YOU BET THERE IS! Come to Shrine of Storms, where you will see winding cliffside paths, beautiful beaches, ancient ruins, and HOLY MOTHER OF GOD ARE THOSE ROLLING SKELETON SAMURAI ROBOTS? Look! That one has two swords! Goodness, that one is made of gold! I believe we interrupted their game of beach volleyball and they're dreadfully angry with us. What's this? This one has handed me a note:
"While you were reading this, me and three of my buddies all killed you simultaneously."
Anyway, Shrine of Storms, BKA "Jerkface Island," is both an awesome place to be and a miserable, spirit-crushing endeavor. The bright side: lots of baddies to kill that yield respectable amounts of souls. The not-so-bright side: said baddies are ROLLING SKELETON SAMURAI ROBOTS OF DOOM. Seriously, let your guard down for a single moment and your body will suddenly attain a 300% increase in surface area. Some helpful hints:
Yeah, eventually you could run all willy-nilly through Boletarian Palace (did the creators of this game have something against articles?) and pay no mind to the hordes of guys chasing you. "They'll quit in a minute," you said. "They're so much weaker than me," you thought. I dare you to try that here, buster. It will be a long while before you can tear it up like in 1-1 after you got some soul levels. Always be mindful of your surroundings and remember that just because it's only a single enemy doesn't mean the fight will necessarily be easy. These guys are super fast and they have air support. The gliding rainbow stingrays can actually skewer you through walls on occasion, so pay attention at all times!
In the beginning, don't be afraid to run up, kill the first DEATH MACHINE, and then limp back to the nexus. Take your time and learn their behaviors. At times, they're relentless, at times, they're bizarre and unpredictable; ofttimes, they're a mix of both.
Terrain is your friend. Especially against an enemy that gets caught on things easily while rolling around.
If you're gonna run, I hope you're not wearing a full suit of armor. Heck, I hope you're an Olympic-class sprinter—these guys are dynamite chasers. If you're heavy, stand and fight. Better to die facing your enemy than by a sword to the back, right?
There's a cool ring that's reasonably easy to get early on in the first area of Shrine of Storms. It restores your health little by little over time while you wear it. Might be useful while you're cowering behind a corner, praying the whirling silver dervish didn't see where you went.
Wean yourself off of the "lock on" feature. On those windy trails, it can be as deadly as the skeletons. On the subject, those floaty stingrays are worth gobs of souls, but using "lock on" is a great way to miss 'em.
Adjudicator will infuriate you to no end. The arena is cramped, there's all kinds of crap to get caught up on, and his reach is phenomenal. For some players, that battle is as much about luck as it is skill or soul level.
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