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LTTP: Dark Souls II (an annual April journey...)
- Thread starter joms5
- Start date
The only thing I didn't like in DS2 is the insane tracking enemy attacks have, and I think it throws a lot of people off. With that said though I genuinely don't get a lot of the hate this game receives. It also has probably the best DLC of any of the Soulsborne games in my opinion.
Take your time and get lost in its world. I think 2 may be my favorite if not for a few moments in 3 that really tug at the nostalgia and push it over for me. The levels aren't really interconnected like DS1 which I think is a lot of the issue people have, but that never bothered me much since the journey through it was so fun for me.
Take your time and get lost in its world. I think 2 may be my favorite if not for a few moments in 3 that really tug at the nostalgia and push it over for me. The levels aren't really interconnected like DS1 which I think is a lot of the issue people have, but that never bothered me much since the journey through it was so fun for me.
SweetJohnnyCage
Member
Are you playing Scholar of the First Sin? It's a much better version that I found way more enjoyable than the original game.
Wow! Really?! See I figured starter weapons might be okay till half way through the game but unless at the end even fully upgraded. Thanks I will definitely start upgrading that mace then. Maybe a stupid question, but are shields upgradable? If so are they worth it? I remember dumping all my titanite into weapons in the first game and never even thought of defensive weapons.
Oops. I thought he looked familiar. His attacks gave me a bit of PTSD at first because the O&S fight was the hardest battle in DS1. How is still alive if he was already killed? Or should I not ask these questions?
Also about the bonfires, I always got the feeling in DS 1 when finding a bonfires was very reminiscent of finding a save room in classic Resident Evil. A safe spot, without enemies that you could catch your breath. So far in DS 2 I feel like i'm passing a bonfire almost constantly.
Yeah I was thinking of going to another area in the meantime but I just have to see if I can explore that ship first.
I think the main reason for not wanting to engage with the online aspect are the hints that people can give. I remember finding hidden walls without any hint unbelievably satisfying in DS1 and I really want to have that same feeling here. Plus i'm a gullible person who would attempt many troll comments which would drive me mad. That's really the only reason why I chose to disconnect.
Dark Souls is the only game where here I am at work, just anticipating getting off so I can die some more. What a feeling.
hahah I played NG+ and immediately got wrecked by the Falconers, like: Welcome back to Dark Souls.
they're kind of connected though. i mean you can walk from land to land and take a bird sometimes, and other times a boat. you don't have to fast travel everywhere, its just so damned simple and tempting. And useful.
they're kind of connected though. i mean you can walk from land to land and take a bird sometimes, and other times a boat. you don't have to fast travel everywhere, its just so damned simple and tempting. And useful.
Hamster Plugin
Member
Started NG+ in Scholar of the First Sin and just realized how massively stupid it was to block Blue Sentinels from new players with a goddamn dragon. It makes the entire beginning with Way of Blue totally pointless because there will be no blue sentinels with low SM anywhere.
Compare with Dark Souls 3 where Way of Blue and Blue Sentinels are in your face with NPCs that are pretty much unmissable, which allows summoning to happen much more often.
I decided that I'm going to run blue sentinels the whole way just for fun, in case I might get a bite. Not sure about the size of the player base on PS4 these days, but I get invaded occasionally and even took help from a gold phantom in Forest of the Fallen Giants to help him get sunlight medals.
Compare with Dark Souls 3 where Way of Blue and Blue Sentinels are in your face with NPCs that are pretty much unmissable, which allows summoning to happen much more often.
I decided that I'm going to run blue sentinels the whole way just for fun, in case I might get a bite. Not sure about the size of the player base on PS4 these days, but I get invaded occasionally and even took help from a gold phantom in Forest of the Fallen Giants to help him get sunlight medals.
It is incredibly dumb. Almost as bad as the incredibly stupid location of the Darkmoon covenant in DS3.
KO Traveling Hobo
Member
This is why DS2: SotFS dx9 version is the superior experience. It includes the most important content from SotFS, while eschewing the clusterfuck enemy placement.
SweetJohnnyCage
Member
It's about equal to Aldritch's covenant. Location being hidden is one thing, but sticking two gaping wolf dogs in one area to fight at the same time is retarded. Darkmoon was obvious to me. The floor is blue when the pillar is raised.
Darkmoon being hidden isn't the problem, it's just way too far into the game. By the time you join the covenant no one in your level range will still be part of the Way of the Blue covenant.
Morrigan Stark
Arrogant Smirk
Aldrich's covenant location is fine. You don't have to fight both wolf-gators at once, you can easily lure them one by one.
Darkmoon covenant location is also a non-issue, since it's entirely redundant with the Blue Sentinels covenant. Those covenants have always been a mess anyway, almost no one in either DS2 or DS3 are in the Way of Blue since you access other covenants shortly, sometimes immediately after.
Darkmoon covenant location is also a non-issue, since it's entirely redundant with the Blue Sentinels covenant. Those covenants have always been a mess anyway, almost no one in either DS2 or DS3 are in the Way of Blue since you access other covenants shortly, sometimes immediately after.
SweetJohnnyCage
Member
As someone who farmed 30 Proofs off the silver knights, I felt the pain of that covenant. I don't understand how after all the patches and all the DLC, they didn't just change it to a Blue Eye Orb.
SiegfriedFM
Member
As for hidden walls, remember that you activate them by pressing X (use), not by striking them or rolling into them.
And yes, the starter weapons are fine but maybe a little dull. The mace and the rapier can be devastating with upgrades. You can find more interesting weapons later on, but the main variety thing in DS2 is power stancing with two weapons, so you can keep your old one and add another.
As for upgrading, you will be able to buy a key for the blacksmith in the early game, don't miss it. There are also additional blacksmiths/vendors that require some sort of effort to reach them, but they are all very useful.
And yes, the starter weapons are fine but maybe a little dull. The mace and the rapier can be devastating with upgrades. You can find more interesting weapons later on, but the main variety thing in DS2 is power stancing with two weapons, so you can keep your old one and add another.
As for upgrading, you will be able to buy a key for the blacksmith in the early game, don't miss it. There are also additional blacksmiths/vendors that require some sort of effort to reach them, but they are all very useful.
HOLY SHIT!
What a weekend. Where do I even begin?
So I gave up on No Man's Wharf and decided to go explore a bit more around in Forest of Fallen Giants and see if I could get past this turtle shell guy surrounded by explosive barrels. A number of deaths later and I finally succeeded. Made my way up a sword to grab a single item only to have an enemy fall behind me (typical dark souls). After defeating him unlocked my first shortcut, always a good feeling, and made my way down an elevator to another boss. Surprise! Last Giant. A really underwhelming boss overall. Beat him in 1 go. Up to this point I haven't had any real issues with bosses except maybe with DragonSlayer, but this one was the worst one yet.
After that I lit a ton of torches to make the game look prettier. See below for example.
After receiving a key, I made my way up some stairs in Fallen Giants and got to another wall of mist to my first real challenge of the game, The Pursuer. Man fuck this guy. Tried hitting him with the Ballista's that were up there and only ever got close once but missed. After about a dozen tries with those (usually they would end up getting smashed to hell) I gave up and figured I would just fight him man to man. He knocked me off a couple times, I got greedy more than once, but finally after tons of deaths I just barely beat him.
After my victory, I have no Estus Flasks left, tons of souls and very low health. So I walk through to the other side of the boss room and see a birds nest. I figure oh maybe I can drop some shit in here like the first game, lets examine. Cutscene and panic ensues!! Nooooooooooooo!! But it was a blessing in disguise. As I ventured to what I consider the best area in the game up to this point. The Lost Bastille.
What can I say about this area. It's bloody amazing. Lots of rooms, ladders, narrow ledges, enemies, secrets and all around dark cold castle at night. I take my time, looking in every nook and cranny. Slowly upgrading my character and finding better gear. I find a secret wall that takes me to a bell tower. While in there I open a gate that was blocking a wall of mist. But from the top of the bell tower I could deduce that the mist led to a roof adorned by stone Gargoyles on either side and i'm not stupid. I remember a very similar area in the first game and how I lost thosands of souls by thinking they would never put a boss fight on a roof, I know better. So I leave that area and make my way to another wall of mist at the end of what looks like a prison hallway.
What's this?! 3 health bars?!?! Oh shit one's right beside me! "You died". So I begin my 2 hour quest to defeat the 3 Sentinels and what i think is the best boss fight of the game so far. I'll keep this short, I fought 1 up top, dropped on the other to deal some massive damage and then just ran crowd control while taking out the one I fell on first. It was long and involved many deaths and straight up pattern recognition (the thing I love about difficult bosses). But alas...
I was victorious. So after the adrenaline was high I figured let's get our ass back to that roof and deal with the 2 Gargoyles (again based off what was thrown at me in the first Dark Souls game). Well holy shit. What a bad, bad, bad assumption that was.
5!??!?! Are they insane? After so many deaths I figured it was time to swap out my Mace for a huge hammer (Iron Hammer maybe?). Two handed for the first 2-3 hits and then brought my shield back up (now blocks 100% damage) to help fend off attacks. The weapon switch was my fiancee's idea, so I should give credit where credit is due. Another amazing boss fight and oh so satisfying to triumph in the end.
I still haven't upgraded any gear (still trying to figure out what I prefer to use at this point). I now have 5 Estus Flasks which helps and 4 pretty decent rings. Also mentioned how my shield does 100% damage now so I feel more comfortable blocking.
But now come some questions for the pros...
1) Why are the little people in the Bell Tower able to damage me even when blocking with my 100% damage shield? And why can other enemies do full damage to me when blocking with the sheild? In particular there was this lizard thing at the bottom of Sinner's Rise that I couldn't block anything from.
2) I have an item that increases the effectiveness of my flasks. Is that permanent like the first game? I just wanted to make sure before using it.
3) Also have an item that makes enemies twice as strong. Why in the hell would I ever want that to happen? Just as a challenge? Item is Bonfire Ascetic.
In closing for tonight. Game is not anywhere near as bad as people say. It starts off unimpressive but gets into a good groove after a few hours of play. Starting areas are also unimpressive. Takes time to get used to the new changes as well. And for those who think this game is ugly, you're out of your mind. This game is bloody gorgeous. Really enjoying my time with it.
Man I didn't even talk about kicking the explosive barrel down the steps to reveal a hidden bonfire and blacksmith!?!?!
DARK SOULS!!!!!
Wait... what? Did I miss something or is this a troll?
What a weekend. Where do I even begin?
So I gave up on No Man's Wharf and decided to go explore a bit more around in Forest of Fallen Giants and see if I could get past this turtle shell guy surrounded by explosive barrels. A number of deaths later and I finally succeeded. Made my way up a sword to grab a single item only to have an enemy fall behind me (typical dark souls). After defeating him unlocked my first shortcut, always a good feeling, and made my way down an elevator to another boss. Surprise! Last Giant. A really underwhelming boss overall. Beat him in 1 go. Up to this point I haven't had any real issues with bosses except maybe with DragonSlayer, but this one was the worst one yet.
After that I lit a ton of torches to make the game look prettier. See below for example.
After receiving a key, I made my way up some stairs in Fallen Giants and got to another wall of mist to my first real challenge of the game, The Pursuer. Man fuck this guy. Tried hitting him with the Ballista's that were up there and only ever got close once but missed. After about a dozen tries with those (usually they would end up getting smashed to hell) I gave up and figured I would just fight him man to man. He knocked me off a couple times, I got greedy more than once, but finally after tons of deaths I just barely beat him.
After my victory, I have no Estus Flasks left, tons of souls and very low health. So I walk through to the other side of the boss room and see a birds nest. I figure oh maybe I can drop some shit in here like the first game, lets examine. Cutscene and panic ensues!! Nooooooooooooo!! But it was a blessing in disguise. As I ventured to what I consider the best area in the game up to this point. The Lost Bastille.
What can I say about this area. It's bloody amazing. Lots of rooms, ladders, narrow ledges, enemies, secrets and all around dark cold castle at night. I take my time, looking in every nook and cranny. Slowly upgrading my character and finding better gear. I find a secret wall that takes me to a bell tower. While in there I open a gate that was blocking a wall of mist. But from the top of the bell tower I could deduce that the mist led to a roof adorned by stone Gargoyles on either side and i'm not stupid. I remember a very similar area in the first game and how I lost thosands of souls by thinking they would never put a boss fight on a roof, I know better. So I leave that area and make my way to another wall of mist at the end of what looks like a prison hallway.
What's this?! 3 health bars?!?! Oh shit one's right beside me! "You died". So I begin my 2 hour quest to defeat the 3 Sentinels and what i think is the best boss fight of the game so far. I'll keep this short, I fought 1 up top, dropped on the other to deal some massive damage and then just ran crowd control while taking out the one I fell on first. It was long and involved many deaths and straight up pattern recognition (the thing I love about difficult bosses). But alas...
I was victorious. So after the adrenaline was high I figured let's get our ass back to that roof and deal with the 2 Gargoyles (again based off what was thrown at me in the first Dark Souls game). Well holy shit. What a bad, bad, bad assumption that was.
5!??!?! Are they insane? After so many deaths I figured it was time to swap out my Mace for a huge hammer (Iron Hammer maybe?). Two handed for the first 2-3 hits and then brought my shield back up (now blocks 100% damage) to help fend off attacks. The weapon switch was my fiancee's idea, so I should give credit where credit is due. Another amazing boss fight and oh so satisfying to triumph in the end.
I still haven't upgraded any gear (still trying to figure out what I prefer to use at this point). I now have 5 Estus Flasks which helps and 4 pretty decent rings. Also mentioned how my shield does 100% damage now so I feel more comfortable blocking.
But now come some questions for the pros...
1) Why are the little people in the Bell Tower able to damage me even when blocking with my 100% damage shield? And why can other enemies do full damage to me when blocking with the sheild? In particular there was this lizard thing at the bottom of Sinner's Rise that I couldn't block anything from.
2) I have an item that increases the effectiveness of my flasks. Is that permanent like the first game? I just wanted to make sure before using it.
3) Also have an item that makes enemies twice as strong. Why in the hell would I ever want that to happen? Just as a challenge? Item is Bonfire Ascetic.
In closing for tonight. Game is not anywhere near as bad as people say. It starts off unimpressive but gets into a good groove after a few hours of play. Starting areas are also unimpressive. Takes time to get used to the new changes as well. And for those who think this game is ugly, you're out of your mind. This game is bloody gorgeous. Really enjoying my time with it.
Man I didn't even talk about kicking the explosive barrel down the steps to reveal a hidden bonfire and blacksmith!?!?!
DARK SOULS!!!!!
Wait... what? Did I miss something or is this a troll?
1. They might do a different type of damage. Dark, fire, lightning, etc. 100% Physical block doesn't mean it will block elemental effects. You'll have to look for a shield for that.
2. Yes it is permanent. Different from the first game. Each item=1 upgrade.
3. For the challenge, fighting a boss again
afternoon delight
Member
And farming!
My glob Dark Souls II is infinitely replayable. I can't wait to try the Scholar edition sometime next year. If you can manage the ambush squad bosses like you already have, you'll enjoy everything the game has to offer.
Z..
Member
Wrong. One of the best mechanics in Souls games, iyam... Shame it's not present in all of them.
Single worst boss in all 5 games, personally. Hated it with a passion. We're like opposites in our Souls tastes, lol...
Z..
Member
Yeah. Despite clearly being the worst out of all 5 of them, it's still a fantastic game, to be sure. Great series, here's hoping they give it time to breathe for at least 4~5 years though.
Oops, double post, sorry.
SiegfriedFM
Member
Wait... what? Did I miss something or is this a troll?
No, they changed the "activate hidden wall" thing to hitting X, instead of striking it with a weapon or rolling through.
As for the Sublime Bone Dust, you burn that in the Majula bonfire and it's indeed permanent. Unlike the Firekeeper Souls in DS1, I don't think you can just use them yourself by mistake.
And now that you're done with the gargoyles, it may be worth mentioning that they don't have to spawn all at once. They spawn once you've dealt a set amount of damage, so it's better to focus on one at the time rather than speading damage over all of them.
Hamster Plugin
Member
There are two entrances into Lost Bastille. Going through the other one would make you approach that barrel from below and the enemy would kick it down for you. Dodging that barrel would have been the intended way for you to discover the blacksmith.
Wait... what? Did I miss something or is this a troll?
Not a troll. Illusory walls are activated by pressing X (A on an xbox controller) near them. There is obviously no button prompt for it. There are lots of illusory walls in
the 3 sentinels boss room
I've gotten used to the loss of health thing at this point. It's different than the first game, which isn't a bad thing. But I do prefer the way humanity worked in DS1 better.
I think that's the thing about these games. You can not like something in the game, but in no way does it result in the game being worse off. Just different.
Holy shit?! Why didn't they explain this?! Here I am hitting every single wall in sight hoping to find something special. Time to backtrack now. Thanks guys!
Also thank you Hamster Plugin for spoiler tagging the area!
You know what? I actually did come from that way when I saw the crack in the wall and attempted to walk up to activate the enemy kicking the barrel. But he just swiped at it and it exploded. So I figured it would be easier to approach from the opposite direction, pull him with a throwing knife and then just push it down myself. Glad to know that my original intention wasn't wrong though.
Wasn't planning on playing tonight but there are so many areas that i'm convinced have invisible walls, so back I go.
KO Traveling Hobo
Member
FINALLY someone else who appreciates Lost Bastille! I loved that damn zone so much. It felt like I wandered into a survival horror game.
looks like you made really good progress defeating the pursuer and ruin sentinels.
don't give up, skeleton!
Nothing in Lost Bastille felt like a horror game to me. No Mans Wharf on the other hand.
KO Traveling Hobo
Member
Spooky nighttime castle with
suicide zombies, doors that open up to skeletons buried in concrete, rusty jail cells, including that one jailed dude who screams and then explodes.
zombie dogs
enemies that burst out of the statues/urns/whatever.
massive ancient prison complex where the Undead were rounded up and left to rot, including those mutant abominations down in the flooded cells.
No Man's Wharf has
a ghost ship and those handsy fellows
edit: on second thought, NMW is pretty spooky, but it's a different kind of spook.
My only problem with the fight is that you have to get fall damage if you drop from the platform. Other than that is one of my favorite bosses in DS2.
The fight also has the dopest soundtrack in Dark Souls 2.
Was so glad to see their armor come back for Dark Souls 3 DLC.
Underrated song, definitely one of the best in the game.
famfrit
Member
OP, how many hours you have now ?
Looks like you're advancing pretty fast to me. Or maybe I'm a turttle...
I have more than 100 hours (my actual save show 55 hours) and now I beat only 15 Bosses (
, need to beat the
to go ahead.
Already finished Demon Souls (more than 60 hours just to beat
), but this game (SotFS) looks more hard to me. And OP looks like a better player than me.
Talking about that, in Demon Souls we can double the Strenght using two hands, but this mechanic is gone in SotFS, right ? My mage cant use a damn sword (a true man never put points in strenght), maybe this is one of the reasons that this game looks hard to me....
About best boss fight my vote goes to
.
are the second and third place to me.
Looks like you're advancing pretty fast to me. Or maybe I'm a turttle...
I have more than 100 hours (my actual save show 55 hours) and now I beat only 15 Bosses (
Mythra - the poison bastard!-, Lost Sinner -the bad hitbox bastard!-, The Rotten -the inferno bastard!--, Flexible Sentinel, The 2 rat bosses, Mage trio, Skeleton trio, that Scorpion woman and the 6 bosses that OP already beat )
Executioners Chariot and the Smelter Demon
Already finished Demon Souls (more than 60 hours just to beat
ManEater
Talking about that, in Demon Souls we can double the Strenght using two hands, but this mechanic is gone in SotFS, right ? My mage cant use a damn sword (a true man never put points in strenght), maybe this is one of the reasons that this game looks hard to me....
About best boss fight my vote goes to
The Rotten
Lost Sinner and Mythra
Those two bosses you say you need to beat are actually optional.
Some attacks are unblockable. These usually come in the form of either vertical crushing motions from huge monsters or grabs.
I thought it was because of elemental damage no?
It's without a doubt my favourite area so far. Having said that, it's also the largest area so far that i've spent most of my time in.
Thanks! Having heard over and over again how Dark Souls 2 is the worst in the series maybe my expectations were abnormally low. But I am very impressed so far. It started slow and I needed to get my Dark Souls legs back but now i'm sucked into the world. Can't wait to see where it goes from here.
For the record I am not playing SOTFS. Wanted to play with the original enemy placements and then maybe revist SOTFS next year. Currently I am at around 20 hours and have beaten 6 bosses I believe. Currently around level 70.
I am not that great a player. Already died around 108 times last I checked. I think I am just cautious when I play and almost never let myself lose souls.
I was also curious about two handing a weapon. I don't seem to see any "significant" increase in damage. But maybe the extra damage has been toned down.
UPDATE:
So for those who clued me into pressing "X/A" to find hidden walls. I went back to previous areas and found a ton. Even allowed me to get my hand on some items I could see just below the bride from Lost Bastille to Sinner's Rise. So thank you so much!
After finding all those walls I decided to save up some souls and bought the cat ring to save myself from fall damage. And then I threw myself down the hole in Manjula. After a number of misplaced jumps I reached Grave of Saints (but didn't enter the mouth entrace). I decided to go a bit deeper (also egged on by my fiancee) and reached the bottom which I believe led me to The Gutter.
FUUUUUUUUUUU... This is Dark Souls 2 version of Blighttown isn't it?
I reached the first bonfire and rested. Because I couldn't deal with it. I hated Blighttown with a passion. We'll see how it goes when I get home.
Jimnymebob
Member
The Gutter is probably the best/least stressful of Souls swamp/wooden walkways/poison/dark areas.
Having played Devil May Cry 1 a LOT (trying to do DMD mode), I half expected a giant bird to appear and land on the ship.
Instead it's a boss battle with
Flexile (not a word) Sentry
KO Traveling Hobo
Member
The Gutter isn't very fun, but it's quite satisfying to light the sconces as you go.
No. Elemental damage can still be blocked, but partial damage will get through depending on your shield's resistance to that element, which is what he experienced fighting the bell keepers. An unblockable attack goes right through your shield as if you weren't blocking at all.
afternoon delight
Member
lol. I feel like The Gutter is a perfect example of some of Dark Souls II's difficulty- initially frustrating as hell that suddenly warps into bizarre admiration and triumph by the time you beat it. There's a very gracious second bonfire waiting for you dank skeletal!
At least the Gutter has the decency of being memorable versus some other areas I won't mention...
I always thought of The Gutter as being really underrated and a really cool use of the torch mechanic. It's a shame the torches last so long but that area is almost inherently built around the idea of having to run through it multiple times and I feel it would have worked better with shorter torch time.
Oh well.
Oh well.
That is a real word actually.
famfrit
Member
Currently level 103 with 60 hours and 630 deaths here.
Looks like I'm pretty bad player, lol.
But I'm playing with a contract with Company of Champions, because is much better to play DS2 without the enemies disappearing.
Well, played more 2 hours and finally beat the Archdemon of
Iron Keep
Iron King
Dragon God
Talking about souls economy, I love to die when I have more than 30.000 souls, lol. So many souls wasted...
Now I need to return to kill the
Smelter Demon and that damn Executioners Chariot
SiegfriedFM
Member
The torches are really useful in The Gutter for marking out where you've been. There's a LOT of stuff to find and most places look similar, so it's good for checking off areas.
Heck, if it's Scholar, not only are torches useful, they're essentially required, they toned down the brightness a lot and I love it all the more for that reason, really cool area.
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