You have died... again. Dark Souls 2 announced

Having three DLC and playing them back to back is probably a little much.

Glad you enjoyed it. That’s another nice thing about the game. Dark Souls runs out of gas after Anor Londo (at least after the first play through). Dark Souls 2 gets better, though the highs still aren’t that great.

Yeah, I think it was smart to front-load DS2 with the great soul gathering, leaving the back half free to explore the more interesting characters and story bits.

The entire run post Shrine of Amana was wonderful. As were the boss fights.

Not sure how far through DS1 I am (I think maybe slightly more than halfway), but I am already planning on going through this when I’m done. It will be, weirdly, the last of the Souls games I will have played through (although I got up to No Man’s Worf before). My order:

  1. Demon’s Souls
  2. Bloodborne
  3. Dark Souls 3
  4. Dark Souls
  5. Dark Souls 2

All in about 7 or 8 months, I imagine, by the time it’s over. I bought Demon’s Souls way back in fall of 2009, and (some of) the others at various times, but it’s taken a decade for them to click with me. The internet most assuredly helps.

Play the version with the DLC. Scholar of the First Sin.

Thats the one I have. Not sure if you can even buy the original now.

I would suggest the opposite. I wish I had played vanilla DS2 instead of SOTFS. I think I would have enjoyed DS2 more if I hadn’t played the harder version.

My order went:

  1. Dark Souls
  2. Sekiro
  3. Dark Souls 2
  4. Bloodborne
  5. Dark Souls 3
  6. Demon’s Souls (currently working on Demon’s souls)

Started in March, will probably be done by October.

I admit it does have some stupid additions, but on the whole I think it is better. Torches are much more important, or at least some light source. Also, I think the DLC are very good. And there is some enemy placement changes IIRC that are good and bad.

It is, with the DLC a long game though. But the DLC contains some great boss fights and so I think they are essential.

I wish I’d played the vanilla version instead too. It sounded less soul crushing. :-P

A few less NPC invasions, the gutter and the area with the Pirates (forget the name) aren’t quite as dark. But at least in that area SOTFS actually gives you a shortcut that the vanilla game doesn’t offer. I think SOTFS also offers a few more NPC summons for boss fights.

It was also interesting to play second because object placement was changed. One key that can make life easier was much easier to find.

I ended up quite liking DS2 but the learning curve was steep, the middle part was a real drag, and the combat still feels wonky to me. And there is so much leveling up you have to do to roll right.

Complaints aside, it’s a worthy sequel and a unique experience unto itself, and for me personally, has the best story.

I think the best part of the game for me is something I have a vague memory of now. It was a circular room, and I fought some kind of medusa/snake type creature, and the room kept filling up with green sludge/poison I think? I just remember that being really bonkers fun and it was one of the few times in the game I had a ton of fun. Sadly I beat that boss pretty quickly so it never etched itself into my memory as well as other lesser fights that I did over and over.

Edit: Here is what I wrote about it 3 years ago in my playthrough. (Wow, it’s been 3 years?)

If you beat the boss while the poison was still turned on you did pretty damn good. There is a way to turn off the poison that makes that boss much easier.

By the way, that area is actually part of the second DLC in Dark Souls 3.

Oooooh, very intriguing. I’ll look forward to that.

No shit? You just provided the push I needed to put my try-hard pants back on and git gud.

Look for windmills and fallen towers.

Coming off of four straight From games, this one does feel floaty. In Things Betwixt I felt constantly in danger of skating off the edge of some dropoff. I don’t recall that feeling last time.

I don’t know, man, this game feels clunky. Donnie, I’m out of my element.

Of course if you insist on soloing Midir all bets are off.

The animations in DS2 are really clunky, it does give it a weird feel. But you’ll get used to it eventually. It does make me wonder what the hell went on during development.