Dark Souls II: Difference between revisions

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- Dual wielding swords sounds cool in theory, in practice it's far less awesome. So, avoid a DEX heavy starting class. You'll eventually get some items you can use to respec all your points, but you can never respec those starting stats.
==Character Generation==


- Your starting gift isn't super important, but the Petrified Something can get you a good item right away or the tree seed can make a future invasion by an enemy player very hilarious.
* Starting characters largely are a lot weaker than in the first game. One of them can't even properly wield their weapon in one hand. Fortunately, you can fill in the gaps in your stat spread and equipment quite quickly.


- If you picked the Petrified Something, you drop it in the large bird nest in the starting area with the invisible talking NPCs. Go into your inventory and pick the "leave" option (NOT DISCARD) while standing in the nest to drop it and turn it into a random item, possibly a very good one.
* From the available starting gifts, the Healing Wares gift is the most helpful to a new player.


- Always talk to NPCs until they repeat their dialogue. Always.
* There is no pyromancer start this time, but you can acquire a pyromancy flame and find a trainer fairly early.


- There's two covenants you can join in the hub town. One is by talking to the stone slab on the hill, the other from the NPC sitting by the monument. The stone slab covenant makes it so you can't co-op. The other summons Blue Knight players if you get invaded by another player while wearing their ring. Neither is particularly good unless you want to solo the game, but you get an achievement for reaching the confirmation box to join them.
==Majula==


- The armorsmith sells better armor the more you spend at him, up to 16,000 souls. The Alva armor he sells can last you almost the whole game with a few upgrades. But you can find even better sets later on.
* Estus flask shards give you more uses of your estus flask when turned in to the Herald. The first available shard is hidden in Majula and can be acquired at the start of the game.


- For god's sake do not attack the pig things in town. You will regret it. <div class="spoiler">If you're at a higher level later on, you can kill them for a chance at Cracked Red Eye Orbs.</div>
* The first two areas accessible out of Majula are the Forest of Fallen Giants and Heide's Tower of Flame. The active enemies in Heide are much more intimidating than the enemies in the Forest, but the areas are roughly balanced. If you get stuck, try going down the other route for a while.


- Knock down the rock on the well.
* There is a merchant who moves to Majula after you beat the boss near where you meet her. Once she's done this she offers an infinite stock of basic lifegems. These are an excellent way to heal up between fights, saving your  Estus Flask uses for healing swiftly in combat.  


- Don't jump down the big hole, you can't survive it without the ring that reduces fall damage and more HP. An NPC will also show up later in the game that you can buy a ladder from instead.
* The armor merchant gains more stock when you've given him enough souls. It can be worth throwing some at him even if you aren't interested in his starting wares. He will also sell some boss armours once you've defeated them.


- Don't carry any more souls than it takes to level up.
* A pair of binoculars hidden in Majula can be used to aim spells in first person and survey the local scenery.


- If you're a magic user, roll up the rock next to the entrance to the path along the cliff by the bonfire. There's binoculars there that will let you first-person aim your spells.
* The well in the center of the area leads to a dungeon with some important stuff. You can descend safely with the Silvercat Ring, but it's easier if you recruit the laddersmith from Earthen Peak.


- That path also leads to one of the first two areas you can go, also the easiest of the two. The other is through the small stone door by the houses.
==General Advice==


- You should also go the easy way first because the NPC that has the blacksmith's key and infinite lifestones is found along that path. Remember to exhaust her dialogue. The key is only 1000 souls.
* Be aggressive without being blinded to your surroundings. The game likes to throw mobs of weak monsters at you that can overwhelm you if you don't thin them out as they come. The game also really, really likes ambushes.  


- Bonfires refill your magic and Estus flasks, but also respawn all the enemies. You can light a bonfire without resting at it though, which functions as a checkpoint.
* To revert hollowing, simply use a Human Effigy from your inventory. Completing your duty as a summoned cooperator will also reverse hollowing.


- When you die, you become Hollow. This means your max HP goes down every time you die down to 50% until you turn human. This is accomplished by using a Human Effigy. Don't make the mistake of burning it though, that won't turn you human. You have to be human in order to see other players summon signs, but you can still place yours. When patch 1.03 comes, completing your duty as a summoned phantom will also turn you human. Regardless, completing your duty also refills flasks and spells so it's a good idea to place your sign before any boss fight and do a "dry run".
* If you're unhappy with your past leveling decisions or simply need to adjust your build because you've run into a wall, you can reallocate your attributes by giving a Soul Vessel to one of the old firekeepers in the starting area.


- You get the White Soapstone (places your summon sign) from a guy named Pate you encounter in the first area outside the town. You'll get separated from him, but if you find your way back he'll give you the stone when you talk to him again.
* Most weapons are perfectly serviceable for completing the game. Don't get hung up on acquiring the optimal equipment your first time through.


- There's quite a few optional bosses. The <div class="spoiler">Smelter Demon</div> is one of the big tough ones lots of people don't know you can skip.
* Don't try to use Every Magic your first time through. If you decide to cast spells, stick to one type.


- Dodge rolling is garbage until you get your agility up, which is accomplished by raising your Attunement and Adaptability. Your Agility only goes up when one of the stats is even or less than the other, so plan accordingly.
* Strike (i.e. blunt) damage is very strong in this game.


- Once your dodge actually moves you, you'll have a couple invincibility frames at the start of it. Learn to exploit this.
==Equipment==


- Keep your gear load under 70.0%, or you will be doing what's colloquially known as "fat rolling"
* Weapon reinforcement is extremely important, and you should have your main weapon upgraded as high as you can at all times.


- The letters under the weapon requirements determine how much bonus damage it does. S > A > B > C > D > E.
* Keep a backup weapon, ideally one that possesses a moveset and physical damage type different from your main weapon. Weapon durability is pretty low in this game, and damaged weapons do a lot less damage.


- When you get the opportunity to infuse elements and such into weapons, you can do something like infusing lightning into a chime for miracles to do more damage, or magic into a staff for sorcery. Just be careful it doesn't reduce the bonus scaling.
* If you are a caster, you should reinforce your spellcasting tool to make your spells stronger. Infusing them with the appropriate element will also empower your spells.


- If you want to use giant swords and axes and such, you'll need lots of Strength obviously, but also a small amount of Dexterity. 18-20 will cover everything though.
* You can upgrade armor but this is not recommended, at least until you have the ability to purchase infinite titanite.


- Spellcasters benefit from both Faith and Intelligence, weighted toward whatever your main requirement is.
==Stats==


- Attunement determines your cast speed, spell uses, and how many spell slots you have. Generally, every 5 or so ATN will get you a new spell slot. Spell uses depends on the spell itself. Stronger spells mean less casts.
* Two-handing a weapon effectively doubles your strength stat for the purpose of meeting weapon stat requirements and calculating damage.


- Poise is what keeps you from getting stunlocked when hit. It's also raised by your armor, plus your points toward agility.
* If you have a weapon in each hand and your Strength and Dexterity equal to 1.5x the the highest of the weapons' requirements, you may Power Stance them. To enter Power Stance, hold down Triangle/Y as though you're attempting to two-hand your left-hand weapon. Some weapons can't be stanced together, or at all.
 
* Unlike in the first game, your rolling speed is always the same up until 70% Equipment Load when it turns into the clunky "fat roll". Equipment Load still governs how fast your Stamina regenerates and how far you can roll.
 
* Equipment load affects fall damage.
 
* Also unlike the first game, your i-frames are not controlled by your roll speed at all but rather by a secondary stat named Agility. It is increased primarily by putting levels into Adapatability, but Attunement also affects it to a lesser extent. 99 Agility is usually considered the goal to aim for.
 
==Secrets==
 
* Prism Stones, Smooth and Silky Stones, and Petrified Somethings can be exchanged for items with a pair of talking crows by leaving (not discarding) them in their nest in Things Betwixt. Petrified Somethings yield the rarest items.
 
* Exhaust all dialogue with NPCs when you meet them, to avoid missing things and to move them to Majula if they are so inclined. Many NPCs may also give you items if you talk to them again after having met a certain prerequisite, most commonly after you've bought enough stuff from them.
 
* Barring a few obvious exceptions, secret doors are opened with the loot/talk button rather than by attacking the wall like in DS1. A few suspicious-looking walls can be destroyed by hitting them or using something found in the nearby environment.
 
* Don't try to fight the Ancient Dragon, it's generally regarded as one of the most tedious and frustrating fights in the game. All you get from it is something that makes another optional boss easier.
 
* There's a spot in Earthen Peak where you can set fire to the windmill on the outside of the fortress. The boss is virtually impossible unless you do this.
 
* There are secret caves in the Black Gulch that require you to jump down from the main path onto outcroppings below. You should be able to see them if you light a torch and look over the edge. One of these leads to a difficult fight against two giants that will reward you with two important items.


[[Category:Games]]
[[Category:Games]]

Latest revision as of 18:41, 12 September 2025

Character Generation

  • Starting characters largely are a lot weaker than in the first game. One of them can't even properly wield their weapon in one hand. Fortunately, you can fill in the gaps in your stat spread and equipment quite quickly.
  • From the available starting gifts, the Healing Wares gift is the most helpful to a new player.
  • There is no pyromancer start this time, but you can acquire a pyromancy flame and find a trainer fairly early.

Majula

  • Estus flask shards give you more uses of your estus flask when turned in to the Herald. The first available shard is hidden in Majula and can be acquired at the start of the game.
  • The first two areas accessible out of Majula are the Forest of Fallen Giants and Heide's Tower of Flame. The active enemies in Heide are much more intimidating than the enemies in the Forest, but the areas are roughly balanced. If you get stuck, try going down the other route for a while.
  • There is a merchant who moves to Majula after you beat the boss near where you meet her. Once she's done this she offers an infinite stock of basic lifegems. These are an excellent way to heal up between fights, saving your Estus Flask uses for healing swiftly in combat.
  • The armor merchant gains more stock when you've given him enough souls. It can be worth throwing some at him even if you aren't interested in his starting wares. He will also sell some boss armours once you've defeated them.
  • A pair of binoculars hidden in Majula can be used to aim spells in first person and survey the local scenery.
  • The well in the center of the area leads to a dungeon with some important stuff. You can descend safely with the Silvercat Ring, but it's easier if you recruit the laddersmith from Earthen Peak.

General Advice

  • Be aggressive without being blinded to your surroundings. The game likes to throw mobs of weak monsters at you that can overwhelm you if you don't thin them out as they come. The game also really, really likes ambushes.
  • To revert hollowing, simply use a Human Effigy from your inventory. Completing your duty as a summoned cooperator will also reverse hollowing.
  • If you're unhappy with your past leveling decisions or simply need to adjust your build because you've run into a wall, you can reallocate your attributes by giving a Soul Vessel to one of the old firekeepers in the starting area.
  • Most weapons are perfectly serviceable for completing the game. Don't get hung up on acquiring the optimal equipment your first time through.
  • Don't try to use Every Magic your first time through. If you decide to cast spells, stick to one type.
  • Strike (i.e. blunt) damage is very strong in this game.

Equipment

  • Weapon reinforcement is extremely important, and you should have your main weapon upgraded as high as you can at all times.
  • Keep a backup weapon, ideally one that possesses a moveset and physical damage type different from your main weapon. Weapon durability is pretty low in this game, and damaged weapons do a lot less damage.
  • If you are a caster, you should reinforce your spellcasting tool to make your spells stronger. Infusing them with the appropriate element will also empower your spells.
  • You can upgrade armor but this is not recommended, at least until you have the ability to purchase infinite titanite.

Stats

  • Two-handing a weapon effectively doubles your strength stat for the purpose of meeting weapon stat requirements and calculating damage.
  • If you have a weapon in each hand and your Strength and Dexterity equal to 1.5x the the highest of the weapons' requirements, you may Power Stance them. To enter Power Stance, hold down Triangle/Y as though you're attempting to two-hand your left-hand weapon. Some weapons can't be stanced together, or at all.
  • Unlike in the first game, your rolling speed is always the same up until 70% Equipment Load when it turns into the clunky "fat roll". Equipment Load still governs how fast your Stamina regenerates and how far you can roll.
  • Equipment load affects fall damage.
  • Also unlike the first game, your i-frames are not controlled by your roll speed at all but rather by a secondary stat named Agility. It is increased primarily by putting levels into Adapatability, but Attunement also affects it to a lesser extent. 99 Agility is usually considered the goal to aim for.

Secrets

  • Prism Stones, Smooth and Silky Stones, and Petrified Somethings can be exchanged for items with a pair of talking crows by leaving (not discarding) them in their nest in Things Betwixt. Petrified Somethings yield the rarest items.
  • Exhaust all dialogue with NPCs when you meet them, to avoid missing things and to move them to Majula if they are so inclined. Many NPCs may also give you items if you talk to them again after having met a certain prerequisite, most commonly after you've bought enough stuff from them.
  • Barring a few obvious exceptions, secret doors are opened with the loot/talk button rather than by attacking the wall like in DS1. A few suspicious-looking walls can be destroyed by hitting them or using something found in the nearby environment.
  • Don't try to fight the Ancient Dragon, it's generally regarded as one of the most tedious and frustrating fights in the game. All you get from it is something that makes another optional boss easier.
  • There's a spot in Earthen Peak where you can set fire to the windmill on the outside of the fortress. The boss is virtually impossible unless you do this.
  • There are secret caves in the Black Gulch that require you to jump down from the main path onto outcroppings below. You should be able to see them if you light a torch and look over the edge. One of these leads to a difficult fight against two giants that will reward you with two important items.
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