All good things must come to an end, said someone who had obviously never heard of Dark Souls.
Spoilers ho!
The game doesn't just roll over when you've trounced last boss Gwyn – instead, it resets and restarts everything, and makes the enemies tougher. And that's not all by a long shot. With the sequel just a few weeks away, join IGN for a leisurely tour around the finest entertainments the endgame of Dark Souls has to offer; the pick of things to do in Lordran when Gwyn's dead.
A quick rundown of how multiple playthroughs work; as you roll over NG+ levels, the enemies become tougher but drop exponentially more souls, meaning that levelling and buying stacks of key equipment is much easier. This is a key component of Dark Souls' endgame, whereby everything becomes easier to upgrade and acquire and your focus shifts to other goals.
At the start of a new runthrough, I immediately race to the Lordvessel as quickly as possible – this might sound like a humblebrag, but when you're as tooled-up as you should be it's relatively easy. The reasons are simple: it lets you warp, it unlocks all of the game's areas, and you also have access to the Giant Blacksmith. You should have plenty of souls to upgrade everything as far as possible, which is much more important than levelling. And on that note, it’s worth emphasising you should stop levelling at the community-agreed limit of level 120 – the PvP matchmaking system depends on level range, so there are permanent consequences to over-egging a character.
The dedicated PvP arena in Oolacile should be ignored in favour of the Township; the former almost never has other players present, while the latter is only a few steps away and has constant action.
The most reliable covenants for regular fights are Darkwraiths, Darkmoons and Forest Hunters, in that order. There are other covenants but, outside of the PvE-focused Warriors of Sunlight, these are the serious ones. The Darkwraiths are the hardest to join, but have the most reliable invasion rate in the game by a distance, and being a member also lets you buy Cracked Red Eye orbs. The Darkmoons' Blue Eye Orb is much easier to get, though less effective, while the Forest Covenant depends on you wearing a ring for random summons. Forest Covenanters are also the most regular victims of 'gankers'; the try-hards, waiting in groups of two or three players to ambush lone catbros.
Let's get onto the real action.
For the longest time I didn't think of Dark Souls as an RPG, until I realised that other RPGs were the problem. Pretending to be someone else is awesome, and one of my favourite things to do in Dark Souls is invade Anor Londo as a Silver Knight.
The Silver Knights guarding Anor Londo don't just look badass, their equipment is awesome too, and hosts absolutely brick it when they see a player-controlled one. Upgrade all the Silver Knight kit as much as you can and try to keep under 50% encumberance. Squeeze in the Dragonslayer Greatbow if you can. Then pick one of the Anor Londo bonfires, and start invading.
Successful invasions around here are pretty frequent, you'll find some sap soon enough, and I promise they will double-take when they catch a glimpse of your sweet getup. It's a little mindgame, too – when you're fighting AI Silver Knights, then get invaded by a human one, it feels a little like being wrong-footed, almost like the game's toying with you. While your opponent's thinking about that, use the Silver Knight Straight Sword's amazing R2 attacks to wreck their face in the name of Gwynevere.
In terms of vanilla PvP you can successfully invade in most places, with enough patience, but several areas are hotspots. The Duke's Archives, Undead Parish and Anor Londo are all pretty good. If you want non-stop action, then it's got to be the Kiln of the First Flame or Oolacile Township.
If you're starting a NG+ and want to PvP, rush for the Lordvessel and then open access to the Township as soon as you can – it's the best guarantee there is of uninterrupted invasions, and the bonfire is positioned such that it's easy to pick up your bloodstain and go again after each round. One thing to be especially aware of in the Township is the constant presence of gankers, so let's get down to brass tacks; how do you deal with cowards?
In a way, Dark Souls is all about ganking – other players ganging up and waiting for invaders. You get ganked by the AI at first, then you get ganked by Ornstein and Smough, and then when you start invading you'll get ganked to hell and back.
Learn to love gankers, because there's nothing quite as satisfying as winning a 1 vs 3 fight – and Dark Souls puts this right within your grasp. I'm not going to pretend I can give a few pointers and you'll go and smack down any mob; sometimes you're surrounded as you spawn, and take a kicking with no recourse.
But you can maximise your chances. First and only rule: kill the host. If you kill the host you win, that's that. Never waste time sparring with phantoms, just stay aware and be constantly bearing down on the host. My NG+6 anti-gank tank is none other than Black Iron Tarkus, complete with Lloyd's Talismans (crucial to stop the host healing with Estus), the Hornet Ring comboed with the Gravelord sword, and a dozen casts of Wrath of the Gods. This is a loadout dedicated to Anor Londo, the Township and the Forest, all favourite gank spots, and the whole point is simply to hit the host with a Lloyd's Talisman and then chase them down for a Hornet-flavoured backstab or riposte. If they survive that, they won't have enough HP left for the Wrath of the Gods chaining that follows.
It's not exactly Machiavellian, but you'd be surprised how often this works – and the principles hold steady even if you're not channelling Tarkus. Loads of players panic when you hit them with Lloyd's, and try to hunker down behind their buddies. Just remember: kill the host, kill the host, kill the host! No promises but, if you keep that in mind, sometimes you will win – and no victory in Lordran tastes sweeter.
Can't get enough PvP action? Use the Dried Finger, acquired in the Painted World, to reset the invasion timer after successfully killing an opponent. Opinion is divided as to exactly how the item works, but it definitely increases invasion rate.
Do I prefer killing other players or helping them? I couldn't tell you. Dark Souls creates a funny atmosphere whereby, though you're always afraid of invasions and nastiness like Gravelords, you also feel like you're on a shared journey with thousands of others – and offering a helping hand is the most noble thing to do.
I have several dedicated PvP characters, but probably my favourite is a level 20 knight who just hangs about in the Depths. I made this guy to help out a mate who was having trouble with the Capra Demon, then retired him to Gaping Dragon duty. Multiple characters may sound like too much trouble, but the most satisfying co-op is to be had helping new players who are all low level and stuck at the same humps we once were.
On this note, put down your Summon Sign everywhere. Like a reflex. Certain areas are much more active than others, but I've been summoned for every boss possible through the simple tactic of always being available. And be patient. My best-ever co-op experience was in the Duke's Archives when someone summoned me who was pretty hopeless against Seath. The first two times, my summoner died fast. I put my sign back down and waited. On the third attempt we nailed Seath, and a few minutes later a voice message arrived from the host – saying 'thank you' over and over and babbling about how long he'd been stuck at that point. No other game's ever made me feel so much like a hero.
The son of Gwyn! Right? People? Whatever your take on Dark Souls lore, Solaire is one of the game's best characters, and he's also the only NPC you can save from death. The method for this is easy enough to Google, but what often isn't mentioned is that this unlocks Solaire as a summon for the final fight against Gwyn. I do this in pretty much every playthrough, though despite much encouragement Solaire has yet to solo his dad.
Perhaps the firstborn is Tarkus?
By which I mean 'rearrange your inventory.' Some players don't even realise you can do this. It's useful for two reasons. The first is to drop duplicate items (which become very common as you rack up the NG+'s), and this is a very good thing for the wider game. Many items when dropped become 'drift items', floating through the worlds of other players, and eventually reincarnating as vagrants – list here [http://i.imgur.com/y4o9amX.jpg]. Contribute to this little cycle, and maybe one day you'll see a vagrant yourself.
The second reason this is a good habit is it allows you to arrange a subset of easily-accessible items that aren't in the quickslots. What do I mean? Put your homeward bones at the very bottom of your main consumables list. Now when you want to use one, open the menu and press 'up' once and there you go, no need to ever 'equip' them again. If you're super-pro, you can do this with the Hornet ring and insta-switch to it after a successful riposte... but I'm not.
There are several popular gestures in Dark Souls. But by far the most common is holding your weapon in both hands and taking your finger on and off the block button, which makes your character wiggle back and forth in an amusing way. Even better is practicing your parries - though white phantoms and hosts can't attack each other, they *can* parry each other. Try it out!
Want some next level stuff, eh? Prism stones are dirt-cheap, and sooner or later you'll hopefully find a weapon called the Channeler's Trident. This is important because it lets you dance. Combine the two to build your own fantasy tribute to Saturday Night Fever.
Crystal weapons! Rubbish, right? They break and you can't repair them! Well, yes. But in another sense no, not at all. By the time you've invested in multiple playthroughs you've got more than enough kit and souls to craft seriously damaging and throwaway Crystal Weapons.
Two things to bear in mind. One is to use weapons you either don't care about losing, or can buy copies of. I make Crystal Halberds. Second is to take them to +4 and then stop – Titanite Slabs are required to hit +5, and never become plentiful. You'll be getting an incredi-powerful weapon for what (by this stage) is a negligible investment, and basically it's a good laugh clocking people with them.
Plenty of Dark Souls PvPers end up on my couch and say 'b-b-but he used Dark Bead on me! Sorcery is cheap and OP!' Dark Souls has stuff you almost never see like Vow of Silence, in my opinion the best miracle in the game – this shuts down magic for around a minute, gets two casts, and that's that. Great Magic Barrier is also a decent alternative, though be aware both cannot be stacked with other buffs.
The point? Sorcery isn't cheap and OP; it's actually incredibly vulnerable to a shutdown, and most magic users don't have a backup plan. So if it's really a problem for you, invest some points in Faith and the case is closed.
Look, I'm sorry. Invade the Kiln with as many casts of Force as possible, and then hide behind one of the giant pillars above the sheer drop in the level's centre. When the host tries to walk over, pop out and push them off. I'm sorry to everyone that's suffered at the hands of this tactic, but it cheers me up when I'm blue. Also repeatable almost anywhere in Sen's Fortress. I'm sorry.
Force, incidentally, will deflect any projectile in the game. Arrows, Dragonslayer arrows, firebombs, and even those massive cannonballs at the top of Sen's Fortress. Sen's is also the best place in the game for Chameleon, because the object you turn into is very hard to pick out from the background.
One of my favourite YouTube channels belongs to Krazy999, who has some super-special Sen's Fortress videos. Here's one of Chameleon in action
But this is as nothing next to Krazy999's incredible guillotine-based kamikaze ninja videos. This is a master at work...
You should indict everyone you fight in Dark Souls - it's not a moral thing, despite the name, but a simple system that means the more indictments there are, the easier it is for the Darkmoon Blades (i.e. the police) to get PvP. It's a good thing. The only players you shouldn't indict are hackers.
Fight clubs are held every couple of weeks, either check in on the Dark Souls subreddit or keep your eye on the various Souls streamers to find out when and where they are. Fight Clubs are amazing, and anyone can play - it's a more social form of PvP than is usual in Lordran, and you have to play by the rules (i.e. wait your turn to fight and don't kill the host), but it's always a good old time. Don't be shy about coming in and laying the smack down!
Don't overthink Dark Souls' combat. Wear the gear you like. Use the weapon you like. All that's important is recognise the strengths and weaknesses of what you're using; when I'm playing a mid-roll character, for example, I barely roll at all and focus more on swatting the other player.
Every single weapon in Dark Souls can kill other players, and that's all that really matters – damage calculations and direct comparisons are interesting, but raw power on its own is a bad reason to use gear, and certainly no kind of ranking system. Playing Dark Souls is about fun, and there's nothing more fun than executing a perfect Hadou-ken on a rising opponent with the Dragon Bone Fist, or sending them flying with the Black Knight Greatsword.
Dark Souls has an ambiance unlike any other universe, and part of this is the outstanding effort put into its background noises. Most areas in the game don't have music, outside of bosses, but they all have noises. If you've never just listened to Dark Souls before, go to the Painted World or Oolacile and just stand around with some good headphones on. Brrrrrr.
The best thing to do in Dark Souls, without doubt, is to jump out on an unsuspecting host and scare the bejesus out of them. If they fall off a ledge in shock, it's magic. If I'm not fighting straight up, I often troll. I'll wave at opponents, dance around with disguises on, drop items, dance, whatever I can do to amuse or enrage my opponent – and most people join in.
Some don't, and get very annoyed at this kind of play. They're livid that I Force-d them off a ledge, or sprung out of nowhere with a Firestorm, or jumped them, or parried and used the Hornet ring. Dark Souls is such an intense game that many of its players lose sight of the fact it's so much fun. I've had more hate-mail from playing this game online than anything else I've ever played, everything from questions about my sexuality to death threats, and when the message icon pops up you know what? I smile. Nerd tears are the sweetest.
Remember that next time you're messing about in Dark Souls. It's a game. If you're getting too wound-up, take a walk or play something else for a while. Neither of us wants to see you go hollow.
The title says it all. Ornstein and Smough? Walkover. Seath? Don't make me laugh. Gwyn? Cake. Torch hollow? Killed my amazingly-decked out self more times than I could possibly count – one of the commonest enemies in the game, and one you can never lose respect for. After all, nothing says Dark Souls quite like being shish-kebabbed in seconds by a naked man with a stick.
Rich Stanton is a freelance writer who spends most of his life in Lordran. Check him out on IGN or Twitter.
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