Dark Souls 2: Multiplayer PVP and Co-Op

No Longer Safe.

     From Software has upped the anti on Dark Souls 2's multiplayer.  Considerably. 

     Now, there is no safety in remaining undead, or hollowed.  You can be invaded at ANY time.  If that was too little, they've added an additional torturous punishment, dying too frequently causes your maximum health to deplete up to around 50% of maximum.  Only using the new Human Effigy can restore the lost health and humanity.  So once you've used your Human Effigies, you could be in a world of dire circumstances.  Less HP means even the smallest enemy is cause for fear.
     What I wonder is why even have the humanity at all now?  Why not just stay in human or soul form and have a sliding health scale.  Perhaps there are hidden reasons to be one or the other now- like Demon's Souls' World Tendency.

     Sure, it sounds like an invader's paradise, BUT, and this is something I highly approve of, if you are part of the "Way of the Blue" covenant another player- a Blue Sentinel- will be called in during an invasion.  The threat is still there, but will be slightly reduced with, hopefully, aid and protection from a summoned reinforcement.  Provided they don't backstab you and help the invader.

     The summoning of helper souls has been changed as well.  Now, when White Soapstones are used, the summoned player has a time limit.  That time limit reduces in duration faster the more the assisting souls kill.  So if the person(s) summoned will only be along for a comparatively short time if they kill a bunch of enemies in quick succession.
     This was done to lower reliance on "assistance" from others.  I think this is a poor choice from the developers.  I enjoyed playing with some people online that were with me for a long time.  They didn't slay everything in their paths, but helped a lot regardless.  How will gamers bond with restrictions in time to help?  Do invaders have a time restriction as well?  I'm very curious about that.

     I hope the PVP doesn't devolve into invaders being 200 levels higher than you jumping in and lag-teleport-backstabbing-spammery.  If I had any real complaints about Dark Souls, that would be it. 

     On the whole, this sounds kind of counter intuitive to gaining new players.  It was a massive problem when I started playing- I had people constantly invade and be 100+ levels higher.  I even had a Fog Ring wearer take me out with a single arrow.  Through my shield.  From across the forest.

     There is a part of me that absolutely hates the idea of constant invasion threats, it was hard to enjoy a game (Dark Souls) when you get to a boss, then have an invader jump in and be completely ignored by all the enemies.  So you have to deal with enemies AND an invader that is damn near impossible to kill.  Biggest annoyance possible and it begs the question of whether they've been able to balance the multiplayer.  Seriously, I don't recall ANY risks to invading, while being invaded posed many, many risks of losing souls.

     Hopefully they'll balance the invader's soul and weapon levels to the player's so they aren't so far above you that you wouldn't stand a chance.  And the part of me that doesn't hate the multiplayer addition will join the Way of the Blue...   or just play offline.
     Although... I did have a couple invaders in Dark Souls jump in, run up to me wave then run and jump off ledges to their death.


From "Prepare to Die" to "Go Beyond Death."

     This is going to be a tough game, as the developer's have invented plenty of  new ways to kill us on top of falling, poison, plague, and swarms of nigh invulnerable enemies.  The lands of Dark Souls feels bleaker than ever, but I look forward to braving it...  despite the double digit death toll I'm sure to rack up before I light my first bonfire.