Here’s all 19 bosses in Dark Souls III, ranked from worst to best.
The criteria for this ranking takes into account the difficulty of the fight, the mechanics used, and the lore behind the bosses themselves. Ultimately, the bosses will be judged based on the overall memorability of the fights and how they implement the game’s mechanics and improve upon past encounters from previous entries.
All Dark Souls III bosses: Ancient Wyvern, Old Demon King, High Lord Wolnir (VapeNation lord), Crystal Sage, Deacons of the Deep, Yhorm, Abyss Watchers, Iudex Gundyr, Vordt of the Boreal Valley, Curse-Rotted Greatwood, Spear of the Church, Pontiff Sulyvahn, Aldrich, Dancer of the Boreal Valley, Oceiros the Consumed King, Darkeater Midir, Demon Prince, Champion Gravetender and Gravetender’s Greatwolf, Champion Gundyr, Nameless King, Dragonslayer Armour, Twin Princes, Sister Friede, Slave Knight Gael, Soul of Cinder.
Since Lord Gwyn, the first Lord of Cinder, many exalted lords have linked the First Flame, and it is their very souls that have manifested themselves as defender of the flame. Talk about how the final boss may not be the toughest fight in the game, but it ends up being the most meaningful and memorable. Also, the soundtrack changes to Gwyn’s theme in the second phase. Need justification for Twin Princes being above Nameless King. Check lore for Nameless King (“name removed from the very annals of history”?)
25. Ancient Wyvern
Kicking off the list of ranked Dark Souls III bosses, we have the Ancient Wyvern coming in dead last. Dragon fights have never really been FromSoft’s specialty, and the fight with the Ancient Wyvern exemplifies that. By being able to kill it with one plunging attack, what could have been a truly epic fight feels gimmicky and wasted.
24. Old Demon King
The Old Demon King can be found in the Demon Ruins in Dark Souls III. He looks pretty badass, but he’s slow and his move set is simply too predictable. His souls tells us that he was the last witness of the Chaos of Izalith, but we never get much more lore and info on him beyond that. He could’ve been an interesting boss, but the lack of information and the ease of his fight make him rather forgettable.
23. High Lord Wolnir
High Lord Wolnir, also known by the fans as Vape Lord Wolnir, is probably one of the easiest bosses in Dark Souls III. He’s a pretty interesting character overall, and he’s essentially the sum of all the lords he’s defeated in his quest to prolong his life. However, most of this fight is dependent on RNG, and players often have to wait for his hands to be in a good position to take a good whacking from you. It’s not a very engaging battle.
22. Crystal Sage
While mage bosses tend to fall a little on the easier side in most Souls games, it’d be unwise to underestimate the Crystal Sage. His homing crystals can be deadly if you get too greedy, and he might even surprise you with his crystal rapier if you keep trying to R1 spam him. The fight gets even more intense when he starts spawning clones, and you’ll have to keep an eye on as many clones as you can while making your way to the true target. The Crystal Sage’s design and lore also pay homage to Big Hat Logan, one of the coolest characters from Dark Souls, making this fight an overall fun one.
21. Oceiros, the Consumed King
Oceiros is the most talkative boss in Dark Souls III, but he also reveals Lothric Castle’s connection to the dragons. The lore on Oceiros himself is pretty fascinating too, and reveals his connections with Gwynevere and Seath the Scaleless. The first phase of the fight might seem like a cakewalk, but the second phase flips the tables on players when he starts going berserk. Try beating him in an SL1 challenge if you really want to push yourself to the limit.
20. Vordt of the Boreal Valley
Vordt isn’t too tough to fight, as long as you know how to dodge his charges. As one of the earlier bosses in the game, he’s also a good introduction to the new Frostbite mechanic in Dark Souls III. It certainly helps that his boss theme is one of the most epic and catchiest ones in the game. His tragic backstory as an Outrider Knight and relationship with the Dancer also helps add some personality to this ice-cold boss.
19. Curse-Rotted Greatwood
The Curse-Rotted Greatwood might not be a very hard fight, but it certainly is a memorable one. While it seems slow and unwieldy during the first phase, things quickly change when the entire floor collapses and a menacing hand bursts out of its ballsack, kind of like the chestburster from Alien. The grotesque imagery of the boss and its environments also do a great job of adding to the overall creepiness of the fight.
18. Spear of the Church
Halflight/Spear of the Church is a boss introduced in The Ringed City DLC. It's a really neat throwback to bosses like the Looking Glass Knight from Dark Souls II and the Old Monk from Demon's Souls.
If you're playing the game online, you'll have the chance to duke it out with another player. This makes the fight experience vary greatly between players, and it's a unique and refreshing twist that's been missing from the series for a very long time.
If you're playing the game online, you'll have the chance to duke it out with another player. This makes the fight experience vary greatly between players, and it's a unique and refreshing twist that's been missing from the series for a very long time.
17. Yhorm the Giant
As one of the most widely advertised characters in Dark Souls III, Yhorm the Giant felt like a little bit of a disappointment because he ended up being another gimmick fight. However, fans will be able to appreciate the Storm Ruler throwback to Demon’s Souls. And if you actually follow Siegward’s questline, Yhorm’s lore and backstory will become apparent, making the fight feel as epic as it should be.
16. Deacons of the Deep
While some may argue that the Deacons are the easiest bosses in the game, I’d argue that it has some of the most interesting mechanics out of all the bosses. The first phase is like an improved version of the fight against the Congregation and Prowling Magus of Dark Souls II, and the Phalanx from Demon’s Souls. The second phase ramps up the challenge quite a bit, and can prove to be a nuisance for slow attackers. If left unchecked, the Deacons will start blocking off the light in the room and build up your Curse meter. The Deacons fight is fascinating, in terms of design and lore, making it one of the more memorable bosses in Dark Souls III.
15. Iudex Gundyr
As the first boss you’ll encounter in Dark Souls III, Iudex Gundyr really sets the tone for the rest of the game. His attacks are relentless, and he does a great job of teaching players not to be afraid to get up close and personal during his second phase. The term ‘Iudex’ also means ‘judge’, which is appropriate. Iudex Gundyr is your first obstacle in Dark Souls III, and he will be the judge of whether you are worthy to tread the path of ash. Also, that soundtrack.
14. Abyss Watchers
The Abyss Watchers will remind players a lot of Bloodborne in terms of design and speed. They move really quickly, and will attack you without hesitation. It’s also a pretty memorable fight because of the two surprises the Abyss Watchers throw at you. During the first phase, even more Watchers will rise from the dead to fight you, but certain Watchers will actually turn on their own brethren. Once you bring their HP down to zero, the Abyss Watchers throw you one last surprise by resurrecting a single, fiery warrior to duel you to the death. It’s the first fight in the game to throw the ‘double health bar’ curveball at you, and it does it very masterfully. It certainly doesn’t hurt that the Abyss Watchers are essentially descendants of our favorite knight, Artorias.
13. Dancer of the Boreal Valley
If you’d like, you can actually fight the Dancer very early on in the game, but I’d strongly advise against doing so. The Dancer might seem slow and non-threatening at first, but shit gets really real once she brings out that second sword. The mechanics of the fight are deceptively simple; you can take her out very easily by holding your shield up to block and attack when it’s safe, just like how you’ve been doing with the game’s regular enemies. The trick to winning is to keep calm and not allow yourself to get overwhelmed by the sheer bombast of the fight.
12. Darkeater Midir
Dragon boss fights still aren't exactly From Software's forte, even in The Ringed City. However, Darkeater Midir is easily one of the best dragon fights we've seen in the series, and it's right up there with Kalameet.
Midir is an incredibly aggressive boss that puts your combat skills and spacing to the ultimate test. Though Midir is an optional boss, his combos and attacks are some of the hardest to learn in the DLC, making him one of the most satisfying challenges to overcome in the game.
Midir is an incredibly aggressive boss that puts your combat skills and spacing to the ultimate test. Though Midir is an optional boss, his combos and attacks are some of the hardest to learn in the DLC, making him one of the most satisfying challenges to overcome in the game.
11. Demon Prince
While it's not quite the Ornstein and Smough return we were hoping for, the Demon Prince boss fight is quite the tough introduction to The Ringed City.
After getting past the first phase, you're forced to contend with the Demon in Pain and the Demon from Below. Part of what makes this fight so fun is having to balance and manage to aggressive enemy AIs at the same time, and choosing who to kill first, which (of course) triggers a third and more powerful phase for whoever you left alive.
After getting past the first phase, you're forced to contend with the Demon in Pain and the Demon from Below. Part of what makes this fight so fun is having to balance and manage to aggressive enemy AIs at the same time, and choosing who to kill first, which (of course) triggers a third and more powerful phase for whoever you left alive.
10. Champion Gravetender and Gravetender's Greatwolf
The optional boss fight in Ashes of Ariandel is sure to bring back many memories of the Great Grey Wolf Sif for longtime fans. The Greatwolf here isn't as gentle as Sif was, however.
Midway through your relatively easy joust with the Gravetender, you hear a howl and the Greatwolf bursts onto the scene. He's the real boss you need to deal with here, and this fight is made all the more exciting because of his lightning speed and devastating frost attacks - an element which was way too underappreciated in the base game.
Midway through your relatively easy joust with the Gravetender, you hear a howl and the Greatwolf bursts onto the scene. He's the real boss you need to deal with here, and this fight is made all the more exciting because of his lightning speed and devastating frost attacks - an element which was way too underappreciated in the base game.
9. Dragonslayer Armour
Now here’s another cool throwback to an original Dark Souls icon. The Dragonslayer Armour has moves that feel reminiscent of Ornstein, but he also surprises players with his shield tactics as well. The boss arena is epic, and things really ramp up when the Bed of Chaos-esque dragons to the side start hurling meatballs at you. The Dragonslayer Armour is simply an autonomous suit of armor guarding the Grand Archives, and serves as the final trial that stands between you and the last Lord of Cinder.
8. Champion Gundyr
Champion Gundyr tricks players into a false sense of comfort by performing moves we already witnessed in the Iudex Gundyr fight, and then goes completely berserk once we bring him into the second phase. This boss will force you to learn how to roll, and if you’ve been completely dependent on your 100% physical block shield this whole time, Champ won’t hesitate to punish you. It’ll require quick reflexes and a good knowledge of his patterns to be able to overcome him on your own. Once you’ve finally bested Gundyr, he’ll then be reduced to nothing more than a scabbard for a coiled sword, destined to wait for the next ashen champion when the bell tolls once more.
7. Aldrich, Devourer of Gods
Aldrich is a bit of a detestable character. If you’ve been following his lore, you’ll learn that he’s simply an obese sludge who got sick of eating humans and luxuriating in their screams, and then moved on to eating gods. When we encounter him in Anor Londo, we see that he’s already devoured Gwyndolin (poor guy), and reanimates his corpse to attack us. His attacks are very reminiscent of Gwyndolin and Crossbreed Priscilla from Dark Souls, and they are fairly easy to read, but this also makes him a pretty fun fight. If you’ve been following Anri’s quest closely as well, nothing beats the sense of justice you get when you finally put an end to this monster who’s been feeding on children for years. Also, he really messed up Ornstein and Smough’s arena. Jerk.
6. Pontiff Sulyvahn
If you thought Aldrich was an asshole, wait till you read the lore on Pontiff Sulyvahn. Here’s the ambitious man who sought to use Aldrich to further his own goals and gain power. Sulyvhan also happens to be one of the coolest and toughest fights in the game, especially if you’re terrible at parrying. He’ll remind players a lot of Allant from Demon’s Souls, and also teach players to read sword swings and dodge appropriately. He shakes things up in the second phase by summoning a shadow to confuse players, but quickly becomes a manageable foe once you’ve learned the shadow’s tricks.
5. Nameless King
The Nameless King is, hands down, the toughest boss you’ll face in Dark Souls III. His lightning spear swipes are devastating, and the hardest part of this fight is figuring out when it’s safe to heal up. He has tons of quick follow-up attacks, and will destroy you pretty quickly if you don’t learn how to use your i-frames. He’s also one of the most memorable fights in the game simply by virtue of answering one of the series’ most pressing lore questions: who is Gwyn’s firstborn? Fans have been asking this same question since Dark Souls, and have even speculated that Solaire or Andre might have been Gwyn’s firstborn, and Dark Souls III finally answers that question. This is a man who defied his father and chose to fight alongside the dragons – no wonder his name was removed from the annals of history.
4. Twin Princes
Before you can fight Lothric, the final Lord of Cinder, first you have to face his older brother, Lorian. The setup for the fight is impressive enough, and the battle against Lorian is great for keeping you on your toes. His teleportation abilities will force you to stop relying on your target lock, and instead learn to predict what his next move will be. Once you’ve taken him out, the fight becomes even more epic when Lothric finally descends and revives his brother once more, for that is their curse. The twin princes share a strong bond and it is implied that Lorian, who was once a great knight, embraced his brother’s curse that rendered him mute and cripple, just so he could relieve some of Lothric’s own suffering. As the final Lord of Cinder, both the arena and the soundtrack are appropriate in underscoring the finality of the conflict.
3. Sister Friede
Sister Friede is one of the best bosses in the entirety of Dark Souls III, because of both her significance in the game's lore and the sheer difficulty of this fight.
Her first phase is remarkably similar to that of Priscilla's from the first game, and it's a very meaningful lore-filled throwback to the Painted World of Ariamis. As you uncover the secrets of Ariandel, you learn exactly why Friede adopts Priscilla's move set as well.
This is also a fight that contains not two, but three phases - something which is rarely ever seen in Souls games. After beating the explosive second phase with both Friede and Father Ariandel, the game offers you a Titanite Slab to bait you into thinking that the fight is over. But then, you hear Gael's voice over the flames, and Friede is resurrected once more as Blackflame Elfriede. In spectacularly badass fashion.
Elfriede's final form is brutal and unrelenting, and she punishes players too impatient to slow down and learn her move set. The entire fight is a test of endurance across three different phases, and serves as one of the most memorable challenges in Dark Souls III.
Her first phase is remarkably similar to that of Priscilla's from the first game, and it's a very meaningful lore-filled throwback to the Painted World of Ariamis. As you uncover the secrets of Ariandel, you learn exactly why Friede adopts Priscilla's move set as well.
This is also a fight that contains not two, but three phases - something which is rarely ever seen in Souls games. After beating the explosive second phase with both Friede and Father Ariandel, the game offers you a Titanite Slab to bait you into thinking that the fight is over. But then, you hear Gael's voice over the flames, and Friede is resurrected once more as Blackflame Elfriede. In spectacularly badass fashion.
Elfriede's final form is brutal and unrelenting, and she punishes players too impatient to slow down and learn her move set. The entire fight is a test of endurance across three different phases, and serves as one of the most memorable challenges in Dark Souls III.
2. Slave Knight Gael
As the last boss we'll ever see in the Dark Souls universe, it's only fitting that From Software should grace us with a fight that's reminiscent to the one we had with one of the game's most iconic characters: Knight Artorias.
Slave Knight Gael is our final adversary in The Ringed City, and he wields a Greatsword. He swings his weapon quickly, and leaps around the massive arena to keep you on your toes. It's a very gorgeous arena as well, and it's a fitting one for the end of the series.
Most importantly, Gael finally offers us what we've been searching for since the beginning of the series. The titular Dark Soul of Man. We won't spoil its lore description, but suffice it to say that it's a fitting, if rather bittersweet, ending to this epic fantasy series.
Slave Knight Gael is our final adversary in The Ringed City, and he wields a Greatsword. He swings his weapon quickly, and leaps around the massive arena to keep you on your toes. It's a very gorgeous arena as well, and it's a fitting one for the end of the series.
Most importantly, Gael finally offers us what we've been searching for since the beginning of the series. The titular Dark Soul of Man. We won't spoil its lore description, but suffice it to say that it's a fitting, if rather bittersweet, ending to this epic fantasy series.
1. Soul of Cinder
Since Lord Gwyn, the first Lord of Cinder, many exalted lords have linked the First Flame, and it is their very souls that have manifested themselves as defender of the flame. Just as Iudex Gundyr’s purpose was to judge if you were worthy of becoming a champion of ash, the Soul of Cinder is there to determine if you are worthy of linking the First Flame. The Soul of Cinder is the embodiment of all the previous lords who had linked the flame, including the Chosen Undead from Dark Souls. He changes his play style constantly as a representation of all the different lords who had come before you, and right when you bring his health down to zero, he becomes the manifestation of Gwyn, the very first Lord of Cinder. The music changes to reflect Gwyn’s theme, and the Soul of Cinder even adopts his move set. The final boss of Dark Souls III is essentially the players themselves, and this makes for a meaningful sendoff to a stellar trilogy of games.
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.The Beacons of the Deep – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
This is a curious boss battle in Dark Souls 3 —more of a collection of enemies than an actual boss. These standard enemies are all super easy to deal with, and the fight is really just a case of crowd control as you locate the one enemy that actually causes the “boss” to take damage. The second phase of the fight makes things slightly harder because enemies can cast Curse, but overall it’s a very straightforward affair.
Ancient Wyvern – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
As with Yhorm the Giant, there’s a bit of a gimmick to beat the Ancient Wyvern that makes this a rather tedious affair. Attacking the enormous dragon conventionally is futile, as his HP is absurdly high. Instead, you simply need to run up a nearby tower and jump off, striking the beast in the head for an instant kill. Avoiding its attack as you run past, the enemies on the way up the tower, and timing the attack can cause a little frustration, which is the only reason this isn’t listed as the easiest boss in Dark Souls 3.
High Lord Wolnir – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
A cinematic sort of encounter as the enormous Wolnir emerges from the shadows and swipes at you with its hands. Spectacular, though not at all difficult, as it turns out. Sure, getting too close to the fog that steams around his chest kills you very quickly indeed, but keeping your distance and attacking the golden bands he has around his arms should tear through him quickly. A memorable battle but not one that should test you all that much.
Vordt of the Boreal Valley – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
Vordt is like the second boss you’ll face in Dark Souls 3, and he really is pretty straightforward. If you’ve played Dark Souls 1 and remember the Great Grey Wolf Sis, it’s a very similar sort of fight. Essentially, all you need to do is stay underneath or behind Vordt and you’re sorted. He can only cause damage from the front, and that one-dimensional attack pattern makes him the easiest boss fight in the game.
Iudex Gundyr – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
Basically the tutorial boss of Dark Souls 3, though ironically not the easiest —classic FromSoftware. Gundyr has an enormous spear that has a long reach that you need to be careful of, but he’s relatively easy to damage in between thrusts. In his second phase, Gundyr’s attacks are much more erratic, and it’s easy to lose your nerve and back off to make sense of the flurries. The best strategy, however, is to get in close and stay aggressive.
The Crystal Sage – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
Although you can take some severe damage from The Crystal Sage if you get caught in the hail of its magic attacks, the casting animations take so long that he shouldn’t give you much trouble. Particularly so, since The Crystal Sage disappears after being hit a few times and then reappears somewhere else, and it’s usually pretty easy to close the distance and put the pressure back on. Later, the boss spawns copies of itself to confuse you, but finding your mark shouldn’t prove difficult, especially given that the clones only have a single health-point and can be dealt with very quickly.
The Curse-Rotted Greatwood – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
The Curse-Rotted Greatwood looks intimidating, but this Dark Souls III boss fight isn’t too tough. The fight takes two separate forms, but both require you to damage Greatwood in its vulnerable spots, situated on its limbs, belly, and back. Once you’ve inflicted enough damage, it will smash the ground and you’ll both plummet to a cave below. Here, things go up a notch, but the strategy remains the same. Sure, there’s a creepy new arm that sprouts from its belly, and getting run over by its scaley back can be a death sentence, but most attacks are obviously telegraphed.
Halflight, Spear of the Church – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
Halflight is an interesting boss fight because it can either be extremely tough or a bit of a breeze, largely according to whether you’re playing online or offline. This towering opponent grumbles intimidating words as the battle commences, but it’s his special ability to summon invaders that makes him a tough proposition. That can play out one of two ways: either you’re faced with a skilled player that completely obliterates you, or he happens to summon a novice and it’s hardly any factor at all. Offline, of course, none of this is even in the equation, and Halflight can be cut down pretty quickly.
Champion’s Gravetender – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
The only optional boss in the Ashes of Ariandel DLC, the Champion’s Gravetender and his Gravetender Wolf are basically souped-up versions of regular enemies. Because of this, you’ll be able to stagger and backstab them, so they’re instantly less of a threat than unique boss enemies. That being said, fighting two enemies that can hit hard is never easy. Luckily, the arena has a few areas that you can use for cover, baiting both bosses around in circles as you pick your moment to strike. As long as you’re careful not to get too frostbitten and focus on beating one boss at a time, the Gravetenders should prove among the easiest DLC boss fights.
Oceiros, the Consumed King – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
An optional boss, Oceiros is a deranged-looking dragon that can cause you some problems if you give him too much respect. As with any dragon fight in Dark Souls, the key is to stay underneath him and attack his legs. By staying on the offensive and remaining close to him, you should be able to take him down quickly. Yes, there are AoE and poison attacks that spice things up a bit, and his second form is more manic and aggressive, but overall Oceiros isn’t especially hard.
Yhorm the Giant – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
Just as with the Ancient Wyvern, Yhorm first appears as the hardest boss in any Dark Souls game until you realize there’s a gimmick to beating this ungainly behemoth. An item at the far corner of the boss area is your first giveaway, and the Storm Ruler is in fact the key to defeating Yhorm. Once equipped, the weapon art charges the weapon and fires off a mighty attack that can hit from distance. Yhorm is especially vulnerable —it’s the only attack that drops his HP significantly— and as long as you time your attacks carefully, he’s easy to down. It will still take four or five shots, though, and Yhorm can inflict massive damage with his attacks, which makes him a much tougher proposition than other gimmicky boss encounters in the game.
Old Demon King – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
A giant fire demon in the Smouldering Lake area, the Old Demon King has some powerful moves. Unless you’ve got fire-resistant armor and an excellent shield, he’s likely to cause big damage when his attacks land. Thankfully, though, he takes a while to wind them up, so dodging or simply putting distance between the both of you should see you through. You can stay pretty aggressive and punish him in between his attack animations, just beware of the AoE fire damage that he throws out. In the end, the Old Demon King is another boss that looks intimidating but is fairly easily dealt with.
Aldrich, Devourer of Gods – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
Aldrich is the second Lord of Cinder you’ll battle, but he’s nowhere near as challenging as Pontiff, especially if you’re using a melee character. Aldrich is a rather odd-looking mage who casts a few dangerous spells but is rather easy to tear through. Similar to The Crystal Sage, Aldrich teleports away after you’ve hit him a few times, and that actually makes the fight easier than it would normally be. It’s just a case of scanning to see where he reappears and then running towards him and using a jump attack for big damage.
Dragon Slayer Armor – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
The Dragon Slayer is a challenging fight that tests your ability to dodge and counter attack. He can close distance quickly, and has a wicked shield bash that’ll hit you hard if you’re foolish enough to try and get behind him. The Slayer’s swipes can also knock you off the battle area, and the fall is fatal, so keeping a good awareness of your surroundings adds an extra layer of difficulty to this encounter. Later in the battle, things get even more hectic as additional enemies begin reigning down projectiles that aren’t easy to dodge. What does make this battle easier is a fountain toward the end of the battle area, which can be used to put distance between the two of you and block his attacks. For that reason, Slayer is lower down this list than he might otherwise have been.
Champion Gundyr – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
The optional area, Untended Graves, marks the return of an old friend. The entire area is an otherworldly mirror-realm, of sorts, revisiting the tutorial area of the game but packed with more deadly enemies. Gundyr is no exception, as he’s significantly tougher this time around. The pattern of the fight is much the same but he attacks for more damage, strings together dangerous new combos, and his second phase is deadlier. Melee characters will need to remain patient to attack in the few moments between his attacks, while Mage’s have it easier since Gundyr is weak to magic.
Abyss Watchers – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
When you stumble across The Abyss Watchers of Farron Keep, it’s likely a substantially harder encounter than anything Dark Souls 3 has thrown at you up until that point. The Watchers number two or three, but only one counts as damage for the boss as a whole. Oddly enough, they’ll battle each other as well as you, so baiting them to fight amongst themselves is key to taking the heat off. And that’s especially wise since the Watchers move like lightning, closing the distance and keeping the pressure on you constantly. The real fight, though, begins in the second phase, when the Watchers become one giant, tough-as-nails enemy with a blazing fire sword. Thankfully, they have low poise and can be staggered. Offence is the best strategy here. Hardest bosses.
Pontiff Sulyvahn – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
Capping off what is perhaps Dark Souls 3’s most impressive area, Pontiff Sulyvahn is the Irithyll of the Boreal Valley’s big bad boss, and he’s no push over. A deadly combination of melee and magic attacks make Pontiff a real handful solo —his pressure is relentless. Luckily, the cathedral in which you fight him is big enough in size that it’s possible to run away and down an estus flask, or buff yourself mid-battle. Pontiff spawns a ghost later in the battle, and the two combine for some powerful magic attacks that hit very hard. Beating them is tricky, but it’s all in the dodge, and learning how far each attack reaches. Hard boss.
Dancer of the Boreal Valley – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
Double boss fight! Directly after beating either Aldrich or Yhorm, you’ll be teleported to a fight with the Dancer of the Boreal Valley, and you better hope you’ve still got enough left in the tank to take this fight on. The Dancer is among the hardest boss fights of the game, with a deadly grab attack that can remove half or more of your HP. The second phase of the fight sees the Dancer pull out a second sword, attacking even more furiously in spin attacks that last a considerable amount of time. This all being said, he can be overwhelmed by cleverly using the pillars to avoid its strikes and punish him with attacks from behind. Hardest bosses.
Lorian, Elder Prince, and Lothric, Younger Prince – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
The two brothers reside in the highest part of Lothric Castle, and your battle with them is the last Lord of Cinder battle (sort of). As you’d expect, Lorian and Lothric are a deadly combo that are among the hardest bosses to defeat in the game. Technically one single boss fight, Lothric strikes hard with melee damage as his brother reigns magic attacks from above. The first phase isn’t so hard —Lothric can be dodged and blocked easily, then punished with attacks from behind. The second phase, though, has Lorian join the fray, piggy-backing on his brother’s shoulder and shooting magic attacks at you. The two teleport around the map, which can be tricky. And attacking Lothric is futile since his brother constantly revives him. The trick is to keep getting behind the pair and striking Lorian’s back. Dark Souls 3
Soul of Cinder – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
The final boss and the closing sequence of Dark Souls 3, the Soul of Cinder has a serious case of multi-personality disorder. In short, he’s an amalgamation of every Lord of Cinder, drawing on all of their skills and abilities at different intervals throughout the fight, not to mention he can draw on virtually every move or attack you can, which all equates to one very difficult encounter. Particularly so, given that you have to defeat him twice. After felling him once, he revives himself and turns into an even deadlier opponent, casting magic attacks whenever you back away and attempt to heal. The boss arena has no cover, either, so you can’t hide from his relentless attacks. Overall, we’d rank Soul of Cinder as the second hardest boss outside the DLC.
The Nameless King – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
Comfortably the most challenging boss in Dark Souls 3 not including the DLC, thankfully The Nameless King is optional for those simply wanting to complete the game. For the completionists (and masochists) The Nameless King will present one almighty obstacle. The final encounter in the optional area, Archdragon Peak, so no surprises he calls on a dragon to try and crush you. The fight comprises two distinct phases, with each given its own health bar. The first has you beat the dragon, with the King swiping at you with lightning-infused attacks in between the dragon’s own. Only hitting the dragon’s head does damage, and he moves very quickly, often swooping down behind you, making the battle a nightmare of careful timing and camera readjusting. After you’ve felled the Dragon it’s onto the King himself, who doesn’t do anything particularly special but hits for massive damage, and you’re likely to not have much in the way of healing items left after the dragon. Overall, an exhausting and extremely testing fight.
Fallout 2 weapon upgrades. Darkeater Midir – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
A huge amount of health and powerful AoE attacks make this enormous dragon an extremely difficult boss. As with all dragons in Dark Souls, the trick is to stay underneath him and keep bashing away at his legs, and he can’t really hit you if you stay behind him. The trouble is, Midir can leap upward and shoot flames that can hit you from pretty much anywhere in the arena. Luckily, his legs don’t really cause you physical damage as he stomps around. In the end, it’s a marathon of sprinting and dodging, whittling down Midir’s HP and maintaining your concentration for the entirety of the battle.
Demon Prince – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
FromSoftware’s Dark Souls DLC always takes the difficulty up a notch, and things get going right off the bat in the Ringed City expansion. The DLC’s very first boss is called the Demon Prince, but you have to beat two Demons prior to his appearance before you’ll actually get a chance to attack him. And those previous Demon’s are no push over, either —both sharing the same move sets but packing either poison or fire-infused damage. The trick is to kill The Demon in Pain first since that makes the Demon Prince easier to deal with (sans giant meteor attack that is near impossible to dodge). Still, whichever way you cut it, the Demon Prince is obscenely tough.
Slave Knight Gael – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
Gael’s huge amount of HP makes this a particularly long and exhausting encounter. He has three very distinct phases of attack, each packing very different sorts of threats. The most deadly, as you’d imagine, is his final form, which sees him unleash relentless combinations of attacks that aren’t telegraphed very obviously. Making the last part of the battle harder are the soul effects emanating from his weapon, which obscure your view. Overall, it’s a battle that really tests your abilities both from distance and up close. This, combined with the fact that you’ll have very little time to recover your HP between attacks makes Gael among the hardest Dark Souls 3 bosses.
Sister Friede and Father Ariandel – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
And now we arrive at Sister Friede and Father Ariandel: the final boss fight in the Ashes of Ariandel DLC, and it’s arguably among the hardest boss fights in any Dark Souls game. Like Gael, Friede has three distinct phases. Unlike Gael, Friede gets a brand new health bar each time, and you’ll have to make do with just one. The first phase isn’t especially hard, but when both Friede and Ariandel team up, things get much trickier. The big man will follow you about smashing his cauldron or shooting flames from afar while a revived Friede slashes at you with a scythe. Later, she starts using AoE ice attacks as you duel in the final phase. The encounter can be hugely taxing, particularly if you’re having to constantly repeat the first or second phase as you learn how to beat the third.
25. The Deacons of the Deep
This is a curious boss battle —more of a collection of enemies than an actual boss. These standard enemies are all super easy to deal with, and the fight is really just a case of crowd control as you locate the one enemy that actually causes the “boss” to take damage. The second phase of the fight makes things slightly harder because enemies can cast Curse, but overall it’s a very straightforward affair.
24. Ancient Wyvern
As with Yhorm the Giant, there’s a bit of a gimmick to beat the Ancient Wyvern that makes this a rather tedious affair. Attacking the enormous dragon conventionally is futile, as his HP is absurdly high. Instead, you simply need to run up a nearby tower and jump off, striking the beast in the head for an instant kill. Avoiding his attack as you run past, the enemies on the way up the tower, and timing the attack can cause a little frustration, which is the only reason this isn’t listed as the easiest boss in the game.
23. High Lord Wolnir
A cinematic sort of encounter as the enormous Wolnir emerges from the shadows and swipes at you with his hands. Spectacular, though not at all difficult, as it turns out. Sure, getting too close to the fog that steams around his chest kills you very quickly indeed, but keeping your distance and attacking the golden bands he has around his arms should tear through him quickly. A memorable battle but not one that should test you all that much.
22. Vordt of the Boreal Valley
Vordt is like the second boss you’ll face in Dark Souls 3, and he really is pretty straightforward. If you’ve played Dark Souls 1 and remember the Great Grey Wolf Sis, it’s a very similar sort of fight. Essentially, all you need to do is stay underneath or behind Vordt and you’re sorted. He can only cause damage from the front, and that one-dimensional attack pattern makes him amongst the easiest boss fights in the game.
21. Iudex Gundyr
Basically, the tutorial boss of Dark Souls 3, though ironically not the easiest —classic FromSoftware. Gundyr has an enormous spear that has a long reach that you need to be careful of, but he’s relatively easy to damage in between thrusts. In his second phase, Gundyr’s attacks are much more erratic, and it’s easy to lose your nerve and back off to make sense of the flurries. The best strategy, however, is to get in close and stay aggressive.
20. The Crystal Sage
Although you can take some severe damage from The Crystal Sage if you get caught in the hail of its magic attacks, the casting animations take so long that he shouldn’t give you much trouble. Particularly so, since The Crystal Sage disappears after being hit a few times and then reappears somewhere else, and it’s usually pretty easy to close the distance and put the pressure back on. Later, the boss spawns copies of itself to confuse you, but finding your mark shouldn’t prove difficult, especially given that the clones only have a single health-point and can be dealt with very quickly.
19. The Curse-Rotted Greatwood
The Curse-Rotted Greatwood looks intimidating, but this boss fight isn’t too tough. The fight takes two separate forms, but both require you to damage Greatwood in its vulnerable spots, situated on its limbs, belly, and back. Once you’ve inflicted enough damage, it will smash the ground and you’ll both plummet to a cave below. Here, things go up a notch, but the strategy remains the same. Sure, there’s a creepy new arm that sprouts from its belly, and getting run over by its scaley back can be a death sentence, but most attacks are obviously telegraphed.
18. Halflight, Spear of the Church
Halflight is an interesting boss fight because it can either be extremely tough or a bit of a breeze, largely according to whether you’re playing online or offline. This towering opponent grumbles intimidating words as the battle commences, but it’s his special ability to summon invaders that makes him a tough proposition. This can play out one of two ways: either you’re faced with a skilled player that completely obliterates you, or he happens to summon a novice and it’s hardly any factor at all. Offline, of course, none of this is even in the equation, and Halflight can be cut down pretty quickly.
17. Champion’s Gravetender
The only optional boss in the Ashes of Ariandel DLC, the Champion’s Gravetender and his Gravetender Wolf are basically souped-up versions of regular enemies. Because of this, you’ll be able to stagger and backstab them, so they’re instantly less of a threat than unique boss enemies. That being said, fighting two enemies that can hit hard is never easy.
Luckily, the arena has a few areas that you can use for cover, baiting both bosses around in circles as you pick your moment to strike. As long as you’re careful not to get too frostbitten and focus on beating one boss at a time, the Gravetenders should prove among the easiest DLC boss fights.
Luckily, the arena has a few areas that you can use for cover, baiting both bosses around in circles as you pick your moment to strike. As long as you’re careful not to get too frostbitten and focus on beating one boss at a time, the Gravetenders should prove among the easiest DLC boss fights.
16. Oceiros, the Consumed King
An optional boss, Oceiros is a deranged-looking dragon that can cause you some problems if you give him too much respect. As with any dragon fight in Dark Souls, the key is to stay underneath him and attack his legs. By staying on the offensive and remaining close to him, you should be able to take him down quickly. Yes, there are AoE and poison attacks that spice things up a bit, and his second form is more manic and aggressive, but overall Oceiros isn’t especially hard.
15. Yhorm the Giant
Just as with the Ancient Wyvern, Yhorm first appears as the hardest boss in any Dark Souls game until you realize there’s a gimmick to beating this ungainly behemoth. An item at the far corner of the boss area is your first giveaway, and the Storm Ruler is in fact the key to defeating Yhorm. Once equipped, the weapon art charges the weapon and fires off a mighty attack that can hit from distance. Yhorm is especially vulnerable —it’s the only attack that drops his HP significantly— and as long as you time your attacks carefully, he’s easy to down. It will still take four or five shots, though, and Yhorm can inflict massive damage with his attacks, which makes him a much tougher proposition than other gimmicky boss encounters in the game.
14. Old Demon King
A giant fire demon in the Smouldering Lake area, the Old Demon King has some powerful moves. Unless you’ve got fire-resistant armor and an excellent shield, he’s likely to cause big damage when his attacks land. Thankfully, though, he takes a while to wind them up, so dodging or simply putting distance between the both of you should see you through. You can stay pretty aggressive and punish him in between his attack animations, just beware of the AoE fire damage that he throws out. In the end, the Old Demon King is another boss that looks intimidating but is fairly easily dealt with.
13. Aldrich, Devourer of Gods
Aldrich is the second Lord of Cinder you’ll battle, but he’s nowhere near as challenging as Pontiff, especially if you’re using a melee character. Aldrich is a rather odd looking mage who casts a few dangerous spells but is rather easy to tear through.
Similar to The Crystal Sage, Aldrich teleports away after you’ve hit him a few times, and that actually makes the fight easier than it would normally be. It’s just a case of scanning to see where he reappears and then run toward him and jump attack for big damage.
Similar to The Crystal Sage, Aldrich teleports away after you’ve hit him a few times, and that actually makes the fight easier than it would normally be. It’s just a case of scanning to see where he reappears and then run toward him and jump attack for big damage.
12. Dragonslayer Armor
The Dragon Slayer is a challenging fight that tests your ability to dodge and counter attack. He can close distance quickly, and has a wicked shield bash that’ll hit you hard if you’re foolish enough to try and get behind him. The Slayer’s swipes can also knock you off the battle area, and the fall is fatal, so keeping a good awareness of your surroundings adds an extra layer of difficulty to this encounter. Later in the battle, things get even more hectic as additional enemies begin reigning down projectiles that aren’t easy to dodge.
What does make this battle easier is a fountain toward the end of the battle area, which can be used to put distance between the two of you and block his attacks. For that reason, Slayer is lower down this list than he might otherwise have been.
What does make this battle easier is a fountain toward the end of the battle area, which can be used to put distance between the two of you and block his attacks. For that reason, Slayer is lower down this list than he might otherwise have been.
11. Champion Gundyr
The optional area, Untended Graves, marks the return of an old friend. The entire area is an otherworldly mirror-realm, of sorts, revisiting the tutorial area of the game but packed with more deadly enemies. Gundyr is no exception, as he’s significantly tougher this time around. The pattern of the fight is much the same but he attacks for more damage, strings together dangerous new combos, and his second phase is deadlier. Melee characters will need to remain patient to attack in the few moments between his attacks, while Mage’s have it easier since Gundyr is weak to magic.
10. Abyss Watchers
When you stumble across The Abyss Watchers of Farron Keep, it’s likely a substantially harder encounter than anything Dark Souls 3 has thrown at you up until that point. The Watchers number two or three, but only one counts as damage for the boss as a whole. Oddly enough, they’ll battle each other as well as you, so baiting them to fight amongst themselves is key to taking the heat off. And that’s especially wise since the Watchers move like lightning, closing the distance and keeping the pressure on you constantly. The real fight, though, begins in the second phase, when the Watchers become one giant, tough-as-nails enemy with a blazing fire sword. Thankfully, they have low poise and can be staggered. Offence is the best strategy here.
9. Pontiff Sulyvahn
Capping off what is perhaps Dark Souls 3’s most impressive area, Pontiff Sulyvahn is the Irithyll of the Boreal Valley’s big bad boss, and he’s no pushover. A deadly combination of melee and magic attacks make Pontiff a real handful solo —his pressure is relentless. Luckily, the cathedral in which you fight him is big enough in size that it’s possible to run away and down an Estus flask, or buff yourself mid-battle. Pontiff spawns a ghost later in the battle, and the two combine for some powerful magic attacks that hit very hard. Beating them is tricky, but it’s all in the dodge, and learning how far each attack reaches.
8. Dancer of the Boreal Valley
Double boss fight! Directly after beating either Aldrich or Yhorm, you’ll be teleported to a fight with the Dancer of the Boreal Valley, and you better hope you’ve still got enough left in the tank to take this fight on.
The Dancer is among the hardest boss fights of the game, with a deadly grab attack that can remove half or more of your HP. The second phase of the fight sees the Dancer pull out a second sword, attacking even more furiously in spin attacks that last a considerable amount of time. This all being said, he can be overwhelmed by cleverly using the pillars to avoid its strikes and punish him with attacks from behind.
The Dancer is among the hardest boss fights of the game, with a deadly grab attack that can remove half or more of your HP. The second phase of the fight sees the Dancer pull out a second sword, attacking even more furiously in spin attacks that last a considerable amount of time. This all being said, he can be overwhelmed by cleverly using the pillars to avoid its strikes and punish him with attacks from behind.
7. Lorian, Elder Prince, and Lothric, Younger Prince
The two brothers reside in the highest part of Lothric Castle, and your battle with them is the last Lord of Cinder battle (sort of). As you’d expect, Lorian and Lothric are a deadly combo that are among the hardest bosses to defeat in the game.
Technically one single boss fight, Lothric strikes hard with melee damage as his brother rains down magic attacks from above. The first phase isn’t so hard —Lothric can be dodged and blocked easily, then punished with attacks from behind. The second phase, though, has Lorian join the fray, piggy-backing on his brother’s shoulder and shooting magic attacks at you. The two teleport around the map, which can be tricky. And attacking Lothric is futile since his brother constantly revives him. The trick is to keep getting behind the pair and striking Lorian’s back.
Technically one single boss fight, Lothric strikes hard with melee damage as his brother rains down magic attacks from above. The first phase isn’t so hard —Lothric can be dodged and blocked easily, then punished with attacks from behind. The second phase, though, has Lorian join the fray, piggy-backing on his brother’s shoulder and shooting magic attacks at you. The two teleport around the map, which can be tricky. And attacking Lothric is futile since his brother constantly revives him. The trick is to keep getting behind the pair and striking Lorian’s back.
6. Soul of Cinder
The final boss and the closing sequence of the entire main game, the Soul of Cinder has a serious case of multiple-personality disorder. In short, it’s an amalgamation of every Lord of Cinder, drawing on all of their skills and abilities at different intervals throughout the fight, not to mention it can draw on virtually every move or attack you can, which all equates to one very difficult encounter. Particularly so, given that you have to defeat it twice. After felling it once, it revives itself and turns into an even deadlier opponent, casting magic attacks whenever you back away and attempt to heal. The boss arena has no cover, either, so you can’t hide from its relentless attacks. Overall, we’d rank Soul of Cinder as the second hardest boss outside the DLC.
5. Nameless King
Comfortably the most challenging boss in Dark Souls 3 not including the DLC, thankfully The Nameless King is optional for those simply wanting to complete the game. For the completionists (and masochists) The Nameless King will present one almighty obstacle. The final encounter in the optional area, Archdragon Peak, so no surprises he calls on a dragon to try and crush you. The fight comprises two distinct phases, with each given its own health bar. The first has you beat the dragon, with the King swiping at you with lightning-infused attacks in between the dragon’s own. Only hitting the dragon’s head does damage, and he moves very quickly, often swooping down behind you, making the battle a nightmare of careful timing and camera readjusting.
After you’ve felled the Dragon it’s onto the King himself, who doesn’t do anything particularly special but hits for massive damage, and you’re likely to not have much in the way of healing items left after the dragon. Overall, an exhausting and extremely testing fight.
After you’ve felled the Dragon it’s onto the King himself, who doesn’t do anything particularly special but hits for massive damage, and you’re likely to not have much in the way of healing items left after the dragon. Overall, an exhausting and extremely testing fight.
4. Darkeater Midir
A huge amount of health and powerful AoE attacks make this enormous dragon an extremely difficult boss. As with all dragons in Dark Souls, the trick is to stay underneath him and keep bashing away at his legs, and he can’t really hit you if you stay behind him. The trouble is, Midir can leap upward and shoot flames that can hit you from pretty much anywhere in the arena. Luckily, his legs don’t really cause you physical damage as he stomps around. In the end, it’s a marathon of sprinting and dodging, whittling down Midir’s HP and maintaining your concentration for the entirety of the battle.
3. Demon Prince
FromSoftware’s Souls DLC always takes the difficulty up a notch, and things get going right off the bat in the Ringed City expansion. The DLC’s very first boss is called the Demon Prince, but you have to beat two Demons prior to his appearance before you’ll actually get a chance to attack him. And those previous Demon’s are no push over, either —both sharing the same move sets but packing either poison or fire-infused damage. The trick is to kill The Demon in Pain first since that makes the Demon Prince easier to deal with (sans giant meteor attack that is near impossible to dodge). Still, whichever way you cut it, the Demon Prince is obscenely tough.
2. Slave Knight Gael
Gael’s huge amount of HP makes this a particularly long and exhausting encounter. He has three very distinct phases of attack, each packing very different sorts of threats. The most deadly, as you’d imagine, is his final form, which sees him unleash relentless combinations of attacks that aren’t telegraphed very obviously. Making the last part of the battle harder are the soul effects emanating from his weapon, which obscure your view. Overall, it’s a battle that really tests your abilities both from distance and up close. This, combined with the fact that you’ll have very little time to recover your HP between attacks makes Gael among the hardest Dark Souls 3 bosses.
Sister Friede and Father Ariandel
And now we arrive at Sister Friede and Father Ariandel: the final boss fight in the Ashes of Ariandel DLC, and it’s arguably among the hardest boss fights in any Soulsborne game. Like Gael, Friede has three distinct phases. Unlike Gael, Friede gets a brand new health bar each time, and you’ll have to make do with just one. The first phase isn’t especially hard, but when both Friede and Ariandel team up, things get much trickier. The big man will follow you about smashing his cauldron or shooting flames from afar while a revived Friede slashes at you with a scythe. Later, she starts using AoE ice attacks as you duel in the final phase. The encounter can be hugely taxing, particularly if you’re having to constantly repeat the first or second phase as you learn how to beat the third.
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.The Beacons of the Deep – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
This is a curious boss battle in Dark Souls 3 —more of a collection of enemies than an actual boss. These standard enemies are all super easy to deal with, and the fight is really just a case of crowd control as you locate the one enemy that actually causes the “boss” to take damage. The second phase of the fight makes things slightly harder because enemies can cast Curse, but overall it’s a very straightforward affair.
Ancient Wyvern – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
As with Yhorm the Giant, there’s a bit of a gimmick to beat the Ancient Wyvern that makes this a rather tedious affair. Attacking the enormous dragon conventionally is futile, as his HP is absurdly high. Instead, you simply need to run up a nearby tower and jump off, striking the beast in the head for an instant kill. Avoiding its attack as you run past, the enemies on the way up the tower, and timing the attack can cause a little frustration, which is the only reason this isn’t listed as the easiest boss in Dark Souls 3.
High Lord Wolnir – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
A cinematic sort of encounter as the enormous Wolnir emerges from the shadows and swipes at you with its hands. Spectacular, though not at all difficult, as it turns out. Sure, getting too close to the fog that steams around his chest kills you very quickly indeed, but keeping your distance and attacking the golden bands he has around his arms should tear through him quickly. A memorable battle but not one that should test you all that much.
Vordt of the Boreal Valley – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
Vordt is like the second boss you’ll face in Dark Souls 3, and he really is pretty straightforward. If you’ve played Dark Souls 1 and remember the Great Grey Wolf Sis, it’s a very similar sort of fight. Essentially, all you need to do is stay underneath or behind Vordt and you’re sorted. He can only cause damage from the front, and that one-dimensional attack pattern makes him the easiest boss fight in the game.
Saints row 2 ultor exposed wiki. Iudex Gundyr – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
Basically the tutorial boss of Dark Souls 3, though ironically not the easiest —classic FromSoftware. Gundyr has an enormous spear that has a long reach that you need to be careful of, but he’s relatively easy to damage in between thrusts. In his second phase, Gundyr’s attacks are much more erratic, and it’s easy to lose your nerve and back off to make sense of the flurries. The best strategy, however, is to get in close and stay aggressive.
The Crystal Sage – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
Although you can take some severe damage from The Crystal Sage if you get caught in the hail of its magic attacks, the casting animations take so long that he shouldn’t give you much trouble. Particularly so, since The Crystal Sage disappears after being hit a few times and then reappears somewhere else, and it’s usually pretty easy to close the distance and put the pressure back on. Later, the boss spawns copies of itself to confuse you, but finding your mark shouldn’t prove difficult, especially given that the clones only have a single health-point and can be dealt with very quickly.
The Curse-Rotted Greatwood – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
The Curse-Rotted Greatwood looks intimidating, but this Dark Souls III boss fight isn’t too tough. The fight takes two separate forms, but both require you to damage Greatwood in its vulnerable spots, situated on its limbs, belly, and back. Once you’ve inflicted enough damage, it will smash the ground and you’ll both plummet to a cave below. Here, things go up a notch, but the strategy remains the same. Sure, there’s a creepy new arm that sprouts from its belly, and getting run over by its scaley back can be a death sentence, but most attacks are obviously telegraphed.
Halflight, Spear of the Church – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
Halflight is an interesting boss fight because it can either be extremely tough or a bit of a breeze, largely according to whether you’re playing online or offline. This towering opponent grumbles intimidating words as the battle commences, but it’s his special ability to summon invaders that makes him a tough proposition. That can play out one of two ways: either you’re faced with a skilled player that completely obliterates you, or he happens to summon a novice and it’s hardly any factor at all. Offline, of course, none of this is even in the equation, and Halflight can be cut down pretty quickly.
Champion’s Gravetender – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
The only optional boss in the Ashes of Ariandel DLC, the Champion’s Gravetender and his Gravetender Wolf are basically souped-up versions of regular enemies. Because of this, you’ll be able to stagger and backstab them, so they’re instantly less of a threat than unique boss enemies. That being said, fighting two enemies that can hit hard is never easy. Luckily, the arena has a few areas that you can use for cover, baiting both bosses around in circles as you pick your moment to strike. As long as you’re careful not to get too frostbitten and focus on beating one boss at a time, the Gravetenders should prove among the easiest DLC boss fights.
Oceiros, the Consumed King – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
An optional boss, Oceiros is a deranged-looking dragon that can cause you some problems if you give him too much respect. As with any dragon fight in Dark Souls, the key is to stay underneath him and attack his legs. By staying on the offensive and remaining close to him, you should be able to take him down quickly. Yes, there are AoE and poison attacks that spice things up a bit, and his second form is more manic and aggressive, but overall Oceiros isn’t especially hard.
Yhorm the Giant – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
Just as with the Ancient Wyvern, Yhorm first appears as the hardest boss in any Dark Souls game until you realize there’s a gimmick to beating this ungainly behemoth. An item at the far corner of the boss area is your first giveaway, and the Storm Ruler is in fact the key to defeating Yhorm. Once equipped, the weapon art charges the weapon and fires off a mighty attack that can hit from distance. Yhorm is especially vulnerable —it’s the only attack that drops his HP significantly— and as long as you time your attacks carefully, he’s easy to down. It will still take four or five shots, though, and Yhorm can inflict massive damage with his attacks, which makes him a much tougher proposition than other gimmicky boss encounters in the game.
Old Demon King – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
A giant fire demon in the Smouldering Lake area, the Old Demon King has some powerful moves. Unless you’ve got fire-resistant armor and an excellent shield, he’s likely to cause big damage when his attacks land. Thankfully, though, he takes a while to wind them up, so dodging or simply putting distance between the both of you should see you through. You can stay pretty aggressive and punish him in between his attack animations, just beware of the AoE fire damage that he throws out. In the end, the Old Demon King is another boss that looks intimidating but is fairly easily dealt with.
Aldrich, Devourer of Gods – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
Aldrich is the second Lord of Cinder you’ll battle, but he’s nowhere near as challenging as Pontiff, especially if you’re using a melee character. Aldrich is a rather odd-looking mage who casts a few dangerous spells but is rather easy to tear through. Similar to The Crystal Sage, Aldrich teleports away after you’ve hit him a few times, and that actually makes the fight easier than it would normally be. It’s just a case of scanning to see where he reappears and then running towards him and using a jump attack for big damage.
Dragon Slayer Armor – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
The Dragon Slayer is a challenging fight that tests your ability to dodge and counter attack. He can close distance quickly, and has a wicked shield bash that’ll hit you hard if you’re foolish enough to try and get behind him. The Slayer’s swipes can also knock you off the battle area, and the fall is fatal, so keeping a good awareness of your surroundings adds an extra layer of difficulty to this encounter. Later in the battle, things get even more hectic as additional enemies begin reigning down projectiles that aren’t easy to dodge. What does make this battle easier is a fountain toward the end of the battle area, which can be used to put distance between the two of you and block his attacks. For that reason, Slayer is lower down this list than he might otherwise have been.
Champion Gundyr – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
The optional area, Untended Graves, marks the return of an old friend. The entire area is an otherworldly mirror-realm, of sorts, revisiting the tutorial area of the game but packed with more deadly enemies. Gundyr is no exception, as he’s significantly tougher this time around. The pattern of the fight is much the same but he attacks for more damage, strings together dangerous new combos, and his second phase is deadlier. Melee characters will need to remain patient to attack in the few moments between his attacks, while Mage’s have it easier since Gundyr is weak to magic.
Abyss Watchers – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
When you stumble across The Abyss Watchers of Farron Keep, it’s likely a substantially harder encounter than anything Dark Souls 3 has thrown at you up until that point. The Watchers number two or three, but only one counts as damage for the boss as a whole. Oddly enough, they’ll battle each other as well as you, so baiting them to fight amongst themselves is key to taking the heat off. And that’s especially wise since the Watchers move like lightning, closing the distance and keeping the pressure on you constantly. The real fight, though, begins in the second phase, when the Watchers become one giant, tough-as-nails enemy with a blazing fire sword. Thankfully, they have low poise and can be staggered. Offence is the best strategy here. Hardest bosses.
Pontiff Sulyvahn – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
Capping off what is perhaps Dark Souls 3’s most impressive area, Pontiff Sulyvahn is the Irithyll of the Boreal Valley’s big bad boss, and he’s no push over. A deadly combination of melee and magic attacks make Pontiff a real handful solo —his pressure is relentless. Luckily, the cathedral in which you fight him is big enough in size that it’s possible to run away and down an estus flask, or buff yourself mid-battle. Pontiff spawns a ghost later in the battle, and the two combine for some powerful magic attacks that hit very hard. Beating them is tricky, but it’s all in the dodge, and learning how far each attack reaches. Hard boss.
Dancer of the Boreal Valley – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
Double boss fight! Directly after beating either Aldrich or Yhorm, you’ll be teleported to a fight with the Dancer of the Boreal Valley, and you better hope you’ve still got enough left in the tank to take this fight on. The Dancer is among the hardest boss fights of the game, with a deadly grab attack that can remove half or more of your HP. The second phase of the fight sees the Dancer pull out a second sword, attacking even more furiously in spin attacks that last a considerable amount of time. This all being said, he can be overwhelmed by cleverly using the pillars to avoid its strikes and punish him with attacks from behind. Hardest bosses.
Lorian, Elder Prince, and Lothric, Younger Prince – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
The two brothers reside in the highest part of Lothric Castle, and your battle with them is the last Lord of Cinder battle (sort of). As you’d expect, Lorian and Lothric are a deadly combo that are among the hardest bosses to defeat in the game. Technically one single boss fight, Lothric strikes hard with melee damage as his brother reigns magic attacks from above. The first phase isn’t so hard —Lothric can be dodged and blocked easily, then punished with attacks from behind. The second phase, though, has Lorian join the fray, piggy-backing on his brother’s shoulder and shooting magic attacks at you. The two teleport around the map, which can be tricky. And attacking Lothric is futile since his brother constantly revives him. The trick is to keep getting behind the pair and striking Lorian’s back. Dark Souls 3
Soul of Cinder – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
The final boss and the closing sequence of Dark Souls 3, the Soul of Cinder has a serious case of multi-personality disorder. In short, he’s an amalgamation of every Lord of Cinder, drawing on all of their skills and abilities at different intervals throughout the fight, not to mention he can draw on virtually every move or attack you can, which all equates to one very difficult encounter. Particularly so, given that you have to defeat him twice. After felling him once, he revives himself and turns into an even deadlier opponent, casting magic attacks whenever you back away and attempt to heal. The boss arena has no cover, either, so you can’t hide from his relentless attacks. Overall, we’d rank Soul of Cinder as the second hardest boss outside the DLC.
The Nameless King – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
Comfortably the most challenging boss in Dark Souls 3 not including the DLC, thankfully The Nameless King is optional for those simply wanting to complete the game. For the completionists (and masochists) The Nameless King will present one almighty obstacle. The final encounter in the optional area, Archdragon Peak, so no surprises he calls on a dragon to try and crush you. The fight comprises two distinct phases, with each given its own health bar. The first has you beat the dragon, with the King swiping at you with lightning-infused attacks in between the dragon’s own. Only hitting the dragon’s head does damage, and he moves very quickly, often swooping down behind you, making the battle a nightmare of careful timing and camera readjusting. After you’ve felled the Dragon it’s onto the King himself, who doesn’t do anything particularly special but hits for massive damage, and you’re likely to not have much in the way of healing items left after the dragon. Overall, an exhausting and extremely testing fight.
Darkeater Midir – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
A huge amount of health and powerful AoE attacks make this enormous dragon an extremely difficult boss. As with all dragons in Dark Souls, the trick is to stay underneath him and keep bashing away at his legs, and he can’t really hit you if you stay behind him. The trouble is, Midir can leap upward and shoot flames that can hit you from pretty much anywhere in the arena. Luckily, his legs don’t really cause you physical damage as he stomps around. In the end, it’s a marathon of sprinting and dodging, whittling down Midir’s HP and maintaining your concentration for the entirety of the battle.
Demon Prince – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
FromSoftware’s Dark Souls DLC always takes the difficulty up a notch, and things get going right off the bat in the Ringed City expansion. The DLC’s very first boss is called the Demon Prince, but you have to beat two Demons prior to his appearance before you’ll actually get a chance to attack him. And those previous Demon’s are no push over, either —both sharing the same move sets but packing either poison or fire-infused damage. The trick is to kill The Demon in Pain first since that makes the Demon Prince easier to deal with (sans giant meteor attack that is near impossible to dodge). Still, whichever way you cut it, the Demon Prince is obscenely tough.
Slave Knight Gael – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
Gael’s huge amount of HP makes this a particularly long and exhausting encounter. He has three very distinct phases of attack, each packing very different sorts of threats. The most deadly, as you’d imagine, is his final form, which sees him unleash relentless combinations of attacks that aren’t telegraphed very obviously. Making the last part of the battle harder are the soul effects emanating from his weapon, which obscure your view. Overall, it’s a battle that really tests your abilities both from distance and up close. This, combined with the fact that you’ll have very little time to recover your HP between attacks makes Gael among the hardest Dark Souls 3 bosses.
Sister Friede and Father Ariandel – The Hardest Bosses in Dark Souls 3
And now we arrive at Sister Friede and Father Ariandel: the final boss fight in the Ashes of Ariandel DLC, and it’s arguably among the hardest boss fights in any Dark Souls game. Like Gael, Friede has three distinct phases. Unlike Gael, Friede gets a brand new health bar each time, and you’ll have to make do with just one. The first phase isn’t especially hard, but when both Friede and Ariandel team up, things get much trickier. The big man will follow you about smashing his cauldron or shooting flames from afar while a revived Friede slashes at you with a scythe. Later, she starts using AoE ice attacks as you duel in the final phase. The encounter can be hugely taxing, particularly if you’re having to constantly repeat the first or second phase as you learn how to beat the third.
25. The Deacons of the Deep
This is a curious boss battle —more of a collection of enemies than an actual boss. These standard enemies are all super easy to deal with, and the fight is really just a case of crowd control as you locate the one enemy that actually causes the “boss” to take damage. The second phase of the fight makes things slightly harder because enemies can cast Curse, but overall it’s a very straightforward affair.
24. Ancient Wyvern
As with Yhorm the Giant, there’s a bit of a gimmick to beat the Ancient Wyvern that makes this a rather tedious affair. Attacking the enormous dragon conventionally is futile, as his HP is absurdly high. Instead, you simply need to run up a nearby tower and jump off, striking the beast in the head for an instant kill. Avoiding his attack as you run past, the enemies on the way up the tower, and timing the attack can cause a little frustration, which is the only reason this isn’t listed as the easiest boss in the game.
23. High Lord Wolnir
A cinematic sort of encounter as the enormous Wolnir emerges from the shadows and swipes at you with his hands. Spectacular, though not at all difficult, as it turns out. Sure, getting too close to the fog that steams around his chest kills you very quickly indeed, but keeping your distance and attacking the golden bands he has around his arms should tear through him quickly. A memorable battle but not one that should test you all that much.
22. Vordt of the Boreal Valley
Dark Souls 1 First Boss
Vordt is like the second boss you’ll face in Dark Souls 3, and he really is pretty straightforward. If you’ve played Dark Souls 1 and remember the Great Grey Wolf Sis, it’s a very similar sort of fight. Essentially, all you need to do is stay underneath or behind Vordt and you’re sorted. He can only cause damage from the front, and that one-dimensional attack pattern makes him amongst the easiest boss fights in the game.
21. Iudex Gundyr
Basically, the tutorial boss of Dark Souls 3, though ironically not the easiest —classic FromSoftware. Gundyr has an enormous spear that has a long reach that you need to be careful of, but he’s relatively easy to damage in between thrusts. In his second phase, Gundyr’s attacks are much more erratic, and it’s easy to lose your nerve and back off to make sense of the flurries. The best strategy, however, is to get in close and stay aggressive.
20. The Crystal Sage
Dark Souls 1 All Bosses 2
Although you can take some severe damage from The Crystal Sage if you get caught in the hail of its magic attacks, the casting animations take so long that he shouldn’t give you much trouble. Particularly so, since The Crystal Sage disappears after being hit a few times and then reappears somewhere else, and it’s usually pretty easy to close the distance and put the pressure back on. Later, the boss spawns copies of itself to confuse you, but finding your mark shouldn’t prove difficult, especially given that the clones only have a single health-point and can be dealt with very quickly.
19. The Curse-Rotted Greatwood
The Curse-Rotted Greatwood looks intimidating, but this boss fight isn’t too tough. The fight takes two separate forms, but both require you to damage Greatwood in its vulnerable spots, situated on its limbs, belly, and back. Once you’ve inflicted enough damage, it will smash the ground and you’ll both plummet to a cave below. Here, things go up a notch, but the strategy remains the same. Sure, there’s a creepy new arm that sprouts from its belly, and getting run over by its scaley back can be a death sentence, but most attacks are obviously telegraphed.
18. Halflight, Spear of the Church
Halflight is an interesting boss fight because it can either be extremely tough or a bit of a breeze, largely according to whether you’re playing online or offline. This towering opponent grumbles intimidating words as the battle commences, but it’s his special ability to summon invaders that makes him a tough proposition. This can play out one of two ways: either you’re faced with a skilled player that completely obliterates you, or he happens to summon a novice and it’s hardly any factor at all. Offline, of course, none of this is even in the equation, and Halflight can be cut down pretty quickly.
17. Champion’s Gravetender
The only optional boss in the Ashes of Ariandel DLC, the Champion’s Gravetender and his Gravetender Wolf are basically souped-up versions of regular enemies. Because of this, you’ll be able to stagger and backstab them, so they’re instantly less of a threat than unique boss enemies. That being said, fighting two enemies that can hit hard is never easy.
Luckily, the arena has a few areas that you can use for cover, baiting both bosses around in circles as you pick your moment to strike. As long as you’re careful not to get too frostbitten and focus on beating one boss at a time, the Gravetenders should prove among the easiest DLC boss fights.
Luckily, the arena has a few areas that you can use for cover, baiting both bosses around in circles as you pick your moment to strike. As long as you’re careful not to get too frostbitten and focus on beating one boss at a time, the Gravetenders should prove among the easiest DLC boss fights.
16. Oceiros, the Consumed King
An optional boss, Oceiros is a deranged-looking dragon that can cause you some problems if you give him too much respect. As with any dragon fight in Dark Souls, the key is to stay underneath him and attack his legs. By staying on the offensive and remaining close to him, you should be able to take him down quickly. Yes, there are AoE and poison attacks that spice things up a bit, and his second form is more manic and aggressive, but overall Oceiros isn’t especially hard.
15. Yhorm the Giant
Just as with the Ancient Wyvern, Yhorm first appears as the hardest boss in any Dark Souls game until you realize there’s a gimmick to beating this ungainly behemoth. An item at the far corner of the boss area is your first giveaway, and the Storm Ruler is in fact the key to defeating Yhorm. Once equipped, the weapon art charges the weapon and fires off a mighty attack that can hit from distance. Yhorm is especially vulnerable —it’s the only attack that drops his HP significantly— and as long as you time your attacks carefully, he’s easy to down. It will still take four or five shots, though, and Yhorm can inflict massive damage with his attacks, which makes him a much tougher proposition than other gimmicky boss encounters in the game.
14. Old Demon King
A giant fire demon in the Smouldering Lake area, the Old Demon King has some powerful moves. Unless you’ve got fire-resistant armor and an excellent shield, he’s likely to cause big damage when his attacks land. Thankfully, though, he takes a while to wind them up, so dodging or simply putting distance between the both of you should see you through. You can stay pretty aggressive and punish him in between his attack animations, just beware of the AoE fire damage that he throws out. In the end, the Old Demon King is another boss that looks intimidating but is fairly easily dealt with.
13. Aldrich, Devourer of Gods
Aldrich is the second Lord of Cinder you’ll battle, but he’s nowhere near as challenging as Pontiff, especially if you’re using a melee character. Aldrich is a rather odd looking mage who casts a few dangerous spells but is rather easy to tear through.
Similar to The Crystal Sage, Aldrich teleports away after you’ve hit him a few times, and that actually makes the fight easier than it would normally be. It’s just a case of scanning to see where he reappears and then run toward him and jump attack for big damage.
Similar to The Crystal Sage, Aldrich teleports away after you’ve hit him a few times, and that actually makes the fight easier than it would normally be. It’s just a case of scanning to see where he reappears and then run toward him and jump attack for big damage.
12. Dragonslayer Armor
The Dragon Slayer is a challenging fight that tests your ability to dodge and counter attack. He can close distance quickly, and has a wicked shield bash that’ll hit you hard if you’re foolish enough to try and get behind him. The Slayer’s swipes can also knock you off the battle area, and the fall is fatal, so keeping a good awareness of your surroundings adds an extra layer of difficulty to this encounter. Later in the battle, things get even more hectic as additional enemies begin reigning down projectiles that aren’t easy to dodge.
What does make this battle easier is a fountain toward the end of the battle area, which can be used to put distance between the two of you and block his attacks. For that reason, Slayer is lower down this list than he might otherwise have been.
What does make this battle easier is a fountain toward the end of the battle area, which can be used to put distance between the two of you and block his attacks. For that reason, Slayer is lower down this list than he might otherwise have been.
11. Champion Gundyr
The optional area, Untended Graves, marks the return of an old friend. The entire area is an otherworldly mirror-realm, of sorts, revisiting the tutorial area of the game but packed with more deadly enemies. Gundyr is no exception, as he’s significantly tougher this time around. The pattern of the fight is much the same but he attacks for more damage, strings together dangerous new combos, and his second phase is deadlier. Melee characters will need to remain patient to attack in the few moments between his attacks, while Mage’s have it easier since Gundyr is weak to magic.
10. Abyss Watchers
When you stumble across The Abyss Watchers of Farron Keep, it’s likely a substantially harder encounter than anything Dark Souls 3 has thrown at you up until that point. The Watchers number two or three, but only one counts as damage for the boss as a whole. Oddly enough, they’ll battle each other as well as you, so baiting them to fight amongst themselves is key to taking the heat off. And that’s especially wise since the Watchers move like lightning, closing the distance and keeping the pressure on you constantly. The real fight, though, begins in the second phase, when the Watchers become one giant, tough-as-nails enemy with a blazing fire sword. Thankfully, they have low poise and can be staggered. Offence is the best strategy here.
9. Pontiff Sulyvahn
Capping off what is perhaps Dark Souls 3’s most impressive area, Pontiff Sulyvahn is the Irithyll of the Boreal Valley’s big bad boss, and he’s no pushover. A deadly combination of melee and magic attacks make Pontiff a real handful solo —his pressure is relentless. Luckily, the cathedral in which you fight him is big enough in size that it’s possible to run away and down an Estus flask, or buff yourself mid-battle. Pontiff spawns a ghost later in the battle, and the two combine for some powerful magic attacks that hit very hard. Beating them is tricky, but it’s all in the dodge, and learning how far each attack reaches.
8. Dancer of the Boreal Valley
Double boss fight! Directly after beating either Aldrich or Yhorm, you’ll be teleported to a fight with the Dancer of the Boreal Valley, and you better hope you’ve still got enough left in the tank to take this fight on.
The Dancer is among the hardest boss fights of the game, with a deadly grab attack that can remove half or more of your HP. The second phase of the fight sees the Dancer pull out a second sword, attacking even more furiously in spin attacks that last a considerable amount of time. This all being said, he can be overwhelmed by cleverly using the pillars to avoid its strikes and punish him with attacks from behind.
The Dancer is among the hardest boss fights of the game, with a deadly grab attack that can remove half or more of your HP. The second phase of the fight sees the Dancer pull out a second sword, attacking even more furiously in spin attacks that last a considerable amount of time. This all being said, he can be overwhelmed by cleverly using the pillars to avoid its strikes and punish him with attacks from behind.
7. Lorian, Elder Prince, and Lothric, Younger Prince
The two brothers reside in the highest part of Lothric Castle, and your battle with them is the last Lord of Cinder battle (sort of). As you’d expect, Lorian and Lothric are a deadly combo that are among the hardest bosses to defeat in the game.
Technically one single boss fight, Lothric strikes hard with melee damage as his brother rains down magic attacks from above. The first phase isn’t so hard —Lothric can be dodged and blocked easily, then punished with attacks from behind. The second phase, though, has Lorian join the fray, piggy-backing on his brother’s shoulder and shooting magic attacks at you. The two teleport around the map, which can be tricky. And attacking Lothric is futile since his brother constantly revives him. The trick is to keep getting behind the pair and striking Lorian’s back.
Technically one single boss fight, Lothric strikes hard with melee damage as his brother rains down magic attacks from above. The first phase isn’t so hard —Lothric can be dodged and blocked easily, then punished with attacks from behind. The second phase, though, has Lorian join the fray, piggy-backing on his brother’s shoulder and shooting magic attacks at you. The two teleport around the map, which can be tricky. And attacking Lothric is futile since his brother constantly revives him. The trick is to keep getting behind the pair and striking Lorian’s back.
6. Soul of Cinder
The final boss and the closing sequence of the entire main game, the Soul of Cinder has a serious case of multiple-personality disorder. In short, it’s an amalgamation of every Lord of Cinder, drawing on all of their skills and abilities at different intervals throughout the fight, not to mention it can draw on virtually every move or attack you can, which all equates to one very difficult encounter. Particularly so, given that you have to defeat it twice. After felling it once, it revives itself and turns into an even deadlier opponent, casting magic attacks whenever you back away and attempt to heal. The boss arena has no cover, either, so you can’t hide from its relentless attacks. Overall, we’d rank Soul of Cinder as the second hardest boss outside the DLC.
5. Nameless King
Comfortably the most challenging boss in Dark Souls 3 not including the DLC, thankfully The Nameless King is optional for those simply wanting to complete the game. For the completionists (and masochists) The Nameless King will present one almighty obstacle. The final encounter in the optional area, Archdragon Peak, so no surprises he calls on a dragon to try and crush you. The fight comprises two distinct phases, with each given its own health bar. The first has you beat the dragon, with the King swiping at you with lightning-infused attacks in between the dragon’s own. Only hitting the dragon’s head does damage, and he moves very quickly, often swooping down behind you, making the battle a nightmare of careful timing and camera readjusting.
After you’ve felled the Dragon it’s onto the King himself, who doesn’t do anything particularly special but hits for massive damage, and you’re likely to not have much in the way of healing items left after the dragon. Overall, an exhausting and extremely testing fight.
After you’ve felled the Dragon it’s onto the King himself, who doesn’t do anything particularly special but hits for massive damage, and you’re likely to not have much in the way of healing items left after the dragon. Overall, an exhausting and extremely testing fight.
4. Darkeater Midir
A huge amount of health and powerful AoE attacks make this enormous dragon an extremely difficult boss. As with all dragons in Dark Souls, the trick is to stay underneath him and keep bashing away at his legs, and he can’t really hit you if you stay behind him. The trouble is, Midir can leap upward and shoot flames that can hit you from pretty much anywhere in the arena. Luckily, his legs don’t really cause you physical damage as he stomps around. In the end, it’s a marathon of sprinting and dodging, whittling down Midir’s HP and maintaining your concentration for the entirety of the battle.
3. Demon Prince
FromSoftware’s Souls DLC always takes the difficulty up a notch, and things get going right off the bat in the Ringed City expansion. The DLC’s very first boss is called the Demon Prince, but you have to beat two Demons prior to his appearance before you’ll actually get a chance to attack him. And those previous Demon’s are no push over, either —both sharing the same move sets but packing either poison or fire-infused damage. The trick is to kill The Demon in Pain first since that makes the Demon Prince easier to deal with (sans giant meteor attack that is near impossible to dodge). Still, whichever way you cut it, the Demon Prince is obscenely tough.
2. Slave Knight Gael
Gael’s huge amount of HP makes this a particularly long and exhausting encounter. He has three very distinct phases of attack, each packing very different sorts of threats. The most deadly, as you’d imagine, is his final form, which sees him unleash relentless combinations of attacks that aren’t telegraphed very obviously. Making the last part of the battle harder are the soul effects emanating from his weapon, which obscure your view. Overall, it’s a battle that really tests your abilities both from distance and up close. This, combined with the fact that you’ll have very little time to recover your HP between attacks makes Gael among the hardest Dark Souls 3 bosses.
Sister Friede and Father Ariandel
And now we arrive at Sister Friede and Father Ariandel: the final boss fight in the Ashes of Ariandel DLC, and it’s arguably among the hardest boss fights in any Soulsborne game. Like Gael, Friede has three distinct phases. Unlike Gael, Friede gets a brand new health bar each time, and you’ll have to make do with just one. The first phase isn’t especially hard, but when both Friede and Ariandel team up, things get much trickier. The big man will follow you about smashing his cauldron or shooting flames from afar while a revived Friede slashes at you with a scythe. Later, she starts using AoE ice attacks as you duel in the final phase. The encounter can be hugely taxing, particularly if you’re having to constantly repeat the first or second phase as you learn how to beat the third.
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.Being the correct level for each area is extremely important in order to find other players summoning and being summoned for coop play as phantoms. Dark Souls will only match players that are +/- 10% in levels, so this can be very restrictive. See the Daydull article for tips on how to maximize your chances to make the summoning signs work in another article.
With the non-linear layout of the game, it is sometimes very tough to know what area to visit next, so this will also ensure you aren’t too outmatched by the enemies in the area.
Dark Souls Recommended Soul Level for Areas and Bosses:
Undead Burg ( 5 – 10 ) – BOSS: Taurus Demon
Undead Parish ( 10 – 20 ) – – BOSS: Belfry Gargoyls
Lower Undead Burg ( 20 – 30 ) – BOSS: Capra Demon
The Depths ( 20 – 30 ) – BOSS: Gaping Dragon
Blighttown ( 30 – 40 )
Quelaag’s Domain ( 35+ ) – BOSS: Chaos Witch Quelaag
(Second bell of awakening generally rung around lvl 35)
Undead Parish ( 10 – 20 ) – – BOSS: Belfry Gargoyls
Lower Undead Burg ( 20 – 30 ) – BOSS: Capra Demon
The Depths ( 20 – 30 ) – BOSS: Gaping Dragon
Blighttown ( 30 – 40 )
Quelaag’s Domain ( 35+ ) – BOSS: Chaos Witch Quelaag
(Second bell of awakening generally rung around lvl 35)
The Catacombs ( 30 – 50 )
The Great Hollow ( 45-55 )
Ash Lake ( 45-55 )
Darkroot Garden ( 35-50 ) – BOSS: Sif
Darkroot Basin ( 35-50 ) – BOSS: Hydra / Moonlight Butterfly
Valley of Drakes ( 40 – 60 )
Undead Asylum Revisited ( 30 – 40 )
The Great Hollow ( 45-55 )
Ash Lake ( 45-55 )
Darkroot Garden ( 35-50 ) – BOSS: Sif
Darkroot Basin ( 35-50 ) – BOSS: Hydra / Moonlight Butterfly
Valley of Drakes ( 40 – 60 )
Undead Asylum Revisited ( 30 – 40 )
Sen’s Fortress ( 35-45 ) – BOSS: Iron Golem
Anor Londo ( 45-60 ) – BOSS: Ornstein & Smough
Painted World of Ariamis ( 60+ )
New Londo Ruins ( 60+ )
Anor Londo ( 45-60 ) – BOSS: Ornstein & Smough
Painted World of Ariamis ( 60+ )
New Londo Ruins ( 60+ )
The Abyss ( 50 – 70 ) – BOSS: The Four Kings
The Duke’s Archives ( 50-70 )
Crystal Cave ( 55-75 ) – BOSS: Seath the Scaleless
Tomb of the Giants ( 55-75 ) – BOSS: Gravelord Nito
Demon Ruins ( 60-75 )
Lost Izalith ( 65-80 ) – BOSS: The Bed of Chaos
Kiln of the First Flame ( 70 – 100 + ) – BOSS: Gwyn
(Due to PvP and titanite chunk farming, the kiln always has lots of summoning activity)
Crystal Cave ( 55-75 ) – BOSS: Seath the Scaleless
Tomb of the Giants ( 55-75 ) – BOSS: Gravelord Nito
Demon Ruins ( 60-75 )
Lost Izalith ( 65-80 ) – BOSS: The Bed of Chaos
Kiln of the First Flame ( 70 – 100 + ) – BOSS: Gwyn
(Due to PvP and titanite chunk farming, the kiln always has lots of summoning activity)