From Software The Dark Souls II Megathread™

[praetor]

The affinity hex is kind of like surprise buttsecks. I just have to get my int up 60, and I guess I can one shot many sinners.

only scrubs. it's easy to avoid. GRS is much better at one-shotting (Climax is a sure one-shot, but be prepared to have lots of consumable souls on hand)

 

[aris]

Holy shit, I just did the exact same shit to a guy that a red phantom invader did to me. Invasion right before the chariot boss fight, with the red phantom still alive. I didn't make him fight us both at once, but at the end, he met the same fate as me: Ran of the bridge wihile trying to get the fuck away from the affinity spell. Now I feel really bad Hope he didn't lose a shitload of souls, because of this.

I think I will only use this covenant to help way of the blue bros that get invaded from now on. Speaking of, how often does that occur? I think I wore it for a couple of hours in one game, and I only got summoned once. And also, do I need to be human to get summoned to other worlds in this way?

 

[Surf Solar]

You're there to harass the sinners, not caress them, so why do you feel bad?

 

[Castanova]

I'm just about done with my first playthrough. Took my time and explored everything, maxed a couple covenants, etc.

Good:
- Covenant system... more varied than DaS1, more fun to be had whether it's Co-op or PvP.
- Character builds... after finishing this first run, there are at least a few more character ideas I want to try out and I also want to conquer NG+. After DaS1, replayability for me was mainly limited to doing challenge runs or speed runs. I had no interest in NG+. Also, in this game I started out sort of aimless and organically settled into a Faith build with a focus on melee and when the build fully came together towards the end with Sunlight Spear and Dragon Chime and Defender Greatsword, etc., I was really satisfied with my character in a way that never happened at all in DaS1. This was akin to the satisfaction I felt in DeS after finishing my Moonlight Greatsword battlemage build.
- Leveling up in Majula only... would have been an A+ improvement if the bonfires weren't so close together all the time. At least there were moments in DaS2 that reminded me of DeS, where you're sitting on a heap of souls and you have to get through some sphincter-clenching fights before you're back to safety. I think this aspect of the soul system is underrated and a big problem in DaS1.
- Regular enemies... it's nice that the regular trash fights are tougher. Enemy variety is a little weak though.
- Items... I prefer the items in this game game over DaS1. More unique stuff, seems like more items are viable too.
- Upgrades... system is much improved over the silliness of the DaS1 shard system.
- More item slots... allows more customization and it doesn't feel like dumbing down or anything.

Bad:
- Bosses... almost all of them are too easy and too boring. Microcosm of this was how pathetic Ornstein 2.0 was when I found him like 2 hours into the game. Darklurker was probably the best boss.
- World design... much worse than DaS1, where almost everything was brilliantly interconnected. The highlight for me was coming out of the Things Betwixt cave into Majula at the very beginning. Downhill from there.
- Level design... much worse than DeS1, where levels were relatively large, complex, and non-linear (beyond having to find the next boss/archstone, obviously). DaS2 is even worse than many of the DaS1 levels. I think this was the biggest disappointment overall. So many short, linear levels with ten million bonfires.

Verdict:
Even though it's probably the worst of the 3 games, it's still a very good game compared to most anything else out there in similar veins. Also, even though I'd say it's worse than Dark Souls 1 overall, I think it's more replayable and perhaps more "fun" in a shallow sort of way. I'd also still pay big money to have Demons Souls re-released on PC.

 

[toro]

Major price reduction on many sites: 15,99 Euro.

 

[Bradylama]

Low to mid level pvp is more fun for me.

This is really the best improvement in Dark Souls 2, getting PvP access at low level. Bell Bros may not have much environmental variety but the rewards are worth it, and somebody is always trying to make their way through Belfry Luna or Sol. Sometimes I get summoned up within a minute.

The haphazard equipment available to low-level characters makes for interesting matchups. At low level matchups it's even possible to get some victories swinging something big and stupid like the Ultra Greatsword, which gives me a huge Berserk boner. I still haven't found a good counter for Havel's set users. Poison weapons for Bandit-based STR/DEX builds aren't very good.

Spoiler

Cat's ring or boots make Bell invading a whole different game. It's even a good idea if you're hosting for fights.

 

[aris]

Do you lose your kill count in blue sentinels, if you join another covenant? The rank requirmenets are absolutely ludricous, it will takes tens if not hundreds of hours to reach rank 3. I want to level up way of blue first, especially considering that you don't have to wear the fucking ring!

 

[Jaedar]

Do you lose your kill count in blue sentinels, if you join another covenant? The rank requirmenets are absolutely ludricous, it will takes tens if not hundreds of hours to reach rank 3. I want to level up way of blue first, especially considering that you don't have to wear the fucking ring!

Afaik no, you lose no progress in covenants when leaving

 

[Bradylama]

You can lose progress in Blood Bros by becoming an out of practice lil nooblet.

 

[Admiral jimbob]

Major price reduction on many sites: 15,99 Euro.

where???????? Can only find dodgy Russian keys.

 

[praetor]

- Leveling up in Majula only... would have been an A+ improvement if

no. there is no "if". it was shit in DeS, it's retarded beyond comprehension in DaS2 when the system in DaS1 was infinitely superior. the only difference is the loading screens and an annoying character between you and your level-up screen

where???????? Can only find dodgy Russian keys.

i'd like to know the same

 

[Castanova]

- Leveling up in Majula only... would have been an A+ improvement if

no. there is no "if". it was shit in DeS, it's retarded beyond comprehension in DaS2 when the system in DaS1 was infinitely superior. the only difference is the loading screens and an annoying character between you and your level-up screen

They should let you level up anytime you want in the middle of the level. Then it would be even more convenient and, as we all know, convenience = better game.

 

[praetor]

They should let you level up anytime you want in the middle of the level. Then it would be even more convenient and, as we all know, convenience = better game.

levelling up at an NPC only adds the loading screen to warp to it and back, plus the obnoxious dialogue with said NPC. that obviously makes for fantastic gameplay... i was never more challenged or immersed while i stared at a loading screen for a minute, or waited for the EH to get up from her sitting position and go "bearer- seek- seek- lest-" for the hundredth time. that's really awesome game design and it adds sooo much to the experience. i wish i was teleported automatically every time i found a bonfire, even if i didn't have the souls to buy a single lifegem and they made the loading screens last 5 minutes. now that would've been a great addition to the game!

 

[Surf Solar]

It wouldnt be that hard (atleast a bit better) if the game wouldnt throw thousands of souls at you behindd each corner. That design descision with the emeralD herald and levelling really flabbergasts me.

 

[Castanova]

The only reason you found the loading screen annoying is because there were 10,000 bonfires combined with soul inflation meaning you had enough souls to level up basically every time you found a bonfire (every 15-30 minutes). If bonfires were sparse and you couldn't afford to level up all the time (like DeS) then you have actual tension.

 

[80Maxwell08]

The only reason you found the loading screen annoying is because there were 10,000 bonfires combined with soul inflation meaning you had enough souls to level up basically every time you found a bonfire (every 15-30 minutes). If bonfires were sparse and you couldn't afford to level up all the time (like DeS) then you have actual tension.

There's no tension anyway since you can just go back if you are worried.

 

[Castanova]

If the level is longer than 15 minutes, going back is a non-trivial decision.

 

[aris]

The only reason you found the loading screen annoying is because there were 10,000 bonfires combined with soul inflation meaning you had enough souls to level up basically every time you found a bonfire (every 15-30 minutes). If bonfires were sparse and you couldn't afford to level up all the time (like DeS) then you have actual tension.

The developers said that the bonfires would be more frequent in DS2, but I don't really see it. As far as I can see, bonfires are just as frequent in DS2 as DS1 on average.

 

[Surf Solar]

What? You never have to run for more than 2 minutes to find the next bonfire. Whileas in DKS1 you certainly had to run a while sometimes. Things like two bonfires almost next to each other like in Earthen Peek or Huntsmans Cope were never in DKS.

 

[Cyberarmy]

There are far too many bonfires....

 

[praetor]

once again, the amount of bonfires has absolutely nothing to do with the shittastic design of levelling up at an NPC. the only difference between levelling up at the bonfire and an NPC is time wasted. in the former you do it in 5 sec, in the latter it can stretch in the minutes. and absolutely nothing meaningful happens in those extra seconds/minutes. there's 0 tension added by making you level up at an NPC, i really don't know where you got this idiotic notion

 

[Castanova]

So you've never sat at a bonfire with 20,000 souls, it costs 19,000 souls to level up, and you said to yourself, "Eh, fuck it, it's just one level. I'll go to Majula later..." ?

 

[Surf Solar]

Ring of Life Protection takes care of that "tension".

 

[praetor]

So you've never sat at a bonfire with 20,000 souls, it costs 19,000 souls to level up, and you said to yourself, "Eh, fuck it, it's just one level. I'll go to Majula later..." ?

no. there's also other stuff to spend soul on other than level up

 

[DragoFireheart]

... i was never more challenged or immersed while i stared at a loading screen for a minute, or waited for the EH to get up from her sitting position and go "bearer- seek- seek- lest-" for the hundredth time

Maybe someone challenged made those game design choices.

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