How to make Dark Souls 2 easier?

There’s no shame in asking for some guidance in a notoriously demanding and difficult game such as those that fall within the Dark Souls franchise. If you’re over faced with the complexity of the game, we’re here to offer some hints and tips to making your playthroughs in Dark Souls 2 just that little bit smoother. Unfortunately there is no easy mode on Dark Souls 2 but follow on to our guide to Dark Souls 2 Beginners Tips…



Look death in the eye
Approach this game with an open mind. If this is your first experience with a Dark Souls title, prepare yourself for a steep learning curve, as chances are, you’re going to die a lot in the process of learning how this game works. Treat death as your teacher across this game, as with each kill you’ll find yourself becoming better at the game. Don’t skip the tutorials, in particular the first one you’re fronted with, as this will demonstrate the basic controls. To ease your pain, there have been a total of 6.7 million deaths at the time of writing this article, so you’re certainly not alone. Embrace it!

Keep a hold of your Souls
Souls are the in-game currency used across the Dark Souls world, which can be used for purchasing items and leveling up. Souls can be collected and earned from killing enemies and looting dead bodies, however if you are killed yourself you’ll loose all of your valuable souls. If you can make your way back over to the spot where you died and touch your bloodstain before you are killed again, you’ll be able to regain your lost souls. Be careful in approaching however as the enemy who killed you previously will most likely still be roaming the area and once you’re killed a further time you can kiss your souls goodbye for good. Try not to hold on to too many souls at one time as you’ll risk losing them and aim to fast-travel via bonfire fairly regularly in order to rank up.

Befriend the Emerald Herald
Level up in Dark Souls 2 by visiting the maiden, Emerald Herald, in order to pump up your stats and enhance your abilities. If you’ve entered the game as a magic enthusiast, a good few trips to visit the maiden with your newly acquired souls will warp you into a heavy, sword-wielding warrior in no time. You can also use this visit as an opportunity to trade in your Estus Shards in exchange of an increase in the quantity of Estus Flasks you have. Flasks are great items to have to hand in tricky situations, as they’ll recharge your characters health, which can also be refilled each time that you visit a bonfire.

Selecting your class
Selecting your class will determine your players starting equipment and stats. The sorcerer is a great starting class to select if you’re a Dark Souls novice, as it allows you to use magic as your primary offensive weapon proving quite beneficial for beginners who intend on avoiding close range combat situations early on in the game. However don’t worry about your starting class too much as your stats can be individually upgraded by visiting our old friend Emerald Herald. Once you get into the real nitty-gritty of the game, you’re able to level up in any way you want to.
Read our full rundown to each of the classes in Dark Souls 2 here.



Burning specific items makes your life easier
If you’re struggling within the game, there are a number of items throughout the game that you can throw into the fire in order to make the gameplay just a little easier. Burn the Sublime Bone Dust to strengthen Estus Flasks, the Human Effigies aims to prevent invasion from other players and the bonfire Ascetic respawns and strengthens normal enemies, treasure and bosses around the bonfire. This provides you with the opportunity to pick up large treasures and farm bosses for a great deal of souls at your wish.

Resetting Stats in Dark Souls 2
If you’ve totally messed up while leveling, there’s an old woman in Things Betwixt that you meet quite early within the game who offers to completely reset your stats to your starting class in exchange for a Soul Vessel. This will allow you to freely distribute your points to your intended direction. There are a few of these dotted across the game, but bare in mind that they are rare items and should be used wisely.

Master your escape
If you’re a beginner to the game then your most likely going to want some tips on how to avoid close range combat or make quick escapes if you find yourself stuck in a combat scenario with limited health. Speed up and slide down ladders by holding O (PS3) or B (Xbox 360), although tapping either of those buttons will drop your character down from the ladder, so hold on tight!



Don’t forget to upgrade
Once you’re set on your equipment, head over to Majula to visit the Blacksmith and upgrade your items. To unlock the Blacksmith’s hut, you will first need to purchase the key from the old hag found in the Forest of Giants. Activating upgrades will require forms of Titanite and Souls, found across the map or purchased from merchants, which will upgrade your weapons anywhere from +1 to +10.

Join a covenant
A heavier focus of covenants is being placed within Dark Souls 2 in comparison to the previous title in the series. These covenants are groups that allow players to join in order to customize their play experience. If you count yourself as a beginner and find yourself struggling at times, you may want to give joining the Way of Blue a whirl. This group is focused upon offering help to other players and allows you to summon a bodyguard to aid your defense throughout invasions. Crestgallen Saulden offers you the Way of Blue in Majula alongside a ring boosting your health. If you’ve had a change of heart on your choice of covenant, visit the cat in Majula who will assist you in abandoning a covenant.

Check out the list of all of the covenants in Dark Souls 2 here.

Effectively manage your stamina
Your players mobility is based upon the amount of stamina available, running, attacking and dodging will all reduce your total stamina with blocking reducing the rate of which it returns. A successful fighter within Dark Souls 2 is he/she who takes the stamina bar into account whilst attacking and predeterming the enemy’s movement.

Have you got any Hints and Tips for Dark Souls 2? Let us know in the comments below.

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