Finish your journey with Prima’s Dark Souls 2 walkthrough, including guides for Crown of the Sunken King and Crown of the Old King.
The Crown of the Ivory King DLC is somewhat different compared to the previous two Dark Souls 2 DLC areas. The area is frozen over and a snow storm fills the air with ice and snow. You will come across many areas that are blocked off due to the ice, as well as chests that are frozen shut and enemies that are frozen in place. There are even a few enemies that are very difficult to see in the snow storm.
You must find the Eye of the Priestess to see these enemies, which includes Aava, the King’s Pet, which is the first boss you will face. Once Aava, the King’s Pet is defeated, you can dispel the snow storm and thaw the area. Doing so opens up several side areas and allows access to all of the chests that were previously frozen shut.
The longer side areas that are inaccessible until the ice has thawed are separated into their own sections of the guide. This is to make it easier to play through before melting the ice, then quickly see what you need to go back for without having to backtrack through the text.
As always, a ranged weapon with plenty of ammunition is highly recommended. You will frequently attack enemies from a distance throughout the DLC area. In addition, have Repair Powder ready to use because many of the enemies are covered in ice armor that quickly degrades most weapons that come in contact with it. In addition, have armor with high magic defense ready for the boss battles, and high fire defense if you want to be thorough.
Enemy Item Drops
Charred Knight of Loyce – Charred Loyce Shield, Charred Loyce Armor Set
Charred Mage of Loyce – Charred Loyce Armor Set
Frozen Giant – Wilted Duck Herb
Frozen Hound – Soul of a Lost Undead, Soul of a Nameless Soldier, Human Effigy
Frozen Soldier – Ice Rapier, Radiant Lifegem, Amber Herb
Frozen Warrior – Ice Rapier, Radiant Lifegem, Amber Herb
Ice Golem – Twinkling Titanite
Prisoner – Prisoner’s Armor Set, Lifegem, Small Blur Burr
Rampart Golem – Rampart Golem Shield, Rampart Golem Lance, Rampart Golem Armor Set
Rampart Golem (Invader) – Rampart Golem Armor Set
Retainer – Retainer’s Robe, Retainer’s Short Sword
Retainer Mage – Retainer Robe
Retainer Wizard – Retainer Robe, Retainer Staff
Snow Slug – Ivory Warrior Ring
Crown of the Ivory King Walkthrough
To access the DLC, head to the Shaded Woods, Ruined Fork Road bonfire. Take the path to the left (directly opposite the foggy area) until you reach the Shrine of Winter. Examine the obelisk inside to reach the DLC area.
Head up the hill and through the door at the top. Continue up the stairs and light the bonfire at the top. This is the Frozen Eleum Loyce, Outer Wall bonfire. Keep moving forward to initiate a blast of cold air that inflicts a small amount of damage. Fight through the cold and make your way into the small opening ahead to enter Frozen Eleum Loyce.
Frozen Eleum Loyce
Once inside Frozen Eleum Loyce, you can head to the left or to the right. If you head to the left, you will encounter a mist doorway that leads to a boss battle against Aava, the King’s Pet. If you attempt this battle now, Aava is invisible, making the battle extremely difficult. You need the Eye of the Priestess item in order to make Aava visible.
Instead of fighting Arva, head to the right to find a Frozen Soldier in the area ahead. Defeat the enemy, then continue into the doorway. Another Frozen Soldier awaits in the room ahead. Be careful, as it’s difficult to see inside the room at first. As you battle the Frozen Soldier, a second Frozen Soldier may attack from the adjacent passage. Defeat the enemies, then pick up the item in the corner to obtain four Radiant Lifegems (restores HP).
Head down the stairs to find another Frozen Soldier in the room below. An invader Frozen Soldier waits in the next room, so be ready to engage both enemies at the same time. Ignore the adjacent room for now. You will eventually be able to clear the debris in the room, revealing a chest that contains a Soul Flash sorcery spell and providing access to a set of Northwarder (sorcerer) armor, including a hood, robe, manchettes and trousers. For now, head outside through the door instead. Make your way across the bridge until another Frozen Soldier in the room on the far side engages you.
At the end of the bridge is a Retainer. While the snow storm rages, the Retainers are no threat. However, once the storm has been dispelled, they will attack. Use ranged attacks to take it out from a distance. You do not want to engage both enemies at once, so either battle the Frozen Soldier on the bridge before you get to the Retainer, or take the Retainer out before you get close enough to draw the attention of the Frozen Soldier.
Move into the passage ahead to pick up two Goldenfruit Balm items (temporarily increase Faith). Just beyond the passage, another Frozen Soldier attacks from the left. There are stairs ahead, which lead to the area below. Waiting there are three Frozen Hounds. Take out the Frozen Soldier, then use ranged attacks to take out one of the Frozen Hounds. More than likely, you’ll have to hit the Hound at least twice to kill it. After the first shot, the Hounds will begin to make their way up the stairs, so be ready to quickly attack a second time to kill off one Hound and limit their numbers.
Make your way down the stairs and into the area where the Hounds were waiting. In the corner is a Winged Spear +7 weapon. Continue down the next flight of stairs, then immediately, head into the area to the left to find five Torches near the edge of the cliff, just under the stairs.
Head down the next path to find ice blocking your way to the left and right. Once the area is thawed, you will find a Retainer Staff, two Goldenfruit Balms and a Dried Root (restores HP) to the right. To the left is a Retainer, which will be up and active once the ice has thawed.
If you haven’t thawed the ice yet, head straight to reach the next open area. To the right is another Retainer sitting up against the wall. To the left are three Frozen Soldiers and a Frozen Warrior. Just behind the fountain to the left is a second Retainer. Use ranged attacks on one of the two visible Frozen Soldiers (the third is hidden off to the left near the Frozen Warrior). Attacking either will get both of them to head in your direction. Take down the first before the second reaches you, then deal with it.
With the first two Frozen Soldiers down, use ranged attacks on the Frozen Warrior blocking the path ahead. As soon as you attack it will counter with projectile attacks, forcing you to move closer. Doing so will trigger the third Frozen Soldier to attack. Take it out first, then finish off the Frozen Warrior. Turn around to take care of the Retainer near the fountain, then continue on your way. Once the snow has thawed, there are three Repair Powder items near the Frozen Soldier that were previously hidden behind the ice.
Just beyond the underpass where the Frozen Warrior was positioned, a second Frozen Warrior waits to the left. In the area ahead is a Frozen Soldier. If you attack the Frozen Soldier with a ranged weapon, it will move toward you, triggering the Frozen Warrior to do the same.
Defeat both enemies, then move into the area where the Frozen Warrior was waiting to find five Small Blue Burrs (temporarily boost magic defense). Head in the direction of the Frozen Soldier to find a snow mound in the way. Standing on the ledge to the left is another Frozen Soldier who will use ranged attacks as soon as you come within view. Use ranged attacks or quickly run around the snow mound to the stairs to engage the Frozen Soldier. Another Frozen Warrior and a Retainer also wait near the top of the stairs, so be ready to potentially engage all of the enemies at once.
There’s also a Retainer just opposite the stairs, near the snow mound. Just beyond the Retainer is a bridge. Once the ice has thawed, you can enter the building to the right of the bridge. If you wish to take this route, jump down to section 4A.
Head up the stairs and into the building where the Frozen Soldier was standing guard. Inside the next room are three Frozen Soldiers and a Frozen Hound. There are a number of boxes and barrels in the room, but none of the barrels are explosive. Use ranged attacks to damage the enemies from a distance, until they close in on you.
Take down the enemies, then you have two options. There are doors on either end of the room, one leading outside (on the far side of the room), and one leading further into the building. If you have unthawed the ice, there are three chests through the door that lead further into the building. They contain two Divine Blessing items (fully restores HP and cures all status effects), a Sorcerer’s Twinblade weapon and a Soul Vessel (re-spec your character). If the ice has not been thawed the chests are inaccessible.
If you’ve unthawed the ice, head through the door and around the corner to find another Frozen Warrior waiting at the top of the stairs. Use a ranged attack to get its attention or move within visual range and it will head down the stairs to engage you.
Defeat the Frozen Warrior, then continue up the stairs. There’s a room in the middle with two Retainers. Head up the stairs on the far side to find a Frozen Giant at the top. Take down the Giant, to find the three chests at the top.
If you have not thawed the ice, instead of heading through the door that leads to the chests, head through the door at the far end to find two Frozen Warriors and three Retainers in the area beyond. Take them down, then head into the doorway on the left at the top of the hill. Inside the next room is a Prisoner. Defeat it, then clear away the crates on the far side of the room to reveal an opening. Continue into the room ahead, and out the other side. Head right into the adjacent tunnel to find an invader Frozen Giant. Do not exit the tunnel or else you may get the attention of the other Frozen Giant at the end of the next open area.
Take down the invader Frozen Giant, then head into the open area to kill the other Frozen Giant. Continue up the hill and around the corner to find one last Frozen Giant. Kill it, then collect the Old Bell Helm at the edge of the cliff ahead. Be careful not to fall off, as the wind makes it difficult to see where the cliff is located.
Head back up to the room where you fought the Prisoner, but before you continue through the doorway on the opposite side, make note of the area off to the left. This leads to a ring of pedestals and a door that cannot be opened yet, but once the ice has then thawed, jump down to section 5A to continue down this path and find the Garrison Ward Key that is required to open a single door in this area. With that in mind, head into the room on the opposite side to find a bonfire in the lower area. Drop down and light the bonfire. This is the Frozen Eleum Loyce, Abandoned Dwelling bonfire.
Leave the room through the door on the side to find two more Frozen Giants. If you use ranged attacks from the doorway you can draw them into the room one at a time so you don’t have to fight them both at once.
Kill the enemies, then head toward the wall directly ahead, then up the snow hill to the left. Another Frozen Giant and a Frozen Soldier wait in the open area ahead, as well as a few more Retainers. In the middle of the area, on the far right side (before the location of the Frozen Soldier) are three Lloyd’s Talisman items (blocks Estus recovery within a limited area).
To the left is a staircase with another Frozen Giant just to the right of the stairs. It can be difficult to see the enemy, so keep a close eye out for it. Before you make your way up the stairs, look to the far right corner (to the right of the tree), to find a small passage. Stay close to the left wall and make your way through the passage and into the area to the left to find a Ring of the Embedded (gain surprises, but take increased damage).
Turn around and head to the left, making your way around the building directly ahead until you can go right. This small alley leads to the snow mound where the Retainers are sitting. Next to the Retainers is a Dark Dance hex.
Drop down to the area below, then continue up the stairs to the right. When you reach the very top, engage the Rampart Golem in the area ahead. There’s a door in the small passage here, but it does not open from this side. When you get through the passage, look to the right to see a small window in the building ahead. Depending on the patrol pattern of the Frozen Soldier inside, you may be able to take it out with ranged weaponry before you enter the building.
Cross the small bridge to find five Radiant Lifegems on the left, then pull the lever on the right to open the door ahead. There’s a long walkway perpendicular to your current path. To the right is a door leading into the building, as well as stairs heading up. To the left is another Rampart Golem, as well as three Prisoners.
Use a ranged attack to take out the Prisoners. If you shoot from the small tunnel, you should be able to take them all out without getting the attention of the Rampart Golem. With the Walkers down, finish off the Rampart Golem. There’s a gate behind him, but in order to open it, you need the Garrison Ward Key which you do not yet have.
Once you have the Garrison Ward Key, open the gate to find a bonfire inside. This is the Frozen Eleum Loyce, Expulsion Chamber bonfire. Light the bonfire, then examine the partially open coffin in the middle of the small area if you wish to head to the Frigid Outskirts area (detailed in the Frigid Outskirts section).
Head in the opposite direction and through the door, into the building. If you did not shoot the Frozen Soldier through the window, he waits in this room. There are also five frozen chests which you do not yet have access to. Once you have thawed out the ice, you can access the chests. The chest on the far right is a Mimic, so attack it before attempting to open it. The Mimic drops a Catarina Armor. The other four chests contain two Brightbug items (inflict more damage and receive less), three Bonfire Ascetic items (burn in bonfire to strength nearby foes), seven Old Radiant Lifegems, and a Titanite Slab (reinforces equipment).
Leave the room and head up the stairs to find another Rampart Golem. Take it down and head up the stairs and down the path at the top. You’ll pass another Retainer as well. There’s another Rampart Golem across the way from where the Retainer sits. However, if you attack it with ranged weaponry, it will put a shield up, then eventually make its way around to you. It’s very difficult to kill with ranged weaponry once its shield is up, so it’s better to simply wait.
Continue toward the end of this small tunnel, but do not go beyond it. If you melted the ice, straight ahead is a staircase leading down. Jump ahead to section 6A to continue down that path. For the time being, just ahead is your first encounter with a Black Ice Knight. These enemies are virtually invisible while the snow storm is blowing (once the ice has melted and the storm dispelled, you can see them clearly). You can see their outline if you’re in an area shielded from the wind, such as the confines of this tunnel.
If you stand near the edge of the tunnel, you will see two crossbow turrets on the path ahead. There’s a Black Ice Knight manning the turret to the right. Aim a ranged weapon at the left side of the turret (to the right of the boxes) to hit the Black Ice Knight. Once hit, it will move into the tunnel to engage you in battle.
Kill the Black Ice Knight (they do not respawn when you die or rest at a bonfire) then continue to the right to find a second Black Ice Knight manning the next turret. This one is much harder to lure back to the tunnel, so you need to take him out in a single barrage of attacks. If you get in trouble, run back to the tunnel and wait there to see if it follows (it most-likely will not). If it doesn’t follow, it will return to its position at the turret. Return to that location to finish it off.
Along the path to the right you will find 15 Prism Stones (emits light, marks one’s path), two Goldenfruit Balms and a Large Soul of a Brave Warrior. There’s also a place to use a Pharros’ Lockstone at the end, but it’s frozen. Once the ice has been melted, insert a Pharros’ Lockstone, then attack the ghostly image that appears to the left to reveal a chest inside that holds a Durgo’s Hat head piece.
Pick up the items, then head to the far side to find an invader Rampart Golem inside the small room. There’s another frozen chest in the alcove ahead that holds three Elizabeth Mushrooms, but you can’t access it until the ice has been melted. For now, kill the invader Rampart Golem, then head out the doorway to the left.
When you reach the next small tunnel, take down the Frozen Soldier in the room to the left, then pull the lever at the far end of the room. This raises the debris that blocked the way back in the side room near the beginning of the area.
Head back outside and to the left to find the Rampart Golem that was adjacent to the Retainer from before. If you killed it before, it’s still dead now (surprise!). If you did not kill it, then do so now. On the other side of the balcony are eight Green Blossom items (temporarily boost stamina recovery speed), but moving close enough to pick them up draws the attention of the Frozen Warrior down the stairs. Kill the Frozen Warrior, pick up the items, but before you go down the stairs, there are a few items you can pick up. If you wish to head down the stairs, skip ahead to 1A. If you wish obtain a Splinter Lightning Spear miracle and Human Effigy, head across the way and open the door that leads into the adjacent tower.
Four Frozen Hounds wait in the room ahead and will attack as soon as you enter. You have more room fight them in this large, circular room, but if you go back outside you can fight on the narrow walkway which can make it easier to attack multiple Hounds at once. In most cases you should be able to take down the Hounds in two hits or less, so attacking more than one at a time can be beneficial. However, if you have trouble fighting in the narrow walkway, fight in the large room instead.
Kill all of the Hounds, then pick up the Human Effigy on the far side of the room. Head up the stairs to find a Frozen Soldier near the top of the room. The stairs are broken, meaning you can’t attack the enemy at close range. However, if you have a ranged attack, target the visible portion of the Frozen Soldier’s body. If you can hit it once, the enemy will drop down to the lower area, allowing you to finish it off. In addition, a Frozen Hound patrols the top area and may drop down with the Soldier.
Defeat the enemies, then head back up the stairs and through the opening on the right to reach the balcony. Pick up the Soul of a Great Hero outside, then head back down the stairs and out the door you used to enter the room. Climb up the ladder to the right to reach the area above the room you were just in. If you did not kill the Frozen Solider and Hound before, take care of them now, then open the chest in the middle of the room to obtain a Splinter Lightning Spear miracle. Now head back to where the stairs were to continue your journey.
1A – Eye of the Priestess
Head down the stairs to find another set of stairs just ahead. If you go down the stairs you will not be able to immediately get back up because there’s a small drop. If you wish to continue down the stairs, the next room holds a Crimson Water item (greatly restores HP and spell uses). Continue down the next flight of stairs, then down the long path and up the stairs to the right.
Pick up the Eye of the Priestess in the room at the top. This is the item required to see Aava, the King’s Pet during the boss battle at the beginning of the area. This also allows you to see the Black Ice Knights and summon points to gain computer assistants on your journey. If you wish to fight Aava now, jump ahead to 2A.
If you wish to continue on your journey, head back down the stairs and around the corner to the next flight of stairs. There’s a door just under where the Eye of the Priestess was found, but you can’t open it from this side.
If you look down the stairs you’ll see a now visible Black Ice Knight at the very end. You can run down and engage him, or use ranged attacks to get his attention. Take out the Black Ice Knight, then continue down to corner where the path turn to the right. At this point another invader Rampart Golem should be running toward you from the path ahead.
Take out the enemy, then continue down the path to find five Alluring Skull items (lures certain types of enemies) and a Skeptic’s Spice (lowers required faith by one for chosen spell) just before the stairs ahead. Continue up the stairs and into the mist door on the left.
As soon as you move through the mist, a Retainer Mage attacks from the left. Dead ahead is a bonfire. Take cover near the bonfire, then make quick work of the Retainer Mage. If you get too close, the Frozen Warrior on the path above the Retainer Mage will drop down and attack as well. Defeat the enemies, then light the bonfire. This is the Frozen Eleum Loyce, Inner Wall bonfire.
Head down the hallway opposite the direction where the two enemies first appeared. Pull the lever at the end to open the door ahead. To the right is a small hallway and a room. In the room are two Retainer Mages and two Frozen Soldiers, as well as a Frozen Warrior in the hallway on the far side of the room. You can take out all both Wizards and the visible Frozen Soldier with ranged attacks to avoid having to face them all at once.
The second Frozen Solider is behind the ice in the far left corner of the room, which means you need to move into the room to see it. Attacking the second Frozen Soldier may also get the attention of the Frozen Warrior. If you have to fight them both at once, move in closer to avoid dealing with their projectile attacks.
Take out all of the enemies and ignore the frozen chests for now. Once they’re unthawed the chest on the left is a mimic that drops a Symbol of Avarice head piece, and the chest on the right contains three Twinkling Titanite items and three Petrified Dragon Bone items. In addition, once unthawed, when one of the Wizards is defeated, one of the Ice Golems is activated and attacks.
Head out the far side of the room and up the stairs to the right. When you reach the next floor, the Holy Knight Aurheim invades, but he is two floors up and will not attack yet. Pick up the two Dried Root items in the corner, then head up the next flight of stairs.
Two Frozen Warriors and a Retainer Mage wait on the next floor. As soon as you reach the top, the Frozen Warriors will engage. Head back down the stairs to fight them on the floor below. The Wizard will not follow, meaning you only need to battle against two enemies at once instead of three. Defeat the Warriors, then head back up to finish off the Wizard.
Once the room is unthawed, as soon as you defeat the Wizard, one of the Ice Golems in the center of the room attacks. Defeat it then attack the two remained Ice Golems while they remain inactive. Do not kill one until you have inflicted near-fatal damage to the other. As soon as one is down, the other comes alive and attacks. Defeat all three Ice Golems, then open the chest in the middle of the room to find a Curved Nil Greatsword.
One side of the room is blocked by ice. After you’ve thawed out the ice, you gain access to the hallway that was previously blocked. Jump down to section 3A to follow this route. Head through the doorway on the opposite side, then continue up the stairs. There’s a chest at the end of the hallway at the top, but the Holy Knight Aurheim is currently invisible in this hallway. As soon as you reach the chest, the Holy Knight Aurheim moves in from behind. You must be ready for this attack or it will be a critical hit from behind, almost assuredly killing you.
Move up to the chest and turn around. If you aren’t immediately attacked, wait a moment to see if any of the barrels in the room move, giving away the Holy Knight Aurheim’s location. He usually waits next to the barrels on the right, in front of the chest. As soon as you hit the Holy Knight Aurheim or make him dodge, he becomes clearly visible.
Defeat the Holy Knight Aurheim, then open the chest to find 10 Silver Talisman items (transform to blend in to the environment). Head through the doorway in the middle of the hall, and up the next flight of stairs. When you reach the top, drop down to the path below to find yourself near the entrance to the boss battle against Aava, the King’s Pet. The boss battle is to the left, the main entrance to the area is to the right.
This is a great time to head back to take on Aava, the King’s Pet and move on to the Grand Cathedral area.
2A – Aava, the King’s Pet Boss Battle
Boss Battle: Aava, the King’s Pet
Reward: Soul of Aava, the King’s Pet
Once you have obtained the Eye of the Priestess, head back to the Frozen Eleum Loyce, Outer Wall bonfire. Before you make your way to Aava, equip anything that boosts your magic defense. All of Aava’s attacks are magic-based, and in some cases difficult to avoid. The more magic defense you have, the better off you’ll be. A shield that absorbs at least 90 percent magic damage (e.g. Havel’s Greatshield) is a powerful asset during this battle. A Spell Quartz Ring can also be beneficial.
Move down the main path to find an ally summon point. Summon an ally, then head through the large door ahead. Make your way to the left to find a second summon point. Call forth a second helper, then continue into the mist door directly ahead.
At the end of this long path, Aava sits on the ledge above. Depending on the severity of the snow storm, even with the Eye of the Priestess it may be difficult to make out Aava on the ledge. Look for the darker blue object. You can use a ranged attack from a distance to get Aava’s attention, or just run close enough and Aava will jump down.
There are a few different ways you can approach this boss battle. Aava has several long-range attacks, as well as a few close range attacks. All are magic based, even Aava’s basic claw attacks. While your allies will help during the battle, they may not be able to draw Aava’s attention away from you. If you battle at close range, watch out for Aava to pause briefly and enter an almost prone-like stance. This is your only warning that Aava is about to emit a burst of magic that will damage anyone in close proximity. If you see this, move away quickly.
Aava uses two different magic projectile attacks. From a moderate distance Aava will summon a series of floating crystals. Once all crystals are visible, they fire magic bolts at Aava’s current target. If you get hit by the first bolt, it will knock you down and the rest will miss. You can also block all of the bolts if you have a good magic absorbing shield. While it’s possible to dodge the bolts, this is not recommended unless you’re extremely agile and skilled at dodging. Even if this is the case, it’s very difficult to avoid all of the bolts. Shortly after the bolts have been shot, small flame pillars erupt.
The second projectile attack places several magic points on the ground surrounding Aava. Once all of the points are in place, they erupt with flame pillars similar to the other magic projectile attack. Keep your distance until the flame pillars die down (which doesn’t take long).
From a distance, Aava will charge toward you, then jump with a biting attack that cannot be shielded against. If you see Aava running toward you, be prepared to dodge to the left or right. If you’re caught by the biting attack, it will inflict significant damage and almost assuredly be fatal if you’re not at full health.
Attacking Aava from close range is your best bet, unless your allies can get Aava’s attention. If this is the case, use ranged attacks from as far away as you can. From this distance you should have plenty of time to put up a shield or be ready to evade any of Aava’s attacks, should her focus of interest shift to you.
At close range, get behind Aava and attack its hind legs. Do not perform more than one or two attacks at a time, depending on the speed of your weapon. Aava will not hesitate to quickly turn around and use a claw attack against you. This happens very quickly, so you will not have time to react to it. Attack once or twice from behind Aava, then be ready to dodge. If Aava doesn’t turn around and attack, continue to target its back legs.
Aava runs around quite a bit, so you’ll have to decide if you want to stay as close as possible, or alternate between ranged attacks and melee attacks. Aava doesn’t have a ton of health, so this should not be a difficult battle so long as you have solid magic defense and can evade or shield Aava’s attacks. If your allies can grab Aava’s attention for most of the battle, things become even easier as you can focus more on attacking and less on evasion.
Defeat Aava, then head through the opening on the far side. In the small room, there’s a door to the left that does not open from that side. Continue forward and up the stairs and open the door at the top to enter the Grand Cathedral.
3A – Knight of Eleum Loyce Location
In the hallway ahead are two more Ice Golems, a Retainer Mage and a Frozen Soldier. If you kill the Wizard, one of the Golems comes alive. Instead, run past the Wizard and the Soldier. Only the Soldier should follow, allowing you to finish it off with ease.
With the soldier down, use ranged attacks to take out the two Golems without being seen by the Wizard. Finish off the Wizard, then open the gate at the end of the hallway. In the room ahead is a Knight of Eleum Loyce that you will need in The Old Chaos area. Approach the knight and he teleports to the Cathedral to await your arrival.
Go up the stairs behind the knight and open the door at the top. This is the small room after the boss battle again Aava, the King’s Pet. The door only opens from this side. You want to open it to give you a shortcut to the Cathedral should you need it.
Head back down the stairs and into the hallway on the left, just outside the room where the Knight of Eleum was sitting. At the end of the hallway you will find three Flame Butterfly items (lights torch autonomously). As you’re approaching the item, examine the right side of the hallway, near the middle. This opens a secret passage that leads to a bridge below.
Drop down and look to the right to see a Frozen Soldier on the adjacent balcony. Used ranged attacks to take it down, then turn around to go into the hallway direct under the opening you just dropped from. Near the end of the hallway are two Rampart Golems. Take them down, the head back across the bridge to the other side.
Go left to find a Frozen Warrior standing on the stairs ahead. Kill it then continue up the stairs to find a chest that contains a Fire Clutch Ring (increases fire attack). Drop down into the room to the left to find yourself in the room with the three Ice Golems, two Frozen Warriors and the Retainer Mage from before.
4A – Knight of Eleum Loyce Location
Head down the bridge and step inside the building to the right. Take the lift to the lower level, where just outside three Demon Rabbits await. Take them out, then pick up the two Goldenfruit Balm items and two Monastery Charm items (cures poison and restores HP) in the snow.
Head through the opening on the far side. Directly ahead is another Demon Rabbit. It’s difficult to see because of the numerous pillars in the area. Move to the right until you can see it, then kill it with ranged attacks. To the right of the pillars are two Twilight Herbs (restores spell uses). Near the end of the pillars is another Demon Rabbit. Move left and right until you can clearly see it, then used ranged attacks to take it down.
As you emerge from the pillars, the Dark spirit Hexer Nicholai invades. He uses a numerous amount of magic attacks, so be ready for him. Don’t move too far into the open area as there’s another Demon Rabbit off to the right (hidden by pillars), as well as Retainer Wizards on the ledges above the area ahead.
Defeat the invader, then take down the Demon Rabbit off to the right. Pick up the two Old Growth Balms (temporarily increases strength) near the Demon Rabbit, then proceed into the open area to engage three Retainer Wizards on the ledges above. If you move slowly, you can engage the first and take it down before the second and third enemies attack.
On the far right side of the area are two more Demon Rabbits, with a third through the arches, near the door. Take out all three, then collect the five Amber Herbs beyond the arches (to the left of the door). The door won’t open from this side, so head toward the far right area and up the ladder.
Open the chest straight ahead to obtain three Boltstones (imbues equipment with lightning). Head to the far side of the upper area to find two Magic Stones (imbues weapon with magic) near the corner. Collect the items, then turn around and head into the doorway to the right to find a bonfire. This is the Frozen Eleum Loyce, Lower Garrison bonfire. Light the bonfire, then head back toward the chest and through the doorway on the right, just before you reach the chest.
Head up the stairs, to find an invader. However, if you engage him, he runs away down the stairs. Continue through the doorway and across into the next building. Go down the hallway and out the door, then pull the lever just outside to open the gate below. Go back down to the lowest level and move toward the newly opened gate. At this point the invader that fled will engage you.
This enemy attacks with multiple stabs in rapid succession, so be careful when letting your guard down. It’s relatively easy to get behind him for critical attacks, but the invader has a significant amount of health, so it will still take some time to defeat him.
With the invader down continue through the gate and down the path. Make your way around, then drop down to the area below. On the far side are two invader Demon Rabbits and a Snow Slug. The area is littered with items including: a Large Club +8, two Dried Roots, two Twinkling Titanite, a Crimson Water and three Smooth & Silky Stones.
There are two ways you can handle this situation. You can take down each enemy in a manly battle, or you can run to the far end, passing all of the enemies, then either continue on your way or take them out one at a time from behind. The Snow Slug drops an Ivory Warrior Ring which greatly reduces enemy stamina with every attack. If you want this ring, you have to kill the Snow Slug.
You won’t be able to fight the Snow Slug alone. As soon as the Snow Slug sees you, the two invader Demon Rabbits will also attack. If you’re quick, you can take down the two Demon Rabbits before the Snow Slug gets close. This is imperative as the spikes on the back of the Demon Rabbits inflict damage to you anytime you’re close to them, whether they’re attacking or not.
Once the Snow Slug gets close enough, it unleashes a lunge attack that covers a decent amount of ground and inflicts substantial damage. Kill the Demon Rabbits as quickly as possible, then circle around the Snow Slug, attacking frequently. Dodge to avoid all of the Snow Slugs attacks, then counter attack as quickly as you can before the Slug attacks again.
Whether you want to fight the enemies head on or run past and fight them from behind, you need to head to the far right corner of the room. Here you’ll find a passage that leads up. Two Demon Rabbits (non-invaders) wait in that passage. If you’re running, run past both of them and continue to run until you reach the small open area. At this point, turn around and wait for the first enemy to approach. More than likely, it will be one of the normal Demon Rabbits. Kill it, then slowly make your way back down the passage, killing each enemy as you come across it.
The Snow Slug is too large to fit in the passage. This allows you to attack from within the passage using ranged weaponry and the Snow Slug will never be able to attack. This is the easiest way to defeat all of the enemies, then collect the items.
Once you’re back in the small open area near the top of the passage, you can continue down the left or right tunnel. Down the left tunnel is a door that leads back to the open area near the pillars. The door there would only open from the other side. This is the other side of that door. Open it to enable the shortcut, then head down the other tunnel.
Before you exit the tunnel, use a ranged attack to kill the Demon Rabbit straight ahead. When you attack it, a second Demon Rabbit will attack from the right. Kill both enemies without leaving the tunnel, then use ranged attacks to take out the four Ice Golems in the next area. The Golems have difficulty fitting inside the tunnel, which means if you stay in the tunnel, you won’t have to deal with their attacks. Only two of the Golems attack, the others remain stationary.
With all of the enemies taken care of that are visible from the tunnel, head out of the tunnel and look to the left to see another Demon Rabbit. Kill it to get the attention of one more Demon Rabbit that comes from the far side. Take care of the enemies, then head toward the item on the left. When you reach the item, look to the right to see another Demon Rabbit. Kill it, then collect the five Charcoal Pine Resins (apply fire to right-hand weapon).
Continue around the corner to the right and pick up the Pharros’ Lockstone before heading through the doorway and into the building. Take the lift to the upper level, then head around to the left to find three Frozen Giants ahead. Don’t wander too far because there’s another Frozen Giant up the hill to the left.
If you don’t feel comfortable taking on three Frozen Giants at once, attack one with a ranged weapon to get their attention, then move back into the room with the lift. The Frozen Giants have difficulty getting into the room, which allows you to take them down systematically with ranged attacks.
Once the three Frozen Giants to the left are down, head up the hill to the right to take out the fourth one. Continue up the hill, to find two more Demon Rabbits. Kill them, then take down the two Frozen Giants around the corner of the building at the top.
Keep moving around the building to find another Demon Rabbit and a Rampart Golem around the next corner. There are also three Vine Balms items (temporarily increases dexterity) to the left just before you round the corner, but take care of the enemies before you pick them up or else you will be ambushed.
Continue around the building and up the stairs. Open the gate at the top to find another Knight of Eleum Loyce waiting inside. Walk up to the knight to send him down to the Cathedral.
Head back down to the location of the three Frozen Giants near the lift and proceed across the bridge. At the end of the bridge are an Azal’s Staff, four Radiant Lifegems, and three Cracked Red Eye Orbs (invade other worlds). Once the items are collected, there’s nothing more to do in this side area. You can return to the last bonfire you rested.
5A – Garrison Ward Key
Use a Flame Butterfly to light the four pedestals here to open the large door. If you have not thawed the ice, the pedestals cannot be lit. If you do not have any Flame Butterfly items, head back to the room with doors on either end (where you fought three Frozen Soldiers and a Frozen Hound), and go through the door on the far side. In the room just beyond is a lit pedestal where you can ignite your torch. If you do not have a torch, kill the Prisoner in the building opposite the one with the Frozen Eleum Loyce, Abandoned Dwelling bonfire. Once the ice has been thawed, this enemy will drop a torch when killed.
Head through the newly opened doorway. There are seven Retainers lining the hallway inside. If you use ranged attacks from the doorway, you can take them out as they drop down to the path and make their way toward you.
Just inside the doorway is the outline of a door in the rock wall to the left. Examine it to reveal a hidden pathway. Head up the path, then to the left to find a Bone First weapon. Go back down the path, then straight ahead into the adjacent passage to encounter a Flexile Sentry (very similar to the Flexile Sentry boss).
Defeat the Flexile Sentry, then head up the passage to the left. If you look down, you’ll see another Flexile Sentry in the alcove below. Use ranged weaponry to safely attack the other Flexile Sentry from your current location. Even if it runs toward you, it rarely makes it all the way up to your location, providing an easy ranged target.
Take down the second Flexile Sentry, then pick up the two Human Effigy items to the left of the exit point of the passage you just emerged from. Drop down to the lower area and pick up the Garrison Ward Key that the second Flexile Sentry was guarding. This completes the side area.
6A – Knight of Eleum Loyce Location
Kill the Frozen Warrior waiting on the stairs, then head down and around the corner. Continue down the stairs to the left. In the room ahead there are two Frozen Soldiers and a Frozen Warrior to the left. If you don’t wish to fight all three at once, move into the room to get the attention of the Frozen Warrior, then head back up the stairs to draw it away from the other enemies.
Take down all three enemies, then head directly across from the entrance to the balcony on the far side. Pick up the Priest’s Chime +8 weapon to the left, then used a ranged weapon to attack the Frozen Soldier across the way.
Head down to the far side of the room. Along the way, use ranged weaponry to attack the Frozen Warrior and Frozen Soldier below. This will make things easier down the road. On the far side of the room are two ladders, one that goes up and one that head down. Climb up to the room above to find two Elizabeth Mushrooms (large gradual restoration of HP), then open the door. This is one of the doors that can only be opened from this side, which creates a shortcut to the area.
Climb back down the ladder and then continue down the other ladder. Take out the Frozen Warrior that attacks from the corner if you didn’t kill it before. Climb down the next ladder and kill the Rampart Golem below. It does not attack until you reach the floor, so don’t worry about being ambushed on the ladder.
Head through the opening to the far side of the room to find a balcony to the left. Pick up the Ring of Resistance +1 (raises poison, bleed, curse and petrify resistance) on the balcony, then head down the nearby ladder.
When you reach the bottom, four Frozen Hounds attack from the room at the end. Kill the Hounds, then head into the room they came from to find a chest. Open the chest to obtain three Wilted Dusk Herbs (restores many spell uses). On the opposite side of the area are three more Hounds. If you attack one, all three will come running.
Defeat the Hounds, then continue down the passage near the end, on the right. When you get back outside, ignore the lift in the room to the left for now. Make your way around the walkway to trigger the dark spirit Castaway Witch Donna to invade. Defeat the invader on the bridge, then use ranged attacks to engage the Rampart Golem at the end.
Open the gate the Rampart Golem is guarding to find another Knight of Eleum Loyce waiting inside. Approach him to trigger his departure, then head back to the lift you passed. Step on the lift to activate it, then open the door in the room above to find yourself in the same location you found the Eye of the Priestess, concluding this side area.
Frigid Outskirts
There’s a raging snow storm in this area, which makes it very difficult to see. It dies down every 30 seconds or so, allowing you to see the area around you. Look in the open coffin close by to find two Blackweed Balm items (temporarily increases intelligence). Head to the series of statues similar to the ones at the very beginning of the DLC area. Here you can summon two spirits to help you.
At this point, you can head directly for the boss by making your way to the right and continuing forward until you see a light. Follow the light to reach a bridge that leads to the boss battle. Along the way, you will encounter an invader, as well as several Phantom Horses that use lightning attacks. If you can, fight the Horses from a distance (using the summoned spirits to keep the enemy occupied) to avoid its various lightning attacks.
If you wish to explore the area, you will find two main structures in addition to the area where the boss is fought. Both structures are roughly in the middle of the area. One houses several Prisoners with a device on the wall that allows you to use a Pharros’ Lockstone. This creates a pool of liquid in front of the device that replenishes your health, and the health of your summoned allies. The other structure houses a Rampart Golem.
When you reach the bridge, head across to find a mist door. Head into the mist doorway to begin the boss battle against Lud, the King’s Pet and Zallon, the King’s Pet.
Boss Battle: Lud, the King’s Pet and Zallen, the King’s Pet.
Reward: Soul of Lud, the King’s Pet and Soud of Zallen, the King’s Pet.
If Lud seems familiar, that’s because it fights very similar to Aava, the King’s Pet, the first boss you fought in the DLC area. The main difference here is that shortly after the battle begins, Zallen appears. Like Lud, Zallen is essentially identical to Aava, which means you’re basically playing the same boss fight again, only with two bosses instead of one.
Like the fight against Aava, you can approach this battle multiple ways. Deal as much damage to Lud as possible before Zallen appears. Both enemies have several long-range attacks, and a few close range attacks as well. All of their attacks are magic based, so make sure you have defensive gear that reduces magic damage.
Your allies will help to distract both bosses during the battle. This gives you time to attack from behind or use ranged attacks from a distance. It’s a bit harder to use ranged attacks here because there are two enemies, and the area you’re fighting in is smaller. However, if you can separate yourself from the bosses while they’re occupied with your summoned allies, use ranged attacks to inflict as much damage as possible.
Try to focus on one boss moreso than the other. This fight becomes much easier when it’s down to only one boss instead of two. The battle begins with only Lud, which means it should have the lowest health when Zallen appears. Continue to focus on Lud until you’ve defeated it, then shift your attention to Zallen.
If you battle at close range, attack from behind and always keep an eye on the other boss. They can attack from quite a distance away, and their lunging attacks inflict significant damage, just like Aava’s. You do not want to get caught by ranged attacks or the lunging attack while you’re busy trying to defeat the other boss. It’s very easy to lose track of the second boss, so always make sure it’s in visual range.
Any allies you have with you will go down quickly, so make sure every attack counts. This battle isn’t all that difficult by yourself so long as one of the bosses has been defeated. This is essentially the same fight as before, so you’ve already defeated the boss. What makes this encounter difficult is that you’re facing off against two of them simultaneously. It is imperative that you take out at least one before your helpers die, or else you’re going to need expert evasion ability to dodge attacks from two bosses at once.
Defeat both bosses, then head through the opening, toward the light. Examine the light to return to the Frozen Eleum Loyce, Expulsion Chamber bonfire.
Grand Cathedral
Move down the hallway to find a bonfire at the end. This is the Grand Cathedral bonfire. Head up the stairs to either side (they both lead to the same place), and open the door on the floor above. Make note of yet another frozen chest here.
Continue straight ahead, down the red carpet. When you reach the elevated area, talk to the spirit Alsanna several times, then choose to help her. This melts all of the frozen objects that you’ve come across in this area. That includes enemies in addition to chests.
At this point you have two options. In the room ahead is a mist door which leads to The Old Chaos and the final boss battle against the Burnt Ivory King. At this point in time, one Knight of Eleum Loyce will help you, and there’s a summon sign to get one additional ally. However, if you retrace your steps through the entirety of the DLC area, you will find three more Knights of Eleum Loyce. Finding them will send the knights to the room ahead, and they will help in the coming battle.
While it’s possible to complete the battle without the additional knights, it’s extremely difficult. The knights seal off the flow of enemies, making the battle just before the boss much easier to complete. It’s recommended that you find the other knights. Their locations are listed in this walkthrough.
Either way you choose, for now, turn around and open the now unfrozen chest in the room you just came from to obtain a Vessel Shield. Go back into the room where you spoke to Alsanna to find a summon sign to the right, just after you enter. If you’re ready to enter The Old Chaos, head through the newly revealed doorway just below where the spirit sits. A Knight of Eleum Loyce stands in the next room, and serves as your ally in the coming battle. Head through the mist door to fall down into the Old Chaos.
The Old Chaos
As soon as you drop into the new area, four Charred Knights of Loyce and two Charred Mages of Loyce attack. The longer the four doors surrounded the arena remain unsealed, the more enemies you’ll have to deal with. If you have all four Knights of Eleum Loyce and a summoned ally with you, this isn’t a difficult battle. Focus on one enemy at a time, with priority to the Mages since they have deadly fire-based attacks.
Move around often to make sure you have all of the enemies in sight at all times. If all of the enemies are occupied with your allies, used ranged attacks to inflict damage from a safe distance. You can also close in for melee attacks, but it’s easier to get surrounded that way.
Once all of the enemies are down, the Burnt Ivory King appears on the far side of the arena and attacks you and your allies. If you entered with all four Knights of Eleum Loyce, only one will remain at this point, as the others sealed the doors. Your summoned ally should also still be alive, unless you were slow to defeat the other enemies.
Boss Battle: Burnt Ivory King
Reward: Soul of the Ivory King
The battle against the Burnt Ivory King is fairly straightforward. At first he attacks with a basic sword. If you stay away from him, he lunges forward with a charging attack that should be dodged to either direct. Angle your dodge diagonally forward to stay close to the boss so you can easily attack after dodging.
After a few attacks, the Ivory King imbues his sword with magic. At this point equip any magic defensive items you have to lower the damage inflicted by the weapon. In most cases it’s relatively easy to evade all of the bosses attacks, but it’s still good to have increased magic defense just in case.
If you stay away from the boss, he still uses a lunging attack that can be dodged, but all of his attacks have increased range now, so you need to dodge a little earlier than before. When the Ivory King pauses and begins to glow, move away as quickly as possible. A magic-based spike attack erupts from the ground in a circular formation around the boss.
At close range, simply circle around the boss until he attacks. He generally attacks with a two or three hit combo. Dodge all of the attacks, then counter with at least two of your own attacks. Depending on the speed of your weapon, you may be able to get more attacks off, but don’t get greedy. If you have armor with good magic defense, you won’t take huge damage from the initial attacks, but the last attack will usually remove at least 40 percent of your health bar.
If your allies have the King’s attention, back away to maximum ranged attack distance. While the boss may redirection his attention toward you, from this distance you have plenty of time to react accordingly.
At the end of the arena is the Crown of the Ivory King. Pick it up, then head back to the point where you dropped down to see a beam of light. Examine the light to return to the Grand Cathedral and complete the DLC.
Finish your journey with Prima’s Dark Souls 2 walkthrough, including guides for Crown of the Sunken King and Crown of the Old King.
