DARK SOULS 2

[CMoon]

http://www.vg247.com/2015/05/08/dark-so ... now-fixed/

So is the durability glitch fixed now?

[Marc]

That's what I read, but I broke a Fire Longsword and Falchion on the way to Flexible Sentry last night so something is still amiss.

[Acid_Rain]

Still haven't killed the ancient dragon and the darklurker…
Bloodborne seamed way easier in comparison…

[Weak Boson]

I still haven't got either of those too. I tried my best with the stalker but I think I might wait until I can bring some fire to the fight. As for the dragon, if I'm in the area I'll attack it but it usually just blasts me in like two seconds.

Just completed old ivory king dlc and am now aiming to claim the sunken crown. That is if someone can give me some tips on that crazy singing lady. When she summons squid knight it's just so much nope. [EDIT: got her, thanks berny. Also sihn who was pretty easy with summons. I fought Kalameet legit so I thought fuck it]

Also I must say I enjoyed the fume knight imensely. It was like fighting Artorias but both worse and better - that sort of signature style super aggressive dlc boss. At first I was a bit overwhelmed because my character was too slow so I was forced to do some internet research on the mechanics so I could stand a chance. And that sort of experience is one of the reasons souls has a place in my life.

Furthemore I'm really digging these weapons that have two handed special attacks on the L2 button. This and the dual weilding make movesets in DS2 interesting, I'm looking forward to seeing how DS3 handles "weapon arts".

[Acid_Rain]

…dlc…

I haven't played any of the DLCs. Are they worth getting the newer PS4 version of the game?

[Weak Boson]

I would say that if there was one thing DS2 doesn't need it's more areas - but as it happens these dlc ones are among the most enjoyable in the game.

One thing I hope someone can tell me is: since I have all the DLC and latest patches, is there are any meanigful differences in the two versions besides graphics? (I hear there are respawning Heide knights? Do I get those in DX10?)

[Marc]

I don't think you get all the rejigged enemy placements without upgrading to the newer version - the Tower of Flame for I stance is crawling with knights that go into aggro mode as soon as you Polish off the Dragonrider.

And FUCK The Gutter. It was a shit level in vanilla 2, and even more annoying in HD due to the new lighting.

[Acid King]

I'm on my third playthrough of this, this time with a str/dex build, and I cleared out the Old Iron King DLC and defeated all the initial bosses. I just killed the Rotten and when I lit the bonfire, it blew up and this giant blob monster thing started talking to me, which I don't recall from my previous plays. What's that all about? Something new or did I accidentally trigger something I missed earlier?

[ryu]

That's a new thing since a recent patch

[Blinge]

Haven't posted much as I want to avoid spoilers. I'm on my NG run of this game. Dex build sl118. I've only just learned about soul memory, and had been stopping myself from levelling up so I could pvp a bit here and there, but now I realise level doesn't make a difference >_<
Enjoying it far more than I thought I would, I love it. I'm not agreeing with Obscura just yet though, I still prefer DS1.

However this is a rage post. This is a rage post because fuck Darklurker.
I've just reached the Eerie but trying to finish the dark covenent areas and oh man fuck Darklurker!

Spoiler

It seems designed to really fuck melee builds over. having to fight my way through the abyssal area to get to it every time, and waste human effigies to try again is just brutal. I thought I was getting a read on its patterns and doing better, until it duplicates. God damn. Shall I try and level more/upgrade some armour/get on with the rest of the game? Or just keep at it...?

[Immryr]

Well you're already a pretty high level, so I don't think levelling is going to help you kill dark lurker. You're right that just getting through the abyss each time you want to refight him is a nightmare, and it's definitely harder as pure melee. It is doable though, it's mostly about sprinting away from his attacks and keeping both of them in your sights.

[ryu]

I attempted the darklurker once when I played SOTFS a while back, and just gave up on him after that. No idea how I managed to deal with the Abyss multiple times just to beat that boss when I played the game last year.

It's not worth the trouble.

[Blinge]

Cheers Immryr, I'll get back in there today.

One thing I noticed about this game.. The arrows track you! there's a bit of homing, at least from the archers in Drangleic Castle.
Devious.. or bullshit.. depending on who you're talking to.

[CMoon]

Are any of you preferring DS2 vanilla to SotFS? Curious because Seraphim17 posted a relatively in depth video about why he thought virtually every aspect (except for the improved frame rate on consoles) was actually worse, especially the new enemy placement. Seraphim17 though is one of those players who has soured on the game (like myself), so I was curious what others thought?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9Qf_h1D0HM

[Sparky]

Are any of you preferring DS2 vanilla to SotFS? Curious because Seraphim17 posted a relatively in depth video about why he thought virtually every aspect (except for the improved frame rate on consoles) was actually worse, especially the new enemy placement. Seraphim17 though is one of those players who has soured on the game (like myself), so I was curious what others thought?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9Qf_h1D0HM

I have not played the original for almost a year now but I recently purchased Scholar of the First Sin and I would agree with most of what is said in that video. The technical improvements (frame rate and graphics) make the game a smoother experience but the core design still falters due to the exploitive enemy placement.

I will admit I felt the same way about the original. I typically play as a strength build with an emphasize on melee. There are still places where I get overwhelmed. Difficulty does not feel balanced. The game is not hard but it takes long to play through areas with with lots of enemies due to fear of agro’ing a group which is almost impossible to recover from. There also seems to be a reliance on petrified characters and ’Fragrant Branch of Yore’ to restrict access to items which feels tedious.

Overall I do not think there was much of an improvement to the level design of the original. I will continue to play it in order to access the DLC areas which I had not tried yet. I think that is all I will get out of this experience.

[Blinge]

^ gets overwhelmed, complains about enemy numbers, says it's not hard.

Beat Darklurker today, all melee. Just had to be way more patient, bit more STR and DEX for damage output. Dual wield power stanced too as blocking didn't help much.
Thanks for the advice guize.

I think I'm near the end of the game now but I'm enjoying me some Dragon Duels on Iron Keep bridge.. Also wanna rank up with the sunbros but it's becoming hard to get summoned.

[Squire Grooktook]

^ gets overwhelmed, complains about enemy numbers, says it's not hard.

As I mentioned on Steam, it's obviously because nothing is hard except a 2-all of Dodonpachi Daioujou White Label. And even that is too easy if you don't get a near wr score.

[Blinge]

When will I finally be challenged?

Oh and, after I got back from the Dark Chasm.. The old bloke sat there in his chair. A friend happened to be watching at the time and said "kill him."
My response was "nahh.. he might have something I nee-"

He had it coming, man..

[Blinge]

So I've beat the game, finished all the DLC areas. The DLC is fantastic; ranking them is a tossup between Old Iron King and Ivory King.
I found Brume tower to have some of the most unique and challenging individual segments, it kicked my ass more than most of the main game.

Being the miserable bastard I am, I'm here to rant again.. Frigid Outskirts is the single worst area in any souls game, period.

Spoiler

Usually I don't like playing backseat gamedev but this is bad design, man! A huge, mostly empty glacier/tundra could be cool, however your visibility is obscured by the blizzard like clockwork for about 30 seconds. In an open area (most of the area) a fucking lightning horse made of ice attacks you.

A lightning horse..made of ice.

It makes a horse noise but appears to have antlers. They never stop coming, they spawn in from a few feet away every time the blizzard hits. They're not easy to put down, and if they're not dead by the time the blizzard clears up and returns again another one will spawn and you're dealing with two. Add NPC enemies to the mix and it's just hellish. Sometimes the horses can be hella evasive and fly for short periods of time, firing lightning down at you, making them even harder to dispatch quickly. The blizzard doesn't clear for long at all, I'd say I can only run for 3/4's of my stamina bar before it comes back.

I understand this is one of the DLC challenge areas, and summoning NPC phantoms or players to help you is part of the idea. However I disagree heavily with this design. It's my preference to play a souls game in NG without summoning anyone; human nor NPC. I've beaten the entire game alone, including the challenge areas from the other DLC, this is the last area on my NG and i'm not gonna summon now.

I'm quite resolved to keep mashing my face against this wall until it breaks. The boss was spoiled for me so I know it's just another re-hash anyway. After the 3rd building two horses seem to spawn at once, so next time I guess i'll just run for it and see if I can find anything out there.

Cheers Ivory King, you've turned me into DSP.

[Acid King]

Agreed on Frigid Outskirts. I recently wrapped up a similar NG playthrough, clearing all the DLC and killing all the optional bosses, and that was the section I held until the end because of how irritating it is.

[Blinge]

Welp, I've finally beaten that area. When fighting the boss I thought "oh, damnit its the same problem as Darklurker!"

I went through the various phases, irritation, despair, thinking "shit man, I cannot do this alone =[ "
I then beat it 6th attempt or so after forsaking the shield in favour of a dual wield. Heart in my mouth as usual, that's the souls feel!

Did anyone get big into the PvP? Managed to avoid a pyromancers barrage of various spells while on a pixel of health earlier. Eventually closed the distance and spammed R1 for the kill ^_^
lets hear your stories..

Spoiler

Lore theory time. This isn't very imaginative and i'm sure others have come to the same conclusion, But I think it was Captain Drummond that felled the Giant Lord in the real Drangleic. He swears he won't die before drawing his sword, and his body (Drangleic armour set) is beneath the rampart where the Giant Lord is defeated.

[sjewkestheloon]

I've been casually playing DS2: SotFS on the PS4 for the last week or so, after having played it to death on the 360 but not touching the DLC.

Although I do think it isn't up to scratch from a design perspective, it's still a lot of fun. Just got the King's Ring on a hexer build, about sl 110.

I'm thinking of clearing everything I can on this playthrough with a serious amount of mop up and exploration, and then join one of the PVP covenants going into NG+ so I can buy them cracked orbs.

I'm also thinking of breaking my habit of playing quality or magic builds and making a pure strength build. I've always fancied trying a beefcake run, with a giant club or the like, but never got around to it.

[Necronopticous]

So, like many, I originally went into Dark Souls 2 a passionate fan of Demon's Souls and Dark Souls 1 and was sorely disappointed with what was presented. I grudgingly forced myself through the entire game and most of the content (DLC excluded) with only a few fleeting moments of enjoyment along the way.

With the Bloodborne DLC behind me, and Dark Souls 3 still a full quarter away, I decided to pick up Scholar of the First Sin and give Dark Souls 2 another spin, despite my painful initial experience with the game. I'm curious about the DLC which I'm told is very good, and although I had a very bad taste in my mouth about this game it bothers me that it is the one Souls/Borne entry which I have not beaten at base level/SL1.

So I rolled a Deprived and set out on an SL1 attempt. I had a lot of fun this time. I think a large swath of my disdain for this game was simply a conflict of my expectations, and somehow maintaining a feeling/hope that the game would eventually click with me, or maybe suddenly become more like its predecessors. It was a much different experience knowing fairly well what I was going to be presented with and just trying to make the best of it and find a way through the game in this challenging way.

Let me be clear, I still don't personally believe this game has the same charm and nuance of the other titles (not to say that it doesn't have a bit of its own) -- that is my opinion -- and I don't believe I will ever hold it as dearly as the others. I also think think that at least a little bit of my second opinion of this game can be attributed to the changes made specifically for Scholar of the First Sin (earlier key/progression item acquisition, enemy placements, etc).

Random notes:

Adaptability (ADP). I complained about this game a lot to anyone who would listen, and adaptability was at the top of my list of things to complain about. I have always respected the core design idea of these games that your performance as a player of the game is more important than any numerical stat you can raise, and maintained the belief that ADP was just an annoying and virtually necessary stat sink to prevent you from feeling like an immobile hunk of flesh. Having cleared the game at SL1 and therefore base ADP I can't really maintain this argument. Mobility, rolling, and iframe utilization were not big problems for me. I still don't like the idea of this stat, and think the games are better off without it, but Dark Souls is not fully innocent here, either. Hello RES. You don't need adaptability to play Dark Souls 2 well, you can safely ignore it and just be ever-so-slightly more precise with your timing. It probably makes you a better player to ignore it, honestly.

Early game openness/options. I played this game in such an insane order on this most recently playthrough that I have absolutely nothing to complain about here. For some reason I was convinced that this game offered far less freedom than the other games, especially that of early-game Dark Souls, but that couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, it might just be the most open/breakable of all of the games. Bloodborne is the real offender, here. I still think that some of the concepts involved in this openness are dumb (Early Gutter/Gulch access method, how the 4 Great Soul/1M Soul Memory progression gate is physically an impassable small pile of rubble/debris, etc) but these are really only minor annoyances if you're primarily interested in gameplay/having fun.

Parrying. I love parry/riposte in this series and I sincerely felt betrayed and offended at how it was handled (very close to completely broken/worthless in my opinion) especially since it seemed like I forced to suffer the effects of what was primarily a PvP decision, even when I don't particularly care about PvP myself. I honestly still sorta have this opinion with Dark Souls 2 in large part, but this single minute of gameplay did make a hell of a lot of emotional amends.

I have more to say but I'm tired of typing.

[Illyrian]

I personally always take a fairly mental route to the 4 great souls.

I generally go and do Last Giant to collect weapons but then I go straight for Iron Keep to get the Ember for the blacksmith.

So then I go and do Heide etc after that. I do this as it makes the earlier stages of the game more challenging, and once you get levelled up a bit the game isn't too hard on subsequent playthrough's anyway.

Regarding an earlier post about enemy placements being bullshit, the first open chamber in Iron Keep, before Smelter Demon is COMPLETE bullshit in SotFS. There are simply too many enemies. Everywhere else in the game up to that point is fine, but that room has so many alonne soldiers and knights that it goes past being a fun challenge to just being a chore to clear up to Smelter Demon and get the Ember.

[Necronopticous]

straight for Iron Keep to get the Ember for the blacksmith.

One of the nice things about Scholar of the First Sin! This is not necessary anymore. You get the Dull Ember right after you beat Pursuer.

[munchiaz]

I've tried to get into and like DS 2 twice, and i can't do it. Tried on ps3, and the updated ps4 version, and it just did not hook me like Demon's, DS, and BB. I really want to complete it before DS3 comes out, but i don't even know if I want to put the effort forward.

[Necronopticous]

I hear you, man. I've been there. I'm not sure what to tell you beyond the text wall I recently posted. I no longer think Dark Souls 2 is a piece of shit, but I did have that opinion for a long time even after playing the entire game. It's very difficult to play through an installment in a series and not compare it with the rest of the offerings in that series, and I certainly was not able to do so until very recently, but it is a hell of a lot more enjoyable if you can somehow get your brain to do that. My biggest tip would be to force yourself not to focus on minor shit. I used to jump on the bandwagon complaining about stuff like unnecessary bonfire placements right after shortcuts and world connectivity and it's a lot easier for me to see how unimportant and petty those arguments are now, even if they're true. My fun was not affected by having 2 bonfires a few steps away from each other, except when I was snobbishly hung up on it and rolling my eyes at the game while playing.

[munchiaz]

I hear you, man. I've been there. I'm not sure what to tell you beyond the text wall I recently posted. I no longer think Dark Souls 2 is a piece of shit, but I did have that opinion for a long time even after playing the entire game. It's very difficult to play through an installment in a series and not compare it with the rest of the offerings in that series, and I certainly was not able to do so until very recently, but it is a hell of a lot more enjoyable if you can somehow get your brain to do that. My biggest tip would be to force yourself not to focus on minor shit. I used to jump on the bandwagon complaining about stuff like unnecessary bonfire placements right after shortcuts and world connectivity and it's a lot easier for me to see how unimportant and petty those arguments are now, even if they're true. My fun was not affected by having 2 bonfires a few steps away from each other, except when I was snobbishly hung up on it and rolling my eyes at the game while playing.

I feel that man. I don't think i will play through it before DS3 drops (SFV comes out soon) But i will get around to it some day, and try to come in with a clean slate

[ryu]

Iron Keep was the same in the original. It really is a pain to clear, and one of the reasons I'm very hesistant replaying the game. Although in my experience it's not as bad to play as memory makes it out to be.

As a whole the overall mean enemy placement in the game never bothered me too much. I liked the game from start to finish, despite its somewhat poor lore and its couple of frustrating areas. To the point that it's the first Souls game that motivated me to tackle NG+ and beyond. I never bothered with that in the other games before because I always felt like I was done with developing my characters by the time I beat the games. So one of the strong points of Dark Souls II, if you ask me, is how much room you have for developing your characters. But that's not for everyone I guess. Putting that aside people always complain about the graphical downgrade from a showroom build, which never bothered me, and I don't see how it makes a game suddenly bad. However I 'agree' that Dark Souls II lacked the spooky parts that the other games have, which noone actually ever seems to have complained about, because a shiny coat of paint appears to be more important than the actual experience of playing a game. Heh.
It's a good game. Just not on par with the other games of the series, which all happen to be great.

[Illyrian]

Original iron keep was fine. New Iron Keep us a pain in the add leading up to Smelter Demon