Dark Souls: How to Prevent Invasion / See Summon Signs Instantly

UPDATE: THERE IS NOW A PROGRAM AVAILABLE TO ALLOW FOR INSTANT SUMMON SIZE! CHECK OUT THIS LINK

In Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition, the whole multiplayer connection is different than in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 (PS3) versions of the game. Specifically, it is p2p (peer-to-peer) with IP Pools cycling.

In other words, you sometimes have to wait a very long time until you see a summon sign dropped by your friend -- or if they want to see your summon sign. So if your friend's summon sign isn't showing up, that's why.

Literally, it is not unusual to have to wait 20 minutes or so. During that time, it is likely you will be invaded too, and killed since many players like to cheat.

This solution solves both problems -- it stops invasions and lets you see White Sign Soapstones or Red Sign Soapstones right away.

So to Stop Players from Invading You, follow the same steps as below.

Dark Souls: Fix Multiplayer Summoning

Basically, we will limit the IPs able to connect to you in the game -- immensely.

1) Download Tunngle and install it
2) Sign up for it and login, then using Tuungle join the "DARK SOULS: PREPARE TO DIE" room
3) Check your Tunngle connection settings for Port Forwarding and hit "test connection" to see if it is working. If it isn't working, then either your firewall OR your router is blocking the port, and you will need to open them through there.

Done! Now just open Dark Souls and you're good to go. Only the people in that room will be able to join your game (and there aren't very many) so it's like playing via LAN.

Invasions are possible still, but unlikely (feel free to join a DIFFERENT room to avoid invasions altogether). It's kind of like playing in offline mode that way. Works on Steam copies of the game too.

Note: If you don't want to do all that and are trying to join a friend for coop, then it helps if you try to use the "join room" option through Games for Windows Live (GFWL).

Dark Souls: Kill Four Kings Easily Fast

Perhaps one of the most annoying boss battles in Dark Souls is the boss battle against the Four Kings.

Why? Because...
-- You have to use a special ring to fight them: Covenant of Artorias ring (you will instantly die without it)
-- People you summon for help forget to equip the ring & die
-- The i4 Kings keep spawning if you don't kill them quick enough
-- The fight area is big and it can be hard to judge distance
-- The boss can steal Humanity
-- They smell bad

If you want to melee the boss and have low vitality / health (HP), then make sure to roll when he takes his swings to avoid being damaged.

HOWEVER, if you are lazy and have lots of life, then you don't even have to do that. Read more »

Dark Souls: Best Weapon for Strength Build

Doing a strength build in Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition? Then check out our list below of the hardest hitting / highest hitting damage weapons! This list takes into account the new weapons available in the game's Artorias of the Abyss DLC.

Note that you can make some of these into fire, lightning, divine, raw, occult, enchanted / magic, or chaos, but that hurts the scaling effects so don't use those embers on these weapons. I only recommend turning them into CRYSTAL (if you don't mind durability issues) and then the normal upgrade paths.

However, it also goes without saying that the best divine weapon for a strength build / str build (since you will need one during one part of the game and MAYBE a boss fight if you wish) is still the best strength weapon -- so what many people do is get 2 or more copies of their best / favorite weapon, and then make one version divine (To deal with regenerating skeletons).

I'm going to use acronyms for a lot of these weapons since gamers LOVE acronyms. Right? Right!

Top Strength Weapons Dark Souls

Demon's Great Axe - The DGA weapon has the MOST physical damage in the whole game after upgrading it to +15. It will have S scaling for strength and an attack rating of over 650 depending on how much strength you have. This weapon is very strong and very heavy. Note that the crystal form is the strongest, but obviously has durability issues.

Demon Great Machete - A good alternative to the DGA, the DGM hits for high damage as well, but lacks the S scaling. It also weighs a lot though.

Man-Serpent Greatsword - A very popular choice of weapon! MSG is upgradeable to +15 and easy to get pretty early on in the game. It has A scaling for strength (when upgraded), isn't too slow, and has a weight of 10. Read more »

Dark Souls: Best Shield

In Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition (which includes Artorias of the Abyss), you will encounter many different shields. Some are great shields that cannot parry, but can ram people. Others are normal, light weight small shields that can parry. Some shields are also enchanted and/or boast special traits such as increased resistance towards poison / toxic / bleed, fire / flame (such as from dragons or pyromancy), magic / sorcery (such as from bosses or pvp / pve), lightning elemental, increased stamina regeneration (regen), HP / health regeneration, or have abilities that allow you to hurt enemies more so with a shield bash (such as a spiked shield or the pierce shield from Siegmeyer of Catarina).

Many people want a shield with HIGH stability and defense, even if it isn't a light shield or medium weight shield instead of a heavy shield / large shield. And that's fine for a strength build or hybrid build that uses dexterity / dex (quality build), faith, or intelligence. After all, even if you constantly are trying to dodge the enemy, you WILL eventually be hit, and that's what the shield is for -- dealing with the impact in combination with poise.

So what's the best shield in the Dark Souls game world? There are a handful that are the "best" which have either the highest resistance, best defence / defense, poise, etc. Read more »

Dark Souls: Best Light, Medium, Heavy Armor (PVP, PVE)

What's the best armor & gear in the game? That's a debate for many -- and the answer is NOT easy. Sometimes, armor and shields are SITUATIONAL. This means what works great in one level won't necessarily be the best in a different level.

Note that you can easily obtain all of these armors regardless so feel free to experiment! Mix and match as you please.

Keep in mind that all sets listed in here should be upgraded as much as possible (when/if possible). Obviously some won't be upgradeable, such as the Havel Armor set. Also, this article is written in the beginning of 2013 -- so it's for the latest patch 1.07 AND applies to those with the Artorias of the Abyss DLC.

These work great for player vs player (PVP) (invaders) and player versus everyone (PVE). This includes against bosses and normal enemies too. Read more »

Dark Souls: Best Game Controller

Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition should be played with a gamepad when playing the computer version! Obviously, some people prefer the old mouse and keyboard for this game still, and that's fine (won't bother debating with you). For others, you may be more comfortable with a controller.

For me (and note that I do most of my gaming WITH a mouse and keyboard), I prefer this game with an actual USB controller (wired or wireless).

It gives a better feeling of gameplay for me and the game itself was obviously intended to be used with one.

Moving on -- there are many other good gamepads for this game! Check our list below (and if you own a console already, you may be in luck).

(Note: Most users use controllers in conjunction with the MotionJoy / MotioninJoy or x360ce driver / software to make it work properly, so check out our guide: Dark Souls: Fix Xbox 360,PS3, & Other Controllers). Anyway, let's continue! Read more »

Dark Souls: Hacks, Cheats, and Trainers

Get the game Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition for PC from Steam, Origin, etc?

Do any PVP, get invaded, or summon another player for multiplayer help in the game?

You should be careful then. There are people out there who are hacking and unfortunately, this can cause issues for YOU in the game.

Be weary of any of the multiplayer people that you summon that download hacks or trainers.

Some of these people actually kill friendly game NPC's (even though they shouldn't be able to).

A prime example is at Anor Londo where killing the illusion of Princess of Sunlight Gwynevere -- turns all of Anor Londo dark -- and makes members of the Darkmoon Covenant attack you there, as well as a hostile fire keeper. This is a big game changer that the player should only be able to do themself!

How do you protect yourself from all of this?

Well, you have two options. Read more »

Dark Souls: How to Heal Phantoms, Yourself, and NPC's

There are several ways to recover health as a phantom / dark phantom. So if you are in a party / co-op situation to kill a boss or are facing enemies (perhaps summoned via the Darkmoon Blade Covenant Ring or the Cat Covenant Ring), then you are in luck!

Knowing these tricks & tips can help keep you alive in both PVP, Solo playing, and PvE. It will help you conserve Estus Flasks as well as protect your allies -- computer and real.

1) The person who summoned you (if there is one) can heal you via using an estus flask.

2) Use a normal healing miracle spell (requires some faith). You can heal yourself as a phantom this way, but not others. Heal, Great Heal, Great Heal Excerpt, and Replenishment all work.

3) Joining the Princess's Guard covenant allows you to use TWO special healing spells that work on healing you, phantom allies, and phantom NPC's. Soothing Sunlight and Bountiful Sunlight.

4) One good way to keep your health up when you yourself are a phantom is to use the Ring of the Evil Eye. This allows you to kill monsters and gain a little bit of life each time they die (30 HP). This solution is good for PvE, but not so much for PVP unless you are able to murder several summons successfully. When using this method, I use it throughout the level to keep my health up, but then unequip it when it's time to fight the boss, as it won't be any good there unless the boss has minions. It works wonders in situations involving regenerating skeletons though like in the boss fight against Gravelord Nito.
5) Use the Butcher Knife. It gives 5 HP per hit.

5B) Use the Server. It gives you 7 HP per hit instead.

6) Equip the Sanctus shield. Even if you don't have enough faith to use it properly, it STILL heals you. It's VERY slow though...2 HP every 2 seconds. You can two hand a weapon with this on your back to help a bit OR go to the bathroom while it heals you!

7) Consume humanity! This includes twin humanities. They recover health AND give you humanity, not to mention they can be used in phantom form on yourself.

Dark Souls FAQ Guide

Q: Can you heal NPC Phantom summons like Soltaire?
Yes. Use the miracles from the Princess Guard: Soothing Sunlight and Bountiful Sunlight.

Q: Do I have to be apart of the Princess's Guard covenant to use Bountiful Sunlight and Soothing Sunlight?
Unfortunately, yes. You will be able to keep these spells, but you cannot cast them unless you are in the covenant.

Q: How do I get the Bountiful Sunlight and Soothing Sunlight miracles?
It is located in The Duke's Archives. You must kill a non-aggressive pisaca monster to get it (get captured, then go all the way to the bottom floor -- they're near where Big Hat Logan's cell is).

Q: Can you heal online summoned Phantoms / normal players?
Yes. Using your Estus Flask is the easiest way. When you heal, it also heals them.

Dark Souls: Keep Souls / Humanity Against Seath the Scaleless

Perhaps one of the most troubling parts of this game to some people, are that you are forced to lose a boss battle in the later part of the game.

You fight against Seath the Scaleless in the Duke's Archives and the first time you fight him, you can't win because he keeps regenerating life instantly.

What does that mean for you, young gamer?

Well, you will lose all your souls and humanity that you've collected up to that point...and will be unable to recover them.

Or at least, that's what most people believe.

The truth of the matter is, you can use a RING OF SACRIFICE to prevent this from happening!

Pretty obvious, right? No, not really. People often forget about the existence of this ring. It's perfect for situations like this.

Q: Can you defeat Seath the Scaleless in the first battle?
No. Like how short that answer is? You don't? How about this: nooooooooooooooooooooooooo! You defeat him in your second battle. In the first battle, you must lose to move the story line along and get trapped in a jail cell.

Dark Souls: Turn Big Hat Logan Hollow

Unfortunately, Big Hate Logan turns hollow once certain conditions are met.

You must...

(A) Beat the boss: Seath The Scaleless
(B) Buy everything you from him after freeing him from The Duke's Archives (this is the SECOND time you free him from jail / a cage -- not to be confused with Sen's Fortess). You must buy magic you already own too if he's selling it.

He will then turn mean immediately after you purchase everything and have spoken to him. Exit the game, then reopen it and he will be gone.

You'll find him in the room where you lost to Seath the during your first boss encounter wit him.

Be prepared to kill this friendly sorcerer. Doing so will do a couple of things for you..

1) Give you a Big Hat
2) Give you the White Dragon Breath sorcery
3) Give you the Tin Crystalization Catalyst
4) Make you depressed 😉

Goodbye, Logan. Your obsession with that annoying level was your downfall. I'd say that I'd miss you, but you refused to sell me magic at first since I had low intelligence. It hurt my feelings, bro.

Q: Is there any way to save Big Hat Logan?
Yes. Do NOT buy his magic. He wont go crazy from the knowledge / magic / crystal sorcery he learned in those books that way. If you kill him though, you can't revive him.