Each Dark Souls game is challenging in its own way. The first game is incredibly punishing with its frequent two-hit deaths, the second game relies on group fights, and the third game has tight windows for players to dodge attacks.
The type of difficulty in each game mainly stems from the enemies that players fight. Gamers know of the brutal bosses the Souls series provides, but few talk about the enemies that make up most of the journey. Similar to bosses, some enemies are much harder than the average that will be a breaking point for some players. Here are the 10 hardest non-boss enemies players can face in the Dark Souls trilogy.
10 Man-Eater Shells (Dark Souls)
Most players likely forgot about Man-Eater Shells in the original Dark Souls. Only fought outside of Seath's arena and Ash Lake, these enemies seem harmless until the player fights multiple at once.
Man-Eater Shells deal little damage per attack, but nearly every attack they dish out stuns the player. When a group of Man-Eater Shells swarm the player, they are almost certain to get stunlocked to death. Worse, they can grab the player to deal massive amounts of damage while also reducing the durability of equipped items substantially. They are a fantastic source of Twinkling Titanate and Purging Stones, but these enemies should never be fought in groups unless the player has a deathwish.
9 Starved Hounds (Dark Souls 3)
Starved Hounds are one of the easier fodder enemies to kill in Dark Souls 3 with their small health pool and low poise. What makes them devastating is how they cheat to hit the player.
Whether it's a bug or intentional, Starved Hounds in Dark Souls 3 will teleport to the player and are capable of running through walls. A group of these dogs can easily stunlock players and kill them. Even after gaining distance between a pack of Hounds, they will teleport to the player out-of-frame and strike for a chunk of damage. There are far worse enemies in the Souls series, but this enemy is tough for all the wrong reasons.
8 Havel The Rock (Dark Souls)
Yes, Havel the Rock can easily be parried by a skilled player. With that said, consider how early players will stumble upon this hostile NPC. Heading down the spiral staircase in the tower leading up to the Taurus Demon will reveal this enemy.
Keep in mind the Taurus Demon is the second boss in the game. Players new to Dark Souls will walk down a staircase and instantly die to a Dragon's Tooth hammer that Havel wields. His armor also has an absurd amount of poise and damage resistance, which makes it near impossible to stagger him. Veterans can easily parry and riposte him, but anyone who misses this parry window will die in one or two hits from Havel's massive Dragon's Tooth.
7 Giant Man-Serpents (Dark Souls 3)
Serpent-Men were enemies in the first and third Dark Souls. The Serpent-Men in Dark Souls 3 are generally smaller except their Giant Man-Serpent brethren that are much more difficult to take down.
Giant Man-Serpents have a larger health pool than standard Man-Serpents and have access to devastating weapons such as the Chain-Axe. The Chain-Axe, in particular, is brutal as it can attack players from long ranges and can clip through walls to give the player no chance to defend themselves. These enemies can also breathe streams of fire if the player gets too close or use its long neck to deliver a devastating bite that can stun.
6 Sulyvahn's Beasts (Dark Souls 3)
The first time players cross Irythill's bridge in Dark Souls 3, they were likely surprised to see a giant beast appear behind them. This is one of Sulyvahn's Beasts.
Deadly bite attacks make up most of their moveset, but their erratic movement makes fighting a Sulyvahn Beast a total nightmare. Dodging their attacks requires perfect timing or else the player will get bitten for most of their health. Sulyvahn's Beasts can also one-shot most players with its grab attack. Fortunately, it is extremely weak to bleed and fire. At least there's only 3 in the entire game that don't respawn on death.
5 Drakekeepers (Dark Souls 2)
Dark Souls enemies typically do a good job of pressuring the player without being unfair. That is the polar opposite of what the Drakekeepers do in Dark Souls 2.
Drakekeepers don't have a Stamina pool to manage like the player, resulting in them repeatedly striking the player with no window to punish. This is especially noticeable on the Drakekeepers that wield great hammers, constantly swinging the hammer toward the player with no sign of stopping. They are also frequently fought in pairs. Players that don't have ranged alternatives will struggle to complete the Dragon Shrine zone with how unrelenting these massive enemies are.
4 Elder Ghrus (Dark Souls 3)
Ghrus are tough enough to fight with their deadly grab attacks and the ability to spit poison. They have nothing on Elder Ghrus, though.
Elder Ghrus are giant beasts that use an entire tree to strike the player. Each attack is then followed with the summoning of red skulls that track the player. These enemies also tend to spawn entire swarms of these skulls with a certain attack. This attack is even deadlier when the player is in the swamp where these enemies spawn at, restricting movement and passively killing the player with poison. The combination of the swamp and the enemy's tracking attacks makes them one of the toughest enemies players will face in the entire trilogy.
3 Claw Manikins (Dark Souls 2)
Deathless runs of Dark Souls 2 would be much easier even Claw Manikins didn't exist. Multiple versions exist of these Manikin foes, but the claw variant is easily the toughest.
Rapid attacks that have no respect for a Stamina pool are just the start. These enemies also deal a decent chunk of poise damage per swing, meaning casters and lightly-armored characters can easily get stunlocked by their claws. Every series of claw strikes also causes the player to bleed, which reduces the player's Stamina by 75% for a few seconds after losing a massive chunk of health. Groups of these enemies are a nightmare to fight. The duo in Dranglec Castle has ended many deathless runs alone.
2 Quill Corvian Knights (Dark Souls 3)
Yet another rapid-attacking foe, Corvian Knights are enemies exclusive to the Corvian Settlement inside the Ashes of Ariandel DLC. The Quill variant is easily the toughest enemy in the game. A barrage of darts can instantly kill most players from afar, and their rapier can deal substantial damage up close. These enemies become open to a riposte when attacked during certain animations, but these enemies can also riposte the player after breaking their guard. No other enemy in Dark Souls 3 can kill the player as quickly as Quill Corvian Knights can.
1 Frozen Reindeer (Dark Souls 2)
Never has an enemy been as frustrating to face as the Frozen Reindeer in Dark Souls 2. Fought in the Frigid Outskirts, these enemies dot the path towards the area's boss arena.
Thing is, most players won't get to the arena thanks to this enemy. The path to the arena takes players through a blinding blizzard. While in the blizzard, these enemies will come out of nowhere and headbutt the player to the ground, dealing massive amounts of damage. They fire lightning while flying in the air, can kick the player to two-shot them, and have a massive health and poise pool that makes them near impossible to kill quickly. Even worse, a second Frozen Reindeer can spawn if players are too slow killing the first one! Enemies don't get more frustrating than this.