Dark Souls Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Dark Souls Wiki

The Old Iron King is a boss in Dark Souls II.

General information[]

Located in Iron Keep, the Old Iron King is the final boss of this area who possesses one of the four great souls. He takes the form of a giant horned and winged monster, with rivulets of iron pouring from its body. The closest bonfire is near turtles and called Eygil's Idol

Summoning[]

Scholar of the First Sin[]

Lore[]

The King of an ancient kingdom once ruled from the Iron Keep, an impenetrable fortress made out of solid iron. He was obsessed with creating an indomitable empire that would last for centuries, but his wishes of longevity and impregnability would eventually lead to his downfall as his beloved castle began to sink into the earth and molten iron began to melt the walls, eventually consuming his kingdom. He was believed to have been killed by the Smelter Demon and his soul possessed by the great evil that lurked in the flames.

The Old Iron King began his days as a little-known and unestablished lord, with a lust for power and glory. He was approached by Sir Alonne, a great warrior from the east, who trained the King's soldiers and helped him forge a kingdom for himself from the old Kingdom of Venn. Doing so cost the Iron King what little resources he had, but in the process, he discovered an iron-producing miracle, which allowed him to freely shape and harness the powers of iron. With this new power, the Old Iron King became extremely wealthy and powerful, forging from iron both his entire castle, the Ironclads and the Smelter Demon. The King also entertained various craftsmen and savants from many lands, most of whom were charlatans, but many still brought innovations for his kingdom, such as the artisan who crafted the weapon of his Alonne Knigths and Magus Eygil, a pyromancer who wanted to breath life into fire. At the height of his power, the Iron King was known for his arrogance and indulgency in hedonism, mining so intensely parts of his kingdom that poison leaked from the earth, It was at this moment that Sir Alonne left the king's service and set of to unknown lands. At some point, the Old Iron Kingdom was afflicted by the Curse of the Undead. The Old Iron King imprisoned the undead in the Huntsman's Copse, torturing them and personally presiding over so-called "undead hunts" with his best men, as well as creating the Executioner's Chariot to torture the undead eternally.

The Old Iron King's rule would eventually end when the Iron Keep sunk to the ground due to its immense weight as lava and fire flowed from the ground. The King was struck down by the Smelter Demon and consumed by the flames as his soul was possessed by the evil that lurked below them and his body then became molten earth.

Fight overview[]

The fight is very simple and is similar to Ceaseless Discharge from the original Dark Souls. The main difference being the absence of any easy trick to defeat the King.

The player has little room to maneuver around the area, and may walk off or be thrown off the edge, causing an instant death. Due to his well-telegraphed attacks and long recovery times, there will be many openings for both healing and dealing damage. This means that the small area often becomes the main obstacle in this fight.

Strategy[]

All of the Old Iron King's attacks should be dodged, since being hit by them can be devastating and there's a possibility of being knocked off the edge, into an instant death.

There is a small area in the rightmost portion of the stage where one can go to avoid his sweeping flame breath if the player is not confident with rolling. Ranged characters can also set up there, if another player can draw aggro from them. Be careful, though, as the structure does not block the beam the Old Iron King fires from his right hand. Standing there for too long will also prompt the King to dive below the surface, emerging close to the player's position. The King will attempt to surface as close to the player as possible, preferably from behind the back. This can be manipulated to force surfacing in a particular location by running there immediately after the dive and facing away from the direction you would like him to surface.

One must be cautious of the hole right next to the entrance, as it's possible to get knocked into it and die.

The best time to land high damage is when the boss slams his fist(s) into the ground and when he is using a flame attack. It is more difficult for pure melee players to hit the Old Iron King during a fire attack, but it is possible nonetheless. Damaging his horns seem to do extra damage as well and if the player can they should attack his hand while he is breathing fire.

Players would do well to take their time with this boss. One should not attempt to rush the battle and waste stamina before it is needed. Most of the Old Iron King's projected attacks drain high amounts of stamina, usually not allowing a player to stand more than one instance of an attack while blocking.

Attacks[]

Swipe: Swipes one of his arms across the arena, sometimes followed up by an overhead slam or another swipe with the opposite arm. Can be avoided by rolling towards it.

Slam: Performs an overhead slam, sometimes done with both hands, sometimes followed by another slam or a swipe. Can be avoided with a well-timed roll, or by sprinting left or right.

Dive: The Old Iron King dives into the molten iron, splashing some of it onto the arena in the process. After a short time, he will re-emerge in a different location, splashing additional iron onto the arena.

Laser: Charges his right hand with a fiery glow and shoots out a laser-like beam of Fire. Goes through walls. Can be avoided by sprinting left or right, or by rolling with good timing.

Fiery overhead slam: Similar to the slam, the King performs an overhead slam, but will charge his hands with fire before smashing down onto the arena, causing pillars of fire to erupt from his hands. Should be avoided by sprinting away, as simply rolling may lead to players being hit with the fire.

Flame Breath: Shoots a line of fire out of his mouth. Can be rolled through, or side-stepped.

Swiping Flames: Shoots flames out of mouth in a wide arc. Can be avoided by rolling, or by keeping a safe distance away from the King. Alternatively, it is possible to walk in between the flames, although it can be very difficult to do.

Roar: Lets out a roar that releases a medium range area of effect explosion, similar to Wrath of the Gods. Usually only done if a player gets extremely close.

Defenses[]

Physical Defenses
Physical Defense Strike Defense Slash Defense Thrust Defense
572 -20% 0% 0%
Elemental Defenses
Magic Defense Fire Defense Lightning Defense Dark Defense
30% 85% 15% 30%
Resistances
Poison Resist Bleed Resist Can be Backstabbed Can be Parried
50% 100% No No
(Stats are from Param Studio and are not estimated)
Strike/Slash/Thrust defense are applied on top of Physical Defense.

-20% strike means taking 120% damage.

Notes[]

  • Magic-based attacks seem to do normal damage.
  • The Old Iron King is named Ichorous Earth by Sweet Shalquoir.
  • By using a Bonfire Ascetic on the Eygil's Idol bonfire, the Old Iron King can be respawned.
  • If a phantom stays out of the arena, the Old Iron King will target the phantom and, if at the right distance, the king will not attack but stay focused on the phantom not the player.

Drops[]

Item Great Soul
Old Iron King Soul
Lord Soul
Old King Soul
Drop Rate Guaranteed Guaranteed (NG+)

Gallery[]

Bosses
Aava, the King's PetAfflicted Graverobber, Ancient Soldier Varg, and Cerah the Old Explorer
Aldia, Scholar of the First SinAncient DragonBelfry Gargoyles
Burnt Ivory KingCovetous DemonDarklurkerDemon of SongDragonrider
Elana, the Squalid QueenExecutioner's ChariotFlexile SentryFume Knight
Giant LordGuardian DragonLooking Glass KnightLost Sinner
Lud, the King's Pet & Zallen, the King's PetMytha, the Baneful QueenNashandra
Old DragonslayerOld Iron KingProwling Magus and Congregation
Royal Rat AuthorityRoyal Rat VanguardRuin SentinelsScorpioness NajkaSinh, the Slumbering Dragon
Sir AlonneSkeleton LordsSmelter Demon
Smelter Demon (Iron Passage)The Duke's Dear FrejaThe Last Giant
The PursuerThe RottenThrone Watcher and Defender
Velstadt, the Royal AegisVendrick
Advertisement