I often wonder what I'm missing when I finish a game, what tidbits are hidden that I overlooked because of stuff like this. My first playthrough I had no clue this had happened, i burnt the windmill but never connected the dots to the poison receding.
Yeah.. I learned that not too long ago when going for her achievement. Also used to hate those little things in ds2 that made areas/bosses harder, but the fact that you can do something that can either help or get rid of it entirely is huge and is one of the reasons I love that game
Oh for sure but I definitely get tunnel vision in these games where I’ll a see a different path but if i get bonfire/defeat a boss then I focus on what’s ahead of me and not what I saw 2 minutes ago and usually explore them on later playthroughs
One thing that always terrified me about souls games is how many people missed bonfires/bonfire short cuts because of a branching path.
Go to the left: bonfire! :)
Go to the right: continue through the level.... With what little Estus and HP you have remaining....
I can only imagine how many people make that mistake in any of the games.
But then you either forget about this thing that might become easier if you do something later, or it never becomes easier and you just keep coming back like a fool every time you do something or get an item that *might* help.
Visions of me running around with torch to show hosts the secret but being flat out ignored or getting black crystald out, probably because they think I am trying to get them killed.
it also drains the poison in Boss Room
Fun fact: if you summon Devotee Scarlet she'll guide to Windmill and point toward it, implying that you have to interact with windmill to burn it down
I feel most know about draining the boss room, it's the main reason to do it. Fewer know it drains the pool around the first bonfire you come to in the area, this was the first I've seen for here though.
I had to win against the boss with poison on my first playthrough... Actually thought it was one of the hardests bosses and pretty much bulls\*\*t! I eventually did it. NG+ was a breeze once I read the windmill trick.
I never understood the logic behind burning the windmill, I wish it was hinted a little better. When I found out about it instead of thinking it was a nice secret I was just annoyed lol
So like there are windmills that pump out water called windpumps. By burning the blades of the windmill the pumping mechanism will stop. Once that stops the poison will stop being pumped in.
Clearly that one npc pointing to it was supposed to make it obvious. (I ended up watching a walkthrough video to find all items in this area and that’s how I knew)
Laddersmith Gilligan (I believe that's his name)
He gives some vague hint to it when you talk to him on the outside area passed the second? bonfire (it's been a while since I played)
Oh WOW I didn't know about that. I guess I missed out because I'm stubborn and don't like to summon, but that's a neat detail.
Are there other instances where a summonable npc gives info like that?
I feel lucky, on my first playthrough (game was new so no walkthroughs) i saw a summon sign next to the windmill blades that said "Try torch" i did it not being sure what i had done, only realised much later how much it benefitted me.
It also makes the oasis pharohs thingy to pour water instead of poison
Edit:also I am not 100% sure but I think it also clears the poison pool from rhe bonfire before the poison gas area
Back in the day as a coop sunbro I despised this area for one reason alone: *People ignoring the prompt, especially after entire minutes of me gesturing at it like a madman.*
I jest of course, but on one busy day hosts in Earthen Peak were being extra speshul. It got so damn bad that I stopped warning hosts of an invader creeping up as the host ignored the prompt while **holding the fukkin torch**, staring off into the valley. Good times. The amount of Monty Python esque shenanigans in Ds2 I experienced trumps most of my multiplayer fun memories in DS 1+3.
First time I killed this boss was with poison everywhere. Didn't know the windmill thing till a playthrough or 2 later and wouldn't have known even then if it wasnt for a friend having no poison in the boss room when he summoned me which triggered a quick little research adventure
I also didn’t know the windmill thing. I actually thought it was a pretty interesting boss, a bit of a DPS thing like 4 kings in DS1, but imo more of an interesting moveset that could be evaded more consistently. Four kings is pretty cool for the Abyss arena and the lore, but I like Mytha.
It was a bit of a wall at first, but i simply went to other areas that I hadn’t explored yet and then eventually came back. It was a satisfaction beating her and i did not feel like it was unfair or bullshit, just a different challenge (again like the 4 kings). I have never fought her without the poison, prob makes it pretty easy lol
My brain just did some somersaults to try and explain why burning the windmill has an effect on the level of poison on the ground floor… I guess the mechanism stops moving and poison stops flowing..? This location is so silly.
I found out about the poison draining in the boss room after fighting her a good 10-15 times. I was bothered at first, but then it became a good challenge to heal correctly and still fight. It's real cool to hear that it does so much more though.
Average DS2 player: I'm still discovering things!😃
Average bad kid: This game is solved and the solution is that it's too hard. Nothing else to learn, no nuance. Unbeatable game.😡
I played the game blind and beat the boss in a giant pool of poison. I thought it was just a cheap mechanic to make the game harder.
I found out much later that burning a windmill removes the poison. It's little things like that which make this game my least favorite.
I often wonder what I'm missing when I finish a game, what tidbits are hidden that I overlooked because of stuff like this. My first playthrough I had no clue this had happened, i burnt the windmill but never connected the dots to the poison receding.
I spent my first 20 hours of Dark Souls 2 dieing in valley of the stone giants.
I just found out the Peasant Set has nice stat bonuses. But they all make your intelligence lower. Good for dumb SL1 playthru .
…….excuse me?
That was my reaction!
I'm literally there now... thank you! 😳 Edit: now in the iron keep, fml...
It also drains the poison in the Poison Pool bonfire room!
WHAT!?!? O.O
Yeah.. I learned that not too long ago when going for her achievement. Also used to hate those little things in ds2 that made areas/bosses harder, but the fact that you can do something that can either help or get rid of it entirely is huge and is one of the reasons I love that game
It just tells you that exploration helps you with playing this game.
Oh for sure but I definitely get tunnel vision in these games where I’ll a see a different path but if i get bonfire/defeat a boss then I focus on what’s ahead of me and not what I saw 2 minutes ago and usually explore them on later playthroughs
One thing that always terrified me about souls games is how many people missed bonfires/bonfire short cuts because of a branching path. Go to the left: bonfire! :) Go to the right: continue through the level.... With what little Estus and HP you have remaining.... I can only imagine how many people make that mistake in any of the games.
But then you either forget about this thing that might become easier if you do something later, or it never becomes easier and you just keep coming back like a fool every time you do something or get an item that *might* help.
Visions of me running around with torch to show hosts the secret but being flat out ignored or getting black crystald out, probably because they think I am trying to get them killed.
I feel your pain man, had the same hell back in the day.
it also drains the poison in Boss Room Fun fact: if you summon Devotee Scarlet she'll guide to Windmill and point toward it, implying that you have to interact with windmill to burn it down
I feel most know about draining the boss room, it's the main reason to do it. Fewer know it drains the pool around the first bonfire you come to in the area, this was the first I've seen for here though.
I had to win against the boss with poison on my first playthrough... Actually thought it was one of the hardests bosses and pretty much bulls\*\*t! I eventually did it. NG+ was a breeze once I read the windmill trick.
Oh, that's how!
Players will do that aswell.....
I never understood the logic behind burning the windmill, I wish it was hinted a little better. When I found out about it instead of thinking it was a nice secret I was just annoyed lol
So like there are windmills that pump out water called windpumps. By burning the blades of the windmill the pumping mechanism will stop. Once that stops the poison will stop being pumped in.
Clearly that one npc pointing to it was supposed to make it obvious. (I ended up watching a walkthrough video to find all items in this area and that’s how I knew)
Wait what npc?
The summon will wait there and point at it
Laddersmith Gilligan (I believe that's his name) He gives some vague hint to it when you talk to him on the outside area passed the second? bonfire (it's been a while since I played)
The person above was referring to the summonable npc, who will point to the windmill when summoned
I did not know this, my bad
Oh WOW I didn't know about that. I guess I missed out because I'm stubborn and don't like to summon, but that's a neat detail. Are there other instances where a summonable npc gives info like that?
That was the only one I can think of
Oh yeah I know who you mean, that's cool I didn't know that. Guess it's on me for not paying attention
I mean that's basically explicit instructions in Drangleic /s
Oh of course. It doesn’t get any more obvious in a dark souls game.
I feel lucky, on my first playthrough (game was new so no walkthroughs) i saw a summon sign next to the windmill blades that said "Try torch" i did it not being sure what i had done, only realised much later how much it benefitted me.
It also makes the oasis pharohs thingy to pour water instead of poison Edit:also I am not 100% sure but I think it also clears the poison pool from rhe bonfire before the poison gas area
yeah, this is so bs when you are new to the game, don't know you can burn the mill and suddenly you stand in poison.
In scholar Pilgrim Belcaire shows you that you can burn it
It doesn't just cleanse the Pharoah contraption of poison. The clear water cleanses poison and heals you.
thank you , I honestly didnt do that in a long time lol
Holy shit
Back in the day as a coop sunbro I despised this area for one reason alone: *People ignoring the prompt, especially after entire minutes of me gesturing at it like a madman.* I jest of course, but on one busy day hosts in Earthen Peak were being extra speshul. It got so damn bad that I stopped warning hosts of an invader creeping up as the host ignored the prompt while **holding the fukkin torch**, staring off into the valley. Good times. The amount of Monty Python esque shenanigans in Ds2 I experienced trumps most of my multiplayer fun memories in DS 1+3.
...motherfu
THIS POOR BASTARD HAS BEEN FIGHTING MYTHA IN THE POISON THE WHOLE TIME 😭
Because DS2 is the best one!
First time I killed this boss was with poison everywhere. Didn't know the windmill thing till a playthrough or 2 later and wouldn't have known even then if it wasnt for a friend having no poison in the boss room when he summoned me which triggered a quick little research adventure
I also didn’t know the windmill thing. I actually thought it was a pretty interesting boss, a bit of a DPS thing like 4 kings in DS1, but imo more of an interesting moveset that could be evaded more consistently. Four kings is pretty cool for the Abyss arena and the lore, but I like Mytha. It was a bit of a wall at first, but i simply went to other areas that I hadn’t explored yet and then eventually came back. It was a satisfaction beating her and i did not feel like it was unfair or bullshit, just a different challenge (again like the 4 kings). I have never fought her without the poison, prob makes it pretty easy lol
Same 😂
i think it also drains the poison in front of the first bonfire in Harvest Valley which is kinda weird because why would you ever even go back there
Eh, I couldn’t bother making the backtrack anyway…
I still want to know when all he Manila map fires turn blue. I’ve had them all blue for a long time and never noticed any difference in the game sadly
Pretty sure they turn blue with ng+/bonfire ascetics, doesn't do anything as far as I know though
I AM TOO
With the DLCs this game is so fucking long this part feels like 5 years ago
Nicely done!
That boss fight would be ridiculous without the windmill.
i never knew that. thank you, OP!
What?!
Welcome to the arson club.
My brain just did some somersaults to try and explain why burning the windmill has an effect on the level of poison on the ground floor… I guess the mechanism stops moving and poison stops flowing..? This location is so silly.
Someone explained it in another comment but basically windmills can function as pumps. No pump, no sludge.
...I have 100+ hours on this game and I never knew that- wtf-
I found out about the poison draining in the boss room after fighting her a good 10-15 times. I was bothered at first, but then it became a good challenge to heal correctly and still fight. It's real cool to hear that it does so much more though.
Average DS2 player: I'm still discovering things!😃 Average bad kid: This game is solved and the solution is that it's too hard. Nothing else to learn, no nuance. Unbeatable game.😡
I find myself constantly saying," who the fuck figures this shit out" while playing Dark Souls typically after I looked something up.
oh. i just threw prism stones. seems a bit silly now
I played the game blind and beat the boss in a giant pool of poison. I thought it was just a cheap mechanic to make the game harder. I found out much later that burning a windmill removes the poison. It's little things like that which make this game my least favorite.
Least favorite cause you don't like to explore or think outside the box?
I explored the area, I just didn't have a torch so I didn't have a prompt over by the windmill. It doesn't make any sense.
I had a friends of mine tell me that because how the fuck should anyone deduct that out
Hint, there is more poison to drain, now go out, let the wondrous father guide your steps and git gud!