Meet The Scholar: Dark Souls II Update Heralding First Sin

Bandai Namco have announced a free update to the divisive yet celebrated Dark Souls II in advance of The Scholar of the First Sin (the latter being a DLC-inclusive revamp and re-release).

Those still plugging away with Dark Souls II as it stands may or may not be enticed by the changes that From Software will bring to the game on February 5th. The focus appears to be promoting online play, as well as introducing us to the Scholar.

Dedicated Souls players have no doubt already been dissecting what these promised changes mean: to say that the fanbase is dedicated to both the game's mechanics and lore would be a colossal understatement. That the bonfire warp screen highlights the most likely locations for connecting with other players is presumably a welcome change. The addition of a new character (named, in an unexpected move, the Scholar of the First Sin) is a pretty clear bit of lore-building and promotion. Those more au fait with the intricacies of playing as phantoms and participating in various Covenants will have to judge the numerous other amendments themselves.

Personally I'm waiting for The Scholar of the First Sin so it's all a bit bewildering. Don't judge me, folks, I've beaten Dark Souls and I'm currently playing Demon's Souls! As is so often the case with patch notes, I'm most entertained by what look like bizarre non-sequiturs. "Increased effect of Rusted Coin"? Well... that's good.

While Scholar of the First Sin will bring a graphics update too, you'll need to buy it separately - that won't be patched in.

The full patch notes are best read over at Bandai Namco's Tumblr. I love that Bandai Namco have a Tumblr. I wonder if they ever considered a LiveJournal?