What frustrates you the most about Dark Souls 2?

The most frustrating part about Dark Souls 2 for me is getting invaded by 2 people at once and sometimes with enemies helping them. Some people haven't had these annoying invasions happen to them that often, but it's happened a lot to me - with no clear explanation of why it's significant to the story. Moreover, I keep getting summoned as a Grey Spirit and it's something that I absolutely want to avoid. There's no fun being summoned into a room filled with enemies and a dude just standing there waiting to backstab you as mobs hit you.

I've never really liked the PvP aspect in Souls games but I don't want to play unconnected because seeing messages and bloodstains is integral to the Soul's experience.

Another mechanic that annoys me, is the knowing that there are a limited number of drops of Pharros Lockstones and the fact that there are totally some keyholes that only exist to troll you. It's not so much that I mind dying - but it's knowing that I can totally waste these items and lose out on potential content areas (the Bels areas). I feel that stuff like this only serves to deter players from exploration and makes them always go check up online for guides.

But anyhow, enough about me whining - I've had a great time with this game and it's sucked away hours from my life.

What's frustrates you the most about Dark Souls 2?

- Just realized I posted on the wrong forum, can a mod redirect this topic to the DSII Forums?

The getting invaded by 2 people at once happens in belfry's, those are people in the Bell Keeper Covenant, either fight them or race your way to the exit. As for getting summoned as a Grey Spirit into someone's world, that is someone form the Rat King Covenant and you wandered into their nest. When you get summoned into their world, the mobs and various traps in the nest attack you and not the summoner.

That is also why there are so many Pharros Contraptions that seem like pointless traps, they are for the Rat King covenant and summoning people into that area so that those people can die from those traps.

Hope that explains some of the stuff that's been bugging you.

Thanks for the reply! But unless I'm mistaken there are a decent number of other areas you can waste your lockstones as well, besides the rat area.

There are a couple, yes, but lockstones aren't as limited as you might think. You can join the Rat King covenant and kill for more lockstones or just hang around the nest and kill members of the covenant and you will get a lockstone. Also I think the rats have a chance to drop them as well.

Buttons Inputs not registering! Have you guys experienced this? I'm not sure if this is a problem with the game or my controller, but it hasn't affected me in other games before. I'll more often than not have to press the use and dodge buttons twice for them to take effect which can be a killer facing bosses. I'm not being impatient either; it's not a case of low adaptability; they literally do not register.

The covenant invasions can be annoying because you usually just get overwhelmed and there's never any fair duals - at least in my experience.

I absolutely fucking hate the enemy despawn, I feel that it cheats the initial player of the full trials of the level, maybe in the long run it doesn't matter as much (soul values, etc). It still bothers me though, I know I know, play better, QQ etc

@secondheartbeat:

Havn't seen anything like that, except for getting hit before or in mid animation. Try a different controller duder, I would be intrested to hear the results

This being my first Souls game, dying and losing your souls is heart-breaking. Haven't lost a truly staggering number yet, though, because I'm so terrified of losing them that I level whenever possible.

This is nitpicking, but my main problem with the game is that there's a lot of doors that you can't open. You find all these cool areas via exploration, and you can't even access them yet!

The increased sluggishness of the animations really gets under my skin. It just seems like a change made just to fuck with people. Making agility skill dependent was a silly change in general, IMO.

@gruebacca: I tried to find that video of Bush when he couldn't open the door, then he slips behind a curtain, ahhh dark souls you relate to everything

The only frustrating part for me was the belltower covenant, I opted to join the covenant, and between constantly getting called on to invade other people and getting invaded myself despite being in the covenant, it got me raging. I don't think I would've cared if I never joined the covenant, I was just amazed at the constant, relentless, calls to action when I really just wanted that key, not for this extended nonstop pvp run.

@encephalon: I recently used a Ring of Life Protection to get like 22 000 souls out of a boss room, to my surprise it didn't actually get destroyed but just "broke" which meant I could repair it for 3000 souls. If you ever have a lot more than 3000 souls in a boss room where it's hard to "Bone out" it could be worth putting one on.

Pressing the spell or drink button during the last part of a roll to immediately fire/heal once the roll is finished doesn't seem to work anymore. It trips me up so I lose half a second every now and then, which can be bad.

Otherwise I like most if not all the changes to the game. The different feel of the movement took some time to get used to but right now I feel as comfortable with it as I did in DS1. Not having messages or bloodstains doesn't bother me either.

@berserk007: Why couldn't I have just played as Obama? He kicks doors down like they're nothing!

@gruebacca: :)

That it's not on PC until the end of April =(

Feeling like every area is just running down a pathway that i know will dead end. Dark Souls Proper occupied a 3d world that was interconnected. Dark Souls 2 feels like 3d traversal in a 2d world.

Not feeling like there's a reason to be running down these paths. There was a moment in DaSouls where my quest was made real. Think im in end game and have yet to discover what DoSouls point is. Best i can think, that sense of loss of purpose IS the point.

@freakin9: I was bummed that it was hard to find help for the gargoyles and a later boss because of the pvp traffic in those areas. Anything that slows jolly cooperation is a bummer.

I've had that happen quite often, I just blamed it on the weird mushy buttons of the PS3 controller. This seems to happen a lot when sprinting especially, not sure if it's just something they changed in the game or what.

I'd say the MP lag. People invade and lagstab, if I leave my back to a wall, they actually just leave. It's really sad. The other thing is my lack of time to play.

More of a minor annoyance than frustration, but I'm not happy with the fact that they seemed to have made all the Covenants require you to equip a ring. Yeah, I have 4 slots now, but it's still hard to justify giving up a slot for something like the Way of Blue or Blue Sentinels, where you can go a very long time without getting invaded or summoned. Are there any passive covenants in the game at all?

I agree, the invasions have always gotten on my nerves. I love the message aspect of the Souls game, kinda makes it feel like everyone is looking out for each other. But, continuously getting invaded while I'm trying to do a hard boss run or something is really a bummer. I'ts like man I'm just trying to enjoy the game at my own pace, why do you people have to keep invading me and killing me and just wasting my time. With that said, I have killed the majority of the people that have invaded me, so that is a bit satisfying.

Honestly the only thing that bugs me is that it isn't longer. I love every bit of it. I've even gotten into PvP which I never did in the old games.

Probably the load times; especially the ones between each of the Emerald Herald's lines. I can literally hear my PS3 looking for the audio file in the disc that corresponds to the next line after every skip.

I don't think I will ever get over losing my souls. It is not a growing experience.

Something else that bugs me is that leveling up is now 2 load screens away. I don't get why they don't just let you level up at every bonfire.

The characters' proportions, hairstyles and how they carry and use their gear (Or do not carry it. A lot of it is in mid air.) and move. How rigid they are, never turning their necks or physically emoting during gameplay except when the player uses gestures. Basically, the lack of realism. Link was a more believable person on the decrepit N64.

Link in the Legend of Zelda really not a comparable game to the characters you play as in Dark Souls. Even as a silent protagonist he was still THE protagonist with a very specific design and central plot.

Looking at a person as they're talking isn't unique to any one person. Side-jumping out of danger is a more natural reaction than rolling and is more effective. Rolling is disorienting, difficult and potentially painful. It's impossible with heavy armor. Using the forearm to brace a shield as it's hit should be common sense. Shivering and sneezing is a natural reaction to cold, as breathing heavily is.... Never mind, they do now catch their breaths after hard fights. That's something.

Can confirm not the PS3 controller, use the PS4 controller and have had numerous times where I am literally saying to myself "Why Isn't He Running?!"

The Souls series is a heavily mechanics oriented franchise. If you're looking for a focus on realistic animations the Souls series will probably never be what you're looking for. Not saying any of what you said is wrong, but it's not the type of thing the Souls series is aiming for, and probably never will be a priority.

The spellcaster area (you'll know it when you see it). I came VERY close to hurling my controller through my television at one point trying to get through that area. Easily one of the most frustrating parts for a melee-only character.

@wemibelec90: I hate that place so much. It was the only area I had to summon someone to help me get though it because I am a melee only character with no range attacks at all

Also when you are one hit away from killing a boss but then you die because you got greedy and attacked when you know you shouldn't.

I guess for someone who got used to the animations and such in the first Dark Souls, HOLY SHIT I hate the amount of stagger when your guard gets broken. I've mostly gotten used to it but it's still annoying.

That and bosses that rely on minions. I love the game but yeesh. I kinda want to be an exterminator now, ya know?

What frustrated me the most about Dark Souls 2 was that the credits rolled. After playing for 80 hours I wasn't even close to being ready for it to end.

I hate the fact that the game goes into offline mode when you are in an xbox live part, but private chat is ok, as someone who almost always stay in an xbox live party when playing games this is annoying and frustrating.

The other thing is that some people put out messages for hidden walls, and some walls you have to press A (x on ps3) to activate, but the message is in the way of pressing A to open the secret door.

@omega: YES! game took me 55 hours to complete and i was so sad to not have more to explore. started NG+ but it's not the same the second time around. first days i played 13+ hours a day! was obsessed so it might be good that i am done:P

My general shitiness at it. I'm almost 8 hours in and have killed 1 (one) boss.

@mrabomination: @evilsbane If you deplete your stamina you cannot sprint again until it has fully recharged. This is more than likely what's happening to you.

On topic my only complaints are the dead ends everywhere (Dark Souls was fluid and was fun finding the linked routes) and the shortcuts are mostly pointless due to being to fast travel to every bonfire.

Oh and the Parry/Riposte mechanic. You have to wait for them to hit the ground to get the animation. Took me forever to figure that out.

My gripes are mostly with technical stuff in this game. Like, how there's a delay on menus and items taking way too long to load in, audio and text not synching up when you talk to NPCs, textures changing resolution back and forth. I don't remember Demon's Souls or Dark Souls running this sluggish. I would love to see how this runs on a PC.

What is frustrating about Dark Souls 2?

The fact that I feel like I'm just breezing through the game. I mean, I'm five bosses in already, and they haven't been that tough. I've only had to take at least two attempts against any of them for the most part (Old Dragonslayer took three or four).

Hell, I just opened three new areas last night, and I'm breezing through one of them.

I was hoping for something harder. I hope the rest of the game gets hella difficult after this.

That I have to wait til the end of April to play it.

The fact that I don't yet own it.

Not quite a frustration as much as a disappointment, but the way it looks and some of how it feels. The lighting looks flat when you're not holding a torch (when you do it looks great), some animations, models, and textures look fucking rough and remind me of early PS3/360 games, the camera isn't smooth and has some weird almost elasticity to it where it'll snap a back a tiny degree the other way when I stop turning it, and the movement as well doesn't feel as smooth with seemingly less space between walking and runing, and turning automatically moves your character a fair bit more than I recall prior games doing it.

Presentation-wise, it feels like a step backwards. That aside, the few hours I spent with it were still enjoyable.

I honestly think there is a delay with the control scheme specifically for the PS3 version. I've noticed it several times such as pressing start to open up the main menu, and even basic mechanics such as running which takes a few seconds to register at times. I thought it was my controller before but I've swapped to a newer one that was purchased about a month ago, and have experienced a similar delay in the running on the 360 version as well. Unless it somehow ties into agility and the adaptability stat??? It's not enough to deter me away from the game which I'm enjoying very much but a minor nuance nonetheless.

I'm SL103 and just got to Harvest Vally. I've farmed plenty of souls by helping others at bosses. I've been invaded outside of an PvP arena maybe 3 or 4 times so far against single opponents and murdered them all. I think my best memory was when I got summoned to help some guy who got invaded. the two of us surrounded the red phantom and kept stun locking him until he was dead. The poor bastard couldn't even move. I guess he learned trying to invade people outside the Lost Sinners room may have been a bad idea.

I don't even know how that's possible.I'm about 16 hours in and nearly half way through the game. I've also probably died maybe about a dozen times or so. Then again I played the crap out of Demons Souls and especially Dark Souls...

The range at which you can lock on to targets seems inconsistent. Sometimes you can lock on from pretty far, and sometimes you're like 10 feet away and can't lock on. Since you can't aim sorceries the way you can aim a bow, it's really annoying when an enemy you could easily take on is posing trouble to you in a situation where you feel you should be on equal ground.

P.S. Before the game came out, I heard you could aim sorceries now. Did I imagine that? Or have I just not figured it out? I tried holding my staff in both hands and pressing L1/L2 like with bows and crossbows, but it didn't work.

I have this happen most often with X for Estus Flask. It seems like you can't pre-load the action if you are even slightly still in an animation. It was much more responsive in DS1.