***Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice***

[Amatsubu]

Lol, had some DS time today and I after I had defeated Yhorm, I unknowingly triggered the Dancer fight and died while trying to switch my weapon from the Stormruler, locked myself into the fight with 37000 souls on the line

Dancer was hard, took four tries not counting that first surprise death and I really had to focus to scrape by.

This session was more fun, still not Sekiro level but finally a good boss again.

 

[strumpusplunket]

I liked Dancer too. Something in the movements of Guardian Ape in Sekiro reminded me of her a litle bit. She's definitely a worthy foe, and felt cool to fight.

Also, I was reading some previews of Elden Ring over the weekend, and I am getting fully hyped for it now...

 

[Borsch]

What are your favourite Knight's weapons? Please don't say Thume's Ultra Great Sword , that thing is like the umbrella=legal cheat in Sekiro Although, I'd say all great swords and ultra great swords are easy(easier) mode as they stagger enemies as well as have ridiculous reach. So it's one handers only for me. But I did use a GS vs the Nameless King on both playthroughs . Rapiers also look cool, but, inexplicably and inexcusably, they replace the cool shield kick move with a useless hop back.

 

[Amatsubu]

I liked Dancer too. Something in the movements of Guardian Ape in Sekiro reminded me of her a litle bit. She's definitely a worthy foe, and felt cool to fight.

Also, I was reading some previews of Elden Ring over the weekend, and I am getting fully hyped for it now...

Yeah, it was fun evading her combos, she wasn't incredibly hard as well but just right IMO.
I was rolling through her whirlwind the first time because it reminded me of Corrupted Monk

What are your favourite Knight's weapons? Please don't say Thume's Ultra Great Sword , that thing is like the umbrella=legal cheat in Sekiro Although, I'd say all great swords and ultra great swords are easy(easier) mode as they stagger enemies as well as have ridiculous reach. So it's one handers only for me. But I did use a GS vs the Nameless King on both playthroughs . Rapiers also look cool, but, inexplicably and inexcusably, they replace the cool shield kick move with a useless hop back.

I only used the longsword and now refined LKS at +6 as I went for a quality build. I rarely even use the shield so I'm looking for a fun side weapon to try out.

 

[strumpusplunket]

What are your favourite Knight's weapons? Please don't say Thume's Ultra Great Sword , that thing is like the umbrella=legal cheat in Sekiro Although, I'd say all great swords and ultra great swords are easy(easier) mode as they stagger enemies as well as have ridiculous reach. So it's one handers only for me. But I did use a GS vs the Nameless King on both playthroughs . Rapiers also look cool, but, inexplicably and inexcusably, they replace the cool shield kick move with a useless hop back.

For me it was situational. For general exploration I went with Lothric Knight Sword with a shield; Hollowslayer GS was my go-to for most bosses in NG; I like the Dragonslayer Greataxe for grinding/farming when I know what's coming (but it's a bit slow for exploring); and for faster bosses I whip out the Sellsword Twinblades. Friede got a flurry of Crow Talons for being a general pain in the rear who was also susceptible to their stagger.

Yeah, it was fun evading her combos, she wasn't incredibly hard as well but just right IMO.
I was rolling through her whirlwind the first time because it reminded me of Corrupted Monk

Ah yes, I can see a similarity there too. I liked the way Dancer looked clumsy and awkward yet also graceful and deadly at the same time. And yeah, I found her difficulty just right too. I died three times one evening and went to sleep feeling frustrated and then the next day it just clicked.

 

[Borsch]

I only used the longsword and now refined LKS at +6 as I went for a quality build. I rarely even use the shield so I'm looking for a fun side weapon to try out.

Nice, these were my top choices for the second playthrough. My first (strength) playthrough was done with a broadsword +10 and heavy infusion.
On my bucket list is the Anri straightsword which requires some crazy stats. Barsteward GS, Astora GS and Claymore GS look passable (for oversized swords) but make many sections too easy.

For me it was situational. For general exploration I went with Lothric Knight Sword with a shield; Hollowslayer GS was my go-to for most bosses in NG; I like the Dragonslayer Greataxe for grinding/farming when I know what's coming (but it's a bit slow for exploring); and for faster bosses I whip out the Sellsword Twinblades. Friede got a flurry of Crow Talons for being a general pain in the rear who was also susceptible to their stagger.

Will have a look, never tried anything above apart from the LKS of course.
Friede is susceptible to bleeding, my first encounter was with just a plain broadsword, but for the second (dexterity) I used a katana - black, chaos or frayed blade (can't remember as they all do massive bleed buildup). However katanas belong to Sekiro and I felt bad - on top of being frustrated with her antics

 

[strumpusplunket]

Nice, these were my top choices for the second playthrough. My first (strength) playthrough was done with a broadsword +10 and heavy infusion.
On my bucket list is the Anri straightsword which requires some crazy stats. Barsteward GS, Astora GS and Claymore GS look passable (for oversized swords) but make many sections too easy.

Will have a look, never tried anything above apart from the LKS of course.
Friede is susceptible to bleeding, my first encounter was with just a plain broadsword, but for the second (dexterity) I used a katana - black, chaos or frayed blade (can't remember as they all do massive bleed buildup). However katanas belong to Sekiro and I felt bad - on top of being frustrated with her antics

I don't think she is weak to lightning, but a lightning buffed crow talons was a good option because it's so fast and can keep her staggered enough for a full combo a lot of the time. The lightning buff adds a nice damage tick.

It's tricky to time, but there are a couple of moves where she leaves just enough recovery time for you to get the talons' weapon art off as well, and if you can manage that it will chunk around a third of her life bar. If you miss the timing though, you are eating scythe!

Actually, I remember for NG+ I switched to using the Lothric Knight Greatsword (one with Chaos +10 and one Lightning +10) as I was by then just wanting to plough through everything and that was the quickest tool for it.

I never felt comfortable with katanas in DS for some reason. I know a lot of people like the washing pole, but I never got the knack for it.

 

[Borsch]

if you can manage that it will chunk around a third of her life bar.

Wow, nice. I wish there were Sekiro's "Reflections of Strength" in DS3, so one could replay any boss fight at any time.

I know a lot of people like the washing pole,

A lot of people have no taste - katanas simply don't fit the medieval Europe aesthetic of DS3, that is my biggest gripe with them there

 

[Amatsubu]

Cleared out the Chalice Dungeon, uuum, I mean Demon Ruins and decided to upgrade the Claymore to +6 as I had a shedload of mats to spare but I think I'll try the Hollowslayer Greatsword.

 

[strumpusplunket]

Wow, nice. I wish there were Sekiro's "Reflections of Strength" in DS3, so one could replay any boss fight at any time.

It was a great find that I was very pleased with But it's like the only situation I could find in the whole game (including DLCs) where that weapon art is beneficial. I thought I would try it out on some other enemies, but most of them either have enough poise to hyperarmour through it and clobber you back or don't give you the leeway of the roughly 1.5 second wind-up time before the art comes out. Becase Friede has some pauses after some of her teleport attacks in phase one (and you can get behind her mid-animation in phase three if you're careful) AND has very low poise it really becomes her kryptonite once you get used to where your windows to use it are.

A lot of people have no taste - katanas simply don't fit the medieval Europe aesthetic of DS3, that is my biggest gripe with them there

Yeah, I think my main issue was just a vague feeling of "wrongness" - they felt too light and floaty and just out of place with everything else.

Cleared out the Chalice Dungeon, uuum, I mean Demon Ruins and decided to upgrade the Claymore to +6 as I had a shedload of mats to spare but I think I'll try the Hollowslayer Greatsword.

I was a big fan of the Hollowslayer in my first playthrough. Nice moveset, decent damage, not too slow, and looks good.

 

[Amatsubu]

Around six tries for Dragonslayer Armour, of which two times I got thrown off the arena by an attack and one time glitched into a wall

What a frustrating boss, and hits like a freight train.

 

[strumpusplunket]

Ha, I rolled off the bridge whilst fighting him three times in a row and had to stop playing for a bit to refocus

I quite liked that fight, though, it felt satisfying (when I wasn't falling into oblivion). He's a punishing opponent and there's a lot of crunch to the fight, both his hits and yours if you go in with a big strength weapon - I think I used Vordt's Mace to get him in NG+ since I learned he was weak to frost, and it really felt like we were walloping each other with great force.

You're nearly at the boss that took me somewhere between 10 and 15 attempts. Will be intersted in your next progress report...

 

[Amatsubu]

Ha, I rolled off the bridge whilst fighting him three times in a row and had to stop playing for a bit to refocus

I quite liked that fight, though, it felt satisfying (when I wasn't falling into oblivion). He's a punishing opponent and there's a lot of crunch to the fight, both his hits and yours if you go in with a big strength weapon - I think I used Vordt's Mace to get him in NG+ since I learned he was weak to frost, and it really felt like we were walloping each other with great force.

You're nearly at the boss that took me somewhere between 10 and 15 attempts. Will be intersted in your next progress report...

He was pretty fun but the arena sucked I went in with a sword and his attack patterns weren't that bad to dodge after a while, he has some roll-catching stuff and required a different approach.

Regarding the next boss, it'll probably be tough
After all, it's my first DS and feels different than other From stuff.

I know the bosses that are left, just don't know their stuff. I assume you're talking about Lothric and Lorian Or maybe optional stuff like Champion Gundyr

Surely will get my arse whopped, though so far there hasn't been a boss as aggressive as BB ones, especially DLC stuff like Ludwig the Accursed or Orphan. That game was really different though, you had to be aggressive yourself, bosses took less damage from your hits, were often in your face and you couldn't use a shield but healing was faster and so were you. More thrilling overall.

I think I died to Bloody Crow of Cainhurst more times than to all the DS3 bosses so far, and he was a mini-boss

 

[strumpusplunket]

He was pretty fun but the arena sucked I went in with a sword and his attack patterns weren't that bad to dodge after a while, he has some roll-catching stuff and required a different approach.

Regarding the next boss, it'll probably be tough
After all, it's my first DS and feels different than other From stuff.

I know the bosses that are left, just don't know their stuff. I assume you're talking about Lothric and Lorian Or maybe optional stuff like Champion Gundyr

Surely will get my arse whopped, though so far there hasn't been a boss as aggressive as BB ones, especially DLC stuff like Ludwig the Accursed or Orphan. That game was really different though, you had to be aggressive yourself, bosses took less damage from your hits, were often in your face and you couldn't use a shield but healing was faster and so were you. More thrilling overall.

I think I died to Bloody Crow of Cainhurst more times than to all the DS3 bosses so far, and he was a mini-boss

Yep, the Princes.

One of my favourite DS3 bosses. I like the atmosphere of the fight and how it changes as you go through it. Like the aesthetics and the vocals. It just roughed me up something rotten.

(I played through the end of NG+++ I think, but I still never knew Champ G was optional! He's just always been there on my run through the game and I never looked up if I could avoid him or not.)

Playing Sekiro gave me a new insight into the aggressiveness of bosses. There's no one so quick and relentless and good at closing gaps as Owl or Isshin or those Iaijutsu mini-bosses in Dark Souls. Friede is probably closest, possibly Gael, but they are the end of their respective DLCs.

The Princes were the only boss in the base game that took me more than four attempts I think. It's not really speed and aggression that they have, it's just... well, maybe you'll see. Or maybe you'll breeze past them without any problem.

(I sooo want BB to come to PC...)

 

[Amatsubu]

Yep, the Princes.

One of my favourite DS3 bosses. I like the atmosphere of the fight and how it changes as you go through it. Like the aesthetics and the vocals. It just roughed me up something rotten.

(I played through the end of NG+++ I think, but I still never knew Champ G was optional! He's just always been there on my run through the game and I never looked up if I could avoid him or not.)

Playing Sekiro gave me a new insight into the aggressiveness of bosses. There's no one so quick and relentless and good at closing gaps as Owl or Isshin or those Iaijutsu mini-bosses in Dark Souls. Friede is probably closest, possibly Gael, but they are the end of their respective DLCs.

The Princes were the only boss in the base game that took me more than four attempts I think. It's not really speed and aggression that they have, it's just... well, maybe you'll see. Or maybe you'll breeze past them without any problem.

(I sooo want BB to come to PC...)

I'll probably struggle with them, heard they're a bit rng like Aldrich or Soul of Cinder and people seem to struggle with different things as well.


So far, DS3 is definitely the worst in terms of bosses. I don't really like the weird difficulty curve when half of the game is really easy and the hardest fights seem to be designed around being multi-phase endurance fights with some nonsense like Friede's stuff or Nameless King where you have to fight both the camera and the boss during first phase. Not really looking forward to that, even though the fights themselves are visually impressive.

Of all the bosses so far, Watchers, Pontiff and Dancer have been the standouts, the rest I already forgot they existed, TBH. Dragonslayer Armour was pretty good but the arena was annoying.

 

[Amatsubu]

Oceiros second try, Champion Gundyr also second try.

Oceiros was a terrible boss in a terrible arena. The area was also pants. No fun at all with the camera and his flailing into walls but Gundyr was pretty great and tense.

It'll be a while till I fight the Princes though, as I want to do Archdragon Peak and the DLCs before, if I even can

 

[strumpusplunket]

Oceiros second try, Champion Gundyr also second try.

Oceiros was a terrible boss in a terrible arena. The area was also pants. No fun at all with the camera and his flailing into walls but Gundyr was pretty great and tense.

It'll be a while till I fight the Princes though, as I want to do Archdragon Peak and the DLCs before, if I even can

Oceiros was a cool idea. A sad, tragic character, with some audio-visual cues that bring that home. But as a fight, yeah, it was totally dreaful. A real shame.

I didn't realise how cool Champ G was until later playthroughs. I strolled up to him all nonchalant in one NG+ cycle and he, seemingly equally nonchantly, kicked me right off the map. I wasn't even close to the edge! A real Ron Burgandy moment - "How did you do that? I'm not even mad. That's amazing!"

That was the start of him roflstomping another three or four times in that cycle as his revenge for me killing him relatively easily on my earlier ones.

Enjoy the worst "the camera is the real boss" experience in the whole of the Souls-verse in Archdragon Peak, then

 

[Borsch]

Champion Gundyr also second try

No way, took me about 20 attempts on my first walkthrough and at least 5 on my second I went for style though, it was parry or die.
I thought Champ G was very similar to Sekiro bosses aggression wise, in the second phase he doesn't even give time to heal.

I want to do Archdragon Peak and the DLCs before, if I even can

You can. Since you've defeated Champ G, you must have collected the dragon posture to access the Peak. The DLCs were accessible ever since you've opened the Cathedral of the deep.
The Ariendel DLC is massively easier with a great/ultra great sword. Struggled with every area with my broadsword in the first walkthrough, breezed through with claymore on my second.

 

[Amatsubu]

Oceiros was a cool idea. A sad, tragic character, with some audio-visual cues that bring that home. But as a fight, yeah, it was totally dreaful. A real shame.

I didn't realise how cool Champ G was until later playthroughs. I strolled up to him all nonchalant in one NG+ cycle and he, seemingly equally nonchantly, kicked me right off the map. I wasn't even close to the edge! A real Ron Burgandy moment - "How did you do that? I'm not even mad. That's amazing!"

That was the start of him roflstomping another three or four times in that cycle as his revenge for me killing him relatively easily on my earlier ones.

Enjoy the worst "the camera is the real boss" experience in the whole of the Souls-verse in Archdragon Peak, then

Yeah, the lore is very interesting and sad but many bosses in this are really disappointing.

Well, not looking forward to that since I have the most camera problems in this game compared to all other Fron stuff However, I learned that defeating the teleport bros (yeah, good luck with that) doesn't lock me into endgame so I think I'll try them first.

No way, took me about 20 attempts on my first walkthrough and at least 5 on my second I went for style though, it was parry or die.
I thought Champ G was very similar to Sekiro bosses aggression wise, in the second phase he doesn't even give time to heal.

You can. Since you've defeated Champ G, you must have collected the dragon posture to access the Peak. The DLCs were accessible ever since you've opened the Cathedral of the deep.
The Ariendel DLC is massively easier with a great/ultra great sword. Struggled with every area with my broadsword in the first walkthrough, breezed through with claymore on my second.

I was surprised myself that I managed him. What's funny is that he was within an inch of dying on my first try but I made a LOT of mistakes throughout the fight and he got me while I was trying to pop an Ember at the wrong time.

The second time I actually didn't need to heal much during the second phase and got him in the end. I didn't go for parries though, only once and then played roll souls
I wish there was a boss replay mode so I could experiment with parries and stuff, his parry timings on certain moves seem somewhat lenient.

He was definitely pretty aggressive, second phase was almost Bloodborne aggression but he didn't close distance as fast so that gave me brief moments to catch my breath and react.

I have HGS at +3 or 4 I think and Claymore at +6 but haven't used them much yet, I'll keep them in mind for the DLC

 

[strumpusplunket]

As I play with KB&M I don't think I experience the camera problems quite as badly as people with controllers, but, yeah phase one of the famed final fight in Archdragon Peak is just horrendous for camera shennanigans. Second phase is a really cool fight, though.

For me I think DS3 had about a third of bosses who are pretty cool and fun fights, a third just okay, and a third that are annoying, badly designed or gimmicky. There are a lot of bosses, though, so still a good number of decent ones.

As far as greatswords and UGS go, I didn't find I got on with that many. I found by far the most pleasant GS to use were Hollowslayer and the Black Knight Sword (one does extra damage to hollows and one to demons iirc, so I switched them out a bit depending on what I was up against, I think). Amongst the UGS, IMHO the Lothric Knight Greatsword is far and away best, and one of my favourite weapons in the whole game. The Ring Knight Paired GS has a really fun weapon art that had me cackling with delight when I used it on some of the tough enemies in the DLC, but I didn't like much else about it. The other UGS I thought we just a bit meh - too slow, with too limited a moveset or uninspiring damage.