Dark Souls 2 Review ► Crown of the Ivory King DLC

[@DomEReapeR]

No outstanding characters? Gavlaan wheel, Gavlan deel, no one care how Gavlaan feel.

[@paulcaves7326]

I know the feeling... such disrespect from all these wanna be tubers

[@brianmonzon3277]

hahaha

[@chhaylab7520]

I have 450+ hours on this game who is gavlaan

[@reig_mago]

@@chhaylab7520 gavlan is a npc that buys items from you, he is in No man's wharf the first time you see him, after that he goes to a cave in harvest valley and then to pharros

[@obscure.reference]

Cyax the poison homie gives me the good arrows

[@indifferentone8991]

when I first came to DLC and encounter a poor girl who was shaking in cold, I ignited a torch and tried to warm her up Imagine how I felt when they started to backstab me...

[@yomrwhite607]

you are maidenless, tarnished

[@BloodSportA2]

Lore-wise, I think this DLC's main interest is in how it uses a simple role reversal to illustrate a point. Here, it's not a King of Fire trying to ward off the obliterating blackness of the Abyss, but a Child of Dark trying to contain the relentless hunger of the Chaos Flame. It reminds us that neither side of the Disparity is inherently good or evil, just forces of nature that should be kept in balance and that prove to be equally destructive when thrown out of control. Oh, Gwyn, just look at the terrible spiral of misconceptions you've established with your vainglorious lies. No wonder your name's taboo.

[@Desyncronized]

When I first entered the DLC, I went right instead of left first and found the eye and went through all I could, getting popped back out at the beginning. I had no clue that the boss was invisible without it lol

[@siz16]

I did the exact same thing. I sa two different paths and was like I guess ill go right. Later on I died and checked out the other path and heard the voice to turn back and stuff. I figured I would listen because the last time something similar happened was with gwyndolin.

[@yaboyswiggity]

Same thing here, I always go right first :P. I also never fought the ivory king until I got all the Knights, I was super excited to explore once she said the wind/ice was gone.

[@johnicorn]

I did the same thing. I didn't even see the boss fog on the left with the blizzard. I saw an enemy when I went right so I thought hey this is probably the way.

[@Mick-hp4yg]

Lol that's funny. I went directly to the invisible tiger and got my ass handed to me.

[@roboturf]

This is not the last DLC. There will be *One more DLC* This DLC will be the toughest and have the most lore, it will tie up the game completely and leave DS2 Being the best game of all time..... The DLC is Crown of the Burger King

[@ethanhui6986]

cringe

[@superemekiller466]

roboturf lol it was canceled Feelsbadman

[@youngsnake1008]

Lol

[@sir-londo5537]

InnerNote 8924 you are cringe

[@goldenDropBear]

Not gonna lie,I actually enjoyed this this😂....knowing ds2 there will be several of these burger kings and they will ambush you in a small room.

[@triky814]

Your NPC prayers have been answered! Steelheart Ellie was the most consistent 25 damage per attack NPC out there! I feel emotionally connected to her for the 30 seconds she stayed in the boss fight with me.

[@maskedmenreiki]

3 years late to reply, but Ellie was a life saver for me with Fume Knight. She may not have a lot of damage. But she was able to distract the boss just long enough for me to get a heal in and take over again.

[@sirshanksalot8033]

Benhart is the true homie

[@Center-Of-Disease-Control]

@@maskedmenreiki another 3 years later and she is still the goat

[@MetalDrummer141]

I think people aren't looking into what the ending actually was, in terms of the Vendrick end. What was your main purpose in going to Drangleic? To find a way to break the curse. What happens when you get all the crowns? Vendrick does something to his that is hyped for some reason. What does it now do? You don't go hollow while wearing it. Ever. Vendrick beat the curse, and, in the fact that you still respawn, found the key to immortality. You will never hollow out. You will never die. You will never grow old. You are rid of the Dark-Sign

[@TheSeth256]

Wow,that is a nice theory,I didn't realise what this means to the lore.

[@wombat8812]

No, you aren't rid of the Dark Sign. It's still there. All the crowns do for you is prevent you from Hollowing out, which is the equivalent of slapping a band-aid over a gushing wound. You didn't "cure" anything. You found a temporary cure for your ailment.

[@Tasorius]

@@wombat8812 It's more than a band aid though. It stops the curse completely, even if it doesn't remove it.

[@Chronx100]

@@Tasorius But the curse is undying itself. The fact that you can still respawn means the curse still exists. Vendrick came upon this conclusion and realized death is all he what he was searching for all along. Although you have rid yourself from the fate of hollowing, the curse still lies deep within you, hidden.

[@Tasorius]

@@Chronx100 He was searching for a cure for hollowing, rather than undeath.

[@thenthapple]

Ava the stealth tiger, the closest thing we will get to Sif T.T

[@Gab_Leviathan]

Well there is that big rat too, but nothing compared to Sif

[@thebeeghoont7888]

@@Gab_Leviathan that big rat was the most forgettable boss tho but as for Aava hoo boy

[@justusyael6708]

You all prolly dont care at all but does anybody know a tool to log back into an Instagram account..? I somehow lost the account password. I love any tricks you can offer me!

[@jaggerimmanuel5927]

@Justus Yael instablaster ;)

[@Nutty151]

Royal Rat Authority is the spiritual successor to Sif ❤

[@shottybeatssword]

I liked the sunken crown most. The setting and feeling it gave was just one of a kind.

[@waj9876]

Aw, he didn't talk about what you have to do after getting the crown. Killing hundreds upon hundreds of those Loyce knights to get the queen/child of dark soul.

[@slashemup101]

thank you so much! I didn't know if I was doing the right thing for the past hour, how many souls do i need?

[@edwxx20001]

you can just ranged attack kill her and get it...

[@avidpaintwatcher]

what does aslana soul make anyways?

[@TheGreatAngel]

slashemup101 50... -_-

[@slashemup101]

~I have 41~ =)

[@Bazonkaz]

Wow. All of you people complaining about Dark Souls 2 need to check yourself. While this game wasn't as good as Dark Souls 1, it was still a GOOD GAME. This DLC was absolutely amazing! I wasn't too crazy about the area, but the Burnt Ivory King was easily my favorite boss fight out of BOTH Dark Souls.

[@RealMarcFoxx]

I checked myself... and I'm still going to complain about Dark Souls 2 just the same

[@Bazonkaz]

FoxeoGames You might want to do a double take, then.

[@RealMarcFoxx]

Marco Polo I just did a double take... nothing changed. Still the same.

[@Bazonkaz]

You must be a wizard

[@RealMarcFoxx]

Marco Polo Yes, among other things.

[@GheyForGames]

my 2 cents is that i loved the dlc a lot, right up until frigid outskirts which is the single worst area in the souls franchise, worse than lost izalith, worse than harvest valley...just awful

[@MrBuns-yi2hk]

I love the reskinned bonewheels with advanced tracking and damage.

[@writer7997]

Actually, it`s worse than pre-nerf Shrine of Amana. There, you could at least grab a bow and cheese your way through the area. The Frigid Outskirts is just disgusting.

[@Radimunto]

I'm playing it right now. Coop isn't possible because there's no player playing it. The only way it works for me is making backups of my savegame from building to building. This area and the boss is terrible artwork. The worst possbile shit they could do.

[@권용대-b5v]

Radimunto I recently completed my first playthrough of DS2 offline and I liked exploring Frigid Outskirts with three NPC summons. The area is designed for co-op.

[@SwedetasticGames]

Also, my favorite thing about getting all 3 crowns is the way the reward works: *SPOILERS!!!* If you wear any of the crowns after getting Vendrick's blessing, Curse does not build up, and if you die, you won't lose Human form, but the souls still end up on the ground. NOW, here is where the bullshit begins: we can only use this buff in the NG we got it in, and since you get it LITERALLY endgame, where you have maybe 1 fight left, that being Nashandra... *WHAT'S THE BLOODY POINT SINCE WE NEED TO REDO IT ALL IN NG+!?*

[@BloodyDIMISIS55]

well making an OP equipment forces everybody to use them item... plus humanity isnt that hard to keep.. plus you have the hollow helmet so stoping curse is already possible

[@SwedetasticGames]

BloodyDIMISIS55 I know, but the point is, the reward servers LITERALLY no purpose.

[@LordZanas]

mage7 Which is even WORSE because the ring of protection lets you keep your souls too, instead of them ending up on the ground like the crowns.

[@TheSeth256]

You can host fight clubs without worrying about human effigies,as well as host red sign summon duels without having to worry either.

[@SwedetasticGames]

TheSeth256 True, but an ACTUAL PvE-use would have been good.

[@SoulOfDerp]

So people seriously think Frigid Outskirts is a well designed area? Endlessly big area with no vision at all 90% of the time just to become a cake walk after you find out which direction you should really be going (unless you fight the 2-3 horses you will run into). Then its just boring runs without you seeing anything for 3 mins until you reach the boss which is just a reskin and double boss fight. The only notable loot is the ring outside of the boss, which makes the area 99% useless. It gets really boring after the first successful run.

[@TheSeth256]

There is Lucatiel's hat without the mask too.

[@skystonejexel2581]

I think Frigid Outskirts would have been a good area if you never had to fight multiple horses at once. 1 on 1 they're already one of the hardest enemies in the game; 2 at once is just cheap bullshit and it's basically down to luck whether you aggro 1 at a time or not.

[@SoulOfDerp]

Leet Jexel Go red eye ring then, it make sure you get at least 3 horse at a time, less RNG more fun.

[@skystonejexel2581]

outofrealman That's what cheaters will be forced to do in hell.

[@youngsnake1008]

My brother had to fight 4 at the same time ng+

[@mergedpotato]

Let's look at the comments... Whining about "B-Team" non-stop. Worshiping DaS1. Bragging about how Bloodborne is going to be totally better than Dark Souls 2. "WAHH WAHH NOBODY LIKES DARK SOULS 2 SHUT UP DON'T HAVE A DIFFERENT OPINION." Yup this is your average Souls game comment section.

[@TheUnknownPersonnn]

Now i really want Bloodborne to be the pile of garbage they are saying DS2 is.

[@johndee7303]

Orgz The original problem was the overhype. People had far too high expactations and got disappointed and I have a bad feeling that the same happens to Bloodborne.

[@TheUnknownPersonnn]

John Dee Yes, people were disappointed, because they expected DS2 to be much better than DS1, but they got improved gameplay at the cost of lore and world connection, and now it just became a trend to hate DS2 for no reason: they just pick the weakest parts in the second game and compare them to the strongest parts of the first. And now its just getting ridiculous. Also, i dont really care about the quality of Bloodborne since i dont have PS4, i just want those B-team blaming idiots to shut up. Sorry for bad engish if i wrote something wrong.

[@johndee7303]

Orgz First of all I have no right to criticise your english, since it is not my native language, but I agree with your opinion. Dark Souls 2 had a objectively worse level-design, but the gameplay was smoother and felt alot better, than in it's predecessor (at least in my opinion). Still the hate is really gettig out of hand, I mean it is still a very good game, even if it is supposedly not a good sequel.

[@slubbergully9231]

Orgz Quality is subjective. It's my opinion DkS 2 is far worse than DkS 1. It's your opinion the gameplay feels better in DkS 2. It's not my opinion that they re-skinned multiple bosses in the base game and the DLC.

[@MrTelboy]

I literally face palmed when I finally got through the stupid co-op area only to see a copy and paste boss x2 from the same DLC. fromsoft logic - employee- people really didn't like that we copied a boss from the main game and put him in the 2nd DLC. boss - how about for this 3rd DLC we copy a boss from the exact same DLC but now there are two of them ? employee - genius

[@SolaireTheAwesome]

To be fair, these were all done in a month, so they obviously didn't make these month after month, but in advance. Terrible boss indeed though, atleast Aava alone was pretty cool..

[@Marzipan178]

Except this boss isn't meant to be inspired, it's so people who don't own the DLC can experience some of the DLC.

[@SolaireTheAwesome]

Sylvester Holmes But then the actual DLC buyers get "shafted" its not THAT bad but still horrible.

[@vsGoliath96]

Oh look, another person who doesn't understand why the co-op areas were added.

[@MrTelboy]

TheMrFedoraman please enlighten me with your wisdom then.

[@slendermike3206]

I hated Aava and Ivory King bosses at first, but now they're probably my favorites. When you win not using any shields you really feel like a badass.

[@obscure.reference]

yea shields are bad for your mental health

[@joshuaking1525]

roll is better than shields, the game is funnier that way

[@vojtechspinler6363]

@@joshuaking1525 Agree except against those fucking dogs

[@therealcrimsonchin]

I really liked all of the DLC, but this particular chapter was the standout for me. Especially the final boss fight. I loved the feeling of the battle royale, tearing through a kings corrupted army to finally reach the king himself and bring an end to him. The scale of that fight was what made it so awesome.

[@Scrugolion]

For everyone STILL shitting on DS II, remember that DS I isn't perfect either. Far from it. Remember when the Taurus Demon and Capra Demon got copypasted 10 different times? Remember the problems with the original Capra Demon boss fight? Remember the bugged as hell Ceaseless Discharge fight? Remember the loads of issues with connections, summonings, and covenants? DS I is definitely a better game, but acting like it was perfect and DS II is a sin against it is just silly.

[@masterplusmargarita]

Oh, Aava is initially invisible? I ended up wandering around Outer Walls, getting the Eye and going through all of Inner Walls before jumping off of the top and finding the fog gate to Aava, then running back in search of a bonfire and realizing this door was right next to me from the very start. Felt very silly indeed.

[@sammcc7507]

Haha same, in NG+ I went straight to Aava however and got an unexpected surprise

[@297fihsy]

I think all the DLCs are incredible and stand out from the base game in all areas. They all had incredible level design and presentation, the combat was interesting, the rewards you received (boss weapons, armor, etc.) were some of the best in the game, and the bosses were stunning. But I think each DLC told a story that was perhaps even more compelling than the base game's story, which is so impressive given the shorter DLC format

[@Jormyyy]

"Oh god that's a giant invisible tiger" Laughed so hard at that for some reason

[@TheLauron]

"Amour worn by Varagians, that terrorized nearby seas. The coastline stretches far Drangleic. Beyond this Northern Sea is an unexplored continent, said to be the home of things inhuman." Varangians are like mercenaries hired in the Wharf to imprison and deliver undead to the Lost Bastille. The Flexile Sentry being the head of the operations. What puzzled me was the Sentry in Shrine of Winter, who i thought made it clear that Vendrick operated the sentries. Close to the sentry itself we find the body of what was possibly one of the greatest knights of Forossa, Shieldless Lothian. In the Lost Bastille, the central keep is being guarded by the three Ruin Sentinels, whose armor design and weapon design are unique, or so one might have thought until this point. All of a sudden, this funny realization that the whole Wharf and Bastille operation might have been set up by the Ivory King. I mean, it fits the Varangian description, explains why Flexile Sentries are in Shrine of Winter and Wharf, the armor design of the ruin sentinels. And on top of that, Lothian was Forossan, just like the Ivory King was, according to some at any rate. I find it absolutely astonishing that in game and DLC focused on the 'Spread of the Abyss' and the ever growing Dark, From managed to let us veer away from that simple, singular thought, making the Dark our ally, and making the spread of Chaos a danger as deadly as the Dark itself. Either that's a set-up for a third game, or for more DLC. To be completely honest, I wouldn't be against that idea, if the execution is good.

[@GothaBillsAndDeath]

To be fair, the reason why we can use Dark so well and the Gods of old could not is because we were human to begin with. We were all related to a common ancestor, the Furtive Pygmy, and now in this Age of Men, as presented by the optional ending in the first DS, we are all thats left after an Age of Gods. Sure new fire will arise, but if there are gods, they are definitely not present in a direct sense in this new age. We have God-Emperors now with each their own hint of Dark being humans, presumably, in the first place. It's interesting that the spread of Chaos gave us many creatures in DS1, many mythological ones with their own abilities and unique aspects and how in DS2 we don't have as many of those. Perhaps, one of the reasons why was due to Chaos being sheltered in this land. We don't know how potent Chaos is in the long run. It seems to contradict even the Darkness which seems to want us in a constant state of silence and peace as a hollowed out undead. Trees are innate, Dragons are everlasting and still with a nonlinear understanding of time, and the humanoid things that lurked below were hollowed without form; primeval human. Perhaps instead of it being a blessing that the final Quintessence of Manus had quarantined Chaos, it was a curse. Chaos is what the name implies; change, spontaneous, incalculable. It goes against Darkness in it's truest forms. I still think the quintessences had their own schemes, even if the one closest to the Ivory King did not fully understand it herself. If Ancient Chaos were to have been unleashed, who knows what humanity would've gained in the long run when it came to constant change. Or rather, who knows how it would've balanced itself against the Age of Dark.

[@xXLunatikxXlul]

It is so depressing that Chaos was downgraded in Dark Souls 3. The Chaos in Dark Souls 1 and 2 was represented ad this incomprehensible force of nature that went out of control and could not be tamed. It was literally a living flame that constantly gave life to Demons. I don't understand how it could have just faded that easily, as it was massive in Dark Souls 2.

[@ScrollsAdventures]

And to follow up my previous comment. (Spoilers for any of my views, I know you guys watch Vaati too) After I cleared up the snow and ice I imediatly went back to get all the treasure I knew had unlocked. I did what I do in many games when a new section unlocks, I go the obvious wrong way looking for loot and new content, rather than progressing. So my first fight with the king, I nearly killed him and had all the knight there to help me.

[@prestonwaters8399]

Bad adverts way to ask for subs.....

[@ScrollsAdventures]

Preston Waters I'm not sure that was a sentence, but I assume you think I'm advertising. I honestly don't care if anyone subs or whatever, I just don't want my subs to read this comment because my video on that fight hasn't gone out yet.

[@prestonwaters8399]

Scroll's Adventures also double negative "I don't care if I get subs but im letting my subs know I messed up"

[@Lactovacilo939]

Preston Waters i don't think he was advertaising his channel m8, he was just talking about how he almost defeated the the final dlc boss because he simply backtracked a bit( i usualy do that myself).

[@nickt194]

Preston Waters Yea, he obviously isn't advertising. He simply said what he did for the final boss and warned any of his subs watching this vid that he was going to post his gameplay

[@Numguk]

Vaati, in case you did not pick up on it, but as Silver Mont pointed out in his video, the Burnt Ivory King has practically the same moveset as False King Alant from Demon's Souls (and you can find an armor set that is totally Demon's Souls)

[@alexandertrachsell8617]

no he had a long glowy sword shutup

[@DioGoodguy]

And I thought I was the only one who noticed that.

[@nathanbardaji5532]

what armor?

[@Numguk]

nathan bardaji I'll give you a hint, the armor set I'm referring to is from a mage in Demon's Souls

[@nathanbardaji5532]

Numguk oh so its a cool armor set? thought it was just a bland meaningless refrence, how do I get the set?

[@aegis027]

I think the story and setting of this DLC are the standouts. It's just a pity they are a standalone story, and not linked to anything in the main plot. Honestly, finding the Child of Dark not as an antagonist, but as a helpful NPC was a really cool experience, I was expecting to be glassed the second I showed up with the King's soul. It's just a pity they had to put in so many continuity errors. Like putting in the Flexile Sentry as a enemy. Since they were made by the jailer in the Lost Bastille, either he was better traveled than anyone in the game, or they original lore is wrong.

[@tasumaki]

Yes they are. If you talk to Alassia she tells you that there are others like her. A child of manus.

[@BMXhunterWOW]

Since the the crowns were given by vendrick to the other three kings it only makes sense that the flexile sentry would be an enemy. These Kings ruled in kingdoms next to drangleic, and were clearly his allies. He gave them powerful items, the crowns, and it's pretty believable he gave them the flexile sentry.

[@aegis027]

Randy Hildebrand Pretty sure he didn't give them the crowns to anyone but Shulva's one. Also fairly sure that Drangleic wasn't allied with at least 2 of them, since there are signs of a Drangleic invasion at Brume Tower and Sanctuum. And other than the Flexile, there is no other links to Drangleic in Loyce. Just seems out of place that the one link would be some Flexiles hanging out in a cave.

[@Vaze537]

Actually I'm fairly certain it is connected in some way. Lost Bastille seems to be connected. Ruin Sentinels look really really similar to the Loyce knights, and the lost sinner is probably related as well. As stated in Vaati's lost in translation video, she's actually the forgotten sinner. Going along with the idea that Eleum Loyce is a long fallen and forgotten civilization, the name fits. In addition I have a theory that Vendrick found Loyce knight souls and armor and then used whatever allowed him to create "golems" to create the sentinels. Which also makes sense when you consider the fact the Eleum Loyce might be in the same location roughly as Drangleic castle, many, many years before.

[@AusVersehen]

And consider the flexile sentries. In the original game they guard the passage way to the lost bastille (and the way to the shrine of winter) and in Eleum Loyce they appear again.

[@Korogames]

"You enter the first fog gate you see" > unless your name is Rurikhan

[@armaxxx]

Just came here to tell you that I went blind into the dlc, when the girl told me to turn back I did so I didn't know the tiger was invisible. When I opened the door to chaos I bactracked because I wanted treasure, ended up freeing the soldiers. There was no "mandatory death" in my blind playthrough because I could read developer's intentions.

[@jepsen1977]

I just have to say here how great it is to have a prominent member of the Souls community "criticize" a boss for being badly designed for Solo play even if he killed him on the first try. That's the type of level-headed and fair critique we need more of in the Souls community.

[@garjian0]

I have to disagree with a couple of things here... "Your first fight against the king is a mandatory death"? I never even considered going through the fog because i knew I'd missed stuff, because there's 4 chairs. And also, I didn't consider the ice breaking to be a second run... I just tried to remember all the ice I could and went back to them, and was surprised when I found more than I remembered.

[@TheSillyMuffin]

People like to bitch about multiple enemies in bossfights, but when we discuss Dark Souls 1, nobody gives a shit. What about 4 Kings being branded one of the best fights in the game? Same with Ornstein and Smough. Same with Gravelord Nito. Gargoyles Bed of Chaos bullshit Capra demon. Not ONCE have I seen this community complain about those fights being cheap just because theres multiple enemies, and I've been around for 2 years now. (Exception being total noobs who are just frustrated). But when DaS 2 does it, its so shit, bad game design, cheap, boring etc etc... Like jesus christ, get some consistency.

[@kinkajuu1]

completely agree with you.

[@MetaLeir93]

David Warden What an interesting response "You dont like ds2 so you must be a fucking idiot" okay buddy

[@seanfish3852]

***** not what he was saying at all, your opinions make no sense, all of your evidence is 100% subjective

[@ВячеславШолохов-ф9п]

***** Agreed with guy, that called you an idiot. You should adress other bosses and use common sense to discuss. Not just "its boring because its boring and DS1 is better". Any idiot capable of that, hence you're an idiot. Nito was boring plus he breaks game on PS3 which is i guess challenging)) But whole fight with Nito is kill 3 skeletons, wait for Nito, run up to him, and mash attack button while he makes his huge taibo-like moves, which never hit me once in like 10+ runs. Double dragon rider is fun. Its like you either kill one with bow, while other chases you with axe or kill axe weilder and when you drop him below 40% hp, the other one gets his axe and chases you with it. Dunno about lore, but gameplay wise DkS2 is way way better.

[@Yzothateg]

Four kings was a breeze. Ornstein and Smough fucked me up!

[@UltraWindow]

The level design was the highlight of all DLCs, mostly because the level design was pretty bad in the main game.

[@VaatiVidya]

Yeah the main game levels were way too linear

[@UltraWindow]

VaatiVidya Aldia's keep is the best example of that. when I first saw aldia's keep before the game was released I was hoping for a Tower of latria level.

[@VLSteng]

Ultra Window As much as I hate Tower of Latria, I still love the level design XD

[@Roflimmune]

VLSteng Same I still remmeber all of the Tongue rapers locations and how to ambush them because you had to to progress :3 More of the reason for blood bourne hype good ol oroboro uploaded like 2 hours of alpha the gunshot counter mechanic HNNNNG.

[@UltraWindow]

Cinemasins Ssohpkc a straight line is bad design. checkmate case closed fuhgettaboutit

[@ThePurpleSaibaman]

The entire boss fight felt like a game of chess to me. However, I feel it would have been better if they spawned the Ivory King straight away along with more knights. Imagine this: You enter a fog gate with 4 white knights by your side. You plummet down into the depths of hell itself. As you land, you realise that there are 8 black knights and a king against your 4 white knights and you. So what happens next? All around you there are your knights battling to the death. Your knights are struggling as they are locked in 2v1 fights and amongst the chaos is the King in the centre, eagerly waiting for you. So you charge at him, sword and shield in hand. Swords are swung, shields are struck, and blood is shed. You're out of Estus and he's half dead. All around you knights are falling, but you don't know if they're white or black. Nothing else matters, it's just you and him in a fight to the death. You two-hand your sword and run straight at him. His blade, radiating with a bright blue glow, against your silver one. You evade, you slash, and you stab. All you care about is his death. Even if it means your knights. Finally, after what seems like ages, he falls. You look around you and realise that the only survivors are you and one white knight. You advance towards the fallen king, lift his crown from his head, and place it on your own. Then you and the final white knight leave the platform, surrounded by flames, allowing it to serve as the final resting place of the Ivory king and his knights... Does that not sound like a better boss fight?

[@LedZaid]

i believe that i like your narrative, and yes that could be a great fight. but it lacks the meaning of this dark souls, lack the "loss" meaning.

[@coyote13131313]

I love the knights that accompany you in the final dlc boss. For me, freeing them and fighting with them felt like a combo of a redemption for them and a chance to avenge their fallen king and lay him to rest. For me, it was an incredible moment of true chivalry and even without dialogue, they felt like knights inn the vein of Siegmeyer and Solaire. I didn't like the rest of this dlc much, but that was my favorite moment in the game.

[@YoungsterJoey1]

Dull ending. The only good part about this DLC is the Powerstanced Bonefists. I don't appreciate having to farm 50 Loyce Souls for an item. 20 is tolerable, 50 not so much. I don't expect games to just hand things to me, but I also don't expect myself to grind all of that.

[@avidpaintwatcher]

Playing alot of MH has helped me cope with that grind MH is a game series based on the grind for dayzz

[@edwxx20001]

you can just ranged attack and kill her, ya know because this is Dark Souls and rule one is everybody dies

[@Cozy90X]

Edwin Bronson Exactly what i did. I heard it was 50 and i said FUCK THAT.

[@grfrjiglstan]

It's not so bad if you do the coop, because you can get them there too. The way I did it, I tried the boss, got crushed, put down a summon sign, did a little coop, found a guy with all four Knights, and then realized what I was supposed to do. Good flow.

[@edwxx20001]

Cozy right game gives you options, you COULD farm or you COULD kill her, or you COULD just say fuck it and not do either and just leave.

[@FireStar345]

i feel that fact that you fight the king in a place called "The Old Chaos" is important it might or might not be but let me leave you with this to ponder on The Old Chaos and The Bed of Chaos

[@welshgamer98]

Those branches are similar as well

[@BMXhunterWOW]

It's clearly the bed of chaos.

[@knightdizzy4853]

don't be silly, this isn't Dark Souls It's a B team fan fiction

[@Demokaze]

The souls which drop from the four big baddies on NG+ are named as Old too, and those are supposedly the souls of Nito, Seath, Gwyn and the Witch of Izalith. So it's safe to assume that this is indeed the Bed of Chaos, but not just because of that, the description of the armor of the Ivory King says that the King built his throne near it to keep the demons at bay.

[@TheJamieellis]

Throne Offender it's not BoC, it's what the lost sinner made. she performed that ritual again and this is essentially BoC area mk.2

[@Nineball459]

I love this DLC, but how do you never even mention the largest problem with the DLC, the bullshit farming near the end. In order to get the cool looking loyce armor, you have to farm out 35 loyce souls from the charred knights, which can take FOREVER. And then, you have to get 50 of the damn things in order for alsanna to give you her soul, and to get the ivory king's armor. That is fucking ridiculous, especially for Dark Souls II, which PUNISHES farming with the stupid soul memory.

[@tasumaki]

Hey, but you can rank up a lot of souls from doing this. I played for 5 hours and got a wopping 800,000 souls . :D

[@BMXhunterWOW]

tasumaki I was getting ~ 150k souls a kill and doing that every 10 minutes. It's not a lot of souls at all, but 800k in 5 hours? What were you doing..that's like 2 kills an hour.

[@tasumaki]

Randy Hildebrand I tend to help out people when playing the dlcs, but here. If you fight the charred knights, AND defeat the boss you village walk out with more than 50000 souls. I played on NGOs with one of my characters an I only had 20000 souls. At the end of the day I walked out with 2000000. I love helping people. They get through the game, and I get a lot of souls. Plus it helps with farming for loyce souls. If everyone is wearing item discovery stuff. You can farm loyce souls for days while increasing your soul bank. (Sorry that this is long)

[@Warmaka]

you als oget souls when co-oping with a host. The mechanism is there to provide ample help with the final boss should you require it =)

[@GuardianOwl]

One problem is the lore got in the way of having NPCs. In Shulva the entire kingdom was consumed in corrosive poison spewed from Sinh so who would be alive to tell the tale? In Brume Tower the master was dead by the time Nadalia arrived so the tower was largely abandoned and thus wouldn't have any coherent NPCs. Eleum Loyce is the only place where it makes sense to have an NPC.

[@jahrfuhlnehm]

I disagree with the notion of the Painted World being better. Painted World had some interesting aspects, sure, the shortcuts were good, and the dead bodies hung up with the crows were a nice touch and there was quite a bit of good, hidden loot to find but it mostly was just a bland, small landmass with some snow, wooden interiors and the most boring, lifeless-looking ruins of the entire game. And the skybox was straight out of Kinkade. The atmosphere felt dull and also oddly disjointed (the random gathering of enemies and the speculation for why Priscilla is there still is not clear or makes sense to me, even all the explanations I read which I'm sure some were inspired by whatever your observations were still felt... speculative at best, unconvincing, uninteresting or downright silly at worst). Also the goddamn sleigh bells! Eleum Loyce felt so much richer and more interesting to explore, with a greater sense of awe and grandeur at that, it's like a frostbitten Anor Londo to me, minus Anor Londo's oversized, overextended bridges and walkways to traverse (i.e. less tedious to traverse, one _certain_ optional area aside...) and despite largely humanoid enemies I don't see them as direct blatant copies of the other DLC enemies, they had their own movesets and strategies (there's the one annoying one who can't be backstabbed, or the Rampart Golems with their nasty lance attacks and ground attack similar to the white dragon breath from Dark Souls 1, the crystal golem-things who can transform their arms into a thrusting spear type weapon or a big cudgel). And their magic missile attacks may be seen as just a fancier variation on archery but to me it changed things up not just aesthetically but you couldn't just put up a 100% physical block shield and not take damage like before. And the lore of the whole area to me is so much more interesting than anything about Painted World as well. So if you ask me Eleum Loyce >>> Painted World by MILES. Frigid Outskirts is sheer horror however, not in a good way either. The blizzards last too long, the lulls between too short (though I've seen in SotFS they extended the period the lulls last which is good), and the Sanctuary Reindeer are interesting enemies very badly used, charging at you from straight the fuck out of nowhere during a blizzard spell, and are annoying to try and fight too, and get you turned around so often (the path to the boss isn't that hard to find really if you're patient and observe your surroundings, _when you can see_ that is, but it still is a nuisance, and if you end up going against more than one god help you). Lud & Zallen I don't mind so much as bosses. I agree that it would've been better if they were either different pets or at least had a different set of attacks (besides just the one temporary self-healing buff one does if the other dies and it gets down to low health), it's just the big problem is that indeed, dying to them is a time-consuming setback that's enough to break down anyone's will to try again (though easily angered and frustrated as I can be, I am persistent when my rage settles down and I get back in the swing of things). Also, BIG disagreement there on blue Smelter being a terrible boss (I didn't watch your OIK video to get the full details of your impression, just going by what you said here of the other two DLCs having "terrible" optional bosses). Despite the preceding area, Iron Passage, also being a crap area albeit slightly less so, blue Smelter is taking an already great boss and making him better I think. That he changes up and delay his attacks makes it a more exciting, less predictable fight and is something a lot of people either don't pay attention to, miss out on or just fail to appreciate in general. He's an even greater challenge than regular Smelter, and a far cry from say Demon Firesage which was a direct copy with no changes whatosever of a boss that wasn't even very good to begin with. If you're going to palette swap a boss, swap the best, which they did with Smelter, and they did it one better by making the fight different enough to feel somewhat fresh and still enjoyable to fight against (only thing I will concede is that he is the weakest of the three OIK bosses but Fume Knight and Alonne are tall orders to top or match so that isn't saying much of anything really).

[@Odinsday]

I thought the Painted World was what Eleum should have been. No area gave me a sense of loneliness, sorrow and anxiety like the Painted World did. It looked like it was in ruins, their were bodies hanging in spots, their were hollows roaming around with no real purpose, the feeling of being stuck on a landmass with a Black void separating me from the Forest in the distance was so ominous for me. Eleum did give me somewhat of that feeling but was ruined by a few things. Firstly like Vaati said the enemies were so bland and forgettable that it didn't give me any reason to wonder about their pasts. Secondly it was Bland looking. It was you're average Grey stone and brick designs with no substance to them. The Painted World put detail on it's walls. Their was blood, guck, and even bodies hanging on walls in some parts which gave me a what the hell feeling. Eleum gave me a sense of Awe like in the outside looking over the snowy landscape was so amazing, but inside with the Bland design of the castle it took me out of it. The blizzard disappearing after did help somewhat but it was still bland but the size of it was incredible, and exploring it was actually really cool. I got a feeling of Grandness which was fine, but I wanted to get another feeling in too like sadness but it just really didn't come to me. And lastly the Fridgid Outskirts. God this area sucked. I'm not going into detail because we all know it is the worst area in all of the DLC's (Slightly worse than the Iron Passage). I was supposed to feel empty and lonely but all I got was frustration because I had to fight those asshole unicorns that came out of nowhere, and only come to fight one of the worst bosses in Dark Souls 2. At least the area's optional but that doesn't mean it should be this cheap. However the actual castle area is still pretty cool. It's huge, their's lots to explore and the invaders make me want to rip my hair out but in a good way. Taking away the Blizzard helps a lot. I got into the atmosphere of the area when the Blizzard was over me, but got even more invested when it went away. i could admire the Castle and Landscape from a distance, and the Ice "Streams" that were all over the place made the level of Blandness go down significantly. Overall while I don't like it quite as much as Painted World I still think it's pretty cool despite what i've said. However this is my opinion, and if you like Eleum more that's fine I can see why. :)

[@jyxxere]

What I really loved about Frozen Eleum Loyce was that the entire area seemed very cohesive. I could find myself at the top of a cliff or something and look out in the distance and say "Hey, I've been there!" And that happened over and over again, never getting old. It was nice to see that it wasn't just a one-path area, beginning to end. It actually felt real, in a sense.

[@xisura1315]

Pretty much hit the nail on the head with the similar enemy thing. Don't know why I expected anything different. Whenever I saw MORE Tall, Lanky, Hard-Hitting High Poise Humanoids, I let out the longest sigh in history.

[@imdorgat]

Another great vid, Vaati. My favorite thing about these vids is that when you have a complaint, you actually have reasons for it. There are a lot of people who lurk on DS2 youtube videos to complain, and they always spit out the same vague jargon. As for the DLC, I really enjoyed it. For me, it was the story combined with the presentation. The few tricks From puts in there are also a nice touch, especially the mimic chest that made me immediately forget it was next to a giant. Mauldron is still a beautiful asshole. Still, my favorite thing was definitely presentation, and I was so incredibly psyched about fighting a sorcery-wielding ice tiger. The final fight against the Ivory King and his forces was downright epic. When you have 4 knights and 2 summons, it's a true battlefield within a souls game. Your knights fight valiantly and stoic beside you and eventually make their last stand to suicide into the portals, eventually leaving you and the Ivory King, alone for a duel of the ages.

[@OGNerd]

I swear i remember Vaati said he liked the enemies in the sunken king :s

[@devonh8473]

Great review! I can agree with most of the points here with the exception of the Ivory King fight, after hearing the queen tell me about the Loyce Knights, and then getting closer to see the knights gathered near the boss fog, my instinct was actually to go back and find the others, because I had found one other ,and actually mistook him for an enemy.

[@DeadEyeMaverick]

My favorite DLC of the three is by far the Ivory Crown. The only complaint I can voice is how absurdly long it takes to get to the two tigers. I'm on NG+6, and they two-shot me easily. They both have an incredible amount of HP as well. Meaning I have to fight two tigers for a much longer period of time. It's a very long and difficult fight. It's extremely tedious to have to trek all the way back through the frozen wastes to try the fight again. I know I could complete it pretty easily in NG, but in NG+6, the battle drags on and on.

[@yaboyswiggity]

I think there should have been a shortcut to the boss once you got there for the first time, and once you beat them you could disable the snowstorm or something. Just my opinion tho.

[@DeadEyeMaverick]

theKrinkan Yeah, that's a great idea.

[@yaboyswiggity]

mage7 yeah I know the strats, but it seems like once you go through the area once you should be able to go through the area a second time and comb it for goodies. Or have an easier time farming the horses, since they drop dragon bones.

[@charlesandrew1044]

***** I'm guessing they're not big fans of Friendship or My Little Pony.

[@DeadEyeMaverick]

David Warden Yes, I'm sure they made it such a long walk out of spite just for me. Damn you, Fromsoft. /sarcasm

[@kadinwisniewski6928]

I'm glad you mentioned the music. Sinh's theme in the Sunken King absolutely blew me away the first time I heard it, and the exact same thing happened the first time I fought Sir Alonne in the Old Iron King - that theme is amazing. They did an excellent job with the music on all of these chapters.

[@xsnake666]

The thing I really loved with the last DLC was the moment when I climbed one of these high areas (sort of a tower) to find one of the white knights and I gazed over the area and all in all it reminded me so much of Lordran in its looks and certain parts of the scenery. It was all in all just great playing through it.

[@mRibbons]

Here in October 2020 replaying the series. I never played the DLCs of DS2, so running SotFS has been a treat. The amount of content is supremely satisfying... so much so that running all 3 back to back feels like a whole extra game itself. Souls 2 might be divisive, but I feel like it truly has it's own identity and I cherish it. May Lucatiel of Mirrah, never be forgotten.

[@BishopHavel]

Great, even in a snowy environment, From still made us fight Sauron as the final boss. GG

[@Chronx100]

The ivory king DLC is literally my favorite dlc in souls of all time. I havent played that game in years but all I remember of it is from that DLC. (and I played the whole game to ng+7) I remember it so clearly that I could have sworn it was a dark souls 3 dlc. God I just loved playing through that place that I wanna go at it again.

[@FlameG102]

Horsecock valley was your favorite co-op area? really? I thought it was terrible. even for a co-op area, it is specifically "fuck this player". I like the idea of the blizzard, but the stags were just unnessecarily bullshit, when they spawn indefinitely- which breaks ALL the rules that DS2 establishes about enemies, and can gang up on you in huge groups. they are also a pain to deal with, as their moveset is very much bullshit compared with what Ivory king brings in terms of enemies. Ice types but they shoot lightning spears and lightning storm attacks? now that's bullshit. they aren't mages, there's no reason for that. And the blizzard stops for too short a period for it to be fair. and the fact that there is really no good payoff for all that suffering is annoying. the best prize is the human ring, and even then that's not worth all that nonsense to get to it. The boss certainly isn't worth it.

[@crutchyo]

I have to somewhat disagree with the necessary death for the Burnt Ivory King, considering how his fog gate is presented to us, an attentive player will realize by looking and seeing the one knight standing before a chair that there are 3 other chairs empty, giving a clue that perhaps it isn't yet wise to travel beyond the fog gate. All in all, I've rarely encountered anything unfair in dark souls that didn't feel like something that I myself could have bypassed if I were more attentive to my surroundings or cautious as a player. The game really does reward you for looking around, taking things on with patience and learning as you go. The only place where I feel that isn't the case is with bosses themselves, bosses push you to switch gears and be more aggressive and quick to attack as well as learning attack patterns, so it was nice to see with a boss like the Burnt Ivory King and Fume Knight that the patient and observant player was more rewarded for actually looking around, I like the idea of bosses giving you this sort of advantage before even entering their arena, where as some, of course, do not, like ye old Squalid Queen (Unless you count discovering her bon fire for an easier run to her gate, but I don't feel that quite counts XD) Great video as always, I love watching your stuff and listening to your lore videos, its really added a lot of depth and significance to my DS play throughs.

[@jahrfuhlnehm]

+Riboo Definitely agree with what you said there in the first paragraph, a good Souls player ought to know by not only all the ice being broken/melted by Alsanna after talking to her, but the oddly empty three chairs, that maybe going back and exploring some more would be a good idea before taking the plunge (or at least knowing afterwards from getting wrecked terribly that it's good to explore - the punishment isn't that harsh either, retrieving your souls is easy enough down there and warping right out). Besides after something like the mandatory Seath death in Dark Souls 1 that still punishes you regardless albeit more harshly than your average death (due to being locked away in an unfamiliar area away from your bloodstain if you didn't wear a RoS) I don't think anyone has a right to complain about "unfair deaths" especially with regards to Ivory King. ;) One nice touch I also noticed via multiple playthroughs is if the one remaining Loyce knight survives the Ivory King fight you can find him standing by the gateway like he always did before, but if he dies in the fight he is absent. So I always get a bit sad when he dies and I go back and find it all empty. Great DLC overall! (except for Frigid Outskirts, grrrrr)

[@Ohnonoki]

The challenge area was so cool! I've always wanted a huge wide open area like that in Dark Souls, and there it is! Next I want a huge grassy plain or something. Oh man!

[@wrafth]

lol

[@thedandguy189]

Fromsoft plz

[@PowerSenpai]

misaka is acting so kawaii excited

[@TheDeliciousMystery]

The end of Aldias keep left me wanting a big evergreen forest to explore. But then Anor Londo kind of did as well.

[@thedandguy189]

Being Dandy makes the world seem cool

[@lucasmeurertavares8666]

Thanks a lot for mentioning the music! As a musician, I always pay so much attention to the OST, and some details in DS are amazing when it comes to that. My first real love for the OST was when I first tried Gwin, and apart from the other boss fights with intense music, it was simply so... above me. It was almost like it said "Yeah. I`m on a whole different level" as if the god-like presence of his made him serene (also reinforced by the fact he WALKS to get you and all his moveset, etc). I hope we get some amazing stuff like that in DS3 as well.

[@gnomeshark45]

I hate to bring this up here because its sad, but what happened to helkite? I assume he won't be coming back?

[@knightdizzy4853]

hellkites only covers REAL Souls games not this pile of shit

[@flameblade57]

Knight Dizzy Dude give it a rest already, I love dark souls 1 and while 2 may have a shit story, the gameplay and mechanics are far superior to dark souls 1. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I respect yours but kindly dissagree.

[@WhiteAntelope7]

flameblade57 I like the references to the previous installment, so the story is decent for me - an opinion. Superior mechanics and gameplay - fact.

[@flameblade57]

White Antelope I agree with you on the story, i like it, but I was just comparing it to dark souls 1.

[@Nawwll]

flameblade57 You think the mechanics are better? I'd like to know how specifically as I thought the gameplay is incredibly floaty and imprecise, with tons of phantom strikes with hit boxes that are longer than the actual weapons.

[@Kriosaivak]

“None of the characters were super standout.” In a game with Lucatiel? SMH my head. 😔

[@choren64]

God, I look around and its like everyone suddenly hates dark souls 2. Whats so bad about it? I think its better presented, more functional, and more user friendly than the first dark souls (or hacker souls as i like to call it...)

[@gfv]

I loved that Ivory King boss fight. The way you enter the fog gate and how you really are not expecting to fall like that.

[@CursePhoenix]

I probably shouldn't be asking here but does anyone know what happened to Hellkite Drake's channel? His thumbnail is gone, so are his videos and his name is "only tomorrow."

[@BloodyDIMISIS55]

the community has degraded to non stop pile of fucking bitching thats why he left

[@WilliamOrgan]

Alsanna was very much a character that we "went through" this DLC with. I was totally blindsighted by how the Manus sisters finished up; a shard of Manus that really wants somewhere nice to sit, a shard that is a poisonous bitch, a spinster shard that never married, and a shard that's lovely and is big in to cats! Sounds like a quirky gang!

[@devanbailey7996]

These videos are great. I like how Vaati can gather information and present a good review and analysis of the game, but, and this is assuming that the footage is of him playing, but, uh, he's bad at playing the game. Also, why does Dark Souls 2 need a gimmick like Solaire? He, and Siegmeyer, and others, were for the first game. They were there to help you. Dark Souls 2 has a greater emphasis on loss. The character lost everything. Having a swell, cleaver, popular NPC like Solaire would remove the idea of the game

[@StrunDoNhor]

Good characters aren't "gimmicks", they're assets to any story worth its salt. You can have all the in-depth backstory and lore you want, but if you don't have in-universe characters to react to it than it's really all for naught, since players have nothing to personally relate to. If the theme of loss in Dark Souls 2 is as prevalent as you say (and you're not wrong, by the way), then there was still nothing stopping the story from killing awesome characters off. Heck, they could even have _you, the player_ kill them off a la Solaire. If handled correctly, this would only _emphasize_ the feeling of loss: _you're flung into a setting in which you've lost literally everything, until a Solaire-like character comes along and brightens up your otherwise bleak world. Yet, even he is eventually ripped away from you by the cruel world._

[@brancolt_]

Really? Like StrunDoNhor said, memorable characters are what makes the story actually work. They are the result of good writing. And if the theme of Dark Souls II is loss, as you say, then it is STILL far behind Dark Souls 1 in that regard as well. In that game, the first sane person you meet dies before your very eyes. The crestfallen warrior helps you and goes hollow later. Laurentius could die because you told him too much. Big Hat Logan goes insane with knowledge. Siegmeyer slowly loses his warrior pride each time you save him and eventually goes hollow too. Lautrec robs you of Anastacia, killing her for the Fire Keeper's Soul. The only people who survive ( if you let them ) are Patches and Petrus, both are traitors and can't be trusted. Good luck having no story to justify a repeated theme.

[@LordZanas]

StrunDoNhor There was one character in DS2 I thought was going to be that, I can't remember her name though (Goes to show how unimportant she really was.) The woman who wore the large hat and an ugly mask to deter people from approaching. As her "storyline" goes on and her speaking slowly seems more and more insane, I was waiting to have her hollow and turn on me. And she never does, unless I missed something. Really, I think the worst part of the NPCs in DS2, is that they're all so bloody USELESS. I never summon NPCs, they die near instantly and just make the bosses harder. Remember when you summon Solaire for the first time and he WRECKS the Belfry Gargoyles? Or Iron Tarkus who utterly DESTROYS the Iron Golem? You grow attached to these characters and learn to LIKE them because they actually help you. It also served to help establish which bosses were truly "powerful" and meant to be taken seriously. Like Ornstein and Smough, or the Gaping Dragon.

[@Cabraforanahora]

but Dark souls 2 has npc´s to help you too. Lucatiel , the barbarian man , etc. The problem is , theres no background, , they have quests so weak and empty that you end up not feeling sympathy for them. So I dont think the "lost theory" is the case here.

[@Lazypackmule]

I never fought Aava before getting the eye because all the messages told me to turn back and that there was a boss, which was incredibly suspicious given how early in the area it was placed Also, while some parts of the DLC are worse than the other ones, this one adds something really unique to the game For all intents and purposes, collecting those Loyce souls for Alsanna is like an unofficial covenant You interact with other players, collect things, and offer them to the one you've pledged your assistance to, in return for a bunch of unique items And thanks to it being centered around a single boss(and a good one at that), it's a very active hotbed for co-op activity even to this day and makes it one of the best ways to experience jolly co-operation in the game If only the regular covenants in the main game were so well designed

[@ReaperCaliber]

Hopefully Bloodborne has its Solaire.

[@wanadeena]

Hopefully it's a lady! :p

[@林小明-v6x]

don't worry every REAL Souls game has good characters you know, Demon's Souls had great characters, Dark Souls had great characters too all two Souls games has great characters

[@lukoscreyden]

林小明 I see what you did there...... I disagree with your implied opinion that Dark Souls 2 isn't a true souls game, but you have every right to your opinion so....

[@adel885]

I didnt see a sun in bloodborne m8

[@iou2758]

adel885 PRAISE THE MOON!

[@RealHumanBean4U]

I hope Aldia was what you were looking for when you said you want an exposition NPC

[@Vicioussama]

You're not the chosen undead in DkS2 :o Also, those maidens do drop things. My friend and I playing through together the first time, he got a weapon. Oh ya, also, I thin the last boss was cool, but it might have been a little less special because the idea is prevalent in WoW all over the place (the adds for a boss kinda fight) that it's like "Ehh." Though it was a cool atmosphere, I just wish the boss himself was a little more interesting in his moveset. As for the optional area, I don't really like it too much. The snow aspect is REALLY cool, I like that, but the actual layout of the level is very dull and once you realize it, it's like "meh" and you never care about it. Also, fuck those horses. They are pretty lame lol. Overall though, the DLC wasn't too bad, not sure which of the DLC I'd say is the best, the third FEELs big, but I can get through it way faster than the others. The bosses in all of them, as you said, were basically 2 good ones, one meh one. I do love the setting of the third the best, I'd say. Though I think one small gripe with all DLCs is that the background/backdrop you can see if you just look out in the world is not as interesting as other areas of the core game or especially DkS1/DeS. But that's not a huge idea.

[@DobbzTheCat]

they drop their armor too.

[@TheSeth256]

Have you tried looking around near the tower where you find last knight(right after the golems).You can see huge town in the background,it is actually really cool.

[@Vicioussama]

TheSeth256 oh ya, the third DLC does have that which is nice, but the others don't lol. And even parts of the third DLC are just wide barren color palette of gamey-ness. It's not a huge deal, just a bit disappointing.

[@PhobiaSoft]

My favorite of the three was the Sunken King, because of how it encouraged the use of a bow as a TOOL instead of a weapon. I wish the other two had held mechanics of that magnitude

[@harrymcnamara5225]

I seriously don't understand all the bitching about Dark Souls 2. I can understand people not being in to hard RPG's but seriously...some of the comments here are ridiculous. Saying it's mediocre or not of a good quality. How? It looks great, it is very hard and has compelling environments. The DLCs are good and at £7 each they're worth the money. Then you have people talking about Bloodborne. It turned out to be great but even if it wasn't, how does that matter? This is dark souls, not Bloodborne. It's basically the same thing. I am seriosuly confused as to why people have this much of a problem with this game. Can anyone give me a GENUINE reason as to why this game deserves so much hate. Don't give me bullshit, either. There is some real HATE to this game...and I need to see it rationalised. That's if it can be. It's a good game, guys. Don't like it, don't play it. And don't say it's awful when at a technical and strategic stand point it's not, at all.

[@myprogram3067]

THANK YOU

[@edwinvanderhaeghen2221]

+TheSavageNerds that explains nothing...

[@edwinvanderhaeghen2221]

also I do prefer Ds2

[@magikarp5368]

To each their own. I love snowy landscapes, and the trek for the final Knight was incredible for me. Particularly that one area past those rats that was completely reminiscent of the Canyons in the first Halo, and the climb to the top of a hill overlooking a grand city. For a game with plenty of Earthen Peak elevator moments, this world truly felt "actual size".

[@dmcdante6447]

I serioulsy can not wait for the 3rd Souls game in the series, Bloodborne Miyazaki is a taletned director the Souls games are just amazing 2009 the first Souls game, Demon's Souls and then 2011 the second Souls game, Dark Souls and now we have Bloodborne coming out early 2015, I seriosuly can not wait, It's been great !

[@DBert91]

From an interview with Tanimura, he expressed interest on working on the next gen consoles and it's possible they could bring dark souls 2 to the next gen. If there was going to be more dlc this would be our best bet just like when dark souls 1 was brought to pc. Perhaps due to more majula reskinned weapons existing in the files they were planning this all along. Even if there is no dlc we could have events during certain dates.

[@TyronMakeka]

I think From needs to move on to a new IP because Dark Souls cannot survive by repeating the same story over and over again it's plain boring. The original creator had already told the story he wanted to tell with Dark Souls 1, Dark Souls 2 only exist because it was quick money they could make by repeating what Dark Souls 1 did. Don't get me wrong the gameplay is fun and all, but the story is dull and uninspiring.

[@enigmos7616]

They just need to make another spiritual successor, just like how Dark Souls was to Demon's Soul. Similar gameplay/themes, new world.

[@TyronMakeka]

You are right and the original creator already had that in mind, that is why Bloodborn exist. Time to save up for a PS4 because I don't believe From's B team can make a proper successor like you suggested. Making a Dark Souls 3 will be the death blow to that franchise I would rather see it go with some of it's dignity left.

[@enigmos7616]

TyronMakeka Personally As much as Bloodborne is a Souls game. I consider more on the successor to Demon's than Dark. While Dark needs a successor (if that makes sense.) Guess what im saying is From needs a multiplat Souls game successor. Or Dark Souls 3 is a true end and truly breaks the cycle/end the curse. Well who knows, Maybe it wont be the B-Team to make it. Could be the A-Team or the B-Team. But let's not hope for the C-Team D:

[@TheTwilightmaster6]

Why does this surprise you? The story and lore are a huge part of both Demon's and Dark Souls.

[@d3nyd]

Mlgkitty Uh... yeah? I was looking forward to DS2 and its DLC more for the story and lore rather than the gameplay.

[@ComoFrosty]

I know there wasn't many great NPCs in the game, but I felt they did a really great job with Lucatiel of Mirrah. My heart almost skipped a beat when I saw she was a summon for the Ivory King boss fight!

[@CaptainMauser]

Crap Souls 2. I'm sure glad that I did not bought any of those expansions. My choice was already made after the mediocre Dark Souls 2. I choose quality! Therefore I'm eagerly awaiting Bloodborne!

[@MrBuns-yi2hk]

I will be laughing when Bloodborne turns out to be shit.

[@CaptainMauser]

Yeah that sure will be a nightmare. But it can't be more bad then Dark Souls 2 or can it?

[@MrBuns-yi2hk]

Chris White Don't underestimate the terribleness that games can become. Remember From Software also made Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor.

[@arcnova]

Chris White EVERYTHING can be worse than souls 2, since souls 2 is AMAZING its hard to match up to it

[@Koroar]

Sounds like someone's still stuck on Last Giant, keep practising champ.

[@nijiru4448]

My roommate and I duoed this DLC over a couple days off, and one thing that happened was that as we went through the castle, we noticed all the frozen chests, and were wondering how to access them. After the winds were stopped and we walked up to the Burnt King's fog gate, we noticed the single knight, but also the empty seats around him. It was these two things that caused us to re-run the castle before we first fought the Burnt King, and so we went into that fight with all four knights and a certain knightess. It is currently my favorite fight in the game, though that might change as we have just reached Drangleic Castle and have yet to do either of the other DLC.

[@migu1823]

This is my laggsouls 2 review: the netcode fucking sucks , dont even bother with pvp ........the end

[@randomguy6679]

Basement Dweller get better internet

[@bmagada]

The Ivory King having Allant's move set was awesome.

[@gruntpocalypsenow]

Loving all these "dark souls 2 is the worst game of all time". Would you prefer ds1 exactly but with better grafx? No, you would just call it a copy paste. The moral of the story is that there will always be the same pathetic people critiquing everything new because it's not the same as "the good old days."

[@RealMarcFoxx]

The hyperbole is indeed exaggerated... but that's the nature of the game. When a product is released into a line of products in which there is high expectation, the slightest failure to live up to that expectation will be met with extreme prejudice.

[@gruntpocalypsenow]

FoxeoGames I guess that would be amplified a lot considering the quality of the Souls franchise and the elitism of the gamers who play it.

[@RealMarcFoxx]

gruntpocalypsenow If you consider it elitism to expect a sequel to be as good or better than it's prequel... well then, I guess we have vastly different concepts of "elitism."

[@gruntpocalypsenow]

I consider it elitism compared to the EA or Cod crowd. While I due agree Dark Souls 2 was a bit lacking for a souls game it is still AMAZING in most respects compared to the rest of videogame industry right now.

[@gruntpocalypsenow]

Also, i appreciate having a civil discourse on youtube rather than a hate war. It is a rather unique experience,eh?

[@MrMadness1]

This is probably my favorite of the three DLCs. I love snowy areas and scenery and the way it's presented here is damn beautiful. I also love how unique the Frigid Outskirts are. The area just feels so un-settling and has so atmosphere combined with those really dick-ish horses. The bosses were also amazing. Aava's fight had such a mysterious feeling and fighting a giant invisible ice tiger was pretty damn cool. And the Burnt ivory king; oh boy, I fucking love that fight. The ivory king is probably my favorite boss in the entire series. The fight's atmosphere, the design and lore of the king himself, the unique set-up to the fight, THAT BADASS ENTRANCE, and the difficulty of the fight itself seals it as my favorite. My only problems with this DLC is the tedious farming for loyce souls and the optional boss. But overall, this is without a doubt; the best dark souls DLC in general. IMO.

[@drakedokhon9946]

Ohh crap.. I gotta say something cool... SPAGHETTI!!

[@biblicallyaccuratesoul]

BACON

[@Cozy90X]

Dark Stalker GARLIC BREAD!

[@Dinorush13]

PASTA!

[@Xamuswing]

HIS PALMS ARE HEAVY, KNEES WEAK, ARMS SPAGHETTI THERE'S VOMIT ON HIS SPAGHETTI ALREADY MOM'S SPAGHETTI

[@biblicallyaccuratesoul]

JAMBALAYA!

[@xgnik5334]

"The murk shifts and stirs..."

[@courtinjustice6024]

9:35 "The final boss being the highlight of the DLC"... yeah, cause facing half a dozen hard enemies that can easily kill you before you even face the boss is "amazing".

[@icedragon4008]

its amazing if you have all 4 knights.... like 10% off all people

[@Nolastnameforyou]

It wasnt a difficult boss but more of a set piece boss. I thought it was very fun and the actual boss was flawless. not to say he was the best but the fight didnt feel like bullshit (cough cough alana) and wasnt easy

[@MrBuns-yi2hk]

icedragon4008 You only need three really.

[@dbdanny]

icedragon4008 You SHOULD have all 4 knights, explore and play through the DLC, you payed extra for it after all :) It does hurt various speedrunners though.... the Ivory king himself is a bit lackluster when it comes to his mechanics but the presentation is top notch and epic, like most of the DLC as a whole Oh and the co-op area sucks, the previous ones sucked too but at least they were consistent and once you ran through them a few times you could form strategies and most importantly, had the decency to lead into a NEW boss (or a relatively new boss at the very least, yes I'm looking at you you blue smelter piece of shit) and not a copy paste of a fight from earlier in the same DLC.

[@TachiFrypan]

It might just be because I like exploring before fighting an obvious final boss, but I guess i was in the minority of players that had all 4 knights the first time i fought the boss. Because of this I was actually a bit disappointed at how easy the ivory king was.

[@AinrehteaDalnalirtu]

I just want to say how I experienced this DLC on a gameplay level was different. I never entered the fog gate at the start, I listened to the mysterious Woman's warning. I left the Cathedral after I learned she removed the blizzard/ice blockades to explore what I may have missed. I attacked those Retainer's(White Clothed women) on sight and after I saw my first one I always threw on item find hoping that they would drop their robe(Which they do). I went through this my first time on NG+4. Constantly invaded and dealing with these heavy hitting enemies. It was wonderful but also terrifying. When I had met that phantom that wears the white ring-I was also invaded by someone cosplaying AS HIM. Which freaked me out even more thinking FROM made it so the NPC replicates the invader who manages to invade you in that time. Like a Doppelganger of sorts. I've yet to defeat those 2 Tigers in the outskirts, even with another player- they can 2 shot me and my summon with just 2 attacks. Mistakes are very punishing and I'm thinking of just swapping all my faith out for chaos fireballs and be done with it. This DLC is my favorite out of the 3, I enjoyed all 3 over the basic game.

[@khknight]

More reskinned enemies, more reused bosses, reused dlc bosses=multiple tigers? Reallly? More unbalanced dlc magic,etc,etc, fuck all the dlc

[@edwxx20001]

at the end of the blizzard section you were expecting an ice-smelter like me right?

[@joshuakim5240]

the hex is OP, but the other new spells suck. OIK probably put in the most OP spells (all pyros, thankfully; pyromancy needed something to compete with all of the ridiculous sorceries and hexes out there)

[@ObsidianStrong]

I think that I favor the Dark souls series highest on my list of games because not only is it the most challenging but also because I feel like the game itself, game play and lore in all, has a deeper meaning to it. Every time I play a Dark souls game I get a feeling that I just don't receive in any other games and it keeps me coming back for more.

[@dippywilson3741]

This has to be my favorite DLC

[@Zaroshy]

Funny thing about the music. When I started playing dark souls i never bothered to look up who did the music for it but i loved it from the start. little did I know the person behind the music happened to be my favorite video game musician of all time Motoi Sakuraba. That was quite the moment for me.

[@appaloosahill4499]

If anything I was disappointed there weren't more demon based enemies why ? Because the story of this DLC were based off the bed of chaos it would've been cool to see a Taurus demon there a Capra demon here a stray demon over there ect

[@viniciusbernhardtkroth971]

Appaloosa Hill because we can't handle it anymore, there was like 5 FUCKING THOUSANDS OF STRAY CAPRA AND TAURUS DEMONS IN DKS1

[@magejag2977]

i'd prefer 5 thousands of centipede demons

[@twilightwarwolf]

I have to say the reason (personally) they stood out in comparison to the game is a mixture of the uniqueness and the difficulty. Unique in the sense that it was as if i traveled to a different world each time, despite the connections to prior areas (ivory king dlc aside). The presentations to each area were also very impressive and like you said gave some individuality to each area. It inspired me to not only try to take it head on but to keep at it as well when it got tough. Another unique part was that it allowed me to entertain my own ideas about each area. Which isn't always possible with every area in a game. The difficulty was also in my opinion much improved in comparison to the game itself because the actual game felt like some enemies were made unbalanced and there wasn't much thought behind them (Drakekeepers for example) or were just too easy and didn't make it interesting to play because no thought was needed to beat them. Where as the DLC's even though the main enemies were rather standard they felt more balanced and interesting on the whole than other standard enemies. Like for example the main guys in the sunken DLC felt more like a better poison based enemies than did Harvest Valley or Earthen Peak. Simply put they felt more thought out in all aspects.

[@JMarsella9]

I'm sorry but the Loyce Souls grinding really killed this DLC for me. It's one of the worst designed aspects in the entire game.

[@BloodyDIMISIS55]

i hear you have an option of shooting the queen and getting the stuff she gives

[@JMarsella9]

Not the armor, just her soul. And still, the game shouldn't force me to be a huge dick, or miss her dialogue.

[@robTCGZ]

I loved this third DLC, the presentation was fantastic, that castle, the level design, even the enemies. And the fight with the ivory king was the most epic moment ever. You immediately think Gwyn or lost izalith. I didn't like the frigid outskirts, it's a cheap area in my opinion, the pets were cool though. I also liked getting backstabed by the phantoms, a really fresh experience. Overall I loved the lost crowns DLC. I think it adds and improves the dark souls 2 experience, the level designs were amazing, the bosses refreshing and the armors, weapons and spells pretty cool, and I personally loved the reward for retrieving the crowns. I also liked that it kinda adds an element of adventure to the game, go explore new areas and retrieve an item, I like that mechanic. I also believe there will be more DLC, because all the questions we had before are still unanswered.

[@DankbeastPaul]

Guys please stop with this "bteam souls 2 is shit bloodborne will b better lol" it's getting ridiculous and stupid. I actually like DS2 more than DS1

[@Kristianlacher]

I would say that the Ivory Crown DLC is my favorite and in my opinion the best one design wise. The concept of trying to fight Aava the first time when he is invisible and then having to find a way to fight him was really cool. Also I felt like the level design was given much more effort and time. It was anything but linear, I actually got lost at one point. I also loved the references to the Bed of Chaos and the way you fell into the pit for the Ivory King boss fight. Another interesting thing to note is that the charred knights you fight in the Old Chaos seemed very reminiscent of the Black Knights. And I think that from a lore perspective it's interesting that what seem to be golems are scattered throughout the level, only these attack you where the ones in Drangleic Castle served helpful purposes. I think I would give it an 8 out of 10. The standard enemy design could've been better and I wish they would get more creative with the "coop" areas. Also I'm getting kinda tired of copy and paste boss fights, although I also think the bosses throughout the game could've used some work. I mean come on From, you're better than that. Or was that just Miyazaki?

[@Nolastnameforyou]

starting around 7:26 you GREATLY mis understand why a souls game is supposed to be hard and how those enemies were implemented. you say they put them there because they wanted to catch you off guard" or something to that effect what makes the unknown in a souls game great is you can see it coming and avoid it. unfortunately there are times in ds2 where this isnt the case and there are some cheap surprises. worse is you thought that's what the maidens were. if you werent dumb you realized that when the castle warmed they would move around. I did at least. they arent some cheap surprise like you think they are and those kind of surprises are atrocious in the first place.

[@xRoyahx]

Just because you didn't experience it that way doesn't mean it wasn't the intention.

[@phoenixsplash135]

I like how you nit picked that one point, but ignored the bosses and enemies he described that totally catch you off guard and use your experience against you

[@Nolastnameforyou]

xRoyahx I could tell that way the intention because it followed the souls logic and if it wasnt then it was luck

[@DemonLordSparda]

Yeah like the slime that drops on your head in the Gutter when you go pick up an item before you've even seen another slime. Or in Anor Londo with the Silver Knights who fire Greatbows with Great Arrows that you have never once experienced before in an attempt to surprise you and knock you off edges. Or on the return to the Asylum having a floor break under your feet leading to a boss who lunges at you pretty fast despite having no indication this would happen. Or walking through some fog in the Duke's Archives leading to an immortal Dragon who also sends you to a different bonfire you can't warp from with no warning this kind of thing could happen. Dark Souls 2 really has the worst surprises for the sake of "shock" difficulty... wait.

[@Nolastnameforyou]

Sparda in ds1 those are a lot more forgetable. you can see those arrows coming and easil dodge them and the slimes before that hall theres an easily visible one that cold get you and teach you about them and they rarely do enough damage to kill then in the next room the player is still being cuatious looks p and sees all those slimes and knows to not get under them

[@XlaintheUndead]

I never died to an invisible aava because I didn't even know aava could be invisible. I just took the other path till it led me in a big loop. As for the final boss, once I realized there was more than one knight I didn't have much trouble. The Ivory King was actually surprisingly easy. As for the Frigid Outskirts, I don't really feel like they are worth my time. I may go back and see if I can find the boss in that area but I'd rather enjoy myself in my spare time than wander around in a virtual frozen wasteland. As for the issue with "boring" enemies, I've never had that problem. I've killed hundreds of the same enemy over and over in the souls games with getting bored. Overall I liked each dlc, with the order they were released in being the order Iliked them from least to most.

[@imjustacoolboy]

i beat the ivory king without finding those knights that help you :/

[@VaatiVidya]

Good job!

[@thrall898]

I'm actually perfectly fine with the humanoid enemies, but I'm also a very detail-oriented person. The differences between the characters conveyed as much story as the environments did. Soldiers drowned in poison, soldiers scorched in the fire of the forge, and soldiers encased in the ice of the land. There's as much story in the shared aesthetic between these three fallen soldier types as there is in the environment you find them in. All three of these soldiers you find were once people who would've been a friend; people who were dedicated to defending a glorious kingdom. And then they are plagued by the calamity of each king. Subsumed by poison, coated in molten iron, and encased in ice to protect against fire. Also, my favorite part of this DLC was the final boss's room, rather than the boss itself. The old Chaos. You know what that says to me? it says that Eleum Loyce is built on top of what was once the Demon Ruins, and you just dropped down to what was once the resting place of the Bed of Chaos. You can even see the familiar burning tree roots in the background. It's funny, because each of the DLCs so far have evoked a different old enemy from Dark Souls 1. The toxicity and death of the sunken crown reminded me of Nito, the regality and burning ash of the second reminded me of the kiln and of Gwyn, and the crystal ice exterior surrounding a burning shell of chaos reminds me of both Seath and The bed of Chaos at once.

[@noirrain6005]

Why did I have to play ds3 before this one. Now I'm hating it for all the shit wrong with it that they fixed on 3

[@lightshadow121]

same but I still want to beat it so it sucks

[@didact3549]

I learn so much from this guy. Im so intrigued in dark souls and the lore. I get myself immense within the context of the story as well as the various reason why some creatures exist and why it has a king which falls to darkness like dark souls 1. The variety of things happening gets me really high but an awesome feeling about the lores of various bosses. There is so much i don't understand about the dlcs and what effect they must have on the main story. But one thing which gets me the most, is when each dlc and main story adds up to the following dark souls continuation. But also how each piece falls into place giving you this nostalgic feeling.

[@PowerUpJay]

I really enjoyed this DLC. It's the best one in my humble opinion. I found myself wanting to explore this landscape instead of rushing through for lore content like the other two. SPOILERS BELOW: Hearing Alsanna vocally state that her and the other "Queens" are pieces of Manus was really satisfying, even though we put two and two together - coming right out and saying it in game was great. I found it enjoyable that she cared for the Ivory King, it gave her character dimension and personally I'd like to hear more about her and the Ivory King's relationship. The additional items were cool, but it seemed they were mostly DEX and INT items. I wish I didn't invest dragon bones into the Fume Greatsword because the Ivory King's Greatsword is pretty sweet. Side Note: I'd love to hear why the Knight's armor looked very similar to the Ruin Sentinel's armor...from a lore perspective.

[@TheWereManatee]

I'm not complaining about the game itself. I enjoyed playing it nearly as much as the first. What I was really hoping for though, like in the first game, were some more detailed explanations about the lore. So the cure for the curse you're looking for was the crown and/or crowns? Why do they all need to be in the players possession to ward off the curse? Why is the Old Chaos still around if the Bed of Chaos was supposed to have been destroyed in the first game? Why did the Ivory King cast himself into the chaos for Alsanna? Was she afraid of it? Does that suggest that the Old Chaos is a sentient being itself? If that's true, then how do you expect to defeat lava? Is that why the outside is all iced over? Where did those gates come from before and after the boss fight, and what was on the other side? Does the fact that Alsanna doesn't attack you on sight, and tries to keep the old chaos under control mean that the remnants of Manus may have possessed the capability of benevolence? Could there have been more than 3 surviving remnants that manifested as different parts of Manus's persona? There's just an endless amount of questions without answers.