The Demon's Souls remake by Bluepoint Games and SIE Japan Studio was a welcome surprise that fans had been hoping would happen one day. It being released at the launch of the PS5 as a launch exclusive was also shocking considering many believed the game to be farther away.
Like any FromSoftware game, Demon's Souls is all about the world-building and memorable boss fights it has to offer players. Let's now look at and rank the first ten boss fights in Demon's Souls by difficulty and see where each lands.
10 Adjudicator
The Adjudicator is the clear and away gimmick boss of Demon's Souls and happens to have one of the most obvious weak spots in the history of video game bosses. From a lore and world-building perspective, the Adjudicator has a lot going for it, but in terms of a boss fight, it simply comes down to rinse and repeat tactics. By aggressive going at it with melee attacks it will fall and leave its glowing head wide open. Avoid his easily avoidable slow attacks and does this over and over to secure an easy victory.
9 Leechmonger
It's hard for anyone to take a boss seriously who has the word "monger" in their name. The Leechmonger can be found in the Valley of Defilement and will be the first boss players encounter in this area. Like most leech and slime monsters in FromSoftware titles, the Leechmonger is super weak to fire. Ranged fighters can make quick work of the beast via the use of high ground placement, or can set it ablaze and go in for meaningful melee attacks when the creature is feeling damaged and bruised beyond repair.
8 Old Monk
Some may argue the Old Monk fight deserves to be higher on the list, but the difficulty of the fight is wildly unpredictable. Those playing offline will be met with a rather easy boss who has one attack that needs to be avoided.
If playing online, however, the boss will be player controlled and the difficulty is determined by how experienced and/or skilled that player is. This means you don't know if the boss is controlled by a veteran or a kid who got the game last week and is looking to kill some time between Fortnite matches.
7 Dragon God
With a name like Dragon God, one would assume that this fight would be extraordinarily difficult or entertaining. That's not the case and it ends up falling short of both expectations. This boss fight relies on the player shooting ballista at the boss and then damaging it with melee attacks once it is stunned. Those having trouble getting to the ballista need to focus on being stealthier and relying on the pillars in the boss arena as a way to stay out of the line of sight of the Dragon God.
6 Fool's Idol
FromSoftware are experts when it comes to combat design and always managed to sneak in a boss with a secret mechanic. The Fool's Idol falls in this category as players must kill a praying enemy on the right side of the boss room entrance to succeed. If this enemy is not killed it will revive the Fool's Idol over and over again making it impossible to defeat. Fool's Idol relies on clones, so pay attention to which boss shoots the thickest rays and aim for them every time and it should result in a victory.
5 Armor Spider
Most people aren't very fond of spiders, so the idea of a giant armored spider awakens nightmares in anyone who comes across the boss lurking in the Stonefang Tunnel. As far as bosses go it is pretty aggressive and will immediately attack the player with ranged fire that must be dodged. It's best to take the fight to it and get up close and personal. Removing the space eliminates ranged attacks and it will then come down to the player being able to dodge and evade pattern attacks while landing significant blows to the eight-legged freak.
4 Phalanx
A slime boss may not seem like much, but Phalanx is the first real boss players will face in their Demon's Souls journey. It is located at the Gates of Boletaria and its defeat will result in players obtaining the first trophy in the game.
It is weak to fire, so magic users and those familiar with the flame can burn it to the ground. A go-to strategy for it is to focus on eliminating the smaller blobs protecting the giant mass and in doing so the larger monster no longer has any sort of defense to protect itself from deadly blows.
3 Tower Knight
Many people will recognize the Tower Knight upon coming across it at the Boletarian Palace. It was featured in all of the marketing for the remake and shows off the visual improvements rather nicely. This towering behemoth is guarded by two archers, which can be defeated first but will result in missing a trophy one could earn by defeating the knight while the archers are still alive. Focus on its ankles and staggering it, once this is done players have access to damaging his head for major damage.
2 Maneaters
In many ways, the Maneaters were the inspiration for Ornstein & Smough, one of the most beloved boss fights in the entirety of the Dark Souls trilogy. Players should implement one of two strategies when fighting these green-eyed monstrosities. The first is to try and eliminate the first Maneater before the second arrives which calls for an aggressive playstyle. The second strategy is to simply try and lure one apart from the other while also avoiding the cheap ranged attacks they can both send towards the player.
1 Flamelurker
Flamelurker and the Maneaters are considered to be the two hardest bosses in the game and ranking them #1 or #2 comes down to playstyle and personal preference. Flamelurker can be found in the Stonefang Tunnels and is the second boss players will encounter. If a player happens to be a magic-user they are in luck as that is this boss' major weakness. Flamelurker hits for a ton of damage so melee fighters should play it safe and focus on blocking and dodging all while maintaining some serious patience.