What are options to increase difficulty?

What are all options to increase difficulty of Dark Souls 2? I mean game mechanics, not self-imposed limitations like "don't use a shield".

I know about:

1. Reach new game+7.
2. Join Company of Champions covenant.

Are there anything else? Something like the Dark Souls 1 Calamity Ring maybe?

1

4 Answers

Aside from the ways you already mentioned, you could increase received damage (actually, reduce your defence) by using clutch rings. They also occupy ring slots:

• Dark Clutch Ring
• Fire Clutch Ring
• Lightning Clutch Ring
• Sorcery Clutch Ring

You already named almost every option. Increasing NG, and joining Champions. The only other thing I can think of, is constantly using knuckles, to increase your invasion chance.

You can purchase the agape ring from Straid of Olaphis. This will prevent you from earning any souls, and thus from leveling up or upgrading your equipment.

Let me put everything together. Here is what you can do if the game is not hard enough:

A) Game mechanics:

1. New game+. The game allows you to make second and more playthroughts with the same character. Up to playthrough #8 the enemies'sdamage, health and defence will increase, and there will be a several additional enemies.
2. CoC covenant. Join this covenaut to increase enemies damage by 33% and decrease your damage by 20%.
3. Use Dried Fingers & Bonfires to remove "Temporary protection against invasions" status.

B) Equipment:

1. Clutch Rings. Wear these rings to increase damage taken by you (-80 phys def per ring).
2. Agape Ring. Prevents you from getting souls.

C) Goals:

1. Illusory rings of Conqueror & Exalted. The only way to get these rings is to never die and never sit at bonfire.
2. Optional Bosses. The harderst bosses are optional and easy to miss. Make sure you haven't missed "Darklurker", "Afflicted Graverobber" & friends, "Sir Alonne", Blue "Smelter Demon", "Lud & Zallen", Twin Pursuers (at ng+).
3. Kill every enemy. Casual enemies sometimes are harder than bosses, due to they number and placement.

D) Self limitations:

1. Low Poise. Wearing very low poise equipment will make fights difficult, since every hit will stagger you.
2. Low Agility. Constraint on leveling Adaptability and Atunement will force you to time your rolls and estus flask more precisely.
3. No Shield Block. Self explanatory.
4. No leveling.
5. No clothes.
6. No rolling.

P.S. This answer is based on answers of @CyberClaw, @Paul O., @arghtype.