Top Ten Locations in Dark Souls 3

Dark Souls 3 is absolutely chock-full of fascinating locales, mind-bending puzzles, and startlingly well-crafted level design.  Each area has its own quirks and pace but, as with every Dark Souls games, some places will be the ones that live on in the memories of the players for years to come. I've ranked the top ten locations based on originality, level-design, enemies, loot, and aesthetics according to my own opinion. Enjoy!

Link: http://blogs-images.forbes.com/erikkain/files/2016/01/Mercenary-overlooking-Firelink-Shrine-1200x675.jpg

Honorable Mentions (Ranked):

Cemetery of Ash

It's really not the cemetery's fault. As a tutorial area, it does its job adequately by providing a basic learning environment, giving the player not one, but two challenges to overcome and stunning them with the gorgeous new graphics engine. Enough said.

Kiln of the First Flame 

Cool looking area but there's literally only one thing to do.

High Wall of Lothric

I consider this area to be a part of the 'Lothric Castle' location despite them being separately named. Therefore, it didn't feel right putting them both on the list.

Anor Londo

A brief retread of a familiar location doesn't stand up against twisted originality. Nonetheless, it was blast to return after all these years.

Consumed King's Garden

The idea was right for this area and it's interesting to see exactly what would happen should all of Lothric Castle fall to the what one would assume is the Abyss. However, the area was too brief, too familiar, and contained no new enemies or design choices.

Undead Settlement

The Undead Settlement felt too familiar after Bloodborne and despite some fantastic surprises from a giant ally and an old friend, the unfortunate, derivative nature of the environment didn't hold out well enough against its competitors.

Catacombs of Carthus

This was the area closest to making it on the list especially with the whole bridge sequence but the area seemed to be locked into the corridor action mentality with little variation in the formula.

10. Profaned Capital

http://assets.vg247.com/current//2016/04/dark_souls_3_guide_generic_4.jpg

So, after all the grief I gave to the previously listed locations about being too brief, I better have a good reason to include this admittedly abbreviated area over more substantial areas such as the Catacombs of Carthus or the Undead Settlement.  Well, first of all, the Profaned Capital grabs your attention from the first time you spy it from Irithyll Dungeon. From the crumbling towers appearing to sprout from thin air to the ambient lighting that signifies that these ruins are not yet uninhabited, the air crackles with mystery and intrigue. As you first enter, you're greeted by a brand new enemy type, an agile and deadly gargoyle that dives bombs the narrow stone bridge into the area. Delving deeper, you find an crumbling church surrounded by a toxic (literally) pool that houses the second creepiest enemy in the game: a sort of warped amalgamation of a human hand and skin bear. That's the best way I can describe them. Entering the Capital proper, you encounter white robed variations of the jailers in the dungeon that fling fireballs at you. And then... its a boss fight. I sincerely hoped for there to be more to explore in the Profaned Capital, more deadly secrets to uncover and that's the sign of a great... start to a level. Nonetheless, the capital left an indelible mark on this player moreso than the other contenders with the fascinating new enemies and an aura of history that emanates from its stone facades.

9. Road of Sacrifices/Farron Keep

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ka1YdEOL8xM/maxresdefault.jpg

It might be considered cheating to count both of these locations as one but they intertwine so often that they felt like they were the same area. The area opens with a winding path guarded by deceptively dangerous, deformed harpies before expanding into a vast forest inundated in shallow water. Unnamed ruins teeming with enemies line the marsh while the game's first true monstrosity shows itself in the form of a massive crab. Moving forward, the player encounters a murky, poisonous swamp patrolled by a myriad of creatures keen on your untimely demise including the deadly dark wraiths and terrifying basilisks. Featuring the first branching path in the game, this part of the game sets the stage for the remaining areas of the game with each of the next areas having at least two major locations to check out. Additionally, a plethora of secrets dot the landscape leaving lore hints strewn around the environment: the mushrooms, the Stray Demon, the dark wraiths, the big-hat lookalike, the nature of the Abyss Watchers. Overall, an interwoven, challenging area that is ripe with undiscovered secrets. In other words, a great Dark Souls level.

8. Untended Graves

www.polygon.com

With the Untended Graves, we come to the most downright eerie landscape in the game complete with its own desolate Firelink Shrine. From Software traded out the grand vistas for a blacked out vision lit only by occasional candles and the player's own light source. By connecting this version of the hub area to the actual geography of Lothric, the game makes you wonder about the nature of wherever you travel to in order to level up or buy new items. Is this some sort of distortion of time and space? Is the Age of Dark already upon us? These are but a few of the questions that can be posed in the attempt to fully understand this location. The fact of the matter is that the undeniably atmospheric Untended Graves makes you think, makes you question, and, most importantly, makes you feel the story of Dark Souls.

7. Grand Archives

http://darksouls3.wiki.fextralife.com/file/Dark-Souls-3/grand_archives.jpg

As one of the last truly vast locations to stand in the way of linking the fire, the Grand Archives introduces a couple of fascinatingly devious design choices that take experimentation to understand. Along with the tortuous combination of new and old enemies, the Grand Archives challenges and baffles the player. Starting in a relatively familiar setting for all those that braved the Duke's Archives in the first Dark Souls, the game subverts your expectations with cleverly integrated world hazards including an old boss who's returned to harass you as you make your way through the labyrinthine shelves and staircases. Even after you make it to the roof before the final Lord of Cinder, From Software throws you a curve ball in the form of a trio of new, buffed up adversaries. The Grand Archives also boasts some of the games best level design leading the players not with cumbersome waypoints or written guidelines but rather with intelligent path structuring and item placement. A solid level through and through and worthy successor to its namesake.

6. Smouldering Lake

www.polygon.com

As a purely optional location, the Smouldering Lake creatively upends the wide open area scenario with a pair of imposing obstacles. Firstly, a huge ballista fires AoE detonating arrows at you that must be blocked by the trees that are scattered just far enough to ensure you run from point to point. Secondly, a disgusting and massive wurm bursts from the ground blocking your path to not only the rest of the area but also the boss. In tandem, these two serve as quite a threat when you first encounter the area. Further on, you descend into a wiry catacombs home to lethal demons, knights and other deranged beasts. Figuring out the various puzzles and enemy configurations in order to collect rare weapons and scrolls is a pleasure. The Smouldering Lake hits all the right high notes and presents a daunting array of roadblocks in order to plunder its depths.

5. Irithyll Dungeon

http://darksouls3.wdfiles.com/local--files/image-set-areas/irithyll_dungeon.JPG

Striking the perfect balance between homage to the Tower of Latria and fresh ideas, Irithyll Dungeon presents a host of terrifying new enemies that literally deteriorate your health reserves and your sanity. The cavernous Dungeon weaves through a series of cells that hold increasingly demented creature designs and merciless traps. Perhaps the most outright frightening area due to the enemies' propensity to whittle down your nerves and make you jump in fear of being overtaken by a mob of them. Additionally, the sparse spacing between shortcuts and bonfires only heighten an already tense location to whole levels of anxiety. Housing some of the most nerve-wracking moments in the game, Irithyll Dungeon works on every level it reaches for. When your palms are so sweaty that you risk dropping your controller, you'll know too that Irithyll Dungeon ain't nothing to mess with.

4. Cathedral of the Deep

http://assets.vg247.com/current//2016/04/dark_souls_3_cleansing_chapel.jpg

During your time at the Cathedral of the Deep, you will traverse the imposing front gates, the haunted graveyard, the dilapidated ballasts, the guardrail-less roof, the precarious rafters, the trap-ridden upper floors, the beast-plagued lower floors, and even into the depths of the demonic pulpit. The structure of the Cathedral of the Deep is the most fully realized location in all of Dark Souls 3 without a single place that you can see that you can't go to. Additionally, it introduces a huge variety of new foes waiting to be deal you the final blow including nasty critters that will attach leeches to you that will continually cause bleeding without fire. Some of the enemy AI is so clever that their encounters feel like they would be scripted, set piece moments in a lesser game. Each new room or roof or set of sprawling graves feels great to explore and secrets populate the entirety of the area. Cathedral of the Deep, as one of the earlier areas in the game, sets the bar high for the rest of the adventure and delivers one of the most memorable, deep and exciting experiences that you can find in any video game.

3. Lothric Castle

www.reddit.com

Lothric Castle stands as both the first test of mettle and as one of the last in Dark Souls 3. The massive structure stands foreboding before you from the opening moments of the game giving you a sense of purpose throughout as you know that you explore its dangerous corridors in the near future. Once you're given free reign (no pun intended) of the castle, you meet some of the same knights from the High Wall of Lothric except they are exponentially more lethal, particularly when paired with the irritating clerics who heal them as they fight you. Even buffed, low-level enemies make a return in devilish combinations providing challenging tests of strategy. Do I take out the firebomb lobbers before I deal with this axe-wielding hollow? Should I aggro the hollow thief first and risk an ambush or just put down the pyromancer in the back? Swarming the background, grotesque chaos butterflies ascend from all over Lothric disseminating unknown spores across the castle. Corrupted dragons bar the obvious path forward and force you to examine your surroundings more carefully for an alternate route. The entire area is incredibly well-crafted, a clear indication that Hidetaka Miyazaki had his hands in developing this location. The fact that Castle Lothric challenges the player to change their perspective constantly and make choices on how to proceed with caution elevates this location into the grand pantheon of some of the best levels ever created.

2. Archdragon Peak

http://assets.vg247.com/current//2016/04/dark_souls_3_archdragon_peak.jpg

As a completely optional area that is rather easy to miss on your first playthrough, Archdragon Peak is the greatest secret that Dark Souls 3 has to offer. Not only is it the home of the best boss fight in the game but every aspect of it shines with originality and ingenuity. The architecture is reminiscent of real world locations found in the middle east with towering domes and spires slowly being eroded by buffeting sands. Blending a mountainous region with a desert atmosphere is something that no Souls game has done before and Archdragon Peak does it beautifully. The relentless snake-headed enemies wear shawls of tattered cloth and come in a variety of shapes and sizes with some holding back with dragon-painted greatshields and others flinging chained axes at you with abandoned. There's even a summoner variant who will bring forth a number of familiar faces for you to defeat. Additionally, the first large area of the game contains a hugely enjoyable boss fight/level hazard that will have you using its attacks against the other inhabitants in entertaining ways.  All of this doesn't even touch on the incredible loot to be had from this area including the veritable Path of the Dragon rewards that will morph your character into a dragon and allow you access to some absurd options in combat. Archdragon Peak succeeds at delivering a brand-new and exciting environment complete with its own lore and backstory, granting you access to powerful new weapons, spells and armor, and delivering an exhilarating thrill ride as you battle the tide of guardians and bosses. This location simply wins at everything it tries to do. 

1. Irithyll of the Boreal Valley

http://assets.vg247.com

The moment that you step forth from the dusty catacombs and behold the wonder that is Irithyll of the Boreal Valley is unquestionably one of Dark Souls 3's best moments. Aesthetically, it is simply a marvel. Flickering northern lights twinkle above a wondrous city steeped in magic and dappled with snow. The bright moon hangs low beckoning you forward to explore a mesmerizing location wrought with intrigue and danger. As you first cross the ornate bridge that spans towards the city, you hear a crash behind you and you spin around to see only one of the terrifying denizens of the Boreal Valley: a gnashing crocodile beast that lumbers along like a dog. Deeper still, the player will find a host of relentless and strangely beautiful foes that glide around like geists in a Dickens story. In a manner contradictory to the majority of the game, the seemingly Victorian-era architecture seems untouched by the ages, a perfectly preserved chrysalis of a time long past. How could this area be so pristine? The further you travel, the more palpable the mystery becomes before you finally reach a point far enough beyond the obscuring mist, look up, and, with a shot of clarity, you understand. There, before you, stands Anor Londo. What a feeling. The sheer beauty of the location shouldn't undercut the perfectly paced combat scenarios or the naturalistic way the city fits together, interwoven with shortcuts and hidden paths. Irithyll of the Boreal Valley is majestic in ways that only video games that can achieve and easily rises as the best location in Dark Souls 3.