u/Fedginald — reddlx

Just got the plat. Naturally, I decided to zip through NG+ and half of NG++ as fast as possible.

I made a few comments a while back about how the game by default requires you to clear out basically every enemy to get to certain things like ladders, chests, etc. Completionists know what I mean.

I also mentioned how it feels impossible to run through, though I've found that to not be the case after some familiarity with the map, though there are certain areas that require some sort of enemy event trigger just to get them out of the damn way.

I'm trying to compile a list where there are significant enemy obstructions that add variability to the time of the run, and are prime examples of what people complain about regarding enemy placement in this game.

That one spider room in Tseldora right before Freja. This room pissed me off quite a bit in the first playthrough, as you can accumulate dozens of enemies on the bridge over a spike pit. Also, there is that one single manspider directly next to the ladder behind the door. He is what's really inhibiting the brevity of the run. Solution: I think the spiders can be triggered in two waves depending on how far you enter the room but I'm not sure (its dark in there) Either way, AoE spells are crucial here for just the sake of time. Getting the manspider out of the way requires killing or herding the spiders
The wall soldier dudes in undead crypt. They're fairly easy to aggro and run past, but they completely obstruct an essential path, so they make the list
The gutter: one particular small ledge with an undead on it. Getting this guy out of the way generally requires killing or herding the previous undeads, who otherwise catch up to you and descend the ladder
Lost Bastille: right after the blacksmith bonfire and proceeding through the level, there's a set of two doors that require managing several undead. I haven't been able to get past this without killing anything, which is very possible, but not practical in the time it takes to herd them away. It's easy enough, it just takes a little time
Iron Keep: a couple of turtle guys completely blocking the hallway. Regarding time, no other choice than to kill. I kill the second and third ones in the fire pillar room by just luring them into the fire. The invasion turtle upstairs guarding the bonfire makes this area particularly stressful. I pull him down the ladder and kill him downstairs because I think the flames at that second floor are a little too unpredictable and might kill you if he doesn't. If you're really speedrunning, you just skip this bonfire anyway, assuming you don't plan on getting killed by old iron king. However, the runback and that lava platform is egregious as far as enemy pressure.
Shrine of Amana: always get pinged at the corner of the house by the hidden archdrake. Rolling through water and dodging magic takes a toll on your stamina. Clearing archdrakes slows you down and might also involve clearing lizards. There's like 6 archdrakes directly on the path to the boss. Have not been able to just run through this part
Basically any fog gate. I see enemy pressure right outside the gate as a measure of how well you managed your stamina and overall how quickly you got there. I believe I've been able to run to each essential fog gate aside from Amana. Enemy attacks canceling your entrance is one of the most frustrating mechanics in this game.

Honorable Mentions for Completionists, Non-Essential for Speedruns. This list can become quite extensive and I try to block most of these experiences out of my memory, but this first one in particular really sticks out to me.

Getting to Ornifex in Tseldora. Holy fuck. I basically just tried to trade as quickly as possible before I got killed.
The Old Chaos: have to kill a lot of mobs in order to reach boss. A roadblock involving the game's logic instead of physical obstruction, but should be mentioned. These enemies can be tough, I see it as basically a DPS check. Killing them efficiently is way harder than the actual boss.
Darklurker areas: have to herd a little bit for this, involves some tough and uncooperative NPC-type enemies. The entrance from shaded woods is the easiest to manage for trying to get to darklurker for multiple attempts. They do despawn.
Frozen Outskirts, OFC. It can be ran through without killing any reindeer, but that requires persistent, unwavering management of stamina that you technically might need reach an endurance threshold to do
Memory of the Old Iron King. Absolutely brutal. They do despawn, but I have not had any luck just running through this

Feel free to add to the list. I'm sure I'm missing some, but these are the main places I've noticed that can put a damper on just getting through a run