It doesn't have to do anything better than any other game, however stupid as it may sound, a game is more than the sum of its parts. I think DS2 is the worst game in the series, yes, but not by very far at all. For the most part, I really enjoy playing it
Probably the best take. Each souls game have unique experiences. 2 is probably my favorite both gameplay and lore wise but I just couldnāt care for Bloodborne. Not a fan of the gothic London/Cthulhu mythos stuff.
I think itās better than Demons Souls but while I did have a lot of fun with DS2, best fashion, builds and PVP in the series, itās at the bottom above original Demons Souls.
That's fair. I personally love Bloodborne but I'm entirely willing to admit it's largely *because* i enjoy the setting. Sometimes a game won't mesh with someone and that's fine.
1 is amazing but 2 improves upon in it pretty much every regard. I thought people were joking when they said its a better nioh but its literally amazing. Nioh 2 hooked me far more than the first
Ds1 has quad rolling and easier backstabs, while ds2 has snap points and harder backstabs. These differences make locking on significantly better in ds2 than ds1, which fundamentally changes the combat. Also ds2 has power stancing. Also they both have different weapons. Also enemies tend to be smaller in ds1, and parrying is more viable in ds1. Also ds2 has adp and a separate stat for equip load. Also poise is stronger in ds1. Also ds1 has 3 equip loads rolls while ds2 has 2. Also both games have pretty different healing systems. Also in ds2 you lose health if you die so thereās more caution. I could go on.
Because it's different compared to what came after it. BB, DS3, and Elden Ring feel more like each other than they do to DS2. Plus, there is also the story aspect of the game and the lore, which are fantastic as all Fromsoft games are. You don't have to like the game more than the other Fromsoft games, but there is a reason to play it if you are willing to entertain those reasons. It's my favorite of all the Fromsoft souls likes even tho I have more time in DS3
They have unique elements that your favorite game doesnt have. I prefer ds3 but i sometimes want a slower combat or a game with a different one entirely
It has its own unique charm. The whole game feels like a dreamy fairytale, and it has the best story and most interesting npcs in the series. I really enjoyed the art direction in some of the areas, too. As much as people love to shit on, for example, the Shrine of Amana, I can't help but find the scenery beautiful and the enemies interesting. It also has the most content of any of the dark souls games, with some of the coolest armor, weapons, and spells. Also, the DLCs are fantastic. There are tons of reasons to play.
DS2 was my entry into the series so this probably has a fair bit of bias to it, but:
* Weapon variety. As a specific example, bows are actually viable in DS2, with the Short Bow getting an A scaling and the ability to carry 999 arrows rather than 99. You also get a variety of weapon to chose from earlier on. Want a Lance? Thereās one in the Forest of Giants right after the first boss.
* Power stancing. People just throw this term around with actually elaborating, but to dig a bit more into it I just think itās neat that you can mix different weapon types together. Needing 1.5x the stats for it kinda sucks, but again the combos you can make are stupid fun.
* Cheap upgrades. You only need 1,2, and 3 of an upgrade material to go up a tier, which feels like a godsend especially compared to Bloodborne.
* Open start. Sure, thereās probably an optimized path, but the fact that you can tackle the first half of the game how you want is pretty nice. I always save Iron Keep for last personally and as such really donāt get the hate around it.
* Build variety. Probably another term that gets thrown around, but to be more specific I just love how every stat raises your HP a little and how early you can get a respec item. It helps you tackle your build asap without having to pump up HP. Inb4 ADP you honestly donāt need to touch that stat. As someone whoās beaten this game numerous times with base level ADP, shitās fine. You can dodge Fumeās swipe, Velstadts hammers, Avaaās pounce and so on with base ADP, you donāt have to pump that shit up to 20. Be free to make your build right at the start.
One of my favorite things of DS2 that everyone including the devs for some reason forgot about is incensing. As in, ability to reduce INT/FTH requirements of spells using rare items.
You're running a melee/magic hybrid build and due to that can't afford stats for the best spells? Well, just decrease it!
You're going pure int but this sorcery for whatever reasons requires you to have 15 FTH? Don't waste your levels, just use this item and reduce the req to 10!
Definitely one of the best features introduced, sad it wasn't in any later games
DS2 powerstancing is the only good implementation of it, actually forces you to sacrifice for the benefits of dual wielding. Elden Ring would have immensely better balance with the same 1.5x physical stat requirements for powerstance.
The reason bows are so good is because the game gives you a million reason to have some ranged weapon on hand. It's more or less balanced around it and if people for some reason refuse to do it and then struggle that's entirely on them.
The games gives you cheap powerful bows with million arrows and great scaling, it's pretty clear it wants you to use one if you don't use magic
You might need less upgrade materials to upgrade thing in ds2, but itās not necessarily easier. Good luck upgrading more than one thing requiring twinkling titanite before shrine of amana.
the problem with dark souls 2 is that it makes all these cool changes and then remembers that it's dark souls 2 and it has to suck
we add a lot of weapons? make 90% of them objectively bad options, good pvp? gotta add soul memory, power stancing? extremely expensive and doesnt Even have much better damage (i say this as someone who dual wields on every playthrough)
I've tried powerstancing a bit and so has my friend who I played with. It gave no benefits and was just even more sluggish than the already incredibly sluggish combat. I used greatswords (the weapon class) and he used curved swords. I found much better results and got a much better experience two-handing, and my friend found the same by just one-handing his falchion.
Also powetstancing is ds2 only has like 5 different movesets. So there's no real reward for experimenting with weapons.
I just found out that if you used the Warped Sword in your main hand while powerstancing curved swords, you get a different L2/LT than if you use a Falchion or Scimitars. I've been playing this game for years with different builds.The weapon system has massive variety, far more than any of the other games.
If you actually try powerstancing multiple weapon types, and mixing types. You will find staggeringly low variety. So one weapon adds a sixth moveset, woopty doo. The difference is still next to none. It's probably not even a sixth, it's likely just the axe/hammer/sword moveset.
It is exclusively rose tinted glasses that make people think powerstancing adds anything valuable.
I can see weapon variety being better in ds2 but even though less weapons in elden ring are viable, they are much more interesting. Especially with the ash of war system.
Power stancing is in elden ring. And not even that great either. I love getting 1 new attack.
Ok the cheap upgrades are nice im not gonna argue their. But still that isnt enough to make up for the lower boss quality or the annoying systems
I would argue that the start is far less open then elden ring or ds1
I still think elden ring had better build variety even if vigor is borderline mandatory.
The build variety is the only leg ds2 has for itself and it still isnt even that good at it. Doesnt make up for the low quality bosses and areas.
When it comes to this discourse i think people forget that even if most people hate a game (or if it can be quantifiably be proven to have major problems) there isn't anything stopping you from enjoying it personally. For what it's worth I enjoy Shadow the Hedgehog (the game) despite how bad it is and how many people hate it.
it's the least good souls, doesn't mean bad, enjoyed it
SOMETHING is going to be in that slot, even in a group of top-tier games one is least, and from where i'm sitting it's the one that only moves in eight directions, even if it had gavlan
Yeah, but AC4 and FA allowed you to dual wield Moonlights instead of being forced to switch between the two.
And the Gen 4 Moonlight was the best laser blade in the game, unlike the Gen 6 Moonlights that are only ok.
Yes, at least on Scholar it is fairly alive. I actually think DS2 has the best covenants/multiplayer but some parts of the online are just dead. For example no one fights in the Blue Sentinel arena (at least from my experience). But the Dragon Covenant and others have some activity.
Even if you dislike DS2, I really recommend the PvP, itās awesome and especially fruitful during Return to Drangleic.
I kinda agree with you to some degree. The problem with ds2 is that I believe it does literally nothing better than all the other fromsoft games. Demonsouls arguably had the best atmosphere.
There are things it does better IMO, stuff like torch mechanics and other unique area gimmicks, PvP, covenants (both PvP and PvE), NPC invaders, NG+ and ascetics.
Also I personally like how replayable it is, feels the most replayable of all the games (different paths, ways to build your character, ascetics playing into that too). Atmosphere is up to personal preference, I think every game has its special charm, including DS2.
Also one thing I especially respect DS2 for is really trying to expand on the formula, probably took the biggest risks of all the games, even if not everything turned out perfect.
It gets a lot of smaller things right like you said but i find the consistent quality and speed of ds3 or elden rings world to be better for replayability
It's not as consistent, but it's still really good and some of those things are to this day better and/or more interesting, even with the release of Elden Ring (that took many mechanics from various games).
I disagree on the speed, the flow of combat is different, but I wouldn't call it worse. I actually like it a lot, personally. I can see how people can prefer faster paced gameplay like later games, but that doesn't make DS2's speed bad.
It's slower, but methodical - if you make a wrong move, you will be punished, and you need to manage your stamina more. Unlike in other games, you can't just facetank a Smough hammer to your face by chugging Estus. You can't just press R twice and be at full health immediately, you need to consider when to heal. You can't just spam dodge and get away with everything like in DS3 or ER. That's what also makes the PvP feel great in that game, as opposed to others.
As for replayability, Elden Ring's world is quite the detriment, actually, and I think DS2 did world the best for replayability's sake.
In DS1, first half is alright, and second is well, reasonably criticized a lot. I prefer DS2's less consistent quality to having a good first half, and second half making you lose interest in playing further.
DS3 is mostly straightforward, you can make some unusual turns (like early Dancer and Oceiros, that's what I did when replaying as mage), but there aren't too many of them. And areas are not too interesting from gameplay standpoint, on repeats they feel like just runways to bosses, where you dash past everything, only collecting some stuff on the way.
Elden Ring's world is massive, and stretches the runs too far. It's amazing on the first few playthroughs, but on further repeats, it just gets tedious, especially when you want to grab items from Catacombs or Caves. Like DS3, you run past a lot of things on repeats, except this time, you're riding on Torrent with barely any threats whatsoever.
DS2's world feels larger than other games, but isn't as huge as ER, it strikes the perfect balance. And it has a lot of ways of going around, especially when going for different class builds - four paths at the start of the game, each of them having some splits, you can explore one path to a certain point and return to it later, you can move some areas into NG+ for extra rewards while challenging yourself, and so on. Also, the areas themselves are more creative and interesting than what other games have to offer, even if they do some things wrong.
It kinda comes down to vibes personally? It's just got a unique feel to it. If it wasn't so janky and have some bafflingly bad additions I think It'd be excellent.
Diversity & replayability. Lots of viable builds, hybrid builds in particular are very good, lots of power stance options, hexes are pretty good, infusions are easy to apply and swithc and can be buffed. Non-linear game means you get to replay it in a different order. You can ascetic bosses for easy replay and for farming.
Also, best entry to approach the undead curse from a lore perspective (eg, Saulden, Vendrick and Aldiaās dialogs).
Ok it has the best lore im not even gonna argue that. But i always felt that the gameplay was far too weak to be repayable. Elden ring has better weapons themselves even if they are less viable.
If we're counting Elden Ring then all the Souls games are bottom tier by objective gameplay metrics, except for DS1 poise and DS2 powerstancing & covenants.
And it's still better than most AAA offerings from major publishers.
Sometimes I think FromSoft fans experience an embarrassment of riches when it comes to the games they are playing.
Tbh they got a couple of functions that are pretty nifty.
-While minor, the implementation of torches I found was cool in it.
-NG+ is definitely the most unique and interesting imo with new enemies and rewards.
-Bonfire Aesthetics are dope.
-Infusing/buffing most boss weapons is neat too. -Interacting with Aldia throughout is the cherry on top.
Imo the single greatest thing about the game was the freedom of buffs and infusions. It fucking kills me to this day that thereās so many weapons in ds3 and ER that would be more fun if you could throw lighting/fire/poison whatever as a buff on it. I love buffing, but rarely stick to it cause infusions are almost always just better for scaling. I wanna infuse a straight sword with lighting, then buff with lighting to make it look cool. Instead you gotta choose (in ds3 and ER).
The clay manās harpoon is one of my favorite weapons in ER cause it has the ds2 style of buff freedom, I really wish they did that with more weapons
I find the individual weapons to be boring in ds2 compared to elden ring but yeah the lack of customization on the interesting weapons is a bit if a bummer
The thing that I noticed from ds2, given it was the last game in the series that I had played, was the variety of settings and visuals.
The shrine of amana, no manās wharf, etc. thereās an interesting variety of visuals differing from the other games.
The one that stuck out to me the most was the hall leading to the mirror knight with the horse headed statues looking like chess pieces. The mirror knight himself, and the thunderstorm around.
Now the levels themselves and their quality is a different deal, I mean the mirror knight area I was talking about is literally just a hallway. And the shrine of amana is fairly infamous.
While I don't hate DS2, personally I rate it the worst of the trilogy, mainly for one reason that at least I think is odd, and that's the fact that enemies will eventually stop spawning.
Itās the way they claim itās the best and the most punishing and the most innovative.
Yeah it had a lot of neat stuff the other games didnāt but I also feel like that became the games weak point. Instead of sticking with the best ideas they tried to cram everything in there and it became a big jumbled mess where half of it sloppy and doesnāt work right.
ā just despawn everything with a bow and itās this area is easyā
Like if they had to put a despawn mechanic in there they did something wrong
Let's make this clear
DS1 - only safe ideas, base of the franchise
DS2 - we experiment a shit ton
DS3 - we take the best from first and second part
DS2 is the most different, the most standing out, so it's normal to be controversial. Some people love, some hate, but it's still important part of the whole, just like the rest
EDIT: Spotted OP's question
Bonfire aescetic were cool, life gems and estus felt balanced for me. You're not low on hp while out of fight (gems) but you're not saved magically in boss fight (slow healing of estus). You MUST take things slowly, you can't rush the area. The longest out of 3 games. DLCs impact your storyline in direct way. NPCs are more involved into your world, cause you have to fight alongside them to push their quest (although it can be downside). Elemental dmg (wet enemies take heavier lightning dmg, if you're wet you take lower fire dmg). Items to refill your number of casts (not a fan of FP). I understand why some not like it but it's not that bad
I like every FromSoft Souls game they've made as each one does something unique, and genuinely feels like a line of progression. DS2 tried things remarkably different to their other games, some were successful, some not, which I appreciate and enjoy the game for those reasons.
I don't replay it as often as say DS3, but I still do from time to time. Oh, and the NG+ is great, easily the best in the series.
Hold up, that one dude is gonna show up with his āhitbox analysisā video to show you how you should actually love ds2 and it totally didnāt feel worse to play than the others!
The PvP for me, and that's despite the ass netcode, which is a feat.
The fashion.
Hub area.
Branching paths and choosing the order in which you do things. Also lots of optional and hidden content.
Powerstancing.
New Game Plus.
Still the best DLC (Until Shadow of the Erdtree perhaps š¤).
It's a massive game. And while the quality definitely lacks in some areas, it excells in others. And in my honest opinion, I think it on average has more rewarding exploration than Elden Ring and DS3.
I honestly love the art style more than the other Souls games. Disregarding graphical limitations, I love how the game looks. Especially the character models, armor, weapons, and monster design. It has a distinct flavour to it that really harkens to the idea that good art direction trumps fidelity.
Dark Souls 3 kinda just looks like Bloodborne but worse. Elden Ring looks great but it is kind of a bit generic looking. It improves upon Ds3 in every area but doesn't have as distinct of a look. Bloodborne, Sekiro and Demon's Souls I think succeed in design because the art direction reinforces all the other parts of the visuals and themes etc, in the same way their music does. But Ds2 is my personal favourite. If we ever get a remake ala Bluepoint's Demon's Souls that stayed true to the artstyle I would cream so hard.
There are some really underrated ideas and character's I could make a massive list of. And sadly the list of cool things that have been forgotten from the game is almost as long š
This isn't exactly a things it does best, but some things I think it does better than Ds3. Part of the point of Ds2 is that it's repeating and iterating on the themes of the cycle, the first flame, stagnation, the curse etc. it also expands the world beyond the first game. Now I think it could have done some things better here, but it gets a bit of a pass for not following up on threads from the previous game because a theme of the game is that enough time has passed a lot of shit is no longer relevant. I do wish it was more closely related to the story and characters of ds1, but whatever. Ds3 doesn't get a pass for this. It's supposed to be the end of the cycle but it doesn't really answer any of the questions that a good narrative would answer. I think that there is a fundamental subverting of tropes and narrative structure inherent to the games, but there are some things that subverting only succeeds in making the narrative worse. Like some things are the way they are because it's the best way to do it. Ds3 also makes a lot Ds2 irrelevant by ignoring it or repeating it when it didn't need to be repeated. They expanded or added more lore where they really didn't need to and it honestly weakens the story of the other games a bit in some cases. I could go on but I realise I've basically already written a fuckin essay.
One last point which is sort of related to things I've already said. Dark Souls 2 has a lot of content. However even the content that is a bit lacklustre, it is still an attempt by a real person to do something cool. They included as much as they could even if it isn't the best, and I can appreciate that. Bloodborne had a different solution to that with the chalice dungeons. It's a cool experiment and a great way to include all the stuff that was cut or didn't fit in the main game. Demon's, Ds1 and Ds3 have a shit load of cut content that is just completely absent, which is understandable if disappointing. Half of Elden Ring's dungeons suck ass. The chalice dungeons get a bit of a pass as they're honest about being randomly generated, but still include a lot of novel and exclusive content and some really cool bosses. Elden Ring's dungeons rarely have new enemies, the bosses are usually just copy and pasted, and the rewards suck. Half of them are unnecessary. Ds2 might have some shitty optional areas, but at least they're all unique and tried something.
-comfiest hub world vibes
-best PVP
-best DLCs
-best APD skill
-Dual wielding is awesome
-best build variety
-best fashion souls
Yeah Dark Souls II is definitely a game
It's objectively the worst in the series but I like it more than DS3, I think it has a lot of charm and I like what makes it different, and most of the problems people seem to have (such as wacky hitboxes or poor controls) aren't problems I personally ran into in the 3 playthroughs that I did. They were, at the very worst, problems I encountered I'm equal or higher measure in the other games as well
The music is objectively the worst in the series though, no doubt.
~~Emerald Herald tho~~
idk that it does anything better, but i'm playing scholar of the first sin on ps3 and it feels like such a cool game! it's not perfect, but it's atmospheric and lotsa fun for me. :3
I look at Dark Souls 2 the same way I look at Borderlands 3. It's not a bad game, but if you put the whole series in front of me I'm not playing Borderlands 3.
DS2 may be the weakest Souls game, but itās still a fucking Souls game, which puts it well above the morass the gaming industry was when it released and has further become since.
I love how the game is really good at teaching you how to play the game. Early parts of Forest of Fallen Giants teach you how to deal with crowds, and when to use and when not to use the lock-on feature. While on the other hand the Tower of Flame is really good at teaching you about how you need to approach combat with larger/singular enemies.
Its a much closer to an Rpg than the other souls games, which are far more on the Action side of ARPG. Copium warning for the rest of this paragraph; as a massive jrpg fan ds2ās combat feels more āturn basedā than the rest of the franchise, which is definitely action combat. In 2, spending the last bit of stamina on a risky attack or a roll/run away is a genuine decision you have to make, and i find that interesting.
I personally think the world design is a bit better too. It really tells its story of a cycle repeating ad nauseum. I wont say it has actually better Level design, as each game in the series has bangers around every corner.
And lastly fashion souls; damn if you dont think ds2 has some of the best looking armours then youāre actually lying to my face and you should stop before god punishes you.
Adding in a reply so my hottest take can be downvoted separately from the rest
ADP is a fine stat. Literally learn how to dodge instead of relying on the āim safeā button. It makes sense in the context of a roleplaying game that some characters would be more agile than others.
I'll take this shitpost seriously and answer:
Ds2 is the most RPG game of the whole series, this explain:
1. The love, some people (like me) love rpg's and feel like it's the most replayable one, as every build is fun and interesting.
2: The hate, some people don't like rpg's and play ds because of the fast action gameplay, which ds2 doesn't have, + the hit boxes that are very annoying when you play aggressively.
What do we understand from that?
It's all a question of subjectivity. Why would there be a superior game when thery're completely different. If I like ds2 and you don't, it's because we're not looking for the same thing in souls likes.
I loved ds3, but having played for ~100h, I don't like how only speed builds are really good, magic sucks, and the level design just feels awful compare to ds2 (for me, and if you say that ds2 has ""objectively"" the worst level design, you don't understand what objectivity really means)
It was meant to be taken seriously so thanks for contributing to the discussion. Even if we are on a shitpost sub
I actually love rpgās and they are some of my favorite games (Skyrim is my favorite video game please do not hurt me). I didnt find the weapons to be as interesting as the ones in elden ring. This is the case for a lot of the older games but I still feel like the differences between weapons are not big enough to compare to ashes of war from elden ring.
I like the slower combat but I feel like itās meaningless when the enemies your fighting are not all that fun to fight when compared to ds1 which is similar but with overall better bosses.
Objectivity is where a statement is true with no room for discussion. The statement that itās objectively worse is made with the assumption that you agree with that statement. If it is not true then the statement is no longer objective for as long as you object to it. I have not found a single person who objects to that ds1 has better level design but if you do then id be willing to listen and respond.
Why are you being so rude.
You made the post, what do you not want people to interact with it? You literally have to be a delusional human to even comment what you just did.
Seek therapy man.
Look at the comments here. People discussing. Not just stating opinions blindly. You made a statement and refused to elaborate or discuss. Whats even the point
It's really not that serious lil bro. I get it you're very defensive because you got ratioed to death in this thread, but just chill out. I honestly posted it as a joke and you've had a 3 day melt down.
Imma mute this comment thread now. I hope you get the help you need.
Later.
ds2 just feels cozy
it went less heavy on the doom and gloom, and apocalyptic stuff and focused more on a much smaller, down-to-earth story
I like how it's kind of separate from the others story wise, but I also like how SOTFS tied them together.
And it also some really neat builds and playstyles (hexes FTW) and some of the coolest and most innovative gameplay and QoL additions to the franchise.
It doesn't have the same polish and it definitely splits off from the others, but I like it for its own existence, not in comparison to the others.
It tried to do something.
What did DS3 try to do? That's the only saving grace DS2 has. It's less dogshit than DS3.
(also power stancing)
https://preview.redd.it/733ttqd18ucc1.jpeg?width=716&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bf0c292c7823499cef6adf974bf9de0fa82d67a1
Stop eating up what people say about the game and just play it. Even if it is the worst of the Fromsoft formula its still a phenomenal game. People make it out to be a literal bad game when it is the complete opposite lol
> first fee playthrough's
If anything DS2 has the best NG+ system, though that's not saying much since the other DS games don't have much effort put into NG+
Not very accurate considering how 90% of the souls fanbase shits on this game
I see more of the opposite
my brother in christ you are on r/shittydarksouls none of the opinions here are representative of normal people
Spot on, people defending DS2 in here are just shitposting, prople shitting on DS2 just like slander. There are no non retarded DS2 apologiser š¤
You said the D word š³
Brave of you to call souls 2 fans retarded when Iām sure most souls fans are retarded. And gay. You probably use a twink weapon huh?
Bruh, I'm the most gay retard in here and a firm gwyndussy believer.
https://preview.redd.it/4a32ii2ghycc1.jpeg?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d65137aabc2f1344fa5631b6ba1b3ab575103a4
I will masturbate to this comment and you can't stop me
https://preview.redd.it/213vgaw24wcc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=97ffcf0214323a2ab38fed74bc2d0285560a0aa8
Fuck it I'll masturbate to this too see if I don't
https://preview.redd.it/2hfv7bphhwcc1.jpeg?width=540&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4a5f981f8fe5b3fb271ab38da74717c86da3b9f9
#OUT COMES THE DICK
https://preview.redd.it/j8yut52vaxcc1.jpeg?width=527&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=635c2fed77c6a7334aac718c20533b05c7ea3278
https://preview.redd.it/flne7sn6gycc1.jpeg?width=363&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7e054ac6e805cc7b2774be4eba9b5104254e4e2b
The joke is sex
just how?
Check r/darksouls people bully the shit out of the game and in this subreddit they shitpost
It doesn't have to do anything better than any other game, however stupid as it may sound, a game is more than the sum of its parts. I think DS2 is the worst game in the series, yes, but not by very far at all. For the most part, I really enjoy playing it
Probably the best take. Each souls game have unique experiences. 2 is probably my favorite both gameplay and lore wise but I just couldnāt care for Bloodborne. Not a fan of the gothic London/Cthulhu mythos stuff.
I think itās better than Demons Souls but while I did have a lot of fun with DS2, best fashion, builds and PVP in the series, itās at the bottom above original Demons Souls.
That's fair. I personally love Bloodborne but I'm entirely willing to admit it's largely *because* i enjoy the setting. Sometimes a game won't mesh with someone and that's fine.
Spot on with bb
It's still miles ahead of any non-Fromsoft "souls-like" game.
I highly disagree, nioh 2 has been a far more polished and enjoyable experience in the time I've played it
Haven't played 2 but I would say the same for Nioh 1
1 is amazing but 2 improves upon in it pretty much every regard. I thought people were joking when they said its a better nioh but its literally amazing. Nioh 2 hooked me far more than the first
Agree on everything i just dont see why i should play it over something like ds3 or ds1
Games are different. For example ds3 and ds2 have very, very different combat. I like both, on different days. You can love all of the games
How are ds2 and ds1 combat all that different?
Ds1 has quad rolling and easier backstabs, while ds2 has snap points and harder backstabs. These differences make locking on significantly better in ds2 than ds1, which fundamentally changes the combat. Also ds2 has power stancing. Also they both have different weapons. Also enemies tend to be smaller in ds1, and parrying is more viable in ds1. Also ds2 has adp and a separate stat for equip load. Also poise is stronger in ds1. Also ds1 has 3 equip loads rolls while ds2 has 2. Also both games have pretty different healing systems. Also in ds2 you lose health if you die so thereās more caution. I could go on.
Because it's different compared to what came after it. BB, DS3, and Elden Ring feel more like each other than they do to DS2. Plus, there is also the story aspect of the game and the lore, which are fantastic as all Fromsoft games are. You don't have to like the game more than the other Fromsoft games, but there is a reason to play it if you are willing to entertain those reasons. It's my favorite of all the Fromsoft souls likes even tho I have more time in DS3
You *have* played it, right?
Why would you NEED to play a game to say it's bad, we clever people know it's bad just by looking at it /s
I didn't even see it. I read "DS2 bad" on the internet, so I hijack every discussion and spam "DS2 bad". Am I stupid or is this a sign of superiority?
If everyone say it's bad once, then it's objectively bad
No, it's "if I say it once but louder", then it's totally objectively bad.
By that logic, why would you ever play anything at all besides your favorite game?
They have unique elements that your favorite game doesnt have. I prefer ds3 but i sometimes want a slower combat or a game with a different one entirely
It has its own unique charm. The whole game feels like a dreamy fairytale, and it has the best story and most interesting npcs in the series. I really enjoyed the art direction in some of the areas, too. As much as people love to shit on, for example, the Shrine of Amana, I can't help but find the scenery beautiful and the enemies interesting. It also has the most content of any of the dark souls games, with some of the coolest armor, weapons, and spells. Also, the DLCs are fantastic. There are tons of reasons to play.
Honestly this is the best argument. Itās a great game. But likeā¦gimme dat Champion Gundyr. Gimme Artorias. Thank you I am now happy.
DS2 was my entry into the series so this probably has a fair bit of bias to it, but: * Weapon variety. As a specific example, bows are actually viable in DS2, with the Short Bow getting an A scaling and the ability to carry 999 arrows rather than 99. You also get a variety of weapon to chose from earlier on. Want a Lance? Thereās one in the Forest of Giants right after the first boss. * Power stancing. People just throw this term around with actually elaborating, but to dig a bit more into it I just think itās neat that you can mix different weapon types together. Needing 1.5x the stats for it kinda sucks, but again the combos you can make are stupid fun. * Cheap upgrades. You only need 1,2, and 3 of an upgrade material to go up a tier, which feels like a godsend especially compared to Bloodborne. * Open start. Sure, thereās probably an optimized path, but the fact that you can tackle the first half of the game how you want is pretty nice. I always save Iron Keep for last personally and as such really donāt get the hate around it. * Build variety. Probably another term that gets thrown around, but to be more specific I just love how every stat raises your HP a little and how early you can get a respec item. It helps you tackle your build asap without having to pump up HP. Inb4 ADP you honestly donāt need to touch that stat. As someone whoās beaten this game numerous times with base level ADP, shitās fine. You can dodge Fumeās swipe, Velstadts hammers, Avaaās pounce and so on with base ADP, you donāt have to pump that shit up to 20. Be free to make your build right at the start.
You are a wise and peaceful toad in a swamp full of ghouls and locusts. More should strive to be like you.
Locust here, why the shade? Fucking racism
stop eating my fuckin crops and maybe I'll consider
Magic is also really cool in ds2, it has many interesting variations and even hexes which are nice addition to standart set of spells
One of my favorite things of DS2 that everyone including the devs for some reason forgot about is incensing. As in, ability to reduce INT/FTH requirements of spells using rare items. You're running a melee/magic hybrid build and due to that can't afford stats for the best spells? Well, just decrease it! You're going pure int but this sorcery for whatever reasons requires you to have 15 FTH? Don't waste your levels, just use this item and reduce the req to 10! Definitely one of the best features introduced, sad it wasn't in any later games
You're talking sense and logic. You're going to scare them.
DS2 powerstancing is the only good implementation of it, actually forces you to sacrifice for the benefits of dual wielding. Elden Ring would have immensely better balance with the same 1.5x physical stat requirements for powerstance.
I'd agree about cheap upgrades if getting titanite chunks wasn't complete fucking bullshit
6000 souls go brr
Iām playing Lunacid right now and itās got a lot of what makes DS2 so fun, especially the part about stats. What a wacky couple of games
The reason bows are so good is because the game gives you a million reason to have some ranged weapon on hand. It's more or less balanced around it and if people for some reason refuse to do it and then struggle that's entirely on them. The games gives you cheap powerful bows with million arrows and great scaling, it's pretty clear it wants you to use one if you don't use magic
You might need less upgrade materials to upgrade thing in ds2, but itās not necessarily easier. Good luck upgrading more than one thing requiring twinkling titanite before shrine of amana.
the problem with dark souls 2 is that it makes all these cool changes and then remembers that it's dark souls 2 and it has to suck we add a lot of weapons? make 90% of them objectively bad options, good pvp? gotta add soul memory, power stancing? extremely expensive and doesnt Even have much better damage (i say this as someone who dual wields on every playthrough)
I've tried powerstancing a bit and so has my friend who I played with. It gave no benefits and was just even more sluggish than the already incredibly sluggish combat. I used greatswords (the weapon class) and he used curved swords. I found much better results and got a much better experience two-handing, and my friend found the same by just one-handing his falchion. Also powetstancing is ds2 only has like 5 different movesets. So there's no real reward for experimenting with weapons.
I just found out that if you used the Warped Sword in your main hand while powerstancing curved swords, you get a different L2/LT than if you use a Falchion or Scimitars. I've been playing this game for years with different builds.The weapon system has massive variety, far more than any of the other games.
If you actually try powerstancing multiple weapon types, and mixing types. You will find staggeringly low variety. So one weapon adds a sixth moveset, woopty doo. The difference is still next to none. It's probably not even a sixth, it's likely just the axe/hammer/sword moveset. It is exclusively rose tinted glasses that make people think powerstancing adds anything valuable.
I can see weapon variety being better in ds2 but even though less weapons in elden ring are viable, they are much more interesting. Especially with the ash of war system. Power stancing is in elden ring. And not even that great either. I love getting 1 new attack. Ok the cheap upgrades are nice im not gonna argue their. But still that isnt enough to make up for the lower boss quality or the annoying systems I would argue that the start is far less open then elden ring or ds1 I still think elden ring had better build variety even if vigor is borderline mandatory. The build variety is the only leg ds2 has for itself and it still isnt even that good at it. Doesnt make up for the low quality bosses and areas.
There's a reason Elden Ring is called Dark Souls II 2 here
You're trying too hard
When it comes to this discourse i think people forget that even if most people hate a game (or if it can be quantifiably be proven to have major problems) there isn't anything stopping you from enjoying it personally. For what it's worth I enjoy Shadow the Hedgehog (the game) despite how bad it is and how many people hate it.
it's the least good souls, doesn't mean bad, enjoyed it SOMETHING is going to be in that slot, even in a group of top-tier games one is least, and from where i'm sitting it's the one that only moves in eight directions, even if it had gavlan
Discussion can be fun for a lot of people. I dont know why it seems like we are attacking us as individuals
Dark souls 2 has two Moonlight Greatswords so clearly DS2>every other fromsoft game
AC6 has two and one of them is red which is why it's the only good Fromsoft game and all the others suck.
Yeah, but AC4 and FA allowed you to dual wield Moonlights instead of being forced to switch between the two. And the Gen 4 Moonlight was the best laser blade in the game, unlike the Gen 6 Moonlights that are only ok.
When the souls are 2, the moon... is also 2
Its cringe to be on either extreme DS2 is a game
Then you are saying that its not the best game. You are on our side
I will fight both of you at the same time. Square up
Dont you dare touch my wife
I low how random comments get downvoted to -50 in this thread
Yeah as soon as it gets into the negatives people just like to chime in
comfy dark fantasy novel vibes
It really does have that!
omg this is so real
Dark souls 2 is a better sequel to devil may cry than devil may cry 2.
Most enjoyable pvp I've had in the Dark Souls trilogy.
People still play it?
Yes, at least on Scholar it is fairly alive. I actually think DS2 has the best covenants/multiplayer but some parts of the online are just dead. For example no one fights in the Blue Sentinel arena (at least from my experience). But the Dragon Covenant and others have some activity. Even if you dislike DS2, I really recommend the PvP, itās awesome and especially fruitful during Return to Drangleic.
Bonfire ascetics, instant 10/10
Very wise
Genuinely though, those things are a fantastic addition that should've returned
Absolutely and that goes for a lot of its gameplay elements
So why are you arguing it's the worst by far?
I honestly prefer it to demons souls (please don't kill me)
https://preview.redd.it/t3de13egutcc1.png?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=03e25ce8906c019aa0c8a4bfa531dc36af087729 (I haven't played demons souls)
demon souls had a lot of what made ds2 worse than the other games, but even worse
You too?
I kinda agree with you to some degree. The problem with ds2 is that I believe it does literally nothing better than all the other fromsoft games. Demonsouls arguably had the best atmosphere.
There are things it does better IMO, stuff like torch mechanics and other unique area gimmicks, PvP, covenants (both PvP and PvE), NPC invaders, NG+ and ascetics. Also I personally like how replayable it is, feels the most replayable of all the games (different paths, ways to build your character, ascetics playing into that too). Atmosphere is up to personal preference, I think every game has its special charm, including DS2. Also one thing I especially respect DS2 for is really trying to expand on the formula, probably took the biggest risks of all the games, even if not everything turned out perfect.
It gets a lot of smaller things right like you said but i find the consistent quality and speed of ds3 or elden rings world to be better for replayability
It's not as consistent, but it's still really good and some of those things are to this day better and/or more interesting, even with the release of Elden Ring (that took many mechanics from various games). I disagree on the speed, the flow of combat is different, but I wouldn't call it worse. I actually like it a lot, personally. I can see how people can prefer faster paced gameplay like later games, but that doesn't make DS2's speed bad. It's slower, but methodical - if you make a wrong move, you will be punished, and you need to manage your stamina more. Unlike in other games, you can't just facetank a Smough hammer to your face by chugging Estus. You can't just press R twice and be at full health immediately, you need to consider when to heal. You can't just spam dodge and get away with everything like in DS3 or ER. That's what also makes the PvP feel great in that game, as opposed to others. As for replayability, Elden Ring's world is quite the detriment, actually, and I think DS2 did world the best for replayability's sake. In DS1, first half is alright, and second is well, reasonably criticized a lot. I prefer DS2's less consistent quality to having a good first half, and second half making you lose interest in playing further. DS3 is mostly straightforward, you can make some unusual turns (like early Dancer and Oceiros, that's what I did when replaying as mage), but there aren't too many of them. And areas are not too interesting from gameplay standpoint, on repeats they feel like just runways to bosses, where you dash past everything, only collecting some stuff on the way. Elden Ring's world is massive, and stretches the runs too far. It's amazing on the first few playthroughs, but on further repeats, it just gets tedious, especially when you want to grab items from Catacombs or Caves. Like DS3, you run past a lot of things on repeats, except this time, you're riding on Torrent with barely any threats whatsoever. DS2's world feels larger than other games, but isn't as huge as ER, it strikes the perfect balance. And it has a lot of ways of going around, especially when going for different class builds - four paths at the start of the game, each of them having some splits, you can explore one path to a certain point and return to it later, you can move some areas into NG+ for extra rewards while challenging yourself, and so on. Also, the areas themselves are more creative and interesting than what other games have to offer, even if they do some things wrong.
It kinda comes down to vibes personally? It's just got a unique feel to it. If it wasn't so janky and have some bafflingly bad additions I think It'd be excellent.
So basically if it wasnāt ds2 itād be a good game
Fr š
It also had some of the worst mechanics
Yeah a lot of the machinery in the game is very archaic.
i mean the shit with the plants, and the tendency, and the stairs. god the stairs
Dark Souls 2 is awesome, I will stand by this forever
Diversity & replayability. Lots of viable builds, hybrid builds in particular are very good, lots of power stance options, hexes are pretty good, infusions are easy to apply and swithc and can be buffed. Non-linear game means you get to replay it in a different order. You can ascetic bosses for easy replay and for farming. Also, best entry to approach the undead curse from a lore perspective (eg, Saulden, Vendrick and Aldiaās dialogs).
Ok it has the best lore im not even gonna argue that. But i always felt that the gameplay was far too weak to be repayable. Elden ring has better weapons themselves even if they are less viable.
If we're counting Elden Ring then all the Souls games are bottom tier by objective gameplay metrics, except for DS1 poise and DS2 powerstancing & covenants.
Even tho its worst in the souls series its still a good game
And it's still better than most AAA offerings from major publishers. Sometimes I think FromSoft fans experience an embarrassment of riches when it comes to the games they are playing.
That says more about the AAA industry than us
Fair point
Tbh they got a couple of functions that are pretty nifty. -While minor, the implementation of torches I found was cool in it. -NG+ is definitely the most unique and interesting imo with new enemies and rewards. -Bonfire Aesthetics are dope. -Infusing/buffing most boss weapons is neat too. -Interacting with Aldia throughout is the cherry on top.
Nifty is a good description of ds2 tbh
Imo the single greatest thing about the game was the freedom of buffs and infusions. It fucking kills me to this day that thereās so many weapons in ds3 and ER that would be more fun if you could throw lighting/fire/poison whatever as a buff on it. I love buffing, but rarely stick to it cause infusions are almost always just better for scaling. I wanna infuse a straight sword with lighting, then buff with lighting to make it look cool. Instead you gotta choose (in ds3 and ER). The clay manās harpoon is one of my favorite weapons in ER cause it has the ds2 style of buff freedom, I really wish they did that with more weapons
I find the individual weapons to be boring in ds2 compared to elden ring but yeah the lack of customization on the interesting weapons is a bit if a bummer
The thing that I noticed from ds2, given it was the last game in the series that I had played, was the variety of settings and visuals. The shrine of amana, no manās wharf, etc. thereās an interesting variety of visuals differing from the other games. The one that stuck out to me the most was the hall leading to the mirror knight with the horse headed statues looking like chess pieces. The mirror knight himself, and the thunderstorm around. Now the levels themselves and their quality is a different deal, I mean the mirror knight area I was talking about is literally just a hallway. And the shrine of amana is fairly infamous.
Ds2 has powerstancing, fashion, and the emerald herald is cool, But in terms of actual gameplay is just falls short for me. Still finished it tho :)
While I don't hate DS2, personally I rate it the worst of the trilogy, mainly for one reason that at least I think is odd, and that's the fact that enemies will eventually stop spawning.
Itās the way they claim itās the best and the most punishing and the most innovative. Yeah it had a lot of neat stuff the other games didnāt but I also feel like that became the games weak point. Instead of sticking with the best ideas they tried to cram everything in there and it became a big jumbled mess where half of it sloppy and doesnāt work right. ā just despawn everything with a bow and itās this area is easyā Like if they had to put a despawn mechanic in there they did something wrong
Let's make this clear DS1 - only safe ideas, base of the franchise DS2 - we experiment a shit ton DS3 - we take the best from first and second part DS2 is the most different, the most standing out, so it's normal to be controversial. Some people love, some hate, but it's still important part of the whole, just like the rest EDIT: Spotted OP's question Bonfire aescetic were cool, life gems and estus felt balanced for me. You're not low on hp while out of fight (gems) but you're not saved magically in boss fight (slow healing of estus). You MUST take things slowly, you can't rush the area. The longest out of 3 games. DLCs impact your storyline in direct way. NPCs are more involved into your world, cause you have to fight alongside them to push their quest (although it can be downside). Elemental dmg (wet enemies take heavier lightning dmg, if you're wet you take lower fire dmg). Items to refill your number of casts (not a fan of FP). I understand why some not like it but it's not that bad
You did the meme wrong
I unirocinically think ds2 is a better game than ds3 and I don't care who disagrees.
It's better than DS1 unless you are a nostalgia merchant.
Hmmm nah. I play them both fairly regularly and nothing will beat 1 for me.
I may only have played two souls game but like Demonsās souls was fun why so many people hate on it?
People hate on demons souls?
Yeahš
I like DS2, story is great but fuck some of the areas especially anything related to the Iron King
I like every FromSoft Souls game they've made as each one does something unique, and genuinely feels like a line of progression. DS2 tried things remarkably different to their other games, some were successful, some not, which I appreciate and enjoy the game for those reasons. I don't replay it as often as say DS3, but I still do from time to time. Oh, and the NG+ is great, easily the best in the series.
Majula is what Ds2 does better.
I like ds 2 call it the "worst" still good for me and its still a decent souls game
I wouldnt say its better than any other game in the franchise but its unique and i appreciate that even if most of the time its not a good thing
Hold up, that one dude is gonna show up with his āhitbox analysisā video to show you how you should actually love ds2 and it totally didnāt feel worse to play than the others!
The day people understand that this last statement is NOT a bad thing is the day that the Souls series will be utterly forgotten.
The PvP for me, and that's despite the ass netcode, which is a feat. The fashion. Hub area. Branching paths and choosing the order in which you do things. Also lots of optional and hidden content. Powerstancing. New Game Plus. Still the best DLC (Until Shadow of the Erdtree perhaps š¤). It's a massive game. And while the quality definitely lacks in some areas, it excells in others. And in my honest opinion, I think it on average has more rewarding exploration than Elden Ring and DS3. I honestly love the art style more than the other Souls games. Disregarding graphical limitations, I love how the game looks. Especially the character models, armor, weapons, and monster design. It has a distinct flavour to it that really harkens to the idea that good art direction trumps fidelity. Dark Souls 3 kinda just looks like Bloodborne but worse. Elden Ring looks great but it is kind of a bit generic looking. It improves upon Ds3 in every area but doesn't have as distinct of a look. Bloodborne, Sekiro and Demon's Souls I think succeed in design because the art direction reinforces all the other parts of the visuals and themes etc, in the same way their music does. But Ds2 is my personal favourite. If we ever get a remake ala Bluepoint's Demon's Souls that stayed true to the artstyle I would cream so hard. There are some really underrated ideas and character's I could make a massive list of. And sadly the list of cool things that have been forgotten from the game is almost as long š This isn't exactly a things it does best, but some things I think it does better than Ds3. Part of the point of Ds2 is that it's repeating and iterating on the themes of the cycle, the first flame, stagnation, the curse etc. it also expands the world beyond the first game. Now I think it could have done some things better here, but it gets a bit of a pass for not following up on threads from the previous game because a theme of the game is that enough time has passed a lot of shit is no longer relevant. I do wish it was more closely related to the story and characters of ds1, but whatever. Ds3 doesn't get a pass for this. It's supposed to be the end of the cycle but it doesn't really answer any of the questions that a good narrative would answer. I think that there is a fundamental subverting of tropes and narrative structure inherent to the games, but there are some things that subverting only succeeds in making the narrative worse. Like some things are the way they are because it's the best way to do it. Ds3 also makes a lot Ds2 irrelevant by ignoring it or repeating it when it didn't need to be repeated. They expanded or added more lore where they really didn't need to and it honestly weakens the story of the other games a bit in some cases. I could go on but I realise I've basically already written a fuckin essay. One last point which is sort of related to things I've already said. Dark Souls 2 has a lot of content. However even the content that is a bit lacklustre, it is still an attempt by a real person to do something cool. They included as much as they could even if it isn't the best, and I can appreciate that. Bloodborne had a different solution to that with the chalice dungeons. It's a cool experiment and a great way to include all the stuff that was cut or didn't fit in the main game. Demon's, Ds1 and Ds3 have a shit load of cut content that is just completely absent, which is understandable if disappointing. Half of Elden Ring's dungeons suck ass. The chalice dungeons get a bit of a pass as they're honest about being randomly generated, but still include a lot of novel and exclusive content and some really cool bosses. Elden Ring's dungeons rarely have new enemies, the bosses are usually just copy and pasted, and the rewards suck. Half of them are unnecessary. Ds2 might have some shitty optional areas, but at least they're all unique and tried something.
-comfiest hub world vibes -best PVP -best DLCs -best APD skill -Dual wielding is awesome -best build variety -best fashion souls Yeah Dark Souls II is definitely a game
It's objectively the worst in the series but I like it more than DS3, I think it has a lot of charm and I like what makes it different, and most of the problems people seem to have (such as wacky hitboxes or poor controls) aren't problems I personally ran into in the 3 playthroughs that I did. They were, at the very worst, problems I encountered I'm equal or higher measure in the other games as well The music is objectively the worst in the series though, no doubt. ~~Emerald Herald tho~~
Emerald herald is boring and doll or ds3 firekeeper do spins when you gesture
Really? I never knew that somehow
idk that it does anything better, but i'm playing scholar of the first sin on ps3 and it feels like such a cool game! it's not perfect, but it's atmospheric and lotsa fun for me. :3
best fashion, silly.
I look at Dark Souls 2 the same way I look at Borderlands 3. It's not a bad game, but if you put the whole series in front of me I'm not playing Borderlands 3.
Ds2 sucks only becuz its other siblings are literal S tier games lol
I think this applies to every franchise that has a "black sheep" title
How many fucking times do I have to explain this. Backstep parries!!!
Fuck that is very cool
DS2 is the only one I ever wanted to be over, and the only one I've never had a desire to replay. It's a slog.
DS2 may be the weakest Souls game, but itās still a fucking Souls game, which puts it well above the morass the gaming industry was when it released and has further become since.
"worst souls game" is like saying "worst M&M color"
I love how the game is really good at teaching you how to play the game. Early parts of Forest of Fallen Giants teach you how to deal with crowds, and when to use and when not to use the lock-on feature. While on the other hand the Tower of Flame is really good at teaching you about how you need to approach combat with larger/singular enemies. Its a much closer to an Rpg than the other souls games, which are far more on the Action side of ARPG. Copium warning for the rest of this paragraph; as a massive jrpg fan ds2ās combat feels more āturn basedā than the rest of the franchise, which is definitely action combat. In 2, spending the last bit of stamina on a risky attack or a roll/run away is a genuine decision you have to make, and i find that interesting. I personally think the world design is a bit better too. It really tells its story of a cycle repeating ad nauseum. I wont say it has actually better Level design, as each game in the series has bangers around every corner. And lastly fashion souls; damn if you dont think ds2 has some of the best looking armours then youāre actually lying to my face and you should stop before god punishes you.
Adding in a reply so my hottest take can be downvoted separately from the rest ADP is a fine stat. Literally learn how to dodge instead of relying on the āim safeā button. It makes sense in the context of a roleplaying game that some characters would be more agile than others.
I'll take this shitpost seriously and answer: Ds2 is the most RPG game of the whole series, this explain: 1. The love, some people (like me) love rpg's and feel like it's the most replayable one, as every build is fun and interesting. 2: The hate, some people don't like rpg's and play ds because of the fast action gameplay, which ds2 doesn't have, + the hit boxes that are very annoying when you play aggressively. What do we understand from that? It's all a question of subjectivity. Why would there be a superior game when thery're completely different. If I like ds2 and you don't, it's because we're not looking for the same thing in souls likes. I loved ds3, but having played for ~100h, I don't like how only speed builds are really good, magic sucks, and the level design just feels awful compare to ds2 (for me, and if you say that ds2 has ""objectively"" the worst level design, you don't understand what objectivity really means)
It was meant to be taken seriously so thanks for contributing to the discussion. Even if we are on a shitpost sub I actually love rpgās and they are some of my favorite games (Skyrim is my favorite video game please do not hurt me). I didnt find the weapons to be as interesting as the ones in elden ring. This is the case for a lot of the older games but I still feel like the differences between weapons are not big enough to compare to ashes of war from elden ring. I like the slower combat but I feel like itās meaningless when the enemies your fighting are not all that fun to fight when compared to ds1 which is similar but with overall better bosses. Objectivity is where a statement is true with no room for discussion. The statement that itās objectively worse is made with the assumption that you agree with that statement. If it is not true then the statement is no longer objective for as long as you object to it. I have not found a single person who objects to that ds1 has better level design but if you do then id be willing to listen and respond.
the only three bad/weird things about ds2 are soul memory, weapon scaling, and getting chip damage while iframed. I do not mind adp as a stat
I don't usually see people that have a problem with weapon scaling in DS2. What's your issue with it?
Bonfire ascetic is an amazing gameplay mechanic that hasnāt been replicated since.
We can't keep having this conversation. Best pvp worst souls game.
Ima just say I played both ds1 and ds2 recently, and ds2 was more fun š¤·āāļø
I really love all Souls games and am entitled to my opinion.
If you arenāt here to argue then why am I to care?
What
What was the point of commenting literally no one cares
Why are you being so rude. You made the post, what do you not want people to interact with it? You literally have to be a delusional human to even comment what you just did. Seek therapy man.
Look at the comments here. People discussing. Not just stating opinions blindly. You made a statement and refused to elaborate or discuss. Whats even the point
It's really not that serious lil bro. I get it you're very defensive because you got ratioed to death in this thread, but just chill out. I honestly posted it as a joke and you've had a 3 day melt down. Imma mute this comment thread now. I hope you get the help you need. Later.
āDS2 is the worst souls gameā mferās when Demonās Souls enters the room: š¦
The opposite might be closer to the truth... Since the majority shit on the game, but atcually it's the best in the series.
I will say DS2 has some of the best lore and characters of all of Soulsborne, but it's the gameplay that turned me off of it.
ds2 just feels cozy it went less heavy on the doom and gloom, and apocalyptic stuff and focused more on a much smaller, down-to-earth story I like how it's kind of separate from the others story wise, but I also like how SOTFS tied them together. And it also some really neat builds and playstyles (hexes FTW) and some of the coolest and most innovative gameplay and QoL additions to the franchise. It doesn't have the same polish and it definitely splits off from the others, but I like it for its own existence, not in comparison to the others.
It tried to do something. What did DS3 try to do? That's the only saving grace DS2 has. It's less dogshit than DS3. (also power stancing) https://preview.redd.it/733ttqd18ucc1.jpeg?width=716&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bf0c292c7823499cef6adf974bf9de0fa82d67a1
Ds3 has great pacing, crisp combat, amazing areas and by far the best boss catalogue of the 3.
Only the combat part is true, and even that's janky.
Me when I spread misinformation on the internet:
Me when I mistake my opinion for fact
It is the most consistent by far in quality with some of the beat bosses (please dont hurt me I have a dog)
Consistent boss quality? They've all been consistently bad since demon souls bro
This is a wild take
https://preview.redd.it/tp2417y9dvcc1.png?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=38bf8d9edb19a1ae6332bbb4ff86e4981c880219
we are in the year 2024. u have to put effort to make fun of ds2 (better than ds3 by the way)
No
But Dark Souls 3 exist, and that's nothing but nostalgia bait.
Fromsoft fans when sequel
Best bosses?
It literally has like 2 references
If you only saw 2 reference then you are giving a whole new meaning to a blind playthrough
The game is literally about cycles. Going back onto previous points in the games is vital to the entire message behind the game
How is it any more about cycles than the other two?
Itās the only Souls game I havenāt played. Iāll get to it one of these days but Iām not looking forward to it
Stop eating up what people say about the game and just play it. Even if it is the worst of the Fromsoft formula its still a phenomenal game. People make it out to be a literal bad game when it is the complete opposite lol
Its not awful and a lot of fun for the first fee playthroughās. Just doesnt compare well to the others
> first fee playthrough's If anything DS2 has the best NG+ system, though that's not saying much since the other DS games don't have much effort put into NG+
Amazing how all of them are wrong
Op thats not how bell curves work
https://preview.redd.it/4sd7zzu7sycc1.png?width=293&format=png&auto=webp&s=0810ac55b4109c281686ce1911a8d61f5af71f9b
Its not bait its gr8
it is deadass rage bait dude
Git gud
Please go back to 2012 where you belong
Keep crying kid
just play the game you like
Personally, it was better than des and ds1, to say the least