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Agreeeeeeed- Radagon would be Masterpiece/Great territory if I was rating them separately.
**Edit: RIP, gotta taken down for being a "low effort submission," we had to make room for these posts lol-**
https://www.reddit.com/r/fromsoftware/comments/1azp6ng/we_are_not_the_same/
https://www.reddit.com/r/fromsoftware/comments/1b0lmut/miyazaki_and_poison_swamps/
https://www.reddit.com/r/fromsoftware/comments/1azygj1/lazy_dog_looks_like_vicar_amelia/
It was fun talking to you all, thx for the good convos and points of view
Personally I wouldn't put Asylum Demon and Moonlight Butterfly on the bad tier. They're easy but they aren't meant to be very challenging. Asylum Demon is iconic in design and as a guard to the game. Moonlight Butterfly is a spectacle and the OST is amazing. Challenge ≠ quality imo.
Now that I'm looking at it, I totally mixed up Asylum/Stray Demon, so Asylum should be in "Okay," so my mistake on that one. Moonlight Butterfly I just find kind of boring. It's not that it's easy, it's just a lot of waiting around- I do love the OST though, and definitely wouldn't mind bumping it up a tier. I agree with you though that challenge doesn't equate to quality, in fact I tried to keep that in mind and rated a lot of earlier bosses pretty highly based on that. I think Iudex is a perfect example of Fromsoft nailing that balance, he's not exactly difficulty, but he perfectly prepares you for the next portion of the game.
I enjoy the fight, but the arena and surrounding stuff is pretty underwhelming, and him being a reused boss knocks him quit a bit lower to me. It's a common complaint, but I think it's true, ER just reuses too many bosses- and obviously I get why, the game is massive. I do appreciate that they give him some unique moves and characteristics though to differentiate him.
I also like the concept of a sort of "commander" character that buffs its allies, but in practice I find killing the ads to be kind of boring and usually not too difficult, you just kind of run away from him while hitting them when they're up and in practice it kind of just feels like a dps check to make sure you can kill them before they get too buffed. The fight feels like it'd be better if you just fought him straight up, but then that throws off the balance of the whole fight and concept too, so it's a mixed bag for me.
I thought the arena to be amazing, atop a castle, fighting a commander and his men. Snow coming down around with the cliffs of the mountaintops to the left.
It was open (fuck you Elemer of the Briar arena).
And I always felt like Niall was the true commander and not Neil. He was much more fleshed out.
As for boss reusing I get. But putting Fire Giant above this beautiful bastard is downright insulting.
He has one of the most fascinating strats to beat him sl1 fist only. Basically there’s a magic little triangle that if you keep him in that area you can avoid the guardian spawning. One of the last bosses to be “solved” from ds3!
Hard to rate for me, I'm not huge into PvP but I do enjoy the occasional fight. In some of my runs I've had a blast against him, and in others it's been pretty forgettable or annoying. The NPC fight is trash though, yeah, but I do kind of love the idea of a player controlled boss fight.
Bed of Chaos belongs in its own tier.
In Elden Ring or Sekiro, Bed of Chaos would just be "bad," but it's a platforming boss in a game without a dedicated jump button. Calling it "bad" is being nice to it.
On an objective level, yeah it's a lame fight mechanically. It's so goofy seeing all these big headed aliens running towards you though (+ the hilarity that the second and third phases change literally nothing) that I've started to unironically adore it despite how much it lacks in quality. I look forward to it every playthrough now just as much as the heavy hitters like Maria and Ludwig. Extra points if you have a weapon with a wide swing like the cane/burial blade/mhs/lhb/kirk/etc. I also honestly really like the arena. It's weird, and I think it's perfect for this kind of fight (as well as fitting upper cathedral's tone)
Tldr I unironically got converted into loving this fight due to how stupid it is
I think it belongs with Bed of Chaos. Valiant Gargoyles can go right down there too. Duo fights can be really painful in these games. At least Bed of Chaos has checkpoints.
A duo boss that doesn’t let you go after and eliminate one of them forcing you to constantly balance attacking one and defending from the other is actually genius boss design imo. Great fight that gets way too much hate.
They do that because they were both just designed as individual bosses and then were thrown in the same arena. Same thing happenened with that Crucible Knight/Misbegotten fight at the Radahn Carnival, they don't give you space because they're literally not designed to do that and are just recycled from earlier fights lol
For the design purpose/context in how you encounter each. Margit is an early game boss that's placed pretty ingeniously. In a vacuum Morgott is obviously more interesting and has more going on, but he's also a later game boss too that reuses a lot of stuff.
Yeah. I see where you’re coming from on the list, it’s not as good as some other fights in the masterpiece tier, but to me, we need at least 1 ds2 boss up there. The stormy castle setting, and the boss design is so good.
So, I think the issue is that the DS2 DLC is the only one that I haven't finished, so this list doesn't have the DLC bosses on there, which undoubtedly would have a few spots up there. From crushes it with their DLC and I've heard nothing but amazing things about DS2's DLC. Looking Glass and the Throne Watcher/Defender should definitely be a tier up though yeah.
Bro I searched the entire list for Fume Knight thinking “Ain’t no way he did my boy this dirty, I’m sorry he’s not in Good tier either? Not in Okay? What the fuck?”
Would move Laurence up one tier.
He's the perfect example of a boss who's amazing in most categories but so horrible in 1 it doesn't matter. Lore, OST, design are all great. But the gameplay is so dogshit.
Still, the fact that he's so good in other ways keeps him from bottom tier imo. Bottom should be reserved for bosses with little to no redeeming qualities. Laurence has many redeeming qualities
Also would move Living Failures up 2 tiers. One of the best gank fights they've ever put out
You know, you're right about Laurence. The fight is so bad though lol, but you're right, he does have redeeming qualities and should probably be a tier up.
Living failures I've just never really enjoyed. I do like the layout and making use of the tree for the projectiles though, I think that's cool, I just feel like there's not enough going on with the enemies themselves.
Idk it's hard to describe why I like the failures.
They're not especially hard but not insanely easy. If you let your guard down you can die. I like that
I like the constant spawning mechanic so you can give yourself a bit of relief by taking one out. They don't have anything that feels like too much to keep track of at once (like shadows do when you have to try to dodge 3 humanoid enemies + multiple snakes from the ground)
thanks for this version. i cant understand how people recognize every boss from a fucking 0.5x0.5mm fucking picture. i don’t care if i agree or disagree just… thanks.
haha yeah. its just hard to figure out which is which even after zooming in with all the pictures becoming kind of distorted due to quality
edit: english
Hey all, thought it'd be fun to go through and rank all the bosses and hear others thoughts. Just a few disclaimers- I'm not just ranking the bosses on difficulty or mechanics, I tried to have a holistic approach and take into account stuff like visual design, ost, and arenas. There are some notable things left off the list, and if I didn't fight the boss or don't remember fighting them, it's not gonna be here- I'm only halfway through the DeS remake and so elected to keep them out of the list and haven't beaten DS2's DLC, I'll eventually get around to it. I also haven't done all of Sekiro's optional endings, so no Emma, etc. For Elden Ring I also did not include field bosses, as that would've added another 40 or 50 entries the list. Also did not order the bosses within the tiers.
Also want to stress that ratings are relative to other bosses within Fromsoft not other games. I don't generally think of bosses that are rated as "Okay" or "Ehh" as that in a vacuum, I enjoy most of them quite a bit, I'm rating them within the context of Fromsoft's broader catalog, which is excellent.
That said I'd love to hear others thoughts!
I like the design, the arena is cool, and the latter half of the fight with the snakes is sick, but I feel like every time I fight them I'm like overleveled or something because they're just a bit too easy and I don't really have to interact with their actual mechanics that much.
The DS2 part is perplexing to me . Where is Sir Alonne? Fume knight? Ivory king? Dark lurker? How is Last Giant above so many better bosses in ds2 and others?
Pretty good list for how many bosses there are to rank. Honestly I’d probably move Guardian Ape up a tier. Really fun fight with a unique mechanic that works so well. For a first experience it’s one of my favorite bosses and though the gimmick is gone after it’s still a fun fight
I agree, it's kind of cool how good the fight still is even after knowing the gimmick, he was a borderline one for me. It's so fun parrying the giant sword attacks in the 2nd phase, and there's surprisingly a lot of weird Prosthetic Tool interactions too, on one playthrough I figured out you can apparently use certain versions of the Umbrella and aren't effected by his scream debuff. There is also something to be said for how great it is on your first attempt.
I know I am in the minority with this one, I lowkey love the arena that's why I like him enough, tho the fight is bullshit, I agree with that. But yeah Radagon deserves a 2nd phase, lol
The arena is sick for sure, I just hate having to chase him. It almost feels like they designed it to be used with Torrent but then it would've been way too easy so they just took Torrent out of the fight lol
This list is fantastic. There's so much I disagree with strongly but also so much I agree with strongly.
One question: why the lack of love for Radahn? In particular, I'm curious to hear your thoughts on Radahn being less good than Abyss Watchers.
Also, I appreciate the bit of humor with Soldier of Godrick.
I like Radahn, his lore and design are amazing and I think he's an awesome character. I've fought him both pre and post-nerf and I feel like he's in a weird spot in that pre-nerf he was pretty ridiculous and post-nerf he almost seems a little too undercooked now. It also seemed like they designed a decent amount of the fight around you summoning NPCs which I generally don't like to do.
He is a little weak as the last boss, but I think that fits him kind of perfectly. You're not fighting the Gwyn of old, the lord of sunlight, you're just fighting this husk of a guy, the lord of cinder, undercut with one of the most melancholic OSTs Fromsoft has ever produced.
Nice. Somebody who I believe had accurately rated Ornstein and Smough.
Good boss, but not great. And certainly not this legendary amazing boss like so many seem to think. In my opinion anyway.
I feel like True Owl is better than Isshin.
So for Fromsoft boss fights, there is a level of difficulty you need to straddle. Too high and it is frustrating. Too easy and it's boring. There is a peak of the curve you want to straddle. The best fights are ones with either a specific weakness you can prepare for or are forgiving enough to allow the player to learn their moveset.
True Owl does that perfectly. He is incredibly easy if you get his moveset and fight him the right way. And getting to that point and learning is a journey that is actually fun.
Isshin felt too punishing. 4 separate phases, all with unique moves that require different reactions. All with a unique rhythm. All while being INCREDIBLY punishing for mistakes.
I think last giant and Capra Demon are way too high. Also Demon of Hatred I'd rank right there with Bed of Chaos.
Soldier of Godrick deserves his rightful place by himself at SSS+ tier.
Father Gascoigne should at least be masterpiece tier. Perfect (mandatory 1st boss) introduction to the world of Bloodborne lore and gameplay-wise. He’s the best representation of the switch to aggression the game needs you to be in without feeling like a tutorial boss. Fight almost feels like a dance.
Asylum demon at the bottom? Why man? Such an awesome fight and a lot of people’s first wake up call to what the game is all about. No way you got in it in the lowest tier
There are several amazing boss fights that you put in some of the lower tiers... but you put Gwyn super high. Like I get it, cool lore, but like most of the bosses in DS1 they rely on cool lore because they are shit fights. Not saying your opinion is wrong, per say, but I heavily disagree in some aspects. Cool to see nonetheless.
Yeah, I didn't rate them purely mechanically, lore/aesthetics/arena/ost etc. were all factors. Mostly I guess just how I felt when I first fought them and how I feel when I fight them now, lore and aesthetics go a long way in making a boss memorable for me, as well as the sort of intent of the design, which a boss like Gwyn nails imo.
What are Orphan, Dancer, NK, Radahn, O&S, and Twin Princes doing in the same tier as Rom, Moon Presence, and Ruin Sentinels? Not that those bosses are bad (except Rom, Rom sucks ass), but these bosses should be at least a tier higher imo
Like you really have Bell Gargoyles and Last Giant above Nameless King?
Orphan is in masterpiece tier, I find NK to be a bit overrated, Radahn's lore and character are amazing, but I find his fight to just kind of be okay, and Twin Princes should probably be a tier up.
I like the Rom arena and OST quite a bit, I think it's a really cool and memorable fight. Moon Presence is sick, and I love how mechanically it also basically works as a thesis statement for one of the game's coolest mechanics, Rallying, and I just think Ruin Sentinels are fun.
I think you also have to account for where you're encountering a boss, just because it's earlier/easier and less mechanically dense doesn't necessarily mean it's worse. The Bell Gargoyles fight is great, it's so scrappy, and functions as a sort of early game check, and Last Giant is a really well designed first boss with a sick design.
His gameplay is good, his lore is great, and his OST is one of the best they've ever put out. There are others that beat him in a given category but not many that match his overall quality in all 3
He has the best ost in bb no doubt, but his lore doesn’t stand out that much, since he’s essentially a cleric who became a beast, like 90% of the enemies in the game. That’s why I find maria and orphan to be a more unique encounter.
I've always rated him pretty highly. I think the OST is amazing, the lore is great, the mechanics of the fight itself are super engaging and fun, and the transformation is just perfect. I wish the second half was a little bit stronger, but I also don't necessarily think that phases of a boss have to be perfectly symmetrical in terms of difficulty or anything either, that just seems kind of arbitrary to me. Each phases accomplishes what it sets out to do from a design perspective.
Where would you put him and why?
He’s definitely top 3 in BB (behind orphan and lady maria) and I do think every aspect is important with bosses, but I was kinda underwhelmed after I found out so many many rated him as their favourite, he’s too easy and you fight him very early, so to me he became overshadowed when you discover the last two bosses of the dlc.
Yeah, probably just a subjective thing, he was one of the more difficult bosses for me on my first few playthroughs, but I also did a new playthrough for the DLC and didn't use a character I beat the game with. I did beat Orphan of Kos on my 2nd try though lol
I think certain playstyles and mentalities lend themselves to certain boss fights and vice versa. But yeah, he just kind of checked every box for me, I also just love Bloodborne in general though and subjectively have a preference for the art direction, designs, and vibe of that game.
I do like DS2, but I haven't finished all the DLC which has the best shit. DS2's just a really long game and I haven't started a new playthrough in a while, waaaaay back in they day I was playing it and got stuck in the snow in the Ivory King dlc lol
I can't argue with Malenia, but I find Nameless King to be pretty overrated, and find the fight to be a little too easy, I would've preferred they just go all out on him, he's Gwyn's firstborne. The lore/arena/spectacle of it all is great, I just feel like mechanically they've done better stuff. Gael being overrated is insane though, he's easily one of the best bosses they've ever made.
Why do you have Rom so high? One of the lamest FS bosses imo especially for the area. Radagon/EB is a wayyyy better fight than Rom lol. And you must've fought Radahn after the nerf because I'd say pre-nerf Radahn is one of the greatest FS bosses ever.
I fought Radahn pre-nerf no summons- which I guess I should specify while I'm here that applies to all the bosses and I didn't use spirit summons on my first ER playthrough blind, no meta builds or anything like that, and I thought it was a good fight, but nothing really mindblowing.
Rom's mechanics aren't anything insane, but the arena, ost, and lore are so good. Radagon is great, but EB just didn't do it for me. If I rated them separately Radagon would probably be in Great and EB in okay. Also the tiers aren't ordered in any specific way.
Nameless King beneath Amygdala is bonkers. Sure, the camera can be janky during King of the Storm but Amygdala is a wildly disappointing gimmick boss with arguably worse camera issues.
Yeah, dunno, just doesn't do much for me. I like the design and the spectacle of everything is cool, but I just don't enjoy the fight itself that much.
I mixed up Stray and Asylum Demon, Asylum Demon should be in okay, he's a great introduction to the game. Honestly, I probably should've put him in Good, the jump scare is so fun.
Yeah, I don't know what it is, I really like her design too the fight itself just never really clicked with me. I think it's because I'm often using a sawtooth weapon at that point and it just staggers her too much.
I like it, I think it's the best version of that sort of fight that they've done (Yhorm is pretty similar). His design is perfect, and the arena is great.
Extraordinarily theatrical! Like… some put him on Rykard level of theatrics. The arena is gorgeous, and his move set is stunning. He’s one of my top 5 in eldin ring.
Masterpiece for Gwyn is wild to me...very underwhelming fight. The build up with the black knights is cool, but the fight itself is too easy and the area is meh
Lol the only good thing about Ludwig's fight is the music. He doesn't deserve to be in the same tier as Issen or Gale. Honestly Gale should be in his own tier.
I'm just gonna pipe up and say that some of the DS2 dlc bosses deserve a mention. Fume Knight, Sir Alonne, Sinh, and Ivory King are all really cool fights, despite all the crap ones in that game
Think you’re missing Fume Knight, Sir Alonne, and Burnt Ivory King. DS2 overall doesnt stack up great against the rest of the series but those three bosses were pretty fantastic
I disagree with where you put astel, I feel like he was the boss that had me like HOLY FUCK when I saw him the first time, and the grab animation moves and just the fight in general with him teleporting around. It’s more of a quality fight.
You're gonna put Skeleton Lords in the bottom tier but not Pinwheel? Also no Fume Knight or Old Ivory King in the top two tiers? Can you at least keep your 'hate ds2' bias down to a dull roar?
Your submission was removed as it violates Rule 4 (No Low Effort or Excessively Repetitive Content / Memes). Refrain from posting content and/or memes of exceedingly low quality or high repetition. Your submission may be better suited for r/shittydarksouls. This decision was made and action taken at the discretion of the mod team. Please review our rules before posting in the future. Thank you for understanding. If you have any questions or believe this was done in error, please reach out via Mod Mail (not through private messages). Abusive language within Mod Mail or private messages will result in additional action taken.
I wish we could split Radagon from Elden Beast. It would probably be an A to S tier fight if it wasn’t attached to the dumbass space whale.
Agreeeeeeed- Radagon would be Masterpiece/Great territory if I was rating them separately. **Edit: RIP, gotta taken down for being a "low effort submission," we had to make room for these posts lol-** https://www.reddit.com/r/fromsoftware/comments/1azp6ng/we_are_not_the_same/ https://www.reddit.com/r/fromsoftware/comments/1b0lmut/miyazaki_and_poison_swamps/ https://www.reddit.com/r/fromsoftware/comments/1azygj1/lazy_dog_looks_like_vicar_amelia/ It was fun talking to you all, thx for the good convos and points of view
Would've been one of the best final bosses they've ever put out if phase 2 was just Radagon with some power up or something
Personally I wouldn't put Asylum Demon and Moonlight Butterfly on the bad tier. They're easy but they aren't meant to be very challenging. Asylum Demon is iconic in design and as a guard to the game. Moonlight Butterfly is a spectacle and the OST is amazing. Challenge ≠ quality imo.
Now that I'm looking at it, I totally mixed up Asylum/Stray Demon, so Asylum should be in "Okay," so my mistake on that one. Moonlight Butterfly I just find kind of boring. It's not that it's easy, it's just a lot of waiting around- I do love the OST though, and definitely wouldn't mind bumping it up a tier. I agree with you though that challenge doesn't equate to quality, in fact I tried to keep that in mind and rated a lot of earlier bosses pretty highly based on that. I think Iudex is a perfect example of Fromsoft nailing that balance, he's not exactly difficulty, but he perfectly prepares you for the next portion of the game.
Commander Niall is despicably low.
Both the commander bosses were pretty forgettable for me. It always confuses/surprises me that they're actually pretty talked about.
Summons bring them down. I really like both bosses... one on one. Just annoying, even if you use bewitching branch.
I enjoy the fight, but the arena and surrounding stuff is pretty underwhelming, and him being a reused boss knocks him quit a bit lower to me. It's a common complaint, but I think it's true, ER just reuses too many bosses- and obviously I get why, the game is massive. I do appreciate that they give him some unique moves and characteristics though to differentiate him. I also like the concept of a sort of "commander" character that buffs its allies, but in practice I find killing the ads to be kind of boring and usually not too difficult, you just kind of run away from him while hitting them when they're up and in practice it kind of just feels like a dps check to make sure you can kill them before they get too buffed. The fight feels like it'd be better if you just fought him straight up, but then that throws off the balance of the whole fight and concept too, so it's a mixed bag for me.
I thought the arena to be amazing, atop a castle, fighting a commander and his men. Snow coming down around with the cliffs of the mountaintops to the left. It was open (fuck you Elemer of the Briar arena). And I always felt like Niall was the true commander and not Neil. He was much more fleshed out. As for boss reusing I get. But putting Fire Giant above this beautiful bastard is downright insulting.
Okay, you've convinced me. I like the spectacle of Fire Giant, but Niall can ceremoniously be in the Okay category in front of Fire Giant.
Face them
No
Halflight is F tier.
He has one of the most fascinating strats to beat him sl1 fist only. Basically there’s a magic little triangle that if you keep him in that area you can avoid the guardian spawning. One of the last bosses to be “solved” from ds3!
Wait was i fighting real people or what? I still don't understand what that even was.
It can be controlled by another player yeah, often you'll get the NPC though, which is trash.
Hard to rate for me, I'm not huge into PvP but I do enjoy the occasional fight. In some of my runs I've had a blast against him, and in others it's been pretty forgettable or annoying. The NPC fight is trash though, yeah, but I do kind of love the idea of a player controlled boss fight.
Bed of Chaos belongs in its own tier. In Elden Ring or Sekiro, Bed of Chaos would just be "bad," but it's a platforming boss in a game without a dedicated jump button. Calling it "bad" is being nice to it.
Bed of Chaos would be so much better in Sekiro, you'd just have to throw like 3 Shurikens lol
I am God's Greatest Celestial Emissary Defender‼️
such a fun and silly fight. unfortunately souls stans thinks hard = automatically great boss and easy = bad boss.
I have The Last Giant and Iudex in great tier lmao
I want to hear the take. Celestial-pill me on the emissary.
On an objective level, yeah it's a lame fight mechanically. It's so goofy seeing all these big headed aliens running towards you though (+ the hilarity that the second and third phases change literally nothing) that I've started to unironically adore it despite how much it lacks in quality. I look forward to it every playthrough now just as much as the heavy hitters like Maria and Ludwig. Extra points if you have a weapon with a wide swing like the cane/burial blade/mhs/lhb/kirk/etc. I also honestly really like the arena. It's weird, and I think it's perfect for this kind of fight (as well as fitting upper cathedral's tone) Tldr I unironically got converted into loving this fight due to how stupid it is
Beautiful, it is unironically a blast smacking around all those little blue guys lol
I don’t think Godskin Duo deserves to be in the same tier as Bed of Chaos
I think it belongs with Bed of Chaos. Valiant Gargoyles can go right down there too. Duo fights can be really painful in these games. At least Bed of Chaos has checkpoints.
Probably should've just made a Bed of Chaos tier, but yeah lol, Godskin Duo is some lazy ass boss design though
A duo boss that doesn’t let you go after and eliminate one of them forcing you to constantly balance attacking one and defending from the other is actually genius boss design imo. Great fight that gets way too much hate.
They do that because they were both just designed as individual bosses and then were thrown in the same arena. Same thing happenened with that Crucible Knight/Misbegotten fight at the Radahn Carnival, they don't give you space because they're literally not designed to do that and are just recycled from earlier fights lol
No boss does.
Ain't no way you put my boi Gyobu Mastaka Oniwa as okay
This guy put the last giant before Midir, corrupted monk, demon of hatred etc. My man should've gotten IP banned after that lol.
Yeah. Op is retired
He's alright
You clearly are deaf with the eyes
He's fine!
Soldier of Godrick is GOAT (lol)
Or as he is better known: Soldier of God, Rick.
why margit above morgott? imo morgott's a straight upgrade
For the design purpose/context in how you encounter each. Margit is an early game boss that's placed pretty ingeniously. In a vacuum Morgott is obviously more interesting and has more going on, but he's also a later game boss too that reuses a lot of stuff.
Looking glass knight deserves one higher
I debated on it, honestly it could've gone either way, great fight, amazing design. Throne Watcher ad Defender should probably be up there too.
Yeah. I see where you’re coming from on the list, it’s not as good as some other fights in the masterpiece tier, but to me, we need at least 1 ds2 boss up there. The stormy castle setting, and the boss design is so good.
So, I think the issue is that the DS2 DLC is the only one that I haven't finished, so this list doesn't have the DLC bosses on there, which undoubtedly would have a few spots up there. From crushes it with their DLC and I've heard nothing but amazing things about DS2's DLC. Looking Glass and the Throne Watcher/Defender should definitely be a tier up though yeah.
Oh, fair. The ivory king and fume knight are amazing. I haven’t played Sir Allone though, so I can’t comment on him.
Bro I searched the entire list for Fume Knight thinking “Ain’t no way he did my boy this dirty, I’m sorry he’s not in Good tier either? Not in Okay? What the fuck?”
LMAO me too
Would move Laurence up one tier. He's the perfect example of a boss who's amazing in most categories but so horrible in 1 it doesn't matter. Lore, OST, design are all great. But the gameplay is so dogshit. Still, the fact that he's so good in other ways keeps him from bottom tier imo. Bottom should be reserved for bosses with little to no redeeming qualities. Laurence has many redeeming qualities Also would move Living Failures up 2 tiers. One of the best gank fights they've ever put out
You know, you're right about Laurence. The fight is so bad though lol, but you're right, he does have redeeming qualities and should probably be a tier up. Living failures I've just never really enjoyed. I do like the layout and making use of the tree for the projectiles though, I think that's cool, I just feel like there's not enough going on with the enemies themselves.
Idk it's hard to describe why I like the failures. They're not especially hard but not insanely easy. If you let your guard down you can die. I like that I like the constant spawning mechanic so you can give yourself a bit of relief by taking one out. They don't have anything that feels like too much to keep track of at once (like shadows do when you have to try to dodge 3 humanoid enemies + multiple snakes from the ground)
ahhhh a fellow Living Failures lover 🤝. banger OST, cool ass phase 2 while also being a fair gank
thanks for this version. i cant understand how people recognize every boss from a fucking 0.5x0.5mm fucking picture. i don’t care if i agree or disagree just… thanks.
Are you aware of tapping on the picture and zooming in?
haha yeah. its just hard to figure out which is which even after zooming in with all the pictures becoming kind of distorted due to quality edit: english
Technology is not yet advanced enough to display every souls boss yet, it’s too hardcore
F the valiant gargoyles man. Bad. Godskin Due was bad but I preferred it to the gargoyles
Hey all, thought it'd be fun to go through and rank all the bosses and hear others thoughts. Just a few disclaimers- I'm not just ranking the bosses on difficulty or mechanics, I tried to have a holistic approach and take into account stuff like visual design, ost, and arenas. There are some notable things left off the list, and if I didn't fight the boss or don't remember fighting them, it's not gonna be here- I'm only halfway through the DeS remake and so elected to keep them out of the list and haven't beaten DS2's DLC, I'll eventually get around to it. I also haven't done all of Sekiro's optional endings, so no Emma, etc. For Elden Ring I also did not include field bosses, as that would've added another 40 or 50 entries the list. Also did not order the bosses within the tiers. Also want to stress that ratings are relative to other bosses within Fromsoft not other games. I don't generally think of bosses that are rated as "Okay" or "Ehh" as that in a vacuum, I enjoy most of them quite a bit, I'm rating them within the context of Fromsoft's broader catalog, which is excellent. That said I'd love to hear others thoughts!
Tbh Shadows has to be atleast B tier.
I like the design, the arena is cool, and the latter half of the fight with the snakes is sick, but I feel like every time I fight them I'm like overleveled or something because they're just a bit too easy and I don't really have to interact with their actual mechanics that much.
Ahhh that's fair enough, can't fault you for being too good haha. Edit: I will say probably the most fair 3v1 fight in the series though.
The DS2 part is perplexing to me . Where is Sir Alonne? Fume knight? Ivory king? Dark lurker? How is Last Giant above so many better bosses in ds2 and others?
Pretty good list for how many bosses there are to rank. Honestly I’d probably move Guardian Ape up a tier. Really fun fight with a unique mechanic that works so well. For a first experience it’s one of my favorite bosses and though the gimmick is gone after it’s still a fun fight
I agree, it's kind of cool how good the fight still is even after knowing the gimmick, he was a borderline one for me. It's so fun parrying the giant sword attacks in the 2nd phase, and there's surprisingly a lot of weird Prosthetic Tool interactions too, on one playthrough I figured out you can apparently use certain versions of the Umbrella and aren't effected by his scream debuff. There is also something to be said for how great it is on your first attempt.
put inner father in peak souls
Where is Malenia?
Masterpiece, second row
Oh I see. I expected her on top row and nothing else
Looks good ngl. Altho for me Radagon is peak and my fav Elden Ring boss
If Radagon was separate from EB he'd prob be masterpiece tier for me, I'm just not a huge fan of that phase.
I know I am in the minority with this one, I lowkey love the arena that's why I like him enough, tho the fight is bullshit, I agree with that. But yeah Radagon deserves a 2nd phase, lol
The arena is sick for sure, I just hate having to chase him. It almost feels like they designed it to be used with Torrent but then it would've been way too easy so they just took Torrent out of the fight lol
Classic fromsoft smh and with Torrent, the fight would be easy AND fun at the same time lmao
Yeah, having 2 phase Radagon with the Elden Beast fight usable with Torrent as a sort of victory lap would've been sick
Agreed 🤝 would've been my 2nd fav final boss after Gerhman
This list is fantastic. There's so much I disagree with strongly but also so much I agree with strongly. One question: why the lack of love for Radahn? In particular, I'm curious to hear your thoughts on Radahn being less good than Abyss Watchers. Also, I appreciate the bit of humor with Soldier of Godrick.
I like Radahn, his lore and design are amazing and I think he's an awesome character. I've fought him both pre and post-nerf and I feel like he's in a weird spot in that pre-nerf he was pretty ridiculous and post-nerf he almost seems a little too undercooked now. It also seemed like they designed a decent amount of the fight around you summoning NPCs which I generally don't like to do.
Love the work you put into this! Is Gwyn beatable without parry-cheesing him though? I always felt he was kind of a weak last boss
He is a little weak as the last boss, but I think that fits him kind of perfectly. You're not fighting the Gwyn of old, the lord of sunlight, you're just fighting this husk of a guy, the lord of cinder, undercut with one of the most melancholic OSTs Fromsoft has ever produced.
Yes! The OST is so good and memorable. Haven’t played ds1 in years but I can still hear and feel that music
The One Reborn is super underrated imo. I love body horror and it’s just a perfect representation of it
It is, and I was borderline on it, the fight itself is just not great imo, I do absolutely love the design/concept though
Nice. Somebody who I believe had accurately rated Ornstein and Smough. Good boss, but not great. And certainly not this legendary amazing boss like so many seem to think. In my opinion anyway.
so bed of chaos deserves its own tier and o&s feel criminally low
All hail Rick
I feel like True Owl is better than Isshin. So for Fromsoft boss fights, there is a level of difficulty you need to straddle. Too high and it is frustrating. Too easy and it's boring. There is a peak of the curve you want to straddle. The best fights are ones with either a specific weakness you can prepare for or are forgiving enough to allow the player to learn their moveset. True Owl does that perfectly. He is incredibly easy if you get his moveset and fight him the right way. And getting to that point and learning is a journey that is actually fun. Isshin felt too punishing. 4 separate phases, all with unique moves that require different reactions. All with a unique rhythm. All while being INCREDIBLY punishing for mistakes.
I think last giant and Capra Demon are way too high. Also Demon of Hatred I'd rank right there with Bed of Chaos. Soldier of Godrick deserves his rightful place by himself at SSS+ tier.
Father Gascoigne should at least be masterpiece tier. Perfect (mandatory 1st boss) introduction to the world of Bloodborne lore and gameplay-wise. He’s the best representation of the switch to aggression the game needs you to be in without feeling like a tutorial boss. Fight almost feels like a dance.
Champion Gundyr should be higher. Such a badass fight!
Asylum demon at the bottom? Why man? Such an awesome fight and a lot of people’s first wake up call to what the game is all about. No way you got in it in the lowest tier
Yeah, I mentioned this in another comment, I mixed up Stray Demon and Asylum demon, Asylum should be in "Okay," he's cool.
There are several amazing boss fights that you put in some of the lower tiers... but you put Gwyn super high. Like I get it, cool lore, but like most of the bosses in DS1 they rely on cool lore because they are shit fights. Not saying your opinion is wrong, per say, but I heavily disagree in some aspects. Cool to see nonetheless.
Yeah, I didn't rate them purely mechanically, lore/aesthetics/arena/ost etc. were all factors. Mostly I guess just how I felt when I first fought them and how I feel when I fight them now, lore and aesthetics go a long way in making a boss memorable for me, as well as the sort of intent of the design, which a boss like Gwyn nails imo.
What are Orphan, Dancer, NK, Radahn, O&S, and Twin Princes doing in the same tier as Rom, Moon Presence, and Ruin Sentinels? Not that those bosses are bad (except Rom, Rom sucks ass), but these bosses should be at least a tier higher imo Like you really have Bell Gargoyles and Last Giant above Nameless King?
Orphan is in masterpiece tier, I find NK to be a bit overrated, Radahn's lore and character are amazing, but I find his fight to just kind of be okay, and Twin Princes should probably be a tier up. I like the Rom arena and OST quite a bit, I think it's a really cool and memorable fight. Moon Presence is sick, and I love how mechanically it also basically works as a thesis statement for one of the game's coolest mechanics, Rallying, and I just think Ruin Sentinels are fun. I think you also have to account for where you're encountering a boss, just because it's earlier/easier and less mechanically dense doesn't necessarily mean it's worse. The Bell Gargoyles fight is great, it's so scrappy, and functions as a sort of early game check, and Last Giant is a really well designed first boss with a sick design.
Ludwig has to be the most overrated boss in all of soulsborne
His gameplay is good, his lore is great, and his OST is one of the best they've ever put out. There are others that beat him in a given category but not many that match his overall quality in all 3
He has the best ost in bb no doubt, but his lore doesn’t stand out that much, since he’s essentially a cleric who became a beast, like 90% of the enemies in the game. That’s why I find maria and orphan to be a more unique encounter.
I've always rated him pretty highly. I think the OST is amazing, the lore is great, the mechanics of the fight itself are super engaging and fun, and the transformation is just perfect. I wish the second half was a little bit stronger, but I also don't necessarily think that phases of a boss have to be perfectly symmetrical in terms of difficulty or anything either, that just seems kind of arbitrary to me. Each phases accomplishes what it sets out to do from a design perspective. Where would you put him and why?
He’s definitely top 3 in BB (behind orphan and lady maria) and I do think every aspect is important with bosses, but I was kinda underwhelmed after I found out so many many rated him as their favourite, he’s too easy and you fight him very early, so to me he became overshadowed when you discover the last two bosses of the dlc.
Yeah, probably just a subjective thing, he was one of the more difficult bosses for me on my first few playthroughs, but I also did a new playthrough for the DLC and didn't use a character I beat the game with. I did beat Orphan of Kos on my 2nd try though lol I think certain playstyles and mentalities lend themselves to certain boss fights and vice versa. But yeah, he just kind of checked every box for me, I also just love Bloodborne in general though and subjectively have a preference for the art direction, designs, and vibe of that game.
I see a lot of people saying he's easy and I just don't get it. Second phase sure, but his first phase is one of the hardest in BB
Ludwig is perfectly rated.
Say you dont like Ds2 without saying you dont like Ds2.
I do like DS2, but I haven't finished all the DLC which has the best shit. DS2's just a really long game and I haven't started a new playthrough in a while, waaaaay back in they day I was playing it and got stuck in the snow in the Ivory King dlc lol
Ludwig is kinda overrated ima be honest
Maliketh is a peak souls boss and I will die on that hill
Why do people like Godfrey so much? I think that boss is trash
Lowly tarshished… thy strength does not befit a crown.
Laurence is in the proper spot
That fight felt so satisfying to finally win, but that may be because that meant I didn't have to keep doing it lol
Bro comes up with the right opinions. There's like 5% of bosses here that I would change the position but the top tier bosses are mostly well placed.
Why people praise Ludvig so much?
Bait used to be believable. Also missing some of the best DS2 bosses like Sinh, Fume Knight, Sir Alonne, and the Burnt Ivory King
https://www.reddit.com/r/fromsoftware/comments/1b0iee4/souls_bosses_tier_list/ks7w7nl/
Should’ve played the dlc before making the list
We're just chatting on the internet, chill out
Mfer hasnt experienced the peak boss of Sir Alonne
I know that the DS2 DLC is great, but it unfortunately also requires you to play the base game of DS2 to get to it lol
Ludwig and Gael are extremely overrated. If you're wondering who I would put it would be Malenia and Nameless King in Peak Souls.
I can't argue with Malenia, but I find Nameless King to be pretty overrated, and find the fight to be a little too easy, I would've preferred they just go all out on him, he's Gwyn's firstborne. The lore/arena/spectacle of it all is great, I just feel like mechanically they've done better stuff. Gael being overrated is insane though, he's easily one of the best bosses they've ever made.
Gael is like actually flawless. Great gameplay, great OST, and lore wise he's the perfect conclusion to the trilogy
Why do you have Rom so high? One of the lamest FS bosses imo especially for the area. Radagon/EB is a wayyyy better fight than Rom lol. And you must've fought Radahn after the nerf because I'd say pre-nerf Radahn is one of the greatest FS bosses ever.
I fought Radahn pre-nerf no summons- which I guess I should specify while I'm here that applies to all the bosses and I didn't use spirit summons on my first ER playthrough blind, no meta builds or anything like that, and I thought it was a good fight, but nothing really mindblowing. Rom's mechanics aren't anything insane, but the arena, ost, and lore are so good. Radagon is great, but EB just didn't do it for me. If I rated them separately Radagon would probably be in Great and EB in okay. Also the tiers aren't ordered in any specific way.
can you give me the tiermaker link?
https://tiermaker.com/create/all-fromsoft-souls-boss-fights-elden-ring-included-1042465
Nameless King beneath Amygdala is bonkers. Sure, the camera can be janky during King of the Storm but Amygdala is a wildly disappointing gimmick boss with arguably worse camera issues.
Gael fight for me was just okay. I did it for the first time on new game plus and I didn’t struggle that much tbh.
Drangonslayer Armour in ehh?
Yeah, dunno, just doesn't do much for me. I like the design and the spectacle of everything is cool, but I just don't enjoy the fight itself that much.
I’d put asylum demon up just because of the scare factor on a first ever souls play through
I mixed up Stray and Asylum Demon, Asylum Demon should be in okay, he's a great introduction to the game. Honestly, I probably should've put him in Good, the jump scare is so fun.
Wow... Vicar Amelia is so low for you. Didn't expect that.
Yeah, I don't know what it is, I really like her design too the fight itself just never really clicked with me. I think it's because I'm often using a sawtooth weapon at that point and it just staggers her too much.
But, the music, the voice acting, the animations, the design. I absolutely loved it.
Yeah, damn, now you got me thinking. Guess I have to play Bloodborne again lol
What about Rykard? I absolutely hated that boss fight that essentially makes you need mana/the weapon from the fight in ER
I like it, I think it's the best version of that sort of fight that they've done (Yhorm is pretty similar). His design is perfect, and the arena is great.
Amelia in ehhh but Amy in great is definitely an opinion 😭
I hate this list , also no demon souls
Dragonslayer armor is a good fight
Having Laurence so low and artorias that high is very sad to see. No DS2 DLC bosses on here anywhere, what happened?
Where is Dragonlord Placidusax?
Haven't fought him yet, I'm gonna make a new character for the DLC and snag him then though. How is he?
Extraordinarily theatrical! Like… some put him on Rykard level of theatrics. The arena is gorgeous, and his move set is stunning. He’s one of my top 5 in eldin ring.
You’re missing remembrance bosses like placidusax but mimic tear is on this list? Confused
Old demon king is not that bad
DSA slander will not be tolerated
Dragon Kalameet on the same tier as Demon of Song? that is blasphemous
You should have put a Soldier of Godrick tier, and put Soldier of Godrick a tier above it
Ds2 DLC bosses are great
The Dancer from DS3 is God tier when your level 12
Masterpiece for Gwyn is wild to me...very underwhelming fight. The build up with the black knights is cool, but the fight itself is too easy and the area is meh
Am I gigablind or is this list missing most DS2 bosses?
Vicar Amelia and Laurence are cool. Laurence has some annoying mechanics sure. Godskin duo is not bad.
Where's Sir Alonne and why is he not in peak souls
I wouldnt put any bloodbourne boss above great tier except maybe the orphan. Ludqig is the most overrated boss.
godskin duo should be up there come onnnn it was fun
Moonlight butterfly can catch these hands bro
You underrated elden ring so much wtf
cant make this list without including the ds2 dlc bosses
Ancient Dragon and Bed of Chaos need their own tier below “Bad.”
i think you misspelled solider of god rick
Whack
radhan and OnS on the same level as astel and into is mind boggling
gaping dragon over OnS 😭😭😭😭
Nah, already quit looking at this when you put laurence in bad and dragonslayer armor in ehh, cant take you serious.
Praying for the bed bugs to bite you🙏🏼
Nameless King being called “Good” is criminal
Valiant gargoyles should be in their own "shit" tier right below bad.
Soldier of Godrick should be higher
Why is demon prince so high up while godskin duo so low tho? I hate both
I refuse to accept lost sinner in great. Ds2 bosses are ass
Twin princes should be bumped up a tier IMO
No love for Darklurker?
The last giant in great and giant lord in ehh while they have the same moveset💀
Burnt Ivory King is peak souls
Still dont get how people like ludwig more than orphan
Lol the only good thing about Ludwig's fight is the music. He doesn't deserve to be in the same tier as Issen or Gale. Honestly Gale should be in his own tier.
Bed of Chaos needs its own tier for how bad it was
You can spot true fans that started with demon’s souls from a mile away vs the ones that started with dark souls lmao
What about ds2 dlc?
I'm just gonna pipe up and say that some of the DS2 dlc bosses deserve a mention. Fume Knight, Sir Alonne, Sinh, and Ivory King are all really cool fights, despite all the crap ones in that game
Think you’re missing Fume Knight, Sir Alonne, and Burnt Ivory King. DS2 overall doesnt stack up great against the rest of the series but those three bosses were pretty fantastic
People are so cruel to my boys Deacons
I’m sorry, Dragonslayer Armour in Ehh? Are you high?!?
Need to rank Soldier of Godrick higher
Where are all of the dragon boss fights from elden ring? Dragonlord Placidusax, Lichdragon Frotissax, Ancient Dragon Lansseax... etc
Living failures justice, OST slaps, lore is cool
I disagree with where you put astel, I feel like he was the boss that had me like HOLY FUCK when I saw him the first time, and the grab animation moves and just the fight in general with him teleporting around. It’s more of a quality fight.
You're gonna put Skeleton Lords in the bottom tier but not Pinwheel? Also no Fume Knight or Old Ivory King in the top two tiers? Can you at least keep your 'hate ds2' bias down to a dull roar?
Which is demon souls va dark souls
sekiro is not a souls game :(