If there’s one thing that Souls games are good at, it’s creating an endless supply of fearsome bosses capable of tearing you limb from limb. Generally speaking, these bosses tend to vary wildly in terms of their anatomical make-up, often coming in shapes and sizes that defy all logic or reason, making them look like otherworldly beings beyond comprehension. There are a few more recognizable categories that Souls bosses fall into, however, and one of the most common boss types is Dragons.
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These beasts have been a scourge upon the player all the way back in 2009 whenDemon’s Soulsgraced our screens and have continued to plague our Souls adventures ever since. You may be wondering, however, which of these draconic beasties serves as the toughest of them all. Well, I think we ought to answer that question once and for all, as we rank the toughest dragon Bosses that appear in Souls games.
10Blue Dragon
Game Featured
Demon’s Souls
1-4 - The King’s Tower
Demon’s Soulsis mainly known for its variety of bosses that rely on gimmicks, and the dragons within this game are some of the best examples of this reliance on non-traditional Souls boss formats. The Dragon God is basically a stealth section rather than an actual fight, and the Blue Dragon is a late-game example that serves as an environmental hazard more than anything else.
Technically, you don’t need to fight this dragon, provided you’re able to time your runs perfectly to avoid their fire breath attacks, and you can make a beeline for Old King Allant if you wish. But if you actually want to take them on, you’re in for a tough time. You’ll essentially need to have lots of arrows and a strong, upgraded bow to take them down, and then it’s all about getting your timing right, getting up camp in a safe zone and pumping them full of arrows.
The difficulty comes from the fact that these fire breath attacks will usually one-shot you; the enemies along the path are troublesome and there’s the sheer monotony of sitting there chipping away at their health until they eventually die. Patience is your biggest enemy here, and for that alone, the Blue Dragon just sneaks onto this list.
9Gaping Dragon
Dark Souls
The Depths
Let’s continue with a boss which would be top of the list if we were ranking based on how grotesque each dragon looks. This boss is one that you will encounter relatively early in yourDark Soulsadventure, and while it’s not the toughest fight in the series as a whole by a long shot, what this fight does have going for it is that, unlike a lot of other Soulsborne Dragon fights, at least this one is unique on account of this dragon being 90% mouth and teeth.
The player will need to be aware of their powerful jumping slam attacks, charging attacks and grab attacks, in which they will pick you up, pop you in their mouth and try to swallow you whole. It’s a fitting test for new Souls players and a boss that still serves as one of the more unique dragon-based boss fights. Sure, you’ll still get a lot of joy if you hide behind their back legs and hack away, as you do with pretty much all other dragons, but credit where it’s due. Gaping Dragon is a standout boss and ugly to boot.
8Borealis, The Freezing Fog
Elden Ring
Consecrated Snowfield
Next up we have one of the many dragon bosses thatElden Ringgifted us with around The Lands Between. If I’m being a little critical,Elden Ringdragons tend to be cut from the same cloth, with many of them being cut-and-paste battles with microscopic changes, butBorealis, the Freezing Fogdoesn’t fit into that bracket, as they are tough as nails and unique in their own right – but perhaps not for all the right reasons.
Borealis is a tough fight, but it’s not a fun fight, as even at an end-game level, this Dragon will easily two-shot you if you aren’t careful; it mainly uses AOE attacks and maintains its distance, making it a nightmare to actually land a hit on them. Plus, due to the foggy and frigid environment of theMap (Consecrated Snowfield), this boss has the ability to compromise your vision, making the fight even more of an uphill battle. It’s a hard boss, but it’s not a fun boss, so while they do belong on this list, know that we include them begrudgingly.
7Sinh The Slumbering Dragon
Dark Souls 2
Dragon’s Rest
Dark Souls 2may be the awkward middle child of the Dark Souls trilogy, but despite fans' strained relationship with this title, you can’t deny that it has some of the finest DLC the Soulsborne genre has ever produced, and Sinh The Slumbering Dragon is testament to that. This dragon boss is an absolute unit with a lot of dirty tricks up its sleeve to take you down and send you to your nearest bonfire to rethink your strategy.
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It’s a hard fight due to the fact that they deal insane fire damage and have physical attacks that are tricky to block; your weapon deteriorates like crazy if you attack their body instead of their head, forcing you to fight them head-on and to top it all off. There are limited windows to actually deal damage as they spend the majority of the fight in midair. Oh and did I mention their attacks also cause toxin build-up? They are a true test for even the most skilled dragonslayer, so when you take on theCrown of the Sunken King, be ready for this one.
6Black Dragon Kalameet
Royal Woods
Speaking of notoriously-hard Dark Souls DLC dragons, we need to give mention to Kalameet, as this draconic terror is one tough cookie. Now, it’s worth mentioning that if you don’t want the weapon gained by chopping off his tail, then the fight is still tough but a lot more manageable. If you, however, want the additional items up for grabs in this fight, you’ll be in for a truly brutal battle.
This is because Kalameet rarely drops his tail, allowing you to attack it, which means you’ll need to avoid their attacks for a long period of time just to get a swipe or two at their tail, and even then, they might kill you with tail swipes and aggressive stomps for even having the nerve to attempt it. Besides that, Kalameet has large fire-based AOE attacks, long-range fire breath attacks, hits like a truck and they may also apply the Mark of Calamity which will debuff you and allow them to deal double damage. So, all in all, this isn’t a dragon that plays with its food.
5Elden Beast
The Elden Throne
It’s hard to say for sure if theElden Beastis a dragon for sure, but what we can say is that it’s at least dragon-adjacent, and quite frankly, that’s good enough for me. The Elden Beast is the boss fought in the second stage of the final fight inElden Ringand serves as a fitting final challenge for anyone who wants the accolade of being crowned an Elden Lord.
Radagon of the Golden Orderin the opening stage is easy enough to master and get through with most of your HP and flasks still intact, but the Elden Beast won’t waste any time depleting your HP to zero if you let them.
This fight is tough due to the size of the arena and the fact that the Elden Beast will travel miles away from you in an instant, leaving you vulnerable as they cast a series of dangerous long-range attacks and projectiles your way. Then, even if you do close the gap, the Elden Beast has a variety of holy attacks that will deal heavy damage and keep you at bay until they jet off to the other side of the arena to begin the cycle all over again. It’s a fight that demands patience, mastery of the enemy’s moveset and a lot of running around. So, get your running shoes on and get going!
4Lichdragon Fortissax
Darkroot Depths
Lighting, fire, pain, anguish. This fight has it all, and it’s one of the most epic boss fights inElden Ring, never mind just the dragon-related encounters. This dragon afflicted with the Death Blight is one that requires some legwork to get to, as you’ll need to completeFia’s questline inElden Ring, but this fight serves as a wonderful finale, offering a fight that is intense from start to end, as you’ll need to dance aroundLichdragon Fortissaxfurious barrage of lightning attacks to survive.
You’ll need to keep one eye on the surrounding environment to avoid standing in Lightning charges, and the other eye on Fortissax themselves, as their physical and strong lightning attacks are insanely powerful. Plus, it’s important to get the fight over and done fast, as each attack causes Death Blight build-up, and when that bar fills up, it’s curtains for you. It’s a truly memorable fight not only because it’s epic, but also because it’s one that you’ll be repeating over and over until you get it right.
3Dragonlord Placidusax
Crumbling Farum Azula
Up until recently,Dragonlord Placidusaxwas hands-down my favorite dragon boss across all Souls games. This is down to the epic setting in theCrumbling Farum Azula, the brilliance of the boss design and lore, and of course, the fight itself.
It’s a punishing fight that demands that the player learns Placidusax’s moveset down to a fine art, as this is the only way you’ll be able to survive long enough to carve out openings to cut them down to size.
Their first phase is tough as they share similarly powerful lightning attacks to the aforementioned Fortissax, with the added caveat of more frequent use of fire attacks. But it’s the second phase that separates the maidenless from the Elden Lords, as Placidusax will be able to disappear and reappear at will, will use much more aggressive and dynamic attacks, and you’ll have a small window between these attacks to close the gap and get in some attacks of your own. And, of course, they have a big ol' inflated health bar, so strap yourself in for a long battle when you take on this powerhouse.
2Bayle The Dread
Dragon’s Peak Summit
In the runner-up spot, we have the new kid on the block gifted to us courtesy of theShadow of the Erdtree DLC.Bayle the Dreadis the dragon found at the summit of Dragon’s Peak and is by some distance the most badass dragon in the entirety ofElden Ring.
Bayle is a relentless magma-spewing powerhouse with a monumental health bar, attacks that can two-shot you even at the highest levels, and just when you think you might have them on the ropes, they enter phase two and kick into overdrive.
They take to the skies and rain hellfire down from above before then cannoning at you at pace and only those with pinpoint precision when it comes to dodge-rolling will avoid ending up flat as a pancake on the floor. Because this fight does abide by the usual ‘hide behind their hind legs and attack furiously’ rule, however, and you can make this fight a lot easier by collecting all theScadutree Fragment, this fight just misses out on the top spot.
1Darkeater Midir
Dark Souls 3
The Ringed City
I’m someone who holds the rather unpopular opinion that The Ringed City was a DLC that flattered to deceive, as it’s all a bit ‘style over substance’. If we just look at the boss battles that this DLC provides alone, you can’t deny that the level of quality is through the roof, and Midir is living, fire-breathing proof of that.
This boss is so aggressive, so dynamic, so tanky and so hard-hitting that even the most hardy Souls Veteran will admit that the thought of fighting Midir again gives them nightmares.
His first phase is already a tough task as it feels like every limb independently attacks you from all angles, but when the second phase kicks in, you’ll beg for the relative calm of the first. They’ll attack with fierce fire breath and melee combos that happen concurrently, you’ll have to contend with their laser attacks that feel impossible to dodge at first attempt, and occasionally they’ll use an AOE attack that could spell the end if you don’t leg it out of the blast zone.
Despite the best attempts ofShadow of the Erdtree, Darkeater Midir remains the hardest Dragon boss in any Souls game ever, and I would wager that might be the case for some time.
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