From Software The Dark Souls II Megathread™

[Mortmal]

So i finished the game once, and wondering whats the best to do with nashandra soul.. I played my game as pure warrior , Str/ dex build , and even if i do good , it seems caster is the way to go, even had to do some boss with a bow , melee is quite lackluster. Heavy armor doesnt help that much, boss still can one shot me. I may as well roll and dodge most of the time, melee weapon is nowhere near what casters are able to do. Done a bit of pvp and i get stunned like mad , really heavy armor is not changing anything , stun= death , i may as well reroll mage.
What do you think is worth putting points in ? i was thinking going 20 minimum in every stats and 40 attunement 40 int 40 faith .

 

[Surf Solar]

i've done earthen peak, heides, wharf, shadey woods, the lost tower, huntsmans, a whole bunch of areas. The game doesn't have the same sense of purpose/momentum as the 1st part of DS had. I beat that snake thing at the top of earthen peak, and it was a meaningless battle. I had no idea who that boss was or what the point of it was. I'm getting bored of it.

There's actually a reason for most stuff you do, and the lore is very subtle and interesting, but I did notice the game doesn't give you enough at first. Most of your first playthrough feels a bit like aimless exploring because of this. Once you play through the whole game once and think about the lore, the story will become clearer, and the journey will seem more interesting.

I think the culprit here is the Emerald Herald, who has too few meaningful lines of dialogue. She's very chatty, but she doesn't actually say much, and what she says won't have any meaning until the end of the game. The cat is much more insightful in that regard, and is the NPC that offers the most insight about the lore/story. They should have merged the two characters, or have the cat act as the "guide" and eliminate the Herald, letting you level up at the bonfires.

It's not the lore so much as the lack of direction. In DS1 there were clear goals from the start, which was to ring the bells. In this one it seems to be wandering and endless boss fights, which is ok, but maybe they could have added something in to break that up.

You're told from the start that you have to seek and embrace the 4 greater/old souls in order to meet the king/do something about the undead curse. There is practically 4 paths leading away from Majula. What more incentive do you need?

Also, does anyone know if battling people in the arena count towards the covenant "counter" in the blood covenant? Or do I simply have to invade more people?

 

[Tribal Sarah]

i've done earthen peak, heides, wharf, shadey woods, the lost tower, huntsmans, a whole bunch of areas. The game doesn't have the same sense of purpose/momentum as the 1st part of DS had. I beat that snake thing at the top of earthen peak, and it was a meaningless battle. I had no idea who that boss was or what the point of it was. I'm getting bored of it.

There's actually a reason for most stuff you do, and the lore is very subtle and interesting, but I did notice the game doesn't give you enough at first. Most of your first playthrough feels a bit like aimless exploring because of this. Once you play through the whole game once and think about the lore, the story will become clearer, and the journey will seem more interesting.

I think the culprit here is the Emerald Herald, who has too few meaningful lines of dialogue. She's very chatty, but she doesn't actually say much, and what she says won't have any meaning until the end of the game. The cat is much more insightful in that regard, and is the NPC that offers the most insight about the lore/story. They should have merged the two characters, or have the cat act as the "guide" and eliminate the Herald, letting you level up at the bonfires.

It's not the lore so much as the lack of direction. In DS1 there were clear goals from the start, which was to ring the bells. In this one it seems to be wandering and endless boss fights, which is ok, but maybe they could have added something in to break that up.

You're told from the start that you have to seek and embrace the 4 greater/old souls in order to meet the king/do something about the undead curse. There is practically 4 paths leading away from Majula. What more incentive do you need?

Also, does anyone know if battling people in the arena count towards the covenant "counter" in the blood covenant? Or do I simply have to invade more people?

Again, at the start of DS1, the goals were to go ring the bells. Obviously getting to those bells involved boss fights, but it was a good diversion. All I'm saying is they could have added a mechanic like that in DS2 as well to break up the endless string of boss fights.

 

[Surf Solar]

Just used all 18 of my cracked red eye orbs, blood has been spilled and certainly not mine.



Lost 3 times out of all the uses, pretty good I think. Which area do you guys like to invade? Imo the first area/bonfire in ironkeep makes for a nice "arena", been doing it there all the time. It's ridicolous how easy it is to stagger people with the shield break forward+r1 attack.. It's up to the point where I fear people using a two handed weapon more than just another guy hiding behind a shield. There was one particular guy using an enchanted whip and all kinds of items etc. - that was easily the best fight I had so far, very very fun. Got some mail from him congratulating me for the victory and that he had fun too. I feel flattered! Had some hard time against a guy using a halberd, that thing is really strong. Gotta learn how to parry.

Also, I have like 49k souls unspent on my character and I fear to level up. Why? Because I think that my soul memory will be too high and I wont be able to connect to other worlds. :/ FFS I still havent killed all 4 great souls, spent all my time with multiplayer. :D

 

[praetor]

actually Mytha has quite a lot of lore, she is kind of fun to fight boss ( if you dont summon Jester to rape her with pyro) and enemies in earthen peak were lore wise rather well-suited.

they are? what are grave wardens and desert sorceresses doing in giant a mill near a (ore?) mining valley? manikins make a lot of sense, but the others... oh, and btw first playthrough of Earthen peak is nowhere near the gruesomeness of the first few times through Sen's (but overall i'd say DaS2 is slightly more difficult than DaS1, but also has more bullshit in it... i lost count of the times my attack went through an enemy/boss and did no damage or when a shitty hitbox hit me when it shouldn't. happened in the other 2 as well, but nowhere near the frequency in DaS2)

the point was to take elevator up and get to the lake of lava well maybe earthen peak/harvest valley was at the bottom of mountain and iron keep was at the top of it before it sunk into volcano?

yup... level design is pretty awesome, but the world design is utter shit

oh, man.. some armours are so beautiful.. farming the Predator Samurai is annoying.. but dat armour! where can i farm Twniklies?

funny how both DaS games have PvP mechanics "revolve" around one of the 2 bullshit PvP mechanics in DeS: DaS1 was all about da backstab, DaS2 is all about da stunlock. which is more retarded and why? when will From learn how to balance stuff?

Flame Swathe is pretty lulzy (in a bad way). while farming the predator in Belfry Sol i got invaded a couple of times and some people hid behind pillars when they saw i had the pyro flame out. cast flame swathe on pillar, boom, OHKO. and that's with a +4 pyro flame and 7/5 Int/Fth

 

[MasPingon]

So this game looks like shit also on PC?

 

[DragoFireheart]

PSA: GAME BREAKING GLITCH

http://support.namcobandaigames.com...i---drangleic-castle-doors-wont-open-ps3xb360

Dark Souls II - Drangleic Castle doors won't open (PS3/XB360)?
Posted by chaos @NBGA on 19 March 2014 04:47 PM

We are aware of an issue that prevents a player from continuing through the game when reaching the Drangleic Castle doors. This issue has been escalated to the development team and they are currently working on a way to fix this issue for players that may have come across this. At this time we have not been provided with an estimated time for when this update/patch will be available, but it should be soon.

We have not been able to pinpoint exactly what may be causing this issue, but it appears to happen when the player dies during the autosave process or quits soon after the gates have been opened.

TO AVOID THIS ISSUE:

One thing we have found that helps in avoiding this issue is if the player makes sure to kill the royal guard on the left side after defeating the primal soldiers (elephants) and activating the golem on the left side first. After this, the reinforcement soldiers will appear and the player will be able to defeat an enemy near the right golem to activate it and progress past this point.

Again we apologize for any inconvenience that players, who have come across this issue, may have experienced due to this.

NAMCO BANDAI Games America Support Staff

Fuck you From. Fix this glitch. There are no excuses for this fucking shit!

 

[Tribal Sarah]

The game doesn't look like shit though. It's not the bestest looking game ever, but it's no worse than DS. I'm pretty sure the pc version will get all kinds of mods anyway

 

[Surf Solar]

No One Else wants to share their pvp shenangians? really would like to read that stuff

 

[DragoFireheart]

No One Else wants to share their pvp shenangians? really would like to read that stuff

I gank people as a bell clanger. I spam Dark Magic and then spin at them with my Roaring Halberd boosted with Dark Weapon.

Sometimes they pull ladder shenanigans and wait for me at the top. I just chill until another bell bro comes by. :D

 

[meanwhileInPoland]

they are? what are grave wardens and desert sorceresses doing in giant a mill near a (ore?) mining valley? manikins make a lot of sense, but the others... oh, and btw first playthrough of Earthen peak is nowhere near the gruesomeness of the first few times through Sen's

well grave wardens also cover up their faces like all males in this area. i am guessing the desert bitches might be acolytes of Mytha?

i lost count of the times my attack went through an enemy/boss and did no damage

never happended to me or maybe i spam hexes like a madman and just did not notice this

when a shitty hitbox hit me when it shouldn't

happens all the fucking time maybe i should invest in ADP?

oh, man.. some armours are so beautiful.. farming the Predator Samurai is annoying.. but dat armour! where can i farm Twniklies?

i heard about that one but have seen only helm. was so cool. well its time to man up and farm belfry areas

you can get infinite twinklies from last bonfire in forest of fallen giants- the one you need kings ring? there are two twinklies behind those doors and no enemies so just take chunks and use bonfire ascetic on the bonfire( and you get 1 ascetic from every trip you make to memories of jeihgo)

Flame Swathe is pretty lulzy (in a bad way). while farming the predator in Belfry Sol i got invaded a couple of times and some people hid behind pillars when they saw i had the pyro flame out. cast flame swathe on pillar, boom, OHKO. and that's with a +4 pyro flame and 7/5 Int/Fth

fucking midgetfuckers. if you are in belfry arena in iron keep and they spawn at the top of the roofs they usuallu put lingering flame at the end of ladder. have fun getting to them

No One Else wants to share their pvp shenangians?

really would like to read that stuff

->invade the world of sinner
->spawn in front of host
->time to skull fuck him with GRS/Soul Greatsword
->nope.jpg
->two sunbros waiting for you behind your back
->backstab/stunlock to death


and thats why boys you always starts your hexes shenangians with Scraps of life followed with Fire storm

 

[Tribal Sarah]

Got invaded, invader ran away and hid. snuck up behind 5 mins later and backstabbed me while i was fighting a mob. gg. another one invaded with homing crystal soul mass, spamming soul arrows, i dodged them all, and cut him down. got a message. "claymores are for newbs. get gud you cheep bitch." replied with, "."

 

[meanwhileInPoland]

got a message. "claymores are for newbs. get gud you cheep bitch."

 

[praetor]

well grave wardens also cover up their faces like all males in this area. i am guessing the desert bitches might be acolytes of Mytha?

that's what i was getting at. the "lore reasons" for them being there are tenuous at best, they're not as "lore fitting" as you initially claimed. as i said in the DaS1 thread, DaS2 feels a lot like a less congruous pastiche. the parts are pretty damn awesome, but there's no "soul" to glue them together (still, mechanically probably the best Souls game to date, by quite a bit)

happens all the fucking time maybe i should invest in ADP?

in most (if not all) of the cases when i got hit when i shouldn't have, ADP would have done jack shit. i.e. getting hit when it shouldn't even have registered as a whiff, or, and that's still my favourite, trying to circle-backstab the spear dudes under the Cardinal tower BF when they do the "flurry attack" and i get hit even though i'm behind them on their shield side!

i heard about that one but have seen only helm. was so cool.

even if it was the shittiest game ever, i'd love it to bits just because of dat armour but i still cannot forgive them for the retarded emerald bitch and warp everywhere all the time and way too many wonky hitboxes

you can get infinite twinklies from last bonfire in forest of fallen giants- the one you need kings ring? there are two twinklies behind those doors and no enemies so just take chunks and use bonfire ascetic on the bonfire( and you get 1 ascetic from every trip you make to memories of jeihgo)

i was more thinking along the lines of farming enemies that drop it... much more fun

fucking midgetfuckers. if you are in belfry arena in iron keep and they spawn at the top of the roofs they usuallu put lingering flame at the end of ladder. have fun getting to them

good idea. definitely doing that to farm some chunks after i get the full predator set+katana and i upgrade my pyro flame a bit

 

[Surf Solar]

I have put down my red sign next to the Bell covenant, Run around inside so people invade me and also I invade others as a bellbr nonstop Action :Do

 

[Surf Solar]

Ah and I wish you could somehow Check how many people you have killed in the Bell covenant. Need hundred for the armor I think. Judging by the chunks I have and have used, its around 70 people already :D If anyone is interested, Name is 'Treesnogger", Soul Level 103

 

[DragoFireheart]

good idea. definitely doing that to farm some chunks after i get the full predator set+katana and i upgrade my pyro flame a bit

I knew there was a purpose for the flame-mines. Thanks bros!

Gonna be bell clanging those tonight!

 

[DragoFireheart]

Ah and I wish you could somehow Check how many people you have killed in the Bell covenant. Need hundred for the armor I think. Judging by the chunks I have and have used, its around 70 people already :D If anyone is interested, Name is 'Treesnogger", Soul Level 103

DerpBox or PlaywithmyStick 3?

 

[meanwhileInPoland]

good idea. definitely doing that to farm some chunks after i get the full predator set+katana and i upgrade my pyro flame a bit

I knew there was a purpose for the flame-mines. Thanks bros!

Gonna be bell clanging those tonight!

 

[Kanedias]

well grave wardens also cover up their faces like all males in this area. i am guessing the desert bitches might be acolytes of Mytha?

that's what i was getting at. the "lore reasons" for them being there are tenuous at best, they're not as "lore fitting" as you initially claimed. as i said in the DaS1 thread, DaS2 feels a lot like a less congruous pastiche. the parts are pretty damn awesome, but there's no "soul" to glue them together (still, mechanically probably the best Souls game to date, by quite a bit)

The desert sorceresses are said to act as some sort of handmaidens to Mytha, and they use seduction to lure people into Harvest Valley. It's in one of the armor sets, I believe. I don't know what's the deal with the Grave Keepers, but the game does raise the question of why they're so far away from the Undead Crypt. I'm sure there must be an answer than I didn't figure it out yet. My main problem with the area is what the hell is the Iron Keep doing there. Earthen Peak is clearly a windmill/fortress structure, you reach the top and take an elevator to a lava land. I noticed that other areas connect in a weird manner that doesn't respect the geography of Drangleic, but this one was too much.

By the way, you farm Twinkling Titanite from Shrine of Amana. Humanoid enemies there drop it, while the water monsters drop Human Effigies (so it may be worth to kill them along the way, too)

 

[DragoFireheart]

I noticed that other areas connect in a weird manner that doesn't respect the geography of Drangleic, but this one was too much.

Volcano?

 

[Surf Solar]

Xcocks threeshitty

 

[Kanedias]

I noticed that other areas connect in a weird manner that doesn't respect the geography of Drangleic, but this one was too much.

Volcano?

Directly above Earthen Peak? Did I miss it?

---

Anyways, apparently wearing the Slumbering Dragoncrest Ring prevents the invasion message from appearing whenever you invade someone

 

[praetor]

Anyways, apparently wearing the Slumbering Dragoncrest Ring prevents the invasion message from appearing whenever you invade someone

oh, man.. Ratbros here i come! so many awesome ways to troll players in this game. can't wait to finish my Predator :D

I noticed that other areas connect in a weird manner that doesn't respect the geography of Drangleic, but this one was too much.

like i said, great area design, shitty world design

By the way, you farm Twinkling Titanite from Shrine of Amana. Humanoid enemies there drop it, while the water monsters drop Human Effigies (so it may be worth to kill them along the way, too)

thanks! (but i haven't even rung the 4 bells lit the 4 primal bonfires yet so it'll take a while )

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

I think it should be mentioned that geography doesn't make much sense in Lordran either. Ie, the shortcuts from Blighttown and Darkroot Basin to Valley of Drakes. Either Lordran is filled with plateaus and giant vertical mountains, or they just put the shortcuts wherever they pleased.

Though on the subject of levels, while my memory might be incorrect, the areas do seem bigger in Dark Soul 2.