The three other spokes work in much the same way, and rarely connect to each other. The Forest of Fallen Giants will lead to a specific path, and when you eventually get to the end, the game just warps you back to Majula. Instead, the game pushes you in specific directions, especially in the early game. You're given more options when dealing with PvP invaders, as well, though you are way more vulnerable to invasions since they can happen while you're in hollow form.Įven while fast traveling through bonfires, though, Drangleic never feels much like an open world. You can even purchase a special ring and engrave it with the same god's name as your friends, increasing your chances of joining them for jolly cooperation. You can still summon random players into your world to help with difficult areas or bosses while in human form. Many of the game's covenants-guilds that task you with multiplayer duties, such as defending areas or invading misbehaving players' worlds-are more socially focused.
#DARK SOULS 2 ENBSERIES WINDOWS#
Multiplayer in Dark Souls 2 now uses Steamworks and dedicated servers instead of the dreaded Games for Windows Live of its predecessor. The hub structure is one of a few changes that either streamline existing systems, or provide new challenges to veteran players. I want to unravel their mysteries, and I have to pay careful attention to find the clues in each character's dialogue-especially if I want their help. Their stories are how you discover the history of Drangleic, and watching their plight unfold through conversation draws me in far more than audio logs or cutscenes. Each has a story to tell, if you're patient enough to listen, and all are voice acted with impeccable detail. The residents of Majula are lonely, depressed, filled with dread and absent of hope-like a summer camp for emo LARPers. Don't imaging a bustling hive of activity.
That means you'll be returning to Majula more than you did Firelink Shrine. She's the only way you can level, spending souls to improve stats that are more clearly expressed than they were in Dark Souls. They're linked at Majula, a hub village where you encounter merchants, blacksmiths, and the Emerald Lady. The bonfires also serve a dual purpose-they're the fast travel points that connect Dark Souls 2's areas. That keeps my exploration consistently interesting-just as I think I know what's next, Dark Souls 2 takes a sharp left turn.
I feel like the developer knows exactly what's going through my head and does its best to confound me. In another area, I throw open a door that opens into a wall. But though the open gate, there's only a bonfire-the game's safe haven.
#DARK SOULS 2 ENBSERIES FULL#
I change weapons, add buffs to do more magic damage, consume life gems to heal full health, and return myself to full humanity by using a Human Effigy. I encounter one fog gate in Earthen Peak, a factory for poisonous sludge, and steel myself for a brutal duel with the boss I'd been expecting. It's at moments like this when I feel that Dark Souls 2 is trolling me. I question whether I'm ready to move forward. I love the dread I experience when I approach a fog gate, a sort of progress marker that often means harder challenges lie ahead, including bosses. Like the first game, exploring a new area requires patience and risk in equal measure. Fail before you hit that spot and they're gone forever. If you die (sorry, when you die) you lose the souls you've collected and must find the spot you died in to retrieve them. You'll need to collect lots of lesser souls to level up you skills, purchase items and services, and trade with those you meet. Your only chance to fight the curse is to collect four great, old souls and confront the king of this cursed land. Your character begins as a faceless amnesiac who is drawn to the kingdom of Drangleic, where memories are forgotten and heroes become hollows-undead who require souls to keep their humanity. Walking deadĭark Souls 2 curses you right from the beginning. Dark Souls 2 teaches you, very early on, that you still have a lot to learn. And even if you've mastered the complex combat mechanics and subtle intricacies of the first game, that knowledge will not be enough to make up for everything that's new, expanded, and different in the sequel. Rest assured: This is not Dark Souls for babies.