutral. Go back to area, past where the black phantom fat officials were, and fought my way to a fog door. Where was the witch?? Oh. Oh no.
I had to open a door, behind me the whole time to get a key for a gate nearby the spawn where I'd start each run, for the past four days. Before resetting my world tendency. AND I already had the dang key.
Okay. Pop myself in, get the next key, rescue some joe schmo?? Find out where the witch actually is, through a gate and up some stairs. Well, I've already had the dang disguise to get the guy to drop the stairs and could've rescued her so easy.
Got her, got the spell. But... Needed another memory slot, so I grind out 3 levels for 18+ INT and can now cast a big fire storm, thinking minimal damage. The spell destroys everything, and it's fkn awesome.
I take that spell and go burn the man-eater boss dudes with ease in my second try, after fighting a black phantom mind flayer on some stairs and getting my ass kicked 4 times.
Man-eater dead, I can finally move on.
I now understand why folks said Elden Ring was so easy. Still, climbing castles and whipping spells and smackin' heads with a mace is so freakin' satisfying. I bought Dark Souls 1 & 2 on sale and I'm so excited to play them. Getting lost and back tracking and figuring out NPC quests, giving up on all that and googling just to find out it's even easier than I thought or waaayyyyy more confusing is part of the fun. But a mace and an epic spell is all I need, IRL.
I fkn LOVE fromsoft.
Demons souls doesnt explain any fucking thing. Theres a lot that would take incredible effort to figure out on your own, I think they intended for it to take a community to get things figured out together.
Its been a really long time but I remember theres a ring in the first area that lets you have a lot more health while unkindled or whatever they call it in that one. Its sort of secret, I think just before the first boss in that area you drop down a hole into a room. For me at the time this was a major boon.
I also found it way easier to start as a spellcaster. Many traps and fights are easier from a distance or by using magic to bait enemies out so you can fight one on one and avoid group ambushes. There really is so much trial and error in this one, you are going to get blasted and have to memorize it all.
There are a lot of NPC phantoms that only appear with certain world tendencies, usually full white or full black. Its really a major bitch to get everything because of the effort to manipulate it. I made it through most of the game without even realizing what was happening. I do remember in the last area farming flying manta ray things and using black world tendency to get more souls so theres that if you get desperate. Good luck!
Thankfully I got that ring. The Cling Ring, I think it's called? Super helpful!
I feel like I'm at least 30% through the game, if I had to guess. It's a lot of fun, but much more brutally punishing compared to Bloodborne or especially Elden Ring. I still haven't got a clue what the hell is really going on, but I look forward to manta rays!