Iron Keep - journey through the fortress | Walkthrough Dark Souls II Guide
Last update: 11 May 2016
Key points of Dark Souls 2 - Iron Keep
Passage to another location
Trap
Shortcut/Passage/Area
Landmark/Switch
Bonfire
NPC (friendly)
Item
Rare opponent/Boss
Shortcut/Passage/Area
Shortcut 1 � After you climb up the stairs, on your right there is an illusory wall.
Shortcut 2 � After you have taken the first shortcut, you walk into a room with a ballista. It has been aimed at another illusory wall - you simply need to open it.
Belfry Sol (optional) � After you have used Pharros' Lockstone, you get to another bonfire and an optional Belfry Sol location. You can join here the Bell Covenant, obtain the Mad Warrior Set and Berserker Blade
Rare opponent/Boss
Boss - Smelter Demon
Optional boss - The Pursuer � After you defeat the Smelter Demon, walking into this room results in the appearing of the Pursuer. After you defeat him you receive the Ring of Blades +1
Boss - Old Iron King
Mad Warrior (Belfry Sol) � From time to time, (the odds equal 15%) the Mad Warrior (red phantom) appears here, who can drop the Berserker Blade or an element of his armor.
NPC (friendly)
Magerold of Lanafir � After you deliver the Petrified Egg (from the Dragon Shrine) you will be allowed to join the Dragon Covenant
Item
Human Effigy � Under the lava-flooded stairs.
Iron Key � You will be able to collect this key only after you shut down the bursting fire, at the very end of the Iron Keep.
Dull Ember (!!!) � The key element. You will be able to reach it after the bridge is lowered.
Phoenix Parma Shield � Inside the chest in lava.
Black Knight Greatsword � After you leave the Belfry Sol, before you jump back towards the bonfire,, examine the wall on the right: past the illusion, there are two chests. The Black Knight Greatsword is inside one of them.
Protective Chime + Grand Spirit Tree Shield � After you leave Belfry Sol, before you jump back towards the bonfire, examine the wall on the right" past the illusion, there are two chests. The Protective Chime and the Grand Spirit Tree Shield are in one of them.
Chaos Storm � In the chest in the lava.
Fire Seed � The item under the lava surface.
Black Knight Greataxe � From the location in which you encountered the mimic, continue on your path up: first by climbing the ladder and then over the stairs. You reach a location with three knights. After you defeat them, you will find the item in the chest in the corner of the location.
Covetous Gold Serpent Ring � In the location in which you found the Black Knight Greataxe, you need to jump down (by using the planks distributed along the way). The ring is at the corpse inside the cauldron filled with liquid iron. You simply need to fall down into the chasm, onto its rim and pick up the item carefully.
Trap
A TRAP (MIMIC) � It is necessaryto use the third lever. The plank that appears, allows you to reach the ladder at the other side of the room. After you defeat the mimic, you receive a fragment of the Dark Armor and the Lightning Winged Spear.
Bonfire
Bonfire � Eygil's Idol
Landmark/Switch
Lever 1 � Lowers a fragment of the bridge
Lever 2 � Lowers a fragment of the bridge
Hearth on/off � Allows you to start fire in the furnace
Lever 3 � Raises/lowers the plank in the middle of the location.
Ladder (!!!) � In the upper-left corner of the room full of fire traps, there is a ladder to the bonfire.
Fire on/off � Right next to the bonfire, you simply need to climb up the stairs. Allows you to disable the fire traps in the whole of the Iron Keep
Use the second exit after the fight with the boss. Go upstairs and use the elevator. Run along the corridor and on its end, just before the bridge, turn left and light up the bonfire at the bottom of the stairs. There's a Human Effigy on a burning stone.
Run to the other side of the bridge and defeat the knights - they are fairly mobile, which is why you should hide behind your shield and attack at the right moment. After getting rid of them, open the door to the palace.
Immediately after entering into the room, turn to the right. Climb the stairs located halfway through the corridor and defeat another knight. Collect a Pharros Lockstone from the corpse. Go down and turn to the left, into a chamber - speak to Magerold of Lanair sitting next to the wall.
Get back to the main room and defeat the two knights located on the elevation. In the center of the room, there's a fire-breathing statue and a key located in the corpse, below the stream of fire. You can collect the Iron Key, if you approach it from the left side. Afterwards, climb the stairs to reach the subsequent room, where a group of three enemies await you. Approach the entrance and as soon as the enemy sees you and starts his pursuit, retreat a little and take care of him. Repeat the process with the other melee enemy. Afterwards, run into to the room, turn right and get rid of the archer.
Go outside and draw your ranged weapon. On the right side, behind a wall, there's an archer firing heavy arrows, which inflict a lot of damage. Lean from behind the wall and fire at him, until he's dead. Afterwards, run ahead and defeat the knight. There are two more archers in this room, so pay attention to your surroundings. Run to the other side of the pathway and jump down, through a ladder gap. Collect a soul and a Repair Powder from the corpse. Go back to the ladder and climb it all the way to the top. There's an archer here, who can inflict serious damage even in melee combat - run straight to him and try to damage him as much as possible before he draws his magic sword. Collect a Life Ring +1 and a Twinkling Titanite. You can also take down the knight on the bridge near you, by using your ranged weapon.
Jump on the lower level use the metal staircase to get down. Defeat the enemy a flip the lever to lower the bridge. Backtrack to the top and run across the bridge, defeating the enemy standing on the middle of it. Defeat the archer standing near the mist - afterwards, the location should be free of enemies and you can safely search the surroundings.
On a nearby pillar you should find a corpse - collect a soul and a Red Leech Troches from it. Afterwards, run to the other side of the pathway - halfway through you will have to jump over a cleft. Collect a Zweihander from the chest.
Jump to the tower where the first archer was. There's a Dull Ember located on the destroyed staircase. Get inside and use the ladder to get to the upper level. Instead of using your Pharros Lockstone, simply jump down.
Get back on the bridge and jump down. Approach the valve located on the building's wall and turn it - by doing so, you will extinguish flames inside. Get inside and collect a Large Titanite Shard and a Petrified Dragon Bone.
There are two choices for you here - you can either decide to enter the mist and fight the Smelter Demon, or, if you feel that you won't be able to defeat him yet, climb up the ladder, go straight ahead and climb yet another ladder. If you've selected the more difficult path, go through the mist, where a Smelter Demon awaits you. After killing him, go upstairs and open a chest, where you will find a Porcie Shield and a Flame Butterfly. In the next room you will find a bonfire and a door, which will unlock a shortcut after you open them - regardless of your "path selection", you will be in the same room by now. Kill the knight with the magic sword and enter the subsequent room. Here you will stumble upon two enemies equipped with maces, which you've fought in the Forest Of The Fallen Giants - the method to defeat them is the same.
Enter the next room and open the door on your left side. Inside, use your Pharros Lockstone and hit the blue face to open a passage to an optional location - Belfry Sol.