+1 for Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King

As a main Faith/Dex build, Great Magic Barrier makes the world a brighter place.

I'm pretty sure you've killed me at some point before.

The only two cents I can provide is that when I PVP and find myself battling someone using the dark magic abilities I was more than capable of blocking the attacks almost completely with a fully upgraded Havel's shield. Problem is, it's only meant for Strength/Knight builds, but fortunately for me, I enjoy playing as a knight.

I still think that the dark magic's pretty OP.

Mind you, I'm not entirely bitter about Pursuers and will continue to utilize it on my new INT build, I'll just leave it for 2/3v1 situations or when I'm clearly outleveled - which is when it proves to be rather adequate.

Also, magic shield could find itself being wasted if the Pursuers user is playing coy and facing away from you.

The new set of spells certainly enable INT builds in a new way, and I'm sure the problem has to do more with people's inexperience. It'll probably find itself on the same shelf as WoG spam and BS fishing in due time.

Stability is a partial factor, as stamina is important as well. So long as it has close to 80 magic resist, good stability, and you have good stamina, you should be fine. Eagle shield would probably work, as it has around 86 stability and 75 magic resist(IIRC). You should have enough time to cast magic shield if you see they have pursuers up, and can extend it's duration through equipping a ring.

Well, stability is only a partial factor. Stamina means a lot, too. Though, yeah, the Ring Shield will probably buckle. So long as it has close to 80 magic resist, good stability, and you have good stamna, you should be fine. Eagle shield would probably work, as it has around 86 stability and 75 magic resist(IIRC). You can cast Magic Shield if you see pursuers out to prevent eating all that damage. And you can increase the duration through equipping a ring.

The Crystal Ring Shield's paltry 40 stability (it doesn't increase with upgrades) will probably get wrecked by dark magic's ability to chew through stamina. If Pursuers can easily guard break a Crest Shield I don't think the CRS has much of a chance either. Great Magic Barrier is an effective counter, but it doesn't take very long to wait out. Stong Magic Shield can only be applied to enchantable shields, and only lasts 15 seconds. Having to waste your slots on the eventuality that someone might be using pursuers isn't what you call an effective counter.

Force is great in its own right and more people need to use it. WoG's limited casts make it less viable as a counter. Ninja flipping isn't necessary. I've midrolled plenty through pursuers, but that's because I'm comfortable with the i-frames.

I'll be interested to see how the more experienced PS3 users will handle it when the DLC hits. I'd definately like to take it out for the spin then.

I've seen pursuers in action. They are not as hard to avoid as the video implies. Pendant does work, as I said, but it's not risk free and requires that the pursuers already travelled a bit. Great Magic Shield might also work, though that drains stamina. And Moonlight Crystal Shield would negate 95% of the damage, provided it's upgraded a bit so that it doesn't fold under the pressure. Ninja Roll will get you out of that for free, but requires a build with weak armor and to know when the invincibility frames activate. And, hell, Force dissipates all magic on contact(needs to be timed well) as well as giving you space. I believe the same holds true with Wrath of the Gods, but I don't use it that often. I've seen Soul Spear negated by Force a few times.

That's not to say that Pursuers isn't good. It's just not so powerful as to be broken. There are ways around it, and they can be practical. It IS probably one of the best spells in the game, though.

>Chaos pyromancies deal similar damage give or take 100 points of damage
I've never seen any of my Chaos Fireballs come even close to 1.8k damage, and plenty of people do moan about great combustion. Pursuers isn't as easy to avoid in comparison, it's not the same deal at all. Pyromancy requires manual aiming to pull off well while Pursuers just needs a target while you're hands free to attack at the same time or set up a follow-up.

Also this might interest you if you havem't seen it already:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgsJVIggaqM&t=1m5s