So sue me; I'm on a Dark Souls binge. While last blog post I offered a few select words of advice to newbies and experts alike as we are all likely deep in the midst of Dark Souls III, for the next few weeks I've decided to take on a more challenging project. I have decided to write a four part blog post analyzing and ranking the first Dark Soul's bosses, of which there are twenty-two. As we suffer through the troubles and trials of the most recent edition of the series, I thought it might do everyone some good to reminisce about some of the original installment's best moments in addition to our greatest triumphs; to remind us that we have indeed taken on the very best Miyazaki could throw at us and beaten it, and that we can do so again.
Some of the ground rules; I will be covering all bosses whose names appear when we fight them. So, sorry fans of the Hydra or Hellkite Dragon. Neither will be appearing in this list as they are mini-bosses. Secondly, I will take into account more than just how challenging or frustrating the bosses are to beat, which is what most lists focus on. I will be looking at boss design and fight mechanics which includes things like appearance, the arena, and other factors. I will judge on creativity and the lore surrounding the fight like the environment, mood, character and plot context, etc. Lastly, I will consider not only how challenging they are, but how fair the fight is. This does not mean the battle has to be easy, but I do consider a boss to be of superior design if it can beat the player fair and square rather than relying on lazy gimmicks or sloppy OP attacks builds. Bottom line, stupidly hard bosses rank lower than challenging and unpredictable ones. Let's get to it, shall we?
Some of the ground rules; I will be covering all bosses whose names appear when we fight them. So, sorry fans of the Hydra or Hellkite Dragon. Neither will be appearing in this list as they are mini-bosses. Secondly, I will take into account more than just how challenging or frustrating the bosses are to beat, which is what most lists focus on. I will be looking at boss design and fight mechanics which includes things like appearance, the arena, and other factors. I will judge on creativity and the lore surrounding the fight like the environment, mood, character and plot context, etc. Lastly, I will consider not only how challenging they are, but how fair the fight is. This does not mean the battle has to be easy, but I do consider a boss to be of superior design if it can beat the player fair and square rather than relying on lazy gimmicks or sloppy OP attacks builds. Bottom line, stupidly hard bosses rank lower than challenging and unpredictable ones. Let's get to it, shall we?
22) Boss Name: Pinwheel
Times Died: 0
Frustration -o- Meter: 1/10
The only thing Pinwheel has going for him in this fight is surprise. Unlike its sequel, Dark Souls bosses do not necessarily spawn by passing through a fog wall, and hence there is no obvious way of telling a boss battle is about to commence. To trigger the fight the player must jump down into the pit where Pinwheel resides, where he is sure to take a fair amount of damage from the fall. Suffice to say, the first time I saw him, I was horrified at the prospect of a boss fight, especially considering the treacherous trek I would have to make from the nearest bonfire if I perished.
Turns out I had nothing to worry about as twenty seconds later the monster lay dead. The brutal fact is Pinwheel will go down under a surprisingly small amount of pressure. He does summon copies of himself to divide your attention, but these disappear after being hit. I suppose if you freak out, start running around and unluckily get hit by a string of magic attacks you could be killed, but if you play this fight with any sort of aggressiveness you're a cinch to win. One of the few bosses in Dark Souls you can genuinely bum-rush for the win.
Times Died: 0
Frustration -o- Meter: 1/10
The only thing Pinwheel has going for him in this fight is surprise. Unlike its sequel, Dark Souls bosses do not necessarily spawn by passing through a fog wall, and hence there is no obvious way of telling a boss battle is about to commence. To trigger the fight the player must jump down into the pit where Pinwheel resides, where he is sure to take a fair amount of damage from the fall. Suffice to say, the first time I saw him, I was horrified at the prospect of a boss fight, especially considering the treacherous trek I would have to make from the nearest bonfire if I perished.
Turns out I had nothing to worry about as twenty seconds later the monster lay dead. The brutal fact is Pinwheel will go down under a surprisingly small amount of pressure. He does summon copies of himself to divide your attention, but these disappear after being hit. I suppose if you freak out, start running around and unluckily get hit by a string of magic attacks you could be killed, but if you play this fight with any sort of aggressiveness you're a cinch to win. One of the few bosses in Dark Souls you can genuinely bum-rush for the win.
21) Boss Name: Moonlight Butterfly
Times Died: 0
Frustration -o- Meter: With a Bow 2.5/10. Without a Bow 10/10
OK, this boss is a load of crap; pure and simple. 90% of the time all she does is fly above the bridge you're sitting on spamming a variety of spells at you all while being out of melee range. Yep, if you didn't equip a bow or sorcery, and I wouldn't have if not for an online message, you're out of luck. You'll have to spend the next five minutes dodging and taking damage from a stupid brightly colored butterfly. After enough time has passed, the boss will..... let you hit her? I guess that's what you'd call it as she lands and rests on the edge of the bridge where she's susceptible for about ten seconds to close quarter combat. I guess shooting all those spells really took it out of her.
Plainly put, the Moonlight Butterfly's mechanics are just awful with the difference between victory and defeat relying heavily on whether or not the player has a bow equipped. Once this cat is out of the bag though, I can't imagine anyone losing to her.
Times Died: 0
Frustration -o- Meter: With a Bow 2.5/10. Without a Bow 10/10
OK, this boss is a load of crap; pure and simple. 90% of the time all she does is fly above the bridge you're sitting on spamming a variety of spells at you all while being out of melee range. Yep, if you didn't equip a bow or sorcery, and I wouldn't have if not for an online message, you're out of luck. You'll have to spend the next five minutes dodging and taking damage from a stupid brightly colored butterfly. After enough time has passed, the boss will..... let you hit her? I guess that's what you'd call it as she lands and rests on the edge of the bridge where she's susceptible for about ten seconds to close quarter combat. I guess shooting all those spells really took it out of her.
Plainly put, the Moonlight Butterfly's mechanics are just awful with the difference between victory and defeat relying heavily on whether or not the player has a bow equipped. Once this cat is out of the bag though, I can't imagine anyone losing to her.
20) Boss Name: Ceaseless Discharge
Times Died: 4
Frustration -o- Meter: 7/10
First, let's start by saying this boss has the most disgusting name I've ever heard. Now that we have that out of the way; the most annoying thing about this guy is you're most likely to run into him after you defeat Queelag, when you're under-leveled and not really supposed to. He uses two main attacks. He will either slam his appendage that resembles an arm (please say it's an arm) onto the ground, or he will spew lava (please say it's lava) all over you. Both are devestating. I wandered in there unprepared and got one-shotted three different times!
When you battle him in story-line order, he's more manageable, even boring. High DPS aside his move sets are one of the most limited in the game with which the player will soon lose interest. Defeating him becomes a tedious chore of baiting his attack, dodging, and then getting a few hits in over and over again. If you've kindled your bonfire, you can even be handed a few punches and still have enough resources to bring this monstrosity down.
Times Died: 4
Frustration -o- Meter: 7/10
First, let's start by saying this boss has the most disgusting name I've ever heard. Now that we have that out of the way; the most annoying thing about this guy is you're most likely to run into him after you defeat Queelag, when you're under-leveled and not really supposed to. He uses two main attacks. He will either slam his appendage that resembles an arm (please say it's an arm) onto the ground, or he will spew lava (please say it's lava) all over you. Both are devestating. I wandered in there unprepared and got one-shotted three different times!
When you battle him in story-line order, he's more manageable, even boring. High DPS aside his move sets are one of the most limited in the game with which the player will soon lose interest. Defeating him becomes a tedious chore of baiting his attack, dodging, and then getting a few hits in over and over again. If you've kindled your bonfire, you can even be handed a few punches and still have enough resources to bring this monstrosity down.
18) Boss Name: Centipede Demon
Times Died: 0
Frustration -o- Meter: 5/10
Another bogus boss in the style of the Moonlight Butterfly only this time stronger and faster. Sitting in a pool of impassable lava for the first minute of the fight he will take pot shots at you all while just being just out of lock-on range (at least for my, anyways). Eventually, he does clamor onto the annoyingly small piece of land you have to work with, but only to try and pummel you with a variety of swings and smashing attacks.
The strategy with the Centipede Demon is to get behind him where you'll able to go town on those ankles. Trying to punch with him upfront will only lead to a Rocky-esque slugfest you'll likely lose, but if you can get underneath him, watch out. More than once during this fight I had several seconds with his back all to myself, all while his massive limbs were swinging about at thin air. Be sure to stay mobile and use your shield when you need it, and in no time at all this ugly demon should be down for the count.
Times Died: 0
Frustration -o- Meter: 5/10
Another bogus boss in the style of the Moonlight Butterfly only this time stronger and faster. Sitting in a pool of impassable lava for the first minute of the fight he will take pot shots at you all while just being just out of lock-on range (at least for my, anyways). Eventually, he does clamor onto the annoyingly small piece of land you have to work with, but only to try and pummel you with a variety of swings and smashing attacks.
The strategy with the Centipede Demon is to get behind him where you'll able to go town on those ankles. Trying to punch with him upfront will only lead to a Rocky-esque slugfest you'll likely lose, but if you can get underneath him, watch out. More than once during this fight I had several seconds with his back all to myself, all while his massive limbs were swinging about at thin air. Be sure to stay mobile and use your shield when you need it, and in no time at all this ugly demon should be down for the count.
17) Boss Name: Demon Firesage
Times Died: 3
Frustration -o- Meter: 7.5/10
The first thing you'll notice about the Demon Firesage is he looks surprisingly similar to two bosses you've already fought, the Asylum and Stray Demons. That's because apart from the red glow they have the exact same skin model. While from a lore perspective this makes sense that creatures within the same species might look alike, the player can't help feeling this is From Software just being lazy.
The Firesage has a similar move set to his predecessors except he is more aggressive and cheap. Set in a long thin hallway, this boss has some devastating long range smashes that can destroy your health and stamina if caught out. If on the other hand you stick close to him, he will use an AoE magic attack that was the bane of my existence when I fought him. Unable to snipe from afar or strafe up close, the player is left with the awkward strategy of running away like mad every time he's about to use his magic and then running back as fast as possible to get inside of his melee attacks. The Demon Firesage is an annoying and unnecessary boss whose reskinning proves he literally adds nothing new to the game.
Times Died: 3
Frustration -o- Meter: 7.5/10
The first thing you'll notice about the Demon Firesage is he looks surprisingly similar to two bosses you've already fought, the Asylum and Stray Demons. That's because apart from the red glow they have the exact same skin model. While from a lore perspective this makes sense that creatures within the same species might look alike, the player can't help feeling this is From Software just being lazy.
The Firesage has a similar move set to his predecessors except he is more aggressive and cheap. Set in a long thin hallway, this boss has some devastating long range smashes that can destroy your health and stamina if caught out. If on the other hand you stick close to him, he will use an AoE magic attack that was the bane of my existence when I fought him. Unable to snipe from afar or strafe up close, the player is left with the awkward strategy of running away like mad every time he's about to use his magic and then running back as fast as possible to get inside of his melee attacks. The Demon Firesage is an annoying and unnecessary boss whose reskinning proves he literally adds nothing new to the game.
17) Boss Name: Capra Demon
Times Died: 0
Frustration -o- Meter: 4.5/10
Though the Capra Demon himself is of a decent enough design, it is this bosses' set-up and arena that lets this battle down. The area you fight in is too small for such a mobile opponent, which might not have been too big of a deal (hey, we took down that Taurus Demon, didn't we?), if it weren't for the fact that the player also has to fend off two attack dogs. Rather than having an environment with shifting and unique features, From Software simply stuffs you in a closest with three aggressive enemies and tells you to go at it. Surviving the first ten seconds of this fight is half the battle.
To make matters worse, for whatever reason this boss is terrified of going up the stairway that visually dominates the arena and to which the player will likely gravitate. Once up there, you have a good few seconds to heal, change equipment, even floss your teeth before he decides to follow you. From such a superior tactical position, the player can easily whittle the boss down at his leisure, making Capra Demon arguably the most easily nerfable boss in the game.
Times Died: 0
Frustration -o- Meter: 4.5/10
Though the Capra Demon himself is of a decent enough design, it is this bosses' set-up and arena that lets this battle down. The area you fight in is too small for such a mobile opponent, which might not have been too big of a deal (hey, we took down that Taurus Demon, didn't we?), if it weren't for the fact that the player also has to fend off two attack dogs. Rather than having an environment with shifting and unique features, From Software simply stuffs you in a closest with three aggressive enemies and tells you to go at it. Surviving the first ten seconds of this fight is half the battle.
To make matters worse, for whatever reason this boss is terrified of going up the stairway that visually dominates the arena and to which the player will likely gravitate. Once up there, you have a good few seconds to heal, change equipment, even floss your teeth before he decides to follow you. From such a superior tactical position, the player can easily whittle the boss down at his leisure, making Capra Demon arguably the most easily nerfable boss in the game.
This concludes part one of our series on Dark Souls bosses. Next time we will move into more of the middle of the pack when it comes to quality; there will be more familiar faces, and both the death count and frustration meter will begin to rise. We will not be dealing the bottom of the barrel anymore, the worst Dark Souls has to offer, but capable decently-designed opponents, created to wreck us into oblivion. Even then, though, the very best is yet to come.
Do you agree with our picks so far? Who is your least-liked Dark Souls boss and why? What was your strategy and how did you fare against the opponents listed today?