History AwesomeBosses / DarkSouls

* While Yhorm the Giant is an easy boss, it can still be an amazing spectacle as you fight against a massive giant wielding a great machete while charging the Stormruler to create a SwordBeam that can bring him to his knees. The grand arena and the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic thrilling music]] create an epic experience that makes up for the easy difficulty of this fight.
* The [[DanceBattler Dancer of the Boreal Valley]] has unpredictable yet elegant attack patterns that are challenging to dodge. The fight gets more intense as the dancer pulls out a second sword and starts [[SpinAttack spinning like a windmill,]] while the arena is set on fire. The haunting music and the boss design create a challenging yet unforgettable experience.

* Though technically only a mini boss (though one that drops a boss soul and has boss hit points) the Stray Demon is a very memorable encounter. Basically one last rematch against the Asylum Demon, this hammer wielded keeps the pressure up even at a distance with a boulder spewing pyromancy. But don’t get to comfortable in melee either, or he’ll grab you and through you off his bridge arena, [[CallBack Iron Golem style]].

* Aldrich, Devourer of Gods. Aside from having possibly the coolest title in the franchise, Aldrich is a terrifying foe. Despite a fairly low hit point pool, he is lightning fast with both his varied spell moveset and his heath stealing scythe miracle. Not to mention the fact that he is fighting you while [[spoiler:using Dark Sun Gwyndolin as a flesh puppet]]. Aldrich does not disappoint as likely the final Lord of Cinder you will face before the endgame. [[spoiler:He’s so good, he’s the only boss you can fight twice! One of Anri’s questlines has you face down Aldrich in their world as well, fighting the abomination alongside the brave knight.]]

* Not many Dark Souls Bosses can be best described with the word “Fair”. But the Dragonslayer Armour is just that. He’s just as fast as the player, uses a fairly basic build and moveset, has a wonderfully designed arena, a challenging second phase, and an [[AwesomeMusic amazing theme]]. Despite having little lore importance, Dragonslayer Armour is a tough but fair fight that will stick in your mind until [[spoiler: ''The Ringed City'', where you get a rematch against him as a powerful mini boss!]]

** Meet Sir Alonne, a proud {{samurai}} who became the catalyst for the rise of a kingdom, he meditates within the memories of the Old Iron King, awaiting for the day a worthy foe would challenge him. Once you enter the boss arena, witness what is unequivocally the most breathtaking castle room in the game, from the floor's reflection to the dust collected each time you fight, as well as the sunset backdrop seen outside of the windows; [[VisualEffectsOfAwesome the definite proof that the game's engine is being pushed to its limits]]. Sir Alonne himself is [[LightningBruiser one of the fastest striking bosses]] in the ''Souls'' series, ensuring that you will never forget his [[KatanasAreJustBetter signature blade]]'s strikes; the very second you stop dodging in this fight, you have lost. To top it off, there's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztPGThfD_GY the imperious leitmotif]], which makes replaying this boss an absolute must.

* The ''Ashes of Ariandel'' DLC offers a fight that is as challenging as it is spectacular: Sister Friede. She starts the fight as a bonafide LightningBruiser, with rapid scythe combos on par with the likes of [[VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}} Gehrman]]. She can dash across the room in seconds to hook you with her scythe, create exploding ice crystals on the ground, and many other tricks that would be enough to qualify her for this page by themselves. But once you take her down, Father Ariandel promptly freaks out and comes after you himself... but not before ''reviving Friede''. Round two of the fight is a chaotic endurance match as you have to contend with [[ForceAndFinesse not only Friede's vicious moveset, but Ariandel's imposing presence as well]]. Once you finally slay them both, the music goes silent, and you expect "Heir of Fire Destroyed" to pop up any moment. '''[[VictoryFakeout It doesn't.]]''' Instead, Ariandel gives an ominous speech as Friede revives ''again'' as [[TurnsRed Blackflame Friede]], drawing a [[DuelWielding second magical scythe]] to dice you with and turning her already-intense attacks UpToEleven. This is a boss that makes you ''work'' for your victory.

* The ''Ashes of Ariandel'' DLC offers a fight that is as challenging as it is spectacular: Sister Friede. She starts the fight as a bonafide LightningBruiser, with rapid scythe combos on par with the likes of [[VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}} Gehrman]]. She can dash across the room in seconds to hook you with her scythe, create exploding ice crystals on the ground, and many other tricks that would be enough to qualify her for this page by themselves. But once you take her down, Father Ariandel promptly freaks out and comes after you himself... but not before ''reviving Friede''. Round two of the fight is a chaotic endurance match as you have to contend with not only Friede's vicious moveset, but Ariandel's imposing presence as well. Once you finally slay them both, the music goes silent, and you expect "Heir of Fire Destroyed" to pop up any moment. '''It doesn't.''' Instead, Ariandel gives an ominous speech as Friede revives ''again'' as Blackflame Friede, drawing a second magical scythe to dice you with and turning her already-intense attacks UpToEleven. This is a boss that makes you ''work'' for your victory.

* For those who were left feeling more melancholy than awed by the Old Demon King boss from the main game, being an outright pitiful end to demonkind, ''The Ringed City'' DLC's first boss starts off strong with a DualBoss fight against Demon from Below and Demon in Pain, two bat-like fiends that take turns alternating between tearing you to shreds and blowing you you... ''and then,'' once you've felled them, [[spoiler: the corpse of the last one to fall becomes host to the soul of the Demon Prince, who'll either use apocalyptic rains of fire or a pyroclastic BreathWeapon to burn you to cinders depending on which corpse he possesses]]. ''This'' is a worthy end to the tale of the demon race.

* The Twin Princes, Lothric and Lorian, a HandicappedBadass duo who will regardless stomp you into the dust. Lorian is crippled such that he can't use his legs properly, but Lorian is able to teleport him around the room, turning a MightyGlacier into a LightningBruiser. Even once you manage to fell Lorian, Lothric will teleport into the fray, revive his brother with an incredibly haunting line ("Rise, if you would. ...For that is our curse."), and climb onto his back as the two enter their Lord of Cinder form. Cue Lorian's LightningBruiser being added to with Lothric hurling sorceries from his back, making the battle even more desperate. Add in their haunting and beautiful [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFRaZs6ri7s theme]] and their incredibly sad and tragic lore, and you have one of the game's most memorable boss fights.

* [[ClimaxBoss The Iron Golem]]. You've been through hell and back after finishing the gauntlet of traps that is Sen's Fortress, and this colossus is the only enemy left that guards the way to Anor Londo. Your train of thought? BringIt! Bonus points for being allowed to summon the [[MemeticBadass almighty]] [[BlackKnight Black]] [[MightyGlacier Iron]] [[WorldsStrongestMan Tarkus]]. (Disappointingly, the fight is pretty simple without Tarkus and a joke with him.)

* [[ClimaxBoss The Iron Golem]]. You've been through hell and back after finishing the gauntlet of traps that is Sen's Fortress, and this colossus is the only enemy left that guards the way to Anor Londo. Your train of thought? BringIt! Bonus points for being allowed to summon the [[MemeticBadass almighty]] [[BlackKnight Black]] [[MightyGlacier Iron]] [[WorldsStrongestMan Tarkus]].

* The first Guardian Dragon. Ever wondered how a straight-up boss fight against ''Dark Souls'''s Hellkite Dragon would turn out? This is it. After the bone-chilling trip in Aldia's Keep, you finally get to fight one of the most prominent creatures featured in the pre-launch trailers (right up there with the Looking Glass Knight). Despite fighting it in a massive cage, this wyvern ''still'' gets to fly around a bit, and makes full use of the boss room, all while hailing you with a trail of fire breath. Bonus points for the glorious SceneryPorn that comes after the boss fight.

* ''The Ringed City's'' final boss, whom is the ''final boss'' of the ''trilogy'', has already been heralded as one of, if not the best bosses in the entire series, [[spoiler: Slave Knight Gael.]] First phase he uses his brutal swordsmanship skills, and inhuman speed, before being powered up by [[spoiler: '''The Dark Soul''' itself, becoming even faster, utilizing every weapon at his disposal, including a rapid fire crossbow, the Way of White Corona, and his fricken ''cape''. During the ''third'' phase, lightning bolts begins to pour around the arena, and he starts channeling ''Manus'' himself, and throws around crimson abyss projectiles.]] Described as an unholy fusion between Artorias and Manus, its safe to say FROM saved the best till last.

* ''The Ringed City's'' final boss, whom is the ''final boss'' of the ''trilogy'', has already been heralded as one of, if not the best bosses in the entire series, [[spoiler: Slave Knight Gael.]] First phase he uses his brutal swordsmanship skills, and inhuman speed, before being powered up by [[spoiler: '''The Dark Soul''' itself, becoming even faster, utilizing every weapon at his disposal, including a rapid fire crossbow, light boomerang, and his fricken ''cape''. During the ''third'' phase, lightning bolts begins to pour around the arena, and he starts channeling ''Manus'' himself, and throws around crimson abyss projectiles.]] Described as an unholy fusion between Artorias and Manus, its safe to say FROM saved the best till last.

* The FinalBoss fight is probably the single best boss battle in the history of the series, for no other reason than the fact that [[spoiler:you are basically fighting ''yourself!'' More specifically, the Soul of Cinder combines the power of every Chosen Undead and nameless entity that ever Linked the Fire, and as such it has access to, in no particular order; a straight sword, a greatsword, a curved greatsword, a staff, sorceries, miracles, pyromancies, and the backflip-dodge of the Dark Wood Grain Ring.]] The only thing that makes this fight even better is when you hit Phase 2, [[spoiler:and you hear the three lonesome piano notes of Gwyn's theme as the Soul takes on the move set of the first Lord of Cinder himself. It feels both like a do-over of Gwyn's fight from ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsI'' and an enhancement; no cheesing out parry attempts here folks, you're gonna have to do this legit! Hope you know your way around the combat or brought a couple phantoms in to help you.]] Suffice to say that [=FROM=] pulled out all the stops in making the FinalBoss of the Souls series worth all the effort to get to it.

* [[OurGargoylesRock The Bell Gargoyles]]. After the trek through the Undead Burg has tempered you into expecting what ''Dark Souls'' has to offer, you find yourself in the Undead Parish, where the first of two Bells of Awakening await you. The final obstacle is a towering gargoyle swinging both its tail axe and its halberd to smash you into the roof you fight upon. And then, when you've whittled down its health to half, [[DualBoss another one joins the fray]], blasting fire at you as you now deal with two opponents. Bonus points for this being the first point you can summon Solaire in the game. This boss was so popular that it was brought back for ''VideoGame/DarkSouls2'' [[spoiler: and they brought their whole family this time!]]

* The Fire Demon encountered in the Catacombs of Carthus, while more like a miniboss, is still memorable for the fact that the player can actually ''[[EnemyMine cooperate]]'' with the friendly neighborhood [[DemBones skeletons]] to take him down - and even with the numbers on your side, the big guy can still put up a fight! It gets even better when you try dragging the nearby Mimic into the war, who will ruthlessly pound the demon into the dirt.

* Despite also being one of the most notorious cases of ThatOneBoss in the series (he's even representing the game in the pictures for the franchise's [[ThatOneBoss/DarkSouls That One Boss page]]), most still agree that the battle against Pontiff Sulyvahn is excellent despite its brutality. It's a fast-paced, exhilarating battle against an incredibly aggressive and nimble boss that will ''thoroughly'' test your dodge-roll timing, ability to quickly react to enemy tells and quickly punish openings. This, combined with his memorable design (basically the [[SinisterMinister Pope]] DualWielding {{BFS}}s), epic music, and [[TheChessmaster excellent]] [[TheCorrupter lore]], made [[EvilIsCool Sulyvahn]] [[EnsembleDarkhorse extremely popular]][[LoveToHate in the fandom.]]

* Despite also being one of the most notorious cases of ThatOneBoss in the series (he's even representing the game in the pictures for the franchise's [[ThatOneBoss/DarkSouls That One Boss page]]), most still agree that the battle against Pontiff Sulyvahn is excellent despite its brutality. It's a fast-paced, exhilarating battle against an incredibly aggressive and nimble boss that will ''thoroughly'' test your dodge-roll timing, ability to quickly react to enemy tells and quickly punish openings. This, combined with his memorable design (basically the [[SinisterMinister Pope]] DualWielding {{BFS}}s), epic music, and [[TheChessmaster excellent]] [[TheCorrupter lore]], made [[EvilIsCool Sulyvahn]] [[EnsembleDarkhorse extremely popular in the fandom.]]

* Farron's Undead Legion of the Abyss Watchers are concentrated {{Badass}} given form, both in the lore and in the fight against them. They're basically a legion of undead designated with guarding against the horrors of the Abyss, and when the time came for them to Link the Fire, they went down there [[BandOfBrothers together to burn as one]]. It also helps that [[spoiler:they are both a CallBack to and were ''founded'' by fan favorite character Artorias]], and it really shows in the fight against them; these bastards are [[LightningBruiser Lightning Bruisers]] to the core, able to cross yards of arena in the blink of an eye and incorporating a lot of scrambling movements and flips into their devestating move set. [[spoiler:It gets even better when you hit Phase 2 of the fight, as the combined power of all the fallen Watchers flows into their leader, activating his/her powers as a Lord of Cinder. You'll be in for the fight of your life as they practically [[FlashStep flash step]] around you and strikes with his/her flaming greatsword.]]

* The Ancient Dragon, who appears at the top of the Dragon Shrine as a NPC and actually gives you [[PlotCoupon an essential item to complete your quest]], if provoked turns into what is possibly the most brutal BonusBoss in Dark Souls 2, if not the whole series. Seeing this ''massive'' beast rise to crush you like the pitiful bug you are compared to it is sure make you wish you could pause the game to [[BringMyBrownPants get some clean underwear]]. This is accentuated by the sountrack, which just screams "[[ThisIsGonnaSuck you have indeed fucked up]]".

* The Ancient Dragon, who apears at the top of the Dragon Shrine as a NPC and actually gives you [[PlotCoupon an essential item to complete your quest]], if provoked turns into what is possibly the most brutal BonusBoss in Dark Souls 2, if not the whole series. Seeing this ''massive'' beast rise to crush you like the pitiful bug you are compared to it is sure make you wish you could pause the game to [[BringMyBrownPants get some clean underwear]]. This is accentuated by the sountrack, which just screams "[[ThisIsGonnaSuck you have indeed fucked up]]".

* The Fire Demon encountered in the Catacombs of Carthus, while more like a miniboss, is still memorable for the fact that the player can actually ''[[EnemyMine cooperate]]'' with the friendly neighborhood [[DemBones skeletons]] to take him down- and even with the numbers on your side, the big guy can still put up a fight! It gets even better when you try dragging the nearby Mimic into the war, who will ruthlessly pound the demon into the dirt.

* Farron's Undead Legion of the Abyss Watchers are concentrated {{Badass}} given form, both in the lore and in the fight against them. They're basically a legion of undead designated with guarding against the horrors of the Abyss, and when the time came for them to Link the Fire, they went down there [[BandOfBrothers together to burn as one]]. It also helps that [[spoiler:they are both a CallBack to and were ''founded'' by fan favorite character Artorias]], and it really shows in the fight against them; these bastards are [[LightningBruiser Lightning Bruisers]] to the core, able to cross yards of arena in the blink of an eye and incorporating a lot of scrambling movements and flips into their devestating move set. [[spoiler:It gets even better when you hit Phase 2 of the fight, as the combined power of all the fallen Watchers flows into their leader, activating his/her powers as a Lord of Cinder. You'll be in for the fight of your life as he/she practically [[FlashStep flash steps]] around you and strikes with his/her flaming greatsword.]] After some of the abysmal [[WolfPackBoss Wolf Pack Bosses]] from ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'', these guys show us how it's ''done''.

* Farron's Undead Legion of the Abyss Watchers are concentrated {{Badass}} given form, both in the lore and in the fight against them. They're basically a legion of undead designated with guarding against the horrors of the Abyss, and when the time came for them to Link the Fire, they went down there [[BandOfBrothers together to burn as one]]. It also helps that [[spoiler:they are both a CallBack to and were ''founded'' by fan favorite character Artorias]], and it really shows in the fight against them; these bastards are [[LightningBruiser Lightning Bruisers]] to the core, able to cross yards of arena in the blink of an eye and incorporating a lot of scrambling movements and flips into their devestating move set. [[spoiler:It gets even better when you hit Phase 2 of the fight, as the combined power of all the fallen Watchers flows into their leader, activating his/her powers as a Lord of Cinder. You'll be in for the fight of your life as he/she practically [[FlashStep flash steps]] around you and strikes with his/her flaming greatsword.]] After the abysmal [[WolfPackBoss Wolf Pack Bosses]] from ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'', these guys show us how it's ''done''.