When you think of the toughest video game bosses of all time, which characters come to mind? It likely depends on the games you've already played over the years. But one thing is for certain: video game boss fights can make you want to tear your hair out and grind your teeth with how tough they can be.
Rovlen, the giant plant monster in 'Lost Ark'
This list is going to explore several of the hardest video game bosses ever, but take note that this list is not ordered in any way (not descending, and not ascending). So without further ado, let's begin!
Through The Fire And Flames (Guitar Hero)
Our first boss fight in this list is not even an actual boss fight. It's just ridiculously hard to play, more so to perfect. The song Through the Fire and Flames from the band Dragonforce has earned quite a reputation as an insanity buster in the Guitar Hero franchise over the years, and it's a title it still holds to this day.
According to Vulture, the inane difficulty of this song just screams masochism at times, because it didn't even have the decency to start slow and work its way up. It just threw players into the fire (pun intended), poured even more gas into it, then put the bonfire inside a nuclear reactor which was then blown up by a nuclear bomb.
TTFAF on Guitar Hero soon grew to be a benchmark of gaming endurance, precision, and mental fortitude. If you can 100% this song (more so on the first try, and on multiple occasions), then you're basically a god among mortals.
Malenia, Blade Of Miquella (Elden Ring)
Before FromSoftware released Elden Ring, so many players agreed in unison that The Nameless King from Dark Souls III is the toughest Soulsborne boss ever (we'll get to him in a moment). But then, in came the Goddess of Rot and now the famed masochism simulators have a new ace in the hole.
elden ring malenia
According to GameRanx, Malenia is perhaps one of the most brutal boss fights to ever be put in a video game, just based on how she opens up. Even her opening attack is enough to kill players in almost the blink of an eye, and her infamous Waterfowl Dance is almost always thought of as impossible to dodge.
That's not even mentioning her second phase, which you just have to play and see to believe. Case in point: describing how tough Malenia is to take down in mere words doesn't do her difficulty level justice. She is so hard to beat, even the other toughest bosses in Elden Ring itself don't stand a chance against her:
Unless, of course, you're the legendary player called Let Me Solo Her.
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Skolas (Destiny: House Of Wolves Expansion)
Designated as the final boss of the House Of Wolves expansion in Bungie's Destiny, Skolas was said to be so tough that the developers had to nerf him because even the game's best players were having trouble, writes ScreenRant.
The devs had to slash Skolas' health in half and take away some of the modifications that make certain weapons more powerful to make it a fairer fight, even for a group of players working to try to take this guy down. His army of the Fallen all use arc weapons, whose "arc burn" modifiers made it impossible even for teams of players to try and defeat him.
Fights were said to take as much as several hours at a time. It was the modifiers that spelled the difference, as they would come in with the weekly challenges that ask players to try to defeat him by working together. Players were even strategizing on Reddit in an attempt to find a way to beat this guy. Skolas is, truly one of the toughest video game bosses of all time.
The Nameless King (Dark Souls 3)
In the hallowed halls of video game boss fights, perhaps no FromSoftware enemy has held as much of a notoriety than Dark Souls 3's The Nameless King (maybe until Malenia came along).
Like almost any Soulsborne boss, The Nameless King has two phases. His first one is not too hard, writes BossLevelGamer. You can probably make do with your ordinary dodges and parries. But once you get rid of his dragon, oooh boy... you're in for an a**kicking of a lifetime.
The King's attacks start get thrown at you in massive, almost unending flurry - almost all of which can't be parried even if you're a parrying expert. These attacks are also lightning-infused so you'll also have to deal with elemental damage aside from the normal cuts and slashes. Also, try to dodge this guy: just try it, especially with the fight's notoriously poor camera angles that take away a good chunk of your visibility.
Sephiroth (Kingdom Hearts 2)
When Sephiroth appeared in Final Fantasy VII, he wasn't too tough for most gamers to handle. But it's weird that it took a freaking Disney crossover in Kingdom Hearts 2 to turn this due into a demigod, which is perhaps why he was made an optional boss. Otherwise, people might have struggled to beat the game for years.
That was because of the major gemplay changes between FFVII and KH2. In the former game, you had turn-based combat which allows you to strategize without too much of a time penalty. In KH2, it's an action-oriented combat system where you had to make all your decisions on the fly.
The toughest thing about fighting Sephiroth as Sora is the fact that you will be tackling him one on one, and that his attacks will get stronger the more HP he loses. Not to mention, you need to have insanely impeccable timing just so you could land a good hit.
C'Thun (World Of Warcraft)
In MMORPGs like World Of Warcraft, there's a reason why memes like Leeroy Jenkins were born: players absolutely need to party up and work as a team to deal with boss fights and the like. And when you're dealing with C'Thun, the final boss who first appeared in the Temple of Ahn-Qiraj, you won't be able to win without a good team.
C'Thun's arsenal of attacks include stomach acid which will eat up your health if you were ever swallowed by him Sarlacc-Boba Fett style. He also has an eyeball beam which is insane because he has way too many eyeballs, which is why you should never, ever attempt to attack at close range, writes ScreenRant.
While beating C'Thun now has been very easy, his original, pre-patch form was almost invincible even for very seasoned WoW players and their teammates.
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Story posted on GameNGuide
Written by RJ Pierce
