Dark Souls II retains the essence of a lonely world with occasional interactions with other players when they pop into your game. Dark Souls II will be network based instead of being P2P based. This means the chances of seeing bloodstains and other players walking around will be higher and invading players will be better matched to the invaded.
Bloodstains work just like they do in other Souls titles. Touch one of these and you can see the last few moments before a player died. These warn other players about traps and upcoming enemies. Players can write messages, but you don’t need an item anymore. This is done through a system menu in Dark Souls II.
You’re not safe from invasions when you’re undead in Dark Souls II. Red Phantoms can still enter your game. Dark Souls II also has a covenant designed for players that like to invade other player’s games. If you prefer to be helpful you can join the Way of the Blue and be a protector.
Dark Souls II comes out on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on March 11. The PC version is slated for release shortly afterwards.
