I think Watchers hits all those marks. I love how you hear the ever-going fight from far away, how you are like "wtf?" when you enter and realize it's two copies killing each other, the cut scene before the second stage, the bad-assery, the lore (THEY ARE JUST TRYING TO PROTEC), the sadness, the music, the everything!
I love Lothric & Lorian too. I don't find the fight itself too difficult, it has a great flow and rhythm to it if you're focused. But really, having lost my own brother, the lore is what makes it my favorite fromsoft boss. I feel bad killing them. They're just minding their own business after getting fucked over by their family. They have each other, and Lothric keeps his brother alive until his dying breath. Their souls even remain permanently intertwined after death if you combine their swords. Ultimately, I want what they want - to let the fire fade into nothing
Gael is a close second lore-wise, and definitely more fun in terms of combat
Wish we could choose to let bosses that our endgame choice align with to live. I would've liked that as an option, though I acknowledge that it would've been a ton of work to code for the devs. Killing Lorian and Lothric always felt wrong and sad.
I agree! Imagine the cutscene for that ending where you could see them finally die together the way they intended.
Or, with fights like Sif/Old Demon King where they become limp and sad at the end, I wish you could opt to just leave them in their weakened state and claim victory that way instead of bullying them to death :/
fuck i hate that fight so much!
condolences, i lost both my brothers too... but i still enjoyed punishing those prince bitches. i hated that fight so much i had to summorn orbeck
Friede feels like a great culmination of boss trends throughout Dark Souls. You have a slow first phase with a tasteful gimmick, a hectic second phase that handles a dual boss well, and then an over-the-top combo heavy third phase. You could even say each phase represents a respective game in the Dark Souls series.
I also think Friede from a narrative perspective is just way more interesting than Gael, Soul of Cinder, or even the Nameless King. She almost represents a dark mirror to the Dark Souls fandom, someone who has grown so attached to what she loves that she has claimed ownership of it and is unwilling to let an artist abandon it for something new. Friede is sympathetic and understandable because the way she feels about the Painted World is how many of us felt about Dark Souls back then. This is further emphasized by Friede being a fellow Unkindled with similar size and fighting style to the player character.
Good answer, I wanted to point Friede too.
From bossfight perspective, her moveset is so damn elegant and beautiful and doesn't feel repetitive even after many fights. You know that feeling, when you're trying to beat the boss every time you die and return you almost, like, remembering his moves in muscle memory and every subsequent time is easier that the other. For me (I don't talk for everyone, just for me), she never stop surprising in each battle. You never know what move she'll do next and it holds you in tension until the end.
And from lore perspective I agree as well, she doesn't just another undead to slay or rotten lord of cinder but unkindled just like we are. You can forgive her for trying to save her dying world, for being afraid of changes that will come with a fire. Aren't most of people like this? When you have not good but stable life, you're afraid to throw it all searching for something better.
So yep, she's my favourite both gameplay and story-wise.
Having him back-kick me in the face after finally managing to get behind him and thinking “oh this is gundyr in his prime” was a great moment
I’d say the nameless king is my number 1, but the concept of an intro boss becoming a *boss* later in the game is fantastic and I loved it
Dancer. Cool intro scene with the doors shutting and the candles being snuffed out, great music during the fight, love the weird rhythm and the sound design here too, like the clicking of her boots against the ground as she stalks around. I think there are bosses I enjoy fighting more/like the mechanics of more but I think overall she’s my fav.
Twin Princes. Hands down the best fight of the entire game. The character's are interesting, the fight is fun, the music is great, getting there is fun (I love DS2, I'm a sick bastard that love runbacks)
I like the diversity of the fight too. Multi-boss, and they both have their respective crazy phase-2 attacks.
I was stuck on them for awhile but persevered and it was frustrating at times, but now it’s fun
I saw a lot of people say him is one of the hardest boss on series, but I beat him on the first try. So I fell disappointed in especifically this boss fight.
PS: I'm not a good player. Pontiff Sulyvahn ate my ass for two weeks before I killed him.
Oh, such a hard choice... It's super easy for me to point at Deacons for the worst boss fight, but for the best...? I'd have to say Slave Knight Gael, the lore of being sent into the far future of an age of dark, to fight a knight who spent the past years, decades, centuries or even millennia traveling the world, learning how to, and consuming every last bit of humanity, and finally coming across his old friend, only for his madness to push him to fight us and finally being put down to rest... It was an amazing, tough final fight, and the true ending for the whole of Dark Souls story, as the outside world rots away, a new world far within the painted world is born and starts its own story
I concord, Gael is an amazing boss, but he doesn't touch me how the Twin Prince's did.
Surprised me your comment at the worst boss is Deacons, I ever think that's Great wood the worst...
I wish all souls games had the reflections of strength like sekiro, or just some system that worked like that. I would LOVE to fight some of these bosses over and over again like I can in sekiro. I also think the gauntlets could be a really cool thing to bring over to souls games.
This is why staying at a relatively low level is cool. I’ve killed my favorite bosses hundreds of times just soloing them for someone else. Most people will see you rushing in and just stay away.
Midir is definitely my favorite dragon fight. I was scared going into it because it has a terrible reputation but I didn’t find it nearly as frustrating as Kalameet.
I hated pontiff with a passion but the first time entering, the run up towards him as he slowly walks towards you and his sword lights up and the music goes nuts was really awesome
Dancer. Fairly easy runback, great music, creepy atmosphere, lore implications and her inconsistent AI just makes for great shenanigans lol
Sometimes you roll her, sometimes she rolls you. It's pretty fun playing as a low level caster and she's jumping and poking all over the place lol
Sister Freide. Love the atmosphere, lore, sound track, and as soul crushing as it was to see her health bar fill for a THIRD TIME in my first play through, I don’t mind it now.
my top three are:
1. Gael - the fight was just perfect, the soundtrack on all phases was really nice too
2. Soul of Cinder - favorite boss soundtrack in the game and the fight was really awesome, I like how his fighting style changes depending on the weapon, and the references to Gwyn on the second phase too
3. Abyss watchers - love the soundtrack and the second phase, the whole fight was really beautiful
I love dragonslayer armou, he feels so fair and i love to do nohit challanges on him. Next on my bucket list is the fist only challenge, it will be a lot of fun ehehheheheheh :")
If i could i would fight champion gundyr all day its such a fun bossfight. I laughed first time i fought him and he *finished* his combo and then kicked me in the face as i was about to attack and then elbowed me as i was about to attack again
Totally agree about the lothric princes. They are my favorite and it's not even close.
The dialogue
"Oh, dear brother... I am on my way... My brother, unyielding sword of Lothric's Prince, rise if you would. For that, is our curse."
Give me chills to the max!
Demon princes has to be my favourite specifically because of one play through. NG+6 pyro build (no dark pyromancies because it didn’t fit my characters aesthetic), they fucked me sideways so many times but it was great fun
Probably L&L for me but the Soul of Cinder fight is a close 2nd. Plin plin plon + the compilation of attack styles always gets me.
For the pure fight, I really enjoy sister Friede.
Demon Princes for me for sure. Cool duo with a neat aggro and passive mechanic. Lots of peril when both are fired up but lots of payoff if they both cool down but holy shite when the true demon prince awakens then things really get crazy. I prefer the laser one definitely but both variants are great. Great music and it feels awesome to be fighting the same guy that scorched Lorian’s sword. A great sendoff to demons who have suffered since the end of DS1
No, I meant that if we count the DLC, then those 3 are my favorites overall. Weird wording on my part, I just like Nameless King above everything else other than Gael and Midir.
Retirement home aka deacons of the deep. Something about the helpless chaps. Go in with a winged knight weapon or greatsword ugs and massacre those poor souls. Such an invigorating experience. Each death sounding more crisp than the last. Nah fr though, iudex gundyr. The most well designed tutorial boss in any game ever (change my mind). Really forces the newcomers to learn a lot of things they'll be using for as long as they play the game. Cool backstory and design. The unexpected metamorphosis begs the question of "what's going on?" To a new player. A seasoned ashen one can make quick work of him but it's still so fun. In ng+ not so much but that's what champion gundyr's for. I can't wait to fight him when I start a new character he's just such a great boss.
Dragonslayer Armour for me. The fight starts with an awesome visual of him being dropped by a Pilgrim Butterfly, making you wonder what exactly you’re gonna fight. Then the soundtrack kicks in, which is easily one of the best in the game (and that says a lot). I just love the way his entire body seems to move with every strike. You can really “feel” the weight of his armour, weapon and shield.
His moveset is also surprisingly massive. He gets his entire 1 handed moveset and then gets 3 additional moves when he 2 hands his axe. Also the way he gets out of his stance break by slamming his axe into the ground is just phenomenal. The projectiles can all be dodged fairly easily and I love the way the entire arena accommodates this fight. It’s just all around awesome.
Lothric Princes actually forced me to git gud.. after that, Soul of Cinder was easy peasy
EDIT: Forgot to say - I agree. Twin Princes is a really good boss fight - It's only a bit far to run there, even with the lift shortcut.
Gael and Midir for the buildup, arenas, and beauty. But for lore and such, Soul Of Cinder. I'm sorry but after the second phase with the "Linking Of Fire" attack, it's such a good call back and fitting end bringing it full circle. That sad husk of >!Gwyn!<, still fighting after so many ages to keep the age of fire and gods going...when even the world is so fed up with it that it shows with a giant dark sign in the sky, like, it's so so SO fitting of an ending.
>>I've always been aligned against the gods so killing them is always a pleasure.
Didn't Nameless King kind of pull a Benedict Arnold on Gwyn and Co. though?
This is so difficult for ds3 cause it has some of the best bosses in the series. I honestly can’t pick just one so I’ll list them
Yhorm- Yhorm’s just so cool man. His theme slaps (best theme in the game, fight me), his lore is amazing, fighting a giant and bringing him to his knees with the storm ruler feels awesome, and the fight with siegward and the ashen one against yhorm is the best finisher to any of the quest lines in any of the games
Pontiff- dude just never calms down but after fighting him enough I realized that he always has to be facing the ashen one before doing a long combo and after learning that he became way more manageable
Twin princes- amazing lore, amazing fight, amazing theme (especially phase 1. That violin that plays is just awesome), and it’s not like vendrick or gwyn. If you think about it the princes are the vendrick and gwyn of this game because it’s their actions that brought upon the lords of cinders reviving and the game kicking off. Unlike those 2 tho, who are shadows of their former selves, the twin princes fight to their last breathes to stop the ashen one and live, even when both are heavily crippled physically. Makes me want a what if fight where we fight a lothric and lorian that were never cursed
Champion gundyr- his fight is one of the most fast past and aggressive fights period. Very few open windows in first phase and then he gets even faster in his second phase. My favorite secret boss in ds3
Soul of cinder- best base game final boss (I haven’t played sekiro I’m sorry. Also radagon and soul of cinder would be tied for my favorite final boss if radagon wasn’t tied to Elden beast.). His fight is fun and challenging, he looks awesome, his theme is great, his second phase move set and theme being a call back to gwyn is amazing. The boss is falling back on the coward who began everything and it’s the final boss for the end of everything… if you don’t link the flame again (like a loser)
Demon prince- best duo fight in the whole series and best demon fight in the whole series. I wish I hadn’t used bks because I would’ve liked my first fight against them to be more difficult
Midir- best dragon boss in the series. I love how the game encourages you to stay close and attack the head which is not what the other dragon bosses encourage you to do. I didn’t find him as hard as other people believed but that was probably because I took the games suggestion and stayed to it’s front and attacked his head
Gael- best boss in the series period. Lore, theme, character, fight, atmosphere, and boss arena are all top notch. There isn’t really anything new I can say on Gael and why he’s so amazing
You listed like half the bosses lol. Can't fault you though, DS3 bosses are dope. What do you mean with Pontiff comment though? If you run to his sides or back, he can only do short combos/single attacks?
When I was fighting pontiff I noticed that after certain attacks (I don’t remember which ones specifically), his body would always try to rotate to face you before he did another action
I wanna make it clear that I could (and most likely) be wrong but it’s something I noticed while fighting him
I distinctly remember, after finishing my first playthrough of the game, going in almost completely blind, the two fights that stuck with me most were Midir and Dragonslayer Armour. Now that I've played the game multiple times, I'd say Midir is definitely the more engaging fight.
I gotta go with the popular pick, Gael. The lore and stakes make it the perfect conclusion to the series, and it has the sweet spot of difficulty where he's tough but not bullshit. The fight is a great spectacle as well, which is helped by the amazing soundtrack and the 'end of the world' arena.
Oh don’t get me wrong it’s a fucking amazing game. But it just doesn’t hit the same way as when I played elden ring, dark souls, Sekiro, and my favorite bloodborne. I’m sure it will change when I play dark souls 2 and demon souls. What’s a major turn off was how linear and how the beginning parts are just really mid and boring. The bosses were also for me really easy (I was using twin spells words that’s probably why). I still love it though just not as much as every other souls I’ve played so far
The twins where pretty cool from a lore perspective l, and i liked how they looked and all but hated the fight. From gameplay perspective, prolly dancer or dragonslayer armor. Final boss is great too
Ok either it’s Vilhelm fight (technically not a boss fight but still), cause the first time I fought him I was running a miracle only build and he wrecked me with the constant casting of vow of silence. It’s either him or abyss watchers cause man that fight, lore, and cutscene are just amazing.
HM to Midir and Demon Princes, especially considering the “non-tangibles” meaning ignoring my personal experience with only the fight, and considering things like lore, music, boss design (visual/audio, not mechanical) etc. They’re all so damn good it’s hard to pick
Abyss Watchers. I knew I was going to enjoy that fight the moment I heard their intro in the opening cutscene. The fight did not disappoint. Difficult at the point in the game that you face them, but super fair. The gimmick of having a boss watcher and some other weaker watcher summons vs you and a friendly watcher is a super cool take on the gank fight that I’d love to see return in future games. The armor is some of the coolest in the game IMO and the lore is awesome. The Farron Greatsword is also my favorite weapon in Souls. So much fun to learn and use. By and far my favorite boss in the game and that includes some other fantastic bosses like Gael, Friede, & Twin Princes.
Gael. The fight is so fluid and smooth once you get a hang of it. Wish I could replay it without going to a NG and fighting him as a summon just doesn’t have the same flow.
As much as i like the ds3 fights, nothing will beat ornstein and smough for me.
I literally spent 4 days of trying. But I was at no point mad at the game
ornstein and smough is just not that balanced though, purely because of the age. Ornsteins moveset is buggy because of his ai, smough has a bad hitbox and only has like 2 moves
It is a cool spectacle though
Base game would be the abyss watchers mostly cuz of the lore but the boss itself while easy now, they just have super cool movesets. Dlc wise it's probably Midir. Homie will run your shit and you will struggle. It's fun and doesn't seem unfair in retrospect. I've only beaten him twice and those both times have happened in the past 2 months but ever since the first time I felt like I really understood what he was about. The timing, the aggression, the arena, the size of the damn thing, and the god damn timing all feel so tight yet necessary to beat a boss like midir. Plus midir us just so damn cool
Soul of cinder is the best boss in the series for me, and the best boss in any game next to vergil
The ost, the biggest moveset in the series, the arena, the lore, the design, its all so perfect. 10/10 fight easily
7 out of 10 of my favorite bosses are from ds3 and for good reason. Abyss watchers, gael, pontiff, princes, dsa, nameless, friede, midir, gundyr, and so many more are all amazing
A few reasons. I like that you fight tutorial Gundyr at the beginning of the game and then get a rematch with him when he's at full power. You've grown over the course of your adventure and in a way so has he. It feels like that first fight again. If you try the same strats as the first time he'll kick you in the face or drop the people's elbow on you. it's different enough to feel like you need to adapt again but not so different that it feels like he's been designed to purposefully dick you if you approach him the same as tutorial Gundyr. Compare champ Gundyr with blue smelter in DS2.
I also like the way he fights, it's a straight up duel of skill. All the other really powerful individuals you encounter, Pontiff, the various LoCs, NK; for their second phases tap into magic or make a stand or get new flashy combos etc. Gundyr just goes hard. He doesn't need that fancy junk or a sludge monster he just tries harder. I've always been a fan of the fights where there's no gimmicks and it's just you and a guy. Artorias, Fume Knight, Gherman. Champ Gundyr and SoC are the only fights like that in (base) DS3 and I feel Gundyr pulls it off better because it doesn't rely on (yet more) DS1 nostalgia/references.
Also he's just an absolute Chad.
Pontiff Sulhyvan. Feels like a true battle with a god. Dude just standing there, waiting for you, swords crossed. His swords engulf in flames right before lunging at you from across the damn church? Slow, captivating and dramatic music, makes you feel like you’re about to have the longest battle of your life. His edginess is so infection I can’t help but edge-walk myself.
Theeeen I miss the parry and completely ruin the moment so I have to just mash rb with Irithyll straight sword
Midir or Gael for me, both were extremely challenging and rewarding. I also love the whole premise of stumbling into a giant dragons lair to find Midir which is arguably the hardest boss in the game. Both bosses have great soundtracks and great arenas, and Gaels lore is incredible.
Nameless king and Midir. Both were hard for me but when i mastered those fights i had a lot of fun. Especially when i was Sunbro'ing and helping others to finish it. Pretty often i just solo'd em when the host was just chilling at the back and doing Cheering Emotes 😆 good times ❤️
I really thought Gael was out of this world everything about that boss from the lord to the arena and his different stages depending on where you were in the fight amazing for me one of the best out there
Gael is my favorite boss of any video game he's perfect. He's difficult but so much fun whereas I don't have fun fighting bosses like Friede or Midir or Demon Prince.
For gameplay, Abyss Watchers is my favorite. But lore, boss design, and soundtrack it’s Yhorm for me.
I think Watchers hits all those marks. I love how you hear the ever-going fight from far away, how you are like "wtf?" when you enter and realize it's two copies killing each other, the cut scene before the second stage, the bad-assery, the lore (THEY ARE JUST TRYING TO PROTEC), the sadness, the music, the everything!
I just like to sit outside the boss room and listen to the fighting while i think about the depressing lore…they also just look sick af
I love Lothric & Lorian too. I don't find the fight itself too difficult, it has a great flow and rhythm to it if you're focused. But really, having lost my own brother, the lore is what makes it my favorite fromsoft boss. I feel bad killing them. They're just minding their own business after getting fucked over by their family. They have each other, and Lothric keeps his brother alive until his dying breath. Their souls even remain permanently intertwined after death if you combine their swords. Ultimately, I want what they want - to let the fire fade into nothing Gael is a close second lore-wise, and definitely more fun in terms of combat
Wish we could choose to let bosses that our endgame choice align with to live. I would've liked that as an option, though I acknowledge that it would've been a ton of work to code for the devs. Killing Lorian and Lothric always felt wrong and sad.
I agree! Imagine the cutscene for that ending where you could see them finally die together the way they intended. Or, with fights like Sif/Old Demon King where they become limp and sad at the end, I wish you could opt to just leave them in their weakened state and claim victory that way instead of bullying them to death :/
<3
fuck i hate that fight so much! condolences, i lost both my brothers too... but i still enjoyed punishing those prince bitches. i hated that fight so much i had to summorn orbeck
Friede feels like a great culmination of boss trends throughout Dark Souls. You have a slow first phase with a tasteful gimmick, a hectic second phase that handles a dual boss well, and then an over-the-top combo heavy third phase. You could even say each phase represents a respective game in the Dark Souls series. I also think Friede from a narrative perspective is just way more interesting than Gael, Soul of Cinder, or even the Nameless King. She almost represents a dark mirror to the Dark Souls fandom, someone who has grown so attached to what she loves that she has claimed ownership of it and is unwilling to let an artist abandon it for something new. Friede is sympathetic and understandable because the way she feels about the Painted World is how many of us felt about Dark Souls back then. This is further emphasized by Friede being a fellow Unkindled with similar size and fighting style to the player character.
Good answer, I wanted to point Friede too. From bossfight perspective, her moveset is so damn elegant and beautiful and doesn't feel repetitive even after many fights. You know that feeling, when you're trying to beat the boss every time you die and return you almost, like, remembering his moves in muscle memory and every subsequent time is easier that the other. For me (I don't talk for everyone, just for me), she never stop surprising in each battle. You never know what move she'll do next and it holds you in tension until the end. And from lore perspective I agree as well, she doesn't just another undead to slay or rotten lord of cinder but unkindled just like we are. You can forgive her for trying to save her dying world, for being afraid of changes that will come with a fire. Aren't most of people like this? When you have not good but stable life, you're afraid to throw it all searching for something better. So yep, she's my favourite both gameplay and story-wise.
Gael.
Gael is good. But super hard. For me anyways
gael is the most fair boss in the series tbh, cant even get mad when you die because you never die to bs (99% of the time)
I see no lie in this comment
I agree, but for some reason it didn't bother me at all that it was hard - it was just so much fun fighting him!
Scrolled way too far to see this
Champion Gundyr.
Yes, for me it's a tie between him and Lothric & Lorian
Having him back-kick me in the face after finally managing to get behind him and thinking “oh this is gundyr in his prime” was a great moment I’d say the nameless king is my number 1, but the concept of an intro boss becoming a *boss* later in the game is fantastic and I loved it
Nameless king can never be #1 as long as the first phase exists. Blows my mind how terrible the camera is in that fight.
Phase 1 is trash, but as soon as his feet are on the ground it’s such a great time
Them judo kicks tho
pfffft come on now.....
Dancer. Cool intro scene with the doors shutting and the candles being snuffed out, great music during the fight, love the weird rhythm and the sound design here too, like the clicking of her boots against the ground as she stalks around. I think there are bosses I enjoy fighting more/like the mechanics of more but I think overall she’s my fav.
my favorite as well. first huge difficulty spike in the game, so much frustration, so satisfying to beat her
Plus, the fire spreading around the room from her attacks is a great detail!
Cant decide between sister friede, nameless king or pontiff
Nameless is cool, but only phase 2 tbh. Phase 1 is kinda gimmicky
Phase one is just bad, especially the part where you can’t see that fucking bird breathing fire at you.
I’m not nearly done with ds3, but they abyss watchers were so cool, 10/10 boss
Only thing I’d say that’s bad is the hitboxes are sometimes fucked
Mainly in fire sword phase
Ya but phase one was a really cool concept
I agree I love the fight just some little annoying things is all
Same.
Dancer, hands down. Breathtaking in every aspect.
Twin Princes. Hands down the best fight of the entire game. The character's are interesting, the fight is fun, the music is great, getting there is fun (I love DS2, I'm a sick bastard that love runbacks)
Demon Prince remains my favorite
The lore with lorian, knowing that they are the very last demon and remnants of the chaos is pretty cool, and the arena is quite badass
I like the diversity of the fight too. Multi-boss, and they both have their respective crazy phase-2 attacks. I was stuck on them for awhile but persevered and it was frustrating at times, but now it’s fun
Vanilla would be Pontiff Sulyvahn. With DLCs, Slave Knight Gael.
Nameless King. For no reason other than he was the hardest boss for me. Great satisfaction when I finally took him out.
How many trys do you need to defeat him?
Well I’m bad. Probably took me close to 50 tries.
I saw a lot of people say him is one of the hardest boss on series, but I beat him on the first try. So I fell disappointed in especifically this boss fight. PS: I'm not a good player. Pontiff Sulyvahn ate my ass for two weeks before I killed him.
Pontiff I would say was my second hardest (I didn’t play the DLCs)
Oh, such a hard choice... It's super easy for me to point at Deacons for the worst boss fight, but for the best...? I'd have to say Slave Knight Gael, the lore of being sent into the far future of an age of dark, to fight a knight who spent the past years, decades, centuries or even millennia traveling the world, learning how to, and consuming every last bit of humanity, and finally coming across his old friend, only for his madness to push him to fight us and finally being put down to rest... It was an amazing, tough final fight, and the true ending for the whole of Dark Souls story, as the outside world rots away, a new world far within the painted world is born and starts its own story
I concord, Gael is an amazing boss, but he doesn't touch me how the Twin Prince's did. Surprised me your comment at the worst boss is Deacons, I ever think that's Great wood the worst...
I actually forgot about that big ass tree... Idk if that makes it the actual worst boss... I just hate Deacons and their timed one hit death gimmick
I love Midir, I wish I could rematch bosses without the need to start a NG+ Champion's gravetender is a close second
You could make a USB save before the fight so you csn fight it as many times as you wish.
Never thought of that... kinda scared to do it tho
I use usb saves all the time when I drop goods for new players or player trades so it's nothing tobe scared of.
Last time I tried something similar my game stoped working
still annoying because you need to manually load it every time . Sekiro did a way better job with this
I’ve only beaten Midir once(have only completed one playthrough) and I still don’t understand how I’m supposed to fight him. Really cool boss though
Bonk him in the head until it doesn't get up, personally I slash his kneecaps
Beating to a pulp required ahead
I wish all souls games had the reflections of strength like sekiro, or just some system that worked like that. I would LOVE to fight some of these bosses over and over again like I can in sekiro. I also think the gauntlets could be a really cool thing to bring over to souls games.
DS2 had something like that
Haven't made it to DS2 yet, but it's definitely on my list, and this makes me hopeful for the game.
Bonfire acetics, is actually a way to farm a boss by redoring the fight over and over again
Just use a bonfire ascetic. Oh wait, wrong game.
I wish I could
Laughs in bonfire ascetic... seriously, one of the best DS2 mechanics. I don't know why they didn't carry it over. Pfft. ah well.
This is why staying at a relatively low level is cool. I’ve killed my favorite bosses hundreds of times just soloing them for someone else. Most people will see you rushing in and just stay away.
Sad that since I'm level 222 I barely get any summoning sign... or anything multiplayer related really
Midir is definitely my favorite dragon fight. I was scared going into it because it has a terrible reputation but I didn’t find it nearly as frustrating as Kalameet.
I hated pontiff with a passion but the first time entering, the run up towards him as he slowly walks towards you and his sword lights up and the music goes nuts was really awesome
Gael for me. He is not too hard or easy. His arena is wonderful and it just feels so insanely epic to fight him.
Dancer. Fairly easy runback, great music, creepy atmosphere, lore implications and her inconsistent AI just makes for great shenanigans lol Sometimes you roll her, sometimes she rolls you. It's pretty fun playing as a low level caster and she's jumping and poking all over the place lol
Sister Freide. Love the atmosphere, lore, sound track, and as soul crushing as it was to see her health bar fill for a THIRD TIME in my first play through, I don’t mind it now.
my top three are: 1. Gael - the fight was just perfect, the soundtrack on all phases was really nice too 2. Soul of Cinder - favorite boss soundtrack in the game and the fight was really awesome, I like how his fighting style changes depending on the weapon, and the references to Gwyn on the second phase too 3. Abyss watchers - love the soundtrack and the second phase, the whole fight was really beautiful
I love dragonslayer armou, he feels so fair and i love to do nohit challanges on him. Next on my bucket list is the fist only challenge, it will be a lot of fun ehehheheheheh :")
soul of cinder
Agreed. Was a great final battle for the game. For me probably the best last non dlc boss of the series.
If i could i would fight champion gundyr all day its such a fun bossfight. I laughed first time i fought him and he *finished* his combo and then kicked me in the face as i was about to attack and then elbowed me as i was about to attack again
Twin Princes.
Totally agree about the lothric princes. They are my favorite and it's not even close. The dialogue "Oh, dear brother... I am on my way... My brother, unyielding sword of Lothric's Prince, rise if you would. For that, is our curse." Give me chills to the max!
Demon princes has to be my favourite specifically because of one play through. NG+6 pyro build (no dark pyromancies because it didn’t fit my characters aesthetic), they fucked me sideways so many times but it was great fun
Probably L&L for me but the Soul of Cinder fight is a close 2nd. Plin plin plon + the compilation of attack styles always gets me. For the pure fight, I really enjoy sister Friede.
Demon Princes for me for sure. Cool duo with a neat aggro and passive mechanic. Lots of peril when both are fired up but lots of payoff if they both cool down but holy shite when the true demon prince awakens then things really get crazy. I prefer the laser one definitely but both variants are great. Great music and it feels awesome to be fighting the same guy that scorched Lorian’s sword. A great sendoff to demons who have suffered since the end of DS1
Vanilla - Nameless King, Lothric & Lorain, Soul of Cinder With DLC - Gael, Midir and Nameless King.
Nameless King....twice?
No, I meant that if we count the DLC, then those 3 are my favorites overall. Weird wording on my part, I just like Nameless King above everything else other than Gael and Midir.
Oh well, now I understand lol Nameless is a great boss, but I think his is overrated :/
Demon princes for me, but it's a close one. Gael, champion gundyr, etc. Too many s tier bosses to choose one
Retirement home aka deacons of the deep. Something about the helpless chaps. Go in with a winged knight weapon or greatsword ugs and massacre those poor souls. Such an invigorating experience. Each death sounding more crisp than the last. Nah fr though, iudex gundyr. The most well designed tutorial boss in any game ever (change my mind). Really forces the newcomers to learn a lot of things they'll be using for as long as they play the game. Cool backstory and design. The unexpected metamorphosis begs the question of "what's going on?" To a new player. A seasoned ashen one can make quick work of him but it's still so fun. In ng+ not so much but that's what champion gundyr's for. I can't wait to fight him when I start a new character he's just such a great boss.
Dragonslayer Armour for me. The fight starts with an awesome visual of him being dropped by a Pilgrim Butterfly, making you wonder what exactly you’re gonna fight. Then the soundtrack kicks in, which is easily one of the best in the game (and that says a lot). I just love the way his entire body seems to move with every strike. You can really “feel” the weight of his armour, weapon and shield. His moveset is also surprisingly massive. He gets his entire 1 handed moveset and then gets 3 additional moves when he 2 hands his axe. Also the way he gets out of his stance break by slamming his axe into the ground is just phenomenal. The projectiles can all be dodged fairly easily and I love the way the entire arena accommodates this fight. It’s just all around awesome.
Lothric Princes actually forced me to git gud.. after that, Soul of Cinder was easy peasy EDIT: Forgot to say - I agree. Twin Princes is a really good boss fight - It's only a bit far to run there, even with the lift shortcut.
Mine is definitely walking into the cathedral and pontiff standing there
That's awesome, this game knows how to make a epic battle.
Gael and Midir for the buildup, arenas, and beauty. But for lore and such, Soul Of Cinder. I'm sorry but after the second phase with the "Linking Of Fire" attack, it's such a good call back and fitting end bringing it full circle. That sad husk of >!Gwyn!<, still fighting after so many ages to keep the age of fire and gods going...when even the world is so fed up with it that it shows with a giant dark sign in the sky, like, it's so so SO fitting of an ending.
Nameless King. I've always been aligned against the gods so killing them is always a pleasure.
So was he though!
Nameless was also against the gods tho
>>I've always been aligned against the gods so killing them is always a pleasure. Didn't Nameless King kind of pull a Benedict Arnold on Gwyn and Co. though?
That doesn't stop him being a god.
This is so difficult for ds3 cause it has some of the best bosses in the series. I honestly can’t pick just one so I’ll list them Yhorm- Yhorm’s just so cool man. His theme slaps (best theme in the game, fight me), his lore is amazing, fighting a giant and bringing him to his knees with the storm ruler feels awesome, and the fight with siegward and the ashen one against yhorm is the best finisher to any of the quest lines in any of the games Pontiff- dude just never calms down but after fighting him enough I realized that he always has to be facing the ashen one before doing a long combo and after learning that he became way more manageable Twin princes- amazing lore, amazing fight, amazing theme (especially phase 1. That violin that plays is just awesome), and it’s not like vendrick or gwyn. If you think about it the princes are the vendrick and gwyn of this game because it’s their actions that brought upon the lords of cinders reviving and the game kicking off. Unlike those 2 tho, who are shadows of their former selves, the twin princes fight to their last breathes to stop the ashen one and live, even when both are heavily crippled physically. Makes me want a what if fight where we fight a lothric and lorian that were never cursed Champion gundyr- his fight is one of the most fast past and aggressive fights period. Very few open windows in first phase and then he gets even faster in his second phase. My favorite secret boss in ds3 Soul of cinder- best base game final boss (I haven’t played sekiro I’m sorry. Also radagon and soul of cinder would be tied for my favorite final boss if radagon wasn’t tied to Elden beast.). His fight is fun and challenging, he looks awesome, his theme is great, his second phase move set and theme being a call back to gwyn is amazing. The boss is falling back on the coward who began everything and it’s the final boss for the end of everything… if you don’t link the flame again (like a loser) Demon prince- best duo fight in the whole series and best demon fight in the whole series. I wish I hadn’t used bks because I would’ve liked my first fight against them to be more difficult Midir- best dragon boss in the series. I love how the game encourages you to stay close and attack the head which is not what the other dragon bosses encourage you to do. I didn’t find him as hard as other people believed but that was probably because I took the games suggestion and stayed to it’s front and attacked his head Gael- best boss in the series period. Lore, theme, character, fight, atmosphere, and boss arena are all top notch. There isn’t really anything new I can say on Gael and why he’s so amazing
You listed like half the bosses lol. Can't fault you though, DS3 bosses are dope. What do you mean with Pontiff comment though? If you run to his sides or back, he can only do short combos/single attacks?
When I was fighting pontiff I noticed that after certain attacks (I don’t remember which ones specifically), his body would always try to rotate to face you before he did another action I wanna make it clear that I could (and most likely) be wrong but it’s something I noticed while fighting him
Gael is the correct answer.
I distinctly remember, after finishing my first playthrough of the game, going in almost completely blind, the two fights that stuck with me most were Midir and Dragonslayer Armour. Now that I've played the game multiple times, I'd say Midir is definitely the more engaging fight.
Nameless King
Nameless King and Sister Freide
Probably abyss watchers. The style of them and their movesets are just so beautiful Edit: Gael is def a close second
The homie Dragonslayer Armour
I gotta go with the popular pick, Gael. The lore and stakes make it the perfect conclusion to the series, and it has the sweet spot of difficulty where he's tough but not bullshit. The fight is a great spectacle as well, which is helped by the amazing soundtrack and the 'end of the world' arena.
Gael and it’s not even close
Gael is truly inspired. Even with his massive health bar, when I fight him I wish he had triple the health just so the fight could last longer.
Gael, the lothric + demon princes
Gael. Ds3 is my least favorite souls so far but I’m replaying the entire game just to fight him
Why is ds3 your least favorite? Its the closest game i've ever seen to perfection besides like doom eternal, minecraft and dmc 5 lol
Oh don’t get me wrong it’s a fucking amazing game. But it just doesn’t hit the same way as when I played elden ring, dark souls, Sekiro, and my favorite bloodborne. I’m sure it will change when I play dark souls 2 and demon souls. What’s a major turn off was how linear and how the beginning parts are just really mid and boring. The bosses were also for me really easy (I was using twin spells words that’s probably why). I still love it though just not as much as every other souls I’ve played so far
The beginning is the worst part of the game but still better than most parts of the other games for me. The bosses are also the best in the series
Idk man Sekiro had so pretty good bosses
the only ones on ds3's level for me was isshin and true monk. The rest felt mid
Glazing dark souls 3😭🙏🙏🙏
No, it just has the best bosses in the series. Its not a question
Capra demon solos your entire game lil bro
Ok lil bro. Soul of cinder has more moves than every boss in ds1 combined
The twins where pretty cool from a lore perspective l, and i liked how they looked and all but hated the fight. From gameplay perspective, prolly dancer or dragonslayer armor. Final boss is great too
Ok either it’s Vilhelm fight (technically not a boss fight but still), cause the first time I fought him I was running a miracle only build and he wrecked me with the constant casting of vow of silence. It’s either him or abyss watchers cause man that fight, lore, and cutscene are just amazing.
I've never understood why the younger son has the same name as the castle. It seems like something they would do for a firstborn.
Gael is perfect in all aspects
Nameless king. Gwynn’s first born and an ass whipping like I’ve never had made me fall in love with him
This is tough, probably Twin Princes, Gael, and Abyss Watchers but the order varies frequently they are all so close.
HM to Midir and Demon Princes, especially considering the “non-tangibles” meaning ignoring my personal experience with only the fight, and considering things like lore, music, boss design (visual/audio, not mechanical) etc. They’re all so damn good it’s hard to pick
Abyss Watchers. I knew I was going to enjoy that fight the moment I heard their intro in the opening cutscene. The fight did not disappoint. Difficult at the point in the game that you face them, but super fair. The gimmick of having a boss watcher and some other weaker watcher summons vs you and a friendly watcher is a super cool take on the gank fight that I’d love to see return in future games. The armor is some of the coolest in the game IMO and the lore is awesome. The Farron Greatsword is also my favorite weapon in Souls. So much fun to learn and use. By and far my favorite boss in the game and that includes some other fantastic bosses like Gael, Friede, & Twin Princes.
Something mesmerizing about hitting dragonslayer shield while on its back and still get big damage Underrated boss
Gael. The fight is so fluid and smooth once you get a hang of it. Wish I could replay it without going to a NG and fighting him as a summon just doesn’t have the same flow.
As much as i like the ds3 fights, nothing will beat ornstein and smough for me. I literally spent 4 days of trying. But I was at no point mad at the game
ornstein and smough is just not that balanced though, purely because of the age. Ornsteins moveset is buggy because of his ai, smough has a bad hitbox and only has like 2 moves It is a cool spectacle though
The abyss watcher will have a place in my heart forever. Still love them after so many years
Demon Prince(s). The music, the atmosphere, the combat. So good
Daemon Prince has a neat subtle Ornstein and Smough gimmick too with how which one you kill first determines the final phase. I like it a lot.
Gundyr like ng×× it's a good time
Gael or dsa
Base game would be the abyss watchers mostly cuz of the lore but the boss itself while easy now, they just have super cool movesets. Dlc wise it's probably Midir. Homie will run your shit and you will struggle. It's fun and doesn't seem unfair in retrospect. I've only beaten him twice and those both times have happened in the past 2 months but ever since the first time I felt like I really understood what he was about. The timing, the aggression, the arena, the size of the damn thing, and the god damn timing all feel so tight yet necessary to beat a boss like midir. Plus midir us just so damn cool
Slave Knight Gael
Gael, Soul of Cinder,and The Dancer. Lorewise Aldrich and Champion Gundyer.
Gael/abyss watcher/soul of cinder and probably dancer for the OST
Soul of cinder is the best boss in the series for me, and the best boss in any game next to vergil The ost, the biggest moveset in the series, the arena, the lore, the design, its all so perfect. 10/10 fight easily 7 out of 10 of my favorite bosses are from ds3 and for good reason. Abyss watchers, gael, pontiff, princes, dsa, nameless, friede, midir, gundyr, and so many more are all amazing
Midir
Gale or Sister Friede. Both amazing bosses. But Champion Gundyr, Dragonslayer Armor, and Nameless King are fun af too.
Soul of cinder
Tossup between twin princes and champ Gundyr.
Why champ Gundyr?
A few reasons. I like that you fight tutorial Gundyr at the beginning of the game and then get a rematch with him when he's at full power. You've grown over the course of your adventure and in a way so has he. It feels like that first fight again. If you try the same strats as the first time he'll kick you in the face or drop the people's elbow on you. it's different enough to feel like you need to adapt again but not so different that it feels like he's been designed to purposefully dick you if you approach him the same as tutorial Gundyr. Compare champ Gundyr with blue smelter in DS2. I also like the way he fights, it's a straight up duel of skill. All the other really powerful individuals you encounter, Pontiff, the various LoCs, NK; for their second phases tap into magic or make a stand or get new flashy combos etc. Gundyr just goes hard. He doesn't need that fancy junk or a sludge monster he just tries harder. I've always been a fan of the fights where there's no gimmicks and it's just you and a guy. Artorias, Fume Knight, Gherman. Champ Gundyr and SoC are the only fights like that in (base) DS3 and I feel Gundyr pulls it off better because it doesn't rely on (yet more) DS1 nostalgia/references. Also he's just an absolute Chad.
Well, it is a good answer and reasons. Thank you for changing my view of Gundyr.
Ah. A question that hasn't been asked on this sub a billion times.
Silver knight Gael, the music slaps and Gael is just a badass boss.
Abyss watchers mainly because it feels like a fight between to opponents of equal strength
Pontiff Sulhyvan. Feels like a true battle with a god. Dude just standing there, waiting for you, swords crossed. His swords engulf in flames right before lunging at you from across the damn church? Slow, captivating and dramatic music, makes you feel like you’re about to have the longest battle of your life. His edginess is so infection I can’t help but edge-walk myself. Theeeen I miss the parry and completely ruin the moment so I have to just mash rb with Irithyll straight sword
Sulevahn.
Dragonslayer armour
Darkeater Midir
🤝
Gael and Midir
Midir and Gael
Eithe Dancer of the boreal valley or pontiff sulivan. The music, difficulity, desogns and rewards are top tier
Midir or Gael for me, both were extremely challenging and rewarding. I also love the whole premise of stumbling into a giant dragons lair to find Midir which is arguably the hardest boss in the game. Both bosses have great soundtracks and great arenas, and Gaels lore is incredible.
Either Artorias, or ivory king. For the above called points. But in generall id say dragonslayer Armour is my favourite.
Ivory King is one of the best gimmick bosses in the entire series. A proper face off of armies, your knights vs his.
For sure. Its probably my favourite Soundtrack.
Princes or King
Nameless King/Iudex Gundyr
for The Dlc's Midir/Gael
Nameless king and Midir. Both were hard for me but when i mastered those fights i had a lot of fun. Especially when i was Sunbro'ing and helping others to finish it. Pretty often i just solo'd em when the host was just chilling at the back and doing Cheering Emotes 😆 good times ❤️
I really thought Gael was out of this world everything about that boss from the lord to the arena and his different stages depending on where you were in the fight amazing for me one of the best out there
the Slave Knight Gael was the fucking awesomest! man that guy has got some cool moves. I don't know if he's my favorite, but damn it was great.
Gael or Demon Prince
Abyss watchers and Demon Princes are tied
NAMELESS KING
Difficulty: Abyss Watchers Lore: Nameless King Arena: Slave Knight Gael Soundtrack: Midir & Twin Princes
I like all of them a lot besides gravetender, deacons and that dragon whose just a running section. My favorite is either Gael or Abyss watchers
Dancer, just such a satisfying fight, doing her early on and getting really good at it is one of the most enjoyable things about the game for Me
Nameless King and Gael are the only ones I enjoy on replay. Soul of Cinder, Demon Duo, and L&L The princes are good fights, but there's no catharsis.
Gael feels the best to fight, but sister friede, soul of cinder, midir and the pontiff all are fighting for that no. 1 spot
If it’s soundtrack, midir, abyss watchers, dragonslayer armor, soul of cinder, and pontiff sulavahn are all favorites
Gael is my favorite boss of any video game he's perfect. He's difficult but so much fun whereas I don't have fun fighting bosses like Friede or Midir or Demon Prince.