Dark Souls II Out Today on PS3

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Dark Souls II Out Today on PS3

Dark Souls II

March 11th has arrived and it’s time to go beyond death. The Dark Souls II servers are live and we’re excited to see everyone online and exploring the world of Drangleic. Today, we wanted to give an extended look at some of the Covenants that you may be joining in Dark Souls II. This is not a complete list as we wouldn’t want to spoil the secrets that await you on your quest.

Covenant masters are scattered throughout the world of Dark Souls II and, under certain conditions, may invite you to join their ranks. Seek the protection of a noble order of knights. Defend against invaders from other worlds. Set out on a lonely and arduous journey. Lay a trap and draw other players into your world. Protect a long-forgotten tower. Thirst for more blood. These tasks and more are laid before you as you deceive, challenge, and offer aid to fellow players online.

Way of the Blue

Not everyone seeks to challenge other players online. Joining the Way of the Blue will give a player access to a ring that will summon a member of the noble Blue Sentinels if invaded by an enemy player from another world. If you’re not comfortable battling online in a PvP scenario, this Covenant is for you. Perfect for holding on to that human form as long as possible.

Blue Sentinels

Not everyone is fit to join the Blue Sentinels. When you first encounter this Covenant’s master, you won’t be able to join until you prove that you’ve assisted another player already. Once a member of the Blue Sentinels, PvP arenas will be opened up that allow you to duel fellow members. Blue Sentinels represent a noble cause and are encouraged to always be wearing their Covenant ring to assist other players in need.

Champion’s Covenant

Only the fittest are recommended to join the Champion’s Covenant. Accessible very early in the game, players will be asked “Are you sure?” when joining. Members of the Champion’s Covenant will find a more difficult and unforgiving world of Drangleic as they explore Dark Souls II. These players may also have difficulty summoning friendly phantoms. But surviving in this harsh world will net you special stones that can be offered to advance your rank within the Covenant. Champion’s Covenant members also have access to a leaderboard that displays players with the most offerings. Only the bravest will remain on top.

Dark Souls IIDark Souls II

Rat King Covenant

Join the mysterious Rat King Covenant and the sewers, dirt, and slime will be your new friends. Equipping the Rat King ring and lurking in one of the designated areas will draw other unsuspecting players into your world. You may also find that the denizens of these areas are a bit more friendly to one of their own. Will they escape with their lives, or will you cut them down as they try?

Bell Keeper’s Covenant

Not everyone will find the old Bell Towers. And once they find them, not everyone will want to stay. If you do wish to join the ranks of the Bell Keepers, then you’ll be provided a Covenant ring to equip. While patrolling the long forgotten towers, if an intruder wanders into the area, you’ll be drawn into their world to stop them. This covenant functions similarly to the Forest Keeper Covenant from Dark Souls.

Brotherhood of Blood

Blood, blood, and more blood. Some evil might never be sated. Members of the Brotherhood of Blood vow to spill as much blood as possible as often as possible. You’ll not be welcomed into the ranks of this Covenant until you offer proof that you have the will and the means to slay a fellow explorer in the world of Drangleic. Similarly to the Blue Sentinels, the Brotherhood of Blood offers its members PvP arenas to see who is the true champion of the Brotherhood.


For those who choose not to interact with the game’s online systems, offline play is always available. But we do encourage everyone to play online as From Software put a great amount of work into improving the online mechanics to be deeper and more rewarding for all players.

We’re very excited for everyone to dive in and explore the world of Dark Souls II. It’s a special launch day for many people as there’s a vast amount of mystery to explore and experience.

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205 Comments

18 Author Replies

  • I can’t wait, my pre-order from Amazon is on the truck being delivered today. But, alas, I can’t play it tonight right away. No, I need to finish the Platinum in the first Dark Souls. I’m literally about an hour away from it, I just need to forge the last two weapons I need for the Knight’s Honor trophy. All that’s left to do is make it through Sen’s Fortress and to the Giant Blacksmith in Anor Londo. I’m way too close to stop now. :)

    • That platinum is a bit rough. Never got it myself personally. But I can understand the commitment. Good luck to you!

  • Praise the Sun!

  • My most anticipated game of the year. Cannot wait. I usually go with a Dexterity class but I’m going Cleric Faith build for this one.

  • Also…Blue Sentinels sounds awesome!

  • If this comes to PS4…I will surely double-dip.

  • I’m gunna wait for a while and hope a PS4 version is released. I’m hoping it’s soon and hasn’t been announced because they didn’t want to hurt the ps3 version’s sales…. I got plenty of games to play while I wait thanks to my Plus membership.

  • What about GOD EATER 2…

  • I preorder the game, got the theme, and downloading the game now.
    But when will I get the preorder bonus of the weapons?

    • There was a bit of a hiccup in distributing all of those – Word is they’ll go out later tonight. Find me on Twitter @jkartje if you don’t see them by then!

  • Picking the CE up in a couple hours. I don’t like that the forcible invasions have been so ramped up in this iteration. Playing online for the orange messages and seeing the spectral images of other players were some of the most enjoyable aspects of the previous iterations but being constantly invaded by jerks is no fun for me as a less-skilled player. I want to explore, learn the lore, and move at my own pace online without forced multiplayer but that will be nearly impossible in this game.

  • Hello. I pre-order the game on PSN 2 week or more ago, i had the dynamic themee. But i can’t download/find my pre-order weapons….
    Like other people in games forums. Seem just US Pre-order PSN games.

  • Come on! So many new games coming out on PS3, and no PS4 versions still! I don’t want to dust off my old PS3 to play new games – I have a PS4 sitting idle (and a gaming PC)…

  • i have the same problem has #10 and #8 post :(((((

  • + phoenixkissme_PA
    Didn’t get them either. probably a bug.
    I heard you can get them eventually even if you didn’t pre ordered the game, just not as starter weapons.
    Not a deal breaker for me as I wasn’t going to use them. Theme is pretty sick though.

  • Looking forward to it. Just beat Dark Souls two days ago — and I’m to the Capra demon on new game plus. (Only took about 45 minutes to get to him, compared to about 5 hours my first time).

    One thing that bothered me about the game is the bright Namco-Bandai logo at the start of the game. It’s a dark and moody game; having such a bright logo pulls me out of the mood the game is trying to set.

    EA has logos to match their game — wish Namco would do the same.

    And I echo the other comment about not looking forward to a potentially higher invasion rate. I view Dark Souls as mostly a single player game, and I summoned NPC’s when I needed the help.

    • Wow. This is some really cool feedback. I’m totally going to mention this to FromSoft and our team here regarding future titles. I’m not sure how much extra work is required there, but I think it sounds cool. On an average playthrough, I don’t think you’ll have a much higher invasion rate. One thing to note is that player matchmaking is now based on many factors including # of souls collected, so we hope players will be much more evenly and fairly connected to each other now.

  • Wake me up when this series becomes playable for mere mortals.

    • *Shakes violently and pours water over head*

      Kidding, kidding. In all honesty the game is quite approachable as long as you understand that it’s a game that requires your attention. I also recommend playing through while a friend is playing as well. It’s a very cool “water cooler” game to talk about what things you find and miss.

  • I cant wait to get home from work and spend all day playing this game! just beat the first one a couple days ago and im already going through dark souls withdrawls! definately joining the blue setinels as what i enjoyed most in dark souls was helping other players now i can help them not die not just from bosses but other players :D

  • I never liked invasion, and now that it can happen even if I’m in hollow form, I’m a little bit unsure if I’ll be able to enjoy it. First thing to do is to find this Way of the Blue covenant and hope it will help me.

    • Completely understandable. A few things to note is that you are much less likely to be invaded when in hollow form (it hasn’t even happened to me yet) and players are matched based on different factors other than simply level (like total # of souls collected etc.). We think it’s a really balanced system and we’ll continue to monitor feedback. I also think Way of the Blue is a cool concept.

  • Praise the sun, platinum will be mine!

  • I will pass on this but I’m getting it for sure if it comes out on ps4.

  • Over 300 hours in the original Dark Souls.

    Waiting on a PS4 version. Please don’t make me wait in vain.

  • I’m praising the sun since Day of Dark Souls was announced.

  • Is there any way this will top the best game on PS3 (Dark Souls)? Today sucks for casual AAA gamers. Sucks to be them.

  • Hardcore gamers delight, on this day we can again join in the new story. praise the sun. games like these, make me happy to be a gamer.

  • i keep checkin my front porch every 3 min lol i want I WANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! its coming do you hear the truck…….oh not here yet. i still wait.

  • Wow..xbox one users get Titanfall. Ps3 users get dark souls. And if you’re lucky enough to have bought a ps4 – you get Towerfall!!!!

    Check your local craigslist board, and you’ll see a 900% increase in used ps4’s up for sale.

    Including mine shortly.

  • titanfall is just another FPS thats never going to be good as BF series. just as COD was trash after COD 1,COD 4. still not a technical marvel. and never will be with the BASE engine they use. SOrry j my opinion.

  • @25 Dude, Titanfall is an online-only FPS. No single-player campaign mode. It’s COD with mechs. Kinda cool if you’re into spending hours upon hours running around shooting things. Me? Not my cup of tea. I play COD, BF, Killzone etc for their campaigns. I maybe try the MP, but I’d rather put time into a game like Dark Souls II with an actual decent plot and story. Also, Titanfall is a “Media Darling” – by that I mean it’s way over-hyped and overrated as the press around the Xbox One was so negative they needed one shimmering light of hope for the Xbox-biased, american review media to pin their hopes on.

  • Plus you can play it on PC or 360 as well so I also don’t think it’s going to move as many $500 boxes as Micro$haft or the Xbox-biased western gaming review media think it will either.

  • @25, rents- hahahahaa! 900% increase? Who’s your source… Adam Orth? Titan Fall has great gameplay, sub-par graphics (Source Engine), & online only. I hope it does well, as I like the Respawn team; no need to go console bashing.

    Anyways, on Dark Souls II, slow & steady wins the race!

  • only last gen support :(

  • I am bumping “phoenixkissme_PA”‘s comment because I too…

    “I preorder the game, got the theme, and downloading the game now.
    But when will I get the preorder bonus of the weapons?”

    • Those should be distributed later tonight – It was a bit of a hiccup on the distribution – If you don’t have them by tonight, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @jkartje.

  • I preordered the digital version of Dark Souls 2 off the PSN and received the theme but not the bonus weapons. Looks like I’m not alone. Hopefully this will be corrected.

  • Just dropped by to add my voice to others, saying this will be a day one purchase if it comes out on PS4. So tempted to just get it now, but still working on the plat for the first one, and have a decent size backlog so I can wait. Also, I hope there is a mechanic to be able to play co-op with people on your friends list instead of just putting down summon signs and hoping they see it.

  • Cool…still gotta buy the 1st one but I will be picking up Dark Souls 2 later in the year.Gotta say the graphics are impressive in way…for a multiplatform game…its really impressive.

  • Came back to say I just picked up my CE. That figurine is huuuuge! Love it!.

  • hello, i bought the game day 10, on pre order, but i can’t download the game, just appears the theme on my download list, where are the game? someone help me please, i wanna play

  • failure to install trophy set>? what is this garbage>?

  • Got my copy. I’m officially prepared to die again, AGAIN! Now I just gotta find time to play (thanks to all of these midterms and such this week) -_-

    @Gorvi Go for it!

    @lisatsunami #9 Sounds like the Way of the Blue covenant is right up your alley. Hopefully the invasion frequency won’t be THAT bad, but good luck anyway!

  • Bring it to PS4… please.

  • Thanks, i will go and buy it now.

  • Will this one actually work at launch?

    Dark Souls : Summoning Failed – 2 second button delay was truly GOTY.

  • YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

  • I got a feeling that Bandai Namco is gonna annouce the PS4 version after the launch of the PC one. Until that, WE WOULD CREATE A PETITION FOR THE GAME ON PS4.
    Tak Miyazoe, Global Producer od DS2, said to IGN that if there’s audience for the game on PS4, it would be released, as they did to the first Dark Souls on PC, in attention of gamer’s petition.
    If there’s a petition in the way, you can count me in!!!!
    You can check it here: http://www.ign.com/videos/2014/03/08/8-dark-souls-2-questions-answered

  • Can you avoid this whole “invasion” thing by playing when not connected to the internet?

  • FYI I did read at the bottom of the article we can play offline, but I have no idea how invasion works.

    • So the game is built to weave together the single and multiplayer experience. You can summon other players into your game to help with difficult areas or bosses and certain players may be able to invade your game to try and kill you.

  • please help, i cannot play……. i bought the hard copy and the online version, fail to load trophy set? what am i doing wrong?

  • Thanks for the reply.

    The idea of help from others in an otherwise RPG/single player game does sound interesting.

    But I absolutely hate PVP in games, except for the occasional game of CoD since all my friends play it, I almost never go online with any games, barring sports.

    Is it possible to have the ‘summon other players’ aspect enabled, but to turn off the ‘people can enter my game to attack me’ option?

    The more I hear, the more fun this game sounds, but the last thing I want when playing an RPG is an online feature/random people showing up in my game. RPGs are my way of relaxing and having fun.

    Having random people suddenly jump into my experience with the only goal of killing me… that’s not what I’d find fun.

    But maybe this just isn’t a game made for someone like me.

  • Since picking up the game today for PS3 I have yet to be able to connect to Dark Souls 2 servers. Can only play offline. Is this an issue with everyone? Is it being looked into? Can’t find any information on the status. Thank you.

  • There’s no way to outright keep one enabled and turn the other off. But there’s the Way of Blue covenant which will help you if you get invaded – You can also ‘burn’ a human effigy at fires to make it harder to be invaded and there’s a covenant you can join later that will make it far less likely that you get invaded. If you don’t mind spoilers I can tell you more on Twitter @jkartje. I understand the hesitation, I’d definitely recommend just playing offline most of the time then just connect if you want to summon for boss fights if that’s your fancy. Hopefully that aspect doesn’t turn too many people away!

  • We need Ps4 version ASAP!!!! So ready to play it on my Ps4, that’s the main reason I baught a Ps4 so I can play Dark souls 2 not these sorry indie atari games thats not wroth $5 or maybe less.

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