How different is this going to be?

[Machina]

So for context I've played and (more or less) beat every From-soft game except 2. I avoided 2 because I heard nothing but bad things, but I'm at the point where I just want to experience it anyway.

So the real question is: Without major spoilers, any tips or weird hidden mechanics I need to know about? Thanks in advance.

[AerSilver ♞]

Level adaptability.
Also "DS2 SUCKS" is a meme, everyone knows the worst souls is 3

[FashionSuckMan]

level adp to at least 25 as the agility stat determines i frames on roll. Nothign else is important to really know, youll figure it out as you go along

[spy]

slowest souls game

bosses are cumbersome

try hex builds. unique for this game.

Try power stance. If you hold down y on your weapon's 1.5x str and dex, it will switch to the special move set.

If you get adaptability 20, you can run and roll smoothly. Play by targeting the iframe or you can't avoid it.

Use life gem instead of estus flask. buy plenty.

Exhaust the dialogues.

Emerald Herald is the guide in the game. If you get stuck, listen to it.

[NightmareGats]

Stay human the entire game, best advice you can find.

[SBA | Spooqui]

Well if you're coming here to talk lemme say that DS2 isn't bad. In fact, I'm probably the only one that thinks it's the best one in the series if you compare it to the MASSIVE amount of nonsensical BS and lack of QoL DS1 has and if you compare it to Fanservice 3.

So adaptability isn't that big of a deal. If you're willing to get used to the new enemy timings that is.
Lifegems are your friend, they don't cheese the game and AREN'T an estus replacement. I'd say estus and other forms of healing in this game blend almost perfectly, you just gotta learn how to/when to use them.
DS2 ISN'T the slowest souls game, it's a transition between 1's and 3's combat. I don't get how ANYONE thinks that, if anything it's YOUR playstyle that makes it play slow.
Most bosses in DS2 have some way to make them easier or cheese them, there are some that might seem downright impossible wihout them. Remember, it's okay to ask for help.

[saroz2222]

Originally posted by Machina:

So for context I've played and (more or less) beat every From-soft game except 2. I avoided 2 because I heard nothing but bad things, but I'm at the point where I just want to experience it anyway.

So the real question is: Without major spoilers, any tips or weird hidden mechanics I need to know about? Thanks in advance.

Shields are much more effective than the other games. I will personally recommend a full havel/strentgh build and with your shield you wont even need to dodge in many places. Also getting the required vitality for fast roll is easier. For last, you can summon npcs for some boss fights and npcs have so much hp . Good luck with your playthrough.

[NisseDood]

Originally posted by saroz2222:

Originally posted by Machina:

So for context I've played and (more or less) beat every From-soft game except 2. I avoided 2 because I heard nothing but bad things, but I'm at the point where I just want to experience it anyway.

So the real question is: Without major spoilers, any tips or weird hidden mechanics I need to know about? Thanks in advance.

Shields are much more effective than the other games. I will personally recommend a full havel/strentgh build and with your shield you wont even need to dodge in many places. Also getting the required vitality for fast roll is easier. For last, you can summon npcs for some boss fights and npcs have so much hp . Good luck with your playthrough.

Coolest kids go maximum tank build and powerstances Orma's and Reeve's greatshields. :V

[Carnifex]

As everyone has mentioned already: level ADP. Put points into Agility and/or if you're running a caster, some points into Attunement.

The early game can be "painful and miserable" if this is the last DS you play. But if you overcome that and all the absolute BS this game throws at you, it's fine for what it is.
It's nothing like the revolutionization of DS1 or the polished masterclass that is DS3/bloodborne but it sure is an experience on its own.

[Hippopocranuse]

Originally posted by Spooqui:

Well if you're coming here to talk lemme say that DS2 isn't bad. In fact, I'm probably the only one that thinks it's the best one in the series if you compare it to the MASSIVE amount of nonsensical BS and lack of QoL DS1 has and if you compare it to Fanservice 3.

So adaptability isn't that big of a deal. If you're willing to get used to the new enemy timings that is.
Lifegems are your friend, they don't cheese the game and AREN'T an estus replacement. I'd say estus and other forms of healing in this game blend almost perfectly, you just gotta learn how to/when to use them.
DS2 ISN'T the slowest souls game, it's a transition between 1's and 3's combat. I don't get how ANYONE thinks that, if anything it's YOUR playstyle that makes it play slow.
Most bosses in DS2 have some way to make them easier or cheese them, there are some that might seem downright impossible wihout them. Remember, it's okay to ask for help.

I quite agree with Spooqui, I think I ds2 sotfs is my favorite of the three games. Many of its characters and lore stuck with me through the years... However, I consider myself a very lightweight souls player and have never tried Bloodborne or Demon Souls.
Right now I'm revisiting DS2 Sotfs after many years and having a lot of fun (also struggling quite a bit). There is an old Hbomberguy video called "In Defense of Dark Souls 2" that I quite like, though I would not call it spoiler-free. I mostly agree with his position.
I think most of the best advice is already given, so I would say to be careful around pure sorcery builds because I find them a bit underpowered in comparison to DS and DS3. If you want a "caster" I'd suggest trying hexes; personally, I think they have a better payoff than miracles, sorceries or pyromancy. Anyway, I truly hope you have a great experience. 

[Bandy]

It is a good game worth playing. Is it the 'worst" Souls Like? That is subjective.
Many like DS2, a lot, so that says a lot. Just enjoy it as another Souls game, because it is another Souls game, right? :D

[JellyPuff]

- Vigor is a good stat (though having high HP is a good thing with ALL soulsbornes)
- http://darksouls2.wikidot.com/agility
- Most weapons have different animations, than in any other soulsgame. That might be the most notable difference, since this gives DS2 the most unique feel to movement and combat, for better or for worse
- Vigor is a good stat
- In addition to Estus, you will also get healing-consumables in the style of Demon's Souls or Bloodborne. You can buy them in unlimited supply pretty early on and for cheap too
- You can reset an area and make it one game-cycle higher in difficulty. This also re-spawns bosses and most items in the area. More on that here: http://darksouls2.wikidot.com/bonfire-ascetic
- Twinblades and Powerstancing (Elden Ring has these too, but DS2's powerstancing is more fun and works with more than just the exact same weapon classes)
- Better NG+ and offline content. NG+ adds extra enemies (and loot and yes, you can encounter these things via Bonfire Ascetics). It's similar to being gravelorded in DS1. There are also extra NPC invaders, while playing offline and NPC invader behavior is imo the best in the series, making this game the most future proof one, in case matchmaking is ever disabled for good Shoutouts to my boi Dennis for causing people to write forum hatemail against a player, who doesn't exist
- When you die in human form, you get hollowed gradually. Your character will look more corpse-y after each death and you will lose a little bit of max HP each time, until you're at 50% of your max HP. Effigies are best used when you're getting close to that point. It's similar to Demon's Souls, though in that game, you would go down to 50% immediately and like that game, there's also a ring[darksouls2.wikidot.com], that makes the HP penalty largely a non-issue, especially in because of how high you can level your HP in this game. Have i mentioned, that Vigor is a good stat yet? 🤔

Originally posted by NightmareGats:

Stay human the entire game, best advice you can find.

You can still be invaded while hollow in DS2, so your ""advice"" doesn't really work here.

Originally posted by saroz2222:

Shields are much more effective than the other games.

Shields with high stability are OP in all souls games. In DS1, they're just overshadowed by poise being even more OP and people absolutely abused them in DS3 and ER.

[Cercamon]

Get a bow and upgrade it. Call enemies one by one in some zones, you will notice when.

If you hit an enemy while he is doing an animation you do counter damage, nearly all weapons will do more damage to targets that are in attacking. Thrusting weapons and katanas tend to benefit the most from this.

Each weapon has a sweet spot. If you are outside of that sweet spot, you do less damage. It's easy to see on some weapons, like the halberd, which is the axe head. On katanas you have to be relatively close, but not touching the enemy, if I remember correctly. Most swords tend to have their sweetspots closer to the middle of the blade, hitting with the tip of it will cause less damage.

Whenever you do a second swing, it will deal less damage than the first. Probably has to do with the sweetspot thing. You also get a damage penalty if you do attacks with your left hand! Left handed attacks also cost more stamina than right handed!

If you need to know which area of the weapon is the sweet spot, apply a resin or spell buff to it and it will light up the sweet spot with the magic effect.

Keep an eye on your stamina reserves, making an attack with less stamina than what it would normally eat up will give you a damage penalty based on how much stamina you were missing.

The Game has proper Limb damage calculation for all weapons, so if you hit the enemies head with your weapon you deal more damage.

In FotFG, some enemies are slightly different than the others and have varying health. Broadsword ones have more health than the dagger ones, though the damage you do should stay the same as they wear the same armor. You just won't one shot the broadsword ones as you would with the dagger ones.

It has the most PvP-focused mechanics of the bunch.

[NightmareGats]

Originally posted by JellyPuff:

- Vigor is a good stat (though having high HP is a good thing with ALL soulsbornes)
- http://darksouls2.wikidot.com/agility
- Most weapons have different animations, than in any other soulsgame. That might be the most notable difference, since this gives DS2 the most unique feel to movement and combat, for better or for worse
- Vigor is a good stat
- In addition to Estus, you will also get healing-consumables in the style of Demon's Souls or Bloodborne. You can buy them in unlimited supply pretty early on and for cheap too
- You can reset an area and make it one game-cycle higher in difficulty. This also re-spawns bosses and most items in the area. More on that here: http://darksouls2.wikidot.com/bonfire-ascetic
- Twinblades and Powerstancing (Elden Ring has these too, but DS2's powerstancing is more fun and works with more than just the exact same weapon classes)
- Better NG+ and offline content. NG+ adds extra enemies (and loot and yes, you can encounter these things via Bonfire Ascetics). It's similar to being gravelorded in DS1. There are also extra NPC invaders, while playing offline and NPC invader behavior is imo the best in the series, making this game the most future proof one, in case matchmaking is ever disabled for good Shoutouts to my boi Dennis for causing people to write forum hatemail against a player, who doesn't exist
- When you die in human form, you get hollowed gradually. Your character will look more corpse-y after each death and you will lose a little bit of max HP each time, until you're at 50% of your max HP. Effigies are best used when you're getting close to that point. It's similar to Demon's Souls, though in that game, you would go down to 50% immediately and like that game, there's also a ring[darksouls2.wikidot.com], that makes the HP penalty largely a non-issue, especially in because of how high you can level your HP in this game. Have i mentioned, that Vigor is a good stat yet? 🤔

Originally posted by NightmareGats:

Stay human the entire game, best advice you can find.

You can still be invaded while hollow in DS2, so your ""advice"" doesn't really work here.

Originally posted by saroz2222:

Shields are much more effective than the other games.

Shields with high stability are OP in all souls games. In DS1, they're just overshadowed by poise being even more OP and people absolutely abused them in DS3 and ER.

But the chance of invasion is lower.

[519B.]

Actively avoid getting souls so your "soul memory" doesnt exceed multiplayer capability TOO fast...worst summon systrem ever and probably thing people dislike about this game the most? maybe

[Cercamon]

Originally posted by 519B.:

Actively avoid getting souls so your "soul memory" doesnt exceed multiplayer capability TOO fast...worst summon systrem ever and probably thing people dislike about this game the most? maybe

Ah right, I believe the multiplayer system is based on how much souls you got and your level. That's why there's a ring that sucks all the souls of the enemies you slay.