I just played this game for the first time, let's talk about Dark Souls

I just played this game for the first time, let's talk about Dark Souls.
How do you build your chosen undead?

My first playthrough I went with a tanky build. I didn't realize there was anything but fastroll until I got to Smough and Ornstein and started to play around with my loadout because I hit a wall. I ended up lightrolling for that fight, but went back to being a tank afterward, ended up with full giant's set. I used halberds for most of my first playthrough as well.

These days I only play lightrolling and using the Longsword. I boot it up once in a while and see how far I can get without dying.

...

Full havels+ zweihander

First playthrough I went strength with black knight sword.

Played primarily dex ever since then or sometimes quality.

Do you mean that you finished it, or you just started?

What is that ??? bit?

Drake Sword into Queelag's Chaos Blade (?) was my fight playthrough. Elite Knight armor and no magic or pyro. Worked like a charm.

>bit?

What?

There's the Chaos Blade, and then there's Quelaag's Furysword. Two different weapons.

To the right of the Undead Parish, there's a part that just says ???

I made a scholar that uses magic at long range and defends herself close up with a spear. Because she's physically weak she had to weild it 2-handed at all time. 2 wands, one to make the spear deal any damage and another to enchant a little shield when it was necessary.

Oh! That's just the Sunlight Altar. Not sure why it's marked like that.

Fury Sword is what I meant. Thanks. I rocked the chaos blade in 2 though, the one that drained your HP and whatnot.

I wish the Tin Banishment Catalyst were any good as a weapon.

Finished, I've never played a souls game so I got one off a steam sale.
Wish I got into it sooner, it's really good but the game is kind of dead.

What's everybody's favorite weapon?

I love the Longsword's utility and dat 2H R2. Can't beat it.

Yeah, the multiplayer is unfortunately pretty much dead. You play the DLC?

Y'know what was great about DS1 was how, in the early part of the game, you could kind of see other areas at times. Like, you get up to the drake bridge before UP, and you can look down on the Burg and I think you can even see the Firelink Shrine. It was really nice, and if you looked out over the vista like that, you got a real sense of accomplishment that even fighting bosses couldn't totally deliver. It just had this cool feeling of "wow I just climbed that" that I think the sequels were missing but DS2 wasn't that bad and I don't hate it, and I never played DS3, only just watched Joel stream it, so maybe it does that too.

Claymore, my first run of every souls games is a Claymore run.

Claymore is a fantastic weapon. It's like a big Longsword.

looks like the Altar of Sunlight.

My favorite for 1 and 2 -- Couldn't learn to love it in 3 though. Too easily out classed by straight swords.

Yeah, DS2 was really disjointed and you cross like a whole content in just a couple little connecting areas. I think the worst part was having teleportation open right from the start since it means none of the areas really matter and it seriously downplays decisions like taking the boat or going into the toxic vally which are otherwise 1 way trips until you defeat the boss.
It's the same in DS3 and Bloodborne where you almost always go one way through the level and never need to come back again because you can just teleport everywhere and the games are really linear. Of course there are a couple exceptions like the invitation to Cainhurst or trying to remember where that dragon statue is.
Playing it again recently I don't think DS1 even had particularly good levels, same problem as later games where there's not a single actual roadblock between you and the boss, but you have to go back and forth between them so often that they become really familar. Having to know the land makes the game way more fun and interesting. Closer to release when curse was actually serious business you had to make a serious choice between following the sewer hoping to find an antidote or taking the arduous jouney backwards to the moss merchant or old anor londo guy.

My first play through character was fucking atrocious and I restarted when I knew what to do I was level 70 something with like 40 strength high intelligence and zero points into vit and end. Getting as far as I did with no health and stamina made my second playthrough a breeze though

The entire class of greatswords got shafted in 3, they don't do anything better than straight swords or halberds.

The teleportation is another victim of the constant 'streamlining' that the series seems to be going through and it's really tragic. It could be a lot worse, the games still have challenges to offer, but too often the changes cheapen the experience overall. I still think the series peaked at Dark Souls, I even think it has the best combat. Here's hoping From can recapture some of the magic with their new IPs.

Witch-Knight, usual mage-warrior build. Try to find helms that look like dragons or other animals. Stats take precedence obviously but if I can look good AND have nice stats great.