FromSoftware’slatest action role-playing game,Elden Ring, has alreadysold over 10 million copies on PCalone. Without any doubt, players around the world can agree thatElden Ringis one of the best Souls-type games due to its open-world approach and stunningly beautiful scenery. But, despite its aesthetically pleasing graphics,Elden Ringis an unforgiving game that punishes players harshly.
And one wayElden Ringpenalizes players is through unique enemies that carry an arsenal of attacks and weapons aimed to pulverize a player’s playstyle. And among those enemies, there are some whose sole purpose is to upset players. But, which ones take the cake as the most annoying enemies to fight inElden Ring?
Updated June 14, 2025, by Hamza Haq:Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC reopens the debate on nearly everything in the game. Tier lists undergo a major shakeup every time something this major drops, and this is no different. Fromthe best weaponsto the best armor sets to the best ashes of war, everything is once again up in the air, and that includes the list of enemies that are the most frustrating to deal with.
20Giant Crab
Crabs have been a reoccurring enemy in previous Souls games, so it’s no surprise that Miyazaki decided to add some inElden Ring. And despite Giant Crabs being slightly easier to fight in the game (thanks to Torrent), they are still considered one of the worst enemies inElden Ring.
And that’s because Giant Crabs can spew a mist of either Sleep or Death Blight (sometimes both) that’ll quickly kill a player or leave them incapacitated. Fortunately, players can quickly kill a Giant Crab using a Fire-based weapon likethe Flamberge Greatsword.
19Flame Chariot
There are three variations of the Flame Chariot (Single Cannon, Three Cannons, and Flame Vents) and all of them take the cake asElden Ring’s worst enemies. One reason why the Flame Chariot is annoying to fight is that it’s quite tanky, forcing players to use lots of HP and FP flasks.
The only effective way of defeating a Flame Chariot is by backstabbing its driver, but even that is a challenge since they’re often located against walls. And if a player is successful in defeating one, they’ll need to leave the area as it’ll explode, causing massive damage to everything near it.
18Mausoleum Knight
Players who useLhutel The Headless Spirit Ashmay already know what a Mausoleum Knight can do in a fight. But, two aspects of the Mausoleum Knight that grant him the rank of an annoying enemy are its vanishing and teleporting abilities.
So, players will need to use quick attacks since the Mausoleum Knight constantly teleports around the area. The Mausoleum Knight also vanishes for a few seconds before reappearing behind the player, so players must keep moving while fighting this enemy. And to make matters worse, some Mausoleum Knights have their swords imbued with Death Blight.
17Fanged Imp
Fanged Imps can be found lurking around in nearly every Catacomb inElden Ring, which makes them almost impossible to avoid. And while they have a powerful attack that causes Blood Loss, it’s their ability to blend with the environment that makes them one of the most annoyingElden Ringenemies.
Furthermore, the Fanged Imp is never alone, so players should expect to be ambushed if they only see one. And not to mention that Fanged Imps are immune to any debuff, which only adds to their long list of annoying features.
16Chanting Winged Dame
Players should not be fooled by the angelic voice of the Chanting Winged Dame since this ill-omened creature is sure to ruin any player’s game session. That’s because the Chanting Winged Dame is as quick as they come (similar to the Lesser Runebear) despite resembling an old lady.
With her speed, she spews a mist of poison that can cover a large area in only a few seconds. As players can expect, fighting a Chanting Winged Dame head-on can spell death, so a ranged approach is recommended while facing them.
15Perfumer
The main reasonPerfumers are annoying to deal withis the golden shield they can apply to themselves, seemingly without any delay. The only way to damage them is by first breaking the shield and then taking them. On top of that, they frequently reapply the shield and have a decent amount of health.
The only good thing about the Perfumers is that they’re slow enough to outrun without summoning Torrent, and even that’s not a given, considering they often tend to congregate in groups and spam their area-of-effect Perfume Bottle attack. Luckily, these enemies are not very common and can only be found in a few locations in Leyndell and the Shadow Realm.
14Rotten Stray
Undoubtedly, dogs in any Soulsborne game test a player’s ability to dodge several enemies at once, especially since most dog-type enemies come in packs. But, the Rotten Stray is among the most annoying of dog-type enemies since it searches and attacks players, even if they haven’t aggroed it.
On top of that, the Rotten Stray can cause some status effects that’ll slowly eat the life-force of any player if left unchecked, which is why it’s always good toknow how to craft certain cures with the crafting bag. So, players do well in either using Torrent to get away or face the pack of Rotten Strays courageously.
13Giant Crow
The Giant Crow is a hostile wildlife creature that players can find near the Forsaken Ruins by Caelid or Mohgwyn Palace. This ill-omened creature is annoying because it’s usually perched near ruins, potentially guarding precious loot, which means players will have to face their fears and slay it.
Moreover, the Giant Crow has a powerful beak attack that can easily guard-break any shields, which leaves a player defenseless. Fortunately, the Giant Crow drops over 11,000 Runes, making the encounter a little more tolerable, so if a player needs Runes, farm Giant Crows andavoid purchasing Runes from other players!
12Marionette Gargoyle
This magic-imbued gargoyle can easily startle even the most experienced player since it sits high upon rooftops waiting to ambush unaware players. But, the real problem about facing the Marionette Gargoyle is that it wields a scythe (this is one of the many ways a player can obtain a scythe), which means it can easily attack a player from a distance.
On top of that, the boss version of the Marionette Gargoyle (aka Valient Gargoyle) can stun-lock a player before they can even move an inch. And to make matters worse, this annoying enemy has lots of HP and Defense, so taking it down won’t be easy.
11Horned Warrior
Horned Warriors are another new enemy type, appearing for the first time inShadow of the Erdtree. Seemingly innocent at first glance, this enemy’s key characteristic is that they have incredibly high poise, making them very unlikely to be staggered, even with anUnga Bunga build.
This means that players who rely on heavy weapons like the Greatsword will have an especially terrible time trying to take down the Horned Warrior. These enemies move incredibly quickly, and their attack pattern is relentless, giving no time to down a flask or reset stamina.
