Blighttown and its Frustrations (Dark Souls)

Dark Souls is so hard, but rewarding. Highly recommend it! And with that,
Storm,
Out
Patreon - / storm236
Twitter - / thestorm236
#DarkSouls #DarkSoulsRemastered #Blighttown
Intro - 0:00
Welcome to the Hole (Level Overview) - 1:05
Blighttown’s Unforgiving Nature - 4:07
Accomplishment? - 9:00
The Second Bell, and Beyond (Conclusion) - 11:40
Music Used:
Firelink Shrine - Dark Souls
The Trapper - Inscryption
Surrounded by Terror - Resident Evil 3 Remake
Prologue - Dark Souls
Looming Dread - Resident Evil 2 Remake
Chaos Witch Quelaag - Dark Souls
JENOVA - Final Fantasy VII
Firelink Shrine - Dark Souls

[@stormtalksgames]

Just hit 100 subscribers recently! Thank you so much for the support on the recent videos!!

[@taketheleep]

You're exactly right about the feelings of "relief" vs. "accomplishment". There were a few areas and a few bosses in Dark Souls that gave me that feeling of just being glad it was over with and Blighttown was definitely one of them.

[@stormtalksgames]

Yeah, Blighttown gave me such a huge relief when finishing it, and so far is the only place that gave that feeling, but I'm still only at the Duke's Archives.

[@adamforte9530]

Ahem, lost izaleth

[@thesnatcher3616]

@@adamforte9530 Well that level is a relief just because of how boring and horrendouly designed it is. Frustrating as Blightown is, I wouldn't call it a boring area.

[@JavierGuareguaC]

I didn't find blighttown thaaat hard, duke's archives or tomb of the giants on the other hand...

[@dillonshanks7069]

@@stormtalksgames just wait for New Londo ruins and lost Izaleth lol

[@matteodemaso8160]

Blighttown is one of my favorite levels in the entire series. It is brimming with character and atmosphere. And its brutality makes ringing the second bell of awakening feel like such an amazing feat your first time through.

[@stormtalksgames]

Blighttown's brutality really is something else!

[@joshuaweston6531]

I agree! Excellent level design! Also a bit sadistic!

[@LookForwardd]

Totally agree! For the Remastered edition that is. The original was hell with the frustrating framerates 😅

[@jengl_exe]

Blighttown feels bad in the moment but then you come across Tomb of Giants and suddenly Blighttown doesn't look so bad.

[@stormtalksgames]

The Tomb of Giants was also quite frustrating. Thankfully, I sped through it lol

[@hritikpanwar4014]

true if you don't have sunlight maggot you are pretty much done in tomb of the giants

[@frazyfrog]

​@@hritikpanwar4014 yeah even with that lamp its still hell

[@hritikpanwar4014]

@@frazyfrog both are different sunlight maggot is the helmet while you hold lamp in one of your hand

[@frazyfrog]

@@hritikpanwar4014 i know dumass i said lamp

[@codykolis7577]

Blighttown is the #1 example i think of when "getting homesick" after leaving the bonfires.

[@Kingofredeyes]

I had a very different experience when it came to Blighttown than most it seemed. My very first play through I picked the master key as my item and explored enough to find the valley of drake's door and the backdoor to Blighttown. So for me my first encounter with it was the backdoor and I always wondered why so many people kept complaining about it. It wasn't until my 2nd playthrough when I started to come into Blighttown most ppl refer to but I actually came up through the poison swamp. It wasn't until my 3rd playthrough that I came down to Blighttown proper...I don't do that anymore.

[@jaredthearm2196]

YES!!! I thought I was the only one

[@Lucy2Juicy]

3:00 The mosquito enemies are very annoying, worst thing in DS1 for me. But I get the feeling on why they feel annoying, I kinda remember the dumb reason why. They are tied to a spawner on the floor of the swamp if one sees you with its huge range, killing it will spawn like 6 sets or something more after its death. Once they spawn they already count as knowing where you are, so they bee-line to the player. If I recall right, theres like 3 spawners which makes the mosquitoes seem endless in a bad, bad way. In your free time warp to the place after Quelaag's room and come back out the tunnel like you enter to fight her. With a bow, shoot the mosquito by the pillar you'll see, then look to your right. Those mosquitos will see you cause they are in a group of the same spawner, you'll then see them constantly emerge from the dirt patch as you shoot them down. Yes I do hate that I know this about my most hated enemy

[@stormtalksgames]

Ohhhh I didn't know they were connected to a spawner, I just thought they were endless. But yeah, they are not fun to deal with

[@HisRoyalMajestyKingofWeedshire]

Me entering Blighttown through the exit so I can get to Queelag faster: *Smort.*

[@stormtalksgames]

Big play!

[@vitoriaaa_]

I'm not that into dark souls, but it's good to see new channels growing up! This video just got recommended to me. Keep up the good work!

[@stormtalksgames]

Thanks!! Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@florianz8922]

Get the rusty iron ring from your second visit to the undead asylum and you will be able to run and roll normally in the swamp

[@TheMacTastic1]

just got this video randomly recommended to me and it was pretty good. always fun to see a video about a game i love

[@stormtalksgames]

Dark Souls is amazing!

[@wiznu_]

I’ve always been the odd one out on this topic, but I love blighttown, a lot of nostalgia, very creepy and gritty (which i love in these games) and it’s just a nice change of pace from the flat setting of the rest of ds1

[@stormtalksgames]

Blighttown is creepy indeed, when you realize the shadows at the end of the swamp start throwing boulders at you

[@nickymees9141]

You never noticed all of the staircases, ladders and elevators around the rest of the world?

[@wiznu_]

@@nickymees9141 In none of the souls games, does it come close to the amount of them in blight town.

[@YoloMcCheesy]

@@wiznu_ the gutter does

[@wiznu_]

@@YoloMcCheesy Blighttown is so much taller

[@younes6532]

0 dislikes, truly the best dark souls critic ever made

[@stormtalksgames]

Fascinating! Hope you enjoyed it!!!

[@poliwharaslah965]

On my second playthrough.. i boosted up my vigor so much before going in, that poison swamp dont post a threat to me anymore..

[@stormtalksgames]

Pro gamer move!

[@yockinnottou]

I just can’t understand the reasoning behind having to run through the depths bonfire every single time I die in the beginning of blight town. Been having fun with the game up until this point but this is just too tedious to even be fun at this point

[@sfdsfsdfsdf1938]

Suit yourself, I hated blight town, but then after discovering every inch of the zone, I just breeze through it. I actually love it now that I just completed it 1 hour ago, again

[@johnhughes9999]

Great idea, I’m looking forward to seeing more from U

[@stormtalksgames]

Thank you!

[@LewixDlol69]

Excellent video, continue the great work 👍

[@stormtalksgames]

Thanks! Much appreciated!

[@Simonnnnnnnnnnnnn]

after my first playthrough i always use master key and skip half of the blighttown.

[@Legend-of-Kai]

Haha playing through my first round of dark souls in preparation for a big video and just got through blighttown myself. Had to come back and watch this and I feel every bit of it. Was so glad to finally get through it all

[@stormtalksgames]

Ohhh now I'm excited to see what you've got to say about Dark Souls! Although I found Blighttown to be frustrating, I've got to say there are at least 2/3 more areas that felt even worse lol

[@rahulbelieber6420]

dark souls players : its so satisfying and enjoying to watch someone struggling in a same way we did. love the video. for me its a great game teaches me patience and and to keep it up no matter what . story of the game gives you motivation to do the same thing again and again (story - vatti vidya)

[@stormtalksgames]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed! Yeah, Dark Souls is great at teaching you patience, and to not give up

[@DarkflameRaime]

I like your idea of how Blighttown is trying to teach you that there are better and worse times to use restorative items (like estus and purple moss). 9:40 Also lol it was cool that you were exploring that thin path, I’ve done that as well

[@stormtalksgames]

It's a great place at teaching different strategies! And yes, I thought that thin path would lead someplace cool!

[@thespoopyghost4729]

idk man I found that level super easy and was kinda disappointed when I didn't even die once to the level, I did die to qualaag tho. But I can see why someone would find this hard

[@bleedszn]

blighttown put a halt to my ds1 experience for 2 years till i finally came back after elden

[@bleedszn]

i felt like i was dragging myself to the bottom i had a broken halberd, barely any armor and no idea where to go or how to even turn back😂

[@doritos4207]

I too really like Blighttown and appreciated it even more on repeat playthroughs. There's something I like about oppressive areas in games, it really sticks with you even after turning off the game. To be fair I first played it on PC and not the PS3 so I didn't experience the performance issues.

[@KarlRock]

Those ogre dudes keep whipping my butt! Thanks for the video.

[@kevinlopezobrien5366]

For me it was the hardest area to put up with. At first. But I'm also slightly masochist in playing games. When I got down to the swamp, my first thought was "HA, suck it evil treehouse, you're my bitch now!"

[@stormtalksgames]

Conquering the treehouses was truly a moment haha

[@KanchalYT]

brooo I thought this channel had more subscribers due to the professional quality of this video

[@stormtalksgames]

I appreciate that!

[@nonames1139]

I loved ds1 and blighttown go a degree . I struggled a bit due to gravity and the ducking mosquitos but once I got the bonfire at the bottom it got a bit better . I hated the poison sludge at the bottom, hates the enemies blending in to the wooden freaking platforms , hated the damn mosquitoes, hated the enemies launching boulders , hated the fucking mosquitos. Hated falling from trying to make a jump on that flimsy ass platforms , and once k discovered the back entrance near the “Drake valley I think” I was like why tf couldn’t I have picked the master key at the beginning . Oh and I hated the fucking mosquitoes… maybe I hated blighttown 🥴

[@blaze595]

Blighttown is definitely miserable; but I think you're overlooking something about it's place in the broader game experience... After going all the way through undead berg, then the depths and finally through blighttown, on first playthrough most players are pretty much at their wits end; like you've literally been descending down through the layers of hell. So after you've beaten Quelaag and rung the bell, there's the trip back out. When you finally get out through the valley of the drakes, open the gate, suddenly realise you know where you are and ascend back to firelink... The sense of relief is absolutely incredible. It's a feeling that has been felt across just about everyone who has played dark souls, as feeling like you've managed to go to hell and make it out (kind of) alive; it's one of the most memorable gaming experiences for many.

[@stormtalksgames]

Yeah, Blighttown defo does give that sense of relief, and the sound of Firelink is just as soothing as ever once you're back there!

[@niemand7811]

I don't play games to feel relieved after a tense section as much as I don't wear tight shoes only to feel better after taking them off.

[@blaze595]

​@@niemand7811 Well do you watch horror movies? I mean why would anyone be interested in something meant to make them tense/scared; movies are meant to be fun and relaxing right? Or what about sad or confronting movies? Games, movies, music, any artistic medium; are ways people can experience things vicariously. Even things that from a practical standpoint don't seem like something someone would want to experience, can actually be really enriching; it's one of those weird things that's part of being human. The only real difference with games is that it can be delivered through an interactivity; and in the case of something like dark souls also challenge and overcoming difficulty. It's perfectly valid if you don't want to put in the time/effort to experience that for yourself; but I also wouldn't be so quick to write it off 👍

[@orangejuice8279]

Blighttown didn’t give me a sense of accomplishment when I beat it, but I also got Quelaag’s Furysword out of it so I’d say that makes up for it just a little bit

[@the12ftdwarf]

Great video man!

[@stormtalksgames]

Appreciate it!

[@alsobryant412]

great video man i see hella potential in this channel gonna, u earned another subscriber today🙏

[@stormtalksgames]

Thanks man!!

[@darthnihilus7951]

I've never had trouble with Blighttown for whatever reason, though I do always have the fear and paranoia riddled through me about falling or just simply getting gang-banged into oblivion from the horrors that lurk within that area; I think Blighttown has this intimidating and overwhelming dread to it in regards to the atmosphere. Either way, its personally one of my favorite areas, plus it leads to Ash Lake

[@stormtalksgames]

Ash Lake is top tier!

[@darthnihilus7951]

@@stormtalksgames your goddamn right it is! I can't tell you how many times I've booted up Dark Souls just to stand in Ash Lake accompanied by Post-Rock songs, specifically Aphrodite Terra by Hubris. This song+ Ash Lake=my soul being sent to the heavens

[@alexanderrose127]

hearing about how frustrating BT is, made me not play DS1 at all for years. Then i finally played it and found BT to be my favourite Area. It is very challenging, i died a lot of times, but the atmosphere, the setting, the level design - all outstanding. I never got frustrated really, because i could always make progress in the level. And the Blowdart-Guys not respawning helps.

[@chives8980]

After playing Frigid Outskirts from ds2 I'm not complaining about any level in the Souls series ever again including The Ringed City, Miquellas Halig Tree, The Hunters Nightmare and Blighttown

[@EvilNbc]

Great video man . For me this area has never been so difficult , the problem was that in ps3 it runs like crap , dropping fps bellow 30 . it is a nightmare to go thru , but very rewarding once completed.

[@stormtalksgames]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! And yes, it really does feel rewarding once completed!

[@chobo301]

Great video! Keep it up!!!

[@stormtalksgames]

Thanks!!

[@DannysMyNanny]

I seriously feel like if the frame rate issue with Blighttown weren't a thing at launch, it would have a much better reputation then it does now

[@irvingonzalez4969]

Who else thinks that Blighttown and Sen's Fortress are the peak of frustration in Dark Souls

[@stormtalksgames]

Sen's Fortress is so frustrating, even for the guards there lol

[@seanhuds7351]

My advice would be to make use of throwing knives or whatever ranged weapon of choice, in order to lure enemies away from one another. Together they stand, divided they fall. I know that isn't possible everywhere but if you enter Blighttown through the sewer entrance, that tactic should keep you going until you reach the bonfire on the bridge. Otherwise, walk slowly as you travel, stop at every ladder to observe what is going on before your next move. Slow and steady wins the race.

[@buttered__toast_2899]

Just made it through here the other day without using a single clump of blooming moss save for the Firekeeper soul. Protip, use the spider shield on the blowdarts

[@stormtalksgames]

I wasted the moss, until I decided to just tank the poison

[@user-gs9qy8yn7n]

my first time through blight town, i felt overwhelmed after beating quelag. same thing happened with the depths.

[@yettiluch1]

I'm on my first playthrough. Just got to the door from the depths. It's certainly intimidating. Looks like poison in the air soon as you open the door.

[@stormtalksgames]

Good luck onwards, and don't go hollow!

[@AMCART99]

New to Dark Souls, just got past Blightown. There was a genuine moment where I honestly thought I can't do it. Being a sorcerer, with a basic weapon (I didn't upgrade it) I lost count of how many deaths. But I persisted and finally got through. Just making it through to the bottom is a relief even though you're technically not out of the zone. Love this game though, Sen's Fortress though.... next hurdle 😐

[@-1000_damage]

Never had problems in blight town surprisingly enough,now if it were demons souls with the swamp of sorrow that area is where you go to get free headaches.

[@Abendrotchiller]

There is a BIG Tree in Blight town! Take a Deep look at it! And don’t get yourself fooled :)

[@stormtalksgames]

Ahhh, I just realized! Thanks for pointing that out!!

[@Abendrotchiller]

@@stormtalksgames youre Welcome ❤️ one of the most hidden but also most magical areas in the whole game you just found :)

[@drinkwwwaterrr]

Honestly i adore Blighttown, the atmosphere is unlike any other area in the game, it has a super unique visual identity along with intricate level design. Also i didn't really find it all that hard

[@waderich9904]

The most annoying part of blight town for me was I couldn’t figure out to run across the swamp at the bottom to where queelag is. That just looked like background to me. That took me forever. Also finding the bonfire at the bottom in the drain thing took me a few attempts too haha

[@stormtalksgames]

The bonfire at the bottom was really a struggle, for real

[@dereksupernaut]

on PS4/3 the upper Bonfire does not pop into view from distance even though you can see the platform it rests on; this is too difficult for 1st time travelers... fax!!!

[@stormtalksgames]

For real? Man that's not ideal at all.

[@56yhgg]

That's crazy you have only 58 subs with such high quality content. I'm sure tho this channel is gonna grow quick once it catches the flow

[@stormtalksgames]

Thank you!! It means a lot!

[@C500X]

I actually like blighttown the atmosphere is incredible The constant toxic and poision debuffs were tedious though lol

[@stormtalksgames]

Facts!

[@alaskaaa684]

Its kinda like Farron Keep from DS3. Everytime I go through there Im just glad its over and done

[@stormtalksgames]

Man I really want to try DS3 someday

[@bojogaming9385]

Honestly i was only annoyed by blighttown on my first playthrough and after that it's one of my favorite areas

[@stormtalksgames]

Ohhh, what made you change your mind on it?

[@wilfredwayne7139]

Even at level 135 I still had issues with this area.

[@stormtalksgames]

It really do be like that lol

[@Saiker]

I didn't go there through the depths, but valley of dragons and didn't know there was a bonfire in canal. I went all the way to the bonfire on top just to get lost, beat Queelag, fail quest, lose all souls to that fkn demon on bottom, beat him eventually, fk around the whole map and at the end I looked up on google that I did it the wrong way xD

[@jonathanvin5636]

You misspelled sens fortress but I got the idea.

[@stormtalksgames]

Even the guards of Sen's fortress struggle there lol

[@enbico]

Nice video friend keep it up!❤️

[@stormtalksgames]

Thanks!!

[@wakuwaku6647]

I just hate the toxic, everything else is okay for me

[@neptwo9563]

blighttown was never about the difficulty for me, in fact the enemies weren't much of a problem and if anything was difficult with it it was finding where to go. for me it was more about its atmosphere and where it is located, while exploring blighttown you legitimately feel like you're captivated and enclosed in it because it's so damn deep and away from everything. and what made it so much worse for me was I very stupidly had never bought a repairbox and so each time my gear got to low durability I had to take a trip back to andre which is very much a nightmare when you're in blighttown, while in blighttown I truly felt detached from the rest of the world. firelink, undead parish, depths, wherever else there was in the game, it was like all of those were out of the game, it was just blighttown. as I said I thankfully I didn't have much trouble with the enemies - quelaag included - which made it less of a nightmare, but once I was done with it man it felt so comforting to return to the surface. and that feeling is entirely owed to the atmosphere blighttown managed to so successfully create

[@johnforkner]

You’re right on about what the game teaches you as well as the slow pacing of this area. I’m playing the game for this first time (pyromancer) and the thought of making my way back down with a bundle of souls to buy and level up pyromancies makes me stressed out. I feel like if they just got rid of those dang poison flies once you defeat the spider queen, this area would be far more tolerable.

[@stormtalksgames]

Those flies man, they keep coming back lol

[@nickymees9141]

You can start in blighttown and skip most of the area. Did this a lot... I struggled with the place at first but like you said performance was terrible on PS3. Framerates would drop and then i would drop from the beam i was just crossing... Replayed it on the pc and i think it is pretty good actually. The whole area is based on intimidation. I think what makes blighttown hard is how ugly it is. Especially after you just finished the depths and you think its over. I thought i struggled a lot there but nothing compared too later areas. It's a pretty good warm up for whats to come...

[@stormtalksgames]

Yeah, Blighttown is definitely good preparation for what's next to come! and so far, it also the least pleasing looking place for the eyes.

[@joshuaweston6531]

It's spelled with 2 T's because it's a "blight" and a "town"...

[@twelvesevven4678]

Finished Blighttown last night for the first time. I didn't mind anything except the ladders. The verticality was awful. Ladders are slow, some jumps aren't safe though they appear so. I didn't mind the poison pool, poison doesn't do shit, but trying to find a way around the catwalks was just..so slow. I want to play the game, not stare at mouldy wood and darkness.

[@twelvesevven4678]

As for accomplishment, I didn't feel it until I went back and grabbed all the items I missed. First time, no, I didn't feel accomplished. In Dark Souls, accomplishment for me is walking into Undead Burg knowing I can slap everything, not fear death, knowing that I was scared of moving forward in this area before but now I've learned and conquered it. BT had me feeling like I'd survived, got lucky, like I wouldn't be able to go back and do well. Now, I know it like the back of my hand. I spent a good hour just running around making mental notes of the areas. Didn't bonfire once, used 2 Estus flasks and made it from the Depths to Spider Lady Lair (I don't remember her name) killing everything. I guess for me, accomplishment is consistency. I want to feel like I got through a challenge because I knew what I was doing, not because I got lucky and found the right route, or dodged as many encounters as I could.

[@Shadowhunterbg]

I never had any real issues with this zone. Dogs were annoying but fragile. The mutant people are very squishy. The big brutes are clumsy and slow making them very easy to backstab. The mosquitoes were the most annoying because they have a bugged and broken hitbox. I used the Great Club and it missed them so much even while stationary. It just goes to their side for some reason. You need to be very reckless to get swarmed. The map is multileveled with ladders and narrow choke points. You can take advantage of those. But the map drained me because i am a completionist and the zone is too ugly and complicated for the eyes. I needed the loot but it was everywhere making the search long and tiresome. The boss is very easy but i died to her 15 times due to fatigue, frustration from the long run to her, very bad luck and the fact that i used a slow big melee weapon. She is very brutal at punishing greed. When she charges up that aoe explosion you can hit her once with the club. If you miss click or press again by mistake that second swing at her will kill you.

[@094176]

just now working my way through ds1. Started with Bloodborne, then played every release after. ds1 I had only played through to the gargoyles but after seeing so many ppl do essays on ds1 after elden rings release I decided it was time to do it! I'm just now at the bottom of blight town, ready to knock out the boss soon. And I gotta say, I felt pretty great about it for a different reason. Instead of feeling accomplished because I beat the hard area I felt accomplished that I employed every lesson I've learned from the newer games. It was absolutely still tough, arguably the hardest souls are I've played, but I never really felt hopeless. I was in the shit for sure but by now I've BEEN in the shit, in dark souls and in real life. Tenacity, patience, adaptation, and knowing when to quit and come back with a clear head.

[@stormtalksgames]

Good luck on the boss! It's amazing to hear how Dark Souls can really help with the mindsets in life!!

[@isaiahcomfort8228]

I had like zero issue with the swamp and blighttown on my first playthrough. Everyone hyped it up like it was hell. Those stupid wheel skeletons have never stopped whooping my ass. But i breezed through blighttown and the swamp quick. Is it because i wore that rusted Ring that lets you move through the swamp faster? Did no one else do that? Or did solaire just fill my heart with so much light that the darkness couldnt get through?

[@stormtalksgames]

Those wheel skeletons are something else. Why are there so many of them in that one pit??

[@UCs6ktlulE5BEeb3vBBOu6DQ]

I disliked Blighttown at first and came to love it dearly. DS1 as a whole is a masterpiece.

[@meepmeepvroom2200]

It's an awful design with high and low enemies that are either impossible to hit until they give themselves up or hard to hit because of the poor weapon mechanics. The PS3 version was abysmally optimised. The whole are just makes use of cheap mechanics like excessive darkness, constant poison/toxic build up and narrow areas combined with hard hitting enemies. The Gutter in DS2 is far better. It's a complex maze with lots of easy enemies, but with a few hard hitting enemies scattered about. It's fair and it absolutely rewards exploration. It's not overly dark and once you have all the torches lit it looks really cool. Then you have Black Gulch which compresses quite a lot into a small space and makes for a fun ending with a pretty cool boss at the end.

[@stormtalksgames]

Although the area is quite annoying, it still manages to teach valuable skills for later on in the playthrough. Also, I'm assuming Black Gulch is in DS2?

[@canadiangopnik7007]

I recently started and platinumed DS1, Blighttown isn't that bad, the level is confusing, and the toxic is annoying, bring a shield, and take your time, the club guys are so painfully slow that if you get hit you honestly deserve to fall off, the dart shooters don't respawn, and the small bugs are slow, weak, and do pathetic damage, you could honestly just ignore them half the time. Now if we're talking about Tomb of the Giants... I have nothing good to say, Patches is there, that's a silver lining I guess

[@Funnylittleman]

I really don’t understand why people hate Blighttown so much. I played the series in reverse order though, beginning with 3, then 2, then 1. I thought it was kind of a breeze compared to Black Gulch in DS2, which I really dread every play through.

[@stormtalksgames]

I've heard some bad stuff about the Black Gulch lol

[@np_animation6319]

"Queen witch Kalaag".

[@aaronlesiacsek600]

Man, I'd take blighttown over Tomb Of Giants any day. I didn't struggle with blighttown because I took my time with it. I also didn't mind because I played the remaster so I never had to deal with the infamous frame drops.

[@stormtalksgames]

I found the Tomb of the Giants to be pretty decent. Those big skeletons though? I don't like them haha

[@aaronlesiacsek600]

@@stormtalksgames the big skeletons that move on all 4s gave me so much trouble!

[@Dan82W]

Great video. I love blighttown. Not so much my first time through. As you pointed out the exploration and slow moving especially in the swamp at the bottom can be tough to get through. Spoiler…….. There is an item called the rusted ring. Once you have this item moving through the swamp is a breeze and really makes this portion of the level so much more enjoyable.

[@stormtalksgames]

Glad you enjoyed it!! And after having made this video, I've learnt a lot about this legendary ring😅

[@fridge251]

qaulaags fun i guess, but the rest of blighttown makes me sad.

[@stormtalksgames]

Yeah, the boss was great!

[@cashhegs1573]

I think blight town was overhyped cos I didn't have much trouble cos I navigated through it pretty quickly I still see how some people will die a lot since its very dark and u get lost but at the time I had the skull lantern and had some decent weapons and the poison lake is kinda annoying but I had good resistance armour and mostly resistance cos my dodging physical attacks was fine

[@mirnasimmi4901]

Old rusted ring for the win. Only found out about it because i wanted to figure out how to get that out of reach loot ontop the stairs b4 asylum demon.

[@stormtalksgames]

Oh man, I didn't know about that

[@thepainkiller5527]

Every Souls player hates certain areas in a certain Souls game more than others and blighttown is understandable as I have my own reason for disliking the area and that's basically one wrong move and it's insta death because of fall damage. I remember on my first play through I must've missed the windmill at least twice when trying to roll or move onto it and fell to my death but strangely I never got ticked at a Souls game and shrugged off everything (it's really difficult to tick me off) but that doesn't mean that it wasn't a bit annoying. Also based on most of the footage shown in the video most of the parts of blighttown you were exploring you didn't really have to go through, those parts are optional and if you chose the master key at the start that helps too as you can skip a few sections.

[@stormtalksgames]

I realized too late that a lot of Blighttown was optional on my play-through haha

[@NikoTeaJay]

Every character of mine has a bow or crossbow. Makes flies in the swamp a non issue.

[@wookie-nz2761]

Great video, it's awesome to see a breakdown from someone new to the game. A lot of the points you made were spot on but I feel like you missed a bit when you talked about accomplishment. I know everyone experiences the game differently, but I think rather than feeling like you've conquered blighttown you're meant to feel like you survived it, and therefore a delayed sense of relief once you make it out. For me the feeling of returning to firelink after gargoyles vs quelaag was completely different as was my mindset going forward. Sure, O&S might seem daunting but after blighttown anything without poison and deathpits everywhere is something you know you can conquer, not just survive. Also no spoilers but from the information in the video it seems like you missed a pretty big secret in blighttown, if you're playing online then it should be easy to find with messages. lmk if you want any hints/tips that you don't want to look up, always happy to help :)

[@stormtalksgames]

Oh yeah, 100% I get what you mean. Also, some small hints for the Duke's Archives? With the ice giant enemies?

[@wookie-nz2761]

@@stormtalksgames Keep an eye on where the falling crystals land, a few prism stones will definitely help. They can also be used to check if a drop is lethal if you're ever unsure if you can jump down somewhere.

[@stormtalksgames]

Ohhhh, I didn't think of using prism stones! Thanks!

[@adamforte9530]

@@stormtalksgames the small crystal dudes are quite susceptible to backstabbing

[@stormtalksgames]

@@adamforte9530 Noted, thanks!!

[@BreezyStreamy]

Quelaag's name is pronounced "kwee-leg." She is my favorite boss in the series next to the scorpion lady.

[@stormtalksgames]

I'm still new to the Souls series, which game is Scorpion lady from?

[@emeritus7060]

@@stormtalksgames She’s in Dark Souls 2!

[@stormtalksgames]

I've heard some negative things about DS2, but how is the game actually?

[@nagaswole7875]

@@stormtalksgames Very much a mixed bag. On one hand, it explores some great concepts for gameplay that sadly go unexplored in many of the other games. On the other hand, it also has some of the worst game design and overall jank in the entire series. For example, Dark Souls 2 is the only game in the series where going into new game+ cycles actually has an effect on gameplay outside of enemies having bigger stat numbers and +1-3 rings being available. Enemies will appear at new locations, and there's an npc who sells covenant items at ng+3 (maybe ng+2, but pretty sure it's 3). At the same time, agility is a stat that determines how many invincibility frames you actually have on your roll, and it's mostly increased by leveling adaptability. This means any build ever has to level this stat up if they don't want to block to avoid damage at all times, and you need it to be at least 20 if you want the i-frames to be on par with the other games. On the bright side, leveling it to 40 means you'll have more i-frames than you could have in any other game (outside of using Bloodhound Step in Elden Ring). Also the dlcs have mini-dungeon sort of areas designed for coop that tend to have some of the most atrocious level/game design in the entire series, much worse than Blighttown by comparison.

[@stormtalksgames]

@@nagaswole7875 Oh, it definitly does sound very ambitious but also lacking in some areas. That agility stat does sound very broken though. I guess I'll cover those dungeons in another video when I play DS2 then!

[@insertedgynamehere___969]

I like blighttown: soley for the journey of going from a literal shit hole to Anor Londo (the prettiest area in ds1, and also the only one that isn't in ruin)

[@stormtalksgames]

The contrast between the 2 is really something else! Anor Londo is amazing!

[@howlingwolf5213]

for me it wasn't the FPS that made it terrible. I think it was just the navigation. There area isn't pleasing to look at and poison is always an unfun mechanic to deal with but on top of that having to navigate a maze where you're not even sure which direction is the right direction was just too taxing. With everything looking the same and having to go up and down many ladders it was easy to just get turned around. It also kind of break the design of the game. Usually you can fight your way through an area and die and then use that knowledge to get back to where you were faster. You feel your self getting better based on how much faster you can clear an area to get back to where you were. Blighttown being so slow just made this not really noticeable. Every death felt like a chore having to get back. You point out some good points as to the kind of lessons they were trying to teach but I just feel like they missed the mark by making it to sluggish to deal with.

[@stormtalksgames]

Yeah the navigation was a pain to get through. Once I did find the right path to progress, it got a lot better, but yeah, navigating through poison isn't the best.

[@Hilipinapixili]

For me the worst part about Blighttown is that getting back to the bottom is kind of a pain in the ass before you get the teleport, as the shortcut is still kinda long-winded. Other than that there's some walkways that can be a bit annoying, with enemies sometimes sneaking up behind you due to the labyrinthine nature of the area, and the toxic blowdart guys kinda suck, but it is nowhere near the worst the game has to offer IMO. Once you get to the swamp it's basically over. I wouldn't say it's my favorite area in the game (I honestly don't know which one that would be), but it's nowhere near my least favorite. Not with the Tomb of Giant's "can't see shit" gimmick, or the Demon Ruins/Lost Izalith sections... Heck, even Anor Londo itself is an area I never look forward to because it contains my least favorite single segment in the game and it kinda kills the whole experience for me, not gonna lie.

[@stormtalksgames]

Yeah, I agree. The first time down to Blighttown is definitely what makes my view on Blighttown more negative than positive (even though I can see why the level is designed like that). Between Tomb of the Giants and Lost Izalith, it's got to be Tomb of the Giants that I find worse. Although I find Blighttown to be the most frustrating area, I now find Tomb of the Giants to be my least favorite area.

[@Hilipinapixili]

@@stormtalksgames Tomb of Giants is definitely more frustrating from a gameplay perspective, that's for sure. Demon Ruins/Lost Izalith is an unfinished mess that for some reason also doubles as a parade of some of the worst bosses in the game. But overall, even taking into account the Bed of Chaos, I agree that the Tomb is more un-fun to go through as an overall area.

[@MrSarc1]

I had always heard people complain about it but blighttown never have me much trouble. I took it slow and only died like 2 times. I honestly prefer it over the dukes archives.

[@stormtalksgames]

Yeah, the Dukes Archive can be pretty tedious at the start. And then, of course, The Lost Izalith

[@aikawamontano9441]

my first play through in blightown i died 6 times the perfect strategy is you need slowly but surely progress

[@RonZertnert]

Incredible video, though watching you walk around overburdened and fat rolling was worrisome

[@stormtalksgames]

I've got to up my endurance lol!

[@RamentooSpicy]

Wear the rusted ring to make swamp traversal easier

[@raider7790]

Tbh I never once felt frustrated in blight town. It almost felt like a natural environment that's a must in a game as hostile as darksouls. Only to find out afterwards completing the game that people find blight town frustrating and at times hate it.

[@voLumez]

Wow you're such a pro gamer dude! Very cool story

[@tonybogard6888]

Dex dudes LOVE B-Town! Laito chillin and good boys SHIVA and SHADOW DAD sellin wares. Much respect!

[@sathlasdalaraynidridlendar6875]

i personally never had any problems with blighttown besides the poison bugs being hard to hit sometimes

[@stormtalksgames]

Those bugs are so annoying

[@apeleee]

BlightTown is the best area in ds1 in my opinion

[@stormtalksgames]

I think it's Anor Londo for me

[@ShMokou]

You go into blighttown with heavy roll and expect something but frustration?

[@stormtalksgames]

Don't worry, I've stopped with the heavy rolling😅

[@wingusdingus9447]

Blighttown didn't really bother me. The swamp in demon's souls was way worse for me. In dark souls Anor Londo pissed me off much, much more

[@stormtalksgames]

What did you find annoying about Anor Londo, because I personally loved it

[@wingusdingus9447]

@@stormtalksgames Falling to my death. I'd probably have a much easier time now that I've played all the souls games. At the time 4-2 from demon's souls was the only place in previous games that put intimidating enemies on ledges. Anor Londo made you run a tight rope while the shot at you. Only being able to roll in 4 direction probably made it harder too

[@stormtalksgames]

Yeah, that area with the small planks was quite annoying. Those hitboxes . . .

[@Rackatiakka]

I just got to blighttown and I don't know if I'll continue the game. I really hate it.

[@stormtalksgames]

Definitely keep going! There are some really amazing places after it!

[@Rackatiakka]

@@stormtalksgames I powered through it but I ignored all the side paths. But I at least checked out both paths to the top after I got to the bottom. I keep hearing the game sucks after Anor Londo tho

[@stormtalksgames]

Nah, it doesn't suck after Anor Londo. There are some annoying sequences, but it's still top tier!

[@Oamiano]

Hey man, I know this topics been covered a lot. But it’s refreshing hearing it from a new prospective. Also your video editing and subs don’t make sense. Enjoy my sub for the effort and quality bro!👌

[@stormtalksgames]

Thanks man! Really appreciate it!!

[@a_fuckin_spacemarine7514]

Now imagine playing through it on Xbox 360 at about 5fps.

[@dickheadrecs]

you’re meant to do the catacombs before blighttown. if you do it that way everything is way easier

[@dickheadrecs]

why else would the rite of kindling be down there

[@dickheadrecs]

you use all the humanity you got from the depths to boost the blighttown bonfire to 20 estus so you can be permanently poisoned and just explore casually

[@stormtalksgames]

I remeber going to the catacombs at the start, dying, and the coming back to it like 20 hours later😅😂

[@Tortuga_312]

Honestly the only annoying part about this area to me are those guys shooting darts at you. Other than that the zone was pretty easy

[@Mezer_PoE]

Blighttown is just a flawed area. If you play with your brightness setting how it should be, you'll barely see the tiny minuscule darts that, if you don't have poison res armor, will toxin you in 1 hit. It's not intuitive that poison resist works for Toxic, hell toxic isn't even told to you TILL you get toxic. Then you don't know that you can get an item to remove it initially without exploring into either Darkroot or to the merchant. So if you didn't go off to explore, you're punished. Thankfully you can kill them and they don't respawn but none-the-less, it's terrible design. The bottom area is perfectly fine, actually the whole place would be fine if the blow darts were removed and there was less janky areas you can just slide off and fall to your death. I just did a recent play through where I don't take the masterkey and actually give my thoughts on the intended path in 2023 and boy is it awful. The Depths are a bad area, it's not TERRIBLE but to lead into Blighttown, that leads into Lost Izalith, that whole bottom area of the world just feels poorly designed and rushed.