thanks to Portrait, i am completely rusty with this game. i should've written down all the stuff i did for this, so i'm kinda starting from scratch.

from what i remember from old test runs, i got the Ninja Suit, Axe Armor, Succubus, Cutall, some things to sell, and used Great Swords.

Axes are probably better than Great Swords because of their sheer strength, and a Bhuj can be gotten really quickly. my plan of action is to get one Axe Armor en route to Yoko, then get the other and Manticore in Wizardry Lab. is there an Axe lying around somewhere? i dont remember one, so i plan to just buy one. and as Altair suggested, I'll try to get Yorick as well for a bunch of bosses.

my big concern is Menace. i don't know how i managed it six or so months ago. i fear Axe Armor won't be enough at around level 20. the piano things are a killer. should i look for something stronger like Erinys?

and here are some prelim Boss strats:
Flying Armor: Axe Armor and Short Sword.
Balore: Axe Armor and Bhuj
Dmitrii: Yorick
Malphas: Yorick and Axe Armor
Dario: Yorick
Zephyr: Yorick
Menace: undecided, looks like Erinys

Does Yorick really help? I never really understood how rolling the ball back and forth gets uber damage.

Yorick is the monster at the very beginning right? Haven't played DoS in ages, forgot. >_<

I think the main prob for the run is which weapon will we be using for most of the game, since most weapons need souls = waste of time collecting.

Also are large weapons really better than average sized weapons? That's something I never really looked into.

I believe the yorick is that skeleton dude that kicks his head around.

*tries the soul*

EDIT: Okay just tried it, yummy damage indeed.

If you manage to get an Erinnys in a reasonable amount of time, it's definitely the way to go. There are several on your way through the Abyss including the Stolas spawns, obviously, but there's no save point nearby, and seeing as how rare it is, you need to get through the Abyss without wasting too much time AND get the soul, again without wasting too much time. I'd suggest getting Valkyrie for movement, especially in the Abyss. I'm Altair, btw.

There are erinys in the pinnacle too. I once got one from there accidentaly. Helped a lot, especially against the bosses weak to light (abaddon, menace etc)

Yeah, there's one between the first save and the warp. Enter Pinnacle, save, get Succubus, save, and get Erinnys on the way to the warp point.

been doing some more testing. after fifteen tries of getting an Axe Armor and Manticore in the same segment, i began experimenting again without Axe Armor. I managed okay on Balore, using Skeleton as a substitute. Malphas suffered without Axe Armor. Dario needs work. i had a rough entry into the Clock Tower. okay Zephyr fight, few missed Yoricks.

Bat Company was a killer. i should've stocked up on HiPos and such before hand. that would make my theory work wonders. Yorick still does a buttload of damage if you can reach him. Axe Armor will help here too, especially for the Moai head. i saved after the fight with a time of 29:48.

I don't know what yorick soul does atually. just kick his head around right? How does that do damage?

If you just throw its head, it'll deal pathetic damage. You have to slide into it and hit the head with your boot to send it flying and deal lots of damage.

I know I tried to dive kick it, but that sucked too.

Do a tiny hop, throw skull, and slide immediately upon landing.

another test run in progress. i got two Axe Armors at the beginning in two segments. getting two in one is just wishful thinking. Axe Armor did make some difference in Balore and Malphas. helped a little with Bat Company.

the two times i restocked at Hammer's are when getting the Bhuj (first visit to Lab warp point) and after Bat Company. dont expect a third one.

my fights were also cleaner compared to the last one. Zephyr is being a bitch, and is Bomber Armor really worth it on Bat Company? cause i used Yorick, then healed when in critical, throwing Axes when necessary.

saved before Succubus with 29:40.

Only way to find out is to get it and try.

At least for Bomber Armor you can throw two at a time, unlike Yorick where you have to spend time throwing the head before sliding.

only reason i ask is so that i don't have to start over from scratch for the umpteenth time.

Menace is still a bitch. a big bitch. the piano thingies are my real problem right now. killing them takes too much time, and letting them go causes them to multiply into a fucking army. death ensues. saved before said fight with a little over 40 minutes.

At level 20 with Ninja Suit and Golem, Bhuj hits for 48, Erinys hits twice for 55 each. based on those calculations, this fight will take way too damn long. might have to find some better equipment or powerlevel to stand a chance of surviving. fighting Death or Abaddon might have to be done.