Ahead of its release next week, From Software has published a series of images for the first batch of downloadable content for Dark Souls II, Crown of the Sunken King.
In essence, the screenshots are, as expected, foreboding teases of nightmarish environments. The majority of these locales appear to take place in the depths of Drangleic, with one image in particular hinting at a spine-chilling tentacled beast, which is sure to make an appearance as an in-game boss.
Beyond that, it’s understood that Crown of the Sunken King represents the first of three planned batches of additional content for the game, with From Software billing the story arc as The Lost Crowns trilogy. In fact, the next two chapters in the fantastical trifecta — entitled Crown of the Old Iron King and Crown of the Ivory King — are set to release on August 26th and September 24th, respectively.
Furthermore, Crown of the Sunken King will coax Dark Souls II veterans back into From Software’s torturous world once more by ramping up the difficulty even further following feedback from the series’ core fanbase. As a matter of fact, when the game initially released back in March, many players believed the difficulty paled in comparison to that of its predecessor and Demon’s Souls.
Dark Souls II: Crown of the Sunken King is poised to release on July 22nd for PC with Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners receiving the DLC one day late on July 23rd. Until then, you can sate your appetite for the unforgiving world of Dragnelic by checking out the gallery below.