Dark Souls 2 PC - April 25, 2014

LurkerLito said:
I wonder if that fix will be applied to both versions or just the latest DX11 version. It kind of annoys me that From ignored the issue for years when PC users were scratching their heads wondering if this is a glitch or a feature, but then only looked into it as a glitch when it showed up on the console versions.
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looks like both the DX9 and DX11 versions will get the fix according to the patch notes...

http://bandainamcous.tumblr.com/post/117016409496/attention-dark-souls-ii-players-we-will-be
 
jiminator said:
It is NG+ after completing all the DLC. NG+ is a completely different beast, everyone is like "fuck your armor and your +10 infused weapons"
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While most of the normal game is fairly easy in NG+, the DLC's in NG+ are a nightmare. Kind of like NG+ in the first game, your armor seems to mean very little. You're best off going with something that maximizes your stamina so you can roll like mad and still be able to counter attack. The same weapons can work (especially if you're comfortable with them) but I had to really adjust my playstyle to account for lots of dodging and a heavier shield.
 
welp a 300 mb patch went out today. it has made a vast fix on durability. I have been enjoying coop, but if there are others clustered fighting an enemy your weapons would turn to shit pretty fast. Now you can go to bonfire to next bonfire with minimal loss. amazing what a difference it makes. and we have had to deal with this shit since release. sigh. my first playthrough I couldn't get to the land of fallen giants because of weapons.
 
jiminator said:
welp a 300 mb patch went out today. it has made a vast fix on durability. I have been enjoying coop, but if there are others clustered fighting an enemy your weapons would turn to shit pretty fast. Now you can go to bonfire to next bonfire with minimal loss. amazing what a difference it makes. and we have had to deal with this shit since release. sigh. my first playthrough I couldn't get to the land of fallen giants because of weapons.
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hmmm I don't know if I like that.. part of the challenge of DS2 was having to manager your weapons.. sounds like its more like DS1 now where you rarely have to repair you weapon (which made degradation pretty pointless in DS1)
 
jiminator said:
welp a 300 mb patch went out today...
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good to know the patch has been released...now I can buy Scholar of the First Sin for $30

Both PC versions of Dark Souls 2 (the older DirectX 9 and newer Scholar of the First Sin) have received patches today...the older version got an 8mb patch, while Scholar had one that was closer to 350mb
 
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Having played pre and post patch for a good many hours now, I can say durability feels much more stable. The rate of wear is about the same, maybe a little slower, but there's no more of the sudden "where did a quarter of my durability go" moments. Pre-patch hitting a corpse with my spear would drain off ~10 durability, now it seems to count as a regular hit. I'm assuming halberds and the like shouldn't eat through their durability as quickly on their heavy attacks now.
 
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polonyc2 said:
good to know the patch has been released...now I can buy Scholar of the First Sin for $30

Both PC versions of Dark Souls 2 (the older DirectX 9 and newer Scholar of the First Sin) have received patches today...the older version got an 8mb patch, while Scholar had one that was closer to 350mb
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Wasn't sure if I'd be getting Scholar of the First Sin, but $30 at this time is slightly tempting. Where at?
 
Tzzird said:
Wasn't sure if I'd be getting Scholar of the First Sin, but $30 at this time is slightly tempting. Where at?
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I actually meant $20...on Steam it's $50 for the whole DX11 game, $30 for those who have the DX9 version already, $20 for those with the game + all 3 DLC
 
polonyc2 said:
I actually meant $20...on Steam it's $50 for the whole DX11 game, $30 for those who have the DX9 version already, $20 for those with the game + all 3 DLC
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Oh wow, didn't know that. Too bad I spent good money for a Collector's edition on the 360. Since it's not digital, I probably won't get any discounts.
 
I think I'm going to fire up and play Scholar of the First Sin DX11 while waiting for the Arkham Knight issues to be fixed...looking forward to seeing the new enemy placement and updated graphics
 
polonyc2 said:
I think I'm going to fire up and play Scholar of the First Sin DX11 while waiting for the Arkham Knight issues to be fixed...looking forward to seeing the new enemy placement and updated graphics
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I just got SotFS, so far it seems decent. Sometimes I find enemy placement to be completely arbitrary, other times it feels like enemy placement really fixes the flow and difficulty.
 
LeninGHOLA said:
I just got SotFS, so far it seems decent. Sometimes I find enemy placement to be completely arbitrary, other times it feels like enemy placement really fixes the flow and difficulty.
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I've played the DX9 version so many times that I've pretty much memorized the enemy layout of the entire game so hopefully this new DX11 version makes things feel new again...do you notice any difference with the DX11 graphics?
 
polonyc2 said:
I've played the DX9 version so many times that I've pretty much memorized the enemy layout of the entire game so hopefully this new DX11 version makes things feel new again...do you notice any difference with the DX11 graphics?
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Yes, it's a bit more crisp and better lighting effects.
 
SOTFS is the definitive version of DS2 and the version they should have released in the beginning...really having a great time playing...as far as graphics it's not a night/day difference but there is definitely an improvement...subtle most of the time but very noticeable in certain areas...biggest difference is there are a lot more dark rooms (almost pitch black) which require a torch and the lighting overall is improved...textures on clothing and armor look a lot better...even firebombs look different when exploding

as far as gameplay, there are tons more enemies everywhere...they are also faster, chase you further and swing their weapons faster...game seems more difficult overall which was one of my main complaints about the DX9 version, it seemed too easy...the torch mechanic is now what the developers originally intended as you have to make a choice regarding carrying a torch versus a shield and face the consequences...some of the new NPC invaders are crazy hard...the Armored dude in Forest of the Fallen Giants seems unbeatable at low levels...weapons drops are different, areas are blocked off early in the game, enemies are in different spots and everything feels new...I'm still in Forest of the Fallen Giants and have died many more times then I ever did in the original DX9 version
 
As far as I know (and have compared), the textures are exactly the same. However, the new lighting, color grading, and crisp contrast levels, give an overall much better impression.

Dark Souls 2 had solid character models and textures. But the flat lighting and slightly too high gamma, kept them from really shining. Of course, there were plenty of mods to help with that. However, SoTFS has achieved a level of crispness and refinement, which none of the mods really nailed.

However, I do very much miss the dynamic bloom effect from GeDoSaTo, which gave a brilliant flashing effect to spells, added depth to fire effects, and gave shiny metal a piercing glint when light hit it just right.
 
chameleoneel said:
As far as I know (and have compared), the textures are exactly the same. However, the new lighting, color grading, and crisp contrast levels, give an overall much better impression.

Dark Souls 2 had solid character models and textures. But the flat lighting and slightly too high gamma, kept them from really shining. Of course, there were plenty of mods to help with that. However, SoTFS has achieved a level of crispness and refinement, which none of the mods really nailed.

However, I do very much miss the dynamic bloom effect from GeDoSaTo, which gave a brilliant flashing effect to spells, added depth to fire effects, and gave shiny metal a piercing glint when light hit it just right.
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I have 900+ hours in Dark Souls 2 and I can definitely see a difference in the cloth textures...yes the lighting is the biggest difference but to say that the textures are 'exactly the same' is incorrect...definitely agree about the gamma being much better...Majula still could use a bit less gamma but in all other areas there is a noticeable improvement...they might have gone a bit overboard with the lighting in certain areas though as now there are a lot of pitch black rooms that require a torch...but I prefer this over the previous lighting

I'm not sure if I like the new fire/spell effects or not...it's different but not sure if it's better or worse...I like it though
 
I do not like consoles, I do not like skyrim.

I bought dark souls 1 prepare to die edition for $7 way back. I have to say it's one of my fav all time games. Simply mesmerized by it. Picked up DS2 SoTFS and I am in love, I have not even opened GTAV since DS2 finished downloading lol.
 
I'm up to Iron Keep and can definitely state that textures have been improved in certain areas...look inside the Blacksmith's Workshop in Majula, the early Shaded Woods area (after walking in from Majula) is very much improved texture wise, the spider webs right before the Freja boss, the distant mountains in Majula etc etc
 
polonyc2 said:
I'm up to Iron Keep and can definitely state that textures have been improved in certain areas...look inside the Blacksmith's Workshop in Majula, the early Shaded Woods area (after walking in from Majula) is very much improved texture wise, the spider webs right before the Freja boss, the distant mountains in Majula etc etc
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I really do not think the textures themselves are any different. I think everything looks sharper and bolder, as an aggregate result of: better lighting (to include specular and bump map improvements), better ambient occlusion, and color grading/filtering which empahsizes blacks and low key colors (makes details a bit bolder. Some of the ENB mods did this, for the DX9 version. They come with a reference tile, which sets how the color filtering works. Some of them are so drastic, its seems like textures have added detail).
 
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polonyc2 said:
Dark Souls series sales surpass 8.5 million

The brilliant Dark Souls series has surpassed 8.5m sales, and more than 3.25m of those were on PC...the numbers come from a Japanese presentation by From Software...

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-07-01-dark-souls-series-sales-surpass-8-5-million
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looks like Eurogamer confusingly inserted steamspy numbers into the article, next to what came out of the presentation. It wouldn't makes sense for the game makers themselves, to utilize indirect 3rd party numbers. I'm sure they have access to direct numbers, on their own games. But they didn't break it down by platform.
 
I finished Scholar of the First Sin...it's definitely an improvement over the DX9 version mainly because of the new enemy placement...so much of the new enemy layout makes much more sense now in terms of the lore...the multiplayer community is just as large (if not larger) now and summoning friends or foes is very easy...graphics are better but not a night/day difference...overall the DX11 version is the definitive version of DS2 but I wouldn't go out of my way to buy it if you already own the DX9 version...just play the DX9 version with NG+ and you'll get improved enemy placement

the one thing I absolutely hate about the new version is the increased multiplayer count...now you can bring 3 NPC's with you into boss fights which makes even the most difficult boss too easy...I mean do people really need that much help??...if the game is too hard for people then maybe they need to play another game...From Software really needs to address this in future games...way too much summoning help...there needs to be a major penalty or some other mechanic which doesn't totally erase all difficulty from the game
 
polonyc2 said:
I finished Scholar of the First Sin...it's definitely an improvement over the DX9 version mainly because of the new enemy placement...so much of the new enemy layout makes much more sense now in terms of the lore...the multiplayer community is just as large (if not larger) now and summoning friends or foes is very easy...graphics are better but not a night/day difference...overall the DX11 version is the definitive version of DS2 but I wouldn't go out of my way to buy it if you already own the DX9 version...just play the DX9 version with NG+ and you'll get improved enemy placement

the one thing I absolutely hate about the new version is the increased multiplayer count...now you can bring 3 NPC's with you into boss fights which makes even the most difficult boss too easy...I mean do people really need that much help??...if the game is too hard for people then maybe they need to play another game...From Software really needs to address this in future games...way too much summoning help...there needs to be a major penalty or some other mechanic which doesn't totally erase all difficulty from the game
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Typically I'm against accessibility measures, but in the case of dark souls 1, id have appreciated something to help with the four kings. Never ended up finishing the game cause of that retarded walk back to just die again
 
You have to be the correct SM to get help in boss fights. I have been doing a low SM run @ SL1, and some of the DLC fights are ungodly painful. Only NPCs available. I alternated between them and without them in the attempts. I am about 250k and only half the first page of locations show activity.


As for DS1, if you have PC, the simple solution is to park in front of the fog wall, exit to menu, set your game to read only, and then keep doing the boss fight until you win. Exit to menu if you die. Set to write once you are good.
 
jiminator said:
You have to be the correct SM to get help in boss fights. I have been doing a low SM run @ SL1, and some of the DLC fights are ungodly painful. Only NPCs available. I alternated between them and without them in the attempts. I am about 250k and only half the first page of locations show activity
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a SL1 run sounds brutal
 
polonyc2 said:
a SL1 run sounds brutal
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It is actually somewhat easier than DS1. DS1 you do have pyromancy at the start. That was nerfed. You are limited to clubs and axes. In DS2 you can mostly mace, but the work hook adds dex, giving swords, then crown of the sunken king + strength ring + dex ring and you can wield zweihander. other combinations too. so it is interesting :)
 
jiminator said:
As for DS1, if you have PC, the simple solution is to park in front of the fog wall, exit to menu, set your game to read only, and then keep doing the boss fight until you win. Exit to menu if you die. Set to write once you are good.
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You can do that in the 2nd game, too. You can either do that or just copy your save file to another directory and then copy it back if you die.
I kinda missed being able to do that when playing Bloodborne :p You have to be a lot more careful when you can just roll back to your last save.
 
So if you don't own the original game, then it sounds like Scholar of the First Sin is the way to go. Right?
 
Windows has a DX9 & DX11 version
The different consoles have different versions
confusing so chart :

51FCbQO.jpg
 
Domingo said:
You can do that in the 2nd game, too. You can either do that or just copy your save file to another directory and then copy it back if you die.
I kinda missed being able to do that when playing Bloodborne :p You have to be a lot more careful when you can just roll back to your last save.
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save file manipulation can get you softbanned in DS2. meaning then your multiplayer pool is other cheaters.
 
DPI said:
save file manipulation can get you softbanned in DS2. meaning then your multiplayer pool is other cheaters.
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the issue is if you load a saved file that indicates you were in a MP session. that counts as a strike. after a certain number of strikes you can no longer coop or summon, but can still be invaded. You have an item that can "restore connection" but once you use it, if you get softbanned again you will have to do without for 8 hours, then it should respawn in the temple where the game starts. The problem is not with the saved file reloading, it is with the multiplayer disconnects.
 
I used the save file copy trick throughout my playthoughs and never had any shortage of invaders/opponents or summonable helpers. Granted, I never disconnected or re-loaded after a skirmish either. For me it was really only to avoid the tedious trek back to certain bosses.
I only encountered one full-on cheater in DS2 and he actually helped me get through the stupid DLC area with the horses on the way to the battle with the two cats.
 
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