The update is the same as the Japanese patch that went live some time ago. You can check out a full list of translated patch notes over on Eurogamer. Many condolences for the imminent death(s) of your poor, poor hero.
Dark Souls patch brings lots of tweaks, plenty of nerfs
by Griffin McElroy 
on Nov 23rd 2011 10:00AM
58
The update is the same as the Japanese patch that went live some time ago. You can check out a full list of translated patch notes over on Eurogamer. Many condolences for the imminent death(s) of your poor, poor hero.
Reader Comments (58)
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 10:04AM (Unverified) said
Too bad the infinite souls cheat is gone, but at least they put Twinking Titane for sale. It was ridiculous to hope to find these anywhere in the game.
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 10:22AM whatkey said
@(Unverified)
Honestly that was one of the reasons I stopped playing during my 2nd playthrough. Tried to TT farm those damn oysters, but screw that. I"ll go play an MMO if I want to grind. Kind of funny how they killed the ROF..what is the point of that ring now?
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Honestly that was one of the reasons I stopped playing during my 2nd playthrough. Tried to TT farm those damn oysters, but screw that. I"ll go play an MMO if I want to grind. Kind of funny how they killed the ROF..what is the point of that ring now?
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 10:50AM madforaday said
@whatkey
You are still hard to see when you wear the ROF. Countless of times I hide in Dark Anor Londo and I get an easy win because they cant see me in a dark corner.
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You are still hard to see when you wear the ROF. Countless of times I hide in Dark Anor Londo and I get an easy win because they cant see me in a dark corner.
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 10:22AM echerringtonYAHOOCOM said
@echerringtonYAHOOCOM ahh
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 10:22AM Ryan P said
I'm glad that the Fog Ring no longer prevents me from locking onto players. It was pretty frustrating to get invaded and not be able to target the people trying to kill me.
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 10:24AM echerringtonYAHOOCOM said
Got to see this right now. lol
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 10:25AM nightmare452 said
Nice changes overall. I like that the enemy AI is the same, so that the Forest Hunter's souls farming still works, but the Dragon Head Infinite glitch is gone.
My main favorite change is the Sunbro Covenant requirement is dropped to 25. Much easier to join.
Hate the nerf of the Pyro glove, I owned everything with that thing.
My main favorite change is the Sunbro Covenant requirement is dropped to 25. Much easier to join.
Hate the nerf of the Pyro glove, I owned everything with that thing.
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 10:26AM SteveoftheGods said
Some nice changes, maybe I'll hop on again to finish my NG+
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 10:31AM Grimbear13 said
Love this game hope to get back to it soon. Currently getting sniped by the 2 archers in Anor Londo :(. Too many games to play!
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 11:42AM Knives Chau said
@Grimbear13
ughh i hated that part sooo much and then its that stupid team boss afterwards. -__- that & tomb of the giants was just pure cheapness imo besides those two parts i love this game.
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ughh i hated that part sooo much and then its that stupid team boss afterwards. -__- that & tomb of the giants was just pure cheapness imo besides those two parts i love this game.
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 12:38PM ShadowXIII said
@Grimbear13 On that platform right before you even start to climb up that horrid place...position yourself next to each back pillar where you can see them and aim your arrows well above the lance shooting cheap@sses. Test your shots to see which one hits with normal cheap arrows....when you see a slight 'puff' showing that it hit....(but no damage due to over-range), switch to poison arrows and hit him with a few...when the health stops dropping, just wait till it wears off and repeat as needed.
I've done that trick with a few jerks back in Demon's Souls...I make a point to carry poison arrows when available ever since. There is other ways to get past it, but this is what I did on my first run.
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I've done that trick with a few jerks back in Demon's Souls...I make a point to carry poison arrows when available ever since. There is other ways to get past it, but this is what I did on my first run.
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 1:20PM (Unverified) said
@Grimbear13 if you sprint up to the ledge, and then keep rolling till you reach the right guy you can take him out. make sure to roll under his arrows when you're on the ledge
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Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 1:40PM Vidikron said
@ShadowXIII
Ahh.. good idea. I tried the arrows where you said, but when they didn't do any damage I gave up. I made it up once sprinting only to be shot off from behind as I tried to pass the guy on the right. I had to go get that invisibility spell (forgot the name) to get past that section.
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Ahh.. good idea. I tried the arrows where you said, but when they didn't do any damage I gave up. I made it up once sprinting only to be shot off from behind as I tried to pass the guy on the right. I had to go get that invisibility spell (forgot the name) to get past that section.
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 2:17PM Courtney said
@Vidikron
With a big warrior, a strong shield stability can get you to them really easily. Without a greatshield, you can go with the Ring of Fog or invisibility to get up to them pretty easily. Summoning a co-op partner is probably the easiest route, as you are unlikely to have both of them firing at just one of you.
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With a big warrior, a strong shield stability can get you to them really easily. Without a greatshield, you can go with the Ring of Fog or invisibility to get up to them pretty easily. Summoning a co-op partner is probably the easiest route, as you are unlikely to have both of them firing at just one of you.
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 9:27PM ShadowXIII said
@Vidikron
It also works decent for those golems in Sen's Fortress if your short on arrows.
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It also works decent for those golems in Sen's Fortress if your short on arrows.
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 10:45AM Drew327 said
I always see people complain about patches ruining games/making them too easy and I roll my eyes... I think this is the first time I am on the other side. After beating the game, and reading all these changes, it seems so much easier : ) Maybe I'm just bitter that if I would have waited, I could have beat it easier!
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 2:24PM Courtney said
@Drew327
Depends on your play style. For some people, this can really wreck their character design and make the game much more difficult. The nerfing of the Homing Soulmass, pyro flame, Crystal Shield and Iron Flesh are all very significant. Some combination of those four would let you beat every single boss within just a few hits.
Also the nerfs to the best low weight armor (black with gold trim and the Dust dress) remove the best armor options for low Endurance characters.
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Depends on your play style. For some people, this can really wreck their character design and make the game much more difficult. The nerfing of the Homing Soulmass, pyro flame, Crystal Shield and Iron Flesh are all very significant. Some combination of those four would let you beat every single boss within just a few hits.
Also the nerfs to the best low weight armor (black with gold trim and the Dust dress) remove the best armor options for low Endurance characters.
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 2:26PM Courtney said
@Drew327
Oh, and I think the only things made really easier are acquiring souls, humanity and some upgrade ores. Which is actually nice, as before you could acquire all those safely if you were willing to burn hours of your life to do it. Now you're talking about maybe a half hour to get what would have taken two hours of farming before.
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Oh, and I think the only things made really easier are acquiring souls, humanity and some upgrade ores. Which is actually nice, as before you could acquire all those safely if you were willing to burn hours of your life to do it. Now you're talking about maybe a half hour to get what would have taken two hours of farming before.
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 4:25PM Drew327 said
@Lucky48 I'll give you that- I say it didn't even take me an hour but I probably spent a half hour trying to get a consistent way to take them all 'safely'.
Yes, the mimic head! I didn't know it existed and when it dropped for me, and I put it on I flipped out for a few minutes! It didnt stack with the item discovery ring though which was really sad.
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Yes, the mimic head! I didn't know it existed and when it dropped for me, and I put it on I flipped out for a few minutes! It didnt stack with the item discovery ring though which was really sad.
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 11:02AM Golgo13 said
Ring of fog + TWoP abusers...your days are over I'm coming for you.
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 11:06AM gordeaux said
Brilliant!
Glad to see overall buffs to sorcery and stat scaling for weapon upgrades. So excited to see how this effects my guy. Game of the year!
Glad to see overall buffs to sorcery and stat scaling for weapon upgrades. So excited to see how this effects my guy. Game of the year!
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 11:38AM NightSoD said
Sometimes I wish I had a capture card, just so I can make a video of the trolling I do in the catacombs.
"Oh whats this? A shiny item on the bridge up ahead, let me go pick it up!"
*flips bridge switch when they get on and they plummet to their death
*you have been indicted
"Oh whats this? A shiny item on the bridge up ahead, let me go pick it up!"
*flips bridge switch when they get on and they plummet to their death
*you have been indicted
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 11:45AM Torticoli said
At first I was afraid it was gonna be nerfs to ennemies.
Then I remembered "Hey, this is Dark Souls, what the hell are you thinking ?".
I can't play Dark Souls because of the horrid framerate issues, but I still love From Software for their craft.
Then I remembered "Hey, this is Dark Souls, what the hell are you thinking ?".
I can't play Dark Souls because of the horrid framerate issues, but I still love From Software for their craft.
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 12:48PM (Unverified) said
@Torticoli that really stops you from playing this great game? there are only framerate issues in a few areas it just sounds like you dont want to play the game and are making excuses
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Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 12:55PM Torticoli said
@(Unverified)
I'm impressed by how much you can deduce based on a 5 lines comment.
Seriously though, yes, the framerate is preventing me from enjoying this great game. When you have to be extremely precise in your timings, your moves, your attacks and dodges, lag is a deal-breaker, I'm afraid.
As a sidenote, I played Demon's Souls, I finished Demon's Souls, and I loved it. I also hated it, but you know how it goes with that game.
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I'm impressed by how much you can deduce based on a 5 lines comment.
Seriously though, yes, the framerate is preventing me from enjoying this great game. When you have to be extremely precise in your timings, your moves, your attacks and dodges, lag is a deal-breaker, I'm afraid.
As a sidenote, I played Demon's Souls, I finished Demon's Souls, and I loved it. I also hated it, but you know how it goes with that game.
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 2:07PM Torticoli said
@Vidikron
Again, I played and enjoyed Demon's Souls. I bought Dark Souls on launch. I then proceeded to die once or twice because the framerate made the game unplayable, specifically at the beginning of the underground area (can't remember the name, the place with water, bridges and ghosts).
Not sure why you're talking about excuses, but whatever. If the framerate issues have indeed been patched, I may go back to it.
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Again, I played and enjoyed Demon's Souls. I bought Dark Souls on launch. I then proceeded to die once or twice because the framerate made the game unplayable, specifically at the beginning of the underground area (can't remember the name, the place with water, bridges and ghosts).
Not sure why you're talking about excuses, but whatever. If the framerate issues have indeed been patched, I may go back to it.
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 2:34PM Courtney said
@Torticoli
You're talking about Blighttown, and it is a nightmare in part because of the framerate. Honestly though, it's the only area that is bad with framerate. Not sure how much better it is since the patch, I didn't check it out last night. But don't let Blighttown stop you from playing. No other area is like it.
Part of the patch notes indicate that they were lowering the range at which some enemies agrro on you. The theory with Blighttown was that the enemy AI and tracking across the complex terrain is part of what was bogging the area down. So that alone may help.
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You're talking about Blighttown, and it is a nightmare in part because of the framerate. Honestly though, it's the only area that is bad with framerate. Not sure how much better it is since the patch, I didn't check it out last night. But don't let Blighttown stop you from playing. No other area is like it.
Part of the patch notes indicate that they were lowering the range at which some enemies agrro on you. The theory with Blighttown was that the enemy AI and tracking across the complex terrain is part of what was bogging the area down. So that alone may help.
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 12:22PM Trilancer said
Thats awful, I was considering buying the game but was put off by the diffculty. Now they are making it harder?!
Why not spam the map with Rugals and be done with it.
If this is the trend, the third game wont require them to program an ending....or a second area for that matter.
Why not spam the map with Rugals and be done with it.
If this is the trend, the third game wont require them to program an ending....or a second area for that matter.
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 12:36PM Vidaluko said
@Trilancer Is not harder, they just nerfed down some overpower weapons, armor, shields and magic, there are still great items there, also, they droped the HP in some enemies and incremented the souls you get from some enemies, if you go to forums of the game, some people write that the game is for some parts, easier now...
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Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 12:36PM Helghast102 said
@Trilancer Point out where they are making it harder, overall its a little bit easier actually
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Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 12:52PM Torticoli said
@Trilancer
Saying that you were considering buying Dark Souls and were put off by the difficulty, is like saying you were considering buying Skyrim and were put off by the huge, open world.
Being extremely hard is the point of Dark Souls ; if anything, making it harder (which is not what's happening here, it's bug fixing more than anything) should be encouraged.
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Saying that you were considering buying Dark Souls and were put off by the difficulty, is like saying you were considering buying Skyrim and were put off by the huge, open world.
Being extremely hard is the point of Dark Souls ; if anything, making it harder (which is not what's happening here, it's bug fixing more than anything) should be encouraged.
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 1:44PM (Unverified) said
@Trilancer welcome to the world of next gen gaming where they can modify your game as much as they please, it's a good thing that there is a option to disable patches in the ps3 XMB.
patches are supposed to "fix" things not take them away or modify them.
*note the word "fix" is exaggerated because i don't think game devs know what the word means in the first place*
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patches are supposed to "fix" things not take them away or modify them.
*note the word "fix" is exaggerated because i don't think game devs know what the word means in the first place*
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 1:45PM (Unverified) said
@Vidaluko if they were overpowered in the first place, why did they put these weapons in the game? i just don't get game devs.
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Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 3:32PM Trilancer said
@Torticoli
Give the rest of us busy folk some slack. I use to finish Magican Lord on one life, and completed Ninja Gaiden on the NES. I had time back then.
I want to enjoy a game with these settings without having to not only grind, but grind while walking on eggshells for 100 hours. The addition of these special combo weapons gives people who want an edge, that time saving edge.
And for the rest of you (whom I respect your opinion) the developers can put in trophies and achievments to give you that sense of fulfillment.
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Give the rest of us busy folk some slack. I use to finish Magican Lord on one life, and completed Ninja Gaiden on the NES. I had time back then.
I want to enjoy a game with these settings without having to not only grind, but grind while walking on eggshells for 100 hours. The addition of these special combo weapons gives people who want an edge, that time saving edge.
And for the rest of you (whom I respect your opinion) the developers can put in trophies and achievments to give you that sense of fulfillment.
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 5:24PM mezzb said
@Trilancer
+1
I loved the world and the "feel" of combat. However I absolutely despised the huge health loss on every hit, and the constant death. Just was not for me. I would have been all over 'Souls if it had a kinder difficulty ramp. Or even a rookie setting which eases up on the health loss by 30% or so.
Hats off to those who had the patience and skill to master this unholy beast of a game.
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+1
I loved the world and the "feel" of combat. However I absolutely despised the huge health loss on every hit, and the constant death. Just was not for me. I would have been all over 'Souls if it had a kinder difficulty ramp. Or even a rookie setting which eases up on the health loss by 30% or so.
Hats off to those who had the patience and skill to master this unholy beast of a game.
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 12:55PM Anarqi said
I DARE, you invaders to come at me now!
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 1:36PM Altairio said
Heh...
"Other Changes:
Official Guide nerfed."
What does that even mean?
"Other Changes:
Official Guide nerfed."
What does that even mean?
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 1:58PM Helghast102 said
@Altairio That was a joke at how the official guides stat pages and stuff were now obsolete, some enemy locations have changed too
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Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 1:40PM DoctorSasquatch said
@echerringtonYAHOOCOM
Whoa whoa whoa what? The Elite Knight set got buffed from the 1.04 nerf?
That is fantastic news
Whoa whoa whoa what? The Elite Knight set got buffed from the 1.04 nerf?
That is fantastic news
Posted: Nov 23rd 2011 2:37PM themiracle said
my crystal ring shield!
noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo........!
.)
noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo........!
.)
