Blighttown. Whether or not you've played any of FromSoftware's other games – from Demon's Souls (2009) through Elden Ring (2022) – I guarantee that single 10-letter word caused a chunk of Dark Souls fans to cringe. Even if you're not familiar with the vertical labyrinth that is Lordran, there's a good chance you've heard of the 2011 action-RPG's worst area through word of mouth. It's a nightmare, quite simply. A treacherous descent filled with fire-breathing monsters, dart-slinging imps, and boulder-tossing brutes. Every catwalk feels too narrow, making traversal a genuine slog – and your reward for making it to the bottom unscathed? A poisonous swamp. Make it across that, and you'll fight one of the early game's tougher bosses.
In comparative terms, I'd place Blighttown up there with Bloodborne's Yahar'gul, the Unseen Village and Elden Ring's Caelid. The thing is, while all three of these started out as my least favorite, most-hated locations to visit in their respective overarching settings, I have, one-by-one, fallen in love with each place – so much so, and I cannot believe I'm saying this, they might actually be my favorites.
