The Gaming Den

So, who is playing it ?

Im on lvl 50 with around 20 hours or so, and finding it awesome. Thou the lack of a thief class and the more colorful visuals bother me a bit.

I have about 78 hours into it...

A couple SL level 100+ characters.

One mage going for Magic Blue Flame Dual Wield who is bypassing like 40% of the game to get to the undead crypt to farm for blue flames, and bandit start (because they have the lowest faith/int which are wasted stats in this build) who just swords and boards everything.

Getting a 100% physical block shield, putting in at least 20 points in stamina, getting the chlroanth ring, and wearing no armor basically beats like 90% of the game. I mean, yeah, technically perfect rolling beats the game all on it's own, but still, shielding is so easy. I didn't even increase vigor past starting point until SL post 100, and then only because soft caps made it comparatively more worthwhile.

Souls level 152 right now. I'm kinda fucking around and experimenting this first time through.

Can now reliably solo the Old Iron King, though.

I'm at about 50 hours with one character at about SL 110. Currently at the Undead Crypt. I'm finding that whenever my Mastodon Greatsword +10 can't make short work of something, Lightning Spears or Fireballs do the trick. I've been covenant hopping as I find them. Only two I'm missing are Pilgrims of the Dark and the dragon one. Currently a Ratbro. I suck at PVP, but I like trying to farm Pharros' Lockstones anyway.

I'm having a blast, especially with summoning/being summoned, since I missed out on that with the first game.

Next character I try is either going to be hex and sorcery focused or two-weapon fighting. Running with a dual caestus build sounds like it might be fun.

I'm using a Gyrm Great Hammer as my main weapon. With 50 Strength.

Which tends to hit for 750 damage on a leap attack. Can go as high as a thousand.

Running Pursuers UltraGreatsword, Sun Sword, and Myrrah Greatsword on my 50 Str/50Dex character. I wish there was a Greatsword more focused on Str with good scaling, because I actually like their moveset best. But nothing scales well in the Greatsword Range. Weird.

Maxus wrote:I'm using a Gyrm Great Hammer as my main weapon. With 50 Strength.

Which tends to hit for 750 damage on a leap attack. Can go as high as a thousand.

Damn. I usually get about 300-400 per one-handed R1 with the Mastodon. I'm only at 40 Strength right now, but that's also with the Ring of Blades +1.

Kaelik wrote:Running Pursuers UltraGreatsword, Sun Sword, and Myrrah Greatsword on my 50 Str/50Dex character. I wish there was a Greatsword more focused on Str with good scaling, because I actually like their moveset best. But nothing scales well in the Greatsword Range. Weird.

I've tried using the Pursuer's Sword but couldn't get used to the moveset. The first R1 strike being a vertical slash screwed with me something fierce. That was more or less the time I decided I'd stick with regular greatswords over ultras. I might give the Zweihander a shot. It was one of my favorites from the first, after all.

Once the Mastodon Greatsword is upgraded to a basic +10, it's Strength scaling improves from B to A.

...I feel like a pitchman for the Mastodon Greatsword.

RufusCorvus wrote:Once the Mastodon Greatsword is upgraded to a basic +10, it's Strength scaling improves from B to A.

...I feel like a pitchman for the Mastodon Greatsword.

Yeah, but the Myrrih Greatsowrd has C/A, so it does more for someone with both stats. Which is depressing, because even like a A/D scaling would be enough. Although, the fact that you have to get it to +10 before it even reaches A is also depressing. Since that is a lot of titanite chunks for someone who is still pretty early in the game.

Will the game story take-off some time ? Im finding myself playing just to push through levels withouth much purpose. I know DS1 had a very thin story, but this one reached new levels on this.

Also, what are some good Dex-based weapons and when do they show up ? Im on lvl 50 and no katana showed up yet. My main weapon right bow is a Fire Longsword. Is that ok or I missed something over the way ?

silva wrote:Will the game story take-off some time ? Im finding myself playing just to push through levels withouth much purpose. I know DS1 had a very thin story, but this one reached new levels on this.

Also, what are some good Dex-based weapons and when do they show up ? Im on lvl 50 and no katana showed up yet. My main weapon right bow is a Fire Longsword. Is that ok or I missed something over the way ?

1) Who the fuck gives a shit about story?

2) If you want to short circuit a lot of shit, you can get the Mirrah Greatsword, which has C/A scaling just by killing lucatiel, the lady by the bonfire in noman's wharf and then paying 10,000 souls to the hag lady who starts by the cardinal towers bonfire and moves to Majula.

Richard's Rapier is available early on in Huntsman's Copse. That has S scaling for dex, and no other scaling.

Well, I care for story.

And DS1 had the thiefs dagger, scimitar and even a uchigatana found very early in the game. In fact, I just swapped my thiefs dagger ver late in the game. Its critics were devastatind and I loved it.

silva wrote:And DS1 had the thiefs dagger, scimitar and even a uchigatana found very early in the game. In fact, I just swapped my thiefs dagger ver late in the game. Its critics were devastatind and I loved it.

And... yes? The Mirrah Greatsword has A scaling on Dex. The Rapier S, and they are both available in like an hour if you know what you are doing.

Kaelik wrote:

RufusCorvus wrote:Once the Mastodon Greatsword is upgraded to a basic +10, it's Strength scaling improves from B to A.

...I feel like a pitchman for the Mastodon Greatsword.

Yeah, but the Myrrih Greatsowrd has C/A, so it does more for someone with both stats. Which is depressing, because even like a A/D scaling would be enough. Although, the fact that you have to get it to +10 before it even reaches A is also depressing. Since that is a lot of titanite chunks for someone who is still pretty early in the game.

Both points are very true. I'm not running on much Dex so the E scaling doesn't bother me much. I may be doing a Soul Vessel shuffle soon, though (considering I have three of the damn things now), so I'll keep the Mirrah sword in mind.

As for Titanite Chunks, if you don't mind PVP, you can join the Bell Guardians. Every kill you make nets you a Titanite Chunk. When I was doing it, I got summoned about 3 times every ten minutes. Do it long enough and you'll be swimming in Titanite Chunks.

Being a Bell Guardian is also way more in your favor than, say, Rat King Covenant PVP, since two Bell Guardians are summoned at a time and the host will probably never have a phantom since nobody lives long enough in a Belfry for their summon sign to stay around long.

Silva:

You'll find katanas dropping from enemies in Iron Keep, which is past Harvest Valley and Earthen Peak. Scimitars also get some scaling. You can also buy a katana from the merchant in Lost Bastille, but you need to go to Iron Keep before that can happen

Honestly, DS 2 katanas are pretty shitty.

Kaelik wrote:Honestly, DS 2 katanas are pretty shitty.

Well, yeah, but if that's what the guy wants to use who am I to tell him different?

Maxus wrote:

Kaelik wrote:Honestly, DS 2 katanas are pretty shitty.

Well, yeah, but if that's what the guy wants to use who am I to tell him different?

Unless you know, he was just listing good dex weapons in DS 1, and what he wants is a good dex weapon. In which case he should get a Rapier, Estoc, or the Mirrah Greatsword.

How does it compare to Dark Souls I and Demon's Souls?

OgreBattle wrote:How does it compare to Dark Souls I and Demon's Souls?

They removed a lot of the cheaper strategies from Dark Souls 1. Enemies only respawn a finite amount of times (unless you use some items). A lot of enemies counter favorite player strategies; you fight hordes a lot more. There's more bosses which fight sort of like PCs, and they split up a couple of stats--encumbrance and stamina come from different stats now. You can get invaded while Hollow, too.

Mechanically, there's a lot of old weapons and armors making appearances, but the movesets aren't -nearly- as varied. There's a lot of old spells that show up, and a whole bunch of news ones (and a new class of spells, Hexes, which require both Intelligence and Faith). However, they made an effort to make dual-wielding a thing now.

There's more friendly NPCs and more sidequests (the majority of which seem to involve summoning that NPC for fights and having them survive it).

Graphically, it has a lot of the same artstyle, but it's a fuckton more polished. The storyline isn't as fleshed out here, either. Instead of getting a bunch of backstory about the world, you get...a creepy-ass video about your character becoming undead and a crone talking about how all undead go to Drangleic and don't know why, and they all go Hollow.

Fuck the Darklurker.

I'm so pissed that every time I die to the Darklurker, I have to burn a human effigy to open the chasm again and then kill all of the spirits in the chasm (including Havel!) before I can fight the fucker again.

/ragequit

I solved my Darklurker issues.

By killing Darkdiver Grandahl. I now have the Dragon Chime and am happy-ish.

RufusCorvus wrote:I solved my Darklurker issues.

By killing Darkdiver Grandahl. I now have the Dragon Chime and am happy-ish.

He drops?

Nice, that is all I need from his ass.

Yep, he drops the chime.

Honestly, the whole Pilgrims of Dark covenant is sort of lame. Getting to Rank 2 may be worthwhile if you want the Resonant Soul hexes, but I don't see a point in trying for Rank 3. None of the other rewards really seem worth the effort (being the Climax hex and the Xanthous set).

Maxus wrote:Graphically, it has a lot of the same artstyle, but it's a fuckton more polished.

Im finding it lacking in the aesthetic department. Dark Souls 1 felt much more cohesive, exotic and moody in its art direction, while Dark Souls 2 looks too SNESish to me with different stages varying wildly visually just for the sake of it. (also, it has a definitively more "plain medieval" vibe which I dont like much).

Also gone are the sprawling vertical architecture that made you go breathless when you see that bridge you passed 10 hours ago down below in the distance. Now you just see some distant features from the central hub that indicate other levels and thats it. Its nice too, but not near as impressive as the first one.

RufusCorvus wrote:Yep, he drops the chime.

Honestly, the whole Pilgrims of Dark covenant is sort of lame. Getting to Rank 2 may be worthwhile if you want the Resonant Soul hexes, but I don't see a point in trying for Rank 3. None of the other rewards really seem worth the effort (being the Climax hex and the Xanthous set).

Actually, level 2 is also worthless, because you can just buy those from Felkin. So literally Dragon Chime is the only thing that matters, and you get that for killing him. Fuck Dark Covenant then, moving on. Killed him and have my +4 Dragon Chime, need just a few more Twinkling.

My problem is, that at this point I am still not even 3/4ths done with the game on any playthrough, but I have 2.6 million soul memory and am level 161 on my highest. Can't find anyone to summon me anywhere, can't find anyone to summon, and Bell Keepers either does nothing all the time, or summons me against people who are basically NG+ or something like using bonfire asectics to get gear. I have been attacked spells that are NG+, and by people with items that are fucking absurd. Since my level/soul memory matches up but my gear doesn't, I always lose, so I still have like 14 Titanite Slabs and zero Chunks.

At this point I just pour everything into vitality, and eventually I will be wearing Havel's set without fatrolling, and they can eat my dick as I basically just waste an hour of their life.