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Dark Souls II

SchneidendSchneidend Member Posts: 3,190
Anybody else playing this yet? I've been hopping on and off the masochistic wagon since the 11th. Just made a character that uses a cestus on each hand, thus turning Dark Souls into the most violent and longest game of Mike Tyson's Punch-Out in history. It is hilarious and awesome.

Other fun experiences with this gem of a title the rest of you would like to share? Is it better or worse than the first game? Better or worse than Demon's Souls? This is the time and place to talk about it!
JLee

Comments

  • FinneousPJFinneousPJ Member Posts: 6,455
    Cool, I hadn't noticed it was released already. I haven't bought it yet, but probably will after exams.
  • OneAngryMushroomOneAngryMushroom Member Posts: 564
    currently it's eaten my life and soul
    JLeeSchneidendlolien
  • ChildofBhaal599ChildofBhaal599 Member Posts: 1,781
    bought the PC version on green man gaming, then used $15 credit from it on Elder Scrolls Online. Looking forward to some more Dark Souls :)

    one thing I am really looking to do is join the covenant where you come to other players' aid when they are invaded. it sounds like an interesting concept to help the less skilled player when they are in danger
  • JLeeJLee Member Posts: 650
    I've made it just outside the door to the first boss with my sorcerer. I never played any of its predecessors, but I am really enjoying it.

    I am playing offline atm, trying to limit the variables. Just had an absolutely epic corpse retrieval. God I suck at this game...but it is thoroughly addictive and immersive.
  • SchneidendSchneidend Member Posts: 3,190
    Oh, I forgot to ask. Anybody on PS3, or planning to be?

    @FinneousPJ‌
    I highly recommend it. Personally, I think it's a good blend of what From Software has learned from the previous titles.

    @ChildofBhaal599‌
    My first character was in that covenant, the Blue Sentinels/Knights of Blue, but that was during the release week server issues, so I didn't get to do much PvP other than the dueling feature of that same covenant. If you want to head in the right direction, go to the right of the cat's house and through a stone archway. That's the path to Tower of Heide, and somewhere in there is where the Cathedral of Blue stands. Beware, it can be perilous.

    @JLee‌
    I haven't been invaded much, at least not by red phantom players. The two covenants that PvP in particular areas, the Rat King Covenant and Bell Guardian covenant, however, are very active. I highly recommend venturing into online play and summon and be summoned by other players.
    FinneousPJJLee
  • ChildofBhaal599ChildofBhaal599 Member Posts: 1,781

    Oh, I forgot to ask. Anybody on PS3, or planning to be?

    @FinneousPJ‌
    I highly recommend it. Personally, I think it's a good blend of what From Software has learned from the previous titles.

    @ChildofBhaal599‌
    My first character was in that covenant, the Blue Sentinels/Knights of Blue, but that was during the release week server issues, so I didn't get to do much PvP other than the dueling feature of that same covenant. If you want to head in the right direction, go to the right of the cat's house and through a stone archway. That's the path to Tower of Heide, and somewhere in there is where the Cathedral of Blue stands. Beware, it can be perilous.

    @JLee‌
    I haven't been invaded much, at least not by red phantom players. The two covenants that PvP in particular areas, the Rat King Covenant and Bell Guardian covenant, however, are very active. I highly recommend venturing into online play and summon and be summoned by other players.

    Oh yes a lot of people have wandered there first. I've limited my watching of the game but I've seen the area and it's first boss and it will just take some dodging.
  • ArchaosArchaos Member Posts: 1,421
    edited March 2014
    Besides being very challenging, from what I've seen, the Souls series are mostly very difficult dungeon crawls/hack n slash games with stats.

    I love a challenge, but it doesn't seem too RPGish to me. Though I've been wanting to play the games since Demon Souls.

    I think the Witcher series are much closer to my type of Action/RPG.

    Challenge? Check
    Action based? Check
    RPG mechanics? Check
    Actual roleplaying and story? Check

    From those that played it, what do the games offer besides challenge and multiplayer (I guess) compared to the Witcher series for example? Honest question.
    uglyducklynn
  • CorianderCoriander Member Posts: 1,667
    I've picked it up for PS3. Playing sword and shield with no magic. I've just been toodling around No Man's Wharf lately... for reasons.

    I've been playing with a walkthrough on the recommendation of a friend and I think I'm having more fun than I did with Dark Souls. It's nice to know if I'll hit a bonfire before my next boss or whether it's worth talking to someone five times in a row. I haven't been invaded at all and I've actually summoned a few people to join me for big enemies.
  • SchneidendSchneidend Member Posts: 3,190
    Archaos said:

    Besides being very challenging, from what I've seen, the Souls series are mostly very difficult dungeon crawls/hack n slash games with stats.

    I love a challenge, but it doesn't seem too RPGish to me. Though I've been wanting to play the games since Demon Souls.

    I think the Witcher series are much closer to my type of Action/RPG.

    Challenge? Check
    Action based? Check
    RPG mechanics? Check
    Actual roleplaying and story? Check

    From those that played it, what do the games offer besides challenge and multiplayer (I guess) compared to the Witcher series for example? Honest question.

    Dark Souls is a different sort of experience. It's less about the narrative and more about problem-solving, exploration, and discovering your combat style. Though, there is a lot of lore to discover by reading item descriptions, talking to NPCs, and theorizing for yourself what might have happened to this time-distorted country in which you find yourself.

    It's very definitely an RPG, as your stats are pretty important, you level up, and there's all sorts of different builds that can dramatically affect gameplay. Like the Witcher, though, the melee combat is quite intricate and nuanced. A weapon's moveset can be more important than a few points of attack power here or there, as a strong weapon you're not comfortable handling is damn near useless compared to a weapon with a moveset that suits you.

    I highly recommend trying it, as there's no way I can compartmentalize it and perfectly summarize the games. Calling the Souls series an Action-RPGs works in broad strokes, but it's a very unique franchise that just has a certain...I don't know what.

    What does it offer compared to the Witcher? Well, you have complete control over your character's appearance and there's several paths of development you can explore. You can focus entirely on strength and swing really big weapons, go for more dexterity and use things like rapiers or katana, build your faith to cast miracles, spend your souls upgrading a pyromancy flame to improve pyromancy spells, raise intelligence and be a master of sorceries, or mix/match your intelligence and faith to be able to use hexes that have a dark and sinister bent. You could also never spend a single soul on anything but upgrading your starting weapon. Whatever floats your boat.
  • SchneidendSchneidend Member Posts: 3,190
    So, I just got my punching guy to the Earthen Mound and bought some claws. I was planning on switching him over to claws, and finding this wolf-like helmet I've seen people wearing, and kinda cosplay as the Wolf of Temra from the long-forgotten kids show Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog. Sadly, the claws only scale well with Dexterity, while the Cestii scale well with both Strength and Dexterity. With my 15 Strength, the cestii end up being better in all cases, no matter how much I raise my Dexterity. I'm a bit at a loss as to what to do about this. The claws can cause bleed damage, but either it's not a lot of bleed build-up or I'm just fighting things that don't bleed. All in all, it's a mess.

    @Coriander‌
    If you ever need some help or just want to pal around and explore, my PSN name is DBAM. Feel free to friend me or shoot me a message.
  • JLeeJLee Member Posts: 650
    OMFG...don't laugh. It took an incredible number of attempts, but I finally beat the Pursuer! It was so hard until it was easy. That seems to be the nature of this game.

    @Schneidend I will definitely try multi later, just want to learn the game a bit first. I appreciate your advice and do take it to heart. Good luck with your dilemma, I truly wish I could help!
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