It goes without saying that Dark Souls is easily one of the greatest and most important video games to have released in recent history. During a time when major AAA companies were becoming more and more averse to actually challenge players in their titles, Dark Souls served as a breath of some much-needed fresh air. Here was a game that acknowledged that gamers weren't brain-dead consumers who needed their hand to be held at every step of the way.

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Of course, it would be impossible to talk about Dark Souls without mentioning one of its crowning achievements: its boss fights. These encounters have contributed to some of the most iconic moments in the series, with almost every boss fight in the game being memorable in some way or the other. Some of the bosses in Dark Souls have proven to be laughably easy, while others are incredibly frustrating in comparison. This list will take a look at five examples of each.

10 Easiest: Ceaseless Discharge

Ceaseless Discharge from Dark Souls

Ceaseless Discharge is easily one of the most forgettable bosses in the entirety of the Soulsborne franchise. This boss comes during the second half of the game when the intricate level design and thoughtful encounters of Dark Souls become few and far between.

The end result is a boss who is so easy to beat that one can just run back to the start of the boss arena and watch on as Ceaseless Discharge tries to leap over the chasm to attack you... only to miss the leap and hang on for dear life. A few hits to his hard and this boss fight is over and done with.

9 Frustrating: Capra Demon

Dark Souls player facing the Capra Demon

In a game where every boss fight feels like an imposing yet oddly fair challenge, the Capra Demon boss fight is easily the cheapest boss one can fight. The player's reactions at the start of this boss fight will determine whether they'll be able to survive this annoying encounter.

The two dogs that accompany Capra Demon are the real threats in this fight, with their attacks interrupting the player and making him or her easy fodder for the Capra Demon. This, coupled with the cramped boss arena, makes this encounter an absolute pain to get through. Well... at least it's technically optional.

8 Easiest: Centipede Demon

The Centipede Demon is another forgettable encounter present in the second half of Dark Souls, with the boss fight seeming like a challenge but being anything but.

The lava arena is the only threat in this fight, and players need to keep an eye out for their health while fighting the Centipede Demon. Negligence is the only real threat here, and it can lead to a swift demise if the player gets too reckless.

7 Frustrating: Artorias The Abysswalker

Artorias is considered by many to be the best boss in Dark Souls, and it's easy to see why this is the case. The lore surrounding this tragic warrior is amazing in its own right and watching this once-proud warrior be slowly consumed by the abyss is quite heartbreaking.

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That being said, Artorias is easily one of the fastest and hardest bosses in the game, and players need to be on their toes and approach this fight with a calculated offense if they don't want to be taken out sooner rather than later.

6 Easiest: Dark Sun Gwyndolin

Dark Sun Gwyndolin from Dark Souls

A hidden and optional boss present in the game, Dark Sun Gwyndolin is less of a fight and more of a test of the player's ability to dodge projectiles. If the player passes this test, then all they need to do is whack a helpless Gwyndolin until he's down for the count.

5 Frustrating: Black Dragon Kalameet

Before this boss, From Software had tried time and time again to engineer a memorable encounter with a dragon, with the results being anything but stellar.

However, this all changed with the appearance of Black Dragon Kalameet, which was definitely a step in the right direction for From Software. Fighting this dragon is always a thrilling experience, and one needs to be on their toes if they don't want to be burnt to a crisp in seconds.

4 Easiest: Moonlight Butterfly

Moonlight Butterfly from Dark Souls

The Moonlight Butterfly is easily one of the most boring and unimaginative encounters in the entire game. Most of the battle involves dodging the Butterfly's attacks, which can be quite annoying if you don't have any ranged attacks.

After a while, the Butterfly will land on the bridge, which is the perfect time for the player to unleash as much damage as possible and—hopefully—take care of this creature in one hit.

3 Frustrating: The Bed Of Chaos

The last thing gamers needed in a game focused on tight movement and combat controls... is a platforming boss. Unfortunately, it seems From Software didn't receive this memo during the development of Dark Souls, leading to what is easily one of the most frustrating boss fights in video game history.

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Reaching the Bed of Chaos is easily the biggest and only challenge in this fight, especially with the floor caving all around the player. It will take some tight movement—which can be especially hard with the finicky jump mechanic—and a ton of luck for a player to emerge from this fight unscathed.

2 Easiest: Pinwheel

Pinwheel is a legendary boss fight from Dark Souls... albeit for all the wrong reasons. The general consensus when it comes to this boss is that it has absolutely no challenge attached to it whatsoever and feels like nothing more than a normal enemy with a bigger health bar.

The trek to this boss is harder than the fight itself, which speaks volumes when it comes to the shoddy nature of this encounter.

1 Frustrating: Ornstein & Smough

There was no way one can talk about the hardest bosses in Dark Souls without mentioning the masterpiece that is Ornstein & Smough. The combination of a fast spear-wielder and a slower but beefier brute proves to be perfect—for most players, that is.

Meanwhile, the player will need to play their cards right if they don't want to be mobbed by both these bosses. Taking down one of these bosses feels like an achievement... until the other absorbs their dead compatriot to become even bigger and more powerful, while also regaining all their health in the process. This statement itself should make it perfectly clear why Ornstein and Smough is the hardest boss encounter in Dark Souls.

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