Dark Souls 3 Mimics are seriously OP [SPOILERS]
Dark Souls 3 players should take care when investigating treasure chests.
If you played Dark Souls 3 over the weekend you may have progressed far enough to encounter a Mimic. This classic dungeon crawl monster makes its return, quietly masquerading as a treasure chest and then chomping the heads of the unwary who fail to put an arrow in it before they attempt to lift the lid.
Mimics are jerks, and in general, they're significantly more powerful than other baddies in their immediate vicinity: they have more health, and they hit harder. I personally am terrified of them and have long considered them ridiculously over-powered given the flimsy loot within.
Today, I have been vindicated. This video from YouTuber Elk Arkane is full of useful information. For one thing, it turns out Mimics can be damaged by other enemies. For another, Mimics are massively powerful.
Don't watch this is if you're yet to explore the optional area accessible from Catacombs of Carthus, and want to preserve yourself from spoilers. In fact, click away now before you accidentally read any further.
That's the Demon guarding the entrance to the Abandoned Tomb, the gateway to the Smouldering Lakes. While it's not considered a boss at this stage, it's the same type of enemy you can meet as a boss in earlier areas, and gives up a boss soul when defeated. It's not exactly a random grunt.
And yet the Mimic just owns it. No wonder they're so dangerous to players! Treat Mimics with respect. They're pretty easy to dodge, but if you fluff your roll and get a kick to the face, you'll certainly regret it.
If you're yet to see a Mimic, there's one in a pretty early area; see our Dark Souls 3 walkthrough and guide for more information.
Image from Dark Souls 1, via Redditor Mattroid90, actually showing the equippable Mimic helmet - but super rad.