Dark Souls II - share your experiences, stories and builds!

Started by Hemingway, March 26, 2014, 12:14:17 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Shjade

Quote from: Hemingway on March 28, 2014, 05:00:03 PM
Frankly, I don't get the durability system in Dark Souls 2. What sense does it make that my weapon is nearly worn down before I can even get to the area boss?

The sense that it's encouraging you to not fight everything between the front door and the boss. The goal isn't to kill everything; it's to not die. Many areas are actually easier to traverse by running around the enemies rather than fighting them. ;p

Or, alternatively, have more than one weapon ready. When I was doing my no bonfires run I had 2 +7 claymores, a +7 varangian sword, +10 varangian sword, +10 greatsword and +10 large club. Rotated through all of them before I'd use a repair powder, start the rotation over again from the weakest weapon I could still reasonably use in the area I was passing through at the time.

Regarding comparisons between the two Dark games, three overwhelmingly glaring differences come to mind:

- DS2's Guard Break is infinitely superior to DS1's kick in almost every way (the one exception being knocking people off of cliffs, which is much harder to do reliably in DS2 and, as such, makes hackers harder to deal with in some circumstances than they were in DS1). You can guard break straight through a greatshield, which was almost impossible to do with kicks.

- Jumping in DS1 was infinitely better. You jumped higher and farther in DS1 than you do in DS2 and it's gotten me killed on several occasions thinking 'Yeah, I can make that' and realizing I was thinking with DS1's jump physics. DS2's jump sucks. This is even more noticeable to me than the rolling changes.

- Weight. The kind of armor I was wearing on my strength build would have had me medium-rolling at the very least in DS1. I like that they opened up build variety and options by allowing a much more generous equip load while still rolling effectively. Maybe not AS effectively, but much better than the comparison between fast and medium rolls in DS1.

Compared to those three things, durability doesn't really even show up on my radar of differences. If you're upgraded appropriate to the area you're in and you kill things efficiently it shouldn't become much of a problem, unless you're using more delicate weapons and exploring every nook and cranny without backup weapons ready to go.


Edit: Why play in new ways? For variety! Spice! Fun! And to learn what other options are available. What've you got to lose? ;p

(I say this as a person who used katana on 8 out of 10 characters in DS1, but still. >.>; )
Theme: Make Me Feel - Janelle Monáe
◕/◕'s
Conversation is more useful than conversion.

Hemingway

I understand the idea of durability, sort of. I just don't understand why some weapons have to break so easily. I like rapiers. Rapiers are cool. I want to dress up as Lucatiel and murder people in style. Too bad they break so fast!

If there was some obvious advantage to using those weapons over sturdier weapons, I'd get it. If there is, though, I don't see it. I mean, even if you're dishing out tons of damage, you're not going to stagger a lot of enemies with weapons like that. Which makes sense. It also makes sense that they have lower durability. It just isn't that much when you have to worry about your weapon breaking before reaching the boss. The only time I had that happen with my trusty Mastodon was when I decided to go straight from the Doors of Pharros to the spider boss without resting up in Bright Cove.

Hmm.

I really like my Mastodon guy, too. He has a wicked moustache. I feel like I should use a Zweihänder just because of how appropriate it would be to his resemblance to Otto von Bismarck.

Unfortunately, no really cool armors. Knight set is probably the coolest I have, just because of how functional it looks.

I thought maybe I'd try for the Llewellyn set, see how that works. It doesn't look like it's very good from a stat point of view, though. Why are standard items you can pick up from merchants always the best ones in Dark Souls? I don't get it. You'd think boss weapons and armor would have some advantage, but no.

Drake Valentine

Does lighting the primal bonfires count against the no bonfire run for that invisible weapon ring item?

"When I'm Done With You, You'll Be a:
Raped, Bloody, And Humiliated, Little Alice in Wonderland."

Introduction | O&Os | O&Os2 | IM RP Request(Canceled 04/11/2010) | A&As(Updated 10/29/13) | Solo RP Request (Updated 09/20/14)
Pale Eclipse - Group Game Project{Paused} 

Shjade

Quote from: Drake Valentine on March 28, 2014, 09:02:05 PM
Does lighting the primal bonfires count against the no bonfire run for that invisible weapon ring item?

No it does not. You can use primals all you like, since they're just teleporters. You can also die, homeward bone and light bonfires, just can't rest at them.

Usually boss gear has some kind of advantage over normal gear, but it's either a niche advantage or a base advantage: baseline boss gear is often better than base normal gear, but it's worse when they're both upgraded. Sometimes they just have a really specific set of resistances (anti-fire, etc.), but often they're just kinda flat out worse, yeah. It's more of an aesthetic thing. I'm still not sure why they do it that way though.

If I had to guess, I'd say it's so that you don't have issues of power creep, where beating bosses makes it easier to beat more bosses and so on. Also so that pvp is a bit more balanced on its own rather than being built around the pve, such that if you're struggling to beat X boss people who have already beaten X boss and are now wearing X boss's armor can't just auto-win against you when they invade you by having superior gear you can't yet access since you haven't beaten the boss.

That said, Vendrick's gear is an exception. Maybe not so much the armor, but his weapons are pretty damn strong by the standards of Dark Souls boss weapons.
Theme: Make Me Feel - Janelle Monáe
◕/◕'s
Conversation is more useful than conversion.

Hemingway

Yeah ...

I just want Lightning Spear to be a viable weapon in PvE. D:

Also, I noticed last night the Black set requires intelligence to wear. I don't know of any other armor set with stat requirements outside of the equip load you need to wear it and actually move! What the hell, Straid!?

Nah, Straid's cool. I'd say he's even cooler than Gavlan.

Edit: I was disappointed with how poorly my rapier worked in Heide's Tower of Flame. I asked myself, what would be better than a rapier? Why, two rapiers, of course! I haven't had a chance to try power stance before now, and I have to say I'm quite satisfied with the results. I'm not confident enough to use it against regular opponents, or bosses, but against large, slow enemies like the Old Knights, it works absolute wonders.

I seem to recall reading somewhere you can enchant infused weapons. In other words, could I infuse Ricard's Rapier with magic for int scaling, and then use sorceries to boost the damage ever further? I shudder to think of what the results would be.

Edit 2: I just realized how much dual wielding rapiers and wearing Lucatiel's set would make me resemble V, of V for Vendetta. Granted, he uses shorter knives, but still.

I like this concept.

Kevben Battleheart

Ya'll are making me impatient for when I eventually get this game lol. I have to ask, since I haven't looked anything or seen anything since they released the first trailer for the game, do they still have the Dragon weapons from DS1? I highly doubt that but I would love to get my hand on the Dragon King Greataxe again. That weapon saved my ass plenty of times against PVPers who like to circle around and backstab with it's two-handed AOE attack.
The Saga of Battleheart (O/O's)The Vault of Victory  ♥
The World of Adalern (currently closed to critiquing)
Tell one your thoughts, but beware of two. All know what is known to three.
Thought for the week: Harden your soul against decadence, but do not despise it for the soft appearance of the decadent may be deceiving.

Hemingway

Quote from: Kevben Battleheart on March 29, 2014, 05:12:23 PM
Ya'll are making me impatient for when I eventually get this game lol. I have to ask, since I haven't looked anything or seen anything since they released the first trailer for the game, do they still have the Dragon weapons from DS1? I highly doubt that but I would love to get my hand on the Dragon King Greataxe again. That weapon saved my ass plenty of times against PVPers who like to circle around and backstab with it's two-handed AOE attack.

I don't think so, no.

On that note, I don't believe there are any tail weapons in the game, either. I mean, like the Drake Sword. In general, the game seems to be geared much more toward buying equipment from merchants, rather than picking it up. There's of course plenty of stuff lying around, but you have much easier access to merchants, who continue to expand their stock as you buy stuff.

Kevben Battleheart

Quote from: Hemingway on March 29, 2014, 06:11:52 PM
I don't think so, no.

On that note, I don't believe there are any tail weapons in the game, either. I mean, like the Drake Sword. In general, the game seems to be geared much more toward buying equipment from merchants, rather than picking it up. There's of course plenty of stuff lying around, but you have much easier access to merchants, who continue to expand their stock as you buy stuff.
Ah, I figured as much but I had a little hope for, as I said, haven't really looked anything up for the game yet. Kinda want it all to be a surprise, ya know?

And that sounds rather mundane to me. Half the fun I recall from DS1 was having to go out and kill certain creeps to get their gear, like killing Shiva of the East and his Ninja bodyguard just to get the Dark Wood Grain Ring. *is finding he's tempted to start looking up things* When I do get the game I'm probably going to go try and faceroll through everything to test the waters. Back in DS1 I used to run around in Havel's armor and shield. Loved that shield while using its special and Iron Flesh together. Is Havel's shield in DS2 since I see some posts saying his armor is there?
The Saga of Battleheart (O/O's)The Vault of Victory  ♥
The World of Adalern (currently closed to critiquing)
Tell one your thoughts, but beware of two. All know what is known to three.
Thought for the week: Harden your soul against decadence, but do not despise it for the soft appearance of the decadent may be deceiving.

Drake Valentine

Maces are my favorite ripostes ever. Axes take second place, but damn the character just brutally murders someone with the mace. >.< Even from behind. Not sure if large two handed weapons have different animation being held in two hands or one. The whip was disappointing, not sure how it was for ripostes but behind it looked like a standard stab in the back.

So in order.

Maces, Axes, Swords, Rapiers, 'Fist' Weapons, and Whips.
Haven't tried halberds, two handed weapons and anything else.

I am going to assume the animations are all the same for each variety of sword, whip, mace, so on and so forth. The rapier was different, but it might also go by 'type' of damage the weapon does.

"When I'm Done With You, You'll Be a:
Raped, Bloody, And Humiliated, Little Alice in Wonderland."

Introduction | O&Os | O&Os2 | IM RP Request(Canceled 04/11/2010) | A&As(Updated 10/29/13) | Solo RP Request (Updated 09/20/14)
Pale Eclipse - Group Game Project{Paused} 

Hemingway

Hmm. Remind me to kill Lucatiel next time I see her. I want that armor, and I'm not keeping her alive through Lost Sinner and Smelter Demon. I find the moustachioed silver mask to be eerily attractive on female characters. ;D

Also, my dual rapiers are ripping everything to shreds. Adaptability really helps with rolling, and power stance L1/L2 attacks deal insane damage. I'm sure I'll give up on power stance at some point, and start cowering behind a shield again. But for now, I'm just going to rip everything to pieces. Hell, the Lost Bastille was, ah-hah, like Bastille day, with me storming through and cutting hollows up like it was 1789. The incredibly annoying exploding mummies, royal soldiers, and the large undead things in the Sinner's Rise actually gave me way less trouble than with any other build I've tried. I guess that comes with one-shotting everything you encounter.

Quote from: Kevben Battleheart on March 29, 2014, 06:34:57 PM
Ah, I figured as much but I had a little hope for, as I said, haven't really looked anything up for the game yet. Kinda want it all to be a surprise, ya know?

And that sounds rather mundane to me. Half the fun I recall from DS1 was having to go out and kill certain creeps to get their gear, like killing Shiva of the East and his Ninja bodyguard just to get the Dark Wood Grain Ring. *is finding he's tempted to start looking up things* When I do get the game I'm probably going to go try and faceroll through everything to test the waters. Back in DS1 I used to run around in Havel's armor and shield. Loved that shield while using its special and Iron Flesh together. Is Havel's shield in DS2 since I see some posts saying his armor is there?

It's not that bad. It's not like everything is vendor-bought. A lot of stuff is still scattered around. A lot of stuff just works differently. Instead of picking up a boss' armor from a chest, you buy it from a vendor after killing the boss, for instance. NPCs' armors, too. As to Havel's Greatshield, I'm pretty sure it is. I'm not sure about the weapon, though.

Drake Valentine

#35
Yes, Havel's shield is in the game. You get it when you open the chest along with all his armor. The set is HEAVY. H-E-A-V-Y. By far the heaviest armor set in the game.  Best defense wise so far, though. So if you don't want to roll like a turtle, might want to up that Vitality or whatever it was stat or get rings to increase armor load.

I don't like greatshields, sure they may sponge damage well, but when I am shielding I prefer to be able to parry and riposte. Greatshields just do a slam attack bash thing.

Edit: Just be careful to not break the chest in the process. You will just get rubbish. I think it was in a chest, either a chest or a vase in a room. Have fun grabbing it when you do get the game, the room is full of surprises. ;) You know, cause they aren't going to be that generous in letting you waltz right on in there after you get the key from the two dual club wielding giants.

Edit II: I also think you need a 30 str stat to equip the pieces effectively. Or 35..... I think something had a higher stat requirement than the rest of the armor. It is under 40, because I softcap str and dex at 40.

"When I'm Done With You, You'll Be a:
Raped, Bloody, And Humiliated, Little Alice in Wonderland."

Introduction | O&Os | O&Os2 | IM RP Request(Canceled 04/11/2010) | A&As(Updated 10/29/13) | Solo RP Request (Updated 09/20/14)
Pale Eclipse - Group Game Project{Paused} 

Kevben Battleheart

Quote from: Drake Valentine on March 29, 2014, 08:40:46 PM
Yes, Havel's shield is in the game. You get it when you open the chest along with all his armor. The set is HEAVY. H-E-A-V-Y. By far the heaviest armor set in the game.  Best defense wise so far, though. So if you don't want to roll like a turtle, might want to up that Vitality or whatever it was stat or get rings to increase armor load.

I don't like greatshields, sure they may sponge damage well, but when I am shielding I prefer to be able to parry and riposte. Greatshields just do a slam attack bash thing.

Edit: Just be careful to not break the chest in the process. You will just get rubbish. I think it was in a chest, either a chest or a vase in a room. Have fun grabbing it when you do get the game, the room is full of surprises. ;) You know, cause they aren't going to be that generous in letting you waltz right on in there after you get the key from the two dual club wielding giants.

Edit II: I also think you need a 30 str stat to equip the pieces effectively. Or 35..... I think something had a higher stat requirement than the rest of the armor. It is under 40, because I softcap str and dex at 40.
I don't mind heavy armor too much. As I said it was my armor of choice back in DS1, pairing that with the Dragon Greataxe's two-handed strong attack allowed me to be able to stand my ground against BP. You also make it sound like Sen's fortress or Anor Lando a little, making me think there's traps, enemies hiding behind corners and Mimics acting as chests.
The Saga of Battleheart (O/O's)The Vault of Victory  ♥
The World of Adalern (currently closed to critiquing)
Tell one your thoughts, but beware of two. All know what is known to three.
Thought for the week: Harden your soul against decadence, but do not despise it for the soft appearance of the decadent may be deceiving.

Shjade

Quote from: Hemingway on March 29, 2014, 10:37:24 AM
Also, I noticed last night the Black set requires intelligence to wear. I don't know of any other armor set with stat requirements outside of the equip load you need to wear it and actually move! What the hell, Straid!?

Several sets require other stats. The Saint set requires minimum faith, etc.

@Kevben: All of Havel's stuff is in the game, including the Dragon Tooth, but if you think you're going to put it on and facetank your way through everything the way you could in DS1, I hope you're equipped to handle disappointment. And death. Since you'll be dying a lot trying that. And there are still some things you only get from certain mobs, but farming for them is much, much worse than the guaranteed drops from DS1 like the DWGR and other such drops. The Monastery set, for instance, only drops one piece at a time from one enemy who appears once per playthrough, and no part of it is a guaranteed drop. It's incredibly poor planning from a design perspective, as far as I'm concerned.

@Hemingway: If you want a V for Vendetta look with Lucatiel's set, try dual Royal Dirks. Though you'd have to play through the game twice to get two of them.

For the heck of it, here's my finalized Fashion Souls White Knight Sunbro set:



Faraam helm, Throne Watcher armor, Havel gauntlets, Agdayne's kilt, Archdrake shield, Santier's spear (not that you can see it). I was planning to have the Monastery skirt instead of Agdayne's kilt, but after 6 bonfire ascetics they refused to drop for me and I gave up. D:
Theme: Make Me Feel - Janelle Monáe
◕/◕'s
Conversation is more useful than conversion.

Hemingway

Quote from: Shjade on March 29, 2014, 09:42:23 PM
@Hemingway: If you want a V for Vendetta look with Lucatiel's set, try dual Royal Dirks. Though you'd have to play through the game twice to get two of them.

Yeah, that's probably not happening. I've never played a Dark Souls character beyond NG+. I also doubt I'd be much good. Royal Dirk looks pretty good, but it looks like rapiers have better damage and range, so I'm not sure whatever advantage Royal Dirks would give me ( aside from looking good ) would be worth it.

I'm having a blast for now, though.

zemo8801

I have a question for all of visit this board the fight with the dragon rider is it easy to win without knocking him off the ring?
Ons and Offs
DarkAngel  " Goof Ball "
Happy Owner of His Snowflake
Z crypt of ideas

Hemingway

Quote from: zemo8801 on March 30, 2014, 09:22:54 AM
I have a question for all of visit this board the fight with the dragon rider is it easy to win without knocking him off the ring?

Very. I'd rank him among the easiest bosses. Just equip a shield with decent stability and physical defense, and wait for him to finish attacking. It leaves him open for quite some time. I'd personally recommend raising all the rings, as you're in more danger of falling off than you are of getting killed by the boss.

zemo8801

Yea I beat him was just curious is all. Thanks for the answer.
Ons and Offs
DarkAngel  " Goof Ball "
Happy Owner of His Snowflake
Z crypt of ideas

Hemingway


zemo8801

Yea now I just might need to bring out the buckler so I can cheese out the pursuer lol. 
Ons and Offs
DarkAngel  " Goof Ball "
Happy Owner of His Snowflake
Z crypt of ideas

Hemingway

Speaking of, you guys have any bosses you regularly bypass or do out of sequence?

I mean, I use the term "out of sequence" loosely, since there's really no set order you have to do them in. I mean more along the lines of, are there any bosses you put off doing even though you have access to them?

For me, I usually don't do the Old Dragonslayer right away. It reminds me too much of Ornstein and Smough, even though he's much easier alone.

I generally head to the Lost Bastille after doing No-Man's Wharf, but I usually head to the Huntsman's Copse before doing the Ruin Sentinels ( unless I'm lucky and there are several phantoms available for summoning - I refuse to do those guys without backup ).

I also rarely do the Undead Asylum until long after I have access to it. Oddly enough, that doesn't really make the boss that much easier, considering you can't block most his attacks. Still, I hate that boss.

zemo8801

I'm not far enough to answer that but I tend to try it out to see if I'm in the right area gear wise
Ons and Offs
DarkAngel  " Goof Ball "
Happy Owner of His Snowflake
Z crypt of ideas

Hemingway

Well, I ran into Lucatiel again.

I'm sorry, my dear, but ... I crave your gear. It's time to die!

zemo8801

Hey what's the sweet spot to pulling off a successful parry?
Ons and Offs
DarkAngel  " Goof Ball "
Happy Owner of His Snowflake
Z crypt of ideas

Hemingway

I wish I knew. I can never pull it off with any sort of regularity.

zemo8801

Ons and Offs
DarkAngel  " Goof Ball "
Happy Owner of His Snowflake
Z crypt of ideas