Bugs and glitches

Bugs

This page will be used to list bugs (errors in the game, not unintended behavior/functionality, that's what the glitches section is for) in the game. If you encounter a bug, please list them here for reference. Maybe the developers will read this and fix them.

When adding a bug, add it to the bottom of the numbered list so that the bug numbers do not change over time. Please list the platform (PS3, XBox 360, PC) and game/patch version (AU/1.04, EU/1.03, JP/1.04, NA/1.05, etc.) in which you encountered the bug. Add as much detail about the bug as possible and, if necessary/possible, steps to reproduce the bug. It is recommended to sign and timestamp entries so that if more information is required/wanted, it might be easier to track down the original poster. The timestamp is to add some time context of when the bug was first listed here.¹ Then, send a bug report to Namco Bandai. Namco Bandai's Live Support gave instructions to email any bugs to moc.semagiadnabocman|troppus#moc.semagiadnabocman|troppus.

Once a bug is fixed, leave it here, but add a note indicating what patch version fixed it, so it is not reported again.

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I sent Bugs #6 - #11 to moc.semagiadnabocman|troppus#moc.semagiadnabocman|troppus, as instructed by their Live Support. I am reposting them here for reference. - RytoEX (Oct 18, 2011)

1. Delayed input commands - It's possible that your input (e.g. using a flask) is delayed and executed when you initiate another action (e.g. blocking), which can get you into deadly situations from time to time. This needs more input, but seems to be common, especially when performance is bad, but also happens with good performance areas of the game. If you do encounter this, please try to describe what you have done in the list below and also add platform (PS3 or XBOX360).
   • Note : I have reported this to the support today. It's getting more and more annyoing, as this happened to me today five times in a single fight, even with full stamina. I can often reproduce it and make it so that e.g. using a flask is executed several (!) seconds after the command was initiated - CthulhuKultist
   • (PS3, not sure about XBOX360) - Sometimes it can happen that an action is delayed, making you e.g. vulnerable for attacks. So if you want to use an estus flask in a battle sometimes (rare) nothing happens until you do another action (like blocking with L1), but instead of blocking the former action (use estus flask) is carried out. This can get you into trouble sometimes. Has this happened to someone else? Had this several times (just died because this again) - CthulhuKultist
     • Yes, the bug is on the XBRO360. This seems to be something of a priority queue. Much like the speedrunning tactic of jumping off of a cliff, that would stagger you on landing, and while in air you quickswap to your other weapon and then try to execute a roll (EpicNameBro has a video in which he tries speedrunning similar techniques used by Kago (spelling on that?), the speedrun record holder). While in air, the game goes "oh, time to swap weapons… but wait, I'm in the air. I'll do it when I land." When you land, there are a set of frames that probably check to see if you are pressing the roll action. There's a conflict and the roll is executed, but cut short by the queued up weapon swap. If this is how it operates, then that explains the delay for some stuff. Like trying to use the Estus flask, it doesn't work, and then needing to block because it's no longer safe to chug, but when you press block you immediately take a swig of that sweet Sunny D and regret not having more poise. My guess is that the queue could be shared amongst other inputs and events and this might cause a race condition. But this is all just a hunch. It tends to happen for me when drinking and blocking the most. But I (and many of my friends who have seen me play) can confirm attack delays as well. Take it as you will.
   • I can confirm that this has happened to me and a friend (PS3) multiple times usually when doing a normal attack. You'll hit R1, then 3 seconds later you'll do the attack typically getting impaled in the process.
   • I can also confirm (PS3) - For me I know that it happens a lot in Blighttown and Anor Londo, generally this happens to me when my frame rate takes a dump. (eg. invasions or getting help from phantoms)
   • It usually happens, when you are staggered by an enemy after issuing a command. When you recover, you will perform this action instead of a possible different one you issued after being hit.
     • That's not true (for me at least). I did just did some testing, and this can even happen at the start of a battle without being staggered - CthulhuKultist
   • I can confirm that this has also happened to me and a friend on the PS3 version. Most commonly, a delayed R1 input, which has occasionally gotten us killed. No noticeable cause. - RytoEX
   • Happens on multiple characters, noticable for me before I leave the Undead Asylum. I experience this about equally on R1 and R2 attacks, but haven't experienced it with flasks or spells. I'm a Demon's Souls vet, and never experienced this in the preceding game. I will note that I block religiously. My shield is up more often than down. My solution, found elsewhere online is to double-tap critical attacks. It flies directly in the face of established habits, but it keeps me from dying. - PSFiz
   • Had this happen on PC just now (1.0 version) when revisiting the undead asylum and fighting the black knight at the corridor where the archer is. It was a delayed estus flask use (twice).
2. Bad collision shape on one of the roots near the first ladder in The Great Hollow - If you want to go up, after the first ladder, the root leading to a small platform that leads to the next root has a bad collision shape, so it seems you can't get up and are stuck. But just hug the invisible wall and walk to the left. It looks like you walk in the air, but you actually will make it to the other root leading further upwards.
   • You can also charge at the mysterious barrier and roll at it over and over until you somehow get up it—I seem to find that this consistently works. At any rate, a player who doesn't know the "walk to the left" trick is not completely stuck here. - Bananadine
3. Wrong visibility of the exploding heads spawned by Mass of Souls. If it has spawned exploding heads and you drag them far away from it's parent and the parent is no longer visible, the exploding heads may become invisible too, although they can be right next to you, making up for bad surprises.
4. There is a sleeping Serpent Soldier leaning against a wall in Sen's Fortress. To destroy the wall behind him for a secret area you need to turn the rock releasing machine so that the rock rolls against the wall on which a serpent soldier leans to destroy it. If you do this and the serpent soldier is still alive the wall will break but the serpent won't be hurt at all. If you go there he will still be leaning in air and sleeping like nothing happened, though no more wall to lean against is there.
5. Wrong collision shapes/hulls for arrows. Like in Demon's Souls, Dark Souls also has the same problem. Often you're aiming perfectly off a wall, pillar, etc. and still your arrows get stuck in mid-air. This is due to bad collision shapes for these static objects and can get pretty annoying. It's also not possible to fire through most of the fences in this game - [http://www.saschawillems.de/darksoulswiki/bug_arrows.jpg]
6. (PS3, NA/1.03; fixed in NA/1.05) Incorrect armor defense values. If you compare the armor defense values (PhysDef, Strike, Slash, Thrust) on the Inventory Screen to the ones on the Reinforce Armor screen, the Strike and Slash values are swapped. Good items to check this are the Knight Helm and Balder Helm, since they have unique values for each defense type. This has probably lead to some mixed up entries throughout the wiki, and I'm not sure of a way to test for the correct values. - RytoEX
7. (PS3, NA/1.03; still present in NA/1.05) On the loading screen, the description for the Miracle Homeward is actually the description for the Miracle Force. - RytoEX
8. (PS3, NA/1.03) On the loading screen, the description for the Miracle Great Heal Excerpt is actually the description for the Miracle Soothing Sunlight. - RytoEX
9. (PS3, NA/1.03) Occasionally, the game will freeze for seemingly no reason. Once I was just sitting near Andre of Astora doing nothing, and the game froze. Another time, I was running towards the elevator between Firelink Shrine and Undead Parish, and it froze right in front of the elevator. I've had to use the XMB to quit the game each time, and then the game taunts me like Mr. Resetti about how I didn't correctly quit the game by quitting to the Title Screen. - RytoEX
10. (PS3, NA/1.03) Rarely, clipping through objects/walls/ceilings may occur. A friend was in The Catacombs fighting a skeleton in a tunnel. The skeleton parried his attack, and his character promptly fell through the floor of the tunnel, fell through empty, white space outside the level, and fell on the top, outside of another tunnel below him. He died from the falling damage. - RytoEX
    • I have had this same problem except it happens after I kill the rats in the depths. The two rats in the area outside the blighttown gate especially. When I kill them they often clip through the floor making their items unreachable. - originalhks (Nov 17, 2011)
    • In addition, while in the Catacombs, the Wheel Skeleton- while rolling- will go through the wall near the first entrance and die. - Anonymous (71.190.235.x) (Nov 25, 2011)
    • (PS3, NA/1.05) Not sure if this is the same bug or a separate issue, but while in New Londo Ruins, I got "hugged" by a Ghost, and after the attack I ended up /inside/ a wall, still alive but unable to get out. I had to use a Homeward Bone to escape from Ghosts, which were still attacking me through the wall. - RytoEX (Aug 29, 2012)
    • (PS3, PAL/1.09) Also happened to me in the Catacombs, but at the very beginning, down the first ladder I was parried by a skeleton as I stood on the very large pile of bones. I ended up inside/under the pile of bones and there was no way out. I have witnessed bonewheel skeletons clipping through a wall too, so I can confirm it.
11. (PS3, NA/1.03) Sometimes, a normal game dialogue box will be replaced by a dialogue box that only says "?ActionEventInfo?". I once saw it when quitting to the Title Screen, and saw it another time when the game kicked me to the Title Screen from losing Internet connection. - RytoEX
    • I can confirm this, had this several times happen to me too. I think it's because language action identifiers are not loaded (guess it's the scripting language they use for their UI) when you first open that message, so it displays a missing identifier - CthulhuKultist
12. Usually enemies can't pass through fog (gates), but in the New Londo Ruins the Ghosts actually can follow you. If you run to the fog leading to The Abyss without getting rid of them it's possible that they pass through the walls above/aside the fog gate leading down the staris and therefore bypass that fog. So pay attention or you may get killed because of this - CthulhuKultist
13. There is a problem with some of the slumbering Pisaca in The Duke's Archives - You can play the music yourself so they ascend the stairs and open the way to the locked cell. But several of them (witnessed at least 4, sometimes more) will never ascend the stairs and try to chase the player. They then hug the ladder you'll have to climb down to get to the cell, making it very hard to get down alive again. This seems to be an erratic AI-behaviour, as it seems to be supposed that ALL of them ascend the stairs, at least that's what the music should do - CthulhuKultist
14. In a New Game Plus (and consecutive playthroughs) you may have problems with Kingseeker Frampt breaking down your upgrade materials - It seems that he only shows the option to break down materials you found in your current playthrough, ignoring those from the one before, even if they're in your inventory. Try placing them into your bottomless box and taking them back to the inventory again to fix it.
15. Using the white sign soapstone will sometimes let you be summoned invade as a black phantom. (XBOX 360)
    • (PS3, PAL/1.09) A similar (probably the same actually) glitch also applies to the cat covenant ring (inadvertedly summoned as a white phantom, invading as a red phantom). You appear exactly where you would as a blue phantom. Most probably this applies to every other item that is used to enter another player's world such as the cracked red orb or darkmoon covenant ring. I never glitched invaded as a black (dragon) phantom however like you did.
    • (PC, Steam BuildID 660569) Happend to me while white phantoming during GRD. I got summoned into the world of another player as what I suspect to be a red phantom via a Red Eye Orb, that I didn't even have.
16. When fighting Ornstein the host and myself, a white phantom, we both got stabbed in the chest and shocked during the same hit. This however didn't do any damage to either of us. (XBOX 360)
17. The orange guidance soapstone uses both American and British ways of spelling. For example the soapstone says "Amazing armour ahead" while the item is a piece of armor. This is probably a translating error, but still.
18. Sometimes when killing an enemy (seems to happen a lot with Silver/Black Knights) they will return to their standing pose for a moment. attacking them does nothing as they are already dead, and they dont move, they simply reset to that post. several seconds later they will die giving you their souls and loot. although im not sure what triggeres it, it happens most often when they are killed extremely fast usually by hits from multiple sources. perhaps it has to do with their health dropping to 0 in my world and my phantoms world, and the lag in between. i cannot remember if its happened with just me, no phantom or anything, though im sure it has.
19. (PS3, NA/1.05) On the loading screen, the description for the Miracle Seek Guidance is actually the description for the Miracle Sunlight Spear (or Great Lightning Spear, I didn't catch the complete text). - RytoEX (Aug 29, 2012)
20. (PS3, NA/1.05) When attempting to pick up an item, if you already have the maximum quantity of that item in your inventory, the pickup animation will happen, but the item will reappear back on the ground as if you had dropped it. There will be no message about how you already have the maximum quantity or "cannot carry anymore". - RytoEX (Aug 29, 2012)
21. (PS3, NA/1.05) The description for the Sunlight Medal has a typo in the first sentence. "This faintly warm medal, engraved with the symbol of the Sun, is the ultimate honor, awarded to shoe who summon the Warrior of Sunlight and complete a goal." The word "shoe" should probably be "those". Interestingly, the page for Sunlight Medal on this wiki doesn't have the typo. Is this typo only in the NA version? - RytoEX (Aug 29, 2012)
22. (PS3, EU/1.06) The visibility of messages on the ground, summon signs and other environmental effects is glitchy throughout the entirety of the Artorias of the Abyss DLC. This goes for any 2D-based effect: The flames on a bonfire, light flowers, and (most annoyingly) summon signs, messages and Humanity Phantoms will flicker in and out of sight, even though you can interact with them as usual. Fighting Humanity Phantoms, then, often means locking onto an invisible target. The visibility seems to depend on which angle you've placed the camera in, and is more frequent in some areas than others. (November 11th, 2012) Update: According to Namco Bandai: "We are currently looking further into what might be causing this (currently we believe it is due to the amount of users that are currently being summoned/invaded in the new content area). Unfortunately, at this time the only recommendation that we can provide (to eliminate the flickering graphic) would be to play the new DLC content in "offline" mode as that will fix the flickering."

• Confirmed. anything that 'glows' will flicker or be completely invisible most of the time. I have found that it also includes any 'spell' that enemies throw at you(ex. channelers soul arrow, dukes archives) as well as random things like soap stone markings and crystal flakes(crystal caves) that show the invisible paths. As a side note reloading the save data as well as reinstalling the game data do not work in this instance. (orlen) (PS3) (patch1.08NA 4/30/13)

1. (PS3, 1.06) When you open your inventory, there will only be an option to equip the item (Purple moss clump). There is no option to drop said item, this will interfere with trading with Snuggley the Crow. (Jan 4, 2013)
2. (XBOX360, 1.06) When you close a door in Anor Londo, your character drops a few centimeters. This will stun enemy players that are standing too close, as if you are falling on them from a great height. (Jan 31, 2013)
3. (PS3, 1.09) When someone tries to invade you, you can press start and go to Quit Game, just don't press OK yet. When the invader spawns, you can still go back to main menu while Quit Game window is still opened, this allows you to safely quit the match, not risking your save data. (Jun 17, 2013)
4. (PS3, 1.09) Rare glitch happens in undefined areas in the game. Sometimes the game's framerate will go extremely low that you wont be able to play properly. It's a glitch similar to "natural" frame rate glitch in Blighttown, but much worst. Don't know what triggers this glitch, but seems to be very rare though. (Jun 17, 2013)

Footnotes

1. I realize that the wiki revision system does this automatically, but it's much more difficult to sift through the wiki history listing to find out who reported something and when it was reported when a signature and date/timestamp will do that just fine.