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Dark Souls II PC |OT| Give us smooth, Give us silky

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G

Gbraga

Member
Grief.exe said:
Interesting theory, considering
killing the Ancient Dragon only drops a Giant Soul, while the body in Brightstone Cove drops the Ancient Dragon body.

The duke in Brightstone could be Aldia as well, but I like the Navlaan theory, some interesting text on his helmet.

"Hood worn by a chaos sorcerer.

He calls himself Navlaan, now."

Also, the Scraps of Life Hex

"An esoteric spell created by Navlaan, the infamous exiled sorcerer. Awakens the souls of the long-buried dead.
The heretic Navlaan was executed along with his entire village, and the mere utterance of his name became a crime. Some say it was because he sought to restore the banned art of resurrection."
Click to expand...

OOOOOOOOOOH SHIT DAT HELM DESCRIPTION, also
Giant Soul? Why is that? Could Aldia have put it there for you to help you fight his brother then? If there's a dragon body with an Ancient Dragon Soul, then it's pretty much confirmed that the one we talk to is either an illusion or, as the hex might suggest, a ressurected version of the Ancient Dragon, using the Giant Soul to replace his original Soul, since that couldn't be replicated?

Though the fact that the body is in Brightstone (is it near the head I assumed was Seath's?) goes back to hinting that Tseldora and Aldia are either connected or the same person.

Well, since Navlaan is definitely a fake name, what if Tseldora = Aldia = Navlaan? Maybe Lord Aldia Tseldora was his name or something like that, Navlaan is just a pseudonym, so it doesn't get too convoluted as I first thought (the same guy being 3 different guys would be too much, 2 is acceptable).
 
Garcia

Garcia

Member
DukeBobby said:
Damn, just lost 600,000 souls.
Click to expand...

I assume you're already in NG++ ? If that's the case, 600K should be a cakewalk to recover.

I'm starting to land 500K in less than an hour now that I'm SL 225. Still, it hurts to lose so many souls just like that.
 
D

DukeBobby

Member
phoenix296 said:
I always wear a ring of life protection when i get >100k souls. They don't disappear on death like in ds1 and can be repaired for 3k. If you die with a blood pool somewhere while wearing the ring, your blood pool is still there.

In NG+ I don't go anywhere without one on since I'm constantly have several thousand souls on me.
Click to expand...

Losing souls is part of the fun.

With that ring, there's no risk at all. Fuck that.
 
G

Grief.exe

Member
Gbraga said:
OOOOOOOOOOH SHIT DAT HELM DESCRIPTION, also
Giant Soul? Why is that? Could Aldia have put it there for you to help you fight his brother then? If there's a dragon body with an Ancient Dragon Soul, then it's pretty much confirmed that the one we talk to is either an illusion or, as the hex might suggest, a ressurected version of the Ancient Dragon, using the Giant Soul to replace his original Soul, since that couldn't be replicated?

Though the fact that the body is in Brightstone (is it near the head I assumed was Seath's?) goes back to hinting that Tseldora and Aldia are either connected or the same person.

Well, since Navlaan is definitely a fake name, what if Tseldora = Aldia = Navlaan? Maybe Lord Aldia Tseldora was his name or something like that, Navlaan is just a pseudonym, so it doesn't get too convoluted as I first thought (the same guy being 3 different guys would be too much, 2 is acceptable).
Click to expand...

You should go interact with what you assumed was Seath's head in Brightstone Cove.
 
V

Vitor711

Member
Alo81 said:
Glad to help. Quitting the "legitimate" way is totally a pain in the ass. Knowing the Alt+F4 trick makes fidgeting with settings and taking ridiculous resolution screenshots a much nicer experience.
Click to expand...

Well that's going to save me so much time.

Hate it when devs don't include a 'quit to desktop' option in the menu. It's the one thing that makes it apparent that the PC version was not the priority. DkS 2 is a great port too so it's a shame they overlooked that one thing.
 
T

Timu

Member
92 deaths...hate
The Gutter, Black Gulch and The Rotten
so much, but at least I'm by all that so I don't have to put up with
poison spitting statues
ever again.

At
Drangleic Castle
now.
 
G

Gbraga

Member
Timu said:
92 deaths...hate
The Gutter, Black Gulch and The Rotten
so much, but at least I'm by all that so I don't have to put up with
poison spitting statues
ever again.

At
Drangleic Castle
now.
Click to expand...

Really? I LOVE
The Rotten
, in fact, I really wish he was a lot harder so the fight would be more interesting.
 
F

fade_

Member
Timu said:
92 deaths...hate
The Gutter, Black Gulch and The Rotten
so much, but at least I'm by all that so I don't have to put up with
poison spitting statues
ever again.

At
Drangleic Castle
now.
Click to expand...

You know those statues are destructable right? =P
 
C

chaobreaker

Member
Doing my first run on my second character and I notice that you can go to
Drangleic Castle with just 3 grand souls acquired. Emerald Herald even acknowledges your weakness near the castle.
 
G

Grief.exe

Member
Timu said:
92 deaths...hate
The Gutter, Black Gulch and The Rotten
so much, but at least I'm by all that so I don't have to put up with
poison spitting statues
ever again.

At
Drangleic Castle
now.
Click to expand...

Loved those sections. I took my time and picked my steps very carefully.

chaobreaker said:
Doing my first run on my second character and I notice that you can go to
Drangleic Castle with just 3 grand souls acquired. Emerald Herald even acknowledges your weakness near the castle.
Click to expand...

I did the same thing, apparently the Shrine of Winter is based on SM.

I wonder if you can sequence break to get the King's Ring, but the Ancient Dragon won't give you the Ashen Mist Heart as you haven't proven yourself
 
G

Gbraga

Member
chaobreaker said:
Doing my first run on my second character and I notice that you can go to
Drangleic Castle with just 3 grand souls acquired. Emerald Herald even acknowledges your weakness near the castle.
Click to expand...

You just need 1kk soul memory

Stormtrooper said:
Cutting of it's arm was quite fun shame you couldn't get a reward for it.
Click to expand...

Grief.exe said:
The other thing I miss from Dark Souls 1? Cutting off boss tails to get cool weapons.
Click to expand...

Yes, that was super sad. First time I saw
a Dragon, my first instinct was "CUT THIS MOTHERFUCKER". The tail even came off, but nothing.

Didn't know you could cut that boss' arm though, I'll definitely try it.
 
Haunted

Haunted

Member
chaobreaker said:
Doing my first run on my second character and I notice that you can go to
Drangleic Castle with just 3 grand souls acquired. Emerald Herald even acknowledges your weakness near the castle.
Click to expand...
It's
either 4 great souls or 1 million Soul Memory

Grief.exe said:
The other thing I miss from Dark Souls 1? Cutting off boss tails to get cool weapons.
Click to expand...
Yeah, it's weird that they put the mechanic in some of the boss fights but removed the rewards for it.
 
T

Timu

Member
Gbraga said:
Really? I LOVE
The Rotten
, in fact, I really wish he was a lot harder so the fight would be more interesting.
Click to expand...
His Dark energy blasts made the fight harder for someone who melees mainly.=p

fade_ said:
You know those statues are destructable right? =P
Click to expand...
I did, and it takes forever to destroy the ones in your way since 2 shots from them is instant poison.=O
 
G

Gbraga

Member
Um, Grief, about the Giant Souls,
if they can be used to give a reanimated corpse life again, couldn't that explain why the giants become trees when they die? Maybe they were always trees that were given life using those souls.

I have no idea by whom, though.

It's probably Ornstein's fault, he always fucks my theories when I have to consider "wait, but what about Ornstein?". He's worse than Dogeyes.
 
K

knitoe

Member
Timu said:
92 deaths...hate
The Gutter, Black Gulch and The Rotten
so much, but at least I'm by all that so I don't have to put up with
poison spitting statues
ever again.

At
Drangleic Castle
now.
Click to expand...
I don't even care about getting poison. Once you are poison, you are now immune to it until the poison bar drops. I just drink a potion.
 
H

Htown

STOP SHITTING ON MY MOTHER'S HEADSTONE
just beat the boss, watched the credits

holy shit, LevelUp Waifu is voiced by Ruth Negga? Mind blown.
 
F

Firebrand

Member
Servers down again? C'mon, From, you're making GFWL look good. At least that service was always up (the few times I used it).

Just entered
Aldia's Keep
and there's some nutter whining about "what have you done"... I assume it's related to the
lever
on the other side? If so, would have been nice if they had put it after you encounter the guy. Oh well.

Game's been a lot of fun, if a bit linear in some areas. Game also got a lot easier as the game progressed, not unlike the first game. I'm guessing on the final stretch now, for some reason the warp screen is showing "???" slots for remaining areas which I don't remember seeing before. Don't like that much so I'm trying to not look at them, been playing most of the game without looking at any info outside of it.
 
P

Piano

Banned
Grief.exe said:
I'm a firm believer in the Souls games being played completely blind. Takes out a piece of the mystery when you have every step, item, secret, and NPC told to you.

Save the guides for an NG+ run.
Click to expand...

I agree somewhat but I definitely would not have stuck with the first DS and ended up enjoying it if I hadn't consulted Wikis on many occasions. I like to do as much as reasonably possible on my own but when the game (especially DS1) gives you jack shit in terms of explanation of what item functions are, it's off to the Wiki I go.

Without the Wiki (for DS1) I would have never known that Fire Keeper souls could upgrade my Estus Flask and, more pressingly, could not for the life of me figure out how to get to the Four Kings. I had picked up the ring of abyss hours and hours earlier, read the vague non-description and forgotten about it.

Basically, I need the Wikis to elaborate on things the game just doesn't explain. Cryptic is fun to a certain degree but not if I have to waste tons of resources just to figure out basic shit.

EDIT: Also mage playthrough wasn't fun in the least without some help on how to make it work and help tracking down the halfway decent spells.

Admiral Woofington said:
1. Life gems are "limited" in the sense that early on you can have maybe 10 or so at a time and not find many more. Later in the game some enemies drop them and they're easier to come by imho. Currently I have like 20 something regular life gems, but there's also higher grade ones. Don't go crazy with them, always use estus flask first if possible since those recharge at every bonfire.

2. Backstabbing is probably less responsive since it seems like enemies turn around quicker when you sneak behind them. But yes it feels like there's a smaller window to do them in this game imho.

3. You can parry. Once the enemy is parried/knocked back you can do a stabbing/finishing move that's unique to the parry that does a ton of damage. Most people with smaller weapons tend to switch for a bigger weapon when the enemy is knocked back. Do more damage and all.

4. The wikis are great. I can't recommend the DSII wiki enough. They have a recommended location order list, and each location entry has a guide on what to get and who to meet. Highly recommended for newbies in NG.
Click to expand...

Thanks!
 
G

Gbraga

Member
Darth Zandatsu said:
Guys, dont forget to post in the Lore thread if you have found something interesting or have a theory regarding the game's lore :)
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=104787033
Click to expand...

Too scared of spoilers, I'll visit after I beat the game, but so far it's safer for me to keep it here with spoiler tags. But I'll read it after I beat it for sure!

I get the feeling that
the Queen, Vendrick and Aldia
are the new Gwyndolin, Frampt and Kaathe, when it comes to their importance to the story and how it plays out.
 
C

Crab Milk Mickey

Member
Grief.exe said:
Interesting theory, considering
killing the Ancient Dragon only drops a Giant Soul, while the body in Brightstone Cove drops the Ancient Dragon soul.

The duke in Brightstone could be Aldia as well, but I like the Navlaan theory, some interesting text on his helmet.

"Hood worn by a chaos sorcerer.

He calls himself Navlaan, now."

Also, the Scraps of Life Hex

"An esoteric spell created by Navlaan, the infamous exiled sorcerer. Awakens the souls of the long-buried dead.
The heretic Navlaan was executed along with his entire village, and the mere utterance of his name became a crime. Some say it was because he sought to restore the banned art of resurrection."

Possibly Aldia (AKA Navlaan) succeeded in resurrecting the Ancient Dragon with a Giant Soul
Click to expand...
Gbraga said:
OOOOOOOOOOH SHIT DAT HELM DESCRIPTION, also
Giant Soul? Why is that? Could Aldia have put it there for you to help you fight his brother then? If there's a dragon body with an Ancient Dragon Soul, then it's pretty much confirmed that the one we talk to is either an illusion or, as the hex might suggest, a ressurected version of the Ancient Dragon, using the Giant Soul to replace his original Soul, since that couldn't be replicated?

Though the fact that the body is in Brightstone (is it near the head I assumed was Seath's?) goes back to hinting that Tseldora and Aldia are either connected or the same person.

Well, since Navlaan is definitely a fake name, what if Tseldora = Aldia = Navlaan? Maybe Lord Aldia Tseldora was his name or something like that, Navlaan is just a pseudonym, so it doesn't get too convoluted as I first thought (the same guy being 3 different guys would be too much, 2 is acceptable).
Click to expand...
I thought the same before, but
Aldia
is not
Navlaan
. This other theory was brought up over at the lore thread and sounds more plausible.
 
B

Booshka

Member
Haunted said:
I'm watching this 58:15 speedrun right now and it's blowing my goddamn mind.
Click to expand...

Orthogonal said:
Damn, I remember when he broke the 90 minute mark. This guy is ridiculous.
Click to expand...

Here is the current World Record for Any% on the current version of the game. Distortion2 is right now the fastest runner, but Noobest is at his heels and Santzo is starting to learn the skip as well. All bosses is held by Elajjazz.

DkS2 runs are starting to get really entertaining, pretty optimized and damn fast.
 
G

Gbraga

Member
Crab Milk Mickey said:
I thought the same before, but
Aldia
is not
Navlaan
. This other theory was brought up over at the lore thread and sounds more plausible.
Click to expand...

This is a really great read and does sound a lot more plausible,
but what would be his (either Olenford or Navlaan) goal in assisting Aldia with his resurrection spell? Maybe Navlaan mentioned it while trying to bargain his freedom and that made Aldia's eyes all shiny?
 
G

Gazoinks

Member
Crab Milk Mickey said:
I thought the same before, but
Aldia
is not
Navlaan
. This other theory was brought up over at the lore thread and sounds more plausible.
Click to expand...

This should probably be taken to the lore thread, but I'm not sure about this.
Navlaan's other personality explicitly says it was "created", not that it's possessing the body. My assumption is: Navlaan (not his real name) is a royal sorcerer experimenting with magic or pyromancy to resurrect people, something goes wrong and his personality splinters. The king realizes this and orders his entire village to be wiped out, but Navlaan either escapes or is spirited away by Aldia (who wants to experiment on him) and seals himself behind the blue fog in the keep. The connection to Olenfor seems like a big leap to me, not to mention why would a Melfian be a royal sorcerer in Drangleic?
 
R

Rhaknar

The Steam equivalent of the drunk friend who keeps offering to pay your tab all night.
I asked this morning and maybe I missed the reply, if so I apologize, but when/where do I get dark spells? These soul spear derivatives look so boring :(
 
G

Gbraga

Member
Gazoinks said:
This should probably be taken to the lore thread, but I'm not sure about this.
Navlaan's other personality explicitly says it was "created", not that it's possessing the body. My assumption is: Navlaan (not his real name) is a royal sorcerer experimenting with magic or pyromancy to resurrect people, something goes wrong and his personality splinters. The king realizes this and orders his entire village to be wiped out, but Navlaan either escapes or is spirited away by Aldia (who wants to experiment on him) and seals himself behind the blue fog in the keep. The connection to Olenfor seems like a big leap to me, not to mention why would a Melfian be a royal sorcerer in Drangleic?
Click to expand...

I thought the same thing, the "calls himself Navlaan" bit seemed almost like a homage. Someone who decided to let go of their name and take this old powerful sorcerer who messed with resurrection. That was one of the main things behind my Aldia = Navlaan theory, he took the identity of Navlaan and experimented with resurrection, and managed to make a perfect Ancient Dragon using a Giant Soul and Petrified Dragon Bones.

That said, his personality disorders are definitely suspicious, and the dialogue fits perfectly with that theory. As for why he'd be a Royal Sorcerer, either he wasn't and Navlaan was, or Aldia made him a Royal Sorcerer because he wanted his resurrection powers to achieve his goal to make a Dragon.
 
B

Booshka

Member
Rhaknar said:
I asked this morning and maybe I missed the reply, if so I apologize, but when/where do I get dark spells? These soul spear derivatives look so boring :(
Click to expand...

First bonfire of Huntsmans copse, the cave behind you should have an NPC in a Chair. If you have certain Faith and Int Requirements (8/8 I think) then you can talk to him and buy hexes and he will also give you stuff if you have more than base requirements for a lot of hexes. Later on there is a covenant that specializes in Dark, as covenant rewards you will get Hexes and Chimes, and can also purchase more.
 
N

Necromanti

Member
Well, shit.

I probably died 10 times against the L
ooking
G
lass
 K
night
because I'd usually end up making a mistake around the 4th phantom he summons, misjudging the downtime between his attacks and taking too long for my health to replenish with Estus. So I thought, for shits and giggles, to try out a hammer instead of my sword just to see how a different weapon type would do different damage. I was probably doing ~200 damage per hit now instead of 150, which was nice, but the craziest thing was that I interrupted his summoning. I beat him on the first try after that
.

Now on to the S
hrine
of A
mana, which looks nice despite all the horror stories I've been hearing. I'm wondering if it's an area of illusion and entrapment, though, because I've been mesmerized by the siren song, almost causing me to go towards the shiny spots in the water (which quickly surprised me). I want to find the source of the singing, though.
 
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