Despite being in Early Access, V Rising has already hypnotized the gaming world with its solid combat, crafting, and survival gameplay. The moment you awaken from slumber you are tasked with consuming the blood of powerful beasts, bringing back the glory of vampiric reign, and contending with that pesky old sun.

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When you take vigil at a Blood Altar, you can track the blood of a powerful boss who can grant you additional knowledge and abilities upon their defeat. There are 37 bosses to be found in the world of Vardoran, but there are a few standouts most compelling in their lore, looks, and combat style.

10 Goreswine The Ravager

Battling Goreswine in the graveyard, Goreswine The Ravager's blood altar stats

Unless you’ve had the misfortune of traveling to the far reaches of the map at a low level, Goreswine is the first unique mage boss you’ll likely encounter. Goreswine’s moves are primarily necromancy-based, so you’ll have a barrage of undead friends trying to permanently return you to your coffin.

What makes this graveyard-dwelling enemy really curious is their cult. Their sole purpose is to violate the dead, which could be the reason they’re so keen to attack a vampire on sight. The madness that their cult brings gives them their less-than-savory look, too. While you might think you’re fighting a pig-human magical beast, you’re actually just battling a delirious mage that has decided to don a dead pig’s head as a mask permanently.

9 Clive The Firestarter

Battling Clive The Firestarter at his base, clive's blood altar stats at the right

Clive is one of the more pivotal bosses, because of his base’s large supply of Sulphur and his recipe for creating explosives. If you want to continue down the line of bosses, you need to go through him to nab those materials.

A number of things make Clive interesting, despite being a regular human. For starters, he claims to have a “burning desire to wreak havoc.” Of course, he follows through with that claim using large area of effect explosives, several bombs that somehow multiply to tons of littler ones, and a dash ability to dupe you. His large camp is useful, but he has no problem blowing everything up if it means taking you down with it.

8 Beatrice The Taylor

Player Attacks Beatrice The Taylor at Village Docks, Beatrice's blood altar stats on the right

When you see Beatrice at the blood altar, you may think that she's secretly extremely overpowered and has a transformation prepared for facing overconfident vampires. That’s where you’re wrong. What makes the beloved tailor stand out among a boss list that has all manner of creatures is the fact that she just isn’t deadly. In fact, she will try to run away if you approach her.

Because she’s passive, it’s easy to feel bad about, you know, draining her blood. That said, she runs very fast and basically calls the whole village and cavalry to attack you. It's a fatal cry for help if you're solo and low-leveled. What’s even more interesting is that her heritage comes from Dracula himself. Hence, you get the power to temporarily turn yourself into a human after you defeat her. Makes you wonder if Beatrice was really a little old lady after all.

7 Leandra The Shadow Priestess

Player Starts Attacking Leandra The Shadow Priestess by a shrine, leandra's blood altar stats

Though Leandra is by no means the only priestess in the game, she can spook unsuspecting players because of her tendency to roam the map. A particular ability to watch out for is her spectral skill. Should you defeat her, you get the ability to summon a spectral assassin to come to your aid. She’s one of the few bosses to have summons you can use like this, so she’s one to watch out for.

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The real mystery to Leandra, though, is the lore behind her origins. She is said to be one of the oldest beings in the land, and was supposedly one of Dracula’s most trusted advisors. There are so many questions that surround her continued existence. How did she evade the paladins of light? What is her true significance for the return of vampires after centuries?

6 Terah The Geomancer

Terah The Geomancer in her stone golem form attacks player, terah's blood altar stats right

When you come head to head with Terah the Geomancer, she seems like any other person. Then, she turns into a giant stone golem and it all goes to hell. Terah’s transformation already marks a refreshing switch-up from other bosses in the game, but it gets even more exciting when she displays her other abilities. As an earth speaker, she can summon spectral stone golems to protect her. While they are alive, she won’t take damage.

Her cliffside battle is made even more memorable when she burrows into the ground. She looks like any other pillar, except this is her way of summoning devastating area of effect boulders all around you. Let’s not even talk about that little hulk smash she does that makes a damaging line on the ground.

5 Azariel The Sunbringer

Azariel The Sunbringer does a holy attack in his church, azariel's blood altar stats on right

Azariel is not the strongest member of the Church of Luminance. That honor goes to Solarus, whose confrontation is nigh impossible to survive without prep and some clan members. What makes Azariel feel more notable is where you find him and his role in the game’s world. Unlike Solarus, he didn’t become jaded and corrupted over time. He has always sought out power and rank with the delusion that it’s for the best interest of society.

He summons plenty of protective enchantments and stays within a church that will be painful just to walk into. With him are his gaggle of devout nuns and guards who stand by as he proclaims, “Witness the power of faith!” He carries a messianic complex to the very core, and it’s fascinating to behold (even if he is trying to kill you to show his power.)

4 Gorecrusher The Behemoth

Gorecrusher The Behemoth starts his pound area of effect attack in his lair, blood altar stats right

Gorecrusher’s battle is one of the most fascinating encounters you’ll have in this game, largely due to how punishing it is. Despite not being the final enemy, he definitely feels like it a lot of the time. Beating him is worth the challenge, though, if only for that coveted soul shard that you can place in your castle.

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The nature of his state is also quite riveting and hints at deeper secrets lying in the woods. Gorecrusher used to be a “regular” vampire not unlike your character and yet stands before unfortunate souls as a great and lumbering amalgamation of wood, bone, and blood. Only the bold would try to solo this being, especially since he has so many dashes, jumps, area of attack spells, and almost endless minion souls to summon.

3 Ungora The Spider Queen

Ungora The Spider Queen gets attacked by player in her cave full of eggs, blood altar stats right

Arachnophobes beware, Ungora is a huge sight to behold, and summons many more little spiders to aid her in her cave. Sure, this isn’t the first time a giant spider has been used as a big bad in fantasy. Ungora joins the fold with the likes of Shelob and Aragog.

What makes her stand out in the world of V Rising is how, unlike other creature bosses here, she is not a result of a perversion of her natural state. It’s pretty refreshing to see a giant spider that’s just that when everyone else has been corrupted in one way or another.

2 The Winged Horror

The Winged Horror does a chaos dash attack, winged horror's blood altar stats right

Few things are as interesting as a beast that has been dubbed Dracula’s favorite pet. That line alone begs so many questions. The manticore-like horror is a sight to behold, and starkly different from other bosses you’ll see in these lands. It mourned its master, much like Hachiko or Seymour, but met a fate decidedly more macabre.

Aside from his noteworthy history, you’d be hard-pressed to forget The Winged Horror after you face him on the mountaintop, because of his attacks. He flies at great speed, uses powerful chaos attacks, and has a multitude of painful moves in his arsenal.

1 Nightmarshal Styx The Sunderer

Nightmarshal Styx The Sunderer uses axe attacks on player, styx blood altar stats right

Plot twist: one legendary vampire did survive the war. Here enters Styx, who basically got left behind to rot by fleeing vamps, and yet defied all odds to remain. Honestly, you can’t blame him for being bitter against bloodsuckers after that.

This unique boss is the only legendary vampire boss you’ll see. He has much of the same abilities as you, except he also has dominion over bats. His betrayal arc makes him a compelling character that can be great for immersive role-playing. Who better to usurp than an ancient predecessor seething with a vengeance?

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