Coming from someone who has played all the DLCs, Sunken King is the most lackluster in my opinion. However, it's still fun, in a dark and creepy sort of way. The underground temple and environmental traps make you feel like a marauding archaeologist.

The weakness of the Sunken King DLC is that the area just isn't as compelling as the others. It's set in a dank underground area, and doesn't engender the same sense of awe as the other DLC's settings.

In addition, the bosses for the area are rather straightforward. The only gimmicks are the fact that the environment can move around (e.g. rotate, rise up and down) and many puzzles are centered around that.

The very final boss of the area is a nice surprise, though.

Pros:
- Environment puzzles
- Contains Denial miracle, which prevents you from dying once (similar to Second Chance from Demons Souls, but leaves you with 1 HP)
- Grinding spot for infinite Twinkling Titanite/Dragon Bones

Cons:
- Dreary setting
- Only really has one impressive boss

Jester Thomas has unlimited fireballs. 10/10

10/10

The Devs decided the main game was way to easy. So they added two bosses with restistance to everything. I am on new game plus. I haven't had much of an issue with the main game bosses. I thought i could take these guys. I was so so sorely mistaken.

10/10 would sink again

I got one shotted by the first dude I ran into.

(TLDR? This review is also available in video format below for your convenience.)

In typical Dark Souls fashion, its latest DLC, Crown of the Sunken King cannot be accessed until roughly half way through the game. The first of three planned DLC packs has you venturing to recover an ancient crown that was lost deep underground.

It's accessed from Black Gulch and you're greeted with three more sinister areas which add another 4 or 5 hours of challenging content.

The areas are large, sprawling and interconnected which do well to mask the linearity, allowing you to explore in a multitude of directions. There's tons of clever shortcuts that lead back to previous areas as well as plenty of hidden items and secrets. The areas also feature a ton of verticality, making it feel a lot more like the first Dark Souls game.

Special switches have been added to the areas which can be attacked to raise or lower platforms as well as open secret areas. Activating these are a bit of a puzzle and can have a pretty major effect on the environment which is a great addition.

Unfortunately the art direction for these zones is a bit uninspired, borrowing heavily from a lot of previous areas. I was immediately reminded of areas like The Lost Bastille as well as the Oolacile Township from the Artorias of the Abyss DLC from the first Dark Souls. It's all kind of dark, gritty, and indoors. Some added variety between the areas would have been welcomed opposed to more of the same.

The enemies that inhabit the DLC are as dangerous as you'd expect. From ghost like knights that are extremely difficult to kill until you destroy their bodies, to annoying archers, casters, insects and more horrifying monstrosities, there's no shortage of formidable enemies in Crown of the Sunken King. Swarming enemies are a larger threat than ever and status ailments like poison and corrosive damage are rampant.

The boss fights are very difficult as well as each of them are on-par with some of the hardest bosses out of any Souls game. They require planning and quick reflexes to overcome and will surely test even the most hardened Souls veterans.


Ultimately, Crown of the Sunken King is worth playing if you're a fan of the series and looking for new content. It doesn't add quite as much variety and content as Artorias of the Abyss added to Dark Souls 1 but with two more DLC packs planned, I can't wait to see what other challenges From Software adds next.

This review is also available in video format for your convenience:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4rA8zKE_WU


Pros:

+ Challenging enemies & bosses
+ Great value
+ Puzzles
+ Cleverly interconnected areas

Cons:

-Uninspired art direction
-Corrosive damage is annoying
-Lack of variety


If you enjoyed this review, feel free to follow me as a Steam Curator: http://store.steampowered.com/curator/4886473/

CAUTION! Contains mild spoilers!

First 3 hours in the DLC as a SL 200 Faith build:

"Oooh, that is gorgeous."
"Looks quiet. Too quiet."
...
"Ah the old 'Hollow plays dead' trick. Ha!"
"Oh f**k, that hurts! Kill it with lightning!"
"Where the f**k are they coming from?!" *dies*
"Why the f**k is my gear broken?!" *dies*
"Finally, a shortcut!"
...
"Oh f**k, ghosts!"
"Oh f**k, I can barely damage them"*dies*
"Ooooh, so that's how you kill them."
"Bonfire! Neat!"
...
"Many bloodstains here ..."
"Dark Phantom has invaded"
"Hey ... I remember you ... OH F**K!" *gets ra*ed by multiple Forbidden Suns* *dies*
*dies*
*dies*
"Jesus, how much HP does this smug c**t have?!"
"Dark Phantom banished"
"Praise the ... oh f**k, T-Rex!" *dies*
"Why the f**k am I doing so little damage with Sun Spear?!"
"Holy f**k, so many of them!" *dies*
"Why is there a bonfire in the middle of them!?"
"Sweet mother of Sunny-D, another shortcut! Hurrah!"
...
"Lone hollow, smells fishy."
"Oh, f**k, what is with that moveset?"
"Oh, f**k, PvP is easier!" *backstabbed* *dies*

And then it hit me ... this is the same feeling I got from Dark Souls 1. Explore, die, rinse and repeat until success. Clever area design, smart shortcuts to a previous bonfire, traps just waiting to make your life a living hell. Ahh, I love the smell of frustration in the evening.

I love it. 10/10 gonna go die again.

Good areas, enemies and bosses, but final boss a lot easier than other. P.S. Jester Thomas made me cry =((

As much as I love Dark Souls, this particular DLC is a big of a joke. Dark Souls prides itself with being difficult and the reason so many people keep coming back to this game is because completing a challenge feels so satisfying, however the content in this DLC is designed for more than 1 person. Groups of 2 or 3 are the optimal way to beat this content and From Software said they wanted to promote a multiplayer envirnoment.

I can't buy that excuse. If you wanted a multiplayer environment, why didn't you add a co-operative mode when you made the game? I feel like multiplayer was just a quick selling point you added through the special Gods ring you buy from the cat right before release. I don't like playing Dark Souls with other people except on rare occasions, why force me to play with others to complete content? It took me 5 hours just to get to the third bonfire because I had to keep pulling things away from a group to win fights, otherwise it was a 6v1 gangbang most of the time.

I honestly love Dark Souls and the other 2 DLC for it are amazing, but this one has got it's priorities all mixed up. Dark Souls is about accomplishing something for yourself. Beating a boss feels so good except in this DLC you need 2 people to stand anything of a chance.

I will say the game design for this DLC is quite nice but nothing particularly amazing compared to the vanilla game. There are some cool armour sets and interesting new spells to attain, and I don't mind the puzzle-like nature of the map. In saying that, I don't think I'll be completing this DLC purely because I hate the idea of having someone help me through it.

7/10, I would not recommend this DLC to anyone who, like me, enjoys completing challenges on your own. Spend your money on the other 2 DLC.

Whereas the rest of Dark souls 2 is a fun, yet reasonably challenging experience, this DLC decides to take a different approach entirely. It focuses more on multiplayer, meaning that there will be more mobs of enemies and harder bosses to fight. This would be fine and dandy, except multiplayer in dark souls ♥♥♥♥ing sucks, and always will suck. This DLC does nothing to improve multiplayer either, so it's usually just going to be you and your wit, which can only get you so far.The vanilla game is built so that you as a player can use your own skill to traverse any obstacle given enough attepmts, multiplayer was always just sort of extra help, and that was something that drew me into the DS franchise in the first place. But this DLC capitalizes on it's most broken and worthless game mechanic. Either you wait a few hours to get one ♥♥♥♥ing summon sign, that will only last until you either die, or beat the area boss, or you can try to beat it on your own. Either way this DLC will ♥♥♥♥ the hell out of you in the worst possible way. It's unfair, it's focal point is stupid, and it only degrades the Dark souls experience. Stay away from this ♥♥♥♥, it's not worth the price tag. Check out the other DLC's though, they're actually worth your hard earned money.

Recicled bosses with resistance to everything, gg from software.

Awesomeness awaits

It's a great extention of the game.

My favorite dlc in dark souls 2

well worth the price, this dlc is better the original game.

DRAGON BATTLE!

Dlc stuff

.......

Enemies are completely unoriginal, bosses are horrendous, level design is below average at best. Avoid this DLC like the plague.

game is so hard it makes me cry myself to sleep 0/10 would not reccomend until easy mode mod is made