Have you ever completed a Soulsborne game, just to feel the overwhelming urge to go through the delightful pain all over again? Me too. There’s just something about the genre that rewards multiple playthroughs. Multiple styles, hundreds of weapons and self-inflicted challenge runs all pull you back into the fray over and over again.
Luckily, you can keep grinding without feeling like you’re totally wasting your precious time. That’s what achievements are for. These extra goals will often send you back through the game to uncover every nook and cranny, every secret ending and every niche, obscure trinket behind each Illusory wall.
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But of course, this is FromSoftware. These achievements aren’t going to be a walk in the park. So be prepared to set some hefty hours aside and lock in for that full completion.
I classified 100% as finishing every Achievement / Trophy (Steam/PlayStation). For the rarest achievements, I excluded the final achievement that you get for simply collecting all of the others.
7
Elden Ring: Nightreign
A 100% Walk In The Park
Nightreign features a different kind of difficulty compared to the other games on this list. Here, you’re basically required to team up with people in order to get the most out of the experience. Of course, you can choose to do it yourself, but it’s not quite the same.
And yet, despite this new formula, the achievements are anything but a challenge. In fact, you’ll 100% this game simply by playing through and completing the bosses as normal, for most of the achievements are simply earned by completing events you find along the way.
The only one you’ll actually have to work for is The Champion’s Path, where you have to beat a Nightlord with every character. Of course, some Nightfarers are easier to play than others, yet if you’re struggling, you can always just beat Gladius 8 times for an easy achievement. The list doesn’t tell you that little detail!
6
Elden Ring
Where Time Whittles Away
Another Elden Ring title? So soon? Well, despite the fact that this game is way bigger than pretty much everything else on the list, FromSoft also managed to make the achievements quite a bit easier.
Don’t believe me, well, just take a look at the global achievements list on Steam. You’ll see for Elden Ring and Nightreign, 100% achievement completions stand around 10%. In opposition, the Dark Souls titles each stand around 3-5%.
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This is mainly because Elden Ring doesn’t force you to collect every single unique weapon or spell scattered across the world; instead, you just need to hunt down the specific “ Legendary” ones, which certainly doesn’t take as much time. It’s telling that the rarest achievement isn’t a “collect X things”, but rather a simple questline.
5
Dark Souls 1
Sif… I’m Sorry I have To Keep Doing This.
Dark Souls 1: Where the true collectathon begins. While this certainly isn’t the most challenging game to complete, seeing as though it’s pretty old and the bosses are far easier than in other Souls games, it really gave you a big list of chores to work through.
For example, look no further than Knight’s Honor. This achievement tasks you with collecting every single “rare” weapon in the game.
But of course, what is classified as a rare weapon? Well, without listing every single one, let’s take a look: Boss Souls weapons, Dragon Tail Weapons, Covenant Rewards, unique weapons from enemies like the Channeler’s Trident, and more that are obtained from chests.
It’s a lot, but it doesn’t sound that bad, right? Well, there are 3 versions of Artorius’ Sword, and each needs a Soul of Sif… yep, that’s 3 playthroughs you need to do, and all on one character! Take a deep breath, you’ve got this!
4
Bloodborne
Only Those With Insight Can See The Truth
In terms of difficulty, this is where we start to ramp up. Some of the bosses in Bloodborne are a real challenge, especially to those who are used to the slower, less aggressive pace set in Dark Souls.
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This is amplified twofold if you choose to include the achievements added in the DLC. Those Fishing Hamlet sharks still give me nightmares. But while you may find the Orphan of Kos a bit tricky, the real grind involves trekking through the Chalice dungeons.
Not only are these dungeons a massive pain, inflicting you with all sorts of debuffs, but they’re pretty repetitive and not exactly too fun once you’ve been through them enough times. However, if you want to get to the Queen, you’d best dig those heels in.
3
Demon’s Souls
May The Gods of RNG Be Ever In Your Favour
Do you enjoy killing the same enemy over and over again for a chance at obtaining a particular rare item? No? Well, that’s too bad, because that Pure Bladestone isn’t going to farm itself.
While the bosses are a piece of cake, Demon’s Souls has a couple of other achievements that can be either super easy or ridiculously difficult, depending on your luck and your knowledge of the game’s mechanics.
If you want the fully upgrade a sharp weapon, for example, you’re going to need that Pure Bladestone, which can only be dropped from a specific skeleton, with a super low drop chance.
However, if you happen to be super lucky and get it on your first try, you still have to deal with the spell collection trophies. If you want the Sages’ and Saints’ trophies, well, you’re going to need two playthroughs due to the requirement of multiple boss souls. And this is if you know what you’re doing.
2
Dark Souls 2
2 Versions, Double The Pain
Ah, Covenants, one of the greatest yet most tedious parts of the Dark Souls franchise. On the one hand, they sprinkle so much fascinating lore across the world, and give players factions through which to strengthen their character and build up their own story.
On the other hand, so many achievements are locked behind those doors, and if you want to 100% these games, you’re going to need to dive in and max them all out… mostly. This is where the achievements start to go from difficult to plain tedious.
Many of the spells here can only be obtained by maxing out your devotion to a covenant. For example, if you want Hidden Weapon, you’ll need to reach rank 2 in the Bell Bearing Covenant. Or if you want Sunlight Spear, you’ll need 30 Sunlight Medals for rank 3. Seeing as though there aren’t many people playing these games right now, this means a lot of single-player grinding.
And if you don’t want to go through the covenants, you’re going to have to grind out NG++ to buy certain spells from Chancellor Wellager. I haven’t even finished the achievements for this one.
1
Dark Souls 3
Where True Dedication Is Tested
Here it is. The ultimate grindfest of the Soulsborne titles. But I shouldn’t complain, because this game is brilliant. The torture isn’t so bad when you’re having fun, right?
Dark Souls 3 combines everything from the previous titles. Harder combat and bosses, multiple playthroughs required, and of course, super tedious grinding for covenant rewards. Most of the previous entries only had one of these things, but Dark Souls 3 is the real deal.
Luckily, I 100% this game when it first came out, and the PvP community was thriving, so getting stuff like 30 Concords for the Blades of the Darkmoon wasn’t too bad. However, if PvP isn’t an option, then you’ll have to settle for grinding out hundreds of Silver Knights with max item discovery.
If that wasn’t rough enough, then take a look at Master of Rings. Not only do you need every ring, but in addition, all the +1 and +2 versions of these rings, making this a real slog. Yep, folks, that’s 107 rings in total, and you’re going to need to kill the Nameless King on NG++ just to grab them all.
Just as well, the DLC rings don’t count for this one. Silver linings, eh?
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