u/Old_Imagination4274

My bloodorned blood is undusked

Jesus Christ I feel like I’m playing Sekiro for the first time again, without the desperation. I feel like I need to play perfectly or else I’ll be horribly punished.

I beat the game for the first (and last) time 4 years ago. I haven’t beaten father owl, demon of hatred or put much time into the gauntlets. I felt like a master when I beat it, but I guess didnt really feel like picking this game back up and have taken a long enough break from it.

Now, four years later I picked up my Charmless playthrough and Jesus it’s so hard! I don’t know if it’s the time or fact I need to play perfectly, but god damn this game is tough. Ive been making steady progress every day and having a blast while doing it. I’ve forgotten how damn perfect this game is even when fighting fucking snake eyes I hate snake eyes. I just got to great shinobi owl and damn, I die in like two hits. Charmless is something else.

Maybe in my next run I’ll do demon bell, but I feel like I have my hands full at the moment.

Damn I wish fromsoft released a Sekiro dlc…

In fact it’s really good

Enemy placement in DS2 isnt that bad. I think there are plenty of areas in DS3/DS1 where it’s really bad. DS1 has Izalith, Demon Ruins, Painted World can be really tedious, and and Tomb of the Giants with the action at the end. DS3 has smouldering lake, Faron keep and undead settlement have some really ganky parts I don’t like, and Ariamis can be real pain too.

DS2 has like two big areas that kinda suck in terms of enemy placement, and that’s Iron Keep and Shrine of Amana. Those undoubtedly have a bit too many, but the rest of the game is honestly fine (I’m not counting the DLC hell areas, those are meant to be played in multiplayer). Black gulch is so short I barely even count it as an area. And you can just run through it in like 20 seconds.

DS2 is really built around enemy encounters in a way I really enjoy, and you’re supposed to take the game slowly. The only real bad run backs (minus DLCs) are smelter demon, demon of song, and that’s it.

I don’t get why people see this as such a huge flaw in the game. The game has so much more than “shitty enemy placement”. I’d argue 97% of the time it’s really good and adds a lot of fun to the game. Hell I even like iron keep. Although shrine of amana is still kind of ass cancer.

I will say the only bad thing about ADP is that it’s a trap for new players, and that it can harm your experience. And the only real unfun mechanic in DS2 is the hollowing. I think it’s a bit too punishing for new players. But for returning players, it’s very easy to work around.

Honestly the only criticism I still agree with is that a lot of the bosses are boring, and yes they really can be. But honestly I don’t even think that’s that bit of an issue because I get a lot of my enjoyment out of the areas themselves. People spend so much time complaining about how “it sucks compared to DS3 and Elden Ring” and sure the bosses might not be as good but the game is also just a product of its time. Compared to DS1 and DeS, the bosses are fine. The focus is a lot more on the experience as a whole than the individual bosses. It’s similar to the older fromsoft games like kingsfield, where the focus is on the experience as a whole than the individual encounters. Like we remember kingsfield for the progression the builds and the enemies, ie the dungeon crawling nature. The bosses are a small highlight. DS2 is a lot like a dungeon crawler. and if you don’t like that, then that’s okay. But it’s a real crappy thing to say it’s bad instead of it’s different.

Anyway, peak souls 2.

In fact it’s really good

Enemy placement in DS2 isnt that bad. I think there are plenty of areas in DS3/DS1 where it’s really bad. DS1 has Izalith, Demon Ruins, Painted World can be really tedious, and and Tomb of the Giants with the action at the end. DS3 has smouldering lake, Faron keep and undead settlement have some really ganky parts I don’t like, and Ariamis can be real pain too.

DS2 has like two big areas that kinda suck in terms of enemy placement, and that’s Iron Keep and Shrine of Amana. Those undoubtedly have a bit too many, but the rest of the game is honestly fine (I’m not counting the DLC hell areas, those are meant to be played in multiplayer). Black gulch is so short I barely even count it as an area. And you can just run through it in like 20 seconds.

DS2 is really built around enemy encounters in a way I really enjoy, and you’re supposed to take the game slowly. The only real bad run backs (minus DLCs) are smelter demon, demon of song, and that’s it.

I don’t get why people see this as such a huge flaw in the game. The game has so much more than “shitty enemy placement”. I’d argue 97% of the time it’s really good and adds a lot of fun to the game. Hell I even like iron keep. Although shrine of amana is still kind of ass cancer.

I will say the only bad thing about ADP is that it’s a trap for new players, and that it can harm your experience. And the only real unfun mechanic in DS2 is the hollowing. I think it’s a bit too punishing for new players. But for returning players, it’s very easy to work around.

Honestly the only criticism I still agree with is that a lot of the bosses are boring, and yes they really can be. But honestly I don’t even think that’s that bit of an issue because I get a lot of my enjoyment out of the areas themselves. People spend so much time complaining about how “it sucks compared to DS3 and Elden Ring” and sure the bosses might not be as good but the game is also just a product of its time. Compared to DS1 and DeS, the bosses are fine. The focus is a lot more on the experience as a whole than the individual bosses. It’s similar to the older fromsoft games like kingsfield, where the focus is on the experience as a whole than the individual encounters. Like we remember kingsfield for the progression the builds and the enemies, ie the dungeon crawling nature. The bosses are a small highlight. DS2 is a lot like a dungeon crawler. and if you don’t like that, then that’s okay. But it’s a real crappy thing to say it’s bad instead of it’s different.

Anyway, peak souls 2.

Dark Souls 2 has a very unique feel that I feel isn't really replicated by any other souls game. Something about its weird mix of mechanics, its NPCs, the variety of world locations and bosses. I had this realization last night while watching a video about Dark Souls 2 with a track from one of the linear Zelda games playing in the background (I forget which song).

I know the two games are very different, but I feel there are some aspects are very similar. The only non BOTW/TOTK Zelda game I've finished is Twilight Princess, and that's the one I think about.

Dark Souls 2 just feels the most adventure-y. I feel there is the most random little things that often fit with the random little things in the Zelda games. For example, all the random little environmental interactions, like the powder barrel in the Bastille to blast open the wall, or hitting the stone in Majula for the Estus shard. The most Zelda like thing being burning the windmill in harvest valley. There's just so many little random ahh details that aren't found in the other souls games, and I feel these lend to it being similar to Zelda.

Also the areas feel much more varied. Each has its own unique mechanics and vibes, just like Zelda's dungeons. Especially the DLCs. No Man's Wharf is darkness and you gotta figure out how to deal with enemies in the darkness. Brume tower has the elevators and Nadalia statues. Sanctum has the pillars you shoot, and Eleum Loyce has the gimmick with the ice. Again, no other game really has these gimmicks. They're really fun and add so much identity to each areas, just like the Dungeons in TP.

I suppose you could say that Demon's Souls is more gimmicky, but it lacks the little mechanics that DS2 has and the grand adventure feel. The bosses certainly are technically more similar, but I feel DS2 "feels" more like Zelda if that makes sense.

But yeah! Dark Souls 2 feels a lot like Zelda games.

Dark Souls 2 has a very unique feel that I feel isn't really replicated by any other souls game. Something about its weird mix of mechanics, its NPCs, the variety of world locations and bosses. I had this realization last night while watching a video about Dark Souls 2 with a track from one of the linear Zelda games playing in the background (I forget which song).

I know the two games are very different, but I feel there are some aspects are very similar. The only non BOTW/TOTK Zelda game I've finished is Twilight Princess, and that's the one I think about.

Dark Souls 2 just feels the most adventure-y. I feel there is the most random little things that often fit with the random little things in the Zelda games. For example, all the random little environmental interactions, like the powder barrel in the Bastille to blast open the wall, or hitting the stone in Majula for the Estus shard. The most Zelda like thing being burning the windmill in harvest valley. There's just so many little random ahh details that aren't found in the other souls games, and I feel these lend to it being similar to Zelda.

Also the areas feel much more varied. Each has its own unique mechanics and vibes, just like Zelda's dungeons. Especially the DLCs. No Man's Wharf is darkness and you gotta figure out how to deal with enemies in the darkness. Brume tower has the elevators and Nadalia statues. Sanctum has the pillars you shoot, and Eleum Loyce has the gimmick with the ice. Again, no other game really has these gimmicks. They're really fun and add so much identity to each areas, just like the Dungeons in TP.

I suppose you could say that Demon's Souls is more gimmicky, but it lacks the little mechanics that DS2 has and the grand adventure feel. The bosses certainly are technically more similar, but I feel DS2 "feels" more like Zelda if that makes sense.

But yeah! Dark Souls 2 feels a lot like Zelda games.

Okay before you down vote me into Nashandra's Dark Chasm of Old please hear me out:

Dark souls 2 is awesome and I love it. I love the vibes, exploration, and even the slow combat and areas. It has its flaws, mainly for me that often areas or bosses can feel lackluster or too easy, to the point where it can kinda just feel like I'm moving area to area without much purpose, and just to progress through the game.

The thing is, I feel like Dark Souls 2 has the DNA of an open world game. I know that dark souls 2 can be technically considered open world, but more like it's open world in the sense of having large interconnected world design like Elden Ring instead of rooms/areas connected through a series of elevators and tight cave walls.

There are so many rooms full of chests and seemingly random items that I feel would have benefited from being placed elsewhere. In any of the other souls games you wouldn't have rooms like this. This is obviously a product of the rushed nature of Dark Souls 2. It isn't necessarily bad, but feels like you're just stumbling onto random shit, where in the other games whenever you encounter chests there's like at most 3 and it's more of a reward for defeating some enemy. An example is in the room where you fight the sentinel trio, there are like 5 illusory walls full of chests. If it was one that would make sense but it seems like they said "we have 10 items we need to find places for, let's shove them into this one room".

The other thing is that Dark Souls 2's world feels really random. The obvious worst example is going from harvest valley to iron keep, but it feels like a lot of areas are like this. Again, this isn't bad, I think it has a charm, but gameplay wise it's little bizarre. I think lore wise it speaks to the mental state of the Bearer of the Curse, and to the greater state of the world, and how everything is convoluted. It's almost like a hallucination. It doesn't by any means dampen the experience. It makes it feel like you are exploring a giant world of ancient kingdoms past. I think if instead of having weird hallways and elevators as the connecting point, imagine if we had something like Elden Ring, where you had large open fields with things to do around them connecting to each other.

An open world would really suit the large expansive world that Dark Souls 2 has. It would allow for the player to explore and discover. And through this, you could pick and choose what areas you want to engage with, and you could make a lot of the bosses optional. And I think that the vibes of Dark Souls 2 would lead to something incredibly unique. Imagine on a mount, galloping through the shaded woods, and then at the edge seeing Drangleic castle looming over you, kinda like Shadow Keep in Elden Ring's DLC. I imagine the open world would be a lot darker and feel more claustrophobic than Elden Ring.

Something that you could do is make it a lot like Twilight Princess's world design, where Hyrule field connects the whole world together and separates everything into specific dungeons/ areas, although I feel something like Elden Ring's world would serve it better.

Of course this is all speculation and fluff. Please don't take this as Dark Souls 2 slander. I love dark souls 2, and think it's a really special experience and has so many unique things that the other games don't have. I understand that Fromsoftware had constraints and challenges that led Dark Souls 2 to be the game that it is. But I think Dark Souls 2 has a lot of DNA that would lead it to be a spectacular open world game. If only it was given the time and care to let it be realized fully. We got an amazing game, spectacular world with interesting enemies, designs, music, and overall and unforgettable experience. I just want something to do it justice.

Edit: Forgot to add this. I see why people call Elden Ring Dark Souls 2 2. It's a fully realized version of what Dark Souls 2 set out to be. I just wish that we also had a Dark Souls 2 open world like Elden Ring with Dark Souls 2's vibes.

After KSP2 the spaceflight sim community was sad, distraught, and betrayed. The game we had spent years waiting for and a lot of us spent money on ended development. I had put so much, perhaps too much hope into a project that, as we learned later was doomed from the start. So many issues, bugs, vision issues, the game was rotten to the core. Even if the devs had continued somewhat, there would still be issues all the way until the game reached 1.0 and even after. Endless bugs, kraken attacks, etc. The game would probably be fun, but unless it got treated to a No Man's Sky treatment which would very likely not happen, it would be plagued by issues based on the nature of the game.

And then in October of 2024 we saw a beam of light in the distance. Kitten Space Agency. We were promised a lot. A new game engine, a more polished experience, improved and new game mechanics. It looked too good to be true. Was this to be another KSP2? NO! The devs were sharing progress from day one. It slowly but surely picked up, and we saw progress every once in a while. And it kept getting better and better.

I expected it to be KSP but with less bugs, a more detailed vehicle editor, higher fidelity graphics, and really good mod support. I thought the devs would make a nice base for people to work on the game and not focus on little details. Thankfully, I've been disproven.

I think my first realization was when Blackrack like 4 or 5 times superceeded my expectations. I thought the clouds/atmosphere looked amazing, NOPE! Make them even better.

The next one was seeing the sparks/debris that fly off the spacecraft whenever it started the engines. Wow. That is not necessary at all, but it really shows how detail oriented the devs are. That is something that's not even in KSP2. And they just added it! It's freaking awesome.

Volumetric exhaust plumes I think is the biggest one. Nobody expected this and they're something I didn't know I missed desperately until I saw them in action. They look so freaking good and AUGH they're amazing.

The last one for me has been explosion debris. We haven't seen explosions yet, and I know they're gonna be awesome. But smaller explosion debris???????????? I love it so much.

Rocketworkz, you have my soul. This game has the potential to be one of the best games ever made.

The yearly fromsoft game hype… it’s so delicious I could cream my pants. Kinda insane that it’s been yearly is it not? I’m so excited to learn how DB plays.

How much are you guys gonna look up during the hype period between now and full release?

Personally I’ll probably watch all the trailers but as release date approaches, the game gets more spoilery and probably a week before release I’ll have to turn off my socials.

Today/tomorrow we’ll probably have all the big souls tubers make their videos with titles like “I played Duskbloods, and its interesting…”

Tomorrow we’re getting the network test hype trailer, bunch reactions on the new details in the videos and trailers, hyping stuff up and lore speculation, probably a lot of complaints too. “This doesn’t look fun” or whatever. Fromsoft is probably the community with the most comparative nature.

Then the test will happen over the weekend, and it’ll be a lot of fun! We will probably have some tech issues and people are going to complain SO much during that time but then it’ll be fixed and we’ll all be happy.

Then it’ll be done and there will be the agonizing wait til the game releases. I imagine it’ll be in October because of GTA6 but maybe it won’t? Who knows. Or maybe a Christmas game.

And it’ll be out and it’ll be awesome.

I have a lot of hope for Duskbloods. I think fromsoft really cares about this release and wants it to be perfect. they’ve been working on it for so long and I’m sure there’s a lot of new stuff that they’re scared to show off but will end up being amazing.

Another thing, I’ve seen a lot of people comparing DB to NR because it’s multiplayer. I mean yes they probably both have some similar mechanics, but NR likely borrowed from Duskbloods if anything. if people are afraid that it’s gonna be like Nightreign and therefore bad, it’s likely that whatever was in Nightreign was a shell of the mechanic from Duskbloods.

Dont get me wrong I love NR, but I feel it had so much more potential than what was done. They could’ve added so much that would’ve made the game so much better than it already is. I feel that Duskbloods is gonna be like a Nightreign in the terms that it’s very experimental but much more fleshed out, with more fleshed out mechanics, areas, bosses, weapons, characaters, and especially more fleshed out lore and story. NR’s story was cool but felt kinda lacking. I really hope DB‘s world feels more fleshed out and meaningful.

I imagine that the story progression will be something similar to NR but again much more fleshed out. Honestly I kinda hated the part of NR’s story where you needed to fetch an item in the overworld. The runs are already so long and if you deviate too much you’re fucked. We know that DB‘s excursions will have multiple ways of achieving victory, so hopefully the story missions don’t require you to do a big detour and instead the detour is the whole mission.

i guess Duskbloods is probably not a rougelike which would help since you wouldn’t need to level during the match, and instead could just beeline to an objective and leave, instead of needing to do a bunch of setup.

Anyway, this has been a rant on what I’m looking forward to. I’m hype!

If yall remember the Nightreign network test and how bad the first session was, you know what I’m talking about. Dont expect it to be flawless. For Nightreign the online didn’t work basically at all the first session. I was so pissed lmao.

The network test is so they can stress test their network. It will likely work eventually, but we’ll have some issues likely. I’m sure everyone who has a code will eventually get in and have fun.

Edit: okay i hear how yall think I’m an entitled piece of shit. I guess I did a bad job of explaining the situation, that’s my bad. I just want to reach a common ground with them and they’re not budging. I now see how I what I want is a little rediculous, but they’re not willing to budge one bit.

Edit: this post was very humbling. Thank you everyone who spoke to me nicely. I’m gonna talk to my parents again and see if I can find a common ground. I guess I’ll do more work next week. I don’t think I’ll be able to find a full 40 hours of work, but I’ll try.

Im a college student and have a week until school starts. I just got back from a two week long vacation with my family, and have bummed around these past two days because I felt I deserved a break. Ive been staying up late, not doing much, playing video games, the life.

I had an agreement with my parents before this saying that I would find work for the last week of college. This was right before the vacation and i didn’t really have time to and also wasnt very interested in doing so. I didn’t really want to work, I wanted a few days off. To be clear I have some work lined up for me but they wanted me to get a full 40 hours. So I blew it off and they didn’t like that, and I agree it was dishonest of me. I should’ve told them that I wasn’t interested in finding work. I agreed quickly because I didn’t want to have a long conversation with them in the moment.

Fast forward to now and my parents and I had a conversation on how I didn’t do what we agreed and what my plan for the rest of the summer is. It was a very long conversation where my parents repeated their points over and over. they said that their rule is that adults have to work full time in the house. I agree with that for the most part but I wanted a break and they said no. I want a few more days off to enjoy my summer stress free and work a little bit with the current stuff I have lined up. I’m going to be working during the school year and want my summer break to be relatively stress free.

Ive already worked a lot before this. I worked most days every week, did what my parents asked. For context the reason they started doing this with me is because I failed to pay off the car‘s insurance and they said they’d take away my computer if I don’t work. so I worked and paid back the car And am in a much better place mentally and actually have things I do now. I worked pretty hard during the summer and feel like I need a break where I kinda just BS around for a bit while I still can.

Hell they even let me do my own thing for the whole of July. I didn’t work on fridays cause they loosened the agreement. They didn’t like it but who cares?

So I explained this to my parents and they still aren’t budging, even after two hours of discussion. They want me to get 40 hours of work for a week, and if I refuse to then they’ll take away my computer and if i refuse that then they’ll have me live somewhere else for next week. I need to figure out where I’ll stay.

Its not a super strict 40 hours, they said if they see I tried hard and couldn’t get it then they wouldn’t take it away but its more the part that they aren't giving me an option about how I live a week of my life. I already worked a lot and just want a break. they have their reasons and they’re not bad I just don’t want them to be the ones who tell me how to live my life.

Hell I even tried to reason with them and say I’ll get some work for Monday and Friday, but still the same thing.

I don’t really know what to do. I really don’t want to comply and think they’re being unfair by giving me only one and a half days to look for 40 hours of work.

Should I fight back? should I resist? Any way I can convince them to change their mind? should I just give in??

I can provide more context if needed.

I spent my last game savescummimg everything. from 1066-1453, I was the ultimate savescummer. mainly just battles, but if I didn’t I certainly would have lost a lot more. How much harder is the game without constant reloading? I’d assume it’s more fun too. I’m considering iron man for my next campaign.

Edit: iron man sounds real fun! I’ll definitely give it a try.

I’m a little lost on what to do. I started in 1066 and now am king of friggia and lotharingia. Im a little lost on a long term goal. I guess I could keep expanding. I’ve been building tall mainly right before conquering lotharingia and have a pretty strong economic base.

The main reason I’m hesitant to expand is because if I do I know I’m gonna get dragged down into infinite revolts and holy moly that gets so annoying. I was just gifted the roads to power dlc and could turn into an administrative government but not sure if that’s beneficial for my size?

Or I could change goals entirely and focus on something different.

My world is also in a weird state. France was conquered by Islamic Andalusia but now is in pieces and could be easy to reconquer. the HRE is dead and gone and was replaced by Germany. Ghengis Khan is dead and his heir controls most of the steppe. I’m not sure if I should be afraid of them.

I’m really loving this game! Ive been itching for a medieval RPG recently that doesn’t hold your hand, and I think I’ve found it. I’m 10 hours in and having a blast.

I love the self driven natural exploration. The most explicit time the game tells you anything is with Diego at the beginning, and even then it’s basically nothing.

The lack of guidance adds so much substance to the game. It’s incredibly immersive and gives weight to every NPC and their dialogue. You really have to pay attention to everything. Knowledge is king.

I spent the first 5 hours not knowing what to do, wandering out to the world and dying. Then I tried to do the quests, which most of the time was spent looking for NPCs. Honestly the main complaint I have is not knowing where the hell the NPCs are. looking for them can be not fun. Im Mostly past the initial quests at Old Camp, though.

The progression feels really good and earned. I only have bow and One handed combat learnt, and the combat isn’t anything amazing (I’m a big fan of fromsoft souls games) but the progression really makes up for it. I do love how brutal it is. It’s not necessarily hard, (I’m playing on Gothic) but your knowledge (or lack thereof) has been the main contributor for difficulty. I have had a few moments of having to reload multiple times to win encounters, but I don’t really mind it.

I have mixed feelings about lockpicking. At first I was like wtf this is bullshit and now I think it can be a fun puzzle but don’t like how it completely halts the gameplay. I cannot wait to get the lockpicking skill. I wouldn’t mind it as much if there weren’t so many goddamn locks to pick.

I could say more, but I think that’s all I wanna say. I just really love how natural the progression and exploration is. The game tells you NOTHING. it’s awesome. I love these kinds of brutal, learn it yourself kind of game. I can take it at my own pace instead of being forced to do x or y fetch quest. Its great. If it wasn’t for that i wouldve probably refunded it.

Lockpicking/10