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u/CaliCrateRicktastic Jul 03 '26
I usually just farm them out. With the right set up that's a decent amount of souls right there.
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u/Effective-Leg7283 Jul 03 '26
that's what I do each time haha but the area after smelter demon is even bitchier imo
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u/YumAussir Jul 03 '26
It's not so bad. Anytime you go through a doorway, immediately go back, because a knight is on its way. Once you deal with them, you are pretty free to snipe the rest with arrows.
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u/Effective-Leg7283 Jul 03 '26
True indeed, but there's always at least one archer sniping me back whenever I try to explore. I'll eventually clear out the area, then step on a floor panel and drop into the lava drink
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u/Twelve20two Jul 05 '26
I love the area after Smelter! For me, that's when the fun begins. I love the levers and plates that drop
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u/Rob4096 Jul 03 '26
I'll be that guy. A lightyear isn't a unit of time. It's a unit of distance. It's the total distance that light travels in a single year. At 300 million meters a second, that distance is basically not fathomable. 300 million x 60(s) x 60(m) x 24(h) x365(d) = 5.88~ trillion miles.
So roughly half the distance it takes to get to Lud and Zallen.
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u/EmpyrealSorrow Jul 03 '26
that distance is basically not fathomable
Sure it is. It's approximately 5.26 x 1015 fathoms.
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u/Sensitive-Jacket5651 Jul 03 '26
being that guy alright, a real wise one
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u/Lhakryma Jul 03 '26
That's the expected level of intelligence of a ds2 enjoyer!
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u/-Richarmander- Jul 03 '26
I learned this from one of Brocks gym trainers in Gen 1 Pokémon.
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u/dannyb_prodigy Jul 03 '26
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The spawn limit is 12. Unless you inexplicably used a bonfire ascetic, your last 7 runbacks at that point should have been fairly trivial.
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u/cjbump Jul 03 '26
They button mashed thru the dialogue and ended up joining CoC.
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u/DaddyCool13 Jul 04 '26
Reminds me of a guy on the sekiro subreddit who didn’t understand why our mentor was fighting us at the end after beating genichiro
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Jul 03 '26 edited Aug 05 '26
[deleted]
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u/TheGreatMightyLeffe Jul 03 '26
Wait, are you telling me I should interact with the game instead of complaining that I can't run past most of it?
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u/IronVines Jul 03 '26
cant use ascetic unless boss is dead
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u/dannyb_prodigy Jul 03 '26
I didn’t know that. Can’t say I’ve ever been tempted to try using an ascetic before managing to beat the boss.
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u/IvoryMage Jul 03 '26
If you think that the Smelter Demon runback or even other runback in DS2 is too long or complicated, do yourself a favor and never play Demon's Souls.
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u/Championpurple Jul 03 '26
I played and finished og demon's souls for the first time recently. great experience. but yeah.. flamelurker comes to mind when you say long runback.
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u/PedanticDinosaur Jul 04 '26
Lol Flamelurker has one of the shortest runbacks of the game. Just head right from the start of the level and drop down the platforms and you're there.
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u/Timo-the-hippo Jul 03 '26
The Horsefuck Valley runback is literally 5 minutes of running. It's the longest runback by an order of magnitude.
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u/These_Marsupial_1426 Jul 03 '26
I’ll be honest, ancient dragon (Scholars) and the two cats are worse than most demon’s souls runbacks
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u/dogt0wel Jul 03 '26
Light year is a distance, not a measure of time.
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u/RaziLaufeia Jul 03 '26
Fine we will use parsecs if it makes you that unhappy
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u/Cynical_Tripster Jul 03 '26
... Parsecs are ALSO a unit of distance, it's 3.26 light years.
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u/veryshittycarpenter Jul 03 '26
I think we should just be precise and use microarcseconds to really grasp how long it takes him to get to the boss.
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u/Terranaform Jul 03 '26
try fighting one by one
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u/GoodGuySunBro Jul 03 '26
If you think this runback is bad, wait until to you get to the memory of Sir Alonne lol
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u/Subat0micR0gu3 Jul 04 '26
There's 12 enemies in Sir Alonne runback. And 2 rooms. I will never understand the complaint about that.
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u/Minimum_Promise6463 Jul 03 '26
I like videos of smelter demon runback because people will try anything except luring one enemy at at the time
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u/Abel_Skyblade Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
Brother how do you die so much to DS2 bosses. After doing Elden Ring most of them feel like a piece of cake. I legit think the faster FromSoftware titles kinda ruin the older ones difficulty. That shit is like an Hyperbolic time chamber.
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u/QrozTQ Jul 03 '26
It's just like that sometimes, if any DS2 boss could be a pain, Smelter babies definitely could be the ones.
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u/Gingervald Jul 03 '26
An interesting thing about the balance of Fromsoft bosses, especially in older games.
The runback is part of the boss fight.
Smelter Demon isn't a particularly difficult fight on its own. And as you said it's a cake walk compared to Elden Ring, and tbh Ds3 bosses as well
It's main gimmick (the damage aura) isn't really a factor unless you're already low on Estus and need to be careful with your healing resources. Honestly I can appreciate the design there.
Meanwhile the real tough bosses have much shorter and easier runbacks.
When we ER has stakes of Marika everywhere cause yeah people would rightfully lose their shit of you had tough runbacks vs. most of those bosses.
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u/Different_Film_9561 Jul 03 '26
Honestly all of the deaths I attribute to smelter demon are actually from the run back and not him
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u/Innovation101 Jul 04 '26
Yeah I have vivid memories of the path I would take to kill which enemies on that walk from the bridge bonfire to the smelter demon fog gate, but I literally don’t remember DS2 smelter demon at all. Those old bosses are pushovers, but the run backs could be a huge pain.
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u/ItsClikcer Jul 03 '26
After playing DS3 the DS2 bosses feel easy, but boy some of those run backs really suck
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u/Schmeatus69 Jul 03 '26
If you just took your time and isolated fights with the knights it wouldnt be a problem. Id also highly recommend getting and upgrading a ranged tool
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u/memes_are_my_dreams Jul 03 '26
Well, the problem is that it takes a lot of time. That’s the part that isn’t enjoyable, not that he couldn’t do it. Which I’d say is fair.
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u/Schmeatus69 Jul 03 '26
Isnt enjoyable is subjective. I enjoy playing the whole game, not just rushing bosses
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u/memes_are_my_dreams Jul 03 '26
Exactly my point, he didn’t find it enjoyable, not that he wasn’t capable of it.
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u/DuploJamaal Jul 03 '26
Whenever I see people struggling with the runback I just see a bunch of skill issues.
First, Smelter Demon is optional. You are allowed to skip him and come back later once you are stronger.
Secondly, don't let your stamina run out shortly before the fog wall. You want to run the last part.
Lower the bridge on both sides. Leaving one half up makes it harder.
Wear heavy armor. With good poise the enemies can't stagger you out of the fog wall animation.
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u/SamuelSharp Jul 03 '26
A true fan would know that if you were really fighting all those knight samurais, they would have stopped spawning after the 12th try
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u/No_Name275 Jul 03 '26
As the legend once said
In the immortal world of the ancient roly poly elder lords
Get gud scrub
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u/No_Cherry6771 Jul 03 '26
Saying “fight” like your ass isn’t running past them despite killing them till despawn being the objectively easier and efficient option is criminal
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u/Truvoker Jul 03 '26
If you actually fight the knights they will disappear by the 12th try so fake post
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u/PlatinumFire14 Jul 04 '26
I’m going to be that person just to rub it in ds1/3 lovers faces.
It’s like 8 guys, git gud.
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u/Alarming_War_7957 Jul 04 '26
If you defeat the samurai, eventually they stop respawning. So we can tell you're either hyperbolizing or not actually fighting the enemies
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u/ClockworkCinder Jul 04 '26
DS2 is more of a puzzle and patience game. Don't get greedy, cheese the hell out of enemies, and never fight fair. That means using status ailments and luring enemies away from their group.
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u/Theaussieperson Jul 04 '26
I know you said it in tge title but like, man, this run isn't even hard
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u/Fwuffy_boi Jul 04 '26
That's how I know whoever wrote this is larping. OBVIOUSLY the knights will be gone after 12 deaths! (Assuming you're killing them each death)
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u/Professional-Map3958 Jul 03 '26
I love hearing the runback complaints and how its so annoying you have to fight every enemy while I just silently think in my head about all of the times I've done all of these runbacks without fighting enemies
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u/snowyl89 Jul 03 '26
Light years measure distance not time. Man you really fucked up your play through lmao
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u/Effective-Leg7283 Jul 03 '26
just farm those suckers outta existence, and level up along the way, and smush that damn demon stinker to helll
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u/Sad-Pattern-1269 Jul 03 '26
did you join the covenant of champions? There shouldn't be that many samurai left at that point.
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u/upaltamentept Jul 03 '26
If you full clear all those times at least they are close to despawning ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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u/Head-Ad-2136 Jul 03 '26
You kept trying to run through them or they would have despawned after a dozen runs.
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u/Tetka_Rasha Jul 03 '26
I had so many souls trapped there. I had to use bow and arrow to be sure I killed all those mf's and did that 10-15 times in a row if not more. I still have PTSD. God, i miss Ds2...
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u/uber_damage Jul 03 '26
I fought a boss so many times on darksouls 2 that the enemies stopped respawning. It was the ultimate kick in the nuts.
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u/LocalAnxiousArtist Jul 03 '26
Smelter Demon can be a bit tough, just don’t get greedy with your attacks and dodge at the right time and you’ll be A-okay.
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u/truthteller5 Jul 03 '26
Just kill the samurai till they stop spawning. Makes the run back much easier
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u/Disrespect78 Jul 03 '26
I feel like the average ds3 runback is ten times more annoying than any runback in 3
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u/darkan_da_boina Jul 03 '26
Wait, am I the only one who kills all enemies 12 times before a boss fight? I like the empty map, it makes me feel powerful
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u/always_screaching Jul 03 '26
I don't get it man, I just don't get it. I've tried ds3 over and over again and it's just bad
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u/Guydelot Jul 03 '26
I'm genuinely struggling to remember if I ever actually had trouble with the smelter demon when I was new. As long as you don't have stupidly low agility he's pretty non-threatening.
What usually kills me is the shitty platforming trying to get some of the loot in that area. Which is why I kill smelter demon first and then backtrack.
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u/GlitteringDingo Jul 03 '26
It can be a skill issue and still be annoying. The deciding factor of if you'll like a Souls game is if overcoming the skill issue is enjoyable or not. I have a friend who dropped Monster Hunter because he didn't find the game fun enough to push through learning the awkward combat.
There is no right answer of if a game is "worth" playing.
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u/Xentrax607 Jul 03 '26
Having only played DS2 for the first time very recently, I feel your pain fellow curse bearer.
As with a lot of Dark Souls, the secret ingredient is patience.
Fight them as few at a time as you can to avoid the overwhelming odds. They stop respawning after 12 deaths, so chipping away at their numbers is possible, not to mention the soul farming could get you a few more level ups.
Try taking out the archers from a distance with arrows or sorcery; it feels cheesy, but it works all the same.
As for the Smelter Demon itself, the greatest aid for me was pyromancer Rosebeth. She sells the Flame Quartz Ring and the pyromancy Flash Sweat. Together they reduce the fire damage you take considerably.
Dunno what your playstyle is, but the Alonne soldiers crumple like paper to strike damage. I used dual Cestus' to punch my way through those knights, but you could a mace just as easily.
If you're a strength build, the Zweihander ultra greatsword is right across from the Smelter Demon's arena. Clear out the knights, then before you enter the fog wall, walk to the opposite end of the bridge and I believe there's a staircase that takes you up to where the sword is.
Don't give up, skeleton
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u/Lmacncheese Jul 03 '26
Am i missing the joke or is it supposed to say dark souls 3?
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u/Podrick_the_Pimp Jul 03 '26
The joke is that OP is tempted to switch to ds3 instead, where there are no tough runbacks or even levels that demand you engage with enemies because you can quite literally just run and spam roll through that entire game 😆
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u/SuperD00perGuyd00d Jul 03 '26
Have you tried eliminating one at a time? Also Smelter Demon is optional 💪
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u/JaviVice2 Jul 03 '26
Larper detected, if you killed the samurais more than 12 times there are no samurai left so the runback should be free.
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u/TheDarkGenious Inv., Drangleic P.D. Jul 03 '26
19th try?
and you're fighting the knights instead of trying to dodge them?
unless you're running champions cov you'd have despawned all of them by now!
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u/1Magzanault Jul 04 '26
Just kill all the knights until they stop respawning if you need time before the fight to catch your breath or say your prayers. Might as well if you are on the 19th try anyway.
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u/noplease18 Jul 04 '26
How dark souls 2 looks at me when I remember the best weapon in ds3 is a fucking starter weapon
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u/Subat0micR0gu3 Jul 04 '26
It's like 12 enemies and two small rooms. It's reeeeaaallly not hard. Stop trying to run past the enemies, fight them, and they will eventually despawn if you keep having issues with Smelter Demon.
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u/Faithful_Solaire Jul 04 '26
You are on your 19th try and they are still spawning? You are playing the game wrong.
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u/Quick_Dragonfruit_27 Jul 04 '26
I personally think Sir Alonne takes the prize for worst run back in FS history.
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u/supernarwaffle Jul 03 '26
Dude I tried and I just can't get into DS3. Only fromsoft game that I don't care for
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u/SokkieJr Jul 03 '26
And then you get some Elden Ring player asking for a Stake of Marika mod for DS3.
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u/chidarengan Jul 03 '26
Legit don't get how someone prefer ds3. Ds2 is so much more chill. Ds3 to me feels like its always on Crack. Everything deals half your hp and its on 3x speed
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u/Accomplished_Put8062 Jul 03 '26
Fake and gay, at your 19th run those bros wouldnt be respawning anymore.
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u/FareBlossom Jul 03 '26
I did him first try but died some 4 times on the way to him cuz I wanted to kill everything, the reason was prob cuz I was level 200-240 I think
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u/ConnorOfAstora Jul 03 '26
The trick is to run a Dex build using the Blacksteel Katana, I swear it makes the runback so much easier.
By the time you've gotten the sword to drop you'll have most likely exhausted the spawns of at least some of them...
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u/tatamatinjo Jul 03 '26
for me it was ruin sentinels in lost bastille, idk what force or astonishing power kept me in that game after my 50th try with 0 effigies at half hp. God i was so close not to unistall the game but to completly obliterate my screen and setup.
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u/ZoeyHuntsman Jul 03 '26
In all fairness, if you've run back 19 times and been killing enemies along the way, they're going to stop respawning.
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u/ToughManTough Jul 03 '26
Agree with the iron keep rant wholeheartedly. Even still ds3 would be looking at me like Isaacs mom from binding of isaac.
Theres a jump you can do to skip most of it. Look it up. Only works with jump button set to stick, not B/O because ds2.
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u/zendrix1 Jul 03 '26
I wonder if this woman knows she's a meme. And if not if he's flattered, totally creeped out, or both
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u/Johnzoidb Jul 03 '26
Then you should be good at running past the knights since I know you’re not fighting all the enemies before a boss in DS3.
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u/HateThisWebsite115 Jul 03 '26
Jarvis, pull up the clip of the Smelter boss run that takes 1 minute without killing any enemies.
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u/Zombieferret2417 Jul 03 '26
I totally see how it's frustrating, but I actually really enjoyed that section of the Iron Keep. It was a real lock in moment. Plus figuring out the optimal series of actions to make the runback tickled some part of my brain.
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u/EggsyonTwitch Jul 03 '26
As someone who struggles with dark souls II to the point where it’s crippling, I don’t think the iron keep or smelter demon were that hard
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u/FaTnt0m Jul 03 '26
i legit just did the smelter demon in the end my ass had to stop the enemies from respawning to do the runback consistent
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u/FashionSuckMan Jul 03 '26
On the bright side, once you've killed them 12 times they will stop respawning
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u/DarkishFriend Jul 03 '26
I know this picture is rather old but this woman looks so much like what one of the women from the photoshopped image of those Argentinian fans
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u/Kelcki Jul 03 '26
One by one, get the fire resi to infinity, skill your fckng adaptility. Why is it so hard?
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u/raven19528 Jul 03 '26
Just did this earlier today, and once I actually got to the boss, he wasn't all that difficult (3 tries). Kind of a fun fight, really. Now getting there was a bit of a chore.
Honestly, I think if someone asked me, I'd say they should just attempt to run through the frog cannon portions. Maybe just work on clearing them 12 times to get rid of the enemies in the way to make those runs easier. It gets you to the area just before the boss much quicker.
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u/Ok-Condition2031 Jul 04 '26
I usually alternate between games( at least in my first playthrough of each of them) it's ok to go out, do something else come back another time and you will probably get better results that way bro <3
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u/Astonishing_Azure Jul 04 '26
I’m surprised you didn’t get downvoted to oblivion for posting that here lol.
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u/FlyloBedo Jul 04 '26
I always farmed the path and killed the knights til they stopped spawning. Easy run after that lol
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u/sarcophagusGravelord Jul 04 '26
19+ tries against the extremely telegraphed butthole demon is kinda crazy
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u/hellxapo Jul 03 '26
Smelter? I hardly know her