When you've got a world as large as Elden Ring’s, you have two enemies to grow it. And while the Lands Between retain the usual suspects, which range from human-like enemies to traditional fantasy creatures – albeit with From Software’s usual flare–Elden Ring can also be populated using what would be relatively normal creatures in real life.

In the Lands Between, however, they're instead monstrous beasts that will kill you hanging around and then haunt your nightmares for weeks. Here are ten animals you’ll be very glad you can’t meet in your backyard.

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1. Bears

There are regular bears in Elden Ring, but because of the other terrifying enemies you'll find, they seem less threatening than the usual bear could be in real life. Fortunately, the sport more than comprises this with Runebears. Whether it’s the boss variant or even the ones you stumble across within the wild, these beasts are a lot more than just bigger bears.

As those who have encountered a Runebear know, they're extremely aggressive and far faster than a pet that size has any to be. Elden Ring presents you with lots of dangerous foes, but few things within the Lands Between tend to be more terrifying than the usual house-sized bear charging toward you at Mach 10.

2. Crayfish

When players first encounter a Giant Crayfish, they're likely to panic, visit Torrent, and book it off there as soon as they can. Then, to their great surprise, 60 % of their health will disappear when they’re hit with a stream of spit from halfway over the map.

It works out these giant crustaceans possess a sniper rifle attached to their heads for whatever reason. As a result, if you don't want to fight them upright – plus they often are available in groups– the best choice is to dodge, weave, and hope for the best.

3. Hawks

Unlike some of the other creatures on this list, the Warhawks of Elden Ring tend to be more like cyborgs than mutants. These abnormally large birds have experienced their talons removed and substituted for literal swords.

That can present a genuine problem for Tarnished, who don’t possess some sort of ranged attack because the Warhawk's flight and erratic movements make sure they are hard to hit having a melee weapon. To make matters worse, one variant even has some kind of flamethrower attached to their heads. How exactly the weapon works isn’t explained, however, you don't wish to be waiting in its way.

4. Dogs

Like a lot of From Software’s projects, Elden Ring has its fair share of badly malnourished canines. But when you will certainly discover the usual diseased, irritatingly fast dogs common within the company’s other games, the Lands Between can also be cursed using the Monstrous Dogs, using their giant heads and tiny, tyrannosaurus-like front arms.

It’s hard to say what may have happened to those dogs that will have caused these deformities, however, it can’t happen to be pleasant. These creatures can be tamed, as evidenced by the Scarlet Rot-spewing one sitting collared outside Gowry’s Shack. Gowry is secretly a horrific rot monster, though, so maybe don’t try replicating his success.