Requesting a Dark Souls 2 Mentor

[Zydrate]

An acquaintance here at Escapist sold me on the idea of Dark Souls 2. This is a franchise I've been avoiding largely due to its fame of difficulty. I do not like difficulty, I like experiences.

But he, and many others, often extol this game for being a beacon of gaming. So I went ahead and dropped 40$, and I want it to count.

My current experience is thus;

~30 minutes of play with the keyboard and mouse. Died a few times. Mostly from fall damage. Then again from a big knight guy who did this three-swing attack that would instantly kill me if I stood in it. Returning to him, I dodged one flurry, hit him a few times, dodged again, but the back end of his sword on his third attack hit me somehow and I died again.

Then my 360 controller came in the mail at last, but the experience has not improved.
Mostly because I don't know how to do anything. The control "settings" still point towards my keyboard and clicking. The tutorial stones in the beginning mostly just tell me how to move. None of this helps. I figured all this out just by pressing buttons when you load up a new game to begin with.

I'm told (via Extra Credits) that one of the ways you can make DS2 easier is by starting out as a Sorcerer. I did that, but I'm given a melee staff and 30 "Soul Arrows" which I cannot seem to use. I was instructed to use the D-pad to "Select" them, but my X buttons just keeps using my Life Gems up. So... I hope those aren't too important because I'm down to 4 already. Though I'm not averse to simply restarting all over again since all my save files are 20 minutes old.

Youtube has failed me. Google has failed me. It's all about how to "fix" the control schemes but nothing seems to be out there to help actually teach me what the hell. I have no spells to use so I'm just a melee mage at this point. I cannot seem to use my Soul Arrows. I can't figure out the inventory screens, where it seems the only two things I can do with ANYTHING is "Leave it alone" and "discard entirely".

So I need someone who can walk me through all this.

I mean there's difficulty, challenge... And then there's just a "haha fuck you, thanks for the money".

 

[DementedSheep]

You don't use x to use spells ,when you have a catalyst (staff) equipped you cast whichever spell is selected with the light attack button (RB or LB if it is in your other hand).
Life gems aren't hugely important, its just a healing item. You can buy more later.

Edit: where is this big knight guy you are talking about? I don't remember there being a Knight for a while unless you mean the optional white knight?

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Ok, first thing is first, soul arrows.

Hit START on the xbox controller, go into your equipment, make sure that your staff is equipped in your left hand. Get out of the inventory screen and back into the game. Hit UP on the D-Pad and make sure that the soul arrows are shown on the bottom left hand corner of the screen with the rest of your currently equipped items. Hit the LB (left shoulder) button (not X). A soul arrow should fire out of your staff. If you lock on to an enemy by clicking in the right stick and then hit LB the soul arrow will fire in the direction of that enemy.

Now, on to the rest.

1. Don't use keyboard and mouse, the game was not really built for it.

2. You can't fall very far in Dark Souls 2. If you think you MIGHT die from a fall then you most likely will 90% of the time.

3. Life gems are not that important, you'll be able to buy an infinite amount later, and they drop from enemies with a decent frequency, but you still shouldn't waste them.

4. Get your estus flask. Once you get to Majula (the area after the tutorial area) go over to the right hand cliff and talk to the woman in the green cloak, she'll give you a flask. Equip the flask in one of your inventory slots (preferably the first one). This flask will heal you with X, but you only get one to start with. Go over to the well and hit the rock, a body will pop up with an item on it. The item will be an estus flask shard, get this shard and bring it to the woman in green, she'll give you a second estus flask. Now you have 2 healing items that are refilled at each bonfire you sit at.

5. Explore. Don't worry about dying, don't worry about losing souls, just explore around and fight enemies. Eventually you'll get the hang of the combat just keep practicing. If you really need help with how combat works then consult the wiki because there are tons of things that the game doesn't tell you which you need to figure out on your own.

If you have any concrete questions I'll try to answer them for you with as few spoilers as possible. Feel free to PM me.

 

[Zydrate]

Edit: where is this big knight guy you are talking about? I don't remember there being a Knight for a while unless you mean the optional white knight?

I met him about 20 minutes in, running around this "Majula" area. There were a lot of messages on the floor going "First real fight ahead" and "Hard boss ahead" type things.

 

[DementedSheep]

Sorry my advice isn't very well structured. You said the inventory is confusing you? in DS you don't equip for the inventory, you equip from the equipment tab (hit start and its the first tab). You select a slot and then select what to put in it. When you're not in the menu you can cycle between consumables and weapons/shields you have equipped with the D-Pad. Spells you have to attune at a bonfire though your soul arrows should already be attuned and you start with only one slot for spells. Note that any gear you have equipped adds to your equip load which slows you down though you can carry as much in your inventory as you like with no weight problems. I'm not sure the sorcerer is the easiest since you only get 30 soul arrows to use until you rest at the next bonfire and they start out with shit gear. I'd keep an eye out for a shield and a better melee weapon and equip them when you find them. You can have a melee weapon and the staff equipped to the same hand and then cycle them depending on what you want to use.

Edit: where is this big knight guy you are talking about? I don't remember there being a Knight for a while unless you mean the optional white knight?

I met him about 20 minutes in, running around this "Majula" area. There were a lot of messages on the floor going "First real fight ahead" and "Hard boss ahead" type things.

This guy?

If it is him he doesn't attack unless you attack him but I don't know if he de-agros or not. Probably not. You don't have to kill but he drops a nice sword. Since you're a sorcerer you best bet is probably to go up the ladder and range him or just run past and deal with him later.
Oh and make sure you didn't accidently join the company of champions (by interacting with carved rock in Majula). You'll know you have if you have this symbol by your health bar.

it's the DS hard mode.

 

[Zydrate]

No he was something else. Was after this some kind of bridge. I tried hunting for him again today but couldn't locate him.

Although that guy killed me too because of his buddies.

Your mention of the bumpers is what saved me. Right bumper casts my spell and that's allowing me to finally kill stuff.

 

[DementedSheep]

No he was something else. Was after this some kind of bridge. I tried hunting for him again today but couldn't locate him.

Although that guy killed me too because of his buddies.

Your mention of the bumpers is what saved me. Right bumper casts my spell and that's allowing me to finally kill stuff.

The bridge? Oh this guy? you're further than I thought then. You must screw around less than me.

No wonder you died.
I think he is just there to troll. He is actually a boss you fight later on. He appears once by the bridge and you can kill him there. If not you will fight him through a fog door like a normal boss. A tip for when you do eventually fight him properly, he is very easy to parry and stays stunned for quite a while. Edit: wait you said you returned to him so maybe not. Oh well. It doesn't matter.

 

[Zydrate]

No he was something else. Was after this some kind of bridge. I tried hunting for him again today but couldn't locate him.

Although that guy killed me too because of his buddies.

Your mention of the bumpers is what saved me. Right bumper casts my spell and that's allowing me to finally kill stuff.

The bridge? Oh this guy? you're further than I thought then. You must screw around less than me.

No wonder you died.
I think he is just there to troll. He is actually a boss you fight later on. He appears once by the bridge and you can kill him there. If not you will fight him through a fog door like a normal boss. A tip for when you do eventually fight him properly, he is very easy to parry and stays stunned for quite a while. Edit: wait you said you returned to him so maybe not. Oh well. It doesn't matter.

Honestly I just kind of wandered into him. He didn't even have a lot of health, I cut him down with my bandit's axe pretty well. Looked like he could die in about 7 hits, I just died before I could make the last couple. Then I moved on to reading guides and stuff.

But from what you're stating of him, it doesn't sound like it's the same guy.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

No he was something else. Was after this some kind of bridge. I tried hunting for him again today but couldn't locate him.

Although that guy killed me too because of his buddies.

Your mention of the bumpers is what saved me. Right bumper casts my spell and that's allowing me to finally kill stuff.

The bridge? Oh this guy? you're further than I thought then. You must screw around less than me.

No wonder you died.
I think he is just there to troll. He is actually a boss you fight later on. He appears once by the bridge and you can kill him there. If not you will fight him through a fog door like a normal boss. A tip for when you do eventually fight him properly, he is very easy to parry and stays stunned for quite a while. Edit: wait you said you returned to him so maybe not. Oh well. It doesn't matter.

From his description OP is in Heide's tower of flame not the Forest of Fallen Giants. He got killed by the first Old Knight he encountered.

Area looks like this, right OP?

Spoiler

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

No he was something else. Was after this some kind of bridge. I tried hunting for him again today but couldn't locate him.

Although that guy killed me too because of his buddies.

Your mention of the bumpers is what saved me. Right bumper casts my spell and that's allowing me to finally kill stuff.

My advice is don't play a sorcerer, it takes a lot of the fun out of the game. The melee combat is where it's at and that's really what you need to get good at. Having spells as a crutch tends to teach you some bad habits that become difficult to break later on.

I've found that people who pick sorcerer because it's an "easy class" end up having a hard time against bosses because they use up all their spells just getting through an area and then don't have the skill to face bosses in melee combat without their spells it assist them.

 

[EmperorZinyak]

Here's some useful information: Enemies will stop respawning after 15 times, meaning that if you're REALLY stuck on a boss, eventually the route to him will be clear and you can practice more.

 

[Zydrate]

From his description OP is in Heide's tower of flame not the Forest of Fallen Giants. He got killed by the first Old Knight he encountered.

Area looks like this, right OP?

Spoiler

Not a "He", but yes! That looks correct!

I tried finding him again today and couldn't. Wanted to kick his ass with my newfound ranged-ness.

No he was something else. Was after this some kind of bridge. I tried hunting for him again today but couldn't locate him.

Although that guy killed me too because of his buddies.

Your mention of the bumpers is what saved me. Right bumper casts my spell and that's allowing me to finally kill stuff.

My advice is don't play a sorcerer, it takes a lot of the fun out of the game. The melee combat is where it's at and that's really what you need to get good at. Having spells as a crutch tends to teach you some bad habits that become difficult to break later on.

I've found that people who pick sorcerer because it's an "easy class" end up having a hard time against bosses because they use up all their spells just getting through an area and then don't have the skill to face bosses in melee combat without their spells it assist them.

You pretty much stated all the reasons why I chose the Sorcerer at all. I almost always play games on the easest modes because I want ENJOY the experience.

 

[DementedSheep]

No he was something else. Was after this some kind of bridge. I tried hunting for him again today but couldn't locate him.

Although that guy killed me too because of his buddies.

Your mention of the bumpers is what saved me. Right bumper casts my spell and that's allowing me to finally kill stuff.

The bridge? Oh this guy? you're further than I thought then. You must screw around less than me.

No wonder you died.
I think he is just there to troll. He is actually a boss you fight later on. He appears once by the bridge and you can kill him there. If not you will fight him through a fog door like a normal boss. A tip for when you do eventually fight him properly, he is very easy to parry and stays stunned for quite a while. Edit: wait you said you returned to him so maybe not. Oh well. It doesn't matter.

From his description OP is in Heide's tower of flame not the Forest of Fallen Giants. He got killed by the first Old Knight he encountered.

Area looks like this, right OP?

Spoiler

I forgot you could go that way at the start. I always head for the forest first.

 

[Zydrate]

From his description OP is in Heide's tower of flame not the Forest of Fallen Giants. He got killed by the first Old Knight he encountered.

Area looks like this, right OP?

Spoiler

I forgot you could go that way at the start. I always head for the forest first.

Help me find him again? T_T

 

[DementedSheep]

From his description OP is in Heide's tower of flame not the Forest of Fallen Giants. He got killed by the first Old Knight he encountered.

Area looks like this, right OP?

Spoiler

I forgot you could go that way at the start. I always head for the forest first.

Help me find him again? T_T

From the bonfire in Majula facing the monument with player deaths go left, down the stairs and just continue in that direction until you find it again. There a bonfire right by the first Knight you kill.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

From his description OP is in Heide's tower of flame not the Forest of Fallen Giants. He got killed by the first Old Knight he encountered.

Area looks like this, right OP?

Spoiler

I forgot you could go that way at the start. I always head for the forest first.

Help me find him again? T_T

If you mean the knight with the giant club, he doesn't come back once he dies. He should have dropped an item called "sublime bone dust" which you should take to the bonfire in majula and burn (it'll increase the strength of your estus flask).

 

[A-D.]

Okay first rule of business. Do not play Sorcerer or Cleric. They used to be somewhat broken ages ago but magic has been nerfed repeatedly so they are now very hard to play, unless you have prior knowledge of the game. Pick a class with a shield, such as the Knight. Alternative choices would be Swordman or Bandit, which are easy to spec into dex-builds early on.

Second Rule, go to Forest of Fallen Giants first, in Majula at the Bonfire, look inland, along the ridge of the cliffs is a doorway that leads down, head through there and you get to the Forest, which leads you to the first two Bosses, the Last Giant and later the Pursuer, although depending on how you want to go about it, the Pursuer can be skipped but then you have to fight the Flexile Sentry who is the harder fight. So go beat the Giant first, then head to Heide, kill the knights (mace dude drops a estus shard or ash, forgot which and doesnt respawn afterwards). Their patterns are very easy to tell, rule being that you want to stay on their shield-side, i.e. their left side and a little behind them. Spacing and placement is key really. Anyhow go through the Area and head down, do NOT go towards the Cathedral yet, for a newbie the Old Dragonslayer is tough. So go to the southern part and kill the Dragonrider, raise the platforms before that, via switches among the level, you find both on your way (dont bother cheesing it, he is easy to kill anyway).

Then go up and talk to the NPC until she doesnt say anything new, she moves to Majula afterwards, which you need to get to Huntsman's Copse. But before that, go back to the Forest and kill the Pursuer, unless you already killed him. His actual Boss Area is on top of the ramparts and behind that is a nest, interact with that nest and a big bird will drop you off at the Bastille. Now do the Bastille run, get all the stuff, kill the Sentinels and then the Last Sinner, once done, go back to Majula and now go towards Heide's again, you will notice the NPC from Heide's there, talk to her and have her move the path and then head to Huntsman's Copse, follow the level but do NOT go towards the big building thing in the distance, thats the Colliseum, the Executioner's Chariot is optional and can be done later, just follow the level to a ruin behind a waterfall, thats where the Skeleton Lords are, 3 guys which upon death spawn more skeletons, its a bit challenging but doable. Now go to the other exit of the Boss Room and head towards Harvest Valley and Earthen Peak.

At this point you should be familiar with the game mechanics enough that you know how this stuff goes. Also try to stay human and if necessary, get summons for tougher boss fights. Sinner for example can be very tough, same goes for the Sentinels, there are NPC Summons for both, among players you could summon as well. Dont forget to level up at the Emerald Herald over the course of the journey and upgrade your gear as necessary.

 

[DementedSheep]

Okay first rule of business. Do not play Sorcerer or Cleric. They used to be somewhat broken ages ago but magic has been nerfed repeatedly so they are now very hard to play, unless you have prior knowledge of the game. Pick a class with a shield, such as the Knight. Alternative choices would be Swordman or Bandit, which are easy to spec into dex-builds early on.

Second Rule, go to Forest of Fallen Giants first, in Majula at the Bonfire, look inland, along the ridge of the cliffs is a doorway that leads down, head through there and you get to the Forest, which leads you to the first two Bosses, the Last Giant and later the Pursuer, although depending on how you want to go about it, the Pursuer can be skipped but then you have to fight the Flexile Sentry who is the harder fight. So go beat the Giant first, then head to Heide, kill the knights (mace dude drops a estus shard or ash, forgot which and doesnt respawn afterwards). Their patterns are very easy to tell, rule being that you want to stay on their shield-side, i.e. their left side and a little behind them. Spacing and placement is key really. Anyhow go through the Area and head down, do NOT go towards the Cathedral yet, for a newbie the Old Dragonslayer is tough. So go to the southern part and kill the Dragonrider, raise the platforms before that, via switches among the level, you find both on your way (dont bother cheesing it, he is easy to kill anyway).

Then go up and talk to the NPC until she doesnt say anything new, she moves to Majula afterwards, which you need to get to Huntsman's Copse. But before that, go back to the Forest and kill the Pursuer, unless you already killed him. His actual Boss Area is on top of the ramparts and behind that is a nest, interact with that nest and a big bird will drop you off at the Bastille. Now do the Bastille run, get all the stuff, kill the Sentinels and then the Last Sinner, once done, go back to Majula and now go towards Heide's again, you will notice the NPC from Heide's there, talk to her and have her move the path and then head to Huntsman's Copse, follow the level but do NOT go towards the big building thing in the distance, thats the Colliseum, the Executioner's Chariot is optional and can be done later, just follow the level to a ruin behind a waterfall, thats where the Skeleton Lords are, 3 guys which upon death spawn more skeletons, its a bit challenging but doable. Now go to the other exit of the Boss Room and head towards Harvest Valley and Earthen Peak.

At this point you should be familiar with the game mechanics enough that you know how this stuff goes. Also try to stay human and if necessary, get summons for tougher boss fights. Sinner for example can be very tough, same goes for the Sentinels, there are NPC Summons for both, among players you could summon as well. Dont forget to level up at the Emerald Herald over the course of the journey and upgrade your gear as necessary.

It might be worth them going through Heide and towards the Cathedral for the Ring of Binding (limits HP reduction to 80% instead of 50%). It's right outside the boss fog gate so you don't have to fight him.

 

[A-D.]

Okay first rule of business. Do not play Sorcerer or Cleric. They used to be somewhat broken ages ago but magic has been nerfed repeatedly so they are now very hard to play, unless you have prior knowledge of the game. Pick a class with a shield, such as the Knight. Alternative choices would be Swordman or Bandit, which are easy to spec into dex-builds early on.

Second Rule, go to Forest of Fallen Giants first, in Majula at the Bonfire, look inland, along the ridge of the cliffs is a doorway that leads down, head through there and you get to the Forest, which leads you to the first two Bosses, the Last Giant and later the Pursuer, although depending on how you want to go about it, the Pursuer can be skipped but then you have to fight the Flexile Sentry who is the harder fight. So go beat the Giant first, then head to Heide, kill the knights (mace dude drops a estus shard or ash, forgot which and doesnt respawn afterwards). Their patterns are very easy to tell, rule being that you want to stay on their shield-side, i.e. their left side and a little behind them. Spacing and placement is key really. Anyhow go through the Area and head down, do NOT go towards the Cathedral yet, for a newbie the Old Dragonslayer is tough. So go to the southern part and kill the Dragonrider, raise the platforms before that, via switches among the level, you find both on your way (dont bother cheesing it, he is easy to kill anyway).

Then go up and talk to the NPC until she doesnt say anything new, she moves to Majula afterwards, which you need to get to Huntsman's Copse. But before that, go back to the Forest and kill the Pursuer, unless you already killed him. His actual Boss Area is on top of the ramparts and behind that is a nest, interact with that nest and a big bird will drop you off at the Bastille. Now do the Bastille run, get all the stuff, kill the Sentinels and then the Last Sinner, once done, go back to Majula and now go towards Heide's again, you will notice the NPC from Heide's there, talk to her and have her move the path and then head to Huntsman's Copse, follow the level but do NOT go towards the big building thing in the distance, thats the Colliseum, the Executioner's Chariot is optional and can be done later, just follow the level to a ruin behind a waterfall, thats where the Skeleton Lords are, 3 guys which upon death spawn more skeletons, its a bit challenging but doable. Now go to the other exit of the Boss Room and head towards Harvest Valley and Earthen Peak.

At this point you should be familiar with the game mechanics enough that you know how this stuff goes. Also try to stay human and if necessary, get summons for tougher boss fights. Sinner for example can be very tough, same goes for the Sentinels, there are NPC Summons for both, among players you could summon as well. Dont forget to level up at the Emerald Herald over the course of the journey and upgrade your gear as necessary.

It might be worth them going through Heide and towards the Cathedral for the Ring of Binding (limits HP reduction to 80% instead of 50%). It's right outside the boss fog gate so you don't have to fight him.

Forgot it was there, partially because i never needed it, however it is another thing to get, my point was really not to go into the Cathedral, since there is no real reason for them to kill the Old Dragonslayer that early, especially not when being a newbie. However, in essence the maingoal should be not to die, hence the run-through of how to approach the levels and bosses since afaik its the easiest route without running into the proverbial brick wall early on, like heading straight for the Gutter without even doing anything else.

 

[Rad Party God]

Personally I like to play melee classes in both Dark Souls games, nothing against sorcery, but I just find it more interesting and "personal".

Also... yeah, everyone, especially Frappe, has already given you better tips, guides and explainations than I ever could, so yeah.

Also just a little tip, more than it's difficulty, this game demands commitment and time on your end, so, you need to be a little patient and keep reading all the great tips and guides.