To me I always felt like Drangleic in Dark Souls 2 is supposed to be a whole kingdom, and every area transition is actually you walking for days to reach the next area. That's why some of the transitions don't really make sense, because they aren't actually back to back but are supposed to be days apart. Your character is starting to succumb to the undead curse, their memory is lapsing, they're forgetting how they got to the next area and how much time it took.
See, as cool as the world of Dark Souls 1 is with all of its inter-connectivity, it's never really made sense to me. You're telling me that all of Lordran is roughly 2 square miles? The entirety of the history of this world took place in areas separated by 800 meters of straight running? Izalith was abandoned because of a demon infestation and they decided to build the Undead Burg 100 feet away? The scale is just too small. You learn the world very intimately, and I appreciated that, but at the same time it makes the world feel tiny.
For all of its problems at least the world of Dark Souls 2 feels much bigger. It feels like you're traversing a country rather than just running over the same spots over and over.
Lol, that?s honestly a point you can make about most open world games. I can drive from south Liberty City to north Liberty City in about 6 minutes real time; I?ve a sneaking suspicion a similar trip in the real New York City after which Liberty City is modeled might take just a tad longer. Or Oblivion or Skyrim: you mean to tell me there?re ancient ruins scattered throughout the land, each filled with powerful, arcane weapons, items and creatures, each within a five minute walk of nearly every modern city in Cyrodiil, and still undiscovered, huh? Genuine scale is something hard to pull off in video games. Considering they?re about interactivity, it really wouldn?t behoove devs to take what constitutes reasonable content (say the entirety of Dark Souls 1?s non-topographical content) and stretch it out across a land the size the epic tale truly merits; it?d be a lot of empty space and/or busy work (i.e.: how long did it take for that walk from the first Anor Londo bonfire to The Archers to get old?) That being said DS2 finally does feel quite a bit bigger than DS1, bigger if incoherent: I kill a scorpion lady who leads me to a dwarven ruin which opens up to encampment with undead farmers and pigs which leads to a spider hole and the boss is a dark priest and re-animated corpses?. Yeeeah, mind if I see those cliffnotes? But I?m beginning to appreciate that disjointedness; didn?t think I would, but I am. Now that the game has opened up, I?m just picking one of several new bonfires I?ve discovered and *shrug* see where they go!
Sure there aren't any game worlds that are actually to scale, but it takes 2.5 hours to run from one side of skyrim to the other. It takes maybe 15 minutes to run all the way across dark souls 1 between the two farthest points.
Dark Souls 1 is very compact and FEELS really small because you're running across the same routes over and over again. Dark Souls 2 feels bigger because you run through most of the areas only once or twice since you can teleport between all the bonfires at will. It makes all the distances feel larger because you're less familiar with them. They're more disconnected (which does cause the game to lose some of the charm of the original), but that makes it feel like you're traveling through more space.
It's kind of like how Demon's Souls is a much smaller overall game than Dark Souls 1 or 2, but it covers a much larger amount of area "in world." Dark Souls 1 covers the same amount of space "in world" as it does in the game. Dark Souls 2 covers a much larger amount of distance "in world" than what you're actually playing.
I never really thought much about DS1 being "small". It's compact for sure, but that works to its benefit for gameplay purposes. Skyrim is huge but most of the world is blandly similar by comparison. It could easily be recreated in a procedural map editor, whereas DS1's entire world feels more hand-crafted and intentionally thought out. But yeah, some of the "closeness" of different areas can be off-putting if pausing to think about it.
In this way I also appreciated how DS2 felt more sprawling, but also efficient in the plentiful bonfire teleports. I rarely felt like I was backtracking, or wasting too much time retreading old ground. I suppose that's part of the methodical thematic appeal of the original game as well as Bloodborne, but for gameplay purposes it can be a drag.
Basically, each design type has its pro's and con's, but it's interesting to have both.
I'm much more impressed by Dark Souls 1's level design and inter-connectivity because of how much time and thought clearly went into arranging it, but the same time I like the fact that Dark Souls 2 feels more like a journey and is more focused on forward progress.
Dark Souls 1 sometimes felt like you were faffing about in the same 3 areas all the time when you kept having to run back and forth to upgrade weapons. Go to Andre to upgrade X weapon, then to the giant blacksmith to make the boss version of the weapon, then down to blight town to upgrade your pyromancy flame, then back up to the giant blacksmith to buy more titanite over and over again. Anor Londo starts to look a hell of a lot less magical the 50th time you run through it to buy more twinkling titanite.
Therein lies the wash for me. I love the gameplay loop of Souls because even still nothing else out really has that feel (the tactile feedback, physics, just playing with no story interruptions, etc.), but damned if it doesn?t have a lot of busy work to make the most of it. Even the charm of its world detail and simply learning the map without a map loses some luster after triple digit playtime and a well-worn path to those same vendors. It makes me wonder how FROM will design Shadows Die Twice.
Ok, Duke?s Dear Freja was a pretty cool boss, the first boss I?m giving DS2 kudos for so far. She was easier than I would have liked, but still a fun fight. I like how dark it was and how when she?d shoot the laser, it would illuminate the room in that eerie, welding torch glow; for some reason, the effect reminded me of scenes from Aliens. Then to find the Duke himself, hollowed, but in the first area of a Dark Souls game that actually looks ?lived in? (i.e.: food on the table, books) was extra creepy. I?ve also since bested the Skeleton Lords and Belfry Gargoyles. The former was the biggest joke since Pinwheel and the latter was a severe exercise in restraint; in a fit of rage the thought crossed my temporarily insane mind to kick my girlfriend?s cat. (I didn?t, of course, but she was looking at me at when I died during my third attempt, so it was CLEARLY her fault.) But honestly, the gargoyles are the dick-iest gank boss so far. They had me bent over the belfry, taking turns and high-fiving each other for a good hour, but I finally beat them and no animals were harmed.
So, now I?m staring down Harvest Valley, Shula something-or-other which is apparently part of the DLC and The Executioner?s Chariot boss fight. I complained a lot earlier when the world was [apparently] so closed off, small and empty from my retracing my steps in the same 2-3 places, but I like having options now, as seemingly random and disparate as they may be. I don?t even care about the story or how things fit together in the grander scheme anymore; I see each new area as its own thing.
EDIT: Can anyone recommend a good place to farm Human Effigies? I had a surplus of around 11 or 12, so I was popping them like Skittles (favoring the Ring of Restoration over the Ring of Binding,) but now I?m down to ONE and like any remorseful addict, I?m accepting of the fact that it came to this of my own doing and am ready to change my evil ways if the game can afford me a second chance?
Ok, Duke?s Dear Freja was a pretty cool boss, the first boss I?m giving DS2 kudos for so far. She was easier than I would have liked, but still a fun fight. I like how dark it was and how when she?d shoot the laser, it would illuminate the room in that eerie, welding torch glow; for some reason, the effect reminded me of scenes from Aliens. Then to find the Duke himself, hollowed, but in the first area of a Dark Souls game that actually looks ?lived in? (i.e.: food on the table, books) was extra creepy. I?ve also since bested the Skeleton Lords and Belfry Gargoyles. The former was the biggest joke since Pinwheel and the latter was a severe exercise in restraint; in a fit of rage the thought crossed my temporarily insane mind to kick my girlfriend?s cat. (I didn?t, of course, but she was looking at me at when I died during my third attempt, so it was CLEARLY her fault.) But honestly, the gargoyles are the dick-iest gank boss so far. They had me bent over the belfry, taking turns and high-fiving each other for a good hour, but I finally beat them and no animals were harmed.
So, now I?m staring down Harvest Valley, Shula something-or-other which is apparently part of the DLC and The Executioner?s Chariot boss fight. I complained a lot earlier when the world was [apparently] so closed off, small and empty from my retracing my steps in the same 2-3 places, but I like having options now, as seemingly random and disparate as they may be. I don?t even care about the story or how things fit together in the grander scheme anymore; I see each new area as its own thing.
EDIT: Can anyone recommend a good place to farm Human Effigies? I had a surplus of around 11 or 12, so I was popping them like Skittles (favoring the Ring of Restoration over the Ring of Binding,) but now I?m down to ONE and like any remorseful addict, I?m accepting of the fact that it came to this of my own doing and am ready to change my evil ways if the game can afford me a second chance?
Did you go in "dark" for the Freja fight or hold a torch? I'm guessing you're aware of the benefit of holding torches around the lesser spiders by now...
Anyways, DS2 doesn't really like to dish out Effigies in the way that DS1 did with Humanity in a few areas, but there are still a few options.
- When you get the key to the mansion in Majula, you can hack up the skellies in the cellar for some, and repeat using bonfire ascetics.
- The lizard dudes in Shrine of Amana have some too, but it's better to crank up item discovery gear (Covetous Gold Serpent ring, Merchant's Hat, etc.)
- Bring Prism stones to the bird's nest trading area just past the Firekeeper's house. It's not the most efficient method as Effigies are only one of many possible drops, but if you've opened the big gate in Shaded Woods you can get infinite Prism stones from the cat in Majula (and yes, it would be wise not to kick her either). How do you open the big gate, you might ask? Well, according to the Great souls you've reported attaining, it sounds like you're pretty close to being able to do so once you get through the land of iron in the sky.
Did you go in "dark" for the Freja fight or hold a torch? I'm guessing you're aware of the benefit of holding torches around the lesser spiders by now...
Aaaaaand you guessed wrong. Had NO idea the spiders were affected by torches; I went in dark and honestly, the biggest challenge of the fight WAS the little spiders. Fortunately, I was able to one-shot them and they don?t constantly respawn as often like the Royal Rat Vanguard?s mobs, so I fared well. Honestly, torches have got to be one of my more underutilized new mechanics; I only light them where it?s dark, so only the Gutter and No-Man Wharf so far.
hanselthecaretaker said:
Anyways, DS2 doesn't really like to dish out Effigies in the way that DS1 did with Humanity in a few areas, but there are still a few options.
- When you get the key to the mansion in Majula, you can hack up the skellies in the cellar for some, and repeat using bonfire ascetics.
- The lizard dudes in Shrine of Amana have some too, but it's better to crank up item discovery gear (Covetous Gold Serpent ring, Merchant's Hat, etc.)
- Bring Prism stones to the bird's nest trading area just past the Firekeeper's house. It's not the most efficient method as Effigies are only one of many possible drops, but if you've opened the big gate in Shaded Woods you can get infinite Prism stones from the cat in Majula (and yes, it would be wise not to kick her either). How do you open the big gate, you might ask? Well, according to the Great souls you've reported attaining, it sounds like you're pretty close to being able to do so once you get through the land of iron in the sky.
Ugh, and Effigies are the only to restore your humanity, huh? Does the Ring of Binding work retroactively? I.e.: if I?m hollowed to half health, will putting on the Ring of Binding then restore me back to three-quarters health as long as I?m wearing it?
Ugh, and Effigies are the only to restore your humanity, huh? Does the Ring of Binding work retroactively? I.e.: if I?m hollowed to half health, will putting on the Ring of Binding then restore me back to three-quarters health as long as I?m wearing it?
Ugh, and Effigies are the only to restore your humanity, huh? Does the Ring of Binding work retroactively? I.e.: if I?m hollowed to half health, will putting on the Ring of Binding then restore me back to three-quarters health as long as I?m wearing it?
Ok, at least I'll have THAT to fall back on if Effigies are going to remain in short supply. Thanks!
EDIT: Well, Jesus shit; I just realized, I?m going to need Effigies regardless if I want to summon help! Damn you, Dark Souls 2! *shakes fist angrily at the heavens* I was riding pretty high after I managed to take out the last several bosses solo, but the Smelter Demon hit me with a pretty sobering dick slap. Then, like a straight up born idiot, I used my last Effigy as soon as I respawned at the bonfire and proceeded to die on my way back to him, so now I?m ass out and the only one of hanselthecaretaker?s Effigy farming suggestions I have access to is the skeletons with maybe 2-3 Bonfire Ascetics. This is going to suck donkey balls.
I always did some effigy farming at the starting area of the Lost Bastille, by that area where the smith is. There are quite a few dogs in the area and the drop rates are pretty good, at least in my experience so you can keep respawning them until they run out. Mind you, I was doing this in conjunction with killing the Pursuer so it was a 2 birds kind of thing. If I needed to turn human without using an effigy I usually just put up a summon ( for some reason Lost sinner was a quick summon).
Ugh, and Effigies are the only to restore your humanity, huh? Does the Ring of Binding work retroactively? I.e.: if I?m hollowed to half health, will putting on the Ring of Binding then restore me back to three-quarters health as long as I?m wearing it?
Ok, at least I'll have THAT to fall back on if Effigies are going to remain in short supply. Thanks!
EDIT: Well, Jesus shit; I just realized, I?m going to need Effigies regardless if I want to summon help! Damn you, Dark Souls 2! *shakes fist angrily at the heavens* I was riding pretty high after I managed to take out the last several bosses solo, but the Smelter Demon hit me with a pretty sobering dick slap. Then, like a straight up born idiot, I used my last Effigy as soon as I respawned at the bonfire and proceeded to die on my way back to him, so now I?m ass out and the only one of hanselthecaretaker?s Effigy farming suggestions I have access to is the skeletons with maybe 2-3 Bonfire Ascetics. This is going to suck donkey balls.
I keed, I keed! Really though, best to learn not to rely on Effigies. Eventually you?ll be able to restore yourself without them, but it?s a bit of a hike to that area each time.
I always did some effigy farming at the starting area of the Lost Bastille, by that area where the smith is. There are quite a few dogs in the area and the drop rates are pretty good, at least in my experience so you can keep respawning them until they run out. Mind you, I was doing this in conjunction with killing the Pursuer so it was a 2 birds kind of thing. If I needed to turn human without using an effigy I usually just put up a summon ( for some reason Lost sinner was a quick summon).
You can be summoned while you?re hollow, and doing so turns you human? Do you have to win whatever boss battle you?re summoned for to keep your human status? I?ve done exactly ZERO summoning of/PvP with other players in DS2 (very little in DS1 for that matter,) and I?ve never put a summon sign down myself in either game, so I have no idea how it works, but I thought you needed to be human to send/received summons.
hanselthecaretaker said:
Or you know, you could just
git gud and stomp those bosses solo like a boss.
I keed, I keed! Really though, best to learn not to rely on Effigies. Eventually you?ll be able to restore yourself without them, but it?s a bit of a hike to that area each time.
Yeah, yeah, yeah; I know, I know! I actually DO prefer to solo the bosses; my usual plan is to only summon NPCs the first attempt or two so I can study the bosses? patterns while not constantly on the receiving end of them, but the truth is, so many of DS2?s boss fights are unequivocally unfair gank fests, I don?t even feel bad summoning help. By my reasoning, summoning one NPC to help in a 2, 3, 4, 5 or ?1 OP asshole with one-hitter AOE attacks and infinitely respawning mobs? boss gang bang is evening the odds at worst. (Besides, your hit box is big enough for two people, why not tango?) While I don?t feel bad, I AM still a man of personal pride and honor, so of the 18 bosses I?ve beaten, I only summoned helped with 7 of them, and 5 of those were accidental wins in that I was following my method of summoning the first time for research purposes and the boss ended up being a pushover and dying (specifically The Last Giant, Flexile Sentry, Lost Sinner, Prowling Magus & Congregation and Mytha all of which I?m 100% certain I could have solo?d, but in the interest of full disclosure won?t claim that I did. I NEEDED help with Ruin Sentinels and Scorpioness Najka; no shame in my game there; fuck those bosses.)
BUT, as for the Smelter Demon, someone coulda told me he wasn?t the boss for the Iron Keep. It was a half dozen attempts before I remembered the ladder leading up from that metal room outside his fog door, and lo and behold, someone put the REST of the level and the ACTUAL boss up here! Old Iron King was much easier to handle; he had a couple of cheap shots pushing me into that friggin? hole, but third time was a charm. Feels like that boss fight was a missed opportunity? I?m big on character design, and he looked way too awesome to waste on a lazy fight like that, i.e: the Bed of Chaos was a pathetic, ugly cockroach as she SHOULD have been, that cheap, gimmicky whore. But c?mon, Iron King had whole 3 attacks and he all but calls you the day before to tell you they?re coming, then he leaves himself vulnerable forever afterwards! Of all the cheap outs DS2 has taken thus far in the form of ganks and gimmicks (ooh, coining that one; you heard it here first, folks: Dark Souls 2, aka ?Ganks ?n Gimmicks,?) you?d think one of the Great Soul holders would have something of a trick or two up his sleeve.
I always did some effigy farming at the starting area of the Lost Bastille, by that area where the smith is. There are quite a few dogs in the area and the drop rates are pretty good, at least in my experience so you can keep respawning them until they run out. Mind you, I was doing this in conjunction with killing the Pursuer so it was a 2 birds kind of thing. If I needed to turn human without using an effigy I usually just put up a summon ( for some reason Lost sinner was a quick summon).
You can be summoned while you?re hollow, and doing so turns you human? Do you have to win whatever boss battle you?re summoned for to keep your human status? I?ve done exactly ZERO summoning of/PvP with other players in DS2 (very little in DS1 for that matter,) and I?ve never put a summon sign down myself in either game, so I have no idea how it works, but I thought you needed to be human to send/received summons.
hanselthecaretaker said:
Or you know, you could just
git gud and stomp those bosses solo like a boss.
I keed, I keed! Really though, best to learn not to rely on Effigies. Eventually you?ll be able to restore yourself without them, but it?s a bit of a hike to that area each time.
Yeah, yeah, yeah; I know, I know! I actually DO prefer to solo the bosses; my usual plan is to only summon NPCs the first attempt or two so I can study the bosses? patterns while not constantly on the receiving end of them, but the truth is, so many of DS2?s boss fights are unequivocally unfair gank fests, I don?t even feel bad summoning help. By my reasoning, summoning one NPC to help in a 2, 3, 4, 5 or ?1 OP asshole with one-hitter AOE attacks and infinitely respawning mobs? boss gang bang is evening the odds at worst. (Besides, your hit box is big enough for two people, why not tango?) While I don?t feel bad, I AM still a man of personal pride and honor, so of the 18 bosses I?ve beaten, I only summoned helped with 7 of them, and 5 of those were accidental wins in that I was following my method of summoning the first time for research purposes and the boss ended up being a pushover and dying (specifically The Last Giant, Flexile Sentry, Lost Sinner, Prowling Magus & Congregation and Mytha all of which I?m 100% certain I could have solo?d, but in the interest of full disclosure won?t claim that I did. I NEEDED help with Ruin Sentinels and Scorpioness Najka; no shame in my game there; fuck those bosses.)
BUT, as for the Smelter Demon, someone coulda told me he wasn?t the boss for the Iron Keep. It was a half dozen attempts before I remembered the ladder leading up from that metal room outside his fog door, and lo and behold, someone put the REST of the level and the ACTUAL boss up here! Old Iron King was much easier to handle; he had a couple of cheap shots pushing me into that friggin? hole, but third time was a charm. Feels like that boss fight was a missed opportunity? I?m big on character design, and he looked way too awesome to waste on a lazy fight like that, i.e: the Bed of Chaos was a pathetic, ugly cockroach as she SHOULD have been, that cheap, gimmicky whore. But c?mon, Iron King had whole 3 attacks and he all but calls you the day before to tell you they?re coming, then he leaves himself vulnerable forever afterwards! Of all the cheap outs DS2 has taken thus far in the form of ganks and gimmicks (ooh, coining that one; you heard it here first, folks: Dark Souls 2, aka ?Ganks ?n Gimmicks,?) you?d think one of the Great Soul holders would have something of a trick or two up his sleeve.
Also if you?re unaware, summoning offline NPCs actually makes the fights more difficult, unless they are complete tanks and can keep the heat off of your undead heap of flesh and bones long enough to make it worthwhile.
Anyways, yeah I thought Iron King looked the part, but am guessing bathing in molten steel for thousands of years probably takes its toll on the ol? joints and nerves. The Lost Sinner and Freja were the better half of the four in terms of actually fighting them.
Also if you?re unaware, summoning offline NPCs actually makes the fights more difficult, unless they are complete tanks and can keep the heat off of your undead heap of flesh and bones long enough to make it worthwhile.
Anyways, yeah I thought Iron King looked the part, but am guessing bathing in molten steel for thousands of years probably takes its toll on the ol? joints and nerves. The Lost Sinner and Freja were the better half of the four in terms of actually fighting them.
I knew the bosses got more health when you summon help; are you suggesting their damage output increases as well? So you?re saying I?m actually MOAR badass for summoning??
While the fight itself was good, the character design of The Lost Sinner left a lot to be desired, especially since she was one of the Great Souls. The Rotten, Freja and Iron King are all larger than life and varying degrees of nightmare fuel; Sinner was just some tall chick in handcuffs, and let?s be honest, a tall ?bad girl? who?s into bondage is kinda hot. Get those bugs out of her face, dip her in some bleach (and I mean hold her under for like a hour,) I bet she cleans up nicely. Did I just find my first waifu? But OT, in terms of mechanically good fights, yeah: Sinner, Freja, Rotten, Iron King; move Sinner to the end of that list insofar as my aesthetic preference.
I love Dark Souls 2. Logged over 500 hours into it. It's a huge game. It has nearly as much content as DS1 & DS3 combined. If I have one complaint it's that many of the bosses are too easy as compared to the other two games. But it makes up for that by having some of toughest, most interesting bosses in the series in the DLC. With all due respect to Ornstein and Smough, Fume Knight was my first true git gud or gtfo moment in the Souls trilogy. He took all of the gaming skills I had learned in my life up to that point and shoved them straight up my ass. Beating him for the first time was a landmark moment in gaming for me.
It could almost pass itself off as charming if it wasn't so full of locked doors and blocked paths that funnel you in specific directions and force the idea that you "need" or "are missing" something all the time; i.e.: how am I supposed to remember "locked door #26" from the beginning of the game 20 hours and 40 bosses later let alone notice that they surreptitiously slipped its key in my pocket from some random, insignificant corpse I just happened stumbled across? The game almost dictates that you aimlessly wander, and worse yet, backtrack to progress in a tacit quest for? we'll tell you? later? maybe? *evil, 'ain't we clever' cackle*
I know I'm probably nerdier than most, but what I do is take notes as I explore and list every locked door, statue, Pharros lock, unreachable item, etc., so later I can come back to them. Something like...
Majula
past blue sword guy, statue, need branch
locked house by pigs, need key
tunnel to heide's tower, item through grate
That way I can periodically look back at my notes and see if there is something I should go back to.
I always did some effigy farming at the starting area of the Lost Bastille, by that area where the smith is. There are quite a few dogs in the area and the drop rates are pretty good, at least in my experience so you can keep respawning them until they run out. Mind you, I was doing this in conjunction with killing the Pursuer so it was a 2 birds kind of thing. If I needed to turn human without using an effigy I usually just put up a summon ( for some reason Lost sinner was a quick summon).
You can be summoned while you?re hollow, and doing so turns you human? Do you have to win whatever boss battle you?re summoned for to keep your human status? I?ve done exactly ZERO summoning of/PvP with other players in DS2 (very little in DS1 for that matter,) and I?ve never put a summon sign down myself in either game, so I have no idea how it works, but I thought you needed to be human to send/received summons.
Yes, you only need to be human to summon but you do need to be successful to keep your humanity ( plus you get a decent amount of souls too ). Plus for some covenants its the only way to level your ranking with them such as the Sunbros.
And yeah, Smelter Demon is far harder than the actual boss and unlike you I didn't know he wasn't the boss till after the fact; I was like what, there's still more to go? Plus if you go through that area again there's someone waiting for you.....sucked because I was doing the Lucatiel storyline and spent way too much time fighting him and trying to keep her alive. People seemed to think he is an easy boss; not for me, maybe because I was doing a dual wield build but I had lots of trouble with him. And there's a version of him in the Iron Keep DLC too....and that place can rot in hell. Except for Alonne.
PS - Hope you enjoy your playthrough, as some have said I found DS II disappointing in the sense that it was easier than expected but that may be because I knew what to expect. One thing I like about the Souls series is how people can have such a varying experiences with bosses, such as the fellow who said Fume Knight was their bane but I took him out in 2 tries. Then Smelter Demon ( and his blue version ) hands me my ass. The DLC's make it better too, especially the snow/ice one.
Also if you?re unaware, summoning offline NPCs actually makes the fights more difficult, unless they are complete tanks and can keep the heat off of your undead heap of flesh and bones long enough to make it worthwhile.
Anyways, yeah I thought Iron King looked the part, but am guessing bathing in molten steel for thousands of years probably takes its toll on the ol? joints and nerves. The Lost Sinner and Freja were the better half of the four in terms of actually fighting them.
I knew the bosses got more health when you summon help; are you suggesting their damage output increases as well? So you?re saying I?m actually MOAR badass for summoning??
While the fight itself was good, the character design of The Lost Sinner left a lot to be desired, especially since she was one of the Great Souls. The Rotten, Freja and Iron King are all larger than life and varying degrees of nightmare fuel; Sinner was just some tall chick in handcuffs, and let?s be honest, a tall ?bad girl? who?s into bondage is kinda hot. Get those bugs out of her face, dip her in some bleach (and I mean hold her under for like a hour,) I bet she cleans up nicely. Did I just find my first waifu? But OT, in terms of mechanically good fights, yeah: Sinner, Freja, Rotten, Iron King; move Sinner to the end of that list insofar as my aesthetic preference.
IIRC it's just health that increases. Btw for future reference, did you know about
lighting the cauldrons off to the sides of the Lost Sinner arena? It makes the fight a bit easier since you can actually see her more clearly. You need the Bastille key though.
I know I'm probably nerdier than most, but what I do is take notes as I explore and list every locked door, statue, Pharros lock, unreachable item, etc., so later I can come back to them. Something like...
Majula
past blue sword guy, statue, need branch
locked house by pigs, need key
tunnel to heide's tower, item through grate
That way I can periodically look back at my notes and see if there is something I should go back to.
Had I known going in how sprawling, disparate and disjointed an experience DS2 would be, I might have done something similar. As it stands now, I just find myself going ?oh, I haven?t been to [insert area name] in a while; let me go check and see if I picked up the key to one of the many inevitably locked doors left in my wake.?
PS - Hope you enjoy your playthrough, as some have said I found DS II disappointing in the sense that it was easier than expected but that may be because I knew what to expect. One thing I like about the Souls series is how people can have such a varying experiences with bosses, such as the fellow who said Fume Knight was their bane but I took him out in 2 tries. Then Smelter Demon ( and his blue version ) hands me my ass. The DLC's make it better too, especially the snow/ice one.
It?s taken a while, but I?m starting to warm up to DS2. Before I played DS1, I?d watched several playthroughs, so was pretty familiar with much of it when I started, but DS2 I went in completely blind, and between the awkwardly floaty combat, constant, punishing, ham-fisted gank fests and lack of direction, I was not enjoying myself for the first several hours. But taking [user]hanselthecaretaker[/user]?s advice, I sort of removed my ?be like DS1? expectations and allowed DS2 to be its own thing, and it?s gotten much better.
IIRC it's just health that increases. Btw for future reference, did you know about
lighting the cauldrons off to the sides of the Lost Sinner arena? It makes the fight a bit easier since you can actually see her more clearly. You need the Bastille key though.
Yeeeeah, about that? see my response to [user]Kerg3927[/user] above. I remembered those locked doors recently, ran all the way back there expecting a badass item after beating FIVE GODDAMN GARGOYLES all at once, and tah-dah: here?s some light that would have helped you fight the boss you already beat weeks ago! Good to know, but while I am enjoying the game more than I had initially, I?m still not sold on NG+ or a new build; leaning towards a one night stand, not marriage.
And if any of you?d like, this video came across my YouTube feed seemingly out of nowhere, and it nails how I felt, and now feel, about DS2.
I know I'm probably nerdier than most, but what I do is take notes as I explore and list every locked door, statue, Pharros lock, unreachable item, etc., so later I can come back to them. Something like...
Majula
past blue sword guy, statue, need branch
locked house by pigs, need key
tunnel to heide's tower, item through grate
That way I can periodically look back at my notes and see if there is something I should go back to.
Had I known going in how sprawling, disparate and disjointed an experience DS2 would be, I might have done something similar. As it stands now, I just find myself going ?oh, I haven?t been to [insert area name] in a while; let me go check and see if I picked up the key to one of the many inevitably locked doors left in my wake.?
PS - Hope you enjoy your playthrough, as some have said I found DS II disappointing in the sense that it was easier than expected but that may be because I knew what to expect. One thing I like about the Souls series is how people can have such a varying experiences with bosses, such as the fellow who said Fume Knight was their bane but I took him out in 2 tries. Then Smelter Demon ( and his blue version ) hands me my ass. The DLC's make it better too, especially the snow/ice one.
It?s taken a while, but I?m starting to warm up to DS2. Before I played DS1, I?d watched several playthroughs, so was pretty familiar with much of it when I started, but DS2 I went in completely blind, and between the awkwardly floaty combat, constant, punishing, ham-fisted gank fests and lack of direction, I was not enjoying myself for the first several hours. But taking [user]hanselthecaretaker[/user]?s advice, I sort of removed my ?be like DS1? expectations and allowed DS2 to be its own thing, and it?s gotten much better.
IIRC it's just health that increases. Btw for future reference, did you know about
lighting the cauldrons off to the sides of the Lost Sinner arena? It makes the fight a bit easier since you can actually see her more clearly. You need the Bastille key though.
Yeeeeah, about that? see my response to [user]Kerg3927[/user] above. I remembered those locked doors recently, ran all the way back there expecting a badass item after beating FIVE GODDAMN GARGOYLES all at once, and tah-dah: here?s some light that would have helped you fight the boss you already beat weeks ago! Good to know, but while I am enjoying the game more than I had initially, I?m still not sold on NG+ or a new build; leaning towards a one night stand, not marriage.
And if any of you?d like, this video came across my YouTube feed seemingly out of nowhere, and it nails how I felt, and now feel, about DS2.
^^ I?ve seen that video but haven?t yet watched in its entirety...maybe this weekend. Yeah I?m basically the same way about NG+; I still have to clean up some Loyce souls in Ivory King?s DLC for example. But really the game already has built in NG+ through ascetics, so in some areas I?ve already gone up to NG+7 on my first run, and in total due to all the content I?ve put almost as much time on it as NG+++ of the previous games (DS1, Demon?s). I?ve also messed around with respec?s for magic & miracles/hex, but in the end they still aren?t as fun as my tried and true strength/dex melee builds, with a dash of pyro and arrows for kicks.
I know I'm probably nerdier than most, but what I do is take notes as I explore and list every locked door, statue, Pharros lock, unreachable item, etc., so later I can come back to them. Something like...
Majula
past blue sword guy, statue, need branch
locked house by pigs, need key
tunnel to heide's tower, item through grate
That way I can periodically look back at my notes and see if there is something I should go back to.
Had I known going in how sprawling, disparate and disjointed an experience DS2 would be, I might have done something similar. As it stands now, I just find myself going ?oh, I haven?t been to [insert area name] in a while; let me go check and see if I picked up the key to one of the many inevitably locked doors left in my wake.?
PS - Hope you enjoy your playthrough, as some have said I found DS II disappointing in the sense that it was easier than expected but that may be because I knew what to expect. One thing I like about the Souls series is how people can have such a varying experiences with bosses, such as the fellow who said Fume Knight was their bane but I took him out in 2 tries. Then Smelter Demon ( and his blue version ) hands me my ass. The DLC's make it better too, especially the snow/ice one.
It?s taken a while, but I?m starting to warm up to DS2. Before I played DS1, I?d watched several playthroughs, so was pretty familiar with much of it when I started, but DS2 I went in completely blind, and between the awkwardly floaty combat, constant, punishing, ham-fisted gank fests and lack of direction, I was not enjoying myself for the first several hours. But taking [user]hanselthecaretaker[/user]?s advice, I sort of removed my ?be like DS1? expectations and allowed DS2 to be its own thing, and it?s gotten much better.
IIRC it's just health that increases. Btw for future reference, did you know about
lighting the cauldrons off to the sides of the Lost Sinner arena? It makes the fight a bit easier since you can actually see her more clearly. You need the Bastille key though.
Yeeeeah, about that? see my response to [user]Kerg3927[/user] above. I remembered those locked doors recently, ran all the way back there expecting a badass item after beating FIVE GODDAMN GARGOYLES all at once, and tah-dah: here?s some light that would have helped you fight the boss you already beat weeks ago! Good to know, but while I am enjoying the game more than I had initially, I?m still not sold on NG+ or a new build; leaning towards a one night stand, not marriage.
And if any of you?d like, this video came across my YouTube feed seemingly out of nowhere, and it nails how I felt, and now feel, about DS2.
I REALLY recommend doing NG+ at least once for DS2. Unlike the other souls games DS2's NG+ actually adds content rather than just making everything have more health and do more damage. They add new enemies which completely change the balance of some areas and encounters. They actually put time and effort into it, even some of the boss fights have changes to the mechanics.
BTW, I have a combat recommendation for you. Blunt damage.
There are A LOT of enemies and bosses in the game that wear armor, and armored enemies take tons of extra damage from blunt weapons, and blunt weapons are great for breaking poise (especially when wearing the stone ring). One of my play-throughs I made a boxer. My character only used the caetus fist weapons and fought every battle shirtless and without a helmet. This build was actually surprisingly effective once I had the stats to power stance the caestus (which is very easy, they're low requirement weapons). I absolutely moped the floor with bosses like The Ruined Sentinels, and I imagine it would have been even better if I went at them with a couple of clubs or some maces instead of just my fists.
Ok, this damn game has officially grown on me. Earlier in this thread, I compared Dark Souls 2 (as a sequel) to an ?overly-enthusiastic and painful handjob from a creepily-obsessive ex-girlfriend I immediately regretted drunk texting,? and while that sentiment remains true at times, I can add that ?she?s? just trying her best and only wants to make me happy; I?ve asked her to stop the jack-rabbiting and just cuddle with me.
Came to this conclusion when I finally made it through Drangleic Castle and opened the doors to King?s Passage, an incredibly atmospheric (if short) area topped off with an amazing boss fight with the Looking Glass Knight. That led to the Shrine of Amana and another incredible-looking and creepy boss with the Demon of Song. Solo?d Velstadt today and now with the King?s Ring, there are even more doors to open and more areas to explore; I?m genuinely excited. DS2 really does offer a LOT if you don?t hold the lack of coherence against it; really makes me wonder how great a game it could have been with the same direction and leadership that DS1, DS3 and BB enjoyed. I?m seriously considering NG+ now.
That being said, the DLC has me worried. Don?t know which is which, but one I teleport to from behind The Rotten?s room and the other from the Shrine of Winter, and both shut me down pretty hard. Considering how DS1?s DLC took its opportunity to throw the hardest bosses of the game at me, I?m really concerned that DS2?s? ?enthusiasm? ?for difficulty might be similarly amplified in its DLC, i.e.: 6 Super Ornsteins in a room the size of the Capra Demon?s, filled with poison water, and when they get to 50% health, 10 Gargoyles and a Dragonrider drop in because ZOMFG ISN?T THIS SUPER FUCKING HARD, BRO?? GIT GUD CUZ AWESOME!!! Yeah, as much as I?m warming up to the idea of DS2 ?staying the night,? if ?she? tries to force a double-fisted prostate massage on me, I?m more than willing to kick this schizo-***** out?
That being said, the DLC has me worried. Don?t know which is which, but one I teleport to from behind The Rotten?s room and the other from the Shrine of Winter, and both shut me down pretty hard. Considering how DS1?s DLC took its opportunity to throw the hardest bosses of the game at me, I?m really concerned that DS2?s? ?enthusiasm? ?for difficulty might be similarly amplified in its DLC, i.e.: 6 Super Ornsteins in a room the size of the Capra Demon?s, filled with poison water, and when they get to 50% health, 10 Gargoyles and a Dragonrider drop in because ZOMFG ISN?T THIS SUPER FUCKING HARD, BRO?? GIT GUD CUZ AWESOME!!! Yeah, as much as I?m warming up to the idea of DS2 ?staying the night,? if ?she? tries to force a double-fisted prostate massage on me, I?m more than willing to kick this schizo-***** out?
The DLC bosses in the DS2 are some of the toughest in the series, no doubt. And the jump in difficulty from the non-DLC bosses to the DLC ones in DS2 is extremely steep. But I think they are all very well-designed and memorable. They are the highlight of the game for me. Some of them may require you to reinvent your play style and die a lot to learn the tells and timing.
My advice - which may or may not be useful to you - is this... mobility. Nobody loves playing a character that wears heavy armor and walks around built like a brick shit house than me. But for these bosses, if you haven't already done so, I suggest bumping that Adaptability stat up to where you have 12-14 I-frames (Agility 99, 105, or 111 are the breakpoints). And get your equip load under 50%. Effective rolling is key.
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