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

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

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Inkidu

Ugh, probably going to have to restart the game. :(

I don't want to do that, not at all. This is a game you have to beat before you can enjoy it, and I'm not thrilled at the prospect of square one. :|
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Hemingway

I murdered the Darkdiver because I wanted a Dragon Chime. I read you could get it that way. I didn't get it. FFFFF.

Quote from: Inkidu on May 12, 2014, 06:21:40 PM
Ugh, probably going to have to restart the game. :(

I don't want to do that, not at all. This is a game you have to beat before you can enjoy it, and I'm not thrilled at the prospect of square one. :|

Not at all! I delight in starting over. It's such a great opportunity to try out new things - and see how you've improved.


Inkidu

Quote from: Hemingway on May 12, 2014, 06:28:23 PM
I murdered the Darkdiver because I wanted a Dragon Chime. I read you could get it that way. I didn't get it. FFFFF.

Not at all! I delight in starting over. It's such a great opportunity to try out new things - and see how you've improved.
Maybe if you beat the game.

Maybe I'll make a quick dual wielder so I can practice dodging more than hiding behind a shield.
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Hemingway

Fuck! I murdered the wrong NPC.

Oh, well. Collateral damage.

Quote from: Inkidu on May 12, 2014, 06:29:49 PM
Maybe if you beat the game.

Maybe I'll make a quick dual wielder so I can practice dodging more than hiding behind a shield.

It's great fun! I tried it after a lot of hesitation.

My advice, though: Don't start as the swordsman. I don't think the weapons you start with even let you power stance, which is ... more than half the point.

Inkidu

Quote from: Hemingway on May 12, 2014, 06:32:42 PM
Fuck! I murdered the wrong NPC.

Oh, well. Collateral damage.

It's great fun! I tried it after a lot of hesitation.

My advice, though: Don't start as the swordsman. I don't think the weapons you start with even let you power stance, which is ... more than half the point.
I pretty much always start out as a knight on any of the weapon builds. They're just too good.
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Hemingway

Quote from: Inkidu on May 12, 2014, 06:41:45 PM
I pretty much always start out as a knight on any of the weapon builds. They're just too good.

Well, depends on what you want. You can dual wield a range of weapons. I wanted dex ( dual rapiers! ), so I picked Bandit. It doesn't matter all that much, but if you're into min-maxing, then obviously it matters.

Edit: I've never played a caster in Dark Souls before. I really wish I knew what all these spells did. Great Soul Arrow? Heavy Soul Arrow? Those sound very similar! I'm guessing one is stronger, but takes longer, since they have the same number of casts and take up the same number of slots. Well, suits me just fine.

Edit 2: Good god, it's amazing how much easier a 100% physical resistance shield makes the Lost Sinner. The fight goes from difficult to an absolute walk in the park. That's on NG, anyway. NG+, well ...

Inkidu

Quote from: Hemingway on May 12, 2014, 07:12:07 PM
Well, depends on what you want. You can dual wield a range of weapons. I wanted dex ( dual rapiers! ), so I picked Bandit. It doesn't matter all that much, but if you're into min-maxing, then obviously it matters.

Edit: I've never played a caster in Dark Souls before. I really wish I knew what all these spells did. Great Soul Arrow? Heavy Soul Arrow? Those sound very similar! I'm guessing one is stronger, but takes longer, since they have the same number of casts and take up the same number of slots. Well, suits me just fine.

Edit 2: Good god, it's amazing how much easier a 100% physical resistance shield makes the Lost Sinner. The fight goes from difficult to an absolute walk in the park. That's on NG, anyway. NG+, well ...
I'm not into min-maxing. It takes all the soul out of games when you boil them down to math. :P

I'm probably going to go dual wielding knight or archer with double daggers. I don't like spellcasting in the Soul series. I find it ponderous and confusing. Also I've never had a fight with a named monster (i.e. Last Giant) last less than fifteen minutes (though that was my first fight on any of them so I didn't know what to expect) and I don't think your spells are going to last long enough to actually carry the fight. :P
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Shjade

If you had good spells, the fight wouldn't last nearly that long.
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Inkidu

Quote from: Shjade on May 14, 2014, 02:25:17 PM
If you had good spells, the fight wouldn't last nearly that long.
I haven't even tried to broach the subject of spells and magic in Dark Souls 2. Like I said, it's ponderous and slow of going by DS I is any indication. :P

You know, I realized something. The tutorial is a good indication of how unfair Dark Souls 2 can be. Why? Well, during the "Check Your Surroundings" part of the tutorial you come to a point where the only way down is to jump down a hole, a hole that hurts you a lot and leaves you vulnerable to a couple of hollows? What does that teach? Fuck you, that's what that teaches. I did a few laps looking for an alternate way, I looked in and outside of that hole and there's no alternate way as far as I've ever been able to tell.

So I died during the tutorial and quit. The game just sucks the fun out of itself sometimes. Also, starting over fucking sucks when you've not beaten the game. All I can see is already well-trodden ground that I'm forced to go over again. Purgatory: The Game.

EDIT: So I sucked it up and went back with my original character. I found the back way into the pit trap and met the guy in the wheelchair. More cryptic, useless bullshit. Got to pick the basilisks off one by one. However, there are acid pits in the place. So by the time I got out (because they're really fucking hard to dodge, let alone effectively combat basilisks). Anyway, I got out of it, and decided to head back to recoup because all my armor is broken. Well it turns out my Ring of Regeneration costs 15K souls to fix. So I'm just going to grind souls until I get it fixed.

So that sounds about as fun as a root canal.
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Shjade

Quote from: Inkidu on May 14, 2014, 02:57:41 PM
You know, I realized something. The tutorial is a good indication of how unfair Dark Souls 2 can be. Why? Well, during the "Check Your Surroundings" part of the tutorial you come to a point where the only way down is to jump down a hole, a hole that hurts you a lot and leaves you vulnerable to a couple of hollows? What does that teach? Fuck you, that's what that teaches. I did a few laps looking for an alternate way, I looked in and outside of that hole and there's no alternate way as far as I've ever been able to tell.

It teaches you to look down the hole and see where the enemy is down there before you leap so you don't die.

Unless you don't pay attention to the lesson. Then yeah, it doesn't teach you a whole lot. But that's not the lesson's fault.
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Inkidu

Quote from: Shjade on May 14, 2014, 08:49:31 PM
It teaches you to look down the hole and see where the enemy is down there before you leap so you don't die.

Unless you don't pay attention to the lesson. Then yeah, it doesn't teach you a whole lot. But that's not the lesson's fault.
See, I already learned that two sections back. You know when you get to the "Use Torches to light sconces" part. They tell you to use right stick to look around so you find the right place to jump down so you don't die?

Already learned that lesson, so I was looking for something new with the lesson, something new that obviously doesn't exist. That would have been a good place to teach about alternate paths or some such. :P
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Shjade

That would have been a poor lesson to teach, though, given alternate paths are rarely available throughout the game. It would be teaching you something that you wouldn't be able to use in the field.

No, Dark Souls 2 tends to be much more often about "have a good look at the problem in front of you and strategize how best to tackle it, then execute that strategy." If your plan is "avoid the problem," you're going to have to run through it most of the time, not find a way around.
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Inkidu

Quote from: Shjade on May 14, 2014, 09:06:15 PM
That would have been a poor lesson to teach, though, given alternate paths are rarely available throughout the game. It would be teaching you something that you wouldn't be able to use in the field.

No, Dark Souls 2 tends to be much more often about "have a good look at the problem in front of you and strategize how best to tackle it, then execute that strategy." If your plan is "avoid the problem," you're going to have to run through it most of the time, not find a way around.
It's actually not the fact the hollows were there. It's the fact that the fall is pretty damn hefty hurter no matter the class. :P

That's what I'm pissed at. I go from missing a little more than half my health to having one hit worth upon landing. That's not fair no matter how you slice it. :\
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Shjade

Well, it is an entirely optional area, so there's that.

If it were required, you could pop a lifegem before the drop to already be healing when you land. That'd help some. Or just recognize you need to be defensive while you regen back from the drop at the bottom. Or find a ranged weapon first and shoot the guy before you drop down there (alternatively, chuck firebombs). Or roll toward the ladder as soon as you land and climb up before he can attack you (not advised, the archer will shoot you at least once if you do this). Or roll toward that enemy and go for a backstab to defend yourself from the archer as soon as you can.

Rather than alternate paths, you formulate alternate plans.
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Inkidu

The whole tutorial area is optional. :P
It's deliberately having you take damage, which was, again, already more fluently demonstrated at my previously mentioned area.

Anyway, I'm done with the game. I'm going to trade it back in I guess, probably sell it and see if I can't get enough money to buy Stardrive. The Scorpius Naga did me in. I'm screwed. Not fast enough to dodge her magic attacks, can only block one of her attacks, can't outrun her attack from underground, and to top it all off the game has a habit of taking away your ability to move, probably a glitch. The second she went underground my character couldn't move. I had to backstep before it would register any input on the control pad.

So *claps hands together* I'm out.


My body refuses to let me give up on this game. It wants me to justify the money I spent on it, no matter how much my mind may be disliking it. I managed to beat the Scopioness Naga. I still think it's burrow attack requires more luck than skill to avoid. Though I did learn you can dash while locked on. That makes dodging her magical attacks easier.

The soul-protection ring makes the game tolerable at least.

Also where's this Agility stat, there is no agility stat as far as I can tell, is it DEX everyone's talking about?
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Hemingway

Quote from: Inkidu on May 15, 2014, 07:07:50 AM
Also where's this Agility stat, there is no agility stat as far as I can tell, is it DEX everyone's talking about?

Agility is a secondary stat you get from increasing Adaptability ( mainly, Attunement also gives some, I believe ). Agility of around 100 is pretty great, and you get that with an Adaptability of around 20. It's definitely worth the souls in a DW build. It ( probably ) makes your rolls better by giving you more invincibility frames, and makes item use a lot faster ( making it a lot easier to use healing items during combat, for instance ).

As for Najka - it sounds like you nailed it. I always dash to avoid her attacks. I also do that to avoid her burrowing attacks.

What's your current build ( generally ) and weapons?

Inkidu

Quote from: Hemingway on May 15, 2014, 09:02:24 AM
Agility is a secondary stat you get from increasing Adaptability ( mainly, Attunement also gives some, I believe ). Agility of around 100 is pretty great, and you get that with an Adaptability of around 20. It's definitely worth the souls in a DW build. It ( probably ) makes your rolls better by giving you more invincibility frames, and makes item use a lot faster ( making it a lot easier to use healing items during combat, for instance ).

As for Najka - it sounds like you nailed it. I always dash to avoid her attacks. I also do that to avoid her burrowing attacks.

What's your current build ( generally ) and weapons?
Then I definitely have 100 agility, I just don't roll for crap because I'm using the Draganelic (SP) armor. I'm basically playing a sword, and board knight. I use a Heide (SP) knight sword when I need to be fast and a bastard sword (one handed) when I need crowd control. I have some kind of shield but I don't remember the name.
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Shjade

Quote from: Inkidu on May 15, 2014, 07:07:50 AM
I still think it's burrow attack requires more luck than skill to avoid.
Someone never saw Tremors.

She goes underground and starts burrowing around in the loose sand. There's a large stone fragment of the surrounding structure that's fallen into the sand in one part of her arena. Hmmm...

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide
If that was too subtle: stand on the rock. She can't dig through it. Tada, completely safe while you wait for her to unburrow again. Though you might need to roll away from her when she bursts up depending on her angle of ascension: sometimes she bursts up next to it and ends up landing on it when she comes down, which can still do some damage to you but is very easy to see coming and avoid.
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Inkidu

Quote from: Shjade on May 15, 2014, 11:26:14 AM
Someone never saw Tremors.

She goes underground and starts burrowing around in the loose sand. There's a large stone fragment of the surrounding structure that's fallen into the sand in one part of her arena. Hmmm...

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide
If that was too subtle: stand on the rock. She can't dig through it. Tada, completely safe while you wait for her to unburrow again. Though you might need to roll away from her when she bursts up depending on her angle of ascension: sometimes she bursts up next to it and ends up landing on it when she comes down, which can still do some damage to you but is very easy to see coming and avoid.
Oh, you're fucking kidding me.

I saw it, but I thought I'd gotten hit on it regardless. I didn't stop, but I have seen Tremors. I just didn't give Fromsoftware that much credit.
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Shjade

Quote from: Inkidu on May 15, 2014, 11:28:43 AM
I just didn't give Fromsoftware that much credit.
Yes, I've noticed that's something of a theme.
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Inkidu

Quote from: Shjade on May 15, 2014, 11:52:45 AM
Yes, I've noticed that's something of a theme.
Ooh, pithy. ::)

EDIT: Actually I'd like to point out that masonry would not provide the same underground protection as poured concrete or a solid boulder. Bricks are strong against compression forces, not tearing or impact forces. So in reality it shouldn't protect you. :\
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Shjade

No way of knowing how deep it's embedded down there. Maybe it's not ideal structurally for resisting being burrowed into, but considering she's going face-first into it and doesn't really have big powerful front arms to deal with tearing into a stone wall, she's probably not interested in the effort it would take to tear through that. Maybe if she had something heftier than a little spear to whack it with it'd be a concern, but she's a mage, not a powerhouse, at least not up front. I don't think her heavy duty tails can help much underground.
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Inkidu

Whatever: My options now are get killed by The Church Group, or get Killed by the Bleeding Dog Litter.

Every new confrontation is becoming another reason to quit. :P
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Shjade

The dark congregation killed you?

Okay, that's...I'm not even sure how to give advice on that. >.>
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Inkidu

Quote from: Shjade on May 15, 2014, 01:47:26 PM
The dark congregation killed you?

Okay, that's...I'm not even sure how to give advice on that. >.>
Hey... not nice. >:I

It's not easy being thrown into these boss room with no idea what's happening. I didn't have my bastard sword either, it was low durability.
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.