Dark Souls is often lauded for its almost perfect combat and the interesting bosses players must overcome in their journey throughout the game developed by FromSoftware. Though it may not be the most difficult encounter players face in the first game, the fight against Ornstein and Smough is brought up as an all-time great in gaming.

RELATED: Dark Souls: 10 Bosses In The Series That Are Surprisingly Easy

This is due to the nature of it and the unique mechanic of one of the bosses absorbing the power of the other, depending on who's defeated first. The gifted knight and terrifying executioner stood guard and honored their lord.

10 Smough: He's A Cannibal

Ornstein and Smough facts

Smough was known as the executioner and, like most individuals with that title, it seemed like he found pleasure in the act of ending the life of other living things. In addition to having an interest in murder and torture, Smough also found comfort in eating those he killed.

It was said that he crushed the bones of his victims and mixed them into whatever he was eating. This behavior is what stood in the way of him becoming an official knight of Gwyn, a dream he desired to accomplish but was ultimately rejected by Lord Gwyn.

9 Ornstein: Trusted By Gwyn, Loyal To The First Born

Ornstein and Smough facts

Lord Gwyn was a powerful man who had a target on his back at all times. He wasn't willing to trust just anyone, so it's impressive that he came to respect and honor Ornstein. Gwyn gifted the proud knight with the title of being one of the Four Knights of Gwyn and even entrusted him with protecting his daughter, Gwynevere.

Despite Ornstein being devoutly loyal to Gwyn's first-born son, the knight remained with Gwyn many years after the Lord disowned his son and cast him out into the world with the boy's very existence being erased from history completely.

8 Smough: Knighthood Rejection

Ornstein and Smough facts

The entry describing Smough's cannibalism is all the proof anyone needs in order to understand why he was never granted knighthood by Lord Gwyn. Another reason for the rejection, though, had to do with his job as the executioner which was seen as an unholy livelihood.

RELATED: 10 Dark Souls Lore Facts You May Have Missed

Both of these things stood in the way of him becoming a knight, but even through this denial he stood loyal to his lord and remained stationed in Anor Londo in the very room in which Aldrich would consume him and many others in his search for more power and enlightenment.

7 Ornstein & Smough: Who Were They Protecting?

Ornstein and Smough facts

Ornstein and Smough were tasked with protecting the princess of sunlight, Gwynevere in the time that followed the gods fleeing Anor Londo. They were under the impression they were protecting Lord Gwyn's daughter, but it is revealed that this form of Gwynevere is simply an illusion cast by her brother Gwyndolin to disguise his presence.

This means Ornstein and Smough were tricked into protecting a non-existent entity and were more likely there to protect Gwyndolin without them knowing.

6 Smough: Ironically Devoured

Ornstein and Smough facts

For a man who enjoyed eating others and living a life of murder and cannibalism, it's ironic that Smough met his fate in the same way. He eventually died at the hands of Aldrich, the Devourer of Gods in an act that was likely more coincidence than anything as Smough was the last remaining figure closest to a knight of Gwyn left in Anor Londo.

He was eaten armor and all, which serves as a bit of justice for the numerous people he killed then ate over the dozens of years he served as the official executioner in Anor Londo.

5 Ornstein: Why He Left Anor Londo

Ornstein and Smough facts

Though it's never explicitly stated, it seems that the strongest case for why Ornstein abandoned his post and left Anor Londo had to do with a sense of loyalty. Gwyn's first-born was a son he disowned and erased from history due to the child's affinity for dragons.

This same child had a loyal follower in Ornstein. He likely ventured out in hopes of reconnecting with the boy and provided proof of his loyalty many years after the boy was forced out of his titles, status, and anything else related to Lord Gwyn.

4 Smough: Betrayal Of Ornstein

Ornstein and Smough facts

It's often assumed that Ornstein and Smough must have been friends, or at least welcoming to one another. Evidence seems to suggest that they were simply co-workers tasked by Lord Gwyn to work with one another.

RELATED: Dark Souls 3: The 10 Best Bosses, Ranked

If the player defeats Ornstein first, moments before Smough smashes him with his hammer to consume his power, Ornstein's hand moves. This means that he was alive and this is made more devastating by the fact that Smough laughs moments after crushing him, meaning he found pleasure in ending the knight's life.

3 Ornstein: Old Dragonslayer

Ornstein and Smough facts

The Ornstein & Smough fight from Dark Souls has garnered the label of one of the most iconic boss fights in gaming, but their legacy persists long after that encounter. Ornstein happens to be one of the few characters whose presence seems to permeate across each entry of the trilogy.

Dark Souls II is the area in which there's the least clarity surrounding whether or not it's him. A boss named Old Dragonslayer can be encountered, wearing black armor very similar to Ornstein's ornate lion set. It's unclear if this is Ornstein in an alternate set of armor or someone playing the part.

2 Smough: The Last Knight

Ornstein and Smough facts

As mentioned earlier, there were few things Smough desired more than becoming an official knight under Lord Gwyn. Despite his best efforts, this was never gifted to him, but in a strange twist of fate his dream kind of came true.

Once Ornstein left Anor Londo, Smough was the closest thing to a knight of Gwyn left in the city. This is where he would remain until the day in which he was likely consumed by Aldrich, which is revealed via the player receiving his armor set upon defeating the Devourer of Gods in Dark Souls III.

1 Ornstein: Dragonslayer Armour

Ornstein and Smough facts

Following the entry talking about The Nameless King and why Ornstein left Anor Londo, it's safe to assume that the Dragonslayer Armour is his very own set. It's likely that he set out on a journey with the purpose to find the Nameless King and honor his never-ending loyalty to Gwyn's first-born child.

Along the way, he either abandoned his armor or met his demise and was stripped of it. This is why the armor in Dark Souls III is being puppeteered by the majestic magical butterflies that exist in the surrounding area of Lothric Castle.

NEXT: Dark Souls: The 10 Best Bosses, Ranked