8 Most Challenging Areas of Soul Love

Soulslike has a lot in common: difficult bosses, deep character progression, and mysterious stories that are up to the player to decipher. However, the biggest similarity between all Soulslikes is that each has at least one area that is more difficult than any other area in the game.

These levels are often considered skill tests, which are the game’s way of testing how well you’ve mastered its combat system. These challenging areas often include tough familiar enemies, narrow paths that make navigation difficult, and a boss at the end that will give you a run for your money.

After looking at the most difficult Soulslikes, we have compiled a list of the most challenging areas within the genre. Here are the 10 most challenging areas in Soulslikes.

8

Blighttown – Dark Spirits

Death Around Every Corner

One of the most infamous locations in all of Souls-like history is Blighttown from the original Dark Souls. There are many reasons why Blighttown is considered incredibly difficult, but the main reason is that it consists of narrow passages that rise above the ground, with enemies around every corner. Struggling to fight enemies in such narrow spaces above ground often leaves players teetering on the edge to their deaths.

Additionally, players have to worry about enemies that poison them, a status effect that can drain your health quickly and is only curable if you have the right items in your inventory. In short, Blighttown causes a ton of fear and anxiety in the player as they have to worry about the formation of the situation, being considered by the enemies, and falling to their death with one wrong move.

7

Bilewater – Hollow Knight: Silksong

He was poisoned

The hardest area in Hollow Knight: Silksong, which is already an extremely challenging game, is Bilewater. This challenging area not only includes platform sequences that require precision targeting, but is also full of poisons that completely deplete your health bar. Failing the field phase will result in you being poisoned, which puts you in a very bad situation.

On top of all this, players must face challenging enemies that roam the area. Bilewater is considered a late-game location, too, meaning that enemies aren’t a cakewalk and take a lot of hits to take down. Fortunately, Bilewater is an optional location for Hollow Knight: Silksong, meaning players can skip it entirely if they wish. However, if you are a filler student, you will need to put on a brave face and try to beat it.

6

Miquella’s Haligtree – Elden Ring

This Secret Place is Brutal

Miquella’s Haligtree is arguably the hardest place in the Elden Ring, with Caelid coming in as a close second. The reason why Miquella’s Haligtree is so challenging is because it features several of the most annoying enemies in the entire game, including Misbegotten, Battlemages, Giant Miranda Sprouts, Putrid Avatars, and more. These enemies, on top of the specific location design, make it difficult to navigate Miquella’s Haligtree and come out the other side alive.

This area includes the hardest boss in the entire game; Malenia, Blade of Miquella. Even if you haven’t played Elden Ring, chances are you’ve heard of this boss. Malenia quickly gained notoriety when the Elden Ring was first released for being a major roadblock for players in the area. He’s fast, hits hard, and will probably take up to 20 tries to take him down. Needing to fight him after completing a stressful trip with Miquella’s Haligtree is just the cherry on top.

5

Cold Outer Space – Dark Souls 2

He was blinded by the Snow

FrigidOutskirts of Dark Souls 2 is challenging for many reasons, but its most notable reason is its icy conditions. As you explore the FrigidOutskirts, the occasional snowstorm will block the screen, make it difficult to see your surroundings, lose your bearings, and go in circles. Additionally, the invisibility you have in this area makes it difficult to notice when enemies are close, which leads to you sneaking in and taking unnecessary damage.

Unlike other areas in the game, where you can use a flashlight to light the way and make the path clear, you cannot do this in Frigid Outskirts. Instead, it’s all about luck and taking it slow to get to the other side. Enemies are very fast, use chain attacks aggressively, and always lock on you, making it really hard to heal when you need it most. If there wasn’t a blizzard, the Frigid Outskirts would be a lot easier, but with it, it’s the hardest area in Dark Souls 2.

4

Ashina Castle – Sekiro: Shadows Die Double

A True Psychological Test

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is undoubtedly the most challenging title from developer FromSoftware. Instead of focusing strictly on dodging and attacking the enemy like the Dark Souls series, Sekiro wants players to adopt an aggressive gameplay style and use parries to their advantage. Ashina Castle is the first location game that really tests your skills and asks you to control the gameplay of the game. Before this place, you can run away in a cautious way to fight, but that doesn’t work in Ashina Castle.

Enemies are brutal in Ashina Castle, and failing to stay in front of them will result in you being defeated and taking a lot of damage. In other words, this is the first major difficulty spike in the game. Enemies are great at parrying your attacks, hitting you between you and healing, and always keeping the pressure high. It’s the first major roadblock for many players, and is often considered the point at which many give up on the game for good.

3

Fishing Hamlet – Bloodborne

It has reached the point of exhaustion

Fishing Hamlet is an infamous level from FromSoftware’s Bloodborne, as it contains brutal enemies to encounter with huge health pools and brutal attack patterns. Throughout the Bloodborne playthrough, the game teaches you to play aggressively in order to deal damage and keep your life count high. However, Fishing Hamlet punishes aggressively due to the attacks of high-trading enemies, groups that swarm the player, and many attacks that deal fatal blows to reduce health build-up.

Another reason that Fishing Hamlet is known as the most difficult area in Bloodborne is because of the series of difficult times that precede it. Players already have to go through many challenges, such as Hunter’s Nightmare, Ludwig, Research Hall, Living Failure, and Lady Maria, so beating Fishing Hamlet after defeating all of those can be mentally exhausting.

2

Ancient Ruins – P’s Lie: Overture

Spike in Difficulty

The base game of Lies of P was quite challenging, but its DLC brought more difficult areas to the whole game. While most of the locations in Lies of P: Overture pose a great challenge, the one that gave players the real challenge was Ancient Ruins. This area is full of elite enemies that want to play defensively, like paddling and comboing the best, while dealing the most damage in the game. The worst part about the enemies here is that they often include delayed attack patterns, making it difficult to learn correctly.

In addition to the brutal enemies in the ancient ruins, the entire area consists of narrow paths and rough terrain, making it difficult to navigate. This forces the player to take their time while progressing, instead of drilling as other areas allow. Also, the smallness of this area makes it difficult for the camera to align, sometimes leading to giving a bad view of the enemy, which affects the locking feature.

1

Path of Pain – The Hollow Knight

When Platforming is Boss

Although Hollow Knight is known for its secrets and amazing boss battles, it is also known for its excellent platforming. However, there are challenging platform sequences that are considered managers themselves. For example, the hardest area in the game is Path of Pain, an area that gives you no rest during the incredibly long and challenging arena sequences. It requires quick wits, precise timing, and many, many attempts to complete it.

For reference, it took me over five hours to complete Path of Pain due to the number of failed attempts. You have to jump over spikes, climb walls, traverse tight corridors, use your Monarch Wings at the right time, jump over enemies, avoid deadly traps, all in quick succession. It requires you to think on your feet and memorize each attempt, so you can move on to the second attempt. Path of Pain is absolutely brutal and only the best players can defeat it.