History Main / BeefGate

[[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/BEEFgate1.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:280: Heheh, "[[StealthPun Beef]]" Gate!]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}}'':

** Kraid's Hideout in the original game is accessible by an obvious use of an early power-up, but if that's the last power-up you've obtained, you'll be quickly torn apart by the [[DemonicSpiders enemies]] behind the first door you step through, and if you manage to make it through those, [[ThatOneBoss Kraid himself]] will demolish you. The sensible approach is to travel through all of Norfair and Ridley's Hideout collecting the goodies first, especially the Screw Attack, Ice or Wave Beam, and Varia Suit.
*** ''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission'' changes it so that Kraid's lair is easier and more natural to take on sooner and Ridley's is harder to get into.
** Both ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' and ''[[VideoGame/{{Metroid}} Metroid Zero Mission]]'' have rooms with [[LethalLavaLand extremely hot temperatures]] that will deplete health quickly. [[{{Metroidvania}} While these are generally meant to be impassible without the Varia Suit,]] skilled players can navigate these rooms quickly enough to avoid death, allowing them to access some powerups early.

*** The third game has High Dragons which act as [[BonusBoss Bonus Bosses]]; but you can encounter the first one (which isn't even the game's weakest one!) on your starting area, and the path to reach it is guarded by [[DemonicSpiders drakes]] which spawn infinitely while their mother [[DeathFromAbove circles overhead bombarding the player with hard to dodge fireballs]], as a warning for newbie players who might try to press on.

** Similarly to ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' allowed players to go straight through the final castle to the BigBad without unlocking most of their action commands. Since Ultimecia has more hit points than a small planet, and any party member who gets KO'd is lost forever, you're probably going to want to solve all or most of the castle puzzles and get your abilities back. (Furthermore, if you're into OneHundredPercentCompletion, the castle bosses can supply you with any Guardian Forces you haven't collected during your quest -- including Eden, which was previously held in a remote area by an unbelievably tough BonusBoss.)

** At Gaia Rock, you can head straight to the lair of the Serpent with only Move and Growth. However, it will regenerate 200 HP at the end of every turn unless you clear the maze inside of the mountain so sunlight will shine in and weaken it to a more reasonable 30 HP per turn (for context, the only other boss to regenerate 200 every turn is the stupidly-hard BonusBoss). This requires, among other things, Whirwind and Reveal.

** In ''Battle Network 6'', you can access a very dangerous part of the Undernet from a secret entrance about halfway through the game. There is even a BonusBoss there, one whose stats are so high that he (and the enemies in the entire area he resides in) might as well be considered post-game material. It is very possible to defeat him as soon as you gain access to the area, but you will need very good reflexes (his attacks consist of StuffBlowingUp almost everywhere).

** In the Playstation game ''VideoGame/SagaFrontier'' if you are playing as Asellus, you are required early on to fight low-level monsters on certain nearby mountain path. Strangely enough, if you go just a little bit further up the path than necessary, you will find a huge monster guarding a door. This monster is a big time BonusBoss that guards a small area that contains [[{{Bonus Boss}}an even bigger boss]] and ending-altering potential. If you can pass the two guardians, you [[spoiler:rescue a human girl. Without rescuing this girl you cannot get the fully human ending.]] As you are ending Asellus' story you climb this path again, but with infinite luck you could take on these bosses early...

** Skeletron and the Dungeon Guardians. If you try to enter the Dungeon without killing Skeletron (who is the "normal" beef gate) the deadly Dungeon Guardians will come to get you. They are giant, spinning skulls that move REALLY fast, insta-kill you if they touch you, have 9999 health, and enough defense that all attacks are reduced to 1 damage. Players have still found ways to kill them, making them a BonusBoss, as there is no reward for killing them except [[CosmeticAward an exclusive vanity item]].

* ''VideoGame/EldenRing'' has the Tree Sentinel, a behemoth paladin on horseback skulking around the first not-bonfire as SchmuckBait. You're ''intended'' to progress through the game a bit first and come back once you have your CoolHorse Torrent so you can actually evade his attacks, but that hasn't stopped most players from trying to take him on solo [[NintendoHard and getting their teeth kicked in]].

-->-- '''[[MonsterCompendium Monstrous Codex]] entry on the Great Lynx''', ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey III''

* ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'' is madly in love with this trope. For one thing, it's the ''entire point'' of the [=FOEs=]. Beyond that, certain special cases that are even mentioned ''in game'' (usually in the form of a "you get the feeling that the monsters in this area are much too powerful to fight" message or a quest all about having to get something from its lair while absolutely not drawing its direct attention) include [[spoiler:Wyvern]] in ''Etrian Odyssey'', [[spoiler:Salamox]] in ''Heroes of Lagaard'', the [[spoiler:Primordiphant]] in ''Beyond the Myth'', and typically the first aggressive FOE that the player encounters for each game.]

* ''VideoGame/Xenoblade'':

* ''VideoGame/FantasyLife'' has a weird variant in the [[RuinsForRuinsSake Ancient Ruins]], a late-game area. The mobs in the first half of the area are somewhat tough, but nothing to write home about. However, the second half of the area is gated by three VERY tough bosses that can pose a problem even for characters that have Heroe'd several Lifes, as the game before that point [[DifficultySpike isn't exactly hard]]. You need to kill these bosses to continue advancing in several Lifes (Golden Dragon for the Paladin Life, Calamitus for the Mage Life and Gigante for the Mercenary Life). If you can kill those bosses, you're pretty much guaranteed to be able to kill anything else on the Ruins, as the mobs after these Beef Gates aren't much tougher than the ones in the entrance of the area.

** In the first ''[[VideoGame/PaperMario64 Paper Mario]]'', Kent C. Koopa appears to be this to anyone trying to return to Koopa Village after Chapter 5. Fortunately, there's a hidden path in the sewers to get around him, but if you try to go through him, he will annihilate you if you aren't well-prepared, or perhaps a bit lucky. He can be bribed into letting you pass if you him 100 coins each time you wish to do so.

* ''Manga/OnePiece'': Due to the way that the Great Pirate Era started, the danger level of the various seas is sorted out this way; the farther along the Grand Line you are, the tougher the opposition you'll face. The Blues are mostly safe seas where only a very few even have Devil Fruit powers; most people with such abilities go to the Grand Line to seek their fortune. Paradise is the first half of the Grand Line, and it's a warzone for all sorts of hardcore pirates who are out for One Piece, kept in check only by the Marines and the Seven Warlords. Finally, the second half of the Grand Line, the New World, demonstrates why the first half is nicknamed "Paradise." Only the hardest-core of pirates can thrive there, dominated by the Four Emperors who rule over multiple territories, and their crews will ''annihilate'' any pirates who cross over to the New World without having developed the skills needed to survive there.

** The high level zone of Plaguelands located right next to the undead starting zone. There is a gate that separates the zones and some high level [=NPCs=] guarding it, so most players should probably realize they shouldn't go there, but nothing prevents them from doing so, and running into [[http://www.wowwiki.com/Welcome_Bear Extremely Pleasant Bears.]]
*** As of the Cataclysm expansion, Western Plaguelands has been reduced in level and has significantly lower level mobs than it did previously. However, they are still much higher than the level 9-ish mobs you'll find on the Tirisfal Glades side, so this trope still applies to an extent.

** On the other hand, there are a number of zones when there's no such forewarning. Ashenvale is a particularly notable offender, since that zone is smoothly connected to a much higher-level zone (Felwood) with no obvious "danger ahead" signs. [[note]]The "danger ahead" sign is simple: Most high-level areas are much, much less pleasant-looking than the low-level ones. If you go from lovely forested area to scorched, corrupted hellhole, you should probably turn around. Not always reliable, but generally so.[[/note]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': It's shown the last functioning [[spoiler:human colony]] on Earth is protected behind a colossal automaton which indiscriminately prevents anyone from entering or leaving with deadly force. [[spoiler:Finn's mother, Minerva,]] justifies its continued presence by saying "if we were strong enough to get past him, we wouldn't need him".
* In Episode 3 of ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'', Sakura encounters the Watery card, which causes trouble at the local aquarium. Despite how close it is to Sakura's house, Kero-chan attempts to convince her not to try and capture it, for it's too powerful and aggressive for her to confront with her lack of cards on hand (only three out of fifty-two). [[spoiler:She successfully captures it anyway, by locking it in a freezer and freezing it using the Windy card.]] Because of the circumstance, it also doubles as an EarlyBirdBoss.
* A strip from the ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot'' [[NewspaperComics newspaper comic]] featured Jason trying to fight his way through one of these, only to have his sister discover that [[SheatheYourSword if you don't attack, it will let you pass by in peace]]. "The biggest, most dangerous monster in the whole game, and you're ''not'' supposed to take him on?"
* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', due to the way that the Great Pirate Era started, the danger level of the various seas is sorted out this way; the farther along the Grand Line you are, the tougher the opposition you'll face. The Blues are mostly safe seas where only a very few even have Devil Fruit powers; most people with such abilities go to the Grand Line to seek their fortune. Paradise is the first half of the Grand Line, and it's a warzone for all sorts of hardcore pirates who are out for One Piece, kept in check only by the Marines and the Seven Warlords. Finally, the second half of the Grand Line, the New World, demonstrates why the first half is nicknamed "Paradise." Only the hardest-core of pirates can thrive there, dominated by the Four Emperors who rule over multiple territories, and their crews will ''annihilate'' any pirates who cross over to the New World without having developed the skills needed to survive there.
* In ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' a being known only as "The Guardian" guards a portal to the past from anyone who wishes to use it. The only exception would be for TheChosenOne who can defeat him in single combat. Jack, naturally, fights him in order to become that chosen one. [[spoiler: He fails, though the episodes' end implied that an OlderAndWiser Jack will succeed. However, with the return of Season 5 years later, SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome happens and it turns out the Guardian has long been slain by Aku and the portal destroyed.]]

** There is a very significant difference between the level at which you ''can'' [[spoiler:wake the dragon in {{Magicant}} and fight it]] and the level at which you ''should''. Although, the gulf narrows significantly when you realize the boss lacks ContractualBossImmunity to OneHitKill and HPToOne attacks, of which you'll almost certainly have access to at ''least'' one by the time you're able to fight it.

** ''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission'' changes it so that Kraid's lair is easier and more natural to take on sooner and Ridley's is harder to get into.

* Elfin from ''VideoGame/Legaia2DuelSaga'' is a boss fought at the end of an early dungeon, most notable for the exact level you're supposed to beat her at. At level 9, you get a fourth Art Block, allowing you to use more complex attack techniques, and at that point Elfin isn't particularly threatening. But if you attack her ''before'' grinding to that level, you won't have the damage output to defeat her before she beats you into the ground.

* At one point in ''VideoGame/EarthBound'' the plot forks, with you being told to go to either Scaraba or Fourside. You're supposed to go to Fourside, and if you try to go to Scaraba, then you run into the [[ThatOneBoss Kraken]].

** Alpha Pokémon serve this purpose in ''VideoGame/PokemonLegendsArceus'', being Pokémon significantly higher-leveled than anything else around them. Alpha Pokémon are alert, aggressive, [[SuperPersistentPredator will chase you down as far as they're physically capable of]], frequently found at bottlenecks and other choke points where it's difficult to impossible to sneak by, and can flatten your team with no chance to fight back. The background music is also [[SongsInTheKeyOfPanic replaced with a tense-sounding tune whenever you get too close to one]], the game telling you to back away. The ones that spawn at pre-determined areas, for the most part, guard regions you're not required to visit yet. Late-game story points require you to deal with them, but by then, your Pokémon should be strong enough to reliably fight them. That being said, due to the fact that you can catch any wild Pokémon you want, you ''could'' manage to catch an Alpha Pokémon while its back is turned to have an instant DiscOneNuke that will walk all over anything else besides other Alpha Pokémon.

* ''VideoGame/{{Starbound}}'' lets you explore any planet in the currently-unlocked sector, but high-threat planets (which hold valuable ores and better loot) often house creatures which can kill you in a single hit, and traps capable of draining your Health very quickly. Radioactive, Fiery and Frozen star systems also can be accessed before you have the necessary suit, but environmental damage will drain your health and pile up to a deadly treshold within a minute.

** You can go straight to the final boss within fifteen minutes, but as you can probably imagine, fighting it with just bare-bones equipment, three or four hearts, a single-layer stamina wheel, [[spoiler: having to go through all four Ganon Blights first, and with Ganon at full health instead of half]], is almost impossible. In the true spirit of the trope, [[SelfImposedChallenge successfully doing it anyway]] will [[spoiler:uptier every chest in the game with a weapon in it, making completing the rest of the story much easier, and even just going '''into''' the castle (filled with the strongest enemies in the game) will net you [[InfinityMinusOneSword Royal series and Royal Guard series equipment]], possessed of some of the strongest stats in the game]].

*** A very nasty band of bounty hunters waits for you in the narrow path leading to the gates of Orzammar, which was intended by the developers to be the last main quest to be completed. This was a problem, however, because an important NPC in a character's personal quest is waiting outside the Orzammar gates. Worse yet, the sword you receive as the reward for that personal quest seems like it would be very nice early in the game, but is ''not even good enough for VendorTrash'' by the time you can access it without resorting to exploits.

** ''[[VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy Dissidia 012 ]]'', the BrutalBonusLevel Confessions of the Creator opens with the objective to go rescue a moogle in the Chasm in the Rotting Land. You ''could'' head there right away, only to find it a multi-level dungeon full of Level 40 enemies at best and Level 80 enemies at worst, and after you complete it you're sent to fight a Level 95 WarmUpBoss guarding new areas with level 90+ enemies. Uless you did some LevelGrinding outside story mode, your characters are probably in their 30s, maybe 40s, and you have nowhere near enough money to afford them proper equipment. On the other hand the rest of the world is full of gateways featuring enemies levels 40 through mid-60s, plenty of trade accessories and VendorTrash for trading, and a short distance from the Chasm in the Rotting Land is another multi-level gateway with Level 70-90 enemies.