Just ahead of the 2 April release of Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin, Bandai Namco has announced that there’ll be another balancing patch (taking the game to Calibrations 1.15). All existing versions of Dark Souls 2 will receive this, and Scholar will presumably launch with these changes in place.
Looking at the fairly huge list on the announcement page, this looks like it’s a balance pass for various weapons and armours. Plus a change to ‘Soul Appease’ that’s oddly worded, but looks like it’s intended to prevent it working on anything but Hollows (as the spell description states.)
The update will be issued at 2am (Pacific Time) on 1 April. That’s around 10am in Europe (depending on country.) I’m fairly sure this isn’t an elaborate April Fool’s joke, since the patch notes all seem pretty straightforward. You can read them, below.
The other day, the publisher revealed the various levels of pricing discounts existing PC owners of Dark Souls 2 (and/or the DLC) can expect from Scholar of the First Sin. It’s pretty good news if you own the game and no DLC. Not so good news if you already own everything.
We’re hoping to do some comparisons between current and Scholar PC versions at IncGamers in the near future, but there’s no PC review code out in the wild yet.
Anyway, on with the massive changelog for Calibrations 1.15:
• Weapon “Thief Dagger” increase of the attack power.
• Weapon “Broken Thief Sword” increase of the poise damage amount and decrease of the durability level.
• Weapon “Manikin Knife” addition of the bleeding effect.
• Weapon “Royal Dirk” increase of the attack power of the counter attack, and the durability level.
• Weapon “Red Rust Sword” increase of the poise damage amount, attack property changed to slash during the both-handed normal attack.
• Weapon “Sun Sword” Menu display changed to “slash / thrust”.
• Weapon “Drakekeeper’s Sword” increase of the durability level.
• Weapon “Mail Breaker” increase of the damage amount at the fatal blow.
• Weapon “Spider’s Silk” increase of the attack power of the counter attack.
• Weapon “Espada Ropera” increase of the durability level.
• Weapon “Manikin Sabre” addition of the bleeding effect.
• Weapon “Melu Scimitar” increase of the durability level, increase of the necessary soul for repair.
• Weapon “Washing Pole” attack property changed to thrust during one-hand strong attack, one-hand dash attack, both-handed dash attack.
• Weapon “Chaos Blade”, “Blacksteel Katana” increase of the attack power of the counter attack.
• Weapon “Thorned Greatsword”, “Moonlight Greatsword” increase of the durability level.
• Weapon “Bluemoon Greatsword” decrease of the necessary soul for repair.
• Weapon “Mirrah Greatsword” increase of the necessary skill level and the status correction value, decrease of the attack power and the durability level.
• Weapon “Black Knight Greatsword” decrease of the necessary attunement.
• Weapon “Old Knight Greatsword” decrease of the necessary strength, increase of the poise damage amount.
• Weapon “Hand Axe”, “Battle Axe”, “Bandit Axe” increase of attack power.
• Weapon “Infantry Axe” decrease of the necessary strength, the consumption of dexterity and stamina, and the durability level, increase of the poise damage amount.
• Weapon “Gyrm Axe” increase of the durability level.
• Weapon “Dragonslayer’s Crescent Axe” increase of the attack power of the counter attack.
• Weapon “Butcher’s Knife” increase of the poise damage amount and the HP recovery amount during attack.
• Weapon “Lion Greataxe” increase of the attack power.
• Weapon “Giant Stone Axe” increase of the attack power and the poise damage amount.
• Weapon “Gyrm Greataxe” increase of the attack power, the poise damage amount, and the durability level.
• Weapon “Black Knight Greataxe” increase of the poise damage amount, decrease of the necessary attunement.
• Weapon “Drakekeeper’s Greataxe” increase of the durability level, attack property changed to slash during both-handed strong attack.
• Weapon “Morning Star” increase of the bleeding effect.
• Weapon “Reinforced Club” increase of the attack power, decrease of the durability level.
• Weapon “Handmaid’s Ladle” addition of the adaptation positive correction, increase of the attack power of the counter attack.
• Weapon “Blacksmith’s Hammer” increase of the poise damage amount.
• Weapon “Black Dragon Warpick” attack property changed to thrust.
• Weapon “Aldia Hammer” attack property changed to thrust, increase of the necessary dexterity, and the status correction value.
• Weapon “Pickaxe” attack property changed to thrust, increase of the attack power of the counter attack.
• Weapon “Gyrm Great Hammer” increase of the attack power.
• Weapon “Iron King Hammer” increase of the status correction value and the durability level.
• Weapon “Malformed Skull” addition of the bleeding effect.
• Weapon “Old Knight Hammer” increase of the poise damage amount.
• Weapon “Drakekeeper’s Great Hammer” increase of the durability level.
• Weapon “Sacred Chime Hammer” decrease of the stamina consumption amount.
• Weapon “Spitfire Spear” increase of the durability level.
• Weapon “Gargoyle Bident” increase of the necessary strength, status correction value, and the attack power of the counter attack, decrease of the necessary dexterity.
• Weapon “Dragonslayer Spear” attack property changed to thrust during one-hand strong attack and both-handed strong attack.
• Weapon “Heide Lance”, “Heide Greatlance”, “Chariot Lance” increase of the stamina consumption amount during dash attack.
• Weapon “Grand Lance” increase of the stamina consumption amount and the durability level during dash attack.
• Weapon “Great Scythe” increase of the attack power.
• Weapon “Great Machete” increase of the attack power, decrease of the stamina consumption amount.
• Weapon “Full Moon Sickle” increase of the attack power, the poise damage amount, and the durability level.
• Weapon “Crescent Sickle” increase of the attack power and magic attack power.
• Weapon “Scythe of Nahr Alma” increase of the attack power.
• Weapon “Bone Scythe” increase of the attack power and , decrease the durability level and the status correction value.
• Weapon “Scythe”, “Santier’s Spear” Menu display changed to “slash / thrust”.
• Weapon “Mastodon Halberd” increase of the poise damage amount and the weight.
• Weapon “Black Knight Halberd” increase of the Fire attack power, addition of the necessary faith.
• Weapon “Old Knight Halberd”, “Knight Halberd”, “Old Knight Pike” increase of the poise damage amount, Menu display changed to “slash / thrust”.
• Weapon “Drakekeeper’s Warpick” increase of the durability level.
• Weapon “Claws” increase of bleeding attack power.
• Weapon “Malformed Claws” increase of the attack power of the counter attack.
• Weapon “Manikin Claws” addition of the bleeding effect.
• Weapon “Whip” increase of the status correction value.
• Weapon “Notched Whip” increase of the bleeding attack power and the status correction value.
• Weapon “Bloodied Whip” increase of the attack power.
• Weapon “Old Whip” decrease of the damage amount at the fatal blow.
• Weapon “Olenford’s Staff” increase of the cast speed.
• Weapon “Bell Keeper Bow” decrease of the attack power, the status correction value, the necessary strength, the necessary dexterity, and the weight.
• Weapon “Smelter Sword”, “Drakewing Ultra Greatsword” attack property changed to thrust during both-handed strong attack.
• Weapon “King’s Ultra Greatsword” increase of the poise damage amount, physical property damage reduction, dark property damage reduction and the durability level.
• Weapon “Pursuer’s Ultra Greatsword” increase of the attack power of the counter attack.
• Weapon “Drakekeeper’s Ultra Greatsword” increase of the durability level.
• Weapon “Crypt Blacksword” increase of the physical property damage reduction.
• Weapon “Black Knight Ultra Greatsword” increase of the fire attack power, addition of the necessary faith.
• Weapon “Old Knight Ultra Greatsword” increase of the poise damage amount.
• Weapon “Lost Sinner’s Sword” increase of the fire property damage reduction , attack property changed to thrust during both-handed rolling attack.
• Weapon “Stone Twinblade” increase of the attack power of the counter attack.
• Weapon “Twinblade” increase of the durability level.
• Weapon “Benhart’s Parma” increase of the magic property damage reduction.
• Weapon “Iron parma” increase of the reception ability.
• Weapon “Llewellyn Shield” increase of the durability level.
• Weapon “Drangleic Shield” increase of the magic property damage reduction.
• Weapon “Shield of the Insolent” increase of the dark property damage reduction.
• Weapon “Stone Parma” increase of the lightning and fire property damage reduction.
• Weapon “Grand Spirit Tree Shield” increase of the fire and magic property damage reduction, decrease of the weight.
• Weapon “Moon Butterfly Shield” increase of the physical property damage reduction, decrease of the weight.
• Weapon “Slumbering Dragon Shield” increase of the physical, lightning, and cursing property damage reduction.
• Weapon “Chaos Shield” increase of the physical, magic, lightning, and dark property damage reduction, decrease of the reception ability.
• Weapon “Wooden Shield” increase of the magic and lightning property damage reduction and the reception ability.
• Weapon “Drakekeeper’s Shield” increase of the durability level and the weight.
• Weapon “Bone Shield” increase of the physical and magic property damage reduction.
• Weapon “Drakekeeper’s Greatshield”, “Greatshield of Glory” increase of the durability level.
• Weapon “Sunlight Parma” increase of the lightning and poison property damage reduction.
• Weapon “Blossom Kite Shield” increase of the magic and poison property damage reduction.
• Weapon “Wicked Eye Greatshield” increase of the physical property damage reduction.
• Weapon “Bound Wooden Shield” Menu display changed to “Parry / Strike”.
• Weapon “Transgressor’s Leather Shield” increase of the dark property damage reduction and weight.
• Weapon “Vessel Shield” increase of the fire property damage reduction, decrease of the weight.
• Weapon “Umbral Dagger” increase of the damage amount at the fatal blow.
• Weapon “Retainer’s Short Sword” increase of the necessary attunement and the magic correction value, decrease of the necessary strength.
• Weapon “Ice Rapier” increase of the attack power of the special attack during strong attack, decrease of the shot speed.
• Weapon “Eleum Loyce” decrease of the necessary faith, increase of the durability value.
• Weapon “Bewitched Alonne Sword” increase of the durability value, attack property changed to thrust during one-hand strong attack, one-hand dash attack, and both-handed dash attack.
• Weapon “Drakeblood Greatsword” increase of the attack power and the attack power of the counter attack.
• Weapon “Sanctum Mace” increase of the poison attack power.
• Weapon “Yorgh’s Spear” increase of the durability level and the attack power of the counter attack.
• Weapon “Rampart Golem Lance” increase of the stamina consumption amount during dash attack.
• Weapon “Wrathful Axe” increase of the durability value, decrease of the dark correction value, Adjustment of the special attack triggering time during both-handed strong attack.
• Weapon “Possessed Armor Greatbow” increase of the durability value and the status correction value.
• Weapon “Sorcerer’s Twinblade” decrease of the necessary strength, the necessary dexterity, the necessary faith, and the stamina consumption amount, addition of the magic correction.
• Weapon “Ivory King Ultra Greatsword” increase of the necessary attunement and the magic attack power, addition of the magic correction.
• Weapon “Aged Smelter Sword” increase of the durability level, attack property changed to thrust during both-handed strong attack.
• Armor “Astrologist’s Robe”, “Astrologist’s Gauntlets”, “Astrologist’s Bottoms” decrease of the weight.
• Armor “Mask of Judgment”, “Manchettes of Judgment”, “Tights of Judgment” increase of the resistance to poison.
• Armor “Black Witch Veil” increase of the resistance to magic and curse.
• Armor “Black Witch Domino Mask” decrease of the HP decreasing rate.
• Armor “Peasant Hat” addition of the faith positive correction, addition of the attunement negative correction.
• Armor “Peasant Attire”, “Peasant Long Gloves”, “Peasant Trousers” addition of the adaptation positive correction, addition of the attunement negative correction.
• Armor “Syan’s Helm”, “Syan’s Armor”, “Syan’s Gauntlets”, “Syan’s Leggings” increase of the resistance to fire.
• Armor “Singer’s Dress” increase of the resistance to magic, fire, lightning, and dark.
• Armor “Vengarl’s Helm” addition of the vitality positive correction.
• Armor “Rusted Mastodon Helm”, “Rusted Mastodon Armor”, “Rusted Mastodon Gauntlets”, “Rusted Mastodon Leggings” increase of the resistance to dark.
• Armor “Old Knight Helm”, “Old Knight Gauntlets”, “Old Knight Leggings” increase of the toughness.
• Armor “Looking Glass Mask” addition of the faith positive correction.
• Armor “Agdayne’s Cuffs” addition of the faith positive correction.
• Armor “Llewellyn Armor”, “Llewellyn Gloves”, “Llewellyn Shoes” increase of the toughness.
• Armor “Creighton’s Steel Mask”, “Creighton’s Chainmail”, “Creighton’s Chain Gloves”, Creighton’s Chain Leggings” increase of the resistance to bleeding.
• Armor “Cale’s Helm” addition of the dexterity positive correction and the endurance positive correction.
• Armor “Bell Keeper Helmet”, “Bell Keeper Bellyband”, “Bell Keeper Cuffs”, “Bell Keeper Trousers” increase of the resistance to lightning
• Armor “Mad Warrior Mask” addition of the adaptation positive correction.
• Armor “Targray’s Helm”, “Targray’s Armor”, “Targray’s Manifers”, “Targray’s Leggings” increase of the resistance to lightning.
• Armor “Retainer Robe” increase of the resistance to fire.
• Spell “Soul Appease” working to anything else other than Hollows.
