From Software made a resounding wave in the gaming industry with the release of their masterpiece. Dark Souls combined the tenets of old-school gaming and integrated it with various modern nuances in a title that is an absolute thrill ride from start to end.
There are several reasons why Dark Souls became such an instant classic, but focusing on each and every aspect would take ages. It goes without saying that From Software has crafted some of the greatest boss encounters of all time, and Dark Souls is the game that popularized this notion. However, there are some bosses that are less enjoyable and more frustrating, perhaps to an unreasonable extent.
10 FAVORITE: Artorias The Abysswalker
Kicking this list off on a strong note is one of the most epic & hardest boss fights in Soulsborne. Artorias might very well be the best boss in the DLC, but this is subjective since pretty much all the fights in the DLC are absolute class.
The fact that his backstory is quite saddening makes Artorias' descent into madness somewhat heartbreaking... but players who empathize with the character a bit too much will find themselves on the wrong end of his blade.
9 DROVE US INSANE: Manus, Father Of The Abyss
While Artorias might be hard and enjoyable, Manus is just... hard. In fact, he can be downright impossible for players to deal with if they don't adopt an aggressive, fast-paced combat strategy.
Manus will punish players who decide to fight defensively in this battle, and his speed will make it a pain for anyone maintaining their distance to chip away at his health. The longer this battle goes, the more chances Manus has of absolutely decimating the player.
8 FAVORITE: Black Dragon Kalameet
From Software had been struggling for the longest part to integrate a good dragon boss fight in their games — a surprise, since their boss design has usually been stellar. Thankfully, this was finally rectified with the inclusion of Black Dragon Kalameet in the DLC.
Even after getting wounded, Kalameet can prove to be a major pain to fight, simply because of how nimble he is. However, there's no denying the fact that this fight is an absolute thrill ride for players to experience.
7 DROVE US INSANE: Four Kings
Whether players have an easy or hard time with the Four Kings depends on how quickly they can dish out serious damage. If you're fast enough, then this fight is pretty much a cakewalk.
However, if players aren't quick enough in dealing with one King, another will spawn regardless of how much health the other opponent has. Getting mobbed by the Kings is pretty much a death sentence, so players need to ensure that their DPS is at an all-time high.
6 FAVORITE: Great Grey Wolf Sif
Artorias is enough of a sad boss fight as is, but having to fight his wolf is somehow even sadder. While the fight isn't all that hard, it's definitely one of the more aesthetically pleasing and epic boss fights that From Software has designed.
This, coupled with the fact that Sif starts limping upon incurring enough damage, makes the player feel like trash for putting this loyal mutt down.
5 DROVE US INSANE: Moonlight Butterfly
Most people who play Dark Souls don't really utilize a lot of ranged attacks. For these people, Moonlight Butterfly can prove to be an absolute pain. For the majority of the fight, this butterfly prefers to hang back and barrage the player with ranged attacks. Th fight is the most boring and annoying part for melee fighters, and they'll certainly take out their frustration on this boss when it lands on the bridge to... well, let the player beat on it, apparently.
While this landing is followed up by an AOE attack, it's not really all that damaging and players would find it easier to just wail on the butterfly as much as possible during the short time she lands.
4 FAVORITE: Gwyn, Lord Of Cinder
The final boss of the game is easily one of the more epic encounters in Dark Souls. While Gwyn's impact is somewhat cheapened by the fact that he can be parried with ease, players who choose to fight him without this tactic will find themselves in an epic duel that serves as the perfect ending point for Dark Souls.
3 DROVE US INSANE: Capra Demon
The bosses in Dark Souls tend to utilize their perfectly-tailored mechanics to create a sort of challenge for the player... except for a few exceptions.
The Capra Demon is easily one of the worst boss encounters in Soulsborne history, namely due to the fact that the difficulty in this encounter is completely artificial. The addition of two dogs — the most annoying enemies in any From Software game — and a cramped boss arena lead to the difficulty in this encounter being completely unfair, and nowhere near as satisfying to best as the other challenges in the game.
2 FAVORITE: Ornstein & Smough
It would be impossible to talk about the greatest bosses in Dark Souls without mentioning the fearsome duo that has troubled most players to no end. The fight with Ornstein & Smough is easily one of the most memorable and challenging encounters in the entire franchise.
Trying to deal damage to both these fighters in the first phase can be downright impossible due to their synchronous duality — a slow and powerful fighter in Smough and a swift & lethal fighter in Ornstein. Their playstyles complement each other very well and can leave the player in a sticky situation more often than not.
1 DROVE US INSANE: The Bed Of Chaos
The last things anyone would praise in Dark Souls would be the movement and jumping — the former being serviceable, and the latter downright broken. To include a boss that forces the player to perfectly manoeuvre through a collapsing arena is downright unfair.
This, coupled with the insanely unfair leap of faith and the disappointing reveal of the Witch, cements The Bed Of Chaos' reputation as one of the worst fights in Dark Souls.