Summary
Dark Soulsis a series renowned for its boss fights, focusing heavily on such encounters. Throughout the series, there are a variety of bosses, some being hard, some being frustrating, and some being, naturally, the best.
However, that isn’t to say all boss fights are hard; some are quite easy. Not every encounter needs to be a battle that leaves players with a sliver of their health. On the other hand, some bosses should have more difficulty in their encounters. There are some bosses that are easy to vanquish that shouldn’t be, whether that is because of an imposing design, an interesting character, or deep and influential lore. These bosses deserve to be harder instead of the relative ease with which players will tear through them.
12Bed Of Chaos - Dark Souls
A Fight That Should Be Both Improved And More Difficult
FromSoftware has graced players with some frustrating bosses over the years, but theBed of Chaosis arguably the worst fight they’ve designed. It isn’t a hard fight, but rather just annoying, as players can die instantly.
Regardless, the lore behind the Bed of Chaos is significant, as it was once the Witch of Izalith, in possession of one of the Lord Souls and the creator of the Flame of Chaos. The boss fight doesn’t reflect the importance of the lore, being an easy fight, but one with glaring criticisms.
11Seath The Scaleless - Dark Souls
With Deep Lore, But Not Too Challenging Of A Fight
One of the things that first madeDark Soulsstand out was the deep amount of lore present. Most bosses have lore relating to the world one way or another, andSeath the Scalelesshad a large part in the backstory ofDark Souls.
Despite this, his fight isn’t the most challenging. He is able to kill players if they underestimate him, but it is nowhere near the hardest fight in the series or even the firstDark Souls.Seath shows how focusing on lore instead of gameplaycan reduce a boss fight, as he should be vastly more difficult for a character of his importance.
10Crossbreed Priscilla - Dark Souls
Feared By The Gods, Yet Easy To Defeat
As with any story, certain characters have become fan favorites fromDark Souls, withPriscillabeing a notable example. Found trapped within the Painted World of Ariamis, she isn’t exactly a difficult fight, with her limited moveset making for an easy battle.
However, her role in the lore is surprising. Priscilla was feared by the Anor Londo gods, due to her ability to kill them, and as such, was brought into thePainted World of Ariamisto keep her out of the real world. Despite this, her boss fight doesn’t reflect her lore significance and should be harder.
9Giant Lord - Dark Souls 2
A Fight Not Representative Of A Character Of His Status
A core part ofDark Souls 2was the story involving Vendrick’s war against the giants. Players are able to fight theGiant Lordin a memory, facing up against the once regal ruler of the giants, towering over even his own kin.
However, for all the bravado, the Giant Lord is a simple fight, possessing a limited moveset that is easy to dodge. He is capable of dealing noteworthy damage, but nothing that would make him a roadblock in a playthrough. His fight doesn’t match his story, being a victim of the war Vendrick and, ultimately, Nashandra waged against him. He should be more of a challenge, which would especially make the Last Giant boss fight more meaningful to show how much he’s fallen from grace.
8Ceaseless Discharge - Dark Souls
A Tragic Boss That Deserves A Challenging Fight
A large theme inDark Souls,and FromSoft’s worlds in general, are characters who were dealt a tragic hand in life that makes players feel bad for killing.Ceaseless Dischargeis one of the best examples inDark Souls;a character who was transformed into a giant hideous demon, living in self-perceived comfort that his sisters look after him.
There is an argument that such a distraught and pained character would naturally have an easier boss fight, but players are able to kill him instantly by running back to the fog-gate entrance. Fighting him normally has playersdodging and attacking his tentaclesuntil he’s dead, not making it a difficult fight, despite his lore providing a reason for the contrary.
7Pinwheel - Dark Souls
A Well-Known Easy Fight
Naturally, there are going to be some bosses that are easier than others.Pinwheelis notorious for being theeasiest boss in the firstDark Soulsand one of the easiest in the entire series.
While it is nice to fight a forgiving boss occasionally, some challenge would be welcome for Pinwheel, due to the sheer ease of defeating it. If there wasn’t a health bar, players might not even realize they had killed a boss. Pinwheel essentially serves as the opposite of Midir - a boss who is so easy and quick to defeat that there is no challenge involved.
6Old Iron King - Dark Souls 2
An Imposing Design With Great Lore Significance, Yet An Easy Boss Fight
Dark Souls 2’sbosses aren’t as consistently challenging compared to the first or third game, but some definitely deserve to be more difficult. TheOld Iron Kinghas a huge presence in the lore of the game and has an imposing and threatening design that makes him seem like a tough boss.
Despite looking like one, the Old Iron King is not a demon, but rather the monstrously transformed form of the king of the Iron Keep, where his boss battle is found. The fight is rather simple, with just a couple of attacks that leave the Old Iron King open for the player to attack heavily. If following normal progression, then he is also quite squishy, with players easily chopping up his health. His lore importance as one of the four kings ofDark Souls 2, as well as his impact on the various lands, are not reflected in his gameplay.
5Demon of Song - Dark Souls 2
An Unsettling Design For A Demon That Deserves A Harder Fight
FromSoft has a history with fantastic designs, not just for their bosses. TheDemon of Songrepresents a demon boss design perfectly, with a deeply disturbing and unsettling appearance. Its appearance also matches the environment it’s found in.
However, the fight isn’t anything too special. Its moveset isn’t all that involved, and it is quite easy to defeat. It has an interesting mechanic where it pulls its skin over its face to become impervious to damage, but it only does this for a limited time. Players are likely to defeat this boss on one of their first times facing it, despite its creepy design leaving a desire for a harder battle.
4Gwyn, Lord Of Cinder - Dark Souls
A Purposely Easy Fight
Final bosses in video games are usually or are expected to be, the hardest battle a player will experience in the game.Gwyninverts this, being a fight made easy to represent how far he has fallen.
However, his fight can be a little too easy. His battle, being easy to show how weak he is, is a great subversion that makes for a deeply memorable moment, but players can very quickly defeat him, even on their first try.
Some difficulty might have worked to show that while Gwyn is not as strong as he once was, he is still a god and the one that set the Age of Fire and, as a result, theDark Soulsgames into motion.
3Yhorm the Giant - Dark Souls 3
A Simple Gimmick Fight
Dark Soulsis a world full of tragedy and pain, with numerous characters and bosses having such themes in their stories.Yhormis a character who was doubted by his people, despite doing much in attempts to protect his realm.
His boss fight is an odd one, as fighting him without the Storm Ruler shows how tough he truly is, but with the weapon, the battle becomes incredibly easy. It makes sense, as the Storm Ruler is designed to kill a giant, but it also trivializes Yhorm’s fight. The battle would benefit if it was harder, especially with the inclusion ofSiegward’s questlineand his friendship with Yhorm being an emotional high of the game.
