Dark Souls 2 fans are gathering for the return of the Drangleic event

Tomorrow, the annual Return to Drangleic community-run Dark Souls 2 event begins. To participate, simply download and play the game on your preferred platform between February 27th and March 13th.

As a staunch defender of Dark Souls 2, now is the perfect time to dip your feet back into the game and give it another chance, or for newcomers to get a taste of what this underrated FromSoftware gem has to offer.

Although it was an experimental title helmed by directors Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimura rather than Hidetaka Miyazaki, many of its ideas (and the dazzling dual-sword weapon archetype) were later embraced in Elden Ring and influenced the future of Soulslikes (even Miyazaki says he was “in charge of the rest of the series”). However, if you are playing for the first time, it is very adaptable. Otherwise you will have a hard time.

Return To Drangleic encourages you to play online whenever possible.

Organizers encourage those attending the event to:

Create a new character.
Play the game again.
Get online whenever possible.
Summon others into playful collaboration.

The point of this annual event is to bring each Soulsborne game back to life. This means breaking in, not just helping each other take on tougher bosses. Of course, Dark Souls 2 also has some awesome arenas (discovered after crossing that horrible bridge and fighting that horrible tank boss. Have I told you how much I love Dark Souls 2?). Participation is a must for the full experience.

In all seriousness, Dark Souls 2 is getting a lot of flak, and it's hard to blame the critics. Combat is clunkier, hitboxes are janky, and some of the runbacks are downright terrible. It has the most diverse builds in the entire series, though, and while Soul Memory is a pain to navigate, the online scene is really at its peak here, thanks in part to the removal of the first game's teleportation backstab. And after two weeks of playing, you'll get your first taste of the best NG+ the game has to offer.

Original Dark Souls 2 All and The Scholar of the First Sin edition is currently available for a whopping 50% off on Steam.