10 Toughest Bosses in Dark Souls 3: Page 2 of 3

Dark Souls, From Software, Dark Souls 3, RPG, Adventure
“Ashen one, link the fire. For the Lords of Cinder, for the ashen prisoners, for all those held to preserve the fire… link the First Flame."


4. Champion Gundyr

Champion Gundyr’s relentless strikes leave a very small window for attack, and his mobility and variety of strikes make him a formidable foe.

Having earned the moniker “Champion Stundyr” due to his propensity for guard breaking, Champion Gundyr is an optional boss that I wouldn’t blame players for wanting to skip. He has arguably the most unpredictable attack patterns and can remove large chunks of hit points from players very rapidly.

From flying kicks to backhanded fists, Champion Gundyr attacks so quickly between combos that there sometimes isn’t time to sneak even one strike in. He will also interrupt his attacks to quickly strike the player if they attempt to heal.

Impatience in this battle will inevitably lead to defeat, although parries are effective, if difficult to time properly due to the short time between when an attack is started and when it is landed. Wait for the few small openings after a couple of his moves and settle for one or two attacks only, in order to be in good position to mitigate his imminent counterattack.

3. Nameless King

The Nameless King utilizes a lightning-enchanted spear while riding a dragon that breathes fire… and he isn’t the most difficult?!

In each Dark Souls game, the optional bosses combined difficulties are higher than the non-optional bosses, and The Nameless King is the high difficulty flag bearer for the optional bunch. Presiding over Archdragon Peak, he is deeply embroiled in Dark Souls lore, with close connections to Lord Gwyn, the final boss of the first game in the trilogy.

In the first phase of the fight, The Nameless King rides atop his dragon, preferring to attack from afar. He will land occasionally, and the dragon will breathe a swath of fire across the battlefield. The true danger in this phase is the breath attack the dragon will unleash upon the player if they wander directly beneath it, as it is difficult to dodge and hits very hard, even with a high fire resistance.

Once the dragon is defeated, the second phase begins with The Nameless King plunging his spear into his fallen companion and absorbing its power. He becomes hyper-aggressive in this phase, able to close large distances as quickly as any boss.

The Nameless King is also able to attack with both single-target and area-of-effect spells, but is susceptible to stagger if hit with enough attacks quickly enough. This can be achieved only by carefully skirting the line between too little and too much aggression, however.

2. Soul of Cinder

The final boss of Dark Souls 3 is more like five bosses combined into one, as he frequently switches between weapons and abilities.

Before the player can link the First Flame (or not…) and end their Dark Souls 3 adventure, they must first vanquish the Soul of Cinder, who is an amalgamation of all previous Lords of Cinder.

In phase one of the fight, he switches between four classes, each with its own weapon and abilities: a straight sword form that uses no magic, a scimitar form that uses various pyromancies, a pike form that uses various miracles, and a staff form that uses various sorceries. Although his attacks seem relentless, this phase is a cake walk compared to the second phase.

After reducing the Soul of Cinder’s health to zero in the first phase, he switches his weapon to an ultra-greatsword, lights it on fire, and makes The Nameless King’s aggression look passive. The range of the Soul of Cinder’s attacks is insanely large, and he can close distances extremely quickly, giving the player little time to heal or cast spells. He also uses a chain of attacks that, if unblocked, will be fatal, especially if the massive area-of-effect he ends with lands a hit.

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