The fallen leaves tell a story, one of a foul Tarnished who did not put those foolish ambitions to rest and grew bored of regularElden Ringplaythroughs.So they tossed their controllers, whipped out their Dance Pads, and charged at Malenia the Severed, the Blade of Miquella herself, naked because the game was not hard enough by their standards. This foolish endeavor is one instance of the existence of challenge runs, tests of a player’s skill and patience placed upon them by themselves.
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These challenge runs inElden Ringare always fan ideas, with some being a metric for good players to prove their builds and gaming setups worthy enough to kill a god. Regardless, they always venture to extremes or play on ridiculous ideas that, whether purposely or not, make the game even harder.Elden Ringlacks a difficulty slider, so these self-imposed hurdles ought to equalize things for players, granting Soulseborne experts or newbies looking to hone their skills the difficulty they could not find.
Updated July 24, 2025, by Christopher Anaya:As if by prophecy, the foretellings of the fallen leaves, the foul Tarnished have discredited the difficulty of Elden Ring by developing and undergoing even more challenge runs. The drive of players everywhere to make this game harder is beyond the comprehension of most, especially the godly enemies in the game, offended by the mere notion that they are not enough. Yet, beyond reason, these fan challenges continue and will do so until the release of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC — yet there is no doubt they will persist until the game crumbles to irrelevancy, which is unlikely to happen anytime soon.
Until that distant day comes, the Tarnished will continue to entertain themselves with trials beyond ridiculous, whether because of the sheer difficulty they pose or the inane antics they play on. Thus, there is no reason to keep some of the most demanding fan challenges secret. It would be in the interests of all for Elden Ring to press on, pushing the limits of video games and proving time again that such titles require much more than luck. Here are the most demanding fan challenges in Elden Ring; prepare yourself Tarnished, for these trials will make any FromSoftward title seem like a cakewalk.
15All-Range
The All-Range Run is where mouse and keyboard setups will excel because aiming with a controller is too restrictive. This fan challenge is straightforward enough, as players must refrain from using any weapon that requires swinging or smacking. The All-Range Run allows only armaments that can be shot from afar, whether a devastating cannon orthe humble bow and arrow. Such a playstyle goes against howElden Ringplays, denying players the flexibility of using melee and ranged weapons alongside consumables or magic spells.
While ranged weapons can be powerful enough, so long as players are accurate, they are not without downsides. The real challenge here is the need for ammunition and no close-combat capabilities. Ammo is finite, so players need to dedicate some grind to keep stocked or be without any way of defending themselves. Without any effective melee, they cannot afford to be close, which is often not an option, demanding them to maintain distance. In any case, the All-Range Run is one of the more manageableElden Ringfan challenges.
14Dual Dagger Assassin
The Dual Dagger Assassin run might look cool or even thematic, running a pure stabby assassin build,but it makes the game that much harder.This fan challenge has players use only daggers, the weapons with the worst range inElden Ring, and nothing else.The Dual Dagger Assassin run demands that players get up close and stay there, a challenging playstyle downright nightmarish during boss fights. Distance is often the most vital tool against enemies, a tool that this fan challenge outright denies.
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Fortunately, daggers hold up well, offering fast attack speed and significant critical damage, leaning into the strike quickly and powerfully approach. Yet, even with high mobility and mastery over parries, the Dual Dagger Assassin is extraordinarily vulnerable. Many enemies inElden Ringpunish players simply for being close, while others excel at keeping their distance; regardless, the Dual Dagger Assassin must face an unfavorable situation where they cannot afford anything below flawlessness, making for a challenging playthrough ofElden Ring.
13Summoner
The Summoner run has playerscall upon the powerful Summons through various means, but nothing else. They can have no weapons nor take an active role in any given fight, acting as passive participants in a battle that is technically their own. At best, players can merely run around the boss, trying to catch their attention, which is not an optimal approach when considering how good Summons are at being distractions, lending the Summoner run to a nearly impossible playthrough.
Despite being nerfed, some Summons inElden Ringare still capable and powerful enough to contest enemies, more so when upgraded. Thus, players can consider the Summoner run one of the more forgiving fan challengesavailable, at least later on. However, early and mid-game prove grueling, as summoning requires FP and, more rarely, HP. These are invaluable resources during these stages, and players will find themselves burning through them quickly, making the Summoner run a roll of the dice that does not favor them.
12Cosplayer
The Cosplayer run involves dressing up and acting as a particular NPC or enemy and sticking to their character as much as possible, making it two parts fun and challenging. Players must make up builds that copy certain enemies or NPCs in the most lore and gameplay-accurate guesswork possible, which does not seem too difficult. However, when considering just how absurd or poorly these builds translate, it becomes clear how demanding the Cosplayer run can be.
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Many players have probably done something similar to this run but have not gone to the full extent, adopting their cosplay inspiration’s exact fighting style and attacks. While doing so does not sound bad, many NPCs and enemies inElden Ringdo not fight optimally, but they can get away with it, considering their higher power and status. The Tarnished, however, cannot. Attempting to cosplay a boss like Starscourge Radahn demands a progressively very aggressive playstyle, which, although perfect for Radahn, is not the best approach players should use for many enemies. The Cosplayer run can be hard or impossible, depending on the cosplay.
11Over-encumbered
The Over-encumbered run involves beating the game while over100% equip load. While carrying too much does not seem bad, any Souldsborne veteran knows the danger of having too much stuff in your inventory. Over 100% equip load prevents players from dodging, backstepping, or jumping, introducing a new kind of sluggish hell for players to dredge through in their journey across the Lands Between.
Movement is vital inElden Ringbecause being mobile allows you to avoid oncoming attacks, escape pursuing enemies, or get into an advantageous position. With limited mobility, players become easy targets that can only hope their armor is good enough to sustain deadly blows. Before anyone claims that the Over-encumbered run is impossible, they should know thatsome madman already beat the game with an over-encumbered character. This fanchallenge is among the most demanding, as it has players rethink how they playElden Ringentirely.
10Solo
The Solo run is something many a stubborn Soulsbornepurist has done, forbiddingElden Ring’ssummoning mechanics, and preventing the use of Spirit Ashes, NPC summons, and player summons. This, for many in the community, is the true solo run, as players cannot depend on anyone or anything beyond themselves. The wits and capabilities of a player are on display with the Solo run, nothing else.
Although this seems simple enough, the Solo run is a considerable challenge because players are practically handicapping themselves by not using Summons; a hindrance made worse when considering thatElden Ring’sbosses seemingly are designed with summoning in mind. So, although not an insurmountable challenge, it is a way up the fan challenge hierarchy.
9Dark Souls
The Dark Soulsrun is more straightforward than it sounds. It has players return to the roots ofElden Ringand other recent Soulsborne titles, using self-imposed rules that ignorenew mechanics and features thatElden Ringbrings to the franchisein favor of the original gameplay of theDark Soulsfranchise. The Dark Souls run demands players to play throughElden Ringlike any pastDark Soulsgame. Players must adhere to the mechanics and features ofElden Ring’spredecessors no matter what, meaning no summoning, no Ashes of War, no Torrent, no jumping, no Flask of Wondrous Physick, no guard counters, and no map.
The most glaring differences betweenElden RingandDark Soulsthat the Dark Souls run aims to restore will undoubtedly cause players difficulty. While a strenuous and taxing game in its right,Elden Ringimplements many changes that make it, and I hate to use this word, easier or more manageable for newcomers to Soulsborne games. That ought to make things interesting. Disobey any of the Dark Souls run rules once, and it is off to a new character. Honor the predecessors ofElden Ring,and do not cheat.
8Deathless
For the uninitiated, roguelike games are a sub-genre of gaming where players will have to restart at the beginning of the game if they die. WhileElden Ringand other Soulsbornegames already have a roguelike mechanic—or rogue-lite—in the form of dropping Runes, it is not as hardcore or as punishing as starting over from scratch. The Deathless run, as the name suggests, has players go throughElden Ringas usual with no bars or myriad rules, save for one: if you die, you must delete your save and start a new game.
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From the very beginning, players must exhibit the utmost caution to stay alive; otherwise, they will have to go through the effort of deleting their save, creating a new one, and going through the introduction all over again. Now, any familiar with Soulsborne games understands that death is a constant, for players need to die to learn; some enemies pitted against them are impossibly hard existing to kill players to make a point on how death is commonplace, likeElden Ring’svery first boss. To say the Deathless run is tough is a gross understatement.
7All-Consumables
The All-Consumables run is irrefutably one of the most intensive challenges in resourcefulness. This consumables-only run will test players to the best of their patience and ability, as they must dedicate much practice and resources to using consumables effectively. There is considerable preparation time needed here, as players must grind and craft for their consumables from the start rather than make do with their starting equipment.
The All-Consumables run spoils players for variety, offering them a multitude of consumables, like throwing knives, pots, perfumes, etc., that make up the bulk of their arsenal. And, except for weapons and summons, everything else is allowed, so they benefit from armor and other helpful items. The crafting costs, FP usage, and the janky cost-to-benefit ratio of these items ensure that the challenge in this kind of run never runs out.
6Pots
BeatingElden Ringwith only consumables is one thing, but finishing it only with pots is an accomplishment like no other. The Pots run is a fan challenge demanding players to forgo all equipment — armor, weapons, consumables — and give themselves wholly to pots. The Pots run is a test of skill that started with a hilarious idea, not considering how impossible overcoming the various dangerous enemies ofElden Ringusing only pots would be.
Much like any other consumable fan challenge, the Pots run demands a greater focus on grinding to affordor craft an absurd amount of pots, as they are expendable resources. Should a player ever go into battle without enough pots, they will be left to their potless devices and likely need to die, collect pots, and try again. As ridiculous as it is, the Pots run is among the harder fan challenges players can adopt in their playthroughs, as they need to learn conservation and make smart plays.
