Dark Souls 2: Crown of the Sunken King Features

Having traversed through the often-cruel dungeons of Shulva, just one area of the Dark Souls 2 DLC Crown of the Sunken King, it can be confidently and defiantly said that this game is hard. Really hard. Crown of the Sunken King is the first of a three part series of add-ons for Dark Souls 2, with the second installment Crown of the Old Iron Kind being released later this month and the final part of the DLC Crown of the Ivory King launching in September. Regardless of whether you’re playing the game on an Xbox or Sony PlayStation console, if you’re not a mega-gaming boss yourself, you will face some tough challenges in the depths of the Sanctum City. The Dark Souls 2: Crown of the Sunken King guide that appears before you will aim to prepare you for what’s to come in the next chapters of the game. If this undertaking is just part 1 of 3, we explore what you can expect from the future of Dark Souls 2.

Before venturing into what appears to be the dark extension of Dark Souls 2’s Black Gulch area, which is indeed as grim as it sounds, it is important to prepare yourself for the intense enemies you’ll come across. More frequently than you might expect, enemies in Crown of the Sunken King carry poisonous weapons for brutal attacks. But they’re not alone in their abilities. As you edge through the numerous similar dungeons, aggressive insects scale the walls and attempt to cover you in acidic, corrosive spray. Do everything you can to avoid the insects’ mist; it will damage weapons and armour in addition to your health. That task may turn out to be more difficult than you expect however. If dealing with one poisonous weapon-wielding enemy is a challenge for you, being bombarded with corrosive spray too will throw you off balance. Yet, to make any progress in the Dark Souls 2: Crown of the Sunken King DLC, you will have to do better than that. Players have often seen defeat on their PS3 or Xbox360 consoles due to being largely outnumbered by enemy hordes. Prepare to be frequently facing enemy groups of 5 or 4 at a time, not forgetting the insects on top. With the reputation that Dark Souls has earned among hardcore gamers, that of a very difficult game, it can be expected that this new level of challenging confrontation will be maintained in the next two installments of the Dark Souls 2 DLC. The only question that remains is whether the next part will be even more difficult.

 
The enemies you will encounter in the exploration of the underground Sanctum City serve as a warm-up for what is to come further on in the Dark Souls 2:Crown of the Sunken King. Before players even enter the dungeons of Shulva they are told of a ‘great sleeping dragon’. Without wanting to give too many details away, there are some mighty boss battles awaiting gamers in the depths of the DLC. The immense bosses vary from human fighters to older and more hazardous foes. But you don’t have to face some of the most challenging bosses of the whole Dark Souls series alone. If another players leaves a summon sign just beyond the new area starting Crown of the Sunken King, they can be called upon to give aide in the most treacherous of situations, particularly the pair of bosses encountered towards the chapter’s end. But even for a trio of well-practiced Dark Souls 2 players the final battle you will experience, probably numerous times, will be a long and drawn-out challenge. It is not for the fainthearted individuals or teams. Given the progressive nature that many games of this genre have, the future of Dark Souls 2 DLC is set to continue on this path of manic difficulty and huge satisfaction once the seemingly impossible fights are won.

The largest adjustment that Dark Souls 2 fans will have to make when taking on the additional DLC is for the puzzles. Making your way through the environments and various enemies of Crown of the Sunken Kind, you will come across numerous points that activate puzzles. When you trigger the glowing pillars an expansive puzzle will come to light, moving a pillar or two. While this will sometimes work in your favour as the pillar destroys a group of oncoming enemies, it could just as easily clear the path for a large group to come and fight you. On occasion, or many of them, you’ll regret activating a pillar move as soon as you’ve done it. But this extent of environmental interaction has made a strong entrance in the Dark Souls 2 experience via Crown of the Sunken King, which we will be looking forward two in both the Crown of the Old Iron King and Crown of the Ivory King DLC installments.

The Dark Souls 2 additional DLC is available on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 with the next installment coming on release date August 26th.

Have you played Dark Souls 2: Crown of the Sunken King? Did you find it difficulty? Let us know in the comments below!

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