Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1451 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,013 out of 1451
  2. Mixed: 281 out of 1451
  3. Negative: 157 out of 1451
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  1. JesseDillinger
    Jul 31, 2023
    2
    Worst Souls game and it's not even close. Holy **** they just loved putting a billion enemies in tiny locations just to piss you off. This game's whole purpose is made to piss you off. No other Souls game feels that way. They feel like actual good challenging games. This game is awful and hard for the dumbest reasons ever.
  2. DarkAngel-_-Q8
    Jun 26, 2023
    0
    do not waste your time with this piece of crap. it has many bugs and the weirdest hitboxes I have ever seen.
  3. CnPx98
    Apr 13, 2023
    4
    Dark Souls 2 is easily the worst release that From Software has made. Everything in this game feels so forced. Other titles have been more about a fun game that happens to be hard as Ds2 is more hard for the sake of being hard. Like every action you do there is always an ambush. Every boss mechanic feels so over the top and ridiculous. The hole game can be cheesed with Life stones andDark Souls 2 is easily the worst release that From Software has made. Everything in this game feels so forced. Other titles have been more about a fun game that happens to be hard as Ds2 is more hard for the sake of being hard. Like every action you do there is always an ambush. Every boss mechanic feels so over the top and ridiculous. The hole game can be cheesed with Life stones and Agility. The combat feels clunky and horrible compared to every other From Software game. For example if you swing your sword you are stuck in place for half a second before you can roll. Why? You can tell this wasn't the made team that created this game because it plays more like a cheap imitation. Also the game is actually harder if you use lock on. Honestly if you go against your brain telling you to always use lock on you'll find the game way easier. Which is funny cos that's the opposite of every other from soft game. I can imagine Ds2 being really bad for less experienced souls players as right at the start your fighting ambushes of 10 + enemies. And this is when you likely have a bottom tear weapon. Scholar of the 1st sin should have been a proper reword not just a couple minor improvements and random enemy placements. Apperantly the enemy placements are worse but I've not played the original.… Expand
  4. HIBBITY
    Mar 1, 2023
    2
    Till this day after many many tries I have yet to feel that spark I felt with every other souls game, I have played and 100% (atleast trophy wise) multiple fromsoft games but till this day this remains the only one I have yet to beat let alone just get through a decent portion. It feels like if you got a fan made dark souls game by people who think the only reason souls games are loved isTill this day after many many tries I have yet to feel that spark I felt with every other souls game, I have played and 100% (atleast trophy wise) multiple fromsoft games but till this day this remains the only one I have yet to beat let alone just get through a decent portion. It feels like if you got a fan made dark souls game by people who think the only reason souls games are loved is because they are difficult. It lacks a true place umong the souls games getting 2 points purely for powerstancing the 1 it deserves.… Expand
  5. GeckoMaBoi
    Jan 11, 2023
    4
    I have completed this game twice and I still don't like it. For some reason every now and then i crave to play it though, only to remember how bad it is.
  6. Dwideshrude1
    May 22, 2022
    1
    Man, I heard this was a bad game. But wow. Didnt know to what level it was. At the beginning of the game and already the jump attack is bugged, doesnt work as designed. Bosses are too easy, getting to the boss is harder than the boss. Level designs are boring. Shrine of Amana is some of the worst game/level design I've seen in my life. Just randomly falling to your death and getting magicMan, I heard this was a bad game. But wow. Didnt know to what level it was. At the beginning of the game and already the jump attack is bugged, doesnt work as designed. Bosses are too easy, getting to the boss is harder than the boss. Level designs are boring. Shrine of Amana is some of the worst game/level design I've seen in my life. Just randomly falling to your death and getting magic spammed, wow FUN. The weapons and armor are unbalanced as hell, I see no reason to use anything other than the Battle axe i got hour 1, which makes the game trivial. Just like. Seriously? Its almost as if the devs never played a video game, nevermind testing their own their own, before designing and releasing this.… Expand
  7. myilmazbm2
    Mar 21, 2022
    1
    I just finished the game and feel like I wasted my time proving myself to myself. just it. and do not like the game.
  8. NoobnGrelou
    Oct 20, 2021
    2
    the trashiest dark souls ever made dont play this piece of **** ***********
  9. SimpKilla
    Mar 23, 2021
    0
    The controls are freakin disgusting, so clunky, deadzone in the left stick on controllers. Graphics are horrible too. Worst souls game
  10. Joshbottons
    Feb 23, 2021
    0
    By far the worst souls game ever, it literally feels like a fan spin-off that wanted to turn the concept from fun and challenging to straight up unfair. the ADP stat is a JOKE and why would they switch from 360° movement to just 8 direction movement? It feels so archaic and unpractical. The animations are sub-par for a fromsoft game, if you don’t believe me, watch the fat roll animation,By far the worst souls game ever, it literally feels like a fan spin-off that wanted to turn the concept from fun and challenging to straight up unfair. the ADP stat is a JOKE and why would they switch from 360° movement to just 8 direction movement? It feels so archaic and unpractical. The animations are sub-par for a fromsoft game, if you don’t believe me, watch the fat roll animation, most likely the item you’re using will clip in both your body and the floor. While the graphics have some quirks, some places like majula have just too much contrast and light. The fire keeper looks like an anime ripoff of the first game and I’m tired of “SEEK SEEK LEST”.… Expand
  11. JaysonPullen
    Feb 7, 2021
    0
    I have 10k hours plugged into souls games, so I know what I'm talking about. Worst Souls game of the series. Why? Miyazaki did not direct the game. Many errors made in programming that break the game. Soul memory is a great idea that ultimately breaks all PVP and COOP. You can be hit while locked into animations. Stamina is broken. Lock on mechanics is broken. Spells take way too muchI have 10k hours plugged into souls games, so I know what I'm talking about. Worst Souls game of the series. Why? Miyazaki did not direct the game. Many errors made in programming that break the game. Soul memory is a great idea that ultimately breaks all PVP and COOP. You can be hit while locked into animations. Stamina is broken. Lock on mechanics is broken. Spells take way too much stamina. Items break way too easily and cost way too much to repair. Traps are way cheaper in this game versus Miyazaki's much better personal projects. Pharros Lockstones are a stupid system.… Expand
  12. Daemon20
    Jan 25, 2021
    3
    A failure on all fronts that tries to capture the first game's charm while not understanding what made it great at all. It manages to make the first game's combat unsatisfying and inconsistent, the great level design into big areas filled to the brim with enemies that feel like a slog to get through, the creative memorable clashes with the bosses into little speed-bumps that at best are aA failure on all fronts that tries to capture the first game's charm while not understanding what made it great at all. It manages to make the first game's combat unsatisfying and inconsistent, the great level design into big areas filled to the brim with enemies that feel like a slog to get through, the creative memorable clashes with the bosses into little speed-bumps that at best are a quick little fight and at worse are downright annoying and unfun. There is no semblance of enjoyment or fun up until the DLC, which in itself is very flawed but is drastically better in quality than the rest of the game. This is a sequel to one of the greatest games ever by people who didn't understand how to do it. And the result is catastrophic.… Expand
  13. GuardInCharge
    Jan 18, 2021
    1
    Game is the weakest of the Soulsborne games. Its glitchy, poorly concieved, has awful level design, and an even more terrible set of DLCs. The hitboxes are the worst of all the games, the lore is bland and not as connected as DS1 and DS3. The pvp is boring and the changes they made to estus in this game really hurt this game. Do not reccomend, its embarrassing.
  14. CMS_Caracal
    Nov 16, 2020
    0
    I JUST CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE
    MY WIFE LEFT ME, SHE TOOK THE KIDS, I LOST MY JOB, I'M LATE ON BILLS AND I'M ON THE VERGE OF MENTAL BREAKDOWN
    ALL THANKS TO DARK SOULS 2, WHY GOD, OH WHY CAN'T THIS BE A RESKINNED DARK SOULS 1 LIKE DARK SOULS 3 I'M RUNNING OUT OF SOY... W-WHAT WAS THAT?! WHO'S THERE?!?! OH GOD! ENEMIES! NO! I CAN ONLY BACKSTAB CHEESE AND PARRYSPAM, WHY DOESN'T IT WORK?! HOW    I JUST CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE
    MY WIFE LEFT ME, SHE TOOK THE KIDS, I LOST MY JOB, I'M LATE ON BILLS AND I'M ON THE VERGE OF MENTAL BREAKDOWN
    ALL THANKS TO DARK SOULS 2, WHY GOD, OH WHY CAN'T THIS BE A RESKINNED DARK SOULS 1 LIKE DARK SOULS 3
    I'M RUNNING OUT OF SOY... W-WHAT WAS THAT?! WHO'S THERE?!?! OH GOD! ENEMIES! NO! I CAN ONLY BACKSTAB CHEESE AND PARRYSPAM, WHY DOESN'T IT WORK?! HOW DID I END UP IN THIS SITUATION?!!? OH GOD WHY CAN'T I JUST SPRINT THROUGH IT?!!? IT'S SO TIRESOME PLAYING A GAME! OH GOD... OH GOD... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!    … Expand
  15. Kakashi2
    Oct 30, 2020
    0
    Ah, I really love this game. This title feels a little more like an RPG than the other souls games. This just really meshes well with what I like. I love dual wielding, the new game plus, and just a lot of random little things. DS2 is usually looked at like the black sheep of the souls series, to me though, it's my favorite.
  16. Ampov
    Sep 4, 2020
    0
    If you are a dynamic gamer craving for fast-pace combat, this game will teach you how to play with style. It will slow your combat pace down, allowing you to enjoy gameplay and story to the fullest. The game has a unique tranquility when playing with headphones. Enjoy/Play the game with a steady pace and you will want more. I'm hunting the Platinum and then all go for DS3.
  17. Niwrlyss
    Aug 27, 2020
    3
    The lore is not good like first game. You lose life every time you die until reach half. I like to use sword, but the poise of enemies is ridiculous, looks like you're attacking a rock and the enemies don't lose poise. The WORST part of this game is : the Estus flask is useless, you take so many time to use, and sometimes you die because it's very low. The final part, when you run or dodgeThe lore is not good like first game. You lose life every time you die until reach half. I like to use sword, but the poise of enemies is ridiculous, looks like you're attacking a rock and the enemies don't lose poise. The WORST part of this game is : the Estus flask is useless, you take so many time to use, and sometimes you die because it's very low. The final part, when you run or dodge of enemy YOU TAKE DAMAGE because you have to spend your souls in the adaptability if you wanna dodge or use Estus more quickly, and it's SO RIDICULOUS. I love all games of souls, but Dark Souls 2 it's not a good game.… Expand
  18. sabaothkelly
    Jul 30, 2020
    0
    Demon Souls 1? Legendary.
    Dark Souls 1? Masterpiece.
    Light Souls 2? What a PIECE of TVRD, ¡seriously!? There are too many enemies and bosses doing s**t that is just just random, absurd or jank. Honestly, it's just barely above "Lords of the Fallen" trash mechanics.
    Dark Souls 3? Amazing.
    Bloodborne? Godly.
    Sekiro? Very Good.
  19. Elitesky
    Jul 28, 2020
    1
    No no and no. This is not it. Sure they made the game harder, but also more stoopid. **** standing stil and drinking estus flask forever, like the whole character pause and the delay is horrid. Idiotic. This was not the case in DS2 or i would definately have reacted. Also nerfed magic to very low in +games. Yeah thx. **** it, shouldnt have bought this ****. I have played DES enjoyed, DS1No no and no. This is not it. Sure they made the game harder, but also more stoopid. **** standing stil and drinking estus flask forever, like the whole character pause and the delay is horrid. Idiotic. This was not the case in DS2 or i would definately have reacted. Also nerfed magic to very low in +games. Yeah thx. **** it, shouldnt have bought this ****. I have played DES enjoyed, DS1 enjoyed and DS2 enjoyed, DS2 was the best, but not DS2SFS. DS2SFS is garbage, totally imballanced. Well this was my last buy from "From software" game. Thats all my money for you folks.… Expand
  20. sownheard
    Jul 3, 2020
    3
    I beat the game and I didn't like it.
    I don't get why people praise it so much.
    Yes there is fun lore great music and some good looking levels. However The combat is Monster Hunter dipped in butter enemy's glide around there Axis to track your movement while they take there swings. And after you got them they When a enemy is low to the ground your character can't physically bend over to    I beat the game and I didn't like it.
    I don't get why people praise it so much.
    Yes there is fun lore great music and some good looking levels.
    However

    The combat is Monster Hunter dipped in butter enemy's glide around there Axis to track your movement while they take there swings.
    And after you got them they When a enemy is low to the ground your character can't physically bend over to hit downwards unless locked on (a basic system Zelda figured out In the past)

    When Fighting multiple enemies the camera actively tries to frame only 1 opponent.

    Enemie Ranged attacks have weird tracking that often ghost threw walls.

    The dodge roll is inconsistent.

    The stats are not explained.

    The level design sucks on purpose they wanted the game to be deep and thought-provoking so they decided to not explain why your doing anything and or what your nnext step is.

    The collect your souls mechanic is not fun.
    You can always farm so it's just a waist of time to explore with extra XP.

    Enemy's don't have stamina so while you're forced to fight and think enemies just spam away until You or they die.

    The story is non existent

    The combat is easy when you learn that the weakness of every enemy I'm dark souls is just walking the enemy's right side.
    And only hit one's when it's your turn.

    The game was so boring I fell asleep multiple times playing the game.

    The game would have been a lot better with.
    A better story.
    A more robust combat system.
    Less pompous level design.
    Better explained stat systems.

    Less prepare to die because of luck please.

    DS2 is best summed up in 1 boss in counter.
    4 tiny dogs 1big dog.

    Yes you can win the battle but did you have fun probably not.    … Expand
  21. thenoobbob
    Aug 5, 2019
    0
    I still dont get how people like this game. Its horrible. Get DS3, DSR or BB. DS2 is a dumpster fire.
  22. marikbat
    Mar 12, 2020
    0
    "How to transfer a good game to a new generation console according to Bandai Namco"
    Step 1 - select game
    Step 2 - forget the plot and common sense
    Step 3 - mix opponents and items thoroughly
    Step 4 - add a pinch of NG + in different places of the game ... although it doesn’t matter throw as much as you want
    Done, enjoy and have a new unforgettable experience
  23. danphie_
    Jan 29, 2020
    0
    Only because of shrine of amana stupid annoying **** mages **** cancer hate this area
  24. SonyBroWhirrrr
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    What happens when you take a beloved game, but take away the creative mastermind genius Miyazaki and instead let a **** B-team develop the sequel? You get Dark Souls II. This game was so bad, that they actually re-released it a year later, claiming to have fixed many issues. Except that they didn't fix anything and only made it worse. Ivory King is epic tho, so a bonus point for that.
  25. HansJoerg1
    Oct 12, 2019
    2
    Boring Story, repetitive gameplay. Overall an extremely disappointing experience.
  26. WilliamWesker
    Aug 2, 2019
    0
    DS 2 is not even a true "DARK" game, in order to have the title of DARK SOULS in it, the 2013 DEMO of the same is, but the final version is definitely not. It has texture with a very poor quality in all its versions, including the one of PC, especially considering that it is a game of 2014, & in 2015 there were already games like The Witcher 3, which makes DS 2 to look like a game of aDS 2 is not even a true "DARK" game, in order to have the title of DARK SOULS in it, the 2013 DEMO of the same is, but the final version is definitely not. It has texture with a very poor quality in all its versions, including the one of PC, especially considering that it is a game of 2014, & in 2015 there were already games like The Witcher 3, which makes DS 2 to look like a game of a half a decade before the 2014, because of the difference with regard to the quality of textures between the two, something that it is really pathetic & embarrassing for the DS 2 piece of work. It allows the player to warp between Bonfires from the beginning, which literally murder in cold blood a great deal of immersion & exploration in it. The enemies are very badly misplaced in the levels. The animation of the sequences in the attacks are just terrible with respect to the lack of inmercion that it causes, to a player. Its system focuses on punishing the player when the same dies, at resurrect it with less life, instead of encouraging it to self-overcome, which is one of the main philosophies of the DARK SOULS series, Hidetaka Miyazaki himself confirmed that philosophy for the series. The writing level of the game is very poor. The NPCs are extremely depressing, & constantly encourage the player to surrender during the dialogues, instead of encouraging the player not to become Hollow, as they generally should with indifference responses like on DS 3 & ESPECIALLY in DS 1!… Expand
  27. yahtzee301
    Feb 25, 2018
    3
    The Dark Souls project is in new hands, and the assessment is to determine if the new team can deliver, and expand on the dream of the original. We see much of the same elements of the first Dark Souls within this successor, and Dark Souls is one of my all-time favorite games. Then why did I give it such a low score? Well, it's because of one major flaw. One of the most well-documentedThe Dark Souls project is in new hands, and the assessment is to determine if the new team can deliver, and expand on the dream of the original. We see much of the same elements of the first Dark Souls within this successor, and Dark Souls is one of my all-time favorite games. Then why did I give it such a low score? Well, it's because of one major flaw. One of the most well-documented perks of Dark Souls is its crushing, yet fair difficulty. If I die, I know that it was because I screwed up and that I can improve next time. What Dark Souls II fails to realize is that difficulty is not what made Dark Souls so popular. The result is a game that is crushingly difficult, yes, but unfair and irritating to the player, and I don't play video games to feel irritated. Enemies are placed in groups so that ganking cannot be avoided, weapons feel like they're made of wet toilet paper, and that damned health-drain mechanic that lowers your maximum HP upon death. Everything is this game is a sloppy stand-in for difficulty, and it leaves me uninvested and unwilling to continue forward. Losing to a boss in Dark Souls made me want to start again as quickly as possible. Losing to a boss in Dark Souls II makes me want to turn off the game and switch to something else. In the long slogs between bosses, I'm so paralyzed with boredom from death after death, and that's nothing to take away from the horrendous hit-boxes. It surprises me that, even after three years of run-time, the hit-boxes haven't been fixed, because it's inexcusable. Looking at the game as a whole, it's not too bad, better than most games that came out of 2015. But we know FromSoftware can do better because Dark Souls is one of the most fully-realized games of all time. So if we look at the game as a successor to the original, it's so annoyingly bad that I wonder if the developers had any idea what they were doing. Its only redeeming qualities are the bosses that I found at least somewhat enjoyable and certain areas that reminded me of the original Dark Souls. And when your only redeeming quality as a sequel is what reminded me of your predecessor, you have some serious work to do… Expand
  28. bkeny2idie
    Feb 5, 2017
    4
    Does more wrong than right, so much so that it hurts the game on many levels. Waiting a year for a "better version" only split the dwindling community even further between three platforms and six games with three original and three scholar versions. Overall this is was a slap in the face to souls veterans and a cheap attempt to right a wrong.
  29. CreepyB4by
    Jan 20, 2016
    3
    Having invested over 150 hours and having beaten the entire game and all 3 DLCs in NG+, I have to say that this game is pretty bad. The main issues come from the controls and the core mechanics. They're terrible. First off, the jump button shouldn't be default bound to the movement stick. That's stupid. There's isn't any button remapping in this game other than assigning jump to theHaving invested over 150 hours and having beaten the entire game and all 3 DLCs in NG+, I have to say that this game is pretty bad. The main issues come from the controls and the core mechanics. They're terrible. First off, the jump button shouldn't be default bound to the movement stick. That's stupid. There's isn't any button remapping in this game other than assigning jump to the circle button. That's also retarded.

    The target switching button shouldn't be bound to the camera stick. That's unfathomably stupid. There are problems with the hitboxes in this game, especially on bosses. You can get hit with a stomp for example, by most bosses even if it's clear that the boss's character model completely missed your character. There was no intersection at all, but still, the hit registered. Speaking of enemies, they mostly can kill you in 1-3 hits the entire game, they have unlimited stamina and they barely ever wobble and they can't have their swings blocked by things like walls, but the player can. That's unfair.

    Every jump is a horizontal jump, not a vertical one and it must end with a roll. I'm not even joking, unfortunately. There is no canceling animations. If you're on the ground and you hit the drink button, then see the boss running at you, there is nothing you can do, you must watch your character finish standing and then he will drink. That's insanely stupid. Dodge should always dodge immediately, regardless of what action it might interrupt.

    This is a Japanese game about medieval European fantasy. It looks like Skyrim meets Turbo Mecha Samurai. It's really stupid. The hollowing is a poor concept and this game has a backwards curve, which is bull crap no matter what game you play. Basically, these guys were so interested in making the game hard that they broke the mechanics and then centered the game around the poor combat. It's essentially a timing game where every enemy is stronger than you are. If your animation is too late, you're dead, if it's too early, you're dead. It reminds me of making a car racing game where you only drive on ice with flat tires. Sure, it's a bad game, but it's so HARD, so that makes it GOOD, right? WRONG. This game sucks    … Expand
  30. Zdzislaw32
    Jan 11, 2016
    4
    Even after the SOTFS update game is still broken and dull as F. Cheap locations (Iron Keep), boring story, clunky and unfun pve, and the graphic is just... pathetic. All that goes for this game is to make it as "hard" as possible (still most of the bosses are a joke, too easy compare to locations before the boss area) and when in DS1 that was a normal thing, now it feels like a cheapEven after the SOTFS update game is still broken and dull as F. Cheap locations (Iron Keep), boring story, clunky and unfun pve, and the graphic is just... pathetic. All that goes for this game is to make it as "hard" as possible (still most of the bosses are a joke, too easy compare to locations before the boss area) and when in DS1 that was a normal thing, now it feels like a cheap cash-grab strategy to get some money from kids, who treat this game as a new prank-challenge kinda thing (since the hardest game they ever had was Call of Duty on Medium... Try Ninja Gaiden or Megaman on NES casuals.) In the end: not a bad game, but man - im so bored after 3/4 of the game-play that i might just never end this "thing"...… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

14
#14 Best PS4 Game of 2015
24
#24 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2015
36
#36 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 40 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 42
  3. Negative: 0 out of 42
  1. Gaming Nexus
    Jun 23, 2015
    90
    Whether you're new to Dark Souls II or played it on older consoles, Scholar of the First Sin is worth revisiting. This PlayStation 4 collection features the original game, along with the three expansion packs.
    Read full review
  2. The Digital Fix
    Jun 5, 2015
    90
    Going backwards from Bloodborne feels almost archaic, and it takes some time to settle into that once familiar gameplay. However Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin offers the chance to revisit that still fantastic and familiar world with a slight twist to proceedings and a respectable face lift.
    Read full review
  3. GameOver.gr
    Jun 2, 2015
    100
    The changes have made this edition slightly more difficult, but the core of the game remains true to the superb game design of the original.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »