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

[Inkidu]

That's my problem with Dark Souls 1 or 2.

I'm playing through it pretty blind. I've asked for some hints from time to time, but I'm honestly not entirely sure what all these stats mean and the game does bugger all to even hint at what anything but your key ones are. So unless you play the meta game in Dark Souls I or II how are you supposed to get anywhere?

[Shjade]

You keep using that term. I do not think it means what you think it means.

You get anywhere the same way you do in other games: you try things and see what works and what doesn't. I didn't pick that amount of Adaptability because that's what the metagame says is good (frankly, the DS community still can't agree on whether ADP is the best thing ever or completely useless, so you'll get wildly different opinions on its value depending on who you ask), I picked it because that's what works for me. Which I discovered by trying it.

[Inkidu]

You keep using that term. I do not think it means what you think it means.

You get anywhere the same way you do in other games: you try things and see what works and what doesn't. I didn't pick that amount of Adaptability because that's what the metagame says is good (frankly, the DS community still can't agree on whether ADP is the best thing ever or completely useless, so you'll get wildly different opinions on its value depending on who you ask), I picked it because that's what works for me. Which I discovered by trying it.

I know exactly what I'm saying, what I mean though is that if I took even your advice I'd never get anywhere. I'm more than happy to do my own thing, but when people give advice about this game they rarely just give you a little hint. It's usually about four sentences worth about what stats and weapon types to pick. :P

I'm saying it's more like the Centipede's Dilemma. If I actually think too hard about what I'm doing or should be doing it doesn't work. However, the overwhelming bulk of the info out there is a hardcore breakdown of stats and meta-gaming tactics, which makes me feel like I'm playing it wrong.

[Nachtmahr]

Well, it is sort of the whole, core essence of the Souls games, Dark Souls 1/2 and Demon's Souls, that you're supposed to go into this world, and be left almost entirely on your own. You intuition is basically what should get you forward - Run your hand against a wall in a dark room, and you'll eventually find the door. The appeal of these games is generally that they break the 'rules' of what a game is. Take the intro you get to Dark Souls 1 - A cutscene that just barely gives you an idea of why you're doing what you're doing to begin with. Then you get a tutorial, introducing you to the mechanics, and handing out your starting gear, giving you the chance to get a taste of any available playstyle before you head out. Then you meet the Crestfallen man who gives you a goal to work for, but how you achieve it you have to find out for yourself.

That's where the Souls game, Dark Souls in particular, breaks the mold. There's no hand-holding, and you're left to rely on instinct and the desire to see what's around the next corner. You might miss items, secrets - Even bosses, if you're not exploring your surroundings properly.

I'd say that while the ability to do things in more or less the order that you want in Dark Souls 1 was nice, but in Dark Souls 2 it is a little overwhelming. The world is far bigger than the original Dark Souls, and you're actually given even less direction. But my point is - The way these games work: If you google it, the game has won. The game wants to confuse you, and it wants you to get lost and eventually give up. :P The Souls games are all about patience and wanderlust. And patience.

And patience..

[Hemingway]

I have to agree with people recommending Adaptability. It seems insignificant, but it feels very different. I had trouble dodging, too. I struggled a lot when I first got to Heide's Tower of Flame on my most recent ( dex-based DWing character ) because I'm more used to hiding behind a shield. Boosting my Adaptability made avoiding the Old Knights' attacks a breeze, and made the whole thing so much easier. I went from struggling to survive, to taking them down more easily than any strength-based character I ever played did. Because what's better than absorbing an attack? Avoiding it entirely! What's better than avoiding several attacks? Killing enemies before they have a chance to follow up!

[Heaven Sent Blossom]

The thing with adaptability right now is nobody knows what, if any, effect it has on your i-frames. However Agility is king and adaptability is the best way to raise that (I guess casters could use attunement but ehhh).
Agility raises recovery from almost everything (doesn't effect raising your shield speed from what I can tell)  and once you've been over the magic 100 number you'll never be able to go back. I find adaptability of around 38 is a good place to be but anything that gives you a hundred or more is godlike.

I think one of the hardest things to get used to in this game for me is how garbage (comparatively speaking) DEX is.
In DS1 it was undisputed king for weapon damage, but now STR out performs it on pretty much every level.
Plus getting used to the idea of infusing weapons actually being worthwhile now, that's a big change since the nerf to elemental damage (lightning in particular) from the old game.

[Hemingway]

I know. For all I know, the difference I felt after raising my adaptability was all psychological.

It doesn't seem that way, though.

[Heaven Sent Blossom]

I definitely don't believe it's just psychological.
The only placebo effect might be invincibility but everything else is very real. Faster recovery, faster movement, these things are life savers and make Agility (and by extension adaptability) possibly the most vital stat in the game.

[Shjade]

Plus getting used to the idea of infusing weapons actually being worthwhile now, that's a big change since the nerf to elemental damage (lightning in particular) from the old game.

Yeah, I'm not the only one who's pretty sure infusions are going to get nerfed, the same way they were in Dark Souls after starting out stronger than any "normal" option was.

[SinXAzgard21]

Maxing agi is crucial for playing NG+++ and beyond as most common mobs just start one hit killing you.

[Ironwolf85]

I started cleric and built up from there. The hero's name is solarus and as always in these games, he is incredibly curious. (because so am I)
I'll have to draw deep for this story, be back soon.

[Inkidu]

I sort of wish the stats were intuitive or at least had a key you could bring up to match the symbols against. I mean there's no real reason they have to be so obtuse. :|

[Nachtmahr]

I keep sporadically diving into the game, I've gotten three bosses down, and on all characters I've made so far I'm stranded in No Man's Wharf. That place is just a deal-breaker for me time and time again. It's a cheap and shameful display of poor level design that's not worthy of an approval stamp by the same company that made Demon's Souls and Dark Souls. Even compared to blighttown, No-Man's wharf is a cheap cheesefest for the ages. Want to turn on the lights? Well, of course that means you will now have to fight 7 rehashed Oolacile mobs to get to the vendor. Never mind the one-shot trap guarding him, the 5 out-of-melee-reach archers, shooting fire, and the melee units throwing oil.

It's dumb and dull. This is basically where my love for this franchise died. And it hurts badly to feel something so good be taken away, but as much as it breaks my heart not to, I won't defend this title. From Software dropped the ball. :/

(Yes, the above is all my opinion, so please do not lynch me for sharing.)

[Ironwolf85]

I'd like everyone's ideas on the Gwym. the dwarflike undead, I've been discussing them and think they might have been the last hardcore followers of gwyn who tried to hold onto their faith as time marched forward.

[Inkidu]

I liked No-Man's Warf.

Protip

You can shoot the bell to ring it to bring the ship in, if you're so inclined.

[Shjade]

I keep sporadically diving into the game, I've gotten three bosses down, and on all characters I've made so far I'm stranded in No Man's Wharf. That place is just a deal-breaker for me time and time again. It's a cheap and shameful display of poor level design that's not worthy of an approval stamp by the same company that made Demon's Souls and Dark Souls. Even compared to blighttown, No-Man's wharf is a cheap cheesefest for the ages. Want to turn on the lights? Well, of course that means you will now have to fight 7 rehashed Oolacile mobs to get to the vendor. Never mind the one-shot trap guarding him, the 5 out-of-melee-reach archers, shooting fire, and the melee units throwing oil.

Wow. I hadn't thought that would be one of the areas to cause so much trouble, though I can see it when you describe all that. Jeez.

If you want to get to Gavlaan with all the bleedmonkey things in the way, light up a torch and run in there. They'll freak when you back them into a corner, but they still won't starting for a few seconds after that, enough time for you to get upstairs, kill the one closest to the door and get through to chat with Gavlaan. Though then you'd probably want to run for your life.

Or you can just come back to him when you're equipped to murder all the dark dudes first. *shrug* He's not that important, really.

[Ironwolf85]

Wow. I hadn't thought that would be one of the areas to cause so much trouble, though I can see it when you describe all that. Jeez.

If you want to get to Gavlaan with all the bleedmonkey things in the way, light up a torch and run in there. They'll freak when you back them into a corner, but they still won't starting for a few seconds after that, enough time for you to get upstairs, kill the one closest to the door and get through to chat with Gavlaan. Though then you'd probably want to run for your life.

Or you can just come back to him when you're equipped to murder all the dark dudes first. *shrug* He's not that important, really.

Actually it wears off because their eyes adjust to the light of your torch then they are pissed you flashed them so they get a tiny strength bonus that's not really noticeable.

[Shjade]

Right, but like I said, they don't start (attacking) for a few seconds after that, so you can just run by them.

[Nachtmahr]

Well, apart from being an utterly amazing character in general, he does allow you to sell stuff, which I find rather convenient. But the problem is that I've already switched on the light in the wharf, which means that all the Arm-dudes on the cliff shelf are also huddled up in the house, having a great old time. Of course none of it really matters because Whenever I get a decent amount of souls together, I'll loose it to something nice and cheap like being bashed off the bridge, scimitars with the range of spears, or being lit on fire. -.- It's just hell. Utter hell. And it's completely killed any desire I have to keep bashing my head against a wall. Sure, Dark Souls had it's cheap moments (Don't even get me started on the dragon-archers guarding the 1 bloody inch wide bridge to the entrance of the keep in Anor Londo) but.. An entire zone where 7/10 deaths genuinely just can't be blamed on the player..

It's so depressing, but I just don't know what to do about it. And it's not even all - I mean, just to get there you have to get past all the giant bastards of Heide's Tower. I love how they honestly expect you to take on three at once inside the dome. And your reward? A copy-pasted boss, or a boss that's painfully similar. Yay!

I know it might sound like common gamers rage, but I've felt like this for a long time now. It's my honest opinion of what could've been the shining end to a generation, ushering in the next. Instead I can't help but feel that it ranges from unnecessarily frustrating to mediocre, with only a few really enjoyable, memorable segments, and an atmosphere that's never really allowed to kick in, because of the constantly changing (somewhat disjointed and.. Odd) scenery. Just consider the fact that No-Man's Wharf is actually a wharf some 100 meters under the sea.

I'll stop ranting now. It's just such a shame. ._.

[Shjade]

*scratches head*

...if those deaths are no fault of the player, does that mean my having only died in No Man's Wharf when doing purposely suicidal things is completely not my fault, too? That I survived consistently and you didn't because I just got lucky?

Mm...no, I don't buy that. I'm willing to bet if I'd watched you playing I could tell you what was giving you problems that you could control.

That said, it's just a game: if it's not fun to play, by all means, do put it down and do something that brings you joy instead! You don't have to prove anything to a vidya game if it's giving you stress. Pfft, fuck stress! Shelve it and relax instead. ^.^

[Nachtmahr]

Well, like I said, that's all my opinion.

Now I'll just go curl up in a fetal position, and eventually play some Thief.

And I know this is a Dark Souls 2 thread, but can I just say: Thief, what a game!

[persephone325]

I've been playing as a Sorceress. It's working out well because I like ranged battle.

But you know what? Fuck you Shrine of Amana... >.< I'm just hoping that going through so many times and killing so many enemies, they'll stop spawning soon. That way I can get to where I need to go and be done with that fucking hell hole. But it is very pretty. lol

[Nachtmahr]

I'm actually curious - Does anyone know how many times an enemy needs to die before it stops spawning?

[Shjade]

I believe the magic number is 12, though I've also heard 15.

@persephone: I'm a little surprised. The first time I got to Amana I had a similar reaction, but that's because I was on a 100% melee build. It was pretty easy when I got a bow and added some range to my arsenal; a little surprised to hear a ranged spec is having much trouble there.

In other news, went back to DS1 to enjoy some Knight Artorias cosplay for a while. The balance differences between the two games are so stark it's disorienting.

[Hemingway]

Definitely the best bet for safely making it through Shrine of Amana is with a bow. Just take your time, and make sure you're only exposed to one target at a time. It's slow, and the place is awful to go through ... but, hey. What can you do, except get through?