Dark Souls 2 Rosabeth Change Clothes Again

In my review of Dark Souls ii, I argue that this third iteration of From Software's Souls serial is the most approachable nevertheless. Merely it's all the same a Souls game; it'due south still got a lot of quirks to learn, strategies to master and secrets to uncover.

Whether you're fresh to Dark Souls or a returning fan who mastered the first game, there's a lot to figure out in Nighttime Souls 2. Here are a few (largely spoiler-free) hints to aid you on your way.

Character creation

After a short introductory sequence at the commencement of Nighttime Souls 2, you'll create the hero y'all'll be spending the next 50-100 hours with. Choose your class carefully simply also don't get too worried. Class choices work differently in Souls games compared to nearly role-playing games. Every time y'all level up, yous'll cull which stat to pump points into, so even if yous start every bit a magic user you tin can build yourself into a beefy, sword-wielding knight eventually.

As far equally starting classes, wizard is a cracking choice for beginning players who are a lilliputian fleck cautious almost wading into combat. You begin with a powerful spell, and yous can take out a lot of enemies just past keeping at a distance.

On the other hand, a lot of fans will tell you (rightfully so) that the real joy in Dark Souls is in melee combat. If you'd prefer to get down this path correct from the first, I recommend the warrior. This class has accommodating balanced stats and starts the game with a shield, making information technology a neat choice for surviving early on.

Tutorial

In one case you've picked a class, you'll enter Dark Souls 2's tutorial area. It's worth noting that unlike in previous Souls games, the tutorial is completely optional and does non feature a boss at the terminate. This means if you've played the game before or feel like you have a grasp on the skills necessary, you lot can run correct through and begin the game proper.

However, fifty-fifty if you're a hardcore fan, I suggest going through the tutorial and thoroughly exploring the zone it takes identify in your start fourth dimension through the game. In addition to learning some lessons about how everything works, yous'll be able to selection up a few bones items, weapons, and bits of armor to start your journey stronger.

Combat lessons

If you've never played a Souls game before, you're going to chop-chop realize that combat in Dark Souls 2 feels quite a flake different than nearly tertiary-person activeness games. There are two stats you need to go along track of at all times: your health and your stamina, both represented by bars in the upper left corner of the screen.

Every activity you do — blocking a hit, swinging your weapon, dodging out of the way — drains some of your stamina meter. Do also many actions at one time without taking fourth dimension for your stamina to refill, and y'all can be caught by an enemy, unable to roll abroad or cake an incoming attack.

More then than almost any other game I've ever played, combat in Dark Souls is near patience. Yous need to watch an enemy'south set on patterns, make your ain moves only when there's an opening, and so back off and rest. Running in wildly swinging an axe will get you killed swiftly and painfully, even by low-level, early-game enemies.

Center of the world

Subsequently you leave the tutorial surface area, you'll enter Majula. This zone is substantially your hub city in Dark Souls 2. Many of the characters y'all notice equally you explore will make their style back hither, and you'll return constantly to purchase items, upgrade your equipment and level up.

There are a few characters you should accept note of immediately. In the group of three houses, the house on the left as yous approach has the game'due south commencement merchant. His list of armor and weapons for sale will abound as you progress through the game, and then be certain to bank check in from time to fourth dimension. Across from him is a firm containing a talking cat. This brute allows you to manage your condition with covenants — groups that bear upon online play.

The feline also has a few things for auction, near notably a ring that decreases damage taken past falling. Surely you noticed the giant pit in the center of Majula? At some betoken later on in the game — when you have a lot more than health and a lot more souls to spend — you'll desire to purchase that ring, equip it, and begin the long, terrifying process of dropping downwards that pigsty. A whole new set of areas awaits.

Growing your power

As in any good RPG, leveling is a primal part of Dark Souls 2. Where the previous game allow you level up at any bonfire, hither you'll need to render to Majula and talk to the mysterious green-cloaked lady who hangs out near the Majula bonfire. The first fourth dimension yous chat with her, make certain to keep talking until a menu opens upwards.

From here, yous tin spend souls to level upwardly. Each level allows you to bump up one stat of your choice. Different stats are of import depending on the type of character you want to make and the type of weapons or magic you're trying to use, but some are essential for everyone. For example, I strongly recommend putting a lot of your souls into the "endurance" stat. This will increase your stamina bar, making it easier for yous to block hits with a shield or arrive an extra assault before you need to back down.

Ane other major change from Dark Souls is that yous aren't barred to your choices forever. You can detect a rare particular chosen the soul vessel that allows you to refund all of the levels yous've gained and redistribute them across different stats. If y'all've found ane of these items and want to respec, just accept it to the hut next to the very offset bonfire in the game in the tutorial zone. Souls vessels are extremely rare, so just use this path if you're absolutely certain that you need to change your build.

Playing doctor

In Demon'due south Souls, healing was accomplished via one-time-employ consumable items. In Dark Souls, you lot healed via your Estus Flask, an item with a gear up number of uses that could only be refilled by resting at a blaze. In Dark Souls 2, you become the best of both worlds.

In addition to letting you level up, the lady in Majula will present you with an Estus Flask that gives you one use. As yous journey through Drangleic, you'll find Estus Flask Shards. Bring them back to her, and she'll ability up your Flask, giving ane more use each fourth dimension. Bank check out the well in Majula if you want your first shard early in the game.

You can also increase your healing capabilities by finding sublime bone dust. Take this item to the bonfire in Majula and burn it there. That will increase the power of your Estus, so each drinkable will heal more of your health. Your first sublime bone dust drop will probable come from i of the first enemies in Heide'southward Tower of Flame.

Choosing a direction

There are a few paths out of Majula, but most of them lead to expressionless ends or enemies that volition be a little tough to tackle early in the game. When you're ready to move on, I suggest taking the path along the coast near the blaze. This will atomic number 82 to an area called Forest of the Fallen Giants.

Eventually the forest part of this zone will give way to a fortress. When you notice your start blaze at that place, take note of the merchant nearby. She'll sell you consumable healing items too as the very important primal to the blacksmith'south store in Majula. Buy that as before long as y'all tin can, return to town and unlock the workshop. The next time you return, the blacksmith will exist able to repair and upgrade your items.

Life and undeath

There are two as harsh merely important punishments for dying in Nighttime Souls 2. First, when you die you will drop all of your souls at (or nigh) the spot where you died. You'll need to run back and touch them in club to recover that precious currency. If you die again before recovering the souls, they're gone for skilful.

Second, dying turns your character increasingly more hollow (or undead). In visual terms, this means y'all'll look more than and more like a zombie. In gameplay terms, it means your full max health available volition become increasingly express. That may sound harsh compared to the get-go Dark Souls' lax penalties, but long-fourth dimension fans who played Demon's Souls will recognize this system.

At its worse, your grapheme can be cut down to l pct of their max wellness, only in that location are 2 means to manage this expletive. If you explore Heide's Belfry of Flame carefully, y'all'll discover an item called the ring of binding. When y'all accept this equipped, your wellness loss will be express to a more manageable 75 percent of the full.

In more serious situations, you can utilize a consumable item called a human effigy to restore your humanity completely, bringing you back up to 100 percentage health. Man effigies aren't exactly rare — I constitute 20 or 30 during my initial playthrough — but they're not something you lot should use frivolously either. Information technology's best to salvage effigies for correct before a boss fight, peculiarly if you think yous'll demand co-op assistance. You'll need to be fully human being to summon other players into your globe.

Secrets in shadows

One key to exploring in Dark Souls 2 is being extremely thorough. You need to check every corner of a room and every side passage in a cave, because you never know when you'll discover an incredibly useful detail tucked away or a switch that opens up progress. For example, in the sewer passage below Majula, if you don't look carefully, it's easy to miss the string on the wall that opens up the door leading to Heide'southward Tower of Flame.

Some other pressing case from a little later on in the game is in No-Man's Wharf. This difficult dock expanse is very dark and full of tough enemies, and so it'due south easy to miss things in the stress of trying to survive. On height of one of the buildings in the area, there's a lever that will summon a ship containing a dominate as well as passage to a new zone. Skip over that and you might miss that incredibly cool dominate birthday!

For fans of the original Dark Souls, there's too ane important alter to secret passageways to proceed in mind. In the first game, you would open invisible walls by slashing at them with your weapon. In Dark Souls 2, you need to tap the use button ("x" on a PlayStation three controller) in order to activate and open a hidden archway in a wall. These generally aren't the path forward, merely they ofttimes lead to treasure or extremely useful subconscious bonfires, and then exist certain to check ofttimes.

Another path

Finally I'll leave yous with one tip for how to progress in the game that I suspect a lot of people will get hung up on — it's i of the only parts in Dark Souls two where the progression is very obscure.

In Heide's Tower of Flame, after you fight the outset boss in the circular arena outside, take the stairs up and talk to the miracle worker there. One time you've cycled through all of her dialogue, she'll mention moving on to a new place.

Next, return to the passageway between Majula and Heide'south Tower. The miracle worker volition have taken up residence there. In addition to buying miracles, y'all can pay her a couple thousand souls to activate the strange contraption at that place, which will open a new archway to a whole co-operative of areas.

Don't feel rushed to open or take this path early. It leads to some college-level zones, and you're probably meliorate off exploring other paths first, merely you'll want to make it back hither eventually.

Talking the talk

That terminal tip has an important lesson embedded within information technology: whenever you run into a friendly grapheme in Nighttime Souls 2 talk to them. And then go on talking to them. And so talk to them more. Talk to characters over and over until their dialogue loops. Frequently they'll give new tidbits of information, present yous with important items or progress a sidequest at the end of their dialogue. Fifty-fifty if you lot don't particularly care about the story, don't forget to continue chatting just in case something similar this happens!

Share your tips

With these tips, you should exist off to a smashing first on your journey through Drangleic. Take other tips I've missed? Discovered a hole-and-corner y'all want to share? Post in the comments beneath, merely be careful to spoiler tag anything story-related or anything from later in the game!

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Source: https://www.polygon.com/2014/3/11/5497008/dark-souls-2-tips-guide-walkthrough-video

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