Soulslike - Discussion, News, Memes

I'm currently playing Lies of P, and I’m having a blast! I needed a bit to get in to the flow, but now I'm really enjoying it. The only parts where I struggled were in my opinion, the two best Boss fights yet: The Big Police Man™ and the Archbishop Eldritch Thing™.

The Police Guy was the point where deflecting really clicked for me. I could have defeated him in the same way I defeated bosses and mini-bosses before then with a hit-and-run style, but standing before him, and trying and timing the deflects to his giant swings was just so satisfying. Guard Regain is, in my opinion, an awesome mechanic: it not only makes missing a defect less punishing, but then also forces you to be more aggressive.

For the Bishop: I defeated his first phase on my first attempt; it did cost me most of my heals and buffs but I got it done. But that was only his first phase. He then eviscerated me almost immediately. It took me 3 attempts to get back to his second phase to learn it. My winning attempt was very satisfying: first phase only chip damage, no heals used (the big guy is very satisfying to deflect); the second phase was more of a scramble, since I needed a bit more spatial awareness to deflect his smaller body.

These fights really made me feel that not my character got better, but that I, as a player, got better. This satisfying experience is what Souls games are really about for me.

Currently, in Lies of P, I'm actually blocking quite a bit. Sure, it's mostly just missing the deflect, but I'm also blocking some attacks and follow-ups without trying (yet) to deflect them, just to get in a favorable position (Guard Regain actually encourages a bit).

But generally, I'm more in the Dodge & Weave camp. I also got my start in Bloodborne and took that playstyle over to other Souls games. I might use a shield as a utility item, maybe for the buff it gives -- looking at you Grass Crest Shield -- or to parry, but seldom for actually blocking and almost never in boss fights.