It’s been two weeks since I beat Dark Souls III, and I still have feelings about it. In the meantime, I’ve started two new playthroughs, one as a cleric/pyromancer and one as a tank. A warrior to be specific. While the cleric/pyromancer is similar to my pyromancer, the warrior is completely different. I’m mostly pumping levels into vigor and strength, and it’s quite exhilarating to be able to kill enemies in one or two swipes of my Battle Axe. It’s funny that I’m mostly using the same weapon that I did as a pyromancer (and that I am as the cleric/pyromancer), but doing considerably more damage. I also have an ice sword that I use which is badass as well. Oh! I also put in enough levels into dexterity to use a long bow, which takes care of my range problems. The bow is good for drawing out a single enemy at a time, and it actually does noticeable damage in this game. It’s weird not having spells, but at least I have my basic Fireballs, though they don’t do nearly as much damage as they do when I’m a pyromancer. I’m digging playing as a tank, especially when I see how big my health bar is. I started my tank after killing three bosses as the cleric/pyromancer, and I already have more health as her than I do as the cleric/pyromancer. I find that as the warrior, I’m more brazen than I usually play. Normally, I hang back and take what I’m given. As a warrior, I go in and tank the hits. Crystal Sage, a boss that has given me some trouble as a caster, was cake as a tank. Granted, I used an ember and summoned Eygon of Carim, who wields Morne’s Great Hammer, but he refuses to attack the boss unless I do, too. Therefore, he wasn’t useful to me as a caster because he stayed glued to my side. When I rushed in as a tank and whaled on the boss, however, he was right there bamming along side me.
I’ve thought about uninstalling the Souls game from my computer because I can’t stop playing them. In addition, when I start playing, I can’t stop. I keep telling myself, “Just a bit longer,” and it’s three hours later before I know it. I’ve tried to play half a dozen games since I beat DS III, and none of the hardcore ones have really held my attention for very long. I’m not sure why, but it probably has something to do with what draws me to the Souls games in the first place. I’ve given a lot of thought to this, and while I’m not exactly sure, I’ve come up with a few good reasons. One, the combat. You *can* just approach an enemy and flail aimlessly at it, but the end result probably isn’t going to be beneficial to you. If you have good reflexes, you’ll probably have an easier time with the games, but even then, you have to react with precision. When you’re a scrub as I am, you have to plan your actions a bit more carefully. I can’t get away with just swinging away, even as a tank. In the aforementioned Crystal Sage fight, I got impatient near the end and took one too many swings. I lost nearly all of my health, and I had to back away so I could Estus up. Then, once I was back at full health, I finished the job.
