Among dark age defensible sites in Crete there exist extensive settlements which in size, significance, and chronology are comparable to Karphi, the best-known example. Representative of this settlement type are Arvi Fortetsa and Loutraki Kandilioro, two LM III C sites investigated in the early 1990s. This article presents a topographical description, an analysis of surface material, and a discussion of their significance for the settlement pattern. Although Arvi Fortetsa represents a coastal settlement and Loutraki Kandilioro is on the high slopes of the Lasithi mountains, both sites suggest a probable threat from the sea in the very late 13th century BC, which completely changed the settlement pattern.