5-2, lost izalith, reindeer shithole, yahar’gul, either painted world or farron keep, gun fort(not a bad area, just the worst in sekiro imo), and Mohgwyn palace.
Gotta disagree with Leyndell for Elden ring, listening to eeeeeeeeeee by the bandage boys gets real annoying quick, and it connects to my most hated area, The forsaken depths, for me Raya Lucaria and Farum Azula are my favourites, Raya for it's incredible atmosphere and design aswell as hidden paths and azula for it's bosses and the crazy Dragon tornado.
My favourite area in DS2 has to be Majula, if that counts. I don’t think I’ve felt anything like stepping out into Majula from the Things Betwixt in a video game. It feels comforting, it’s beautiful, and is one of my most memorable gaming moments.
I adore Majula. It is endlessly calming, and there is just something magical about being there. I also love how Majula acts as a sort of hub for the spoke-like design of the world.
Dude….Fountainhead Palace is one of the best areas I’ve ever seen in games PERIOD. Like honestly. I still haven’t forgotten about it. The lore, enemies, Divine Dragon, level design, color, atmosphere is all GOLD imo.
While Siofra river overall wasn't my favorite area in Elden Ring, the moment when riding down the elevator in the woods was just jawdropping. I felt like I was 7 years old again, with a re-kindled, childlike wonder of what video games could offer. One of my favorite gaming moments of all time.
Same for me. I was especially awestruck when I realized the already massive and dense open world on the surface wasn't all there was to it. The game was one massive, beautifully crafted and interesting area after the other.
Yeah but it doesn't make structural, logical, realistic, groundbreaking, artistisic sense though. You see, you have to absolutely be perfect at your level transition game because that's the number one most important aspect to any Souls game. Because realism is the most important indicator that you weren't lazy. Because if you don't make a level transition perfect, then you'll get a million complaints. But when you are Miyazaki, you can get away with it.
Exactly the same feeling here, gaming for over 30 years and this moment was after 19 hours binge with a friend on launch day (Exhausted and convincing myself should probably call it for the weekend) then this happened. The reliaziton of this massive underground and the ever-growing over-world, with the ridiculously different biomes was a top 50 GOAT gaming moment
@Aldia, scholar of the First sex "holes and labyrinth design" bro that's why it's one of the best levels in the series. Also maneater is a terrible boss? I would assume that they would be one of the more popular bosses in the game since people seem to dislike gimmick bosses for some reason.
@Aldia, scholar of the First sex Maneater boss fight is fantastic, even in spite of the jank with the primitive tech they were using at the time. I dunno if you played that game when it first launched in 2009 and there was nothing else like it, but it definitely made you feel lost and completely hopeless. It was amazing!
Liurnia is probably my fave. The view from the cliffs after you beat that POS Godrick and you see the lake in the distance and all that greenery. It's like the polar opposite of Caelid. My mood instantly tank's whenever I have tk visit Caelid for something or other but I always love riding around Liurnia or Limgrave, very beautiful areas. Lyendell is good but in the night it gets all smokey and creepy and not fun at all. No thank you.
Walking up to stormveil castle just before the margit cutscene triggered I was in awe at the design and aesthetic of it. As a first time soulslike player, I was so captivated by limgrave and all its characters so for that reason it’s my favorite. I also explored it top to bottom because I was so bad, I needed every item and rune I could get to beat the bosses in stormveil castle. An amazing learning experience and intro to the game, and genre. Also godricks throne room at the end was the cherry on top.
I get that feeling in the Altus Plateau. Getting through the mine to be greeted with an ancient dragon and then a huge city with the most closeup view of the erdteee so far. Also no lobsters.
Night city is the best imo, all the underground areas are beautiful in their own ways, even the scarlet Rot lake where you go through it to beat the coolest boss astel.
I love that view of Liurnia cause you can almost see everything. Raya Lucaria, Ranni’s Rise, Caria Manor, Moonlight Alter, Mt. Gelmir, Leyndell, Windmill Village, Mountaintops and Forge Of The Giants.
Sen's Fortress is my most favourite area in DS1 DS2, it was Sunken Kingdom, the aesthetics were really cool. DS3, it was the whole Dreg Heap and Ringed City in the DLC, it was just brilliant, the whole end of the world vibe was perfect. In Elden Ring it's Siofra* River and the Eternal City, basically the whole Underground planetarium like place, it was the most beautiful world I have ever seen in a videogame. EDIT: Played Sekiro, Fountainhead Palace is the best area in Sekiro. EDIT 2: Played Witcher 3, Toussaint (with the no yellow filter mod) is now the most beautiful place I have ever seen in a videogame.
Bro, the first time I took that long ass elevator ride down and suddenly you see this magic star-filled sky. It was the last thing I expected and I kinda had a moment there. It blew me away. One of my top moments in gaming
I think Caelid deserves a shout out. I first encountered it after getting caught in the trap at Lake Agheel - a typically FromSoft poke in the eye. Once I realised I was waaay under-levelled, I just ran all the way through it on Torrent - chased by giant killer crows, bear-sized rat-dogs and a rot-breathing dragon - back to the relative safety of Limgrave. Way to leave an impression, though.
Caelid knows exactly what it is, it exists to be the worst place in the game that you don't want to go to, but always have to, like that perfume store in the Spongebob Flying Dutchman episode. Scarlet Rot swamps, strong mobs, AND dragons? Oof... But of course, it's also where to get all the best stuff. So many tutorials start with "for this build/item, first you're gonna want to head over to Caelid..." It makes itself a really iconic destination.
I’ve always said that caelid is actually my favorite open world location in elden ring. I love the atmosphere and the fact the sky is blood red just adds to the crazy look of it. Caelid is horrifyingly beautiful. But my top location overall in that game has to be the haligtree hands down. I love everything about that place (and yes malenia is one of my favorite bosses in the game hate me). I so wish I could already go back and experience elden ring from day 1 again, unreal game.
@@timklafke4712 I agree with you on the malenia part, tho she’s annoying to most people, she’s a really cool boss and fun to fight, and the haligtree is very cool to run through and the design is amazing.
Leyndell was definitely my favorite area because of its freedom, but I think Castle Morne’s atmosphere is underappreciated. Morne would be my favorite area if the Leonine Misbegotten fight wasn’t reused 3 or 4 times after that, because its introduction on the flooding beach filled with graves was amazing the first time.
Rly Castle Morne?? Over all other shit? Yeah Leyndell takes the first spot but there is Nokron, Nokstela, Azula, Stormveil, Elphael, Deeprooth depths, Redmane castle
@@filipgasic2642 all those areas are great too but I guess I just see them as levels in a video game and for whatever reason Morne has a better type of immersion for me at least
@@zippo6166 What that doesn't make sense? Morne is a lvl too. I don't see how Morne has better immersion that for example Nokron or Nokstella. Thise two areas are peak ambience and immersion and the atmosphere is unmatched
Raya Lucaria was my favorite area by far in Elden Ring. The atmosphere is so mysterious and the way there are so many small hidden areas throughout it, it just felt incredible. My only gripe would be that I wish there was a little more between the courtyard after Red Wolf and Moongrum. Farum Azula and Stormveil would be my next two favorite areas.
I’ll admit Senpou Temple has some very annoying enemies and literally every boss there is based on a gimmick of some form, but damn if it wasn’t one of the best looking and atmospheric areas in Soulsborne series, also the music is amazing
Honestly, my favorite areas in Bloodborne and Sekiro are Fishing Hamlet and Fountainhead Palace. I love the amphibious scenery and feel like these areas fully capitalized on the themes of both games. Still though, I do have to agree with your choice of Central Yharnam. It is an excellent starting area.
Fishing Hamlet is DLC, I left DLC out. Fountainhead I was waiting for most ppl to say, I just didn’t like the enemies there as much personally. Thanks for watching!!!!
I think Undead Burg connecting to The Depths connecting to Blighttown connecting to The Great Hollow connecting to Ash Lake is the greatest linear progression in any video game tbh. They aren't one area but damn they're so well designed. Best area is Oolacile tho. Atmosphere is incredible. Followed by Majula.
I always love discussion on the areas in these games. They are where you spend the majority of your time in-game and can have just as much character as the bosses. Yet, they aren't discussed nearly as much as the bosses. Solid picks all-around. As for my own... Dark Souls 1: I know Anor Londo is objectively the "best" but it's Painted World of Ariamis for me. The first level Fromsoft made for DS1 and they liked it so much that they had to include it. The level design is the star here with how much the level is layered and loops back on itself frequently. It shows the heights of individual level design we would see more in later games. Dark Souls 2: Forest of Fallen Giants is the best base game area, but overall, it is a tie between Shulva and Brume Tower (excluding the co-op zones). I love when levels let you see other parts of the area from various vantage points. It helps sell the overall immersion of the setting and shows the progress you are making. For Shulva, its the art design and the feeling of spelunking through ancient, magical ruins with a poison dragon at the heart. For Brume, it is the verticality and tough enemy encounters. Dark Souls 3: My favorite Fromsoft game, so this is a hard pick. I think my top 2 are Cathedral of the Deep and Dreg Heap. The former for how thoroughly you explore a grand, but disturbing site. The latter for unparalleled atmosphere. What is it that the merchant at the start says? 'You feel like a god observing the end of times.' Damn. Bloodborne: Central Yharnam, 'nuff said. Elden Ring: For legacy dungeons, Leyndell with Stormveil as a very close 2nd. Both have the most intricate level design and great senses of progression, but Leyndell trades some of the tightness for scale. I also love how well-defended Leyndell is to get into. Helps sell the importance of the place. For open-world zones, Siofra River Well. It might be my all-time favorite level in terms of visuals. Finding and lighting all the torches was fun as well. Made me feel like I was playing Zelda. Haven't played Sekiro or Demon's Souls.
Yeah, ds3 was my first dark souls game, and is still my favorite after going back and playing every other soulslike fromsoft title. So obviously not like armored core, but basically every of their main line games. I posted another comment with my explanations. Its very interesting to see everyone have such different takes on the same thing, but not be polarizing. Based picks
@@schtendo4464 Sekiro is definitely worth playing, but for me, was actually pretty hard to get in to. I played through all the dark souls games, and Bloodborne before I played sekiro, and sekiro definitely had the hardest learning curve, as it isn't so meticulous and calculated like the other games. In ds3 I can feel myself thinking about every step I take, but in sekiro, it felt like just running in and hope everything went well, with the exception of the stealth mechanics. Fantastic game, and I actually enjoyed it more than elden ring, but I don't think it's a required play for people who like the regular souls formula
@@camrenw9719 I think that's actually what made it so fun for me. Truly polished open world games (my favorite genre) are hard to come by and most of my time in the genre has been in souls games, so switching to a completely different combat system with a steep learning curve was sooo fun
@@schtendo4464 Very respectable. Before fromsoft games took over as my favorite games, i loved breath of the wild. For me though, is the difference between botw and elden ring, is elden ring has not a lot of replayable content imo. My 2nd playthrough, i found myself skipping everything just to do all of the main line bosses and legacy dungeons, cause i couldnt be bothered with npc quests or catacomb dungeons. I just made a build, b lined for the things i needed, and just played the game. Honestly, the restriction of dark souls 3 is kinda what sells it for me. Usually around farron keep is where your build really feels like its coming together, but elden ring, you have to either go to the ends of the earth to get those items, and then it goes from everything one shotting you, to everything being comically easy to kill. The difficulty progression isnt my favorite for elden ring. I really liked the mechanic of botw making enemies harder when you complete a divine beast, it made the game feel fresh at every moment. I love open world games, just elden ring didnt really scratch the itch that botw did, and fell short as a soulslike for me. Still love it to pieces though
The fishing hamlet is my favorite area in bloodborne, it's such breath of fresh air and a clever way of using the nightmare setting to transition from a regular clock tower into a rainy haunted fishing village, you've been hearing about this secret in the nightmare that Ludwig and Maria where trying to protect and the suspense keeps raising as you go through the the lovecraft like enemies fighting the bell assassin and end on one of the most unique and fun boss encounters in the orphan of kos
What I also love about the royal capital is the fact that you will probably get a sneak peak at it from that chest trap, making you curious about exploring it, making the moment you enter it all the more impactful
I absolutely LOVE Miquella's Haligtree, it holds some of my most used talismans in it and despite it being platforming in a fromsoft game, i had a blast with it. Malenia is also probably my favorite boss in a souls game only being followed up by sword saint isshin
When you first see the branches from where you spawn in is a great experience. Stepping into Haligtree town is fun and it all leads up to Loretta, who has a brilliant arena and a great view. Then first entering Elphael is amazing, all the towers and the sheer size of the city is fantastic. Malenia is extremely difficult but a rewarding fight. I think it’s my favourite as well.
Dude I’m so glad you said Central Yharnam. It is incredibley well designed, genuinely genius. It’s easy to get lost on your first playthrough, but it’s never frustrating, and whichever path you take it gonna be a correct one. When you first go up to the bridge, the game wants you to turn left back down to the sewer, as it holds the hunter set. It could’ve blocked off the rest of the bridge with a wall or other physical obstacle, but no they put 2 very intimidating werewolves there, that act as a psychological barrier! And your led down to the other side of the sewer! Its incredible
Since everyone here obviously wants my opinion... Demons souls: 1-3 (tower knight Archstone) Dark Souls: Anor Londo Dark souls 2: Shulva, Sanctum City but non DLC I'd say Aldia's Keep. (It's aesthetic is so different, a lack of enemies in the first area is interesting, but the area is still very fun to explore) Dark souls 3: Cathedral of the Deep Bloodborne: Central Yharnam Sekiro: Fountainhead Palace Elden Ring: Leyndell of course
DS 2 was my first game in the series and tbh I was surprised to find out that people considered Dragon area the best area of the game. For me it was cool but it was one of those areas where u just find key item see the pretty views and leave.
I did not know that people usually loves that area WTF, is not even a good area Gameplay wise, my favourite area of ds2 is drangleich Castle, this area is the best designed of the Game, with a couple of optional stuff and exploration, Doors and mechanism that can be only activated by giving a giant the soul of a enemie and the best area with the enemie design and placement by far, with one really bad bossfight and one really good bossfight, only stormveil Castle is a better Castle area than drangleich Castle
I thought that area highlighted a lot of ds2s problems such as jank, reusing a boss you just faced multiple times across the map and 'we're out of ideas so make hollows explode and ruin your equipment'. The best part of the area is that you can skip the area. I actually agree with the video that forest of the fallen giants is the best area outside of the dlc areas.
Weirdly enough, for elden ring I think my favorite area would be the leyndell sewers despite it being one of the most hated areas in the game. The reason is because I love how the different paths loop back to the underground roadside and it’s that breath of fresh air because even though you know you have to go back in that fucking maze, you’ve made progress. That and the color palette and the music remind me of the garamsythe waterway in final fantasy 12. Which is a meh sewer area but I really love that game so having a bit of nostalgia gives it bonus points.
The shunning grounds is such a horrible area that hates you in every way, I love it! For the same reason you gave, the branching paths all rejoining in the same grace. The crazy pipe maze ending in a great boss fight and a secret area. The catacombs that make your head scratch several times. ... And it's all completely optional, hidden in a well in a dark corner, rumored by several notes and items. That said, From do kinda point to it when you return to the ashen capital.
Yeah TBH Subterranean has some of the best level design I’ve seen in a FromSoft game. I think many don’t like it because of the enemies found there though.
Limgrave is my favorite location in elden ring. it properly introduces the main points of exploration of the game; enemy camps, caves, tombs, folkhero dungeons, evergaols, and dragons. all of the things you might see on your journey are shown to you in a tutorial sort of way. on top of being a great introduction it's also very calming as enemies are not constantly on you or shooting you with projectiles from really far away. You get a chance to really take in the expanse of the area and every secret in it.
Bloodborne being my favorite game in the series, I’d don’t disagree with your choice at all however, in second place I think I’d have to edge out cainhurst for upper cathedral ward just because of the music, the lore implications (if you keep up with that, it’s the area that really makes you go…oh, god) and the boss, Ebrietas was easily the hardest for me until the DLC
@@plameng2679 you’re a far better player than I am XD that stupid cosmic squid took at least 8 tries, Malenia I did first shot so…dunno what happened there
@@feirinn I dunno man I still can't beat ornstein and smough so it really depends from person to person. For Ebrietas try rapid poison, it'll do wonders
It was very small, but in dark souls 3, my favorite location had to be the Kiln of the First Flame. Despite only having one boss, the location looks stunning, with the ambience and coolness leading you to the boss and the dark sign in the sky. The boss room looks great, with all the swords laying around and the ash covering the ground, as if showing the place burnt to the ground after how many times the flame had been lit. Plus, the Soul of Cinder is one of the coolest bosses in the series, and just a great hit of nostalgia.
One thing people seem to miss about Forest of Fallen Giants is that it sets the pace for ds2. The area with the sleeping hollows is like the introduction to it. You CAN sprint through with wild abandon. ut youre gonna get mobbed and killed. If you take it slow and carefully you can take on each hollow 1 at a time without waking the rest.
No one mentioning Dragon Memories from DS2? That has to be the most unique area in the entire series. You enter it, expecting yet another flashback of the war of giants (like the other memories), but instead, you're faced with an empty, ruined world - what seems to be the remains of the Age of Fire. Not to mention, it's also one of the few areas in the Dark Souls trilogy that plays music, and it's a pretty damn good one at that. It seems to be the one area that everyone forgets just because all you do is take one item then leave, but it was just so memorable to me and I cannot forget my first time discovering it on a blind playthrough.
In therms of art direction,i really think that Elden Ring is the best of all time in that regard. Every single main map has this focus on giving you amazing horizons and variety in soundtrack,enemies and atmosfere. Limgrave,Liurnia,Caelid and Altus are so very well crafted in diferent ways,with diferent architetures that resemble diferent artists and styles. Bloodborne and ER,for me,are the best world crafts that From has done so far.
Another positive thing about ds2's forest of falling giants is that there are subtle details about the war against the giants that had taken place a long time ago. When you're about to finish the game you come back here and get to know how that war went by actually being in the fray.
@@WeirdTroll666 for me, It only has two good things Souls farming go brrrr The entrance Priscilla is a really bad bossfight, aside for be a cute waifu, her moveset is more basic that some hollows soldiers for example, and the Battle is pretty hard when invisible, but visible, is extremily easy
Solid list!!! Thank you for your insight!! My subjective best non-dlc area for every souls game (barring Sekiro, because I still am only halfway through) DeS: Tower of Latria: I have a love/hate relationship with this one, a burning passion nontheless. DS1: Darkroot garden/basin: I absolutely adore the calm, serene night atmosphere and its unique enemies. Always a joy whenever I enter this area. DS2: Lost Bastille: The night atmosphere with the sound of waves crashing against the castle's walls, the different paths, hidden loot, hidden bosses. I simply love it. DS3: Lothric Castle: Absolutely amazing atmosphere, with hidden chambers, loot and unsettling scenery. It's the highlight of non-dlc DS3 for me. Bloodborne: Yahar'Gul Unseen Village: I was absolutely TERRIFIED during my first playthrough. Unbeatable atmosphere and drip, unsettling but beautiful skyline with lots of secrets. Elden Ring: Leyndell: It was a tie between the royal capital and Nokron, but ultimately decided for Leyndell because of its vastness. It actually feels like a fully explorable city full of secrets and the city can be explored a second time in a different setting. Extremely beautiful with the WOW-effect when entering for the first time.
Great points, I love your list and could easily put all of those as my #1. Thank you for watching and thank you for sharing your input :) I love reading your opinions and thinking about the games with your perspective in mind the next time I play them
Pontiff on a first playthrough (especially if you don't have a greatshield) totally felt impossible. He seemingly had endless stamina and his combos never stopped. It's wild to look back on because now I could easily stomp him but I remember those days
Obviously this is a "my own opinion" video. Not everyone is gonna have the same opinions, and each player has different experiences. For me, the ranking would be as follows: DeS: Boletaria, after Tower Knight (my least played FromSoft title) DS1: Undead Burg (It just works so well as an introduction, also has a lot to explore and connects to so many areas) DS2: It's a tie between Brume Tower and the vanilla version of Iron Keep (This is by far my most played and until ER my favorite Souls title. Fight me.) DS3: As you said, the games areas don't really shine, but I enjoyed both the Ringed City and Lothric Castle a lot (Honestly, the game is more defined by its boss fights than its areas) BB: I loved Old Yharnam and the nightmare (I only played through this game twice, so I don't know it very well) Sekiro: I have to go with Mibu Village on this one. not a popular pick, but I loved the atmosphere there. ER: There are many contenders, this game is incredible. Visually, I'd have to say Raya Lucaria, but when it comes to overall it has to be Volcano Manor. it was just so amazing in every aspect.
For Bloodborne lore, the absolute best source is the reading of "The Paleblood Hunt" by Jay Britton. Its a 5+ hour epic that goes over the world so thoroughly that I, with 10,000 hours in the game, learned several new, revolutionary things. Highly recommend.
For Dark Souls 2 Shaded Woods was probably my favorite. Starting from Benharts introduction all the way through the Scorpioness it was an eerie, transitory area that kinda sticks with you.
I have to shout out No mans wharf. It feels strangely complete and self contained for its size, not to mention there is absolutely nothing like it in the series, a god damn pirate bay in a cave!
Im giving it to the Haligtree for it be good all around, it has an amazing view, looks beautiful during sunrise and sunset, and has a great boss/bosses. I was only thinking about Malenia at the time but Loretta is fun too. Only complaint is the Scarlet Rot swamp on the way to Malenia
If you get quickstep/bhs and the one talisman that boosts your rot resistance you can make it all the way without being rotted. Or you can just let yourself be rotted, the bonfire is ridiculously close to the rot anyway. Hopefully I’m thinking of the same rot swamp area, can’t remember cuz it’s been a few months
The Haligtree is great Indeed. At first I would say Leyndell, but Haligtree is up there as well. Leyndell remains above for me for how fun It is as a form of gameplay. Variety in all senses.
My list, if my favorite area is DLC I put it there as well: Demon's Souls: 3-1 Dark Souls 1: Anor Londo Dark Souls 2: Majula/(Eleum Loyce) Dark Souls 3: Irithy/(Ringed City) Bloodborne: Central Yharnam Sekiro: Fountainhead Palace Elden Ring: Leyndell
Can't agree with Anor Londo. From an aesthetic POV it's a big wow moment, it's what you have always been building towards for the first half of the game. When looking at it from the entire game's progression, the satisfaction of finally reaching O&S along with (potentially) killing Lautrec is unparalleled throughout DS1, where many people ended up both rekindle the bonfire at Firelink Shrine and getting the bonfire warp in one fell swoop. But the level design and enemy variety in Anor Londo leaves a lot to be desired- vast empty areas with little to no enemies, repetitive hallways and staircases, and areas with enemies are mostly several of the same variety copy-pasted. The highlights were basically the ones you mentioned in the video and not all that much else. None of that really takes away from the experience of the area overall for me- but I do think that Blighttown, the most hated area in the entire game, actually hits all of these notes (great level design, even if infuriating - significant to the lore, even emotionally so with quelaag & her sister - and big satisfaction/reward for completing the area) a little bit better than Anor Londo did. Cool vid!
I have to agree with the blighttown pick, outside of the performance issues in the original which i personally never had to deal with it's definitely a masterclass in level design and my favorite area in the game
Although I love the other games more, Dark Souls 2's Frozen Eleum Loyce is the most fun I have ever had exploring a new area. It was big and you could go in a lot of the places you could see, it had a lot of cool shortcuts and great interconnectivity, it had a great gimmick, it had 2 great bosses, it had a lot of secrets, it had cool enemies which weren't overdone in terms of quantity and was overall very fun to explore and conquer. I especially love how you are encouraged to explore this area twice and progress through it. You could literally fight the boss, kill it and get to the end of the DLC first thing upon entering. But oh no, the boss is invisible. So you go and explore the rest of the area. At first a lot of the paths for you are blocked over because of the blizzard, but you take notice of them. There are also invisible knights who become briefly visible for a short while before becoming invisible, just like the boss itself. Then you get the key item which allows you to see those enemies and the boss. So you defeat the, imo pretty good, boss and head for the castle. There, as a reward for your hard work, the storm gets dispelled and you are allowed to challenge the final boss. But, once again, tackling the boss without exploring the area first results in you getting destroyed most likely. So you go and explore the area again, but this time you notice that there are a lot of new possibilities. There are 3 new paths for you to go down and get 3 new knights. I also love the way 2 of these paths tie back into already explored areas. Those being the one way shortcut to the bridge right after Aava and the snow boulder that rolls down the hill from the other side where the knight is and plugs the hole in the bridge. Removing the blizzard also unfreezes at least one chest and it makes it possible to light the torches for that big door, past which is the key needed to enter Frozen raindeer fuckland. So you go out of your way to explore all these different things, which are cool in their own way. And, to top it all off, once you have gathered your army, you are ready to challenge the final boss of the DLC and conquer the area. I absolutely adore this gimmick and the progression of this level. It has an intriguing start in the way you are gatekeeped from immediately fighting the bosses and encouraged to explore, then it has a slow middle section of exploring which allows you to take it all in(did I mention how beautiful I think this area looks btw). Then you conquer the first challenge that is Aava. Then you are faced with another road block, so you go and in a metroidvanian style you explore everything that you couldn't before, slowly unearthing every secret and empowering yourself in the process. And then the culmination with the Ivory King fight is incredible. Anyway, as for the other games: Dark Souls 2 - Frozen Eleum Loyce / Lost Bastille if we exclude DLCs. Dark Souls 1 - Anor Londo. Still Anor Londo even with the DLC excluded. Dark Souls 3 - Ringed City / Archdragon Peak if we exclude DLCs. Bloodborne - Fishing Hamlet, with the Nightmare of Mensis and Research Hall VERY closely behind / Nightmare of Mensis if we exclude the DLC. Demon Souls - Haven't played Sekiro - Fountainhead Palace, with Senpou Temple as a close second. Elden Ring - Probably Leyndell, although Stromveil Castle and Raya Lucaria are also very strong contenders.
I would say the big and complex underground system of elden ring is my favorite of all. The first time I ventured inside of it and found myself beneath the Eternal City of Nokron (which I didn't even know existed yet), and set my eyes on the big Mohgwyn palace high up and far in the distance, I just thought it's a nice piece of scenery. Little did I know that the palace was actually a location I could go to, it made me look around, see all the enviroments and realise that it's actually all intertwined snd connected. Same thing goes for the first look I've had at the lake of rot from the high spot right after the Uhl Palace Ruins. I just saw this big red cloud eating up the whole view, which was extremely surprising since everywhere else it was all blue, dark or green with flowers. When I finally got to the lake of rot, my eyes opened wide and I realised what I saw a week ago from that spot a few hundred feet above me. This connectivity, level design and the reward of fulfillment after exploring everything and seeing everything fit and suddenly make sense... that's definitely what Elden Ring did best imo and the underground world of it is a direct proof of this beauty.
I couldn't believe my eyes the first time I went down the siofra river well, shit blew me away. I was in complete awe at how they fit that place below the map and then when I found out that it went deeper AND that there were so many other underground places my head almost exploded. And then eventually finding Astel is just *chefs kiss*
My favorite area in Demon's Souls is the Tower Of Latria. The atmosphere is incredible. Hearing the chiming bells in the distance, and then coming face to face with the squid heads for the first time. Just perfect.
Interesting choice for the Forest of Fallen Giants. I always thought it was entirely too similar to Undead Parish and Undead Burg, but hey, opinions be opinions. I’d probably say my list is: Demon’s Souls: 4-1, Island Edge Dark Souls: Oolacile Dark Souls 2: Dragon Aerie Dark Souls 3: Irythil of the Boreal Valley Sekiro: Ashina Castle Bloodborne: Nightmare Frontier/Nightmare of Mensis Elden Ring: Leyndell A large portion of my ranks come from atmosphere and boss design, which in my opinion are the two most important factors for an area’s success.
I know this list didnt included Dlc areas, but the Fishing Hamlet has to be my favourite area in the whole series. It not only cleverly expands the Lovecraftian horror to a really fresh esthetic, but also the atmopshere and the lore implications are sublime. It makes the dlc have that "nightmare like" progression to it and enhances the horrors of the world. Man, I like all fromsoft games, but Bloodborne was truly their masterpiece.
There are soo many good areas but not including dlc my list is slightly different - 1. For demon souls it has to be tower of latria for me. It's probably one of the scariest locations I've ever explored in a video game. The enemies are fantastic and the atmosphere Is unmatched. 2. For ds1 I agree it's anor Londo. Nothing much to say that hasn't already been said. It's iconic and magnificent 3. For ds2 for me it's drangelic castle. I love the boss (looking glass knight not the shitty twin dragonriders), I love the enemies and I love the aesthetic. It was a really WOW moment walking up to the castle during the rain and I also love how it's only raining near the castle and nowhere else showing how time is fractured and distorted in drangleic. With the dlc it's definately elium loyce. 4. For ds3 it's irthyll for me. Ds3 didn't have that many amazing areas but irythyll really stood out. Imo it's better than ringed city and heavily underrated. Probably up there with anor Londo in terms of design. The enemies are also fun to fight and pontiff sulyvahn is my favourite base game boss in ds3. It's a fantastic area. 5. For bloodborne it's a tie between central yharnam and cainhurst tho I'll give a slight edge to central yharnam. Bloodborne was my first souls game and central yharnam was my first area ever. It kicked my ass but it remains one of my fondest memories. I wish I could experience for the first time again. The design is absolutely perfect. The bosses are great. The interconnectivity is soo good. And there were many moments that scared the shit out of me. Overall I just love this area. Dlc included I will give best area to fishing hamlet but not by much. That's just how good central yharnam is. 6. For sekiro it has to be fountainhead palace for me. While I love ashina castle for me fountainhead is the definitive sekiro area. It really feels like the palace of the Gods. It's absolutely stunning. It has 2 amazing boss fights with few fun mini bosses ( except schichimin warrior fuck that guy). It also utilizes every aspect of the combat which I love. Stealth is fun af in this area and the enemies are unique and fun to fight. Overall fantastic area. 7. Finally for elden ring I agree with you it's leyndell. Elden ring might have the most consistent quality in areas In the entire series. Each and every legacy dungeon is fantastic imo ( even the sewers). But leyndell is just something else. Probably the best area they've ever made. Everything you see you can go to . You can literally climb the dragons fucking wing. I think I spent around 3.5 hours only on leyndell and I still have shit I've probably missed. It's a perfect area. And the boss is fantastic as well. The eternal cities are amazing as well and a close second place. Anways great video man looking forward to more. You deserve way more subs
I recently beat dark souls for the first time and was blown away. One boss fight I was really looking forward to was Ornstein and Smough since they were hyped up to be difficult. I beat them on my first try without a struggle, very disappointed. Did you guys have a similar experience?
Difficulty wildly depends on your current level and equipment, and O&S are only hard by DS1 standards. DS1 boss difficulty is also typically inflated by the extra time people use on getting to the damn boss. And then there's naturally also some variation on how well you play on your first try and how compatible your playstyle is with the boss pattern. For example, I used like 8 tries on Kalameet but beat Manus first try, even though they're realistically about as difficult. And people don't really talk about O&S so much because it's ridiculously difficult, it's largely a matter of them being both quite difficult and a really good boss fight. In other words, people talk about it because it's memorable.
It was the last of the dark souls games that I beat and yeah… it felt underwhelming as I beat them first try. Although I barley beat them so the fight was close and had me panicking towards the end
From the one I've played (and no DLC I guess) Dark Souls 1: Sen's Fortress Dark Souls 2: Dragon Aeries/Shrine Dark Souls 3: Untended Grave Sekiro (from what I've played): Not even sure if its a actual area but the part with the big snake Elden Ring: This one I am not sure, I kinda jump between 4 area. Would be between Caelid, Stormveil Castle, Leyndell and Nokron
Cool video! My favourites would be: DS1: A pretty hard choice, but probably Anor Londo. Weird as it is, Lost Izalith is also up there amongst my top 3. Yes, it is unfinished, but the atmosphere always grabbed my attention. Shame that one of the most interesting places of all, the birthplace of all demons was the one left incomplete and extremely unpolished. DS2: Brightstone Cove Tseldora. My favourite part of DS2 was when a bigger area was broken apart by smaller pathways, buildings, secrets to uncover, shortcuts to unlock and plenty of hidden things to discover. The cove absolutely excels at it. While DS2 is the black sheep of souls games, I really love the adventorous exploration aspect of the thing - that's why I'd also add the Gutter as my 2nd fav, as weird as it may sound. DS3: Ringed City, no question. The city at the end of the world absolutely amazed me the first time I went there, and it still does after my 25+ playthroughs. There's literally everything there that makes an area great: nice soul/item drop rewards, badass enemies, beautyful visuals, secrets to uncover, 2 of the games best bossfights, good area variation both visually and mechanically (with the large open lake and the tight streets) and to top it all, it's all in a single bracket for PvP, making it the best invading spot next to the Pontiff area. Bloodborne: Fishing Hamlet. The transition from Maria's boss room with the mechanical clock, the bright, hopeful lights that lead decievingly into the gloomy and depressing town at the seashore is one of the best moments for me in gaming. The enemies are horriflying in the greatest way possible. Top all that with my favourite boss in all of Souls, the Orphan and his arena being one of the best in Bloodborne. Elden Ring: Academy of Raya Lucaria. Ironic how a game with openworld being its main selling point managed to be the most captivating and inspiring for me whenever I entered a legacy dungeon. The beautyful, detailed and intricate FromSoftware level design shines through these places, while for me, it was kind of lost on the open fields after traversing endless grassy hills. Raya Lucaria is literally Hogwarts but in Dark Souls and the atmosphere is just insane. Elphael is a very close second for me. I haven't played Demon's Souls, and Sekiro, well... many of you goys gonna hate me for this but every area felt samey. I really can't think one that really stood out much, and I even forgot many of its names. I'd say it's because I played it years ago, but that could also be said of DS2, and I remember all its areas vividly. Sekiro just couldn't catch my attention as much as all the other Souls games and is probably my least favourite out of all.
@@dahcoconut926 Can't speak for OP but that was my biggest issue with it: it's a rhythm game. I found the combat unsatisfying so I only really felt frustrated the entire time and it left a bad taste in my mouth when I was done. I didn't have that "Man, that was a journey" feeling after I beat it. I had a "Man, what a fucking ordeal, thank god that's over" feeling instead. This is just me though, I'm glad people enjoy the game. Just personal preference.
@@jarltrippin I think I had the same feeling as you the first time I played (I am kinda masochistic), but it felt the most satisfying to me out of any Souls game when beating the bosses because they are so hard. However once you master the bosses and mechanics the game becomes significantly easier on subsequent play throughs.
@@dahcoconut926 I've tried playing it again a few times just to be sure and I just get bored of it. I can respect its originality and its commitment to its systems, I just don't find those systems that enjoyable. But I can acknowledge that it's a well made piece of art and I can see why people like it.
I much prefer the Haligtree to Leyndell, Leyndell just feels too big imo, as a complectionist for these games, Leyndell is so confusing and dense that I just can't find this stuff even with a guide, maybe that's on me but I dunno, I prefer the straightforwardness of the Haligtree, and it ends with one of the best fights in the series.
my favorite ds2 area is majula. nothing fromsoft has made since ds2 has captured the same tranquil feeling majula gives off (setting, music, lighting, and life.) additionally it connects everywhere. it was just an awesome hub area
Best enemies sounds really good, nobody talks about the enemies in every Game, and is a shame, specially in elden ring, i know, i'm agree that the bossfight design is a little bit disapointment, but the enemies are better than ever
Blighttown is actually my favorite DS1 area unironically, with the Ash Lake being a close second. Sometimes I just like vibing to the Ash Lake theme with my baby ancient dragon buddy.
Imo upper Cathedral ward had a better horror element while hypogean gaol have a tense environment esp when you get kidnapped by those snatchers and have no idea wtf is going on
This is probably going to get hate but to be honest the Anor Londo archers are over hyped. Ornstein and Smough are definitely not the hardest in the series, not even top 10.
While stuff like Stormveil Castle has great level design, its disappointing how in the previous Soulsborne games we got 20+ areas every game and in Elden Ring, we only have SIX main legacy dungeons, aka areas with soulslike level design. The open world was great on a first playthrough, but it's such a slog to go through Mountaintops again and again. In the past games it was even more fun to revisit areas because you knew where all the shortcuts were, that's what makes games like Ds1 and BB so fun to replay.
Well 1. All six of these are larger and more intricate than most areas in previous titles 2. We have stuff like Castle Sol, Morne, Caria Manor, Redmane Castle and Shaded Castle which are quite big as well. 3. He have the shunning grounds which is literally a full blown level with some of the best level design they've ever made
@@juwe7143 Castle Sol and Redmane Castle dosen't even have a fraction of quality level design compared to even something like Sens Fortress or High Wall. I guess for me the ER areas lack some soul to them. Areas may be larger, at least Leyndell and Haligtree, but they are not at all as connected, instead of shortcuts you just have sites of grace everywhere. Shunning grounds got nothing on Depths in terms of atmosphere, bosses/minibosses, the interconnectivity serves little to no purpose and the level design is some of the best they have ever made in a world where From had only made Elden Ring. Still love ER though, Limgrave was alot more fun to explore for the first time around than any other area they've made, for me.
@@Conandus Castle Sol has multiple short cuts with alternate paths to take. Literally all of the dungeons are larger and except Farum Azula, all of them have short cuts. Anyways, good level design is not only made out of short cuts. Farum Azula has some of the best level design. And no, as long as you can't name me another area where a single check point is connected to like 7 different paths, Shunning Grounds clear your favorite area in terms of level design.
@@juwe7143 cathedral of the deep from ds3 comes to mind too. Just one bonfire for a huge area. I’m surprised no one is talking about it in a thread about level design
Lol this was so interesting to see how utterly different your choices were to mine. (sorry for rambling if anyone even finds this comment) - Personally 4-1 in Demon's Souls is one of my least favourite levels in the game, for me it would have to be 3-2, 1-3 or 5-3 (on visual and thematic aspect alone, I know there isn't much actual 'level' to 5-3). - Dark Souls for me is unironically Blighttown, I think it is one of the most evocative and cool areas they've ever made. Ash Lake or Painted World would have my vote in the same way as 5-3 would on visuals/thematics alone, though Firelink is also absolutely iconic. - For DS2 I think I'd say Lost Bastille/Sinner's Rise, though if DLC was allowed it would be hands down Frozen Eleum Loyce, I think that area is absolutely beautiful and thematically spot-on. - I've not played Bloodborne or DS3. - For Sekiro I think it has to be Senpou Temple for me, it is the area I'm most excited to get back to every time I play the game, even in spite of it having the worst boss in the game. It's not really a full area but I also really love the transition from the Abandoned Dungeon into Ashina Depths, the abandoned torii on the cliff edge is one of the creepiest, most ominous bits of set design I've encountered in any medium, I think about it all the time. - Elden Ring is really tough. I think probably Leyndell has to take it, but I really love everything about Raya Lucaria and I also remember being awestruck when I came upon the Lake of Rot (even though its hell to actually play through).
My favorite area is the ash lake it hits very different and the music with all the trees and water and the dark hydra that super hidden place when you discover there's a massive hidden place
Leyndell was awesome, but it can get pretty frustrating because it's such a maze. All these huge areas that you have to walk through, with strong enemies that often don't allow you to ignore them, with a single very unintuitive path that you *have* to find to continue the game. (walking on the dragon and going to the right on a hidden hole in a house like, come on) The area is awesome, but it's not flawless.
Combat-wise, I too love ashina Castle and that it changes thrice progressing with story and every boss in ashina Castle is a masterpiece(except the black armor guys and jinsuke saze aka the dood who unsheathes at the speed of light) but design-wise it's definitely fountainhead palace cuz of how beautiful it looks from start to end and including the way you get up there by being carried by a giant doll. Only thing I hate abt fountainhead palace is the enemies, its either lightning fish dogs, 30 okami warriors or the old doods that suck youth but I'd say the divine dragon, corrupted monk and the shichimen warrior and maybe the giant carp is the only other good thing abt it.
One of the major lessons that other developers should be learning from fromsoft, is that level design is super important and should not be an area of the game to cut corners on. But yet, we don’t see many devs learning this lesson. The same could be said about the combat system, and the story. So many souls like wannabe games I’ve seen have mostly an entirely flat level with some buildings or mountains. And you just walk from flat area to flat area dealing the gank squad until you reach the boss. It needs way more thought and effort in order to be worthwhile. The truth is, making a good game is just too much effort for most ppl. Most companies don’t have the mentality for it. They should pick another profession.
My favorite area in Elden Ring is either the Moonlit Plateau, the Mountaintop of Giants, or the Consecrated Snowfield. First arriving on the Plateau was one of my biggest wow moments. They really overhauled the atmosphere there into something completely unique, and after the run and arena for Astel, its hard to top, but they do it anyways. I loved the Consecrated Snowfield too because the entire game is littered with the results of a total war, everything feels broken and destroyed. When you arrive to the Snowfield though, its almost totally forgotten. Its a mix of all these different aspects and forces colliding into this desolate but perhaps holy place. I also really enjoyed the MoG for the opposite reason. Its a totally devastated area with no remaining life. It fits well with the themes of the game in that its essentially a massive graveyard
While I do agree with your reasoning for Central Yharnam, my vote would be Cainhurst Castle, with the Research Hall in the nightmare as a close second. Cainhurst is not only one of the most stunning areas IMO, it adds so much lore and motivation to many of the characters in the story. I can understand your choice though.
unpopular opinion but I genuinely think cathedral of the deep is one of, if not the best area in ds3. The clever platforming and multiple paths to take with unique enemies really stood out to me.
Mine has to be leyndell. The soundtrack, the beautiful rolling golden fields, the glorious golden shine of the capital, with the giant dragon in the back. Absolute perfection
Man, I think Elden Ring has some absolutely beautiful world design. Pure eye candy. But in my opinion, especially since I really like worn out castles and stuff, Caria Manor was my absolute wow moment. I've played many games that are visually stunning, but that place in elden ring won't ever beat anything that I've seen in video games. Never have I wished to be in a place like that, but damn if I do now lol
Yeah, Caria Manor is great! and I also found that's when things started taking shape for my Tarnished... Meeting Ranni again in her Rise beyond and being welcomed into a greater plan.
1:28 hot take: you joke but I honestly would consider Blighttown to be my favorite area in DS1! After the first Bonfire. The first part of the area is brutal with the toxic spitters but this was definitely the area I looked forward to revisiting on my second play through. I normally dislike the poison areas in these games but with Blighttown, the poison only seemed a part of it with the rest of it being the architecture. I loved navigating the area to find the way down and while the swamp at the bottom was irritating, poison in DS1 at that point of the game is a nuisance more than anything. Places like Anor Londo stressed me out because of all the precise navigation. In conclusion, I really enjoyed Blighttown once I get the first Bonfire, but the run to that Bonfire is still kind of a pain in the ass!
Demon’s Souls - Latria/Prison of Hope Dark Souls - Anor Londo Dark Souls 2 - Shulva: Sanctum City Bloodborne - Central Yarnham Dark Souls 3 - Lothric Castle Sekiro - Senpou Temple Elden Ring - Leyndell, Royal Capital
My favorite areas would be: Demon's Souls: Tower of Latria as a whole. If I had to pick one, I'd grudgingly give it to 3-1 although both 3-2 and 3-3 are very close. Dark Souls: Anor Londo. This was my very first souls game and reaching here left me stunned speechless. I spent hours just walking around and marvelling at the architecture and the enemies wondering what on earth happened here. This is the moment when my perspective changed from "this is a great game" to "this is one of my fav games of all time". Dark Souls 2: Haven't played it. Bloodborne: My favorite Soulsborne game. There are so many areas I love but if I had to pick one, it'd be Cainhurst Castle. From stumbling upon the route to Cainhurst by accident and then getting the chance to explore this hauntingly beautiful gothic castle while traversing snow-kissed rooftops was just incredible. I have always wanted a dracula video game in 3D and this area comes pretty close to scratching that itch. Dark Souls 3: Irithyll of the boreal valley. Sekiro: Lots of great areas here. I have to give this to fountainhead palace. The whole location is just gorgeous and gives me wuxia vibes XD. My imagination just ran wild. The carp, how graceful the enemies attacks' are, being welcomed by the corrupted noble and culminating in the divine dragon fight, the cherry blossoms and of course, the headless underwater. Loved this place. Ashina castle is a close second XD. Elden Ring: Royal Capital Leyndell, of course. My only gripe with this area is most of the area involves the player fighting enemies they've already encountered before: imps, golden soldiers, perfumers, ulcerated tree spirit etc. If it had more unique enemies, this would be my favorite location in the entire series as in terms of the environment and level design; this place is simply unmatched.
If you just haven't had the chance to play DS2 that's different. But don't let the negatives stop you. The game is frustrating at times but I feel like the good outweighs the bad significantly in the game. Ps: I too love Tower of Latria
Des: Prison of Hope and Tower of Latria DS: Anor Londo DSII: Didn't play it Bloodborne: Cathedral Ward DSIII: Tie between Archdragon Peak and Ringed City Sekiro: Ashina Castle Elden Ring: Liurnia (Raya Lucaria and Caria Manor especially)
I couldn’t disagree more about Anor Londo being the best area in Dark Souls, to be honest. It’s certainly memorable, but there really isn’t that much to it. All the best areas are fairly small so it’s hard to single out just one favorite. It might be cheating but I don’t think any 3D game level design has ever come close to the mastery which is Undead Burg / Undead Parish, what with all the shortcuts and secrets and connections to other areas like Darkroot Basin and The Depths. As an unpopular opinion, I’d also say I like New Londo more than Anor Londo. A lot stronger of an identity than no other area in the series has really hit home as well. Edit: typo
demon souls - havent played ds1: anor londo, undead burg ds2: dragon aery, drangleic castle ds3: irithyll, ringed city sekiro: havent finished it but ill say fountainhead palace bloodborne: old yharnam elden ring: limgrave, altus plateau - leyndell, academy of raya lucaria but to be honest every place in elden ring is stunning except the copy-pasted mini dungeons and the consecrated snowfield
Raya Lucaria still might be my favorite in Elden Ring. I remember walking up to the academy; I was fully mesmerized by how breathtaking the scenery was. Also Central Yharnam is a great pick
My list Demon's: storm place Ds1: darkroot forest Ds2: sunken king dlc area Bloodborne: fishing village Ds3: ringed city Sekiro: fountainhead Elden ring: stormveil Overall bloodborne had the best areas
I'm glad I'm not the only one who liked Shrine of Storms in Demon's Souls. Yeah it's an annoying area, but it's honestly one of the most unique 'death' themed areas in the souls games, which I really like in particular. It's not just another catacomb full of skeletons, it's an island shrine dedicated to mourning the dead through storms, which is just a really cool concept in of itself. Not to mention the crypts full of glowing brightwater, which look very good especially in the remake. Even the skeletons themselves have these ornate armored designs that stick out, and that's not even going into the flying stingrays. It makes me wish there was more lore to find about the Shadowmen. It's almost a shame that the first skeleton/death focused level in the souls series still remains one of the most interesting. The others are fine for the most part, but a lot of them just don't have much to them other than...'catacomb'.
I’ve somehow managed to beat every Soulsborne game and I’ve finally downloaded Elden Ring. I just hope my 1660 TI will be able to handle the game. It’s pushed through AC: Origins so hopefully it can do the same with Elden Ring
I quit Bloodborne after about 3 hours I just didn't enjoy it all that much. But my only experience before ER was Demon's Souls way back when and I couldn't get into Bloodborne coming back from it
I’m honestly not that into Leyndell so far, I mean the big knights with shields that can’t be backstabbed after attacking, always packed in a group of at least 2 and just spamming shitty lightning attacks? Not making the cut for me sadly.
Dk1: anor London cause it gave me the best training ground for parrys Dk2: the credits cause it was finally over Dk3: the dlc for me that eclipse sun was amazing Elden ring: either lyndell or caelid bith are surprising and awesome in their own way
Gotta love elden ring first playthrough (still in progress) I’ve challenged myself to no armour run but almost got stuck on the beast clergymen battle thank god mimic tear exists but god that was difficult
forest of fallen giants is so objectively not the best area in ds2 lmfao geez was not expecting to disagree with the ds2 pick so hard but god damn also i do not agree with boreal valley being best area in ds3 but im willing to accept some subjectivity there
I think tower of latria from demon’s souls is highly underrated. From the chilling cries of the prisoners, to the terrifying enemies, to the imposing gothic architecture, the whole area leans into horror and could easily fit in bloodborne. I also love how it consists of multiple drastically different sub-areas, like the prison, outside streets and towers, and the swamp below. I’ll never forget my astonishment at going from the claustrophobic prison into the network of towers and bridges in upper latria.
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I bet it's Horse F°°k valley for DS2!
5-2, lost izalith, reindeer shithole, yahar’gul, either painted world or farron keep, gun fort(not a bad area, just the worst in sekiro imo), and Mohgwyn palace.
@@bigsmall2842 mohgwyn is good I hate crumbling farum azula
@@bigsmall2842 Def Mountaintops or consecrated snowfield for Elden Ring.
Mohgwyn palace is just small, not really bad
Gotta disagree with Leyndell for Elden ring, listening to eeeeeeeeeee by the bandage boys gets real annoying quick, and it connects to my most hated area, The forsaken depths, for me Raya Lucaria and Farum Azula are my favourites, Raya for it's incredible atmosphere and design aswell as hidden paths and azula for it's bosses and the crazy Dragon tornado.
My favourite area in DS2 has to be Majula, if that counts. I don’t think I’ve felt anything like stepping out into Majula from the Things Betwixt in a video game. It feels comforting, it’s beautiful, and is one of my most memorable gaming moments.
Best hub for sure, the music and the colours give off a serene, calming vibe I haven't encountered in another game period.
Majula easily the best hub area. I love the vibes there and the music is really chill and good.
Just be careful in the basement…
@@Ayahuasca98 skelly
I adore Majula. It is endlessly calming, and there is just something magical about being there. I also love how Majula acts as a sort of hub for the spoke-like design of the world.
Dude….Fountainhead Palace is one of the best areas I’ve ever seen in games PERIOD. Like honestly. I still haven’t forgotten about it. The lore, enemies, Divine Dragon, level design, color, atmosphere is all GOLD imo.
I agree, when he was doing the rankings he was high or something, really chose ashina castle as 1st smh
@@treppey6329 ashina castle isn’t even top 3 imo
@@powersslol nah man sunken valley on top. Gorgeous colour palette
@@powersslol in terms of level design yes ashina castle is easily top 3
@@Oknahidwin imo fountainhead > senpou > hirata
While Siofra river overall wasn't my favorite area in Elden Ring, the moment when riding down the elevator in the woods was just jawdropping. I felt like I was 7 years old again, with a re-kindled, childlike wonder of what video games could offer. One of my favorite gaming moments of all time.
Same for me. I was especially awestruck when I realized the already massive and dense open world on the surface wasn't all there was to it. The game was one massive, beautifully crafted and interesting area after the other.
Yeah but it doesn't make structural, logical, realistic, groundbreaking, artistisic sense though. You see, you have to absolutely be perfect at your level transition game because that's the number one most important aspect to any Souls game. Because realism is the most important indicator that you weren't lazy. Because if you don't make a level transition perfect, then you'll get a million complaints. But when you are Miyazaki, you can get away with it.
@@shawnmarcum8078 bitterness.
Exactly the same feeling here, gaming for over 30 years and this moment was after 19 hours binge with a friend on launch day (Exhausted and convincing myself should probably call it for the weekend) then this happened. The reliaziton of this massive underground and the ever-growing over-world, with the ridiculously different biomes was a top 50 GOAT gaming moment
the "oh shit, this place is EVEN BIGGER" moment.
amazing money shot
The Tower of Latria from Demon Souls is one of the creepiest areas of all time.
This would be my pick. Also you have numerous paths leading to items & npcs
I love that place. While playing Elden Ring and being in Raya Lucaria, I kept getting tower of latria vibes.
Latria is definitely the most visually strong area of DeS, no doubt.
@Aldia, scholar of the First sex "holes and labyrinth design" bro that's why it's one of the best levels in the series. Also maneater is a terrible boss? I would assume that they would be one of the more popular bosses in the game since people seem to dislike gimmick bosses for some reason.
@Aldia, scholar of the First sex Maneater boss fight is fantastic, even in spite of the jank with the primitive tech they were using at the time.
I dunno if you played that game when it first launched in 2009 and there was nothing else like it, but it definitely made you feel lost and completely hopeless. It was amazing!
Liurnia is probably my fave. The view from the cliffs after you beat that POS Godrick and you see the lake in the distance and all that greenery. It's like the polar opposite of Caelid. My mood instantly tank's whenever I have tk visit Caelid for something or other but I always love riding around Liurnia or Limgrave, very beautiful areas. Lyendell is good but in the night it gets all smokey and creepy and not fun at all. No thank you.
Walking up to stormveil castle just before the margit cutscene triggered I was in awe at the design and aesthetic of it. As a first time soulslike player, I was so captivated by limgrave and all its characters so for that reason it’s my favorite. I also explored it top to bottom because I was so bad, I needed every item and rune I could get to beat the bosses in stormveil castle. An amazing learning experience and intro to the game, and genre. Also godricks throne room at the end was the cherry on top.
The Lobsters are my favorite enemy
I get that feeling in the Altus Plateau. Getting through the mine to be greeted with an ancient dragon and then a huge city with the most closeup view of the erdteee so far. Also no lobsters.
Night city is the best imo, all the underground areas are beautiful in their own ways, even the scarlet Rot lake where you go through it to beat the coolest boss astel.
I love that view of Liurnia cause you can almost see everything. Raya Lucaria, Ranni’s Rise, Caria Manor, Moonlight Alter, Mt. Gelmir, Leyndell, Windmill Village, Mountaintops and Forge Of The Giants.
Sen's Fortress is my most favourite area in DS1
DS2, it was Sunken Kingdom, the aesthetics were really cool.
DS3, it was the whole Dreg Heap and Ringed City in the DLC, it was just brilliant, the whole end of the world vibe was perfect.
In Elden Ring it's Siofra* River and the Eternal City, basically the whole Underground planetarium like place, it was the most beautiful world I have ever seen in a videogame.
EDIT: Played Sekiro, Fountainhead Palace is the best area in Sekiro.
EDIT 2: Played Witcher 3, Toussaint (with the no yellow filter mod) is now the most beautiful place I have ever seen in a videogame.
True, the Eternal Cities are my favorite in Elden Ring, felt like what Bloodborne tried to pull off. I only wish they were bigger.
@@blegoin2662 I haven't played BloodBorne and Sekiro yet, I gotta play them.
Edit: Played Sekiro, Fountainhead Palace is the best area in Sekiro.
Bro, the first time I took that long ass elevator ride down and suddenly you see this magic star-filled sky. It was the last thing I expected and I kinda had a moment there. It blew me away. One of my top moments in gaming
Personally sunken city is so underrated like it is my 3rd or second favorite area in any from software game
@@cypher4528 Senior lol
I think Caelid deserves a shout out. I first encountered it after getting caught in the trap at Lake Agheel - a typically FromSoft poke in the eye. Once I realised I was waaay under-levelled, I just ran all the way through it on Torrent - chased by giant killer crows, bear-sized rat-dogs and a rot-breathing dragon - back to the relative safety of Limgrave. Way to leave an impression, though.
I agree, and tbh I kind of like Caelid
Caelid knows exactly what it is, it exists to be the worst place in the game that you don't want to go to, but always have to, like that perfume store in the Spongebob Flying Dutchman episode. Scarlet Rot swamps, strong mobs, AND dragons? Oof... But of course, it's also where to get all the best stuff. So many tutorials start with "for this build/item, first you're gonna want to head over to Caelid..." It makes itself a really iconic destination.
I’ve always said that caelid is actually my favorite open world location in elden ring. I love the atmosphere and the fact the sky is blood red just adds to the crazy look of it. Caelid is horrifyingly beautiful. But my top location overall in that game has to be the haligtree hands down. I love everything about that place (and yes malenia is one of my favorite bosses in the game hate me). I so wish I could already go back and experience elden ring from day 1 again, unreal game.
@@timklafke4712 I agree with you on the malenia part, tho she’s annoying to most people, she’s a really cool boss and fun to fight, and the haligtree is very cool to run through and the design is amazing.
I think Caelid is not particularly great. Looks depressing and I am not sure if it has intentional design or just a bunch of random challenges
Leyndell was definitely my favorite area because of its freedom, but I think Castle Morne’s atmosphere is underappreciated. Morne would be my favorite area if the Leonine Misbegotten fight wasn’t reused 3 or 4 times after that, because its introduction on the flooding beach filled with graves was amazing the first time.
I don’t mind the misbeggotens being reused, I like how they have different legendary weapons for each one and I think of them as a group of theives
Leonine made a great 1st impression, but seeing him be reused, even as a field enemy, really took away his presence
Rly Castle Morne?? Over all other shit? Yeah Leyndell takes the first spot but there is Nokron, Nokstela, Azula, Stormveil, Elphael, Deeprooth depths, Redmane castle
@@filipgasic2642 all those areas are great too but I guess I just see them as levels in a video game and for whatever reason Morne has a better type of immersion for me at least
@@zippo6166 What that doesn't make sense? Morne is a lvl too. I don't see how Morne has better immersion that for example Nokron or Nokstella. Thise two areas are peak ambience and immersion and the atmosphere is unmatched
Raya Lucaria was my favorite area by far in Elden Ring. The atmosphere is so mysterious and the way there are so many small hidden areas throughout it, it just felt incredible. My only gripe would be that I wish there was a little more between the courtyard after Red Wolf and Moongrum.
Farum Azula and Stormveil would be my next two favorite areas.
I’ll admit Senpou Temple has some very annoying enemies and literally every boss there is based on a gimmick of some form, but damn if it wasn’t one of the best looking and atmospheric areas in Soulsborne series, also the music is amazing
I would unironically pick Blighttown as my favourite lol
The fps drop used to be annoying as shit though
I too love getting poisoned every second by guys you can't even see
I would have chose Undead Parish, so alive.
It’s amazing
Honestly, my favorite areas in Bloodborne and Sekiro are Fishing Hamlet and Fountainhead Palace. I love the amphibious scenery and feel like these areas fully capitalized on the themes of both games.
Still though, I do have to agree with your choice of Central Yharnam. It is an excellent starting area.
Fishing Hamlet is DLC, I left DLC out. Fountainhead I was waiting for most ppl to say, I just didn’t like the enemies there as much personally. Thanks for watching!!!!
@@EmberPlays 👍 Yeah the Mist Nobles are pretty annoying that’s true
I absolutely hate finishing hamlet because of those damn sharks like dude it took me more tries to get rakuyo than to kill OoK 🥲
@@okami9039 I’d rather lick all the rot off Malenia than fight the shark duo.
But they’re pretty cool on their own
I think Undead Burg connecting to The Depths connecting to Blighttown connecting to The Great Hollow connecting to Ash Lake is the greatest linear progression in any video game tbh. They aren't one area but damn they're so well designed. Best area is Oolacile tho. Atmosphere is incredible. Followed by Majula.
Its an incredible run.
true
I always love discussion on the areas in these games. They are where you spend the majority of your time in-game and can have just as much character as the bosses. Yet, they aren't discussed nearly as much as the bosses. Solid picks all-around. As for my own...
Dark Souls 1: I know Anor Londo is objectively the "best" but it's Painted World of Ariamis for me. The first level Fromsoft made for DS1 and they liked it so much that they had to include it. The level design is the star here with how much the level is layered and loops back on itself frequently. It shows the heights of individual level design we would see more in later games.
Dark Souls 2: Forest of Fallen Giants is the best base game area, but overall, it is a tie between Shulva and Brume Tower (excluding the co-op zones). I love when levels let you see other parts of the area from various vantage points. It helps sell the overall immersion of the setting and shows the progress you are making. For Shulva, its the art design and the feeling of spelunking through ancient, magical ruins with a poison dragon at the heart. For Brume, it is the verticality and tough enemy encounters.
Dark Souls 3: My favorite Fromsoft game, so this is a hard pick. I think my top 2 are Cathedral of the Deep and Dreg Heap. The former for how thoroughly you explore a grand, but disturbing site. The latter for unparalleled atmosphere. What is it that the merchant at the start says? 'You feel like a god observing the end of times.' Damn.
Bloodborne: Central Yharnam, 'nuff said.
Elden Ring: For legacy dungeons, Leyndell with Stormveil as a very close 2nd. Both have the most intricate level design and great senses of progression, but Leyndell trades some of the tightness for scale. I also love how well-defended Leyndell is to get into. Helps sell the importance of the place. For open-world zones, Siofra River Well. It might be my all-time favorite level in terms of visuals. Finding and lighting all the torches was fun as well. Made me feel like I was playing Zelda.
Haven't played Sekiro or Demon's Souls.
Yeah, ds3 was my first dark souls game, and is still my favorite after going back and playing every other soulslike fromsoft title. So obviously not like armored core, but basically every of their main line games. I posted another comment with my explanations. Its very interesting to see everyone have such different takes on the same thing, but not be polarizing. Based picks
wtf are you doing?? play sekiro bro its a perfect game.
@@schtendo4464 Sekiro is definitely worth playing, but for me, was actually pretty hard to get in to. I played through all the dark souls games, and Bloodborne before I played sekiro, and sekiro definitely had the hardest learning curve, as it isn't so meticulous and calculated like the other games. In ds3 I can feel myself thinking about every step I take, but in sekiro, it felt like just running in and hope everything went well, with the exception of the stealth mechanics. Fantastic game, and I actually enjoyed it more than elden ring, but I don't think it's a required play for people who like the regular souls formula
@@camrenw9719 I think that's actually what made it so fun for me. Truly polished open world games (my favorite genre) are hard to come by and most of my time in the genre has been in souls games, so switching to a completely different combat system with a steep learning curve was sooo fun
@@schtendo4464 Very respectable. Before fromsoft games took over as my favorite games, i loved breath of the wild. For me though, is the difference between botw and elden ring, is elden ring has not a lot of replayable content imo. My 2nd playthrough, i found myself skipping everything just to do all of the main line bosses and legacy dungeons, cause i couldnt be bothered with npc quests or catacomb dungeons. I just made a build, b lined for the things i needed, and just played the game. Honestly, the restriction of dark souls 3 is kinda what sells it for me. Usually around farron keep is where your build really feels like its coming together, but elden ring, you have to either go to the ends of the earth to get those items, and then it goes from everything one shotting you, to everything being comically easy to kill. The difficulty progression isnt my favorite for elden ring. I really liked the mechanic of botw making enemies harder when you complete a divine beast, it made the game feel fresh at every moment. I love open world games, just elden ring didnt really scratch the itch that botw did, and fell short as a soulslike for me. Still love it to pieces though
How could you get it so wrong, dude? 😜 Best area in DSII is Majula.
The fishing hamlet is my favorite area in bloodborne, it's such breath of fresh air and a clever way of using the nightmare setting to transition from a regular clock tower into a rainy haunted fishing village, you've been hearing about this secret in the nightmare that Ludwig and Maria where trying to protect and the suspense keeps raising as you go through the the lovecraft like enemies fighting the bell assassin and end on one of the most unique and fun boss encounters in the orphan of kos
I agree on Fishing Hamlet, I LOVE the atmosphere there. The entire DLC is next-level.
@@DREADDWELLER the dlc literally made bloodborne my favourite atmospheric game
>regular clocktower
Where do you live that anything in there is normal?
@@gtrjahnios832 I best Bloodborne but I still haven't played the dlc. I have the game platinum but it's only 85% done
@@Multzyx the DLC is necessary lol.
That transition was so cool haha,
Can't wait for more of your videos!
Thank you!!! New vids every week :)
Idk I really love most of the areas of ds3 more than most
mine are-
demon's souls- 1. tower of latria 2. island's edge 3. boletarian palace 4. the nexus 5. archstone of cheiftain
dark souls- 1. Anor londo 2. painted world of ariamis 3. sen's fortress 4. blighttown 5. firelink shrine
dark souls 2- 1. majula 2. dragon aerie 3. heides tower of flame 4. frozen eleum loyce 5. shulva
bloodborne- 1. forsaken castle cainhurst 2. research hall 3. hunter's nightmare 4. cathedral ward 5. old/central yharnam
dark souls 3- 1. the ringed city 2. painted world of ariandel 3. irithyll of the boreal valley 4. lothric castle 5. archdragon peak
sekiro- 1. fountainhead palace 2. senpou temple 3. ashina castle 4. hirata estate 5. sunken valley
elden ring- 1. leyndell royal capital 2. volcano manor 3. stormveil castle 4. crumbling farum azula 5. academy of raya lucaria
Cries in *I liked Raya Lucaria as a "perfected" version of Irithyll* :(
This is a great list - very close to mine.
What I also love about the royal capital is the fact that you will probably get a sneak peak at it from that chest trap, making you curious about exploring it, making the moment you enter it all the more impactful
I absolutely LOVE Miquella's Haligtree, it holds some of my most used talismans in it and despite it being platforming in a fromsoft game, i had a blast with it. Malenia is also probably my favorite boss in a souls game only being followed up by sword saint isshin
When you first see the branches from where you spawn in is a great experience. Stepping into Haligtree town is fun and it all leads up to Loretta, who has a brilliant arena and a great view. Then first entering Elphael is amazing, all the towers and the sheer size of the city is fantastic. Malenia is extremely difficult but a rewarding fight. I think it’s my favourite as well.
I wish I could play elden ring for the first time again. Anyone else agree?
Yes
Dude I’m so glad you said Central Yharnam. It is incredibley well designed, genuinely genius. It’s easy to get lost on your first playthrough, but it’s never frustrating, and whichever path you take it gonna be a correct one.
When you first go up to the bridge, the game wants you to turn left back down to the sewer, as it holds the hunter set. It could’ve blocked off the rest of the bridge with a wall or other physical obstacle, but no they put 2 very intimidating werewolves there, that act as a psychological barrier! And your led down to the other side of the sewer! Its incredible
Since everyone here obviously wants my opinion...
Demons souls: 1-3 (tower knight Archstone)
Dark Souls: Anor Londo
Dark souls 2: Shulva, Sanctum City but non DLC I'd say Aldia's Keep. (It's aesthetic is so different, a lack of enemies in the first area is interesting, but the area is still very fun to explore)
Dark souls 3: Cathedral of the Deep
Bloodborne: Central Yharnam
Sekiro: Fountainhead Palace
Elden Ring: Leyndell of course
DS 2 was my first game in the series and tbh I was surprised to find out that people considered Dragon area the best area of the game. For me it was cool but it was one of those areas where u just find key item see the pretty views and leave.
I did not know that people usually loves that area WTF, is not even a good area Gameplay wise, my favourite area of ds2 is drangleich Castle, this area is the best designed of the Game, with a couple of optional stuff and exploration, Doors and mechanism that can be only activated by giving a giant the soul of a enemie and the best area with the enemie design and placement by far, with one really bad bossfight and one really good bossfight, only stormveil Castle is a better Castle area than drangleich Castle
I thought that area highlighted a lot of ds2s problems such as jank, reusing a boss you just faced multiple times across the map and 'we're out of ideas so make hollows explode and ruin your equipment'. The best part of the area is that you can skip the area. I actually agree with the video that forest of the fallen giants is the best area outside of the dlc areas.
Weirdly enough, for elden ring I think my favorite area would be the leyndell sewers despite it being one of the most hated areas in the game. The reason is because I love how the different paths loop back to the underground roadside and it’s that breath of fresh air because even though you know you have to go back in that fucking maze, you’ve made progress. That and the color palette and the music remind me of the garamsythe waterway in final fantasy 12. Which is a meh sewer area but I really love that game so having a bit of nostalgia gives it bonus points.
I enjoyed the subterranean shunning grounds for the same reason I enjoy the depths in Dark Souls. Just straight up well made sewer levels
The shunning grounds is such a horrible area that hates you in every way, I love it!
For the same reason you gave, the branching paths all rejoining in the same grace. The crazy pipe maze ending in a great boss fight and a secret area. The catacombs that make your head scratch several times.
...
And it's all completely optional, hidden in a well in a dark corner, rumored by several notes and items. That said, From do kinda point to it when you return to the ashen capital.
The level design in the shunning grounds is absolute masterclass actually.
Some of the best they've ever made
"Breath of fresh air"
I dont know if its intentional or not.
Yeah TBH Subterranean has some of the best level design I’ve seen in a FromSoft game. I think many don’t like it because of the enemies found there though.
For me it’s:
Demon’s Souls: 3-2 Latria Tower
DS1: Blighttown
DS2: Brume Tower
BB: Yahar’gul
DS3: Ringed City
Sekiro: Ashina Castle
ER: Leyndell Capital
Except for leyendell hard agree with your List!
Blight town is so underrated
@@bingobongo1615 I was torn between Leyndell and Stormveil Castle
I like the winter dlc area from dark souls 2. It's interesting how after unfreezing the area you need to reexplore it again
Really good taste
Limgrave is my favorite location in elden ring. it properly introduces the main points of exploration of the game; enemy camps, caves, tombs, folkhero dungeons, evergaols, and dragons. all of the things you might see on your journey are shown to you in a tutorial sort of way. on top of being a great introduction it's also very calming as enemies are not constantly on you or shooting you with projectiles from really far away. You get a chance to really take in the expanse of the area and every secret in it.
Bloodborne being my favorite game in the series, I’d don’t disagree with your choice at all however, in second place I think I’d have to edge out cainhurst for upper cathedral ward just because of the music, the lore implications (if you keep up with that, it’s the area that really makes you go…oh, god) and the boss, Ebrietas was easily the hardest for me until the DLC
Agreed the area is awesome although I beat her first try
@@plameng2679 you’re a far better player than I am XD that stupid cosmic squid took at least 8 tries, Malenia I did first shot so…dunno what happened there
@@feirinn I dunno man I still can't beat ornstein and smough so it really depends from person to person. For Ebrietas try rapid poison, it'll do wonders
It was very small, but in dark souls 3, my favorite location had to be the Kiln of the First Flame. Despite only having one boss, the location looks stunning, with the ambience and coolness leading you to the boss and the dark sign in the sky.
The boss room looks great, with all the swords laying around and the ash covering the ground, as if showing the place burnt to the ground after how many times the flame had been lit. Plus, the Soul of Cinder is one of the coolest bosses in the series, and just a great hit of nostalgia.
One thing people seem to miss about Forest of Fallen Giants is that it sets the pace for ds2. The area with the sleeping hollows is like the introduction to it. You CAN sprint through with wild abandon. ut youre gonna get mobbed and killed. If you take it slow and carefully you can take on each hollow 1 at a time without waking the rest.
No one mentioning Dragon Memories from DS2? That has to be the most unique area in the entire series. You enter it, expecting yet another flashback of the war of giants (like the other memories), but instead, you're faced with an empty, ruined world - what seems to be the remains of the Age of Fire. Not to mention, it's also one of the few areas in the Dark Souls trilogy that plays music, and it's a pretty damn good one at that. It seems to be the one area that everyone forgets just because all you do is take one item then leave, but it was just so memorable to me and I cannot forget my first time discovering it on a blind playthrough.
I love them, but I hate they are timed.
In therms of art direction,i really think that Elden Ring is the best of all time in that regard. Every single main map has this focus on giving you amazing horizons and variety in soundtrack,enemies and atmosfere. Limgrave,Liurnia,Caelid and Altus are so very well crafted in diferent ways,with diferent architetures that resemble diferent artists and styles. Bloodborne and ER,for me,are the best world crafts that From has done so far.
Another positive thing about ds2's forest of falling giants is that there are subtle details about the war against the giants that had taken place a long time ago. When you're about to finish the game you come back here and get to know how that war went by actually being in the fray.
Says Anor Londo as if The Painted World of Ariamis doesn't exist.
Painted World barely had anything Good except the entrance and Priscilla
@@WeirdTroll666 for me, It only has two good things
Souls farming go brrrr
The entrance
Priscilla is a really bad bossfight, aside for be a cute waifu, her moveset is more basic that some hollows soldiers for example, and the Battle is pretty hard when invisible, but visible, is extremily easy
@@WeirdTroll666 "this land is peaceful, its inhabitants kind"
@@jajasking9652 King Jeremiah and the "Phalanx" give lots of souls yeah, also i like snow but idk...
Solid list!!! Thank you for your insight!!
My subjective best non-dlc area for every souls game (barring Sekiro, because I still am only halfway through)
DeS: Tower of Latria: I have a love/hate relationship with this one, a burning passion nontheless.
DS1: Darkroot garden/basin: I absolutely adore the calm, serene night atmosphere and its unique enemies. Always a joy whenever I enter this area.
DS2: Lost Bastille: The night atmosphere with the sound of waves crashing against the castle's walls, the different paths, hidden loot, hidden bosses. I simply love it.
DS3: Lothric Castle: Absolutely amazing atmosphere, with hidden chambers, loot and unsettling scenery. It's the highlight of non-dlc DS3 for me.
Bloodborne: Yahar'Gul Unseen Village: I was absolutely TERRIFIED during my first playthrough. Unbeatable atmosphere and drip, unsettling but beautiful skyline with lots of secrets.
Elden Ring: Leyndell: It was a tie between the royal capital and Nokron, but ultimately decided for Leyndell because of its vastness. It actually feels like a fully explorable city full of secrets and the city can be explored a second time in a different setting. Extremely beautiful with the WOW-effect when entering for the first time.
Great points, I love your list and could easily put all of those as my #1. Thank you for watching and thank you for sharing your input :) I love reading your opinions and thinking about the games with your perspective in mind the next time I play them
Pontiff on a first playthrough (especially if you don't have a greatshield) totally felt impossible. He seemingly had endless stamina and his combos never stopped. It's wild to look back on because now I could easily stomp him but I remember those days
Obviously this is a "my own opinion" video. Not everyone is gonna have the same opinions, and each player has different experiences. For me, the ranking would be as follows:
DeS: Boletaria, after Tower Knight (my least played FromSoft title)
DS1: Undead Burg (It just works so well as an introduction, also has a lot to explore and connects to so many areas)
DS2: It's a tie between Brume Tower and the vanilla version of Iron Keep (This is by far my most played and until ER my favorite Souls title. Fight me.)
DS3: As you said, the games areas don't really shine, but I enjoyed both the Ringed City and Lothric Castle a lot (Honestly, the game is more defined by its boss fights than its areas)
BB: I loved Old Yharnam and the nightmare (I only played through this game twice, so I don't know it very well)
Sekiro: I have to go with Mibu Village on this one. not a popular pick, but I loved the atmosphere there.
ER: There are many contenders, this game is incredible. Visually, I'd have to say Raya Lucaria, but when it comes to overall it has to be Volcano Manor. it was just so amazing in every aspect.
I'm going to go with:
1-3 for DeS
Undead Burg for DaS
Majula for DS2
Irithyll of the Boreal Valley DS3
Volcano Manor for ER
For Bloodborne lore, the absolute best source is the reading of "The Paleblood Hunt" by Jay Britton. Its a 5+ hour epic that goes over the world so thoroughly that I, with 10,000 hours in the game, learned several new, revolutionary things. Highly recommend.
For Dark Souls 2 Shaded Woods was probably my favorite. Starting from Benharts introduction all the way through the Scorpioness it was an eerie, transitory area that kinda sticks with you.
I have to shout out No mans wharf. It feels strangely complete and self contained for its size, not to mention there is absolutely nothing like it in the series, a god damn pirate bay in a cave!
@@saawysorenson4585 i liked no mans wharf, its some Deadmines from wow or goonies type vibe
Im giving it to the Haligtree for it be good all around, it has an amazing view, looks beautiful during sunrise and sunset, and has a great boss/bosses. I was only thinking about Malenia at the time but Loretta is fun too. Only complaint is the Scarlet Rot swamp on the way to Malenia
If you get quickstep/bhs and the one talisman that boosts your rot resistance you can make it all the way without being rotted. Or you can just let yourself be rotted, the bonfire is ridiculously close to the rot anyway.
Hopefully I’m thinking of the same rot swamp area, can’t remember cuz it’s been a few months
Where’s the spot you usually chill at?
@@timklafke4712 Yeah, it's mostly just the inconvenience of having to walk through it
@@gedewahyu.p Probably somewhere on the higher branches like the one you teleport to when you get thr puzzle done in the village
The Haligtree is great Indeed. At first I would say Leyndell, but Haligtree is up there as well.
Leyndell remains above for me for how fun It is as a form of gameplay. Variety in all senses.
My list, if my favorite area is DLC I put it there as well:
Demon's Souls: 3-1
Dark Souls 1: Anor Londo
Dark Souls 2: Majula/(Eleum Loyce)
Dark Souls 3: Irithy/(Ringed City)
Bloodborne: Central Yharnam
Sekiro: Fountainhead Palace
Elden Ring: Leyndell
Can't agree with Anor Londo. From an aesthetic POV it's a big wow moment, it's what you have always been building towards for the first half of the game. When looking at it from the entire game's progression, the satisfaction of finally reaching O&S along with (potentially) killing Lautrec is unparalleled throughout DS1, where many people ended up both rekindle the bonfire at Firelink Shrine and getting the bonfire warp in one fell swoop. But the level design and enemy variety in Anor Londo leaves a lot to be desired- vast empty areas with little to no enemies, repetitive hallways and staircases, and areas with enemies are mostly several of the same variety copy-pasted. The highlights were basically the ones you mentioned in the video and not all that much else. None of that really takes away from the experience of the area overall for me- but I do think that Blighttown, the most hated area in the entire game, actually hits all of these notes (great level design, even if infuriating - significant to the lore, even emotionally so with quelaag & her sister - and big satisfaction/reward for completing the area) a little bit better than Anor Londo did.
Cool vid!
I have to agree with the blighttown pick, outside of the performance issues in the original which i personally never had to deal with it's definitely a masterclass in level design and my favorite area in the game
Although I love the other games more, Dark Souls 2's Frozen Eleum Loyce is the most fun I have ever had exploring a new area. It was big and you could go in a lot of the places you could see, it had a lot of cool shortcuts and great interconnectivity, it had a great gimmick, it had 2 great bosses, it had a lot of secrets, it had cool enemies which weren't overdone in terms of quantity and was overall very fun to explore and conquer.
I especially love how you are encouraged to explore this area twice and progress through it. You could literally fight the boss, kill it and get to the end of the DLC first thing upon entering. But oh no, the boss is invisible. So you go and explore the rest of the area. At first a lot of the paths for you are blocked over because of the blizzard, but you take notice of them. There are also invisible knights who become briefly visible for a short while before becoming invisible, just like the boss itself. Then you get the key item which allows you to see those enemies and the boss. So you defeat the, imo pretty good, boss and head for the castle. There, as a reward for your hard work, the storm gets dispelled and you are allowed to challenge the final boss. But, once again, tackling the boss without exploring the area first results in you getting destroyed most likely. So you go and explore the area again, but this time you notice that there are a lot of new possibilities. There are 3 new paths for you to go down and get 3 new knights. I also love the way 2 of these paths tie back into already explored areas. Those being the one way shortcut to the bridge right after Aava and the snow boulder that rolls down the hill from the other side where the knight is and plugs the hole in the bridge. Removing the blizzard also unfreezes at least one chest and it makes it possible to light the torches for that big door, past which is the key needed to enter Frozen raindeer fuckland. So you go out of your way to explore all these different things, which are cool in their own way. And, to top it all off, once you have gathered your army, you are ready to challenge the final boss of the DLC and conquer the area.
I absolutely adore this gimmick and the progression of this level. It has an intriguing start in the way you are gatekeeped from immediately fighting the bosses and encouraged to explore, then it has a slow middle section of exploring which allows you to take it all in(did I mention how beautiful I think this area looks btw). Then you conquer the first challenge that is Aava. Then you are faced with another road block, so you go and in a metroidvanian style you explore everything that you couldn't before, slowly unearthing every secret and empowering yourself in the process. And then the culmination with the Ivory King fight is incredible.
Anyway, as for the other games:
Dark Souls 2 - Frozen Eleum Loyce / Lost Bastille if we exclude DLCs.
Dark Souls 1 - Anor Londo. Still Anor Londo even with the DLC excluded.
Dark Souls 3 - Ringed City / Archdragon Peak if we exclude DLCs.
Bloodborne - Fishing Hamlet, with the Nightmare of Mensis and Research Hall VERY closely behind / Nightmare of Mensis if we exclude the DLC.
Demon Souls - Haven't played
Sekiro - Fountainhead Palace, with Senpou Temple as a close second.
Elden Ring - Probably Leyndell, although Stromveil Castle and Raya Lucaria are also very strong contenders.
I would say the big and complex underground system of elden ring is my favorite of all.
The first time I ventured inside of it and found myself beneath the Eternal City of Nokron (which I didn't even know existed yet), and set my eyes on the big Mohgwyn palace high up and far in the distance, I just thought it's a nice piece of scenery. Little did I know that the palace was actually a location I could go to, it made me look around, see all the enviroments and realise that it's actually all intertwined snd connected.
Same thing goes for the first look I've had at the lake of rot from the high spot right after the Uhl Palace Ruins. I just saw this big red cloud eating up the whole view, which was extremely surprising since everywhere else it was all blue, dark or green with flowers. When I finally got to the lake of rot, my eyes opened wide and I realised what I saw a week ago from that spot a few hundred feet above me.
This connectivity, level design and the reward of fulfillment after exploring everything and seeing everything fit and suddenly make sense... that's definitely what Elden Ring did best imo and the underground world of it is a direct proof of this beauty.
I couldn't believe my eyes the first time I went down the siofra river well, shit blew me away. I was in complete awe at how they fit that place below the map and then when I found out that it went deeper AND that there were so many other underground places my head almost exploded.
And then eventually finding Astel is just *chefs kiss*
Nokron is the wallpaper on my pc lol
My favorite area in Demon's Souls is the Tower Of Latria. The atmosphere is incredible. Hearing the chiming bells in the distance, and then coming face to face with the squid heads for the first time. Just perfect.
Interesting choice for the Forest of Fallen Giants. I always thought it was entirely too similar to Undead Parish and Undead Burg, but hey, opinions be opinions.
I’d probably say my list is:
Demon’s Souls: 4-1, Island Edge
Dark Souls: Oolacile
Dark Souls 2: Dragon Aerie
Dark Souls 3: Irythil of the Boreal Valley
Sekiro: Ashina Castle
Bloodborne: Nightmare Frontier/Nightmare of Mensis
Elden Ring: Leyndell
A large portion of my ranks come from atmosphere and boss design, which in my opinion are the two most important factors for an area’s success.
I know this list didnt included Dlc areas, but the Fishing Hamlet has to be my favourite area in the whole series. It not only cleverly expands the Lovecraftian horror to a really fresh esthetic, but also the atmopshere and the lore implications are sublime. It makes the dlc have that "nightmare like" progression to it and enhances the horrors of the world. Man, I like all fromsoft games, but Bloodborne was truly their masterpiece.
There are soo many good areas but not including dlc my list is slightly different -
1. For demon souls it has to be tower of latria for me. It's probably one of the scariest locations I've ever explored in a video game. The enemies are fantastic and the atmosphere Is unmatched.
2. For ds1 I agree it's anor Londo. Nothing much to say that hasn't already been said. It's iconic and magnificent
3. For ds2 for me it's drangelic castle. I love the boss (looking glass knight not the shitty twin dragonriders), I love the enemies and I love the aesthetic. It was a really WOW moment walking up to the castle during the rain and I also love how it's only raining near the castle and nowhere else showing how time is fractured and distorted in drangleic. With the dlc it's definately elium loyce.
4. For ds3 it's irthyll for me. Ds3 didn't have that many amazing areas but irythyll really stood out. Imo it's better than ringed city and heavily underrated. Probably up there with anor Londo in terms of design. The enemies are also fun to fight and pontiff sulyvahn is my favourite base game boss in ds3. It's a fantastic area.
5. For bloodborne it's a tie between central yharnam and cainhurst tho I'll give a slight edge to central yharnam. Bloodborne was my first souls game and central yharnam was my first area ever. It kicked my ass but it remains one of my fondest memories. I wish I could experience for the first time again. The design is absolutely perfect. The bosses are great. The interconnectivity is soo good. And there were many moments that scared the shit out of me. Overall I just love this area. Dlc included I will give best area to fishing hamlet but not by much. That's just how good central yharnam is.
6. For sekiro it has to be fountainhead palace for me. While I love ashina castle for me fountainhead is the definitive sekiro area. It really feels like the palace of the Gods. It's absolutely stunning. It has 2 amazing boss fights with few fun mini bosses ( except schichimin warrior fuck that guy). It also utilizes every aspect of the combat which I love. Stealth is fun af in this area and the enemies are unique and fun to fight. Overall fantastic area.
7. Finally for elden ring I agree with you it's leyndell. Elden ring might have the most consistent quality in areas In the entire series. Each and every legacy dungeon is fantastic imo ( even the sewers). But leyndell is just something else. Probably the best area they've ever made. Everything you see you can go to . You can literally climb the dragons fucking wing. I think I spent around 3.5 hours only on leyndell and I still have shit I've probably missed. It's a perfect area. And the boss is fantastic as well. The eternal cities are amazing as well and a close second place.
Anways great video man looking forward to more. You deserve way more subs
I recently beat dark souls for the first time and was blown away. One boss fight I was really looking forward to was Ornstein and Smough since they were hyped up to be difficult. I beat them on my first try without a struggle, very disappointed. Did you guys have a similar experience?
I never really had a hard time with them but the fight was always awesome. I think the fight I struggled with the most was four kings on ng+
Difficulty wildly depends on your current level and equipment, and O&S are only hard by DS1 standards. DS1 boss difficulty is also typically inflated by the extra time people use on getting to the damn boss. And then there's naturally also some variation on how well you play on your first try and how compatible your playstyle is with the boss pattern. For example, I used like 8 tries on Kalameet but beat Manus first try, even though they're realistically about as difficult.
And people don't really talk about O&S so much because it's ridiculously difficult, it's largely a matter of them being both quite difficult and a really good boss fight. In other words, people talk about it because it's memorable.
It was the last of the dark souls games that I beat and yeah… it felt underwhelming as I beat them first try. Although I barley beat them so the fight was close and had me panicking towards the end
From the one I've played (and no DLC I guess)
Dark Souls 1: Sen's Fortress
Dark Souls 2: Dragon Aeries/Shrine
Dark Souls 3: Untended Grave
Sekiro (from what I've played): Not even sure if its a actual area but the part with the big snake
Elden Ring: This one I am not sure, I kinda jump between 4 area. Would be between Caelid, Stormveil Castle, Leyndell and Nokron
Cool video!
My favourites would be:
DS1: A pretty hard choice, but probably Anor Londo. Weird as it is, Lost Izalith is also up there amongst my top 3. Yes, it is unfinished, but the atmosphere always grabbed my attention. Shame that one of the most interesting places of all, the birthplace of all demons was the one left incomplete and extremely unpolished.
DS2: Brightstone Cove Tseldora. My favourite part of DS2 was when a bigger area was broken apart by smaller pathways, buildings, secrets to uncover, shortcuts to unlock and plenty of hidden things to discover. The cove absolutely excels at it. While DS2 is the black sheep of souls games, I really love the adventorous exploration aspect of the thing - that's why I'd also add the Gutter as my 2nd fav, as weird as it may sound.
DS3: Ringed City, no question. The city at the end of the world absolutely amazed me the first time I went there, and it still does after my 25+ playthroughs. There's literally everything there that makes an area great: nice soul/item drop rewards, badass enemies, beautyful visuals, secrets to uncover, 2 of the games best bossfights, good area variation both visually and mechanically (with the large open lake and the tight streets) and to top it all, it's all in a single bracket for PvP, making it the best invading spot next to the Pontiff area.
Bloodborne: Fishing Hamlet. The transition from Maria's boss room with the mechanical clock, the bright, hopeful lights that lead decievingly into the gloomy and depressing town at the seashore is one of the best moments for me in gaming. The enemies are horriflying in the greatest way possible. Top all that with my favourite boss in all of Souls, the Orphan and his arena being one of the best in Bloodborne.
Elden Ring: Academy of Raya Lucaria. Ironic how a game with openworld being its main selling point managed to be the most captivating and inspiring for me whenever I entered a legacy dungeon. The beautyful, detailed and intricate FromSoftware level design shines through these places, while for me, it was kind of lost on the open fields after traversing endless grassy hills. Raya Lucaria is literally Hogwarts but in Dark Souls and the atmosphere is just insane. Elphael is a very close second for me.
I haven't played Demon's Souls, and Sekiro, well... many of you goys gonna hate me for this but every area felt samey. I really can't think one that really stood out much, and I even forgot many of its names. I'd say it's because I played it years ago, but that could also be said of DS2, and I remember all its areas vividly. Sekiro just couldn't catch my attention as much as all the other Souls games and is probably my least favourite out of all.
Sekiro has my favorite combat system out of all of the Souls games, as it is essentially a rhythm game. Really recommend trying it out again.
@@dahcoconut926 Can't speak for OP but that was my biggest issue with it: it's a rhythm game. I found the combat unsatisfying so I only really felt frustrated the entire time and it left a bad taste in my mouth when I was done. I didn't have that "Man, that was a journey" feeling after I beat it. I had a "Man, what a fucking ordeal, thank god that's over" feeling instead.
This is just me though, I'm glad people enjoy the game. Just personal preference.
@@jarltrippin I think I had the same feeling as you the first time I played (I am kinda masochistic), but it felt the most satisfying to me out of any Souls game when beating the bosses because they are so hard.
However once you master the bosses and mechanics the game becomes significantly easier on subsequent play throughs.
@@dahcoconut926 I've tried playing it again a few times just to be sure and I just get bored of it. I can respect its originality and its commitment to its systems, I just don't find those systems that enjoyable. But I can acknowledge that it's a well made piece of art and I can see why people like it.
I much prefer the Haligtree to Leyndell, Leyndell just feels too big imo, as a complectionist for these games, Leyndell is so confusing and dense that I just can't find this stuff even with a guide, maybe that's on me but I dunno, I prefer the straightforwardness of the Haligtree, and it ends with one of the best fights in the series.
my favorite ds2 area is majula. nothing fromsoft has made since ds2 has captured the same tranquil feeling majula gives off (setting, music, lighting, and life.) additionally it connects everywhere. it was just an awesome hub area
Some ideas:
Best/worst Bosses
worst areas (duh)
Best moments/reveals
Best enemies(??)
Best NPC's(???????)
lowest/worst moments
Best enemies sounds really good, nobody talks about the enemies in every Game, and is a shame, specially in elden ring, i know, i'm agree that the bossfight design is a little bit disapointment, but the enemies are better than ever
Blighttown is actually my favorite DS1 area unironically, with the Ash Lake being a close second.
Sometimes I just like vibing to the Ash Lake theme with my baby ancient dragon buddy.
Hypogean gallow was for me the most interesting area in bloodborne
IT had this cool horror vibe together with the "hail the nightmare" song
Definitely. That place is terrifying and I love how From saves background OSTs for the the few locations they want to make a special impact in.
Imo upper Cathedral ward had a better horror element while hypogean gaol have a tense environment esp when you get kidnapped by those snatchers and have no idea wtf is going on
This is probably going to get hate but to be honest the Anor Londo archers are over hyped. Ornstein and Smough are definitely not the hardest in the series, not even top 10.
While stuff like Stormveil Castle has great level design, its disappointing how in the previous Soulsborne games we got 20+ areas every game and in Elden Ring, we only have SIX main legacy dungeons, aka areas with soulslike level design. The open world was great on a first playthrough, but it's such a slog to go through Mountaintops again and again. In the past games it was even more fun to revisit areas because you knew where all the shortcuts were, that's what makes games like Ds1 and BB so fun to replay.
Well
1. All six of these are larger and more intricate than most areas in previous titles
2. We have stuff like Castle Sol, Morne, Caria Manor, Redmane Castle and Shaded Castle which are quite big as well.
3. He have the shunning grounds which is literally a full blown level with some of the best level design they've ever made
@@juwe7143 also, the subterranean shunning grounds remains the undisputed hardest boss of the entire game. prove me wrong.
@@juwe7143 Castle Sol and Redmane Castle dosen't even have a fraction of quality level design compared to even something like Sens Fortress or High Wall. I guess for me the ER areas lack some soul to them. Areas may be larger, at least Leyndell and Haligtree, but they are not at all as connected, instead of shortcuts you just have sites of grace everywhere. Shunning grounds got nothing on Depths in terms of atmosphere, bosses/minibosses, the interconnectivity serves little to no purpose and the level design is some of the best they have ever made in a world where From had only made Elden Ring. Still love ER though, Limgrave was alot more fun to explore for the first time around than any other area they've made, for me.
@@Conandus Castle Sol has multiple short cuts with alternate paths to take.
Literally all of the dungeons are larger and except Farum Azula, all of them have short cuts. Anyways, good level design is not only made out of short cuts. Farum Azula has some of the best level design.
And no, as long as you can't name me another area where a single check point is connected to like 7 different paths, Shunning Grounds clear your favorite area in terms of level design.
@@juwe7143 cathedral of the deep from ds3 comes to mind too. Just one bonfire for a huge area. I’m surprised no one is talking about it in a thread about level design
Lol this was so interesting to see how utterly different your choices were to mine. (sorry for rambling if anyone even finds this comment)
- Personally 4-1 in Demon's Souls is one of my least favourite levels in the game, for me it would have to be 3-2, 1-3 or 5-3 (on visual and thematic aspect alone, I know there isn't much actual 'level' to 5-3).
- Dark Souls for me is unironically Blighttown, I think it is one of the most evocative and cool areas they've ever made. Ash Lake or Painted World would have my vote in the same way as 5-3 would on visuals/thematics alone, though Firelink is also absolutely iconic.
- For DS2 I think I'd say Lost Bastille/Sinner's Rise, though if DLC was allowed it would be hands down Frozen Eleum Loyce, I think that area is absolutely beautiful and thematically spot-on.
- I've not played Bloodborne or DS3.
- For Sekiro I think it has to be Senpou Temple for me, it is the area I'm most excited to get back to every time I play the game, even in spite of it having the worst boss in the game. It's not really a full area but I also really love the transition from the Abandoned Dungeon into Ashina Depths, the abandoned torii on the cliff edge is one of the creepiest, most ominous bits of set design I've encountered in any medium, I think about it all the time.
- Elden Ring is really tough. I think probably Leyndell has to take it, but I really love everything about Raya Lucaria and I also remember being awestruck when I came upon the Lake of Rot (even though its hell to actually play through).
Cathedral of the deep is the best area in ds3 imo. Just one bonfire for huge sprawling area
YES! The Forest of Fallen Giants is so underrated, imo the best first area of any of the souls games
My favorite area is the ash lake it hits very different and the music with all the trees and water and the dark hydra that super hidden place when you discover there's a massive hidden place
Leyndell was awesome, but it can get pretty frustrating because it's such a maze. All these huge areas that you have to walk through, with strong enemies that often don't allow you to ignore them, with a single very unintuitive path that you *have* to find to continue the game. (walking on the dragon and going to the right on a hidden hole in a house like, come on)
The area is awesome, but it's not flawless.
Combat-wise, I too love ashina Castle and that it changes thrice progressing with story and every boss in ashina Castle is a masterpiece(except the black armor guys and jinsuke saze aka the dood who unsheathes at the speed of light) but design-wise it's definitely fountainhead palace cuz of how beautiful it looks from start to end and including the way you get up there by being carried by a giant doll. Only thing I hate abt fountainhead palace is the enemies, its either lightning fish dogs, 30 okami warriors or the old doods that suck youth but I'd say the divine dragon, corrupted monk and the shichimen warrior and maybe the giant carp is the only other good thing abt it.
i feel like i'm one of the only ppl that actually rlly loved mountaintops of the giants ☠️
me being a weirdo over here thinking Anor Londo was the worst in DS1 and blightown was the best lol
Elden Ring has many flaws in pvp, but its still in my top 3 of best game I ever played.
One of the major lessons that other developers should be learning from fromsoft, is that level design is super important and should not be an area of the game to cut corners on.
But yet, we don’t see many devs learning this lesson. The same could be said about the combat system, and the story.
So many souls like wannabe games I’ve seen have mostly an entirely flat level with some buildings or mountains. And you just walk from flat area to flat area dealing the gank squad until you reach the boss. It needs way more thought and effort in order to be worthwhile.
The truth is, making a good game is just too much effort for most ppl. Most companies don’t have the mentality for it. They should pick another profession.
My favorite area in Elden Ring is either the Moonlit Plateau, the Mountaintop of Giants, or the Consecrated Snowfield.
First arriving on the Plateau was one of my biggest wow moments. They really overhauled the atmosphere there into something completely unique, and after the run and arena for Astel, its hard to top, but they do it anyways.
I loved the Consecrated Snowfield too because the entire game is littered with the results of a total war, everything feels broken and destroyed. When you arrive to the Snowfield though, its almost totally forgotten. Its a mix of all these different aspects and forces colliding into this desolate but perhaps holy place.
I also really enjoyed the MoG for the opposite reason. Its a totally devastated area with no remaining life. It fits well with the themes of the game in that its essentially a massive graveyard
While I do agree with your reasoning for Central Yharnam, my vote would be Cainhurst Castle, with the Research Hall in the nightmare as a close second. Cainhurst is not only one of the most stunning areas IMO, it adds so much lore and motivation to many of the characters in the story.
I can understand your choice though.
And how the Ashina castle is used three times slowly changing during the game
unpopular opinion but I genuinely think cathedral of the deep is one of, if not the best area in ds3. The clever platforming and multiple paths to take with unique enemies really stood out to me.
Lowkey I kind of agree
Mine has to be leyndell. The soundtrack, the beautiful rolling golden fields, the glorious golden shine of the capital, with the giant dragon in the back. Absolute perfection
Finding Miquella’s haligtree was like something from a dream.
Man, I think Elden Ring has some absolutely beautiful world design. Pure eye candy.
But in my opinion, especially since I really like worn out castles and stuff, Caria Manor was my absolute wow moment.
I've played many games that are visually stunning, but that place in elden ring won't ever beat anything that I've seen in video games. Never have I wished to be in a place like that, but damn if I do now lol
Yeah, Caria Manor is great! and I also found that's when things started taking shape for my Tarnished... Meeting Ranni again in her Rise beyond and being welcomed into a greater plan.
I'm on my first playthrough and I have stopped at Caria Manor. Those hands were so creepy but the whole area has been a blast to go through.
1:28 hot take: you joke but I honestly would consider Blighttown to be my favorite area in DS1!
After the first Bonfire. The first part of the area is brutal with the toxic spitters but this was definitely the area I looked forward to revisiting on my second play through. I normally dislike the poison areas in these games but with Blighttown, the poison only seemed a part of it with the rest of it being the architecture. I loved navigating the area to find the way down and while the swamp at the bottom was irritating, poison in DS1 at that point of the game is a nuisance more than anything. Places like Anor Londo stressed me out because of all the precise navigation. In conclusion, I really enjoyed Blighttown once I get the first Bonfire, but the run to that Bonfire is still kind of a pain in the ass!
Demon’s Souls - Latria/Prison of Hope
Dark Souls - Anor Londo
Dark Souls 2 - Shulva: Sanctum City
Bloodborne - Central Yarnham
Dark Souls 3 - Lothric Castle
Sekiro - Senpou Temple
Elden Ring - Leyndell, Royal Capital
My favorite areas would be:
Demon's Souls: Tower of Latria as a whole. If I had to pick one, I'd grudgingly give it to 3-1 although both 3-2 and 3-3 are very close.
Dark Souls: Anor Londo. This was my very first souls game and reaching here left me stunned speechless. I spent hours just walking around and marvelling at the architecture and the enemies wondering what on earth happened here. This is the moment when my perspective changed from "this is a great game" to "this is one of my fav games of all time".
Dark Souls 2: Haven't played it.
Bloodborne: My favorite Soulsborne game. There are so many areas I love but if I had to pick one, it'd be Cainhurst Castle. From stumbling upon the route to Cainhurst by accident and then getting the chance to explore this hauntingly beautiful gothic castle while traversing snow-kissed rooftops was just incredible. I have always wanted a dracula video game in 3D and this area comes pretty close to scratching that itch.
Dark Souls 3: Irithyll of the boreal valley.
Sekiro: Lots of great areas here. I have to give this to fountainhead palace. The whole location is just gorgeous and gives me wuxia vibes XD. My imagination just ran wild. The carp, how graceful the enemies attacks' are, being welcomed by the corrupted noble and culminating in the divine dragon fight, the cherry blossoms and of course, the headless underwater. Loved this place. Ashina castle is a close second XD.
Elden Ring: Royal Capital Leyndell, of course. My only gripe with this area is most of the area involves the player fighting enemies they've already encountered before: imps, golden soldiers, perfumers, ulcerated tree spirit etc. If it had more unique enemies, this would be my favorite location in the entire series as in terms of the environment and level design; this place is simply unmatched.
Bro been puttin off ds2 because of all the suffering he'll experience🤣
If you just haven't had the chance to play DS2 that's different. But don't let the negatives stop you. The game is frustrating at times but I feel like the good outweighs the bad significantly in the game.
Ps: I too love Tower of Latria
Des: Prison of Hope and Tower of Latria
DS: Anor Londo
DSII: Didn't play it
Bloodborne: Cathedral Ward
DSIII: Tie between Archdragon Peak and Ringed City
Sekiro: Ashina Castle
Elden Ring: Liurnia (Raya Lucaria and Caria Manor especially)
I couldn’t disagree more about Anor Londo being the best area in Dark Souls, to be honest. It’s certainly memorable, but there really isn’t that much to it. All the best areas are fairly small so it’s hard to single out just one favorite. It might be cheating but I don’t think any 3D game level design has ever come close to the mastery which is Undead Burg / Undead Parish, what with all the shortcuts and secrets and connections to other areas like Darkroot Basin and The Depths. As an unpopular opinion, I’d also say I like New Londo more than Anor Londo. A lot stronger of an identity than no other area in the series has really hit home as well.
Edit: typo
demon souls - havent played
ds1: anor londo, undead burg
ds2: dragon aery, drangleic castle
ds3: irithyll, ringed city
sekiro: havent finished it but ill say fountainhead palace
bloodborne: old yharnam
elden ring: limgrave, altus plateau - leyndell, academy of raya lucaria
but to be honest every place in elden ring is stunning except the copy-pasted mini dungeons and the consecrated snowfield
Raya Lucaria still might be my favorite in Elden Ring. I remember walking up to the academy; I was fully mesmerized by how breathtaking the scenery was. Also Central Yharnam is a great pick
My list
Demon's: storm place
Ds1: darkroot forest
Ds2: sunken king dlc area
Bloodborne: fishing village
Ds3: ringed city
Sekiro: fountainhead
Elden ring: stormveil
Overall bloodborne had the best areas
I'm glad I'm not the only one who liked Shrine of Storms in Demon's Souls. Yeah it's an annoying area, but it's honestly one of the most unique 'death' themed areas in the souls games, which I really like in particular. It's not just another catacomb full of skeletons, it's an island shrine dedicated to mourning the dead through storms, which is just a really cool concept in of itself. Not to mention the crypts full of glowing brightwater, which look very good especially in the remake. Even the skeletons themselves have these ornate armored designs that stick out, and that's not even going into the flying stingrays. It makes me wish there was more lore to find about the Shadowmen.
It's almost a shame that the first skeleton/death focused level in the souls series still remains one of the most interesting. The others are fine for the most part, but a lot of them just don't have much to them other than...'catacomb'.
I’ve somehow managed to beat every Soulsborne game and I’ve finally downloaded Elden Ring. I just hope my 1660 TI will be able to handle the game. It’s pushed through AC: Origins so hopefully it can do the same with Elden Ring
Dark Souls should be Dark Root Garden.
Sekiro should be Fountainhead Palace.
Bloodborne could also be the Fishing Hamlet.
I quit Bloodborne after about 3 hours I just didn't enjoy it all that much. But my only experience before ER was Demon's Souls way back when and I couldn't get into Bloodborne coming back from it
I’m honestly not that into Leyndell so far, I mean the big knights with shields that can’t be backstabbed after attacking, always packed in a group of at least 2 and just spamming shitty lightning attacks? Not making the cut for me sadly.
Dk1: anor London cause it gave me the best training ground for parrys
Dk2: the credits cause it was finally over
Dk3: the dlc for me that eclipse sun was amazing
Elden ring: either lyndell or caelid bith are surprising and awesome in their own way
Too late to comment but those “firefighters” helmets are actually Spanish “conquistador” helmets
Gotta love elden ring first playthrough (still in progress) I’ve challenged myself to no armour run but almost got stuck on the beast clergymen battle thank god mimic tear exists but god that was difficult
forest of fallen giants is so objectively not the best area in ds2 lmfao geez was not expecting to disagree with the ds2 pick so hard but god damn
also i do not agree with boreal valley being best area in ds3 but im willing to accept some subjectivity there
I think tower of latria from demon’s souls is highly underrated.
From the chilling cries of the prisoners, to the terrifying enemies, to the imposing gothic architecture, the whole area leans into horror and could easily fit in bloodborne. I also love how it consists of multiple drastically different sub-areas, like the prison, outside streets and towers, and the swamp below. I’ll never forget my astonishment at going from the claustrophobic prison into the network of towers and bridges in upper latria.
The Area leading up to Maneater is absurdly atmospheric, both the ground level and the insane scale of the towers you climb
My favorite area in base game from Bloodborne is Forsaken Castle Cainhurst, from the Old Hunters’ DLC it would be The Fishing Hamlet.
the best area in dark souls 1 is undead burg. but nice video anyway
Fair!!
So far SEKIRO fountainhead is the best place in souls game hands down.