Umm...this kind of no holds barred fighting is what the forest is for. The berg and kiln are better for duels. In all honesty I think the forest is a great place to fight other players. It has access to huge areas of many types. Chokepoints, open fields, leapable casms, and extreme but liveable drop offs make this the ideal area for fighting while out numbered.

I like that both kinds of pvp exist reliably in given areas. If I want to test a new build then I head for the berg. If I want to push my limits then I head for the forest. I cant tell you how many hosts I have led in front of the hydra or down too the black knight after losing an ally in the initial 2v2. Its just fun and I like it.

I like other AC titles but they always seemed unbalanced. They all seemed to favor speedy mechs and the parts were clearly tiered. Usually there was only one or two viable parts in each catagory.

I just wanted to know what people thought of this title when compared to others in the series.

Also, with moderate skill how long does it take to get good parts?

I dont think reduced damage is the way to balance Wrath. As it is, wrath murders anyone unfamiliar with its timing and is virtually useless against anyone else. I think it would do well as a charged spell. Its damage and range should increase (to a limit) with cast time. Its quick pulse should deal about the damage it does now. Perhaps 10% less.

Along those lines I think that sunlight spear, great fireball, and spells like that should be able to be held once started. Just so a person can mix up the timing a bit.

No spell needs a nerf.

1st...what images are you talking about. 2nd. you consider yourself a guru but you didnt even know there is dlc coming out. thats pretty lame...sorry. but your probably more uninformed then you even know. 

altjay88

I consider myself a dark souls guru. At least among my little group I am peerliss in terms of Dark Souls knowledge. However I just looked at the images for this game for the first time...and i recognize the gear but not many of the enemies / areas. Is there DLC or something?

Mind you I have been all over this game. I chased down gwyn, worked over some blue dragons and went hydra fishing in ashe lake. (as I expect you all have) An I don't remember ever seeing some of the enemies on those images.

Possible is a strong word. Its not as reliable as it was in DeS. However with a bit of persistance, its not hard to connect with a pal. Though beware. You will be assaulted by twinked players early on.

And more importantly how does it stack against a fire pharis bow?

99% of the complaints I hear and myself bellow, are about the lagstabs in pvp. A less talked about but imo related topic is the poor execution of stealth in this game.

I think that the entire backstab system needs an overhaul. Specifically related to how a critical hit is achieved. The current system does not favor ambush and punish foolishly giving your opponent your back. It just makes it so you can backstab simply by circling an opponent even if they are locked on to you. The other common backstab is when your standing up. Essentially I want to discuss a proper requirement for a critical hit and how stealth can be improved upon for the sake of the implied but ignored assasin class.

What I am trying to do is remove the backstabe as an active combat catcic and lend it more to ambush. My idea for doing so is to vary the window of opportunity and even make the differences in critical damage by weapon class even greater. The thought is this; the better a weapon is in a head to head fight, the worse it is for backstabs.

Claymores, greatswords,and other large weapons have a small if existant BS window, and deal similar damage to a single heavy attack. Daggers get and extreme opportunity (similar to now but maybe at a slightly longer distance) and a high damage multiplier. High enough to make a BS with a dagger deal more damage than with any other class of weapon. Realism is second to gameplay. Second in line is rapiers and longswords. I put these in the same class due to the rapers shield utility and the longsword damage balancing each other out. I could list every weapon in the game but you get the idea.

The reason this is good is not only so a character cant pound on you while fishing for crits but also so that you can see which they are trying to do and adjust your playstyle accordingly. More depth in combat is better.

Stealth is need of attention even more than crits. You pretty much can't do it. The oolacil spell of guise is cool and a great addition but its the only effective means on concealment and its just not enough. A stealth oriented player should be able to engage/disengage quickly by making the foe lose track of his/her position. The stealth system from demons souls was good. You could remain invisible at a distance as long as you did not have any combat boosting auras.

I think that stealth was a bit too easy to use in Demons Souls since it required only a ring and a spell, but if you couple that system with the disguise spell and a few more tricks, you could have some serious stealth going on. The only other thing I feel that you would need is a smokescreen spell to help with disengaging. The same as current mist spells but faster on cast and more opaque. And also remove the visible aura from the silence spell. Like oolacil spells they should be in a tier of their own. Easy to learn and requiring minimal stat investment.

Sorry for the wall. Please share your thoughts on these subjects. If we can agree on some things then our unified voice may be heard for the sequel.

Highly rated and with room for great improvements...they would be fools no to.

This game is a basic improvement over demons souls IMO, but yes it has some serious shortcomings.

Lag backstabbing is one of the main problems with pvp. (since fog ring and TWoP have been nerfed) The problem however isnt lag in most cases. Consider the backstab window behind your character. There seems to be (somone correct me if im wrong) a wide 90 degree slice of space that an enemy can backstab from. With even the slightest lag, a backstab can become a much easier win condition then actually fighting it out with your foe. I think this window should vary by weapon. With daggers having the most forgiving. Large hammers and the like shouldnt have the option at all.

This isn't the only thing wrong with the pvp either. The ability to have a great deal of poise and still roll freely is a problem. Equally bad is that heavier weapons will combo and lighter ones will not. Even against poisless foes. I think that each weapon should bear its own poise reduction rating that is independant of class or style. They should be balanced according to the philosophy that poise reduction = damage and therefore poise reduction should be measured against stamina consuption, weapon damage, utility, and pretty much everything else a weapon has to offer.

As for the spell system you seem to have confused the purpose of spells in this game. They are utility. Of the three Magic is easily the strongest, Miracles are the most versatile, and Pyromancey requires no stat investment while being a medium of power and versatility. Melee is the focus of the battle system and therefore every character should be capable of it. This is a two way street in combat. You will use both melee and magic against another player. Not having the option is a bad idea and ignoring melee is equally limiting.

As for fighting two on one...its uphill to say the least but Im pretty sure everyone on this board has been in that situation and come out on top at least once. Ironically spells of every kind ara a big help here since groups of people targeting one person tend to be more reckless and prone to mistakes, and perhaps the type to gang up isnt all that skilled to begin with. As such, things like fire tempest, Wrath, and soulmass, tend to hit home a great deal more often against enemy teams.

Once I stumbled into an ambush in the kiln. It was three on one and all appeared maxxed out. I put my back to a wall and lit fire tempest. The two phantoms ran in for the quick kill and because of thier poise, they both died in the storm. The host put up a fight but lost as well. On another kil occasion I hid in plain sight as a melted pillar and and killed the host as he ran by with a combination of crystal soul spear and a backstab.

This game has problems but its so very close to being perfect at what it does.