Dark Souls II - Personal Impressions Thread.

[DeepO]

In the original Dark Souls however bonfires were like virtual beacons of hope, pure relief inducing moments of genuine battle-weary sanctuary. Whereas I feel in the sequel their regularity has started to feel more analogous to every day checkpoints, robbing them of much of their potent mystique. Reaching one for me at least, certainly does not evoke or carry the same feeling.

Yeah. Besides the often fairly close bonfire proximity, I think this may also partially feel so due to an experience with other Souls games. That said, I think the chief reason for the feeling may be the ability to warp right from the start. During the first half of DS1 you know you´ll have to spend some time around a newly found bonfire, whereas in DS2 other discovered locations are two clicks away.
I guess that at some point there were fewer bonfires in the game (for example, The Lost Sinner bonfire seems like it was added later as the presence of a nearby sconce and enemies could indicate), but maybe due to world layout/level design considerations and/or ascetic mechanics and/or character leveling process the design changed later.
I still found the feeling in the game occasionally though, like lighting the Drangleic Castle or Lost Bastille (when coming from No Man´s Wharf) bonfires.

I´d say that as a result, this is one of the design differences that feed into DS2 being (at least in my opinion) more of "the world is your oyster" kind of game when compared to its predecessor, which (at least more often) leans towards "you´re the world´s oyster".
Being able to jump around discovered locations from the start, continue playing the game after credits, re-challenge the bosses via ascetics, make the game more difficult right from the start via Covenant of Champions or engage in some silliness via Bell and Rat covenants, along with greater character build possibilities and item variety moves the game closer to Playground Souls .
This has its pluses and minuses, but overall I´d say it positively contributes to both Dark Souls games being good and different enough for neither becoming redundant.

As a side note, one possible way to get the more oppressive experience out of DS2 is to try out "no bonfire" challenge (can light, but can´t rest at bonfires, besides the primal ones) - it encourages one to commit to chosen paths and be more careful about resources and planning in general. It can also be an interesting way how to spice up NG+.
There´s a reward for finishing the game this way so it´s something developers anticipated.

However, I do hope that this cornucopia of resting flame is not quite as common once I get to the DLCs, as I quite enjoy the extended moments between stops and having my endurance tested.

Your endurance will likely be tested. I´d say the DLCs are more-or-less vintage DS1 experience, despite the available warp. The bonfires tend to feel more like bases of operations rather than checkpoints which also contributes to the likeliness of finding the areas evoking better sense of place in comparison to most of the vanilla game.

That's most interesting to hear you say that actually because my friend also made comment recently that he thought my chosen progression path through the game was odd too.

The reason why it´s somewhat unusual is that you got to Drangleic Castle by meeting an alternative, "backdoor" requirement to open the Shrine of Winter, probably by really good timing. If you´d have decided to go there some time earlier it would´ve been locked and you likely wouldn´t have tried it again until having met the normal requirement.

(A spoiler question: Can one reach the little igloo like island behind the stationary golem/giants? I thought I saw the outline of a door….)

I´d say don´t ask yet .

I also agree with your points on the pleasing contrast between game-play and atmosphere, but would also hasten to cite the Moonlight Butterfly and the final Gwyn encounters as other great examples of atmosphere contrasting game-play.

Yeah, those rule, though they´re boss encounters, not areas to travel through.

I do stand by my opinion that it by and large stands upon the shoulders of giants (Ash Lake/Great Hollow) in terms of mood and visual style.

Fair enough.
I´d add that I made a mistake writing the paragraph where I included Ash Lake´s gameplay/mechanics into comparison since one of the intents of my post was to illustrate that I feel Amana and Ash Lake are not that well suited for comparison in the first place (since I think Amana is all about the way it marries mechanics with aesthetics, whereas Ash Lake is built pretty much all on aesthetics).

Loved the Aldia´s Keep description btw .

 

[danutz_plusplus]

All this talking about DS2, made me re-attempt to play Demon's Souls. The Souls games are very good, but they require a boatload of patience and nerves, just to not rage-quit.

 

[Pessimeister]

Wandering the dragon aerie at first was mildly confusing due to its weaving chasm bridges and the damage received through walls from dragon fire was a bit tricky to avoid, but soon all was well and my sorcerer was enjoying the benign (almost majestically cute) presence of the ancient dragon.

The revelations in the story dialogue jogged my memory back to the large petrified statues that I'd encountered in various locations in Drangleic.
The first of which led me to this doozy of a scene:

Giant Lord
At first the notion of a time limit was off-putting, yet in this specific context of a memory I did not mind so much as the additional urgency enhanced the challenge. This was one of the more awkward fights for me to get right in some time in the game mostly due to the surrounding hazards of war and the sheer brutal reach of the adversary. After my third or fourth death, I decided to try rolling tight in close and use spells for that range it proved to be the clincher.

Soon after my friend dutifully reminded me that I'd not fully explored past Shaded Ruins very far and sure enough, I was soon trawling through the Doors of Pharos, which I half expected for some peculiar reason to contain more puzzle and trap elements than it did.

After reuniting with Gavlan (glug, glug, glug!) and doing some well overdue wheelin' and dealin', I keenly pushed on and was soon taken aback by the backwater antics of Brightstone Cove.

I found Benhart of Jugo's summon point bizarrely in a tent who was soon beating up the local peasant populace with aplomb, which appeared to come at us rabidly and in numbers.

One hilarious death I had here was by failure to perceive the "Raiders of the Lost Ark" style rolling ball of death. Laughing at one's own demise is one of the key skills an experienced Souls player has in forging his determination to win at all costs.
I'm sure Benhart wasn't too impressed though!

Prowling Magus and Congregation
At this deep juncture in the game, this most unholy of gatherings was very much like meeting Pinwheel for the first time in terms of swiftness of execution. Church session was now officially over.

Notably after the second bonfire in Brightstone Cove however, exploration began to take on a new shade of challenge as a key section has an angled super slippery quagmire and a host of pesky continually casting mages who can easily kill you if enough of them spot and get a timed firing rhythm on you. I met up with Ornifex again yet unfortunately couldn't really take advantage of her services, giving me the distinct impression that I most certainly should have been planning to come here earlier in the game.

Undeterred, I continued deeper into the arachnid infested Cove, sensing unconsciously that inevitably a Shelob of some description would most likely be end foe here. I liked the descending section on the webs very much and played cautiously in response to prevent chances of being overwhelmed. Other highlights included further brutal duels with Navlan the invading dark spirit mage who has a knack for appearing in the most danger filled scenarios.

The Duke's Dear Freja https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn8VM9c6RcM
My first attempt at this fight was over quickly in Capra-demon dog fashion, as her underlings quickly zoned in to stifle my slow attempt to gain space. I loved the sound of one's attempt to move in this mucky spider-hole and also the stomping sound Freja would make. The second time around with my trusty companion Kuikkushirubā was more successful, my sorcerer fleeing behind where the space was and more able to let loose and react accordingly from there. This was a satisfying battle to win and past it was the fourth and final primal bonfire.

One of the most impacting scenes I found in Dark Souls 2 resided within the Dragon's Memories sequence. The dark sorrowful spectacle of a gargantuan creature in such a silent state and the feeling of profound loss and epic devastation was quite well crafted here. Although there isn't a lot for the player to actually do, this lends the scene a deeper observational aspect. There weren't as many of these moments in comparison to the first game, but I definitely appreciated this one.

I´d say don´t ask yet .

Haha! A most suitable answer because it leads me directly to:

Nashandra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efHjdSM3nHo
Despite the early dawn approaching, I felt ready to tackle this one and so undertook the journey from the Shaded Wood to Castle Drangleic again, for dramatic effect. Sure enough, by the time I made my way back up to the Throne of Want, I was greeted by a newly formed fog-gate. It appears as if my first visitation was beneficial in that I wouldn't have consecutive battles having previously dealt with the Watcher and Defender. It's also interesting to note the players can technically witness the vanilla final boss by offering themselves as a summoning, without even having achieved the requirements of getting to it in the main game.

Unfortunately this wasn't particularly challenging for my caster but I'd imagine on NG+ or in pure solo mode it probably could be. Staying away from the dark magic hp drains and using distance to fire my heaviest sorceries along with my two summons Kuikkushirubā and Benhart were more than enough to win here. As my friend rightly observed, this was no equal match for Lord Cinder, yet with DLC exploration imminent, I see my challenges as only really just beginning.

Loved the Aldia´s Keep description btw .

Cheers! I also appreciated your own analysis of the bonfire topic and like your conceptual phrase "Playground Souls", as it makes a great deal of sense to me. Thanks for letting me know about the no bonfire challenge too, as that's something I could see myself trialing into the future. I've never built a genuine two handed mauler character and Dark Souls 2 is positively filled with many amazing weapons perfect for this type.

Your endurance will likely be tested.

Glad to hear it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYQrxnXD9zo
And so as the sun arose in this pre-morning heat of summer daze, I switched my mind off and watched the credits roll for the base game of Dark Souls 2; letting the Longing theme temporarily sedate and soothe, keeping the ebbing flames of wonder and discovery low to rest for now…

Vital stats: 85 hours, Level 161.
Next up:
I'll start the first DLC - Crown of the Sunken King.
Perhaps I'll also seek to discover sections that I have missed in the base game as well.

 

[DeepO]

(almost majestically cute) presence of the ancient dragon

That´s pretty spot on. I always take a commemorative picture with the fella .

I was soon trawling through the Doors of Pharos, which I half expected for some peculiar reason to contain more puzzle and trap elements than it did.

Most of it is a rat covenant area (behind the first bonfire) so the trap elements are there, but mostly for you to create a gauntlet for other players if you´re a member (using bonfire ascetics will make the area more difficult for the "trespassers" as well).

I'm sure Benhart wasn't too impressed though!

Don´t worry, Benhart gets flattened there all the time .

I met up with Ornifex again yet unfortunately couldn't really take advantage of her services, giving me the distinct impression that I most certainly should have been planning to come here earlier in the game.

Regardless, for a sorcerer she should prove useful for tackling the DLCs.

Other highlights included further brutal duels with Navlan the invading dark spirit mage who has a knack for appearing in the most danger filled scenarios.

If you don´t want to be spoiled about a bit of C&C when it comes to Navlaan, don´t read:

Spoiler

when talking to him in his cage, he reacts differently based on your human/hollowed status - if he´s still locked when you approach him hollowed, he has a quest for you (which can also be finished without really doing the deeds he suggests, but only after the ending credits)

Dragon's Memories sequence

Though not as cool, this is what I consider this game´s Ash Lake equivalent.
Judging by the Scholar trailer, maybe the upcoming patch will offer some more elaboration on it.

Unfortunately this wasn't particularly challenging for my caster but I'd imagine on NG+ or in pure solo mode it probably could be.

Nah, she´s always a pushover . The only challenge sometimes can be be keeping Benhart alive if you intend to.
Gratz for getting to the igloo!

I've never built a genuine two handed mauler character and Dark Souls 2 is positively filled with many amazing weapons perfect for this type.

I´d say so, plus power stancing can at times push it over the top.

I'll start the first DLC - Crown of the Sunken King.
Perhaps I'll also seek to discover sections that I have missed in the base game as well.

I´d suggest checking out Undead Crypt first (and returning there after each DLC) for some content tidbits.

 

[Pessimeister]

The first DLC provided a hefty increase in both difficulty and investment from me in overcoming its varied series of trials. From the outset exploring Shulva was both a pleasure and an adventure in planning; seeking the best routes to make exploration easier. Progress was wonderfully much slower than in the base game: it must have taken me at least six hours of wandering around getting killed, wiping out various pockets of guards, falling from great heights, mistiming rolls, getting killed more (the archers are silent and deadly) and picking up the harder to reach loot before even finding the second bonfire.

The setting carried a cavernous Aztec-meets underground Atlantean aspect and was full of narrow bridges, high moving platforms, hidden pressure plates, narrow trap filled tunneled pyramids, a jesterly invasion (tough bastard!), quasi-dinosaur ponds and an excellent downward winding section requiring many rolls and jumps which led to the first boss. It must be said that I had quite the bit of trouble reaching the second Dragon Sanctum bonfire and only discovered how to deal more easily with the ghostly knights by sheer accident. In short, this was a much more demanding experience in the vein of DS1 that I had certainly been craving more of.

Elana, Squalid Queen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckGyYWowMgc
I summoned Benhart of Jugo for this one and it ended up quite the extended battle. It was a little reminiscent of the Nashandra tussle except in this case, Elana's summonings, sentinels who bear a likeness to Veldstadt, made it all the more harder to keep consistent damage on the Queen. It is a little attritional, but eventually I came out of this one somewhat battered but eager for the next.

Afflicted Graverobber, Ancient Solider Varg and Cerah the old Explorer (aka The troublesome threesome, aka Gank Squad, aka The Three Stooges) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNhqsri8Mdc
This was an amazing little rumble fought against three varying skill-sets, the first of which can only be described as Havel Junior, a porky thick armored fellow with a tooth like club that will attempt to king shellack you if you let him anywhere near. The second is a speedy dual wielding slash you in half from behind type whilst the last is an archer who likes to punish you for standing still whilst having a penchant for hanging back in the shadows. My friend and I took a few iterations to get anything resembling a plan happening here after several of my experimental but amusingly fast deaths. I discovered I hated the water after being dunked in it several times by Havel Jnr and that throwing dung pies at him wasn't going to solve anything. However, we were soon focusing upon isolating the archer and switching between damaging and running between the two remaining assailants. This proved to be a successful strategy as one by one, the trio fell. A fun, crazy fight!

Sinh the slumbering Dragon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAVCkVclNR4
The opening motif returns and awakens in this the final triumphant boss encounter for the first DLC. Whilst I am perhaps slightly jaded in having fought so many ancient wyrms of many types over the years, the quality of this encounter is top shelf indeed. This is probably my most challenging fight to date in the entire game, having spent numerous effigies trying to get it right.

I found the ground based arsenal easier to avoid than the aerial assault, which is both deadly and fraught with the extra danger of toxicity. There are several windows you can use to attack, my favourite of which was the moving stream of fire on the ground - running behind and using strongest spells worked well here, yet you couldn't get too greedy else be quickly slain.

From a purely fun perspective, repeating the bout on NG+ summoned by my friend was great yet strangely decidedly easier for a caster given the dragon has three separate targets to choose from. Thus, the first DLC comes to an end!

a commemorative picture

:lol: That's fantastic! I shall have to do one of my own at some point.

Thanks for the extra information on Navlaan, very informative stuff. I love the choices and consequences here. I'm curious as to whether his invasions wil keep happening through the DLC or if my last duel with him at Brightsone Cove proved to be the final one. Again, after finishing up the game, I'll definitely do some reading on this and other npc storylines. (Benhart, Creighton/Pate etc.) Lucatiel remains the only one I've seen to the end at this point.

Next up:
After various stop offs (including the Undead Crypt) I'll begin DLC II: Crown of the Old Iron King, hoping to see this trend of a more vintage Dark Souls experience continue.

 

[Pessimeister]

Only a minor update here but the Crown of the Old Iron king has so far been a very tensely drawn out yet ultimately linear spiraling downward among the ruin and destruction of the Tower of Bruma, of which I've enjoyed a good deal. Bizarrely at first step and glance my eyes and ears thought this place was fire and ice meeting together in some forgotten mystical fusion in time, yet upon closer inspection, it was revealed the extent of the ash covering the landscape; the whole-scale damage that it had taken and witnessed. Here possibly more so than in the first DLC to begin with, I had questions about the where's and why's of this environment, the essential causes in the lore would explain how it had all came to be this way.

There's an almost Dwemer spirited, Morowind like quality about some of the starting mechanical imagery and colour palette, its gears, cogs and symbolism of the furnace at the heart of the earth. I took a few moments to gaze down into the depths, getting a sense for the direction this DLC was going to take, before duly staring the journey downward rolling from platform to platform.

The first hour or so was filled with some wonderful tricky and atmospheric encounters and lots of moments to take a long panoramic overview of the lava and ash ruined landscape. Silent remains of figures in the ash can be quickly blown away, a great indication for how long everything has been this way.

However, once the "explosive barrel monkeys" start appearing, everything became decidedly more lighthearted and playful. In short "Running Man" like obstacle courses, players can utilize these barrels by ushering and herding them into areas full of enemies before setting them ablaze, watching as enemies are delightfully eliminated without having to physically enter the area. However, plans can easily go awry and more than once I had to improvise methods for soul extraction upon an unplanned death on a ladder. These moments provided some highly entertaining and sweaty palmed situations which encourage item experimentation. There were touches of this in the Iron Keep, but nothing quite so obvious or engagingly elaborate.

Traversing the Iron Passage carried some slightly artificial steps and barriers which effectively make every move into the zone a true commitment. On one hand this is a powerful exploratory device which can enliven and slow down one's progress and urge great caution, on the other when overused, it becomes monotonous and predictable, akin to making every encounter feel like the proverbial leap into a pack of wolves.
For a pure caster, this brought good challenges. I had some great fun in clearing out segments (the prison cells) yet eventually had to resort to summons to bypass the final room to the fog-gate which was heavily laden with enemies of different types.
From bruisers to axe-skeletons to lightning throwers, healing clerics and the dire death bringing sniper archers. This area was no summer picnic to say the least (I was also fresh out of dung pies!) yet I wouldn't stop until all were eradicated before heading into the next fog gate:

Smelter Demon (Mach II)
Unfortunately this boss left quite the sour taste and dealt an annoying blow to my immersive enjoyment of this dlc. Blatant asset re-usage re-colored sorcery blue and given a pretty matching sword (all of this well documented) coupled with one of highest magic resistances to boot, gave this fellow a high irritation factor. It took me a couple of deaths to get into the spirit of the challenge yet with my trusty friend and a highly injured second npc summons, it was winnable bout.

There was a tremendous amount of menace literally oozing out of the cursed washed walls of one particular tower which appeared to be the home for an npc assassin invader. Unlike many invaders who often come blindly at the player, this one cunningly attempts to lure you further down into its little gauntlet of curse-addled doom. There are genuinely fun sequences like this where it pays to have good anti-curse equipment or be prepared (like me) to retreat to the top of the stairs alot!

More Playground Souls in action:

Afterwards, I decided to do some errands in Majula, help my friend win his glorious NG+ battle with Queen Elana and then make a bonfire ascetic of my own in Brightstone Cove. After admittedly spoiling myself on the availability of a long sought after sorcery from the first game (Crystal Soul Spear - how I've missed thee!) I went back through this location with a fine comb and found the bonfire that I'd missed the first time before making my way to the gooey spider-play pen. Our ante-upped rematch was harder to say the least, (the lazer like web shot can be deadly) yet with the npc summons I was able to find my space again and deal the necessary damage to win.

After being reunited with Crystal Soul Spear, I felt inspired and set an ascetic for Heide's Tower but was slightly deterred to find it only brought back Dragonrider and not the Ornstein Clone as well. Still, going back here after so long was a real treat and even in NG+, Dragonrider would be riding flying lizards no more. I also joined the Blue Sentinels and will look to experiment with the guardian ring on occasion.

Finally, I returned to Straid and found that I'd given him enough souls to be awarded the nicely sorcerer oriented Black set. I love his line as he gives it to you: "Here, stop looking so weak! Have this!" and I always manage a twisted smile whenever he derisively spouts "feeble cursed one!" Well delivered lines to be sure.

I always had the feeling that the "Frampt was strong in this one" and sure enough, they are voiced by the same actor, Peter Marinker. Ahh yes, I will remain here and await thee indeed, you old withering snake!

Next up:
Before resuming exploration of the Tower of Bruma, I'll be earning enough twinkling titanite to reinforce parts of the black set that I'll be using.

 

[DeepO]

However, once the "explosive barrel monkeys" start appearing, everything became decidedly more lighthearted and playful.

Loved the "puzzle" rooms in this DLC and how a bit of environmental awareness and penchant for experimentation can turn them from intimidating to, to borrow your words, lighthearted and playful, though still not straightforward, experiences.
A great way to "up"/diversify the difficulty.
On the other hand,

Iron Passage

is a pretty poor way to do so, when looking at it from the perspective of single player experience.
When thinking about it as a co-op arena though, I think it´s quite ok - along with other such areas in the DLCs it can be quite challenging even for 3 players together and it provides a rare opportunity to engage in some hack´n´slash(´n´cast) with two NPC summons in tow.
I suspect "fun factor" for clearing these areas solo wasn´t really considered during the design process, but it´s relatively easy to just run to the fog gates at least, with one possible exception.

Smelter Demon (Mach II)
Unfortunately this boss left quite the sour taste and dealt an annoying blow to my immersive enjoyment of this dlc. Blatant asset re-usage re-colored sorcery blue and given a pretty matching sword (all of this well documented) coupled with one of highest magic resistances to boot, gave this fellow a high irritation factor.

Yeah, the fight took me about 10 minutes on a sorceries only run.
Still, can´t say I mind the encounter personally since I see it as a slightly more interesting iteration (delaying moves) of one of my already favourite vanilla encounters and, as with other co-op devoted parts, I´m finding it easy to think about him as a free bonus. Also, powerstancing both smelter swords is quite something.
Regardless, definitely a cheap encounter in and of itself, the OIK´s main boss courses should hopefully more than make up for him.

I´d add that on my first playthrough my reaction to Iron Passage and Smelter 1.05 was pretty similar to yours, the above is my outlook after replay(s) - I think the content can work well as a momentary change of pace but it can quickly overstay its welcome which is something that can easily happen the first time through (and this goes for the other co-op areas as well).

After being reunited with Crystal Soul Spear, I felt inspired and set an ascetic for Heide's Tower but was slightly deterred to find it only brought back Dragonrider and not the Ornstein Clone as well.

Probably redundant info by now, but if you want to serve the poor old Ornstein some more punishment you can bring him back via the Cathedral of Blue bonfire.

Btw, are you running a pure spellcaster build or is some melee included too?
If it´s the latter and especially if you have 18 str and dex, you might want to consider looking into duking it out with Freja one more time .

 

[SirJames]

It's all about the classic Dungeons and Dragons Fighter.

For years he was seen as an easy class, a boring class. No spells, lots of survivability, exciting front-line action. He was often suggested as a great first class for beginners to the game, but was still a favourite of many veterans.

The question came about, "how do you make fighter more interesting to play?"

The problem is when you give Fighter some active abilities you've actually just created a new spell school for the "Fighter spellcaster". Sure, the spells might be short ranged and martial themed, but they are still just new spells.

Adding these active "powers" is exactly what the Dungeons and Dragons rules have done. Wizards of the Coast have forgotten that Fighter needs to be Fighter to stay fighter. No one really likes 4th edition rules but they're not really sure why… It's because its not Dungeons and Dragons! It's broken the oldschool rules about the Fighter.

Dark Souls has solved this is problem by keeping Fighter without spells but enhancing the gameplay so that the player is in control of every move. No % based blocking or dodging while standing on the spot allowing yourself to take hits. You can actually control the Fighters moment to moment fighting, parrying and swinging and moving around just like real combat. Boring old D&D Thieves get all the same gameplay enhancements and can acrobatically roll in and backstab. Meanwhile your mages and clerics can continue their classic spellcasting as they always have, picking which spell best suits a situation.

Dark Souls has often been called "oldschool", but mistakenly for the exaggerated difficulty. The oldschool I see was achieved by picking up where the best old D&D rulesets left off and carrying the torch and a Longsword +1 bravely forth into the darkness!

 

[lostforever]

The passion you guys have for the game is simply amazing and for that reason alone I think I need to give DS2 a go and see if I can also get the same passion for the game!

Is DS2 better on the PC or wait for the upcoming PS4 version to try this?

 

[Pessimeister]

After the Smelter Demon Mach II boss, I spent a good amount of time simply exploring the various directions one can take in the Tower's elevator system, clearing out one area by poking the fire-breathing horse-heads forward and following a little behind, careful to avoid the inevitable fireworks. This yielded further smelter wedges which I needed for the base of the Tower, the journey of which towards was also very good fun.

My platforming adventures through the elevator system continued and soon I'd found the fourth bonfire which contained the mounted armor taking up an important aspect of the room, positioned with purposeful intent, its owner's weapon evidently left on the floor. Seeing something missing here, I felt there was nothing left to do but return to the tower base and use my remaining smelter wedges. This led me here:

Fume Knight:
This was another full-on intense fight and I liked the setting for it very much, yet was unable to shake the feeling that I was somehow missing the possibility of using the environment (the chained object overhead for instance) to win it a little easier and sooner. Shades of Artorias hit me first of all from a stylistic point of view. From the overhead smashing brutality of his heaviest strikes, to his long second hand stab, to the unrelenting manner of pursuit. I had to avoid him at all costs and found the simpleton's ring extremely useful for defense in this regard. Similarly to Sinh, I found unlocking was a useful way to avoid his stronger attacks and simply run back or around them. With one npc summons and one human, I was able to win and my friend and I combined later to do it in NG+ as well. (Not without several funny deaths on my behalf of course!)

Returning to the armored plinth, I found it glowing and using the ashen mist heart, entered. Moving through the memories of the old king sequence was a rewardingly fun section filled with pillar dancing bouts with rogue types and fireball spitting salamanders. There were archers too dealing decent damage, but enough space and corners to ably deal with them. Soon the fog-gate appeared and I was tackling the final boss for this DLC:

Sir Alonne:
A most captivating and aesthetically appealing fight marked by the ice-ring like polished floors and the immense dexterity, grace and dignified skill of its central antagonist. Wielding a samurai-like extended Odachi and prone to staggering combos and fast cleaving lunges, watching this figure work in the early waves was somewhat reminiscent of my first battle with Old King Allant from Demons'Souls. The extreme speed can be quite hard to deal with; standing still whilst being parallel to his open stance even at some distance was perilous and tantamount to death for my low-hp sorcerer. Observation is key as is knowing when one has the time to cast in a co-op situation. My friend and I will most certainly be repeating this bout in NG+.
Overall, an extremely gratifying encounter to this DLC, compensating for my earlier smeltery grouchiness.

Probably redundant info by now, but if you want to serve the poor old Ornstein some more punishment you can bring him back via the Cathedral of Blue bonfire.

Ahh, thanks for that! After completing the final two thirds of the Old Iron King DLC, I continued to indulge in some return visits to the early parts of the game and heartily engaged the ol' foe once more. With the sorcery clutch ring, ring of intelligence and clear bluestone ring equipped for this battle, Ornstein Clone at NG+ would slay dragons no more.

Btw, are you running a pure spellcaster build or is some melee included too? If it´s the latter and especially if you have 18 str and dex, you might want to consider looking into duking it out with Freja one more time .

Cheers for the tip!
I'm playing a pure caster, definitely - no melee. I'll use my bleeding dagger only to backstab every now and again or for finishing blows/as spell saving device. I'm also using some shades of pyromancy and hexing here and there, but those are secondary and not very well developed (I got faith to 10 just to sample Dark Orb) My character's strength is still 4 or thereabouts!

I was hoping my steadfast dedication to this path would eventually yield the Master of Sorceries achievement, alas, I've subsequently discovered that my choice to pull on a lever and unwittingly release Navlaan the great Tormentor from his cage, will keep me from obtaining one particular sorcery from him. (Unleash Magic.)
I've philosophically come to terms with this by having my character explore all of the areas known to contain Navlaan invasions, all the while shouting his name into the void like John Russell did in the Clint Eastwood film "Pale Rider" when he shouted "Preeeeacherrrrrrrr" over the mountain range. This was particularly fun in the Gutter.

These duels have become a great source of entertainment and it'd be amazing if FromSoft implemented a fitting conclusion somehow if the player chooses this path and exhausts all of the invasion points.

Next up:
My journey with this game is fast coming to an end and it's with some wistful reflection that I'll start the third DLC, Crown of the Ivory King.

 

[Pessimeister]

The passion you guys have for the game is simply amazing and for that reason alone I think I need to give DS2 a go and see if I can also get the same passion for the game!

Is DS2 better on the PC or wait for the upcoming PS4 version to try this?

I've only played it on PC, so I'll have to leave that one for the more diversely experienced Watcher dark souls fans. I can't imagine too many extreme differences though.

As for the passion, well, one must always be passionate about their favorite hobbies.

 

[DeepO]

Fume Knight:

That´s probably my favourite boss encounter in the series - solid backstory and environment, difficulty partially tied to exploration, relentless pacing, diverse moveset and the fight manages to be fairly difficult regardless of build and even the number of helpers.

Sir Alonne

isn´t far behind though (top 5), it´s mechanically cool as well and the music+arena rule.

Moreover, both come with pretty neat easter eggs - a minor SPOILER:
If you wear a piece of Velstadt´s armor, Fume Knight goes right into his second phase, most likely due to recognizing you´re no joke since you defeated Velstadt, who´s someone he knew (according to Rebel´s greatshield´s description in the vanilla game or a DLC item).
Sir Alonne has a special dying animation if you manage to kill him without getting hit .

Speaking of both, you can get their armors from a certain vanilla NPC.

With the sorcery clutch ring, ring of intelligence and clear bluestone ring equipped for this battle, Ornstein Clone at NG+ would slay dragons no more.

Poor guy . The trailer of the "enhanced edition" showed a dragon at Heide, perhaps they´ll add some elaboration on him.

I'm playing a pure caster, definitely - no melee. I'll use my bleeding dagger only to backstab every now and again or for finishing blows/as spell saving device. I'm also using some shades of pyromancy and hexing here and there, but those are secondary and not very well developed (I got faith to 10 just to sample Dark Orb) My character's strength is still 4 or thereabouts!

Ah ok, the weapon is not that good anyway .
It perhaps bears pointing out that pyromancy scales with int + fai total (whereas hexes scale with the lower of the two) and, AFAIK, the softcap is 60 so just having max upgraded flame would mean your pyromancy would be more or less as well developed as it can.

These duels have become a great source of entertainment and it'd be amazing if FromSoft implemented a fitting conclusion somehow if the player chooses this path and exhausts all of the invasion points.

Yeah, at least a new dialogue line or two would be nice. A pretty cool NPC concept and some solid C&C to boot nevertheless I think

 

[DeepO]

Is DS2 better on the PC or wait for the upcoming PS4 version to try this?

Along with the release of PS4 version there´s gonna be a new PC version released too, so at this point you´re probably better off postponing the decision till then.

 

[Pessimeister]

I made reasonably quick purposeful progress within the icy stronghold of the
final DLC and wove my way through the waves of rampart soldiers and ice missile
toting golem guards. Most general encounters through here weren't quite as
nasty as the first DLC for me, providing I didn't take too many on at once.

I enjoyed the rambling nature of the frozen castle environment, its forbidding
wintery spectacle. It was also a nice stark contrast to my current real world
summer climate. Just before the second bonfire I noted the various options to
turn in other directions, vowing to return later on as I committed to the safety point.

My first memorable death in this place came at the hands of a cunning npc
invader called "Holy Knight Aurheim", who delivered a most unknightly brutal of
backstabs whilst I was happily investigating the contents of a chest. I laughed
heartily at this little trap, thinking it was one of the "oldest tricks in the
book", yet feeling all the more a sucker for having fallen for it.

This was just after discovering the Foyer bonfire whilst battling mages, noting
the sentinel like golems frozen in thick rime, adhesed to various chests. I
liked the way the game makes the player observe these constructions and realize
that they'd be most likely be returning here at a later point once a method of
unfreezing was found.

Aava, King's pet:
As a devout felinophile, my first natural instincts in this fight were
strangely not to attack but to rather roll and avoid in order to watch this
giant snow cat in action. I liked this boss design quite a bit, though wasn't
quite so fond of having to respond in kind and ultimately strategise its death.
It was mildly challenging, but not quite in the same league as Sir Alonne or
Fume Knight.

My first foray into Old Chaos via the tunnel descent was unsuccessful due to not
having freed enough knights for support in the initial skirmish. This prompted
a further deeper exploration of the points I mentioned earlier and opened up
new shortcuts, vistas http://i.imgur.com/NCSNgV9.jpg) and avenues for adventure.

One such encounter which deserves a mention is a certain white lance and shield
wielding knight who also appeared to be more devious in his designs, fleeing
several times to different hiding places despite my characters' eager attempts to have
at 'im.

The chase was on and eventually led to large ice cavern and a tussle in
tight confines with an overgrown bloated walrus of some kind, evidently the
knight's pet. After defeating this damage sponge, I turned to the knight who
was hiding behind a nearby corner and gave him a good sorcerous blasting.
The seemingly cute rolling icy koalas (whom I've subsequently found out are in fact hedgehogs!) were also a treat to play with.

Burnt Ivory King:
I liked the starting skirmish scenario here and found the setting backdrop quite awe-inspiring as it changes, returning the second time around with three knights to assist and one human summons. To be honest, I didn't find too much difficulty once the "main event" started and found the combat slightly underwhelming when compared to its overall surroundings. Yet the battle was never a foregone conclusion and was certainly longer than most. I kept my distance out of respect for the king's melee strikes and felt a reasonable feeling of accomplishment when it was over.

At the conclusion of this long battle, I could feel some game-exhaution
starting to creep in and my motivation began to diminish somewhat, as I came to
have the distinct feeling that my first adventure was at its end. However, I began to consult my travel map for undiscovered bonfires and immediately sought
after the second in the Doors of Pharros. This led me to some entertaining
usage of my extra saved up lockstones, more boozy Gavlan trading and a completely
unforseen "extra" boss fight:

Royal Rat Authority:
My sorcerer died several times here without really making a dent past half way,
to a beastly ratty creature which moved with an eerie similarity to the Great
Wolf Sif. My first attempts lacked proper caution and I didn't find success
until I started timing rolls correctly backwards instead of to the side. After
this simple discovery, it became much easier to time the stronger spells needed
to win this one solo.

The optional content found in the Frigid Outskirts was surprisingly well hidden
and if I hadn't decided to do a final return tour of sorts throughout Frozen
Eleum Loyce, I quite possibly wouldn't have stumbled upon the fun little area
leading to the Garrison Ward Key which is necessary to open up access.

The peril laden adventure from the coffin-bobsled through the heavy icy storms,
looking to the horizon and waiting for the blizzard to ease for pinpoints of interest, to
the prancing lightning horse like creatures who buck and jump overhead, all the
way to the ice-bridge leading to my final boss fight in Dark Souls 2, was one
of the most arduous for the entire game. I learned quickly to keep a narrow
path and focus upon reaching each set of ruins, else be doomed to wander the
frozen drifts fighting a legion of zappity horses.

Lud and Zallen, the King's Pets:
This dextrous feline duet proved to be one of my most awkward affairs in the
game; a welcome challenge indeed which saw my sorcerer killed many times by
lunging paws and hungry maws. Even with my trusty friend as a summons and the
head of vengarl, establishing a sense of safety and "license to cast" was
tricky indeed. I found the simpleton ring again very useful and tried to stay
away from the edge of the ice walls which made rolling away even harder.
Once you're able to concentrate on one cat alone and not let them jump about to confuse your aim too much, the tension starts to wane. I was pleased to see this one to the end and gestured as such to my friend.

To reach the end credits for the second time, my friend and I engaged in a back to back NG+ encounter with the throne Watchers and Nashandra, which ironically enough included a death by each of us in an eerily similar manner: a Laser beam shot taking away our poise and leading to a plunge into the nearby abyss! It was to be my last death in the game.

Some summarising thoughts:
Dark Souls 2 overall was a highly enjoyable experience and I would concur with much of DeepO's analysis on the comparitive merits between it and its predecessor on page 1 of this thread. It has a wonderful staying power (145 hours for my first time playing) and the mid-level section approximately from No-Man's Wharf through to the Huntsman's Copse were especially excellent for me. The DLC serve to deepen connections with memories of a more "pure' Dark Souls austerity and are highly recommended, though they are still lacking somewhat in overall unitary cohesion in the greater Drangleic mythos.
Whilst somewhat anti-climactic to "finish" insofar as there is an end and containing a world and narrative which I didn't find as enthralling or captivating as in the original game, its self-directed travelling playground game-play qualities were still quite addictive and I've enjoyed my time within its boundaries.

Things to try in a replay;
1) King Vendrick. I didn't try initiating any conflict here, instead opted to follow the story sections after each DLC and leave him be. But I imagine it can certainly be done…

2) Ancient Dragon. I couldn't really find any genuinely convincing role-playing
justification for going after this adorable fellow, yet as a phantom I did have
one chance to witness an extremely fast death of an ill prepared host and so know that such an encounter is possible. My friend assures me that he makes Kalameet look like a
kitten! Oh and before I forget: A memento! http://i.imgur.com/5ZddZIP.jpg

3) Do some wiki reading on locations, npc lore and other materials that I've missed; plan out a potential path for another future character: A two-handed mauler type. (Maybe after the incoming patch comes out; Scholar of the First Sin)

4) Perhaps some more Covenant and PvP play, though I didn't find much about this to my taste. However, like the Darkwraith in the first game, I'm sure further interesting options exist.

Final stats:
http://i.imgur.com/2wnInSX.jpg

This brings me to the conclusion of my adventure journal in my first time playing Dark Souls 2. Thanks to everyone for reading (nice to see over 1000 views) thanks to DeepO for the Souls conversations, advice and feedback and finally to my good mate Reubino for our many memorable co-op missions.
Cheers all!

 

[DeepO]

One such encounter which deserves a mention is a certain white lance and shield wielding knight who also appeared to be more devious in his designs, fleeing several times to different hiding places despite my characters' eager attempts to have at 'im.

He´s white because he´s wearing white ring (obtainable via trading with the birds in Betwixt) which makes him appear as a helpful phantom while he´s actually an invader.
He´s likely the same cheeky guy (Maldron the assassin) who invades at Brume´s cursed tower. Almost a boss on his own, like Jester Thomas in Sunken King .
I really like what they did with the NPC phantoms in the DLCs (gestures, Maldron´s trolling, Aurheim´s chameleon) and how they made them a bit more lifelike with each new DLC. I wonder whether some of these features will make their way into the base game via the Scholar update.

Burnt Ivory King:
I liked the starting skirmish scenario here and found the setting backdrop quite awe-inspiring as it changes, returning the second time around with three knights to assist and one human summons. To be honest, I didn't find too much difficulty once the "main event" started and found the combat slightly underwhelming when compared to its overall surroundings.

Yeah, the "main event" is fairly easy and mechanically not particularly interesting, especially with help. It´s still one of my favourites, because I really like it as a "sum of its parts" kinda event - gathering the knights throughout the whole area, some background via the NPC talk, two very different stages, nice environment and it´s overall very cinematic throughout, without cutscenes (speaking of which, the reasons may have been mainly budgetary, but I found the non-cutscene approach to boss introductions to be rather effective in the DLCs, usually moreso than cutscenes in the base game).
The first time through I had 4 knights + Lucatiel and another NPC summon along
and it was a memorable and quite unique experience, despite the relative lack of interesting challenge . That said, the lack of summons can make a rather notable difference difficulty-wise, even with all knights along, and it´s one of the most difficult encounters in the game at sl1.
One reason why the encounter turned out to be relatively easy might also be the open possibility to overcome it without any additional help at all, besides the one mandatory knight. Aava also can be defeated when invisible so theoretically the crown can be obtained about 10 minutes into the DLC . Part of the "make your own difficulty" design, most likely.

"license to cast"

That´s a nice way to put it .

The DLC serve to deepen connections with memories of a more "pure' Dark Souls austerity and are highly recommended, though they are still lacking somewhat in overall unitary cohesion in the greater Drangleic mythos.

Whilst somewhat anti-climactic to "finish" insofar as there is an end and containing a world and narrative which I didn't find as enthralling or captivating as in the original game, its self-directed travelling playground game-play qualities were still quite addictive and I've enjoyed my time within its boundaries.

For me the setting and narrative definitely has the potential to be as captivating as in the original (though perhaps in different ways since it´s more "down to earth" due to focus on men rather than demons and gods) and I´ve already found the setting more interesting than in any other game I´ve played this year, but to capitalize on that potential the game needs to be less vague in some of the important aspects and in general provide some stronger silver lining to all the "episodes" (including DLCs which I think tie quite nicely to the base game already, but only on thematic level) it comes with.
If there´s one thing I hope the upcoming patch will improve, it´s this.

Two spoilers, in case you´d want to risk reading them:

Things to try in a replay;

I´d add 5) Join Pilgrims of the Dark Covenant which

Spoiler

provides a small questline leading to one of the best boss encounters in the vanilla game, particularly for melee characters. Joining requires some exploration in

Spoiler

Black Gulch, Shaded Woods and Drangleic Castle.

1) King Vendrick. I didn't try initiating any conflict here, instead opted to follow the story sections after each DLC and leave him be. But I imagine it can certainly be done…

I think there´s a good chance this will be changed or made more obvious in the patch, but to receive Vendrick´s final dialogue and reward, in addition to the 3 DLC crowns you need to

Spoiler

obtain his crown as well. The crown is found behind a certain door in the Shrine of Amana (closest to the second bonfire) which opens only when you´re human and have killed Vendrick´s hollow self beforehand. To kill the hollow Vendrick, having at least 4 Souls of a Giant in your inventory is recommended, otherwise he´ll have substantial damage resistances. The memory Vendrick can´t be challenged, AFAIK.

Also, nice memento with the ancient dude . Unmarked spoiler - it´s not a particularly well put together fight.

Final stats:
http://i.imgur.com/2wnInSX.jpg

Btw, for the sake of a potential replay, don´t level agility over 105 - the additional i-frames only come at 115 which is costly and not needed. I know that in the case of your build 112 agility was likely a "side effect" of levelling attunement, but thought it might be worth mentioning regardless.

This brings me to the conclusion of my adventure journal in my first time playing Dark Souls 2.

Thanks for the excellent thread, I´ve greatly enjoyed reading about your adventures and outlooks on the game!