Dark Souls II: Crown of the Sunken King is DLC for the action role-playing game Dark Souls 2 by FromSoftaware, released in 2014. This DLC is the first of the three expansions for the second Dark Souls title, known collectively as The Lost Crowns. It is also bundled in the Scholar of the First Sin Edition of the game. The Lost Crowns trilogy brings new elements to Dark Souls 2 with brand-new enemies, bosses, locations, and weapons. Here we’ll take a deep dive into what Dark Souls II: Crown of the Sunken King includes and what kind of cheats players can expect from the game.
Dark Souls II: Crown of the Sunken King Premise
Dark Souls II, similar to other games in the Souls series, is recognized for its challenging action-oriented role-playing gameplay that requires patience and strategy. Set in a rich, dark fantasy world, players explore dangerous environments with horror-themed monsters. The game relies heavily on skillful combat, where timing and understanding enemy patterns are crucial. The series is particularly known for its high difficulty level, including tough boss fights.
Crown of the Sunken King allows players to explore an ancient underground civilization. The DLC takes place in a forgotten world, full of hidden secrets and ever more dangerous enemies. As the first installment of the Lost Crowns trilogy, it sets the stage for an epic journey that involves new and innovative bosses, exciting loot, and likely plenty of dying.
Dark Souls II: Crown of the Sunken King Characters
Like previous iterations of Dark Souls, including the base game Dark Souls II for which the DLC is, the DLC features various non-player characters that the player interacts with in one way or another. In Crown of the Sunken King, players come across quest characters, invaders, summons, enemies, and bosses. These range from aggressive enemies to helpful allies with special abilities.
Allies:
- Abbess Feeva: A helpful summon known for her healing abilities. She can be summoned to help in the fight with Sinh, the Slumbering Dragon. The sign for the summoning is found in the Dragon’s Rest.
- Benhart of Jugo: A brave warrior, who aids players in battles. This Scottish gentleman carries a mighty greatsword, a family heirloom known as Bluemoon Greatsword.
- Rapacious Andrei: A new phantom in this expansion. Rapacious Andrei is summonable in a few different boss fights. Players that need the help of this Shotel-wielding and self-healing phantom, can do so in Cerah, Varg, and Afflicted Graverobber fight.
- Ruined Aflis: Another new phantom included in Dark Souls II: Crown of the Sunken King. Known for his magical prowess, Ruined Aflis can also be summoned for Cerah, Varg, and Afflicted Graverobber boss fight.
- Steelheart Ellie: This tough fighter aids players in tough battles across all three The Lost Crowns episodes. In Crown of the Sunken King, she is available for the Elana, the Squalid Queen fight.
- Transcendent Edde: This white phantom is only available in the Crown of the Sunken King DLC, and can help with Sinh, the Slumbering Dragon boss fight.
Enemies:
- Jester Thomas: Known for his deceptive appearance and powerful pyromancy, this invader is waiting in the dark to attack the player character. As players are close to the bottom of Dragon’s Sanctum, Jester Thomas arrives.
- Rockshield Baldyr: A formidable invader wielding the Winged Spear and steel armor. This dark spirit invades the player’s game in Shulva, Sanctum City before the Cave of the Dead.
- Elana, the Squalid Queen: This blood-red sorceress is one of the new boss fights in the Crown of the Sunken King. She is found at the bottom floor of Dragon’s Sanctum, where she attacks the player with various spells, summoned minions, and melee attacks.
- Sinh, the Slumbering Dragon: A formidable dragon with devastating attacks. Players come across Sinh a couple of times before ultimately engaging in the boss fight in Dragon’s Rest.
- Afflicted Graverobber, Ancient Soldier Varg, and Cerah the Old Explorer: A trio of challenging enemies each with unique fighting styles. This special boss fight, perhaps drawing inspiration from Ornstein and Smough in Dark Souls, is found towards the end of the Cave of the Dead.
Games in the Series
The Dark Souls series is known for its challenging gameplay and deep lore. The series includes several games, each building upon the dark and detailed world. Dark Souls II: Crown of the Sunken King is part of this series, specifically in the Lost Crowns series for the Dark Souls II. The series includes two other expansions in addition to the Crown of the Sunken King. In addition to the Dark Souls games, the larger Souls series features various other games starting with the initial title, Demon’s Souls.
- Demon’s Souls (2009)
- Dark Souls (2011)
- Artorias of the Abyss DLC (2012)
- Dark Souls II (2014)
- Crown of the Sunken King DLC (2014)
- Crown of the Old Iron King DLC (2014)
- Crown of the Ivory King DLC (2014)
- Bloodborne (2015)
- The Old Hunters DLC (2015)
- Dark Souls III (2016)
- Ashes of Ariandel DLC (2016)
- The Ringed City DLC (2017)
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (2019)
- Demon’s Souls Remake (2020)
- Elden Ring (2022)
Dark Souls II: Crown of the Sunken King Cheats
While Dark Souls II: Crown of the Sunken King doesn’t have traditional cheat codes, players can discover various in-game secrets and exploits. These can include hidden paths, special item locations, and strategies for defeating bosses. Also, some glitches can unlock abilities not intended by the developers.
Engraved Gauntlets Glitch
For players using a version of the game that hasn’t been patched, this glitch can give very powerful attacks. The engraved gauntlets have a feature where they occasionally turn a standard hit into a critical hit. To abuse this mechanism, continuously attack until the gauntlets activate a critical hit, then remove them. Following this, each hit will result in critical damage, significantly increasing the inflicted damage. This glitch is only applicable in PvE, as online play requires the game to be patched.
Gender Change Coffin
In Things Betwixt, the tutorial area of the game, there’s an intriguing coffin partially submerged in water that you might have noticed. Once a player can get to the coffin, there’s a special effect that happens when entering the coffin. As the character climbs out of the coffin, the gender changes. If you started the game as a male character and wish to switch to a female, or vice versa, simply interact with this coffin.
The Illusory Ring of a Conqueror
The Illusory Ring of a Conqueror is one of the most coveted items in Dark Souls II. To obtain this ring, players must complete an incredibly challenging task: finish the entire game without dying once. If a player completes the entire game without dying once, they earn the ring, and it automatically appears in their inventory after the credits.
It’s important to note that deaths while wearing Rings of Life Protection still count as dying. Likewise, deaths as phantoms or during invasions are also counted towards deaths. Skipping credits at the end might also result in the loss of the ring. However, the ring is attainable by using save games to counteract dying.
Once equipped, the Illusory Ring of a Conqueror has a special effect: it makes the weapon in the player’s left hand invisible to others. This feature can give players a tactical advantage in PvP combat, as opponents cannot easily predict or see the player’s attacks coming.
FAQ
What is the in-game Crown of the Sunken King?
In the Dark Souls II: Crown of the Sunken King DLC, players can find the titular Crown of the Sunken King, a piece of head armor. Players acquire the crown by defeating one of the game’s bosses, Sinh, the Slumbering Dragon.
How many new boss fights are included in the Crown of the Sunken King?
There are a total of three new boss fights. These are Elana, the Squalid Queen, Sinh, the Slumbering Dragon, and Afflicted Graverobber, Ancient Soldier Varg, and Cerah the Old Explorer.