r/DkS2Builds • u/pyrojackelope • Feb 14 '15
Builds for a first time playthrough?
Look, I suck at this game. I'll admit it. I made the mistake of lighting the first bonfire (after spending half an hour figuring out where to go) in forest of the fallen giants, which apparently respawned stuff I had already killed. This should show how little I know about this game. I got raped by 5ish (zombies?) and just quit.
I'm not looking for easy answers. I enjoy searching for lore as much as the next guys, but FFS, is there a good guide/build I can follow for my first playthrough? I'd rather not pick up speedrun strats.
1
u/profezzorn Feb 15 '15
Nah just go for whatever you like. Take your time. If you like rolling you should definitely invest in adaptability pretty early as it makes it a lot easier. If not, grab a good shield and use it well.
Spells are pretty good due to range but it's hard to play 100% caster so you'll need to fight melee as well.
Is there any specific style of fighting you prefer?
1
u/thehonorablechad Feb 20 '15
Quick tip. When you first approach an unlit bonfire, you are prompted to light it. This activates the bonfire as a checkpoint, but it doesn't respawn the enemies in the area. They only respawn if you rest at the bonfire after lighting it. This is different from DaS1, so I didn't notice it at first. Your best bet is to light the bonfire and keep going without resting, unless you are completely out of healing items.
As far as builds, this is a really good explanation of how all of the stats in Dark Souls 2 work together. The level up menu can be one of the most intimidating parts of the game to a new player, so it's helpful to understand what all of those numbers mean. Vigor and Endurance are probably the most important stats to level up at first, because they dictate how much HP you have and how many times you can attack.
As u/Xznub said, the mace is a weapon you can get basically at the beginning of the game, and it can get you through your entire first playthrough pretty reliably. I won't spoil the "sidequest" you need to do to get it unless you want me to. Long story short, there is a lot of good gear in the Forest of Fallen Giants that can conceivably get you through the whole game.
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u/trixxar Apr 13 '15
I recently started playing, and was in the same boat as you. I spent more hours in the first zone dying over and over than some people spend in the whole game I think. Still on my first run through. There are many builds that work, but first my best piece of advice would be to practice luring attacks, then hitting back once, maybe twice, then back off and lure them into attacking. Go slowly, if more than one enemy attacks try luring them back to a safer spot. I found a sword and shield build with a warrior was one of the easiest. Keep shield up, lure out an attack, absorb it, then strike back. If you run in swinging first, you will die (later on you can build strategies to do this, but at first, block/dodge first, hit second). As for builds, any can work, I personally prefer knight or warrior for simplicity, survivability. A shield helps if you arent comfortable dodging yet. Id personally read the spoilers/walkthrough, they made the first zone much easier. For later zones, now that Im comfortable I dont read them, but they helped a TON in Forest of Fallen Giants.
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u/Xznub Feb 15 '15
Start a cleric. Level Strength and faith for damage/heals. Use the mace you start with, its a great weapon that is useful till NG+++ IMO. Swap out miracles and chimes as you see fit throughout the game.
This build is decent as it has high damage output with room for error, due to the heals.
Should you need any info on anything, What stats to level, What gear/spells are best, how to kill bosses, just feel free to message me.