Old Iron King

Old Iron King
Location	Iron Keep
Drops	Old Iron King Soul Old King Soul (NG+)
Health
NG	6,070
NG+	10,320
Souls
NG	48,000
NG+	96,000

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 demon, with rivulets of iron pouring from its body. The closest bonfire is near turtles and called Eygil's Idol. Based on the description of the Iron King Hammer, it is possible that the being you fight is not the Old Iron King and instead is Ichorous Earth. 

Summoning

Scholar of the First Sin

• Manhunter O'Harrah - In the room just below the Eygil's Idol bonfire, with the fire and spike wall traps.

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 due to the immense weight of the structure. As the earth opened to swallow his castle, 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 helped him forge a kingdom for himself from the old Kingdom of Venn. Doing so cost him 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. 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 this new power, the Old Iron King became extremely wealthy and powerful. At the height of his power, Sir Alonne left the king's service, but the king lacked not for servants. He entertained various craftsmen and savants from many lands, and while most were charlatans, many still brought innovations the Old Iron King appropriated for his army. He was also served by the pyromancer Eygil, who attempted to breathe life into fire itself. Eygil appears to have created the Smelter Demon which would eventually strike the Old Iron King down. As the king died and his kingdom sunk into fire and molten rock, he was possessed by the great evil that lurked below, and reborn in the form seen by the player, referred to in the English localization as Ichorous 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.

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 reemerge 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
???	???	???	???
Elemental Defenses
???	90%	30%	???
Resistances
		Can be Backstabbed	Can be Parried
???	???	No	No

Notes

• The Old Iron King is weak to Lightning-based attacks.
• 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	Old Iron King Soul	Old King Soul
Drop Rate	Guaranteed	Guaranteed (NG+)

Music

Dark Souls II Soundtrack OST - Old Iron King

Gallery

Old Iron King concept art.

Bosses

Aava, the King's Pet • Afflicted Graverobber, Ancient Soldier Varg, and Cerah the Old Explorer Aldia, Scholar of the First Sin • Ancient Dragon • Belfry Gargoyles Burnt Ivory King • Covetous Demon • Darklurker • Demon of Song • Dragonrider Elana, the Squalid Queen • Executioner's Chariot • Flexile Sentry • Fume Knight Giant Lord • Guardian Dragon • Looking Glass Knight • Lost Sinner Lud, the King's Pet & Zallen, the King's Pet • Mytha, the Baneful Queen • Nashandra Old Dragonslayer • Old Iron King • Prowling Magus and Congregation Royal Rat Authority • Royal Rat Vanguard • Ruin Sentinels • Scorpioness Najka • Sinh, the Slumbering Dragon Sir Alonne • Skeleton Lords • Smelter Demon Smelter Demon (Iron Passage) • The Duke's Dear Freja • The Last Giant The Pursuer • The Rotten • Throne Watcher and Defender Velstadt, the Royal Aegis • Vendrick