There’s something refreshing about games that grant players true freedom to navigate their own journeys. When developers empower gamers to make choices that shape their adventures, it enhances engagement and fosters a sense of ownership. In a landscape where many titles provide a guiding hand, it’s a delightful rarity to encounter one that respects your autonomy.

However, this freedom comes with its own set of challenges. The ability to forge your path means you may also stumble into pitfalls without the safety net of guidance. This article dives into the mistakes that players often make in video games, offering poignant lessons learned through experience.

Some of these blunders lead to humorous chaos, while others turn progression into a monumental struggle. But regardless of the nature of the mistake, one thing is certain: each scenario is relatable to gamers everywhere.

10 Choosing Charmander

Pokémon Red/Blue

While the Pokémon franchise has evolved into a family-friendly series, it was once notorious for its unforgiving challenges. In the early iterations, particularly in Pokémon Red and Blue, choosing Charmander as your starter could set you on a difficult path right from the start.

Your first major tests—Brock’s rock-type gym and Misty’s water-type gym—put Charmander trainers at a significant disadvantage. While there were alternative Pokémon available to capture and train, relying on your starter to progress was often a bitter experience for those who didn’t choose wisely.

9 Navigating the Tomb of Giants Without Light

Dark Souls

Rather than highlighting common early-game missteps like entering Rock Tunnel in Pokémon without Flash, let’s discuss a more severe error: exploring Dark Souls’ Tomb of the Giants without any light source. This area is infamous for its punishing difficulty, featuring relentless skeletal enemies and oppressive darkness.

Although the Skull Lantern can help illuminate your path, encountering Patches adds another layer of frustration. Failing to find this critical item can leave players stumbling blindly through danger, an experience that is as harrowing as it is common. Unless you’ve unlocked fast travel, tackling this area without preparation can lead to abject despair.

8 Soaring Into Military Airspace

Grand Theft Auto

In the chaotic world of GTA, where mayhem reigns supreme, players can often push boundaries without fear. However, if you take to the skies carelessly, expect a swift—and deadly—response from the military. Attempting to fly a plane or using cheat codes to jetpack across military zones can instantly escalate your wanted level to alarming heights.

As a result, you’ll soon find yourself facing off against SWAT teams, helicopters, and tanks. This unpredictable twist underlines the series’ satirical take on law enforcement, ensuring that players learn to respect the boundaries—or suffer dire consequences.

7 Delaying Kvatch’s Rescue

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

The recent remaster of Oblivion has reignited discussions about this classic RPG, showcasing its unique charm and nostalgic gameplay. However, one aspect often overlooked is its leveling system, which scales enemies to match your progress. This can lead to a tricky situation if players choose to delay the main quest and return to Kvatch later.

By postponing your visit, you may find yourself facing overwhelming Daedra, making what should be a straightforward quest feel like an uphill battle. While guild quests may offer enticing distractions, neglecting to tackle the main storyline promptly can lead to regretful encounters.

6 Confronting Ganon Prematurely

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Breath of the Wild’s design brilliantly allows players to challenge Calamity Ganon right from the start. This freedom, while exhilarating, often results in a stark realization of players’ readiness—or lack thereof. Entering Ganon’s domain without equipment, skills, or proper strategy is almost akin to self-sabotage.

The harsh lesson of humility often awaits those who let their bravado lead them into immediate peril. Most players will experience this humbling moment, learning the hard way that some battles are best approached with preparation and careful planning.

5 Stealing the Teddy Bear

Fallout 3

The Super Mutants have always been a formidable adversary in Fallout, but Fallout 3 particularly highlights their dominance. An unsuspecting player can find themselves engaged in a surprisingly fierce battle if they steal a Teddy Bear near Jury Street Metro.

Taking the teddy triggers the wrath of its owner, who is less than forgiving. To survive this unexpected confrontation, players may need to call upon their most powerful ammunition—assuming they have those mini-nukes ready at hand.

4 Ending Toriel’s Life

Undertale

Upon meeting Toriel in Undertale, many players feel a sense of comfort, making it easy to become attached. However, after a brief period of player-driven exploration, the desire to escape can lead to a fateful decision: attacking Toriel. This moment is fraught with consequences that become clear only upon reflection.

Killing Toriel not only removes a key protective figure from the game but also effectively locks players out of the pacifist route, leading to regretful outcomes. This early choice serves as a reminder of the weight of player decisions within the narrative.

3 Overextending Fishing Hours

Dredge

As you embark on your aquatic adventures in Dredge, the urge to maximize your fishing haul can quickly lead to perilous situations. While the game offers a cozy yet eerie experience, staying out past curfew exposes you to a horrifying dimension of the ocean.

Staying out too late means facing ghostly apparitions or tentacled monsters eager to bring your journey to an abrupt end. The race against time to return to safety before being dragged into the depths exemplifies the heights of tension in this seemingly tranquil fishing tale.

2 Beginning as Unemployed

Football Manager

Jumping into Football Manager as an unemployed coach may seem like a bold strategy, but it often leads to a tedious beginning. While it’s admirable to start from the ground up, players frequently find themselves stuck simulating through endless sequences of games and player transfers before landing a coaching role.

This method tends to drag on, especially when dealing with expansive databases. To avoid this boredom, novice managers are advised to pick a team right off the bat, saving themselves from a lengthy, uninspiring wait.

1 Exiting Without Saving

Animal Crossing

Newcomers to Animal Crossing may not grasp how forgiving the game has become over the years. While players can still face minor annoyances, such as financial dealings with Tom Nook, they’ve largely escaped the wrath of Mr. Resetti from previous titles.

In earlier versions, neglecting to save before shutting down your console would result in long, painful lectures from Mr. Resetti. Each instance of failure to save would only escalate his harshness, sometimes requiring players to mumble phrases like “I’m a loser” just to resume gameplay. Though Nintendo typically champions a family-friendly ethos, those terrifying encounters with Resetti haunt the memories of many gamers.

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