From Software The Dark Souls II Megathread™

[praetor]

The new maiden in black is no big deal to me really, I got the habit of undloading my gear in DeS and I continued that it DaS so the concept of having a down time cebtral hub where you can train, fix and upgrade gear an get some NPC quests and interaction seems fine to me
About the bonfires, I get the idea they will be like the locked bonfire from the beta (which you could unlock or not) or the hidden bonfires from Tomb of Giants, Sen's or even the Deep Hollow
If all we got right now to nitpick is stuff like that an not how they nerfed the knight gear we have entiretly too much time on our hands ;D

how did they nerf the knight gear? why is it relevant that starting gear got nerfed? is there even a knight starting class? the nitpicking is there because of the glaring contradiction of "we'll remove and streamline all the obscure and tedious stuff" only to add the most tedious, stupid game-design decisions because "des nostalgia". i have played DeS before DaS and find the latter superior in absolutely every way except level design (where DeS wins only on account of 3-1 and 3-2 being the best in the series so far)

 

[DragoFireheart]

how did they nerf the knight gear? why is it relevant that starting gear got nerfed? is there even a knight starting class? the nitpicking is there because of the glaring contradiction of "we'll remove and streamline all the obscure and tedious stuff" only to add the most tedious, stupid game-design decisions because "des nostalgia". i have played DeS before DaS and find the latter superior in absolutely every way except level design (where DeS wins only on account of 3-1 and 3-2 being the best in the series so far)

Troll souls?

 

[Invictus]

Yeah that is my idea behind the central hub this time; having one place to fix, level, upgrade and buy everything seems cool
After getting the Lordvessel it was easier to go arround but it was a pain doing Blighttown everytime I wanted to upgrade my pyromancy flame or buying a new spell or running all the way from Firelink to see Andre to upgrade
Oh pretor I meant the armor as an example; we don't know what the game will be like till we find it so why fret, most of the changes seem for the best and the biggest ones (the chat and the central hub) are not that big a deal to me
Oh and there are no better more moody levels in the Souls series than Latria, the image of the tower walkways with the torches in the background are still one of my fondest memories of the series

 

[Murk]

since you can warp to majula from every fucking bonfire to level up whats your fucking problem?it did not bother people in Des i doubt it will be a big hindrance if at all.

firelink shrine was fucking great with new npc gathering around and new stuff to buy/learn but it loses its meaning after 1/3 of the game and its a shame. i hope majula will be usefull/meaningfull till the end of the game.

I donno man, it was a nice blow to the player. You start to collect bros from all over and have an actual safe haven for a while... and then they start dropping like flies. They go on doomed journeys, they go insane and go hollow, they just fucking leave... it was enough elevation and false-safety that came crushing down shortly after.

I still purposely avoid talking to crestfallen and larentius (aside from shop + upgrade) just to avoid killing them later.

---

My assumption, baseless as it is, is that you can unlock "doing shit at a bonfire" in the game like mundane incremental upgrades and level ups. I am partly thinking they are forcing you to go back to Majula in part so people don't miss out on npc quests. I imagine quite a few bitched about not knowing that quests were happening (and being missed) because they didn't interact with the npcs at the key-points. I don't mind clandestine quests; just means subsequent plays have new(ish) content but eh.

Logically, I agree with Praetor's points, but I believe I am not as passionate about it.

I hope bonfires are closer to 'boss access' points. The most tedium I ever encountered in DaS was running all the way to Manus only to die in like 30 seconds each time in my SL1 playthrough. It got to the point that I would run for 2 minutes and die shortly thereafter.

I kind of hope they stop using ledges as a crutch too. Fuck me that got obnoxious, especially with that fucking camera.

 

[Invictus]

I actualy don't think they will put the bonfires too close to the bosses, as they have stated that it is part of the challenge where you might have been killed by a boss and recklessly going back and getting bumped off the ledge would lead to much nerdrage and broken controllers
Frankly if they had give more of the same I would have been more than happy but all the changes so far seem fine to me
From Software is one of the few companies I blindly trust to get it right and their changes are probably for the best...Kojima san with that new Metal Gear I don't know; I have the nagging feeling he is going to pull the same stunt from MGS2 where the first part of the game is completly different than the rest

 

[aris]

Things I really hope they change for dark souls 2

1. No more forced death. Your first encounter with Seth is extremely stupid, he is unbeatable, and you have to die to him. It is especially stupid when it comes with all the grave consequences that dying usually comes with in dark souls unless you have a ring of sacrifice, it's like wrestling the controls from the players but in a way that is even worse. No more of this.
2. No more forced fall damage; there are three instances of this, pinwheel, nito and (especially gravely) the stray demon. This simply should not be necessary, if one takes fall damage, it should be because you make a mistake, not because the game forced you to take fall damage. I'm fine with traps that does not lead to mandatory areas where you take fall damage, but not when it's the only way through an area, or when going to a boss.

 

[Jasede]

100% agree on the fall damage; irked me. Usually mark of bad design.

 

[Kanedias]

The Stray Demon is a horrible fight. The fall is fine as a trap the first time, but it's the only way to get into the damn boss arena, and if you don't instantly roll the moment you fall to cancel the recovery animation the boss will probably kill you in one hit with his ridiculous AoE attacks while you're hurt from fall damage.

Anyways I have been wondering how much the game will change over time. Dark Souls changed a lot since launch day. I believe some stuff gave less souls (for example, skeletons gave 0 souls), curses stacked, Purging Stones were much harder to come by, you couldn't buy Twinkling Titanite, etc. At the same time, a lot of stuff was hilariously overpowered... Fog Ring didn't let anyone lock on to you, Dark Wood Grain Ring let you ninja flip even if you would otherwise be medium rolling, Crystal Ring Shield did insane damage and was used to demolish bosses, Iron Flesh gave you even more damage reduction, etc. I wonder what the next overpowered thing will be...Wrath of the Bead? Hahaha.

 

[aris]

The Stray Demon is a horrible fight. The fall is fine as a trap the first time, but it's the only way to get into the damn boss arena, and if you don't instantly roll the moment you fall to cancel the recovery animation the boss will probably kill you in one hit with his ridiculous AoE attacks while you're hurt from fall damage.

Anyways I have been wondering how much the game will change over time. Dark Souls changed a lot since launch day. I believe some stuff gave less souls (for example, skeletons gave 0 souls), curses stacked, Purging Stones were much harder to come by, you couldn't buy Twinkling Titanite, etc. At the same time, a lot of stuff was hilariously overpowered... Fog Ring didn't let anyone lock on to you, Dark Wood Grain Ring let you ninja flip even if you would otherwise be medium rolling, Crystal Ring Shield did insane damage and was used to demolish bosses, Iron Flesh gave you even more damage reduction, etc. I wonder what the next overpowered thing will be...Wrath of the Bead? Hahaha.

If you fall down from the point farthest from the stray demon, you can generally run away from him and have enough time to drink an estus flask before he attacks. But yeah, pretty stupid stuff, you even get stunned from a second when you land.

I'm guessing there will be something overpowered in DS2 too, though maybe less, since it seems like it has been more beta tested.

 

[Murk]

Eh, you can weapon swap to cancel the fall delay (or roll). I like to roll as close to him and run behind; the real strategy is to stay behind him anyway.

I'm ok with that fall.

Pinwheel and (especially) Nito is p bad tho. Like, arbitrary "ha haaaa" bad.

 

[meanwhileInPoland]

I donno man, it was a nice blow to the player. You start to collect bros from all over and have an actual safe haven for a while... and then they start dropping like flies. They go on doomed journeys, they go insane and go hollow, they just fucking leave... it was enough elevation and false-safety that came crushing down shortly after.

I still purposely avoid talking to crestfallen and larentius (aside from shop + upgrade) just to avoid killing them later.

i know that feel man. i always thought there is some secret sequence which lets you gather all of them at the same time in firelink. like crestfallen warrior, laurentius, siegmayer and his daughter, rhea, lautrec, ingwar, patches, logan and his apprentice, anastacia, tarkus, crestfallen merchant, domhnhall, quelana, solair and rest of them. but than i checked darksouls.wiki

 

[Murk]

First time I went through lost izalith I legitimately was upset. I think I said this before but still; not only was Solaire my bro (literally the reason I survived some boss fights my first time through the game) but siegmeyer was just humorous. I knew that there were sad endings but I hadn't spoiled anything cuz I realized quickly this game is about the personal achievement and experience.

Then Lost Izalith. Fucking Siegmeyer suicided to help me out (didn't now there was another ending at the time) and fucking Solaire carried me through Centipede Demon only to die to me. I just... why. Fucking hell. If the game allowed save-scumming I would have insta-reloaded and tried to find some way to avoid it.

On my SL 1 playthrough I sat there wasting 30 humanity just to make sure he survives. He did. It felt fucking good.

 

[Invictus]

Funny how attached we can get to a character like Solaire that with a few simple lines and some ass saving summons (like the first time I fought and beat S&O with his help and he tanked them while I layeth the smackdown with fireballs) to the point where we feel such a letdown over one of his possible endings and such elation over keeping him alive for the final battle
Watch Vaati's Solaire video for a really great look at his story

 

[Murk]

Its the same effect that the circle of bros had in Gothic 1 and 2. They're not your bros because there's a dialog line; it's because they do shit that proves they're your bros. Gorn and Diego straight up tank a troll each and help you find a quest necessary item; Diego watches out for you and trains you, etc. Solaire does the same shit; his few lines are funny and when you summon him he wrecks shit and gives you a reward on his way out.

That's like having a girl come over, suck your dick, say 3 jokes, then give you a new cd/record on her way out.

ma waifu

 

[praetor]

more impressions from peeps at neofag: here and here (quite a bit of spoilers, so beware)

some tidbits:
-Loading times are long(er) :/ (PS3) Since you're fast traveling more, you're staring at the loading screen quite a bit. (enjoy staring at the loadscreen, "it was fine in DeS" fags)
-equip load is also shown in percentage now, yay!
-the red tearstone ring is back, and there's a new ring that breaks when removed: restoration ring. Health restore over time. (yay, the popamoler ring from DeS is back.. hopefully adjudicator and blessed weapons are also back)
-Penalty -> Players with high sin get their max HP decreased past 50% with consecutive deaths as undead (apparently goes up as high as 90%?)
-PVP available from beginning, specific location (arena like) -> blue vs blue, red vs red
-Good in PVP? Increased aura after consecutive wins. You see invader in your game with big red aura? you already dead.jpg
-respawn will indeed stop after killing monsters a certain amount of times so u can continue further... you can however burn an item to make it harder so experienced players can still get a good challenge ( ^ )
-seems like there are more bonfires than previous game... hidden better though

 

[meanwhileInPoland]

respawn will indeed stop after killing monsters a certain amount of times so u can continue further... you can however burn an item to make it harder so experienced players can still get a good challenge

how is self gravelording a decline? that item "bonfire assomething" is the very first thing i am going to use on my first blind run and than cry like a little bitch

and about that 15 respawns. i honestly cant remember area in ds where i died 15 times to mobs. and apart from that retard DPS and Vaarna (who has to be 30 lvl higher than average player to feel prepared) i dont know anyone who grinded mobs in certain area 15 times in a row. grinding is tedious and if you fight the same mobs 15 times and you still die to them well maybe its just not your type of game?

 

[Speedo Wizard Yurimaru]

Things I really hope they change for dark souls 2

1. No more forced death. Your first encounter with Seth is extremely stupid, he is unbeatable, and you have to die to him. It is especially stupid when it comes with all the grave consequences that dying usually comes with in dark souls unless you have a ring of sacrifice, it's like wrestling the controls from the players but in a way that is even worse. No more of this.
2. No more forced fall damage; there are three instances of this, pinwheel, nito and (especially gravely) the stray demon. This simply should not be necessary, if one takes fall damage, it should be because you make a mistake, not because the game forced you to take fall damage. I'm fine with traps that does not lead to mandatory areas where you take fall damage, but not when it's the only way through an area, or when going to a boss.

There is a spell called Fall Control. Doesn't require much Intelligence. It's one of the utility spells with low reqs. I usually play sorcerer characters, so generally aim for max attunement via SL and gear, but usually keep that and/or Vanish stocked.

 

[aris]

Things I really hope they change for dark souls 2

1. No more forced death. Your first encounter with Seth is extremely stupid, he is unbeatable, and you have to die to him. It is especially stupid when it comes with all the grave consequences that dying usually comes with in dark souls unless you have a ring of sacrifice, it's like wrestling the controls from the players but in a way that is even worse. No more of this.
2. No more forced fall damage; there are three instances of this, pinwheel, nito and (especially gravely) the stray demon. This simply should not be necessary, if one takes fall damage, it should be because you make a mistake, not because the game forced you to take fall damage. I'm fine with traps that does not lead to mandatory areas where you take fall damage, but not when it's the only way through an area, or when going to a boss.

There is a spell called Fall Control. Doesn't require much Intelligence. It's one of the utility spells with low reqs. I usually play sorcerer characters, so generally aim for max attunement via SL and gear, but usually keep that and/or Vanish stocked.

Yeah I know, but the point is that there should be no forced fall damage at all. Not even 1 hp forced fall damage.

 

[praetor]

how is self gravelording a decline? that item "bonfire assomething" is the very first thing i am going to use on my first blind run and than cry like a little bitch

and about that 15 respawns. i honestly cant remember area in ds where i died 15 times to mobs. and apart from that retard DPS and Vaarna (who has to be 30 lvl higher than average player to feel prepared) i dont know anyone who grinded mobs in certain area 15 times in a row. grinding is tedious and if you fight the same mobs 15 times and you still die to them well maybe its just not your type of game?

item farming. i farmed way, waaay more than 15 times those damned Balder knights for the BSS, or the channellers for the trident, or the DWs for the tittie slab. not to mention now every scrub will be able to win easily just by attrition. that's pure and then some
self gravelording is not decline, forgot to edit that line after i copypasted it

 

[Gentle Player]

I don't agree with forced fall damage necessarily being a bad thing. It reinforces the theme of the Souls world being hostile and dangerous, and gives the fall control spell other uses than in the Great Hollow for magically inclined characters. It's not as if the falls can kill you either.

 

[Speedo Wizard Yurimaru]

Things I really hope they change for dark souls 2

1. No more forced death. Your first encounter with Seth is extremely stupid, he is unbeatable, and you have to die to him. It is especially stupid when it comes with all the grave consequences that dying usually comes with in dark souls unless you have a ring of sacrifice, it's like wrestling the controls from the players but in a way that is even worse. No more of this.
2. No more forced fall damage; there are three instances of this, pinwheel, nito and (especially gravely) the stray demon. This simply should not be necessary, if one takes fall damage, it should be because you make a mistake, not because the game forced you to take fall damage. I'm fine with traps that does not lead to mandatory areas where you take fall damage, but not when it's the only way through an area, or when going to a boss.

There is a spell called Fall Control. Doesn't require much Intelligence. It's one of the utility spells with low reqs. I usually play sorcerer characters, so generally aim for max attunement via SL and gear, but usually keep that and/or Vanish stocked.

Yeah I know, but the point is that there should be no forced fall damage at all. Not even 1 hp forced fall damage.

I'd say that it fits within the theme of DeSo/DaSo of no handholding. This is a game that doesn't even tell you the importance of shields, and most newbies learn the game by hiding behind a shield for a few hours at least. I think having fall damage assists with the immersion by a common sense approach - you are dropping into a pit, so you should be hurt. It would break immersion in an area like Tomb of Giants which is essentially a deep, dark pit, if you could just walk all the way through without dealing with the verticality with no penalty at all. That area is easy enough with the darkness and I think Pinwheel should have prepped players that bosses in that area would need to be potentially reached by dropping.

 

[Speedo Wizard Yurimaru]

I see your point, though. Forced damage and penalties is generally the sign of a badly planned scenario in games, but I think Dark Souls was executed so well that it didn't seem that bad to me. It's not a perfect game, by any means (Bed of Chaos, anyone?), but it's pretty much the best game of the last decade IMHO.

 

[DragoFireheart]

The Stray Demon is a horrible fight. The fall is fine as a trap the first time, but it's the only way to get into the damn boss arena, and if you don't instantly roll the moment you fall to cancel the recovery animation the boss will probably kill you in one hit with his ridiculous AoE attacks while you're hurt from fall damage.

I hope bonfires are closer to 'boss access' points. The most tedium I ever encountered in DaS was running all the way to Manus only to die in like 30 seconds each time in my SL1 playthrough. It got to the point that I would run for 2 minutes and die shortly thereafter.

git gud causl

 

[aris]

I completely disagree, it is simply bad design. Making you fall into a trap because you weren't careful and take fall damage and get assaulted is fine, and is indeed kind of an example of no hand holding. However, when one takes fall damage, it should be as a cause of the player's action, because he made a mistake, not because he was forced to take fall damage.

 

[DragoFireheart]

I completely disagree, it is simply bad design. Making you fall into a trap because you weren't careful and take fall damage and get assaulted is fine, and is indeed kind of an example of no hand holding. However, when one takes fall damage, it should be as a cause of the player's action, because he made a mistake, not because he was forced to take fall damage.

That's exactly what happened: you when back to the newbie area thinking "gee, these enemies are so easy" and you got careless. Should have been prepared for a nasty trap.

Also, Fall Control. git gud casul