The new boss, the big fire-ensconced, root looking mofo in the header image, is actually Lord Aldia, the man responsible for putting ogres in flimsy cages and dangling them above your head. What's more, he is also apparently the titular "Scholar of the First Sin." In order to engage Lord Aldia - who is now the "real" final boss of the game - players must first speak with him at the Dragon Shrine location and answer his questions in the affirmative. Then, you'll have to defeat Nashandra at the Throne of Want (you can use a bonfire ascetic to reset if you've already beaten her) before proceeding to kick his butt. Once you've managed that, you'll be given a choice - sit on the throne, or abandon it. Leaving the throne will reveal the new ending.

This massive patch addresses everything from bug fixes, to performance issues, to game balance, to matchmaking issues, and pretty much everything in between. Here are some highlights, specifically ones centered around co-op:

So what's new? Obviously the snow, but what might not be obvious is the fact the climate will change over time. Snow and winds will come and go obscuring your vision (whoops, there's a ledge) and altering the layout of some areas. There's also a new game play element called followers. These AI controlled characters will help during particularly tough boss fights, but you'll have to earn them to even have them fight on your side. This may be the game's attempt to allow some co-op play if you don't have it available to you for one reason or another. Don't worry though, you'll still be able to invite, I mean summon, friends into your world to combat the cold and ghouls.

The message system in Dark Souls 2 works something like those magnetic poetry kits everybody has on their refrigerators. You have an array of words you can sort through, allowing you to write simple messages like "watch out for the ____" or "try jumping here" and leave them in the game for other players to find. This surprisingly elegant system helps prevent the inevitable flood of notes that say "boobz", but its the voting that makes it really shine. A rating system allows players to upvote messages based on their usefulness, ensuring that the best pieces of advice stick around to help out others.

I spent hours in Brume Tower with Cassius Clay, a boxer who punches everything he sees and is conveniently sitting around Soul Level 150. The DLC can be accessed immediately following the Old Iron King boss in the Iron Keep. Behind the primal bonfire is a newly opened area accessed by a key that is put in your inventory when the DLC is purchased. Past the door is a shrine similar to the Sunken King shrine which will teleport you to Brume Tower. Sadly, the fight we can't access is one of the best presented bosses in the game, but the whole "boss is just a giant suit of armor" mantra has been done death in the core game, and it takes the bite out of the DLC's finale. And none of them are fit to hold the Tower Knight's shield.

A few quick notes before going too far into this. First, time spent in the DLC (roughly two and a half hours thus far) was done using two characters around Soul Level 100 and that are only halfway through the main game. None of the bosses were encountered during this time. Second, the DLC can be accessed immediately following the boss fight in the Black Gulch area in the main game. Behind the Primal Bonfire there is now an area that can be activated by an item placed in your inventory automatically when the DLC is purchased. This will teleport you into the DLC and bonfires discovered here do allow you to travel back and forth to the main area of the game. Finally, these impressions are based on the PC version of the game. Two codes were supplied by the publisher for review purposes.