Dark Souls II: Crown of the Ivory King

 PC
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 111 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 80 out of 111
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 111
  3. Negative: 15 out of 111

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  1. Zargham
    Dec 7, 2014
    8
    Now this is what I call a way to spice things up in Dark souls 2

    -Deep Story -Interesting Boss Battles -Maldron The Freakin troll!! -A great set of armours and weapons My only concern with this DLC is the Frigid outskirts, which, simply put has the award of being the worst area in the entire souls series given that your attempting it solo. Seems this area was specifically designed    Now this is what I call a way to spice things up in Dark souls 2

    -Deep Story
    -Interesting Boss Battles
    -Maldron The Freakin troll!!
    -A great set of armours and weapons

    My only concern with this DLC is the Frigid outskirts, which, simply put has the award of being the worst area in the entire souls series given that your attempting it solo. Seems this area was specifically designed for CO-OP. This is the only con for this DLC otherwise it would have definitely scored a 10.    … Expand
  2. StaticSpine
    Oct 6, 2014
    7
    Pros:
    - Good level design, interconnectivity, shortcuts.
    - Beautiful visuals.
    - Nice final boss showdown.
    - Cool feature with knights searching.
    - Troll phantom.

    Cons:
    - Frigid outskirts is the worst location in Souls games ever.
    - Other "two" bosses.
  3. derpyyy
    Oct 4, 2014
    5
    Somewhat decent DLC but..
    Ruining the players eyes is not clever gamedesign!
    DS2 uses various ways of psychological warfare like the repeating pewpew sounds by the casters in shrine of Amana. However i feel that they went too far with Frigid outskirts in this DLC which is a pretty large entirely white, semi permanent snowstorm area with a boss at the end and no bonfire near the boss.    Somewhat decent DLC but..
    Ruining the players eyes is not clever gamedesign!

    DS2 uses various ways of psychological warfare like the repeating pewpew sounds by the casters in shrine of Amana. However i feel that they went too far with Frigid outskirts in this DLC which is a pretty large entirely white, semi permanent snowstorm area with a boss at the end and no bonfire near the boss. After spending an hour here (having reduced brightness early) my eyes start hurting and given the fact that you will probably have to replay this area as it's pretty difficult especially on higher NG and if you are mad enough to try and solo it (deisgnated as coop area) and you will spend even more time here if you want to find all the loot..... it's not cool at all to wreck your players health like that.

    Other than that the DLC focuses heavily on the enemies ganging up on you. Even larger groups than in the sunken king DLC.

    Bosses are alright but Ivory King is no challenge whatsoever as long as you collect all the dudes that help you in the fight (not counting summons).

    I would recommend picking up Crown of the old Iron King over this one unless you have already done that.    … Expand
  4. blahblah69
    Oct 2, 2014
    9
    Lots of exploration with backtracking (it won't be boring but I won't spoil it for you), moody environmental effects which affect play, well designed bosses, immersive 'events and story. Best DLC of the three.
  5. DeusXCom
    Oct 2, 2014
    9
    Ivory Crown is definitely my favourite from the DLC trilogy and overall one of the best experiences Dark Souls 2 has to offer. Beautiful dreamy kingdom covered in snow, freezing atmosphere, complex level design, solid challenges, nice boss cats, one particular NPC that made me laugh with his behavior, but the biggest highlight for me are Frigid Outskirts, that place is intense! GettingIvory Crown is definitely my favourite from the DLC trilogy and overall one of the best experiences Dark Souls 2 has to offer. Beautiful dreamy kingdom covered in snow, freezing atmosphere, complex level design, solid challenges, nice boss cats, one particular NPC that made me laugh with his behavior, but the biggest highlight for me are Frigid Outskirts, that place is intense! Getting lost in a massive blizzard, can't see a thing, fighting armies of deadly horses and invaders, broke down 4 different weapons on my journey there.. amazing! It's also worth noting that the game time is almost doubled compared to previous 2 DLC's, so at least 10+ hours if you do everything. This was a very nice closure and goodbye to Dark Souls 2. 9/10… Expand
  6. Garfoodle
    Oct 1, 2014
    9
    While it's not the best DLC, it is the longest. Taking place in sort of a snowy Shadded Woods, it will take a long time to run thought. Not like that's a bad thing. All the bosses are better then DLC 2, and there are some cool items to be had. It's also a pretty hard zone, even for someone playing in NG with 12M SM. But regardless,it's still worth playing through if you're a fan of DkS2,While it's not the best DLC, it is the longest. Taking place in sort of a snowy Shadded Woods, it will take a long time to run thought. Not like that's a bad thing. All the bosses are better then DLC 2, and there are some cool items to be had. It's also a pretty hard zone, even for someone playing in NG with 12M SM. But regardless,it's still worth playing through if you're a fan of DkS2, and even if you aren't, still get it,because, you know, scrubs got GitGub reallytho… Expand
  7. Dikano
    Oct 3, 2014
    9
    Best DLC of the Crowns Trilogy. Nothing particularly innovative about it... and that's absolutely fine. The immersive level design is there, the challenging combat is there, there are some great new bosses and mini-bosses, etc.

    All in all, a super-tight, engaging and polished DLC that extends the enjoyment for us lovers of the Souls series :)
  8. SolidCenturio
    Jan 27, 2017
    7
    Crown of the Ivory King takes place in a once great kingdom, frozen in time by the cold winds of an everlasting winter. The player is tasked with traversing the Frozen Eleum Loyce in all its grandeur, and unveil the secrets of the Old Chaos that reside beneath the land. Now out of all the three DLCs, I found this one to be the easiest, since Frozen Eleum Loyce's level design is linear forCrown of the Ivory King takes place in a once great kingdom, frozen in time by the cold winds of an everlasting winter. The player is tasked with traversing the Frozen Eleum Loyce in all its grandeur, and unveil the secrets of the Old Chaos that reside beneath the land. Now out of all the three DLCs, I found this one to be the easiest, since Frozen Eleum Loyce's level design is linear for the most part (optional areas that are blockaded by ice become accessible in the latter half of the DLC.) Enemy variety is limited (excluding NPC invasions and the occasional mini-boss) with a majority performing dual roles as both caster and tanker, while their attack patterns are easily discernible, and their placement within the levels is very forgiving and doesn't promote ambush attacks. This being Dark Souls, though, the game showing a slight easiness doesn't mean that you could just run around and fight to your heart's content; diligence is still needed, or you'll end up in a tight spot.

    What's interesting about this DLC is that it's the closest thing that we will ever get to choosing a difficulty setting in a Souls game. The final boss is somewhat hard to fight, since he's surrounded by three portals which constantly pump out resilient knights; the battle becomes a slaughter if you're not good enough. The most skilled of players could defeat him and his band of merry men without even breaking a sweat, but for casual people like me, we go on a treasure hunt. Within the walls of Frozen Eleum Loyce lie three ominous knights, locked behind closed doors of what looks like self-imposed exile. Approaching a knight reveals a cryptic message, and teleports it to an empty seat above the final boss area. Each one you find will help you fight the end boss, and eventually sacrifice himself to close a portal. So basically, it's like easy-medium-hard for each hidden knight that you find. Add to the fact that you could also summon two other NPCs/players and the final fight becomes a battle for the ages.

    Lore-wise, it contributes a whole lot to the Dark Souls mythos. The DLC expands on the Children of the Dark, and how they helped shape and influence the great monarchs who once ruled the land. There are also reveals about the Old Chaos, which continued to burn long after the Chosen Undead had defeated the Bed of Chaos.

    Overall a good DLC with much to offer, and new challenges to overcome.

    And there you have it.    … Expand
  9. nurfedx
    Oct 30, 2021
    10
    One of the best Games known to mankind.
    From Software is a safe heaven for the Gaming community.
    Especially in times where big Developers dissapiont us with theyr fraudulent intent.
    Praise the sun!
  10. ManHoof
    Jul 29, 2023
    4
    DLC has both very strong and terrible sides.
    The plot is very good, there are interesting mechanics.
    It has the worst location in the series. The backtracking of the location is not interesting at all.

Awards & Rankings

37
#37 Best PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. Digital Trends
    Nov 25, 2014
    90
    Dark Souls II desperately needed Ivory King's detailed frozen wasteland.
    Read full review
  2. SpazioGames
    Oct 18, 2014
    80
    This trilogy ends with a bang and represents an expansion textbook for one of the best games of the year. We are not fans of DLCs, but if the quality is this, they are welcome.
    Read full review
  3. Digitally Downloaded
    Oct 10, 2014
    90
    Setting aside, enemies are less inventive than the ones found in Old Iron King.
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