PvP

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What are you, a Hero or a Demon?

Have you come for Fame, or for the power of Souls?

Whatever it may be, it's your choice, may you be welcome here...


Player Versus Play is one of the most important aspects of Demon's Souls. Sure, you can avoid it by playing offline, but the game was not created for that sort of play style. The online function is completely integrated into summoning phantoms, invasion by black phantoms, and other hints and messages for helping others out online. This page is based off my personal opinions on play style and strategies in the Player Versus Player aspect of the game. Let me note that not all of these strategies will work for you. This game is very balanced in the case of weaponry and skill, so it is truly up to you how you will carry out your strategies and fighting styles.

Contents

How does PvP work?

PvP works through two ways.

  • Invading a living player's world as a black phantom using the Black Eye Stone.

When someone invades you or you invade someone else, PvP starts right as both players are in the host's world. Blue Phantoms may also be summoned to participate in "defending" the host player by participating in the PvP battle. But also remember that black phantoms are supported by the demons in each of the levels (except the dragons), so their allies are basically every enemy you didn't kill yet.

If the winner is the Host, then the Host or whoever kills the invader gets a set amount of souls depending on the Soul Level of the invader [Even if the invader had no souls in his pool, the killer will get a set amount of souls compared to the invader's soul level. If the invader has souls, then the amount gained by the killer is subtracted from the invader's, whether or not he has more or less than the amount gained.]. The one who kills the Black Phantom also has his/her character/world tendency shift toward white.

If the winner is the Black Phantom, he gets his body back and souls for every Blue Phantom(helper players) kill he gets, which is also based on Soul Level. The Black Phantom also gets shifts in both character and world tendency towards black for every Blue Phantom killed, while killing the Host shifts only character tendency toward black. The sole act of invading (without killing anyone) should not affect tendency at all, but there are rumors that it does shift towards black. Someone with Northern Regalia/Soulbrandt/Demonbrandt willing to invade and purposefully not kill anyone can check this.

  • By summoning a black phantom to a Duel using the Red Eye Stone.

Duels can take place anywhere and can basically be dropped anywhere. Be careful though, those who put themselves up for a duel are usually veteran players or have very quick (and good) killing ability.

Duels are like invasions except that souls are on the line for both players. The one who dies (meaning Host or Black Phantom) loses a soul level and the person who killed him/her gains the amount of souls equivalent to the amount spent for the loss of said soul level.

The Host must be living, and the battle can take place anywhere that the Host has not defeated the boss of that stage. The Red Eye Stone can be used while in living or Soul form; however, upon being summoned you will go into Soul form. This puts the Black Phantom at a disadvantage, along with the fact that Black Phantoms are summoned to where their soul sign appears in the Host's world, meaning the Host can easily begin their attack as the Black Phantom appears.

Tips for the Host

So you have been invaded by a player who wants his body back or just wants to kick someone's butt for the heck of it. Here's some information to help you on your "survival."

Advantages

  • You have more health.
  • You can summon Blue Phantoms and have them help you.
  • You can ambush Black Phantoms.
  • You have a free ring spot because you do not need the Cling Ring to keep your HP up.
  • You, in general, can last longer.

Disadvantages

  • You do less damage than if you were in Soul Form.
  • If you get killed you also lose your body, which means a shift in world tendency toward black.
  • You can get chills from seeing the invader, which may result in the loss of self-confidence, which may come after seeing a quick and painful death.
  • Demon enemies will continue to attack you but not the Black Phantom

Host Tips

Your biggest and most prominent advantage is your health compared to your invader's. You'll be able to take more hits than him than usual and that can give you a few openings and more confidence. In general you won't die as easily.

Make sure that you are always prepared for an invasion, especially on the few sections that many like to PvP on (such as 4.1, 1.3, 1.4). If you go into a world and die by a invader just because you didn't bring a good weapon to defeat him with, it's your fault, not the invader's (even though he/she is laughing on the other side).

Remember, Black Phantoms are completely ignored by all demons in each of the worlds, especially other Nameless/NPC Black Phantoms. So if you let a Black Phantom get away from you, he will most likely set up an ambush point where there are other demons to support him. Make sure you keep him away from all of his other "allies" or make sure they are all dead before the invader arrives.

You will always receive a message when a Black Phantom invades your world, so prepare a trap point or an ambush. Hide in a spot and wait for the Black Phantom. You can see around corners while staying hidden, so use that to your advantage. It is up to you how you want to plan ambushes and what your mode of attack will be, so be creative (and most of all, effective).

Just because you have more health does not mean you will win. Some dumb invaders may be chicken scratch compared to the true veterans that invade your world. From my personal experience with invading, we Black Phantoms are absolutely ruthless. We will kill you without remorse and put full aggression on you, depending on the skill of each player. There are a FEW good Black Phantoms out there, but they are few and far between and will be covered in a later section. Always be cautious when facing Black Phantoms, remember you can die very easily in this game (and very often if you think your pro for killing False King Allant with a weapon, I have killed the False King with my fists and no armor).

Use your Blue Phantoms frequently. They could either be distractions or you could enter an "unfair" fight by having two/three players against one lonely Black Phantom and his hordes of remaining demons. Blue phantoms can offer modes of distraction or be involved in attack strategies that can revolve around their participation. Use your numbers as an advantage in defeating the invader because a Black Phantom likes to deal in 1v1, ideally (which is mostly the strategy for the whole game).

Do not, and I mean DO NOT, ever think that you will always win against an invader just because you have two of your friends, all of them packing armor and North Regalias, because I have won before, twice.

Tips for the Black Phantom Invaders

So you want to be a Demon huh? Either your lust for souls drives you insane or your just a guy who wants to piss some people off and get his body back, it doesn't matter. You have just invaded someone's world and are about to go on a crusade over his sorry ***. It's you or him, who's going to win?

Advantages

  • You look cool and intimidating.
  • You do more overall damage.
  • The many demons that were your enemies in your world are your friends in the Host's world.
  • You can be very aggressive because you have nothing to lose if you invade, other then souls.

Disadvantages

  • You have less overall health.
  • You most likely will use the Cling Ring, which takes up a ring spot.
  • You are likely to be ambushed.
  • You can be put in a situation where you have three different players (or the same equipment-wise) bum-rushing you.
  • You invade a player you may likely know nothing about, which is pretty exciting I suppose.

Black Phantom Tips

You, the Black Phantom, must look as intimidating as possible. Your only ally (if all your hordes of demons are corpses already) is your influence on the player. If you can wear armor, hold a fat shield on your back, and hold a big weapon in two hands and run at full speed at a guy, that person is going to get pretty scared. Being scared makes their actions more predictable or they just wont attack, so that makes your life easier.

If you are killed by anything else other than the Host or his Blue Phantoms, you lose a soul level. Remember those Dragons in Boletaria? If you die by them, say goodbye to a soul level.

Most of your skill needs to come from mind games and dodging techniques. Remember that you do not have as much life as the host and it can all disappear from a few hits of anything he might hit you with (if its a strong weapon of course). Invading is usually only for those people who are good at being fast and "ninja-like." You usually don't see Veteran Black Phantoms packing the Biorr set and moving/rolling like they're fat. Make sure you bring fast killing weapons because the Host and other players may swarm you quickly. So bring crowd control weapons or quick, single target assassination weapons. 1v1 is your best bet for survival, so try to thin out the competition for your souls.

Rolling is your best friend. Use it often, and only if you need it. Rolling too much makes you lose a lot of stamina, only roll when necessary.

Stamina control is also required because you need to have just enough stamina for a dodge to get away from an attack or a few attacks. You can die easy if you lack even one good roll.

Second Chance is important because it basically gives you 150% of your health as long as it is active. Carry it with you everywhere.

Equipment

There are many questions like "What should I bring for PvP?" or "What is a good weapon?" or "How can he do that?" and etc. These you need to answer for yourself because only you know what weapon you are best at. Use the weapon you can use the best, if its a sword use a sword and if its a mace use a mace. There are no restrictions to weapon usage in Demon's Souls, and that's the beauty of it.

General Tips for Effective PvPing

  • Rolling=Everything: This requires practice, which you already should have learned from fighting many of the demons in each of the worlds. Make sure you perfect it as soon as possible, because others can and will use it against you.
  • Use Aggression Wisely: Being aggressive is only sometimes a good thing, unlike the times when you face the demons themselves where you must always be on the defensive. There are always switches in power between the fighters, depending on who gets hit, who needs a heal, or who needs to switch weapons or cast magic. These switches in power are not obvious in an equal fight because it switches way too often. But in uneven fights one side usually takes a lot more damage then the other, thus being referred to as the defensive side. Aggression is a powerful weapon because it nis messing with someone's composure, which is explained in next bullet.
  • Invisible, but most important attribute of the player, Morale: Morale may not be explained in any value concerning numbers and calculations, but it is a huge part of the formula that determines if you win or die horribly. Morale is influenced by a lot of things: how many times you got hit compared to how many times you hit them, how much damage do they do compared to your damage, what are they using (both weapons and armor), if they are slow or really fast, and most of all their SKILL level. Morale influences most of your actions and may cause hesitation if your morale suffers from any of these happenings. Make sure you take the initiative to obtain high morale, not the enemy.
  • Shields: It is your choice if you want to use a shield or not, but coming from me it is not advised. Most people will not stagger from attacking your shield and blocking requires your precious stamina, especially if they are packing a stamina draining weapon (Large Swords, Extra Large Swords). Extra Large Swords make blocking useless because when they hit the shield they make the blocker stagger a bit. Riposte is also a bit hard because of the inevitable lag between two or more players. Shields are, of course, useful against smaller, less stamina draining weapons. Still, it is not advisable to use a shield other than for it's special effects (Adjudicator's Shield's HP Regen).
  • Magic: Don't try using magic unless you focused on it on the first place. Magic is usually for harassment and very quick kills (namely the Monk's Soul Arrow, the multiple one. I believe it is called Multiple Soul Arrow, forgot). If you are going to use magic, make sure you take these into consideration: Firestorm, God's Wrath, Fireball, Soul Ray, Multiple Soul Arrow, Poison/Acid/Death Cloud. Firestorm is for instant kills and wide AOE damage + knockback without much casting time beforehand. God's Wrath is for ambushes because of its mostly assured damage if the opponent is near you and does a lot of damage if Faith is high. Fireball and Soul Ray are targeting spells and are strong if upgraded properly. Multiple Soul Arrow is very strong if all arrows hit (# of arrows depend on magic power, max is five), but they can auto target and someone can force them to shoot without you targeting. The Cloud spells are for debilitation and for the reducing of herb effectiveness. The damage per second can also cause panic and the need to rush for the afflicted, so that is a boon to you. This kind of mind playing can be countered if the afflicted is equipped with an Adjucator's Shield that has a decent/strong HP regen.
  • Backstab: The deadliest weapon that anyone can use, but is hard to master. Many people never go through a battle ever backstabbing each other because they are continuously locked onto each other. True backstab professionals can backstab you without you doing anything other then moving. You don't even have to make yourself open for a backstab to get you (I have done it, it mostly always works, and it is true). What makes this possible is LAG. Good luck trying to master this trick, took a long time to master such backstabs, especially the cruel Backstab Chaining (I'm not sure I invented it, but I am the only one I ever seen or faced that used it frequently. Maybe its not seen often, but no one plays fair, ever).
  • Pro-Tip - Non-Locking: Lock is used for most targeting attacks and some bit of accuracy. It is used for both camera protection, locating your target, and protecting yourself from backstabs (to an extent). But in time some people have learned to do without continuous locking onto the opponent. This is beneficial to wide-attack-range weapons such as the Dragon Bone Smasher or the Meat Cleaver. This skill should not be used often because of its potential to leave you open to a well placed backstab.
  • Never Underestimate Your Opponent: If you see someone holding a large weapon and armor and believe that he/she moves slow, that may lead to your death after you see him/her run up behind you and stab you being the back. Never underestimate your opponent and always keep your guard up, even if it is with an easy opponent. You will feel like garbage once you die to someone that hits you a few times with his Northern Regalia because of your stupid, overconfident mistakes.
  • If he is holding a dagger, he is a VERY GOOD PLAYER: Just because someone holds a weak weapon doesn't mean he going to be pushover. Just like the previous note, do not underestimate him. If he is holding a dagger in the first place that means he is very good at getting backstabs at you. Or he might be suicidal and just fool around, but that is highly unlikely.
  • Speed > Everything Else... Period. That's it, that is the whole explanation. "In other words, a ninja wielding a blunt piece of giant metal of blacksmith idiocy...is better than a knight wielding a blunt piece of giant metal of blacksmith idiocy." (-Insanity)
  • Timing: Timing is everything in this game. The slightest mistake, even by fractions of a second, can mean your death. Timing determines whether you live through a Firestorm or die by it. Timing needs practice and is never perfected on the first day of player (neither the second, or third, even if the guy doesn't sleep or plays 24 hours each day). Timing governs EVERYTHING.
  • Survival = Killing Potential: If you professionalize in stamina and survival tactics without any killing potential, you are useless and will waste a lot of healing potential. Same this for the reverse, if you focus on destruction and lack in your own well being, your as squishy as cotton candy. There must be a balance between these two skills and builds in order to PvP well against other people. If you increase your power, make sure that you have the support or the killing potential to back it up (Second Chance is a BIG addition to the survival skill).

The Good Black Phantom

These Black Phantoms are rare because not many are that great of people to enter a world as a Demon helping the Host out. Let me tell you the differences when helping out Hosts:

Blue Phantom

  • You gain a percentage of the souls per Demon killed (not invading Black Phantoms).
  • You cannot be hit by both the other Blue Phantom and the Host.
  • You are the enemy of every Demon in that world, and thus will be targeted.
  • If you die by a Black Phantom invader you lose souls, just as if an invader dies.

Black Phantom

  • No Demon will ever strike you, except the dragons in 1.1, 1.2, 1.4.
  • You can kill demons without retaliation.
  • You don't gain ANY souls for any of the kills you make in the Host's world.
  • All of the souls are given to the "good guys" for any kill you make (demon-wise).
  • The Host and his band of Blue Phantoms can hit you.
  • Trust is hard to manage because of the lack of chat and limited Emotes.

Tips for Convincing Hosts your not here for (his) blood

If you want to help someone out as a Black phantom, here are some tips to get someone's trust (maybe).

  • Do not come in with any intimidating weapon or armor, meaning no Monk's Head Collar or anything else that might make you look like your ready to kill the Host.
  • Bow once you enter into their world, hopefully they wont attack you.
  • Do not ever stand behind the Host. No one wants to get backstabbed and having someone behind them that is a potential backstabber is not good for trust.
  • Make sure you stay unarmed for the time how to get rid of stretch marks you are not killing demons for the Host. You may use a weapon to kill the demons but put it away immediately when you finished that demon.
  • Don't ever attack the Host, that just gives him a reason to kill you.
  • Be careful with AOE magic. It hits everything, including the person you are trying to help.

Some Black Phantoms also let themselves be killed in order to give the Host more souls and shift character/world tendency toward white, but is unlikely.

Other then that helping another as a Black Phantom can make you be remembered and such. You would even be a better helper than a Blue Phantom, except for the Boss of the section.

Good Luck convincing Hosts that you are here to help him and not here to take his body. You aren't going to use these strategies to kill the Host... right...?

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