Dark Dance: Should I Use It?

[Lexford]

I've finally gotten the level requirements to use this hex (R.I.P. Ancient Dragon), and I don't mind the 5,000 soul cost for each cast, especially since I'm currently at the 2nd highest soul memory tier. But what I'm wondering is: is it a good dark alternative to Wrath of the Gods? I'm going exclusively for dark chimes, so I don't think staff-related goodies are an option for now. I plan to sacrifice Great Heal to make more space for this bad boy, but am I better off without Dark Dance? Is good offensively, in PvP, or in PvE?

[Lu2]

DONT WASTE SOULS. soul memory is a thing. if you want compete in pvp use agape ring properly

[Lexford]

Originally posted by Lu2:

DONT WASTE SOULS. soul memory is a thing. if you want compete in pvp use agape ring properly

I'm at the 2nd to last tier, so I don't think soul memory matters anymore. So, since soul memory isn't an issue, how good would you say Dark Dance is?

[Lu2]

Originally posted by Sir Jackenstire:

Originally posted by Lu2:

DONT WASTE SOULS. soul memory is a thing. if you want compete in pvp use agape ring properly

I'm at the 2nd to last tier, so I don't think soul memory matters anymore. So, since soul memory isn't an issue, how good would you say Dark Dance is?

sorry i dint read whole post. doesnt have high SM dark based build to tell you how good it is

[phazingworlds]

Dark Dance is outstanding. Use it to stun your opponent, deal damage, then follow up with Dark Greatsword for massive damage.

[Call Sign: Raven]

Originally posted by Lu2:

DONT WASTE SOULS. soul memory is a thing. if you want compete in pvp use agape ring properly

This is okay. You'll end up in the last tier and be paired with everyone that is obscenely high level, encouraging you to level up further. Good luck.

[Lexford]

Originally posted by phazingworlds:

Dark Dance is outstanding. Use it to stun your opponent, deal damage, then follow up with Dark Greatsword for massive damage.

Seems like a sick combo! ...Though, I don't plan on using staff-based hexes. My weight management is nearing fat-roll territory, so I don't wanna have both a chime and staff. So even without Dark Greatsword, would you say Dark Dance is still great?

[King Robert Baratheon]

I'm doing a hex build right now (it's still in the early stages, I barely got 30 int & faith) but in past hex builds I don't think I ever successfully used that spell. In pve or pvp. It has a very high requirement (only 22 int but 60 faith) and it DOES cost 5K souls every time you use it. I just watched a video of someone using it and it does a moderate AOE and then 5 dark orbs home in on your target. It's probably better to just use Affinity/Pursuers in a combo with another spell. But hey if you can make good use of it pve or pvp that's awesome.

[TrueArchery]

No, it's just bad.

[Lexford]

Originally posted by TrueArchery:

No, it's just bad.

It'd be nice if you could elaborate.

[TrueArchery]

Originally posted by Sir Jackenstire:

Originally posted by TrueArchery:

No, it's just bad.

It'd be nice if you could elaborate.

- costs 5000 souls per cast
- needs 2 slots
- only 3-6 casts
- range that rivals a Broken Straight Sword
- orbs don't track well, if someone rolls through the shockwave they essentially just fly straight off
- shockwave doesn't even seem to true combo into orbs, maybe it's a matter of Poise?
+ high damage if everything lands (hint, that's ultra rare)

Basically it's only going to hit idiots in PvP, its only "reliable" use is i.e. after a parry but then again you should just blast them with Climax (deals way more damage, doesn't need as many stat points/spices, does need even more slots though).
Regarding PvE it is just a highly inefficient spell that you should stay away from. Really the only Hexes that are worth using in PvE are Dark Orb for 99% of the game, Scraps of Life for ganks and Dark Fog for poisoning at the start of boss fights or picking off enemies from far away without triggering aggro. Dark Weapon is good if you're running a buff build, but not as a caster. Dark Hail has a tiny niche use against some bosses like the big doggo in the Doors of Pharros where it shaves off a few seconds, but is fairly neglegible. A stack of Great Resonant Soul may be worth it for boss fights, but you really don't need anything more than Dark Orb.

Thing is in general, when you judge things by their effectiveness and ignore the yolo-factor, a ton of gear and stuff is just a waste, the so-called "variety of Dark Souls 2" is nothing but a meme.

[Lexford]

Originally posted by TrueArchery:

Originally posted by Sir Jackenstire:

It'd be nice if you could elaborate.

- costs 5000 souls per cast
- needs 2 slots
- only 3-6 casts
- range that rivals a Broken Straight Sword
- orbs don't track well, if someone rolls through the shockwave they essentially just fly straight off
- shockwave doesn't even seem to true combo into orbs, maybe it's a matter of Poise?
+ high damage if everything lands (hint, that's ultra rare)

Basically it's only going to hit idiots in PvP, its only "reliable" use is i.e. after a parry but then again you should just blast them with Climax (deals way more damage, doesn't need as many stat points/spices, does need even more slots though).
Regarding PvE it is just a highly inefficient spell that you should stay away from. Really the only Hexes that are worth using in PvE are Dark Orb for 99% of the game, Scraps of Life for ganks and Dark Fog for poisoning at the start of boss fights or picking off enemies from far away without triggering aggro. Dark Weapon is good if you're running a buff build, but not as a caster. Dark Hail has a tiny niche use against some bosses like the big doggo in the Doors of Pharros where it shaves off a few seconds, but is fairly neglegible. A stack of Great Resonant Soul may be worth it for boss fights, but you really don't need anything more than Dark Orb.

Thing is in general, when you judge things by their effectiveness and ignore the yolo-factor, a ton of gear and stuff is just a waste, the so-called "variety of Dark Souls 2" is nothing but a meme.

Does sound like a gimmicky hex, but would saying that a hex with short range make a short ranged miracle like Wrath of the Gods crap? I've seen and heard Wrath of the Gods being used very well, so I don't see why this one should be much worse. I suppose the trade-off is that, because it has more casts than Wrath of the Gods, it needs to have a successful combo to deal more damage (plus, it has the 5,000 souls cost). One thing that does intrigue me with this hex is that it can be a brutal combo if used properly. All hexes deal stamina damage, and with a stone ring, ivory warrior ring, and blue tearstone ring, I could see this hex being quite dangerous (though using 3 rings for one hex could be seen as too demanding).

I hear a lot of mixed opinions about this hex, and it essentially seems to heavily rely on the element of surprise and/or waiting for your opponent to let their guard down (while they're in front of you), which is much too tricky to pull off against focused players. Then again, this type of strategy is what strength-based players like myself need to rely on (other than poising through light attacks), so maybe I might not be too unfamiliar with using it?

Sometimes hearing other peoples' opinions on something isn't as good as trying it out yourself, so I think I'll go test this hex out a bit sometime, and if I like it, I'll stick with it. If I don't, then I'll stick with Scraps of Life. I don't think I'll be trying Climax anytime soon, because taking *ALL* of my souls is a whole different story from taking some of my souls (I still need to save some souls for myself!). Not to mention the slot demand (I need to keep Sacred Oath for my Velstadt cosplay!).

[TrueArchery]

First off, don't take any of the following personal.

People shouldn't have a mixed opinion about a spell that relies on your opponent being a trash-tier player who doesn't even know its animation. Granted, the majority of players isn't very good, but people getting nuked by Dark Dance is something that I've seen just a handful of times.

WoG isn't great either, it can easily be rolled through and punished. However, it has the same animation as Great Heal which makes it a gimmicky mindgame, aswell as the use of Force, though a good player would just stick to your butt and keep the options of a) rolling through Force/WoG and punishing, often even backstabbing you or b) backstabbing your Great Heal(-attempt).

Your idea of using the rings to boost the stamina damage is terrible. What's your intention regarding the Blue Tearstone Ring (an actually good ring, but for entirely different purposes) anyway?

Climax "only" needs 5000 souls for max effectiveness, just like Dark Dance, and there's consumable souls which give you exactly 5000 souls. So that isn't a big deal, especially considering that you've high SM anyway - people dying to it drop enough souls for another use -
and it's completely irrelevant for the arena aswell. You don't get souls for kills in the arena, but you can consume the mentioned souls. It's also exceptionally easier to land than a full Dark Dance and can make use of other gimmicky strategies like poison + Poison Moss punish.

Your Velstadt cosplay is already pretty ruined if you use spells (his dark orb casting is simply the Sacred Chime Hammer's 2h strong attack). Sacred Oath for itself sucks anyway, way too demanding for the effects it gives.

[Lexford]

Originally posted by TrueArchery:

First off, don't take any of the following personal.

People shouldn't have a mixed opinion about a spell that relies on your opponent being a trash-tier player who doesn't even know its animation. Granted, the majority of players isn't very good, but people getting nuked by Dark Dance is something that I've seen just a handful of times.

WoG isn't great either, it can easily be rolled through and punished. However, it has the same animation as Great Heal which makes it a gimmicky mindgame, aswell as the use of Force, though a good player would just stick to your butt and keep the options of a) rolling through Force/WoG and punishing, often even backstabbing you or b) backstabbing your Great Heal(-attempt).

Your idea of using the rings to boost the stamina damage is terrible. What's your intention regarding the Blue Tearstone Ring (an actually good ring, but for entirely different purposes) anyway?

Climax "only" needs 5000 souls for max effectiveness, just like Dark Dance, and there's consumable souls which give you exactly 5000 souls. So that isn't a big deal, especially considering that you've high SM anyway - people dying to it drop enough souls for another use -
and it's completely irrelevant for the arena aswell. You don't get souls for kills in the arena, but you can consume the mentioned souls. It's also exceptionally easier to land than a full Dark Dance and can make use of other gimmicky strategies like poison + Poison Moss punish.

Your Velstadt cosplay is already pretty ruined if you use spells (his dark orb casting is simply the Sacred Chime Hammer's 2h strong attack). Sacred Oath for itself sucks anyway, way too demanding for the effects it gives.

Yeah, after a few tests, I haven't gotten anywhere with the hex lately. But I'll keep trying a bit for more results.

Oh, whoops! I meant to refer to the Clear Bluestone Ring for faster casting! I keep getting the two mixed up... The stamina drain should be a big opportunity, right? I don't have space for an Ivory Warrior Ring, so I'm not sure about testing that myself. Maybe those were crappy suggestions...

As for Climax, I'm still planning to level up to keep up to par with the increasing + rounds, but levelling up is not in higher demand than when I was grinding for Dark Dance. So I'm OK with spending some souls, but not all of them.

I cannot dis Sacred Oath, it's saved me in many pinch moments in PvE (I can still fight without it, but it ends things quicker)! Besides, I've seen Sir Alonne cosplayers wielding the damned ice rapier, so I don't think making a Velstadt-themed build with added chime hexes should be off limits (at least it's thematically more appropriate). Plus, the Sacred Chime Hammer special attack usually leaves me too vulnerable (honestly, why couldn't it be more like Dark Hail to be more fitting?).