The Dark Souls 2 Problem

[@Exposed_Entrepreneur401]

With regards to the emerald herald, interviews with the creators confirmed that about 80% of her content was cut. That's kind of the running theme with this game come to think of it.

[@007kingifrit]

yet its the longest souls game by far

[@Breakingbad33]

@@007kingifrit Yeah. Hence it was even bigger and they had to cut a bunch of stuff.

[@TheMenarch]

Kinda more the running theme of all From games to be honest.

[@SonnoMaku]

@@OGXenos I wonder if they're using Elden Ring to do what they wanted to do with Dark Souls 2.

[@Tarionism]

Some part of me wishes that they could revisit ds2 and remake the game the way it was intended.

[@thisstatementisfalsenothin5312]

*elevator from nowhere into a lava castle* Lenny: I don’t care NPC: *moves* Lenny: literal garbage

[@goblingamer606]

Unplayable, ruins muh immersion

[@quinnholloway5400]

I honestly feel they could have fixed the Elevator by just making it clear theres a fucking Volcano or Mountain Behind the Peak with the Skybox But they just forgot

[@DanSlivs1]

@@quinnholloway5400 They could have just made the elevator go DOWN and it would have felt so much less absurd

[@leeoon5006]

@@DanSlivs1 that's what they actually wanted to do but yeah that's an embarrassing mistake

[@CodeAndGin]

@@leeoon5006 this is a myth, the idea was that the elevator brought you up the volcano behind the earthen peak, but they forgot to put the volcano in the sky box lmao

[@chronicdelight879]

When your company’s worst game in a decade is DS2 you know you’re doing something right

[@someretard7030]

No? That's not really enough to go on.

[@ZombieKitty321]

@@someretard7030 he is saying, that ds2 is a quality game, and that being the worst thing they have put out in a decade, is quite impressive and shows they know there stuff even when there making mistakes.

[@someretard7030]

@@ZombieKitty321 Yeah, I got that that's what he meant. Although it is of course not what he said.

[@ZombieKitty321]

@@someretard7030 then why did you even comment? Lol

[@someretard7030]

@@ZombieKitty321 Cause he didn't say what he meant to say. I wanted to point that out.

[@thesmoothpool]

22:42 Honestly, as much shit as powerstancing gets for not being very unique I have to give DS2's animation team some credit - having different styled backstabs and ripostes for most weapon classes like impaling someone and lifting them up with a halberd was INCREDIBLE, leagues above Dark souls 1's "stab in ass" or "Whack two times", or how they redid the greatsword moveset to swing like how someone actually would use the weapon - instead of slamming it into the ground like an idiot.

[@weberman173]

honestly the moment i saw that in DS3 so many weapons just share the same animation i was honestly just disapointed in the game. like, my favorit weapon where weapons like the broadsword for its backstab animation, it feels insanly satisyfing to first kick someone into the back to get them to their knees(something i think al backstabs do) and then do the slash

[@ihbupontyne]

The vertical greatsword attack is wack as fuck the whole point of a big weapon is to hit a larger area, do more damage but longer attacks. The fast af vertical attacks are weird and annoying because they often miss

[@midgetydeath]

Most people are quite happy about power stancing, not shitting on it.

[@Konyad]

DS2 has a lot of animations but most of them are cringy and look like an amateur made them. The entire game looks like made on highschool game jam

[@Lardianyt]

@@ihbupontyne But they flatten you if they do hit.

[@melonlegs4110]

The ending was surprisingly wholesome. This is what happens when real Lenny takes a break for his pizzie.

[@melonlegs4110]

@GuildOfThorns Obviously, considering your name was probably made when you were 12 when you were in your parent's basement

[@Alberich_Prince_of_Dwarves]

Really, Lenny is so super wholesome. He's one of my favourite content creators because of it.

[@melonlegs4110]

@@Alberich_Prince_of_Dwarves And for some reason, surprisingly so.

[@yourdad5799]

@GuildOfThorns what are "people of coler" and why do you hate them?

[@grinckerthesoul1510]

@@yourdad5799 Yeah been wondering the same

[@kristoferkandle8747]

DS2's problem is that there's not enough bad bitches

[@ZeroLenny]

sheeeeeesh :^) this gamer knows

[@WolfHreda]

Is Fencer Sharron not bad enough for you?!

[@weezersthebluealbum9479]

No one could improve upon Gwyndolin.

[@kristoferkandle8747]

@@weezersthebluealbum9479 Only good use for binoculars 👀

[@kristoferkandle8747]

@@WolfHreda Need me my best boi Andre

[@junkszy912]

Most of the games problems stem from its troubled development. Basically everything that could go wrong went wrong. The team was way to ambitious, made visual way to demanding for the 7th gen consoles, and a leader who wasn't the best at their job.

[@frstudio3640]

I like to blame the idea that From Software cant work on 2 games at once and fucked up trying to make this while developing bloodborne

[@slaturwinters1828]

It technically wasnt supposed to exist since Miyazaki, didnt want a sequel and the project was passed on to two directors (one female, one male dont remember their names 🤷🏻‍♂️)

[@majormaskass4859]

I gess that this is what made me so pissed of about FROM : Why the hell was DS2 forced to release on an older gen console when Bloodborne was never intended to be released on an older gen? They could have just devoted the whole studio to developing one of these two and finished the other afterwards, but NO! DS teach us than being greedy isn't healthy. FROM just don't get it

[@junkszy912]

@@majormaskass4859 blame bandia for wanting more money

[@huleyn135]

"visually way too demanding" my dude every dark souls game looks like it's 5 years older than it really is. DS2 looks like ass. reminder that the likes of The Last of Us, God of War 3 and GTA 5 work on PS3. I ain't saying the last gen consoles of that time weren't a limiting factor, but from software has always been very incompetent when it comes to the engineering side of things, and I don't think we should just give them a free pass just because they fuck up every single time. The latest example is Elden Ring. Sure it's gonna release on PS4 and Xbone so it's a limiting factor again, but the trailer looks like ass other than the art style. The art style always carries the DS look, because From sure as shit can't carry with their textures, lighting or models. The only From game that looks somewhat competent without the art style to carry it is Sekiro.

[@RageUnchained]

“He became the most decorated swordsman in all of Mirrah” dies in 3 thrust attacks

[@AgentStolas]

Considering Lucatiel's own "prowess" in battle, Mirrah Knights in general were either full of shit when it came to their actual skill or just coded with poor AI. The game would suggest the latter. Smart AI invaders DO exist, but Aslatiel wasn't made to be one of them, he was just a minor speedbump in your way as you entered the mansion.

[@epsilonfallen5830]

@@AgentStolas Also, if you want a lore explination, I'm pretty sure he went hollow, so you're not fighting the disciplined swordsman that he once was.

[@Akakiryuushin]

@@AgentStolas smart AI are in the dlc and sotfs. aslatiel is base game

[@akiraigarashi2874]

Was such a disappointing fight for me too. He just took a couple soul spears and died

[@luisfilipe2747]

​@@AgentStolasthe crestfallen from ds1 offers more trouble than the highly skilled mirrah knight That fucker is a nightmare for melee builds cuz he parry like hell

[@WikiED]

14:27 I always thought that all they had to do is make elevator go down and make far far up a stone ceiling in the Iron Keep so it's like a gigantic cave. Nobody would complain.

[@kubza4366]

I think, that this bad transition is because they cut location between the mill and iron keep

[@StairMaster7]

All they had to do was not forget the skybox in Earthen Peak. You can see it in the bonfire travel screen. The skybox would have shown the keep up there no problem.

[@sirpuffball6366]

The place literally sank into lava in the fuckin lore too this would have made so much more sense

[@andrew-ls]

I think they should have just had the Pursuer's bird take you to Iron Keep from the roof of Earthen Peak, just as it takes you from the Forest to Lost Bastille. You even have an optional fight with the Pursuer in Iron Keep, so the justification for the bird taking you there would match Lost Bastille's. Making it a completely self-contained area is the best option as the surrounding landscape is so vast and barren it's inconceivable you could travel on foot from any existing region in the game.

[@chongobongo9382]

Isn’t the iron keep on top of the Earthen Peak, not the mill?

[@veikkatoivari9871]

iv'e ended up killing Aava without a shield, and never leveling ADP beyond the 2.4 poise due to literally not knowing ADP increases iFrames. Me, a masochist, finds this funny in hindsight. But i do get why that is problematic.

[@spitfuzzy7826]

bro dead ass I've never lvl'd adp before and my first character was deprived who's on their 4th new game+... I also dropped using shields a long time ago

[@sledgehammer875]

u absolute madlad :)

[@selesia865]

When i first played i immediately search what the hell is agility. I think its obvious to do for everyone O.o And how do you not notice your rolls sucks O.o ?

[@FabledStone]

my first ds2 playthrough was without adp as well and well this Eleum DLC killed me more than anything else int he whole series

[@mobiusone6994]

@@selesia865 Because we learn to time them

[@kkasdfaskdgfnasghkkl]

The Emerald Herald's real name is Shanalotte, a name given to her by the Ancient Dragon. She was created specifically to break the undead curse, but her creators failed and she did not come out as intended. It is possible that she was the result of one of Aldia's experiments. She also mentions that she is the one who draws the Undead to Drangleic in order to find the one who will break the curse and accomplish her purpose.

[@DankDrCuck]

Ok

[@Astartes00]

Ok

[@apexeonu3638]

Ok

[@anagoth9]

Also, she's holding the Aged Feather which is an infinite use warping item. Kinda explains how she's able to zip around everywhere.

[@duroorud527]

So, you're saying Shanalotte is actually Dark Souls 2 as a waifu?

[@okamichamploo]

DS2 was my first souls game and playing Elden Ring now I was surprised by the lack of gank groups. I mean they exist, but it seems more natural, whereas in DS2 it just felt like everything in the game was specifically designed as a trap, set up and waiting to trick you into a false sense of security before getting you surrounded or stabbed in the back.

[@UncleMerlin]

Didn't you play 3?

[@LordOfChaos.x]

I got backstabed more than ganked

[@mako8091]

I'm sorry but I see the word Gank being thrown around but dunno what it means. I.e. Gank squad, getting ganked, etc.

[@Akakiryuushin]

@@mako8091 just means outnumbered basically

[@nikkikado4079]

@@mako8091 it’s where multiple enemies will make it so you can’t really do anything cause they overwhelm you

[@ultraego752]

As someone who just started ds2 after beating the elden ring dlc. Me having a turn in a bossfight is a breath of fresh air lol

[@vyrdera]

What made this game my favorite was the Iron Bridge fight clubs. I'd never seen such a wholesome concept come out of a pvp mechanic, and it was entirely community created. Host provides warmth between fights and summons phantoms (and prism stone decor), two duelist fight it out on the bridge. Victor heals up and the next challenger steps up. Seeing the creative builds take on the havel monsters, mob cosplays versus the sweaty katana weebs, and the disorderly punished by the waiting duelists was truly something to behold.

[@aspiringadonis1253]

@Ferrol kk

[@Ryan-op7yd]

@Eli Santiago I've always said DS2 is the best souls-like

[@charlesluikart1799]

The pvp was definitely pretty good, but the pve was 🤮

[@GreenTeaGamin]

i think i shed a tear while reading this. i really miss those bridge pvps.

90% of the people I know that find DS2 the best of the bunch is because of the PVP. Unfortunately I never cared for PVP, but that seems to be the only real part of the game where it SHINES and shines.

[@pendularnuncius2618]

I don't have a problem with the "turn based" nature of the combat, but I'm used to taking that approach, especially coming to Souls games from Monster Hunter

[@ZeroLenny]

that's great! I agree if that's what you like then that's brilliant!

[@johnschaeffer7008]

That is a good point! However, not to take away from your point, but just to give my own perspective, Monster Hunter has lots of mechanics built around finding more ways to put the monsters into a vulnerable state. Plus there are many weapons that you can use their movesets attack while also avoiding or blocking attacks. And of course even avoiding a monster is an event because it's a massive, destructive killing machine

[@DunCakes]

@@johnschaeffer7008 Nothing was more fun than waiting for Azure Rathalos to stop flying when I've already used all of my flash bombs as a SnS main :^)

[@johnschaeffer7008]

@@DunCakes Gotta stock those flashbugs so you can craft more on the fly. Besides that's nothing compared to Kushala 😑

[@ivanlagayacrus1891]

Yeah but MH combat design is balanced around it and allowing you to create openings for more of "your turns". Imo at least dark souls just doesn't have that and it kills that flow(as someone who also came from mh lol)

[@cabersmith]

Seeing everybody call DS2 the best makes me feel marginally less alone. It's genuinely one of my favorite games.

[@yourdad5799]

You can love bad things and that's okay. I like ds2 too. It's not a good game but we like it and enjoy it.

[@D.H.1082]

Welcome brother. I consider it my third favorite game of all time, and the other two Dark Souls aren't on that list.

[@yourdad5799]

@@D.H.1082 Y'all have some strange tastes

[@cabersmith]

@@yourdad5799 I think it's actually a pretty great game- maybe not a good souls game, but it's very much for me

[@ZeroLenny]

That's awesome dude! Also at the end of all. You spend 10hrs playing a game you liked and another guy spent 10hrs wasting their time doing something they didn't like. So who's the real winner here!

[@MV-uo5dq]

I always saw powerstancing as giving you access to more movesets at once, not necessarily that every power stance combo had a different set. You choose a weapon combo, now you have the powerstance moveset, the right hand moveset, and the left hand moveset at your disposal, you can get a large move diversity without having to equip more than 2 weapons. You can cycle through movesets without cycling through weapons.

[@RoubanoGames]

15:14 is literally the same premise of dark souls 1 with gwyn

[@beo3627]

Dark souls 2 was definitely one of my favorites in terms of diversity of armor options! The player can wear almost any enemy armor they see!

[@hepwo91222]

yeah, robust inventory, NG+, robust DLC, and just the most content overall. Great game. Still my least favorite in the trilogy, but its like picking your least favorite kid. lol

[@petkofuchalski9809]

I do agree that the armour do look amazing. Plus, i like power stancing because i was able to use a similar and a ultra greatsword at the same time.

[@royalsoldierofdrangleic4577]

Yeah, and the funny thing is that DS2 probably has the lowest usable armour/NPC enemy armour ratio For example you can't get a lot of DLC armour or weapons (most armour and weapons of base enemies), expecially in brume tower (no possessed armour/iron warrior sets, no iron warrior mace), in the base game for example you can't get the pursuer set (which i'm sure would be dope as hell)

[@TheValkyre0]

Thank you for that ending man. No one should ever feel like they have to defend why they enjoy a game. Like you said, you spent the money so you get to dictate how you feel about it.

[@phatdookie4207]

18:50 they forgot you're supposed to show, not tell.

[@MacsGioosti]

I was astonished in realizing how easy it was to just go around every single enemy (bosses included). This is the only soul game where I was able to not die for hours and keep my humanity.

[@28Pluto]

Avoiding 99% of the enemies can be done in pretty much every FromSoft game. Watch a speedrun. The only thing they kill is usually bosses, and a casual player can easily use most of those strats to also avoid a lot of combat.

[@MacsGioosti]

@@28Pluto I meant going behind them, to do the backstab, not going past them. Sorry english is not my native language lol

[@APerson-si8jr]

@@MacsGioosti 11 months late but have you played the other souls games? you can 100% walk around the majority of enemies in ds1 and ds3, you can cheese most enemies, walk around and backstab, this isnt a ds2 specific thing, same with most bosses. I've been playing ds3 lately and I don't understand why people think these things about ds2 so much because I find the same exact things happening in this game the majority of the time, shitty easy manipulated ai, gank squads, turn based combat, walking around an ememy the entire time hardly rolling, etc. I don't think the other games are as different as people are saying, they all have these issues to some extent and depending on playstyle.

[@happyestus6688]

I tried playing 2 quite a few times and hated it. Something just clicked when I picked up again with the mindset that I'm not playing DS1. Then found out how badass the magic was and ended up with a dark build using a halberd and rapier. It took some time, but it's probably my favorite of the 3 now

[@lucho6883]

Yeah, you can make a lot of different builds and they are kinda viable, I had a lot of fun once while doing a double whip poison build lmao

[@souljacrankthat]

magic is op in souls game, if you have with it you should try making a magic build on ds3

[@someretard7030]

That's cool and all (like genuinely), but a game you have to put more than 30+ hours in before it becomes fun isn't really a good game. I didn't have to keep telling myself that I weren't playing DS1 while playing DS3 or Bloodborne.

[@theemeghost5721]

@@someretard7030 same

[@happyestus6688]

@@souljacrankthat my primary build for the souls series has always been strength/faith. It's just the DS2 had actually decent early options and a much better, imo, growth path in each spell tree. I haven't used everything yet, but I haven't really been disappointed with the spells I've picked up.

[@dannydogs4385]

Starting with DS3 then going to DS2 was whiplash for me. I was so used to the speed that I found it difficult to get used to the slow combat. You pointing out it is like turn based combat might help me adapt to it.

[@harrygarris6921]

Stamina management is also a lot more important in DS2 because you have less of it than you do in DS3. R1 spamming is just going to get you killed

[@gamerforlife3946]

@@harrygarris6921 R1 spam in any souls game is going to kill you. What you mean is stamina management But that has its advantages and disadvantages.

[@illseeyaonthedarksideofthemoon]

Something similar happened to me when playing 1 after 3, but I felt that adapting towards the slower and more methodical combat was natural with the enemy and level design.

[@shawnmarcum8078]

@@gamerforlife3946 Not in Bloodborne.

[@gamerforlife3946]

@@shawnmarcum8078 Bloodborne where it’s better to use combos with L1? The game that is built on parries with a gun? You can defeat it with R1 only if that’s what you are saying? But spamming it? I hope you are joking

[@AlbornozVEVO]

Bloodborne was my first of the genre and after a few years i decided to venture into dark souls 2 because it was really cheap on sale. I understand now why.

[@karnamana3103]

Out of all the languages this man could choose he chose to speak in facts. Absolute Madlad

[@onionman5724]

Dark souls 2 will always have a special place in my heart, it was my first souls game.

[@rafaelcosta2087]

Same

[@K0sm1cKid]

Power stancing is cool enough when it's applied in a cool way, but my favorite thing at the time of release was the increased viability of not carrying a shield. Two handed weapons were given more leeway to lift them if they were heavy, and you got a better damage buff than you did in DS1. So being someone that doesn't like using shields it was really nice that there was a better reward for not using shields. Power stancing also aided in this. I wanted to play that way and the game made me feel like it was reasonable to want to play that way. I also think infusions+power stancing allowed for some fun build theorycrafting. You could blend your damage types together in fun ways. For example I remember when I was rapier-scumming in pvp I started carrying multiple +10 rapiers with different infusions so I could swap to benefit different situations. The more common armors/shields people used could be mitigated more by switching the infused weapon at the start of the fight. Ricards rapier had that fast attack, so I liked having poison rapiers if I was chasing someone and wanted to pressure them. If I wanted I could have 1 poison and 1 not poison so I can 2 hand the non-poison weapon after I poisoned my opponent to get better damage and punish them. It was fun! Although, ADP and weird hitboxes put a big damper on enjoyment for me eventually. It pissed me off that invasions required you to use consumable items. I wanted an infinite red eye orb so I could invade as much as I pleased without the chore of playing the arena all the time.

[@Edgariki]

I think you missed a message about it. Powerstance as a whole a good idea, he just doesnt like low variety of movesets and how bland its looks. And i agree - why this game doesnt have uncracked red eye orb, its just stupid.

[@goncalocarneiro3043]

Fortunately, the Blue Acolyte mod for DS2, now in Nexusmods fixes this grand flaw, by making orbs and the tokens of fidelity not consumable when used for invasions or arena, respectively. Huzzah! It is a great mod otherwise too, an anti-cheat. I give it a big ol' thumbs up.

[@josephmcminn1654]

Damage buff from 1 was greater i think.

[@K0sm1cKid]

@@goncalocarneiro3043 I need to keep that in mind if I decide to play again one day.

[@adrianUebel]

This game is very dear to my heart. I know how clunky and weird this game is and how much different it is to the other games. But during the peak of this game's popularity, it had the most diverse and fun/interactive PvP scene. So many different builds, and things that were "off-meta" still won duels. Great PvP, lackluster PvE

[@danielzaiser]

Im on the opposite side, great pve, bad pvp

[@guru_do_estilo7902]

@@danielzaiser i'm on the opposite of both, my internet is just too shitty to play online

[@CosmicIceCream]

Totally agree, there was way more build diversity in PvP than any other souls game, and it was a blast to watch and play.

[@andryuu_2000]

True

[@andryuu_2000]

@@danielzaiser the pvp is great, the builds are better than those in ds3

[@no1normal750]

A acknowledge all the shit that's wrong with ds2, but it's still gonna be my fav

[@capperbuns]

Not my fav but i like the game the tiny room 100 enemies thing makes me wanna go away from it ngl. And the combat as well

[@no1normal750]

@@capperbuns fair point with the annoying ganks, but the combat is what makes the game better than others for me.

[@zzodysseuszz]

@@capperbuns the game doesn’t do that though and ironically the other games do that more you just don’t like to acknowledge it

[@ConstantEve]

@@zzodysseuszz dark souls 1 undead Parrish channeler on all the hollows

[@no1normal750]

@@zzodysseuszz false! No other souls has so many ganks and traps as ds2, I like the fact that to each one you can prepare but you almost never have a nice little 1v1 or 1v2 which are the most fun

[@Willzb-xk4ew]

An issue i have is with enemies stop spawning in after either 1.) They die too many times Or 2.) You die to that enemy too many times And to get them back you have to use a bonfire aesthetic

[@thepandrbr]

Or the company of champions

[@Willzb-xk4ew]

@@thepandrbr when I made the comment, I didn't know about the covenant of champions but knowing what it is and does, it's just as bad

[@KenLaKen]

I'm playing through dark souls 2 right now, and yeah it certainly has its problems but it is a lot of fun

[@Patches_Gaming]

I'm only mad at how lazy team b was on fixing hit box so they just made it where ADP helps you have more invincibility rolls, like damn. If this game ever gets a remaster just freaking fix it! 💀

[@capperbuns]

@@Patches_Gaming if this game had the same ideas, but wad made by A team. It would be the best souls game like no joke. Not better than bloodborne tho there we have the greatness of spider patches. Also ds2 is bad cuz no patches

[@bradleyprimeau3418]

@@Patches_Gaming ADP was never meant to fix janky hit boxes, it was meant to make it a bigger investment to get good armour and good rolls for pvp, thats why most classes start with less I-frames than the other games defaults. Janky hit boxes are an unrelated issue.

[@Patches_Gaming]

@@bradleyprimeau3418: Literally watch the video even Lenny says it, lmao.

[@Patches_Gaming]

@@capperbuns: Isn't how it works, you have different teams work on different things and team b was game mechanics I think?

[@wyattmorelock5832]

I always play these games blind the first couple times, and assumed that the DS2 agility stat effected something similar to DS1's resistance stat... didn't level it even once till my third playthrough

[@bryan5295]

i've got all achievements on ps3 5 years ago with 4 chars and almost 1k hours, now on steam i've got 2 chars 100 hours and I JUST LEARNED WHAT ADAPTABILITY DOES NOW, oh fuck...

[@TheStoso2]

Dark Souls isn't built for carelessness, press Select and read, these games don't explain much for you but give you the tools to learn, it's up to you to plan properly.

[@Akechifan]

I mean who would've thought coming from ds1 that they would put I frames into a stat what a joke

[@Akechifan]

@@TheStoso2 ds2 is a mickey mouse game

[@chrisonewiththesalt]

@@Akechifan Found the english drop-out.

[@covetousclub910]

The stubborn me never put points into adaptability. Turns out I’ve been playing super hard mode by not doing so and still making it to NG+6.

[@justrandomstuff6828]

Hey Lenny, i'm going through my first playthrough of Dark Souls 1, and i'm in need of some IGN guide... You know where this is going

[@shaynehughes6645]

Top shelf?

[@ZeroLenny]

I'll get round to it

[@drmaniac5763]

9:12 thankyou for finally mentioning this, I haven't seen it anywhere else. The combat feels so unbearably slow, it's honestly the only reason I stopped playing. Liked a lot else about it, but the combat feels so slow, sticky and unresponsive, and it felt like I couldn't play aggressively. I couldn't bear it

[@iamMildlyUpsetWithMostOfYouTub]

Everyone always mocks ds1 for feeling clunky and slow but dear god did people just genuinely forget about ds2? That game felt immeasurably clunkier and slower, it’s like every enemy, boss and player is submerged underwater

[@invidatauro8922]

@@EllaKarhu I'd describe Dark Souls 1 as being a bit more tactical. You have to be careful, but you did have the opportunity to correct out of mistakes. That and positioning on enemies was very important. DS2 is both slow, but the positioning is also harder to do due to the enhanced tracking of the enemies you fight (Some of those bastards should take a career in ballet).

[@aska221]

how much meth did you smoke before claiming that ds2 is slower, and more unresponsive than ds1 combat?

[@bibblehouse]

​@@EllaKarhu DS1 is slow and deliberate, DS2 is slow and clunky

[@EvolvedDinosaur]

The ONE thing that I think DS2 has over all the others in the Dark Souls series is the routing and replayability. And I’m not just talking about new game cycles, which is what most people tout about DS2 replay features. No, I’m talking about the literal paths you can take at any moment during the game. As an example, think about how your pathing is for DS3 High Wall -> Undead Settlement -> Road of Sacrifices and then you can branch between Cathedral of the Deep OR Farron Keep. But after that it’s still a straight line until you get into Irrythil. Now think back to DS2 You can go to ANY of the 4 lords routes at the beginning, AND THEN go to their respective DLCs. And if you know what to look for, you can balance the path you take to get the spells or weapons you need for your build. There’s so much variety that each play through feels different from the rest. Wanna do a Strength/Int build? Go for it! Infuse your starter mace with one of the two different stones! Wanna do a fancy faith build, but then decide you wanna go back and make a dex build? Just a quick warp away (with no limitations either, unlike DS3 which restricts how many times you can respec). Wanna fight a NG+ Lord in base game to get their extra boss weapon? Go for it! But if you’re playing DS3 and wanna make a luck build, get fucked

[@jimtsap04]

Lmao faith build in ds2? Yeah no, please don't do this to yourself unless you're prepared for hours of falconer farming, sluggish cast speeds and laughably low spell uses. These are just off the top of my head but yeah lightning spear is no longer what it used to be in this game. Your best bet will just be going to thrust town with a buffed rapier, which is something you can already do with every other magic type and kinda boring. The only thing a faith build does better are the healing spells which, with the shitty cast speeds I previously mentioned makes them very dangerous in the middle of combat compared to the lifegems talked about in the video.

[@jimtsap04]

@@LazarusBell believe me I've tried, and even with a friend and using a password it usually takes multiple minutes to find summon signs, especially with the complications of soul memory. The servers are just dead on console.

[@EvolvedDinosaur]

@@jimtsap04 heavenly thunder, soul appease, GMB, and resplendent life are all you need for base game faith. Use Sunlight blade and a lighting infused weapon and you’re golden for the rest of the playthrough. My go to weapon is the winged spear, but any of the Heide Knight weapons are great too. (Or any weapon you want since infusion is so versatile)

[@thechosenflutterbox]

19:50 also you gotta consider counter bonus, poise damage, weight, and stamina consumption, all of which are factors that can affect which weapon you use, which can vary even among weapons of the same category/type

[@CallMeHector]

Finding Vendrick wandering in his chamber was a really good plin plin plon moment tbh

[@ocaobola5455]

One thing I really liked about Dark Souls 2 was that it made me want to explore the game more in NG+. While some may argue the changes in NG+ are not that great or are bad changes, it certainly made me interested into exploring the game all over again to discover what has changed. Cant say the same abt the other two games(maybe the Dark Souls 3 + rings but that felt more of a chore than anything)

[@DWFTW]

Yeah, even if in hindsight a lot of those NG+ changes were kind of a pain, it was very interesting to just see what was different with all the phantoms and even entirely new enemy types (only in the Flexile Sentry fight I think, but still). 3s rings definitely didn't get the same feeling, but did at least make it feel worth exploring more thoroughly than NG+ in some other things.

[@DManDuck007]

When I started DS2, I hated it and just wanted to beat it so that I could say I did. A few months break and I'm actually seeing the fun. I definitely prefer the other two and think they're masterpieces, but this one had it's spot. I dig it

[@monsieurdorgat6864]

As a bit DS2 fan, I can tell you it's not about the single-player experience. DS2 had the best-designed multiplayer and build diversity of the series. A lot of Lenny's gripes come from the perspective of a challenge runner - he wants the game to be hard, but in an action-packed way instead of a thoughtful way.

[@skeletonwar4445]

@@monsieurdorgat6864 Making your single player game a good multiplayer experience while being a shit solo game is quite the 4head achievement in itself.

[@monsieurdorgat6864]

@@skeletonwar4445 Eh, I don't consider Dark Souls games a single player game. I never play offline.

[@skeletonwar4445]

@@monsieurdorgat6864 Well, for that answer, I will consider you no longer human.

[@Zonic3451]

@@skeletonwar4445 Christ, he was giving out what he decided he wanted to do while playing.

[@dogf421]

i have only played dark souls 2 and im glad you touched on that roll delay. i was not aware you could so easily just walk around enemies to dodge them or that adaptability is just invincibility, but really the delay is probably why it feels so wrong and now i actually wanna get dark souls 3 or something cause it might actually be fun

[@vishishify]

Disable double click, and the delay goes away.

[@pilovwithketchup]

I feel like the two points he talked about before this kind of negate the roll delay, infinite gem stones while walking with it and adaptability leveling

[@dogf421]

i got ds3 played it a bunch. liked it. went back to ds2... sorry ds2 just fucking sucks to play

[@anonecki]

I think From handled the lifegem idea the best in Sekiro, by limiting the amount of pellets you can carry.

[@FaLIStaff]

THANK YOU for addressing how the intro is like 'oooo you'll lose your souls hard game hard game', the hard game meme poisoned the water

[@angellara7040]

And than you go back and the old lady is happy for you

[@wonderwaffle8718]

It's time for me to commit the ultimate Souls Sacrilege. Know that I'm not being contrarian or memeing. Dark Souls 2 SotFS is honestly my favorite in the Souls Trilogy. Is it the best mechanically? Heck no. But there's something about it that just... I don't know. It feels like a genuine attempt at something grander, darker, and more foreboding, and I love it all the same. But more importantly, I find its brokenness and cut content to serve as an excellent placeholder for my imagination. Like the firekeepers say: you came here for a reason, but near the end, I often can't remember why my character started their journey at all. Also DS2 has the best PVP. Come at me, bruh.

[@markopusic8258]

And I say it's completely fine to have DS2/SOFTS as your favourite Souls game, there's a lot to be liked about it, a lot of new cool mechanics, a completely different pacing to DS1 and 3, a LOT to go through since it's so goddamn long and blablabla. There is a lot to be liked about DS2 and so it's perfectly normal that its qualities will resonate with some people that will elevate the game as their favourite. The real problem arises when people try and get into arguments to prove by A + B that it's objectively a superior game to DS1 or 3, because it's not. Unfortunately DS2 suffers from a boat load of issues. Movement, healing imbalance, spam ganking, pure scummy aggro range to force said ganks, frustrating mechanics (I will never forgive the blizzard spawning reindeers) like insane fall dmg that's literally unfair to the player when you compare it to enemy fall dmg, shitty level design (the amount of corridors, small square rooms and poor area connectivity are rampant in the base game, the dlcs are much better in that regard). The list goes on. What i'm trying to say here is that it's okay to love Dark Souls 2 (SOFTS) but it has to be measured with critical thinking, if you can love the game despite its problems that's wonderful, the only issue is when people blind themselves with love and refuse to see these problems.

[@ethanfield5647]

Stand right behind you. I keep feeling compelled to come back to this game over and over again. The other month I was sat there thinking I wanna do another souls playthrough and was genuinely surprised when I sat down and decided to play ds2 over the others. And I had a blast. And I seem to have even more fun with the game on each playthrough.

[@Sohelanthropus]

No bro I completely agree with you To me DS2 is my top 3 favorite games of all time And yeah this game has more of that mysterious fantastical feeling and tone, it just makes you want to stop and think about it And yeah the PvP in this game is the most balanced yet varied of all, maybe not the flashiest but definitely the most intriguing

[@vishishify]

@@markopusic8258 It is okay to dislike Dark Souls 2 but if your complaint about it is spam ganking then you just dont know how to play the game.

[@markopusic8258]

@@vishishify It is but one of the many complaints I have against DS2. However, That doesn't mean I don't like it, far from it, nor that I don't know how to play the game. It's undeniable than DS2 has far more group encounters than DS1 and DS3. I can be as cautious as I want, and this game especially requires you to second guess every move you make because of stamina consumption and recovery frames between an action and a roll, but I will still get repeatedly outnumbered at several points in practically every level, and it's just dull, cheap difficulty at some point. I get the necessity of ganks to raise the pressure and skill check players' patience and observation skills but it's simply not balanced in this game, even the better designed areas like Lost Bastille are plagued by it, I really think we needed 2 rooms with 5+ dogs and either an invader or a pursuer along with a 5 royal swordsmen gang sprinting at you when you enter the Sentinels' building because that's how you make it hard and interesting gameplay.

[@nuculaisvoidwalker5866]

i fell in love with Dark Souls thanks to this game, beated the normal and Sotfs with al achievos too and then went and bought DS1 and bloodborne and such

[@mythicalthings1796]

"Dodging is always better than blocking" "Blocking is easy mode, just get a 100% Damage reduction shield!" Which is it? Cause I hear both all the fucking time.

[@cicadaknight3048]

None is true, both depend on your skill and your build. Exaggerated statements (like this whole video is, really)... It's akin to saying that parrying makes combat against the majority of enemies completely null. Yes there are some godly players that can parry all humanoid enemies every single time with near perfect accuracy, but that doesn't mean the majority of people do that now does it? Yes you can pick a strong shield and block every single attack to render combat practically redundant, but not everyone has the Stamina to do it. Yes you can roll every single attack rendering combat, again, redundant, but not everyone has the skill (or the Stamina) to do that. Etc. TL>DR: Both are stupid fucking statements and I think this video has more holes than a wheel of swiss cheese but it was entertaining to watch nonetheless.

[@scudjoples]

Depends on the enemy but against most bosses rolling is superior

[@joaogarcia6170]

Rolling is harder but better, shields are worse but easier. If you played bloodborne you don't need a shield lol.

[@sethydeathy]

dark souls 2 was less polished, but I felt there was more of a game I can never get enough of. There was far more levels to play and variety of builds to try out. As for the arguments, I never knew about adaptability, I was able to dodge tank the game without it. Estus flasks was always enough for me. Power Stance was fine, I think it's silly to wish for a unique animation for every weapon type combo. For these reasons I never felt these specific issues mentioned in the video was an issue.

[@joshmay2944]

Agreed 100% on all these points, DS2 just has more of everything that I can’t get enough of!

[@facelesshalo5174]

same. For me DS3 was the worst. It was exploitable roll spam. It looked good though. I am wishin' and hoping for a remastere of DS2 with very few changes. Only t hing I'd like changed is matchmaking and netcode

[@IrvineTheHunter]

@@facelesshalo5174 Matchmaking could have been a hybrid, soul memory+level matchmaking just to help gate abuse without the weapon system, which just returns to DS1 pyromancer or DSR darkbead strats.

[@leoGearth]

Took me a long time after my platinum run for my to figure out whether I liked the game or not. I figured that if I had put over 100 hours into it I must have liked it but still felt uneasy. Now though looking back all I can say is I had fun and that's what matters.

[@dranyth]

There are absolutely some amazing looking areas from an art direction standpoint. As nonsensical as it is, I still love when you come out of the tiny tunnel into a sudden downpour, and you come around that corner to look up at Castle Drangleic standing imposingly on the stormy precipice. But there is something *really* weird about the way the lighting engine works in, almost all areas. Despite the fact that there are lights and there are shadows, somehow a lot of the areas of the game just look really... flat? I'm sure it has something to do with them having to scale back from the detailed light/shadow engine that would've necessitated the use of torches, which the final game doesn't need at all. But somehow the lighting just looks flat and way worse than Dark Souls 1.

[@LordOfChaos.x]

Idk what u talking about Ds 1 looks like crap Even the remastered

[@dranyth]

@@LordOfChaos.x And DkS2 looks worse, which is all I said.

[@VampirewthBraces]

With Dark Souls 2 being my favorite of the trilogy, it was a hard video to watch. Instead of arguing, I'll say it was very well put together and a great video at that. You made good points but it hasn't changed my opinion and that's okay. In the end, they're games. And the point of games is to have fun. We can all have our own fun.

[@uglyluffy7815]

How is this your favorite wtf

[@moda112]

@@uglyluffy7815 It's favorite of mine as well. like that gameplay is slower and methodical. But the most important thing for me is atmosphere. I played DS2 before any other game in the series that's probably why I will always have better memories of it than from the rest. Rest were just not as impactful for me. People who started from DS1 like DS1 and DS3 more partly because they are more alike than DS2 I assume

[@mikeshivak]

Because I got into ds1 late, and 3 is trash for the sheep. please all fucking god do not let Elden Ring follow the same path as DS3

[@GreebusBleeb]

@@mikeshivak dang 3 is my favorite, I have like 700 hours in it

[@aronaranyossy]

I love this comment, your attitude is fantastic! Enjoy DS2 and all the other games! :)

[@jmvv451]

If I remember correctly, you meet different versions of the emerald herald, a leftover from the original concept of time travel.

[@doctorbrydin7294]

I love Dark Souls 2 cause i find its story, atmosphere, and setting absolutely incredible

[@barrontrump3943]

agreed. yet it had so much potential.

[@bruhmoment2052]

Yeah it’s not a bad game, but it is the weakest out of all the fromsoft games

[@bigmacgaming5019]

@@bruhmoment2052 facts

[@drfabulous2804]

@@bruhmoment2052 nah, people forget that half of Dark Souls 1 is an unfinished mess, and Dark Souls 3 is so linear and can be completed in half the time of the first two

[@matthieuwojcik6609]

@@drfabulous2804 Not really. DS1 is widely seen as a "heavely flawed masterpiece". Its issues are well known, but beyond that there's greatness. Lore, NPC, level design, boss and enemy design... Beyond the technical issues, what DS1 achieve is perfectly spot on and to this day still incredibly satisfying. And beside its linear level design that was, yes, quite disapointing, DS3 managed to retain most of the qualities of DS1, sometimes even expanding them, while being technically polished. DS2... uh... I liked it, still doing a run ( vanilla version though ) from time to time but... I don't know, everything feels duller than 1 and 2. NPCs, bosses, art direction ( mostly due to the lighting engine rescrap very late on the project )... Yes, that's a much smoother experience than DS1. But it never achieves the highs of the first one. But gotta admit it is widely seen as the best PVP souls, even though I am not a PVP player.

[@runcmdexe7765]

I absolutely understand all the points from this video. As a DSII fan, I even checked all my character slots in scholar. I have never put more than 20 points in ADP and only 2 of the full char slots even had ANY points in ADP at all. I figure the main difference in opinion is people who like CRPGs vs ARPGs. Loved the points you made and your content!

[@draqusdrache]

i have to say there is one thing in ds2 that ive missed in other ds titles. There is an actual riposte and backstab animation for spears / Polearms

[@antonioklaic4839]

Yeah. DS2 has the most different animations, for better or worse, I like a simple stab more than DS2 sword backstab animation for example, DS3 often used DS1 animations.

[@duroorud527]

Whips got left out of the unique animation party

[@alchemy5750]

In regards of artystle, I'd like to point out the enemy design too. DS1 and 3 had the basic undead/skeleton/dragon enemies, but it had a huge variety of creative, disgusting and unique creatures. While Dark Souls has never been a horror game, in 1 and 3 there were still lots of unnerving enemies. The chained prisoner, the octopus ladies in DS1, the Deep Accursed and wretches of DS3, you get the idea... also all these monsters where not just there because... variety. They somehow tied into the lore and mood of the place. In the meantime I really dislike the approach Dark Souls 2 made with enemies. I always considered enemy design as one of the main judging point of a game's creativity, not just mechanically, but visually also. And in DS2, even in the endgame you still fight mostly armored knights and humanoid zombies. And when the game tries to do something unique and unnerving the same way DS1 and 3 did, in usually ends up falling flat and being extremely goofy instead. The mastodon warriors, the weird dinosaur things in Dragon Sanctum, the spinny hedgehogs in Eelum Loyce and the big hippo cyclopses all feel so out of place for a Dark Souls game, for me they kinda break the illusion everytime.

[@aprinnyonbreak1290]

Agree. So many Dark Souls 2 enemies, and even bosses loose so much street credit for being significantly weaker than a hippo. Granted, hippos are some scary shit, but still. Also, the little monkeys(?) Those little guys hit SO goddamn hard.

[@camh3429]

Love the review, I'm a fan of all the Souls games including DS2, for me I enjoy the different feel it gives, If I want to play Dark Souls, I don't have to pick between 3 identical games, if I want the slower more grindy experience I go to 2, if I want faster more intense boss fights I have 3 for that and if I want a world soaked in edginess that's somewhere down the middle of the other 2 I have 1. But above all I enjoy a good review that can pick apart something I like or dislike with the energy output of a thousand angry racoons.

[@jake.klusewitz]

I agree with a lot of your points! I really enjoyed my time with DS2, but overall there seem to be way too many half-baked ideas and mechanics that DS1 and DS3 didn’t get bogged down with.

[@jacobhumphrey3535]

I've been keeping up with your channel, with all your anxieties, and your happy times, and I wanna say I really like this video style. Super informative, really funny, all Lenny. I hope this gets the plays that you like, because I would to see videos like this for all the souls games and maybe even strategy games like Fire Emblem or XComm.

[@dovesr0478]

I can't stand DS2 as much as the next guy, but I don't agree with your point about turn based combat. Both DS1 and DS2 have a very defined combat cycle: avoid enemy attack > attack enemy > repeat. The same thing is going on, it just feels worse in DS2 because of clunky and restrictive animations. I agree that having a ton of recovery on straight swords is dumb and doesn't fit thematically, but it's really no different gameplay-wise than using a heavier weapon class. If you were using a UGS you probably wouldn't try to squeeze in a second attack on a boss because you know you don't have enough time. The same consideration needs to be taken with straight swords in DS2 even though that's dumb. This is probably why everyone just uses the 2-handed rapier instead. I also wouldn't say that DS1 "rewards" playing aggressively as much as it simply allows it (with certain weapons). DS2 disallows that playstyle with straight sword where as DS1 does not. What I'm trying to say is, it's not an inherent property of the combat in DS2 to be clunky, because it's largely the same as in DS1. It's the recovery frames on certain weapons that force it to feel that way. If you replaced straight swords in DS2 with the straight swords from DS1, combat would feel very similar.

[@mateotrapiello1114]

I really, REALLY love DS2. And for a long time, I've consciously treated it in a more favorable way than Demon's or DS1, because they are also games with a lot of issues but everybody treats them in a much favorable manner as opposed to DS2, even when they SHARE many problems. I really do think that FromSoft games before Bloodborne (which, being my personal favourite, I do not consider a perfect game) have very deep problems, mainly due to the low budget, the lack of experience or just because they had a troublesome development (which all of the first three games kinda had, but DS2 took the worst part of that), but I kinda like what they do in their very unique ways. Even games I sincerely do not like at all, like Demon's, make me think there's something about them to be respected, and it's not about what they do as games - it's because of the people around there that likes those games. The fact that you talked this sincerely about a game you don't like without being disrespectful about it (even pointing out thinks you really think are good) and specially about the people that like that game... really makes me happy. I love DS2 and I agree with almost everything you said on this video. I really like to hear your points like this, Lenny, and I really like what you do. You're definitely keeping it spicy, lad. Thanks a lot.

[@zacharyzurawski5516]

Yeah, ds2 definitely felt like one big experiment. That's one thing I love about from soft they can manage to make the same game yet alter and reintroduce concepts and mechanics. Pretty sure equip load was the only factor in ds1 rolling. DS2 agility scaling with ADP and ATN does the s and equipment load changes roll distance.

[@XmadbeastX]

The first time I played DS2, I never bought life gems and I didn’t know what adaptive did lol. I think I had a vastly different experience than most people, it was fucking hard.

[@chriss4855]

don't forget about there not being omni-directional rolling. it's honestly on par with the adaptability issue and a huge component of why combat in the game feels so clunky

[@dwhutto]

Omni direction rolling which is buggy and for most users needs to be fixed by a fan made patch that addresses the dead zones.

[@_GLObot]

There's no omnidirectional rolling in dark souls 1 either, yet no one complains about that.

[@SlickyGOGO]

Dark souls 2 was always my favorite just because I had a lot of good memories playing it with my friends and doing weird shit in pvp

[@awesomesauce2361]

I played DS1 first getting hand-held by a friend who played the game a lot. I was waiting for DS2 to be released, so I played Demon Souls while I waited, with minimal hand-holding from the same friend. When DS2 finally came out, in my mind, it felt like more of a continuation of Demon Souls than it did DS1, and it made way more sense to me thinking of it that way. It wasn't necessarily a true Nexus, but it shared much more with the Demon Souls Nexus than it did with FireLink Shrine. You weren't warping to and away from Majula, sure, but especially in the first half of the game, you start at this central hub with a maiden, blacksmith, merchants, convenants, and you pick one of three unique looking paths until you hit the boss (World 1-1), and maybe you try to continue onto the second half of the path (world 1-2), or you choose a different unique path and see where that goes. The life gems just made me think it was the new Grass healing system, and the health loss system made me think it was the new iteration from Demon Souls as well, Cling Ring and all. I do remember years later learning of what Adaptability was and what it affected, and thinking that it was pretty wild to add into the game, but I just took it as the ascended form of a lightweight DEX build, as in DEX players would and should level it up as part of their build. I think it ultimately comes from your introduction into this game specifically, and from one's continued forays into DS2 that make it a love/hate relationship. I played it when it first came out after playing Demon Souls, which made it feel like a way smoother progression in game succession. If you are someone who plays these games a lot or someone who played it years after it came out, you now have the past experiences of yourself/others to base your opinion/builds on (where to go, what is/is not broken/shitty), and that's fine, too. I generally only play these games once, so whatever that experience turns into is my set in stone experience of the game, and my experience was pretty good.

[@wababiba4181]

I’ve played Demon Souls and just finished Dark Souls1 should I play DS2 or DS3 first?

[@SitKid721]

Unironically Ds2 saved my life. I has a special place in my heart

[@craigmorgan5882]

Same here! And I’m not even joking

[@SitKid721]

@@craigmorgan5882 same dawg same

[@SkyCloudSilence]

DS2 came to me at a crucial point in my life. Same.

[@JF-xj3cu]

I think "The devs don't know what your ability stat is" is a really bad point to make. Because the devs don't know what ANY of your stats are or what kind of weapon you have either. Do you have extremely short range daggers or a bow or a slow heavy longsword? Do you have 5 STR oder 50? They have to design and balance around the fact they don't know that, that's their job.

[@crusader4737]

Hell yes I really agree with the part about them basically bragging about the difficulty. While I originally got dark souls because it was supposed to be hard the reason I love it is because it's a really tight, responsive, fast paced game with high replayability and an active community

[@theevilcricket6194]

Ya know, watching this and thinking back to my first playthrough of Dark Souls 2. Its not surprising I ended up gravitating towards a Hex Build magic caster. It let me avoid the roll-out issue and let me stay far away lol

[@akw94926]

DS2 is a weird one for me. SotFS was my introduction to the series, I knew nothing about ADP, didn't use life gems, blocked the entire time, and still somehow enjoyed the game. Until I was introduced to DS1, and now I never touch DS2, and will actively avoid SotFS.

[@saterdei]

I've played DS2 3 or 4 times, with only the last one including the DLCs. It started out as a nice game, but I hated it deeply for its unfairness (pitfalls, lots of fuck you moments against the player, etc.), BUT the last time I played was also the only one I did so with a party, and it was the most fun we've all had - and we've played the entire DS series. With that in mind, know that while I've come to love the game, I still recognize its many flaws, so let's get to video comments, written at the end of every section: On ADP - it really is a useless stat, would have been better to just have a basic iFrame value and skip a stat. On the plus side of DS2, it has the easiest level ups, because its bosses are just that many. Add bonfire ascetics to the mix and you can easily max out 3-4 stats and cap the rest. Also you didn't cover parrying in your defensive options. On healing - lifegems are indeed best used in-combat. I just used Estus outside of combat whenever I was still pretty beaten up. That being said, Estus flasks are free, lifegems come at a cost early on, even though it becomes negligible late-game. On combat - it's shit indeed. On the plus side, DS2 has the softest END cap, with each level after 40 giving you +1 stamina, which means you can opt to use a lot more attacks than in any other game. The next thing I'd like to point out is power stance (equipping two of the same item when you are overqualified for their use), you can dual wield almost everything, it adds a lot of flavour to the combat. Finally, DS2 is the only game to reward actually putting 99 points in INT, damage-wise. It's also the easiest game to respec, with many vessels around, so you can play the same character in many different ways. BTW most DS2 armour has effects, like engraved bracers having a 30% crit rate or the lion set adding a LOT of cast speed, etc. On difficulty - the bosses are admittedly super easy, not gonna lie. Area-wise, most places are fairly decent, you'll use up your estus and a few lifegems until the next bonfire, maybe die a few times, all's good...but then you got shit like the shrine of Amana, with homing magic snipers, pitfalls, giants chasing you when you're knee-deep in water AND with the swamp monsters on your back. Just...why? It's not fun, it's not hard, it's simply unfair and a chore to snipe everything for a clear. On the plus side, no enemy respawns after 15 kills or so. On Powerstance - alright, time to advocate. IIRC you only get the left hand weapon's move set, regardless of mix. In addition to having a slower end animation, it also drains your stamina much faster, and is hard to pull off due to huge stat requirements for certain weapons. However... You didn't try out the FISTS! Bone fist in particular changes completely depending on how you use it, and it's a lot of fun, too. The most important thing - it's ok if you don't like the game, I get it. The story is crap, everything you said stands, there's even artificial invading to piss off whoever wanted to enjoy some alone time offline, and no game can compare to DS3 in terms of combat, fashion and badassery, BUT DS2 still remains the most fun for me. I haven't mentioned its quests and NPCs, the minor stuff that was really rewarding when you got to the end of it all. Then again, I also haven't mentioned frozen outskirts and just how shit THAT place is, but you get the point. Many thanks for making this video, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I don't usually take time to respond in so many words, but after a youtuber I follow just gave up on the game with a very half-baked clear, I felt the need to watch a video like this.

[@isthisyourplusone1246]

About adp. Why are you not talking about respec? You say that late game levels are very expensive and can't make the change from block to dodge but they can with respec. It's also the first game in the trilogy that gives you that option.

[@Brunzelberg]

you can use a soul vessel to respec your stats so you can change your build pretty easy

[@wertyjomane_psn9192]

I can't believe you never mentioned how broken parrying is especially with one of the first parrying shields you get, the 'buckler' if I remember correctly since it has the most generous parry frames. Also the fact that almost everything can be parried and most times poisoned lol. Even with all that it makes it fun to play the game different ways depending on your mood.

[@charwyrm8702]

55 hours in and this feels so validating to watch. I've tried so hard to love it, especially with the recent contrarian backlash to DS2 hate that inspired me to play it. It's just not a game I like, and I want to love it still, but every time I play it i lose 5 minutes of patience for the bullshit. Right now, I'm at dragon shrine, and 15 minutes in to progression through the area, i lose all love for the game and just want to do something else, so so so badly. It's been a similar pattern up until now for the last 20 hours or so, especially with aldia's keep (though before that i've been on 7-8/10 territory, with significant flaws in what I seek in a game glaringly obvious).

[@Heywhatsupmyman]

Dude… do you guys think you need to level your ADP to 99? You need 99 agility to get DS1 roll, a little better than DS1 medium roll at 96 agility. Level your ADP to just 18-20 and you’ll be fine, you’ll have the DS1 roll.

[@Ariverfish]

DS2 is my favorite game out of the series, DS1 feels limiting despite being a legendary classic (Cope, people b*tching about this is the equivalent of Genwunners complaining about Gen 5 when they literally have a normal-ass crab named Krabby and two purple blobs where one grows into a larger purple blob), and I'm currently playing through DS3, now in the Ringed City DLC, and the gameplay/customization options are extremely limiting despite having the better graphics and bosses. DS2 had better weapon movesets, build, and armor options that are extremely viable and fun, because armor was pretty much entirely cosmetic in that game, while DS3 basically turned into roll+R1 spam (All speaking PVE, PVP is a different story because both systems have their merits). I've built like 8 weapons slabbed in DS3 and can't seem to find a weapon to stick with because most WAs, jumping attacks, and R2s are essentially useless outside of PVP and fights become monotonous. Good thing Elden Ring finally came out because it literally gave us the good combat system and options of DS2, while having the good bosses and map layout of DS3. I was discouraged heavily when thinking to play DS2 from all the articles and threads, but I'm having more fun playing DS2 than DS3, despite enjoying both. Not to mention, DS2 DLCs are pretty much entire different games by themselves.

[@Ariverfish]

DS2 deserves a remake remake.

[@johnmcswag5980]

I think the “turnbased” combat complaint is down to builds. I ran a mage and had high tempo fights. Its universal in all souls games especially with melee builds.

[@petkofuchalski9809]

If you compare it with DS III, you can literally harass most of the enemies and NPC's while they do thair wind up animation and roll right after, on top of that, the weapon art system makes most weapons unique, wile in this game, You either use a fast stab weapon, Medium sized generic sword/spear/mace/whatever the fuck, or a giant bonk sword that you can crush someone's bones to dust.

[@wrathofbabushka8475]

I don't think that's the case at all. No matter what build you go with, the game simply does not reward aggressive play in any sense. You may get away with it with some builds, but that doesn't change the fact you will only ever be either punished or near missed, never rewarded. If you look at DS III or even DS I, you can see straight away the difference between being rewarded for certain plays and being punished for not doing what the game wants you to do.

[@wrathofbabushka8475]

However it's not a massive issue because you can just lvl adaptability and take all the difficulty away completely. But even that wont take away the pause between attacking and rolling.

[@thelitmango6333]

i love how when people play a certain way and are punished for it dark souls fans go "git gud" but than when they cant play the "agressive" way they want they go "game bad cant play i want" well git fuckin gud than.

[@petkofuchalski9809]

@@thelitmango6333 bruh, using a shield in DS II completely beaks most of the bosses lol.

[@MrOuttheir]

Literally have never leveled ADP, and have ZERO issues with dodge rolling.

[@tehuselessguig3138]

DS2 is an okay game and i like it a lot, but it really feels like "what people who are afraid of playing dark souls after seeing memes about how hard it is think dark souls is like"

[@CaptainEffort]

It’s funny you bringing up that moving while healing is a huge gameplay change, because the same change was made in Monster Hunter with World. Many newer players in the community overlook it as simply a “quality of life change”, but as you went over in this video, it’s a massive gameplay change. I wish the MH community was as aware of what makes their games good, as the Dark Souls community is of theirs.

[@beo3627]

Adaptability is hard to defend but I think it was made so that you can more feel the difference between 'class types' hence them being different for different starting classes, the 'tanks' and high health's having less, and the 'rouges' and more dex builds having more. The walk around is just the benefit of experience and hindsight on a 7 year old game.

[@robertharris6092]

A better system would be make armor stronger but heavyer. And make the dodge when over 70% weight not as atrociasly useless. So youd have to choose between armor or dodgeing. Instead of getting both.

[@ScorpiusRexXIII]

It's just kind of unfortunate that adp is kinda of a somewhat all encompassing stat that anyone, even tanks can benefit from regardless of how much you start with. And another unfortunate part is having prior games as an example. There's some locales in ds1 that either you probably could not easily strafe around either from the hitbox itself, or not having enough breathing room/track. But you still had a dodge roll that in a pinch could at least ensure you a fighting chance if you knew to either roll away or through.

[@mavcotm8006]

I recently finally completed my first ds 2 run and the thing that really killed me was when i opened the door to go to the final boss, the firekeeper stood there... BEHIND THE DOOR?! Couldn't she bring me there so i can safe time? NO! I had to go through all this sh1t when there apparently was a shortcut under her rock like in spongebob!

[@alas6260]

She can teleport

[@olargol2284]

She knows how to parrywalk

[@DrakeHunter324]

Gank Souls 2 was a fun time for me. Seemed like there was a lot of ideas being bounced around, so they put them all in. Same with the level design. No intention of playing it again mind you.

[@MerrStudio]

17:30 "You'll face death. Enough death will live you broken, time after time." ds3

[@kaschey6145]

I actually really love most of the DS2's combat. It's very strategic and actually forces you to, you know, think about what to do next. Recoveries are slower, you spend more stamina on blocking and rolling - you almost always get punished for rushed decisions and mindless spam. Of course, it's a thing in other parts as well but not even close to this extent. In DS1 you get can make a poorly thought hit and not be punished at all thanks to instant roll yet in DS2 you would get hit for it. In DS3 you can panic and start smashing the living hell out of your roll button and actually get away thanks to how many I-frames you get and how cheap every roll is, yet in DS2 you get your face destroyed if you do that because spamming rolls instantly exhaust your stamina. In other words, I really prefer DS2's combat (Especially, in PvP) because it actually wants you to think and strategize your moves. Also, power stance adds new attacks (even if not as many as you wanted) and greatly improves your dps potential letting you deal insane damage if you invest into str and dex much more than the weapons require you to so it's strategy again.

[@talion4033]

That Braniac callback at around 11:57 unlocked memories of John Tickle I didn’t know I had

[@SantiagoFernandez-zq9pj]

I really love the game, this was the first souls game i played and i enjoyed every part of it

[@CH4R10T_TV]

The Emerald Herald teleports just ahead of you because she's waiting for you; she's your queen. She is to you what Nashandra is to Vendrick, only now it's a chance for both of you to rewrite history. It's also why later into the game she reveals her true name and nature to you. She *could* easily get as far as you can, but without you, it wouldn't do her any good, because as with Nashandra and Vendrick, only one of you is yourself fit to sieze the throne. Physically getting there isn't her problem. It meaning anything to her is.

[@tubanesoup]

I think I got to around level 35 before I finally decided to look up why my s weren't working. Uninstalled as soon as I learned about the adaptability stat. I spent hundreds of hours perfecting my dodge timing in other fromsoft games. Making players grind just for decent game mechanics is the opposite of fun.

[@professor7269]

I see Dark Souls 2 as a nre version of Demon's Souls 2009. Each so similar to one another and unique at the same time. I was a DS2 hater,, now I am a believer. Give DS2 a try; you wont regret it.

[@luth7050]

any ds2 pvp enjoyers

[@shotgun-enjoyer]

I feel like every take I see on this game is "omg it has a special place in my heart" or "come on guys its not that bad" NAH BRUH AFTER ELDEN RING, SEKIRO, BLOODBORNE AND DS3 THIS GAME IS FUCKING ASS

[@Master0fCards]

I never thought power standing was unique i justknow dual mace does stupid dmg

[@torvamessorem6686]

Hmm, I had a different take on the defensive options. Yeah, adaptability is a bad idea, but it is possible the developers focused on positioning, which you also mentioned. The Monster Hunter series is built around this concept. Very crappy dodge roll with barely any s, and reliant on your positioning to avoid damage. I always figured for Ds2 that the developers went for this approach as well. The inability to immediately dodge after attacking also seems to support this idea because your attacks need to be precise and deliberate.

[@aprinnyonbreak1290]

Maybe, but that gets foiled by the sloppy hitboxes, and occasionally unclear animations enemies have, like which attacks shield enemies are considered to be blocking through, or enemies that can interrupt hitstun. You can have very limited and precise evasive tools, but those demand a level of commensurate precision in hitboxes and visual information that DS2 really just doesn't match.

[@torvamessorem6686]

@@aprinnyonbreak1290 A lot of people are hammering on the hitboxes, but they've always been bad in every game and still are bad in Elden Ring. Overall they're fine. Just look up some "hitbox porn" videos for ds2.

[@dylanpagliaccetti6758]

I have to say te worst problem in this game for me is that there isn't any sheath or scabbard for the swords and sabers, that at least for me that ruins the fashion soul

[@gabrielmerizio5464]

Sadge that my 2 favorite souls game will probably be trash talked again

[@lorenzoborghi04]

I feel you

[@bloiboppin8923]

Dark souls 2 was 5 good ideas, wrapped in 50 bad ideas

[@soossees670]

Who the fuck is approaching Drangleic Castle at Ng+0 with SL 231? Doesn't talk about encumbrance, beats the old horse to death again. What an amazing video

[@Tumidiagram]

I have absolutely adored Dark Souls 2 ever since I first played it. The setting, weapons, characters, the lore behind it all felt so magical. 1 I adore a lot but I have to honestly admit I find 3 to be one of the worst in the series in my own honest opinion story wise and gameplay wise. Something about Dark Souls 2 feels so fantastical that it always pulls me in to play it again, the DLCs are a shining example. Every time I look at Ivory King's lore I just wanna go back to that DLC.