The 11 Hardest Bosses In 'Dark Souls 3' That Will Always Crush Our Souls

Arguably the most influential and inspirational battle in the Soulsborne franchise, the battle against Sister Friede and Father Ariandel masterfully incorporates a multi-boss fight and introduced the first three-phased opponent in the series. Facing Friede on her own proved a daunting task for Dark Souls veterans, her unfathomable reach for attacks and wicked speed create a devastating combo, and her ability to turn completely invisible and sneak up on players proved nearly unbearable. Those who manage to overcome the first stage, however, now must face Father Ariandel coming to Friede's aid. This massive, aggressive, lumbering giant pairs masterfully with Friede, as the two move in unison, attacking with both ranged and melee attacks, and will frequently overwhelm players with aggression and speed. The greatest surprise comes in the form of the third phase, a first-ever for the franchise, and with an even faster and more aggressive combos from Sister Friede proving herself to be a daunting foe. 

While he may be nameless, players have come to know The Nameless King all too well. Widely regarded as one of the most difficult bosses in the Dark Souls series, this two-phased onslaught of patience and determination pushes players to their absolute limits with two heart-pounding battles. Taking to the skies on his massive Stormdrake for his first phase, The Nameless King and his massive beast hurl lightning and fire attacks in an effort to obliterate players, forcing them to duck, dodge, and weave through the battlefield to try and get a few good swings in. Those fortunate enough to get to the second phase then must face The Nameless King in his true unrelenting glory. Unleashing a massive flurry of devastating attacks that require godlike precision to avoid and have no problem one-shotting players to oblivion, players must bring their A-game or be prepared to re-do both battles all over again. 

After first encountering Darkeater Midir across a bridge past the abyssal swamp, players would be forgiven to think that this confrontation was a rather lackluster dragon encounter, however, this was just the appetizer. The proper fight is at the Ringed Inner Wall's, where we see Midir's full power being unleashed, proving to be a culmination of every dragon fight the player has had so far. Claiming the size and health of the Ancient Dragon, the varied and sporadic moveset of Sinh, and the special attacks of Kalameet,  Midir proves to be the ultimate dragon fight in the Dark Souls franchise. With frantic and sporadic melee attacks and devastating fire-breathing attacks, players feel the massive scale and scope of this awe-inspiring fight, and his second phase brings a massive amount of dark attacks that will hone in on and destroy players' health bars. With the only true way to damage him is attacking his head, players will have to take massive risks just for a chance to claim victory over the dragon raised by gods. 

At the end of the world, a spectacularly cinematic battle for the power of the Dark Soul rages against the Slave Knight Gael. A slave to the titular Dark Soul and the final boss in the Dark Souls franchise, Slave Knight Gael is a sympathetic final foe who is also a daunting challenger. This three-phased assault of catastrophic proportions encompasses arguably the most complex and varied moveset of any boss in the Dark Souls series. Becoming more and more unhinged as time goes on, his unnatural movement causes a litany of problems as he will often change the patterns of his attacks, and even individual moves. Encompassing traits of precise tactical warfare to anguished furry, the battle against the Slave Knight Gael is as formidable as it is incredible.

Physical aggressive and daring strategies often seem to reward players with the greatest outcomes in Dark Souls III, but the battle between Pontiff Sulyvahn showcases that the best offensive strategy is, at times,  a masterful defensive one. A master of offensive warfare, Pontiff Sulyvahn combines massive combos with blistering speed and devastating power to completely overwhelm and obliterate players. Accompanying this is Pontiff's tendency to switch from incredibly passive to egregiously aggressive just to throw players completely off their rhythm. Defense is undoubtedly a strategy to specialize for those who wish to have any hope of combatting this god of the old royalty. This of course is incredibly challenging with the blistering pace at which attacks are being dealt, especially so in his second phase, when players are then forced to face off against a clone of Pontiff along with the god himself. 

The duo who refuse to die, Lorian and Lothric, or as they are better known as, The Twin Princes, provides players with one of the most fun and challenging fights Dark Souls III has to offer. Opposing the stereotypical fights that players had seen up to this point, The Twin Princes inject new life into the boss fights, incorporating an entirely new mechanic to the battle, teleporting. With rather generic attacks, players would be forgiven if they thought this seemed like a rather pedestrian fight, however, the challenge comes for the Twins' second phase. Up to this point, players have only been battling Lorien, and once he is defeated, Lothric joins the fray, and will consistently heal his brother whenever he is downed. This, combined with consistent magic attacks that Lothric performs and Lorien's teleporting attacks, makes this a devastating challenge, and one that can only be complete once both brothers have met their end.