Discoveries you only made recently.

I ran into a guy using the cursed great sword of artorias and his phantom had A Bk Great Axe.

The first time, they both managed to get a backstab at the same time and my health completely vanished.

The second time, I only got backstabbed by the Great Axe guy and I survived with 1/4 of my health.

The animations were the same both times.

Perhaps there may have been some lag involved?

Edit: it's possible that it was the regular version of Artorias sword and that I took extra damage because of the magic (I was wearing dusk crown both times.) I really doubt it though, I'm pretty sure I blocked the sword and took no magic damage through my shield. Maybe I can run into them again and see what happens.

PlasticandRage wrote:^ You only take the damage from one of them though. There's a youtube video about it somewhere. I'd link it but I can't remember what it was called.

At least I'm pretty sure you only take the damage from one.

It's also possible to take 2 backstabs at the same time, but they have to be made at the exact same time and with the slight lag PvP has it's very hard for it to happen. Althrough it's not so rare in PvE. Both players do the backstab animation at the same time and both attacks stack their damage going to crazy numbers (1500 or so).

ChizFreak wrote:

PlasticandRage wrote:^ You only take the damage from one of them though. There's a youtube video about it somewhere. I'd link it but I can't remember what it was called.

At least I'm pretty sure you only take the damage from one.

It's also possible to take 2 backstabs at the same time, but they have to be made at the exact same time and with the slight lag PvP has it's very hard for it to happen. Althrough it's not so rare in PvE. Both players do the backstab animation at the same time and both attacks stack their damage going to crazy numbers (1500 or so).

So you're saying, depending on timing, it can go either way? That makes sense. I've only seen it happen in my own personal games maybe twice, and both times the damage didn't stack. Explains why each of us would have different assumptions about it.

I've been on the receiving end and I've been the other one of the backstabbers many times. The damage can stack. But other one of the backstabs (or both of them) can be negated just like regular backstabs.

That the Stone Knights in Darkroot can jump backward! O_o Scared the hell out of me when he flew back 20 feet.

I found out recently that Japanese players do indeed have terrible connections when paired up against someone from the US.

I fight people from all around the world and I often don't have any lag. Last night, after like 8 months without meeting any, I finally fight someone who was warping because of lag, I beat him though 8), typical Havel set + Child Mask + Buffed Katana.

If you shoot a mob like a painting guardian off a ladder, they trigger the same dramatic death music that you get in PvP or against certain NPCs. I'm pretty sure it's tied to the ladder since otherwise they just keel over without ado. It's very funny to watch, with the arm flailing backwards fall and then the death music. Only issue is I often run into it in the Anor Londo rafters and it sounds like the host has croaked instead.

^ I was trying that camera trick-360 attack you were talking about the other day, with the GA last night. Works like a charm for taking out fishermen.

befowler wrote:If you shoot a mob like a painting guardian off a ladder, they trigger the same dramatic death music that you get in PvP or against certain NPCs. I'm pretty sure it's tied to the ladder since otherwise they just keel over without ado. It's very funny to watch, with the arm flailing backwards fall and then the death music. Only issue is I often run into it in the Anor Londo rafters and it sounds like the host has croaked instead.

Death music? What o.O?

Music may not be the right word for it, but that dramatic sound effect of someone collapsing and dying. You'll know it when you hear it.

PlasticandRage wrote:^ I was trying that camera trick-360 attack you were talking about the other day, with the GA last night. Works like a charm for taking out fishermen.

Nice, I've been meaning to try it with some other weapons. Were you using midroll or something else?

Btw there's a refinement or other option with it that makes it a bit easier to pull off. Instead of rolling forward (i.e., away from the camera) and then rotating the camera and timing the reverse attack, you just start by running towards the camera. Then just roll forward (towards the screen) and then reverse the attack from there. I've found it easier to pull off since you don't need to horse around with the camera as much, and more manageable when you're already being chased and are watching your pursuers while you run.

befowler wrote:Nice, I've been meaning to try it with some other weapons.

I noticed something similar with the rolling attack of the scimitar/falchion? a while back, but I think I just changed direction (unlocked) at the moment I triggered the attack.

I also noticed that there's a tiny window where you can change direction (unlocked) between tapping backstep and the actual backstep. So you can go directly into a reverse backstep towards your target (without turning your back first), then reverse again for the R1 running attack. It's an almost instant running attack that covers a long distance because of the added backstep, but the timing is a bit tricky.

Have anyone made an 'advanced techniques' thread or something along those lines?

ublug wrote:

befowler wrote:Nice, I've been meaning to try it with some other weapons.

I noticed something similar with the rolling attack of the scimitar/falchion? a while back, but I think I just changed direction (unlocked) at the moment I triggered the attack.

I also noticed that there's a tiny window where you can change direction (unlocked) between tapping backstep and the actual backstep. So you can go directly into a reverse backstep towards your target (without turning your back first), then reverse again for the R1 running attack. It's an almost instant running attack that covers a long distance because of the added backstep, but the timing is a bit tricky.

I've found that it's possible with nearly every attack in the game that is either rolling or has a long setup.

And I love redirecting my backstep, I practice it while waiting for invasions all the time to entertain myself.

I just found the bonfire in the catacombs behind the invisible wall yesterday.

befowler wrote:

PlasticandRage wrote:^ I was trying that camera trick-360 attack you were talking about the other day, with the GA last night. Works like a charm for taking out fishermen.

Nice, I've been meaning to try it with some other weapons. Were you using midroll or something else?

Btw there's a refinement or other option with it that makes it a bit easier to pull off. Instead of rolling forward (i.e., away from the camera) and then rotating the camera and timing the reverse attack, you just start by running towards the camera. Then just roll forward (towards the screen) and then reverse the attack from there. I've found it easier to pull off since you don't need to horse around with the camera as much, and more manageable when you're already being chased and are watching your pursuers while you run.

Yeah, I was mid rolling with 125 poise, the roll was causing enough movement to throw their BS's off and just land a hit instead, then my attack was stunning through it, against most people anyway, then I was able to follow up with an R1 combo. Worked really well. Really digging the GA for PvP. It's funny, because I've always, ever since DeS first came out, played with smaller quicker weapons, but in the last two weeks I think the Zwiehander and GA have become my favorite weapons.

Also, just noticed that the weird mutant things in blight town wield winged spears, but oddly drop normal spears and broken straight swords. Not sure why they'd decide to do that?

Also am learning that if you're playing as a human somewhere with a lot of cliffs, force is infinitely more valuable than WoG. Just got invaded by some guy at the bonfire on the bridge in blight town, and he charged at me and BS'd while I was bowing, so I juggled him around a little bit and then threw him off a cliff. So much more satisfying than WoG.

ublug wrote:I also noticed that there's a tiny window where you can change direction (unlocked) between tapping backstep and the actual backstep. So you can go directly into a reverse backstep towards your target (without turning your back first), then reverse again for the R1 running attack. It's an almost instant running attack that covers a long distance because of the added backstep, but the timing is a bit tricky.

Have anyone made an 'advanced techniques' thread or something along those lines?

I've noticed that with backsteps too, there are a couple of ways to change direction unexpectedly with them if you time your directional input just right. There are also ways to change the direction you're facing without any animation -- in other words one second you're facing one way, the next second you're turned backwards without any character animation of you actually turning around. I horse around with all this stuff while waiting on coop summons, it wasn't until after the DWGR nerf that I started playing with mid and fatroll weapon moves and their backsteps. Turns out they're all awesome, who knew. I am starting to think the game was designed with midroll as the presumed baseline for player movement and combat.

I found out that if you shoot the silver knight snipers on the roof in Anor Londo with the Dragonslayer Bow, it knocks them flat on their backs. Works a treat with the others too and it's great to watch, so funny.

i discovered that turning off the camera auto recovery option means that i no longer fall off of precarious ledges every time the camera "bumps" against terrain features. it makes delving into the Great Hollow so much easier.

The two running Man-Serpents in the Archives act differently depending on what you do the first time you get there. If you turn off the Gramophone on your first try, they'll attack you on sight every time the world is reset by resting, dying etc. If you fail to do so, they'll just run past you even if attacked.

Rarayn wrote:The two running Man-Serpents in the Archives act differently depending on what you do the first time you get there. If you turn off the Gramophone on your first try, they'll attack you on sight every time the world is reset by resting, dying etc. If you fail to do so, they'll just run past you even if attacked.

Before one of the patches, those two Man Serpents runned away from Pisacas, because they attacked them as well and they always did so, unless you turned the alarm off. When you turned it off, they acted normally and tried to kill you as soon as they saw you.

The alarm was active until you turned it off, however now, the alarm turns itself off automatically when you die. I guess when this was changed, their AI settings weren't, so those Man Serpents still think the alarm is active, while it actually isn't.

This could be tested, by dying, thus turning the alarm off, then going to turn it back on and immediately turning it off again. It could reset their AI behavior to normal.

If you're coming from the secret area with the giant in the beginning of Sen's Fortress, you can roll out of the door, that would normally drop you down to the area at the beginning of the first swinging pendulums, onto a small rim in the wall. From there you can literally just stand above the door that leads into the area, which is perfect, because if you're invaded during that portion of Sen's, the invaders will enter from that direction, setting you up for a plunging attack from a place where nobody will be able to see you coming. Just did it a minute ago. Worked perfectly.

When wielding it in the off-hand the Shotel has a sweet R2 move, not sure what you can do with it though (I suspect it may be a parry), as I only discovered it this morning whilst I was mucking about with my new Knight Lautrec character, it's very reminiscent of the blade twirl you see during a stand-off between characters wielding katanas, if you get what I mean.

^ Yeah, it's a parry Gaz. All the curved swords have it, as well as the thrusting swords. It's actually a pretty great parry to boot. I find it just as easy to connect with as shields like the target.

It's amazing that after all this time, and so many hours playing the game, that I've never noticed it before. Heck, I used to use the Shotel quite a bit in PvP! I guess I must go around Lordran with my eyes closed half the time!