Dark Souls II: Crown of the Ivory King Beginner Tips - Entry, Storm, and Knights

Dark Souls II: Crown of the Ivory King is the third Lost Crowns DLC for the original Dark Souls II. It sends you into Frozen Eleum Loyce, a snow-buried city where visibility, ice-blocked paths, hidden enemies, and ally routing matter as much as raw damage.

This is a beginner-friendly, spoiler-light guide to entering the DLC and planning your first clear. Beginner-friendly does not mean easy: this is difficult endgame-style Dark Souls II content with demanding areas and some of the game’s hardest fights. Bring a character you already trust.

Essential Tips

1. Confirm Which Version You Are Playing

The Frozen Flower rule changes by edition.

In original Dark Souls II, owning Crown of the Ivory King grants the Frozen Flower when you load the game. In Scholar of the First Sin, the DLC is bundled with the other Lost Crowns, but the Frozen Flower is found in Drangleic Castle from the King’s Gate route.

Either way, you enter through the Shrine of Winter altar and use the Frozen Flower to open the way to Frozen Eleum Loyce. Do not mix this up with the Dragon Talon for Crown of the Sunken King or the Heavy Iron Key for Crown of the Old Iron King.

2. Treat Frozen Eleum Loyce as a Two-State Area

Your first pass is not the completion pass.

The city begins frozen and storm-choked. Chests, enemies, routes, and side areas can be locked behind ice or obscured by weather. Your early goal is not to strip the whole map clean. Push carefully toward the item and boss sequence that lets the area thaw, then expect a deliberate return trip.

Backtracking is part of the DLC’s design. Once the storm changes, old rooms and blocked paths become worth checking again.

3. Get Eye of the Priestess Before Fighting Aava

Seeing the boss is the intended baseline.

Aava, the King’s Pet can be reached early, but fighting it before Eye of the Priestess means dealing with an invisible boss. That is technically possible, not sensible for a first clear. Find Eye of the Priestess, then return to Aava with your lock-on, spacing, and reads restored.

For Aava, prepare for quick leaps, claw strings, magic-style projectiles, and area attacks. Fire damage is a reasonable broad plan, and magic defense helps if your setup can spare it, but the most important preparation is visibility and patience.

4. Bring a Ranged Option and Repair Powder

The snow punishes messy pulls.

Frozen Eleum Loyce often asks you to separate enemies before you commit. A bow, crossbow, spell, or other ranged tool helps pull threats out of packed rooms and stormy courtyards. Repair Powder is also valuable because ice-armored enemies can chew through weapon durability faster than a normal route.

Do not enter with one fragile weapon and no backup. Carry a second upgraded weapon, enough healing, and a shield or armor plan that can handle magic pressure for boss attempts.

5. Do Not Trust the Blizzard

Visibility is a mechanic, not just atmosphere.

The storm hides enemies and terrain, and torches are not a fix while the blizzard is active. Move from landmark to landmark, stop before blind corners, and avoid sprinting into whiteout spaces just because the last room felt empty.

When the storm lifts later, revisit places you skipped. Frozen chests, inactive enemies, and blocked paths can change from scenery into routes, loot, or danger.

6. Talk to Alsanna After Aava

The thaw is tied to post-boss progression.

After Aava, continue to the Grand Cathedral and speak to Alsanna. That step changes Frozen Eleum Loyce and opens routes that were previously unavailable, including important lower-area progression.

This is the point where the DLC becomes less like a straight line and more like a rescue-and-cleanup route. Before you rush to the final confrontation, use the thawed city to gather allies and supplies.

7. Rescue the Loyce Knights Before Burnt Ivory King

The final fight is designed around them.

The Burnt Ivory King encounter begins with waves of Charred Loyce Knights before the King appears. Friendly Loyce Knights help by fighting and sealing portals that would otherwise keep feeding enemies into the arena.

One allied knight is already present. Three more are hidden around the DLC after the thaw opens new paths. Find as many as you can before committing to the fight. At least two rescued knights makes the finale more manageable; bringing all available knights is the clean first-clear plan.

8. Save Frigid Outskirts for Later

Optional does not mean harmless.

Frigid Outskirts is reached through the Expulsion Chamber path after obtaining the Garrison Ward Key. It has no bonfires, heavy blizzard navigation, dangerous Ice Stallions, NPC summon options, and the Lud and Zallen boss fight at the end.

Treat it as an optional challenge route after you understand Frozen Eleum Loyce and have a stable build. If you go early, expect the run itself to be the main obstacle, not just the boss fog.

Original DLC vs Scholar Access

Version	What to Check	Practical Advice
Original Dark Souls II with DLC	Frozen Flower should be granted when the owned DLC loads	Go to Shrine of Winter and use the altar/gate path into Frozen Eleum Loyce
Scholar of the First Sin	Frozen Flower is found from the King’s Gate route in Drangleic Castle	Pick up the key first, then use Shrine of Winter
Bundle/season-pass context	The other two Crowns use different access items	Keep Ivory King advice separate from Sunken King and Old Iron King routes
First visit	Outer Wall is your first DLC bonfire after the gate	Rest, repair, and slow down before entering the storm-heavy city

The common mistake is assuming every modern guide describes the version in front of you. If your key is missing, check whether you are in original Dark Souls II or Scholar before blaming the Shrine of Winter.

Frozen Eleum Loyce Progression

Think of the DLC in four broad passes.

Pass	Goal	Why It Matters
Entry	Reach Frozen Eleum Loyce from Shrine of Winter	Establishes the correct DLC and first bonfire
Storm route	Find Eye of the Priestess	Makes hidden enemies and Aava manageable
Thaw route	Defeat Aava, reach Alsanna, and change the area state	Opens frozen paths, loot, and lower routes
Rescue route	Find Loyce Knights before the final boss	Reduces portal pressure in The Old Chaos

On the storm route, favor clean pulls over speed. On the thaw route, revisit earlier branches instead of assuming you have seen everything. On the rescue route, treat each knight as a major upgrade, not as optional flavor.

Boss and Optional Area Prep

Aava, the King’s Pet

Bring Eye of the Priestess, keep the boss visible, and fight the camera as little as possible. Roll away from area cues, do not overstay behind the boss, and avoid panic healing after a leap unless Aava has reset spacing.

Burnt Ivory King

Enter after rescuing Loyce Knights. The opening waves are part of the fight, so conserve healing and stamina before the King arrives. If portals remain open, the arena becomes much more chaotic.

Lud and Zallen

Save this for an optional cleanup push. The route through Frigid Outskirts can drain resources before the fight starts, and the boss pair builds on Aava-style movement. Arrive with patience, summons if you want distraction, and enough durability for both the run and the boss.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Do not use the wrong DLC key - Crown of the Ivory King needs Frozen Flower, not the access items for the Sunken King or Old Iron King DLCs.

2. Do not follow Scholar key advice in original Dark Souls II - original DLC ownership grants Frozen Flower on load, while Scholar places it in Drangleic Castle.

3. Do not rush Aava while the boss is invisible - get Eye of the Priestess first so you can read attacks properly.

4. Do not try to loot the whole city before the thaw - many paths and chests are meant to open after Aava and Alsanna.

5. Do not rely on torches during the blizzard - storm conditions extinguish them, so use landmarks and cautious movement instead.

6. Do not bring only one worn weapon - ice-armored enemies and long routes make Repair Powder and backup weapons important.

7. Do not skip Loyce Knights before the finale - rescued knights reduce enemy pressure by helping seal portals.

8. Do not treat Frigid Outskirts like a normal side room - it is a bonfireless optional challenge with punishing navigation.

9. Do not spend all Estus on the run to Lud and Zallen - the boss still waits after the blizzard and Ice Stallions.

Summary

Category	Top Tip
Access	Use Frozen Flower at Shrine of Winter, but check original vs Scholar key rules
First Goal	Reach Eye of the Priestess before challenging Aava
Area Flow	Expect Frozen Eleum Loyce to change after Aava and Alsanna
Exploration	Revisit frozen paths and chests after the storm is lifted
Final Prep	Rescue Loyce Knights before fighting Burnt Ivory King
Optional Route	Save Frigid Outskirts and Lud/Zallen until your build is stable