Elden Ring Legacy Dungeons Ranked Worst to Best (Areas)

[@Nightwalk2]

I understand these encompass more than the 6 definitive legacy dungeons. These extra areas I included are structured practically the same, with a few minor differences like access to torrent. Check out the wiki for some info on the areas I picked from, and try not to flood the comments section with comments on how they aren’t real legacy dungeons! Wiki: eldenring.wiki.fextralife.com/Legacy+Dungeons

[@Fathmox]

MOST OF THESE ARENT REALLY LEGACY DUNGINS WTF

[@alchemy5750]

I still absolutely love the Raya Lucaria Academy above every other area. It really gives off that "magic" atmosphere no other Souls game could. It's basically Hogwarts but everyone got sorted into Slytherin

[@bengough6772]

There's a lot of secret bits to Raya Lucaria you can easily miss on your first playthrough. Second time I had a lot more praise for it

[@goldenbrandon1716]

@Easily Peasily that made me piss my pants a bit

[@jarlwhiterun7478]

That's where I am now and thought the same. I was on the rooftops and looked up at the huge towers and thought of Hogwarts immediately.

[@penguinboi3839]

Leyndell definetely was the best area I have ever explored in a video game. The area was just so fun to explore and I never felt bored in the 3 hours I spent exploring the entire city. The surprise I felt when I found the sewers underneath 😅

[@tankmh4468]

Only 3 hours? It took me like 10 to see everything ahaha

[@Gigawicket]

Leyndell and Stormveil were both amazing at tucking away secrets. My 8th character was still finding new areas in both dungeons.

[@penguinboi3839]

@@tankmh4468 I was pretty overlevelled so I smashed all the Leyndell knights pretty quick

[@penguinboi3839]

@@Gigawicket Yeah. The surprise when the Tree Spirit was next to Godwyn

[@K1ngAw3som3]

Even though I’ve beat it several times, I refuse to burn it down until I take a solid stroll the the city.

[@robbieclark1784]

For Stormveil, they built an entire functional castle and an underground area, then drilled holes in it and wrecked it and turned into a video game level. This was astounding. Then you get to Leyndell and see that they did the same for an entire city.

[@carlizancho2]

Where did you get this? Did they said that in a interview?

[@warcoder]

I can imagine that when they were making the lake of rot, the designer showed Miyazaki the layout and said: "with this switches the most perceptive players can raise enough stone platforms to cross the lake without ever getting scarlet rot. Any suggestions, Miyazaki san?" Miyazaki: Good, good, very nice but maybe if you delete, this, this and these other platforms we can transmit our vision much better to the players. Designer: but... Sir... Then it would be impossible for the players to cross without getting infected... Miyazaki (with a big smile): I know. Delete them.

[@rdc4461]

Miyazaki: DEW IT

[@broken_psp_umd_disc]

Apparently Torret is immune to it. 😮

[@josezuniga4814]

Honestly I'm a pretty big fan of the Subterranean Shunning Grounds; it's absolutely miserable, but it highlights the misery that the Omens have to live in and highlights the atrocities of the Golden Order, to the point that once you finally reach the Flame of Frenzy you might consider using it. Narratively the silent story telling of the place is brilliant.

[@esteban4005]

Never thought about that this way, but that is very interesting

[@cocu9365]

Even as a non lore player i feel like this area makes you wonder, wtf is going on here. Making the shunning grounds the gateway for diving into the lore. It's just so fked up as an area that you stop and question why there's so many bodies, why are there repulsive creatures here, HOW DO I FIND THE BOSS

[@rk13567]

Big agree on the "deceptively huge" aspect of Farum Azula. I thought I meticulously explored everything on my first playthrough but I later learned I missed multiple sizeable sections

[@flamechomp5075]

I always considered Miquella's Haligtree and Elphael Brace Of The Haligtree to be separate areas, since they felt like two part areas and had different kind of pacing to them, like with the first part being a tree canopy, then the second part feeling more like a city tied into the Haligtree itself where Malenia is located.

[@SugaryPhoenixxx]

Stormveil is definitely my favorite dungeon in Elden Ring. it is so enormous & there are so many secrets & passageways to be found!

[@Demokaze]

Legacy dungeons in ER are the no-ride/no-flask refill zones that have a large, interconnected or gimmicky layout with an uncommon boss at the end. Deeproot and in general the underground segments that allow Torrent are more like continents akin to Limgrave, Caelid, Liurnia etc.

[@grimreefer213]

I’d say they’re more akin to a semi open dungeon than they are to an overworld map such as limgrave. They’re mostly linear and much smaller than the continents

[@BelchingBeaver69]

You can refill flasks in legacy dungeons.

[@Phoenix-oy3pn]

I thought I had scrutinized stormveil down to every secret my first playthrough. Then I did my second with my brother and we discovered that I definitely did not, toegther we found the crucible knight and the Godwyn secret area below. After that, stormveil was almost my favorite level in all the games

[@thevisi0naryy]

I did and it took an insane amount of time to do it offline / no guide. Specifically I absolutely could not figure out how to get to the back cliffs of the castle and the one lower platform near that area with the tree spirit that you can't jump to on the way down. Towards the end of the game I had an idea of putting a beacon down behind the wall and looking at it from the starting island to narrow down where you had to get in, and finally saw the little ledge in the room with the pot people. I'd call myself clever for doing this if I hadn't exhausted nearly every pixel of the castle before finding it lol.

[@justinharper4248]

Despite how difficult it was mohgwyn palace had such a fantastic atmosphere and theme and is definitely my favourite

[@eetfuk3571]

there and Siofra River are my favourite spots to take some photos. since I'm done at NG+4, I'm just taking a lot of photographs in almost every corner of the map.

[@captaingary205]

My personal favourite is the Haligtree, specifically Ephael, just because of the architecture and atmosphere.

[@DKingillustrator]

Oddly, when i got to Epheal, it gave me the same goosebumps I got when I got to the Ringed City in DS3. It was so beautiful upon first look, especially knowing we're at endgame content. The Epheal ambient music is probably my favorite area ambient tracks in the game.

[@DrZoomer]

I agree with Stormveil Castle being underrated, it has such a great vibe to it, like something tragic has has happened and dark, horrific things continue to go down. Redmane Castle with the music and festival was another one of my favorites

[@leonardomagalhaes7392]

Your content is amazing,congratulations. The biggest strenght in elden ring for me it's his atmosphere. The art direction really makes the game a experience with so many feelings,because of the amount of variety in styles of architeture and colors,with this profundity of vast and surreal places. It's a world in the literal way and one of a kind.

[@amunra7888]

I cant help but unconditionally love stormveil castle, raya lucaria, volcano manor, leyndell and crumbling farum azula. All have fantastic bosses, unique athmosphere oozing off every wall, great ambience, are fun to explore and i always felt like i was exploring the place as i was hoping to. A ruined castle, domain of the evil godrick, an academy of the greatest scholars of glimstone sorcery, the castle of a cruel and evil hetetic, the capital of gold and finally the great temple city, former seat of the first rulers of the lands between. I really hope fromsofzt returns to their non-openworld games because for me the open world faded away under the sheer presence of all those great areas. Honorable mentions to castle morne, elphael

[@troy8420]

I think having the open world in conjunction with these legacy dungeons was perfect. It makes those areas stand out even more.

[@a5hen]

One of my favourite features in Leyndell is that the enemies play the background theme on their instruments and that is beautiful

[@geordiejones5618]

I love how you can loop through through Leyndell --> Shunning Grounds --> Proscription --> Deeproot Depths and back to Leyndell via the portal near Godwyn. I love that journey down down down, which is probably why I also love descending the Haligtree. Both areas make the map truly feel massive. Also the Haligtree is established in the lore as a safehaven for the otherwise persecuted so imo its maybe the only area where copy pasting enemies makes perfect sense bc they fleed there.

[@dynamicflashy]

6:12: The game gives players more options to see in the dark than all the others before it. Siofra is pronounced: she-frah.

[@Ghidorah00]

I am surprised Redmane castle didn’t make your list. The run up with the bridge and the meandering route from there had me thoroughly entertained.

[@dyamizamor9632]

To answer your question on "why FromSoft thinks we love poison" it is simple. Miyazaki said himself. "I love poison swamps. I can't get enough of them. I have to limit myself to one per game."

[@masroorahmadbani1712]

I love the haligtree and the braces of the haligtree it is the most aesthetically pleasing area. I also love nokstella, the one in Ranni’s questline.

[@Cyberaser]

One of the most beautiful games I have ever played. There is so much passion in it. It's amazing.

[@ilikeurjohn6636]

Found ur vids a few weeks ago and have watched just about all of them. Keep it up man ur videos r very well made

[@Nightwalk2]

Thanks man, it means a lot!

[@maran947]

Interesting you didn't include the other smaller castles as I found Castle Morne or Radmane Castle, Castle Sol had way more atmosphere and substance than let's say Lake of Rot, but it is crazy how low Nokron is, it is one of the most memorable moments of the game. But yeah the areas are so good

[@that_deadeyegamer7920]

Once you've been to one castle and understand the layout the rest of them are almost carbon copies.

[@maran947]

@@that_deadeyegamer7920 castle mourne and castle redmane are nothing alike, castle mourne I find the atmosphere very strong with all the dead people etc and the fighting happening, and castle redmane is when you go there early they shoot with catapults etc and if you later you have the great singing and everyone getting ready to fight radahn

[@romilrh]

Neither the smaller castles nor Lake of Rot are legacy dungeons though. He was pretty arbitrary with what he included

[@mtszkrk]

My favourite has to be farum azula. It's my second favourite area in the series just behind Eleum loyce Also I really like subterranean shunning grounds. It's not as good as azula, lyndell or stormveli but I cannot underestand how anyone could call this area bad. It's brilliantly designed and filled with cool secrets. I love how huge it is and how it keeps getting more and more disturbing the deeper you go. It is disgusting and confusing but that was the point. It allows you to enjoy a classic ds1 level design without actually having to play ds1! What's not to love?

[@Alex-mn1fb]

I just cant decide. Its Raya Lucaria, Leyndell and Elphael for me. I constantly switch and rearrange their places in my top three. When I descend down the Haligtree, step out and see that first shot of Elphael, hear that somber, dignified and melancholic melody, see the stone spires and the beautiful but rotted architecture and think of the tragic story of Miquella and Malenia, I think THIS IS MY No. 1. It feels like the last bastion that was built to withstand the very end of the world. It is a place that grieves for what could have been, a failed potential to make a better world. But then as soon as I step into Leyndell, behold the majesty of the marble and gold, gilded rooftops, a great capital city sprawling beneath the canopy of the Erdtree, seat of an Empire and the Gods, heart of the world that once was, when I hear that music that conveys the sense immense glory, power and grandeur that has all been lost and now stands empty, hollow and ruined, nothing but a memory of a Lost Age. And I immediately think, nope, this is my No. 1 ! And then I climb into the academy, see the mists of Liurnia all around, get that tingly feeling of mystery, forgotten knowledge and more then a little bit of danger, Elden Rings version of Hogwarts that has gone wrong, the last boss and her sad story, im like, nope, THIS is my number one. I just cant decide. 😅

[@Shian06]

Miquella Haligtree/Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree is imo the most beautiful area fromsoft has ever made.

[@Metalton95]

1 Leyendell (enough to propel the game into FromSoft's top 3 imo. As Max0r said "this game is DS4, 5 and 6 in one game! ..are the devs ok?") 2 Haligtree / Elphael (what I wish DS1's Archtrees and The Great Hollow had been. WHAT AN AREA!!!) 3 Stormveil Castle (a "perfect castle"! Buut I kinda ended up skipping through the latter open half. Loved the level design to bits, tho!) 4 Raya Lucaria Academy (what I wish Irithyll had been) 5 Subterranean Shunning-Grounds (The Depths, but BETTER! Feels like Diablo 2 Act II's underground areas, but manageable!) 6 Volcano Manor 7 Siofra River / Nokron 8 Crumbling Farum Azula (I anticipated this place since the trailer that showed Malekith's boss room.. but the damage of the enemies reminds me of the bad part of Brume Tower... :( Placidusax remains my #1 boss tho) 9 Ainsel River / Nokstella 10 Mohgwyn Palace 11 Lake of Rot (love the idea and look. The execution, though.. not enjoyable and feels empty + fuck those ranged enemies) 12 Deeproot Depths (just... boring? Loved the entrance, but I hoped for more than just some open area - Sunken Temple, Arena, anything?)

[@InMaTeofDeath]

Why the poison swamps? The man himself answers that question in these two paragraphs of an interview he did. ""Elden Ring, like every Souls game before it, will unfortunately include a poison swamp: a presumably nasty area where you're assaulted by enemies and projectiles that inflict you with the relentless ticking damage of a poison debuff. It turns out creator Hidetaka Miyazaki can't help but make one every time. "While making this game I rediscovered my love for making poison swamps," he told Game Informer. "I know how people feel about them but I suddenly realize I'm in the middle of making one and I can't help myself. It just happens.""

[@anonymousperson8903]

For dark areas like the interior of Moghwyn...I recommend the use of the trusty hand lantern. You can get it near the start of the game and it never leaves my side!

[@akaErma]

I honestly can't think of a reveal that stopped me in my tracks longer than that first panoramic view of Leyndell and knowing, yeah, I can and will climb that dragon.

[@stevenbrown4001]

They did such a good job to make the areas feel like they could be actual areas in real life. Like damn! I just finished this game a few weeks a go and I was so impressed. It’s easily my favorite game of all time. Now I’m playing Bloodborne for the first time and obviously I love it!

[@point4496]

stormveil was on of my favourites, the windy aesthetic and just being the first one really opened my eyes tbh

[@solidsnake9898]

The Shunning Grounds should be alot higher imo. It's one of the few areas that matches DeS, DS1 & BB level design with only having one grace and being easy to get lost etc.

[@SimplCup]

I really enjoyed Farum Azula. The entrance to that location, design, enemies, bosses, everything if ideal. When i had first entered that place i thought to myself "man, what, is this Elden Ring?". 1. Leyndell 2. Farum Azula 3. Stormveil Castle (gotta agree, that castle is lit)

[@GhostRiposte]

Moghwyn Palace is like Caelid, but underground lol... never thought of that, but great description! I agree, Stormveil is one of the best castles they've ever done 🙂

[@simonherrmann7307]

I would so much love to see Crumbling Farum Azula in its former in DLC

[@Malisteen]

i thing castle Mourne, as many player's first introduction to legacy dungeons, deserves a shout out for just how good of an introduction it is, with some distinct sub areas & a couple branching paths (though not so many as to make it overstay its welcome), some interesting encounters including a pumpkin head miniboss, and even its own attached npc storyline, including an npc summon to help new players tackle the boss. the conflict between the human knights and the mongrelfolk give Castle Mourne a distinct narrative identity while also being a great way to curb the difficulty for what is effectively a training dungeon. It also has a few nice early game treasures, including most player's first ultra-greatsword, a fun & silly giant sword-made-of-swords. It's one of the best tutorial dungeons in the series, knocked down only slightly by the fact that new players need to turn around and go in literally the opposite direction from where they're told to get there.

[@michaelharrington5860]

I like the aesthetics of Haligtree, but I hate pretty much everything else about it. Raya Lucaria is underrated.

[@poly_g6068]

I can't imagine ranking Mohgwyn Palace any higher than dead last.

[@authorjgamber]

For real. It's gross, indeterminately-leveled, dark and has the most stupid invasions/ enemy placements in the game. Also broken level grinding, but still.

[@Pondimus_Maximus]

I'm a year late, but my #1 is the Haligtree. It took several playthroughs, before it knocked Farum Azula to #2. It's amazing what secrets you can uncover, in each new game. In fact, on my 5th playthrough, I discovered that, near the base of the Haligtree, you can look down from the cliff where the Rotten Tree Spirit is, and see down into Malenia's chamber! After that battle, I looked up, and sure enough, you can see where you were, not too long ago. I have to give Leyndell a tie for #2. The majesty of that city is breathtaking. The artistry in this game is like none other, I've ever played. 😁

[@Citrusgeorge]

'Let's add a dung eater' had me howling hahaha

[@latawieclatajacy9053]

farum azula ambience is unbeatable for me. the maze-like halls leading to places you've been in already, destroyed platforms, no day and night cycle and so on. placidusax is one of the best bossfights ever

[@firetitan19]

i was with you until that last outrageous statement

[@latawieclatajacy9053]

@@firetitan19 lol whays ur problem with him, hes got the most varied moveset, supercinematic, the music going out when hes pulling the nuke out, stunning arena, attacks are telegraphed well enough, visual design to top it all off.

[@AtomicPineapple23]

The vibes stormveil gives you, especially on your first play through are unparalleled. You genuinely feel like some sort of enemy assassin dispatched to kill the tyrannical ruler of the castle. That and the effects of death blight are taking on it put it in my top 2

[@Nightwalk2]

Well Leyndell has to be first, right? Stormveil is probably my number 2 now

[@AtomicPineapple23]

@@Nightwalk2 honestly I switch between Leyndell and stormveil being my favorite. Just really depends

[@seanysalami]

Great list I love your enthusiasm. Subscribed

[@kakerlake4468]

I personally would put stormveil first and Leyndell second but they are both so great, but c'mon, Stormveil was one of the first dungeon the community explored during the network test and it was a great memory

[@geordiejones5618]

I gotta be the only person who thinks Stormveil is overrated. Its design is cool but after I discovered all the secrets first playthrough I barely spent time there again. Atmosphere is better in every other legacy dungeon.

[@gaythugsmatter7029]

@@geordiejones5618 true true I agree with your statement

[@enman009]

My only lingering question about this video was: how you manage to explore without a lantern?! Btw, really good video. It's true that the Legacy Dungeons are so varied and unique that everyone can have their own ranking. But Leyndell is just unmatched.

[@sofiee8531]

"This is the saddest news of the last four seconds" just cracked me up... 😛Subscribed!

[@iansob95]

Love the lake of rot being last, that's how you know this is a true soulsbourn list

[@ericsavala4686]

I had a blast last night exploring volcano manor. Not as long as some but it's was awsome. Azula is a pretty wild place too.

[@Punkadelic2112]

"This is one of the areas of all time." Can't argue with that!

[@TheMarlz2]

Putting lake of rot at last was such a cold take.

[@silveratlas2706]

Volcano Manor finally redeemed the blasphemy that were the fire levels in the three Dark Souls.

[@bearsound1667]

Lake of rot was crazy when I got to it. I wanted to explore the whole thing but could never beat the dragon rot boss

[@jdiorio]

I adore Raya Lucaria. I had bought elden ring on launch and thought it was just fine (it was also my first souls, I've gone back and played many others since). I kinda faded away from playing the game right after getting to liurnia. I got covid one week and thought I may as well jump back in. I reached Lucaria and was ADDICTED. It single handed made me love the game more than I ever thought I would.

[@brentsummers6296]

Crazy good video 🔥

[@bigg_lad]

I freaking love Raya Lucaria

[@soaringtrident]

RANKMAN: THE RANKING He’s Back, He’s angy, and he’s RANK

[@RandomNorwegianGuy.]

Finally someone else who ranks Vulcano Manor high. It was the most underrated area in my opinion

[@grimreefer213]

Pretty much every “legacy dungeon” and smaller area in this game is absolutely fantastic

[@lovestospuge666]

Thank you for bringing my arch dragon peak P TSD back

[@ttungstenn4842]

The complaint of Moghwyn's Palace's dark area makes me thing you never found the lantern or ghostflame torch lol

[@TravisSgyatt]

Man what level were you running in that leyndell segment. I’d get one shot by anything with that health. Granted I do go for more light armor, rogue characters. But I still always get up to at least 30 vigor before that point

[@KimJungGooner]

Leyndell is what I wanted from Anor Londo. Favorite area in Elden Ring.

[@wilbert3842]

If you could use torrent in the lake of rot like every other swamp it wouldn’t be nearly as bad. Being forced to get scarlet rot with just a dragon kin soldier, pests, basilisk, and astel to fight it’s like their idea was to put every tedious enemy in the same spot Zullie the witch made a video about the ancestors originally being in the lake of rot, so it’ll be interesting to see if the dlc is tied to the underground somehow

[@KavalanSol]

Awesome video! Keep it up! 😁 (shame the framerate is a bit dukey)

[@GothamiteYT]

“Its not really fun but adds a lot” sounds like Dark Souls

[@dannybogue8111]

Here I am thinking “oh I must be getting close to the game”. This video made me go “oh I guess I should go back and see this”. (For context I’m stuck with the Fire Giant)

[@ThroughfulGamer95]

Not a major criticism or dealbreaker by any means, but I do think that a condition for any type of dungeon should have been the inability to use Torrent (Nokron and Siofra River, for example, I think woud've been better as Nokron + Siofra Aqueduct), and I really think that areas like Castle Morne, the Shaded Castle, and Caria Manor had enough uniqueness, gameplay and lorewise, to be on the list. Regardless, I'm glad that the others were included, not just the official legacy dungeons. Leyndell, for me, is the singe best level/area of any game, full stop. It excels at everything that a great area should, such as level design, enemies and bosses, presentation. and narrative, with no major or even intermediary flaws. Stormveil Castle is another all-time great, primary reason being level design. Enemies and bosses are also at Fromsoft peak right here, and while the visual design is not outright new, it's still stunning and I genuinely believe that the combination of its sheer size and brilliant environmental variety and storytelling enhance that by making it feel like you just explored an entire castle, just like Leyndell will make you feel like you explored a whole city.

[@Nightwalk2]

Seems like Leyndell is one of the few times there has been a mostly unanimous decision on best area!

[@fancypantsy08]

Shaded Castle takes me back to the likes of Atari quest games in terms of structure. Really incredible design, so well-composed. It's such a hidden gem.

[@fintotaable]

Some of these are not Legacy Dungeons. There are only six: Stormveil Castle Academy of Raya Lucaria Volcano Manor Leyndell, Royal Capital Haligtree/Elphael Crumbling Farum Azula

[@mirayoquese8608]

Carian Manor and Lake of Rot as well. Also Mohgwyn Palace but that's so short and bland...

[@enman009]

@@mirayoquese8608 Those are not listed nor considered a Legacy Dungeons. There's only 6.

[@dawnweaver2529]

Honestly I think Stormveil number 1, I just think the level design is better and the enemies are better, as well as the bosses I think Margit>Morgott and Godrick of GOLDfrey

[@acetechnical6574]

My three favorites are also the ones that most make me feel conflicted - Non-Ashen Leyndell, Raya Lucaria Academy, Volcano Manor, in no specific order. The good is evident, the bit that makes me conflicted is that, once you know where to go for whatever you want to get + where you are going, you can skip a lot of the real estate, which the "do stuff efficiently" part of me wants to do, but then the completionist part goes "but but but theres a +200 souls item if we go derp to derp to derp" and that part has big anime tiddies and doesnt wear undies so you know, hard to ignore. But then along the way the Efficiency part comes back like "WTF what are we - 200 souls? really? stop looking at the boobs." and Im like "fo rill this is going to take 2 hours and imma die 7 times, assuming I can get em back, Ill gain 4x as much just getting there. Why not just safely farm near a grace, or better yet GIT GUD and just blaze that shit. " So then Im like "yeah Imma be cool like all the youtubers who dont pick up their dropped souls cause pfft. "

[@Silentman333]

Hey man new sub - love your content. 5:28 I think you meant to say `subjective` opinion - not `objective` hahahaha cheers

[@Albertredneck]

Nothing beats Raya Lucaria. There's something very dark about those mad mages and their crazy cult.

[@frantisekfojt8688]

I spent so many hours trying to figure Leyndell out, and it wasn't pleasant lol. Definitely prefer the lake of rot to that goddamn dog ridden city that's still ringing in my ears^^ But to be fair - discovering the roundtable was one of the top moments of the game

[@ciprionwade9692]

Does mogwyn palace even count its like a singular path with an elevator and a boss room

[@Ytinasniiable]

Leyndell is definitely one of the areas of all time

[@gabadaba5436]

I've always liked Mohgwyn palace, but it sucks that it comes past the point where the difficulty spikes into the sky, especially because mohg isn't that hard of a boss, at least on base scaling. Mohg is ridiculous by ng+5

[@typhonyx_was_taken]

I don’t understand the hate for the Lake of Rot. There’s pressure plates you can step on that raises platforms out of the lake, letting you get through the level without ever getting poisoned if you have boluses or spells to clear the buildup between platforms. Even the Dragonkin soldier isn’t just plopped in the middle; there’s a pressure plate that raises a circular arena of safe platforms around him. These pressure plates turn it into an actual area, and the first poison swamp that you can actually avoid the poison in. Did most people just sprint through and ignore the intended mechanic?

[@duongbinh211]

I think the main problem with Raya Lucaria is that it's too short. If they added about 1 more hour of exploration there, it'd been in my 2nd place right after Leyndell.

[@Daimyoku1]

I usually put Raya Lucaria with Caria Manor and Carian Study Hall as a whole set. Its like a segmented puzzle

[@duongbinh211]

@@Daimyoku1 sure, I'd like to think that too. But it's still too short for me I'm a sucker for mage's place. I've been maging since DS1 so finally seeing Hogwart on crack in a Souls Game really nails the hunger in my heart.

[@daofficalmrwutangman6697]

This is probably an unpopular opinion but my favourite area is the entirety of ainsel river, so that’s nokstella, ainsel river, lake of rot, and astels arena.

[@mevlet7925]

1. Haligtree and Elphael 2. Deeproot Depths 3. Faram Azula 4. Leyndell 5. Volcano manor 6. Raya Lucaria Academy 7. Stormveil castle 8. Nokron 9. Subterranean shunning grounds & Forbidden depths

[@Enterprise.]

The game feels like it doesn't care about the playerbase's opinion. Miyazaki just sits in his office and churns out everything he thinks of, his copy/paste key at the ready

[@NoOneOnYT]

You said you were mad you couldn't see in one of the levels, why did you not just use a lantern lmao

[@flickering_wick]

I agree with your list except I don't like Leyndell for some reason. For me, it was one of the least fun parts of the game, and I would put it near the bottom.

[@douglasquaid7550]

Leyndell my first play through was exhilarating, definitely the best area,

[@Mantosasto]

The Volcano Manor was disappointing for me. I wanted to explore the actual manor, like when you first get there and there's a bunch of rooms, the stairs to that hall with an invader... and that's it. I wanted more of *that*. Mysterious halls and rooms bathed in red, sinister but cozy. And for moments reminding me of Dracula's castle. But no, you get that tiny snippet and then a lake of lava ;_;

[@Semispace]

I like how he turns into leafy at 3:08

[@michaelkennedy2888]

Do you not use the lantern in dark areas?

[@VonBoche]

Long comment of justification incoming. Cos why the hell not. 12 - Lake of Rot - ... I like the colors I guess ? I'm underwhelmed by it really, I wish it was more than just a flat trek through poison. I wish there was more to the structure raising out of the muck. To me this bdoesn't count as a dungeon tho, there's just not enough there. 11 - The sewers - I find the layout pretty damn good actually, how it twists and turns makes for some of the best shortcuts-based level-design in the game. It's a good level, it's too bad that it's just sewers at the end of the day. 10 - Deeproot Depths - Good visuals, I liked exploring it the first time through and unlike Nokstella, the fact that the city is in ruins helps sell the impression that it was indeed a city. Honestly I don't have an issue with this level but it doesn't leave me with a particularly strong impression either. It also disappointed me how the imposing sight of Godwyn's corpse leads to a battle against boring NPCs. 9 - Moghwyn Palace - Looking at it from afar and finally arriving there was exciting. Even from closer the burning acropolis looks imposing. I love the blood motive, I like the few things they did to give it some unique hallenge, the giant summon skeletons woods, the masses of blood albinaurics, but the level-design itself is nothing too special in the way this short level is laid-out. It's clearly meant more as a built-up to Mohg than a real level so it's fine. 8 - Nokstella / Ainsel river - I love these two levels. Nokstella has some beautiful imagery, the frost dragonkin arena filled with screaming statues under the giant skeleton is a marvellous scene. Same with the spot where you find the Ranni doll, especially if you access it from the Deeproot depths sarcophagus ride. I feel like Nokstella itself could have used a real boss tho. Fighting one of the monks with 2 silver tear (aka just two dumb naked NPCs) is a letdown of a finale, there's also not much to give the impression that this was indeed a city. It's just a bunch of rooms full of chests. Ainsel is also mostly just ant caves and samey ruins. 7 - Siofra river / Nokron - It looks so good. It's also such an incredible surprise to find early in the game when you're just coming to grips with how big the world is and suddenly the game adds another huge layer to itself. That being said, I find it disappointing they repeat the exact same set-up for both Spirit Ancestor fights. Nokron is built-up so much and yet it's so short and doesn't even have a boss, instead they throught a silver-tear troll would be climactic... 6 - Volcano Manor - I think this is one of the levels where the non-linearity hurts it a little. You can skip huge chunks of it here and there, not like in other levels where non-linearity is a choice between multiple path, in the Volcano Manor it's just the choice to have less level. Being able to teleport there is neat in terms of option but the trek to actually go to the manor is excellent build-up, not to mention haivng to find the secret behind the walls is more exciting than just being shown the manor if you teleport from Raya Lucaria so it's a shame that you can rob yourself of it all so easily. What's there is really good tho, the shortcut design is great, the enemy variety is fantastic, the horror vibes are opppressive at times. 5 - Raya Lucaria - I remember seeing a glimpse of that place in the gameplay reveal of the game and it got me so hyped due to how beautiful it seemed. There are some things that disappointed me tho, like I wanted to ride the twisty road up to Raya Lucaria but you're teleported all the way up once you touch the sealed gate. I also could have used more magic in the way the academy operates, except for the ball and fake walls, there's nothing too magical about the way you traverse it. It reminds me of Hogwarts but it doesn't have magic elevators or rotating staircases, I just wish they'd have done more like that. But the level itself is really good. I love the variety in environments that I didn't expect from the outside at all. Even if progression is linear, the optional path make Raya Lucaria feel a lot more open and it's fun jumping from rooftop to rooftop. I also love the theming of the sorcerers, they don't feel like bland pointy-hat types we've seen over and over again. And the atmosphere is so fantastic. 4 - Stormveil - Back when I started the game, I did open-world stuff for dozens of hours, always leaving what looked big for later. It kinda grinded me down a bit, while I enjoyed it all it started to feel a little underwhelming. Then I finally entered Stormveil and damn. It completely rekindled my enthusiasm for the game. I think it's probably the best level in the game, although not my favorite. Top 3 is basically interchangeable, I can't decide. Haligtree/Elphael - I would basically repeat what the video say. Altho I would add the the Haligtree part and the later part of Elphael, gameplay-wise, aren't too special to me. It's good stuff early on, incredible stuff when you get to Elphael and there's three lanes' worth of level design to go over that cross into each other, then it's a lot of enemy spam at the bottom of Elphael. Still, the majesty of the visuals alone makes me adore this part of the game, it's one of those levels that makes me think "how can something so good be in an open-world game ?" Leyndell - Pretty much agree with the video. It's incredible that what is basically a full cite has made in a Souls games instead of just a few streets pretending to be a city. It's even more incredible that it still feels worth exploring it all. I do think some back alley here and there aren't too meaningful ontent-wise but that's nitpicking. I also love that the progression has this "am I really supposed to do that ?" feel when you climb the dragon's wing. Farum Azula - Gameplay-wise, it's all really good but perhaps not as insanely good as Stormveil or Elphael multi-layered non-linearity, it doesn't matter tho cos the atmosphere is so breathtaking that being "pretty good" is all that it needed to be one of my favorite.

[@losremos5770]

if cinema sins and watch mojo had a child it would sound like this commentary

[@AA_OnTheEdge]

In terms of exploration, I found Elden Ring at the same level as STON.

[@chippystergaming]

Is youtube tweaking or do you not play this on max graphics

[@Amy_K27]

6:11 couldn’t you just equip a torch?

[@Nightwalk2]

You ask too much of me….

[@corneliussmiff2773]

Why would Nokkron and Nokstella need to look different though? The Nox had a clear consistency in their architecture and surely it stands to reason it would remain largely similar?

[@netwatch7261]

I'm going to be so surprised if this doesn't win goty. I'm a weirdo and didn't really love god of war like most people. Thought it was a good game, but far from a great game. Ready to check out the sequel though.

[@seanforbes3937]

It's so weird cos Elden Ring has better looking areas than every other from game combined but something about it just doesn't hit as hard. So good as an open world game but I think I personally wouldve enjoyed a dark souls 4 made up of just these dungeons and a little bit of map connecting them.

[@Erick-ue6fh]

I didn't think that it could come out of anybody's mouth that any part of Elden rings other than maybe the eternal cities, could come ANYWHERE CLOSE, aesthetically speaking, to the Capital City.

[@giehlemanns]

goddamn this game is huge, i played elden ring for 80 hours and i haven't been to about half of these. one or two of them i am now seeing for the first time. i feel like i haven't even played the game 😂

[@macnamaryb7773]

So, I feel as though I'm in the minority, but as I've replayed the game, I honestly have grown to find Leyndell boring. There are almost no meaty enemy encounters, the path is a straight line down one street, up a dragon, then some tree branches. Yes, the city is massive, but there is no function to its size. So much of the city is pointless that, for many playthroughs after my first one, I thought I had just hallucinated the existence of Crucible Knights with the shoulder charge ability, until NG+ like 14, where I just on a whim went and fought the Crucible Knight down by one of the many pointless shortcuts in the city, and was pleasantly surprised to realize that, no, it was real. Now, if, say, each section of the city held a key, and you needed all of the keys to progress, then now the layout of Leyndell is so much more satisfying. I definitely feel, however, that that's not what people are looking at the level for. I, personally, hate when levels have huge, optional swathes of content, because I'd rather 90-95% of the level be mandatory, with meticulously curated combat encounters. I am not opposed to secrets, but just as an example, Raya Lucaria. The "Second Archstone", if you will, of that dungeon is 30 seconds long. But, there is a solid twenty minutes of content, but it's all optional. I'd find the Academy so much more fun if the rooftops were the path to Rennala, but instead, it's all dedicated to a key, for a questline that you will do exactly one time, and never again. Therefore, unless you're just feeling really bored, you'd never do the rooftops again. In short, I like secrets like the Crucible Knight of Stormveil Castle, the path to Altus from the Manor, the Abductor Virgin at the bottom of the waterwheel. I dislike things like the Wormface section and the upper cityscape of Farum Azula, not because they're bad, but because I wish they were mandatory for how large they are.