I think DS2 was more “user friendly” as far as being able to summon NPCs for almost every fight. Overall I think it is an easier game. It will be interesting to see what direction DS3 goes.
My hope is they stay user friendly, I just don’t have the skills to take the bosses down solo most of the time, though I do manage one now and then lol.
I have the skills mostly, but what I lack is the patience at times. I like being challenged and having to figure things out, but if I’m having a tough go I really like the option of calling in the reinforcements when it starts to become more frustrating than fun. If this were an open world game it’d be a little different, I could just go elsewhere, but with DS2 sometimes you could be stuck.
There can be a thin line between a very difficult/challenging boss fight and frustration, and I think that threshold is different for everyone. I’m hoping they stick with the “user friendly” aspect of DS2 as well.
I agree with this. I made it through DS1 only using help for one fight, and even with help I bet it took 20 times. I really enjoyed DS1 but it sure had a certain frustration level that with DS2 I chose not to go for. In DS2 I always tried to beat the bosses solo, sometimes a dozen times but at some point I just said screw it and got help. Having the option is nice.
There are some moderate spoilers flying around already so watch out if you care about stuff like that. It’s all from magazine previews and gameplay events in Japan, so it’s probably the kind of stuff you’ll see pretty early in the game. I’ve taken a peek and they have some interesting implications on the universe.
This is were I fall on the spectrum as well. After 8-10 tries on a boss I have usually had enough and just summon. Whenever possible I summon an NPC though, since for some reason I think that fits the story better.
Really I’m in it for the exploration, which I never seem to tire of no matter haw many times I die. I actually think the danger makes the exploration that much more fun. :)
Agreed. For me the fun part is getting from fog gate to fog gate. The boss battles just get in the way of that.
You’re crazy! I mean, sure, some boss fights are annoying and boring roadblocks to progress, but some of them are just as fun as the basic combat.
I always thought the fun part was getting past the stuff in between the fog gates. Sure, the bosses should be tough and should frustrate you but since you spend most of the game getting to them you should enjoy that part. In DS2 when you first get to Heide’s Tower and see those big bastards you really have to work to get through them. I was always happy to figure out a new opponent and then get by them.
In DS1 those damn knights sniping at you in Anor Londo were as tough as any boss fight.
add me to the camp that had a blast with the game but could do without bosses
I just got a popup that said the level of git gud got dangerously low in this thread.
Don’t git that I don’t like boss fights, I just think the strength of the game is the run up to the boss fight.
I like the boss fights quite a bit, but I thought they were a ton of fun multiplayer in DS2. Many or most of them seemed designed to be fun with multiple people. I spent a bunch of time assisting in fighting the bosses in other players worlds, then would try and take them out solo in my world. Generally, I had more fun helping people then solo-ing the bosses.
I never tried to get summoned. Do you just put down your summon sign and go about your business and wait for someone to summon you?
Pretty much, but you’ll have better luck if you put it near bonfires or boss doors. The benefit of being summoned is it makes you human again if you and the host don’t die.
Dark Souls 2 added the small white soapstone which summons you for a limited time, basically long enough to get through some tough sections but not so long that you’ll be trapped in someone else’s world forever if they screw around. The regular white soapstone keeps you there until you kill the area boss, or one of you dies, whichever comes first.
I loved being summoned into boss fights, especially for bosses I’d never fought before. It gave me experience fighting the boss, and if I succeeded I was human again and could summon to my world to help me do the fight “for real” - I loved it. Is that mechanic still working the same way in DS3?
With my first play thru of DS2 I tried beating the Pursuer until I decided I needed help. I summoned a real player and we went in. The Pursuer went after the other player, so I quickly ran to the ballistas and fired, one shotting the guy I summoned. I quickly fired again and hit the Pursuer and then easily finished him off. I felt so bad about killing the guy I summoned.
It’s better than summoning the guy who does nothing but try to kill the player who’s world he’s in with the ballistas. That dude lives at that fog door. And is probably naked with a stupid name.
I’m not sure I would do away with them entirely, but I think less is definitely more when it comes to Souls bosses. I think Demon’s Souls was my favorite boss vs. exploration balance, though I think Bloodborne did pretty well with it too. Truthfully, I could go with even fewer bosses, but with more nasty, partially optional, stuff like dragons in the exploration areas.