Majula is the best hub in all the Souls games in my opinion. The music, the waves tumbling through the stone obelisks, and the gorgeous vistas in nearly every direction.
@@amartyrsfallsbassist5914 the poison build of the other souls game was very disappointing to me, but in the dark souls 2 the poison build was so good lol
One major thing to note is that invincibility frames aren't the same as in Dark Souls I, they're really low unless you upgrade the ADP stat so that your Agility around 100, then it's back to what it was in DSI If you don't do this, you'll find lingering hitboxes often hit you when you think they shouldn't
They're not that low. It's still much more generous than i-framing attacks in Monster Hunter World without Evasion, for example. If you're used to doing that, 95 is plenty.
@@sarahIcommentedNah DS2 has a lot less Iframes at the start compared to monster hunter world. Worlds combat however is very different, attacks require more commitment, bosses have beathy health bars for an almost mmo like experience, they attack far less often, they run away also but that's okay because the damage you take is mostly less unless you're fighting something far beyond your equipment stats. The games are just balanced differently. Not to mention there's always a timer, so aggression takes priority over dodging sometimes.
This comment should be pinned! That can be a matter if life and death!! BOSS SPOILERS: I couldn't beat Fume Knight without putting enough points into ADP! It was ridiculous! I had to quit DS2 for 2 years, then come back to beat after learning to dodge everything!
51:50 ah yes, the good ol majula seppuku cult, leaving bloodstains all over the safe area area solely to confuse new players XD gotta love em, they never get old
I HAVE NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE HOW EXCITED I AM FOR THIS SERIES!!!!!!! I actually felt a chill down my spine when I saw it pop up on my feed. So excited for you to experience this game!!!!
Glad to see you trying out DS2 Amber! A small tip that the game doesn't ever explain (as far as I'm aware), but in the vast majority of cases "illusory walls" are not opened by attacking them, but by pressing the interact button next to them. This is helpful because durability is an actual factor in this game :P
I always love your editing additions! All the little touches like zooming, the little animations you put in! They don't go unnoticed! They really show that effort and care and give me the sense that you must be having fun while editing and maybe even laughing to yourself lol
I just finished your DS1 series and I am glad to see that you decided to play DS2 as well. The intro with all the conflicting comments on DS2 was very funny. A massively growing community will always bring in some percentage of people that are dissatisfied no matter what choice you make. In the end, the videos will always be at their best when you are playing the game you want to play.
Hey hey, fast explanation on Adaptability. The more ADP u have the more i-frame u got. i-frame is the time u are invincible while u are rolling. In DS a fast roll is 13 i-frames, mid roll is 11 i-frames and fat roll is 9 i-frames long. Here is a table, so u know: ADP iFrames Seconds 85 5 0.1667 86 8 0.2667 88 9 0.3 92 10 0.3333 96 11 0.3667 99 12 0.4 105 13 0.4333 111 14 0.4667 114 15 0.5 116 16 0.5333
Been a fan of yours since the Hollow Knight let's play. Love your channel and I'm glad to see you tackling all the Souls games, very excited to see this series.
Oh, three (non-spoiler) tips for this game, hidden walls in this game work different from the other games of the series, instead of rolling/hitting the wall you have to interact with it. Get close to it and then press X. The ADP and your Attunement stat both will help raise your Iframe when rolling and evading, but the Attunement levels less per points distributed. The last hint is regarding your class. I love playing mages not just in Souls games, but on almost any other games as well. My tip for the Dark Souls 2 (and 3, you if you do so too, in the future) is that there are 4 main casting schools (kinda). Sorcery, Miracles, Piromancy and Hexes. Sorcery and Miracles are straightfoward, you go full int or faith and thats about it. The others differ though. Piromancy and Hexes scales with both faith and int and Hexes also will depend on the type of spell you want to cast, some need a staff to cast while others need a chime/talisman. This may sound complicated but it's not really that bad to get the hang of it, also, as far as i know, in the main game at least, almost no enemy has resistance to dark damage, pretty cool. Oh, and one more thing, if you happen to regret spending points in a particular stat or just want to try new thing mid game, you can respec in DS2, so, don't be afraid to explore and good game!
Adding to this, Try to get copies of the same spell at higher levels to have more to traverse through the game. You will start feeling kinda weak specially since you start very limited on spell count but as you progress you will be able to kite bosses quite well. Your bread and butter will be for the longest time Soul Arrows. Great and Great Heavy are going to be incredible at higher INT stats. If you wanna go up close, and decide to invest into a magic weapon the ol' Moonlight Greatsword wont fail you as it can shoot projectiles.
Oh was I waiting for this. This game really has this whole atmosphere that other souls don't have, I don't know how to explain it but I just loved it for that. Hope you'll enjoy !
The damage of Hexes scales with the "Dark Bonus" attribute on your character sheet, which is increased by both Intelligence and Faith. Intelligence and Faith also increases the duration of certain Hexes, depending on what tool(staff or chime) is used to cast them.
Also increasing faith and int makes pyromancy better and fits the lore with dark and light being opposites and yet similar also great if an enemy is resistant to dark
i watched a few vids of someone playing this game with a hex build and it was too op and boring to watch. he just kept spamming those same hex balls over and over and they give you so many he never even came close to running out. i honestly have no idea how anyone can enjoy playing these games like that. i'm not a great souls player, but i like these games largely for the challenge. when you find your own easy mode like that, it eliminates the point.
@@Jack_80 that's because they only used dark orb. There are so many other hexes you can use all are very cool and fun. Its all in the play style and interacting with the abilities.
Yay! Dark Souls 2 is so amazing! Currently doing my own run through again and while it can be frustrating and ganky at times (just like 1 and 3) it's still such a beautiful game.
So excited to see another Dark Souls playthrough! I've only played DS3, but you're making want to go back and play the previous games. Love your videos!
TIP: Attunement also boosts agility which is the substat that boosts rolling, because of that you need less adp as a spellcaster. Because of this I beat the game multiple times as a spellcaster without ever putting a single point in adp. I wouldn't necessarily recommend doing the same, it will likely be easier getting adp up at least a little.
Well Played! You have made it to the Cardinal Bonfire in this episode. Your attention to details is very good (once again). Illusionary walls are activated by the "X" button on PS, as opposed to attacking/rolling into them. Looking forward to the next. Thanks for your edits/work which are hilarious!
@@TheRhalf telling her you don't strike the walls you hit x so she's not whacking away at every wall is spoiling it? i'm no fan of people spoiling games but that's not a spoiler. telling her where to go or strategies for boss fights and things like that are spoiling the game.
oh my sweet lord. super happy you’re doing this you have no idea. do NOT be afraid to look things up for this one. good luck amber! also i LOVE the jacket.
You're just the best. I'm very much looking forward to more Souls with you and experiencing these games through your eyes. You see things I never noticed and it's so cool!
This and the role of ADP are two vital details the game fails to bring to your attention. I was well into my playthrough before I began to wonder why I was getting so much rubbish from chests. Further along, I couldn't understand why melee combat seemed so impossible until I googled for help.
YASSS!!! Finally! I've been so excited for this playthru. As someone who found your channel thru Bloodborne watching you play from soft games is a joy to watch.
I am so glad you're giving DS2 a try! Its good to get your own opinion on the matter and I know some people ended up really liking it. It does a lot of really cool stuff, especially in terms of theme and symbolism. I know a lot of people (myself included) see DS2 as a birth/self discovery allegory. There's a lot of fun stuff, and I'm excited to follow along with you!
My dear Amber, I honestly tell you, what a fantastic 2023 you have had, without a doubt I say it, you are my gamer of the year and you know you deserve all the success, you have worked hard for it and you have well earned it. And as if you haven't pleasantly surprised me in this year, that you starting this game is like the cherry on top of the cake. Dark Souls 2 is a great game, that no one invents the contrary. Just level adaptability, stick to your sorceress build, sure you will enjoy it, trust your instincts and have a great time. You are fantastic, I admire you a lot, from a gamergirl from Mexico City =) What a great year, and we hope your 2024 will be EVEN BETTER.
I just love this series and love your lets plays! Just glad to see you playing another game I've played! Personally this happened to be my first dark souls game and I think it has a lot to love. Enjoy!!!
I’m so glad you’re playing this. Most people skip DS2. Also illusionary walls are activated by the action button not attacks. Another great video! You’re amazing and I love you!! ❤️
Great episode, as always! Your editing makes the videos much more entertaining to watch! And yes, Dark Souls get even more difficult when your hands and feet start falling asleep! 😛
But if you find good creators ds2 playthroughs are the best. Cannot count how many times I rewatched Playframe Dan ds2 series, and TBSkyen analitical playthrough of it is some of his best work to date!
I'm so glad you're playing this game. This is my favorite Dark Souls entry and one of my favorite games of all time. I think your play style will reward you greatly because Dark souls 2 hides many secrets deep within and allows the player the most freedom amongst playstyles. Bear seek seek lest! EDIT: Just watched to your basilisk preview. This is gonna be a good playthrough, haha.
I'm so happy that you're playing this! I have a feeling you'll stay determined to it and ignore the naysayers! 💗 And i'm excited that you chose to play a sorcerer! It may be tough at times, lol, but sorceries (and hexes) are insanely powerful in DS2! Moreso than DS1 imo. It requires more skill to use effectively but it's much stronger because of things like cast speed and ways you can buff yourself to do more magic damage. Either way, I just hope you enjoy your first playthrough! 🙂
This is the best Souls game. Very excited for you to explore it :) Glad it's got off to a good start, but as you note, the music and the vibes are just incredibly good.
This game's weird. I know it's my least favorite souls, but it's the one I keep coming back to again and again. I feel like it's the amount of secrets and little things that I love.
@@vojtechspinler6363 I've played several different builds in ds2 and they all have their strengths and weaknesses but ds3 more often then not I'm playing the same character. Ds2 and elden ring I think has the best build capabilities.
Amber you are single handedly making me want to play dark souls fully for the first time. Ive played demons souls, bloodborne and a bit of elden ring and LOVED them but never got into dark souls much yet.
Joining the chorus of people excited to see you play this game. Yes, it has its flaws, but it is still genuinely a very good game that holds a very special place in my heart as the first bit of fromsoft I ever experienced I hope you have as great a time with this one as I did!
I know I'm a bit late but I have to say bravo to the editing and switching the camera around so none of the inventory is obscured. Nice attention to detail.
Nice intro! Good luck with this one, I have never finished it, but I have enjoyed what I have played of it. It's fun. Excited for you to play 3 after!!! 3 is AMAZING!
I've been so excited for you to start playing DS2. I saw one of my comments in the intro there, haha. I'm glad you're playing Scholar, since it's the version I played myself. 😁 I'm one of the rare weirdos who adores DS2, as I mentioned before I absolutely love the (say the line, Bart!) impeccable dreamlike vibes it has. As I mentioned before, it does experiment with quite a few things do various degrees of success, but I feel like because of your experience in the games industry and you being a very patient person with these games, you have a higher chance of enjoying this one and finding those things interesting rather than maddening, haha.
Also, I believe I was the person to suggest playing a Hexer, since it's a very versatile build that does pyromancy, sorcery, _and_ miracles. I'd say that you'll be fine playing as a Sorcerer (it's what I started as IIRC), and you'll come across gear and spells that lean towards the Hexer with time. :)
Dark Souls 2 is such a nice game. Yes, it misses something Dark Souls 1 has and it misses something Dark Souls 3 has. But Dark Souls 3 misses something Dark Souls 2 has, and so does Dark Souls 1 (even though that's the best of the bunch to me). Dark Souls 2 also has a lot more exploration than the third game.
@@Thirteen13551355 I think my favourite Dark Souls bits are probably in the final DLC for Dark Souls 3, but a lot of that comes from it *kind of* getting some of the dreamlike vibes of DS2 in there, if that makes sense.
cant wait for the rest of this series. this is the toughest of the 3 dark souls in my opinion. the original DS2 was my first ever souls game too. glad to see youre enjoying it, youre doing great! unpopular opinion but this is my favorite of the dark souls and its the only one i have gotten a Platinum Trophy on! Theres a key item for the sorcerer in Majula just look around really hard and every edge. it will help you out alot for ranged battles. Fun fact is that my first playthrough of this game i was a Sorcerer as well :) if you want a hex build u will need faith as well but its a very advanced way to go and takes alot of levels to be good. as a sorcerer i went mainly Int and Attunement.
Between DS1 and DS2, I actually kinda enjoy DS2 more, since there are SO many branching paths, and I'm a sucker for exploration. I'm pretty hyped to see how you approach this game! :D
while this may not be my personal favorite of the bunch, im still excited to be able to watch a new cozy souls playthrough from you!! the first two playthroughs were full of great moments and im sure this one will be too.
Whatever I think of DS2 altogether, I love Majula. One important thing about secret walls, they don't work the same in this game. I wish I'd known that at the start...
holy shit wasn’t expecting this!! Dark Souls 2 was my first ever souls experience back in like 2015, I have so much love and appreciation for this game despite it’s flaws. The development was pretty hellish from what I recall so the fact that we even got a game in the first place is amazing, especially one of this quality. It’s sandwiched between absolute masterpieces in my opinion (Dark Souls 1 and Bloodborne) so the community is bound to do comparisons and although I do believe Dark Souls 2 is the weakest of the entries, there’s an undeniable charm. There’s no world where it’s simply a bad game like some people would want you to believe, not by a long shot. I remember playing this for the first time and never experiencing anything like it. I remember dreaming about exploring more of the world, I was so invested. This game is what got me into fromsoft in general and I am so glad it did, these are my favorite games ever. There’s no doubt you’re going to feel it’s frustrations but to be fair you’d feel that in any fromsoftware game lol. Hope you have fun!! 🎉
Pretty much the same for me, this was my first Fromsoft title and it's still the one I've played the most. This game does have a silly amount of hidden stuff and I really like the huge variety of cool weapons and spells in this as well.
People shit on the devs when in reality they did a godly job under the worst conditions possible (for those not in the know, their production time and crew were halved as the project was canibalized for bloodborne, after they created most of the area assets but before they programed things in fully. People say so often things like "it lacks Miyazaki's charm/vision" when in reality he and the suits killed it for their own projects. Despite all his works being good I can't forgive him for stealing the potential this game had.
I've seen III played a good number of times but don't remember that much about II so I'm really looking forward to your playthrough! Hope you have fun!
majula is probably my favourite hub area, the music is so good! it's been so cool seeing you grow as an editor, there are so many fun editing moments in this video that got me, you've gotten so good at it! great first ep! really excited for this, dark souls 2 has a very cool vibe and atmosphere that i think you'll really like, excited for the next one!! (also that jacket is *everything* lmao)
OMG! Glad you are starting another Souls game! Yes, 😅 DS2 is a bit different... I've played every other game at minimum level with other challenges added, but my first DS2 play is still unfinished lol Its mainly just that it plays a bit different, I got into Bloodborne easily and Dark Souls 1/ Demons Souls were just a minor adjustment with slightly older controls, but this game has a different control engine thats a bit hard to get used too... Good Luck! 🎉
I don't remember if you ever did this with your pyromancer in Dark Souls 1 but attuning multiple copies of the same spell gives you more casts. For example attuning two copies of Soul Arrow will give you 60 casts instead of 30.
Great video! Love to see someone enjoying DS2. It's my personal favorite, but nostalgia was involved-I'm really interested in seeing how you like it after DS1 and the masterpiece that is Bloodborne. Have fun! 🙂
The day has finally come. Super excited for this. More so than ds1. Seeing those big swords hopefully you dabble a bit in them. Tons of great weapons in this game.
Happy travels, Hollow. Scholar of the First Sin was in fact my first ever experience with the Souls series (not my first FromSoft tho). Still stands as my favorite. I think the overall atmosphere, and especially Majula, was a big part of that. Also the combat in Souls isn't what draws me in, it's the labyrinth-like exploration / discovery, and DS2 just gives so much to sink your teeth into
I am so excited! This is my favorite one. I much prefer the slower combat of this and the first one, but this one has less jank! I hope you like it as well.
A couple of things: - Illusory Walls are "Press X" to activate them in DS2. - You can use more than one lifegem at a time. - Most enemy spawns are finite in this game. If you're having trouble in a certain area, you can keep killing them until they stop respawning. - If you join the Covenant of Champions in Majula, enemies will keep spawning until you leave the Covenant. Useful if you're after certain loot or need more souls, just remember to abandone the covenant once you're done as it also makes the enemies much stronger.
Is so nice to watch how you amaze discovering any detail. I played your video just for curiosity but then I couldn't avoyd to watch it all. I love this game, so misterious an existecialist. Recently I started my 2nd run after years and I was impressed too like it was the first time. This game is a weird gem, so hope you enjoy it all the way, with pause and curiousity, silky, smooth
You made the right call! It's definitely the odd duck of the bunch, but why ever wouldn't you make up your own mind about it lol? It's actually got my favorite combat of the bunch, only gripe is some areas are overcrowded with enemies to a ridiculous degree. The BIGGEST thing worth noting is that dodge rolling is controlled by a stat in this game, and that stat is Adaptability. This raises your agility, which makes you invincible longer when you roll (which is obviously very important). It's a good idea to prioritize getting ADP to 20 as quick as possible, and you can go a bit higher if you want, but 100 is the cap for agility so just keep an eye on that. Enjoy!
H&M! It looks like it's sold out online though 😭 it's very comfortable and has been such a hit irl haha! Somehow people get that it's a hedge even from the front which is cool
I love that intro so much just to say. Sotfs was my first souls game and I loved the treasure hunt aspect even at first. I never was into story games or dark souls before but a friend was and we’d do coop at his place. Years of nostalgia after got me to try again and soulsborne has been fun since
Hexes scale off of whichever of your faith and intelligence is lower, basically meaning that you want to level them equally. I'd say focus on just INT until you get some hexes and then figure that out later.
I love this game so much, it's genuinely one of my preferred souls games so it's so great to see you giving it a fair shot! Also a handful of basic, no-spoiler tips below if you want them: Later on you'll unlock the way to re-spec your character, so don't worry about doing stuff wrong. Exploring and trying new things is encouraged! Attunement (ATN) is an important stat for a caster for at least 4 reasons, 1. it increases the amount of spells you can attune (you can equip multiple of the same spell if you want and if you find/buy more), 2. it increases amount of casts per attunement, 3. it slightly increases your agility stat (AGL in the 3rd column you see when levelling) which will give you better rolling i-frames and make you use certain items (e.g. estus) slightly faster and 4. will slightly increase cast speed. Typically I'd recommend adaptability (ADP) to new players, but adaptability is essentially the physical fighter version of attunement in DS2, they both increase agility but they each have more specialised bonuses otherwise. It's not as important to level vigor (VGR) as every stat will slightly increase your max HP, although of course vigor will increase it the most. Vitality (VIT) is the stat you want if you want to increase equip load in DS2, not endurance (END) like it was in DS1. The torch is more useful than you might first think, some areas are VERY dark (not quite DS1-tomb-of-the-giants dark, but close).
its just cool to hate on DS2 because Miyazaki didn't create it but the game is still a souls game at heart and a great experience. At the very least if you are going to play the series in full you can decide for yourself.
The part you were reading about the Human Effigy limiting online interactions is what happens when you burn it in a bonfire. Using the item will make you human and allow summoning and invasions.
![The Last Giant! - Dark Souls 2 [2]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/k4Jj1AI1pPE/mqdefault.jpg)
![The Last Giant! - Dark Souls 2 [2]](/img/tr.png)
![So The Pursuer pursued me... Dark Souls 2 [3]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/MBH55w-FMvo/mqdefault.jpg)
![This is so COOL - My first time playing Half Life! [1]](/img/n.gif)
Good luck! I feel this Souls game is criminally underated, it's quite different to the others but has a lot of fun and challenging stuff
what is my elderly irish dad doing here
@@whimsicality_index sharing a great opinion, clearly.
@@whimsicality_indexunderrated comment 😂
Legend
well well well... if it isn't the drift king himself
Majula is the best hub in all the Souls games in my opinion. The music, the waves tumbling through the stone obelisks, and the gorgeous vistas in nearly every direction.
There's no question about this. It is simply fact
And of course the three little piggies from hell.
@@ytmndan Which caused my first death in the souls series....yay.
@d00mnoodle24 Yes its not an opinion, it is objective fact.
@ytmndan such a great intro to DS2. Gotta love it
YAAAAY! Really hope you'll like it! It's atmosphere is sometimes unreal. The pace is slower but it's part of the identity.
judge me, but this is my favorite dark souls game
Hey, I get it. It's the biggest and most elaborate of the DS games. 3 is definitely more polished, but 2's experimentation has a lot of charm!
I loved ds2. Ds3 was honestly boring to me and ds1 pvp was just people backfliping and backstabbing. Ds2 had the best pvp by far imo.
I have replayed it the most in the series. I think about it more than the others and enjoy the mood of it
@@PotatoPatatoVonSpudsworth this game manages to balance the dark atmosphere of the souls universe very well, and the PVP was awesome!
@@amartyrsfallsbassist5914 the poison build of the other souls game was very disappointing to me, but in the dark souls 2 the poison build was so good lol
One major thing to note is that invincibility frames aren't the same as in Dark Souls I, they're really low unless you upgrade the ADP stat so that your Agility around 100, then it's back to what it was in DSI
If you don't do this, you'll find lingering hitboxes often hit you when you think they shouldn't
I think it also affects how long the flask animation is, not sure about other items though.
Commenting for visibility!
They're not that low. It's still much more generous than i-framing attacks in Monster Hunter World without Evasion, for example. If you're used to doing that, 95 is plenty.
@@sarahIcommentedNah DS2 has a lot less Iframes at the start compared to monster hunter world. Worlds combat however is very different, attacks require more commitment, bosses have beathy health bars for an almost mmo like experience, they attack far less often, they run away also but that's okay because the damage you take is mostly less unless you're fighting something far beyond your equipment stats. The games are just balanced differently. Not to mention there's always a timer, so aggression takes priority over dodging sometimes.
This comment should be pinned! That can be a matter if life and death!!
BOSS SPOILERS:
I couldn't beat Fume Knight without putting enough points into ADP! It was ridiculous! I had to quit DS2 for 2 years, then come back to beat after learning to dodge everything!
51:50
ah yes, the good ol majula seppuku cult, leaving bloodstains all over the safe area area solely to confuse new players XD gotta love em, they never get old
Confused the f**k out of me for quite a while. Can't even remember how I figured out that I was getting messed with lol trolling at its finest
I HAVE NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE HOW EXCITED I AM FOR THIS SERIES!!!!!!! I actually felt a chill down my spine when I saw it pop up on my feed. So excited for you to experience this game!!!!
Glad to see you trying out DS2 Amber! A small tip that the game doesn't ever explain (as far as I'm aware), but in the vast majority of cases "illusory walls" are not opened by attacking them, but by pressing the interact button next to them. This is helpful because durability is an actual factor in this game :P
I'm happy that you decided to play ds2 and not skip it. Hope you'll enjoy it
I always love your editing additions! All the little touches like zooming, the little animations you put in! They don't go unnoticed! They really show that effort and care and give me the sense that you must be having fun while editing and maybe even laughing to yourself lol
So excited for this series! Also INCREDIBLY jealous of your simpsons merch. That’s such a funny sweater
I just finished your DS1 series and I am glad to see that you decided to play DS2 as well. The intro with all the conflicting comments on DS2 was very funny.
A massively growing community will always bring in some percentage of people that are dissatisfied no matter what choice you make.
In the end, the videos will always be at their best when you are playing the game you want to play.
Omg a 2 hour DS2 video by one of my favorite content creators!!!! You have made my day!!!
Thank you for playing this. I still think it would be a shame to miss this game.
Thank you
Hey hey,
fast explanation on Adaptability. The more ADP u have the more i-frame u got. i-frame is the time u are invincible while u are rolling. In DS a fast roll is 13 i-frames, mid roll is 11 i-frames and fat roll is 9 i-frames long. Here is a table, so u know:
ADP iFrames Seconds
85 5 0.1667
86 8 0.2667
88 9 0.3
92 10 0.3333
96 11 0.3667
99 12 0.4
105 13 0.4333
111 14 0.4667
114 15 0.5
116 16 0.5333
Been a fan of yours since the Hollow Knight let's play. Love your channel and I'm glad to see you tackling all the Souls games, very excited to see this series.
Oh, three (non-spoiler) tips for this game, hidden walls in this game work different from the other games of the series, instead of rolling/hitting the wall you have to interact with it. Get close to it and then press X.
The ADP and your Attunement stat both will help raise your Iframe when rolling and evading, but the Attunement levels less per points distributed.
The last hint is regarding your class. I love playing mages not just in Souls games, but on almost any other games as well. My tip for the Dark Souls 2 (and 3, you if you do so too, in the future) is that there are 4 main casting schools (kinda). Sorcery, Miracles, Piromancy and Hexes.
Sorcery and Miracles are straightfoward, you go full int or faith and thats about it. The others differ though.
Piromancy and Hexes scales with both faith and int and Hexes also will depend on the type of spell you want to cast, some need a staff to cast while others need a chime/talisman. This may sound complicated but it's not really that bad to get the hang of it, also, as far as i know, in the main game at least, almost no enemy has resistance to dark damage, pretty cool.
Oh, and one more thing, if you happen to regret spending points in a particular stat or just want to try new thing mid game, you can respec in DS2, so, don't be afraid to explore and good game!
Adding to this, Try to get copies of the same spell at higher levels to have more to traverse through the game. You will start feeling kinda weak specially since you start very limited on spell count but as you progress you will be able to kite bosses quite well. Your bread and butter will be for the longest time Soul Arrows. Great and Great Heavy are going to be incredible at higher INT stats. If you wanna go up close, and decide to invest into a magic weapon the ol' Moonlight Greatsword wont fail you as it can shoot projectiles.
non spoiler? bruh, how tf is that not spoiler? you are literally spoiling game mechanics
Oh was I waiting for this.
This game really has this whole atmosphere that other souls don't have, I don't know how to explain it but I just loved it for that.
Hope you'll enjoy !
The damage of Hexes scales with the "Dark Bonus" attribute on your character sheet, which is increased by both Intelligence and Faith. Intelligence and Faith also increases the duration of certain Hexes, depending on what tool(staff or chime) is used to cast them.
Specifically, Dark Bonus scales on the LOWER of your int/faith, so you have to level them in sync to get the best benefit.
Also increasing faith and int makes pyromancy better and fits the lore with dark and light being opposites and yet similar also great if an enemy is resistant to dark
i watched a few vids of someone playing this game with a hex build and it was too op and boring to watch.
he just kept spamming those same hex balls over and over and they give you so many he never even came close to running out.
i honestly have no idea how anyone can enjoy playing these games like that. i'm not a great souls player, but i like these games largely for the challenge. when you find your own easy mode like that, it eliminates the point.
@@Jack_80 that's because they only used dark orb. There are so many other hexes you can use all are very cool and fun. Its all in the play style and interacting with the abilities.
Came to say this. More people should like so she can see this tip. It's literally the most important thing for hexes to balance your int and fth
I really appreciate the little edits like 24:17 moving the camera to show the full menu, it's a very nice touch
Yay! Dark Souls 2 is so amazing! Currently doing my own run through again and while it can be frustrating and ganky at times (just like 1 and 3) it's still such a beautiful game.
YESSSSSSSSSSSS! I've been waiting for this! Thank you for the upload! Been missing dark souls.
Yesss thank you for not skipping DS2
So excited to see another Dark Souls playthrough! I've only played DS3, but you're making want to go back and play the previous games. Love your videos!
TIP: Attunement also boosts agility which is the substat that boosts rolling, because of that you need less adp as a spellcaster.
Because of this I beat the game multiple times as a spellcaster without ever putting a single point in adp. I wouldn't necessarily recommend doing the same, it will likely be easier getting adp up at least a little.
Well Played! You have made it to the Cardinal Bonfire in this episode. Your attention to details is very good (once again). Illusionary walls are activated by the "X" button on PS, as opposed to attacking/rolling into them. Looking forward to the next. Thanks for your edits/work which are hilarious!
all these years and i never knew you could roll into illusionary walls, i thought you had to strike them.
Jesus christ why did everybody spoil the game nonchalant
@@TheRhalf telling her you don't strike the walls you hit x so she's not whacking away at every wall is spoiling it?
i'm no fan of people spoiling games but that's not a spoiler. telling her where to go or strategies for boss fights and things like that are spoiling the game.
Yes, it is, you literally explained a game mechanic @@Jack_80
oh my sweet lord. super happy you’re doing this you have no idea. do NOT be afraid to look things up for this one. good luck amber!
also i LOVE the jacket.
You're just the best. I'm very much looking forward to more Souls with you and experiencing these games through your eyes. You see things I never noticed and it's so cool!
Important tip: if you hit the chests enough times (was it 3?) They will break and you lose the loot inside them.
Only the wooden chests tho, the iron chests are indestructible.
Depends on weapon damage. 2h greatsword can oneshot wooden chest even without upgrades
This is facts accidentally blew up a chest near an exploding chest or something and lost the loot lol 😂 😅
This and the role of ADP are two vital details the game fails to bring to your attention. I was well into my playthrough before I began to wonder why I was getting so much rubbish from chests. Further along, I couldn't understand why melee combat seemed so impossible until I googled for help.
Only if you didn't open it before you break it.
YAY! so excited for this series! HAHA the intro is too real
The opening cinematic is something else. And the Majula theme too
YASSS!!! Finally! I've been so excited for this playthru. As someone who found your channel thru Bloodborne watching you play from soft games is a joy to watch.
Ooooooh how have i waited! I'm so hyped to relive all the games, this one included!
I do so love that intro cutscene and how it explains hollowing causing you to lose your memory and grow madder and madder.
I am so glad you're giving DS2 a try! Its good to get your own opinion on the matter and I know some people ended up really liking it. It does a lot of really cool stuff, especially in terms of theme and symbolism. I know a lot of people (myself included) see DS2 as a birth/self discovery allegory. There's a lot of fun stuff, and I'm excited to follow along with you!
My dear Amber, I honestly tell you, what a fantastic 2023 you have had, without a doubt I say it, you are my gamer of the year and you know you deserve all the success, you have worked hard for it and you have well earned it.
And as if you haven't pleasantly surprised me in this year, that you starting this game is like the cherry on top of the cake. Dark Souls 2 is a great game, that no one invents the contrary.
Just level adaptability, stick to your sorceress build, sure you will enjoy it, trust your instincts and have a great time.
You are fantastic, I admire you a lot, from a gamergirl from Mexico City =)
What a great year, and we hope your 2024 will be EVEN BETTER.
The creativity in the combat encounter design created through the placement and management of multiple enemies makes this my favourite Dark Souls!
I just love this series and love your lets plays! Just glad to see you playing another game I've played! Personally this happened to be my first dark souls game and I think it has a lot to love. Enjoy!!!
This was my first Souls and still one of my favs♥
Yay, really happy you’re playing DS2 - it low key ended up being my favourite of the series. Hope you have a lot of fun with this!
I’m so glad you’re playing this. Most people skip DS2. Also illusionary walls are activated by the action button not attacks. Another great video! You’re amazing and I love you!! ❤️
Yay! I am so excited for this series. I just finished my first play through a couple of months ago and I think you will do great with it
Great episode, as always! Your editing makes the videos much more entertaining to watch! And yes, Dark Souls get even more difficult when your hands and feet start falling asleep! 😛
This was really relaxing to watch, looking forward to see more of this series!
Looking forward to this series! Too many people skip DS2, so good playthroughs of it are hard to find.
But if you find good creators ds2 playthroughs are the best. Cannot count how many times I rewatched Playframe Dan ds2 series, and TBSkyen analitical playthrough of it is some of his best work to date!
So many playthroughs have people just complaining game is bad! When they fail or rush, repeating the common hate (which 90% is false and debunked)
Nice! It's my favorite game of the Dark Souls series. I hope you have fun with it.
I just finished this game as my first in the Dark Souls series and I absolutely loved it.
I hope you enjoy the game as well, despite its flaws!
Love what you do!
I have played nearly every souls-like and love the way you play the games, keep doing what you do!
I'm so glad you're playing this game. This is my favorite Dark Souls entry and one of my favorite games of all time. I think your play style will reward you greatly because Dark souls 2 hides many secrets deep within and allows the player the most freedom amongst playstyles. Bear seek seek lest!
EDIT: Just watched to your basilisk preview. This is gonna be a good playthrough, haha.
Bear seek seek lest indeed 😌
@symbalily I can't fully express the warmth I feel when watching this. Enjoy Majula and it's soothing tones
Always in awe of how damn good the intro cinematic is to this game
This is awesome, I'm so glad you decided to give it a shot!
I'm so happy that you're playing this! I have a feeling you'll stay determined to it and ignore the naysayers! 💗
And i'm excited that you chose to play a sorcerer! It may be tough at times, lol, but sorceries (and hexes) are insanely powerful in DS2! Moreso than DS1 imo. It requires more skill to use effectively but it's much stronger because of things like cast speed and ways you can buff yourself to do more magic damage. Either way, I just hope you enjoy your first playthrough! 🙂
This is the best Souls game. Very excited for you to explore it :) Glad it's got off to a good start, but as you note, the music and the vibes are just incredibly good.
This game's weird. I know it's my least favorite souls, but it's the one I keep coming back to again and again. I feel like it's the amount of secrets and little things that I love.
Man same, DS2 just has a certain charm about it that's SO alluring.
@@nebkyyou will find yourself in the land called drangleic without ever knowing why...
True, I enjoyed replaying ds2 much more than replaying ds3
@@vojtechspinler6363 I've played several different builds in ds2 and they all have their strengths and weaknesses but ds3 more often then not I'm playing the same character. Ds2 and elden ring I think has the best build capabilities.
Awesome! I'm so excited for this. Good luck!
Amber you are single handedly making me want to play dark souls fully for the first time. Ive played demons souls, bloodborne and a bit of elden ring and LOVED them but never got into dark souls much yet.
You really should! They are more similar to Demon Souls than Bloodborne or elden ring, but they have given me thousands of hours of fun!
Love your videos, I also started DS 2 right now, after finishing remastered. Really laughed hard at the intro and the little edits!
Joining the chorus of people excited to see you play this game. Yes, it has its flaws, but it is still genuinely a very good game that holds a very special place in my heart as the first bit of fromsoft I ever experienced
I hope you have as great a time with this one as I did!
I know I'm a bit late but I have to say bravo to the editing and switching the camera around so none of the inventory is obscured. Nice attention to detail.
Thank you for returning to the Dark Souls Amber series! You were muuuuuuch better than me in my first play hahaha.
I think the same thing, she is way better than me too. I died many time before I could kill the big hippo.
Nice intro! Good luck with this one, I have never finished it, but I have enjoyed what I have played of it. It's fun. Excited for you to play 3 after!!! 3 is AMAZING!
I've been so excited for you to start playing DS2. I saw one of my comments in the intro there, haha. I'm glad you're playing Scholar, since it's the version I played myself. 😁 I'm one of the rare weirdos who adores DS2, as I mentioned before I absolutely love the (say the line, Bart!) impeccable dreamlike vibes it has. As I mentioned before, it does experiment with quite a few things do various degrees of success, but I feel like because of your experience in the games industry and you being a very patient person with these games, you have a higher chance of enjoying this one and finding those things interesting rather than maddening, haha.
GOD I LOVE THAT INTRO CINEMATIC SO MUCH
Also, I believe I was the person to suggest playing a Hexer, since it's a very versatile build that does pyromancy, sorcery, _and_ miracles. I'd say that you'll be fine playing as a Sorcerer (it's what I started as IIRC), and you'll come across gear and spells that lean towards the Hexer with time. :)
Dark Souls 2 is such a nice game. Yes, it misses something Dark Souls 1 has and it misses something Dark Souls 3 has. But Dark Souls 3 misses something Dark Souls 2 has, and so does Dark Souls 1 (even though that's the best of the bunch to me). Dark Souls 2 also has a lot more exploration than the third game.
@@Thirteen13551355 I think my favourite Dark Souls bits are probably in the final DLC for Dark Souls 3, but a lot of that comes from it *kind of* getting some of the dreamlike vibes of DS2 in there, if that makes sense.
This is my favourite souls game for atmosphere and story, combat takes getting used to but it's fine once you're into it. Have fun!
cant wait for the rest of this series. this is the toughest of the 3 dark souls in my opinion. the original DS2 was my first ever souls game too. glad to see youre enjoying it, youre doing great! unpopular opinion but this is my favorite of the dark souls and its the only one i have gotten a Platinum Trophy on! Theres a key item for the sorcerer in Majula just look around really hard and every edge. it will help you out alot for ranged battles. Fun fact is that my first playthrough of this game i was a Sorcerer as well :) if you want a hex build u will need faith as well but its a very advanced way to go and takes alot of levels to be good. as a sorcerer i went mainly Int and Attunement.
I've been playing along with your series since DS1. Thanks for being part of my ds journey
Between DS1 and DS2, I actually kinda enjoy DS2 more, since there are SO many branching paths, and I'm a sucker for exploration. I'm pretty hyped to see how you approach this game! :D
while this may not be my personal favorite of the bunch, im still excited to be able to watch a new cozy souls playthrough from you!! the first two playthroughs were full of great moments and im sure this one will be too.
Whatever I think of DS2 altogether, I love Majula. One important thing about secret walls, they don't work the same in this game. I wish I'd known that at the start...
I understand some of the criticism of this game, but I still love it.. and I hope you do too.
holy shit wasn’t expecting this!! Dark Souls 2 was my first ever souls experience back in like 2015, I have so much love and appreciation for this game despite it’s flaws. The development was pretty hellish from what I recall so the fact that we even got a game in the first place is amazing, especially one of this quality. It’s sandwiched between absolute masterpieces in my opinion (Dark Souls 1 and Bloodborne) so the community is bound to do comparisons and although I do believe Dark Souls 2 is the weakest of the entries, there’s an undeniable charm. There’s no world where it’s simply a bad game like some people would want you to believe, not by a long shot. I remember playing this for the first time and never experiencing anything like it. I remember dreaming about exploring more of the world, I was so invested. This game is what got me into fromsoft in general and I am so glad it did, these are my favorite games ever. There’s no doubt you’re going to feel it’s frustrations but to be fair you’d feel that in any fromsoftware game lol. Hope you have fun!! 🎉
Pretty much the same for me, this was my first Fromsoft title and it's still the one I've played the most.
This game does have a silly amount of hidden stuff and I really like the huge variety of cool weapons and spells in this as well.
People shit on the devs when in reality they did a godly job under the worst conditions possible (for those not in the know, their production time and crew were halved as the project was canibalized for bloodborne, after they created most of the area assets but before they programed things in fully. People say so often things like "it lacks Miyazaki's charm/vision" when in reality he and the suits killed it for their own projects. Despite all his works being good I can't forgive him for stealing the potential this game had.
I've seen III played a good number of times but don't remember that much about II so I'm really looking forward to your playthrough! Hope you have fun!
majula is probably my favourite hub area, the music is so good!
it's been so cool seeing you grow as an editor, there are so many fun editing moments in this video that got me, you've gotten so good at it!
great first ep! really excited for this, dark souls 2 has a very cool vibe and atmosphere that i think you'll really like, excited for the next one!! (also that jacket is *everything* lmao)
It's always so refreshing to watch you immerse yourself so well right off the bat
OMG! Glad you are starting another Souls game!
Yes, 😅 DS2 is a bit different... I've played every other game at minimum level with other challenges added, but my first DS2 play is still unfinished lol
Its mainly just that it plays a bit different, I got into Bloodborne easily and Dark Souls 1/ Demons Souls were just a minor adjustment with slightly older controls, but this game has a different control engine thats a bit hard to get used too...
Good Luck! 🎉
That opening was so hilarious, God I love this channel. :D :D :D Can't wait to see more!
I don't remember if you ever did this with your pyromancer in Dark Souls 1 but attuning multiple copies of the same spell gives you more casts.
For example attuning two copies of Soul Arrow will give you 60 casts instead of 30.
LET'S GOOO my favborite dark souls !!!
I have been looking forward to this playthrough for a while, its well worth playing, even if the quality is a bit off. It has it's own uniqueness.
Great video! Love to see someone enjoying DS2. It's my personal favorite, but nostalgia was involved-I'm really interested in seeing how you like it after DS1 and the masterpiece that is Bloodborne. Have fun! 🙂
So happy to see you actually playing this. Do not listen to those who says skip. They never learnt adaptability or healing stones lol.
The day has finally come. Super excited for this. More so than ds1.
Seeing those big swords hopefully you dabble a bit in them. Tons of great weapons in this game.
Looking forward to this playthrough. I feel sorcery is more fun in this game compared to the others.
Happy travels, Hollow.
Scholar of the First Sin was in fact my first ever experience with the Souls series (not my first FromSoft tho). Still stands as my favorite. I think the overall atmosphere, and especially Majula, was a big part of that. Also the combat in Souls isn't what draws me in, it's the labyrinth-like exploration / discovery, and DS2 just gives so much to sink your teeth into
I am so excited! This is my favorite one. I much prefer the slower combat of this and the first one, but this one has less jank! I hope you like it as well.
That beginning caught me off guard, I almost choke. I'm so happy, can't wait to watch your playthrough
„It’s all gone to shit so fast!“ - Welcome to Dark Souls 2 a.k.a. „Ambush - The Game“. 😂
If you have trouble with managing more than one enemy, you’re gonna have a bad time in this game lol.
A couple of things:
- Illusory Walls are "Press X" to activate them in DS2.
- You can use more than one lifegem at a time.
- Most enemy spawns are finite in this game. If you're having trouble in a certain area, you can keep killing them until they stop respawning.
- If you join the Covenant of Champions in Majula, enemies will keep spawning until you leave the Covenant. Useful if you're after certain loot or need more souls, just remember to abandone the covenant once you're done as it also makes the enemies much stronger.
Great first episode and a perfect wardrobe choice!
Is so nice to watch how you amaze discovering any detail. I played your video just for curiosity but then I couldn't avoyd to watch it all. I love this game, so misterious an existecialist. Recently I started my 2nd run after years and I was impressed too like it was the first time. This game is a weird gem, so hope you enjoy it all the way, with pause and curiousity, silky, smooth
You made the right call! It's definitely the odd duck of the bunch, but why ever wouldn't you make up your own mind about it lol? It's actually got my favorite combat of the bunch, only gripe is some areas are overcrowded with enemies to a ridiculous degree. The BIGGEST thing worth noting is that dodge rolling is controlled by a stat in this game, and that stat is Adaptability. This raises your agility, which makes you invincible longer when you roll (which is obviously very important). It's a good idea to prioritize getting ADP to 20 as quick as possible, and you can go a bit higher if you want, but 100 is the cap for agility so just keep an eye on that. Enjoy!
I'm here to agree with the Adaptability comment. It will make the game much more enjoyable to play overall!
Great video, hope you'reenjoying. I'm also on my first playthrough of DS2. Loving it at the moment
Absolutely brilliant intro! Where did you get that simpsons sweater?
H&M! It looks like it's sold out online though 😭 it's very comfortable and has been such a hit irl haha! Somehow people get that it's a hedge even from the front which is cool
Ah thats too bad its sold out. I hope the RE4R situation resolves itself!
(Those creatures are called basilisks by the way)
I love that intro so much just to say.
Sotfs was my first souls game and I loved the treasure hunt aspect even at first. I never was into story games or dark souls before but a friend was and we’d do coop at his place. Years of nostalgia after got me to try again and soulsborne has been fun since
I'm sure you'll beat this no problem 💪🙂
Hope you have fun 👍
Hexes scale off of whichever of your faith and intelligence is lower, basically meaning that you want to level them equally. I'd say focus on just INT until you get some hexes and then figure that out later.
Ds1: the world connectivity
Ds2: the pvp, NG+ experience
Ds3: the quality of life, and graphics
Ds 3 bosses and combat
I love this game so much, it's genuinely one of my preferred souls games so it's so great to see you giving it a fair shot! Also a handful of basic, no-spoiler tips below if you want them:
Later on you'll unlock the way to re-spec your character, so don't worry about doing stuff wrong. Exploring and trying new things is encouraged!
Attunement (ATN) is an important stat for a caster for at least 4 reasons, 1. it increases the amount of spells you can attune (you can equip multiple of the same spell if you want and if you find/buy more), 2. it increases amount of casts per attunement, 3. it slightly increases your agility stat (AGL in the 3rd column you see when levelling) which will give you better rolling i-frames and make you use certain items (e.g. estus) slightly faster and 4. will slightly increase cast speed.
Typically I'd recommend adaptability (ADP) to new players, but adaptability is essentially the physical fighter version of attunement in DS2, they both increase agility but they each have more specialised bonuses otherwise.
It's not as important to level vigor (VGR) as every stat will slightly increase your max HP, although of course vigor will increase it the most.
Vitality (VIT) is the stat you want if you want to increase equip load in DS2, not endurance (END) like it was in DS1.
The torch is more useful than you might first think, some areas are VERY dark (not quite DS1-tomb-of-the-giants dark, but close).
its just cool to hate on DS2 because Miyazaki didn't create it but the game is still a souls game at heart and a great experience. At the very least if you are going to play the series in full you can decide for yourself.
He was involved with a small bit of the bass game and some of the DLC
The part you were reading about the Human Effigy limiting online interactions is what happens when you burn it in a bonfire. Using the item will make you human and allow summoning and invasions.