Bandai Namco has announced that those who pre-order Dark Souls 2 — the Black Armor Edition and Collector’s Edition both qualify — will receive a weapon pack. The weapon pack consists of 5 weapon/shield combos, allowing players to ease themselves into the relentless punishment that is sure to follow. You can check them out along with their descriptions below:
- Black Flamestone Dagger and Black Flamestone Parma: A dagger and shield encrusted in Black Flamestone both found in the Gutter at Black Gulch. Even though they are heavier than a normal dagger and shield, the Flamestone crystal’s unique properties make the dagger extremely sharp and give the shield high resistance to damage.
- Yellow Quartz Longsword and Yellow Quartz Shield: A straight sword and small shield hardened with yellow quartz both uncovered at the bottom of the Iron Keep. Even though these items can break easily due to their high level of corrosion, they are exceptionally light and their power to inflict damage has not declined.
- Bound Hand Axe and Bound Wooden Shield: A brutal hand axe and shield found in the Undead Purgatory. Both items are wrapped in chains and thorns to cause additional bleeding on enemies. Both the axe and shield have diminished in overall slashing power but their ability to deliver pain has been deliberately increased.
- Homunculus Mace and Homunculus Wooden Shield: A mace and shield with spherical protrusions found in Aldia’s Keep. Although heavier-than-normal maces and shields, the hard protrusions greatly increase the striking power of the mace as well as the shield’s defensive capabilities.
- Transgressor’s Staff and Transgressor’s Leather Shield: A staff and leather shield entwined with an unknown and seemingly lacklustre element; these items are found in the Dark Chasm of Old. They have become a catalyst for sorcery and hex and cause an effect known as Darkness.
It is worth noting that the items contained within this pack can be located within the game normally without redeeming the pre-order code. By redeeming the code the player is removing the need to explore and locate them, as they will be provided from the beginning. Long-time fans and/or purists are welcome, and encouraged, to ignore the weapon pack code found inside their pre-ordered copy of Dark Souls 2. This has never been a series about taking the easy way out, so why start now?
Dark Souls 2 will release for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on March 11 with a PC version following at a later date.
