Putting the 'role' back in role-playing games since 2002.
Donate to Codex
Good Old Games
  • Welcome to rpgcodex.net, a site dedicated to discussing computer based role-playing games in a free and open fashion. We're less strict than other forums, but please refer to the rules.

    "This message is awaiting moderator approval": All new users must pass through our moderation queue before they will be able to post normally. Until your account has "passed" your posts will only be visible to yourself (and moderators) until they are approved. Give us a week to get around to approving / deleting / ignoring your mundane opinion on crap before hassling us about it. Once you have passed the moderation period (think of it as a test), you will be able to post normally, just like all the other retards.

From Software The Dark Souls II Megathread™

n0wh3r3

Educated
Joined
May 7, 2023
Messages
271
So the general consensus here is that DSII is better than DSIII? Why?
 

Hell Swarm

Learned
Joined
Jun 16, 2023
Messages
2,144
Sucks that scholar does that but it did fix the undead crypt's boss rush. Probably the worst gank squad in all of souls history, only balanced by enemy despawning.

DS2 and Scholar had some great moments. Like that motherfucker Maldron. :argh:
I think that's one of the only times I came close to raging in one of the games. I just wish I'd have thought to seed him. Fucker.
Maldron mimics demon's souls invasions in a way I absolutely love. Some asshole invades you then runs off to hide behind a gold skeleton. I hope From expand on him and next time he appears he has a bow and a storm ruler to complete the package..
So the general consensus here is that DSII is better than DSIII? Why?
Dark souls 2 is more focused on the adventure and exploration. It's bosses are generally less complex and aren't designed to completely destroy you in 1 combo. They're challenging but they're not the focus of the areas, the mooks and traps are where the meat of the game is. It's been said that Dark souls 2 is Demon's souls sequel.

Dark souls 3 flips this where the focus is almost entirely on the boss battles and everything else is a path to get to them. There's few traps and few challenging places to navigate because exploration is now secondary to combat. Mini bosses are now on par with other games late game bosses right out the gates and the anime bullshit ramps up the further you go.

For people looking for challenging boss fights and not caring as much for exploration will like 3 over 2. While those wanting exploration over boss fights will like 2 more.
 

mediocrepoet

Philosoraptor in Residence
Patron
Joined
Sep 30, 2009
Messages
13,539
Location
Combatfag: Gold box / Pathfinder
Codex 2012 Codex+ Now Streaming! MCA Project: Eternity Divinity: Original Sin 2
Sucks that scholar does that but it did fix the undead crypt's boss rush. Probably the worst gank squad in all of souls history, only balanced by enemy despawning.

DS2 and Scholar had some great moments. Like that motherfucker Maldron. :argh:
I think that's one of the only times I came close to raging in one of the games. I just wish I'd have thought to seed him. Fucker.
Maldron mimics demon's souls invasions in a way I absolutely love. Some asshole invades you then runs off to hide behind a gold skeleton. I hope From expand on him and next time he appears he has a bow and a storm ruler to complete the package..

Yeah, it's a brilliant encounter. That's the entire reason why it's a piss off and what makes it great. :lol:
 

ghostdog

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 31, 2007
Messages
11,158
Release shrine is actually difficult, it got nerfed pretty early on with patches.
IIRC the only "difficulty" were the soul arrows. My theory is they were so ridiculous they must've been legit busted, that's why they patched them p. promptly. Apparently even if you dodged an arrow it would double back and hit you in your cheeks, just as you were engaged with a priestess. Yeah, a clear bork in my book.
Yeah, the enemy soul arrows must have been nerfed in vanilla too, it wasn't that frustrating avoiding them.
 

SharkClub

Prophet
Patron
Joined
May 27, 2010
Messages
1,583
Strap Yourselves In
I like the NPC invader in the frozen king dlc that disguises himself as a crate or something next to a chest and then backstabs you when you open it, I remember that shit making me laugh out loud. From really needs to bring back the funnily scripted NPC invaders that DS2 had in places.
 

mediocrepoet

Philosoraptor in Residence
Patron
Joined
Sep 30, 2009
Messages
13,539
Location
Combatfag: Gold box / Pathfinder
Codex 2012 Codex+ Now Streaming! MCA Project: Eternity Divinity: Original Sin 2
I like the NPC invader in the frozen king dlc that disguises himself as a crate or something next to a chest and then backstabs you when you open it, I remember that shit making me laugh out loud. From really needs to bring back the funnily scripted NPC invaders that DS2 had in places.

It just had a lot of areas that were fun to mess with people in too, if you were invaded or wanted to invade. I found it far more memorable than other Souls games in that regard.

Like there's a room with a ton of crates so I just used the illusion spell to make myself look like a crate and sat in there. The invader (eventually) started rolling through all the crates, so when he was launching into a roll into me, I dispelled it and cast chaos firestorm. :lol: You could basically see the "oh shit" moment and then he melted away.

There was this other time, I kept getting chain invaded by this one guy in Shrine of Amana. He wasn't very good, but between him and the mobs, I kept dying. So I got tired of it and started running through the level, rolling through all the soul arrows and passed all the enemies. When we were into the enemies and he was in the middle of all the soul arrow priestesses and their guards, I seeded him. That was extremely satisfying. :lol:
 

n0wh3r3

Educated
Joined
May 7, 2023
Messages
271
Sucks that scholar does that but it did fix the undead crypt's boss rush. Probably the worst gank squad in all of souls history, only balanced by enemy despawning.

DS2 and Scholar had some great moments. Like that motherfucker Maldron. :argh:
I think that's one of the only times I came close to raging in one of the games. I just wish I'd have thought to seed him. Fucker.
Maldron mimics demon's souls invasions in a way I absolutely love. Some asshole invades you then runs off to hide behind a gold skeleton. I hope From expand on him and next time he appears he has a bow and a storm ruler to complete the package..
So the general consensus here is that DSII is better than DSIII? Why?
Dark souls 2 is more focused on the adventure and exploration. It's bosses are generally less complex and aren't designed to completely destroy you in 1 combo. They're challenging but they're not the focus of the areas, the mooks and traps are where the meat of the game is. It's been said that Dark souls 2 is Demon's souls sequel.

Dark souls 3 flips this where the focus is almost entirely on the boss battles and everything else is a path to get to them. There's few traps and few challenging places to navigate because exploration is now secondary to combat. Mini bosses are now on par with other games late game bosses right out the gates and the anime bullshit ramps up the further you go.

For people looking for challenging boss fights and not caring as much for exploration will like 3 over 2. While those wanting exploration over boss fights will like 2 more.
Many thanks for your explanation. Though I'm not sure I agree about the exploration part but I still have to complete DSIII
 

Odoryuk

Educated
Joined
Mar 26, 2024
Messages
608
Dark souls 3 flips this where the focus is almost entirely on the boss battles and everything else is a path to get to them. There's few traps and few challenging places to navigate because exploration is now secondary to combat.
Can't be wrong enough, Dark Souls 3 has the most complex and interesting level design in the trilogy and exploration is always a major focus. It's like people confuse level interconnectivity (which Dark Souls 1 excels at) with level design. DS3 is straight as it can be, but the locations themselves provide a lot of nooks and crannies to explore.
 

Hell Swarm

Learned
Joined
Jun 16, 2023
Messages
2,144
Dark souls 3 flips this where the focus is almost entirely on the boss battles and everything else is a path to get to them. There's few traps and few challenging places to navigate because exploration is now secondary to combat.
Can't be wrong enough, Dark Souls 3 has the most complex and interesting level design in the trilogy and exploration is always a major focus. It's like people confuse level interconnectivity (which Dark Souls 1 excels at) with level design. DS3 is straight as it can be, but the locations themselves provide a lot of nooks and crannies to explore.
From internet defense force being wrong again. There isn't a single location in Dark souls 3 that comes close to the gutter. It's not even in the same ball park. Having a dead end side path to pick up a sword is not the same as exploration.
 

Max Damage

Savant
Joined
Mar 1, 2017
Messages
748
Gutter doesn't have much going for it besides lighting up torches and fighting same 2 lame enemies, I swear every other take in this thread is opposite day. It's one of the most boring levels in whole game, I could understand namedropping No Man's Wharf or Bastille, but that seems to be expecting too much around these places :roll:
 

Hell Swarm

Learned
Joined
Jun 16, 2023
Messages
2,144
Gutter doesn't have much going for it besides lighting up torches and fighting same 2 lame enemies, I swear every other take in this thread is opposite day. It's one of the most boring levels in whole game, I could understand namedropping No Man's Wharf or Bastille, but that seems to be expecting too much around these places :roll:
The novelty of exploring a pitch black area full of nigger rigged buildings and having to forfeit your shield or 2 hand weapon for a torch is a unique activity. I like Whart and Bastille but neither present anything unique to the games at that point. They're generic locations in terms of gameplay. Not bad, but not special.
 

Max Damage

Savant
Joined
Mar 1, 2017
Messages
748
You don't even have to put away your left hand item for long because there're torches everywhere, and the place isn't THAT dark, it's on the same level of as butchered No Man's Wharf in SotFS. Gutter is basically stretched out Tomb of Giants with less going for it.
 

mediocrepoet

Philosoraptor in Residence
Patron
Joined
Sep 30, 2009
Messages
13,539
Location
Combatfag: Gold box / Pathfinder
Codex 2012 Codex+ Now Streaming! MCA Project: Eternity Divinity: Original Sin 2
can't recall any locations from DS3 that were not some random castle or a swamp
You can shit on DS3 all day and night, but the Dreg Heap is awesome in terms of presentation and there's no way anyone who has a functioning brain thinks of that as a random castle or swamp.
that's dlc

For DS3.

And it's directly referenced from the end of the base game with the approach to the Soul of Cinder.
 

As an Amazon Associate, rpgcodex.net earns from qualifying purchases.
Back
Top Bottom