The Black Armor and Collector's Editions of Dark Souls 2 will grant a voucher for the "Black Armor Weapons Pack," giving you early access to several weapons.
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The Black Armor and Collector's Editions of Dark Souls 2 will include access to a "Black Armor Weapons Pack," letting you use a special set of armor and weapons early. The set is pretty extensive, and would naturally make the game a bit easier at the outset, so Dark Souls devotees are more likely to go without.
If you do decide to use it, like a coward, you'll get access to the Black Flamestone Dagger and Black Flamestone Parma, Yellow Quartz Longsword and Yellow Quartz Shield, Bound Hand Axe and Bound Wooden Shield, Homunculus Mace and Homunculus Wooden Shield, and Transgressor's Staff and Leather Shield. The vouchers are called "early access" so it seems likely you'll be able to find this equipment through the natural course of the game as well.
The Black Armor Edition also includes a metal case and soundtrack for $59.99. The Collector's Edition is $119.99, and also includes a Warrior Knight figurine, hardbound art book, and cloth map. It launches March 11.
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Shacknews
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February 12, 2014 1:30 PM
Steve Watts posted a new article, Dark Souls 2 'Black Armor Weapons Pack' gives a starter boost.
The Black Armor and Collector's Editions of Dark Souls 2 will grant a voucher for the "Black Armor Weapons Pack," giving you early access to several weapons.
Hoax
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February 12, 2014 1:49 PM
i get the impression namco bandai is slowly but surely encroaching on what from said the would never do, axing miyazaki, perorder booster/armor? the 180° on DLC, the MaidCafe?, voicechat and coopplay and terrible communication on things like release dates for pc or actual invovelement of miyazaki over tanimura and that other dude. previews indicate that most of this sh*t is optional (at least until some black armor douche invades your game) and the series looks strong but i get worried that miyazakis initial comment that he doesn't want 56312465324 souls games ala final fantasy before they got rid of him is an indicator of how the series might sh*t the bed long term.
Zollington
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February 12, 2014 1:54 PM
Some of these events seem to be a precursor to that future, but in my mind I'm still blinded by the hope that it won't happen.
trelain
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February 12, 2014 2:03 PM
I do want 56312465324 Dark Souls games though :(
David Craddock
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February 12, 2014 2:05 PM
Keep in mind that publishers have to play the game. Pre-order bonuses bring in money sooner rather than later, so Namco, like any other for-profit company, supports them. Skill will trump booster weapons.
Vincent Grayson
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February 12, 2014 11:52 PM
Also, it's Namco, and sh*tty DLC behavior is far from new for them.
ColoradoCNC
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February 12, 2014 3:46 PM
Wait, they put in a Maid Cafe? Wtf?
mastermike569
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February 12, 2014 8:52 PM
what, what is this?
Home Nugget
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February 12, 2014 11:47 PM
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/01/08/dark-souls-cafe-opens-to-fans-of-punishing-game-series/
It's actually got nothing to do with the gameplay itself, just reinforcing the notion that the game's design ethos is softening.
mastermike569
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February 13, 2014 12:02 AM
Hahaha "The only way series fans could get a more immersive experience is if the restaurant offered loose Playstation controllers that customers can hurl across the room to relive the controller-smashing frustration of dying for the thousandth time in-game.".
bolneze
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February 13, 2014 1:18 AM
oh japan so weird
shirif
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February 12, 2014 7:39 PM
yesss yesssssssss
Ziggurat
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February 12, 2014 8:26 PM
Something that people seem to forget is that Fromsoftware publishes the game themselves in Japan, without any control from Namco.
Fromsoftware are giving these out in Japan, except they are splitting them up between 5 different retailers. Namco has kind of alluded that they are just giving them all away in na/eu because they're already in the game. We really have no idea if this was Namco's idea, or Fromsofts.
EvilDolemite
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February 12, 2014 1:49 PM
normally i'm like, "whatever, dumb bonuses" but this seems to go against the spirit of dark souls
Zollington
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February 12, 2014 1:53 PM
Agreed. The only way I can see this not being a problem is if you can find these weapons normally in the starting area. Even then though I'm very hesitant to include something like that in DS2.
Moonbase Commander
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February 12, 2014 2:06 PM
30 hours in, the weapons explode and turn into Vagrants.
Firefly1985
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February 12, 2014 2:00 PM
Dark Souls might be the one thing were pre-order bonuses like this will not make much of a difference in the gameplay.
David Craddock
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February 12, 2014 2:06 PM
For what it's worth, I see pre-order weapons as another Drake sword: a weapon that gives you an advantage early on. These weapons may last longer, but I don't see them offsetting PVP to any significant degree. If you're the better player, you'll probably whup anyone with a better weapon than yours.
vitek r
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February 12, 2014 2:39 PM
i hope its not drake sword level. that thing was stupidly powerful. im hoping maybe these will be equivalent to like +5 weapons at best, and limited in usefulness
David Craddock
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February 12, 2014 3:15 PM
I thought the Drake sword was fine. It was a weaponized cautionary tale: anyone who grew too reliant on it got smacked down hard after sauntering through early areas.
vitek r
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February 12, 2014 5:35 PM
no way. if you had played demons souls especially, it basically trivializes the first quarter or so of the game. it was way too powerful, and it was pretty difficult to find something that could compete with it and the obscurity of finding embers to upgrade a normal weapon to its caliber is WAY more obtuse than just shooting the dragons tail. im sure tons of people figured out shooting the dragons tail before they figured out how the upgrade system worked/found the embers.
David Craddock
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February 12, 2014 6:20 PM
Search my post history. I've played Demon's since day one and I didn't mind what the Drake sword introduced to Dark Souls. Demon's Souls and the talk around it scared away tens of thousands of potential customers. If an overpowered weapon helps break down the "Hard Game Club f*ck YEAH" barriers for those players, all of whom will have to set it aside and find a better weapon not that long after they find the Drake, I'm all for it.
Secondly, any serious Souls soldier know that the Drake is far from the best option early on. The Black Knight Sword is a beast and can be found extremely early. Remember the magic crescent sword +1 in level 4-1 of Demon's? That weapon was ridiculously powerful.
It's not as if there's no precedent for finding Drake-type weapons early in a Souls game. Also, I'm disappointed to see so many people turning on FROM after giving us two of the best games ever made. They need to make money on this thing. I trust them to do that without compromising the delicate balance that makes these games so amazing.
NastyJack
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February 12, 2014 6:59 PM
1. f*ck people who want the game to not be hard. They can go play another game. I don't begrudge them (despite my just saying f*ck them) I just don't think this is the type of player FROM should be catering to.
2. Big difference between the drake sword and the black knight sword. The BKS only has a chance of dropping while the drake is guaranteed.
3. My biggest problem with the drake sword isn't that it's overpowered although it obviously is. It's that when new players hear "hey if you go cheese that dragon and chop the tail off you get a super awesome weapon" most of them tend to do exactly that and then you have a pile of players all using the same goddam weapon just because someone told them it's good. Even though, as you rightly said, it's not necessarily the most powerful weapon you can get. Nor is it the one that player would necessarily enjoy using the most. Dark Souls combat more than anything else is about finding the one weapon that you click with. But if some dude gets the drake sword and it's uber-power at the start are they really going to experiment with whatever "sh*tty" low damage weapon they find? Of course not. The great scythe or claymore or katana will just sit in their inventory because the raw damage output can't match what they get pre-packaged with that stupid drake sword.
So yeah that's my drake sword rant.
mwasher
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February 12, 2014 7:07 PM
i read your rant, but why does it matter?
NastyJack
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February 12, 2014 7:15 PM
It doesn't. There is not the slightest way that anyone using the drake sword actually makes any difference to me. I only rant because I love the game and I think weapons like the drake sword tend to ruin the experience for some people for the reasons I mentioned.
The Black Armor thing is kinda lame just because FROM is such a unique company making unique games and it's weird to see them sliding into the mainstream way of doing things but again it's not a big deal at all. It's still going to be the best game ever.
David Craddock
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February 12, 2014 7:19 PM
Ironically, some Souls nerds feel the game should be played a certain way.
NastyJack
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February 12, 2014 7:36 PM
I don't know if it's ironic but you're kind of right I guess. Here's the certain way I feel the game should be played: start a character, try new weapons until you find one you really enjoy using. And that's why I'm not a fan of the drake sword being available so early in the game. It's so overpowered it practically forces new players to use it. Is it ruining the game for them? No. But I think it's depriving them of one of the most fun aspects of the game; that "click" you get when you find the weapon that works for you.
David Craddock
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February 12, 2014 7:39 PM
That's the thing, though. Anyone serious about the game will either dump the Drake sword and experiment, or play through the game multiple times and experiment with different weapons each time.
Other players will only play the game once, and yeah, maybe they'll stick with the lame weapon the whole time. So what? That's how they chose to play the game. As long as they got their money's worth, it doesn't matter.
NastyJack
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February 12, 2014 7:45 PM
I'm not arguing that any of this matters. It's a damn video game and getting into a big fight about a sword is pretty silly. All I'm saying is that I think having an overpowered weapon available so early and so easily in the game was a mistake in the balance of the game.
Another thing I'll add is that if you actually had to fight the dragon to get the weapon I'd be completely in favor of it. It's the cheesing it with arrows thing that really seems lame to me. If you can beat it toe to toe like any other boss and actually win the weapon with skill than anyone who has it would have earned it fairly.
NastyJack
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February 12, 2014 7:21 PM
It doesn't. I only rant because I love the game and I think the drake sword contributes to ruining / changing for the worse the experience for some players for the reasons I mentioned but it doesn't affect me in the slightest so despite my rant I don't actually care.
The Black Armor thing is weird because FROM is such a unique company making unique games and it's kinda sh*tty to see them slowly sliding into the mainstream way of doing things but it's not a big deal at all. I'll probably download the things myself.
NastyJack
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February 12, 2014 7:22 PM
Poop I thought Lamp had eaten my first reply because it didn't show up for like 10 minutes. So now you get two slightly different worded ones.
David Craddock
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February 12, 2014 7:16 PM
This is exactly the sort of attitude that should not be associated with the game. The game will be plenty difficult; why would FROM compromise the soul of what makes the Souls games so popular? More people playing is a good thing. Quit nerding out.
NastyJack
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February 12, 2014 7:27 PM
"more people playing is a good thing". Well, yeah, to a degree: if they keep true to what made the games great in the first place. If they go mainstream and dumbed down with it (and I'm not at all suggesting that they are) than more people playing becomes a very bad thing. I like the games precisely because they aren't designed with populism in mind and I'm certain that you do too.
My only attitude about the game is that I'm glad they don't appeal to everyone. If that makes me a snob I'm fine with that. I have no problem with being a snob about a game that doesn't treat players like an idiot or that demands you learn how to play it.
David Craddock
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February 12, 2014 7:37 PM
Gamers are infuriatingly narrow-minded about these issues. FROM and Namco want and need to make money. No money, no more Souls. I trust them not to throw their universe out of balance.
NastyJack
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February 12, 2014 7:39 PM
Oh I'm sorry I didn't realize until just this moment that they wanted to or needed to make money thank you for clearing that up.
David Craddock
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February 12, 2014 7:41 PM
It's just disappointing that so loyal a fan of the series would second guess FROM at this point.
NastyJack
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February 12, 2014 7:47 PM
When did I second guess them? I literally said above that it was going to be the best game ever. I'm genuinely convinced it'll instantly be in my top 10 games of all time.
David Craddock
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February 12, 2014 7:58 PM
This is my bad. Never mind.
NastyJack
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February 12, 2014 8:03 PM
It's all good, we both love the game and just have slightly different ideas about it in some ways. It's not a big deal.
mwasher
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February 12, 2014 7:47 PM
the minute the disk is put into the system it will be a forgotten issue
yAak
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February 12, 2014 7:32 PM
Hijack: i have the Black Knight Sword, i love it, but should i upgrade it a bunch? Or should i be exploring for better replacements?
I just killed Gaping Dragon, am about to poke around Blighttown, and maybe try killing a creepy butterfly looking boss in the Darkroot area.
NastyJack
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February 12, 2014 7:37 PM
If you enjoy using it you should upgrade it. It's an awesome weapon. Some people don't like swords that slow but if you don't mind that then it's be a great weapon for as long as you want to use it.
AroundTheFur1380
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February 12, 2014 9:28 PM
I used it for almost all of my first play through, only switching here and there to play with other weapons. Later, I played around with a lot of similar Artorias blades and BK weapons, eventually settling on the BK Halberd. Anyhow, upgrade away. The crystal caves help a bunch.
AxeMan808
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February 13, 2014 1:13 AM
+5 Black Knight Sword was given to Man so that he could CHALLENGE THE GODS.
Smoochy666
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February 13, 2014 3:51 AM
And murder them
AxeMan808
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February 13, 2014 5:00 AM
It was determined to be a self-defense case.
walker270
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February 12, 2014 7:49 PM
Playing Demons Souls trivialized nearly all of Dark Souls.
David Craddock
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February 12, 2014 7:58 PM
In what way? Dark was an exponentially greater game than Demon's, and that was spectacular. If by trivialized you mean playing Demon's gave you an edge, then, yeah. Agreed.
walker270
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February 12, 2014 8:12 PM
Most of the difficulty in the Souls games was learning how to approach and play them. If you conquered Demons, then Dark was significantly easier.
AroundTheFur1380
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February 12, 2014 9:41 PM
I started with Dark, and am currently playing Demon's. I think DeS is a fantastic game, but in quite a few cases I am finding it to be not quite as fulfilling as Dark was, and substantially easier. My first Dark play through took over 100 hours, as I looked to squeeze out every last drop. I will likely beat DeS in under 50 hours.
If curious as to what I think was improved with Dark:
-I like the connected Lordran better than the segmented hub system of DeS, even if the Nexus itself is cool. In DeS, I like the worlds, but they feel more linear and feel completely separate of each other.
-Campfires and Firelink > the arch stone system
-I don't really care for the Tendency system.
-combat mechanics were improved in dark to the point where I felt like moves were missing in DeS with similar weapons.
-DaS > DeS lore
-DaS has so much content that is hidden and optional. I love that. Ashe Lake, the Painted World, all the DLC. These are some of the best areas of the game, tucked away for the hardcore.
That being said, I like the frame rate in DeS more, and there are a few aspects to the art design that sometimes eclipse DaS in terms of textures and clarity.
dajir
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February 12, 2014 6:44 PM
Yeah. Really the first time I beat Dark Souls was with my reinforced club I bought for 300 souls from the first vendor. If you upgrade them and get good at using them all the weapons are good in these games.
Zollington
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February 12, 2014 2:27 PM
I wonder if these weapons will be corrupted versions of the weapon that you can find normally throughout a playthrough. Make it to where it might be slightly more powerful that what you can get in the beginning, but the weapon can't be upgraded, or doesn't have damage scaling?
Rehevkor
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February 12, 2014 2:37 PM
Ignore them on the first playthrough, f*ck around with them on future runs. No big deal.
Squid Division
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February 12, 2014 3:53 PM
While I agree, people will presumably be able to invade with them. It's Souls, so it's probably not an unequivocally 'better' item, but still kind of annoying.
fadetofunk
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February 12, 2014 3:41 PM
I want to pre-order on steam. LET ME GIVE YOU MONEY!!!!!
Grumbeld
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February 12, 2014 4:13 PM
There's a covenant that gets to raid pre-order bonus shoppers continually with no cap on invaders.
tossitupdude
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February 12, 2014 9:25 PM
I find it strange that generally the people the special edition would be for, would not actually want this.
code-e255
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February 12, 2014 9:30 PM
Why oh why isn't this being released for PS4? :( Are there at least rumors for a follow-up PS4 release?
mastermike569
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February 12, 2014 10:01 PM
It has been fortold should fans demand this game to be released on PS4, From will make it so. First they are worried about the reception of Dark Souls 2, should the game do well and fans start clamoring for a PS4 version it will be made. From has already expressed desire to work on that platform.
code-e255
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February 12, 2014 11:31 PM
Cool, I hope they will, because I sold my PS3 a few months ago, thinking nothing worthwhile will be developed for it anymore. And as for the PC version, yeah, but no, I'd rather play this on console.
mastermike569
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February 12, 2014 11:40 PM
It will probably be a long while till any PS4 version gets made and you shouldn't deprive yourself of the Dark Souls 2 experience. As a temporary solution to emulate your console experience, connect your PC to your HDTV, throw on some steam big picture mode and bust out your 360 gamepad. If you do not like the 360 pad, PS4 pad works just as well. Dark Souls plays wonderfully with a gamepad and I'm sure you will have little to complain about with the PC version.
Vincent Grayson
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February 12, 2014 11:57 PM
There's more exciting Japanese PS3 game releases (in US) coming this year and next than on PS4/XBO. I don't understand why anyone would get rid of their PS3 with the sheer volume of great PS+ games on top of that.
herradura99
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February 13, 2014 3:31 AM
I'm keeping mine just for Super Robot Wars Z 3.
Vincent Grayson
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February 13, 2014 6:58 AM
Are those any good? I'd written off all the various crossover SRPGs years ago after playing several PS3 and one or two handheld ones that were all just atrocious.
I'm playing Lightning Returns now, and waiting for Tales of Symphonia HD collection in a few weeks, followed by FFX/X-2 in March, KH2.5 HD at some point, and then stuff like Tales of Xillia 2, Tales of Zestiria, and Persona 5, whenever the f*ck those come.
herradura99
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February 13, 2014 6:05 PM
They are f*cking great. Of course, I'm a huge mecha fan so I may be a bit biased. Also looking forward to Yakuza Isshin. Almost done playing Yakuza 5.
Smoochy666
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February 13, 2014 12:56 AM
Even though it feels like this is going against the whole idea of Dark Souls, I'm not too bothered by it.
It may be worse than the Drake Sword (because you had to actually 'discover' that sword) because it looks like they'll just drop the weapons pack in your hands at start, but it'll teach people the wrong things. Sure, they'll have an easier time in the start, but they only make it harder for themselves (and easier for the rest of us if they invade).[deleted] 1789559702
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February 13, 2014 4:52 AM
[deleted]
tunis5000
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February 13, 2014 5:22 AM
doesn't bother me, I'll actually probably get it
jayacheess
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February 13, 2014 5:30 AM
This stuff better be equivalent to other starter armor/weapons, other than looking unique/cool. I'm hopeful that it is. FROM seems pretty mindful of what has made the Souls games successful.
AxeMan808
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February 13, 2014 6:49 AM
Seems like it'd be easy to just make them non-upgradeable items, like a loooooot of the armor sets in DaS.
