FromSoftware games arefamous for the sheer quantity (and quality) of bosses, but some players actually miss the best bosses to be had in each game. These are the legendary optional bosses, many of which are the most narratively and mechanically satisfying of the lot and are well worth checking out.
Demon’s Soulswon’t be making an appearance here because there are no optional bosses, andSekiro: Shadows Die Twicewon’t be appearing either, because the number of optional bosses can radically change depending on story choices. What remains are some of the best bosses gaming has to offer.
As the black sheep of the FromSoftware games,Dark Souls 2has an uphill battle to win the hearts of many gamers, and it is also the game with the (joint) fewest optional bosses too, some due to being off the beaten path, and some optional due to clever routing.
Whether it’s the formidable Last Giant, who is usually a player’s first boss encountered in the game, or the Old Dragonslayer, a cheeky nudge and wink to the originalDark Souls,Dark Souls 2’s optional bosses are all a lot of fun, but they are usually pretty easy to find, and most are optional through clever routing through the game (though some are also incredibly difficult too). The only truly optional area in the game is the Belfry, where the Belfry Gargoyles await — though maybe they’re better avoided.
Setting the template for all that is to come,despite being one of the shortest FromSoftware games, the originalDark Soulsintroduced a maze-like interconnected world where many players are surprised to learn just how many bosses they stumbled into were actually completely optional.
Take, for example,the Gaping Dragon. This fearsome toothy creature tends to block the road to Blighttown, but with the Master Key as a starting gift, the Gaping Dragon can be completely skipped. Similarly, the Capra Demon can be skipped in the same way. Black Dragon Kalameet, one of the hardest bosses in the game, is in an entire side area requiring several steps to even access, andDark Souls’trippiest boss fight in Dark Sun Gwyndolin similarly requires some pretty obtuse pathing to reach.
Dark Souls 3is sometimes criticized among fans for being too much of a reiteration of the originalDark Souls. Whether gamers buy the narrative reasons for that is an entirely different question, butDark Souls 3is identical to the original in having 7 optional bosses too.
While some optional bosses like Old Demon King and Champion Gundyr are pretty much reskins of pre-existing bosses, The Nameless King is one of the best boss fights in FromSoftware’s entire catalogue, and reaching him isn’t simple. Hiding away at the end of a high-level, entirely optional arena, no playthrough ofDark Souls 3is complete without a visit to The Nameless King to see just why he is considered one of the most difficult boss fights in the series (so you might need to pick up some overpowered weapons to level the playing field).
OnBloodborne’s release, many gamers were surprised by just how fast-paced the new title was. Similarly, on replays, it’s surprising just how many of the game’s key bosses are entirely optional, meaning the entire game can be run through very quickly if a seasoned veteran knows what they’re doing.
Take, for example, The Cleric Beast. This isone of the most iconic boss fights in the entire game, but it’s entirely optional. Similarly, Gehrman, The First Hunter, and Moon Presence, the game’s final bosses, can be entirely skipped if a player makes a specific choice right at the end. While it’d be hard to recommend doing it,Bloodborneclearly leaned into lots of optional bosses to reflect the fast-paced combat, and now is the perfect time to replay with remake rumors abound.
This is before even considering the optional Chalice Dungeons, which offer an additional 21 optional bosses that players will need to hunt down to earn one of the toughest trophies in Bloodborne — and uncover somekey pieces of Bloodborne lore.
This time, FromSoftware might have gone a little overboard. On account of the brand-new open-world setting,Elden Ringboasts a frankly insane number of optional bosses if the player is solely trying to hit the end screen and nothing else. Add in all the field bosses, and not even the game’s most dramatic fights being necessary,Elden Ring’s optional boss fight counter may well never be surpassed.
Everyone knows that one of the game’s hardest bosses, Malenia, is in an optional arena, but seeing as the player only needs to kill two Shardbearers to access Leyndell and progress the game, Rykard, Rennala, Radahn, and Godfrey are all technically optional if the player wants it that way. Skip all the catacombs, all the side areas, and all the DLC, andElden Ringis easily the FromSoftware game with the most optional boss fights andthe most secret areas to hide them away in.
