Pinwheel's masks ... I just don't get it

When I first started playing Dark Souls there was a recurring theme to each time I was invaded: if the player was wearing one of those funny looking masks (I didn't know what they were at the time) I knew I had no chance. Just like in Demon's Souls whenever I was invaded by someone wearing the Monk's Head Wrap, it was almost a sure sign of a ganker.

I did a forest invasion today and all three other players had masks on as they pummeled me. This is normal.

My question is why? Why do so many people wear them? The benefits are so minimal (at least in my opinion) that it's almost like people wear them solely to be recognized as a ganker who is surely going to destroy you. I'm not trying to be clever or cute ... I just don't get it.

Does anyone use these in their builds and partake in honorable PvP? If so, why do you wear one of these masks? Does 15% stamina regen or 15% more health really help you that much? Wouldn't you rather A) a certain type of defense, B) more poise, C) simply adding a finishing touch to your outfit, or D) not look like an ***?

Yes I do, no I wouldn't. Function over form.

Meh - as a FH having 2.6k hp in a 1v4 is better than 2.1k especially when I don't heal due to having standards.

Indeed the stats and benefiits you get from the masks aren't that good. But the masks add some kind of personality to a character.

that it's almost like people wear them solely to be recognized as a ganker

Hahaha I believe you are right , at least a lot of them are.

Ive only ever used the mask of the child on my first PvE build , that's it.,

I did try to make a freaky looking build with the mask of the father but I haven't actually used it.

15% is a big deal once you hit the stat caps. lemme do some example builds for the MoM
http://tinyurl.com/6ppsk7f
http://tinyurl.com/7ptnrhu

does it make more sense now?

I use MoC on most of my buids...the stanima regen does help alot. I also wear armor with no poise on my main.

A: The defense of helms is almost useless.

B:Havels weighs too much The rest dont offer enogh poise to matter for me

C: I dont really like the way most armor looks in this game...I like shadow garb chest with havels legs/hands when i want poise and med roll or flip ring. I still wear MoC most of time though. When i dont i mostly just dont wear a helm.

D: Maybe you shouldnt be so concerned with what everyone else is wearing. Sure gankers wear masks..so do ALOT of honorable players. They are useful why shouldnt i wear one? Because gankers use them? Well then you shouldnt use anything in the game because i can guarantee that gankers use it too. Say goodbye to any heavy armor. Say goodbye to almost every weapon in the game. Say go...you get the point.


The funny thing is you are mad at the gankers but calling everyone who uses a piece of equipment that they do an ***. Which includes honorable playeres such as Forum and myself.

I spend most of time on this game in the forest hunting gankers. I wear MoC. It takes alot of stanima to dodge and attack 3 healing Dbags.

I will keep wearing it. Get over it.

we wouldn't even be able to run around naked with our fists and a board shield if we didn't wear something a ganker wore. that and if we took every complaint from other players seriously.

I will keep wearing it. Get over it.

Yeah...the masks are fugly, but what can you do...I used to use child's mask when I started to PvP, but there's no way I would put any of those masks on ever again. Usually I prefer not to use any kind of headgear, because when your character's face is visible it makes it more personal.

Actually, the mask benefits are pretty massive when you consider that alternative headgear generally just provides a marginal increase in defense, with some exceptions (Big Hat, Dusk Crown, etc.)

Damage has a good point. although I feel my 25 SL example was compelling xD

http://tinyurl.com/7kpxhl4
MoM is insanely useful, here is just -one- of my mask builds.

Oh, this again... :roll:

Btw...I have a strange feeling that the top hat guy from the trailer is also going to drop his mask (it could enable the sweep kick?)

If we get top hats I am going to give up optimization in favor of top hats and trenchcoats.

http://tinyurl.com/8675xhj
Here is my Mask of the Child hunter.
(I swap inbetween 2 pikes)

In my opinion, MoM is probably the most useful headgear in the game unless you've got a caster build with the Dusk Crown, and even then it's a toss up.

HP is time. Time to think, time to act, time to react. HP wins fights.

I still find it sad that the Tiny Being's Ring - A RING! - is nowhere near as useful as the MOM mask. I believe that if the effects of those two items were reversed we'd all be in for a less contentious PvP environment.

My $0.02...

having 99 vit RoFaP and MoM + RTSr means that you can still do horrendously high damage whilst taking a few hits still xD bit of a dirty tactic of mine on my FH

http://tinyurl.com/8a6gqbh
Finally my mask of the father hunter.
All of these are real builds I have on my harddrive right now, and yes, I use them all.

I made a Vit build, and while having all that HP was great, elemental weapons just don't cut it against good players. Either you sacrifice damage for high HP, or you sacrifice HP for high damage. It usually just soet of evens out anyway since you might be able to take tons of damage, but the opponent can take tons of your whimpy hits too.

It'd probably work best with a very specific setup, like rapier/hornet or BSS/Leo combo. I ended up trashing it after like two days.

Why am I talking about the stupid Vit build I didn't like? Ignore me.

The best thing to do, is to have all three masks on at once. How?
Grow three instead of one head, and it will happen. It's simple, really. You just need two extra bodies that are willing to fuse themselves... that and a black robe. Best to start learning how to use flame magic that is not pyromancy, and to resurrect some dead beats...

Acidic_Cook wrote:The best thing to do, is to have all three masks on at once. How?
Grow three instead of one head, and it will happen. It's simple, really. You just need two extra bodies that are willing to fuse themselves... that and a black robe. Best to start learning how to use flame magic that is not pyromancy, and to resurrect some dead beats...

Also, learn some illusionary spells, and pack some extra vitality.

That too. Perhaps carry a bucket of water too, and some books and bone cleavers... that, and some bones and rope with ya. Might help.