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Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin |OT| Your weapons are weak, old man

pixlexic

Banned
Is this game not available digitally on PS4 or something? Can't find it on the store and nothing comes up through a google search either...

FF type o did the same thing... it wasn't available for preordered until the day before I think.
 

RiccochetJ

Gold Member
I'm probably going to double dip on this. I spent a lot of time in 2 and loved it. I only got the first dlc, so seeing the other stuff as a complete package would be a bonus.
 

_h8bit

Banned
Played a tiny bit of dark souls but From games didn't really click until recently with Bloodborne. Would this game be a next good place to continue with or would ya'll recommend going back to DS1 or DeS?
 
Played a tiny bit of dark souls but From games didn't really click until recently with Bloodborne. Would this game be a next good place to continue with or would ya'll recommend going back to DS1 or DeS?
This game is pretty divisive. I'd postpone playing this until you played the other two.
 

The Lamp

Member
So odd that people are downplaying twinkers. Ganking and minmaxing twinkers were huge sore spots in DeS and DkS1.

I like to tell myself that I play and love video games, but I honestly have no idea wtf vocabulary like this means or where it comes from.
 

Kapow

Member
Where are you located?

Canada

Edit: Oh so it will be available closer to the release that's good to hear. I just saw that the xbox one version is up for preorder and was worried maybe the ps4 version wasn't going digital. Thanks guys
 
I'm really curious to see how Bloodborne fans who have never played a Souls game respond to Dark Souls II. On the one hand, many of the aspects that Souls fans found to be played out will be fairly fresh, but on the other hand there are quite a few differences in the combat and supporting systems compared to Bloodborne.

Personally I would highly recommend Dark Souls II to any Bloodborne fan. The world geography isn't as well explained and the game doesn't have the highs of its predecessors but it's a solid and consistent experience throughout with plenty of wonderful things to do and see. I'll be picking this version up at some point for sure but it will probably be awhile.
 

Kalnos

Banned
I like to tell myself that I play and love video games, but I honestly have no idea wtf vocabulary like this means or where it comes from.

First time I remember hearing it was WoW like 10 years ago. Referred to characters who capped their level at a certain point, got ridiculously geared/enchanted and then proceeded to dominate with superior gear. Basically the same thing as Dark Souls twinks.
 

Hugstable

Banned
Can't wait for this, haven't played it much before and I love Souls games. Probably gonna be done with NG+ in Bloodborne by the time this comes out, so I'm gonna be ready.
 

Kai Dracon

Writing a dinosaur space opera symphony
I believe this version was said to have a new boss run shortcut in at least one area.
The pirate wharf.

I wonder if there will be other changes to actual level geometry, even if not shortcuts. I'm trying to think about which areas could have benefited from a shortcut and it was conspicuously absent.
 

Sid

Member
While I appreciate the quicker combat, I think I mostly have come to love the boss designs and the environments the most. Also finding secret areas, side stories and quests.
In that case,you should try to complete for Dark Souls first
 
While I appreciate the quicker combat, I think I mostly have come to love the boss designs and the environments the most. Also finding secret areas, side stories and quests.
One of the biggest complaints towards Dark Souls II is the structure of the world. The first Dark Souls introduced (and nailed) the open and connected structure you see in Bloodborne, with very little emphasis on fast travel and much more placed on finding great shortcuts and connecting paths.

The structure of Dark Souls II is more like a bicycle wheel. You have the central hub which is basically the Hunter's Dream equivalent, and from there you can go down a few different "spokes", all of which contain multiple areas that are connected in a fairly linear fashion. Due to the introduction of fast-traveling from any bonfire to any other there is very little emphasis placed on finding shortcuts as with Dark Souls I and Bloodborne. Some people really don't like this about the game. Personally I find it somewhat inferior to the excellent world design of Dark Souls I and Bloodborne but I still loved the individual areas for what they were and enjoyed the world design overall.

If you are interested in playing a game that has a world structure more similar to Bloodborne you should start with Dark Souls I, otherwise II should be a fine entry point. Regardless, you should play both (and Demon's). :)
 

Parsnip

Member
So odd that people are downplaying twinkers. Ganking and minmaxing twinkers were huge sore spots in DeS and DkS1. Some weird revisionism going on here. Soul Memory probably wasn't the best solution, but to say it wasn't a problem is a little silly.

So it's just like every other Souls thread. People always conveniently forget the lows of DeS and DkS because Miyazaki is their lord and savior and can do no wrong.
 
Ugh...so conflicted. I'm loving Bloodborne (my first "Souls" game) but I'm not sure if I'll truly like this one. The aesthetic/setting doesn't appeal to me nearly as much as BB's...
 

Dimmle

Member
Poor Dark Souls 2. I thought you were good enough not to register into the Dark Souls narrative as a disappointment.
 

Derpyduck

Banned
Played a tiny bit of dark souls but From games didn't really click until recently with Bloodborne. Would this game be a next good place to continue with or would ya'll recommend going back to DS1 or DeS?

DS1 is the best game From has made imo. If that's an option for you, get it.
 

Foffy

Banned
Ugh...so conflicted. I'm loving Bloodborne (my first "Souls" game) but I'm not sure if I'll truly like this one. The aesthetic/setting doesn't appeal to me nearly as much as BB's...

Finish Bloodborne, and start at Demon's. Then work your way upwards. Dark Souls II does have some major connections to its previous game, so you won't get the same impact most players would be getting with the experience, too.
 

takriel

Member
Ugh...so conflicted. I'm loving Bloodborne (my first "Souls" game) but I'm not sure if I'll truly like this one. The aesthetic/setting doesn't appeal to me nearly as much as BB's...

Yup, I can see this becoming a common complaint for those that started with Bloodborne. It's no different to us who started with Demon's or Dark Souls 1, really.

DkS 2 has the weakest atmosphere/aesthetic/setting of all Souls games imo.
 

E92 M3

Member
Yup, I can see this becoming a common complaint for those that started with Bloodborne. It's no different to us who started with Demon's or Dark Souls 1, really.

DkS 2 has the weakest atmosphere/aesthetic/setting of all Souls games imo.

Drangleic Castle
was a great setting - I loved arriving there for the first time. Majula was pretty, too.
 
Why can't every game as perfect the paragon of animations, physics and hit detection that is Miyazaki-san's masterpiece Bloodborne?

bbpig.gif

This is a weird bug. The pig patrols a staircase, and I guess he's just too much of a fatass to fit properly into it
 

E92 M3

Member
Damn, I am trying to avoid BB discussion (just got my PS4 bundle yesterday) and it's so prominent in here =/
 
So if I have the base game on PS3, and I don't have a ps4, then the only thing Scholar offers me is a way to buy all of the DLC in one transaction? Is it even cheaper?
 

Mengy

wishes it were bannable to say mean things about Marvel
Great OT. Was hoping for "Prepare to Rebuy Edition" but this one was pretty good too.

LOL, that's so much a better OT title!!!


I never bought DS2 yet, still want to play more NG+'s of DS1, so I'm glad I waited now as this version seems to be the one to get obviously.
 
Finish Bloodborne, and start at Demon's. Then work your way upwards. Dark Souls II does have some major connections to its previous game, so you won't get the same impact most players would be getting with the experience, too.
Well, I no longer own a PS3/360 unfortunately :-/
 
While I appreciate the quicker combat, I think I mostly have come to love the boss designs and the environments the most. Also finding secret areas, side stories and quests.

Sounds like DS2 will accomidate you just fine in that regard. The world isn't as consistent as Yarnham but on the flipside it's a lot more diverse.
 
I'd argue that Dark Souls 2 is a great starting point to the series or for people just coming from Bloodborne. Mechanically it's the most transparent of the series with less intentional obfuscation of its systems. Be prepared for a slower game than Bloodborne, but not significantly so and if you favor the more aggressive nature of Bloodborne, I think Dark Souls 2 allows for a significantly more offensive playstyle than Dark Souls 1 or Demons Souls. People talk about hiding behind shields, but dual wielding two massive claymores is actually a very viable option in Dark Souls 2
 

Zophar

Member
Ugh...so conflicted. I'm loving Bloodborne (my first "Souls" game) but I'm not sure if I'll truly like this one. The aesthetic/setting doesn't appeal to me nearly as much as BB's...

Play them all starting with DeS. DkS1 is IMO the best, but DeS is really awesome and DkS1 introduces a few quality of life upgrades that make it difficult to go backwards from (like item burden in DeS, wtf were they thinking.)

DkS 2 is awesome too, and I'd say ignore the haters and make your own judgment. I personally appreciate that it does its own thing and avoided retreading everything about the first two (which DkS1 got a little criticism for by being a little too similar to its predecessor.)
 

BouncyFrag

Member
I'd grab this but I don't think I could handle playing two new 'Souls' games at the same time. Even though BB finally clicked yesterday
(I finally killed the Cleric Beast and will soon make short order of Father G)
I'll be happy when I can get my shield back, lol.
 

ironcreed

Banned
While I appreciate the quicker combat, I think I mostly have come to love the boss designs and the environments the most. Also finding secret areas, side stories and quests.

Then you will enjoy Dark Souls II. Especially when you get to areas like Huntsman's Copse. It has a wonderful variety and a ton of areas to explore and enjoy.
 

Carlius

Banned
Ugh...so conflicted. I'm loving Bloodborne (my first "Souls" game) but I'm not sure if I'll truly like this one. The aesthetic/setting doesn't appeal to me nearly as much as BB's...

you know...its a souls game. you know its better than mostly anything out there. if you gave bb a chance i relaly dont see any justification to not give ds2 a chance specially with the dlc which is very good. seriously. so many haters with such illegitimate reasons, not even giving it a chance being one of them.
 
Ugh...so conflicted. I'm loving Bloodborne (my first "Souls" game) but I'm not sure if I'll truly like this one. The aesthetic/setting doesn't appeal to me nearly as much as BB's...

Get DaS1 on PC?

DaS1 has a much better sense of adventure than BB IMO.

You are thrust into such a large, connected world, and finding the shortcuts and secrets are so incredibly rewarding. I seriously wish to see more games do this sort of thing.

There is ALWAYS somewhere to go and explore, and the variety opens up incredibly quick to forests, caves, dungeons, etc. There are a lot of items to find too, making the sense of adventure feel really rewarding.

Seriously: discovering so many items, clothes, weapons, and connecting this vast world are two incredibly well designed aspects of DaS that I still think back to.

Aesthetically, DaS1's environments are gorgeous, there is a somber atmosphere that feels so right, and the lore is so fun to discover too. Such a big part of what makes this medium so good in storytelling is exploring and piecing together the story yourself, and DaS's large world feels like a dream to discover.

If you just aren't into the medieval setting and more into Victorian: I had felt very indifferent to this setting myself when picking up Demon's Souls for the first time, even thinking that it would put me off from continuing to play the gam entirely, but I swear, DeS and DaS just makes it feel so special.
 

Neoweee

Member
In terms of being accommodating to new players, Dark Souls 2 does a ton of great things:

+ It has the best tutorial in the series. It teaches you how to jump!
+ It is the least linear with regards to early progression.
+ Early fast travel helps you find the challenges that you can handle with relatively little barrier to trying it out.
+ It allows you to level from the get go. No having to reach or beat a boss, no having to find a special item first.
+ It gives you access to covenants the earliest, and the PVP/Multiplayer mechanics are easily the most clear and understandable without a guide.
+ It allows you to respec, if you screw up your build.
+ There are no worthless bogey stats, which are basically in all three of the other games. Whatever you put points in, you can make a use for.
 
Play them all starting with DeS. DkS1 is IMO the best, but DeS is really awesome and DkS1 introduces a few quality of life upgrades that make it difficult to go backwards from (like item burden in DeS, wtf were they thinking.)

DkS 2 is awesome too, and I'd say ignore the haters and make your own judgment. I personally appreciate that it does its own thing and avoided retreading everything about the first two (which DkS1 got a little criticism for by being a little too similar to its predecessor.)

While I agree that people should play 2, I wouldn't say it does it's own thing too much. If anything, my major criticism for 2 is that it feels like From took the template from Souls 1 and based a game off that it. It almost feels uninspired compared to Demons and Dark (hyperbole being used here of course) which felt like stand alone titles in their own respective universes with this really unique feel. Souls 2, atmosphere and world wise felt really "been there, done that."
 

ironcreed

Banned
In terms of being accommodating to new players, Dark Souls 2 does a ton of great things:

+ It has the best tutorial in the series. It teaches you how to jump!
+ It is the least linear with regards to early progression.
+ Early fast travel helps you find the challenges that you can handle with relatively little barrier to trying it out.
+ It allows you to level from the get go. No having to reach or beat a boss, no having to find a special item first.
+ It gives you access to covenants the earliest, and the PVP/Multiplayer mechanics are easily the most clear and understandable without a guide.
+ It allows you to respec, if you screw up your build.
+ There are no worthless bogey stats, which are basically in all three of the other games. Whatever you put points in, you can make a use for.

I think it also has the best environment diversity as well. Just my opinion.
 
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