Summary
Soulsborne games have made a career out of challenging their players into states of near-frustration with tough enemies seeking to kill them swiftly. This has become a genre in its own right since the original release ofFromSoftware’sDemon’s Soulsall the way back in early 2009.
These games fromFromSoftwarenormally follow a medieval fantasy aesthetic barringBloodborneandElden Ringwhich have their own spin on the fantasy genre. As such they have all the usual fantastical fixings, such as knights, large castles, merchants, and of course, dragons. There are plenty of dragons spread across FromSoftware’s library, with some rising above the rest.
The firstDark Soulsgame hasmany memorable momentsthat cemented themselves in the minds of its fans, and one of those moments definitely belongs to the first encounter with the Hellkite Wyvern, aka Bridge Dragon, a befitting name for this draconic creature.
Shortly after the Taurus Demon boss fight in the Undead Burg area, players will come across a long bridge that when they attempt to cross, this dragon will breathe fire across the bridge and incinerate any unfortunate souls traversing it. Many players fell victim to the fire breath the first time they tried crossing the bridge, making it a much-remembered moment.
Dragons are always incredibly majestic creatures when encountered in games, but this is no less true than for the Divine Dragon inSekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Colossally tall, beautiful, and wielding great power, it is no surprise that this creature issaid to be an Ancient Godfrom a foreign land.
This sacred beast offers a challenging boss fight with its mastery over the wind and wielding a large sword made of pure magic that it can use to devastating effect. It is weak only to lightning, which all dragons are said to be vulnerable to in this world, a weakness players can exploit in this boss fight to whittle down its health.
6Gaping Dragon
Dark Souls
Ordinarily, dragons are designed to be awe-inspiring, often appearing as majestic and somewhat elegant, even if they are scaly creatures of mass destruction. This is where the Gaping Dragon sets itself apart from other dragons, as its design is not awe-inspiring or majestic, and instead is downright horrifying.
Fittingly found in the Depths, the Gaping Dragon earns his name from the exposed ribcage that looks instead like an extra maw, giving it aLovecraftian-likeaesthetic. His attacks are just as horrifying as his attempts to impale his victims upon their exposed ribs, or even expel acid in a large pool around himself. Thankfully, the Gaping Dragon is an optional fight, so it is not necessary for players to expose themselves to this horror.
5Black Dragon Kalameet
Dark Souls (Artorias of the Abyss DLC)
Initially introduced in anexpansion pack for the originalDark Soulsgame, Kalameet reprised his role as one of the most feared and strongest dragons left alive inDark Souls Remastered. Players will encounter him multiple times before they finally get to fight and take him down for good, making him a black-winged menace for much of their journey.
But to bring him down to their level, players need some assistance to shoot him down from the sky, which players can ask of Hawkeye Gough after they see Kalameet flying by the waterfall close to his arena. Once that is done, players can finally fight their draconic stalker, and will no longer need to watch the skies in fear of Kalameet’s form flying overhead.
Sinh, the Slumbering Dragon has a name that sounds like it belongs in a children’s nursery rhyme but make no mistake, he is a force to be reckoned with. Worshiped by a cult of devout followers and protectors, Sinh is close to Godhood in terms of lore and sheer strength. He survived a siege mounted by the Drakeblood Knights, even after being run through by a lance that remains stuck in his body.
Now no longer slumbering, players can encounter this terrifyingly strong dragon in Dragon’s Rest, a location available in the Crown of the Sunken King DLC, and acts as the final boss for this expansion. As expected for a grand finale, his fight is anything but a snooze fest with devastating attacks, scales strong enough to break most weapons on hit, and very small openings for players to get a hit in.
During the War of the Ancient Dragons, this dragon became the friend of Godwyn, who later tried to save him from the Death Blight only to become corrupted by this plague himself, turning him into a dreaded lichdragon, and enemy players have the option to find and slay.
Foritssax isan optional boss fightthat is entirely missable if players kill Fia before her quest is concluded, locking themselves out of an awesome dragon fight, and a certain ending that Fortissax is the key to unlocking. While he might not be the toughest fight in the game, he is an important figure inElden Ring’slore which alone makes it worthwhile checking out his fight.
This four-winged crystal-encrusted dragon is undeniably a beautiful creature, but capable of terrible destruction. Descended from Archdragons and reared by Gods, Midir was granted immortality in exchange for his duty to battle the dark which he continued even after all the Gods perished.
An optional boss in The Ringed City DLC, Midir stands out as one of thetoughest fights in the entirety ofDark Souls 3, not just the DLC, as expected of a champion of the Gods. With his enormous pool of hit points, lofty defense, and the ability to deal out massive amounts of damage, Midir is not a fight for the faint of heart but those that do brave this dragon’s wrath will be rewarded with a challengingly fun fight, and the bragging rights of taking down the Darkeater.
1Dragonlord Placidusax
Elden Ring
Elden Ringis arguably FromSofware’s toughest entry yet, challenging long-time fans and new players alike with its enemies and boss fights, which are just as legendary as the bosses from other games. Alongside the mandatory ones players must defeat to progress the game, there are also optional boss fights for players who want more, such as the Dragonlord Placidusax.
This two-headed dragon’s fighting arena can be found in Crumbling Farum Azula, players just need to find the correct location, interact with it, and they will be teleported to his fight. Along with his cool design reminiscent of King Ghidorah, Placidusax is anepic-level boss fightthat will test the mettle of even the most seasoned Tarnished.
