Dark Souls III is a game defined by its intimidating bosses and terrifying enemies, but sometimes those foes branch into far more frustrating categories. Dark Souls, and to a large extent Bloodborne, have always had a few enemies within their roster that are just painful to fight against. Now it’s important to understand that the sheer difficulty of fighting an enemy doesn’t instantly define it as an annoying foe. Many of the creatures in Dark Souls III are quite balanced and much of the challenge comes from taking the time to understand that particular enemy’s move set. We will not be including bosses or invaders as they are one-time encounters.
Yet, even with the communities rallying cry of “git gud” countering most of the claims towards Dark Souls III’s difficulty, there are still some enemies that make you want to snap the controller in half. Whether it’s through their ability to stun lock your character, employ some game-altering spell, or just be a complete nuisance to even hit, these are 5 of Dark Souls III’s most annoying enemies. Seriously, number 1 is just awful.
Honorable Mentions
Before we get into the list proper, there are a few enemies that deserve to be mentioned, even if only to say their names in a harsh, hate-filled whisper. While they may not be the most diabolical of offenders, they have certainly provided their own fair share of deaths and despair.
Cathedral Evangelist: These fat, creepy jerks are just a nuisance to fight against, as their spiked mace has incredible range and knock back. Not to mention they can cast ranged spells and light themselves on fire before giving you a big ol’ bear hug. If they weren’t so easy to backstab, these masked monsters would certainly make the list.
Corpse-grub: Oh you don’t have a torch? That’s a pity, hope you enjoy the constant build up of bleed damage for what seems like forever. Thanks for looking out for me Dark Souls III.
Corvains: Better known as those screeching bird monsters, only don’t make this list because you can kill them before they sprout their wings. That still doesn’t make my screen filled with feathers and flapping wings anymore of a nuisance.
Rock Lizard: Stop. Knocking. Me. Off. Cliffs. If they weren’t so useless when not in their rolling form, these baddies would actually be a really frustrating battle.
Winged Knight: Because fighting surprisingly agile enemies with really long reaching weapons wasn’t easy enough; Dark Souls III decided to throw you up against three on the Lothric Castle roof. Fun.
5) Jumping Ghru
Why: These weird monkey-esque creatures can be found in the poisonous, movement-impairing swamps of Farron Keep, which by itself already sets it up for one of the worst encounters in Dark Souls III. Though they come in several different varieties, ranging from a poison mage to a shield bearer, it’s the jumpers who make this list. While they are few in numbers, these guys give their best Mario impressions by jumping the entire time you’re fighting. This makes them incredibly hard to hit as most of the time, the Ghru will jump offscreen forcing you to either roll away or get hit. Being difficult to hit isn’t the only reason they’re on this list, as their grab attack can do an insane amount of damage – an attack they are more than happy to just repeat again and again until your mangled body falls into the swamp.
The Counter: Honestly, it’s all about getting the drop on these guys. Backstabs are your best friend, so try and open up all engagements by running your weapon through their spine. You should have enough time to hit them as they get up to kill them and put a premature end to their basketball careers.
4) Pus of Man
Why: Yes, I know they are weak to fire, but you may not always have access to flame-based attacks. The lovingly dubbed “Pus of Man” look like any normal undead until they sprout massive globs of black mass around their bodies and thrash like wild beasts. Its almost serpent-like movements make it an incredibly challenging foe, as their movements are difficult to predict. They sport impressive range for melee attackers, which is only enhanced by their surprising mobility and speed. Pus of Man can deal out some significant damage to those ill-equipped and are extremely unrelenting in their attacks.
The Counter: Fire. It’s really the only type of magic or element that seems to do any significant damage. Make sure to always save a few Black Firebombs just in case you stumble across these wretched creatures. Preparedness is the key to surviving in a Dark Souls III after all.
3) Serpent-men
Why: Okay, these may be more of a personal grievance, but the serpent-men have killed me more times in Dark Souls III than I care to admit. Equipped with a variety of weapons and attacks, they almost always travel in numbers along Archdragon Peak. They also come in extra large sizes, and can wield giant chain axes. This, of course, gives them incredible reach, backed only by the sheer damage their weapon can dole out. Since their weapon is attached to a long chain, it pretty much makes chugging down on some Estus a very dangerous gamble. Even if you are a reasonable distance from them, it won’t take long for these guys to close the gap and hit you before you’re ready to fight.
The Counter: I find using a bow an arrow to pick them off from afar to be the safest route. If you’re dealing with them during the Ancient Wyvern fight, honestly it’s not worth the effort to battle them. Just run by and focus on reaching the scaffolding area.
2) Jailers
Why: That’s a nice health bar, it would be a shame if something happened to it. Dark Souls III does a great job at subverting the player’s expectations and the Jailers are a prime example of this. These masked people wander the halls of the Irithyll Dungeon carrying a massive brand and a tiny lantern. While they are slow and easily staggered, they make the list for being able to just stare your health bar away. If these guys see you, your health bar will deplete at an alarming rate. Not your health, but the actual health bar which dictates how much damage your character can sustain.
This pretty much forces you to deal with them, otherwise anything in the dungeon will able to instantly kill you if it hits. Not to mention that if you do kill a Jailer and your health bar returns to normal, you then have to waste an Estus refilling all of your health! It doesn’t matter if you got hit or not, you will need to waste healing items to recover the health it pretty much just stole from you. Thanks, Dark Souls III, I didn’t want that health anyway.
The Counter: Kill them as fast as you can or pick them off from a distance. As soon as they glow red, you will be afflicted by this curse and your health will begin to drain.
1) Thralls
Why: These are probably the most frustrating and annoying enemy in all of Dark Souls III. Though they may be rather weak, the sheer amount of damage and speed they have can overwhelm any engagement. Scattered throughout the entirety of Dark Souls III, Thralls make a habit of ambushing the player at every single turn. Usually, when you are already busy worrying about the horde of undead villagers or mace wielding knight that’s barrelling down towards you. Which is arguably one of their most annoying qualities, as they are almost never content with fighting you by themselves, making you have to worry about other foes as well. Stop forcing other enemies to do your work, Thralls!
Usually moving in groups of three to four, Thralls can easily stun-lock a player if they chain their various attacks into each other. Special mention has to be made to the Thrall’s wielding the two-handed sword and possibly possesses the longest wind-up ever. Seriously, just when it looks like you have an opening to attack the little jerks finally bring the sword down and hit you. Sure, they are easy to kill, most of the time, but that doesn’t make them any less frustrating to fight. Thralls truly are Dark Souls III most annoying enemy.
The Counter: Until you learn their ambush spots, it’s best to always keep on guard around ledges and areas they could drop down from. Open areas aren’t always the best place to fight them, as Thralls rely heavily on mobility. Try catching them entering a doorway, where you have the chance to stun-lock multiple Thralls at once.
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