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CJacobs posted:It is that bad. Dark Souls 2 has several ways you can back yourself into a corner. Proceeding too much will lock you out of co-op for other areas in a game where there are four different branching paths, so if you don't need help with one area and breeze through it, your SM will be too high to co-op in another branch that you might be struggling with. If you stop to grind you will outpace the average soul memory for the area you're currently in, making the problem even worse. The game is still almost impossible to co-op consistently with one or two other people, even with the addition of the gods ring for easier connection, because the difference in souls gained by host/summon will shift your soul memory slowly apart. And indeed, any form of organized co-op is much harder because you have to find someone who is in your soul memory range, at the same point in the game as you, at the same time. When it comes to organized co-op, the only considerations that factor in are: "Can I summon in this area?", "Does my buddy have access to this area?", and "Are we in Soul Memory range?" Those first two issues exist in every single Souls game, so they aren't a unique issue to Dark Souls 2. So that last one is a real concern, but with the name ring (which you can get access to whenever you want, as long as you have 5500 souls) you can expand the soul memory brackets by a pretty huge amount. If you look at the name ring co-op items, a person running the Large Soapstone at 1 million soul memory can connect with someone as low as 600k and as high as 2 million. That is a huge range for organized co-op. At lower soul memory ranges things are tighter, but still very wide. If you're having trouble connecting with a buddy while doing organized co-op, especially with the Agape Ring available...well, you're either doing this with zero planning or you hosed up in a big way. Without the name ring things are a lot tighter, but they're still reasonable. If you wear the agape ring while throwing yourself out for random co-op, you cannot bubble out of soul memory range. quote:Since only gained souls now matter, if you gain a bunch of souls and then lose them without spending it, it's a permanent mark on your SM and in a game that is based upon that happening multiple times you'd think they would have had the foresight to not tie that element of it to the co-op; death now has an additional penalty that you have no way of fixing. You can pick up your bloodstain, regain your humanity and healthbar, but you can't undo the increase to your soul memory. It also completely breaks some of the covenants; bluebros are sparse and hard to find because if you join them you will barely get any consistent hits, since it requires a host and a person invading that host who are both within your soul memory in a summonable area who can connect to you at the same time you are wearing the ring. That's not the problem with bluebros and you know it. The actual problem with bluebros is that there are no sinners, which is a problem caused by the way they hosed over invaders (no meaningful reward for invading, invasion items in PvE are kinda rare, farming invasion items in the arena is lame, etc.) Soul memory is a stupid, goofy system and it has a lot of problems, I'm not denying that. However, you are seriously overstating those problems, especially when the agape ring is in play.
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Jul 30, 2015 22:46
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You didn't address half my points and the other half you decided to explain away with the stunning counter-argument of "there are ways around the system so the system's not bad" 
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Jul 30, 2015 23:08
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CJacobs posted:You didn't address half my points and the other half you decided to explain away with the stunning counter-argument of "there are ways around the system so the system's not bad" I didn't say the system isn't bad, I said you guys are blowing its problems way out of proportion. What are the actual problems you raised that I didn't address? Losing a significant amount of souls puts you in a negative position because it increases your soul memory in a way that you can't address? Soul memory brackets are pretty wide, so in order to be particularly negatively impacted, you have to be losing an immense amount of souls relative to your area. Once you hit 1.5 million SM, for example, we're talking about 250k souls just to be pushed into a single higher bracket. "If you stop to grind, you will outpace the SM range of the area you're in"...sure, I could see that. Keep in mind the size of those soul memory brackets, though; what kind of grinding are we talking about here? If you're talking about two players' SM drifting apart as they attempt to co-op together, that's only a problem if they let themselves drift too far apart, because again, SM brackets are pretty wide. And yes, the fact that From included ways for you to work within the system does alleviate its issues, at least somewhat.
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Jul 30, 2015 23:50
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Soul memory doesn't change a thing about coordinated co-op. If you're going through an area with one person and then the other, your SM will stay the same. I've gone through the whole game co-op with one person and we had no trouble keeping our SM close. Then the netcode for summoning with the name engraved ring seems to actually work really well, so we were able to summon each other within 30 seconds of dropping a sign almost every time. It worked great. After a terrible experience trying to do coordinated co-op through dark souls 1, and 5 to 10-minute wait times for random password co-op in bloodborne, I've definitely had the best online experience with dark souls 2. On a technical level it beats bloodborne in almost every way.
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Jul 31, 2015 00:00
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"You can still get around other matchmaking systems" and "Coop still works pretty good" are like, the damningest of faint praise. Spent souls only would have been objectively a better system. SL matchmaking would have been more comprehensible and impossible to gently caress yourself accidentally with. All the systems people have come up with have some shortcoming, but the fact that the points in favor of soul memory are so weak is pretty good evidence that it's the worst of them.
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Jul 31, 2015 00:12
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King of Solomon posted:What are the actual problems you raised that I didn't address? Losing a significant amount of souls puts you in a negative position because it increases your soul memory in a way that you can't address? Soul memory brackets are pretty wide, so in order to be particularly negatively impacted, you have to be losing an immense amount of souls relative to your area. The point of that complaint is not just that your soul memory pushes you out of co-op ranges, but additionally that there's nothing you can do about it. The fact that it is possible for it to happen in the first place is the bad thing. Hence my comparison to bloodstains, lost max health by hollowing etc. Things that negatively impact your character permanently by no choice of your own are, on a fundamental level, objectively bad.
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Jul 31, 2015 00:24
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I've been all tanking with my build but with my strength now at 50 and the other mains in the mid 30s, is it possible or worthwhile to start adding a few points to the magic stats so I can cast some spells?
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Jul 31, 2015 00:29
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It won't do much for you since spells are weaker than just hitting things with physical weapons, but an attunement slot for flash sweat or whatever wouldn't be a bad idea.
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Jul 31, 2015 00:36
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codo27 posted:I've been all tanking with my build but with my strength now at 50 and the other mains in the mid 30s, is it possible or worthwhile to start adding a few points to the magic stats so I can cast some spells? Might as well, at the least you can grab a * Weapon spell or a heal or something.
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Jul 31, 2015 00:47
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CJacobs posted:The point of that complaint is not just that your soul memory pushes you out of co-op ranges, but additionally that there's nothing you can do about it. The fact that it is possible for it to happen in the first place is the bad thing. Hence my comparison to bloodstains, lost max health by hollowing etc. Things that negatively impact your character permanently by no choice of your own are, on a fundamental level, objectively bad. Except that's not true. You can equip the agape ring. It's an inelegant solution, but that absolutely is not a problem anymore. quote:"You can still get around other matchmaking systems" and "Coop still works pretty good" are like, the damningest of faint praise. Spent souls only would have been objectively a better system. SL matchmaking would have been more comprehensible and impossible to gently caress yourself accidentally with. All the systems people have come up with have some shortcoming, but the fact that the points in favor of soul memory are so weak is pretty good evidence that it's the worst of them. Those are defenses against specific complaints, not arguments in favor of the system.
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Jul 31, 2015 01:10
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King of Solomon posted:As Bloodborne showed, they don't even need something as goofy as Soul Memory to have terrible multiplayer systems. Yeah the whole bell ringer thing seems convoluted as hell.
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Jul 31, 2015 03:27
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For all the  MUH SOUL MEMORY , DS2 has the most engaging multiplayer I've encountered in the Souls games.
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Jul 31, 2015 03:32
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How active is the PS4 community compared to PC anyway? I remember a massive, massive difference when it came to the first DS and 360/PC.RBA Starblade posted:There are a lot of little gotchas here and there if you're not paying attention and think things look mostly the same as before. Nothing you can't see coming if you're being cautious but I've played it so much I start to go on auto-pilot and oh god I don't remember fireballs here help Neat! Was worried they'd shove all the changes into Giant's Castle and leave it at that. Good to hear. 
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Jul 31, 2015 05:51
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Paracelsus posted:For all the I'd say Demon's Souls was better but otherwise I agree. Dark Souls had connection problems on all systems, especially at launch and Bloodborne's multiplayer is so convoluted that PvP may as well not exist because of the amount of bullshit you need to set up for it to happen. Soul Memory sucks, but I've never had dropped connections or had to go out of my way to engage in multiplayer in Dark Souls 2.
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Jul 31, 2015 10:51
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In DS2 I just played the game without worrying about soul memory at all and have always had matches and co-op whenever I needed it. I read the points people make about it, and they all make sense, and given that - they are completely valid, but... I don't know. It's never been an issue to me. Always people at the bosses I've need help for. Always good pvp in the known places. Very, VERY few bullshit hacking and system gaming. The times people have been obviously over/under-leveled I haven't even really cared because the way you play is way more important than what you're playing with in this game so it just kind of came out in the wash. Maybe it's the way I play the game at a very middling pace without falling behind or pushing my character too far one way or another? I feel bad reading how much trouble some people apparently go through having experiences none of it since launch. ...Git Casul?
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Jul 31, 2015 13:57
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No Man's Wharf is so difficult now. 
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Jul 31, 2015 14:33
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indeed, but there's also a shortcut that's actually useful now (as opposed to being an alternative and frankly more annoying path)
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Jul 31, 2015 15:00
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I only do no man's wharf if I'm human so I can summon the shade. Holy poo poo the greatsword is heavy.
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Jul 31, 2015 18:59
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Mr Dog posted:indeed, but there's also a shortcut that's actually useful now (as opposed to being an alternative and frankly more annoying path) Definitely, but those snipers and viking swarms man. Oye. Also the Pursuer makes me sad after going through the Bastile. I used to think you were scary, dude.
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Aug 1, 2015 08:14
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Those fights were fun. Especially the one near the Gold Serpent Ring because he charged me as I was picking up the ring and I was just madly spamming the roll button to get away. I heard him spawn in but decided to take the risk anyway just in case he killed me. It was actually pretty cool going back to a lot of these bosses because I feel like I'm just better at the game now after Bloodborne forced me to play more aggressively. It's nice to see how far you've progressed.
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Aug 1, 2015 08:50
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The Pursuer refights are a cool idea, I just wish they were spaced out a bit more. As it is, you're fighting him four times in the Bastille and only twice in other locations (one of which is very easily missable if you don't know about it). Having to fight him so many times in such a short timeframe devalues him as an encounter because he eventually stops being a threat and just becomes a stop sign with lots of HP.
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Aug 1, 2015 15:48
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poptart_fairy posted:No Man's Wharf is so difficult now. What'd they change? I just started my replay and got through it but didn't notice any big differences aside from Gavlan moving and the new friendly summon.
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Aug 1, 2015 23:02
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Memnaelar posted:What'd they change? I just started my replay and got through it but didn't notice any big differences aside from Gavlan moving and the new friendly summon. It was the snipers and how the vikings can group up a bit more easily now. Maybe I went there a little earlier than I should have, but I melted under their attacks and couldn't find a decent place to fight that didn't see me getting peppered with arrows.
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Aug 1, 2015 23:03
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They also added a couple of those shadow assassin guys too that can catch you off guard if you don't know they're coming. They made subsequent runs to the boss easier though with the new shortcut.
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Aug 1, 2015 23:29
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It's nice that they added the assassins because at least now you can grind for their drops. I actually got those gauntlets they have off of like the first one I killed in SotFS.
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Aug 1, 2015 23:31
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I actually found No Man's Wharf to be pretty much the easiest area in the game, although I was playing SotFS without having played old DS2 so I didn't have any presumptions as to where enemies would be. I think I only died once and it was to one of those horrible light-hating guys.
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Aug 2, 2015 08:21
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I died once in there and was because I rolled to the water  Didn't find that zone hard compared to others but I quite like it because you fight vikings and the whole small village inside a cavern with a big ship in. It also has the bandit axe and Varangian sword wich are two of my favourite DS2 weapons.
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Aug 2, 2015 10:45
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I bought SOTFS yesterday and I'm trying out powerstancing for the first time using two clubs. I started as a cleric so I've kind of fallen into a faith build. There's no way to infuse these clubs with faith scaling is there? Is it worth just going the lightning route?
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Aug 2, 2015 13:27
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You can Lightning-infuse it, but don't. Clubs have S strength scaling and physical damage is the best kind of damage to inflict, so you should stick to leaving them pure physical instead of crippling their Strength scaling to add some Faith scaling that's going to be resisted to varying degrees by enemies and opponents. The total damage is greater, sure, but it's still not really worth it. Miracles are more of a support thing anyway, use the healing spells and defense buff spells instead.
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Aug 2, 2015 13:42
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Fair enough. I guess I should start pumping strength beyond the 18 it is at right now.
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Aug 2, 2015 14:53
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Guillermus posted:Varangian sword Varangian buddies.  I think I'm going to just power stance two of these things and keep a couple of broadswords as back-up weapons. I have a bastard sword to use on bosses and slower enemies, but the attack speed of the Varangians more than makes up for the decrease in damage. Just need to keep a decent amount of repair powder handy...
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Aug 2, 2015 15:10
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Ugh, I accidentally clobbered my saves when upgrading to Win10 - forgot they're stored in AppData/Roaming and didn't back it up. After playing through 2/3 of the original game and then getting to Aldia's in SotFS I'm not really interested in slogging through the whole game again in any methodical fashion. So what's the optimum PvE cheese build? Rapier with elemental or magic attunement and offensive sorcery? I'm planning on just running to the bosses at least till I get to the DLC.
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Aug 2, 2015 15:48
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Chumpy posted:So what's the optimum PvE cheese build? Rapier with elemental or magic attunement and offensive sorcery? I'm planning on just running to the bosses at least till I get to the DLC. An uninfused (e.g. no elemental attunement) Rapier (or Estoc, if you want to Poise-break a bunch) with Resins is the hands-down fastest method of getting through the game. You don't even need to bother with Sorcery. Just equip a bow if you need ranged damage. DS2 is a weird reversal of DS1 in that purely physical guys are actually at a major advantage over everyone else, except in some specific circumstances.
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Aug 2, 2015 15:51
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I envy those of you who have beaten the game or can get two thirds of the way through it and in a day or 3. In my defense everything at the start of bloodbourne was easy for me deprived and I run sl1 characters along side my main. Loincloth and club deprived for life. It was my dad's ps4, I kept telling him he had sloppy habits playing tank characters.
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Aug 2, 2015 16:07
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I was trying to build a Dex/Faith build to try something different from my normal Str/Arcane, but got sucked back into Str because the early game weapons really push me in that direction (hello, Fire Longsword). Now I'm sitting around 24 Faith, 21 Str, and 16 Dex with a +7 Heide Long Sword and trying to think of where I want to go next in terms of build/weapon. Just hit the Iron Keep. Any thoughts/suggestions? Looking online has been a bit of a mess given how much has changed with Scholar and the various patches along the way.
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Aug 2, 2015 17:58
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Blew my giant pile of souls I had built up, Gained something like 40 levels. So thanks for the soul memory lesson. I had thought it was simply souls spent.
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Aug 2, 2015 18:36
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Memnaelar posted:I was trying to build a Dex/Faith build to try something different from my normal Str/Arcane, but got sucked back into Str because the early game weapons really push me in that direction (hello, Fire Longsword). Now I'm sitting around 24 Faith, 21 Str, and 16 Dex with a +7 Heide Long Sword and trying to think of where I want to go next in terms of build/weapon. Just hit the Iron Keep. The Rapier is a great beginner weapon now, as is the Estoc. Weapons in general are much more balanced from what I've seen in SotFS compared to when Dark Souls 2 first came out.
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Aug 2, 2015 18:54
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Can anyone help me out with a good use for the Heal-over-Time spells like Resplendent Life and what-not? I have a hard time imagining the heal it gives you being better than tossing out a big heal (or, frankly, just chugging an Estus Flask). I get that it might be slightly better in groups but I have a hard time imagining slotting it.
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Aug 3, 2015 00:45
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Memnaelar posted:Can anyone help me out with a good use for the Heal-over-Time spells like Resplendent Life and what-not? I have a hard time imagining the heal it gives you being better than tossing out a big heal (or, frankly, just chugging an Estus Flask). I get that it might be slightly better in groups but I have a hard time imagining slotting it. I've used it in invasions sometimes directly before going after the host.
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Aug 3, 2015 00:59
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A good use is for rp.
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Aug 3, 2015 00:59
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