My jaw dropped to the floor when I saw Leyndell for the first time. Such a stunning and sprawling area. Definitely my favorite in the Soulsborne series.
Good list, but I can't believe Nokron, Nokstella, or any part of the Ainsel River didn't make it in here....my jaw dropped and I fell in love with those areas.
the elevation and jumping in ER made all the areas in soulsborne look limited in comparison. hes got some serious souls veteran bias there XD especially with ranking the monotonous and dull designed bb areas.
Everyone talks about the bosses, but really the best part of these games is the level design. Before Elden Ring, my all-time favourites were Castle Cainhurst, Central Yharnam, The Sunken City, Lost Bastille, Majula, Anor Londo, Blighttown etc. These are all well-designed and iconic levels that host branching paths, secrets or just really good atmosphere. But then, I played Elden Ring. When I finally got to Leyndell it absolutely floored me. I must have spent several days just combing every part of the city and the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds. What I love is how on your first playthrough it never seems to end and really lives up to everything the Ringed City didn't get to be, whereas on subsequent runs you can get through it in a few minutes thanks to all the intentional and unintentional skips and inventive geometry. Its sooo good. Oh, and the underground areas are also baller.
Ashina Castle might be one of my favorite areas. Others may say it's overused since we travel through it three separate times, but the differences on each visit not only make it feel fresh and new, but they also really help show the progression of the story. The first time, you're infiltrating a stronghold, the second time you're in the midst of a battle, then finally having to deal with the conquering forces. Also, I'm pretty sure it has the highest concentration of amazing bosses of any Fromsoft area, with Genichiro, Owl, Emma and Isshin/Sword Saint Isshin. Thats not to mention the minibosses and some of my favorite normal enemies like the double-sword red samurai, purple ninjas, blue-robe ashina swordsmen, and Nightjar ninjas
Leyndell is just godlike. The Erdtree is magnificent, especially at night, plus Leyndell has a full blown sewer system beneath it and you can do parkour over the rooftops.
@@Grunk369 I don't agree with that as someone who's a huge fan of open world games. I almost enjoyed just exploring the open world of ER more than the bosses, the combat and the dungeons. I think they did a fantastic job, but again, that's just my opinion
@@Grunk369you cannot compare the levels from earlier soulsborne titles and the open world locations. They work differently but i love both of them. Elden Ring is just the complete Package the real Souls World we can fully explore (Yes it suffered from being on last gen and sone overly used bosses (if second astel dont get better explained... would be sad))
Majula is by far the best safe zone in the series. Every time I returned after a quest I felt relieved to level up, but at the same time the music gave me chills. There’s something eerily peaceful about the area, like it really is the last safe place to reside in that world. Praise the sun ☀️
Leyndell is truly amazing. It's everything the ringed city wishes it was. It feels like an actual city instead of a snippet of the city. You can even see the social class differences between different segments of the city. It's incredibly detailed.
same goes for bb and its cute little central yharnam, as a singlular area, ringed city is still miles ahead of anything in bb and ds1, same goes for alot in-area level design in ds3.
When I found out you could traverse practically ALL of the rooftops in the Raya Lucaria Academy, it became one of my favorites. So beautiful and littered with secrets.
I would've put Haligtree and Elphael somewhere in the top 3. I just love that place. There's something with the ost, the colors, the architecture that gives me an melancholic feeling everytime, specially in the area where you help Millicent fight her sisters and the graveyard before Malenia. It's just too damn beautiful, it's Majula levels of beautiful.
10000%, I honestly think the only two things holding it back are the brutal difficulty of some of the basic enemies (haligtree knights and royal revenants), and the fact that progressing through it is fairly linear and that there isn't as much to explore in comparison with areas like leyndell
@@nxvh9062 It looks pretty but fuck actually being there. god that place is so extra with the scaling it’s kinda ridiculous. makes it hard to actually take in
I've been replaying elden ring again, and one of the things I really paid attention to this time through is the sheer spectacle of stormveil castle. Just go to the chapel of anticipation again and look at stormveil from a distance. The size alone makes it incredible, but the gold trim on it plus the clear evidence of war and struggle make it so much more immersive to me. Looking at it from the weeping peninsula gives it a different sense of majesty as well. It's not my favorite area of the game, which is probably mohgwyn palace, but I can't deny how cool it looks. Looking over all of liurnia from certain angles is cool too.
Farum Azula tease through the way gate made me so hyped to get there. When I got there and fought the ancient dragons I got big DS2 vibes, but wayyyy better than fighting the guardian dragons. My new favorite area next to anor londo, fishing hamlet and the ringed city
I am a bit shocked haligtree isn’t in there. The concept of a rotten tree inside of a huge beautiful city is just amazing to me. There are so many different ways and shortcuts. The enemy’s are hard but fair and at the end of the area the hardest boss fight of the series waits for you …
I’m very happy to see blight town getting its due credit while annoying at times it’s an amazing set piece the vertical maze and the upper area is rlly great I think people give this area too much flak
One underrated part of Leyndell that I found amazing compared to most other games is that there's not a single place I've found where you can get stuck. If you can enter somewhere there's always a path out even if you fall down between two rooftops. Despite it being their first real big city they nailed it to perfection with removing those rough edges
level design and areas in general in ER are substantially better designed than older games, hes operating on alot of bias. lol the man said he considered putting central yharnam above lyndell, when alot of other areas in previous souls games are better than central yharnam on the level design scale.
I absolutely loved Leyndell, and it blew my mind on first playthrough. When Elden Ring got announced, one of the first things I thought of was the hope of a fully explorable city, and they did it. And damn well.
I got to leyndell and just felt nothing. I really don't get why people like this area. It's not pretty, it's not ominous, it's not foreboding or mysterious. It's just stone. Bland. Blank. Its just not a visually pleasing area and doesn't seem like it really does anything mechanically all that impressive. Are people really just pleased because it's an explorable city in a fromsoft game? It's small. The area lacks in size for me to call it a city. It's bosses aren't even that cool either. Morgott is just a tougher Margit, and Margit is visually bland, uncool, and not memorable other than being some folks first real ass kicking in the game. It's an upgraded repeat boss. Godfrey spirit is just a filler boss with a condensed moveset of the actual Godfrey fight. Godfrey himself is just plain fucking annoying with his first phase stomp spam. Nonstop Aoe attacks are just aids. I just dont understand people liking such a bland area.
@@trevorveillette8415 i would disagree with pretty much everything here. Before starting on my reasoning, Im not saying Im right and youre wrong. Its clear you didnt enjoy the area and the bosses, and I feel bad that you didnt, because I really had fun with it. But since you asked, this is pretty much why people like Leyndell: I think Leyndell is very pretty (to the point where it is actually my laptop wallpaper), with the golden roofs, interesting architecture, and the trees swaying slowly in the breeze. Its not dilapidated or cramped, and a nice change up in terms of level design from the rest of the game (which I would argue is a notable mechanical change). I really got the feeling I could go anywhere I wanted, and the anticipation of finally getting to the base of the erdtree from the start of the game, and then seeing the city is one of my single favorite moments in ER. Just that feeling of grandiosity made the area really stand out to me, along with everything else I mentioned. I for one am pleased because its an explorable city. I'm not expecting anything massive, but its something that ive wanted for years in a fromsoft game (BB doesnt count because its linear segments of a city, not the full thing to explore. No hate on BB though). Even if you cant call it a city, I feel like most people would, including the developers, who have Leyndell marked as "capital city" on the map. I would also heavily disagree about the bosses. Sure Godfrey is nothing special because he is pretty much just a tease for endgame, but I found him fun to fight, if not just a bit underwhelming. But Morgott. He has got to be one of my favorite bosses in the entire game. Beautiful arena, extremely fun fight with a varied moveset. Significant to the story so the stakes are raised. And to me, he feels like anything hut a reskin. Most of his attacks are new, calling him an upgraded repeat is not doing it justice at all.
@@hindenburg1596 I've just seen way prettier visuals in games. And I've seen way bigger cities in games. Leyndell had neither the color palette to strike me, nor the architecture to interest me. I dont think it's a bad area, or even uninteresting overall. But when I look at leyndell and see what others say about it, I just don't get the appeal. Small town with open exploration and nothing special looking. The battlefield outside the walls is bigger than the actual "city" it seems. It's an alright area. But when I take fans opinions into consideration, it's a really underwhelming area for me compared to what others think of it. Something like haligtree is much more interesting to me because of the physical design of the level. Even though haligtree is one of those run-passed-everything areas, the overall idea and presentation of it is cool enough for me to enjoy it, even when others don't seem to enjoy it.
The top 2 spots were always going to be cemented with everything else way far behind. Both Central Yharnam and Leyndell have a level of intricacy, atmosphere and grandeur that genuinely make me forget I’m playing a video game when I’m exploring them.
Maybe one of the worst? Idk, demon souls doesn't have good locations other than Boletarian Palace(both before and after the tower knight, I'm about the whole area in general) and Shrine of Storms.
@Lloyd Irving I'm playing through demon souls for the first time rn and I just beat fools idol( cringe gimmick like every other boss so far) and when I got anor londo'd to the top of the church it was Crazy how epic this next area looked
I really think Frozen Ileyum Loyce should have been on there, such a beautifully designed level. And before you ask, the Frigid Outskirts is classified as another level entirely, so that doesn't count. Other than that, solid list
Great list, but I really think Brume Tower deserved a spot here. It has some of the best vertical level design of the series, a great aesthetic, and the lifts you have to power up are one of the best exploration mechanics in the series. Not to mention the enemy variety and amazing boss at the end.
In the original list, I had it on there. It had some of the coolest level design to me, but similarly to research hall the enemies are so spammed and obnoxious, it just missed the cut.
Idk, I had a lot of fun in all the DLC areas (minus the co-op challenge hellscapes). I was strong enough to not have much issue with the ganks, leaving me free to enjoy the level design that's leagues above the rest of the game. Eleum Loyce being my favorite (and somewhere in my top 10 areas)
@@joaoluizkfsantos8392 I agree, I think Eleum Loyce was my favorite as well. Some really cool ideas in that level with interesting mechanics. If the enemies were better it would be among my favorites for sure
One of my finest memories in gaming is beating Margit, going up those stairs on the side of Stormveil Castle, and seeing that little goblin guy blow his horn into the vast expanse, echoing through the dark dreary landscape. Perfect lighting, perfect sound, perfect atmosphere. I was blown away man.
Caelid is seriously the most fallout location in the souls games. Malenia really made the place look like a nuclear wasteland. Irythill was also so beautiful as there's just an eerie and genuinely scary aesthetic and atmosphere in the area which explains pontiff's story and character. Also pontiff is my second favorite boss so I can't not have a soft spot for irythill
Leyndell is genuinely amazing, they took the open world plains of the rest of the world and used it in a city setting. The first time I played I probably spent like 3 or 4 hours just searching for everything and killing all the enemies here. I didn't even realize that there was an entire sewer system and underworld roots area here too until later after fire giant. I also love how on a second playthrough if you wanted to you can get to the Godfrey room in basically a minute if you jump on that ledge at the start and go up the dragon. Only real complaint is that some of the streets felt kinda devoid of anything but a few enemies and there were only a few open structures on the streets
I think the Frenzied Flame Proscription, while not really a full area, deserves to be mentioned. I think it's not only the best environmental storytelling From have ever done, but is an incredible execution of Cosmic Horror, rivalling Bloodborne. Either by your own curiosity getting the better of you, or being manipulated into going there by Shabriri you seal the fate of the world into what is objectively (morally) the worst ending in any Fromsoft game, causing your companion throughout the game to abandon you. In my first playthrough I didn't know what I was doing, I only saw the Entering that tomb after the first Mohg fight, only to find the corpses of thousands of the merchants you've been buying from the whole game, hearing that incredibly somber but well composed peace echoing through the tomb it's truly an unforgettable moment, and while yeah, the platforming is infuriating it feels perfect that it is because the game is basically telling you that you don't want to go down there, but it also knows that you're going to think there's some sort of reward down there, and therefor will try to finish it. Also Elphael really deserves a mention, absolutely beautiful design, and what might be a controversial take, but I think it has great enemy placement that forces you to consider taking alternate routes through the city, and Malenia is a great boss IMO, I don't think she'd be good as a required boss but being so out of the way and hidden fits her design perfectly.
Cathedral of the deep is extremely underrated! From the start in the cemetery with the spawning zombies and kicking down the ladder for a shortcut. Then all the climbing on the rooftops until you get even more shortcuts at the cleansing chapel. The castle is huge and the giants are awesome. Then you have the patches questline and you could give siegward his armor back! Jump some more roof tops and do parkour to find Rosaria and be able to rebirth. Deacons of the deep wasn’t a great boss but it was fun for sure!
@@flamingmanure I find DS3 and BB on par. What BB does is linking everything towards Central Yharnam which shapes the whole idea of the game, so it’s more prominent.
My favorite was definitely Volcano Manor. A giant mystical castle placed within a volcano, filled with rivers of lava and haunting creatures that, while weren’t insanely difficult, still did bring a challenge. In addition, there are plenty of secret areas to explore and brings a unique perspective to the story with the Volcano Manor’s morals and beliefs coupled with their view on tarnished and the roundtable hold.
Undead Burg is still the best tutorial/first location of any souls game IMO, perfectly paced and interconnected with the iconic gargoyles fight at the end before ringing the bell
The presentation for leyndell is insane the roads lead to it was packed with knights you even fight 2 tree knights at the same time it's the only area that give you play area from the top of the world (the erdtree) to the underground world at the roots and there is something to do in every single corner all the way it's just a masterpiece. The best thing also when going down you hear the music the marchents play i didn't kill the guy play not even once i really like that peice he's playing.
Frozen Eleum Loyce has always stuck out as my favorite in DS2. What you said about snowy environments hits directly for me, and this is the most beautiful one in my opinion. Especially the very beginning when you spawn on that cliff side surrounded by completely disturbed snow. Even edges out Heide’s to me visually. Of course it’s got that nasty sotfs enemy placement, and that’s all over the DLC areas, but god damn if the DLCs in DS2 aren’t some of the most gorgeous setpieces in the series I actually think that’s what makes Heide’s so great. The enemy placement is some of the most rewarding to fight through in the whole game. The only part that irks me in the whole area is the dragon, and even then I’ve played so much of that game that I can beat the dragon as soon as I’ve cleared forest of fallen giants and leveled up a little bit. Definitely best area in the game all things considered.
I feel that I’m the only one that wasn’t bothered by the enemy placements in Eleum Loyce specifically Maybe just because of me using the sacred chime hammer that 2 shots everything in the area
I seriously want to talk about how spot on about Crumbling Farum Azula you were. Oh, my lord. Archdragon Peak with Dragons, the Beastmen who served them are a massive stepup from the snakemen from Archdragon Peak, it has one of the most well-hidden secret bosses in the Souls series (Not to mention a metal as hell fight, 2nd best dragon boss behind Midir), and it houses objectively the best boss in Elden Ring: Maliketh. (My personal favorite is Mohg, but there's just so much about Maliketh that FromSoft did right) Until I played Elden Ring, my favorite area in the Souls series was The Ringed City, but after Elden Ring (and I agree that Leyndell is the better) Crumbling Farum Azula is my personal favorite area.
I was waiting the entire list to see Leyndell make an appearance. There are definitely some...interesting choices on this list, but mad respect for recognizing the sheer beauty and level design of Leyndell.
I agree with you. For me there is a bunch of other areas that are stuck in my mind as some of the most memorable of the series: The eternal cities. Such marvel of both classical and gothic arquitecture combined in a sombre tone of Obsidian-like stone. It truly felt like the real of night and it was insanely atmospheric. Miquella's Haligtree, specially Elphael, was spectacular as well (riddle with cheap and very annoying bosses but still gorgeous) and I must say Nightmare of mensis is another favourite of mine. Not just because of the bosses or the lore implications, but because It's yet another fantatsic castle design.Lastly, oolacile, for its iconic display of memorable bosses and because how incredibly well the environment tells us the history of a city that fell to the abyss hundreds of years ago. The glittering brightness the DLC has feels as if it was a dream or a remembrance of a time long past and I loved that detail. Keep up the good work man.
ER truly just has the best environments overall. Liurnia, Raya Academy, Leyndell, Volcano Manor, Stormveil, Farum Azula, Siofra and Nokron and Ainsel River. Atlus Plateau, Windmill Village.
I'm surprised he skipped those underground cities in Elden Ring. Imo, Deeproot Depths is a good place as well. It's kinda mixture of dark aesthetic and eerie and disturbing vibes along the music especially when you stumbled with Godwyn's corpse infesting in the roots of Erdtree.
I really like all the underground areas Very well done transition from cave to field to city, beautiful starry sky, relatively diverse enemy group, and all the boss fights were visually or mechanically well done. I hated Lake of Rot, but it did it’s job of setting the tone.
Leyndell... Just chefs kiss. The first time I stood inside leyndell I was showered with chills. The music being such a atmospheric masterpiece. And the visuals of the city. Such a beauty. You got the erde tree towering over you, the dragon corpse, the lightning spear and the golden rooftops creating such a mythical setpiece.
Great list! I'm excited for you to finally play Demon's Souls, Boletarian Palace is one of Fromsoft's best and largest castles and Tower of Latria is maybe my favorite area they've ever made, it's a straight horror level that is very clearly the prototype for Bloodborne, but somehow even more disturbing and atmospheric.
Boletaria was so good that it's pretty much a proto Stormveil Castle. First Legacy dungeon in ER was paying well deserved respect to the one that started it all
This list was so good. I have almost an identical list of my own, But i would have swapped blighttown and cathedral ward with No Mans Wharf and Fishing Hamlet
Great Video Great List 10/10 (Also shoutout to Cathedral Ward, even though I'm not the biggest bloodborne stan, I've always thought cathedral ward is underrated af)
Elden Ring is my first souls game but omg what an impression to make. Leyndell is genuinely such an amazing area. I played through it all in one day, Googling everything I could have missed because I loved it that much but at the same time was sad when I’d done everything there. Only to find there was a whole section I missed with the sewers!!
Love to see Blighttown here. It scores 10/10 on atmosphere. The feeling of just descending into obviously more lethal areas of the game - far from the safety of the Shrine which always felt just round the corner, far from any friendly face - no Andre, no Crestfallen, no NPCs at least until you get to the swamp. That makes exiting in the Valley of Drakes and emerging at Firelink even more of a special moment than it would have been if Blighttown wasn't designed to be an intricate, oppressive hell meant to demand more careful and methodical play from you, both in terms of combat and exploration. I think one of the reasons it was considered among the worst areas were the equally oppressive framerate drops in the non-remastered version without DSfix.
I do think that bosses should count as a factor in the overall appeal of a level, since they're normally put at the end of them as a final obstacle and to mark your progress when you win, not to mention that they usually also embody the lore and story elements of their respective areas. Still, I get the decision you made. In any case, my top 2 are the same as yours, Central Yharnam and Leyndell, though I do also count the Capital of Ash version among the latter. For a long while I genuinely thought that no level in any game would surpass the perfection of Central Yharnam; Stormveil Castle, my personal number 3, came sooo very close, but it just lacked that slight narrative, atmospheric, and visual appeal to surpass it, even though I think it has the better level design. But lo and behold, Leyndell comes in and knocks it out of the park. I can't express how awestruck I was both at the beginning and end of it, and the Ashen Capital only made me love it more. I'd have personally at least put Brume Tower and Frozen Eleum Loyce on this list, but that's just me. I fully agree that Anor Londo's been surpassed multiple times by now in terms of level design and enemies (plus, I don't like the rafters in the painting cathedral or the archers myself), and Irithyll - counting the Grand Cathedral at the top because Irithyll IS Anor Londo - is in my mind a superior version, with its improved storytelling, level design, enemy encounters, and maybe even visuals, how it changes from the pristine, almost pure streets of the city to the putrid remains of the cathedral, showing just how much an empty facade the beauty is and revealing the corruption of Sulyvahn and Aldritch.
Quality list I can't argue with Leyndell at the number 1 spot, my number 1 though has to be forbidden woods from Bloodborne. That area is so huge and intricate that I always get lost in it. It just feels like I'm lost in the woods and it feels like peak Bloodborne to me.
I like it, but yeah, it’s a bit overwhelming. I got lost more than 5 times in my first play through, which might be the point but was kinda frustrating
My top 15: 1. Central Yharnam (BB) 2. Firelink Shrine + Undead Burg (DS) 3. Fishing Hamlet (BB) 4. Tower of Latria 3-1 (DeS) 5. Anor Londo (DS) 6. Cathedral Ward (BB) 7. Old Yharnam (BB) 8. Fountainhead Palace (Sekiro) 9. Cainhurst Castle (BB) 10. Irithyll of the Boreal Valley (DS3) 11. Ashes of Ariandel (DS3) 12. The Ringed City (DS3) 13. Shulva, Sanctum City (DS2) 14. Nokron + Nokstella (ER) 15. Siofra River (ER)
I too love blighttown you’re not alone but I feel undead burg and parish deserved a mention it’s one of the best intro areas and despite being relatively small it feels huge. Not to mention the amount of paths it branches too and the best Waifus solaire and Andre residing there
I honestly recognise the lore and aesthetic value of the area, but i honestly think Blighttown has no Place in a list like this. A Place far from enjoyable and whose design Always left me kind of perplexed
Glad to see a Blightown make the list! I’ve always enjoyed fighting my way through that area, so it’s fun to see other people enjoyed it as much as I did!
I started playing FS games with BB , tried DS1 and 2 but did't finish any . so for me based on the games I played and finished : 15- miquella haligtree 14- ashina castle 13-fishing hamlet 12- senpou temple 11- cainhurst castle 10- stormveil castle 9- the ringed city 8- fountainhead palace 7- the hunter's nightmare 6- irithyll of the boreal valley 5- crumbling farum azula 4- cathedral ward 3- Lothric castle/grand archive 2- Central Yharnam 1- Leyndell Lothric castle/grand archive is the most underrated area ever in any game
If this list was based primarily on visuals, Dark Souls 2 would dominate. That game has some of the most staggering areas I've ever seen in a game. Aldia's Keep in particular is extremely under appreciated, even amongst DS2 fans. Whenever I enter that ridiculously huge room with a ridiculously huge dragon skeleton on the stairs I'm in complete awe of the sheer scale of it. To me that game has the grandest, most classically epic feel of the entire Dark Souls trilogy. No other game has made me feel so small.
10. Dragon Aerie 9. Irithyll of the Boreal Valley 8. Archdragon Peak 7. Shulva, Sanctum-City 6. Hirata Estate 5. Volcano Manor 4. Stormveil Castle 3. The Ringed City 2. Crumbling Farum Azula 1. Leyndell, Royal Capital Haven't played Bloodborne or Demon's Souls because I have a Xbox
The first time I walked into Irithyll, I was blown away. From really outdid themselves when they designed this area. You find crawling out of the catching into the most beautiful area in the game. Well designed layout as well.
Miquella's Haligtree deserves a spot here. While it had repeated enemies, the area alone gave me some otherworldly feel. Oh and also how could you forget Nokron, Eternal City!
my fav area in the series is tower of latria from demon's souls😭, but my 2nd favorite is raya lucaria academy; the moment i stepped foot into the area i love the atmosphere and just the general vibe of it. It was definitely a highlight of my first playthru finding that. My third would have to be lyndell cuz i mean, how could that area not be high on anyone's list?? I was so hyped to go to the area on my first playthru, and it didn't dissapoint whatsoever. The atmosphere is almost as good as raya lucaria as well, so those two are honestly super close
Drangleic castle was really unique. Turning that corner and the dark rainy night and the castle looming in the moonlight. Odly relaxing. The Mirror Knight fight in the rain and thunder.. Amazing visuals
I'm so glad someone else had a memorable moment with the church giants that made them a favorite enemy! The first thing I heard those chains rattling, those heavy footsteps, and then saw that behemoth lumbering the foggy street...one of the moments that cemented Bloodborne in my mind as a true masterpiece
Really glad to see blighttown get the praise it deserves... It definitely is my most favourite area in my most favourite souls game.. Descending into the blighttown amidst all the death and decay and oppression and overcoming the enemies, the topography (and the toxic buildup) for the first time really resonates with the whole theme of the game. You don't defeat blighttown, you overcome it...
Id have to say one of the most memorable areas for me was Yahar'gul, Unseen Village. Just the amount of dread you get from the music to the intense enemies to the giant fucking Amygdalas hanging on the buildings, it was so freaking cool.
I've played DS1, DS3, Bloodborne and Elden Ring. My fav areas are: Ds1 Depths Ds1 Darkroot garden Ds3 Kiln of the first flame Ds3 Lothric Castle BB Central Yharnam BB Astral Clocktower BB Hemwick BB Cainhurst ER Limgrave ER Volcano Manor ER Leyndell
I have a weird loving disappointment towards the ringed city in DS3. When I first saw it in a custscene I was so hyped... a colorful, overgrown area unlike anything in DS3, yet not straying too far from its visual style... the entire city had such a unique and strange feeling, I just couldn't wait to explore it all... Oh, explore, you mean? Well that's a shame, cause all you get is a single street leading down to the swamp. I expected Ringed City to be an absolutely massive open area with lots of things to discover, and ngl the one we got is a bit underwhelming in that regard. Still it's visually the best area from Dark Souls 3, it has some great and unique enemies and is the best PvP area for me, so I'd still consider it as my no. 1.
sad to see the Haligtree isn’t on this list.. absolutely gorgeous and very nicely designed Leyndell is definitely deserving of number one though- such a beautiful and exciting area!
For me, central Yharnam edges out leyndell for the same reasons you said Leyndell edged out Yharnam: the scale. Leyndell didn’t quite meet my expectations for the grand capital city of the Lands Between - it felt too short and compact to really satisfy that fantasy that had been building in my head all game. This is the same reason I’d put fountainhead palace lower on my list - a palette swapped regular village just didn’t live up to the hype I had for it. Meanwhile, Central Yharnam exceeded every expectation I had while playing (and still does today) - it’s massive, sprawling, and incredibly varied. The spectacle isn’t the same (no scalable dead dragon), but nor should it be for an intro area in a game of that tone.
Cainhurst Castle still hasn't been topped for me personally. The horror of the weeping ghosts and an epic boss on the rooftops. All with ONE bonfire and a big time shortcut.
Demon's Souls: Ritual Path (4-2) Mystical catacombs, glowing water and flying rays. Upper Latria (3-2) Incredible huge space and oppressive heartbeat ambient, beautiful bossroom. Nexus One of the best hubs ever with unique theme, glowing light and massive structures above. Dark Souls 1: Oolacile Such a beautiful and nostalgic place overall. Painted World of Ariamis A cold, dark, and very gentle place... Darkroot Garden I like this place for its ambience, lots of NPCs, mushrooms and pretty boss areas. Dark Souls 2: Heide's Tower of Flame Calm ancient place with beautiful view and starry sky. Shrine of Amana Water, light reflections and soothing singing. Dark Souls 3: Archdragon Peak Clean air and bright light, just what was missing after a long journey. Place between Road of Sacrifices and Farron Keep Next to the black knight - great lighting and atmosphere. Painted World of Ariandel Winter adventure with references to the past. Sekiro: Fountainhead Palace This place is just so beautiful and fresh. Senpou Temple Autumn foliage and old temples. Elden Ring: Crumbling Farum Azula Superb level design, music and aesthetics of an ancient crumbling city. Siofra River Like it's an astonishing place of bygone civilization. Bloodborne: Hunter's Dream You want to stay here forever... Cathedral Ward Night cemetery, priests with lamps, giants and crows. Micolash, Host of the Nightmare This place is insane just like the boss.
Leyndell is absolutely magnificent 100% agree it’s the best area in the series. Also would put brace of the haligtree on this list and farum Azula higher I think
That first shot of leyndell is absolutely beautiful as all fuck. Had it as my playstation profile banner for a while until I got a badass shot of me taunting borealis during his scream attack looking cinematic as all hell
Yeah it’s pretty bad just a straight line to a boss with one side area and the enemies aren’t very fun to fight. Idk how it made the list over Lothric Castle or Anor Londo even on an aesthetic level
I think you need to play through Demon Souls. In my opinion the Prison of Hope in the Tower of Latria has the most stunning atmosphere in the whole series. It instills a sense of dread that I haven’t found in any of the other games in the series. It belongs on this list.
DeS: Tower of Latria DS1: Anor Londo DS2: Brume Tower BB: Cainhurst Castle DS3: Painted World of Ariandel Sekiro: Fountainhead Palace ER: Miquellas Haligtree Seriously tho, how did you not even mention Brume Tower?
While I love the design of Brume tower, the enemies are perhaps some of the most spammed and obnoxious in the whole series to me. It’s the best and worst of the series all in one for me.
@@mariopllumbi3748 I kinda like that area tbh with you. Except the revenants underneath the bridge who spanked my Mimic Tear +10 with a 55 Vigor in a 1v1 match.
i completely agree with leyndell. to me it feels like the culmination of everything that´s great about a souls area. also, thank you so much for including blighttown. i personally wouldn´t have included anor londo but i know i´m in the minority with that
I also wouldn't have included anor londo. It's just so bland and undetailed. The first time I saw anor londo was in a boss vs enemies video and I just assumed that it was some unused area outside of the actual map because it was so empty.
In my opinion the DLC areas of Bloodborne are a lesson in level design. They are not only fun to traverse, but the way they are presented complements the lore so well: fighting the hunters trapped in the nightmare, the enormous corpse of Laurence in the same cathedral you find his skull in Cathedral Ward, seeing how low Ludwig fell, the lab experiments of the Healing Church in Research Hall, finding the corpse of Lady Maria, and then everything culminating when you finally unlock the secret of the massacre that happened at the Fishing Hamlet. I'd easily say these 3 areas my favorites.
Yeah the Bloodborne DLC is the best in Soulsborne easily imo, and the areas are all absoultely amazing in terms of level design and bosses and aesthetics and challenge.
Ludwig's theme in the background for no2 ❤. Fishing Hamlet is my personal favourite area. I enjoy the atmosphere and lore behind it. Only bad thing i can think of is the giant shark boys.
My jaw dropped to the floor when I saw Leyndell for the first time. Such a stunning and sprawling area. Definitely my favorite in the Soulsborne series.
Just the music, the little rice balls with trumpets even respect the ambience
My favorite areas of all time
this, farum azula, and liurnia were so surprising to see in game for the first time
I hate leyndell it looks great but it had way tok many enemies
@@kozukitonio740 big ol city = big ol population
@@gmailaccount880 i hate liurna with a passion.
I really loved the look as feel of the Haligtree. It felt strangely peaceful.
I prefer it over lleyndell because of how stunning it looks
Elphael, yes. Haligtree canopy, absolutely not ☠️
reminds me of that elf place in LOTR
If it was bigger and more balanced I think it could have been a contender
I felt that when I reached the lower levels, the intro was wild with the tree branches lol
Good list, but I can't believe Nokron, Nokstella, or any part of the Ainsel River didn't make it in here....my jaw dropped and I fell in love with those areas.
thats so true, 300 hours in the game and i never get use to it
Probably because of the enemy spam in those areas, it was like a DS2 ares but beautiful and technically could use a horse.
elden ring has to give the older games some space, if you ask me elden ring beats all the other games by substantially large margin in this regard.
the elevation and jumping in ER made all the areas in soulsborne look limited in comparison. hes got some serious souls veteran bias there XD especially with ranking the monotonous and dull designed bb areas.
@@flamingmanure BB areas are incredibly atmospheric. Coming from a person who would rank almost all top ten areas with Elden Ring locations!
Everyone talks about the bosses, but really the best part of these games is the level design. Before Elden Ring, my all-time favourites were Castle Cainhurst, Central Yharnam, The Sunken City, Lost Bastille, Majula, Anor Londo, Blighttown etc. These are all well-designed and iconic levels that host branching paths, secrets or just really good atmosphere.
But then, I played Elden Ring. When I finally got to Leyndell it absolutely floored me. I must have spent several days just combing every part of the city and the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds. What I love is how on your first playthrough it never seems to end and really lives up to everything the Ringed City didn't get to be, whereas on subsequent runs you can get through it in a few minutes thanks to all the intentional and unintentional skips and inventive geometry. Its sooo good. Oh, and the underground areas are also baller.
Blighttown lmao
sunken city from ds2? its fuckin worse
Ashina Castle might be one of my favorite areas. Others may say it's overused since we travel through it three separate times, but the differences on each visit not only make it feel fresh and new, but they also really help show the progression of the story. The first time, you're infiltrating a stronghold, the second time you're in the midst of a battle, then finally having to deal with the conquering forces. Also, I'm pretty sure it has the highest concentration of amazing bosses of any Fromsoft area, with Genichiro, Owl, Emma and Isshin/Sword Saint Isshin. Thats not to mention the minibosses and some of my favorite normal enemies like the double-sword red samurai, purple ninjas, blue-robe ashina swordsmen, and Nightjar ninjas
Leyndell is just godlike. The Erdtree is magnificent, especially at night, plus Leyndell has a full blown sewer system beneath it and you can do parkour over the rooftops.
ER level design in general is substantially better than older games.
@@flamingmanurefor legacy dungeons yeah. I think the open world wasn’t that well designed though
@@Grunk369 I don't agree with that as someone who's a huge fan of open world games. I almost enjoyed just exploring the open world of ER more than the bosses, the combat and the dungeons. I think they did a fantastic job, but again, that's just my opinion
@@Grunk369you cannot compare the levels from earlier soulsborne titles and the open world locations. They work differently but i love both of them. Elden Ring is just the complete Package the real Souls World we can fully explore (Yes it suffered from being on last gen and sone overly used bosses (if second astel dont get better explained... would be sad))
Majula is by far the best safe zone in the series. Every time I returned after a quest I felt relieved to level up, but at the same time the music gave me chills. There’s something eerily peaceful about the area, like it really is the last safe place to reside in that world. Praise the sun ☀️
I personally prefer the Nexus but good point
Majula is the best home base area
@@neonbible08 100% agree
The music goes so hard
Leyndell is truly amazing. It's everything the ringed city wishes it was. It feels like an actual city instead of a snippet of the city.
You can even see the social class differences between different segments of the city. It's incredibly detailed.
same goes for bb and its cute little central yharnam, as a singlular area, ringed city is still miles ahead of anything in bb and ds1, same goes for alot in-area level design in ds3.
It's really difficult to choose but for me, Fountainhead Palace, Fishing Hamlet, & Academy of Raya Lucaria take the top 3.
sounds like you have a type
When I found out you could traverse practically ALL of the rooftops in the Raya Lucaria Academy, it became one of my favorites. So beautiful and littered with secrets.
fishing hamlet wasn't that bad
@@thephoenix4093 on a level design perspective hamlet is godawful in souls standards, but has a cool aesthetic.
@@flamingmanure by souls standards? Nah dark souls 2,3, and elden ring got far worse ones.
I would've put Haligtree and Elphael somewhere in the top 3. I just love that place. There's something with the ost, the colors, the architecture that gives me an melancholic feeling everytime, specially in the area where you help Millicent fight her sisters and the graveyard before Malenia. It's just too damn beautiful, it's Majula levels of beautiful.
10000%, I honestly think the only two things holding it back are the brutal difficulty of some of the basic enemies (haligtree knights and royal revenants), and the fact that progressing through it is fairly linear and that there isn't as much to explore in comparison with areas like leyndell
@@nxvh9062 It looks pretty but fuck actually being there. god that place is so extra with the scaling it’s kinda ridiculous. makes it hard to actually take in
It's a horrible area lol, no matter how pretty it is.
I've been replaying elden ring again, and one of the things I really paid attention to this time through is the sheer spectacle of stormveil castle. Just go to the chapel of anticipation again and look at stormveil from a distance. The size alone makes it incredible, but the gold trim on it plus the clear evidence of war and struggle make it so much more immersive to me. Looking at it from the weeping peninsula gives it a different sense of majesty as well. It's not my favorite area of the game, which is probably mohgwyn palace, but I can't deny how cool it looks. Looking over all of liurnia from certain angles is cool too.
Farum Azula tease through the way gate made me so hyped to get there. When I got there and fought the ancient dragons I got big DS2 vibes, but wayyyy better than fighting the guardian dragons. My new favorite area next to anor londo, fishing hamlet and the ringed city
That portal was one of the best holy shit moments of the game
I am a bit shocked haligtree isn’t in there. The concept of a rotten tree inside of a huge beautiful city is just amazing to me. There are so many different ways and shortcuts. The enemy’s are hard but fair and at the end of the area the hardest boss fight of the series waits for you …
Held back by a lack of new unique enemies.
It's not a very good area, though. It's pretty, but it's horrible to play through.
I’m very happy to see blight town getting its due credit while annoying at times it’s an amazing set piece the vertical maze and the upper area is rlly great I think people give this area too much flak
I can’t imagine how long it took them to figure out the architecture and level design for Leyndell
One underrated part of Leyndell that I found amazing compared to most other games is that there's not a single place I've found where you can get stuck. If you can enter somewhere there's always a path out even if you fall down between two rooftops. Despite it being their first real big city they nailed it to perfection with removing those rough edges
level design and areas in general in ER are substantially better designed than older games, hes operating on alot of bias. lol the man said he considered putting central yharnam above lyndell, when alot of other areas in previous souls games are better than central yharnam on the level design scale.
I absolutely loved Leyndell, and it blew my mind on first playthrough. When Elden Ring got announced, one of the first things I thought of was the hope of a fully explorable city, and they did it. And damn well.
I got to leyndell and just felt nothing.
I really don't get why people like this area. It's not pretty, it's not ominous, it's not foreboding or mysterious. It's just stone. Bland. Blank. Its just not a visually pleasing area and doesn't seem like it really does anything mechanically all that impressive.
Are people really just pleased because it's an explorable city in a fromsoft game? It's small. The area lacks in size for me to call it a city.
It's bosses aren't even that cool either.
Morgott is just a tougher Margit, and Margit is visually bland, uncool, and not memorable other than being some folks first real ass kicking in the game. It's an upgraded repeat boss.
Godfrey spirit is just a filler boss with a condensed moveset of the actual Godfrey fight.
Godfrey himself is just plain fucking annoying with his first phase stomp spam. Nonstop Aoe attacks are just aids.
I just dont understand people liking such a bland area.
@@trevorveillette8415 i would disagree with pretty much everything here.
Before starting on my reasoning, Im not saying Im right and youre wrong. Its clear you didnt enjoy the area and the bosses, and I feel bad that you didnt, because I really had fun with it. But since you asked, this is pretty much why people like Leyndell:
I think Leyndell is very pretty (to the point where it is actually my laptop wallpaper), with the golden roofs, interesting architecture, and the trees swaying slowly in the breeze. Its not dilapidated or cramped, and a nice change up in terms of level design from the rest of the game (which I would argue is a notable mechanical change). I really got the feeling I could go anywhere I wanted, and the anticipation of finally getting to the base of the erdtree from the start of the game, and then seeing the city is one of my single favorite moments in ER. Just that feeling of grandiosity made the area really stand out to me, along with everything else I mentioned.
I for one am pleased because its an explorable city. I'm not expecting anything massive, but its something that ive wanted for years in a fromsoft game (BB doesnt count because its linear segments of a city, not the full thing to explore. No hate on BB though). Even if you cant call it a city, I feel like most people would, including the developers, who have Leyndell marked as "capital city" on the map.
I would also heavily disagree about the bosses. Sure Godfrey is nothing special because he is pretty much just a tease for endgame, but I found him fun to fight, if not just a bit underwhelming. But Morgott. He has got to be one of my favorite bosses in the entire game. Beautiful arena, extremely fun fight with a varied moveset. Significant to the story so the stakes are raised. And to me, he feels like anything hut a reskin. Most of his attacks are new, calling him an upgraded repeat is not doing it justice at all.
@@trevorveillette8415 Margit IS Morgott, you can even use Margit’s Shackle on him.
We were in a very different Leyndell btw...
@@trevorveillette8415 Hahaha what did you smoke when you were there bro
@@hindenburg1596 I've just seen way prettier visuals in games. And I've seen way bigger cities in games.
Leyndell had neither the color palette to strike me, nor the architecture to interest me.
I dont think it's a bad area, or even uninteresting overall. But when I look at leyndell and see what others say about it, I just don't get the appeal.
Small town with open exploration and nothing special looking. The battlefield outside the walls is bigger than the actual "city" it seems.
It's an alright area. But when I take fans opinions into consideration, it's a really underwhelming area for me compared to what others think of it.
Something like haligtree is much more interesting to me because of the physical design of the level. Even though haligtree is one of those run-passed-everything areas, the overall idea and presentation of it is cool enough for me to enjoy it, even when others don't seem to enjoy it.
The top 2 spots were always going to be cemented with everything else way far behind. Both Central Yharnam and Leyndell have a level of intricacy, atmosphere and grandeur that genuinely make me forget I’m playing a video game when I’m exploring them.
Tower of Latria is definetly missing here. That area needs to be mentioned.
He hasn't played DeS yet
Maybe one of the worst? Idk, demon souls doesn't have good locations other than Boletarian Palace(both before and after the tower knight, I'm about the whole area in general) and Shrine of Storms.
my list would look something like Central Yharnam at number 1 followed by the 5 worlds of Demon's Souls
@Lloyd Irving I'm playing through demon souls for the first time rn and I just beat fools idol( cringe gimmick like every other boss so far) and when I got anor londo'd to the top of the church it was Crazy how epic this next area looked
@@sonofahorde5368 Tower of Latria is incredible, what are you on about?
I really think Frozen Ileyum Loyce should have been on there, such a beautifully designed level. And before you ask, the Frigid Outskirts is classified as another level entirely, so that doesn't count. Other than that, solid list
Great list, but I really think Brume Tower deserved a spot here. It has some of the best vertical level design of the series, a great aesthetic, and the lifts you have to power up are one of the best exploration mechanics in the series. Not to mention the enemy variety and amazing boss at the end.
In the original list, I had it on there. It had some of the coolest level design to me, but similarly to research hall the enemies are so spammed and obnoxious, it just missed the cut.
I think if fall damage wasn't busted they could have done a lot more with it
Brume tower has good level design, but like other people say, the enemies ruin it. None of the dlc areas are fun due to this fact.
Idk, I had a lot of fun in all the DLC areas (minus the co-op challenge hellscapes).
I was strong enough to not have much issue with the ganks, leaving me free to enjoy the level design that's leagues above the rest of the game.
Eleum Loyce being my favorite (and somewhere in my top 10 areas)
@@joaoluizkfsantos8392 I agree, I think Eleum Loyce was my favorite as well. Some really cool ideas in that level with interesting mechanics. If the enemies were better it would be among my favorites for sure
One of my finest memories in gaming is beating Margit, going up those stairs on the side of Stormveil Castle, and seeing that little goblin guy blow his horn into the vast expanse, echoing through the dark dreary landscape. Perfect lighting, perfect sound, perfect atmosphere. I was blown away man.
15. Great Archive
14. Eleum Loyce
13. Irithyl
12. Fishing Hamlet
11. Ashina Castle
10. Research Hall
9. Fountainhead Palace
8. Anor Londo (DS1)
7. Raya Lucaria
6. Majula
5. Volcano Manor
4. Stormveil Castle
3. Farum Azula
2. Central Yharnam
1. Leyndell
Fellow volcano manor enjoyer! We have a lot of similar takes, great list.
Caelid is seriously the most fallout location in the souls games. Malenia really made the place look like a nuclear wasteland.
Irythill was also so beautiful as there's just an eerie and genuinely scary aesthetic and atmosphere in the area which explains pontiff's story and character. Also pontiff is my second favorite boss so I can't not have a soft spot for irythill
Well, Malenia technically nuked down the Caelid and made it look like Chernobyl of FromSoftware
Leyndell is genuinely amazing, they took the open world plains of the rest of the world and used it in a city setting. The first time I played I probably spent like 3 or 4 hours just searching for everything and killing all the enemies here. I didn't even realize that there was an entire sewer system and underworld roots area here too until later after fire giant. I also love how on a second playthrough if you wanted to you can get to the Godfrey room in basically a minute if you jump on that ledge at the start and go up the dragon. Only real complaint is that some of the streets felt kinda devoid of anything but a few enemies and there were only a few open structures on the streets
Great list
The haligtree definitely deserved to be on the list though , it's at least top 3 for me.
I think the Frenzied Flame Proscription, while not really a full area, deserves to be mentioned. I think it's not only the best environmental storytelling From have ever done, but is an incredible execution of Cosmic Horror, rivalling Bloodborne. Either by your own curiosity getting the better of you, or being manipulated into going there by Shabriri you seal the fate of the world into what is objectively (morally) the worst ending in any Fromsoft game, causing your companion throughout the game to abandon you. In my first playthrough I didn't know what I was doing, I only saw the Entering that tomb after the first Mohg fight, only to find the corpses of thousands of the merchants you've been buying from the whole game, hearing that incredibly somber but well composed peace echoing through the tomb it's truly an unforgettable moment, and while yeah, the platforming is infuriating it feels perfect that it is because the game is basically telling you that you don't want to go down there, but it also knows that you're going to think there's some sort of reward down there, and therefor will try to finish it.
Also Elphael really deserves a mention, absolutely beautiful design, and what might be a controversial take, but I think it has great enemy placement that forces you to consider taking alternate routes through the city, and Malenia is a great boss IMO, I don't think she'd be good as a required boss but being so out of the way and hidden fits her design perfectly.
Cathedral of the deep is extremely underrated! From the start in the cemetery with the spawning zombies and kicking down the ladder for a shortcut. Then all the climbing on the rooftops until you get even more shortcuts at the cleansing chapel. The castle is huge and the giants are awesome. Then you have the patches questline and you could give siegward his armor back! Jump some more roof tops and do parkour to find Rosaria and be able to rebirth. Deacons of the deep wasn’t a great boss but it was fun for sure!
in-area level design in ds3 is actually better than ds1 and bb, contrary to what the soulsborne veterans tell themselves.
@@flamingmanure I find DS3 and BB on par. What BB does is linking everything towards Central Yharnam which shapes the whole idea of the game, so it’s more prominent.
@@flamingmanure Agreed! DS 1 definitely has better world design, which why I think people think the levels are better designed too.
My favorite was definitely Volcano Manor. A giant mystical castle placed within a volcano, filled with rivers of lava and haunting creatures that, while weren’t insanely difficult, still did bring a challenge. In addition, there are plenty of secret areas to explore and brings a unique perspective to the story with the Volcano Manor’s morals and beliefs coupled with their view on tarnished and the roundtable hold.
Undead Burg is still the best tutorial/first location of any souls game IMO, perfectly paced and interconnected with the iconic gargoyles fight at the end before ringing the bell
Isn't tecnically Undead Asylum?
The presentation for leyndell is insane the roads lead to it was packed with knights you even fight 2 tree knights at the same time it's the only area that give you play area from the top of the world (the erdtree) to the underground world at the roots and there is something to do in every single corner all the way it's just a masterpiece.
The best thing also when going down you hear the music the marchents play i didn't kill the guy play not even once i really like that peice he's playing.
Frozen Eleum Loyce has always stuck out as my favorite in DS2. What you said about snowy environments hits directly for me, and this is the most beautiful one in my opinion. Especially the very beginning when you spawn on that cliff side surrounded by completely disturbed snow. Even edges out Heide’s to me visually. Of course it’s got that nasty sotfs enemy placement, and that’s all over the DLC areas, but god damn if the DLCs in DS2 aren’t some of the most gorgeous setpieces in the series
I actually think that’s what makes Heide’s so great. The enemy placement is some of the most rewarding to fight through in the whole game. The only part that irks me in the whole area is the dragon, and even then I’ve played so much of that game that I can beat the dragon as soon as I’ve cleared forest of fallen giants and leveled up a little bit. Definitely best area in the game all things considered.
I feel that I’m the only one that wasn’t bothered by the enemy placements in Eleum Loyce specifically
Maybe just because of me using the sacred chime hammer that 2 shots everything in the area
Nightwalk: But the enemy's in Farum Azula are more fun to fight
Birds with knife's tapped to their feet: Hold my beer
Frozen/Eleum Lloyce should have me this list. When I first saw it, I was in shock on its beauty. The difficulty of this DLC was superb.
Nokstella is absolutely amazing from the enemies, bosses and the environment and design of buildings. So haunting.
Damn this guy is really on a quest to break every soulsborne ranking stereotype haha. Keep it up!
I seriously want to talk about how spot on about Crumbling Farum Azula you were. Oh, my lord. Archdragon Peak with Dragons, the Beastmen who served them are a massive stepup from the snakemen from Archdragon Peak, it has one of the most well-hidden secret bosses in the Souls series (Not to mention a metal as hell fight, 2nd best dragon boss behind Midir), and it houses objectively the best boss in Elden Ring: Maliketh. (My personal favorite is Mohg, but there's just so much about Maliketh that FromSoft did right) Until I played Elden Ring, my favorite area in the Souls series was The Ringed City, but after Elden Ring (and I agree that Leyndell is the better) Crumbling Farum Azula is my personal favorite area.
I was waiting the entire list to see Leyndell make an appearance. There are definitely some...interesting choices on this list, but mad respect for recognizing the sheer beauty and level design of Leyndell.
I agree with you. For me there is a bunch of other areas that are stuck in my mind as some of the most memorable of the series: The eternal cities. Such marvel of both classical and gothic arquitecture combined in a sombre tone of Obsidian-like stone. It truly felt like the real of night and it was insanely atmospheric. Miquella's Haligtree, specially Elphael, was spectacular as well (riddle with cheap and very annoying bosses but still gorgeous) and I must say Nightmare of mensis is another favourite of mine. Not just because of the bosses or the lore implications, but because It's yet another fantatsic castle design.Lastly, oolacile, for its iconic display of memorable bosses and because how incredibly well the environment tells us the history of a city that fell to the abyss hundreds of years ago. The glittering brightness the DLC has feels as if it was a dream or a remembrance of a time long past and I loved that detail.
Keep up the good work man.
I beat Elden Ring without discovering Volcano Manor proper. It completely blew my mind when I found it on my 2nd playthrough
ER truly just has the best environments overall. Liurnia, Raya Academy, Leyndell, Volcano Manor, Stormveil, Farum Azula, Siofra and Nokron and Ainsel River. Atlus Plateau, Windmill Village.
I'm surprised he skipped those underground cities in Elden Ring. Imo, Deeproot Depths is a good place as well. It's kinda mixture of dark aesthetic and eerie and disturbing vibes along the music especially when you stumbled with Godwyn's corpse infesting in the roots of Erdtree.
I really like all the underground areas Very well done transition from cave to field to city, beautiful starry sky, relatively diverse enemy group, and all the boss fights were visually or mechanically well done. I hated Lake of Rot, but it did it’s job of setting the tone.
Leyndell... Just chefs kiss. The first time I stood inside leyndell I was showered with chills. The music being such a atmospheric masterpiece. And the visuals of the city. Such a beauty. You got the erde tree towering over you, the dragon corpse, the lightning spear and the golden rooftops creating such a mythical setpiece.
Great list! I'm excited for you to finally play Demon's Souls, Boletarian Palace is one of Fromsoft's best and largest castles and Tower of Latria is maybe my favorite area they've ever made, it's a straight horror level that is very clearly the prototype for Bloodborne, but somehow even more disturbing and atmospheric.
The entirety of world one (Boletarian Palace) is brilliant.
Boletaria was so good that it's pretty much a proto Stormveil Castle. First Legacy dungeon in ER was paying well deserved respect to the one that started it all
This list was so good. I have almost an identical list of my own, But i would have swapped blighttown and cathedral ward with No Mans Wharf and Fishing Hamlet
Great Video
Great List
10/10
(Also shoutout to Cathedral Ward, even though I'm not the biggest bloodborne stan, I've always thought cathedral ward is underrated af)
Elden Ring is my first souls game but omg what an impression to make. Leyndell is genuinely such an amazing area. I played through it all in one day, Googling everything I could have missed because I loved it that much but at the same time was sad when I’d done everything there. Only to find there was a whole section I missed with the sewers!!
I'm happy that you put majula to the top, it's one of my favorite areas along with Dragon Shrine
Love to see Blighttown here. It scores 10/10 on atmosphere. The feeling of just descending into obviously more lethal areas of the game - far from the safety of the Shrine which always felt just round the corner, far from any friendly face - no Andre, no Crestfallen, no NPCs at least until you get to the swamp. That makes exiting in the Valley of Drakes and emerging at Firelink even more of a special moment than it would have been if Blighttown wasn't designed to be an intricate, oppressive hell meant to demand more careful and methodical play from you, both in terms of combat and exploration. I think one of the reasons it was considered among the worst areas were the equally oppressive framerate drops in the non-remastered version without DSfix.
unpopular opinion: for me shulva is at least top 5 on this list
I do think that bosses should count as a factor in the overall appeal of a level, since they're normally put at the end of them as a final obstacle and to mark your progress when you win, not to mention that they usually also embody the lore and story elements of their respective areas. Still, I get the decision you made.
In any case, my top 2 are the same as yours, Central Yharnam and Leyndell, though I do also count the Capital of Ash version among the latter. For a long while I genuinely thought that no level in any game would surpass the perfection of Central Yharnam; Stormveil Castle, my personal number 3, came sooo very close, but it just lacked that slight narrative, atmospheric, and visual appeal to surpass it, even though I think it has the better level design. But lo and behold, Leyndell comes in and knocks it out of the park. I can't express how awestruck I was both at the beginning and end of it, and the Ashen Capital only made me love it more.
I'd have personally at least put Brume Tower and Frozen Eleum Loyce on this list, but that's just me. I fully agree that Anor Londo's been surpassed multiple times by now in terms of level design and enemies (plus, I don't like the rafters in the painting cathedral or the archers myself), and Irithyll - counting the Grand Cathedral at the top because Irithyll IS Anor Londo - is in my mind a superior version, with its improved storytelling, level design, enemy encounters, and maybe even visuals, how it changes from the pristine, almost pure streets of the city to the putrid remains of the cathedral, showing just how much an empty facade the beauty is and revealing the corruption of Sulyvahn and Aldritch.
As a DS1 fanboy I’m so triggered that:
- More DS3 areas made the list than DS1 areas
- Anor Londo is outside the top 10
🤬
"Blighttown is the Caelid of Dark Souls". I dunno but I really felt old after hearing this.
Good honorable mentions but dude raya lucaria blew me away! Love that place
Yup. That Harry Potter vibes though.
my favorite area is the firelink shrine from dark souls 1 with all of its shortcuts. thats a true masterpiece
Quality list I can't argue with Leyndell at the number 1 spot, my number 1 though has to be forbidden woods from Bloodborne. That area is so huge and intricate that I always get lost in it. It just feels like I'm lost in the woods and it feels like peak Bloodborne to me.
Bruh I absolutely hate that area,too dark,confusing,annoying
Fuck those snakes
Are you being sarcastic? That area sucks lol
@@wumbobumbo9382 Not at all my guy shits GOAT'd
I like it, but yeah, it’s a bit overwhelming. I got lost more than 5 times in my first play through, which might be the point but was kinda frustrating
My top 15:
1. Central Yharnam (BB)
2. Firelink Shrine + Undead Burg (DS)
3. Fishing Hamlet (BB)
4. Tower of Latria 3-1 (DeS)
5. Anor Londo (DS)
6. Cathedral Ward (BB)
7. Old Yharnam (BB)
8. Fountainhead Palace (Sekiro)
9. Cainhurst Castle (BB)
10. Irithyll of the Boreal Valley (DS3)
11. Ashes of Ariandel (DS3)
12. The Ringed City (DS3)
13. Shulva, Sanctum City (DS2)
14. Nokron + Nokstella (ER)
15. Siofra River (ER)
I too love blighttown you’re not alone but I feel undead burg and parish deserved a mention it’s one of the best intro areas and despite being relatively small it feels huge. Not to mention the amount of paths it branches too and the best Waifus solaire and Andre residing there
I honestly recognise the lore and aesthetic value of the area, but i honestly think Blighttown has no Place in a list like this.
A Place far from enjoyable and whose design Always left me kind of perplexed
Glad to see a Blightown make the list! I’ve always enjoyed fighting my way through that area, so it’s fun to see other people enjoyed it as much as I did!
I started playing FS games with BB , tried DS1 and 2 but did't finish any . so for me based on the games I played and finished :
15- miquella haligtree
14- ashina castle
13-fishing hamlet
12- senpou temple
11- cainhurst castle
10- stormveil castle
9- the ringed city
8- fountainhead palace
7- the hunter's nightmare
6- irithyll of the boreal valley
5- crumbling farum azula
4- cathedral ward
3- Lothric castle/grand archive
2- Central Yharnam
1- Leyndell
Lothric castle/grand archive is the most underrated area ever in any game
Agree completely! Lothric castle is hands down my favorite area in ds3!
If this list was based primarily on visuals, Dark Souls 2 would dominate. That game has some of the most staggering areas I've ever seen in a game. Aldia's Keep in particular is extremely under appreciated, even amongst DS2 fans. Whenever I enter that ridiculously huge room with a ridiculously huge dragon skeleton on the stairs I'm in complete awe of the sheer scale of it. To me that game has the grandest, most classically epic feel of the entire Dark Souls trilogy. No other game has made me feel so small.
10. Dragon Aerie
9. Irithyll of the Boreal Valley
8. Archdragon Peak
7. Shulva, Sanctum-City
6. Hirata Estate
5. Volcano Manor
4. Stormveil Castle
3. The Ringed City
2. Crumbling Farum Azula
1. Leyndell, Royal Capital
Haven't played Bloodborne or Demon's Souls because I have a Xbox
The first time I walked into Irithyll, I was blown away. From really outdid themselves when they designed this area. You find crawling out of the catching into the most beautiful area in the game. Well designed layout as well.
Miquella's Haligtree deserves a spot here. While it had repeated enemies, the area alone gave me some otherworldly feel.
Oh and also how could you forget Nokron, Eternal City!
I'm so happy majula is on the list. It's one of my favorite "hub" locations in the souls series. That music is even my alarm theme
my fav area in the series is tower of latria from demon's souls😭, but my 2nd favorite is raya lucaria academy; the moment i stepped foot into the area i love the atmosphere and just the general vibe of it. It was definitely a highlight of my first playthru finding that. My third would have to be lyndell cuz i mean, how could that area not be high on anyone's list?? I was so hyped to go to the area on my first playthru, and it didn't dissapoint whatsoever. The atmosphere is almost as good as raya lucaria as well, so those two are honestly super close
That first view of the capitol is scary good cause everything you see you can explore. And it’s huge
Drangleic castle was really unique. Turning that corner and the dark rainy night and the castle looming in the moonlight. Odly relaxing. The Mirror Knight fight in the rain and thunder.. Amazing visuals
Upper Cathedral Ward is my favorite soulsborne zone of all time but this list is solid. Particularly happy Volcano Manor is so high.
I'm so glad someone else had a memorable moment with the church giants that made them a favorite enemy! The first thing I heard those chains rattling, those heavy footsteps, and then saw that behemoth lumbering the foggy street...one of the moments that cemented Bloodborne in my mind as a true masterpiece
Really glad to see blighttown get the praise it deserves... It definitely is my most favourite area in my most favourite souls game.. Descending into the blighttown amidst all the death and decay and oppression and overcoming the enemies, the topography (and the toxic buildup) for the first time really resonates with the whole theme of the game. You don't defeat blighttown, you overcome it...
I LOVE AREAS!! It’s what I honestly look forward to the most in these games. I always wonder what their lore is too (I’m one of those)
Well tecnically areas are like 80% of the game😅
Id have to say one of the most memorable areas for me was Yahar'gul, Unseen Village. Just the amount of dread you get from the music to the intense enemies to the giant fucking Amygdalas hanging on the buildings, it was so freaking cool.
I've played DS1, DS3, Bloodborne and Elden Ring. My fav areas are:
Ds1 Depths
Ds1 Darkroot garden
Ds3 Kiln of the first flame
Ds3 Lothric Castle
BB Central Yharnam
BB Astral Clocktower
BB Hemwick
BB Cainhurst
ER Limgrave
ER Volcano Manor
ER Leyndell
Limgrave isn't a traditional souls level though. Also I love that you have hemwick as one of your favs. Jacksepticeye loves it too
1. Leyndell
2. Fountainhead Palace
3. Central Yharnam
4. Ashina Castle
5. Stormveil Castle
6. Fishing Hamlet
7. Volcano Manor
8. Senpou Temple
9. Hunter's Nightmare
10. Sen's Fortress
Honorable Mentions: Tower of Latria, Research Hall, Crumbling Farum Azula, Undead Burg, Forbidden Woods (incredibly underrated area), Hirata Estate (so fucking good), Old Yharnam
"the enemies here are fun to fight" *shows him fighting birds*
I have a weird loving disappointment towards the ringed city in DS3. When I first saw it in a custscene I was so hyped... a colorful, overgrown area unlike anything in DS3, yet not straying too far from its visual style... the entire city had such a unique and strange feeling, I just couldn't wait to explore it all...
Oh, explore, you mean? Well that's a shame, cause all you get is a single street leading down to the swamp.
I expected Ringed City to be an absolutely massive open area with lots of things to discover, and ngl the one we got is a bit underwhelming in that regard.
Still it's visually the best area from Dark Souls 3, it has some great and unique enemies and is the best PvP area for me, so I'd still consider it as my no. 1.
sad to see the Haligtree isn’t on this list.. absolutely gorgeous and very nicely designed
Leyndell is definitely deserving of number one though- such a beautiful and exciting area!
For me, central Yharnam edges out leyndell for the same reasons you said Leyndell edged out Yharnam: the scale. Leyndell didn’t quite meet my expectations for the grand capital city of the Lands Between - it felt too short and compact to really satisfy that fantasy that had been building in my head all game. This is the same reason I’d put fountainhead palace lower on my list - a palette swapped regular village just didn’t live up to the hype I had for it. Meanwhile, Central Yharnam exceeded every expectation I had while playing (and still does today) - it’s massive, sprawling, and incredibly varied. The spectacle isn’t the same (no scalable dead dragon), but nor should it be for an intro area in a game of that tone.
I’m surprised you didn’t have dark root basin or garden
It was one of the ones I considered, has one of the best atmospheres in the series for sure!
Eleum Loyce dashed so Leyndell could finish the marathon.
I could swear you were the same dude reacting to Radiohead. Checked and saw that you were. Happy our paths converged again. This was a great video
The way the bird attack syncs with the music at 11:20 is killing me
Cainhurst Castle still hasn't been topped for me personally. The horror of the weeping ghosts and an epic boss on the rooftops. All with ONE bonfire and a big time shortcut.
Demon's Souls:
Ritual Path (4-2)
Mystical catacombs, glowing water and flying rays.
Upper Latria (3-2)
Incredible huge space and oppressive heartbeat ambient, beautiful bossroom.
Nexus
One of the best hubs ever with unique theme, glowing light and massive structures above.
Dark Souls 1:
Oolacile
Such a beautiful and nostalgic place overall.
Painted World of Ariamis
A cold, dark, and very gentle place...
Darkroot Garden
I like this place for its ambience, lots of NPCs, mushrooms and pretty boss areas.
Dark Souls 2:
Heide's Tower of Flame
Calm ancient place with beautiful view and starry sky.
Shrine of Amana
Water, light reflections and soothing singing.
Dark Souls 3:
Archdragon Peak
Clean air and bright light, just what was missing after a long journey.
Place between Road of Sacrifices and Farron Keep
Next to the black knight - great lighting and atmosphere.
Painted World of Ariandel
Winter adventure with references to the past.
Sekiro:
Fountainhead Palace
This place is just so beautiful and fresh.
Senpou Temple
Autumn foliage and old temples.
Elden Ring:
Crumbling Farum Azula
Superb level design, music and aesthetics of an ancient crumbling city.
Siofra River
Like it's an astonishing place of bygone civilization.
Bloodborne:
Hunter's Dream
You want to stay here forever...
Cathedral Ward
Night cemetery, priests with lamps, giants and crows.
Micolash, Host of the Nightmare
This place is insane just like the boss.
Leyndell is absolutely magnificent 100% agree it’s the best area in the series. Also would put brace of the haligtree on this list and farum Azula higher I think
great list man, I would have put Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree on here somewhere in top 5 tho!
It was close, I think that would be second for me aesthetically after fountainhead palace, but the enemies aren't my favorite.
For me, that area deserved at least a honorable mencion
It was a great place aesthetically speaking. But it feels like you're walking in the purgatory with a blindfold on lmao.
with so many beautiful areas in dark souls 2 I was surprised to only have Majula on this tier list
That first shot of leyndell is absolutely beautiful as all fuck. Had it as my playstation profile banner for a while until I got a badass shot of me taunting borealis during his scream attack looking cinematic as all hell
The minute he said heide’s tower was good I knew this was a “does it look cool” contest. Heide’s is a horrific area with a cool look
Yeah it’s pretty bad just a straight line to a boss with one side area and the enemies aren’t very fun to fight. Idk how it made the list over Lothric Castle or Anor Londo even on an aesthetic level
It didn’t make the list, and Anor Londo did.
@@Nightwalk2 Oh fuck I must have not been paying attention properly that’s my bad
I think you need to play through Demon Souls. In my opinion the Prison of Hope in the Tower of Latria has the most stunning atmosphere in the whole series. It instills a sense of dread that I haven’t found in any of the other games in the series. It belongs on this list.
This is a really good list. The only thing I can really argue with is that cainhurst and frozen eleum loyce should be honorable mentions.
DeS: Tower of Latria
DS1: Anor Londo
DS2: Brume Tower
BB: Cainhurst Castle
DS3: Painted World of Ariandel
Sekiro: Fountainhead Palace
ER: Miquellas Haligtree
Seriously tho, how did you not even mention Brume Tower?
Lovely ranking
Miquellas Halligtree is one of the worst, everybody hates gravity and nobody like that area except you .
While I love the design of Brume tower, the enemies are perhaps some of the most spammed and obnoxious in the whole series to me. It’s the best and worst of the series all in one for me.
@@mariopllumbi3748 Everything you said is wrong
@@mariopllumbi3748 I kinda like that area tbh with you. Except the revenants underneath the bridge who spanked my Mimic Tear +10 with a 55 Vigor in a 1v1 match.
Leyndell still makes me feel good, the music and the atmosphere is just superior
i completely agree with leyndell. to me it feels like the culmination of everything that´s great about a souls area. also, thank you so much for including blighttown.
i personally wouldn´t have included anor londo but i know i´m in the minority with that
I also wouldn't have included anor londo. It's just so bland and undetailed. The first time I saw anor londo was in a boss vs enemies video and I just assumed that it was some unused area outside of the actual map because it was so empty.
In my opinion the DLC areas of Bloodborne are a lesson in level design. They are not only fun to traverse, but the way they are presented complements the lore so well: fighting the hunters trapped in the nightmare, the enormous corpse of Laurence in the same cathedral you find his skull in Cathedral Ward, seeing how low Ludwig fell, the lab experiments of the Healing Church in Research Hall, finding the corpse of Lady Maria, and then everything culminating when you finally unlock the secret of the massacre that happened at the Fishing Hamlet. I'd easily say these 3 areas my favorites.
Yeah the Bloodborne DLC is the best in Soulsborne easily imo, and the areas are all absoultely amazing in terms of level design and bosses and aesthetics and challenge.
Ludwig's theme in the background for no2 ❤. Fishing Hamlet is my personal favourite area. I enjoy the atmosphere and lore behind it. Only bad thing i can think of is the giant shark boys.
“The enemies here are much more enjoyable to fight” - while playing a clip of him fighting the BIRDS
You deserve so much more subscribers considering how consistent you are with your uploads. I love your vids
Thanks for the support 👍
I like that Ariandel got some love. It’s great