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The worst level/world in a Souls game is..?
- Thread starter Deleted member 32822
- Start date
Wtf at 4-2 hate
That area is a fun, well designed challenge. Who cares if you can't easily run past the couple of starting skeletons. Also, the manta spears are telegraphed with audio.
That area is a fun, well designed challenge. Who cares if you can't easily run past the couple of starting skeletons. Also, the manta spears are telegraphed with audio.
Demon's Souls: Don't remember.
Dark Souls: Lost Izalith easily. It's why I always join the Chaos Covenant to unlock the shortcut that lets me skip almost the entire level.
Dark Souls 2: Black Gulch. Aesthetically boring as fuck.
Dark Souls 3: That level with the maze and fire worms or something.
Bloodborne: Nightmare Frontier. It's just boring to look at.
Dark Souls: Lost Izalith easily. It's why I always join the Chaos Covenant to unlock the shortcut that lets me skip almost the entire level.
Dark Souls 2: Black Gulch. Aesthetically boring as fuck.
Dark Souls 3: That level with the maze and fire worms or something.
Bloodborne: Nightmare Frontier. It's just boring to look at.
I almost said Blighttown, for Dark Souls 1, but I remembered the friggin Lost Izalith. The framerate in the former is awful on the original consoles, but LI is just... miserable.
Oh god I forgot about Earthen Peak in DS2. And now that you mention it, I never realized that Earthen Peak was also in DS3. They look nothing alike, unless I'm misremembering. I hated that one, too, but mostly because it was a mad dash, no time to explore. Until I realized you could kill the angels. But even then, it's not like it had much going on. Just giant piles of ash.
Do we know if this is just an unfinished enemy model, or they are like this by design?
dragon butts
Demon's Souls: Valley of Defilement (4-2)
Dark Souls: Lost Izalith
Bloodborne: Lecture Hall, Byrgenwerth
Dark Souls III: Anor Londo
Dark Souls II probably is like 80% shite levels, but I haven't played it yet.
My least favorite levels are the ones that are undercooked. Except for Valley of Defilement, swamp area was just a boring slog.
Dark Souls: Lost Izalith
Bloodborne: Lecture Hall, Byrgenwerth
Dark Souls III: Anor Londo
Dark Souls II probably is like 80% shite levels, but I haven't played it yet.
My least favorite levels are the ones that are undercooked. Except for Valley of Defilement, swamp area was just a boring slog.
All of world 4 sucks ass in DeS. Easily the worst world of the game and the only bad(imo) world of the game. Serves no purpose besides being cheap, is the least cool design of all worlds in DeS, has the cheapest shit in the hole game, besides old hero all bosses in this world suck.... i couls go on for hours. DeS is fucking great but this damn world can go to hell. Imo worst stuff out of a From game
Dark Souls II has the only areas in the series that I actively dislike. The other games have their ups and downs, but I wouldn't call any of the areas bad. Even Lost Izalith. Yeah the dragon butts and Bed of Chaos are low points, but I love the architecture and atmosphere. It looks and feels like a lost civilization the depths of the earth should. It has a very lonely feeling and I love it.
Anyway, Frigid Outskirts is the worst area in the series without a doubt. Brightstone Cove, Harvest Valley, Earthen Peak, Iron Passage, Memory of the Old Iron King, Cave of the Dead, and the areas for the dark covenant are all terrible as well. Oh, and Iron Keep in SotFS.
Also, all the swamp levels are great (with DS2's again being the worst of the bunch). Especially Blighttown.
Anyway, Frigid Outskirts is the worst area in the series without a doubt. Brightstone Cove, Harvest Valley, Earthen Peak, Iron Passage, Memory of the Old Iron King, Cave of the Dead, and the areas for the dark covenant are all terrible as well. Oh, and Iron Keep in SotFS.
Also, all the swamp levels are great (with DS2's again being the worst of the bunch). Especially Blighttown.
Demon's Souls: 2-2 is pretty bad, it's mostly just endless repeating tunnels and then a narrow ledge of ground. And then Flamelurker at the end to kill you so you have to jump down that shaft again and again. Unless you count the non-levels of 2-3, 3-3, 4-3 or 5-3. Really, the game only has twelve proper levels.
Dark Souls: Lost Izalith is fine (you DO know there's a second bonfire, right?). The passage from Blighttown all the way to Lost Izalith is super generic and boring though, with three dull bosses in a row and four enemies copy-pasted all over repeating terrain.
Dark Souls 2: Frigid Outskirts is the easy answer, but I never even bother to go there so meh. The entire Shaded Woods with the exception of the last part before Najka is aggressively dull, it's like it's just a winding path through LOD background sets.
Dark Souls 3: Farron Keep by far. The first part is PVP gank town where co-op is virtually impossible, and the second part is suicide running to pick up whatever items you need in the swamp before you get jumped by a faun that twists your head off again and again. Also, can I point out that the game has seriously sprawling zones? Like, Farron Keep could easily be three zones, Carthus for some reason has the entire Demon Ruins thing connected to it and then there's Irithyll that also should have ended after the Pontiff.
Bloodborne: That place with the stairs leading to a church where you fight a screaming hairy monster.
Dark Souls: Lost Izalith is fine (you DO know there's a second bonfire, right?). The passage from Blighttown all the way to Lost Izalith is super generic and boring though, with three dull bosses in a row and four enemies copy-pasted all over repeating terrain.
Dark Souls 2: Frigid Outskirts is the easy answer, but I never even bother to go there so meh. The entire Shaded Woods with the exception of the last part before Najka is aggressively dull, it's like it's just a winding path through LOD background sets.
Dark Souls 3: Farron Keep by far. The first part is PVP gank town where co-op is virtually impossible, and the second part is suicide running to pick up whatever items you need in the swamp before you get jumped by a faun that twists your head off again and again. Also, can I point out that the game has seriously sprawling zones? Like, Farron Keep could easily be three zones, Carthus for some reason has the entire Demon Ruins thing connected to it and then there's Irithyll that also should have ended after the Pontiff.
Bloodborne: That place with the stairs leading to a church where you fight a screaming hairy monster.
For me it was either Blighttown with those poison dart bastards.
While I do like the architecture of Anor Londo but the section with the two Archer Knights can just fuck right off.
While I do like the architecture of Anor Londo but the section with the two Archer Knights can just fuck right off.
People think the Crystal Caves were bad, try playing it on the PS3 with the patch that took away all of the graphical particle effects; Crystal Caves without any player signs, falling crystal effects or prism stone effects.
And it's still far better than the Frigid Outskirts, what the hell were they thinking with that level. Completely aimless wandering in a blizzard with no signposting whatsoever, infinite spawning glitchy miniboss-level enemies that randomly ignore your shield and yet another reskinx2 at the end.
And it's still far better than the Frigid Outskirts, what the hell were they thinking with that level. Completely aimless wandering in a blizzard with no signposting whatsoever, infinite spawning glitchy miniboss-level enemies that randomly ignore your shield and yet another reskinx2 at the end.
I actually really dislike the early area, High Wall of Lothric, in Dark Souls 3. I feel like they tried to make it feel like Undead Parish but it's such a slog, it often bounces me off of a playthrough when I try to go back to the game.
Surprised I didn't see anyone in this thread mention Crystal Caves.
There it is.
Also not a big fan of the Great Hollow.
Surprised I didn't see anyone in this thread mention Crystal Caves.
There it is.
Also not a big fan of the Great Hollow.
Frigid outskirts
and
iron passage
You probably blocked this shit from memory because it's optional
and
iron passage
You probably blocked this shit from memory because it's optional
If I had to pick one level, it would be Lost Izalith for sure.
Blightown is fantastic with the framerate issues fixed. Valley of Defilement can be frustrating but it's very manageable once you know where you're supposed to go.
I think I like every level in Bloodborne. Nightmare Frontier has some annoying moments, but it's fine.
I don't remember DS2 or DS3 well enough to take a firm stand on anything there. DS2 was pretty forgettable from start to finish IMO.
Blightown is fantastic with the framerate issues fixed. Valley of Defilement can be frustrating but it's very manageable once you know where you're supposed to go.
I think I like every level in Bloodborne. Nightmare Frontier has some annoying moments, but it's fine.
I don't remember DS2 or DS3 well enough to take a firm stand on anything there. DS2 was pretty forgettable from start to finish IMO.
If they count, the authored Chalice Dungeons in Bloodborne for sure. If not, no other area in these games is as boring and blatantly unfinished as Lost Izalith. There are more annoying areas, more gimmicky areas, but no other area is as bad across the games I've played.
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So interesting to see how many people don't seem to have an outright worst level in Demon's.
4-2 handed me my arse repeatedly. The run to Old Hero is quite brutal, but equipping the thief's ring before you access the cliffside pathways will prevent the mantas from spotting you. Just another tip to those who are suffering. I also don't have a worst level in Demon's, even 2-2 has grown on me over the years, and I actually really appreciate the split path design. It's become one of my favourites.
I skipped DS2, and DS3 was quite forgettable, but Archdragon's peak stands out to me.
4-2 handed me my arse repeatedly. The run to Old Hero is quite brutal, but equipping the thief's ring before you access the cliffside pathways will prevent the mantas from spotting you. Just another tip to those who are suffering. I also don't have a worst level in Demon's, even 2-2 has grown on me over the years, and I actually really appreciate the split path design. It's become one of my favourites.
I skipped DS2, and DS3 was quite forgettable, but Archdragon's peak stands out to me.
4-2 is an amazing level, the hell am I reading
So are Blighttown and Nightmare Frontier tbh
The worst Souls level is the Iron Passage. Nothing will change my mind there. Everything about it is terrible and awful even in the intended-by-design coop.
So are Blighttown and Nightmare Frontier tbh
The worst Souls level is the Iron Passage. Nothing will change my mind there. Everything about it is terrible and awful even in the intended-by-design coop.
Demon's Souls: 4-2. This level design is pretty basic and uninteresting which is one thing, but its also frustrating and cheap. I run through 4-2 everytime.
Dark Souls: Lost Izalith easily. There isnt a single redeeming feature, its terrible all round.
DS2: A lot of bland areas but nothing outright awful that I can remember 🤔 I haven't played since it first came out though. The Shrine of Armana could be frustrating but it was probably the prettiest area in the game at launch, for what that's worth. Let's just say all of it 😂
BB: Yar haghoul or whatever it is, you know where I mean. No explanation needed.
DS3: The tired and played out swamp area. I think even From was fed up with them at this point, it played like an area they didn't give a shit about.
Sekiro: Temple area was underwhelming.
Dark Souls: Lost Izalith easily. There isnt a single redeeming feature, its terrible all round.
DS2: A lot of bland areas but nothing outright awful that I can remember 🤔 I haven't played since it first came out though. The Shrine of Armana could be frustrating but it was probably the prettiest area in the game at launch, for what that's worth. Let's just say all of it 😂
BB: Yar haghoul or whatever it is, you know where I mean. No explanation needed.
DS3: The tired and played out swamp area. I think even From was fed up with them at this point, it played like an area they didn't give a shit about.
Sekiro: Temple area was underwhelming.
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You may have read my ramblings about world 4 sucking ass, especially 4.2.
Please expand on what is so amazing about 4.2 especially, I honestly would love to read it :)
Oh...oh god...I completely forgot it. My buddies and I all play the Souls games co-op, and this level was a fucking nightmare.
I personally can't stand DS2/SotFS, and I've got ~130 hours combined between the two versions (again, played through all the Souls games co-op, and my buddies were trying to platinum/get every achievement in each game). I bailed out of DS2 once we beat it, and refuse to go back to get all the achievements with them, haha. Shit was immediately uninstalled once credits rolled.
Currently trying to clean up my DeS run for platinum (although it may be fruitless, as I didn't pick the Providential ring, so I'm hoping that gets patched. If not, ugh...), and so far, haven't had TOO many issues with specific levels. Occasionally each one of us has got caught at parts of a level, but that was mainly because, again, we're trying to get platinum, so we're rushing through areas in NG+ to get missed items, rings, etc. I guess the worst areas we've run into were 5-1/5-2, but even then, I didn't have too much of a problem in our first playthrough, and for NG+, I was able to just boss rush it without much hassle (and this was before we figured out the Sodden ring requirements), so other than it being a bit annoying, it wasn't too bad.
Frigid Outskirts for daaaaaaaaaaaaays
Shrine of Amana was fun in retrospect since it was a pure challenge optimization question of when to switch magic vs physical defense, and yes I played it as a melee character pre-patch.
Lost Izalith was more un-finished than anything, and the whining about BoC was always over the top. It's a short run back, a unique concept, and the damage done to it lasts through death.
Both Blighttown and Black Gulch have the players peeling back their oppressive layers, with fun little "side challenge" things like the torches or the plague shooter gauntlet for the firekeeper soul.
4-2 combines necromancer challenge rooms with melee gauntlets which yes would be less irritating without the stingrays, but aren't that bad.
Iron Passage was, like Amana, pure challenge run and knowing what to focus on and when. Plus, iirc, there was that sprint section at the start that could open a new area? That was neat.
Frigid Outskirts, on the other hand, has awful enemies, basically no level design whatsoever beyond "you can't see anything", and just doubled up on a boss copy from the same level. There's no way to interpret any aspect of this area as good. Jesus Christ.
Shrine of Amana was fun in retrospect since it was a pure challenge optimization question of when to switch magic vs physical defense, and yes I played it as a melee character pre-patch.
Lost Izalith was more un-finished than anything, and the whining about BoC was always over the top. It's a short run back, a unique concept, and the damage done to it lasts through death.
Both Blighttown and Black Gulch have the players peeling back their oppressive layers, with fun little "side challenge" things like the torches or the plague shooter gauntlet for the firekeeper soul.
4-2 combines necromancer challenge rooms with melee gauntlets which yes would be less irritating without the stingrays, but aren't that bad.
Iron Passage was, like Amana, pure challenge run and knowing what to focus on and when. Plus, iirc, there was that sprint section at the start that could open a new area? That was neat.
Frigid Outskirts, on the other hand, has awful enemies, basically no level design whatsoever beyond "you can't see anything", and just doubled up on a boss copy from the same level. There's no way to interpret any aspect of this area as good. Jesus Christ.
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I'm sure plenty of people have said Lost Izalith, but joke's on them for not using the shortcut.
Demon's Souls 4-2 - worst boss run in the game
Dark Souls Darkroot Garden/Basin - so dull and boring.
Dark Souls 2 Harvest Valley, Earthen Peak, Iron Passage, Black Gulch, Frigid Outskirts - too many to choose from here
Dark Souls 3 Farron Keep - boring swamp level (would have picked Road of Sacrifices but that's so short and pointless it isn't worth a mention)
Bloodborne Lecture Building - just pretty dull and boring overall
Sekiro Mibu Village - pretty forgettable and you can just easily run through the entire area (stopping to pick up the gourd seed) to the next lamp
Demon's Souls 4-2 - worst boss run in the game
Dark Souls Darkroot Garden/Basin - so dull and boring.
Dark Souls 2 Harvest Valley, Earthen Peak, Iron Passage, Black Gulch, Frigid Outskirts - too many to choose from here
Dark Souls 3 Farron Keep - boring swamp level (would have picked Road of Sacrifices but that's so short and pointless it isn't worth a mention)
Bloodborne Lecture Building - just pretty dull and boring overall
Sekiro Mibu Village - pretty forgettable and you can just easily run through the entire area (stopping to pick up the gourd seed) to the next lamp
Frigid Outskirts (ugh) and Sunken Valley (gun enemies galore/copy pasted "bosses").
Iron Keep pissed me off. Lost Izalith ain't that bad, at least it's short and easy (beat BoC on my first try, no bs).
Iron Keep pissed me off. Lost Izalith ain't that bad, at least it's short and easy (beat BoC on my first try, no bs).
I really like Blighttown
Demon's: 2-2 with the stupid lava bugs that completely block tunnels and take forever to kill.
Dark: Lost Izalith, which is a pity because it's really cool to look at, but it's too unfinished.
Dark 2: I agree there's a lot to choose from here. I found most of the back half of the game, aside from Drangleic, pretty grating. But I hate Black Gulch, because I didn't find the second bonfire until later and I couldn't make the run from the first one without ending up at the boss half dead. I ended up clearing the enemies out of that area, which I'm pretty sure I didn't do anywhere else. Amana is bad, but Black Gulch is worse.
Bloodborne: Thinking of Yahar'gul still makes me angry. Lasers and blood ghosts, go fuck yourself. Possibly my least favorite level in the series.
Dark 3: Only played halfway through and don't remember anything.
Demon's: 2-2 with the stupid lava bugs that completely block tunnels and take forever to kill.
Dark: Lost Izalith, which is a pity because it's really cool to look at, but it's too unfinished.
Dark 2: I agree there's a lot to choose from here. I found most of the back half of the game, aside from Drangleic, pretty grating. But I hate Black Gulch, because I didn't find the second bonfire until later and I couldn't make the run from the first one without ending up at the boss half dead. I ended up clearing the enemies out of that area, which I'm pretty sure I didn't do anywhere else. Amana is bad, but Black Gulch is worse.
Bloodborne: Thinking of Yahar'gul still makes me angry. Lasers and blood ghosts, go fuck yourself. Possibly my least favorite level in the series.
Dark 3: Only played halfway through and don't remember anything.
Demon's Souls: Honestly? 1-2. It's pretty much just a bridge to Tower Knight with the dragon gimmick and once you take the time to get rid of it there's basically nothing interesting about it.
Having just gotten through Valley of Defilement, the entire trek is so gripping to me with the superb audio design and (sometimes) interesting enemy placement. I understand people not enjoying it because of how unrelenting it can be with its atmosphere and so many things working against you, but it's hard not to appreciate what it does.
Having just gotten through Valley of Defilement, the entire trek is so gripping to me with the superb audio design and (sometimes) interesting enemy placement. I understand people not enjoying it because of how unrelenting it can be with its atmosphere and so many things working against you, but it's hard not to appreciate what it does.
It's funny how many people say 4-2 and the only thing I can remember about that level is that it's the easiest place for soul grinding
Honestly shocked by the 4-2 hatred.
It has some really interesting enemies (the Reaper and invisible invaders), some interesting encounters (skeletons on the cliff edge, reapers, exploding spirits), the easiest grinding spot, and a cool NPC encounter (Patches with the named Black Phantom). The only reason I can see people disliking it is if they try to run past everything which is totally against the game philosophy and this level punishes.
It's a great challenge and very tense. It's got a few cool secrets for the careful explorer. It gives a high souls payout, so the more you explore it, the higher your souls count, and so the tenser it gets because it's full of traps everywhere. You have to move forward very carefully or you'll fall to your death or get beamed to death by a Reaper ghost. It's got cool architecture and I love the transition between the moody, dank catacombs and the wind-swept, rainy cliffs outside. And the boss is easy but that's fine, because overly hard bosses with retry loops shouldn't force you to repeat a long level, but an easy boss is the perfect way to reward your careful efforts.
Replaying the remake, I honestly greatly miss this kind of level design from the Souls series, it's notably absent in the follow-ups IMO. 4-2 embodies the Demon's Souls experience to perfection: a tense, meticulous level where every mistake is highly punishable but the careful and patient adventurer will be greatly rewarded.
The single worst area in a Soulsborne game is Frozen Outskirts. Even Lost Izalith is somewhat redeemed by its second half (excepting the boss), with interesting Southeast Asia-inspired architecture, some neat enemies, and the climax of Siegmeyer's questline.
Frozen Outskirts has absolutely nothing that can be called a positive.
Blasphemy. Tomb of the Giants and New Londo Ruins are great, as is Duke's Archives. I personally enjoy Crystal Cave as well, but I can see why it's not favorably regarded.
Frozen Outskirts has absolutely nothing that can be called a positive.
Blasphemy. Tomb of the Giants and New Londo Ruins are great, as is Duke's Archives. I personally enjoy Crystal Cave as well, but I can see why it's not favorably regarded.
dragon butts
So whats the story here? Why are there so many dragon butts in Izalith? Tbh when I played I didnt even register them as the lower half of a dragon, just thought they were weird mutated things like the bed of chaos.
You also never have to fight them? Can you even fight them? I never tried.