Dark Souls II Message Board

Vince took out The Pursuer quickly in his own game. He gives it a try in ours with mixed results.

Bandai Namco UK revealed it's pushed back the PC disc version of Dark Souls 2 to May 2, but the action-RPG will remain available to download in the territory starting April 25. In a statement provided to Joystiq, the publisher made it clear the delay only affects physical copies in the UK - don't worry, PC players elsewhere, you'll get to praise all the suns you want next week.

"It will be delayed unfortunately and we apologize to UK customers," a Bandai Namco rep told Joystiq. "This is due to a manufacturing issue with packaging. To confirm, this will only affect the UK boxed launch." [Image: Bandai Namco]

That. That is a big number. I had to turn my phone sideways and everything to work that out. I don't even know how to say it. The staggering figure is the combined souls lost across both 360 and PS3, and the result of some 252, 163, 804 deaths overall.Read more...

The "Stray Hound" is the foe Dark Souls 2 players are murdering the most, as revealed by the new Enemy page on the game's Beyond the Bonfire stats site. Between them, Xbox 360 and PS3 players have to date felled just over 110 million of the vicious canines so far, while the various varieties of hollow and royal soldiers also rank highly on the Most Dead-ed list. If the soldiers were grouped together they'd no doubt place higher, but they're differed by the weapons they're wielding.

The question is, who's died more: Stray Hounds or Dark Souls 2 players? It's not even a contest. Players deaths are now past the 248 million mark, just over a month after From's devilish action-RPG hit PS3 and Xbox 360. With the PC port due to arrive on April 25, the billion milestone for combined deaths can't be far away. So, who are the real stray hounds in Dark Souls 2: the dogs or the players, hmmmmmm?

Well, it's the dogs. 'Cos they're dogs.

The "Stray Hound" is the foe Dark Souls 2 players are murdering the most, as revealed by the new Enemy page on the game's Beyond the Bonfire stats site. Between them, Xbox 360 and PS3 players have to date felled just over 110 million of the vicious canines so far, while the various varieties of hollow and royal soldiers also rank highly on the Most Dead-ed list. If the soldiers were grouped together they'd no doubt place higher, but they're differed by the weapons they're wielding.

The question is, who's died more: Stray Hounds or Dark Souls 2 players? It's not even a contest. Players deaths are now past the 248 million mark, just over a month after From's devilish action-RPG hit PS3 and Xbox 360. With the PC port due to arrive on April 25, the billion milestone for combined deaths can't be far away. So, who are the real stray hounds in Dark Souls 2: the dogs or the players, hmmmmmm?

Well, it's the dogs. 'Cos they're dogs.

The first boss to fall to our blade is the towering Last Giant.

Aw, Sweet Shalquoir. I'm sorry that you're so bummed. It must be lonely in Majula, with no funky-smelling heroes around to keep you company. It's just you, some sad people, and three mean pigs.Read more...

Everyone talks about how difficult Dark Souls II is. People rarely talk about how funny it is.Read more...

If you're one of the intrepid souls who waited a few weeks to play Dark Souls 2 on PC, it appears you made the right call. As Joystiq's Xav de Matos discovered, the PC version of From Software's bruiser of a sequel is the best, markedly prettier than its Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 counterparts resulting in a more lush world. At least, as lush as a dying world overrun by monsters and wandering specters can be.

Joystiq Streams sets out into Dark Souls 2 PC for a special stream at 4PM EST today on the Joystiq Twitch channel. See for yourself what Dark Souls 2's major improvements are on a strong gaming PC. Additionally, find out how many different terrifying ways Xav de Matos can be offed by monsters. Anthony John Agnello will be hanging out in the chat, feeding your questions to Xav as we play.

Joystiq Streams regularly broadcasts at 4PM EST every Tuesday and Thursday. [Images: Bandai Namco]

From Software's efforts to bring Dark Souls to PC in 2012 should have been met with excitement: A version of the cult hit for the "PC master race"? Praise the sun! Unfortunately, a combination of From Software's inexperience working on the platform and the game's last minute jump to PC led to an ugly port, which was devoid of even the simplest graphical customization options. It was a barebones port, which is all that Namco Bandai originally promised.

For Dark Souls 2, Namco Bandai promised "increased texture resolution and an enhanced frame rate option." The details are included in the PC version, I learned after spending some time with the port this weekend. The video options don't dive as deep as PC gamers often desire, but the upcoming version of the game does offer increased stability. While textures look sharper, however, Dark Souls 2 for PC isn't a colossal graphical leap ahead of the console versions already available.

PC gamers are understandably wary of Dark Souls II. The first Dark Souls arrived on PC in less than ideal shape, with a limited frame-rate and resolution and lousy controls. The big question has been: How will the PC version of Dark Souls II stack up?Read more...

We put some time into the PC version of Dark Souls 2. Here's how it stacks up.

On the way to the Pursuer, we find a crazy man who's obsessed with maps.

The enemies of Drangleic are tough, but we found a special weapon that might turn the tides.

It's not just that it's "difficult." It's not that it beats you down, over and over again, sometimes pushing you to the brink of frustration and frustration's cousin: rage quitting. Dark Souls II is enjoyable because you can overcome that. Because you can be better—tougher, wiser—than the challenges it throws your way. Imagine that: tougher than the toughest game out there. No achievement can stand up to that.Read more...

The Tower of Flame proved too difficult, so Vince and Brian take a detour into a nice, peaceful forest.

The Old Knights in Heide's Tower of Flame may be slow, but they pack a huge punch. We may or may not get smashed by them.

The Sith Lord from The Phantom Menace sure seems like he'd be right at home in Drangelic, right?Read more...

After finding their footing, Brian and Vince make their way toward the mysterious Tower of Flame.

Seems like boss fights are few and far between these days. But is that a bad thing? This conversation originally appeared in Game Scoop! Episode 297.

Defeating the optional Vendrick boss in Dark Souls 2.

Two IGN editors take their first steps into Dark Souls 2's harsh world.

Virtual reality! inFAMOUS Second Son launch! Dark Souls II! Alien: Isolation! GDC! This week’s show has it all, topped off with a dollop of next week’s new PlayStation software releases for North America.

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Stuff We Talked About

• Project Morpheus
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• GDC 2014
• Dark Souls II (heeeeere we go)
• Alien: Isolation
• Fez

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Where and how to find the Boss Soul weapons.

Defeating the Guardian Dragon.

Defeating the Royal Rat Authority Boss in Dark Souls 2

Defeating the Throne Defender and Watcher.

Here's Dark Souls II with the chosen ones gathering around the bonfire, reimagined in glorious 16-bit by pixel-wizard Bandygrass. Pretty neat animation, and it reminds me of the superb character selection screen in Diablo II.Read more...

Much has been made about Dark Souls II's graphical downgrade between E3 2013 and final release. Here's Dark Souls II developer From Software addressing things in a statement to Kotaku: Read more...

PVP in Dark Souls II is mostly a straightforward affair — You invade or duel, kill your target, and then finish with a condescending gesture. But what about when you pretend to be a friendly, neighborhood co-op partner? Hilarity, that's what.Read more...