3. Understanding Human And Undead Forms
Dark Souls 2 will basically tell you nothing about how the game works; it prefers to let you fill in the blanks yourself as you go along and doesn't hold your hand at any point. One such mechanic that isn't particularly well explained is the two forms your character can be in, human and undead. If you're human, your character has a full health bar and can actively summon help from other Dark Souls players around the world by using summon signs the players have left on the ground. If Undead, your character's health bar will degrade every time you die and you are locked out of summoning help, making the game harder. Each time you die in human form, you'll turn back to an Undead. Reversing this process is simple, but requires you to consume the valuable item Human Effigy. Use these sparingly and only when you feel you need help against a boss; sometimes, a spot of jolly cooperation can go a long way in defeating the most irritating of bosses (particularly for more dangerous enemies, or boss encounters with more than enemy attacking you simultaneously). Learning to balance Undead/Human forms will come naturally over time.