Ok, so Dark Souls 2 is inferior to the first game, but: Majula

at first i didn't like majula but it grew on me and now i do prefer it to firelink

dark souls 2 is pretty much the better game, just give it time.

It's funny that it takes dlc for people to realise this.

>>255498197
>largely populated near the end of the game,
needed twice as many people to feel like a place where lost souls rest. More empty houses as well. as it is it felt too "videogamey"

The Majula theme is easily the best piece of music in any of the souls games

>>255498197
Yes OP, by far Majula was better.

>>255498197

>largely populated near the end of the game, it feels like you have a home to come back to after all the exploring and fighting

this is what i don't like about majula. In dark souls all your friends from firelink are dead or hollowed by the end, which makes it feel like your "home" no longer exists. this gives your character the ability to throw his life into the fire because he has nowhere to return to.

I felt that huge hole on the ground kinda ruined what could've been a comfy undead village that you slowly fill with NPCs as the game progresses. People just get crammed near the bonfire and you have pretty much no reason to go near the houses after buying the cat ring and getting the flask shards near the manor.

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>>255498415
hah, no.

I disagree.

Firelink had better music, Majula was too simple and just got annoying after a while.
And I prefer how the Firelink population kind of dies out at the end since that's a big theme throughout the whole game, and seeing your "safe zone" empty raises a certain feeling of despair.

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The entire fanbase agrees that Majula is better than Firelink.
However they're both UTTER FUCKING SHIT compared to the Nexus.

>>255498727
Dark Souls II keeps the NPC's there so you can have a decent expirence of playing the game after the ending.

>>255498727
but in Das2 you become the next big king

but its 101% clear that there will be a real ending with the dlcs

>>255498902
The Nexus is fucking terrible man.

It took me like 5 minutes to find that damn momumental
>inb4 retard

I found Majula to be incredibly cliche. It's just a crumbling seaside village with a pleasant strumming to lull you into comfort. Firelink Shrine felt part of a true fantasy world.

>>255499037
Sorry i don't speak to mentally challenged people.

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Hey /v/. Any reason why people barely played or didn't like this game at all?

>>255498902
The fuck are you talking about, Firelink is better than both the Nexus and Majula because it isn't needlessly large
It was a compact hub with all the NPCs you'd need except maybe a blacksmith in a small location central to the world
Since warping wasn't avilable immediately and usually warped you to points half way or at the end of an area it was still probably the most common warp spot because it had most everything needed from NPCs as well as connected everything except Anor Londo

Hub area ranking.
Nexus>Majula>Firelink

Hub characters (when all have gathered)
Nexus>Majula>Firelink

Most memorable first visit
Firelink>Nexus (fucking dragon god..) > Majula

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Have to give you that one, it is better even if it has some retarded shit like the NPCs being glued to ground for the entirety of the game, at least they moved around in 1.

>>255498415
>Reused bosses
>Short as shit
>Easy as fuck
>2 months after PC release
>Along with 2 more dlcs

If anything, the dlc made me hate the game and From even more.

>>255499220
>The fuck are you talking about, Firelink is better than both the Nexus and Majula because it isn't needlessly large
>It was a compact hub with all the NPCs you'd need except maybe a blacksmith in a small location central to the world
...did you actually play DeS?
That's what the Nexus is, the only thing missing is a special blacksmith that you can reach almost instantly anyway.

how can you like majula over firelink with das2 shit level design?

>>255499318
>short as shit
it's the longest souls game

>easy as fuck
on my first playthrough it was hell

>2 months after pc release
how is this a valid complaint?

>along with 2 more dlc's
>not wanting more souls
edgy

>reused bosses
2 fan favorites

>>255498902
Maiden in Black themed Nexus > Majula > The Nexus themed Nexus > Firelink Shrine

My problem with Firelink is that only the bonfire area was interesting.

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>>255499668
I am talking about the DLC you flaming retard.

Majula is cool and all.

But nothing beats this song atmosphere.
It's like i can fell the depression and sadness that overcomes everything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2llS87avh2w

>>255498197
DaS2 is great

it's just inferior to its predecessors

>>255499807
well shit nigga

>short as shit
I got a good 5 hours out of it

>easy as fuck
maybe you were sl300 or some shit, I did that on sl 75 it was ridiculously hard and intense

>2 months after pc
what?

>reused bosses
HUR DUR ITs A DRAGON IT MUST BE COPY PASTA!

Nexus > Firelink > Majula

Getting attacked by bores really ruins the sense of safety.

Just got to the gargoyles. This is the most poorly-thought out shit I've ever seen. The whole thing's a total clusterfuck, and they must have realized how retarded it is putting it behind a PVP arena since Belfry Luna is smaller than my fucking apartment. It's insane to think that this even made it in.

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>>255498197
>Calming Eerie Music
Firelink's was better
All the NPCs that showed up were generally secluded in some nook or cranny of the place giving it an empty feel despite having up to 8+ dudes there.

Meanwhile in Manila everyone is either within sight of the bonfire or visible from the doorway to their own god damned houses.

And let's not forget about Bear, Seek, Seek, Lest.

>>255498197
I disagree, I felt firelink shrine was comfier, majula felt too open and flat

>>255498197
I can agree to this.

>>255500138
what are firelink skeletons

>>255499696
The thing about Firelink is its pretty unimportant. Yeah, characters show up there from time to time but they never stay. Firelink just links together areas and just happens to be the first place you visit. Compared to Majula or the Nexus where you're constantly going back after bossfights to level up or to visit important NPCs. Firelink isn't a homebase, its just a bonfire area.

>>255499442
It doesn't connect the world at all though because the game isn't open world like Dark Souls
You will never end a journey travelling back to your cozy safety hub in Demon's Souls because it has levels instead of a world and the levels have no relationship to one another
If you want to go from one place to anywhere else it's a trek up some stairs, warping to the start or where ever you killed a boss there and then continue towards the next boss because there's practically no exploration in comparison to Dark Souls

>>255498197
>>largely populated near the end of the game, it feels like you have a home to come back to after all the exploring and fighting
That's part of what I really liked about Firelink Shrine, though. The game feels so dark and depressing. Going back to a central hub after killing someone like Seath and having all these people lying around just shooting the shit would have ruined the feeling.

Are there ANY decent levels in Dark Souls 2? So far, No Man's Wharf is the only area that wasn't a glorified fucking hallway with bonfires every ten steps.

>Huntsman's Copse
>Reach second bonfire
>Open a shortcut back to the first bonfire

For what purpose.

>>255498197
>>255498197
>it feels like you have a home to come back to after all the exploring and fighting
This would have so much more impact if you weren't consistently fast traveling to Majula to level up, shop, repair, upgrade and do all of your other fucking boring errands.
If you could organically travel back without fast travel (and the obvious backtracking that DaS2 would require) then maybe it would feel more like a home. Now it's just a equivalent of an inventory management menu with good music.

>>255500741
Lost Bastille and No Man's Wharf were pretty much the best Dark Souls 2 had to offer.

>>255500741

Sanctum City is ok, Forest of Fallen Giants is ok and Lost Bastille are ok.

Those are the only ones though.

>>255500158
Bear, seek, seek, lest.

Lol I always thought that was annoying too.

>>255498197
>Ok, so Dark Souls 2 is inferior to the first game, but
Great way to start off a quality thread, OP.

>>255499285
> Hub characters (when all have gathered)
> Nexus>Majula>Firelink

Bear. Seek. Seek. Lest

>>255500649
But you DO come back to a central hub after killin someone like Seath with all those people lying around.

>>255500741
No bonfire runs you retard.

>>255500923
Dammit, I was afraid of that. I keep hearing people praise Lost Bastille too, but I didn't think it was very interesting. There were more inaccessible doors than a Silent Hill game. The front entrance was at least nice and atmospheric, but the back entrance is so much more convenient and much, much easier to access that it's a waste of an area.

>>255500741
If only they had removed fast travel, then shortcuts like that would matter.
Perhaps then even some thought would have been put into not making the levels just one hallway after another.

>>255499812
I spent over three times as much time playing DaS over DeS, and I still think the Nexus is easily number one.

>>255501132
What?

I think DS2 is the better game.

I honestly can't understand people who claim it isn't, I've tried to go back to PvP in DS last week and couldn't find dick worth shit to invade or get invaded by, PC or 360.

Considering how many faggots parrot how much better DS and DeS are I sure as fuck don't see anyone play those anymore.

DS2's biggest problem was it was too focused on PvP instead of being a good single-ish player with PvP stuff on the side. Demon's Souls and Dark Souls had invasions be more like "you are going to fucking die" instead of straight up PvP.

>>255501305
/v/ doesnt like popular shit.

Just watch when bloodborne is out Dark Souls 2 will be put on a pedistal even though it is exclusive.

>>255500570
You mean the ones infront of the catacombs and not in Firelink at all?

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>>255498197
I liked how everyone ended up there and actually stuck around, but it still felt weird how everyone stayed in exactly the same spot, hardly anybody ever acknowledged anyone else, and I wasn't terribly invested in any NPCs or their plights.

As based MattMat said, it was a little off-putting that Chloanne (whoever the titanite shard merchant from Harvest Valley was) would repeat that the undead blacksmith looked like her father, but never so much as spoke to him.

>>255501296
Every single fucking time you talk to the Emerald Faggot.
>(Bear)er of the Curse
>Seek greater power
>Seek larger souls
>Lest the curse consume you

It somehow still manages to take forever even trying to skip through the dialog

>>255498650

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFrcmJQencc

Excuse me nigger

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>>255501305
>more people play the sequel so it's a better game

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>Jump down the hole
>Find pitch black area full of statues spitting shit
>Realize this is how the whole game was going to be

>>255500158
OP here, I agree that Emerald Herald should just shut the fuck up and let me level, She's the most annoying part of Majula, along with the RAGE PIGLETS. I met them when I just had a fucking dagger. Fuck me those things were mad.

>>255500741
>glorified fucking hallway with bonfires every ten steps.
This. DaS2 tried too hard to do too many things in one game. They wanted to capture every single facet from previous games while at the same time appeasing every retard whining on the internet about what changes to make. As a result, we got Dark Souls: Made in China Version.

>>255501638
If you could comprehend English, I added the last sentence just for you.

No one plays DS at all, I've tried SL50 SL75 SL125.

Nothing.

>>255501242
Agreed. As much of a pain in the ass it was to farm titanite in Blighttown, then have to run all the way back to the Undead Parish to ascend your weapon, not having fast travel right away helped the level design by forcing the developers to include shortcuts in the level design. I can guarantee that there wouldn't be that elevator connecting Blighttown to Drake Valley, which connects to New Londo and Firelink, or even the elevator to the Undead Parish, if you could warp in the beginning.

Nothing in DS2 ever matched the feeling of discovery I got from fucking up against the armored knight in the Undead Parish, running into the elevator not knowing where it was going to take me, and finding myself back in Firelink.

>>255501494
And the PVP isn't even any good with Soul Memory, how fucking far you have to play to get most builds together, and how they fucked up Poise.

>>255501305
>I sure as fuck don't see anyone play those anymore.
Battlefield 2 is better than 3. Doesn't mean I'm going to go back and deal with that instead...

>>255501745
Also, the soundtrack is shit. I popped that shit in my car and it sounded like I was listening to the same track all the way through, save for a couple of tracks.

>>255501635
I know what it is. But it takes the same time as talking to the Maiden.
I still don't understand this meme.

>>255501767
so that proves that DaS2 is the better game?

what's it like being retarded?

>>255501635
maiden in black from demon's souls pretty much said just as much random stuff as emerald herald

>>255501970
The best music from dark souls 2:

>Darklurker
>Last giant
>Pursuer
>Chariot
>Looking glass knight
>Skeleton Lords
>Flexile sentry
>Lost sinner
>Ruin sentinels/smelter demon
>Rat vanguard
>Rat authority
>Mytha
>The rotten
>Old dragonslayer
>Old iron king
>Guardian dragon
>Velstadt
>Vendrick
>Ancient dragon
>Throne watcher/defender
>Nashandra
>Demon of song

The tracks are good, when you remember all the shit in DeS like storm king, the tower knight/penetrator theme, and the flamelurker theme, and then look in dark souls where nearly everything before ornstein and smough had very uninteresting themes like quelaag you remember that each game has standout tracks.

This game arguably has more with much better variation and inspiration, the brass use in the ruin sentinel/smelter demon theme, the attempt at actually making the flexile sentry theme seem incredibly dark and fitting the abandoned ship aesthetic, making the looking glass knight theme fit both his slow and predatory moveset, while also having transition themes that will often match his summoning ability, making the fight feel different when he summons.

The ruin sentinel/smelter demon theme is great as the rushing nature of the music comes nearly always at two distinct battle change points, that being when you kill the first sentinel or when the smelter demon sets his sword alight.

Mytha's theme can be compared in a sense to the same function the first game tried to serve with artorias's track, that being trying to feel corrupted and unnatural, hence why both didn't exactly come out as that memorable, yet served fantastic purposes for the fights.

>>255501958
Soul memory is shit but poise is better now

>>255501767
Do you have DSFix? My brother still gets consistent online play in DaS on his 360

>>255502135
it's the nostalgia man. Maiden in black is the same shit as the hearld if not worse. There were times where i fucking lost her in the nexus.

>>255502095
No, it doesn't.

But considering how many faggots say DS2 sucks I'd expect at least 10 players on the PC version at any given point in time.

>>255501767
What system?

>>255501745
What sucks is there's a lot of improvements I like in Dark Souls 2

>small white soapstone
>summoning lets you regain humanity
>better inventory/equipment UI
>PC version supports >30 fps
>dying has more penalty than Dark Souls, but not as heavy as Demon's Souls (beat your head against a wall and your head just becomes softer)

But they're held back by an uninteresting world, uninspired enemies and badly designed levels.

Firelink had that desperate feeling of bleakness where even in a place of rest everything is just fucking miserable.
It's a matter of what you want your "home base" to be really.

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>>255502171
>Demon of song

Pretty easy and predictable boss, but the whole fight just stuck with me even if i beat it first try. The music, the visuals and its design were pretty cool, too bad the actual fight is as predictable as a NEET's routine.

>>255501789
Not to mention that discovering shortcuts and minor backtracking is what made the locations and world of DaS1 memorable. I legitimately can't remember half of the areas in DaS2.

>>255501635
Maiden in Black wasn't much different

>SO THE WORLD MIGHT BE MENDED SO THE WORLD MIGHT BE MENDED SO THE WORLD MIGHT BE MENDED SO THE WORLD MIGHT BE MENDED SO THE WORLD MIGHT BE MENDED

>>255502135
But you didn't have to skip four dialog boxes every time you wanted to level up. Furthermore, Emerald Herald is a poor design element in general. Demon's Souls didn't have bonfires, and the Nexus was the only safe area you had, so it made sense to have to go back there to level up. It makes no sense to have to go see the Emerald Herald to level up when the previous game let you do it at any bonfire, and what with fast travel being available from the start, the only real difference between The Far Fire and any other bonfire is a fucking loading screen and Bear Seek Seek Lest.

>>255502378
i bet u liked 2-2 faggot

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>>255499318
>Reused bosses

You must be new!

Welcome to From Software.

no one fucking cares anymore

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>>255502451
DoS is DaS2's Gaping Dragon.

>>255502378
>>PC version supports >30 fps
Did they fix higher framerates fucking durability yet?

>>255502135
Yes. But it didn't eat your time up because it happened in the background AS you were leveling.

Either way DaS still had the best leveling system.

>>255502261
It was too easy to stack Poise like a motherfucker in Dark Souls 1, but it at least provided a decent tradeoff for heavier equipment. It's too easy to get stunlocked by people using their bare fists in DS2.

>>255498415
>Dark Souls 2
>better than Dark Souls 1

>Soul Memory

>>255502668
Nope.

nexus is better than both, but i liked majula more than firelink yes

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>>255502668
>plac PC version
>use Large Club+10
>three minutes later
>DURABILITY AT RISK

>Dark Souls 2
>Not the strongest game in the series

IT's like you guys don't think that DaS1 and DeS aren't VERY flawed games in their own right. SO MANY of the DaS2 complaints can be fired right back in the face of DaS1/DeS

>>255502805
>Playing a pure melee build
>Have to carry and level up three weapons at all times because one will end up breaking before I get to the boss

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>>255502559
I was only able to complete the 1st level of each area before my PS3 died, so I don't know what 2-2 is like.

>>255502701
Meta fag.

>>255502870
demons souls and dark souls had years to incubate in their circlejerks

>>255502701
Doesn't Soul Memory not matter after 1.5 million on NG+?

>>255502701
I like soul memory, no more low level gankers with full havel's and lightning weapons in the undead burg. I'm not a min-maxer, I buy what I want to buy, and I still win 80% of my pvp if not more.

People bitching about soul memory are just people who liked to backstab helpless new players.

>>255502983
Or you could just open up cheat engine and whip up 99 powders and stop whining.

>>255502991
it's easily one of the worst areas in the whole series honestly worst that demon ruins.

>>255502870
This is true, but the benefit of doing a direct sequel is the ability to improve on flaws of the previous games. Dark Souls did this with things like the Estus system and a better world design. Dark Souls 2 didn't do a damn thing to fix the biggest flaws in Dark Souls 1, and in fact made almost all of them worse.

>>255502597

>no one cares
>a whole thread of people discussing it

You sure showed us!

>>255502509
But she has better dialogue
>Touch the demon inside her

>>255500741
Tell me which levels from DaS you consider decent to have an idea of your definition of a good level.

>>255503163
>Game has a flaw
>Just cheat, you crybaby

Uh huh.

>>255503163

Or From Soft could fucking fix it.

>>255503120
No, it doesn't. But most people think that the PvP is the best before that cap. Mainly it's because everyone uses the same armor set and builds and it becomes really meta and boring.

>>255502559
What's wrong with 2-2?

>>255503131
Soul Memory would've been 100% perfect from the beginning if it counted souls used instead of souls acquired.

>>255503386
confusing tunnels filled with buggs that take 10+ hits to kill.

>>255502983
>>255502805

>Completely fucked Durability system in PC means you see Santier's spear 5 times more often then in the console versions.
It's pure suffering

>>255503089
I know. It's just endlessly annoying to see 3-4 500 post threads whining about DaS2 when it's biggest flaws aren't even nearly such a big deal

>Soul memory ruined stupid endgame players who want to pick a meta soul level and play the game as serious dueling simulator
>Having more content devalued the overall quality of some of it
>The Lore and Plot aren't necessarily equal


>>255503357
>>255503360
I'm tired of listening to people whine about it. You have a solution available. Use it or shut up.

>>255503228
Dark Souls 2 did shitloads to fix Dark Souls

>Poise not broken anymore
>Ways to recharge your spell casts
>Estus heals over time and is much less plentiful
>Weapon durability and ring durability matter
>All the covenants work pretty well
>Better netcode overall thanks to dedicated servers
>Changes to Vigor, Vit and End to deepen character building
>Stat reset tools
>Even less grindy and shitty upgrade systems
>ADP
The list goes on a fair bit

>>255503295
Painted World was my favorite, but other than the obvious ones (Demon Ruins, Lost Izalith, Duke's Archives), I didn't really have any problems with any of the areas in DaS1. The forest was pretty dull if you weren't doing PVP though, and although I liked Ash Lake, the whole area was fucking pointless, and woe betide you if you went in before getting the Lordvessel and had to backtrack all the way back up the fucking tree.

Isnt the DLC area based on one of the old king's field games?

Is there any reason why Sweet Shaq is a cat?

>>255503739
What was everyone's issue with Duke's?
I really liked it.

>>255502540
i'm pretty sure you need to level up via the emerald herald because of something to do with the fire keepers in dark souls 1

>>255503558
Oh, yeah. That part did suck, I remember the horrible clipping more. The confusion wasn't that bad, they even gave you some augites of guidance to assist you. Did those bugs even have a legit weakness ? If so, it was pretty obscure.

>>255499318
A legitimate complaint about the transition from DS to DS2 would be the relatively straight forward level design. Compare Anor Londo, which has a detour through the rafters of a church followed by an elevator mechanic followed by another detour past the archers and then working through the halls and rooms to get to the main hall to the boss, with any level in DS2 and the difference in creativity and linearity is obvious. However, the drop of quality in the later parts of DS1 allows DS2 to come ahead with a lower, but more consistent quality throughout.
I think another legitimate complaint about DS2 would be the amount of gank type bosses, which got a little tedious. However, there were tons more bosses than DS1.

Saying the game is short is a bold faced lie though. Relatively it is by far the longest souls game. Difficulty is subjective, but I thought it was a good challenge throughout and even became a little too hard near the end (the stretch up to the ancient dragon was brutal).

Going back and replaying the previous games really makes you appreciate how much better the art and level design was. Fucking Painted World alone is better than all the areas of DaS2 put together which is terribly sad.

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>>255503726
>>Better netcode overall thanks to dedicated servers

Now you're just trolling

>>255503851
>Reskinned Hollows
>It's mostly pretty boring visually
>Crystal Caves was kinda shitty
>It's trivial once the Channelers are killed
It's alright. It's the best Lord Soul zone. But it's not got much in terms of competition.

>>255503726
>Even less grindy and shitty upgrade systems
What?
DS1 had a way better system, you had to actually go out and GET certain types of titanite, now all you have to do is hammer the same boring shards and shit into it, even after infusing it with an element.

>>255503726

>poise not broken

what is this poise you speak of?

>>255503739
to be fair ash lake is behind two invisible walls, I don't think it was designed to be tackled early on

>>255503851
If you aren't used to the layout or know where shit is, places look the same and you end up having to do a lot of running around. Plus those spell arrow throwing shaman faggots.

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They all good but at least whips are viable and glorious in ds2, even with the drop in quality, it's fun.

>>255503992
What is lag?

>>255503992

It's funny people still think the game has full on dedicated servers after this long. It's only partial and only for the initial matchmaking.

>>255503851
It mostly depends on your build, I think. It was just a bunch of narrow walkways where archers and channelers just fired at you like cheap motherfuckers, and if you were a melee build, there wasn't much you could do except get fucking annoyed. Since they didn't do a ton of damage and there were two bonfires closeby, it wasn't even difficult, just frustrating. Like some asshole who keeps giving you wet willies ever couple of seconds.

The area did look nice, though.

>>255503909
DS2 has a surprisingly high amount of content to it. I was half expecting to reach the end of the game after you get the 4 big souls, but it kept going on, which pleasantly surprised me.

>>255499037
Yeeaj..ha ha. What a retard.
It took me like llike 15

>>255503992
I'm not trolling.

DaS2 is FAR better overall. I won't deny that it's fuck up are much bigger in scale when they DO occur but the general latency and such feels might tighter.

>>255504008
And that only served to make you run out and grind. Now you just get a +10 weapon and can freely experiment with various infusions at any point along the way.

>>255504048
Poise was OP as fuck in DaS1. using iron flesh + havel's armor + 20 estus to kill 4 kings by standing still mashing 2hand light swings is a clear display of an overpowered mechanic.

Poise exists in DaS2 and actually got improved with the most recent patch. It's more like DaS1 without going overboard

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>>255503992
Oh look i can cherrypick too.

>>255503992
There are some hiccups, but even with how little I played so far, I've noticed a huge improvement in connectivity in Dark Souls 2. That's one of the few areas I'll say wholeheartedly that DS2 improved over previous games.

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>>255503909
The post i was quoting was talking about the dlc and so was i. I agree the length is pretty good for a souls game, but the difficulty complain isn't limited to the dlc. I mean as soon as you saw the enemies/bosses you knew their movesets even before they even made a move and the only ones that ,at least for me, were difficult in my first run were all cheap gank bosses that the game's mechanics weren't built around.

Every other boss was first or second try, and i know this word is misused to death but Ancient Dragon is pure artificial difficulty. A no fun boss that takes forever to fight with one hit-you dead moves that gives no interesting rewards.

>>255504343
Still, that might seem like more a bad thing to me because of how much i had by the end of my first playthrough, i had like thirty of everything thanks to the small army of Titanite lizards in the Aerie

It just seems like less fun to me i guess.

>>255504063
I liked the sort of confusing bit of the zone. Everything else I just plowed through from dude to dude until I hit a bonfire or a fog door. It was nice to stop and need to think.
>>255504239
I was 90% melee; Claymore and Grass Shield or whatever for most of the game. Only used Pyromancy to get me through the first few bosses.
And even still I wasn't frustrated with Duke's. And I get frustrated with video games really, really easily.

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I don't even remember what the majula music is like.

Firelink 4 lyf

>>255503829
According to wiki Shalquoir might be some spirit that predates the four old ones.

Call me a corporate whore, but the DLC is actually really fun. Its no AotA, but the area is fun to explore and its refreshing to have more end game content.

>but the rehashes bosses
And? They're actually fun though. Dare I say that Sinh is one of the best bosses in the game?

>>255503909
>I think another legitimate complaint about DS2 would be the amount of gank type bosses, which got a little tedious
There are like 7 in DaS2 and 5 in DaS.

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>that calming, eerie music

Can't agree with that, the music is really bad in this game. Some of the music sounds like family guy fight scene music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctiRsyxd4n0

On a personal note, i'm not a big fan of having a hub town and enjoyed the simplified bonfire from DS 1. The game just felt like a long and lonely journey without the hub town and I appreciate that. I doubt it's a good opinion though, since I see a lot of people enjoying majula.

The game could have been better, but it's still better than most games today.

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>>255498528
>hurr durr a video game is too videogamey.

fuck you, Yahtzee go back to the escapist you kangaroo fucker.

>>255505067
But Ruin Sentinels is one of the better songs in Dark Souls 2 AND Dark Souls 1. Mind you both soundtracks lack the personality and variety that Demons had, but its still solid stuff.

Why the fuck does everyone use greatswords in both games? I usually stick to the starting longsword/broadsword for the whole game because its fast and easy to use. I've tried using greatswords but despite looking cool they are so fucking slow, even with high strength. Its too easy to get fucked up using them when speed and dodging are so important.

>>255505704
It's an RPG where you can roleplay due to the armor system. Now everybody can fulfill their dream and become Cloud.

>>255505012
In my own opinion sunken city is das2 best designed area. The three grave towers are kinda bull shit but the dwagon is fun.

>>255505704
Personally, I find that two-handing a big fucking weapon with no shield to be the most fun way to play the game. In PvE anyway. In PvP it's fucking worthless, especially since Poise may as well not exist anymore.

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>>255506553
I'm waiting for all the DLC to come out. It's painful to know that there are rehash bosses. Why are they doing this? Didn't they rehash enough bosses in the regular game?

Hey guys, since this is a DS2 thread, I want to ask WTF happened to me:

I was doing one of those Rat King cov forced invasions, and I managed to backstab the faggot who summoned me with my +10 Mace. His life bar emptied, and I was like YEA get fucked, but the invasion never stopped. So figured he's hanging on to like 1 hp and get ready to do a meaty attack on him as he's getting up. Then I like, suddenly die to a series of attacks, IDK wtf happened and he gets up just fine.

So did I get fucked by DS2's shitty netcode, or is there some kind of wakeup attack in this game where you can hit while on the ground? I wish I recorded it. I suspect we might have got desynced and both backstabbed each other and the game decided whose backstab went through.

>Want to use Pursuer's Ultra Greatsword because it had good stats, and looks fucking cool
>Its move set is complete garbage, can't hit a brick wall

I wouldn't have minded if they just copy-pasted the Zweihander move set on every UGS.

>>255500572

It also sits ontop of the doorway to the kiln. A quintessential part of the game and universe.

Ya dummy

>>255506970
You fell victim to another King Crimson attack.

>>255503829
There was a cat in DS but Alvina looked creepy and appropriate for the setting. Shalquoire looks to cute and fuzzy, totally out of place in the dark souls world.

>>255499037
Took me 5 hours.

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>>255507397
>You have such an enchanting smell.

A cat is fine too.

>>255507178

That reminds me. To link the fire, one must enter the Kiln. But in DS2, the Kiln has been replaced with some throne in a tiny room instead. Also, its in a different part of the world because the devs said Drangleic is not located near Lordran. Do all kingdoms have a version of the first flame beneath them in case the Chosen Undead ends up there? Because that would be stupid.

>>255506903
Yeah, one is rehashed and multiplied in the same fight, and two were past enemies, Still better than three fights being the same like in DaS.

>>255507610
The game is basically bad fanfiction.

>>255507564
>Enchante you fucking cat

>>255505704
I didn't like the Zweihander because it's swing is too big and unsafe, and stuck with normal swords. Eventually my roommate sold me on it tho, Ultra Greatswords can actually be extremely useful depending on the moveset and damage.

In DS1, the Zweihander was a beast in PvP. Absolutely shreds stamina on shields so you can't just sit there blocking my R1. Stuns you on every swing. The dead-angle (basically sneaking a horizontal swing past their shield, blindsiding them with it) was very useful. Takes up a lot of space, creating a dangerous zone around you that they dare not approach. And if you manage to get a heavy swing in, it knocks their ass down and basically wins the fight for you.

It has its pros and cons obviously. It can be hard to corner and chase down fast, squishy opponents. And Zweihander was so FotM in DS PvP that a lot of people got the parry timing down.

They suck in DS2 mostly because the Poise changes make tanky, slow builds suck and your big swing will always get interrupted.

>>255502701
>dark souls 2
>online works

>dark souls
>it doesn't

>>255507610
The Throne of Want isn't the Kiln. It's something else completely that Vendrick stole from the giants.

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>>255507397
>>255507564
>>255507802

I want to get better at DaS2, but I just don't enjoy it as much as DaS.

The only thing that keeps me coming back is the fact that I'm bad at it.

Nexus > Majula > Firelink shrine

TBF
Woolie finally beats Ornstein.

>>255508483
>4 minutes in
>rekt

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>>255508483
Speaking of which, does anyone know what the fuck happened here? I've never seen this bug before.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Wf4bg4AVNM

I really liked the Last Giant's theme. In fact I think it's my favorite of the soundtrack.

>>255508082

I swear it had something to do with linking the fire, though. But then, it could be the "prize" Vendrick took from them:
The Golems are guarding it as the bridge, and you need the giants kinship to even get there. Question is, it it doesn't link the fire then what the fuck does it do? And does that mean the true Chosen Undead is dicking about in Lordran at the same time to fix the current cycle?

>>255508659
Slither has shitty connection and it affected Woolsworth.
Only answer.

>>255508707
Too bad it's shit

>>255508303
This
Also, I never liked Firelink at all, the music sucked especially, although I liked that game more than DaS2

>>255508659

>Pursuer confirmed for actually being Dio Brando

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5Iml-7jae8

>>255508303
>cold
>no fresh air
>not near the sea
>full of dead kids

tell me 3 things good about that fucking place

>>255508792
I'd have thought as much, but it's rare for lag to affect the enemies, from what I've seen and Pursuer's attack actually hit both of them at the same time, if you pay attention to Slither's health. It's bizarre.

>>255509053
you just listed 3 good things though

>>255508659
That'd make for a hell of a boss fight if it's standard moves were like that, or at least one that's hella fun to watch

>>255508908
Your opinion has been noted.

>>255509241
What no. You're supposed to get angry and call me a faggot.

That OST is okay but I can only ever hear a giant moaning to it.

Bought the game already anyway to pirate the dlc and use that with my game or do I have to pirate the game and the dlc?

Don't forget the fact that PvP actually works more often than not in DSII. DS PvP was a fucking joke like an anime battle of teliportation, magic spells that take 90 degree turns and even hit after they missed. Anyone who seriously preffered DS one for PvP has some fucked up fanboy tunnel vision.

>>255509182
you like to sleep on cold stone near a row of dead kids?

>dashiki armor guy develops a negritude
>enchanting smell
>armor guy: gave you up for dead hurr don't waste my time
>indian pyromanceress: so like I was crossing the mountain and bla bla bla bla bla

They're all annoying assholes. Shanalotte is the only likeable one but she only wants to use you as a charcoal.

>>255498197
firelink has a lot more going on for such a tiny hub

>>255509435
You forgot girl with rocks with cleavage.
Also chest ahead

Nexus>Majula>firelink

never liked firelink, didn't feel like a hub. also

DeS=DaS>DaS2 in my opinion

DaS2 needs the other two dlcs to be good, and a handful of balance/weapons changes to become on par.

>>255509435
best npc is vengarl, guy is a total bro and genuinely is nice to you and likes you.

Damn shame you couldn't bring him back to majula and have him be pals with rosabeth or something

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>>255507903
>>dark souls 2
>>online works

Sure thing pal.

>>255509420
you mean there are people who don't?

>>255504360
How does a little sword stagger him?

>>255509673

>have shit internet
>blames the game

Sure thing pal.

>>255509717

Probably before the recent patch where you could stagger people forever.

>>255509698
never had the opportunity to try it out
brb

>>255509896
OH fuck off.
Good internet sadly doesn't protect against lagstabbers

>douch invades me in shrine of amana or whatever
>shoot him with arrows cause why not
>he hides behind a tree, i wait in the open
>he suddenly zooms across the level and backstabs me

that was too far for binoboost too, must've been router/modem toggle.

>>255509896
Speaking of lag, did they ever get around to making regional matchmaking actually work properly?

Or are the two regions still Japan and Not-Japan?

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>>255509896
not him but

>fastest internet i can get in my state
>doesn't mean shit if you get matched with a laggy shit

the way this game handles lag is astounding

its so amazing how shit from soft is as a dev.

like, sli causes the game to shit, framerate above 60 does too, 60 fps causes all sorts of bullsiht, framerate below 41 causes ultra weapon ripostes to do like 40% less damage

fucking nips

>enter NG+ in DaS2
>suddenly I'm surrounded by enemies I had never seen before in my first 40 hour playthrough
>bosses get new moves
>that fucking giant spider boss even appears in another area
>unique weapons, spells and armor to NG+
That's one thing I really liked about DaS2 compared to the original.

>>255510476
B-team

I haven't had TOO much issue with lag on this yet, although I have noticed when an invader attacks you while you're busy with npcs and doesn't wait for you to finish and heal up, he's usually from Brazil or Russia.
I've just taken to using chameleon and creeping around until they leave.

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>>255510572

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>>255509673
>cherrypicking

>>255510415

Nope. Japanese developers cant into computers so it wont be fixed.

I just hate being invaded in general, mostly because faggots always minmax and never fight fair.

>play through DS1 again
>get to the Undead Parish with humanity still intact from earlier
>TURBOFAGGOTN00BKILLA has invaded!
>I have a broadsword and knight armour
>he has a fucking huge club/greatsword with lightning powers, and from the looks of it, insane health somehow after my attacks do fuck all to his health bar

If I must be invaded, I'd like it to be people who aren't insecure kids.

>>255509673
so what you're saying was DS 1 was better because EVERY FIGHT in pvp was riddled with lag unlike just some of the fights in DS 2?

>>255510985
people like you are why we have soul memory

getting twinked on my first playthrough were some of the most memorable moments in all of vidya

>>255510985

I've only ever been invaded by twinks before and in anor lando in DaS1, pvp was pretty dead after that unless you go looking for it in the forest or something.

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Just finished the game and actually enjoyed it. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it after hearing so much negative rap about it.

I guess I can understand people being disappointed if they were expecting another DeS to DkS level of a difference but to me it was more of Dark Souls with some aspects being polished a little and that's pretty much what I expected.

>>255510985
armor was insane in ds1 so it probably wasn't a huge healthbar so much as the guy had a maxed out armor set and your sword was only a standard one not even re-enforeced.

>>255510874
>netcode
>it's clearly the hitboxes being stupid

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>>255510572

I have no problems with soul memory, but it does get annoying when I can't lay down my summon sign to help someone because it gets too high.

>>255511457
How are they being stupid?
The spear clearly went above him while the shockwave from the sword knocked the other guy over.
What am I suppose to see here?

>>255511294
thats just how Dark souls was. Twinks didn't want to fight late game people because they knew they'd loose because they sucked at the game so they'd always fight anal lando and before. and people who actually wanted to PvP would do it in the PvP areas hence why there was always a huge drop off in invasions after you made it to anor lando and before you got to the DLC.

>>255509435
>Shanalotte is the only likeable one
Do virgins fall in love with every girl they interact with? People want Dark Souls, not Dark Idol Master.

>>255511550
my only problem with it is the 12mil+ super pool. it seems like the only people I ever run into there are ultra high level. While I'm only in the upper hundreds.

>>255503131
YES I love how instead of just low level pvp being shit, which you'll quickly get over regardless, all pvp is shit and the same thing

am I the only one who truly hates the enchantments / buffs visuals in this game? They look awful

>>255498197
I fucking hate this game but Majula is clearly superior. I enjoy walking around that area a lot actually. Its calming.

>>255510476

That's a hacker with infinite health though. There were plenty of those in DS1.

And of course you can never protect yourself from laggy people. There's always going to be somebody you connect to with a bad connection.

>>255509435
Emerald Herald is a plot device though, she has no personality.

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This is one of the things that just makes me sad about DaS2

like yes i know i have to suspend my disbelief but the fact that you have to go kill the four most powerful and ancient beings that span throughout the continent and whatever to get over this waist high pillar just pisses me off

Like, think about it. Why not just make the shring of winter right here? why even have this? why put the shrine up like twenty feet away?

i just don't understand


>>255511550
Cheat Engine nigga

makes keeping a SL 150 character not retarded, just keep that shit at 1-2m

>>255512046
agreed, that is so stupid I couldn't even imagine why they did that. I mean, was it that hard to put a "super powerful god-knows-what" magic barrier on that passage there instead of a bunch of broken pillars?

>>255511951
Yeah they look terrible.

>>255498415
The only thing I really despise about dark souls 2 is the no soul level based pvp. Souls memory is fine and all for invasions, but they should really have added in a soul level based arena. That's all I ask for. Hopefully they add that in one of the dlc's or something, it would be really simple and be great for the pvp scene outside fight clubs.

Remove half of the bonfires and you already have a much better game. Unfortunately you're still left with shit world design and mediocre level design. Also, make fast travel a late game ability.

>>255502562
Yeah, a lot of the Dark Souls bosses were ripped from Demon Souls.

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>>255512310
Thats what drives me nuts man.

just why? why make that little path that leads to SoW, why have a weakass mini boss of an easy boss "guarding" it?

they didn't even attempt to do something clever like making it so you don't know it's just some rubble until after you go through the shrine and have the old souls to show that the herald is just fucking using you and wants you to have a big meaty soul for the fire

There's just no thought here man.

>>255511951
>>255512594

oh boy a reason to post this
there's mods that fix them on the nexus, though

>>255503459
>More difficulty is better
>Except when I need to get good

>>255511201
Not at all, absolutely I was not saying that. I contesting the idea that DS2's online "actually works" as opposed to DS1's not working.

Both games have the same problem: some of the fights are riddled with lag. It's a matter of opinion, but I'd rather have DS1 where someone who's vaguely to my side suddenly backstabs me, instead of DS2, where the desyncs are so bad that someone can teleport across a map and lagstab you when you were trying to snipe them with an arrow, or like last night where I we were both desynced and both backstabbed each other. Both are bullshit, but to me the latter is clearly worse.

I love Dark Souls 2, but nothing beats the comfiness of firelink shrine.
>Shortcuts lead there and you are surprisingly at "home" as opposed to Majula where you forcily travel back to to level up
>Music in Firelink is FAR superior to Majula
>It feels like the center of the world since it's the beginning to every path you can take in the game as opposed to quicktravelling

Also Majula felt like it tried really hard to be confy. It is, and it is well designed, but Firelink Shrine just happened to be naturally comfy.

>>255508659
*teleports behind you*
pshh nothin personnel kid

>beat Kalameet in DS1, and a tricky bastard he was too even compared to Manus.
>get a ring for it
>cool, that was the last DLC boss left, I bet this ring is awesome
>OH YOU THINK YOU'RE HOT SHIT FOR KILLING A DRAGON? HAVE A RING THAT MAKES YOU TWICE AS EASY TO KILL, FUCKFACE

T-thanks.

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>>255513225
>>255511535

Also

>>255503726
>All the covenants work pretty well
Sentinel here, I beg to differ.

>>255507397
>totally out of place
For Shalquoir? Sounds appropriate.

>>255513947

As somebody who spent a lot of time as a blue sentinel in DS2, and a lot of time as a Darkmoon Blade in DS1, the Blue Sentinel covenant is without a doubt the superior functioning covenant.

Manslayer katana or Beserker Blade for a quality+ RoBflynn build

also pate's spear or Silverback

just trying to find the best quality weapons in each class

>>255498197
man I love opinions.

>>255513947
>>255514571
I'm trying to 100% a playthrough before getting into NG+. I joined the blue sentinels and I can never fucking invade anybody with blue orbs, and nobody ever summons me to help. Even more retarded, is that nobody ever invades me either. Like joining the sentinels just wiped me off the grid. Is this normal? What do?

>>255514571
It might work more, but it still barely works. I'm getting more arbiter invasions in NG+ but I still have to shake that blue orb forever.

>>255511878
>Do virgins fall in love with every girl they interact with

Yes.

thats not the gwyn theme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLBybw-IJ5U
maybe that was just good because of context though, im also a sucker for emotional piano

I do agree with OP, majula was cooler than firelink. all said and done I think dsI=ds2, they are good in different areas and suck in different areas. I still slightly prefer DeS to both, but I think all the DaS2 hate on /v/ is ridiculous, because despite its flaws its an excellent game and better than anything else released this year.

>>255514897

There's way more sinners and WoB members in NG+ than NG.

>>255514897
No one is a sinner in NG.
Move on to NG+ and things will be ripe with sinners

>>255515295
>>255515309
I guess I'll just save that covenant for NG+ then. Thanks

I literally cried at Firelink.
was super high, and that violin just got me man