Skip To...
The most fulfilling proof that you have gotten ‘gud’ in gaming is the honor of overcoming whatever soul-crushing ordeals those sadists at FromSoftware throw at you in their Souls games. The hardest bosses in the Souls series, for that matter, are at the forefront of this murder attempt on your perseverance.
Whether you’ve come here to gloat about your past victories or to see which ‘mountains’ need climbing in gaming, we present to you the hardest bosses in the Souls series. They’ll make you laugh, they’ll make you cry, but more importantly, prepare to die.
10. Ornstein and Smough (Dark Souls)
Or as I affectionately refer to as Pikachu and Snorlax, here is the first real initiation rite for any Dark Souls newbie. The rather limited arena and the fact that these two bosses complement each other well in their fighting styles add up to the difficulty. Really, splitting them up becomes imperative, and the whole fight transforms into a deadly dance as you too and fro between pillars for protection, area-of-effect lightning storm attacks, and, well… an entirely new superpower boss in the second phase of the fight depending on who you defeat first.
They’re the most popular tag-team in the Souls series and they stand at the crossroads in the game where you can decide to throw in the towel or power through despite the unfair disadvantage. Needless to say, victory against these two was cathartic.
9. Black Dragon Kalameet (Dark Souls)
The first Dark Souls was sorely missing out on a proper dragon boss fight. So, the Artorias of the Abyss expansion came to the rescue and introduced Black Dragon Kalameet and his fiery halitosis. It’s a lot more dignified as a dragon-slaying activity compared to Gaping Dragon and poor ol’ Seath.
It’s also a lot harder since Black Dragon Kalameet has so much HP and you’ll have to make do with seeing his scaly behind take up half your screen. Adding insult to injury, the fight is a bit of a battle with Dark Souls‘ notorious camera. Still, it’s one of the best dragon fights in the Dark Souls trilogy.
8. Dancer of the Boreal Valley (Dark Souls 3)
Come Dark Souls 3, the game’s designers had developed a habit of introducing bosses with deceptive and delayed attacks to throw off your muscle memory. This blindsiding pivot was in full swing with the Dancer of the Boreal Valley.
She’s an expert in punishing players with no rhythm or patience in their attacks. You get one attack per window, any more than that and your dance instructor gets mad at you for the duration of the lesson. If you’re carrying a great weapon, you get half an attack. Maybe.
7. Manus (Dark Souls)
Speaking of relentless attackers, Manus and his tantrum combos will make just about any toddler look like a sleeping pup. You barely get any window of attack in this fight. It doesn’t help that the fight takes place in an area devoid of both light and hope.
Still, Manus’ difficulty is somewhat justified since he’s the Father of the Abyss and he is the progenitor of the Dark Soul. He’s quite possibly the hardest boss in the first Dark Souls title.
6. Lud and Zallen (Dark Souls 2)
Despite being one of the hardest bosses in the Souls series, it’s understandable if you completely skipped this twin boss. Not only is the fight mechanically unfair and too reliant on RNG, but the whole path leading up to the boss arena is also frustrating torture.
And it’s not like you haven’t faced something similar. Lud and Zallen are simply reskins of the Aava, the King’s Pet except now there are two and you have to multitask dodging, attacking, splitting them up, and wrestling with Dark Souls 2’s stubborn camera. It’s hard but unlike most hard bosses in the Souls series, it’s not a fun fight.
5. Darkeater Midir (Dark Souls 3)
Dark Souls 3 got close to perfecting its dragon fights with Darkeater Midir and they had to; Midir is the last dragon boss for the Dark Souls trilogy. This time around, they actually made the arena a proper area for a dragon fight where Midir can move around more freely.
That means you are no match for him. You’re practically a mouse armed with a toothpick, fighting a pit bull compared to how much HP this overgrown lizard has. Additionally, the ‘pit bull’ can spew out a radiation beam like Godzilla if you anger him enough and if his thrashing around fails to squash you.
4. Nameless King (Dark Souls 3)
Now here’s a tough but fun fight in Dark Souls 3. The Nameless King is both stylish and formidable– but more importantly, he’s also a fair(ish) boss fight. This is a fight where each defeat makes you more skillful since it’s a matter of adapting to his movements and memorizing them.
Not to mention the epic boss arena adds to the atmosphere of the fight. So, even if you take around two dozen attempts to finally win, it’s a fight where you can mostly just blame yourself if you lose.
3. Sir Alonne (Dark Souls 2)
A few of the hardest bosses in the Souls series demand perfection from the players, and one of those demanding bosses is Sir Alonne. Don’t be fooled by the French-sounding name, this guy doesn’t surrender and he’s also a samurai.
You will have to spend a long time getting used to his moves, which he can switch up from time to time. Hence, the whole boss fight is just you trying to keep up since Sir Alonne sets the pace. Most of the time, you’re not worthy of his katana and his pristine waxed floor.
2. Fume Knight (Dark Souls 2)
He’s called the Fume Knight because you’ll be fuming and hot-eared after your 30th attempt still ends with more than half of his HP bar. Lorewise, the Fume Knight in Dark Souls 2 is also Sir Alonne’s nemesis, and you’ll easily see why in the boss fight.
The Fume Knight hits hard, hits fast, and has a lot of HP. As an added bonus, the arena is also small and he also likes to mix up his heavy strikes with a crafty smaller sword. You can also forget about blocking his attacks as they’ll still go through during his second phase.
1. Sister Friede (Dark Souls 3)
Fume Knight was at the top of the hardest bosses in the Souls series until this barefoot emo nun came along and gave everyone a shortcut to meeting their maker. She’s by far the most cruel boss design in the entire Dark Souls trilogy due to the fact that she’s a three-stage boss fight.
Each of the latter two of those stages is about as difficult as the Nameless King boss fight. In an even more ruthless trick from the game designers, you also get a misleading “reward” message after the second phase so you can briefly celebrate your false sense of achievement. Shortly after, your soul will leave your very being while you watch in horror as Sister Friede’s body rises again. Turns out you have to defeat her in agony thrice– because this is Dark Souls 3.
