What game are you playing?

[p0ke]

Just beat the first boss in DS2. It was disappointingly easy compared to the mobs! I almost got him on my first attempt (died because the game is so slow compared to ER/DS3), then tried again with summons which proved to be much harder. On my third attempt I only needed one estus (I have 3 now) and he went down. Oh yeah and I'm using the bastard sword now, it does pretty nice damage!

 

[Werecow]

Halfway through another Sekiro run. This one's been a bit rough, because when trying to stealth deathblow, i keep pressing the key i'd been using to grab people in The Last Of Us Instead. Whenever i play another 3rd-person game, it always messes me up somehow back in Sekiro.

 

[MFB]

Managed to clear a bit more out in Painted World, through the snowy mountain pass with all the Millwood Knights - those dudes suck - then thru the bug lair and ALL the way back to Ariendel Chapel to my surprise. I also got the illusionary wall down in the big area, and despite losing some souls a couple times, got down the roots to kick that pyromancers ass. If I do a NG+ play, that's probably the route I'll go as it seems a little more fun than traditional mage/sorcerer.

I took one shot at Sister Friede, that girl got HANDS! I did OK or so I thought in phase 1, but then phase two was a nightmare to try and track her/father/elemental attacks and damage. Too many moving components, so I'll need another couple tries at it.

 

[wankerness]

Managed to clear a bit more out in Painted World, through the snowy mountain pass with all the Millwood Knights - those dudes suck - then thru the bug lair and ALL the way back to Ariendel Chapel to my surprise. I also got the illusionary wall down in the big area, and despite losing some souls a couple times, got down the roots to kick that pyromancers ass. If I do a NG+ play, that's probably the route I'll go as it seems a little more fun than traditional mage/sorcerer.

I took one shot at Sister Friede, that girl got HANDS! I did OK or so I thought in phase 1, but then phase two was a nightmare to try and track her/father/elemental attacks and damage. Too many moving components, so I'll need another couple tries at it.

That fight seems designed to use the summon, since he doesn’t show up till you start getting attacked by two targets! I have never even tried dealing with that fight without him.

 

[MFB]

Holy shit, beat her on my 2nd time this afternoon, what a fucking fight; I wish phase 2 and 3 were combined though, it feels a little too unbalanced, and I say that as someone with maxed Estus/bonfire and using Estus ring. Three phases means you get 5 heals per phase, and for an enemy that can go invisible and backstab? That's a very small number, even moreso when you realize phase 2 has two enemies to fight.

I know you get a summon, but realistically, he's not making it thru phase 2, and if he does, it's with VERY little health left for phase 3; but the enemy health pool is also that much bigger, so it's a gamble to get you from one to the next, which is why I think if at the 50% mark of phase 2 they combine? Damn good fight in that case.

 

[wankerness]

I think it was designed that he’d die after the 2 v 1 part, so phases 1 and 3 could be a duel. I had him live most of the way through phase 3 on a couple kills where I was primarily hitting her with chaos bed vestiges. Otherwise I usually use my old standby enchanted lothric straight sword and would fish for backstabs. Sometimes you can get her right as she tries to sneak up on you invisible. But man the sheer volume of black flame spell effects and giant aoes in phase three are terrifying and spectacular. That fight and the last one in DLC2 are definitely the most impressive visually in the whole subgenre IMO. Brilliant art design, music, difficulty working together. And they don’t feel unfair and BS like later Elden ring fights!

 

[KnightBrolaire]

Has anyone played Helldivers 2? It's getting rave reviews, and I'm looking for a new multiplayer game, but I also don't have my own group to play with so I'd probably be playing with randos.

Otherwise, 50 hours into Persona 3 Reload. Of course it has to come out between Like a Dragon and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. These 3 games alone are practically gonna get me into the spring.

I'm planning on picking up Helldivers 2. All the gameplay I've seen looks awesome.

If anyone wants to play on PC hit me up: Sunny D enjoyer

 

[Ralyks]

I actually did end up getting Helldivers 2 on PS5. Only one mission so far, but seems promising. Now to try it with other people...

 

[TedEH]

I ended up with a copy of Helldivers 2, but didn't know anything about it so I assumed it was a mostly online multiplayer type thing. If I'm wrong, and it's worth playing single player, I would probably welcome the correction.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

I actually did end up getting Helldivers 2 on PS5. Only one mission so far, but seems promising. Now to try it with other people...

if you want to do some crossplay: Xknightbrolaire is my PSN/linked to my steam account

 

[MFB]

I think it was designed that he’d die after the 2 v 1 part, so phases 1 and 3 could be a duel. I had him live most of the way through phase 3 on a couple kills where I was primarily hitting her with chaos bed vestiges. Otherwise I usually use my old standby enchanted lothric straight sword and would fish for backstabs. Sometimes you can get her right as she tries to sneak up on you invisible. But man the sheer volume of black flame spell effects and giant aoes in phase three are terrifying and spectacular. That fight and the last one in DLC2 are definitely the most impressive visually in the whole subgenre IMO. Brilliant art design, music, difficulty working together. And they don’t feel unfair and BS like later Elden ring fights!

I mean, I could get that, but honestly, even for the level I was at it gave me a run for my money; I managed it under a dozen tries, but I'm in low 100s, so it's to be expected. It could certainly be more if there was some give and take; even just losing the invisibility in phase 2/3, or at least 3, one less thing to worry about as she has all her knew black flame AOE spells.

I finished Painted World, not sure if she's supposed to be the final boss of it compared to Champion Gravetender and Great Wolf, but she definitely should have been. Feels like such a downgrade from her going all the way down the roots just for that fight.

I re-ran thru the first part of Dreg Heap, that place is even more of a bummer than the regular world; the Murkmen - according to the Wiki - are tedious as shit, some real gank mob shit. Not sure if I'll push any further tonight, part of me wants to just hang it up there as there's no trophies for what I'm doing at this point.

 

[p0ke]

I finished Painted World, not sure if she's supposed to be the final boss of it compared to Champion Gravetender and Great Wolf, but she definitely should have been. Feels like such a downgrade from her going all the way down the roots just for that fight.

Not sure how the order is actually supposed to be but she's definitely the "main" boss of the DLC.

But yeah, those two bosses are definitely a lot easier (I think I actually did those first).

I re-ran thru the first part of Dreg Heap, that place is even more of a bummer than the regular world; the Murkmen - according to the Wiki - are tedious as shit, some real gank mob shit. Not sure if I'll push any further tonight, part of me wants to just hang it up there as there's no trophies for what I'm doing at this point.

I feel like I ran through most of the second DLC tbh The enemies aren't actually that tough one by one but there's just so damned many of them.

 

[MFB]

Not sure how the order is actually supposed to be but she's definitely the "main" boss of the DLC.

But yeah, those two bosses are definitely a lot easier (I think I actually did those first).



I feel like I ran through most of the second DLC tbh The enemies aren't actually that tough one by one but there's just so damned many of them.

I fought some dudes the first time, but most of it has been like you said, rush thru not to deal with anyone besides who I have to.

 

[wankerness]

I mean, I could get that, but honestly, even for the level I was at it gave me a run for my money; I managed it under a dozen tries, but I'm in low 100s, so it's to be expected. It could certainly be more if there was some give and take; even just losing the invisibility in phase 2/3, or at least 3, one less thing to worry about as she has all her knew black flame AOE spells.

I finished Painted World, not sure if she's supposed to be the final boss of it compared to Champion Gravetender and Great Wolf, but she definitely should have been. Feels like such a downgrade from her going all the way down the roots just for that fight.

I re-ran thru the first part of Dreg Heap, that place is even more of a bummer than the regular world; the Murkmen - according to the Wiki - are tedious as shit, some real gank mob shit. Not sure if I'll push any further tonight, part of me wants to just hang it up there as there's no trophies for what I'm doing at this point.

Again, I’d suggest watching a walkthrough to get through the dreg heap and the archer section, that is where it gets a lot easier and better and bosses start happening. I mean, there is a gateway boss to get there, but if you’ve watched a walkthrough to dispose of the angels it’s not that big of a deal.

You’re really missing out if you skip the last boss! The first one is also considered one of the best in the game but I’m bad at it.

Gravetender and wolf or whatever is supposed to be encountered in the middle of the DLC, I didn’t actually know you could skip it en route to friede. It’s kind of infamous for being lame. Same as the second boss in dlc2.

 

[MFB]

Jesus Christ, I think the Ringed City is supposed to drive players away, this is fucking maddening. First it opens with the summons section, then you have the hollowed flaming knights - the spear one who has help from enchanters - and then you get past there and it's TWO hollowed winged knights? What the fuck!

Demon Prince is a great fight, although I'd be lying if I said I didn't absolutely fucking hate the toxic vs poison factor; I don't think there's any way to build resistance to it besides straight up avoiding it, which is easier said than done in a boss arena with TWO BOSSES. Similar to Friede, I wish they combined a bit earlier as you really have to juggle Estus if you do get inflicted.

 

[p0ke]

hollowed winged knights?

Yeah, those guys suck. I ran past them every time once I'd figured out where I'm going. As for needing a walkthrough - I didn't use one for anything other than finding Midir (you can't really miss encountering him in the open, but the actual boss fight is really well hidden).

I just got to Pursuer in DS2. Sheesh... Doesn't feel like a very difficult boss, but getting there is a pain in the ass every time, just trying not to get hit to have max hp for the boss fight. I mean yeah, he does a lot of damage (relative to my HP) and doesn't give that many chances to strike, but still, it's very clear what to do and when. I even managed to parry him on one attempt, which is super rare for me. So yeah, I'll get him next time I get a chance to play. Unless I die on the way to the boss fight (or unless he has a super different second phase).

I'm also still having a hard time getting used to how goddamned slow the game is

 

[wankerness]

Jesus Christ, I think the Ringed City is supposed to drive players away, this is fucking maddening. First it opens with the summons section, then you have the hollowed flaming knights - the spear one who has help from enchanters - and then you get past there and it's TWO hollowed winged knights? What the fuck!

Huh? I don't actually know what enemies you're talking about. The giant guys with like, a void for a face and huge cleavers that patrol all over the stairs and do huge hilarious jumps at you? Those guys are terrifying and if you engage two of them on ground level you're probably dead, but with a lot of weapons you can nearly 1-shot them with a plunge attack (it didn't work with a straight sword, but with a full strength build and a fully upgraded greataxe? They'd actually go full to dead in one attack). I still tend to avoid them cause there's just so many of them and you can mostly run around them.

The enemies I find most annoying are those little assholes that spam rings under you from totally out of LOS, curl up into a ball and heal every time you hit them which makes them unkillable unless you're either using a huge 2H weapon or you kick them over, and they can do a spinning shell attack that can wipe you out in seconds if you're in the wrong place.

The part of that DLC I find by far the hardest is the crap with the angels. I had NO idea what was going on, especially with the one where the pilgrim you have to kill like, required falling off some ledge on the edge of the level. I watched a walkthrough and was much happier for it. Also depending on build I'd get killed over and over when trying to actually kill the judicator (summoning giant) after that whole ghost archers segment cause I couldn't kill him before he'd summon a bunch of archers ON TOP OF ME and I'd just be dead. I think it's all WAY more manageable after you're into the city itself. The ringed knights are kind of fun even though when they light up their sword and do the wombo combo you better either have a full stamina bar and a huge greatshield or hope you can run away very fast!

Desert Pyromancer Zoey is also pretty funny, she's wrecked me many times, but I've also had her commit suicide more than once by falling into the poison and very very slowly dying to it.

 

[MFB]

Huh? I don't actually know what enemies you're talking about. The giant guys with like, a void for a face and huge cleavers that patrol all over the stairs and do huge hilarious jumps at you? Those guys are terrifying and if you engage two of them on ground level you're probably dead, but with a lot of weapons you can nearly 1-shot them with a plunge attack (it didn't work with a straight sword, but with a full strength build and a fully upgraded greataxe? They'd actually go full to dead in one attack). I still tend to avoid them cause there's just so many of them and you can mostly run around them.

The enemies I find most annoying are those little assholes that spam rings under you from totally out of LOS, curl up into a ball and heal every time you hit them which makes them unkillable unless you're either using a huge 2H weapon or you kick them over, and they can do a spinning shell attack that can wipe you out in seconds if you're in the wrong place.

The part of that DLC I find by far the hardest is the crap with the angels. I had NO idea what was going on, especially with the one where the pilgrim you have to kill like, required falling off some ledge on the edge of the level. I watched a walkthrough and was much happier for it. Also depending on build I'd get killed over and over when trying to actually kill the judicator (summoning giant) after that whole ghost archers segment cause I couldn't kill him before he'd summon a bunch of archers ON TOP OF ME and I'd just be dead. I think it's all WAY more manageable after you're into the city itself. The ringed knights are kind of fun even though when they light up their sword and do the wombo combo you better either have a full stamina bar and a huge greatshield or hope you can run away very fast!

Desert Pyromancer Zoey is also pretty funny, she's wrecked me many times, but I've also had her commit suicide more than once by falling into the poison and very very slowly dying to it.

From the start of Ringed City, you get laid into by:

Archer summons and summoner at the FAR end, who also has protection from a melee summon with one of the millwood maces that has weird range.
Past them, you get hit with hollowing by those little guys on the stairs, which is the equivalent to Deathblight and will one shot you, no question.
After that, there's a Hollow Knight with a greatsword and buckler, who adds flame damage to his weapon.
Then the turtle priests as I call them, who as you said - can hit you without line of sight, and need to be hit with an R2 to flip over and do real damage. Below ALL of them, is ANOTHER hollow knight with shield/spear and also does flame damage.
Once you finish them off, you leave their arena into an alley, and what's coming at you? TWO hollowed wing knights with cleavers, and the little guys who two of which throw lightning. There's also a third hollow knight at the end of the alley, but he doesnt aggro unless you go for the item.

It's fucking ridiculous, and there's also a place you can run off from the alley, but guess what? Not only is there a THIRD HOLLOW KNIGHT with greatsword there, but ALSO an NPC invader. Like, it's utterly ridiculous how much is in between the bonfires.

 

[gabito]

I finished Cyberpunk 2077, all the endings. Almost all of them are fucking depressing, but I knew that beforehand so no surprises there.

I started playing NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139 which is another depressing game I played before on my PS3, but I'm not sure if I want to fully commit to it now or maybe play something else.

 

[wankerness]

From the start of Ringed City, you get laid into by:

Archer summons and summoner at the FAR end, who also has protection from a melee summon with one of the millwood maces that has weird range.
Past them, you get hit with hollowing by those little guys on the stairs, which is the equivalent to Deathblight and will one shot you, no question.
After that, there's a Hollow Knight with a greatsword and buckler, who adds flame damage to his weapon.
Then the turtle priests as I call them, who as you said - can hit you without line of sight, and need to be hit with an R2 to flip over and do real damage. Below ALL of them, is ANOTHER hollow knight with shield/spear and also does flame damage.
Once you finish them off, you leave their arena into an alley, and what's coming at you? TWO hollowed wing knights with cleavers, and the little guys who two of which throw lightning. There's also a third hollow knight at the end of the alley, but he doesnt aggro unless you go for the item.

It's fucking ridiculous, and there's also a place you can run off from the alley, but guess what? Not only is there a THIRD HOLLOW KNIGHT with greatsword there, but ALSO an NPC invader. Like, it's utterly ridiculous how much is in between the bonfires.

And it all still seems like a relaxing vacation compared to the first section of Elphael, where you have to creep around wonkily shaped tree branches while a bunch of snowman assholes toot exploding bubbles at you and you have to dodge giant ants. Or later in the level when you get out of the branches and get to fight like 5 of those screaming teleporting puking multi-armed things in a row, or various minibosses-as-enemies that can kill you in two hits and have more HP than most actual bosses. Gah. I can only imagine how horrendous the Elden Ring DLC is going to be.

I started playing NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139 which is another depressing game I played before on my PS3, but I'm not sure if I want to fully commit to it now or maybe play something else.

That's a very weird, very dated game. If you just play through it once it just seems like a vaguely interesting action game with bizarre characters and premise. If you play it a second time, it seems like a strong candidate for THE most misanthropic and depressing game ever made. I think it's a good game and I went through all the playthroughs, but it's hard to recommend, especially compared to Automata which not only had better combat but didn't have practically identical levels/fights across the three playthroughs. IIRC Nier Replicant had one extra level that you get in playthrough 2/3, an extra boss you get in playthrough 3, and a weird totally new thing AFTER three playthroughs, but the rest of it is the same as the back half of the first playthrough, besides cutscenes and dialogues being added to give depressing context.

Also I think some of the side missions were a weird meta attempt to point out how pointless and stupid sidequests were. It would be like, grind for a long time to collect 30 of this super rare resource that you need for upgrading weapons, and get like 10 gold as a reward and be screwed on upgrading your weapons unless you wanted to grind again. Basically, you should never ever do any sidequest that wants you to turn in a bunch of items unless you're trying to get 100% trophies.

The music in that game and especially Nier Automata are my favorite game music of all time. Even though Nier Replicant was working with Xbox 360/PS3 limitations and thus the great music is mostly like, a 30 second awesome snippet that gets looped 500 times.