Highlights

  • Some video game bosses are elusive, offering only one shot to fight them - miss it, and you're out.
  • Be prepared for a brutal showdown with optional bosses like Malenia in Elden Ring.
  • Missing bosses like The Nameless King in Dark Souls 3 could mean missing out on epic battles.

Most bosses in video games are eager for a fight. You can challenge them repeatedly until you either grow weary or emerge victorious. Missing these encounters often means missing crucial parts of the game's story and impeding progress.

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However, some bosses defy these conventions. They offer only a fleeting opportunity for confrontation. Whether hidden behind a multitude of secret conditions or vanishing if you fail, facing them is far from guaranteed. You're more likely to miss a showdown with these bosses than to see their heads mounted on a spear.

Updated on March 24, 2024, by Mohamed El Ouardighi: Bosses are a significant aspect of video games, consistently presenting a challenge in one way or another. We've revised this list to incorporate additional bosses that are either hard to find or defeat you in a single shot.

10 Karen Alias

Absented Age: Squarebound

Karen and Karen Alias face off against each other in Absented Age: Squarebound

Absented Age: Squarebound is a JRPG about the ghost of a trumpet player trying to recover her memories and also her life. To return to the land of the living, you'll have to help her recover her heart fragments by defeating bosses, called Gangers, in glorious turn-based combat.

While all of this is fairly straightforward, the final battle with Karen Alias is anything but. If you lose to her, that's it. You won't be able to challenge her again. Sorry! It's a surprisingly brutal aspect of a game populated by cute anime sprites.

9 Moon Presence

Bloodborne

Moon Presence: Bloodborne

So, you want to want to fight the final boss of Bloodborne? Well, you're going to have to go through a few steps. First, you'll have to gather three parts of a dead god's umbilical cord. It's a pretty involved process and can get interrupted if some quest givers die, making the boss inaccessible.

Then, of course, you'll have to eat all of those umbilical cords before fighting Gehrman, The First Hunter. Isn't that what everyone thinks about when they see an old god's organ? Once you've chowed down and defeated Gehrman, you'll be rewarded with a chance to fight the Moon Presence, a gigantic old one full of tentacles who will probably wreck you more than once. Defeating it gives you Bloodborne's good ending, but the road is terrifying and long.

8 Donkey Kong

Punch-Out!! (Wii)

Donkey & Diddy Kong with Donkey Kong on the left and Diddy on the right

You probably didn't know it, but Little Mac and Donky Kong squared up against each other in the ring long before Super Smash Bros Ultimate. Appearing as a secret boss during Mac's Last Stand, seeing this simian easter egg is almost as satisfying as beating him to a pulp.

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The only problem? Fighters in Mac's Last Stand appear randomly, and Mac gives up after three losses. If you lose too quickly or just get unlucky, you'll lose the chance to fight to give the old one-two to DK.

7 Lichdragon Fortissax

Elden Ring

A long, full shot of Lichdragon Fortisax before he absoultely destroys you

One of the most difficult bosses in Elden Ring, Litchdragon Fortissax is also just as difficult to get to. You'll have to progress a certain way through Ranni's questline to gain the Cursemark of Death and follow Fia down into the Deeproot Depths, defeating several difficult bosses along the way.

After you give Fia the Cursemark, you'll be able to enter into her dream to try and test your mettle against the Litchdragon. What's the big deal about it? If you do things wrong, D's brother will appear and kill Fia before you have the chance, making one of the game's best encounters inaccessible.

6 Malenia, Blade of Miquella

Elden Ring

Malenia posing with a long sword in Elden Ring.

You've probably heard about Malenia, right? There's been a lot of talk about her, especially because she's one tough boss to beat. But here's the thing: she's completely optional. You don't have to fight her to finish the game.

Like many other optional bosses, Malenia isn't easy to find. She's tucked away in the Haligtree area, waiting for the Tarnished. And let me tell you, just getting to her is a challenge in itself. So, if you do decide to take her on, be prepared for the run of your life and the fight of your life. It's not going to be a walk in the park, that's for sure.

5 The Psychiatrist

Katana Zero

The final form of the Psychiatrist boss battle

Ostensibly a calm presence in the life of Katana-wielding protagonist, Zero, the Psychiatrist is actually a seething ball of rage with psychic powers. He won't attack you if you're nice to him, but if you're a jerk at every possible opportunity, his rage bubbles over and comes crawling straight at you.

Unfortunately, you won't be able to fight the Psychiatrist unless you're committed to being the worst possible person. If even a grain of kindness enters your heart, the psychiatrist will keep his feelings in check, and you won't be able to re-create the scene from Akira where Tetsuo turns into a gigantic ball of flesh.

4 The Nameless King

Dark Souls 3

The Nameless King riding in on his trusty wyvern in Dark Souls 3

An optional boss lying behind another optional boss, it's entirely too easy to miss The Nameless King — which is a shame considering his significance in Dark Souls lore. To face him, you'll have to beat Ocerios, The Consumed King, and get a gesture from a corpse lying around in the area past him. Then, you'll need to backtrack to Irithil Dungeon and do that gesture next to a dragon statue. After a small cutscene, you'll find yourself on Archdragon Peak.

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You can always backtrack and do these steps before fighting the Soul of Cinder, but unless you know the area exists, you'll probably overlook the Nameless King. This can be a good or a bad thing, depending on how much you enjoy getting hit in the face with an overpowered lightning bolt.

3 Dullahan

Golden Sun: The Lost Age

Dullahan from Golden Sun: The Lost Age

Though he's not the final boss of Golden Sun, Dullahan is its hardest, which is saying something in a game where you fight the literal Greek god of the sea. For most of you, he's also entirely inaccessible.

The only way to get to Dullahan is to be an absolute completionist throughout The Lost Age and its predecessor, Golden Sun. You'll have to collect every Djin in both games, and then link the two of them together so that they transfer over. You'll get the most powerful summon in the game when you do beat Dullahan, but if you forgot to explore everything, or didn't beat the previous game beforehand, you're out of luck.

2 The Sphinx

Dragon's Dogma 2

The Sphinx is looking at the Arisen with a scary face - Dragon's Dogma 2-1

The Sphinx in Dragon's Dogma 2 is one of those amazing secrets the developers tucked away. Finding her isn't a walk in the park, and the path to her is more tricky than perilous. But once you stumble upon her, get ready for a different kind of challenge. She won't attack you outright – instead, she'll test your smarts with some mind-bending riddles.

Now, if you're the adventurous type who can't resist poking a giant beast, know this: she won't fight back at first, but keep at it, and she'll unleash a barrage of magical attacks and teleportation tricks. This isn't your typical brawl – if you manage to deal too much damage, she'll just fly off. And once she's gone, that's it. No second chances. Defeating her isn't just about brute force; it's about finding the right approach.

1 Grey Prince Zote

Hollow Knight

Hollow Knight Boss Grey Prince Zote mid battle

Zote The Mighty is one of Hollow Knight's few jokes. Supposedly a powerful knight, he's just bluster. Though he's brave enough to go down into Hallownest, you'll find him trapped in spider webs, menaced by creatures in Deepnest, and once in the jaws of a Vengefly King.

If you choose not to save Zote during this last encounter, he dies. At first, it's kind of nice not having to deal with his arrogance anymore. However, leaving him to die shuts you out from a fantastic dream boss where, fueled by Bretta's admiration for him, Zote becomes the warrior he always thought he was: a bulky beetle who flails his nail around like it's a dirty washrag. Saving this ungrateful bug is worth it to see him come to his full, ridiculous glory.

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