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[Hikami]

Kinda lost on where I should be at the moment. Beat Iron Keep, couldn't go anywhere from there so I went through the Shaded Woods and beat Najka. Now I'm at Doors of Pharros.. is this where I should be right now? Only other place I can think of going instead is down the hole in Majula.

Go whichever way you want. All are fine. All are necessary.

Well that's one way to look at it. Gonna try going down the hole then, pretty curious about what's there.

 

[gdt]

Kinda lost on where I should be at the moment. Beat Iron Keep, couldn't go anywhere from there so I went through the Shaded Woods and beat Najka. Now I'm at Doors of Pharros.. is this where I should be right now? Only other place I can think of going instead is down the hole in Majula.

Go whichever way you want. All are fine. All are necessary.

 

[quabba]

I was planning a faith build ( lots of faith and a divine/occult weapon) but some mechanics seem to have changed since dark souls.

Can I have a faith character with low int?

Which weapons will get stronger as I dump points into faith?

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Can I have a faith character with low int?

Which weapons will get stronger as I dump points into faith?

Certainly. Lightning and fire damage both scale with faith, so those weapons are all good for a faith build. Lightning infusion on most melee weapons work well and coupled with Sunlight Blade can be devastating. Some boss weapons are also good such as the Thorned Greatsword or Defender Greatsword and have self-buffing properties (L2 when two-handed) at the cost of some durability.

 

[Maddrical]

Progress!

After setting the game down for a week out of frustration, I played for a couple of hours last night and did a lot. Made me realise that playing when I'm sick is a bad idea, I just don't play as well as I should. Took out Graverobber, Varg, and Cerah, ended up being easier than expected. Then took out Darklurker -- FINALLY!! And at last, the final non-optional boss in the Burnt Ivory King -- what an amazing fight. How does this fight not get more credit? The build-up, the "quest" to hunt down the Loyce Knights, and the setting all make the fight one of the most amazing Souls fights I've ever played. The quality of all 3 final fights of the 3 DLC areas are top 5 of DS2 for me, they are all fantastic and IMO capture what makes the Souls series so great in different ways.

I have 4 bosses left for my no-summon run: the upgraded Smelter Demon, Sir Alonne, Lud & Zallen and, because I summoned an NPC for it, Twin Dragonriders. I'll just burn a bonfire aesthetic and whip 'em. I haven't even been able to reach L&Z so far, hopefully my new weapon will help. Smelter Demon is going to be a pain in the ass as per usual and Sir Alonne seems to be a boss where you just learn his moveset and he'll be pretty easy. The biggest annoyance is reaching the 3 bosses I have left! They're all so far away from their respective bonfires. Hoping to at least knock out Sir Alonne tonight.

 

[Bedameister]

If I use something like the Magic Weapon Sociery, does this sorcery get better if I upgrade my staff?

 

[FloatOn]

fuck shrine of amana.

that is all.

 

[DamagedInc]

fuck shrine of amana.

that is all.

I was sailing through that area the first run through and was thinking oh it's not that bad, then I died and died and died, in true DS fashion started to rush it and then get frustrated :-D , you have my sympathy at least the boss is pretty easy!

 

[BigDes]

fuck shrine of amana.

that is all.

Heh, you should have tried it in Vanilla before it got patched

Nuked by enemies you couldn't even see they were so far away.

It's still the worst part of the game for a pure melee character though

 

[Greddleok]

I'm just in the trophy hunting stage now.

I need Lucatiel (I've summoned her 3 times), Master of Sorcery/Miracles/Hex/Pyromancy and 2 covenants I've not found.

Getting all the spells is a huge pain in the ass.

 

[FloatOn]

Heh, you should have tried it in Vanilla before it got patched

Nuked by enemies you couldn't even see they were so far away.

It's still the worst part of the game for a pure melee character though

oh yeah, I played it back then too as a melee character.

I still hate it even with this spellsword build.

 

[GeordieMark]

Heh, you should have tried it in Vanilla before it got patched

Nuked by enemies you couldn't even see they were so far away.

It's still the worst part of the game for a pure melee character though

As long as you have a bow and arrows, its not so bad, even pre-patch. I would hate to go through there without a decent ranged weapon though.

 

[Star Falcon]

I'm just in the trophy hunting stage now.

I need Lucatiel (I've summoned her 3 times), Master of Sorcery/Miracles/Hex/Pyromancy and 2 covenants I've not found.

Getting all the spells is a huge pain in the ass.

Other than the Bell Keeper one i don't think it's too bad really. Even that can be done in under 2 hours stress-free if you play offline and just farm the dude in Belfry Sol.

 

[edbrat]

has anyone else bothered joining the Hexer master race? Loving it on 40 / 40 Int / Fai but I die in a couple of hits.

Always enjoyed the glass cannon build in these games but I'm like crepe paper if I get invaded. Also early part of the game is a nightmare, now hitting like a truck in PvE though.

 

[Greddleok]

It's not so much that they're hard, they're just boring, but after maxing out Sun Bros, I feel like I should just get all the achievements and call it a day.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

If I use something like the Magic Weapon Sociery, does this sorcery get better if I upgrade my staff?

I don't think so, no. Unlike in Demon's and Dark Souls 1, it seems the choice of catalyst has little impact on the strength of weapon buffing spells.

has anyone else bothered joining the Hexer master race? Loving it on 40 / 40 Int / Fai but I die in a couple of hits.

Always enjoyed the glass cannon build in these games but I'm like crepe paper if I get invaded. Also early part of the game is a nightmare, now hitting like a truck in PvE though.

Yeah I made a hexer back in the original game. Total glass canon but really fun. Also it's perfectly viable to play as a pure mage, the only exception is the lion warriors in Shaded Ruins (I just used my starting dagger to backstab them).

 

[Nocturnowl]

Oh cripes, I was not prepared for these changes to the first half of iron keep.
Forget getting whupped by the smelter demon, simply getting to him is like triple the gauntlet it used to be, I swear half these guys just turn up out of nowhere just when you think the coast is clear.

 

[Maddrical]

Oh cripes, I was not prepared for these changes to the first half of iron keep.
Forget getting whupped by the smelter demon, simply getting to him is like triple the gauntlet it used to be, I swear half these guys just turn up out of nowhere just when you think the coast is clear.

They are EVERYWHERE now and their aggro range is huge. I ended up just aggroing them and running back in that first room and taking them out there.

 

[Bedameister]

Oh cripes, I was not prepared for these changes to the first half of iron keep.
Forget getting whupped by the smelter demon, simply getting to him is like triple the gauntlet it used to be, I swear half these guys just turn up out of nowhere just when you think the coast is clear.

Yeah I know but they drop so many Souls. I just killed them over and over again until none of them spawned on the way to the smelter demon. You get so many souls by doing this I can't even remember how many levels I got from it.

 

[Hikami]

I've lit all 4 primal bonfires now. I've heard this is only like the halfway point of the game? That's pretty crazy if so, considering I've already put like 30+ hours into the game.

 

[Mandelbo]

I've lit all 4 primal bonfires now. I've heard this is only like the halfway point of the game? That's pretty crazy if so, considering I've already put like 30+ hours into the game.

Well, I'd say more you're 2/3rds done, not counting the DLC - but there is still quite a bit left to do. In my head I think of the game as six chunks, those being:

Spoiler

- FotFG->Heides->NMW->Bastille

Spoiler

- Shaded Woods->Pharros->Tseldora

Spoiler

- Huntsman's Copse->Earthen Peak->Iron Keep

Spoiler

- Grave of Saints->Gutter->Black Gulch

Spoiler

- Drangleic Castle->Amana->Crypt

Spoiler

- Aldia's Keep->Dragon Aerie/Shrine->Giant Memories->Final Boss

 

[DoctorFling]

Oh cripes, I was not prepared for these changes to the first half of iron keep.
Forget getting whupped by the smelter demon, simply getting to him is like triple the gauntlet it used to be, I swear half these guys just turn up out of nowhere just when you think the coast is clear.

The Iron Keep is a load of old wank, put me off playing the game for a week. I'll probably have a look around tonight, might tackle the stuff at the bottom of the big hole in Majula.

 

[Branniganz Love]

fuck shrine of amana.

that is all.

Shrine of Amana is one of my favorite areas in the game, the place is just beautiful. But it does really suck getting through it. I always load up on iron aarows, throw on my hawk ring and just try to pick enemies off one by one. Very tedious.

 

[The Rain King]

So I'm at the final boss and still haven't fought

Spoiler

King Vendrick or that huge dragon.

Nor have I ventured into any of the DLC areas. Absolutey loving this game, but I have a few questions if any DS2 pros would be so kind as to help.

1. How do I go about fighting

Spoiler

Vendrick and the dragon?

I have a dragon egg and scale. Is it as simple as to just start hitting them?

2. What is a good order to tackle the DLC areas? I have the first bonfire in two of them but in the one behind The Rotten I'm met with "Closed" when I approach the door. Am I missing something?

3. Is there a good area to use a bonfire ascetic? Was thinking easy twinkling titanite and/or souls would be nice.

Any answers would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Mandelbo]

So I'm at the final boss and still haven't fought

Spoiler

King Vendrick or that huge dragon.

Nor have I ventured into any of the DLC areas. Absolutey loving this game, but I have a few questions if any DS2 pros would be so kind as to help.

1. How do I go about fighting

Spoiler

Vendrick and the dragon?

I have a dragon egg and scale. Is it as simple as to just start hitting them?

2. What is a good order to tackle the DLC areas? I have the first bonfire in two of them but in the one behind The Rotten I'm met with "Closed" when I approach the door. Am I missing something?

3. Is there a good area to use a bonfire ascetic? Was thinking easy twinkling titanite and/or souls would be nice.

Any answers would be greatly appreciated.

1.

Spoiler

In order to kill Vendrick, you'll need to have some Giant Souls in your inventory (don't consume them! They just have to be there!) If you try fighting him without any, his defense will be too high for you to do any damage. I usually have three Giant Souls when I fight him, but you can collect more to make the fight easier. You can get Giant Souls from the Giant Memories, or off the Giants hidden in Black Gulch. The Ancient Dragon is a fight I've never bothered doing myself, but you can just start attacking him to initiate the fight. Be warned though, it's not that good a fight, and it's completely optional - you do get a Giant Soul for beating him, but there are enough elsewhere that you don't need to worry too much about getting his.

2.

Spoiler

I find that the DLCs are all fairly equal in difficulty, although I tend to go through them in order (i.e. Shulva, Brume Tower, Eleum Loyce.) In order to open the door to Shulva, you'll need a key which you can get from behind a stone door in the hole in Majula. To open this door you'll have to kill the Giants in Black Gulch.

3.

Spoiler

I'm not too sure about easy twinkling titanite, but you can get easy souls by using an ascetic on the bonfire before the Giant Lord fight, and doing the fight over and over. Since it's literally a straight run to the boss, it's quite straightforward!

Hope that helped!

 

[The Rain King]

Hope that helped!

Helped a bunch. Thanks!

Concerning #3

Spoiler

To me, one of the best places in the game to use bonfire ascetics is Dragon Aerie. There are tons of bugs and upgrade materials in that area, I believe ENB calls that area "Candy Land" and with good reason too. Not sure how much twinkling titanite is in that area though, pretty sure there is at least a few in there.

Good stuff. Thanks!

 

[Branniganz Love]

3. Is there a good area to use a bonfire ascetic? Was thinking easy twinkling titanite and/or souls would be nice.

Any answers would be greatly appreciated.

Concerning #3

Spoiler

To me, one of the best places in the game to use bonfire ascetics is Dragon Aerie. There are tons of bugs and upgrade materials in that area, I believe ENB calls that area "Candy Land" and with good reason too. Not sure how much twinkling titanite is in that area though, pretty sure there is at least a few in there.

 

[Cat Party]

Oh cripes, I was not prepared for these changes to the first half of iron keep.
Forget getting whupped by the smelter demon, simply getting to him is like triple the gauntlet it used to be, I swear half these guys just turn up out of nowhere just when you think the coast is clear.

Yup. I found this to be a great place to help get my 30 sun medals and farm souls. Once you know where they all come from, it's not bad.

 

[theRizzle]

I finally caved and bought this game after waffling about it for a while. I've played at bit of every Souls game, but only beat Bloodborne. I put about 40 hours into Dark Souls but had to abandon the game after selling my PC, and I played about half that of Demons Souls.

The game seems totally fine so far, but I'm very early. I beat the first boss very easily and then got my ass handed to me by (second boss?)

Spoiler

The Pursuer

. I don't think I even damaged him, but if I did it wasn't much. Is he kind of the (BB boss spoiler)

Spoiler

Father Gascoigne

boss of this game? By that I mean the "you should have learned everything there is to learn by now and you gotta use it all to beat me" type dude?

'Cause I got my ass kicked. BADLY.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

The game seems totally fine so far, but I'm very early. I beat the first boss very easily and then got my ass handed to me by (second boss?) . I don't think I even damaged him, but if I did it wasn't much. Is he kind of the (BB boss spoiler)

Spoiler

Father Gascoigne

boss of this game? By that I mean the "you should have learned everything there is to learn by now and you gotta use it all to beat me" type dude?

'Cause I got my ass kicked. BADLY.

Yeah, you could compare him to

Spoiler

Father Gascoigne

actually. But much easier IMO. The Bloodborne boss is much more aggressive and unpredictable IMO.

Spoiler

Pursuer

is very predictable and the timing to dodge his attacks is fairly forgiving, particularly if you spent a few points to raise your agility. The most annoying one is

Spoiler

the curse stab (his sword glows blue and the attack is slightly delayed, like a charging attack), since it acts as a grabbing attack and if you dodge a bit too early it might "vacuum" you back into the sword, which is very annoying and happens a lot with the grab attacks in these games

, you're usually safe if you keep strafing to your right though.

 

[quabba]

I thought I had hit a roadblock at pursuer, I had done some coop and helped 2 or 3 people beat him before I tried it myself and even though I knew to move and dodge right I was getting nowhere.

There were no summon signs around at the time so I ended up just getting used to the speed and patterns of his attacks and maybe upgrading my weapon.

I think I beat him

Spoiler

first time he showed up again tho.

 

[Bedameister]

I thought I had hit a roadblock at pursuer, I had done some coop and helped 2 or 3 people beat him before I tried it myself and even though I knew to move and dodge right I was getting nowhere.

There were no summon signs around at the time so I ended up just getting used to the speed and patterns of his attacks and maybe upgrading my weapon.

I think I beat him

Spoiler

first time he showed up again tho.

Yeah I think there are no summon signs for him. For me it was also the hardest boss in the game. Felt so good defeating him.
But after you encounter him again and again you really know how to fight against him. But at some spots where he shows up again he can still be pretty tough

Spoiler

Iron castle

 

[Star Falcon]

Got done with this on Wednesday night, first time clearing out the DLC content.

Generally speaking, the game has always been great but it just looks so much nicer on the PS4. There are little improvements here and there which help, but the game has so much great content and it is overlooked compared to the rest of the series IMO.

Main reason for the purchase was the chance to experience all the DLC & Aldia. Favourite chapter was definitely the Brume Tower - the design of that place was superb and it looked stunning throughout. Loved luring those little gremlins carrying the barrels into traps. The Frozen Loyce city was also 'cool', but man, those Frigid outskirts was a horrible experience.

Boss wise, i'd rate them in order of favourite to least favourite (with video links if anyone cares of my kills, i beat them all solo so can maybe give some tips to other players):

1. Fume Knight
2. Burnt Ivory King
3. Sir Alonne

These were definitely my favourite 3 bosses of the DLC. Fume Knight was all round great mechanics, a good challenge and he looked cool also. Also loved the lore surrounding him (Raime) too. Definitely makes it into my top 5 across all four games.
Burnt Ivory King and Sir Alonne come next - the former being presented amazingly with great love given to the lore around the character, whereas the latter was almost as interesting but with a bit more enjoyable/challenging fight.

4. Sinh, the Slumbering Dragon
5. Aava, the King's Pet
6. Lud & Zallen, the King's Pet
7. Elana, the Squalid Queen

All enjoyable bosses, not quite as memorable as the top 3 and certainly not as challenging (Lud & Zallen was only frustrating because of the horrible Frigid Outskirts).

8. Graverobber, Varg & Cerah
9. Aldia, Scholar of the First Sin*
10. Smelter Demon (Blue)

These were kinda forgettable. Aldia in particular was really disappointing given how significant a character he is with the lore of Drangleic. The trio were a bit of a challenge but not really a fun one.

Definitely coming back to DS2 on NG+ soon to clean up any trophies and such, but time for a break

*screwed up the video recording so don't have it.

 

[Zukuu]

Overall I liked Sir Alonne the most out of the DLC. Was just an epic thing. The way to him is kinda bad, but the fight itself was nicely done and had great music in a great surrounding. I didn't like Fume Knight at all. Was a bit badly designed imo, which made him more difficult than he really is. In the end, the DLCs were still disappointing to me (compared to Artorias), in particular the first. The second is overall the best, despite a few very flawed encounters.

 

[Star Falcon]

I'd agree that as an overall package, Artorias of the Abyss is still the best of all the add-on content in the Souls games. Hell, as far as bosses goes i'd say it has 3 of the best in the entire series (and Sanctuary Guardian is still a decent encounter, too).

One thing i would have liked to see in the Dark Souls 2 DLC is some new NPCs. Apart from Alsanna (who was interesting from a lore POV but not really as a character), there wasn't really anyone from what I can remember. AotA had Marvellous Chester, Lord's Blade Ciaran, Hawkeye Gough, as well as the origins of Sif was also really cool.

 

[theRizzle]

Yeah, you could compare him to

Spoiler

Father Gascoigne

actually. But much easier IMO. The Bloodborne boss is much more aggressive and unpredictable IMO.

Spoiler

Pursuer

is very predictable and the timing to dodge his attacks is fairly forgiving, particularly if you spent a few points to raise your agility. The most annoying one is

Spoiler

the curse stab (his sword glows blue and the attack is slightly delayed, like a charging attack), since it acts as a grabbing attack and if you dodge a bit too early it might "vacuum" you back into the sword, which is very annoying and happens a lot with the grab attacks in these games

, you're usually safe if you keep strafing to your right though.

I spent just under 2 hours last night fighting him and still wasn't able to beat him. I beat that Bloodborne boss the third time I tried (in fact I found that whole game to be fairly easy), so this has been a much more difficult fight for me so far. At best I'd dropped him to about 1/4 health. All I've been doing is trying to avoid his attacks and chip away with 2-3 attacks each time he misses. I've tried parrying his attacks with 0 success also.

I am definitely seeing where the complaints about the hitboxes in this game come from. I have seen some questionable hits from this boss quite a few times so far. Nothing that is really damaging my enjoyment of the game, but it's a little frustrating.

 

[Bedameister]

Hi GAF

I've got some Questions for you

How do I get up there

How do I get over there

How do I get through there

And how do I get through this door

Can anyone help please

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Hi GAF
I've got some Questions for you

How do I get up there

Spoiler

You need to bait the boss into an attack to knock down the tree.

It's a crappy item anyway.

Spoiler

A single flame butterfly IIRC.

How do I get over there

Spoiler

Check the walls on the bottom floor for illusory walls (press X or A to activate them, don't attack like in Dark Souls). One of them leads to a ladder that will take you to this item.

Alternatively, you can also jump, but it's very tricky and there's no point to worrying about it with the ladder.

How do I get through there

Spoiler

There's a big enemy there normally. Bait its attack to smash the door.

And how do I get through this door

That's in Tseldora right?

Spoiler

You need to exhaust the dialogues of Pate and Creighton both (they're found in various places, check Earthen Peak, Huntsman's Copse, the forked road at Shaded Woods). Then, there's a place at the beginning of Tseldora (first zipline down, or you can even jump down from above) where there will be an encounter. You'll get the key after that.

 

[Bedameister]

Spoiler

You need to bait the boss into an attack to knock down the tree.

It's a crappy item anyway.

Spoiler

A single flame butterfly IIRC.

Spoiler

Check the walls on the bottom floor for illusory walls (press X or A to activate them, don't attack like in Dark Souls). One of them leads to a ladder that will take you to this item.

Alternatively, you can also jump, but it's very tricky and there's no point to worrying about it with the ladder.

Spoiler

There's a big enemy there normally. Bait its attack to smash the door.

That's in Tseldora right?

Spoiler

You need to exhaust the dialogues of Pate and Creighton both (they're found in various places, check Earthen Peak, Huntsman's Copse, the forked road at Shaded Woods). Then, there's a place at the beginning of Tseldora (first zipline down, or you can even jump down from above) where there will be an encounter. You'll get the key after that.

Ok cool, thanks. I haven't met Pate and Creighton at the Shaded Woods so I'm going to go there next.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Only Creighton is at Shaded Woods. He's right by the entrance of the foggy area. If he's not there, go back to the Lockaway bonfire in Huntsman's Copse and exhaust his dialogue.

 

[Bedameister]

Only Creighton is at Shaded Woods. He's right by the entrance of the foggy area. If he's not there, go back to the Lockaway bonfire in Huntsman's Copse and exhaust his dialogue.

Looks like I already met Creighton at the Shaded Woods. But in Scholar of the first sin he is in a different location

Spoiler

the tower to the right when you go up towards the boss location

But I somehow forgot to exhaust Pate's dialogue in earthen peak.

I just found them

Spoiler

and killed Pate

 

[Manu]

Looks like I already met Creighton at the Shaded Woods. But in Scholar of the first sin he is in a different location

Spoiler

the tower to the right when you go up towards the boss location

But I somehow forgot to exhaust Pate's dialogue in earthen peak.

I just found them

Spoiler

and killed Pate

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

[Bedameister]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

But I thought he was the bad guy?

 

[kris.]

Should I wait til a Steam sale to buy this or is it worth the $50? I'm itching to try it out so badly.

 

[Breads]

But I thought he was the bad guy?

Trusty Patches... I mean Pate.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Looks like I already met Creighton at the Shaded Woods. But in Scholar of the first sin he is in a different location
But I somehow forgot to exhaust Pate's dialogue in earthen peak.

I just found them

Oops you're right, I was going on my memory of the original game.

But I thought he was the bad guy?

Spoiler

They're both shady as hell, haha. The game leaves that ambiguous. Cale, the cartographer, reveals some nasty rumours about Creighton too. But it's all hearsay.

 

[Bedameister]

Spoiler

They're both shady as hell, haha. The game leaves that ambiguous. Cale, the cartographer, reveals some nasty rumours about Creighton too. But it's all hearsay.

Seems like it.

Spoiler

The trap in the chest was very nasty. What a dick

Just beat the 4th boss with Lucatiel, yay!

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Seems like it.

Spoiler

The trap in the chest was very nasty. What a dick

Just beat the 4th boss with Lucatiel, yay!

Spoiler

If you kill him and save Pate, he says the exact same thing after you open the trapped chest, lol...

 

[Hikami]

I'm not sure what even counts as a spoiler here anymore.. so, might as well be safe.

Just beat

Spoiler

Dragonrider x2

and

Spoiler

Looking Glass Knight

in

Spoiler

Drangleic Castle

.

I've been beating the past few bosses solo on my first try with no problem,

Spoiler

Looking Glass Knight

though.. actually had a pretty intense fight there. (still got him on my first try though) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uGDU9LYWeQ
I ended up poisoning him on accident near the end.. (main sword broke so I had to use my secondary, which had a poison infusion). I had no idea that you could poison bosses..

So, I'm at the next area after that but.. did I miss another boss in

Spoiler

Drangleic Castle

? I still see summon signs in the area which I'm guessing means there's another one somewhere?

Also, not sure when this happened but when I go fast travel through bonfires..

Spoiler

there's a bunch of locations showing up now but I can't click on them and their images are like, blacked out a bit. What is this? The remaining areas?

 

[NEO0MJ]

Spoiler

Creighton and Pate

are a pretty funny duo.

Also, not sure when this happened but when I go fast travel through bonfires..

Spoiler

there's a bunch of locations showing up now but I can't click on them and their images are like, blacked out a bit. What is this? The remaining areas?

Yep. Giving you hints on where to look more carefully in.