Summary
- Dark Souls games offer a rich tapestry of pathos-ridden epic boss fights, like Sir Alonne, a fearsome challenge with unique animations.
- Sister Friede & Father Ariandel have a devastating three-phase setup, putting them in the upper echelon of tough Souls bosses.
- The Soul of Cinder, embodying countless mythic heroes, offers one of the most satisfying and memorable boss fights in the series.
In the epic fantasy world of the Dark Souls games, it's no surprise that there are heaps of epic boss fights. As the games that pioneered an entire subgenre predicated on brutal boss fights, there's an amazing selection to choose from.
10 Largest Bosses In The Dark Souls Trilogy, Estimated
The Dark Souls trilogy is packed with memorable boss fights of all shapes and sizes. These bosses are easily the largest in the series.
Whether it's lonely warriors standing sentinel at the end of time, or doomed loyal companions who await their master long after they're gone, the Dark Souls games are a rich tapestry for pathos-ridden fights to the death on the most epic scale possible. These are the most epic boss fights in the Dark Souls series.
8 Sir Alonne
The Gentleman Samurai
Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin
- Released
- April 2, 2015
- Developer(s)
- FromSoftware
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Though Dark Souls 2 is a somewhat controversial entry into the canon, it still has its fair share of epic bosses and powerful bosses. However, nestled away in the Old Iron King DLC is Sir Alonne, a warrior who traveled from an eastern land to pledge service to the Old Iron King.
Clearly inspired by samurai warriors, Sir Alonne is a boss like no other in the Dark Souls franchise. Dishing out rapid fire attacks over a reflective floor, parrying the player's attacks, and featuring a unique animation where he commits seppuku if the player defeats him without taking damage, Sir Alonne is a fearsome challenge that tests the very limits of what the player is capable of doing.
7 Sister Friede & Father Ariandel
Don't Forget Father
Dark Souls 3
- Released
- March 24, 2016
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Though the Soul of Cinder is the true last boss of Dark Souls 3, Sister Friede is the last boss of the game's first DLC, and she lies at the heart of one of its hardest zones. Not only are Sister Friede and Father Ariandel fearsome in their own right as a duo, but they have a surprising and devastating three-phase setup that puts them in the upper echelon of Souls bosses in toughness alone.
8 Dark Souls 3 Mods That Add New Bosses
Seen everything in Dark Souls 3? These mods offer something fresh.
With the entire painted world burning down around the player, this fight has stakes of epic proportions. Freide's first defeat awakens Ariandel, causing him to use his flame to revive her and make her an Unkindled, only for her to be defeated once again. Yet she rises a third time as the devastatingly-powerful Blackflame Freide.
6 Sif
Still A Good Boy
Dark Souls Remastered
Sif is one of the most famous Dark Souls bosses, and for good reason. The one-time companion of the legendary Knight Artorias, Sif the Great Grey Wolf guards his master's grave many centuries later, wielding one of the most powerful weapons in the game. Need we say more?
Apart from being a genuinely tragic ending for a beautiful and loyal animal, Sif is no joke, executing sweeping aerial strikes and attacking viciously. Paired with a tragic musical accompaniment, this fight takes on a near mythic tone, making it a shoo-in for one of the most epic fights in the series.
5 The Nameless King
The Silent Stormlord
Regularly considered to be one of the hardest, if not the hardest boss in the Dark Souls series, The Nameless King is an optional boss secreted away in one of the best hidden areas near the end of Dark Souls 3. His fight tests every aspect of a player's ability, from blocking to dodging to buildcrafting.
Summoning the very power of the storms and fighting atop a dragon, The Nameless King is one of the most enigmatic bosses in the franchise, with a whirl of mystery in his lore dating back to the series' first game and potentially labeling him as Gwyn's first son. It all culminates in an epic fight atop the clouds.
4 Soul Of Cinder
It All Burns
Where some bosses in the Dark Souls franchise are epic in appearance alone, the Soul of Cinder is actually a manifestation of the player-character from the first two Dark Souls games, as well as every other hero who ever linked the flame. That's why Gwyn's theme kicks in during phase 2.
That means the Soul of Cinder is literally the embodiment of countless mythic heroes in a single persona, fighting the player character of Dark Souls 3 at the literal end of the world. In a game that already embodies fantasy apocalypse esthetics, the Soul of Cinder takes it to epic proportions, making it one of the most memorable fights of the entire series, and one of the most satisfying to conquer.
3 Manus, Father Of The Abyss
The Dark Deep Below
Some fights in the Dark Souls franchise have a tragic backstory that makes them genuinely sad to fight through, but that's not so with Manus, who lies in one of the best areas in the game. While there are many ways to think about Manus, sometimes it's best to be straightforward: He is the embodiment of darkness in the lore and one of the most fearsome foes in the entire franchise.
10 Largest Bosses In The Dark Souls Trilogy, Estimated
The Dark Souls trilogy is packed with memorable boss fights of all shapes and sizes. These bosses are easily the largest in the series.
That makes the fight self-evidently epic. The lone protagonist of Dark Souls must stand their ground in a pit of darkness against a God-like figure, withstanding bout after bout of brutal attacks, desperately hoping for the possibility of victory. It doesn't get much more epic than that.
2 Ornstein & Smough
The Terror Twins
On their surface, Ornstein and Smough don't embody "epicness." However, as every player of Dark Souls knows, Ornstein and Smough are considered one of, if not the hardest bosses in the entire game. That means that the encounter at the heart of Anor Londo comes to embody one of the biggest challenges the game ever throws at its players.
Paired with an epic orchestral score that's scarred into the minds of many players, and a nail-biting second phase that tests a player's patience and skill to their max, Ornstein and Smough have come to embody the epic and painfully difficult Dark Souls boss fight.
1 Gwyn, Lord Of Cinder
The Source Of It All
Few bosses have the narrative weight behind them that Gwyn, Lord of Cinder does. The final boss of Dark Souls is easily the most epic boss fight in the entire series. Gwyn is arguably the reason why the events of Dark Souls happen at all, as he sacrifices his Lord Soul in an attempt to link the First Flame – turning himself Hollow in the process – in a desperate effort to prolong his Age of Fire.
With a quiet piano soundtrack that underscores the tragedy of the fight and an incredible moveset that communicates the sheer power of the old lord, Dark Souls lays all its cards out on the table with this final boss fight, one that epitomizes the emotions and epic nature of Souls games at their very best and most difficult.
20 Most Gut-Wrenching Quotes In The Dark Souls Games
The Dark Souls universe is bleak and tragic. These emotional and heartrending quotes are just the tip of the iceberg.