As a dedicated Tarnished still wandering the Lands Between in 2026, I've faced countless horrors, from towering demigods to spectral assassins. Yet, the true test of patience often isn't the grand, epic boss battles that the game is famous for. Instead, it's the regular, roaming enemies whose defeat feels less like a triumph and more like a chore—a sentiment widely echoed by the community. These are the creatures we often choose to simply run past, their meager rewards never justifying the immense frustration and time investment required to bring them down. The thrill of victory is replaced by a hollow sense of wasted effort, making them the unofficial gatekeepers of annoyance in this otherwise masterfully crafted world.

When the topic arises among fellow players, two notorious categories consistently top the list of "enemies to avoid."

The Caelid Aerial Menace & Terrestrial Terrors 🦅🐕

First, we have the grotesque avian horrors that patrol the scarlet skies of Caelid. As one veteran player perfectly summarized, these bird-type enemies perch ominously on high structures, seemingly placed by the developers with the sole purpose of ruining your day. Their attacks are swift, relentless, and often come from angles that make them difficult to target. I confess, my policy is one of strict avoidance. On the rare occasion I've been forced into combat, I'm instantly reminded of the core lesson: the minimal runes they drop are never worth the healing items consumed or the risk of a sudden, ignoble death. They are the embodiment of high-risk, no-reward gameplay.

Their partners in crime, the diseased dogs of Caelid, are frequently mentioned in the same dreaded breath. While perhaps slightly more manageable on their own, they often hunt in packs, and their aggression, speed, and ability to inflict Scarlet Rot make them a nightmare to engage voluntarily. The community consensus is clear: unless they block a critical path, they are best left snarling in the distance.

The Crustacean Calamity 🦞

However, if there is one enemy type that has achieved near-mythical status for being pointlessly difficult, it is the Giant Lobsters. Scattered primarily in the watery regions of Liurnia and beyond, these creatures are deceptively peaceful until provoked. Then, they transform into armored artillery units. Their water sniper shot has incredible range and accuracy, often hitting you from off-screen, and their physical attacks can break through guards with ease. A fellow Tarnished put it succinctly, stating they find the Caelid fauna easier to handle but "mostly avoided lobsters." The reward for defeating these mobile fortresses? It's pathetically disproportionate to the skill and patience required. They are the quintessential example of an enemy that teaches you that in the Lands Between, discretion is often the better part of valor.

The Hall of Infamous Avoidance

Beyond these top contenders, the community's list of bypassed beasts is extensive and telling:

• Runebears 🐻: These are not your average forest friends. Faster than they have any right to be and with hitboxes that defy logic, engaging a Runebear is rarely a calculated risk—it's usually a tragic mistake.

• Abductor Virgins 🤖: Their creepy design is matched by a brutal, grab-centric move set that can one-shot unprepared players. The area they guard is often more valuable than the enemies themselves.

• Slime Balls 💧: Perhaps the most universally ridiculed. These gelatinous blobs drop from ceilings in certain catacombs, boasting absurdly high physical defense. Why would anyone go out of their way to slowly whittle down a blob of goo for a pittance of runes? It's a rhetorical question every experienced player understands.

Enemy Type	Primary Region	Why We Skip Them	The Feeling After Fighting
Caelid Birds	Caelid	High aggression, awkward positioning, poor rewards.	Regret and annoyance.
Giant Lobsters	Liurnia, Water Areas	Sniper-like range, high damage, tanky defense.	Relief that it's over, not accomplishment.
Runebears	Various Forests	Unmatched speed and aggression for a non-boss enemy.	Lingering frustration.
Abductor Virgins	Volcano Manor, etc.	Devastating grab attacks, high health pools.	Caution, never satisfaction.

This collective player behavior reveals a fascinating aspect of Elden Ring's design philosophy. The game presents a world brimming with danger, but it doesn't force you to conquer every single part of it. Player agency is key. We are free to assess the cost-benefit analysis of each encounter. These universally avoided enemies represent a failure state in that analysis—their design intentionally skews the risk so high and the reward so low that they become environmental hazards to navigate rather than adversaries to defeat. They are the obstacles we learn to manage, not master. As we look ahead, the hope for future content like Elden Ring: Nightreign is not for easier enemies, but for foes whose challenge is always coupled with a meaningful sense of conquest. Until then, I will continue to strategically avoid the lobsters. 😅