10.) Black Dragon Kalameet
Now I know what you're thinking, Kalameet is a boss you can fight if you get the DLC for Dark Souls, and the lore surrounding the beast is incredibly vague. Well, the lore is admittedly kind of vague in regards to this boss but Hawkeye Gough has some very interesting dialogue about Kalameet if you talk to him. Apparently Kalameet was a very fierce dragon whose might was so great even Anor Londo wouldn't provoke him. This lead me to think that a contributing factor to Oolacille awakening Manus,was due to Kalameet terrorizing the countryside. But speculation aside this boss is a challenge and then some. You are fighting a dragon, and an ancient dragon no less. He can breathe black fire at you [which leads me to speculate he may have been influenced by the Abyss] Any one of his regular attacks can send you flying, and he can cast a debuff on you that makes you take twice the normal amount of damage [which if you've played Dark Souls you can understand how dangerous such a thing is.] But what puts him so low on the list is that, you have to purchase the DLC to fight him, and his pattern of attacks is fairly predictable. Not to mention as I said earlier, most of the lore for Kalameet is purely speculation.
9.) Old Monk
This boss is unique even for the Souls series in that, if you're playing online, the Old Monk could be anyone. When you challenge the Old Monk, anyone who leaves a summon sign near the fog gate can be randomly summoned to become the Old Monk. Thankfully it will only summon who is near the players level, but this leads to nearly infinite possibilities when it comes to facing this boss. You could fight literally any kind of build, any kind of player, adding yet another layer of tension to an already tense game. The lore is pretty good too. The Old Monk was the husband of the Queen of Latria, but was banished for an unknown reason. He returned one day dressed in golden garb and a horde of demons which he used to banish the Queen, imprison her family, and begin making his own demons. Creepy.By the time you get to him, the Old Monk has grown old and is dying resulting in his golden garb summoning another player to possess them and live on. But the reason this boss is low, is twofold. If you're playing offline the boss is pathetically easy, and some Demon's Souls players are trolls who love the Scraping Spear.[Ugh....]
8.) Flamelurker
I have to admit I was worried when I first went up against this boss. He's said to be one of the hardest bosses in the Souls series due to his powerful area of effect attacks and the fact that getting near him causes damage due to his fiery body. But if you come prepared for this fight, it becomes fairly challenging. And that's what I love about this boss. This boss rewards you for preparing your gear correctly, for becoming good at blocking and dodging, and most importantly for patience. This boss has good defenses can dodge attacks, and the more health you take off the stronger the flames on his body get. Simply touching him after his health is down 75% can cause damage to you. This fight for me at least provided the best sense of immersion while playing Demon's Souls. I felt like a true slayer of demons, coming prepared to face a boss with very specific tactics. Its just a shame that the lore for this thing is almost non-existent.Its flames were sad to inspire blacksmiths, and it guards the Dragon God. Thrilling.
7.)Penetrator
Okay, if you don't have Biorr helping you, this fight challenges your skill with dodging to the extreme. The Penetrator moves just as fast as you can, his attacks have an extremely wide and long range, and his attacks do large amounts of damage. Blocking with a shield is not recommended since his sword can pierce through your shield in one or two hits. In order to defeat this boss you need to have mastered dodging and counter attacking, learn his patterns and attacks to the point where you can instantly react to his movements. The music also adds to the excitement of this fight, its the same music as the Tower Knight fight and really makes you feel like you're fighting against a powerful foe. The lore is also interesting, that being that the Penetrator was a knight for King Allant whose body became that of a demon while his soul became a Black Phantom. All in all, this fight is great. Great lore, great fight, and great music. But why its so low on this list, is because if you freed Biorr then this fight is much easier. The Penetrator will only target Biorr and for the most part will ignore you. Unless you're playing on NG++++
6.) The Old Hero
Demon's Souls can be a very intimidating game for newcomers. As someone who has played Dark Souls excessively I can say that Demon's Souls is a better game in some ways and is much more difficult. So what does that have to do with this boss? This boss has the best atmosphere of Demon's Souls and is so tense its like a prolonged anxiety attack. The Old Hero is completely blind and can only react to sound or pain, meaning that as long as you wear no armor and move slowly [or wear the Thief's Ring] you can slowly but surely take out this boss without getting hit once. in the end I just love this boss for how well the atmosphere is. The Old Hero can annihilate you if he knows where you are, so your only option is to exploit his blindness to your advantage, all the while you can only take small chunks of health from him every so often. The lore is great too, the Old Hero is exactly what his name implies. An old hero who sought fame and glory in life, and now in death he is still desperately searching for it as evidenced by his Large Sword of Searching.
5.)Quelagg, Witch of Chaos
I will admit, this boss gets a lot easier with practice and especially if you have help. But this boss is just so much fun to fight. You're fighting one of the Daughters of the Witch of Izalith! She can spit lava at you, has a wide Aoe attack that can kill you instantly, and her sword is coated in fire and has a very wide range. She can be difficult the first time you face her, but as you get better the fight becomes much more enjoyable. It serves as a prelude to how much more challenging the rest of Dark Souls is going to be. The lore is great too. When the Witch of Izalith tried recreating the First Flame, it went out of control and corrupted not only the Witch, but Quelagg and her sisters as well. Quelagg was bonded to a giant spider and became a Demon who kills those who wander into her lair, stealing their humanity so she can offer it to her sick sister. Actually makes you feel kind of bad when you kill her.
4.) Ornstein and Smough
These two aren't just my fourth favorite Souls bosses, they're two of my favorite bosses of all time. Let me make this clear, these two are hard. VERY HARD. One is incredibly fast, the other is incredibly strong. One has ranged attacks, the other can charge you. And when you defeat one of them, the other absorbs the fallen one's abilities and uses them against you.If you're Dark Souls for the very first time, these two are going to kill you a lot. Especially if you're alone. These two cover each other perfectly, attacking you when you least expect it as you see an opening. They're like a real team, and the AI they both have is some of the best I've seen in the Souls series. If you do summon help either from a player or from Solaire, the fight becomes even more fun as you feel like you're on your own team facing a team of bosses. The lore is great too, Orstein is the captain of the Four Knights, the elite warriors of Lord Gywn and has been charged with defending Gywnevere from anyone who would harm her, as well as serving as a test for the Chosen Undead. Smough is the royal executioner who was so sadistic he would eat the powdered bones of his victims and as such was not allowed to join the Four Knights. And the music.... just epic.
3.) Old King Allant
The reason Allant is higher than Ornstien and Smough is simply because I had more fun fighting this boss. Allant scales with you, meaning that the higher the level you are, the more powerful Allant is. He has a wide variety of attacks with his sword Soulbrandt, and each one of his sword swings can send a shockwave flying towards you and he has a massive Aoe attack which creates an enormous explosion that consumes over half of the bosses area. He has high defenses meaning that you're going to take a while getting his health down, but his attacks are easily read meaning you can beat him as long as you're cautious. King Allant lorewise is responsible for the scourge of demons plaguing the land, all to gain more power and satisfy his lust for knowledge.Oh wait, that's the REAL King Allant. This is just a Demon that looks like the King :p.
2.) Artorias the Abysswalker
Artorias is my favorite character in the Souls series and one of my favorite fictional characters period. One of Lord Gwyn's Four Knights, a master of the greatsword and named the Abysswalker for his unbendable will of steel allowing him to traverse the Abyss. Accompanied only by his loyal friend Sif, Artorias travelled to Oolacille to stop the spread of the Abyss. This is where the story becomes tragic though. Artorias did not prevail over the Abyss, he was defeated by Manus, his left arm was crushed into dust, and he was corrupted by the Abyss into a feral beast.The boss fight with him is difficult, despite wielding a sword of such size, Artorias wields it like its a chopstick and his attacks are so strong that he can easily break through your shield and kill you in three or four hits. In addition he can counterattack you if you do manage to start getting hits on him. Once his health starts dropping he will call upon the Abyss to power up and his attacks become even stronger. In addition he can stack these buffs meaning that if you let him, he can kill you in one hit. This fight's music is also noteworthy as it carries an air of tragedy to it, this once proud knight has been transformed into a monster who can cry out in pain and rage as you cut into him. At the start of the fight it even looks like he's trying to talk to you, begging you to kill him so he can keep his honor, the only thing he has left. After his defeat, you have the option of giving his soul to another member of the Four Knights, Artorias's lover Ciaran. Or you could use his Soul to forge a powerful weapon. Or you could just be a jerk and use it to get souls to level up. Right in front of her. Breaking her heart. ....I only did it once.
1.) Sif, The Greatwolf
Now I know what you're thinking, Sif is an easy boss. His attacks are extremely predictable, any upgraded shield can block his attacks, and he doesn't have much health or defense. So why is he my favorite Souls boss? Because when it comes to execution, Sif''s battle is perfect. To get the obvious out of the way, you're fighting a giant wolf who is wielding a Greatsword. Eat your heart out Wolf's Rain. But what really gets to me is the lore, because it justifies why Sif isn't that strong of a boss. Sif was a close friend to Artorias, following him into the Abyss. When Artorias was defeated by Manus, he used the last of his strength and sanity to protect Sif with his shield. When you find Sif and free him, he'll help you fight Manus. Fast forward to the future, Sif is guarding the grave of Artorias, and by extension the Covenant of Artorias, which you need to travel into the Abyss. Sif stands as a guard, ensuring that no one enters the Abyss and become corrupted by Artorias. So when you show up years later and Sif recognizes you, he knows what you want. And he can't allow it. He can't bear to see you, the one who freed his friend Artorias from suffering, to become corrupted. Sadly, he decides killing you is a better fate than risking you becoming like Artorias. Either you leave, or he kills you. But you can't leave. You have to face the Four Kings. The music in this fight conveys a sense of tragedy and sadness, a fight neither of you want, but one you must unfortunately have. As you fight Sif he starts to show injury, he begins limping and his attacks become much weaker. This is an emotional fight at its finest, its one of the only times while playing a video game that I've actually cried. The only thing I could say during the fight was "Just run away Sif. Please just run away." Sif the Greatwolf, my favorite Souls boss of all time.
I hope you enjoyed this list, and I'll see you for the next one. Red Vulture out.
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