FromSoftware has become a leading developer of action RPGs, crafting a number of unforgettable journeys into grimdark lands filled with horrors and wonder in equal measure. But, despite its unrivaled approach to level and lore design, FromSoft’s lasting legacy will likely always be its bosses: deeply challenging, typically horrific foes that push your skills to the very limits.
For its next game, Elden Ring Nightreign, FromSoftware is going all-in on the bosses. This roguelike-ish co-op game is fully combat focused, with each of Nightreign’s runs pitting players against an increasingly difficult set of bosses. And, as the first trailer revealed, some of those bosses are returning foes from the Dark Souls series, including the majestic Nameless King.
With all this in mind, we asked ourselves: what are the best boss fights FromSoftware has made? We considered battles from across FromSoftware’s “Soulsborne” style games – Elden Ring, Bloodborne, Sekiro, Demon’s Souls, and the Dark Souls trilogy. We assessed not just the challenge of each fight, but every element of the battle: the music, the setting, the mechanical complexity, the lore significance, and many other details. What follows are our 25 favourites, based on all those criteria.
This isn’t a list of the most difficult bosses. This is a list of the greatest bosses in FromSoftware history.
25. Old Monk (Demon’s Souls)
Conceptually, the Old Monk from Demon’s Souls is one of the coolest ways FromSoftware has tried to push its vision of PvP multiplayer invasions. Instead of a traditional, computer-controlled boss, the Old Monk has the chance of being puppeted by another player. While the level of challenge the Old Monk poses largely depends on the skill of the summoned player, this unusual event nonetheless does a good job of reminding you that enemy players can appear in your game at any time, even during a boss fight.
24. Old Hero (Demon’s Souls)
While many of its bosses have been totally eclipsed by more elegantly designed foes in subsequent games, Demon’s Souls’ puzzle-style showdowns remain fascinating highpoints in FromSoft’s library. Old Hero is the best example; a tall, glowing, hard-hitting ancient warrior who is completely blind. He flails out in all directions, but his inability to track you by sight makes avoiding his blade practically trivial. However, while he can’t see you he can hear you, and so the clash against Old Hero becomes a quasi-stealth experience. It’s hardly a difficult fight, settling into a pattern of sneaking into position, striking the Hero’s ankles, and then silently holding back until he resets his patrol. Despite this, Old Hero stands as a unique event in FromSoft history, and laid the groundwork for esoteric bosses like Elden Ring’s Rennala and Sekiro’s Folding Screen Monkeys.
23. Sinh, the Slumbering Dragon (Dark Souls 2: Crown of the Sunken King)
Dragons are typically some of the toughest bosses in FromSoftware’s games, but early dragon fights in games like Dark Souls and Demon’s Souls felt more like prototypes compared to some of the epic dragon fights that appear in newer games. A turning point for fantasy’s iconic winged beasts, when dragon fights truly began to feel like epic clashes, came in Dark Souls 2’s Sunken Crown trilogy with the battle against Sinh, the Slumbering Dragon. With swelling music accompanying this monstrously difficult fight in the depths of a poisonous cavern, Sinh is the template for how cool and terrifying all later dragon fights feel in FromSoftware games.
22. Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos (Bloodborne)
While you must put down a number of eldritch creatures during your journey through Yarnham, none reflects Bloodborne’s relationship with the works of Lovecraft quite like Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos. A mass of tentacles, growths, and wings, she’s the creature worshiped by the Healing Church and the origin point of Blood Ministration. In short, she’s a key reason for why the events of Bloodborne take place. While she doesn’t quite prove as fearsome as her backstory may suggest, she nonetheless provides a thematically-rich showdown; her most devastating attack sees her rip open the cosmos to fire volleys of arcane energy, while her regurgitated blood inflicts Frenzy; a status effect that slowly drives you insane by inflicting the Eldritch Truth upon your mind. As we said, it’s Lovecraft as hell.
21. Fume Knight (Dark Souls 2)
Arguably the most difficult fight in Dark Souls 2, Fume Knight combines speed and brawn. He dual-wields two weapons; a long-sword for speedy attacks, and a hulking Buster Sword-style blade for heavy damage. He’ll later combine the two into one giant flame sword that you do not want to get on the wrong end of. While the Fume Knight’s difficulty makes him stand out, he’s also very fun to fight. FromSoft’s duel-style fights typically pit you against either a speedy knight or a heavy, but Fume Knight combines both in one flame-wielding package.
20. Bayle the Dread (Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree)
The fight against Bayle the Dread is memorable enough on its own, what with being one of the hardest bosses in a DLC featuring some of the toughest bosses throughout all of Elden Ring. But what really elevates it and sends it over the edge, making it one of the best fights throughout the series, is your NPC ally, Igon. His guttural cries of sheer hatred for Bayle, both in the leadup to the fight and the fight itself, are just so unforgettable, and add another layer of excitement in an already incredibly exciting face-off against a hideous dragon.
19. Father Gascoigne (Bloodborne)
Every FromSoft game has a proving ground moment relatively early on. These boss fights challenge your grasp of the game’s mechanics, and if you can’t overcome them, then that’s likely where your playthrough ends. Bloodborne features perhaps the best of this particular style of boss with Father Gascoigne. If you just mindlessly strike at him, he will counter you with a gunshot and use a visceral attack for huge damage. And if you just try to just rely on your reflexes and dodge his attacks, he will likely outlast you thanks to how little damage you do and how few healing blood vials you likely have. To take on Gascoigne, you need to learn how to use the environment to your advantage, to not get greedy with your offense, and ideally how to use your own gun to parry his slower attacks – all of which are crucial skills that you’ll need to know for future, harder fights in Bloodborne.
18. Starscourge Radahn (Elden Ring)
Elden Ring is bursting to the seams with sweeping spectacle, but not many of its encounters come close to facing off against the scale of Starscourge Radahn and his vast festival battlefield. The oversized, maniacal experimenter of gravity magic may cut a slightly comical figure atop his tiny-by-comparison steed, but the last thing you’ll be doing is laughing when he’s plunging down to earth like a meteor hellbent on your destruction…
While a patch dropped in Elden Ring’s earliest days means he no longer offers the same level of ludicrous challenge he once did, the battle against Radahn is still a fight that stands as one of Miyazaki’s most inventive. The ability to summon in numerous NPC companions you’ve met along your journey adds a real sense of “epicness” to the battle as well, as the likes of Blaidd, Lionel the Lionhearted, and everyone’s favourite big pot lad, Iron First Alexander, join the fray. It’s an encounter worthy of the Festival of Combat’s name, and one that ends in one of the most (literally) earth-shattering moments of Elden Ring, revealing a whole new layer to FromSoft’s masterpiece.
17. Great Grey Wolf Sif (Dark Souls)
FromSoft’s games are laden with melancholy, but few moments reach the heart-tugging heights (depths?) of being asked to strike down Great Grey Wolf Sif. Artorias’ loyal oversized canine companion, Sif can be found guarding the grave of its fallen master, wielding his large greatsword between his jaws. This may not be Dark Souls’ most challenging encounter, but it is one heavy with atmosphere and story implications. All this can’t help but leave an emotional imprint on those who take part in it. As such, it remains one of the series’ most enduring moments, and a reminder that FromSoft’s worlds and characters are rarely presented as morally black and white. Instead, they’re forever grey.
16. Maliketh, the Black Blade (Elden Ring)
If you want an example of one of, if not the most purely aggressive bosses in Souslike history, look no further than Maliketh. Even in his bestial first phase, he rushes towards you, darting in and out of the fight, tossing rocks at you even as he dodges away. But the real terror begins when he throws away his robe and reveals his true form: Maliketh, the Black Blade. He doesn’t even restore his health, but it never feels like he’s coming into the battle at anything less than 100% because it’s so hard to actually find opportunities to hit him. His combos are long and have multiple follow ups that are easy to catch you by surprise if you’ve not committed every precise pattern to memory. Despite this difficulty though, Maliketh remains one of the most memorable boss battles throughout all of Elden Ring for how high intensity the whole fight is, right from the get go.
15. Dancer of the Boreal Valley (Dark Souls 3)
Dancer of the Boreal Valley is a visually stunning, technically unique boss fight. Wielding a pair of curved blades, this giant armored boss utilizes her long limbs and erratic fighting style to keep players on their toes. Unusually timed animations mean you never know when she’s going to strike, nor from what distance, making it hard to predict her moves. But Dark Souls 3’s animation team deserves extra credit for creating such an eerie figure whose dance-like movements certainly live up to her name.
14. Genichiro Ashina (Sekiro)
The first time players face off against Sekiro’s Genichiro Ashina, the battle takes place in a field of reeds on a moonlit night. While the boss fight will likely last only a few short minutes, it is one of the most memorable fights in the entire game. That’s until you face him again atop Ashina castle, where you’ll face one of the most epic duels in FromSoftware history. Crossing swords with Genichiro Ashina will require all your strength and guile, and learning to deflect literal lightning back at your foe is perhaps Sekiro’s mythical swordsman fantasy at its most potent. Ultimately, though, this fight is a test to see whether you grasp Sekiro’s key concepts of parrying and deflecting. Because if you’re not prepared for Genichiro, you’re not prepared for Sekiro.
13. Owl (Father) (Sekiro)
As Sekiro’s storyline begins to branch in its final act, progressing towards the Purification ending involves killing Wolf’s imposing and traitorous father, Owl. The fight’s emotional blows are second only to its physical ones, as Owl is one of the most aggressive and hardest-hitting bosses in the entire game. He has an arsenal of lethal gadgets up his sleeve, hurling handfuls of shuriken as he leaps through the air and casting trails of thick smoke and sparks that conceal his long-reaching sword strikes. Despite his heavy, muscular physique he’s surprisingly quick, especially during the fight’s second phase when he’s able to make use of a spectral owl to teleport across the arena. Murdering your father is a difficult thing to do, but when the fight’s as thrilling as this one, the feeling is not entirely unpleasant.
12. Soul of Cinder (Dark Souls 3)
If there’s a boss who can represent the very essence of Dark Souls through aesthetics alone, it’s the Soul of Cinder. The final boss of Dark Souls 3, this manifestation of every Lord who linked the Flame takes the form of a grimdark knight shrouded in fire. Its amalgamation nature means it fights with an unpredictable array of styles. One moment it could perform a deadly pirouette with an elegant curved sword, and the next close the distance between you with a piercing spear lunge. It’s the fight’s second phase, though, that really locks Soul of Cinder into the history books. Unleashing heavy, multi-strike combos with a flaming blade, his attack patterns recreate those of Gwyn, the Lord of Cinder and final boss of the original Dark Souls. And so the trilogy ends in a beautiful, haunting reflection of its seminal first outing.
11. Sister Friede (Dark Souls 3: Ashes of Ariandel)
A brutal endurance test across three distinct phases, Sister Friede is arguably the most punishing boss fight in the entire Dark Souls series. Hidden away in the Ashes of Ariandel DLC, Friede is a scythe-wielding nun that fights with such relentless aggression that the most difficult thing is not so much staying alive, but finding the opportunity to deal even a single point of damage. She fights alone in the fierce first and third phases, but it’s the middle phase where things really get going. Friede awakens the ginormous Father Ariandel, who drags himself around the area while spilling great tides of searing flame from his massive bowl. Overcoming both Ariandel and the frost-casting Friede simultaneously is a song of ice and fire for the ages.
10. Orphan of Kos (Bloodborne: The Old Hunters)
Bloodborne’s most infamous foe, Orphan of Kos plagues the nightmares of all who have faced it. The grotesque, shrieking offspring of a dying Great One, the Orphan is a terrifyingly fast boss. After closing the distance with a spry leap, it attacks tirelessly with lengthy, unpredictable combos that are difficult to parry and leave practically zero room for error. Oh, and if its corpse-like form wasn’t gross enough, it wields its own solidified placenta as a weapon, hurling pieces of it at you as if they were organic grenades. It truly is the thing of nightmares.
9. Malenia, Blade of Miquella (Elden Ring)
No other FromSoft boss has defined the cultural zeitgeist like how Malenia, Blade of Miquella did. That was a clear shift in the gaming community when players steadily started to discover her hiding spot at the bottom of Elden Ring’s Haligtree. Arguably the 2020 Game of the Year winner’s most challenging fight, and if not definitely one of its most memorable, the clash against Malenia takes place over two punishing stages that put all of your dueling skills to the test. If your name isn’t Let Me Solo Her, that is.
The first is a sword-centered face-off in which the legendary twin of Miquella, who brought Caelid to ruins through an unleashing of scarlet rot, aims to skewer you with her mesmerisingly deadly waterfowl dance maneuver. If you manage to weave yourself in and out of her flurrying swipes you’ll meet her second form: the beautifully destructive Goddess of Rot persona that unleashes sparkling red plumes that eat at your health bar. Malenia’s a mighty challenge to take down, but also a boss fight filled with visual spectacle and rooted in a deep story attached to the shattering of Elden Ring’s world.
8. Guardian Ape (Sekiro)
Sekiro’s Guardian Ape is undoubtedly the most comedic foe on this list. As you’d expect of a giant monkey, this mighty beast lashes out with a primal rage, its gangly limbs flailing outwards in order to sweep you off your feet. But between those strikes are moments of gleeful toilet humour, as the Guardian Ape farts poison gas in your face and slings stinky mounds of poop across the battlefield. It’s delightfully silly stuff.
But the Guardian Ape is also the dirtiest trick FromSoft has ever pulled, and not because of all the feces. With the ape’s head severed from its neck, it seems like the fight is over. The “Shinobi Execution” graphic even appears, which always marks the end of a tough battle. And then the Guardian Ape stands up, its head grasped in one hand, the sword that decapitated it in the other. And then you must survive a frenzied fright with the Ape’s shrieking, reanimated corpse. There’s never been a table flip quite as effective as this one.
7. Knight Artorias (Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss)
Artorias the Abysswalker is a truly tragic figure within Dark Souls’ lore. Possessed by the essence of darkness and forced to abandon his friends and compatriots, Artorias is a great piece of Dark Souls writing. Not only that, he’s also an exhilarating boss fight. After dying again and again to Artorias’ rapid attacks and tricky combos, by the time I defeated him I felt like I should start recording my gameplay like SunhiLegend. Moreso than any other fight, beating Artorias feels like a rite of passage for anyone looking to embark on the path of mastering Dark Souls.
6. Nameless King (Dark Souls 3)
The Nameless King is an example of a perfect Dark Souls boss. He’s undeniably one of Dark Souls 3’s most difficult foes, but nevertheless puts up a fair and measured fight. His lightning-wreathed lunges and explosive slams are clearly telegraphed, and you don’t need superhuman reflexes to counter him. What you do need is endurance, persistence, and flexibility, as this long fight of two halves presents a duo of unique challenges. The first phase is a gold-standard dragon duel, with the King riding atop his fire-belching, constantly mobile wyvern. With his mount defeated, you move onto the grounded second phase in which you go toe-to-toe for the thrilling finale. Fought atop Archdragon Peak within the eye of a storm, Nameless King provides an unforgettable spectacle soundtracked by one of the series’ best ever musical themes. This really is almost as good as it gets.
5. Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough (Dark Souls)
The first time you encounter Ornstein and Smough, you might think to yourself, “Two on One? That doesn’t seem very fair.” What’s funny, then, is that after you finally manage to kill one of them, the other absorbs their fallen ally’s power, restoring all of their health, and becomes a tougher version of what you’ve already been fighting, no doubt prompting you to think, again, “Wait, that doesn’t seem very fair!”
Ornstein and Smough established the very template for this kind of double boss fight, and it’s one that FromSoftware loves to include in virtually every one of its games released since Dark Souls. None have quite reached the level of notoriety as Ornstein and Smough, though. It’s an unforgettable fight on its own, but its influence on the genre as a whole is what truly makes this battle so special.
4. Ludwig, The Accursed/Holy Blade (Bloodborne: The Old Hunters)
Ludwig is arguably Bloodborne’s most complex boss. He constantly evolves throughout the fight, making use of new moves as you chip deeper into his health bar. Across both phases he’s able to command a total of 23 unique attacks, many of which are unleashed with such ferocity that even a minor error can leave you crushed beneath Ludwig’s hooves. To defeat him you need to fully embrace Bloodborne’s trademark aggression and speed, particularly in the first phase, in which Ludwig leaps around like a frenzied Buckaroo. Alongside being a serious challenge, Ludwig is a great encapsulation of Bloodborne’s tragic lore. He’s the Healing Church’s first hunter, now mutated into a horse-like, multi-limbed eldritch horror thanks to his dangerous obsessions. Proudly wielding Yarnham’s version of FromSoft’s recurring Moonlight Great Sword, Ludwig is one of the studio’s greatest creations.
3. Slave Knight Gael (Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City)
Few fights feel as truly mythical as the showdown with Slave Knight Gael. The final boss of Dark Souls 3’s The Ringed City DLC, he more than lives up to the task of being the trilogy’s concluding challenge. In the fight’s opening act he crawls around, beast like, swinging his blade in heavy, imprecise arcs. But come phase two, Gael takes on the strength of the Dark Soul itself. He stands upright, his cloak billowing like the wings of a fallen angel. Armed with a terrifying array of abilities, from clouds of spectral skulls and lighting strikes to a machinegun-like crossbow, this fallen knight really is the ultimate test of skill. And, thanks to Gael’s story being so intricately entwined with the entire canvas that is the Dark Souls story, besting him feels like a momentous occasion. Soundtracked by an orchestra and choir going the whole nine yards and fought on a battlefield that’s essentially the ashes of existence itself, Slave Knight Gael is Dark Souls’ finest ever boss.
2. Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower (Bloodborne: The Old Hunters)
“A corpse should be left well alone.” With those words, Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower catapults her way into the top tier of FromSoftware’s greatest bosses. In her horological throne room, you’ll face one of Bloodborne’s most technically accomplished duelists. Dodging her twin swords and pistol is tough enough already, but as the music ramps up and she begins to channel her blood powers, the fight reaches greater and greater levels of intensity. Dodge, parry, and attack until finally you slaughter your foe. The song ends and the curtains draw. Lady Maria, take a bow.
1. Isshin, the Sword Saint (Sekiro)
The intricate complexities of its focused combat system sets Sekiro’s boss battles apart from their peers in the wider FromSoft library. Sekiro really is the best swordplay simulator around – a whirlwind of exhilarating parries and viciously sharp strikes – and so it’s perhaps only logical that its climatic clash stands as the very best boss fight FromSoftware has ever made. Isshin, the Sword Saint is everything that makes Sekiro so special, all wrapped up in a four-phase battle that’ll have your heart beating faster than it ever has before.
Technically two fights in one, Sekiro’s final clash begins with one last duel against Genichiro, who is ritually torn apart to resurrect his grandfather, the legendary warrior Isshin. And legendary really is the word; Isshin dominates a beautiful battlefield with a variety of techniques that pull on almost every single tactic you’ve mastered across your journey. You’ll need to counter piercing thrusts from both sword and spear, block bullets from a surprise pistol, and even deflect searing bolts of lightning in the fight’s final moments. Isshin is relentless in his offense, but there’s a precision and elegance to this fight that turns the whole thing into a deadly dance. It’s intimate and controlled and measured in a way few FromSoft battles are, and conquering Isshin provides an unmatched feeling of accomplishment. The Sword Saint may not be discussed as widely as iconic foes from Dark Souls, Elden Ring, and Bloodborne, but his downfall is, at least as far as we’re concerned, FromSoftware’s finest boss battle.
Victory achieved. Prey slaughtered. Enemy felled. Our choices and ranking of the top 25 FromSoftware bosses is complete. Did we miss one of your favourites? Let us know your picks in the comments. You can also rank these 25 bosses yourself using the IGN Tier List tool below.
This list was compiled and written by Simon Cardy, Matt Kim, Mitchell Saltzman, and Matt Purslow.
