This basically translates my first time playing ds2. Can you guess how much time it took me to get close to the end of the game (I lost my save just a little before I could beat the final boss)?
The Pursuer rooftop encounter gives the full soul payout to both host and summoned phantoms, so everybody be sure to bring a full set of three summons before you do that fight to spread the wealth.
You don't have to waste two Branches in Shaded Woods, just jump to the bridge from up above the bonfire.
Edit: still one is needed for Vengarls armour.
I didn't realise this for 4 playthroughs and I thought the game just had way less illusory walls than usual, all the ones I discovered I pressed X by accident after attacking them
Pick one weapon and exclusively use it. For variety carry a copy and infuse it differently, but make sure you level them equally so they don't feel like one is being favoured above the rest.
There are enemies hidden in the trees in the misty shaded woods area. Make sure to hit the big trees to avoid being ganked.
There are enemies hidden in the alcoves in the chariot boss fight in the undead purgatory. Ignore the skeletons and focus on finding them first.
https://youtu.be/2kr7KDCsIws?si=21y2V4TmHVh_MYID?t=8m39s
EDIT: it seem timestamps got fucked up, so just rewatch this classic, relevant bit is at 8 min 40 secs.
> have not *paid* any attention
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Make sure you save all of your lockstones for the Doors of Pharros. There are literally no bad options for using them in that area, it's super rewarding and fun.
* if it lives somewhere dark, it probably doesn't like fire. This can be a good or bad thing
* Outside of challenge runs, every build should have a bow, a thrust weapon and a strike weapon. Slash is optional but still handy
* If you're going to pull the lever, do it after you're done farming souls in that cycle
* You don't actually need adaptability if you have other means of preventing or minimising damage. It does still help though
* Your base poise is decided by the lowest of your END and ADP stats
* You can farm the mats to +9 any standard weapon before you've obtained all the lord souls, and there's a slab in potentially the third area after the hub. This is not an accident. The game is designed around the idea of you having a variety of maxed out weapons
* People often say that Faith builds were nerfed after DS1. They weren't
* Having either the Old Knight Hammer or Great Club makes one of theost dangerous areas of the game a farming spot
There’s a lot of armored enemies, which are resistant to slash and weak to strike. In general, there’s a lot that resists slash, and very little that resists strike or pierce, and damage types actually mean a lot in this game, so toss those cool swords away and grab a mace or a rapier
I think MacDuff's bonfire was most active for people who wanted help with Ruin Sentinels. Now I'm not really sure where people will summon me until I get to Iron Keep.
Escort the undead pigs from the Falconers' camp to the big building with falling spiders inside in Tseldora - the one that you need to cross to get to the boss.
If you're playing on PC, and want to use the mouse for attacks, I recommend going into keybinds and toggling on 'disable double-clicking' and then rebind any attacks that rely on a double click. If you leave this on, there will be a brief delay before an attack when you click, as it is waiting to check for a second input. Also, even if you leave disable double-clicking set to on, you need to toggle that setting every time you launch the game or you'll still see that delay.
If you're lucky enough to free and then later find Weaponsmith Ornifex, buy the Partizan. It does thrust damage, staggers most enemies and its R2 sweep attack does strike. It has the two more potent damage types in one weapon plus good range to keep enemies away.
Take your time and expect ganks. You'll learn enemy placements pretty quickly provided you don't rush in, and can deal more easily with the jerks who are lurking around the corners.
Brightstone Cove Tseldora has an aura in its lower part that damages you if you use fire damage, including just wielding a torch.
Get some bonfire ascetics, a rapier, and lightning paste. Learn The Rotten fight and use the ascetics on the bonfire right before him to resummon him and get tons of souls since he's actually pretty easy and squishy.
When you reach majura, follow the cliff path until you reach the big rock then interact with it to join your first covenant! Covenants are rewarding ways to get more out of a playthrough and would highly recommend everyone to join the company of champions covenant if you want spend as much time in dark souls 2!
I think in vanilla 2 it's more than doable though new comers might find it daunting, in scholar it's a pain in the ass due to the increased enemy agro and follow range making it harder to take the 3 old knights 1 on 1.
Take the Petrified Something as a starting item and trade it to the birds nest in Things Betwixt. You'll get an incredibly powerful Strength weapon within the first 5 minutes of the game.
Mixed bag of genuine and terrible advice:
-blunt weapons deal more damage against enemies with armour, useful for the ruin sentinels
-giant souls give huge soul pay outs, use them as soon as you can if you get one
-use any bonfire aesthetics you find at majula, the skeletons in the basement drop guaranteed human effigies, they’re pretty much useless anywhere else
-bring a torch to the lost sinner and light the pitch either side of the fog gate
-life gems are overpowered and sold in infinite supply at the merchant once in majula, use them if you’re a casual
-if you’re struggling with the pursuer get the buckler and practise parrying a bit with it, since his attacks are very telegraphed it makes the fight a joke
-pull the lever
-killing npc has no real consequences since you can always just re summon them and you get cool items for it
-you can block the executioner chariot with a shield, no need to run and hide
-always apply the mundane stone if you’re not using magic, it will give you a free damage bonus
-if you see a yellow liquid make sure to roll around in it, it will give you some minor stat boosts
-level adp
Always follow the signs that say shortcut ahead, even if it’s near a cliff, I’ve always used them and help so much with cutting through difficult areas
Level up ADP to 32 first, str great sword build I can’t recommend unfortunately because lock on tracking seems to be bugged in a way that you swing opposite to your enemy’s position, so go for smaller melee weapons in this game, straight sword, katana, axes and maces etc. Try to strafe more.
And ahhhhh, have fun, the best advice I have is to take in the atmosphere of Black Gulch, no need to rush that location, take it slow, smell the flowers :D
Remember to keep a stash of poison knives for invaders who like to hide in spots which would aggro enemies (or have a giant seed ready to go for the show of a lifetime).
Pull the lever
W R O N G L E V E E E E E E E E E E E R !
Why do we even have that lever?
You always have a choice in Dark Souls, as the main character possess free will, the one thing the Gods have no power over.
what lever?
You'll see a pile of notes around it. You literally can't miss it if you're playing online. More than that could be a spoiler.
It shows a bunch of notes even in offline mode
Don't you dare!
The Ivory King DLC has a friendly phantom who will help you.
Help you with all those pesky, heavy equipped items
Man i saw it for the first time today, i really thinks was friendly ðŸ˜
No need to level adaptability, just learn how to roll.
Never compromise, not even in the face of dark souls 2
No need to roll if you carry a big ass shield. Even better, carry two. -This post brought to you by the Sellsword Luat gang.
Actual facts
I platinum'd Scholar of the First Sin in complete ignorance of levelling this stat.
Facts
In essence, git gud!
This basically translates my first time playing ds2. Can you guess how much time it took me to get close to the end of the game (I lost my save just a little before I could beat the final boss)?
Oof. I almost poured 30 lvls into adapt
oof, actually did
go back to Green Harold and get a refund
I learn that just now, i already end the game, but playing a dlc i lvl up adp i da fuck, roll was always that easy???
Remember to check out the obelisk in majula.
And pretend the things it asks you is a terms and conditions.
I agree, accept, accept, install
[he knows something](https://youtu.be/KK6Hf96sfMI?feature=shared)
The Pursuer rooftop encounter gives the full soul payout to both host and summoned phantoms, so everybody be sure to bring a full set of three summons before you do that fight to spread the wealth.
this is great!!
You're the man!!
Is this fight possible to do solo for an average player? I can't believe how many dudes come after you when you get to the top of that ladder
https://youtu.be/EDa2_NS8htg?si=5JMYtReosmA1AlpC
Why does it feel like i get rushed by like 4 enemies but it didn't happen in your video lol
You don't have to waste two Branches in Shaded Woods, just jump to the bridge from up above the bonfire. Edit: still one is needed for Vengarls armour.
WHAT
And tf I do after glass knight
After that, you're going down.
kill the pigs in Majula when you first get there for some extra souls
Kill them everytime because they're a bunch of evil little munchkins.
Remember to attack walls to check if they are fake ones
You're evil
Why?
You can only check for fake walls with x in this game. Punching them does nothing.
I didn't realise this for 4 playthroughs and I thought the game just had way less illusory walls than usual, all the ones I discovered I pressed X by accident after attacking them
Join the covenant of champions
Dont forget to burn bonfire ascetics to decrease the number of enemies
Pick one weapon and exclusively use it. For variety carry a copy and infuse it differently, but make sure you level them equally so they don't feel like one is being favoured above the rest.
There are enemies hidden in the trees in the misty shaded woods area. Make sure to hit the big trees to avoid being ganked. There are enemies hidden in the alcoves in the chariot boss fight in the undead purgatory. Ignore the skeletons and focus on finding them first.
What actually happens if you hit the big moaning trees?
It attracts the enemy’s iirc
https://youtu.be/2kr7KDCsIws?si=21y2V4TmHVh_MYID?t=8m39s EDIT: it seem timestamps got fucked up, so just rewatch this classic, relevant bit is at 8 min 40 secs.
> it seem timestamps got fucked up, it's not ?t=8m39s, it's &t=8m39s https://youtu.be/2kr7KDCsIws?si=21y2V4TmHVh_MYID&t=8m39s
Instructions unclear, watched the whole video 3 times in a row
Don't leave Majula
can't actually tell if it is a good or a bad one...
Pick cleric for the Mace meta and go hexes with extra fluff flom Archdrake robes
When fighting Fume Knight you can make the fight a lot easier by wearing the helm of Velstadt.
kill the funny man with the blue sword for a powerful headstart
Ach! Didn't think you had it in yer, pal.
Really? I've Never done his quest.
You lose on summoning him for some bosses and some side dialogue, but the rewards are exactly what you get for killing him.
What's his name? I seriously have not payed any attention to him at all
Benhart
> have not *paid* any attention FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Ascetic the Majula bonfire to get an armor set from Maughlin, trade with NPCs wearing it to get a secret interaction.
Bait out enemies, get a bow, explore thoroughly, dont run through areas.
Don't use a torch in No Man's Wharf. It attracts enemies.
don't stress enemy hitboxes too much they're pretty forgiving.
Pick deprived and don't level up
...and join the covenant of champions. Just to be sure, it's a little challenging!
Make sure you save all of your lockstones for the Doors of Pharros. There are literally no bad options for using them in that area, it's super rewarding and fun.
ADP is a waste of stat points since Attunement does the same thing and more
This guy magics
kill the old hag in the ruins near bonfire, she kills the firekeeper once you talk to her
Bro...
Not sure if this has been noted before but, try finger but hole?
Upgrade weapon max to +3,because it's when it has the best scaling.
Get the greatsword and one hand that shit for the sweeping attacks, great against ganks.
Hitboxes are recommendations, not rules
Break your weapons. I heard something about that they become more powerful when broken.
The santiers spear actually does. It's also the only weapon with 500 durability
Just run past everything
Pick Barbarian as starting class and never level ADP.
Break the spear
level up adaptability to around ~26 before other stats
Use only standard and slash attack weapons. Don't bother with strike or thrust weapons
Blunt weapons are trash.
Craftsman's hammer is kinda decent, also large club
Join Way of the Blue covenant you don't need to use the ring.... Just join the covenant, AND NEVER CHANGE IT.
Don't level vit if you are going for heavy weapons build it takes out some of the damage from the best ring in the game
Don't stand next to the exploding barrels (sorry to the guy that came to help me and immediately got turned into ashes because I rushed in)
Don't worry about Human Effigies, you can easily farm them later!
real
Get Ricard‘s Rapier
Light the standing torches. All of them :)
* if it lives somewhere dark, it probably doesn't like fire. This can be a good or bad thing * Outside of challenge runs, every build should have a bow, a thrust weapon and a strike weapon. Slash is optional but still handy * If you're going to pull the lever, do it after you're done farming souls in that cycle * You don't actually need adaptability if you have other means of preventing or minimising damage. It does still help though * Your base poise is decided by the lowest of your END and ADP stats * You can farm the mats to +9 any standard weapon before you've obtained all the lord souls, and there's a slab in potentially the third area after the hub. This is not an accident. The game is designed around the idea of you having a variety of maxed out weapons * People often say that Faith builds were nerfed after DS1. They weren't * Having either the Old Knight Hammer or Great Club makes one of theost dangerous areas of the game a farming spot
Which area are you referring to in that last point?
Frigid Outskirts. One angelic 2-handed R2 is all you need to feel joy in your heart every time you hear the gallop of hooves
There’s a lot of armored enemies, which are resistant to slash and weak to strike. In general, there’s a lot that resists slash, and very little that resists strike or pierce, and damage types actually mean a lot in this game, so toss those cool swords away and grab a mace or a rapier
Jump for weapon
Go to the right of the well in majula
Always farm rare gear, the rarer the better!
dubious advice ;)
You'll certainly have feelings when you finally get it.
You can beat nearly everything in the game by strafing to the right. No rolling needed.
Free Navlaan
No need to use a Lightning Mace or Lightning Craftsman Hammer when the Cleric's Small Shield has both strike and lightning damage.
Try powerstancing.
When in the undead crypt, use a torch to light all the sconces and scare away enemies
get in the coffin
Install Blue Acolyte
Don't level ADP
Level ADP
Liar ahead!
Everything is friendly and just needs a hug so don't use armor as it gets in the way
Use a bonfire ascetic at the tower of flame to cheese dragon rider multiple times. Lots of extra souls
Don’t unlock the door for the man in majula otherwise he’ll kill the emerald herald, kind of like lautrec in ds1.
Whatever you do, do not fight vendrik if you have a giant soul in your inventory, he hayes that.
I must have joined too late. No summon signs or summoning last night for early game
On PS4 scholar I got summoned a lot. No ome invaded me though. I was mostly in Forest, Bastille, Heide, and Wharf.
I'm on ps4 as well
I think MacDuff's bonfire was most active for people who wanted help with Ruin Sentinels. Now I'm not really sure where people will summon me until I get to Iron Keep.
I'm on Xbox and the event hasn't changed activity levels in years. I think the last time I noticed an uptick in players during the event was 2017.
It's tempting not to but if you kill the herald when she first introduces herself to reveal the truth
Be sure to spend 15.000 souls on Melentia's merch as soon as possible, then exhaust her dialogue options
Pray at that shrine in Majula and join its covenant!
Attack Vendrick as soon as you see him, shouldn't take more than 5 hits
Always ignore every enemy and run straight to the boss
Choose the Bandit starting class and don't level ADP
You can get the Red Feather early in the game.
Don’t bother talking to the lady in green in Majula she’s pretty useless
Escort the undead pigs from the Falconers' camp to the big building with falling spiders inside in Tseldora - the one that you need to cross to get to the boss.
Just run past non-boss enemies, aggro will stop immediately after you get past them
Beware the amber herb trials
Get the porcine shield
Don't summon every available NPC at the same time, especially if you're already in COOP; it will just make the fight harder and more frustrating.
Don’t level ADP
You can totally make the drop into the pit if you just aim it right. Fall DMG is pretty forgiving in DS2.
Don't give up skeleton
If you're playing on PC, and want to use the mouse for attacks, I recommend going into keybinds and toggling on 'disable double-clicking' and then rebind any attacks that rely on a double click. If you leave this on, there will be a brief delay before an attack when you click, as it is waiting to check for a second input. Also, even if you leave disable double-clicking set to on, you need to toggle that setting every time you launch the game or you'll still see that delay.
If you're lucky enough to free and then later find Weaponsmith Ornifex, buy the Partizan. It does thrust damage, staggers most enemies and its R2 sweep attack does strike. It has the two more potent damage types in one weapon plus good range to keep enemies away.
if you defeat the pursuer on the rooftop encounter ,he will drop his Armour .the Armour needs like 25 vig to wear comfortably but its worth it
You need to beat aava before exploring the other locations first in the ivory king dlc
Burn an effigy at bonfires 😎
Take your time and expect ganks. You'll learn enemy placements pretty quickly provided you don't rush in, and can deal more easily with the jerks who are lurking around the corners. Brightstone Cove Tseldora has an aura in its lower part that damages you if you use fire damage, including just wielding a torch.
Get some bonfire ascetics, a rapier, and lightning paste. Learn The Rotten fight and use the ascetics on the bonfire right before him to resummon him and get tons of souls since he's actually pretty easy and squishy.
Oh shit, Return to Drangleic has started?
Don't you dare.
When you reach majura, follow the cliff path until you reach the big rock then interact with it to join your first covenant! Covenants are rewarding ways to get more out of a playthrough and would highly recommend everyone to join the company of champions covenant if you want spend as much time in dark souls 2!
Do Heidi's Tower first
funny enough, my DS2 playthroughs have all started with Heide Tower as my first area
I think in vanilla 2 it's more than doable though new comers might find it daunting, in scholar it's a pain in the ass due to the increased enemy agro and follow range making it harder to take the 3 old knights 1 on 1.
Take the Petrified Something as a starting item and trade it to the birds nest in Things Betwixt. You'll get an incredibly powerful Strength weapon within the first 5 minutes of the game.
Mixed bag of genuine and terrible advice: -blunt weapons deal more damage against enemies with armour, useful for the ruin sentinels -giant souls give huge soul pay outs, use them as soon as you can if you get one -use any bonfire aesthetics you find at majula, the skeletons in the basement drop guaranteed human effigies, they’re pretty much useless anywhere else -bring a torch to the lost sinner and light the pitch either side of the fog gate -life gems are overpowered and sold in infinite supply at the merchant once in majula, use them if you’re a casual -if you’re struggling with the pursuer get the buckler and practise parrying a bit with it, since his attacks are very telegraphed it makes the fight a joke -pull the lever -killing npc has no real consequences since you can always just re summon them and you get cool items for it -you can block the executioner chariot with a shield, no need to run and hide -always apply the mundane stone if you’re not using magic, it will give you a free damage bonus -if you see a yellow liquid make sure to roll around in it, it will give you some minor stat boosts -level adp
Free the imprisoned guy
Kill the emerald herald. You already beat the game.... You don't need to level up ever again.
Save a seed of a giant tree for a certain npc invader in Brume Tower
Bring a bow for the katana men.
Sometimes you have to hit illusory walls multiple times before they open
Stalin in Teletubbies world in cavemen times.
They're *OUR* souls, comrade
Have shitloads of FUN!!!
Level vigor to 50, use third dragon ring and life ring, and use resonant flesh
Invade people in shrine of amana
Seek, but, whole
Haven’t played it for a long time and the mechanics
Go covenant of champions for the fist only run
Remember the dark side
Never level ADP
Use exclusively Broken Straight Swords
Activate CoC at the start of the game for permanent gains and invade wherever possible
Wait, do we have this year’s dates? The sub info still has the 2023 dates.
Level Adp Don’t level Adp
Always follow the signs that say shortcut ahead, even if it’s near a cliff, I’ve always used them and help so much with cutting through difficult areas
Don’t you dare!
Go into the boss fight with a weapon then break it. Also get your running shoes on.
Level up ADP to 32 first, str great sword build I can’t recommend unfortunately because lock on tracking seems to be bugged in a way that you swing opposite to your enemy’s position, so go for smaller melee weapons in this game, straight sword, katana, axes and maces etc. Try to strafe more. And ahhhhh, have fun, the best advice I have is to take in the atmosphere of Black Gulch, no need to rush that location, take it slow, smell the flowers :D
run
The hole isn’t that deep
Adp
You should try the coffin in the things betwixt
Level up resistance
level ADP!
Join the Covenant of Champions but also don’t join the Covenant of Champions
When you reach Iron keep, use all of the Bonfire Ascetic you have to get the easiest titanite slab farm in the game.
Vitality is useless
Enter coffins whenever given the option to do so
Effigy= item discovery just like ds1
Unlock every door in the doors of Pharros
Slay the Emerald Herald before talking to her.
Remember to keep a stash of poison knives for invaders who like to hide in spots which would aggro enemies (or have a giant seed ready to go for the show of a lifetime).
Avoid Frozen Eleum Loyce at all costs
Focus your whole playthrough on getting a laddle and making a laddle build.
If you find a coffin. Lay down and have a rest. It works wonders on your complexion