Talk:Dark Souls II/@comment-174.27.200.174-20140901053616

Dark Souls II is an amazing game, as is Dark Souls. DSII had a lot of things that put it above DSI, and a lot of things that put it below.

In the end, though, DSII had one fatal mistake that, so many times makes me want to just stop playing the game, and go play Skyrim or something. Enemies despawn. I could play any area of Dark Souls I 1,000 times over, if I was the appropriate level, and have fun the entire time, even if I died every single one of those 1,000 times. Dark Souls II? Not so much. In Dark Souls I I'd go through the level, and eventually I'd die somewhere. Then, I'm back at the bonfire, and have to restart the level. But I grew. I learned enemies' positions, their weaknesses, how to dodge them, how to fight them. Though I may play the level 1,000 times over there was a sense of progression as I got better at the game. Dark Souls II removes that sense of progression. Right around the time where you start to learn suddenly the enemy who has waited at the doors of the Iron Keep is gone. Next run, the enemy on the stairs. Next run the enemy before the bridge to the Smelter Demon. Next run the enemy on the bridge. You don't NEED to get better, you don't NEED to grow. You don't need to learn anything except how to survive ling enough to kill that one enemy. Even if it means you die. It gives you a sense that you aren't getting better. Everything around you's just getting easier.

The Life Protection Ring makes this process even better, 'cause look! We'll only lose 3,000 souls! The Ring on its own is fine. The Ring with despawning.. It just makes the game too easy.

Games may be getting easier, and easier; holding your hand as you play, but DSII does it to the point where it almost makes me want to drop the series. And it's one of the only games in existence that has frustrated me, because it does this.

And before anyone suggests Bonfire Aesthetics, the only way I'd do that is if I used one on every single bonfire, to keep the intensity unified.

What they need to do is update the game and give an option to turn it off.. (soul farmers could only play online with other soul farmers most likely, so who cares, there?)