Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin

 Xbox One
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 302 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 212 out of 302
  2. Mixed: 48 out of 302
  3. Negative: 42 out of 302
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  1. Reuelcade
    Sep 6, 2023
    10
    This game is so good, but is Impossible to compare with first game or third game. But is good and more times is more cheap then other games
  2. M1sfiT
    Sep 3, 2023
    7
    Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaameeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees! ds2
  3. SaberOfXebec
    Jul 25, 2023
    7
    Good:
    -Visual Design of the areas
    -Music
    -Atmosphere
    -Lot of cool armor and weapons

    Bad:
    -Boss fights
    -Enemy placement
    -Enemy design
    -Level design
    -Healing system
    -Terrible movement
    -Back stab
    -Jump attack
    -Story
    -Agility
  4. goodgriff33
    Jul 11, 2023
    9
    Answer: 75 characters is between 10 words and 19 words with spaces included in the character count. If spaces are not included in the character count, then 75 characters is between 12 words and 25 words.
  5. TheBigTicket
    Jun 28, 2023
    10
    This is my favourite Dark Souls game.
    Recently replayed it and it still holds up extremely well. This game has the best leveling system out of all Souls games and best build variety.

    Bosses are a bit easy compared to the levels but thats really the only complaint i have with this game.
  6. Kio22
    Apr 15, 2023
    6
    Just Finished my first blind playthrough of Dark Souls 2 and the DLCs after 68 hours, all i can say is wow... this is both the easiest and most unfair souls game at the same time. The story in this game is extremely simple and is not really that complex. The Characters you meet are actually really interesting and unique but also feel like wasted potential that could have been used for moreJust Finished my first blind playthrough of Dark Souls 2 and the DLCs after 68 hours, all i can say is wow... this is both the easiest and most unfair souls game at the same time. The story in this game is extremely simple and is not really that complex. The Characters you meet are actually really interesting and unique but also feel like wasted potential that could have been used for more side quests. The level design is not that great very few places in the main game stick out to me or are just frustrating. Majula, tower of flame, Dragon Aerie, Dragon Shrine, and Iron Keep only places that I liked aesthetically, however Iron Keep had an annoying level design and enemy placement. The DLC had three cool areas in Shulva, Brume Tower, and Eleum Loyce the last of which was also annoying to traverse twice. The other problem with most areas in Dark Souls 2 is they lack scale and a feeling of largeness. Probably the worst thing about this game is the bosses 90% of them feel the same or are just bad. Most bosses just have one big sweep attack like The Last Giant, Dragon Rider, Ruin Sentinels, Lost Sinner, and more or they reuse an area of effect burst like the Smelter Demons and The Rotten or they just throw a bunch of enemies at you like Skeleton Lords, Freja, Royal Rat Vanguard and Authority, and more. The game has only a few good Bosses that feel good and are challenging like The Pursuer, Executioner's Chariot, Looking Glass Knight, Velstadt, Fume Knight, Sir Alonne, and The Burnt Ivory King, only four of these are main game bosses. Another bad thing about the bosses is how almost every boss has some dumb gimmick that is supposed to help you with fighting them and is cool a few times but for most of the fights it is annoying or a waste of time. One the best things about Dark Souls 2 is all the different weapons and builds you can do which makes combat fun. The new mechanics hurt Dark Souls 2 more than they help it agility was a horrible addition and affects the game to much making it hard if you don't upgrade and too easy if you do. The torch mechanic was bad and made the game harder for no reason even if it was cool from time to time. Power stancing and dual wielding in this game is one of the best mechanics in a souls game. The combat is overall enjoyable but is slightly ruined by the terrible hitboxes of every enemy and boss in the game. I only died 9 times, 3 were to bow traps and the well in Majula, 2 were to the toxic rats in Doors of Pharros, only 4 felt legit to The Pursuer, Fume Knight, and once in Brume Tower. This is the easiest souls game funny enough, compared to 38 deaths in DS1, 55 deaths in DS3, and Elden Ring with 85 deaths (46 to Malenia so 39 rest of the game). In the end this is a mediocre game it's got the challenge and fun combat of a souls game with barely any good bosses, small feeling areas with no scale, mostly bad mechanics, a shallow story, wasted characters, and terrible hitboxes. Without the DLC this game is not good and I would give it a 4, but with the DLC it makes it slightly better even though the DLC makes similar mistakes with some of the bosses but also bring in some of the best along with cooler bigger areas to explore which bring it to a 6.… Expand
  7. IVANCHODB
    Jan 16, 2023
    4
    Sinceramente es un juego bueno pero se queda en eso . Dificultad artificial. Gráficos decentes y poco más..no hablar de la jugabilidad o la lógica del juego ya que es inexistente por decir. Y ni hablar de la hitbox ya que posiblemente se les quedó en otro juego ya que este no tiene sentido en lo más mínimo de lo que es , claro hablando de los enemigos ya que a tu personaje lo golpeaSinceramente es un juego bueno pero se queda en eso . Dificultad artificial. Gráficos decentes y poco más..no hablar de la jugabilidad o la lógica del juego ya que es inexistente por decir. Y ni hablar de la hitbox ya que posiblemente se les quedó en otro juego ya que este no tiene sentido en lo más mínimo de lo que es , claro hablando de los enemigos ya que a tu personaje lo golpea hasta el aire.… Expand
  8. TheNKZ
    Jan 22, 2023
    9
    Esse jogo é fantástico e maravilhoso! Esse é um dos melhores jogos já feitos na história da humanidade! Classes novas, armas novas, gráficos melhorados, DLCs incríveis, principalmente Scholar of The First Sin.
  9. CRM03
    Jul 12, 2022
    4
    I was honestly glad that I skipped over this game and continued to Dark Souls III during my first playthrough of the series, because if I didn't it would have left a poor taste in my mouth. It is pretty shocking just how much of a downgrade the second game is compared to the first. It's worse in every possible area. The bosses are terrible. The areas are terrible. The enemy design isI was honestly glad that I skipped over this game and continued to Dark Souls III during my first playthrough of the series, because if I didn't it would have left a poor taste in my mouth. It is pretty shocking just how much of a downgrade the second game is compared to the first. It's worse in every possible area. The bosses are terrible. The areas are terrible. The enemy design is terrible. The combat is terrible. The sound effects are terrible. It's a painful experience. I could spend hours talking about every terrible aspect of this terrible game. I honestly don't know how they messed it up this bad. Now, you might be thinking, "Why a 4". Well, not everything is completely horrible. The music is good and there are a grand total of two good bosses in the entire game with the dlc. That is Fume Knight and Sinh. Sadly, I couldn't bring myself to beat the last dlc, which is the Ivory King dlc. I have seen gameplay of the dlc's bosses and while they look moderately good, I can't bring myself to make it through the horrible level design. Sir Alonne has the worst boss runup in the entire series. So I will not be completing the last dlc. Maybe someday I will try the dlc again.… Expand
  10. Sanek2018ru
    Jun 22, 2022
    9
    Yes. This game is weaker than its predecessor. Bad bosses, bad locations, bad lore. Still, it's hard to mess up souls gameplay and it's an incredible pleasure to play mixed with frustration.
  11. HexagOrange
    Apr 4, 2022
    10
    The most underrated souls game, maybe is not so well connected, the location of the enemies and the ammount of them is absurde sometimes, but this is far the best atmospheric souls ever, the soundtrack, the depressed atmosphere is perfect, and the story is feel more complex and decadent than dark souls 1, and is feel more different and unique than the rest of souls experiencies.
  12. Wally-Clogg
    Jan 4, 2022
    10
    Geat Souls game offering a new region and chacaters/Enemies/weapons/armour to enjoy.
  13. nurfedx
    Oct 30, 2021
    10
    One of the best Games known to mankind.
    From Software is a safe heaven for the Gaming community.
    Especially in times where big Developers dissapiont us with theyr fraudulent intent.
    Praise the sun!
  14. Andrewblank610
    Sep 28, 2021
    9
    In my opinion, the best of dark souls mechanics. DS3 and anything in the future could be better with power stancing and hexes being its own class of spells. While DS3 is obviously a much more beautiful and dark game, DS2 is definitely good in its own right. Don't let the complainers turn you away.
  15. Filmanwalt
    Feb 9, 2021
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I finished the game after about 41 1/2 hours (level 177) and got 410 success points. I still have a few optional bosses to do, but otherwise I tried as well as I could in the first round of the game to take a lot with me and try out. I played a warrior with a fat 2h weapon and used a bit of pyromancy (mainly to push opponents off cliffs).

    story

    I found the staging of the story very nice, a little more cutscenes were added. Basically, the storytelling takes place again mainly on the objects and individual conversations with NPCS. I think it's a bit of a shame that you can't follow the story so easily and that it takes a back seat, even though I'm very interested in the cart.

    Gameplay

    Again, the heart of Dark Souls 2. Let's start with the positive aspects, because DS 2 offers some quality improvements (but these also come with disadvantages). So you can travel quickly from beacon to beacon right from the start (it was pleasant for me). Later in the game you can even find a list that shows all potential beacons in an area (you still have to search), which makes backtracking a little easier.

    The game offers you many different healing options that you can actually farm. Although there were fewer Estus overall (looking for the broken pieces here was extremely fun), but life stones, divine blessings and much more. were more than enough healing.

    I also liked Majula as a compressed but important HUB. Funnily enough, I also thought it was cool that jumpers weren't skimpy here.

    Incidentally, Dark Souls 2 offers extremely different areas and a lot of content, because there are extremely many bosses and secret doors (I'm still proud to have found the Gargoyles).

    However, all of these aspects also have disadvantages and the most obvious one for me is the weak world building compared to its predecessor. At DS 1 it makes a "click" in the fire band shrine and you notice that all paths of the shrine can lead to pretty much all areas (more or less). DS 2, on the other hand, feels more like a series of areas without any real interweaving of the game world. For me, this loses a bit of the spirit of the predecessor, where the connectivity of the worlds really blew me away. The direct fast travel option reinforces this feeling of disconnection in the game world.

    Furthermore, the hit feedback, for whatever reasons, has been significantly worsened. In DS 1 I didn't hit the lock that often and sometimes you don't even notice that you were hit if you don't keep an eye on your hit points. It starts with the hit sound, which I didn't like at all. Some hitboxes also seem strange, it's hard to describe, but I didn't really have that feeling with DS 1.

    And now the worst aspect of the game: the trash mobs. I played Scholar of the first Sin (I don't know if that makes a difference) but in some areas you just get littered with opponents (especially magicians and marksmen). This is not to be misunderstood, for me it is also part of the fact that the ways to the boss are a separate fight, but in DS 2 this borders on ridiculousness (e.g. fire DLC for the iron demon (slow magician + melee + shooter), Pirate bay, fire area with the Katana runners + archers). This is not my definition of a high level of difficulty, but you make it easy in level design, in that the difficulty should be to bombard the player with trash mobs. Unimaginative. What's even more pointless about the story is that the bosses are ridiculously easy by comparison. I didn't have REAL problems with any boss (only with the poisonous snake, but it was due to the hard mode with the poisonous soil that I messed up) and with the final boss I really felt ripped off.

    Graphics / presentation

    Basically the game has evolved and I really liked the look of both the bosses and the territories. I didn't have any technical problems either. There is nothing to complain about here.

    Conclusion

    Even if the impression was different, I had fun with Dark Souls 2. For me it is a bit weaker than Part 1 and therefore gets 7/10 life stones.    … Expand
  16. Caldan
    Nov 15, 2020
    5
    ⚠️57%
    I like the new and creative bosses but this game hasn’t really got too much new to offer.
  17. Jetstar90
    Oct 6, 2020
    5
    Dark Souls 2 has often been referred to as the black sheep of the Dark Souls series. Scholar of the First sin edition cemented that with it's additions to the original title's game world. I have played through the game multiple times and gone through every area, defeating every boss in the game.
    DS2 SoTFS was put out to fix some of the things that players didn't enjoy about the base    Dark Souls 2 has often been referred to as the black sheep of the Dark Souls series. Scholar of the First sin edition cemented that with it's additions to the original title's game world. I have played through the game multiple times and gone through every area, defeating every boss in the game.
    DS2 SoTFS was put out to fix some of the things that players didn't enjoy about the base release. What it ended up doing was exacerbating them. Hitboxes don't work properly the majority of times, health recovery is laughably slow without leveling adp which isn't even clear to the player, there are more enemies than there should be in certain areas as well as bosses, the new forlorn addition can be more enraging than fun. There are many other things that make this game unnecessarily difficult and even remove the desire to replay the game. Most of that comes down to certain areas with the worst being in the DLC.
    The game does shine in it's beautiful environments and length. While the length does feel more artificial at times it still allows the player to see the world in less of a blur.    … Expand
  18. Slothscriber04
    Sep 2, 2020
    9
    While not as great as the first game it still delivers a fair but difficult challenge to overcome. The graphical improvement in this edition are outstanding and are well- worth it if you have the standard dark souls 2 game
  19. sabaothkelly
    Jul 30, 2020
    0
    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.
    Sekiro? Very Good.
  20. tantotonto
    Jun 20, 2020
    9
    Para mi el souls mas divertido, mas variedad en todos los aspetos y mucha libertad a la hora de escoger camino, lastima de las animaciones y los jefes facilones, por lo demas increible.
  21. falconhoof
    May 18, 2020
    3
    Classic dark souls. Little to no story feel to it, clunky and unresponsive gameplay, poor visuals. Games like this seem to get away with a lack of substance by simply being difficult.
  22. Dperks
    Jun 11, 2019
    8
    While probably the weakest in the soul series this game is still a solid title that has a lot of content in fact maybe a little too much but that's not really a negative now is it
  23. CenkAlp
    Dec 30, 2018
    6
    Hikaye = 6
    Oynanış = 6
    Grafikler = 6
    Sesler = 7
    Keyif = 5
    Atmosfer = 8
    Süre = 8
  24. BonkTrap
    Oct 16, 2018
    6
    BY FAR the worst dark souls in the franchise, animations are choppy, some bosses are too easy and some are just unfair. too many bosses, its clear that its not the same team that made the game, it feels very different from the first installment, if you are on the edge of maybe skipping this one, skip it, its not worth your time
  25. SmithurstL
    May 4, 2017
    9
    I have played all but Demon's Souls (can't get it to run on an emulator), but this is the best, followed by the original. It improved vastly on Dark Souls 1's mechanics, and is stuffed with bug fixes.
    A few points:
    1) The durability is fixed. Look at he item info for repair powder. It describes the importance, and if you can't get from one bonfire to another without it breaking, you may    I have played all but Demon's Souls (can't get it to run on an emulator), but this is the best, followed by the original. It improved vastly on Dark Souls 1's mechanics, and is stuffed with bug fixes.
    A few points:
    1) The durability is fixed. Look at he item info for repair powder. It describes the importance, and if you can't get from one bonfire to another without it breaking, you may be doing it wrong.
    2) The bosses can be easy as hell or hard as ****. But they aren't complex and are a lot of fun. I have had no hit box troubles, including when I roll or block.
    3) Only some of the graphics aren't fantastic. Actually, the moss and lichen in the FOFG are the only textures I hate. Towards the late game, I don't care about area design, I'm far too invested in the game to notice box rooms, but it isn't nonsensical.
    4) Servers are the best, with a perfectly appropriate password system in regards to soul memory.
    5) The controls are just the same. If you complain about a lack of control options, then clearly you didn't play the first or shouldn't play any.
    6) Altered enemies and increased difficulty give a new feel, and you get the DLC for free.

    In conclusion, this game improved on DS1 and is therefore the best. Weapons only ever become powerful late game and it is much easier to upgrade and get materials. Parrying is actually a skill with a fantastic animation that gives you a feeling that you are awesome or you deserved to lose.
    DS2 is undoubtedly my favorite, and doesn't rely on nostalgia like DS3    … Expand
  26. DrZomboid
    Jan 18, 2017
    8
    I played original DS2 on X360, stuck with Sinner and gave up. Now on X1 I just finish the game. A lot more annoying than others souls game, some bad and ugly levels, but still good game.
  27. Benjiib
    Dec 28, 2016
    7
    after playing dark souls 1 i feel like it took a step back, broken mechanics no point in multiplayer and just bad level design, i felt dark souls 1 had it done perfectly level design was good,
    dark souls 2 is not hard it just throws multiple enemies with weird hit boxes and staggering hits that only work half the time?
    square box rooms with no rendering and grey scale areas feels    after playing dark souls 1 i feel like it took a step back, broken mechanics no point in multiplayer and just bad level design, i felt dark souls 1 had it done perfectly level design was good,
    dark souls 2 is not hard it just throws multiple enemies with weird hit boxes and staggering hits that only work half the time?
    square box rooms with no rendering and grey scale areas feels backwards and dull.
    had so many patches because it was broken beyond repair.    … Expand
  28. NoMaDXT
    Dec 8, 2016
    8
    A janky camera and sometimes unresponsive controls (no it wasnt my character build i checked) sometimes detract from this great game. I'd go A notch higher to 9 for this game but I feel like I should punish it as much as it punished me.

    The graphics arent amazing but its a fresh take on the old metroid vania game styles notorious for being overbearingly difficult and unlocking diferent    A janky camera and sometimes unresponsive controls (no it wasnt my character build i checked) sometimes detract from this great game. I'd go A notch higher to 9 for this game but I feel like I should punish it as much as it punished me.

    The graphics arent amazing but its a fresh take on the old metroid vania game styles notorious for being overbearingly difficult and unlocking diferent areas with items and skills. The difficulty its self leaves you with a feeling of accomplishment when you kill a boss that few games out their provide you with. You genuinely feel like baddass because man this game is difficult. But at the same time you are humbled becuase the majority of bosses will kill you twice if you're not used to the game series and you make a crappy build.

    If you pay attention to the stats and the way your equipment influences your character build it will make the game a LOT easier. Learn the game, read wikis interact with the community. And you will have more fun and struggle less.    … Expand
  29. munir
    Sep 22, 2016
    10
    After playing Dark Souls 3, I look back to DS2 and notice it was the only one that could really take a step further from Demon's Souls formula.
    All the organic movements; more straightforward less tricky bosses; complex parry-ripost system; more dragon, less dark environment...
    Being the black sheep isn't all that bad, eh?
    My favorite soul game, by far.
  30. FairReview
    May 14, 2016
    10
    This was my first Dark Souls experience ( i still have to play I and III ), when i first played it, it sucked, i was so lost and confused, my first character's items got fu*** lol, so i was forced to make a new one...

    When i first arrived in majula i felt so empty and sad (in a good way) , beautiful and dead at the same time... The game is so immersive... (i never felt like that    This was my first Dark Souls experience ( i still have to play I and III ), when i first played it, it sucked, i was so lost and confused, my first character's items got fu*** lol, so i was forced to make a new one...

    When i first arrived in majula i felt so empty and sad (in a good way) , beautiful and dead at the same time...

    The game is so immersive... (i never felt like that before), when i met the Fallen Giant i panicked haha, like "WTF, i'm dead"

    The soundtrack is 8.5/10

    The game has TOO MANY dark places, and lazy to put effort into the details... graphics 8.7/10

    This game deserves an 9/10, but i'm giving 10 becouse there is too many haters...    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best Xbox One Game of 2015
25
#25 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2015
32
#32 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. X-ONE Magazine UK
    May 26, 2015
    80
    It's still one of the best RPGs out there at the moment, but the NPC invasions and enemy placement felt a little unbalanced this time around. [Issue#124, p.79]
  2. MondoXbox
    May 10, 2015
    85
    From Software brings back its game making the game even better without distorting it. The result is an even harder game, surely suggested while we're waiting for the inevitable sequel.
    Read full review
  3. ZTGD
    Apr 23, 2015
    90
    PC players that have already played the game and DLC are the ones that will maybe think twice before going through it again, while Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 players will get the most out of it.
    Read full review
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