I stopped playing after I finished DS2, but now want to come back to play the DLC. I tried to research them but I keep running into spoilers :O

Are all three good? Worth just playing one? Anything I should know going in? Shut this thread as I've been incredibly lazy?

THANKS! :D

I think the ivory crown might be the weakest of the 3 in terms of level design, but they are all quite good and worth playing.

Yeah the consensus seems pretty positive, they are a bit pricey but I think i'll going back to Drangleic :)

I fucking adore 'em, personally. It's a very different kind of design than is seen throughout the most of DS 2, being far more reminiscent of Demons' Souls level design, but with the polish of DS 2 added ontop of it.

Everyone I've personally talked to is in the same group as I am, and think it's some of the best, if not the best, levels in the entire Souls franchise. As with a lot of other folks, I was initially somewhat disappointed by DS 2 as a whole, it felt a bit too easy and too unimaginative to me overall, but the DLC completely turned that perspective on it's head. It's a ton of inventive, lengthy content, and I'd kill for even more of it.

Mind, there are people who feel differently from me. When the DLC initially came out, a LOT of people were complaining about it being too hard, and being even more obtuse than as per usual. They're both valid arguments, it's just that those aspects actually appeal to certain people while they put others off. Way I see it, if a Souls game isn't hard or doesn't require time to figure out, it's not doing it's job.

Much like the game I found myself enjoying the most last year was the expansion to XCOM, the Dark Souls 2 DLC is really what made this year special in gaming for me.

If you decide to play a single one of 'em to try it out, I'd suggest you go for the Iron Crown DLC as it's probably the best overall. (Though I'm personally leaning towards Ivory Crown as my favourite) Should you decide to get all three, then start with Sunken Crown and play 'em in the order of release, as they get progressively harder. The Sunken Crown also has a really neat mechanic that involves hitting switches to drastically change and weaponize the environment, and that stuff is just worth seeing.

Yeah, all the DLC is great! The areas are more DS1-style in design, and they are HUGE. It's actually kinda crazy how much content and gameplay hours are in each one. One bummer thing for DS2 overall is just prepare yourself to have to re-buy things later next year when the "next-gen" version shows up.

@drzing: Good thing I waited to play these DLCs 'till the inevitable next-gen versions were announced! :p

How do you access the new content? The DS1 DLC was pretty obscure, and I'd like to avoid looking at a FAQ to get to the new areas if possible.

@eskimo: It's fairly simple this time around. There are three shrines, each corresponding to a different DLC area. Once you purchase the DLCs, you'll receive an item in your inventory that has a hint as to where these shrines are located. (Spoilers for them who'd like to explore on their own) Two of these are next to major bosses of the game. Sunken Crown is in the room after the Rotten, next to the primeval bonfire. Iron Crown is in the room after the Old Iron King, again next to the primeval bonfire. And the final one, Ivory Crown, is in the Shrine of Winter, which is the locked door you pass on the way to Dranleic castle after having defeated the first big 4.

@drzing: Fortunately, all the new content from the "next-gen" version will be included in our already purchased editions. Gotta' pay up for those graphical updates however. By then, I think I'll just be playing Bloodborne anyhow.

You might want to wait for the new version at this point but the latter 2 DLCs are good and the first one is alright. More dragon genitals, enormous confusing areas, and some of the best bosses in the series (Ivory King probably being the best overall).

The Dark Souls 2 DLC is some of the best Souls content to date. It rivals and in some aspects surpasses the Artorias of the Abyss DLC (the best content in DS1). You should absolutely play it.

is it at all likely that you'll be able to transfer characters across? have they said?

Some of the best parts of the game.

Really? You thought Artorias was the best part of DS1? Just seemed like areas from the rest of the game tbh. No where near as mysterious or exciting as Anor Londo, Sen's Fortress, Painted world or The Catacombs.

I've competed Sunken Crown and Iron King so far, very good! But just as good as the rest of DS2, doesn't particularly stand out... I thought areas like the Dragon Shrine, No-Man's Wharf and Iron Keep were more interesting from the original game... Although Iron King was very pretty, loved the castle! I'll see about Ivory Crown next :)

@masterrain: Taken as a whole "world" (to use a Demon's Souls term) as it were the DLC in Dark Souls I is definitely the best part of the game, 4 of the best bosses in the series. Is Anor Londo still better individually? Debatable but for most people sure, however it's not really comparable as Anor Londo is a much shorter area on a linear route. It's certainly much better than the Catacombs and the Painted World.

Yeah as a world, Artorias was very solid. From a pure gameplay point it was quintessential Dark Souls. However I quite like the discovery aspect, maybe even more than playing! Although it was cool descending down to Manus, stuff like the Catacombs and Painted World were just more intriguing. Anor Londo was just a massive wtf moment, so mysterious! I'm enjoying Ivory Crown a lot as it has that unknown aspect, Iron King had it a little too. That's why DS2 was a bit disappointing for me personally, just seemed like lots of cool levels with very defined start and end points, rather than exploring a world.

I've heard that it's better than anything in the main game. That makes me want to play it. But the prospect of going through the main game again means that I never will.