![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
Been dicking around in SL 120 dueling. I've gotta say, it's fun as hell. I finished my first playthrough a few months ago, but used all my embers too fast and was too lazy to throw down my summon sign every time I wanted to be tanky again. I started a new character recently and have been ZOOMING through the game, only on a 2nd playthrough. The 1st playthrough really lets you experience all of the death tolls, losses, surprise, and sacrifice you have to make just to barely get by, so playing my 2nd playthrough so soon after finishing the first is a huge contrast. The game is still interestingly difficult, mind you, but now I don't waste as many resources.
Compared to Dark Souls II where Human Effigies were everywhere and Rings of Sacrifice could be repaired, being Hollow was not a thing... at all. Dark Souls III, however, reeeaaally makes you play carefully, or else.
I started both characters the same way: Pyromancer, get a cheese-kill on The Master with the katana next to Firelink. That weapon goes a long way. For reference, I pumped about 20-ish Vigor, 27 Vitality, 20 dex, 20 Endurance, and 24 Strength before I switched away from that katana. I did this all just before I fought Pontiff Sulyvahn. 24 Strength and 20 dex are the requirements to use the Exile Greatsword, which is a fantastic weapon all around. Kind of slow, but its Skill is fast, and striking the ground causes an AOE stagger shockwave (with no damage) that really comes in handy when you can't quite get close enough. Now I've just beat Aldrich. It's all going quite quickly and I've decided just to grind up to 120 for duels. I should probably finish the story with this character so that I can actually use some of the better weapons in the game, but I'm still having fun. I manage to get pretty decent kills with sub-optimal weapons/builds just so those mechanics actually see use.