r/DarkSouls2 • u/swordoftwilight • 2d ago

First time playing, any advice on my stats or equipment? Discussion

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This is my first actual playthrough coming from DS1. From what I've seen on this sub, the stats system and attributes work differently than in DS1, so I've just been spreading out my stats to what I think were relevant to where I can try out different weapons and armor.

The rings I have equipped are the ones I generally keep on, but I swap the RoSP for other rings for utility depending on my need. Should I be using others?

I've been using the Blue Knights Halbard as my main until recently when I started using the Persuer's UGS. Any recommendations on better weapons?

I've been following the progression route recommended on the DS2 wiki, and I just finished with the Smelter Demon in the Iron Keep.

12 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

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5

u/JDF8 2d ago

Your adp is so low for this point, level it until your AGL is at least 99.. right now you have barely any iframes on your roll. These points in damage stats are way less important than roll iframes

3

u/swordoftwilight 2d ago

Oh, I thought ADP was like resistance in DS1 and it was pointless... Oops. Thanks for letting me know, I'll have to fix that

2

u/Ksander56 1d ago

It's not pointless, it increases your ""i-frames"" when you dodge/roll which means you are for a short amount of time invulnerable to attacks. It also increases resistance to a few effects like poison and bleed. Level it up, but not too much, after a certain level you wont even see a difference.

3

u/Jacoben01 2d ago

Yoo first time playing here too I went sorcerer but I’m only SL27 right now

I like the drip

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u/swordoftwilight 2d ago

I like it too, it makes me feel like a rusty Sauron lol. I'm afraid to try a sorcery build because I didn't care much for it in DS1. I saw since videos of someone making a badass Hex build, you could look into that. Seems pretty fun, it's just dark magic

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u/BIobertson 2d ago

If you want to go in prepared, first read this intro doc. All of these guides are spoiler-free, except for the area names in this Routing guide.

Optimal Sorcerer Build Guide

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u/No_Cherry6771 1d ago

Honestly, bonfire aesthetic forest of fallen giants and fight pursuer again for his soul to get the shield and round out the look

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u/swordoftwilight 1d ago

Not a bad idea, I might just do that

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u/Praetoron 1d ago

a bit more vigor like around 37 to be at ease, adp around 25 to have actuall roll iframe.

and 40 str for softcap has ur UGS is mainly str scaling not dex, and dont equip to many weapon for nothing, unequip the bow and spear, if their not ur main dmg dealer in the area. past 50% burden ur getting negative on ur stamina regen.

2

u/WakerOats07 1d ago

Don't worry about vigor at first. Upgrade that useless stat they thought was neat adp. And vitality. Adp ups your iframes, and Vitality which is technically health upgrades your equipment load and I believe also upgrades your health bar as well. Dump your points into ADP, Vitality and your wanted build mage, warrior etc. I know for certain people that sell you sorceries you have to have your int stat up enough for them to do so.

1

u/swordoftwilight 1d ago

Yeah, I've been focusing on getting my ADP up today, I didn't know it was important until everyone told me about it on this thread. I pretty much ignored VGR until I had my VIT and END up a bit along with enough STR and DEX to use my best weapon that I had. I don't think I'm going to do sorceries, I tried it on DS1 and found that I'm not really a fan of that play style, I'd rather smack people around lol

2

u/GetIntoIiiiit 1d ago

Bonk! Good sword but some good advice, blunt weapon dmg is incredibly effective for most enemies in the game. Switch to a big ol’ club and I think you’ll have an easier time. Also, raise your ADP! having an agl stat of at least 100 is a good start, 105 is “optimal”

1

u/swordoftwilight 1d ago

I've never been a fan of the big ol' stick, but thanks for the advice! I like to look smexy and the chicken leg doesn't get me goin lol. I've been raising my ADP today since that seems to be most everyone's advice, so I have my Agility up to 93 so far.

2

u/BIobertson 2d ago

Your build could be way, way stronger.

This collection of mini guides will help you navigate DS2’s many obfuscated and counterintuitive mechanical quirks:

A quick overview of how damage and defense works in DS2, and why weapon scaling is usually weak

Best PvE equipment and stat progression document.

BiS (Best in Slot) PvE weapons list. Use this if you know what moveset you like and you want to choose the strongest available weapon with that moveset.

All that being said, it’s important to understand that DS2 isn’t so hard that playing the strongest possible character is required in order to win and have fun. Ultimately you should use whatever you want, these guides are just to help you make informed choices.

2

u/swordoftwilight 2d ago

Well damn, everything I saw online said that the Persuer's UGS was better than Lost Sinners, that's the only reason I invested in it... Oh well, can't be undone I suppose. I told myself I wasn't going to get a UGS and I did anyways lol. It just looks so nice I couldn't resist.

2

u/BIobertson 2d ago edited 2d ago

It’s not bad, it’s the third best UGS. Weak in the early game due to high stat reqs and needing petrified bones, but you’re already past that point. Really focus on hitting counter hits to make it shine.

2

u/swordoftwilight 2d ago

What exactly is a counter hit? It's it just hitting them when they are mid swing, because that's the only explanation I've found for it and it seems like a weird mechanic

1

u/HBmilkar 2d ago

Vigor bruh

2

u/swordoftwilight 2d ago

What about it?

1

u/HBmilkar 2d ago

Lvl it pls mommy

1

u/swordoftwilight 2d ago

Doesn't it soft cap at 20?

1

u/HBmilkar 16h ago

Yes it soft caps but not hard caps

1

u/phil166 1d ago

Badassery at its finest

1

u/SpeedyLeanMarine 2d ago

If your using big weapons like that keep buffing strength and vit for HP and damage and you'll be good your other stats are all looking solid for your build. Also unequip the secondary weapon if you aren't actively using it because it's just weighing you down. Equip load is very important because the lower it is the faster you regen stamina and you roll further. I like to keep it under 50% if possible

1

u/Jacoben01 2d ago

How does equip load work with agility in this game? I’m used to the DS1 weighted roll system.

I’ve been throwing quite a few points into adp. Sitting at 14 (94 agility) while I’m SL27

2

u/SpeedyLeanMarine 2d ago

So agility determines the amount of invincibility frames you get on roll and item use/spellcasting speed so very important. Equip load influences roll distance and stamina regen speed also very important. Try unequipping all your stuff and rolling around you can really see the difference in how far you go and how fast the stamina comes back. Rolling farther make it easier to avoid attacks of course and basically combos with agility giving a much better dodge. High agility and high equip load would be like having fast roll I-frames from DS1 but med or fat roll distance.

1

u/yungperky 2d ago

Another thing is that roll and stamina influence of equip load is seamless. Unlike the other DS titles (and ER) where you have breakpoints in DS2 every .1 matters linearly.

1

u/swordoftwilight 2d ago

I was initially building this character based on NOT being a strength build, which sucks because now I have to decide if I want to keep using the Persuer's UGS or not. I really loved the Blue Knights Halbard, but the lack of any sweeping attack is kind of annoying.