DARK SOULS 2

[brokenhalo]

so noobest has his any% route down to 1:44:47. really, really crazy stuff.

using the original 1.00 version, lobos jr figured out a way to skip the shrine of winter, cutting out 13 boss fights. so the glitched run should be pretty nuts once that comes together.

amazing what these guys have done in such a short amount of time.

[Octopod]

I think I am lacking a proper understanding of how these games are meant to be played. That or I am just short on patience, which I am usually not. I think I am going to change the way I approach the game. Rather than trying to rush back after being defeated and trying to just hack the mobs up in an attempt to get back to where I was as quickly as possible I am going to treat every enemy as if they were a boss. Maybe if I keep that mindset I will make some progress.

I am getting better at the giant two-handers but I am still not consistent with them. I figured out that it is actually better to stay very close to them rather than trying to keep distance. I just stick right next to their sword arm and roll to the left and behind them. If it looks like they are going to do a combo I try to roll away after the first swing and then raise my shield. I did make it to the boss that utilizes a spear though. It took me around two hours of playing tonight to make it there once.

I think another problem I am committing is relying on rolling to avoid damage too much while I am carrying a tower shield. Just use the damn shield some of the time. Anyhow.

[Leader Bee]

i've gotten all the way to - and past - the lost sinner, one of the four major demons at only soul level 23. mostly using the drangleic shield; I could see why the tower shield would be appealing but it's not necessary. I would like the strength to equip some of the heavier armour and use the lion axe and eventually great gyrm axe but honestly ive been spending my souls on consumables (firebombs, witching urns and lifegems mostly) and equipment and have not really needed to level much yet.

[Marc]

I've got to say, the hit detection on this is absolute bullshit. I'm being hit by things I've avoided well in advance. And no, it's not a wah wah wah I suck complaint, I genuinely feel it's not quite right.

Anyway. Fucked the Dragonslayer up today. So far, I'm finding the levels harder, but the bosses easier than DS.

[ryu]

I've got to say, the hit detection on this is absolute bullshit. I'm being hit by things I've avoided well in advance. And no, it's not a wah wah wah I suck complaint, I genuinely feel it's not quite right.

Anyway. Fucked the Dragonslayer up today. So far, I'm finding the levels harder, but the bosses easier than DS.

you need to put points into adaptability if you want your rolls to be worth something in this game

[CMoon]

OK, beat the

Spoiler

gargoyle

boss and wow, what a rush! Managed to get a human helper and we fought off a couple invaders before we could get to the fight itself. In general haven't been using buffs on the large club, but seemed to help out this time 'round. More than anything else though, it was just having that extra person there. I do like how some of the boss fights aren't just about pure damage, but rather involve knowing when and where to strike.

Spoiler

The gargoyles require picking them off one at a time, the rat vanguard fight is more about kiting since killing most of the rats is actually counter-productive, and the skeleton lord fight also requires killing one boss at a time.

A really nice alternative to brain dead boss fights of which there are plenty: as pointed out; often the levels feel harder than the bosses.

[Octopod]

I've got to say, the hit detection on this is absolute bullshit. I'm being hit by things I've avoided well in advance. And no, it's not a wah wah wah I suck complaint, I genuinely feel it's not quite right.

Agreed. I was really noticing this last night.

[Leader Bee]

I noticed it most on those mummies in the bastille... my hits not registering, that is.

[CMoon]

Here's a video comparing agility, giving you some sense of what you might want to do with ADP and ATT. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrrymfvwDv0

As far as hit detection and so forth, worth pointing out:

1) The game used to be the way it was in the trailers graphically, and effectively it was UNPLAYABLE on consoles. I am imagining this was why release date got pushed back. My point here is that the final product has been salvaged from the brink--and I agree, a lot of things feel sluggish (especially with the menus) and rough around the edges. I don't want to be an apologist, but I'm starting to see all the compromises made for the console release.

2) One aspect I'm not entirely happy about is that level 0 in DS2 is something like level -30 in DS. You definitely feel extremely gimped at the beginning of the game. Can't even be bothered putting points into vigor since vitality, endurance, adaptability and at least one or two 'skill stats' (str, dex, int, fai) are all mandatory. And now Attenuation looks like it might be required for all builds??!

[ryu]

i didn't put a single point into attenuation´and completed the game just fine

[LtC]

So after a 14 hour run I managed to finish the game without using a bonfire and without dying. Got both of the rings after the credits that made your weapons invisible. Then the next day I accidentally deleted my character (thanks to having max amount of characters and accidentally going New Game instead of Continue and overwriting my character without paying attention)

I guess I've got the reason to beat the game once again.

As for the whole game itself I think I enjoyed it more than the previous games, although there are things that definitely disappoint me. Like how they greatly toned down the darkness in the game.

[guigui]

So after a 14 hour run I managed to finish the game without using a bonfire and without dying.

Congrats. Did you level up though ?

As fas as colored environments go, I must say I love myself spending some time in Majula.

[LtC]

So after a 14 hour run I managed to finish the game without using a bonfire and without dying.

Congrats. Did you level up though ?

As fas as colored environments go, I must say I love myself spending some time in Majula.

Of course, it was a minimal risk run, although I did nearly get killed multiple times in places I would not expect. I was SL125 in the very end, with 50 points in VGR and well over 2000HP to make sure I didn't die anywhere. Once you know your way around the game without having to resort to spells it's not a hard thing to pull off. I'll probably try a SL1 run sometime too

[Wooph]

although I did nearly get killed multiple times in places I would not expect.

What places were these?

Spoiler

Shrine of Amana, perhaps?

I'm thinking of doing this challenge myself once the PC version is out.

[CMoon]

Sort of a weird comment. Definitely enjoying my first playthrough, but am so looking forward to the metagame. I know everyone talks about 'going back', but I think DS2 is going to be the game that is better the second time 'round. Honestly, a lot of the bosses so far have been 'meh', and I feel like I have little to know coherent understanding of a 'build'. I am enjoying the world, and can't wait to actually understand the infusion system or how I should plan my course through DS2 making best use of weapon placement, NPC quests, etc. Looking forward to challenge runs eventually. I know some of you guys are already there, but I'm looking forward to the community tearing this game apart and really figuring out all the stats, etc. So yeah, sometimes flying blind is just frustrating.

That said, The Gutter (blind) for me was everything I really wanted from valley of defilement and blighttown to be--so something is to be said for both experiences, which is part of what makes dark souls great.

[Cagar]

Apparently, something might happen if you kill all NG+10 bosses.

Spoiler

http://www.reddit.com/r/DarkSouls2/comm ... nsion_map/

[iconoclast]

Belated congrats on the no bonfire/no death run, LtC.

I've been working on a SL1/Champion's Covenant run over the last few days (uploading it here). I made a couple of mistakes so far: First, I chose the Life Ring as my starting gift when I really should have gone with the Bonfire Ascetic. If you use two ascetics at the bonfire by Pate, you can get a bunch of Titanite Chunks and a Slab to max out your weapon ASAP. I've also been using the mace, but I think the club is better all around. That one isn't a big deal, but I did waste a Titanite Chunk on my mace, so that kinda sucks. Now I'm wondering if I should infuse my weapon with Raw or Mundane. I think Mundane should be better at SL1, so I guess I'll go with that and see how it works out.

As far as bosses go, the only two that have given me some trouble so far are Mytha and Najka. Mytha because it took me a while to realize I needed to stay the hell away from her after getting one or two shots in, because she has an instakill tailspin attack that's really hard to avoid. Najka was a pain because of her homing soul missiles, which again, kill you in one shot. It is possible to dodge them, but it can be damn near impossible if she starts running toward you after she shoots the first wave. But yeah, the only boss I'm really worried about is Darklurker. I hope I'll be able to beat him before running out of effigies...

[guigui]

First, I chose the Life Ring as my starting gift when I really should have gone with the Bonfire Ascetic. If you use two ascetics at the bonfire by Pate, you can get a bunch of Titanite Chunks and a Slab to max out your weapon ASAP.

I blindly chose the petrified something as a starting gift, and dropped it in Silky Smooth nest. Got a titanite slab in exchange.
Are those nest rewards randomized this time ?

[ryu]

First, I chose the Life Ring as my starting gift when I really should have gone with the Bonfire Ascetic. If you use two ascetics at the bonfire by Pate, you can get a bunch of Titanite Chunks and a Slab to max out your weapon ASAP.

I blindly chose the petrified something as a starting gift, and dropped it in Silky Smooth nest. Got a titanite slab in exchange.
Are those nest rewards randomized this time ?

yes they are

[guigui]

Randomized ? So I was a little lucky to get that slab.

[Jon]

From what I can tell, leaving the Petrified Something removes the filler items that have a chance of popping up when using a lesser offering like small smooth and silky stone. Even the Smooth and Silky's can result in better items if your lucky, I received a Twinkling Titanite in exchange for a small stone and the Old Whip from a regular one.

[Octopod]

I seem to be at a dead end. I believe I have done everything at the Forest, Tower and No-Mans Wharf. At Bastille I can't figure out what to do with the three armored tall guys. Nothing I do inflicts any damage. I guess the one option I have remaining is to buy the ring from the cat and fall down. The Knights of Blue guy won't talk to me so that place just looks like a dead end too.

BTW, I haven't had trouble with any enemies since the two-hander giants. I don't know what it was but it took me quite a bit to get used to them.

[Marc]

Well, my plan to solo it went out the window when stuck between (as far as I could tell) the Ruins Sentinels or the Pursuer. Ended up having to summon help for the Sentinels. Dunno if it's just me, but so far it seems a lot stingier than Dark when it comes to giving out truly different weapons, I'm levelling up pretty evenly because I'm yet to find a weapon that's swayed me in any particular direction (Fire Longsword +4 at min). Seems like a combination of the best bits of Demon's and DS1 so far, loving it.

[CMoon]

I seem to be at a dead end. I believe I have done everything at the Forest, Tower and No-Mans Wharf. At Bastille I can't figure out what to do with the three armored tall guys.

Sounds like you missed Huntman's corpse, Harvest Valley and the Shadow Forest--plus a few other areas associated with each of these. Though by all means get the ring and go down the pit.

[jepjepjep]

I'm about 30 hours in and I'm enjoying it so far. It looks like I have a long ways to go still. I've reached the boss at the end of the bridge in Huntsman's Copse after the phantom.

[rapoon]

beat it about a week ago. first playthrough i burned up all my life vessels, indecisive about whether to play a dex or str build.
the game leans towards str builds (minus certain exceptions: espada ropera comes to mind) - the matter in which str scales vs dex
(dex scales at ~ 50% the rate str scales) and there's a str variant in almost every weapon tree.

after, I went on the NG+ and also rolled a new character: sorcerer. NG+ for melee isn't too difficult minus certain bosses. flexible sentry is
unbelievably annoying without a summon. he now has two ninjafuck adds that bypass your shields, bounce around like spider monkeys and bleed
you almost instantly.

on my sorcerer, the game is very easy. im at drangleic castle and i've died only 3 or 4 times so far. not too shabby.

it's a great game. not as memorable as the demon or dark souls. I hope they make some adjustments: dex scaling at a proper rate, poise
adjustments (effectively worthless unless extremely high), more invasions (from reds). outside of belfry, any of you been invaded?
I was invaded by a red once and it was some guy dual wielding lances in a power stance.

weapons: I ended up getting around 11 or 12 slabs my first playthrough (most from birds). maxed out the claymore (shit scaling, needs elemental upgrade)
zweihander (shit scaling, needs elemental upgrade), ricards (awesome), ropera (awesome), greataxe (bleh), lion greataxe (awesome), mastodon halberd (awesome),
drakekeepers greataxe (incredible), mirrah greatsword (great scaling but due to dex, needs elemental), syans halberd (more of a spear, think slow partizan. w/ elemental its nice)

[Octopod]

I seem to be at a dead end. I believe I have done everything at the Forest, Tower and No-Mans Wharf. At Bastille I can't figure out what to do with the three armored tall guys.

Sounds like you missed Huntman's corpse, Harvest Valley and the Shadow Forest--plus a few other areas associated with each of these. Though by all means get the ring and go down the pit.

Well it sounds like I need to do some more exploration. I don't have enough souls for the ring right now anyhow. Actually I forgot all about Pursuer I was stuck on before. He shouldn't be too bad at this point I think.

[LtC]

Finished the no death no bonfire run again. Took again nearly the same ~14 hours and ended up around the very same Soul Level. This time I'm definitely not deleting the character again. I think I'll be sick if I have to use the Black Knight Halberd again.

although I did nearly get killed multiple times in places I would not expect.

What places were these?

Spoiler

Shrine of Amana, perhaps?

I'm thinking of doing this challenge myself once the PC version is out.

I'm not even joking when I say Shrime of Amana is the easiest and most relaxing area for the run. You can take your time and snipe the priestesses with a longbow. You can even summon an NPC bodyguard halfway through. The only part where you have to pay attention is the last part where that NPC sorcerer phantom invades you. And even then the biggest threat is you accidentally falling off.

Here are some places where I almost got killed

• -Heide Knight (Spear). He's really really fast with his attacks. Caught me by surprise and I went down quite low on health.
  -Going into the shaded woods, where you get ambushed by 6 enemies and a petrify frog comes out. Went to around half of my health and poisoned with the ambush, decided to use one of those _very slow_ HP and poison healing items. Turns out it almost gave the frog enough time to petrify me.
  -Royal swordsmen in sinner's rise. Got staggered by a headshot while fighting two of them in the lift room.
  -Old Iron King. Twice almost got knocked back into the lava. This fight is quite long as a melee only character.
  -Two mammoths before Drangleic castle gate. They have a lot more health than I remembered and they do a lot damage if you have two on you.
  -Drangleic castle trying to get out of that one room without killing the greatbow katana knights. Got headshot twice while fighting the mammoth in a place I thought was safe.
  -Undead Crypt. Going into the wrong direction and a dead end twice after jumping down to the room where the bells started ringing. My health went so down I must have been saved by like 5-10 HP.
  -Almost petrified by those monkey things before Aldia's Keep

I had couple failed runs while doing these two runs. Here are the deaths:

• -The Ogre in the beginning. Lesson: The axe is pretty sucky in melee, better try ranged combat after a few hits.
  -The Ogre in the beginning. Lesson: Don't even try melee combat, even for the first few hits.
  -The Last Giant. One shotted by stomp attack while being summoned as a shade. Lesson: Don't even fight The Last Giant without being few other bosses first and having a decent armor and a decent amount of health.
  -Huntsman's Corpse. Falling down to my death while trying to make the drop for the poison moss. Lesson: Do not try to make any extra jumps or falls, no matter how carefully you plan on doing them.

[50Hz]

^I'm in awe at your skill man, I'm definitely gunna go for a no bonfire run for NG+2

Just got onto + after beating the game at 101 hours (I spent around 50-60 of that doing PvP) and as much fun as I'm having, I'm a little disappointed that my hex build is still stuipidly op even against the buffed up enemies.
I'm thinking of soul vesseling myself and playing the rest of the game with dual Greatshields (Orma and Reeve's specifically).

[CMoon]

Might seem late, but here's oroboro the ninja's stat breakdown. Apparently we all need 38 adaptability now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-mm8pSmEw0