No, there is one before you reach the bottom. It would be a total nightmare otherwise lol (I mean, way more that it actually is...).
If I recall correctly, it is not located too far away from the beginning.

Yeah, definitely, the last sections of the Valley made it completely worth it. But the trudge through it? God damn.

My bad, I remember now. It's been a long time since my first playthough. I completely forgot about that one this 2nd time around and just went straight to the bottom.

I actually looked up the DEX for the BKGA, with it being only 18. I think my DEX is 16, so it wouldn't be too bad to meet the minimum requirement. I suppose I'm mostly worried about the ax weighing more considering I'm right on the edge with my weight. I do have Havel's Ring equipped, though, but even with 45 END, I still am on the edge with my weight's half-way point (it would be higher, but I pumped my VIT up to 40, as well, to get more health to help with my tankiness as opposed to continuing to work on END and STR alone). Hmm... I'll have to look into the ax more when I get there later on. The ax has been nerfed with recent patches, so maybe rolling with it isn't the best option. I'll have to see when I get there. Thank you for your advice.

Which entrance?
If you followed the top one after the Gaping Dragon, there is a bonfire on a bridge quite close (5 minutes from the previous bonfire in the Depths, which i guess is where you rested last)

Youy only need to take your time with a couple of poison dart snipers, which luckily do not respawn (you did get a stash of Purple/Blooming Purple Moss in darkroot garder and/or from the vendor in the Burg tunnel, did you?), aside from those is just 2-3 barbarians, a half dozen of Ghouls and you shoud see the bonfire

It's not an easy area to navigate, but you'll find a ton of nice equip

Just so you know, nothing is stopping you from save scumming - the saves are stored on the hard drive, after all. There's even a handy automatic backup option to be enabled in DSfix.ini. The important thing is not to abuse it and get addicted to it. I see nothing wrong with using it when you lose 70000 souls and 12 held humanity because of a slightly misjudged jump, though. Not when the alternative is either ragequit or heart failure. :P

Yay! I reached the bottom of the swamp! Boy, those scaffoldings sure were a bitch. The bottom is much easier to navigate. Thankfully I was in the Darkroot basin before and got plenty of purple moss.

Here is my current char

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=107257620

Ans suggestions on which builds I should go?

I'm on the fence from the time I've put into it. It's definitely not a bad game but I'm not sure how much I like it.

It really depends on what sort of weapons you like. If you want to stick with the Longsword and other low-stat weapons there are a few ways you can go:
-Enchantment Build: Pump your Int, bring your chosen enchantable weapon to +15. Enchant it with Crystal Magic Weapon and murder everything. Enchantment builds are some of the strongest in the game, but they can get in trouble when their buffs run out. Definitely want to pack a backup weapon upgraded down the Magic path.
-"Quality" Build: This term comes from the Quality upgrade path in Demon's which increased Str and Dex scaling equally. In a Quality build you raise both Dex and Str to relatively high numbers (not 40 each or anything, but at least 18-22 each). This allows you to use almost every weapon in the game.
-Nonscaling Build: Upgrade your chosen weapon into Lightning or Fire, removes scaling but adds more base damage. You'll be a bit weaker than an equivalent scaling build, but you can pump Vit and End way higher than a scaling build could.

And then of course there's always Str builds, Dex builds, and Faith builds, which I didn't
really mention. Should be fairly self-explanatory. There are very few weapons that require builds specifically devoted to them.

(Oh, and glad to hear the game has grown on you. There's one pretty frustrating part later on, but other it should mostly be good.)

If there's one addiction I've it's compulsive saving disorder. :P

And frankly I will never work on that problem.

I've played the 360 version to death. I've beaten the game a few times and got all the achievements. From my experience, it is easier to do it as a "tank" build as you have better defensive stats and are able to block boss hits with your greatshield. However, you lose the ability to roll quickly. But, with heavy armor and a greatshield, you are better off blocking anyway. My preferred build right now (aside from the tank build which I love) is a faith/dex build. Medium armor so I'm not so squishy, a decent shield to block, and 50 faith so I can hurl Sunlight Spears.

My point is... that while I will recommend a build for you to try, Dark Souls can be beaten no matter how you play the game. Ranged, melee, magic, or hybrid... all specs work. I would suggest that you pick a playstyle you like and specialize into it.

1. Ok, before I go deeply into this, much of this depends on how do you play your character and what armor/weapons do you prefer. Your stats are fairly neutral at the moment and it seems like you are at the point where you can start to really specialize. If you like str based weapons, get your STR up to 40. If you like Dex based weapons, get your Dex to 40. Same goes with Int and Faith.


2. TIPS on stats: Try not to go above 40 in any stat as the bonuses you get from raising the stat suffers diminishing returns past 40. Only a few things make it worth it to get past 40 in any stat.

Vit: Governs your hp. The increases per point increase drop dramatically after 40. Don't raise above 40

ATT: Determines how many spells you can "equip" at a time. On my faith/int builds, I nevr went higher than 19 which gives you 5 spell slots.

End: Governs your stamina and equip load. If you plan on wearing heavy armor it is advised you get it to 40 for the max equip load. The equip load stops increasing at 40. Your stamina is the only thing that increases after 40 but keep in mind that diminishing returns kick in after 40 and it is considered a waste of points. If you plan on being a light character, then you can get by with 30 END

STR: Governs the damage done by STR scaling weapons. Only a few (2-3 items) require your Str to be above 40. So if you plan on using STR based weapons (Axes, Swords, Greatswords, Hammers) it is advised that you specialize and take your STR up to 40 to take advantage of the scaling. And if you plan on using the 2-3 items that require 40+ str (Havels Great Shield, Grant), then obviously you need to raise it higher, but it's not necessary to go beyond 50. Diminishing returns kick in at 40.

Dex: Governs the damage done by Dex based weapons (Spears, daggers, katanas, curved swords, whips, bows) There are no items in the game with a DEX requirement above 40. If you plan on using DEX based weapons, then get it up to 40 to take full advantage of the scaling as diminishing returns kick in after 40. Some STR based weapons still have a DEX requirement however. So, If you're planning on using a STR based weapon with a DEX requirement, get your DEX high enough to meet the requirement and leave it alone after that. Regardless of what you plan on doing, there is no point in getting your DEX above 40.

Res: Pointless. Waste of points; leave it at base level and never spend souls on it. The bonuses you get from this stat can be matched and made redundant simply by upgrading your armor. That's it.

INT: Required for INT based sorcery and governs the bonuses you get from magic weapon buffs and the magic/enchanted weapon upgrade path. If you plan on using the best magic in the game, then you can raise your INT as high as 50. The most powerful spell in the game has a requirement of 50 INT. It all depends on what you plan on doing with magic. If you want to use the most powerful spell in the game, then raise this to 50. If you only plan on buffing weapons and using utility spells, then you shouldn't raise this above 20. Keep in mind that INT also governs the damage done when you use the Great Magic Weapon spell on a weapon. The more int you have, the more of a damage bonus you will get. And, any weapon upgraded down the Magic or Enchanted path will scale off of your INT stat, but that is another post in itself so I'm not going to go into details here on why you should or shouldn't upgrade a weapon down the magic/enchanted path.

Faith: Pretty much the same as INT. It governs Faith based miracles and the bonuses you receive from Miracle weapon buffs and the Divine/Occult weapon upgrade paths. The most powerful offensive miracle in the game (Sunlight Spear) requires a faith of 50. (ASIDE: The sunlight spear is my favorite spell in the game, it makes some of the hardest boss fights pretty easy.) So, if you plan on using Faith to do anything other than heal (14 faith), then raise it to the level that you can use different miracles. If you don't plan on specializing into faith that much, 30 faith is a good level and you can use the some of the great miracles such as great lightning spear, wrath of gods, gravelord greatsword dance, and so on. And, if all you want faith for is the heal miracle, then 14 faith is just fine.


BUILDS: Ok, here are what I would do with your stats. I don't know what weapons/armor you prefer so I'll be picking my favorites. I'll be showing you level 120 builds as that is the accepted PVP level right now. And, anything higher than 120 isn't really specialized anymore. You can get to the point where you have 40 in every stat, but that's not really a "build" at that point is it? Also, I'm not a big fan of using the Ring of Favor or Havels ring. I don't like being stuck with a ring I can never take off.

One more thing, my builds are for fun. I don't build guys only using the "best" armor and weapons. I build based on what's fun, not what's always best. Because Dark Souls is flexible enough to avoid the min/maxing.

1. Tank/Magic build. This is the build that I'm using right now. It would work with your current stats.

http://mugenmonkey.com/darksouls/?b=a25pZ2h0LDQwLDEyLDQwLDM0LDM2LDEwLDE1LDE0LDAsMTMsMzMsMzEsMzMsMjEsMjIsMTY1LDg0LDExOCwxMDUsbm9ybWFsLG5vcm1hbCxub3JtYWwsb2NjdWx0LDAsMCwwLDAsMCwwLDAsMCwwLDAsMCwwLDAsMCx3b29kZW4sd29vZGVuLHdvb2Rlbix3b29kZW4sMQ==

Heavy armor, great shield, spear. Wolf Ring to add poise (so you don't get staggered) and the leo ring to increase your spear damage. Swap out the leo ring at times for area specific rings (Orange Charred ring, rusty iron ring, etc.). The magic in this build is only for buffing the spear with Great Magic Weapon. It's a hybrid build with STR and DEX pretty much even so I could use a greatsword if I really wanted to.

2. STR based Pyromancer/Int build

http://mugenmonkey.com/darksouls/?b=d2FuZGVyZXIsNDAsMTksMzAsMzUsMTUsMTIsNDAsMTIsMCwyMywyOCwyMSwyMSwxNCw0LDE2MywyMywxMjIsMTA1LG5vcm1hbCxub3JtYWwsbm9ybWFsLG5vcm1hbCwwLDQsMTEsMjEsMzcsMzUsMCwwLDAsMCwwLDAsMCw1LHdvb2Rlbix3b29kZW4sd29vZGVuLHdvb2Rlbiwx

Mid rolling, magic weapon buffing, firestorm casting sorcerer. The armor is one of my favorites from my Faith/Dex build (it looks freaking awesome together). But it's your choice. The helm and the rings have great synergy to increase your magic and pyromancy damage by 40ish% while the ring of steel protection gives you an added bit of defense should you get hit. I picked the Balder Side sword because it's great when buffed. It's a fast striking weapon and one of the best. I would suggest that you take a normal weapon with this build so you can buff it with Great Magic Weapon. The faster a weapon strikes, the more use you will get out of the buff.

This isn't a tank build, you can block a good amount of damage, but if you can get out of the way by rolling, you should. You could however put on heavier armor for added defense at the cost of rolling speed, or lighter armor to increase your rolling speed, but that's up to you and how you like to play. You are constrained by the 30 End however. Also, this build is kinda friendly in the Titanite Slabs department To max out your equipment, you will only need 1 Titanite Slab to get your Balder Side Sword to +15. The rest of your stuff will take Twinkling Titanite. Those are easy to get.

3. Dex Based version of the same build.

http://mugenmonkey.com/darksouls/?b=d2FuZGVyZXIsNDAsMTksMzAsMTYsMzQsMTIsNDAsMTIsMCwyMywyOCwyMSwyMSwxNCw0LDE2MywyMCwxMjIsMTEzLG5vcm1hbCxub3JtYWwsbm9ybWFsLG5vcm1hbCwwLDQsMTEsMjEsMzcsMzUsMCwwLDAsMCwwLDAsMCw1LHdvb2Rlbix3b29kZW4sd29vZGVuLHdvb2Rlbiwx


Switched the str to dex and changed the Balder Side Sword to the Silver Knight Sword (buffable, looks awesome, great weapon) . With this build, you can also use spears and halberds with ease. Katanas are also a good choice.


This ended up being much longer than I expected. And, I'm sure it's more than you asked for. But, if you need any more tips, let me know.

My last post was too long. That's weird.

Anyway, since I can't edit it now, here is my current build.

http://mugenmonkey.com/darksouls/?b=a25pZ2h0LDQwLDEyLDQwLDM0LDM2LDEwLDE1LDE0LDAsMTMsMzMsMzEsMzMsMjEsMjIsMTY1LDg0LDExOCwxMDUsbm9ybWFsLG5vcm1hbCxub3JtYWwsb2NjdWx0LDAsMjEsNDcsMCwwLDAsMCwwLDAsMCwwLDAsMCw3LHdvb2Rlbix3b29kZW4sd29vZGVuLHdvb2Rlbiwx

Great. Just lost 20000 Souls. I think of quitting it for good. Back ups save don't work ....


Edit: Oh, I died because a fly in Blighttown came clipped through the floor and staggered me of the railing. Fucking great.
Thanks for the great post. I'm thinking of going with Katanas, dex build and medium armor. Also buffing Pyromancy and maybe a bit spells/miracles for "homecoming":

Is there any downside to raising the SL?

Raising your SL above 120? No there's no real downside to raising it. The only thing that will change is the availability of multiplayer. Summons and being summoned will be harder for you to find depending on your level and the area you are in. Most people stop at SL 120, but not everyone. My main guy is SL 160 in NG++, and while summon signs are not as plentiful, I still see them.

If you are in Blighttown and are interested in Katanas, then I suggest you try to get the Iaito. It's a great katana with a cool strong attack. It's my main guy's main weapon. Dex req is 22 if I remember correctly. Also, if you want to use the homeward miracle, then you need 18 faith to cast it. Homeward is great if you are farming something as it's a very easy way to get back to the bonfire to reset enemies.

Wow, I know way more than I need to about this game. I'm doing this all from memory.

Also, don't sweat losing those souls, you can get them back.

Dark Souls is all about Pressure and Time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MA0m1K2jW4