Soulslike - Discussion, News, Memes

Following on the discussion about "Souls-lite" the other week I'll be playing one this weekend: Rise of the Ronin. Okay listen, it's definitely emphasis on the lite and not the Souls, but it does have bonfire equivalents and you do have an upgrade currency you temporarily lose if you die, and permanently lose if you die again before collecting it.

Overall I'm surprisingly enjoying it quite a bit. The combat takes a while to get going with a lot of stuff locked behind unlocks, but have heard a lot of praises about it and I can see that it's got some cool depth to it. Also a very heavy parry focus, which is fun (when I hit them). So far it feels like a better version of Ghost of Tsushima for me, despite the difference in reception of the two games. It doesn't look as good, mind. I also haven't run into any performance issues, so they may have been fixed in patches.

Personally I've been in both camps, first playthrough of Dark Souls was absolutely a sword-and-board, shield raised rounding every corner kind of gameplay. I have progressed with time, and these days I am more of a dodge and weave kind of player, but I did sometimes resort to using a shield in Elden Ring whenever I thought a boss or situation called for it. Helps that I played right at launch (pre Barricade Shield nerf).

I do think it's more fun to dodge/parry, but it's not always fun enough to risk not beating the boss.

Also playing Rise of the Rōnin after quite some time away from souls likes. Have just refunded Wuchang though, and looking to get into WoLong maybe this weekend (tho I’m already outside of the refund period so no rush).
But the Marathon server slam is going on and I’m mostly focusing on that.

As for the parrying, one thing I’m starting to realize is just how bad I am at both dodging and parrying. And I think that’s because I’m a rhythm gamer and I can’t override the reflex to hit perfectly on beat. If souls likes offered an option to position the i-frames at the exact moment you press the dodge/parry button I could SL1 most games but as is I just suck.

Frankly, I've been meaning to jump back onto Hunt: Showdown one of these days. And if you carry a weapon that deals insane amounts of damage at close range and run towards an enemy dodging bullets with your mouse (never sidestep at close range), you're essentially punishing that player with what could be a well timed dodge/parry and front stab. I managed to land some of those and it feels amazing.

As for soulslikes... I'd like to go back to Nioh 2 or Elden Ring, but not yet. I've got a few Deep Rock Galactic sessions pending with a friend, Enshrouded with another 3 and Divinity: Original Sin 2 with my lady.

Team dodge and weave, of course. Shield only to parry. I can add thay to my resume now!

Last weekend I finished DeS remake so it's back to Sekiro to git gud but I also got DS3 so maybe both :P

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.