The Souls series is notorious for punishing its players. And nowhere is more apparent than in the franchise’s epic boss battles. The high-fantasy RPG began with the release of 2009s Demon's Souls, but it wasn’t until the release of Dark Souls a few years later that the series really took off.
Two more installments have been released since — all of which have received critical acclaim thanks to their immersive worlds and challenging gameplay. But while many of these boss battles are frustrating, what keeps players coming back to the Souls series is just how sweet victory can taste after taking down one of these unforgiving foes.
Updated on the March 23, 2020 by Anastasia Maillot: If there's one game franchise that has managed to leave a significant mark in the last decade, it's without a doubt Dark Souls. Its unique atmosphere and imaginative enemies, along with an unforgettable story, easily put it in the hall of fame of fantasy RPGs.
As such, limiting the scope of its most iconic and challenging boss battles to a mere ten would be a disservice to the franchise. It's why we've decided to share five additional boss battles guaranteed to remain etched in the minds of even the most skilled players for their sheer difficulty.
15 15. Dancer Of The Boreal Valley
Found in the Cathedral in High Wall of Lothric, opposite to the Vordt of the Boreal Valley fight, she's a boss that no player can avoid due to being a required enemy to defeat in order to progress in the game. What makes her interesting is that she can be fought quite early on, when the player is still severely under-leveled for the battle.
However, more importantly, it's her actual fighting style that makes her a formidable enemy. Her attacks have a strange timing, which will easily punish careless players. Without proper care, her combos are devastating. Perhaps the most terrifying aspect of facing her, however, is her infamous spinning attack which can melt a careless player's health bar.
14 14. Demon Prince
In the Ringed City DLC, the Demon Prince is a required boss to fight in order to progress further. He's found at the end of Dreg Heap, and marks the first boss fight of the DLC. The first phase will actually summon two demons, and depending on which one is killed first, the second phase will be somewhat easier.
Although outnumbered in the first phase, it's better to play aggressive here and shorten the duration of the first fight. Killing the Demon In Pain First is usually recommended. In the second phase, the Demon Prince himself will rise, and fighting him will require more caution. His fire attacks are especially deadly, as they have the ability to one-shot a player.
13 13. Pontiff Sulyvahn
Found in Irithyll of the Boreal Valley, Pontiff is a mandatory boss that needs to be beaten in order to progress in the game. For any player that isn't comfortable in their parrying skill, this fight is a headache. His combo attacks are particularly long, including long windups on attacks that can throw players off.
The second phase of the fight will include a clone of the Pontiff, which has a smaller health bar. That being said, the clone is still tough to deal with since the player is essentially outnumbered. Both the clone and the original will attack the player with the same attack, only the clone tends to move sooner.
12 12. Nameless King
In Archdragon Peak, the player can fight an optional boss battle by pulling a lever that rings a giant bell. This summons a storm, as well as the Nameless King himself, riding on a storm drake. While it doesn't have much HP, it will lunge on the player, breathe fire and generally behave much like the Ancient Dragon.
The King himself will use a powerful lighting spear while airborne, and on the ground swing at the player. After the drake dies, the second phase begins against the King himself. He's an extremely aggressive fighter, and if the player isn't patient, one hit could put a serious dent into their health bar.
11 11. Slave Knight Gael
The Slave Knight is found in Filianore's Rest at the end of the Ringed City DLC. As such, he's considered the final boss of the Dark Souls series. Gael is an aggressive fighter from the get-go, with very long combos that can finish a player off quickly. The second phase begins when his HP is drained to a third, and he'll start to use his crossbow along with more advanced moves as well as miracles.
The third phase starts at 40% of his health. This is the most chaotic part of the fight, where the arena will be covered with lightning strikes. He'll gain the ability to teleport and perform long aerial combos, along with sending skull-shaped homing orbs towards the player.
10 10. Ancient Dragon
The Ancient Dragon is far from one of the most enjoyable fights in the Souls series. But that doesn’t stop it from being any less challenging. Unless you’ve dedicated the entirety of the game toward building strength, this massive beast can defeat most players in one shot. Therefore, a majority of this battle involves running away from the Ancient Dragon before you can get caught up in its fiery breath.
Its melee moves may be a lot easier to dodge, but the Ancient Dragon also presents very few openings — leaving players to chip away at the dragon's massive health bar one or two blows at a time.
9 9. Gwyn, Lord Of Cinder
The final boss of the first Dark Souls game, Gwyn wasn’t nearly as hard to beat as many players may have feared. But the Lord of Cinder was still one of the hardest bosses in the series.
Gwyn is an extremely aggressive fighter; his attacks are quick and relentless. How a player fairs in this fight will largely depend upon how much time they've spent leveling-up for this epic showdown. One thing Gwyn does have going against him is that his attacks can be parried. But missing even one of these parries could open the player up to a devastating combo.
8 8. Darkeater Midir
Darkeater Midir is an optional boss who appeared in The Ringed City DLC for Dark Souls 3. Despite being one of the larger bosses in the game, this dragon is actually easier to fight head-on rather than simply going for his feet or tail.
This will inevitably put you in the path of Midir’s fiery breath and slashing claws. While these moves aren’t hard to see coming, they can still be extremely difficult to dodge. Not to mention that Midir is surprisingly fast for his size and the dragon makes good use of his entire arena throughout the fight.
7 7. Sister Friede And Father Ariandel
One of the hardest bosses in Dark Souls 3, Sister Friede and Father Ariandel appeared in the game's first DLC.
This battle includes three distinct stages, each of which is more challenging than the last. The relatively-easy first stage may give the player a false sense of confidence, as Friede’s moves are well telegraphed and easy to dodge. Things ramp up a bit when Father Ariandel enters the mix, but it’s ultimately the third phase that is the most frustrating. Blackflame Friede is ridiculously fast and extremely aggressive. Trading damage is really the only way to win; so don’t square off against this boss without the appropriate amount of strength, health, and stamina.
6 6. Four Kings
Most Dark Souls’ battles require a lot of patience on the part of the player. But patience is definitely not a virtue when facing off against the Four Kings. This boss battle is a race, as the bosses spawn on a timer. Therefore, taking out one king before the next appears will greatly increase the chances of emerging victorious.
The Four Kings also do less damage the closer you are to them — which is yet another aspect of this fight that might seem counter-intuitive to many players. Players who have solely focused on building strength may also realize just how much stamina they're lacking during this battle.
5 5. Fume Knight
Once again proving that some of the hardest bosses in Dark Souls are found in the DLC, Fume Knight is the final boss in Crown of the Old Iron King. There’s basically no margin for error when facing off against the Fume Knight, as many of his attacks can single-handedly drain the player’s health bar.
The fact that he wields two distinct weapons during the first stage means that no one side of this boss is safer than the other. The Fume Knight’s greatsword also has an unusually large hitbox, which might leave many feeling that this fight was a bit unfair.
4 4. Knight Artorias
One of the most important characters in Souls lore, Knight Artorias’s reputation really proceeded him in this epic battle from the Dark Souls DLC. Having been corrupted by the Abyss, this fallen knight’s moves are often erratic and unrelenting.
Knight Artorias also wields such power that trying to block this boss will result in nothing more than wasted stamina. Instead, the player is forced into dodging many of Artorias’s swift attacks under the hopes that the enemy won’t one-shot them into an abyss of their own. That being said, defeating Knight Artorias can make for one of the most satisfying fights in the franchise.
3 3. Black Dragon Kalameet
In Souls games, sometimes the safest place when facing off against a giant four-legged boss is to stay directly underneath them. But Black Dragon Kalameet doesn’t let the player linger below him for very long. This intimidating dragon is fast and flighty.
Kalameet also has a long list of melee and ranged attacks — which aren’t always the easiest to see coming. Any of these combos could quickly drain the player of their health and stamina. To make matters worse, Black Dragon Kalameet leaves very few windows long enough for the player to heal and collect themselves.
2 2. Dragonslayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough
If you thought squaring-off against one Dark Souls boss was hard enough, try taking on two at once. This is exactly what happened during the halfway point of Dark Souls, where players must face the lightening-fast Dragonslayer Ornstein and the massively-overpowered Executioner Smough.
The move sets of these two bosses perfectly compliment each other in the most frustrating of ways. Waiting for the right opening is paramount to winning this fight; though openings are few and far between. Headed into battle with another player is always an option. But it won't give you the same satisfaction as defeating these two bosses alone.
1 1. Manus, Father Of The Abyss
Like so many bosses in the Dark Souls series, how difficult you found Manus, Father of the Abyss will depend on a wide range of variables — including your character's build and fighting style. But all things considered, Manus checks all the boxes of what makes for a challenging boss; he’s relentless, versatile, and extremely intimidating.
Even the most seasoned of Souls players will likely only be able to get in one or two hits at a time. Otherwise, the majority of this battle will be spent dodging Manus’s barrage of potentially life-ending melee and magic attacks.