There are a lot of optional bosses in the Dark Souls series. Few of them are easy to get along with…
If there is one thing that could be used to describe the whole Dark Souls series, it would probably be a reference to boss battles. FromSoftware went from being a relatively small developer to one of the best AAA developers in the world in large part because they were willing to make a lot of boss fights that were very hard.
Even though Demon’s Souls was the first game in this style, Dark Souls put it on the map, and many of the boss fights in the series are still famous. But that doesn’t mean that you have to do them all. In fact, FromSoftware likes to hide some of their hardest bosses in places that players don’t even need to find to finish the game. Even though these bosses can be skipped, that doesn’t mean they won’t be good challenges.
Moonlight Butterfly – Dark Souls
The Moonlight Butterfly is hard because players have to deal with a lot of randomness every time they fight it. With its laser beam attack and its AOE that charges up while it’s standing on the arena’s bridge, this boss can easily kill a player in a few seconds.
This boss’s arena—a thin stone bridge with doors on either end and the player stuck in the middle—might be the hardest part. It’s easy to fall off the bridge by accident, and because the Moonlight Butterfly hangs out on the edges, locking onto it can change the direction of a dodge roll and send players to their deaths.
Lud & Zallen – Dark Souls 2
Players will have already fought Aava, The King’s Pet, by the time they reach the middle of the Crown of the Ivory King DLC and find the Frozen Wastes. The next step is, of course, to fight the King’s other two pets at the same time.
In the farthest parts of the Frozen Wastes, you can find Lud and Zallen. When the health of Lud drops to 50%, Zallen will show up. Zallen has an attack called “berserk” that will heal it and make it do more damage. It’s a great time, but it’s not nearly as hard as getting through the Frozen Reindeer on the way to this fight.
Capra Demon – Dark Souls
Once players figure out how to beat the Capra Demon, he becomes a bit of an easy target. But when they first enter his painfully small arena, he can be a nightmare. Anyone who has played Dark Souls for a long time will tell you that it’s not just the Capra Demon, but also the dogs.
Two of them will attack players as soon as they pass through the fog wall around the boss. It takes attention away from the boss right away. The boss also starts to close ground quickly, but they can get lost in the background. People now know that the trick is to run past all three of them and up the stairs in the back of the room. It’s the only way to keep the dogs away from the boss and deal with each of them separately.
Sir Alonne – Dark Souls 2
In the Dark Souls series, many of the most epic battles are against huge monsters, whose sheer size makes killing them an epic feat. But sometimes, a fight between two warriors with only swords and armor can be just as epic.
Sir Alonne can be found in the memories of the Old Iron King in the Crown of the Old Iron King DLC for Dark Souls 2. The Iron King named his army after Alonne because he is so badass, and this fight backs up that choice. Alonne is quick, skilled, and can easily block attacks from the player. This fight is a true test of skill in a way that few others are, and players who beat Alonne without taking damage get a special death animation.
Champion Gundyr – Dark Souls 3
At the end of Dark Souls 3’s tutorial, players meet the first version of this boss. When they run into him again later in the game, they may not fight as hard because they already know him. That will be a mistake, probably right around the time Champion Gundyr uses his halberd to crush them.
Here, players fight Gundyr when he is at the top of his game. He moves faster, hits harder, and is much more aggressive in general than Iudex Gundyr, who has been corrupted. Even the most experienced players will have a hard time with this fight. The fact that they’ve already beaten this warrior will keep coming back to their minds as Champion Gundyr teaches them again and again.
Black Dragon Kalameet – Dark Souls
There’s nothing better than fighting a dragon, and Black Dragon Kalameet gives players just that. Just getting to this boss is a big part of what makes the fight itself so epic. Before the fight, Kalameet is seen in the sky more than once, but he can’t be hurt. Players will have to use Hawkeye Gough’s huge bow to shoot Kalameet out of the sky, and that’s just to start the battle.
Once Kalameet is on the ground, she is a force. His attacks are wide swings and slams that are hard to avoid. And when he uses black flame, he sets huge areas of the arena on fire. He can also fly and attack while in the air, which makes things even tougher. There is no best way to fight this battle. Players should bring as much Estus as they can because they might have to fight for a long time.
Darklurker – Dark Souls 2
The only way to fight Darklurker, one of the most unique bosses in the series, is to join the Pilgrims of Dark covenant and clear three Abyssal Dungeons. Then, to get to the Darklurker fight, players will have to go back to Darkdiver Grandhal.
The Darklurker looks like it came from a cutscene in Diablo. It is both angelic and monster-like, and it mostly attacks with soul magic. But it also has a few skills that make it stand out. It can become invisible, teleport, and make a copy of itself when it has about 50% health. When there are two Darklurkers, the fight becomes chaotic as players try to attack one while avoiding the other.
Darkeater Midir – Dark Souls 3
Darkeater Midir is a dragon that can be found in the The Ringed City DLC for Dark Souls 3. He may be the hardest dragon to fight in the whole Dark Souls series. His attacks come quickly and hit hard. Some of them are very hard to avoid. And to top it all off, he has a huge amount of health to use up.
Midir’s flame breath is the most dangerous attack of all. As he flies over the arena, he will jump into the air and then spit a flame straight down. When the fire reached the ground, it spread out. There is no sure way to avoid this attack, so the best thing to do is wear as much fire-resistant gear as possible and hope Midir doesn’t rely on it too much.
Nameless King – Dark Souls 3
The Nameless King can be found in Archdragon Peak, an optional area in Happy Wheels. He is an amazing boss fight, both in terms of how he plays and what he means for the story of the whole series. As soon as he flies in on his huge feathered dragon, it’s clear that he’s a dangerous opponent.
The first part of the fight is hard, but not very interesting. Once the Nameless King’s dragon is killed and he uses its power to become the King of the Storm, the fight turns into a nightmare. He jumps from one end of the arena to the other to attack. He makes lightning shockwaves that move along the ground and can hit the player with lightning strikes. Players have to fight hard just to stay alive, let alone try to hit him with their own attacks.
Smelter Demon – Dark Souls 2
Most people who played Dark Souls 2 remember this guy, and they don’t remember him in a good way. Fighting the Smelter Demon hurts. He’s big, hits hard, and his defenses make the damage that other players do to him almost nothing. Even if you don’t have to worry about dodging his attacks. It takes a lot of work to hurt this boss.
At 60% health, the Smelter Demon will “stoke his fire,” which means he will set his chest on fire. This causes fire damage to the player whenever they gets close to the chest. Then, when he gets to 50% health, he’ll set his sword on fire to do more damage. This fight can be completely avoided, but the Smelter Demon guards the only mid-level Bonfire in the Iron Keep, which is a bad thing.