Dark Souls 2, Scholar of the first Sin
SmilingSword
Member Posts: 827
in Off-Topic
So yeah the Dark Souls 2 remaster, Scholar of the first Sin, has been out for a little while now.
I picked it up and it's DS2 on steriods. At least PVE wise, I'm not a high enough level for decent PVP so I can't really comment on that, although I am extremely excited for 6 man PVP.
The PVE is alot better and a much bigger challenge, just by changing enemy placement and adding more enemies to certain areas, From has managed to take some of the more mundane areas and turn them into a into a hellish challenge "heide's tower of flame was actually a mission to get through."
I haven't found any of the extra lore yet, but I've been playing for about 8 hours so it's still early days on this run.
So yeah if you wanted to try DS2 now the time to get it, Scholar of the first Sin comes with all the previous DLC and guys please if you already have it just upgrade and we can meet up at the Old Iron Keep and have a few honourable duels over the lava.
Dragon Bros for Life!
I picked it up and it's DS2 on steriods. At least PVE wise, I'm not a high enough level for decent PVP so I can't really comment on that, although I am extremely excited for 6 man PVP.
The PVE is alot better and a much bigger challenge, just by changing enemy placement and adding more enemies to certain areas, From has managed to take some of the more mundane areas and turn them into a into a hellish challenge "heide's tower of flame was actually a mission to get through."
I haven't found any of the extra lore yet, but I've been playing for about 8 hours so it's still early days on this run.
So yeah if you wanted to try DS2 now the time to get it, Scholar of the first Sin comes with all the previous DLC and guys please if you already have it just upgrade and we can meet up at the Old Iron Keep and have a few honourable duels over the lava.
Dragon Bros for Life!
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Still, I am intrigued.
And what additional content is there? Just the two DLC? Plus some replacing/rebalancing of the levels and monsters?
ps3/360 get access to the 3 DLCs, an additional character shows up in 2-3 places, and there is an additional boss to fight. They may also get the modified item text lore.
PC (and probably ps4/xbone) get that, as well as dramatically modified enemy placements, better enemy ai, new events based on whether the boss of an area is alive or not, modifications to areas that necessitate the use of a torch, multiple new black phantom invaders, new items (I think), and probably some other minor things that I'm forgetting.
I knew all this before it came out, but it's been a while and I eventually forgot. I was watching a friend play through on PC and was really impressed by how much the new enemy placement changed the game, so I went out and bought it on ps3. I already had the base game on ps3 so I figured that was the best place as I was used to the controls. I was rather disappointed with my poor memory.
@SethDavis It shouldn't come as a surprise last gen consoles are limited compared to new ones. However, does the marketing not reflect this?
"This new edition offers fans of the series and newcomers alike rebalanced gameplay, new and deadlier enemies, a brand new NPC to discover, expanded lore and new in-game events."
which is loosely true, so long as you interpret all of those things to relate to the one NPC, rather than actual new enemies/events/lore/gameplay etc. everything else is available in the DLCs which are available separately.
the main problem is that there is no real reason that most of these limitations are there.
-The enemy placement relies on existing areas and existing enemies.
-The events are tied and triggered by existing props and creatures in much the same way as existing events are triggered.
-The ai changes are timing based and changes to handle new environments, equivalent to scripting for BG.
-The darkness areas would perhaps be a bit intense for the old lighting system (depending on how much they changed it to get the darkness), but the DLCs have an area that reduces visibility in a similar fashion, so who knows.
-The new invaders are not different from current invaders, they just have new items. As far as I can tell, these items come from the DLCs and exist in games that do not have the DLCs to facilitate pvp with games that do have them.
That said, I'm not saying don't get SotFS, it looks really cool and it's definitely an upgrade. I'm just saying you will be missing out if you get them on PS3/360.
Not to mention, I bet there are a fair number of players on the PS4 version that aren't on the PS3 version, so a different (if not necessarily better or worse) group of online players.
Your mood will play a bit more into it. If you feel like exploring (locations or naratives) then ds1 fits your bill, if you feel like taking a slightly trippy journey where everything is neat, but nothing much connects, then ds2 fits better.
EDIT: ds3 sounds like it'll be important to have played in order though
funnily enough, doing a divine run will make the necromancers in the game less of a threat for you.
Vallmyr, starting with DS1 is the best way to go. I would recommend the DSfix though.
I will say that:
1) prepare to die.... A LOT. Get used to this. It is a part of the game (both of them).
2) If you react to the game the way I did, expect to be totally obsessed with it after a while. I've put more than 400 hours into DS1 (and probably an equal amount into DS2). It is very easy to become addicted to the game.
3) Understand that, although it is not a traditional RPG, it is actually quite deep in it's way. Once you start getting into the history and mythology of the game, you will probably appreciate it as much as most other more traditional RPG games.
4) Be prepared to be VERY disappointed with other RPG style games after playing Dark Souls. Okay, not all of them, but it definitely sets the bar pretty high as far as a lot of mainstream stuff.
As far as your build, Divine characters are among the most powerful in the game, particularly in certain areas. My suggestion (for DS1) is that you start off developing your DEX to the point where you can use a bow. Then develop your STR until you can use the Dragon sword, or better yet the Zweihander. Then get enough Stamina to wear medium armor and still be able to roll. Then go all out Faith and Attunement.
For Dark souls 2 :
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dark-souls-3-interview-it-wouldnt-be-right-to-cont/1100-6432425/
The Bell Keepers are far more evil than us, the bunch of ganking D-bags that they are, there is no honor in that covenant.
I can just speculate why is this case. Probably who knows D&D alignments and Dark souls can explain better.
You know the dragon in Ash Lake from DS1 ? He's neutral. But dragons want to get power at any cost, at any price, therefore evil tendency.
No honor for Bell Keepers probably means chaotic behaviour.
I think Fromsoft include this gimmick just because they're fans of D&D games. I wouldn't take it as strong core game mechanic.
They have also included weapon upgrade system but simplified
+1 upgrade weapon means 1d4,
+2 -> 1d4+1 etc.
I also prefer PvP in DS2 over DS1, because dragon bros and also no giant dads.
I just wish there was still enough of a player base to join the ratbros, pimp out than maze and not have to wait forever to summon someone in.