Effects include frostbite (slows movement), toxicity (gradual HP loss until it clears), bleeding (large, sudden HP loss), and curse (instant death). In addition to physical damage, some enemies will apply status effects - an icon and a meter will appear in the centre of your HUD, and when the meter fills you'll be hit by the effect, so they're often an indication to back away from combat for a moment to let them drop. Heavy enemies can still have a quick attack or two, and skinny ones can still pack a huge punch, but their general attack style and behaviour will be governed by their body shapes. Keep an eye on your Equip Load stat when you try out new gear: at 70%, your ability to roll will be reduced, and when it hits 100% you'll be almost unable to move.Д®nemy types: Enemies come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, but broadly speaking skinny or spindly-limbed enemies rely on speed, and more muscular enemies will rely on brute strength. They can be reinforced and upgraded at the blacksmith in the hub area by using Titanite and gems that you'll collect along the way, so remember to pay him a visit whenever you're levelling up.ДЄrmour and Mobility: Armour and weapon weight affect your mobility and stamina usage, so a balance needs to be kept between protection from damage and the ability to get out of the way - light armour will keep you nimble but will help less if you get hit, whereas heavy armour will make you less manoeuvrable but provide better protection against damage and make you harder to stagger.

Weapons: Different weapons attack in different ways: light weapons tend to do less damage than heavier ones but require less stamina to use and can attack faster, long bladed weapons are good in open areas against multiple opponents but may be unusable in confined spaces, thrusting weapons can be more effective than slashing against slow enemies, and so on, so keeping more than one on you is generally a good idea. Blocking, evasion, and mastery of the dodge-roll are vital - you may be able to survive a few fights by simply running in and tanking damage while waving a sword about haphazardly, but as a long-term survival strategy, it's unlikely to prove effective. Generally speaking, you're much better taking your time in each fight: waiting for openings in your opponent's defence before striking not only reduces the chance of you taking damage, it also tends to result in your own attacks being more effective.

Odd though it may seem, combat in the Souls games is one of the most realistic depictions of real-life violence you'll ever find: one or two blows can prove fatal, blocking requires effort and you can still be knocked over or injured anyway, fighting with heavy pieces of metal is tiring, and on the whole it's a lot better to just avoid getting hit in the first place if you can. These effects last until you die, and as Embers are a fairly scarce commodity they're best saved for those moments where you're really starting to struggle. Alternatively, you can cheat and take a look at our Dark Souls 3 Bone Shard Location guide and Dark Souls 3 Estus Shard Location guide.Д«y consuming an Ember you're granted an additional 30% HP, can summon spirits to help with some boss fights, and will be able to invade (and be invaded by) other players.

Thankfully, the size of your flask can be increased by finding Estus Shards over the course of your travels, and the power of each dose can be increased by finding Undead Bone Shards (these upgrades can only be performed in the hub area), so leave no stone unturned. Resting at one will refill your Estus Flask, but doing so also respawns all enemies (with the exception of bosses and giants), so backtracking to top your supplies up isn't really an option.

The blacksmith in the hub can change how much of your Estus supply is allocated to each.Д«onfires act as healing and restocking stations, checkpoints, safe havens, and fast travel points, and finding one is generally accompanied by a huge sigh of relief. It's also a single pool for both HP and FP, so choosing between a ready supply of healing or magic power can be a balancing act. Consuming Estus is really the only way in the game to heal or regain FP (mana), and while the supply is effectively infinite, there's a limit to how much you can carry at any one time, and your flask can only be refilled at a bonfire.

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