Dark Souls II Scholar of the First Sin is a weird game. Honestly, there isn't a better way to put it. It’s the middle child of the trilogy that everyone loves to complain about, yet it’s arguably the most ambitious thing FromSoftware ever released. You’ve probably heard the horror stories about the "clunky" movement or the "unfair" enemy placement, but the reality is much more nuanced than a simple Reddit thread would have you believe.
It’s personal.
When you boot up Dark Souls II Scholar of the First Sin, you aren't just playing a remaster of the 2014 original. You’re playing a total remix. It’s a version of Majula that feels sunlight-soaked and lonely all at once. It’s a version of Heide’s Tower of Flame where the enemies actually react to your presence in ways that make the base game look like a tech demo.
The Agility Problem and Why Your Rolls Feel "Bad"
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Adaptability. If you jump into this game expecting it to feel like Elden Ring or Dark Souls 3, you’re going to die. A lot. Most players complain that the hitboxes are broken, but usually, they just haven't leveled up their Agility (ADP) stat.
In this game, your invincibility frames (i-frames) are tied to a stat. It’s a bold design choice. Some call it brilliant; most call it a chore. Basically, if your Agility is low, you’ll get hit even if it looks like you dodged. You need to get that Agility to at least 92 or 96 to feel like a human being again. Once you hit 99 or 105, you're basically a ghost.
It’s a different kind of RPG. You aren't just building a "strength guy" or a "dex guy." You’re building a character that has to learn how to move. It’s slow. It’s deliberate. If you swing a Greatsword, you’re committed to that animation for what feels like an eternity. If you miss? You're dead. That's the core of the experience.
What Scholar of the First Sin Actually Changed
A lot of people think this is just a 60fps port. It’s not. Bandai Namco and FromSoftware essentially shifted the furniture around while you were out of the house.
In the original game, the Dull Ember—the item you need to actually upgrade your weapons properly—was hidden way late in the Iron Keep. In Dark Souls II Scholar of the First Sin, they moved it to the Lost Bastille. This sounds like a small tweak, but it completely changes the power curve of the early game. You can get a +6 weapon way faster, which makes the early-game slog through the Forest of Fallen Giants much more manageable.
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The Enemy Density Controversy
Then there’s the Pursuer. Oh, the Pursuer. In the original, he was a boss and then a rare encounter. In Scholar, he lives up to his name. He shows up everywhere. He drops from the sky while you’re trying to deal with three dogs and a hollow soldier.
- Heide's Tower of Flame is now filled with Heide Knights who actually stand up and fight.
- The Dragon Shrine has a weird honor code where the big guys won't attack you if you duel the small ones.
- The addition of the Forlorn—an invading NPC that shows up at the worst possible times—adds a layer of tension the original lacked.
It’s harder. Definitely. But it feels more "complete." The lore of Aldia, the titular Scholar, is woven into the experience through new dialogue and a final boss encounter that gives the story a much-needed sense of closure regarding the cycle of fire and dark.
Power Stance: The Best Mechanic FromSoftware Ever Made (Until Elden Ring)
Why do people still play this? Power stancing.
If you have 1.5x the required stats for two weapons of the same class, you can dual-wield them with a unique moveset. You can dual-wield Ultra Greatswords. You can dual-wield whips. You can even dual-wield ladles if you're a masochist. It’s a level of build variety that Dark Souls 3 completely abandoned and Elden Ring only recently brought back.
The build variety here is staggering. Magic isn't just a side-show; Hexes are a dedicated school of magic that scales with both Intelligence and Faith, making "dark" builds incredibly viable and complex.
The DLC is the Real Masterpiece
You can't talk about Dark Souls II Scholar of the First Sin without mentioning the three crowns. Crown of the Sunken King, Crown of the Old Iron King, and Crown of the Ivory King are included in the Scholar edition.
They are, without hyperbole, some of the best level designs in the entire series. Brume Tower is a vertical masterpiece of shortcuts and environmental storytelling. Shulva feels like a Zelda dungeon gone horribly wrong. Eleum Loyce is a frozen wasteland that requires you to find "loyal knights" to help you in a massive, chaotic final battle against the Burnt Ivory King.
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The bosses in these DLCs—Fume Knight, Sir Alonne, Sinh the Slumbering Dragon—are leagues ahead of the base game's bosses. Fume Knight, in particular, famously had a 93% failure rate among players shortly after release. He’s a brick wall. He’s fair, but he’s brutal.
Misconceptions About the "B-Team"
There’s this persistent myth that the "B-Team" at FromSoftware made this game while Hidetaka Miyazaki was busy with Bloodborne. While it’s true Miyazaki wasn't the director (Yui Tanimura was), the "B-Team" label is a bit of a slight. Tanimura is the one who saved the project after it hit a disastrous development snag. He’s also the co-director of Elden Ring.
When you see the DNA of Elden Ring—the wide-open vistas, the sheer number of viable weapons, the emphasis on exploration—you’re seeing the DNA of Dark Souls II Scholar of the First Sin. It was the experimental laboratory for the future of the genre.
Actionable Tips for Your Next (or First) Playthrough
If you're going to dive into Drangleic, don't go in blind. You’ll just get frustrated and quit at No-Man's Wharf.
Priority One: The Life Gem Meta
Unlike the first game, your Estus Flask starts with only one charge. You have to find Estus Shards to upgrade it. Because of this, Life Gems are your best friend. Buy them in bulk from Melentia. Use them for chip damage and save your Estus for emergencies.
Priority Two: Fragrant Branches of Yore
In the Scholar edition, statues are everywhere. These are NPCs or enemies petrified in stone. You need a Fragrant Branch of Yore to wake them up. Don't waste them. Always keep one in your inventory because sometimes these statues block the only path forward, like the one leading to the Shaded Woods.
Priority Three: Strike Damage is King
Armored enemies are everywhere. Swords will bounce off them like toothpicks. If you’re struggling, get a Mace or a Morning Star. Strike damage destroys the heavily armored knights in Heide’s Tower and the Iron Keep.
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Priority Four: Use Your Torch
The lighting in Scholar was overhauled. Dark areas are actually dark now. Some enemies, like the creatures in No-Man's Wharf, are actually afraid of the light. Lighting sconces isn't just for visibility; it can fundamentally change how enemies react to you.
The Reality of Soul Memory
Online play is governed by "Soul Memory," which is the total number of souls you've ever collected, not your level. This was an attempt to stop "twink" players from invading low-level beginners with end-game gear. It worked, but it also makes playing with friends a bit of a headache. If you want to co-op, buy the Name-Engraved Ring from the cat in Majula. It makes matching up significantly easier.
A Different Kind of Difficulty
People say this game is "artificial difficulty." They point to the "ganks"—the moments where ten enemies jump out of a closet.
Sure, that happens. But Dark Souls II Scholar of the First Sin expects you to use your head. It’s a game about crowd control. It’s a game about using bows to lure enemies one by one. If you try to run past everything like you're playing Dark Souls 1, the enemies will follow you to the ends of the earth. They do not de-aggro quickly.
It demands patience. It’s a slow burn. The world of Drangleic is falling apart, not into the epic cinder of the first game, but into a quiet, senile decay. It’s a story about loss of memory and loss of self.
If you can get past the initial hurdle of the movement speed and the ADP stat, you’ll find a game that is more generous with its content than almost anything else in the genre. It’s massive. It’s weird. It’s occasionally frustrating. But it has a soul that is entirely its own.
To get started, focus your first 20 levels almost exclusively on Vigor and Adaptability. Once your health is decent and your roll works, the world of Drangleic opens up. Don't join the Company of Champions covenant in Majula unless you want the game to be significantly harder—it disables co-op and increases enemy damage. Most beginners join it by accident because the game asks "Are you sure?" three times. Listen to the game. Say no.
Grab a mace, light a torch, and head toward the Forest of Fallen Giants. The Bearer of the Curse has a long way to go.
Next Steps for Players:
- Check your Agility stat in the player menu; aim for 92 immediately.
- Find the Estus Shard in the Majula well by hitting the stone on the rim.
- Exhaust all dialogue with Lucatiel of Mirrah—she’s the best NPC in the trilogy.
- Don't fear death; use a Human Effigy only when you truly need to summon help or your health bar is halved.