Elden Ring is host to a large roster of various enemies, and some of them are incredibly annoying. Shortly after completing the game's tutorial, players set out into Elden Ring's opening area of Limgrave. Most of the enemies found in the open fields and sparse forests of this region consist of armored knights. While some of them can be rather difficult - like Elden Ring's horse-riding Tree Sentinel boss- they usually aren't very irritating to deal with. Most of their attacks are straightforward swings with swords and spears. Dodges, blocks, or parries are typically sufficient to combat these foes. Once the player character, known as Tarnished, progresses further into the game to level up, they can also return to Limgrave to face previously unbeatable enemies.
Different playstyles work better against certain enemy types in Elden Ring. Flying creatures may prove to be difficult adversaries to strength or dexterity-based melee builds, as they're hard to reach until they come in for an attack, but to a bow-wielding ranger, the same enemy may be an easy fight. Elden Ring's variety of equipment and starting classes make different builds viable in most situations, provided the player's character possesses the right skills necessary to succeed. However, not all enemy encounters across the Lands Between are so forgiving.
There are a number of enemies in Elden Ring that just seem downright frustrating to fight. Some are highly mobile with long-range leaping attacks and dodges that make landing successive hits a futile effort, and others place the player in an arena completely unsuited to the battle at hand. Given that many players have completed the game's story, no enemies are impossible to defeat. However, some require significantly more time and patience to overcome in Elden Ring - or even just some old-fashioned cheesing. Rising to the occasion and conquering unimaginable odds is a big part of Elden Ring's gameplay, but some opponents just seem completely unfair.
Elden Ring's Ulcerated Tree Spirit Boss Is Absurd
The Ulcerated Tree Spirit is one of Elden Ring's most repeated boss fights. This enemy appears at least six times throughout the course of the game, but the first one that most players will encounter is in Fringefolk Hero's Grave. This optional dungeon is just past the Cave of Knowledge. Once players navigate around its deadly roaming Chariot, they will eventually come to a boss arena housing an Ulcerated Tree Spirit.
Unlike Elden Ring's Godrick Boss fight, this huge decaying dragon-like creature has several attacks that cover a large portion of its small arena. It can also spew flame from its mouth, or even create a large detonation of fire that provides just barely enough time to escape. Because of this monster's large size but small arena, the camera will frequently glitch through the creature, effectively rendering the player blind and unable to predict attacks, or even know where to hit. It's best to bring the strongest weapons available to quickly dispatch this tedious enemy, although over-leveling isn't enough to lessen the frustration of repeat encounters.
Elden Ring's Ancestral Follower Archers Never Miss
Located deep underground within the Sofria River Well, near Elden Ring's Eternal City of Nokron, Ancestral Followers stand guard and attack the player on sight. The normal melee variants aren't a huge threat. They can do a decent amount of damage with their close-range attacks, but are always manageable.
However, Ancestral Follower Archers possess inhuman skills with a bow and arrow. Players caught within their line of sight when a magical arrow is loosed are almost guaranteed to take a hit, which can prove doubly frustrating when trying to explore and light the fires to access the Ancestral Spirit boss fights. Even when riding full speed and perpendicular to the arrow's trajectory on the back of Elden Ring's trusty steed Torrent, it's still nearly impossible to avoid the projectile. This single enemy type can change the beautiful underground Sofria River Well from a joyous expedition into an aggravating slog.
Stormveil Warhawks Are Elden Ring's Worst Flying Enemy
After defeating the challenging boss Margit, the Fell Omen, players are rewarded by being granted entry to Elden Ring's Massive Stormveil Castle. Within the walls of this sprawling compound lay many deadly enemies, including Trolls, Living Jars, and even a Banished Knight. But the most annoying enemy in the castle is by far the Stormveil Warhawk. This obnoxious airborne pest is a large bird with a sword attached to each leg. In addition to its fast and unpredictable slashes, it can also pick up explosive barrels and hurl them at the player.
If this wasn't bad enough, stronger and arguably more scary versions of this Elden Ring enemy will appear later in the game. Some variants can spew powerful fireballs, and others trade their swords for significantly faster pecking attacks that repeatedly stun the player, making rolling past them nearly impossible. In order to deal with these bothersome animals, players will need a solid ranged weapon or a decent shield for performing guard counters.
Elden Ring's Dogs And Rats Are Overwhelming In Numbers
Any player who has experienced previous FromSoftware titles such as Dark Souls or Bloodborne will know just how annoying dogs can be. Elden Ring is no exception to this rule. Usually attacking in packs, the Rotten Stray is an undead canine with exceptional speed and maneuverability. Slower weapons - like Elden Ring's Berserk Dragon Slayer Sword - are sometimes too slow to land a solid hit on a Rotten Stray while it leaps back and forth repeatedly. Shields are particularly effective at dealing with them, as guard counters tend to deal mass amounts of damage, but it's possible to become surrounded and therefore vulnerable to attacks from the rear. It's also possible for a highly leveled Tarnished to be caught off-guard by dogs in the game's later stages, particularly in the Mountaintops of the Giants.
A very similar enemy to the Rotten Stray is the simple yet dangerous Rat. As another frequently occurring enemy in several FromSoftware titles, the Rat is an annoying creature that also appears in packs. The difference between Elden Ring's Rotten Stray dog and Rats, however, is that Rats have a much slower movement speed and significantly faster attack speed. The Rat's most annoying attack is a quick jab that is barely telegraphed in advance and almost guaranteed to break poise, leading to the player being repeatedly stunned by a rapid combo of bites from the whole pack. Luckily, these rats don't inflict poison like those from previous games, but they are still incredibly tedious to deal with.
Some additional enemies that have been known to cause players pain are the projectile swarming Kindred of Rot, the death-spewing Basilisks, and the small and stealthy Fanged Imps. There's no shortage of enemies in Elden Ring that are seemingly designed to annoy players as much as possible, but this shouldn't discourage anyone from enjoying the game. The majority of encounters and boss fights remain difficult but fair. After all, a big part of Elden Ring's gameplay involves overcoming insurmountable odds. After completing the story, players can always use Elden Ring's new game plus mode, which allows one to experience the entire story again from the beginning with their now overpowered character. This should make most of the previously annoying enemies relatively easy to deal with.