Stellar Blade is being likened to Soulslike games, which is not a completely wrong thing to say. There are camps in Stellar Blade that act like bonfires in Dark Souls, as one example. It’s also not the easiest game in the world, but it doesn’t punish players upon death.

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While there are no currencies within Stellar Blade that will disappear upon death, it's the boss encounters where the game’s challenge truly cranks up. Most of the bosses are mandatory through main quests, but there are some side bosses too. Of the many in the game, these bosses will be the most difficult for players.

8 Gigas

A Small Area Filled With A Titan

• Location: Wasteland

Gigas is an angelic-looking creature that looks like it came straight out of a Bayonetta game. It is the first boss players will face comes at the end of the Eidos 7 mission, right before players meet Lily and travel to Xion. The second version Urgent Information side quest that Hugh will hire Eve for.

Located in the Wasteland, Gigas has a smaller arena built around it. In some ways, it is easier because there are explosive barrels around that players can shoot with their drone’s gun attachment in Stellar Blade. However, Gigas can just as easily dodge out of the way before getting hit, so timing is everything.

7 Abbadon

A Lightning Infused Nightmare

• Location: Great Desert

Abbadon is the first boss that players will face in the post-tutorial mission of Stellar Blade. It’s a big creature with two sword-like tools it uses to slash at players, and it can call lightning like some sort of demonic Ramuh from Final Fantasy.

This normal form is dangerous, but a stronger form will appear during the side quest "An Eye for an Eye, A Tooth for a Tooth" in the Great Desert area. Min, a citizen of Xion, will ask players to track down this monster that killed his comrades. The fight is more challenging because the area players have to run around in is more limited on top of this redder Abbadon just being literally stronger.

6 Brute

A Double Dose Of Flame Powered Fists

• Location: Wasteland

Brute is the first boss players will face in the game’s opening tutorial. It’s not that hard because players just have to survive enough to get Tachy to finish it off, which leads to a dramatic cutscene. There is another version where players have a more competitive battle during the Life of the Scavengers side quest.

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Players will take the Brute on for Cyrus in Xion, who wants Eve to investigate a forbidden area of the Wasteland. Below this massive cavern is the reformed Brute, who has two gigantic fists that will pummel players to death like some hulking boxer, in addition to its fire abilities. Brute would put a boxer like King Hippo from Punch-Out to shame.

5 Juggernaut

Slow But Deadly

• Location: Matrix 11

It may not be the one X-Men fans are familiar with, but Stellar Blade’s Juggernaut is a huge individual. It is one of the turned humans that was possessed by the tentacle creatures living in the Matrix 11 bunker. Juggernaut is slow but if it catches players, it will practically destroy Eve.

From the giant swings of its axe to its grappling strength, Juggernaut can kill Eve relatively quickly. The best thing to do is throw it off balance with Stellar Blade’s various counter techniques or use the drone’s gun attachments.

4 Behemoth

Speed And Power Make For A Killer Combo

• Location: Great Desert

The Behemoth is close in size and design to the Behemoth monsters found in the Final Fantasy series. Players can encounter lesser Behemoths in the Great Desert area, but then they will face this giant one during the side quest called Encounter. To take on this mission, players first had to finish The Scavenger’s Story for Kaya.

his will lead Kata to hire Eve again to search for her sister Kara. Tragically, Kara dies while fighting the Behemoth but players can get revenge for her. What makes this boss fight challenging is the Behemoth’s unnatural speed and strength combined.

3 Karakuri

No Gun Drone Makes For A Tough Battle

• Location: Space Elevator

Karakuri is a hard boss that players will encounter in the space elevator. It’s a fusion between machines and humans, looking absolutely freaky like something out of a Resident Evil game. What makes this boss fight tricky is that Karakuri disables the drone, meaning that players have to fight it without using any guns.

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For players who grew accustomed to the various gun attachments up to this point, it can throw many for a loop. However, players can still stun it with grenades, although they have to be close to do so.

2 Tachy

A True Force To Be Reckoned With On All Fronts

• Location: Matrix 11

Tachy’s reappearance should be a huge shocker to most players as much as it was for Eve in the game. After the tutorial mission, Tachy was left for dead, but it seems like the winged Alpha Naytiba turned Tachy into one of their own.

This boss fight goes through several phases and even rooms. From sprouting a black wing akin to Sephiroth from Final Fantasy 7 to a tentacled arm akin to Tetsuo from Akira, Tachy has a lot of tricks up her sleeve. Don’t be surprised if it takes a few tries to get this boss fight right, as it requires patience.

1 Raven (Naytiba Form)

Instant Death Awaits

• Location: Xion

Raven is not the final boss of the game, but she is the hardest. Players will actually fight her twice; once in her Alpha Naytiba form within Xion, and once as a normal person outside the final dungeon called The Nest. The Nest fight is challenging too, but this first one has two things that will trip up players more.

First, Raven can fly, making it hard to hit her, even with the gun attachments. Two, Raven can charge up an attack that will instantly kill Eve unless players can knock Raven out of concentration. On top of that, her overall speed and power are tremendous, so players are going to have to come into this fight well-prepared.

Stellar Blade

Platform(s)

PS5

Released

April 26, 2024

Developer(s)

Shift Up

Publisher(s)

Sony Interactive Entertainment