Dark Souls II: Overpowered Early - [Melee]

After testing a few different methods for making a new character overpowered early, I decided to record and upload a melee focused approach.
In a little over half an hour, I was able to obtain and one-hand a Greatsword +6, with a total attack rating of 423, accompanied by a select few rings to assist with increasing attack power, equip load, stamina regeneration, and souls gained for levelling.
Follow and catch me live at: / ayriak

[@fuckeryeahbich14]

the first time I played ds2, I thought those fog gates in things betwixt were a trap. I played a bit and decided to go in them. only then did I realize they were the fucking tutorial doors.

[@jamesharris5232]

Fucker Yeahbich I had thought they were portals to other worlds when I first played or potential bosses early on 😂

[@ezekielleveriza4071]

James Harris same...

[@vhsodre]

Same here.

[@OkieDokieSmokie]

I fought that ugly beast thing for like 4 hours and gave up

[@theoxymoron97]

THERE IS A FUCKING LADDER IN THE ARMOR SHOP! ive had this game since release and never noticed that!

[@annonimexxx]

NEITHER DID I LOL

[@Accenttap]

For a second I was like, "Woah when did I leave that comment?"

[@capcom23]

same here. my boypussy got all warm. Extra item to get!

[@doonglerules]

That was the most bullshittingly hilarious way to kill the dragonrider

[@Tard1s2]

5:55 I laughed so hard. The music just stopped as he fell off. XD XD XD its like the games tired of your shit.

[@Dinastypr3dator]

🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂

[@ilanouh]

Just saying : light the second blacksmith's sconce (in the Lost Bastille), get the craftman's hammer from the chest under his ass, and enjoy. This weapon is incredibly powerful for what it is

[@sad-frosty4462]

How do I get it he won't get up

[@OperatorZylos]

@@sad-frosty4462 I’m sorry little one…

[@Eliashedlund]

There's only one thing I'd criticize. At 21 minutes in, you make your second journey through the Forest of Giants to get to the Cardinal Tower. Surely, lighting the bonfire the first time you were there and warping would be faster? Oh, also, you didn't open the shortcut from inside the tower despite carrying firebombs with you.

[@Levinsnakeful]

That goddamn black barrel on top of the stairs next to McDuff. The amount of runs I've done because either 1. the barrel makes a sudden sharp turn mid-roll and blows up nowhere near the cracked wall 2. one of the dogs breaks it at the bottom 3. the jailer decides to break it before attacking me.

[@ninception]

if you sprint and leap at the barrel you can ride it down the stairs lol

[@jasonleejames_official]

ninception ^this, so fun

[@jagr06]

ninception I seriously have to see this, did anyone make a video of it?

[@LetsShitPost]

Garl Vinland Really late to the comment but if you hit him with a ranged attack and sit at the bottom he hits it perfect so it goes straight down the middle every time.

[@Levinsnakeful]

Garrett Emrick Not late at all actually, once I get SotFS I'll try that out :b

[@sethpowderface3452]

1:20 like this if you take 10 min to make your own character

[@ZebraEddie]

at least 15mins

[@Ohnonoki]

I like Dark Souls 2's beginning a lot for this reason. I'll go grab the mace or halberd and have it at 10+ in an hour thanks to the Bell Midgets.

[@OldBoss]

You're everywhere !

[@Ohnonoki]

***** I blame the Bell Midgets.

[@Rathial]

I actually got kinda pissed off at the bell midget covenant because when I was in it they kept summoning me back to the tower faster than I could unequip the ring D:

[@MultiDraco999]

Every souls beginning is amazing. I dont know why but they just are.

[@codafett]

Jeez, you're everywhere.

[@MasterMoua4]

6:01 WHAT?!

[@forgotm]

I KNOW THAT WAS AWESOME hahaha

[@MaereJaneMan]

Yeah that was perfect timing, I laughed so hard. I'm going to try this on my next play through.

[@Acandlesfickleflame]

Speed runners have been using that tactic since the game's release. Haha

[@Da1aw17]

Some boss battle xD

[@jomammacooljk]

Ikr. -_-

[@Mysterie]

At the end you blew my mind you actually rested at a bonfire and fucking warped

[@NintendoGraham]

+Mysterie How does this blow your mind? I really don't get it

[@cedric1263]

+NintendoGraham he might think its like dark souls 1 where you need a lordvessle but dont need in dark souls 2

[@arnogerbil]

+Cedric Ryan +NintendoGraham no, it is quite simple see, he passed so many bonfires the entire time and still much rather used a homeward bone, and then suddenly right at the end he finally used a bonfire to warp instead of a bone

[@8BitPinkiePie]

+Arno Gerber homeward bones only take you to the last bonfire you interacted with

[@SSJ21Talon]

They're saying that due to the built in travel function at bonfires, there's no logistic reason to not pick them up the first time you pass (if you're actually intending to play the game, rather than just speed running). It doesn't matter which fire you bone to, because it takes 5 more seconds after that to travel to any other bonfire you have unlocked. The person recording this video could have negated the entire run from 20:58 - 22:45 if he had just hit that bonfire the first time he passed at 13:20. Still, assuming the item locations weren't moved in the SotFS update, this is a decent guide for anyone wanting to use Greatswords early.

[@arivfx]

Doesn't even take the titanite slab from the chest next to the chloranthy ring. am triggered

[@benl3115]

Why is it ever a good idea to not light a bonfire. It takes 2 seconds and when you screw up its gonna save time on your record to not have to run all the way back somewhere

[@gurchinanu]

+Ben L cuz that's 2 seconds lost. there's no such thing as screwing up. don't die. ever. don't even get hti.

[@MM-kr7gs]

+gurchinanu For someone who makes speedrun like things,its just that he has the experience in it,and i can get way more op in mellee than him.

[@TheHaukkuja]

+gurchinanu but he had to run to forest of fallen giants again, that wasted more than 2 seconds.

[@ryanpaullin6979]

+gurchinanu damn you're a badass

[@larsisaksen]

+Ben L homeward bone...

[@TiVinese]

the speedrun is strong with this one

[@diamonddonut]

06:00 that was hilarious yet genius :D

[@thegreatMSG]

I really LOL hard at 6:01 ! nice job.. XD

[@SkyrimJob81]

lol it's how i beat him, funny as every time.

[@Freelancer604]

rofl

[@MarkaNgamer]

Mine wont bite. The only thing falling down is me-.-'

[@SkyrimJob81]

you can skip like half the game speed running

[@Arygua]

My jaw droped...it took me forever to kill him....

[@NYANF0X]

Loved the overpowered early video for the first Dark Souls. Great to see another!

[@SkyrimJob81]

lol yeah great scythe +5 in five mins

[@Goku32112]

Wouldn't it have been better if you rested at the bonfire at the tower in the Forest of Fallen Giants the first time you got there? No need to run through the place a second time after killing The Last Giant. In fact, you could go straight to The Pursuer and kill him via the ballista instead of facing him at that rooftop. Saves more time and saves homeward bones.

[@thenorsewarriorofglory6824]

I killed the pursuer at rooftop at level 2....

[@r9310]

i choked on my drink when i watched that boss launch himself off the edge

[@The1KidneyWonder]

6:00 was so anti climatic lmao the music is all menacing and cool sounds then just *swoosh* *music ends immediately*

[@douglasrussell5061]

ive been attempting to do the first mist boss, have tried numerous times getting him to fall off the ledge...you make it look easy. props bro

[@vyndegar9429]

+Douglas Russell As soon as you enter don't move, then wait for him to take six steps and run to the right of him

[@douglasrussell5061]

+Vyndegar thanks for the tip, helped alot bud

[@nottoowhimsicalwilly4842]

+Vyndegar do i sprint or just walk?

[@Prompeius]

If you want even more souls really fast, you can start with ascetic and make the Dragonrider boss twice. Shouldn't take more than 4-5 mins more than this. And you can get two sublime bonedusts that way too if you care for it

[@kalvarrotv4165]

I know I'm WAY late to the game here but I just started playing DS 2 a few days ago because my son wanted to play it with me. I found this video yesterday and I've been doing this over and over again and completed it a few times BUT I saw someones comment about getting the item that you can burn (forgot it's name) to reset the bosses and do the dragonrider twice. So I started a new game and attempted to do just that, but when I burned the item in the bonfire and ran back to the dragonrider location, it was still open and he was not there. Did I do something wrong or did they change this in a patch??

[@crt33]

KalVarroTV which bonfire did you use the ascetic on? Needs to be the one after the first stone bridge, not the one above dragon rider.

[@celsothedevil]

why not taking dragleic armor right there droping near the bird nest?

[@fosphor8920]

+Celso Henrique he did not have enough time to get the stats to wear that armor set + the ultra greatsword :)

[@cedrixoftheoccult4876]

it weighs a lot. if you put UGS and Drangleic armor together its around 50+ weight

[@chuckcharchuck]

These vids are great man, love your stuff.

[@FEBsentapua]

6:02, man I laugh hard hahaha

[@josiahreimers730]

you make awesome VIDEOS THANKS SO MUTCH!

[@siddhu6661]

Whats the point of not lighting a bonfire?!???

[@katanamaru1]

Very good. I'd have taken the bonfire ascetic instead of the healing wares and done the dragon rider twice. Doing that also gets you two sublime bonedust items for your estus.

[@a.m.7438]

I have this great club I found in the gutter. At McDuff's shop I enchanted it raw for raw power and upgraded it with shards and chunks to 10+. It does 483 damage but unfortunately, enchanting it raw has diminished the bonus gained from my STR stat. However, I can go up to all but the thickest enemies and two hand them. Kind of fun to watch them go SPLAT. But with such a bulky weapon and all the time spent open after taking action, timing with this dinosaur club is everything. Managed to beat quite a few bosses with it though. Even the old Iron King.

[@siccens6168]

Mind numbingly good stuff!

[@Spookoffi]

How u get so many shields! Srry i am new not new i didn't use bandit class before

[@blueberryslushie9868]

I can imagine if this was real life. you would literally be the most nervous, impatient man in the world. run past everyone, grab some shit, find the drinking guy, literally throw all of your shit at him, then jump out a window as soon as you're done while he's in the middle of saying "Many deal-".

[@fadhlysukawidjaja174]

this play through have enlightened me

[@carmagadon11]

lol the boss music stopped the moment it started

[@mw3mster96]

why people already have like 6 shields to choose from in the beginning...

[@mr420quickscops2]

+Dylan Lilly Yeah wtf, bound shield??

[@Dorian-Yates-Hair-1991]

That were the preorder bonuses, u can boy them them now from wellager in drangleic castle

[@kalvarrotv4165]

I know I'm WAY late to the game here but I just started playing DS 2 a few days ago because my son wanted to play it with me. I found this video yesterday and I've been doing this over and over again and completed it a few times BUT I saw someones comment about getting the item that you can burn (forgot it's name) to reset the bosses and do the dragonrider twice. So I started a new game and attempted to do just that, but when I burned the item in the bonfire and ran back to the dragonrider location, it was still open and he was not there. Did I do something wrong or did they change this in a patch??

[@nutzlel7615]

how did he get the shield?

[@baileyvis7169]

How the hell did he get all those items at the very start?

[@oskarvosman133]

All that stuff comes with the Black Armor edition... preorder iirc you can still get it from G2A tho www.g2a.com/dark-souls-2-preordered-dlc-row-cd-key-steam-global.html

[@baileyvis7169]

Okay, thanks

[@ufe34]

I cant see a response on how he did it? May i learn this as well?

[@baileyvis7169]

Brandon Revett He pre-ordered the Black Armor edition for DS2, so when he got the game it came with a code to unlock the equipment he got at that start :)

[@xXPiotyXx]

does the great sword have to be electrified to break that wall in no man's wharf???

[@kanekanekun]

+Christian Smith no

[@R-Vin]

oh there's a ladder behind that that guy selling armors lol!!

[@gavin5089]

Are the DLC items (early access) needed? I would like to know please.

[@ckinyon18]

if you were to play as a Warrior you would have started with 15 str and 11 dx so if you did the "Glitch" where you kill the dragonrider twice with the tseldora armor and bonfire ascetic then leveled up your characters str to 28 you should have enough souls to level up some other things then get the greatsword and stuff (Buy the towering shield before taking the merchants tseldora armor -Optional)

[@BtXpGaming]

Warrior is worst class in the game tho

[@ckinyon18]

i did my first playthrough as warrior starting with this glitch and i did it again as my 3rd or 4th and i did all bosses on "Hard mode" worked just fine ( its probably because my playstyle is Massive Damage Massive Health)

[@benhardwiesner6963]

there is no worst class in the game... after 1 hour it doesn't matter anyway. and for speedrunning a strength build why shouldnt you start with the only strength starting class?

[@Connor_Tyler]

With the new enemy placement and better AI in SotFS, this isn't as doable any more. I'm sure it's still possible, but it's nowhere near as easy now. For Melee-STR builds I'll grab the early Branch of Yore and run through the Shaded Woods and buy the Greatsword from the talking head. For Melee-DEX builds I'll run a bit farther and get the BKH. It just takes a few extra souls, which you can easily gather in the woods.

[@sad-frosty4462]

It's not better I'm about to rip my hair from the ai the second you walk in a place everyone starts chasing you for ages you can't do shit

[@ahtinen9115]

For a dex build : Get Lenigrast's key Open his "shop" Rest at the bonfire Buy the "Motherfucking Falchion of allmighty fucking Oroboro" Dex builds : WIN. Fucking do it.

[@JacStance]

Unexard Iximarion Except the two-handed R1's are nowhere near as good in this game.

[@brothergrok]

Dude, Gavlan wasn't there and one of the fires were lit.

[@romainmyname]

Whats the name of the big sword and where to get them??

[@deadmeme4040]

The funniest thing is actually having the skill to pull one of these off which I dont.

[@Elcasale]

Awesome!!! Congratz!!! clap clap clap!!!

[@nick012000]

>consuming the Dragonrider Soul for souls >not using it to get the strongest bow in the game instead casul :P

[@roganchapman5700]

+nick012000 Composite Bow > Dragonrider Bow

[@adrianalbarran6662]

you can use any boss soul for souls. if you want the weapon later just go back and use a bonfire ascetic

[@Bronx1875]

>greentexting >using emoticons please never come back cancer.

[@mintylemon9349]

nick012000 Just use a bonfire ascetic and cheese the dragon rider again

[@Jay-fs3bz]

ayriak is a god. he makes it look so easy and meanwhile it try this and die at the tutorial xD

[@GLISSnSQUEEZE]

why does dark souls two look like it's the first of the series.

[@egoy2925]

where did you get all those equipments? early in the game. there are some weapons and shields i havent seen before

[@vyndegar9429]

+Scarlet Soul Ayyy

[@anthonyshaw1655]

there's no fire in the things on the part were you need it. please help

[@jonathanwhitney7680]

How did u get that shield bandits dont start with a shield and I didnt see u pick it up anywhere

[@invisiblefiddle1645]

Kay I'm fighting this boss and red armor with a red halberd and shield and I have a broken sword I really need help.

[@ZeroTheHeroGOAT]

You could've picked up the Drangleic Sword and it's nearly as powerful un-upgraded (And you found materials to upgrade it as well) and a much more agile and versatile weapon.

[@atlastrademarked]

Drangleic Sword was nerfed hard.

[@ZeroTheHeroGOAT]

Ah, I see. Just because something is slightly less effective than before it's hereby useless? The moveset is its main asset. Besides, the whole game difficulty was nerfed hard(er) so a little weapon nerf was kinda needed.

[@atlastrademarked]

ZeroTheHero it uses too much stamina for too little damage now

[@ZeroTheHeroGOAT]

I'd kick your ass with it :]

[@atlastrademarked]

ZeroTheHero Why are you being so aggressive? Its just a game.

[@hilalilo79]

well done broo

[@noobley6399]

Actual overpowered early is just Get the blacksmith's key then buy rapier.

[@Soir3997]

Sitting on a +10 rapier and +5 Drang sword :^

[@ryan-rp2kq]

I got to no man's ward but no of the fires were lit to light my torch. I suck what am I doing wrong?

[@FixeDCreW]

+ryan wohlleber bonfire?

[@TheRealCaptainMal]

In SotFS, that fire that was lit for him is not lit. You must carry a lit torch from the NMW bonfire to do this run in SotFS. Still works fine - I have done it.

[@hitxmark404]

I'm going to be getting this game on PS4 soon and will totally be using this video to help :) .

[@infinityking7926]

Wait for dark souls 3

[@hitxmark404]

Yeah I regret buying DS2. Seems like a good game, but I was spoiled by BloodBorne. Already got DS3 pre-ordered. In case you haven't seen it yet, check out the PS4 "only embers remain" digital pre-order bonus dynamic theme. It's amazing.

[@infinityking7926]

+HIT(X)MARK i wouldve gotten it if i still had my ps4 byt i have pc so i dont think pc has that...

[@cedrixoftheoccult4876]

+uzair choudhary are you okay in the head? of course pc has it. -_-

[@DarkRainbw]

Where did u get the shields

[@feanorrastero7821]

How he get those equipments in things betwist when he end the character editor ?

[@bL4ckSalamander]

my advice is make commentary for all these else its really dull to watch since for something like this clear explanation is key preferably a verbal one. just saying

[@Paracelsus23]

A lot of us hate commentary. Run here pick up this item move on. I already know what I want, just need to be shown where its at. I'm not sure what needs to be explained? Actions speak louder than words.

[@nebular75]

my biggest beef is when they use the items in their inventory screen so fast I can't tell WTF is going on.. useful skill for speed-runners, but useless for someone like me who has slow eyeballs (and no, hitting the pause button doesn't always help)

[@Paracelsus23]

turn down the speed so you can see what he's rocking. I feel you, but watching inventory management is also a flow-killer. I should also say Aryiak is super funny at times, I don't hate his commentary at all. This is the first video I saw of his, I prefer the Rapier early game. But his DS1 videos have me crushing the game.

[@ernestdavis9561]

Chuck H Hu

[@FaithfulFumoFan23]

Go to the blacksmith and buy a rapier or a mace. Congratulations, you've beaten Dark Souls 2!

[@rileygibson242]

At 23:40 if you die on that big guy does he respawn?

[@Conor127]

Wish there was commentary

[@hampuslyrstrand8143]

5:43 that jump tho

[@s1a1n1d1i]

29:00 there is no barrel for me there just the one next to the wall behinde but i cant move that one SBE

[@don-tt1jk]

hey how df did u get so much stuff right after character creation

[@veryMPressive]

Hello I think this method was patched in the SotFS update and they changed the AI of alot of the creatures. I still like this method tho. Can you please make an updated one?

[@roccobilo3637]

hey how do u get all that items on teh beggining tho ? mainly the ring that help with a bunch of builds of strenght that i like to run sometimes

[@ckinyon18]

Pre-ordered the game

[@normanwei529]

+Chris Kinyon i cat still do that can i ?

[@seupai2443]

pesadão izziii

[@nikolaideadsho3903]

I bought Darksouls 2 a day ago and I ran by all the tutorials without doing anything at all and made it to the Dragon Rider and I accidentally killed him because I looked away while my Cleric walked through the fog and I panicked when I looked back and I rolled and watched as he fell off and the music ended abruptly.

[@andrewwestfall65]

If you have the ability to do all this, do you really need an overpowered weapon? Seems to be more the man at that point

[@jomammacooljk]

In no mans warf one the creatures, that are scared of fire, followed me because I stood to close to him for long. And the merchant disappeared because I was attacked and i died while he was talking but other than that easy :)

[@1un4cy]

Mace+10 is too good I'm still using it in like NG+3

[@LucozadeLover77]

1un4cy Try the Craftman's hammer upgraded, it uses twinkling titanite but it levels really well. You get it from the chest McDuff is sitting on

[@1un4cy]

SpaceCowboy I could give that a try when I get back up that far since all my characters became corrupted in v1.10 T_T

[@nairobi8056]

oh hey another maceman like me lol

[@nairobi8056]

do u use tower shield as well?

[@1un4cy]

I typically use a high-stability regular shield Only time I really used a greatshield was for Vendrick so I could take 2 hits and not stagger

[@armin1113]

You can just shoot the bell in no man's warf to make the ship appear

[@carnifex8078]

How did he get those Swords & Shields at the start?

[@azariasthelast]

easiest way to get op: bonfire ascetic as gift. leveled up too damn fast.

[@dougarr]

+azariasthelast i did it too but im leveling so slow.... what item do i need to burn to get the ascetic flame bonfire...

[@azariasthelast]

+hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhwhwhwhwhwhhw I just used the bonfire ascetic at the bonfire in things betwixt early in the game. After farming all the enemies to the point where they stop respawning of course. Any area you burn the bonfire ascetic in will basically put that area into new game plus. Meaning all the items,bosses,and enemies will respawn and have more souls per kill. And you just farm them from there until they stop respawning.

[@dougarr]

thanks. do you think i should burn the ascetic in majula or some other place ? which one ?

[@jengaaaaa]

+hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhwhwhwhwhwhhw You really shouldn't waste ascetics on farming some early game hollows. You don't need to farm souls at all. You get more than enough souls from the bosses.

[@haroldjeanbaptiste1662]

+hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhwhwhwhwhwhhw heides tower of flame first bonfire

[@douglasrussell5061]

hell yeah...finaly got it

[@theaddictofgaming9174]

Should I beat up Maulin to get that outfit for more souls?

[@ahmedthedragon5359]

How did u get that shelde

[@lamborghinicentenario2497]

5:59 GOD STRATS HAHAHAHAHA

[@su1T1]

6:01 oh you've got to be shitting me...

[@roaringlaughter3812]

This is like…. A regular start for me. I always do heides tower first. Speaking of… you forgot dragonslayer

[@wolfsky3875]

or in other words how to berserk. great video bro!

[@randelllizard6133]

well done 😊

[@frostbyte4155]

how you get all those items in the beginning? is there something i'm missing or is this game modded?

[@CloroxBleachSuffering]

+FrostByte You have to choose the healing wares gift to get all those items

[@blindness134]

+FrostByte He chose the Healing Wares as a starting gift (one of the options during character creation), so no mods are being used here and it's all legit ;)

[@kennyxsd]

thanks for this

[@dustinbischer7683]

Heide Knight sword And Flame Long Sword, Dual Wielding. Flames Faster in some parts, less stamina use, Plus the flames, Heides Slower, with more stamina use, but lightning and it Feels a little stronger than the other. Worked Beautifully on the Last Giant Boss. Trying to fight Pursuer with it is a BITCH though! Then again im the moron who thought Heavy Armor was a GOOD idea. Yeah! Slow rolls! REALLY helpful! (No... Not Really.)

[@krashkyy]

I think they fixed this, I can-t do the jump at 5:45 :( tried like 4 times and it has'nt been even close.

[@impatrickandilikebologne4029]

Krashk Wolf nope you just need to git gud. still works 4/30/17

[@f0sibu383]

none of the lights on the wharf are lit for me?

[@TheRealCaptainMal]

SotFS is different. Carry a lit torch from the No Man's Wharf bonfire. Don't dawdle though, as you will only have five minutes of torch as long as you picked up the one at the start in Things Betwixt.

[@jojoz47]

you can hug the left wall an the ogre/cyclops wont find u in things betwixt

[@riseofthedead100]

Thank you 😉

[@UNKNOWNAMERICAN5]

I can't get the shifting wall to activate an I doing something wrong

[@lintlicker9630]

UNKNOWNAMERICAN5 just talk to it

[@YangBalanceYin]

The amount of people who thought the sell price on the life gems was actually the amount you had, and that you must have been cheating ... Mindless is an understatement.

[@haroldjeanbaptiste1662]

he was playing the old version

[@guyincognito6181]

when I got to the hag I thought you got 10 life gems every time lolXD

[@leomorini1091]

8:50 WTF how did you obtain that many life gems?

[@gevo223]

thats the price he sells them for on the bottom he only had 22

[@ThisIsPequod]

How did you get all of those items in the beginning of the video?

[@haroldjeanbaptiste1662]

Character creation+Pre-order bonus

[@CherriesandBerries]

what armor should i use for this build

[@ThatViralspot]

that boss never falls off any more does this still work just got in to dark souls and want to get ready for 3

[@xexulgaming8966]

yeah he does your just doing it wrong I do it every try

[@okruma625]

DONT DO THE EXTEND!!!! Do it at right time!

[@blackknight7764]

I always preferred fighting the first pursuer as an actual boss, because I like his ultra greatsword and Greatshield

[@eldergod4817]

The sword and shield are not drops