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.

[@beo3627]

The powerstancing twinblades not letting you turn into a helicopter and fly away to elden ring was disappointing. :(

[@InternetHydra]

Imagine designing the animation for 2-handing one of them, and then giving it THAT for powerstance...

[@TheSabreKnight]

They dropped the ball on not giving all Twinblades the Sorcerer Twinblade SPEEEN move

[@xXLunatikxXlul]

@@InternetHydra scripting this sounds like a nightmare.

[@matteussilvestre8583]

RIP in pasta Helicopter Man

[@DanZhukovin]

@@TheSabreKnight Dual Majestic Greatswords, though...

[@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

[@anagoth9]

A lot of the problems in DS2 come from the fact that they switched game directors midway through development and decided to take the game in a completely different direction with very little time. Knowing that information doesn't make the game better, but it does explain why so much of it feels like the game is a collection of half realized ideas stitched together with a lot of filler.

[@afroize]

Tbh, I think DS2 was trying to go for the "open world" thing early then changed ideas, which would explain why each area is vastly different from each other

[@joaogarcia6170]

DS2 deserves a true remake i think, the game is basically unfinished.

[@eldritchtoilets210]

Honestly, considering how much of a mess the development process was behind the scenes, I'd say it's pretty impressive that the game turned out decent. Even as the nearly unanimously claimed "worst Souls game", DS2 has its standout moments, especially in the DLCs. Also it's commendable how the game really tried to stand out as it's own thing compared to its successor. DS3 was great but the campy lore and lack of innovations were a letdown in comparison imo.

[@dranyth]

I always thought that mostly had to do with pulling together all the separate levels they had made into some sort of a cohesive story/playable game world. The basic gameplay mechanics were already there and probably didn't see a whole lot of change from the director swap I wouldn't think.

[@acolddarkgentlebruh8205]

@@eldritchtoilets210 The lore was still a hell of a lot more interesting than DS2's tacked on, vague and generic lore, trying so hard to feel dark, but just coming off as cringe

[@KirbandtheOatmeals]

"That's your game, you paid 60 dollars for it!" I bought ds2 Sotfs digital edition for 5 euros.

[@deathbyslipknot]

what the fuck is a euro

[@DeliciousHam69]

@@deathbyslipknot a currency you dingus

[@deathbyslipknot]

@@DeliciousHam69 what's a currency

[@DeliciousHam69]

@@deathbyslipknot guess

[@deathbyslipknot]

@@DeliciousHam69 isnt it like an indian food or something

[@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

[@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

[@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

[@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.

[@ScarletAlly]

Female robolenny makes me feel things that are not right

[@Chadman7813]

yes

[@slermph4638]

Yes

[@calebdrobnick4874]

I appreciate and acknowledge the canon that he will be known as robolenny

[@Alberich_Prince_of_Dwarves]

:zeroleBOOBA: is all I have to say on the topic.

[@aetherspiralknight]

RoboLenny will always be hot as fuckin' hell no matter what

[@parkourjesus1614]

"power stance, what a joke" *Bone Fist and Caestus have entered the chat*

[@fang4223]

ah yes, my main tools.

[@parkourjesus1614]

@@fang4223 Truly, one of the enlightened

[@biocube5838]

Vanquisher seal and left hand bone fist for a quick high kick

[@chunkykirby1528]

*Frigid Outskirts flashbacks ensue

[@petkofuchalski9809]

I used a scimitar and the Fume sword. Fun times.

[@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.

[@ZeroLenny]

IM REALLY SORRY ABOUT THE VIDEO BITRATE/QUALITY!!!! My computer is dying and this is all it could handle!! Taking sponsors 100% helps me get a new one ASAP!!!! Hopefully a really nice one so I can make a smashing Elden Ring Video

[@velocitypeasant5832]

Wys big man

[@CantyCanadian]

Need help building one?

[@senorgato4273]

Toaster type beat

[@ZeroLenny]

@@CantyCanadian yeah i dont have a fucking clue lmaoooo sheeesh

[@castilloespinoza9726]

llorón, tómatelo con calma y deja de "chillar" al hablar. otros al menos se calman al hacer estos videos y solo reaccionan así cuando tratan de ser cómicos o se trata de algo que realmente lo amerite; casi no pude entender lo que querías decir por eso.

[@Huhbd373]

I’m definitely in the boat of players who really enjoyed DS2. I remember being stuck on the pursuer for DAYS. Then figured out how to use the ballistas to kill him! So many moments come to mind, my friends teaching me how to cheese dragon rider, the early pursuer fight freaking me and my friends out at a sleepover. I wish I could go back and play it for the first time again.

[@ElHombreGato]

Aww 🥰 This was sweet

[@saftblandaren2706]

lol casul

[@MultiWolfLink]

A better time :^( I remember struggling with pate's side quest to get the soapstone for a few hours before I could even help my friends. Let alone push on the last giant boss🥺🥺 I miss struggling with darksouls, it made the game seem so much bigger and more hostile

[@ElHombreGato]

@@MultiWolfLink I feel you buddy....they never tell you the downsides of Gitting Gud do they? 😞

[@RyanBurnsRed]

I was also stuck on Pursuer. I couldn't get the ballista trick to work so I had to beat him the old fashioned way. In the end I think the first time I won I got lucky, but since then I've had a lot of fun fighting him that way

[@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.

[@sparkorisme9253]

One part of ds2 that stuck with me was the audio design, it felt really arcane and high fantasy, the noise that the old ones make when they die, pharros doors opening, burning an ascetic, its all so ethereal and it makes you think about the magic that exists outside of the castable spells. Dark souls 3 is an auditory blender in comparison, until you get to undead settlement I don't think there's a single enemy that doesn't screech at you. Tar monsters, the dragons, hollows, Vordt, like every other living thing just SCREAMS.

[@baklapjr]

Same for me, same way DS1/2 feel very mysterious and fantasy like. It has a certain vibe to it that 3 just doesn't have, maybe it's the older graphics but I like the whole feel of the world so much more in 1/2

[@anormalguy8407]

Lets not talk about the things that do actual jump scare screams in the dungeon over at late game

[@LunaDeaminac]

I love that you don’t have a problem with going up a lift into a volcanic castle but you do have a problem with a character arriving at a location ahead of you in a universe that canonically has teleportation.

[@Adjudicus]

That's not the problem, the problem is that her story is forced and sucks

[@DatDudeOverThere]

Power stancing doesnt add extrem variety to this game, dual wielding does. You can use the full 1handed move set of a weapon in you left hand. Power stance is just a bonus on top of that.

[@redmirrow8913]

Imagine if powerstancing 2 weapons with skills on heavy attack allowed you to use both, oh man the double moonlight greastswords (i know that this could trivialise pve a lot )

[@Battleguild]

@@redmirrow8913 Certain weapons do that: Double Firedrake Spear Double Smelter Sword And a few others.

[@goblingamer606]

Yeah, I dont see how he can complain about lack of variety. You would have LESS variety without power stancing.

[@josephgreen9865]

It feels like Lenny confused power stancing with dual wielding. Good video though, has good points but fell short with the power stancing one

[@jankbunky4279]

Well, how does that add that much variety? It isn't that much different from using different weapons in your right hand.

[@ubefresch]

You're telling me you can parry the Ruin sentinels?

[@WolfHreda]

One thing that immediately separates DS2 from its predecessor is that you can parry just about any humanoid boss. If it's a dude in armor, you can style on it.

[@NBmad]

*laughs in bloodborne*

[@icehoof]

@@NBmad * Loads glock with malicious intent *

[@TheliMagnus]

@@WolfHreda and that was kinda brought back in sekiro at first youd think you cant parry big ass hammers or animas, but you actually can

[@petkofuchalski9809]

@@TheliMagnus i mean, in sekiro, you can use air pressure as a weapon...

[@yazuki-wolf]

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

[@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?

[@budingiesy0]

I always thought the emerald herald was using the feather she gives us later in game to warp from bonfire to bonfire.

[@theodorehunter4765]

You can literally see her teleport in after Velstadt's boss fight if you look behind you while you go down the stairs.

[@budingiesy0]

Yes I mean lore wise

[@ZeroLenny]

yea but then like haha why tell me to go get the king ring tho hahah like just teleport pick it and and teleport back tho haha :^^^^)

[@thestylemage2092]

@@ZeroLenny To prove your strength? Why doesm't Gwyndolin just give us the Lordvessel, why do we have to fight O&S, for that matter, why doesn't Frampt just give us the Lordvessel after the Asylum?

[@penthactussoul]

@@thestylemage2092 How could Frampt give you the Lordvessel? Dont you need to travel to Anor Londo so Gwyndolin can give it to you?

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@serlistogiette4168]

"Perhaps you've seen it. Maybe in a dream." No I've seen it in my fucking nightmares.

[@ZeroLenny]

lmfao 10/10 summed it up betetr than me and didnt take 26mins

[@serlistogiette4168]

@@ZeroLenny Lenny, it's funny ya made this video cuz last night I had a dream where the Lead Designer for DS2 admitted in an interview that before he was assigned the project he never even heard of Dark Souls before. I woke up screaming "THAT EXPLAINS EVERYTHING" and no I'm not joking it was really funny. I have a lot of gripes but personally one of my biggest is the walking and running animations, like in DS1 and DS3 your character is animated, they move their legs and arms as a person would in real life if they ran. In DS2 however, your character not only has a stick shoved straight up their ass but in their ass they shat themselves and are desperately looking for a toilet. Like WHY IS IT SO STIFF. Your character walks like a fucking wooden board for christ sake!

[@nickzakrath7080]

@@serlistogiette4168 What if it wasn't a dream, but a vision of the past...?

[@lunchbagrodriguez]

@@serlistogiette4168 fr, the movement has 8 main directions and then notches in-between in ds2, which makes it feel so bad compared to ds1 and ds3

[@serlistogiette4168]

@@nickzakrath7080 No... NOOOO

[@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?

[@OtepRalloma]

10:08 the worst problem with this is that it defeats the point of 'fast' weapons, you may as well use a heavy-hitting weapon if your attack cycle is gonna be that long

[@darrenfleming7901]

Honesty I was playing through the game with a katana because that’s my go to weapon for most From games and I had no idea why it felt so sluggish. At first I thought adaptability was my problem but this just made everything click. It’s such a shame because I feel like DS2 is full of good ideas and has many redeeming qualities like good build variety, good exploration, good npcs, but it’s just held back by some really core flaws in the combat.

[@OtepRalloma]

@@darrenfleming7901 This. Like, I LIKE Dark Souls 2. But it has such key flaws that I can't in good faith put it next to any of the Souls games I've played quality wise

[@FriedrichTheGreatest]

At least the pvp is super fun with the feigning, slower healing allowing to punish chuggers, incredible amount of viable pvp weapons, spells don't suck, etc

[@ZeroLenny]

I agree! also love your pfp xxx

[@FriedrichTheGreatest]

@@ZeroLenny thanks lenny

[@FriedrichTheGreatest]

@@ZeroLenny I also really love how the Stone ring works in pvp. Turns off Poise but not hyperarmor, in ds3 this is dooky because str weapons are easily telegraphed but because you can feign attacks it actually makes roll catching with strength weapons pretty easy. Ds2 may have the worst pve but I stand by my opinion that it has the best PvP.

[@Guitar-Dog]

How do you feign an attack?

[@zzodysseuszz]

@@Guitar-Dog use an attack with a follow up and deliberately miss the attack, the enemy runs in thinking your attack is over and as soon as they run in you do the follow up attack. If this isn’t what they meant then I don’t really know what feigning in ds2 is.

[@sharif47]

15:41 "How did you get here?" Moments later, Emerald Herald gives you the Aged Feather, using which, you can teleport to the last bonfire from anywhere. Which likely means that Emerald Herald can teleport anywhere using the Aged Feather. Don't ask me how a feather lets you teleport.

[@molloz98]

I litirally just starred replaying this game like an hour ago because of watching your vids

[@ZeroLenny]

maybe keep playing and come back to this dont wanna spoil you :')

[@molloz98]

@@ZeroLenny i've played it throce already man no worrys. Oh and I've seen you talk someithing about people telling you that you where too energetic in the ign guid video? Fuck those people man. Be the way you are mate. Don't let those cunts turn you down. I love it

[@Guitar-Dog]

If you did get shit because of that IGN guide don't listen to the hate, that video and this video have been some of the best content you've put out in a while, I like blue lenny but prefer regular lenny

[@conex97]

@@Guitar-Dog and guy above, hard agree. The game is great for what it is, so is Bloodborne and Lenny is fuckin killing it with these funny, interesting and sometimes introspective videos :D Keep up the good work, Lenny

[@seansean3659]

Enjoy good game good

[@Matartar50]

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.

[@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)

[@tank19768]

The Emerald Herald doesn't actually show up everywhere in the kingdom. In the Japanese version she refers to the versions of her you've met as "bunshins" IE clones or illusions.

[@ScorpSolifugid]

So when I accidentally killed her after finding Vendrick and a gravestone appeared in Majula, that was her going into hiding after I killed her stunt-double?

[@tank19768]

@@ScorpSolifugid /shrug sounds like the gameplay just doesn't match the in-game lore. Wouldn't be the first time for DS2

[@ScorpSolifugid]

@@tank19768 That's true, I'm still just a bit salty about having to pay two-thousand souls every time I wanted to level up after that. The grave system was really forgiving for most NPCs, but level-up characters respawn with no strings attached in the other games, so it was extra annoying to be saddled with a consultation fee for the emerald herald.

[@angellara7040]

That also in the English version but Lenny didn't play that dialog because It went against the joke

[@tank19768]

@@angellara7040 Yeah, though it's less specific so I thought it'd be better to go for the Japanese version.

[@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.

[@FKyoutubeSERIOUSLY]

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

[@yourdad5799]

@@FKyoutubeSERIOUSLY 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!

[@gameaddict1074]

If Adaptibility altered dodge distance and speed instead of i-frames, that would've worked out imo. Dodges with or without Adaptibility would allow you to avoid damage all the same, but with Adaptability, you could be a bit more agile and aggressive. They might have to balance bosses for this, but it would work fine for Dark Souls 2 roster of bosses.

[@anormalguy8407]

thats one thing they learned from ds2. In the 3rd one they made both normal and fast roll the same amount of s and roll recovery but just made the fast roll cover more distance. Thank you ds2

[@Don-ds3dy]

There's actually 5 options for avoiding damage... Blocking, dodging, parrying, walking out of the way of an attack to preserve stamina, and canceling out your opponents attack with your own attack.

[@joshuapeters3998]

THANK YOU, I was shouting at my phone when he said that.

[@antonioklaic4839]

Some hard enemies were a joke for me because I killed them before they attack so I never saw their attacks

[@leeham6230]

LMFAO does this guy not know that people have beat this game 100% all bosses (including DLC) without getting hit ONCE? Wtf...

[@procracksmoker7]

@@leeham6230 Who is "this guy"? Obviously he knows all of this, he was just making an example. Y'all aren't genius

[@exxe2454]

Or you just max out hp/armor then tank & heal.

[@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.

[@peterthepeopleeater5697]

You can hate the game all you want, but you have to agree; the falconer's walk cycle is god tier.

[@MrJinglejanglejingle]

"Lemme tell you somethin'. Lemme tell you somethin'-"

[@sernoddicusthegallant6986]

Everybody talks about the great characters like Artorias, Aldia and Gwynn, but nobody mentions the humble falconer whos so dedicated to his job hes still fighting for Vendrick even though hes shat his trousers. Truly an inspiration to us all.

[@dylanreynolds6693]

4:22 - 4:38 You can reinvest your attribute points in DS2 using an item you get fairly early on, allowing you to change your play style in many diffrent ways.

[@TruthAndReconciliation]

You can also alter your playstyle by closing the game and booting up a better one

[@217adaptiveperspective]

Also think you can farm those items with Bonfire aesthetics but I'm probably wrong Haven't played the game since 2019

[@Levire_]

I have a special fondness for dark souls 2, despite its flaws. It was my first dark souls because here in Brazil it's cheaper, and if it didn't exist I probably wouldn't fall in love with the franchise.

[@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)

[@ReleaseZeKrakken]

One of my favorite things about 2 compared to others is the amount of variety and the changes in NG+ and beyond.

[@ReleaseZeKrakken]

@Ferrol That's purely opinion. DS2 can be the worst souls game and still be a good game regardless of what a single person thinks. I can play it and have fun and if others can't then that's okay too.

[@aspiringadonis1253]

@@BBQcheese still far far better than just a net increase on health and damage as well as item swapups.

[@sounghungi]

@@BBQcheese Except most of the times when you get ganked, the level is designed for you to either be able to lure them out, or force the enemies to fight one on one. Honestly it makes me sad when people focus to hard on player actions and enemy actions in a vacuum when level design is just as important. This is why I don't like Dark Souls 3 beyond the bosses because the levels are so wide and spacious where you never feel like you have to pay attention to your positioning otherwise you'll die from rolling wrong.

[@mizerinhageimiplays1488]

@Eli Santiago oh look! Its the person nobody likes!

[@Fuchsfeuer]

that's true but even in ds2 one would have liked to have had more changes in ng+. I still remember that I often read that in ds2 something changes every time and the normal opponents are exchanged from a certain high ng+ lvl. Unfortunately none of that was true. Dark Souls 2 is probably the game that had some of the best approaches but didn't really fulfill any of them very well. some of them ended up hurting the game more see ADP Stat or the Life Gems^^

[@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.

[@rasenganknight]

what I personally hate is that a fly could land on your shoulder in ds2 and that'd stagger you. like honestly, why is the default poise so low?

[@andryuu_2000]

Still better than ds3 (even tho there's hyperarmor when attacking)

[@KrigRaseri]

@@andryuu_2000 It's not though, 3 gives you the ability to tank at least one hit of something like a straight sword before staggering, and with I think 32.08 poise you can not be staggered on a roll catch.

[@supergoodadvice853]

@@andryuu_2000 Hyperarmor is worse than any type of poise.

[@lordmuhehe4605]

"honestly, why is the default poise so low?" Because DS1 PVP community bitched and moaned nonstop about poise, so they did something about that.

[@vaskopoh9512]

@@KrigRaseri literally is. You can tank many hits with the right amount of optimisation. At 60 poise (which can easily be reached with 6/8 vit) pretty much any light attack doesn't stagger you.

[@aeryonyx4809]

I love this game even with all its imperfections. It was my first souls game and it got me addicted to the series. While certainly the black sheep of the series, it has an undeniable janky charm to me. That’s why my friend and I just started our second run of drunk souls 2 and better times have never been had :)

[@ezio4470]

We'd set up 3 tvs and xboxs, cook some steak sandwiches, get a case of beer and race to a million souls from a clean start. we'd all play every Friday and Saturday night before everyone got busy with their own lives. Those were good times!

[@hc9kt367]

Same, first DS for me, still loved DS3 more but enjoyed lots of stuff from 2 like the variety of fun builds you could do there

[@diddlyharbo9527]

my first too I remember suffering on the lost sinner for days. but now its one of the easiest bosses for me then playing through with my brother like 10 times or something close to that.

[@TheSaylesMan]

The Emerald Herald gets to go everywhere because she's got the teleport feather.

[@rebakedbeans8533]

Okay, i just have to clarify, the DS2 Longsword and Broadsword are in fact different. It may not be obvious if you haven't used one extensively. While i prefer the longsword for its speed, thrusting attack, and over all versitility, a friend of mine prefers the broadsword, for its deliberate slashes somewhat unique asthetic, and (in his oppinion) better elemental upgrades.

[@awhite1212]

They're different in real life too. Shocker.

[@felipeguedescampos851]

​​@@awhite1212 in real life they don't have different movesets

[@pastorofmuppets4552]

@@felipeguedescampos851 but they do have different uses. Broadswords are more specialized for cutting and longswords are more specialized for thrusting.

[@DunCakes]

I love that people always show Prowling Magus as a example of why all of DS2 is the easiest game and completely ignore that Pinwheel exists

[@2k2techmodifiedM2B]

@@Noivasjesse pinwheel is the hardest ds1 boss cuz you allway đie when try runing throught that stupid bonewheels

[@kingdomkey2262]

@@Noivasjesse Really? it was just a bunch normal enemies in a brightly lit small room that you can in 10 seconds

[@2k2techmodifiedM2B]

@@kingdomkey2262 same with capra demon and tarus demon also deacon of the deep

[@lordteensie6156]

Pinwheel is 1 easy boss, almost every boss in dark souls 2 is pretty easy

[@angellara7040]

Why not ceaseless discharge? He basically kills himself

[@phatdookie4207]

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

[@onionman5724]

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

[@rafaelcosta2087]

Same

[@abakgab4580]

Y'know i rlly think that the criticism about ADP only comes about the fact that most part of the people that play DS2 play it as the last souls game of the series and can't get used to the fact that the combat in this game is based not in muscular memory rolling in-between your enemies fast combos but in the fact that outspacing is in a fact a thing in this game and you can beat the game without pressing B easily, the only problem is not in dodging but in the speed of consumable use and even if you don't put a single point into ADP you still have time between most of boss combos tu use lifegems and estus

[@abakgab4580]

It's a switch between two different generations and Tanimura could see all the possibilities in a new gen combat and used this to make a movimentation where you can see that everything is more dramatic in some way and it appears in the combat as well as the characters have a delay between some fast and slow attacks that they use almost all of the body hitboxes to put it to work, which gives a more majestic style to things like Velstadt and Burnt Ivory King combos where you gotta pay attention to the delays all of the time

[@abakgab4580]

DS3 tried to come back to something more similar to the DS1 combat but in a completely different generation which make some fights so monotonous as you just need to press your b button really fast, it's not like one make another worse or better but they are different games with different propositions and the way that the mechanics things works implies in the game aesthetic as a piece of media, DS2 don't need to push forward some DS1 ideas but readapt it in its own context creating a brand new perspective about the world concepts

[@huntresswizard569]

underrated comment

[@CakeLord7]

Started with DaS2, so it holds a special place in my heart. That being said, YIKES THIS GAME IS *FLAWED* . Made great points you sweet baby angel.

[@yourdad5799]

This is a very good mindset to have.

[@plazma0325]

Yeah same. I'm actually playing through it rn for the sake of nostalga, and while I do actually enjoy it I absolutely think that it is the worst in the series. I actually really enjoyed this video, it puts into words exactly what I've been feeling myself.

[@ZeroLenny]

Yeah, I'd say 1 is my favourite and a big part of that is it being my first one too!

[@Zinras]

@@ZeroLenny Same here but I also feel like DaS 1 gets a truly hilarious amount of free passes because only 10 people played DeS. I think that you point out quite well why everyone is harsher on the 2nd game (including myself) but a lot of people forget that the beautifully connected world of the first Dark Souls gets yeeted into the trash for the last 1/3 of the game after you get the Lordvessel. You can walk in a straight line from Firelink to Nito, teleport to Anor Londo and walk in a straight line to the Duke or teleport to Kellogg's and walk in a straight line to the greatest boss design of all time. Spooky Londo is sort of saved by being under Firelink and being fairly open once drained but then 4 of the same infinitely reapwning boss dab on you if you're slow. Dark Souls 2 absolutely wins on variety of everything, fashion, ascetics and creative covenants, though. Still kinda mad we haven't seen many of those things return.

[@karnamana3103]

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

[@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.

[@furiousdave5379]

The one thing that always got under my skin was the weapon durability. Smack a few enemies some 30 times, weapon is at half durability and nowhere near the boss...great planning there.

[@TheStoso2]

The only game where you have to do something about your durability instead of just ignoring it, why did they try to do the same system in DSIII but impossible to break is beyond me, why would durability even be in the game if you won't ever have to worry about it

[@joaogarcia6170]

Yeah, if you're not using heavy weapons (like greatswords or greathammers) your weapon won't be durable enough to go through the whole level.

[@daringspino3446]

eh, it's one of the things in ds2 I find it okay. in ds1 and 3 you probably never care about durability's existence unless you use the weapon arts.

[@A_Black_Sheep94]

If you don't hit walls it's never a problem for the majority of weapons.

[@ghosty3494]

@@A_Black_Sheep94 except the broadsword notorious for how fucking garbage it is when in a tight hallway

[@superjanembaishappy5512]

I've never heard the Adaptability actually influenced your rolls. I was just told you could jump further. In all of my playthrough, I've never leveled-up Adaptability. Thank you Lenny for showing how stupid I am.

[@JHawke1]

Not knowing about it doesn't make you stupid. The game doesn't mention it at all. Not even in the stat description.

[@skeletonwar4445]

What the other guy said. Not knowing how adaptability works doesn't make you stupid at all cause the game does a piss poor job explaining it. In fact, it does *no job at all* explaining it. You either know it from another source or you're fucked. Good luck have fun lmao.

[@soularth]

i agree with them me and my bud did deathless runs and we never figured it out ether

[@itsallenwow]

People have already said, but not knowing that doesn’t make you stupid. DS2 is stupid because it never told you about that. Rolling is like the central mechanic of the game and they don’t say it

[@hepwo91222]

adaptability is king in DS2

[@Linkadion]

Huh. I did not expect this video to come out for another month and a half. Lenny gets speeeeeedeyyyy by the look of things.

[@ZeroLenny]

OOOooooooooOOOo YESSS ERR sPEEEDY pEEEEDDYY OOOooOOOoo

[@lilwyvern4]

@@ZeroLenny Quite unlike Dark Souls 2 combat!

[@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

[@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

[@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

[@shizno1872]

I’m surprised you didn’t mention soul memory. As time has moved on I’ve began to realise that this game has a lot more in common with demon’s souls than dark souls. I do enjoy this game for reasons that I don’t hear many people talk about very often and the main reason why I got bored of ds3 quicker than any other title in the series is streamlining. Ds2 wasn’t streamlines for the most part especially when we’re talking about weapons. There is a weapon that gains a new move set when its durability is depleted. There’s a dagger that inflicts toxic and poison damage. There’s a shield with innate dark damage that doubles as a chime and a catalyst. This game really went all out in terms of variety and I absolutely loved that.

[@KingKamor2]

Yeah, one thing that I appreciated about DS2 was its variety of options. Everyone seems to abhor the Shrine of Amana because of the magic snipers, but I had a blast with it because I'd picked up one of the spell-parry shields earlier and was able to deflect all the soul arrows away while approaching the enemies like some kind of magic-immune Terminator. Shrine of Amana is, aesthetically, still one of my favorite locations in the series. DS3, while a beautiful game with tons of high points, was definitely safe in comparison. I'd love to play DS2 in DS3's engine without Adaptability or Life Gems.

[@MehrdadParthian]

lol. DS3 literally does all the above, but it also has 100x better visuals, 100x better gameplay, and 500x better story and lorecrafting !!!

[@shizno1872]

@@MehrdadParthian ds3 was too streamlined to be enjoyable for me.

[@wyvernslayer4530]

@@MehrdadParthian ds3 doesnt have a chime shield.

[@MehrdadParthian]

​@@wyvernslayer4530 it has sorcery catalyst/spear, sorcery/pyromancy staff, miracle/pyromancy talisman, sword/pyromancy weapon, miracle/sorcery chime, whip/sorcery weapon, and many many other hybrid weapons and talismans and staves... and yet you're just gushing over that one thing. shields are too overpowered in DS3 to want to add any other function to them, so it doesn't even make sense for them to be hybrids ! it very much seems like you're nit-picking to drive home a point that is not valid at all !

[@Enderception]

But like, every souls game has that "Turn based combat" deal. Enemies just get faster or slower along with your character. That's like a staple of the games

[@TrueYankeeFan]

Yeah, I'm definitely someone who enjoys shitting on DS2 from time to time, but a lot of these arguments aren't fleshed out very well. I don't think he's making them in bad faith per se, but there's a lot of ways to refute or at least contest what he's saying. What's all this about "block builds" vs "roll builds", for instance? Someone using a shield is still going to benefit from rolling, and someone not using a shield will still benefit from blocking (with their weapon) on occasion. You can do both. I guess DS2 is unique in that you COULD make a "roll build" by leveling ADP to 40... but it's a false dichotomy to suggest that players should be doing one OR the other. Most players are going to use both. Circle strafing is present and effective in each Soulsborne game. It's possible (maybe even likely) that DS2 is the most exploitable in this way, but I do think it's disingenuous to pretend you can't benefit from it in the other games. I agree with his conclusion that Lifegems are terrible but I disagree with his premise that it'd be fine if you couldn't buy/carry 99 of them. I think they'd be a poorly designed system even if you couldn't buy them at all. Ironically, I kinda enjoy Lifegems in-game because a lot of the time when the player takes damage in DS2 it's genuinely not the player's fault, so it's less frustrating getting shitboxed when you can just pop a Lifegem and carry on. I'll cut myself off here, but yeah... I know he's going more for entertainment than critical discussion, but even I (a DS1 fanboy) have to say these arguments aren't put together well.

[@Enderception]

@@TrueYankeeFan Yeah, the "ideally players should stop blocking as they advance in the game" bit is so weird as well. He clearly doesn't understand the benefits of blocking vs rolling, there is a time for rolling and a time for blocking. The strafing thing also peeved me because like, ds2 isn't even the worst case of this. Ds3 is. Plenty of ds3's fastest enemies practically require strafing and positioning to defeat. And that's not even a bad thing in my opinion, is another part of the game, that again is present in every game. And the lifegems bit as well. He didn't even mention the most glaring flaw: that estus should be faster to use, not the other way around. Also ds2 wouldn't work without cheap renewable lifegems, they should be more punishable by enemies tho. All in all, it's a weird video. I love ds2 and I agree with a lot of the criticisms people make, but this was more about personal pet peeves which is fine, I just thought it was going to be more well thought out/ interesting.

[@TheMasterMind144]

@@Enderception I'm glad I'm not the only one who was taken by surprise by that part. "Ideally" players should do whatever they want, if they want to continue to use shields until they beat the game they should be able to do so. I think the reason why he is making this argument is because he thinks there are more cons to blocking vs. rolling, however by progressing through the game all of those cons start to diminish, you get access to better shields with more stability, damage reduction, magick damage reduction, etc. and your stamina increases and shield builds become just as viable if not more viable than pure rolling builds.

[@forbjok]

To a certain degree, but in every other Souls game you can generally get in an initial hit safely on pretty much all enemies, so that you can at least quickly finish off trivial enemies without having to bait an attack and waiting for an opening for every single one. Not in Dark Souls 2, and it really kills the pacing hard. The ridiculously slow stamina regen also contributes to just padding out the gameplay with pointless forced waiting.

[@spaarky]

Yeah but ds2 is really slow and boring turn based combat

[@devindalton4688]

You get unique animations for dual wielded weapons that aren't powerstanced when you have the appropriate stats. Swords have rapid slashes for example. Powerstancing adds variety in that it allows you to do different attacks you wouldn't be able to do otherwise, and DS2 allows you to do both light and heavy attacks with your left hand weapon when not powerstanced. Tons of variety.

[@spitfuzzy7826]

never in my life have I ever heard a statement of "its just great." and go "Yeah, it wasn't bad." while sounding like we're disappointed

[@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?

[@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.

[@CallMeHector]

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

[@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

[@kronos4806]

The heal stones in ds 2 never bothered me because as soon as you got the art of kindling in ds 1 you also had basically unlimited heals and the game is still good.

[@2k2techmodifiedM2B]

why ds3 not include this? basiclly ds3 is 90% ds1 machanic rip off and 10% fan service

[@Boobo_000]

@@2k2techmodifiedM2B life stones?

[@2k2techmodifiedM2B]

@@Boobo_000 humanity and kindling bonefine

[@elythas128]

Lifegems were great

[@eutriV33]

@@2k2techmodifiedM2B %90 mechanic rip off ? Are u sure you played both DS1 and 3 ?

[@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.

[@Handcraftedd2136]

I played dark souls 2 recently and honestly enjoyed it more than dark souls 3

[@logex621]

For me I fell in love with dark souls 2 at Majula. I had just beaten some tough boss like the fume knight and I came to Majula and the music got me the peace of waves crashing on the shore the sun high in the sky. it was like coming home again dark souls has flaws. but any game that can both challenge me so thoroughly and gives me a moment of real peace. earned its place in my heart.

[@lucho6883]

I remember having my ass kicked brutally at the lost bastille (or something like that), then getting back to Majula and feeling so safe, even if it was for a small time

[@logex621]

@@lucho6883 perhaps that safety is a key Distinction in this series

[@jarlbalgruuf2415]

Majula always feels sad and lonely to me idk

[@lucho6883]

@@jarlbalgruuf2415 it's not really a happy place, but a place that looks perfect to sit for a while and think about life. Also, a really cool place to drink a cold beer while watching the sea

[@BIGBOSS9545]

I remember picking up Dark Souls 2 for the first time and just admiring how beautiful some of the scenery was. It’s also where I get to accurately model Virgil as well, maybe not the clothing but definitely the model. I had a whole handful of issues with the game, but I never hated it and I still don’t. It’s fun in its own right and I think that’s enough to keep me hooked

[@cameronkinsella6981]

Lenny speaking as a HUGE ds2 defender and a longtime viewer, I gotta say this was one of your best videos ever. You were fair and considered in every critique you made and I really appreciate that. The bit at the end was super nice as well. The direction your channels gone after putting robolenny on a hiatus is making for some great content. You're a really good video essayist and I hope you know that. You've got a sub for life dude :)

[@RoubanoGames]

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

[@josetomascamposrobledano4618]

Tbh, many of the things that “ruin the game” are what keep me coming back. Lifegems allow for many to do the No Death/No Bonfire without becoming a no-life. ADP is a mistake, however it’s no different from stats like HP and stamina leveling for most players, sadly is hidden to new players. At least Max NG+ players will agree with me that OP rolls are simply amazing and needed at that difficulty. Emerald herald appearing everywhere this to the concept of “bunshin”. She has apparitions that guide the player, the real one was the one before Ancient Dragon, Lenny just got a clash of culture like many suffered at the ideas of Cycles in DS3. Powerstancing adds enough new animations to be respectable, even some secrets like the Artorias Greatsword or the explosions of Double-Smelters. All in all, it’s this mechanics that describe what DS2 is, I agree it’s the weakest entry IMO, but it stills sits as a Souls game. It has the most replay-ability of any Souls game with routing and build variety. And the DLC adds bosses with amazing quality like Sir Alonne and the Dragon of the Sanctum City. And for last but not least, DS2 is the longest game to explore everything, so if you’re addicted to Souls this is the best game to use as a time killer.

[@itagamineko]

I agree. I love ds2

[@Sohelanthropus]

I couldn't agree more with you bro, DS2 feels so unique compared to 1 and 3

[@mattsumusic9679]

@@Sohelanthropus Just as a plate of dog shit is unique compared with a steak

[@renyoudie]

@@mattsumusic9679 good lord, didn't have to do him so dirty like that m8

[@Sohelanthropus]

@@mattsumusic9679 yeah you'd know something about that🤙

[@ShadowlotusD]

The thing that i really liked about DS2 is the weapon moveset variety, with certain weapons of course. Like the santiers spear or the bewitched alonne sword. they had a mix and match of weapons movesets. or just creating new movesets entirely like with the puzzling stone sword or the smelters hammer. everything in DS3 i feel is very straight forward and lack luster.

[@lawmanlawman2210]

And don't even forget the power-stanced Bone fist, Ivory King Ultra Greatsword, Loyce Greatsword, or Drakewing Ultra Greatsword

[@shinyrayquaza9]

the only ds3 weapons I liked were twinblades and boss/dlc sttuff

[@JimJamTheAdmin]

@@lawmanlawman2210 the demon's fist were a piss poor fist weapon compared to how ninja I felt with my bone fists. I think it was Caestus in one hand, Bonefist in the other for the moveset but superior scaling of the Caestus.

[@KirTheBeetle]

DS2 is my favorite souls game, why is it my favorite souls game? Purely the veriety put into place for magic, miracle, hex, pyromancy, or anything you want to be for a build. There's always a more optimal build but for me, being a man with two crab claws poisoning the people of majula is what I want to be. This is why I have fun with this game, cause I can be what I want when I want.

[@Guitar-Dog]

Yeah that's the reason I like dark souls 2, it's much more like a table top RPG

[@zzodysseuszz]

I like to be a pretty butterfly and kill my opponents from my sheer beauty. And then laugh over the corpses of the inferiors who dare glance upon my Eldrich presence

[@davidthegreat3289]

For the power stance; I did waste a bunch of time testing out combinations and I was disappointed how many animations were the same. What I enjoyed however was switching to that mid-pvp as an option. Dual wield sword(rh) and dagger(lh) use them individually in each hand, switch to two handing either one, switch to power standing. It added a variety to a few pvp builds switching between how you're holding both weapons, I'm excited for this to come back with the weapon arts as well, it gives one build a lot of options rather than opening menu to switch around mid-fight.

[@luth7050]

spear + longsword, switching in between a rapier and whip, had so much fun with that combo

[@luth7050]

and ofc, with powerstancing u only expand the kit of moves and combos avaiable to you

[@luth7050]

hard disagree with lenny on this one

[@sainterasmus4545]

I never thought about the Emerald Herald being out of place, I don't feel like she is, and one of the things I really like about Dark Souls 2 compared to 3 and 1, is how she shows up in these places, following you around, like she is actually as invested in your quest as she claims to be. Unlike the firekeeper from DS3 that just stands around looking hot as fuck, but ultimately just there to act as a way to level up. I just started playing Dark Souls 2 after hearing how bad it is, but I can't wait for Elden Ring and I've already played through 1 and 3 a good many times, but I gotta admit Emerald Herald is quickly becoming my favorite firekeeper in the souls games.

[@serene-illusion]

The most disappointing thing about DS3's firekeeper is the fact that she's just there, and rarely ever says any new dialogue. With the only "cool" thing she does is if you take the Dark Ending, and the fact that she has very cute reactions to your gestures. Sure, she can also heal the dark sigil, but it's not super momentous and you'd really only do it to spawn and kill Yuria or you have no fuckin clue what you're doing. They could've done much more with her, else just make us level up with bonfires instead and have her boost our estus like in DS1. Yeah that'd render DS3 Firelink almost entirely useless to visit, but they could've added more to Firelink if that were the case. I haven't even touched how I think DS3's Firelink is super underwhelming

[@dogedude1535]

@Mustafa Frosty ah hell nah she's more absent than mf anastacia

[@reikanx]

Never played DS2 before but I legitimately enjoyed watching your review. And the Most Important Part was very good. People waste way too much energy on fighting each other over tastes and opinions, it's good to have someone to remind us that the reason why we don't like something might also be the same exact reason someone else does... and that's okay.

[@bellystraw]

I wholeheartedly recommend it. It's my favorite of the bunch in a bunch of aspects, if you feel like trying it it's often on sale.

[@Mrkabrat]

19:15 "Now I'm going in hard here and people might get hurt by this" Lenny's pillow talk

[@Lardianyt]

In DS2, blocking is often preferable to rolling as rolling takes longer and uses more stamina, meaning you will have less opportunity to hit the enemy back, the ruin sentinel fight is a clear example where blocking > rolling, as it is very hard to dodge some of their attacks such as the spinning attack they do, but that same attack can be easily blocked.

[@PierreLucSex]

DS2 makes you comit. If you want to roll everywhere, you need adaptability and endurance. Or a ring. DS2 is perfect for me. Every build feels really unique. Plus infinite rolling like in DS3 feels really stupid.

[@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.

[@Trashingcanine]

I feel like you forgot to talk about how broken the crystal cannon builds with sorceries, how you can manipulate the amount of times you can cast them. In my experience, I enjoyed the game as an advanced DnD. Literally had a blast playing this in coop

[@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

[@ZomgLolPants]

Kinda interesting watching this one again after elden ring. Feels like they learned a lot of lessons from the criticism of dark souls 2 in how they implemented similar systems in elden ring, eg: healing accessibility, the Emerald Herald, and power stancing.

[@airone7794]

They already had corrected most of it in DS3. I'm at the beginning of Elden Ring right now and it feel like i'm playing DS3-2. Which is a good thing tbh

[@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

[@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.

[@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)

[@lordcommissarspartan]

Bloodborne's solution to consumables might've been a solution to how effective lifegems are now I think about it. Only carrying 20 small gems, then 1 to 3 of the better ones. Same with spell recovery items and the other big heals like crimson waters and the like.

[@bryce8426]

I enjoy the slow combat because I myself am slow. The combat feels just right for me, and the fast bosses give me feel a rush that makes the DLC memorable.

[@SkyCloudSilence]

Same. I enjoy being able to feel engaged, paced, thoughful and tactical with the enemies who are also engaged,... not just feeling like it's a hack'n'slash or button masher. I love both DS and DSII, but DSIII to me has no depth for that reason.

[@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

[@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.

[@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

[@StainlessPot6]

I just remember playing original Dark Souls 2 and having multiple rings of life protection and never having to worry about losing my humanity because I can just repair the rings for 3k souls each.

[@zackbauer4562]

Were you always wearing a ring of life protection?

[@CosmicIceCream]

Haha, yeah that's is how I'd farm the memories for souls risk free.

[@chaunceyloveshack9530]

holy shit I assumed it would break forever so I never even tried to use it. that sounds broken.

[@zackbauer4562]

@@chaunceyloveshack9530 You don't actually need to wear it the entire time, since if you die and lose your souls, if you put the ring on to go collect them and die again, the original souls won't despawn and will still be where you died the first time.

[@chaunceyloveshack9530]

@@zackbauer4562 incredible thanks 4 the tip

[@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

[@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! :)

[@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.