Bloodborne, despite being seemingly, inexplicably forgotten by both FromSoftware and Sony, is often considered one of the best games of the previous decade. It’s home to some of thebest storytelling FromSoftware has ever conjured, a truly unforgettable and unsettling world, and, of course, a legion of tough-as-nails, white-knuckle boss battles.
Bloodborne’s best bosses exist at the intersection of challenge, lore significance, and spectacle, offering a strong combination of engaging gameplay, awe, and terror. While most of FromSoftware’s games are characterized by the element of surprise,Bloodborne’s descent into madness and cosmic horror from an ostensibly standardVan Helsing-inspired story makes for particularly strong boss variety, its roster populated by werewolf-like beasts, madmen, and incomprehensible, godlike horrors. Indeed,Bloodborne’s boss lineup is among FromSoftware’s most iconic.
The following tier list excludesChalice Dungeon bosses, only focusing on those from the main story andThe Old HuntersDLC.
S-Tier Bosses in Bloodborne
The Mount Rushmore ofBloodbornebosses is characterized by a few key factors, including aesthetics, lore importance, and how well each encounter leverages the game’s combat mechanics. Take Ludwig the Accursed, for example: this boss’s grotesque, sickening design is FromSoftware at its most inspired, and his viciousness, aggressiveness, and wide range of attacks make him an easy pick forBloodborne’s most intimidating boss. There’s also his connection to the game’s core narrative, adding a layer of significance that makes his battle more than just a spectacle.
The same can be said about the likes of Lady Maria and Orphan of Kos. These bosses are inextricable parts ofBloodborne’s story, and they test the player’s mettle with novel and unexpected attack patterns. In the case ofOrphan of Kos, who is arguablyBloodborne’s toughest boss, players will need to utilize the full spectrum of their abilities and experience with the game’s mechanics to eke out a victory. But just like any good video game boss battle, it never feels unfair despite its crushing difficulty.
Lady Maria, the guilt-ridden gatekeeper of the Fishing Hamlet, provides yet another emotionally resonant showdown that buttresses her raw power. A weathered hunter herself, she forces the player to crank up their aggressiveness and intensity more than ever before. Her fatal grace may haveinspired the likes ofElden Ring’s Malenia—a good or terrible thing, depending on who’s asked.
Gehrman and the Moon Presence are narratively important and dramatically poignant, but not particularly challenging. By the time the player reaches these two final, pivotal bosses, they will likely be powerful and experienced enough to beat them in just a few tries, and while this would typically land a boss a spot in a lower tier, their relative ease actually helps the game’s pacing, as they punctuateBloodborne’s nightmarish story, offering spectacle rather than frustration. Plus, while their moves are easy to counter, they are nevertheless fun to dance with—something that can’t be said about the game’s lower-quality boss fights.
A-Tier Bosses in Bloodborne
Bosses in this tier are still fantastic—they would basically be considered S-Tier in 90% of other games—but are edged out slightly by the game’s more masterfully crafted encounters. The likes of Father Gascoigne, Vicar Amelia, and Martyr Logarius help paint a fuller image of theBloodborne’s bleak and heartbreaking world, with Gascoigne and Amelia’s transformations into beasts typifying the perverse world of Yharnam, so removed from the fundamental pillars of humanity. Logarius, on the other hand, represents the brutal and psychopathic conflict with the Vilebloods, his boss battle showing a different dimension of Yharnam’s dark underbelly.
Mergo’s Wet Nurse and Shadow of Yharnam are two ofBloodborne’s most mechanically unique boss encounters. The former hurls illusions and complex, multifaceted attacks against the player, while the latter is a three-man team-up fight, encouraging different strategies depending on build and playstyle. Conversely, Ebrietas is a very simple, easy fight, but the heartbreaking details of her history, coupled with her unforgettably grotesque appearance, make her simply unforgettable.
B-Tier Bosses in Bloodborne
Lower in the list are bosses that are either mediocre from a mechanical standpoint or that display the defining characteristic of the game’s worst boss battles: gimmicks. Amygdala and Living Failures fall into this latter category, as their battles, while visually interesting, don’t get the most mileage out ofBloodborne’s fast and aggressive combat. They can be a nice change of pace, but they don’t play to the game’s mechanical strengths.
Darkbeast Paarl and Blood-Starved Beast are guilty of being a bit too challenging than they’re worth: their attacks will hit hard and fast, but they aren’t particularly interesting or fun to counter. Paarl can be beaten by simply sticking to its backside, and Blood-Starved Beast can be cheesed with fire and a few well-timed gunshots (which, admittedly, is pretty satisfying), making them feel a bit looser from a design perspective, especially when compared to bosses in the higher tiers.
Then there’s the Cleric Beast and Laurence, the First Vicar.Laurence’s encounter benefits from its lore significance, but the fact that it is essentially just a re-skin of the Cleric Beast with a few added AOE moves does cheapen it a bit. Cleric Beast itself, as the first boss most players will encounter, is already rather mechanically simplistic, which cements both of these bosses as good, but not great.
C-Tier Bosses in Bloodborne
Finally, the lowest tier ofBloodborneboss fights is characterized by the dreaded gimmicks that cropped up in the previous tier. Micolash and The Witch of Hemwick are both strongcontenders for the worstBloodborneboss fight, both lacking the style and flair to make up for their tedium. Celestial Emissary, Rom, and The One Reborn are much more interesting in terms of visual design, spectacle, and lore, but they also fail to encourage deeper engagement or experimentation with the game’s mechanics, their battles intead being focused on clearing out hordes of fodder enemies before whaling on a large, impotent mass.
Bloodborne
WHERE TO PLAY
Hunt your nightmares as you search for answers in the ancient city of Yharnam, now cursed with a strange endemic illness spreading through the streets like wildfire. Danger, death and madness lurk around every corner of this dark and horrific world, and you must discover its darkest secrets in order to survive.A Terrifying New World: Journey to a horror-filled gothic city where deranged mobs and nightmarish creatures lurk around every corner.Strategic Action Combat: Armed with a unique arsenal of weaponry, including guns and saw cleavers, you’ll need wits, strategy and reflexes to take down the agile and intelligent enemies that guard the city’s dark secrets.A New Generation of Action RPG: Stunningly detailed gothic environments, atmospheric lighting, and advanced new online experiences showcase the power and prowess of the PlayStation(R)4 system.Ever-changing Chalice Dungeons to Explore: Use holy chalices to gain entrance to a network of vast underground ruins, filled with traps, beasts, and rewards, to explore and conquer alone or with others. These procedurally generated dungeons offer brand new challenges to master, and can be uploaded or shared with friends.
