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[JWK5]

In the Cathedral of the Deep, it will be the Cleansing Chapel bonfire where you meet the NPC that kicks off the DLC.

While I don't think the DLC has the visual punch that the DLCs did for Dark Souls 2 (I especially loved the look of Brume Tower) so far it is still pretty good (it is a lot of fun despite some flaws). I've sank a few hours into it already but I've not seen anything that really shakes things up, it is all kind of just more of the same so far (though the same is good in this case) and the first boss of the 2 in the DLC is pretty underwhelming (I've not reached the second yet). I'd heard that the DLC was geared towards levels of 90+ and I am on 83 and I've not had too much trouble with the enemies (I am geared up with Wolnir's Greatsword, Dragon Crest Shield, Dancer's Armor set with a Wolf Knight Helm, occasionally Lothric's Holy Sword, with all gear fully upgraded and a bunch of curative spells with rings to supplement them because I like to play support roles in co-op).

There are a lot of cool new weapons in the DLC but hands down the Follower Javelin is my new favorite weapon. Especially for PvE it is just a thing of beauty. The fact that it is a fast, short-range spear already had me hooked but that I can nail enemies at ridiculous range with its weapon skill (throwing the javelin) is just awesome. I maxed it out and went back to the Undead Settlement to toy around with it and I can go to where all the workers are standing by the Evangelist and clear it out in just a few seconds by rapidly switching between enemies as I javelin them from across the field. I actually now have a solid reason to go into NG+ (to play with my new toy some more).

[s0]

Definitely the best Skyrim mod I've ever played.

[Tumetsu]

My thoughts on dlc. Haven't beaten bosses yet but otherwise likely done:

Liked:

• Enemy behavior. I think they really tried to think new interesting things for many enemies. Gravetender and big wolf support each other clearly when swordsman switches his shield to staff and casts soul arrows when giant wolf attacks you and obscures your view with snow. Friede and Ariandel is similar combination. Sir Vilhelm uses his Silence if you use too much magic/pyro, tries actively interrupt your healing while himself trying to heal while further away from you by using miracles. Imo while those are not completely new, they made battles feel more fresh to me
• Wolves and their behavior.
• Visuals
• Lore

Didn't like:

• Shortish
• Short segment to ice lake which was just souls platforming with added archer fun. Cleared it in few tries but rather annoying.
• While Friede is a cool fight, I thought third phase was kinda exhausting rather than thrilling but idk

All in all I enjoyed it quite a bit and will soon finish the bosses. I hope though that 2nd dlc will be a bit longer and hopefully continues from "cliffhanger" of this dlc and eventually ties into main story and Londor.

[s0]

the wolves really deserve special mention imo. they are extremely well animated and actually behave as a pack. also they actually look like wolves and not weird deformed creatures drawn by an 8 year old. this is not a given in 3d videogames.

[s0]

i think on the whole this DLC is a little underwhelming tho. it's not especially outstandingly good and doesn't do anything new. it's still fun of course, but i'm used to souls DLC pushing things to the next level and this one doesn't. :/

[Tumetsu]

That is my general feeling too. I really enjoyed it because it was more the same. I haven't played BB or Old Hunters so I can only compare it to Artorias DLC which IMO had better boss fights.

I wonder if the next dlc will be longer since this was probably really short for good players unlike me haha. Overall I was still quite happy with it though.

[Raptor85]

Old hunters is the best dlc/souls experience of the series PERIOD, it would take a hell of a lot to dethrone it.

This dlc is  good though, it's almost as good as the dks1 dlc.  I hope they do at least one or two more for 3 before the next souls-like game, 3 far more than the other feels like it's just perfect to keep adding on new chapters.

[s0]

Old hunters is the best dlc/souls experience of the series PERIOD, it would take a hell of a lot to dethrone it.

^this guy knows what's up.

This dlc is  good though, it's almost as good as the dks1 dlc.  I hope they do at least one or two more for 3 before the next souls-like game, 3 far more than the other feels like it's just perfect to keep adding on new chapters.

yeah it's not bad. it just feels like i've done all of this many times before.

there's going to be one more dlc afaik

[JWK5]

So I am almost done with my NG+ run of DKS3, and other than being so much easier than the NG run and finding a couple of +1 rings I am not seeing any difference or real point to it. It is still fun, just the enemies are not pumped up enough to really compensate or counter the stats about two runs through the game have given me.

[s0]

and other than being so much easier than the NG run and finding a couple of +1 rings I am not seeing any difference or real point to it

that's every souls NG+ other than dks2 though. and dks2's changes were hit and miss.

[JWK5]

and other than being so much easier than the NG run and finding a couple of +1 rings I am not seeing any difference or real point to it

that's every souls NG+ other than dks2 though. and dks2's changes were hit and miss.

They should do a Resident Evil 3 type setup for NG+ where during the NG+ run you have some powerful enemy that often appears out of nowhere to stalk you through the level (in RE3 case, Nemesis), maybe some kind of high-powered assassin invader NPC or something. It'd be a small change that would ramp up the tension.

[Raptor85]

so basicly bring back gravelording from dks1 or a variation of world tendency from demons but make it permanant on NG+

god i miss gravelording

[s0]

i think you could only get gravelorded in ng+ anyway

[Raptor85]

yep, i said that earlier in this thread, i wish it hadn't been NG+ only in dks1 because it was a FANTASTIC mechanic that only 1% of people even knew about...

[Tumetsu]

Some lore thought on dlc:

I think that the painted world is an analogue to the outer world in the game. Both are dying worlds, and in both of them there is factions which want to either link the fire or let world rot away. In painting's case looks like that letting it just rot away is not a desirable solution and old world has to be burnt away for new world. Supposedly Dark Soul will be somehow involved in the process since painter girl requires it to finish the new painting.

Makes me think that maybe dlc story line will be an analogue to main story and the result of it concerning the painted world will give us hint of what happens after the end of the game and if any of the possible endings are "good" for the future of the world. That could be an interesting way to expand the existing lore in an soulsy vague, indirect way.

EDIT: Apparently Miyazaki commented about dlc:

"What we’re trying to do is approaching the big theme from the main games from a different perspective. With a “different perspective” I mean that we’ve been using the painted world as a different perspective in order to describe the main game’s theme symbolically."

Perhaps events of painting and choice between fire and rot/dark are inverted in painting vs. outer world. Hmm.

[s0]

sir vilhelm definitely needs to lay off the cigarettes

[s0]

further assessment of the dlc:

1. it's pretty damn easy for a souls dlc

2. the bird settlement is a really good area. i like how it looks straightforward at first, then has this weird looping path through it that you wouldn't expect. not the first time the souls series has done this, but it's very well executed here.

overall the feeling of "been there done that" remains though.

[Tumetsu]

1. it's pretty damn easy for a souls dlc

Guess I'm not good in these games then haha :D Those corvian knights gave big problems and Millwoods were annoying since they took long time to kill for my build and sl.

[s0]

Maybe im just overleveled (SL120 on ng+). Otoh I don't bother with the pvp meta in souls games but i usually win invasions. maybe im some sort of souls savant? 

the millwood axe is my favorite "fast" str weapon in the game now. this thing has insane scaling with a heavy infusion.

Btw, why do scaling letters not match up with actual scaling? My butcher knife +10 has an S in str scaling and millwood +10 has an A. yet the millwood's scaling is actually better. wat a heck?

[JWK5]

The Dragonslayer Spear is my current favorite weapon (even over the javelin) its weapon skill makes you rush forward with a thrusting attack dealing a stream of damage and ends with a lightning explosion that sends off a lightning projectile afterwards. It absolutely nukes the snakemen in Archdragon Peak (it takes two good uses of the weapon skill to drop the giant snakemen which is easy since you can rapidly chain one use into another), stun-locks most of the tank knights in the game (extensively when chaining skill uses), and royally fucks up a lot of the bosses (I was actually able to chase Oceiros around the boss area with it).  Even beyond its weapon skill it does some nasty damage (physical + lightning) that scales nicely with strength, dexterity, and faith.



Last I checked I am at Soul Level 138, at the end of NG+ and getting ready to enter NG++. I jacked my faith up to 60 hoping the offensive faith magic would be a little more impressive but I find it is still pretty underwhelming. The lightning/sun spells just don't seem to kick out that much damage. I have every miracle now except the Darkmoon Blade spell which I am working towards getting (via Yorshka's covenant). It's really disappointing because I really like the sunlight boomerang chakram thingy spell I got from the DLC in terms of function but it is pretty useless in practice (at least in comparison to other options at my disposal), but I guess I'll keep pumping it up and see if maybe at 99 faith some of these spells might actually pack a punch. I really hate how the only decent magic options available to a faith build this time around is healing, kind of defeats the point of opting for it over going for a straight up "fighter"/tank build.