NG+ gets harder but from there?

[Sharza]

Hi everyone,

so I'm an avid PvE player and I noticed something. The first playthrough was the hardest because I didn't know where enemies and items were. Then I started a NG+ and it was fairly hard as well because there were new enemies and some bosses did do new stuff.

I'm on "Journey 5 to Drangleic" and I don't see it getting harder anymore. I do similar damage to enemies as I used to and since I know their movements and placements it's become a fairly easy game. I still die ofc but only when I don't pay attention.

So my question would be to those who are even further in the game. Does it get harder again or will it stay like this? I'm starting to get kinda bored of PvE and PvP just isn't my thing.

[hghwolf]

All increases from NG+ on are linear. There are no "new" things past NG++.

So no.

[Sharza]

Originally posted by hghwolf, the meta man:

All increases from NG+ on are linear. There are no "new" things past NG++.

So no.

Hmm, that's kind of what I thought happens. I was more questioning if enemies will catch up with me again on NG.... say 7 or something. I want to keep leveling up and see what a fully powered char can do but I'm already only doing necessary bosses and rushing past a lot of enemies. They don't catch up. I have the same faith (50) I had like 50-100 levels ago and it still does the same same damage to enemies even though they are supposedly stronger. Only notice their strength in melee, but then I can always just use santiers or some other OP PvE ♥♥♥♥.

[DerKrieger]

Try playing a whole new character in NG again and getting them to NG+. Were you a tank before? Play a mage next time. Not your style? Give a dexxer build a try.

Eventually you'll build yourself in such a way that one character can do anything and murder everything while doing it. If you wan challenge you have to create someone from scratch who still has weaknesses.

[Sharza]

Originally posted by DerKrieger:

Try playing a whole new character in NG again and getting them to NG+. Were you a tank before? Play a mage next time. Not your style? Give a dexxer build a try.

Eventually you'll build yourself in such a way that one character can do anything and murder everything while doing it. If you wan challenge you have to create someone from scratch who still has weaknesses.

I appreciate your input but it kind of defeats the purpose. I don't want to gimp myself for a challenge. I want a challenge for a "fully grown" char. This already is my second character. The first was 100% melee. First dex, then strength. The second character I started, I tried with a focus on faith. I'm still playing that second char but have now switched to a mundane build.

As for new classes: I feel I already have tried lots of different types of characters. In between I've experimented with all kinds of setups, weapons, spells... I like the pure melee type because it (probably) needs the most skill. I like the spell casting types because nuking enemies from afar is so easy and nice.

In short: I'm looking for a greater increase in enemy strength. I guess I won't get that and thus I think DSII is mostly over for me. It's been a fun ride.

[Blade43v3r]

You can always try the no bonfire/no death run for the final surprise, i miss those great times in dks1 xD

[20,000 Deaths]

I think there is a roof where it doesn't get harder anymore and the rewards don't get any larger (no more souls for +) I think that's at bonfire lvl 7, or it doesn't get any tougher than NG+6

so if you keep going you will eventually overshoot the enemies, it will take ages and be ultra boring getting there though, personally the only things worth it are NG and one NG+ run as then you have all the loot and killed all things, or at least anything you could want.

then start a new character from scratch and do something different with them

[hghwolf]

Originally posted by Sharza:

In short: I'm looking for a greater increase in enemy strength.

It honestly wouldn`t make the game much harder anyway. Oh, I can only ♥♥♥♥ up once before I have to flask, big ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ deal.

[Forblaze]

I read somewhere that nG+8 had a difficulty jump too. I haven't gotten that far yet though, so I can't say.

[hghwolf]

Originally posted by Forblaze:

I read somewhere that nG+8 had a difficulty jump too. I haven't gotten that far yet though, so I can't say.

Well there`s an easy way to test that; Ascetics.

[Sharza]

Originally posted by Forblaze:

I read somewhere that nG+8 had a difficulty jump too. I haven't gotten that far yet though, so I can't say.

Guess I'll do some research on that. I know there'll be blue flames on the map at some point but idk if it just symbolizes the final level of enemy strength or it really means the enemies become a lot tougher one last time.

Originally posted by hghwolf, the meta man:

Originally posted by Sharza:

In short: I'm looking for a greater increase in enemy strength.

It honestly wouldn`t make the game much harder anyway. Oh, I can only ♥♥♥♥ up once before I have to flask, big ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ deal.

I guess you're right. Still, if all the enemies hit a lot harder and you have only a limited number of fu ck ups until you can't flask anymore it'd probably make a slight difference.



Thanks for all you guys' input.

Edit:

Originally posted by Blade43v3r:

You can always try the no bonfire/no death run for the final surprise, i miss those great times in dks1 xD

Yeah, I know about the surprise and it'd certainly be a new challenge. I don't think I'd have the patience for it though. My own "fault", I guess, but it really sounds like a chore to me.

[Mumbles]

Originally posted by DerKrieger:

Try playing a whole new character in NG again and getting them to NG+. Were you a tank before? Play a mage next time. Not your style? Give a dexxer build a try.

Eventually you'll build yourself in such a way that one character can do anything and murder everything while doing it. If you wan challenge you have to create someone from scratch who still has weaknesses.

Liked your fighting style?
Cosplay!

[Piszczel]

You can always join the covenant of champions and use bonfire ascetics to bump every area +10

[Althix]

Originally posted by piszczel1:

You can always join the covenant of champions and use bonfire ascetics to bump every area +10

won't help. scaling stops at +9 i believe. Covenant of Champions do not bring extra challenge to the game at all. So sadly, your first playthrough is your hardest one.

just as example, at level 21 of the area mobs in no man's warf are dying from 3 arrows still. they drop 800 souls on kill (and they drop same amount of souls on +9). They damage output also stops at +9.

p.s. i don't really remember is it +9 or +10. But point is game is still less challenging than on your first playthrough.

[Yoyo]

NG+ keeps increasing in difficulty till I think +8 this time, just like the original though every + after ng+ will be only a minor increase in difficulty, the jump from ng+ to ng+8 is about the same as ng to ng+.

Ng+ difficulty has always been pretty broken, though I found the new phantoms pretty fun the first time I saw them, if you really want a challenge though you're gonna have to try a challenge build like sl1 or limiting yourself to certain weapons etc.

[Althix]

^ yes you can put extra challenge through artificial difficulty. but that's it.