I'd bet that Nameless King is going to end up winning this poll in the end, but man did I love the Champion Gundyr fight.

Pontiff Sulyvahn for sure. That fight is a blast, the toss up after is between Dancer and the Nameless King. The latter being the hardest I think, I would consider it the best fight if the first phase was more interesting, or if you didn't have to do it every time.

Yeah Sulyvahn's a really good one, just wish the music and visuals hit harder. I'm in my second playthrough now and I spent more than an hour fighting Sulyvahn, bosses seem to get a lot harder when you don't have magic to spam (weird huh?). My first character was a pyromancer and I could easily insta-kill his clone as it was spawning with my fireballs.

I did like the twin princes fight, but yeah Nameless King is what i liked the most although camera is abysmal in the first phase had to just unlock during that whole first phase.

Nameless King - Probably the toughest fight, and therefore the most rewarding.

Abyss Watches - The best atmosphere. The idea of this crazed undead legion killing each other over and over, unable to distinguish between friend and foe, was pretty fantastic. Also, the 2nd phase with the flaming sword had some sweet moves in it.

Aldrich, Devourer of Gods - The best boss from a story perspective. The idea that this sludge monster guy oozed his way into Anor Londo, consumed a trapped Gwyndolin (and probably Nito if his Gravelord scythe and musical theme remixed together is any indication), and is now using the god's corpse as a finger puppet is really fucked up. You learn so much from that part of the game if you stop and take a look at it.

The Twin Princes are more fun to fight but I really love the Soul of Cinder overall. The musical transition to Gwyn's piano is too good.

I found the Dancer fight really neat. The only part of the fight I didn't like was the sheer amount of particle effects she caused during some of her attacks causing FPS drops near the end but until that point I found it really cool.

For sure, the Abyss Watchers are one of my favorites as well. Their intro cutscene was so amazing and the concept, as you said, is awesome.

Yeah, Aldrich is a great example of what I love about Souls' storytelling. What just looks to be a creepy guy with black ooze all over him reveals a truly tragic and surprising story if you do a little digging.

Soul of Cinder was definitely a great one, combining almost all of the weapon/magic types into one boss was such a great finale to the series. I might be reading too much into it, but the effects and sounds when he transformed his weapons reminded me of Bloodborne's trick weapons. I pretty much insta-died whenever I reached the second phase, and it seemed much shorter than the first. So I didn't get to hear a lot of the piano, but the transition was great, yeah.

It's a toss-up between the two Princes, Champion Gundry, or The Soul of Cinder. All of which are giant humans to which funnily enough was a common complaint directed towards DS2 for featuring too many.

The Soul of Cinder excels because it's a compilation of such a huge variety of weapons and abilities to what the player can obtain. It's such a fitting end to the series as you fight off against what is essentially every player that beat the previous Dark Souls games morphed into a single entity, with Gwyn in there somewhere, too. Fantastic boss and is easily the best end game Souls boss, though when counting Bloodborne I still prefer Gehrman personally. Yes, he's not technically the end boss but I can't help but see him as the 'one true end boss' of Bloodborne'...

I liked the Princes because of the relationship they portrayed. I thought the dependance they both show towards each other was really touching, even if the boss battle itself was pretty easy despite being the penultimate boss core-path wise. Plus I really like Lorian's armour set...

Champion Gundyr is basically a classic duel style of boss akin to Gerhman, which I really enjoyed. Just a no-frills, bare knuckle brawl that's fast and really forces you to time your dodges correctly. The Dragonslayer is a similarly designed fight, but he's much slower and more predictable, and the undead dragon thing's support attacks barely register at all during the fight.

I can't speak to Nameless King on the account that I haven't beat him =(... I also can't say I'm a huge fan of the Dancer. I think her animations are superb and the way she moves is pretty unsettling, but she has so many long windup attacks that I always hate because of my how brain works. I'm the sort of player that instinctively tends to roll as soon as an enemy begins its attack, which with the dancer often meant I would roll far too early and get hit. It's something I wish I could work on but it's so ingrained in me it seems.

I feel like I will like the Abyss Watchers way more when I fight them on a different build. The first time through I had a shield that causes them to recoil and then they were just backstabbed over and over. They came across as wildly incompetent for a Lord of Cinder boss.

I'm the same way most of the time, but damn does it feel good when I break out of that habit. Pontiff Sulyvahn really forced me to do that, and I felt like a god dodging all his attacks perfectly without just mashing B.

I would have liked the Abyss Watchers more if there was simply more of them. I think there's only ever three at most? To which feels like far too few to really sell the idea of a 'legion' of undead warriors all stabbing one another in the gullet. Plus the main abyss guy is so surprisingly fragile that you can often kill him even before the other two join the fray. I feel like if there was maybe 6-8 of these guys all running around at once it could have made for an especially fun boss to play in coop!

Also honorary mention to Wolnir for being the only boss in the franchise to kill me within seconds of his appearance because he immediately spewed a murder cloud at me and I'm an idiot.

I have a feeling they probably tested that, but it was just far too much to handle.

It would definitely have had to involve them all fighting amongst themselves instead of all homing in on you. Plus I think it'd be smart if you also had to kill the other watchers before the main guy does (they would thusly have to distinguish him somehow; maybe a different hat or something?) otherwise killing them would heal him a bit or provide a temporary buff, or something to that nature. This no doubt makes it much more complicated overall, but still, despite such an exciting intro cutscene I thought the actual boss battle that we're left with was a bit lacking.

It's a close race this time around. Lots of good ones, none that I detested. But I really love Wolnir.

Haven't fought Nameless or Old Demon King yet but I guess Lord of Cinder wins for cool factor (though there's RNG involved to some extent which is amusing), Aldrich for difficulty, Sulyvahn for an interesting take on melee (also he gets easier as the fight goes on instead of harder), Champion Gundyr for having a cool moveset (though getting hit OTG is pretty silly, what is this Marvel?). All of the non puzzle bosses are pretty good, it's not Bloodborne caliber on average but still solid. Nothing sniffs Darklurker, I guess I'd be surprised if anything ever does even in Sci Fi souls. Dancer is like a slightly easier Smelter, which isn't too tough but I'd recommend doing some co-op for entertainment value (Dragonslayer armor is also good for that). Twin Princes is like fighting the same boss three times, not that great.

Yeah that definitely sounds like a cool concept, I definitely would have appreciated more "puzzle" type bosses. Even if fighting the Deacons is a boring slog, the moment I figured out how to actually get damage on the boss was kind of awesome.

I jumped in my seat when Wolnir appeared, it was a really cool boss in terms of spectacle. Actually fighting the boss was a little boring in my opinion though. He had the most obvious weak-points of any boss ever.

Old Demon King is kind of terrible, he's basically an amped-up version of the fire demon in the catacombs.

Soul of Cinder definitely works with RNG, my heart sunk whenever he switched to the curved sword, but it was a free half of his health every time he switched to mage.

I thought the Twin Princes was such an enjoyable fight I didn't mind fighting them multiple times.

I really like Nameless King because I like the theory that he is the son of Gwyn that was erased from history because he sided with the dragons over his family. Soul of Cinder was also really cool with its constant changing weapon types. It made for a pretty cool final boss.

From a lore perspective as well as just sheer visual grandeur, Nameless King is definitely the best. Fighting Gwyn's first born war god son is badass enough, but the raging storm all around you is really impressive visually. It's crazy that some of the best stuff in these games are completely optional. Moonlight Butterfly, the Painted World, Castle Cainhurst, Smouldering Lake, et cetera. Castle Cainhurst really stands out because you really have to go out of your way to find it, and it might be my favorite area in the whole game.

Yeah totally, I think it's because they just go wild sometimes and don't think about how it would connect to the "main path". Ash Lake was the coolest moment in any video game EVER for me, I think I'll always remember the music. It just makes it more special when it feels like you aren't meant to be there.

Also, you liked Smouldering Lake? I really hated it, all the way up to the boss.

@doctordonkey: Are you talking about Dark Souls optional stuff in general or was the Moonlight butterfly and Painted World actually in DS3 somewhere? If so where, because I completely missed them.

I'm not gonna vote for it or even argue that it's the best but as a quick novelty I thought the Ancient Wyvern was really cool. Just walking forward and this big dragon swoops down and you have to dodge it and other enemies while navigating this really big area to finally make it to the point where you have to take a leap of faith to kill it was really cinematic if nothing else.

@coffeeraygun: Yeah I was able to kill the clone fairly fast too, just by stabbing it pretty much. Still though, it's a cool mechanic. Even after you figure out how to beat it easily. I'm a little inclined to try and fight him without killing it in another playthrough, seems like a fun challenge.

@doctordonkey: Completely agree about Castle Cainhurst, I missed it my first time through and was a bit sour about Bloodborne in general (despite having arguably the best combat) but after going back through seing all the crazy things I missed (about half that game is optional) I ended up loving it. It's the only souls-like i've bothered to Platinum.

As i've answered in another thread, Dragonslayer Armour for me. I seem to like bosses you fight on roofs or bridges it adds to the spectacle. A problem I had with a lot of bosses in the Souls games (especially 2) was that many of the bosses you fight are in dark drab arenas or empty voids.

I originally thought Pontiff Sulyvahn was the best but now I think I'm with the Twin Princes. Neither fight is as difficult as I'd like to be, but I like their mechanics a lot. Soul of Cinder is a fun fight but other than the music transition I think it looks and sounds like they lit Eredin from the Witcher on fire.

Oh geez, I disliked practically every boss you guys are praising, but perhaps that has something to do with the way I built my character. Abyss Watchers, Champion Gundyr, Dancer, Dragonslayer Armor, Lothric, Nameless King, Sulyvahn, and Soul of Cinder all felt like just large-man-with-280degree-swing-arc-that-you-dodge-roll-through-four-times-then-swing-once-or-twice-and-repeat with just a small tweak thrown into each one. Sure, you could argue that is every Souls boss, but I don't think that's true. Dark Souls 1 only had like two of those.

Abyss Watchers first phase is too brief, the second phase is actually just Maria from Bloodborne.

Gundyr doesn't even have a tweak (not that he needs one, like someone else said the idea of a straight fisticuffs duel is welcome).

Dancer is taller than average.

Dragonslayer Armor has those dumb things off to the side you can't really see that shoot you.

Lothric revives the brother.

Nameless King has a unique first phase, but otherwise no.

Sulyvahn has clones.

Soul of Cinder changes attack style, but I definitely killed him too fast to see many of them. I saw maybe 4 of them, one being Gwyn.

I was finding that I couldn't really block any of these bosses too well because they all have a magical enchant on their weapons (except for Gundyr). I also didn't have any spells because I was building this guy assuming Pyromancy would work the way it did in DS1. I ended up not even finding the Pyromancy trainer until I was nearly done with the game since I wasn't reading up on any wikis or anything. So with the extra points, I just became a bulky dude with lots of Vitality and a split between Strength/Dex to use a Curved Greatsword since I had never tried that style before. I ended up being pretty disappointed with most of the bosses. Barely any of them felt unique. I'm currently doing a second playthrough with a friend with a Sorcery focused build so we'll see if that changes my opinion. By process of elimination, my answer would have to be Wolnir, purely because it was a unique fight.

Loved Dancer and the Twin Princes. Voted the former because it reminded me of my character build and it felt like fighting a boss version of myself. Ended up wearing her armor for most of the rest of the game simply because I enjoyed the boss so much. The latter was probably my actual favorite to fight. It took me a while to get the patterns (partially because I was sick and had a throbbing headache at the time, but didn't wanna stop playing) but by the time I did, I loved that I was instinctively dodging attacks I couldn't see as they teleported around. Sorta reminded me of a real good Monster Hunter fight where 90% of the time you don't hafta see the enemy to know precisely where they are.

Kinda surprised about how much people like Pontiff, but that's probably because that's the boss I struggled with the most. Still don't feel like I could reliably kill that boss, honestly... I hear the Nameless King is supposed to be dope, but I've avoided everything about Dark Souls 3 on the internet until I completed my first playthough, so I missed it the first time around.

Soul of Cinder gets an honorable mention for when the piano kicked it.

On the other hand, Oceiros and Wolnir did absolutely nothing for me. Maybe my build trivialized them?

@ktargo: I can definitely see what you're saying and it's hard to argue with any of that. I'm actually having a tough time thinking of anything to write, because it's so subjective. I think it just boils down to what we value more. If a boss is just straight-up dodge timing and pattern memorization all wrapped in amazing visuals, awesome music, and character that makes me want to know more, I'm happy.

@ktargo: No, I definitely see what you're saying. I think the best fights in these games tend to be duel-style bosses but on the whole I prefer a lineup with more variety (which really only the Dark Souls DLC and Bloodborne succeeded in).

I just think the non-humanoid bosses in Dark Souls III are awful except Aldrich (who is admittedly really good).

@coffeeraygun: Yea, totally. It's impossible to argue that this game doesn't have style. The bosses all LOOK unique, some of the music is superb as always, and the animations are crazier than ever. I'm fine with some good ol' fashioned pattern memorization and dodging, just not when it's every other boss. That's exactly what made Artorias so unique. Most of the other bosses were these hulking, screen-filling beasts but he was just a dude, albeit a flashy as hell one. When that's half the fights, it isn't as impactful for me.

But you're right, part of the reason this game was lost with me was because the world design wasn't as intricate and a lot of the "lore" is either retreaded ground or fanservice. I'm sure subconsciously I just had a sour taste in my mouth and that had an effect on my opinion of the bosses. This is getting more general and not boss-specific, but I keep coming back to the idea that even Miyazaki isn't sure what parts of his games people like. Implementing some questionable features from Demon's Souls, Bloodborne, and Dark Souls 2 while detracting from what made Dark Souls 1 so special. Ah, but that's for another place.

As a sorcerer, I found the Yhorm fight pretty fun actually. He felt like the only boss where it was built with range characters in mind. His attack patterns are fair, give you a chance to gain distance on him, and has a gap closer that isn't just an instant in your face thing. The way you can beat on his head to get him on his knees felt pretty cool, very much felt like a David and Goliath scenario but with a stick instead of a sling. Sure, the entire fight can be effectively negated with the sword but if you don't go that route its a pretty fun fight otherwise.

For aesthetic, Nameless King for sure. Really a cool looking fight and boss. Not only that, but it felt like he had a ton of different attack patterns. Would be number one for me if it wasn't for the fact he was one of the two bosses that sometimes just couldn't deal with range. Soul of Cinder was pretty cool after his first 'swap' and you realize what he's supposed to be. Also loved it when the Piano kicked in for the second phase, memories of the Gwyn fight burning hot (Not to mention I loved that original song from Dark Souls).

I think Miyazaki knows what HE wants to make, and it's not like he's the only guy who designs these games. I'm curious what "questionable features" are you talking about?

It's impossible for a melee build to beat him without the Storm Ruler. His legs have like a bajillion armor.

@coffeeraygun: Yhorm's arms and head take about x3 damage but he has twenty eight thousand hitpoints (Soul of Cinder has 11000 total). If you just hit him in the arms it'll usually take 150-200 hits which is stupid.

Nameless King was such a poorly balanced fight for people who spec in melee and used incredibly short swords >_>

I wouldn't say impossible. I did damage with my normal weaponry. It would just be ridiculous.

Yeah seriously, it took me so long to finally realize you had to hold the weapon art button to enchant the sword instead of just doing the stance attacks. Before that I was just wailing on his legs for ages before I finally gave up.

@efesell said:

I voted for The Abyss Watchers. It was a really fun fight, but the Soul of Cinder comes in a REALLY close second place, followed closely by the Twin Prince boss fight.

The Nameless King is the only boss I didn't fight, and I bet it's that way with a majority of the fan base. The only people who managed to find him on their first time were the people using guides.

The Princes are a much more entertaining fight than The Nameless King. The Nameless King is just frustrating to fight in the second phase (still stuck on it). If not for the Princes, The Abyss Watchers was really cool, but it was a pretty easy fight.

I can't speak to Nameless King on the account that I haven't beat him =(... I also can't say I'm a huge fan of the Dancer. I think her animations are superb and the way she moves is pretty unsettling, but she has so many long windup attacks that I always hate because of my how brain works. I'm the sort of player that instinctively tends to roll as soon as an enemy begins its attack, which with the dancer often meant I would roll far too early and get hit. It's something I wish I could work on but it's so ingrained in me it seems.

@yummylee: I feel like The Nameless King is doing something similar (except without the long windup, but the reverse), I'm pretty sure I'm rolling through his attacks on time, but I always get hit by his three swing combo and it's throwing me off. Add the fact that I have to beat his first phase everytime I don't have enough time to see his pattern for the second. I haven't gotten over 1/4 of his HP after a dozen or so fights and it's real frustrating.

Nameless King for sure, he was the most challenging for me and he had some of the coolest visuals while fighting him. I think most of the optional and late game bosses were all fantastic, I wish the early game bosses were all ramped up to those levels.

I'm not one for lore in these games so that doesn't factor in for me. I think it's cool but it takes me several playthroughs of build experimentation before I really care enough to read item descriptions and pay attention to who is who.

I really really like the Lothric fight actually, it's my favorite for a reason I can't quite put my finger on. It only took me four tries but it felt like this grueling thing that really could go either way each time.

Yeah nameless king I did not find until New Game+ when I was using a guide, Archdragon Peak is hidden pretty well.

Pfff, I can't believe 2 percent voted for the Curse-Rotted Greatwood. Anyway, I haven't finished the game yet, although I feel like I'm close to the end, and I have to say, I'm fairly happy with the boss fights in this game. There has been quite a few standout bosses, but at this point, I think the Abyss Watchers are my favorite. The first half of the fight has a unique twist to it, and the second half reminds me of Lady Maria from Bloodborne.

Oh yeah, I just defeated Champion Gundyr earlier, and after exploring Firelink Shrine, I went back to the bonfire and I saw him just standing next to the bonfire, on the same spot he died. I didn't find a way to interact with him and I used most of the of gestures in front of him, but nothing happened. I rested at the bonfire, and he disappeared. I wonder if this is intentional or was just a bug.

Edit: Voted for Lothric.

@coffeeraygun said:

It's not that difficult or complicated of a boss exactly, but I thought it was fun. The are you fight him on and how it looks help. I hate it when darkness is visualized as purple blobs or whatever, but actually completely dark areas are cool. It reminds me of the first Tomb Raider, which presumably used those because of draw distance.

How you had to run up and down the hill to dodge his mist and crawling. He doesn't have that many moves, and they are very slow, but that's fine with me. I don't actually mind giant bosses having easy to read attacks, and was able to learn this guy's pattern easily. Him summoning skeletons was also okay with me because he would kill most of them himself. It's real basic giant video game boss stuff in terms of it just being this torso sticking out of the ground, but it's contextualized in his struggle against the abyss in a way I liked. I helped out with him a few times, and I always like waving to him as he's dragged down.

I just squeezed past the Lothric kids after many attempts. I still feel like it's Watchers for the way it feels like its ripped straight from Bloodborne.

The Dancer. A very literal interpretation of every Souls-bossfight embodied in a slow-motion creeper? The best.

This is an interesting poll and all, but what I really want to know is which boss had the most dignity?

Is it? Maybe it's because I've played a lot of Souls over the years but seeing the dragon-dude corpse sitting in that pose with a mat perfectly spaced to fit one person (you) and the stonework over the mountains in the horizon my immediate thought was "I need that gesture to get over there, obviously". It seemed really blatant to me. I went in 100% blind and did not find the optional areas difficult to find at all. But again, I might just know what to look for now.

This definitely isn't true, a number of people I know who played the game blind for the first time found Archdragon Peak and The Nameless King. I thought the whole dragon statue gesture thing was pretty glaringly obvious.

Wolnir was my favorite boss overall. It felt like a callback to Demon's Souls boss design where the challenge comes from figuring out the gimmick rather than a straight up boxing match. The moment he appeared is my second favorite moment in the game, beaten only by the Skeleton Bum-Rush.