Dark Souls II

Thank you based Namco Bandai for the Xbox sale for what many people consider the weak link in the series. Can't comment on the level design yet but the combat is still largely the sa--wait why's my catalyst losing durability and why do spells cost stamina. I wanted to cheese the game but I guess this just means I can't spam as much as I used to :v

Fall damage is going to be killer. I can see it already. 1st death in the game at the hands of that jump tutorial because gravity is still the toughest boss ever

Weapons degrade fast AF; were they expecting sword and board players to parry+riposte every mook possible?

On the brightside I can make a hawt gurl now. Something to look at for all the few minutes I'm deciding what to wear :D

What else...Stamina isn't tied to equip load (ewww...) and while the combat physics are the same, mook behavior makes it more hectic

I know there's a few cases of s***ty Bonfire placement (like right next to mooks) for bad level design but that's it

Aside from that, very early in the game...yeah it's about what I expected. Roughly the same control scheme and mechanics with different levels. ...Hey if it ain't broke don't fix it :s

I have more problems with stamina in this game than I did in DS

Stamina in this game is a pain in the ass. You can barely run four steps before it runs out. Also upgrade Adaptability until you feel comfortable with the dodging.

Otherwise I think it's a great game. Have fun!

Agl to 100 is where 90% of people are at 'cause it's lowish lvl investment & gets decent rolls.

I suggest get that much agl before facing smelter demon, he's in the first half of iron keep, oh & a change to equip load 70%+ equip load = fat rolls.

No they probably didn't really expect that I think, you don't really need a shield for much of this game once you know it though.

& there are ways to slow down degradation of weapons & armor

Good luck, & watch out for the lost sinner if you're without patches.

Stamina Management is key in this game. Stamina costs per action is a lot higher than every other Soulbourne game, so you need to be methodical and cautious in your play.

Shields were too stronk in DkS1, so they're somewhat "trimmed" in their power in this game. Yes, there're still powerful shields in the game, but they're all late game shields, and most early-to-mid game shields are quite... lackluster. They still function just fine, but compared to how they were in DkS1 you'd be amazed at how weaker they're now. IMHO, it's better to raise your Agility ASAP and just rely on rolling most of the time. There's even a boss in one of the DLC's that heavily punishes blocking based playstyle (greatshield users got owned).

Weapon durability may seem like a problem now, but as you go deeper it may become better. If you can afford to, carry a backup weapon to switch when your main one is running low. You'll also find some rings that reduce the rate of durability wear, so those might come in handy if you need them. IIRC, the repair powders are somewhat more common than DkS1, so it might be worth it to carry some in case of emergency. But more importantly, try not to overswing during combat; I heard that the excessive durability loss usually comes from swinging your weapon at an enemy who's in a death animation, so stop swinging once you land that killing blow.

Good luck. And hope you enjoy your stay in Drangleic.

If you are looking for a solid early game shield the drangleic shield is a beast. 100 physical defence that early is great until you get more comfortable dodging. It's a good last line of defence without having the extra carry weight of a great shield.

once you have enough stamina to roll 3-4x it's not such an issue. There's also equipment to increase the regen rate to make it easier to manage.

Or if, like me, you get to the Bastille before beating the Pursuer, you can buy the Royal Kite Shield.

dragonrider - skeleton lords - covetous demon - mytha, the baneful queen - 13 alonne knights + ember - flexile sentry - royal kite shield
OR
Kill pursuer, put 4 extra points into str, have a 100% 'til you get the ember & RKS.

Both Drangleic Shield and Kite Shield are excellent options from early games.

However, that being said, the choices and overall power of early-to-mid game shields in DkS2 pale in compared to their counterparts in DkS1. DkS1 had plenty of good shields that you could get right out the gate depending on the starting class that you chose.

Plus, increased stamina cost per action in DkS2 really made early game shields somewhat lackluster.

My point was that there are solid early game shields. Shields you get later on are less important because you shouldn't really be using them as much you should be more comfortable dodging, two handing or dual welding weapons. A shield will likely be used as a last resort when stamina and hp is low when in that case I couldn't see the advantage of a heavy more balanced shield over an early game drangleic or kite shield...this is just general pve though obviously pvp is a different kettle of fish where human players are for less predictable than most of the enemies.