The Most Difficult PlayStation Trophies Ever Made
Trophies were originally introduced to the PlayStation 3 in 2008 as an answer to the Achievements system for the Xbox 360. They created a system for PlayStation 3 games to reward players for completing specific tasks, like completing games on specific difficulties, uncovering secrets, or grabbing collectibles. Trophies allow dedicated fans to show off their skill and love for a game, while a Platinum trophy denotes players with a completionist streak.
While the trophy lists of most games are generally reasonable for most players to complete, there are some titles that have included incredibly challenging trophies to test the most diehard players. Some take an unreasonable amount of time from the player or demand that they master every aspect of a particular game. Whatever the case, there are just some trophies that only a handful of players will ever be able to unlock. Here are the very hardest trophies that players can earn on PlayStation.
Killing Machine - Resistance 2
The "Resistance" series has been celebrated for its strong story campaigns, but they have also boasted multiplayer modes for gamers to challenge one another online. In "Resistance 2," multiplayer was tied to the game's most challenging trophy, and one of the most difficult that was ever released on the PlayStation 3. The trophy in question is called "Killing Machine," and was only given to players once they racked up 10,000 kills in ranked online matches.
Taking out that many other players in ranked matches could take well over a month, and that's only if the trophy-seeker were a strong player in the first place. In the end, only around 0.6% of players ended up getting the trophy at all. That number is never going up either, as the multiplayer servers for "Resistance 2" were deactivated in 2014, making it impossible for any further diehard fans to get the trophy.
Collector's Edition - Hogwarts Legacy
"Hogwarts Legacy" does not have a multiplayer mode to force players to grind for hours in to pad out its trophy completion time, but that doesn't stop it from having a brutal trophy all its own. Called "Collector's Edition," the trophy requires players to gather every collectible in the game.
There is a whopping total of 603 collectibles that players have to track down for the trophy, and even though the game offers zone checklists and other methods of tracking where players are missing some, it is still a tall order to find all of them. To make matters worse, players have also reported the trophy being bugged even after a patch from the developers, leaving them to either start over entirely or load previous saves to re-complete their collection and hope that each collectible was correctly counted.
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Though the game's release is still recent, only an extremely small percentage of players have managed to snag the trophy. t the time of writing only 1.9% of players have the trophy at all according to PSN Profiles. That number may go up as the game ages, but it is a strong testament to how challenging the trophy has proven to be for players. Of the things we want in a "Hogwarts Legacy" sequel, another trophy is far away from the list.
Emperor! - The Elder Scrolls Online
The trophy list for "The Elder Scrolls Online" is generally a nightmare checklist for achievement hunters, thanks to the sheer amount of time that nearly every trophy takes to unlock. Many require players to spend hours questing in a single area or chasing down extremely specific in-game milestones, and the list only grows with every DLC and expansion released. One of the most challenging, however, is called "Emperor!," which has an unlock rate of only 0.9%.
To get the trophy, players have to join the week-long PvP matches known as Alliance Wars. These are ongoing matches that allow players to team up with one of three in-game alliances to fight over territory in a province. The mode takes a lot of coordination, resources, and patience invested to win — and for this particular trophy, a player has to be on the winning team. Not only that, but the player seeking this trophy also has to be the highest-scoring member of that team, which will see them being crowned as the Emperor of Cyrodiil until the end of the next match.
Players also get an in-game title and costume to go with the trophy, but that hardly makes the challenge feel worthwhile.
Set For Life - Dragon Ball FighterZ
"Dragonball FighterZ" is one of the best "Dragon Ball" games ever released, but even that doesn't make the process of earning the "Set for Life" trophy any more palatable. The trophy requires the player to earn 20,000,000 of the game's main currency, known as Zeni. Thankfully, there are a ton of different ways to earn Zeni in the game, including playing online matches and finishing challenges. Players can even bag a decent chunk of Zeni for logging in every day.
If a player really loves the game and has their heart set on playing a lot of online matches to hone their skills, there is a chance that they will get this trophy without even aiming for it. Everybody else will need to prepare to do some heavy grinding.
Depending on a player's skill, they may be able to grind effectively for Zeni in online matches. However, players who struggle to keep up with the game's advanced online community may find that the best option is to grind for the currency in the game's story mode. In that case, players will want to repeatedly complete the game's most difficult single-player fights. Over and over again. Even the most dedicated "DBZ" fan would find this tedious.
It's only 3,520,485,254 XP - Diablo 2: Resurrected
"Diablo 2: Resurrected" made some changes to the original classic dungeon crawler, but one thing that it didn't change was the original game's slowwwww experience gain. In fact, the remaster embraced that aspect with an absurdly difficult trophy called "It's Only 3,520,485,254 XP." To get the trophy, players have to raise a character to Level 99. That doesn't sound too extreme in a vacuum, but the specifics of leveling in "Diablo 2" makes accomplishing an incredible challenge — one that only 0.1% of players have achieved since the game's launch.
This is, in part, because of how much experience players need for the trophy. Leveling a character from level 98 to 99 takes the same amount of experience as going from level 1 to level 98. To make the grind easier, it is best for players to grind in a full group of eight to increase their experience gain, but finding an entire group willing to go along just to get this trophy is no small feat. Players have found that the most optimal route for leveling is to fight the boss Baal over and over. And to reach level 99, players have to kill Baal around 4500 times.
To make matters worse, death in "Diablo 2: Resurrected" also comes with the penalty of experience loss. Basically, if a player is gunning for this trophy and is grinding every day just killing Baal over and over again, a single death could result in the loss of an entire week of progress.
Bloodlust - Final Fantasy 9
"Final Fantasy 9" is a classic JRPG that's packed full of memorable moments for fans of the long-running series. One of its more infamous inclusions, however, is its "Bloodlust" trophy, which requires the player to kill 10,000 enemies. To put into perspective just how many enemies that is, players looking to get the game's platinum trophy will have to beat the game at least three times, and even that won't necessarily mean unlocking "Bloodlust" without some serious grinding. With a basic playthrough of "Final Fantasy 9" taking around 40 hours, this trophy demands a lot of time from players.
The best way to grind for the trophy is to go to an area that frequently pits players against groups of at least four enemies, then turning on the game's high speed mode to keep things moving. If players are appropriately leveled, they can also turn on Auto Mode and 9999 Mode to get through the encounters as quickly as possible (and without having to make too many adjustments during play). Even with all of that assistance, however, players who have already finished the game three times will have to grind encounters for an average of 10 hours to get this trophy on their profile.
Ultimate Battler - Injustice: Gods Among Us
Trophies in fighting games can vary pretty wildly in difficulty, depending on the player's skill. The original "Injustice: Gods Among Us," however, has one trophy that's incredibly difficult for even professional players to unlock. Called "Ultimate Battler," the trophy requires the player to finish every challenge in the game's Battle Mode. Only 0.1% of players have managed to unlock it in the last decade.
Battle Mode requires players to overcome a series of off-the-wall challenges, fighting groups of enemies with special modifiers (like Mirror Matches or randomized opponents). The challenges vary wildly in difficulty, with some of them being pretty easy and others posing a solid challenge for experienced players.
The final challenge is what makes this trophy so hard to earn, though, as players must face ten enemies in a row with a single life. Finishing this requires the player to have absolute mastery of their chosen character, as well as the weaknesses of each enemy. It is a brutal gauntlet for players to tackle, and it is no surprise that so few players have had the skill (or patience) to overcome it.
Mein Leben - Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus
"Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus" sees players rebelling against a futuristic Nazi empire in an alternate history version of the world. It is a bombastic title filled with gore, explosions, and the ability to dual-wield guns — in other words, the game puts an emphasis on making players feel powerful as they tear through their enemies. That doesn't mean that the game is easy, however, especially when it comes to nabbing the "Mein Leben" trophy.
The trophy is named after the game's hardest difficulty mode and is only unlocked by players who manage to beat the entire game in it. The "Mein Leben" mode is comparable to the preceding difficulty level, "I Am Death Incarnate," at least when it comes to damage and enemy health. However, "Mein Leben" is adds the challenge of permadeath.
Players are completely unable to save during a "Mein Leben" run, and a single death causes their save file to be deleted, forcing the player to start all over again. This punishing difficulty means this trophy only has an unlock rate of 0.1%. To make matters worse, it only rewards the player with a bronze trophy.
Dark World trophies - Super Meat Boy
Mega-difficult platformer "Super Meat Boy" has become notable among gamers for featuring extremely tight and well-tuned controls on top of punishing levels that require perfect precision. A single mistake means a fast death and being sent back to the beginning of the level. Quick respawns get players back into the action quickly, which is almost necessary to make its punishing play palatable.
Despite this, there are still some levels and associated trophies in "Super Meat Boy" that only diehard fans have completed. The game's Dark Worlds revisit previous levels and crank the difficulty even higher. Players can earn trophies for completing Dark Worlds without dying, but that requires players to get to a point where each level is basically a matter of muscle memory. Each of these trophies have an unlock rate of 0.4%, indicating that only the most skilled and persistent players can clear even a single one of them.
Master Battler - Star Ocean: The Last Hope
"Star Ocean: The Last Hope" is part of a series that is well known for its ability to tackle serious subjects while keeping a light-hearted tone. However, it also implements an intricate turn-based combat system that players tackle with a wide cast of different characters. Players can unlock the game's Battle Trophies by completing one of 100 challenges per character. Some of these character-specific trophies are straightforward and only require a small grind to unlock, but some require hours of effort on the player's part.
The hardest is of all is the trophy called "Master Battler," with a completion rate of only 0.3%. It only requires players to unlock 90% of the battle trophies in the game, but even then it can take hundreds of hours to unlock. If players are aware of it when they start a playthrough, they can get to work on the trophies right from the start. But even that only shortens the grind, rather than eliminating it completely. The trophy is made all the more difficult to unlock as one party member eventually leaves the group in the storyline, which means trophy-seeking players may have to start a second playthrough if they didn't unlock enough of that character's battle trophies before they left.
OVER-Overachiever - Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
"Crash Bandicoot" is for its difficult platforming. The series has prided itself on requiring precise controls and reaction time from players, with some traps and sections only being beatable by repeated trial and error. With the series' renowned difficulty in mind, it is not surprising that the newest release in the series offers an extremely difficult trophy for players who reach 106% completion: "OVER-Overachiever."
To unlock this trophy, players have to complete all of the game's content with the highest possible scores and collect absolutely everything. This means that players have to go through the levels repeatedly to get every single crate, and some are exceptionally difficult to track down without using a guide. If that wasn't difficult enough, however, players also have to gather every N.Sanely Perfect relic, which require the player to beat levels without a single death. Finally, players also have to finish every variant of each level, adding to the difficulty level and the time investment.
It has only been unlocked by 0.2% of players on PlayStation, which is not surprising. People love "Crash Bandicoot," but this trophy is a pretty tall order.
Lowest of the Low - Crypt of the Necrodancer
"Crypt of the Necrodancer" is an interesting roguelite that uses a rhythm-based movement and combat system to challenge players on each run. Like most roguelite titles, runs in "Crypt of the Necrodancer" are defined by the items and upgrades that players accumulate along the way, as well as its randomized levels and enemies. There are nine characters for players to pick from, each with their own strengths and weaknesses to form builds around. With practice and a good sense of rhythm, players can pull off some impressive runs through this fantasy world.
The game's hardest trophy, "Lowest of the Low," is centered around an in-game mode of the same name. To unlock it, players have to complete the mode, could honestly be one of the most demanding challenges in all of gaming. The mode requires players to finish nine runs in a row, one with each character, all without getting a single upgrade or item the entire time. To make this happen, players must master every character in the game, and a single death forces them to start off all the way back at the first character. The only saving grace of the trophy is that players are able to tackle the list of characters in the order of their choosing, but even that doesn't help mitigate the extreme challenge.