Agree with Cyrona here. First, go eat some soap. If you are going to cry about how hard the game is, make some friends (hard with that mouth) and co-op it. EVERY boss in the game is far easier than half the ones in DS1. You need to figure out how the game works before making statements like you are. Adaptability will fix your flasking issue, and backing up would be a good idea as well.

If you have supposedly "played" the other Souls games, you would know how they worked. Stop whining and get on with the game or your life, whichever one you have...

The higher the SL, the better off you are. If you REALLY want a challenge, do what I did...

• Join covey of champs (stone slab top of mountain in Majula right side)
• max it out to get the ring
• go through the game as General Armstrong from Fullmetal Aslcemist: no helm/torso armor, engraved gauntlets, a skirt/robe bottom (I used skely lord bottom), and no shield or primary (I used +10 lightning caestuses until I got the ring).

Beat the game that way (or just go with the caestuses and fist weapons without joining covey), and have fun doing it. Invest in STR,VIT, VGR, and a little ADP to be safe, nothing more. Also, stay away from summons, do it yourself to give more challenge, and yes, stay away from magic.

Caitha's charm is the only charm that cannot cast miracles, lol. onle miracle based hexes. read the description carefully, it will tell what it can cast.

That is the only location that they are, and they drop absolutely nothing. To catch one, be patient and let it come to you. Slash at it, and the rest of the pack will agro, then you can have fun with the entire group… Not quite sure why a tiny mob would be thought to give anything useful at all...

You're talking about Luciatiel? HER summon sign moves as you talk to her in various locations, as most summon NPCs do. She can be found in: Lost bastille, No Man's Wharf, Black Gulch, Earthen Peak and just outside Aldia's Keep. Her sign appears before Lost Sinner, The Rotten, Flextile Sentry, and The Smelter Demon.

NPC summons can also be accessed in offline mode, which I think you are talking about, but you still have to be human. TALK TO EVERYONE. If they don't move to Majula, they will migrate and a summon sign will appear or give free stuff, either way very useful.

Base weapon will always have more damage output, unless your stats/params are low.

Ex (hypothetical): a GS with 200 base and A param in STR will put out 400. A flame GS with 150 base and 150 flame gets a B, dishing a total of 400sh.

Since you are a STR build, I would keep it a base +10 as that would maximize the damage output. If you want to buff it, invest in the coinciding spell and/or resin. Ascensions and bases are really much the same, but some enemies are resistant to the buffs, potentially halfing the damage you choose.

Welcome to the Souls experience... Increase Adaptability, supposedly, to get faster reflexes (parrying, dodging, flasking, item uses, etc). To parry, use the left hand heavy (ex: on Xbox it is LT, left trigger, prob same for PS3). Parrying can be done with basically anything in the left hand, aside from greatshields, most straight swords, and heavy weapons (hammers, axes, etc). If two-handing a greatsword/UGS, parrying is available. After a parry, they are stunned, some enemies stay stunned longer, use right light to riposte. Honestly, it is easier in DS2 to just guard break (forward and right light) to stun and riposte. Easy thing to do is practice on the easy stuff in Things Betwixed to get the timing down.

I would recommend trying DS1 when (if) you finish DS2, the physics are different, but the difficulty is much the same (and parrying is the way of life there). You quickly learn how everything works after ~30-40 deaths, lol.

As a fellow Souls vet, I understand where you are coming from, but I rather enjoy it. It forces players to think about what they are going to do, instead of spending everything willy-nilly. It adds a more strategic aspect to a game that already tests the limits of everything you are and have (patience, strategy, etc). Beats getting everything there is to get first run.

Can't leave this one alone either… lol, copy…and…paste.

And these are the kind of *insert many harsh, offensive, explicative here* who rally enjoy killing a game for other players. Seriously… It is pathetic when people need to use lag switches, cheap tactics, and the like to win on a 80% PVP based game (so high due to the point most Souls players go for PVP over the story). Now there are these people who can't take 2 steps into a Souls game without a hack… This is exactly why I am a console gamer, not as easy to have these kind of people all over the place. A month in, and it will be like DS1 all over again I bet.

And these are the kind of *insert many harsh, offensive, explicative here* who rally enjoy killing a game for other players. Seriously… It is pathetic when people need to use lag switches, cheap tactics, and the like to win on a 80% PVP based game (so high due to the point most Souls players go for PVP over the story). Now there are these people who can't take 2 steps into a Souls game without a hack… This is exactly why I am a console gamer, not as easy to have these kind of people all over the place. A month in, and it will be like DS1 all over again I bet.