Are The Terrible Changes Worth $25?

[TuskSpin]

After beating DS1, DS3, and Elden Ring, I figured it was time I stop putting off DS2 and form my own opinions. The problem is that there are two versions with quite the contrast between the two. What quality of life improvements SotFS made seem to be overshadowed by the terrible enemy placements and branches of yore locking you from certain areas. At least imo, the original seems like the obvious choice, but there's one other factor which has me on the edge: price. I can easily find copies of the 2015 version for under $15 while he original remains at a comfortable $40. At least until the servers are back up, I don't see fromsoft ever putting these games on sale. So my question is this: is the experience worth saving $25, or should I just be less stingy? And if you genuinely believe the SotFS is a superior experience, I'd like to hear your thoughts as to why.

After reading through the comments, I've decided to pick up SotFS. Thanks for the help.

After finishing the game, it is clear that a lot of the "gank" described is the product of the reviewers own carelessness. So long as you don't rush in, most areas (special exception to Heide's Tower post boss, shame on you fromsoft) are fine. Hit boxes still blow, but they aren't any better in the original version, which is why I didn't bring it up.

[.]

you can buy scholar keys for about 10$

[Burns]

get sotfs

[Enderspoons]

Scholar of the First Sin includes all of the DLC bundled in, which I would personally consider to be the highlights of Dark Souls 2 gameplay.

[Koros Antavo]

40 dollars? Really? I mean... REALLY??
I assume those must not be USD, 'cause this seems kinda expensive

Anyway, there is a crucial difference between the versions you haven't accounted for - online. Specifically, as these are "technially" two different games, players of one version cannot interact with players of another version. And it so happens that SOTFS is considered a definitive version of the game, most people online play SOTFS specifically. If you care at all about multiplayer, which is pretty good here btw, you should buy SOTFS.

That said, if you don't care about online at all, yeah, you should buy vanilla. It will look slightly worse and lack a couple of shortcuts and other stuff, but enemy and item placement will make much more sense. Don't forget to purchase all DLC's for vanilla as well, as they are some of the best content in this game.

You can also buy ds2 base (without DLC's) and get SOTFS for a discount through an upgrade path. DLC's don't change between versions, so you can finish the base game in ds2 and DLC's in SOTFS, which contains all of them by default.

Other than that...
You can buy sotfs and acquire vanilla through other means.

[Paradox]

I don't believe Aldia is in the original... Nvm.

This boss was introduced to Dark Souls 2 in Patch 1.10. He is available in SOTFS version by default.

[David Benioff]

Um are you really passing judgement on the quality of anything in SoFS without playing it....?

[TuskSpin]

Originally posted by David Benioff:

Um are you really passing judgement on the quality of anything in SoFS without playing it....?

I've seen gameplay of both Iron Keep and Shrine of Amana. Each version is vastly different with SotFS having some of the worst enemy placement I've seen in a game.

[TuskSpin]

Originally posted by Enderspoons:

Scholar of the First Sin includes all of the DLC bundled in, which I would personally consider to be the highlights of Dark Souls 2 gameplay.

The only version of DS2 (og) steam sells is a bundle with all the dlc for $40, so I'll be receiving it anyway

[TuskSpin]

Originally posted by Vandher:

you can buy scholar keys for about 10$

Not for a couple months now, unfortunately. Since Elden Ring, I've been keeping an eye on the various DS games. While SotFS could be found frequently for under $10 using 3rd party sites, that just hasn't been the case as of late. This likely has to do with the game not going on sale this past year. As it stands, the cheapest I could find is just under $14.

[David Benioff]

Originally posted by Higgsbosonfan:

Originally posted by David Benioff:

Um are you really passing judgement on the quality of anything in SoFS without playing it....?

I've seen gameplay of both Iron Keep and Shrine of Amana. Each version is vastly different with SotFS having some of the worst enemy placement I've seen in a game.

Originally posted by Higgsbosonfan:

Originally posted by David Benioff:

Um are you really passing judgement on the quality of anything in SoFS without playing it....?

I've seen gameplay of both Iron Keep and Shrine of Amana. Each version is vastly different with SotFS having some of the worst enemy placement I've seen in a game.

I guarantee you (especially with the shrine of amana) that the way areas play in ds2 (sofs) depend highly on what you do. Iron keep is spammy, but shrine of amana is very, very manageable. The only time you see spam is if the player is rushing through the game.

If you're not interested in playing areas slowly to avoid ambushes, then neither version will be for you.

Edit: IIRC, shrine of amana isn't particularly changed from the vanilla version - the only differences that jump out to me are the added dragonrider and the aggro of the ogre is better in sofs (in vanilla, it aggros you if you follow the normal path, and the water makes the grab ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ even worse). The area is essentially a puzzle area in both versions of the game.

[JellyPuff]

Let me answer your question with another question: Why did you ask, if you've already made up your mind, according to this post's title and later comments? It just gives off the impression of asking in bad faith.
You've watched videos comparing this with vanilla and clearly don't like the changes, so i doubt anyone's opinion will significantly affect yours.

Also a heads up, that what you see are scalped prices for both games. The $40 Vanilla version might not even come with the DLC, so be careful about where and what you buy.
Vanilla is more expensive on the grey market due to it only being available on Steam directly, so they're old keys or way more expensive Steam-Gifts from back when you could buy games and put them into your inventory for trading.
On the other hand, SotFS went on sale frequently for under $10 on authorized re-sellers providing Steam keys, which is why it's comparatively cheaper (people bulk-buy those keys to flip later).

[TuskSpin]

Originally posted by JellyPuff:

Let me answer your question with another question: Why did you ask, if you've already made up your mind, according to this post's title and later comments? It just gives off the impression of asking in bad faith.
You've watched videos comparing this with vanilla and clearly don't like the changes, so i doubt anyone's opinion will significantly affect yours.

Also a heads up, that what you see are scalped prices for both games. The $40 Vanilla version might not even come with the DLC, so be careful about where and what you buy.
Vanilla is more expensive on the grey market due to it only being available on Steam directly, so they're old keys or way more expensive Steam-Gifts from back when you could buy games and put them into your inventory for trading.
On the other hand, SotFS went on sale frequently for under $10 on authorized re-sellers providing Steam keys, which is why it's comparatively cheaper (people bulk-buy those keys to flip later).

You can still purchase the original DS2 on steam with all the dlc for $40. I haven't had any luck finding it for less on 3rd party sites. It's not that I don't want to purchase SotFS, I'm just wondering if the improved level design is really worth $25

[JellyPuff]

Originally posted by Higgsbosonfan:

You can still purchase the original DS2 on steam with all the dlc for $40. I haven't had any luck finding it for less on 3rd party sites. It's not that I don't want to purchase SotFS, I'm just wondering if the improved level design is really worth $25

It's arguably the better version AND cheaper, so i'd say yes. Vanilla item&enemy placement is rushed, due to having to re-do a lot of the game to optimize for 7th gen consoles. Vanilla DS2 feels kinda empty in many areas. SotFS just has more stimulating non-boss encounters and more NPC invaders/phantoms as well as the Forlorn.
There are also misc. changes, like a shortcut at No Man's Wharf and areas, supposed to be dark are actually dark, making torches more useful.

You can also wait for the winter-sale. Since DS3 had been fixed, it probably won't take a whole much longer, until matchmaking will be enabled again for the other soulsgames.

[Paradox]

Originally posted by Higgsbosonfan:

... It's not that I don't want to purchase SotFS, I'm just wondering if the improved level design is really worth $25

You keep saying this like it's true. It's an opinion.

SotFS is considered the definitive version of DS2.
Similarly, PtDE is considered the definitive version of DS1 (not the remastered version).

However, unlike PtDE, you can still buy DS2 non-SotFS on Steam if you want. Up to you. I don't know how much money you have or how much value you place in the differences. Nobody does, really.

[MundM]

No, they are not worth the money. However, it's the only way to experience the game as the developer intended... which is an obvious lie, but still, it's the "final version" of the game. It's just worth a patch, not a paid purchase.