Dark Souls 2 is one of those games that people either love or hate. It is definitely different from the other Dark Souls games, but if you enjoy the game, there is a lot of stuff to do in it. Just the base game alone takes the average person about 45 hours to beat, and the DLCs add an extra 20 hours to that number.
To access each DLC, you are going to want to go to 2 of the Primal Bonfires after defeating a couple of the main bosses. Two of the DLCs require you to examine an item near the Primal Bonfires and another requires you to unlock a giant door leading to the DLC area.
In this article, we will give you the exact way to access each of the 3 DLCs in Dark Souls 2. Just keep in mind that to access these areas, you will need to have the DLCs purchased unless you own the Scholar of the First Sin Edition. That comes with all the DLCs built-in.
What do the DLCs add?
The DLCs add a lot of content to the game. All the DLCs combined adds 12 new unique areas to explore, 9 new challenging bosses, and over 40 new weapons to collect. You can spend over half the time it takes to beat the base game in the DLCs alone.
If you are wondering if they are worth playing, then yes they are. If you are playing Dark Souls 2, then definitely check out all the different areas because it gives you another challenge to overcome. Some of the bosses in it though are very annoying, but there are also some insanely memorable ones.
How to access Crown of the Sunken King?
The Crown of the Sunken King can be accessed by traveling to The Shrine of Amana and then speak with the Emerald Herald. The player must go to the primal bonfire chamber in the Black Gulch and examine an obelisk to be teleported to the entrance of the DLC, a chamber with a locked door that opens with the Dragon Talon, which is received when you purchase the game.
In the Scholar of the First Sin Edition, the key has moved to the locked door in the pit in Majula. You now need to go to The Black Gulch, kill the two giants before the final bonfire, before the boss fight with The Rotten to receive The Forgotten key, the key that opens the stone doors. The talon lies on a body to the left of the chests in the pit.
This DLC adds 5 new locations, 7 new enemies, and 3 unique bosses. This DLC is not super challenging, but it is definitely harder than most other areas from the base game. It does have some really cool places to explore though because everything is an underground city.
How to access Crown of Old Iron King?
The Crown of the Old Iron King can be accessed by traveling to The Black Gulch and then speak with the Emerald Herald. Once you purchase the DLC, the Heavy Iron Key will be placed in your inventory and you can just unlock the door to the new area.
The player must go to the primal bonfire chamber in the Iron Keep and examine an obelisk to be teleported to the entrance. In the Scholar of the First Sin Edition, the key is located on a skeleton in the pit with the Flame Lizards in the Forest of the Fallen Giants.
This DLC is the smallest of the three and has 3 new areas to explore. It also has 3 new bosses and it is harder than the previous DLC. It does have the hardest bosses in the entire game though which is a plus.
How to access Crown of Ivory King?
The Crown of the Ivory King can be accessed by going to an altar at the Shrine of Winter. It will transport you to a location with a massive door and you can use the Frozen FLower to unlock the door for you. Once you go through the door, you will be in the DLC area.
In the Scholar of the First Sin Edition, it is in Drangleic Castle, after the first bonfire, located past the first rightmost door in the ruin sentinels’ room. The key can be found in a corpse in the room before going upstairs.
This DLC is hard because of the world you need to explore. It is a giant winter wasteland and the enemies aren’t easy in the slightest. The bosses are sort of a joke in this DLC though. This is the biggest DLC of the three.
Which DLC should you play first?
They are all pretty hard so it is up to the person playing to determine which one they want to play first. We would say go in order because they do get progressively harder. Just go with the one you find first. If you walk into an area and you didn’t know it was part of the DLC, just explore that one first.
The Old Iron King is the most fun though because of the epic boss battle you have at the end. The Fume Knight is considered one of the hardest bosses in the entire game and it feels great when you finally beat him.
If you own the Scholar of the First Sin Edition, then you get an extra questline and boss fight at the end of the game. It is not a hard fight, but if you have never done the questline, look up a tutorial on how to fight Aldia at the end of the game and get an alternate ending to the game.
Dark Souls 2 is definitely a hard game, and the DLCs add just a bit more flavor to the mix. We know that a lot of people aren’t huge fans of the game, and we aren’t either, but you have to admit that there is a lot of content packed into it and it is worth playing through at least once.