One of the defining features of the Dark Souls series is its difficulty, and Elden Ring is expected to follow suit once it releases in February. The two have a lot in common, including their general combat mechanics and dark fantasy settings. With an entire open world to fill in Elden Ring, enemy variety will be important, but so many good designs have already been used in Dark Souls, meaning some could seem familiar but simply adapted for the setting.
Though longtime Soulslike players have got each game's combat down to a science, every new game at least poses a new threat. There are always bosses that challenge even the most seasoned Dark Souls players, and Elden Ring gave a taste of that with Margit the Fell Omen in its closed network test. Outside of boss arenas, there are still plenty of difficult Dark Souls enemies, with some notoriously difficult ones in each game and others that reappear throughout the series.
Elden Ring already softened the most unforgiving feature from Dark Souls - gravity - but even without the constant threat of plummeting to one's death, there will likely be plenty of enemies that constantly tally kills against players. There are likely many enemies from across the Dark Souls trilogy that would fit right into the Lands Between if they were simply transplanted, but FromSoftware has likely come up with all-new designs for Elden Ring. That doesn't mean the developer hasn't built off of its previous work, though, and below are a few examples of Dark Souls enemies that could be adapted for new purposes in Elden Ring.
Dark Souls Enemies Elden Ring Could Use - Silver Knight Archers
The Silver Knights which wield Dragonslayer Greatbows atop Anor Londo's buttresses are perhaps the most infamous enemies in all of Dark Souls. They are responsible for countless player deaths because of the extremely frustrating tactics they employ - forcing players to come up a narrow walkway while using bows that knock them backward. Hopefully, a situation so annoying doesn't make a return in Elden Ring, but a dedicated order of knights would fit nicely into the game's lore surrounding its demigods. The lost grandeur of Anor Londo and the now hollow knights that guard it could easily be adapted for one of the demigod's abodes. Enemies with formidable weaponry both at range and up close like the Silver Knights make for interesting and daunting encounters.
Dark Souls 2's The Pursuer Would Work In Elden Ring
The Pursuer is technically an optional boss in one of its encounters, but reappears multiple times throughout Dark Souls 2, a concept that could be fun with Elden Ring's open world. Fights against the Pursuer were possible in the Forest of Fallen Giants, The Lost Bastille, the Iron Keep, and Drangleic Castle, a recurring mini-boss that became something of a motif in Dark Souls 2. The concept could be used to introduce a sort of rival to the Tarnished, Elden Ring's protagonist. A formidable enemy that hunts the player throughout the Lands Between would be a very compelling gameplay mechanic, and an interesting bit of lore as well. An enemy that flies like the Pursuer could offer an interesting fight while riding Torrent, the Tarnished's spectral steed.
Dark Souls 3's Pus Of Man Would Be Formidable In Elden Ring
The Pus of Man made a shocking entrance in Dark Souls 3's first boss fight, when Iudex Gundyr transforms into a horrific Abyssal beast at about half health. The Pus of Man appears on a number of other enemies around the High Wall of Lothric, transforming unassuming hollows into formidable opponents. They are especially difficult at low levels, leading many players to eliminate them before their transformation.
A similar transforming enemy could pull off the same effect in Elden Ring, surprising players with an unexpectedly difficult fight. Humanoids suddenly transforming into beasts already matches with Elden Ring's adoption of Bloodborne's body horror, like the multi-armed mini-boss encountered in Stormveil Castle during the closed network test. Hopefully, similar beasts will appear in the full game.
Dark Souls' Bonewheel Skeletons Could Fit Elden Ring
Bonewheel Skeletons are a hilariously obnoxious enemy that has appeared in all three Dark Souls games. They are seemingly stuck inside of their wagon wheels, which have been adorned with metal spikes so that they stun-lock the player if they get caught in the path of their acrobatic rolling. It's possible that Bonewheel Skeletons are directly translated to Elden Ring, but it seems more likely that the rolling attack is what gets adapted into some other creature in the Lands Between. The same sort of tactic is seen elsewhere in the original Dark Souls, when the Great Felines in Darkroot Garden perform a similar move. The speed of such an attack would be another fun challenge given the maneuverability of Torrent. Bonewheel Skeletons look wacky, but are incredibly deadly, and there are bound to be some similarly strange enemies in Elden Ring.
Dark Souls' Mimics Could Be Dangerous In Elden Ring
Mimics are a fantasy staple that transcend Dark Souls, but could be used once again in Elden Ring. Paranoid D&D players are looking for Mimics, which can take many forms in a medium so conducive to creativity. The Dark Souls variety of Mimic always takes the form of a wooden chest, but taking a page out of the Dungeon Master's Guide and making them different inanimate objects would be a great way to put them in Elden Ring. Like the Pus of Man suddenly transforming, witnessing a Mimic emerge unexpectedly can lead to an unforgettable gameplay moment. The Soulslike faithful are quick to remind everyone that Dark Souls is tough but fair, but it can also be cruel with stunts like Mimic ambushes. The Lands Between is expected to be quite large, and placing even a single Mimic somewhere near the end of the game would be a truly maniacal enemy placement.
So far, the enemies and bosses revealed for Elden Ring are quite unique, though there's bound to be some overlap with so many different foes appearing in Dark Souls over the years. FromSoftware always has wonderful enemy design, but with Elden Ring feeling like a combination of the games that came before it, it wouldn't be surprising to see some enemies that are little more that re-skins of some from Dark Souls. The Dark Souls trilogy is difficult across the board, but some enemies pose a greater threat than others, and some of the more nefarious designs might be adapted into Elden Ring.