10 Video Game Items You Should Never Pick Up

To help players overcome the various challenges put to them in video games, developers offer a selection of useful items that can aid players with their goal.

Ever since Pac-Man introduced the idea of powerups in video games back in the 1980s in the form of special pellets that enabled players to deal with those annoying ghosts for a brief time, in-game items have only increased in their versatility in the years that followed.

From the early years of finding mushrooms and stars in Super Mario Bros. to give the titular plumber a useful power boost to the wide range of crafting materials that can be discovered in modern survival games, there’s no limit to what developers can include in their games.

While most pickups are beneficial to players, with health, ammo, and weapons being the most obvious ways in which items can be helpful, not all of what can be found in games have positive effects. In fact, there are some items that should be avoided at all costs as just having them in your inventory could be harmful.

Be sure not to touch any of these unwanted items if you ever encounter them.

As notoriously difficult as FromSoftware's games are, the developers always found ways to make their games harder for those up for the challenge. Dark Souls had the Calamity Ring which doubled all damage sustained whereas the sequel had the Covenant and Bonfire Ascetics. Even Sekiro had a giant bell that would increase the difficulty when rung.

While each of these things pre-warn players that using them will make life a little tougher, Elden Ring contained one such item that offers no such caution. That was the Baldachin's Blessing.

Obtained by allowing Fia to embrace you at the Roundtable Hold, this boon grants a sizeable 35% boost to damage negation alongside a 50% increase to poise for 15 seconds when used.

What the item doesn't inform you, however, is that holding one in your inventory gives a 5% debuff to health. Though that doesn't sound like much, a smaller health bar can make a significant difference, especially during the early hours of the game.

With Soulsborne players' habit of hoarding consumables, it's possible this status effect has been afflicting players for a while without them noticing.

To avoid this debuff, it's recommended to use Fia's blessing immediately after receiving it.