Dark Souls: Prepare to cry

[Death's Head]

Blue Tearstone ring that you found raises your defence when your health gets low and is pretty handy early on. You are meant to head to the Taurus Demon. He's easy if you know how. First off kill the two archers at the top of the tower as soon as you enter the fog door then run toward the opposite tower so the Taurus Demon spawns. Run back and climb the first tower and perform a plunging attack when he comes near, be quick as he can jump up after you. After you hit him run past the demon a little way then turn and head back towards him he should jump over you giving you the opportunity to climb the tower again and score another plunging attack. Repeat until he's dead.

Can someone give me a tip how to do the plunge attack? Is it just lock on and then walk off the tower and press the attack button? So far, he just kills me every time and I'm really getting strawberry floated off with the game. I know it is a good game, but if I can't progress I'll have to abandon it. Really frustrating having to do the same bit over and over again, only to get killed so strawberry floating quickly.

[Super Dragon 64]

Don't lock on. Just jump off when he's near the tower and attack as you fall.

[Cumberdanes]

I remember my first encounter with the Taurus Demon... he knocked me the strawberry float off the bridge but now I've finished the game a few times I look back and wonder how he ever beat me. Despite early impressions don't give up, Dark Souls really isn't too hard. I'm not even good but on my main file I'm at NG+3.

[Death's Head]

I did him earlier, realised just jumping off and pressing L1 was the plunge attack. When I realised how to do the attack, very easy to beat him.

[Cumberdanes]

Nice! That's what a lot of this game is about. Once you know what you're doing you start progressing a lot more smoothly. There's plenty of people on here who will be willing to offer their advice.

[Victor Mildew]

I'd played for 20 hours before a mate showed me how to fight properly. Looking for tells, backstabbing, blocking, kicking to break a block etc. completely transformed my game.

[Saint of Killers]

Being able to backstab at will.

[mic]

Go on then - what's the secret to backstabbing? I can do it, but only sporadically...

Also, like the topic title suggests, thinking about this game makes me want to cry. I'm down to my final humanity and, if ornstein and strawberry floating smough butcher me again I'll no longer be able to summon what's-his-face to help me...!

I want to get it over with, but lack the courage.

[Death's Head]

What does the humanity actually do? Count goes up when you use it and it restores health, but what is the point of it?

[mic]

You use it at a bonfire to either -

Kindle the bonfire - instead of refilling your estus flask to 5, you fill it to 10 at that bonfire (and then 15, but you need to get something for that)

Reverse Hollow(ing?) - stop being a zombie and become human for various perks, including being able to summon help from friendlies and various buffs. When you die, you're back to being Hollow again!

[False]

It also improves drop rate and defense a bit I think. Up to 10 humanity then it stops.

[mic]

Motion Blur - Yay or Nay?

It looks pretty cool, but then it surely must detract from the detail? I want it to look as good as possible!

Also, I just downloaded a texture fix, but don't know what to do with it - should it go in the Dark Souls folder (where I put the DSFix)? I think its a 7z file...

[Death's Head]

You use it at a bonfire to either -

Kindle the bonfire - instead of refilling your estus flask to 5, you fill it to 10 at that bonfire (and then 15, but you need to get something for that)

Reverse Hollow(ing?) - stop being a zombie and become human for various perks, including being able to summon help from friendlies and various buffs. When you die, you're back to being Hollow again!

Ah right. So if I kindle a bonfire it always refills my flask to 10? Was wondering why one of the bonfires fills to 10 and the others 5....

[Super Dragon 64]

You use it at a bonfire to either -

Kindle the bonfire - instead of refilling your estus flask to 5, you fill it to 10 at that bonfire (and then 15, but you need to get something for that)

Reverse Hollow(ing?) - stop being a zombie and become human for various perks, including being able to summon help from friendlies and various buffs. When you die, you're back to being Hollow again!

Ah right. So if I kindle a bonfire it always refills my flask to 10? Was wondering why one of the bonfires fills to 10 and the others 5....

Yep that's it. The bonfire at Firelink Shrine refills it to 10 by default but the others will only refill it to 5 unless you kindle them.

Note that becoming human also means that NPCs can invade your game, not just other people playing online. This is important because some of them drop useful items. Without a guide it's hard to know when you need to be human so that you can trigger these encounters but you can use the 'need humanity' notes on the floor to judge whether or not you want to try running around as a human. I think that the first time I encountered one was in The Depths, though there is also one at the bottom of Blighttown.

[mic]

Go on then - what's the secret to backstabbing? I can do it, but only sporadically...

[False]

go behind them, release all movement and hit attack

each enemy has a sort of tight area you need to be stood in - you'll learn where pretty quick

[mic]

Ahh - I think the 'release all movement' bit is what I haven't been doing right...

[Super Dragon 64]

That means release everything: don't use the analogue stick to move or have your shield raised, just attack.

[Victor Mildew]

So that's what need humanity means

[Cumberdanes]

Humanity is also used to rank up in one of the covenants.