Shadows of the Forbidden Gods: All Elder Gods, ranked

There is a wide variety of different simulator games available to entertain you. From games where you can play as the owner of a high-pressure cleaning company to managing an interstellar spaceship junkyard.

One of the more unconventional options for simulators is "Shadows Of The Forbidden Gods." Here, you combine grand-scale strategy games with simulations as you assume the role of a dark deity whose sole objective is to bring about the apocalypse. You start small in this fantasy world, but in the end, you leave indelible scars on the realm of fantasy in which you find yourself. There are a handful of dark elder gods to choose from. Which ones are the darkest, and which ones should be better avoided?

6 Iastur

Iastur is conceptually an intriguing deity. By nature, he is both a writer and the god of creation in this fantasy world.

Now, he is weary of the current narrative and seeks to conclude it with a violent climax before starting anew. It is an entertaining concept, but the abilities he possesses do not share the same enthusiasm. He reigns solely through madness, utilizing powers such as "Let Everyone Play" and "The Devil Finds Work" to spread his insanity across the lands.

Unfortunately, every hero who gets their hands on the Tomb of the Laughing King has a rather solid chance of royally disrupting all of your plans. Once you break the fifth seal, it will become somewhat easier for you as there are many strengthening enchantments and forged scriptures to be created. However, before that, Iastur feels like a fragile cannon.

It might be a good idea to play this later as a challenge or when further updates with balance adjustments come out, but until then, you should perhaps choose one of the other elder gods to have a more interesting gameplay experience.

5 Cordyceps Hive Mind

It's not limited to just The Last Of Us. In this game, Cordyceps takes the form of a dark elder god, offering a rather intriguing gameplay experience with a variety of entertaining abilities.

You start by controlling insects influenced by the parasitic fungus, aiming to spread to humans and then progressively becoming more peculiar from there. The key factor with Cordyceps is the level of maturity; once it reaches 100%, you have transformed the population into further monsters for your army.

It is an entertaining playthrough that sets itself apart from the other gods and plays quite similarly to Plague Inc. or similar games. Elements like swarms of vespids and internal maturation make what is initially a challenge much easier. It is a good mid-level playthrough but can be overwhelming at the beginning of your career.

4 Mammon

Greed is a sin that has twisted humanity since its beginnings, and it is precisely from there that Mammon draws his power. Mammon resides somewhere in the realms atop a mountain, and his goal is to convert followers to make the ascent to that mountain.

What happens there? Well, they are naturally sacrificed. This means that you'll be cutting through the population quite swiftly, so you must weigh the costs and rewards when considering playing as this elder god.

There are some truly entertaining abilities you acquire that influence the specific playstyle of this god. The contrast between prosperity and decadence, and how it affects the ideals of a place versus its people, is an enjoyable challenge to overcome, making Mammon and his abilities stand out.

If you have the desire to delve into the fantasy economy for dubious purposes, then this is likely the right god for you. Otherwise, the more fantastical notions of other gods might captivate you more.

3 Vinerva

Vinerva embodies the classic motif of the monkey's paw. Her followers certainly regret what they ask of this deity when they deal with her.

It is an entertaining concept, albeit one that has been seen before. To unlock the full power of Vinerva, you must break nine seals, which may seem like a lot for a first-time player. However, if you spend some time in the game, this won't be too difficult of a challenge.

This is partly due to the many entertaining abilities that Vinerva offers. First and foremost, you should understand the map and the spread of your "Hearts of the Forest."

However, once you have a solid grasp of it, you will utilize all the different groves to entice the people before claiming them all for yourself. It's an entertaining blend of a nature theme and a just desert style of gameplay that will make you see the population in a completely new way.

2 She Who Will Feast

She who will gorge is a simple yet powerful goddess. She is a colossal serpent that desires to devour the world. What else do you need to know?

This is the first god you start with, but that doesn't diminish the fun you will have in this pseudo-prologue. She is a bold and mighty goddess who won't punish you if you make occasional mistakes.

The time before awakening is one thing, but afterwards, she takes the form of an actual army on the map, with a lot of health and many abilities to bring ruin to anyone who stands in her way. There is also a surprising amount of shadow manipulation in her playthrough, which balances out heavy-handed approaches with some subtlety and gives you a good sense of the overall game.

1 Ophanim

Ophanim's powers all stem from subtlety and manipulation. The gameplay principle when playing as this god is to hide and slowly spread fear among the population.

The first step to playing as this god is to sow doubt among your neighbors. From there, you utilize agents and possibly armies to spread your faith. It's a straightforward game plan but one that leaves little room for error.

This all changes at higher seals when you unleash yourself and can show how powerful Ophanim truly is. Abilities like Crusade allow you to transform entire societies into warrior armies, while Annihilation (the ultimate ability) even allows you to wipe a society off the map instantly.

This playthrough truly allows for the greatest variation in gameplay style and showcases everything that Shadows of the Forbidden Gods has to offer.