Design A Shield For Dark Souls II

[Earnest Cavalli]

Design A Shield For Dark Souls II

Namco Bandai wants you to create a piece of equipment for the upcoming Dark Souls II.

When Namco Bandai first started to promote the original Dark Souls, it struck upon the idea of hyping the game by asking players to design a shield for inclusion within the title's armory. This made a lot of sense as shields are basically flat hunks of metal with plenty of space for creative heraldry (or, as the results of that contest proved, worryingly detailed drawings of male genitalia).

Now, with the original Dark Souls officially a huge success [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/123255-Dark-Souls-Sells-2-3-Million-Copies?utm_source=postit&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=all] Namco Bandai has understandably decided to repeat the "Design A Shield" promotion for its upcoming sequel.

Interested? Joining the contest is simple. Just visit the official Dark Souls II Facebook page [https://www.facebook.com/darksouls/app_183958555087382] between May 13 and May 20 to submit your design. The community will then vote on its favorite designs, with the final six being selected by the development team at From Software for inclusion in the game.

Obvious inspirations for this contest will come from medieval Europe, so might I suggest thinking outside the box a bit? Dark Souls takes place in its own, relatively unique fantasy setting, where the most heroic figure is effectively a shambling corpse, right? So why not design something to reflect that? If you want to go highbrow you could create a shield reminiscent of a classic memento mori piece - skulls within eyeballs and what not - though it might be more fitting to throw together an anatomically correct close-up of a zombie's crotch.

This is the internet, after all. Pictures of dude-junk are basically currency around here.

Source: Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/darksouls/app_183958555087382]

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[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

I'm interested in this. Does anyone have any idea which program I could use? I don't have Photoshop.

 

[Quazimofo]

I'm interested in this. Does anyone have any idea which program I could use? I don't have Photoshop.

Pencil paper and a scanner? Can't help ya more sorry, I'm not the artistic type so I am not aware of the assorted art-related computer programs.

Always preferred pencil and paper, or clay or paintbrush etc., to electronic alternatives. If only I was any good.
But at least I can feel like I'm good at painting by painting pre-sculpted miniatures from dudes like GW, PP, Mantic et al.

 

[Earnest Cavalli]

I'm interested in this. Does anyone have any idea which program I could use? I don't have Photoshop.

http://www.gimp.org/

 

[Gormech]

Gimp2's good freeware if you need something to draw with.
I can't draw to begin with so ... meh.

It should be a shield shaped like the kite shield, medium variety, with a pendant in the center. Undead hands should be reaching up from below with a humanity on the pendant's design, showing their need for it while the image of a face going away to either side shows the living's apathy for it. It'd be a nice mix of trolling, Dark Souls lore, and could carry some kind of special effect along the lines of increasing drop rate or something.

 

[Scars Unseen]

I imagine this year the majority of the results will be a mix of heraldic dicks and Game of Thrones house arms.

 

[thesilentman]

Yay, now I can use my art skills! Finally I can break that art block that's been plaguing me for the last few months. The last time I drew was for Artorias. Boy that stank. -.-

 

[weirdee]

The trick is to draw the phallus in such a way that you can't really tell what it is unless you look at it hard enough. For instance, the Greendale Community College flag.

 

[Terminate421]

I'm doing it. I have a sweet idea.

 

[The]

The trick is to draw the phallus in such a way that you can't really tell what it is unless you look at it hard enough. For instance, the Greendale Community College flag.

"E Pluribus Anus", it will say, and no one will notice.

 

[Chinchama]

Does anyone know if you are restricted to the template and basically are just designing a logo, or can you add and subtract to the shape? I think it would be more interesting to create something other than a square.

 

[Terratina.]

But this requires effort. EFFORT.

The fact that it is going to be decided by popular vote doesn't give me much of a chance anyway.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Too bad I never bother to keep up with my drawing skill otherwise I would of entered. I wonder how many bright colours or wacky shield designs we will see?

 

[Incomer]

Somebody needs to draw unicorn puking rainbows on pink background. And call it shield of eternal friendship or something.

 

[teknoarcanist]

Does anyone know if you are restricted to the template and basically are just designing a logo, or can you add and subtract to the shape? I think it would be more interesting to create something other than a square.

The shape has to stay the way it is, and you have to stick to the template for your region.

But this requires effort. EFFORT.

The fact that it is going to be decided by popular vote doesn't give me much of a chance anyway.

It's not, actually. FROM is going to pick the 6 that get included in-game from among the 30 highest-voted. Although the 3 highest-voted still get prizes (signed game), without being included in the game. This seems like the ideal situation, because, yknow, otherwise we'd be seeing shields with My Little Pony or Goatse on them.

Anyway.

I designed one!
https://apps.facebook.com/darksoulsii/?gallery&action=view&id=473

Gib votes plz

 

[Hero in a half shell]

I made one too:

Behold the mighty shield of Fury!

Spoiler

 

[Genocidicles]

No need for a contest. They just need to make this mod official:

 

[SlaveNumber23]

Well I don't have any cool visual designs on my mind but for a pretty unique shield idea what about a bullfighter's cloak which doesn't block any damage but while you block with it you hold it out to the side and when enemies target you the target's center is on the cape instead of on you as it usually would be. I think it would be cool, would protect you from more narrow thrusting or ranged attacks and would be quite challenging to use.

 

[Blue Cheetah]

Here's my design, a shield reinforced with dragon scales. http://apps.facebook.com/darksoulsii/?gallery&action=view&id=1447