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Contra Duck posted:There’s one in the spikes in tseldora. Fextralife mentions it, make sure you’re looking at the dx11 version of the page if you’re playing sotfs because things can be different. edit: One of the comments on fextralife's Harvest Valley page mentions a Slab right next to the Sunbro covenant, so I'm not crazy after all.
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Jun 20, 2018 04:58
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Elderbean posted:What's a good "build" for a new player? DS2 has a ton of variety in viable builds. I've always found using a shield to be the most straightforward way to start out--sure, there's people who swear by rolling, but to start off with, a shield is pretty good, and a longsword or broadsword gives you pretty good reach and is relatively easy to find. The only trick is that it does take a little while to get a shield that has good damage resistance--even the Warrior starting class, which gets an Iron Parma, is only 85% physical resistance, and if you're going for a shieldy sorta build, it makes sense to grab one with 100% physical resistance whenever you can, so you don't get chipping damage when someone thumps your shield.
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Jun 20, 2018 06:14
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Don't use the Fextralife wiki use the Wikidot one, it's a much better resource.
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Jun 20, 2018 06:36
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BattleTech posted:Don't use the Fextralife wiki use the Wikidot one, it's a much better resource. Not necessarily. It's often easier to find SoTFS info on Fextralife
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Jun 20, 2018 07:28
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Elderbean posted:What's a good "build" for a new player? Like the guy above suggested, grab a decent shield and a mace and you can have a decent time going through the game for the first time. No matter your build, I always recommend carrying around a ranged weapon and plenty of ammo. Being able to pull guys back to fight on your terms is invaluable.
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Jun 20, 2018 15:32
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I started with the regular mace as my main weapon but I could not handle the short range on it. Like, it's so short that you'll regularly whiff the second hit of a combo just because the first hit knocked the enemy back a couple of inches. I switched to Bastard Sword and found the game a ton more enjoyable until I got to Doors of Pharros and got a Mastodon Halberd. Haven't looked back since then.
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Jun 20, 2018 16:06
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Elderbean posted:What's a good "build" for a new player? This isn't a build suggestion, but one thing I recommend is not being stingy with your Human Effigies. You'll get a boatload of them, so if you feel your HP is getting miserably low, just pop one to get back to full. The Ring of Binding helps, but even with that a Human Effigy will give you +33% more health if you've gone full Hollowed, and free up a ring slot too! One other tip: if you spend money with the armor merchant in Majula (Maughlin), he'll get new stuff - just spending 1000 souls gets you access to the Elite Knight set for instance. The next tier takes a bunch more , but eventually you'll want to cause he'll get new sets as you get on.
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Jun 20, 2018 16:14
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Gully Foyle posted:
To add on to this, he also sells boss armor after I think 10k souls spent on him. Also talk to him with 0 souls on you after you've spent 10k souls to get a free armor set. I don't remember if the armor set is good, but it's super light weight.
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Jun 20, 2018 16:37
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Bogart posted:You have stumbled onto my all time favorite DS2 build. Big sweeps, precise stabs, poison, and even parries depsnding on where you hold the stinger. e: It's probably just that Bloodborne was my first soulslike game I put any time into, but I cannot for the life of me work out how to play with a shield. It just feels wrong and like I'm putting the game on hardmode for no benefit.
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Jun 20, 2018 18:58
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Whalley posted:e: It's probably just that Bloodborne was my first soulslike game I put any time into, but I cannot for the life of me work out how to play with a shield. It just feels wrong and like I'm putting the game on hardmode for no benefit. It's mostly people used to how absurdly powerful they were in DaSo1. They're a lot weaker here and often more of a hindrance than a benefit without using strong magic shield.
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Jun 20, 2018 19:26
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Really enjoying my first playthrough of SotFS, after having played vanilla DS2 probably a dozen times. I feel like all the changes so far have made sense and added nicely to the game. Just made it to Dragon Aerie. Havel's Greatshield/Great Club combo of pancaking everything I come across is still serving me well.
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Jun 20, 2018 19:29
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dis astranagant posted:It's mostly people used to how absurdly powerful they were in DaSo1. They're a lot weaker here and often more of a hindrance than a benefit without using strong magic shield. Blocking is still better than whiffing your dodge. What I found was a good way to think of shields in 2 was not to plan to tank forever, but just to make sure that this hit doesn't kill you.
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Jun 20, 2018 20:00
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I played all 4 Souls as a turtle my first time, it's viable in all of them, just in 2 and 3 you actually have to invest the strength and equip load to use a greatshield to make it your main method of defense, as opposed to DeS and 1 where you could use a heater shield to tank everything.
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Jun 20, 2018 20:20
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Whalley posted:e: It's probably just that Bloodborne was my first soulslike game I put any time into, but I cannot for the life of me work out how to play with a shield. It just feels wrong and like I'm putting the game on hardmode for no benefit. Haha, Bloodborne did the same to me. I played DS1-3 as tanky shield-blockers using a big sword. Then I played Bloodborne and was like, how the gently caress do I survive without blocking? Then I came back to the DS games, and everything I build is like "who cares about a shield?". Well, I guess my current DS3 build uses a shield, but it's only to assist in parrying and blocks for poo poo.
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Jun 20, 2018 20:30
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Paracelsus posted:Blocking is still better than whiffing your dodge. What I found was a good way to think of shields in 2 was not to plan to tank forever, but just to make sure that this hit doesn't kill you. The best use for a shield I've found is honestly holding the pig shield and running at people with a lance and having a pig shield and lance party
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Jun 20, 2018 23:02
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Whalley posted:The best use for a shield I've found is honestly holding the pig shield and running at people with a lance and having a pig shield and lance party Pig shield whips rear end
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Jun 21, 2018 00:09
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dis astranagant posted:It's mostly people used to how absurdly powerful they were in DaSo1. They're a lot weaker here and often more of a hindrance than a benefit without using strong magic shield. You can definitely make it all the way through the game using a Tower Shield without much grief; it's what I did on my first playthrough. That being said, DS2's more responsive controls and crisp 60 FPS makes dodging much easier than in either DS1 or DS3.
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Jun 21, 2018 02:27
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ds2's controls and framerate are not better than ds3, or ds1 as of the remaster the deadzone issue makes the controls less responsive if anything until you fix it
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Jun 21, 2018 04:05
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I've never noticed the deadzone but I suppose it helps for not deflecting a bit after any little touch of the control stick to left or right. That's what deadzones are for, to a point, making sure that output doesn't change within a small region of input. Plus DS2 doesn't have the problem of DS3's crappy lock-on camera and steep hardware requirements or DS1's weird restrictions to movement when locked on.
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Jun 21, 2018 04:22
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I've never understood the arguments about the differences in controls between the games, because they've always felt pretty much identical to me. v v
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Jun 21, 2018 10:29
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dis astranagant posted:Not necessarily. It's often easier to find SoTFS info on Fextralife you just take the risk of fextalife info being wrong. and yes its filled with wrong information to this day.
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Jun 21, 2018 10:30
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DS2 definitely has the snappy controls people complain about, but I don't really notice it being that bad. I "fixed" it with Steam controller settings but I think Steam's PS4 controller support still kind of sucks and occasionally I'd get weird acceleration spikes or instances of continuing to move for a brief moment after releasing the stick. I switched back to using DS4Windows with the stock inputs and I haven't had any problem controlling the character. As far as Bloodborne being good training for shieldless Dark Souls, I found the opposite. After playing Bloodborne and getting good at shieldless gameplay, I found it almost impossible to do the same in Dark Souls, since the dodging moveset is a lot clunkier and affords a lot fewer opportunities for counter attacks. Especially Dark Souls 1, where you can only dodge in a cross shape.
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Jun 21, 2018 15:51
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Shields are really good and sometimes it's more efficient to block an attack than dodge through it. I never understood the boner for playing without a shield and the perception that shields are for noobs.
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Jun 21, 2018 16:36
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I'm not too crazy about the roll attacks going in the direction of the roll and not where I'm pushing the stick. I'm still getting used to that. Also, power-stancing loving owns, I'm currently powerstancing two axes and I've got my eye on this halberd I just picked up. Soon as I find its twin and my STR is high enough, it's go time. I only really notice the snappiness of the movement while I'm running around from one place to another with nothing else to focus on. In a fight I don't notice it at all, and that's 99% of what matters to me. The rest of the time it's a little annoying yeah I fought the Last Giant last night! What an awesome boss design and intro. I summoned two NPCs to help because I could (I was surprised to realize I'd made it to the boss in human form), so killing him was trivially easy. I'm surprised it took me this long to get to a boss. The level design so far is interesting. I kind of like how there's the one central bonfire in the area, and as I keep exploring multiple new shortcuts will open up for the same area. It feels less organic and more designed, but that's not a bad thing imo. I actually really appreciate how clever the design is. The last thought I have for now is that being able to warp bonfires right away detracts quite a bit from what I felt was a core aspect of the Dark Souls experience. I know this is standard for the rest of the soulsbornes but I personally disagree with the decision. A huge part of the constant oppressive feeling of peril in the first one was the feeling of getting further and further from safety, like you were going on an expedition and didn't know when/if you would be back. I remember the first time I finally made it all the way through Undead Burg and Parish and found the shortcut without having any idea what it was or where it went. When I stepped out into Firelink Shrine and heard the familiar music, I felt a sense of relief, safety, and homecoming that no other game has managed to approach. I actually lingered in Firelink for a while because I was reluctant to trek back into the danger for who knows how long this time. Meanwhile in DS2 my rhythm now is to wander about for a while, and once I've opened a new shortcut and/or have a decent bunch of souls to spend I'll run back to the bonfire, warp to Majula to level up or buy things, then warp back. My mindset is way more focused on "what should I do next in this game" and less "how do I survive and make it back to relative safety," and it's a subtle difference but an important one. But I guess I'll have to learn to love it 
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Jun 21, 2018 16:37
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Rubellavator posted:Shields are really good and sometimes it's more efficient to block an attack than dodge through it. I never understood the boner for playing without a shield and the perception that shields are for noobs. It’s bc twitch reflex edgelords are the gatekeepers for what is and isn’t for noobs. Shields are fun. Gonna play this game for the first time after I wear out DSR. I’ll be back later to ask for whatever build will let me absolutely steamroll the game from start to finish.
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Jun 21, 2018 16:40
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DS2 definitely is way more of a "videogame" than DS1 is - DS1 is a far better experience, but I just love playing DS2 far more. And you know, the best part about DS1 is experiencing it the first time, which I did, so...I keep coming back to DS2. I didn't realize that you could aim roll attacks more in DS1, but I'm not super fond of aiming attacks separately anyway. There are weapons in DS2 which specifically cater to that, however; try some variant of ultra greatsword or large club at some point, you can pivot with that during the overhead swing animations as if you were an enemy  . It's essential in PvP and can be your downfall in PvE if you don't expect it (I never do), but it's great that you have the choice. I was surprised by how much it threw me off with a certain DLC mace which has lance attack animations...but can still be aimed during the stabbing process. Kept missing until I realized that, now I have to reign myself in. Hell, you can even aim the follow-up sideswipe in a completely different direction! DS2's combat system is so loving good.
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Jun 21, 2018 16:52
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Yeah, bonfire or "bonfire" warping has been a thing in every other Souls game aside from Dark Souls 1, so it's apparently something they were either less interested in or something that was just very hard to pull off in a way that works. It changes the pace of the game a bit into sprints from one bonfire to another, and there's things I like about that (backtracking in DS1 is a crock of bullshit) and things I don't (individual encounters don't have to be as carefully designed when there's a bonfire around the corner.)
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Jun 21, 2018 20:21
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Look Sir Droids posted:It’s bc twitch reflex edgelords are the gatekeepers for what is and isn’t for noobs. Shields are fun. I don't say all that because I've watched folks grouse about it on Twitch. I say all that because that was my own experience and I'm trying to keep people from thoughtlessly playing it like DS1 as I first did. As for a build that wrecks things? Go for dark damage, grab Dark Orb and the Crypt Blacksword.
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Jun 21, 2018 20:57
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Any tips for dealing with the three treasure hunters at the end of the first DLC? I'm really struggling with it. It's also my first time playing DS2 all the way through (I've played DS1 and DS3 a ton). I like it, but there was a stretch in the middle where it just felt like I was going through lovely area after lovely area. fadam fucked around with this message at 21:01 on Jun 21, 2018 |
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Jun 21, 2018 20:58
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Play that encounter like it's a PvP gank squad. Go for cheap shots when you have a chance, tie them up behind obstacles when you don't, and in general abuse the crap out of the environment to negate their numbers advantage. In particular you should note as well that two of them have very limited poise, so outranging them with a spear or other long weapon can keep that pair held down.
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Jun 21, 2018 21:06
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fadam posted:Any tips for dealing with the three treasure hunters at the end of the first DLC? I'm really struggling with it. 2) Same here tbh, there's always one area of each spoke I just don't care for so I futz around a lot doing bell PvP and such until I finally just push through. Reaching Drangleic Castle always magically makes the game good again.
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Jun 21, 2018 21:09
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Alright, thanks lads I'll give it another shot later tonight. How does the other DLC stack up? I really enjoyed this one so far just because I thought the bosses were both neat.
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Jun 21, 2018 21:32
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Djeser posted:I've never understood the arguments about the differences in controls between the games, because they've always felt pretty much identical to me. v The biggest difference I've noticed between all three was the responsiveness of the dodge roll. DS2's roll has a quicker induction from key up -> roll than DS1/DS3, which makes it more responsive and less likely to assume you're attempting to enter a run state instead of a dodge state. The large reduction in the input queue also helps immensely in making you feel like you're controlling the game instead of merely giving it suggestions.
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Jun 21, 2018 21:38
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fadam posted:Alright, thanks lads I'll give it another shot later tonight.
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Jun 21, 2018 21:46
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Simply Simon posted:All the DS2 DLC is the best content From ever made from a pure gameplay perspective, imho. There's an optional boss in the snow dlc (Ivory King?) that I still consider the second hardest encounter From's ever made, and one of the only times I ever almost gave up on a fight in one of these games. Good times.
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Jun 21, 2018 21:55
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The DLC also has some of the hands-down best AI that has ever gone into Dark Souls. It was honestly disappointing going to Dark Souls 3, where at best you'd get an NPC that would gesture at you after you summoned them, compared to the shenanigans invaders in DS2 would pull.
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Jun 21, 2018 22:08
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fadam posted:Alright, thanks lads I'll give it another shot later tonight. the dlc content is very cool and a big step up from base ds2, with one caveat: each dlc pack contains an optional side area which is bad & obnoxious to play through solo, and they got progressively worse with each release. the bad area in shulva would be the cave of the dead, for reference. if you get sick of these , remember that you can grab some npc phantoms to help bulldoze your way through. you can always black crystal them before the fog door if you're a boss fighting purist.
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Jun 21, 2018 22:27
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I am a boss fighting purist, i'll give that a shot if I think it sucks. I just ran back and forth between the holes and won the fight pretty easily. Thanks guys!
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Jun 22, 2018 01:09
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Is there some hosed up Dark Souls 2 mechanic I missed or is it normal that I'm doing such little damage to all these DLC bosses with a +10 large club and 50 strength?
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Jun 22, 2018 02:13
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You should probably be doing great damage. Did you accidentally swap your weapon or break it? The dlc is only punishing on magic builds.
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Jun 22, 2018 02:19
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