Dark Souls 2: SotFS (or therefore, "Baa-baa Black Sheep" and other musings thread)

[Kerg3927]

I also went to Vendrick and got a cool cutscene with a powered up crown. I suppose I should bring it somewhere.

Nope, that's it. The power up scene is him granting you Vendrick's Blessing, which means that, while wearing any of the 4 crowns, including the King's Crown, you cannot go hollow and you are immune to curse. You will still lose your souls when you die, though, so it basically just saves you a human effigy.

Not very useful, IMO, as you don't get it until the very end after you've already beaten the toughest bosses the game has to offer, and it resets in NG+. I have never worn any of the crowns. Just feels silly to me to be rolling around with a crown on.... wouldn't it fall off?

It does have lore implications, though. You're basically cured of the curse, which is what you initially set out to do.

 

[Kerg3927]

... Ahhhhhhh, Dark Souls II ... the game everyone refused to accept as canon and yet DS III has heavy implications that everything in DS II is not only true, but holds a lot of truth to how things turn out in the lore of DS III.

*cough*

Forgive me, I just laugh at the fact so many called DS II a bad game when it's actually good, just it didn't live up to the hype. Then they denied everything in the lore, but it's so vital to understanding DS III's lore and it also explains a lot on how the curse is, what the dark does, and so on. Plus it also clarifies some things in the first Dark Souls that wasn't so clear to us fans.

Anyways, if any of you have questions or want to talk about DS II, please quote me... I would love to give my 2 cents on everything

I didn't care about Dark Souls III's lore. Dark Souls III was the black sheep. It regressed from II in some ways and was more confusing, phoned in and annoying.

I like all three games. I mean, when you get right down to it, they are basically remakes of the same game, with minor tweaks and variations here and there. There are no black sheep, IMO. There are just sheep.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

I just picked this up too, yesterday. I finally finished my NG+6 run of Dark Souls; it was basically the only game I?ve played for nearly a year, so decided it might be time for another adventure.

I dunno, probably just bitchin? because I?m not playing DS1 anymore for the moment; going to read through this thread and see what I?m up against because I really want this game to click for me.

Um...that's almost seven pages of myself, Kerg, hansel, and Danils just quoting one another and giving tips and suggestions on how to get through certain parts and what to look for in terms of secrets. That's going to be a long read.

But anyway, I can give you a pointer right now. Push the select button--or whatever variation of that button on the system you're playing--and it will give a description of everything you can highlight with the cursor. That should help out a bit for you.

Don't worry about the constant lore-dumping videos/cutscenes you got at the beginning. That's...really going to be all you get. You'll come across other NPCs who will talk to you, but you're not going to get anything else like that intro for the rest of the game, save the ending.

Finally, the game feels--at least to me--lighter than Dark Souls. After not having touched the original game for well over three years, I recently started playing it again and it feels heavier, more solid. Weapons have more weight to their impacts and your rolling is different too. So yeah, there's going to be an adjustment in terms of mechanics, but I think any veteran Dark Souls player should be able to adapt to it within the first hour or two.

 

[Comic Sans]

Yesssss!! Got the Ivory King crown (last and most satisfying DLC) and some cool Loyce gear. It was a fairly frustrating fight even with the knights assisting, but I think only because I was getting a false sense of security and allowing myself to play sloppily. Another trick I wasn't keen on until my final attempt was waiting until the last portal was sealed before killing the last charred knight. Otherwise one or two will be hounding you like a bad dream while the King dishes out a lavish onslaught of death blows. He himself was surprisingly manageable after learning his timing and which way to dodge/roll.

I also went to Vendrick and got a cool cutscene with a powered up crown. I suppose I should bring it somewhere.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. That boss fight was really epic, I loved it. It's possible to either keep dropping in or do co-op to farm Loyce Souls from the charred knights but honestly I wouldn't worry. Doing so nets you more lore from queen, culminating in her giving you her soul which you can redeem for a pretty decent weapon. It takes a long time though. I'm pretty sure I spent probably two hours running co-op wearing complete item discovery gear to get them. The lore is really interesting and sheds light on all the queens from the DLC and main game, and a great tie in to the first game, but that can be googled.

All that you have left are the optional DLC gauntlets and the Pilgrims covenant stuff if you haven't already. The DLC gauntlets are incredibly rough to do solo (you saw one with blue Smelter), but I highly recommend checking out the Ivory King one just to experience it. No real need to complete it if you don't like it as the reward isn't anything to write home about. To find it, there's a tower with some hollows outside it in Eleum Loyce that you have to unlock. Inside is a bonfire, and a casket. Climb intothe casket and let the fun begin.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Spoiler

I just picked this up too, yesterday. I finally finished my NG+6 run of Dark Souls; it was basically the only game I've played for nearly a year, so decided it might be time for another adventure.

I've only put in about 30 minutes so far (that gaggle of hens in the red robes talked for 25 minutes of it, sheesh,) but I can tell there's going to be a period of adjustment. You're right, it DOES feel mechanically stiffer, and the camera, I dunno, I'm going to have to pop DS1 back in to remind myself what I like, then play with the camera settings in DS2 because the camera isn't working for me. Also, all the exposition and cut scenes, I'm not used to it; it doesn't feel like Dark Souls so far. Not saying "bad," but markedly different.

Doesn't help that my used copy didn't come with a friggin' booklet (what kind of goddamn savage can't keep the book and case together and in decent, resalable condition?!?) so I've no idea what the menu icons mean. As far as I can tell, the menus are better than DS1, just not sure what they mean.

I dunno, probably just bitchin' because I'm not playing DS1 anymore for the moment; going to read through this thread and see what I'm up against because I really want this game to click for me.

Don't be discouraged; it turns into Souls proper soon after leaving the hen den. My first morsel of advice would be to level Endurance and Adaptability equally (ie 10:10, 11:11, etc.) because they will help remove that stiff feeling to the combat while simultaneously scaling your natural poise. 20 a piece will be a good number to shoot for and you should notice gradually limbering up along the way. Aside from that, level your character however you'd like as in DS1.

Also out of curiosity, did you get Scholar of the First Sin edition on the newer consoles/PC, or as an add-on for the older consoles? If at all possible I'd recommend playing the whole thing on the former for performance/aesthetics sake. It's essentially one of (if not the most) worthwhile remastering of a last gen title, because it restores the originally planned lighting techniques, which enhances a handful of areas in terms of both gameplay and atmosphere. It also will undoubtedly play smoother, as I'm guessing there were a few points that brought the PS360 to their knees.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Spoiler

Yesssss!! Got the Ivory King crown (last and most satisfying DLC) and some cool Loyce gear. It was a fairly frustrating fight even with the knights assisting, but I think only because I was getting a false sense of security and allowing myself to play sloppily. Another trick I wasn't keen on until my final attempt was waiting until the last portal was sealed before killing the last charred knight. Otherwise one or two will be hounding you like a bad dream while the King dishes out a lavish onslaught of death blows. He himself was surprisingly manageable after learning his timing and which way to dodge/roll.

I also went to Vendrick and got a cool cutscene with a powered up crown. I suppose I should bring it somewhere.

Did you get all fifty Loyce souls so you could meet the Queen? She offers probably the biggest lore connection between the two games. I mean, it's nothing you shouldn't have figured out by this point, but it's still pretty cool to hear it all. If not, I suggest you go watch a video of her talking, because it's worth it.

Alas, taking the crown anywhere doesn't do anything. What you have essentially done is the one thing that no one has been able to do in all the years throughout the ages. I won't spoil it for you, but I'll give you a hint. Put on a crown--my personal favorite is the Ivory King one because it looks nice and it restores health--and go die. You should notice something pretty quick.

I probably have a dozen. Hopefully that arena isn't the only place they can be attained, or the knights will return with an ascetic? It took a while just to get a dozen, but I didn't have the Gold Serpent ring on either.

Spoiler

I also went to Vendrick and got a cool cutscene with a powered up crown. I suppose I should bring it somewhere.

Nope, that's it. The power up scene is him granting you Vendrick's Blessing, which means that, while wearing any of the 4 crowns, including the King's Crown, you cannot go hollow and you are immune to curse. You will still lose your souls when you die, though, so it basically just saves you a human effigy.

Not very useful, IMO, as you don't get it until the very end after you've already beaten the toughest bosses the game has to offer, and it resets in NG+. I have never worn any of the crowns. Just feels silly to me to be rolling around with a crown on.... wouldn't it fall off?

It does have lore implications, though. You're basically cured of the curse, which is what you initially set out to do.

Interesting points about the crown. I suppose it could be helpful while I'm cleaning up the last (dessert?) part of the game in Dark Chasm and Throne of Want. I have a good stock of effigies built up since I've played most of the game hollow, only using them occasionally for a tough fight or on my Lucatiel/Benhart summoning quests.

Spoiler

Yesssss!! Got the Ivory King crown (last and most satisfying DLC) and some cool Loyce gear. It was a fairly frustrating fight even with the knights assisting, but I think only because I was getting a false sense of security and allowing myself to play sloppily. Another trick I wasn't keen on until my final attempt was waiting until the last portal was sealed before killing the last charred knight. Otherwise one or two will be hounding you like a bad dream while the King dishes out a lavish onslaught of death blows. He himself was surprisingly manageable after learning his timing and which way to dodge/roll.

I also went to Vendrick and got a cool cutscene with a powered up crown. I suppose I should bring it somewhere.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. That boss fight was really epic, I loved it. It's possible to either keep dropping in or do co-op to farm Loyce Souls from the charred knights but honestly I wouldn't worry. Doing so nets you more lore from queen, culminating in her giving you her soul which you can redeem for a pretty decent weapon. It takes a long time though. I'm pretty sure I spent probably two hours running co-op wearing complete item discovery gear to get them. The lore is really interesting and sheds light on all the queens from the DLC and main game, and a great tie in to the first game, but that can be googled.

All that you have left are the optional DLC gauntlets and the Pilgrims covenant stuff if you haven't already. The DLC gauntlets are incredibly rough to do solo (you saw one with blue Smelter), but I highly recommend checking out the Ivory King one just to experience it. No real need to complete it if you don't like it as the reward isn't anything to write home about. To find it, there's a tower with some hollows outside it in Eleum Loyce that you have to unlock. Inside is a bonfire, and a casket. Climb into the casket and let the fun begin.

Yeah, you just answered my question about the knights still being there to farm; cool. I also did find the casket. I feel like Ivory King's map was the easiest to explore thoroughly, maybe because it was mostly open with visible connections.

 

[Kerg3927]

If you ever need effigies, you can bonfire asthetic Majula. I think the only mobs it affects are the pigs over in the corner, and the skeletons in the mansion basement. Each asthetic adds a skeleton and respawns the ones you killed, up to 7, I think, and each skeleton drops an effigy, 100% chance. Even at +7 level, it's pretty easy to kite them outside and kill them 1-2 at a time. It's a good way to quickly farm up a stash of effigies if you ever run out.

 

[Comic Sans]

Spoiler

Yesssss!! Got the Ivory King crown (last and most satisfying DLC) and some cool Loyce gear. It was a fairly frustrating fight even with the knights assisting, but I think only because I was getting a false sense of security and allowing myself to play sloppily. Another trick I wasn't keen on until my final attempt was waiting until the last portal was sealed before killing the last charred knight. Otherwise one or two will be hounding you like a bad dream while the King dishes out a lavish onslaught of death blows. He himself was surprisingly manageable after learning his timing and which way to dodge/roll.

I also went to Vendrick and got a cool cutscene with a powered up crown. I suppose I should bring it somewhere.

Did you get all fifty Loyce souls so you could meet the Queen? She offers probably the biggest lore connection between the two games. I mean, it's nothing you shouldn't have figured out by this point, but it's still pretty cool to hear it all. If not, I suggest you go watch a video of her talking, because it's worth it.

Alas, taking the crown anywhere doesn't do anything. What you have essentially done is the one thing that no one has been able to do in all the years throughout the ages. I won't spoil it for you, but I'll give you a hint. Put on a crown--my personal favorite is the Ivory King one because it looks nice and it restores health--and go die. You should notice something pretty quick.

I probably have a dozen. Hopefully that arena isn't the only place they can be attained, or the knights will return with an ascetic? It took a while just to get a dozen, but I didn't have the Gold Serpent ring on either.

Spoiler

I also went to Vendrick and got a cool cutscene with a powered up crown. I suppose I should bring it somewhere.

Nope, that's it. The power up scene is him granting you Vendrick's Blessing, which means that, while wearing any of the 4 crowns, including the King's Crown, you cannot go hollow and you are immune to curse. You will still lose your souls when you die, though, so it basically just saves you a human effigy.

Not very useful, IMO, as you don't get it until the very end after you've already beaten the toughest bosses the game has to offer, and it resets in NG+. I have never worn any of the crowns. Just feels silly to me to be rolling around with a crown on.... wouldn't it fall off?

It does have lore implications, though. You're basically cured of the curse, which is what you initially set out to do.

Interesting points about the crown. I suppose it could be helpful while I'm cleaning up the last (dessert?) part of the game in Dark Chasm and Throne of Want. I have a good stock of effigies built up since I've played most of the game hollow, only using them occasionally for a tough fight or on my Lucatiel/Benhart summoning quests.

Spoiler

Yesssss!! Got the Ivory King crown (last and most satisfying DLC) and some cool Loyce gear. It was a fairly frustrating fight even with the knights assisting, but I think only because I was getting a false sense of security and allowing myself to play sloppily. Another trick I wasn't keen on until my final attempt was waiting until the last portal was sealed before killing the last charred knight. Otherwise one or two will be hounding you like a bad dream while the King dishes out a lavish onslaught of death blows. He himself was surprisingly manageable after learning his timing and which way to dodge/roll.

I also went to Vendrick and got a cool cutscene with a powered up crown. I suppose I should bring it somewhere.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. That boss fight was really epic, I loved it. It's possible to either keep dropping in or do co-op to farm Loyce Souls from the charred knights but honestly I wouldn't worry. Doing so nets you more lore from queen, culminating in her giving you her soul which you can redeem for a pretty decent weapon. It takes a long time though. I'm pretty sure I spent probably two hours running co-op wearing complete item discovery gear to get them. The lore is really interesting and sheds light on all the queens from the DLC and main game, and a great tie in to the first game, but that can be googled.

All that you have left are the optional DLC gauntlets and the Pilgrims covenant stuff if you haven't already. The DLC gauntlets are incredibly rough to do solo (you saw one with blue Smelter), but I highly recommend checking out the Ivory King one just to experience it. No real need to complete it if you don't like it as the reward isn't anything to write home about. To find it, there's a tower with some hollows outside it in Eleum Loyce that you have to unlock. Inside is a bonfire, and a casket. Climb into the casket and let the fun begin.

Yeah, you just answered my question about the knights still being there to farm; cool. I also did find the casket. I feel like Ivory King's map was the easiest to explore thoroughly, maybe because it was mostly open with visible connections.

Did you ride the casket down yet? If so what did you think of that area? It's the only part of the game I couldn't be assed to do solo and called in AI phantoms to help. As for the Loyce souls, while you can farm them they actually have a higher drop rate if you're a phantom helping someone else. So if you really wanna work to farm them, do it as a phantom. Back when I played there were generally people smart enough to drop a summon sign and then kill themselves after all the charred knights were dead so people could farm. Of course that was ages ago and it still took forever to farm the souls. Getting them gives you an armor set (the Loyce knight set), Alsanna's soul which gives you a weapon from Ornifex (a Dex weapon that heals yourself or an ally you hit on a strong attack), and lets you buy the Ivory King set in Majula. You're at the end of the game with almost nothing left to do so it's all optional.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Spoiler

Spoiler

Yesssss!! Got the Ivory King crown (last and most satisfying DLC) and some cool Loyce gear. It was a fairly frustrating fight even with the knights assisting, but I think only because I was getting a false sense of security and allowing myself to play sloppily. Another trick I wasn't keen on until my final attempt was waiting until the last portal was sealed before killing the last charred knight. Otherwise one or two will be hounding you like a bad dream while the King dishes out a lavish onslaught of death blows. He himself was surprisingly manageable after learning his timing and which way to dodge/roll.

I also went to Vendrick and got a cool cutscene with a powered up crown. I suppose I should bring it somewhere.

Did you get all fifty Loyce souls so you could meet the Queen? She offers probably the biggest lore connection between the two games. I mean, it's nothing you shouldn't have figured out by this point, but it's still pretty cool to hear it all. If not, I suggest you go watch a video of her talking, because it's worth it.

Alas, taking the crown anywhere doesn't do anything. What you have essentially done is the one thing that no one has been able to do in all the years throughout the ages. I won't spoil it for you, but I'll give you a hint. Put on a crown--my personal favorite is the Ivory King one because it looks nice and it restores health--and go die. You should notice something pretty quick.

I probably have a dozen. Hopefully that arena isn't the only place they can be attained, or the knights will return with an ascetic? It took a while just to get a dozen, but I didn't have the Gold Serpent ring on either.

Spoiler

I also went to Vendrick and got a cool cutscene with a powered up crown. I suppose I should bring it somewhere.

Nope, that's it. The power up scene is him granting you Vendrick's Blessing, which means that, while wearing any of the 4 crowns, including the King's Crown, you cannot go hollow and you are immune to curse. You will still lose your souls when you die, though, so it basically just saves you a human effigy.

Not very useful, IMO, as you don't get it until the very end after you've already beaten the toughest bosses the game has to offer, and it resets in NG+. I have never worn any of the crowns. Just feels silly to me to be rolling around with a crown on.... wouldn't it fall off?

It does have lore implications, though. You're basically cured of the curse, which is what you initially set out to do.

Interesting points about the crown. I suppose it could be helpful while I'm cleaning up the last (dessert?) part of the game in Dark Chasm and Throne of Want. I have a good stock of effigies built up since I've played most of the game hollow, only using them occasionally for a tough fight or on my Lucatiel/Benhart summoning quests.

Spoiler

Yesssss!! Got the Ivory King crown (last and most satisfying DLC) and some cool Loyce gear. It was a fairly frustrating fight even with the knights assisting, but I think only because I was getting a false sense of security and allowing myself to play sloppily. Another trick I wasn't keen on until my final attempt was waiting until the last portal was sealed before killing the last charred knight. Otherwise one or two will be hounding you like a bad dream while the King dishes out a lavish onslaught of death blows. He himself was surprisingly manageable after learning his timing and which way to dodge/roll.

I also went to Vendrick and got a cool cutscene with a powered up crown. I suppose I should bring it somewhere.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. That boss fight was really epic, I loved it. It's possible to either keep dropping in or do co-op to farm Loyce Souls from the charred knights but honestly I wouldn't worry. Doing so nets you more lore from queen, culminating in her giving you her soul which you can redeem for a pretty decent weapon. It takes a long time though. I'm pretty sure I spent probably two hours running co-op wearing complete item discovery gear to get them. The lore is really interesting and sheds light on all the queens from the DLC and main game, and a great tie in to the first game, but that can be googled.

All that you have left are the optional DLC gauntlets and the Pilgrims covenant stuff if you haven't already. The DLC gauntlets are incredibly rough to do solo (you saw one with blue Smelter), but I highly recommend checking out the Ivory King one just to experience it. No real need to complete it if you don't like it as the reward isn't anything to write home about. To find it, there's a tower with some hollows outside it in Eleum Loyce that you have to unlock. Inside is a bonfire, and a casket. Climb into the casket and let the fun begin.

Yeah, you just answered my question about the knights still being there to farm; cool. I also did find the casket. I feel like Ivory King's map was the easiest to explore thoroughly, maybe because it was mostly open with visible connections.

Did you ride the casket down yet? If so what did you think of that area? It's the only part of the game I couldn't be assed to do solo and called in AI phantoms to help. As for the Loyce souls, while you can farm them they actually have a higher drop rate if you're a phantom helping someone else. So if you really wanna work to farm them, do it as a phantom. Back when I played there were generally people smart enough to drop a summon sign and then kill themselves after all the charred knights were dead so people could farm. Of course that was ages ago and it still took forever to farm the souls. Getting them gives you an armor set (the Loyce knight set), Alsanna's soul which gives you a weapon from Ornifex (a Dex weapon that heals yourself or an ally you hit on a strong attack), and lets you buy the Ivory King set in Majula. You're at the end of the game with almost nothing left to do so it's all optional.

I didn't take a casket ride yet but plan on going back there. I'm debating what to do about the Loyce Souls, as I really want them but it sounds incredibly tedious. Summoning in sounds good as long as the other players are only meaning to farm also. It sounds like a slow go regardless, and like Demon's Souls, increased luck/item discovery is more counterproductive due to all the other more common drops.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

I didn't take a casket ride yet but plan on going back there. I'm debating what to do about the Loyce Souls, as I really want them but it sounds incredibly tedious. Summoning in sounds good as long as the other players are only meaning to farm also. It sounds like a slow go regardless, and like Demon's Souls, increased luck/item discovery is more counterproductive due to all the other more common drops.

Getting all fifty Loyce Souls is easily, easily the worst part of Dark Souls II. Well, maybe second-worst, because damn that co op area in Loyce. Damn it to the snowy depths that it crawled out of. I've gotten all the Loyce Souls two or three times now, and after the last time, I swore never again.
What makes it even worse is that you can't drop them for other people to pick up. I was really hoping they'd patch the drop rate with the PS4 version, but nope. Still miserable getting all of them.

I'm currently trying to get that stupid pure bladestone in Demon's Souls. Been at it for over a week. Getting the Loyce souls isn't as bad as this, but I am having flashbacks.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

I didn't take a casket ride yet but plan on going back there. I'm debating what to do about the Loyce Souls, as I really want them but it sounds incredibly tedious. Summoning in sounds good as long as the other players are only meaning to farm also. It sounds like a slow go regardless, and like Demon's Souls, increased luck/item discovery is more counterproductive due to all the other more common drops.

Getting all fifty Loyce Souls is easily, easily the worst part of Dark Souls II. Well, maybe second-worst, because damn that co op area in Loyce. Damn it to the snowy depths that it crawled out of. I've gotten all the Loyce Souls two or three times now, and after the last time, I swore never again.
What makes it even worse is that you can't drop them for other people to pick up. I was really hoping they'd patch the drop rate with the PS4 version, but nope. Still miserable getting all of them.

I'm currently trying to get that stupid pure bladestone in Demon's Souls. Been at it for over a week. Getting the Loyce souls isn't as bad as this, but I am having flashbacks.

Ahh the Pure Bladestone.

Spoiler: Not sure how accurate this is

but yeah, sucks.

I think I almost cried when I got it, a few million souls later. People's luck varies though. I've heard of some getting it within a dozen tries. Others some orders of magnitude more.

 

[Kerg3927]

So I'm playing the DS3 Ringed City DLC for the first time. And I'm doing it in NG+, because that's the only save I had, and I didn't want to start a new game.

Fought Darkeater Midir yesterday, and oh man, what an asshole of a boss. Definitely a new one to add to the most difficult Souls boss discussion.

Spoiler

I finally got him, but it took me 30+ attempts. He has sooo much health. He's huge, but at the same time he's extremely fast and squirmy, so you need a long weapon to reliably hit him, IMO. I started out using a Havel's Greatshield, because there was so much damage coming from everywhere, but after I learned his moves, I finally just ditched the shield and started rolling, and I found that to be more effective for avoiding damage and conserving stamina. And I leveled up a Yhorm's Great Machete for it's huge AR (strength build) and long range, and was able to get him after a few attemps with that setup. When I struck the killing blow, I was out of estus and at about 10% hp... ha.

Really cool boss.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Screw that dragon. He can rot down there in the Abyss forever for all I care. I don't care how cool his katana is. He is not worth the headache I got trying to even get him down to half health countless times.

 

[Kerg3927]

Screw that dragon. He can rot down there in the Abyss forever for all I care. I don't care how cool his katana is. He is not worth the headache I got trying to even get him down to half health countless times.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

^Damn...at least Kalameet and Sinh gave you breathing room to get in melee position. Sinh was more lenient with this in my experience. But this guy...he just seems to say GTFO!!!

 

[Kerg3927]

^Damn...at least Kalameet and Sinh gave you breathing room to get in melee position. Sinh was more lenient with this in my experience. But this guy...he just seems to say GTFO!!!

Yes, he breathes straight down underneath him. But being out in front of him is even more dangerous because of that purple Godzilla beam of death... it does massive damage. So staying underneath him is still safer. You can roll away from that fire toward the tail if you're quick (and get in a whack or two on the tail while he recovers). The tell is he stands up on his hind legs before he does it. You won't always make it out in time, but you can heal through the fire damage. That purple shit, not so much. It can one-shot you if you don't have a large health pool and/or high dark defense.

He's tough. He's like a cross between Smaug and Godzilla.

 

[Xprimentyl]

I just picked this up too, yesterday. I finally finished my NG+6 run of Dark Souls; it was basically the only game I?ve played for nearly a year, so decided it might be time for another adventure.

I dunno, probably just bitchin? because I?m not playing DS1 anymore for the moment; going to read through this thread and see what I?m up against because I really want this game to click for me.

Um...that's almost seven pages of myself, Kerg, hansel, and Danils just quoting one another and giving tips and suggestions on how to get through certain parts and what to look for in terms of secrets. That's going to be a long read.

But anyway, I can give you a pointer right now. Push the select button--or whatever variation of that button on the system you're playing--and it will give a description of everything you can highlight with the cursor. That should help out a bit for you.

Don't worry about the constant lore-dumping videos/cutscenes you got at the beginning. That's...really going to be all you get. You'll come across other NPCs who will talk to you, but you're not going to get anything else like that intro for the rest of the game, save the ending.

Finally, the game feels--at least to me--lighter than Dark Souls. After not having touched the original game for well over three years, I recently started playing it again and it feels heavier, more solid. Weapons have more weight to their impacts and your rolling is different too. So yeah, there's going to be an adjustment in terms of mechanics, but I think any veteran Dark Souls player should be able to adapt to it within the first hour or two.

I?m really struggling with DS2?s combat, personally; you nailed it, it feels too light and the penalties for whiffing an attack or being hit yourself are too protracted; seems like I stand there forever waiting to be hit when I miss an attack (even with a light weapon) and if I?m hit, my poise is broken immediately and I?m left to suffer the majority if not the whole incoming combo. It took me an hour and a half to get out of Majula because I couldn?t find the entrance to Forest of the Fallen Giants, and died so many times wandering around Things Betwixt and getting clobbered by the giant knight at the start of Heide?s Tower, the only two places that weren?t apparent dead ends, my health bar is down to HALF. I think I need to start over?

And what the hell?s the deal with the tiny pigs in Majula?!? If I can?t kill three little tiny pigs, what chance do I stand out there in the wild??

(Sorry, hanselthecaretaker; I?m not trying to coopt your DS2 thread with my woes; I?ll leave it at this as I?m actually trying to go as blind as possible.)

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Spoiler

I just picked this up too, yesterday. I finally finished my NG+6 run of Dark Souls; it was basically the only game I?ve played for nearly a year, so decided it might be time for another adventure.

I dunno, probably just bitchin? because I?m not playing DS1 anymore for the moment; going to read through this thread and see what I?m up against because I really want this game to click for me.

Um...that's almost seven pages of myself, Kerg, hansel, and Danils just quoting one another and giving tips and suggestions on how to get through certain parts and what to look for in terms of secrets. That's going to be a long read.

But anyway, I can give you a pointer right now. Push the select button--or whatever variation of that button on the system you're playing--and it will give a description of everything you can highlight with the cursor. That should help out a bit for you.

Don't worry about the constant lore-dumping videos/cutscenes you got at the beginning. That's...really going to be all you get. You'll come across other NPCs who will talk to you, but you're not going to get anything else like that intro for the rest of the game, save the ending.

Finally, the game feels--at least to me--lighter than Dark Souls. After not having touched the original game for well over three years, I recently started playing it again and it feels heavier, more solid. Weapons have more weight to their impacts and your rolling is different too. So yeah, there's going to be an adjustment in terms of mechanics, but I think any veteran Dark Souls player should be able to adapt to it within the first hour or two.

I?m really struggling with DS2?s combat, personally; you nailed it, it feels too light and the penalties for whiffing an attack or being hit yourself are too protracted; seems like I stand there forever waiting to be hit when I miss an attack (even with a light weapon) and if I?m hit, my poise is broken immediately and I?m left to suffer the majority if not the whole incoming combo. It took me an hour and a half to get out of Majula because I couldn?t find the entrance to Forest of the Fallen Giants, and died so many times wandering around Things Betwixt and getting clobbered by the giant knight at the start of Heide?s Tower, the only two places that weren?t apparent dead ends, my health bar is down to HALF. I think I need to start over?

And what the hell?s the deal with the tiny pigs in Majula?!? If I can?t kill three little tiny pigs, what chance do I stand out there in the wild??

(Sorry, hanselthecaretaker; I?m not trying to coopt your DS2 thread with my woes; I?ll leave it at this as I?m actually trying to go as blind as possible.)

Hehe, no worries to any of that mate. I noticed DS2 had a learning curve like a rusted iron poker bearing my initials until about the time I got through Heides Tower. I took advantage of the fact that

Spoiler

enemies stop spawning after 12-15 kills

...especially there and a couple areas of the DLC. Like I said earlier though, leveling is cheaper in this game, or Souls are more plentiful, so take advantage of it and be sure to keep a couple extra for Endurance and Adaptability equally each time early on. You should be prepared for most of the game once you get through the Forrest and Heides. Keep exploring and be on the lookout for the Ring of Binding!

What kind of build are you going for?

 

[Xprimentyl]

Spoiler

I just picked this up too, yesterday. I finally finished my NG+6 run of Dark Souls; it was basically the only game I?ve played for nearly a year, so decided it might be time for another adventure.

I dunno, probably just bitchin? because I?m not playing DS1 anymore for the moment; going to read through this thread and see what I?m up against because I really want this game to click for me.

Um...that's almost seven pages of myself, Kerg, hansel, and Danils just quoting one another and giving tips and suggestions on how to get through certain parts and what to look for in terms of secrets. That's going to be a long read.

But anyway, I can give you a pointer right now. Push the select button--or whatever variation of that button on the system you're playing--and it will give a description of everything you can highlight with the cursor. That should help out a bit for you.

Don't worry about the constant lore-dumping videos/cutscenes you got at the beginning. That's...really going to be all you get. You'll come across other NPCs who will talk to you, but you're not going to get anything else like that intro for the rest of the game, save the ending.

Finally, the game feels--at least to me--lighter than Dark Souls. After not having touched the original game for well over three years, I recently started playing it again and it feels heavier, more solid. Weapons have more weight to their impacts and your rolling is different too. So yeah, there's going to be an adjustment in terms of mechanics, but I think any veteran Dark Souls player should be able to adapt to it within the first hour or two.

I?m really struggling with DS2?s combat, personally; you nailed it, it feels too light and the penalties for whiffing an attack or being hit yourself are too protracted; seems like I stand there forever waiting to be hit when I miss an attack (even with a light weapon) and if I?m hit, my poise is broken immediately and I?m left to suffer the majority if not the whole incoming combo. It took me an hour and a half to get out of Majula because I couldn?t find the entrance to Forest of the Fallen Giants, and died so many times wandering around Things Betwixt and getting clobbered by the giant knight at the start of Heide?s Tower, the only two places that weren?t apparent dead ends, my health bar is down to HALF. I think I need to start over?

And what the hell?s the deal with the tiny pigs in Majula?!? If I can?t kill three little tiny pigs, what chance do I stand out there in the wild??

(Sorry, hanselthecaretaker; I?m not trying to coopt your DS2 thread with my woes; I?ll leave it at this as I?m actually trying to go as blind as possible.)

Hehe, no worries to any of that mate. I noticed DS2 had a learning curve like a rusted iron poker bearing my initials until about the time I got through Heides Tower. I took advantage of the fact that

Spoiler

enemies stop spawning after 12-15 kills

...especially there and a couple areas of the DLC. Like I said earlier though, leveling is cheaper in this game, or Souls are more plentiful, so take advantage of it and be sure to keep a couple extra for Endurance and Adaptability equally each time early on. You should be prepared for most of the game once you get through the Forrest and Heides. Keep exploring and be on the lookout for the Ring of Binding!

What kind of build are you going for?

Thanks for the tips. Knowing going in this time that I should be directing my leveling towards a specific ?build,? (i.e.: not thinking I can max everything or thinking that I benefit from spreading the wealth across all stats as my experience in mostly traditional Western RPGs,) I guess I?m going for a Strength build, but I?ve not made it to the point where I can level anything yet. I?ve literally been wandering Things Betwixt, Majula and the stairs leading TO Heide?s Tower for almost two hours, most of that with a broken straight sword because I hadn?t found the mace yet.) Just found Forest of the Fallen Giants and left off at an enemy sitting in front of a tree who won?t agro unless I attack him (I?m assuming) who?s sitting in front of a fog door; classic Dark Souls ?pick your poison? moment, so I cut it off. Really thinking about just starting over; I?ve wasted a bunch of consumables and I can be back to where I am now in 15-20 minutes.