Mar 24, 2017

Dark Souls III The Ringed City Launch Trailer and new screenshots! [SPOILERS]

DARK SOULS™ III - Kimundi

Warning: this news contains spoilers!

Ashen Ones,

Only a few more days to wait until the release of The Ringed City on March 28th, so let's wait those final moments with a new trailer and new screenshots!

https://youtu.be/Y6SH6YurhBs

Under the withering dusk lies a desert spread across the horizon.
Ashes have buried the structures of old.
Could this be the end of an age, or the end of the world?

A drift flows through the air.
There, at the end of a fallen structure, stands one beckoned to the ruins.
An old woman, likewise, has arrived to the ruins, and looks up to mutter, "Thou art indeed like a god."

The giant judicator summons powerful spirits - a band of bow knights to its bidding.

Embraced by the soft light of dusk is a woman in eternal slumber.
She holds a half-cracked shell amid the dry overgrowth.
Her name is Filianore - one who sleeps for the sake of the people.

Particles of light shimmer around a winged being hovering in the air.
Clasping its dried hands as if in prayer, it is said to be an angel.
Yes, a vision born from the pilgrim pupas...

One of the Ringed Knights stands with a gaping dark sign on its chest.
It wields two rare giant swords tempered by the abyss and sealed with fire.
A true fright indeed.

Behold, the modified crossbow, capable of rapid fire to face enemy hordes.
The weapon has traveled far, weathered countless battles,
and has warped and rusted from blood. Thus, rendering it vulnerable to excessive use.

The Spears of the Cathedral and the miracle they bestow protect the sleeping Princess Filianore.
Spectral spears of rite pierce the sky to punish and divide the unwanted.

Mar 24, 2017

Dark Souls III The Ringed City Launch Trailer and new screenshots! [SPOILERS]

DARK SOULS™ III - Kimundi

Warning: this news contains spoilers!

Ashen Ones,

Only a few more days to wait until the release of The Ringed City on March 28th, so let's wait those final moments with a new trailer and new screenshots!

https://youtu.be/Y6SH6YurhBs

Under the withering dusk lies a desert spread across the horizon.
Ashes have buried the structures of old.
Could this be the end of an age, or the end of the world?

The giant judicator summons powerful spirits - a band of bow knights to its bidding.

Embraced by the soft light of dusk is a woman in eternal slumber.
She holds a half-cracked shell amid the dry overgrowth.
Her name is Filianore - one who sleeps for the sake of the people.

Particles of light shimmer around a winged being hovering in the air.
Clasping its dried hands as if in prayer, it is said to be an angel.
Yes, a vision born from the pilgrim pupas...

One of the Ringed Knights stands with a gaping dark sign on its chest.
It wields two rare giant swords tempered by the abyss and sealed with fire.
A true fright indeed.

The Spears of the Cathedral and the miracle they bestow protect the sleeping Princess Filianore.
Spectral spears of rite pierce the sky to punish and divide the unwanted.

Mar 21, 2017

Dark Souls 3 patch adds new maps, buffs heavy armour, nerfs poison

DARK SOULS™ III

Last week, a Dark Souls 3 livestream teased some of the new features heading to Lothric by way of its second The Ringed City DLC. A substantial patch is en route to the base game this Friday—which From Software and Bandai Namco have now outlined via extensive patch notes.

Update 1.1 lands on March 24, and will see PC servers down for maintenance from 8am-10am GMT/1am-3am PST and everything in between.

Besides the Dragon Ruins and Grand Roof PvP areas previously detailed, a host of tweaks and adjustments befall matchmaking, such as a new function that allows "one team of players to match with one password, and the other team to match with another password"—something which should in turn make partnering with pals much easier.

The update will also usher in a number of bug fixes, as well as a range of alterations to animations and attack motions. The correction value for Sharp and/or Heavy weapons upgrades has been improved, as has the Bleed build-up of Blood infusions and the Poison build-up of Poison infusions.

"Along with improving correction value for Sharp or Heavy weapons' upgrade, adjusted correction value for Refined weapons' upgrade," reads update 1.1's patch notes. It adds: "Improved defense and also increased weights for heavy armor."

Dark Souls 3's 1.1 update rolls out at 2pm GMT/7pm PST on Friday March 24, and its full list of patch notes can be viewed here. Its Ringed City DLC—the game's second and final portion of DLC—is due one week from today on Tuesday, March 28.

Mar 21, 2017

Patch 1.11 Patchnotes - March 24th

DARK SOULS™ III - Kimundi

Ashens Ones,

In anticipation for the release of The Ringed City, a big patch will be deployed on March 24th. It will bring bug fixing and balancing.

I'm currently not able to confirm this will allow to preload the content of the DLC, but this question will be answered shortly.

The patch will be deployed on the 24th at:

JST - 18.00
CET - 15.00
PST - 7pm

The server will be on maintenance on the 24th during:

JST - 17.00 to 19.00
CET - 09.00 to 11.00
PST - 1am to 3am

Patchnotes:

Made system updates for The Ringed City.
Increased frame rate for gameplay on PlayStation®4 Pro.
2 New maps added to Undead Match, Dragon Ruins and Grand Roof.
Added function to Undead Match where, if password matching is used, players can split into teams.
Added function to Undead Match that allows one team of players to match with one password, and the other team to match with another password.
Added function where various hosts could be displayed on the bonfire warp menu.
Added warning text that advised player if he/she has dropped too many items in a single location on the field.
Fixed issue where the loading screen was displayed for longer than usual when the guest returned to his/her own world after an online multiplayer session.
Fixed issue in "The Painted World of Ariandel" where the opened/closed status of the door to the Cleansing Chapel did not synched properly during online multiplayer session.
Fixed issue where a guest could enter alone into the boss room for the Dancer of the Boreal Valley during online multiplayer session.
Fixed issue where the level sync feature in Undead Match did not synched consistently during online multiplayer session.
Fixed issue in the loading screen where guests were not alerted to an error that occurred on the host's side during online multiplayer session.
Fixed issue when player using the miracle Tears of Denial doesn’t get attacked during online multiplayer session.
Fixed issue where weapons and items sent to the box get corrupted when inventory is full.
Fixed icons that specify which certain items are for which gender. (ex. Chain Armor).
Improved attack power for Daggers. In accordance with this fix, critical hit is decreased in order to make critical power the same as present.
Improved motion of normal attack for Ultra Greatswords, Great Hammers and Curved Great Swords.
Decreased stamina depletion when attacking using Ultra Greatswords, Great Hammers, and Greataxes.
Improved attack power for Curved Greatswords.
Decreased motion of normal attack while dashing for Katanas. Improved motion of any other normal attacks.
Improved motion of shield bash skill. In accordance with this fix, stamina consumption has been reduced.
Improved motion of Dagger's Blind Spot skill.
Increased rate at which Frostbite builds up when using Vordt's Great Hammer, Irithyll Straight Sword, and Friede's Great Scythe.
Shortened attack window of Carthus Curved Sword and Dark Sword, Gargoyle Flame Spear and Follower Sabre.
Improved motion of Crescent Moon Sword's skill, Crescent Blade.
Improved the motion of Moonlight Greatswords’s skill, Moonlight Vortex.
Improved FP recovery effect of Executioner's Greatsword.
Fixed so that Frost Blade appears from the beginning of Pontiff Knight Curved Sword skill.
Improved FP decrease effect of Yorshka’s Spear skill, Pacify.
Improved motion and the frost effect of Pontiff Knight Great Scythe skill.
Improved motion of normal attack for Greatlance.
Fixed so that poise is applied during Greatlance two-handed attack.　
Fixed so that poise is applied during Dark Hand skill, Lifedrain.
Disabled parry during Pickaxe's two-handed attack.
Improved duration of the Perseverance effect.
Fixed issue where attack power of some bolts was different from the assumed value when using Avelyn.
Fixed issue where one-handed attack motion of Crow Talons was the incorrectly using the animation for the Fists.
Fixed issue where player can apply enchantment of Bloodlust to other weapons.
Fixed so that poise is applied during Spin Sweep attack.
Fixed issue where Onislayer continued to attack consecutively.
Improved correction value for Sharp or Heavy weapons' upgrade.
Improved the Bleed build-up of Blood infusions. Reduced Bleed build-up of weapons not infused with Blood.
Improved the Poison build-up of Poison infusions.
Along with improving correction value for Sharp or Heavy weapons' upgrade, adjusted correction value for Refined weapons' upgrade.
Improved defense and also reduced weight for heavy armor.
Improved the motion of Lightning Stake, Lightning Storm and Way of White Corona.
Extended the time you can move during the casting of the miracles of Gnaw, Dorhys' Gnawing and Wrath of the Gods
Fixed issue where bonus value is not affected by Dark Damage when equipping Hornet Ring during critical attack.
Increased the damage of Poison and Toxic dealt by players, and shortened its duration.
Decreased rate at which bleed builds up when using Carthus Rouge.

Mar 21, 2017

Patch 1.11 Patchnotes - March 24th

DARK SOULS™ III - Kimundi

JST - 18.00
CET - 15.00
PST - 7pm

The server will be on maintenance on the 24th during:

JST - 17.00 to 19.00
CET - 09.00 to 11.00
PST - 1am to 3am

Patchnotes:

Made system updates for The Ringed City.
Increased frame rate for gameplay on PlayStation®4 Pro.
2 New maps added to Undead Match, Dragon Ruins and Grand Roof.
Added function to Undead Match where, if password matching is used, players can split into teams.
Added function to Undead Match that allows one team of players to match with one password, and the other team to match with another password.
Added function where various hosts could be displayed on the bonfire warp menu.
Added warning text that advised player if he/she has dropped too many items in a single location on the field.
Fixed issue where the loading screen was displayed for longer than usual when the guest returned to his/her own world after an online multiplayer session.
Fixed issue in "The Painted World of Ariandel" where the opened/closed status of the door to the Cleansing Chapel did not synched properly during online multiplayer session.
Fixed issue where a guest could enter alone into the boss room for the Dancer of the Boreal Valley during online multiplayer session.
Fixed issue where the level sync feature in Undead Match did not synched consistently during online multiplayer session.
Fixed issue in the loading screen where guests were not alerted to an error that occurred on the host's side during online multiplayer session.
Fixed issue when player using the miracle Tears of Denial doesn’t get attacked during online multiplayer session.
Fixed issue where weapons and items sent to the box get corrupted when inventory is full.
Fixed icons that specify which certain items are for which gender. (ex. Chain Armor).
Improved attack power for Daggers. In accordance with this fix, critical hit is decreased in order to make critical power the same as present.
Improved motion of normal attack for Ultra Greatswords, Great Hammers and Curved Great Swords.
Decreased stamina depletion when attacking using Ultra Greatswords, Great Hammers, and Greataxes.
Improved attack power for Curved Greatswords.
Decreased motion of normal attack while dashing for Katanas. Improved motion of any other normal attacks.
Improved motion of shield bash skill. In accordance with this fix, stamina consumption has been reduced.
Improved motion of Dagger's Blind Spot skill.
Increased rate at which Frostbite builds up when using Vordt's Great Hammer, Irithyll Straight Sword, and Friede's Great Scythe.
Shortened attack window of Carthus Curved Sword and Dark Sword, Gargoyle Flame Spear and Follower Sabre.
Improved motion of Crescent Moon Sword's skill, Crescent Blade.
Improved the motion of Moonlight Greatswords’s skill, Moonlight Vortex.
Improved FP recovery effect of Executioner's Greatsword.
Fixed so that Frost Blade appears from the beginning of Pontiff Knight Curved Sword skill.
Improved FP decrease effect of Yorshka’s Spear skill, Pacify.
Improved motion and the frost effect of Pontiff Knight Great Scythe skill.
Improved motion of normal attack for Greatlance.
Fixed so that poise is applied during Greatlance two-handed attack.　
Fixed so that poise is applied during Dark Hand skill, Lifedrain.
Disabled parry during Pickaxe's two-handed attack.
Improved duration of the Perseverance effect.
Fixed issue where attack power of some bolts was different from the assumed value when using Avelyn.
Fixed issue where one-handed attack motion of Crow Talons was the incorrectly using the animation for the Fists.
Fixed issue where player can apply enchantment of Bloodlust to other weapons.
Fixed so that poise is applied during Spin Sweep attack.
Fixed issue where Onislayer continued to attack consecutively.
Improved correction value for Sharp or Heavy weapons' upgrade.
Improved the Bleed build-up of Blood infusions. Reduced Bleed build-up of weapons not infused with Blood.
Improved the Poison build-up of Poison infusions.
Along with improving correction value for Sharp or Heavy weapons' upgrade, adjusted correction value for Refined weapons' upgrade.
Improved defense and also reduced weight for heavy armor.
Improved the motion of Lightning Stake, Lightning Storm and Way of White Corona.
Extended the time you can move during the casting of the miracles of Gnaw, Dorhys' Gnawing and Wrath of the Gods
Fixed issue where bonus value is not affected by Dark Damage when equipping Hornet Ring during critical attack.
Increased the damage of Poison and Toxic dealt by players, and shortened its duration.
Decreased rate at which bleed builds up when using Carthus Rouge.

Mar 16, 2017

Dark Souls 3 DLC adds new weapons, areas, PvP maps

DARK SOULS™ III

Dark Souls 3's second and final slice of DLC, The Ringed City, is due in less than two weeks on March 28. If you're steering clear of heavy spoilers till then, know that the trailer that landed last month didn't give an inordinate amount away—but that James' hands-on expectedly did. The livestream Bandai Namco hosted yesterday is perhaps a happy medium as it explores snippets of the Souls series' ultimate outing's single-player, PvP and weaponry without ruining much of the surprise.

As you'll spot below, the Twitch stream kicks off by showcasing a few of the add-on's new weapons—such as a huge SWAT team-like shield which reminded me of the juggernauts in Dark Souls 2's Undead Crypt, the Lothric Banner which provides you and your allies with AOE protection, and the fire-infused Ringed Knight Straight Sword which looks wonderful.

The Bandai Namco team explains these weapons' worth in PvP before showing off two new areas—The Dragon Shrine, which looks like Archdragon Peak; and The Grand Roof, which is situated atop Lothric Castle. Most interestingly, matchmaking will now let friends band together in PvP, against the random team allocation system that's currently in place.

Players will have access to these zones so long as they own either The Ringed City, the game's Season Pass, or the previous Ashes of Ariandel DLC. This means you can trial the new PvP arenas from March 24, assuming you own one of the latter.

From there, the stream looks at the single-player campaign, specifically The Dreg Heap area which looks similar to the Kiln of the First Flame. Here, a boss fight with vicious bat-like creatures, named the Demon in Pain and Demon from Below, looks typically terrifying.

Here's the livestream in full:

Dark Souls 3's The Ringed City DLC is due March 28.