Shaded Woods #1

After beating Lost Sinner I got a Fragrant Branch of Yore which cures petrification. I could only think of two human statues I could use it on, the one blocking the way in Majula and the one in the cells in the Lost Bastille. The former seemed of greater importance and I had literally no other path open to me (that I'm aware of).

The woman you revive is a pyromancy student who'll come in handy later when I feel the need to mix my attack up a bit. Upon opening the gate the's blocking I was immediately besieged by poison-inflicting mutants, so Souls! A quick death and on with the rest of the area which has the pleasant title: Shaded Woods (sounds like a nice spot for a picnic?).

The area is infested with more of the poison mutants who go down fairly easily as long as you don't get surrounded. I soon came to a crossroads, and mercifully a bonfire. One of the 3 ways was shrouded in an ominous white fog so I decided to leave that. One of the other paths leads to a Flexile Sentry mini boss who's protecting a Dragonslayer Crescent Axe and an excellent looking shield. Unfortunately the axe isn't all that powerful but it does do lightning damage.

Following that you arrive in the Shrine of Winter and come to a door which refuses you entry (needs large souls or something). The other path leads to another entrance which also demands a prerequisite for entry (Kings seal). Which just leaves the path through the fog which is littered with bloodstains...

Sinner's Rise

Sinner's Rise turned out to be a fairly short stint in the keep and then down to the sewers. Some new enemies - hulking beasts with swiping claws and a tail slash - they're not too tricky but the knee-high water makes maneuvering difficult. Then on for another horde of exploding inmates who again proved very frustrating.

I was surprised how brief the whole of Sinner's Rise proved to be as there was a boss before I knew it. A very tough boss. Artorias except in the dark! The Lost Sinner rushes you and has, initially, tough to predict follow up attacks. The fact you can't see very well is a massive disadvantage (I actually found Artorias not as hard as he's made out tbh). There were some messages outside saying "use torch above" or the like but I didn't have the key for the gates above.

I was taking huge damage from him (I still have the starting stat in VGR - 7!) so decided to switch to a lighter weapon and pile on the armour. I'd just gotten a Malformed Skull which is a Great Hammer but its range is limited and it doesn't scale. Step up the old reliable - Large Club. Levelled that to +3 and it has S scaling with STR :) Allowed me to wear the full Drangleic set too.

I eventually found a couple of able helpers and then, bar a few moments that left me chugging Estus in haste, we made short work of the aul sinner. Upon defeat I was presented with a Great Soul and a primal bonfire which only warps back to Majula. Looks like one of the big 4 is down so. Some kind of build up to the fight would've been nice, a small hint that there was a really important boss ahead to build the tension. Perhaps there was and I missed it. Felt epic which is the main thing.

The Lost Bastille #3

Surprisingly there's still a fair amount to the Lost Bastille after you defeat the boss. I moved from the servants quarters to more holding areas before on to a final tower. It's an area riddled with false walls (where would you be without Orange Soapstone messages?!) and little secrets. It's also patrolled by gangs of exploding zombie inmates who can send you into panic as they're either sneakily hidden or come in a horde (they remind me of those guys form Serious Sam with the bombs for hands who just scream and leg it at you!). This combination makes for some real Souls moments as you're switching from curious explorer to wary combatant punctuated by a few surprises.

Of note I found the Large Club (my favourite STR weapon from DS1 but which is now lacking its R2 charge attack unfortunately), a ring which eases weapon degradation (handy now that weapons erode away like chalk between bonfires) and a Bonfire Ascetic (which makes the game harder).

There were 3 jumps that needed to made to rescue out-of-reach goodies and I took my armour off for one only to notice my character was wearing a bra! and was now female?! A quick post to boards.ie revealed that this was because I got into the coffin in Things Betwixt!

I eventually ended up in a new area which again seems a straight-forward mix of battlements and keeps (I should really be careful what I wished for as I've been longing for more Boletaria like castles but now it's starting to get repetitive) which is called Sinner's Rise

The Ruin Sentinels

Had to give these boys a good amount of goes. Finished them off as a phantom a few times but this one battle saw me waste about 7 Human Effigies. It's a fight for which you certainly want a ranged attacker in your party, as when you take on two at a time it can be very dangerous to wade in and keeping a distance is preferable. Fortunately the NPC summon is a cleric with some meaty Soul Arrows.

I definitely took these on at too high a level (SL55) as their damage output was nasty at that stage - if caught without my shield (often in the back!) I was getting one-shotted regularly. Dark and Gold pine resins helped with DPS but even then they were sucking up a lot of hits.

Whilst exploring between runs to the boss I found a new wing of the area through a destructible wall. It housed some new enemies - demented inmates who pack an explosive punch and like to lunge right at you. My reward was a few chests, one of which contained the excellent looking Twinblade. A new weapon type really, wielded like a bo-staff Darth Maul style. Shame it requires high DEX (25).

For my sins I equipped the (cheaty) Life Protection ring to save my effigies (the ring keeps you human even when you die but it breaks and can be repaired for 3000 souls). I only repaired it the once before finally beating the the boss. Summoned 2 phantoms with plenty of sorceries and pyromancies and lightning bolts and everything needed to take out the 3 marionette-like knights! I was able to distract the 2nd sentinel while the others took out the third and then it was just a pile on for the last guy.

Backtracking...again!

I revisited the Forest of Fallen Giants to see if I couldn’t best those damned turtle knights that blocked my path. As suspected the Greatsword chewed them up with the R2 attack keeping them at range and killing them in 2 hits. They were hiding a Bastard Sword (oh how I could’ve done with you early game) and some other bits and bobs. Also another bonfire (you can’t budge for tripping over bonfires in DS2!) which I reckon has something to do with warping back for a Covenant as (a) there’s no need to have a bonfire there and (b) there’s another one of those petrified giants there but this one allows you to interact (unlike the other 2) and it just says he is resting in peace. Maybe I need to have a certain item in my possession to join?

Back then to Things Betwixt to drop my new stones in the crows’ nest for which I received 3 different types of ore. Seems random what you get. Whilst there I went and killed the two upright hippo guys and they didn’t go down without a struggle. They were hiding a boat/coffin on the shore. As soon as I saw it I thought “Gravelord Covenant”. It let me get inside and close the lid but alas I didn’t travel anywhere. Maybe I need the equivalent of the Eyes of Death in my possession?

Cathedral of Blue

I decided I’d return to Heides to investigate the Cathedral of Blue I’d skipped earlier. Unfortunately I’d spoilered myself when searching for a pic of Dragonrider so the appearance of Ornstein wasn’t exactly a surprise. His moveset is similar to that in DS1 (he charges you a lot!) but he has a new dark projectile attack which is easily avoided. He did prove slightly more challenging than recent bosses but I still managed him on my first attempt. He drops the Old Leo Ring and in the chests behind him are the Tower Shield and a fairly decent helmet.

The NPC in the same area appears to be the keeper of the Blue Sentinels Covenant but he wouldn’t let me join saying “my transient form” wasn’t to his liking :( I used an effigy to turn human but still no joy. Wouldn’t mind testing out the new PVP so I will definitely be returning to this guy.

Lost Bastille #2

The prison cell area the boat drops you off at is only around the corner from the original part I had explored thus allowing me to check out my explosive+cracked wall =shortcut theory. And what do you know it worked :D It leads to another bonfire and a blacksmith (who’s in need of an ember).

I was feeling fairly confident as my +4 Greatsword wasted the Royal Guards even as they piled in in number. The 3 sentinels were a different prospect though, especially alone. The first guy is hard enough on the small ledge but when the two others enter the fray all bets are off. In one sense I’m glad as it’s the first testing boss in the game. Excluding my rustiness with the Last Giant, I’ve had no bother with the others.

I gave them a few goes as a phantom but struggled every time. I’m gathering they have an elemental weakness as they seem to have high physical defence. After about 5 times entering the boss fog as part of a threesome and getting nowhere I decided to go back to the drawing board.

No-Man's Wharf

Not the usual seaside village experience. This is a dark and dingy spot full of bandit types and gangly black creatures. The going proved quite easy as the human enemies don't really hit all that hard (although after getting the Ring of Binding outside the Cathedral of Blue my HP bar is a lot sturdier). The long-limbed creatures have good reach and cause bleeding quite quickly but are easily rounded and back-stabbed. There was a section on a narrow path and a couple of tight buildings which proved troublesome as they pinned me a few times but I got my rewards for exploring past them as I met a dwarf trader and finally found a STR weapon - the Greatsword!

I should be careful what I wish for though as upon equipping the beast of a weapon (it weighs in at 22) I had to remove the mighty Drangleic armour to make 69.7% equip load. Ultra Greatwords aren't designed for the close quarters of this particularly cramped setting so after a couple of deaths I relented and went back to my club.

Thankfully there are ample shortcuts through the village and I made it to call the ghost ship ashore. The boss battle within, with the Flexile Sentry, was another first-go victory. It's a small environment but keeping your distance isn't a problem and his attack pattern is very pronounced. Following a cut-scene- seeing me sailing away into the moonlit waters- I arrived back at the area I had fled earlier - The Lost Bastille.

Early Impressions

At 13 hours in I'm getting a fair idea of what the new Souls is all about. The first thing that struck me is that they aren't dishing out the plot/lore as much as I'd been led to believe prior to release. The tutorial is more comprehensive and they explain Covenants a bit more (with 2 available from the get-go) but otherwise it's as obtuse as ever. I wasn't against the idea of it being a bit more forthcoming with the scene-setting/narrative but I still like the sense of mystery. From multiple playthoughs of DS1 and tons of lore videos I've learned that paying attention to the NPCs and item descriptions is where it's at but at this stage it's all a bit of a haze as to what's going on.

The new mechanics are also less-than-clear to me but again that's not necessarily a bad thing. Agility and Adaptability seem quite nuanced and obviously to understand the depth of their influence probably requires more than one playthrough. I definitely feel ADP has improved blocking speed and maybe roll speed but to hard to tell as my character is constantly evolving. The armour scaling with VIT is a great idea. Whilst Endurance no longer holds a double benefit of boosting Stamina and Equip load it allows Vitality to play a more important role than just a measure of how much I can carry. Stamina is important enough to be the only benefit of END the way HP is to Vigour. The seeming separation of the the new guard break mechanic from Stamina is something I'm undecided on. It only really happened to me early on before I had good armour/poise so I can't really make a call on that yet.

The uniquely claustrophobic atmosphere of the Souls games which to me is one of it's biggest achievements is certainly present in Dark Souls 2. The areas have been varied so far with the labyrinthine battlements of the Forest of Fallen Giants displaying the best level design but the mood has been spot-on throughout.

Heide's Tower of Flame

Having previously been scared off by the messages on the ground and the ominous-looking giant knight on the path down I decided to revisit the other exit from Majula. There was certainly no need to fret over the knight, he and his many compatriots are slow as hell and go down in a single flurry of blows. Slightly more problematic in groups but after finding the bonfire I eased past to find the Cathedral of Blue. Decided to come back to that and explore the other way as I'd pulled a few levers that seemed to activate something in that direction.

Through a fog gate to another surprisingly early boss fight - Dragonrider. It's not often you beat a boss on the first attempt but this guy is a doddle. He leaves his back wide open and his attacks are easily dodged. Defeated him and went upstairs to find a holy type selling miracles and a bonfire.

Off again through the tower which wasn't particularly noteworthy, some more slow knights and a Knight Set of armour which has decent poise but nothing great. Found an Old Knight Halberd which again has a 20 DEX requirement and scales with DEX! Where my STR weapon!?! Anyway found yet another bonfire (and the NPC I'd met in The Old Bastille) and a route into No-Man's Wharf.

Back-tracking

I decided to take a break from the new area to back-track and root around some of the parts I'd overlooked. I returned to Majula to find an Estus shard hidden in a well and some cleric stuff and the Binoculars on a narrow cliff-face path. I went back to the tutorial and tried to drop the Shiny and Silky stone in the birds nest but ended up discarding it by mistake - doh! (it was late ok) I did trade the Petrified Something for a Petrified Dragon Bone (No better off there!) with the crow though (after finding the Leave command). I also killed the upright hippo monster at the start of the game who gave me a Stone Ring (which reduces enemy poise).

I returned to the battlements behind the Pursuer, where I'd been rudely snatched away before I got to explore, and found the Drangleic Set (see image). Wow, end-game worthy armour. Glad I've been investing in VIT to be able to wear some of it. The Drangleic sword is the first unique weapon I've come across but it requires 20 DEX and scales stronger with DEX also. It doesn't look good enough to pour 8 levels into DEX to wield it even tough I'm seriously craving a good weapon. Still stuck with the Broadsword and the Club which I'm reluctant to waste Titanite on.

I've leveled to SL40 now which seems really high considering I've finished DS1 at SL50 (and could probably do it much lower tbh). I don't feel overpowered though as I've had to spread the stats with STR at 25, VIT at 16 and END and ADP at 9. Endurance losing it's dual purpose really impacts character build, probably for the better if it means more diverse creations are possible.

The Lost Bastille #1

Found a gap behind where the Pursuer was leading to some more battlements. I was investigating a nest there when whoosh - cutscene of me being whisked away by Mr. G. Eagle. No rolling up in ball and waiting here! This brought me to the Lost Bastille which features more ruined battlements but at night as opposed to the sunlight drenched area preceding it.

The new enemies are a welcome break from the Hollows, even the zombie dogs who are a pushover compared to DS1. The Royal Guards are handy enough too except when you're jumped by 4 of them! which happened a couple of times. Made my way through the ruined keep only to stumble upon a boss way earlier than I'd expected. I say boss but there are actually 3 of the lanky sentinels. I finished off one by the skin off my teeth but then I got double-teamed and it was goodnight for me.

Decided to get summoned and try and suss the boss out that way but over several attempts the host only made it to the boss once. The difficulty increase in multiplayer is far more pronounced than previous games with enemy HP and ATK almost doubled I'd say. I got weary of the area although there appears to be a shortcut to do with blowing up a wall with some explosive barrels which looks like I might give a go upon my return.

The Pursuer

After a bit more exploring with the Soldier Key I came across the big knight who'd disappeared on me earlier. Apparently he's called the Pursuer and travels about by giant eagle (as you do). He's an aggro type. Reminds me of the False King the way he floats towards you. Gave him a couple of goes but was doing negligible damage so decided to lay down my summon sign and level up a bit. Noticed in some worlds people have destroyed the wall beside the bonfire, not a very useful shortcut but curious to see how you create it. Put 3 levels into Adaptability which is supposed to make you raise your shield quicker and roll better which are two things I found I was sluggish at. Seems to make a slight difference. Got some more VIT to help wear some more armour too.

On my travels as a white phantom I got a reward item which allows you to heal your host, nice idea!, have a feeling they'll also be a covenant item. Beat The Pursuer several times whilst summoned, once in a gimmicky way by using the ballista to shoot at him. Leveled up my STR to 24 and took him on again. He was easy once you know the ballista trick and feels kind of cheap but I needed to progress.

Let's get tooled up!

Returned to Majula to splash the cash on a Twin Dragon Greatshield and a Club which has A scaling with STR. Also picked up a Pharros key thing (I'd seen a Pharros device somewhere in the castle) and levelled up VIT and END by 1. Things didn't go well for the new kit - the Club swings slower than the Broadsword and the shield just makes me too heavy. A few unlocked doors later and I had a HP regen ring and the Cloranthy Ring :D Also upgraded the Estus Flask (via an Estus Shard).

The rest of the doors led to endless turtle knights (see image) who I'm having trouble with. Can't develop an effective blocking or rolling strategy for them just yet and dealing with two at a time is a nightmare. Think I'll try some multiplayer as a distraction and maybe get a few souls whilst I'm at it.

First Boss!

The shortcut turned out to link the bonfire directly to the elevator for the first boss, more generous bonfire placement! The Last Giant as he's called is a fairly standard Souls' boss - big but slow with ankles just begging to be swiped at. Having cleared the preceding area with ease I was feeling quite cocky and quickly spotting the boss type made me even more imprudent. Souls has a way of knocking you back down to earth though as soon as you get any notions! After using up all my fire arrows, fire bombs, magic bombs (whatever they're called) and ooze I had him twice down to very little health only to die. Down to half-life (due to the Demon's Souls type mechnic where you lose a bit of max HPO every time you die) had me getting almost one-shotted so I decided to use some humanity, err I mean Human Effigy, except I burnt it which didn't reverse the hollowing! Used it and got my 100% back and summoned Pate too, happy days.... until I lost having him down to one hit again! Eventually after a total of about 20 tries I beat him and received 10k souls and a Soldiers key which no doubt unlocks all the locked doors I'd seen on my way there.

Majula theme

The music in Majula reminds me of the soundtrack Mogwai did for Les Revenants - Listen or some of Explosions in the Sky's older stuff - Listen

The Forest of Fallen Giants #2

Ah yes this is what it's all about, endless exploration and inevitable ambushes. Reminding me of Boletaria from Demon's Souls this area. The mini boss from before didn't appear when I went back which is interesting. Noticing a heap more Orange Soapstone messages and bloodstains than in previous games, maybe its just the popularity of DS2 compared to its predecessors? Came across a petrified giant whom I could examine (ala the painting of Ariamis) but mustn't have had the right object to interact with. Got my White Soapstone from Pate (new Solaire?) and have pretty much cleared out the entire area and found a shortcut back to the bonfire now.

Went back a leveled my STR to 21 and DEX to 12 (for the Shortbow). Have a tempting Halberd which requires 14 DEX but don't want to waste points just yet (Hoping a proper STR weapon is around every corner!)

New mechanics

Would recommend checking out this video from VaatiVidya detailing the new mechanics. No spoilers just a few things you'd be better off knowing before starting. Even the fast climb and new dismount on ladders is invaluable, never mind the guard break stuff. Check it out here.

The Forest of Fallen Giants #1

Not an awful lot of forest, you kill about 5 enemies and you're into a ruined castle/battlements environment. All Hollowed Soldiers so far and seemingly tougher than the DS1 variants. I was 5 hitting them with the Warrior's starting weapon which was doing the job until I got the "Weapon at Risk" message! And then this is the glory of Dark Souls, I stumbled though an previously unseen archway during a fight (realising I had not many hits left in the weapon) then found a stairway up and joy of joys! - a Short Sword! I've never been so happy to find a Short Sword, it took the hollows down in 3 hits!

The multi-layered, diverging paths of Dark Souls were again in evidence as I made it further through the level. The bonfire placement seemed fairly generous and then there I was able to warp back to the Blacksmith in Majula to buy an even better weapon (Broadsword), warp back and on with the level. Kind of felt like cheating!

That feeling subsided when 10 mins later I was ambushed by a giant super-aggro knight. I ultimately died but having come across the first mini-boss I'm feeling like the game has started proper.

Leveling and new stats

I had enough souls for 3 levels and put them all into Vitality which now governs equip load. I figured If I'm going to be wielding a big old weapon and shield I'll need it. I couldn't really notice the difference to roll speed being under 25% but will test it out in combat. There were some new stats like Agility that may have something to do with it. Also armour seems to scale with something, again no idea what that's about!

EDIT: Ah, Equipment load determines the length of the roll, not the speed, and the tipping point is 70%. Day 1 and I'm already checking the Wiki :D Mechanics are allowed just no spoilers!

Majula

Coming out of the cave, into the sunlight and hearing the waves lap against the shore is a well designed introduction to your new sanctuary. The first thing that struck me is how much bigger it is than the previous hubs - you could probably squeeze 20 Firelink Shrines in here and still have room for a Nexus or two.

Beyond the first bonfire I was positive I could see the Maiden in Black (from Demon's Souls) which I'm sure is a deliberate reference - the pose, the thin flowing cloak and silhouetted to look like shes in black. The Emerald Herald (sounds like an Republican newspaper no?) has a hint of an Irish accent (or maybe I was just inferring that from the name!) and imparts a ton of not very specific lore. There's a king, 4 large souls, get strong... Like the Maiden she seems like the only point for leveling but I suppose that wont be an issue if you can warp from any bonfire.

A lot more useful info was gleaned from the Crestfallen Warrior which falls in line with From's intention to make things more accessible. After giving me pointers on each of the possible routes out of Majula he even offered me a Covenant to join (Aul Cresty serving a purpose? maybe he won't go hollow this time!). Something to do with co-op, Blue Sentinels I think.

I spent over an hour just exploring the hub, meeting 2 vendors (one of which is a talking cat who seems to speak a lot but manage to say nothing), a blacksmith, another Covenant and a herd of vicious wild pigs who almost killed me! There was another knight (carrying what looks like a Moonlight blade) who was stuck outside a door Siegmeyer style. There were a couple of mutants in there who inflict a status (which I'm gathering is the new petrify judging by the human statue in there).

Another route led me down a sewer which led to a flaming tower but there was a huge knight outside so I decided I'd leave him alone. Cresty had mentioned a place with useful equipment to be had, the Forest of Giants, so it'll be there I'll be going when I play next.

Things Betwixt

As tutorial areas go it wasn't bad, spells a lot more out than DS1 that's for sure. The 3 prophetic witches (lifted straight from MacBeth) don't provide much insight other than "you are cursed, ha ha". They do give a little more context to you customizing your appearance which probably isn't wholly necessary but I'm sure some will appreciate it. I picked the Warrior and one of the two unexplained gifts, the petrified thingy. The other gifts are hardly game-changers so it wasn't a real risk.

The only new dynamic introduced is that of the torch and lighting pedestals along the way. Looking forward to seeing how this is utilized later in the game.

I only realized the instructional bit of the tutorial was optional when I'd finally finished clicking through all of the message stones detailing the commands. There was a "boss", well a big enemy, whom I left to his own devices having amassed the princely sum of 900 souls!

Build Decisions

I wan't to go for the simplest option for my first play-though. Normally I'd go for a magic character but I don't want to end up on the wiki when I can't find any spells or the appropriate titanite (as happened in DS1 when I managed to miss Rickert, Griggs and couldn't find green chunks). I'm going for a pure Strength based character, maybe not quite a tank but definitely big weapons and easy upgrade paths for me! For this I've chosen the Warrior as my class simply because he has the highest starting STR at 15.

Intro

Finally got my hands on the game yesterday. Only got to watch the intro. Graphically it was gorgeous with a more photo-realistic approach than previous Souls games. The scene where the woman's image melts was particularly impressive. Very straight-forward as far as plot goes. You are cursed, you are compelled to go to Drangleic. Full Stop! After Dark Souls 1 with it's information overload of lore in the intro this was slim pickings.