DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin

Completar Dark Souls II al 100% fue una experiencia tan desafiante como gratificante. A lo largo del juego me encontré con momentos que se sintieron bastante injustos, especialmente por la cantidad de enemigos, algunas mecánicas y ciertos trayectos hacia los jefes que ponían a prueba la paciencia más que la habilidad. En cuanto a los combates, considero que los jefes de los DLC están muy por encima de los del juego base en términos de dificultad. Enfrentamientos como el Caballero de Humo o Sir Alonne exigieron aprender patrones, perfeccionar los tiempos y ser muy constante. Fueron los verdaderos desafíos de la aventura. A pesar de sus momentos frustrantes, disfruté mucho la experiencia. Es un juego que recompensa la perseverancia y obliga al jugador a mejorar con cada intento. Obtener el platino no fue algo que se lograra de un día para otro; requirió muchas horas, dedicación y paciencia. Al final, la sensación de superar cada obstáculo hizo que todo el esfuerzo valiera la pena. Si tuviera que calificarlo, le daría un 8,5/10. No es un juego perfecto y tiene decisiones de diseño que pueden sentirse injustas, pero ofrece una aventura extensa, desafiante y muy satisfactoria para quienes disfrutan de superar retos difíciles.

Dark Souls II deserves far more credit than it gets. Somehow it became the game everyone loves to hate, but after replaying the trilogy, I honestly think a lot of that reputation comes from memes and old internet narratives rather than the game itself. The biggest thing DS2 captures better than almost any other Souls game is the sense of adventure. Every path feels like you’re setting off into another kingdom. You go from misty forests to pirate coves, poisonous valleys, forgotten castles, lava fortresses, eerie crypts, and dragon shrines. The variety of environments keeps the journey feeling fresh from beginning to end. Majula is, in my opinion, the best hub in the trilogy. The music, the sunset, the ocean, NPCs gradually gathering there - it genuinely feels like home after every difficult expedition. And I have to mention Sweet Shalquoir. A talking cat merchant with more personality than many NPCs in other games. The bosses don’t always rely on spectacle or overwhelming difficulty, but they’re memorable because of how different they are. Not going to spoil anything, but DS2 constantly experiments instead of playing it safe and I love it. Then there’s one of the most underrated mechanics in the entire series: Bonfire Ascetics. Being able to respawn an area at NG+ difficulty without starting a new playthrough is such a brilliant idea that I’m surprised it never became a series staple. It encourages experimentation, farming, challenge runs, and lets me revisit my favorite fights whenever I want. Is Dark Souls II perfect? Of course not. It has flaws, just like every Souls game. But the amount of hate it receives has never matched the quality of the game itself. Underneath the internet jokes is an ambitious RPG full of creative ideas, incredible atmosphere, unmatched build variety, and one of the strongest feelings of embarking on a true adventure that FromSoftware has ever created. I would even go as far to rank it above DS3, which in terms of creativity is boring in comparison.

I finished this game for the first time about a week ago. Already midway through my second playthrough. This is generally considered the black sheep of the original three Dark Souls games, but I think in the end it's a great one. Tying dodge roll iframes to a stat was probably the worst design decision in the game. You level ADP until your agility hits around 91-93-95 (I think that's the scaling cutoff), and after that you're actually ready to play the game. I've finished Elden Ring twice, Dark Souls 1 about three times, and DS3 about four times, so I've got real history with the series. This game has multiple strengths. Technically it's closer to DS1 than DS3, so expect less flashy graphics, but it's by far the largest DS game: most bosses, most biomes. The three DLCs are absolutely god-tier, loved all of them. This is also the most sadistic game of the three, hiding bonfires behind secret doors accessible only through secret pathways and stuff like that. A lot of people online say the hitboxes are bad. I don't think they are, I actually found them super precise. There's a huge selection of weapons and armor, probably comparable to Elden Ring if not more, and certainly way more than DS1 or DS3, and the length and depth of the game is genuinely impressive. I also loved that this is a mid-cycle DS game: no big epic beginning or ending, you're just dropped in as a random nobody midpoint in a cycle. My second run is a hexer build and it's noticeably easier than melee, but I've enjoyed both. Overall I'd rank the bosses below DS3 but above DS1. Difficulty-wise it's interesting that this is the only DS game where the world itself is genuinely difficult, you'll die to trash mobs constantly, but the bosses aren't nearly as brutal, minus a few notorious exceptions like Fume Knight. I really love Majula, the music, the whole vibe. The game also runs flawlessly, even on a base Steam Deck you get 60 FPS maxed out, though it looks slightly worse than DS Remastered, textures are still relatively sharp. I'm not sure where to rank it in the trilogy. It has weaknesses: music, graphics, runbacks, bonfire placement. But it has real strengths: depth, length, armor and weapon variety, and some insanely good DLCs. I'd say it's probably better than Dark Souls 1, especially looking at both games in their entirety with DLCs included. Likely better than DS3 overall too. DS3 looks great, plays great, has top-notch music, has a handful of GOAT-level bosses, but the weapon and armor variety is pretty mid and the replayability isn't close. Also, neither of the other games has an NG+ where bosses get new moves, new enemies show up, and the world itself gets upgraded. So yeah, this might be the best overall Dark Souls game, and that says a lot. Definitely recommended. Note: no cloud saves, so you need to handle save syncing yourself if you play across multiple devices. Runs great on Linux/SteamOS, zero technical issues besides that.

I bounced off this game hard my first time, and was ready to join the legions of people who forever resent it for all of its idiosyncrasies. But something kept bugging me about how quickly I gave up, so I decided to start over and be more methodical. And you know what? This is now by far my favorite of the three, and the only one I consistently daydream about when I'm doing other things. The atmosphere is so magical compared to the other two, and I absolutely adore how much this game demands competency. There are so many tiny secrets and tricks to learn, that even after three playthroughs I'm discovering things that fundamentally change how I approach the game.

they'll never make me hate you. thank you, dark souls 2

good game

It's hard to explain, but it's like putting a roided mantis shrimp in your rectum, and then going to a trampoline park to jump around, as you're slowly turned HOLLOW from the inside. What I'm trying to say is, it's got huge ups, and a plentiful amount of large downs, kinda like the special kids block in school y'know. Just play it, you'll see, and level ADP. I've just forgot I left my cup of tea brewing for half an hour, ♥♥♥♥ me man...