10 Refreshing Souls Game Challenges

Souls games are ones that you can play endlessly. This is because there are so many different routes you can take. You can try out a new NPC storyline, defeat the bosses in a different order, or maybe try out a challenge run.

If running through Dark Souls for the 20th feels a bit stale, you should try switching things up by challenging your love for the game. This can be said about any of the Soulsborne titles created by FromSoftware.

Perhaps you can try making things more difficult for yourself by running through the game at level one, or maybe you can try out a different weapon that you've never used. There are multiple ways to make your next Souls run feel fresh.

10 No Resting Required

The Longest Treks

Admittedly, this first challenge is best done in Dark Souls 2. This is because you have a Fire Keeper who increases your level rather than relying on the bonfires. If you do decide to take on this challenge in Dark Souls or Elden Ring, you will have a much more difficult time.

Deciding not to rest is a fun challenge that will make Dark Souls 2 feel more interesting. You have to walk your way back to the game's main hub rather than resting at a bonfire and warping back. It makes the game more tense, since you can lose your Souls at any moment.

You can also do this challenge in Dark Souls and Elden Ring. In Dark Souls, however, the challenge would be to rest only at Firelink Shrine, and in Elden Ring, you would only be able to rest when necessary to progress the story. Choosing those few times to level up.

9 One Shot

One Kill

If you want to do something that will make you think, you should consider trying a one-shot challenge. The premise is simple. You must attempt to one-shot every single enemy in one of the games.

This may sound absurd, but there are ways that many of the bosses can be killed with a single hit. This is mostly a Dark Souls challenge, but it can be done in other games.

Using all your knowledge of Dark Souls, do you think you could kill a boss in a single hit? It requires you to think of every buff, weapon, and damage weakness to perform the trick, but seeing a health bar diminish in one hit is well worth the effort, and it makes the game quite fun when you actually need to think about what you are doing.

8 Spells/Incantations Only

No Weapons Needed

If you have played your favorite Soulsborne game multiple times, you have probably tried a magic build or miracle/incantation build. However, most of the time, people choose to do these builds with weapons in tow.

Next time you boot up the game, consider doing a run with nothing but spells. There are many ways to do this, but the game becomes quite interesting when you can't rely on weapons to save you in a pinch.

Instead, you will need to focus on finding every spell, miracle, or incantation in the game, completing specific questlines, and taking enemies out with only your magical intuition.

7 Archery Challenge

Bows Can be Fun

One of the most fun runs that I had in both the original Dark Souls and in Elden Ring is when I decided to leave behind my sword and shield and pick up a bow instead. It was tricky, as I wasn't used to using a bow. The timing, the maneuverability, everything felt weird, but it was a blast.

Bows are often overlooked in Soulsborne titles or used sparingly to pick off enemies from a distance. When you make it the primary part of your build, it requires you to think and act differently than you would when you have a melee weapon or spells.

While it was fun in the original Dark Souls, I would recommend this challenge to those playing Elden Ring. After all, you can maneuver much more easily in Elden Ring, and the game comes with some nice Ashes of War that will enhance your bows.

6 Cosplay

Pick an NPC

The Soulsborne series is known for a lot of things, from difficult enemies and harsh environments to hidden stories and beloved NPCs. Perhaps you even have a favorite NPC, like Patches, Andre of Astora, or even Solaire.

Instead of doing a normal run next time you jump into your favorite Souls title, try out a fun cosplay session. Pretend to be your favorite hollowed or tarnished soul by picking up their gear and marching on to complete your mission.

It is a nice challenge to see if you can beat the game with items that you might be unfamiliar with. I recommend taking up the mantle of everyone's favorite sunbro if you are playing a title in the Souls series.

5 Consumables Only

Throwing Knives

If you really want to throw off your game during your next run of any Souls game, try using only consumables to get yourself through. Each of the games has items like throwing knives, firebombs, pots, and more that you can use to deal damage.

Odds are you have used these items in a pinch to deal damage to an enemy who was low on health, or maybe they were close to a cliff, and you knocked them off with a firebomb. You already have experience using these items, so why not test your skills?

Using only consumables will make you think differently about bosses and require you to do things a little differently than you normally would.

4 Summons Only

Pokémon Mode

This is something that you can try in most Souls games, but it is truly only effective in Elden Ring thanks to the Spirit Calling Bell. This bell allows you to summon forth spirits that you can use in battle, and they can be fairly powerful.

You can make an entire run of Elden Ring using nothing but the Spirit Calling Bell and create a build that is designed to buff your spirits, making them as deadly as possible. This is a unique way to play through the game that will make you think outside the box when it comes to building your character.

This will also make you think about the game's summons, and whether one makes sense for a specific boss versus another. While it could possibly be attempted with the Dark Souls summons, there aren't enough of them to fight each boss with, and there is no Spirit Calling Bell.

3 Item Randomizer

Where Could They Be?

After playing a Souls game numerous times, you probably know where every item is found. This can make the game feel a bit stale, as nothing feels like it changes. Various randomizers are available to make the game feel fresh, and the first on the list is the item randomizer.

Imagine not knowing where anything is located. You pick up what you thought would be a straight sword, but it ended up being the Lord Vessel. Maybe you play Elden Ring, and you pick up what you thought was a Twinblade and get Maliketh's Black Blade instead.

This inconsistency spices up the game, making you think on your feet since you don't know what items you will get. Better yet, it also applies to the starting classes, giving each of them a randomized loadout.

2 Enemy Randomizer

Switching Up the Enemies

Perhaps the best way to make any Souls title feel fresh again is by switching things up in the literal sense. There are mods that you can download that randomize the layout of all the enemies, putting you in the dark as to who you might run into.

There are different levels of randomization. You can switch every enemy in the game, or you can just switch up what bosses appear on the other side of each fog wall. Either way, it certainly makes things much more interesting when you don't know what to expect.

Be sure to remember that the enemy randomizer can mess with things a bit. For instance, if a much larger foe is placed in a smaller boss arena, you may be unable to complete the run. For this reason, it is best to leave larger bosses like Ceaseless Discharge and Bed of Chaos in their respective arenas.

1 Strange Warp

Change Up Your Path

While randomizing the enemies might make things much more interesting, a way to top it is by doing a run where you randomize the fog gates. Mods for this will make it so you teleport each time you interact with a fog wall.

Think about this, you can possibly go from Undeadburg to the New Londo Ruins. If you are playing Elden Ring, you might teleport from Limgrave to Caelid. It is a blast when you don't know where you will end up, and it certainly makes things feel fresh again.

Instead of having a cold, calculated run, where you know exactly what to expect, it throws your expectations out the window, making you think on your feet.