LogFAQs > #951408903

72 - Old Dragonslayer (DS2)
While it was a pleasant surprise to see "Ornstein" here, especially given the lore questions it raises (is this a copycat? Is this the real Ornstein having already left Anor Londo to begin his search for the Nameless King? Why do the ruins of Heide's have such similar architecture to Anor Londo? etc), as a fight it is simply that - Ornstein, but without Smough, and not as dynamic besides. Setting aside the lore questions and just looking at it mechanically, it's one of the more blatant copy-pastes in the trilogy.

71 - Deacons of the Deep (DS3)
Credit to Dark Souls 3, as it survived the bottom 21 spots before appearing on the list. Deacons isn't a bad fight as horde fights go -- I think it's rather neat how the one you're supposed to be targeting changes multiple times throughout the fight and you've gotta duck and weave through the crowd to get to them. Unfortunately, it's just not any sort of challenge whatsoever, not helped by the fact that you've already been fighting Deacons in smaller groups for much of your stay in the Cathedral of the Deep.

70 - Halflight, Spear of the Church (DS3 - The Ringed City)
Back to back DS3 bosses, and the first from its DLC. As a full disclaimer on the Halflight fight, I was playing online so I did not actually fight Halflight himself. It took me a few tries, so I fought a few different players subbing in as Spears of the Church. It's a fun little gimmick to throw PvP into a PvE context, but still, it's little more than a glorified invader. I expected a bit more when I saw the imposing Judicator Argo standing before me.

69 - The Last Giant (DS2)
While most giants are handled in similar ways in Souls, the Last Giant from DS2 makes an impression by both being the first one you encounter on your journey and by his tortured, impaled form. Plus, not many enemies are so eager to kill you that they rip their own arm off and use it as a weapon. That's pretty metal.

68 - Moonlight Butterfly (DS1)
There's not much to the Moonlight Butterfly once you're an experienced player, but the first time you encounter it, it's probably the first time you're dealing with an enemy that keeps you at range and forces you to dodge projectiles the way that it does. It's a haunting, ambient fight with mysterious music that makes you feel like you're fighting something otherworldly, made better by the fact that you can see it resting on the tower walls before you get there if you look above you throughout the Garden.

67 - The Pursuer (DS2)
This guy makes quite the entrance when he jumps you in the Forest of the Fallen Giants, outside of his intended arena. You can beat him there, but chances are you're going to die, and I usually am not a big fan of "scripted deaths" in Souls. Once you DO reach the actual boss fight, I've always found it a little... oddly placed. If you take him on right after the Last Giant, he's way overtuned and your only hope to take him down is to play perfectly or get off some ballista shots before he destroys them. If you decide to leave and go to Heide's, you'll probably forget he exists and have no real reason to ever go back that way until you're on the hunt for Souls of a Giant (and I'm pretty sure the one behind him is not mandatory). His moveset is reasonably interesting, but the placement of his encounter is a bit wonky.

66 - Flexile Sentry (DS2)
This boss isn't the toughest, but at the end of a fairly challenging area in No Man's Wharf, it cuts an imposing visage, whirling to face you with different weapons on each side. The below deck fight on a ghost ship as the water level hampers your movement, moonlight streaming in, is a memorable scene and one of the better setpieces in the mid-game of DS2.

65 - The Rotten (DS2)
A hulking pile of decaying corpses, the Rotten provides some pretty vintage Soulsian body horror. I also find it fascinating that you find him in the middle of attempting to fix one of the statues, something that you would not expect from something that looks... well, how he does. I've seen this lead to speculation that he could be Pharros or related to Pharros, and I find that train of thought pretty interesting. His fight is not all that special, but he's a cool looking boss and can hit you like a truck. It helps that his corpse run is very short and you don't have to deal with much of the Gutter/Gulch to get back to him.

64 - Guardian Dragon (DS2)
Battling this dragon in what feels like a massive birdcage atop Aldia's Keep is a cool setpiece and I enjoy the fight well enough. The only problem is that, at least if you're playing Scholar, you've probably already fought one of these guys in Heide's, and the fight is essentially just a common enemy you've faced before and will face again in the next area dressed up as a boss. It's fun enough, but hard to get too excited about it.

63 - Demon of Song (DS2)
Now this guy is some classic "what the FUCK, man?" monster design that I love so much from Souls. A hideous frog containing a skull and long, pale human arms that come out of its mouth, and it's singing a siren song to lure you in? Bizarre, creepy, and just plain weird. The fight itself is fine if not particularly remarkable, waiting to attack the "face" when it appears, but the spectacle gets ratcheted up when it goes back on its hind legs and your camera (if locked on) sweeps way up to track this behemoth. Memorable if only for how damn freaky this thing is.

---

-Shred