From Software The Dark Souls II Megathread™

[DragoFireheart]

Spoiler

Now Aldia is hedging his bets for stopping the Dark completely on the Cursed, and uses the Emerald Herald and himself to direct the Cursed on a fabricated Heroic Quest to make him strong enough to confront and defeat Nashandra.

Spoiler

Considering that you can't die permanently Aldia betting on you was a pretty guaranteed bet.

But I bet that fucker didn't count on the Cursed one trying to kill him!

I've come to the conclusion that the Ancient Dragon is the most shitty boss fight. More shitty than Vendrick. So many instant death breath attacks unless you stack the shit out of your fire resistance, instant death stomp and smoosh from flying, bad AI that's abusable. Makes me miss the Kalameet fight.

 

[Jaedar]

So um bros, I'm totally new to the series, planning to give this a whirl and die a bunch.

Any recommendations for a starting player (with kb+m, no less) to avoid the most retarded pitfalls? Like, what'd be a solid starting character/gift for a beginner, or whatever of relevance? Consumables and such that I should be using instead of hoarding? The interface isn't the most informative in the world, at a glance, so, yeah. Would appreciate a bro-tip or two.

Hmm... Probably play a knight or warrior, and choose healing wares as starting gift. Remember to explore properly and don't be too afraid to use healing items, they're fairly plentiful. And upgrade your weapons as soon as possible.

 

[Shadenuat]

I've come to the conclusion that the Ancient Dragon is the most shitty boss fight. More shitty than Vendrick. So many instant death breath attacks unless you stack the shit out of your fire resistance, instant death stomp and smoosh from flying, bad AI that's abusable. Makes me miss the Kalameet fight.

My fight with him proceeded like this: http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs39/f/2008/351/5/d/Elminster_VS_Firkraag_by_Epantiras.jpg
I did like, 70 damage with my magic missile and not much better with +10 magic mace

 

[Jaedar]

Also, this game sure got linear after shrine of winter. Those Amana witches were pretty annoying.

 

[Multidirectional]

So um bros, I'm totally new to the series, planning to give this a whirl and die a bunch.

Any recommendations for a starting player (with kb+m, no less) to avoid the most retarded pitfalls? Like, what'd be a solid starting character/gift for a beginner, or whatever of relevance? Consumables and such that I should be using instead of hoarding? The interface isn't the most informative in the world, at a glance, so, yeah. Would appreciate a bro-tip or two.

Hmm... Probably play a knight or warrior, and choose healing wares as starting gift. Remember to explore properly and don't be too afraid to use healing items, they're fairly plentiful. And upgrade your weapons as soon as possible.

Yeah healing wares do seem like a best gift for starters. Also, don't be afraid to consider Deprived, starting at lv 1 means a lot lower cost of leveling up the stats you actually want to increase plus every stat at 6 is not a bad starting point already. You won't actually be naked because every char starts with "Imported" armor set in inventory and beating up tutorial area foes with fists isn't hard. Except for those big guys of course, which are meant to be avoided at first anyway. You can find a dagger in tutorial area too. You'll have a bunch of equipment to choose from in no time.

 

[Angthoron]

So um bros, I'm totally new to the series, planning to give this a whirl and die a bunch.

Any recommendations for a starting player (with kb+m, no less) to avoid the most retarded pitfalls? Like, what'd be a solid starting character/gift for a beginner, or whatever of relevance? Consumables and such that I should be using instead of hoarding? The interface isn't the most informative in the world, at a glance, so, yeah. Would appreciate a bro-tip or two.

Hmm... Probably play a knight or warrior, and choose healing wares as starting gift. Remember to explore properly and don't be too afraid to use healing items, they're fairly plentiful. And upgrade your weapons as soon as possible.

Yeah healing wares do seem like a best gift for starters. Also, don't be afraid to consider Deprived, starting at lv 1 means a lot lower cost of leveling up the stats you actually want to increase plus every stat at 6 is not a bad starting point already. You won't actually be naked because every char starts with "Imported" armor set in inventory and beating up tutorial area foes with fists isn't hard. Except for those big guys of course, which are meant to be avoided at first anyway. You can find a dagger in tutorial area too. You'll have a bunch of equipment to choose from in no time.

Cool, thanks. At what point should I start dabbling in magic? I usually play melee-centric characters, but I'd imagine that a game like this punishes flexibility a bit less than it might punish bone-headed persistence.

 

[Dickie]

I haven't read this thread completely, so I don't know if this was posted. It seemed like it needed to be, so I'll go ahead and post it to be sure.

http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2014/03/samanthas-dark-souls-essay--feeling-in-the-dark.html

I’ll be playing Dark Souls II on my back. When I finally have the time to play it this April, I’ll be recovering from my long-awaited genital reassignment surgery (GRS)

 

[Jaedar]

So um bros, I'm totally new to the series, planning to give this a whirl and die a bunch.

Any recommendations for a starting player (with kb+m, no less) to avoid the most retarded pitfalls? Like, what'd be a solid starting character/gift for a beginner, or whatever of relevance? Consumables and such that I should be using instead of hoarding? The interface isn't the most informative in the world, at a glance, so, yeah. Would appreciate a bro-tip or two.

Hmm... Probably play a knight or warrior, and choose healing wares as starting gift. Remember to explore properly and don't be too afraid to use healing items, they're fairly plentiful. And upgrade your weapons as soon as possible.

Yeah healing wares do seem like a best gift for starters. Also, don't be afraid to consider Deprived, starting at lv 1 means a lot lower cost of leveling up the stats you actually want to increase plus every stat at 6 is not a bad starting point already. You won't actually be naked because every char starts with "Imported" armor set in inventory and beating up tutorial area foes with fists isn't hard. Except for those big guys of course, which are meant to be avoided at first anyway. You can find a dagger in tutorial area too. You'll have a bunch of equipment to choose from in no time.

Cool, thanks. At what point should I start dabbling in magic? I usually play melee-centric characters, but I'd imagine that a game like this punishes flexibility a bit less than it might punish bone-headed persistence.

I don't know. Unfortunately pyromancy requires stats to scale in this game, so if you want to use magic you'll have to use stat points. 22 points into faith for lightning spear is probably the best option, but I'm sure one of the console veterans can come up with something better.

 

[aris]

Is Kendrick unbeatable after you die to him once? I died the first time I tried to take him, and I almost managed to do it, but I fucked up once and got hit by a double swing. Then the next time, he only took 30 damage, even from my great lightning spear. The third time, some faggot invaded me while I was about to get my souls (100k!), and of course I forgot about the souls, and of course I lost, because his weapon was ridiculous, so I lost all those. Fuck, that was my single biggest rage moment in the game. So much lost soul memory.

 

[DragoFireheart]

Is Kendrick unbeatable after you die to him once? I died the first time I tried to take him, and I almost managed to do it, but I fucked up once and got hit by a double swing. Then the next time, he only took 30 damage, even from my great lightning spear. The third time, some faggot invaded me while I was about to get my souls (100k!), and of course I forgot about the souls, and of course I lost, because his weapon was ridiculous, so I lost all those. Fuck, that was my single biggest rage moment in the game

Heh.

Vendrick is weak at first but if you fuck up he gets a defense boost. Thing is, he's supposed to have that defense boost from the get go so it's a glitch that allows you to take him at first.

 

[aris]

Is Kendrick unbeatable after you die to him once? I died the first time I tried to take him, and I almost managed to do it, but I fucked up once and got hit by a double swing. Then the next time, he only took 30 damage, even from my great lightning spear. The third time, some faggot invaded me while I was about to get my souls (100k!), and of course I forgot about the souls, and of course I lost, because his weapon was ridiculous, so I lost all those. Fuck, that was my single biggest rage moment in the game

Heh.

Vendrick is weak at first but if you fuck up he gets a defense boost. Thing is, he's supposed to have that defense boost from the get go so it's a glitch that allows you to take him at first.

I have a fully upgraded weapon, how the fuck are you going to beat him? I'd wager you have to strong attack him at least 100 times to kill him? Is that supposed to be some insane endurance test?

 

[DragoFireheart]

I have a fully upgraded weapon, how the fuck are you going to beat him? I'd wager you have to strong attack him at least 100 times to kill him? Is that supposed to be some insane endurance test?

Spoiler

Collect Giant Souls. When you have 4-5 he'll be weak again. Obscure solution? Yep.

 

[Shadenuat]

I have a fully upgraded weapon, how the fuck are you going to beat him? I'd wager you have to strong attack him at least 100 times to kill him? Is that supposed to be some insane endurance test?

Open a wiki for him if you're not afraid of spoilers.

edit. ninjafireheart

But at least he is optional. Now snake lady on the other hand...

 

[DragoFireheart]

But at least he is optional. Now snake lady on the other hand...

The solution for making the snake chick easier was pure cryptic horseshit.

 

[aris]

Well on the upside I finally got muh sunlight spear! PRAISE THE SUN!

 

[aris]

But at least he is optional. Now snake lady on the other hand...

The solution for making the snake chick easier was pure cryptic horseshit.

Spoiler

Yeah, you had to use a mechanic never before used in the dark souls series, neither before nor after. I only found that out, after consulting a wiki, after seeing a guy who didn't have the poison.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

I actually found Vendrick more manageable after dying to him the first time. Though that was just the fact after he starts his combat mode he's much more predictable.

But at least he is optional. Now snake lady on the other hand...

The solution for making the snake chick easier was pure cryptic horseshit.

Agreed, it's one of those things you can't just stumble upon.

 

[DragoFireheart]

But at least he is optional. Now snake lady on the other hand...

The solution for making the snake chick easier was pure cryptic horseshit.

Spoiler

Yeah, you had to use a mechanic never before used in the dark souls series, neither before nor after. I only found that out, after consulting a wiki, after seeing a guy who didn't have the poison.

I beat her without doing the "trick".

I also beat Ceaseless Discharge without the trick as well back in Dark Souls 1. Truly I am too amazing.

 

[aris]

By the way, I have a shitload of boss souls in my inventory. If I'm not going to use them for weapons (due to the extreme rarity of the upgrade material, it seems to make sense to only craft a single one (the one I crafted sucks The dragon twin blade)). Is there any other use for them, or should I just consume these souls?

 

[DragoFireheart]

By the way, I have a shitload of boss souls in my inventory. If I'm not going to use them for weapons (due to the extreme rarity of the upgrade material, it seems to make sense to only craft a single one (the one I crafted sucks The dragon twin blade)). Is there any other use for them, or should I just consume these souls?

Don't consume cool looking souls. If you can't make it into a weapon/shield/spell then just hold onto it. That's all I'm saying without any spoilers.

PS: I don't remember any areas that have mandatory oppressive fall damage. Also, you can buy a ring from a kitty that reduces fall damage.

 

[80Maxwell08]

Well on the upside I finally got muh sunlight spear! PRAISE THE SUN!

You know the guy for the pilgrims of the abyss covenant? The old man mumbling about the dark? Join his covenant and get to rank 3 in it. He gives you the best miracle catalyst in the game and the boss to get it is weak to lightning.

 

[meanwhileInPoland]

Spoiler

Velstadt is highly resistant to dark magic so it's not too much of a stretch that he can cock-block Nashy. There's also the fact that you needed to go back in time to go get the Giant's Kinship to actually use the Throne. Nashy trying to beat you after the fact shouldn't be surprising since it's Manus reborn just doing what Manus does best.

Emerald Herald I still have no fucking clue.

Spoiler

neither the TW nor TD are particularly resistant to dark [damage-wise from the stats of their equipment] and she could't defeat them, and Vel was obviously slightly corrupted by the Dark for being so long in the UC [look at his soul]. she could also go back in time if she got the AMH from the ancient derper, i guess (unless there's a reason why the AMH would only work on humans or undead or cursed ones...

random side-thought: i guess Vendick somehow "consumed" his copy of the giant's kinship [it is, after all, very likely what he used to build and command the golems to construct the castle etc] and that's why he became giant?

anyway, it just doesn't make sense for Nash to attack the one undead who bested and defeated all the foes she could not. again, unless i'm missing something, it's just way too "hollywood villain chaotic stupid". and again, why didn't King Ven of Dicks just off her by himself [he's obviously capable] or order his collective of goons to do it for him [again, they're obviously strong enough... imagine a gangbang of Vel, TW, TD and the Mirror knight... she wouldn't stand a chance]

Spoiler

Well if you'll note when you fight Nashy she utilizes cursing spirits that turn you Hollow. For someone with the Dark Sign already it's not a big deal but maybe Vendrick feared going Hollow and losing to her. As for going back in time, she couldn't reach the Ancient Dragon in the first place since Vendrick locked himself away. Maybe Nashy though she was strong enough to defeat the CHOSEN UNDEAD.

Spoiler

It seems Nash can't do these things herself because the Throne only accepts "the Heir", so she needs to kill you then and there. Another thing to consider is that it seems Vendrick himself wasn't really that much hot shit given how he didn't beat back the giant invasion, and so it might be that his only way to stop Nah from unleashing the Dark was to somehow invalidate himself as someone who can sit on the Throne by severing his own Soul and hiding in the bottom of the Crypt afterwards. Nashandra hasn't found the Soul, but urges you to kill the King hoping that'd lead you to the Soul and that the Soul itself would be the answer to why the Throne of Want doesn't work for her, though it becomes evident it is not the Soul that's the key to it.

One neat theory I heard was that the player character is actually literally Vendrick's and Nashandra's heir, since it's the only thing that could explain the woman whose face melts away as she's holding the baby in the opening cinematic. Due to gender option it means the woman can't be a reference to a wife, but it can refer to a mother. Further ahead you might notice why I think this makes an awful lot of sense.

The elephant in the room is Aldia though. Aldia is clearly the guy who made it possible for Vendrick to foil Nash by severing himself off his own Soul, and was probably responsible for lots of other things. But most importantly Aldia is the one who enables the Cursed to travel backwards in time by passing the Ashen Mist Heart of a long-dead dragon to the Cursed in an elaborate stage. One thing I personally noted is that I don't think the Ancient Dragon is just a construct made with a Giant Soul. I think that's Aldia himself.

Which brings us to the Emerald Herald, she's said to be the last firekeeper. But she also reveals further details about herself, such as how she was born of dragons but created by men and given her name by The Dragon (Aldia). She's Aldia's creation, and was part of the original plan to stop Nash that ended in failure that necessitated Vendrick to sever his Soul because something was missing in the Emerald Herald that was necessary for the task of stopping Nashandra. But she's still helping Aldia with his new back-up plan involving the Cursed, as she was the one who directed the Cursed to Drangleic with the projection of an old hag. Now Aldia is hedging his bets for stopping the Dark completely on the Cursed, and uses the Emerald Herald and himself to direct the Cursed on a fabricated Heroic Quest to make him strong enough to confront and defeat Nashandra. The hunt for the reincarnations of the Lord Souls, all that's just to pump you up for the real job of using the Ashen Heart Mist and facing Nashandra (hence why those 8 fights are mandatory). But the key difference to DaS1 here is that it seems Aldia has no sinister motivations at all, he's out only to make sure that the world is saved from the Dark and the new beginning for everything (that's another thing almost everyone talks about to you).

this makes a lot of sense , especially that i believe in Aldia being

Spoiler

Ancient Dragon

 

[Jaedar]

By the way, I have a shitload of boss souls in my inventory. If I'm not going to use them for weapons (due to the extreme rarity of the upgrade material, it seems to make sense to only craft a single one (the one I crafted sucks The dragon twin blade)). Is there any other use for them, or should I just consume these souls?

Don't consume cool looking souls. If you can't make it into a weapon/shield/spell then just hold onto it. That's all I'm saying without any spoilers.

Dammit, I already ate most of mine.

 

[DragoFireheart]

Dammit, I already ate most of mine.

What were some of their names?

 

[meanwhileInPoland]

Dammit, I already ate most of mine.

What were some of their names?

Giant Soul, Ancient Dragon Soul, Giant Lord Soul

Spoiler