Discussion about the immense difficulty of the Dark Souls series is often dominated by its grueling boss fights and unforgiving PVP encounters. And perhaps deservedly so, given the intricacy and attention to detail required to survive them. However, even its more common and frequently encountered enemies are absolutely bristling with hostility and an overwhelmingly needful urge to put players in their proper place. Which is in a grave, in case you were wondering.

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There are a great many monstrous and fiendish adversaries that have driven even the sturdiest Dark Souls veterans into the throes of an inconsolable, controller shattering rage. But some of them are particularly cruel, cunning, or outright hateful in their methods. These are them. Keep scrolling to check out the top ten most frustrating enemies to ever show up in the Dark Souls trilogy.

10 Blowdart Sniper (Dark Souls)

There's an awful lot to hate about Blighttown, and that's putting it mildly. It's often regarded as the singularly most reviled area in the entirety of the trilogy, and contributing significantly to that immense amount of collective disdain are none other than its talented troupe of Blowdart Snipers.

Interspersed at various points throughout the rickety wooden platforms of Blighttown, Blowdart Snipers are difficult to see in the gloomy atmosphere, insanely accurate, and will quickly inflict the bemoaned toxic status, quickly dealing anxiety inducing amounts of damage over time. Their only saving grace is that they don't respawn once slain.

9 Jailer (Dark Souls III)

The imposing Jailers prowling Irithyll Dungeon are quite adept in the art of inflicting pain, if the smoldering branding iron that they drag around didn't clue you in. And although they can use it to knock you flat and deal considerable damage, it isn't even the worst part of their arsenal.

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Once they lock on to the player, they'll turn towards them and begin to emit a red aura, draining their hit points at an alarming rate. This drain doesn't just affect the player's current hit points, but their maximum hit points - for roughly twenty seconds, the player won't be able to heal above whatever level the Jailer has drained their HP to. This makes them exceedingly deadly when working with other enemies.

8 Rampart Hedgehog (Dark Souls II)

Also known as Ice Rats, these little creatures hanging out in Frozen Eleum Loyce don't appear to be much of a threat at first glance. And if dealt with as quickly as possible, they'll stay that way. But given half a chance, they'll prove themselves almost worse than the Wheel Skeletons of the original Dark Souls.

Like some frosty and murderous rendition of Sonic the Hedgehog, they'll engage players with a spinning attack that has impressively good tracking, dealing several hits in rapid succession while inflicting bleed build up. Blocking is practically useless, so your best bet is to take them out from as far away as possible.

7 Wheel Skeleton (Dark Souls)

Wheel Skeletons are famous for all the wrong reasons. Though they can be encountered at several points throughout the series, their most memorably frustrating appearance is within a particularly nasty pit located inside of the Catacombs.

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These things are capable of doing tremendous amounts of difficult-to-block damage, utilizing the spiked wheels that their bones are tangled up in to roll at you, performing a series of hits that'll drain your health bar in an instant. This is compounded by the Catacombs' poor lighting, giving you little time to react. They are, thankfully, frail, and won't take much damage to bring down, but they make up for their brittle nature with sheer numbers.

6 Sulyvahn's Beasts (Dark Souls III)

This might seem like a bit of a stretch, as Sulyvahn's Beast encounters are technically mini bosses. But they're responsible for so many salty tears and anguished screams that getting through a list of Dark Souls' most frustrating baddies without affording them a passing mention is basically sacrilege.

These guys are purely ridiculous, having strong attacks that are difficult to anticipate, deceptive hitboxes, and surprising speed for creatures of their size. They soak up ludicrous amounts of punishment, and are difficult on their own. However, not one, but two are fought at the Water Reserve bonfire, practically necessitating cheese tactics or the aid of a couple of phantoms in order to claim victory.

5 Roaming Soul (Dark Souls II)

Dark Souls II is often accused of really ratcheting up the artificial difficulty factor with cheap tricks and tactics employed in the enemy design, and the Roaming Soul (also known as Forest Guardians) serve as picture perfect examples of this in action.

They're literally just invisible enemies. Purposefully placed in the Shaded Woods, their models are borderline translucent, and since they're placed in an area largely obscured by fog, chances are you won't see them coming until they start taking chunks out of your health bar. To make things even more fun, they can't be locked onto, so you'll be flailing blindly into the fog until you manage to miraculously connect a hit.

4 Silver Knight Archers (Dark Souls)

Silver Knights generally aren't that tough. They're essentially a weaker version of their Black Knight cousins, and though they'll put up a nasty fight, they're easily put down by reasonably skilled players. However, there are two Silver Knights in particular that have caused no end of misery for those journeying through Anor Londo.

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There's a particular section of Anor Londo where the player must cross a narrow catwalk, at the end of which two greatbow wielding Silver Archers flank either side. Getting to them without their ridiculously massive arrows knocking you off is only half the battle, as the thin ledges they're standing out afford little opportunity for movement, and plenty of opportunity to go tumbling to your death, time and time again.

3 Rupturing Hollow (Dark Souls II)

If the sound of rustling chains immediately sends you into a fit of paranoia, then chances are you've already experienced the pleasant company of a Rupturing Hollow, also known as Undead Citizens. Encountered at several junctures throughout Dark Souls II, at least their telltale sound of metallic clanking alerts players to their presence.

Their tactics are simple enough. Upon being roused, they'll usually run directly at the player, dive onto the ground and explode, dealing significant damage and often staggering the player. They're very quick, so finding them before they find you is key. Ranged attacks can help, as can utilizing Alluring Skulls to lure them away from the player.

2 Basilisk (All Three Games)

Ah, yes, the Basilisk. Basilisks have remained a thorn in the collective side of the Dark Souls community throughout all three games, and largely perform the same exact function every time. Why fix what's clearly already perfectly infuriating, after all?

The Basilisk's most iconic and deadly ability is inflicting the dreaded curse status, by way of spraying a misty substance with ludicrous amounts of coverage. To make matters worse, they're usually encountered in packs, meaning they will quickly fill the entirety of an enclosed space with their petrifying clouds.

1 Mimic (All Three Games)

So you've just completed a difficult sequence and find yourself confronted with a well deserved treasure chest. Eager to collect your overdue reward, you pop the thing open, only it sprouts several rows of razor sharp teeth and starts gnawing on your face like an underfed stoner that discovered the last slice of pizza. That's a Mimic.

Now that you're aware of what a Mimic is, you figure you'll be smart and bash the chest before opening it this time. Only the chest unleashes an inhuman fit of giggling, sprouts arms and legs twice as long as you are, and starts reaching out to pull you into its gaping maw. And that's pretty much as Dark Souls as it gets.

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