Dark Souls Remastered – Part 14: Chaos Witch Quelaag + Ceaseless Discharge (Eiwww)

I’ve been reflecting a little on how this project got started, way back in March when I had the grand idea to attempt playing to a schedule and see how it fit for me, someone who typically viewed people able to set and follow-through on such scheduling antics as only a couple steps away from alien.

I of course couched the whole thing as being an experiment. Something I could stop any time I wanted. That kind of thing. I know this is the best way to trick myself into doing things, you see. ;)

Not that I’ve tired of doing it — but I have to be honest and say the ‘schedule’ part of it is… if not completely out the window, it’s at least teetering precariously on the edge. The part I’m writing about now, I did play, record and upload earlier. But it was a Wednesday. And I’m just writing this now, the following Monday. With the previous post having gone up two weeks ago!

So yes. Teetering on the edge, at best. The most accurate thing I can say about the ‘schedule’ part of things is that it’s ‘roughly once a week, give or take a week’.

But I think I’m OK with that. :)

So here we go!

This is the third part in a row to start in Blighttown. But it should be the last, as after a brief period of shaking off the rust built up in the two or so weeks since playing the previous part with a quick romp through the swamp, killing a couple of the boulder-wielding big guys and more of those blastedly annoying to hit poison-blood mosquitos.

Then, it’s into the witch’s den. Chaos Witch Quelaag, specifically.

I note I still have my humanity, by power of the fact I can see summoning sigils on the ground. Why not? I take both — one an NPC and one another player, a sorcerer as it turns out.

Between the three of us, the boss isn’t much of a problem! But from the damage I take early on by misjudging attacks I can tell that would’ve been quite a different story had her attention not been split away from me for much of the remainder of the battle!

Even so, I take the victory and move onward, discovering the second bell of awakening! The grand quest for the game so far has been achieved, and a giant iron golem pulls open the gates to the fortress standing closed since the beginning of the game.

Before heading off there though, there is still more ‘down’ to explore right here. Also a secret passage to… someone or something remarkably like the boss, but less on fire… And not immediately out to kill me. Oooh, also it let me upgrade my Estus flask with the Firekeeper soul I had. Something I haven’t been able to do with the soul found earlier in Blighttown, because… well… The firekeeper I knew of, back at Firelink, is dead now.

Even so, I don’t think I’m quite up for joining her covenant.

Taking my leave, I continue down into.. Um, the Demon Ruins. This doesn’t sound like a particularly fun place.

I’m pretty sure this is an optional area. But it’s open now and I’m here anyway, so I take a little look around. To my horror though, there are a couple of these egg encrusted hollows moving. And unlike the previous one capable of moving, these don’t look inclined to talk.

So… I fight back.

And very quickly learn why the messages earlier warned me off attacking these things. Because the eggs when prodded produce some demon-spawn worms that, I’m telling you, cannot be killed. *cough* They have my way with me before I can kill them all, at least, and find myself back at the bonfire I thankfully found at the beginning of the area.

Undeterred — although now lacking humanity again — I proceed past the moving egg-encrusted horrors, and just ignore them. They’re slow. Probably what I should’ve done the first time although honestly… I was a little curious what would come out of those eggs.

Reaching the very bottom of the path though reveals that I can go no further. Lava as far as the eyes can see. But spinning the camera around to head back up, I spy another potential path.

One that leads to a fog gate.

Knowing (or at least being pretty certain) I’m in an optional area, I also know (or am at least pretty certain) I’m going to regret going through that gate.

But by the same logical prowess that got me here in the first place (it’s here, I may as well) I head over and poke my head through.

Of course, there’s a giant demon here.

Interestingly though, it doesn’t immediately attack me. I’m free to explore the area, but the spot quickly takes on a bit of a Hotel California vibe when I realise that despite the fact the demon might not be attacking me, I can’t leave. The fog gate is closed behind me.

I even start to wonder if the encounter is bugged, but coming to the end of this space, a message lets me know that to pick up the loot ahead would make a ‘monster imminent’. Pfft.

I didn’t get this far by making good decisions, so I take the loot, and sure enough.. The demon — named, I might add ‘Ceaseless Discharge’ — decides he no longer approves of my presence.

To say a ‘fight’ commenced might be overstating what actually happened. I was rather quickly slammed into the ground barely taking any HP off the… the… Ceaseless Discharge.

But I’m tempted to call shenanigans here a little. The hitbox of the tentacles? arms? things slamming down on you seems absolutely ginormous. But actually hitting them with your weapon requires a visible connection. Rude. I gave it another shot or two — both equally met with a rapid demise on my part — and then wrapped up this segment as 30 mins was essentially up.

… I think next time, I might instead head over to the Fortress that ringing the second bell of awakening opened… ;)