Dark Souls 2 Guide: What are Invasions and how to deal with them

Invaders can be a real pain in the backside while playing Dark Souls 2. Whether you’re on your way to an important boss fight or have just accrued a huge amount of souls, the last thing you want is to have to face an overpowered player. There are things that you can do to avoid PvP in Dark Souls 2, and VideoGamer has the best strategies to enjoy an invasion-free experience.

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How does invasion work?

While exploring the world of Drangleic, you are always under threat of being invaded by two types of enemies: players and AI. AI Phantoms (Red Phantoms) will only spawn when you are in human form (when you haven’t died, or have consumed a Human Effigy to reverse Hollow).

When you’ve been invaded, dark fog appears over doors to prevent you from escaping the area. You also cannot rest at bonfires or exit the game via the system menu.

To invade another world, players need to use a Cracked Red Eye Orb. Cracked Red Eye Orbs can be found looted from fallen enemies or in treasure chests. You’ll enter a random player’s world as a Red Phantom, but must be a human and not in Majula in order to use it. You cannot use healing items while in the other world, but can use offensive items like throwing knives. Defeating the host you invade will earn you a Token of Spite, which increases your chance of being invaded by other players. You will need a Token of Spite in order to join the Brotherhood of Blood covenant.

[h}What’s the difference between invading and summoning?[/h]

Invasion is when a player enters your world without an invite, and attempts to kill you. To summon another player to your world, you have to activate their white sign on the floor. You can leave signs yourself by using the White Sign Soapstones in your inventory.

Summoning can be a great help when dealing with tough bosses or tricky areas of the game when you’re underpowered.

AI characters can also be summoned at certain points, but you have to be a human in order to see their signs. Lucatiel, for example, can be summoned in Sinner’s Rise.

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How to stop invaders

1. Take your console offline

Sounds stupidly simple, but simply disconnecting your console from the internet will prevent any and all players from invading your game. It’s an inelegant solution, but one that is guaranteed to work.

If you disconnect during an invasion, the game punishes you by being unable to summon or be summoned. Using a Bone of Order resets this penalty.
2. Use a Seed of the Tree of Giants

Seed of the Tree of Giants turns all enemies in the area hostile towards an invader. As soon as one enters your game, use it, especially if you’re in a tough part of Drangleic. Former enemies become essential allies in banishing invaders back to where they came from.

There is a tree in the Forest of Fallen Giants which, every time you’re invaded, has the chance of dropping one of these seeds, you can travel here and see if one has spawned, evening the odds a little upon the next invasion.

3. Use the Black Separation Crystal

As soon as the sign pops up informing you of an invader entering your world, head into your inventory and use the Black Separation Crystal. This item banishes invaders back to their own world, or if you’re an invader in a spot of bother, leave the world you’ve entered.