Discussion
The DLC'S arrival is imminent. It was supposed to be released today, but the NamcoBandai twitter feed apparently says it will be coming tomorrow.
There is a patch to download today with quite a few fixes and balances. A lot of the heavy armour and heavy weapons have been toned down a bit, in the main.
The access gate to the DLC is there, but frustratingly, you can't get in yet. The reach it, after you've installed the patch, head to the Black Gulch and enter the chamber where you beat The Rotten. If you haven't beaten it yet, kill and enter the room behind it where the Primal Bonfire is. You'll see now that there is an altar of snakes at the back of the room, much like the one from the Shrine of Winter, surrounded by some tablets telling tales about a sunken temple and a sleeping dragon! Access the altar and it teleports you to another room with a doorway at the far end. There are obviously loads of people running around down there leaving messages, but approaching the door just makes a note appear on the screen saying 'closed'.
Once the DLC is available, you should be able to open it. Even if you don't have the DLC paid for, so you can't access it yourself, you can still be summoned there if you put a sign down by the entrance.
I guess this will solve the mystery of what the altar with the three snakes in the Shrine of Winter is about, as I expect that will turn out to be the portal to the Frozen Crown DLC. I'm guessing the headless snakes represent the three pretenders that stole the crowns from Vendrick.
There is a patch to download today with quite a few fixes and balances. A lot of the heavy armour and heavy weapons have been toned down a bit, in the main.
The access gate to the DLC is there, but frustratingly, you can't get in yet. The reach it, after you've installed the patch, head to the Black Gulch and enter the chamber where you beat The Rotten. If you haven't beaten it yet, kill and enter the room behind it where the Primal Bonfire is. You'll see now that there is an altar of snakes at the back of the room, much like the one from the Shrine of Winter, surrounded by some tablets telling tales about a sunken temple and a sleeping dragon! Access the altar and it teleports you to another room with a doorway at the far end. There are obviously loads of people running around down there leaving messages, but approaching the door just makes a note appear on the screen saying 'closed'.
Once the DLC is available, you should be able to open it. Even if you don't have the DLC paid for, so you can't access it yourself, you can still be summoned there if you put a sign down by the entrance.
I guess this will solve the mystery of what the altar with the three snakes in the Shrine of Winter is about, as I expect that will turn out to be the portal to the Frozen Crown DLC. I'm guessing the headless snakes represent the three pretenders that stole the crowns from Vendrick.
So, this Sunken Crown DLC is going pretty well.
There is a great setpiece moment right after entering the DLC area, so don't stand around reading the messages on the ground before getting to the first bonfire, keep looking up!
I'd read some comments that this DLC is consistently tougher than the rest of the game. It's definitely levelled for high end characters and I'd say an end-game character would be suited to this challenge. The Shulva Sanctum section isn't too tough although it's made up of long walkways suspended in the air with towers dotted between them. The crux of exploration here centres around using mechanical pillar to move elevators up and down, but once you've got the elevators in place it's straightforward. You actually move round the temples in a sort of square before heading onto the next area, which is where it all changes.
The difficulty is certainly ramped up inside the temple! It's a labyrinth and has some nasty tricks to play. ghostly warriors wielding dual falchions are a major pain, especially since they take massively reduced damage. Not sure what the trick to deal with those guys yet is. There are some nasty dark magic/hex users too. It's a nightmare in there, so take it slow and clear it out bit by bit. It's definitely one for the high level character. Once inside, I quickly took a wrong turn from which I couldn't go back and ended up lost in the temple, eventually getting to the basement where some dinosaurs f
ked me up.
Joy!
There is a great setpiece moment right after entering the DLC area, so don't stand around reading the messages on the ground before getting to the first bonfire, keep looking up!
I'd read some comments that this DLC is consistently tougher than the rest of the game. It's definitely levelled for high end characters and I'd say an end-game character would be suited to this challenge. The Shulva Sanctum section isn't too tough although it's made up of long walkways suspended in the air with towers dotted between them. The crux of exploration here centres around using mechanical pillar to move elevators up and down, but once you've got the elevators in place it's straightforward. You actually move round the temples in a sort of square before heading onto the next area, which is where it all changes.
The difficulty is certainly ramped up inside the temple! It's a labyrinth and has some nasty tricks to play. ghostly warriors wielding dual falchions are a major pain, especially since they take massively reduced damage. Not sure what the trick to deal with those guys yet is. There are some nasty dark magic/hex users too. It's a nightmare in there, so take it slow and clear it out bit by bit. It's definitely one for the high level character. Once inside, I quickly took a wrong turn from which I couldn't go back and ended up lost in the temple, eventually getting to the basement where some dinosaurs f
ked me up. Joy!
I'm getting to grips with the labyrinth now.
You'll definitely need a bow and arrow set before coming down here. For one thing, a lot of the switches that lead to treasure rooms can only be manipulated by an arrow! I'm using poison arrows sourced from Gyrm at the Doors of Pharros. Most enemies here are poison resistant so I'm going to head over to Ornifex and get some more fire arrows (they cost the same as poison arrows, but aside from the Imperfect Dragons, I've not found any enemies here susceptible to poison).
The ghost knights are piss easy once you've smashed their festering corpses, it's simply finding them that is the issue! Without destroying their remains, only magic weapons can hurt their bodies, doing very small amounts of damage. Fortunately, there is a room that houses all the remains in the temple, which should sort out the ghosts. It won't get rid of them for good, but when you return they should be corporeal, and hence take loads more damage and can be backstabbed.
One thing I've noted in this DLC is that it will seem familiar to the first Dark Souls game. Indeed, it evokes a lot of the same feelings. It features a lot of tricks and traps, and many design features that stop you going back the way you came. Faced with no option of retreat, you're forced to push forward through uncharted areas. There is also a lot of verticality in a sense. Nothing like the interlocking castle of the first game, but plenty of walkways and corridors that snaked around each other, quite unlock most of Dark Souls 2.
I've discovered an area called the Cave Of The Dead, which is frankly a fking pain in the arse. Filled with Black Gulch style statues spitting Petrify spells at you; progress is slow and painful. I got to the end after about 10 minutes to be faced with a trio of bosses, easily dispatched until I mistimed a roll and hit some scenery before being smashed to death by the Havel-esque soldier. Grr....
You'll definitely need a bow and arrow set before coming down here. For one thing, a lot of the switches that lead to treasure rooms can only be manipulated by an arrow! I'm using poison arrows sourced from Gyrm at the Doors of Pharros. Most enemies here are poison resistant so I'm going to head over to Ornifex and get some more fire arrows (they cost the same as poison arrows, but aside from the Imperfect Dragons, I've not found any enemies here susceptible to poison).
The ghost knights are piss easy once you've smashed their festering corpses, it's simply finding them that is the issue! Without destroying their remains, only magic weapons can hurt their bodies, doing very small amounts of damage. Fortunately, there is a room that houses all the remains in the temple, which should sort out the ghosts. It won't get rid of them for good, but when you return they should be corporeal, and hence take loads more damage and can be backstabbed.
One thing I've noted in this DLC is that it will seem familiar to the first Dark Souls game. Indeed, it evokes a lot of the same feelings. It features a lot of tricks and traps, and many design features that stop you going back the way you came. Faced with no option of retreat, you're forced to push forward through uncharted areas. There is also a lot of verticality in a sense. Nothing like the interlocking castle of the first game, but plenty of walkways and corridors that snaked around each other, quite unlock most of Dark Souls 2.
I've discovered an area called the Cave Of The Dead, which is frankly a f
king pain in the arse. Filled with Black Gulch style statues spitting Petrify spells at you; progress is slow and painful. I got to the end after about 10 minutes to be faced with a trio of bosses, easily dispatched until I mistimed a roll and hit some scenery before being smashed to death by the Havel-esque soldier. Grr....I finished the Scholar Of The First Sin edition on the Xbox One this morning. I thought a rundown of my thoughts might be topical since the original Dark Souls thread is back on the front page of the forum and we're now eagerly awaiting Dark Souls 3. Spoilers ahead.
First of all, I should preface this by saying that this is probably the game that Dark Souls II should have been from the start. The technical enhancements aren't breath-taking, but they're more than welcome when you consider the slightly rough finish the game the first time around. I never found the original product unplayable, but it certainly looked nothing like the game that was advertised in the light demo video, and the missed frames were jarring but didn't spoil the gameplay. However, now you get the 1080p/60fps experience, or at least, as close as they'll get. Detailed analysis reveals both PS4 and Xbox One dropping frames, which is a disappointment, but both are considerably smoother than the original release. The lighting model has been extensively reworked too, with higher contrast and improved shadows. The first noticeable example of this is shortly before the first boss, in the castle. The corridor to the side area just after the bonfire by Hag Melentia, that takes the player to the Giant Tree that grants a Giant Tree Seed, is much darker now and inhabited with skeletons instead of Turtle Knights. It's also very dark, and when lit by the torch, produces some great shadow cast. The new lighting never really comes to the forefront of the updated game, but the whole experience looks sharper and prettier than it did before and you get the sense of the developers saying "there, now you have it!" in response to the critique of the lighting downgrade the first time around.
So anyway, graphical fluff aside, what else is there to comment on?
In the first half of the game, enemy placement has been noticeably tweaked to create more choke points and ambushes. However, having played the game through before, I knew well how most scenarios would play out and my progress was pretty rapid, especially before Castle Dranleic. I was at the doors of Pharros in 30 hours, and at the Castle by 35. I finished the game today, having spent time collecting achievements, at less than 50 hours this afternoon. Enemy and item placement across the whole game has been tweaked, but it's most noticeable on the earlier stages which were slower the first time around (following the typical Dark Souls method of starting slow, before being a walking artillery cannon by the end of the game and blazing through whole areas in one sweep). Some touches will pleasantly surprise players (I don't recall seeing any of the Forrossan Soldier enemies from the Brightstone Cove camp in the first game). Others will only serve to irritate, as previously simple areas become a bit more tricky.
Pacing is still a bit of an issue. The first third of the game, up the end of the Iron Keep, is still pretty simple and fairly dull. The areas feel much more dramatic afterwards, yet you still feel like you're plodding on waiting to beat the Old Iron King and get onto the good stuff. Obviously this was never going to change, but it's still an issue with Dark Souls 2. Bloodborne was consistently amazing, and Dark Souls never lost pacing until right at the end where it went a bit flat. A considerably portion of Dark Souls 2 SOTFS is still spend trudging around waiting for the good stuff.
The new NPC, Aldia, is an interesting bit. He doesn't do anything like what the developers said ("inclusion of a new NPC who will clarify parts of the story"). Aldia's wisdom is as oblique as you might expect, but he does bring in a new ending, which is welcome. He appears before three key bonfires and offers you a chance to abandon the Throne Of Want once you've defeated Nashandra. If you choose the relinquish your claim to monarchy, Aldia appears as a boss after Nashandra. He's extremely easy, being a deformed mess appearing from the ground and requiring no dodging whatsoever to beat. Kill him, and you can choose to enter the Throne Of Want or leave. If you leave, Aldia talks some more about the consequences of your actions and your desire to seek a new fate beyond the previous cycle of a new monarch linking the dying flame, and waiting ages for a new monarch to come as the fire fades. However, there is nothing more to the ending than that, so it's still as unenlightening as the first ending was.
Given that Aldia now features in the game, I wonder then what the Ancient Dragon is. That Dragon was one of the most interesting things about Dark Souls 2, to me. The speculation the first time around that it was Aldia was reasonably evidenced, given that numerous characters refer to it if you speak to them at the right time. Queen Nashandra refers to it as a 'prop' and a 'false deity'. Even more interesting, Sweet Shalquoir says "You'll find a great creature far to the east. A colossal thing, with the strength to match its size. Or something playing the part at least". The Dragon refers to itself as 'us' and 'we' when spoken to, suggesting there is more than one conciousness in it. Previously, it would have been a reasonable fit to assume it was Aldia, after much is made of his meddling and experiments. Had his hubris-fuelled attempt to become a great one left him as this decaying false-dragon? Now that we know Aldia is the burning monstrosity that emerges from the bonfire, what is the dragon? So much of Dark Souls 2 would appear to link neatly back to the lore of Dark Souls but the Ancient Dragon remains a misnomer. So intriguing.
The suggestion that the DLC is better integrated in the game is rubbish. Other than Aldia making one reference to seizing the crowns right before the end of the game, I can't see any other integration other than that the transport portals are accessible from the off. The DLC is still rubbish too. It feels pretty thoughtless and lazy. The Ivory King and Iron King DLC is rubbish. Another retread of the dull Iron Keep aesthetic and some rubbish, snow blanked castle do make for great DLC. The Ivory King part looks beautiful to start with, but as soon as you enter the castle and the blizzard, it looks bland. The Sunken King area looks great, but is spoiled by the lack of balance to the Sinh fight; in NG it just has far too much DMG/HP. It was a struggle to take it down with two strong players by my side the last time, and I had over 30 levels more than I have now on finishing the game, if not more.
Assessing this, where does Dark Souls need to go in Dark Souls 3?
Item placement needs to be looked at. Dark Souls 2 was spoiled a little bit by the overpowering strength of the Drangleic set and shield from near the start of the game. Part of me wonders if this wasn't meant to be a late game set dropped in early because testing showed they'd got the balance wrong, so they placed it early on with a 100% damage shield to redress the balance rather than tweak pretty much all of the combat in the rest of the game. In Dark Souls, I was frequently changing armour to get the best setup possible, in DS2 I used the Drangleic set and a Heide Helm until I got Vengarl's Helm, and then I pretty much carried to the end of the game. Right at the end, I decided to get the Vengarl set for completion (now behind a petrified Lion in the Shaded Woods). I had forgotten how much better it was than the Drangleic set, a shame as the fight against Vengarl's body seemed much more dramatic in the library. That said, this was an issue with Bloodborne too, one set of armour is pretty much good for most of the game and the first weapon you get will probably be the mainstay for the rest of the game. I started off playing this round of Dark Souls like Bloodborne, ducking and diving and two handing my sword. As soon as I got a 100% DMG shield though, I resorted to the usual turtle tactics that guarantee victory. That needs looked at.
I think we were a little harsh on DS2's bosses the first time around. There are some stinkers in there, I give you. The abundance of giant knights isn't as bad as I thought it was the first time around, interspersed as they are with other creatures. I did find the spectacle of something like Dark Souls's Hydra or Bloodborne's Vicar Amelia was slightly lacking in Dark Souls 2. Giant Knights are fine, just give us some great monsters too. Funnily enough, I hated the Ruin Sentinels last time, but this time I didn't mind them so much. I beat them on my third go at a very low level!
Combat is, I gather, faster and more dynamic in DS3. Bloodborne isn't as much as a departure from classic Souls as it's made out to be. It's still all managing stamina, looking for weakness and punishing every misstep, just this time there is no blocking. It doesn't need to do a Bloodborne, that would just be too quick for Dark Souls pace, but they should have more mob attacks like Bloodborne used to good effect. The difference in healing and combat makes Bloodborne too distinct to consider in this frame, rather DS3 needs to take the Souls formula and make it a little tougher and a little more overbearing.
Level design must be considered too. I hope they go back to the 'castle' feeling of Dark Souls, which was very vertical and intricate. DS2 had some nice locations but still doesn't feel right, especially after Bloodborne demonstrated classic interlocking DS level design so well. I know they mention that time and location is in flux in Drangleic, but it still jars to go from the cool, wet surroundings of the Earthen Peak to the Iron Keep sinking into magma, surrounded by miles of slag waste (as seen from the Belfry Sol). Similarly, the eerie fog shrouded woods housing Aldia's Keep and a short journey up an elevator bringing you to the sun soaked peaks of pillars of stone standing above a great forest, just doesn't seem right. By all means, I want the beauty of Dark Souls, but thematically and logically presented, please.
Anyway, that about wraps it up. It's still a fantastic game, better than ever before. The story is still the best in a Dark Souls game by far, and is nearly as good as Bloodborne in that respect.
First of all, I should preface this by saying that this is probably the game that Dark Souls II should have been from the start. The technical enhancements aren't breath-taking, but they're more than welcome when you consider the slightly rough finish the game the first time around. I never found the original product unplayable, but it certainly looked nothing like the game that was advertised in the light demo video, and the missed frames were jarring but didn't spoil the gameplay. However, now you get the 1080p/60fps experience, or at least, as close as they'll get. Detailed analysis reveals both PS4 and Xbox One dropping frames, which is a disappointment, but both are considerably smoother than the original release. The lighting model has been extensively reworked too, with higher contrast and improved shadows. The first noticeable example of this is shortly before the first boss, in the castle. The corridor to the side area just after the bonfire by Hag Melentia, that takes the player to the Giant Tree that grants a Giant Tree Seed, is much darker now and inhabited with skeletons instead of Turtle Knights. It's also very dark, and when lit by the torch, produces some great shadow cast. The new lighting never really comes to the forefront of the updated game, but the whole experience looks sharper and prettier than it did before and you get the sense of the developers saying "there, now you have it!" in response to the critique of the lighting downgrade the first time around.
So anyway, graphical fluff aside, what else is there to comment on?
In the first half of the game, enemy placement has been noticeably tweaked to create more choke points and ambushes. However, having played the game through before, I knew well how most scenarios would play out and my progress was pretty rapid, especially before Castle Dranleic. I was at the doors of Pharros in 30 hours, and at the Castle by 35. I finished the game today, having spent time collecting achievements, at less than 50 hours this afternoon. Enemy and item placement across the whole game has been tweaked, but it's most noticeable on the earlier stages which were slower the first time around (following the typical Dark Souls method of starting slow, before being a walking artillery cannon by the end of the game and blazing through whole areas in one sweep). Some touches will pleasantly surprise players (I don't recall seeing any of the Forrossan Soldier enemies from the Brightstone Cove camp in the first game). Others will only serve to irritate, as previously simple areas become a bit more tricky.
Pacing is still a bit of an issue. The first third of the game, up the end of the Iron Keep, is still pretty simple and fairly dull. The areas feel much more dramatic afterwards, yet you still feel like you're plodding on waiting to beat the Old Iron King and get onto the good stuff. Obviously this was never going to change, but it's still an issue with Dark Souls 2. Bloodborne was consistently amazing, and Dark Souls never lost pacing until right at the end where it went a bit flat. A considerably portion of Dark Souls 2 SOTFS is still spend trudging around waiting for the good stuff.
The new NPC, Aldia, is an interesting bit. He doesn't do anything like what the developers said ("inclusion of a new NPC who will clarify parts of the story"). Aldia's wisdom is as oblique as you might expect, but he does bring in a new ending, which is welcome. He appears before three key bonfires and offers you a chance to abandon the Throne Of Want once you've defeated Nashandra. If you choose the relinquish your claim to monarchy, Aldia appears as a boss after Nashandra. He's extremely easy, being a deformed mess appearing from the ground and requiring no dodging whatsoever to beat. Kill him, and you can choose to enter the Throne Of Want or leave. If you leave, Aldia talks some more about the consequences of your actions and your desire to seek a new fate beyond the previous cycle of a new monarch linking the dying flame, and waiting ages for a new monarch to come as the fire fades. However, there is nothing more to the ending than that, so it's still as unenlightening as the first ending was.
Given that Aldia now features in the game, I wonder then what the Ancient Dragon is. That Dragon was one of the most interesting things about Dark Souls 2, to me. The speculation the first time around that it was Aldia was reasonably evidenced, given that numerous characters refer to it if you speak to them at the right time. Queen Nashandra refers to it as a 'prop' and a 'false deity'. Even more interesting, Sweet Shalquoir says "You'll find a great creature far to the east. A colossal thing, with the strength to match its size. Or something playing the part at least". The Dragon refers to itself as 'us' and 'we' when spoken to, suggesting there is more than one conciousness in it. Previously, it would have been a reasonable fit to assume it was Aldia, after much is made of his meddling and experiments. Had his hubris-fuelled attempt to become a great one left him as this decaying false-dragon? Now that we know Aldia is the burning monstrosity that emerges from the bonfire, what is the dragon? So much of Dark Souls 2 would appear to link neatly back to the lore of Dark Souls but the Ancient Dragon remains a misnomer. So intriguing.
The suggestion that the DLC is better integrated in the game is rubbish. Other than Aldia making one reference to seizing the crowns right before the end of the game, I can't see any other integration other than that the transport portals are accessible from the off. The DLC is still rubbish too. It feels pretty thoughtless and lazy. The Ivory King and Iron King DLC is rubbish. Another retread of the dull Iron Keep aesthetic and some rubbish, snow blanked castle do make for great DLC. The Ivory King part looks beautiful to start with, but as soon as you enter the castle and the blizzard, it looks bland. The Sunken King area looks great, but is spoiled by the lack of balance to the Sinh fight; in NG it just has far too much DMG/HP. It was a struggle to take it down with two strong players by my side the last time, and I had over 30 levels more than I have now on finishing the game, if not more.
Assessing this, where does Dark Souls need to go in Dark Souls 3?
Item placement needs to be looked at. Dark Souls 2 was spoiled a little bit by the overpowering strength of the Drangleic set and shield from near the start of the game. Part of me wonders if this wasn't meant to be a late game set dropped in early because testing showed they'd got the balance wrong, so they placed it early on with a 100% damage shield to redress the balance rather than tweak pretty much all of the combat in the rest of the game. In Dark Souls, I was frequently changing armour to get the best setup possible, in DS2 I used the Drangleic set and a Heide Helm until I got Vengarl's Helm, and then I pretty much carried to the end of the game. Right at the end, I decided to get the Vengarl set for completion (now behind a petrified Lion in the Shaded Woods). I had forgotten how much better it was than the Drangleic set, a shame as the fight against Vengarl's body seemed much more dramatic in the library. That said, this was an issue with Bloodborne too, one set of armour is pretty much good for most of the game and the first weapon you get will probably be the mainstay for the rest of the game. I started off playing this round of Dark Souls like Bloodborne, ducking and diving and two handing my sword. As soon as I got a 100% DMG shield though, I resorted to the usual turtle tactics that guarantee victory. That needs looked at.
I think we were a little harsh on DS2's bosses the first time around. There are some stinkers in there, I give you. The abundance of giant knights isn't as bad as I thought it was the first time around, interspersed as they are with other creatures. I did find the spectacle of something like Dark Souls's Hydra or Bloodborne's Vicar Amelia was slightly lacking in Dark Souls 2. Giant Knights are fine, just give us some great monsters too. Funnily enough, I hated the Ruin Sentinels last time, but this time I didn't mind them so much. I beat them on my third go at a very low level!
Combat is, I gather, faster and more dynamic in DS3. Bloodborne isn't as much as a departure from classic Souls as it's made out to be. It's still all managing stamina, looking for weakness and punishing every misstep, just this time there is no blocking. It doesn't need to do a Bloodborne, that would just be too quick for Dark Souls pace, but they should have more mob attacks like Bloodborne used to good effect. The difference in healing and combat makes Bloodborne too distinct to consider in this frame, rather DS3 needs to take the Souls formula and make it a little tougher and a little more overbearing.
Level design must be considered too. I hope they go back to the 'castle' feeling of Dark Souls, which was very vertical and intricate. DS2 had some nice locations but still doesn't feel right, especially after Bloodborne demonstrated classic interlocking DS level design so well. I know they mention that time and location is in flux in Drangleic, but it still jars to go from the cool, wet surroundings of the Earthen Peak to the Iron Keep sinking into magma, surrounded by miles of slag waste (as seen from the Belfry Sol). Similarly, the eerie fog shrouded woods housing Aldia's Keep and a short journey up an elevator bringing you to the sun soaked peaks of pillars of stone standing above a great forest, just doesn't seem right. By all means, I want the beauty of Dark Souls, but thematically and logically presented, please.
Anyway, that about wraps it up. It's still a fantastic game, better than ever before. The story is still the best in a Dark Souls game by far, and is nearly as good as Bloodborne in that respect.
I'd love to get to some of the later part sof the game you mention, but I am completely execrable at it so (for the second time) I have given up after about 100 hours play. Even with guides, walkthroughs etc I get to the point where it takes me twenty goes to get through to an end-of-level boss, and then I get swatted like a fly before I land a single hit on it. I guess I have cleared about 12 locations on the bonfire screen, haven't seen any dragons or giants yet though.
I have tried it as a sword-n-shield tank, a magic guy, and a half-assed mixture of both, but no luck. What sort of character build do you recommend?
I have tried it as a sword-n-shield tank, a magic guy, and a half-assed mixture of both, but no luck. What sort of character build do you recommend?
Okay, a few basic tips to see you right...
First, you mention that you struggle to get to bosses before you get swatted. Remember that in Dark Souls 2, you can actually clear out an area of enemies. Kill them ten times, and they won't respawn unless you burn a Bonfire Ascetic at the nearest bonfire. So you can clear runs out to the boss area to allow to approach with full health, should you wish. You can also pile on some serious levels by following that strategy. Don't worry about souls too much, there are far more souls in the game than you actually need to complete it, so spend them freely. Link bonfires together in runs clearing enemies out, then zap back to the start once you're done to speed up your killing sprees and pile on the experience.
Combat is so much more about preservation of stamina than it is about anything else, so boost your stamina early on. You can chip away at enemies with impunity if they can't bottom out your stamina and force you into a stagger. Once you get the Drangleic Set and the Drangleic shield (early on, just after the first Pursuer fight) you're practically unstoppable in the face of non-elemental damage.
Use items freely. Things like firebombs, throwing knives etc etc are supposed to be used early on. They're practically useless by the end of the game as they do so little damage, so make use of what you have. Don't be afraid to pop a lifegem if you run out of estus during a boss fight, they're abundant. I didn't use a single Radiant or better lifegem in the whole game, and still finished with over 90 lifegems.
Upgrade your estus flask. Seek out Estus Shards to increase your capacity and seek Sublime Bone Dust to improve it's power. The shards must be given to the Emerald Herald at the fire in Majula, the bone dust must be burned whilst sitting at a bonfire. There is a shard at Majula, if you approach the well next to the Mansion at the back of the area and strike the stone on the edge of the well, you'll receive your first shard. You can double your healing capacity that way, early on!
Get the right equipment early on. Find the Chloranthy Ring before the first boss, it boosts stamina recovery and is essential. The Ring of Regeneration can also be found in the Forest Of Fallen Giants, that's a good one to use. Even better is the Ring Of Binding, acquired before the Dragonrider boss at the Tower of Flame. It limits the health reduction for being hollow to 75% rather than 50%. Very useful.
Don't be afraid to go human for boss fights if you're struggling. Consume a Human Effigy from the inventory menu, rather than burning it though! You can then summon help for the fight from the white signs on the ground before the boss fights. I believe that, even if you die or the NPC helper dies, you can resummon them again as long as you're human.
First, you mention that you struggle to get to bosses before you get swatted. Remember that in Dark Souls 2, you can actually clear out an area of enemies. Kill them ten times, and they won't respawn unless you burn a Bonfire Ascetic at the nearest bonfire. So you can clear runs out to the boss area to allow to approach with full health, should you wish. You can also pile on some serious levels by following that strategy. Don't worry about souls too much, there are far more souls in the game than you actually need to complete it, so spend them freely. Link bonfires together in runs clearing enemies out, then zap back to the start once you're done to speed up your killing sprees and pile on the experience.
Combat is so much more about preservation of stamina than it is about anything else, so boost your stamina early on. You can chip away at enemies with impunity if they can't bottom out your stamina and force you into a stagger. Once you get the Drangleic Set and the Drangleic shield (early on, just after the first Pursuer fight) you're practically unstoppable in the face of non-elemental damage.
Use items freely. Things like firebombs, throwing knives etc etc are supposed to be used early on. They're practically useless by the end of the game as they do so little damage, so make use of what you have. Don't be afraid to pop a lifegem if you run out of estus during a boss fight, they're abundant. I didn't use a single Radiant or better lifegem in the whole game, and still finished with over 90 lifegems.
Upgrade your estus flask. Seek out Estus Shards to increase your capacity and seek Sublime Bone Dust to improve it's power. The shards must be given to the Emerald Herald at the fire in Majula, the bone dust must be burned whilst sitting at a bonfire. There is a shard at Majula, if you approach the well next to the Mansion at the back of the area and strike the stone on the edge of the well, you'll receive your first shard. You can double your healing capacity that way, early on!
Get the right equipment early on. Find the Chloranthy Ring before the first boss, it boosts stamina recovery and is essential. The Ring of Regeneration can also be found in the Forest Of Fallen Giants, that's a good one to use. Even better is the Ring Of Binding, acquired before the Dragonrider boss at the Tower of Flame. It limits the health reduction for being hollow to 75% rather than 50%. Very useful.
Don't be afraid to go human for boss fights if you're struggling. Consume a Human Effigy from the inventory menu, rather than burning it though! You can then summon help for the fight from the white signs on the ground before the boss fights. I believe that, even if you die or the NPC helper dies, you can resummon them again as long as you're human.
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