An artist's impression of how this all went down.

The Dark Souls community sure are a bunch of show-offs. It's not enough to simply complete a game already infamous for its challenge; they've got to do it with additional restrictions. The favoured method is to become a "Onebro" completing the game without once levelling up. Now, player Benjamin "Bearzly" Gwin has upped the stakes even further. He's completed the game with a Rock Band controller.

As explained on Reddit, Gwin used control-pad emulator x360ce to remap the Xbox 360's Rock Band 1 guitar peripheral for use with his PC copy of the game. He set the whammy bar to move forwards, the star power detector to move to the right, and the effects switch to turn the camera left.

"In summary," Gwin writes, "my only movement actions are control vertical movement speed, move to right, and rotate camera left." Unsurprisingly, he claims the toughest boss was "gravity".

Gwin's been posting highlights of his guitar-aided (or, more accurately, guitar-hindered) run over on his Twitch channel. There you can find his attempt to conquer Sens Fortress, which he describes as the "hardest part of the run".

You can see Gwin taking down Ornstein and Smough below.



Thanks, Polygon.

Games for Windows Live has been in a Schr dinger's service-style quandary since last year, when a (quickly deleted) Age of Empires Online support update claimed it would shut down this July 1st. Ever since, it's been suspended in an atmosphere of non-life: functional, yet dead many of its games fleeing for the safety of a Steamworks alternative.

Lending credence to its demise was Microsoft's complete lack of follow-up statement. Their silence suggested that they'd rather forget about the existence of the client... and of the PC entirely. Now, though, just over a week before its apparent closure, Microsoft have rumbled into life their new statement revealing a plan of "continuing to support the Games for Windows Live service".

Here's the full statement, made to GameInformer.

"We are continuing to support the Games for Windows Live service. As previously announced, as part of the retirement of Microsoft Points the Xbox.com PC marketplace was closed. Although customers are unable to purchase new games from the marketplace or receive title updates, they can continue to enjoy previously purchased content by downloading them through the Games for Windows Live client as usual. We remain committed to investing in PC gaming in the years ahead, and look forward to sharing more in the future."

Hmmmm.

There are few explanations for why Microsoft are now announcing their support for the service, the least likely of which is that GfWL's sole remaining employee woke from a coma and realised what had happened. The service is surviving in a massively reduced capacity: if it's no longer able to "receive title updates," that essentially ensures that no new game will ever use it. Most likely then, certain games were unable to remove GfW Live in time, and so Microsoft are keeping it in suspended animation.

Alternatively, they have a genuine plan to relaunch with something new. There's a chance that, now Xbox One has released, Microsoft will make another attempt at an integrated cross-platform solution. That still seems unlikely, as their own games have since been spotted on Steam free of any additional service.

Few people were happy when it was announced that Dark Souls would call Games For Windows Live home. Now that the service is scheduled to discontinue in July it's both a) vindicating and b) stressful, because what happens to Dark Souls now?

While there's nothing set in stone at this time, Bandai Namco has assured that it's aware of the problem. According to a statement issued by the publisher the game will remain "fully functional" on GFWL until July, but it's also "currently seeking avenues to continue support" for the game on other services.

Dark Souls for PC was a notoriously flimsy port: it took a determined modder to free the game from ugly frame rate and resolution locks. Without the mods it's still great, and Japanese studio From Software somewhat made up for the disappointing port with a supposed PC focus on its follow up Dark Souls 2, which nonetheless benefited from some tweaks of its own.

As for the dreaded GFWL, several studios and publishers have announced plans for what will happen when the service finally (bloody) dies, but unfortunately several titles will not have the functionality removed. So yeah, GFWL will haunt us even in its death.

The last Metroid is in captivity. The galaxy is at peace. Wait this isn't Metroid! It's the first gameplay video for Ghost Song, a Kickstarted 2D action game that isn't at all shy about its dark, moody influences. The Super Metroid vibe is heavy in this first 10 minutes of footage, from the main character's arm-mounted weapon to the spooky atmosphere and music. There's a bit of Dark Souls mixed in, too the first NPC encounter bears more than a passing resemblance to the very first NPC encounter in Dark Souls' Undead Asylum.

"I'm one of those people who has been bandying about the 'Dark Souls inspired' tag since the beginning," Ghost Song creator Matt White wrote in his latest Kickstarter update. "Super Metroid and Dark Souls. I think the Metroid influences have always been self evident, but with this video I hope to show you that I really meant it on both counts. This is a love letter to my favorite games of all time."

White posted the game to Steam Greenlight along with the new video, so the Metroidvania-starved can vote for it while waiting for the complete game.

Check out 10 minutes and 10 seconds of straight, unedited Ghost Song footage below.

Article by Glenn Butera

Like Dark Souls' Lordran, Dark Souls 2's Drangleic is a world packed with secrets. There are secret paths to ferret out between areas. Bosses that you may never face in a normal playthrough. Estus flask shards and Pharros' Contraptions and Souls Vessels to find. We've compiled a guide to Dark Souls 2's most vital secrets. If you're just starting out (have you read our beginner's guide?) or a seasoned veteran, you'll find a wealth of useful information for your journey through Drangleic.

Want to skip ahead to a specific part of our secrets guide? Click one of these links to jump to the information you're looking for, whether it's the location of every single estus flask shard in the game, a list of the most important Pharros' Contraptions, or the NPCs you absolutely must talk to.

Page 2: Estus Flask Shards and Sublime Bone Dust
Page 3: Pharros' Contraptions and Soul Vessels
Page 4: The most important NPC merchants

Check out our Dark Souls 2 hub for more guides, a ton of 4K screenshots, videos, and analysis of the PC version from Dark Souls modder Durante.
Level Shortcuts
Looking to take some time off your speed run or skip a tough boss fight? These helpful shortcuts will quickly and safely lead you through the world of Drangleic.

Entry to The Lost Bastille: There are two ways to reach The Lost Bastille.

Finish No-Man s Wharf and use the ship to get to the Exile Holding Cells bonfire.

Use the Soldier s Key (obtained from The Last Giant) on the door in the giant sword room of the Forest of Fallen Giants. Head up to the ramparts and defeat the Pursuer. Continue past the boss fight area and you will find a nest up a small set of stairs. The Pursuer s eagle will take you to The Tower Apart bonfire.

Ruin Sentinels boss skip: This skip requires the Exile Holding Cells bonfire and a Pharros Lockstone.

Head down the ladder after the Heide knight and turn right. Break through the wooden planks on the wall and head to the opposite corner of the room. Strike the locked door with your weapon to get the Royal Swordsman to open it from the other side. Defeat the enemies in this area and head into the next room by climbing up the short ladder outside and falling through a window. Turn right and use a Pharros Lockstone in the next room. The further of the two secret rooms will open and have an elevator cage to take you up to the entrance to Sinner s Rise, or you can backtrack down the staircases to the Servants Quarters bonfire.

Smelter Demon boss skip: In the large lava room that leads to the Smelter Demon boss, lower the bridge using the lever and halfway across drop off to your left. Turn the wheel to close off the fire from the kiln room and enter the kiln from either doorway. Climb the ladder and kill the Alonne Knight Captain to reach the next area.

Shrine of Winter: There are two ways to reach the Shrine of Winter.

Open by lighting the Primal Bonfires after defeating The Rotten, Old Iron King, Duke s Dear Freja, and The Lost Sinner.

Acquire a set number of souls in a playthrough (e.g. if Soul Memory entering NG+ is 2,500,000 you will need 4,500,000 additional souls to enter the Shrine of Winter): NG: 1,000,000. NG+: 2,000,000. NG+2: 3,000,000 and so on up to NG+7: 8,000,000.


Helpful Hints
Drangleic is a dangerous land full of challenges waiting to steal your souls. There's lava that will kill you. Phantoms that will kill you. Poison that will kill you. Here are some tips to survive some of Drangleic's toughest environments and save your souls even in death.
To safely walk on the lava rocks in the Iron Keep, use the Pharros Contraption water pools (roll in them), Flame Quartz Ring +2, and the Smelter Demon armor. Make sure to use an Estus Flask while on the lava before opening any chests.

There are three Rings of Life Protection that you can acquire throughout the game that will allow you to keep your Human Form and Souls upon death. The rings only cost 3000 souls each to repair, allowing you to nullify death.

No Man s Wharf: At the top of the second set of stairs with the Varangian Sailor throwing oil jars, turn left and the ring will be just inside the house in an alcove.
Shaded Woods: Take the left doorway at the Ruined Fork Road bonfire and go all the way around the circular stone structure to find the ring guarded by 2 Goblins.
Felkin the Outcast: Sells for 6000 souls

If you do not have any White Phantoms summoned you can quit the game in a boss fight.When you reload you will be placed outside the boss fog gate.




Estus Flask Shards
Lifegiving Estus Flasks don't come easy in Dark Souls 2. You'll have to hunt for flask shards to assemble complete flasks. Here's where you can find each and every one of them.

Majula: Strike the stone resting on the edge of the well to raise a corpse with the shard.

Forest of Fallen Giants (Cardinal Tower bonfire): Head up the staircase behind Merchant Hag Melentia and destroy the breakable door. The shard is in a chest on the second floor of the bonfire room.

Majula: Obtain the mansion key from Cartographer Cale (located in a cave in the large open area after the first fog gate). Use the key on the mansion in Majula and kill the skeleton in the basement. The shard is on a corpse on the right.

No-Man s Wharf: After ringing the bell to call the ship, continue past and head down to the ground floor. Turn left and the shard will be in a room with behind some poison pots guarded by Varangian Sailors.


The Lost Bastille (Exile Holding Cells bonfire): Head down the ladder after the Heide Knight and hug the left wall after killing the Undead Jailor and 2 dogs. Hug the left wall to find the chest containing the shard.

The Lost Bastille (Tower Apart Bonfire): Fight through the room with the Royal Swordsmen and get the Antiquated Key in the chest in the next area. From the Servants Quarters bonfire (after Ruin Sentinel Boss), head left in the bottom floor of the circular stairs room instead of going up the stairs and drop down from the rooftops. Use the key on the door to your left and break through the boards in the opposite corner. Hug the left wall after dispatching them to find the chest containing the shard.

Harvest Valley (The Mines bonfire): Just before entering Earthen Peak on the bottom floor, there is a small set of stairs leading down to a long hallway filled with poison. The shard is at the end of the hallway. Note: the poison can be drained by using the torch on the windmill axle near the Central Earthen Peak bonfire.


Shaded Woods (Old Akelarre bonfire): In a chest directly across from the bonfire door on the bottom floor. To enter this area you must use a Fragrant Branch of Yore (obtainable in Harvest Valley) on the petrified Rosabeth of Melfia.


Shaded Woods (Shaded Ruins bonfire): Unpetrify the Lion Clan Warrior across the log to the right of the bonfire and kill him. He will drop the Fang key that can be used to open the door at the end of the corrosive pits area to the right of the giant Basilisk. Inside the door is the shard and Weaponsmith Ornifex (Boss Soul Trader).


Brightstone Cove Tseldora (Royal Army Campsite bonfire): Just before the Prowling Magus & Congregation boss fog gate, there is an illusory wall on the left. Head up the staircases and the shard is at the top.


Brightstone Cove Tseldora (Lower Brightstone Cove bonfire): On a corpse through the door directly opposite of the bonfire room.


Drangleic Castle (Central Castle Drangleic bonfire): After activating the golem to start the elevator, head through the large room with the Alonne Knight Captains, Primal Knight, and Royal Guards. The shard will be located in a solitary chest in the room just before completing the loop back down to the bonfire.


Shrine of Amana (Crumbled Ruins bonfire): After killing the ogre hug the right wall instead of entering the hut, and you will find the shard after killing a Lizardman and two Amana Shrine Maidens.


Sublime Bone Dust
Sublime Bone Dust upgrades your Estus Flask to a max of +5, allowing for greater health recovery from each swig. To upgrade your Estus Flask, you must burn the Sublime Bone Dust in the Majula bonfire. If you attempt to burn additional Sublime Bone Dust past +5, you will receive a message stating Cannot burn further items."

Heide s Tower of Flame (Heide s Ruin bonfire): After defeating the first Old Knight, you will see a second with a large hammer just up a set of stairs. Killing him will drop the Sublime Bone Dust and he will not respawn. You can use a bonfire ascetic after defeating the Dragonrider boss to respawn the Old Knight and obtain another Dust.

Huntsman s Copse (Bridge Approach bonfire): Just before the end of the bridge to the Executioner s Chariot boss, jump across the small gap to the right onto a ledge containing a corpse with the Sublime Bone Dust.

Black Gulch: After defeating The Rotten boss, there will be a small cave on your right with a chest containing the Sublime Bone Dust between the boss room and the Primal Bonfire.

Iron Keep: After defeating the Old Iron King, you will find the Bone Dust in a chest before heading down the stairs to the Primal Bonfire.

Sinner s Rise (The Saltfort bonfire): Head down the ladder and down the stairs to the elevator. At the bottom of the elevator take a left and kill the Enhanced Undead. The Sublime Bone Dust will be located up against the wall behind it.



Pharros Contraptions
Throughout the world you will see Pharros Contraptions that look like a stone face on a wall or floor. If you insert a Pharros Lockstone into the contraption, you will trigger an event that can be either a secret or a trap. Here are four contraptions you should make sure to seek out.

Forest of Fallen Giants (Cardinal Tower): Head down the ladder in the back of the ballista room to find a illusory wall contraption that yields a Titanite Slab and the Chloranthy Ring.

The Lost Bastille (Servant s Quarters): In the outdoor area with the well and dogs there will be a room with a raised platform in it. Entering through the windows is the easiest way to get on the platform and you can turn right to find an illusory wall contraption that opens two areas. One of the areas has a Soul Vessel, while the other has a cage elevator and a Wilted Dusk Herb.

Undead Crypt (Undead Ditch): After the shield-wielding Imperious Knights, drop down the hole and head straight ahead and slightly to the left to the wall in front of you (there is no stone baseboard in this region). Press the action button on the wall to open it and there will be an illusory wall contraption in front of you. The wall that it illuminates is directly opposite your current location and there is a Great Lightning Spear inside.

Dragon Shrine (Shrine Entrance): Head up the stairs and kill the Drakekeeper. The illusory wall contraption is located just behind him under the stairs. It opens the wall to the left containing the Staff of Wisdom and the Judgment armor set.


Soul Vessels
Can be used to reallocate stats by giving one to the middle of the old firekeepers in Things Betwixt. (Note: You cannot lower a stat below the original base stat of your class.)

Majula: Obtain the Mansion key from Cale the Cartographer (located in a cave in the large open area after the first fog gate) and defeat the skeleton in the basement. In the back left corner of the basement you will find a chest that contains the soul vessel. If it is not a soul vessel, closing the game and restarting it will allow you to open the chest again.

Using a bonfire ascetic on the Majula bonfire does not grant you another soul vessel.


Majula: Speak with Crestfallen Saulden (sitting next to the obelisk) after bringing 4 NPCs to Majula and he will give you a soul vessel.

The Lost Bastille (Exile Holding Cells bonfire): In the area just before Steady Hand McDuff s workshop (contains 2 dogs and an Undead Jailor) there is a boarded up entrance that you can destroy. Open the door with the Antiquated key, or hit it with a weapon. This will cause the Royal Swordsman on the other side to open the door. Straight ahead will be a building with a raised platform in the back. Once up on the platform, turn left down a passageway and use a Pharros Lockstone to open two secret rooms. The closer room contains a chest with a soul vessel in it.

This soul vessel respawns when you use a bonfire ascetic on the Exile Holding Cells bonfire.
Drangleic Castle (Central Castle Drangleic bonfire): Kill an enemy near the golem up the ladder to bring it back to life and activate the elevator. Ride the elevator up to the top and the soul vessel will be in the middle chest.

You do not have to enter the room with the golem. If you have magic and the binoculars, you can open the gated door and kill the last stone soldier on the left. This will activate the golem and you can head back down the ladder.

Undead Crypt (Undead Crypt Entrance bonfire): Just before the fog gate, if you drop off the edge to the left, you can enter a room containing a chest with the soul vessel and a ladder to get to the next bonfire.

Memory of Orro (Giant Tree on the ramparts in Forest of Fallen Giants): At the start take the right doorway and turn right immediately in the room where Giants are fighting soldiers. You will see a corpse in the corner with the soul vessel.

This soul vessel respawns when you use a bonfire ascetic on The Place Unbeknownst bonfire, but in order to do this you must defeat the Giant Lord boss.




NPC Merchants
As you talk to NPCs and meet certain requirements, some merchants will sell rare and useful items. Here are some to watch out for. Remember that you can resurrect a dead merchant by offering souls at their gravestone.

Maughlin the Armorer: Immediately available in Majula.

Sells Alva set after 16,000 souls and will give you Aurous set if you speak with him having 0 souls in your inventory. Sells Moon Butterfly set after bonfire intensity 3 and Moon Butterfly Hat after intensity 4.

Steady Hand McDuff: Found in a cell in The Lost Bastille accessible by blowing up the wall with a rolling explosive barrel. He will sell and smith items for you once you give him the Dull Ember from the kiln lava area in Iron Keep.

You can move McDuff off the chest he is sitting on by lighting the torch in his cell. There is a Twinkling Titanite in the chest.

Straid of Olaphis: Unpetrify him up the stairs in The Lost Bastille near the bridge to Sinner s Rise.

Sells Great Lightning Spear and Sunlight Blade after finishing the Undead Crypt.

Weaponsmith Ornifex: Unpetrify the Lion Clan Warrior to your right from the Shaded Ruins bonfire and kill him to obtain the Fang Key. Use the key on the door down in the Shaded Ruins corrisive pits to free him and he will move to a room in the bottom of Brightstone Cove Tseldora.

Dark Souls 2 is a gorgeous game. Except when it's an ugly game. It's a little weird that way some environments are absolutely breathtaking, while others stand out with dated, blocky geometry. This gallery mostly reflects the former, capturing some of Dark Souls II's most breathtaking vistas and immaculate art direction. There are no bosses or secrets in sight, but if you don't want to see some of the environments before discovering them for yourself, come back after you've set foot in Drangleic.

The theme of this gallery is "stoic." Or perhaps "pensive." Or "ooh, pretty lighting." Now feast your eyes on 40 screenshots captured at 3840x2160.


Make sure to click each image to view it at full resolution.

Praise the sun! Dark Souls 2 is finally coming to PC on April 25, and PC Gamer has everything you need to get ready. Every day between now and next Friday, we're giving you the best tips to survive, video of our favorite deaths, impressions on the game's new graphics and control settings, and in-depth technical analysis from Durante, the modder who fixed Dark Souls on PC. Two weeks of Dark Souls, all leading up to our review on April 25.

Check this hub daily as we fill in everything you need to know about Dark Souls 2 on PC.

Here are Dark Souls 2's graphics and control options
Dark Souls 2 launch trailer
27 of our favorite deaths in Dark Souls
Dark Souls 2 beginners guide: how to stay alive (longer)
Dark Souls 2 4k screenshots
Dark Souls 2 PC port: mod god Durante's verdict

We've been anxiously awaiting the PC port for Dark Souls 2 ever since the game was first announced, when developer From Software promised better graphics support and higher resolution textures. Those promises have been kept: we're playing the PC version, and it includes plenty of settings to make the game run perfectly and look fantastic.

From Software did a pretty bad job when it brought Dark Souls: Prepare To Die Edition to the PC in 2012. Locked at a 1024x768 rendering resolution, the game simply didn't look as good as it could have. It was held back by poorly optimized controls and stuck with Games for Windows Live for multiplayer support. it was only with the help of the modding community that the game (which is fantastic) found a hardcore audience.

The sequel does not repeat the mistakes of the past. Resolutions up to 1440p are supported natively, as well as specific settings for texture quality, anti-aliasing, SSAO, antisotropic filtering, higher-detail character models, and more. It's a pretty comprehensive package, and the results are stunning when you're sitting in front of your display.





The game also lets you rebind keys for keyboard and mouse control, something the first Dark Souls failed miserably at. Accessible from the in-game interface, the control settings are spread over six different menus and let you completely change how you'll control your cursed protagonist. We're still experimenting with different configuration options, but the game is definitely playable without a controller, and it feels pretty good.





Dark Souls 2 is coming to kill you, repeatedly, on April 25. We'll have lots more to say about the PC version by then, but if you're been worried about how "PC" the port will be, you can put your fears to rest.

Prepare your soul for destruction: the sequel to the all-consuming Dark Souls will arrive on PC on April 25. On the one hand, praise the sun! On the other, grrr, that's six weeks after the US console launch date of March 11. Those of us hoping to plumb Dark Souls 2's depths on PC will have to hide away from videos, guides and discussion that might spoil the new world and the nefarious bosses within. I propose we form a cult, head down into Darkroot Garden and slay stone knights until Spring arrives.

There's some solace. The release date announcement on the Dark Souls 2 facebook page promises "increased texture resolution" and an "enhanced frame rate" for the PC version. "On top of that, FromSoftware have been working to perfectly adapt the game for a mouse & keyboard combo." Personally, I can't imagine playing Dark Souls without a pad, but decent keyboard controls are symptomatic of a thoughtful port.

The improvements are welcome, especially considering the state of the PC port of Dark Souls 1. If anything goes awry, the Dark Souls modding community will surely be standing by to fix any problems. DS obssessives in the office have started replaying the first game in anticipation for the sequel. How will you prepare for Dark Souls 2?

RIP Games for Windows Live, we hardly knew ye. On second thoughts, we knew ye pretty well, and we hated your malodorous guts - good riddance. Of course, with Microsoft's hated games service going the way of the passenger pigeon (I was going to say dodo, but a load of animals have sadly been made extinct since then), there's the little matter of what's going to happen to all the games infested with GFWL. Will they be playable after July 1st, when the service is being taken out to the woodshed to be shot in the head? It's still unclear, but it doesn't seem likely - unless developers take it upon themselves to patch their games.

So far, only Fallout 3, Bioshock 2, the Arkham games, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet and Toy Soldiers have extracted the service, leaving a few dozen games with the sword of DRMacles hanging over their heads. Thanks to Joystiq, we now at least know which developers and games are aiming to follow suit.

There's good news and bad news. Mostly bad, I'm afraid. The good news is that Super Street Fighter IV / SSFIV Arcade Edition, DiRT 3, F1 2010, F1 2011, Red Faction Guerrilla and Ms. Explosion Man will all replace GFWL with Steamworks (or in the case of RF:G, perhaps a DRM solution of its own), their respective developers have confirmed to Joystiq.

The sorta-good news is that Namco Bandai are "exploring options" to removing GFWL from Dark Souls and Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. If they don't remove it from the former at least, I imagine there'd be one hell of a stink come July 1st.

The bad news is that the Dead Rising and Lost Planet games, Resident Evil 5, Street Fighter X Tekken, Operation Flashpoint Dragon Rising and Red River, Iron Brigade, Fable 3, Gears of War, Halo 2, Blacklight: Tango Down and quite a lot of other games currently have "no plans" to remove GFWL. See my 'one hell of a stink' comment from earlier and insert the word 'massive' in there somewhere.

Joystiq are "still awaiting response" about GTAIV, Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 2, Bulletstorm and a few other games. You can read the full list of games here. Thanks, Joystiq!