official Dark Souls 2

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Spacer what class/build are you playing?

[ZakO]

I've just finished my first playthrough, shields in this game seem to be overpowered compared to DS1, or the bosses have less poise (or something). I did a mixed str/dex build, had a 100% shield and the bosses were really easy, you can do the same thing on every one, tank an attack into the shield which staggers them, R1 attack, repeat until dead. Did about 75% of the bosses first try, usually without having to use an estus, I don't think I killed any bosses first try in DS1.

 

I'm doing my second playthrough now, two handing without a shield, everything is much more enjoyable. You actually have to dodge attacks and learn boss movesets like in DS1 rather than just taking everything into the shield. 

 

Will definitely be buying the PC version when it comes out because both the 360/PS3 versions have their issues (low framerate/quality, screen tearing, etc).

[spacer]

Spacer what class/build are you playing?

Deprived. High ADP/DEX build. I prefer Katanas more than anything else, so Dex has always been my favorite build.

 

I really liked the fact that Deprived started with "nothing". I just like the challenge in that. Also I'm a little OCD, so having equal values in every stat appealed to me.

 

GAFers say it's a terrible class for any build because you get 6 points in every stat. However, having 2 or 3 points in a stat that doesn't directly affect your build doesn't really mean anything. The matchmaking criteria is so much more complex, your soul level isn't as important as it once was for PVP. min/max'ing is pointless.

 

Also, every stat now adds to HP and some type of defense. So having a few extra points into INT/FAI as a melee builds means a little bit more HP and Fire/Lightning defense for a little bit less damage. Kind of an equal trade off if you ask me.

 

Also the most important reason why Deprived is the best class: it's the most versatile class when respec'ing.

 

When you use the Soul Vessel to respec your character you revert to your starting class' base stats and level, and you are refunded all of the souls required to get back to the soul level you had. So if you played as a magic character through most of the game or you're on a NG+ and want to change it up, you can respec and change your build to a melee character. If you tried doing this with another class, you may end up with a lot of undesirable stats. As a Deprived you get a true clean slate whenever you respec. I found that to be pretty appealing.

[ZakO]

Deprived. High ADP/DEX build. I prefer Katanas more than anything else, so Dex has always been my favorite build.

 

Have you noticed having a high ADP seems to increase the amount of invincibility frames allowing you to roll through attacks easier? Well, it feels like it does to me anyway, but I might be imagining it :p

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Deprived. High ADP/DEX build. I prefer Katanas more than anything else, so Dex has always been my favorite build.

 

I really liked the fact that Deprived started with "nothing". I just like the challenge in that. Also I'm a little OCD, so having equal values in every stat appealed to me.

 

GAFers say it's a terrible class for any build because you get 6 points in every stat. However, having 2 or 3 points in a stat that doesn't directly affect your build doesn't really mean anything. The matchmaking criteria is so much more complex, your soul level isn't as important as it once was for PVP. min/max'ing is pointless.

 

Also, every stat now adds to HP and some type of defense. So having a few extra points into INT/FAI as a melee builds means a little bit more HP and Fire/Lightning defense for a little bit less damage. Kind of an equal trade off if you ask me.

 

Also the most important reason why Deprived is the best class: it's the most versatile class when respec'ing.

 

When you use the Soul Vessel to respec your character you revert to your starting class' base stats and level, and you are refunded all of the souls required to get back to the soul level you had. So if you played as a magic character through most of the game or you're on a NG+ and want to change it up, you can respec and change your build to a melee character. If you tried doing this with another class, you may end up with a lot of undesirable stats. As a Deprived you get a true clean slate whenever you respec. I found that to be pretty appealing.

 

Never thought about your spoiler before, good point!

[spacer]

Have you noticed having a high ADP seems to increase the amount of invincibility frames allowing you to roll through attacks easier? Well, it feels like it does to me anyway, but I might be imagining it :p

I've definitely noticed that I get hit a lot less. I guess it could be better timing. But I've fully chieved Demons, and DaS1 (360/PC) so I'd like to think I can play the game well enough for that not to be a factor.

 

Also one thing I noticed that isn't immediately apparent: you don't fat-roll until you reach about 70/75% equip load. But you roll farther with lower equip load. So equip load 0-75% gives you a normal roll, but the distance you roll decreases at 25% and again at 50%. The difference is about a few feet at each threshold from what I can tell. But I'm at work right now, I'm just just going from memory.

Never thought about your spoiler before, good point!

Thanks. I don't actually plan on doing that, but if I did it could come in handy. The specific classes are probably better if you know you'll stick with them forever.

[neoadorable]

Yeah, it's a little strange trying to group with friends.

 

In DaS1, all you had  to do was make sure you were within their soul level range. I think it was soul level +- (10 + 10%soul level) or something like that.

 

In DaS2, it seems like you need to be within the same range like before but ALSO have accumulated around the same amount of souls in your soul history. So for instance, my brother and I tried summoning each other when we were both soul level 20. However we couldn't get it to work. We were both human, and we tried for about 20 minutes and could never see each others' signs. We've done this for Demons and DaS1 plenty of times, so we know all about the server switching when you refresh your sign and all of that. Still we had no luck. Then we noticed that I had a soul history of about 50k and he had around 20k. So, as a test I put my sign down and he started using his soul items one at a time. As soon as he when past 30k, my sign appeared.

 

I realize that that's complete anecdotal evidence, and it could have been a total coincidence. No one knows exactly how summoning works yet, but it seemed pretty consistent every time we tried it going forward. What this means in practical terms is that you and your friends might want to group up for a boss and be the same soul level, but still be unable to summon each other. Soul History never goes down, even when you die. So say one of you farms every area over and over again until it's empty, or dies a lot and has to keep killing things over and over. Or if one of you like to PVP or help randoms with their bosses. Or you farmed a ton to buy items from NPCs. There are lots of things you can do that affect your soul history, and it will quickly get out of sync with your friends unless they do the same amount of things.

 

The only reason I could see FROM doing something like this is to encourage random coop rather than familiar coop. Maybe they wanted to cut down on the number of people duo/trio'ing the entire game with their friends. This kind of falls in line with all of their other changes to summoning. (like having a finite timer on how long you can be a phantom) I really hope what my brother and I noticed, on multiple occasions, was pure luck or coincidence because the alternative sounds awful.

 

Thanks for the info, it's indeed strange that they did it like this - maybe it can be patched later on? Not that i'm the most social gamer in the world, will likely play this by myself, but still, it sounds like it doesn't give the people that want social the option to properly invite and hook up with others.

[Andre S. Veteran]

DS in 1080p on PC makes no difference...actually looks uglier than the console versions. It's just 720p stretched, not even upscaled. Unless you mean post-mod Dark Souls, which i never tried. It seems for Dark Souls 2 they at least had the decency to not lock it at 1280 x 720, so it will be "real" 1920 x 1080.

Yes, I of course play with DSfix, playing at 1024x720 is just not something I can bear. Dark Souls looks gorgeous at high resolution.

That said, complaints from reviewers that the lighting looks "flat" seem justified after all: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=781625

[neoadorable]

Yes, I of course play with DSfix, playing at 1024x720 is just not something I can bear. Dark Souls looks gorgeous at high resolution.

That said, complaints from reviewers that the lighting looks "flat" seem justified after all: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=781625

 

Wow, that was 1024 x 720, not even 1280 x 720? No wonder it looked so horrid :x

 

Looking forward to a proper Dark Souls game next month when it comes to Steam, will put the time and effort to finally complete a Souls game...managed to do that for a Dead Rising game, that other proponent of "tough love" gameplay (though only completed that cause they changed it).

 

Hoping the changes to Dark Souls like the limited spawn and more frequent bonfires plus fast travel will make it more reasonable to progress. Please someone tell me it is so :cry:

[Xerino]

4 hours in, I have died about 50 times, lost 100s of thousands of souls, and I really hate that you can be invaded while hollow.. 

[neoadorable]

That does not bode well for praising the sun on my part!

[:: Lyon ::]

I can't believe that a game which gives you death for hundreds of times can be fun? I never play Dark Souls before but been watching the reviews. Maybe I should pick this up one day!

[neoadorable]

It is enjoyable in a perverse kind of way. Not the biggest fan, hated Demon's Souls, liked Dark Souls, so will try this one when it comes out on Steam. I guess for many it is the challenge of it. Very time consuming, for sure, if you get into it.

[spacer]

4 hours in, I have died about 50 times, lost 100s of thousands of souls, and I really hate that you can be invaded while hollow.. 

I have only been invaded once (and I was hollow) over the course of my 30 hours with the game so far. If you're having trouble with invasions, there is a covenant that can help you. (see the spoiler)

 

In fact, I'm surprised and disappointed at the rate of invasion so far. Belfy Luna is the only place that I have seen so far where invasions are a given. I even joined the Blue Sentinels in hopes of increasing my PVP chances, but I've only been summon once since. I wonder if normal invasions are TOO limited now due to the matchmaking changes FROM made and Belfry Luna. I hope not.

 

The covenant is called "The Way of Blue" and can be found pretty early in the game. As soon as you get to Majula, talk to the Crestfallen Soldier near the obelisk. Continue to talk to him until he asks for you to join the covenant. Once you're in and you get invaded, you will automatically summon a friendly player from the Blue Sentinels covenant.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Hooked like a meth addict right now. The game is better than DS1, however so far the world is a little less connected/interesting. It seems rather big though, and the bonfire warping is necessary, it definitely isn't a gimmick or "easy mode". I've just cleared out Lost Bastille, I've been playing for ages and I had a quick glance at the amount of locations - Loads more!

 

Went a cleric, pumped str/dex enough to wield the heide knight sword, and after that I've focussed on attunement/faith. Ignored adaptability as attunement raises agility as well - Not as much as adaptability but enough for now. Couple of points put into health/stamina/equipment load.

 

Once I get the Defender Greatsword I'm going to pump STR/DEX to 20/14. Besides knowing of that sword I'm playing this without spoiling anything - After doing a section I've read a bit to see if I missed anything/what to do with what I picked up. That's how I learned the heide knight sword is good, and for faith characters it will scale with lightning.

[spacer]

I agree with you Audioboxer. The world isn't as interconnected as Dark Souls. Each area has shortcuts withing themselves which is great, but the areas themselves are not connected to each other as nicely as they are in Dark Souls. It feels more like Demon Souls in my opinion. Which can be good a thing, but I prefer the world design in Dark Souls.

[Xerino]

I have only been invaded once (and I was hollow) over the course of my 30 hours with the game so far. If you're having trouble with invasions, there is a covenant that can help you. (see the spoiler)

 

In fact, I'm surprised and disappointed at the rate of invasion so far. Belfy Luna is the only place that I have seen so far where invasions are a given. I even joined the Blue Sentinels in hopes of increasing my PVP chances, but I've only been summon once since. I wonder if normal invasions are TOO limited now due to the matchmaking changes FROM made and Belfry Luna. I hope not.

 

The covenant is called "The Way of Blue" and can be found pretty early in the game. As soon as you get to Majula, talk to the Crestfallen Soldier near the obelisk. Continue to talk to him until he asks for you to join the covenant. Once you're in and you get invaded, you will automatically summon a friendly player from the Blue Sentinels covenant.

I had only died like 5 times by invasion, like most people, my deaths are mainly attributed to me being killed by mobs, I have now died 78 times, 13 hours in hehe

[neoadorable]

Is playing totally offline possible? And if anyone has tried it, is it any fun at all or? Invasion wasn't a big issue for me at least with Demon's Souls and Dark Souls, but since i've determined this will be the first Souls game i complete, i want as little opposition as possible, which includes other humans :D

[spacer]

Playing offline is always possible, but you will miss out on the most interesting aspects of the game. (in my opinion) You won't be able to summon people to help with bosses or run through tough areas. You won't see messages or bloodstains, both of which are often helpful or hilarious or both. It may turn out to be extremely hard to fully level equipment too without some PVP. And several of the covenants will literally be useless (and impossible to rank-up) in offline mode.That's kind of a huge chunk of the game to cut out simply to not have invasions. Even if you're not good at dealing with invasions, they can occasionally be hilarious when something unexpected happens.

 

Judging by the extremely low rate of invasions I've witnessed so far, I wouldn't worry about it. There are two specific (and optional) areas in the game where you may want to play in offline mode, because they are primarily PVP based areas. But other than that, the rest of the game is fine.

 

But I believe there is a covenant that prevents all types of invasions and summoning, but still allows you to still see messages and bloodstains. The downside is that NPC enemies become much harder. I don't know if that's 100% accurate, that's just what I heard.

[neoadorable]

Thanks for the info, then it's like the first two games - online is the best way. Yes, the messages are cool, always liked those and took the time to rate some of them. Can't wait for late April now.

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

'Dark Souls II' Was 'Unplayable And Broken' On Consoles Before Graphics Downgrade

[KoL Veteran]

Platinumed the game! Now to start a Hex build.  :D

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

'Dark Souls II' Was 'Unplayable And Broken' On Consoles Before Graphics Downgrade

 

Was quite a downgrade as well. I fought the Mirror Knight at Eurogamer Expo and that whole area looked a lot better. Was quite shocked when I faced off against him, lighting was far worse, and even the boss was nerfed lol.

 

Platinumed the game! Now to start a Hex build.  :D

 

What did you playthrough first time around? Never asked you on Twitter. It's new game++ that's needed for a plat?

[McKay]

4 hours in, I have died about 50 times, lost 100s of thousands of souls, and I really hate that you can be invaded while hollow.. 

 

I was watching my friend, he got invaded right after a boss fight, the guy joined, did the bow animation. My friend didn't even return the favour, just decimated him while he was bowing lol.

[KoL Veteran]

Was quite a downgrade as well. I fought the Mirror Knight at Eurogamer Expo and that whole area looked a lot better. Was quite shocked when I faced off against him, lighting was far worse, and even the boss was nerfed lol.

 

 

What did you playthrough first time around? Never asked you on Twitter. It's new game++ that's needed for a plat?

 

Sorcerer. It was hard at first but once I got the Moonlight Greatsword (damn Freja) and Soul Spear spells it was easier. Watcher Greatsword is a good INT weapon too. Souls Geyser is OP, you can two shot bosses with that spell but you need 64 INT.

 

Not needed but if you want to buy two miracles and one pyromancy that the only other way to get them is to rank 3 in two PVP covenants then go NG++. You still need to get rank 2 in Bell Keepers for Hidden Weapon spell.