Dark Souls 2: 10 Reasons It's Your Ultimate Test As A Gamer

5. Your Weapons Will Break. A Lot.

So you've pummeled your way through a level, died several times and successfully worked out the route to the boss. It's a pitched battle, but you're working your way slowly towards victory. Each slash of your upgraded sword is doing fire damage and taking 200 HP off the boss. You're in a perfect position, you know you can win this. Then all of a sudden red text flashes up on the screen: "Longsword +4 Is Broken". You ignore it, take another swipe at the boss and all you take off is a huge reduction in health. Before you know it, YOU DIED flashes up on the screen. Weapons can be incredibly fragile. The durability system has been refined so that every rest at a bonfire will restore your weapon and armour durability, but the amount of swings you get in the first place is reduced significantly. Certain levels such as No Man's Wharf and the Lost Bastille have very long stretches with lots of enemies to fight between bonfires and it's not unusual for a weapon to shatter even before the boss. You can make a trip to a blacksmith to have the weapon's durability restored, as nothing done at a bonfire will help you once it's broken. This adds a distinct tactical element; which weapons do you take? Should you have two swords equipped to flick between, effecting your maximum load? Or can you get to safety in enough time to manually go through the inventory and swap weapons if necessary?