Dark Souls III Diary - First Playthrough Journal - Part 4

While I'm a veteran Souls player, this is my first time playing through the latest installment, Dark Souls III, following the adventures of my pyromancer, Vedekka.

In the last episode of DSD, I met Greirat of the Undead Settlement who asked me to find "old Loretta" and deliver her a Blue Tearstone Ring. This got me thinking. The short amount of time I've been in this game has already felt like a massive journey, but I haven't even met the area boss yet. So, I put my nose to the grindstone and start trudging my way through the remainder of the zone, including backtracking to areas I haven't yet explored.

 Remember the rotund fellow circling the courtyard? He's toast now. Pyromancy is super powerful.

 Remember the zombies with living oil that explodes from their bodies to murder you? Found another one.

Remember that giant dragon? Yeah, he's still alive. But I stole all his treasure out from under him! See my new axe? It's very powerful and has dark magic damage on it. I still use it! I found it here, under the dragon...

...in this treasure chest! Except that's not a treasure chest. That is actually a mimic monster, which the user-shared hint on my left alerted me to. If you try to open that chest, it opens up to a massive set of bladed teeth, and you get to be lunch.

After clearing most of the level, I come to a long staircase leading to a cathedral. At the bottom of the stairs is a massive set of doors that I assume leads to other areas, perhaps even the Undead Settlement that Greirat referenced. I opt to look at the cathedral first as the way out which likely has the boss. I fight a pair of knights who are pretty tough. I DIE a few times, but I'm earning lots of souls, so it's okay. Then I see a knight with his back turned.

Now, see, NPCs in the Dark Souls series are often found out in the world and you are completely free to attack them at will, taking on any rewards and consequences that accompany that choice. I like to be nice, so I take a chance and approach normally rather than attempt to sneak in the first blow. He could have items to sell, a quest to give, or at least have some interesting story to tell--NOPE, HE HAS RED EYES AND IS CHARGING ME.

In hindsight, I probably should have given more credence to the fresh pools of blood in the area.

He chased me a remarkably long distance before finishing me off. :(

After he kills me, I decide to leave him alone. Seems wise for now. I still venture nearby to the cathedral to see what's inside but I get nervous. It's a dark, deep chamber and someone is sitting at the far end in a red cloak. Creepy. Could be risky and I'd rather go face the boss. I make my way down the massive stairs, flanked by the dead bodies of the devout, all of whom apparently expired before completing some long and brutal pilgrimage. I enter a huge chamber and... nothing. I'm sure this is a trick, but it's time to spring the trap. I head to the double doors which are choked by roots to have a look see.

How am I going to get through all this mess?

Suddenly, a humming sound heralds the opening of a strange and dark portal behind me. The boss climbs out of the portal and now I'm sealed inside the hall with a beast known simply as Vordt of the Boreal Valley.

Imagine a giant knight as a dog. Emanating cold magic and carrying a big mace. That is how we get to die today.

I DIE. A lot. After the first couple attempts, I use the player co-op system so I can learn the fight in other players' games with no risk to myself (and earn buckets of souls in the process). This also earns me Embers which are consumable items that allow me to "enkindle" myself so that I can summon player co-op helpers in my own world. Even after I get the fight down, I still make a lot of dumb mistakes and die a lot. I'm playing late at night now and I'm slipping, but I rally one last time and take Vordt down.

Reader, insert Xena battle cry here.

Success! Kinda. I head through the doors to find the bridge is out, completely collapsed. It's a straight drop down to death, but I notice that the game seems to want me to place an item here. I figure I  missed something, probably in the cathedral I avoided. Sure enough, I head inside and find Emma, High Priestess of Lothric Castle sitting in the red cloak.

Tell me about it, I climbed out of my own grave to be here.

Emma hooks me up with a mark of the Way of Blue covenant. See, when you're enkindled, there's a chance that other human players will be able to invade your game and gank you. If you equip the Way of Blue parchment, it will summon another player to defend you (those in the Blue Sentinels covenant, which we'll get to later). She also gives me a small Lothric Banner which is somehow going to help me leave High Lothric.

So, I head back to the drop and things... take an unexpected turn.

Okay, place the banner and... what's the scuffling sound down there?

Surprise!

"Uh, hey guys... I, you know what, I can just head back the way I came, I don't want to trouble anyone--"

"No, no, really, I can see myself out. Guys? Why, where are we--"

"WHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTT"

Adrian Martinez is a graphic designer, comic book letterer, hobbyist writer, and all-around geek living in New York City.

Dark Souls III Diary - First Playthrough Journal - Part 3

While I'm a veteran Souls player, this is my first time playing through the latest installment, Dark Souls III, following the adventures of my pyromancer, Vedekka.

The real kicker about the Dark Souls series is that most enemies respawn once you rest at a bonfire, so even after you overcome the world's more violent denizens, you'll probably have to slog through them again if you want (or need) to backtrack. With that in mind, my options are as follows:

Dark Souls III Diary - First Playthrough Journal - Part 2

While I'm a veteran Souls player, this is my first time playing through the latest installment, Dark Souls III, following the adventures of my pyromancer, Vedekka.

Using the bonfire I created using the twisted steel sword I drew out of a giant knight with a black snake for an arm... yeah... I've teleported to the royal city of Lothric, specifically the High Wall of Lothric which overlooks the city and the land around it.

Awesome visuals. Dark Souls III is an atmospheric, seriously great-looking game.

I find another bonfire immediately at the base of stone staircase. Like other games in the Souls series, the map levels range between sprawling and claustrophobic, but you often are forced to choose from multiple directions to explore. There is no right answer here; both directions promise monsters, traps, and gruesome deaths. The question is simply, which challenge are you up to first?

Doom, doom, doom...

On one side, I have what looks like zombie dogs and on the other side, I seem to have pious zombies, praying to unseen gods. There's also what appears to be a dead dragon. I opt for the dragon side. I wander down and all the zombies are so consumed with their prayer that I casually saunter by (I tried running like hell). No dice. Not only were there three patrolling zombies, but one of them with a lantern took it upon himself to scream at the top of his lungs, calling more zombies to his aid. Jerk.

Not helpful.

Once that disaster is past, I take a closer look at the dead dragon. I notice it has this swirling black miasma around its head and neck. It's pretty similar to what Iudex Gundyr had around him before I pulled the sword out from his chest and... yeah. Not gonna mess with this right now.

You just keep napping there, buddy.

I venture down some stairs and a ladder, fighting some more dead guys along the way. I come to an open area with an empty staircase on the left, and an alleyway filled with armored skeletons. Well, let's take a peek up the stairs and suddenly a DRAGON screeches and bathes the world in flame OH GOD MOVE BACK MOVE BACK--

Death ahead.

Luckily, I'm safe from the flames on the steps and the dragon isn't chasing me, so I don't proceed any further at this time. The alleyway wasn't safe from the flames and with all those skellies dead, I sprint through. Alright, good fortune, I guess. Certainly can't get worse than that -- OH. It's a knight.

He kills me. I DIED. Another couple attempts later and I manage to slay the knight.

I was very brave. Then I died. A lot.

"I'm the Ashen One. You gotta deal with it!"

I'm in a dark room now, inside a tower. I see an undead guy hiding behind some barrels, so I get the jump on HIM instead. I look down another stairway and engage some more skeletons there, but opt instead to go upstairs and outside. I usually like to feel out my options before committing and it pays off.

Bonfire! Now I can teleport back to Firelink Shrine and spend my hard-earned souls.

Rest and Estus Flask replenishment. Estus Flasks are how I heal my health and mana pool.

"Yes, that's the dragon behind me. What do you mean I look nervous?"

Until next time...

Adrian Martinez is a graphic designer, comic book letterer, hobbyist writer, and all-around geek living in New York City.

Dark Souls III Diary - Playthrough Journal - Part 1

While I'm a veteran Souls player, this is my first time playing through the latest installment, Dark Souls III, following the adventures of my pyromancer, Vedekka.

I started my latest adventure as we all do, in the character creator. I had considered starting with the hardest class to start with, the Depraved. You start with nothing but a loin cloth, a club, and a few wooden slats that somewhat resemble a shield. Instead, I chose the Pyromancer class as I knew I wanted to use magic, but also wanted to be balanced in melee combat. So, to make things harder for myself, I removed my top armor and ended up looking like a maniacal Coachella attendee.

Coachella Day 3

The story begins where I emerge from my grave, some many untold years after my death. I have risen as the chosen undead warrior, the Ashen One, to... save the world? Not exactly. The world is descending into its final throes as the forces of Light and Dark battle, and I'm here to avert their squabble, but to what end remains to be seen.

I wade my way through the tutorial zone and half a score of undead monsters before encountering the first boss of the game, Iudex Gundyr. First, he was an immobile figure with a sword through his chest. You'd think he would appreciate me removing it and freeing him, but no... not so much. He starts the fight as a knight with a massive weapon and later his arm becomes a giant black snake monster. What.

I think for a moment that maybe I should stop being hard on myself and use my armor, but I'm finding that I can move really fast without it. It's easier for me to stay out of range and I recover from dodges quickly. I'm also a sucker for just using whatever armor looks the coolest, so I'll just stay light for now and use what I find. My starter armor top looked kinda cool with some fur shoulders, but then it has this giant rusted plate on the front. What is that about? I just can't deal with it, so for now I prefer my mud covered tank top, but I digress.

I didn't have my screen capture button set to Steam Controller yet, so I'll just summarize by saying that he dealt me my first death. I died. I got him on my second try, though.

It was a brutal death, in any case

After that, the game informs me "EMBER RESTORED" and I find that I'm glowing in places, like I'm on fire inside. I look pretty cool. Normally when you die in a Souls game, you start to "hollow" and begin to look progressively more undead with each death. So far, dying doesn't make me look any deader, and in fact I continue looking pretty healthy. And now I get to be all glowy. I'm into this. I make my way up past some more angry undead guys in robes and find a large cave-like cathedral, known as the Firelink Shrine. It's safe inside, and I make some new friends.

Selfie with my new bestie, the Fire Keeper

Hawkwood, a fugitive from Farron's Undead Legion, is feeling sorry for himself

The Shrine Handmaid, the first vendor of the game!

The blacksmith Andre of Astora, making a second Souls appearance, returning from Dark Souls I

The Fire Keeper tells me to place the sword I took from Iudex Gundyr in the center of the room. I do and it creates a new bonfire. I can teleport from this bonfire a begin my epic quest in earnest, but before I do, I decide to explore the area outside. On both sides, I find towers with gates that I can't open, but on the left is an undead man in rags wielding a sweet samurai sword. I must have it! He wrecks me with his sword skills, but I come back and finish him equally fast using my pyromancer fireball. The rags actually provide some armor bonus, so I decide to go with it.

After wearing my new rags, I met Ludleth of Courland who is a "Lord of Cinder"

I use the souls I've collected thus far to level up (the Fire Keeper helps me with this). I teleport using the bonfire and find myself in a dark room in a dark castle. I push open the doors and...

The adventure continues... next time! In Part 2 of Dark Souls III Diary.

Adrian Martinez is a graphic designer, comic book letterer, hobbyist writer, and all-around geek living in New York City.

Character Creation: How does Dark Souls III Stack Up?

Creating your character is the first step in many celebrated role-playing games, and in the video game realm, the opportunity to create a visual representation of your character is an exciting prospect for many of us.

The Dark Souls series of games has always provided in-depth character appearance customization options, but just how deep does the latest game Dark Souls III get? More specifically, can you make a character that looks like you?

An Introduction to Dark Souls

The popular series created by Japanese developers From Software takes place across a variety of dream-like dark fantasy realms where you, the Chosen Undead, must embark on an epic quest to save a dying world... or perhaps bring it to a close.

Much of the world's lore is lost, and hinted at in items you find, or hidden in the minds of the remaining inhabitants. As the player, you can pick up bits and pieces of this lore and craft the details in your own mind, making the journey a very personal experience.

Character Creators of the Past

The Dark Souls series offers the standard selection of options such as name, sex, and character class. It also introduces ethnicity in an interesting way by providing appearance templates associated with fictional realm archetypes such as Serpentine Traveler (which seems to serve as a catch-all for East Asian features), which is broad but effortlessly allows the game world to expand beyond the presumed European-archetype kingdom explored in the game.

Ultimately, the ethnic diversity still skews almost exclusively in favor of white European equivalents. However, the ability to customize the template looks exists, so I find myself feeling thankful for the options.

The first Dark Souls character creator featuring one black and possibly two
"Asian" ethnic templates.

Many other games will allow you to make your skin purple and your hair green, but if you want your skin to be a natural ebony color or to have curly, kinky twists or locs, forget about it. However, the series and Dark Souls II in particular excels in this regard. While Dark Souls II did not provide ethnic templates (as show above, the first Dark Souls provided "Jubilant Catarina" as a catch-all for black characters) as in the first and the third games, I was able to use their Advanced customization settings to make a striking and convincingly black character.

My awesome sorcerer from Dark Souls II.

How does Dark Souls III do?

In terms of functionality, the character creator in the latest installment is nearly identical to past Souls games. They've introduced a couple new fantasy ethnic archetypes, one called the Irithyllians who are reminiscent of the Hyperboreans from Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian, with an ivory white skin tone.

However, some options from previous games have been changed or even removed. The non-white hairstyles made available in Dark Souls II have disappeared, leaving only a standard array of straight hairstyles. This was odd and disappointing. One interesting option is the ability to apply body and facial hair to both sexes. You can have a woman with a hairy tummy and unshaven legs and even a full beard and mustache, in any RGB color you like! And as with previous Souls games, age and a variety of body type templates are available, with sliders to adjust specific areas even further.

Lastly, another area where the Dark Souls series excels where others have failed is in the clothing and armor. All armor appears the same on both sexes; there's no bikini scale-mail to be found here, and any armor that is skimpy or thread-bare appears roughly identical on both men and women avatars.

A fully-armored female knight. Boob plate does not exist.

Conclusion

In summary, Dark Souls III (and the series as a whole) is better than most with a wide variety of skin color and body type options, with the additional equitable treatment of both sexes regarding, muscle, hair, armor, and clothing. The latest game fails to include some much-welcomed non-white hairstyles, a blemish which if rectified, would have elevated this character creator among the best available. If you like dark, mysterious, and very challenging fantasy RPGs, you can't do much better that the Dark Souls series.

Adrian Martinez is a graphic designer, comic book letterer, hobbyist writer, and all-around geek living in New York City.