Dark Souls II - Scholar of the First Sin - April 7, 2015

PC version not out until May (at the earliest).  Rumor has it there will be a next gen version, but I have yet to see anything verified on that. On that note, I am hoping I can hold a controller on 3/11 as I am having a minor hand procedure done late next week.  Literally, this is the only game I am getting for a while and of course I have the surgery
 
Does anyone know the hard drive space needed for this game (full digital game downloaded from PSN)?  I'm having trouble searching for that information, oddly.  My Google skills must be sucking.

 
Ok, thanks.  I just deleted a bunch of games and freed up 28 GB on my drive, but I also got Ni No Kuni while it's on sale, and that thing is f'ing 22GB(!) somehow, so this is gonna be close.  Might have to delete some more stuff :(

 
remember you need double the download size to install so you need like 44 open to install ni no kuni so if you want to install it, you better do it before you install Dark Souls. That's why I just stuck with the disc copy of ni no kuni for a 5 bucks more.

Also, bad ass

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sFLqAFXrsk

 
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New Dark Souls 2 Info on Summoning, NG+, New Items, and more

"Summoning range will be determined by a combination of 2 factors: The player’s summoning range and the amount of souls acquired by that player’s character.  This means that as you obtain more and more souls your summoning range will increase.  If you like to hang out at low levels and gank people, eventually over time, you will be forced out of this summoning range into a higher one where this won’t be possible.  This is to try and alleviate some of the ganking of new players.

NG+ Overhaul 
Now there are new enemies, harder enemies and new loot in NG+.  This is to reward the player for continuing on and extend the longevity of the game.  From what I understand the game assumes you know how to play from the very beginning and punishes you throughout.  NG++ and up don’t add anything new, only harder difficulty.  Another important thing to note is that players in NG+ will NOT be able to play with players who have not reached NG+ or above.  As far as I can tell this was done to prevent the use of the more powerful gear obtained in NG+, like the Backstab Ring, from being used on weaker characters.

The Backstab Ring - There is now a ring that protects you from backstabs by draping a corpse over your back that absorbs the damage of the backstab.  I was told that this ring can break if it takes too much damage, but wasn’t given any more specifics other than that on how it works.  This ring is ONLY obtainable in NG+.

There will be an arena at launch and it will be available near the beginning of the game.
Forest of Fallen Giants
there is a thick fog area with invisible enemies where it is nearly impossible to see invaders until they are almost in your face. This will be a huge invasion area as invaders can actually see through the fog better than players in the forest.  From what I understand one of the covenants protects this area similarly to the Darkroot Forest in Dark Souls 1.

I was told that all weapons are viable in Dark Souls II.  One of the QA testers even beat the game from start to finish with a Cestus.

The Blue Sentinels and Brotherhood of Blood
will actually have statues they can pray to that will begin a duel with other members of their covenants and can rank up this way as well.

Dragon covenant 
You will obtain a Dragon Eye that will allow you to see the summoning signs of other members of this covenant.  Even after leaving you will still have this ability as long as you possess the Dragon Eye."
 
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So I received the game early today, and I have to say that one thing I have encountered that I will certainly enjoy is the Soul Vessel. Finally, the Soul series has a respec option :D. I figured I try out everything like usual to get a feel for the weapons before concentrating on a min/max build for pvp ;). Just take note, its not unlimited respecs. 

 
So what is everyone going to pick as their starting class/gift?

I am still debating...

I want to go Deprived right off the bat but I do want to enjoy the game a little bit at first haha

Bandit was my favorite from DS but I feel like with the addition of the Swordsman maybe I should start off with him?

In terms of item I am going with either the Life Ring or the Petrified Something... eek no Master Key!!

Do we have any confirmation how much Adaptability helps with the speed of certain movements? I really like this idea of having a super nimble dual wielding swordsman but if the difference is negligible I may just go back to my powerhouse ultra greatsword type build.

 
Ugh, I can't play until tomorrow night!  And then I go out of town Thursday for 3 days, so I only have Tues and Wed night to play.  Damn real life, getting in the way.

I have kept pretty much a total blackout on this, so I'm sure I'll pick a crap class and crap starting gift (I picked the binoculars for my first time through Dark Souls, lol).   All part of the fun!  You can only experience it the first time once...

 
BrolyB593 said:
So what is everyone going to pick as their starting class/gift?

Do we have any confirmation how much Adaptability helps with the speed of certain movements? I really like this idea of having a super nimble dual wielding swordsman but if the difference is negligible I may just go back to my powerhouse ultra greatsword type build.
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I went with knight and petrified ST.

Adaptability so far helps with roll start-up, shield raise, trap disabling, consumable item use speed, bleed resistance, and poison resistance. Other than that nothing much else is really known besides best possible soft caps. :whistle2:?

 
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I do think it's peculiar the attributes of Vigor and Vitality. Vitality increases equip burden (what endurance used to do) and Vigor is now HP, when I think it would of made more sense for vitality to stay as HP and Vigor be the new stat for equip burden, but whatever. Also since what previously improved 2 or 3 aspects has been split out into their own stats (for instance, the boost from endurance is now split into two different stats, one for equip burden and one for stamina) they didn't need to call endurance, endurance, they could of just called it Stamina since that is all it improves.

First starting class I picked in Demon's Souls was a priest and the only reason I didn't pick one in Dark Souls is because the Thief started with the Master key, I'll probably pick Cleric this time.

 
Bah, I took a look at the starting classes here: http://darksouls2.wiki.fextralife.com/Starting+Classes  (I figured it's not too much of a spoiler...)

I'm leaning toward Bandit, though I wonder if the super-low Adaptability will be an issue at the beginning of the game.  I went with Royal in Demon's Souls and Pyro in Dark Souls, mostly because the magic at the beginning made the game much easier.  I don't think I want the advantage for this one, though.

 
Backlash said:
I'm leaning toward Bandit, though I wonder if the super-low Adaptability will be an issue at the beginning of the game.
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I wouldn't think so, even the first boss is
slow in movement.

Launch Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0jC38feoB4

 
Looks like Knight for me this time since they actually balanced the stats to the starting level.  Low starting level and intelligence is good because I don't use magic ever really.  Although, I'll need to know if they put in my moonlight sword again that bases damage on faith, which could sway me towards bandit for the best starting allocation of stats.

Oh wait, we can respec stats this time?  Guess there goes all my theorycrafting lol.

 
Bosses, bosses everywhere. I encountered two throwback bosses so far
The Belfry Gargoyle and Old Dragonslayer.
The latter one I really enjoyed because it felt like a glorious DW battle when I had my Twinblades with me.

Dark Souls 2 - How To Play Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8mkbwp1F78

 
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Jodou said:
Looks like Knight for me this time since they actually balanced the stats to the starting level. Low starting level and intelligence is good because I don't use magic ever really. Although, I'll need to know if they put in my moonlight sword again that bases damage on faith, which could sway me towards bandit for the best starting allocation of stats.
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Moonlight sword scaled with Int, not Faith. I used it a lot :)

 
Backlash said:
Moonlight sword scaled with Int, not Faith. I used it a lot :)
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Moon weapons scaled with Int, Large sword of Moonlight scaled with Faith, assuming that is what the OP is talking about.

lsom-on-hand.jpg


edit: ah, I see there was a moonlight greatsword that scaled with Int in Dark Souls

 
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Picked up the CE this morning.  I avoided 90% of all the footage of the game so I am going in about as fresh as you can get.  It's really interesting going from the familiarity of beating DS1 for the 6th time (which I did Sunday) to having no clue what is what in this game.    Just running around I came across a guy who was sitting in a middle of like 5 enemies.  I killed the enemies around him but I cannot talk to him, and he doesn't attack me, so I have no clue if I should just kill him, or if he's pertinent to something more down the line of the game.

The completionist in me wants to wait until my strategy guide comes in later today so I can make sure not to miss anything, but considering I've been counting down the days (and hours yesterday) til the game, I really don't want to delay any more.  Worse case scenario I could just start a new character.

 
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I finally got invaded and it was underwhelming. Poor guy couldn't take two hits from my greatsword before dying.  :shock: My first call as a blue sentinel was hilarious though, the guy flew off into the abyss after I did a running power strike.  :lol:

 
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Finally got to play last night for 3 or 4 hours.  So far, so good - seems mostly like more of the same with some improvements.  My first (non-spoilery) impressions:

- fall damage seems more aggressive (easier to get hurt and die)

- weapons are so fragile now! My current sword has durability of 60, and I can kill two hollows (without striking the walls or anything besides their bodies) and it goes down to 55.

- so many places to explore and options.  Finally get that "where should I go?" feeling again!

- seems like player messages are more numerous/prevalent than in Demon's or Dark Souls.

- love that you can warp between bonfires right from the start.  I'm sure that made it easier to design a large world that wasn't all interconnected by shortcuts and such.

- I don't love that there's still stuff in the menus and such that's hard to understand or non-obvious.  The Help option is useful, at least.

What is that thing in the middle of the Equipment screen that seems to have a time? Mine was at 00:05:00 and moved to 00:10:00 at some point, but it doesn't move when you're watching it.

Also, is there any way to compare equipment when you're shopping?  I can't believe it doesn't show red/blue numbers to compare to your current equipment when you're buying weapons and armor in a shop.  This is my biggest gripe in the game so far.  Surely I'm missing something?

Finally, and I don't think this will be a spoiler, but stop reading if you don't want to know anything about environments, how can I get the following item:  Forest of Fallen Giants > second bonfire > go down ladder > outdoor castle area > place where the two soldiers are throwing firebombs down into a courtyard with a guy with a big club.  If you climb a ladder up to their area, there's an item on a wooden platform above them.  It looks like maybe you can run and jump to it, but I tried several times and was never able to make it.  Anyone know what I'm talking about based on that horrible description?

 
Backlash said:
Finally, and I don't think this will be a spoiler, but stop reading if you don't want to know anything about environments, how can I get the following item: Forest of Fallen Giants > second bonfire > go down ladder > outdoor castle area > place where the two soldiers are throwing firebombs down into a courtyard with a guy with a big club. If you climb a ladder up to their area, there's an item on a wooden platform above them. It looks like maybe you can run and jump to it, but I tried several times and was never able to make it. Anyone know what I'm talking about based on that horrible description?
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You can run and then jump across to that platform. Hold O to run and then click L3 to jump. It took me a couple of tries but I eventually got the right angle. If the item is at 12 o'clock I'd say I came running from 7-8 o'clock towards it.

 
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How is everyone so far on their first character?

I have a Bandit at level 30 primarily using the lightning sword you get from the knight in the Forest of Fallen Giants.

I LOVE that is feels so much more like Demon's Souls now. With the central hub, essentially the Maiden in Black again, and the permanently lowered health this feels like a perfect fusion between both of the past titles and I cannot get enough. I put in Titanfall just to do it but the whole time I just wanted to play Dark Souls again hahah. I can't wait for this weekend when I can really sink my teeth into it!!

 
I started with Bandit and the Petrified Something.  I've only leveled up twice, though (one point into Vigor and one into Strength so I could use the Fire Sword).  Might have to start putting points into Adaptability to make the controls tighter, though.  At least, I've heard that helps, especially with roll timing.  What did you put your points into for your Bandit?

 
Backlash said:
I started with Bandit and the Petrified Something. I've only leveled up twice, though (one point into Vigor and one into Strength so I could use the Fire Sword). Might have to start putting points into Adaptability to make the controls tighter, though. At least, I've heard that helps, especially with roll timing. What did you put your points into for your Bandit?
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I took the Petrified Something as well.

I have basically just been pumping Strength like I did my first run through of DS. I feel that isn't as viable of an option though. Like before I did pure strength and then the Dark Wood Grain Ring. So I would whip around with little armor and then do one or two power smashes.

With Adaptability though I feel extremely sluggish and I feel Poise has a much more noticeable effect here now as well with my knockbacks seemingly lasting forever.

 
I am a sorcerer as on my first playthrough I like to be cautious so I can take it slowly and discover everything. I was struggling at first (and even restarted my character after 5 hours) only to find out that the covenant I had joined made enemies stronger & me weaker.  Once I left that covenant things got better. 

I highly recommend laying down summon marks once you're able to.  The longest wait time i've had to get summoned is 15 seconds. In the first dungeon I gain about 2-3k xp in 5 minutes, and with each successful round (seems like its based on a timer now rather than just going until you beat the boss) you get a shiny item to give to the birds near the beginning.  Also, in that dungeon there is a certain area where if its the persons first time to go there, they come across an enemy that can give you 20k xp if you beat it. 

I have no clue where my headset is so I havent tried out any of the voice chat.  I plan on playing quite a bit during the day the next few days, so if anyone wants to add me, my GT is in my sig.

 
I haven't even tried multiplayer yet (though I'm playing online).  Will try tonight.  I have both the small and regular white soapstone - I think the small one is the one that times out, based on the in-game descriptions.  Try the other one if you have it.

I kind of hate that they put chat into the game.  I'm not planning on turning it on, unless everyone else is using it and I feel like I need it.

 
Bezerker said:
I am a sorcerer as on my first playthrough I like to be cautious so I can take it slowly and discover everything. I was struggling at first (and even restarted my character after 5 hours) only to find out that the covenant I had joined made enemies stronger & me weaker. Once I left that covenant things got better.

I highly recommend laying down summon marks once you're able to. The longest wait time i've had to get summoned is 15 seconds. In the first dungeon I gain about 2-3k xp in 5 minutes, and with each successful round (seems like its based on a timer now rather than just going until you beat the boss) you get a shiny item to give to the birds near the beginning. Also, in that dungeon there is a certain area where if its the persons first time to go there, they come across an enemy that can give you 20k xp if you beat it.

I have no clue where my headset is so I havent tried out any of the voice chat. I plan on playing quite a bit during the day the next few days, so if anyone wants to add me, my GT is in my sig.
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Backlash said:
I haven't even tried multiplayer yet (though I'm playing online). Will try tonight. I have both the small and regular white soapstone - I think the small one is the one that times out, based on the in-game descriptions. Try the other one if you have it.

I kind of hate that they put chat into the game. I'm not planning on turning it on, unless everyone else is using it and I feel like I need it.
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What Covenant was that?? Was it the one with that Altar near the well? (forgot the name.)

And yeah I started throwing signs down and was getting summoned almost instantly. I know it won't but I wish it could be like that forever hahah.

Yeah the timed thing is probably the smaller Soapstone. You need to get the normal one from the guy in between the first Turtle enemy and the huge crossbow trap.

I feel the same way about the chat. I loved the feeling before of knowing they helped but not even knowing them. Made it that much deeper of an experience. I am in the same boat, I dont want to but if everyone starts doing it I might as well.. but I hope they dont. haha

 
Backlash said:
I kind of hate that they put chat into the game. I'm not planning on turning it on, unless everyone else is using it and I feel like I need it.
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Everyone I have encountered in the early areas have been traditional Souls players abusing the gesture system. :)

BrolyB593 said:
What Covenant was that?? Was it the one with that Altar near the well? (forgot the name.)

And yeah I started throwing signs down and was getting summoned almost instantly. I know it won't but I wish it could be like that forever hahah.
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Champions Covenant. Also prevents you from summoning and others from invading you as well iirc. Everyone is near the beginning areas so there is a lot of summoning. I finished the entire beta area without getting summoned so its interesting to see the community move area to area as one. :whistle2:k

 
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BrolyB593 said:
And yeah I started throwing signs down and was getting summoned almost instantly. I know it won't but I wish it could be like that forever hahah.

Yeah the timed thing is probably the smaller Soapstone. You need to get the normal one from the guy in between the first Turtle enemy and the huge crossbow trap.
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I have since gotten both but I still prefer using the small soap stone. Getting an item in a few minutes that then can get you a bunch of decent crafting materials, or a couple of really nice weapons is a lot more helpful than the covenant items that you only get once they complete a boss.

The WotB covenant seems pretty lame considering the fact that I have yet to have anyone invade me in my 10-15hrs of playing. I came across the rat covenant and that seems pretty tempting since you get a Pharoh stone per person you summon into your game & kill (the rats will also help you, so it seems like it could be pretty easy)

Just to get a feel for the "self discovery" need of the forums here, how extreme should the spoiler tags be? I personally dont think stating that there is a "Rat" covenant would be a spoiler, but then im sure there is someone who would complain even though I gave no context of how/where it appears.

 
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Oh, that's awesome, there's a consumable item that you can use to
turn the enemies against the invader
, no more lame black phantoms running and hiding among enemies if they start losing.

 
When I was a Blue Sentinel, it was pretty funny seeing invaders run behind enemies to escape from me.  I wish I could see their faces when they realized their plan didn't work.  :dunce:

 
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I haven't been able to concentrate on work or school... Damnit Dark Souls I am already almost level 60... 

It is sooo goood hahaha

 
Any game breaking glitch yet? Remember the dragon head glitch in dark souls 1? Man, wish I can play this already. But with metal gear coming out, this game will have to wait.
 
Started as a Swordsman with the Seed of a Tree of Giants. Really wish I had gone with the petrified something, but I thought that the description was supposed to be purposefully misleading so everyone would choose it and it would be useless.

So far I've raised up my Attunement to 10 and Faith to 12 so I can use the Heal miracle like in Dark Souls, I've gotten Endurance to 20, DEX to about 12, and Adaptability to 18(?) since I want the fastest roll possible. I think if I'm able to find a merchant that sells unlimited amounts of lifegems, I'll end up doing a respec and lowering Attunement and Faith down to their defaults and instead adding it to Dex (or Adaptability if that actually does help my roll speed).

I was using the Scimitar that I started with for a while, but I've found that the Fire Longsword that you find in that one place is much better. I even compared it to the Heide Knight Sword, and it seems to do more damage. Hopefully I can find the Great Scythe from the original Dark Souls, as that seemed to be the best for a Dex build.

Too bad there will (probably) be no Queelag's Fury Sword from the original, I loved using that sword. :cry:

Also, didn't know that about the small soapstone. So far I've been using the regular one and, although I've only ever beaten the boss twice as a phantom, I would rather get better items after helping.

 
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Kinda irritating how a lot of things have monster hunter esque lag to them just for the sake of making it more difficult.

 
I am thinking of respecing to get rid of any faith, intelligence and attunement points. This is why I wanted to start out as Deprived..

Has anyone come across more of the items that let you respec other than the one in the beginning? ( I can't remember the name) I know they are said to be extremely rare but I was curious just how rare they are so far?

 
BrolyB593 said:
Has anyone come across more of the items that let you respec other than the one in the beginning? ( I can't remember the name) I know they are said to be extremely rare but I was curious just how rare they are so far?
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I think I have 3 Soul Vessels (total) in my item box. :)

 
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Supplice said:
I think I have 3 Soul Vessels (total) in my item box. :)
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Ah that solves it then thanks. I don't really plan on having to really use the respecing again I just wanted to make sure I had the option later down the road.

I see the grief people have given about respecing, that like in NG++ you can just be like alright screw it my Bruiser character is going to be pure Magic! Normally you would need to start from scratch on that character and now it is easier. Though equipment wise you will still be SoL because by NG++ I am sure your weapons and armor will be maxed and crafted to your character build already.

Either way I still intend to have multiple character files. At the very least 3 or 4. Pure Strength, Dexterity/parry build, Magic/Hex and then perhaps Pyromancy/mid damage (all around type build).

What is everyone else's thoughts on the aspect of respecing?

 
So I'm not reading much in here because I want to approach this game without knowing too much. But I have one major gripe with the game and want some advice.

I simply cannot figure out how to jump. In that tutorial level I managed to get across the sample jump once, then of course died on the way back and lost my collected souls up to that point because I couldn't get back across again.

I love everything about Dark Souls with the exception of the jumping mechanic which is just atrocious. I know the sign said to push L3 while dashing. First of all, anything twitchy that requires L3 or R3 is hard, especially when you also have to be pushing the stick forward - my hand will slip and I'm never sure if I push it or not. I either roll or fall into the gaps. They should have made the tutorial jump at a place where you could try it over and over till you got it down. Instead, each time I have to start back at the bonfire.

Since then I've found 2 or 3 other places where I need to jump to get items - and none are easy to repeat.

But it has to be easier than I'm making it. Dashing is pushing forward and pressing circle, right? But that makes you roll (right into the gap). I've tried rolling then pressing L3. I've tried L3 then rolling. I've tried them both at the same time (hard to do). Then there's the matter of timing and not being sure you are close enough to the jump (or being too close and falling before you push anything). Like I said, one time I did it. But I haven't been able to repeat it in 10-20 tries since then. I've tried tapping the stick forward if that is what dash is (I know some game has this mechanic and I've never been able to do it well) and it doesn't change my speed or anything. Help!

Why can't it just be press 'X' based on context? :lol:

And I'm under 50% equip burden, so I should be agile.

In any case, I put in about 6 hours last night. I spent a long time in the beginning area trying to kill the big guy but just gave up - it seems you can go back there at any time so I'll get him later. Since then I've pressed on through the forest and to the fortress. Then something happened that is sooooo Dark Souls (minor spoiler about early shortcut):
I was fighting one of the guys with spears on the ramparts past the second bonfire and hit some barrels by accident which exploded, killing us both. It also opened up a wall that led right back to the bonfire! That was one of those WTF moments that quickly led to a sigh of relief as I realized I could just stroll right back out of the hole and retrieve my souls :lol:
 
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