FromSoftware has created some amazing games over the years with iconic boss fights. Some of them are incredibly difficult and will test your patience (and sanity). We will be discussing the 20 hardest FromSoftware bosses!
20. Darklurker – Dark Souls 2
Image Credit: Bandai Namco Games.
While Dark Souls 2 isn’t a fan favorite by any means, the Darklurker is a cool but difficult boss. This boss is completely optional, but it’s a great challenge should you come across him. The fight seems easy on the surface, but once he splits in half, the dynamic and rhythm of the fight change considerably.
19. Nameless King – Dark Souls 3
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The Nameless King is an iconic fight and is a tremendous challenge to anyone who gets to it. With phase one being challenging enough, you finally think you’ve got the boss down, only for him to come back with a vengeance in phase two. Some of his attack patterns are absolutely soul-destroying.
18. Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough – Dark Souls 1
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Ornstein and Smough are the perfect examples of every Soulslike player’s worst nightmare. No one likes a duo boss fight, and this is quite possibly one of the hardest in the Soulsborne genre. It will truly test your patience, as it is one of the most demanding and difficult fights in any FromSoftware game. Balancing Ornstein’s swift, electrifying attacks can be incredibly difficult while avoiding Smough’s devastating heavy attacks.
It only gets worse once phase two kicks in, as if phase one isn’t bad enough! The grueling encounter with Ornstein and Smough is one of the hardest FromSoftware bosses.
17. Guardian Ape – Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
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The Guardian Ape is a fantastic boss fight that will feel very rewarding once completed. The only trouble is completing the boss fight. With strong attacks and completely devastating grapples, you think you’ve completed the boss, only for there to be an absolutely shocking twist of events that will have you losing faith.
16. Sister Friede – Dark Souls 3
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Sister Friede and Father Ariandel are a great duo and have a fun fight overall. That being said, it can be immensely difficult and requires a lot of trial and error to get through it. You think you’re in the clear after phase one, only for a devious phase two to appear after a dramatic cutscene. But wait, that’s not all! This fight does something that no other has dared to do: it has a devastating phase three.
We can only salute and wish you good luck in this fight. It’s an iconic and rewarding fight, but it’s certainly one of the hardest FromSoftware bosses.
15. Starscourge Radahn – Elden Ring
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Starscourge Radahn is an epic fight but one of the most unusual gimmick fights throughout the series. By using summons to do the damage for you, you spend most of your time on Torrent, running for your life from his devastating slashes and gravity attacks. Of course, you can do all the damage yourself, but it makes the fight significantly harder.
It only gets worse once you get to phase two, as some of the attacks can straight-up one-shot you. Be careful out there!
14. Darkeater Midir – Dark Souls 3
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Darkeater Midir is one of the DLC bosses in Dark Souls 3. There are no bad bosses in the DLC, but this one is certainly among the most challenging in the Ringed City DLC. Midir is one of the most challenging optional bosses, and you can easily miss him if you don’t explore thoroughly. This boss will test your patience to the max.
13. Maliketh, the Black Blade – Elden Ring
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Maliketh, the Black Blade comes as phase two to Beast Clergyman Gurranq, an equally difficult fight in its own right. Maliketh is a completely different ball game, though. With the ability to sap your health and give you a smaller health bar, Maliketh can be a real challenge to those in melee range. Not only that, but his attacks are frantic and sporadic, with the ability to bounce off of the columns.
11. Demon of Hatred – Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
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The Demon of Hatred is quite a tricky boss and can test your patience and sanity. Unlike other bosses in the game, the Demon of Hatred utilizes a bucket load of AoE attacks, which can be difficult to dodge. One thing that stands out here is that Demon of Hatred requires you to dodge oncoming attacks instead of timing your parries with enemies. It’s a stark contrast from typical gameplay patterns in Sekiro, adding to the fight’s difficulty. s of Rubicon
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While Chapter 2 of Armored Core 6 is pretty short, it’s a bit of an ordeal making your way to this boss fight. On top of that, the boss is quite challenging and tests your ability to make a mech perfect for taking on the Sea Spider.
10. False King Allant – Demons Souls
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Also known as the Old King Allant, this is a fantastic boss fight in Demon Souls that the entire game has been building you up to. He has devastating attacks, including a Soul-level drain and varied magic attacks. His quick and sporadic attacks make it a real challenge for the player.
9. Aap07a Arquebus Balteus – Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
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After defeating the Arquebus once, players thought it would be over and done with. Unfortunately, Balteus makes a return, and he’s stronger and better than ever. With agile movement and laser beam attacks, any mech that isn’t bulky will suffer drastically against this boss.
8. Dancer of the Boreal Valley – Dark Souls 3
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One of the most hauntingly beautiful fights in the game, the Dancer of the Boreal Valley requires perfect timing and execution. With attacks timed to the music, the Dancer is a fantastic boss. With the ability to access it far too early in the game, it’s one of the few that can get you hard-stuck in the game should you come across it at the wrong time.
7. Orphan of Kos – Bloodborne
Image Credit: Sony Computer Entertainment.
Orphan of Kos is a fantastic boss that comes in the Bloodborne DLC. It’s also one of the harder bosses featured in a FromSoftware game. With absolutely brutal attacks and an even harder phase two, this boss is one of the trickier fights in Bloodborne and requires precise dodging to survive.
Due to the technicality of the fight and the sheer strength of Orphan’s attacks, this boss fight is one of the hardest FromSoftware bosses.
6. Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower – Bloodborne
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Bloodborne has some of the best bosses in the game, and they only get better in the DLC. Lady Maria has an iconic boss fight that opens with a fantastic cutscene, sure to get players’ adrenaline pumping. With devastating swift strikes and a horribly difficult phase two, your heart will race when you finish the fight!
5. Abysswalker Knight Artorias – Dark Souls 1
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An iconic and well-known boss fight from Dark Souls 1, you can access this boss through the DLC with his namesake. With some great lore and a lot of background leading up to this fight, it’s one of the most intense fights in the game. His attacks are ridiculously strong and can easily cut you down in one fell swoop.
4. Malenia, Blade of Miquella – Elden Ring
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“I am Malenia, Blade of Miquella” is one of the most iconic, albeit aggravating, voice lines in gaming history. Chances are that you’ve heard it hundreds of times after countless deaths by the hand of Malenia. With some very strong slashes from her sword and the deadly Waterfowl Dance ruining your streak in the fight, it can lead to hours and hours of stress. Let’s not forget her second phase, which introduces rot damage!
3. Ludwig the Accursed/Holy Blade – Bloodborne
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Ludwig the Accursed is one of the best fights in Bloodborne, and that soundtrack also does a great job of setting the mood. With an erratic and terrifying moveset, this fight is incredibly challenging. While there is a second phase, it feels far more predictable and easier to tolerate than the wildly difficult first phase that can one-shot you in seconds.
3. Mohg, Lord of Blood – Elden Ring
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With two versions of Mohg appearing in Elden Ring, Mohg, Lord of Blood, is by far the hardest. With various blood attacks and his trident doing a ton of damage, it can take quite a while to defeat him. Not only that, but he begins to stack a debuff on you that will drain your health in seconds and have you fighting for your life.
Mohg’s fight can be incredibly testing. As a result, you’ll find he is one of the hardest FromSoftware bosses.
2. Sir Alonne – Dark Souls 2
Image Credit: Bandai Namco Games.
Sir Alonne is one of the DLC bosses in Dark Souls 2, and he doesn’t fail to disappoint. Compared to some of the boss fights in Dark Souls 2, this boss doesn’t feel as rigid and clunky as the others, as he moves swiftly around the room with devastating attacks.
1. Isshin, the Sword Saint – Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
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Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a game that stands out from the crowd and punishes bad timing. The Isshin, the Sword Saint fight, is a true test of mettle. With four phases of the fight, you may find yourself spending hours or even days on this fight trying to work out all of his attack patterns.
Isshin is a fantastic fight and is incredibly rewarding when you can finally get the kill down. Once victorious, take pride in defeating one of the hardest FromSoftware bosses.
That concludes our list of the 20 hardest FromSoftware bosses. While most of the bosses in the games are challenging, these take it to the next level and may have you wanting to yank out your hair!
