Dark Souls has a certain… reputation, shall we say: Whenever it (or any other FromSoftware game) is brought up, so are notions of difficulty. It’s become the hard game against which to measure all other hard games, to the extent that, depending on gameplay mechanics and challenge, new titles are sometimes called “Souls-like.” Steam itself even has a Souls-like section.
While it’s true that Dark Souls is a punishing experience, it’s not the whole truth. Indeed, even some of its vaunted boss fights aren’t all that grueling—or interesting, for that matter. Yet difficulty and depth of lore aren’t always mutually exclusive when discussing which bosses are the best; these can vary quite a bit from fight to fight. So, let’s actually go from boss fight to boss fight and measure Dark Souls, not against other games, but against itself.
Spoilers incoming!
24. Ceaseless Discharge
Dark Souls' combat is as deep as deep gets, but timing dodges and knowing when to strike are at its core, no matter your personal playstyle. Ceaseless Discharge’s attack patterns are so limited that a five-year-old with no gaming experience whatsoever could learn them on the first try.
What more is there to say? That Ceaseless Discharge is ugly as sin? That its name is easy to make fun of? That it’s unfortunately necessary to defeat in order to further explore the Demon Ruins? Blech.
23. The Bed of Chaos
Dark Souls’ opening cinematic introduces us to the Witch of Izalith and her Daughters of Chaos, who help exterminate the Everlasting Dragons and begin the Age of Fire. When the Witch tried to prolong the Age by creating the First Flame anew, she failed and—presumably—became the Bed of Chaos, which birthed every demon in existence. Awesome lore, but then…
… the “fight.” You must destroy the Bed’s roots, upon which the floor cracks open. It’s all too easy to fall in—or to get pushed in by the Bed. Traversing the holey maze while avoiding its attacks is nothing less than infuriating, but it’s the only way to reach the Chaos Bug at its center that will end the slog once and for all.
22. Pinwheel
Pinwheel’s saving grace—and the sole reason he’s higher than both Ceaseless Discharge and the Bed of Chaos—is that he dies in a mere few hits. It ends so quickly that anyone not trolling him or listening to the soundtrack outside the game has probably never heard the full 2+ minutes of his theme.
He has two variations of a fireball, a fire stream attack, and can clone himself. Even surrounded by Pinwheel clones, though, that same five-year-old who defeated Ceaseless Discharge would have little trouble triumphing.
21. Moonlight Butterfly
Most Dark Souls bosses straddle the line between awe-inspiring and horrific, but the Moonlight Butterfly emanates a kind of celestial beauty, its multicolored wings sparkling in the night. As they say, though, beauty is only skin-deep—scale-deep in this case.
The Moonlight Butterfly has only one mode of attack: ranged. Trapped on a narrow bridge, your choices are either to fight range with range or to roll, block, and heal until it very briefly lands and you can hack away at it. A real snooze-fest.
20. Dark Sun Gwyndolin
Anor Londo, the golden city of the gods, is empty of all except enemies when you get there—not a surprise, as the gods’ power has long since waned. However, after defeating Ornstein and Smough (more on them later!), a goddess awaits: Gwynevere, Princess of Sunlight. Only… she’s actually an illusion created by her brother Gwyndolin, who is hiding in Anor Londo.
You’d expect a fight with a god to be monumental, but this low on the list, you already know it isn’t. Gwyndolin shoots arrows and magic and runs away. That’s it. What puts him a step above the Moonlight Butterfly is that you can just run and gun him, no waiting required.
19. Capra Demon
The idea of the Capra Demon is a decent one: Having just narrowly escaped a number of Undead Assassins, you’re suddenly trapped in a small room, flanked by both the titular demon and its Undead Dogs. Ideas and execution are two separate things, though.
Turns out, fighting in a tiny, enclosed space surrounded by three enemies constantly hounding you isn’t all that fun. With patience and good aim, you can actually beat the Capra Demon by throwing firebombs over the wall before its arena. So, save yourself the trouble if you can.
18. The Centipede Demon
The Orange Charred Ring is handy when traversing a lava pool, which is exactly what the Centipede Demon’s arena is. The fight can end quickly without the ring, as there isn’t much non-lava room to maneuver, but things can be frustrating even with it.
Indeed, the Centipede Demon has a lot of far-reaching and aerial attacks, making it hard to pin down. The fight definitely keeps you on your toes, which makes it marginally more interesting than the aforementioned bosses. The demon also looks gross, but in an awesome way.
17. Asylum Demon, Demon Firesage, Stray Demon
These three are essentially reskins of one another, and while none of them are terrible, neither are they particularly exciting.
The Asylum Demon is notable for being the game’s first boss, the bane of countless new players. The Demon Firesage isn’t much different—just on fire, and equipped with an area-of-effect attack. The Stray Demon is the strongest of the three, found upon returning to the Northern Undead Asylum via giant crow feet.
16. Taurus Demon
Unlike most bosses, the Taurus Demon doesn’t appear immediately after you pass through the fog wall blocking off its arena. Unwitting players will sally forth, only to be assailed by crossbowmen from behind as the demon leaps into sight in front. It’s a cool set piece.
As long as you dispatch the crossbowmen beforehand and avoid being whacked off the bridge (which the boss can fall off, too, if you're lucky), the fight isn’t too bad. The greataxe the Taurus Demon wields has intimidating range, but its attacks are laggy—perfect for patient, guerilla-style players.
15. Gravelord Nito
Like the Witch of Izalith, Gravelord Nito first appears in the opening cinematic, sowing “a miasma of death and disease” in the struggle against the Everlasting Dragons. That raises the bar quite high before you ever encounter him, and when you do, the battle is… good, not great.
Nito can raise skeleton warriors to fight at his side, but he’s generally characterized by his huge, sweeping scythe swings and magical attacks. Cool as it is, getting inside Nito’s reach makes things easy, diminishing the challenge. Not that difficulty is always what makes a fight good, but it would’ve been appreciated for an enemy as built-up as this.
14. Seath the Scaleless
First impressions can make or break a boss, and few measure up to Seath’s (not counting his appearance in the opening cutscene, which is chilling): You walk in, he inevitably murders you with a crystal attack, and you resurrect behind bars. Revenge, then, is what fuels you to plow through all the obstacles—a labyrinthine library, Crystal Golems galore, a cave replete with invisible bridges—standing between you and him.
Like Nito, however, the build-up unfortunately climaxes in an okay fight. Seath is a fascinating character nonetheless, and knowing all there is to know about him—the short version: traitor to his own kind, seeker of immortality, warped mind—definitely sweetens up the confrontation.
13. Iron Golem
There are no two ways about it: Sen’s Fortress is a nightmare. Filled to the brim with all manner of traps and guarded by Man-Serpents, any other game would reward you with a moment of respite upon reaching the top. But this is Dark Souls, remember? The Iron Golem awaits.
Equipped with an energy-blasting axe bigger than you and the smarts to chuck you off the roof, the Iron Golem could be even tougher if you don’t kill the Firebomb Giant beforehand, which will happily litter the battlefield with its namesake attacks. Strike the Iron Golem’s feet enough times, however, and you’ll find an exploitable weakness. A simple and fun fight.
12. Gaping Dragon
The Centipede Demon is disgusting because it takes something most people already consider disgusting and amplifies it a hundredfold. The Gaping Dragon is disgusting because it takes a fantasy creature usually depicted as majestic and warps it into something unrecognizable—an unfathomable mass of teeth and exposed ribcage, dripping with sewer ooze.
Appropriately, many of the Gaping Dragon’s moves play on its barf-inducing appearance, from spewing a pool of acid to grabbing and chomping you between its endless rows of teeth. It’s huge, but you fight it in a huge arena, so there’s plenty of room to bait it out, strafe, and go ham.
11. Chaos Witch Quelaag
Remember how the Witch of Izalith spawned all demons in her attempt to recreate the First Flame? Well, her experiment happened to hit close to home, transforming her surviving Daughters of Chaos into abominations. Quelaag is one of those daughters.
While everything from her waist up is left (mostly) intact, her lower half is all demon—flaming spider demon, to be more specific. So, not only does she hit hard and cover a lot of ground, but it feels like you’re fighting a sword-wielding witch and a giant lava spider at the same time. Almost makes you grateful the worst spiders we have to deal with in real life are black widows and tarantulas.
10. Crossbreed Priscilla
Walking through a fog wall that doesn’t dissipate means it’s time to duke it out with a boss—usually. In Priscilla’s case, she faces you down, and you have the option to talk with her. Should you choose to do so, Dark Souls presents its greatest challenge of all: guilt. Do you slay Priscilla as you’ve slayed the rest? Or do you “plunge down from the plank, and hurry home”?
This far into the game, knowing the world of Lordran isn’t always what it seems, it’s not an easy choice to make. Those who choose battle quickly find that the half-woman, half-dragon isn’t all that tough, relying more on invisibility and trickery than fighting skills, which layers on extra guilt. Choose wisely, Chosen Undead.
9. Great Grey Wolf Sif
Sif instills guilt in an entirely different way than Priscilla. Once the canine companion of Artorias (more on him later!), the Great Grey Wolf guards her master’s gravestone with her life. She owes him, after all: Artorias lost himself to the Abyss, but he defended Sif to the very last.
So, not only are you killing a loyal pup, but as you deplete her health bar, Sif begins limping. Landing those last couple of blows feels less like a victory than it does a slaughter. The accompanying soundtrack alternates between peaceful and desperate, which certainly doesn’t brighten the mood.
8. Bell Gargoyles
Despite appearing so early, many consider the Bell Gargoyles gatekeepers to the rest of the game—that is, defeating them means you just might have what it takes. Not that Dark Souls isn't difficult before this, but losing over and over to two massive, fire-breathing monsters on a relatively small rooftop is ample reason to put the controller down for good.
Part of what makes them so wonderful is that, at first, you’re not even aware there are two. Only one gargoyle swoops down when you walk in, but get its health low enough and the second will join the fray. Luckily, you can 2v2 them with Solaire. What chance do Bell Gargoyles have against jolly co-operation?
7. Sanctuary Guardian
The Artorias of the Abyss DLC adds four extra bosses to the game, and all four are fantastic. You fight the Sanctuary Guardian right off the bat, and though you’re presumably pretty high level by this point, the chimeric beast is not to be underestimated by any means.
The Sanctuary Guardian has a bevy of abilities at its disposal, ranging from concentrated electrical blasts to a poisonous tail sting. Add on its ability to fly, and even the most dexterous player builds will feel clunky in comparison. Overcoming it feels good, but the DLC is only just beginning…
6. Gwyn, Lord of Cinder
Gwyn is many things: a terrible father, a fallen god, a “savior”—and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. He has no dialogue, but you spend a good portion of the game learning about him and the widespread impact he’s had on Lordran. So, when you first see him, Hollowed as any other Undead you’ve encountered, it’s hard to know exactly how to feel. There’s just... so much.
Regardless, you’re there to cross swords, and Gwyn wastes no time in that respect. Wilted though he may be, he remains a formidable combatant, quick on his feet and precise with his blade. Between the haunting piano plinking in the background, the proximity of the First Flame’s pit, and the desperation with which Gwyn fights you, it’s a chilling end to the Dark Souls journey.
5. Manus, Father of the Abyss
Throughout the DLC, you come to understand more and more about the Abyss, so it’s only natural that the whole thing culminates in a fight against the Father of the Abyss himself: Manus. Once human, he was long ago twisted into a horrendous creature of the dark, bringing the land of Oolacile to its knees. Hell, Manus brought Artorias to his knees.
So, yeah, Manus is as powerful as you’d expect—more powerful than you’d expect once he adds dark magic to the mix. The confined space you fight him in is veiled in shadow, but his myriad red eyes ensure you always know where he is. Summoning a young Sif to help out (it makes sense in context) feels like the ultimate team-up, making victory that much sweeter.
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By: Benny Regalbuto
Title: Dark Souls Bosses, Ranked
Sourced From: collider.com/dark-souls-bosses-ranked/
Published Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2021 15:30:16 GMT
