Valley Problems and Giant Bees

Welcome back to the Race to Git Gud, where I’ll be trouncing through the dark, depressing worlds of FromSoftware with reckless abandon and firmly below-average ability.

Today, Katia is taking a detour into side quests before nudging the main story forward.

Dropping into Dahi-Hok Valley, you’re greeted by an expansive bridge spanning the valley. As you approach, a weird little pug-looking guy with a massive axe pops out and casually chops the bridge down, severing your path.

Cool. Guess we’re taking the long way.

Down below, you spot large hives belonging to even larger Giant Bees hanging from a nearby tree. Press A on one of them and the whole hive just plummets to the ground and explodes into a fight. I always forget how abrupt that is, and it still makes me laugh.

The Giant Bee itself is not exactly a towering threat—low defense, low HP—but the challenge comes from the fact that there are something like seven hives scattered throughout the level, and you have to exterminate the whole swarm.

Snake Eater Ladders and Angry Birds

After taking out several hives, Katia climbs down a very on-brand Snake Eater-style ladder into the valley proper. Down there, you find a soldier who fills you in on another local problem: the Cockatrice, a big chicken-like monster with the lovely habit of turning people to stone.

This triggers a little side quest inside the level: smash the massive eggs hidden throughout the area to lure out mama bird.

We are absolutely wrecking the ecology of Dahi-Hok, but that’s a problem for Future Biologists.

With the eggs destroyed, the Cockatrice finally appears. The fight is fun but not especially grueling, and she goes down without too much trouble. A few more bee hives get shattered on the way out, and the level wraps up.

For my trouble, I luck into the Giant Bee card as a reward.

Sandstorms and Worm Fights

Back at the Apothecary, Gurd has a new lead. There’s a vast desert nearby, where rumors are swirling about a Giant Sandworm causing problems for travelers.

Naturally, Katia heads straight for Gromtull Desert.

Out in the dunes, you see swirling sand clouds on the ground. When you approach, the Sandworm bursts up and attacks. It’s a cool boss setup: each encounter with the Worm chips away at its total HP before it dives back under and flees, forcing you to hunt it through the desert.

Eagle-eyed Dark Souls III fans might recognize the general idea here—it’s very “Carthus Sandworm,” even if the specifics differ. Jokes aside, the Worm gets trounced, the desert puzzle is solved, and I walk away from Gromtull having once again failed to snag the boss card.

The Giant Sandworm card continues to elude me.

Burial Grounds and the Necromancer

At this point, I decide I should probably stop bullying wildlife and progress the actual story. That means heading to the spooky Burial Grounds to beat up some dead guys.

The level itself is great vibes: a rainy walk through a foggy graveyard, lightning in the distance, rows of tombstones. Mechanically, though, it’s pretty straightforward. Even the main puzzle—touching colored tombstones in the correct order—is pretty bare bones.

Once you open the final gate, an obelisk stands in front of Katia. For reasons never fully explained, it explodes and reveals the zone’s boss: the Necromancer.

This guy was always my favorite as a kid and feels like the first real skill check of the game. He’s:

• Quick
  
• Fairly tanky
  
• Packing a nasty homing attack with big flying skulls
  

It’s a solid beginner’s challenge and a nice wake-up call if you’ve been coasting through Giant Bees and chickens.

Unfortunately for him, at this point I can basically clear this game with my eyes closed. He goes down, again, and I walk away with his card as my prize.

Onward to Shayl Passage

With the Burial Grounds behind us, we get confirmation that Katia’s father passed through there on his way to Castle Grayl. The next step is clear: head toward the Shayl Passage that leads there.

The deck is stronger, the side quests are piling up, and the fog isn’t going anywhere.

Stay tuned for more Lost Kingdoms in the Race to Git Gud, as we chase after King Feobane and see just how weird this forgotten FromSoft experiment can get.