Current Events > Just played the entire Dark Souls trilogy... time for some BOSS RANKINGS!

(+) Yeah! (+)

I beat Soul of Cinder solo on my first try and only ever faced him once. So Im 1 for 1 undefeated against him.

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onedarksoul posted...

Shit, I can never understand why everyone hates the Gank Squad. They rank top10 for me. I think the key to fighting them is all about close-combat timing. If you can parry well, and can sense when the archer is going to tag you while fighting the other two: you'll be fine.

I actually like the gank squad as well

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not surprised to see fume knight winning DS2

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Respectable top 12. Mah bois Abyss Walkers made it. And Friede. I personally would rank Dragonknight Armor really high. That thing is always a blast to fight.

Zodd3224 posted...

I actually like the gank squad as well

Reported

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Lost_All_Senses posted...

I beat Soul of Cinder solo on my first try and only ever faced him once. So Im 1 for 1 undefeated against him.

never beat him solo, smh.

but I was able to beat Dancer and Champion Gundyr solo on my first try, but that might be it.

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g0ldie posted...

never beat him solo, smh.

but I was able to beat Dancer and Champion Gundyr solo on my first try, but that might be it.

I never beat the Abyss Walkers solo. I think I used an NPC phantom. I'm guessing the Souls of Cinder fight, I just got lucky. Maybe he used his weaker moves more or something. I actually have the video Youtube, but I refuse to watch it so that f I play again, he feels fresh again. Since he only took 1 try, I basically didn't take in anything about him.

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g0ldie posted...

never beat him solo, smh.

but I was able to beat Dancer and Champion Gundyr solo on my first try, but that might be it.

for some reason in my first DS3 playthrough i really struggled against the Dancer. I had little issues with the game until there. Had no issues with Champ though, but that was a really fun fight

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imagine not placing O&S as number one lmao, list sucks now

CapnMuffin posted...

Respectable top 12. Mah bois Abyss Walkers made it. And Friede. I personally would rank Dragonknight Armor really high. That thing is always a blast to fight.

Funny you should say that, but glancing over my list, Dragonslayer Armor might be the cutoff point where every boss thereafter (including it) is a total banger. Definitely high tier. Theres just a lot of high tier fights in Souls.

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DavidZ2844 posted...

imagine not placing O&S as number one lmao, list sucks now

I feel like at least a few could justifiably be rated higher than O&S, but Fume Knight is not that guy.

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Also just wanna make a note since were discussing summons that I did not summon for any fights in the trilogy. Made it a point not to as I think that gives you the purest experience.

meralonne posted...

I feel like at least a few could justifiably be rated higher than O&S, but Fume Knight is not that guy.

I waffled on O&S and had them as high as probably 9 or 10 at some points, but I think if youre playing the whole trilogy in a row, they still stand out as a great fight but not the absolute best one. Their status leans a little bit on their legacy as the hardest boss youve faced to that point in base DS1, arguably the hardest in the game. Theyre still great. Could easily BE top ten. I couldnt get them top five, though, Ill say that for sure.

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If you couldn't parry Gwyn, he would be one of the hardest bosses in the series

Prove me wrong

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MushroomMuncher posted...

If you couldn't parry Gwyn, he would be one of the hardest bosses in the series

Prove me wrong

I never learned to parry bosses. Not even on Bloodborne. Not until Sekiro >_>

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MushroomMuncher posted...

If you couldn't parry Gwyn, he would be one of the hardest bosses in the series

Prove me wrong

I dont parry Gwyn on principle. I never really got parrying down to a science and I wasnt gonna learn at that point just to cheese the final boss. Hes way more fun that way. I did parry him on NG+ as I platted, though, because jeez hes a tough mother at that point

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MushroomMuncher posted...

If you couldn't parry Gwyn, he would be one of the hardest bosses in the series

Prove me wrong

Dancer cant be parried at all, and has no weakness. id say hes way harder. Definitely the hardest for me

Alot of people i know beaf gwyn with the occult club and havel set they give you in anor londo

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I think the Dancer is my favorite boss in DS3's base game. As smooth as her movements are, it really feels like a choreographed routine that's being run.

Oh, fun fact: Sir Alonne commits seppuku in shame if you defeat him without taking any damage.

TC, you going to do individual posts for the top 12?
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Ive never parried a single enemy in Dark Souls. The strong jumping attack is my go to move, and something I rarely see people use on YouTube. So many encounters boil down to walking backwards/rolling while waiting for an opening to close the distance with a jumping attack. Gwyn is relentless, which means you have to heal in close range when you would normally counterattack.

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I died to Gwyn way more than any other boss in the first Souls game.

I played Bloodborne before I played DS1, and when I did the DLC before fighting the final boss of the base game, I was way overleveled, I steamrolled them. I thought I would steamroll Gwyn too.

That was a misguided guess, because I died to him 10 times before I decided "fuck it time to parry spam"

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Ermac posted...

Dancer cant be parried at all, and has no weakness. id say hes way harder. Definitely the hardest for me

Alot of people i know beaf gwyn with the occult club and havel set they give you in anor londo

Bleed!

UnholyMudcrab posted...

TC, you going to do individual posts for the top 12?

Yes! Should be fun.

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Blackstar110 posted...

Funny you should say that, but glancing over my list, Dragonslayer Armor might be the cutoff point where every boss thereafter (including it) is a total banger. Definitely high tier. Theres just a lot of high tier fights in Souls.

After some thought I think I know why I rank it (and certain others) high. The developers make it a point to have him actively dash and reposition himself. Part of the issue with most bosses is the player controls what moves they use by being at certain range. You pick a range and you get a loop of the same attacks. The best bosses control the position though, not the player. They switch it up and introduce a different set of moves on the fly which keeps it fresh and exciting.

TC what are some of your favorite boss OSTs? If you're a fan of any of them. This topic reminded me to go back and listen to a few of them, so many great ones.

Overall I might say Gwyn is my favorite, those piano notes are so chilling and add to the vibe of the fight so well

CapnMuffin posted...

After some thought I think I know why I rank it (and certain others) high. The developers make it a point to have him actively dash and reposition himself. Part of the issue with most bosses is the player controls what moves they use by being at certain range. You pick a range and you get a loop of the same attacks. The best bosses control the position though, not the player. They switch it up and introduce a different set of moves on the fly which keeps it fresh and exciting.

Excellently stated. Kinda gets at what I was saying about how a lot of these top fights are one on one duels, because a lot of them do determine the pacing and make YOU adjust, like you said.

DavidZ2844 posted...

TC what are some of your favorite boss OSTs? If you're a fan of any of them. This topic reminded me to go back and listen to a few of them, so many great ones.

Overall I might say Gwyn is my favorite, those piano notes are so chilling and add to the vibe of the fight so well

Gwyn 100%, which we'll talk about in his ranking. Friede and Gael as well. I love the Souls music but I don't know if I could tell you off the top of my head what the tracks are like for most of them. I like the church organ in the Nameless King fight too. Feel free to point me in the direction of some favorites to jog my memory!

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Ill get at least one or two of the top 12 in tonight. Looking forward to the best of the best.

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drumroll please

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Budalabudalabudala

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12 - Manus, Father of the Abyss (DS1 - Artorias of the Abyss)


"I still think on that creature from the Abyss that preyed on me. My faculties were far from lucid, but I quite clearly sensed certain emotions. A wrenching nostalgia, a lost joy, an object of obsession, and a sincere hope to reclaim it... Could these thoughts belong to the beast from the Abyss? But if that were true, then perhaps it is no beast after all?"
...

From the very moment you are ripped through the hole in the fabric of time and transported to Oolacile by a twisted black hand, the stage is set for your showdown with Manus. A pygmy lord (and perhaps the Furtive Pygmy himself) with his darkness unleased upon the world, Manus has already sent Oolacile past the point of being salvageable and has doomed Artorias to madness, which is quite a resume. The lore implications of this fight don't need any help expressing their gravity, as not only does Manus tie directly into the Dark Soul itself and the Age of Dark to come, but his remnants manifest as daughters that dictate the events of DS2 and its DLC. Elements of his warped bestial design persist even in DS3 via the Monstrosities of Sin in the Profaned Capital. His fingerprints (pun intended) are all over the trilogy.

As for the fight itself, Manus picks up where Artorias leaves off, providing a manically aggressive pacing that puts you on your heels instantly. Unless you've got endurance for days and a greatshield to match, Manus is going to teach you how to roll, because your stamina bar probably isn't gonna keep up. This was true for me -- my first play through Dark Souls and its DLC years back was as a rather standard knight, and I never really was forced by the base game to become proficient with I-Frames. Artorias started me down that road, and Manus finished the job. You will learn timing, you will learn the fine balance between caution and warranted aggression, and you will learn just how much it hurts to be wrapped up in that crazy massive arm combo of his.

Great lore. Great design. Great fight. Great boss. Manus clocks in at #12.

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My favorite part of fighting Manus was using the pendant to counter his attack where he sends the orbs out in a circle. It requires pretty good timing, but you feel like an absolute badass when you pull it off.
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UnholyMudcrab posted...

My favorite part of fighting Manus was using the pendant to counter his attack where he sends the orbs out in a circle. It requires pretty good timing, but you feel like an absolute badass when you pull it off.

I did not have his pendant this last go around so wasn't comfortable commenting on it, but it is definitely another cool factor to his encounter

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anus of the abyss was a lot of fun to fight and this is making me want to replay the first DaS again

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TheGreatEscape posted...

anus of the abyss

How did I not realize his name was one letter removed from being hilarious until now?

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I should replay the dlc with a melee build. Manus was a chump with a sorcery build. The guardian and Artorias gave me a run for my money though.

Honestly reading through this topic just reminds me how bosses are the absolute worst part of Dark Souls lol. I think I only enjoyed a handful of these fights. I much prefer the exploration and smaller scale battles.
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lilORANG posted...

Honestly reading through this topic just reminds me how bosses are the absolute worst part of Dark Souls lol. I think I only enjoyed a handful of these fights. I much prefer the exploration and smaller scale battles.

I think when theyre good, theyre some of the best parts. Few are bad enough for me to think of them as actively detrimental, but soooo many (especially in DS2) are just kinda there.

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sevihaimerej posted...

How did I not realize his name was one letter removed from being hilarious until now?

you might not be as big of a fan of very low quality humour as I am.


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lilORANG posted...

Honestly reading through this topic just reminds me how bosses are the absolute worst part of Dark Souls lol. I think I only enjoyed a handful of these fights. I much prefer the exploration and smaller scale battles.

I think they're the best and the worst part. Nothing like finally conquering one and getting a new area to explore. Normal enemies don't give you the same feeling when you defeat them.

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TheGreatEscape posted...

you might not be as big of a fan of very low quality humour as I am.

No, I am, my mind just always goes straight to "Manos: the hands of fate" and I completely miss the hidden anus

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O&S is overrated. It's position on your list sounds good to me

lilORANG posted...

Honestly reading through this topic just reminds me how bosses are the absolute worst part of Dark Souls lol. I think I only enjoyed a handful of these fights. I much prefer the exploration and smaller scale battles.

They were my least favorite part until Bloodborne, DS3 and Sekiro came along. Now they're the highlight.

Twin Princes getting closer to #1 (I know they probably won't be 1)

great list

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I didn't play the DLC of DS until the remaster came out. And I blew threw the game no problem having beaten it many times. I 1 shotted Guardian. 2 shotted both Artorias and Kalameet. Felt pretty good about myself. Then I fought Manus and my God was it humbling.

I died to him so many times. Such a great and hard boss.

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_MorningStar posted...

I didn't play the DLC of DS until the remaster came out. And I blew threw the game no problem having beaten it many times. I 1 shotted Guardian. 2 shotted both Artorias and Kalameet. Felt pretty good about myself. Then I fought Manus and my God was it humbling.

I died to him so many times. Such a great and hard boss.

Same. Then I went and did an op greatshield build and trivialize everything

Pome posted...

_MorningStar posted...

I didn't play the DLC of DS until the remaster came out. And I blew threw the game no problem having beaten it many times. I 1 shotted Guardian. 2 shotted both Artorias and Kalameet. Felt pretty good about myself. Then I fought Manus and my God was it humbling.

I died to him so many times. Such a great and hard boss.

Same. Then I went and did an op greatshield build and trivialize everything

Shields
Boo hiss
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Pome posted...

Same. Then I went and did an op greatshield build and trivialize everything

I only used Grass crest. I turtled my first playthrough and then never again

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DavidZ2844 posted...

TC what are some of your favorite boss OSTs? If you're a fan of any of them. This topic reminded me to go back and listen to a few of them, so many great ones.

Overall I might say Gwyn is my favorite, those piano notes are so chilling and add to the vibe of the fight so well

also i'll take this opportunity to offer a reminder that the first Dark Souls OST was composed by Motoi Sakuraba of all people, mostly known for the Tales and Star Ocean games, but healso did a lot of work for Camelot for Golden Sun and Mario Tennis among other. Yes the Mario Tennis games and Dark Souls have the same composer.

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Pome posted...

O&S is overrated. It's position on your list sounds good to me

I think it's a matter of them being properly rated at the time and then them just sticking at the top for a lot of people for nostalgia.

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drumroll again! #11 coming up in a few minutes...

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Badadadadadada...

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11 - Fume Knight (DS2 - Crown of the Old Iron King)


"The rebel Raime, after his defeat by Velstadt, came to Brume Tower in search of greater strength. When he found it, it came not from a regal father like before, but from a newfound mother, who gave him true purpose."
...

It is well-established among most Souls fans that the DLC for Dark Souls 2 brought the heat in a way that the main game failed to do, both in terms of area design and boss battles. There is no more potent example of this than The Artist Formerly Known as Raime -- the Fume Knight. A former advisor and protector to Vendrick alongside Velstadt, a dispute between the two led Raime to be branded a traitor and exiled. I've seen it theorized that Raime may have picked up on Nashandra's dark intentions and that this was what led to the falling out. If we assume this to be true, he may have come to Brume Tower on a quest to find similar patterns or other daughters of Manus to use as evidence, which would make his ultimate fate of finding (perceived) appreciation and purpose from what remained of Nadalia quite tragic. In any case, his resentment of Velstadt still smolders beneath the ashes, aptly demonstrated by him immediately skipping to phase two if you are wearing Velstadt's armor.

On a combat level, the Fume Knight falls into what I would describe as the "duel" category, a one-on-one against a humanoid foe. He is a clear cut above Sir Alonne mechanically, but not quite fluid enough to keep pace with those remaining ahead of him on the list. I don't know if this is a common sentiment, but I actually found phase one harder than phase two. His ultra greatsword hits for an absurd amount of damage, no doubt, but that straight sword in his right-hand just really threw me off my rhythm in a pleasantly challenging way that was tricky to learn. In phase two, as long as you didn't get greedy, you could learn the tells on when to roll pretty quickly, though that damned magic attack where he sends the flames spiraling outwards killed me more times than I am proud of.

As an interesting character, a dynamic combatant, and a potent challenge, the Fume Knight is quite easily the best boss in all of Dark Souls 2's content and, while I almost had him top ten, slots in comfortably at #11.

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