The best puzzle bosses in Soulslike games

Souslike games come in many shapes and sizes, but most share the same dedication to complex gameplay and dark lore that makes this genre so rewarding for players on a variety of platforms. If there's one thing that can group all Souls games together beyond that – it's the emphasis on boss battles. Bosses are the pinnacle of exploration, a skill and damage check, or otherwise an obstacle between the player and a vital part of their quest.

Each boss needs something unique to stand out. The Dark Souls Trilogy it has some really huge boss fights, full of spectacle and grandeur. The bosses that are discussed most often – for better or for worse – are puzzle bosses. These bosses are the best puzzle bosses in the soul games, ranked by how interesting their gimmick was, along with how enjoyable the fight was overall.

8 Cursed Greatwood

A terrifying boss with an interesting battle system

• Game: Dark Souls 3
• Location: Settlement of the Undead

Technically an optional boss, though essential for anyone looking to get their hands on boss weapons, the Curse-Rotted Greatwood has all the makings of a great Dark souls boss and then goes the extra mile by sticking the landing.

The boss is invulnerable to damage outside of his weak points, but the inhabitants of the Undead Settlement attacking the player add another level of dynamism to this fight. The grotesque second phase becomes a more “standard” boss fight with no puzzles to worry about, but it's still a dangerous and exciting fight with excellent science behind it.

7 Priscilla Crossing

A boss battle that tests players' perception

• Game: Dark Souls 1
• Location: The Painted World of Ariamis

The unique, mystical and quietly terrifying land of the Painted World of Ariamis in the first Dark souls the game is an excellent piece of world building and game design for those who appreciate these factors. Crossbreed Priscilla is an interesting puzzle boss because it tends to play like a typical boss fight.

It doesn't overwhelm the player or force them to focus on weak points, and the arena is both static and small-scale, two features that puzzle bosses often reject with their settings. Instead, her invisibility challenges the player in a way that a well-tuned build would have no hope against. Players must use their own perception to spot subtle clues, such as footprints, that reveal his location.

6 Ancient Wyvern

A gauntlet of fearsome enemies with a great finish

• Game: Dark Souls 3
• Location: Archdragon Peak

Archdragon Peak has an incredible science for Dark souls fans, and beyond that it's one of the best areas in the game. An honest to god original area! This is not a callback to a DS1 zone! Finishing off the area is the Ancient Wyvern, which subverts what players have come to understand about bosses in this series.

Instead of a straight fight, players are encouraged to go through a gauntlet of dragon worshipers to reach the top of the Archdragon's Peak, and from there, a heroic drop attack to land on the Wyvern's weak point (its head, of course) and make a problem. single, lethal blow.

5 The executioner's chariot

An incredibly lethal high-speed boss

• Game: Dark Souls 2
• Location: Huntsman's Copse

Executioner's Chariot is a great title with incredible design. Dark Souls 2 is often criticized for having a boss aesthetic that relies too heavily on men in heavy armor, but this fight takes that aesthetic in a new and exciting direction.

Depending on whether players manage to attack the chariot or use the environment against the horses, this boss fight can end in a number of ways, making for a great, dynamic fight where players have to worry more about speed the enemy than by their power.

4 Yhorm the Giant

A large-scale cinematic boss fight

• Game: Dark Souls 3
• Location: The Profane Capital

Similar to other entries on this list, the Yhorm the Giant boss fight can go a variety of ways depending on the player's actions. In this case, players can have Siegward of Caterina join them if they have followed their murky quest line up to this point.

Rather than being a pure battle of strength, this is a test of player timing. Swordsman players must attack Yhorm with which he can remove about a sixth of their health per attack, but he has a large charge time that players will need to time between the giant king's huge and deadly strikes.

3 Monkeys folding screen

A complicated game of cat and mouse (cat and monkey?)

• Game: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
• Location: Senpou Temple

A boss fight with a sense of humor but also some pretty big dangers to avoid. This battle is a test of Wolf's stamina and timing more than any brute force. This is a tricky puzzle battle focused on chasing down more tricky primates.

There are four monkeys in total and each one must have a different approach to take them down. They lurk around the arena, even using invisibility at times, and players can only win by defeating all four of them.

2 Dark Sun Gwyndolin

A goooood and grim boss battle

• Game: Dark Souls 1
• Location: Anor Londo

One of the most memorable fights in the series, Dark Sun Gwyndolin only appears after players have escaped the illusory sun in Anor Londo, a puzzle in itself. This is an endurance test – players cannot charge Gwyndolin to win the fight.

Although this boss is fragile, his hallway is infinite, and players will need to time their hits as he continues to move further and further down the hallway. If they try to rush him, they won't have the stamina to avoid his many ranged attacks.

1 Deacons of the Deep

A thoroughly atmospheric and challenging

• Game: Dark Souls 3
• Location: Cathedral of the Deep

Easily one of the most rich and atmospheric boss fights in the game, Deacons of the Deep is a puzzle boss fight that doesn't rob players of the catharsis that comes with cutting down hordes of enemies.

Players must stay on their feet and constantly be on the move to continue chasing the malevolent spirit that possesses the deacons in the first phase of the fight – this is a battle where crowd control and agility count more than concentrated damage.