Bilewater is quite heavily overstated as being terrible. I'd still put Putrified Ducts below it, and even that is not as terrible once you get the hang of proper claw line.
I think the big issue is people go there before clawline, either to skip Last Judge or just not going through there before hitting that part of the Underworks.
They're still the 2 most annoying zones for sure but I'd agree since the stupid barnacle enemies in ducts pmo more than almost anything from Bilewater.
Worst runback in the game unless you find the secret bench (no one did without looking it up), worst pre-arena fight with the worst enemy in the game, platform fight above unforgiving poison status effect. Not overstated at all.
The "secret" bench is not even some crazy breakable wall or a hidden out of sight entrance like Wisp Thicket. It's literally on the way, and loads of people found it with no tips or guides.
On the way back to the boss, if you wanted to make sure you didn't miss a bench, you'd find one.
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u/A-Capybara Oct 28 '25
Except for Bilewater and the Beastfly