Hello, I am new here, and I just have some questions.

First off I would like to say that I have been reading the threads here for a few days and I am really impressed. This game is really getting an organized community and I think its wonderful.

About my questions, I have noticed that there is some controversy over how the online in Dark Souls really works. There are accounts of people being invaded by, and summoning players that are not within the understood SL range for online play. More than that sometimes the online just "doesn't work" for people. Now I have had days where it worked like normal, days where Ive been invaded by people far higher level than me, and days where the online didn't work at all. That leads me to believe that we don't really fully understand how things work in Dark Souls. So I was wondering if some one could help clarify these things for me. Do we know how the online matched players up? If not, what things do we know for sure are true? and what things aren't?

Any information is helpful, I really appreciate

>your newest community member:SkullKid

Skullkid, welcome here.

Your question would be better directed in the general discussion section of the forum.

BTW you have never been invaded by guys far higher level (unless they were blue), they presumably just better gear, they're called griefers and nobody likes them

We know how it matches up, but works differently for covenants, so being in one has different effects and invasions of different covenants work differently too.

You'll have to be more specific with your query to be honest

There are occasional oddities, like invading someone as a white phantom, but usually it follows the rules. I have never personally experienced an invader/host that's a vastly different level than I am.

Hi

I moved your post to general discussion as this section is mostly for wiki editing and suggestions on the wiki itself.

The online system of Dark Souls is indeed strange sometimes. When the game launched, it wasn't working at all and I ended up playing with people who were 200 levels above me (confirmed in PMs)

However this seems to be a rare occurrence nowadays, so it may just be a hiccup.

Hi there.

I believe the only place where you can get invaded by someone of such a different SL is in the Forest Hunter Covenant area. Other than that, the game is possible to be beaten at SL 1 and so on. So those people would have far better equipment than you would at a usual game rate.

Certain covenants or invasion items allow greater SL-range when connecting players. The Darkmoon covenant, for instance, and the Cracked Red Eye Orbs, are known to invade bellow their level. It's not supposed to be the norm, but it does happen. Also, keep in mind most people who invade will do so with fully upgraded equipment, which will make them seem like they're a much higher level than you when in fact they could be the same. Generally, this is how it works:

- Co-op (white/ yellow soapstones): hosts's level +-10 and 15%. So if you're SL100, you can summon anyone SL75-125.

- Darkwraiths: invade same SL range as co-op, and any level above theirs. So if you're getting invaded by a Red phantom, he can be any level around or bellow yours.

^ Exception: as I mentioned earlier, the Cracked Red Eye Orbs (consumable item that allows you to invade as a red phantom, as if you were a Darkwraith, but you don't need to be part of the covenant to use them) have been known to match players of any level together. I don't know if this is frequent, though, because I've never used them and I've never been invaded by a Red who was noticeably higher level than me.

- Darkmoons: invade around their level, and bellow. If you're getting invaded by a Blue phantom, he's probably around your level, but it is possible that he is much higher level than you are.

- Red Soapstone: Same as Darkwraith.

- Dragon Eye, Gravelord Sign: I'm not sure for these two, but I think they have the same SL range as co-op.

Finally, there are sometimes freak accidents. People will sometimes invade with Red or Blue Eye Orbs, and end up a white phantom in the host's world, as if they'd been summoned for co-op. Other accidents of the sort, mixing up invasion and co-op, happen, but I'm not sure how they affect SL range either.

Wow, I am glad to see that so much effort has been put into figuring things out. I will clearly need to read through the fourums to learn about the various covenants.

Thank you every one for the enformation. I look forward to participating in this community as it develops and organizes more events and such.

Yup. it's pretty astounding the amount of information we've squeezed out of this game as a community!

Check out this thread for a collection of handy links: https://soulswiki.forumotion.com/t3650-resource-threads-to-check-out-for-rookies-and-vets