Best starting class for a Hex build?

[gregorsamsa]

Hey guys

Starting this game out for the first time and I really want to try out a Hex build because it's something unique to DS2 (not available in DS1 or DS3).

Seems that you need both Faith and INT, so sorcerer is too low in FTH and cleric is too low in INT.

What class do people normally start off when going Hex? Explorer? Deprived? Or maybe Swordsman?

[JellyPuff]

Sorcerer.
Unless you want a particular STR weapon early on as a sidearm, since Cleric starts with decent STR as well, but you have to go out of your way to get a Staff, if you want to meet Felkin as early as possible if you don't pick Sorcerer (one staff found at Forest of Fallen Giants and one sold by Carhillion first met at No Man's Wharf).
Meeting Felkin (dedicated hex guy) requires you to beat Dragonrider at Heide's Tower and talk to Licia afterwards, so she moves to Majula to move the rotunda for you, blocking the way to Felkin.

Hexes use both INT and FTH and dark damage scales with equal INT&FTH, but there are 2 types of hexes: The one's, you cast with staffs, usually with higher INT requirements and those cast with chimes, usually favoring FTH (some also consume held souls).

The earlier staple hexes are cast with staffs, like Dark Orb, Dark Fog or Dark Weapon.

But there are also at least 2 bosses between either Straid (also sells Dark Orb and Dark Fog) or Felkin, so you probably have enough lv-up's by the time you meet them, that starting class won't matter too much if you don't intend to min/max even early on.

[gregorsamsa]

Originally posted by JellyPuff:

Sorcerer.
Unless you want a particular STR weapon early on as a sidearm, since Cleric starts with decent STR as well, but you have to go out of your way to get a Staff, if you want to meet Felkin as early as possible if you don't pick Sorcerer (one staff found at Forest of Fallen Giants and one sold by Carhillion first met at No Man's Wharf).
Meeting Felkin (dedicated hex guy) requires you to beat Dragonrider at Heide's Tower and talk to Licia afterwards, so she moves to Majula to move the rotunda for you, blocking the way to Felkin.

Hexes use both INT and FTH and dark damage scales with equal INT&FTH, but there are 2 types of hexes: The one's, you cast with staffs, usually with higher INT requirements and those cast with chimes, usually favoring FTH (some also consume held souls).

The earlier staple hexes are cast with staffs, like Dark Orb, Dark Fog or Dark Weapon.

But there are also at least 2 bosses between either Straid (also sells Dark Orb and Dark Fog) or Felkin, so you probably have enough lv-up's by the time you meet them, that starting class won't matter too much if you don't intend to min/max even early on.

Oh man, I'm a total newb to DS2 (not to DS/From games in general) so I don't really know these characters. So I suppose getting a staff is a pain in the @$$?

I just thought sorcerer was a bad pick because really low Faith and hexes need both INT/FTH

I tried deprived and got my butt kicked in the tutorial area lol

[Willheart]

Originally posted by gregorsamsa:

Oh man, I'm a total newb to DS2 (not to DS/From games in general) so I don't really know these characters. So I suppose getting a staff is a pain in the @$$?

I just thought sorcerer was a bad pick because really low Faith and hexes need both INT/FTH

I tried deprived and got my butt kicked in the tutorial area lol

Very early you won't really have access to Hexes, so having low FTH doesn't matter so much unless you want to use healing miracles in the meantime.

Starting with Sorcerer means two things:
1. You'll be playing with the spellcaster mindset from the get-go, so your playstyle will evolve around that - instead of starting as a melee class and then once you get access to spells, just using melee anyway because you're so used to it.
2. You'll have lower physical stats, so getting high INT/FTH/ATN is a fair bit cheaper in the long run (thus faster) - it also means you can adapt your STR/DEX/VIT for your equipment as you find it instead of just having excess attribute points locked-in not doing much for your character.

Sorcerer has high ATN and high INT, so that's 2/3 of your desirable stats and very few 'undesirable' stat allocations, so pretty good.

Otherwise the first sorcery staff/spells are fairly quick to get anyway, you might want to look up the location for the Illusory Wall with the Sorcerer's Staff in Forest of Fallen Giants - since it's pretty randomly placed, but if you're online there 'should' be messages pointing you to it.

Most of the classes start with god-awful iFrames on dodges, so early game is mostly about staying out of range as opposed to rolling through attacks, Sorcerer starting with a ranged spell helps with that too.

[JellyPuff]

Originally posted by gregorsamsa:

Oh man, I'm a total newb to DS2 (not to DS/From games in general) so I don't really know these characters. So I suppose getting a staff is a pain in the @$$?

No not really especially if you pick Sorcerer, who starts with one. Here are some pointers:

http://darksouls2.wikidot.com/felkin-the-outcast

http://darksouls2.wikidot.com/straid-of-olaphis

Wiki-page contains some character-related spoilers for her:
http://darksouls2.wikidot.com/licia-of-lindeldt
But the only thing you need to know is, that at Majula, there are 2 early game paths to take: To Forest of Fallen Giants (normally recommended) and to Heide's Tower of Flame (recommended for Hexer). If you go to Heide's Tower, you'll notice at the Majula side a circular room with the right path open and the left path gated. The gated path leads to Huntsman Copse, which eventually leads to Iron Keep (one of the 4 big boss areas). Licia opens that path up for a fee and shortly after going through, you'll meet Felkin. I also erroneously said, you'd need to kill at least 2 bosses, but to meet Felkin, you only need to kill 1 (Dragonrider) and a pretty easy one at that. Licia can be found right next to the bonfire right after Dragonrider. Just exhaust all her dialogue and she'll be at Majula at the exit to Heide's Tower inside the circular room.

Edit: Make sure to grab the Binoculars at Majula, so you can aim your pew-pew spells:
http://darksouls2.wikidot.com/binoculars

[gregorsamsa]

Thanks guys - that's really awesome help!
I've seen some videos about how to get OP early but I really wanted to try and go through the game "organically" (at least my first run).
I went to Heide's Tower first and boy did it kick my @$$
I couldn't tell if it's because I just suck or because it's meant to be done later.
Is there a specific order you're "supposed to" do certain areas?

I guess I'll go the route of a sorcerer, because playing a deprived with a dagger seems to be a lot tougher than I imagined, even when compared to DS1/DS3 (or maybe I just suck lol)

[JellyPuff]

Originally posted by gregorsamsa:

Is there a specific order you're "supposed to" do certain areas?

Technically, you can do them in order you like if you get Licia and a Fragrant Branch (for a different area). Or none technically, if you farm like it's a 2006 MMO in early game areas - DS2 has an alternative way to progressing, instead of killing "The 4 big bad bosses" and that is farming lots of souls.

But the intended 1st area is either Forest of Fallen Giants or Heide's Tower of Flame (the dragon and boss guarded by it as well as the tough Heide Knights are optional and can be dealt with later). Both Forest and Heide lead to the same place, Lost Bastille, which has the 1st big bad boss. You're just entering them from 2 different sides. Ideally, you want to do Forest first and then Heide+Wharf for all that sweet loot, like the Ring of Binding[darksouls2.wikidot.com].
Forest of Fallen Giants also houses the first merchant, which you can buy the Hand Axe (very low STR/DEX req) from to replace that dagger for now. She also sells Lifegems and the key for the blacksmith's house at Majula. She moves to Majula, if you exhaust her dialogue (get used to doing that, when meeting new NPC's).

The Lost Bastille entered from Forest of Fallen Giants also has the Dull Ember right next to the 1st bonfire in a metal chest. You need that for infusions. The blacksmith who does that is somewhat hidden nearby:
http://darksouls2.wikidot.com/steady-hand-mcduff

After Lost Bastille, it's truly pick-a-path. The other 3 big-bad-boss-areas are balanced roughly the same in terms of enemy damage and HP. After that, the game gets linear.

[Koros Antavo]

It is best to start with the Forest of Fallen Giants, so that you get used to the game while practicing on mostly weak enemies, and then go to Heide, where enemies are a bit tougher.

Enemies in Heide are intimidating, but all of them are rather slow, to the point that you can just walk around their attacks without even needing to dodge. It's a good place to practice turning *off* your lock on on melee characters. With your ranged wizradry build, if you want similar practice, you'll either need to swtich the lock back on when attacking, or you'll need to aim manually using Binoculars.

The Sorcerer class already has most of the stats you need for a mage build of any kind, and filling in that faith requirement won't be difficult in the early game. Pick up the Binoculars in Majula and equip it in your left hand, snipe the more troublesome enemies in Forest of Fallen Giants and get used to the controls and playstyle, refine your skills in Heide, then using the abundance of souls acquired in the process, invest in Dark attributes and buy Dark gear. You'l be ready to face the rest of the game.

Also, Felkin, the everything dark merchant, will give you his staff and armour set if you talk to him after reaching 20/20 int/fth. The staff is the best dark staff in the game, the set is pretty cool for any mage, and the hood gives you extra stats, spell uses, and a bit of cast speed.

Straid, another person you will undoubtedly be meeting quite frequently, will give you his set as well after you trade 4 boss souls with him. The set is also awesome for any mage, and the hood give you even more stats than Felkin's hood, gives you more cast speed than any other piece of armour in the game, but doesn't give you extra spell uses.

[TamTroll]

i started with depraved myself, that was your int and faith are at least the same score, so you're not levelling one more then the other.