What locations from the Dark Souls trilogy feel the most underdeveloped?

Dark, Story-Driven Narrative
1

I’ve been playing through the Dark Souls series again and I keep thinking about how some areas could have been so much better. There are certain zones in each game that had amazing concepts but felt rushed or incomplete when you actually explore them.

For example, some areas look incredible from a distance but when you get there the actual gameplay feels shallow. Others have interesting lore setup but barely any content to back it up. Some places even seem like they were meant to be bigger based on the layout but got cut short during development.

I’m curious what other players think about this. Which specific area from Dark Souls 1, 2, and 3 do you feel had the biggest missed opportunity? What made you feel like the developers could have done so much more with that particular location? Did any of these disappointing areas affect your overall enjoyment of the game?

2

Crystal Cave from DS1 bothers me the most. The whole invisible walkway gimmick was neat for like 30 seconds but then it just becomes tedious. Plus Seath’s area feels so disconnected from everything else. You’d think a dragon’s lair would have more substance to it but it’s basically just run across some platforms and fight the boss.

3

Izalith definitely comes to mind but I’d say the Profaned Capital in DS3 felt super short. You get all this buildup about Yhorm and then it’s basically just one small area with like three enemies.

4

Demon Ruins from DS1 always felt like they ran out of time there