Dark Souls II or Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin is probably one of the best souls games to many. And the reason is that it is very different from the first game while following the same formula as before. It is hard, fun to play, and complicated enough, which makes this game a wholly unique experience. Dark Souls II is a lot faster compared to the first game. This means using the right items at the right time is very important. But what are some of these right items?

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Other than the Estus flask, which is the core of HP regeneration in the game, Dark Souls II offers many new elements compared to the original. This is what makes it challenging to select the best ones, but here we go.

10 Estus Shard

Keeping the HP up is very important when it comes to Dark Souls II. Mostly since low health can be deadly in numerous circumstances, that is what makes Estus Shard an essential item in the entire game.

This item lets players increase their overall Estus Flask count. And since Estus Flask is the primary healing item in the game, these shards become imperative. Players can give the shards to Emerald Herald and increase the total number of times they can use Estus Flask, one by one.

9 Pharros Lockstones

Similar to illusory walls,  Pharros contraptions provide an exploration friendly experience in Dark Souls II. And since everyone likes an excellent adventure, this item becomes a must-have.

Pharros Lockstones are built to unlock contraptions that are spread across the world of Dark Souls II. But why should anyone collect and use Pharros lock stones? The answer is to obtain other items hidden beneath. For example, the contraption in the forest of the fallen giants has a chest containing Chloranthy Ring.

8 Chloranthy Ring

Talking about Chloranthy Ring, it is one of the essential items in the game. Stamina is one of the critical attributes in Dark Souls II. This is why it has a separate bar under the health bar. Chloranthy Ring speeds up that stamina bar. More specifically, it increases stamina recovery speed.

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This can be critical for players in times when they have to fight multiple enemies and have no opportunity to let their stamina increase. The ring can increase the stamina recovery by up to 25%.

7 House Key

This is the only "key" item on the whole list and for a good reason. The House Key is obtained from the Cale the Cartographer, who is found in the forest of fallen giants. It opens the mansion house in Majula.

This mansion contains a chest that can be opened to obtain different items each time, somewhat similar to the golden chest in Borderlands 2. Another reason that makes this item important is that the mansion is filled with opportunities to collect things like a Human Effigy.

6 Human Effigy

Dark Souls II punishes players for each death. Not only do players lose their souls in the place they've died but also start becoming weaker with each death.

Human Effigy is the item that helps players become human again. By doing so, players can reverse their lost HP to maximum, giving them more of a chance to fight against the undead enemies. There are multiple ways to collect this item, and all of them should be considered worth finding it. Maybe, except for killing the Fire Keeper.

5 Divine Blessing

This is one rare item but a crucial and useful one. Divine Blessing is holy water contained within a little golden bottle. Players can use it to cure themselves of almost any effect on top of refilling their HP.

It is truly divine as the players who are stuck for hours with some status effect can use is to reset their character. The only thing that this holy water does not do is reverse hollowing. But that can be taken care of by Human Effigy.

4 Wilted Dusk Herb

What makes Wilted Dusk Herb very important is its immediate use-case during a tense battle. This herb allows players to restore their spells. So if a player is using some pyromancy, this is an item to keep and use as it is instantly consumable, which saves a lot of time, especially when fighting tougher enemies.

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Wilted Dusk Herb is spread across the world of Dark Soulsbut can also be obtained from a merchant named Chancellor. Players can find him in the Drangleic Castle, near the stairs around the entrance.

3 Brightbug

For the people using strength-based builds in Dark Souls II, Brightbug is what Gummiberry juice is for humans. Except it is a bug, that players have to consume.

As gross as it may sound, the benefits easily outshines that. Brighbug increases the overall damage by twenty percent, and at the same time, reduces the damage taken by twenty percent. What this means is, people using strength builds can become The Hulk for two minutes after consuming this, which sounds like a fair tradeoff considering its price.

2 Sublime Bone Dust

This item is for everyone except for people looking for a challenge, as it increases the amount of HP restoration. Sublime Bone Dust is charred and ashen bones and can be found in multiple different locations throughout the world of Dark Souls II.

Mostly because, if players burn this into the Majula's bonfire, the strength of Estus Flask is immensely increased. This means every time players drink from Estus Flask, more health is recovered, which saves a lot of Estus Flasks to be used for later.

1 Ring Of Binding

This has to be the number one useful item in the game for any playstyle, as it does not impact the experience but merely supports the HP reduction. When a player dies in Dark Souls IIthe overall HP is reduced.

In a couple of deaths, the health bar becomes half of the original. Ring of Binding reduces this effect to eighty percent. This means wearing this ring will allow for a less punishable experience. On top, it is one of the items that do not impact combat directly, which makes it safe to use for everyone.

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