Highlights

• Dark Souls 2 has the most bosses in the series, but they often have unfair advantages and can overwhelm new players.
• The curse system in Dark Souls 2 can easily result in the player being one-shot by powerful bosses.
• Strategies and tips are provided for defeating specific bosses, including taking out smaller enemies first and using fire damage against certain bosses.

Dark Souls 2 offers more bosses than any of the other Dark Souls games. Many of the bosses have unfair advantages that aren't found in the other Dark Souls games, often outnumbering the player, something that many new players could find overwhelming. Many of the bosses are also extremely powerful, and combined with Dark Souls 2's curse system, can easily one-shot the player if they're not careful.

Dark Souls 2 has over 30 bosses that are ready to steal the Bearer of the Curse's souls time and time again, and many of them will have the player fight more than one foe at a time. Arguably, these are some of the hardest bosses in Dark Souls 2.

Updated on 25 December 2023, by Harry Ted Sprinks: With Elden Ring getting closer to two years of age, there's never been a better time to look back on FromSoftware's older games, and Dark Souls 2 is arguably the best example of innovation and experimentation that (through years of iteration) led to Elden Ring's success. Dark Souls 2 was known for its mechanical quirks and strange ideas that polarized fans of the first game. Like Elden Ring, the difficulty of each boss in Dark Souls 2 is semi-dependent on a player's build and strategy, and fans of Dark Souls 2 often have very different ideas about which of them are the most powerful and difficult.

20 Royal Rat Authority

Location: Doors of Pharros

Found in the dark and flooded caves of the Doors of Pharros, this optional boss is an infamous fight in an infamous game, thanks to the four smaller rats that accompany it, as they can very quickly afflict the player with poison and make the fight much more difficult.

Tips For Defeating Royal Rat Authority

If players take out these smaller rats as quickly as possible, potentially with a ranged spell such as Homing Soul Mass or a two-handed cleave, the fight becomes much easier. From there, players should deal with the Authority like they would any large Dark Souls boss: stay under its legs and smack them, just watch out for its leaps and lunges, and make sure its little rat friends are dead.

19 Mytha, The Baneful Queen

Location: Upper Earthen Peak

As there are often very few hints to the obscure mechanics that can be found in Dark Souls 2, players may come across challenges that they are woefully unprepared for. One such occurrence is while fighting Mytha, the Baneful Queen in the Earthen Peak.

If one does not burn the windmill in this area, the boss room will be filled with green slime that will not only poison the player but heal Mytha as well. After setting the blades of the mill aflame, the player will also gain access to Jester Thomas as a summon, which can help out players struggling with this boss.

Tips For Defeating Mytha

Before the fight, make sure to travel to where the windmill blades are and burn them. This will make the fight easier by draining some of the poison in the boss arena. The arena is typically covered in poison, but when the windmill is burned, the poison will only be on the edge.

Mytha typically attacks with her spear two or three times in a row, before leaving an opening for attack. Wait for the opening and strike once or twice, then prepare for another attack. Listen for screams, which indicate the magic beam attack that fires from her severed head. Finally, try not to stand behind her for too long. This will typically cause her to use her tail attack to grab the player, dealing harsh damage.

18 Afflicted Graverobber, Ancient Soldier Varg, & Cerah The Old Explorer (Crown of the Sunken King DLC)

Location: Cave of the Dead

Although there are three of them, this boss fight offers little challenge if players are patient and focus on the enemies individually. Like many of the boss fights in Dark Souls 2, it's fairly obvious that this was meant to be played in co-op, but it's more than possible to defeat them solo - it's just tedious. However, if they wish, the player gets two summons before the boss fight if they choose to face this trio without other players.

Tips For Defeating The Afflicted Graverobber, Ancient Soldier Varg, & Cerah The Old Explorer

It is important to go after the Afflicted Graverobber first, since he is the fastest of the trio. If possible, always summon some spirits to help in the fight. If that cannot be done, take time to practice parrying, since it will come in handy when dealing with the Graverobber. Deal with Varg last, since he has the highest health pool. His attacks are slower, and he's also the slowest.

17 Twin Dragonriders

Location: Drangleic Castle

For this fight, the original Dragonrider (found in Heide's Tower of Flame) returns with a shiny coat of red paint and a ranged friend, making the fight a lot more strategic and difficult to maneuver.

Tips For Defeating Twin Dragonriders

Players may default to fighting the red Dragonrider and simply putting up with the constant stream of arrows until, eventually, the archer jumps down from their pedestal and switches to melee. However, a good strategy is to bait the red Dragonrider into knocking the ranged one from their perch and taking them out first, as they have significantly less health.

16 Belfry Gargoyles

Location: Belfry Luna

The Belfry Gargoyles are another optional boss and one that is probably best to skip. This fight also features multiple enemies that stack the odds against the player. In total, there are six gargoyles that come into the fight one at a time. The spawn rate for them is rather short, however, and if they aren't defeated fast enough, players can easily get overwhelmed by their numbers.

If that wasn't bad enough, when a gargoyle's health is reduced to half, they start to breathe fire which can easily destroy the player when dealing with multiple gargoyles. Make sure to at least go into this fight with some gold pine resin for that much-needed lightning buff on the player's weapon.

Tips For Defeating The Belfry Gargoyles

Speed is the key to defeating this boss easily. When no help is available, players should try to take out one gargoyle at a time. Remember that the fight starts with two gargoyles, and the third won't spawn until the overall boss health is less than 90%. Focus on one gargoyle and use pine resin if possible. Also, remember that the physical attacks from the gargoyles can be parried. This is useful to know when dealing with just a few of them.

15 The Duke's Dear Freja

Location: Brightstone Cove Tseldora

The main annoyance of this fight is the constant stream of smaller spiders that are summoned throughout. Freja, who can be found in Brightstone Cove Tseldora, is one of the four 'Old Ones' and guards a Primal Bonfire that returns players to Majula. Defeating them will grant the player one of the four Great Souls required to progress.

Tips For Defeating Freja

The best way to deal with Freja is to bait out her beam attack. After it ends, run in and attack her head, then get out of the way of her legs or lunging attack. Players can also run to the opposite side of the spider and attack the head that's idle, just be careful of Freja's stomping legs.

Carrying a torch can help scare away the smaller spiders, but in general, it's best to bring a weapon with high fire damage, as both Freja and her children are weak to fire. If the player uses a weapon with a swinging arc and high fire damage, it's possible to carve through the smaller spiders extremely quickly, even taking them out collaterally as the player attacks Freja.

14 The Pursuer

Location: Forest of the Fallen Giants

This boss is technically optional if the player goes through the Dead Man's Wharf to fight the Flexile Sentry as well as defeat the Ruin Sentinels, but most players will end up fighting the Pursuer as the path to him is quite clear. The Pursuer is perhaps one of the hardest opening bosses in the franchise. His moveset is generally unforgiving, and he can apply Dark Souls 2's unique curse mechanic that only makes subsequent attempts even less forgiving.

Tips For Defeating The Pursuer

In the Pursuer's arena is a ballista that players can activate, shooting the boss and dealing massive damage. In general, this is the easiest and quickest way to defeat the boss, but it can be a little tedious to set up and pull off. The easiest way to defeat the Pursuer outside of the ballista is to learn how to parry them, which makes the fight a lot easier.

In general, players should try to bait out his lunging attack, as it's fairly easy to dodge and the player can get in some quick hits as the Pursuer recovers. Most importantly, when the Pursuer draws back his right arm and his sword glows blue, players should get ready to dodge, as this move will impale the player, cursing them, and leaving them vulnerable afterward.

13 Ancient Dragon

Location: Dragon Shrine

Players don't have to fight the Ancient Dragon, but attacking him will trigger a boss fight and display the dragon's rather large amount of health. It is recommended to have a few summons for this fight, otherwise, it can last an extremely long time.

The boss mainly deals fire damage, but will also attack with its claws and tail if players linger around it for too long. It also has the potential to fly up into the air and cast a very large AOE attack that reaches almost the entire arena. It is highly recommended to wear armor with good fire resistance before attempting to take on this behemoth.

Tips For Defeating The Ancient Dragon

The best way to make this boss fight easy is to get as much fire resistance as possible. This can be done by equipping the Flame Quartz Ring +2 (100 fire resistance), Dispelling Ring (60 fire resistance), Dragon's Tooth (50 fire resistance), and high fire-resistant armor. Players will also want spells like Flash Sweat to further increase their resistance. After all this, the boss fight should be rather trivial, since the fire damage will be taken out of the equation.

12 The Ruin Sentinels

Location: Lost Bastille

Players encounter the Ruin Sentinels rather early on in Dark Souls 2, depending on which route they take at the beginning of the game. It is possible to skip this trio of bosses, but not without first finding the Antique Key and a Pharros Lockstone. The fight can be overwhelming due to the relentlessness of the Sentinel's attacks, as well as the sheer number of them.

Tips For Defeating The Ruin Sentinels

The easiest way to handle the Sentinels is to take advantage of the second-floor landing that players will drop onto when entering the boss fight. Stay here and don't jump down. This will typically cause only one Sentinel to jump up and attack, while the other two hang out on the ground for a while. However, players will need to be fast, as eventually, the other two Sentinels will jump up to assist their companion. When this happens, it's best to jump down and take advantage of the arena's space, as players won't be able to consistently avoid the Sentinels' attacks from the small space of the landing.

If players are able to successfully defeat, or nearly defeat, the first Sentinel to jump onto the landing, fighting the other two should prove simple. The Sentinels tend to attack fairly relentlessly, so the key to this fight (like many Dark Souls bosses) is patience. Wait for the right moment to attack, and take the fight slowly. Players can also use the help of the summon from the hallway before the boss room. This spirit is able to tank many of the Sentinels' attacks while the player chips away their health.

11 Throne Watcher & Throne Defender

Location: Throne of Want

The Throne Watcher and Throne Defender are the last fight before the final boss (excluding the Scholar of the First Sin) and can be a real danger if the player isn't careful. As always, fighting two enemies at a time can be tricky, but this fight can easily be done solo.

Tips For Defeating The Throne Watcher & Throne Defender

When players defeat one of the bosses, they aren't immediately defeated. Instead, they will kneel in a downed position for a moment and eventually the other will revive them. Because of this, it's important that the player defeats both bosses within 20 seconds of each other, or they'll be trapped in a constant cycle.

Players should be wary of the ledge at the edge of the arena, as it's very easy to fall off when kiting the bosses. However, the ledge can also be used to the player's advantage, as it's possible to trick one of the bosses to fall off. The best way to succeed in this fight is to keep both bosses at a low amount of health and then finish them off in quick succession.

10 Smelter Demons

Location: Iron Keep / Iron Passage

That's right, there are two. Luckily each one is a separate boss fight, but each is a challenge to defeat. The Smelter Demon deals significant physical damage and, at about 70 percent health, will stab himself with his sword, causing it to catch fire. This makes all of his attacks change and deal fire damage.

His stab attack will send out a stream of fire and his leaping attack becomes an AOE attack that deals significant fire damage as well. Lucatiel of Mirrah can be summoned for this fight, but it is more recommended to summon a player because she can die rather quickly.

Tips For Defeating The Smelter Demons

Make sure to enter the boss fight wearing armor that has good fire resistance. Once the boss loses about a third of its health, it will scream. This will initiate a damaging fire AOE around it at all times.

Equipping the Ring of Restoration will help deal with the fire AOE damage. Pay attention to the boss' attacks and dodge mainly to the left. Be careful to stay away from the wall since the boss' large frame can get the player stuck against the wall.

9 Looking Glass Knight

Location: King's Passage

The Looking Glass Knight's difficulty comes from his massive defense and the fact that he can summon allies to help him. Taking this boss on solo is not recommended, because not only can he summon AI allies, but players as well. If a player places their invasion sign down in the right area, then they can get summoned into the boss fight, which is a major disadvantage.

Before the boss fight, the player can summon Benhart, but he is hardly useful because he never blocks and typically dies very fast. This means that, even with a summon, this fight can prove relatively difficult.

Tips For Defeating The Looking Glass Knight

Players can use the NPC summon to their advantage and attack the Looking Glass Knight from behind while he focuses on Benhart. Pay attention to the boss' attacks, since they can become rather predictable. When the boss tries to summon an NPC, he will slam his shield onto the ground. This can be interrupted by breaking his poise. Make sure to use heavy attacks to help stagger the boss whenever he tries to summon an ally. Furthermore, players should play in offline mode to avoid the Knight from summoning players, as the AI is much easier to deal with (and not to mention less powerful).

8 Velstadt, The Royal Aegis

Location: Undead Crypt

This protector of the King is iconic for their distinctive helmet and massive hammer. Despite Velstadt's relatively large and open arena, they can prove to be a challenging boss fight. This is due to the large hit-boxes of Velstadt's attacks, along with his combination of physical and magical damage.

Velstadt has two phases, the second of which introduces their ranged attacks. These ranged attacks deal magic damage, and force the player to adapt quickly, changing their play-style on the fly. This makes Velstadt a lot harder to exploit, and harder to predict.

Tips For Defeating Velstadt, The Royal Aegis

Velstadt is weak to lightning, so bringing a lightning weapon and/or lightning resin will help the player a great deal. Furthermore, many of Velstadt's attacks can be parried, so players should consider practicing their parry if possible, and spend some time learning the timing of Velstadt's attacks. By combining lightning damage with well-timed parries, players should have a much easier time defeating this challenging boss.

7 Darklurker

Location: Dark Chasm of Old

The Darklurker is a secret optional boss that requires a lot of effort and time to reach. First, the player must find Darkdiver Grandahl, go into each of the three Dark Zones, and light the fires. Once that is done, the player can fight the boss, but they'll have to go through one of the Dark Zones every time they want to attempt the fight. This can get really tedious really fast, as players have to kill all the enemies to get through the fog door. This fight must be done alone, as no summons are allowed into the Dark Chasm of Old.

Tips For Fighting The Dark Lurker

The Darklurker is extremely weak to both lightning and fire attacks, so make sure to bring the appropriate weapons/resins. The fight is fairly slow-paced and simplistic, just be sure to watch out when the Darklurker flies into the air, as that's when they'll shoot down an array of homing orbs.

When the boss drops to 50% of its health, it split into two. As always, the best thing to do is focus one at a time. Players should generally try to keep both of the Darklurkers in front of them, as they have ranged attacks that the player could easily miss if they have their back turned.

6 Sir Alonne (Crown of the Old King DLC)

Location: Memory of the Old King

Sir Alonne is one of the many bosses from the DLC, and the final boss at the end of the Memory of the Old Iron King. It is important to know that getting to this boss is a feat in itself, as the player must plow through an army of Alonne Knights just to reach his fog wall.

Sir Alonne's difficulty comes from his awkward attack patterns with weird timings. He also has a high defense against all forms of magical damage, so physically damaging items are a must. If the player can manage to kill him without healing or taking damage, Alonne will actually commit seppuku, a form of ritual suicide committed by samurai.

Tips For Defeating Sir Alonne

One way for players to get more of a fighting chance against Sir Alonne is to use Havel's Greatshield, which can tank quite a few hits and keep players on their feet. As always, be patient and wait for openings to attack. Always be sure to avoid the soul-piercing attack since shields cannot block it. Players should make sure they are fast-rolling (don't wear heavy armor) and for the most part should be rolling to the right, as Alonne typically swings his katana from his right and ends the attack on his left.

5 Elana, Squalid Queen (Crown of the Sunken King DLC)

Location: Dragon's Rest

Guarding the way to Sinh's boss room, Elana, Squalid Queen casts a variety of dark and fire spells at the player in addition to cleaving at them with her massive axe. However, what makes this fight difficult is her relentless summoning of skeletons, as well as a clone of Velstadt.

Tips For Defeating Elana

When entering the boss fight, attack Elana as much as possible. It takes her a while to equip her weapon and for the fight to officially begin, so this is the best time to deal some heavy damage to her.

If the player has a high damage output, they'll likely be able to defeat Elana before she can summon, but if she manages to summon her allies, attack them first while keeping an eye on Elana. She will mainly move around while her summons are out, but will occasionally go after the player from behind. Players should aim to defeat the skeletons quickly, and if possible bait them close to Elana to do some collateral damage.

4 Sinh, The Slumbering Dragon (Crown of the Sunken King DLC)

Location: Dragon's Rest

Despite having a spear through their chest, Sinh is one of the mightiest bosses in the entire game. The only true dragon in Dark Souls 2, they represent their deadly kin very well.

Their flight-based attacks are tricky to dodge as Sinh locks onto the player with an unexpected delay for very awkward timing. Meanwhile, their aerial flamethrower dive can scorch the player if they don't react quickly. On top of all this, Sinh is strong enough to stun or stagger the player long enough to prevent them from dodging their subsequent wide-ranging attacks.

Tips For Defeating Sinh

One of the most helpful things a player can do is increase their poison and fire resistance. When dealing with Sinh, a good tactic is to bait him into using his flamethrower attack. This attack is easier to dodge than others and leaves him open to attacks afterward. When he's front-facing and on the ground, stick to his legs and attack them, but stay clear of his tail.

3 Lud And Zallen, The King's Pets (Crown of the Ivory King DLC)

Location: Frigid Outskirts

This boss fight has undeniably the worst lead-up in Dark Souls 2, and possibly the entire trilogy. The numerous enemies that assault the player while they are traversing through a blizzard are tedious enough without having to trek through a ton of snow and ice. Low visibility, no bonfires, and a very boring area make the path to Lud and Zallen downright awful.

When the player finally reaches the boss room they are greeted by an unfair fight with two bosses nearly identical in moveset to the previously defeated Aava. The best way to deal with the tiresome lead-up and boss battle is to summon a bunch of allies at the very start of the Frigid Outskirts, but considering that this boss is entirely optional, it's tough to say it's worth the time and effort.

Tips For Defeating Lud And Zallen

Deal with Lud first, as this will help later in the fight. Avoid Zallen and keep attacking Lud once Zallen joins the fight. This will help limit how long the player will be fighting two bosses.

When Zallen gets low on health, they will enter an enraged mode, where they deal more damage and attack relentlessly. Keep dodging for about 30 seconds. Zallen will replenish some health during this time, but attacking won't really help prevent that. Once they are no longer enraged, go in for the kill.

2 Fume Knight (Crown of the Old Iron King DLC)

Location: Brume Tower

The Fume Knight (found in the Crown of the Old Iron King DLC) is perhaps the most difficult boss of Dark Souls 2. His attacks have odd timings and his second phase especially features quickly telegraphed attacks that are easy to miss. He has a strong resistance to all types of magic, so physical damage is preferred when taking him on.

He is one of the few enemies that use dark and fire magic that is potent enough to damage the player when using shields that resist 100 percent fire damage. Furthermore, Fume Knight's second phase features variants on his first phase attacks that seem similar at first, which can easily throw players off and lead to death. Overall, the fight leaves very little room for error.

Tips For Defeating The Fume Knight

During the first stage of the fight, run up to the boss and get in some free hits while he is appearing. In phase one, it is easier to dodge the Fume Knight while hugging his left knee. Watch out for the small indications of attacks from his greatsword. Players should also get as much free damage as possible while Fume Knight transitions to his second phase.

In phase two, Fume Knight's weapon becomes infused with dark fire and deals a lot more damage. This is where players will have to be the most careful. The best way to get through this phase is to stay close to Fume Knight and spam him with attacks, trying to trigger his explosion move. When he stabs his sword into the ground, roll away as fast as possible and get ready to avoid the projectiles that shoot out with the explosion. After the move is over, players can use the distance to regain their stamina and try to get some healing in before closing the distance.

1 Burnt Ivory King (Crown of the Ivory King DLC)

Location: Old Chaos

This climactic boss battle at the end of the Crown Of The Ivory King DLC is notorious for its unpredictable hit-boxes and long-winded preamble. Before getting to fight the Ivory King one-on-one, players must first defeat a series of henchmen. If players fail to kill all of these henchmen before the Ivory King makes his appearance, they'll have to fight him simultaneously.

Once players finally get to fight the Ivory King, they'll have to contend with his massive sword and questionable hit-boxes. Despite all of the Ivory King's flaws, the set-up, arena, and the character's design make for a relatively impressive boss fight.

Tips For Defeating The Burnt Ivory King

In order to defeat the Burnt Ivory King, it's highly recommended that players explore Eleum Loyce, the DLC area, for the Loyce Knights. Once found, these isolated Knights will join players in their fight against the Ivory King. These Knights are extremely helpful, and almost essential in defeating the Ivory King.

Furthermore, the Ivory King is extremely weak to lightning. One of the Loyce Knights joins the player by default, but if players find the other three Knights, and make sure to use a lightning weapon, then the Ivory King should provide less of a challenge.