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[Ben_Hurr]

I thought it was pretty cool that most of the Anor Londo you see is illusionary.

It's a shame killing 'Gwenevere' didn't silence the sun everywhere else in Lordran, now that would've been cool.

[Masamune]

I need to go back to this game at some stage. The first time I played it, Dark Souls chewed me up and spat out the seeds. So after a hiatus, I decided I wasn't ready to throw in the towel. My gaming ego wouldn't forgive me if I did. I went back to the game with a new character *cough*Pyromancer*cough* and a new approach. Figured I'd treat this game like a survival horror... which it effectively is. Meaning I'd have to conserve resources, explore every new area tentatively and never *ever* underestimate the enemy. Even the skeleton warriors can shave a chunk off your health if you're not careful. Admittedly, I got much further this around but I've found myself shelving it again. I think where my gaming time is short these days, I really have to be in the mood to play something like Dark Souls. Case in point, I'm currently re-playing Vagrant Story, and while that's also considered a "hardcore" RPG the difficulty curve isn't quite as unforgiving.
 

[AshfordPride]

I didn't find Pyromancy to be as cruise control for cool as everyone made it out to be.  It certainly is nice to have, especially in PvP, but it seems like it's something I'm always fumbling with.  It always just seems easier to just keep hackin' and whackin' and smackin'.  Maybe that's just the lessons that Monster Hunter has instilled in me.

[s0]

iirc, pyromancy was way OP in the release version but was heavily nerfed in the 1.05(?) patch. i didn't use it much before 1.05 though, so idk.

fireball is definitely still a nice thing to have early game tho and great chaos fireball and fire tempest are spells i found very useful playing with my dex build.

[Dragonmaw]

Pyromancy is the best spell type for weapon-reliant builds as it only scales with the flame and not with any stats. Meaning you don't have to put anything into faith or int.

[AshfordPride]

Pyromancy is the best spell type for weapon-reliant builds as it only scales with the flame and not with any stats. Meaning you don't have to put anything into faith or int.

Yeah, that's really nice, that there's no stat check.  As someone who is keeping himself on a low level with another chracter, it's nice to be able to dump souls into something.

Also, is it really scrubby to use Pyromancy in PvP?  Everyone I ever fight just keeps trying to circle around me and this seems like one of the few reliable encounters I have to having a person circle around me until they fucking phase through me and backstab me.  I really don't know how to handle PvP.  I don't know if there's any protocol I should be obeying or any meta to pay attention to.  I just try not to be a dick, I guess.  But I'm fucking dressed as Smough with a Childs Mask so it's hard not to.

[Raptor85]

black flame and such in pvp is pretty scrubby, at least in duels, in invasions it's more "anything goes" though a lot of us if it's 1v1 in invasion will hold off using anything but buff spells to have a more even fight.  My personal way is that if i'm fighting someone 1v1 I won't use spells (aside from buffs like power within, the magic weapon spells, dmb and sunlight blade) unless they do first, or if they chug estus that's an immediate "gloves off, anything goes" sign. I won't use backstabs or riposts (but i will parry to stun) in pvp either unless, as above, i'm outnumbered or they're an estus chugger. (in which case i keep a fine assortment of lloyds talismen, dung pies, and poisoned knives at the ready for them too)

The guys circling you are backstab fishing, it's an increadibly noobish thing to do in most cases but they do it because they can occasionally get an easy kill off of it. Against anyone experienced in pvp fishing like that is useless though, just break lock and maul them, or let them get closer for the stab and parry it.  Since you're in smough's armor with the child mask though a lot more people probably go for backstab because you've basicly signaled you're vit & poise stacking and more than likely cannot dodge well, so most normal attacks will do jack all to you, so they know that to do any real damage to you it has to be criticals.

As for pyro, quite a few of it's spells are pretty OP, black flame for instance does some massive damage with no skill investment, plus it has heavy poise break so it can stagger prettymuch anyone, power within though it drains life (kinda evening it out a bit) on a pure melee build you can do absolutely massive damage per hit, iron skin isn't useful in pvp, but against some bosses you can cast it up close and tank them until it wears off (only really works up through ng2+ though, most hit too hard for even that after), the fireball spells, particularly the larger ones and especially the great chaos one, are better used WITHOUT camera lock, you can use their blast to clear close to you by slamming it down in front of you, or aim it in front of a player so when they dodge you hit where they'll recover at, doing massive damage, the tempest spells are useful even in pvp, especially in ganks, if you can quickly get around a corner you can start the cast while still running (all spells you can) and get around cover quickly, the combustion spells are nice but black flame completely replaces them now (it used to serve the same basic purpose).  Pyro really does have a lot of damage potential, especially considering it uses no stats, and remember too pyro is still classed as sorcery for damage so sorcery buff items like the dragoncrest ring and the stupid hat buff it's damage a good bit.

[Ben_Hurr]

I didn't find Pyromancy to be as cruise control for cool as everyone made it out to be.  It certainly is nice to have, especially in PvP, but it seems like it's something I'm always fumbling with.  It always just seems easier to just keep hackin' and whackin' and smackin'.  Maybe that's just the lessons that Monster Hunter has instilled in me.

It's only cruise control for cool if you're trying to screw with new players, also you can make a pyromancer into literally any other type of character but still have max power fire spells.

I actually fumble alot while making pyromancer characters because of that;
you have to compromise between spell casting ability, weapon ability, vitality, and endurance when playing as a sorceror or cleric, but with a pyromancer you can have it all. 

For instance, if you wanted to make a cleric or sorceror that could use all the magic in their field, they'd need to be SL38 for the necessary 50 INT/FTH.  With a pyromancer you could max our spell casting ability at SL1, letting you use those extra 37 stat points for whatever.

[Glyph]

I'm pretty sure (I think I read somewhere, I mean) that the proper etiquette for fighting is to bow immediately, and never use estus/humanity. I don't think backstab fishing or running away are very highly regarded, either. So many people don't abide by this, obviously, and they'll do whatever they want, but if you're good enough you can beat them even if they're healing/lagstabbing and you're not (not that I'm saying I am, but I've seen some people who are at that level).
If the other person bows when you do, they might also abide by these unwritten rules, and you could be able to get a good fight.

[Nillo]

I don't care much about honorable duels in this game. If another player invades me while I'm doing PVE content, I'm going to use anything including estus/backstabs/white phantoms if it makes them stop interrupting my gameplay.

[AshfordPride]

Really, no Estus?  I could see how popping humanity is kind of bullshit, but I figured that the fact that invaders can't use Estus is meant to give a home field advantage to the invaded player who can use it.

[Raptor85]

chugging a flask is basicly makes the fight anything goes/dirty tactics, it's one of the dirtiest things you can do in a 1v1. The entire REASON it's bs in a 1v1 is that the invader can't use it, only the host can, and humanity is a lot slower to heal with.

[Ben_Hurr]

I've never seen an invader have trouble popping Humanity.
I mean if we're talking 1vs1 duels, of course you don't heal, that's stupid.

However, it's always funny when you have dedicated invaders talking about invading as if it's a consensual 1 on 1 fight; no, it's not.  You're making me stop playing and have to deal with you.

I'm going to grab you by the head and smash you into a nearby wall until you go away.

[s0]

if only from hadn't completely dropped the ball on the arena mode...

[Ben_Hurr]

How so?  Except that you access it so late. 

[ink.inc]

It doesn't actually work very well.

[Raptor85]

It doesn't actually work very well.

That's a massive understatement, add on to that the massive things they "missed" like how they locked all sources of healing in the 1v1 arena....except the heal miracle. (meaning you can essentially cheat in the 1v1 if you grab just enough faith to cast heal, having to cast multiple times doesnt matter since you can freely cast it during the other person's respawn timer).  Also it's pairing and wait times are horiffic, every time i've tried it's been a 20-30 minute wait for a fight, and you can't even do anything while waiting as it traps you in a room.

Plus it's pretty pointless, you burn items in the arena just like normal when you use them but there's not even a minor soul or item reward so unlike pvp in the burgs if you wanted to purely pvp in the arena you'd have to constantly go out and farm monsters to buy more grass and buff items.

Also, Human + online mode = consented to pvp interactions, you're fair game.  If you want to fight dirty like that...well, you'll get the "recognition" and dirty tactics right back.  Plus you may be surprised, even if your intent was just to run to the boss if you're polite to an invader and don't immediately resort to dirty tricks, many wraiths if they see you're going for the boss or standing your ground will do things like toss you some titanite chunks if it looks like you might need it, run past mobs and open shortcuts for you, and fight without spells or such if it looks like you're underpowered compared to them, or heck in the forest in ng+ and beyond i've often had invaders hunting for gank squads see me alone waiting for them by the sif door salute me, drop a few items, and hop off the cliff.

[Nillo]

Also, Human + online mode = consented to pvp interactions, you're fair game

No. I go human because I want to kindle bonfires and summon people for co-op. That's not even close to the same thing.

Also lol, how often do invaders actually drop items for the host? I've only seen it once on a friend's stream I believe, and it was just one humanity that he dropped to help people recover from the loss he caused by killing them.

[ink.inc]

the only time anybody dropped anything for me was when i was playing with jack sanders and blademasterbobo (ie friends), and i've played quite a bit of pvp

everyone's experience is difference i guess

[Dragonmaw]

a friendly phantom once dropped a slab for me. never an invader though. my invaders seem hellbent on causing me grief.