DS2 is the experimental second entry.

It is absolutely full of interesting, novel mechanics that are used about once. It’s a great game and I’m glad it exists because it’s why FromSoft took us in the direction DS3 and Elden Ring took.

But it suffers from a few overlapping issues that compound on themselves.

1. You lose max HP as you die down to DS1 Curse levels. You mainly have to use a consumeable to actually reverse it, with only a few ways to mitigate the process. Your failures result in being weakened.

2. You cannot escape PvP without going offline or using the same consumeable item. (NPC invasions continue on regardless.)

3. Your PvP matchmaking is based on total souls acquired, including lost souls: soul memory. Unless you wear an item that prevents gaining souls, the more you play the stronger your opponents become.

This creates a feedback loop that increasing turns people off from the game.

But once you’ve dumped time into the other FromSoft games and still want something else and more: DS2 is such a great option.