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Dark Souls II |OT| The Dark Souls of Dark Souls

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ssowinski

Member
Dark Souls 2 Black Armour Edition released today, but won't be delivered until tomorrow even though I ordered it 8 months ago from Futureshop.

Prepare to wait.
 

LordCanti

Member
people who have problems with the online multiplayer, are you in the US? I noticed there's a restricted/open server-option in the menu. maybe that would cause the issue? I couldn't summon anyone but a looooot of people summoned me (and very quickly, I might add). just curious what's causing those summon errors.

Switched from restricted to non.... got summoned right away.

*sigh*

If only I had known at midnight.

I'm in the US, to answer your question.

(Spoiler about a...I don't know how to tag this. Mid-game enemy spoiler I guess)
I'm worried because in Dark Souls a mimic dropped the lightning spear, which was a super good weapon at that time. Do you remember if this one drops a weapon?

Sorry, I can't remember.
 

sprsk

force push the doodoo rock
Guys
There is no point in putting spoiler tags around something if you're not gonna mark spoilers properly.
 

-Ryn

Banned
Is the CE worth it?
I just got mine and I think it is amazing.


  • The statue is really well made with excellent quality and attention to detail. It also feels very sturdy.
  • The cloth map isn't as "thick" of a cloth as I was expecting but it's still something that you could hang on your wall and it does look good.
  • I haven't managed to listen to the soundtrack yet but so far from the game it is sounding great.
  • The tin case looks fantastic. I really like the look of it and it is great quality. It houses the game and soundtrack cd so that's nice.
  • As for the game itself, I haven't had enough time with it to give a very good analysis but I'm really liking it so far. The environments are beautiful and the sound design is really good too. The animations are very smooth although it does feel a little weird at first. I have the 360 version and so far I haven't noticed any problems with screen tearing or the framerate.

All in all, for $120 USD I'd say it's a great package. Definitely worth it to me.
 
Has anyone found a merchant that can absolve sin? I hit an NPC with 3-4 arrows from a distance and he ended up aggroing him by mistake.
 

enigmatic_alex44

Whenever a game uses "middleware," I expect mediocrity. Just see how poor TLOU looks.
Just received black armor edition from amazon, and steelbook case is all bent and crushed. Super. Or course can't return for replacement.

:(

why can't you return it did amazon decline your request? Maybe they can send you a regular copy of they are out of BA edition?
 
Its finally in my 360. Shop I preordered from didnt have the Black Armor Edition so i said fuck it and downgraded to regular. Cannot wait any longer 40% installed :]
 

Scher

Member
Okay, I just want to make sure I'm clear on this. So backstabs and parries aren't set animations anymore? They just knock the enemy down so that they'll be vulnerable to attacks?
 

Kimosabae

Banned
Dark Souls II is pretty much a sequel to Demon's Souls.

haha watching my cousin play it that's the impression I got and the only experience I really have with the series is 2-3 hours of Demon Souls. He was dying constantly.I was like "I thought you knew how to play these games".
 

Mr. F

Banned
Still haven't decided whether to play on 360 or PS3, don't want to pay for LIVE again but the PS3 I use sometimes is my roommate's and we're not living together next year. Bah
 
Dark Souls II is pretty much a sequel to Demon's Souls.

I totally get that feeling while playing this. It's much closer to DeS2. The world feels less connected and the combat is closer to a DeS in my mind.

I'm loving every second of this game so far. I'll hold off final judgement until I beat it, but so far it's on par or better than DaS in nearly every regard.
 

[NaK]

Member
Im about 12 hrs in now and just got to the
Pale Woods.
That goddamn ambush + a basilisk took me a couple of tries. Good thing you can kill the basilisk through the door with a spear..

Loving it so far!
 

halfbeast

Banned
I'm not a fan of breaking my weapon before I can repair it. who thought this is a great idea? I hope, there'll be a weapon repair box again.

the lock-on feels horribly delayed at times. I R3'd an enemy but the blue ball didn't show up and so I clicked again. unfortunately, it locked on and off quickly when I was about to back up a bit - which resulted in getting brutally stabbed in the back.
 

Calibus

Member
So I start up DS2 for the first time. Within 10 seconds I accidentally roll off a cliff and die. Upon revival I get the trophy "this is Dark Souls." Lol love it!
 
I'm not a fan of breaking my weapon before I can repair it. who thought this is a great idea? I hope, there'll be a weapon repair box again.

the lock-on feels horribly delayed at times. I R3'd an enemy but the blue ball didn't show up and so I clicked again. unfortunately, it locked on and off quickly when I was about to back up a bit - which resulted in getting brutally stabbed in the back.

Buy Repair Powder. It's fairly cheap. There's only been 1-2 areas so far that I've needed to use powder in. The zones are usually pretty well paced. (Bonfires autorepair all gear.)
 

AngryMoth

Member
Died about 10 times in a row to the 3rd boss (
ruin sentinels
). Half health and no effigies. I assume you can turn human by beating a boss in co-op but I got disconnected from a few people and now it won't let me put my sign down.
 
Died about 10 times in a row to the 3rd boss (
ruin sentinels
). Half health and no effigies. I assume you can turn human by beating a boss in co-op but I got disconnected from a few people and now it won't let me put my sign down.

I would suggest trying a different area. There are multiple paths through this game, moreso than Dark Souls I.
 

Birathen

Member
Soo.. I got home from work and hade about two hours to play around. I managed to get to Majula and.. I COULD NOT FORCE MYSELF TO CONTINUE. Its just too safe and sunny. I.. Had to cut my playtime short instead of exploring a bit :p
 

Mana Sin

Member
I'm in the Forest/Giants area still.

Any idea what that
weird tree is about? I examined it and got a dialogue saying something like "Alas. Nothing happens."

It's past the area with the
ballistas

Also, I really like the
bonfire shortcut
just before that.
 

halfbeast

Banned
Buy Repair Powder. It's fairly cheap. There's only been 1-2 areas so far that I've needed to use powder in. The zones are usually pretty well paced. (Bonfires autorepair all gear.)

oh, so you only need to repair at the blacksmith (or powder) if it's broken? ok, that might not be so bad. my weapon broke, because I was helping as a phantom a lot (was saving up for that pharro's stone-thingy) - but if it resets the durability at the bonfire, that's totally ok with me.
 
Left analog feels kind of weird using a Dual Shock 4. It's like, when walking forward I have to tilt the stick a fair bit towards the left for it to register a slight turn. Doesn't seem to be the same for turning right though.
 

halfbeast

Banned
I'm in the Forest/Giants area still.

Any idea what that
weird tree is about? I examined it and got a dialogue saying something like "Alas. Nothing happens."

It's past the area with the
ballistas

Also, I really like the
bonfire shortcut
just before that.

didn't know you could examine
the tree!
but to not spoil much, you'll find out about it soon enough.
 
:(

why can't you return it did amazon decline your request? Maybe they can send you a regular copy of they are out of BA edition?

Oh I can return it for a refund easily. There are no more Black Armor editions available though so can't exchange it. So now looking around to see if any other stores have it in stock, but don't really want to order online from other places since most don't have as good of a return policy as amazon if I get another wrecked one.

I really got to stop ordering limited things from amazon since every time I do it comes in some really bad folded cardboard thing that just crushes everything instead of an actual box.
 

anddo0

Member
Does the Black Flamestone Dagger scale with magic, or is it just weak?

I find the dlc weapons to be lacking. The shields are decent.
 

FrankWza

Member
Oh I can return it for a refund easily. There are no more Black Armor editions available though so can't exchange it. So now looking around to see if any other stores have it in stock, but don't really want to order online from other places since most don't have as good of a return policy as amazon if I get another wrecked one.

I really got to stop ordering limited things from amazon since every time I do it comes in some really bad folded cardboard thing that just crushes everything instead of an actual box.

bestbuy has them available for in store pickup.
 
Oh that's interesting, I thought this was the only area to do at the moment. Will try exploring then.

The boss you are talking about was my 6th boss, and I had at least 3 other routes to take with an additional boss in the same area that I couldn't figure out how to get to again.
 

Sullichin

Member
Really nice write up, thanks for posting :)

Great read for someone trying to stay spoiler free before the PC version drops.

Thank you!

oh, so you only need to repair at the blacksmith (or powder) if it's broken? ok, that might not be so bad. my weapon broke, because I was helping as a phantom a lot (was saving up for that pharro's stone-thingy) - but if it resets the durability at the bonfire, that's totally ok with me.
Yes. But if you upgrade a broken weapon at the blacksmith, it will not auto repair it. I'm pretty sure it did in the first game right?

Oh that's interesting, I thought this was the only area to do at the moment. Will try exploring then.

Same thing happened to me, I died a LOT on this boss until I finally found somewhere else to go.
 
Loving this more ans more did just kinda bang my self though
Boss Spoilers
Killed the Last Giant and instead of going to level up with the 10k ish souls he drops I went exploring with the key he drops. Well I found that dude that rides the griffin. Died fighting him and dropped the souls in the boss room. While I'm sure I could beat him if I spent enough time on it I just didn't feel like it. Even popped a effigy if only to see if I could summon someone to help. No summon signs by the gate. Well time for a break anyways
 

halfbeast

Banned
Thank you!


Yes. But if you upgrade a broken weapon at the blacksmith, it will not auto repair it. I'm pretty sure it did in the first game right?

yeah, I did that too - lol! thought, I'll save some bucks by just upgrading it, but no! it's upgraded but still broken. I'm pretty sure that worked in dark and demon's souls.
 

embalm

Member
No it hasn't. Turning the brightness all the way down doesn't make shadows that didn't exist before magically appear.
Carrying a torch is what creates the dynamic shadows. All of their demo videos had the character holding a torch to show off that lighting effect. Holding a torch DOES create shadows that didnt exist before, almost by magic.

Turning down the brightness just makes the game look better. The character and enemy models reflect more light than the terrain, so that they are easier to see in dark settings, if the brightness is too high they look crap.
 

Sendero

Member
Have yet to play the game, but did read most of the thread already, so some comments:

Question about the one of the enemies. Not that spoilerish.
There's this guy in white armor just sitting near a tree near that ambush. Is he a enemy or do I have to do something before he'll talk to me?
Regarding this white armor character
Don't know if he's going to be important later, but he was relevant in the past, and apparently drops a good weapon. I personally won't kill him.
If you really want to know more, PM me. I suggest not, though.

Also, regarding all characters, think read somewhere there is an item
(ring?) that let you know the "thoughts" of characters/enemies. Not sure how it works and if it works with everyone.

Can anyone tell me what the benefit is from people rating your messages? I'm getting quite a few but I haven't noticed anything
The author receives a bit of health as reward, I think.

So I haven't picked it up yet (was planning on waiting for the PC version but I'm getting a little antsy) but after skimming the last 5 or so pages and not seeing too many overall impressions I was wondering what the consensus is so far?

I'm guessing: Different, a little clunky, but still good although too soon to say whether it's a worthy entry?
Recap:
The last 2 days had a lot of people complaining about the "lightning" gate (areas too illuminated, some places being too barren/uninteresting/gray), early bosses too easy, too many bonfires, enemies not respawning after being killed 15 times, From's reuse of some assets from previous Souls games, and apparently some (but not major) performance issues on the consoles. Seems there was (still?) some network issues that prevented some persons to invade/summon allies.

Aside of that, almost no one complained about the gameplay itself. Rather the contrary: several persons have reported to have a great time so far. So, sounds like a Soul's game, alright.
 

AngryMoth

Member
Yay I figured out a different path!

Btw I have also been wondering about torches. I have been pretty much ignoring the beacons so far, are there any events triggered by lighting them?
 
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