During a time when AAA gaming had become so accessible that pretty much every game had discarded the concept of challenge in favor of accessibility,Dark Soulsburst onto the scene in the most resounding way possible. FromSoftware’s masterpiece took over the gaming world by storm, quickly amassing a rabid fanbase thatdissected each and every aspect of the gamein order to understand the intricacies of this rich world.
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Of course, it’s impossible to talk aboutDark Soulswithout mentioningthe elephant in the room — its difficulty. For the most part, the game plays exactly as it should, making playersmeasure every encounterwhile simultaneouslybeing fair in its brutality. However, there are some notable instances whenDark Soulsdecides to toss any semblance of gameplay balance out the window and absolutely bombards the player with insurmountable challenges. Here are ten of the hardest encounters inDark Soulsthat had gamers ripping their hair out and breaking a record number of controllers out of sheer frustration.
10Avoiding Getting One-Shot By The Hellkite Dragon
While this might not be particularly hard, making even a single misstep while running on the bridge with the dragon perched on top will certainly spell the player’s doom.
The player needs to measure their steps and run like their life depends on it — quite literally so — if they wish to get past this bridge without a scratch.
9Taking A Wrong Turn Towards The Catacombs
Near the starting of the game, are given a number of places where they can head to from Firelink Shrine. However, there’s only one right part, and while the Anor Londo ruins are not nearly as brutal, the same can’t be said for the path to the Catacombs.
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The fact that this area lies right in front of the player can be quite deceptive, and trying to either fight or run past the numerous skeletons on the way is a death sentence in itself.
The Undead Parish is one of the first areas that the players will find in the game. So, the last thing they would expect to be present in this level is an incredibly powerful enemy that most players can barely handle until the endgame.
Yet, From Software decided to troll players by placing a Black Knight at the top of an innocuous tower. Encountering this enemy can prove to be quite a wake-up call for players who thought they were finally getting used to whateverDark Soulswas throwing their way.
7Avoiding The Traps At Sen’s Fortress
Sen’s Fortress is a memorable location inDark Souls… albeit for all the wrong reasons.
From a slew of traps to some truly powerful Titanite Demons hiding in the lowest level, players need to be on their A-game if they wish to stand a chance of clearing this area.
6Dealing With The Infamous Anor Londo Archers
It would be impossible to talk aboutDark Soulswithout mentioning the bane of every player’s existence — the archers in Anor Londo.
Whatever amazement the player might’ve felt after reaching Anor Londo is completely abolished by these ungodly archers, with even one of their massive arrows sending the player tumbling down to an untimely death.
5The Entirety Of Blighttown
Another area inDark Soulsthat has also become legendary for all the wrong reasons is Blighttown.Dark Soulsmight not be the first Miyazaki game, but it’s definitely one that popularized the idea of From Software always adding an annoying poison swamp-like stage in their levels.
What makes Blighttown even worse — aside from these toxic shenanigans — is the fact that this area was absolutely broken on launch, with consoles struggling to run the game at a stable frame-rate. A hard area coupled with stuttering gameplay is an instant recipe for unlimited player frustration indeed.
4Fighting The Asylum Demon… With A Sword Hilt
While this is more of an optional challenge that most players can choose to ignore in favor of doing what the game wants you to do, there’s no denying just how challenging — and boring — it can be to fight the Asylum Demon with the starting weapon of the game… which is justa sword hilt.
Trying to slowly whittle down the Asylum Demon’s health without any offensive capabilities whatsoever can prove to be quite a pain, and is widely considered to be one of the most time-consuming player-imposed challenges inDark Souls.
3The Ridiculous Fight With The Capra Demon
It would be impossible to talk about the most frustrating encounters inDark Soulswithout mentioningthe cheapest boss fight in the game.
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Fighting the Capra Demon is a test of the player’s patience and love forDark Souls. It’s easily the worst example ofDark Soulsbeing hard, with the artificial difficulty of fighting a boss plus two dogs — the worst enemies in theSoulsbornefranchise — in the smallest boss arena in the game being quite simply unforgivable.
2The Even More Ridiculous “Fight” With The Bed Of Chaos
However, while the Capra Demon boss might be horribly designed, at least one can still call their encounter with him a “fight.” The same can’t be said for The Bed Of Chaos, which turnsDark Soulsinto a bad 3D platformer.
Having to navigate a crumbling boss area before jumping towards a precariously placed platform towards the boss is quite possibly the worst moment in the entire game, and can completely ruin one’s experience.
1Falling Into The Trap Of The Basilisks
It’s a testament toDark Soulsthat one of their enemies that only appears in one solitary section of the game isso widely fearedthat the solitary encounter with them ranks at the very top.
Being Cursed inDark Soulsis possibly the worst status ailment the game inflicts on the player, and the Basilisks waste no time trying to petrify players with their horrid attacks. The idea of having half health throughout the game is a scary one indeed, and players would be well off just avoiding these enemies altogether.
