Which Souls Game Has the Easiest Bosses? A Deep Dive for Newcomers and Veterans

The question of which Souls game has the easiest bosses is a common one, often debated by both seasoned veterans and newcomers to the unforgiving world of FromSoftware. While difficulty is subjective and heavily influenced by individual playstyles, builds, and prior experience, a general consensus points towards Elden Ring as the Souls game with the most forgiving bosses. This isn’t to say that Elden Ring is easy, but rather that the game provides players with numerous tools and strategies to overcome challenges, ultimately making the boss encounters more manageable compared to other entries in the series.

Why Elden Ring Stands Out

Several factors contribute to Elden Ring’s relative accessibility concerning its bosses:

• Open World Structure: The open world design allows players to explore, level up, and acquire powerful equipment before tackling major bosses. This overleveling potential significantly reduces the difficulty of many encounters.
• Spirit Ashes: The introduction of Spirit Ashes, summonable AI companions, provides valuable assistance in boss fights. These summons can draw aggro, deal damage, and even stagger bosses, making them significantly easier to manage.
• Diverse Build Options: Elden Ring boasts an unparalleled variety of build options, allowing players to tailor their characters to specific combat styles and exploit enemy weaknesses.
• Ashes of War and Weapon Scaling: The Ashes of War system allows for customization of weapon skills, and the scaling of weapons makes them incredibly powerful when upgraded. This provides for greater damage output than in previous games.
• Jumping Mechanics: The added verticality and jumping mechanic grants players enhanced mobility and strategic advantages during combat, allowing them to evade attacks more effectively.
• Great Runes: Using Great Runes boosts the player character’s stats and offers other helpful abilities. These can offer a considerable advantage in boss battles.

While Elden Ring offers more tools to overcome boss fights, some might argue certain bosses in other Souls games are definitively easier. Let’s explore the bosses from the other games and then address some of the common questions.

Contenders from Other Souls Games

While Elden Ring takes the crown, other Souls games have their share of comparatively easier boss encounters:

• Demon’s Souls: Phalanx, a cluster of interconnected soldiers, is often cited as one of the easiest bosses in the series. Its vulnerability to fire damage and slow movement make it relatively simple to defeat.
• Dark Souls: Moonlight Butterfly is a ranged boss that poses little threat to players with ranged attacks or those patient enough to dodge its projectiles and wait for an opening.
• Dark Souls 2: Covetous Demon is a slow, easily telegraphed boss that is more comical than challenging. Its weaknesses are readily apparent, making it a straightforward encounter. Prowling Magus and Congregation are similarly easy for most players.
• Dark Souls 3: Ancient Wyvern, while visually impressive, is defeated by a single plunging attack to its head, making it a trivial encounter.
• Bloodborne: Witch of Hemwick is a boss fight more about exploration and enemy management than direct combat. Once the witches are located, they pose little threat.
• Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice: While Sekiro is generally considered one of the most difficult Souls-like games, its focus on parrying and posture breaking can make some bosses surprisingly manageable for players who master the combat system. However, there are no universally “easy” bosses.

Factors to Consider When Evaluating Boss Difficulty

It’s important to remember that boss difficulty is subjective and can be influenced by:

• Player Skill and Experience: Veterans of the Souls series will naturally find certain bosses easier than newcomers.
• Build and Equipment: A well-optimized build with appropriate weapons and armor can significantly impact the difficulty of a boss fight.
• Summoning: Utilizing online summoning to bring in other players can make even the most challenging bosses more manageable.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Which is the most difficult Souls game overall?

Generally, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is considered the most difficult Souls game due to its demanding combat system, emphasis on parrying, and lack of traditional leveling mechanics. Dark Souls 2 is often considered to be the most difficult of the Dark Souls trilogy, but it is still easier than Sekiro.

2. Which Souls game is best for beginners?

Elden Ring is often recommended as the best starting point for newcomers due to its open world structure, numerous build options, and the availability of Spirit Ashes.

3. Are Dark Souls 1 bosses actually easy?

Some Dark Souls 1 bosses are relatively easy, such as the Moonlight Butterfly and Pinwheel. However, the game also features challenging encounters like Ornstein and Smough, which are considered among the most difficult in the series.

4. Is Bloodborne harder than Elden Ring?

For players who prefer a more aggressive, fast-paced combat style, Bloodborne might feel easier than Elden Ring. However, its limited build options and challenging early game can make it more difficult for some players. Elden Ring might be harder for Souls purists that refuse to use summons.

5. Which Souls game has the best story?

Bloodborne is often praised for its intricate and immersive lore, exploring themes of cosmic horror and the corruption of knowledge. Many find the complexity and mystery of the world to be more appealing than the stories in other Souls games.

6. What is the most disturbing boss in Dark Souls?

Orphan of Kos from Bloodborne is commonly cited as one of the most disturbing bosses due to its unsettling design, tragic backstory, and the intense emotional weight of the encounter.

7. Who is the most evil boss in Dark Souls?

Pontiff Sulyvahn from Dark Souls 3 is often considered the most evil boss due to his manipulative nature, his role in the corruption of Irithyll of the Boreal Valley, and the atrocities he committed.

8. Which Souls game has the hardest first boss?

Grafted Scion from Elden Ring is frequently mentioned as one of the most challenging introductory bosses, designed to quickly overwhelm and defeat the player, emphasizing the harsh realities of the game world.

9. Is it okay to start with Dark Souls 3?

Yes, Dark Souls 3 is a perfectly acceptable starting point for the series. While it references events and characters from previous games, it’s not necessary to have played them to enjoy the experience.

10. Why are Souls games so hard?

Souls games are known for their difficulty due to their punishing combat, unforgiving level design, and emphasis on learning enemy attack patterns. They reward patience, observation, and strategic thinking.

11. Does it matter if I use summons in Souls games?

Using summons is a valid and intended part of the Souls experience. Whether you choose to summon or play solo is entirely a matter of personal preference.

12. What makes some bosses easier than others?

Factors like enemy movement speed, attack patterns, elemental weaknesses, and the availability of specific strategies can all contribute to a boss’s perceived difficulty.

13. Is there a “right” way to play Souls games?

There’s no single “right” way to play Souls games. The beauty of the series lies in its flexibility and the freedom it offers players to approach challenges in their own way.

14. What if I’m really struggling with a particular boss?

If you’re struggling with a boss, consider exploring other areas to level up, upgrading your equipment, experimenting with different builds, or seeking help from other players through online summoning.

15. Are Souls games worth playing, even if they’re difficult?

Despite their reputation for difficulty, Souls games offer a rewarding and unique gaming experience. The sense of accomplishment after overcoming a challenging boss is unparalleled, and the intricate world-building and lore provide endless hours of exploration and discovery. They are worth playing!

Conclusion

Ultimately, while Elden Ring emerges as the most accessible Souls game in terms of boss difficulty due to its open world design and abundance of player options, the experience remains subjective. Each game offers its own unique challenges and rewards, and the best way to determine which one suits you is to dive in and experience them firsthand. To further your learning about games and their impact on society, visit the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org.