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Challenging video games like Elden Ring are a masochist’s hobby.
The more our enemies make us struggle, the more we celebrate their defeat. That’s why people love Malenia despite being the hardest boss in the game!
Still, even the most hardcore gamers have some enemies they just can’t stand – the kind that makes you wonder whether the game developers find real pleasure in causing you frustration and pain.
After careful consideration and a couple of broken controllers, I’ve put together this definitive list of the most annoying, irritating, and unbearable enemies in Elden Ring.
10. Giant Dragonfly
Annoying enemies don’t need to pose a serious threat.
As long as they can grab your attention, make you waste time, and act as if they’re making fun of you, they count.
The Giant Dragonfly may be huge compared to other small insects, but they’re relatively small enemies.
Thanks to their modest size, swift movements, and ability to fly, killing a Giant Dragonfly is a pain in the Elden Ring.
Giant Dragonflies can usually be ignored – but if you need to fight any other enemy while in the presence of these bugs, they can make your life really difficult.
9. Warhawk
Flying enemies are especially well-suited to annoy you, and the Warhawk is no exception.
They’re bigger than the Great Dragonfly, but thanks to their flight and speed, they can be hard to hit without ranged attacks like Glintstone Pebble or throwing items.
In addition, these fierce blade-fitted hawks can cut you to pieces if you’re not careful, so ignoring them is out of the question.
Whether it’s Stormveil Castle, Castle Sol, Crumbling Farum Azula, or the Mountaintops of the Giants, these Warhawks are among the biggest, most irritating threats in Elden Ring.
A good shield can also make a difference if you’re all out of ranged options.
8. Fanged Imp
There’s nothing more infuriating than a couple of Fanged Imps suddenly jumping out from the shadows behind you to kill you in just a couple hits due to blood loss.
It’s not just the humiliation or the loss of time, but the fact that this often happens while you’re desperately trying to find your way back to your runes after dying deep inside a dungeon.
These loathsome creatures love to catch Tarnished adventurers off-guard by hiding behind walls, holding onto ceilings, and pretending to be statues.
A profoundly satisfying way to get back at these fast and furious critters is to make them short-circuit with Crystal Darts, so they go berserk and attack their companions. Sit back and enjoy the show!
They’re mostly found on Mt. Gelmir, Caria Manor, and the sewers below Leyndell. They’ll hang on to walls and the sides of bridges or bury themselves inconspicuously to catch Tarnished warriors off-guard and crush them.
If you avoid their initial pounce, you still need to tackle their prodigious HP. Even running away is risky, thanks to the magic projectiles they fire from their bling.
Keep some fire damage handy when heading into a Fingercreeper-infested area.
6. Kindred of Rot (AKA Shrimp)
The Kindred of Rot are the stuff of nightmares.
These hideous pests were born of the Crimson Rot and stalk areas corrupted by it. For some reason, they’ve taken on the shape of humanoid shrimp with silly hats.
What makes them so irritating is their signature move: an arch of numerous projectiles that home in on your character for significant damage. It’s not hard to dodge once, but these dudes will continue to spam this repeatedly without allowing you a chance to retaliate.
Your best bet is to get in close and attack them, but they’re also fast on their feet, making this harder than it looks.
5. Rotten Stray
In real life, dogs are humankind’s best friends – in video games, they’re our worst nightmare.
From Silent Hill to Resident Evil and everything in-between, dogs are known as some of the most annoying and dangerous enemies you can run into.
They’re agile and nimble and inconveniently short – making it hard to hit them with guns or melee weapons.
Elden Ring is no different.
In fact, it’s worse.
These zombie dogs attack so fast that only a handful of weapons have any chance of hitting them first. They’re also relentless in their assault, so equipping a good shield is advisable.
4. Giant Crayfish
Along with the Prawns of Rot, the Giant Crayfish is another aggravating crustacean that can make you ragequit in a matter of minutes.
They hide underground in shallow water areas like Liurnia of the Lake or the sewers in the Subterranean Shunning Grounds, waiting to jump an unsuspecting Tarnished to shred apart.
Running away might be your first reaction after getting surprised by the Giant Crayfish – but that’s what they want you to do. Their most effective attack is a stream of poison that’ll travel absurd distances and home in on your character, and they can easily shoot one after another.
Instead, you should run up to them and assault their head until they become staggered. They’re easy pickings after that.
3. Runebears
Some battles are won by avoiding them altogether.
Runebears are annoying because of how brutally fast they can end your expedition through the woods and mountainous areas of the Lands Between.
One moment you’re walking among the trees, picking up berries and taking in the sights. The next, you’ve woken up a Runebear, and you’re a meter and a half away from getting mauled.
If you see one of these oversized Ursarings, just turn around and walk away. It’s never worth it.
2. Ancestral Follower Archers
This is how it always goes with the Ancestral Followers:
You check out what lies at the bottom of a random elevator in the woods on a whim. To your surprise, it brings you to the most beautiful underground area imaginable.
You make your way through some enemies, taking in the immense beauty of the Siofra River Well, until, suddenly, a massive arrow knocks you to the ground. Several more follow.
The Ancestral Followers – AKA the Ancestral Aimbots – seem incapable of missing a shot. It doesn’t matter if you run, get on your horse, or jump around in a zig-zag – they’ll get you sooner rather than later.
They killed me at least 50 times as I explored the area. I rate them unbearable/10.
1. Revenant
The one enemy that can hold a candle to how irritating the Ancestral Aimbots are is the Revenant – a human centipede that’s about as annoying as The Human Centipede (2009) is horrifying.
Described in-game as a “grotesque amalgamation of limbs,” the Revenant stalks castles, ruins, and graves, waiting for a Tarnished to tear apart for new appendages for its disfigured body.
There’s no escaping the Revenant once it emerges from its diabolical portal. It’ll attack relentlessly and quickly, leaving you little to no time to react. If you get away, it’ll simply teleport to your vicinity to continue the onslaught.
Incredible speed, reach, and damage potential make this one of the game’s most dangerous and frustrating enemies.
They’re the reason I never leave the Roundtable Hold without something that deals Holy damage.
Nelson Chitty is a Venezuelan expat living in Argentina. He’s a writer and translator passionate about history and foreign cultures. His ideal weekend is spent between leisurely playing games of Civilization VI and looking for the next seinen anime to marathon.
