Dark Souls 2: Crown of the Sunken King walkthrough - Shulva, Sanctum City

Let's being our journey for the Crown of the Sunken King with this walkthrough and tactics guide.

Before you begin

To start the Crown of The Sunken King DLC make sure you have the Dragon Talon item in your inventory. You should have this from simply buying the DLC. Head to the Black Gulch and the room where you fought The Rotton.

At the back of the room you'll find the opening to the Primal Bonfire, and from there you can access the serpentine obelisk at the back, which takes you to the DLC area.

Shulva, Sanctum City

Before you attempt Sanctum City you should fill up on ranged attacks and weapons. We'd argue that without ranged attacks for combat and solving puzzles you're going to really struggle with Crown of the Sunken King.

Throughout the area you'll see glowing pillars that can be attacked. Doing so will change the environment, lower or raise paths and bridges, and open up new locations, as well as trigger some enemies.

Ignore the huge dragon and continue down the path to the Sanctum Walk bonfire. Fight your first enemy and walk up the small hill beyond the bonfire.

Strike the pillar to the left to raise a structure and infliuct some damage to the enemies surrounding it. There are structures to the left that you can't reach just yet, but go forward to the top of the hill and fight the two enemies that approach. There's a third enemy to the far side, so make sure you finish it off as well.

As you head to the next hill top you'll be approached by four more enemies. Use a ranged attack if you can and then finish them off. At the top of the hill in the corner you'll find five Life Gems. Hit the pillar here to raise the structure out of the hole in the ground and quickly jump on top of it.

When it's stopped moving jump over to the smaller structure and grab the Quartz Ring+3. Now follow the strcuture down to a lower area and a bunch of enemies.

Once they've been killed pick up the Poison Stone near here and go up the stairs on the far side. In the room straight ahead are red objects, so shoot them from a distance to save damaging yourself later on. Get the three Goldenfruit Balms in the corner of the room and kill the two insect creatures. Head out the door to the right and hit the enemies that attack with more ranged weapons

Once they're dealt with go through the other doorway for three Old Growth Balms down below - you'll have to use the ledge to the right of the doorway. It's ticky and takes timing. Now head back to the room.

You're now in the location that you passed earlier when you fought the first enemy. Hit the pillar next to the white crystals and raise a structure that gives easier access to the first bonfire. It also allows you to enter the structure on the right, where you'll fight another insect creature.

Go inside and fight the single enemy, then go upstairs for a Poisonbite Ring +1. Go back downstairs and head back to the room with the red pots. Take the stairs left or break the pots directly ahead and go forward.

If you go left, skip down the page to Walking Poison Statue.

If you're going straight ahead after breaking the pots go back in the direction of the room with the red objects and make your way around to the right to the structure above the pots. Hit the glowing pillars to create a walkway, then hit the glowing pillar in the corner to raise the structure ahead. This creates a platform for you to stand on just beyond the pots down below.

Now head back to the pots and smash them and drop down the new ledge below. Inside the next room you'll fight more insect enemies but they are on the second floor. If you have ranged weapons you can hit the poison formations inside the room and go up to fight the insects. Get their attention and move back to the first floor to better use the space if you have to.

Now they're dead go back upstairs to meet Elizabeth Mushroom. Drop down the opening and you're at the walking poison statue area.

Walking Poison Statue

Head down the stairs and fight the walking poison statue. You have to strike its feet to do any damage. Again, it's easier with ranged attacks. Once it's defeated help yourself to 20 Throwing Knives and 5 Cracked Red Eye Orbs. Go left for another enemy and then head right down more stairs.

Now there's a small ramp at the bottom of the stairs that leads to Dragon's Sanctum and the Cave of the Dead. You can also go up the small stairs to the building on the left. Fight the enemy, go through the doorway and exit the way you came in and down the path on the right to find the Sanctum Mace.

Go back down the stairs to fight four enemies and find three Twinkling Titanite in the corner. There's another poison stone enemy in the room on the right to deal with, then go up the ladder on the inside. Go over the rooftops to find a room with a bonfire at the end. Light it and go through a doorway for a Dried Root.

Go down the stairs and right until you reach another set of stairs and then down the ramp on the right and fight two more enemies. Go through the doorway and over the bridge to the right and down the stairs.

Now you can either go through the room ahead to explore the Dragon's Sanctum or the Cave of the Dead. Before you do that, go up the stairs on the left and across the bridge. There are two enemies on the bridge who will be killed by a dragon. Just before the bridge are pots that can be broken for a Focus Souls.

Once you cross the bridge you'll enter Dragon's Sanctum.