Dark Souls II

[K0ZZ]

Re: Dark Souls II

What build did you use for your first playthrough?

Started as a deprived and was only a sword and shield fighter. I want to try mages, arrows and miracles at some point!

[Pokes]

Re: Dark Souls II

If you die when summoned to help someone, do you lose your souls?

No, you only get sent back to your world.

Started as a deprived and was only a sword and shield fighter. I want to try mages, arrows and miracles at some point!

I usually play sword and shield, but I want to do something different. I've got a cleric, sorcerer and a DEX build. However, I'm not sure what I want to "main" yet.

[ubernoob]

Re: Dark Souls II

I restarted as a Sorcerer, just to check things out (and I don't mind replaying the stuff I already have in this game surprisingly.)

It took me a few tries at different areas to get used to the targeting mechanics for spells (and not being able to sprint away, only being able to roll, while locked on.) I'm really enjoying it so far though.

I've beaten the bosses of... the Forest, Heide's Tower and Cathedral of Blue thus far - debating on whether I want to do the Bastille or No-Man's Wharf next. Probably the Wharf, though I feel that one may be tougher as a Sorcerer.

[K0ZZ]

Re: Dark Souls II

I restarted as a Sorcerer, just to check things out (and I don't mind replaying the stuff I already have in this game surprisingly.)

It took me a few tries at different areas to get used to the targeting mechanics for spells (and not being able to sprint away, only being able to roll, while locked on.) I'm really enjoying it so far though.

I've beaten the bosses of... the Forest, Heide's Tower and Cathedral of Blue thus far - debating on whether I want to do the Bastille or No-Man's Wharf next. Probably the Wharf, though I feel that one may be tougher as a Sorcerer.

Spoiler

there is a spell merchant in no mans so that would be a good location to clear out.

[Sandman42]

Re: Dark Souls II

Took out the boss of No Man's Wharf in 1 try. He didn't seem hard at all.

Now Bastille though, ugh. Need to figure out a better way to manage multiple at once.

[kingkilla56]

Re: Dark Souls II

You guys, Im getting the hang of this.

Man once you beat a boss that has been owning you...nothing like it man.

[Sandman42]

Re: Dark Souls II

Went through the Grave of Saints, killed the boss and had 22000 souls. Decided I'd push ahead a little further and see what the next area is. See platforms that remind me of Blighttown, well this sure can't be good. Drop down, see that I'm in the Gutter. Can't see ****, as soon as I walk out a poison arrow hits me.

Nope, nope, nope. Ran back and used my homeword bone as fast as I could.

On another note the Drangleic sword is pretty awesome. Now if I could only find some Twinkling Titanite.

[BenGerman]

Re: Dark Souls II

Went through the Grave of Saints, killed the boss and had 22000 souls. Decided I'd push ahead a little further and see what the next area is. See platforms that remind me of Blighttown, well this sure can't be good. Drop down, see that I'm in the Gutter. Can't see ****, as soon as I walk out a poison arrow hits me.

Nope, nope, nope. Ran back and used my homeword bone as fast as I could.

On another note the Drangleic sword is pretty awesome. Now if I could only find some Twinkling Titanite.

Use your small white soapstone to help people out in co-op. You get small silky stones that you can trade to the birds and they often give twinkling titanite in return.

[LambertandHam]

Re: Dark Souls II

Went through the Grave of Saints, killed the boss and had 22000 souls. Decided I'd push ahead a little further and see what the next area is. See platforms that remind me of Blighttown, well this sure can't be good. Drop down, see that I'm in the Gutter. Can't see ****, as soon as I walk out a poison arrow hits me.

Nope, nope, nope. Ran back and used my homeword bone as fast as I could.

On another note the Drangleic sword is pretty awesome. Now if I could only find some Twinkling Titanite.

I'm currently exploring the Gutter, not too bad. Just remember you can

Spoiler

break the poison shooting statues, which stops the poison

.

[Sandman42]

Re: Dark Souls II

Use your small white soapstone to help people out in co-op. You get small silky stones that you can trade to the birds and they often give twinkling titanite in return.

I have a few of those I picked up as drops. Guess I'll have to make my way back to that nest.

[BenGerman]

Re: Dark Souls II

The Dark Souls experience (minor spoilers regarding Shaded Woods/Iron Keep):

Spoiler

The game has really "opened up" for me after Last Bastille. I've had no trouble getting through Earthen Peak and Harvest Valley -- two of my favorite areas in the game. Then I went to Iron Keep and was mowing right through it, got a ton of items and souls, and then got to the Smelter Demon.

Holy ****, what an awesome boss. The third phase of that fight is so daunting. I had to leave because the dude's fire attacks for just wiping me out. So I started sifting around other areas and came across the Shaded Woods. I was blown away by the ambiance of the level. The weird noises were throwing me for a loop. I went on to race through that misted area (finding an NPC and some helpful items along the way), and got to the Shaded Ruins. The area was awesome, and also had a ton of useful items. I unpetrified an enemy and was pissed that I wasted a Fragment on him. Turns out, he dropped a key on death - which was extremely useful just moments later (I think?).

So far, I've found that experimentation and using death to your advantage is the key to the game. The game tries to scare you into being cursed so far that your health is low, but I use that as an excuse to sprint all over the levels and just grab and run. When I'm ready to make a boss run, I just use a humanity and restore everything. I had also had the "ring of whispers" and remembered hearing about a secret NPC who I found. He didn't seem all that helpful, but wanted me to kill his wife (the boss), so I did that with some co-op help, and returned to him. He taught me a gesture, and then gave me nothing else so I killed him and got what seems like the best ring yet.

I moved on to "Doors of Pharros" and loved what little there was in that area, as well. Put on the gesture cap and farmed the enemies because they were dropping OP armor and I eventually got a shield that was 100.00 protection against fire. At this point, it's 5:30 in the morning and I'm kicking myself because I just KNOW that I have to go kill the Smelter Demon now. Problem is, I don't have the strength to wield it. No worries, as I had a soul vessel to use and just turned myself into a strength heavy beast. I was looking to go that route at some point anyway, because I was having trouble finding good dex weapons.

I returned to Smelter Demon, and took him down in a couple of tries. The game came full circle for me at this point, and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't one of the coolest video game experiences I've ever had.

[fishepa]

Re: Dark Souls II

I just turned on my xbox live for another year to get online with this game. I still just don't understand how the online portion works. I think I got invaded once, it came up on the screen and screen invaded by Merciliss Roanna and I was killed about 4 times in a row. When I kept going back to the same place I kept getting invaded by the same thing. Was this really another person playing?

Also, how can I help other people kill bosses and stuff?

Thanks

[Sandman42]

Re: Dark Souls II

I just turned on my xbox live for another year to get online with this game. I still just don't understand how the online portion works. I think I got invaded once, it came up on the screen and screen invaded by Merciliss Roanna and I was killed about 4 times in a row. When I kept going back to the same place I kept getting invaded by the same thing. Was this really another person playing?

Also, how can I help other people kill bosses and stuff?

Thanks

If it was the same name it sounds like its an NPC phantom, or you could just be getting really tough luck with the same guy invading your game.

If you use your White Sign Soapstone near a boss door, other players can summon you. You need to be human to use it though I believe.

[mikenoob]

Re: Dark Souls II

Yeah the hotspots for putting down your summon sign is either at the boss gate or at the bonfire. Placing it at the bonfire though might not guarantee that you get to fight the boss. There's a reason why they're summoning you at the bonfire, they're struggling to even get that far. You'll have to carry his weight and make it there yourself.

Merciless Roanna is an NPC invader. Once you get used to the invasions, you'll realize quickly who's human and who's NPC just by the way they move.

[BenGerman]

Re: Dark Souls II

Quick rundown of online play:

Player + Player vs Enemy: This is basically co-op. There are two things you can do here: summon, or be summoned. To be summoned, all you need to do is use your white soap stone (regular soap stone is goal oriented, small white soapstone is time oriented). If you complete your goal, and survive the length of your time, you are rewarded with an item (usually a silky stone) and a bunch of souls. Sometimes, your humanity will be restored. This is a good way to learn bosses without taking the risk of losing souls. Win or lose, your returned to your world just the way you left it.

To summon, you NEED to be human. You can summon to have others come help you fight a boss, or take down an area. To summon, use a human effigy and become human. Once you're human, you'll see small white glowing signs on the ground. Click them, and they will load into your world. You can also call NPC's in the game for help, if you've helped them.

Player vs Player: This is largely covenant based. Each covenant is likely to give you a ring that, if you wear it, you'll be called in to "invade" another player. You can also be invaded by online players, depending on what area you are headed into. This is something you'll want to get REALLY good at the game before you start getting into. There are several covenants that give you rare items each time your invasion is successful.