From Software fans have returned to the Elden Ring in late February, and it rekindled the love-hate relationship so many have with the hardcore ARPG series. Intricately designed and endlessly replayable, each entry in the trilogy is a masterclass in design and presentation, and the first title was so beloved that it won the Golden Joystick award for Ultimate Game of All-Time in 2021.
That said, the series isn't without its hiccups, and, while players never tire of the thrills of battles against Artorias or Slave Knight Gael, they'll certainly get sick of returning to Dark Souls' many poisonous swamps and dank hallways.
Sen's Fortress (Dark Souls)
After ringing the two bells of awakening in the original Dark Souls game, the player must journey through Sen's Fortress en route to Anor Londo. While it's a fairly short trek, it's rife with tricks, traps, and tight walkways which can be infuriating for inexperienced players. Veterans familiar with every crevice won't have an issue, and the area's boss is a literal pushover, but it nonetheless remains a headache.
The most egregious issue with Sen's Fortress is that there's only one bonfire in the entire area, and it's hidden in a fairly out-of-the-way location. The best method to make it out alive may be to equip something like Havel's Ring and dodge roll through everything.
Farron Keep (Dark Souls 3)
Dark Souls' Blighttown may be the most infamous poison swamp in the series, but Farron Keep from Dark Souls 3 is certainly deserving of a mention. Loaded with a sludge that inhibits the player's movement and inflicts poison, keeping track of status afflictions and managing health while scouting for items and paths to progression can be a total pain.
Worse still, Farron Keep is home to curse-inflicting Basilisks, agile Gruhs, and terrifying Corivans. It's also capped off with a boss fight against the Abyss Watchers, which, while adored by the community, represents an appreciable difficulty curve.
Anor Londo (Dark Souls)
Labeling Anor Londo from Dark Souls as one of the series' worst areas may be a highly contentious position, but, while it's undoubtedly one of the original game's most visually unique areas, it's undeniably frustrating.
Beginning with a recycled fight against a Bell Gargoyle and ending with a battle against the infamous Ornstein and Smough, Anor Londo acts as a final filter meant to those sort out players on the verge of giving up from players who've honed their skills. While a mostly fair test of ability, Anor Londo is made notorious thanks to the infamous archer walkway which feels like a precarious gauntlet taken straight out of the most anger-inducing moments of Demon's Souls Shrine of Storms.
The Shaded Woods (Dark Souls 2)
While it harbors a few worthwhile items and it's home to one of the most interesting NPCs in the game, Dark Souls 2's Shaded Woods is an infuriating gauntlet that feels more like a trial-and-error test of patience than a genuine gauntlet. A deep forest shrouded by a dense fog, the Shaded Woods is cluttered with a band of near-invisible enemies which can easily get the best of an inattentive player.
The thick fog gives a Silent Hill-esque vibe which, while eerie, quickly grow to be annoying. The Shaded Woods is also presided over by Scorpioness Najka, one of Dark Souls 2's most uninspired boss fights.
Lost Izalith (Dark Souls)
Inspired by ancient mesoamerican architecture and home to one of the four Lords, Lost Izalith plays a fairly important role in the events of Dark Souls. Unfortunately, it's one of the most annoying areas to traverse in the entire trilogy.
Covered in lava which can only be crossed if the Lava Ring is worn, Lost Izalith's enemies consist of the rear ends of undead dragons, legless gargoyle monsters, and conal horrors straight out of H.P. Lovecraft's worst nightmares. It's also home to the Bed of Chaos, a boss fight widely considered to be the worst in the Dark Souls series, and the run back to the boss arena is migraine-inducing.
Blighttown (Dark Souls)
The aptly named poisonous pit found deep beneath the depths, Blighttown consists mostly of a collection of loose scaffolding suspended above a slime-riddled gulch. Hazardous, dark, and difficult to navigate, most veteran players opt to skip it by unlocking a secret door in the Valley of Drakes.
While one wrong step could mean death, dodge rolling is often a necessity, as the area is full of enemies capable of inflicting toxic, which, early on in the game, is essentially lethal. Blighttown borrows quite a bit from the Valley of Defilement in Demon's Souls, but it's nowhere near as infamous.
Iron Keep (Dark Souls 2)
Areas that require platforming are typically reviled by Souls veterans, and, while Iron Keep is fairly light in that regard, it's still an incredible pain to get through. Forcing players to triggers switches, fight tough enemies on narrow bridges, and parkour to get out-of-the-way items, Iron Keep isn't a great area, but it's dragged down considerably by its difficult boss and heinous runback.
The Smelter Demon is one of the most challenging boss encounters in the first half of the game, and those who fall to him must traverse the entire area again, dodging archers and facing off against knights in an infuriating cycle which only ends in the boss' defeat.
Tomb of the Giants (Dark Souls)
Most Dark Souls fans agree that, while the first half of the game is fantastic, many of the areas in the game's final act lack polish. Lost Izalith might be the most notorious, but Tomb of the Giants is perhaps even more of a pain to get through.
Pitch black and full of skeletal giants, players have little recourse other than to make a mental map of the place. A sunlight maggot can be used to further illuminate the chamber, but it doesn't provide a great enough benefit to make the area more bearable. Really, the entire trek from Firelink to the Gravelord Nito boss fight is a slog.
Iron age (Dark Souls 2)
Dark Souls 2's three DLC offerings include some of the best content available in the game. However, Crown of the Old Iron King represents an extreme difficulty spike compared to the base game, and trekking through it as an inexperienced, underleveled first-time player is likely hellish.
Narrow corridors packed with nasty surprises, the Iron age is borderline unfair in parts. It's also notorious for including one of the most difficult shortcuts in Dark Souls history. Worst of all, although optional, the boss of the area is a strengthened version of the Smelter Demon, who was already tough enough to begin with.
Frigid Outskirts (Dark Souls 2)
A barren, frozen wasteland, Dark Souls 2's Frigid Outskirts make up the most uninspired area in the entire series. A snowy trudge through a dense fog, the player is constantly harassed by respawning reindeer beasts, and navigation is extremely difficult, as the area hosts very few landmarks.
With a mandatory NPC invasion on a narrow bridge at the midway point and a boss encounter against Lud and Zallen, the King's Pets—a gank fight nearly as obnoxious as the second Headless Ape encounter in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice—The Frigid Outskirts is an optional area which most fans are more than willing to skip.