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[Chris R]

Oh and rolling in the water made all the difference. Killed the boss easily. Rest of the area wasn't that hard either.

Now to finish the spider zone or to start working on the dark underground area...

 

[Unai]

- Starts New Game+ for the fist time;
- Oh neat, is that a new NPC here in the starting area?
- Gets killed;

Yep, this is Dark Souls alright.

 

[MoonsaultSlayer]

Started dark diving at Drangleic castle... I don't think seeing that cool looking boss myself is worth this trouble.

Not sure if it's because I'm mainly a melee build but I don't like these heavily armored bros who hit hard in these narrow areas with death pits.

 

[brandonh83]

Anyone feel like playing some on NG+, basically just need to get a few spells from Straid, beat Freja again for her soul to trade to Straid, hit up Wellager in ++ for the last few spells I need for the Platinum? Just wanting to go through the bare minimum path to achieve this and get it over with lol. So far on +1 I'm at Sinner's.

Playing on PS4, PSN ID is retrobrando

 

[Chris R]

Oh and rolling in the water made all the difference. Killed the boss easily. Rest of the area wasn't that hard either.

Now to finish the spider zone or to start working on the dark underground area...

Well, neither zone was really that challenging... I guess I'm getting back into the swing of things after not playing the game for so long.

Now to tackle the back half of the game

 

[lupinko]

I've been playing this on again off again along with some other games (DMC4SE and SRIVRE). But since I just recently beat SRIV (I like the game enough to try and platinum it though, have 71% of the main game's trophies), I want to at least beat either of these with one playthrough before going back to it to just muck around.

I think my character is level 70 ish and I'm just at the Wharf. I beat the dragon dude and the dragon at the tower by cheesing them with arrows. I've played 42 hours in total.

I'm no Soulsborne expert and even though I did try DS1 first on pc (it didn't run that well maybe because of my settings), DS2 on PS4 is my first actual playthrough of these series.

And I enjoy it a lot to have also bought Bloodborne which I haven't started yet.

Unfortunately 60fps did spoil me though. :/

 

[Ether_Snake]

Anyone always playing as a hollow? I just don't want to use my burning effigies, knowing I'll die stupidly soon after anyway.

 

[data]

Did I outlevel everyone at SL50? I can't find anyone to summon, I've got the cross region option on and I'm human. (I'm at the area with the spiders) I usually get summoned when I put my sign down but can't find anyone to summon for the life of me, also I'm on PC.

 

[Milijango]

Did I outlevel everyone at SL50? I can't find anyone to summon, I've got the cross region option on and I'm human. (I'm at the area with the spiders) I usually get summoned when I put my sign down but can't find anyone to summon for the life of me, also I'm on PC.

Most online play in Dark Souls 2 ignores your soul level entirely and is based upon your soul memory, which is the number of souls you have collected in your entire playthrough (including those you have spent, lost, or are currently holding). It's possible that you've been earning so many souls from coop that your soul memory is too high for you to play with the average player in that area.

What's more likely is that not many people are offering help in the area. Steamcharts shows that player activity is basically back to normal even though we're technically still in an event.

 

[Hamster Plugin]

Did they change the aggro range on enemies? I don't remember Iron Keep being such cheap bullshit in original Dark Souls 2. I keep aggroing random knights somewhere on the other side of the map for some reason.

 

[FataIChoice]

Just beat the dragon in the Sunkern City and moved over to the Brume Tower dlc. Was really happy with how I was going and messaged my friend who then said I fucked up by destroying the ash shard thing at the beginning? He told me I need to skip one or something so I can destroy them at the boss.
Is there a specific one to skip that isn't the first one or did I fuck up?

 

[StoppedInTracks]

Just beat the dragon in the Sunkern City and moved over to the Brume Tower dlc. Was really happy with how I was going and messaged my friend who then said I fucked up by destroying the ash shard thing at the beginning? He told me I need to skip one or something so I can destroy them at the boss.
Is there a specific one to skip that isn't the first one or did I fuck up?

IIRC there are enough stakes to destroy all statues before the boss fight. You just have to search every nook & cranny in the whole level.

 

[Mistel]

IIRC there are enough stakes to destroy all statues before the boss fight. You just have to search every nook & cranny in the whole level.

That's incorrect there's 11 ashen idols and 10 smelter wedges before the boss fight.

Just beat the dragon in the Sunkern City and moved over to the Brume Tower dlc. Was really happy with how I was going and messaged my friend who then said I fucked up by destroying the ash shard thing at the beginning? He told me I need to skip one or something so I can destroy them at the boss.
Is there a specific one to skip that isn't the first one or did I fuck up?

No you can skip any of the ones you'd like to really but there's one hidden away that you probably won't find higher up the tower that's good to skip.

 

[FataIChoice]

Thanks for the input, I may just not search excessively in that case or maybe just skip the next one I see just in case.

 

[FataIChoice]

I made it to the bottom of Brume Tower yesterday. Died a few times to the Brume Knight and left it at that. And as people said, I did end up having enough wedges for the ones near the boss.

Came back tonight, beat him on my second time and realised he was called the Fume Knight.

Except for one death where I felt he recovered from his slam attack unusually fast, I really enjoyed the fight against him. The switch-up to the fire sword really took me by surprise and I had some difficulty dodging his sweeping fire, seemed to track me insanely as he wound up. I Was on my toes for the whole fight and I loved it.

The level hasn't been as good as the Sunken City, but the Fume Knight was a tougher and more fun fight than the Dragon.

I've just got a few more spots to search in Brume Tower and probably a boss before I move onto the Shrine of Winter DLC.

 

[BossDarkseid]

Sooo apparently hexes are kinda OP in ds2?

I got SotFS for 9.99 and wanted to try a hex/caster build, but not sure what to go for. Any particular build online, or something that's recommended?

 

[cyber_ninja]

Made my way to the Dragon Aerie today and it looks like a pretty cool looking area. Any idea how far Am I from the end of the game?

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Sooo apparently hexes are kinda OP in ds2?

I got SotFS for 9.99 and wanted to try a hex/caster build, but not sure what to go for. Any particular build online, or something that's recommended?

Usually go for at least 30 int/30 faith, and high attunement since hexes often require 2 slots. Dark orb, Resonant Soul are primary ammo. Dark Hail is very strong at point blank (like a shotgun blast haha). You can get the sunset staff early on, too.

Made my way to the Dragon Aerie today and it looks like a pretty cool looking area. Any idea how far Am I from the end of the game?

Pretty far. Depends on if you did the DLCs yet or not and some optional areas. But for the base game itself, you have less than 10% left.

 

[cyber_ninja]

Pretty far. Depends on if you did the DLCs yet or not and some optional areas. But for the base game itself, you have less than 10% left.

Awesome, thanks. I haven't touched the DLC yet. I think I will make a copy of a game save right before the end of the game, then beat the game and move on, but will get back to dlc later on by reloading that back up save. There are too many other games I want to play right now and I got so little time.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Awesome, thanks. I haven't touched the DLC yet. I think I will make a copy of a game save right before the end of the game, then beat the game and move on, but will get back to dlc later on by reloading that back up save. There are too many other games I want to play right now and I got so little time.

No need for backups, beating the game doesn't take you into NG+ automatically, youstart it manually at the Majula bonfire after the credits roll. So you can do the DLC at any time even after the credits.

 

[cyber_ninja]

No need for backups, beating the game doesn't take you into NG+ automatically, youstart it manually at the Majula bonfire after the credits roll. So you can do the DLC at any time even after the credits.

That's great to hear. Thank you very much.

 

[Jimnymebob]

What do I need to survive the drop into the Gutter?
I obviously need the Cat Ring, but what stats do I need?
I started as a deprived, so everything is currently at 6 except for strength which is at 19, Dex which is at 12, and adaptability which is at 32.

 

[neoism]

This game is currently $12 on ps4, is it worth that if me and my wife playthrough it together? We both played through DS3 and BB and loved them both but I know there were some hesitations with this entry.

nevermind

 

[Morrigan Stark]

What do I need to survive the drop into the Gutter?
I obviously need the Cat Ring, but what stats do I need?
I started as a deprived, so everything is currently at 6 except for strength which is at 19, Dex which is at 12, and adaptability which is at 32.

Cat ring and full health isn't enough? Weird, it should I think... Try stripping all armour too just in case?

 

[Jimnymebob]

Cat ring and full health isn't enough? Weird, it should I think... Try stripping all armour too just in case?

I hadn't tried it; I just wanted to make sure before I wasted an effigy.
I tried it before and got it on my 2nd try. I barely survived the first drop though, even naked and with the Cat Ring at full HP.

 

[Jombie]

DS2 is still the funnest game in the series for me.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

DS2 is still the funnest game in the series for me.

I love them all but I hear you. It's an amazing game.

 

[Arkanius]

I love them all but I hear you. It's an amazing game.

It's my favorite.
The only Dark Souls that I WANTED to replay.

However I know that I'm mad as fuck for that.

 

[Mistel]

What do I need to survive the drop into the Gutter?
I obviously need the Cat Ring, but what stats do I need?
I started as a deprived, so everything is currently at 6 except for strength which is at 19, Dex which is at 12, and adaptability which is at 32.

Health that low you'd need to heal after every drop or just chuck on the regen ring + life ring + blue seal + cat ring that'll give you ~ 900 health and you'd live to the gutter having 8% more health an +2hp per second.

 

[6for8]

What do I need to survive the drop into the Gutter?
I obviously need the Cat Ring, but what stats do I need?
I started as a deprived, so everything is currently at 6 except for strength which is at 19, Dex which is at 12, and adaptability which is at 32.

If you have jester's tights, they will help. With the cat ring and wearing the tights I can make it with 5 vigor. You don't need the 14 dex for the tights.

If no tights, what Mistel wrote.

 

[KarneeKarnay]

Replaying the series. Almost completed the DS1 DLC and then after that I'm off to Lord Gwyn.

My build for DS1 was 40 Str& Dex, the rest going into health and endurance. I used a +15 longsword and grass crest sheild.

Now I'm building up to the DS2 and I'm not sure on a build. I don't want to do a longsword run again. Any suggestions on weapons? I've heard spears are pretty good. I just wish that DS series has a staff weapon that wasn't a wand. I've got a hankering for some sort of bad ass monk.

 

[Ferr986]

Replaying the series. Almost completed the DS1 DLC and then after that I'm off to Lord Gwyn.

My build for DS1 was 40 Str& Dex, the rest going into health and endurance. I used a +15 longsword and grass crest sheild.

Now I'm building up to the DS2 and I'm not sure on a build. I don't want to do a longsword run again. Any suggestions on weapons? I've heard spears are pretty good. I just wish that DS series has a staff weapon that wasn't a wand. I've got a hankering for some sort of bad ass monk.

The closer to a badass monk would be twinblades IMO.

Stone Twinblade for STR players od Dragonrider Twinblade for DEX/INT are your best bets (there's also the Red one that hits like a truck but feels too slow to me)..

You can also go all Bruce Lee with the Bone fist

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USAU3vQ5Nd0

It's a DLC weapon though.

 

[KarneeKarnay]

The closer to a badass monk would be twinblades IMO.

Stone Twinblade for STR players od Dragonrider Twinblade for DEX/INT are your best bets (there's also the Red one that hits like a truck but feels too slow to me)..

You can also go all Bruce Lee with the Bone fist

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USAU3vQ5Nd0

It's a DLC weapon though.

Truth be told my first run through of the game was with caestus. It was crazy good up until the DLC when most enemies had high enough poise to ignore my combos. Never tried the bone fist though...hmmm.

How good is the Stone Twinblade for PVE? What's my max dmg looking like?

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Red Iron Twinblade is an absolute monster, especially on a str build (but it was solid with lightning infusion on a faith build as well, plus it can be buffed with Lightning Blade on top of that IIRC).

Never really tried the other twinblades, but the Red Iron one wasn't called the Red Iron Winblade for nothing as for high poise enemies, the stone ring helps a lot. Even the horses in the Frigid Outskirts couldn't do shit!

 

[Ferr986]

Truth be told my first run through of the game was with caestus. It was crazy good up until the DLC when most enemies had high enough poise to ignore my combos. Never tried the bone fist though...hmmm.

How good is the Stone Twinblade for PVE? What's my max dmg looking like?

I didn't try it much but I did read it is good, same as Red Twinblade (diferent moveset though).

I do have a DEX/INT Dragonrider Twinblade character and it is amazing. Damage is really good especially Magic infused and then buffed with Crystal Weapon it's a beast, and it also staggers enemies a lot.

Mind you Twinblades are basically 2handed only, 1handed moveset sucks.

 

[KarneeKarnay]

A little off topic while I check out those suggestions. Having played all three DS games and replaying DS1 recently...

Which has has the best level design?

DS1 has the best early game design, but some of the places after Anor Londo definatley feel less inspired, but still visually great.

DS2 is pretty consistent with its level design, but there are only few places I would say are all that memorial.

DS3 has the best pacing and consistency challenge wise. It always feels like you are building up to something. However it has one crucial criticism in my mind. It feels like one long hallway. There are some optional areas, but the whole game feels like you are just walking towards something. Great for pacing, but not great for exploration. Like the moment you clear one zone, why back track and appreciate the area, when there is nothing to do.

For me DS2 has the best lvl design. There wasn't really a point when I thought I was way ahead or really far behind until the end.

I'm probably not being fair to the others, DS2 was the first one I went through all the way with.

 

[Ferr986]

IMO DS1 had the best overall level design, in the sense that a lot of areas are interconnected beautifully. Design in standalone areas can be hit or miss though

DS3 had the best level design in standalone areas, for example Cathedral of the Deep, but it's also the worst when it comes out to the overall map design, being the most linear of the bunch.

DS2 is the worst if we talk about standalone areas, they can be pretty straightforward, but the overall map is split really early giving you a lot of freedom on how to approach the game with each new character. DLC areas though are among the best in the series.

Overall I liked the DS1 approach the most.

 

[Jombie]

DS3 probably has the most consistently well-designed zones. They're not all memorable, but I don't care for any of the lord soul areas in 1. I replayed recently and kind of feel the game is over for me after Anor Londo.

Level design is fine in DS2, it's just that many of the locations in the vanilla package are visually unappealing. Notable exceptions include Dragon Aerie and Shrine of Amana (which I've always loved, even pre-nerf)The DLC zones are fantastic, though.

If overall movement were sped up a bit and had DS3 rolling, it would be my favorite in the series.

 

[FataIChoice]

Done!
Beat the game and all bosses. Ended up looking up a few things near the end to ensure I didn't miss any bosses. Turned out I missed two of the giant memories, king (didn't realise you could fight him) and also missed the iron passage and frigid outskirts. The latter was a pain in the ass but I actually liked the idea and most of the execution of it.

I kind of want to start another character because I feel this game had a lot more variety with magic than DS1 where I never had the desire to use magic and hexes seem really strong too from the little I dabbled on with a respec. But I have other games to play including DS3, so that may never happen or happen a lot later.

Favourite boss: Fume Knight - Felt pretty equal fighting him, I didn't feel underpowered nor overpowered. But I am sure it would have been awful had I not destroyed the witch statues.

Least favourite boss: Three Man Grave Robbing Gank Squad - Seriously, why was this even a boss? Not particularly difficult after you've scouted the area, just very uninspired.

Boss that killed me the most: Dark Lurker - Fuck that guy and how many times he killed me after his health was empty

 

[Cmerrill]

Does the game perform better on Xbox One S than the regular Xbox one?

I couldn't find any videos on it.

 

[Cmerrill]

I can't log in on Xbox One? Servers down?

 

[Imp the Dimp]

Any reason I can't crack this up past 1080p? I wanted to play this in 4k.

 

[KarneeKarnay]

Update from my playthrough. I'm about 15 hours in. I've just reached the Dragon Shrine.

I'm sporting two weapons for most of the playthrough. The craftsmans hammer and the twinblade. The craftsman hammer is easily one of the stronger hitting weapons in the game until you beat the mirror knight. With only two upgrades I killed every enemy within 2,3 heats. The move set is like an axe, so its pretty quick. Those three sentinels needed only 5 hits to take one down.

If it weren't for the fact that I could only carry one, it would easily be my set for the whole game. If I used a bombfire asthetic could I get two?

Any way, the twinblade is useless. It feels really weak, even with a lot of dex points. Its great for multiple weak enemies, but it is far outscaled by the Red Iron Twinblade. I've only had this weapon a little time, but it easily my end game weapon. Fully upgraded this weapon just wrecks. The fact that it staggers, makes it the best weapon I have currently. That said, would I use it boss fights...

For fights where you have to be on your toes, the craftsman hammer works better. It's more precise. For fights where I have to get right up in the enemies face and there are obvious blind spots, the twinblade works super well.

I'm rocking the Faram Armour Set, +1 stamina ring, +1 Dmg ring, +1 Giants ring & +2 life.

My stats are:

Vigor: 30,
Endur: 38,
Vital: 23,
Strg: 38,
Dex: 29:

Everything else 6. Starting class deprived.

The three area I hate the most in the whole game currently:

Earthen Peak - This area feels designed just to aggravate you. The manikin enemies are easily the most frustrating enemy in the game to me, due to the length of the combo and being unable to break it. The fact these guys cause bleed, makes this area go from normal to straight up frustrating.

Shrine of Amana - This one as we all know is a shit show. Its not as bad as it was originally (I played through that hell), but its the place speed runs go to die. You can do it if you take it slow, but this zone is so slow if you do that. The only good thing is that the boss fires are fairly close by and make running through not too awful.

One part of Aldias Manor: The ogres just before the boss fight. Little room to move around them, the potential to fight three all at the same time, the fact that an invader npc who hits like a truck can spawn in the middle of all that... This is more of a rant on the ogres than anything. That grab in that close a space if very difficult to doge and it feels so cheap. You don't get a second chance. They just kill you. That area seems needlessly tough. Especially since you can just run through the next two without too much issue.

Great game in general but some of the boss fights are a joke. Looking forward to the DLC.

One question about the weapons. Would a duel mace build be better than a duel craftsman hammer build?

Also yet again the thing I find the most disappointing about DS3, the missing power stance. That feels so good in this game and so lacking from the others.

 

[Jombie]

Would a duel mace build be better than a duel craftsman hammer build?

Oh, yeah. Maces are overpowered as fuck.

 

[MilkBeard]

Once I finish the DS3 DLC, I will return to this game. I will inevitably be sad, having no more new Souls releases (at least for some time). I never actually finished Dark Souls 2, I got 60 hours in, and then went on to other things. I plan to fix that afterward.

It's been hard to readjust to the movement and control of DS2, but once I am completely finished with 3 I can hone in on 2 again.

As for the talk about the above, DS1 has the best overall level design, as I am a huge fan of interlocking areas. I would say DS2 is pretty average as far as Souls goes; some areas are great, but I'm not a big fan of how most of the paths are straight paths with a dead end at the end, of course with some exceptions.

DS3, as others have said, has the best individual areas, and would be the best if it was more interconnected like DS1.

So I guess it it a toss up with what you like. All have their ups and downs. I consider DS1 and 3 to be a bit better than 2 in terms of level design.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Update from my playthrough. I'm about 15 hours in. I've just reached the Dragon Shrine.

Wuuuuuuut

Shrine of Amana - This one as we all know is a shit show. Its not as bad as it was originally (I played through that hell)

Ahhhh ok you've played it before. I was gonna say... How, lol.

 

[KarneeKarnay]

When should I tackle the DLC? I've just gotten all but one of the giant souls.

Should I attack the Ancient Dragon? Will all those dragon knights attack me if I do?

Will I screw up the DLC quest line if I kill the King?

 

[Jombie]

When should I tackle the DLC? I've just gotten all but one of the giant souls.

Should I attack the Ancient Dragon? Will all those dragon knights attack me if I do?

Will I screw up the DLC quest line if I kill the King?

Are you playing Scholar? If so, Ancient Dragon is a pain to run to unless you kill the drake knights every time - the black dragons will chase you if not.

I always tackle the dlc towards the end. You can kill Vendrick whenever and it's necessary to complete the dlc story.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

When should I tackle the DLC? I've just gotten all but one of the giant souls.

Should I attack the Ancient Dragon? Will all those dragon knights attack me if I do?

Will I screw up the DLC quest line if I kill the King?

If playing Scholar (which I assume you are since posting in this OT):
- The dragon knights won't attack you so long as you defeat the enemy that do attack you, and you must defeat them one-on-one (if you have summons they will aggro, if you run past the hostile enemy they will also attack, or so I heard)
Attacking the dragon won't make the knights hostile.

If not:
- The dragon knights are always hostile anyway, so feel free to attack them or run past them or whatever you like.

You can kill the king at any time and it won't impact the DLCs. However, make sure you DO kill him before tackling the final boss of the main game, or you'll miss out on the secret last boss. (Worst case scenario, you can always use a bonfire ascetic to revive the last boss, I guess - I had to do that once on one character, 'cause I forgot to kill Vendrick before going to the Throne of Want, oops)

You can do the DLCs at any time you feel ready, but it's the hardest content, so end-game is recommended. Before or after the final boss won't matter, since killing the last boss won't automatically take you to NG+ (you enter NG+ manually at the Majula bonfire).

 

[Mistel]

Oh, yeah. Maces are overpowered as fuck.

Anything strike is really.