Dark Souls 2 is Dark Souls 2 so it's great. I did play Scholar first though and I enjoy the enemy placement more there than here since I feel it gives you more options overall on how to tackle each area so if you want to minimize combat it's possible once you realize how the aggro works and differs in each version.

The one caveat is that if you are a real fan of the genre you need to play both and you should play this game first so you can enjoy and better be able to take advantage of the new options Scholar offers in relations to this OG PS3/360 version. One thing to note that Scholar with the lighting engine mod plus texture mods does look nicer (not only that you can tweak each area to your liking and save your settings which is great) than this version but the plus for vanilla is that you don't really need to bother with torches for this one since the game never gets anywhere near as dark as Scholar where the torch or a light spell (haven't used it myself but I mean dark souls 1 had it gotta be here too right?) is basically mandatory in certain areas/locations.

I would be remiss not to mention that Keyboard and Mouse controls don't feel quite as smooth here and the camera seems to fight you a bit more in vanilla than it does in Scholar once everything is properly set up (both games have that annoying bug that you got to disable double click every time you start the game, that default is horrible and I can't fathom anyone playing with it enabled) but if you are on a gamepad I would think they control around the same. I basically need to lock on more in this version than in Scholar where I basically just use the mouse to free aim everywhere.

Another difference is that Scholar may throw more at you but they also added more summon signs so even if you are solo you can get an ai pal to help you out with some bosses that in vanilla as far as I can tell you got to solo yourself like the gargoyles.

Overall It's nice we got got two versions of the same game to enjoy and that's all folks!

Go get them souls!

TL;DR - The original and still a good version of the game that is still worth playing even if you own the Scholar of the First Sin re-release version. There are enough changes to make the original version worth playing through.

Pro's:

- Powerstancing and build variety has drastically increased.
- Much more weapons and armour to collect, further offering more customisation and build options.
- The ability to respec is much appreciated. Experiment with builds more freely than in Demon's Souls and Dark Souls
- Majula and the ambiance there is phenomenal. Best hub world in the Soulsborne series.
- Graphical fidelity is a massive upgrade over Souls 1.
- Omnidirectional rolling makes dodging easier than before if you have the right ADP.
- Equip load is easier to understand for the player in the stats screen.
- Most of the area's and level design are great with the exception of a handful (more on that later).
- Character and boss designs look great.
- Works absolutely fine on Steam Deck with no graphical issues at all.
- 60fps support and native resolution support make this a big upgrade over the previous PTDE.
- Still online, making this the only version of the original game with online multiplayer (PS3/360 are offline now).
- Fragrant branches are not really a progression blocker like in SOTFS
- DLC is now included in this bundle, much like SOTFS.
- DLC quality overall is solid and a decent upgrade in design over the base game
- The longest of the Souls games. You get quite a lot of gameplay for the money, especially if you tackle the DLC.
- NG+ Changes and mixes up enemy placement, making it feel fresh unlike previous Souls games.

Cons:

- Hollowing mechanic is a bit punishing for beginners
- ADP not explaining that it improves i-frames (invincibility window when dodging) is an incredible oversight. A lot of players will not know about this and it will make the game much harder as one of the core gameplay mechanics is handicapped from the beginning.
- Base player i-frames when dodging are lower than Demon's Souls, Dark Souls and later Souls games. Levelling ADP is a must and can make the game much easier. Failure to do so greatly hinders the player.
- Some bosses feel like they shouldn't be bosses and are far too easy.
- Some bosses like in Souls 1 are re-used a few times.
- Infusion cannot be done until about halfway through the game. In SOTFS you can do this much earlier with the Dull Ember.
- Blue Smelter demon runback solo is painful.
- Can be invaded even when hollow.
- Stamina regen is delayed if you empty your stamina bar.
- Estus flask healing takes too long unless specific stats are levelled
- Estus flask healing is not instant like later Souls games
- Lifegems can break this game and make it too easy, much like healing grass in Demon's Souls.
- Shrine of Amana forces the player to use range and is a big difficulty spike if not. Enemy placement has ranged sorcerers with a ridiculous aggro range along with infantry soldiers, who are not affected by the water whereas the players movement speed is drastically hindered, forcing the player to play in a specific way.
- Some level design in both versions make no sense. Why are we ascending into a volcano via elevator from Earthern Peak when there's no volcano above it? It's impossible. Perhaps this elevator should have been made to go down?

Original vs SOTFS:

- Original has better early game enemy placement.
- Enemy placement can be vastly different throughout all areas in the game.
- Some additional shortcuts added in SOTFS
- Less fragrant branch progression blockers in original
- Item placement is all different
- DLC keys given to the player in original instead of having to hunt them down
- DLC not required for achievements.
- DLC is identical between both versions.
- Drangleic enemy placement is better and feels more like an endgame area.
- Dragon Shrine lacks the atmosphere found in SOTFS with the Dragon Knights aggro'ing the player immediately in the original. In Scholar, they will only do so under specific conditions.

Overall, Dark Souls 2 is still a great game. It experimented a lot more than other titles have and dared to try, though not everything it tries sticks. If you understand some of the mechanics like ADP needing to be levelled, the games overall quality is fine. A handful of odd level design (ascending into a volcano above earthern peak that isn't there) and enough differences between this version and Scholar make this game still a worthwhile purchase and playthrough.

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