Ring of the Embedded

The Ring of the Embedded raises your Vigor, Endurance, and Vitality by seven points each. The benefit of having seven extra points in each of these stats comes at the cost of receiving approximately 8% more damage. At SL1, your character would die within one or two hits from most bosses. It doesn't matter whether or not your character takes an extra 8% more damage. You require access to the Shrine of Winter and Drangleic Castle as pre-requisites for collecting this ring.

The four Old Ones are the Old Iron King, The Lost Sinner, The Rotten, and The Duke's Dear Freja. Defeating these four bosses would open the Shrine of Winter, allowing you access to Drangleic Castle as well as the Crown of the Ivory King DLC. You have already defeated the Old Iron King and The Rotten. Only two Old Ones remaining.

In NG+0, the gates of the Shrine of Winter can also be opened after you have accumulated at least one million Soul Memory. The Soul Memory requirement isn't difficult to meet. Farming upgrade materials and special equipment, and fighting your way through several areas, should easily have net you at least one million Soul Memory before defeating the remaining two Old Ones. Having satisfied the Soul Memory requirement, you might want to proceed to Drangleic Castle to light the King's Gate bonfire. Skip the remaining two Old Ones for now. Obtain the Frozen Flower and enter the Crown of the Ivory King DLC to collect the Ring of the Embedded and the Vessel Shield. It's highly recommended that you first enter the Crown of the Ivory King DLC to grab the Ring of the Embedded and the Vessel Shield as these items will help you during the fight against the Ruin Sentinels, The Lost Sinner, and other end-game and DLC bosses. Go to the Black Gulch to farm Titanite Chunks and/or farm elemental stones from the Basilisks at Things Betwixt, until you have at least one million Soul Memory.

Drangleic Castle

You have at least one million Soul Memory, allowing you to open the gates of the Shrine of Winter. Now that the Shrine of Winter is open, Sweet Shalquoir sells an unlimited number of Alluring Skulls. Stock up on Alluring Skulls because many enemies are distracted by a shattered Alluring Skull. As you sprint through an area, use Alluring Skulls to distract enemies.

Titanite Slab and Titanite Chunk x 3 in front of Drangleic Castle

How to get Bracing Knuckle Ring+1, Dark Souls 2: SotFS

Sublime Bone Dust at Drangleic Castle

A Crystal Lizard is found on your way to Drangleic Castle, near the Emerald Herald. Kill the lizard for Titanite Chunk x 3 and a Titanite Slab. Near the entrance of Drangleic Castle stands Wellager. He sells an unlimited amount of Repair Powder. Purchase as many Repair Powder as you can, preferably stocking up Repair Powder x 99 and place these in your storage. Also purchase the Bracing Knuckle Ring+1 from Wellager. A Royal Guard stands in front of a door, behind which is an iron chest containing a Sublime Bone Dust. Lure the Royal Guard far away from the door (or defeat it) and grab the Dust. Light the King's Gate bonfire.

Location of Frozen Flower, Dark Souls 2: SotFS

Next to the King's Gate bonfire is a room filled with Stone Soldiers and two giant stone golems. As you enter the room, look to your right and you would see Stone Soldier x 2 kneeling in front of a stone door. Approach the Stone Soldier x 2 to animate them or snipe one of them with bow and arrows. Kill the Stone Soldiers near the stone door and their souls would be absorbed into the door, thus opening the door. Enter the newly opened room and grab the Frozen Flower, a requisite item for accessing the Crown of the Ivory King DLC.

Farm the Stone Soldiers near the King's Gate bonfire for Titanite Slabs to fully upgrade all your weapons before you fight any more bosses. On your way to the arena of the Dragonriders, light the Forgotten Chamber bonfire.

SL1 Dragonrider x 2 at Drangleic Castle, Dark Souls 2: SotFS

Dragonriders

A gank boss where you might fight two Dragonriders at the same time. One Dragonrider wields a bow and initially stands on an elevated platform. This is the weaker of the two Dragonriders. The other wields a shield and halberd, similar to the Dragonrider at Heide's Tower of Flame, and stands on the floor of the arena. As soon as you enter the boss arena, use a bow or crossbow to snipe the Dragonrider standing on the elevated platform to trigger him to drop down to the floor. Buff your Mace with Gold Pine Resin or use a Boltstone infused Mace. Hug the Dragonrider archer and be in his face so his arrows would miss you. Get rid of the archer Dragonrider as quickly as possible, then deal with the other Dragonrider.

Location of Old Knight Hammer, Dark Souls 2: SotFS

How to get Gower's Ring of Protection, Dark Souls 2: SotFS

Estus Flask Shard at Drangleic Castle

Defeat the Dragonriders and light the Central Castle Drangleic bonfire. Climb a long, steep ladder and enter a room containing a stone golem. Lure the Manikin x 2 from an adjacent room to the golem. Kill the Manikins near the golem so that souls would be absorbed into the golem, animating the golem to activate an elevator. Collect the Old Knight Hammer from an iron chest in the room where the Manikins were originally hiding. The two-handed R2 of this weapon is particularly useful against the Charred Loyce Knights found at the arena of the Burnt Ivory King. Find the Executioner's Chariot horse in a great hall. Defeat this mini-boss and collect Gower's Ring of Protection. The ring reduces damage taken from behind, which can be useful when you want to run through an area and head straight for a boss or an item. An Estus Flask Shard can be found in a chest guarded by Desert Sorceress x 2. The elevator near the Central Castle Drangleic bonfire should now be activated. Ride the elevator up and collect the Key to King's Passage, an item required to unlock the fight against Looking Glass Knight.

Frozen Eleum Loyce

Location of Ring of the Embedded, Dark Souls 2: SotFS

Location of Eye of the Priestess, Dark Souls 2: SotFS

Make your way to the Shrine of Winter again and from there warp to Frozen Eleum Loyce. Equip Gower's Ring of Protection and dash through the area to grab the Ring of the Embedded. Also collect the Eye of the Priestess to allow you to see enemies that were previously invisible, e.g. one of the bosses of the DLC and the apparition-like enemies at misty woods.