You're WRONG About the Capra Demon (not clickbait)

#darksouls #fromsoftware #gaming
Everybody hates the Capra Demon. But what if I told you that the Capra Demon is completely misunderstood? What if I told you that the Capra Demon is actually a really nice guy? What if I told you that you are wrong about everything and all of my opinions are correct? All three of those questions will be addressed in this video, so stop reading the description and go watch it already!
Also yeah, I haven’t uploaded in almost a year, but I don’t think the wait for the next Critical Rants video will be that long. When will the next video be out? I don’t know, man. Maybe it will be a week, maybe a month, but it will be out when it’s out, and I’m just glad I was able to release something I’m happy with after such a long break. Another Dark Souls video is in the works, so stay tuned for that and more at some point in the future. Take care of yourself, and don’t you dare go hollow.
Twitter: / critical_rants

[@GilboPaints]

Everyone in the comments that says they like the Capra demon are liars. They literally killed the Capra demon.

[@allbeansedits]

Lmao

[@Fullmetalnyuu0]

It's crazy how many people will click on a video just to leave a malding comment instead of actually watching and engaging with the content. You + illusory wall changed my mind on this boss, because I actually watched the video and listened to what you were saying lol

[@themanthemyth4522]

Same people who get their news by reading the headline, and not the actual article.

[@willyrexnegrowillyrexnegro632]

The true boss fight are the two damn dogs

[@juampan]

Illusory wall brought me here. Both your videos complement each other pretty well. I'm a new born capra lover after this.

[@seanconant3218]

Enlightened!

[@illusorywall]

Before I watch the whole video, I want to say that I'm a Capra Demon defender! I'd like to share my thoughts and then see how in sync we are: I like the fight, and I never thought it was too unreasonable. People seem to dislike it mostly on the basis that you get rushed right away in a small arena, and that the fight is only hard because of the dogs. I'm like... yeah? That's the entire point of the fight, which makes for a unique encounter. It's largely a test if you can figure out how to survive the first 10 seconds of the fight, which is a pretty unique problem solving situation the game throws at the player. People will complain that they don't have time to react to the boss and learn its moves, but they're worrying about the wrong problem. The lack of reaction time is THE thing to solve, and you know what? It rewards creativity for exploring the game's mechanics. If you ask yourself "what can I do to not get crushed right away", there are actually several options to explore, making getting up the stairs safely NOT just something you have to get lucky on. You can equip some poise to not get stunlocked, or you can use stealth to avoid being seen by the dogs at the start of the fight, or you can use diversion tools to throw the dogs off. There are multiple, non-cheesy strategies you can use to make the fight a lot safer, and the fight encourages you to think about and explore those options. This is good game design. I know people don't like a lot of the "gimmick" fights, but I think it's best when these games have a healthy dose of these, and the Capra Demon is an example of a good and warranted one. Not everything needs to be an epic arena battle with an Artorias-like figure, we should have fights that throw unique problems at us that reward experimentation, ideally with multiple solutions. The Capra Demon fight passes that with flying colors. My two biggest complaints: -The Camera I'm not someone who usually minds having to manage the camera in tight spaces, but there are some valid complaints. For me, it doesn't have anything to do with the size and shape of the arena itself, but if elements of the environment could dissipate when they get in the way of the camera, like Dark Souls 2, that would've been better. The tree and fog gate should just become transparent when the camera gets between them and the player. -Alluring Skulls should also work on the dogs. I mentioned diversion tactics as an option for the fight, but only Aural Decoy works. That becomes accessible by freeing a certain NPC from the Lower Undead Burg (hint hint), which seems like a considerate choice from the developers. So it's great that Aural Decoy works and that they make it available there, but considering how there's only two diversion tools available and not everyone wants to spend INT to use it (though to be fair no one has to spend more than 2 points to get there), they probably should've made the Alluring Skulls work too. I don't think they'd become "OP" if they suddenly worked on the dogs too, and imo anyone who ever tried them in the Capra fight should've been rewarded for their efforts. That's seriously it. For all the complaints people have about the Capra fight, if I could change one thing about it I'd literally just make Alluring Skulls work on the dogs too and change nothing else. :p Okay, essay over, watching the vid now. :) edit: Great points about the Lower Undead Burg preparing you for the fight, and lessons that should be taken away about how you manage the environment!

[@criticalrants]

Thanks so much for the comment! I totally agree that there's more creativity involved in the first ten seconds on the fight that it would intially appear. The Capra Demon trains you to always be alert, think on your feet, and perform well under pressure, which are all essential skills for completing the game. That's a really good observation about Aural Decoy, too. Weirdly, I think the fight would also be less frustrating if omnidirectional rolling while being locked on was allowed in DS1. Since most players will likely lock on to the boss or one of the dogs throughout the fight, having a little more control over your movement would have made managing the space a bit easier in my opinion. I do wish the alluring skulls worked on the dogs, too, as it's weird that they don't. Also, I love your videos and how deep you dive into the mechanics and worlds of the Soulsborne games! Make sure you pat yourself on the back today for creating such interesting videos and being such a great part of the Souls community!

[@Neftosklad]

Common ds1 item description comment

[@ironmaiden93ofangmar]

I get your points on what you like it. And you're right about why I don't like it: Small area with a bunch of dogs lol. I get that's the point. I just don't like the idea of that. Aside from this, I really dislike gimmick boss fights in these games and I really dislike mob fights in these games. So that contributes to my dislike for a fight like this. I agree it's not a hard fight. Not anymore at least. At first, this fight was my nightmare. But now he's pretty easy, as most bosses in DS1.

[@RandomGameClips27]

cope harder

[@driesvanheeswijk1633]

Ain't readin allat but I agree

[@joshgoodwin8308]

Capra demon is bad until you reach the bed of chaos, then you realize it really wasnt bad at all

[@teoshiri]

i swear dark souls fans will defend anything

[@Fedethedangerous95]

Yes, and?

[@Zombiemahboye]

Capra demon is piss ez. Dark souls fans will pretend everything is harder than it is. From souls combat is as easy as fucking bop it. The enemy move says dodge you dodge, enemy in recovery animation you attack. Bop it twist it. Simple ass game lmao

[@ironmaiden93ofangmar]

​@Zombiemahboye difficulty has anything to do with it. Some bosses are easy as hell, but they're still a shit design because how frustrating they can be or how much bullshit there is. Capra demon is easy (except for a new player), but it's still a shit concept for a boss. Artorias is probably the hardest boss in DS1, and it's alao probably the best boss in the game. So yeah, difficulty has nothing to do with complaining about a boss.

[@solarpellets]

I swear the average souls fan doesn't even know how to play the game. Put on the wolf ring or a decent armor set and it's a genuinely fun fight.

[@Fedethedangerous95]

@@solarpellets what do you mean "I'm not supposed to start by the graveyard/catacombs, cleaning the area by throwing the immortal enemies down the cliffs by two handing the starter shield"?

[@DeneuveYT]

The path back to the boss from firelink through the sewer gate is also much less challenging once you take the time to open it. The few dogs outside the fog wall are a tremendous help for each different build since they give you a chance to test your damage output and move set. The dog goes down in two of these R1? But only one R1 two handed or in one R2? Very valuable information to keep in mind as you will be focusing more on whatever method you use to stay alive through the initial assault.

[@jollygrapefruit786]

Whatever you say dude lmao

[@brutusmagnuson315]

The entire lower burg is just one big gang-mugging. Funny thing is, Elden Ring retried this boss with the first Omen Hunter. It even has more doggos. However, you had more geometry and space to play with and boss works better for that reason.

[@facundovera3227]

And you can kill both dogs without alerting the boss.

[@AkodoBA]

About the second part of the video, you're right, and that's why the first half of the game is genius, when you can't teleport to another bonfire yet. You have to know the whole map because you travel on your feet, and when you are lost deep in blight town, you know the shit is real. Thanks to that, I think I can draw a pretty accurate map of the game even if I didn't play it in years...

[@terapop]

All my friends love the Capra Demon 😤 Glad to see you back & talking Souls again!

[@MegaBearsFan]

Next week's video: You're WRONG about the Silver Knight Archers on the Anor Londo ramparts! ;) ;)

[@saltyshishio]

I swear ever since Backlog's video on DarkSouls 1, people have this sudden raging boner to defend the Capra demon boss.

[@notthatinnocent86]

Your intro animation was giving me strong Armor Games vibes and I was sad when they didnt cross

[@proutmobile1228]

okay now fight him without a shield and with an ultra greatsword, i just want to see something

[@ClikcerProductions]

If they used rats or something other than dogs I would agree, but the biggest issue with Capra for me is that the dogs can often get you before you can even see past the fog gate, you can counter act that by just taking a shield, but that so massively trivialises the fight to the point of being boring because Capra is so slow, but also has so little health, personally I think lower burg already does a good job of getting you used to cramped spaces with too many enemies, but they could've just made the area do more of that and actually give us an engaging boss instead

[@jacedjohnson3541]

It’s the arena that’s the problem

[@minenamedothJeffeth]

I love the Capra demon boss room aesthetically

[@MegaBearsFan]

I've always held that there are 2 main skill gates to Dark Souls that determine if you're a "Dark Souls fan" or not. The first is the Bell Gargoyles. The 2nd is the Capra Demon. If you can get past the Capra Demon (doesn't matter how you do it), you can get past anything in the game.

[@NotYurAverageJoe]

Capra Demon more like No Cap, Not-CRAPra Demon!

[@MisterOfu]

The best thing I can say about Blighttown (the swamp portion at least) is that it's not Valley of Defilement.

[@ravencl]

Capra demon is fine. The dogs are not.

[@clump305]

is the intro animation made to looks close to the armor games flash game animation?

[@GotuUmraniya]

good observation but the fact that in most cases you get attacked while you are entering the boss area with barely any chance to react for the first time atleast makes it a cheap boss, if they had not included the two dogs i would not be saying so, unfair is unfair

[@marianoamato2092]

Guys If you keep struggling just get a +5 claymore go to darkroot level up and get the grass crest shield. If you are around level 30-35 it’s an easy first try. Oh and remember to open the gate on the viaduct that goes back to fire link shrine (tha one where you find the female undead merchant), it’s a much easier way back to him if you happened to die

[@Devininity]

The only problem with blighttown was the framerate issues upon release.

[@Cactar8]

I've always loved Capra, but I watched this just to find out why someone wouldn't like them.

[@Broelbrak]

Capra and Blighttown are FromSoft PEAK!

[@solarpellets]

I've fought the capra demon as my first boss several times, and I've had fun every time. Getting past the dogs is consistent, and learning how is extremely fun, if you're expecting a difficult fight, anyway. If not, put on the wolf ring, easy fight.

[@hypnoticskull6342]

If the arena was bigger, there were no dogs, and the runback wasn't so bad, I'd love this boss

[@Theunrealfight]

I like Blighttown as a level but I also visited it on unpatched ptde on pc and Xbox 360 and the frame drops really hurt it.

[@dancreary3340]

There are people that say blight town is the test that separates the wheat from the chaff, but I contend that it's actually Anor Londo, with Ornstein and Smough as the final test.

[@Xalgucennia]

I never had that much trouble with him. I normally use soul arrow, and once you're at the top of the stairs, you just shoot arrows down until you win

[@The_Arisen]

It just hit me that the capra demon can be seen as an echo of Ornstein and smough!

[@KeremyJato]

05:08 🫡 🫡 🫡

[@benzouaouimounir9971]

Best Dark Souls 1 boss

[@droooooooooooooooooooooooooooo]

Yeah, Capra Demon isn't so bad. I do think the narrow boss arena is a cool feature of the fight. You don't see a lot of cramped boss rooms.

[@narancista6635]

"bro the boss is actually cool because it teaches you how unfair and bullshit the rest of the game can be" how about just not making bullshit areas and enemies ???? why are soulsborne player's standards so low ??

[@iluvmusicqwe]

The tiny shitty room and stupid trees blocking the view are the worst part of the fight.

[@12thMovement]

I have never seen a bigger cope in my life

[@RandomGameClips27]

for real

[@Biobillybonez]

Wait. People go back through the depths instead of use the wheel?? Why would you do that? I'm down for capra demon reasoning but I've literally never seen a single player go back through the depths.

[@MrHeorhe]

Video: "If there is one boss the community deems unfair its..." Me: "BED OF CHAOS!" Video: "...the Capra demon" Me: "..."

[@criticalrants]

Yeah Bed of Chaos is not exactly a darling of the Souls community either, but I think I would struggle to defend the Bed of Chaos in a video haha

[@MrHeorhe]

@@criticalrants I really do enjoy the attempt though. There is something to be said for how fun gimmick fights are when you have that AHA moment. Which is why demons is my absolute favourite game I've played from fromsoft. Enemies only having one or two weak points is a very fun and interesting way to change up the dynamic of a fight. For example learning that you can cut off the gargoyles tail in ds1 to guarantee a stagger and a bunch of damage aswell as making his tail attacks easy to dodge was such an awesome gimmick that didn't take away from the fight at all. But then they started leaning further away from that style of design for ds2 and ds3 due to players criticizing bosses like bed of chaos, seath, Nito and the four kings as being too gimmicky and not hard enough for being the final bosses of the game once you understand their gimmick. I fucking love it and I love the fact they leaned into gimmicks way harder for elden ring and sekiro, although sekiro upped the difficulty and still had gimmick fights all throughout so it could have been done for ds2/3. But if they didn't make 2 and 3 that way, they never would have had the criticism that bosses being straight skill and dodge checks like the dancer are not as fun either.

[@Galkatokk]

Nah, sorry. Capra demon sucks. If you didn't have to run/fight through enemies to get to him for another try he'd be excusable, but forcing you to deal with all those enemies at each attempt only to lose in 3 seconds because a dog charged into your way up the staircase is bullshit. The game is CONSTANTLY teaching you about fighting enemies in enclosed spaces (tried swinging a weapon at any walls/pillars? you get the message immediately), it did not need to dedicate a boss to that lesson, and certainly not in this horseshit format. There's nothing "tough but fair" about there being only 1 legitimate strategy to beating this boss when the successful execution of that strategy is down to RNG as to whether the dogs will body-block you on the stairs or not.

[@mymic208]

I killed the Capra Demon the first try I managed to get the dogs down. The entire fight is those two dogs....

[@jollygrapefruit786]

Nah they just threw 2 of the single most annoying enemy in the entire game in an otherwise underwhelming boss fight because they couldnt be bothered.

[@goldhoney9401]

Capra demon in a normal playthrough is mid. He's fun if you have the ring of fog and the slumbering dragoncrest ring

[@Grunker1]

Played ds 1 for the first time and quite liked this fight it was a pretty interesting puzzle and I surprisingly beat it on the first try and was also surprised to see everybody hated it. Blighttown though is pure garbage, the poison swamp part really wasn't that bad cause the enemies were weak and I had stocked up on moss after dying to the dart shooters, but everything else is a heaping pile of shit especially cause this games shit geometry would randomly push me off of a platform and cause me to fall to my death a level like this shouldn't exist in a game this old and imprecise.

[@jerimiahkoey1518]

You didn’t have to fight those enemies there a shortcut

[@ericshun3331]

this is a huge reach lol

[@hellbornKrieg]

Before watch 100% agree

[@Furno99]

Ngl i first tried capra demon and was very confused why everyone said it was so difficult

[@masterbread13]

There's way more than one strategy for this boss. The community just doesn't know how to do anything else except ram their head against a wall on repeat for hours and not change anything about their playstyle.

[@TheRealBlackSwordsman]

real

[@RyamM.04]

I've always had this opinion as well and I'm glad it's getting more popular 🙌🏻

[@diegoval7852]

You sound like matpat

[@theflamingassassin2426]

The Capra demon is only a bad fight because of how much it feels like the beginning is RNG. Entering the fog gate and dying immediately is not fun, nor well designed. If the player had even a half-second more to establish themselves before being ganked, then I think no one would complain about the fight. It would still test the same skills and be difficult but would allow the player some control over the encounter's beginning. Dying before you can react never feels good, and the Capra demon embodies that feeling. Otherwise, the fight is, as you claim, quite good.

[@illusorywall]

In the comment I left, I talked about a variety of ways to make it so that it's not RNG. All without cheese. The ability to creatively find a way to not get destroyed right at the start is part of what I appreciate about it. You might not have time to react your first couple of attempts, but THAT's the problem that you as a player need to find a way to address. So I don't see that as a negative for the encounter, it's what makes the fight what it is. It doesn't have to be about getting lucky, using the mechanics the game gives you. :)

[@thosebloodybadgers8499]

​@@illusorywallyou gotta remember though, there's also the aspect of a first time player encountering the fight, at which point they're nigh guaranteed to lose - a situation the game otherwise tends to avoid rather well (excluding the first encounter with Seath, fuck that too). Both the Lower Undead Burg and the Depths may have claustrophobic environments but with careful exploration, one can identify the chokepoints before aggroing enemies and prepare for the encounter ahead. Not to mention the multiple safe spots or retreat options one can always use. In comparison the Capra Demon boss fight and arena just feel cheap - the equivalent of a jumpscare. Can they be used well? Sure, but I just can't see that being the case here.

[@ihavenomindandimustthink]

Step 1 dodge left when he first attacks you when you enter the arena. Step 2 then dodge right because of the dogs. Step 3 walk to the bottom of the stairs. Step 4 run to the top of the stairs and get onto the ledge (note if you have a long weapon do not fight the dogs on the ledge but rather on the stairs becuase your weapon will hit the wall on the ledge instead of the dogs.) Step 4 wait for the boss to attack you. He will fall to the bottom of the ledge. Step 5 drop attack the boss. Repeat steps 3 ~ 5.

[@makeoutrose]

...

[@joshwhipps7158]

So Capra haters need to git gud is he main thing i take away from this.

[@cheesaliciousable]

Nah, the capra demon is a generic bozo from lost Izalith along with the Taurus demon.

[@a_fuckin_spacemarine7514]

I always liked this boss, even when he was roadblocking me my first time through. Once i learned what poise did, I assumed this fight was a lesson of the effectiveness of armour......too bad the game never actually explained poise! Wait.....people dislike Blight town?!

[@-.Kaitty.-]

I haven't watched the video yet, but I can't defend this boss at all. It's my second least favorite in the game next to the Bed of Chaos.

[@austin0_bandit05]

I can list a hundred and one reasons why it DOES work but that doesnt tip the scale. But I agree with what you say about using the level geometry to your advantage and learning to juggle multiple enemies. I think the boss could have been better by making the arena like 25% larger and only having one but beefier dog. It would have applied the same pressure, encouraged the same behavior, and been more manageable

[@alejandrovaldez9848]

I personally never had a problem with the boss, I think a huge problem with people complaining about this boss is that they often use heavy weapons instead of lighter weapons. People often use something like a claymore, zweinhander, or black knight sword which does massive damage but has a long wind up animation, which will make them vulnerable to consistent hits a lot of the time. But if you had something like a leveled up broadsword, or a weapon imbued with fire you can easily kill the dogs in one hit. And if you can get passed that, the Capra Demon itself is weak to fire which makes it a cake walk.

[@-.-Infinity-.-]

I unironically like blighttown ngl it's pretty fun for exploration once you stock up on both the purple mosses The Capra demon on the other hand, I don't completely agree with the "it teaches you how do navigate tight spaces for the depths" part. Because the scenario of the depths is really different from that of the capra boss room. What I mean by that is the depths doesn't really have fast aggressive enemies, quite the opposite might I add. The depths are slow ant methodical filled enemies which have long attack animation which sorta bypass your shield (like the rat poison, the basilisks with curse). And the Capra demon room is just full on aggression with no room to take a breather until you kill the dogs. If anything Capra helps you with blight town's beginning more than anything because there's slightly more faster enemies and dogs alongwith the tight spaces more akin to the room of the capra demon. Also this just might be a personal issue but the camera was my biggest enemy in the fight and the entire "returning to the boss room" I genuinely believe is a problem with almost every dark souls boss up until my play through (I am at Smough and Ornstein which has been the worst offender of all this) Anyway, great vid overall.

[@Neftosklad]

He chill, killed him on last estus