The plus side of getting grabbed by Ratbros is that killing them nets you Pharros Lockstones.
Lead-up to aesir spider is probably the longest bonfire-free run in the game. I think only Lost Sinner can compete there (both of the closest bonfires place you within immediate aggro range of enemy mobs, in one case 'splosion zombies, so fuck that noise).
Overall, didn't like the game as much as Dark Souls 1. Shitty mandatory areas, quantity > quality bosses, and nonexistant lore and interesting NPCs. The cat has one sexy voice though. PvP is probably better, but I'm not interested in that. Outside of rat hell and bell towers, I got invaded a grand total of 3 times. One guy did nothing but throw toxic mist at me and broke all my gear. Thanks.
Bosses granted. I'm pretty okay with the areas, though. Forest was a pretty dull intro zone but they got better after that. They generally don't have the kind of fine detail that made me want to stop and look at everything in DS1, but I at least find the environments satisfactorily diverse and from a level design perspective there's more meat to them on average than their DS1 counterparts (a lot of which could be run through in thirty seconds if you were confident in dodging enemies; whether DS2's lack of invincibility while walking through fog walls is boon or bane is I suppose debatable). I actually didn't even mind Blighttown mk. 2 (or Valley of Defiled mk. 3 I suppose). Torch hopscotch was good use of a game mechanic otherwise almost wholly optional and superfluous.
What really disappoints me aesthetically is equipment. DS1 had a plethora of fantastic-looking gear. And not in the common fantasy game manner of let's just make all this shit glowy because glowy equals magic, but actually nicely designed and stylishly unique stuff that just seeing it makes me want to go out and find it. Where is the DS2 equivalent of instantly memorable onion knight armor? There is none. Most DS2 gear in comparison looks extremely utilitarian in more of a Demon's Souls way. Not that DS1 didn't have plenty of functional, realistic armor too, but there's really nothing so eye-catching here as say Dusk's/Beatrice's/Lautrec's/Darkmoon Knight's/Gwyndolin's outfits (just tossing some personal favorites, there's lots of other visually outstanding sets). The best of DS2 in my eyes tend to be holdovers (Velka/Xanthous)/show up way late in the game/require ultra-rare upgrade materials so impractical to bother wearing them. Fun game, DS2, but it just misses the style train in a lot of little ways. The set I want the most sadly is Emerald Herald's (uber-impractical unless you're done leveling bro).
So Drangleic not as welcoming a place for the fashion-conscious as Lordran was, very sad.
Definitely agreed on NPCs. Not that Souls NPCs are ever about deep character development or anything, but they're generally good at finding a proper VA to inject at least a little personality into them. There's really no standout so immediately, appealingly quirky as Solaire or Siegmeier here, though.
Oh, the NPC you can use for the poizn lady fight in the windmill is pretty cool. He's a jester who's dual wielding pyro hands.
Squire Jester Thomas is the Iron Tarkus of DS2. Most DS2 summons deal piddly damage and exist to die distracting the boss away from you. By contrast, Thomas can and will solo the boss he's available for.
Not much progress to report personally, presently just Bell covenant grinding to upgrade equipment (I get the feeling this constitutes the midgame of any DS2 run). I still don't understand the geography of the Earthen Peak -> Iron Keep transition. You climb a tower in the middle of nowhere, from the top take an elevator up, rise up through a sea of lava.
Got invaded and killed in my own world for the first time. Huh, I thought that couldn't happen while you were human in DS2? Now I wonder where I got that idea from. Only notably annoyed because humanity basically being a finite resource in this game* (Fudo your luck with drops continues to baffle me). Anyway it was nice the first couple weeks playing the game before anybody was into the red phantom covenant yet.
(*Rumor reaches me that praying at the creepy altar in Shrine of Amana while hollow and with zero effigies in stock makes you human. I cannot confirm this and plan not to ever be in a position to do so. I was personally inclined to try going in there with Ring of the Dead on because you get it from a singing girl, singing girl is at the altar, singing girls trained by Great Dead One I.E. Nito. Maybe try that later I guess.)
