Ryujin said:
So I began playing the game today, here are my impressions.
Intro music is glorious. Ok so I started a file as a Thief, not sure if that was a good or bad idea but he seems pretty fast and agile and with the daggers seems to be able to hit enemies just before they hit you.
So I started in the Tutorial level and kind of just tried to learn the controls and stats, fought some Blue Eyes Knights who were kind of tough but I killed them anyway. Controls are a strange mix, on the one hand I find myself sometimes pressing the wrong button and there is this strange delay between some moves, some have strange start up, and yet the controls also feel very natural and I've started to get used to them.
So I made my way through the tutorial level and killed eveything in sight, then I get to this massive boss and I was like "huh? WTF??". So I try to use ranged attacks with my bow but barely put a scratch on him. He comes over and hits me once with his axe/hammer thing and I'm dead before I can switch back to my dagger. I assume it's possible to kill him as I was doing damage, and I suppose using close range/dodge pattern would have worked well and I might have gotten him, but oh well.
Haha, yeah. The Vanguard's not
quite an unwinnable battle for a newbie, but you're definitely not expected to beat him. If you do, you get an extra soul that's used for upgrades. You still get killed and sent to the nexus, but in a rather impressive cutscene instead of by Vanguard.
Ryujin said:
I'm assuming 90% of people die here on the first try anyway as now the game takes me to the Nexus where I can proceed. Although now I only have 50% HP, I'm told I can bring back my real body with enough souls....ok but how many and who do I talk to to make it happen? So I go to Boletaria? Is that right?. Liking the game so far, the message system is cool although I'm not sure how useful the bloodstain thing is seeing as you can't see WHAT killed the other guy it's a little meaningless at least so far.
Yeah, level 1 is called the Boletarian Palace. The bloodstains are mostly useful when it comes to checking out areas where you get jumped by enemies that come out of places you can't see. They also tip you off to traps.
Anyway so I'm in this big castle some zombie things, soldiers, archers etc... I'm pretty much stomping all over these guys without much hassle.
Found a new weapon, the armour breaker or something like that, seems like a short sword and uses a fencing/pierce style of animation/attack. Doesn't seem as good as my dagger so I switch back and put this on secondary left hand (shield being primary on left hand).
So I run up a stairs to the outside-ish area and up ahead I see a Blue Eyes Knight, don't feel like fighting him yet so go the other way and come across a guy with a spear or something? He's a bit of a prick but I beat him and the archer, so I'm happily walking along obliviously when in the distance I see a Red Eyes Knight. I think "Oh, this guy must be the same as the Blue Eyes one, there is one either way so might as well go here". Hit him with my remaining 2 or so arrows and he comes charging at me "Fuck" I say as I run away from his thrusting attack. I dodge and this fucker still tracks me and then thrusts when my roll ends...so I'm dead...again.
The Red Eyes Knight is a bit of a cheap shot, since he looks and moves similar to the Blue Eyes Knights but does a lot more damage. Once you figure out how to kill him, though, he's a nice consistent source of souls and items when you're passing through. Did you investigate the area beyond that knight? If you do, be extra careful. There is more danger waiting for you.
Also sometimes when I'm behind an enemy I do a one hit kill attack and seem to get a bonus in souls aquired.
So I'm back at the start of the level again but all my souls are gone...well that was wasted effort. I take it there is no level up system in this game so the only way to get stronger seems to be to use better equipment/items but I assume there are probably stat increase items. So rinse repeat only this time I go the other way, fight the Blue Eyes Knight...wait he can heal himself?? kill the Blue Eyes Knight, get much further, along the castle walls and what not, some guys drop down out of nowhere, firebomb them to hell.
As others have said and will say, revisiting the spot where you died lets you pick up all the souls you were carrying when that death happened. You can only leave one cache of souls behind at any given time, though.
Also, I should clarify a little: The number in the bottom right is just generic "souls," which are used for upgrading your stats and buying items. There are also inventory items called Souls, which can be used with a later NPC to upgrade gear, traded for a few things, or consumed to gain a big bunch of generic souls.
Then ahead there is a 3 story wooden platform with archers at each story, so I make my way up, kill all 3, turn around....Blue Eyes Knight....so I'm fighting his self healing ass, dodging round like a ninja, while chipping away at him but he eventually gets me....dead again.
I echo the sentiments of Thief being a tough class. You've got almost no armor and a pretty dinky weapon, so you're entirely reliant on dodging, which takes a while to get good at.
Back to the start AGAIN?? So now I decide to try out the parry which has contantly missed for me so far. BAM! one hit kill....NICE. Smash my way through the castle, spear guy? BAM parry 1 hit kill. Blue Eyes Knight? BAM parry one hit kill. I really like this parry. So I'm walking somewhere, a different path this time and I somehow fall off the stairs....death...again.
You will quickly learn to fear cliffs and ledges of all sorts. When in doubt, be paranoid as hell and take care not to fall off. There are far more deadly ledges than safe ones.
Also found a belt that says "Bolt" which I'm assuming has something to do with magic? Which I have no idea how to use right now. Anyway that is where I stopped playing. Enjoying the game so far, but still not sure how all the mechanics/systems work, but I'm getting there. I'm sure everything will be clear with time. Only thing annoying me is the 50% HP thing....when can I get my real body back?
Bolts are ammo for crossbows, and you'll get your body back when you kill the first boss, Phalanx.
Also, you can turn at 50% HP thing into a 75% HP thing with the Cling Ring, which is also something you can find in 1-1 if you do a little exploring. Remember, all sorts of items can show up as small glowing orbs, just like the stuff enemies drop. Keep an eye out for them wherever you go, and try navigating to them when possible.