Hey guys. Just wanted to share what I wrote up. I just realized that there are topics quite similar so sorry for that. This is my look into Soul Memory and thought I might share with you to shine some light on what in our eyes may be bad, But may have some advantages. Im testing now with endurance and will be posting something about that in the near future as well. Thanks for reading.
Why soul memory? Why would From Software imply such a horrible game mechanic? I’m sure we all felt this way when we found out that PVP would be related to Soul Memory instead of Soul Level. I for wondered about this for a while and then realized that it wasn’t intended to be unfair or to change what worked in our previous Souls games. There are surprisingly many pro’s to counterweight the con’s. Let’s get into some details so that maybe we can appreciate what this new mechanic is doing for us.
At first it seems horrible, obviously because we are all used to playing at a certain Soul Level range and staying there. I for one fear how hard it would be to organize a tournament with friends. But what makes a game a good game? Once you’ve beaten it several times what makes it appealing enough to keep playing? Multiplayer yes? I’m sure From Software had the same thought, and looked back at the previous generation of Souls games, then realized that there was only traffic at a certain Soul Levels. What happens when the multiplayer dies in a game? You move on don’t you? Let’s take Demon’s Souls for example. For people that just play co-op, have no idea what the cap is, and end up at higher soul level, what are the chances of them summoning or getting summoned? Not very high. Soul Level discourages traffic at all levels.
We all get the point here, but with Dark Souls 2 this will never happen. As long as there are people playing and connected to the internet, there will always be multiplayer. Not just for the hardcore gamer, but for the casual gamer as well. There is absolutely no advantage in staying at a low level then. If you do, eventually you will be up against very strong players with a similar Soul Memory, because as long as you play, your soul memory keeps getting higher and higher. The only place I see being low traffic is if you stay in NG and never move on to NG+.
So you can say the developers thought this one through. Their new game mechanic for multiplayer will hold this game active for years to come! If you think you’re at a disadvantage with your character the only thing I’d recommend is to start leveling up. I now see soul memory as character “experience”. If you use your character he will gain experience. In closing you can expect to meet strong players for sure, but you will also meet players that are weaker in stats as well. So really the scales are balanced aren’t they? It’s just determining what you’re going to do next with your Souls..