• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

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

Neoweee

Member
Hear hear. Dark Chasm is poo. It's easily the worst designed area in the series. Overpowered enemies, hassle getting to the boss, insane favoring of certain builds, yuck...

People keep saying that DS2's lows weren't as low as "second part" of DS1. I'd say that Dark Chasms and Ancient Dragon are much lower than anything in DS1.

Yes, but they are extreme, extreme late game zones and completely optional.
 

Toxi

Banned
Did they fix the elevator from Earthen Peak to Iron Keep so it goes down instead of up? That bugged me so much in the original game, especially since the Iron Keep was otherwise one of my favorite Souls areas.
 

Neoweee

Member
It's optional but that's not an excuse for lazy game design. DS2 has mountains of content, but I'd rather have half the content and more quality instead.

What is lazy about it? It is really hard, but nothing about it seems that cheap, or any cheaper than the other NPC encounters in this or BB, nor is the dragon particularly worse than the Defiled chalice.
 
Hear hear. Dark Chasm is poo. It's easily the worst designed area in the series. Overpowered enemies, hassle getting to the boss, insane favoring of certain builds, yuck...

People keep saying that DS2's lows weren't as low as "second part" of DS1. I'd say that Dark Chasms and Ancient Dragon are much lower than anything in DS1.


I don't know if I'd say that about the chasm. The enemies are strong but they aren't overpowered - and the runback to the boss is a little harsh compared to everything else in Dark Souls 1 and 2, yeah, but really it's comparable to the runbacks in Demon's Souls. I think the chasm / Darklurker is fine as it is; it fits as something of a super-challenge (relative to the rest of the game).
 

Darth_Caedus

No longer canonical
Geez. I just got to Lost Bastille from No Man's Wharf and I'm not having fun. The bosses so far have been boring and the hordes of enemies in a Souls game is just bullshit. Can anyone tell me when this game gets really good? Or is it meh the whole way?
 

demonkaze

Member
Probably not what you want to hear at this point. But it's a boss you have to learn. His attacks and patterns.
In the end when i finally beat him i couldn't believe how easy it felt. I dodged almost all of his attacks.

Yeah, just got him finally after nailing when to roll and it was fairly easy. Now that I think back on it, it was a really good boss, I like that skilled played a heavy part in it.
 

ike_

Member
Anyone figure out what the deal is with that super fast sanic hollow in Huntsman's Copse near the last bonfire? He's got like 3x movement speed so you have to chase him down and he only drops an amber herb?
 

Hugstable

Banned
Did they fix the elevator from Earthen Peak to Iron Keep so it goes down instead of up? That bugged me so much in the original game, especially since the Iron Keep was otherwise one of my favorite Souls areas.

I died so much in Iron Keep last night and today, finally finished it though! Don't know whether I'm gonna go Shaded Woods or the well next though. And I can check really quick on the Iron Keep elevator, never got this far in Vanilla

EDIT: Nope you still go up to Iron Keep lol
 
Geez. I just got to Lost Bastille from No Man's Wharf and I'm not having fun. The bosses so far have been boring and the hordes of enemies in a Souls game is just bullshit. Can anyone tell me when this game gets really good? Or is it meh the whole way?

The weakest part of the game are the boss fights, but that doesn't necessarily imply that they are all bad (even the worst ones I would classify as just mediocre); there are some really good ones, and they are scattered throughout the zones. I enjoy the Lost Bastille bosses, but, then again, I'm not exactly sure what you're looking for in terms of "boss fights".

As far as having to face a lot of enemies, that only has occurred because I accidentally triggered more than I was supposed to, except for one area. I'm also a member of a covenant that enhances the difficulty, so I can't say that the first playthrough has any unfair enemy placements.

Overall, the game is (now) up there with the original Dark Souls for me, even though I haven't even gotten to the DLC, yet. Is this your first "Souls" experience (Bloodborne is a different beast, but if you've played it, it may teach you some otherwise bad "Souls" habits)?
 
Hm. Did they change where Lucatiel is when you reach A
ldia's
K
eep
? She's not at the bonfire. I've beaten 3 bosses without her dying, so... I could be remembering wrong where she's supposed to be, but I did get invaded by
her brother
in the same area after the house.
 

Darth_Caedus

No longer canonical
The weakest part of the game are the boss fights, but that doesn't necessarily imply that they are all bad (even the worst ones I would classify as just mediocre); there are some really good ones, and they are scattered throughout the zones. I enjoy the Lost Bastille bosses, but, then again, I'm not exactly sure what you're looking for in terms of "boss fights".

As far as having to face a lot of enemies, that only has occurred because I accidentally triggered more than I was supposed to, except for one area. I'm also a member of a covenant that enhances the difficulty, so I can't say that the first playthrough has any unfair enemy placements.

Overall, the game is (now) up there with the original Dark Souls for me, even though I haven't even gotten to the DLC, yet. Is this your first "Souls" experience (Bloodborne is a different beast, but if you've played it, it may teach you some otherwise bad "Souls" habits)?
Nope I've played Demons, Dark, and Bloodborne. The bosses so far have been very predictable and boring using only one or two moves. I think my main problem is the fact that I'm using a Mage which is a first for me.
 
Did they fix the elevator from Earthen Peak to Iron Keep so it goes down instead of up? That bugged me so much in the original game, especially since the Iron Keep was otherwise one of my favorite Souls areas.

I thought it was supposed to be one of those crater lakes that appear at the top of mountain, so going up made some sense? Granted, the fact that we can't see the mountain from the bottom of Earthen Peak is a pretty glaring issue.
 
Hm. Did they change where Lucatiel is when you reach A
ldia's
K
eep
? She's not at the bonfire. I've beaten 3 bosses without her dying, so... I could be remembering wrong where she's supposed to be, but I did get invaded by
her brother
in the same area after the house.

I think you need to find her in
The Black Gulch
, before she can appear there.
 

void666

Banned
Yeah, just got him finally after nailing when to roll and it was fairly easy. Now that I think back on it, it was a really good boss, I like that skilled played a heavy part in it.

Yes, it was the first DS2 boss i had to learn how to fight. Reminded me of artorias in that sense.
 
Anyone figure out what the deal is with that super fast sanic hollow in Huntsman's Copse near the last bonfire? He's got like 3x movement speed so you have to chase him down and he only drops an amber herb?

Nope I've played Demons, Dark, and Bloodborne. The bosses so far have been very predictable and boring using only one or two moves. I think my main problem is the fact that I'm using a Mage which is a first for me.

What bosses have you done so far? Also, from my personal experience, going from melee to spellcaster made everything more rote and less exciting. Maybe you're having the same issue (in addition to the early bosses being simple).
 

partyboy

Member
When you fire up DS1 for the first time in a year+ and get invaded by a twink 10 minutes after you create your character, Soul Memory starts to feel like maybe not the worst idea ever. Dang.
 
I know I said it before, but Iron Keep is an awful experience on NG+/Company of Champions Covenant. It's such a waste of time up to Smelter Demon with the roughly 20 Alonne Knights bum rushing you, only to have to deal with the boss's subpar hitboxes. It's easily the most disappointing area so afar, although I enjoy the rest of the level.
 

Captcha

Member
I am curious what their rationale was behind changing some of these areas. Shaded Ruins is nerfed into the ground, but Earthen Peak was bordering on ridiculous. Iron Keep seems like a zero-sum to me, but now it is annoying just in a different way. Most of the changes seem like they ease up on the difficulty, but EP really sticks out to me.
 

Toxi

Banned
I am curious what their rationale was behind changing some of these areas. Shaded Ruins is nerfed into the ground, but Earthen Peak was bordering on ridiculous. Iron Keep seems like a zero-sum to me, but now it is annoying just in a different way. Most of the changes seem like they ease up on the difficulty, but EP really sticks out to me.
How was the Earthen Peak changed? I remember the area already being pretty obnoxious in the original game.
 

Captcha

Member
How was the Earthen Peak changed? I remember the area already being pretty obnoxious in the original game.

They added a bunch of those fire sorceresses to the outside area (including one that snipes you from the tower) and a bunch of those manikin things inside. There are so many ambushes... Also, the one side area outside where you get ambushed by those 50 sickle-wielding guys was changed. They all start on the ground floor so you're overwhelmed immediately, and I think they added an extra one behind one of those breakable walls.
 

partyboy

Member
Earthen Peak is definitely annoying, one of my most-died-in areas. All those ambushes with the goddamn poison darts. But I went through the entire game pretty fast having already played it. There's no real cockblocks.
 

Joey Ravn

Banned
Welp, I'm obviously doing something wrong, because I just can't beat
Darklurker
with a melee character. I just can't avoid the fire, the magic bombs, the lasers and the spears at the same time. And the camera isn't exactly your best friend with enemies that are higher than your character...

Is there something wrong with my character? I'm using a Claymore+10 and whatever heavy armor I can get without going over 70% encumberance. Should I change something? Stats, equipment, build, etc.
 

Neoweee

Member
Welp, I'm obviously doing something wrong, because I just can't beat
Darklurker
with a melee character. I just can't avoid the fire, the magic bombs, the lasers and the spears at the same time. And the camera isn't exactly your best friend with enemies that are higher than your character...

Is there something wrong with my character? I'm using a Claymore+10 and whatever heavy armor I can get without going over 70% encumberance. Should I change something? Stats, equipment, build, etc.

Lower encumbrance for better rolls. Darklurker must be completely horrifying at 65%. Roll distance should never be ignored.
 

Moofers

Member
Does anyone know where I can find the Pyromancy spell "Warmth"? I remember seeing people use it as early as Lost Bastille in the original release. I am done with Lost Bastille now and can't find any info on where it's located this time. Everything seems to reference the first game.
 

Joey Ravn

Banned
Lower encumbrance for better rolls. Darklurker must be completely horrifying at 65%.

Not really. I can dodge the first form pretty well. I've managed to get it to split without being hit once. It's the second form I'm having issues with, because there's just too much going on at the same time. Then again, Dark Souls II loves its bosses with multiple enemies on screen at the same time.
 

Natiko

Banned
Are any of the four magic types still viable? I went through with sorceries and pyromancies in the original, but I remember hearing they nerfed them to be far less effective.
 

theDeeDubs

Member
Searched the thread but didn't see it.

Anyone know where to find the Undead Lockaway Key
to a bonfire
in Huntsman Copse? Mild spoiler*
It's no longer in the hut.
 

ike_

Member
What bosses have you done so far? Also, from my personal experience, going from melee to spellcaster made everything more rote and less exciting. Maybe you're having the same issue (in addition to the early bosses being simple).

On PC I've done them all, but I'm doing a slower playthrough on PS4 right now so I don't think I can be of much help. I'm almost always pure melee unless I am bored and working on trophies.

I agree though, spellcasting tends to be quite a bit more boring (and almost always overpowered which can be good or bad depending on your style). What these games need is movesets for spells, I've been wishing for that for a long time.
 

Robot Pants

Member
Searched the thread but didn't see it.

Anyone know where to find the Undead Lockaway Key
to a bonfire
in Huntsman Copse? Mild spoiler*
It's no longer in the hut.
It's uhh how do I explain this... After the lock away bonfire, go past the pile of burning bodies up and around the corner, then take the path that goes up. Itll be in the center of that area
 

BizzyBum

Member
It's weird, in Bloodborne I found the areas leading up to the boss battles to be relatively easy for the most part and the actual boss battles to be quite difficult, but in this game it's the exact opposite. Tough as hell getting to the boss and very easy boss battles that I've beaten on my first try.

Then again, I only beat three of the early bosses so far
(FotFG, Heide's Tower, No Man's Wharf)
so I'm probably going to be eating those words shortly.
 

ike_

Member
About me asking about lack of summon signs. Yeah totally spaced having to be human. Lol. My bad.

Haha, I do the same thing from time to time. "Wait, why are there no summons for this boss?"

DS2 was the first game where you could pop an effigy at any time, so when you are standing near a boos fog: POP -- summon signs. A little easier than making that mad dash for the boss fog in human form all the way from the bonfire.
 

Darth_Caedus

No longer canonical
What bosses have you done so far? Also, from my personal experience, going from melee to spellcaster made everything more rote and less exciting. Maybe you're having the same issue (in addition to the early bosses being simple).
I'm doing fine now lol. I just respec into a battlemage and got a magic scaling weapon. I'm starting to get use to the intelligence build.
 

theDeeDubs

Member
It's uhh how do I explain this... After the lock away bonfire, go past the pile of burning bodies up and around the corner, then take the path that goes up. Itll be in the center of that area

Literally the last place I was about to look :). Thanks!

I've pretty much beelined for a pyro flame and then onto join the
Heirs of the Sun
covenant to get started on getting
sunlight
medals as early as possible, so I'm quite underleveled for this area.
 

Moofers

Member
Got buried on the last page so I'm going to ask again:

Does anyone know where I can find the Pyromancy spell "Warmth"? I remember seeing people use it as early as Lost Bastille in the original release. I am done with Lost Bastille now and can't find any info on where it's located this time. Everything seems to reference the first game. I rely heavily on pyromancy to pick up the slack since I don't use miracles. Help!
 

dissa9

Neo Member
I am curious what their rationale was behind changing some of these areas. Shaded Ruins is nerfed into the ground, but Earthen Peak was bordering on ridiculous. Iron Keep seems like a zero-sum to me, but now it is annoying just in a different way. Most of the changes seem like they ease up on the difficulty, but EP really sticks out to me.

Earthen Peak was very annoying, those Jackie Chan Mimics really screw you up quickly. Mix that with a shit ton of poison and it wasn't at all pleasant.

Besides that and the hideous time I had in Black Gulch I'm enjoying the game, loving it in fact.
 

SRTtoZ

Member
I had no idea getting the vendor from FOTFG to Majula meant you can buy unlimited life gems. Amazing. Oh and fuck the Shrine of Amana, its still shit. Especially the last part on the way to the boss.

Searched the thread but didn't see it.

Anyone know where to find the Undead Lockaway Key
to a bonfire
in Huntsman Copse? Mild spoiler*
It's no longer in the hut.

Just go left (not into the cave) and stay left again, you'll find it.

Got buried on the last page so I'm going to ask again:

Does anyone know where I can find the Pyromancy spell "Warmth"? I remember seeing people use it as early as Lost Bastille in the original release. I am done with Lost Bastille now and can't find any info on where it's located this time. Everything seems to reference the first game. I rely heavily on pyromancy to pick up the slack since I don't use miracles. Help!

It was always sold by the
Warden dude in Undead Crypt. Not sure if thats the case with the updated version of the game but it probably is.
 
Top Bottom