From Software The Dark Souls II Megathread™

[praetor]

Too harsh, Jew. Even as a weak Souls game, it's still a solid 8/10 overall, and better than most titles nowadays.

Also, Majula is beautiful.

disagree about Majula, but SotFS is worth for the 3 DLC areas alone which are (individually) about seventeen orders of magnitude better than the entirety of DaS3. and the weapon and spell variety (and thus build variety) which trumps the dogshit that is DaS3 (the only worse Souls game when ti comes to that is DeS... which is saying a lot)

 

[Corporate_Jew_Master]

Spent the last 3 hours invading. It's still decently populated.

But the only thing it did was reinforce my opinion on how shit this game is. If this is the apex of souls pvp then lol, no wonder DS1 and DS3 are filled with salty losers.

The DLC areas better be some groundbreaking stuff else nothing will ever save this game.


EDIT: And fuck Ancient Dragon.

 

[nomask7]

Decided to try this again.

Overall, the game is still very bad but not as bad as I thought. The only good things about this are:

1. It has a lot of content.
2. Lots of spells which I like.

Everything else is really bad.

1. The movement. The most atrocious movement out of all FROM games. Dark Souls 1 was deliberate and you had to plan dodges and stamina management. In Dark Souls 3 you had to play more reactive. Here, you do neither. Everything moves in slow motion, as if everyone is bored or sleepwalking. Dodging is almost as easy as in Dark Souls 3, especially against bosses.

2. The enemies. The game just throws mobs of them at you. What's the point? After I fought another gank for the hundredth time, the tedium got to me and I usually don't have problems with grinding. Tedious. That's the word that best describes DS2. After I defeated 3 dark phantoms that spawned one after another I just paused the game and took an hour long break. Never done that before.

3. The bosses. I struggle to remember their names even. Extremely easy, extremely uninteresting. Only died once to any of them and that was the Rotten because I didn't notice I was standing on a flaming pit. Haven't been to DLC areas yet and apparently the DLC bosses are good. But the vanilla ones are absolute dogshit.

4. Area design. Really bad. By the time I got to Black Gultch it dawned on me why they were so: the devs simply got bored and just populated what level were to be in the game with mobs of enemies and other bullshit like a million statues spitting poison. This game does not require skill but patience.

As a Souls game: 2/10

As a standalone game: 5-6/10

Even if it's on sale for 10 bucks, only buy it if you have lots of time and a capacity for boredom. If not, you will find that the game is dogshit like any sane person would.

You're playing Scholar of First Sin, so the fail lies in you. A person should play the original.

You should also play in Company of Champions, for greatly increased difficulty. Bosses become more interesting, so do normal enemies. Both are typical Souls fare really, except harder than DS1 when played with this covenant.

DS2 has some weak areas, mainly Heide's Tower of Flame, but some great ones also - No Man's Wharf, Lower Brightsone Cove, Shrine of Amana - and many, many areas that are at least characterful with good mood if nothing else and usually have typical Souls monsters and monster placement.

If you think DS1 had fewer mobs or was somehow fundamentally different in its approach to monster placement, you don't know what you're talking about. You may be confusing vague nostalgia for DS1 with a perceptive critique of DS2. Some people tend to confuse those two things.

You have the whole premise wrong anyway. There's nothing "crappy" or "lazy" about design involving fights with two or more monsters at once. What would be boring is if every fight involved only one monster at a time (though very often the game gives you exactly that if you want to put in the effort to bait and wait or if you advance with care).

Given that DS3 went the way of Bloodborne in its level design, focusing on a certain sense of realism, and abandoning the characterful and quirky level design of DS2, it's safe to say DS2 level design won't ever be equalled in its own playing field, unfortunately (at least by From). You realise DS2 was great when you compare it with DS3, which was merely good.

 

[Multidirectional]

Nah, Dark Souls II SOTFS is a great game.

 

[Corporate_Jew_Master]

You should also play in Company of Champions, for greatly increased difficulty. Bosses become more interesting, so do normal enemies. Both are typical Souls fare really, except harder than DS1 when played with this covenant.

Not difficult at all is their movesets are so predictable and easy to dodge. Every boss but Ancient Dragon has that problem. Even when I farmed the Rotten with bonfire ascetic to get the crypt blacksword with my shitty lvl 60 character it just took me 5 minutes of dodging and hitting.

No Man's Wharf, Lower Brightsone Cove, Shrine of Amana - and many, many areas that are at least characterful with good mood if nothing else and usually have typical Souls monsters and monster placement.

No Man's Wharf was good, especially because of the light/darkness mechanics and the enemies that responded to them. Shrine of Amana was a dogshit area that could and should have been good. The boss was also the biggest letdown so far.

If you think DS1 had fewer mobs or was somehow fundamentally different in its approach to monster placement, you don't know what you're talking about. You may be confusing vague nostalgia for DS1 with a perceptive critique of DS2. Some people tend to confuse those two things.

You have the whole premise wrong anyway. There's nothing "crappy" or "lazy" about design involving fights with two or more monsters at once. What would be boring is if every fight involved only one monster at a time (though very often the game gives you exactly that if you want to put in the effort to bait and wait or if you advance with care).

Not at all. I still remember getting wrecked in Undead Burg, in Blighttown and in other areas. Dodging was harder and had more recovery and the bosses were interesting.

And the game is simply you fighting ganks. You dodge back, regain your stamina, strike then dodge back again when the horde tries to hit you. Literally nothing to it but tedium that is reinforced by the shitty slow-mo movement.

Given that DS3 went the way of Bloodborne in its level design, focusing on a certain sense of realism, and abandoning the characterful and quirky level design of DS2, it's safe to say DS2 level design won't ever be equalled in its own playing field, unfortunately (at least by From). You realise DS2 was great when you compare it with DS3, which was merely good.

DS3 actually makes you feel like you are playing a game. DS2 is a grinding sleepwalker simulator. Only thing DS2 has on 3 is the amount of content, which is DS3's bigest flaw. Bosses, enemies, movement, pvp, all are superior on DS3. Hopefully the DLCs fix the content issue.


EDIT: The original only has 300 players on it compared to the 4000 of SOTFS, no reason to play that. Especially considering how dogshit the PVE is. Only reason I bought this game was because some people said the pvp was the best in the series.

 

[nomask7]

Shrine of Amana was a dogshit area that could and should have been good. The boss was also the biggest letdown so far.

So, did you play that area in its original vanilla form, or the "revamped" (?) SoFS version? Scholar was promoted as being an improvement in terms of monster placement as well as harder, but it's actually a lot easier at times (I hardly believed it, but it's the truth) and not as good. I've only played Scholar half-way through though, so I'm just going by what I've seen so far.

Not at all. I still remember getting wrecked in Undead Burg, in Blighttown and in other areas. Dodging was harder and had more recovery and the bosses were interesting.

Walk-dodging was harder if your equipment load was over a certain percentage. That's why I had to beat Ornstein & Smaugh without heavy armor. A dozen futile attempts with heavy armor, then one or was it two without it. Thank goodness they changed it in DS2 and never have looked back since. Heavy armor in these newer games is actually viable now.

EDIT: The original only has 300 players on it compared to the 4000 of SOTFS, no reason to play that. Especially considering how dogshit the PVE is. Only reason I bought this game was because some people said the pvp was the best in the series.

Hah. OK. I don't think you should complain about the level design in that case. You literally don't know what you're missing.

Also, it sounds like you'd enjoy Bloodborne. That game is much like DS3 but with a lot more content.

 

[Corporate_Jew_Master]

Also, it sounds like you'd enjoy Bloodborne. That game is much like DS3 but with a lot more content.

I know, fuck. I might bite the bullet and buy a used PS4. Watching Moonlight Greatsword pvp videos for Bloodborne is the equivalent to a starving man watching epicmealtime.

 

[DramaticPopcorn]

Also, it sounds like you'd enjoy Bloodborne. That game is much like DS3 but with a lot more content.

I know, fuck. I might bite the bullet and buy a used PS4. Watching Moonlight Greatsword pvp videos for Bloodborne is the equivalent to a starving man watching epicmealtime.

You are everything that is wrong with Dark Souls

 

[pakoito]

but some great ones also - No Man's Wharf, Lower Brightsone Cove, Shrine of Amana

 

[Corporate_Jew_Master]

Also, it sounds like you'd enjoy Bloodborne. That game is much like DS3 but with a lot more content.

I know, fuck. I might bite the bullet and buy a used PS4. Watching Moonlight Greatsword pvp videos for Bloodborne is the equivalent to a starving man watching epicmealtime.

You are everything that is wrong with Dark Souls

Aren't you that fashionsouls fag? Just lol.

 

[nomask7]

I probably also enjoy music you'd find puzzling or worse (what do you think of Xenakis?) - it's called having a brain.

 

[DramaticPopcorn]

Also, it sounds like you'd enjoy Bloodborne. That game is much like DS3 but with a lot more content.

I know, fuck. I might bite the bullet and buy a used PS4. Watching Moonlight Greatsword pvp videos for Bloodborne is the equivalent to a starving man watching epicmealtime.

You are everything that is wrong with Dark Souls

Aren't you that fashionsouls fag? Just lol.

Neanderthal research skills confirmed

 

[Silva]

I know, fuck. I might bite the bullet and buy a used PS4. Watching Moonlight Greatsword pvp videos for Bloodborne is the equivalent to a starving man watching epicmealtime.

Why the fetish with the Moonlight sword ? Just curious, as I find other weapons so much more cool than that (Onikiri&Ubadachi, Chikage, Whirlgig, Mercy Blade, Whip Cane, etc.).

 

[MediantSamuel]

MGS in Bloodborne has a nice transform animation, at least.

 

[Corporate_Jew_Master]

I know, fuck. I might bite the bullet and buy a used PS4. Watching Moonlight Greatsword pvp videos for Bloodborne is the equivalent to a starving man watching epicmealtime.

Why the fetish with the Moonlight sword ? Just curious, as I find other weapons so much more cool than that (Onikiri&Ubadachi, Chikage, Whirlgig, Mercy Blade, Whip Cane, etc.).

It's a huge flowing sword that shoots beams of light.

All katanas look atrocious to me tbh, especially of the edgy kind like double ones. Matter of taste.

 

[Corporate_Jew_Master]

Also, dark black crypt sword +5 is insanely strong and even stronger when you put resonant weapon on it. Just destroyed 15 people straight, a lot got 2-shotted.

The soul-consumning hexes are incredibly powerful in general. 800 dmg from great resonant soul on average.

 

[pakoito]

I know, fuck. I might bite the bullet and buy a used PS4. Watching Moonlight Greatsword pvp videos for Bloodborne is the equivalent to a starving man watching epicmealtime.

Why the fetish with the Moonlight sword ? Just curious, as I find other weapons so much more cool than that (Onikiri&Ubadachi, Chikage, Whirlgig, Mercy Blade, Whip Cane, etc.).

It was OP for a while after release, with stupid scaling. Then it got the nerfbat.

 

[Corporate_Jew_Master]

Also, dark black crypt sword +5 is insanely strong and even stronger when you put resonant weapon on it. Just destroyed 15 people straight, a lot got 2-shotted.

The soul-consumning hexes are incredibly powerful in general. 800 dmg from great resonant soul on average.

Nevermind, crypt blacksword is all but useless in actual pvp. Went for longsword and spear. Switching between spells during combat is pretty fun.

The phantom range is insane though. Managed to accidentaly backstab some dude from 3km away and get backstabbed myself from ridiculous distances. What a joke.

 

[praetor]

The phantom range is insane though. Managed to accidentaly backstab some dude from 3km away and get backstabbed myself from ridiculous distances. What a joke.

so... you're saying the phantom range of spears in DaS2 is 10 times better than phantom range of longsowords in DaS3? i definitely agree!

 

[Corporate_Jew_Master]

The phantom range is insane though. Managed to accidentaly backstab some dude from 3km away and get backstabbed myself from ridiculous distances. What a joke.

so... you're saying the phantom range of spears in DaS2 is 10 times better than phantom range of longsowords in DaS3? i definitely agree!

Someone is butthurt because he's getting rollcaught it seems.

 

[DramaticPopcorn]

That's just network issues, not DS3-like shenanigans

 

[Corporate_Jew_Master]

That's just network issues, not DS3-like shenanigans

Doesn't matter, only end result does.

Crown of the Sunken King was great, by a million light years the best area in the game. I'd almost pay full game price for it and DLC price for the rest of the game. Except for the gank boss, the other bosses were great, the best so far.

Crown of the Old Iron King is extremely mediocre. The tower is quite good and fun, bosses suck dick as usual (lol more big knights with big swords) and the rest of the areas are just bad. As far as difficulty goes, Alonne>>>>>>>>>>Fume Knight.

Haven't played Ivory King yet.

9/10, 6/10 (the tower was really good, the rest was bad) respectively.

 

[meanwhileInPoland]

That's just network issues, not DS3-like shenanigans

bosses suck dick as usual (lol more big knights with big swords) .

lol Fume Knight and Sir Alonne are easily top tier bosses. better than 90% of bosses from DS1/3. try to name more than 3 better bosses than those two protip: you cant

 

[Corporate_Jew_Master]

That's just network issues, not DS3-like shenanigans

bosses suck dick as usual (lol more big knights with big swords) .

lol Fume Knight and Sir Alonne are easily top tier bosses. better than 90% of bosses from DS1/3. try to name more than 3 better bosses than those two protip: you cant

Nameless King, champion gundyr, soul of cinder
both of the sunken king dlc bosses
I found Artorias more fun than Alonne. Beevis and Butthead too.

Alonne is the embodiment of shitkid favourite boss. Choir chant #48, cool armor, huge katana. What he is in fact is just another huge knight with shit falling out of his ass.

 

[meanwhileInPoland]

That's just network issues, not DS3-like shenanigans

bosses suck dick as usual (lol more big knights with big swords) .

lol Fume Knight and Sir Alonne are easily top tier bosses. better than 90% of bosses from DS1/3. try to name more than 3 better bosses than those two protip: you cant

Nameless King, champion gundyr, soul of cinder
both of the sunken king dlc bosses
I found Artorias more fun than Alonne. Beevis and Butthead too.

Alonne is the embodiment of shitkid favourite boss. Choir chant #48, cool armor, huge katana. What he is in fact is just another huge knight with shit falling out of his ass.

Elana is nothing special(still better than Nashandra) and Sinh although best dragon fight in Souls is not much better. I found Alonne more fun than spazzing Artorias. He is embodiment of straight, cool duel without shitty gimmicks or edginess similar to Champion Gundyr.
NK has great presentation but first phase is boring and second is just ok. But he looks cool as fuck SoC is after Gherman best final boss in Souls games but he is just too fucking easy and 2nd half is just lazy. Miyazaki riding on Gwyns fanboyism.

I give you O&S and Gundyr So no surprise but big knights with swords works best in Souls games