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[Tarnpanzer]

There's never been a better time to revisit Dark Souls 2. The ambitious DS2 Lighting Engine mod on PC adds a suite of upgrades including volumetric fog, world shadows, and high grade ambient occlusion - plus Nvidia DLAA and AMD FSR support. Better still, the Lighting Engine allows others in the modding scene to implement their own changes to the game - with impressive results that would fit our expectations of an official remaster. Tom goes in-depth on the upgrades compared to the original game.

 

[TintoConCasera]

Looks neato.

Wonder if those lighting changes will make the torch mechanic more useful.

 

[Zug]

Nice ! Let's hope this fine lightning engine will be used or an actual good game someday.

 

[GrayChild]

Best Souls 2 becoming even better.

 

[Mr Hyde]

Does this work with Seeker of Fire installed? Playing it right now and it would be cool if both mods could work in tandem without fucking anything up.

 

[Antwix]

Best Souls 2 becoming even better.

I cringe when people say to skip 2. Clowns.

 

[U n i o n 0015]

I remember this game having a pretty big lighting downgrade compared to its reveal, I wonder if this brings it back towards the target?

 

[Holammer]

Modders setting a high bar for an official remastered version.

 

[RoboFu]

This is probably the one souls game that has no low part for me. Love every bit of it.

 

[Agent_4Seven]

Looks incredible! Looking forward to replaying both games when the final version of the mod will be out.

 

[Codes 208]

I cringe when people say to skip 2. Clowns.

For me its still easily the weakest of the official souls-like games. From its excessive gank fight bosses to its areas that are just, why? (Like black gulch to reindeer fuckland)

There are definitely some things its done better than the others sure, but again, I’d sooner play any other game under FROM’s repertoire.

 

[winjer]

That moment when modders, in their free time, do better remasters than most game companies.

 

[Needlecrash]

I just finished 2 this past weekend. The game felt like a chore to play. I'll say there are some great locales in the game for sure such as No Man's Wharf (Flexile Sentry boss fight was fun) and Shrine of Amana. But, I'm just burnt out from it & wasn't as enjoyable. Good to those who like the game though!

 

[Antwix]

For me its still easily the weakest of the official souls-like games. From its excessive gank fight bosses to its areas that are just, why? (Like black gulch to reindeer fuckland)

There are definitely some things its done better than the others sure, but again, I’d sooner play any other game under FROM’s repertoire.

Fair enough. But that's a shame cuz Dark souls 2 probably has the most unique and interesting new game+ cycles in the series.

 

[bender]

One can argue the classic status of DS2 but I'm not sure how "overlooked" is apropos.

 

[Gaiff]

Best Souls 2 becoming even better.

Always has to be this one guy.

 

[Arsic]

Always has to be this one guy.

Dark souls 2 is the best of the DS1-3 trilogy.

Now there’s two guys.

 

[Gaiff]

Dark souls 2 is the best of the DS1-3 trilogy.

Now there’s two guys.

You're incorrect, but I don't really care to argue with contrarians.

This mod is a prime example of what can be done when games get released on PC. Dumb fanboys were cackling when Bloodborne was a PS4 exclusive, but the same dumb fanboys today are crying because it's stuck on the PS4 at 30fps with bad frame pacing. Had it been released on PC, not only would the frame-rate be unlocked, but it could be further enhanced like with this mod.

 

[tommib]

Dark souls 2 is the best of the DS1-3 trilogy.

Now there’s two guys.

There’s actually 3 now. Not as good as demon’s souls but the best of the dark souls trilogy indeed. Incredibly fun game to replay.

 

[winjer]

I played Scholar of the First Sin a few months ago, and it was a massive turd.
But I also heard that the original DS2 is much better in several aspects, like enemy placement and quantity.
Haven't played that one, tough.

 

[Senua]

You're incorrect, but I don't really care to argue with contrarians.

This mod is a prime example of what can be done when games get released on PC. Dumb fanboys were cackling when Bloodborne was a PS4 exclusive, but the same dumb fanboys today are crying because it's stuck on the PS4 at 30fps with bad frame pacing. Had it been released on PC, not only would the frame-rate be unlocked, but it could be further enhanced like with this mod.

But those same dumb fanboys wouldn't play it on PC anyway, and if they don't get get to experience it they'd rather no one else would be able to as well

 

[Kings Field]

game is the worst of the souls series but better than 99% of the trash out there. It’s a great game just not the best of the souls trilogy.

 

[Fabieter]

Its my second most played dark souls game. Will give this a shot.

 

[hyperbertha]

Best Souls 2 becoming even better.

Yep. Dark souls 2 is the best souls 2 no doubt.

 

[hyperbertha]

For me its still easily the weakest of the official souls-like games. From its excessive gank fight bosses to its areas that are just, why? (Like black gulch to reindeer fuckland)

There are definitely some things its done better than the others sure, but again, I’d sooner play any other game under FROM’s repertoire.

It's incredibly rushed. The environment lighting seems incomplete. So many areas lack depth and shadows. Many encounters feel unbalanced. Boss designs feel 2nd tier.

 

[Gaiff]

It's incredibly rushed. The environment lighting seems incomplete. So many areas lack depth and shadows. Many encounters feel unbalanced. Boss designs feel 2nd tier.

Four minutes runback to one of the toughest and most frustrating bosses in the game. That’s assuming those horse enemies don’t fuck you up on your way.

 

[Codes 208]

Fair enough. But that's a shame cuz Dark souls 2 probably has the most unique and interesting new game+ cycles in the series.

Yeah it does, but again thats a handful of the things i did like. It’s not a shit game by any means, just the weakest imo (but its still better than other souls-likes like surge or that anime nexus whatever)

It's incredibly rushed. The environment lighting seems incomplete. So many areas lack depth and shadows. Many encounters feel unbalanced. Boss designs feel 2nd tier.

The imbalance was my biggest gripe. Either it was barren ala ds2 vanilla or too crowded via sotfs. The game had trouble finding a healthy balance which created severe difficulty spikes (reindeer fuckland is a perfect example of that.)

But aside from that it does have some of my favorite areas (the lava castle right after the windmill was pretty fun to go through)

 

[NeverYouMind]

Four minutes runback to one of the toughest and most frustrating bosses in the game. That’s assuming those horse enemies don’t fuck you up on your way.

Throw warmth pyromancy into a free slot, summon full squad at burial site, use warmth at shelters throughout frozen wasteland if needed. Enter boss arena and roll when attacked. Your squad will do the rest.

P.S. Best Souls game with Seeker of Fire 2.0 mod. Too bad DS3 is too shitty at its core to be fixed by mods like others.

 

[Killer8]

It looks great. I do hope there is a way to dial back that volumetric fog though. It kind of ruins the contrast of the scene, a lot like when it was implemented into the PS5 port of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade. Maybe just lowering the brightness setting would be enough.

Also this mod sure beats having to wait eons for Stayd's mod...

 

[Hohenheim]

Looks great! Will definitly check this out when I'm gonna replay this for the 10000th time at some point.
That music and atmosphere in Majula is pure bliss.

 

[rubik's dude]

Groundbreaking. I can't wait to see what all the giant empty dead end rooms look like with this mod.

 

[alucard0712_rus]

Looks better than Elden RIng in terms of lighting.
Will replay)

 

[existensmaximum]

For me its still easily the weakest of the official souls-like games. From its excessive gank fight bosses to its areas that are just, why? (Like black gulch to reindeer fuckland)

There are definitely some things its done better than the others sure, but again, I’d sooner play any other game under FROM’s repertoire.

The game is utter shit compared to every other Souls game. Pure trash.

 

[NeverYouMind]

The game is utter shit compared to every other Souls game. Pure trash.

That is 100% true of Dark Souls 3. End game of Dark Souls 1 fits that description as well. Dark Souls 2 is consistently entertaining and open ended on the other hand. Gets better the more you play as various powerful tools fall into place.

 

[Soodanim]

Too bad DS3 is too shitty at its core to be fixed by mods like others.

I can't tell if this is a terrible typo or if you just made the boldest statement I've ever seen about Souls.

 

[NeverYouMind]

I can't tell if this is a terrible typo or if you just made the boldest statement I've ever seen about Souls.

Its combat design is absolute trash. The enemies are hyper aggressive at close range and absorb damage like a sponge and keep trucking once they start animation unhindered (unlike player who has poise deficiency). The delay to inputs and the way they are queued is atrocious. It is most evident in the kick which would come out immediately in the original. On top of everything they decided to make leveling up unrewarding. It is mostly equipment and spacing that decides the outcome of an encounter. I don't even want to go into how the best content of the game is a lesser version of content in previous games.

 

[simpatico]

The sting of remembering the E3 build is lessened. Dark Souls 2 is my favorite From game to go back to. It's just so comfy. I can't even explain why. Maybe it's the constant trips to Majula, but even the poison caves are pleasant and anesthetizing. Looking forward to using this on my next run. Which is probably going to come a whole lot sooner.

 

[Soodanim]

Its combat design is absolute trash. The enemies are hyper aggressive at close range and absorb damage like a sponge and keep trucking once they start animation unhindered (unlike player who has poise deficiency). The delay to inputs and the way they are queued is atrocious. It is most evident in the kick which would come out immediately in the original. On top of everything they decided to make leveling up unrewarding. It is mostly equipment and spacing that decides the outcome of an encounter. I don't even want to go into how the best content of the game is a lesser version of content in previous games.

You can justify your opinion, and I respect it.

But saying all that and in the same breath defending the core mechanics of 2 baffles me. That game fucked it up so badly that they reverted everything and never did it again.

Weird analog deadzones, odd feeling movement and combat (because they fucked the animation and sfx as well), and moving a core mechanic into ADP are all abysmal design decisions. 3 on its worst day feels like heaven to me compared to 2.

I don't disagree about poise and all that related stuff in 3, it was a massive overcorrection. Nor does From, given that they course corrected for ER

 

[NeverYouMind]

You can justify your opinion, and I respect it.

But saying all that and in the same breath defending the core mechanics of 2 baffles me. That game fucked it up so badly that they reverted everything and never did it again.

Weird analog deadzones, odd feeling movement and combat (because they fucked the animation and sfx as well), and moving a core mechanic into ADP are all abysmal design decisions. 3 on its worst day feels like heaven to me compared to 2.

I don't disagree about poise and all that related stuff in 3, it was a massive overcorrection. Nor does From, given that they course corrected for ER

The movement in Dark Souls 2 is very responsive and covers a great distance despite animating poorly. The ADP is a blemish that becomes a strength once you have enough to have light roll invincibility while wearing the heaviest armor and wielding two giant weapons. Only major issues are some heavy attacks being redirected by directional input while locked on, excessive equipment degradation, bleed being useless, and lag in stamina regen after performing an action.

The strengths are: delayed healing on estus chugging allows the player the luxury of getting hit during it and coming out with full health; every weapon and magic class being equally strong; power stancing unlocking new movesets; single use items being substituted for estus flasks and bonfire resets; weapon attributes being easily switched with stones at blacksmith without locking out enchantments; rapid and responsive free aiming; being able to redo bosses/areas without restarting game by burning bonfire ascetics.

P.S. Earlier FromSoftware games have weak animations to me (especially when they rotate the model in the middle of an animation) so it is par for the course in my opinion. I do agree about sound effects as the hitting rock sound was always driving me nuts. Fortunately there are mods that fix that.

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

One can argue the classic status of DS2 but I'm not sure how "overlooked" is apropos.

Not sure how they argue this with it being the highest rated in the series.

 

[Buggy Loop]

PC modders are something else

Another comparison, looks so good

 

[Soodanim]

The movement in Dark Souls 2 is very responsive and covers a great distance despite animating poorly. The ADP is a blemish that becomes a strength once you have enough to have light roll invincibility while wearing the heaviest armor and wielding two giant weapons. Only major issues are some heavy attacks being redirected by directional input while locked on, excessive equipment degradation, bleed being useless, and lag in stamina regen after performing an action.

The strengths are: delayed healing on estus chugging allows the player the luxury of getting hit during it and coming out with full health; every weapon and magic class being equally strong; power stancing unlocking new movesets, single use items being substituted for estus flasks and bonfire resets; weapon attributes being easily switched with stones at blacksmith without locking out enchantments; rapid and responsive free aiming; being able to redo bosses/areas without restarting game by burning bonfire ascetics.

P.S. Earlier FromSoftware games have weak animations to me (especially when they rotate the model in the middle of an animation) so it is par for the course in my opinion. I do agree about sound effects as the hitting rock sound was always driving me nuts. Fortunately there are mods that fix that.

I wish I could enjoy the game as much as you do. Tried again earlier this year with the true analog fix and I just can't have fun with it. Everything feels like a chore to me because the basics are fundamentally flawed, down to that stupid stepped camera rotation speed that no one on Earth can justify. Everything feels clunky to me. Things are either too fast or too slow. If they ported the game's content to 1/3/ER's engine I'd be all over it like a rash, because I don't feel that with any other game.

 

[NeverYouMind]

I wish I could enjoy the game as much as you do. Tried again earlier this year with the true analog fix and I just can't have fun with it. Everything feels like a chore to me because the basics are fundamentally flawed, down to that stupid stepped camera rotation speed that no one on Earth can justify. Everything feels clunky to me. Things are either too fast or too slow. If they ported the game's content to 1/3/ER's engine I'd be all over it like a rash, because I don't feel that with any other game.

You don't have to like everything. I for one hate Sekiro with the passion of a thousand suns despite some instances of well implemented gameplay design. No reason to force yourself to play anything. Just play what you like.

 

[Fake]

That moment when modders, in their free time, do better remasters than most game companies.

Because they act in good faith.

 

[Soodanim]

You don't have to like everything. I for one hate Sekiro with the passion of a thousand suns despite some instances of well implemented gameplay design. No reason to force yourself to play anything. Just play what you like.

It's not about forcing myself. It was years of not playing it that made me forget what I disliked past the analog deadzones so I gave it another go. This time round I'll just enjoy the videos of the changes.

 

[Northeastmonk]

I read where you can install this on Steam Deck. This is very tempting.

 

[bitbydeath]

I played Scholar of the First Sin a few months ago, and it was a massive turd.
But I also heard that the original DS2 is much better in several aspects, like enemy placement and quantity.
Haven't played that one, tough.

It has a shitty mechanic where whenever you die (and of course you will, it’s a Souls game) it takes health away from your total max health.

There is an item that removes that feature bug.
The game would be a lot better if it weren’t for that.

 

[FoxMcChief]

Always has to be this one guy.

Could be worse, someone could think Bloodborne is better than any of the Souls games.

 

[bender]

Could be worse, someone could think Bloodborne is better than any of the Souls games.

True. Real ones know it is better than all of the Souls games.

 

[Touch fuzZy. get BizZay]

ds2 is trash.

as you were