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LttP: Demon's Souls (PS5)

tav7623

Member
Hello and welcome, I've created this thread to document my journey through the world of Demon's Souls, below is the first of what I hope to be many entries about my experience playing the game

I have a love/hate relationship with the "Souls" style games, I'm intrigued by them which is enough to get me to try them and then shortly after I start playing I get wrecked hard (the worst offender of this was the first Dark Souls game, though granted I found out recently that I was actually going the wrong way & was entering/attempting to do an area meant for more "skilled"/higher level players), but despite that I find myself going back though not making much in the way of progress. Earlier this year I did something that I previously thought I'd never be able to do, which was beat Bloodborne (and by extension my first Souls style game) and I enjoyed it enough (once I got past the first couple of areas & got a hang of the game's mechanics,etc.) it got me interested in playing the Demon's Souls remake. Well late last week I found out that Sony had knocked off $20 of the price of this (and a handful of other PS5 games) on their Playstation Direct website so I took the plunge and picked it up. It arrived on Monday and so far in the span of about 3 hrs of play time (I've been working a lot lately, but I got 2 days off in a row coming up so I can put in more time into the game) I've beaten my first boss of the game, died about 30+ times (so far), got a good sword (which I was advised to go get upon beating the first boss, but they neglected to tell me about these rolling skeleton fucks who seriously f****d me up so as soon as I got that sword I peaced the f*** out of that world) and upgraded a couple of weapons & stats.
 

tav7623

Member
Thanks for the comments, I'm definitely enjoying the game's visual style so far and total agree that they need to give Bloodborne the PS5 treatment. Right now gameplay wise it hasn't "clicked" with me just yet as I'm still "learning" (I have no clue how to tell what World/Level "tendency" I have all I know it has something to do with deaths and that certain ones lock/unlock certain paths in each world) the game though I'm definitely missing the Threaded Cane weapon from Bloodborne (it was my weapon of choice in that game since I liked it's attack range, damage output when fully upgraded, and it made me feel like I was playing a super dark & challenging 3D Castlevania game) as it made taking on groups a lot easier.

So far I've managed to put in about 3 more hours into the game tonight (for a grand total of 6 hrs 30 mins) since I managed to get off work a little bit earlier than expect, during which I beat the Tower Knight boss, finally beat the red eyed bastard near the locked door (I thought beating him would drop the key guess I was wrong), upgraded my soul level up to 22, and did some "light" exploring of the deprived chasm, the smithing grounds, & Island's Edge. I mainly did that because it said I needed a Arch Demon's soul in order to further progress past the area where I fought the Tower Knight boss and I honestly have no clue where the f*** I need to go (I'm trying to avoid watching guide videos as much as possible so I can go in blind) which sucks cause I might have to do just that.
 
do the worlds in order like 1-1, then 2-1, the 3-1 etc. Dont keep going deeper in the first world 1-1, then 1-2. You beat the tower knight fine, do the other ones next.

Also remember to have a piercing weapon for the mines like a spear and get a ranged weapon like a bow as it comes in handy.
 
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tav7623

Member
do the worlds in order like 1-1, then 2-1, the 3-1 etc. Dont keep going deeper in the first world 1-1, then 1-2. You beat the tower knight fine, do the other ones next.

Also remember to have a piercing weapon for the mines like a spear and get a ranged weapon like a bow as it comes in handy.
Ah ok I was wondering about that, thanks for the advice, I do have a bow (and a crossbow) but I'll have to get some arrows for it (I had used all the ones I had, which wasn't many to begin with, on the "Grey Demon" while I was trying to explore Island's Edge) as well as a spear. Also, and maybe its because I'm not far into the game, but is there any way to sell all the duplicate weapons & shields I've accumulated so far?
 

tav7623

Member
Update #2

I got a couple more hours in and have managed to beat 2 more bosses (the first bosses of 2-1 & 3-1 btw thanks again DaleinCalgary DaleinCalgary for the advice it really helped out in a couple of spots), I then went to Island's Edge. I managed to get as far as the first boss of the stage before getting destroyed a couple of times by their tongue attack. At the start of my 4th attempt at trying to beat it I encountered a Red Phantom (I had encountered one on the stairs right before the 3-1 boss fight but after it killed me I was able to successfully evade them long enough to enter the boss fight) right at the very beginning of the stage. They were able to one hit kill me (despite me trying to dodge em or use my shield to try to block the attack) several times before I even got to the first rolling skeleton of the stage which really pissed me off (I wish this game had an "offline" mode like Bloodborne so I don't have to deal with these asshole phantoms) to the point that I've stopped playing at least until I cool off and come up with a gameplan to wreck this f***er.
 

What The Fox

Neo Member
Update #2

I got a couple more hours in and have managed to beat 2 more bosses (the first bosses of 2-1 & 3-1 btw thanks again DaleinCalgary DaleinCalgary for the advice it really helped out in a couple of spots), I then went to Island's Edge. I managed to get as far as the first boss of the stage before getting destroyed a couple of times by their tongue attack. At the start of my 4th attempt at trying to beat it I encountered a Red Phantom (I had encountered one on the stairs right before the 3-1 boss fight but after it killed me I was able to successfully evade them long enough to enter the boss fight) right at the very beginning of the stage. They were able to one hit kill me (despite me trying to dodge em or use my shield to try to block the attack) several times before I even got to the first rolling skeleton of the stage which really pissed me off (I wish this game had an "offline" mode like Bloodborne so I don't have to deal with these asshole phantoms) to the point that I've stopped playing at least until I cool off and come up with a gameplan to wreck this f***er.

There is an offline mode in the game. You change change it in the start screen menu.
 

tav7623

Member
There is an offline mode in the game. You change change it in the start screen menu.
facepalm-the-huxtables.gif


I'm an idjit.......decided to change it to offline and I still have a red phantom problem @ Island's Edge so I'm guessing that's tied to world tendency...fml
 

tav7623

Member
I wouldnt call Demons Souls PS5 a LttP. Demon's Souls ps3 it would be though
True, the game is almost a year old, but it's a remake of an older title that I never played on the PS3 so this is my first time playing Demon's Souls (in general) which is why I considered/called it a LttP. Also I put PS5 at the end so that people wouldn't confuse it with the original PS3 game.
 
Update #2

I got a couple more hours in and have managed to beat 2 more bosses (the first bosses of 2-1 & 3-1 btw thanks again DaleinCalgary DaleinCalgary for the advice it really helped out in a couple of spots), I then went to Island's Edge. I managed to get as far as the first boss of the stage before getting destroyed a couple of times by their tongue attack. At the start of my 4th attempt at trying to beat it I encountered a Red Phantom (I had encountered one on the stairs right before the 3-1 boss fight but after it killed me I was able to successfully evade them long enough to enter the boss fight) right at the very beginning of the stage. They were able to one hit kill me (despite me trying to dodge em or use my shield to try to block the attack) several times before I even got to the first rolling skeleton of the stage which really pissed me off (I wish this game had an "offline" mode like Bloodborne so I don't have to deal with these asshole phantoms) to the point that I've stopped playing at least until I cool off and come up with a gameplan to wreck this f***er.
Those aren't asshole people phantoms. The first rule of Demons Souls is you never go into a world fully alive, you need to run to the top in the nexus suicide and die after beating a boss. You do this because if you die in a world while full health it becomes more black. what that means is you get those npc red phantoms and all mobs are tougher.

The biggest complaint in people that dont know this is the world gets tougher and you die more then they quit and say stupid game. The most regular complain is the place with the rolling skellies, if you die too many times you get a very tough npc red phantom at the beginning that almost I would say restart the game and learn from that.
 

tav7623

Member
Those aren't asshole people phantoms. The first rule of Demons Souls is you never go into a world fully alive, you need to run to the top in the nexus suicide and die after beating a boss. You do this because if you die in a world while full health it becomes more black. what that means is you get those npc red phantoms and all mobs are tougher.

The biggest complaint in people that dont know this is the world gets tougher and you die more then they quit and say stupid game. The most regular complain is the place with the rolling skellies, if you die too many times you get a very tough npc red phantom at the beginning that almost I would say restart the game and learn from that.
See I didn't know that cause I tried to go into this game pretty much as blind as I possibly could (cause that imo is part of the fun), but I did go back to the game (and that area) after finding out that I could turn the game to offline mode and managed to (upon finding out that he wasstill there) "cheese" the f*** out of that red bastard (waited for him to hit my shield which stunned him long enough for me to get behind him to do a "visceral"/"backstab" attack with my fists and found out that if I moved fast enough I could keep doing it to him before he could fully recover until he was dead) until he was dead after which I promptly left and came back to see if he had respawned which he fortunately hadn't. I then made it back to the boss for that stage & beat them (barely) using some long range attacks (Fire magic plus bow & arrow) and a lot of running in circles around the boss up & down stairs. So as of right now I've stopped playing for the night after slowly exploring Despair's Chasm (I think that's the name of the area) as it's the last of the 5 currently available worlds where I haven't beaten the first boss, but I plan on playing some more later "today" (it's past midnight in my time zone) and hopefully I'll be able to make it to & past this world's first boss.
 
See I didn't know that cause I tried to go into this game pretty much as blind as I possibly could (cause that imo is part of the fun), but I did go back to the game (and that area) after finding out that I could turn the game to offline mode and managed to (upon finding out that he wasstill there) "cheese" the f*** out of that red bastard (waited for him to hit my shield which stunned him long enough for me to get behind him to do a "visceral"/"backstab" attack with my fists and found out that if I moved fast enough I could keep doing it to him before he could fully recover until he was dead) until he was dead after which I promptly left and came back to see if he had respawned which he fortunately hadn't. I then made it back to the boss for that stage & beat them (barely) using some long range attacks (Fire magic plus bow & arrow) and a lot of running in circles around the boss up & down stairs. So as of right now I've stopped playing for the night after slowly exploring Despair's Chasm (I think that's the name of the area) as it's the last of the 5 currently available worlds where I haven't beaten the first boss, but I plan on playing some more later "today" (it's past midnight in my time zone) and hopefully I'll be able to make it to & past this world's first boss.
I'd suggest don't think too much about playing blind for the story as there really isn't much of one, there is a story but think of it as it doesnt really matter. This game is all about the experience and how the fighting mechanics feel, thats what makes it special for most people, NOT the story.

You will need to know things as you play like the smith in the mines at the beginning is the only one that can give you special upgrades after you give him the soul of the flame lurker boss. You have to talk to him a few times with it on you and if you play with no hints you will never know and be forever gimped. This is why I'm giving you this spoiler but it is necessary to finish the game and if you miss doing it you are just making your life extremely difficult. And you will need to read up on the different weapon upgrade paths if you want to upgrade in a way that works with your build, those shard drops are different for a reason.

Also dont worry too much about armor as you want the heaviest protection that still allows you to fast roll. Only one area you should use poison resist armour but again its not needed as it only gives you a slight edge, I dont even bother. Wear what looks cool and thats it.

Check out the hint sites as the challenge is the gameplay itself and you really cannot spoil the game knowing things as the game doesnt really tell you everything you need to know. Get through the game once then do it again trying to figure out the story. At that time you will realize trying to figure out the lore Is kinda useless.
 

tav7623

Member
Update 3:
So far today I beat the boss for 5-1, freed 2 NPCs (one from 3-1 & one from 4-2), gave serious considerations to killing a certain NPC known for being an @$$hole after an "incident" in 4-2 (which I went to because I'd already done 1-2 and according to this article I was reading on the proper level order for beginners 4-2 & 4-3 were the next ones I should go to), killed a red phantom (which was tied to the "incident" in 4-2), learned my first miracle (which I apparently don't have enough faith/magic to be able to cast it), and am currently stuck trying to make my way through the catacombs in 4-2 ( I "killed" these 2 lanky ghosts, but there's this reaper m****rF****r hiding in a corner who keeps wrecking me with a one shot spell. I've tried running down this nearby lengthy flight of stairs but he still gets me even though I know I'm well out of his sights) wondering if I had taken a wrong turn somewhere or not.

DaleinCalgary DaleinCalgary I'm not really concerned about story bits getting spoiled as I have watched/read a small handful of beginners tip videos/articles (atm I can count them on one hand but if I do get to a point where I'm really stuck/stumped I will look at a guide though only as a last resort) which did happen to mention that dude (as well as a couple of NPCs in need of rescuing) at the beginning of the mines so I've already got the lift working so I can go down there & talk to him. I've also been for the most part (other than using one to get my first miracle) saving/storying away all the boss souls with Stockpile Thomas since I know they can be used to get miracles/create special boss weapons and I know that there's at least one NPC, not the one involved in the "incident" in 4-2 (though I probably should kill them too) that I definitely need to kill cause apparently he's a psycho. My big thing is that I want as much of my first playthrough to be as natural as possible so exploring, making some (hopefully not gamebreaking) mistakes, having surprise encounters (like the incident in 4-2) on my own cause I had done what you had suggested (though to the nth degree) when I was trying to play through Bloodborne (mostly due to me spending 2-3 years stuck in the opening area) earlier this year and I ended up having the most fun when I was encountering/doing stuff not mentioned in these guides/articles.

Y0ssarian Y0ssarian I've gotten the sword and am currently using it as my secondary sword (I'm using this Dragon Sword I got from exploring 2-2 as my primary sword since it has built in fire damage), but I definitely don't have that ring which would've definitely come in handy while I was exploring 5 -1.
 
Update 3:
So far today I beat the boss for 5-1, freed 2 NPCs (one from 3-1 & one from 4-2), gave serious considerations to killing a certain NPC known for being an @$$hole after an "incident" in 4-2 (which I went to because I'd already done 1-2 and according to this article I was reading on the proper level order for beginners 4-2 & 4-3 were the next ones I should go to), killed a red phantom (which was tied to the "incident" in 4-2), learned my first miracle (which I apparently don't have enough faith/magic to be able to cast it), and am currently stuck trying to make my way through the catacombs in 4-2 ( I "killed" these 2 lanky ghosts, but there's this reaper m****rF****r hiding in a corner who keeps wrecking me with a one shot spell. I've tried running down this nearby lengthy flight of stairs but he still gets me even though I know I'm well out of his sights) wondering if I had taken a wrong turn somewhere or not.

DaleinCalgary DaleinCalgary I'm not really concerned about story bits getting spoiled as I have watched/read a small handful of beginners tip videos/articles (atm I can count them on one hand but if I do get to a point where I'm really stuck/stumped I will look at a guide though only as a last resort) which did happen to mention that dude (as well as a couple of NPCs in need of rescuing) at the beginning of the mines so I've already got the lift working so I can go down there & talk to him. I've also been for the most part (other than using one to get my first miracle) saving/storying away all the boss souls with Stockpile Thomas since I know they can be used to get miracles/create special boss weapons and I know that there's at least one NPC, not the one involved in the "incident" in 4-2 (though I probably should kill them too) that I definitely need to kill cause apparently he's a psycho. My big thing is that I want as much of my first playthrough to be as natural as possible so exploring, making some (hopefully not gamebreaking) mistakes, having surprise encounters (like the incident in 4-2) on my own cause I had done what you had suggested (though to the nth degree) when I was trying to play through Bloodborne (mostly due to me spending 2-3 years stuck in the opening area) earlier this year and I ended up having the most fun when I was encountering/doing stuff not mentioned in these guides/articles.

Y0ssarian Y0ssarian I've gotten the sword and am currently using it as my secondary sword (I'm using this Dragon Sword I got from exploring 2-2 as my primary sword since it has built in fire damage), but I definitely don't have that ring which would've definitely come in handy while I was exploring 5 -1.
Its best not to kill that asshole (patches) because he will sit in the nexus and sells you grass at the best prices, he is useful.
 

tav7623

Member
Yeah, there are NPC red phantoms as well.
Yeah I found that out the hard way (but I persevered and of the 3 Red Phantoms I've encountered I've managed to kill 2 of them, successfully ran away from the 3rd one) , also found out that they show up if you die in an area while in corporeal (body) form or murder friendly NPCs (something about negative world tendency) so I've now gotten in the habit of going back to the Nexus and killing myself (since it apparently doesn't affect world tendency) after each boss fight/each body restoral.
 

laynelane

Member
Yeah I found that out the hard way (but I persevered and of the 3 Red Phantoms I've encountered I've managed to kill 2 of them, successfully ran away from the 3rd one) , also found out that they show up if you die in an area while in corporeal (body) form or murder friendly NPCs (something about negative world tendency) so I've now gotten in the habit of going back to the Nexus and killing myself (since it apparently doesn't affect world tendency) after each boss fight/each body restoral.

It's not all bad if you have black world tendency. The enemies are tougher, sure, but they also give more souls upon defeat and drops are much more valuable - particularly weapon upgrade ores from the lizards. As well, some events are only available if you have it or its opposite, pure white tendency.
 

tav7623

Member
Update #4

So far today I've managed to beat 4 bosses (4-2, 4-3, 2-2, & 2-3) putting me (by my estimates)well past the halfway point (Yay!), reached Soul level 50, upgraded a bunch of weapons, killed the treacherous/murderous NPC from 3-2 (which is where I'm currently at), and for a brief moment almost had 2 worlds at White World Tendency (that ended after I gave this dude this special sword I'd found in 4-2 and well "something" happened when I did so I ended up "punishing" them) while the rest were (and currently still are) sitting at Neutral White. So all in all not bad for a days work ;P if I do say so myself, now I've got (as far as I know) about 6 more (give or take) "story" related bosses to go til I'll have beaten my second Souls game (Woo Hoo!!!! :p) not just for this year, but overall as well.
 

tav7623

Member
Hadn't posted an update on here in a while (about 20 days) so I figure it's a bit past due for one, anyways, I ended up taking a break from the game after getting wrecked (it felt like I was repeatedly hitting my head up against the wall for no reason) by the boss of world 3-2 so that I could come back to the game fresh. Well it (sorta) worked (after about 30 more attempts that is :p) cause I was finally able to beat the boss for world 3-2 as well as the boss for 3-3. Right now I'm making my way through 5-2 (which according to the recommended level order means I've got 5-3 & 1-4 left) and honestly this world is starting to become my least favorite due to how easily you can get poisoned (unless I'm doing something wrong or didn't pick something up I needed then my anti poison gear is doing shit to help) and make (seemingly) little progress (I keep dying right outside the second fog door in the area cause I get stuck in the muck just long enough for those big club wielding fuckers to come up on me & wreck my shit) before dying.
 

tav7623

Member
Update #6
Well since my last update (about 20 some hours ago) I've managed to not only knock out the last 3 levels (5-2,5-3,1-4) of the game, freed Biorr & the Witch Yaria, and forged the Northern Regalia I also managed to beat the game (2 souls games beaten in a year YAY!!!!!! :p) as well as obtained the good ending. Overall it took me about 36 hours of playtime to beat the game (which imo isn't too bad for a first playthrough) during which I earned 26 of the game's 37 trophies. All in all I had a pretty good experience playing this game (outside of a couple of frustrating bits mostly involving world 5 and a few of the boss fights) and it's got me thinking about eventually coming back to the game down the line in order to get the game's Platinum trophy.
 

fart town usa

Gold Member
I only play ER in coop now. Wasn't able to get to it this weekend so I decided to dabble in Demon's Souls for a bit of level grinding and whatnot.

Great game, I had the Chinese import back on the PS3 but didn't get too far in it. Booting the PS5 version up on Saturday, it was definitely kinda harsh at first with movement, it seems like the stamina bar is absolutely critical in Demon's Souls. I mean, that's obvious, it's critical in all of the games but it just seems so much more important with how Demon's Souls plays. I upgraded that quite a bit and am now focusing on str/dex. Tower Knight is giving me issues, just taking too much damage, but 3-1 is a good spot to farm for souls. The skeletons in 4-1 just completely wreck me. Dudes roll around incessantly.

This game feels so effing old, lol. Not in a bad way though but man, the Souls series has come a long way with fine tuning certain aspects.

As for the work that Blue Point accomplished, it's really impressive, especially the sound design. I'll be honest though, I prefer the look of Elden Ring, Dark Souls, etc. I forgot how dark Demon's Souls is. It's great atmosphere but the art direction and environments are so much better in later games. At least to me it is. It's cool though to finally revisit this game, I've been wanting to play it for years but misplaced my PS3 copy during a move.
 
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iHaunter

Member
Demon's Souls just feel basic compared to Elden Ring, but I also kinda like that about it.

To this very day, the atmosphere that game creates is STILL unmatched. My other top Souls favorites are Bloodborne and Elden Ring, but they still cannot capture the essence of Demon's Souls. Just wish it was a bit longer. I can beat it start to finish in >8 hours. :(
 

tommib

Member
I only play ER on the weekends now so I can do coop with my buddy. Because of that, I decided to dabble in Demon's Souls for a bit of level grinding and whatnot.

Great game, I had the Chinese import back on the PS3 but didn't get too far in it. Booting the PS5 version up on Saturday, it was definitely kinda harsh at first with movement, it seems like the stamina bar is absolutely critical in Demon's Souls. I mean, that's obvious, it's critical in all of the games but it just seems so much more important with how Demon's Souls plays. I upgraded that quite a bit and am now focusing on str/dex. Tower Knight is giving me issues, just taking too much damage, but 3-1 is a good spot to farm for souls. The skeletons in 4-1 just completely wreck me. Dudes roll around incessantly.

This game feels so effing old, lol. Not in a bad way though but man, the Souls series has come a long way with fine tuning certain aspects.

As for the work that Blue Point accomplished, it's really impressive, especially the sound design. I'll be honest though, I prefer the look of Elden Ring, Dark Souls, etc. I forgot how dark Demon's Souls is. It's great atmosphere but the art direction and environments are so much better in later games. At least to me it is. It's cool though to finally revisit this game, I've been wanting to play it for years but misplaced my PS3 copy during a move.
I know you’re an horror fan so I’m surprised you prefer the other games artistic direction. Demon’s Souls will always be my favourite because of how pitch-dark the tone is. World 3 is a nightmare from beginning till the end. Same with world 5. It’s the Souls game that I see almost like a survival horror game.

But Bluepoint fucked up with the baroque architecture and epic music. They didn’t get it.

Tip: the classic filter helps.
 
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fart town usa

Gold Member
I know you’re an horror fan so I’m surprised you prefer the other games artistic direction. Demon’s Souls will always be my favourite because of how pitch-dark the tone is. World 3 is a nightmare from beginning till the end. Same with world 5. It’s the Souls game that I see almost like a survival horror game.

But Bluepoint fucked up with the baroque architecture and epic music. They didn’t get it.

Tip: the classic filter helps.
Nice, I'll try that classic filter out.

3-1 is definitely my favorite spot so far. I was making good progress in it and am close the bridge with the ballista but had to stop cause it was getting late last night. I'd love to beat this game, that would be a huge achievement for me.
 

tommib

Member
Nice, I'll try that classic filter out.

3-1 is definitely my favorite spot so far. I was making good progress in it and am close the bridge with the ballista but had to stop cause it was getting late last night. I'd love to beat this game, that would be a huge achievement for me.
Then you’ll love 3-2. One my favourite horror levels ever. Stay strong!
 

_Ex_

Member
So far I have only beaten Demon's Souls (PS3) and Dark Souls (PS4 Remaster). Comparing those two, I think DeS is the better game. DS is great, but there's just something wholly unique and pure about DeS. I've been gaming for 40 years now, and I'd put DeS in the top 10 best games I've ever played through. I'm talking about the PS3 version, I cannot attest to the PS5 version. My advice to tav7623 tav7623 is don't try to play DeS like a typical action adventure game. Play DeS methodically, patiently, and tactically, and you will succeed. Failing that, you can play the game on easy mode by being a magic user. Although to be an elitist asshat I think magic users are pussies and real men run around naked with a giant claymore.
 

tommib

Member
So far I have only beaten Demon's Souls (PS3) and Dark Souls (PS4 Remaster). Comparing those two, I think DeS is the better game. DS is great, but there's just something wholly unique and pure about DeS. I've been gaming for 40 years now, and I'd put DeS in the top 10 best games I've ever played through. I'm talking about the PS3 version, I cannot attest to the PS5 version. My advice to tav7623 tav7623 is don't try to play DeS like a typical action adventure game. Play DeS methodically, patiently, and tactically, and you will succeed. Failing that, you can play the game on easy mode by being a magic user. Although to be an elitist asshat I think magic users are pussies and real men run around naked with a giant claymore.
I get annoyed by Dark Souls getting the merits for all the innovation Demon’s brought in 2009. Demon’s is the best and the most original of the two.
 

Gandih42

Member
Finally got a PS5 last week and found a cheap copy of Demon's Souls online today. Really looking forward to going through it again.

Back in the day I had my dad bring a copy of it from the US because it wasn't out in my region. Bounced off it after being unable to beat the Tower Knight for a while and getting my ass kicked in the other levels. A few weeks later I tried it again and got hooked. Now I'm playing every decent souls-like game I can get my hands on, gimme dat sweet sweet souls-formula straight from the teet of Miyazaki.

A little conflicted about playing Elden Ring first though. It's the primary reason I wanted a PS5 sooner rather than later, but I imagine DeS might feel like a step back gameplay wise after ER. Cannot complain though, so many great games being made in a genre I absolutely adore.
 
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iorek21

Member
Amazing remake from a technical standpoint, but somewhat outdated game.
You can really see how the Soulslike genre evolved in a decade, the pillars are all in DeS, but it lacks the quality of life improvements and better level design from the sequels.

However, bosses here are still miles better than Elden Ring.
 

fart town usa

Gold Member
Finally got a PS5 last week and found a cheap copy of Demon's Souls online today. Really looking forward to going through it again.

Back in the day I had my dad bring a copy of it from the US because it wasn't out in my region. Bounced off it after being unable to beat the Tower Knight for a while and getting my ass kicked in the other levels. A few weeks later I tried it again and got hooked. Now I'm playing every decent souls-like game I can get my hands on, gimme dat sweet sweet souls-formula straight from the teet of Miyazaki.

A little conflicted about playing Elden Ring first though. It's the primary reason I wanted a PS5 sooner rather than later, but I imagine DeS might feel like a step back gameplay wise after ER. Cannot complain though, so many great games being made in a genre I absolutely adore.
Yea, playing both right now. ER is definitely much more fluid in movement. In battle I'm jumping around and honestly kinda goofing off and just having fun with the mechanics.

Demon's Souls is not like that at all. It's strictly business 100% of the time. It feels nice though, it's a completely different type of challenge.
 

Varteras

Gold Member
Fuck yeah. In my opinion Latria is still the best level they ever made.
Latria was fucking fantastic. The feeling of despair. The claustrophobic feeling of the first level's hallways giving way to the the acrophobic feeling of the second level's towers and walkways. The creepiest enemies overall. All of the boss fights were interesting and unique. Beating the Maneater boss is a serious achievement for any Souls fan. The whole zone just had this very Bloodborne feel to it. The remake knocked that level out of the park for how much more it made me feel about it.
 

Interfectum

Member
I loved the PS5 version of Demon's Souls but definitely feel like something was lost in translation when it comes to overall atmosphere from the original.

Game has FANTASTIC bosses though. Easily some of the best of the souls games and they look amazing on PS5.
 

tommib

Member
I loved the PS5 version of Demon's Souls but definitely feel like something was lost in translation when it comes to overall atmosphere from the original.

Game has FANTASTIC bosses though. Easily some of the best of the souls games and they look amazing on PS5.
Demon’s Souls bosses were very idiosyncratic and very singular. I liked the puzzle elements. ER is full of big bosses with sword that jump high and nails sword on the floor. It’s been like this for awhile. I want the puzzle bosses back and less of the highly aggressive epic bosses with large swords on fire.
 
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Gandih42

Member
Latria was fucking fantastic. The feeling of despair. The claustrophobic feeling of the first level's hallways giving way to the the acrophobic feeling of the second level's towers and walkways. The creepiest enemies overall. All of the boss fights were interesting and unique. Beating the Maneater boss is a serious achievement for any Souls fan. The whole zone just had this very Bloodborne feel to it. The remake knocked that level out of the park for how much more it made me feel about it.

Dude, that just makes me so forking excited to play the remake. And getting my ass kicked by Maneater, what a boss. One of my first
"oh shit there's two?!"
boss fight moments.

Completely agree on Bloodborne. In fact, a lot of Bloodborne feels like the idea of Latria expanded into a game, which is a big reason why I love it so much.
 

Varteras

Gold Member
Dude, that just makes me so forking excited to play the remake. And getting my ass kicked by Maneater, what a boss. One of my first
"oh shit there's two?!"
boss fight moments.

Completely agree on Bloodborne. In fact, a lot of Bloodborne feels like the idea of Latria expanded into a game, which is a big reason why I love it so much.
Oh dude, if you haven't played it yet and been to the Latria remake, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about when I say it felt like a Bloodborne level. There will be a moment where you will look out over the sky and there is no way you will not go, "Yep. This is fucking Bloodborne!"
 

Raven117

Gold Member
This one...is still my favorite of the bunch. There. I said it.

The focus on traversing the whole level with alot of difficulty there (rather than on the bosses themselves), is unique to Demon's Souls and thus makes it my favorite. Its also the first one I played, so there is that.

Don't get me wrong, I love Bloodborne and Elden Ring, but Demon's was the first, and still the most unique one.
 

tav7623

Member
Kinda surprised by the sudden activity on here as it's been almost 7 months since I ended my first journey into the world of Demon's Souls (I'm leaning towards doing my second playthrough later this year), but hey welcome and glad y'all found my thread.

Gandih42 Gandih42 - Congrats on finally snagging a PS5, also I still have PTSD from the Maneater boss fight and the Red Phantoms that I encountered on Island's Edge
_Ex_ _Ex_ - yeah, I found that out the hard way as well as it not being a very linear game (i.e. it requiring you to jump between worlds instead of working all the way through a world before moving on) which I wasn't expecting when I first played the game (I literally went in cold turkey, all I knew was that it was a remake of a PS3 game and was apparently the first Souls game)
 

sol_bad

Member
I finished the game last night and loved it, started my 2nd playthrough straight away. So much stuff I missed like giving the Flame Lurker soul to Ed and rescuing Yuria. And I only realised I needed to kill myself in the Nexus to get pure white world tenency, so I need to finish down that. Played as a mage but put a fair amount of stats into my physical attacks.

I'll also start a 2nd character as melee only.
 

Ezekiel_

Banned
Played for a bit, made it to through the first world to the tower knight, but ultimately gave up.

Getting killed felt really cheap sometimes, and very punishing, having to go through the same path all over again just to make it back to the boss.

Is it best to "farm" souls in the beginning area and level up your character?

I'll probably try again since it's in PS+ Extra. I'll also try what DaleinCalgary DaleinCalgary said, about going 1-1, 2-1, 3-1, etc, instead of trying to go through the first world completely.

Also, this seems really obtuse :

Those aren't asshole people phantoms. The first rule of Demons Souls is you never go into a world fully alive, you need to run to the top in the nexus suicide and die after beating a boss. You do this because if you die in a world while full health it becomes more black. what that means is you get those npc red phantoms and all mobs are tougher.

The biggest complaint in people that dont know this is the world gets tougher and you die more then they quit and say stupid game. The most regular complain is the place with the rolling skellies, if you die too many times you get a very tough npc red phantom at the beginning that almost I would say restart the game and learn from that.

Is this explained 'in game' at all?
 

sol_bad

Member
Played for a bit, made it to through the first world to the tower knight, but ultimately gave up.

Getting killed felt really cheap sometimes, and very punishing, having to go through the same path all over again just to make it back to the boss.

Is it best to "farm" souls in the beginning area and level up your character?

I'll probably try again since it's in PS+ Extra. I'll also try what DaleinCalgary DaleinCalgary said, about going 1-1, 2-1, 3-1, etc, instead of trying to go through the first world completely.

Also, this seems really obtuse :



Is this explained 'in game' at all?

Silly question but did you kill the soldiers up on the walls before trying to kill the Tower Knight? He is still hard but this will make it easier. Another tip I can give is to not lock on to the knight, it will be much easier to see him and work out what attacks he will use and when/how to dodge them.
I did a few runs and cleared out the enemies in level 1-1 to level up a bit. My melee attacks were still pretty weak but I persevered and won. Slash away at those ankles until he falls over, then slash at his head. I had to make him fall over 3 times.

As for world tendency and killing yourself in the Nexus, no the game does not make this very clear at all from what I remember.
 
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