Part 37: - Snowfield

We've finished the main game and it's time to tackle the first of two DLCs (The second of which, at the time of writing this, has not come out yet). Traditonally the DLCs are considered the best parts of their games. And to some extent. Dark Souls III's first DLC, Ashes of Ariandel, got a rather lukewarm reception, unfortunately. The most common complaint being that it's too short. But I actually liked it and felt it was just the right length. Not the best part of the game but to me that speaks more for the quality of the main game than against that of the DLC. And since we're starting the DLC I'll go a bit over what each of the DLCs added to their respective games and what sets them apart, if anything. I won't cover them all at once, though.


Crown of the Sunken King
As far as Dark Souls DLC areas go, this is my favorite. This might surprise those who know that Dark Souls II is by far the Souls game I like the least, one of my chief complaints being that the level design is lacking. But that is the part that Shulva gets right. From the very beginning it tries to establish that you can go anywhere in this vast looking area. You enter and immediately see a Ziggurat, which is your destination without a doubt. Since you're standing there staring at the thing already you also look around a bit. Looking down into what might at first assumed to be a death pit you see creatures walking around. Even though it's ultimately not that big of an area it gives you the impression of being huge.

You're quickly introduced to this areas mild puzzle elements. Hit weird swith things and pillars get raised or lowered. They can damage enemies or create platforms for you to walk on. Some do both. This slight puzzling continues on once you enter the shrine, which is why some people compare it to a Zelda temple. By hitting switches you unlock an item needed for progression, some neat extras here and there as well as a bonfire.

In retrospect, the bosses weren't THAT great, but a welcome breath of fresh air in Dark Souls II, as the game didn't have an awful lot of monster bosses. They are still fun to fight, though. Elana likes to summon adds (one of which can be a previous boss) and can wreck your day with Pyromancies and Hexes. Sinh is a cool fight against a dragon that can actually go airborne, as opposed to Kalameet from the first game's DLC. Then there was the co-op area but all the co-op Areas from Dark Souls II's DLCs were shit and the boss for this one is just three NPCs that do NPC things and are very tedious to solo. I am still baffled that some people apparently liked this boss fight.