Welcome to Bloodborne, Jonpo! Best game. Nioh looks rad as well, I look forward to getting around to it.

Huh. I died and couldn't find anything except a gravestone to warp me back. I woke up and ripped out that fucking things spine with my hands. And the guy with the axe. But it was a hassle lol. All I found in the Hunters Dream were locked/closed doors and the headstone to wake up back in the lab.

Nioh rules. I got on that second boat thinking it was taking me to a new area. I worked so hard to get there. No heals or anything left. Woops!

You gotta go to the stairs that lead to that little house inside the Hunter's Dream, mate. There'll be little skeleton dudes there who'll offer you something to arm yourself with!

I'm mostly just a moron I guess. Loading it up now. I tried to open the door up some stairs and I swear it wouldn't let me.

Edit: the door just says "Closed." When I click on it. There's some kind of bird bath merchant but he doesn't sell weapons. Only odds and ends.

Oh! You just talk to the guys ON the steps. Reading messages is important I guess.

Thanks for the help. I'm sure it won't be long until I'm stuck again.

Ok just finished the first mission in Nioh, and a quick few thoughts:

- level design is reasonably predictable, but in a good sense. more linear so far than Souls games, at least on first impression, but that's not a complaint. Lots of similarities, though - kick down ladder, unlock shortcut, etc. One thing that annoyed me in Souls games was I'd eventually always get to a point where I just couldn't work out where to go next and I'd have to consult the internet. With luck Nioh will rein that kind of cryptic shit in and the missions system will be easier to navigate.
- combat mechanics are fantastic, it's a bit strange hitting square instead of R1 etc but I've gotten fairly used to it. Been experimenting with the stances, so far medium seems to work the best for me. High used too much stamina, low is economical but too weak with the weapons I've tried. Weapons are a lot of fun, too. I'm going to invest a bit of time in learning how the kusarigama works soon, but atm just been messing around with swords, spears and axes. Haven't mastered the whole "hit R1 to regain Ki" thing yet, not too sure exactly what I'm meant to do and what it's meant to achieve. The animal spirit is a good concept too, I can imagine it'll get me out of quite a few tight spots in the near future.
- bosses (so far fought 2 including the "prequel" boss) are easy but I'm guessing that'll change. Beat both so far on the first try. Enjoying the mini-boss types that get around the regular levels, though.
- look and sound: hoooory shet. This might be what sells it for me - it's really immersive. The graphics are elaborate and detailed, the music is just beautiful and there's just the right amount of storyline going on. This is the sort of shit that sucks me in.

....Please fix that asap. You'll get nowhere without ki pulse. Trust me.

I don't even know how you'd even beat the first boss (in the ship) without it. But you sure won't last against the second real boss, haha. That one is the beginner-stumper...

Ki Pulse is only tricky if you didn't do the tutorial mission in the dojo, because without that I wouldn't have figured it out right away either. The trick is that it's not immediate, you have to wait like half a second after your combo ends to get it (when the blue orb things are absorbing into your body), there'll be a quick flash and sound effect to let you know you got it right.

My big problem so far is simply confidence. I'm way, waaaaaay too cautious and never want to go forwards for fear of getting mobbed. I'm learning to trust myself though and I've been moving along fairly steadily. I only had another hour or so of playtime tonight but I got to the boss on the boat. I'm not stuck, he just killed me twice in a row. I got him to about 40% or so health on the second try though so I reckon I'm not too far off from putting him down.

What was holding me back earlier was actually something really stupid. I uhh... didn't realize I was already able to spend all the Samurai and Jutsu points I'd been steadily accumulating throughout my "run to where I die just to die again" runs . I had assumed it was something you could only do at a shrine and I'd just unlock it later (presumably I'll get a blacksmith there later because I've been gathering materials out the wazoo but still can't do anything with them). Once it dawned on me that I could, combat got a lot easier. That God of Wind combo Morri mentioned is a lifesaver, and presumably every weapon type has an equivalent combo extender type move since I also got it for my sword and spear. And once I got the ability to have a Ki Pulse trigger when I dash? Good fucking night! Now if I die it'll be more because I just got reckless than any sort of cheapness. The game doesn't hold back giving you the tools to succeed early on.

But really, the big game changer for me was actually getting the bow. Once I went back into the forest and found one the game blew wide the fuck open. I don't know if I'm just a crack shot or if it's just crazy OP, but I'm critical one-shotting basically every human enemy I take aim at, plus every archer seems to drop arrows or another bow without fail so ammo hasn't even remotely been a problem. The longbow gives you a massive edge if you're like me and prefer to hang back a bit and scope out a route before proceeding.

I've heard some of the bosses in Nioh are insanely brutal. Have you played any Dark Souls games or Bloodborne, Bastard?

The bow is amazing. There's also a rifle in that first burning village if you hunt around.

I'm playing now. You guys got to me. Okay, yeah. Boat Lord is actually pretty easy once you figure him. But isn't that the magic of these games? The "hard parts" are only hard until that moment it clicks.

Looking forward to playing more later. I think I'm going to spend some time with a katana. I really love the huge odachi for crowd control but I'm not so sure I love the timing against huge bosses. Wish I hadn't sank so many skills into the dual swords. I'm not a huge fan.

Ah I probably just got lucky. I basically skirted him until my Ki was full, baited an attack, whacked him 3 times or so, then rinse & repeat. Did the trick.
I took the dojo tutorial and I've given the Ki pulse effect a good go this morning, will just have to get used to it I guess. There's still a lot to the game I haven't even begun to notice. Still need to look into these "combo" things BastardHead just mentioned for instance, ha ha.

Hahaha yes, the samurai skill points NEED to be spent guys. The combos are essential and of course make the combat so much more fun and deep.

As an example, there's little that's more satisfying than duelling another samurai like Tachibana or someone like him, draining his ki with a ki-draining combo (like a kick or Moon Shadow), then doing: Iai draw/Sign of the Cross (to knock them on the ground) -> Final blow -> Iai draw/SotC again while they get up.

@Jonpo: don't worry about having spent too many points in one tree. Not only can you respec (with a rare consumable item) later, but you'll get plenty more samurai points not only via levelling up but also those scrolls you find.

And yes, Ki Pulse is an essential mechanic, and the faster you learn the "Ki pulse on dodging" for EVERY stance, the sooner life will no longer suck for you.


The NG non-optional bosses are not THAT bad. The hardest ones for me were Hino-Enma (at first) and Yuki-Onna. I would say they are about on par with the likes of non-optional bosses like Pontiff Sulyvahn, Aldrich, etc. Hard, but not like, defiled-chalice-dungeon-Amygdala-hard.

Some of the optional challenges are insane though (like 2v1 duels, or DLC bosses), and in NG+ and later, some of the otherwise "moderate" bosses become brutal, like Umi-Bozu in NG++

Ok, so Dark Souls 3 update: I just beat the Deacons of the Deep. I'm actually doing way better than I thought I would be, though I'm at about 11 hours so I have no idea how I'm doing as far as time vs progress goes. I just upgraded my Astora straight sword to +4, and my Astora Great Sword to +2. This game is fun and even though I die, I'm still having a great time!

Everyone is playing Dark Souls and Bloodborne and Nioh.

Everyone except me, that is. I'm actually playing... Assassin's Creed Origins.

...Is this real life

Only because I just finished Final Fantasy XV! The virus will always be inside me!

To be fair I'm also playing: Nier Automata, Horizon Zero Dawn, Salt & Sanctuary, Hotline Miami 1 and 2, N++, Ronin, Furi, Plague Knight, Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight, and Nuclear Throne.

You digging AC Origins? I thought the setting was enticing but heard really negative things.

Bloodborne was frustrating from jump street. I felt dumb and unsure. Do I fight this big mob? That hasn't been going well. But looking for sneakier options didn't turn up much. Plus I tried to make my character Vincent Pricey but he came out more Giles-from-Buffy-except-old.

Oh. Pebbles are important.

That beginning area of Bloodborne actually seems pretty nuts at first because you don't get a bonfire for quite a while, unless you B-line for the first boss. I'd just travel around, pick off members of the mob, collect blood echoes, return to the Hunter's Dream to level up if you want (you'll need at least 1 insight to do that, so keep your eye out for Madman's Knowledge), and most importantly, open up shortcuts. By doing that you should get to the first boss in not too long. Also explore the sewers because they're creepy as absolute hell and there's some good loot down there.

I hadn't played any Souls games before Bloodborne so I found Central Yharnam brutal at first and spent ages there, but it isn't so bad if you're patient and keep opening shortcuts etc. But do remember that it's easy to run past most enemies if you want to. If you find yourself dying a lot and don't want to keep meticulously killing that mob one guy at a time, just dash around, collect your blood echoes, look for a shortcut, and continue.

Thank you! I still have a lot to learn but I just played about an hour and figured some things out. Haven't hit that first boss. I did finally realize the monsters aren't super uh...chasey. I upgraded my weapon but haven't leveled up yet. There's an altar in the Hunters Dream that I can't use.

Man. I can't imagine this being my first Souls type game. This shit puts me on edge. Its one I'm gonna spend some time on for sure.

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat
https://www.resetera.com/threads/you-to ... age.12840/
For those who already played Bloodborne (if you haven't, this might be spoilerish for late-game content).... this is mind-blowing. I have to try this..!

Anyone who calls themselves a fan of 90's shooters should check out Dusk immediately.

Finished episode 1 and it's already on it's way to being one of my favorite old-school shooters. In Dusk, you'll find skill-based yet accessible skill based movement, satisfying weapons, fun enemies, and a kickass and often atmospheric soundtrack by Andrew Hulshult. I can easily place it among the ranks of Quake, Blood, and even Doom 1/2. Only problem, like other old-school shooters, is that the boss fights are pretty lacking (Protip: Shoot at it until it dies!), even on the hard.

Just started episode 2 which I heard is even better than E1 (with better bossfights too) so I'm looking forward to the rest of the game.

Edit
One thing I forgot to mention is that the level design is absolutely impeccable. Every location and map feels memorable. Finding that locked door you stumbled upon earlier in the level isn't a hassle to find.

That's amazing, that Great One Beast is unnerving!
Right now between job, cisco exam and band practice i don't even have the time to breathe, but this is the game i'm getting first when i have a ps4

Well its must be nice you just finished FFXV. When I'm here @my home, start to play Tales series. It takes years to finish this shit off

Just started in on Assassin's Creed Origins last night. I like it so far. I like how they brought back the kind of open idea where you can travel around on your own more. That's one thing I always liked about the original game. Hopefully I'll get more time in this weekend and I can form a more complete opinion.

My new passion in life is knocking bandits off of sheer cliff walls with the kusarigama. Thank you, Nioh.

Edit: okay, front-kicking them off is really addicting too.

Civ V is cool. More noob friendly than 4 was. But Civ 4 is also a good game. In fact, it seems to be considered the best of the Civ games if I am not mistaken?

I'm trying to learn Europa Universalis, though. Maybe I oughta watch some YT videos. But god some tutorials are so long. Any in particular you guys could recommend me? I'd really appreciate it.

Can you tell me what is the most depressing part when you play Civilization series?

Losing a game after spending about an entire weekend in it, I assume?

When you launch a total assault on a city and realize you're going to run out of units before you can take it.

When I played Civ 4 in 2013 I lost my first game by messing with Genghis Khan of all people. I learned that lesson the hard way.

The first full game of Civ V I played I ended up losing out of there cuz the CPU I was duelling with got a diplomatic victory.

The next game I played I won with a cultural victory.

Let's see if I can handle games against several other civs yet lol.

The good ol' land-war-in-Russia problem.

I got Dead Cells and I'm enjoying it a ton. Absolutely no regrets. The learning curve in that game is perfect as far as I'm concerned. Instead of disappointment/rage, 9 out of 10 of my deaths are followed up with "I totally deserved that" and starting another run.

I neeeeeed Dead Cells to make it over to PS4. And I still check up on Eitr almost daily.

Wow, so I suck at Nioh. The Bat-Queen from mission 2 is literally destroying my shit. I'm going in with like 7-8 paralytic needles and I still can't get through it. Two anti-paralysis charms. I just get worked man. I'm going to have to put some time in learning her habits. I feel like there's no opening for my own attack but I know that's incorrect by a mile.

I've had a blast just running around this mission destroying everything, playing with different weapon types. Kusarigama and a single katana have been treating me really well. "Heaven Splash" or something like that with the katana is so fun. Are there revenants for NPC players? I noticed a few of them have really comical, NPC-style names. For instance "Blah blah the ladder-dancer" who fell to their death.

Been thinking about firing Bloodborne up again, this kinda seals the deal. Not to mention I still haven't played the DLC...

Mwahahah. I knew it. Hino-Enma is like the Capra Demon of Nioh. New players just hit that wall and go "fuuuuuu".

My advice would be to not rely on needles too much (only use in real emergencies during an attempt where you're doing really well). Low stance is good for dodging her charge and her paralysis beam. Mid-stance can block some of her combo, but if not, low-stance dodge backwards very fast when starts her kicking and/or umbrella combo (learn to distinguish the two or you'll be sorry hehe), then after she's done close-in for a quick hit or two (not much more, maybe 3-4 hits in low stance) and retreat.

Her grab attack is infuriating because it can come somewhat fast if you're in the middle of a combo, so beware (it heals her, too), BUT if you dodge it, she's vulnerable for several seconds.

When she's airborne, if you have shuriken or kunai, she's very vulnerable because hitting her with those while airborne will do tons of ki damage (bow/rifle works too but might be trickier to aim and shoot quickly without trading hits from her projectiles), and when her ki is depleted she falls to the ground for many free hits. However beware because as soon as she gets back up and regenerates her ki with a yokai pool she will do the grab attack so don't let that hit you! Once you dodge that, you get more free hits.



Revenants are NPCs generated from data of players who died (like bloodstains in Souls games, but it generates an NPC for you to fight). Some of them are dev-placed, you can recognize them by their name being in red, having no timestamp, and often having funny names or Team Ninja and/or Koei-Tecmo Easter eggs (many are Ninja Gaiden references, I once spotted Rygar too ). The dev-placed ones often have jokes about the deaths too, like that Ladder Performer having died from falling near a ladder or "Isuke the Brick" died from drowning (in a 1-inch puddle? lol).

Oh yeah the Revs tied to real players are obvious, with shithouse names 99% of the time. But it took me a minute to realize the dev-placed ones like you said. Is there any added advantage or difficulty in fighting those revenants as far as you know?

It's just going to take some practice against Hino-Enma I guess! Thank you for a few pointers. I didn't think about it until you said it but I need to take advantage of the backstep i-frames more. I tend to rely on side to side too heavily. Low stance + multiple backsteps should clear some real space.

I'm literally not sure I've ever lasted long enough to see her airborne hahaha. I do have storm kunai and shuriken though and I'll fucking pelt her but good! I'm going to try a few runs where I work on her timing and don't even worry much about delivering damage. I'm letting the panic take me! Paralysis panic.

My 14 day vacation is over and I'm back on the grind so there's infinitely less time or motivation for video games. I wanted to play something warm and familiar last night so I started a NG+ on Hyper Light Drifter. That black cloak is easily worth the HP trade-off. Would have done that years ago!

I've been yearning for nostalgia, so I bought Diablo II again. I intend to buy Lord of Destruction as well. I've rolled up a single player Paladin and just finished Act 2. I forgot how hard Duriel is - I'd even argue that he's one of, if not the hardest boss in the game. Especially as a melee.

Hell yeah \m/

I've actually been tempted to give Diablo 1 another go since it's been like 15 years since I played it. I remember it being more dark and atmospheric than Diablo II, which I played fiendishly in my early teens. My brother's told me that Torchlight 2 is a great play in that same vein.

I played the Eastern Sun D2 mod recently and had a lot of fun with it. Been playing Path of Exile though, not sure I'd wanna go back to vanilla D2.

My Hino-Enma trick? Spears. I don't know what build you're using but I'm trying to keep myself as light as possible and I'm generally sticking with dual blades but I'm keeping a spear in my secondary slot because it seems like a good foil to dual blades without being quite as beholden to strength thresholds like axes are. I kept myself in high stance and would basically just take potshots of one or two hits with some decent distance between us before dashing backwards and that kept me alive for almost everything she had available (though her fucking spinning wing attack caught me more often than I'd care to admit) and since I keep myself around 20% encumbrance my mobility really didn't suffer all that much from the high stance. When she's in the air, just constantly strafe left and her kunai attack will always miss, and then it gets super easy to dodge her energy blast because she'll telegraph it with a grunt. And whenever there's some distance between you, pelt her with kunai or the dama you can make with jutsu. Still took some trial and error but with that method I was able to finally beat her while only eating two attacks.

My short "nine out of eleven days off from work" break is also over so I'm going to have way less time to play games for the foreseeable future so who knows when I'll actually be able to beat the game at this rate now, and I'm only just now starting to get good enough to not die every ten seconds (sort of a double edged sword because I'm now massively overleveled as a result). I'm on Nue now and he doesn't seem quite as frustrating as Hino-Enma was but with the breaks in time I'm able to play I'll probably constantly forget all of his patterns and not beat him for a month .

I tried PoE and just could not get into it. From the overly huge skill tree to the story...I just couldn't. I mostly played through it just because friends were playing and perhaps that was enough at a base level, but the game just somehow didn't connect with me.

Morrigan and Bastardhead: thanks for getting me pumped to come home and beat her! Finally did it.

It was a bit of a desperation move but I didn't realize how the bow does like a half lock-on if you quick fire it at a locked opponent. I started hitting her with tons of arrows anytime I knew I had a second. Not exactly the most skillful victory but I'll fucking take it.

Asking what "build" I'm using is freaking adorable. I have been all over the place. Seem to have settled in with kusarigama/katana. But my stat distribution hasn't been exactly uh...focused. I figured on a second or third play through I might peak at some online guides for specific fun builds. My guy is a mess.

I also run really light though. Not sure how much difference heavy armor would make. I figure just dont get hit. I'm in a Shinobi chest/leg with scout suneate and brawler kote. All black and gold trim baby. Like a bawse.