All FromSoftware Soulsborne DLCs, Ranked

The impending release of FromSoftware’s biggest DLC ever, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, makes for the perfect chance to look back at all of the DLC that came before. From all three Dark Souls to Bloodborne, let’s look at how all the extra content stacks up against each other.

All FromSoftware Soulsborne DLCs, Ranked

7) Dark Souls 2: Crown of the Ivory King

As Dark Souls 2 is the ugly child of FromSoftware’s dark fantasy brood – though we love that ugly child all the same – it’s no surprise that the first of its three DLCs lands fairly low on this list. Crown of the Ivory King certainly has its things going for it; Frozen Eleum Loyce is a unique and memorable area to explore, and two of the bosses, especially Aava, the King’s Pet, provide quite the exciting bouts.

However, the final boss, the Burnt Ivory King, is a letdown. While the other bosses in the three DLCs truly stood out, and I remember them all these years later, this pinnacle fight is rather forgettable if you play your cards right and head into the battle with multiple allies at your side. Furthermore, the regular mobs found throughout this short quest leave a lot to be desired.

6) Dark Souls 3: Ashes of Ariandel

I love everything about the third Dark Souls, particularly when it comes to atmosphere and level design, but the first DLC pack disappointed me. Heading back to the original Dark Souls’ Painted World of Ariamas, Ashes of Ariandel certainly has a lot for lore aficionados to uncover. It features some stunning vistas right from the get-go, with imposing towers and rickety bridges leading to daunting castles. Great regular enemies to contend with make exploring all this a difficult delight, but at the same time, it concludes far too quickly and leaves you wanting much more, especially with only one main boss and an optional boss that doesn’t stand out when compared to those of the base game – though Blackflame Friede will forever live on in my nightmares.

5) Dark Souls 2: Crown of the Old Iron King

The second DLC for Dark Souls 2 takes place primarily in the intricately designed yet infuriating Brume Tower, filled to the brim with difficult enemies and devious traps. Like much of the second Dark Souls’ DLCs, it takes the base game’s level design to heart by ramping up difficulty from enemy placement and maze-like design. Frustrations aside, Crown of the Old Iron King does a great job at letting you tackle it how you want by providing lots of optional challenges tucked away for intrepid explorers like myself. 

That said, of all the Dark Souls 2 DLCs, I find this fiery brimstone quite visually inspired, especially outside of the tower, but at the same time, the bosses, particularly the final encounter with Sir Alonne, frustrate far more than in the other DLC packs. Your enjoyment of this DLC will wholly depend on how good you are at dodging katana strikes.

Related: All Pre-Order Bonuses & Editions for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

4) Dark Souls 2: Crown of the Sunken King

Crown of the Sunken King takes place largely in the labyrinthine Shulva that takes a lot of the criticisms of the base game’s straightforward level design to heart, making for an incredibly complex area to explore with simple The Legend of Zelda-esque puzzles spread throughout. The three bosses do not disappoint, two of which borrow from encounters in the base game in unique and challenging ways. 

All together, Crown of the Sunken King plays like a wholly different game than what came before it, setting the bar high for the two DLC packs that would follow and providing one of the most unique Soulsborne experiences.

3) Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss

The first-ever DLC in a Soulsborne game places highly on this list simply because it’s the perfect accompaniment to a near-perfect and genre-defining adventure. Warping your character back in time a couple hundred years, you get to uncover quite a lot of lore and finally get to meet Sir Artorias, one of the four great knights and partner to the Great Grey Wolf Sif. It ranks as one of the saddest boss fights in video game history, as the beast is only protecting his friend’s grave. 

You also get to face off against Manus, a figure central to the lore surrounding the entire series. It’s all a Dark Souls fan could ever want in a DLC.

2) Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City

Speaking of all a fan could ever want in a Dark Souls DLC, The Ringed City nearly tops this list for much the same reasons as Artorias of the Abyss. It, of course, features stunning vistas around every bend, which is the hallmark of Dark Souls 3, and a handful of great boss fights culminating in one of the best in the series with Slave Knight Gael. 

The best part of the DLC, in my opinion, is how it reveals links to previous games the more as you continue to delve down into the titular Ringed City. You might need to watch a video essay or three on YouTube to understand it all, and you could argue that DLCs higher up on this list have better level designs. That said, none match The Ringed City in terms of impact.

1) Bloodborne: The Old Hunters

Try and act surprised that Bloodborne’s DLC tops this – and most likely every other – list of best Soulsborne DLCs. It is in every way, shape, and form the perfect DLC package: it adds significantly to the lore while providing a couple of intriguing zones to explore in The Hunter’s Nightmare and Fishing Hamlet. With the way Bloodborne is designed, it also adds significant new ways to play with weapons like Simon’s Bowblade, the Holy Moonlight Sword, and the Whirligig Saw. 

Finally, it includes five unique bosses, culminating with two of the most difficult in any Soulsborne game: Lady Maria, who definitely inspired the infamous Malenia from Elden Ring, and the grotesque Orphan of Kos.

And that’s where I think each Soulsborne DLC ranks. Now it’s time to wait and see where Shadow of the Erdtree will end up on this list. It seems like FromSoftware has put more into the Elden Ring DLC than any that have come before it, including a new leveling system, tons of new weapons, and a massive area to explore; no doubt it will be much larger than any of the above. That said, will it top the impact that The Ringed City had or the perfection of The Old Hunters? I can’t wait to find out.

Elden Rings: Shadows of the Erdtree releases on June 21, 2024.