I'm at SL89 and am at the Kiln. I had grinded two times, one at the silver knights at Anor Londo, and one to get humanity from the Skeleton Babies at the TotG, which I wish I hadn't now because I feel like the last couple hours have been really easy.

I'm using Silver Knight Armor upgraded to +3 and +4, and Queelags Furysword +5. My stats are above 30 in Vitality and Dexterity, above 35 Endurance, and just below 30 in Strength.

I started the DLC, had a pretty ok time with the guardian, but the first couple enemies were taken down 98% health in one heavy swing.

Should I wait until NG+ or start a new character? Or is there going to be some challenge here? I don't want to just blaze through it and have all the discovery ruined for me.

Next time I'm not grinding anything.

Just a bit, the best time to go for the DLC is when you are going after the Lord Souls in the story. But I wouldn't say that there won't be some challenge with the DLC at your current level. Some of the new bosses are pretty tough.

Well, if you feel like things are going too smoothly, it's pretty easy to simply switch to unupgraded armor and weapons.

The DLC is set for Soul Level 40-50. If you want to feel challenged just take off several pieces of armor and use a weaker weapon so it takes 3-4 hits to take down an enemy. (specifically the enemies after Artorias).

EDIT: You could also choose to not kindle any other bonfires you see in the DLC. Having only 5 Estus in an unfamiliar area is a nice challenge bump.

The rest of the bosses should still be a decent challenge for you. Also, once you get into Oolacile Township, the enemies should be a bit more of a challenge; you'll still be able to kill them pretty quickly, but there are some rooms that have the enemies set up pretty well.

I'd be willing to place money on you getting severely worked by Artorias, Kalameet and Manus. Additionally, there's a few spots where the enemies alone are like to ravage you. Your stats are very nice, no denying that, but I think your item-choices are lacking in terms of late-game. This is like to balance things out, especially as the upcoming bosses are very skill-reliant as opposed to stat-reliant.

Go for it and try to have fun. Don't read any FAQs on how to beat the bosses unless you run into real issues, and stay in human form, as the DLC is a gathering-ground for end-game PvP builds. You're like to see some people, while at lower level than you, be able to completely wreck you unless you're careful, as certain PvP builds are extremely effective.

Finally, I'd like to mention that the first half of NG + is very easy. My main on the pc ( played the game to much greater degree on the PS3), is at NG + 5, and is able to kill the first bosses in a single hit. That's an extreme example, but still; NG + doesn't really capture the feeling from the first playthrough until you're at/post anor londo.

Thanks for the responses guys. I think trying on other gear that isn't upgraded is a good idea for now, I'll definitely try that. And I've heard about how fucked the bosses can be, so that's exciting.

The non-kindling is also a cool idea, I might try that out.

Thanks again!

I just entered the DLC at SL 82 with nearly fully upgraded elite knight armor (except for the helm), a +10 balder shield and a +5 black knight halberd. Artorias was still a tough challenge in that I needed to summon someone to help out (got frustrated after dying when he had 1 hit left). I wipe the floor with all the other enemies but from what I gather the bosses are the best in the DLC. You should still have a ton of challenge with your build.

Then I may still bust that gear out for the bosses. I'm using some lesser gear so the enemies along the way put up a fight, and I actually have to figure them out.

Finished Artorias with a summon after 5+ tries; I never summoned before so I didn't know that it would be so easy, sorta wish I didn't aha. But that Manus fight, oh my god that was amazing. I solo'd him with a little help from Sif, who didn't really do much anyway. One of the best bosses I've faced in a game, and probably the best boss in Dark Souls. What a friggin' fight!

On to Kalameet!

Sidenote: You guys were right, I still got entirely worked until I got the hang of things.

Try and cut off old kalameets tail for some extra challenge

Is there a weapon that comes from it?

Yes, the Obsidian Greatsword, a dragon weapon with low stat requirements.