Summary
The importance of boss fights in modern FromSoftware games can’t be understated. Representing the peak of each title’s fever-pitch gameplay, bosses stick out in players' minds, and FromSoftware’s design work turns some into fandom legends. FromElden Ringalone, many of the Great Rune-holding demigods including Starscourge Radahn, Malenia, and Morgott are all remembered as high points of many playthroughs. The amount of bosses to go through does dragElden Ringdown sometimes, but on a whole they’ve impressed once again.
Variety is a big reason why some bosses stand out and others feel like a chore.Elden Ringensures there’s something different about every boss fight, but it’s often through minor touches like different elements or adding extra foes. The latter extends to other boss-level threats, resulting in some ofElden Ring’s hardest battles. Just about everyone who’s reachedElden Ring’s endgame has a horror story involving the Godskin Duo, and some believe the double Valiant Gargoyle fight is just as bad. This shouldn’t be surprising, however, as the type of fight involved has marked peaks and valleys in FromSoftware titles for a long time.
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Ornstein and Smough Stand As One of Dark Souls’ Highlight Boss Fights
Out of the originalDark Souls' many bosses, an enduring standout is the fight against Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough. It isn’t the firstDark Soulsboss fight against two or more opponents, but it’s still widely agreed to be the game’s best. Ornstein and Smough blocked many players from seeingDark Souls' back half, but the amount of publicity they got from it made them a fan favorite. Their memorable designs and tough-but-fair fight lead to every subsequentSoulsgame calling back to them, with Ornstein’s animated armor even returning for several more bouts.
What impressed those who toughed out Ornstein and Smough’s fight, aside from having two second-phase variations and subsequent rewards, was how the duo interacted. Their attacks and behaviors complimented each other and allowed players to keep track of both at once and split them up. Such coordination, offset by ways to exploit it, has been a hallmark of the greatest group bosses in FromSoftware’s catalog.DS2’s Throne Watcher and Throne Defender,DS3’s Demon in Pain and Demon from Below, the second phase of Sister Friede’s fight alongside Father Ariandel in the same game, andBloodborne’s Shadows of Yharnamare all fondly remembered for following the guidelines set by Ornstein and Smough.
Many FromSoftware Duo Bosses Show How Rough Those Fights Can Be
Just becauseElden Ring’s Godskin Duo was seemingly another Ornstein and Smough callback doesn’t mean they’re as beloved, however. These bosses were already formidable alone, and their strengths were further amplified together. Both they and the double Valiant Gargoyle fight are far tougher than theDark Soulsbosses that inspired them and are hardly redesigned to accommodate their new paired contexts. It takes one ofElden Ring’s most broken buildsto consistently take these bosses down, and that doesn’t mitigate the frustration players will feel learning which ones even work.
Frustration is the inevitable result when FromSoftware doesn’t get a duo boss quite right. As early asDemon’s Souls, the Maneaters are a wall that players climbing the Tower of Latria must face. It’s telling that despite being nearly identical toDark Souls' Belfry Gargoyles, this pair is instead compared toDark Souls' infamous Bed of Chaos. Their unpredictable AI combined with flight, pitfalls, and strong attacks makes them feel downright luck-based. Fairness is key when it comes to dividing FromSoftware’s best and worst duo bosses and will continue to be so as the developer experiments with new takes on the fight format.
Elden Ring
WHERE TO PLAY
ELDEN RING, developed by FromSoftware, Inc. and BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc., is a fantasy action-RPG adventure set within a world created by Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin. Danger and discovery lurk around every corner in FromSoftware’s largest game to date. Hidetaka Miyazaki - President and Game Director of FromSoftware Inc. Known for directing critically-acclaimed games in beloved franchises including Armored Core and Dark Souls.George R.R. Martin is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including the acclaimed series A Song of Ice and Fire - A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast For Crows, and A Dance with Dragons. As a writer-producer, he has worked on The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and pilots that were never made. He lives with the lovely Parris in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
