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Dark Souls II |OT++| Bearer of...Seek...Seek...Lest

amazon has a listing for a 360 version as well, does it include gameplay improvements or just dlc + performance improvements?

DLC + Weapon Fixes + one new NPC + New Boss and New Ending

Meanwhile the new version incluying the features of above will add New Enemies Location + New NPCs (Summons and Invaders) + Improved Enemy IAs + 60 FPS and New light effects to pair up the PC version on consoles
 

AlexBasch

Member
Fuck it, gave this game another try.

So, last thing I remember is that the halberd builds moved from DEX to...I can't remember.

Which stats should I at least keep up with to have a good halberd build? I get lost with the whole ADP and VGR related to how much stuff you can carry.
 

gogosox82

Member
Fuck it, gave this game another try.

So, last thing I remember is that the halberd builds moved from DEX to...I can't remember.

Which stats should I at least keep up with to have a good halberd build? I get lost with the whole ADP and VGR related to how much stuff you can carry.

Vigor = HP
Vitality= equip load
ADP= how fast you roll and perform actions like drinking estus

There are a lot of halberds you can use in this game. You could use the mastodon halberd. You need 26 str and 15 dex and It scales with strength. There is also the roaring halberd. You need 16 in str, and 12 in dex, int, and faith and it scales with dex and faith and does a ton of dark damage. Its a boss weapon though meaning its a pain to upgrade. There's also the regular halberd which scales with dex but dex scaling isn't the greatest in ds2.
 

gaming_noob

Member
I feel guilty for watching a speedrun without even getting to the first boss in this game on my own. I noticed the speedrunner blew up a wall to get a shortcut at the beginning of the game. My question is, do you find out that the wall is breakable later in the game (i.e. tied to the story) or is there just random breakable walls that you can only find by luck?
 

Mistel

Banned
I feel guilty for watching a speedrun without even getting to the first boss in this game on my own. I noticed the speedrunner blew up a wall to get a shortcut at the beginning of the game. My question is, do you find out that the wall is breakable later in the game (i.e. tied to the story) or is there just random breakable walls that you can only find by luck?
It is not story related you find them by looking/luck.
There is also the roaring halberd. You need 16 in str, and 12 in dex, int, and faith and it scales with dex and faith and does a ton of dark damage. Its a boss weapon though meaning its a pain to upgrade.
Dark weapons scale with INT/FTH not solely FTH if you ownly invest in FTH you'll get pretty low returns.
 

Zocano

Member
Welp. Decided to finally knock out the platinum and just burned through NG++ real quick to get the Covenant spells. Can move on to the PS4 version with a clear conscience.
 

Tarkus

Member
Fuck it, gave this game another try.

So, last thing I remember is that the halberd builds moved from DEX to...I can't remember.

Which stats should I at least keep up with to have a good halberd build? I get lost with the whole ADP and VGR related to how much stuff you can carry.
If you want to go for ridiculously high damage, go for a Fire-infused Black Knight Halberd. Requires 17 STR and 26 DEX. It also now has a FTH requirement of 9 I believe with calibration 1.15, but I might be thinking of something else. Anyway, it hits like a truck and has the complete standard halberd moveset including a thrust R1 second attack that works with the Leo Ring and the spinning attacks everyone loves. For example my build has 50 STR, 33 DEX, 26 in both INT & FTH - my AR with this weapon 693. With fire weapon buff [(weapon's fire damage + 50) x 1.3] I'm getting an AR of 1028.4!!! Also with Ring of Blades +2.

Like all halberds though, it has a very small sweet spot and you've got to practice much to learn how to maximize damage to opponents. If you miss with the sweet spot, the damage will be significantly reduced. It's not that hard to learn the attack distances though.

Oh and ADP doesn't affect equip load. It's raises agility for Iframes in rolling and back stepping, speeds up item consumption, and bumps some the resists.
 

AlexBasch

Member
Got it, I just got confused with the stats for Stamina, carrying stuff and such.

Also kept reading that Dex scaling is weird in this game, and it was my base build in DS1. (I don't play PVP anyway). And I loved using a halberd there, didn't want to stick with a simple sword. :p

But oh well, here's hoping I can finish it this time. Thanks. :)
 

Tarkus

Member
Is Dark the best buff now? That seems to be what 75% of people are using in PVP. If so, I need to go to talk to the fellow at Huntsman's since I'm exclusively leveling FTH and INT only now.
 

Mistel

Banned
Is Dark the best buff now? That seems to be what 75% of people are using in PVP. If so, I need to go to talk to the fellow at Huntsman's since I'm exclusively leveling FTH and INT only now.
It's pretty much always been the best ATK bonus wise at 50 INT/FTH out of all of all the INT/FTH scaling bonuses. It is quite far ahead of everything else too at 60/60 where every other bonus needs to be at 80 INT and/or FTH to be at the same level. I
 

AlexBasch

Member
So it's good to have both INT and FTH or only just one? Haven't played with magic ever since Demon's Souls and I feel like trying out this stuff.
 

Tarkus

Member
I'm new to magic too. I believe it's like this:
Sorcery - INT
Hexes - INT & FTH
Pyromancy - level glove
Miracles - FTH
 

gogosox82

Member
It is not story related you find them by looking/luck.

Dark weapons scale with INT/FTH not solely FTH if you ownly invest in FTH you'll get pretty low returns.

This is true but I was just telling him the requirements and the scaling of the weapons.

KieferCrimson said:
So it's good to have both INT and FTH or only just one? Haven't played with magic ever since Demon's Souls and I feel like trying out this stuff.

I would go both. Then you can use hexes like dark weapon on your weapon along some other spells.
 
I feel guilty for watching a speedrun without even getting to the first boss in this game on my own. I noticed the speedrunner blew up a wall to get a shortcut at the beginning of the game. My question is, do you find out that the wall is breakable later in the game (i.e. tied to the story) or is there just random breakable walls that you can only find by luck?
That particular wall isn't really luck per se, there are explodable barrels on the other side of the wall and an enemy that throws firebombs, so that's how you're meant to find that - from the otherside. You blow it up from the inside as a time saver. They all have environmental clues like that.
 
Wondering how much use this thread will get with SotFS out. How many of you guys ended up upgrading? I'm still undecided. With the PC version it just doesn't sound particularly beneficial.
 

gogosox82

Member
Wondering how much use this thread will get with SotFS out. How many of you guys ended up upgrading? I'm still undecided. With the PC version it just doesn't sound particularly beneficial.

I'm waiting until its like $5 or something on steam. Just doesn't seem worth it since I already have all of the dlc and it doesn't really look that much better and I already run it at 1080/60.
 

Tarkus

Member
Wondering how much use this thread will get with SotFS out. How many of you guys ended up upgrading? I'm still undecided. With the PC version it just doesn't sound particularly beneficial.
I think the new OT should be merged with this one to create OT+++ since the games aren't that different once it's time to move the new thread into the community.
 
I think the new OT should be merged with this one to create OT+++ since the games aren't that different once it's time to move the new thread into the community.

The PC specific OT was started after this one and capped out. DS2 technically had another full OT not in the count so we should call the next one OT++++.

Crazy, this thread is a year old now. It was still moving reasonably fast back then but fell off a cliff. 3 DLCs wasnt enough to get it through the OT. I find that surprising.
 

Tarkus

Member
After reading through some of the new thread, I don't think we want that level of bitching in here. That's just my opinion. It's bad.
 

Morrigan Stark

Arrogant Smirk
I haven't upgraded yet. Busy with Bloodborne and I already bought the game twice, third time seems overkill. Maybe at some point when it's really cheap, to experience the new enemy placements, but not right now.
After reading through some of the new thread, I don't think we want that level of bitching in here. That's just my opinion. It's bad.
B-b-but durability bug! Right guys? e_e
 

Tarkus

Member
DS4 controller on PS3 is so good.

What's the hex with the black fog that's does huge damage? I think I'm about to make my first offensive cast ever in this game.
 

AlexBasch

Member
What the fuck happened to the Halberd?! This was my favourite weapon in DKS1. ): I'm getting my ass kicked in here and I'm actually better with a hammer.

Actually loaded up DS1 and checked out how I was doing with the halberds and while the enemies are different, the moveset feels a lot different now and I don't feel like learning to use it again if it controls like this.

Also, I might have wasted too many points on DEX. Egh.
 

Mistel

Banned
What the fuck happened to the Halberd?! This was my favourite weapon in DKS1. ): I'm getting my ass kicked in here and I'm actually better with a hammer.

Actually loaded up DS1 and checked out how I was doing with the halberds and while the enemies are different, the moveset feels a lot different now and I don't feel like learning to use it again if it controls like this.

Also, I might have wasted too many points on DEX. Egh.
The halberd's moveset changed but damage wise if anything it's far stronger than the one from the first. One of the big changes is the way DEX scales with much greater empathise on STR with scaling and most weapons.
 

AlexBasch

Member
The halberd's moveset changed but damage wise if anything it's far stronger than the one from the first. One of the big changes is the way DEX scales with much greater empathise on STR with scaling and most weapons.
That's what got me confused at the start, since I went all DS1 at the beginning.

I really don't like the first upward swing and while the follow-up is better, the stamina draining is quite significant and leaves me open. Heck, I'm playing with a Bastard Sword and while it does less damage, it allows me to roll away and I almost beat the
three bosses-guardian things, forgot the name
in my first try without Estus and two life gems.

Maybe this is why I wasn't liking DS2. Never really gave the swords a shot and played with Spear in Demon's and Halberd in DKS1. I feel quite stupid now.
 

Lanrutcon

Member
What the fuck happened to the Halberd?! This was my favourite weapon in DKS1. ): I'm getting my ass kicked in here and I'm actually better with a hammer.

Actually loaded up DS1 and checked out how I was doing with the halberds and while the enemies are different, the moveset feels a lot different now and I don't feel like learning to use it again if it controls like this.

Also, I might have wasted too many points on DEX. Egh.

From want you to play a STR character. And if you think about using Lightning miracles your console/pc will blow up and you'll go to hell.
 

Tarkus

Member
What the fuck happened to the Halberd?! This was my favourite weapon in DKS1. ): I'm getting my ass kicked in here and I'm actually better with a hammer.

Actually loaded up DS1 and checked out how I was doing with the halberds and while the enemies are different, the moveset feels a lot different now and I don't feel like learning to use it again if it controls like this.

Also, I might have wasted too many points on DEX. Egh.
Do the running or back step R1 attack. The Halberd class has been increased in usefulness if anything.
 

Tarkus

Member
lol, why would you do this to yourself?
I didn't realize lighting them was needed to progress. I thought you just had to kill everyone and jump through the foggy hole. Oh well, no big deal. I had 99 Effigies to play around with.

Got to Darklurker and made another knuckle head move. I pull out my trusty Dark Claymore and buff Dark Weapon on it. I start hacking away and I notice that I'm doing very little damage to him/her. I start thinking...it's the Darklurker, who casts dark spells, final boss of a Dark covenant. DOH! Of course it's resistant to Dark damage!

Trying again in a few with my Flame load out.
 

AlexBasch

Member
Holy salamander cuttlefish.

This game is destroying my ass like Demon's or Dark couldn't. I'm nearing Lv.80 yet I'm dying in two or three hits with a full bar in Earthen Peak.

I think that after Sinner's Rise it's been Heaven or Hell mode for me in this game. I think I fucked up with the stats and I feel like using the Soul Vessel I just got. I have spent almost all my Human Efigies since I can't seem to find a co-op guy to kill the boss again, maybe my Soul Memory is really high.

Maybe it's just me, or the game does really punish you if you wasted points on stuff you shouldn't have? I'm using a Bastard Sword + 3 and yet it takes me like four or five hits to take down almost anything. :/
 
Maybe it's just me, or the game does really punish you if you wasted points on stuff you shouldn't have? I'm using a Bastard Sword + 3 and yet it takes me like four or five hits to take down almost anything. :/

Your weapon should be at least +6 by now. Y
ou should have met the merchant they sells upgrade materials by now. McDuff in the lost bastille should be selling unlimited large titanite shards.
What are you putting your stats into? STR, DEX?

Edit: Lol, how did I get into the OG thread? xD
 

AlexBasch

Member
Your weapon should be at least +6 by now. Y
ou should have met the merchant they sells upgrade materials by now. McDuff in the lost bastille should be selling unlimited large titanite shards.
What are you putting your stats into? STR, DEX?
Wait a sec, unlimited?

It's one of those things that make me stressed out when playing Souls, I'm always wary of upgrading ANYTHING because I never know when it's a "one time material" or whatever. I haven't even used any of the bosses souls at all. ):

About the stat distribution, it's another thing, I used to carry a halberd in DS-DS1 but I don't like them here and DEX scaling is strange, so I'm just putting STR points.

Then again, I kinda want to check magic out, and I fear I'm spreading way too many points between life, stamina, carry weight and everything else. :/ Think I'll just stick with the pyro glove and get done with it. I'm not used to fragile magic characters.

EDIT: Haven't got to Iron Keep. Been trying to clear out Earthen Keep since sunday but the ambushing fast enemies take me down in two or three hits.
 
Wait a sec, unlimited?

It's one of those things that make me stressed out when playing Souls, I'm always wary of upgrading ANYTHING because I never know when it's a "one time material" or whatever. I haven't even used any of the bosses souls at all. ):

About the stat distribution, it's another thing, I used to carry a halberd in DS-DS1 but I don't like them here and DEX scaling is strange, so I'm just putting STR points.

Then again, I kinda want to check magic out, and I fear I'm spreading way too many points between life, stamina, carry weight and everything else. :/ Think I'll just stick with the pyro glove and get done with it. I'm not used to fragile magic characters.

Nvm about the unlimited stuff. In the wrong thread. You have to get the next area past earthen peak for that. If you like the moveset of the bastard sword stick with it and upgrade. Materials are about to become readily available anyway. Also if you can you should also upgrade your armor. Are you playing the original version, or Scholar of the First Sin?
 

AlexBasch

Member
Original on PS3. Just upgraded it to +5 and totally forgot about upgrading the armor...still too used to DS1.

Some posts of mine before complained about the new moveset of the halberd and I'm doing good with the Bastard, still, got the Drangleic one and I'm wondering if' it's worth it to use the points on STR and DEX to use it, or just stick to the 25 points I've got in there.

DS1 feels less complicated now, I swear.
 

Mistel

Banned
Some posts of mine before complained about the new moveset of the halberd and I'm doing good with the Bastard, still, got the Drangleic one and I'm wondering if' it's worth it to use the points on STR and DEX to use it, or just stick to the 25 points I've got in there.
Drangleic sword is the best DEX orientated great sword that you can get, so if you're doing DEX then it's worth using.
 

Mogwai

Member
Smelter Demon is gonna make me break my "no co-op" rule, I swear. Fucking douchebag.

Pop some lifegems and always keep some stamina ready if Smelter decides to combo.

These are my rules of thumb and have always allowed me for a quite simple solo kill. Just don't get greedy with your attacks and keep your hp at max.
 
Smelter Demon is gonna make me break my "no co-op" rule, I swear. Fucking douchebag.

Two strategies work. One, go two handed and do a lot of dodge rolling toward him to pop up behind for some hits. Alternativley, get the Gyrm Greatshield and tank him. You can absorb all normal and fire damage with it.
 

AlexBasch

Member
Pop some lifegems and always keep some stamina ready if Smelter decides to combo.

These are my rules of thumb and have always allowed me for a quite simple solo kill. Just don't get greedy with your attacks and keep your hp at max.

Two strategies work. One, go two handed and do a lot of dodge rolling toward him to pop up behind for some hits. Alternativley, get the Gyrm Greatshield and tank him. You can absorb all normal and fire damage with it.
Turns out the simple but useful lifegems did it. I had small flashbacks of the Flamelurker, until I realized this guy wasn't such an asshole, haha.

I just used fire resisting gear, the pyromancy to cover from flame damage and magic weapon, took me only a few tries. :) Thanks for the tips though.

I'm starting to actually like DS2 now, wasn't so gripped to it before but it's clicking with me now. My only annoyance is that aside from this boss, every battle has been so-so, and I'm having far more trouble with annoying enemies than the bosses, tbh.

Undead Purgatory boss: Yeah, let's throw a lot of skeletons to overwhelm you with fast attacks, so you need to beat the sorcerers to stop their respawning and now there's the boss. I just needed two or three attempts, but I'm more annoyed than challenged. I want a "Ornstein and Smough" kind of battle to rinse the bad taste I'm getting from the generic, gigantic dude with a sword, ones so far.
 
Undead Purgatory boss: Yeah, let's throw a lot of skeletons to overwhelm you with fast attacks, so you need to beat the sorcerers to stop their respawning and now there's the boss. I just needed two or three attempts, but I'm more annoyed than challenged. I want a "Ornstein and Smough" kind of battle to rinse the bad taste I'm getting from the generic, gigantic dude with a sword, ones so far.
Alluring skulls my friend, alluring skulls :)

Don't hold your breath for that O&S type fight, at least a good one :(
 

Screaming Meat

Unconfirmed Member
I'm trying to put together an all out gimmick build. I have the Majestic Greatsword (LH), Bone Fist (RH) and Simpleton's Ring, but I'm looking for any other weapons or items that change up the moveset or add abilities not normally available.

Any suggestions, GAF?
 

NEO0MJ

Member
I'm trying to put together an all out gimmick build. I have the Majestic Greatsword (LH), Bone Fist (RH) and Simpleton's Ring, but I'm looking for any other weapons or items that change up the moveset or add abilities not normally available.

Any suggestions, GAF?

Warped sword gives you a unique moveset. Maybe those shields that when wielded together give you offensive options.
 
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