From Software The Dark Souls II Megathread™

[ERYFKRAD]

ERYFKRAD what about this one

https://darksouls2.wiki.fextralife.com/Varangian+Helm

Byzantine stuff. Definitely civilized.

 

[Parsifarka]

Finished this (vanilla+DLC) yesterday for the first time, and I have to align with those vindicating the game —while seldom reaching the highest heights of the first one (probably conditioned by the surprise factor as well) it never fell into its worst lows either, so overall I found DS2 to be more engaging all the way up to the end unlike as in DS1 where I spent the final hours wishing for it to end already due to how banal it had become on account of my overpowered build and the level gimmicks.
It took me 61.5 hours according to Steam, which is a bit less than for DS1, albeit while playing it I had the impression it was longer due to how many places I had gotten to see, so maybe the difference can be reduced to all the time spent dying and repeating the segments until reaching the top of Sen's fortress. This time I didn't really want it to end, it's been a remarkable ride full of discoveries and adventure: I like VERY much the addition of Pharros' locks, trapped chests and memories.

While in DS1 I spent almost the entirety of the game wielding my uchi, the comparatively nerfed weapons, buffed up enemies and +10 cap in DS2 forced me both to change weapons several times and to play with ring combinations to maintain a sufficient damage output, ending up in 510 base damage with the Drakeblood greatsword, moving from three or four different combinations of dual weapons (which saved me from much of the infamous wall hitting nuisance) during the first half towards dual-handling a Murakumo and later the aforementioned DLC weapon.
However, when it comes to armor I probably didn't fully understand the mechanics because my experience was vastly different from the "Fashion Souls" meme and I spent all the game with the light yet sturdy gear I had found by Earthen Peak until getting the kings' crowns blessed. Meanwhile in DS1 I switched armor several times during the game, and environmental damage often forced me to use specific pieces, something I did not find necessary in this sequel nor desirable due to the heavy weights.

Upon completing the game I went out to check what, may God forgive me, Youtubers had to say about it and I was astonished at how much they suck at the game. Besides the story being less interesting, the only complaint I had to agree with was that if you'd been playing this at release then you wouldn't know what the heck ADP does and that would mean you're in an absurd world of pain; not explaining what this essential attribute does certainly is a glaring error wherefrom all the laments about shitty hitboxes stem.
Otherwise the issues raised were, while very legitimate, a matter of preference (I think it's as reasonable to hate the life gems for reducing the danger of boss runs as it is to accept them as a precious time saver players are free to resort to) or people just being a bit too stupid (it's embarrassing to find many complaining about repeatedly falling into sinkholes because lighting up a torch to illuminate the ground is beyond their brainpower).
So I can perfectly understand why some of the most fervent admirers of the first hated the sequel, which goes to show how there was so much to like in DS1 that even people with vastly different tastes agree in celebrating it.

I'll end up saying that Frigid Outskirts is nowhere as bad as plebs made it to be, it took me four or five attempts to reach the boss which I defeated in my first try. If that's the most insane area in the series
as many claim then that's just another evidence that the difficulty of these games is a meme by people who never laid hands on classic games like Castlevania (aka journalists), to mention something somewhat akin. This to drive home the former point that it's crazy how many complaints there are out there from people who just don't know how to play the game, I have heard repeatedly the preposterous notion that DS2 was designed to be as hard as possible.
Speaking of difficulty, while the life gems certainly make things easier than they would be otherwise I still can't really compare it to the original due to the novelty factor being lost; had I known I was playing Rolling Souls right from the start I reckon I wouldn't have had that much trouble with the early game there either.
While many bosses from DS2 are indeed trivial, most if not all after Quelaag were as well, so I don't really see much of a difference there, only that the sequel has a larger total number. Then again, things such as these are very dependent on player idiosyncrasies and character builds: I defeated the Darklurker, Slumbering Dragon and Fume Knight at my first attempt while the Ancient Dragon, Sir Alonne and even Nashandra managed to kill me several times yet I've seen many disdain them as weaklings while being impressed by the others.

To sum up, I think DS2 is a very nice game, one of the most enjoyable and enduring experiences I've had with a recent release so I'm looking forward to the day I upgrade my laptop to something capable of running the (around the Codex) much maligned DS3 and the celebrated Nioh. And maybe even Elden Ring someday in the next decade.

 

[Doktor Best]

DS2 was trashed at release because muh graphics downgrade and ahmagad lava castle at the top of an elevator!!!

I still prefer DS1 slightly for the sole reason that is more nonlinear and interconnected as DS2, which is a point of criticism raised very rarely by those who jumped on the hate train back then.

Its still a great game. DS3 is also a great game and i am sure Elden Ring will be gobbled up my me also.

 

[Ryzer]

something capable of running the (around the Codex) much maligned DS3

Don't, you will loose that faith.

 

[toro]

Yeah well I still can't figure out how to make my dude not look like an Oblivion NPC.

just put on a helmet bucket

 

[Wunderbar]

 

[Mary Sue Leigh]

I like 2 best because base game seems excessively easy (DLCs not so much).
Maybe I'm wrong but this is the only DS of the three that I managed to actually complete at all and I did it with Heide knight sword (lightning), some 90% physical block medium shield, sorceress set, just spamming those dark ball hexes most of the time (high faith/int).
I. E. random trash I found lying about, no guide tryharding needed.

 

[NJClaw]

Posting here to announce that I completed my first alcoholic run of DS2. Rules are simple: you drink one shot every time you die, level up (one shot for each level), and talk to an NPC. The shot is doubled if you die to gravity or don't touch your previous bloodstain (so it's 4 shots if you die to gravity without recovering your souls). All choices (starting class, starting gift, which stat to increase at level up) are randomized. It lasted 16 straight hours and we almost gave up at the Shrine of Amana and at the Throne Watcher & Defender, but we heroically pushed through and I've been shitting black for almost three days now.

 

[Wunderbar]

 

[__scribbles__]

I managed to actually complete at all and I did it with Heide knight sword (lightning)

Lightning is very OP in DaS2, which is one of the only complaints I have with the game. Very few enemies in the game have good lightning resistance, and you can endlessly buy Gold Pine Resin from Vengarl's Head for stupid cheap.

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

Didn't they nerf lightning though? Or was that just miracles?

 

[__scribbles__]

Didn't they nerf lightning though? Or was that just miracles?

They may have, but I didn't notice a difference on my last playthrough. Lightning Spear did get nerfed into the ground, though.

 

[kites]

 

[Child of Malkav]

Nice, clearly their priority was to get the best souls game back online as fast as possible. Good, very good. I approve. This pleases me. They can stop now.

 

[Cryomancer]

I don't get why DS2 is so hated. IMO is the best souls game. Best character progression, best fashion souls and best NG+.

 

[kites]

I never got around to SotFS or the DLCs so I think this is as good a time as any

 

[Wunderbar]

Nice, clearly their priority was to get the best souls game back online as fast as possible. Good, very good. I approve. This pleases me. They can stop now.

except the first souls game to have online restored was DaS3

 

[Myobi]

I don't get why DS2 is so hated. IMO is the best souls game. Best character progression, best fashion souls and best NG+.

A lot of asset re-use and worst boss runs I ever endured, I can tell you that much.

 

[Silverfish]

I don't get why DS2 is so hated.

The game was remarkably poorly explained by official channels and fan videos / forums upon its initial release and the sub-sub-suboptimal way most people played for the first couple of weeks left a bad impression. A couple of pretty funny examples from the "official" FuturePress guide (that actually hired youtubers as writers): Adaptability isn't explained beyond speeding up item use and passive poise increases. There is zero mention of adaptability influencing i-frames on rolls. The funniest though is the section on weapon infusions. Most were explained pretty well (split damage, altered scaling, whatever), but the description for mundane infusions is taken from the in-game mundane stone description ("mundane items casting things in a pleasant light" or whatever) and doesn't actually explain what the infusion does or how it requires balanced stats or even that its scaling damage still applies to broken weapons, making things like the ladle or broken straight sword viable. 10/10 stuff.

 

[fizzelopeguss]

I don't get why DS2 is so hated. IMO is the best souls game. Best character progression, best fashion souls and best NG+.

The graphical downgrade from hell set it off on a bad foot.

 

[Russia is over. The end.]

I don't get why DS2 is so hated. IMO is the best souls game. Best character progression, best fashion souls and best NG+.

A lot of asset re-use and worst boss runs I ever endured, I can tell you that much.

You just reused the letter 'e' seven times, just look at this ASSET REUSE!

 

[ERYFKRAD]

I don't get why DS2 is so hated. IMO is the best souls game. Best character progression, best fashion souls and best NG+.

A lot of asset re-use and worst boss runs I ever endured, I can tell you that much.

You just reused the letter 'e' seven times, just look at this ASSET REUSE!

Ok 11e

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

I don't get why DS2 is so hated.

The game was remarkably poorly explained by official channels and fan videos / forums upon its initial release and the sub-sub-suboptimal way most people played for the first couple of weeks left a bad impression. A couple of pretty funny examples from the "official" FuturePress guide (that actually hired youtubers as writers): Adaptability isn't explained beyond speeding up item use and passive poise increases. There is zero mention of adaptability influencing i-frames on rolls. The funniest though is the section on weapon infusions. Most were explained pretty well (split damage, altered scaling, whatever), but the description for mundane infusions is taken from the in-game mundane stone description ("mundane items casting things in a pleasant light" or whatever) and doesn't actually explain what the infusion does or how it requires balanced stats or even that its scaling damage still applies to broken weapons, making things like the ladle or broken straight sword viable. 10/10 stuff.

What's funny is that if they bothered to actually read the in game description of agility it flat out tells you that it's used to improve evasion.
Hmmm I wonder what that could mean in a souls game?

 

[Child of Malkav]

A lot of asset re-use and worst boss runs I ever endured, I can tell you that much.

Nah, that's ER.

 

[Myobi]

A lot of asset re-use and worst boss runs I ever endured, I can tell you that much.

Nah, that's ER.

ER? Look dude, all I know is that I still have nightmares from running to the blue smelter demon and Lud & Zallen boss fights. Not a bad game, but certainly the worst out of the 3 DS imo.

 

[cvv]

Dark Souls 2 is the Dark Souls of Dark Souls.