One of the defining characteristics of FromSoftware's Dark Souls games is their high level of difficulty. It's an extreme challenge to simply beat a Dark Souls game and see the end credits, let alone going the extra mile to unlock all the achievements/trophies. All the Dark Souls games have achievements that are especially frustrating, but Dark Souls 2 has some that may really push players over the edge.
There are three achievements in Dark Souls 2 in particular that may frustrate achievement hunters hoping to get 100% in the game. Mileage may vary, of course, as there are different factors that may make it so these achievements aren't as frustrating for all DS2 players. However, those jumping into the game hoping to achieve 100% completion by unlocking all of the achievements and trophies will want to keep these in mind.
Here are the most annoying achievements in Dark Souls 2.
Lucatiel
The Lucatiel achievement in Dark Souls 2 requires players to inherit the gear of Lucatiel of Mirrah. Lucatiel is a helpful NPC that Dark Souls 2 players can encounter at various points in the game. She sometimes gives the player character helpful items like Human Effigies, and she can be summoned for specific boss fights. As far as Dark Souls 2 summons go, Lucatiel is one of the best, able to easily hold her own in boss fights and surviving to the end with little trouble.
To unlock the Lucatiel achievement, Dark Souls 2 players have to exhaust her dialogue in multiple locations and summon her for specific boss fights. Lucatiel has to survive the boss fights in question, and once players have completed at least three Dark Souls 2 boss fights with Lucatiel, they have fulfilled the requirements to inherit her items and unlock the achievement.
The problem is that the Lucatiel achievement isn't super reliable when it comes to actually unlocking it. Players may fulfill all the conditions and still not be rewarded with the achievement for their efforts, which can be incredibly frustrating for achievement hunters since it requires such a significant time investment. Dark Souls 2 players practically have to go through the entire game to do this, and so if the achievement bugs, it requires an entire new playthrough to try again.
Master of Miracles
The most time-consuming achievements in most Dark Souls games are the ones that ask players to collect all the gear, weapon, spells, etc., and Dark Souls 2 is no different. Arguably the most frustrating of these achievements in Dark Souls 2 is the Master of Miracles, which requires players to collect all the miracles in the game. Most of these are relatively easy to come by, but one is a giant roadblock that will likely take players an excessive amount of time to unlock.
The Sunlight Spear miracle in Dark Souls 2 is only obtainable by reaching rank 3 in the Heirs of the Sun covenant. This requires players to contribute 30 Sunlight Medals to the covenant, which is no easy feat. Back in its heyday, Dark Souls 2 fans could have simply helped players defeat bosses in co-op to grind for the medals in a relatively short amount of time, but nowadays, one of the only viable options is farming them by repeatedly killing the Falconer enemies near the Shaded Woods. This takes hours on end, but it's one of the few ways that Dark Souls 2 players can get all 30 Sunlight Medals necessary to get the Sunlight Spear miracle without recruiting help.
Moonlight Greatsword
The Moonlight Greatsword achievement in Dark Souls 2 is similar to the Lucatiel achievement in that it asks players to inherit items from a specific NPC. It's also similar to the Lucatiel achievement in that it can only be earned by playing through nearly the entire game, and it has a tendency to glitch and not unlock. To unlock it, players have to talk to Benhart of Jugo at specific locations throughout the game world, and then summon him for specific Dark Souls 2 boss fights. Defeating three bosses with Benhart surviving to the end of the encounters will fulfill the requirements, allowing players to speak with him, inherit his items, and unlock the achievement - assuming it works, that is.
Due to the Moonlight Greatsword achievement's tendency to glitch, players may have to repeat this quest multiple times to actually unlock it. The sheer time investment required to unlock some of the Dark Souls 2 achievements ensure that they are some of the most annoying in the entire franchise, especially since some players may have to repeat the requirements multiple times to actually get their achievements.
While these Dark Souls 2 achievements are some of the most frustrating in the series, the other Dark Souls games have plenty of annoying achievements of their own. Dark Souls 3's achievements, for example, are notoriously time-consuming because they require players to spend a lot more time leveling up their rank in the covenants. Luckily FromSoftware's latest, Elden Ring, seems to have largely moved away from overly frustrating achievements and any of the glitched ones can be easily rectified.
Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.