Dark Souls II thoughts?

[NyxNaru]

Thanacytus

I honestly prefer it in almost every way to the first one, and I love the first one.

I find the areas far more aesthetically pleasing -and- more enjoyable to explore. There's honestly not a single location in the entire game I find boring or frustrating... whereas DkS1 had more areas I hated than ones I liked.

The combat feels mostly the same, just far more balanced and enjoyable. Casting has a -lot- more variety, magic is actually viable now (even in PvP), and Pyromancy is no longer absurdly broken.

I will admit, though... that while the areas and environments are far better looking and feeling... unfortunately they feel a lot smaller. In DkS1 if you saw a section of the area in the distance... you could probably make it there, but in DkS2... -most- of the new areas are confined to a far more linear path, and a lot of the 'distant areas' are just scenery.

I also dislike how many pieces of enemy equipment you just can't get. At first I figured they were just stupidly low drop rates or only NG+... but looking online and in the guidebook... many, -many- sets and weapons enemies blatantly use just aren't anywhere to be seen... where in DkS1 there's only four or five pieces and sets of equipment enemies use that you can't get (namely the Four Kings' set, and the sword was in the code but cut in late development.)

Outside of that... it's just better.

" 私はここから、

I completely agree with you, 100%.

あなたを好きになる —"

[Luther Strode]

Flaws in PVP are overshadowed by a great PVE. Fun game but competitive multiplayer is a**.

[Tellurical Tempestro]

I like it, but it's definitely not as good as the first.

It's not as atmospheric, the NPCs are nowhere near as good (like seriously, there's no one in the sequel that compares to Solaire and Pate is a pale imitation of Patches), the PvP is worse - which is utterly shocking, considering how janky it was in the first place - combat is overall slower which gives mage/hex builds crazy advantages now - seriously, PvP above SL150 is just a bunch of Giant Mages one shotting you - weapon crafting is wholly inferior to the first game - weapon-scaling in particular took such a massive hit in effectiveness that, non-elemental weapons for PvP are damn near unviable - and it's certainly easier than the first Dark Souls. Most bosses are simply fodder to artificially extend the length of the game, the lore isn't as interesting...

Not to mention the whole ******** lighting engine was scrapped at the very end of development, which makes many areas feel weird from a design stand-point because there are tons of sconces everywhere that were originally meant to be lit with a torch but there's really no need. Majority of the game's atmosphere is just straight up gone. Hopefully, they'll be current-gen ports so From Software can ship the actual game they've been advertising and not what we got.

I could go on and on. I do love the sequel though, I've put dozens of hours into it already, but it simply doesn't hold a candle to Dark Souls and Demon's Souls before it. Probably because a new team developed this one instead of Miyazaki's squad.

But this game doesn't touch the prequels.

[The Patient Mental]

Tellurical Tempestro

words

I pretty much agree with almost everything you said. I feel like we got a completely unfinished game. So much of it is just--empty. I was really intrigued by the lighting system due to how much they were talking about it. As it is, I barely use my torch. I think the only place I used it was The Gutter and once I lit those scones I barely touched it ever again.

As much as I love being able to fast travel anywhere I need to go from the start, I feel like it creates a disjointed experience. I pretty much still remember how to get to each and every location and where they lead to in the first Dark Souls. For Dark Souls II I have to constantly try to remember or search the Wiki for adjoining locations. I feel like Dark Souls went back to the level system that was in Demon Souls and I feel like it creates a much more disjointed experience.

Thanacytus

I find the areas far more aesthetically pleasing -and- more enjoyable to explore. There's honestly not a single location in the entire game I find boring or frustrating... whereas DkS1 had more areas I hated than ones I liked.

The Gutter and Black Gulch are easily the most irritating levels I have ever had the misfortune to deal with. Far worse than Blighttown.

Thanacytus

I also dislike how many pieces of enemy equipment you just can't get.

I raged so hard when I realized you couldn't get the Pursuer's armor. emotion_donotwant

[GreenTeaKing]

Hidden Gnomes

i'm still in the third zone of the first dark souls game so i might just skip it all if dark souls 2 seems better and is on sale

***** dont you even skip a minute of a souls series game, you play that s**t hard! No cutting corners in Dark Souls!

[GreenTeaKing]

Sir Avarice

Flaws in PVP are overshadowed by a great PVE. Fun game but competitive multiplayer is a**.

PvP is s**t in this game, and everyone says its just lag.... Their "Dedicated Servers" would be a lot better than this s**t, dark souls 1 was way more fun in PvP

Dark Souls 2 (S)Hitbox
^
My shitty hitbox playlist of PvP if you guys wanna check it out...

[Luther Strode]

GreenTeaKing

Sir Avarice

Flaws in PVP are overshadowed by a great PVE. Fun game but competitive multiplayer is a**.

PvP is s**t in this game, and everyone says its just lag.... Their "Dedicated Servers" would be a lot better than this s**t, dark souls 1 was way more fun in PvP

Dark Souls 2 (S)Hitbox
^
My shitty hitbox playlist of PvP if you guys wanna check it out...

The phantom range is inescapable. II wanna know why greatswords are just as fast as Katanas...maybe even faster. lol

[Hidden Gnomes]

GreenTeaKing

Hidden Gnomes

i'm still in the third zone of the first dark souls game so i might just skip it all if dark souls 2 seems better and is on sale

***** dont you even skip a minute of a souls series game, you play that s**t hard! No cutting corners in Dark Souls!

i'm gonna stop playing this game and break my cd

[Basatan]

The Patient Mental

I honestly don't get what's irritating about the Gutter -or- Black Gulch.

The Gutter is a very simple area that's also fairly short. None of the enemies are particularly dangerous or threatening, there's no water to slow you down, and there's very few places that you can actually fall to your death. It's just upper Blighttown but shorter, easier, and more linear. But maybe that's just me.

Black Gulch, though? It's... so short you can run straight through the entire thing, really easily, without ever getting poisoned or hit by anything. It's a straight shot from the bonfire to the boss door, and there's a bonfire -right next- to the boss. The only real threat in either place are poison spit statues... which can be broken really easily.