Dark Souls 2 really has Impressive Enemy Designs

[@MrPatatu100]

DS2 really felt like a solo DND experience, visting areas so different from each other, really unique experience, the only other game I felt this with was Demon s Souls.

[@Battleguild]

That's legitimately the reason the Sunken City DLC is my favorite of the 3, as it really does feel like a D&D adventure. - Long Forgotten Civilization - Pyramid-based Society - Traps and Puzzles - Poison and Equipment Damage - Competitive Adventurers - Secret Doors with Treasure - A Dragon Fight Capstone

[@monsieurdorgat6864]

I think one reason for that is the spell variety and the puzzle-like game design. Later souls games went all in for "Make every battle like DS1 Artorias and DS2 Alonne!", but the sheer amount of design creativity and more classic fantasy spells made DeS, DS1, and DS2 much more DnD like and IMO more fun single player experiences.

[@dylanschmeichel2008]

@@BattleguildEXACTLY. I wish fromsoft would do that sort of stuff more often. You know, entering a hole in the ground and making your way ever deeper to some long lost civilization. I love Bloodborne and like Elden Ring, but since both had lackluster underground content and pretty much just had you elevator your way down, they didn’t scratch that same sort of itch.

[@maboilaurence8227]

Ds2 did a LOT of things wrong, but areas variety is arguably the best in the series. It feels like a classic fantasy tale, and Heide tower remains my favourite FromSoft area to date.

[@Shibu_PL]

@@maboilaurence8227 This is exactly why I love DkS2.

[@grubbierlizard6091]

After going into dark souls 2 with what I can say was low expectations. I genuinely enjoyed the game from start to finish.

[@unskilled822]

main game is kinda weak but DLC is really good

[@CaptainBarbosa40]

ITs a good game after all.

[@FRIEDRICH_NASHTON]

I'm currently playing Dark Souls 1 after Elden Ring, and I definitely plan on playing the other Souls games as well. I'm happy to hear some praise for the second one!

[@ricardovieiramusic]

Same! I went into it with really low expectations as well, because I gave it a go a couple of years ago after beating DS3 and just couldn't get used to how clunky the movement felt compared to that one. I recently gave it another go and not only finished, but loved every bit of it! To the point where I'm considering a NG+ run, something I almost never do in souls games :D

[@CaptainBarbosa40]

@@FRIEDRICH_NASHTON DS 2 is a really good game. It is just the least favoryte of the franchise, but still a good game.

[@Gurt_The_Hurt]

Never knew the barrel carriers weren't just normal hollows with barrels. I wish they had the barrel strapped to them like in the concept art.

[@jadenkarpoff9158]

Shoutout to the Sanctum Knights, for wearing some pretty basic armor and just dual wielding falchions, they look surprisingly badass. The priestesses look great too, I love how their designs are reminiscent of Elana’s.

[@robertovargas5839]

sANCTUM PREIST HAS SOME CAKE ON HER

[@fireemblemistrash75]

True the Sanctum Knights have some templar esque. look to em since they have similar graves like them and even share similar armor patterns and a belief of guarding something even in death.

[@Jose-gu7qy]

After seeing this, I like to think the enhanced undead served as inspiration for the omens in Elden Ring. Covered with horns, with an animal-like body structure (this is more like the misbegotten but both came from the crucible) and animal features such as a tail or horns.

[@zacharypennington6387]

I was thinking the same thing

[@zactogepi6824]

Same with the crawling guys and rennala's "children"

[@vasilecusarmale7322]

Dark souls 3 grhu enemies

[@majinlilkek4367]

The Overseer is so weird i think he has no unique drops but the design is really good and quite unique

[@toolala3908]

I think it was a missed opportunity to not make the overseer itself do anything. how cool would it be if he was the one shooting projectiles or throwing firebombs down at you while you were fighting the big guy hes sitting on

[@welton9748]

It has two drops, silky stones (rare) and sunlight medals (very rare). Why they drop sunlight medals? Who knows, maybe they were praising the Sun.

[@thecandlemaker1329]

Master Blaster is hardly a unique design.

[@tangent480]

@@welton9748 they are cooperating :)

[@welton9748]

@@tangent480 you are goddamn right. And its a jolly cooperation 🤝

[@younghollow2663]

Fun fact, no matter how you kill the mounted overseer, he will always be crushed by the big guy xD

[@jackpfefferkorn3734]

Fun fact: if you parry an attack from a fume sorcerer, they fall in the ground like a normal enemy but keep their legs close together, unlike other enemies whose legs spread out. The same also applies to the desert sorceress. Sorry, Bearer of the Curse, no peeking!

[@eminkilicaslan8945]

TIL Desert Sorceress also exist in DS 2. I hope they fixed this mistake on Desert Sorceress Zoey.

[@TheActualMrLink]

@@eminkilicaslan8945the desert sorceresses first appeared in DS2, though???

[@eminkilicaslan8945]

@@TheActualMrLink I yet played DS3 and Elden Ring. I wanna play others but DS1 is a bit dated and DS2 is...

[@owlgoddess8534]

i find this very funny for fume sorcerers, since they.... have pants? nothing even there to peek at!

[@WeirdTroll666]

@@eminkilicaslan8945 ds2 is the best

[@groundbeef2]

Shrine of Amana was a lesson in patience, Iron Keep was a demonstration of reaction times, the Falcon Knights were an example of what could go wrong, and the DLC was a final exam of everything the game was trying to teach you. Game was fun, wish it had had more polish.

[@svennevs5740]

Waiting for that remake for the 10th anniversary

[@DARK-dw2gm]

iron keep is more about strategy and carefully picking your fights or not you get poked to death by Sir Alonne renowned Apoke Knights

[@markopusic8258]

​@@DARK-dw2gmThere sure is much strategy when taking one step forward aggroes a knight from the other side of the castle, repeat 15 times. The path to Smelter Demon is a travesty no matter how you look at it, especially in SOFTS.

[@KudoRedfox]

@@DARK-dw2gm If kiting is the only to survive when it's awful design/gameplay

[@aprinnyonbreak1290]

The bizarre speed and strangely behaving movement animations of several of the humanoid, knight type enemies in DS2 is pretty horrid, tbh. The falcon knights, Great Value Ruin Sentinels, etc. I'm not as sour on DS2 as a lot of people, but those specific enemies violate quite a few laws of Dark Souls, just because their movement and animations are so jank. There's a couple other bad enemies, but those tend to be more isolated and specific, while all of these guys are governed by the same obvious flaws.

[@cursedkirsty85]

DS2 was my first Souls game and has a special place in my heart. So cool to see the concept art and the detail of the monsters up close without fearing for my life 😅

[@A7XKoRnRocks1]

Same here! It was my first Souls game and will always be the best for me, it got me into the franchise, I love this game.

[@caseyriggs6264]

I had over 300+ hours on it, almost maxed out my main character. I could basically do any build and had achieved platinum (First ever Platinum trophy I had in PS3)

[@milkmonstrosity]

Seeing what the experimental undead look like in detail makes me appreciate Aldia as a character even more. Can't help but wonder what his initial goals were, and what led him to where he is by the end of it.

[@Ivory5547]

Aldia's entire goal was to escape the cycles and find a cure for the curse, but diferent from Vendrick, Aldia went down a "the ends justify the means" path. He did so many atrocities, killed, tortured, and experimented on so many that Vendrick literally had to lock Aldia inside his keep, because the king realized his brother went too far. But that didn't care for Aldia. If he managed to achieve his goals in the end, he didn't cared for all the blood he shed or the monsters he created. In the end, Aldia partially achieved his goals. By becoming that tree-head and, apparently, linking himself to the fire , he managed to escape the cycle. But, in the end, it was Vendrick who found a cure for the curse.

[@historicflame972]

I love how at 1:25 he almost seems to be crying

[@necromax13]

@@Ivory5547 neither found a solution, only a stop-gap. Aldia by becoming an ember found a way to evade the curse, by becoming a shapeless being. That, IMO, doesn't sound like a cure to me. Vendrick found out that accumulating great souls would form a barrier that would stop hollowing in its tracks, but that wouldn't cure the undead curse, that would be just a band-aid type thing.

[@intensebug]

Wait am I wrong or does the Enhanced Undead look like a prototype Omen from Elden Ring? A human with draconic traits and horns sprouting all over their body. Gotta love the concepts that carry over in these games

[@christopherlyndsay8611]

I mean tbf those are just generic fantasy tropes

[@xXLunatikxXlul]

@@christopherlyndsay8611 true.

[@Graysett]

Wait until you come across the spirit tree shields that talk about Quella, the god of dreams.

[@sebastianestrada3697]

@@GraysettLorewise aside, my favourite connection is the voice actor for Titchy Gren voicing Mogh as well.

[@Graysett]

@@sebastianestrada3697 God damn, that's some range on that VA.

[@waltuh11121]

It needed 9 years but it looks like DS2 is finally getting the love it deserves

[@Sensei.Of.Kivotos]

6:14 guys hear me out… please.. Though jokes aside (not really) I went into Dark souls 2 blind, while the start was quite frustrating, I’ll have to admit, the longer I played the more I was enjoying it. There’s so much things in that game that has potential had they been refined more. This game had a lot of potential had it not been rushed.

[@plinfan6541]

For a horrible warped being, she sure has some Cake.

[@mark0183]

Thicc

[@CheckersMcGavern]

God, imagine if FromSoftware ever made a Silent Hill game. What an incredible experience that would be.

[@janterri3539]

We would never sleep again

[@JuanCarlos-ch8ix]

Fromsoft NEEDS to make an horror game

[@minespatch]

We kind of had that with their vr game but maybe it needs a remake in a more... Console experience? Echo Night is also a horror game. Kuon as well.

[@blunderless]

duuuude! i love silent hills 1, 2, & 4 and often compare them to dark souls i’m also like at least 75% certain miyazaki took inspiration from how silent hill innovated gaming with each title.

[@TheAngryPothead]

@@JuanCarlos-ch8ix FROM made a horror game on PS2 called KUON

[@olivier5251]

I love the sanctum priestess design an unreasonable ammount. From the creepy singing to the idea that they might've been beautiful once I love it

[@DukeButtwater]

4:19 You vs. the enemy design she tells you not to worry about

[@zacharypennington6387]

Yea fr poor barrel carrier

[@dirckthedork-knight1201]

I am so happy that in recent times DS2 is finally getting the praise it deserves You should cover more enemies there's some more really cool designs that are worthy of some recognition

[@3dDoener]

6:32 DS2 enemy design is so funny sometimes, like they really went "hey this sorcerer in a city that pretty much drowned in poison who isn't much more than a walking, decaying corpes at this point? Yeah let's give her a dumptruck of an ass!"

[@escapegulag4317]

haha so true

[@Ramp_age]

I'd love to see a collaboration of conceptart artists from ds2 and homm5. Really godlike love for their own work

[@faowin9112]

Never thought I would hear someone talk about Heroes of Might and Magic outside of a Sseth video

[@tsula24gig95]

I personally think HOMM5 designs are better because there is noticeable organisation and the connection between characters is more obvious. Still sucks it's the only game with such badass designs, the next titles were 50 to 50, imo

[@rsBadro]

Soulslike with heroes creatures would be epic

[@thecandlemaker1329]

@@tsula24gig95 HoMM V designs are so good because they're, let's call it, "borrowed" from Warhammer and D&D. But it's okay because AoS also "borrowed" its ghost designs from HoMM V xD

[@tsula24gig95]

@@rsBadro yeah, i would like to play as haven's inquisitor and slash demons with my hammer

[@kalsizzle]

I like to think Elden Ring is basically Dark Souls II without all the development issues.

[@xxfalconarasxx5659]

I find it strange that despite the Fume Sorcerers being very obviously female, their outfits look different when worn by female players, missing the scarf and hanging sleeve. When worn by male players, the scarf and sleeve is retained. I guess the devs just couldn't resist exposing that cleavage and showing off those curves for players. XD

[@blunderless]

thank god chad yui for being straight and not gay

[@thecandlemaker1329]

Nigga, this is the game where Desert Pyromancers originated from...

[@stealth2811]

​@@SkillfulCurveNo.

[@Anglisc1682]

​@@stealth2811lol

[@HairlessMonkeyKing]

​@@SkillfulCurve No

[@FranzFerdinand76]

That concept art looked great. Imagine the in game models with modern hardware would be awesome. Hopefully we get a Demon Souls-like remake of this game down the line with some polished up mechanics.

[@Crestfallen_Warrior]

I think we deserve a full on ds2 reboot. Like...they should go to the very start and rework everything. There are genuinely great concepts in ds2. Somewhere in the mess that is ds2, there is a hidden gem. I know it. Its a shame it turned out this way.

[@grillmeisterkush6396]

Dark souls 2 had the most boss encounters in all the series (if you don't include ER) at a whopping 41 different bosses including the DLC. A remake with upgraded mechanics and visuals would be absolutely incredible.

[@gsc8713]

​@@Crestfallen_Warriorwe already have it its called elden ring

[@Crestfallen_Warrior]

@@gsc8713 Yeah, probably. But i dont want an open world ds2 remake, i want it to be linear.

[@drewwilson9938]

I mean, ds2 is kinda linear but is less open than ds1 since everything starts from majula

[@warcoder]

I'll be honest, I don't have any trouble with fromsoft reusing their assets from previous games and I think it would have been amazing if some of those were reskined in Elden Ring. Like the wall warriors, for example, they would have been a very cool addition in the catacombs and hero's graves (they were reused in sekiro, but in an area were barely anyone will notice them).

[@HallgrimICE]

Where were the wall warriors reused in sekiro?

[@stefvanroey8191]

​@@HallgrimICE in the cave with the serpent

[@Ghorda9]

@@HallgrimICE on the way to the serpent shrine to get the dried viscera.

[@warcoder]

@@HallgrimICE In the Sunken Valley, inside the cave where you find the other giant snake. They will pop out of the walls while doing an unblockable thrust that you can counter with mikiri

[@krookedvulture]

Great video! I always enjoy a good close-up look at in game models ... i wish more games still included an unlockable bestiary to look at character models like Nioh did.

[@LautrecOfCarim]

Today I learned that those Sanctum Priestesses are rather "well equipped" down there. I think I'll go visit Oolacile now, ask those fine people to give me the Gough treatment, too. Heh...

[@warcoder]

ASSylum demon: Finally, a worthy opponent. Our battle will be legendary!

[@Ctrekoz]

Guys, hear me out...

[@Manfromthenorth0551]

DS2 will always be my favorite Dark Souls game, and I'm glad as the years pass more people come around to the game and appreciate it.

[@ragecandy]

Souls franchise is so good the black sheep is still like a 9/10 game

[@Exel3nce]

Not quite

[@Exel3nce]

@@soulofcinder3409 lets say 7 max, if even

[@luciusdebeers6176]

@@Exel3nce 7? Bruh

[@AtreyusNinja]

Lets be honest, ds2 did everything better than Ds1 and ds3.

[@Exel3nce]

@@luciusdebeers6176 yes, because it feels worse to play than 1 and everything else that made 1 so special is lacking in 2. yes it improved some parts that are very good but overall its ok. fun for the most part but thats it

[@97lazaridis]

The dead mans dwarf thing really scared me when i was going through that area

[@caseyriggs6264]

I wish the Sanctum Priestesses skirt was a piece of armor for the game. It just looks so amazing.

[@balaam_7087]

Oh….so that’s what the lizardman looks like! Years of covering my eyes and screeching as I sped through Shrine of Amana always left me wondering

[@leonardocarrion1996]

The ost combined with the monsters gave me some nightmare creatures vibes 🔥❤️🔥

[@thefranticpaceofdying]

Far and away my favorite enemy design in DS2 are the Mastodons. They only appear in a select few locations. In fact there are only 5-6 of them in the entire game. Yet they are incredibly detailed and the concept of fighting a massive elephant clad in golden plate makes them very intimidating foes. I learned just the other day that apparently they have a unique plunging animation if you manage to land on top of one. You can only do this in like, one spot in Doors Of Pharros making it very situational useful, but still such a nice touch. Nothing more satisfying than straddling a giant behemoth with a massive hit to the skull. Also, as evidenced by the Mastodon Greatsword, apparently there was going to be a greatsword variation of them but like many enemy designs they were scrapped and in the final game the greatsword appears in a chest just as a little reference to their formsr existence. The same thing happened with the old knight pike and greatshield, the drakekeepers greataxe and greatshield, and a few more enemies if I recall. Would love to see if their models still survive in the files, though I doubt it.

[@Apexapee]

I love how swinging of slamming a Ultra Greatsword really feels like you can barely wield it.. Let alone attack with it. DS2 is amazing in that regard, but also level wise, ambiance wise and story wise. Would really like a remake with darker lightening, more use of the torch and just a graphics upgrade in particular

[@belokk2468]

I always felt that Dark Souls 2 was more mystical, more like magic world instead of medieval world. In DS1 and DS3 more enemies are knights, undead knights, drakes, demons, skeletons. Generally speaking typical fantasy/dark fantasy enemies. In DS2 however enemies were much more weird and fairy-tale'ish, like ogres, gnomes, puppets, elephant soldiers, vikings and all of these from this video. This game is very different.

[@plasma5302]

6:33 GAH DAYUM

[@u-mos8820]

So barrel boy didn't pan out as well, that's unfortunate cause the art looked dope. Where's the concept art for the naked guy that runs around HUNTSMAN'S COPSE? I bet he's got beefy killer thighs.

[@minespatch]

I like the finished barrel carrier. IT's cute. Reminds me of a shy pug the way he tries to keep away from the player in terror.

[@u-mos8820]

@@minespatch I can't deny that their demeaner, and how it was used in one of the DLC's, made them endearing to me. Wouldn't have been the same if they were, what looks like, imps with explosive barrels on their backs. I shiver at the thought.

[@TheRealJoob]

Just realized that a quiet place took the dark stalker design

[@kahir8642]

Some obscure trivia I only recently learned from playing through the King's Field games, the wall warrior concept comes from the Wall Ghost enemy in King's Field 3 (they don't have swords though.) The horse knights in Drangleic Castle also seem to be based on another KF3 enemy called Death Knights. Both are from the final dungeon, I don't think there's a single screenshot of either of them on Google because approximately five living people have beaten the game.

[@luciusdebeers6176]

And 3 of those 5 were the Devs play testing probably

[@Happy_Sailor639]

Well well, walking barrels sure were looking dangerous earlier

[@milemile4813]

This is probably gonna be an unpopular opinion but i liked the world of DS2 more than DS3. 2 had its own flavour and seems more coherent. 3 felt like an amalgamation of DS1, 2 and Bloodborne. Kinda like a Soulsborne themepark. Gameplay on the other hand is a whole different story.

[@Gensolink]

the world of DS3 is basically just DS1 with extra steps, doesnt help that it focuses almost solely on DS1and mention DS2 in passing like they feel obliged to.

[@brandonbaka1375]

Soulsborne Themepark, I'd imagine that would be Elden Ring

[@Lazycandle]

I’m going to be honest I feel like dark souls 2 would have been better received if it was named as a different game but I don’t know if it would have done as well, the story feels like it should belong in a different universe.

[@Nothingseen]

DS2 was so bizarre and different that it made me feel that when the lore talked about a shifting, unpredictable world where time just didn't work normally I actually believed it. DS2, despite being 2, makes far more sense to be a world re-made after the Age of Fire ends. 1 and 3 were two parts of the same story, the endless degrading of the world to keep the Age of Fire alive. DS1 shows you the sacrifice you have to make, and 3 shows you that even then, no matter how many times, you can't keep things the way they were. 2 has little connection, both in world and in themes. The DLC has to smash in there talk about linking the fire and the coming age of dark, but your quest is to find the king and then ascend to the throne yourself. But while linking the fire was a grand sacrifice in 1 and a pitiful gesture in 3, taking the throne in 2 is just an empty, hollow thing. You don't light on fire or anything. You just sit down. It's got no ties. In some ways, I think Elden Ring was what they wanted 2 to feel like. A strange journey across a haunting land.

[@brandonbaka1375]

@@Lazycandle If you know the history of the development for this game, god damn, man, it could have been truly something.

[@joolian4721]

sanctum priestess got some buns aint even gon lie

[@pharaohsmagician8329]

I loved the Dark Souls 2 combat. I haven't even played the "fixed" First Sin version, I have the OG Xbox 360 disc, and after looking at the change log in quite happy, I really enjoy the slow and deliberate methodical combat. It's clunky, it feels heavy, and it feels good! It's good clunky not bad. But I guess if you like to play fast dagger or fast rolling classes that dart around and outspread your enemy it might be too clunky but for heavy melee weapon classes it feels so so good when there's so much weight and gravity behind every single movement.

[@griffin1095]

I’d say it’s bad clunky and not good lmao

[@9thAvalon]

@@griffin1095 Here's your cookie. Luhmow.

[@zawarudo8991]

⁠@@griffin1095I‘d say it‘s feel-good clunk.

[@Samura1313]

What causes the clunky feel in DS2 is not the speed of the game itself, but the fact that the lock-on is nerfed to incentivize players to play unlocked. For example: when you're locked-on and you roll, you get up facing the direction you rolled, not the lock on direction. So you go for a punish rolling attack and miss. Tracking for many attacks is also reduced when locked-on. There's a mod for DS2 that changes this, called Player Enhancements, and an overhaul called Seeker of Fire that includes this made by the same guy. Though you can learn to play around this mechanic.

[@austin2774]

@@Samura1313 who uses lock on other than on range attacks tho lol . never need to lock on with melee only builds. also its not clunky its pvp is best in series. only souls games that aren't clunky are ds2 and ds3 all other pvp feels pretty shit. just people have no idea what makes a game good or bad, ds2 major flaws are because of enemy placement ,weak bosses, and unfair gank fights. its combat its best in the series. whoever thinks it clunky i honestly dont think played the game. ds2 has better pvp than Elden ring by a mile. just because the animations are smoother now doesn't mean the actually combat is.

[@TheAngryPasta]

6:51 fan service lol

[@welton9748]

They all seem very scary. Sanctum priestess bakery tho ❤

[@DylanZZ3]

I like the fume sorceress concept design 5:24

[@25Yukikaze]

Out of the 3 games I genuinely prefer the DS2 aesthetics. It has the most memorable non-boss enemies

[@ArbiterEx]

They are so boring, unimaginative and unoriginal, but you do you.

[@Exel3nce]

Uhm yeah, wrong but you do you

[@rohitchaoji]

Here come the people nobody invited to tell you how you are wrong for praising DS2 even a little bit.

[@jacksonpeds5298]

@@ArbiterEx Go back to play DS1.5 erroneously titled "DS3"

[@mark0183]

And invaders F you maldron

[@slinderb.4592]

The parasite spider one came STRAIGHT from necromorphs.

[@purpleisthesneakiest]

i always thought the lizardmen had unkempt beards, never realized that it was a facemask with a hole worn in it. neat!

[@kirpalor74]

If only we could get the more darker and detailed version shown in the trailers those enemies would look even more amazing, a proof is the area were the Darkstalkers are.

[@roohni2226]

the barrel carrier looks so much goofier in game lol

[@chronix7946]

Id like to see a DS2 fully realized with an updated enemy design like in the artbooks as well as fixes to level design (namely the elevator that goes up rather than down in earthen peak) and some of the cut content. Yes it might look entirely different but I would be cool to see the teams vision realized

[@shagarumedic]

Ngl the priestess got some cake

[@HipnikDragomir]

Getting all kinds of DS2 praise videos recommended lately. THIS IS OUR TIME

[@Nikkenator]

Sanctum Priestesses look creepy.

[@immagical7036]

The enhanced undead’s concept art looks so saaaaaad

[@minespatch]

Kind of sad you didn't remove the mask off the fume sorcerer but love this vid! Thanks for showing the head of the barrel carrier, they're so shy in game when I try to screenshot them.

[@MsUndertaker99]

I bet her model doesn't have face so we lost nothing

[@here1334]

damn i always thought the barrel carriers were just hollows, never noticed the animal features

[@adradox]

DS2 with upgraded graphics engine to give justice to all those amazing and unsettling designs would be a perfect treat for a fan. 👌

[@trainershade1937]

It'd be so nice if it ever got a remake in general. With all the content that was cut, along with some weird world progression, I can only imagine what Dark Souls 2 would be like with a few more years in the oven.

[@aquarius5264]

DS2 is a fucking bop and don't let any souls fan tell you otherwise

[@alemaniacreyon]

I'm looking at the designs for the enemies here and I don't recognize a lot of the enemies shown off here, You made me realize that despite me beating the game several times I had always perceived enemies as nothing but an obstacle with a health bar and didn't appreciate the finer details

[@aprinnyonbreak1290]

There's also a couple enemies that only show up on NG+/ascetic, like the weird demon guys on the path to the Lost Sinner, that people may have just not seen, especially if they're governed by bonfires unrelated to bosses.

[@zeebooboo9663]

I never noticed that the Sanctum Priestess had 🍰

[@metalmadness5851]

I still mourn what DS2 could have been. All this effort and attention to detail, but it just didn't come together as well as it should have. In Illusory Wall's video on DS2 cut content, you can see how much got cut and crushed along the way. I love DS2, but I really wish we could have seen the game that Fromsoftware wanted it to be.

[@AtreyusNinja]

So True, especially because is the only FS with cut content. No other of theyr game have cut content At all. Ds3 especially never had problems during the work, such a better game eh?

[@andrsl1]

@@AtreyusNinja tf you on bro

[@gud_]

@@AtreyusNinja DS1 had a tonne of cut content, particularly Lost Izalith

[@metalmadness5851]

@@AtreyusNinja The only game with "significant" cut content. DS1 had a bunch of cut content (a few bosses, npcs, and level geometry were left on the cutting room floor), but with DS3 there was also far less. I blame the fact that FS was forced to split their attention between DS2 and Bloodborne, it's never a good sign when that happens.

[@redsalamander9999]

I like how a lot of the in game models are very close to the final art designs. Lots of little details on all of them as well, very nice touch.

[@FLUX.2226]

The barrel carrier made me chuckle a bit, lol. Quite different from their concept art. I did not remember the enhanced undead though despite having several hundred hours in SotFS, turns out they were already rare in OG DS2 and even more rare in SotFS.

[@smilehd3917]

There's some in that one area with all the cages and the ogre's. I can't think of anywhere else with them though lol. Used to be in the run up to the sinner.

[@FLUX.2226]

@@smilehd3917 According to the wikis, in DS2 they always spawn in sinner's rise, but in SotFS it takes NG+ to make them appear there. So if you mostly play NG like me, the one caged in Aldia's keep is the only one you will ever encounter.

[@AlmostGrewMyHair]

I wonder why I remember very few of these.

[@KindredEmotions]

This all just makes me want to see a Dark Souls 2 remake from the ground up that adds all of these creatures with all the polish from DS3 and Elden Ring.

[@xXLunatikxXlul]

I wholeheartedly agree.

[@holbewoner393]

Dark souls 2 with the refined movement and combat like Dark souls 3 and Elden ring would be amazing

[@scragglie]

no thanks, ds2 is just fine the way it is. all the anime 15 attack combo bosses can stay in elden ring, leave the fun bosses for ds2

[@zawarudo8991]

⁠@@holbewoner393"refined combat" you mean the dumbed down movesets and L2 win button combat? Keep that casual sh*t away.

[@holbewoner393]

@@zawarudo8991 Ds2 was my first souls game, and that you play the newer games that way says more about you, if you think ds2 had better movement and combat than the newer ones, thats fine, i was just stating my opinion since i loved the story, the setting of ds2 more than any other ds game, the only thing i have a problem with is the clunkiness, if you dont, thats also okay, your opinion

[@Steezington]

4:48 RETREAT! RETREAT!

[@monsieurdorgat6864]

DS2 is one of the better pieces of proof that Fromsoft's design style is: "A bunch of our artists whip things up then we put it into our games and stitch together the story afterwards!" You can also see this in how much story and narrative changes in other titles shortly before release, but it shows most in DS2 because they had a ton of banger designs that didn't have the planned narrative pieces to put them together the way they wanted. Despite DS2 being half-baked, it was easily my favorite overall DS experience. The narrative just isn't there, but the gameplay HITS.

[@Warcrafter4]

Dark souls 2 went through extreme development hell and had its first director kicked off for wasting most of its development time. Combine that with a forced graphical and console downgrade from the publishers nearly caused DS2 to get canceled. Its a miracle that the 2nd director was able to get the game released at all in ~9 months from effectively scratch.

[@monsieurdorgat6864]

@@Warcrafter4 And the craziest thing is that DS2's fundamental RPG systems were the most robust and nuance of the series, too. It really feels like they built a really solid foundation, but then the "building" on top was quickly cobbled together.

[@markopusic8258]

The gameplay hits? I will give DS2 praise where it deserves it, but from a gameplay perspective, and especially enemy encounters, we haven't had a more severe miss in the series. Do these enemies look great? Putting aside outdated texture work, yes. Do they feel engaging to fight? Hell no. Boring 3 hit combos on end, wasted dual wielding despite so many enemies having it, ambushes and ganks through the roof, 41 bosses out of which maybe 10 actually stand out from its predecessor and none, and I mean it, none that can match Artorias. We had to wait 2015 Bloodborne to get a mechanically more advanced boss than him. Gameplay is where DS2 tanked the hardest as soon as you move away from the player's perspective (player who isn't safe either with that ridiculous snap point locked movement among other things)

[@monsieurdorgat6864]

@@markopusic8258 Lmao are you sure you're not confusing it with DS3? I guess not - DS3 didn't even have that many bosses nor did any really stand out besides literally Gael, because that fight jumped the shark so hard. But my god the ganking in DS3... Dual wielding was far from wasted - it had the best system for it until Elden Ring simplified it. The Artorias fanboying is also weird, ngl. DS1 had a lot of cool bosses. So did DS2, but you guys just want Artorias on repeat - one guy in a duel. Lame. He's not mechanically advanced, he just moves quickly and is super edgy. Unique and cool once, but for the love of god did y'all take it too far. Bloodborne was also literally the first game released after DS2, so you didn't have to wait long? Lmfao do you think about any of this in context? DS2 was the last non-spammy Soulsborne game. It has the most mechanical depth as an RPG, and it also had most interconnected world and playthrough variety. Weapon variety, meaningful level design variety, fun ways to challenge yourself, and just more personality. Not to mention it had the best community, easily. The Fromsoftware community took a shit as soon as DS3 came out, and Bloodborne might as well not even have PvP.

[@elijahherstal776]

DS2 also had, IMHO, the best armor designs. I still love the look of the Alonne Knights.

[@madcashewnutjob3345]

DS2 is my favorite game from From. It felt deliberate enough where you had to think about your actions and quick enough that you had to be on your toes. I didn’t really like how DS3 and Elden Ring sped up the formula. While both are great games, I rarely had a moment to think and reorient in those games. If DS2 ever does get a remake, I would like them to bring back the darkness mechanic, spruce up the graphics, improve power stance just a bit moveset wise, and make some of the infusions more viable. But other than that, I don’t really want them to change anything. I don’t mind ADP. I leave it at 14.

[@Exel3nce]

But 2 felt even worse than 1

[@NIX3798]

@@Exel3nce I disagree

[@Exel3nce]

@@NIX3798 how. You felt even slower and more clunky. Yes you had more Options but the Overall feel is painfully slow and frustrating

[@Walamonga1313]

It felt awful imo. Then again my first game was Demon's, which is faster paced than DkS1 and 2. To me BB and DkS3 felt like a return to the formula. ER is weird since it feels slower but enemies are fast af

[@DedAlexFive]

Fantastic idea mate hopefully their next ARPG will be even slower. We slow ones need a helping hand after all.

[@atrusnonight2789]

Thinking about it, the Dark Stalkers could fit right in with the entities in Casca‘s nightmare…

[@liquidboss2719]

DS2 v1.0 is my favorite Souls game. The build variety is nuts and ADP can be broken if leveled enough.

[@AtreyusNinja]

I always stop myself At 96 agility, thats alrdy a good spot

[@liquidboss2719]

@@AtreyusNinja Going above 100 is great. I think 106 gets you an entire second of I-frames out of a 3 second roll.

[@lordtalo2062]

Didn't realize the fume Sorcerer was fine as hell

[@ChuckPalomo]

I always felt the enemies and armor design were the high points of DS2. They were varied and interesting and their fighting styles leaned more towards the grounded and weighty instead of the more anime oriented later From games.

[@dinonatorful]

Yeeees they need a slow martial arty game again

[@phir9255]

99 percent of armor is roleplay of mobs npcs and bosses how is it a strong point

[@dinonatorful]

​@@phir9255?? What do you want. Everything wearable to be unique to the player only?

[@owenreece1754]

enemy and armor design is one of the reason why ds2 is the worst. instead of refined realistic grim dark fantasy we have a random cheap mmorpg circus without any style and consistency and ds2 is the most anime game from soulsborne series

[@scragglie]

@@owenreece1754 clown ass take, get outta here elden ring fanboy

[@AshRaf-to5gu]

Oh how this takes me back seeing these creatures for the first time in-game.

[@demspookz8732]

Wish there’s was a first person option somehow so we could see all these monstrosities up close

[@SmoothMaul]

There is a first person mode it's called "using the binoculars and the sanctum knight leggings" haha

[@lf4227]

A King’s Quest Edition of all Dark Souls games would rock so hard

[@lf4227]

I meant King’s Field but whatever

[@Lofirainbows]

Archdrake Knights/Archdrake Channelers/Aldia/Crypt Sealers/Crypt doors/Dragonriders/Dragon Sanctum Knights/Drakeblood Knights/Executioners Chariot/Flexile Sentry/Ironclad knights/Mastodon Elephant Knights/Pursuer/Hollows/The Rotten/Throne Defender/Throne Watcher/Velstaldt/Vendrick, plus original concept design. The armour/bosses/Enemies/environments and weapons were wonderful, I love the art direction. So many come to mind

[@MeowsyDancer]

the designs in this game feel VERY western

[@Faftha]

... Yeehaw?

[@FKyoutubeSERIOUSLY]

Good cause Western fantasy is what Dark Souls is inspired by.

[@scragglie]

dark fantasy is now "western" ok

[@welton9748]

​@@scragglie dark fantasy is just fantasy aka european mythology and fairy tales but more sinister. What? You think Miura is the inventor of dragons?

[@alirezadaliri2844]

Parasatized Undead looks straight outta dying light and the fume sorceress looks like a female version of nameless king

[@BlueAsterismSolstice]

Honestly the game and ways to play it are all very good. I really think it just missed a polish phase for more people to love it better with less "what's with this elevator?" and more "going up this elevator!" Having the alternate interactions of torches to change AI behavior or how you see half the game was huge as an experience and made the stretch between bosses more lively in the adventure sense.

[@TheGrandslam89]

I think a fundamental issue the game had was a lot of really meh level and encounter design that lets down a lot of these designs from the impact they could have had. That and often chucking them at you as basic fodder from the get go with pretty basic movesets.

[@melonne7278]

@@TheGrandslam89 My biggest issue with DS2 that prevented me from enjoying was what you stated. Many of the areas, despite pretty aesthetics, were also built like video game levels and not treated as proper areas you'd visit in a immersive fantasy world

[@BlueAsterismSolstice]

My issue with DS3 was that areas between bosses played too easy, then only if you strayed the path did you find a difficulty dynamic in any way. This meant the challenges in going through the game were more linear and you could just play the game running past it all, leveling from bosses only and end up the right level for endgame, and it was easier than playing through it. They also did away with any stupid funny fun things until door shields, and that was anti invader meta, but no exploding ring nor thorns, nor creative weapons. I actually enjoyed DS3's PvP better than running through the levels. There's just nothing stopping a player in the levels besides enemies you can I-frame and finding their way

[@phir9255]

i always thought barrel carriers were normal human hollows

[@Neptunequeen42]

The dark souls 2 artbook is one of my most precious possessions. I really do love this game. I think it was brilliant for them to veer into "the cycle is infinite so who cares about lore, everything is the same repeating endlessly" because it both frees them from having to live up to dark souls 1's narrative and also allows for batshit enemy design like this without having to meticulously justify it in-universe.

[@nautilus2612]

Batshit enemy designs such as "big guy with club", " small guy with axe" and "medium guy with sword"

[@morganneher8643]

Well put, I agree, it’s my favorite too and the book is precious to me!

[@Danbotology]

There’s a great moment in No-Man’s Wharf where several dark stalkers burst out of a wall. Their walk/run animations are terrifying!

[@Vexx2006]

I actually come to like DS2. It's just feels like going through a nightmare, and these enemies really make it look like that

[@someguyfromnowhere]

6:34 HEAR ME OUT

[@DannyDogg31]

1:05 are these enemies in SoTFS? I played vanilla DS2 on the 360 and remember them but I've never encountered them on the SoTFS version.

[@younghollow2663]

lost bastille NG+ before the lost sinner

[@8hiruba]

yeah, they used to be down right before the fight with the lost sinner, but got replaced by a flexile sentry in SoTFS. Now you can find one in a cage at Aldia's keep

[@younghollow2663]

@@8hiruba No, in SOTFS, they haven't been replaced, but now they only appear in NG+, it ends up being quite difficult to deal with them and flexile sentry at the same time with water beating in your belly xD but it's an interesting challenge

[@jsmitje94]

I started a couple weeks ago with my first ever playthrough with the SOTFS edition, and i really enjoy a lot of aspects from the game, just finishing up the last DLC rn and then sadly it's over but the armor, enemy designs , and weapons are really awesome!

[@Nightrunner116]

I really want a remake of this game

[@StrangeTICK32]

Damn a lot more interesting than the 100 fucking knights we got in later games.

[@anonecki]

It's a shame so many enemy animations in this game look like early placeholders, especially the falconer knights.

[@thomasgomes844]

Their silly crab walk always cracked me up

[@qbmac2306]

That humanoid shaped enemy was probably my favourite.

[@michaelbarker6732]

I feel like this could be a bit less vague haha

[@MsUndertaker99]

Hahaha nice one

[@AbelMusa]

I mean it is the quintessential "Assets: The Game" a bunch of stuff shuffled around until nothing makes sense. Of course on a vacuum they look interesting.

[@Crestfallen_Warrior]

I see loads of ambitions and great concepts there. Sonst enemies look like they would fit right into a final fantasy game, others are kinda generic. But damn id totally smash that sanctum sorceress.

[@asherroodcreel640]

Ew

[@asherroodcreel640]

You think it would make squish or crunching sounds as the corroded ligaments let go of the joints?

[@Crestfallen_Warrior]

@@asherroodcreel640 First of all, it probably smells awful. Id take squishy sounds over crunchy sounds every day. I think i would take parts of her out with me after every...fusion. Id have to clean it after every ram. Maybe the cheeks wouldnt even stretch enough. Maybe i have to go for another hole, then. Or ill make myself one.

[@darrenthesleepybird3355]

Yeah ngl I'd do the same

[@nektrune3381]

Barrel carrier vs what we got, hits hard.

[@chris_vp]

ds 2 is the most under loved game around. its a true gigachad route kinda game.

[@authorjgamber]

No mention of the Old Knights? One of the coolest armor designs in the series.

[@yugiohboyfriendappreciator7739]

Yea dark souls 2 is a bit of a black sheep of the series, I really wish it wasn't rushed as bad as it was, I think it really deserves like a director's cut remake type of thing

[@FKyoutubeSERIOUSLY]

Not really rushed so much as the director couldn't handle the team he was given.

[@darthxenos7743]

50 shades of dudes in cool armor The game

[@pprandomnpz]

The problem with the game is in it's execution. The 3d models look really stupid compared the concept art, like something you'd see in warcraft; the lighting ruins the rest of it. The locations felt really random with no rime or reason too. I feel that a remake for DS2 could be really good.

[@Walamonga1313]

Agree, concept art looks so much better. To me DkA2 has always looked like Playdoh