So I Just Finished Dark Souls 2...

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Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction/Context for this Playthrough
05:13 - Paying the Bills
06:54 - Overall Thoughts
10:57 - Level Design
25:21 - General Gameplay, Combat & Bosses
37:21 - Story & Themes
45:21 - Conclusion/Outro
References and Sources
/ reminder_dark_souls_1_...
• ds2 world design.mkv
• My First Souls Game | ...
• Kingdom Hearts III Re:...
• Dark Souls 2- The Fate...
• Dark Souls 2: Aldia Bo...
#DarkSouls #DarkSouls2 #Critique

[@n8doggy733]

if you get invaded in the Gutter by a fat rolling Havel wielding a Bastard sword, its me ... ❤

[@randomgeneratedname6035]

you absolute monster mad respect

[@baggie2911]

DS2 is an interesting one because the quality and what you expect out of it varies dramatically with when you picked it up. The launch left this huge shadow over the game because the pre release stuff showed things that never came about, like a huge change in the lighting system, we never got the lighting system that was promised and it made the torch system really weird because you never needed one to see. Systems like the adaptability level weren't known about going into the game either, so day one all we knew about the dodge was that it felt bad, not that it could be improved. Coming to it without those expectations does huge favours for the game, as does having a complete wiki to work with, but scholar did put in a lot of the weird enemy placements that people have issues with. It's had such a bizarre life cycle. I really like it, it's not my favourite but I do find myself keep coming back to it. It has a certain charm that I can't get anywhere else and I appreciate it.

[@Covert1]

I've been watching a few vids about ds2 on computer, with graphics and lighting mods and also tweaks the movement towards ds3 and a few other tweaks that outshine the original press release for the game and the final product and they look awesome. I've played consol all my life. But I think this year I'm gonna go through the souls series on a good PC. Everything I see looks awesome with the graphics and lighting mods for all the games, check it out if you havent

[@feircy]

Honestly I find scholar's changes to be generally worse 😂. Aside from the actual new content

[@lopo5978]

I don't know how much you looked up about the troubled development of DS2, but if you know anything about it, then you will understand why the game feels like a bunch of good ideas, taped together to push out a product that had a troubled development. Obviously this is the reason for why the world feels so disconnected and a number of other issues with the game. Some people say that Dark Souls 2 was From's attempt at making Elden Ring before they had the technology or the experience to make a game like that, and I think I agree with that. Many mechanics in Elden Ring are failed mechanics from Dark Souls 2, but this time done well, in a game with a less chaotic development. You can see that they were partly still figuring out what exactly Souls was supposed to be. Even just the achievement: "This is Dark Souls", that you get for dying for the first time feels like they forgot the game is difficult as a result of it's design and not just for the sake of being difficult. As you said in the video, some things in the game don't feel fair and I believe this is them forgeting what made the difficulty of the first game and Demon's souls good. Just to add to it, part of the dissapointment for the OG fans also comes from the downgrade that the game suffered. It's not a bad game. It's still an okay time, but it's definitely not their best work, which is not surprising given the troubles they had with it.

[@UchihaG]

They kind of never forgot tho, I blame the change in game directors, Miyazaki's design is quite unique and is sorely missing in most of dks2

[@slackspore4499]

Play DS2 DLCs.....they're definitely the highlight of the game specially in regards to boss fights

[@Revealingstorm.]

Sure except for the snow area......

[@Astrophobia88]

@@Revealingstorm. Horse fuck valley?

[@ZeroCoolIsGod]

Yeah, this is the second “I tried DS2, but skipped the DLC’s” video I’ve watched in a week. Snow area does suck, and it ends in a boss fight that also sucks. But other than that, they are my favorite parts of the whole game.

[@LazerzZ]

I'll definitely go back and check them out, I just skipped them because I didn't want to burn myself out or force myself, if I'm gonna give them a go, I want to go in because I want to, otherwise I just won't be fair to them.

[@Terron29]

@@Astrophobia88 probably hardest section in any souls game ever imo. Especially if playing solo. That duo boss sabretooths I remember being though too.

[@bluephoenixplays9824]

Dark souls 2 dlc are incredible, their must play

[@VERsingthegamez]

I do think ds2 is one of the weakest in the trilogy but not the weakest in the entire fromsoft line up. I'll take DS2 over any modern Ubisoft, EA, or Activision game.

[@donkeenum302]

Okay but what is the weakest fromsoft to you then?

[@LaFlame1]

@@donkeenum302lol was gonna ask the same thing

[@hymen2393]

​@@donkeenum302For me it is Dark Souls 3.

[@tbrown5836]

@@hymen2393bru what?

[@the_seer_0421]

Well tbh the level design is pretty bland in comparison to dark souls 1 or even dark souls 2. And some people may not like the more aggressive and faster paced combat of dark souls 3. So I can see why they feel that way. ​@@tbrown5836

[@seskal8595]

Of all the dark souls takes I've heard Blood Vials being a better healing system is certainly one of them

[@rigorm136]

Blood vials was ass 😭

[@callsignfatbeard2637]

I liked it. Felt kind of like old school survival horror. Definitely made me consider if healing was worth it in certain spots.

[@tequilawhiskey]

Vials arent the most ideal, but i kind of consider them a non issue after a while. I just made a habit of always dumping my left over echos into bullets and vials after leveling up and by the time youre past Rom you literally never run out.

[@liquidhype3025]

I hecking love DS2. I avoided it like the plague because the internet told me it was a bad game. But I had such a fun time with the game. After beating all the other souls games I still had the itch to play a souls game, gave DS2 a try and was pleasently surprised by how good it is.

[@playerje4722]

thats my plan, i started with ds1, and im now playing ds3, i already have bloodborne because of ps+, so thats next, and after that i'll play sekiro and elden ring, after the two goty's, there will be only ds2 (and DeS) to play, and thats what i'll do, play ds2 (and after that DeS)

[@Fapnyr]

Never listen to Reddit, try out games for yourself

[@JayLiszte]

A lazzerzz video that’s under 2 hours is a rare sight lol.

[@SuperDoctor9]

It's refreshing to see a more positive leaning look at Dark Souls 2. I've always been told that it's the one you can skip as it has nothing really going for it, but clearly it has some quality even if it's not quite as good as the others. I enjoy these more unscripted looks at the souls games, it'd be interesting to see once you've finished them all what you think of, what is arguably the best souls-like, Lies of P which is probably the most fun I've ever had with a souls game although I'm yet to give Sekiro a go!

[@LazerzZ]

I definitely want to play Lies of P, I bought it when it came out and just never played it, will likely do so soon enough... hopefully. I did play the demo though, on stream to if you wanted to see my time with that, the VOD is here kzbin.info/www/bejne/nqXcXqyffsZgZ7M&t

[@SuperDoctor9]

@@LazerzZ I actually watched this live, that Starfield direct really set me up for some disappointment with the full game. With Elden Ring being the last souls game I played before Lies, it was a nice change of pace to play a more tight linear experience, the whole open world thing was really starting to get stale for me. It has some great bosses, especially the final one which has to be one of the most satisfying bosses I’ve fought in a souls game. I enjoyed it so much I started a new game plus run straight after, which is rare for me. Hope you get the time to go through it after your playthrough the Fromsoft catalogue.

[@Sayocakes]

It was my first souls game. I loved it to no end. It's a bit clunky to go back to after playing 3 and BB. But the game especially the dlcs are some of the best times I've had with gaming in general

[@starkiller332]

Literally just finished watching multiple hours long dark souls 2 videos so this is a pleasant surprise

[@protoaltus]

Sekiro will be a hit or miss for a lot of players who click or dont with the combat, so im hella interested on your views on it. DS3 is a banger all around

[@TSpoon823]

It seems to mess with people who are used to the Dark Souls combat approach and takes a long time to click. Once it does though... Wow. It's definitely one of the greatest games I've ever played, personally.

[@jpthedrummer4258]

I really wanted to like sekiro. It just didn’t jive with me. I think it’s because you can’t make any builds which I adore of the soulsborne games. I didn’t enjoy the combat that much either.

[@TSpoon823]

@@jpthedrummer4258 I've seen some pretty incredible fights with people using different prosthetics. Not quite the same build variety, but can be pretty flashy and unique for sure. But it all comes once you have the basics down solid.

[@chizu.iscold]

All i can say is, If you love spamming dodge roll and R1, you'll hate sekiro

[@roglazg]

DS2 feels like a fever dream. In a good way

[@ftir1450]

That's my argument for the un-connectedness and confusing-ness of the map; it's like a dream so it doesn't necessarily have to make sense. Also the fire keeper in the beginning says you will end up at the castle and won't really know why which makes me think memory loss/confusion is a side effect of the curse

[@lordofcinderfirstflame]

I would not put it as the best dark souls game, but I am pleased that you enjoyed it to a point.

[@Goblin_Magic]

You're gonna like DS3. It takes a lot of the best stuff from previous games and brings them together. Much like a smaller, more focused Elden Ring, without the Sekiro elements.

[@thijmen5295]

DS3 is my favorite Soulsborne game. I know this a bit controversial but I really like the linearity of it. Don’t get me wrong I love Elden Rings open world design and it’s definitely its biggest strength but I’ve always just loved entering an area, discovering everything and fight the enemies in it and lastly fight the boss that sort of represents that area, to then entering a new area. Not to mention it has the best boss roster of the games by far in my opinion

[@Goblin_Magic]

@thijmen5295 I agree. I think the map design in DS3 is pretty good. Lots of shortcuts, loops, and ereas leading to multiple paths. While maintaining a tight structure. I like the novelty of Elden Ring's open world, but I wouldn't want it to become a trend for From.

[@TEFFTPATTERN]

Plus after awhile it starts to feel non linear. You have certain paths and sub-areas that seem too tough and not worth the risk of souls, so you pass on them and go towards the boss, beat it and then get a new area with another place to go back to when you feel like it. That happens a lot and they add up into feeling like you have different options for where to go

[@k-phantom9358]

gameplay is also way sharper, faster and more responsive compared to DS1-2

[@MrMetallix]

@@thijmen5295I wish elden ring had more big linear legacy dungeons… I love exploring the big open world, but I wished it had been more tied together with legacy dungeons…

[@dpmacattkgaming1187]

I can’t wait for your Dark Souls 3 video!

[@AtreyusNinja]

in terms of replay value: Ds2 > Ds1 > Ds3

[@feircy]

I probably have double the playthroughs in 1 and 2 as I do in 3. Theres just so many different viable builds. So much variety

[@callsignfatbeard2637]

In terms of replay value, it has none for me. Unless I install a mod to fix its movement I’d never play it again.

[@AtreyusNinja]

@@callsignfatbeard2637 so u don't learn how to play the game i see

[@callsignfatbeard2637]

@@AtreyusNinja so you don’t learn how to read I see. I beat the game and all the dlc. Why play mediocrity when I can play any of fromsoft’s other games and have a better time?

[@kaiserschnitzel89]

nice troll

[@PiethagorasTearem]

The adp was an attempt at adding more rpg mechanics by tying s to a stat so you can dump levels into it and become more agile than in ds1. So in their head they were thinking of a dex type character to have high adp and dex and strength type character would have high strength and stamina for shields. They couldnt keep the base s at the same levels as ds1 because if you leveled up adp AND had ds1 base s the game would be too easy.

[@piotr78]

Cant wait to see your DS3 video after listening to your thoughts on this one. Especially on one specific topic which im choosing not to highlight for now because it would run the risk of contaminating the sample so to speak. Hope you enjoy the game!

[@TXRXL.]

Currently stuck on Ornstein & Smough, I feel ya brother…

[@jpthedrummer4258]

You got this!

[@howdyfriends7950]

oh the reason the rapier worked better is because its hitbox in DS2 is significantly wider than in DS1, i think it was mostly just for balancing purposes. the hitbox is like a big, slightly disjoint pill shape that handily covers the entire sword, whereas in DS1 it's like a little sphere at the front of the sword, in DS2 you can hit people with the butt of the sword and they'll still get hit

[@Scarecr0wn]

FromSoft games definitely are community games, I personally never understood people playing offline without the messages and shadows and all these cool mechanics. I remember Elden Ring launch, it was almost like if MMO just launched, everybody communicating all over internet, sharing new knowledge, it was amazing.

[@VREMEPLOV1]

I personally hate playing online, due to all the shit on my screen- ghosts, messages etc. I understand some people like the community aspect, but I prefer the feeling of loneliness in their games, especially in Elden Ring. Also, I hate when someone spoils some surprise for me via the messages, but the worst thing are the ghosts of other players.

[@RedPrincexDESx]

The story of DS2 is what really makes it shine for me. I'm glad that you have such a good grasp of it. Although you are missing out by not also playing the DLCs.

[@jellyfists3140]

30:59 I’ve only played Scholar of the First Sin, but from what I’ve heard, you are correct about the number of enemies in SOTFS being higher than in OG Dark Souls 2. Some people think the OG DS2 is better than SOTFS bc of this. Remember one person who played SOTFS hated DS2 until he played the OG version. Also, you can still get the OG DS2 on Steam. In fact, I think it+DLCs are the same price as SOTFS. And go try out the DS2 DLC areas. On average has some of the best parts of DS2 (especially the bosses)

[@TeeV479]

I was one of said people

[@CBleck]

Love the vid and super glad yo hear you enjoyed Dark Souls 2. I think it's interesting that you consider Dark Souls 2 to be bleaker than the first game. I always found DS2 to be over all far more hopeful, especially considering the 'walk away ending.' and out of the three is probably the only one that offers this sense of hope. In DS 2, while some NPCs have tragic endings the hub of Majula slowly but surely grows as you gather more undead to settle there safely. I think it's telling that this games version of the crestfallen warrior is the only one across the three games that doesn't lose himself to despair and go hollow, and is truly inspired by your actions to keep living.

[@benmerkin3202]

Tbh I really enjoyed DS2 and I’m always happy to see people praising it. But also one of the things I feel people never talk about but I loved was the opening cinematic! Just beautiful

[@TheBaralinChannel]

One note I'll make on what you said. "The game throws so many enemies at you." I have to say, if you play it slowly and pay attention, you genuinely will never have to face more than 2-3 enemies at a time. And if you unlock the camera, those enemies aren't all that difficult to deal with more often than not. The game will often give you clues. Like the example you gave in Forest of Fallen Giants. The game shows you that the hollows are sleeping. The one right infront of the ladder is asleep. When you approach him, he wakes up. Knowing that, when you scale the ladder and see a field littered with sleeping hollows, your instinct should be to approach them 1 at a time and deal with them 1 at a time. Not to run through, wake them all up, and then try to fight 8 of them as a level 12 character. Similarly with lost bastile, which you also showed. The walkway outside the door is narrow, which allows you to funnel the enemies in 1 by 1. Then you can either fight them 1 or 2 at a time or you can run back out to the balcony area, and use a firebomb to detonate the explosive barrels and eliminate all of them at once. You can even shoot a burning arrow into one of the chambers from outside to kill 3 of them with explosive barrels. This is what Dark Souls 2 does better than every single souls game, including elden ring and bloodborne. The game isn't a mad dash to fight 1 enemy after another. You have to stop, take it slowly, observe and think about how you're gonna tackle a challenge. You might die to it once or twice and you WILL learn from it if that's the mindset you have. Because the game offers ample opportunities to tackle every problem in a smart way. If you're really good at the game you can play reckless and just tackle the problems in a brute force manner. But if you aren't, you're incentivized to take it slowly and find creative solutions. I wish this mentality carried over onto other souls games. But by and large it didn't outside of the starting areas in Bloodborne and Sekiro.

[@haarisanwar4977]

I finished ds2 couple months ago and even I only just learnt about the dude ringing the bell under the staircase from thsi video 😭😭😭

[@PiethagorasTearem]

You skipped the dlc? Those were the best parts of ds2. Its what pushes the game above ds3 for me. Level design is tight and well made unlike the linear maps of ds3.

[@aekaralagonisi]

Sunken king is decent, Iron King is good, Ivory King is mediocre

[@the_seer_0421]

Can't wait for the finale!

[@Fraserhansen]

Man terrified of DS2 discourse for 50 minutes

[@jamesabernethy7896]

Even though I never played the Dark Souls games, I often enjoy retrospectives on games that I haven't played as much as for the ones I have. I follow several really good content creators who do a lot of gaming content. Each of them feels unique, some are more comedic, some more clinical and some exercise a level of creative style. Being more spontaneous and showing your personality adds so much warmth to your retrospectives. It's part of the enjoyment.

[@Docta_Dave]

You mentioned that you didn't play the DLC for DS2.. highly recommend you play the DLC for DS3 when you go through it

[@Kerm_ST1]

Weirdly enough ds2 being so different from the other 2 games in the series gives it a special charm for me, love it as much as I love ds1 and 3

[@ESPmrBrough]

hi i hope this isn't unwelcome but i've noticed some high frequency mouth noises when listening through headphones. this can be reduced by a pop filter or piece of fabric between your mouth and the mic, or a pop filter. you could also use an eq plugin to make cuts in the 5-9khz range.

[@gamedotfilm3929]

I enjoyed DS2, the levels had variety especially in color

[@soltanalosmi475]

I always use this game as an example of what happens to a title of the original creator is not involved. Most of entertainment media succeed when the creator is part of the team. DS1 will be remembered throughout gaming history people always paying it and playing it even after 13 years

[@TheMovieslingers]

I love how you said you get more satisfaction from defeating a boss with help from a summon than defeating on your own. I feel the same way

[@Conkussions]

How though? Genuinely curious, nothing wrong with summons but you get "more" satisfaction?

[@jasonbond5213]

Interesting, the word of the hour

[@anthropomorphicmonster9113]

I appreciate this video

[@catmanmanson799]

>I didnt touch the DLC MADMAN, THE DLC IS THE BEST PART LITERALLY HOLY COW YOU GOTTA GET IN THERE Some of the best (and maybe worst) fights are in it but it's super worth it!

[@Ricaidius]

I think you’ll love DS3. It’s the smoothness of Elden Ring combat (minus a jump button) in a world that’s actually fun instead of 90% fields to kill birds and pick flowers in lol

[@homaedo7547]

Very good comentary I liked it

[@LiamTravers]

A lot of the issues you mentioned are exclusive to Scholar of the First Sin. For some reason, they added a bunch of extra enemies around and made the game 10x more ganky and unfair. The original DS2 is purchasable on steam, it and its dlc are usually the same price as SotFS, but unfortunately for console players, it’s just SotFS. I’ve been playing the original DS2 lately after only having played SotFS and the difference is night and day I’m telling you now, it’s crazy

[@user-mo6fx1jg1l]

Dark Souls 2 has grown on me enormously.

[@TheGameCritc]

The sponsorship I watched godzilla minus one on uk netflix, literally twenty minutes before this video

[@LazerzZ]

That's so fucking funny, it wasn't on there when I made this ad, what a fumble on my part 😭

[@TheHiddenOne690]

I loved Dark Souls 2 even though it wasn't widely appreciated enough. Some run backs were a bit dodgy, but the DLC for me is where it shines the most. Fume Knight, Blue Smelter Demon, Sir Alonne. Amazing bosses. (well except the run back to sir alonne and blue smelter demon). Timeline wise, I can see why people dislike it. It's just so random when it's set.

[@XFingersAndGamesX]

I know DS2 is far from perfect, but I truly love it

[@fredricvonbromsen9047]

Care to elaborate? Love the from soft games. But ds2 I hated. The feel of the game and unnerving direction of aesthetics honestly. Why do you love it ?

[@randomgeneratedname6035]

@@fredricvonbromsen9047 What didnt you like about it? ive played the souls games for thousands of hours and they all have their ups and downs but to go so far as to say i hate it? not even close it did quite alot that i liked compared to ds1 and some things i didnt like but nowhere near close to hating it

[@alyseleem2692]

​​@@fredricvonbromsen9047Our sense of " aesthetics" is different than yours. We appreciate what you consider " unnerving". Big surprise, isn't it?

[@fredricvonbromsen9047]

@@alyseleem2692 didn’t mean it a bad way, everyone has different taste. Just curious

[@fredricvonbromsen9047]

@@randomgeneratedname6035 ye I know. Wish I liked it

[@goodtaste2185]

I played the launch version and absolutely loathed every second of it. I dont know why because there is a lot there to like, but it felt like the evil twin of Dark Souls 1.

[@wastelanderone]

Me too, I got as far as Shrine of Amara and in the original version those spells fuckin tracked. DS2 changed everything I liked about 1, and From games in general: a world rich in lore where the difficulty is produced as a side effect of the design. DS2 is hard for the sake of it with a very dull world. Why are so many areas just like, PS2 corridors lmao

[@TheMovieslingers]

I also like the boss fights against the "guy" more than the bigger monsters

DS2 is not my favorite game in the trilogy (or the soulslike series in general) but it is my favorite narrative (or second best, again, if we count Bloodborne). Just the fact that this game says: "no, there's no chosen undead actually, that's al bs, this world is dying and lighting the flame is just a pathetic attempt at preventing the natural flow on the world" is so good and interesting to me.

[@Spellfork]

The worst thing to ever happen to the Souls community is the absolutely ridiculous gatekeeping around the fact that you need to play the game a certain way or you're not allowed to play it, like it or call yourself a true fan. Those people all need to chill! They are probably the biggest detriment to the fandom. I mean the true brilliance of the souls games comes from the fact that you can decide how you want to enjoy the game. No one should play any other way than the way that makes you have fun with the game. If summons or anything else in these games makes you enjoy your time more then you are playing the game as it was intended. So if soloing bosses gives you the sweetest victory or is the only way to enjoy the game then that is your best way of experiencing it, that doesn't mean that any other way of playing is less. Your achievement isn't worth less, in fact, if you are able to ignore those trying to tell you so and manage to enjoy the game then you are truly gaming right in my book.

[@TyroPirate]

We have a great quote from Miyazaki now about how he uses absolutely every bit of help the game gives in order to beat these games because he sucks at video games. The people in the community that talk about a true or "intended" way to play souls games can be ignored and maybe chalked off as delusional. But even without Miyazaki it was always obvious since souls 1 when, I think, Solaire talks about jolly cooperation. If they didn't want coop or community built into these games, they wouldn't do it, like Sekiro.

[@Kaiji...]

Not playing the DLC is absolutely criminal for every single FromSoftware game I’m actually in shock

[@LazerzZ]

fair, I'll go back eventually

[@scissors0009]

@1:50 doo doo lol

[@user-ft3ji6ic3x]

11:49 you should play the original please it’s got way better enemy placement and is also available on steam I was debating on wether to buy sotfs or original but from what I know now I am glad I got the original. It is better in my opinion

[@riothead1240]

Dark Souls 2 deserves as much love as 1 and 3.

[@Alter_Ego_V1.1037]

For anyone looking for a fresh DS2 experience and Scholar just isn't cutting it or the thought of it makes you cringe I recommend the "Seeker of Fire" mod

[@nicolaihonore1413]

Kinda sad you didn’t play the DLC’s… You missed out on the best 2 - 3 min boss runback, while blinded, no knowledge of where to go and angry magical unicorns chasing after you. All that for a copy paste boss… God I love ds2 😂

[@TyroPirate]

The ending choices of the game are still to continue the age of fire, or walk away and start an age of dark. Its just that now after so much time passed that multiple kingdoms have risen and fallen, the primordial serpents are gone. So you arent some king of new king of a new age... just another undead in this new age. Dark Souls 3 is the grand finale of the trilogy. Dark Souls 2 is more like a detour that explores one particular age in this cycle.

[@DayNineteen369]

ngl we all done with AC. Souls games are another beast

[@zelha5528]

I play both :d

[@Spellfork]

Dark Souls taught me to be weary of everything, played the first and third game before DS2 because everyone at the time said to not bother. So when I finally played the game and formed my own opinion it turned out that I love it. FromSoft tried so many new things in DS2, stuff that would come back and define large parts of Elden Ring that it's way more interesting than DS3. They absolutely played it safe with DS3, I still love the game for catering to a faster, more reactive play style but the level design felt so linear and the world and lore was a mess in comparison to DS1. I still love the third installment but I think DS2 allows for far more interesting ways of playing and has the most replay value out of all the souls games, at least when it comes to the more casual fan base that don't only care for the boss fights like that is the only thing that has value.

[@dumi_019]

the walk away option in ds2 is the same as letting the flame fade in ds1 ..,. 100% … its not inovative since its a binary choice … basically in ds1 and 2 to kill the flame start the game and quit … basically walking away

[@Revealingstorm.]

You didn't have to deal with horsefuck valley lucky you

[@rpgislife]

Wow, I am currently replaying Dark Souls 2, how ironic. Oh, and good news, Dark Souls 3 has a decent bit of challenging and amazing boss fights, so you probably won't find yourself having too easy of a time with them.

[@ZeroOmega-vg8nq]

6:55 to get to the point.

[@MonochromeAbyss]

It's a good review and i agree with a lot of points you make, DS2 is a nice game on it's own, that gets overhated due to people being overly critical towards it, like it absolutely has problems, there being places where they just have 5+ enemies waiting for you to turn the corner and die However your take on iron keep not being trash is absolutely 0/10 lmao goddamn did that area almost make me quit the first time around

[@Spellfork]

Sorry for spamming, hope the algorithm likes it. ADP was a mistake and FromSoft has learnt that it isn't a good idea to have a stat that everyone feels they need to pump until they get to 99 agility. Enemy spam was also not liked by a big part of the fan base (even though I love it, more enemies pls) but was clearly put there to incentives a more varied play style. DS2 has some underwhelming boss fights but I think at least some of them are deliberate. If you think about the boss in Shrine of Amana or the bosses in Harvest Valley and Peak those are quite underwhelming. Sure the Medusa Queen Boss can be a really bad fight unless you burn the windmill and for that reason she's mainly a gimmick boss with a gimmick that many people miss. Looking at another bad area, the lava place, that area has really challenging boss that is optional while the main boss is a simple fight. The Rotten in the gutter is also very easy probably because the challenge was getting there. Most times people die to The Rotten because of the smoldering tar puddles. I also agree that boss fights with another person-like entity that's not to big are the best fights for a one-on-one challenge mainly because the in game camera is so much better at handling those types of fights. The underwhelming Ohrnstein fight was "fixed" in Scholar of the First Sin by making the run to it much harder with a dragon guarding the thing you need to pull without relying on i-frames. If you haven't played 3 and you think DS2 is dark your in for some depressing stuff, that game will make you look differently on what a wedding in this world of Hollows, cursed, chosen or unkindled truly entails. About the endless cycle and what DS2 tried to convey with the end is that you, as the character act as the final boss because Nashandra enters the boss room through the fog gate. So I've always felt that if you leave you choose not to be the one that keeps the cycle going but you've cleared every obstacle so someone is bound to stumble down there and just take the throne. From all these games, every ending or choice given ultimately boils down to the fact that whatever you choose to do the cycles will continue. Even to the point that when it runs out of good hollows to recycle it starts to use second hand stock to revive until someone, however likely, can make the cycle start all over again. It doesn't matter what we choose, it is only temporary.

[@actionboy3221]

15:38 “various different areas” just sounds so good. You should write a rap around that phrase. I’m not joking!

[@ProjektBurn]

I'm only 15 mins into this vid but I want to comment on what you're saying here. I don't disagree w you at all in these points but I do think I get where the issue is on the development side. Granted, DS2 was the very first game of the genre I played and thus my original teacher, it took me forever to really understand why so many people hate the game on anything more than group think. And I really think it was Lies of P doing what DS2 tried to do, but succeeding at it, that made it click. DS2 tries to tell a story first, gameplay 2nd, and misses the mark in more than a few places since it's not consistent enough with it for to really draw the player into its world as its trying to. Its almost as if the hope was that the spectacle of what's happening would overpower the frustration it causes and people would feel more like they're in a movie or good book and less like they're playing a game. Look at a lot of these situations you mention and imagine them in a comic or book or even a movie instead of the game, and these moments shine in those settings. The hero steps into an empty room, nervously walks forward 2 steps and the whole room floods with countless zombies coming at him. Or, the hero is in a broken down house that appears like it was a part of some pagan ceremony. He goes to open a door when the door explodes in a violent crash and some creature comes at the hero as if to say, "you do not belong here!" And of course the fever dream state of going into a windmill, walking into an elevator that goes UP, defying the laws of space and time, and suddenly the hero finds himself in a fiery pit of magma where a giant magic castle looms overhead! How? Why? The drag of the curse upon the hero causes memory and identity itself to be erased as he goes, making the transition from each place to another seemingly out of line mean that the journey was erased by the curse and the hero needs to find the cure and fast! All of that sounds awesome on paper and can be imagined as an amazing beat in a story they're watching/reading. But again, the game itself doesn't do the execution of these events in a meaningful way to allow these beats to shine. Whether it's due to a bad setup of a good idea or just too many like it to where none of them have any meaningful value anymore (being swamped in a room of zombies can be frightening the first and second times, but come the 5th and 6th, it becomes just another mob event and meaningless), the game tries to pull of the awesome and just misses the mark. Lies of P did a similar thing with its story telling approach to the gameplay, justifying gameplay with storytelling in a meaningful way that allows the player to disengage from the real world just enough to become apart of its world as more than a controller to an avatar. You become the puppet and play as if he was you in those moments. In DS2, those moments aren't allowed to happen nearly as much, and thus you're always aware of the fact you are playing a game and not living a story through a game. But for the fact that it attempts what it attempts, I applaud it, even if it goes overboard to the point of mockery. There's still a genuine love for this janky game that wanted to tell what is for all intents and purposes an amazing story. Unrelated, when I first played DS2, all I knew of the series was how my friends talked about its difficulty. Before I got to Mejula, that cave that connects it to the training area, it's littered with blood stains everywhere and I couldn't for the life of me understand why or what caused that. So coming to the end of the tunnel into Mejula, I was full of so much dread and jumping at everything, waiting for this giant beast to pop out and attack and kill me! But nothing came. When I was able to breath again, the fact that players set up this scene to make that happen to me became the most amazing thing I'd experienced in a game up to that point. And I laughed so hard. Imagine, before internet connected games, the idea of other players causing you to have an emotional response to a story telling gimmick they set up solely to create that response, collectively!, was unthinkable. But experiencing it made me realize the power of stories and how players can fit in in a manner I later learned was the lifeblood of any good ARG. Anywho, just wanted to share how the most frightening moment of any Soulsborn game so far was a gimmick created by other players to try and scare newbs like myself and how powerful it was when it worked. Lol.

[@WafleEnterprises]

The truly tragic part about Vendrick is that he became desperate due to the curse, listened to Nashandra, fought an entire war and stole what is speculated to be the Ashen Mist Heart, let a whole other kingdom and race of beings (the giants) fall into ruin due to this, collected all of the ancient powerful souls, was nearly going to open up the throne, only to realize that Nashandra had tricked him and was almost close to her victory due to his actions… so where you find him is where he chose to go willingly, knowing he would succumb to the curse and lose himself. And Aldia never tried to rescue his brother from this. Aldia canonically took the AMH and experimented with it, and even figured out how to break the curse. At a cost, of course, he still lost his humanity even if he kept his mind. Yet he never went back to save his brother, and I think that was BECAUSE he lost his humanity. He maybe could’ve even taken the throne if he wanted, but he lost his purpose too, just in a different way.

[@WafleEnterprises]

As for how DS2 is received and spoken of, I think it’s because we all feel like it had some serious potential to be the best, but time crunches and intentional gameplay element changes kept it back. Considering Dark Souls got a proper full blown remaster, I feel like DS2 needs one, only in this case they need to make some serious alterations: 1) Remove the I-frame feature from ADP and make the I-frames equal to DS1 2) Similarly, Estus drinking speed needs to be boosted to where it is when ADP is leveled to around 40 or so, but by default and remove it from being affected by the ADP stat. Seriously, I hate drinking Estus and the animation takes so long it kills me, but if ADP is at 40, it’s just fine. 3) Weapons need to maintain consistent aim when locked on. 4) 360 full degrees of movement rotation and less sliding 5) Item durability needs to be closer to DS3 levels 6) Many enemies need to have less poise, I hate how you need to hit certain enemies like 3-4 times just to break their poise once, and in return, the player needs to have a bit more poise because I don’t think I ever got to tank a hit while maintaining poise until the late game, and even then it was rare. 7) Just do passwords, no need for a ring. I’m sure there are more, but I think these are the “critical” changes that are necessary if they do actually choose to remaster the game again. There are definitely changes I want past this, but those are more for the “Quality of life” section and wouldn’t be deal breaking if they didn’t show up. Things like making torches relevant past two spots in the game, things like that

[@geordiejones5618]

Other than NG+ does this game do anything better than the other major FromSoftware releases? It feels like DS, Bloodborne, DS3, Sekiro and Elden Ring all have at least one major part of them that stands above the others, but I've never seen anyone say that any one part of DS2 is better than those five games. NG+ has no value to me if the base game experience doesn't feel better than the rest in some tangible way.

[@mamba2242]

For me: DS1 has the best world design, DS2 has the best customization and you can power stance, DS3 has the best bosses, Bloodborne has the best atmosphere, Sekiro has the best combat system and Elden Ring is the most epic. They’re all amazing games it just depends on what mood I’m in.

[@capsule2323]

22:14 YOU CAN ZIPLINE IN THIS GAME?!

[@Domo3000]

There's another one in the Dragon Shrine

[@capsule2323]

@@Domo3000 actually insane i played this for 40 hours and didnt even know

[@pockystyx4087]

One of my favorite games of all time. It gets a lot of flack; some deserved (soul memory), and some overblown (level design was fine, just stop trying to run past everything lol). But man; I can't think of a Souls game, other than Elden Ring, that had the freedom of build choices, fun PvP, and a story and ending I actually liked. it's also the introduction of some of my favorite new mechanics in the series; like bonfire ascetics, NG+ actually changing stuff up, powerstancing, a dedicated PvP arena, and catalyst weapons. I also didn't really mind ADP. You gained souls in such a fair quantity in DkS2 Vanilla/SotFS that it never hurt to pump the stat on a melee build, and casters always got the agility boost from ATT anyway. I'm not mad its gone though; but can we PLEASE stop tying casting speed to DEX? That shit sucks, and ATT is a much better stat for it lol

[@pockystyx4087]

@larrywalker1371 yeah; DkS2 is far more of an action *RPG* than DkS1 or even DeS, emphasizing a lot of the mechanical stat stuff over just raw dodging and twitch skill like DkS3 and beyond. I can understand people wanting their character to have perfect dodging from the start; but its not like its hard to get by with low agility or just pump ADP. Hell; like you mentioned, a shield build properly set up is perfectly capable of just tanking hits. Because almost all stats raise HP a little; you can get a lot of mileage out of just being as tanky as possible, since I feel DkS2 damage from enemies is nowhere near as high as it gets in DkS3 and beyond.

[@ImUrZaddy]

You beat the bosses easily because you were using easily the top 3 weapons in the game which is the rapier

[@alanviniciuswanderleytavar4399]

Dead house is a euphemism for this game , I'm starting to feel sympathy for it

[@caseykarciauskas4060]

I love DS2 and I’m a huge apologist for it, but boy does it have its poor moments and I’ll be the first one to point them out. When you’re ready I highly recommend playing the DLCs. They are in my mind the best parts of the game.

[@molnet999]

scholar of the first sin is more like a weird mod of ds2. i know most people seem to have played that version by the original is better in a bunch of ways.

[@kittenburger_prime]

Your complaints make it sound like you don’t want to be careful. I think being careful is core to the experience.

[@LazerzZ]

I mean, if that were the case the same criticisms would apply to Dark Souls 1 and Bloodborne, but they don't.

[@drav555]

you should play demon souls on ps3 the atmosphere is so much creeping especially tower of latria

[@shokid24]

Once you get used to it DS 2 is better. But definitely different than the first or third. Still enjoyable

[@zelha5528]

Are you king yet?

[@bluzo9499]

Ive always seen adp as a thing to differentiate playstyles since that and the attunement stat increase agility it seems like they wanted it to be something for squishy characters while melee would invest more into vitality to increase poise with armor so tank damage vs avoid damage playstyles

[@JohnDoe-pu5gk]

Better than elden ring for sure.

[@joshuatealeaves]

1:50 doo doo. Dung Eater reference? 💩

[@Corvus-uh2db]

The word "git gud" has done irreparable damage to the souls community, while I understand that sometimes you just have to suck it up (learn boss pattern etc), but it also used as a coping mechanism when it comes to objectively bad game design (e.g. ADP).

[@EmeralBookwise]

Pretty much. DS2 is the awkward middle child of the franchise, developed before the genre had even fully codified and so it's way more experimental when it comes to exploring how a soul-like should play. Not to mention, being developed by different team under a different director, it's arguably more of a "step-sibling" to DS1&3 It's not a "bad" game, but it is a very different game.

[@jpthedrummer4258]

Ds2 is a certified banger imo. It has its moments though lol.

[@AlesMicik]

I enjoyed DS2 SOTFS and I think it's rather interesting game but in no way I'd call the game masterpiece. It has loads of issues but in all this shit there is something resembeling a gem.

[@lumendrake2265]

You don't "have to" die in DS2. If anything, it's designed in a way that rewards patience and careful observation. Avoiding deaths in DS2 is entirely based on strategy and perception

[@sasaki999pro]

As much as I dislike the game I'm pretty sure DS2 is the one game in the souls series where you NEVER "have to" die for any reason. Demons Souls had its intro sequence Dark Souls 1 had Seath Bloodborne had Yahar Gul and Adella Dark Souls 3 had the Lord of Hollows ending Sekiro had its intro sequence Elden Ring had its intro sequence But I cant think of a single reason why you would "HAVE TO" die in DS2, the game even rewards you for completing it Deathless, aswell as Bonfireless

[@litt420]

Best souls cope

[@blacklung7474]

Dark souls is the only one i never finished and never will. This game is the only that feels like a nothing pizza, it's ok, but there are a 1000 better games i could be playing, and i'm not saying it's bad, but dark souls 1 and 3 exist, so i everytime i try to like this game, i end up downloading 3 or 1 again.

[@proggz39]

That’s unfortunate you played SOTFS edition. The original is balanced much better imo

[@avocus]

In my opinion, dark souls 1&3 feel like you exist in a world that would exist regardless of your being there. Dark souls 2 feels like everything is just waiting for you. Saying that 3 is my favourite souls game

[@misaeltoral508]

“Im going to judge Dark Souls II on its own” *proceeds to make comparisons to Dark Souls and Bloodborne* what a waste of time

[@LazerzZ]

I didn't mean I was never going to draw direct comparisons to other games in the franchise it's a part of, but more that I didn't want all my initial feelings to be "oh it's not like DS1 so it's automatically bad", which is why I'm glad I left it a while, because I ended up really enjoying DS2 on the whole. That doesn't mean though, that critically, I wasn't ever going to compare it's design to other games, even just to explore what gels with me better, I think critique in a total vacuum is a little pointless.

[@bunglelord4129]

I will always say this about ds2 It's a good game. It's just not a good dark souls.

[@corruptedpoison1]

The thing about Dark Souls 2 is the worst souls game is still way better than the best souls like. There's a somber tone to the whole game that no other game has ever come close too.

[@darkcaste]

Hard disagree about "having to die" to learn anything. Running around and agro-ing everything is entirely on you. Sometimes you take a hit, it's typically not much damage, and the only problem is your attitude to it. Don't feel entitled to not take any hits.

[@corneliussmiff2773]

Dark Souls 2 is unfortunately a massive kick in the teeth. You know that line from 'The Social Network'? "'You're not an asshole mark, you're just trying so hard to be.", that is Dark Souls 2. At it's best it is wonderful, but this game goes out of it's way to drop a big bag of dicks on your head at the most stupid moments. Honestly, the design choices are beyond baffling at times and the whole experience is a slog. Overall, it is a fun time but I never want to play this game again.