Ed. Note: This is the second of two posts about how I got good at Dark Souls III*, beating three bosses in one session. The first post is here. All the videos in this post of are players who are better than I am, but I tried to find the fights that were the closest to mine.
Dancer was a tough boss for me because she was fairly fast and dual-wielded two wicked swords. She had a move in which she danced across the room in circles, looping her swords around her as she went. If she caught me with it, she stun-locked me and killed me rather handily. What I normally do the first few times I meet a boss is watch her as best I can, trying to observe her patterns. Of course, that’s not easy to do with the boss attacking me, but it’s helpful in the long run. I died several times to her, so I put down my soapstone sign and battled her with someone a few times. I know I’ve said this many times, but this is a part of the game I never thought I’d enjoy as much as I do. Since I’m playing the game fairly close to release, I’m usually able to be summoned when I put my sign down within a minute or two. My minor complaint about the system is that you only get half your potions as a phantom, but it makes sense. It would make the host ridiculously OP if his phantoms had full healing powers as well. Yes, the boss gets an increase in health, but adding an extra attacker or two really makes a difference.
I like Dancer, even though she was a pain in the ass to beat. Still. I never felt completely overwhelmed as I did with Aldrich. Him, I felt as if I would never beat him. With Dancer, I felt as if it were a matter of time. It’s hard to explain what makes the difference between a boss that feels unbeatable and one that I think is manageable. Quickness is difficult for me to counter because of my slow reflexes. Really hard-hitting foes who can two-shot me frustrate me because then I have to waste a health potion after one fucking hit. By the way, I really hate that the enemies are scaled such that they always have one hit point after you blast them with either a spell or a few whacks. It’s been that way in all the Souls games, and it frustrates me every time. Speaking of frustrating things, big shout out to me not being able to hit an enemy with my pyromancy/spells when that same fucking enemy can hit me with her spells/pyromancy. I am a big fan of this. BIG fan. While we’re at it, I LOVE inconsistent AI in an enemy. Look. I know Souls game are hard. I accept that. It’s part of the reason I play them. But one thing I depend on is that the enemies path correctly and stay within their tethers. If they suddenly break free from that, I get mad.
The fact that I can focus on those and not the game, however, shows me that I’ve gotten better at this game. I can’t help but compare my mentality now to when I was approximately at the same place in the original Dark Souls. Back then, I was completely overwhelmed by the game, exhausted and pretty much done with it. Instead of being excited albeit nervous to enter a new area, I would just heave a big sigh and feel burdened as I trudged forward. The game felt inordinately long, though I don’t think it’s as long as this game (minus DLC), and by the time I linked the flame, I was so done with the game.** This time, I’ve gotten tired in places–indeed, right before this day of beating three bosses, I was ready for a break–but I’m not hating the last part of the game, gritting my teeth and pushing through it, the way I was while playing the original game. I do think the Souls games could be shorter, but they’re probably not meant to be played the way I do–ingested as quickly as possibly. Let me rephrase that. I love exploring each area as thoroughly as I can if I’m not overwhelmed by enemies. I’ve seen YouTubers who just zip through areas, caring more about progression than the experience itself. Though, I’ve seen less of that with these games than with others, probably because if someone is playing a Souls game, especially after playing others, they’re invested in the lore and trying to find all the secrets they possibly can. There’s no way to find them on your first playthrough, but it’s part of the Souls experience*** to at least try. What I mean by ingesting the games as quickly as possibly is that I play for hours on end, every day, trying to find everything in an area that I possibly can. So, it’s understandable that fatigue would set in at this point. I’m definitely firmly into the latter half of the game, and I’ve been playing it for roughly sixty hours at this point.
I was human when I beat Dancer and collect my 60,000 souls! I know that sounds like a lot, but it’s one or two levels at this point. Anyway, being embered/human/whatever is such a bonus when fighting a boss. Thirty percent extra health ain’t no joke. It means more time between healing, and it just gives a psychological boost to see that health bar a third longer. A weird thing happens when I beat a boss. Time slows down, and it seems as if the enemy gives me more time to react. Side note: Every boss has patterns and weaknesses. Some have fewer weaknesses than others, but they all have them. The trick is to know when and where they are and have the wherewithal to exploit them. Once you get the patterns down, though, it’s just a matter of attrition. Back to beating bosses. I’m not as flustered, and I’m very focused. I’m usually cussing while I’m playing Souls game, but when I get close to killing a boss, I go completely silent. The second I see the white dust explode in the air indicating that the boss is dead, I explode into a string of jubilant cursing which may or may not include the phrases, “Fuck you, you fucking asshole! Take that, you piece of shit!” I’m always shaking after a boss fight, whether I win or lose. The adrenaline rush is real, yo. During a successful attempt, I feel as if the boss is attacking less often and waiting for me to respond. I know it’s not true, but it’s a good feeling. I feel as if I have plenty of time to get off my casts, and my dodge rolls are spirited and true. A calm comes over me, and even if I get hit, I don’t get upset. Near the end of the fight, I have to make myself not get greedy because that one last hit is within reach, but I have no stamina. Then, after I’ve recovered and the boss has done one more move set, I strike. I wish I could feel that way every time I fight a boss, but I guess that’s asking for too much.
After I beat Dancer, I went back to Firelink Shrine to spend my souls and to marvel that I had killed three bosses in one session. To be totally honest, I had been planning on stopping after beating the second boss, but once I beat Yhorm and the cutscene for Dancer played, my ‘beat the boss’ instinct kicked in, and it was ON. Even though Dancer was difficult, I never felt as if she were completely out of reach. As I said before, I really thought I might be stuck on Aldrich (the first of the three bosses I killed in this session) for good. I was tempted more than once to summon a phantom to battle him, but I’m fucking stubborn. I had just beat the previous boss with the aid of two summons, and that’s not the way I play Souls, son! With Dancer, however, I really felt it was a matter of time. It’s funny how different bosses are difficult for different players. It makes sense, of course, but it still amuses me. For example, the Old Demon King was nigh impossible for me, and, yet, I read on the forums that many considered him the easiest boss in the game. On the other hand, I had no difficulty with High Lord Wolnir, and I saw many people pleading for help with him. After I beat Dancer, I saw a thread written by a guy who was trying to help his friend beat her. Together, both embered, they tried and failed to beat her roughly twenty times. He said his friend tried on his own thirty to forty times. I felt justifiably smug that I had beaten her on my own after between ten and fifteen tries.
I know better than to get too confident, however, as Souls delights in knocking its players down a notch or ten immediately after allowing them the immense high of beating a boss. Sometimes, it happens as soon as in the area immediately following the boss bonfire. I understand that’s part of the allure of the games, but I would like to feel jubilant for more than a hot minute or two. I remember after one boss fight, High Lord Wolnir, whom was fairly easy for me to defeat, I was walking to the next area (after cashing in my souls). I lit the next bonfire and was walking towards this beautiful, shimmering ice world when I heard a thundering behind me. I turned around to face this squawking monstrosity who was breathing fire in my direction. I fought it valiantly, but it made fairly short work of me. I died, losing my embered state, which I had so recently gained after defeating High Lord Wolnir. I was pissed because I went from such a high to being killed yet again, and it was a harbinger for how woefully unprepared for the next section (Irithyll of the Boreal Valley. My favorite in terms of atmosphere because it’s an ice city) I felt upon entering it.
This is why I usually quit playing for the day after beating a boss, no matter how much I want to explore the area I’d just unlocked. After such a draining experience, I like to end on a high. I’ve been asked why I play Souls game if I’m not having fun playing them, and I’ve struggled to come up with a satisfactory answer. I don’t enjoy playing them in the typical sense, but they are engrossing, enraging, absorbing, and utterly satisfying when I finally kill a boss. Remember, I’m mediocre in terms of people who actually play Souls games, so I have to work for every win I get much harder than most Souls players. I can only dream of one-hitting a boss, the tutorial boss notwithstanding. It’s not uncommon for me to die ten times or more to a boss, so I think I also appreciate each kill a little bit more. That moment when a boss disappears into white dust and “Victory Achieved” flashes on the screen. Or, “Lord of Cinder Fallen” or “Heir of Fire Destroyed” and I pick up a lord soul. I’m always shaking with adrenaline after a boss fight, triumphant or not.
Since winning a boss fight is so difficult for me, winning three in one session was fucking amazing. It’s the best feeling in my gaming world, and that’s the reason I play these games. It’s my crack, and I’m continually chasing that high. I have to hold on to that feeling because it’s so fleeting and far between. It’s also why I have a tough time playing any other game because nothing can duplicate that feeling. I hope that one day, I’ll find another game that comes even close to it.
*I am joking, of course. I’m still a mediocre to fair Souls player.
**Of course, I went back to it even though I vowed I never would, and I enjoyed it much more the second time through, though I didn’t feel nearly as accomplished.
***Oh, shit. I’ve become that guy, er, gal. You know what I mean!