Dark Souls II

[RoXer]

Fuck you.

http://www.darksoulsii.com/

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rPJaJ5ys_G0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[RoXer]

Dark Souls II Announced, PC version confirmed, first official details unveiled

Posted on December 8, 2012 (http://www.dsogaming.com/news/dark-souls-ii-announced/) by John Papadopoulos (http://www.dsogaming.com/author/john2/)


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http://www.dsogaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Dark-Souls-2.jpg (http://www.dsogaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Dark-Souls-2.jpg)

And the moment most hardcore action RPG fans have been waiting for has finally arrived. Namco has unveiled a cinematic trailer for Dark Souls 2 on today’s VGA Awards. You can view the official press release below which confirms the PC version of it. Guess Namco Bandai was benefit from porting the game to the PC platform. Here is hoping that PC gamers will get a better port this time around, though it would be sweet if FromSoftware was to develop all versions simultaneously.

As the press release reads:

“Namco today proudly announced that the critically acclaimed Dark Souls saga marches forward with Dark Souls II, currently in development at FromSoftware in Tokyo, Japan.

Dark Souls II will continue a legacy of goading its passionate fan base with unrelenting challenge and suffering that are considered a hallmark of the series; while presenting new devilishly devised obstacles for players to overcome. Dark Souls II will be available for the PS3, X360 and PCs.

Built upon the foundation established by Souls series creator and Dark Souls II Supervisor, Hidetaka Miyazaki with development helmed by FromSoftware Director Tomohiro Shibuya, Dark Souls II will feature a new hero, a new storyline, and an unfamiliar world for players to survive in while delivering its signature brand of unrelenting punishment that players hunger for. Epic battles with gruesome enemies and blood-thirsty bosses await adventurers as they traverse through a devastated world filled with death and despair; only those who are strong willed or cunning can survive this journey to achieve great glory. Players seeking to share their experience will discover a revamped server-based multiplayer mode that will put a distinct Dark Souls II twist on the concept of playing with others.

Carlson Choi, Vice President of Marketing at NAMCO BANDAI Games America said:
“Dark Souls II retains the core essence of Dark Souls while evolving to present new twists and challenges that are sure to please longtime fans and attract new comers to the series. FromSoftware is going to take a very dark path with Dark Souls II; players will need to look deep within themselves to see if they have the intestinal fortitude to embark on this journey.”

Tomohiro Shibuya, FromSoftware Director on Dark Souls II added:
“This new chapter in the Dark Souls saga presents opportunities for us to drive innovation in gameplay design, develop an entirely new story, and expand the scope of the world in which the player interacts with the game. We have taken these necessary steps with Dark Souls II in order to evolve the overall experience of the Dark Souls series. The entire development team is striving to make Dark Souls II an experience that is fresh while not forsaking its roots in presenting players with challenging gameplay. Our goal is to surprise and delight our fans with new experiences and plot twists while enticing new players to join our dark journey.”

More details surrounding Dark Souls II will become available in the months leading to its release.”

So, no release date yet. We should note that those interested can also visit the game’s official website (http://www.darksoulsii.com/).

Enjoy the game’s debut trailer!

[RoXer]

All the trailers are down. Might be one up tomorrow.

[LuigiD]

holy shit...incredible.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

Fantastic. They should give it a new Souls name again as well.

[Ultra Mantis]

Awesome, love this series. Went in to Demon's knowing absolutely nothing about the IP and tried to keep info about Dark Souls to a minimum. Might do the same with this, provides some great "Oh shit! What the fuck is that!?" moments.

[Requiem]

Fuck yesssssssss.

They may have made it Dark Souls 2 as it may actually be a continuation of the same lore. I believe the story in Demon's Souls was a separate continuity or something, so they may keep Dark Souls to indicate that it's the same 'line' or whatever.

[Requiem]

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rPJaJ5ys_G0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[RoXer]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=504253

Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimura are both From Software directors who have never worked on any Capcom title or Monster Hunter game. There is another Tomohiro Shibuya on Mobygames who is a graphic artist at D.A.G., a studio Capcom contracts for graphical work on some of their games. He is not the same person. Both Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimura worked extensively on the Another Century's Episode games at From Software. Shibuya is the director of ACE, ACE2, and ACE:R, and one of the producers on ACE3. Tanimura is the lead game designer for ACE and ACE2, and the director of ACE3. He did not work on ACE:R.



----

Edge Magazine has a blow out on Dark Souls 2 this month, and the details are out. Brace yourselves for the horror and anticipation of a brand new journey.

- Edge says they were shown a 10 minute playthrough of Dark Souls 2, and it is a huge step forward graphically. It looks on par with Watch Dogs and Star Wars 1313 in terms of "next-gen"-ness, or so they claim.

- Miyazaki is not working on the development of Dark Souls 2. He is not a director or producer, and is merely a "supervisor".

- Even as a supervisor, he isn't making any development decisions. He only tried to reinforce the team's commitment to releasing things on time, because of the bad experience they had with the patches in Dark Souls, and he also recommended the return to server-based gameplay ala Demon's Souls.

- The new directors, Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimura, are indeed the From Software staff who previously directed the Another Century's Episode series. The decision to have the two directors replace Miyazaki was a company decision made by both From Software and Namco Bandai Games to help move the series forward in a fresh direction.

- Miyazaki is working full time on directing a new game. He will not disclose if it is a new IP or a sequel to something else.

- Darks Souls 2 will be a direct sequel, and have an open world of about the same size, but more dense with content.

- It does not take place on Lordran. The name of the world is the key of the story, they will reveal it at a later date.

- One thing Shibuya wants to enhance is the action in the game. He feels that he can contribute because of his experience working on action games in the past.

- Shibuya says he wants to make things like the Covenant system clearer and more accessible, and he wants to make the story and messaging less subtle.

- He promises there will still be "hidden" elements in the story and world which can be missed.

- Development started in September last year, and was done in parallel with some of the Dark Souls patches and DLC content.

- The game is 25% complete, and the team is substantially larger than Dark Souls. The world creation internal staff for the sequel is nearly double that of the first game.

- The game might not make it for 2013.

- They showed a fat grotesque creature, which Shibuya said was the result of the fusing of different creatures by a mad scientist character in the game, like Frankenstein.

- Another new enemy is a Nazgul-like black rider, who apparently serves as an executioner of evil doers. Shibuya confirms there is some sort of morality system in the game.

Edit: - They are also exploring vehicles for the game, and the potential of players controlling them. By vehicles, think things like chariots and boats instead of cars.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

Not sure I like the sounds of all this to be honest. Nothing about the Souls games should be made less subtle. They should be made more subtle.

I got the Dark Souls DLC and I enjoyed the fact I started the game up and had no idea what to fucking do for about 2 hours until I searched how to access it, and also that 2 of my saves had already locked me out of using it for that play-through.

[Requiem]

You're making a rather large assumption about the game based on just a couple comments that really don't say a whole lot.

Story-wise, I enjoy the subtleties. The NPC stories that you have to play through a few times before you can complete all of, or just little things that, three playthroughs later, you still haven't discovered. Things like that are fine. Story subtleties that you have to actually read into and brainstorm with other people are great. Things like that should continue to be subtle.

But game features like telling us more details about things we NEED to know wouldn't lessen the experience whatsoever. As long as they're not adding exclamation points above people's heads to tell you they have a quest, and then telling you exactly where to go, I'm not going to be too offended by them explaining some things to me. It would have been fantastic if they had explained more about stats and such rather than having to rely on guides or the internet to find out what the fuck everything means. Or more about some of the common items, or humanity and turning human and such. I like that the system had intricacies that people discovered.. but at the same time, what's the point? After a month or two, the information was on the internet and there's no point in them being vague about anything. When you combine this with PvP, which is largely reliant on how much someone knows about the game, I don't see a point in hiding some of the more basic information from the player.

I highly doubt that, given the success of the previous two games, they will hold your hand through the whole game just because they said they want to make certain aspects of the game more accessible. But I don't think making some aspects of it more accessible is going to be a bad thing. They're not selling out. Just addressing some minor issues that would possibly attract a larger audience who may have been completely turned away by how daunting Dark Souls is when you first start playing.

[Requiem]

And frankly, as long as the series remains incredibly difficult and rewarding, I want as many people to play it as possible. If making the features of the game a bit more clearly defined can attract more players, I have no issues with that.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

Demon Souls drew me in because it had such a lonely, desolate atmosphere. It was creepy as fuck and totally unforgiving. At the end of the intro, a massive beast smashes you with a hammer, one hit. Ten minutes into the game, you can see two massive fucking dragons sleeping in the distance and walking along the battlements, you hear these wings flapping and know something truly shit is about to happen. If people are put off by that, then play a different game. The intros give you the bare info you need to play the game and that's enough for me. The stats and such are basically self-evident too. For me anything that may reduce the sense of isolation and in the game is a bad thing.

Also I want Stockpile Thomas back. The strategy element of Demon Souls in having a carry burden made planning for each area important. You needed to bring the most effective weapons and armour for tge enemies and environment you'd be facing.

[Requiem]

Demon Souls drew me in because it had such a lonely, desolate atmosphere. It was creepy as fuck and totally unforgiving. At the end of the intro, a massive beast smashes you with a hammer, one hit. Ten minutes into the game, you can see two massive fucking dragons sleeping in the distance and walking along the battlements, you hear these wings flapping and know something truly shit is about to happen. If people are put off by that, then play a different game. The intros give you the bare info you need to play the game and that's enough for me. The stats and such are basically self-evident too. For me anything that may reduce the sense of isolation and in the game is a bad thing.

Also I want Stockpile Thomas back. The strategy element of Demon Souls in having a carry burden made planning for each area important. You needed to bring the most effective weapons and armour for tge enemies and environment you'd be facing.

I don't think any of those things you mentioned in the first paragraph are any of the aspects that 'put people off' of the game. Those are the fantastic things. Seeing creatures that make you quiver, or feeling alone and only coming across an NPC hours later. Seeing the ghosts of other players, dying in agony. But I mean really, you are never truly alone in the game unless you play offline. They very purposefully put in aspects to make it feel like you're not alone. The world is decimated and lonely, but your adventure is held together by the fact that they let you place messages, invade other people, or even help other people. So saying a few explanations of features is going to make you not feel alone... I don't see why. They've already given you very well defined features that are INTENDED to make you feel like you're not alone in your struggle.

What puts people off of the game is having no fucking idea what they are doing. I like being lost, don't get me wrong. I like not knowing -where- I have to go next or what I'm going to do there. I liked being told to go ring the bells and then being like "Fuck... where are the bells?" and coming across the second one accidentally. I liked discovering the world, the shortcuts, the hidden items.

What I don't like is how it took me half the game before I started actively using humanity because I thought it was way more important than it was. Or not having any idea about the item discovery rate increase while human, etc. Or that time I broke down my first titanite slab because I didn't realize they were so rare, thus fucking myself for part of that playthrough. Or not realizing something as necessary as a repair box even existed and having to start the game over because of accidentally (note; bumping a trigger on your knee) attacking and killing the first merchant 6 hours into the game. There were countless things I did to unintentionally make the game far more difficult, and it nearly resulted in me not finishing the game. That's coming from someone who feels this is one of the greatest games ever made. AFTER I figured it all out, though.

Or putting points into resistance and then finding out how completely worthless it is. That's not 'difficulty'. That's just inconvenience.

Had I understood the importance, and the 'method of play' for upgrading items earlier on, we wouldn't have attempted O&S a hundred times and nearly quit the game completely when being unable to defeat them. Later, upon a fresh start, the 'way' to play the game became more clear to me. I had upgraded many weapons and armors by the time I reached O&S, and had built my character better and was able to defeat O&S and continue on. The game had finally 'clicked'. It's unfortunate that it took over a hundred hours before I finally understood the proper way to play the game and stopped feeling like an utter moron or feeling like I was completely missing out on something.

Those are things that I probably wouldn't have ever figured out had I not used a guide at some point. I'm all for details and intricacies. I love Dark Souls for what it is, but there were certain things about it that sold me on the game.

Difficulty is mastering the combat. Difficulty is dying repeatedly against an enemy until you figure them out. Difficulty is losing 300k souls because you were impatient and made a mistake. It's when you were 10 feet from the next bonfire and get invaded. Or come close to chopping that last sliver of health from a boss only to misstep and die. It's engaging in PvP, invading people who are trying to do the same. Being invaded and having your face smashed. Helping in jolly cooperation to make those things slightly less soul devouring. It's wandering underground for 10 hours and being rewarded with the beautiful scenery of Anor Londo that was rewarding.

My rewards didn't come from discovering minute features like poise and stability. The game should have just told me what the fuck those were, instead of reading online about how they were calculated and realizing why, after 80 hours, I've been getting my ass kicked because I didn't know how to piece armor together. Why can't they tell me that? You'd think my 'hero' would know enough about the items in his world to at least be able to inform me about something he likely used regularly in his life before I came along.

As long as the game has those things and doesn't pull punches when it comes to the legitimate difficulty of the game, then the rest will fall into place.

The small changes they mention, I see very clearly as much needed polish that can only help the game and broaden its audience.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

That's all instruction manual stuff you're on about really. That's not subtlety. The subtlety of the game lies in some of the concepts and mythology involved being murky to us as it would be to the lone hero in the game and progress being an issue of trial and error. This is what the designers are talking about and what I am concerned about. I don't want them to introduce a narrative dialogue with shitloads of exposition. The first game has the classic plotline of being a hero going in a mysterious fog where no one else has come out alive. The internal logic and mythology of the game works perfectly to set up an atmosphere of crushing hostility and isolation.

Dark Souls had several elements toned down from Demon Souls already. For example, when you died in Demon Souls, it halved your HP in soul form, unless you wore a ring that brought that up by 25%. The more you died in human form in a level, the blacker the tendency of the world became and the harder that level became: the game punished you for dying.

[Requiem]

'Instruction manual stuff' which isn't in an instruction manual and I have to seek out externally. That's the problem.

- Shibuya says he wants to make things like the Covenant system clearer and more accessible, and he wants to make the story and messaging less subtle.

- He promises there will still be "hidden" elements in the story and world which can be missed.

Expressing excessive 'game changing' worry over those comments is sort of premature.

If anything, I would be worried about the fact that Miyazaki has been relegated to a supervisory role instead of a developer role. Some changes are going to be expected with that happening.

I wouldn't expect them to make 3 of the same game in a row. But I don't think the proposed changes are anything to worry about. Yet.

[RoXer]

Dark Souls 2: there's a "core" that needs protecting says Miyazaki

By Robert Purchese Published 19/12/2012

Dark Souls stands apart from everything else and it's brilliant for it. So when new game director Tomohiro Shibuya said he'd like Dark Souls 2 to be "more straightforward and more understandable" well he sure gave us the willies.

Demon's Souls/Dark Souls director Hidetaka Miyazaki has eased a few of those fears in an interview with Japanese magazine Famitsu (translated by Polygon). He said there was a core experience that needed protecting.

"I'm talking about how we think about the difficulty level and how you achieve things in-game, about the concepts behind the mechanics and level design," he said.

"Outside of that core, though, it's better to leave things to the discretion of the director. There's a lot around that core that we need to fix or adjust besides, and individual touches always tend to come out in the world setting and artwork, so I'm not meddling in that very much."

Solitude and desperation are key components of that core, Miyazaki mentioned, and he feels both were expressed in the really-quite-something Dark Souls 2 CGI trailer (below).

One key area of evolution for Dark Souls 2 will be multiplayer. Like Demon's Souls, Dark Souls 2 will have dedicated multiplayer servers - these were dropped for Dark Souls which had a peer-to-peer approach. Their resurrection means Dark Souls 2 can do more.

"Setting up a dedicated server lets you retain your data, making it easier to share it with other players. We'd like to evolve the asynchronous message-oriented online support from the previous game; we're imagining a framework where players are able to directly interact with each other," Shibuya said.

Miyazaki added: "Having dedicated game servers will be the source of a lot of new potential in DS2. There was a lot with the original Dark Souls I wish I could have done if we had the ability to have those servers, so in that way I'm pretty jealous of the new director here.

"The concept behind online play in Demon's Souls and Dark Souls was pretty plain to gamers, so I'm hoping we can evolve on that concept here without removing ourselves too far from it."

Server persistence meant Demon's Souls online worlds could have tendencies, black or white, and they changed depending on how many people where helpful white phantoms or murderous black phantoms. Some portals only worked when a world was a certain tendency, and even the behaviour and loot tables of bosses could change.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

World tendency was daft. There were loads of things in Demon Souls that I never encountered after 6 or 7 different playthroughs because of how weird it was.

The multiplayer in Dark Souls is technically a big letdown because it's so difficult to summon people reliably and the PvP is desperately laggy. Going back to dedicated servers is a great idea, plus it'll mean having the player ratings back again to see how useful someone is before you summon them.

[RoXer]

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EA1s9v2Ab8w?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[RoXer]

http://i.imgur.com/QdTTkxs.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/xFNlh96h.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/6vXbOMph.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/tZUAuZbh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Hllxljyh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/JpW73ayh.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/y0rotDch.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/TMLEZLdh.jpg

[RoXer]

Very brown so far

[Requiem]

Yeah, brown/red hue to the world. I don't mind, it gives it a new feel.

Trailer looks like Dark Souls still, which is a good thing. I like the idea of potentially new mechanics - the deflecting the axes was pretty cool. If that's something they implement more, or even with other projectiles, that in itself is a pretty cool feature. Not saying it could, but imagine deflecting arrows as you're running at some guy.

[Requiem]

Q&A of the same footage also

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1YxhLn37AfI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[RoXer]

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/POWgn4u0juk?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[jcmoorehead]

Namco Bandai sent over a new batch of screenshots released today (About 22 in total) as well as naming some characters

• 3 old ladies and the Housekeeper: Milibeth.
• Emerald Herald, the mysterious lady.
• One of the few Drangleic survivors who wanders endlessly with his furniture on his back: Merchant Hag Melentia.
• A cursed lost undead blacksmith: Blacksmith Lenigrast.
• Maughlin the Armourer, a Merchant from the West.
• A cursed Knight from Mirrah: Lucatiel of Mirrah.
• An apostol called blue knight: Blue Sentinel Targray.

I won't post all 22 images but here is a selection:

http://pwgaming.co.uk/dark-souls-2/dark-souls-2103.jpg
http://pwgaming.co.uk/dark-souls-2/dark-souls-2108.jpg
http://pwgaming.co.uk/dark-souls-2/dark-souls-2110.jpg
http://pwgaming.co.uk/dark-souls-2/dark-souls-2114.jpg
http://pwgaming.co.uk/dark-souls-2/dark-souls-2119.jpg

More: http://pwgaming.co.uk/dark-souls-2-characters-locations

[RoXer]

So which console is everyone getting this for?

And what's your battle plan? Are you waiting for a while for guides to come out and help you along? Or do you want to go in blind like everyone else?

I'm going to try and 1000/1000 this one also for nothing more than stupid bragging rights which will require a guide BUT my first run through will be carefree, take it as it comes, learn on the go experience. Something I didn't really have the first time around.

I'll be on getting this on 360. On release. I think.

I was going to say that maybe we can crowd source our experiences and give helpful tips amongst ourselves without having to go anywhere else on the internet BUT that's not going to work. Not enough of us and too much info to cover. But I will most definitely be treating this thread as my diary while I play it.

[jcmoorehead]

Console depends on whether or not I can get a copy of review, hoping I can. I'll likely be opting for the PS3 but just depends on what is available.

As for my plan, I'll try to go in blind and just learn from my experiences but I'll probably have to look up a few things or at least read other players advice. That is one of the things I loved about Demon's and Dark Souls was that it was better to look at players trading advice and tips rather than consult a walkthrough. These games really do feel like community efforts in some ways.

[Requiem]

Gonna get this on PS3, cause I don't have XBL anymore and I don't want to ever pay for it again.

RoXer, you should get it on PS3 this time. I have heard that PS3 Dark Souls actually has a larger player base due to Demon's Souls originally being exclusive, so more of their users were already fans of the series.

Also, I just played through Dark Souls again with a friend who had never played before. He probably would have never made it through the game on his own, but he loves it since he got introduced to it with my guidance along the way.

[Requiem]

Gonna just go in blind right away. I figure my knowledge of the series will help a lot anyways, and I won't get too frustrated from difficulty before knowing how to play. Probably buy it at launch. Am honestly more excited for this game than I am anything currently on PS4, which is why I haven't bought a PS4 yet and won't till several months after this is out probably. Will be my last real 'hurrah' on the last gen.

[RoXer]

RoXer, you should get it on PS3 this time.

Maybe. Anyone else here getting it on PS3?

[RoXer]

List of achievement/trophies has leaked:

Also lists the names of the new covenants in the game:


http://www.exophase.com/game/dark-souls-2-xbox/achievements/

Dark Souls 2 Achievement List



50
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/3ed60a46/s/89025.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

The Dark Soul (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/the-dark-soul/)
Earn all achievements


10
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/b12d6f01/s/89026.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Self Recollection (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/self-recollection/)
Reclaim flesh and set out as an Undead


20
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/84386ab0/s/89027.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

King's Ring (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/kings-ring/)
Acquire the King's Ring


20
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/b1ffb151/s/89028.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Ancient Dragon (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/ancient-dragon/)
Acquire Ashen Mist Heart


100
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/d28c05c0/s/89029.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

The Heir (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/the-heir/)
See the ending


10
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/da9962c0/s/89030.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Last Giant (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/last-giant/)
Defeat the Last Giant


20
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/40855518/s/89031.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Sinner's Bonfire (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/sinners-bonfire/)
Light the primal bonfire in Sinner's Rise


20
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/5587622c/s/89032.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Iron Keep Bonfire (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/iron-keep-bonfire/)
Light the primal bonfire in the Iron Keep


20
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/30ed57e6/s/89033.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Gulch Bonfire (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/gulch-bonfire/)
Light the primal bonfire in the Black Gulch


20
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/f4a7b1e1/s/89034.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Brightstone Bonfire (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/brightstone-bonfire/)
Light the primal bonfire in Brightstone Cove Tseldora


20
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/5de60fb7/s/89035.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Giant Lord (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/giant-lord/)
Defeat Looking Glass Knight


50
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/b3e043d9/s/89036.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Vendrick (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/vendrick/)
Defeat Vendrick


50
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/e530f58c/s/89037.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Supreme Weapon (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/supreme-weapon/)
Reinforce a weapon to its limit


50
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/fc24366a/s/89038.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Gesture Maestro (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/gesture-maestro/)
Learn all gestures


30
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/5dc0b37d/s/89039.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Master of Sorcery (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/master-of-sorcery/)
Learn all sorceries


30
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/9be956cc/s/89040.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Master of Miracles (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/master-of-miracles/)
Learn all miracles


30
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/b990a400/s/89041.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Master of Pyromancy (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/master-of-pyromancy/)
Learn all pyromancies


30
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/0b63f94b/s/89042.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Master of Hexes (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/master-of-hexes/)
Learn all hexes


10
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/2301fb3c/s/89043.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Brilliant Covenant (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/brilliant-covenant/)
Discover a most brilliant covenant


10
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/612f4be9/s/89044.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Protector Covenant (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/protector-covenant/)
Discover the covenant of the protectors


10
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/af437f98/s/89045.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Sanguinary Covenant (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/sanguinary-covenant/)
Discover the covenant of the bloodthirsty


10
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/350e6237/s/89046.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Covenant of the Meek (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/covenant-of-the-meek/)
Discover the covenant of the meek


10
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/033f003c/s/89047.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Gnawing Covenant (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/gnawing-covenant/)
Discover the covenant of rodents


10
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/18720c6c/s/89048.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Clangorous Covenant (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/clangorous-covenant/)
Discover the clangorous covenant


10
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/f292a6ba/s/89049.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Covenant of Ancients (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/covenant-of-ancients/)
Discover an ancient covenant


10
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/9874ae85/s/89050.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Covenant of the Fittest (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/covenant-of-the-fittest/)
Discover the covenant of the fittest


10
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/3f3d509c/s/89051.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Abysmal Covenant (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/abysmal-covenant/)
Discovery the abysmal covenant


50
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/1a2dcd4c/s/89052.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Selfless Giver (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/selfless-giver/)
Max-out devotion to covenant


30
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/2f322f61/s/89053.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Curious Map (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/curious-map/)
Light all flames on the map in Majula


30
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/1a983213/s/89054.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Change of Clothes (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/change-of-clothes/)
Give Rosabeth of Melfia something to wear


30
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/45bd8c68/s/89055.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Gathering of Exiles (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/gathering-of-exiles/)
Increase the population of Majula


30
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/bce1b6bd/s/89056.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Moonlight Greatsword (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/moonlight-greatsword/)
Inherit Benhart of Jugo's equipment


30
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/fa7f0b06/s/89057.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Holder of the Fort (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/holder-of-the-fort/)
Inherit Captain Drummond's equipment


30
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/a26aa727/s/89058.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Lucatiel (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/lucatiel/)
Inherit equipment from Lucatiel of Mirrah


30
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/b6df38b9/s/89059.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Smith for Life (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/smith-for-life/)
Inherit Steady Hand McDuff's equipment


30
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/005ad8f1/s/89060.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Garrulous Miser (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/garrulous-miser/)
Inherit Laddersmith Gilligan's equipment


30
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/6ad23d19/s/89061.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

Reflections on Disembodiment (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/reflections-on-disembodiment/)
Inherit equipment from the head of Vengarl


10
http://i.exophase.com/xbox/awards/3525cf7a/s/89062.png
Ultra Rare
0.00%

This is Dark Souls (http://www.exophase.com/achievement/dark-souls-2-xbox/this-is-dark-souls/)
Die for the first time

[El Capitano Gatisto]

I don't whether to get on Xbox or PS3. It might feel weird playing it on an Xbox controller. I have an urge to go back and play through Demon Souls again.

[VSG]

Getting this on PC if the port is actual good this time around.

[RP]

Dark souls has been on the top of my list of games to get and I might do that today just to see what's it about. Looks right up my alley. Ill be on PS3. I'll let you guys know later today if I grab it. It's only 19.99.

[RoXer]

A decent look into the new covenants and how they interact in the game:

http://imgur.com/rwqk3yX

[RP]

Bought this yesterday. Won't get into it until Sunday. Stuck at work.

[RP]

Started as a thief. If I start off line, does my progress continue to online?

[RoXer]

Hello RP.

I'm going to link you to the original thread for Dark Souls because most of the questions you may have are probably answered in there and also, I don't feel like repeating myself because I am lazy. If your questions/concerns are not answered, feel free to ask in there and bump it.

www.tpwwforums.com/showthread.php?t=115815

[RoXer]

I will say you should look up online guides on how to level your weapon and how covenants and the online aspect work in the game. That will clear up a lot of confusion. Looking up how weapon upgrading works can give you a better idea on how you want to level your character.

[RoXer]

Brad and Vinny from Giantbomb played this for a few hours yesterday and are talking about it for the next hour right now.

It'll probably be archived once this link isn't working.

edit: Here is the link - http://www.giantbomb.com/videos/let-s-talk-dark-souls-ii/2300-8434/

And they also did an interview: http://www.giantbomb.com/podcasts/it-s-a-dark-souls-ii-interview/1600-743/

[Emperor Smeat]

The producer for the game, Takeshi Miyazoe, states plans for DLC will be entirely dependent on fan feedback.

"There is definitely potential, I think. Again, it's all about fan feedback. Right now we are concentrating on completing what we've got, but I think there are next steps on how we can expand on Dark Souls II. So I'm not really ready to say look forward to more information, but I think the potential is definitely there."

http://www.destructoid.com/dark-souls-ii-dlc-will-depend-on-fan-feedback-269823.phtml

[Requiem]

About to beat Demon's Souls. Final boss of world 1 is the first challenge I've had all game. Mostly just cause the journey to get to him is more reminiscent of Dark Souls, plus he's fucking hard so it's easy to die to him pretty quickly after getting there.

Anyways, I'll be totally caught up now and ready for DS2.

[Emperor Smeat]

Pre-ordering the game will allow early access to several weapons in the game.

Early purchases of Dark Souls II will come with a voucher for the "Black Armor Weapons Pack" containing five weapons and shields (find the item descriptions below) which players can make use of at the beginning of the game.

However, these items are by no means exclusive -- you'll be able to find them later on in Dark Souls II without the voucher.

Black Flamestone Dagger and Black Flamestone Parma – A dagger and shield encrusted in Black Flamestone both found in the Gutter at Black Gulch. Even though they are heavier than a normal dagger and shield, the Flamestone crystal’s unique properties make the dagger extremely sharp and give the shield high resistance to damage.

Yellow Quartz Longsword and Yellow Quartz Shield – A straight sword and small shield hardened with yellow quartz both uncovered at the bottom of the Iron Keep. Even though these items can break easily due to their high level of corrosion, they are exceptionally light and their power to inflict damage has not declined.

Bound Hand Axe and Bound Wooden Shield – A brutal hand axe and shield found in the Undead Purgatory. Both items are wrapped in chains and thorns to cause additional bleeding on enemies. Both the axe and shield have diminished in overall slashing power but their ability to deliver pain has been deliberately increased.

Homunculus Mace and Homunculus Wooden Shield – A mace and shield with spherical protrusions found in Aldia’s Keep. Although heavier-than-normal maces and shields, the hard protrusions greatly increase the striking power of the mace as well as the shield’s defensive capabilities.

Transgressor’s Staff and Transgressor’s Leather Shield – A staff and leather shield entwined with an unknown and seemingly lackluster element; these items are found in the Dark Chasm of Old. They have become a catalyst for sorcery and hex and cause an effect known as Darkness.

http://www.destructoid.com/pre-order-dark-souls-ii-for-more-starter-weapons-270442.phtml

[RoXer]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Fox News asks: Is alleged serial killer Miranda Barbour a member of the Darkwraith covenant? <a href="http://t.co/dg6hIQliEn">http://t.co/dg6hIQliEn</a> <a href="http://t.co/ILdmtd9zHP">pic.twitter.com/ILdmtd9zHP</a></p>&mdash; Michael McWhertor (@MikeMcWhertor) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeMcWhertor/statuses/436174387318759424">February 19, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

2:30 in

[Requiem]

Yo, possible spoilers ahead, don't watch if you want to be 100% blind going in. But damn, so pumped for this. Have run out of videos to watch I think.

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/xk9Pq_hmiH0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/-X0-w8lJqNU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Emperor Smeat]

PC specs:

Minimum:

OS: Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista SP2, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8
Processor: AMD Phenom II X2 555 3.2Ghz or Intel Pentium Core 2 Duo E8500 3.17Ghz
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9600GT, ATI RadeonHD 5870
Hard Drive: 8 GB available space
Sound Card: Compatible with DirectX 9.0c or higher
Network: Internet connection required for online play and product activation

Recommended:

OS: Windows 7 SP1
Processor: Intel CoreTM i3 2100 3.10GHz or AMD A8 3870K 3.0GHz
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 or higher, ATI Radeon HD 6870 or higher
Hard Drive: 8 GB available space
Sound Card: Compatible with DirectX 9.0c or higher
Network: Internet connection required for online play and product activation

http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/dark-souls-ii-minimum-and-recommended-system-requirements-revealed/

[VSG]

Sigh.. Why DX 9 in this age?

[Requiem]

http://www.direct2play.com/steam-drm/501-dark-souls-ii-steam-cdkey.html PC preorder for 39.99 Deal is good for a couple days apparently.

[VSG]

That's a pretty shady website, I have heard of people getting their steam or origin accounts banned for using keys from other regions bought off there.

[jcmoorehead]

My 'review' of this should be going up at 2PM GMT tomorrow, I say 'review' because I am nowhere near finishing the game so I can't really give it a proper review yet. It'll more be a commentary on how much I've died.

[RoXer]

Forgot to pre-order this (I don't know how) and went to do it earlier via Amazon but they were out. The super duper deluxe verisons were available but I don't need to spend over $100 on a Solaire toy because I'm not 9 years old. I could have gone out bought the physical verison today somewhere, probably, but I decided on getting it digital because I had a $10 credit from the PlayStation Store. So PS3 version it is.

30% downloading done...

[Requiem]

Awesome, I saw on the loading screens an item listed "engraved ring" that you can engrave with someone's name that makes it easier to join their world. So we can help each other out. I joined the Way of the Blue covenant, but their servers were down all night.

I rented it last night at like 8 PM and the guy at the store was like "Weird, there's no case for it.. but yeah, we have it" so I got it anyways for 2 nights, because Amazon didn't do release date shipping this time and so my game won't be here till tomorrow. So anyways, started playing. Loving it so far. Noticeably harder than Dark Souls. But you can still use mostly the same methods to be good at it.

[RoXer]

Class: Deprived

Gift: Petrified Something


Let's do this...

[Requiem]

lol good luck. I'm struggling even having started with stuff, and I refreshed myself by doing a level 1 Dark Souls run up to the gargoyles right before this came out. This game is hard.

[Requiem]

K so possible spoilers about enemy behavior. Enemies apparently stop spawning after you've killed them enough? I'm in Heide's Fallen Tower, and I've killed one boss, but now I'm going through to the other side, and the more I go, the less enemies spawn on my way. I'm minus 2 giants already, so now all that stands between me and the boss are 4 giants, instead of the usual 6 (or 7 that it started with, but one NEVER respawned)

[jcmoorehead]

The enemy behaviour

Generally you get 15 or so cracks at an enemy before it stops spawn through, which means you really have to use that to your advantage in terms of farming souls. In the tower of Heide I found the best tactic was to fight the first enemy by the Bonfire 15 times, the next enemy 15 times then the next group so not only was I getting a good number of souls, if I died there was minimal risk in getting them back.

I ended up with an Xbox 360 promo copy of the game, I was hoping for PS3 seeing as I don't have an active Xbox Live Gold anymore but makes no massive difference.

My review is at: http://pwgaming.co.uk/review-dark-souls-2

The TLDR version is that I love the game, it's got everything to keep Souls fans happy but a few little tweaks that both add to the challenge but make it slightly more accessible.

[Requiem]

Don't even know how far I am, but made a lot of progress last night. Think I have 4 boss souls in my inventory? Hella pumped, loving this game. Joined Blue Sentinels and got summoned for PvP once last night, but got my ASS kicked by the invader, who was using a combination of magic and a magic sword. Rats in the place he was at kicked my ass, and I never even saw the host I was trying to protect.

[Requiem]

The bigger this game gets as I play and open up new areas in places I didn't even expect there to be paths, the more and more I love it.

For a while, I was thinking "Ok, kind of tired of these areas.. wonder how they'll be after a few playthroughs" and then suddenly a plethora of new areas opened, and I find myself getting beaten down over and over in these new places, and I'm LOVING it. I love how they'll introduce a shortcut to you that you can't access, and then you'll find yourself coming back around to it once you get a key or something. DS 1 did this, but in a more obscure manner. DS2 will show you these things, and you just know that you'll have something soon to access it. As soon as I get a key, I seem to have a 6th sense for knowing exactly which door it opens. Granted, sometimes it's obvious by the names.

Or one thing I loved... Blowing up a wall to access a bonfire.. had seen the bonfire behind a window, and didn't know how to get to it. But I was doing some coop and was in someone else's world when I saw the barrel go past me and blow up the whole wall. Wouldn't have figured that out had I not seen it.

[RoXer]

I am having an incredible early game experience with this so far. At first I thought it was going to be a hassle starting out Deprived but I'm really focusing on keeping my souls and leveling up often.

- I started out dual wielding which was really tough given my weaknesses as a Deprived. I didn't read up on enemies disappearing for good after 15 or so lives until it was too late but that didn't hurt me much. I killed the dudes by the river and the first two knights at Kiern over and over until I had a respectable build.

- Then I hustled on and found the Fire Longsword which I had enough DEX/STR to wield and thank god for that. It made it a lot easier.

- The reason I'm having such a fun early game experience is because I keep finding items I used/loved in DS1. I've found a spear, a winged spear, (which I will augment both eventually), the clorananthy ring, the evil eye ring, and some great medium armor. The only thing I need is a nice Eagle Shield and the Dragonslayer Spear. Which I never thought I would find but then...

Boss Spoiler
Someone from DS1 makes an appearance
http://p1.pichost.me/i/42/1650961.jpg (http://pichost.me/1650961/#)
I never would have imagined Ornstien (!!!!!) would be a (or one of the) character to tie in somehow in DS2 but there he was. In the flesh... kind of. He had some new abilities which I'm assuming could be indications that something else happened to him lore-wise. Maybe got eaten by the abyss? I dunno. I just beat him so I haven't even looked at his soul or anything for info but holy crap am I happy to (maybe) be able to craft his spear. Awesome.

- And I have leveled a bunch by spending about 2 hours helping everyone with The Pursuer. A very simple boss fight if you just run to the guns. Probably gained about 100,000 souls doing that.

- That said, my highest abilities are Attunement at 19 (I'll keep adding to this because I want 4 slots) and Dex and Str both at 15. Everything else is about 10. I think I'm a level 57.

So long as I keep stumbling on items I love, I don't see me hating this game in the near future.

Also, I left that one knight sitting by the tree alive. The Solaire-ish looking one. I never attacked him. I wonder what will happen if I don't (or what happens if I do). For now, he's staying alive.

[RoXer]

And holy moly, equipment gets destroyed very easily in this game. It maybe happened twice in my entire time in DS1 and it's already happened to me 3 times. Each strike (even if you whiff and only hit the wall) counts against your durability. If you haven't noticed, there's a meter under your icon in the lower left showing the durability.

So long as it's free to repair them, I think I'm ok with this change. It just takes some getting used to. It makes bonfires more important (and they're already important) and you can also try to equip/carry/upgrade other weapons as a secondary to whatever you're using. Maybe if you upgrade them it also upgrades their durability. Probably.

[RoXer]

ALSO, I don't know where I posted this. Maybe I never did. But my made up character that I invented in my head is in the game. Kind of.

I had this idea of a mini-boss called "The Vagabond" where you would fight him at several locations throughout the game. My idea was that if you killed him in the first encounter and picked up his item, he would never return. But if you killed him and didn't pick up his item, you would fight again and he would drop a more useful item. And if you left that item, he would return and etc etc. The point is, you would probably never figure this out without help from "The Internet" seeing as how picking up items after bosses is something everyone does. Eventually, he would help you in the final boss or something. Or maybe the item usefulness keeps progressing through each NG+. He also had a very unique moveset and very unique animations.

My point being, someone is named "The Vagabond" in Dark Souls 2 and is not who I had in mind. :(

[RoXer]

I'm also thinking about starting a new game real quick just to see what the petrified thing does and if it is any use giving it to Hawkgirl


ALSO: I just found an Evil Eye Ring +1. So apparently, rings can be upgraded.

It's at the very bottom of the well in Majula so don't buy it off the cat and buy the Cat Ring (the one that reduces fall damage) instead. And if you have enough HP and 4 Estus Flasks then you hsould be good.

[Requiem]

So to update my escapades, I joined a different covenant. I'll put it in spoilers in case someone isn't at this part of the game yet.

Joined the Bell Keepers, and it is absolutely evil. I love it. Put the ring on, get summoned any time someone enters the belfry. Often get summoned with other Bell Keepers, and the goal is just to stop the person before they get to the boss fog. Have died plenty, but have a bunch of Titanite Chunks to show for it as well. Tried to avoid spoilers, but read about the Rat covenant and that sounds fun too. May just keep trying the covenants as I find them.

I am level 77 and it barely feels like it. Where in DS1, I would be able to crush most things in the game, I find myself struggling in parts and still just as challenged in every new area I come to. Other players are just as leveled, and sometimes it's just a matter of coming up against someone with a setup that counters mine. I didn't think greatswords would be as dangerous as they are, but in PvP they can be devastating, so I struggle against them a lot. They are faster than you'd expect, and deal so much damage that one hit can turn the tides immediately.

[jcmoorehead]

What system are you guys playing it on?

Also seriously contemplating finishing this and then going back through the previous Souls games.

[RoXer]

Gunna start a new character real quick and see what happens when I leave stuff at the nest and try to kill NPCs

[Requiem]

What system are you guys playing it on?

Also seriously contemplating finishing this and then going back through the previous Souls games.

PS3.

[RoXer]

Gunna start a new character real quick and see what happens when I leave stuff at the nest and try to kill NPCs

Left a Petrified Something, got a Twinkling Titanite.
Found the Silk and Smoothy Stone under the waterfall before the house at the beginning. Left that, got a Twinkling Titanite.

The caretaker in that first house attacks you with what looks like a ladle. I was hoping she would drop that once I killed her but she did not. Her and one of the 3 ladies drop effigies to give you about 10. The other ladies do not drop anything.

Emerald Monarch drops a feather that acts as a homeward bone but unlimited use. Blacksmith drops his hammer. Armorer drops his armor which isn't too useful. I tried killing the cat but no life bar showed up. Maybe if it moved to the ground after coming back I could be able to kill it.

That one guy's Bigass Blue Sword seems really useful if you're a strength character using greatswords. That thing does some damage.

Solaire guy drops his sword. Cackling traveling shop lady at 2nd bonfire drops silver serpant ring.

And that's it.

[Requiem]

Joined the Brotherhood. Been busy dueling to get cracked red eye orbs, and have done a few invasions and won roughly 3/4 of them. Duels on the other hand are rough, as some of the other Brothers are very good at what they do already. Pyromancy is incredibly dangerous too. Still, it's been fun. Loving the covenants this time around. Even killed a Blue Sentinel and his Way of the Blue host once in Heide's.

[Requiem]

So one thing I like about this covenant is that you can just drop your red summon sign down to get summoned for duels. But the coolest part is that they can summon multiple red signs, AND the red phantoms are hostile toward each other in addition to the host. So they can choose to fight the host 2v1, or they can fight each other. Several times, I have taken out the other red phantom first, and have also had some cool 1v1v1 fights.

[Requiem]

Roxer - http://darksouls2.wiki.fextralife.com/Summon+Range+Calculator

Also, the name-engraved ring, we can use to choose the same god and have a better chance at being summoned to each other's worlds.

[Requiem]

So.. area spoilers ahead, but mostly to do with PvP and not story or boss spoilers.

The platforms in Iron Keep with buttons that drop the platforms into the lava are amazing for invasions. I have dumped off 3 people from those platforms now, one when I was near death. Pretty hilarious. No hate mail from it yet.

Edit: 4 people. Just invaded a guy who had a white phantom helping him. His white phantom buddy dropped the platform so I could get over.. how nice of him, and then they both came at me as I charged the button of the platform they were on. The host stepped back just in time, but his phantom buddy fell into the lava and died. I charged forward and crowded the guy and swung till I broke guard, then hit him with a critical. As he got up, an archer nailed him from across the room. Dead.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

I don't know whether it's down to being out of practice with Souls games (played Demon Souls up until Dark Souls came out, then played that until I got an XBox last year) or with the PS3 controller or both but I'm finding this tough. I have died so many times just getting past the first boss. Trying to move on in that area, I can't handle the multiple giant iron hammer-wielding solders and the hollow knights, there's too many around and no space to deal with them. Poise and a strong shield are so important against multiple enemies. I can't cope with 3-4 hollow knights together much of the time. They've really went for the crowding in this game, plus the playing dead enemies coming up behind you.

I may have to just keep dropping summon signs to build up a good level to start using the Bastard sword for some sweeping attacks. Currently wielding the fire longsword at +3.

[Requiem]

Yeah, this game is definitely harder in general. Before it came out, I did a level 1 run up to and a little past the gargoyles in DS1 just for a refresher. Breezed through it. Being in practice didn't seem to help though, as DS2 is just a different kind of monster. Haven't struggled with anyone as much as I struggled with O&S from DS1, but there have definitely been a few bosses I wouldn't have beat without summons this time around. Even as I could solo every boss in DS1, this game just has a higher difficulty in general and requires a lot more precision.

In DS1, you could take on a group of hollows no problem. In DS2, the AI is a lot more aggressive. Even in that starting area with the first white knight against the tree (the area shown in the beta a lot), the hollows there will CHARGE you. Get one by itself to attack? BOOM, the other two are charging at you, forcing you to back off after a hit or two. Plus the archer up top, just for a little variable that you have to avoid in the fight.

Also, be prepared for what happens if you use a bonfire ascetic. Also related to NG+. It turns that area into NG+, but if you beat the game and go into NG+, that bonfire will be upgraded to NG+2. Not only that, but those areas will often have new enemies that weren't there the first time around. People have also reported that the AI of enemies in NG+ and beyond is better and more dangerous. Word is that all the way to NG +7, new things will be added and tactics will be different. That's insane, honestly. Can't believe they put that much thought into future playthroughs, but I can't wait.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

Something that's bothersome about this game: it's very easy to get summoned, which is great, but there's been a large number of dickheads summoning me then fucking off before I arrive, so then I have to spend 5 minutes looking for them. Usually they either die before I find them or I leave the world because it's dull. I don't know what the issue is, this hasn't been a problem in previous games. When you summon someone it's usually because you want them to help you with something, so it makes sense to wait rather than fucking off somewhere else in the level.

[RoXer]

Also, make sure you're summoned to help them and not as a gray spirit or whichever one it is that pits you against them.

[RoXer]

I did it again.

I'm pretty sure I've leveled up way too much for where I am in the game.

Oh well. I'm in this for the long haul and will give it a few playthroughs so it shouldn't be too problematic once NG+(+(+)) rolls around.

Um, I don't have too much to say about this at the moment. I haven't been playing as much as I've wanted to until yesterday and today really. I feel like maybe I'm halfway through the game but I don't honestly know.

Anyone reading this, once you get to the Black Gulch (where those poison statues spit at you) there's a 2nd bonfire right before the fog gate and after the two worms that jump out of the cave. There is also 2 place you jump off the ledge from, on lets you talk with that one chick NPC and you learn more about her and she gives you a ring, the other had 2 giants (I think?) in a dimly lit cave and an elevator to (I think?) a chest.

I helped out a whole bunch of people in there last weekend, probably over 20, and every time I went I showed someone that bonfire. I guess it's easy to miss.

I have beaten The Last Sinner. The Giant Spider. Other dudes. It seems I've exhausted all of my paths so I'm going to unlock that path that the miracle lady is blocking and see what's in there. And then I guess from there, Drangleic?

[RoXer]

I have not attacked anything that does not attack me.

Those white knights are alive and so is that giant spider or possibly ant thing in The Gutter.

I'm going to go see if I should kill that thing. I bet it's blocking a path.

[Requiem]

I did it again.

I'm pretty sure I've leveled up way too much for where I am in the game.

Oh well. I'm in this for the long haul and will give it a few playthroughs so it shouldn't be too problematic once NG+(+(+)) rolls around.

Um, I don't have too much to say about this at the moment. I haven't been playing as much as I've wanted to until yesterday and today really. I feel like maybe I'm halfway through the game but I don't honestly know.

Anyone reading this, once you get to the Black Gulch (where those poison statues spit at you) there's a 2nd bonfire right before the fog gate and after the two worms that jump out of the cave. There is also 2 place you jump off the ledge from, on lets you talk with that one chick NPC and you learn more about her and she gives you a ring, the other had 2 giants (I think?) in a dimly lit cave and an elevator to (I think?) a chest.

I helped out a whole bunch of people in there last weekend, probably over 20, and every time I went I showed someone that bonfire. I guess it's easy to miss.

I have beaten The Last Sinner. The Giant Spider. Other dudes. It seems I've exhausted all of my paths so I'm going to unlock that path that the miracle lady is blocking and see what's in there. And then I guess from there, Drangleic?

There's a fucking bonfire closer to the boss in black gulch? Are you fucking kidding me? asd;lfjknasdfpauowhfasdg;a1jh

[Requiem]

Also, do you mean you're too high level and not getting any summons/online stuff? Or do you just feel too powerful for the area?

There is 'soul memory' which is your total souls earned, and is different than your level. And that can affect your matchups for multiplayer. But I've heard that in NG+, soul memory isn't important anymore and you get matched up with anyone on NG+.

[Requiem]

Certain places later in the game have put me in my place when it came to how powerful I thought I was. I think it's because of the non-linear nature, that allows you to forget about a place for a while until you're much more powerful, and by the time you come back to it you can just breeze through it. But I've gone through places I probably shouldn't have yet, and they were much harder. At the point I'm at now, I'm getting put back in my place a little, and the challenge is coming back.

[RoXer]

Most of the time when I lay down my summon sign, I get put into an NG+ game and if I get invaded I get destroyed from someone also probably NG+

Which is a problem because of the way I've leveled my character, it makes it difficult to hang with them and dish out decent damage to enemies. Oh well.

[RoXer]

My current soul level is 18.8 million. Level 154.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

Having the new stats is an interesting addition. I always like to go for a physical build as my main character, then try other routes later, so having to stat up my burden weight individually is a fly in the ointment. I finished Demon Souls mainly with the lightest armour possible and Dark Souls was much the same, so I'm going the same way here. High strength, high endurance for loads of rolling and big physical attacks. I'll get some good light armour and wield a fucking massive weapon.

[RoXer]

I haven't kept up on it lately, but have they (the internet) figured out Adaptability yet? It increase AGL and Poise which may or may not improve estus flask use, invincibility frames, and raising your shield but then I read something to the contrary not too long ago and I haven't kept up since.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

No idea. I've been ignoring it. Poise was a good addition to the game (in Dark Souls), that's the only problem with my tendency to go for lighter armour.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

The swarm of knights in the Lost Bastille is turning into one of those dreaded sections for me, like the run past the Silver Knight archers up the ramp in Anor Londo in Dark Souls. I've tried 5 or 6 times now to get past this bit and they keep mullering me. I need a better shield.

[RoXer]

I would open the door and take a few steps in. This should aggro 3 of them. Then step back outside and 2 hand your weapon. Kill them as they're coming out the door and toward you. I did the same thing with the other 2 by the barrels.

[Requiem]

Agility doesn't help with raising your shield. Have seen slow-mo videos that count the frames and it is the same no matter what. It does affect estus use speed, and it adds i-frames to your rolls. It allows you to be far more aggressive with your rolling, like staying in close to dodge attacks rather than having to back away so often. At least, that's what I'm getting out of it, and seeing in videos where people have tested with 99 adaptability.

I didn't really think it did a whole lot, but I have in the high 20's range of Adaptability on my main character, and I started a sorcerer to experiment, and I get hit while rolling way easier than on my main. It doesn't seem to be AS useful as people originally thought, but for a character where you intend on dodging more than blocking, it's probably a necessity in the long run.

Poise on the other hand works differently than DS1. Poise is no longer your likelihood of getting staggered. Poise is now the DURATION you get staggered for. With high poise, you will become unstaggered sooner, which is good since pretty much any fucking attack that hits you will stagger you momentarily. I've had 100+ poise, and some asshole's caestus will still stun me. But only for a moment, and I'll be out of it. No poise or very little poise can result in you getting stunlocked and killed before you're able to roll away. Higher poise will mean you may only take 1 or 2 hits before rolling away, and it can be the difference between life and death.

[Requiem]

120 seems to be the generally accepted cut-off for agility diminishing returns. So whatever adaptability will get you to 120, and anymore seems to be a waste.

[Requiem]

The swarm of knights in the Lost Bastille is turning into one of those dreaded sections for me, like the run past the Silver Knight archers up the ramp in Anor Londo in Dark Souls. I've tried 5 or 6 times now to get past this bit and they keep mullering me. I need a better shield.

If you can get past them once, there is a shortcut down the stairs in that first room. There is a door at the bottom of that room that seemingly goes to nowhere. But look carefully on your next trip through the place, as you can use that door to avoid having to go in through the front.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

I got past them a few of times using Roxer's method, which I had been trying but doesn't always work for some reason. Half the time it aggros all of the knights at once, other times one set or the other. Helped out with beating the Sentinels a few times then got some help to beat them myself.

With Poise the main benefit I find is not having attacks interrupted. The toughest enemies are those you can't stop their power attacks, so they can just drain your stamina and power through your hits. In Dark Souls with big Poise and a Greatsword you could pulverise anyone just by swinging it about.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

I'm disappointed to see it's still possible to get invaded by lag-stabbers. I thought they were supposed to be tightening up the match-making.

[Requiem]

You can change your matchmaking settings somehow, limiting you to local regions, or opening it to all regions. I forget how, but I did it once.

Also, RoXer, how the hell do you have so many souls? What the hell have you been doing? lol. I have 1.9 mil soul memory at level 126. I have absolutely no idea how you managed to get so many souls and put you that far ahead.

[RoXer]

I would set down my summon sign and while waiting to be summoned I kill most of the difficult enemies in my world to get a whole bunch of souls until I've killed them the 15 times to where they no longer spawn. Once I'm summoned, I normally do the same thing except on our way to the boss which is even more souls. And I wear the serpent ring which gives me 10% more souls. Until I fight the boss in my world which is more souls still.

All these souls but all the attributes are hovering around mid 20's. Trying to collect as many weapons and spells as I can too to get the achievement as quick as possible.

[Requiem]

All attributes roughly even? What's your lowest attribute? You could attempt a 'mundane' build. Mundane scales off your lowest stat, and I've seen some people say it can be devastating if done right.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

Those exploding prisoner enemies are fucking annoying.

[RoXer]

My current soul level is 18.8 million. Level 154.


Also, RoXer, how the hell do you have so many souls? What the hell have you been doing? lol. I have 1.9 mil soul memory at level 126. I have absolutely no idea how you managed to get so many souls and put you that far ahead.

Duuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr I must have added a digit like an idiot because I'm now at 2 mil.

Lvl 157

[Requiem]

Dicking around in the rat covenant because I heard the rank 3 ring did something that it apparently doesn't. But I'm too far in now to give up. 1 rat tail away from rank 3.

But I was using some corrosive urns for the hell of it, and managed to break all this guy's stuff with about 10 or so urns. He sent me hatemail afterwards. lol

Definitely felt like an asshole, and haven't used them since. They cost 700 a pop, and they do 10 durability damage per hit. So it can take quite a few of them to break things. Definitely a defensive maneuver if you're just trying to get someone to fuck off out of your world.

[RoXer]

Req and I co-oped the Iron Keep last night. It's very simple to do if you are around the same soul level/memory and have the Name-Engraved Ring. Just make sure to unequip the ring once you join the game and switch it back to whatever you were wearing.

But I don't think I'm going to summon actual friends for PVE. It kind of... ruins the feel of the game. I like exploring these games on my own first (especially since it's just out and everyone is doing the same thing) and having someone show you around kind of takes the fun out the exploration. Once I beat the game it's fine because I'll know what to expect and maybe someone will show me something I missed, but for now I think I'll only use it to PVP.

[Requiem]

Was pretty fun, sorry if I spoiled anything. Have summoned a few sunbros that started gesturing for me to follow them and showed me things though that I never would have found. I liked it and it wasn't that different from seeing messages on the ground. I get what you mean though about exploring. I tend to go through places first on my own and then drop my summon sign to help with bosses before taking them on myself. Kinda helps me learn about a place better.

I hate how many messages there are though, for literally anything. Like an item in a vase or behind something. Or a message right before a chest telling you it's a ring or weapon or something. Like, just let me see the little blue smoke for myself or open the chest without some message with 50 votes telling me an item is 5 feet away from me.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

I've been using a +5 Halberd mainly but I've switched over to the Drangleic sword (found in the first area by dropping down a level after the main Pursuer boss area) and it's superb. It's like the Black Knight sword in Dark Souls except much quicker. Brilliant range and speed of attack and hits hard. I've been decimating people with it in the Belfry Luna and collecting shitloads of Titanite chunks. The Halberd is also good but works better two-handed, and I like to have a shield.

The Bell-Keeper's covenant is crazy, if you wear the ring in the Lost Bastille it's almost impossible to take it off in between invasions. At the moment it's fantastic for PvP but I do think it will end up like the Forest-Keeper's covenant in Dark Souls where gangs of trolls will camp the spawn points to repeatedly annihilate invaders.

[RoXer]

Was pretty fun, sorry if I spoiled anything. Have summoned a few sunbros that started gesturing for me to follow them and showed me things though that I never would have found. I liked it and it wasn't that different from seeing messages on the ground. I get what you mean though about exploring. I tend to go through places first on my own and then drop my summon sign to help with bosses before taking them on myself. Kinda helps me learn about a place better.

I hate how many messages there are though, for literally anything. Like an item in a vase or behind something. Or a message right before a chest telling you it's a ring or weapon or something. Like, just let me see the little blue smoke for myself or open the chest without some message with 50 votes telling me an item is 5 feet away from me.

Yeah, no, I'm not saying you did anything wrong or anything. I'm just saying summoning should only be used after you've cleared out an entire area because most of the time, the summonee spoils things for the summoner, even if he isn't trying to. The summonee can't even help but to spoil things since he's been through the area and can prepare for traps and enemies and whatnot. It might be an interesting mechanic if say they locked summoning in an area until you reach the fog door on your own. And then summon whenever you want. Or only allow people to summon others who haven't cleared the section.

I dunno, whatever. Just saying.

Gunna go play now.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

Jesus Christ. Earthen Peak is a fucking bastard of a level. A real fucker.

I'm trying this level on my own and I don't see how it can be done without a bit of help. I have died a ridiculous number of times now. Doesn't seem to be much summoning happening, however.

[RoXer]

I didn't have much trouble BUT I think I went somewhere else and came back to it when I was overleveled.

Speaking of which, I just went back to discover the Undead Purgatory for the first time today. I completely missed that part and the bonfire and I'm almost done with the game. :o

In case you missed it also, it's before the Harvest Valley area but after Hunstsman's Copse

[El Capitano Gatisto]

I completed it before I went to Harvest Valley for some reason. There's a guy there who won't speak to me, presumably the evil covenant guy. I've only had one invasion from a human black phantom and it was right outside the boss gate there. Killed him.

[RoXer]

Yeah, you need a Token of Spite in your inventory to talk to him and to join his covenant.

[Ultra Mantis]

Got this yesterday and started as a Deprived, spent about four hours running around dying in the forest of fallen giants until I found the NPC who lets you level up and gives you the Estus Flask. My broken swords kept breaking in about 10 hits, pretty insane, don't know what I would have done if I actually made it to a boss.

[RoXer]

Jesus Christ. Earthen Peak is a fucking bastard of a level. A real fucker.

I'm trying this level on my own and I don't see how it can be done without a bit of help. I have died a ridiculous number of times now. Doesn't seem to be much summoning happening, however.

So I was reading something and then I read this part and remembered that I did it and didn't really understand what it did or the benefits or it. It could be why that part wasn't difficult for me and you might want to give it a try.

The blades of the windmill can be set on fire with a lit torch near the central bonfire, easing the poison pool in the boss arena of Mytha, the Baneful Queen, in addition to draining other poison pools throughout the area.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

I already did that, I saw some guy do it who I was helping out, so I went for it in my game as well. I haven't to the boss yet, got to the gate and then was be wary of beating to a pulp by a couple of big mummy blokes with glowing blue halberds and one of those fucking witches chucking exploding fire.

[RoXer]

There is a bonfire above the entrance to the boss behind an illusory wall

[Requiem]

Playing my dex character right now, and I forgot how fucking hard the Bastille is when you're first going through it. I've been putting my summon sign down to try and stay human (latest patch fixed it so that you become human after completing your goal - best method is to use your small soapstone and just wait the duration of it while helping someone)

But wow, stuff here hits hard and fast, and my damage is shit, even with upgrades. Forgot how rough it is, because when you come through later, everything here is shit easy.

[RoXer]

Fuck the Darklurker

[RoXer]

Beat his ass. Decided the hell with it and spammed lightning at him. Would have used a Divine Blessing too or whichever one also cures spells but it didn't need to come to that. 2nd to last fight I had him down to a small fraction of health. They were winding up an attack that I knew I couldn't evade so I decided it was faster to switch to my sword and slash him instead. And it was. But it didn't kill him/them. It got them down to an invisible sliver of health and both their hexes landed on me killing me.

But I got his ass. Finally. It took up all of my effigies to beat him but I don't care.

[Requiem]

Saw a guy on reddit saying he would invade people in 'tough' places where they wouldn't want to lose their progress in the area and would cast chameleon and then message them "Drop an effigy at the end of the path and I'll let you live" and it actually worked and he got a bunch of effigies out of it. You should try that to get some effigies back.

[Ultra Mantis]

I have lit three primal bonfires and now I am completely clueless on where to go next, pretty sure I'm missing something really obvious in the forest of the giants because every time I think I find something there it's a dead end (ie. The salamander pit, Soldier's Rest). Going to do a thorough exploration I guess until something comes up.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

I'm at the same stage, it's time to drop down the pit in Majula. I made my way to the start of The Gutter, yet another shit location like the Valley of Defilement and Blighttown.

Fuck those exploding bastards.

[RoXer]

So if I want to get all the trophies in this game, I'll need all spells. That would include some that are only attainable by getting rank 3 in certain covenants or talking to a merchant in NG++.

To get Rank 3 in the Blue Sentinels I would need 500 kills. Either as a summoned defender or sparring match wins. For Rank 3 in Brotherhood of Blood, I would also need 500 kills there.

Fuck. That.

Given the options, I would rather spend that time playing the game a 3rd time than to sit around waiting to duel 1000+ times.

[RoXer]

I have lit three primal bonfires and now I am completely clueless on where to go next, pretty sure I'm missing something really obvious in the forest of the giants because every time I think I find something there it's a dead end (ie. The salamander pit, Soldier's Rest). Going to do a thorough exploration I guess until something comes up.

I'm at the same stage, it's time to drop down the pit in Majula.

If you talked to the ladder guy at Earthen Peak, he shows up next to the hole and will build you a ladder. I think the most expensive one leads you to useful treasure but I forget what it is. Maybe armor? I'm not sure. If you didn't, you can always drop down (which is doable, I've done it before).

[El Capitano Gatisto]

I paid the ladder guy. Dropping was a pain in the arse. I think the best treasure is a Fragrant Branch of Yore or a Pharros Lockstone.

[RoXer]

"Fragrant Branch of Yore" is my favorite item name to say out loud.

[Ultra Mantis]

If you talked to the ladder guy at Earthen Peak, he shows up next to the hole and will build you a ladder. I think the most expensive one leads you to useful treasure but I forget what it is. Maybe armor? I'm not sure. If you didn't, you can always drop down (which is doable, I've done it before).

I don't even know where Earthen Peak is yet, I bought the Silvercat Ring pretty early on used it to drop down the hole. Took a while to get through The Gutter and the whole vibe of Dark Gulch put me off attempting it straight away but I didn't find it that difficult. Some Miracle woman has let me into a new area now so I guess that's what I was missing.

[Requiem]

So if I want to get all the trophies in this game, I'll need all spells. That would include some that are only attainable by getting rank 3 in certain covenants or talking to a merchant in NG++.

To get Rank 3 in the Blue Sentinels I would need 500 kills. Either as a summoned defender or sparring match wins. For Rank 3 in Brotherhood of Blood, I would also need 500 kills there.

Fuck. That.

Given the options, I would rather spend that time playing the game a 3rd time than to sit around waiting to duel 1000+ times.

Pretty sure all the covenant items are available in NG+ or something.

[RoXer]

NG++

[Requiem]

Ah, yeah and I just read Bonfire Ascetics don't work. So it has to be legit NG++.

And also, the covenant ranks are even more difficult because it seems to be that losses count as -1 toward your total. So you have to be POSITIVE 500 to reach rank 3. And it has to be of a single type supposedly. Like, the kills/invasions don't stack. It has to be 500 invasions, or 500 duel wins, or some crap like that.

[RoXer]

Brotherhood of Blood is duels only that have to be positive. Blue Sentinels can be a combination of both and losses don't count against you.

Either way, I'm skipping all that ish and will just play the game a 3rd time.

[RoXer]

http://i.imgur.com/gLjjKL5.jpg

The Iron (Peace)Keep(er).

+10 Poison/Great Magic Ladel
+10 Notched Whip
+10 Chaos Storm
+10 Mundane Twinblade

[RoXer]

Spent a lot of time wearing that getup, summoning red invaders, and being the referee for them as they duke it out.

Sometimes I'll fight someone with my whip and ladel. I've won a few.

[Ultra Mantis]

What's with this massive difficulty spike after The Undead Crypt? These giant knights with the maces in the Dragon Shrine are absolutely ridiculous.

[Requiem]

Dragon Shrine is ridiculous. Straight up toughest gauntlet in the game, if only because of the flying death that waits at the end of it. I imagine it's a lot easier as a caster.

[RoXer]

Flying death? You mean the NPC you talk to and leaves you alone unless you aggro him?

...you aggroed him didn't you?

[Requiem]

Ya, because I want to kill him for his giant soul.

[Ultra Mantis]

Last boss was surprisingly easy, not sure what to think of that whole final section after you finish Dragon Shrine. The pacing of most levels seemed a bit odd actually. Still, love the Souls games and I'm already back at the Pursuer in NG+ after about half an hour, took me 6 hours to get there the first time :'(

[El Capitano Gatisto]

I fucking hate The Gutter. Just so miserable to play. I've found myself not really wanting to play the game much since getting there, just so fucking annoying sliding off platforms when trying to hit enemies.

[Ultra Mantis]

Light the torches and carry a big shield. I thought it was a lot easier to navigate than Valley of Defilement and Blighttown actually. Finding the exit was the most frustrating part.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

Already doing both of those, I keep dying because of camera issues and sliding about the terrain.

I hated the Valley of Defilement and Blighttown as well. It wouldn't be Souls without one of these shitty dark levels full of poison and terrible terrain.

[Ultra Mantis]

If you take the first bridge with the zombie dog rather than jumping over to the hollow with the torch it cuts out a big chunk of the level.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

I finished it pretty quickly in the end up. The boss was really quite easy as well. I'm finding this a lot in this game, some of the bosses are very straight-forward. Maybe I'm over-leveled for the area or something. I definitely think this is the weakest of the Souls games, seems less intricately designed. Demon Souls and Dark Souls had the really satisfying way of opening up shortcuts that cut out a lot of the hard work in getting to places, this game seems to just have shitloads more bonfires and much smaller areas.

[RoXer]

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