In Demon's Souls, players can team up with 2 other players online (sometimes 3, apparently a glitch) to form a group of adventurers for a single level! The host (must be in physical Body form) will see a bright Blue message marker (which is left by players in soul form using "Blue Eye Stone"). You can check how many times that player was online and their ranking score percentage. Then you can choose to summon that player, he will show up in Blue Phantom form.

All four players receive Souls for their hard work and can team up to take out Bosses even faster and with better safety, but the Body form host may only summon blue phantoms for co-op in levels that have not been rid of their Boss Demon yet. After beating a demon boss, any blue phantoms will be granted their physical body back and go back to their world, but will not progress in their own story (for example you will not get trophy for helping a body form player beating the boss in blue phantom form, you have to beat it in your own game).

As the Co-Op session ends, each player is permitted to rate the other player(s) on a Grade system which stays with the character. So other players can know how good (or bad) a certain player is. Ratings are from best "S", through "A", "B", "C", "D", and lowest "E".

Since the co-op system is not based on your Friends list or explicit in-game matchmaking, it can be hard to coordinate co-op with someone specific. If you are trying to co-op with someone specific, it can be done,but be attentive to the rules above, especially the level restrictions and the ability for the host to summon only in levels with the boss not yet defeated. It can help if the blue phantom puts their blue soul sign in an uncommon place, since it can be annoying to get summoned to a random host if you were trying to meet someone specific.

phantom_leo said:

The one who invites the Blue Phantom in can't have beaten that stage yet, I believe...

...but that's the best time to do it! You'd actually have an edge taking down the bosses! God knows there were times when I could have used a helping hand!

yeah, i'm just worried i won't be a good enough companion for an experienced player.  i saw some blue markers down when i was first playing the area after phalanx and had my full body form for the first time since the start of the game.  but i was too hesitant to call them thinking i was too tentative (and altogether rubbish) a player to keep up.  then i was mauled by some rabid dogs as i was trying to burrow underground to avoid the dragon flames and now i'm a soul again.  so i have to beat the level on my own

aspro buddy, yes i definitely recommend it.  i'm a proper hobo when it comes to games and i paid import prices for this (plus hefty postage) so it is definitely worth full price

phantom_leo said:

Just lemme know when you need my help!

thanks buddy.  i will do soon as i have my body form back

ps technically i could beat the first level and phalanx again to get my body back right?  and then summon you for the next level.  or do i have to beat a new boss to get my body back?

Ravenprose said:

Iga_Bobovic said:

So how long before Ragnaar shows up here?

Who's Ragnaar again? The name sounds familiar . . . .

 I think he's a dude with a cat that can OPTIC BLAST.

bugsonglass said:

i tried playing the first level again to beat the boss and get my body back ... but the boss is not there   so can i only beat bosses once despite every other enemy in the level respawning?  i'm confused

also need some advice on how to build my stats.  i'm pretty sure i want to play as a mage.  but i don't want to be useless in melee combat as my mana runs out pretty quickly and i have to be very stingy with my magic.  what should i invest in besides "intelligence" and "magic"?  also what gear/items would help with how i want to play?

Bosses only show up once.  However, you can lay down your 'blue eye stone' to get summoned into someone else's game to beat their boss in co-op.  This won't work with the 1-1 boss, but it will work for every other boss.

As for your stats, if you are playing as a magic user, you can ignore your Strength, Dexterity, and Luck stats.  Run your Vitality up to 20 early on in the game, and leave it alone after that, and then focus primarily on your Magic and Intelligence skills.  I wouldn't worry about taking your Intelligence past 40, and you'll want to run your Magic up as high as you can.  You can throw some points into Endurance as it will make you a more nimble character.  I recommend having your Endurance somewhere around 20-30 by the end of the game.  Your most important stats early on will be Vitality, Magic and Intelligence.

The lucky thing for you is that you can find Crescent weapons in the game that do physical damage based on how high your Magic stat is.  So, the higher your Magic stat, the more damage you'll do with a Crescent blade.  The other cool thing about the Crescent blades is that the regenerate your MP.  There is a Crescent Falchion in 4-1.  It is a little bit hard to get, but once you get it, you'll have a much easier time in the game.

Copied from my post about it on NeoGAF:

When you start 4-1, there is a small gate with a fog barrier. There is a rolling skeleton knight that you have to fight before going through the fog. In the next section, there are four of the skeleton knights, and a skeleton archer. Having the Thief's Ring equipped is a good way to go so that you don't have to fight the knights all at once while dodging arrows from the archer.

Once you've beaten them, and gone up the stairs, you'll see two more archers standing on top of a large wall with a fog barrier gate in it. Ignore the archers and move through the barrier. Immediately to your left is a small passageway tucked into the gate you just went through. Head down that passage, but be careful, there is a booby trap you will trigger that sends three really strong projectiles at you. You can either block it with your shield, or if you sprint down the passageway, you can roll out of danger at the very end of the hall. That can be tricky to time though.

Once you've made it down that little passage, there is a hole in the wall to your left. The black phantom and the Crescent Falchion are waiting for you there. Be careful while fighting that Black Phantom, as there are archers that can hit you while you are taking him on.

bugsonglass said:

Thanks bro, this is really helpful.  I started as a Mage and I don't have the mana regenerating ring so I will attempt to  get the crescent falcion.  maybe i can manage that.

I also didn't know I wasn't meant to go through the levels sequentially even though i understand that all archstones unlocking simultaneously would suggest that.  Was plowing away at 1-2 today and I got as far as the first gate of fog (killed the archers and blue-eyed knight at the end of the fourth bridge only to be murdered by the second blue-eyed knight who charged at me while i was taking a breather.  i really hate the dogs too).  what would you say is perhaps the most manageable level to try after 1-1?

ps congrats on the mod badge

Oh thanks for the congratulations, it has been a busy day...

Even if you have to cheese your way through it, and just run to get that Crescent Falchion, I'd recommend getting it before trying to tackle any of the levels.  After you get that sword, I'd recommend tackling 2-1.  You might also consider starting over as a Royal class rather than a Mage.  The Royal Class begins the game with an MP regeneration ring and a more powerful spell than the Mage's flame spell.

Either way, 2-1 will be easy if you can get the Crescent Falchion.  It will make quick work of the miners.  Invading 4-1 long enough to get that sword will be very hard for a beginner, but it will be worth it.  That sword will do about twice as much damage as anything you've found in the game so far, and it will just keep getting stronger as your magic stat increases.

I started playing Demon's Souls yesterday, I picked a normal soldier as my class. I went through the first level with no problem. Besides the tutorial death i did not die at all in 1-1. I beat the blob boss with no issue at all. What I loved about that first level is that it shows you how open this game can be. There is that dude on the bridge which you are not supposed to fight yet. Toward the end a giant freaking dragon pops up. I was left wonder "is this a boss fight", I am so used to a game telling me what to do, so when I dragon just showed up for no reason it blew my mind. I see he protects a ton of treasure, I will figure out how to get that some other time.

After that level I tried the archstone that takes you to that plague world, with the zombie bird people. I went there cause I saw a user hint that said there is a powerful item to get there, ok. So I went in and while the enemies are doable with lots of health, that level is hell to navigate. I started to die, lose my souls. Every time I died i would get angry that i have to do it over again so i get more reckless and die even quicker. Soon I learned to forget the souls, so I lost a thousand souls, big deal. The important thing is that you keep the items, and I found items hidden all over the place in that level. I got this bad ass mace that heals my life. I got some miracle stone that lets me cast miracles. I got some weapons I cant even use yet. I got as far as I felt comfortable going and now I will tackle a different level with my new gear. I love the freedom of this game.

For some strange reason though the online stuff isnt working for me much. I see a few bloodstains and a few hints but when I played with my friend I saw stuff all over the place.

BTW this post is from GS, if you have questions about the game ask me.