Best Build? Online Community Still Active?

[Water]

Just bought DS2 for the Summer Sale.

I've played DSR, DS3, and Elden Ring so I know what I'm doing but want to avoid what I did in DS3. I went with a mage/magic build and played with M&KB so my experience was not the best. Went strength and armor in DSR where I was two-shotting the 4 Kings and Elden Ring went dual katana bleed build, challenging but definitely got OP near the end.

What do players recommend for DS2? I enjoy melee builds but am not adverse to other play styles.

I also really like playing as a Sun Bro and whatever that blue guardian thing was from DS3. Are there plenty of people to help in DS2 and to help me while I'm starting off? I realize the game is a bit old but even in DSR (which I played on Switch) there was a ton of people active.

Also open to mods for QoL improvements.

Thanks!

[Akyita]

Unga bunga with club/large club/great club and medium armor (<60% load) is the easiest if you know how to time your attacks, this is not DS3/BB/Sk/ER where everything is fast with tons of stamina and estus chugging, there is tho a ton of ganking but the "pancake" R2 attack helps with flattening several enemies in a row.

You can easily respecc just like in ER, so dont worry too much.
But don't forget to level up ADP to get AGI to 99, that's the sweet spot for iFrames. ATN also gives you some AGI, but its supposed to be leveled up for more spell slots.

Sun covenant is kinda mid game or so instead of early like in 1, the blue is divided in two, one gets the help (first covenant in the game) and the other gets summoned to help (also kinda early if you go to Heide instead of the forest)

I made a quick disposable new character last weekend, I saw a ton of people for summoning and also got invaded.
When in the travel menu, you can see what areas have people in your summon range currently playing the game, those are outlined in orange.

If you decide to play for more than the 90 minutes steam refund allows, be aware this game is unique to every other FromSoft's, it's slower and more methodical, it expects you to really think what you are gonna do and stamina is very scarce. Rolling your way out, R1 spamming or estus chugging is not going to save you.

[Theuron]

I don't know anything about best builds, meta, etc.

However, as a Melee player I can suggest the following:

- Level ADP until 20 at least (improves your rolling and iirc your estus drinking speed)

- Carry 2 weapons, one you feel ''comfy'' for bosses and some enemies and other for narrow halls and most enemies. Example: Greatsword for bosses and Grand Lance for the rest.

- I do recommend having a bow to take care of annoying enemies that are far

- Don't take it fast, rushing through enemies will result in IRL madness. I used to rush the game and I hated it, then I gave it another chance playing ''chill'' and now I love it.

Hope some of this helps

[Edgarek]

If you still prefer melee, but dont wanna use really overpowered weapons, that would destroy bosses in seconds, try curved sword+straight sword powerstance. Would take like 15 str 24 dex.

Pyromancy is a option if you need something to throw at the enemy and doesnt require good investment into faith/int. Basic stats + 3-4 slots for spells would be enough.

If you wanna smash enemies with ridicilous damage, try Crypt ultra greatsword. Gyrm axe has similar moveset. Sinner greatsword also an option.

Bow doesnt required as many love using it, but i would recommend have at least one and about 30-40 poison arrows, if you find a really tough enemy for you.

Use this tool to see how much i-frames you has while rolling or backstepping.
https://stiemannkj1.github.io/dark-souls-2-iframe-agility-calculator/
You can see it in game - go to the character stats, check second column at the bottom you will see stat AGL(Agility)
Whole base game could be beaten easily with 92 AGL, DLC with 96 AGL, 99 and 105 just a quality of life, if you still uncomfortable with your rolls.
Remember: equip load between 30% and 70% also make roll distance shorter.

Between mods i would recommend Blue Acolyte and DS2RANK.
First give protection against scripting cheaters, show steam name, character name, ping.
Second allows you to see player equipment after session, just to see what people using it.
Both completely safe to use and would never cause ban.

[Vinislayer]

Do a "Guts build"
Go to the man's warf and take the Greatsword and destroy everything that stands in your way.
She is not that slow and is recommended for new and veteran players, it depends on your style. You can still wield it with a shield if you prefer.
As the other guys said above, never forget to level up your AGI, as it allows you to dodge the ridiculous hitbox. Also put a lot of HP 40 or 50 points.
Praise the Sun!

[goka9696]

Dark Souls 2 has the best variety of builds in the series since the game overall is quite forgiving. Dual crossbows, magic, fist, dual daggers, spear and greatshield, you name it, DS2 has you covered. So frankly just pick any build you're interested in.

That said, I recommend carrying a ranged weapon on you if you're going to make a melee build. DS2 has a lot of places where it's best to clear at least some enemies from afar before going in, otherwise you'll just get ganked and end up frustrated if you keep trying to do it with pure melee. That's not to say that pure melee is not viable, just that there'll certainly be a few spots along the way that are going to be much more difficult than if you were to just snipe one or two enemies before going in.

DS2 is indeed an older game, but a much more serious hurdle to online, be it invasions or coop, is how big it is. DS2 is the second biggest title to date, only Elden Ring dwarfs it in size. The game does show you locations where you might be able to find players with an orange glow when you're looking at the fast travel screen, and I was able to invade a few times in late game areas, but coop becomes pretty much nonexistent later on. To be fair, I also had that issue with DS1 and DS3 as well.

However, Scholar edition for DS2 added a LOT of NPC phantoms, both invaders and summons. Some of them are even able to use emotes and stealth spells, for example, one phantom will do a "come over here" emote if you're injured and cast a healing spell afterwards. That said, NPC invaders don't really play by the same rules as you do. They're able to cancel some animations and can spin mid-air when doing a jumping attack, so the only way to avoid their hits is to dodge at precisely the last moment. Some of them are also very overtuned for their areas, armorer Dennis being one of the most infamous for that.

[< blank >]

Strength/vitality heavy build is the most fun for me. Weapons typically have different movesets and or advantages vs. disadvantages. When you pick up a new weapon of the same class it's often an alternative vs. an upgrade. Since there are lots of upgrade materials you can carry a whole assortment of upgraded weapons in your inventory.

Online is active but DS2 guardians were never very active as far as I know. Sunbros are active but unless you "unlock" the contraption near Majula early on and head that way it may be a while before you can join them. You can still co-op from early on and sunbro is not required for strength builds unless you want the achievement.

[ShaftAlmighty]

I'm downloading it now and once its downloaded i'm picking up the dlcs too. Really miss the nostalgia of DS2 so much and hopefully PC crowd is big enough and are a helpful and friendly lot.

[goka9696]

Originally posted by ShaftAlmighty:

I'm downloading it now and once its downloaded i'm picking up the dlcs too. Really miss the nostalgia of DS2 so much and hopefully PC crowd is big enough and are a helpful and friendly lot.

If you're talking about Scholar, you don't need to get any DLCs for it since they are already included and integrated into the game properly (you have to actually find the keys leading into the DLC areas, unlike the base DS2 which just dropped those keys into your inventory).

[< blank >]

Scholar of the First Sin has the DLC built in.

[ShaftAlmighty]

Oh swell, thanks for saying!

As for builds, maybe a dual wield dark infused old whips focusing on dark and pyro. For some reason whips apparently confused alot of people for pvp as i had a lot of success and i am admittedly not very good in pvp.