8 Most Challenging Areas in Soulslikes

Soulslikes have a lot in common: difficult bosses, deep character progression, and mysterious lore that's up to the player to decipher. However, the biggest similarity between all Soulslikes is that they each have at least one area that is significantly harder than any other area in the game.

These levels are usually considered to be skill checks, which is essentially the game's way of testing how well you mastered its combat system. These challenging areas usually include tougher standard enemies, narrow pathways that make navigation hard, and a boss at the end that will give you a run for your money.

After scouring through the most difficult Soulslikes, we have made a list of the most challenging areas within the genre. Here are the 10 most challenging areas in Soulslikes.

8 Blighttown — Dark Souls

Death Around Every Corner

One of the most infamous areas in all of Soulslike history is Blighttown from the original Dark Souls. There are a lot of reasons why Blighttown is considered incredibly difficult, but the main reason is that it consists of narrow pathways way up above the ground, with enemies around every corner. Having to fight enemies in such narrow spaces above the ground constantly leaves players dodge rolling off the edge to their death.

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

7 Bilewater — Hollow Knight: Silksong

Inflicted With Poison

The most difficult area in Hollow Knight: Silksong, which is already an extremely challenging game by default, is Bilewater. This challenging area not only consists of platforming sequences that require pinpoint accuracy, but is also riddled with poison that completely drains your health bar. Failing a platforming section will almost immediately result in you getting inflicted with poison, putting you at a massive disadvantage.

On top of all of this, players also need to deal with the challenging enemies that roam the area. Bilewater is considered a late-game area, too, meaning that the enemies are no cakewalk and take multiple hits to take down. Luckily, Bilewater is an optional area of Hollow Knight: Silksong, meaning players can skip it entirely if they'd like. However, if you're a completionist, you will need to put on a brave face and try to beat it.

6 Miquella's Haligtree — Elden Ring

This Secret Area is Brutal

Miquella's Haligtree is arguably the hardest area in Elden Ring, with Caelid coming in as a close second. The reason why Miquella's Haligtree is so challenging is because it includes a handful 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 vertical design of the area, make it difficult to navigate Miquella's Haligtree and come out on the other end alive.

This area even features the most difficult boss in the entire game; Malenia, Blade of Miquella. Even if you haven't played Elden Ring, there's a good chance that you still have heard of this boss. Malenia quickly gained infamy when Elden Ring was first released due to her being a major roadblock for players in this area. She's fast, hits hard, and will likely take you up to 20 attempts to take her down. Having to fight her after completing the stressful trek through Miquella's Haligtree is just the cherry on top.

5 Frigid Outskirts — Dark Souls 2

Blinded by the Snow

The FrigidOutskirts of Dark Souls 2 is challenging for many reasons, but its most notable reason is its blizzard conditions. As you explore the FrigidOutskirts, a blizzard will periodically cloud the screen, making it difficult to see your surroundings, lose your bearings, and travel in circles. Additionally, the lack of visibility you have in this area makes it challenging to notice when enemies are near, resulting in you getting ambushed and taking unnecessary damage.

Unlike other areas in the game, where you can use a torch to light the way and make the path clear, you can't do this in the Frigid Outskirts. Instead, it's all about luck and taking it slow in order to make it through to the other side. Enemies are super quick, use chain attacks aggressively, and constantly stun-lock you, making it really hard to heal when you need it most. If there wasn't a blizzard, the Frigid Outskirts would be much easier, but since there is one, it's the hardest area in Dark Souls 2.

4 Ashina Castle — Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

A True Test of Reflexes

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is arguably the hardest title from developer FromSoftware. Instead of strictly focusing on dodging and enemy attack patterns like the Dark Souls series, Sekiro demands players to use an aggressive playstyle and use parries to their advantage. Ashina Castle is the first area of the game that truly tests your skills and asks you to master the game's aggressive playstyle. Before this area, you can get away with a more cautious approach to combat, but that does not work in Ashina Castle.

Enemies are absolutely ruthless in Ashina Castle, and failing to consistently be up in their face will result in you getting overpowered and taking massive damage. In other words, this is the first major difficulty spike in the game. Enemies are great at parrying your attacks, strike at you mid heal, and constantly keep the pressure high. It's the first major roadblock for many players, and is often considered the poiunt where many give up on the game for good.

3 Fishing Hamlet — Bloodborne

To the Point of Exhaustion

Fishing Hamlet is an infamous level from FromSoftware's Bloodborne, as it consists of brutal enemy encounters with massive health pools and aggressive attack patterns. Throughout the entirety of a Bloodborne playthrough, the game teaches you to play aggressively in order to deal damage and keep your health at a sufficient amount. However, Fishing Hamlet punishes over commitment due to enemies trading attacks harder, groups overwhelming the player, and many attacks dealing deadly blows to lower health builds.

Another reason Fishing Hamlet is known as the hardest area in Bloodborne is due to the streak of difficult moments that come before it. Players already have to go through so many challenges, such as Hunter's Nightmare, Ludwig, Research Hall, Living Failures, and Lady Maria, so hitting Fishing Hamlet after overcoming all of that can be mentally exhausting.

2 Ancient Ruins — Lies of P: Overture

A Spike in Difficulty

The base game of Lies of P was fairly challenging, but its DLC brought the toughest areas in the entire game. While most of the areas in Lies of P: Overture pose a great challenge, the one that gave players real trouble is the Ancient Ruins. This area is filled with elite enemies that demand defensive play, such as dodging and perfect parrying, while dealing some of the highest damage in the game. The worst part of the foes here is that they mostly consist of delayed attack patterns, making them difficult to read correctly.

On top of the brutal enemies in the Ancient Ruins, the entire area consists of cramped pathways and awkward terrain, making it hard to navigate. This forces the player to take their time while progressing, instead of bulldozing through like other areas allow for. Plus, the narrowness of this area makes it hard for the camera to keep up, sometimes resulting in it giving you a bad view of an enemy, affecting the lock-on feature.

1 Path of Pain — Hollow Knight

Where Platforming is the Boss

While Hollow Knight is known for its secrets and fantastic boss fights, it's also known for its superb platforming. However, there are some challenging platforming sequences that are considered bosses themselves. For example, the most difficult area in the game is the Path of Pain, an area that gives you no breaks during an incredibly long and challenging platforming sequence. It requires fast reflexes, precise timing, and many, many attempts, in order to complete it.

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