Top Ten Bosses in Bloodborne

Top Ten Bosses in Bloodborne

Honorable Mentions: Mergo's Wet Nurse, Amygdala, and Darkbeast Paarl

Before I begin the countdown, I must first post the obligatory warning: These are my opinions! Bloodborne is filled to the brim with epic encounters and everyone has a different experience. In my experience, these are the top 10 best boss fights in Bloodborne.

10. Rom, the Vacuous Spider

Bizarre doesn't even cover it

As you will see, I put a high premium on the originality of monster designs, atmosphere, and fight mechanic originality.  Rom, the Vacuous Spider delivers on all of these fronts.  First of all, check out the location of the fight: an endless waterscape that is as strange as it is ethereal.  Secondly, what the hell is that thing? It's like a spider with white fur and tiny legs that calls upon a bunch of its arachnid buddies as bodyguards. He doesn't even fight back at the start of the fight (which you have to initiate by hitting the lonely beast) but just skitters away. About halfway through, he'll lob some projectiles at you and perform so close range AoE attacks but the main threat is the spiders. The spiders aren't overwhelmingly aggressive and they don't inflict a lot of damage but in groups, they can stun lock you to death.  Reminiscent of the Phalanx fight from Demon's souls and, to a lesser extent, the Duke's Dear Freja from Dark Souls 2, I've always enjoyed boss fights with an interesting twist and Rom certainly captures that.

9. Bloodletting Beast

If you're wondering, this guy isn't a friendly NPC

When I bought Bloodborne, I had expected to fight werewolf-esque monsters and this guy made that dream come true. As one of only two Chalice Dungeon bosses that made the list, Bloodletting Beast certainly made an impact.  When I encountered this monster for the first time, I thought I was in for another simple 'dodge, swipe, dodge' boss encounter.  Boy, was I wrong.  This guy hits with the force of a truck, is as nimble as Sif and has no issue surprising you with a vicious counter attack just when you thought it was safe.  Easily the hardest part of the Chalice Dungeon up to this point, the Bloodletting Beast put me through the wringer for the better part of two hours.  The intensity of this boss fight  is sky-high as you know that any move could be your last. But when you finally fell the beast, it is an elation that only Souls games can serve up.

8. Blood-Starved Beast

When dieting goes too far...

This thing is absolutely disgusting.  Flaps of rotted hair and flesh dangle at the sides of what you might call a face.  Ribs poke through a slimy, sinuous chest oozing with blood.  As it turns out, she is as quick and ruthless as she is ugly, lunging at you from half-way across the arena, grabbing you and eating your face, and, my personal favorite, detonating a huge cloud of poisonous acid. This fight is challenging in the fact that you must learn to time your dodges, recognize patterns and get into a rhythm especially since, if you do get hit, you will in all likely be dead or poisoned.  Additionally, I really like the location of this fight: an abandoned church directly below the Cleric Beast bridge amidst gravestone and burning bodies. It screams horror in ways that no other medium can accomplish.

7. The One Reborn

Go ahead, think of animal equivalent of this

The One Reborn drops out of the moon. Literally.  How cool is that? After suffering through the oppressively demonic halls of Yahar'gul, Unseen Village and facing down the unspeakable horror of the Great Old Ones, you make it to the Yahar'gul Chapel and, lo and behold, the culmination of the demonic ritual drops out of the sky to give you a hug.  An easy comparison for this fight is the Tower Knight fight in Demon Souls with all of the magic wielders taking the place of the archers on the battlements. Sprinting up there and killing them felt familiar, almost safe. So I took a quick break to heal and equip Molotovs when, out of nowhere, The One Reborn reared up on his hind legs and one-shotted me with one of his tentacles.  Ok, no problem.  So next time, I decide to take a break in one of the circular stair towers because nothing can get me in there right? Wrong! Poof, after a second of idleness and a flash of magic, gore rained down on me.  That feeling of nowhere being safe really stuck with me and made me appreciate the boss's intricate design.  Finally, I kill the magic wielders and start whacking away at his legs when this acid pool began to expand around him, and expand, and expand and then it touched me and pinged off a quarter of my health, then ping again another quarter.  The danger in this fight is palpable everywhere and it's truly exciting and interesting to literally have no safe haven.

6. Vicar Amelia

Antlers are my jam

As you walk into the Grand Cathedral, you can sense something big is about to happen.  A young woman kneels in front of an ornate altar, chanting a creepy religious whilst clutching a golden pendant. Then, she literally erupts into a monstrous beast swaddled in flowing white bandages and fur, screeching like a banshee. One of the largest bosses in the game, she hits hard and has a ton of HP. As you whittle her lifebar down, trying to avoid one of her devastating attacks, you think you're doing pretty well.  You've get 10 vials left and she's past her half her health. Then, she leaps out of your range and, wary of what new devilish tricks she has, you back off, watching and waiting.  That's when she heals back half of her health.  A clever play on expectations, this immediately sends you on the offensive, trying to peel back her health to its original state.  It's a great back and forth battle and she is truly intimidating. 

5. Yharnam, Pthumerian Queen

What? Just a praying woman in white? Ha! I got this! - Last sane words from gamer

Yharnam, an optional boss in the deepest level of the chalice dungeon, is perhaps the single most important boss from a 'story' perspective in the entire game. She appears twice in the main game: once after defeating the Rom boss fight with a blood moon and a baby's cry; then once outside of the boss door of Mergo's Wet Nurse where she does nothing but pray and disappear at the conclusion of the fight. First off, you know that she must be relatively important if the plagued city that you've been traveling through has her namesake.  Secondly, at least part of the story seems to revolve about the bizarre reproduction rituals of the Great Old Ones (they can't reproduce on their own and need human surrogates as evidenced by the One Third of an Umbilical Cord item description) and that Yharnam has a blood stain coming out of what appears to be a pregnant stomach. From what I'm reading into this, and it could be totally off-base, she is the mother of the Moon Presence who currently watches over Yharnam.  Ok, lore hypotheses aside, this fight is insanely challenging. She has projectiles that poison you, she's got AoE attacks that knock you back, she's got clones that spawn, she's like a swiss army knife of death-dealing vengeance.  Bringing her down will test your patience and attention to detail.  With that said, she is a ton of fun to fight and finally beating her, after all the Chalice Dungeons, is truly rewarding.

4. Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos

See this ugly face? You're going to become well acquainted with it.

Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos is a hidden boss found in a rather clever location that speaks volumes about the Healing Church and its origins. Abandoned long ago beneath the great Cathedral, Ebrietas seems to have been the first Great Old One discovered by the scholars at Byrgenwerth and was experimented on by the Choir. Apparently, the other Great Old Ones didn't care enough to save her which really gives her an air of trajedy. She lies dormant until you aggravate her but when you do, she's no joke.  Her typical swings have a wide trajectory and some of them hit you twice for large amounts of damage so you always want to be fully healed. By far, however, her most dangerous attack is a lunging charge that hit for massive amounts of damage. The lunge itself begins with a small leap forward and then a much larger one, creating a deceptive time where you think you should dodge but shouldn't.  This kind of mind play is interesting and makes you adapt your strategy. During the later parts of the fight, she starts spraying blood that causes frenzy and puts up a force shield that damages you.  Finally, she just looks hideously awesome. 

3. Father Gascoigne

"Beasts all over the shop."

Speaking of tragedy, Father Gascoigne is quite the Shakespearean character.  Early in the game, you run across a house with a little girl in it who asks you to find her mother who wears a red-jeweled necklace.  Her mother had gone out to find her father but had forgotten her music box.  The little girl gives you a music box and says that her mother plays it to help her father remember them.  That music box is inscribed with Gascoigne's name and can be played during the boss fight to stagger the old hunter.  During the fight itself, you can see the madness that has consumed Gascoigne as he transforms into a beast.  After finally felling, the beast that was a hunter, you find a red-jeweled necklace on a dead woman, the little girl's mother.  Whoa. Talk about telling a story with gameplay. The fight itself really marks the transition into the wider world of Bloodborne, letting you get out of Central Yharnam and confirming that you can beat any challenge the world puts up.  Well done, From Soft, well done. 

2. Gehrman, the First Hunter

I used to be a hunter like you, then I took a Great Old One to the chest

Gehrman, the First Hunter is just about as good as a final boss fight can get: climactic, cinematic, challenging and a worthy pay off for the game.  You fight in a field of flowers in the hunter's dream that can be seen in the very beginning of the game.  Gehrman himself is agile and vicious.  He attacks without mercy forcing you to learn his move set down to a tee.  You can parry him but, unlike Gwyn, it's much harder to hit the right timing and devastating if you miss.  The fact that he switches through three forms with his weapon is incredible as well.  Finally, if you have eaten three Umbilical cords, you're treated to another boss immediately after, the true architect of the Hunter's Dream and the hunt itself.  The Moon Presence certainly is not as challenging but is still worthwhile.  Overall, this was just such a great way to end Bloodborne.

1. Martyr Logarius

I'm the Vergil to your Dante

Out of all of the excellent bosses in Bloodborne, Martyr Logarius stands tall as the best boss in the game. The contest between Gehrman and Martyr Logarius for the top spot was pitched battle as I like both fights for many of the same reasons but I gave the edge to the fallen leader of the Executioners. Evocative of King Allant in Demon's Souls, Martyr Logarius spews out magic in the early parts of the fight before becoming hyper aggressive with his scythe and that damned whirlwind of swords. This encounter truly felt like a pitched battle against a superior foe, one that you have to adapt and change strategies to come out successful. Add to that a healthy dose of lore and world building and you've got a great boss.  On a mission from the Healing Church, Logarius lead a contingent of Executioners to the Forsaken Castle Cainhurst to destroy the Vilebloods.  After slaughtering the inhabitants of the castle, Logarius was the last man standing but he too fell to the queen of rot and now serves as a watchdog to her hidden throne.  An utterly satisfying fight that was immensely enjoyable from all points of view.  Can't wait to fight him in NG+! 

Thanks to everyone for reading!