u/Dougy120

Dark Souls II Scholar of the First Sin ‘Prepare to swear at your screen edition’:

The Bosses in DS2 are generally easier but there’s a lot of them and I felt overall the game was ‘trickier’ than DS1. DS1 can be very annoying in certain areas and you’ll get stuck on bosses for much longer on average, but the difficulty inside the levels is pretty consistent.

When I completed DS1, I was done with it, I had spent so long on the bosses. Dealing with The Tomb, Blight and Londo, the thought is almost enough to deter me from another play through, nevertheless I’m sure I’ll find my way back to the interconnecting world that made it so great.

DS2 captured this magic at points, seeing levels in the distance that you’ll eventually explore, and the brilliant views to enjoy after surviving a difficult stage. When you spawn into DS2 for the first time, pay attention to the giant swirling stone structures around you…

When I completed DS2 I experienced something different to DS1, I wanted to keep playing it, to find my favourite build and explore more of the DLC’s. Unfortunately my game was corrupted shortly after completing, and I uninstalled it thinking it had steam cloud save.

DS1 certainly felt more creative and the overall world design was more refined, but, after you pass the famous half-way point, you can’t help thinking ‘when is this going to end?’. DS2 on the other hand, pulls you in as you progress further, if you can put up with the tricky bits, of which there are many, eventually the game starts to feel more satisfying. Prepare to be cautious, take your time and play it in chunks.

Surprisingly, even though DS2 has some mechanical drawbacks, its extended replayability has me rating it equally to DS1. I know, shocker, and honestly even several hours into the game I wouldn’t have guessed that I would be saying that about DS2 (a hint to give it a strong chance).

So should you play DS2? A souls fan has to... Don't race to the end, enjoy it. Here we go DS3.