Dark Souls II is definitely harder if that's what you're looking for; playing the first game will give you some perspective/preparation and ease the transition into the ultimately more challenging game. Dark Souls II is probably fairer as well though; there's no Four Kings, there's no Valley of Defilement (well there kind of is but it's not that bad/you aren't absolutely guaranteed to get poisoned).

Both ^^ well ok you could get DS? Really I cant choose I like them both equally , go for the sequel I guess so you can join the fun of discovery with the community

I feel like DS2 is harder which makes it more challenging and fun. A lot more hidden enemies and traps. Shields and durability were broken in DS, as was pyromancy(at least originally). There weren't as many ranged homing guys, less groups with people taking potshots. Bosses feel like typical dark souls fare though. I think I like DS2 more, but that may be because it's new and I've played the hell out of dark souls already. I do like having a town, and slightly more extensive NPC interactions too. I'd say get DS2

I'm having an easier time with Dark Souls 2, but that's because I played the first game a whole lot. Given that you have the option to make Dark Souls 2 more difficult almost immediately, it's probably the harder of the two.

Oops, read the post wrong. I'd just straight into Dark Souls 2. It appears to ease you into the mechanics almost more smoothly.

I never played any of these games and jumped into two. I had the features on GB play in the background but only paid attention sporadically.

That was my background, and I thought DS2 did a fine job of easing me into things. I wish I knew some more stuff (like two-handing a sword double your strength level allows you to use it, how forward and R2 let's you do a jumping attack, how using an effigy lets you summon people for help). But play patiently and it's a really fun, challenging experience.

You're trying too hard to be funny and it's not working.

Dark Souls II is a harder game, but not by that much. I'm very used to the new mechanics now and I barely ever die anymore.

I do think Dark Souls II is a longer game. I'm nearing the end of the game on my first playthrough, so I don't know for sure, but it definitely has more optional areas. Dark Souls had The Depths, The Great Hollow and Painted World of Ariamis, and I think that's it? I'm not sure but I feel like a lot of Dark Souls II can be skipped if you want. You can go for the Greater Souls immediately. There is no brilliant fog to lift as far as I can tell.

Anyway, they are both great games. I'd start with Dark Souls 2 if I were you. Even though I thought it not be possible, I think it's a better game than the first.

Go with Dark Souls 2 - I personally believe the first 1/4 of the original Dark Souls isn't all that good. The game hits it's classic status later on but the first section is a bit of a slog.

Dark Souls 2 has been awesome from the first second.

I played Demon's Souls and I played Dark Souls both to completion, and #2 is kicking my fucking ass even offline

It seems to me that Dark Souls 2 gives you less options for getting a flying start, but at the same time I would say the beginning of the game is much much easier. None of the early bosses can even compare to the Taurus and Capra Demon (if you don't know how to cheese them), and the first multi-mob boss can be avoided for quite a long time. Overall the game is probably harder though, but mostly just because eventually you have to deal with way more multi-mob fights (both bosses and trash).

It also feels like your character never grows as strong as you could in the first one. Or maybe it's just a combination of the fact that they "nerfed" upgrades (which allows you to reach max level really quickly) while the game is also longer which forces the difficulty curve to keep growing. So you end up in this situation where you character plateaus about 10-15 hours into the game and then you have another 30-40 hours of enemies just getting stronger and stronger.

@shadow: It's harder offline for a wide variety of reasons; lack of invasions guarantees that.

I think the first Dark Souls is tougher. I have played all the way to the Throne of Want and there have been no unfair boss battles at all. There have been no Smough and Ornstein or Capra Demon equivalent battles in my summation. The toughest boss I've faced was by far the Smelter Demon and even he isn't a required boss.

I think that the regular enemies can get a bit excessive in Dark Souls II, but running like hell towards a fog gate is still a viable option. That room before the boss in the Undead Crypt immediately comes to mind as a time when I immediately decided fighting all of those enemies was suicide. Enemies are much tougher to backstab in Dark Souls II for sure but even then I think circling with a shield is a very viable option.

So, all in all, I think that Dark Souls II has been an easier game than Dark Souls 1. Bosses aren't as unpredictable and the enemies can be avoided.

@elyk247: Running away from all the enemies then declaring "this is easier!" is hilarious. At any rate you could always try NG+ if you're not convinced. The 2H Mace Drakekeeper is harder than every boss in Dark Souls with a melee character.

After watching both Brad go thru DS1 and PK go thru DS, they definantly are not the same games they were at launch, and im not talking about all the hints from the community. They both received multiple patches that have now made the games a lot more inviting and not nearly as frustrating. Both are basically finishing the game in less than half the time when the games were first released, that should tell you all you need to know. Also, just watch Vinnys face when Brad completes somthing without any trouble in DS, and with a smirk Vinny explains, "Yea, i was like here hours". As for the new DS2, im patiently waiting not only for the PC version(console versions really look old) i will patiently wait for patches, like with every game, for when the game is truly finished.

Strange opinion, as there is a boss fight with 3 guys. You can isolate the first one, but the other 2 will come after you at the same time. There is a distinct lack of pillars that the Smough and Ornstein fight has to block one of them off. You have to fight them at the same time. Smough and Ornstein are really not that hard. You can totally fight them one on one and because they are pretty late in the game you can wreck Smough in two engagements.

You say the regular enemies are harder in DS2 so then... why do you think it's still an easier game? Is it just because you're missing a Smough and Ornstein fight?

Looking back, I definitely think the original Dark Souls is very easy compared to DS2. You're never in trouble in that game, whereas here, if you're low on health and two guys are coming after you, you're fucked. You can't attack and get your shield up in time, you can't heal. You need to regroup. In Dark Souls you can just drink Estus as they whack you. It's pretty crazy what they allowed you to do in that game. I do really like it, but DS2 has definitely bumped it off the throne for me.

Damn, I meant to hit Dark Souls II, I've played through Demon's and Dark and while they was challenging, I never had such a time of it as I am now. Even standard enemies can take you down quickly, and if you're in group combat, hoo boy, look out.

If you only play one, absolutely play Dark Souls 2. It's hands-down the better game imo, which places it very high in the running for best game ever.

Dark Souls has a great first half but really goes downhill after Anor Londo. So many playthroughs ended after acquiring the Lordvessel. I don't like any of the areas in the late game as much as Undead Burg or Sen's Fortress or Anor Londo. And really, all of it seems super drab compared to some of the stuff I've seen in Dark Souls 2.

I haven't finished Dark Souls 2 yet, but it's continued to surprise and amaze me with its level design and encounters. I think it's probably harder out of the gate but the difficulty curve evens out a bit mid-game. More than anything, the game is just a lot more balanced I think.

I guess DS II because of some of the changes they made (faster equipment degradation, having to account for agility, very few estus flasks in the beginning) and of course because of the Covenant of Champions. I know it's optional, but still.

We talking original, pre-patch Dark Souls? If so then yep, Dark Souls was harder.

I'm about 30 hours into Dark Souls II and I like the original better so far. From a level design perspective I wouldn't put the best DSII level (of the 9 I've seen so far) above the worst DaS level. They all seem on par with the average DeS level. And I think level design is super important for the series, since exploring into unknown dangers is a big part of the appeal.

Dark souls 2 feels way easier. I don't like how easy it is to obtain souls and level up. They need to decrease how much souls you can get from co-op and increase the amount required to level greatly.

I didn't say I ran away from every enemy I saw. Only past the ones that would have left me with hardly any estus flasks left. I said that the bosses were easier and the general enemies were tougher. I'm also talking from the perspective of a blind run through Dark Souls II, as Smough and Ornstein were ridiculously tough and were eventually downgraded in a patch that made Ornstein jump around far less. People have been playing Dark Souls for years now and know all the best equipment available, whereas Dark Souls II has just been released and we're still learning about it.

Don't know, demon's souls was easier than dark souls because you could break the game so easily. Dark souls is probably easier than dark souls 2 because, looking back, there were still a lot of OP stuff (mage build made most bosses super easy with really strong ranged spells, you could tank and drink, tank and drink, also known as the Vinny methode)

I really don't think Dark Souls 2 is harder. It feels easier, most in part since I've been summoning a whole ton. I'm really enjoying it. I would say check out 2 first, then go back and play Dark Souls and Demon's Souls (if PS3).

@gla55jaw: It's impossible to make a difficulty assessment if you're summoning nonstop/not playing blind.

@elyk247: Smelter is harder than every boss in Dark Souls by a fair margin; especially for when you encounter him. Darklurker is ridiculously nuts, just because a boss is optional doesn't mean it doesn't count toward the difficulty. Dark Souls had the Crystal Ring Shield doing 1000+ damage at launch and Crystal Homing Soul Mass doing 1700 damage, and so on. The amount of broken things to make the game trivial originally in Dark Souls was staggering, in Dark Souls II there just aren't that many extremely easy solutions to problems; most of the super powerful spells are locked behind absurdly difficult/time consuming progression barriers, even.

Dark Souls 2 is without a doubt harder than Dark Souls. I'm in the Company of Champions, but the fact that Dark Souls 2 gives you that option removes the needs to put artificial limits on yourself. I had to do that with Dark Souls to make the game harder on subsequent playthroughs.

One thing that has not changed with Dark Souls 2 would be the power of summoned help. You bring a buddy or two into a boss fight and that dude is getting WREKT. I haven't noticed the bosses change their pattern in the presence of multiple phantoms so at that point the fight becomes a walk in the park. It's also very easy to increase your soul level due to the ease of co-op so you don't really need to grind if you just want to power level your way through the game.

Dark Souls II has way more Demon's Souls flavor to it than the first Dark Souls did. Which in short means its way harder.

I still don't understand why people think II is harder. As someone who gave up playing Dark Souls multiple times over the course of about a year and a half, Dark Souls II has given me almost no problems. Well, except for Shrine of Amana. Fuuuuuuuck that place and the stuuuuuupid mages. UGH.

I think Dark Souls II is a way better game than 1 was, though.

Dark Souls 1 is harder because the mobs respawn forever. Dark Souls 2 is possible to grind levels until you can run to the boss without fighting a mob. And I'm getting a ton more friendly summons in Dark Souls 2 which helps immensely. Thanks be where swords swing and spells were launched...