Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin
FromSoftware · RPG, ARPG, Action
Overview
DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin brings the franchise’s renowned obscurity & gripping gameplay to a new level. Join the dark journey and experience overwhelming enemy encounters, diabolical hazards, and unrelenting challenge.
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Gamers are in for a big surprise in DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin. An unforgettable journey awaits you in a breathtaking world where each dark corner and unexpected encounter will test your resolve. Go beyond what you thought was possible and discover incredible challenge and intense emotional reward. Whether you’ve previously played DARK SOULS™ II, or are new to the award-winning franchise, you are in for an entirely different experience with this exclusive, “Director’s Cut” version of the game.
- The definitive edition of DARK SOULS™ II. DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin includes all the DARK SOULS™ II content released to-date in one package and much more!
- A brand new experience and challenge. Enemy placement has been overhauled, resulting in a completely different play dynamic than experienced before. The safe zones that some players remembered are no longer safe! A new NPC invader called Forlorn will also play a key role in changing the gameplay experience. Hardened players will have to forget everything they thought they knew about DARK SOULS™ II.
- Online play has been enhanced with the addition of a special item to regulate souls acquired in battle - it’s now possible to match up more consistently online. The number of players who can participate in an online session has also been increased, from 4 to 6 people, completely changing the online play dynamic.
From the game's Steam store page.
THE GAMEQ VERDICT9,997 reviews analyzed
What players are actually saying
1. Summary
Players recommend Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin, often while listing its flaws in the same review. They praise its world and mood (Majula especially), build and weapon variety that some rate above the other two games, power stancing, the three DLCs and their bosses, and systems they miss in later games, such as bonfire ascetics, an NG+ that adds enemies, and enemies that stop respawning after enough kills. Some reviews read partly as a defense of the game against its reputation: "overhated", "underrated" and "not as bad as people say" come up in 11% of the longer reviews.
Reviews that recommend the game raise the same problems as the ones that don't. Players point to rooms packed with enemies and ganks, the Adaptability (ADP) stat that controls dodge i-frames and healing speed, a base-game boss roster some call forgettable or easy, unreliable hitboxes and clunky movement. A smaller group blames the keyboard and mouse controls. Where reviewers differ is whether those flaws are dealbreakers. A common view puts it below Dark Souls 1 and Dark Souls 3, and a vocal minority calls it their favorite.
2. What keeps coming up
What players praise
Atmosphere, world variety and MajulaHigh
24% of longer reviews praise the atmosphere, music, art direction or environments, and 10% name Majula, the coastal hub. "Majula is also the best hub world in the series, the ambient music is excellent," one wrote. Players like how varied and colorful Drangleic is next to the other two games, and several say exploration and secrets are the main reward. Complaints under this theme are about how the world fits together. Reviewers who loved Dark Souls 1's interlocking map find the hub-and-spoke layout less satisfying, and a few single out how areas connect (the elevator from Earthen Peak up to Iron Keep comes up as a joke).
Builds, weapons and power stancingHigh
23% of longer reviews talk about builds, weapons, spells or movesets, mostly with approval. Power stancing comes up in 7%, often with a note that later games brought it back. One review lists "most diversity in genuinely viable builds, most interesting magic system" among the game's strengths, and others praise the armor sets and "fashion souls". Respeccing with Soul Vessels and pyromancies, hexes and miracles that each feel distinct also come up. A few reviewers argue the reverse: that a bow becomes mandatory for some areas, or that Faith builds were weakened.
The three DLCs and their bossesHigh
22% of longer reviews mention the DLCs (Crown of the Sunken King, Old Iron King and Ivory King, all included in this edition). Some call them the best part of the game: "what really elevated it for me were the three DLC areas," one player wrote. Fume Knight, Sir Alonne and the Burnt Ivory King are the bosses reviewers name when they defend the boss roster. The DLCs also hold stretches players call the game's worst: Frigid Outskirts, Iron Passage, the rat-filled Ivory King areas and long DLC runbacks. Some players say the optional DLC bosses are bad enough to skip.
Lore, story and charactersHigh
23% of longer reviews bring up lore, story or NPCs. Fans write warmly about Drangleic's history, Aldia, Vendrick and Lucatiel's quest. Detractors say the story feels disconnected from Dark Souls 1 and 3, and some complain that NPC questlines are obscure.
NG+, bonfire ascetics and replay valueMedium
9% of longer reviews mention NG+ or bonfire ascetics, and those reviewers tend to have many hours in the game. They value an NG+ that adds new enemies and red phantoms instead of only raising stats, ascetics that respawn a single area and its boss at higher difficulty, and enemies that disappear after about a dozen kills. One reviewer counted "Bonfire Ascetics letting you fight bosses again" among the game's best ideas. Players also credit fast travel from the start and four ring slots, ideas several reviewers say later games picked up.
Where players are split
How it compares with Dark Souls 1 and Dark Souls 3High
37% of longer reviews mention Dark Souls 1, 19% Dark Souls 3 and 16% Elden Ring. A common position is that this is the weakest of the trilogy (8% use "worst" or "weakest") but still worth playing for anyone who likes the series. Against that, 8% call it their favorite or use the "peak souls 2" refrain, and a smaller group say it is better than Dark Souls 1. Several reviewers advise playing Dark Souls 1 and 3 first. Others argue it needs to be played slowly and methodically, on its own terms: "If you engage with this game the same way you do with the others, you WILL hate it," one wrote.
Online: PvP, invasions and co-opHigh
18% of longer reviews talk about the online side, and they split sharply. Some long-time players call the PvP and covenants the best in the series; "this game has the best ng+ and pvp hands down," one review says. Others dislike being invaded while trying to co-op, call Soul Memory matchmaking broken (3%), or report hackers. Some players say they play offline to avoid it, and one complained there is no simple offline mode without taking Steam itself offline.
Healing, stamina and the slow paceMedium
9% of longer reviews discuss healing, from lifegems to the slow Estus drink. Some like having plenty of healing items; others say healing roots you in place and takes too long, with speed tied to ADP. Stamina management and the slower, deliberate pace get the same split: 7% describe the game as slow, methodical or demanding patience, sometimes as praise and sometimes as the reason they quit.
Mods as the fixLow
6% of longer reviews mention mods. Players recommend the DS2 Lighting Engine and path-tracing mods for visuals, deadzone and keybinding fixes for controls, and the Seamless Co-op mod, which several say removes the frustration of ganks: "The gank doesn't feel unfair anymore." Negative reviewers turn the same point around and say a game should not need mods for basic controls.
Scholar of the First Sin versus the original releaseLow
3% of longer reviews compare this edition with the original. Some say Scholar's changed enemy placements and added enemies make it harder and worse for first-timers, and a few advise finding vanilla Dark Souls II instead. Others prefer Scholar for the DirectX 11 version, the included DLC, and the larger player base for PvP and co-op.
What frustrates players
Adaptability, agility and dodge i-framesHigh
23% of longer reviews mention ADP, agility or i-frames. Players explain, often as advice, that the dodge roll has few invincibility frames until ADP is leveled, and that the same stat speeds up drinking Estus and using items. "Having to invest 25 ADP before dodging feels responsive is ridiculous," one negative review says. Some reviewers who recommend the game say the problem goes away once you level ADP early, while some fans still call it the game's worst design choice. Related complaints about missing i-frames when walking through fog gates or opening doors come up in 3% of longer reviews.
Enemy placement and ganksHigh
20% of longer reviews complain about enemy placement, groups of enemies, high aggro ranges or "ganks". Reviewers describe rooms where several enemies attack at once, enemies that follow you across the map, and boss fights with extra enemies added. "How not to make a game difficult, spam 100 enemies into a small zone that chase you around the entire map," one wrote. Defenders say the design is meant to slow you down and reward clearing an area carefully, and that enemies stop respawning eventually. Ganks also turn up in the list of drawbacks in reviews that recommend the game.
Forgettable base-game bossesMedium
Bosses come up in 42% of longer reviews, and 7% call them easy, forgettable, recycled or boring, often in the same sentence as praise for the DLC bosses. "The run-backs to bosses are incredibly tedious, while the bosses themselves are totally forgettable and easy," one review says. Reviewers single out gank boss fights and look-alike armored knights. Other reviewers praise the bosses, and some prefer the game's lower boss difficulty.
Hitboxes and clunky movementMedium
14% of longer reviews complain about hitboxes or tracking, and 14% call the combat or movement clunky, janky, stiff or sluggish. Players describe getting hit by attacks that look like they missed, attacks that swing in the wrong direction, and a delay before rolling. A small group (1%) complains about 8-directional movement. Some fans call the jank part of the game's charm.
Notorious areasMedium
11% of longer reviews name a specific area as a low point. Iron Keep, Shrine of Amana, Frigid Outskirts, Black Gulch, The Gutter and Iron Passage come up most, usually for archers, poison, darkness or the charging beasts in Frigid Outskirts' blizzard. Some reviewers say a single area was enough to sour the game.
Long boss runbacksMedium
9% of longer reviews complain about runbacks, the walk from the bonfire to a boss through groups of enemies. The Sir Alonne and Lud and Zallen runbacks come up by name, and reviewers link runbacks to the gank problem: enemies along the way can interrupt the fog gate entry.
Losing max health on every deathMedium
7% of longer reviews mention the hollowing penalty, which cuts max HP after each death until a Human Effigy is used (down to half health, or three quarters with the Ring of Binding). One reviewer called it "punishment of 5% max health loss on every death." Several say it makes the early game harder for new players, while others say effigies and the ring make it a minor nuisance.
PC port and keyboard and mouse controlsLow
About 4% of longer reviews complain about PC controls. Keyboard and mouse players report delayed or unregistered inputs, a double-click setting that has to be toggled each launch, side mouse buttons that cannot be bound, and console button prompts. "Playing this game with keyboard and mouse is nightmare," one wrote. Their advice is to play on a controller or install fixes.
Price for an older gameLow
3% of longer reviews bring up price, mostly advice to buy it on sale. One reviewer objected to "charging 40 dollars for an 11 year old game."
Weapon durability and save problemsLow
2% of longer reviews complain about weapon durability. A handful report crashes, stutter or lost save files.
3. The player conversation
Reviewers argue with each other, and with the game's reputation. Some positive reviews open by answering what people say online. "Peak souls 2" has become a meme, and a lot of short reviews are jokes or copypasta. Negative reviews often measure the game against Dark Souls 1, Dark Souls 3 or Elden Ring and find this one harder to enjoy. Both sides list ganks, ADP, bosses and hitboxes, and disagree on how much those flaws matter. Some reviewers say they bounced off the game once and liked it on a second attempt.
Players raise different topics depending on how far in they are. PvP, Soul Memory, NG+ and the DLCs come up most in reviews from players with the most hours in the game, while keyboard and mouse complaints come more often from reviewers with fewer hours in the game. Sentiment did not move much across these reviews: in every week with at least 70 of them, between 69% and 90% recommended the game.
4. What the developers could do
- Decouple dodge i-frames and healing speed from the ADP stat: ADP comes up in 23% of longer reviews, and some players who recommend the game still call it its worst design choice.
- Thin out the worst enemy groups and add i-frames at fog gates: ganks come up in 20% of longer reviews, and players say the fog gate is where those groups catch them.
- Fix keyboard and mouse input on PC: players report delayed inputs, the double-click setting, side mouse buttons that cannot be bound, and console prompts, and they fix these with mods.
- Shorten the worst boss runbacks with closer bonfires or shortcuts: reviewers name the Sir Alonne and Lud and Zallen runbacks, and runbacks to bosses come up often alongside ganks.
- Improve hitbox and tracking consistency on the bosses players name: 14% of longer reviews complain about hitboxes, in positive and negative reviews alike.
- Give Soul Memory matchmaking and invasions an opt-out or a fairer match rule: long-time PvP players praise the online side, but co-op players complain about invaders, Soul Memory and hackers.
- Offer an option to play with the original release's enemy placements: some players say Scholar's added enemies are worse for first-timers and recommend the vanilla release instead.
