Are All Bosses Required in Demon’s Souls?

The short answer is no, not all bosses are required in Demon’s Souls, but the vast majority are. While you can skip a few specific encounters, progressing through the game and experiencing the core narrative mandates defeating almost all of the major boss battles. Unlike some other games in the Souls series, Demon’s Souls has a fairly linear structure when it comes to boss progression. While you have the freedom to tackle areas in a non-linear order after the first archstone, you still have to face the primary bosses in each level. Understanding which bosses you can skip, and the implications of doing so, is crucial for planning your playthrough.

The Required Bosses

Most of the 21 bosses in Demon’s Souls fall into the category of mandatory encounters. These are the bosses guarding the way forward, and they must be defeated to progress through each archstone and eventually reach the final boss and the game’s ending. Unlike Dark Souls which gives you options to skip entire sections, Demon’s Souls forces you to take each archstone in their respective areas.

Essentially, you will have to beat all the core Archdemon bosses (and their paths) to finish the game. There are five archstones, and to progress to the next archstone, you’ll need to finish the current one. For instance, you cannot proceed to archstone 1-3 until you have defeated the boss in 1-2, which means you have to defeat all bosses in 1-1, 1-2 in order to reach 1-3. This same logic applies to all archstones.

This means that to complete the game, you will have to defeat bosses such as:

• Phalanx
• Tower Knight
• Penetrator
• Old Monk
• Adjudicator
• Old Hero
• Maneater
• Dragon God
• Armor Spider
• Flamelurker
• Fool’s Idol
• Leechmonger

These bosses are the gatekeepers to their respective areas, and cannot be bypassed if you wish to finish the game.

Skippable Bosses

There are only a few truly skippable bosses in Demon’s Souls. Notably, these are the:

• Vanguard Demon (Tutorial Boss): While technically possible to beat, the Vanguard Demon in the tutorial is almost universally skipped. Defeating it does not progress you through the game and its only real benefit is being able to craft a specific weapon using it’s soul.
• The Blue Dragon: Both instances of the Blue Dragon encounters can be skipped, though killing them provides extra souls, and one instance results in a trophy.

These bosses can be avoided without impacting your main progression, meaning their defeat is not mandatory to see the game’s ending.

The Implications of Skipping Bosses

While skipping the tutorial Vanguard Demon doesn’t directly affect progression, it does deprive you of a powerful soul that you can use to craft a weapon. The Blue Dragon is beneficial to kill for both the souls and a trophy. Because of this, its worth considering killing them for the benefits they provide.

While skipping the few optional bosses in the game will not stop you from completing the core game, it will limit your overall experience. You will miss out on valuable souls, boss weapons, trophies and unique spells that can give you the upper hand during your playthrough. You will also miss out on a substantial amount of souls and possible materials that you can acquire from exploring the areas in which they are located.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can I choose the order I tackle the Archstones?

Yes, after defeating Phalanx in Boletarian Palace, you have the freedom to approach the other archstones in any order. However, you have to complete each archstone to progress to the next zone in the same area (for example, you have to complete world 2-1 and 2-2 in order to progress to 2-3).

2. Do I need to use boss souls for weapons or spells?

While not mandatory for beating the game, boss souls can be exchanged for powerful weapons, magic, and miracles, making them incredibly valuable. They also are necessary if you want to complete the game and get platinum.

3. Is there an ideal order to beat the bosses?

There’s no prescribed order, but many players recommend going to World 4 (Shrine of Storms) early on due to the high soul yield. After that, World 3 (Tower of Latria) is recommended for magic users, while World 2 (Stonefang Tunnel) is recommended for melee characters.

4. What happens if I beat the Vanguard Demon in the tutorial?

If you manage to beat the Vanguard Demon in the tutorial, you are immediately killed and put in world 1-1. It doesn’t progress you through the game but allows you to gain its soul for a weapon.

5. What happens after I beat all the main bosses?

Once you defeat all the archdemons, you are thrust into New Game + upon defeating the final boss. Note that you are also locked out of leveling once you defeat the fifth archdemon until you begin your next playthrough.

6. How many bosses are there in total?

There are 21 bosses in Demon’s Souls, with a handful being skippable or optional.

7. Can I skip any bosses in Dark Souls?

Yes, Dark Souls offers more flexibility in skipping certain bosses. It has more side areas which give you the ability to bypass some bosses that would otherwise be mandatory in Demon’s Souls.

8. Which is considered the hardest boss in Demon’s Souls?

Many players consider Flamelurker to be among the most difficult bosses, followed by Maneater and Old King Allant.

9. What’s the hardest first boss in a Souls game?

Many consider the Asylum Demon from Dark Souls to be a challenging first encounter for new players to the series.

10. How many endings does Demon’s Souls have?

Demon’s Souls has two endings: a “Good” ending and a “Bad” ending, determined by a choice you make at the very end of the game.

11. Is Demon’s Souls hard to beat?

Yes, Demon’s Souls is known for its difficulty, requiring players to master its gameplay mechanics and strategize against tough enemies and bosses.

12. How long does it take to beat Demon’s Souls?

On average, it takes about 23 hours to complete the main objectives, but players aiming for 100% completion may spend upwards of 57 hours.

13. What is the best boss weapon in Demon’s Souls?

The Northern Regalia is considered one of the most powerful weapons, crafted by combining Demonbrandt, Soulbrandt and the False King’s Demon’s Soul.

14. Which is the easiest starting class in Demon’s Souls?

The Royal class is generally considered the easiest for beginners due to its starting magical capabilities.

15. Can I continue playing after beating the final boss?

No, upon defeating the final boss in Demon’s Souls you are immediately moved to New Game+. There is no open world to explore like Dark Souls 2 or 3.

Conclusion

While Demon’s Souls doesn’t offer the same level of boss skipping freedom as other Souls games, it does give you choices on which bosses to kill first and which ones to leave behind. While you won’t get to experience all the game has to offer if you skip some, knowing which bosses are actually skippable gives you a better understanding of the game’s structure and can be helpful in planning your playthrough. The main takeaway is that you need to defeat most of them to progress, but a few can be ignored if you want to speed through the game.