Man I'm loving this so hard. No one wants to invade though, plenty of activity, I saw three grey phantoms at once, that never happened at all in the first. Just makes it all the more fun to leave messages when you know there are plenty of players in your area.
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Dark Souls II PC |OT| Give us smooth, Give us silky
- Thread starter Vazra
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Cool, thanks for the advice. I'll try upgrading my large club. By the way, does anyone know a quick way to get Pharros Lockstones?
I can't get into Belfry Luna because I don't have any. I had a couple of white phantoms lead me to a Pharros Lock in the room below the second bonfire of The Lost Bastille and continuously point to it. I decided to look up what that lock does and I've read that this is actually opens a new area.
chaobreaker
Member
What's the point of cracked blue eye orbs? They don't seem to reward anything in won invasions and the majority of the playerbase doesn't sin.
Orthogonal
Member
NG+ is very active for them. I think the wins also count toward covenant level.
Comes into its own in NG+ to hunt down players who have slaughtered every NPC.
chaobreaker
Member
There's a couple in the area after
you drop down the well in Majula
Also, forgot to mention that the Large Club seems to be one of the few weapons that has grade S scaling on Str. You may find other clubs that do more base damage, but with enough points in Str, it will still be better. I'm tempted to add lightning to mine as all the armoured enemies also seem to be weak against that. Not sure it's worth the hit from S-scaling to A in Str though that the process requires, especially when my faith is only 16 or so.
Ranger Taffles
Member
Finished the game two days ago. I'll spoiler tag my overall impressions.
The game certainly delivers on its core fundamentals. The first impression I took was the awesome areas and their own sense of attachment to Drangleic. As well as that, I absolutely loved the NPCs and AI. Their sidequests, dialogue and every other feature felt much more prominent to the narrative. Even the lore could be included. It all just felt refined for me. I don't get the linear level design complaints because I enjoyed the unique features of almost all areas, even if they were in similar contrast to DkS and DeS. More importantly, this was the best Souls game for me in terms of PvP and Co-op. Smooth and very nicely designed to specific areas.
Major complaints would be regarding the boss fights. I just found them a bit too easy in co-op. In addition they lacked that special intimidation I felt in the original DkS. Frankly, it just came off as a bit lazy in terms of originality IMO. Moreover, I never really understood the proper use of Soul Memory. Like many others have said, it was even more confusing in the later parts of the game.
In conclusion, game is brilliant and its shortcomings are just insignificant to its overall value. My favourite part has to be the walk to Drangleic Castle and going into the memories, particularly the Dragon Memory. It was probably the most incredible sight for me in the game.
Major complaints would be regarding the boss fights. I just found them a bit too easy in co-op. In addition they lacked that special intimidation I felt in the original DkS. Frankly, it just came off as a bit lazy in terms of originality IMO. Moreover, I never really understood the proper use of Soul Memory. Like many others have said, it was even more confusing in the later parts of the game.
In conclusion, game is brilliant and its shortcomings are just insignificant to its overall value. My favourite part has to be the walk to Drangleic Castle and going into the memories, particularly the Dragon Memory. It was probably the most incredible sight for me in the game.
Interesting. Does anyone know what Str the Large Club matches the Great Club in damage?
Cannon Goose
Member
And I also haven't encountered any of the latency issues people talk about. Maybe I just have a good connection to the server
Matchmaking uses servers, once you're connected it's all peer-to-peer just like the previous games.
Here's a gif from a video I recorded today (of a dirty cheater! But that's irrelevant) showcasing some latency that seems pretty common regardless of how good your connection is:
I'm in Australia and although I expect the worst when it comes to online play, it's actually not so bad. I definitely have more lag-free matches than I do horribly laggy ones. However, these "phantom hits" are consistent in nearly every fight and really make the online kind of a gamble some of the time.
I've seen videos from players in the US who experience the same thing often and their connections are vastly better than mine will ever be, so I'm inclined to think it's a problem with Dark Souls 2 itself. Dark Souls 1 was never this bad, even with my crappy internet.
12 times in what, 60 hours? Essentially non-existent. I was invaded over 20 times yesterday alone in NG++
What is this head piece you're using? It goes really well with the armor, I'm using the Tattered Cloth Hood with this armor, and it looks like shit.
demosthenes
Member
I haven't been invaded once on my first play through @ 12 hours or so?
Doesn't say so on the store page. Which is pretty lame if it has no cloud save.
12 times in ~50 hours, but 10 of those were in the later 30 or so. Personally, I think that's a great number if you are not playing specifically to engage in PvP - not so much that it distracts compeltely from the main game experience, but enough to provide a diversion and tension. And if you do want to focus on PvP you should do the invading yourself, do duels or get into a covenant supporting that.
I really don't see the issue. It appears to effectively curb the low level ganking which happened in DS1 (e.g. with a "SL1" character fully decked out and with a maximum level pyromancy glove), which is something that was distracting at times in DS1.
I was being facetious with my server remark, obviously. I do realize the actual synchronous multiplayer is all peer to peer -- but that just makes it all the more dependent on individual player's connections. Not just yours, but also the invader's. As I said, I haven't seen what your image shows, but I'm also in central Europe.
it's the head part of the wanderer set i started with
it's not strong or anything but looks cool with most armors so i generally use that when human
I'd take getting ganked 12 times in NG over having a broken endgame PvP that's ultimately going to be everyone being SL999. If you don't see the issue with soul memory, you're purposely not trying to see it. Everyone will have every kind of broken spell, endless attunement slots, huge HP pool, ability to use any weapon. Soul memory is the reason this game won't have anywhere near the kind of legs that DS1 had, shit I'm already getting tired of the game after 75 hours in the PC version.
I started getting invaded after I beat the final boss (playthrough took me around 50 hours). Also for the entirety of my playthrough I was a Sunbro so I don't know if that mattered. Maybe I got sin from using the Black Separation Crystal when I was summoned at a boss fight once and the host was lagging so bad that I couldn't play
OminoMichelin
Member
Shaded woods, from the bonfire go left.
btw, was just killed by a syan knight by a spear thrust...from behind him.
I wasn't talking about the end game, I was talking about the first playthrough. Please go back to where I entered the conversation. Maybe they should keep Soul Memory for NG (where it fulfills its intended purpose well) and switch back to SL-based matchmaking once a character completes the game.
Or perhaps they really do want people to restart characters more often
I already used up the lockstones straight after getting them. I wish I could take them back now lol
.I guess I need to figure out where to go to next tonight...
Huntsman's Corpse?
YianGaruga
Banned
Very rarely they do hit, and then the other person is almost dead (with Sunlight Spear). It's no risk since almost no one punishes you for it.
Infinite_Daremo
Member
Its easy enough to hit heavy armoured chars. I can't hit light armour characters for the life of me
Also fuck the
Ancient Dragon
chaobreaker
Member
Out of curiosity, which of the 2 big Dark Souls wiki's do you prefer for the occasional lookup?
http://darksouls2.wiki.fextralife.com
or
http://darksouls2.wikidot.com
http://darksouls2.wiki.fextralife.com
or
http://darksouls2.wikidot.com
Thorwaldsson
Member
Cause they deal all the damage.
I don't like soul memory either but this isn't true. It's up to you to not be a level 800 havel santier's hexer. There are plenty of people playing who aren't being lame like that. That being said it's no fun to fight hugely overleveled people who can take a beating and kill you in one hit.
I mostly dislike Soul Memory in NG because I want to be able to make characters to invade in a specific area of the game, at an appropriate (fair) level with appropriate equipment. In Dark Souls I did this easily. In DS2 it's nearly impossible because of limited cracked red orbs and soul memory.
In NG+ I don't mind it much because while I might be matched up with much higher level players, I'm used to that since DS1 PVP and it doesn't really bother me. At least I can play constantly.
demosthenes
Member
Former. Didn't know about the latter.
It seems that fextralife has paid google for the additional searches provided from the platform.
wikidot was the original from dark souls 1 and I continue to use it into the sequel.
You can't just give google money for better search results...
FUCK I sold it >_______<
SeventhSon
Member
I use and contribute to wikidot. You may see some of my tips on the Darklurker page.
ohhh. ohhohohohooo. Well then, the long arm of the law will return in NG+, sinners.
I do like showing up and just brain splattering random red phantoms though. "To serve and protect."
I look both.
chaobreaker
Member
Hmm I looked up all the covenants and see what they offer and none of them have any direct benefits for INT builds/sorcery users.
Sucks, thought From wouldn't overlook them like they did in DaS.
Sucks, thought From wouldn't overlook them like they did in DaS.
demosthenes
Member
I've always just typed into chrome "dark souls 2 wiki <item i had a question about>" and fextralife was what came up.
cm osi
Member
I dunno even in NG I personally find it flawed. It should be souls used, not obtained. So at least then you can purposefully limit yourself to stay around other peoples levels for Co-Op/PvP or whatever.I wasn't talking about the end game, I was talking about the first playthrough. Please go back to where I entered the conversation. Maybe they should keep Soul Memory for NG (where it fulfills its intended purpose well) and switch back to SL-based matchmaking once a character completes the game.
Or perhaps they really do want people to restart characters more often
Laurentius
Member
Just beat
. Man, that was intense. My hands were sweating pretty badly near the end. (I'm also playing in the Covenant of Champions, so I can't summon for them.)
I'm actually really enjoying most of the bosses so far. I love how they all have a fair number of "rare" attacks. You think you've memorized their movesets after a few tries, and then they pull out something completely new that kills you because you weren't expecting it.
The Sentinels
I'm actually really enjoying most of the bosses so far. I love how they all have a fair number of "rare" attacks. You think you've memorized their movesets after a few tries, and then they pull out something completely new that kills you because you weren't expecting it.
Cannon Goose
Member
It's fun just tanking them for zero damage with a 100% lightning resist shield. If your cast time is fast enough you can hit people using estus with lightning spears. I did it a handful of times on my faith build.
Agreed. It doesn't particularly make sense that it's based purely on souls obtained. If it's an attempt to create a level playing field, then why is it meaningful if someone has amassed souls they never actually put towards anything?
Total souls gained is not a good barometer for experience or ability either since that person could be gaining most of those souls in co-op but then be limited to tougher PvP matchups, or they may be dying frequently and be forced to go through levels over and over, gaining souls that way.
Smelter Demon gave me the most trouble. I imagine he is easier with magic, but my character is a 100% melee build and his attacks did a ton of damage
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