Prepare to Die Again - Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin

[estragon]

oh also i'm sure this isn't an original observation but i beat the old iron king last night and he feels like a zelda boss who got lost and wandered into the wrong game

"hello, excuse me while i verrrry slowly breath fire from left to right, then non-threateningly set my giant fist down long enough for you to hit it three times"

(this is not a complaint or a criticism, just thought it was notably easier)

 

[Alixsar]

I don't even remember that boss.

...which kind of is DS2 in a nutshell, huh? That's the one who's Diablo, right? In PvP Lava Town?

Oh coming up soon or maybe you already did, you have to fight a literal bag of crap. Please look forward to it

 

[Gaer]

Finally started playing this after owning it for a hell of a long time. My cousin, the crazy person who has platinumed every Souls game ever, is watching me play and gets to laugh whenever I die.

He’s laughing a lot.

 

[estragon]

I don't even remember that boss.

...which kind of is DS2 in a nutshell, huh?

personally i think it's great, at dragleic castle and still like it slightly less than demon's but more than dark 1

the highs aren't quite as high as the highest moments in demon's or dark 1, but the lows are nowhere near as low

i don't really care that the boss fights are on the easy side and i'm really enjoying the level and encounter design (i understand why people wouldn't like it, but personally i like learning encounters against a bunch of regular enemies more than bosses, so ds2 with its easier bosses and hordes of enemies is great, for me)

 

[Paul le Fou]

OK but what about the actual important question - what build and fashion are you running with??

 

[estragon]

I started out as an Explorer because I was going in fairly blind and wasn't metagaming towards a particular build, and it started with equally low Strength/Dex/Int/Faith and high-ish Adapt, the one stat I knew I'd eventually need to raise.

I ended up finding Dex weapons I liked first, switching between a lot of the basics (rapiers and falchions, etc) but settling on spears, at first the normal spear, then switching between Spear and Winged Spear (weapon durability seems like a much bigger issue, and they serve different functions: Spear has a strike damage AoE swing with a huge hitbox as its strong attack while Winged is all very long range thrusting pokes), now switching between Winged Spear and Partizan (Partizan has a similar moveset to regular Spear but S rank Dex scaling). There are lots of enemies in this game that are weak to strike (blunt) damage, and so honestly the Spear/Partizan's strong blunt swing feels kind of OP very often both for its damage type and its ability to wreck a whole group of dudes running at you.

Also, in 5-6 combined playthroughs of Demon's and Dark I'd always used some form of magic but never bows, so I decided this time since I was levelling Dex anyway I'd also use bows for the first time and ignore magic. It's been really fun and created a very different experience. Bows work well as king of an afterthought supplementary weapon, because you can just throw excess Souls before a run into topping off your arrow supply, while you have to save up a lot to buy spells. Just found Hunter's Blackblow, had gone through what I'd guess is a typical Shortbow-->Longbow progression before that.

Fashion is uhhh... mixed. I'd never taken off the Explorer beret with its funny eyepiece because it's funny and who doesn't want higher drop rates, and Leather Gloves and Boots to keep equip load low, and Drangleic Mail because it has a cape that goes with the beret and eyepiece look and also and has decent enough defense for its weight, I think (haven't done the math, just seems that way, could be a trap for all I know...). Using whatever the best shield is my lower strength will allow, honestly forget what it is at the moment.

 

[Gaer]

I know you were asking estragon, but I started as Knight and just bought the Elite Knight helm/hands/chest with the Leather Boots to stay at medium roll capacity.

I’m not exactly sure where I want to go from there. I only just beat the Last Giant and was dying to Subduer last night.

 

[Paul le Fou]

The question of build (and fashion) is a constant that is never not being asked of someone in a Souls thread, as far as I'm concerned

 

[estragon]

I’m not exactly sure where I want to go from there. I only just beat the Last Giant and was dying to Subduer last night.

The Pursuer was the first and only real roadblock moment for me so far in this game, and it turned out to be totally optional for following the critical path, although there are some good rewards, including the armor I'm still using a good way through the game. Also, it is worth learning that fight because the boss comes back as a normal-ish but non-respawning enemy anyway.. If you feel like it's just not working out and have not done so yet, you might consider exploring the hub for some alternate areas you can access and come back to that boss later.

 

[Gaer]

The Pursuer was the first and only real roadblock moment for me so far in this game, and it turned out to be totally optional for following the critical path, although there are some good rewards, including the armor I'm still using a good way through the game. Also, it is worth learning that fight because the boss comes back as a normal-ish but non-respawning enemy anyway.. If you feel like it's just not working out and have not done so yet, you might consider exploring the hub for some alternate areas you can access and come back to that boss later.

Yeah I just gave it like four shot before I went to bed. I’m gonna tough it out cos it’s just getting back into playing a Souls game for me at the moment.

 

[Ludendorkk]

Eager for impressions for when you all hit the expansion content, some really great and bold stuff there

 

[Alixsar]

personally i think it's great, at dragleic castle and still like it slightly less than demon's but more than dark 1

the highs aren't quite as high as the highest moments in demon's or dark 1, but the lows are nowhere near as low

i don't really care that the boss fights are on the easy side and i'm really enjoying the level and encounter design (i understand why people wouldn't like it, but personally i like learning encounters against a bunch of regular enemies more than bosses, so ds2 with its easier bosses and hordes of enemies is great, for me)

I get what you're saying, but since the game tends to lean heavily on "throw a ton of dudes at them" for combat scenarios (for the record, I have played OG DSII, OG DSII NG+, and Scholar versions and they all have different layouts and they all do this in different ways) and that plus the game being SO LONG and having such weird and stupid world design (not the specific areas, just how the areas connect with one another)...it just doesn't work as well for me. It feels more like a slog than any other does, except maybe Demon's, a game I really don't like. I mean, I've beaten DSII multiple times so it's still good, just on the lower end of Souls games.

That said the DLC areas rule and this game has the best build flexibility by a mile. There's stuff to like, but I'm thinking back on DSII and remembering areas and bosses and just being like "oh yeah that was...okay?"

 

[estragon]

For me, I am not bothered that the areas aren't interconnected. When I see that all the Dark Souls areas actually do fit together on a map, I think, "Oh, neat" for a few seconds and that's all I really get out of that. It's an impressive feat of design, but playing the game I don't ever notice that it actually does work. I can't tell if an elevator ride is long just because it's hiding loading times or if it's also because it needs to actually make my character traverse the distance between those two areas.

I prefer the way DS2 prioritizes very short chunks punctuated by frequent bonfires (so far at least, nothing is really comparable to some of the treks between safe spots that Demon's and Dark 1 take you on), fast travel unlocked from the start, and (game map structure spoiler, since someone else is playing for the first time now) four parallel routes that potentially open up very early and that you can jump between. It feels like a good compromise between the gamey stage select mechanic of Demon's (my #1 preference and a big factor in why it's my favorite) and the actually interconnected world of Dark 1. Also, whether it's intentional or not, I enjoy the surreality of the abrupt shifts in scenery. It doesn't feel out of place for me for the world to be as dreamy and unstable as the characters.

Eager for impressions for when you all hit the expansion content, some really great and bold stuff there

I'm kind of worried I'll be annoyed by it because I hear so many people say the DLC is the only good part because that's when the bosses get challenging. I don't need that! Keep being pushovers, as far as I'm concerned.

 

[estragon]

this game has the best build flexibility by a mile

I'm noticing a lot of people saying this about the game and laughing at myself for landing on the incredibly basic "uhhhh... spear/shield and bow?" (Still fun though, don't plan to respec.)

 

[Paul le Fou]

The DLC is the best part for a number of reasons; also, the bosses are indeed much harder. (Some of them are OK and some just feel kinda stupid-hard, but I already talked about this above). But that's not what makes them good. Mostly it's really good area design.

I'm noticing a lot of people saying this about the game and laughing at myself for landing on the incredibly basic "uhhhh... spear/shield and bow?" (Still fun though, don't plan to respec.)

That's part of having good build flexibility - you can put together something truly ridiculous, or stick with even the simplest starting gear, or anything in between, and it can still be a fun and functional build.

 

[estragon]

Glad to hear the DLC's reputation comes from more than just the hard bosses.

That's part of having good build flexibility - you can put together something truly ridiculous, or stick with even the simplest starting gear, or anything in between, and it can still be a fun and functional build.

One thing I have noticed is that most of the weapons I've tried feel like a really good version of that weapon archetype. (After getting basic stats higher to meet a lot of minimums I just tried out a bunch of stuff to see how they felt out of curiosity.)

For example, I loved how the Mace felt in Demon's but thought Dark 1 made it feel awful. Here it feels great again, having a bit more of a feeling of Mace-like heft than Demon's (where I loved it but it was maybe a little too fast for a mace, you felt like a Mace-ninja when you did its 2-handed combo) but not being quite as cumbersome as in Dark (where I think they overcorrected a bit). If/when I replay this I probably want to do it as a traditional mace wielding cleric.

 

[Ludendorkk]

I'm kind of worried I'll be annoyed by it because I hear so many people say the DLC is the only good part because that's when the bosses get challenging. I don't need that! Keep being pushovers, as far as I'm concerned.

Bosses are harder no doubt but the main draw is great level design, interesting gameplay concepts, and wonderful art design, and lots of it. (Also most you can do most of the content without fighting the bosses so you can always bounce if you don't wanna)

 

[Issun]

I haven't played any of the DLC, but I do know that, for all the praise it gets, there's one area that may be the worst in the series.

 

[Regulus]

Eh... I think Eleum Loyce has some of the worst level design in the series and Brume Tower isn't much better. And that's not even counting the wretched "co-op" zones. Shulva was the only DLC area that I had any fun with.

 

[Ludendorkk]

You're out to lunch, Brume Tower is a series highlight. Eleum Loyce ymmv but after replaying the game last year I'd probably say it's a tad underrated. Shulva is the best, no doubt.

 

[Patrick]

I liked Eleum Loyce. It has a lot of little callbacks to Demon’s Souls, and it’s loosely based on the scrapped 6th archstone.

But, I agree that the co-op areas are terrible to do solo. I never went back to try them with summons, but I doubt they would be much better. There are some sort of statues marking the entrance (the same as the ones near the DLC entrances). You can safely skip them in all three DLC areas.

 

[Gaer]

I think I’ve gotten my Dark Souls legs back.

Downed Pursuer and tottled along to Heine’s Tower.

Ornstein: CHUMP

Dragonrider: CHUMP

 

[Adrenaline]

I don't like the DS2 DLC.

 

[YangusKhan]

All Dark Souls Are Good (imo)

 

[madhair60]

I don't like the DS2 DLC.

I was actually looking forward to it given the impressions and it's no better than any of the rest of the game (aka horse shit)

sorry for negativity, please bear in mind my appalling taste

 

[estragon]

I'm noticing a lot of people saying this about the game and laughing at myself for landing on the incredibly basic "uhhhh... spear/shield and bow?" (Still fun though, don't plan to respec.)

did the shrine of amana yesterday and now feeling pretty good about picking this game to experiment with bows lol

 

[Issun]

Nowhere did I appreciate the fact that enemies stop spawning if you kill them enough than I did in Amana.

 

[Ludendorkk]

The Scholar version isn't so bad, nothing like at launch

 

[Gaer]

My usual MO in a Souls game is to play completely solo, including not summoning NPCs. This rule is exempt if there is a character questline that requires their participation to complete successfully.

With that out of the way:

Update on my progress

Lucatiel: girlfriend material (!!!!) for Hrist, my character.

Flexile Sentry: CHUMP

Ruin Sentinels: CHUMPS

The Lost Sinner: ANCIENT CHUMP

Belfry Gargoyles: TOO MANY CHUMPS, NOT ENOUGH CHALLENGE

 

[Patrick]

The Ruin Sentinels have an awesome move where they huck their shield at you, Captain America style, and lodge it in the wall. I didn’t even see it until my 2nd or 3rd runthrough.