Hardest Optional Areas In Elden Ring, Ranked

Summary

Beyond the main storyline, Elden Ring’s vast open world offers challenging optional areas with hidden bosses.
The toughest optional areas include Deeproot Depths, Lake of Rot, Mohgwyn Palace, Castle Sol, and more.
Players navigate treacherous terrain, elite enemies, and frustrating traps in these challenging optional zones.

Elden Ring‘s open world is massive and packed with variety, including sprawling huge regions, hidden caves and catacombs, underground realms, legacy dungeons, and more. While the main story is already lengthy, it’s just a fraction of what the game offers for those determined to explore every corner, complete side quests, and take down every boss.

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As expected from FromSoftware, some of the hardest challenges, including entire areas and formidable bosses, are completely optional, often unreachable or locked behind specific conditions. This list highlights the toughest optional areas in Elden Ring, not just for their bosses, but for the overall challenge they present. Whether it’s hazardous terrain, tricky platforming, ruthless enemies, or an overwhelming combination of all three, these locations stand as the most notoriously difficult and unforgiving places in the Lands Between.

8

Deeproot Depths

For Fans Of Frustrating Root Platforming

While far from Elden Ring‘s hardest optional areas, the Deeproot Depths can still be an unpleasant experience—and not because of its bosses. This hidden zone, accessible via a coffin in Nokron or a secret path, feels somewhat similar to Miquella’s Haligtree, with its twisting roots and branches forcing careful platforming, whether on foot or Torrent’s back. One wrong step often leads straight to death.

Adding to the frustration, the area is filled with Giant Ants and Basilisks that inflict Death Blight, both of which are tanky and deal serious damage. At least the rewards make the trip worthwhile, offering plenty of Runes to level up quickly. The bosses, including Crucible Knight Siluria and Lichdragon Fortissax, aren’t particularly challenging, especially since many players reach this area at a high level. Overall, while not as brutally difficult as some later zones, its layout and enemy density can wear players down.

7

Ordina, Liturgical Town

Feel Like Prey In This Tiny Puzzle Cage

Ordina, Liturgical Town is a hidden area within the vast, optional Consecrated Snowfields. Serving as the gateway to Miquella’s Haligtree, it isn’t required to complete the game, but unlocking the entire region takes considerable effort. Those aiming to face Malenia must solve a puzzle here, lighting four flames scattered across the ghost town to break a seal. While simple in theory, this task quickly becomes frustrating, thanks to invisible Lesser Black Knife Assassins lurking around every corner and deadly, lightning-fast Albinauric Archers stationed atop high towers.

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Certain strategies can make this challenge more manageable, such as using the Sentry’s Torch or the Concealing Veil Talisman, but even with the right tools, Ordina often leaves a bitter impression long before the puzzle is finally completed.

6

Lake Of Rot

The Ultimate Deadly Swamp For Soulsborne Lovers

Some Elden Ring players might never set foot in the Lake of Rot, and honestly, that’s something to envy. Forget Caelid’s Swamp of Aeonia or any cave infested with Scarlet Rot; this place takes the misery to another level. Scarlet Rot covers nearly every inch, making survival nearly impossible without Immunity-boosting gear like the Flamedrake Talisman or a stockpile of Preserving Boluses.

Wading through the toxic bog is a slow, painful ordeal, with only a handful of platforms offering brief respites. As if that weren’t bad enough, an Ulcerated Tree Spirit lurks, ready to ambush, and a full boss fight against a Dragonkin Soldier takes place right in the middle of the Scarlet Rot. At least, the climactic battle against Astel, Naturalborn of the Void can slightly redeem this misery simulator.

5

Mohgwyn Palace

Borderline Optional, But Not Without Its Perks

Mohgwyn Palace (and defeating Mohg, Lord of Blood) acts as the gateway to the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, yet the area itself remains entirely optional. Skipping it won’t lock players out of Elden Ring‘s default ending. Reaching Mohgwyn Palace too soon, when players are underleveled or lack Bleed resistance, is a very bad idea, as this zone is meant to be one of the last destinations on the Tarnished’s journey. Even without facing Mohg, the palace itself is a brutal, blood-soaked nightmare.

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The approach alone is a slog, featuring hazardous blood swamps and pitch-black caves, while the enemies are just as unforgiving. Between massive, high-health birds, relentless invaders, swarms of the hard-hitting Albinaurics, and the bleed-inducing Sanguine Nobles, there’s little relief along the way. That said, Mohgwyn Palace remains the best rune-farming spot in the game, making it a worthwhile stop for those looking to power up before tackling tougher challenges.

4

Hero’s Graves (All Of Them)

Here Comes A Chariot

Fringefolk Hero’s Grave
Sainted Hero’s Grave
Gelmir Hero’s Grave
Auriza Hero’s Grave
Giant-Conquering Hero’s Grave

The Lands Between hold five Hero’s Graves—optional mini-dungeons typically sealed behind a Stonesword Key. Why Elden Ring‘s greatest heroes are buried in such oppressive, trap-filled catacombs remains a mystery, but here we are. Exploring these tombs is a mix of excitement and frustration, offering decent rewards and plenty of hidden secrets behind illusory walls, but some sections can push patience to the limit.

From insta-kill chariots barreling down narrow halls to lava-covered floors and tricky platforming sections requiring perfectly timed jumps, every grave is packed with hazards. On top of that, evading flaming pillars and bouncing press traps, all while fending off enemies sometimes tests endurance more than skill. Reaching the end of one of these dungeons is always a moment of pure relief. Now, do it four more times.

3

Subterranean Shunning-Grounds

Wait, Haven’t I Been In This Pipe Before?

Hidden beneath Leyndell, the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds isn’t just one of Elden Ring’s toughest dungeons; it’s also among the most unsettling. A maze of pipes, relentless Imp ambushes, and brutal Omen enemies turn every step into a grind, with tight corridors and constant threats making progress feel like an uphill battle.

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This underground nightmare also connects to the Forsaken Depths and the Cathedral of the Forsaken, tying into the eerie Frenzied Flame path. The hellish descent through coffin platforming, set to melancholic music, adds to the area’s oppressive atmosphere. Thankfully, the final boss, Mohg, the Omen, isn’t the worst fight in the game, but after enduring everything this dungeon throws at players, the battle can feel underwhelming compared to the effort it takes to reach him.

2

Castle Sol

Who Thought The Teleporting Spectral Knights Were A Good Idea?

It’s funny how a small, optional castle in the Mountaintops of the Giants manages to be one of the most universally hated locations in Elden Ring. And it’s not just because of the infamous Commander Niall (though he certainly plays a big role). With devastating attacks and summoned allies, he stands among the game’s hardest optional bosses, no questions asked.

Even without Niall though, Castle Sol is a nightmare. Teleporting Spectral Banished Knights can reach players everywhere, making it impossible to avoid them, so the only tactic left is to face them head-on. Add in Lion Guardians roaming the area and Spectral Exile soldiers firing deadly ballista shots, and clearing this place becomes an exhausting task. For such a small castle, every inch demands serious effort.

1

Miquella’s Haligtree & Elphael, Brace Of The Haligtree

Peak Optional Suffering In Two Acts

Unsurprisingly, Miquella’s Haligtree takes the crown as Elden Ring’s hardest optional dungeon, a pure punishment for any Soulsborne veteran. The area unfolds in two equally grueling sections: Miquella’s Haligtree, which ends in a relatively forgiving warm-up fight against Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree, and Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree, leading to none other than Malenia, Blade of Miquella. At this point, she needs no introduction.

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The descent is a merciless gauntlet of elite enemies: Giant Ants, Misbegotten, Oracle Envoys, Putrid Avatars, Revenants, Ulcerated Tree Spirits, Crystalians, and Cleanrot Knights all stand in the way. Traversal is its own nightmare, blending treacherous branch platforming with bubble-blowing Oracles, poisonous Miranda Sprouts, Scarlet Rot swamps, and maze-like corridors packed with soldiers and ballistas. A true test of endurance, overcoming Miquella’s Haligtree ensures that no other area in the base game or expansion will ever feel quite as intimidating again.