From Software The Dark Souls II Megathread™

[UndetectedButthurt]

I just Havelyn'd 4 greatsword/lance combos in the last 10 minutes. I guess people are trying out new exploits since Havelyns are going away.

 

[Cowboy Moment]

The "scumbaggy" ledges in chasms (and at certain points in Shrine of Amana) are more like "use a torch, retard" devices, rather than straight-up attempts to trip the player. Except for where you fight the Havel wannabe, fuck that place.

I thnk it's worth it to play through the game with a mod that changes the lighting closer to reveal, it makes a lot of areas make more sense.

 

[UndetectedButthurt]

Torch + Amana = Party

 

[Murk]

Profound still + amana = the dumb witches try to melee you

:3

 

[Shadenuat]

I was waiting to meet second Kalameet, so to speak, but I never did

 

[Kanedias]

there are more and more scumbagy ledges in the dark chasms than in DeS and DaS1 combined.

But no gravity will ever be as lethal as those damn holes in the prison area of the Tower of Latria. I never sprinted there again. Those holes were somehow invisible until it was too late, I could never see them coming unless there was a message at the edge or if I knew where the hole was from memory.

 

[UndetectedButthurt]

I'm really digging pure physical dual grand lance powerstance with leo ring. It doesn't have insane range and isn't parry-immune like Syan's but I still manage to poke people mid-roll. Somehow the powerstance poke seems faster than the regular lance R1.

 

[Shadenuat]

Can anyone tell me what katana has a vertical slash with very long prep time? Short, with chubby circle-like crossguard. It's not uchi/blacksteel, I checked. Is it Chaos Blade?
Hurts like hell, good tracking on a stab and a bit unpredictable. I lost 3 times to it before managed to pull one win.

Any advice on battling hexers who cast faster than I hit with my sword? Aside from shield or dual avelyns. Homing Darkmass > Aoe > Mass > AoE, I get 2-shoted/staggered.

 

[UndetectedButthurt]

Can anyone tell me what katana has a vertical slash with very long prep time? Short, with chubby circle-like crossguard. It's not uchi/blacksteel, I checked. Is it Chaos Blade?
Hurts like hell, good tracking on a stab and a bit unpredictable. I lost 3 times to it before managed to pull one win.

Any advice on battling hexers who cast faster than I hit with my sword? Aside from shield or dual avelyns. Homing Darkmass > Aoe > Mass > AoE, I get 2-shoted/staggered.

Berserker blade?

I just dodge all casters, never bothered with a shield.

 

[Shadenuat]

Yeah that's it, Berserker blade, thanks.

I dodge most casters no problem but I fought that one guy today who just lolrushed me with his AoE's, couldn't get a single hit on him.

edit.
Great thing about summoning ppl - you can see their weapons even if they wear tryhard ring. I think. Fought a guy with invisible helix+mastodon, but knew it coming since I saw his phantom on summon.

 

[Elwro]

I don't remember swords being as sensitive to walls in DS1. They would connect with the wall, but it would never stop my swing like in DS2. No, I haven't found the morning star, like I said, no walkthroughs.

I found it without a walkthrough but thanks to a player message. In general, these are usually very helpful.

One tip I couldn't figure out for myself: in DS2 it is sometimes possible to explode barrels using a firebomb so that a wall segment is destroyed and a passage opens.

 

[Murk]

A few questions, to anyone who knows:

First, if you leave a soapstone does it show your gear at the time you leave the mark or is it live (whatever you have one at the time they see it?)

two, what's the best shield piercing weapon? I ALWAYS have a shotel on me when pvping (I don't use shields, and there are too many greatshield turtles to bother with stamina -- especially with lag + backstabs). I know the shotel, the dark drift, the freja rapier, and the mail breaker all do that... which of them would you recommend? I'm 40/40 str and dex so stat wise it doesn't matter.

I don't remember swords being as sensitive to walls in DS1. They would connect with the wall, but it would never stop my swing like in DS2. No, I haven't found the morning star, like I said, no walkthroughs.

I found without a walkthrough but thanks to a player message. In general, these are usually very helpful.

One tip I couldn't figure out for myself: in DS2 it is sometimes possible to explode barrels using a firebomb so that a wall segment is destroyed and a passage opens.

Fire arrows, fire magic, the torch, the pyromancy flame's fist attack, and even fire infused weapons do this too (like, say, the easy to find fire longsword) so careful about dark colored barrels.

Also, if you get covered in oil, you may want to avoid flames of all types (except infused weapons and arrows).

 

[agentorange]

I don't remember swords being as sensitive to walls in DS1. They would connect with the wall, but it would never stop my swing like in DS2. No, I haven't found the morning star, like I said, no walkthroughs.

I found it without a walkthrough but thanks to a player message. In general, these are usually very helpful.

One tip I couldn't figure out for myself: in DS2 it is sometimes possible to explode barrels using a firebomb so that a wall segment is destroyed and a passage opens.

Found this out totally by accident when

Spoiler

that bomb thrower where the Pursuer first appears threw a bomb at me, missed, and hit the exploding barrels behind me, thus blowing open the shortcut.

 

[Shadenuat]

what's the best shield piercing weapon?

I heard good things about Freja's Rapier, but can't you just use guard break?

 

[praetor]

Any advice on battling hexers who cast faster than I hit with my sword? Aside from shield or dual avelyns. Homing Darkmass > Aoe > Mass > AoE, I get 2-shoted/staggered.

encountered yesterday a similar tactic:

dude cast the usual GMB (dear god, even in the NG arena something like 80-90% of the players i encounter sport this. i hope the "stats based duration of spells" affects this too. i really don't think another Second Chance is a good thing), RW mastodon halberd, then Affinity, he turns around a bit then when i approach he turns towards me to trigger the spell, and as i dodge towards to avoid it he goes into spin2win so i got hit by all 3 spins and 1-2 orbs and died :D scumbaggy but effective tactic, props to him

A few questions, to anyone who knows:

First, if you leave a soapstone does it show your gear at the time you leave the mark or is it live (whatever you have one at the time they see it?)

two, what's the best shield piercing weapon? I ALWAYS have a shotel on me when pvping (I don't use shields, and there are too many greatshield turtles to bother with stamina -- especially with lag + backstabs). I know the shotel, the dark drift, the freja rapier, and the mail breaker all do that... which of them would you recommend? I'm 40/40 str and dex so stat wise it doesn't matter.

1. afaik it's at the time you leave it, since a lot of the time i summoned the dudes spawned with different gear

2. darkdrift or freja rapier, depending what moveset you prefer. personally, i'd go with darkdrift for PvP (so the durability won't be much of an issue) because of the awesome katana moveset and those "momentum" combos into fast R2s

 

[Murk]

Shadenuat nope; I'm using a logitech controller and these apparently suck dick at guard break or jump attacks.

praetor I'll give the dark drift a try; I do need a good off hand weapon too. I'm trying to adapt to the Espada Ropera (p good, but shit for stunning -- also has the damn parry for an r2) so I want a good tracking slashing weapon and if it has a shield bypass then all the better.

 

[Elwro]

I just had a surprising pure-melee success against a Havel using my Stone Ring.

...but I still can't figure out how to dodge these 5 orbs people keep above their heads which fire at me when I come closer

 

[Murk]

If they fire at once, roll into it. The sorcery ones are easier to dodge than the hex ones -- those home like fuck.

Some guy with a greataxe is stunlocking the SHIT out of me. I thought this weapon was slow?

 

[Shadenuat]

Don't powerstance 2 Drakekeeper's Swords (aka Broadswords). Damage is not the worst I've seen, but looks better on character screen than in combat. I just backstabbed a guy in King's for 300 damage.
Slashes are telegraphed and have long prep time, so I was hit by katanas and stunned while my attacks were still "in the air". The stun, even when dual wielding, is weak, and moveset lacks good forward thrust to deliver more than 2 stunning attacks (although I did stunlock one chick in a dress with 4-5 attacks, but dresses are rare). Of course, slashes also lack any decent reach, and there is no stab option for this weapon. And no parrying either - an option I have even when two-handing a GS or UGS.
I did more poise damage with Estoc.
The only advantage is amount and speed of attacks - it's possible to hit people when they're not ready for it. But that drains stamina quickly.

Powerstancing it with something big and heavy in left hand seems to have potential however - R1, and then L1 suddenly throws your heavy greatsword into attack as quickly as a broadsword.

Shadenuat nope; I'm using a logitech controller and these apparently suck dick at guard break or jump attacks.

Console peasant or mustard race? If you're PC you can try K&M, you will have the option if you bind attacks to Q&E for example.

If they fire at once, roll into it.

And get hit by GRS
But yeah, magic ones you can dodge to any side and listen to the sound. But homing shit... I sometimes backtrack to a wall and only then roll - that way spell will for sure hit the wall and stop.

 

[abija]

The only "safe" way to deal with the orbs is triggering them in an obstacle (or specialized shield), not always possible and you need to be patient.
Standard advice to learn the distance they trigger at and roll into it has some problems:
- lag
- opponent spins, cast is delayed cause he isn't facing you, so you'll eat the full spell at the end of the roll
- most opponents will try to punish your expected roll and if they are decent you're probably gonna take a lot of dmg

For logitech controller: use the mode button that swaps dpad with left stick. With the dpad those combos are very easy.

 

[aris]

DS2 has waaay better trash mob design though, that are much less predictable and smarter, and generally better designed encounters that rely much less on trying to kill you by making you fall off extremely narrow ledges.

hahaha, no. they're most certainly not smarter (they have pretty much the same AI, maaaybe here and there they'll rush you more often when you try to heal, but it's anecdotal "evidence". and they finally have a useful guard break move that they spam randomly, pleading for a backstab), there are more and more scumbagy ledges in the dark chasms than in DeS and DaS1 combined. we get it, you had a unique problem with gravity in DaS1 that iron flesh didn't help you with.

In hindsight, probably poor choice of words to say that the enemies are smarter, some small tweeks but nothing dramatic. But I do stand by that the encounter design in DS2 is superior to DS1 in most of the encounters.

Also, enemy design is better: Much harder to do backstabs (which really, was incredibly easy to do all day in DS1), and less predictable behaviour.

 

[Murk]

abija You, sir, are a beautiful human being. Swapped it and literally pulled off a guard break and jump attack every time I tried. Beautiful.

 

[Shadenuat]

- opponent spins, cast is delayed cause he isn't facing you, so you'll eat the full spell at the end of the roll

Is that some pro hipster MGL thing? I find a lot of people try and lure me in by showing their asses to me repeatedly, like they are so cool cause they don't lock on or use controller or something, and I'm a PC mustard peasant who will fall for that.

 

[Correct_Carlo]

Game's a lot easier now. I farmed those giant soldier guys in the Tower of Flame and got a full set of Old Knight Armor, which makes things way easier as I can take way more damage. My damage output still sucks on bosses, though, because I've yet to find a very good weapon. I did get the morningstar, which works fine with normal enemies, but it sucks with bosses. The Old Dragonslayer boss took forever for me to beat because it'd only do 80 damage at a time. The Dragonslayer bosses are really easy to learn moves for (their patterns are simple), but were just endless repetition of circling to avoid their attacks and striking at just the right times. Which is my least favorite types of bosses, as they are mechanically simple, but take forever and one wrong move and you are fucked.

I just started the pirate area now.

What's annoying about playing online, though, is that people purposely put messages right in front of invisible doors so you can't open them. If you want to open you have to exit the game and reload to see if the message will be gone. Some are just troll messages (i.e. there's no door there), but some are real and unopenable because if you click the wall it opens the message rather than the door. Of course, without the message I'd never know there was a door there at all as I'm not the sort to run around pressing on random walls in the hope they will open, but it's still kind of a annoying. I've even seen a few messages right on top of switches and summons, which means you have to toggle to open them.

 

[abija]

Is that some pro hipster MGL thing? I find a lot of people try and lure me in by showing their asses to me repeatedly, like they are so cool cause they don't lock on or use controller or something, and I'm a PC mustard peasant who will fall for that.

Spell requirements for auto-trigger are distance and him facing you, that way he decides when it fires in case you want to roll into it. And there's some netcode abuse in spinning so some do it even without needing it for that spell.