More Dark Souls

As I find more things about the game I will continue to post..

Regarding the Software

• Official title is "Dark Souls"
  • Before it was decided on this name, the developers intended to name it "Dark Ring," in reference to the aura that emanates from the cursed ring of the main character.
    The name was discarded when the developers were made aware of it being rude slang in Britain.
• Scheduled for release in 2011
• Jointly Developed by From Software and Namco Bandai Games
  • In Japan, the title is a Playstation 3 exclusive and will be published by From Software
  • Internationally, Namco Bandai Games will be the publisher, and will make the title available to both Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.
  • From Software has stated that they are solely responsible for game content.
  • Namco Bandai Games is confident with this arrangement.

Development Concepts

• High degree of difficulty. The objective is to give players a challenge that is rewarding when met.
• Difficulty as something anyone can overcome through observation, strategy and choice
• Aiming to provide freedom for the player character
• Demon's Souls "learn from your mistakes" theme remains the base for the game.
• Implementation of a seamless map, that was not realized in Demon's Souls
• The analogy for the game is: "Something spicy, but that anyone can enjoy"
• Whilst happy that the game had international appeal, no special intentions to cater to their tastes
  • From Software does not feel confident designing based on market data, so they will instead compete by creating a great game.
• Players will die repeatedly, From Software bets its pride on it.

General Concepts

• The game revolves around the appearance of the Undead, that will gradually ruin this world.
• The game world of medieval fantasy is represented in three main themes: "King & Knight", "Death and the Abyss," "Flame of Chaos"
• Exploration of the world will be vital and, thanks to a seamless map, accessible by simply walking.
• No maps in hand, the player will have to rely on descriptions and observation.
• The game will feature complex environments, with tricks, traps and significant height differences.
• Bonfires scattered throughout the world will serve as starting points/checkpoints and as oases for recovery.
  • The player will be able to rest by the bonfire to replenish Est and spells, but doing so will also respawn normal enemies throughout the world.
  • Extinguished bonfires must be lit (touched) to serve as a checkpoint.
  • Bonfires can also be strengthened, by offering up some of the player's humanity, which will increase the number of Esflasks and spells equipped.
• Humanity is a new concept, and is represented by a small flame in the top left corner of the HUD. Its mechanics is not discussed in detail yet.
  • Humanity can be increased by killing Evil Spirits (invading players), or by invading and killing a player in another world.
  • Humanity is decreased upon death, with one chance to retrieve it, if the player can reach the bloodstain where death occured.
  • Dying without possessing humanity will result in the message 'You Hollowed' being displayed, instead of the usual 'You Died'.
• The game will feature different motions and traits for weapons, as well as a great variety of magic and items, encouraging the player to find their own and unique playstyle.
  • The motion will affect the speed and rest of each blow, based on parameters such as the player's strength and ability.
  • Tactics such as bypass armor should also be parameter-dependent.
• One of the spells players will be able to cast will transform themselves into iron form which mitigates much more damage, with the drawback of decreased movement speed.
• The Iron Knight is a powerful NPC, whom players will be able to summon at certain points.
• The expected playtime is 1.5 or 2 times that of Demon's Souls, with a significant increase in magic and items.
• Whilst Demon's Souls had 40 types of enemies, Dark Souls will include close to 100 of them. Enemies will be able to chase players up stairs and ladders, but can be kicked down.
• Story will not impose itself upon the player, but it is present. The game world is fragmented, but opportunities for deeper story information are available to players who search.
  
  

Important Differences with Demon's Souls

• All defense has been lowered, and attack power has increased, hence the introduction of the iron form magic.
• No more munching on grass. Grass has been removed and instead Est can be collected at the fires and carried in bottles. However the amount of bottles a player can carry will be limited. They want to discourage reckless play followed by munching, and instead ask the player to tread with caution.
• There will be no "origin" selection for the main character, however the demo presented the following classes: Soldier, Knight, Witch, Pyromancer, Solaire of Astora, Black Knight.
• No Soul Form.
• World Tendency is not present as a server median, but a similar effect can be controlled by players online.
• The Story and World are not that of Demon's Souls.
• There won't be 5 differentiated worlds as presented in Demon's Souls.
• The weapon upgrade system will be easier to understand.

Enemies

This page contains a list of known enemies for the game. We will update as more information is revealed. An important point for Demon's Souls veterans: previously, an enemy who had noticed you would stop following you if you left its vicinity. Dark Souls will not have such a system, and the enemy will chase you until one of you is defeated.

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Large Enemies

White Dragon

A giant dragon without scales, that looks dignified and sparkles.

Wyvern

(Pseudonym: Hellbound)
A creature expected to have a role similar to that of the Red Dragon of Demon's Souls, and be living in the Anore Rondo area, thus confronting the player more than once.

Big Knight

Seen wielding an impressive mace near a sacred statue inside the Undead Church, its design is comparable to Demon's Souls Tower Knight.

Belfry Gargoyle

(Aka Maneater 2.0)
This mid-boss awakens from its slumber at the bell tower, on top of the Undead Church, to attack the player with a bronze spear and shield. After its health is halved, a doppleganger will appear and will start attacking the player with deadly fire breaths.

Lesser Demon

(Pseudonym: Troll)
A large monstrous figure wielding an axe in the Undead Bourg area.

Jirougumo

(Real name)
First seen in the official Preview, this monster is half-spider half-woman, and is engulfed in flames. It will attack players with a black sword when low in life. A great deal of speculation over whether she will be actually naked means this enemy is already taking player victims before release.

Mask

(pseudonym)
First seen in the official Preview, this monster would seem to be the physical manifestation of the body of a mask affected by magical influence.

Skull

(pseudonym)
First seen in the official Preview, this skeleton monster is staring at what would seem to be the fire of a human soul in its hand. The previews' lingering on the figure hints at this being of great importance, and is perceived as the game's primary enemy.

Undead Dragon

(Pseudonym)

Flame Boss

(Pseudonym)
An imposing fire based boss with many limbs keeping in line with the Flame/Chaos theme.

Giant Wolf

(Pseudonym)
A very large wolf who resides in the Sacred Sword's Tomb region of the world. It is possible the player will have to face this guardian as a test of worthiness.

Small Enemies

Egg-Burdened

It is speculated that this monster is the result of a human body that was used by monsters to lay eggs

Undead Knight

It would seem these are the magically reanimated corpses of dead knights

Sewer Rats

Of different sizes and shapes, these mice are likely affected by the curse and are seen attacking players in groups. The big rat has an axe lodged in its left eye, from an earlier encounter, and is most likely blind.

The Dead

(Pseudonym)
These enemies, who look human but have no eyes, attack players in numbers and with shields and spears.

Mecha Boar

(Pseudonym)
With a horn attack so strong it would seem to defeat the player in a single strike, this enemy resembles a boar and seems to relentlessly attack the player. Encountered in the Undead Parish, guarding the church steps.

The Black Knight

This enemy is clad in fine armor, wielding a remarkable sword that seems to be a Great Sword.

Fat Guardian

(Pseudonym)
This enemy wields a gigantic hammer, and is accompanied by a smaller armor clad npc wielding a big spear.

Online

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Known Features

Bloodstains
When you touch it, you can see a replay of another player's death.

Illusions (White Phantoms)
You will catch glimpses of other players who are in the same place at the same time.

Messages
You can read messages left by other players. You can create messages by combining pre-defined text. There is also an element of deception to this, as the game will encourage you to leave purposefully deceptive messages to gain an advantage over other players.

World Events
Certain events triggered, in the players world, will affect that area of other online players. For example, the church bell chime can be heard in other worlds when in range.

Oath System
There is an Oath System. When the player explores the world and plays the game, there will be certain discoveries which allow the player to make an oath to a person or on a specific subject. Some of these discoveries can be pretty rare. When an oath is made, it determines the players position on that topic, and will impact the interaction with other players online. This could mean that taking an oath for something could make you allies with another player, or deadly enemies. The Oath system is not an all encompasing fixed alliance like a MMO guild; instead it should be thought of as a system which serves as a guide for active roleplaying.

Player vs Player
Players can invade other worlds with the objective to kill the main player of that world.
There will also be times where a player may be tasked with recovering an item that another player is holding.

Cooperative play
Players can be called into other's worlds, to aid their summoner. Players can also light beacons for other players, and leave behind recovery items to help their fellow players.

Gravelord
Players can invoke the power of Gravelord, which makes random player's worlds harder (black world tendency), in the affected area. Upon finding the Gravelord markings, the affected player can invade and kill the caster, to revert the world back to normal.
The benefits of the Gravelord summon is unclear at the moment.

*It is to be noted that although online play will be a large part of the full gameplay experience, From is developing the game with offline players in mind as well to ensure that they can also complete the full game. Demon's Souls was similar in this respect.

Important Differences with Demon's Souls

• Due to the lack of dedicated servers, there will be no World or Soul Tendencybecause there is no Soul Form.
• There are no regions: Play is global
• Objective of generating a variety of interactions by creating "reciprocal role play"
  • It seems there are PvP options besides Invasions
  
  

  Places Camp The camp is your base or home-point. A safe area where you can rest and likely where you will level up by interacting with the Saint. It has been revealed that the bonefires act as return points from your deaths, and that you can chose which fire to activate by praying near them. It is confirmed that, as was the case with the Nexus, you will see the white ghosts of other players who are in the same area. Areas Anore Rondo (アノール・ロンド) A field reminiscent of Demon's Souls Boletaria and Latria worlds, the theme is inspired by high fantasy of a "king and knight" setting. Trap Road: Pendulum An iron tower of remarkable height Undead Church Similar to Demon's Souls Latria and its church area, this field is expected to feature enemies such as gargoyles and other mystical creatures. Castle Lands An area where the lower class citizens lived, it seems to be overrun by creatures Aqueducts Near the fort's walls, with the important function of carrying water to the castle. The area seems to be inhabited by a Hellbound that is expected to fulfill a role similar to that of Demon's Souls Red Dragon. Sewers This area, that carries water away, is inhabited by repulsive, giant rats. Black Forest Another fantasy-inspired setting, this forest of dim lights and vision limited by mist is believed to also have open areas where players will battle. The Sacred Sword's Tomb A cementery to many knights, enshrined within it lies a legendary sword. It is expected this relates to the main story. Snow Ruins An ancient cave, covered in ice due to the passing of time. This area seems to be inspired by the "Death and the Abyss" theme mentioned by the Director. Demon Altar It would seem these ruins were used for some kind of religious ceremony in the distant past. The environments point towards the Flame of Chaos theme.