[Megathread] Dark Souls 2

[WarpedAcorn]

I guess there'll be plenty of action in the belfry but I'll probably play through that area in offline mode for the most part.

I just did the Belfry part on a new character this past weekend (I had an urge to play). The guys that were invading were really bad. I don't know if the good PvPers have moved on, OR if they just stick to the Arenas...but even 2v1'ing was laughably easy.

ALSO, in SotFS, the 2nd Floor Belfry has a summon spot for an NPC with a ridiculously high health pool. The summon sign is under the stairs. If you are fearful of being invaded, summon that guy. You can dash to the spot and summon well before an Invader can connect to your world.

[Djriff]

Picked up the Scholar of the First sin for PS4 after buying the CE for PC when it came out. Performance improvements are great and the different enemies/items are a help. Currently rocking a paladin build with 50 faith and 30 str using the cleric starter mace with lightning +10. Really looking forward to DS 3 in a month

[WarpedAcorn]

Picked up the Scholar of the First sin for PS4 after buying the CE for PC when it came out. Performance improvements are great and the different enemies/items are a help. Currently rocking a paladin build with 50 faith and 30 str using the cleric starter mace with lightning +10. Really looking forward to DS 3 in a month

I know DS2 gets a lot of hate for the lore, enemy design, and impossible geography, but from a gameplay perspective its probably the best in the series.

Like you, I went back to an older one in the series. I bought a PS3 and tore through Demon's Souls. It was interesting to play through and you can definitely see the primordial ooze of Dark Souls. But it was also painful to trudge through a lot of the game, and the limited weapons had me longing for the choice and variety in DS2.

[Djriff]

Oh god, demon's souls made me want to /wrist so many times. I like many others didn't even know about it until I had already beaten the original Dark Souls a few times and it was a cringefest.

What's there to hate on the lore? I've found plenty of it, way more than Dark Souls had, at least easier to find to me.
Enemy design is meh imo. I do like the increased amount of bosses, although the phantoms in SotFS annoy the hell out of me, Stupid Dennis in Forest of the Giants killed me quite a few times as I wasn't ready for him.
What impossible geography? I haven't run into any problems at all minus accidently back stepping to end dialog with an NPC and going off a cliff.

[WarpedAcorn]

What impossible geography? I haven't run into any problems at all minus accidently back stepping to end dialog with an NPC and going off a cliff.

The biggest one...consider the path to get to the Iron Keep, where you start from and where you end up. Also, here's a video on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kshiTrSDles .

Personally, my headcanon theory is that when a part of the world gets overrun with the curse of the undead, somehow that world is separated from reality. In that regard, the world of DS2 is a bunch of areas from different times that have been mashed together in another dimension where the rules of reality do no apply. That's why the undead in the real world feel compelled to go to that portal in the lake, dive through it, and end up in another dimension.

[Djriff]

Oh, well tbh i don't know if I trust digging through the game files like that. Some stuff will line up sure but it's not hard to create and instanced area that stops loading everything behind you, it's well within the consoles power to do so. When you said geography i was thinking of actually walking around, which granted there are some spots that you should be able to get to but can't.

I can agree with that headcanon, especially since I've had the same thoughts. Something interesting to do is go to the cathedral of blue and look out. There's some half destroyed buildings/platforms just floating in the void. I'm also of the impression that DS1 and DS2 are very intimately linked which would explain the very similar textures used as well as a lot of the bosses being very similar to DS1 ie Old Dragonslayer. Maybe this is set vastly in the future from the previous game and this game takes the spin on you taking the good ending and linking all the fires. Considering the original ending of DS2 and the option you have in SotFS i'm likely to believe this a bit more.

http://www.ign.com/wikis/dark-souls-...uls_2_a_Sequel has a pretty good page on it.

[Poppincaps]

Demon's Soul is obviously Miyazaki's first foray into the Soulslike formula which means its a bit rough around the edges at times, but I think it is has some of the most unique boss fights in the series. Also, until Bloodborne I was of the opinion that the Tower of Latria was the finest level design ever.

[Verdugo]

Oh, well tbh i don't know if I trust digging through the game files like that.

There is also more obvious instances, like seeing Heides Tower of Flame in the far distance while traveling there on foot in about a minute, or riding an elevator up to the hell in the sky.

Demon's Soul is obviously Miyazaki's first foray into the Soulslike formula which means its a bit rough around the edges at times

Miyazaki also joined the development half-way through, he basicaly pulled it out of the trash can.

[Djriff]

True, I did notice that when replaying it on PS4 and I thought it was kind of weird, but I didn't let it bug me. Still think the game is absolutely gorgeous however starting completely from scratch on PS4 and not being in NG+ makes it difficult to find people to Co-op with.

I didn't know he joined that late, imagine if he never did :C We wouldn't have this glorious game.

On a side note I respecced from a str/faith paladin build to a dex/str/faith hybrid that uses a a power stanced rapier until I can get the katana. Build is ridiculously fast and being able to just parry then stab 1 shot everything is hilarious.

[WarpedAcorn]

I think power-stanced rapier was what one of the last top speed-runners I saw used.

Personally though, I'm partial to the Estoc. One of my best builds was a Str-Build with Greatsword (basic one that looks like the Dragonslayer from Berserk), Estoc, and Pyro. It worked great in game and in PvP without having to respec and go through that whole min-max thing. But my favorite builds have always been the magic users. I loved using all the magic spells as well as wearing the witch's armor while wielding a giant Moonlight Greatsword. Its not always super effective, and in PvP EVERYONE dodges all the spells, but I enjoyed playing it.

[Djriff]

I mainly stick to PvE. My only problem so far is I suck at parries as I'm so use to just hiding behind a tower shield and tanking everything.

[WarpedAcorn]

I mainly stick to PvE. My only problem so far is I suck at parries as I'm so use to just hiding behind a tower shield and tanking everything.

You're probably already well aware, but just for posterity....you can use the parrying shield to get a bigger window practicing parries, as well as the parrying dagger and I *think* the monestary scimitar. I can't recall any other specific parrying offhands that give an increased window.

[Djriff]

You're probably already well aware, but just for posterity....you can use the parrying shield to get a bigger window practicing parries, as well as the parrying dagger and I *think* the monestary scimitar. I can't recall any other specific parrying offhands that give an increased window.

True, but I'd rather learn the hard way (true way imo) as i'll get use to the window with the handicap and be lost later on.

Royal Rat Vanguard with a rapier is fun as hell.

[Djriff]

So I've had time to think since beating Dark Souls 2 for the first time. In typical Dark Souls fashion the game decided to throw 3 bosses in a row at me, the first one (really 2 at once) was easy, second one was a pain as it would curse me reducing my max life and my ranged damage sucked so that took awhile, then the final boss was honestly a joke to where I could just hack away 3-4 times and roll away to victory. Overall a great game, just disappointed in the end game. Also King Vendrick was a complete push over.

[WarpedAcorn]

In all fairness to poor Vendrick, he's intended to be a push over. He's basically just a giant Hallow. Its part of his tragedy since you can see he just removed all of his armor and lost his purpose in living. His defenders live on, and are able to since they retain their purpose of defending the path to him and ultimately the Kiln, but Vendrick himself realized the curse of the undead was not something he could defeat, and after also realizing that his wife brought the Dark with her, sealed himself away to prevent her reaching the Kiln. You're not supposed to feel excited or happy about killing Vendrick. =(

[Djriff]

I will say that I wish I had done the DLC before I went and fought his wife. Would have made the fight a hell of a lot easier not being able to be cursed.

I regretted killing Vendrick, I was quite hesitant about it. I'm quite happy that I actually cared about it though. With the original Dark Souls I just knew that I had to kill the big bad guy at the end, roughly knew the reason, but the story was fairly lacking. With Dark Souls 2 it's always there, it's subtle, and it's interesting. It was like the perfect mix of storytelling and choice, yet you had a defined path. Also the Emerald Herald is honestly my favorite character in the game.

[Frozenbeef]

Is dark souls 2 any better in terms of the pc port? Played dark souls 1 and it's just a horrible mess for pc >.<

[Poppincaps]

Is dark souls 2 any better in terms of the pc port? Played dark souls 1 and it's just a horrible mess for pc >.<

Yeah it's alot better.