

Keeping the level clear ensures that players don't get lost and prolong the painful experience. In Dark Souls 3, Farron Keep is practically a giant maze with multiple twisting areas the player has to go through to progress. Much of Farron Keep looks very similar, and it can be very easy to run in circles. Making the poison swamp simple to navigate through makes the experience more enjoyable. As long as the game gives the player a steady supply of curative items, the poison isn't too bad. Dark Souls 1 & 3 have Purple Moss Clumps that can be dropped from enemies or bought from merchants. Most games give you an item that can end the poison effect immediately. Some games handle the level design better than others. There's been a lot of different poison areas throughout the Souls games. The reduced speed also makes fighting enemies in the water nearly impossible. This effect prolongs the players' time in the poison water and makes them take even more damage over time. When a player is in knee-deep water in a Souls game, their movement speed is heavily reduced. Poison areas limit player exploration that can't be overcome with skill.Īn additional challenge that comes with poison swamps, in particular, is the slowing effect of the water. Eventually, the player will run out of healing and be forced to either turn back or die from the damage and be forced to start over anyway.

If a player is constantly taking damage and exhausting their limited supply of health items, there is a limit to how far they can travel. The poison effect doesn't just drain a player's health, though it also restricts exploration. Because of this design choice, the player will always be poisoned while going through the area, and there's no way to avoid it.

But in Souls games, the level itself is afflicting the player with poison. In most games, this effect is caused by enemies that can be defeated or avoided, so the poison isn't too bad. You're constantly taking a small amount of damage, which is draining your supply of healing items. A poison status effect is annoying in almost any game.
