The game is already quite old and many people know what it is, so instead of the usual review I want to share my brief history of joining this wonderful series.
My acquaintance with the series began precisely with the 2nd part. Before, I heard a lot about DS, but I never dared to try it, either because of the complexity that I constantly heard about then, or the opposite effect due to the overhype, when everyone was talking about it from everyone. In the end, on the recommendation of my friend, I decided to start with the second one, because... it seemed to be well ported to PC (and I was lucky enough to see the first “wonderful” port ^^), plus I heard that it was easier compared to the others in the series, and it was the cheapest of all the DLC))
When I just started... yes, my ass was burning incredibly. I was dying and losing all my souls. It seemed like I was just wasting my time. But over time, I realized that it was the world that was so fascinating. . The experience and skills of the player themselves are important, and not just leveling up the character. And after playing more hours, you begin to understand more about the game, its mechanics, features, etc. The combat and with it the role-playing systems in it are also very pleasing with their wide coverage of all aspects of the game and flexibility. Although, when I first saw the leveling sheet... *blinking_guy* was simply blown away by the number of skills. But that's not all. In battle, you can use a huge number of different useful items, upgrade weapons, armor and other equipment, and this requires resources. In general, there is something to do.
In general, having already tried both the first and third parts, the second remains my favorite because of its features and mechanics that are not found in other parts. In my humble opinion, the ability to clear a location by killing all the mobs on it 15 times is an excellent technique that I lack in other games in the series. And for eternal farming, there are both embers of enmity and a covenant of champions. Also, 3k really lacks broader leveling, as in 2nd, especially adaptability and the pumpable number of invulnerability frames. But these are all little things, in essence they are all good.
In conclusion, I want to say that I recommend this game to everyone who loves DS or who wants to join this series. 12 sips of estus out of 10