Dark Souls II: Gear Shift

Tales from Dark Souls - spoilers ahead! You can follow the rest of the story here!

After getting whooped so much I decided it was time to go through the "learning" part of combat again, intentionally fighting the local forest enemies to get a better handle on controls and timing. Didn't bother relearning parry though. I'm quite upset that they changed the timing for that. This time around I'm opting for blocking and backstabbing! The results seem to pay off since I soon find myself in the chamber of the forest boss: the last giant!

Which is incorrect, given how many other giants I'm going to run into later.

Fortunately he's a very straight forward boss. Just avoid his stamping feet with stamina management. While his soul is not one of the "great four", he does drop a key for me which lets me access other parts of the forest ruin, and during my suicide scouting runs (where I just go to pick stuff up) I find this neat bastard sword. It easily outclasses my broadsword in damage and reach so it becomes my new favorite weapon. I go back to Majula to upgrade it a little and notice that the hag merchant is here now. Licia (the evil cleric) too, who offers to "shift" a path using her miracle powers for the low price of 2000 souls.

I figure she might as well since I'd eventually need to go wherever that leads, and it leads to a dark forest full of poison using assassin hollows! Wonderful! As if that's not bad enough, I also get invaded by Forlorn who soundly thrashes me with his great sword. I did manage to defeat a giant frog at the base of a cave though. At least that's something. :P

Dark Souls II: Pity there's No Pity

Tales from Dark Souls - spoilers ahead! You can follow the rest of the story here!

I opt to venture another direction from Majula, this time into a watery tunnel that leads to some gorgeous, sinking ruins. There are many white knights sitting around injured but since I can't help them, I just push forward - doing my best to explore while avoiding the slow giant warriors guarding the place. Eventually I find a boss room of some fat knight who really enjoys insta killing me by knocking me off the platform into the deep water below.

Come back for more? Ho ho ho!

After numerous attempts I think he must have gotten bored since he decided to jump into the water himself! Just above his arena I find the slightly evil cleric, Licia, who offers to sell me miracles. Ain't got the souls for it lady. After a bridge, some spiraling stairs, and more running I find myself in a really dark underground dock where distant archers relentlessly snipe me. Having had enough of that BS I use a bonfire just before that zone to warp back to the forest where my life is made a little easier as an undead soldier explodes open a shortcut for me.

Just when I think the bad guys are taking pity on me, I find a room where I get shot at by five balistas, get ganked by soldiers "playing dead", and after actively ignoring the warning of adventurer named Pate, willingly enter a trap where I still get swarmed and die. Pate laughs at my misfortune and gives me a white soapstone for my trouble. Because I stink.

PSA: Getting hit by multiple siege weapons at the same time can be fatal.