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[grimmiq]

Has to be real NG+++, right? Can't just ascetic the merchant locations?

Noup, FROM wants you to play the game be sure to grind the Sunbros covenant while you are at it for the miracles achievement.

I may just start from scratch then as I got a bit A.D.D. towards the end with armour and weapons and ascetic'd the hell out of Giant Lord and Dragon's Aerie for upgrade materials and souls. So my Soul Memory is around 4.5mil...And with my lag I may aswell try to get to the Sunbro covenant early while the bosses are less likely to 1shot me for not seeing a telegraph.

 

[Orochinagis]

Has to be real NG+++, right? Can't just ascetic the merchant locations?

Noup, FROM wants you to play the game be sure to grind the Sunbros covenant while you are at it for the miracles achievement.

 

[Red Liquorice]

Did the No Man's Wharf. Wasted a Pharros' Lockstone lighting up the place even though I was perfectly fine using a torch but not a big deal. Ghost ship just took me back to Lost Bastille and not sure where to go next.

The other paths from Majula.

Have you met Licia again after seeing her above the Dragonrider boss room? Now's the time to find her again.

 

[grimmiq]

Damn you get summoned fast at Ruin Sentinels..

 

[Tommy DJ]

How do people get to the King's Gate bonfire without knowing how to lure enemies out one by one? I get summoned to help them out and they end up attracting two or more rune guardians.

 

[Jimmyfenix]

Uh oh I got the black gulch to new game + 7 i guess i need to defeat the rotten to access the DLC then ? :O

 

[Sami+]

So I tried infusing my Claymores yesterday. One with bleed and one with poison. Unfortunately my damage output after that was shit, so I immediately ran back and uninfused them lol. Glad they let you do that now.

 

[Renekton]

So I tried infusing my Claymores yesterday. One with bleed and one with poison. Unfortunately my damage output after that was shit, so I immediately ran back and uninfused them lol. Glad they let you do that now.

LOL I don't think claymores swing fast enough to build bleed/poison stacks

(if it scales inversely to swing speed then please ignore me)

 

[stupei]

I was away from the game for a very long time, but I think I've fallen back into the hole again and am pretty close to beating it for the first time. Even if it's not as good as DS1, the game still can get its hooks into you.

Does anyone know if that occasional bug where a respec could sometimes change your character appearance (and even gender) ever actually get fixed, or is it just really rare so people don't talk about it?

Was thinking of doing a bit of a respec on NG+, but really dig my main's overall look and don't want to lose it.

 

[Mistel]

So I tried infusing my Claymores yesterday. One with bleed and one with poison. Unfortunately my damage output after that was shit, so I immediately ran back and uninfused them lol. Glad they let you do that now.

You could do that in the first dark souls as well.

LOL I don't think claymores swing fast enough to build bleed/poison stacks

You can do it but it's a bit slow but if you can keep the attacks up for it you are fine.

 

[Xeroblade]

Uh oh I got the black gulch to new game + 7 i guess i need to defeat the rotten to access the DLC then ? :O

dont worry after 7 times it should be a cake walk for you.

 

[Jimmyfenix]

dont worry after 7 times it should be a cake walk for you.

Oh i hope so but i haven't touched Dark souls 2 since may!

 

[il Diavolo]

After the bastille you can go to the shaded woods via majula using the unpretified branch or hunstman via majula too talking to lycia

The other paths from Majula.

Have you met Licia again after seeing her above the Dragonrider boss room? Now's the time to find her again.

Found Lycia and did the Huntsman. Was going nuts trying to find her in Majula but when I did I felt like an idiot :lol

 

[Booties]

Found Lycia and did the Huntsman. Was going nuts trying to find her in Majula but when I did I felt like an idiot :lol

It's one of two really hard places to find I think. Expecting an NPC to move to a locked door in the middle of nowhere is not a logical thought process. Especially with fast travel. Makes the game confusing as hell.

 

[il Diavolo]

It's one of two really hard places to find I think. Expecting an NPC to move to a locked door in the middle of nowhere is not a logical thought process. Especially with fast travel. Makes the game confusing as hell.

Seriously, I scoured the place, even ending up back in Thing's Betwixt, before I even thought of checking there.

 

[Red Liquorice]

It's one of two really hard places to find I think. Expecting an NPC to move to a locked door in the middle of nowhere is not a logical thought process. Especially with fast travel. Makes the game confusing as hell.

It's in the central hub of the game, not really middle of nowhere. Dark Souls is the kind of game you make a mental (or real) note of things you pass but can't access yet. First playthrough - On the way to Heides I saw the gated entrance to another way to go, the glaring interactive item in the middle of the room telling me I couldn't move the rotunda and made a note and came back there shortly after. I didn't expect to see Licia there no, but realised it was a way to go and needed to come back.

I am the kind of dork that makes a list of these things though as I go along so I never miss anything!

 

[Seanspeed]

This game gets some flak, but it definitely has some of the most beautiful areas of any of the Souls games easily.

I'd post a screenshot or two, but I kinda don't want to spoil it for others.

 

[Nordicus]

After 40 hours, I finally got invaded by a player red phantom!

Unlike Dark Souls 1, I could finally time my dodges according to precisely what I saw rather than an estimation of when an attack was going to hit me. He kept using this sweeping magic sword spell whose name I don't know yet, and it got me twice, once due to surprise and 2nd time due to my trying to drink an estus, but the 3rd time I completely dodged under it and then was whacking at his already toxified face with my battle axe.

There is a chance I might actually come to enjoy PvP in this one.

 

[Danny 117]

Had a cool encounter in Belfry Luna.

I invaded as a grey spirit and started dueling with the host. About half way through our duel another grey spirit invades and stands and watches as we battle it out. THEN a dark spirit invaded.
It became a 2v2 grey spirits vs dark spirit/host match.
I'm surprised the dark spirit didn't turn on his prey but whatever, made for an epic battle!

 

[Booshka]

After 40 hours, I finally got invaded by a player red phantom!

Unlike Dark Souls 1, I could finally time my dodges according to precisely what I saw rather than an estimation of when an attack was going to hit me. He kept using this sweeping magic sword spell whose name I don't know yet, and it got me twice, once due to surprise and 2nd time due to my trying to drink an estus, but the 3rd time I completely dodged under it and then was whacking at his already toxified face with my battle axe.

There is a chance I might actually come to enjoy PvP in this one.

I suggest staying in New Game if you want to try and enjoy PvP in this game.

 

[Renekton]

This game gets some flak, but it definitely has some of the most beautiful areas of any of the Souls games easily.

I'd post a screenshot or two, but I kinda don't want to spoil it for others.

We should get more shots of Iron Keep or Tower of Flame in here, nowadays fans just spam screenshots of Shaded Woods and call it a PS2 game.

 

[il Diavolo]

Fighting the medusa boss and getting wrecked. There's gotta be a way to drain that poison pool.

 

[Orochinagis]

Fighting the medusa boss and getting wrecked. There's gotta be a way to drain that poison pool.

Use a torch to burn a windhall thing in the second bonfire, there is no real explanation of how figure out that to be honest

 

[il Diavolo]

Use a torch to burn a windhall thing in the second bonfire, there is no real explanation of how figure out that to be honest

Thanks! I love the ambiguity in these games but yeah I would have never figured that out without help.

 

[NBtoaster]

I think they expected people to put messages to burn the windmill. And there are usually several messages telling you 'try torch' there.

 

[KittenMaster]

The problem is that after you touch the bonfire (which you need to light the torch), the windmill is guarded by several enemies, and it's easy to go the other path which leads you further into towards your goal with less resistance.

 

[Manu]

Thanks! I love the ambiguity in these games but yeah I would have never figured that out without help.

I only figured it out because I summoned someone and they showed me.

 

[NBtoaster]

The problem is that after you touch the bonfire (which you need to light the torch), the windmill is guarded by several enemies, and it's easy to go the other path which leads you further into towards your goal with less resistance.

Lighting a bonfire or a torch doesn't respawn enemies. And ignoring a point of interest because enemies are guarding it isn't the kind of thinking that gets you through a souls game.

 

[Orochinagis]

I only figured it out because I summoned someone and they showed me.

When I am summoned in that area I give them the complete tour which consists of

-Dude burn this think!!! no? come on use your torch, there I will show you how, oh god dammit come here and burn it !!
-Mandatory check if they met Mcduff
-Mandatory come here duuuuuuude for the ilusory wall
-Dont touch the che.... oohhh - some tours ends here
-Unlocking the hidden bonfire and the illusory wall
-Meet the clown and free ring
-Boss thing let me tank it for you!

Lighting a bonfire or a torch doesn't respawn enemies. And ignoring a point of interest because enemies are guarding it isn't the kind of thinking that gets you through a souls game.

No, the wind thing itself doesnt have a action without the torch and the place is no dark enough to use a torch.

 

[KittenMaster]

Lighting a bonfire or a torch doesn't respawn enemies. And ignoring a point of interest because enemies are guarding it isn't the kind of thinking that gets you through a souls game.

This is assuming that the player had noticed the windmill can be lit before going to the bonfire which may not the case, especially when the game presents a fogwall behind the bonfire which usually draws focus.

The windmill isn't a point of interest until you are told it is, because for the most part it looks like a decorative prop in the background, so it's easy to not think to explore it closely to find out it is flammable, and if you rest at the bonfire, it becomes more difficult to get to where you can explore it.

No, the wind thing itself doesnt have a action without the torch

wow

 

[NBtoaster]

This is assuming that the player had noticed the windmill can be lit before going to the bonfire which may not the case, especially when the game presents a fogwall behind the bonfire which usually draws focus.

The windmill isn't a point of interest until you are told it is, because for the most part it looks like a decorative prop in the background, so it's easy to not think to explore it closely to find out it is flammable, and if you rest at the bonfire, it becomes more difficult to get to where you can explore it.

wow

Ideally there are a bunch of messages there indicating it's a point of interest.

 

[KittenMaster]

Ideally there are a bunch of messages there indicating it's a point of interest.

That just goes back to that you need to be told that it's a point of interest though. Otherwise it's very well hidden in an offline setting.

 

[NBtoaster]

That just goes back to that you need to be told that it's a point of interest though. Otherwise it's very well hidden in an offline setting.

Well getting online help has always been part of the series.

 

[Red Liquorice]

The path up to the windmill is enough to tell you something needs to be done.

 

[Orochinagis]

The path up to the windmill is enough to tell you something needs to be done.

I dunno, there is no clear indication about those windmills are transporting the poison or some contraption moving poison pots via windmill, you can see those small windmills before but just moving around and you can see some poison pots but reacts via levers..

 

[stupei]

I agree that there's enough going on contextually to make you at least curious about the windmill, but there should really be an "examine" prompt available even when you don't have a torch equipped, to reassure that you're on the right track.

Maybe the lack of one is a hold over from when the game seemed to be designed with a lot more of a focus on players carrying torches with them quite often, but it still feels like a huge oversight.

 

[B-Genius]

Anyone else wanna go down a weird rabbit hole with me?

Is it Mild Mannered Pate because in Shaun of the Dead he's Quick Tempered Pete?
and with Simon Pegg's accent, it often sounds like Pate and not Pete...

Wow. Not sure about the accent thing, but still. Mind blown.

Btw, what is the consensus in here about magic in DS2 - and the Souls series in general?

Personally, I find the DS2 system troubling because it weakens build importance. If you invest points/time into one type of magic, you might as well be good at all of them, which feels a bit lacklustre to me.

For example, it would be nice to have an exclusive Pyromancy build that was still viable. I.e. don't need to bother much with INT or FAI because I spent enough in Fire, and it compliments my choice of weapon/playstyle nicely. Instead, it seems to be a case of "pick a few good spells in each category (namely Sorcery and Hexes) and spam until opponent makes a mistake".

I often browse around seeing comments like it's too overpowered, or it doesn't compliment the melee nature of the games, etc. Magic users, what do you think?
(Comments about both PvE and PvP are welcome.)

 

[ambientmystic]

Btw, what is the consensus in here about magic in DS2 - and the Souls series in general?

Imo after around 4 consecutive playthroughs and going into the 5th when enemies have incredibly high HP, Magic (Lightning in particular) is still OP as fuck as compared to any melee build you can ever conceive of, in PVE that is.

Even after the latest round of nerfs, Lightning is still as super effective as ever against most, if not all bosses with the notable exception of fellows like the Looking Glass Knight. The LS/GLS remains a staple of any magic build for its efficiency per slot per stat point allocated (even more so now since previously OP hexes like the GRS have been nerfed to heck in the latest patches). There are also very few enemies resistant to it, e.g. the Lion Clan in the Shaded Woods and the Hulking Abominations living in the water around Sinner Rising and in the cage in Aldia's Keep.

So as others have already noted more astutely than I ever could, you want a brain dead PVE focused playthrough with zero challenge?

Go for Magic. Go for Lightning. Go for Gold.

 

[Wolff]

Man, PVP is all fun to me until 99% of the people i get matched with are lvl 500 versions of this guy because of soul memory.

Hope From fixes this somehow. In the arena specially it can get quite annoying.

 

[grimmiq]

On PC is anyone having issues with the Dualshock 4? I have the x360 thing installed so it plays perfectly with the DS4..but I have to disconnect and reconnect the controller every time I start the game or it doesn't register.

And now only 8 more medals for rank 3 sunbros! Glad I started a new character to go for the achievments, wasn't happy with my old character face so it all worked out.

 

[Mistel]

I dunno, there is no clear indication about those windmills are transporting the poison or some contraption moving poison pots via windmill, you can see those small windmills before but just moving around and you can see some poison pots but reacts via levers..

It is connected to all of those gears and axles within earthen peak that's probably the poison mechanism. Not that I can tell exactly how it works.

 

[Red Liquorice]

I dunno, there is no clear indication about those windmills are transporting the poison or some contraption moving poison pots via windmill, you can see those small windmills before but just moving around and you can see some poison pots but reacts via levers..

Yeah, I never followed all the inner workings (because I didn't expect it to make sense) - but watching Kay's playthrough you see she was trying to connect the dots and it just didn't work - sloppiness on From's part.

The biggest clue to me that you had to do something were the pouring statues outside the boss room, although I don't think you ever see them pouring, obviously they're there to show that the poison comes from somewhere, so surely it can be drained. The rest is just guesswork. In the end - A nice gimmick boss, poorly implimented.

Btw, what is the consensus in here about magic in DS2 - and the Souls series in general?

Personally, I find the DS2 system troubling because it weakens build importance. If you invest points/time into one type of magic, you might as well be good at all of them, which feels a bit lacklustre to me.

For example, it would be nice to have an exclusive Pyromancy build that was still viable. I.e. don't need to bother much with INT or FAI because I spent enough in Fire, and it compliments my choice of weapon/playstyle nicely. Instead, it seems to be a case of "pick a few good spells in each category (namely Sorcery and Hexes) and spam until opponent makes a mistake".

I often browse around seeing comments like it's too overpowered, or it doesn't compliment the melee nature of the games, etc. Magic users, what do you think?
(Comments about both PvE and PvP are welcome.)

PvP builds are completely negated by soul memory any way - you can make a build but your opponents can be wildly outside your DS1-style level range, so what's the point. Unless you're playing organised SL-build fight clubs, you might as well join the masses and level up to infinity.

Personally, I was never a fan of the way pyromancy was implimented in DS1 for the same reason - if you invested in a magic or faith build, you had to make sacrifices elsewhere, where as pyromancers didn't have to make any sacrifice stats-wise. In general, I like magic in the series, I always gravitate to INT builds, I had the most fun with them in DS1, and although I give them a go, I never stick too long with strength builds, the big smashy weapons don't really do it for me - give me a rapier or a shortsword any day

 

[grimmiq]

Would have made more sense to have the poison in the Royal Rat Authority fight..Lockstones outside caused statues to start pouring poison, would've been nice if Earthen Peak had something similar that affected the boss.

 

[Mistel]

Would have made more sense to have the poison in the Royal Rat Authority fight..Lockstones outside caused statues to start pouring poison, would've been nice if Earthen Peak had something similar that affected the boss.

The royal rat vanguard isn't really a boss fight more of throw lots of rats at you whilst tying a slightly bigger rat to the health bar. Poison wouldn't make that more enjoyable I think.

 

[grimmiq]

The royal rat vanguard isn't really a boss fight more of throw lots of rats at you whilst tying a slightly bigger rat to the health bar. Poison wouldn't make that more enjoyable I think.

I just meant that the use of the statues to start spewing poison would have been a better way to clear the poison out of the room than using the mechanic that appears once in the game and has no suggestion that this is what you need to do.

Considering how annoying the poison is, Lockstones would probably be too much, but something like statues of Mytha throughout the peak and you knock their heads off (Makes sense as she carries hers around) that starts leaking poison and draining the room.

3 medals to go..Too high for Sentinels now so sitting outside Smelter Demon, a lot less stupid deaths by hosts on this guy, which is nice.

 

[Red Liquorice]

Considering how annoying the poison is, Lockstones would probably be too much, but something like statues of Mytha throughout the peak and you knock their heads off (Makes sense as she carries hers around) that starts leaking poison and draining the room.

I like that idea - it does make sense. Not too dissimilar a mechanic to the curse clouds/blobs in the Nashandra fight.

 

[Cannon Goose]

Man, PVP is all fun to me until 99% of the people i get matched with are lvl 500 versions of this guy because of soul memory.

Hope From fixes this somehow. In the arena specially it can get quite annoying.

That gif cracked me up!

Spoiler

It also made me sad

I still reckon NG = Soul Memory and NG+ (and beyond) = Soul Level would be a great system for PVP matchmaking. Hopefully From adjusts the matching when the DLC is out.

 

[neoism]

Man I love this game! I had the funniest time last night on my NG+ play-through. I just got to The Iron Keep. lol I got invaded by the same guy 4 times. I have a question I had about pvp I had about 400K souls every time he killed me, the first three times. The last time I killed both bosses and finally killed him, with my +5 Raw Manslayer ;p. Does the other person always get all your souls if you kill him or just a few thousands.. lol if not I level that dude. Fucking LOVE The Iron Keep. <3
Shame pvp isnt for me really SM is retarded.. I'm 10mil SM and only level 220 The first play-through was hard for me lol I wasted a lot of souls on items.

 

[neoism]

Man I wish the DLC was all coming this month. I bet each one will only be about 2 hours max.. :**(

 

[Soulhouf]

Man, PVP is all fun to me until 99% of the people i get matched with are lvl 500 versions of this guy because of soul memory.

Hope From fixes this somehow. In the arena specially it can get quite annoying.

This gif is a perfect image of the situation.