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[Just_myles]

I need to play through DS1's expansion before I move onto this. Great way for me to get my sea legs back for next week.

 

[The_Hitcher89]

I need to play through DS1's expansion before I move onto this. Great way for me to get my sea legs back for next week.

Have fun, its a fantastic piece of DLC

 

[QuickSilverD]

I guess this would be a good place as anything to ask, since Dark Souls II is the first game I've ever pre-order in PSN, when can I expect to start to start downloading it? will the PS3 automatically start it, should I be awake at midnight on the 10th to start it?

 

[oracrest]

Thanks a bunch for the help making the banners classier.

my pleasure!

 

[hydrophilic attack]

I see a lot of posts about the bows somehow being switched up this go around. What is this about? All my feeble google skills can find is that you are able to switch between two types of arrows without going into the menu. Is this it, or is there something else that I'm missing?

I should be working, and instead find myself sitting around wondering what starting class I'm going with. As a Souls vet I understand it's not a big deal in the long run, but it is a big deal in the sense that it'll be my first experience with the game. Gonna just think out loud for a second.

I may go cleric just to be in keeping with old times.

Otherwise, I'm probably going to go with a quality build, str and dex type character.

Here are all the non-caster starting classes and their faith+int totals:

warrior: 10
knight: 9
swordsman: 12
bandit: 10
explorer: 10
deprived: 12

From an anal-retentive-about-stats standpoint, It seems to me that swordsman is a poor choice (unless I plan to use INT for something) and deprived is just a poor choice in general (6+6).

Knight seems to be a strong choice for min max, especially if you want to build into a faith build later. Knight is a very strong choice and a very safe choice for anything other than an INT casting build.

While I'd love to check out the dual wielding right away, those int points will bug me since I don't plan to raise int.

May go with bandit. That spikey helmet is cool, and I'd get the chance to check out how bows are now.

Don't forget about about Attunement! There are a lot of different lists with different stats out there, so I'm not sure which ones to trust, but due to exceptionally low attunement, Bandit may be a better starting point for melee than Knight. Also, according to some lists (again they differ) his Int is very low, while Faith is pretty high, so if these lists are correct he would actually make a better Templar build than Knight, which (according to some lists) has a few more points in Int than Bandit.

 

[Haunted]

Amazon shows a digital copy on March 31st. Is this incorrect?

No official announcement yet, so we can only assume that it's a placeholder date.

I'd love for 31st March to be true.

 

[Frogfucious]

I see a lot of posts about the bows somehow being switched up this go around. What is this about?

I think you can walk while firing the bow now, not positive.

 

[perorist]

Going to do a STR/ADP melee build for my first run, Knight seems perfect for the job stat-wise. I figure they start him off without a shield to balance out his otherwise great stats.

 

[Ziek]

OBVIOUS SPOILERS

If you're craving information like I am here's a 10 minute video of gameplay. Commentated by Peter Serafinowicz.

http://www.ign.com/videos/2014/03/0...0-minutes-of-gameplay-with-peter-serafinowicz

 

[The Elite]

OBVIOUS SPOILERS

If you're craving information like I am here's a 10 minute video of gameplay. Commentated by Peter Serafinowicz.

http://www.ign.com/videos/2014/03/0...0-minutes-of-gameplay-with-peter-serafinowicz

Darth Maul narration.

Nice.

 

[Psycho_Mantis]

Going to do a STR/ADP melee build for my first run, Knight seems perfect for the job stat-wise. I figure they start him off without a shield to balance out his otherwise great stats.

I'd recommend you place some points in Vitality since STR weapons weigh a lot and your ADAP will go to a waste if you can't even fast roll.

 

[fuzzyreactor]

Have fun, its a fantastic piece of DLC

It's both fantastic and horrible at the same time. Fantastic from a SP perspective but it ruined pvp.

 

[Sickbean]

Darth Maul narration.

Nice.

Nothing else would be quite right for Dark Souls would it?

 

[Randam]

OH MY GOD. DID I JUST SAW

Spoiler

the Dragonslayer from BERSERK?

really?

Spoiler

guts huge fucking sword?

man, I hope we get armor thats look like his Black Swordsman Armor

 

[Technoweirdo]

Dual ultra greatswords, dual spears, dual shields, faith build, or unarmed. Decisions, decisions...

I see a lot of posts about the bows somehow being switched up this go around. What is this about? All my feeble google skills can find is that you are able to switch between two types of arrows without going into the menu. Is this it, or is there something else that I'm missing?

I'll let the gif below speak for itself.

 

[Vlade]

I literally cannot remember being as hyped for a game as I am for this. I plan for my first run to be a mostly naked strength build with dual wield until that just becomes too much for me. I expect it will be glorious.

 

[perorist]

I'd recommend you place some points in Vitality since STR weapons weigh a lot and your ADAP will go to a waste if you can't even fast roll.

Naturally

I really hate that they separated equip burden to its own stat though. While I don't mind wearing light armor for pvp, sufficient poise to tank one hit is something I'd like to have without wasting a ring slot. Overall pumping points into it is going to restrict the flexibility of various pvp builds too.

Going to gamble on ADP because from the beta test it seems like it possibly provides quite a few additional benefits similar to poise.

 

[QisTopTier]

Anyone else going Faith? D: I haven't seen anyone else saying they are yet.

 

[SictorVullivan]

Just noticed that on the Amazon.Uk page for Dark Souls 2 the black armour editions have the "sign up to be notified when this item is available" message.
I've had my PS3 black armour copy pre-ordered since September last year, does this mean they may possibly not be stocking it or should I be alright?

Edit: Nvm, seems to be okay now!

Either way, 10 days left!

 

[dreamfall]

Goodness, Peter Serafinowicz is so rad.

 

[RiccochetJ]

Man, I hope Amazon will update my pre-order so it gets delivered on release day. I'll wait and see if I get the updated message that a lot of you have received, otherwise I may cancel and just go to Walmart.

 

[Aspirations26]

Not sure if anybody posted this yet, but I found a nice little chart to compare the starting classes if anybody wants to look at it.

Edit: Kinda leaning on the bandit class if I go dex/faith, still not sure yet. It really isn't a huge deal since I'll be playing every class at some point, but I'd like to make a decent first character as well.

 

[Zaventem]

Oh man i feel it. I'll be playing this for another 2 years straight.

Not sure if anybody posted this yet, but I found a nice little chart to compare the starting classes if anybody wants to look at it.

Wow this is cool. Most classes gets a stat that extremely low in something. I though i was going to start with Deprived because he's sl 1 but i guess that's not the case now. Cleric seems like my go to class for Strength/Faith build.

 

[floatingcoffins]

I guess this would be a good place as anything to ask, since Dark Souls II is the first game I've ever pre-order in PSN, when can I expect to start to start downloading it? will the PS3 automatically start it, should I be awake at midnight on the 10th to start it?

It's supposed to be available to download at 12:00 AM PST.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

If bow actually works as a weapon with real potential vs bosses and in pvp this time around, From will pretty much have made the perfect game.

The composite bow was my favourite PvP weapon not even joking, I actually won surprisingly often.

 

[DrROBschiz]

Anyone score early copies yet??

 

[Dragon Puncher]

There was a poster in the OT who did a bow only run. He posted a video of beating an invader in Oolicile with a Dragonslayer Bow and said he beat Artorias only using the composite bow. 8o

Edit:

Can't find the video but how he whacked Artorias is here.

:O The game just keeps on amazing me.. If they expand on that and maybe make it better for pvp I'm all good then.
Do we know if arrows move faster now? It seemed that way in the beta at least. Being able to invade someone in a blighttown like area and actually snipe them from afar without being seen, could be add a whole other layer to invasions.

Edit: This bow pvp thing sounds crazy I went up against a couple of people using bows in DS, but never with any good results.

 

[koryuken]

Anyone else going Faith? D: I haven't seen anyone else saying they are yet.

I think I'm going to start as a knight and go for STR/FAI -- I need that Dark Magic baby I hope its still OP.

 

[ironcreed]

Not sure if anybody posted this yet, but I found a nice little chart to compare the starting classes if anybody wants to look at it.

Edit: Kinda leaning on the bandit class if I go dex/faith, still not sure yet. It really isn't a huge deal since I'll be playing every class at some point, but I'd like to make a decent first character as well.

I'm liking the dex boost on dat swordsman. I am leaning more heavily in that direction for sure now.

 

[Randam]

Dual ultra greatswords, dual spears, dual shields, faith build, or unarmed. Decisions, decisions...



I'll let the gif below speak for itself.

"He turned it sideways! That's a killshot! KILLSHOT!"

 

[GhostRidah]

Im going swordsman for my first class, I went pyro at first on ds1 release and my last ds1 character was a sorcerer, so now its time to bring out the swords.

 

[Jobbs]

I see a lot of posts about the bows somehow being switched up this go around. What is this about? All my feeble google skills can find is that you are able to switch between two types of arrows without going into the menu. Is this it, or is there something else that I'm missing?



Don't forget about about Attunement! There are a lot of different lists with different stats out there, so I'm not sure which ones to trust, but due to exceptionally low attunement, Bandit may be a better starting point for melee than Knight. Also, according to some lists (again they differ) his Int is very low, while Faith is pretty high, so if these lists are correct he would actually make a better Templar build than Knight, which (according to some lists) has a few more points in Int than Bandit.

I was making my assessment based on the stats in the OP and that I've seen elsewhere... If it's true that he has 1 int and 8 faith, then yeah, he's actually a nice choice for faith build or other melee.

A lot of my choice may come down to feel. Just -- What seems cooler from a style/looks/RP standpoint in the moment. What's the perspective I want to come at the game from on my first playthrough?

 

[Servbot24]

I think I'll go with Swordsman, but I honestly just choose my character based on looks.

 

[Chake]

Gonna go with a warrior.

#TeamShield.

 

[RK9039]

#TeamShield.

Anyone else going Faith? D: I haven't seen anyone else saying they are yet.

Yeah I am, I was going to start with a Knight but I think I will go with a Warrior instead. His starting gear looks more cool. And Hexes will be interesting, Faith seems to have some cool buffs.

 

[Jackben]

Not sure if anybody posted this yet, but I found a nice little chart to compare the starting classes if anybody wants to look at it.

Edit: Kinda leaning on the bandit class if I go dex/faith, still not sure yet. It really isn't a huge deal since I'll be playing every class at some point, but I'd like to make a decent first character as well.

This chart kind of flies in the face of the in-game text recommending Bandit for a dexterity build considering the Swordsman's dexterity is much higher.

 

[Psycho_Mantis]

Naturally

I really hate that they separated equip burden to its own stat though. While I don't mind wearing light armor for pvp, sufficient poise to tank one hit is something I'd like to have without wasting a ring slot. Overall pumping points into it is going to restrict the flexibility of various pvp builds too.

Going to gamble on ADP because from the beta test it seems like it possibly provides quite a few additional benefits similar to poise.

Its exactly for PvP. Now you won't have dex builds with high poise armour fast rolling unless a significant amount is invested into vitality and meet the requirements of such armour.

Before you only had to invest in 3 stats for a dex build and you were able to wear such armour. Now you may have to invest in VIT, VIG, DEX, ADAP and END to get the same effect.

 

[SargerusBR]

Deprived is the manliest way to go

#TeamBareHands

 

[DrROBschiz]

Deprived is the manliest way to go

#TeamBareHands

This guy knows how to play a rousing game of Dark Souls

 

[ironcreed]

This chart kind of flies in the face of the in-game text recommending Bandit for a dexterity build considering the Swordsman's dexterity is much higher.

That is what surprised me. I was leaning bandit for that very reason.

 

[hydrophilic attack]

I think you can walk while firing the bow now, not positive.

Dual ultra greatswords, dual spears, dual shields, faith build, or unarmed. Decisions, decisions...



I'll let the gif below speak for itself.

Thanks guys! I guess that further cements my decision of going with Bandit as the starting class.

In Demon's Souls I made a jack of all trades, with probably Strength as my highest non-Endurance/Vitality stat (enough to use Purple Flame Shield). In Dark Souls I put off the build decision as long as possible, pumping points into Endurance and Vitality, using elemental weapons and the occasional bit of pyromancy until I eventually decided to go Dex build with Iaito for the end-game.

This time I think I will level both Str and Dex to get to try a few different weapons out. Then maybe respec down the line if I end up preferring one set of weapons over the other, or otherwise go with a Quality build.

If I have enough free time to do re-plays (not likely) I think I will try a magic class for the first time, with either miracles + hexes or sorceries + pyromancy.

This chart kind of flies in the face of the in-game text recommending Bandit for a dexterity build considering the Swordsman's dexterity is much higher.

Yeah, but Swordman has more points wasted in magic stats, making him more suitable for a hybrid build. For pure dex build, Bandit should be more suitable. Sure, bandit starts with a bit more strength, but that is likely not wasted, as a lot of good Dex weapons will likely require a bit of strength too.

 

[SloaneRisette]

I'm really conflicted on what class to choose. I like the idea of dual wielding but I also love having a shield.

No concrete info on what Explorer starts with? Sounds interesting...

 

[weevles]

I'm thinking of Swordsman DEX/FAI

 

[Brick]

How do you savages play Dark Souls without blocking AND attacking at the same time?

#TeamSpear

 

[The_Hitcher89]

It's both fantastic and horrible at the same time. Fantastic from a SP perspective but it ruined pvp.

Because of that magic? Never got into PVP

 

[Technoweirdo]

This chart kind of flies in the face of the in-game text recommending Bandit for a dexterity build considering the Swordsman's dexterity is much higher.

True, the Swordsman has slightly higher Dexterity, but has much lower Vigor and Vitality in comparison, instead having higher Attunement and Intelligence.

 

[Ourobolus]

Swordsman/DEX all the way, here.

 

[RK9039]

#TeamTranquilWalkOfPeace

 

[Jackben]

Yeah, but Swordman has more points wasted in magic stats, making him more suitable for a hybrid build. For pure dex build, Bandit should be more suitable. Sure, bandit starts with a bit more strength, but that is likely not wasted, as a lot of good Dex weapons will likely require a bit of strength too.

True, the Swordsman has slightly higher Dexterity, but has much lower Vigor and Vitality in comparison, instead having higher Attunement and Intelligence.

Good points, I hadn't thought of that. Looks like I'm sticking with Bandit for now.

 

[Zaventem]

Damn Bandit ,Knight Or Cleric. ;_; Bandit dex is high with extremely low int but i don't know if i'll encounter a weapon with 14 dex i'll like.