Need some combat help

I don't know what it is, maybe just having an off night, but i'm getting dominated by everything. I think I just need some help fighting a couple of weapons. I just got dominated by a rapier user simply because I didn't know what to do. I'm running my favourite build right now. Which is a SLB buffed pickaxe/ heater shield/heavy crossbow. I run 40 poise (for now) when I'm 1 v 1, and hornet ring when I'm 2 v 1 (that's me at a disadvantage). A couple of weapons and playstyles I can't synch with. Whenever someone two hands their weapon, like a scythe or something obscure like that, I freak out. I can handle greatswords by parrying (minus the Zwei, just found out that the regular 2H R1 dead angles...). I think it's the aggressive playstyle where I just flip to flight mode. Any tips for fighting these weapons/ keeping cool?

Have a decent shield for parries/blocking poise, outdodge, or dead angle and try to adopt to adapt some of their new techniques

I can tool around if you wanna practice

Dutchy wrote:I don't know what it is, maybe just having an off night, but i'm getting dominated by everything. I think I just need some help fighting a couple of weapons. I just got dominated by a rapier user simply because I didn't know what to do. I'm running my favourite build right now. Which is a SLB buffed pickaxe/ heater shield/heavy crossbow. I run 40 poise (for now) when I'm 1 v 1, and hornet ring when I'm 2 v 1 (that's me at a disadvantage). A couple of weapons and playstyles I can't synch with. Whenever someone two hands their weapon, like a scythe or something obscure like that, I freak out. I can handle greatswords by parrying (minus the Zwei, just found out that the regular 2H R1 dead angles...). I think it's the aggressive playstyle where I just flip to flight mode. Any tips for fighting these weapons/ keeping cool?

Pickaxe is hard wepeon to play, it's nice but you gotta be good. Post your build, I am no master but would be happy to help if I can. Add me and we can hook up.

The Zwei and Sythe when 2 handed are punishable with roll BS on their r1 attacks. If played unlocked the Zwei can deadangle with it's 2h r1s making parrying it not a real option. If you just get out of the way of it's attacks you can punish any whiffed attacks with your crossbow. Try not to be predictable with your rolls, go left or right or back don't always dodge the same way. Beating the Zwei is about being patient and not getting caught, without the poise to tank a hit you can't just out DPS it with the buffed pick, though if you did have 76+ poise if you had the leo ring and SLB just mashing 2hr1 as they use their 2hr1 you'll come out on top of the trade(by a lot)

Rapiers are hard, and what you need to do depends on what they are trying to do. Some will try to poke and roll and keep you at a distance. If they do this you need to find a way to approach them without taking a bunch of damage, once you're close enough a parry or simply trading (rapiers don't do the best damage with their r1s or r2s) will get you a head. If they're shield poking and being real turtley. It's possible to poise stab a shield poke if you get close enough, But honestly a Rapier doing a combination of tactics is a force.

divinebeanpole wrote:Have a decent shield for parries/blocking poise, outdodge, or dead angle and try to adopt to adapt some of their new techniques

I can tool around if you wanna practice

Was going to before you left But i'll be on in about 20 -30 minutes again. After my run. If you've got time.

robsthedon wrote:
Pickaxe is hard wepeon to play, it's nice but you gotta be good. Post your build, I am no master but would be happy to help if I can. Add me and we can hook up.

Sure. If your good for it i'll be on in about a half hour ^^. Here is the build. It's refined for my playstyle and I've had success with it thus far.

https://mugenmonkey.com/darksouls/?c=246712573590788065

Jansports wrote:The Zwei and Sythe when 2 handed are punishable with roll BS on their r1 attacks. If played unlocked the Zwei can deadangle with it's 2h r1s making parrying it not a real option. If you just get out of the way of it's attacks you can punish any whiffed attacks with your crossbow. Try not to be predictable with your rolls, go left or right or back don't always dodge the same way. Beating the Zwei is about being patient and not getting caught, without the poise to tank a hit you can't just out DPS it with the buffed pick, though if you did have 76+ poise if you had the leo ring and SLB just mashing 2hr1 as they use their 2hr1 you'll come out on top of the trade(by a lot)

Rapiers are hard, and what you need to do depends on what they are trying to do. Some will try to poke and roll and keep you at a distance. If they do this you need to find a way to approach them without taking a bunch of damage, once you're close enough a parry or simply trading (rapiers don't do the best damage with their r1s or r2s) will get you a head. If they're shield poking and being real turtley. It's possible to poise stab a shield poke if you get close enough, But honestly a Rapier doing a combination of tactics is a force.

Yeah, thanks for the advice. The rapiers are normally ricards and they mash the triple poke thing move (patent pending) And i'll see what I can do about the Roll BS for the scythes. And somehow, the rapier out DPS's my pickaxe!

Doh! I'm psn sorry didn't read sig.

so any tips for rapier spam? I tried parrying, miffed it, and then he backstabbed me when I tried it again. I really have no strategy for this. Especially enchanted, because they do tiny damage, and I can't punish them for it. I can't roll Bs, I can only parry once. It really sucks.

shoot me a message dutchy, Im not horrible with rapiers. Everyone has their own tactics for defense that work for them, if You just duel against rapiers a bunch youll get a feel for defending

Rapiers have short range, to be fair, they are extremely powerful weapons though. Its my belief that every character should have magic (even 1 spell because its so easy to get, 2 levels on ATT and that's it), and if they don't have a fast bow (generally composite or short) with poison arrows and probably heavy arrows. Once again, very easy to 'use' as nearly every class can use a short bow, and it only weighs .5.

If you don't take my advice, then you need to be packing 3 types of weapons that will suit you, and change it up depending on how you play with them, and how they are playing (defensive, bs fishing, aggressive).

Players that can use a bow perfectly well are generally immune to most forms of well I guess I'll say less than stellar play (people who just poke behind shields, people who roll BS or parry spam well, things like that). But using a bow well is a skill that takes a lot of practice and is difficult to do well still.

In your case if you added 1 slot of Force or Wraith of the Gods you could take care if it very easily.

Dutchy wrote:so any tips for rapier spam? I tried parrying, miffed it, and then he backstabbed me when I tried it again. I really have no strategy for this. Especially enchanted, because they do tiny damage, and I can't punish them for it. I can't roll Bs, I can only parry once. It really sucks.

If someone is genuinely r1 spaming you should have no trouble parrying them, they are the easiest wep to parry and the risk reward is worth throwing out a blind parry, make sure you are close when you do it, but don't parry spam, you will be punished with a back stab, try not to be predictable. If they buff wait it out, and yeah get a bow.