Okay. Blogging commence.
I started messing around with a build idea today. Fairly simplistic, but effective.
Essentially I make a character and choose the Petrified Something starting gift and choose the Bandit class. This is for a strength build. I immediately run to the trading nest in Things Betwixt, to trade for the Demon's Great Hammer. If I don't get it I try again.
Next thing I do is get the enslaved pigs in Majula to kill Maughlin for me and I take his armor set for extra souls. Then I work my way through the Forest of Fallen Giants and use the 13,000 souls or so I have from the areas up until the Cardinal tower to buy an Explorer's hat, 10 lifegems, 5 firebombs, the Pharros Lockstone, and Lenigrast's key. Then I talk to Melentia and get the Covetous Silver Serpent Ring +1.
I run over and blow up the wall by smashing a firebomb against where the powderkegs should be and go kill the Pursuer in his first location, and then go kill the Last Giant with Pate.
Run to the Pursuer's regular boss area and get the Drangleic Shield and take the nest to the Lost Bastille. Then use the bonfire there to warp back to Majula and buy the Redeye Ring. Go back to the Lost Bastille and summon the Sorceress to kill the Ruin Sentinals while I block with the Drangleic shield two-handed and draw their attention with the Redeye Ring. I repeat the same technique with Lucatiel and the Lost Sinner. And then use the small whitesign soapstone to help 10 other players using the bait and block technique, to farm around 150,000 more souls.
Now I go back to Majula and level my strength to 50 and put the rest into Vigor and Vitality, saving some to buy the ring Shalquoir sells that lets you talk to Manscorpion Tark. Then go and trade all of my Smooth and Silky Stones from Co-op, hopefully getting a few twinkling titanite to upgrade my Demon's Great Hammer.
Then I go and use the fragrant branch of yore I got from the Lost Sinner to free the lady pulling the switch near the entrance to the shaded woods. Run to the next boss area, summon a random friend and if another isn't available, I summon Tark. Beat up the scorpion lady, and then proceed to the Doors of Pharros, to farm for the Gyrm Warrior Armor.
Gyrm Warrior Armor, Big Headed Physique or Large Lower Body Physique, the Demon's Great Hammer, either the Mastodon Helmet or the Gyrm Great Helm/Imported Hood, Bandit's Gloves and the Imported Trousers. 40 Vitality, 50 strength, 40 vigor, and the rest go into Endurance and Adaptability. Sl. 150.
That's basically the Dump Rolls build. Long beard is absolutely mandatory.