In Defense of Twinking in Dark Souls

I'm a big fan of Dark Souls. My main character is level 168, currently languishing in the dim glow of pre-NG++ triumph, farming various items and grinding for souls in preparation for the next playthrough. I'm also a big fan of Dark Souls Let's Plays, particularly those done by Rurikhan, Epicnamebro, and Northernlion. These gentlemen share a love of the game, and the requisite skill to make the videos enjoyable. They also share a common hatred: twinking. I'd like to offer a brief defense of the practice, and admit that I've taken advantage of it several times.

 

First off, let's break down exactly what's happening here. The Dark Souls inventory management system is made less daunting by the inclusion of the Bottomless Box, a purchasable item available early in the game that allows infinite storage. The Bottomless Box is not required for play, and acts primarily as a method to reduce scrolling through reams of unwanted items, as Dark Souls does not impose an item burden. I'm not going to go into the details of enabling the glitch, but there exists a method by which a player can duplicate all the items in the Bottomless Box of a high-level character, and transfer them to a new character by making them available once that new character has acquired the Bottomless Box. So, that red phantom that invaded you in Undead Burg wearing full Dark Armor and using a Lightning Uchigatana +5? Yeah, that's what he did.

 

On its face, this seems patently unfair, especially because most players exploit the glitch to prey on unsuspecting low-level characters whose players are relatively new to the game. However, there are several reasons why I think it's not only acceptable, but even healthy, for this practice to continue.

 

1. From Software doesn't seem to mind.

This glitch has been a known glitch since almost the first week after release. FromSoft has patched the game five times and has not addressed it. This means one of three things is true: (1) The glitch is so deeply rooted in the game code that to fix it would be impractical; (2) The glitch was unintended, but FromSoft either thinks it's amusing or is indifferent toward it; or (3) The glitch was an intentional easter egg.

 

The first and second possibilities seem at least somewhat plausible. The third is highly unlikely, so let's dispose of that first. First, when the glitch is exploited, the character gets two Red Titanite Chunks right after standing up. This could be a side-eye wink from the developer, as Red Titanite is used to upgrade Chaos weapons, and the result of twinking can certainly be chaotic, but that's a bit of a stretch. Additionally, Oscar of Astora, the Undead Knight that gives the player the Estus Flask, is usually absent from his location in the Undead Asylum when the glitch is exploited, requiring the player to exit and reload the game in order to get the Estus Flask and the necessary key. Again, this could be interpreted as a nod to experienced players, who know that reloading will cause lost items to appear, but it seems like a genuine game break.

 

The first option, that the Bottomless Box is so deeply integrated into the game code as to render it an unfixable error, seems very likely to me. As a layman in terms of programming, it seems that the way in which the glitch is activated (by toggling over a character with a full box while in the character delete screen, etc.) exploits a vital system that allows inventory to be saved in the Bottomless Box for each individual character. It may be that FromSoft has looked at the code, tested possible fixes, and ended up breaking their own game. Weighing the pros and cons, it seems very likely to me that FromSoft decided it wasn't that big a problem, and decided to let it go.

 

The second option has the same outcome as the first, but without the attempted fix. In either case, FromSoft either cannot, or chooses not, to fix it. This doesn't amount to an endorsement of the practice, but it is at least an explanation of FromSoft's inaction. In any case, it's not going away, and the developer has better things to do.

 

2. Twinking is not exactly an easy thing to do.

This may seem like an idiotic concept when you're getting backstabbed by a red phantom with a Black Knight Greataxe before you've even fought the Taurus Demon. However, it is the absolute truth. In order to build a proper "twink" (a pejorative term that I hate, but it's the common parlance, so I'll go with it), the high-level character needs to farm particular items and upgrade armors and weapons that would never otherwise be used. A significant amount of number crunching is involved in determining what armor and weapon combinations will be viable at certain equipment load restrictions. The player has to make key decisions as to what class to start as, what stats to level, how far to take the character, where to invade, etc.

 

Additionally, each twink is a one-off. Did you forget to buy 99 Cracked Red Eye Orbs from Kaathe? Whoops. Start over from scratch. Go back to your main character, take your necessary items from the Bottomless Box, farm the 250,000 souls needed, rejoin the Darkwraiths, and purchase the items. Place them in the Bottomless Box, and so on and so forth.

 

Plus, exploiting the glitch can result in losing everything. Use the glitch when it's late, or you're not paying attention, or you've been indulging in adult beverages, and you can easily delete your main character, a file that probably has hundreds of hours of play time.

 

Which brings me to my second point: You have to be a very high level, and have acquired and upgraded a large number of weapons and armors over various playthroughs, in order to properly build a twink. In essence, you've put in the time to reap the spoils of war. This leads me to my next argument.

 

3. PvP is almost impossible past SL 120.

At level 168, I've been invaded once since NG. That was a very bizarre encounter. I'd reversed hollowing in the Painted World, went to kindle the bonfire, and was forced to stand up within two seconds of reviving. The fight lasted 10 minutes, ended with me getting killed by a chainstab, and was largely pointless. Because both of us had such a significant amount of health and an arsenal of spells and weapons at our disposal, the fight dragged out much longer than necessary. When we got tired of spamming Wrath of the Gods, we got in close and started hacking. Then he used a pivot backstab to blink behind me and chainstabbed me as I stood up. It was one of the most unfulfilling moments in my entire experience with the game, especially since all I wanted to do was kindle the bonfire and go to bed.

 

That strange occurrence aside, invading at level 168 is a lonely endeavor indeed. The mechanics of invasion require that a Darkwraith invade up. So, in order for my level 168 to invade, he'd have to be in an area where there was a level 169 or higher that had not yet beaten the area boss. The only place where this is even conceivable is the Kiln of the First Flame, and even then, the pickings are sparse, and you end up dueling the same two people all night. If they're demonstrably better then you, have a faster connection, or are savants that can mindlessly exploit camera mechanics to get PvP backstabs, good luck with the outcome. Maybe it's better as a Darkmoon Blade, but I have no hard evidence to support or discredit that theory.

 

There are two options for high-level players who want to experience some PvP: (1) Start over legitimately, be stingy with leveling, gut it out through half the game to beat the Four Kings before reaching level 50, and spend hours alternatively getting slaughtered by twinks in Dark Sun Anor Londo or taking folks unawares on a Smough and Ornstein run; or (2) create a twink. The choice is really clear once you know how to use the glitch, and that leads to the last argument.

 

4. Don't bring a knife to a gunfight.

I won't waste a lot of time explaining what a lot of players already know: there are a lot of twink invaders out there. A LOT. In fact, I'd wager that they comprise the majority of active PvPers at lower levels. "Everybody's doing it, so why don't we?" isn't a justification argument, I know, but it's a persuasive reason why players who otherwise wouldn't make a twink (myself included) feel compelled to do so. Additionally, having access to endgame gear doesn't automatically confer victory on a twink character. Sure, it gives you an edge, but it's not a guarantee of victory in the slightest. And, as always, there are numerous other twinks that are just itching to punish other exploiters of the glitch. Here follows an informal catalog of a recent batch of invasions I attempted in Undead Burg several nights ago:

 

Level 23

Lightning Man-Serpent Greatsword +5

Eagle Shield +15

Ornstein's Set (without Helm)

Mask of the Child

Havel's Ring

Dark Wood Grain Ring

 

Invasion 1:

Probably the most unfair invasion. Guy had a white phantom with him, but both of them were unprepared, probably doing a Havel run, and I killed the phantom pretty quick. The host ran into the three hollows around the corner and died. That was it.

 

Invasion 2: Guy in Black Iron Armor with no helm tried to strafe away from my spawn point and walked right off the bridge. Lasted 10 seconds.

 

Then I got invaded. Red phantom in Elite Knight Armor with a Sniper Crossbow. Strafed around shooting me. He kited me for two minutes before I got tired of him and tried a jumping R2. I died in two hits as I was recovering. I maintain that the invader was a bitch.

 

Invasion 3: Got R2'd by a guy in Pyromancer starting gear with a Black Knight Sword just as I was bowing to him. Not sure I can blame him.

 

Then I got invaded by a Darkmoon Blade wearing the Black Set, wielding the Moonlight Greatsword. She cast Homing Crystal Soulmass right away and I rolled out of the way. I still got hit by one of them, and made the mistake of trying to heal. She cast again and I took all five in the face.

 

The point is, PvP victory in Dark Souls is very much dependent on connection speed, relative skill, and ability to exploit pivot backstabs. It has much less to do with your gear or your experience fighting PvE. In any case, it was about this time that I realized I only had 6 Cracked Red Eye Orbs left. I didn't realize that I couldn't use the Red Eye Orb without being a Darkwraith. So, I decided on a different course of action.

 

5. Twinks are not always evil.

I put down my summon sign and proceeded to help no less than five newbies kill Havel and the Black Knight, and take out the Taurus Demon. During two of the summons, I got the distinct honor of repelling twink invaders. I had a lot more fun doing that than I had attempting invasions.

 

I remember there being several reviews when Dark Souls first came out extolling the virtues of a game that had the courage to deal liberally in death. I recall a particularly heavy-handed review that submitted that Dark Souls was superior to Skyrim because of the inimitable wonder experienced by a player when encountering an enemy that could kill you in one shot. Now, I'm not sure that the feeling that reviewer meant to ascribe to one-shot deaths is actually "wonder." I'd identify that as "stunned disbelief." However, if you buy into the notion that invasions should operate as hazards similar to the enemies in any particular area, it's not much of a stretch to say that twink invaders are just additional enemies that happen to be extremely dangerous. In any case, if you don't want to be invaded, don't reverse hollowing. I made it a point to suicide at Firelink every time I was forced to revive for just that reason as I made it through the early game.

 

However, as I indicated above, not all twinks are in it for the kills. Some are players that get a rush from assisting others. I remember one such obvious twink helping Rurikhan beat Ornstein and Smough in his first playthrough (Dorothy777, I think).

 

6. In conclusion...

Twinks are not going away. Neither is the Bottomless Box glitch. If you want to enjoy the game as a sandbox, as I did for much of the game, just don't reverse hollowing unless you're kindling bonfires, and suicide near the bonfire right afterward. If you want to experience PvP throughout, prepare to be owned occasionally, and revel in victory when you manage to defeat an obvious twink. If you want to invade, assist, or just make a run through NG with a massive advantage, twinking will not do it for you, but it will allow you easier access to the point in the game where you want to be in order to do those things.

In any case, why does it matter? We all know that most PvP in Dark Souls usually ends like this: