Dark Souls 2 PC - April 25, 2014

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

I was just hoping for a more seamless co-op experience. They made it less seamless from the sounds of it with adding timers on the summons. It'd be sweet if you could clear an area with your friend, kill the boss, and continue on without having to re-summon etc. But i guess if they made re-summoning easy, it shouldn't matter too much. Still, a timer is just silly. What's the point of that?
 
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.

Yep, I've been having the scary realization that if DS2 and Skyrim had a baby, I'd probably finally go full soil bucket mode.
 
So how's the balance of bows and crossbows? Is it possible this time around to be an archer?

Google "dual avelyns" and you will see just how effective crossbows can be, especially in pvp. With 1.5 times the original stat requirement for this crossbow, you can "power stance" these, which allow you to fire both at the same time. Since the avelyn is a triple crossbow, you will shoot 6 bolts at once. Dual avelyn havel mages are held in very low regard in the DS2 community nowadays. And I think that most likely has to do with inexperienced people that have no answer to it.

As for bows, I woudln't say that it is viable to be solely an archer. But the speed of bows is a bit quicker than those in DS1, so I think they are perfectly viable to use in addition to your primary weapons.
 
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.

I finally beat him with help from 2 phantoms...maybe I was under-leveled or didn't have the right gear but he was the toughest boss in the game for me thus far...even when I killed the necromancers the horse was hard as hell to kill...if I stayed behind him he would blast me with his kick move...move to the front and he'll charge me and deal massive damage...plus his magic breath...so far he's my Ornstein and Smough of DS2 :eek:
 
Google "dual avelyns" and you will see just how effective crossbows can be, especially in pvp. With 1.5 times the original stat requirement for this crossbow, you can "power stance" these, which allow you to fire both at the same time. Since the avelyn is a triple crossbow, you will shoot 6 bolts at once. Dual avelyn havel mages are held in very low regard in the DS2 community nowadays. And I think that most likely has to do with inexperienced people that have no answer to it.

As for bows, I woudln't say that it is viable to be solely an archer. But the speed of bows is a bit quicker than those in DS1, so I think they are perfectly viable to use in addition to your primary weapons.

That sounds badass!
 
no one else using KB/M but me?...the controls are definitely an improvement over the first game but it's still not perfect...you still can't bind all keys which forces you to use some creative remapping...even something basic as the side mouse buttons can't be mapped...it's fine for me but I can see how others might have problems with it
 
I use KB/M. It is manageable for now since I am playing a sorcer, and try to avoid being close to anything. They really kind of shafted us on the keys, I wanted a DS control scheme, but shift & ctrl are bound to the mouse and I can't see how you unbind controls. So on the kb basically everything is bound making it double difficult to experiment. There does appear to be a keyboard control code file somewhere in the documents folder, which at first glance may be able to support what is necessary. would have to confirm that. also in steam DS forum there are a couple of sticky threads that include keyboard macros + macro program. It allows for adding the other mouse buttons among other things.
 
I use KB/M. It is manageable for now since I am playing a sorcer, and try to avoid being close to anything. They really kind of shafted us on the keys, I wanted a DS control scheme, but shift & ctrl are bound to the mouse and I can't see how you unbind controls. So on the kb basically everything is bound making it double difficult to experiment. There does appear to be a keyboard control code file somewhere in the documents folder, which at first glance may be able to support what is necessary. would have to confirm that. also in steam DS forum there are a couple of sticky threads that include keyboard macros + macro program. It allows for adding the other mouse buttons among other things.

you can unbind everything...under the Mouse tab just choose the 'Nothing' option to disable the mouse key for that particular function...the rest of the tabs are for keyboard and you can remap them there
 
That sounds badass!

It is. But prepare to get a copious amount of hate mail. :)

I've never dual avelyn'd, but I do get hate mail every 20 or so invasions based off my sorcerer hex build.

I use a single avelyn to mix things up.

no one else using KB/M but me?...the controls are definitely an improvement over the first game but it's still not perfect...you still can't bind all keys which forces you to use some creative remapping...even something basic as the side mouse buttons can't be mapped...it's fine for me but I can see how others might have problems with it

Haven't even bothered. The controls have always felt perfect on my 360 controller.
 
It is. But prepare to get a copious amount of hate mail. :)

I've never dual avelyn'd, but I do get hate mail every 20 or so invasions based off my sorcerer hex build.

I use a single avelyn to mix things up.



Haven't even bothered. The controls have always felt perfect on my 360 controller.

Hate mail? In DS2 you can actually see who you're playing with? Is there an in-game social stuff now or is this implemented through steam?
 
Hate mail? In DS2 you can actually see who you're playing with? Is there an in-game social stuff now or is this implemented through steam?

Oh... I was referring to gaming on the 360. I played DS1 through Steam and was messaged once by someone through GFWL. I assumed you could also message someone through Steam, no?
 
Oh... I was referring to gaming on the 360. I played DS1 through Steam and was messaged once by someone through GFWL. I assumed you could also message someone through Steam, no?

Ah yea, that'd make sense. On the 360, does it show you who you just played with or do you have to remember the person's name?
 
What attribute I need to level up to able to handle better weapons like a normal sword and such other than the dagger?

Also I have a 24 inch lcd 16:10 Samsung monitor and there's the black bars on top and bottom, anyone know a way to stretch it to fill the screen? Thanks
 
I use KB/M. It is manageable for now since I am playing a sorcer, and try to avoid being close to anything. They really kind of shafted us on the keys, I wanted a DS control scheme, but shift & ctrl are bound to the mouse and I can't see how you unbind controls. So on the kb basically everything is bound making it double difficult to experiment. There does appear to be a keyboard control code file somewhere in the documents folder, which at first glance may be able to support what is necessary. would have to confirm that. also in steam DS forum there are a couple of sticky threads that include keyboard macros + macro program. It allows for adding the other mouse buttons among other things.

Is there a way to emulate analog movement on a keyboard?

I don't know why all the controller hate from the PC crowd. It's an option and I can't think of any time in life that having options is a bad thing.
 
What attribute I need to level up to able to handle better weapons like a normal sword and such other than the dagger?

Also I have a 24 inch lcd 16:10 Samsung monitor and there's the black bars on top and bottom, anyone know a way to stretch it to fill the screen? Thanks

The item tells you the stat requirements. If you need help on what the icons mean, press the back button.

It's made to fill a 16:9 aspect. It's showing more FOV by giving you slight black bars. Not sure if a fix on something like WSGF that applies to higher aspects can be applied to lower aspects. I don't know if a fix even exists.
 
The item tells you the stat requirements. If you need help on what the icons mean, press the back button.

It's made to fill a 16:9 aspect. It's showing more FOV by giving you slight black bars. Not sure if a fix on something like WSGF that applies to higher aspects can be applied to lower aspects. I don't know if a fix even exists.

There's probably a way with Durante's new GeDoSaTo mod, as i was able to get rid of the black bars with DSfix. All it does is stretch the image though, so it may look more natural just leaving the black bars.
 
There is no "controller hate". you enjoy using it and that is fine. I enjoy using the KB/M. Lots of games have different controls for camera, direction & movement. They don't work when applied to the mouse or when the mouse input is "converted" to simulate a controller.

as for analog input, yeah, the controller is better as you can circle your thumb to circle. With KB it is somewhat harder but still manageable.
 
There is no "controller hate". you enjoy using it and that is fine. I enjoy using the KB/M. Lots of games have different controls for camera, direction & movement. They don't work when applied to the mouse or when the mouse input is "converted" to simulate a controller.

as for analog input, yeah, the controller is better as you can circle your thumb to circle. With KB it is somewhat harder but still manageable.

I was thinking more of walking forward at different speeds, that's pretty important in DS.
 
There is no "controller hate". you enjoy using it and that is fine. I enjoy using the KB/M. Lots of games have different controls for camera, direction & movement. They don't work when applied to the mouse or when the mouse input is "converted" to simulate a controller.

as for analog input, yeah, the controller is better as you can circle your thumb to circle. With KB it is somewhat harder but still manageable.

That's why i went with controller for DS. Sometimes you just need to roll in a specific direction, and having to turn your view due to a keyboard's limitations would be less than ideal.

I am curious though how good the interface is when using M&K. I saw someone say "mouse over x to see y" which is a good sign.
 
That's why i went with controller for DS. Sometimes you just need to roll in a specific direction, and having to turn your view due to a keyboard's limitations would be less than ideal

that's the one and only thing that the KB/M does not do well in Dark Souls...directional rolling is annoying because you need to use the movement key + roll which is tough in the heat of battle...instead of reacting you have to think about which keys to hit...which is why I don't roll that much...rolling would definitely make the game easier but I'm fine with using it in limited fashion and it hasn't prevented me from dominating :D
 
Is it just me or has anyone else felt the dead zone on the sticks be too much? It feels like I have to push the stick further than I ever had to with DS, and diagonal movements feel stiff, which also make my camera movements stiff and more erratic than they need to be...
 
Entering NG+ I am getting invaded by blue phantoms about every 5 minutes. It is crazy and awesome and annoying at the same time. I keep trying new stuff out and while doing so I get invaded and don't have time to switch to my tried and true gear.

Its far better then not getting invaded at all though. I think restricting the Red Cracked Orbs was a bad thing as I made it though the entire game without getting invaded the first PC run through. Now that I am evil the blue phantoms are all over me.
 
Is it just me or has anyone else felt the dead zone of the camera be too big? It feels like I have to push the stick further than I ever had to with DS, and diagonal movements feel stiff, which also make my camera movements more erratic than they need to be...

when I first started the game I felt the camera sensitivity was way too fast...I tried tweaking it in the game settings but it didn't seem to do anything...eventually I got used to it and it feels fine now
 
when I first started the game I felt the camera sensitivity was way too fast...I tried tweaking it in the game settings but it didn't seem to do anything...eventually I got used to it and it feels fine now

Yeah, its odd.... I tried the same, just set them back since nothing helped. Maybe I can hack something with the controller drivers... on my system, I mean...
It makes my thumb hurt, maybe I'll try another controller.
 
Entering NG+ I am getting invaded by blue phantoms about every 5 minutes. It is crazy and awesome and annoying at the same time. I keep trying new stuff out and while doing so I get invaded and don't have time to switch to my tried and true gear.

Its far better then not getting invaded at all though. I think restricting the Red Cracked Orbs was a bad thing as I made it though the entire game without getting invaded the first PC run through. Now that I am evil the blue phantoms are all over me.

Let me guess: You killed more than a few NPC's at the end of NG to see that drops before moving over to NG+? Sin transfers in DS2 across new games and the blues are there to regulate. :)

The good news though? If you die by a blue invader once for every NPC you slaughtered, you'll be back to having zero sinner status in no time. Some people have left their systems on all night to clear sin... giving invaders free kills.
 
After responding to this thread like twenty times in the past few days, I couldn't help but jump back into the game after a one week hiatus. Trying to do the no-bonfire run for this playthrough and as soon as I started the game, I knew I had made a huge big mistakes:I didn't re-do my spell bindings. They are structured for a well-rounded pvp experience but not necessarily efficient for pve. As a result, I'm using a lot more items to replenish my spell uses. Using spell replinishing items in the middle of boss fights is not particularly fun.

3 Lord Souls through this playthrough and I have been invaded by a blue invader 6 times and a red invader twice. This is my first time really playing through the game with sin (I joined BoB end of NG+++ for about 50 invasions) and so it's a nice change of pace to see blue invaders instead of just red ones. But if I wanted this playthrough to be a more efficient one, I would have cleared my sin so that I would not be invaded in every new region I'm trying to complete.

I don't think I'll attempt the no death run... at least not on my current character.
 
For you guys that are starting an NG+ playthrough and have already explored everything, here's the map I keep up on my second monitor during my playthrough so I can plan out my area order and not forget to hit everything. I added a "suggested order to do the maps/levels" in the lower right, which is a list from a Wiki - obviously order is subjective, but this is rule of thumb based on a combination of enemy difficulty and areas that require objects from previous areas to continue in.

So, huge SPOILER here since its an interconnectivity map of the whole game, and you will find it useful once you've played 15-20 hrs or more or just want to make sure you didn't miss something major. http://i.imgur.com/i64iGum.jpg
 
Last edited:
Let me guess: You killed more than a few NPC's at the end of NG to see that drops before moving over to NG+? Sin transfers in DS2 across new games and the blues are there to regulate. :)

The good news though? If you die by a blue invader once for every NPC you slaughtered, you'll be back to having zero sinner status in no time. Some people have left their systems on all night to clear sin... giving invaders free kills.

Yep you have to kill those bitches before NG+. I did the same in the PS3 version and never saw a blue phantom. I'm also on a rather high level like 250 I'm assuming they removed the within 10 levels cap because there can't be that many people in the 200's.
 
so there's no soft cap like in DS1 where scaling is severely reduced once you hit 40 END, STR etc?
 
so there's no soft cap like in DS1 where scaling is severely reduced once you hit 40 END, STR etc?

There's no advantage to not leveling up like there was in DS1. The scaling dropoff still exists, but you can always find something better to do with souls than just hoarding them. Soul Memory determines PvP matchups, so if you have the souls to level up and nothing better to spend them on, you might as well increase a stat for gains, however miniscule.
 
I think I'm going to start over due to the fact that I spent all the lord souls and upgraded a lot of stuff that I don't really think was ideal. I could use effigies to gain them back but I think running through the game a second time will be good due to the fact that I wasted a lot of soul memory this game.
 
Be extremely cautious if you play offline. You won't have access to others' bloodstains to see traps, and without the ability to aid others your HP loss from death will basically be permanent. Playing offline-only in DS2 is brutal due to the HP loss.

so the game is gimped in offline mode?

why do developers love online/multiplayer so much these days?

what happens when people play this game in say 5 years and noone is online?
 
Can someone clarify, when Steam loses connection (has happened twice now) and it says it's switching to offline mode in game, does this stop you from getting achievements and other things?

Because I noticed after the first time I got this (first day of release) I have yet to get any more achievements even after I'm over 30+ hours into it now.
 
so the game is gimped in offline mode?

why do developers love online/multiplayer so much these days?

what happens when people play this game in say 5 years and noone is online?

you have the wrong idea. It is not "gimped" - it just makes the game easier and more interesting. even if you don't coop there is lots of benefits to seeing messages and blood splats. you can see how people die by clicking on the splats. That can tell you if they did something stupid, or were attacked or got hit by a trap. The messages also can be useful in terms of where to go or things to look for.

anyway I'm sure it will change but as of release the game has been doing very well for MP.

aYQjUNg.png
 
so the game is gimped in offline mode?

why do developers love online/multiplayer so much these days?

what happens when people play this game in say 5 years and noone is online?

No offline is not gimped at all. It plays perfectly fine but harder than if you play it online. You can summon NPC phantoms at bosses if you need them as long as you are human before the boss fight, but you can't summon anyone else to help you out elsewhere in the game. What he is referring to is that as you play in online mode, you can see blood stains that show how people died in that area, and tips on the floor that will help you out a lot. Many people mark the areas where traps are so if you see a lot of notes on the ground chances are something is coming. I have been jumped a few times and am now much more cautious than I was when I started, but unlike when I was online, do get startled when something jumped me and everything now seems like a trap :).
 
Is it just me or is anyone else having trouble consistently pulling off guard break or leap attacks? Seems like a roll of the dice whenever I have to press up on the stick and r1 or r2 simultaneously (using an xbox 360 pad btw).
 
Is it just me or is anyone else having trouble consistently pulling off guard break or leap attacks? Seems like a roll of the dice whenever I have to press up on the stick and r1 or r2 simultaneously (using an xbox 360 pad btw).

You can get consistent with practice. And its a hell of a thing to be good at since you can turn the tables so quickly on someone -- one moment they think they're invulnerable behind their shield, next minute they're staggered and you're doing an execution move.

According to the instructions your'e supposed to tap LS forward + RB at the same time, but I find I'm more consistent if tap the LS forward slightly *before* RB. Like fractions of a second before. Do it enough and you can be 90-95%+ consistent hitting the shield break.
 
Last edited:
no one else using KB/M but me?...the controls are definitely an improvement over the first game but it's still not perfect...you still can't bind all keys which forces you to use some creative remapping...even something basic as the side mouse buttons can't be mapped...it's fine for me but I can see how others might have problems with it

I am using kb/m with my Logitech G13/G600 combo. I was able to use to Logitech software to bind all the keys to comfortable and familiar positions. I have gone back and forth between this combo and my 360 controller and m/kb is just more comfortable for me...I think the deciding factor was my having much better control over the camera with the mouse...my right thumb always panics and spazzes out the camera when the shite hits the fan :eek:
 
Back
Top