Dark Souls 2 PC - April 25, 2014

[Tzzird]

Yeah sort of.
The White Soapstone is split into 2, the White Soapstone, and a small white soapstone. The small one allows you to be summoned as a "Shade", a grey phantom for a short period of time. The large one allows you to be summoned as a normal "Phantom", but you are also on a time clock and could be sent back to your world before fighting the boss of the area summoned, if you take too long.

I don't know how I feel about that yet. Got sent back from a summon right when we got to a boss fight last night, and I was not a shade. On the other hand, it seems like Shades are good for sections of levels(since they go away quickly), and Phantoms are for the boss fights.

I can't believe how many people are online. I am summoned in seconds, EVERY, SINGLE, TIME. Good riddance GFWL indeed.

I believe the summon limit for being a shade is 5 minutes. After that, you are returned to your world. I've used it only a few times and the reward is a smooth & silky stone.

The prize for successfully aiding in a boss defeat is a Token of Fidelity. This is a required item for dueling other covenant members in Blue Sentinels. Each win counts towards your rank while each loss does not. For Brotherhood of Blood, each loss will count against your rank, but the duels require no item and are unlimited.

The time limit for a regular white soapstone summon has to be at least 20 minutes because I have never gone past that time.

When invading as a blue, you are booted after 13 minutes (sometimes the invadee will use a chameleon item or spell and just hide).

 

[DPI]

Well fuck. That sounds like a step backwards in terms of being able to play this game in co-op with a friend. They must really not want you doing that

There's actually a "name-engraved ring" you can buy for 5500 souls precisely for the purpose of connecting with your friends.
http://darksouls2.wiki.fextralife.com/Name-engraved+Ring

My only real wish for the way co-op works is that when you summon someone its always a random encounter, some people are extremely helpful and some are idiots and just run ahead doing their own thing -- and when one of those extremely helpful types of players gets sent away after completing some boss fight or whatever, its always like "shit how will I find you again" and ofcourse you can't (that I know of). So I wish there was some friending mechanism inside the game to be able to find the better players again.

 

[Tzzird]

Well fuck. That sounds like a step backwards in terms of being able to play this game in co-op with a friend. They must really not want you doing that

Actually, they've made this game SO much easier to play with your friends. You can spend 5,500 souls and purchase a name-engraved ring from the cat in Majula. This will almost ensure that you get who you are looking for.

I think it's dumb that you can blatantly cheat in this game with hex editors and give yourself 4823904830948290348234 souls and yet still go and join and play with other normal non cheating players.

Saw my bro do it, he's gotten very far in the game, got frustrated, decided to cheat himself a lot of souls. The game is still hard but I think it's much more manageable when you are 10 levels above the normal curve of where you're at in the game.

I hope they ban all cheaters from general population and make them play each other. I saw a video last night of someone with unlimited health. Despicable.

In 200 hours of playtime in DS2, I did not encounter one obvious cheater.

Played DS2 on the pc just half a year ago, so there wasn't much of a population to deal with. But if I had to deal with a cheater every few invasions, I would be pretty frustrated.

 

[LeviathanZERO]

Well fuck. That sounds like a step backwards in terms of being able to play this game in co-op with a friend. They must really not want you doing that

Yeah, I'm not really sure how it all works now. There is a ring in the game that is supposed to help, if you are in the same covenant *ithink*, but even so, if thats all it does... It has to go off of some list, maybe your steam friends list? I don't know. DSCfix ran off your GFWL list, so I can only assume it would go by your steam friends, but I haven't read anything confirming either way yet.

If it doesn't, then it's only a matter of time before someone makes a mod that does just that.
But there has to be some data it looks for when you equip that ring...

 

[Tzzird]

Yeah, I'm not really sure how it all works now. There is a ring in the game that is supposed to help, if you are in the same covenant *ithink*, but even so, if thats all it does... It has to go off of some list, maybe your steam friends list? I don't know. DSCfix ran off your GFWL list, so I can only assume it would go by your steam friends, but I haven't read anything confirming either way yet.

If it doesn't, then it's only a matter of time before someone makes a mod that does just that.
But there has to be some data it looks for when you equip that ring...

Every time you put on the ring, you can select one of like ten gods. If you both pick the same gods, you will only look for people with that ring on and that god selected at that specific time. As soon as the summon goes through, you can exchange the ring for something else.

It's very useful.

 

[Ryom]

CTD has been fixed! Rejoice!!!

Ryom, get in on this shit!

Awesome, I've been played DS1 all weekend... THREE DAYS OFF and I didn't get to play any DS2 :/

 

[LeviathanZERO]

Every time you put on the ring, you can select one of like ten gods. If you both pick the same gods, you will only look for people with that ring on and that god selected at that specific time. As soon as the summon goes through, you can exchange the ring for something else.

It's very useful.

Ah, so that was literal.
I read the item description and figured it was alluding to covenants. OK, that makes more sense. So, do you ONLY see signs of people that selected the same god, or is it a limited time thing, kind of like Bluetooth Discovery(the real thing, not in game )?

 

[DPI]

@Leviathan: I dont think you ONLY see signs of people with same engraved ring+god selected, but I think it ensures you'll always see their sign. Haven't tried it yet but thats what I've read.

 

[LeviathanZERO]

Awesome, I've been played DS1 all weekend... THREE DAYS OFF and I didn't get to play any DS2 :/

Yeeeeeah...
Opened the Kiln with my FAI50 build... yay.

It's allllllll better now. Time to play!

 

[DPI]

On the DS1 note, I'm kinda eager to see if patching out GFWL and moving to Steamworks will breathe new life into the multiplayer there. There's been no definitive announcement they'll do that but I hope that happens so that when I finally burn out on DS2 I can go back and play through DS1 with the MP experience I avoided the first time around.

In other news: 5 min ago. It should peak much higher when UK unlocks on May2.

 

[LeviathanZERO]

My only real wish for the way co-op works is that when you summon someone its always a random encounter, some people are extremely helpful and some are idiots and just run ahead doing their own thing -- and when one of those extremely helpful types of players gets sent away after completing some boss fight or whatever, its always like "shit how will I find you again" and ofcourse you can't (that I know of). So I wish there was some friending mechanism inside the game to be able to find the better players again.

I think this is where the Soul Memory thing comes in, because I kept seeing the same phantom over and over again, at Hiedes Tower, he was summoned at least 3 consecutive times WITH me, and then I decided to summon him to my game. This guy basically marked his spot on the level and I found his sign there everytime I crossed his position. THAT, was really cool, and I imagine with enough coordination, it shouldn't be difficult to find someone if they just stick a spot, unless you're too far off Soul Memory or something...

That further makes me think SL has little to do with summoning in this game and its all SM.

 

[polonyc2]

The prize for successfully aiding in a boss defeat is a Token of Fidelity. This is a required item for dueling other covenant members in Blue Sentinels. Each win counts towards your rank while each loss does not. For Brotherhood of Blood, each loss will count against your rank, but the duels require no item and are unlimited.

another cool thing about the Token of Fidelity is that when you are summoned into another player's game you can use it to heal the Master of that World

 

[DPI]

another cool thing about the Token of Fidelity is that when you are summoned into another player's game you can use it to heal the Master of that World

Very cool! So I assume that also means if you're in the Blue Sentinels and get summoned to defend someone that got invaded, you could also heal them there.

No wonder the people that used to love invading all day long in DS1 are complaining the decks are stacked against them in DS2

 

[Stiler]

Got through the Lost Sinner tonight and lit my first Primal Bonfire.

Now I'm not sure where to go.

I did the forest of lost giants, Wharf, Heide's Tower/blue tower, The Lost Bastille, and Sinner's rise.
I used the branch thing (that de-petrifies people which you get after the Sinner's Rise boss) on Straid (where you can use boss souls to get weapons/armor from them).

So I can't go through the area where that woman is holding onto the door thingie.

I decided to try the well (using the cat ring) and made it down through that and the Saints grave, then got to the gutter and man, it's like Blighttown all over again lol. Am I on the right track?

Also going through the old saints area (with all the rats) I got summoned a few times (it seems this area you will get summoned into other players worlds who are part of the covenant for this area, like the "forest" area in Dark souls) as they try to "protect" this area from humans.

Got killed the first time then the second time I won after quite a long battle and back and fourth. I was up against a guy who used miracles mainly and a short-range one-hand weapon while I was using the Drangelic sword/shield and Alva armor and I was able to close the distance and get him.

My character build is all over the place, I have went mainly Str/Dex, and spent some on INT as I intended to go for a "spellsword" type of character but I was under the impression there were actual weapons you could use (IE Swords and things) to cast with instead of having to use a staff/flame or something in your off hand.

I have yet to find a single weapon/armor that even comes close to being as good as the Drangelic armor/sword/shield set, even the alva armor isn't as good (but I like it cause it looks awesome and it is a bit less weighty).

Anyone have tips on a spellsword build? Or if you can indeed find weapons that you can cast spells with? Or will you always have to use off hand with a staff/flame or something to cast spells? I really like having a shield in my off hand to block with.

 

[rsbennett00]

Got through the Lost Sinner tonight and lit my first Primal Bonfire.

Now I'm not sure where to go.

I did the forest of lost giants, Wharf, Heide's Tower/blue tower, The Lost Bastille, and Sinner's rise.
I used the branch thing (that de-petrifies people which you get after the Sinner's Rise boss) on Straid (where you can use boss souls to get weapons/armor from them).

So I can't go through the area where that woman is holding onto the door thingie.

I decided to try the well (using the cat ring) and made it down through that and the Saints grave, then got to the gutter and man, it's like Blighttown all over again lol. Am I on the right track?

Also going through the old saints area (with all the rats) I got summoned a few times (it seems this area you will get summoned into other players worlds who are part of the covenant for this area, like the "forest" area in Dark souls) as they try to "protect" this area from humans.

Got killed the first time then the second time I won after quite a long battle and back and fourth. I was up against a guy who used miracles mainly and a short-range one-hand weapon while I was using the Drangelic sword/shield and Alva armor and I was able to close the distance and get him.

My character build is all over the place, I have went mainly Str/Dex, and spent some on INT as I intended to go for a "spellsword" type of character but I was under the impression there were actual weapons you could use (IE Swords and things) to cast with instead of having to use a staff/flame or something in your off hand.

I have yet to find a single weapon/armor that even comes close to being as good as the Drangelic armor/sword/shield set, even the alva armor isn't as good (but I like it cause it looks awesome and it is a bit less weighty).

Anyone have tips on a spellsword build? Or if you can indeed find weapons that you can cast spells with? Or will you always have to use off hand with a staff/flame or something to cast spells? I really like having a shield in my off hand to block with.

As far as where to go, did you talk to the woman above the dragonslayer? If so, check out majula some more...

 

[polonyc2]

I need to take notes on where those Pharoh wall things are at...by the time I get the key I forget exactly where the ones I couldn't open are located...I highly recommend people play the first Dark Souls game either before or after DS2...so many similarities in locations, enemy types etc...comparing the 2 you really appreciate the game even more

 

[jiminator]

Well fuck. That sounds like a step backwards in terms of being able to play this game in co-op with a friend. They must really not want you doing that

not sure what you mean. the coop is far superior and you can still coop (small signs) after beating your boss

 

[DPI]

not sure what you mean. the coop is far superior and you can still coop (small signs) after beating your boss

And cool thing about the small sign is the reward is a shiny stone upon successful completion of assisting someone, which can be dropped in the bird nest in Things Betwixt to get a random reward.

 

[Tzzird]

And cool thing about the small sign is the reward is a small shiny stone upon successful completion of assisting someone, which can be dropped in the bird nest in Things Betwixt to get a random reward. And unlike DS1, you can both drop multiple shiny stones in the nest at once, and not have to reload the map to get the reward.

4 playthroughs and still no White Ring

 

[LeninGHOLA]

Playing blind so I know I'm missing a ton of stuff, but this game is incredibly addicting. The level design is a small step down from DS1, but other improvements make up for it so it's close to on par with the first game.

I think I'm doing things a bit out of order, but I'm leaning towards GotY already.

 

[polonyc2]

Playing blind so I know I'm missing a ton of stuff, but this game is incredibly addicting. The level design is a small step down from DS1, but other improvements make up for it so it's close to on par with the first game.

I think I'm doing things a bit out of order, but I'm leaning towards GotY already.

I think the level design is a big step up...early on I felt like you do but as you progress the game just keeps getting better...I'm also playing blind and am having a blast...I don't care if I miss stuff as this demands several (dozen) playthroughs ...the graphics also look a lot better in certain areas

 

[infojunkie]

From Software is now owned by Kadokawa. Good or bad? They say it will allow them to expand.

http://www.polygon.com/2014/4/28/5660516/kadokawa-acquires-dark-souls-developer-from-software

Very bad.
When they were working on Armored Core (another one of their franchise), they were spending so much time on booster details which no one really bothered to care or look at. When asked by a press, the answer was

'We are just showing off to the world what an otaku can do with time and money'.

I think it really is their developing philosophy. Developers doing all and whatever they want, but not cutting corners to just shit out title every year to increase the rev, and it is a breath of fresh air among every other millions of copy-pasted games out there.

 

[LeninGHOLA]

I think the level design is a big step up...early on I felt like you do but as you progress the game just keeps getting better...I'm also playing blind and am having a blast...I don't care if I miss stuff as this demands several (dozen) playthroughs ...the graphics also look a lot better in certain areas

Level design is still quite good, but there is a bit less layering and shortcut action compared to the first. Some areas are very well put together, but areas like Brightstone Cove don't quite do it for me.

I'm currently sl 65 and attempting Freja for the 2nd time. A +10 Bastard sword makes all the difference for me. I haven't figured out how to make elemental weapons yet.

I'm throwing down a summon sign after I beat each boss. If you see a summon sign for Crunkarius, that's me. Summons are quick as hell and stable.
The only boss I'm having real trouble with is the wolfrat and his friends in the dwarf area. I think I should have put some pyromancy to work in my build.

 

[DPI]

Playing blind so I know I'm missing a ton of stuff, but this game is incredibly addicting. The level design is a small step down from DS1, but other improvements make up for it so it's close to on par with the first game.

I think I'm doing things a bit out of order, but I'm leaning towards GotY already.

I'm having the opposite experience with the maps and design. In DS1 there were some maps I simply hated. New Londo Ruins always gave me the creeps, Crystal Cavern was so boring it caused me to put down the game for a while, and Blighttown... It was clever how all the DS1 levels would end up interconnected to Firelink Shrine by the time you finished exploring one and came out the other end, almost like an Escher drawing, but that also made the world feel a bit small.

I like the DS2 levels/locations more, I like that everything feels more spread out, like more of a real openworld RPG, and consider that had they just done things like DS1 again, some people would be complaining that its more of the same and not something different. I guess that's why DS2 has fast travel between bonfires right off the bat, because everything's more spread out.

 

[LeninGHOLA]

I'm having the opposite experience with the maps and design. In DS1 there were some maps I simply hated. New Londo Ruins always gave me the creeps, Crystal Cavern was so boring it caused me to put down the game for a while, and Blighttown... It was clever how all the DS1 levels would end up interconnected to Firelink Shrine by the time you finished exploring one and came out the other end, almost like an Escher drawing, but that also made the world feel a bit small.

I like the DS2 levels/locations more, I like that everything feels more spread out, like more of a real openworld RPG, and consider that had they just done things like DS1 again, some people would be complaining that its more of the same and not something different. I guess that's why DS2 has fast travel between bonfires right off the bat, because everything's more spread out.

This definitely works well for some areas, being spread out.

 

[chineseman]

Wow, I'm not sure which I hate more - Blighttown or The Gutter lol.

 

[chameleoneel]

Level design is still quite good, but there is a bit less layering

Actually there's a lot more layering and instances of levels wrapping back on themselves. It gives me a big hit of nostalgia for Demon's Souls.

In Dark Souls, the areas were interconnected and layered within Lordran. But the areas themselves weren't particularly complex as far as pathing within the areas.

 

[DPI]

Wow, I'm not sure which I hate more - Blighttown or The Gutter lol.

Heh, I found the bonfire for The Gutter and then said no thank you mam, traveled the heck out of there. Had some other areas I still wanted to do. But then again I had the same initial reaction to No-man's upon arriving first time- "Oh here we go, dark map and getting sniped from enemies you can't see." Turned out to be one of the most enjoyable levels so far, especially once you use the Pharros' Lockstone which does something cool. Also more enjoyable if you summon a co-op buddy or two.

 

[chineseman]

Heh, I found the bonfire for The Gutter and then said no thank you mam, traveled the heck out of there. Had some other areas I still wanted to do. But then again I had the same initial reaction to No-man's upon arriving first time- "Oh here we go, dark map and getting sniped from enemies you can't see." Turned out to be one of the most enjoyable levels so far, especially once you use the Pharros' Lockstone which does something cool. Also more enjoyable if you summon a co-op buddy or two.

No-man's is a pretty rad area especially once you get to the top. I was getting really anxious by the end cause there are no bonfires anywhere in there and I had been clearing the place for what felt like 30mins. Friggin darkstalkers

 

[Stiler]

I just hope there aren't more of those long-ass arm thingies in The Gutter like they were in the Wharf area, freaking annoying with their two-hit bleeds that'd chip away half your health with gigantic reach because of their huge arms.

 

[DPI]

I just hope there aren't more of those long-ass arm thingies in The Gutter like they were in the Wharf area, freaking annoying with their two-hit bleeds that'd chip away half your health with gigantic reach because of their huge arms.

Try the Torch. They just shreek and cover their eyes while you walk all over them.

 

[Stiler]

Try the Torch. They just shreek and cover their eyes while you walk all over them.

I had used the pharros stone to get the area lit up, but had to clear the house to get to that merchant and there were literally about 8 of them inside of it.

 

[polonyc2]

I'm currently sl 65 and attempting Freja for the 2nd time. A +10 Bastard sword makes all the difference for me. I haven't figured out how to make elemental weapons yet

that's my weapon of choice for my current STR build as well...love the moveset and feel...reminds me of the Zweihander from DS1

so no one but me has trouble with Chariot's Executioner?...even with summoning help that guy is brutal

Spoiler

the environmental' trick with the Earthen Peak boss was pretty slick...would never have even noticed that without someone posting a message

 

[DPI]

that's my weapon of choice for my current STR build as well...love the moveset and feel...reminds me of the Zweihander from DS1

Well there's a Zweihander in DS2 again, I'm on the lookout for it. It was a favorite in DS1 for sure -- dat groundpounding. But Ultra Greatswords are a little rough in PVP since they're so slow.

 

[polonyc2]

Well there's a Zweihander in DS2 again, I'm on the lookout for it. It was a favorite in DS1 for sure -- dat groundpounding. But Ultra Greatswords are a little rough in PVP since they're so slow.

the weapons in DS2 seem better for some reason...in DS1 there were a lot of weapons as well but not as many quality weapons for different play styles...weapons I never touched in DS1 seem more worthwhile in DS2- such as clubs, maces etc

after getting used to it I'm loving the new 'Humanity' aspect...the lack of farming is so well implemented...farming in DS1 was tedious...going human is DS2 is as simple as helping another player out...no more spending 15-20 minutes farming 20 Humanities from Oolacile Township Dungeon

 

[stevedave]

the weapons in DS2 seem better for some reason...in DS1 there were a lot of weapons as well but not as many quality weapons for different play styles...weapons I never touched in DS1 seem more worthwhile in DS2- such as clubs, maces etc

after getting used to it I'm loving the new 'Humanity' aspect...the lack of farming is so well implemented...farming in DS1 was tedious...going human is DS2 is as simple as helping another player out...no more spending 15-20 minutes farming 20 Humanities from Oolacile Township Dungeon

But what happens when there is nobody to help out?

I don't like the Idea of a limited amount of humanity in the game. Sure I have never really gone below 20 once I've gone above 20 but still. Also you can just always have the sacrifice ring equipped and stay human 100% of the time.

 

[CEpeep]

But what happens when there is nobody to help out?

I don't like the Idea of a limited amount of humanity in the game. Sure I have never really gone below 20 once I've gone above 20 but still. Also you can just always have the sacrifice ring equipped and stay human 100% of the time.

If there's no one to help out and you have no humanity in your inventory and you are not a sinner, you can pray at a special altar to restore your humanity.

 

[polonyc2]

But what happens when there is nobody to help out?

I don't like the Idea of a limited amount of humanity in the game. Sure I have never really gone below 20 once I've gone above 20 but still. Also you can just always have the sacrifice ring equipped and stay human 100% of the time.

technically there is an unlimited amount of Humanity in DS2...it never runs out...you just have to co-op with someone to get it...with farming it's not guaranteed that the enemy you kill will drop whatever it is you're farming...but with DS2 it's guaranteed...so it's a much quicker process even though you only gain Human form once before you have to go back and do it again

 

[Cvar]

The chariot boss isn't too hard you just have to be patient and run around the track and hit a level then just attack his horse. As for weapons in this game it looks like boss soul weapons aren't really any better then normal upgraded weapons. However they are much stronger then normal weapons if they are not upgraded.

 

[piscian18]

I was playing this morning co-oping bosses and I thought "man wouldn't it be cool if elder scrolls had co-op like this?"......oh right. "THEY DONE FUCKED IT UP"-angry joe.

Literally this was all they had to do. Some of us don't want an MMO. Thats why phantasy star online was so perfect.