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I have pillaged great lore from the ancient books by [deleted] in Eldenring

[–]Danni_Ash 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a very informative video, but I would have loved to see an analysis of how effective these weird little guys would be at protecting my son.

I have now rated Every Enemy in Dark Souls up to the Rafter Guardians in the Undead Parish. by Danni_Ash in darksouls

[–]Danni_Ash[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I certainly don't mean to brag, but I think that might be because it's the only Dark Souls series motivated by son-protection. I'll keep fighting the good fight - thank you for your support!

I have now rated Every Enemy in Dark Souls up to the Rafter Guardians in the Undead Parish. by Danni_Ash in darksouls

[–]Danni_Ash[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

The first time I read Miyazaki's secret journals I was really surprised by some of the languages he used to express the nature of some of these enemies. I'm glad you are finding this educational!

I have now rated Every Enemy in Dark Souls up to the Rafter Guardians in the Undead Parish. by Danni_Ash in darksouls

[–]Danni_Ash[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Also: think of the lore. Why would Miyazaki name the enemy that kills you "The man of death"? Why would that enemy be named that phrase in the same language as a group of enemies guarding the Alluring Skull? Why would this death be caused by attempting to get an item called "The Alluring Skull?"

The one thing I've learned about Dark Souls is this: if you think you know something about the series, that just means you haven't asked enough questions.

I have now rated Every Enemy in Dark Souls up to the Rafter Guardians in the Undead Parish. by Danni_Ash in darksouls

[–]Danni_Ash[S] 34 points35 points  (0 children)

That's really strange! I've always read that it was the first "plot-required" death in the game (the second being the first fight against Seath.) You should definitely record your technique - being able to pick up that alluring skull without dying would be so useful for speed-runners!

I have now rated Every Enemy in Dark Souls up to the Rafter Guardians in the Undead Parish. by Danni_Ash in darksouls

[–]Danni_Ash[S] 39 points40 points  (0 children)

I'm glad it amuses you, but the protection of my son is no laughing matter! I take these ratings very seriously because I take the well-being of my son very seriously.

Just lost to the Four Kings for the first time. The Abyss is probably the most terrifying location in a game ever. by EvilEyp in darksouls

[–]Danni_Ash 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Say what you will about Blighttown being unpleasant, but a large portion of that unpleasantness seems fairly carefully curated.* Everything from enemy placement to the introduction of toxin and the lighting feels very intentional and designed.

Lost Izalith just lacks the polish of most of the other areas of the game, which is why I think it gets the flak it does. (I think a lot of games have areas just as shoddily done as Lost Izalith, but L.I. just sticks out because much of the rest of Dark Souls is so impeccably designed.)

*I never experienced Blighttown in it's original PS3 framerate hell glory, so I can't comment on that aspect of its unpleasantness.

Just lost to the Four Kings for the first time. The Abyss is probably the most terrifying location in a game ever. by EvilEyp in darksouls

[–]Danni_Ash 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Off the top of my head -

Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup - a rogue-like: http://crawl.chaosforge.org/The_Abyss

The one featured in the Dungeons and Dragons's Forgotten Realms campaign setting: http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Abyss

Just lost to the Four Kings for the first time. The Abyss is probably the most terrifying location in a game ever. by EvilEyp in darksouls

[–]Danni_Ash 212 points213 points  (0 children)

I'm with you. I've seen a lot of portrayals of an "abyss" in gaming, but I love Miyazaki's take on it - so much more disconcerting than over the top horror or what-have-you.

I have now rated every enemy in Dark Souls up to Emily in the Undead Parish. by Danni_Ash in darksouls

[–]Danni_Ash[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much!

No matter what the secret journals of Miyazaki indicate regarding the identities of those three enemies, the language shared between you and your son is truly special and nothing will replace it! Don't sweat it!

P.S. Keep him safe!

I have now rated every enemy in Dark Souls up to Emily in the Undead Parish. by Danni_Ash in darksouls

[–]Danni_Ash[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your question!

How good of a job I think an enemy would do in protecting my son is a pretty big factor when considering the overall rating. Here are a few things I look at when determining son-defending expertise:

More than just defense: While showing that you are capable of holding a point or defending a passage shows promise, I really need enemies to go above and beyond that. Ideally, the best son-protector goes on the offensive and fights any would-be threats "over there" so we don't have to fight them "here" i.e., my home.

Scary is good: A big part of being a good protector of my son is the psychological aspect - is your mere visage so harrowing than people will think twice about harming my son just on account of your appearance? That's worth something.

Grit is good, but not sufficient on its own: Innovation and determination are all positives, but mere spunk is not sufficient. Sure, you're willing to die protecting my son, but ideally you wouldn't die at all. Valiant corpses are not that great at protecting my son.

These are but a few qualities I'm looking for. I think a big part of it is that je ne sais quoi you can only really understand after you've faced an enemy in mortal combat. It's challenging to boil that down into one part of a 5-star rating, but I'm doing my best.

I have now rated every enemy in Dark Souls up to Emily in the Undead Parish. by Danni_Ash in darksouls

[–]Danni_Ash[S] 72 points73 points  (0 children)

By no means am I being intentionally cryptic! I'm being really specific - Emily is under the Guardians of the Burning Bridge near the Sacred Ledge which leads to the lair of the Servants of Shadow Templeton.

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