Dark Souls II

Dark Souls II
Developer	From Software
Publisher	From Software JP Namco Bandai Games NA
Engine	Havok (physics)
Release Date	March 11th, 2014 NA March 13th, 2014 JP March 14th, 2014 EU April 25th, 2014 PC
Genre	Action role playing game
Modes	Single-player, multiplayer
Platforms	PS3, Xbox 360 and PC

"Go Beyond Death"

— Dark Souls II Tagline

Dark Souls II is a fantasy action-RPG game developed by From Software and is a follow up to Dark Souls. It was announced on December 7, 2012. The game has been published for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC by Namco Bandai Games. Dark Souls II was released on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on March 11, 2014 in North America, on March 13th in Japan and Australia and on March 14th in Europe. The PC version was released on April 25th, 2014. The game has a sequel, Dark Souls III, which was released in 2016.

Plot

The story of Dark Souls II is not directly connected to Dark Souls, though they are set in the same world.

The game takes place in Drangleic, a once prosperous land under the rule of King Vendrick, which has fallen to ruin throughout the ages with the raging war between humans and giants, the sudden disappearance of the King, and a newfound abysmal plague. Like many others, the protagonist has come to the crumbling kingdom in search of a cure for their crippling affliction, the curse of the Undead.

Gameplay

Similar to the previous title, players customize the gender and physical features of their character, in addition to choosing a starting class, which determines the stats and equipment that the player begins with, and a starting gift. From a third-person perspective, players explore a continuous, open world that is roughly the same size as the original game, but with more freedom in how the player can progress. Akin to the notorious difficulty of its predecessor, players are confronted by a persistently hostile environment with unrelenting enemies and bosses – death is a central theme. As enemies are defeated, souls are accumulated, acting as both a form of currency and means to increase attributes. Unlike the first game, however, the player can have a voice chat with other players in their world.

Special editions

Pre-ordering Dark Souls II through either Gamestop or Amazon will allow the choice of two special editions:

• Black Armor Edition. This special edition includes a metal case, the soundtrack from the game, and early access to the following weapons and shields:
  • Black Flamestone Dagger and Black Flamestone Parma
  • Bound Hand Axe and Bound Wooden Shield
  • Homunculus Mace and Homunculus Wooden Shield
  • Transgressor's Staff and Transgressor's Leather Shield
  • Yellow Quartz Longsword and Yellow Quartz Shield
• Collector's Edition. This special edition includes a 12-inch warrior knight figurine that is in the full Faraam Set, art book, cloth map of the game area, plus the Black Armor Edition of the game. However, in some regions, this edition was pre-sold out.

Black Armor Edition promotion

Collector's Edition promotion

The Lost Crowns

The Lost Crowns is a three part DLC for Dark Souls II announced on June 4th, 2014. Released episodically for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, the packs can be purchased separately for $9.99 each, or all three can be purchased through Steam, PSN and Xbox Live for $24.99.

• Crown of the Sunken King - July 22, 2014
• Crown of the Old Iron King - August 26, 2014
• Crown of the Ivory King - September 30, 2014

Scholar of the First Sin

Main article: Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin

In 2014, From Software announced the Scholar of the First Sin edition of Dark Souls II, which is a remaster of the game for Xbox One, PS4 and DirectX 11-compatible PCs. It was also released for PS3, Xbox 360 and DirectX 9-compatible PCs, but without the features of the current-generation console versions.

Official announcement from Bandai Namco's Tumblr account:

Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin will be launching in the Americas on April 2, 2015 on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, and PC/Steam (DirectX 9/DirectX11)!

Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin will include the three previously released DLC packs  - Crown of the Sunken King, Crown of the Old Iron King, and Crown of the Ivory King - along with additional features.

All versions of the game will include the following features (Existing Dark Souls II owners will receive a patch to implement these elements):

• Additional NPCs added for an enhanced story experience.
• Parameter adjustments for improved game balance.
• Augmented item descriptions.
• Improved online matchmaking functionality.

Xbox One, PS4, and DirectX 11 versions of the game will include the following features (in addition to those listed above): 

• Additional upgrades to graphics, sound, performance.
• Increase in maximum online players in single session (6 total).

Dark Souls II- Scholar of the First Sin - Announcement Trailer

Video

Galleries

Screenshots

Promotional images

Early Promotional Image

Trailer

Concept art

Music

Motoi Sakuraba - DARK SOULS II (Menu Theme) (Cycled) (Dark Souls II Full Extended Soundtrack)

Motoi Sakuraba - Departure (Dark Souls II Scholar Of The First Sin Full Original Soundtrack)

External links

• Official English website (archived)
• Official Japanese website