From Software The Dark Souls II Megathread™

[Blaine]

I fought Nashandra yesterday when I was exhausted, slow-witted, and not wearing my contacts. Fight went like this (+10 Raw Old Knight Hammer, Flynn's, Chloranthy +1, Dark Quartz +3 [should have been Cursebite +1, I think, but I'd never done the fight before], Third Dragon):

WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP

(run away, Elizabeth Mushroom, kill some curse fonts)

WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP

(run away, Estus, kill more curse fonts, Effigy, Estus)

WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP

(run away, Estus)

WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP

In fact, gigantic hammers that do obscene damage make many parts of the game absurdly easy. Highly recommend +10 Raw Old Knight Hammer, as its requirements are low, it upgrades with regular Titanite, has no scaling but deals fantastic damage when upgraded and infused, and it's low-weight for a great hammer. I can back attack one-shot any of the tough DLC melee enemies with it, which is good because they're designed to be faggy and annoying unless you go for backstabs.

In fact the better I get at free-aiming melee weapons (much like the AI can do, slow melee weapons taught me that I can "track" my hits mid-swing to land in a particular direction), the easier the game gets. When you aren't locked on, most enemies are shit at hitting you, and you can move much more quickly, so all you have to do is roll/sprint into position and track your hit into a backstab. It's so much easier than doing anything else that it's kind of annoying.

 

[cvv]

In fact, gigantic hammers that do obscene damage make many parts of the game absurdly easy. Highly recommend +10 Raw Old Knight Hammer

Nashandra is easy in general. A really disappointing final boss.

As for the Raw infusion, afaik you're always better off with a good scaling weapon unless you're running low Str/Dex build. But the Old Knight Hammer with its high minimum stats isn't very good for those builds. Then again anything goes in Souls games as long as you're having fun. In DS3 I've even used split damage weapons like the gargoyle halberd and hammer. It's hillariously inefficient but very entertaining.

 

[Blaine]

There are only a small number of scaling hammers that exceed the Old Knight Hammer's AR significantly. This is with 40 STR/40 DEX uninfused:

40 STR/40 DEX and raw infusion:

Out of 17 Great Hammers in the game, only 5 can attain significantly more AR than the Old Knight Hammer. One of those 5 (Sacred Chime Hammer) has split damage, a significant drawback in the DLC. Every single one of those is heavier (often far heavier), has steeper stat requirements, typically is more costly to upgrade, and is found much later in the game.

The biggest drawback of the Old Knight Hammer aside from being unable to achieve fully min-maxed AR is its low durability.

 

[Multidirectional]

Never understood the appeal of hammers, the moveset on every one I tried was super boring, including Mace that so many people like. Who cares about damage when a weapon is plain boring to use? When I want a high dmg big ass weapon Greatsword serves me fine.

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

Idk, the Great Club's moveset is strangely satisfying.
Its kind of weird that I've tried more weapon types in DS2 than in DS1 so far.

 

[Jasede]

I liked the Demon's Greathammer in Dark Souls 1 but I couldn't get used to hammers in 2, sadly. Playing 3 now.

Oh and Nashandra is faceroll; I can't even remember what I used; it was so uneventful. I do remember my weapon was dark enhanced and she probably resists Dark; I remember just standing in front of her and whacking her until she died. There was some Curse going on but not quickly enough that I had to cure it. Literally just stood in front of her, wailing away. She's useless.

Now in Dark Souls 3 the fucking hollows are killing me. But that's normal with me, I need some time to get used to their moves. Is it just me or is the tracking a bit dumb? Those Balder-looking knights on the wall seem to spin around exactly to where I am.

 

[Blaine]

Never understood the appeal of hammers, the moveset on every one I tried was super boring, including Mace that so many people like. Who cares about damage when a weapon is plain boring to use? When I want a high dmg big ass weapon Greatsword serves me fine.

I can tell you what appealed to me: At NG++ and beyond, best of luck farming any crystal lizards at Dragon Aerie without a powerful 2H strike weapon.

 

[Multidirectional]

I can tell you what appealed to me: At NG++ and beyond, best of luck farming any crystal lizards at Dragon Aerie without a powerful 2H strike weapon.

Ok then, I never wanted to go past NG+ so I wouldn't know. Starting a fresh char is just so much more fun to me.

 

[sullynathan]

Never understood the appeal of hammers

that's because you've never gone around spanking every enemy with the great club/large clun. With powerstance, the combo is ridiculous. Great club is part of the reason I started two handing weapons instead of a shield.

 

[Multidirectional]

Hm, I never really got into that two handing thing because I felt them attacks ate too much stamina. But I will keep this in mind.

 

[sullynathan]

you have to play it safe and stay far enough. THe amount of damage done by both hammers will pretty much break most enemies poise except for certain ones. It's good against lots of bosses too.

 

[Timeslip]

Was reading up on armour, and it seems the reduction it offers isn't a % of attack, but rather a fixed amount in relation to the physical defense stat, so get what you mean about armour being less useful against hard hitters. Joined the Sun covenant and trying to gather up sun medallions to get the sword. Have gotten to the area where you join the covenant, but skipped some areas to get the sword quicker, and with all the poison, this is a.

Tried putting down summon signs, with white soapstone, but am not getting sun medallions for completing my duty as a shade. Am human and am helping to kill skeleton lords boss. What am I missing?

Edit: Also tried equipping the ring, just getting smooth stone as reward

Edit: Found out that you need regular soapstone from Pate. Only 19 to go...

 

[Multidirectional]

Don't bother with the sunbro sword, it's nothing special. Not worth the grinding it requires. Longsword is just as good and you find it very early.

 

[Timeslip]

Used the LS in DS 1, but it's missing the thrust attack on R2 from DS1. From what I gather the sunbro sword has this attack?

 

[Blaine]

Was reading up on armour, and it seems the reduction it offers isn't a % of attack, but rather a fixed amount in relation to the physical defense stat, so get what you mean about armour being less useful against hard hitters.

Yeah, it's 1 point of physical damage mitigated per 10 points of armor. With fully-upgraded Havel's, Ring of Steel Protection +2, and very high stats, you're looking at physical attacks being reduced by approximately 105 points of Strike damage, 120 points of Thrust damage, and 135 points of Slash damage.

Elemental and status defense on the other hand are percentage-based, and 900 points of spell defense (you start with an unseen base of 100 in addition to what's shown) is enough to almost completely negate damage. It caps at 99% reduction or something in SotFS, but used to negate entirely.

Currently I'm extremely butthurt by the fact that advanced hexes require INT/FTH far in excess of the Dark BNS soft cap. It soft caps at 30 INT/30 FTH; up to that point, you get an average 3.79 Dark BNS per 1 INT/1 FTH invested. After that point, you get something like 0.39 Dark BNS per 1 INT/1 FTH invested.

For example, Affinity doesn't max out (at 5 orbs) until you've got 60 fucking INT. 60!

There are so many essentially useless spells of all types in this game.

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

Yeah, they went overboard with some of the stat requirements.
Its like they saw white dragon breath, thought "this spell has high requirements, obviously its awesome an the kids will love it!" and appliesd high requirements like that to a bunch of spells, not understanding that a) No one used it because of its high requirements, b) WDB sucked.

Yeah, armor should have also been percentage base. Flat reduction is pointless if the attack deals like 1000 damage.

 

[Multidirectional]

Used the LS in DS 1, but it's missing the thrust attack on R2 from DS1.

It has a thrust attack when two handed, which is the best way to use it anyway.

 

[Excidium II]

Goddamn everytime I return with souls the vendor is gone. Where does the bitch that sells miracles move after you leave heide's tower?

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

Goddamn everytime I return with souls the vendor is gone. Where does the bitch that sells miracles move after you leave heide's tower?

She's in the tunnel that goes to Heides from Majula.
Is there a way to get to Hunstman Copse without paying her? I find it irritating that you have to spend souls to progress in the game.

 

[Hyperion]

You can kill her.

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

You can kill her.

Isn't she absurdly tough though? I don't see the point.

 

[Blaine]

Isn't she absurdly tough though? I don't see the point.

She has zero poise, so swinging literally anything at her every time she tries to cast a miracle will kill her eventually.

That said, killing her to save 2,000 souls probably isn't the best idea.

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

Yeah, it doesn't really seem worth it.
I'm pretty sure it breaks a quest, and killing merchants is usually a bad idea anyway, unless you really know what you're doing.

 

[Excidium II]

By the way where does the fatso that buys items from no man's wharf move to?

 

[Blaine]

By the way where does the fatso that buys items from no man's wharf move to?

Earthen Peak, then he'll disappear and remain at Doors of Pharros.

Speaking of merchants, this game has too damn many to keep track of. Try naming them all from memory and I guarantee you'll forget at least three.

Here, I'll try (list in progress):

Spoiler

Gavlan
Shalquoir
Petrified pyro lady
Calli-whatever sorceries guy
Hollow blacksmith dude
McDuff
Crazy stone collector woman
Maughlin the Negro
Merchant Hag Melentia
Laddersmith Gilligan
Homicidal scarecrow midget
Rat King
Darkdiver Grandahl
Hermit hex guy sitting in a dark corner
Straid of Olphais
Targray the Blue
Ornifex
Licia of Lindelt
Magerold of Lanafir
Blue gravekeeper guy who's allergic to light
Chancellor Wellager
Royal Sorcerer Navlaan

I'm sure I forgot at least one or two, and probably three.