u/ethantlou

Making my way through this area and all I’ve heard about is how awful it is. How terrible the run backs are and how many enemies there are. Honestly though? It’s been kind of easy? To be fair I am not fully through the area. I am right up to the second boss fog, haven’t gone in yet. I’ve seen a lot of clips online about how awful the boss fog for smelter demon is and how annoying the run back is. But the alonne knights don’t hit that hard and they go down in 2-3 hits. Yea they’re quick but with a shield they’re no problem. The archers are strong but are pretty slow. I just took my time and cleared everything out, still had most my estus. As for the run back I can’t say because I beat smelter demon first try it was a really easy boss, slow and very telegraphed attacks but they hit hard. The following area is a little annoying but you just have to take your time and be patient. Iron keep has nothing on something like New London Ruins from DS1. Honestly none of the areas in DS2 have been nearly as bad as New Londo or Blightown or places like Farron Keep or irithyll dungeon.

I just finished my platinum for this game and i couldnt help but notice that everything in this game up to new londo ruins is absolutely incredible but from new londo to the tomb of the giants and lost izalith. The game becomes a sloggg to get through. Coming from a stunning location to Anor Londo with an epic boss to just boring and ugly location after boring ugly location makes the game feel so tedious. Discovering that I could go straight from firelink to blight town to valley of the drakes to darkroot to undead parish to send fortress BLEW MY MIND. But then it’s boring pale rock for the rest of the game with some of the worst bosses fromsoft has cooked up (demon firesage, bed of chaos, centipede demon, ceaseless). Also the inter connectivity of the levels just wasn’t there in the back half. It makes me love AND hate this game. And it’s weird because Bloodborne is my favorite fromsoft game but there were some locations like the fishing hamlet or forbidden woods that I hated but it didn’t make me dread those portions of the game.

New London ruins was already the worst place on earth in ng+ I lost 20 humanity and Thousands of souls. I walk into the boss fight with a maxed quelaags fury, full Havel set, power within on a maxed pyromancy flame and I barely do any damage. I am dying in 2-4 hits. I’m a relatively appropriate level. I am 3 trophies away from the plat. I just need the other ending, the miracles, and knights honor. I’m so close but i genuinely cannot beat the 4 kings. I have no idea what to do or how to progress.

EDIT: I beat!! I figured out that my transient curse was active still while using power within so my damage was so pitiful. AND I was staying too far away from the boss. Waited for my transient to wear off and stayed close and beat it first try. Thank you everyone for the tips!!