Build summary | A PVE multi faceted class. Bow, Magic, and Melee built to take you to NG+7 |
Recommended starting class(es) | Royalty |
Recommended Soul Level | 60 (First play through) |
Recommended stats (Leave at default (**) if not raised) |
|
Vitality | 8 |
Will/Intelligence | 24 |
Endurance | 20 |
Strength | 16 |
Dexterity | 12 |
Magic | 24 |
Faith | 24 |
Luck | - |
Recommended equipment |
Large Sword of Moonlight- Found in 5-2 in the rafters of the slug haven. Until you get it the Crescent Falchion +1 works just fine, found in 4-1, near the skeleton phantom. Long Bow- Purchase in 4-1 for 3000 souls from Grave Robber Blige. Silver Catalyst- Starting Item. Dark Silver Shield-Until you get it from Garl Vinland the Heater Shield works well, purchased at the Nexus Blacksmith. Talisman of God- You don't have to pick up but can be used to help in a bind with Second Chance or Evacuate. Can be found in the start of 4-1. Right Hand- Large Sword of Moonlight and Catalyst/Bow As for armor use the Ancient Kings set. The 3 rings I'd recommend Ring of Herculean Strength- Increases equip load. Also after you get a high enough level you probably won't need. At which point I'd say use the Fragrant or Regenerator ring. Eternal Warriors Ring- Regens stamina faster Thief's Ring- Should be next to Ostrava in 1-1 where you meet him. Take the ring, kill the man. Whenever I return from a successful mission, in slaying a demon. I come back, fix my equipment, level up, and with whatever remainder of money I have BUY ARROWS. I always use this order of operations to make sure I get what's out of the way important. Unharmed gear, better numbers, and more ammo. If you do this by the end of the first game you'll have 999 arrows and probably never have to buy more for a couple play throughs. I actually buy 999, store them with Stockpile Thomas then buy another 999 to keep on my person. Just incase I need to carry a good treasure like Dark Silver Armor back to the Nexus and have too much equipment load. I just drop the arrows with no fear, take the treasure and stock back up in the Nexus. Also once you hit the higher NG+'s if you do decide to shoot the dragon for instance in 1-2 like me it's gonna take several hundred arrows to take down. So why not be prepared? Once you do that which should take probably one play through at best. On the next run instead of stocking up on arrows you'll do it with Spice from the Blacksmith. And yes, you'll get 99, store them with Stockpile Thomas then keep a fair amount (Doesn't have to be 99 since the weight can be a bit much) on you. Think of Spice and Arrows like bullets to a gun. If you can't fire your bow or use your catalyst…then what good is it really. Better to be stocked up now than kicking yourself later and scambling. |
Recommended spells/miracles |
Magic Soul Arrow- Starting magic on the Royalty class. Miracles Evacuate- Purchased for 20,000 souls. I didn't do it until the second play because of the order of which I do things. But the Talisman of Beasts works great. If you have the time ability to get it doing side missions I'd implore you to do so. It can cast both magic and miracles. |
Gameplay tips and progression |
The initial stats I put up are for a first run of the game. Later in this guide I have what would be NG+ (Through +7) so you know what you want to shoot for further down the road. Suggested level order 1-1 Kill Ostrava, take the Thiefs Ring, and kill Phalanx. Use Firebombs and Turpentine on him. It'll speed up the fight greatly. Purchase the Heater Shield 4-1 Bow, Falchion, Talisman (Run to the ground floor, target the top of the head and use your magic. A clockwise motion works just fine. If you see him telegraph an attack, move.) Purchase Arrows 3-1 Free Sage Freke and Fools Idol Soul (Hide behind the pillars and use a bow against her. It could be a process of elimination but is a very safe way to make it.) Purchase Flame Toss from Freke 5-1 Soul of Leechmonger (Flame Toss on the top level you start on. There should be a wooden overhang you can spam spells on, while his worms will bounce off.) 1-1 Poison Cloud Old King Doran. When he stands there just stand still and do it til he's dead. (Ancient King Set) 5-2 Sword of Moonlight (Can penetrate through blocked shields). The boss isn't too bad. You can sit just inside the fog gate and use arrows against his head. Melee him by moving in and out, or stay a medium distance and use magic. My preferred method. If you get covered in filth use the torches to burn it off, and heal shortly after. 5-3 Garl Vinlands Dark Silver Shield (Just use the bow atop the hill against Astraea. She'll heal and talk for a couple minutes but you can nickel and dime her down to 0 within a couple minutes. Then warp to the Nexus and back for Garles armor set, and more importantly shield.) 4-2 Free Saint Urbain (You can hit him however you want, but once you hit him he lets out a roar. If you hurt him before he resets he'll go rage mode and possibly kill you instantly. I stand behind the alter you start at and bow him. Wait for the yell then rinse and repeat. Oh and bring lots of arrows, around 200+. Don't forget you have the thiefs ring that can help stay quiet if you do decide to melee him.) Purchase Second Chance (Old Hero Soul) and Evacuate (20,000) souls from Urbain. At this point you have more than what you need to beat the game. I only have Homing Soul Arrows and Fireball listed because I find them likable and powerful enough. Suggested level choices 4-3 Use the broken building as cover and stay behind it 90% of the time if you're not attacking. Run to the middle of the lower level to find the sword first. 1-2 I use the bow on the first tower to kill the Dragon since I don't like running. Takes about 20 mins to do though. And The Tower Knight you can kill from hitting him in the heel. When he drops 2 hand the sword and use your power attack. 1 knock down should be sufficient. Regardless of how you do it kill the archers around the side first. If you're feeling too sheepish to stand up in his grill wait for him to throw his spears, then move a few feet and fire your bow. Both work great. 1-3 Make sure to free Yuria and Biorr. If you leave and come back Biorr will help you in the Penetrator boss fight. The Sword of Moonlight works great against him. And if Biorr is there I just let Biorr tank while I use magic. 3-2 There's a guy in a cage in this level with gold armor and a scythe. Free him, and instantly kill him. Doing that will start the sequence of events you need to get the Talisman of Beasts. As for the Gargoyles. Magic and Melee seem to work just fine, I like to stay in the middle with the dish of fire and use it as barricade so I can hit when I choose but they can't. And if you want you can kill one of them with the bow before the fog gate and shoot through. Then play ring around the rosie with the fire dish. 3-3 Soul Rays will get you to the top of the stairs and Melee will get you through the Old Monk. If you're not facing a human opponent he's super predictable. Use the Old Monk soul with Sage Freke for the Home Soul Arrows. 2-1 The bow and thiefs ring are all you need. Walk in and cling to the left wall, and go into your aiming reticle. If you hug the wall enough and are far enough away, almost at the fog gate. Then the only thing you'll get hit by is his web shot to slow you down and take a minute amount of life. But since you won't be running the webbing means nothing. 2-2 Probably the toughest boss. I use magic at distance and melee when he gets close. I've never had a solid way of defeating him in real combat. Just dance around and try to use the bones and pillars are barricades if he starts to overwhelm you. If you want to play it super safe and kinda cheap you can catch him up against a corner or wall and use poison cloud, be prepared to wait a while and have a heart attack when he breaks free. Go back to 2-1 and you can unlock the second blacksmiths special weapons at the bottom of the elevator by talking to him. 2-3 Just hang back behind cover and use Soul Ray. You'll have to aim it by position your guy/the camera right. But with 4-5 blasts you can break the debris and push through. Wait til his head is turned and if his eyes glow it means he sees you. Bring spice. If you wish you can talk to Freke for the last magic Fireball. You won't need it for the final level but I found it to be helpful through the next several play throughs. Go to the second floor and kill Mephitophelis, the gray haired woman with the mask. Once you kill her you get her mask. 4-1 go visit Sparkly the Crow and leave her mask there at the base of the tree. Save and quit right there. Reload and she'll have given you a Colorless Demon Soul. Now leave your Talisman of God with her, save and quit once again. You should have gotten another one. These do nothing for you this play through but will give you a solid leg up on your NG+. 5-1 Head to the female shop keeper and buy an extra Talisman of God. Again this isn't for this play through but the next. 1-4 Nothing fancy for this level, the Dragon you can run by it, or bow it if you want. When you get to False King Allant you can shoot the bow off before you step forward to initiate the fight. Once you get the feel down in the Souls games though it feels like a pretty manageable duel. Since you won't fat roll, have a good shield, a hell of a good sword (Especially with the S scaling) you'll be okay. Congratulations! Now one more (Sorta) boss and you've beaten Demon's Souls. Oh if you want advice to beat slugman aka Real King Allant….just stand back, hit R3 and use your bow. He'll never reach you. CONGRATULATIONS!!! you just beat Demon's Souls! Now it's time for NG+, ++, +++, or whatever you're on. That's where the real treachery begins. NG+ suggested level ups When you reach NG+ and beyond I'd recommend looking at soft caps and keeping those in mind since it eventually takes a long time for 1 level up. Vit- 99 The Long Bow works great for the first run. But after upgrade it to Long Bow +7 and mix it with the Giant Spider from 2-1's soul to the second Blacksmith. You'll get the Lava Bow which is bar none the best bow in the game. When you take into account that the fire stun locks most enemies once they get hit it should give you even more time in a fight before they reach you. If distance is your game. Also you'll have to up your strength and dex to be able to properly wield it. The armor set you'll want to use once you start getting into the NG+, ++ and so on can be whatever you please. On my character who's on NG+9 I use a blend of Gloom, Old King, and Dark Silver Armor. Again the only rule is keep your weight under 50% so you don't fat roll. Magic and Miracles I think there's way more in the game than you need. The ones I posted worked just fine to get me through many play throughs. I still suggest to collect all the spells you can along the way since it never hurts to have a big bag of tricks. Upgrading is the last thing. For your Moonlight Sword and Dark Silver Shield you'll need Colorless Demon Souls. You can get a couple of them from Mephistophelis, and a couple from Sparkly the Crow. You can get some from fighting prime evil demons as well. I never really cared to find them or hunt them down. Instead I'll just take another play through if need be to get them. Since you'll start with Colorless Souls to upgrade your item I'd say to do things a little differently once you hit NG+. 1-1 Free Ostrava (Don't kill him this time) and kill Phalanx. 2-1 Kill the Spider and keep his soul so you can make the Lava Bow 4-1 Give the extra Talisman of God to Sparkly for a Colorless Demon Soul. (At this point just from my instructions you should have 3, or more if you've done extra work) I use the upgrades for the Sword of Moonlight first over the shield. 3-1 just to get you to 3-2 to kill Yurt. After the first play through is when I think it's best to get the Talisman of Beasts. The Talisman of Beasts can cast both magic and miracles so I highly recommend it. To get it you have to kill Yurt the Silent Chief in 3-2 and Mephistophelis (I call her Mrs Doubtfire) will appear on the Nexus 2nd floor. She wants you to bump off all the side characters, Freke, Urbain, Yuria, Biorr, Ostrava, and Patches. Talk to her, get the mission, kill said person, and go back to her. DO NOT go and start killing them all at once without talking to her in between to get to mission. I made that mistake before. And the second to last thing she'll give you is the Talisman of Beasts. After you finish her missions she'll try to kill you, so don't get too fond of her. The rest of the journey is really up to you on where you want to go. This is just my my take on the best route to go with what gear you have/need. I've always loved not be pigeonholed into one play style. This is a great way to be able to do anything and everything you want to do and not have to make multiple characters to feel like a good mage, archer, or warrior. Not to mention you can take it to NG+7 meaning in the PVE aspect it's all you'll ever really need. Don't be afraid to tweak my ideas to make this work for you, if you want more of one thing. And less of another. So long as you beat the game, nothing else matters. Good luck on your journey and just remember, you have a heart of gold. Don't let them take it from you. |
The Adventurer
Criminally underrated.
This is more of a great walk-through for someone with a bit of understanding of the game.
This is probably one of the most complete and smoothest progressions of the game.
Thank you very much! I enjoy tinkering with builds and wanted to give back to the community. So anyone interested could see a fairly straight forward path to success.
I made an account just to thank you. I'm following this guide right now.
As an added comment, in the second step (stage 4-1) you can grind to your heart's content because the skeletons give a lot of souls.
I have a question… what stat should I level up first? should I leave vitality at 8 for the first run?
Thanks for the guide!!! There are almost no PVE guides on this site you are a Hero!
Thank you! I'm glad you're having luck using this sort of guide. I didn't initially intend to be so detailed in my build. I just wanted to be helpful and show people an easier path than slogging through, dying over and over to get to the finish line. I wanted to streamline the process.
You can level up vitality for more life. It's not too big of a deal. In Souls games, usually your stamina is sort of your first line of defense when you think about it. Because either you're going to run, dodge, or block an attack. So I usually put more emphasis on the stamina bar over health. But there's nothing wrong with sinking some points into vitality, since it's a last line of defense, and if you don't hit block in time, prevents you having to do a level or boss over again. Whatever helps you get through the game is my motto.
As for what to put your points into first, for leveling up. My general suggestion on where to allocate points. Put them into what deals the most offensive damage primarily. So you'd want to see what your weapon of choice is, and what it scales best with. That being said if you're going along with the same weapons in the guide, you'll want to make sure you have the right points to wield the weapons I talk about. Be it the Long Bow or Crescent Falchion. Or a little bit further down the road you'll use the Sword of Moonlight and Lava Bow. I believe you have to up strength to be able to wield the bow or falchion from the starting character (If memory serves correct). I really just let my gear guide my level ups, with an emphasis on whatever is scaling best on my weapon.
Naturally too you'll want to find a weapon or style that's comfortable for you. I think that's just a matter of trying new stuff to see what feels right. The Crescent Falchion in 4-1 is a great place to start. Both from a move set standpoint, being able to get it so fast, and it staying as a viable weapon for your first run through.
Again thank you for the message, and if you have any more questions feel free to ask!